On December 16, 1884, after several public meetings had been held, a petition was dispatched to Ottawa. It demanded that the settlers be given title to the lands they then occupied, that the districts of Saskatchewan, Assiniboia and Alberta be granted provincial status, that laws be passed to encourage the nomadic Indians and Métis to settle on the land and that the Indians be better treated.
In spite of the support Riel received from the Métis, an anti-Riel feeling prevailed among the Catholic clergy. The clergy feared his power and were suspicious of his religious beliefs. Their opposition caused the breach between Riel and his church to grow even wider. Led by Father André, the clergy tried to oust Riel as the Métis leader, but were unsuccessful.
On February 11, 1885, the federal government answered the petition that had been sent on December 16 of the previous year. The government promised to appoint a commission to investigate the Métis' claims and titles. The first step would be to take a census of the Métis in the North-West Territories. These proposals angered the Métis who were hoping for a quicker solution to their problems. Seeing that nothing had been accomplished yet, Riel asked the Métis if they wanted him to continue as their leader. Forsaken by their priests, the Métis reaffirmed their vision of Riel as a leader and a prophet.
Major Crozier had left Fort Carlton with 56 Mounted Policemen and 41 civilian volunteers to stop Riel. Led by Gabriel Dumont, the Métis met them at Duck Lake. Dumont succeeded in drawing the troops into a valley where Crozier was forced to come to a halt. Two horsemen, Isidore Dumont and Falling Sand, a Cree Chief, came forward to meet them. Believing they wished to parley, Crozier also advanced, accompanied by a guide named McKay. All four men stopped in the middle of the valley and Crozier extended his hand as a gesture of friendship. Thinking they had been betrayed, Falling Sand made a grab for McKay's rifle. The guide fired and Isidore Dumont fell dead from his horse. The battle of Duck Lake had begun. After forty minutes, with his force decimated, Crozier gave the order to retreat. Seventeen members of the government force had been killed and several were wounded in the battle. Further casualties were avoided when Riel intervened to prevent Dumont from pursuing and killing all the retreating soldiers.
This battle made the Indians and Métis realize that the Canadians were not invincible. Soon war whoops and cries of revenge rang out among the Indian tribes. Two hundred Cree Indians attacked Battleford and Fort Pitt, killing 6. At Frog Lake, Wandering Spirit and his Indians murdered the Indian agent, Thomas Quinn and two priests, Father Fafard and Father Marchand. The Frog Lake incident prompted the Canadian government to intervene. Up until this time, John A. Macdonald had not taken events in the West seriously, but the Frog Lake massacre quickly caught his attention. The government took two measures; the first was to increase the amount of money provided to the Indians for food. This was a wise decision for, their hunger satisfied, some of the Indians remained on the reserves. The second measure was to mobilize a military force of 5,000 men under the command of Major-General Frederick Dobson Middleton. Thanks to the newly-built railroad, the troops were in Winnipeg 10 days after the battle at Duck Lake. Three columns of troops were then dispatched to the centres of disturbance in Saskatchewan.
Gabriel Dumont and 350 Métis were to defend Batoche. Dumont believed that the only effective way of accomplishing this was through "Indian warfare," attacking quickly by surprise than immediately withdrawing. Riel was opposed to this plan. He wanted to avoid violence as long as possible, in the hope of carrying negotiations through to a successful conclusion. This attitude had disastrous consequences for the Métis, as it enabled Middleton to advance to Batoche in safety. Dumont then decided to set a trap for him at Fish Creek. On April 24, Riel and Dumont set out from Batoche with 200 Métis. As they arrived at Fish Creek, Riel changed his mind and wanted the Métis to return to Batoche. At that moment a messenger brought word to them that a Mounted Police detachment was approaching Batoche from the direction of Qu'Appelle. Dumont sent 50 men back to defend the settlement, under Riel's leadership. With Gabriel Dumont in command, the battle of Fish Creek ended in a stalemate which the Métis regarded as a victory because they had succeeded in checking the Canadians' advance.
Meanwhile, in Batoche, Riel was beginning to have doubts about the decisions he had made. Reports indicated that troops had arrived in the vicinity of Batoche. In despair, he appealed to Poundmaker and Big Bear for help, but they would not arrive in time
Cautious after Fish Creek, Middleton stopped for two weeks to rest his men. He left for Batoche on May 7, accompanied by the steamer "Northcote" which he planned to use in launching an attack from the Saskatchewan River. The Métis soon managed to disable the steamer, but the government troops were too strong.
On May 12, the fourth day of the battle, the Métis were defeated. The two leaders reacted differently to this defeat. Both were hidden in the woods and ravines around Batoche. Riel, after ensuring the safety of his family, withdrew into the woods to pray. He made no attempt to flee. When Middleton demanded that he surrender, he replied that he would give himself up to fulfill God's will and that he wanted freedom for all his council and his people. He would surrender so that he could continue to defend the Métis' cause.
After his surrender, Riel was taken to Regina. Dumont, on the other hand, tried unsuccessfully to recapture Batoche. Hearing that Riel had given himself up, he fled to the United States with Michel Dumas.
The resistance was over. Poundmaker surrendered on May 23, but Big Bear was still at large. He was attempting to restore the unity which had existed on the plains.
On May 26, he engaged Colonel Strange's men in battle, but, with his braves dying of hunger and no more ammunition left, Big Bear finally gave himself up on July 2
