Seven years after the Abyssinian campaign another African war broke out,
this time upon the western coast.
Here, at a short distance above the line, lies the British colony of
Cape Coast. The town, known as Cape Coast Castle, had been in the
possession of the English for centuries, and a large tract of country
down the sea coast, and extending back 80 miles to the river Prah, was
under their protectorate.
North and west of the Prah were the Ashantis, a warlike race, who had
gradually conquered and absorbed all their neighbours. The rites and
ceremonies practised by the kings at Coomassie, their capital, were of
the most savage and bloodthirsty nature, rivalled in this respect only
by the neighbouring kingdom of Dahomey. At coronations, funerals, or
other state occasions, it was customary to immolate hundreds of victims,
and in order to supply this demand constant wars were undertaken. The
Ashantis had for the most part kept up their connection with the sea
through Elinina, a town situate some seven or eight miles from Cape
Coast Castle. This place belonged to the Dutch; but a short time
before, it had been handed by them to us in exchange for some positions
farther up the coast. This caused much offence to the Ashantis, who
maintained that Elmina was tributary to them, the Dutch having been in
the habit for very many years of sending an annual present, or, as the
Ashantis regarded it, tribute.
The Ashantis had some grounds for their belief that they could overcome
any force that the English could send against them, for in the year 1824
an expedition, headed by the governor, Sir Charles Macarthy, had crossed
the Prah against them, and had been surrounded and cut to pieces, only
three men escaping. As this defeat had never been avenged, the Ashantis
were justified in the belief that they were capable of overrunning our
country; and in 1873 a large force crossed the Prah and fell upon the
villages of the Fantis, as the natives of this part under British
protection are called. The natives of the protectorate having for very
many years been prevented from fighting among themselves, had lost all
their national virtues of bravery, and the consequence was that they
were utterly unable to withstand the advance of the Ashantis.
The only forces at the command of the governor were some companies of
the 2nd West India Regiment, a body of Fanti police, and a small force
of Houssas, an extremely brave and warlike people living near Lagos,
ready at all times to enlist where fighting is likely to go on. This
little force was commanded by Lieutenant Hopkins; but, when the Ashantis
approached, the great body of our Fanti allies, after fighting for a few
hours, fled, and Lieutenant Hopkins, being unable with so small a force
to withstand the approach of the enemy, fell back. The Ashantis took
possession of Dunquah, and thence threatened both Elmina and Cape Coast
Castle. The castle itself was originally strong, and was still in
sufficiently good repair to resist any attack that the enemy were likely
to make upon it, but the town was entirely incapable of defence; and had
the Ashantis pushed on after their victory, there can be little doubt
that both Cape Coast and Elmina would have fallen into their hands.
Fortunately, however, HMS _Baracouta_, Captain Freemantle, arrived upon
the spot, and a body of 110 marines under the command of Lieutenant--
Colonel Festing, of the Royal Marine Artillery, was landed. Martial law
was proclaimed. The inhabitants of the native town of Elmina rose; but
the _Baracouta_ bombarded the place, and set it on fire, and the natives
retired to join their Ashanti friends in the woods. These were now
approaching the town; and Colonel Festing landed with the marines and
marine artillerymen, a party of bluejackets belonging to the _Baracouta,
Druid, Seagull_, and _Argus_, under Captain Freemantle, some men of the
2nd West India Regiment, and a body of Houssas. The Ashantis, some 2000
in number, marched boldly along, and attempted to outflank the position
occupied by the English.
In this they would have succeeded had not Lieutenant Wells of the
_Baracouta_ opened fire upon them with a very heavy fire of Sniders on
the part of his tars. The head of the column was arrested, and Colonel
Festing, advancing upon them with his main force, opened fire, and thus,
attacked both in front and on the flank, the Ashantis fled, leaving 200
killed. Several other skirmishes took place. Lieutenant Gordon, who
had raised a body of Houssas, did excellent service, and formed a
redoubt at the village of Napoleon, about five miles from Cape Coast.
Except, however, within range of the guns of the forts, the whole
country was in the hands of the Ashantis.
It was now evident that a force which was estimated at 20,000 could not
be driven out from the vast woods which covered the whole country as far
as the Prah, with so small a force as that at the disposal of the
authorities, and it was determined by the Home Government to send out an
expedition to deliver the protectorate of its invaders, and to chastise
the Ashantis on their own ground. In the meantime the _Simoom_ arrived
on the coast with a strong body of marines and marine artillerymen, and
Commodore Commerell came up from the Cape of Good Hope and took the
command of the naval portion of the forces.
He determined to ascend the Prah with the boats of the squadron, to see
what facilities that river offered as a means of advance into the
interior, and to communicate with the chiefs upon the bank. He had
ascended the river only about a mile and a half when a very heavy fire
was suddenly opened upon him by the enemy concealed in the thick bush
which lined the banks. The commodore himself was badly wounded;
Captains Luxmore and Helden were also severely hurt; and 4 men killed
and 16 wounded. The boats returned at once to the _Rattlesnake_. The
town of Chamoh, which stood at the entrance of the Prah, was the next
day bombarded and burnt.
Several other skirmishes occurred; but as we were not in a position to
take the offensive, and the Ashantis appeared indisposed to renew their
attacks upon Elmina or Cape Coast, things remained quiet until the
arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley, with some twenty English officers, in
the _Ambriz_. No troops had been sent with him, as it was considered
that the situation might have changed before he reached the coast, or
that upon his arrival there he might find the force of marines and
bluejackets, with the aid of the 2nd West India Regiment, another wing
of which had come down from Sierra Leone, sufficient for the purpose.
He found, however, that the situation was far too serious: that the
Fantis were utterly untrustworthy; and that with so small a force he
could make no impression upon the great Ashanti armies gathered in the
woods. Two regiments of natives were, however, enrolled, the one under
Lieutenant-colonel Evelyn Wood, the other under Major Russell, each of
them numbering some 300 or 400 men. It was decided that the advance
into Ashanti should be attempted from two different points. At the
southern point of the colony, where the river Volta forms the frontier
of the territory, Captain Glover, formerly of the Royal Navy, was
commissioned to raise a large native force. Upon the opposite side of
the Volta the people were in alliance with the Ashantis, and unless a
strong demonstration had been made at this point, they might at any
moment have crossed the river and attacked the protectorate from the
east.
The first operation undertaken by Sir Garnet Wolseley was an attack upon
several of the villages near Elmina, occupied by the Ashantis. The most
perfect secrecy was maintained as to the plans, for it was certain that
the enemy were accurately informed of all our doings. It was given out
that Sir Garnet intended to go down to Accra, some 50 miles down the
coast, and many of his officers at the time of embarkation believed this
to be the true state of the case.
On board ship all preparations had been made for landing, and before
daybreak the men-of-war were off Elmina. The boats were at once
lowered, and the marines and bluejackets disembarked. At Elmina they
were joined by several companies of the 2nd West India Regiment in
garrison there. A large number of native bearers were also in
readiness, these having been sent off the night before, with orders to
bring back stores.
Morning was just breaking when the force moved forward. For the next
three hours no resistance was met with. One village found deserted was
burnt.
As they passed along through the bush, the Houssas, who had been drilled
by Captain Rait, RA, kept up a tremendous fire, yelling and shouting.
But as their aim was quite wild and half the guns fired into the air,
much ammunition was wasted. Captain Freemantle with the sailors then
made for the left of the wood so as to divert the enemy's attention. A
heavy fire was poured in upon them by the natives, who were completely
hidden from our men.
The marines and bluejackets pushed on steadily in the direction of a
village which lay in the centre of the wood. The natives, who were
assembled in large numbers, kept up a heavy fire from the roofs of the
huts. As Captain Freemantle was advancing to find a better place for
the gun, he was wounded by a slug, which passed right through his arm,
but fortunately was able to continue directing the gun. The Houssas
under Captain McNeill were doing little good by their indiscriminate
firing, and indeed it was a matter of some difficulty to keep them
together. Colonel McNeill was severely hit in his arm, and subsequently
had to return to England from the effects of the wound.
A combined movement was made upon the enemy, who retreated from the
village before the dashing of the bluejackets.
From this village the force marched to the sea coast, whence a portion
continued their way some four miles farther, and attacked and carried
another village, where the Ashantis made a somewhat obstinate defence.
The force here was embarked by the boats of the squadron, while the
remainder marched back to Elmina. The distance marched by the seamen
and marines who had been up all night, was no less than 21 miles, under
a burning sun. In the course of the march several deep swamps, where
the water came over the men's knees, had to be crossed. The paths were
everywhere difficult in the extreme, and yet no man fell out, and only
four were admitted to hospital upon the following day.
The next engagement took place near Dunquah, where Colonel Festing
commanded the force. Sallying out to attack a large body of Ashantis,
he inflicted considerable damage upon them; but their numbers were so
strong, and they fought with such determination, that he was obliged to
fall back. Lieutenant Wilmot, who commanded eight Houssas of the
artillery, was early in the fight wounded in the arm, but continued at
his post until, an hour later, he was shot through the heart. A few
days afterwards another indecisive fight of the same nature took place.
A position of much importance, lying some three miles off the main road,
was the village of Abrakrampa. This place had been a missionary
station, and contained a church and several houses, besides the village
huts. It lay in the heart of the forest, and at night the sound of the
war-drums of the Ashantis could be plainly heard. The post was
commanded by Major Russell, with his black regiment, and he had with him
a body of seamen and marines. As, however, the amount of fever among
the white men on shore was very great, and the naval officer in command,
Captain Freemantle--for Commodore Commerell had been obliged to return
to the Cape from the effect of his wound--was anxious that his men
should not remain upon shore, orders were sent up to Major Russell to
march the marines and seamen down to the shore. Fortunately, however,
an hour or two before the men were to start, the news arrived that the
Ashantis were advancing to attack the camp.
A breastwork had been thrown up round the village, and the church was
converted into a sort of keep, platforms having been raised inside to
the level of the upper windows, through which the marines and seamen
could fire at the advancing enemy. When, from the noise in the woods,
Major Russell became assured that the news was true, he sent a messenger
to Cape Coast for assistance, and prepared to repel the attack. The
Ashantis advanced with great bravery, but were driven back by the rapid
fire kept up upon them from the breastworks and church, and presently
fell back into the woods again. They, however, continued to beleaguer
the place, occasionally showing in great masses.
Directly the news reached Cape Coast every available seaman and marine
was landed from the ships, and at seven in the morning the column
started. The distance was about 15 miles, and the heat tremendous. An
hour's rest was allowed at a village where the road for Abrakrampa
turned off from the main line, and at the end of that time the great
proportion of our men were sufficiently recovered to continue their
march. They made a long detour, so as to avoid coming down by the road
by which the Ashantis would naturally expect them to advance, and in
which they would have been engaged in a fight in the thick of the
forest. They therefore arrived at Dunquah without firing a shot.
It was then late in the evening. The following morning the black troops
advanced into the forest, and reported that the Ashantis were in full
flight. The garrison then sallied out, and found that the village
occupied as the Ashanti headquarters had been deserted, and that the
enemy had left. They still, however, lingered in large numbers in the
woods near, for a party of Fantis were fallen upon, and many were
killed.
The force of bluejackets and marines, together with the 2nd West India
Regiment, now advanced towards the Prah, the Ashantis hastily
retreating, and no more fighting took place.
Thus the invasion of the protectorate was defeated, and the invaders
driven across their frontier, with a loss admitted by themselves of
several thousands, before the arrival of a single soldier from England,
solely by the naval forces, aided by the one black regiment upon the
spot. The West Indians were placed in garrison upon the Prah, and the
bluejackets returned to their ships.
In December the 42nd, a battalion of the Rifle Brigade, and the 23rd
Fusiliers arrived. It was found, however, that it was impossible to
provide transport for so large a force, and the 23rd were therefore
re-embarked, together with a battery of Royal Artillery which had also
come out. Two hundred of the Fusiliers, however, subsequently re-landed
and marched to the front.
On the 1st January the disembarkation took place, and the 42nd
Highlanders and Rifle Brigade marched for the front, the Naval Brigade
having gone up a week previously. On the 20th the bridge across the
Prah was completed by the bluejackets and engineers, under the command
of Colonel Home. Lord Gifford, in command of a party of native scouts,
first went forward, and was followed by Wood and Russell's native
regiments. These pushed forward without opposition, and gained the
crest of the Adansi hills. The King of Ashanti was now seriously
alarmed, and sent in three German missionaries and a French merchant,
whom he had retained for some time as prisoners.
Short as the time had been that the force was on shore, already large
numbers were suffering from sickness, and out of the total European
force of 1800 men, 215 were already unfit for duty.
Without opposition the force arrived as far as Fommanah, a large village
30 miles from Coomassie. Here letters were received from the king,
asking for peace. Sir Garnet Wolseley, however, demanded that hostages
consisting of leading members of the king's family should be given up as
proofs of his sincerity. The king, however, who was in reality only
trying to gain time, took no notice of the demand, and the advance
continued.
At the village of Borborassie, a few miles farther, the Ashantis offered
their first resistance. The place was carried with a rush by the Naval
Brigade, a company of Fusiliers, and some of Russell's regiment.
Captain Nicol, who led the advance, was killed.
Information was now gained that the enemy was posted in great force near
the villages of Amoaful and Beckquah, and here a battle was expected to
take place. Owing to the number of garrisons left at the various posts
upon the road, Wood's regiment was now reduced to three companies only,
Russell's to four companies. These regiments took their place in the
line in the rear of the Naval Brigade.
The plan of battle was that the 42nd were to form the main attacking
force, and were to drive the enemy's scouts out of Agamassie, a little
village two miles in front of Amoaful, situate in a dense wood. After
carrying the village, they were to move straight on, extending to the
right and left, and if possible advance in a skirmishing line through
the bush. The right column, consisting of half the Naval Brigade and
Wood's regiment, was to cut a path out to the right, and then turn
parallel with the main road, so that the head of the column should touch
the right of the skirmishing line of the 42nd; the left column,
consisting of the other half of the Naval Brigade, was to proceed after
a similar fashion on the left. The Naval Brigade, it should be said,
was commanded by Commodore Hewett. The company of the 23rd was to go
behind the head-quarter staff, and the Rifle Brigade to remain in
reserve. Thus, could this plan of battle have been carried out, the
whole would have formed a hollow square, the right and left columns
protecting the 42nd from any of those flanking movements of which the
Ashantis were always so fond.
Upon the preceding evening Major Home, advancing from the village of
Quarman, at which the head of the column had halted the night before,
cut a wide path to within 50 yards of the village of Agamassie, and
ascertained that that village was held by a small body only.
The 42nd went on in advance, and with a rush carried the village. For a
minute or two the fire lulled, and then from the circle of woods lying
around it, a tremendous fire broke out upon them. The first shot was
fired a few minutes before eight. The 42nd gradually made their way
forward; but some delay elapsed before the Naval Brigade could take up
the two positions assigned to it, for Agamassie was but a tiny village,
and this was so encumbered by the troops, and with the bearers of the
hammocks and ammunition, that movement was difficult in the extreme.
The noise was prodigious, the Ashantis using very heavy charges of
powder. Close to the village Captain Buckle of the Royal Engineers was
shot dead as he led his men, cutting a path into the forest from which
the Ashanti fire was pouring out.
For an hour but little advance was made, the Ashantis holding their
ground most tenaciously. The two bodies of the Naval Brigade were
accompanied by parties of Rait's artillerymen with rockets, but the fire
of these and the Sniders was insufficient to clear the way. Even after
an hour's fighting, the Ashantis still held the bush, not 200 yards from
the village, and two companies of the Rifle Brigade were sent up the
left-hand road to keep the line open. The wood was so thick that the
Naval Brigade were unable to make much way, and were forced to lie down
and fire into the dense bush, from which the answering discharges came
incessantly, at a distance of 20 yards or so. The air above was
literally alive with slugs, and a perfect shower of leaves continued to
fall upon the path.
In the wood, all just views of direction were lost. The sailors
complained that the 23rd or the 42nd were firing at them, and the 42nd
and 23rd made the same complaint of the Naval Brigade. In fact, from
the denseness of the wood, and the general and continuous roar of
musketry, it was impossible to gain any just ideas of direction.
Colonel Macleod, who commanded the left column, presently found the
resistance in front of him cease; but he knew nothing of the position of
the 42nd, with whose left he should have been in touch.
The 42nd were having a hard time of it. They were well handled by Major
Macpherson, who was in command. For a time they succeeded in forcing
the enemy back, but coming to a swamp between two rises, their advance
was for a time completely arrested. Not an enemy was to be seen; but
from every bush on the opposite side the puffs of smoke came thick and
fast, and a perfect rain of slugs swept over the ground on which they
were lying. Captain Rait, assisted by Lieutenant Saunders, brought his
gun--for from the narrowness of the path he was able to bring only one
into action--well to the front of the 42nd, and poured round after round
of grape into the enemy, until their fire slackened a little, and the
42nd again advanced. At the top of the hill the Ashantis made again a
desperate stand. Here the gun again did good service, and at last the
regiment fought their way over it, the enemy contesting every foot.
Another rush was made, and the regiment then burst through the wood into
the open clearing in which the large village of Amoaful was situate.
Out of 450, they had 9 officers and 104 men wounded. For a short time
the Ashantis kept up a fire from the houses; but the 42nd soon drove
them from the village, and all further resistance at this point was at
an end.
The right-hand column, too, had suffered severely. Colonel Wood
received a slug in the left breast, and 6 naval officers and 20 men were
also wounded. Captain Luxmore, RN, was in command here. A company of
the Rifle Brigade had been sent out to strengthen them, when all at
once, just when the battle appeared over, the Ashantis made a tremendous
effort to turn our flank and to retake the village of Agamassie. The
Rifles in reserve sprang to their feet and advanced to meet them, and
for a while the roar of musketry was as heavy as it had been during the
day. Then, after an hour's fighting, Sir Garnet Wolseley gave the word
to advance. The men of the Rifle Brigade sprang forward, and in five
minutes the Ashantis were in full retreat. Altogether, including the
natives, the number of British casualties exceeded 250.
The force slept at Amoaful, and the next day the Naval Brigade, with
Russell's regiment and Rait's battery, supported by the 42nd, moved off
the main road to attack the neighbouring village of Beckquah, which was
the capital of one of the most powerful of the Ashanti kings. As the
narrow road entered the clearing, the enemy opened a tremendous fire
upon them. Lord Gifford rushed forward, followed by his scouts. The
Houssas, who were next behind, for once hung back; but the sailors, who
came next, sprang forward over the Houssas, and entered the village.
The natives, encouraged by the smallness of our force, fought strongly;
and as there were over a thousand fighting men in the village, we should
have suffered heavily had not the lesson given the day before of the
white men's superiority stood us in good stead; and as the Houssas and
other companies of Russell's regiment now poured in, the enemy speedily
lost heart and fled. The troops were placed in position to defend the
place from any attack from the bush, and the sailors, provided with
port-fires, set fire to the town from end to end.
Next day the advance began, the orders being that every man was to
receive four days' rations, and each regiment take its own provision and
baggage. The advance began at seven o'clock. The road was found strewn
with the litter cast away by the retreating enemy. The road was very
difficult and boggy. Streams had to be bridged in many places by the
engineers, and it took six hours to move as many miles. At one village
on the way, a thousand of the enemy assembled to make a stand; but their
defence was feeble, and Russell's regiment carried the place at a rush.
Upon reaching the village of Agamemmoo, the general sent back for the
baggage. This did not arrive until nearly four o'clock, and it was then
too late to move on in the night. The clearing was a small one, and so
close had the troops to lie, that the whole width and length of the
street was paved with human bodies. The next day there was fighting
during the whole march, the Ashantis having placed several ambushes.
The streams and swamps were even more frequent than upon the day
preceding, and eight hours were occupied in going six miles, when the
camp halted on the river Dah. A flag of truce came in, but as the king
did not send the hostages required, preparations were made for an
advance at daybreak in the morning. The engineers set to work to bridge
the river, and Russell's regiment waded through, and bivouacked upon the
opposite bank.
The night was tremendously wet; but the troops moved forward in high
spirits in the morning. The fight commenced as soon as the column had
crossed, and was a repetition of that of Amoaful. Lieutenant Saunders,
in the front, with his gun cleared the way with grape. The Bonny men,
who were in advance, would at last go no farther, and Lieutenant Eyre,
adjutant of Wood's regiment, to which they belonged, was killed.
The Rifles then came forward, and very slowly the advance was continued
until the head of the column was within 50 yards of the village. Then
the Rifles gave a cheer, and with a sudden rush cleared the way to the
open, and carried the village. In the meantime the whole column was
engaged in repelling a series of flank attacks. These attacks were most
gallantly persevered in by the Ashantis, who at times approached in such
masses that the whole bush swayed and moved as they poured forward.
Their loss must have been extremely large, for our men lined the road
and kept up a tremendous Snider fire upon them. Our own casualties were
slight, the road, like almost all roads in the country, being sunk two
feet below the level of the surrounding ground; consequently the men
were lying in shelter, as behind a breastwork.
The Naval Brigade at one time inflicted great slaughter upon the foe, by
remaining perfectly quiet, until the enemy, thinking that they had
retired, advanced full of confidence, cheering, when a tremendous fire
almost swept them away.
It took us, altogether, nearly six hours from the time our advance began
until the rear-guard had gained the village, a distance of only a mile
and a half. Coomassie was still six miles off, and had the Ashantis
continued to fight with the same desperation, we should not have reached
Coomassie that night.
The instant the baggage was all in the village, the advance again began.
At first the Ashantis fought with great determination. But our men
pushed steadily forward, and then, advancing at a double, the foes,
scared by the onslaught, gave way, and fled at the top of their speed.
The whole force now pushed forward, and without further opposition
crossed the pestilential swamp which surrounds Coomassie, and entered
the town.
The king and the greater portion of his fighting men had retired, and as
the provisions were running short, and the force greatly weakened by the
number of wounded and of men who had dropped with fever, it was
impossible to pursue him in the bush. After a day's halt, the
blood-stained capital was burnt, and the army retired to the coast.