Battle With The Ashantees...
The Times, 1824-06-17T00:00:00

We have at lenth. obtained details of the atcihlie, Asbaitees on onur troops at CapevOoast, spectin" i#hicli there has been so long and anxious a suspense inthe public mind. Ti'he following are extracts from private letters re- ceived yesterday " Cape Coast, Feb;'23. "The news I have to tell you are of the umost distressing nature; His Excellency SirC. M'Carthy; with a few regulars anddmilitiai andsome of the natives, made 'a 4apid&advance into the *Vastaw country, to repel the Ashautees, who: advanced in great numbers, and in the most gallant stvle. The aitaclk commenced aibout two o'clock . im., on the21st of January5 acros a river about20 or 30 feetwide. The firing was tremendous on both sides tiL6 p.r.m. when it was found the ammunition on our side was all expended; on which the Ashantees began to cross the river in great numbers, and the havoc began. The natives ofpusr pirty. (the Fantes) would never carry bayonets; Y e5rSglars and militia used them withi the most deadly effect. Each one bayonetted three or four Ashantees; then,ssnatching thebayonetfromthe muasket,theydashed intothernid dle of the enemy's force, falling noblyand killing till the last Ashis Excellency and Staff' commenced retreating, they were-attasked in rear by about 2,000 of the enemy who had been sent round to inter- cept them, after which nothing certain has been learned of any of the whites. Only two osicers escaped outof tie battle, who were Bri- gade .Uajor Ricketts and Lieutenant}Erskine. Those that are mis- sing are his Excellency Sir Charles .U'Carthy, the Hon. Mr. Buckle, Messrs. W7etherel], MWilliamis, Heddle, Jona, 1Rayden, Robertson,' Tedlie, Bainddn. 'There ii not adoubtof his Excellenciandmost f them being killed. It igsaid their corpses werc used in the most shocking manner. It is pretty well ascertained that Williauif is a prisoner. Thus in one day has the sword cut of Fwhat diseasekeft. "The most lamentable part of the catastrophe is, that it was caused in great measure by the neglect of the efficer who had charge of the ammunition, and did not bring it forward -m he ought: the Ashantees never would have broke our line had there been powder. When Major Ricketts went to open the three last kegs, he found_ what think you ? Why Mfacaroni! ! !-while the Ashansees, who plundered the camp next day, took ten barrels of ball=cartridges, with a great quantity of other booty. WTnen we got the news of Sir Charles's disastrous fight, we retreated directly; Captain Lang going to Cape Coast, by the way of Annamaboo, while I, with Mr. Fraser and allthe Fantee force, marched across the cosuntry to rein- force Major Chisholm; but when Captain Lang arrived at Anna. maboo, the reports from Cape Coast were, that the Major and his party were also cut to picces,and hesent expresses after me to fall back and garrison Cape Coast, as the panic was so great, and an attack dreaded. I shaU always recollect with pleasure the reception I met with when the standard was seen advancing over the rocks, and the bugles played 'Over the hills and far away.' The whole town appeared mad with joy: such a day ini a man's life richly reDays for years of pain. Fortunately, next day Major Chisholm and party arrived, having never bean engaged. I was ordered to occupy the camp of Djguah with my little band of 80; none of the auxiliaries having come up. " All trade is at a c.omplete stop ; every merchant's goods are de- posited in the forts, wnich 1 have no doubt we shall have to defend till we hear from England, as the Ashanteos will no doubt make a push to destroy us before supplies can come out. The short of the matter is this-England must either now ivithdraw her protection to this coast, or send oat a force to put down as cruel an enemy as the world producc. The loss of the merchants is not to be calculated, such a quantity of goods being on hand." Another letter of the same date says,- " When Sir Charles MI'Carthy and Major Clilsbolm were in the interior, they divided their aimy, and each took a different route. Sir Charles, I hear,had only 1,000 men and 10 officers, of whick only 50 have returned. They had gone but a short way, when they were attached by the Ashactees, by all accounts 10,000 in number. Oar party behavedvery well,and had much theadvantageuntiltheyfound all their ammunition wasexpeadei. There were onlytwo officers that werenot killed, and theybadto uiaketheir escape after being wounded. The battle took place on the 21st, and we did not hear of it until the 23d ult. Poor Mr. Heddle was the first chat fell a sacrifice to these dreadfui burbarians. He was shot through both his knees, and in that state he killed with his sword two of the euemy. In a short time after a patty of theAshantees came to cut offhis head, when he shot himself in the heart. " The officers who returned wounded are MIajor Ritketts and Ensign Erskine. It is said that the heads of those unfortunate gentlemen are carried to Cowsmassic. WVc expect the enemy to comne down to attack this place, bat if they do, they will meet with a warm reception, as we have thc frigate Owen Gkn- dower and the Riaven sloop of war to assist us. I have put all our property into the Castle for safety; bat I do not think there is the least fear, but it is better to be on the safe side, as the people at the Datch fort of Elmina are supposed to be rather favourable to the Askantees. We have blockaded it to prevent any supplies being brought there. In fact, we shal never be at peace until Elmina is under the British flag ; and instead of Go- vernment sending out a few white troops, they should send out three or four regiments. Mlajor Chishelm is sending home despatches, and I haye no doubt he has stated to Govern ment the actual necessity of sending immediate relief" WVe haye also received the letter subjoined, whiicb was published to the friends of the Hampshire Telegr'aph, as a suppiement - CAPE COAST CASTLE, March 23, 1824. The following are the heads of what has lately occurred on this coast:- The late warfare that the Gold Coast hes been engaged iD with the Asliantees, for the last 12 months, has created little or no im- portance until the present period. Mis Excellency Sir Charles M'Carthy arrived here from Sierra Leone, in December last, and in the early part of January marched to the interior, towards the river Pra, with a force of fron 6,000 to 7,000 men, consisting of natives and cosnpanies of a Vest India re- ginment. On the 21st of January, neaLr the Pra, a most desperate battle was fought, and from the superior force of the enemy, they hal surrounded our troops in every direction; and after our ammu- nition was totaUy expended, the troops under Sir Charles retreated, with a loss of nearly all the offisers, and sorry am I to state the inhuman manner in which they hae beeon treated, aMongst whom that gallant Chief, Sir Charles 'Carthy, who was w0ounded and taken prisoner. The loss of the Ashantees was upwards of l,000,who were brought down by our fire. Every possible means has been taken to ascertain the lo3s of our officers andmen, and intelligence hasbeen received from a messenger, who saw at the enemy's camp, the heads of nirae white men (officrs) with their jaw-bones taken out, and amongst thein was the head of Sir Charles. This is invariably a practice among these savages, when an enemy falls into their hands. It is said, that our loss of men was not to any great annount: out of 140, said to have arrived in the Joseph Gr-e transport in November last, one half have paid the debt of nature. ENztract ef a letter from MIr. Williams, tlxe Colonial Secretary, nddressed, I believe, to the Commandantof Cape CoastCastle, from the Dutch settlement of Elmina, dated -March, 1824, and read to me by Brigade Major Ricketts, the day before Isbied from Cape Coast Castle, Mlarch 22, 1824:- "It was my fortune to be nearourlamented chief whenhe received a wound inthebreastbyamusaket baU, I believe mortal. Bucklc, lYetherel2, and myself conveyed him under sbelter of the nearest tree, and there sat to await that fate which appeared inevitable. We hadnot renmained longb.forewe were discovered sytheenemy, who ;mmediately rushed oa us with their knives. In the struggle, ]irre- ceived a desperate cut on the left sidce of my neck, and before the stroke could be repeated, a man who appeared to be of authority among them fortunately passed,andordered myexecutioner to desist, which was immediately complied with. On my being relesed from their grasp, and turning round, I was horror-strLck at seeing my thre- companions lying headless corpses at my feet. I was now bound as a prisoner and conveyed towards their camp." A strong force have riow crossed the Pra, under the command of Captain Blenkarne, West India Regiment; and it is to be hoped that theAshantees wiU meet their reward. An action is hourly ex- pected to take place, and the natives appear fully -esolved to revetge the fate of our poor countrymen. The Ozwen Glenidower kas been usefaully andactively eng aged with the arm y in destroyiagthetowns along the coast, where the enemy had taken shelter; she sails to- morrow morning to destroy a town in the CGaboom, which has lately insulted the British sag, nid murdered the crew of in English merchant vesseL BATTLZE IVI2H THE SASATEES.