Siege of Perth

The Siege of Perth, also known as the Fremantle Campaign was fought between June 5th–23rd September 1857, in and around the City of Perth, Western Australia, by Eurekan and British forces during the Australian War for Independence. The battle involved the second largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point. Eurekan Maj. Gen. Ryder Carbone’s Army of the South defeated the defenders of British Gen. James E. Cornwallis's Army of 120th Infantry, disrupting the British war supplies in the Western Theatre.

After his success at Norseman, Goldfield Region in October 1856, Ryder led his army through the Wheatbelt South to begin his second invasion of the West—the Fremantle Campaign. With his army in high spirits, Ryder intended to shift the focus of the summer campaign from war-ravaged South Australia and hoped to influence British politicians to give up their holdings in Perth, by penetrating as far as Fremantle, Perth WA, or even Mandurah. Prodded by Prime Minister Lord Hamilton, Maj. Gen. James Cornwallis moved his army into defensive positions.

Elements of the two armies initially collided at Lake Grace, Brookton and York from 23rd of November to 27th of December 1856, in inconclusive fighting, but Ryder fanatically commanded his forces to continue forward, his objective being to engage the British and French armies and destroy it. And to capture the capital and to cut off arms and supplies to the British forces in the West. Low ridges and hills to the east of city were defended initially by a British cavalry division under Brig. Gen. John Buford, and soon reinforced with two corps of French infantry. However, two large Rebel corps assaulted them from the northwest and north, collapsing the hastily developed British lines, sending the defenders retreating through the streets of the city, putting it into a siege on the 4th of February.

By the 17th, most of both armies had assembled. The British line was laid out in a defensive formation resembling a fishhook. In the late afternoon of April 5th, Ryder launched a heavy assault on the British left flank, and fierce fighting raged at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Devil's Den, and the Swan River. On the British right, Rebel demonstrations escalated into full-scale assaults on Culp's Hill and Black Boy Hill. Across the battlefield, despite significant losses, the British and France defenders held their lines, but with heavy losses. Ryder began a series of small-scale attacks on the lines to probe the enemy and began shelling the Capital every day and every night, and he cut of the rail-line and had a small fleet to bloke of the ports.

Finally, from the 12th of June to the 22nd, 1857 Ryder began one final push into the Capital and breached the lines and entered the city and began a series of house to house fights and finally surrounded the British armies and Gen. Cornwallis and his subordinates surrendered the remaining army and arms to the Eurekan Army. Between 36,000 and 41,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the 6-month battle, the costliest in Australian history. The victory was a huge success for the rebel cause not only did they effectively destroy the 120th Army, but they also cut of arms and supplies to the remaining British and allied soldiers in the West. And it allowed the establishment of a new port, to re-supply the rebels and total control of the industry, raw materials and lush farmlands of the region, under Republic control.