Eureka stockade how long did it last

A number of the ringleaders visited our lodgings near the famous Charlie Napier saloon in Main road and demanded that we should had the procession. Matters, however, did not go to the satisfaction of the Tipps, and ended up in a free fight, during which we prudently decamped. But this was not our only dealing with the gang. On the morning of the building of the famous stockade, we were again honoured by a visit from them.

This time they wanted the loan of a cornet to be used as a bugle for the miners, and also a double-barrelled gun which they had found out we possessed. We never saw either cornet, gun or money after. Naturally we complied and without delay go on the road. A stop was made as we reached the circus, which was pitched at the corner of Main road and what is now Barkly street, to enforce the services of two of the circus boys with bass drum and cymbals. Then away we went up the road playing our liveliest march.

It was a strange sight- a constantly increasing body of men, clad in the greatest variety of garments, from the flannel and moleskins of the miners straight from the shaft toe the extravagant garments and colors of the the goldfields dandymen of all nations and colors — the most mixed assemblage of men that could be imagined. Some were defiantly swaggering, others evidently marching under compulsion; and all were escorted by the triumphant Tipperary Boys who dominated the situation with their weapons.

As the procession advanced up the road, and the music rang out, every shaft and every tent sent forth its occupant to see what was afoot, and no sooner did a head appear than a loaded weapon was presented at it, and a pre-emptory order issued for the newcomers to join the march at once.

So one we marched, up Barkly street and into Victoria street, impressing every man we saw into the service, taking no denial and no delay until we arrived at the Eureka, where the miners had formed their camp. Here we were added to the hundreds already at work, and very soon every man was found a job in the building of the stockade, which was being constructed of the material nearest to hand.

Slabs, logs, timber from the claims, boulders, everything and anything that they could lay their hands upon was used. The band was forced to keep playing all the day to liven up the men at work, until, at last the rude defence was completed, when Peter Lalor, taking no pity on us, asked Verne if the band was required any further.

There is no need for me to tell you of the night march of the soldiers against the flimsy barrier, of those deadly volleys at short range of its brave through vain defence by men armed with pikes and other makeshift weapons — that is all a matter of history now.

In , people mining for gold around Victoria had to pay a monthly fee of 30 shillings for the right to mine, regardless of how much gold they found.

Someone who had been looking for gold unsuccessfully for months still had to pay the same fee as someone who was pulling out gold by the pound. Diggers argued that it was an unfair tax, imposed on them without their consent, as they did not have the right to vote. After the Goldfields Royal Commission the licensing fee was changed to a tax on gold when it was being exported.

Not only did the diggers resent the licence fee, they were angry at the way the goldfields police went about checking that miners had licences. People around the Victorian goldfields were also unhappy with the lack of thoroughness with which police had investigated a number of goldfields crimes.

They were concerned about what they thought was the unfair and secretive way people were charged and convicted of crimes. There were claims by people living on the goldfields that it was necessary to bribe police and government officials in order to do business and stay safe.

As the goldfields populations increased, tensions between the goldfields communities and police and other government officials rose. In Ballarat a series of events a murder, an arrest and a hotel burning in late involving police and Ballarat locals led to the arrests of three men for burning down the Eureka Hotel. These arrests caused enormous disquiet in the area, adding weight to calls by the Ballarat Reform League and other organisations around the goldfields for a fundamental change to the system of government in the Colony — the next element in our Eureka story.

Since the early s people had been calling for the government to abandon the gold licensing system, remove the gold commissioners, and provide the Colony with a better policing and justice system. Despite an investigation by the Victorian parliament into the goldfields in a Legislative Council Select Committee the government did not make significant changes.

An army baggage cart was stopped by armed diggers and a soldier was badly beaten, a drummer boy was shot in the leg and some ammunition was stolen. Elsewhere, diggers attacked mounted policemen with clubs and stones. Some wild shots were fired by diggers when mounted soldiers tried later to recover the ammunition. On 29 November, about 10, diggers milled around Bakery Hill at Eureka and heard that Governor Hotham had rebuffed their delegation.

Militant leaders like the Irish engineer Peter Lalor came forward; many moderate diggers went home. A Canadian produced a flag, stitched together by some English women, which they ran up a pole. It was a white cross with a star at the end of each arm on a blue background. They called it the Southern Cross and there was much saluting of it and calls to defend any diggers from the police and abolish licence fees for good.

Defiant shots were fired and licences were thrown on the fires. The massed Diggers swear allegiance to their Southern Cross flag. Another eye-witness depiction by Doudier. From an original in the Ballarat Art Gallery. About responded. They threw up a ramshackle stockade around an acre or so under their Southern Cross flag. A German blacksmith and a black American hammered out some crude pikes.

A group of Cornishmen was armed with them. A Prussian organised some marching about and drilling. Some reinforcements arrived over the next two days including diggers from the Creswick goldfield. Less explicably, Americans arrived, each man armed with a modern pistol. They called themselves the Independent Californian Rangers Revolver Brigade and they added to an air of revolution inside the stockade.

But many more diggers left quietly, often persuaded by the local priest. The Creswick men left when there were no firearms for them.

All but 20 of the Californians marched off, ostensibly to ambush some artillery reported to be on the way from Melbourne. Nothing happened and it is likely that this strange corps was warned off by a United States envoy. Other men went off to the weekend bars and by Saturday night, 2 December, only some or more diggers were in the Eureka stockade. The authorities were kept well informed by police spies among them. The Victoria authorities might have waited longer for things to calm down but they thought that might risk some sort of revolutionary insurrection spreading beyond the Ballarat goldfield.

And so most of the 12 th East Suffolk Regiment, the 40 th 2 nd Somersetshire Regiment and four artillery pieces were progressively ordered up to the goldfields. He had men and he saw no reason to wait for artillery to deal with the diggers. Their flanks were guarded by policemen and soldiers on horses.

The other half of his force stayed in reserve. In the early hours on Sunday 3 December, when Thomas reasoned that most diggers would be asleep, some still drunk from the night before, they made a quiet, indirect approach through the bush and uphill to Eureka. Thomas ordered no shooting unless his bugler gave the signal. At dawn, they were spotted less than yards from the stockade and some diggers opened fire.

The bugle sounded and the soldiers fired well-aimed volleys and charged. Lieutenant Henry Wise, aged 26, was shot in both legs leading the charge and fell still yelling encouragement to the 40 th. There was a brief, vicious fight inside the stockade before the diggers surrendered and Captain Thomas ordered the ceasefire. The troops storm the Stockade. From the first shot, the attack lasted barely 15 minutes. Twenty four diggers were killed or died of their wounds. Had Captain Thomas waited for the artillery things might have been worse.

Two soldiers of the 40 th Regiment were killed outright and Lieutenant Wise of the 40th and three men of the 12 th later died of their wounds.