A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time by Rose

Montreal lady, and dedicated to Colonel Strange, were made an appropriate introduction to the festivities:— Hark! hark! the iron tongue of time Clangs forth a hundred years, And Stadacona on her heights Sits shedding mournful tears! Oh! spirits fled, oh! heroes dead, Oh! ye were slain for me, And I shall never cease to weep, Ah! Wolfe, brave soul for thee. Again the foe are made to know The force of British steel; Montgomery and his comrades brave Fall ’neath the cannon’s peal. Sudden she sprang upon her feet, With wild dishevelled hair— “What are those sounds I hear so sweet Upon the trembling air? “The frowning Citadel afar Is all ablaze with light, And martial notes, but not of war, Awake the slumbering night.” Then on she sped, with airy flight, Across the historic Plains, And there beheld a splendid sight— Valor with beauty reigns. Where fearless Carleton stood at bay A hundred years ago, Under the gallant Strange’s sway They still defy the foe. “My sons! my sons! I see ye now, Filled with the ancient fires, Your manly features flashing forth The spirit of your sires! “Yet here, surrounded by the flower Of Canada’s fair dames, Ye are as gentle in these bowers As brave amidst war’s flames. “Long may ye live to tell the tale Transmitted to your mind, And should again your country call Like valor she will find.” One hundred years have passed away, and again soldiers and civilians in the costume of 1775 move about in the old fortress, some in the identical uniforms worn by their ancestors at the time of the memorable repulse. The Commandant, in the uniform of his corps in 1775, and the ladies in the costume of the same period, received their guests as they entered the ball-room—the approaches to which were tastefully decorated. Half-way between the dressing and receiving rooms is a noble double staircase, the sides of which are draped with Royal standards intermingled with the white and golden lilies of France, our Dominion ensign, and the stars and stripes of the neighboring republic. On either hand of the broad steps are stands of arms and warlike implements. Here, too, facing one when ascending the steps, is the trophy designed by Captain Larue of the B battery. The huge banners fell in graceful folds about the stacks of musketry piled on the right and left above the drums and trumpets; from the centre was a red and black pennant (the American colors of 1775), immediately underneath was the escutcheon of the United States, on which, heavily craped, was hung the hero’s sword—the weapon with which, one hundred years before this night, Montgomery had beckoned on his men. Underneath this kindly tribute to the memory of the dead general were the solemn prayerful initials of the _Requiescat in Pace_. At the foot of the trophy were two sets of old flint muskets, and accoutrements, piled, and in the centre a brass cannon captured from the Americans in 1775, which bears the lone star and figure of an Indian—the arms of the State of Massachusetts. On either side of this historical tableau, recalling as it did so vividly the troublous times of long ago, telling the lesson so speakingly of the patience and pluck, the sturdy manhood and bravery of a century gone by, were stationed as sentries two splendid specimens of the human race, stalwart giants, considerably over six feet in height, who belonged formerly to the famous Cent Garde of Napoleon III., but now in the ranks of B battery.[15] The stern impassiveness of their faces and the immobility of their figures were quite in keeping with the solemn trust they had to guard. Dancing commenced; dance succeeded dance, and the happy hours flew past till the midnight hour, which would add another year to our earthly existence. About that time there were mysterious signs and evidences that something unusual was going to happen. There was a hurrying to and fro of the _cognoscenti_ to their respective places, but so noiselessly and carefully were the preparations made for a _coup de théatre_ that the gay throng who perpetually circulated through the rooms took little heed, when all of a sudden the clear clarion notes of a trumpet sounding thrilled the hearts of all present. A panel in the wainscoting of the lower dancing room opened as if by magic, and out jumped a jaunty little trumpeter with the slashed and decorated jacket and busby of a Hussar. The blast he blew rang in tingling echoes far and wide, and a second later the weird piping and drumming, in a music now strange to us, was heard in a remote part of the barracks. Nearer and nearer every moment came the sharp shrill notes of the fifes and the quick detonation of the drum stick taps. A silence grew over the bright _cortege_, the notes of the band died away, the company clustered in picturesque groups around the stairs where was placed the thin steel blade whose hilt one century gone by was warmed by the hand of Montgomery. The rattle of the drums came closer and closer, two folding doors opened suddenly, and through them stalked in grim solemnity the “Phantom Guard,” led by the intrepid Sergeant Hugh McQuarters. Neither regarding the festive decorations nor the bright faces around them, the guard passed through the assemblage as if they were not, on through saloon and passage, past ball-room and conversation parlor, they glided with measured step, and halted in front of the Montgomery trophy, and paid military honors to the memento of a hero’s valiant, if unsuccessful, act. Upon their taking close order, the bombardier, Mr. Dunn, who impersonated the dead sergeant, and actually wore the sword and blood-stained belts of a man who was killed in action in 1775, addressed Col. Strange, who stood at the bottom of the staircase already mentioned, as follows:— Commandant! we rise from our graves to-night, On the Centennial of the glorious fight. At midnight, just one hundred years ago, We soldiers fought and beat the daring foe; And kept our dear old flag aloft, unfurled, Against the armies of the Western world. Although our bodies now should be decayed, At this, our visit, be not sore dismayed; Glad are we to see our fortress still defended, By Canadians, French and British blended, But Colonel, now I’ll tell you, why we’ve risen, From out of the bosom of the earth’s cold prison—— We ask of you to pay us one tribute, By firing from these heights, one last salute. The grave, sonorous words of the martial request were hardly uttered ere through the darkness of the night, the great cannon boomed out a soldier’s welcome and a brave man’s requiem—causing women’s hearts to throb, and men’s to exult at the warlike sound. While the whole air was trembling with the sullen reverberation and the sky was illuminated with rockets and Roman candles, Colonel Strange responded to his ghostly visitant, in the following original composition:— ’Tis Hugh McQuarters, and his comrades brave, To-night have risen from their glorious grave—— To you we owe our standard still unfurled, Yet flaunts aloft defiance to the world: God grant in danger’s hour we prove as true, In duty’s path, as nobly brave as you. This night we pass, in revel, dance and song, The weary hours you watched so well and long. ’Mid storm and tempest met the battle shock, Beneath the shadow of the beetling rock; When foemen found their winding sheet of snow, Where broad St. Lawrence wintry waters flow. Yes! once again those echoes shall awake, In thunders, for our ancient comrades’ sake; The midnight clouds by battle bolts be riven, Response like Frontenac’s may yet be given If foeman’s foot our sacred soil shall tread. We seek not history’s bloody page to turn, For us no boastful words aggressive burn, Forgotten, few, but undismayed we stand, The guardians of this young Canadian land. Oh, blessed peace! thy gentle pinions spread, Until all our battle flags be furl’d, In the poet’s federation of the world. For us will dawn no new centennial day—— Our very memories will have passed away, Our beating hearts be still, our bodies dust; Our joys and sorrows o’er, our swords but rust. Your gallant deeds will live in history’s page, In fire side stories, told to youth by age; But sacred writ still warns us yet again, How soldier’s science and his valour’s vain Unless the Lord of Hosts the city keep: The mighty tremble and the watchmen sleep, Return grim soldiers to your silent home Where we, when duty’s done, will also come. It will not be easy for any of those fortunate enough to have witnessed the impressive and natural way in which this _coup de théatre_ was arranged ever to forget it. Taken either as a _tableau vivant_ of a possible historic event, or as an example of truthful spirited eloquence, on both sides, it was a perfect success. At the suggestion of the resident American consul, Hon. W. C. Howells, the old house in St. Louis street, in which the body of General Montgomery was laid out on the 1st January, 1776, was decorated with the American flag, and brilliantly illuminated that night. In June, 1880, Colonel Strange went to Kingston with his command on the transfer of the batteries; and, in December, 1881, having received his promotion to the rank of major-general, he not long afterwards retired from the service and became the chief factor in the organization of the Military Colonization Company, whose ranche is about thirty-five miles from Calgary, in the Canadian North-West. His two sons, already mentioned, accompanied him to enter upon pioneer life in the North-West and to help him to found the new home there, to which he has given the Indian name of “Namaka.” The breaking out of the Riel rebellion found them engaged in these peaceful pursuits; but the first note of alarm aroused the old warrior, and before the Canadian authorities had time to grasp all the danger that threatened from the Indians, or to take measures for the protection of the exposed settlements, he was heading his neighbors in an organization for defence and giving the country all the benefit of his great military experience and skill. Our space will not permit our following the history of this organization or of the campaign in which it played so important a part. It may, however, be stated that it became the nucleus of the field force of the Alberta district, which was placed under command of Major-General Strange, and that it not only distinguished itself in the actions at Loon Lake, Frenchman’s Butte and elsewhere, but contributed in no small degree to the suppression of the insurrection by driving Riel’s ally, Big Bear, to bay, and preventing a general and bloody uprising of the other Indian tribes and bands throughout the North-West. Of Major-General Strange’s rôle as its commander in that memorable campaign, it is enough to say that it was in keeping with his high reputation as an organizer, a leader and a soldier; and the Dominion owes him a deep debt of gratitude for the valuable and, it may be added, disinterested services he rendered on the occasion. Professional jealousy may seek to deprive him of his full share of credit in the connection, but an intelligent public will not be slow to apportion to him, as to all the other leading actors in the North-West campaign, his rightful merit. The following is a _résumé_ of the operations of the Alberta field force, as it appeared at the time in the columns of the _Calgary Tribune_:— The work done by the force under my command, and the results, may be briefly stated as follows: The cattle districts in the heart of the Indian reserves were secured, the frontier patrolled, and Indian and Fenian incursions prevented, and telegraph communication established. These results were mainly obtained by the raising of ranche cavalry and home guards, supplemented by the presence of companies of infantry at forts McLeod, Crowfoot, Gleichan and Calgary. These detachments secured the country against the rising of Blackfeet, Bloods, Peigans, Sarcees, etc., protected the railroad, and prevented its abandonment by the C. P. R. officials during the strike and alarm. No doubt the feeling of alarm was much exaggerated, but could not be otherwise, owing to the utter absence of arms among the settlers, and the impossibility of getting any from the Government. The transport and supply were extemporized without even the embryo of the establishments considered necessary in a civilized country, while our difficulties were increased by the complete absence of any supplies in the wilderness country through which we passed, and the want of road, telegraph, or even mail communication. Nevertheless, the rapid march of the three successive columns of the Alberta Field Force stamped out the incipient seeds of active rebellion among the turbulent tribes who had already commenced depredations, more of whom would have joined the Eastern outbreak, but for the timely appearance and location of troops on their reserves; while a famine was prevented in the districts north of Edmonton by the convoys of provisions brought along the protected line of communication. A flotilla was built at Edmonton, a further supply of provisions collected, and the hazardous and delicate operation of moving troops simultaneously by land and river, in open boats (touch being maintained throughout), and a final successful junction effected within striking distance of the enemy. Not a day’s delay occurred from start to finish, though our base of supply was more than 500 miles from our objective. The excellence and carefulness of the scouting almost precluded any chance of disaster, and quickly discovered the position of Big Bear, who was immediately attacked, the result being that, although the numerical inferiority of our force prevented the capture of his position, his band was broken up and demoralized, the majority of the prisoners released, and the subsequent pursuit by the cavalry of this force, under major Steele, completed the surrender of the remainder of the prisoners, the total dispersion of his band, and his ultimate surrender. Not a shot was fired in connection with these results, except by the Alberta Field Force, with only a loss of six wounded. Plainly drawing attention to these results is a duty I conceive due to the officers and men I feel it an honor to have commanded. By their patient endurance, sense of duty and steadiness under fire, these results were produced. Your obedient servant, (Signed) T. B. STRANGE, Major-General, Late Com., Alberta Field Force. On the suppression of the rebellion, he received the Saskatchewan medal and clasp, and once more, like a modern Cincinnatus, beat his sword into a ploughshare and resumed the cultivation of the arts of peace at his home at “Namaka,” near Calgary, where he continued to reside until a broken leg, by a kick from a horse, followed by a second fracture, obliged him to resign the active management of the Military Colonization Ranche. Before leaving the phase of his eventful career connected with the Canadian North-West, it should be stated that in January, 1887, he offered as an Independent candidate for the seat for Alberta in the Dominion parliament, but withdrew before going to the polls, the time having evidently not yet come for the election of representatives unpledged to either political party. He is a member of no society except temperance societies, of whose principles he has always been a warm and consistent advocate, though never a Prohibitionist. He has travelled over the greater part of Europe, visited North and South Africa, the United States, Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the East and West Indies, and crossed the Himalaya mountains into Thibet and Central Asia. He has also been a prolific writer, especially on military questions. Besides editing the _Canadian Military Review_, he has published an “Artillery Retrospect of the last Great War, 1870-71,” “Military Aspect of Canada,” and a work on “Field Artillery,” besides his reports on militia matters, defence of British Columbia, etc., which have been printed in the Canadian Militia Reports, and for the most part acted upon. His wife, who has been a true helpmate to him and followed his fortunes with loving devotion from India to Canada, was a Miss Eleanor Taylor, daughter of Captain R. Taylor, of the East India Company’s service, and to her he was united at Simla, East Indies, in October, 1862. By her, he has had issue, seven children, five of whom, including the two sons already mentioned, survive. ----- [10] Another member of the family, Strange of Burn House, raised a company of militia for the Hanoverian cause. [11] As the capture of an enemy’s guns by artillery unsupported by cavalry or infantry is perhaps without precedent in the annals of war, it may be explained that a rapid advance left the infantry in rear, and a thick wood prevented the action of cavalry. On the road (the only open space through the wood) the enemy’s guns were suddenly overtaken and captured by the charge of the mounted gunners, who sabred the Sepoy gunners before they had time to fire. A moment’s hesitation would have been fatal. Had the British guns halted to unlimber, the enemy, who were already unlimbered, would have had first fire, with inevitably annihilating effect. [12] “A” battery was first organized by Lieutenant-Colonel French, who subsequently commanded N.-W.M. Police force. [13] Among others the establishment of a Canadian cartridge factory, without which the suppression of the North-West rebellion would have been indefinitely prolonged had it been necessary to supply cartridges from England, as the manufacture of the Snider cartridge had ceased there on the change of rifle to Martini. [14] As military equitation is of little value without practical application in the field, a pack of foxhounds was kept at the Citadel, Colonel Strange being M.F.H., Captain Short, huntsman. [15] One of them, Gunner de Manoli, was killed in action at Fish Creek during the late North-West campaign. He was shot through the head. * * * * * =Pipes, Hon. William Thomas=, Barrister, Amherst, Nova Scotia, was born at Amherst on the 15th April, 1850. His paternal ancestors came from England, and his maternal ancestors were U. E. loyalists. The family has resided in Cumberland county, N.S., for over a hundred years, and have been chiefly engaged in farming and shipbuilding. His parents were Jonathan and Caroline Pipes. The subject of this sketch received his educational training in the Amherst Academy and Acadia College. He adopted law as a profession, and was called to the bar of Nova Scotia in