Charles Arkoll Boulton (April 17, 1841 – May 15, 1899) is noted for his role in the Red River and

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

Biography

He was born in

Cobourg Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

in 1841, the great-grandson of D'Arcy Boulton, and educated at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

. Joining the British Army as an Ensign with the 100th Regiment of Foot, He served at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

rising to the rank of Captain in 1866. After leaving the British Army in 1868, he became a Major in the Canadian Militia with the 46th East Durham Battalion of Infantry. In 1869, he was part of a survey party sent to the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hud ...

. On the orders of survey party leader,

John Stoughton Dennis Lieutenant-Colonel John Stoughton Dennis (19 October 1820 – 7 July 1885) was a Canadian surveyor, militia officer, and civil servant, born in Kingston, Upper Canada. In 1866, Dennis led an ill-fated militia attack against the Fenians at ...

, he organized a group of volunteers to try to put down an uprising by

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

. When 50 of his volunteers were captured and imprisoned, he left the colony and went to

Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. He met some people who had escaped there and led an attempt to free the remaining captives. They were taken captive by Riel's

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

. He was later released and returned to

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. He operated a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

near Lakefield, Ontario, where he became a municipal councillor and then reeve. When his business failed in 1877, he settled in the Shell River valley of

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. He became the first warden of Russell County and chairman of the judicial board for the western district in 1881. In 1885, he led a group of militia known as Boulton's Scouts to help put down the North-West Rebellion. He was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

in 1889. He died in

Russell, Manitoba Russell is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Russell – Binscarth, Manitoba. It is located along PTH 16 and PTH 83, and is at the western terminus of PTH 45. Russell is approximately east of the Saskatchewan border and ...

in 1899.

References

External links

*
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* 1841 births 1899 deaths Canadian Militia officers Canadian senators from Manitoba Canadian surveyors Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators People of the Red River Rebellion People of the North-West Rebellion People from Cobourg Upper Canada College alumni Pre-Confederation Saskatchewan people {{Canada-mil-bio-stub