LORD-COMMANDER OF NEW SOUTH WALES
"Economic freedoms for all!" - John MacArthur
On 26th of January 1808, twenty years to the date of the landing in Botany Bay by the 1st Fleet, history was to be made all over again. William Bligh, fourth Governor of the Colony of New South Wales was deposed by the populists under John MacArthur and the colonies Corps led by Major George Johnston. It was in response to the "unlawful" arrest of John MacArthur for supposedly trading rum within the Corps, weakening the Governors position over the army and the people. Officers under Major George Johnston joined MacArthur instead of arresting him, mostly approving of rule by anyone other than Bligh himself.
George re-established the court system in the colony and had the trial that Bligh was attempting before his deposition himself. John MacArthur and his 6 associates were not found guilty and released. Soon notified of the military takeover was Colonel William Paterson, who was unsure of his position on the matter due to no notification to London. He found out in March that Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Foveaux who was sailing to Sydney with orders to become acting Lieutenant-Governor, and left him with the situation.
When Foveaux arrived in July 908, MacArthur was verified of his arrival and it brief moment of hasty thinking decided to end the influence of the bastards he called the Crown. He along with a militia of convicts and settlers took fire upon his vessel near Sydney-Town and sunk the vessel, presumably drowning all aboard including Foveaux. Johnston was appalled by the actions of MacArthur and imprisoned him along with Bligh.
Now Johnston was left in a terrible situation. In his view, he'd probably be hung in London if he didn't make any actions. He decided to act immediately. Using what men and ships he had, Johnston established a blockade at the mouth of Port Jackson to stop any vessels coming through. He had the support of the people of Sydney and was agreeably a good leader for the Corps. He knew that Paterson would could any day and he would have to be prepared to face him down, who was settling Port Dalrymple at the time.
But every day comes, and for Johnston it was the 19th of December 1808. A small fleet of British vessels sailed into Port Jackson under the command of Colonel Paterson. He was unaware of Johnston's intentions and upon landing he was easily imprisoned by the Corps and his vessels scuttled in the bay. Since there had been almost no communication between the colonies and Britain (or any of their colonial possessions), most at this point thought that Joseph Foveaux was governing the colony of New South Wales in the name of the Crown but really the mutineers of the New South Wales Corps were in power.
By this point Johnston's control over the colony was undeniable, and he released the majority of the convicts from imprisonment in exchange for allegiance to the Officers of the Corps. On the 1st of January George Johnston was proclaimed Lord-Commander of the Colony of New South Wales with recognition of the majority of the population in Sydney and other minor colonial settlements in the region (most importantly Newcastle).
The Crown was notified in early 1809 of the colonies breakaway from the empire and sent a small fleet of warships to blockade and seize Sydney. The British Empire was extremely strained at this point because of war with Napoleon in Europe and its interests in New Holland were the least of their problems.
The arrival of the fleet under Major-General Miles Nightingall in June 1809 led to the long Battle of Port Jackson, a cross of guerrilla warfare, a naval blockade and skirmishes across the Sydney region which culminated with Nightingall's landing at Sydney-Town on the 2nd of July, forcing much of the townspeople to fight as a huge militia unit. This proved that pure size can defeat great generals, with Nightingall and the remains of his fleet retreating to Botany Bay and setting up camp to prepare a night-attack on the town.
Major-General Nightingall finally chose to attack Sydney-Town in the dark winter night of the 6th of July and almost destroyed all of the old Sydney-Town. The Corps was not as hardly hit and fought back harder ending the night with infamous 'Red Dawn', in which the bodies of redcoats covered large portions of the town conceiving the name. Nightingall surrendered to the Corps and was given the respect he deserved put under house arrest in a cottage near the Governors House. Truly was there anyone the people of Sydney couldn't defeat?!
