THE BARRA WAR, 1831--THE HURRICANE OF 1831--THE COBOLO EXPEDITION, 1832.
In 1826, owing to the difficulty found in obtaining a sufficiency of
recruits in the West Indies, it was decided to send a company of the 1st
West India Regiment to Sierra Leone, there to be stationed as a
recruiting company, the recruits to be sent to the head-quarters of the
regiment as opportunities occurred. The recruiting company embarked at
Trinidad on the 17th of April, 1826, in the _Duke of York_ brigantine,
and proceeded to Dominica, where it was transhipped to the _Jupiter_
transport. Captain Myers proceeded in charge of it to England, where it
was inspected by Major-General Sir James Lyon, and it finally arrived at
Sierra Leone on August 16th, 1826. Captain Myers having obtained sick
leave in England, Captain Stewart, Lieutenant Brennan, and Ensign
Russell, were the officers who had charge of the company.
The recruiting was so successfully carried on, that on July 9th, 1827,
73 recruits joined the head-quarters of the regiment at Trinidad; on
December 27th, 1828, 182; and on February 28th, 1829, 39; the last being
volunteers from the Royal African Corps. In 1829, Captain Evans and
Lieutenant Montgomery proceeded to Sierra Leone to join the recruiting
company.
The recruiting company continued being occupied with its peace duties
until the year 1831, when the Barra War broke out. Towards the end of
September, 1831, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Gambia Settlements sent
an urgent despatch for assistance to the Governor of Sierra Leone. The
news arrived at the latter place on October 1st, and on the 4th a force
under Captain Stewart, 1st West India Regiment, consisting of
detachments from the recruiting companies of the 1st and 2nd West India
Regiments, from the Sierra Leone Militia, and from the Royal African
Corps, sailed for the Gambia in H.M. brig _Plumper_, and the _Parmilia_
transport. The events which led to this movement were as follows:
In August, 1831, disturbances having occurred amongst the Mandingoes[43]
living in the neighbourhood of Fort Bullen, Barra Point, Ensign Fearon,
of the Royal African Corps, by direction of Lieutenant-Governor Rendall,
had proceeded with thirty men of his corps and a few pensioners, on the
night of August 22nd, to the stockaded town of Essaw, or Yahassu, the
capital of Barra, to demand hostages from the king. At Essaw this small
force was attacked by a large body of Mandingoes, and compelled to
retire to Fort Bullen, to which place the victorious Mandingoes
advanced, completely investing it on the land side. The day following,
Ensign Fearon, having lost twenty-three men out of his little force,
evacuated the work, which was in an almost defenceless condition, and
retired across the river to the town of Bathurst. After this defeat the
chiefs of the neighbouring Mohammedan towns sent large contingents of
men to the King of Barra; several thousand armed natives were collected
at a distance of three miles only from Bathurst, and that settlement was
in such imminent danger that the Lieutenant-Governor was compelled to
send to Sierra Leone for assistance.
On November 9th the reinforcements arrived in the Gambia, and found Fort
Bullen still in the hands of the natives, who fortunately had confined
themselves to making mere demonstrations, instead of falling upon the
settlement, which lay entirely at their mercy. On the morning of
November 11th a landing was effected at Barra Point by the force,
consisting of 451 of all ranks, under cover of a heavy fire from H.M.
brig _Plumper_ (Lieutenant Cresey), the _Parmilia_ transport, and an
armed colonial schooner. The enemy, estimated at from 2500 to 3000
strong, were skilfully covered from the fire of the shipping by the
entrenchments which they had thrown up, and from which, as well as from
the shelter of the dense bush and high grass, they poured in a heavy
and well-sustained fire upon the troops who were landing in their front.
Notwithstanding all disadvantages, however, the British pushed on, and,
after an hour's hard fighting, during which the enemy contested every
inch of ground, they succeeded in driving them from their entrenchments
at the point of the bayonet, and pursued them for some distance through
the bush. The British loss in this action was 2 killed, 3 officers[44]
and 47 men wounded.
The next few days were occupied in landing the guns, and placing Fort
Bullen in a state of defence; and at daybreak on the morning of November
17th the entire force marched to the attack of Essaw, the king's town,
leaving the crew of H.M. brig _Plumper_, under Lieutenant Cresey, in
charge of Fort Bullen.
On approaching the vicinity of the town the troops deployed into line,
and, the guns having been brought to the front, a heavy fire was opened
on the stockade. This was kept up for five hours, and was as vigorously
returned by the enemy from their defences, with artillery and small
arms. The rockets were brought to bear as soon as possible, and the
first one thrown set fire to a house in the town; but the buildings
being principally composed of "swish," and the natives having taken the
precaution of removing the thatched roofs of the greater number, the
rockets produced but little effect, as they could do no injury to the
walls. Towards noon some of the enemy were observed leaving the rear of
the town, and shortly afterwards a very superior force of natives
appeared in the bush on the British right, threatening an attack in
flank. A second body was also observed making a lengthened detour on the
left, apparently with the intention of attacking the British rear. The
men's ammunition being almost exhausted, and the artillery fire, though
well sustained, having produced no effect upon the strong stockades
which surrounded the town, it was deemed prudent to retire, and the
force was accordingly withdrawn to Benty Point, having suffered a loss
during the day of 11 killed and 59 wounded. Lieutenant Leigh, of the
Sierra Leone militia, and 5 men subsequently died of their wounds.
On December 7th, Lieutenant-Colonel Hingston, Royal African Corps,
arrived with reinforcements and assumed the command. Immediately upon
this accession to the British strength, the King of Barra notified his
desire to open negotiations, and, terms being proposed which he
accepted, a treaty was finally concluded and signed at Fort Bullen on
January 4th, 1832. The detachment of the recruiting company, 1st West
India Regiment, returned to Sierra Leone on the conclusion of the war.
In the West Indies, the detachment of the 1st West India Regiment
stationed at Barbados, had, in 1831, suffered from a violent hurricane
which visited that island on the 10th of August of that year. The
barracks and hospitals at St. Ann's were completely ruined, 36 men of
various corps were killed, and a commissariat officer, with three of his
children, and his entire household, entombed in the ruins of his house.
An officer of the garrison, who gives an account of this hurricane,[45]
says: "Describe the appearance of our barracks, I really cannot. This I
can say, in truth, that in no part of the world, a more beautiful range
of buildings, or on a more liberal scale or appropriate site, could have
been found. The establishment was complete in all respects for every
branch of a small army. It was the depot of our West India military
possessions. Well--in two hours during this awful night almost every
building in the garrison was destroyed.... What a moment was that, when,
thanks be to Heaven, the gale in some degree abated. The officers crept
out one after the other, and the scene that followed can be compared
only to that which one sees and feels after an action--who has
escaped?--who is dead?... The first person I found wounded was Mrs.
Brocklass, the lady of an officer of the 1st West India Regiment, who,
with three fine children, finding the roof over them falling, hastened
from under it. She had the misfortune to be knocked down by some
shingles, received a blow on the head, and had two or three ribs broken;
the children fortunately escaped: her husband was on duty in a most
perilous situation.... The huts which were the quarters of the married
people of the 1st West India Regiment were blown to pieces, and four men
and one woman severely injured. The north building of the men's new
barracks accommodated the left wing of the 36th Regiment, besides which
a detachment of the 1st West India Regiment was quartered on the ground
floor. None of the latter were hurt, but two men of the 36th were
killed. The greater part of the spacious galleries was carried away,
some of the arches that supported them fell, and many were very much
broken. None of the roof remains that will ever be of service."
Towards the end of the year 1832, numerous complaints were made by
native traders who were in the habit of trading to the Sherbro and the
adjacent territories, that they were molested and their goods plundered
by a marauding party of Mohammedan Acoos, who had established themselves
in the vicinity of the Ribbie River. These Acoos were liberated
Africans, that is, slaves who had been set free from captured slavers at
Freetown, Sierra Leone, and had, contrary to the regulations then in
force, clandestinely left the Colony.
A party of volunteers, having been despatched to gather information
concerning these rebels, ascertained that they had been joined by other
parties of marauders, and had established themselves at a place called
Cobolo, on the northern bank of the Kates, or Ribbie River. The manager
of the Waterloo District also reported various outrages and depredations
committed by this band.
On December 13th, 1832, the Hastings company of volunteers, with that of
Waterloo, marched from the village of Waterloo towards Cobolo, distant
by road some thirty miles, with orders to capture and bring in the
leaders of the rebels. Next morning, as this force was approaching
Cobolo, the Acoos, who were concealed in the bush, fired upon the head
of the column, and the volunteers at once, and without firing a shot,
turned and ran in the greatest confusion; nor did they recover from
their panic till they had reached Waterloo. The Acoos pursued the
fugitives for some little distance, and killed seven of their number.
The rising, originally trivial, had now, through the shameful behaviour
of the volunteers, become serious. The news of the defeat spread with
great rapidity among the unruly tribes on the frontier of the Colony;
and a Mohammedan priest, proclaiming himself a prophet, placed himself
at the head of the movement. The Governor acted with promptitude; and
recognising the great danger of delay, despatched, on December 17th, all
the available men from the garrison of Sierra Leone, under
Lieut.-Colonel Hingston, Royal African Corps. The recruiting company of
the 1st West India Regiment accompanied the force, under the command of
Lieut. W. Montgomery, 1st West India Regiment.
The troops proceeded to Waterloo in boats, and were there joined by the
Wellington company of the Sierra Leone militia, and the Hastings company
of volunteers. At the same time, H.M. brig _Charybdis_ (Lieut. Crawford)
was sent with the York company of volunteers to the mouth of the Ribbie
River, with orders for the seamen and marines to ascend the river in
boats, co-operate with Lieut.-Colonel Hingston's column, and cut off the
retreat of the rebels.
Lieut.-Colonel Hingston's force marched from Waterloo on December 18th,
and, halting for the night at Bangowilli, about twenty miles from the
former village, advanced towards Cobolo next morning at daybreak. The
march was unusually fatiguing, and for many miles the troops had to move
through rush beds and mangrove swamps, frequently up to the hips in mud
and water. On emerging upon the dry ground near Cobolo the report of
fire-arms was heard in front, and scouts being thrown forward, it was
learned that the Kossoos, which tribe had suffered most from the
predatory propensities of the rebels, had taken up arms and were then
engaged in attacking Cobolo. The troops at once pushed on, and a few
minutes after their arrival on the scene, the Acoos, completely routed,
fled in all directions, many being killed and a great number drowned
while endeavouring to escape across a neighbouring creek.
The British force remained at Cobolo for four days, daily sending out
small parties in pursuit of the dispersed rebels. By one of these
parties Oji Corri, the leader of the movement, was shot down; and the
rebellion being at an end the troops returned to Freetown, Sierra Leone,
on December 28th; a detachment of the 2nd West India Regiment, under
Lieutenant Lardner, being left at Waterloo to watch the movements of the
Mohammedan Acoos in the neighbouring villages.
Lieutenant Montgomery, 1st West India Regiment, died at Freetown of
fever, on April 9th, 1833, and this event left the recruiting company
without an officer of the corps until the arrival in Sierra Leone of
Captain Hughes on November 29th, 1834.
In the West Indies one company had been removed from the head-quarters
at Trinidad to Tortola in May, 1834, and this detachment was, in
January, 1836, moved to St. Vincent.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 43: The Mandingoes are a warlike Mohammedan tribe, inhabiting
the territory inland from the Gambia River to Sierra Leone.]
[Footnote 44: Captain Berwick, Royal African Corps; Lieutenant Lardner,
2nd West India Regiment; and Captain Hughes, Gambia Militia.]
[Footnote 45: An account of the fatal hurricane by which Barbados
suffered in 1831, published at Bridgetown, Barbados, 1831.
"DETACHMENT 1ST WEST INDIA REGIMENT.
"Return of the men killed and wounded during the late hurricane, 15th
August, 1831:
"Killed--Henry Read, private.
"Wounded--4 privates.
(Signed) "H. BROCKLASS, Lieut., 1st W.I. Regt."
]