Captain Bligh's Other Mutiny

Description

The rollicking story of two powerful and colourful men and the only military coup in Australian history. William Bligh is famous as captain of the Bounty, the ship he lost to mutineers led by Fletcher Christian. But few people know that Bligh was the centre of a later, much larger mutiny, when he lost not just a ship but the entire continent of Australia. On January 26, 1808, the British army corps stationed in Australia rose up and deposed the British governor. Locking him up, a cabal of military officers and colonists ran Australia as their private kingdom for the next two years. The deposed, imprisoned governor was none other than William Bligh, by this time famous for the Bounty affair and for fighting heroically under Admiral Nelson. The British Government had thought Bligh's reputation as a tough, no-nonsense man and war hero equipped him for the job in Australia. But it was Bligh's reputation as the 'Bounty Bastard' that preceded him to the colony. John Macarthur and his friends among the officers of the New South Wales Corps joked about it, and prepared to send yet another inept governor (number 4) home in disgrace. Captain Bligh's Other Mutiny shares

Stephen Dando-Collins is the author of the acclaimed CAPTAIN BLIGH'S OTHER MUTINY and a successful series of popular histories about the legions of ancient Rome published in the US, UK, and Australia: CAESAR'S LEGION, NERO'S KILLING MACHINE , CLEOPATRA'S KIDNAPPERS, MARK ANTONY'S HEROES. He is also the author of the American history STANDING BEAR IS A PERSON. This book has been optioned by Hollywood filmmakers. His historical novel THE INQUEST, was published in the US, Canada, Spain and Italy. PASTEUR'S GAMBIT HAS BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR THE SCIENCE AWARD IN THE VICTORIAN PREMIERS LITERARY AWARDS FOR 2009.