The "battle" approaches
But next up is an apparent decision which, if made by Lalor, is even further beyond belief. But before we get there, we might just have a very brief look at who the men in the stockade were. Not each individual, of course, but generally.
Overall, there were men from all over the place, particularly Europe and the United States. Their experiences and backgrounds were quite varied, although several of them were survivors of the recent violent attempts by various European peoples to achieve freedom from what they quite rightly perceived as the tyranny of the ruling classes, in the 1848 revolutions. The people of the continent resorted to violence and the English raised petitions. Hmmm, we're sure there are several jokes here, but they're rather obvious. Well, as it turned out, both methods failed.
Most of the men were Irish, and so most of the pikemen were Irish, and most of the fatalities were Irish, because, obviously, most of the fatalities were among the blokes who didn't have the smarts or perhaps the knowledge to know that being a pikeman was the equivalent of standing outside the stockade with a target on their chest. And therefore they stayed for the fight. And too many of them died. Although, one would have been far too many. Patrick Curtain, their captain, was able to hold them together and fight like the very devil as the soldiers came cheering over the stockade wall, even as the other rebels fled. For all the good it did the poor buggers, the pikemen, that is.
Overall, there were men from all over the place, particularly Europe and the United States. Their experiences and backgrounds were quite varied, although several of them were survivors of the recent violent attempts by various European peoples to achieve freedom from what they quite rightly perceived as the tyranny of the ruling classes, in the 1848 revolutions. The people of the continent resorted to violence and the English raised petitions. Hmmm, we're sure there are several jokes here, but they're rather obvious. Well, as it turned out, both methods failed.
Most of the men were Irish, and so most of the pikemen were Irish, and most of the fatalities were Irish, because, obviously, most of the fatalities were among the blokes who didn't have the smarts or perhaps the knowledge to know that being a pikeman was the equivalent of standing outside the stockade with a target on their chest. And therefore they stayed for the fight. And too many of them died. Although, one would have been far too many. Patrick Curtain, their captain, was able to hold them together and fight like the very devil as the soldiers came cheering over the stockade wall, even as the other rebels fled. For all the good it did the poor buggers, the pikemen, that is.