Attack on Chamberlain
In September 1824, a man known to the colonists around Bathurst as ‘Blucher’ was leading a large group of Wiradyjuri people away from the cattle and sheep stations that had been established on the Cudgegong River valley near present-day Mudgee. Blucher had around a hundred people in his warband, including women and children and a strong force of over forty warriors. They were herding about forty head of cattle, travelling around a hundred kilometres north-northwest of the Cudgegong River (possibly near today’s Avisford Nature Reserve), in rugged terrain well away from the open terrain of the river flats. Blucher’s people were soon being tracked by reportedly one of the most ruthless characters in the district – Theophilus Chamberlain, overseer for George and Henry Cox’s cattle and sheep runs in the Mudgee area. On or around 10 September, on the Cudgegong River, about 130 kilometres north of Bathurst, Chamberlain was with two stockmen, somewhere between the Coxes’ ‘Dabee Farm’ (later ‘Rawdon’, near current-day Rylstone) and the Mudgee area, when they ‘fell in with a tract [tracks] of cattle’ heading away from the main river.
The ‘well armed and mounted’ trio decided to investigate, following the cattle tracks. After travelling around ‘60 miles to the N. N. W. [north-northwest]’, the stockmen ‘saw a very large number of natives’ who were driving ‘about 40 head’ of ‘horned cattle before them’. Blucher attacked at once. He led thirty warriors straight at the men, who turned their horses and fled. To Chamberlain’s surprise, Blucher’s men were so intent on killing them that they kept pace with the three horsemen. As they ran, the warriors were skilfully peppering the three stockmen with a hail of spears and boomerangs. Blucher led his men from the front in the all-out attack against Chamberlain. Chamberlain’s horse was then struck by a boomerang, which ‘cut a piece out on the ribs’. At this point, the overseer decided that a counterattack was the best method of survival for himself and his stockmen. Bringing their muskets to bear – rather than fleeing on horseback, unable to shoot and reload – was a smart tactic. Despite being outnumbered ten to one, Chamberlain ‘turned the horse round’, took aim at the boomerang thrower and ‘shot the man dead’.
As it was later reported in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (Gazette) newspaper, Chamberlain ‘again retreated, loaded, and turned the second time, and shot the headmost native dead. He then retrograded again, loaded, turned, and shot a third man dead, whereupon the natives stopped’. Their leader, Blucher, was dead. The rest of the warriors broke off the attack.
The overseer ‘with his two men rode on till after dark’, at which point they rested and ‘remained all night without any fire, fearful of being discovered’.
The ‘well armed and mounted’ trio decided to investigate, following the cattle tracks. After travelling around ‘60 miles to the N. N. W. [north-northwest]’, the stockmen ‘saw a very large number of natives’ who were driving ‘about 40 head’ of ‘horned cattle before them’. Blucher attacked at once. He led thirty warriors straight at the men, who turned their horses and fled. To Chamberlain’s surprise, Blucher’s men were so intent on killing them that they kept pace with the three horsemen. As they ran, the warriors were skilfully peppering the three stockmen with a hail of spears and boomerangs. Blucher led his men from the front in the all-out attack against Chamberlain. Chamberlain’s horse was then struck by a boomerang, which ‘cut a piece out on the ribs’. At this point, the overseer decided that a counterattack was the best method of survival for himself and his stockmen. Bringing their muskets to bear – rather than fleeing on horseback, unable to shoot and reload – was a smart tactic. Despite being outnumbered ten to one, Chamberlain ‘turned the horse round’, took aim at the boomerang thrower and ‘shot the man dead’.
As it was later reported in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (Gazette) newspaper, Chamberlain ‘again retreated, loaded, and turned the second time, and shot the headmost native dead. He then retrograded again, loaded, turned, and shot a third man dead, whereupon the natives stopped’. Their leader, Blucher, was dead. The rest of the warriors broke off the attack.
The overseer ‘with his two men rode on till after dark’, at which point they rested and ‘remained all night without any fire, fearful of being discovered’.
People involved
This data has not yet been gathered. Research work is ongoing. To help, please consider donating or contact us to volunteer or about setting up research projects in your area.
Sources
- Gazette, 16 September 1824, p. 2 and 30 September 1824, p. 2
Event mentions
-
Attack on Chamberlain10 Sep 1824 — NNW of Cudgegong RiverIn September 1824, a man known to the colonists around Bathurst as ‘Blucher’ was leading a large group of Wiradyjuri people away from the cattle and sheep stations that had been established on the Cudgegong River valley near present-day Mudgee. Blucher had around a hundred people in his warband, including women and children and a strong force of over forty warriors. They were herding about forty head of cattle, travelling around a hundred kilometres north-northwest of the Cudgegong River (possibly near today’s Avisford Nature Reserve), in rugged terrain well away from the open terrain of the river flats. Blucher’s people were soon being tracked by reportedly one of the most ruthless characters in the district – Theophilus Chamberlain, overseer for George and Henry Cox’s cattle and sheep runs in the Mudgee area. On or around 10 September, on the Cudgegong River, about 130 kilometres north of Bathurst, Chamberlain was with two stockmen, somewhere between the Coxes’ ‘Dabee Farm’ (later ‘Rawdon’, near current-day Rylstone) and the Mudgee area, when they ‘fell in with a tract [tracks] of cattle’ heading away from the main river.
The ‘well armed and mounted’ trio decided to investigate, following the cattle tracks. After travelling around ‘60 miles to the N. N. W. [north-northwest]’, the stockmen ‘saw a very large number of natives’ who were driving ‘about 40 head’ of ‘horned cattle before them’. Blucher attacked at once. He led thirty warriors straight at the men, who turned their horses and fled. To Chamberlain’s surprise, Blucher’s men were so intent on killing them that they kept pace with the three horsemen. As they ran, the warriors were skilfully peppering the three stockmen with a hail of spears and boomerangs. Blucher led his men from the front in the all-out attack against Chamberlain. Chamberlain’s horse was then struck by a boomerang, which ‘cut a piece out on the ribs’. At this point, the overseer decided that a counterattack was the best method of survival for himself and his stockmen. Bringing their muskets to bear – rather than fleeing on horseback, unable to shoot and reload – was a smart tactic. Despite being outnumbered ten to one, Chamberlain ‘turned the horse round’, took aim at the boomerang thrower and ‘shot the man dead’.
As it was later reported in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (Gazette) newspaper, Chamberlain ‘again retreated, loaded, and turned the second time, and shot the headmost native dead. He then retrograded again, loaded, turned, and shot a third man dead, whereupon the natives stopped’. Their leader, Blucher, was dead. The rest of the warriors broke off the attack.
The overseer ‘with his two men rode on till after dark’, at which point they rested and ‘remained all night without any fire, fearful of being discovered’.Source: Gazette, 16 September 1824, p. 2 and 30 September 1824, p. 2