William Bachelor Coltman

William Bachelor Coltman was a politician, active in the early 19th century.^[1] He was born in Great Britain, and traveled to Canada in 1799.^[2] He worked as a merchant in Quebec City, and purchased a schooner, and entered into a partnership with his brother John, and two merchants in Yorkshire, in 1807. In 1808 he acquired a contract to supply flour to the Army, in Canada.

William Bachelor Coltman
Born	Great Britain
Died	1826 (1827)
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	merchant, Justice of the Peace, Legislator, Commissioner
Known for	restored order in the Red River Colony, following the Battle of Seven Oaks

He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1810.^[1][2] He was appointed a member of Lower Canada's Executive Council, in 1812.

In 1816 competition between two fur trading companies, the older Hudson's Bay Company and the upstart Northwest Company had escalated to violence.^[1][2] 21 early settlers in what is now Manitoba, in a settlement backed by the Hudson's Bay Company, were shot, by traders from the Northwest Company. In response Lord Selkirk, the settlement's sponsor, captured Fort William, on Lake Superior, where the Northwest Company had its regional headquarters. Coltman and John Fletcher were given commissions as Lieutenant Colonel and Major in the Indian Department, and sent to investigate.

The pair had to wait for spring of 1817 to set out, with a small contingent of troops.^[1][2] Coltman left Fletcher in charge at Fort Williams. When he arrived at the Red River Colony he concluded the Northwest Company traders had been fired in self defence.^[3][4] He arrested Selkirk, and restored order.

References

1. Roy C. Dalton (1979–2016). "COLTMAN, WILLIAM BACHELER, businessman, jp, politician, and office holder; b. in England; d. 2 Jan. 1826 in London". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
2. "Memorable Manitobans: William Bachelor Coltman (?-1826)". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2020-03-23. He was appointed to the Lower Canadian Executive Council in 1812. In 1816 he and John Fletcher were appointed as justices of the peace for the Indian territory of the Northwest by Governor Sherbrooke. Subsequently they were given a special commission to investigate the fur-trade war in the West, which had recently produced the Battle of Seven Oaks.
3. "President's Message" (PDF). Le Metis. Retrieved 2020-03-23. However, the British government's own independent investigator, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Coltman, concluded the Métis led by Cuthbert Grant only fired in selfdefense after Governor Semple and his men fired on them. They had rode out to meet Grant and his men with guns to prevent them from carrying goods to their trading partners on Lake Winnipeg.
4. Bruce Cherney (2015-01-23). "January 10, 1817 — Macdonell, who recaptured Fort Douglas, only served as the governor of the settlement for a few months afterward". Winnipeg Real Estate News. Retrieved 2020-03-23. Essentially, the "private" war (a term used by Coltman) created plenty of unhappy shareholders in both companies, who wanted the conflict resolved so that they could again get down to the business of making money.