The Man from the Alamo: Why the Welsh Chartist Uprising of 1839 Ended in a MassacreJohn Rees, soldier and freedom fighter, was a shadowy figure who surfaced during two crucial nineteenth-century revolts and then disappeared from history. For the first time, author John Humphries reveals the fate of the man, first mentioned as a member of the New Orleans Greys, who fought for Texan Independence at the Alamo and narrowly escaped execution at the Goliad Mission. Later, Rees was one of the main agitators in the doomed Welsh Chartist movement. Twenty-two men died during the Chartist attack upon the Westgate Hotel when a detachment from the 45th Regiment of Foot, hidden behind the hotel's shuttered windows, discharged their muskets into the crowd. For waging war against the monarch, thirteen of the Chartist leaders were indicted for high treason in the last great show trial in British legal history, while Rees escaped back to the American West. Rees' spectacular journey from the bloodied sands of Texas to the last armed uprising on British soil is only one of the stories told in this book. |
Contents
Abbreviations | 10 |
Introduction | 11 |
People of the Black Domain | 26 |
Copyright | |
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aboard acres Alamo April Archives armed army arrived Ballahoo Ballahoo Creek Bedwellty Black Domain Blackwood Blaina Breverton Britain Captain Cardiff Chartist leader Chartist Trials Chartist Uprising claim coal colliers colony constable convict County Davies Diemen's Land Donation Certificate escape evidence fire Goliad Government Harford High Treason hills Hobart ibid ironmasters Ivor Wilks Jack the Fifer James Joan John Frost John Rees labour later Launceston letter to wife Llewellyn magistrates Mandarin March marchers Mersey Mexican miles miners mining Monmouthshire months Morgan Williams Nantyglo never Newport November Orleans Greys penal Phillips Pontypool Port Arthur prisoners Prothero public house Rees's Reese Republic of Texas revolution River Royal Oak San Antonio sentence settlers ship Sirhowy soldiers South Wales Tarleton Tasmania Texans town tram road transportation Tredegar House valleys Van Diemen's Land Vincent Welsh Western Vindicator Westgate Westgate Hotel Williams and Jones Williams letter workers Zephaniah Williams