The article's lead section may need to be rewritten. (March 2019) |
Bathurst War | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Bathurst county in which the war was fought | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom | Wiradjuri | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Governor Thomas Brisbane Major James Morisset | Windradyne | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
75 British soldiers Several cavalry 200+ armed settlers | 1,500 (unable to verify) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~20 killed others wounded[1] |
~100 killed others wounded[1] |
The Bathurst War (1824) was a war between the Wiradjuri nation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Following the successful Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth expedition to find a route through the "impenetrable" Blue Mountains in 1813, this allowed the colony to expand onto the vast fertile plains of the west.
Invasion of the new land was initially slow, but following a change of government, Governor Thomas Brisbane came to power allowing a flood of land grants to the west of the Blue Mountains. The enormous influx of British colonists put massive strain on the traditional food sources[citation needed] and sacred landmarks of the Wiradjuri.[citation needed] By early 1824, war had broken out in which the Wiradjuri adopted a guerrilla-style approach. After Governor Thomas Brisbane declared martial law, the resistance soon collapsed in late 1824.[2]