Cypress Hills Cover Up?

When I was a young cadet in the Canadian Black Watch I used to wonder why the NorthWest Rebellion didn't appear on our battle honours. I understood that there had been concern about sending  French Canadians to fight the metis but the Fusiliers de Montreal (65th Battalion at the time) were sent to Edmonton to chase Big Bear. None of the Montreal English battalions were sent though, not the 5th Royal Scots (now the RHRC or Black Watch),  nor the Victoria Rifles nor the Canadian Grenadier Guards (then the 1st Prince of Wales and 6th Hochelaga Fusiliers).  However, I have come across two clues that suggest that perhaps these regiments did march west after all but that the evidence has been erased from the public record.

Britain's toy soldiers face each other again.

The first clue came with the discovery of a reference to one of of the rarest sets of Britain's toy soldiers ever released. According to my source it was titled Cypress Hills Expedition and contained a mix of British Guards, charging Highlanders, Riflemen, Cowboys and Indians. The second clue was a partial page out of an old book. On the page there is a fragment of a hand drawn map which shows the Canada US border and some hills along with the caption "ief of Fort MacDuff", the tear goes through the map and caption so there is no other context.

Now, I've never heard of a Fort MacDuff on the prairies but the Cypress Hills lie along the US Border in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta and is where the NWMP established Fort McLeod. The area was an ancestral battleground between Cree, Blackfoot and Piegan and the excellent hunting drew  Metis as well as the various tribes. It also drew American hunters and whiskey traders and is where Sitting Bull led the Sioux when they  crossed the border seeking protection from the US army.  Shortly before the Riel Rebellion there were a series of meetings between Cree and Blackfoot to put aside their ancient hostility and form a coalition so as to deal with the Canadian government from a place of strength.

The history books tell us that the warlike Blackfoot chose to stay home while the Cree fought, that the Sioux went meekly back to the US  and that none of the border tensions between Canada and the US ever resulted in a serious incident. But now I wonder........is it possible that there was a campaign in the Cyprus Hills that the governments wanted hushed up so badly that all evidence of the march west of the Montreal militia was destroyed? Did red coats and blue coats clash in a border incident? Was there a Fort MacDuff and was it besieged? Was it relieved or did it fall? Did the Hochelaga Fusiliers really wear their bearskins into action?

I will do my best over the next few years to discover what I can and share it with you.