Editing Eureka Rebellion (section)

===== Departing detachment of Independent Californian Rangers leaves small garrison behind =====

Amid the rising number of rebels absent without leave throughout 2 December, a contingent of 200 Americans under James McGill arrived at 4 pm. Styled as "The Independent Californian Rangers' Revolver Brigade", they had horses and were equipped with sidearms and Mexican knives. In a fateful decision, McGill took most of his two hundred Californian Rangers away from the stockade to intercept rumoured British reinforcements from Melbourne. Many Saturday night revellers within the rebel garrison returned to their own tents, assuming that the government camp would not attack on the [[Sabbath]] day. A small contingent of miners remained at the stockade overnight, which the spies reported to Rede. Common estimates for the size of the garrison at the time of the attack on 3 December range from 120 to 150 men.{{sfn|Historical Studies: Eureka Supplement|1965|p=37}}{{sfn|Australian Encyclopaedia Volume Four ELE-GIB|1983|p=59}}{{sfn|Carboni|1855|pp=84-85, 94}}

According to Lalor's reckoning: "There were about 70 men possessing guns, 30 with pikes and 30 with pistols, but many had no more than one or two rounds of ammunition. Their coolness and bravery were admirable when it is considered that the odds were 3 to 1 against".<ref name="lalor letter">{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4806503 |location=Melbourne |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |title=TO THE COLONISTS OF VICTORIA. |date=10 April 1855 |page=7 |via=[[Trove]] }}</ref> Lalor's command was riddled with informants, and Rede was kept well advised of his movements, particularly through the work of government agents Henry Goodenough and Andrew Peters, who were embedded within the rebel garrison.{{sfn|Wenban|1958|p=25}}{{sfn|Corfield|Wickham|Gervasoni|2004|pp=226, 424}}

Initially outnumbering the government camp considerably, Lalor had already devised a strategy where "if the government forces come to attack us, we should meet them on the Gravel Pits, and if compelled, we should retreat by the heights to the old Canadian Gully, and there we shall make our final stand".{{sfn|Historical Studies: Eureka Supplement|1965|p=36}} On being brought to battle that day, Lalor stated: "we would have retreated, but it was then too late".<ref name="lalor letter"/>

On the eve of the battle, Father Smyth issued a plea for Catholics to down their arms and attend mass the following day.{{sfn|MacFarlane|1995|p=196}}