The point of no return
Rede and the military commanders began laying their plans. They knew perfectly well that if they waited too long, they might lose their chance, as the miners trooped back to the stockade on Sunday. If, of course, any of them did. And perhaps the Bendigo miners, when they arrived in the next day or two, might be more steadfast than those from Creswick.
The government forces' plans were made in great secrecy, in case the miners had spies in the camp. Perhaps Rede was judging others by himself, or perhaps he had reason to be concerned if the report of the approaching reinforcements came from his office, and without his knowledge.
Was the fact the next day was Sunday enter into the planners' minds? In all probability not at all, except insofar as it might benefit them. However, it has to be stated there's no evidence one way or the other.
The troops apparently only learned something was up at around 2am the next morning. At that time 256 (or more) soldiers, police and officers began to prepare for battle under the command of Captain John Thomas. They were ordered to fall in, and at around 2.30am they marched out the back of the camp, and took the long way around to the stockade, in the hope their approach wouldn't be spotted. Of course, as we all know, they wouldn't have been spotted or resisted whichever way they went.
But how hard would it have been to have a digger with access to a horse watch the camp, observe the gathering troops at 2am, then gallop through the town shouting "The British are coming!"? The stockade could have had up to around an hour's prior warning, and at least some of the absent diggers could have had time to join their fellow rebels.
Maybe some of those who didn't want to fight may have made efforts to slow down the marching troops. Of course, it's good, in a humanitarian sense, that this didn't happen, because it would only have led to more dead men, and probably some dead children and more dead women, either then or, if the diggers won, in a couple of days' time when the artillery and other soldiers arrived.
The government forces' plans were made in great secrecy, in case the miners had spies in the camp. Perhaps Rede was judging others by himself, or perhaps he had reason to be concerned if the report of the approaching reinforcements came from his office, and without his knowledge.
Was the fact the next day was Sunday enter into the planners' minds? In all probability not at all, except insofar as it might benefit them. However, it has to be stated there's no evidence one way or the other.
The troops apparently only learned something was up at around 2am the next morning. At that time 256 (or more) soldiers, police and officers began to prepare for battle under the command of Captain John Thomas. They were ordered to fall in, and at around 2.30am they marched out the back of the camp, and took the long way around to the stockade, in the hope their approach wouldn't be spotted. Of course, as we all know, they wouldn't have been spotted or resisted whichever way they went.
But how hard would it have been to have a digger with access to a horse watch the camp, observe the gathering troops at 2am, then gallop through the town shouting "The British are coming!"? The stockade could have had up to around an hour's prior warning, and at least some of the absent diggers could have had time to join their fellow rebels.
Maybe some of those who didn't want to fight may have made efforts to slow down the marching troops. Of course, it's good, in a humanitarian sense, that this didn't happen, because it would only have led to more dead men, and probably some dead children and more dead women, either then or, if the diggers won, in a couple of days' time when the artillery and other soldiers arrived.