The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-03-21 00:00:00

TETE BATTLE OF AMOAFUL.

The Special C:Trespondent or The Tones, under date
Feb. 1, gives the follovrlav interesting description of the
battle of Amosful

Yesterday a great battle wail fought between the
British force. under Sir Garnet Weleeley and the
Aahautees. The Englieh-were concentrated in or near
the village Ingrain ; the village Quarmera was their ad.
vanced post, and was occupied by the Native regiments
of Lientenant-Colonel Wood and Major Kugel! ; by
Major Home's Engineer labourers and a small body of
rappers; by 30 West India soldiers under Lieutenant ,
J ones, who has now recovered from the severe wound
which he received at Dunquah ; and, finally, by L
Gifford's cc mts, composed of A-sins who know this
country well, with a backbone of courage in the shape I
of picked men from the Iloussaa, Koesoos, Bonnys,
°pekoe, and the 2nd West India Regiment. Quarman Is
four miles from lusarfu, and a mile and a half further I
on is a little village called Inganiseele. This was the
outpost of the enemy. On the afternoon of the 30th
Major Home widened the road, bridged a stream, and
even cut through trunks of trees with an oiled saw,
close up to Inganassie. He was not attacked, though
he went near enough to hear the pound of voices in the '
village. In the night the scouts stole through the bush ,
beyond the village by circuitous paths, and reported
that there was a large army of Ashautees encamped on
the other ride. A mile and a half from leganaesie is
the town of Amoafnl, the residence of an Ashantee
captain, or warrior chief, and a place of impudence.
The 42nd Regiment, commanded by Major Macpherson,
marched up the central road. After a little skirmish
at Ingana-sie between the scouts and the men of the
outpost, the 42nd led the advance, without any native
troops in its van, swept through the camp, and after
three hours' hard fighting stormed the town, which
is perched on a hill, and ,'ccupled it at 11.45. The
firing beean at eight o'clock. Rait'e Housea artillery
did excellent service, throwing shrapnel shell from
a seven-pounder mountain gun. Major Home, RE.,
superintended the clearing of the bush. On the left,
another column cut ita way through the bush; it
was commanded by Colonel Ar Lend, 42nd Regiment,
who is Brigadier over the Naval Brigade and the two
native regiments. This column was composed of a part
of the Naval Brigade, in advance, and Major Russell's
Regiment. The right column was composed of the
rest of the Naval Brigade, in advance, and the regi•
ment of Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, V.C., in command.
Major-General Sir Garnet Wolseley and his Staff, and
Commodore Hewett, V C., remained at Ingauassie
during the battle. The Rifle Brigade and 100 men of
the 23rd Regiment were held behind it in reserve.
Captain Buckle, BE., cut a road on the right. Lieu-
tenant Bell, RE., wee on the left. Sir Archibald
Alison was preeent as Brigadier-General. Both flank
columns were severely engaged, and some of the Rifles
were ordered up in support of the right column when
Colonel Wood wad wounded. The Ashantees were in
great Lumbers and fought in the most determined
manner. They not only held the 42nd in check for a
considerable time, and heavily assailed each column,
but they also attacked Inganiessie. From twelve to
Rix they besieged Qualm:Lan, and hammed convoys
between lnearfu and that village. At three o'clock
this morning they attempted to surprise Quarman ;
and skirmishers are yet lurking round AmostuL . . . .
The handful of the 2nd West behaved gall mitly. The
company of the 23rd guarded the road between
Aumatul and Inganaesie, and a body of the Rifle
Brigade the road between Inganassie and Quarman,
until nine p.m. In this battle the abilities of Sir G.
Wohieley as a general were severely tested end
splendidly displayed. Hie orders were ably executed
I by the officers commanding the various regiments
and corpe. The victory was complete ; the
Ashantete were driven out of Amoaful, and out of
the vast camp which they bad formed, and in which
there could scarcely have been less than fifteen
thousand fighting men. It is said that the chief of
Mampon t considerable Province) commanded the
army, and that he was wounded in the battle.
Apple, the King's linguist, the chief executioner, and
the famous Amanquatia are alleged by prisoners
to have been killed. Several cannotes or umbrellas
were taken ; these correspond to European colours;
it is a perpetual diehonour for them to be lost by
the chieftains to whom they appertain. All day
long we have been burying the dead who were found in
the neiehbourbood of this town, mid that area is only
a small portion of the battle-field. The road is now
clear behind; the baggage and supplies have all been
brought up. Yet, such is the courage of the Ashantees,
that we expect them to give us battle again before we
enter Coomaseie, and round every campfire rnay be heard
warm praises of the enemy. On our site the native
troops fought admirably, and even that "poor bare f orked
animal "the Fantee partook of the courage of the day.
Ail Engineer laeoureee and as carriers of ammunition
they freely exposed their liver, and furniehed their fair
percentage of wounced men. Happily, the weapons
of the enemy are slowly loe led and their missiles very
different from our own, being small sings of lead
or ironstone. Only Captain Buckle und two men of
the 42nd Regiment were killed but about 200 wale
wounded.

. . . . . . . . .
It was no idle motive which induced me to thrust
myself into "the forefront of the hottest battle ;" I
wished to study a most important and interesting pro-
blem. I have often heard it said by military men that
Brlti.h soldiers are pier bush-lighters, and that in the
New Zealand and Cape ware they never much d;s
tinguiehed themselves against the Maoris and Caffree
—teat is, they did not display such superiority and
achieve a success aa decisive a 9 they venally gain in
contests with an iiferior ra.e. :Sow, hitherto we
have never beaten the A.shantees in the bush. . .
Never had a regular regiment engaged the Ashanteee,
and now, at length, the great question was about to be
put to the test. I wished to observe for myself the
prodnrei and iesue of the combat, and when I heard
that the 42nd It•giment was to lead the attack I
determined to join the advance. I knew that the
Ashantees on their own ground, never invaded before,
would be at their beat • and every Englishman knows
that the British Army Is well represented by the 42nd
Regiment. . . .

—On the night of the 314th I slept at quarnian, and
was at breakfast when my servant, who was on the look
out, came ruunieg ia to say that the 'white soldiers
come." I give him a knapsack and water-bottle, and
snatche lup my Snider. They did not halt in the vil-
lage, but marched along at a pace whiffi, after four
months of West Afri,a and an attack of dysentery,
made me pmt and perspire. Preeently we heard the
filing of scouts at haps:mule. The faces of the men
brightened tip, autil one of them said, "
god !" Two Amine ran past us towards the rear,
with blood streaming down their bodies. We marched
through the village, and then for half • mile or so
in the forest. As we were descending a hid the battle
began. The soltii-Ts extended to the right and
LE of the path in line, and we found that we were
in the Ashautee camp. On all sides were little huts
with low ramping roofs, thatched with the green, broad
leaves of the plantain. Each hut or lean.to had a
couple of bamboo bedsteads, raised on posts. Among
these huts were firm, with coking pots upon them
and inside the pots bailed plantains or messes of indian
corn. They luau Ws) taken the pains to make comfort-
able settees, with backs. A vast number of corners'
baskets containing provisions and other property lay
scattered about. A hundred yards ahead the foreet
was filled with smoke, and seemed to roar; tongues
of flame shot forth, and these alone served
as a mark, for not a man was to be seen.
The slugs hummed and danced in among us, rattling
against the tress and against the pots on the fires.
I was hit three times in about five minutes •' but
these hits were so innocuous that I thought it was
all going to be mere child's play. I was soon un-
deceived. In that part the foreet was tolerably open ;
but as the Highlanders slowly advanced, moving from
tree 1.) tree as directtd by their officers, and lying
down to shoot we came ti a thicker part of the bush,
and the enemy tired at close range. Finally, we got
into &swampy bit at the bottom of the hill, and there
the busineas began ti be severe. The air was tided
with that music which Charles XII. preferred to
every other. lam not exaggerating when I say thst
for more than an hoar the leavm fell just as they do ou
an English autumn day when there its a strong wind.
At one time, wnicnever way I looked I saw worinded
men. One poor fellow ran past me with a striolge
Ic aggering gait, his eyes fired and his hands upon hie
heart, and then suddenly fell and rolled over st die
dead.
This went on for some time; the Highlanders etill
advanced but very slowly ; the bagpipes playing. I
hearld a big gun booming to the eight, and going in
that direction found Captain Bait and Lieutenant
Saunders proceeding along the road with the Houma
Artillerymen, and a 7-pounder gun and a retinue of
baked Fantees carrying ammunition. The 1i,,11-81111
had been drilled indefatigably by these two officers,
and the pains bestow, ii upon them had not been in
vain. Before us was a hill. Up went the gun; and
as soon as it reached the crest, two or three shots were
fired straight down the path, while the Highlanders
crept through the bush to the right and left, Every five
minutes or so there was a halt; the gun was fired; tae
men lay down and fired. Then I heard a nicer,
cherry voice cry out " Advance !" and then the 42nd
gave a cheer, and the Houmas cheered, and the
Fantees cheered; the gun was wheeled along for 15 or 2()
yards. Ihe bush was now Co thick that the men were
formed again in column; and the Aeliantets altos
chiefly occupied the road, which was soon thickly
strewn with their bodies, displaying terrible and
ghastly wounds. I now observed that the officer who
always cried out " Advance !" was limping in evident
pain, but still cheering on his men. It was Major
Macpherson, and he had received a severe wound in the
leg. Shortly afterwards another officer came up and
passed on to the extreme front. He had only one arm,
so I knew that it was Bligadier-General Sir Archibald
Alison,. the son of the historian. .

Light! light ! light! I saw clear sky on ahead, and
knew thst it was the t.iwn. The dark and dismal
forest was behind us, and soon we saw houses and an
open street. The fire of the enemy slackened. Ilait
gave them a shell just as we came to the outskirts of
the bush. This last shot killed a group of men running
out at the other end of the town. The day's work
was over no far as the 42nd was concerned, and time
it was. They had a hundred and five wounded and two
men killed. Nine officers were hit. Major Macpherson
and Major lisird were bothseverely but not dangerously
wounded. A field hospital was formed under a cluster
of shady trees in the main street of the town; and the
Ashanteea, hovering round like birds of prey driven
from their nest, fired harmless shots out of the wij scent
bush. In the distance we could hear the sound of
musketry, both on the right and on the left, and it
did not cease throughout the day.

. . . . . . . . .
It is needless to say that the problem is now solved;
the Ashantees cannot beat Englishmen even in the
bush. They were defeated in every direction. They
could bear the fire of the Snider, for they are marvel-
lously dexterous in taking cover. But they could not
stand the advance. They load so slowly that they
must retire before an advancing enemy armed with the
breech-loader; and those who continually retire must
eventually retreat. On the other hand, so vast an army
as theirs could not be routed by a small force ; and it is
now evident that Sir G. Wolsoley was wise in not
attacking the camp at Mampon. Moreover, the
Ashantees are not merely courageous; as tacticians
they are not to be despised. Yesterday they made
concerted operations along four miles of road, and an
mambos General would have been cut off from his
supplies.
A mile to the west of Amoaful is the town Becoua,
capital of a Province, and the residence of a great chief,
who ranks with the chiefs of Daabin or Jabin, Mampon,
and Adanvi. It was known that he had furniebed a
considerable force to the army, and it was dangerous to
leave a great town upon the thank. To-day, at 12.30,
the Naval Brigade and ltuaseirs Regiment, with the
42nd lt it-invent in reserve, marched against the town.
A sharp but brief engagement ensued, and one
seaman of the Active was killed. Sir A. Alison
commanded, Colonel McLeod was also present,
Lieutenant Maurice, R. A., and Lieutenant Walcot
acting as his aideiede-camp, Lord Gdford and his
scouts were first into the village, followed by Captain
Gordon and the HOUPEIBB, the advanced guard of the
Naval Brigade, and Russell's Rediment. . . . The
Becqua people were taken by surprise, and so there
was a street fight, which rarely happens in Ashen-
tee •' for these people use the surrounding forest
as their fortification, an 1 do not stockade their
villages. Becqus is the largest town we have yet
seen in this country, and the house of the clue had
two stories. The town was set on fire; and there
being a brisk wind, was soon destroy-ed. There were
several explosions of powder. It was curious to see
the hawks, which in Western Africa frequent towns,
and are almost as numerous as vultures. They darted
and swooped around the burning homes, almost touch-
ing the flames with their wings, as if attracted by fire
like the moth. By some strange instinct (perhaps in-
herited experience) they knew that the tire would driva
out the rate. So in South Africa, when the plains are
on fire, these birds accompany the conilagratiou, and
feed on the lizards and other small animals that are
driven out,

If I were a skilful maet3r of the pen, I could portray
a picturesque scene. I have taken for my abo le the
house of a taishman or prieet. It differs from ad the
other houses of the town. The dwelling may be de.
acribcd as a detached alcove, thatched with palm
leaves. The opening is formed of a Lircular arch. It
stan is in it own grounds, encircled by a palisade, and
Inside it are several majestic trees. Within this encloaure,
sacred from the eyes of the profane, many mystic rites
have been performed, and hence strange sounds have
proceeded to the night; and here, no doubt, human
sacrifices have been fiend. We have already had
evidence that the barbarity of the priests has not been
exaggerated. Many dead bodies have been found along
the road, offered up as a gift to the
.gods in order to
turn back the army of invasion. ratriota have not
been wanting who have subscribed valuable slaves for
the good of their country.