Rum Rebellion: H.V. Evatt

A study of the overthrow of Governor Bligh by John Macarthur and the New South Wales Corps. In January 1808, Major Johnston and the officers of the New South Wales Corps, urged on by John Macarthur, made an armed attack on Government House in Sydney, arrested Governor William Bligh and took control of the colony. Apart from being an act of mutiny, the Rum Rebellion was also the culmination of a massive confrontation between two strong willed and powerful men: Bligh, the strong-willed disciplinarian and John Macarthur, wealthy merchant, pastoralist and ex-member of the Corps.