The Battle of Fish Creek (also known as the Battle of Tourond's Coulée ), fought April 24, 1885 at Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, was a major Métis victory over the Canadian forces attempting to quell Louis Riel's North-West Rebellion. Although the reversal was not decisive enough to alter the ultimate outcome of the conflict, it was convincing enough to persuade Major General Frederick Middleton to temporarily halt his advance on Batoche, where the Métis would later make their final stand. Battle Middleton, having led his Field Force out from Qu'Appelle on April 10, was advancing upstream from Clarke's Crossing along the South Saskatchewan River when scouts discovered an apparent ambush by Gabriel Dumont's Métis / Dakota force at Fish Creek, about south of Batoche. Fish Creek was Métis land. Upon learning that Middleton was marching toward Batoche, Dumont suggested to Riel the use of guerrilla warfare, by blowing up train tracks to slow their progress. Riel countered that guerrilla tactics were "too much like Indian warfare". Dumont also proposed to attack them by surprise at night, but after he learned that Middleton's scouts were already on the lookout, he had to scrap the idea. On April 23, as the militia began advancing from Clarke's Crossing, south of Batoche, Dumont took 200 men and rode out from Batoche toward Tourond's Coulée. Louis Riel accompanied them. When a (false) report arrived that the North-West Mounted Police were advancing on Batoche, Riel returned there with 50 men. Dumont stationed most of his men in the coulée, where they set to work digging rifle pits. Meanwhile, Middleton had arrived at a point about south of Fish Creek, and set up camp. Dumont took a party of twenty horsemen forward of the coulée. Their task was to seal the exit when the ambush was sprung, like a buffalo pound. However, an inexperienced Métis soldier had forgotten Dumont's specific demand to stay away from the road as it could give the location of the Métis away. The next day, the militia were about to attempt to cross the coulée. A scout spotted the tracks of the inexperienced Métis soldier and began to follow them. The scout was coming close to Dumont and his men, and Dumont stealthily attempted to catch him. Before Dumont could catch the scout, the Métis and Canadian Militia had come into contact with each other, and it was then that the concealed Métis