Fighting for Liberty uses original sources to give a blow by blow
account of the campaign of 1685. A conflict that started in Orkney and
ended on the battlefield of Sedgemoor. Today, there is a myth that the
rebels were a misguided peasant rabble, easily put down by lines of
red-coated soldiers, but this is not reflected in original letters,
marching orders, and documents. These tell a quite different history.
So, why is our understanding of the campaign unlike the eyewitness
accounts? Answering this question has been the focus of over 20 years of
research and the result, Fighting for Liberty, offers a fresh
perspective on the events called the Monmouth Rebellion.
After the political purges of 1683, rebel Whigs have been planning an
invasion of Britain. Their aim is to restore the liberty of Parliament
and stop the divine rule by Kings. They have vast stockpiles of the
latest weapons, including bayonets, grenades, and firelock muskets. On
the death of Charles II in February 1685, and the succession of his
brother James, they load ships with soldiers, arms, and ammunition. Led
by the Earl of Argyll and the Duke of Monmouth, they have an audacious
plan to attack in three strategy locations, supported by an uprising in
London. With enough drums, colors, and officers to raise three well led
and paid armies, the fight for liberty can begin. To counter this threat
the Government of King James locks down the country, closing borders and
arresting dissenters across the Country. As the Militia struggle to
contain the invasions, and the Whig armies growing day by day, James
rushes regular forces to the landing sites. But even with a network of
spies, and the nation's military resources in play, James still
struggles to gain the initiative against the Whig invaders.
For centuries, historians have ignored the planning and logistical
aspects of the conflict, instead the focus has been on the personalities
of Monmouth, Marlborough, and James II. However, the military campaign
reveals the true scale of the conflict, it shows us forgotten skirmishes
and naval actions. By returning to the original sources to understand
Whig strategy, the events in England and Scotland merge into a single
operation against the Government of James. Fighting for Liberty
describes the whole campaign, from the initial planning by the Whigs, to
the military reaction by the Government. Each army movement is placed in
the historic landscape, and the detail of every battle covered; from the
weapons, uniforms, and drill, to the Regiments deployed. For the first
time, the campaign of 1685 is shown as a Whig invasion, that placed the
Government and its unprepared forces on the back foot. It is not a
forgone conclusion, instead it is a fight between two professional
armies, with commanders struggling to gain the initiative, both facing
different operational challenges. Fighting for Liberty offers a fresh
and vibrant account of the Monmouth Rebellion, the Battle of Sedgemoor
and warfare in the late 17th Century.
