Three Accounts of Peterloo by Eyewitnesses: Bishop Stanley, Lord Hylton, John Benjamin Smith; with Bishop Stanley's Evidence at the TrialStanley, Edward
History
Three Accounts of Peterloo by Eyewitnesses: Bishop Stanley, Lord Hylton, John Benjamin Smith; with Bishop Stanley's Evidence at the Trial
Stanley, Edward
Manchester (England) -- History; Peterloo Massacre, Manchester, England, 1819
The charge of the Hussars, to which I have just alluded, swept this
mingled mass of human beings before it; people, yeomen, and constables,
in their confused attempts to escape, ran one over the other; so that by
the time we had arrived at the end of the field the fugitives were
literally piled up to a considerable elevation above the level of the
ground. (I may here, by the way, state that this field, as it is called,
was merely an open space of ground, surrounded by buildings, and itself, I
rather think, in course of being built upon.).
The Hussars drove the people forward with the flats of their swords, but
sometimes, as is almost inevitably the case when men are placed in such
situations, the edge was used, both by the Hussars, and, as I have heard,
by the yeomen also; but of this last part I was not cognizant, and
believing though I do that nine out of ten of the sabre-wounds were caused
by the Hussars, I must still consider that it redounds to the humane
forbearance of the men of the 15th that more wounds were not received,
when the vast numbers are taken into consideration with whom they were
brought into hostile collision; beyond all doubt, however, the far greater
amount of injuries were from the pressure of the routed multitude. The
Hussars on the left pursued down the various streets which led from the
place; those on the right met with something more of resistance.
The mob had taken possession of various buildings on that side,
particularly of a Quakers' chapel and burial ground enclosed with a wall.
This they occupied for some little time, and in attempting to displace
them, some of the men and horses were struck with stones and brickbats. I
was on the left, and as soon as I had passed completely over the ground
and found myself in the street on the other side, I turned back, and then,
seeing a sort of fight still going on on the right, I went in that
direction. At the very moment I reached the Quakers' meeting-house, I saw
a farrier of the 15th ride at a small door in the outer wall, and to my
surprise his horse struck it with such force that it flew open. Two or
three Hussars then rode in, and the place was immediately in their
possession. I then turned towards the elevated platform, which still
remained in the centre of the field with persons upon it; a few straggling
Hussars and yeomen, together with a number of men having the appearance of
peace-officers were congregating about it. On my way thither I met the
Commanding-officer of my Regiment, who directed me to find a Trumpeter, in
order that he might sound the "rally" or "retreat." This sent me again
down the street I had first been in (after the pursuing men of my troop);
but I had not ridden above a hundred yards before I found a Trumpeter, and
returned with him to the Colonel. The field and the adjacent streets now
presented an extraordinary sight: the ground was quite covered with hats,
shoes, musical instruments, and other things. Here and there lay the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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