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The Castle Hill Rebellion of 1804 was a rebellion by convicts against colonial authority in the Castle Hill area of the British colony of New South Wales. The rebellion culminated in a battle fought between convicts and the Colonial forces of Australia on 5 March 1804 at Rouse Hill, dubbed the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill after the first one of 1798 Battle of Vinegar Hill in Ireland. It was the first and only major convict uprising in Australian history suppressed under martial law. On 4 March 1804, according to the 'official' accounts 233 convicts led by Philip Cunningham (a veteran of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, as well as mutiny on the convict transport ship ''Anne'') escaped from a prison farm intent on "capturing ships to sail to Ireland". In response, martial law was quickly declared in the Colony of New South Wales. The mostly Irish rebels, having gathered reinforcements, were hunted by the colonial forces until they were sequestered on 5 March 1804 on a hillock nicknamed Vinegar Hill. Under a flag of truce, Cunningham was arrested and troops charged and the rebellion was crushed by raid. Nine of the rebel leaders were executed and hundreds were punished before martial law was finally revoked on 12 March 1804. == Rising == Many convicts in the Castle Hill area had been involved in the 1798 rebellions in Ireland and subsequently transported as exiles-without-trial to the Colony of New South Wales from late 1799. Phillip Cunningham, a veteran of the 1798 rebellion, and William Johnston, another Irish convict at Castle Hill, planned the uprising in which over 685 convicts at Castle Hill planned to meet with nearly 1,100 convicts from the Hawkesbury River area, rally at Constitution Hill, and march on Parramatta and then Sydney (Port Jackson) itself. On the evening of 4 March 1804, a hut at Castle Hill was set afire as the signal for the rebellion to begin. This fire was not seen by the convicts at Green Hills, today's Windsor, on the Hawkesbury River. With Cunningham leading, the rebels broke into the Government Farm's buildings, taking firearms, ammunition, and other weapons. The constables and overseers were overpowered and the rebels then went from farm to farm on their way to Constitution Hill at Parramatta, seizing more weapons and supplies including rum and spirits. Their bold move had been well informed from the intelligence gathered a year previous when 12 convicts de-camped from Castle Hill scouring the surrounding districts seeking out friends and sympathisers. On capture each and every one had the same story - they were heading to China by crossing over the Blue Mountains. When news of the uprising spread there was great panic amongst the colony of around 5,000 inhabitants with particularly hated officials such as Samuel Marsden fleeing the area by boat, escorting Elizabeth Macarthur and her children, as an informer had advised that an attack would be made on the farm to draw troops away from Parramatta. In Sydney the crew of an American schooner and the Sydney Loyal Association militia took over guard duties and a New South Wales Corps contingent of 29 soldiers marched at forced-march pace through the night under Major George Johnston from the Annandale barracks, and arrived at Parramatta about four hours later not long after Governor Phillip King, who declared martial law under the Mansfield doctrine of posse comitatus. Under martial law many civilians volunteered along with the 36 armed members of the Parramatta Loyal Association 〔(The Military at Parramatta )〕 militia were also called out and took over defence of the town. Over 50 enrolled in a reserve militia combined with the NSW Corps to march out and confront the rebels. Meanwhile, the rebels at Constitution Hill (Toongabbie) were having difficulties co-ordinating their force as several parties had lost their way in the night. They commenced drilling, while a party tried to enter Parramatta. Around 30 were shot and killed at the western gate of the Governor's Domain by government forces, but withdrew on learning the arsenal, Commissariat and other buildings were defended. The messenger, a government agent, sent to pass out the uprising instructions had 'defected' to the authorities and those in the town and environs did not receive the call-out, nor did the convicts at the Hawkesbury. By this time the road to the Republic of New Ireland was almost at its' end. (Comitatus - In 1780 a series of riots in London were eventually suppressed by the use of soldiers. In discussing the legal ramifications of this action Parliament agreed with Lord Chief Justice Mansfield who declared that all civil riots should be put down by civil authorities and the posse comitatus, never by military authorities. Further that even if soldiers comprise the posse comitatus they are deemed to be acting in a civil capacity and are thus subject to civilian laws. This policy of soldier as civilian came to be known as the Mansfield Doctrine and was to be the controlling policy on the role of the posse comitatus in England. ) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Castle Hill convict rebellion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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