British Frontier Warfare Logistics and the ‘Black Line’,Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania),1830

Abstract

The 1825-31 frontier war in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) shows the importance of logistics to British success in colonial confl ict during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Despite superior numbers and weaponry, the British were unable to defeat the Tasmanian Aborigines until the colonial governor, Colonel George Arthur, mounted the elaborate operation which became known as the `Black Line’. This forced the Aborigines to surrender and accept removal to a reservation. The supply of the Line during the deployment required the mobilization of both the military and civilian infrastructure, especially the colony’s commissariat and survey department.