The rebels at Constitution Hill (Toongabbie) are…
March 1804 CE
Nevertheless, Cunningham and William Johnston commence drilling their men, while a party unsuccessfully tries to enter Parramatta, where they were to set fire to a building to signal other conspirators to begin converging on Constitution Hill.
Cunningham, being involved in two previous rebellions and the mutiny on the Anne, knows from experience that the most important element of a rebellion or uprising is secrecy.
However, there are two defections—an Irish convict overseer named Sloane and Lewis Bulger—and the commandant at Parramatta, Captain Edward Abbott, who has warning of the rebellion as it is happening, commences defensive measures and sends a message to the Governor in Sydney.
With their courier, John Griffen, having had second thoughts about passing on the instructions Cunningham had given him to pass on to Brian Furey and subsequently being arrested, the call out messages to Windsor, Parramatta and Sydney fail, and the uprising is confined to west of the Parramatta area.
After fruitlessly waiting for a signal of a successful internal takeover of Parramatta, and the non-appearance of reinforcements. Cunningham is forced to withdraw from Parramatta to Toongabbie to re-assess his strategy.
Having already declared his hand, and deprived of both surprise and facing a superior and well disciplined force of Redcoats and enthusiastic militia, the uprising under Cunningham has no recourse but to withdraw west towards the Hawkesbury hoping to pick up more recruits and meeting his missing forces on the way to add to his forces.
Images
A painting by an unknown artist is of the Battle of Vinegar Hill, where several hundred convicts broke out of Castle Hill prison farm to take on the British redcoats. Photo: National Library of Australia.
Groups
Regions
Australasia
View →Subregions
