“EUREKA - THE ATTACK ON THE STOCKADE AND THE EVENTS LEADING TO IT" by Peter Butters Part 8: Insurgent Reports It was recorded that the firing was rapid and general and that the bullets were whizzing about like mosquitoes. Obviously the most important Insurgent report would be that of its leader Lalor who had been injured in the left shoulder by one musket ball & two other smaller bullets. His report of the attack is taken from his lengthy public statement - '.....about three o'clock am on Sunday morning the alarm was given that `the enemy' was advancing....on discovering the smallness of our numbers we would have retreated, but it was then too late, as almost immediately, the military poured in one or two volleys of musketry, which was a plain intimation that we must sell our lives as dearly as we could. There were about 70 men possessing guns, 20 with pikes, and 30 with pistols, but many of those firearms had no more than one or two rounds of ammunition..... about ten minutes after the beginning of the fight, and while standing on the top of a hole, calling on the pikemen to come forward, I received a musket ball (together with two other smaller bullets) in the left shoulder, which shattered my arm, and from the loss of blood I was rendered incapable of further action. Soon after I was assisted by a volunteer out of the enclosure and placed in a pile of slabs out of view of the military & police. While in this position the latter passed several times within feet of me. I remained there about an hour, when, thanks to the assistance of some friends I was able to leave..... on the approach of night I returned to the diggings, and through the kindness of a friend, procured the assistance of surgeons, who next day amputated my arm. One of Lalor's Captains John LYNCH described the ATTACK on the STOCKADE, ' During the night an alarm was given that the soldiers were coming, but it proved false. At the 'falling in' we noticed a large defection....those present retired to rest.....Just as the grey dawn was breaking in the eastern sky...then began the marshalling in hot haste. I had taken up quarters in a certain store, and kept watchful all night, but at this particular instant I felt a little drowsy. Rushing out I found a terrible effervescence and hurry-skurry. I cut through rapidly, and made my way to the front, where I took up position to the left of Diamond Store, and fortified the Stockade in front of me with some slabs which I found lying at the foot of the barrier. While making for this position I passed Mr Lalor, who from a slightly elevated stand was giving some orders which I did not wait to hear. I could hardly discern the military force at first, but as they approached, and began to deploy across the flat, their numbers and the order of attack could be readily estimated. Anxious to know the strength of our own force, I keenly scanned our little divisions, and in that rapid survey could hardly reckon 150 of all arms...... the disparity in arms was considerably more. A shot from our encampment was taken for a declaration of war, and instantaneously answered by a fusillade of musketry. Some sharp shooting followed. The advance of the infantry was arrested for a moment, our left being unprotected, the troopers seized the advantage, wheeled around, and took us in the rear. We were then placed between two fires, and further resistance was useless. When we were in that helpless state, an unconditional surrender ought to have been proposed to us, it would have been accepted, and the future spared many bitter memories. But the spirit of revenge was uppermost, and revelled in a fierce saturnalia of carnage. More than half the loss of life took place after the resistance had ceased. A few who surrendered on challenge - and very few got the chance - were placed under guards, but as the wantonness of destruction on the one side grew with hopelessness of resistance, on the other, the guards had enough to do to save their charges from being shot or hacked to pieces. Arrived at the Camp, the wounded men were taken to a shed which was improvised for an hospital. The others after being searched and partly stripped were huddled together in a rough building..... I had left a double barrelled gun and a revolver on the field of battle. But our guard now had them in perpetual possession... All night were handcuffed in couples and had to lie on the floor in rows with narrow lanes between...the guards stood with levelled muskets all night. We had neither straw for bedding, nor the usual luxury of our boots for pillows.' Another of Lalor's captain's recalled, `I was on guard and saw the military at the same time that the alarm was given by a digger working on a brace hard by. They were then at the point where the gully, running down from the Stockade, joins the head of Specimen Gully. I called out to Vern, and Vern called Lalor . We got under arms immediately, some 200 about. The first shot was fired from our party, and the military answered by a volley at about 100 paces distance. Then there was a volley from the Stockade. The military sent out scouts on foot, and the troopers surrounded the Stockade, the party on foot being covered by the fire from the force posted on the high ground in the rear of the Free Trade hotel. Captain Wise led the scouts on foot, who broke into the Stockade where Lalor was, on the side fronting to Specimen Gully. They got in, and the firing and piking, and bayoneting went on, and the `rebels' got into disorder and rushed into some tents and a blacksmith's shop on one side of the Stockade. The troopers fired the tents, and the rest of the military now came up. The sun had now risen, and about twenty minutes had passed since the first shot was fired. Then two soldiers appeared on the other side with bayonets fixed. Warden Amos ' horse, which we had taken with the warden before, was between me and them, and I fired my revolver. One fell, and the other drew back. I then fired a second shot at the soldiers, my men in the tent cheering at the time. I then said, `I'm off' and wheeled round to go out of the Stockade, but met some troopers and retreated, and ran into a butcher's shop close by. The military had now taken the Stockade, and they took away the prisoners they had. I was in the chimney, and so escaped, as they did not search. Most of our men were Irishmen. The soldiers now went off with their prisoners, and the Stockade, slabs, tents, and all were on fire.' * note - at the time of the attack Amos was a `Commissioner', as a result of Eureka they were replaced by Wardens. Shanahan was a storekeeper in the stockade. '... On Saturday night there were a large number of diggers in the Stockade. I kept a store within the Stockade. Lalor was in charge, but large numbers of the men were constantly going out of the Stockade, and as the majority got drunk, they never came back. Esmond like the gentleman as he was, got powder and shot from a shop down the Main Road, and paid for it out of his own pocket. The 500 or 600 from Creswick had nothing to eat, and they, too, went down the Main Road that night. The men constantly going out - it was dry work in the Stockade - and Lalor seeing that none would be left if things went on, gave orders to shoot any man who left. Vern cleared out immediately, and an order was given to shoot him, but he got away. It was about two or three o'clock on Sunday morning when Vern went away. Those in the Stockade had anything but a pleasant time of it, as the accommodation was not sufficient even for the small number of men that remained. Anyway, after the promises received in the afternoon from the Commissioners it was thought that there was no danger, and the diggers did not know whether to go on with the armed resistance or stop. About three o'clock in the morning there were about 150 pikemen inside the Stockade, and some others. McCullagh and Glenn , two diggers, were seen prowling about the Stockade, and they were taken prisoners as spies. They roared for their liberty, and were let go, it being too much trouble to keep them. My wife and one or two other women were in the Stockade, and I was in bed, when I heard shots, crack, crack, in quick succession. Got up and seized my gun, and went to the door. The soldiers were about a hundred yards away, and I could see some of our poor fellows lying dead, nine being killed in the first volley. The diggers were up, and a lot of them had evidently made up their minds to fight to death. When Captain Wise and his regiment saw that the diggers were awake and meant resistance, he sang out. 'Fortieth! are you going to retreat?' I am sure he said that. Orders had been given to pick off the leaders of the soldiers, and Captain Wise was shortly afterwards shot. The shooting on both sides went, and it was only the bags of flour that kept my wife and me from being shot. A lot of diggers commenced to run away, and after the shooting was done I saw Ned Flynn run into an old chimney, and a soldier ran up to him and stuck him in the neck with a bayonet. Everyone they caught they slaughtered. It was not in the Stockade that they killed the majority of diggers, but in the running away. I took refuge in an outhouse, and the troopers and soldiers did not see me. They commenced setting fire to every tent on the ground, using a pot of burning tar. Our tent was set on fire, but my wife put it out before it was all burnt.' Mrs Shanahan's view of the attack was published by Withers. 'I heard the firing first. My husband was not long gone to bed, and I pulled him out and told him the firing was on. He got up and I said to him, to take out your gun. He went out, and must have hid himself in a small outhouse. There was a knock at our tent door, and a trooper and a soldier came in. 'Shoot that woman', said the trooper. The foot soldier said, 'Spare the woman', and the trooper said, 'Well get out of this, the place is going to be burnt down.' They set fire to the place, but before it was much burnt I managed to put it out.' The Geelong Advertiser report continued with some expected discrepancies due to its haste of compilation and the lack of reliable information but it did concentrate of the brutality after the attack itself was over. 'When the soldiers had once tasted blood they became violent, and had not the officers used every exertion, the prisoners would have been murdered on the spot. When it was clearly seen by the officers that no further resistance was offered, they wished no more blood shed. Mr Commissioner Amos is also most favourably spoken of, he saved two lives which else would have been instantly sacrificed. Mr Commissioner Johnstone interfered in a praiseworthy manner to preserve property which had been set on fire, and eventually succeeded in saving it. But after giving credit where it is due, I must protest against the barbarities of the mounted troopers. Those who had taken the law into their own hands were punished by the soldiers, those who were warned and perfectly innocent of rebellious notions, were murdered, fired at, and horribly mangled by the troopers. The names of the officers commanding the troopers on the morning in question should be inquired after by His Excellency, their allowing such barbarities to be carried on should disqualify them from service under any civilised Government. Some men were killed outright, others dangerously wounded, and a few slightly hurt from shots and sword marks from the troopers, who after the fight was all over and all resistance passed by, kept up firing at such unfortunates as presented themselves from the doorways of tents to see what was going on. One man, after resistance had ceased, walked quietly from one of the tents in the neighbourhood to where a body of mounted police was stationed with a few soldiers. Three of the police dashed at him, asked him to join their force, and on his refusing, on the score of ill health, one of them deliberately drew a pistol and shot him, the ball hit him in the right breast, but as he did not fall, he was marched to the main body, and there handcuffed. Some of the police threatened him with their swords, and asked for leave to shoot him, one of the officers would not allow this, and as an opportunity offered, he made a dash, and although fired at again succeeded in reaching his own tent, where he now lies severely, but I hope not dangerously wounded. Another instance of a similar kind occurred a little further on in which the poor victim was severely wounded, and, in one or two cases individuals, who considered themselves safe after the firing had ceased, were brutally wounded. Henry Gyles Turner in his book on the subject, 'Our Own Little Rebellion recorded, 'The overwhelming force which the Government called into the field was ample evidence of the alarm generally felt. Yet when the blow was struck the wreckage was practically all complete in twenty minutes. With the fall of some of the leaders, the flight of others and the surrender of the rank and file, the rebellion was as dead as a door nail. It was a fight in which the advantage of numbers, of arms, of discipline, and of direction lay entirely with the besiegers. There was no necessity for clever generalship, no room for elaboration of plan of attack. The area enclosed sloped down towards the Melbourne road, along which the troops were expected to approach, but the onrush came from another quarter.' He then detailed the numbers in the attacking force and continued, 'The disposition of the attacking party was arranged as follows - the seventy mounted police were thrown out on the right flank of the enclosure, - the thirty mounted infantry of the 40th regiment covered the left flank, their orders being to close in on the wings of the enclosure to prevent the escape of the insurgents. The storming party, which was to assail the centre of the line of defence consisted of forty soldiers of the line, and twenty - four foot police . The remainder of the troops were formed in reserve on the slope of the Stock-yard Hill , whence they could command the interior of the Stockade, high over the heads of the storming party. In view of the fact that the armed insurgents outside the Stockade, exceeded the number of those within, by about four to one, this would have been an inadequate force for the duty, had not the government spies informed Captain Thomas, of the various destinations of these outsiders, and the unlikelihood of their being within call to the aid of their comrades. Hence it was practically a strong force well in hand, pitted against less than two hundred half armed men, short of ammunition, and the bulk of them asleep, when the signal gun fired.' Captain Thomas commanded 'Forward and steady, men, don't fire until you hear the bugle.' As instructed the cavalry and mounted police rode briskly on and quickly formed on either flank ready to charge. The storming party of the 12th & 40th approached the centre of the barrier, and at about 150 yards received the first volley. Captain Wise, who was bravely leading the assault, fell grievously wounded, just as he leaped over the slabs, cheering his men on - two privates were killed outright, and two or three more were temporarily disabled. The bugle rang out and a line of fire poured from the guns, not only of the storming party but also from the reserves, covering them from the slopes of Stockyard Hill. Several figures that had been seen rushing to the defence of the palisades, staggered and fell before the hail of bullets. As the first rays of the coming sunrise revealed the interior of the Stockade, it was evident to Captain Thomas that the defence was largely left to chance. Even after the exchange of volleys men were seen only just emerging from their tents and seeking instructions. The keenest fighters were already at the logs, but most of them were only armed with fowling pieces or revolvers, - and the forlorn brigade of Irish pikemen, waiting to receive the charge of cavalry were unhappy recipients of many bullets which they had no means of returning. After another volley from the soldiers, which sounded like an earthquake in comparison with the dropping fire of the insurgents, the order was given to charge. With a wild cheer the soldiers threw themselves over the flimsy palisades, which readily went down before them. For a quarter of an hour there was a hand to hand fight in desperate silence, but the crowd could not stand against the compact line of advancing bayonets, and when the cavalry and mounted troopers swooped in upon them on both flanks, they fell back demoralised to seek shelter, and all was over.' Peter Lalor who on the first alarm had rushed to the front, and sprang upon a stump, revolver in hand to direct the defence, received a bullet which shattered the bone of his arm close to his shoulder. He saw the overthrow of the barrier, and the onward sweep of the troops. Dazed by the wound and the rapid loss of blood he jumped down, and running to the nearest group he cried, "Get away boys,- quick as you can, the Stockade is taken" Two or three men seeing he was seriously hurt, urged him to fly with them, offering their assistance, but he suddenly sank down on a heap of slabs, beside a shallow abandoned shaft saying "No I can't go save yourselves." His companions, an English sailor, - a member of the Californian Revolver Brigade, and a local butcher, would not leave him to be trampled to death, and finding him unable to help himself, they lowered him into a shallow hole, covered it with some slabs, and then fled down the Eureka lead. They all escaped, though repeatedly fired at, and chased for some distance by mounted troopers.' Turner included, 'The work of destruction having been completed, and the interior of the Stockade a waste of smouldering embers and blood stained corpses, the police followed the military to the Camp with a few additional wounded prisoners handcuffed together, bearing with them the flag of the insurgents which had fluttered through such a brief and inglorious existence. From the Camp, carts were sent to bring in the dead.' Our own renowned early historian Withers recorded, 'it appears however that ammunition was not abundant in the Stockade, the foraging parties of the insurgents to the contrary not withstanding. A pistol was picked up in the Stockade loaded with power and quartz pebbles, in lieu of ball or smaller shot, showing, as may be assumed, that the diggers were not rich in the usual materials of destruction.' "The attack by the authorities was unexpected, and thus both men of war and men of peace were found within the Stockade, while insurgents were absent who would otherwise have been present. There were over a hundred armed men in the Stockade, including Lalor, the chief, and a company of pikemen and a company of musketeers, Under Ross , Vern , Lynch , and Esmond.