Melbourne to Run

To understand how hideously unprepared for war the British are, we are given a vignette aboard the Melbourne on its way to Canada. Needless to say, there are many confusing mistakes in this.

• The British are desperate to be able to announce the departure of troops to Canada; they therefore have Melbourne sit in Cork for a week, because there are no newspaper reporters in Ireland who might publish this news.
• Although the Melbourne spends a week sat in port, none of this time is used to reload the ship to enable Wolseley to complain about there being 'nothing secured and no room to move'.
• The Melbourne joins a convoy consisting of the 'Australasia' (actually the Australasian), the Persia, and the Parana. As the Melbourne left on the 7th and takes a week to join the convoy, we can assume that the convoy left on the 14th. However, the Parana left Southampton on 26 December 1861.
• We are left with the implication that the British are the only ones whose transports suffered from bad weather: this is not the case.
• The Melbourne was so poorly laden historically because it had to leave in haste. It is rather unsurprising that we are given a vignette from this ship- it would be rather embarrassing if the arrangements which the majority of troops experienced were brought to wider attention:

‘About half past 10 o’clock the first train arrived from London, followed at short intervals by three more trains, the first two bringing the Grenadiers and the other the Scots Fusiliers… The arrangements for their embarkation were so complete… by 1 o’clock both the Adriatic and the Parana were moving out of dock, much to the astonishment of the lookers-on at the celerity with which the operations had been conducted.’ (Army and Navy Gazette, 21 December 1861 p.3)

‘each soldier on stepping on board of his transport finds ready for him, two pairs of woollen drawers, one Jersey, two merino under-vests, two pairs of worsted stockings, one comforter, one chamois leather waistcoat, one sealskin cap with ear mufflers, one pair of sealskin mits [sic], one pair of Canadian boots, and one sheepskin coat… The requisitions are sent in from the Horse Guards on the order to a regiment or body of men to embark, and transmitted at once by the War Office to Pimlico, where the order is without an instant’s delay turned out, so that the men find the outfit waiting ready for them on board ship. As a proof of what this establishment can do, an order came in the beginning of the week for 700 outfits marked ‘very pressing,’ and in three hours from the date of that receipt the whole was packed by hydraulic pressure and despatched to their destination.’ (Army and Navy Gazette, 21 December 1861 p.2)

‘The facility with which the troops are now embarked at Southampton is remarkable, and is much greater than it was during the Crimean war. A regiment of soldiers will form in order of march in the large railway station-yard in that town within ten minutes after the train which has brought them to the station has stopped. The transport steamers all have quay berths with two wide gangways, one for the shipping of stores, and the other for the embarkation of troops. Working parties of soldiers are told off to ship the stores. All the soldiers’ berths are numbered, and each soldier has a card with the number of his berth on it, so that as soon as he gets on board he goes straight to his berth and deposits his rifle and kit. Some idea of the amount of stores shipped on board the transports may be formed from the fact that 120 railway waggons filled with stores were in the Southampton Docks one day last week.’ (Army and Navy Gazettte, 28 December 1861 p.13)

• TFSmith has opined that 'Melbourne's tortuous passage is historical,' which as we have seen is highly misleading. However, he has also claimed that 'Of if [sic] war had broken out over the Trent (historically)... it would have been a short war for a fair number of British soldiers'. Melbourne arrived at Halifax on 5 January 1862; Lord Lyons' ultimatum would have run out on 30 December 1861. TFSmith is therefore claiming that news of the Union refusal could reach London, the Cabinet could declare war in  response, the news of the declaration could arrive in the Americas, and the Union Navy could go to sea to capture Melbourne- all in a little less than a week. As such, it seems somewhat surprising that in his timeline the British government have not declared war by 1 April.