Patriot rebels made good impressions in Van Dieman's Land
By Bill Rea

Rebels who took up arms against the British didn't do much to impress the authorities locally, but it was a different story for a lot of them, after they were exiled to Van Dieman's Land.

In fact the conduct and deportment of many of these Patriot rebels drew the attention and praise of several high-placed officials in what is now Tasmania.

Dr. John Carter had that message as part of his talk recently at the King Township Museum. The event was hosted by the King Township Historical Society.

Carter spoke in the area last year on what some of the captured rebels went through, including their transportation to Van Dieman's Land. The most recent talk was an update, dealing with some of the findings from a trip to Tasmania earlier this year and focused on what happened to 79 men captured in various skirmishes in 1838.

People in King are very familiar with the 1837 rebellion, in which Lloydtown played an important role, but there was a second one the following year that was not quite as local, with battles taking place as far away as Windsor, Kingston and Lower Canada. Carter said William Lyon Mackenzie was not involved in the 1838 conflict, but his son was and the motivation was the same as in the previous year.

The 1837 rebellion saw actions in both Upper and Lower Canada. "They were hastily prepared and poorly planned," Carter observed.

That rebellion ended early in 1838, but Carter said that didn't put an end to the patriot cause in the United States, where there was a lot of sympathy for the rebellious cause north of the border, in and around such centres and Buffalo, Cleveland, etc. He added their intent was to invade Canada and put a stop to "British persecution."

In January 1838, several hundred of these Patriots gathered along the Detroit River, raided an arsenal to gain weapons and then decided to invade.

Their first move was to attack Fort Malden on the Detroit River. About 300 Patriots moved into position on the river near Amherstburg. But Carter pointed out these men were not skilled at war, or at navigating a schooner, as things turned out. Their ship went aground and 21 men were captured.

But that didn't dampened the enthusiasm of the Patriots, Carter said. The following month, they took Fighting Island, and the British militia attacked and took it back the following day, forcing the Patriots to retreat into Michigan.

Still not deterred, the Patriots crossed Lake Eire by sleigh (it was still winter) from Cleveland and occupied Pelee Island. They were able to hold it for about a week, until they were attacked by militia from Fort Malden.

Patriots then burned the SS Sir Robert Peel May 30, 1838.

Sir George Arthur, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada at the time, called for calm in the first week of June.

He had just arrived on the scene after serving as lieutenant governor of Van Dieman's Land, where he had set up a penal colony, so he figured he knew what to do with his prisoners.

He started by executing two of the "most prominent and guilty" rebels, Samuel Lount and Peter Matthews. He had hoped that would solve his problems, but Carter said it inflamed the border.

The Patriots tried another attack June 21, but they were forced to disperse, with Arthur travelling to Niagara to personally direct the effort.

Arthur ran into criticism for the way he handled the situation, with some believing he wasn't aggressive enough in going after the Americans. Militia Colonel John Prince had argued if the Patriot prisoners were going to be considered prisoners of war, then a state of war had to actually exist.

The issue became a legal battle, and Carter observed that Arthur was not getting a lot of support from his British masters. In June, the government issued a statement saying the sentencing of rebellion leaders was to be delayed, pending comments from England. Meanwhile, Patriots were making plans to resume fighting.

Patriots occupied a windmill at Prescott (on the St. Lawrence River) in November, but they were defeated five days later.

One of the points carter made in his talk is these Patriots weren't very good fighting men, but more along the lines of "play soldiers."

The following month, a bunch of them took over a ship near Detroit, then marched on Windsor. The result was 27 of them were killed and another 20 were taken prisoner. Prince responded by picking five of the Patriots and having them shot on the spot.

There were still legal debates on what to do with these men, with Arthur walking a legal tightrope in the middle of it. Carter said he eventually opted for a "graduated scale of punishment," which meant transport to Van Dieman's Land. He had no legal authority to do such a thing, but he evidently figured that by the time the necessary paperwork was done, the men would have arrived at their destination.

The 79 men were tried, convicted and sentenced to death, but Carter said the sentences were commuted to "transportation for life."

He added they were the last group of prisoners sent to Van Dieman's Land from British North America. The practice had been criticized, since it was expensive to send people halfway around the world when they could have been dealt with closer to home.

The boat trip wasn't very pleasant, as seasickness caused problems.

There's also controversy as to whether the prisoners or even the crew of the ship, HMS Buffalo, knew where they were going. Carter said a recently discovered letter one of the men sent to his brother before the trip mentioned Van Dieman's Land.

There was also an apparent plot among the prisoners to take over the ship, but it was discovered.

But only one prisoner died on the voyage and he was buried at sea. Carter pointed out the ship's captain and doctor received money for getting prisoners to their destination alive, so they had an interest in making sure they stayed in good health.

The ship arrived at Hobart Town in Van Dieman's Land in February 1840, after a 137-day trip.

According to accounts of the prisoners, they were put to work in quarries at first, receiving one good meal per day, and attendance at church Sundays was compulsory. But other accounts referred to hardships. One man complained it was "slavery," adding there was "no tobacco."

Carter said the men were moved around a lot to various probation stations. They were put to work on projects like building roads, but their skills as carpenters and metal workers came into demand, and so did their services.

The lieutenant governor of the colony, Sir John Franklin (who was eventually lost trying navigate a Northwest Passage) sought permission in March 1841 to issue tickets of leave to some of the prisoner. There was a depression in Van Dieman's Land at the time, and while men might have tickets of leave, they would have to find the money for passage to go anywhere. Some of them would have found jobs working on large estates, which Carter said would have been ironic, since these were men who had opposed and fought the elite of the Family Compact. But the service they provided must have been good, because many of those elite wrote very positive letters in support of the men, thus pressing Franklin to permit more indulgences. Even Arthur expressed compassion for the prisoners, supporting the issuing of tickets of leave.

There were still questions about why Americans didn't raise more of a fuss, or "diplomatic hell," as one man in the audience put it, over their people being sent to Van Dieman's Land. Carter said authorities in Michigan and New York had tried to prevent the Patriots from launching their invasions, adding the United States didn't want another war with England.