THE ANGLO-ASANI'Z biAK OF 1873-1874

A NARRATIVE AND ANALYSIS

by

P e t e r Barton Ki.lby

B. A . , U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia, 1960

A THESIS SIII3iiITTED I N PARTIAL FULFfLLI.Ii3fIT OF

i n t h e Department

of

History
EXAMINING COMMITTEE APPROVAL

Alexander P e t e r Kup
Senior Supervisor

Philip Stigger
Examining Committee

Brian Harrison
E ~ a m i n i n ~C; o m m i t t e e
 PARTTAL COPYRIGIIT LICENSE

I h e r e b y g r a n t t o Simon F r a s e r U n i v e r s i t y t h e r i g h t t o lend

my t h e s i s o r d i s s e r t a t i o n ( t h e t i t l e o f which i s shown b e l o w ) t o u s e r s

o f t h e Simon F r a s e r U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y , and t o make p a r t i a l o r s i n g l e

c o p i e s o n l y f o r s u c h u s e r s o r i n r e s p o n s e t o a r e q u e s t from t h e l i b r a r y

o f a n y o t h e r u n i v e r s i t y , o r o t h e r e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n , on i t s own

b e h a l f o r f o r one of i t s u s e r s . I f u r t h e r agree t h a t permission f o r

m u l t i p l e c o p y i n g of t h i s t h e s i s f o r s c h o l a r l y p u r p o s e s may be g r a n t e d

b y me o r t h e Dean of Graduate S t t l d i e s . I t is u n d e r s t o o d t h a t c o p y i n g

o r p u b l i c a t i o n of t h i s t h e s i s f o r f i n a n c i a l g a i n s h a l l n o t b e a l l o w e d

w i t h o u t my w r i t t e n p e r m i s s i o n .

T i t l e of T h e s i s / ~ i s s e r t a t i o n:

Author:

(signature )

(name )

(date)
 The purpose of t h i s s t u d y i s two-fold. F i r s t , it i s i n -
t e n d e d t o be t h e n a r r a t i v e of a war which r e s u l t e d i n a r a d i c a l
change i n B r i t i s h p o l i c y on t h e Xest Coast o f A f r i c a . Second,
it i s an a t t e m p t t o a s s e s s , i n m i l i t a r y t e r m s , t h e manner i n
which t h e B r i t i s h conducted t h e i r campaign a g a i n s t t h e Asarite i n
1873-1874.

The i n f o r m a t i o n upon which t h e s t u d y i s based was s e c u r e d

p r i m a r i l y from t h e C o l o n i a l O f f i c e C o n f i d e n t i a l P r i n t , t h e Ses-
s i o n a l P a p e r s of t h e B r i t i s h P a r l i a m e n t , a n d s e v e r a l e d i t e d c o l -
l e c t i o n s o f document s - - n o t a b l y t h o s e compiled by J J . . Crooks,
G.8. M e t c a l f e , and C.W. Mewbury. I n a d d i t i o n , however, works
p u b l i s h e d by many o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s t h e m s e l v e s proved t o b e
invaluable. Although s t u d i e s p u b l i s h e d by X.F!. C l a r i c g e , U.
Kimble, and U.B.F. Ward were used somewhat e x t e n s i v e l y , secondary
m a t e r i a l s provided l i t t l e more t h a n background i n f o r m t i o n .

A s a n i n t r o d u c t i o n , t h e growth of B r i t i s h involvement on
t h e Gold ~ o a s and
t t h e development of t h e Anglo-Asante d i s p u t e
i s t r a c e d from t h e t i m e o f t h e f i r s t B r i t i s h c o n t a c t v i t h t h e
r e g i o n up t o t h e v e r y eve of war. The s t u d y t h e n p r o c e z d s t o
examine i n d e t a i l t h e conduct o f t h e campaign a g a i n s t t h e Asante.
F i n a l l y , because t h e o f f i c i a l docunonts and much o f t h e primary
s o u r c e m a t e r i a l p r e s e n t a d i s t o r t e d view of t h e r o l e s played by
t h e v a r i o u s p a r t i c i p a n t s , a n a t t e m p t i s made t o r e - e v a l u a t e t h e
performance of t h o s e p a r t i c i p a n t s .

T h i s a p p r o a c h h a s r e v e a l e d t h a t much of what was w r i t t e n

o f t h i s war was e i t h e r b i a s e d o r i n c o n p l c t e . For example, Colo-
n e l R.U. H a r l e y , t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r of t h e Gold u o a s t u n t i l Octo-
b e r 1873, was a man who r e c e i v e d l i t t l e r e c o g n i t i o n f o r h i s r o l e
i n t h s war y e t h e i s r e v e a l e d as a man who a c c o n p l i s h e d much i n
t h e f a c e of a l m o s t overwhelming odus. S i ~ r i i l a r l y ,t h e F a n t i
t r i b e s m e n , who were c o n s i s t e n t l y r e v i l e d f o r t h e i r l a z i n e s s a n d
cowardice a t t h i s t i m e , emerge i n a c o n s i d e r a b l y b e t t e r l i g h t .
I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r o l e which C a p t a i n John Glover, R.V., p l a y e d i.n
t h e war i s proven t o have been much more s i g n i f i c a n t t h a n h i t h e r -
t o acknowledged. Above a l l , &lajor-General S i r Garnet T,lolseley,
who i s o f t e n r e f e r r e d t o a s one of 3 r i t a i n ' s g r e a t e s t g e n e r a l s ,
i s proven i n t h i s i n s t a n c e t o have been a s o l d i e r o f f a r l e s s
m e r i t t h a n p r e v i o u s l y supposed.
CHAPTER PAGE
I . THE DEVELOPXLNT OF APT GLO-ASANrE IIELATIOMS
TO 1873 .................... 1
I n i t i a l European Impact on t h e Gold Coast ... 1
The R i s e o f ) ' a n t i. and Asante ......... 3
The Asante on t h e Coast and I n i t i a l
Anglo-Asante R e l a t i o n s ........... 6
George Xaclean ................ 14
The Growth of C r i t i s h I n f l u e n c e on t h e
Gold Coast ................. 20
The War of 1g63 and i t s Consequences ..... 26
'I'he S e l e c t Committee o f 1865 and
..
t h e Continued Growth of B r i t i s h I n f l u e n c e 28
The Cession oft h e Dutch F o r t s . . . . . . . . 37
The F a n t i C o n f e d e r a t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

TheEveof\!ar ................ 45
I1. STALSIUTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
The Asante P l a n o f A t t a c k . . . . . . . . . . . 1+8
I n i t i a l F a n t i - B r i t i s h Reaction . . . . . . . . 51
The B a t t l e o f Dunkwa and I t s Ai'terrnath . . . . 70
The B a t t l e o f ;ukwa and t h e c o l l a p s e
oftheFanti ................ 79
I n c r e a s e d 3 r i t i s h i n v o l v e n e n t and
Activity .................. 82
CHAPTER
. . . . . . . . . 95
tiommodore C;om:lerellls D e f e a t
Colonel Harley Replaced . . . . . . . . . . . 97
111. THE 'PROTECTORATEt CLEAKED . . . . . . . . . . . 99
The Appointment o f S i r Garnet ........ 100
R e c r u i t i n g E f f o r t s Along t h e West
Coast o f A f r i c a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
8

I n i t i a l bleasures on t h e Gold Coast . . . . . . 1 0 6

T h e B a t t l e ofEsarnan . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Amankwa T i a t s Withdrawal Begins . . . . . . . 1 2 8
Abrakrampa and Subsequent O p e r a t i o n s . . . . 135
The ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' t i l e a r e d . . . . . . . . . 1 4 7
I V . TIIEDRIVETOKU1.iASI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Preparations f o r t h e Invasion . . . . . . . . 151
The A u x i l i a r y ~0l~ITm.s . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
T r a n s p o r t Problems Begin . . . . . . . . . . . 163
The Advanced-Guard c r o s s e s t h e P r a . . . . . . 168
The Kain Eody Advances . . . . . . . . . . . 174
The B a t t l e of Amoafu . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g 0
Kofi K a r i k a r i ' s F i n a l Diplomatic
Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
The B a t t l e o f Odasu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Kumasi Taken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
The Kcturn t o Cape Coast . . . . . . . . . . . 200
A T r e a t y S i g n e d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
 - vii -

V. CONCLUSICXS ................... 209

FOOTNOTES.. ..................... 249

BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . 4 321

AWENDIX A - Extract From C o l o n i a l O f f i c e

O r d e r s t o S i r Garnet V o l s e l e y , 1 0 September,
1873.. ................... 333
APFEIJDIX B - War O f f i c e O r d e r s t o S i r Garnet
Wolseley - 8 September, 1873 ......... 337
APPENDIX C - Further I n s t r u c t i o n Fron t h e
C o l o n i a l O f f i c e t o S i r Garnet !'folseley -
APPENDIX D - I n i t i a l L e t t e r s From Kofi
K a r i k a r i t o S i r G a r n e t Wolseley. ....... 343
 - viii -
LIST OF TABLZS
TABLE PAGE
I. B r i t i s h Troop A r r i v a l s - December 1873 ..... 296
11. Percentage of b l o r t a l i t y t o S t r e n g t h f o r
t h e Campaign .,............... 319
111. T o t a l S i c k , I n v a l i d e d , llounded, Died,
and K i l l e d f o r t h e Campaign. .. ... . . . 319
 L I S T OF BIAPS
PAGE
Vest A f r i c a " c i r c a t T 1G65. ............ x
Gold Coast - Chief T r i b a l D i v i s i o n s . . . . . . . 251
Post-TiTar E x p l o r a t i o n , 1815-1821 . . . . . . . . . 345
C l a p p e r t o n , L a n d e r , and t h e Lower Niger . . . . . 345
S k e t c h t o i l l u s t r a t e t h e A c t i o n a t Esarnan,
14thofOctober,1873. ............ 122
Diagram o f B r i t i s h d i s p o s i t i o n s a t t h e B a t t l e
o f Amoafu, 3 l s t - o f J a n u a r y , 1874. ....... 308
S k e t c h t o i l l u s t r a t e t h e a c t i o n a t Amoafu,
31st o f J a n u a r y , 1874 .. .
.......... 183
Elap t o i l l u s t r a t e t h e o p e r a t i o n s a g a i n s t t h e
Ashan t i s up t o t h e i r r e p u l s e frcnl Abrakrarnpa
i n ~ o v e m b e r1873. ;.............. 346
9. General Kap of t h e Gold Coast and A s h a n t i . 347
10. Nap of t h o s e p a r t s o f A s h a n t i and t h e B r i t i s h
P r o t e c t o r a t e which f o r a e d t h e t h e a t r e o f
war i n 1873-1874. ............... 348
 G u l f #f G u i n e a il

WEST AFRICA circa 1865

Bathurst European (and Lrberian) possessions underlined

Areas under European rule and direct influence
-------
1 1 I I1 II1 1 I I I I I

Approximate boundaries of certain African states

FUTA JALON Names of African states and tribal areas
Approximate Northern limit of tropical forest
 The s t o r y o f t h e c i r c u ~ n s t n n c c sand e v e ~ t swhich l e d t o
t!le 2.nglo-Asante v n r of 1873-18'74 i s cociplex and. o f t e n c o n f ~ s i n g .
M&d the Asante been a c o a s t a l p e o p l e , o u t l . i n i n g t h e cai;ses of
t i l a i r d i s p u t e w i t h t h e B r i t i s h would n o doubt be o much s i m p l e r
task. I!ovever, Asante was an i n l a n d s t a t e a n d because of t h i s ,
t h e t r : ~ c i v g of t h e development of t h e A n g l o - f i s n ~ t e d i s p u t e Ln-
t

v o i v e v t h e t e l l i n g of a p a r a l l e l s t o r y . That i s , t h e s t o r y o f
t h o g r o w i ~ f ;invo1veiiler.t of t h e B r i t i s h i n tile affairs of t h a
CoRstal s t a t e s on t h e Gold C b a s t , For had the B r i t i s h n o t b e e m e
i n v o l v e d i n t h e s e t t l e t l e n l t of d i s p u t e s bet wee^. t h e c o a s t a l s t a t e s
the;nsel.ves and between. t h o s e s t a t e s a n d t h e A s a n t e , t h e r e would

eventually occurred,
 3y t h e begiy!qiqc; of' t h e ~ i n e t e e n t l lc e n t u r y , hov.-2-ier, a

s u b t l e c h a ~ g eh r i begun t o t a l i e p l a c e i n t h e r o l e o f t h e "Uuro-.
p z a m on t h e Gold ~ o a s t . 4 T h i s change began t o o c c u r when t h e
growi.ng c o a s t . s l t r a d e l e d t o t h e r i s e of new ursban s e t t l e : : ; ? n t s
n e a r t h e walls o f t h e v a r i o u s f o r t s . In d e s z r i b i r g t h e e f f e c t s
of t h e s e new A f r i c a n s e t t l e r r ? e v . t s , J ,I). Fage w r o t e ,
The l i m i t s of t h e s e ( n e w u r b a n s e t -
t l e n e n t s ) t o o k no a c c o u ~ tof t h e bound-
a r i e s ' of t h e t r a d i t i o n a l native author-
i t i e s . T h e i r i n h a b i t a n t s i n c l u d e d Sot11
permanent awl t r a n s i e n t e ; , i i ~ r n n t sfrom
a number o f s t a t e s , soine cjf t h e r ! ~prob-
a b l y i n t h e r e x o t e i ~ t e r i o r . The eco-
n o ~ n i c a l l yless s u c c e s s f u l o f thsih~were
a p t t o make t h e i r l i v i ~ by . ~p~rforning
s e r v i c e s o f v ? r i o u s k i n d s f o r t11e oc-
c u p m t s o f t h e f o r t s o r e v m by f i n c i i ~ g
r e g u l a r . er!l;)lo;ri:?cnt a s a r t i s a n s , s c r v a n t s ,
o r s o l d i e r s vithir! then. .. , The Euro-
pean l a ~ g u a g e ,cwt;oins, 2nd r e l i g i o r ! t h e
comnunity a s a ~ ~ h o Iiad l c i n con::non.
T h e r e were i n d i g e r o u s m y s i n v ~ hch i
t h e Africaqs could solve the d i v i s i m s
and crsr.l"licts of a u % h o r i t y aris:'i?g i n
s u c h c o s i n o p o l i t a ~ c o i m u ~ iite s , b u t i r ,
t h e l a s t r e s o r t , p r t i c u l a r l y w h e ~i t
camp, t o t h e d e f e z c e o f t h e cornrilu~ity
a g ~ i n s to u t s i d 5 r s , a u t h o r i t y n n t u r a l l y
t e n d e d t ; ~resist i%iitht h e coi::inander o f
t h e f o r t s and i t s s o l d i e r s a n d guns,
a3d t h e i n h a b i t s n t s t ~ o ~ al lds o n a t u -
r a l l y t e n d t o s i d z with t h e i r o m par-
t i c u l - a r g r o u p o f Z u r o p e a n s i~ c o n f l i c t s
betrieen tile v a r i o u s E u r o p z a n n a t i ~ n -
a l i t i e s ,5

m o r a l o b l i G z t , i o n f o r tile E u r o p e a n s t o pro:ect t h e s e . 4 f r i c a r L s who

ha(]. ].ojt t h e i r t m d i t i o r a i . ~ i,l*ot,ectior s ~ n i r s t h e d o g r e -
c ~ e ~ ! v0 ;r,
a t l o r : s l o w l y L u t s ~ r e l ydrew t h e 2 r i t l s h nizrclmnts and s u k s e ? u 2 r t -
ly t h e Government i y t o tile rmi?y.streax of Gold Coast p o l - i t i c s .
E v e n t u a l l y t h o ~ r o 1 : t h i n ecor;onic a n d p o l i t i c a l i r n p o r t a ~ c eof
t h e s e sett.1.-::lr:nt:: aTd t h e s u b s c q u e ~ t .c l a i m s t o s o v e r e i g n t y o v e r

t;hen e v e g t u a l l : ~proved t o b e one o r t h e major prc~bleins i n h ~ ~ 1 . a -

Asante r e l a t i c n s .

,
-~n t h e rncantirne, however, t h e r e was y 2 t a n o t h e r r a s u l t of
t k e E u r o p e 2 . ~impact on t h e A f r i c m s i t u a t i o n wllich c r e a t e d the

re:;ior. of !:est Africa. I n a co:r?.:~ent on t h i s r e v o l . ~ . t i o n ,J . E .

Facie w r o t e :
I n t h e b r o a d e s t se-se, t;ixt was
happe3j.n.g t o t h e Gold C o a s t , a d t o
Yiest A f r i c a i n g e r e r a l , ( i ?t h e six-
t e e ~ t h ,s e v e n t e 2 n t h and e i " h t e e ~ t h
c e r t c ! r i e s ) was that i t was b e i r . ~
t u r n e d a b o u t - f a c e . Tiith t h e develop-
ment of European m a r i t i i ~ et r a d e on tlie
c o a s t , new f o c i o f e c o ~ o m i caLd p o l i t -
i c a l . cliani;e were e v o l v i n g i n t h e s o u t h ,
i n tile c o a s t l a n d s and i~ the a d j a c e n t
f o r e s t c o u r t r y , i ~ s t e a do f , as h i t h e r t o ,
i n t h e ~ o r t h e r nsavanna c o u n t r y borclcr-
i n g i h e Sahara 1,:ith i t s arnel-borne
t r a d e x i t h ITort'n A f r i c a . 8
A s a r e s u l t of t h i s c'na::gint t r a d e p a t t e r n , two s t a t e s
Cc~nverseJ.y, the A ~ ; ~ , - l t eh a d , by thp e r d of t h e e i ~ h t e e n ' ; h c e ~ t u r y ,

s c c u r e d c c - t r o l over t h c s u p p l y of s l a v e s aard go1.d t o the coast;~l

r s a c l l e s o f the Tra ~ i v e r . ~ .
The s i t u a t i o r ! was o n e whicll could e v e n t u a l l y l e a d o n l y
t o c o n f l i c t f o r as t h e Asante E i : ~ p i r e c o r t i n u e d to grow i n S c t h
power a ~ ! di n f l - v e n c e , i t could nct a c c e p t its l a c k o f d i r e c t a c -
'

c e s s t o t h e sea.' It i s t r u e t h a t th9 A s a n t o h a d , by virtie 21.

t h e i r c a p t u r e f'rzi;~the nen:;ycl-o of t h e Dctcil F o t e 4 f o r Xli,lira

Cast;l.e, b e e n brou.gl~t; i r , t o clirec;; c o n t a c t w i t h t l i ? c o z s t a.5 e a r l y

as 1'700.10 1io~:evei-, o h ~ e r s l l i po f the V o t e did p o t i n any r:ay
iinir:lpeded a c c e s s t o t h e coast a t E1:nina because t l i p
g~i?~'ant~c
Far?.i;j. t r i b e s o c c u p i e d t h e t e r r i t o r y which l a y betweer. the :;cut-h-
e r n port,j.on of't h e 1 rir,g of s t a t e s ' which cor:.prised provl.7 c i ~ l
~sanl;e'' and t h e cc;st. It :,as o n l y n s t u r d , t,he:-ofore, T o r t h e
Asante t o eventually u n d e r t a k e a d r i v e to t h e sea i n an eyfort;
t o e15.r.linate t h e coe s t a L n i d d l e m n . Conversely, h o v e v e r , t h i s
Was a m v e .i~',:ich t h o s e midcll.emsn ca12.d n o t ard i-iould 20% permit
Withcut a s t r u g g l e .
r i t o r y md-c? t h e Asante v e r y c a u t i o u s ir. ';ilc>ir h a n d l i n g of t h e
situation. Ever! SO, by 1765, t e 3 s i o r . s had incr-ecsec? t o .such ar?
e x t e ~ tthat; a c l a s h b e t v e e ~ .t h e tilo peo;nles appeared u n a v o i d a b l e .
I n f a c t , ec?rly i n 1765 t h e Astrntehene, Osci KO j o , a c t i ; a l l y began
t o g a t h e r h i s army f o r an i n v a s i o n of F a n t i t e r r i t o r y i n r e t r i -
b u t i o r , f o r hat he viewed a s a F a v t i a c t of t r e a c h e r y . This

p u z l i t i v e e ~ p e d i t ~ i owas
n a b a n d o ~ e da t tile l a s t n l n u t e because
Gsei Kojo d i e d b e f o r e he c o u l d c o x p l e t e h i s p r e p c t r a t i o r s . A
~ u b s e q ~ i e ntwcnty-year
t pe;.iod cf s u c c e s s i o n a l disputes tiler. m d e
i t i m p o s s i b l e f o r t h e A s c ~ t et o o r g a ~ i z cs u f f i c i e c t f o r c e s t o
carry out t h e opzration. F e v c r t h e l e s s , t h i s eras o ~ l ya p o s t -
poT.euent.

. O s e i 3 o n s a becniiie Asart;cher.e ir! 1 8 0 0 and by 1696 h e had

corn,n:eted a s e r i e s of p,~un.it;ive wars w i t h i n t h e Ex_r,ire i:hich s e -
c u r e d h i s p o s i t i o n as Asar?.t;e'iler.e and r e - e s t a b l i s h e d . h i s suz5rai.n-

t y o v n r tile ' p r o v i n c e s ' of t h e ~ m ~ i r e . ' ) He w s t h u s rezid; to

p i c k up O s e i I:ojols q u a r r e l and vhen the F a n t i r e f u s e d t o s u r -
r e m l e r a f u g i t i v e froi.1 tile ,!!santshenefs j u s t i c e , he had a l e ~ i t -

h a t e e x c u s e f o r i:aging v:ar. ~3vcr.a t t h i s s t n - e he was r e l u c -

yr

t a n t t o engage t h e F a n t i i n open warfare. ?!evertheless a f t e r

Several. f u t i l e a!;;;expts at, ~ e ~i aot i ot n , bne Asante c r x y was f i n a l -
C (

l y launched i n t o F a n t i t;c:rritory e a r l y in 1805. 1 4

 %he r e s ~ x ? . t a q tc i - : ; n p i p wn:; shcr'i a?<! d e c i s i v e . The
A s a n t e r i m s e v e r l ~ lsriall v i c t c r i o s i? tie b o r d c r C O \ I P ~ T ~ 'a
"(! then
advanced s n i . f t l y t , m a r d t h e s o n . By :hy 3.606, t h e sain F a n t i
army had b e e r r:;ct a n d u t t e r ) - y d e f e - l t e d : : i t b i n f o u r m i l e s of '3s2s
C o a s t , n e a r t h e t o 1 i ~o f~ Abom. The n i l i t n r y r e ? u t n . t i o r . o f t h e
F m t i a s t h e s t r o n ~ e s t3 0 : ~ e r i ~ ,c o a s t p c l i i i c s was a t t e r l y de-
s t . r o y c d and the Asante array swept vi.ri;uall;. uni::lpec!ed f r m o ~ e
d t h e c o a s t t c t h e o t h e r . 1.5
e ~ ol"

D r i e f f l a r e - u p s of F . m t i r e s i s t n n . c o r c q c i r e d f o l l o w - u p
campairns i n 1211 a t . d 1$11,, but t h e 1CC6 i n v r ; s i o z had c l e a r l y
d e c i d e d t h e i s s u e a n d t h e b a l a n c e o f p o x r on t h e c o a s t had been

comp:otely altered. Not oply had t h e m i l i t n r y p o a e r o f tobe F a n t i

beer br02sn b u t so also had ti:+t of Akin and Akxapii:. l6 I n ad-
d i t i o n , t h o A s a n t e h e n e had ~ a . i n e d ,b y s i g h t o f c o y q u e s t , t h e
m o t e s f o r c e r t a i n of t h e c o a s t n l f o r t s t h u s f o r c i n g t h e Dutch

and t h e 21.itisIi t o reco;;!>ine Asante sl:pra:;lacy by v i r t u e of p h y -

i n g t h e s t t p u l n t e d r e n t t o i:uxasi. I I o r e o v ~ r ,t h e F a r t i c o u n t r y
Was f o n o n l - l y i n c o r p s r a t e d i n t o t h e Xsnnte Z!n)iile by bein[; placed

u"der tile ri1l.e o f A s n c t e ~ o v o r - o r s .17 Lne

-1 resalt o f a l l this
was p o l i ~ i c n lc;:aos; b u t w o r s e 1.ros y e t t o cu:s.
i 7 1 ~t o A f r l c ~hacl become i i 1 c ~ r ; l . A t f i r s t , tile C o c i p ~ yinade a n
u n s u c c e s s f u l atte7;lpt t o h ~ v zt h e a p p l i z : ~ t l o n o? t h s A b c l i t i o n
c ~ . T h i s was
Act & K ) s . L ~ G E ~18 c 7 1 r r
LO,_LJA,.A r-,rT by ar, a p p l i c a t i o n t o t h e GOV-
ernraent Tor an i r c r e a s c d g r ~ n i ;~ r h F l effinni,:iqg a g e r e r a l t e n d e r of
t h e i r ( t h e Cmipnny' s ) s e i - v i c e s i n t i l e ~ x e c n t i oo ~f x h a . t c v e r p o l -
i c y t h e Goverrment s h o u l d d e c i d e t o p u r s u e i n t h t p a r t o f A f r i c a

i.3 the future. d 9 .

I n t h e c i r c u r m t ; a n c e s , i t i s r a t h e r s u r p r i s i n g t h a t t;he
r ) r i . t i s h G o v z r n ~ i i e ~dti d n o t d e c i d e t h a t i t had no f u r t h e r u s c f o r

t h e Cold ~ m s F
t o r t s . 20 The A b o l i . t i o n i s i s , horiever, w e r e s t r ; m r L,
+-

l y o p s o s e d t o reducic;; t h e Z r i t i s l i i n t e r a s t s i n Af:-ica. Zachary

i4a.cnulay, 21 a?d t,hose ;vho t h o u g h t l i k e hirii, m t h e r ;:is1,-

.:ed t o s e e

B r i t i s h i r f l - u e n c e e x t e n d e d t o promote t h e c i v i l i z a t i o n o f A f r i c a ,
P a r t i c d n r l y by f o s t e r i ~ t ;r.ew b r a n c h 2 s oi f l e g i t i n i a t e T z?d l e s s
h a m f u l t r a d e , 22 It \;as i n r c s p o n s e t o t h i s prompi;ir.g t h a t t h e
Golrei-merit d e c i d e d t o s e l d a Corniilission o f i n q u i r y t o t i i s Gold
Coast i n o r d e r t o c o l l e c t i n f o r i m t i o n about t h e p o t e v t i a l i t i e s
of Tiest A f r i c a . Thc ~o!n:iiissionars r e p o r t e d i n J u l y 1811, and a l -
tf!out;h t h e y recoxinended t h a t c e r t a i n o f t h e f o r t s be g i v m up,
t?iey were i n a g r e e n e n t t h a t t h e D r i t i s h p r e s e n c e s h o u l d be m i n -
t a i p e d on t h e c o a s t i n o r d a r t o e-sure t h a t p o s i t i v e s t e p s wsre
t a k e n t ~s t o p t h e s l a v e t r a d e . 23
chi-ef t r a d e had c e a s e d t o m i s t , a n d v h a t m y Sc c a l Z e Q t h e
A s h t ? n t i ? u + 3 s t i o n c a m :jar c arc? m r e t o o c c u ; ~ y t h e i r a t t t e rt i o r ? . 'I 2 lk
Cer'i;&inly some f o r m o f af;recment had not? t o b e r e a c h e d betwcei?
t h e B r i t i s h 2r.d t h e Asz?t,e if t h e Co:.lpan:,r \;as t o a c h i e v e i t s
p r i m objective: the assurance of steady ' l e g i t i n a t e ' tra6e a d
open t r a d e r o u t e s . Thai; i s , a m a n s had t o be found where\);. t h e
p e r p e t u a l t h r e c ~ ot f new t2sant;c i n v a s i o n s c a u s e d by d i s + t e s with
t h e c o a s t a l s t a i e s over l a r g e yet vague and u n s e t t l e d c l a i ~ xt c j
a u t h o r i t y , t r i b u c e o r c o n p e n s a t i o n , cou3.d be removed.

The first move toward f i n d i 3 ~s o a e for!n of s e t t l e x e n t

came s o ~ l e t i i n ea b o u t 1310. A t t h a t -Lime t h e Assr,tehene a s k & t h e

Govzrnor of Cape C o a s t C a s t l e t o s c n d a n o f f i c e r t o r e s i d e i n
Kunasi. F o r r e a s o l s wliich have n e v e r been n a d e c l e x , t h i s i n -

i t i a t i v e was n e v s r act;ed upon. '5 T h e r e t h e 2 foll.owed a p z r i o d

of solac 1;:lznty y e a r s of c o n f u s i o n b e f o r e t h e s i t ; m t i o n was even
p a r L i a l . 1 ~c l a r i f i e d . U n s u c c e s s f u l a t t e m p t s were ciade i n 1817
2nd 1820 t,o n e g o t i a t e an Anglo-Asante t r e a t y which would s e t t l e
t h e p r c b l ~ ; , i26
. The f a i l u r e o f t h e B r i t i s h t o h o n o u r t h o s e t r c a -
t i e s s o a n z e r e d tile k s a n t e : ~ e n e t h a t i n u i d - I S 2 0 h e o r d e r e d t h e
A s a n t e trad.31-s t o cease v i s i t i n 5 Cape C o a s t C a s t l e and o t h e r
B r i t i s h f o r t s , and t o t r a d e o n l y w i t h t h e Danes and t h e Ddich. 27
ni
1lli.s a c t i o n tlien p r o n p t e d t h e C r i . t i s h t o beco::e ciore a n d Inore
c o n c e ~ m e d~ F t ,ht h e p r o t ; c c t i o n of t h e i r own t r a d e r s arc1 t h e c o k s t -

t r i b e s - . - . i n p a r l ; i c l i l a r t h e Fa>l;i--frcn r ~ h a ti ~ i g h tp;ssi.bly have

been a n i l ' n ' e s i s t i b l o Asznic d r i v c to t h e sea.
 D e s p i t e t h c passa;;e o f t i m , t h e s i t u a t i o n rerlain.zd un-
inproved . Thn d e s p a t c h e s w r i L t e n by i.Ir. John IIope-S:nith, the
G a v e r ~ o r - i n - C h i e f from 1G16 u n t , i l 1 6 2 2 , c l e a r l y i l - 1 - u s t r a t e how
c o l n p l c t e l y a t v a r i a n c e were t h e f u n d a m - t a l assumpt..ions oi4' L'
~17.e
t1i~0 p ~ r ti .e s .*' On t h e one h m d , ',he Governor f i r l . ; l y d e n i e d t h a t
t h e A s a n t e had a n y j u r i s d i c t i o n o v e r Cape C o a s t . On t h e o t h e r
h a n d , t h e Asantehene i n s i s t e d t h a t t h e i n h a b i t a n t s o f Cape Coast

vlcre a's much h i s s u b j c c t s a s t h e r e s t o f t h e F m t i . 29 Yeither

s i d e r.wulc! concede a n y t h i n g a ~ t;racie,
d trhLch t h e A s ~ , ? t e i ~ e n e ( s
b l o c k a d e had a l r e a d y cai:aed t o dwindle t o a l r m s t nothint;, ceased
a l t o g e t h e r d u r i r , ~t h e f i r s t montlls o f 1621. I n t h e v i m o f Zr,
30seph Cu:)uis, o n l y p o s i t i v e n v o t i a t i o n a t t h i s s'iaoe c o u l d
have avcrtcd open w a r f n e w i t h t h e A s a n t e . 3' ~nfortw.;:tely,
t h e s e n e g o t i a t i o n s d i d n o t t a k e p l a c e b e c a u s e a neii e l e n e n t was
i n j e c t e d i n t o ti:e s i t u a t i o n .

In t h e i r r e p o r t s , t h e 1816 and 1817 S e l e c t Cori;;:iit'iees had

r e corrr:ie.rded t,]iat tl.le Corq~aqys h o u l d c o n t i n u e t o adl.lir i s t e r t h e
Gold C o a s t , b u t t h a t t : ~ e Governor s h o u l d be a p p o i n t e d by t h e
.
C r o ? . ~31 r,
~ h e s ereconr.icndatio?s, coriib.ined w i t h t h e a d v i c z cf s e t -
kno:uledgeable 2nd i n . f l u e n t i a 1 p e r s o r s , convinced t h e Govern-
ment that ~ ~ i ! l t ? ' ; h i n11zd
t t o b e done. It was t h e r e f o r e decided t o
a b o l i s h t h e Coi.;pny a n d institute G o v e r n m n t c o r t r u l o f t h e Gold
Coast f o r t s . I n J u l y 1 3 2 1 t h e t r a n s f e r a a s e f f e c t e d , av.6 t h e
Gold Coast ~ e t t l e : ~ l e y t IS:.^
r p l a c e d und-r t h e Goverr.o:- o f Sierra
 On his z r r l v n l . al; Cape C w s t i n Ap;.il 1C22, KacCarthy
t h c r e f o r e i a!-ieritcd tile s t r o n g p r o b a b i l i t y o f a g a r xiti! Asiinte.
a v m s o , he x a d e
t,
T?G o v e r t u r e s t o K u x i s i b e c a u s e hc f e l t the
Asantt? b1oc::ade t o 'ue m e r e l y a l o c i l l q u a y r e 1 n o t a f f e c i i ? ~t l ~ c
IjriLish gzi?e~-slly. Ir? t i l e f a c e o f t h i s l a c k o r diplo:,lni;ic i!iit;i-
a t i v e , it; requj.r-ed o n l y onc spay:: t o d e t o n a t e t h e cxlJcssive s i t -
uztion, T h i s s p a r k was provldc:i. by t h e A s a n t e a t Anonatu -.;hen
they a r r e s t e d a Fa.9t.i ser,-;e~&nti n t h e 3 r i t ; i s h s e r v i c e t h e r e . 3 1t

T h i s u ~ f o r t , u n n t e( s e r g e a n t ) su1n:ned up t h e
c o r ? f l i c t i n h i s o m person. AS a s o l d i e r
he was a s u b j e c t o f King George. As an
Anoxabu he w s s c l a i n c d as a s g b j e c t o f
m
t h e Asaqtehzne. he p r e s i i ~ eo f e i t h e r
power was s o i n v o l v e d t h a t neither c o a l d
adtilit Lhe o t h e r ' s c l - a l x . F o r t h e S r i t i s h
a clixb-dovm would h;.,ve corc?t.:i?ed thc;r! t o
c ~ r t i n i l ei n t h e f o r t s nere3.y on s u f f e r -
e r c e : f o r t h e A s a ~ t e t i e ~iet trzuld have
been t h e s i g n a l f c r t h e d e z e c t i o n a r n o ~ g s t
t h e r e c e n t l y ccr?quercc? ard s t i l l r e s t l e s s
t r i b e s . 35
A l t h o u g h i v i t i a l l y ir, f a v o u r o f a p a s s i v e a p p r o a c h t o ';.he
t h e d i s p u t e x a s c o i , l p l c t e l y c h a n ~ e c l , f o r s u c h cn of'f'er a c t t i a l l y
c o n s t i t ~ l t c da rcvo1.t agc?..S~ctt h e X s a n t e s u z e r a i n t y e s t 2 , b l l s h e d
i n 1807. U n f o r t u ~ z t e l y , t L e new Governor d o e s n o t appzzr t o have
uncle]-stood tl-ils ayd tEle o f f e r wss a c c e p t e d v i t h tile r e s u l t t h a t
t h e a l l i a n c z soon i n c l u d e d a l l o f t h e c o a s t a l s t a t ~ se x c a p t
E l ~ n i n a . Su'csecjue-tly , t h e a l l i a n c e a s s u r x d evev g r e a t e r sii;?i-
f i c a ~ c evhen t h e i ~ l a n ds t a t e s of '.:asaw and Derkyern a l s o writ

i n t o r 5 b e l l i w by j o i n i n g t h e a l l i e s a f t e r t h e a l l i e d r e p u l s e
of a r a t h e r t e r t a t i v e l l s a ~ t ei r v a s i o n o f t h z c o a s t a l r e s i o n i n
h u g u s t 182? .36

I-, tile f a c e of th:s po;r;ular sup;.,c,rt, Xa.cCnri;'ny f e l - t t h a t

t h e A s a n t e !:ov.ld coriie t o t e r n s a n d t h a t ar! e a r l y p a c e t i o d d 5 e
a r r i v e d .st, Thus he c l e a r 1 . y m i s u n d e r s t o o d thc: i r : i p l i c a t i c n s c;f

h i s polic;: f o r the Asante could ncver acce?t t h e l o s s of t h e i r

newly a c q u i r e d s o u t h e r n p r o v i n c e s s o c a s u a l l y . Indeed, they
r e a c t e d in1:ned:lately t o t } \ e l a t e s t d e f e c t i o r . . A s a n t e ar:nles r:;oved
s o u t h e a r l y in 1 8 2 4 and or, t h e 2 1 s t o f J a n u ~ r y , t h e y met and de-
f e a t e d a sr,laZl f o r c e u n d e r Sir C l l a r i e s h i m s e l f a t Ada~";m-~so.S i r

C h a r l e s v:as k i l l e d i n a c t i o n a n d t h e A s a n t e , who ntu~bex-ecin o r e

t h a n 10,OC10, vrer;t on t o c r u s h a n y and a l l r e s i s t a n c e . 37 They
t h e n r ~ ; n a i n e d i n , t h e s u u t h ur.ti.1 J u l y lg2l+, when t h e c o m b i ~ e de f -

fects o f t h o r a i n s , sr;allpox, d y s ~ n t e r y ,a n d t h e news t k a t t h e

D a n i s h S o v e i c o r cf C h r i s t i a n s b o r i ; vias orGan.i.zing ar. e x p e d i t i o n
i n t o Akilii t o a t t a c k thee on t!le f l a r k , d e c i d e d tiioni t o abx!don
t h e i r cn:.iprign a3d r e t u r n t o i;u:iasi. 38
secoqc! ti!oq;]?ts about; t h e a : l v i s ; i b i 3 i t y of' r e m a i n i n g on the 2@1d
Coast;. The Govcrn~.lcyt i n Cr,gland now w i s h e d or?!-y t o p t c h up the
wit-,h Asar.te a?d r e d u c e t h e i r c o a s t e s t a b l i s h m e n t s t o Ca:;e
pe<z~ce
C o a s t C a s t l e a n d Accra, General Turner q u e s t i o n e d i f ' ever- t h e s e
Were worth k e z p i n g and h e s u g ; e s t e d t h a t t h e o ~ l ye f f e c t i v e d t e r -
r.a';ive t o coinplete' wit;hdral,ml w a s t o s e c u r e c o n t r o l o f t h e whole
c o a s t l i n e and d e t a c h t h e Gold C o a s t fro111 S i e r r a L e o r e . Ilotrevar,
the C o l o n i a l O f f i c e was ~ o ptr e p a r e d t o c o n i d e r e i t h e r t o t a l

Earl of B a t i l u r s t , 40 was ir. t h e p r o c a s s o f p r e p a r i n g a r e w Comis-

of h i s h a n d s by e v e n t s on t h e c o a s t . I t 1

I n J a n u a r y 1 6 2 6 , a new A s z n t e arri:y iyvaried t h e F m t i

country. A f t e r f o r a g i ~ gunchecked up 2nd dovm t h e l a n L f o r s e v c n

ism be an.y. L i e u ~ , c n a n t - C o l c - . f i Furdon, t h e A c t i n g S c v e r ? o r , b2.d

ig?.ored !:is ordoi-s, t;a!.:er t l i e f i e l d 8.6, v i t h saxe of t::e e n s t e r i -
Augtist 7Lh, 1825.4'' I n : i s r d ' s words, t h i s c o i i p l e t e d e f e a t o f t h o
main k s a ~ t earrtiy "decided t h e f a t e of t h e Gold Coast rl 45 .
A f t e r t h e b a t t l e o f K 3 t m a ~ s u ,t h e A s a n t e r e t u r ~ e dt o
K u ! ~ s ianti ~c l o r g series of a b o r t i v e n e g o t i a t i o n s b e ~ a r .].ate ir,

1827. A t f i r s t i t a p p e a r e d t h a t peace would be e a s i l y e s t a b l i s h -

ed. IIotievcr, t h o a l l i e d c h i e f s d i d n o t thjn,k t h i s a fittips t i n e
to o f f e r t e r m t o Asarte and r e f u s e d t o e r t e r i n t o ~ e i , o t i & t i . ~ ~ s .
 rt
,1: a to drop its plans for d i s e ~ ~ a ~ e -
estx opposzd to abando:~fi~?nt
 1 . l a c l e a n . f ~first; i;z.!.s! on a r l - i v i n g a t Cape Coast i n Februtiry
l g 3 0 was t o con.clud2 peLce n a g o t i n t j - o n s w i t h t h e Asa?.te; a task

w h i c h was fir,al-1.y a c c o : . ~ y l i s l ~ e df . ~A p r i l , 1631. Aside fro: a pro-

v i s i o n c a l l i r g fol* a 'bond t o k e c p t h e p e a c e ' and h o s t q e s , t h i s

t r e a t y c o n t n i n z d s e v s r a l . a r t i c l e s t h a t were of v i t a l ir.~-nport;arlce
t o f u t ~ r eA n ~ l o - A s a n t e r e l a t i o n s . These p r o v i d e d t h s t ( a ) tracle

i n g on o r by a n y p e r s o n o r t h i n s whateverT1were f o r b i d d e n : ( b )
Denkycra, A s s i n , " a ~ do t h e r s f o r m e r l y h 5 s s ~ b j e c t s ~were
~ ~ *f r e e
frorn a n y a l l e g i a n c e t o t h e A s a n t e h e n e , b u t were p r o h i b i t e d from

i n s u l t i n g bin,: ( c ) a l l q u a r r e l s were t o b e d e c i d e d as a l r e a d y
r
a g r e e d by t h e p a r t i e s . - ' 3 The s i g n i 5 c c n n c e of t h i s l a s t p r o v i s i o n

was t h a t i t m u t u a l l y b ~ u n d" t h e t l z r i e p a r t i e s , B r i t i s h , k s i l a ? t i
and P a n t e a l l i e s , by p r e c i s e r u l e s , and t h e s u p e r i o r a ~ t h o ~ i of
ty
t h 2 f o r m e r i s d e f i r i t e l y a c k n o ~ j l e d g e d b:r t h e i m p l i e d a p e a : n e n t of
the o t h e r two t o a c c e p t t h e Governor a s r e f e r e e i n a n y c a s e of
dispute:. There was a l s o a t a c i t u:?derstandin.g t h a t t h e a l l . i e s
would be affo;-ded z r i t i s h p r o t e c t i c ? . i n t h e e v e n t of m y f u r t h e r
a&l;ressior! on t h e p a r t o f A s h s ~ t i11. 5 It

i i i t h t h e signil7.2 of tllis t r e a t y , r e l a t i o n s between t h e

Asante on t h e one h s n d , ar.6 D r i t i s k i and t h e c o a s t a l s t a t e s on t h e

O t h e r , were o s t e n s i b l y s e t t l e d a n d p e a c e was r e s t o r e d . In fact,

r ~ i t ht h e e x c e ; , t i o n of s e v e r a l q u a r r e l s which a h o s t l e d t o 01:W
w a r f a r e , t h e s e a c e r e , : l a i n d ~ m b r o k e nf o r more t h a n t h i r t y y e a r s .
..
H a ~ e v e r , t h e l a c k of d i r e c t al-ned c o n f l i c t notwithstz+-!mn~,
I"ui;ure e v e n t s would prove t h a t t h e s e e d s cf d i s c o r d had beer, sotln
by t h e v e r y t r e a t y which made t h i s peace p o s s i b l e .

T h i s w a s m i n l y due t o t h s f a c e that t h e 1 6 3 1 m y

t r e a t y f crmally r e c r e c t t e d a se:.~blance of t h e p o l i t i c a l o r p ~ i z a -
t i m which had e x i s t e d p r i o r 50 t h e war of 1607. That i s , t k r e
once illore e x i s t e d t h e t h r e e p o l i t i c a l g r c ~ p i n g sof A s m t e , F a r t i
avd t h e S r i t i s h f o r t s . 5 5 "irere n c r a , !~oviever, s e v e r a l v i t a l
he situatic.n.
ckm.i;es I:t? k,sapi;e had becn d3privecl of t:le fruits

of t i l e 1807 car:;paip and had evan l o s t s e v e r a l t e r r i t o r i e s ~ h i c k i

-
s h e had ccr,s.idel-ed h e r okrn eve11 b e f o r e t h a t .ccsnfl:~ct. .L? adciitio?,
t h e Fc;..r,tj. no l o n g e r e ~ , j o j ; e dtile m i l i t a r y and p o l i t i c a l . poxer -i:hicl?
they hnd p;.oviously p o s s e s s e d f o r t h a i r pro-lt?07 1nS.1itar.y a n d p o l -
i t i . c n l un5. Ly no l o n g e r e x i s t e d . Fir!all.y, and of e q u a l i x p o r t m c e ,
t h e C ~ i t i s hs i t u a t i o n had cilanged c o n s i d z l - a b l y . The EcSt i x p o r -
t a ? k o f I ; : ~ s a c h a r g e s was t h e o f f i c i a l a s s u a p t i c r . o f t h e r o l e of

a r b i t e r ir, any f u t u x d i s > u t ; e s bet~yeer!t h e A f r i c a ? s i g n a t o r i e s t r ,

t k treaty. A l . 3 0 . of ma jar i x p o i - t a r c e , ko:iev-;r, : / a s t h e r e c ~ c - i -
tic!l o f t h e f a c t t;:~at; a s a r e s d l t of tl:e v i c t o r y c f I:ataxns:l, the
Brit&;, had b - 2 ~ 0 t; h~e~ ovn;ers of t h e l a q d on \:I.;ich t h e i r I'ol-ts aci:
C 2 s t i . e ~s t o o d . ~ h t:le
u ~;,ajT:i.2nts of ~ ~ - 0 i l r .rent;
d or. t h e ";'isa,
55
h bet? suc:l a s o u r c a of t r o u b l e i n t h e :last, c z a s e d .
~ ~ h i chad
I t L r e ncw opzrati.r:g fror.1 a p o s i t i o n of socie s t r e n g t h , were b e t t e r
I.l.-.

able t o e x e r t s a x j.ni'luence o v e r t h e c h a o t i c c o r ? c ! i t i o ~ s i n t h e
im-.iediate c o a s t a l h i q t e l - l a n d . S e c o z d , t h e s t r i f e - t o m and f a c -
t i o n r i d d e r . c o a s t a l . l - e ~ i o n as t;urning i n i t s w e a k ~ e s s;:lor2 an6
more t o t?ie B r i t i s h i n tilej-r s e a r c h f o r s s o l u t i o c t o b o t h t h , ? i r
i n t e r n a l p r o S l e n s <?.nd t h e c o n s t a n t t h r e a t fro13 . t h e Asar.te.
T h i r d , t h e Asante t h e n s e l v e s h a r b o u r e d a d e e p - s o a t e d rescntin.snt;
o v ? r t h e loss of t h e i r lsoiltkierr, provS.ncesl m d t h e a c c e s s which

t h s e p r o v i ? . c e s Lave t o t h e c o a s t .
ed solely o r ::riclr-anfs r e p u t u t i o n a s a w i s e m d honest; m n . T!le
3rit is3 Gove mi,lert had expre s ~ l - pf o r b i d d e n a n y e x t e n s i o n ~f 3 r i t -
cr
5 ~ t o e n s u r e c o ~ i i n h c eh a d r e s t r i c t e d i 3 c l e C ~ ' s
i s h t o r r i t o 1 ~ ~nr.d

of e v e r y r a n k and s t a t i o n e x p a n d e d r a * ~ i d . l y - - h e p o s s e s s e d r o l e s a l
a u t h o r i t y beyond t h e f o r t s . Even sc;, :jc.rd r e f e r s t o t h e region
r ~ i t h i i .~i'nicil1:acleanfs t de f a c t o f po;l;;r and i n f l u e n c e d ? v e l c p e d

a l s o be t h e t e r w used i n t h i s s t u d y .

The a r e a o f t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a C e t was Sounded on the e a s t

f a r as tile :,sorl;e Border. IYot e v e r y t r i b e i n this a r e - a c c e p t e d

E o s t o f t h e Accra p l a i n s were ~ r d e r
, X n i i n a Axifi:
Danish i ~ f ' l u e ~ c eand ,
and o t i l e r t o m s were under Dutch i n -
fluence.. O n t h e o b h e r hanci, c e l t a i n
a r e a s t o t h e west o f t h e P r a i n c l u d -
i n g Wassaw, A p o l l o r i a and DLxccve ,
were ir. t hc B r i t i s h s p h c r e . Rough1.y
s p e a k i n g , however, \:e m y r ci:ard t h e
B r i t i s h sphcre as reaching fron t h e
P r a t o tiie V o l t a , a d i s t a n c e o f a b o u t
100 m i l e s , a y d fran t k s e a - s h o r e i n -
 The l i r n i t a t i o r s c r ;.iaclec.nTs n u t l r o r i t y and h i s r.aec! t e
r e l y h e a v i l y on p e r s o n a l Xvlfluence r e q u i r e d t h e t he b e mst
e c th i s a p p l i c a t i o n of a n y poi:.e.;- which t h e A f r i c m s
~ i r c u ~ ~ s p i~
c o n s e n t e d t o g i v e him. F o r t h i s r e a s o n he r e f u s e d t o h t e r f e r e
i n t h e c u s t o n s o f t r i b e s f i ~ e nwho wzrc n o t D r i t i s h s u b j e c t s u n l e s s
h e t h o u ~ h tt h a t s u c h c u s t m s were d a n g e r o u s s o c i a l e v i l s . 6 1.

The s u b t l e t i e s of Eia.clean's p o s i t , i o n were l o s t cn iilar~y

p e o p l e i n ~ n ~ l a n idn ,p ~a r ~t i c u l a r t h e a n t i - s l a v e r s . A s a result

of c c a p l a i n t s i n s p i r e d by t h i s l a c k of u n d e r s t a n d i n g and also be-

c a u s e o f s e v e r a l o t h e r e o ~ , l p l a i r , t sl o d g e d a c a i n s t Tkiclean p e r s o n 2 . l -
l Y b 3 a n d a g a i n s t h i s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , L o r d John ~ u s s e l l t, h~e ~
C o l o n i a l S e c r e t a r y a t t h a t ti::;e, d e c i d e d t h a t t h e o n l y m y t~ zn-
s u r e t h e prompt a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e laws a g a i n s t t h e s l z v e t r a d e
was f o r t h e Government t o resucie c o n t r o l o f t h e f o r t s . A t the
u r g i n g o f t h e T r e a s u r y , hovjovcr, he a g r e e d t o p o s t p o n e t 2 k i r . g
a n y a c L i o n u n t ; i l a s p e c i a l c o n ~ l i s s i o n e rhad v i s i t e c i I:est A f r i c a
a9d r e p o r t e d on t h e s i t u a t i o n t h e r e . 65
 NacleanT s new 2 o s t steminecl d i r e c t l y froa t h e s e c m t l Con-

most f a v o c r a b l y impressed v i t h T.:aclean's work i n the exte?sicn of'

had resulted frci.: ::;).clean's efforts he regularized in soxe iXin-

n e r . 70 To irnplerrlent t h i s recorr,nendation, tlie Govcrr.xent u t i l 5 z e d
 Firs!; s i i ; n s d b y e i g h t c!li c f s , inclildLn, t h o s e o f Ded:p:a,
Anoi?labd, C::pe Coast a n d Lssin , the Dond c1.2?2-1.:,7 and si::::)l.y 1 . ~ ~ 2 2 . -

i z o d a?(! d c f l l c d ::nclenn's : l i i i . c ~ * t , oirfon,:31 ji.ir*isdi.ctja ? . ".

- ?... ! c
al;;.cc!;ic?nt bcu?d t!ie Af'ricm r ~ i l c ; * st c p r o t e c t t?::? rig:-it.,; of in-
d i v i d1.1.d-sa?J c f p r - a ~ ~ ~ ~ -t to, ~abolish
r; si;c!2 ' a , ~ . ~ - L a ; ~ oc~;:S$L>;.,-.S
~s 2s
h m n n sncr.i.f i c e s a r d pa-y2ri,-i-c; art1 to a::tilo:-jb:;tt -: '
D l - i ai,...Sil
' .
J1l::FCS

t o h ~ 1 . i t) i i m tl'y c r j I its 2s I
SIJC:~ * ; ri>:!!;t? i-1.) s o t.ii>,t thc
C ~ ~ S ~ . C of
J ; I ~t h e co:;n"sry traii1.d bccoi-:a :.:cultlcci t o ';he gen::-al p~in-

c i p 1 . e ~of 3 r i t i s ' n la.,,ii.73 By 161+9 t h e ,',kin Abu-.::::,?, mny d i v i -

sio:ls of t l i c Akiil i:otoku, t T , ; , , , t h e h ; o c . ~ ;;rd o i , i l ~ i - so L i l : ~

0

ati ions tci:.rcen t:ic ssca ar.d tl:e u p j x r Prn ha:i c l s o si,r?ed
Bond. The nu;.i?)cr of co;?st,al stat23 a<ilerj.qg t o tile n;:-.i: wa:; i2-
Crt.aseJ evcn Z : O Y ~ j.3 1$5C, I n t;hnt; ya3ar t h e D:?IIIs~I ~ O I ' L S we:.-.
purchased a-d nltl-!ou&:l t f ~ e31-itish oply inhc.rif,e;! l:?l;.t had L?en

a vai;l~t.nn?i:;?i i p r l ~ : e n c i ,over $;l,:npiri azc! kki:.: :.~l:ic?l:;'as p o t m-

 A f t c r i;hc sigr~lr,i; olr t;?ie Bond, t,!:? s e n r c ; l f o r a s o l l ~ t . i o r .
t o t,l~i? f .ic>r,nci n 1 jlroblc::,ls (-I? t:ie authorities
!jl-itisf~ oo It?lc ci;tist

led t o L:ir? n e x t d c s r c c of i n u c 1 v c z e n . t . 3l;e b a s i c :)rollc-:.: w i t i !

rtlsycct; t o f i ~ n i i s:.:as t).l:lt., s u c c e z d i ~ i ; ;3rii;is:i gov:r?,:ler.tz :%:ere un-
;.!il!.irig k;. h::vc; t:iqir t:lx;!::;-2;-s pl-iividc r.;ore ..ionc;l f o r t::~
C: a s t cid:~~i?i:;:x.;~~iort;llar, t!ls ~ ; , i n r i ; n ~ lnezc?ed
:.~ f o r ti12 s a i c i r i e s of
1f ; s o.';i,ci:t*~,77 ev;:n I . ti:? i n crc;sed f u n d s iicre d e s i r e d

S U I C ; ~t:,;:!~:~\::;~~,
.~~ 3;; a 1*,?;51:] t.: 0: L i l ~~ I ~ O,,,~(I. ? ' .of
' E r l t is1-!ir:ii:c? ce,
 F i n a l l y , in an a t t e ~ n p Lto s o l v e this dile;-.:t,la, t:ic C ; . i t i s h
a u t h c r i t j.c s a t t e n i p t e d t o p e r s u a d e t h e rulers of the con:;t;a:, c:;r~t.os

ini; revenue. The r;!nc'ii.~g :ran o t t c ~ ~ , d zb 3y a 1 a 1 - c ~nu::i'u?i* of P:.rti

He st; .;LC? s ,
the best defcncc.
P r a a n d estah1i:;hed d z f e n c e s tl;ere b u t the Asa!:tehe?e d i d not re-

ncw the a t t ~ i c kan6 the i n v a s i o n novel- t o o l : i d n c c . T

&nstozd, t.ke

d i s e a s e s endemic to t h e f o r e s t c z c s e d u n n c c e ~ % ~ b lc3sualt
e i e s z.rJ
t h e e n t i r e f o r c a of r e i n f o r c e ~ : : e r , t s was v i t h d r a w n r o t o-l:r fro.9 t h e
Pra b u t a l s o fror; t h e c e u n t r y .

.
This war l e y t t h e Gold C o a s t i n a 1 n : x n t a b l c s i c t e .
Trade 113s at an abso1ut;e stards4,i1.1. Tl!e D r i t i s : ~2 n d A s a n t e v ~ e r ~ :
and Lord Stanley, c a r r i e d a i.iotic? f o r a
I n q u i r y i r l t o the ';,'es'; Xfric;r. S e t t i e : i e ~ ! ; s3
at:,cntior to t l r c Cold ~ c n s.?'t T h i s Cor:.;i.t-
cornpl-ete v d t k d r a ~ : a l ,and t h e p o l i c y f a v o u r e d by t h e o f f i c i a l s on
t h e coast; ~ ; h ou r g e d t h e r.lc7,ini;er.ancc arc]. cxpar?sior! o f th:: C r l t i s h
p o s i t i o n against t h e Asante przssurc. 93 ~ h cos!proi~iso
c :.ecom-
t was % o t possible t o t ~ i t h d r a ~'c.l?e
~nenclation s L a t e d t l ~ it r ErLt-

i s h G o v e m m n t , who13 y 01% ir,~,::ediate

ly, f r o m a n y settle:.;e?ts or
cngagerr;ents on t h e '.,Test Afric:,.? C o n s t v9* b ~ t th a t "all Z'wiher
e x t e n s i o n o f t e r r i t o r y o r a s ;ur,:ption o f G~vernrxcnt o r r m t r e f A -
ties o f f e r i r , ~arLy p r o t e c t i o n t o n a t i v e t r i b e s , w o ~ l dbe Inexps-
d i e n t v ; and t h a t t h e Govemrlierit s h o u l d six a t p a t i c a l l y ; ~ i t h -
d r a l ~ i n gf r o n a3.1 f o u r areas o r B r i t i s h s e i ; t l e i . ~ e n t e::ce?,jt pi-otaS1y

T h i s co~nprmniscwas acce;)tcd tljr t h e B I - i t i ski Govsimnl,~eTt

b u t w h e t h c r o r n o t i t wo::ld h v e w r k e d i s c7 moct p i n t f o r i t
was n e v e r g i v e n a chancc t o o p e r a t e . FTeve~%l:?less,i t d i d l e a d
t o s e v e r s 1 e v e n t s o f g e n e r a l c a n c e x on t h e G c l d Coast--n3t the
l e a s t of which l,m.~ti12 p e r u a s i o n o f tile c i , l e f s a?.d p c c p l e o f tile
F:mtl t r i b c s by sor:le o r t h 2 i r Zaro;-ean-c2uc~tec! ini:r,her.s t o cr,r,-
s i d c r o r ' g a n i z i ~ i ; a g o v e r n m n t which would be able t o t a k e o v e r
fror,i t h e R r i t i s i l when tiley l e f t , a s it was assumed t h e y .event;-
u d l y would do. Even s o , i t s i~!lportance i ~ i t l ?r e s p c t to h g l o -
Asante r e l a t i o n s stems more fro:n the f a c t t l ~ ~ it
t , led t o certain

a l r e a d y d c l i c z t e situation.

'
T h e Corx~iiLtee s 1-econ:xn:lat i c n s had c l e a r l y e r n p i x s i z e d

S x c o n r i n i n c occuprttion t o Ca2e Coast while i'ajor S.!,'. "uackal-1,100

t,;ie new Govnmor-in-Chief at Sierra Leone, v:as s o w o r r i e d about;
t h e Asante tilat he ~ i o ~ i l chave
l preferred t o a b m d o n post
i:l~t as
well. . Alt.'noui;h n e i t ' q c r of t h e s e s t e p s were t n k c : : , t h e i n v e s -
tii;at i o n s cf t;hs C o n n i t t c c at l e a s t e n s u r e d t!xt i t :;as a t l a s t
u n 6 e r s t o o d that, i f t h e y s t a y e d , t h e British would be b ~ u n dt o
i n t e r f e r e t o saiilc extent; 5.3 local ai'fairs. The q u e s t i o ~v:as,
within what lini", were t h q t o i r L t 9 r f e r e ?
o f o b l i g a t - i o n s but t h e s u ~ ; ~ c s t i cwni t h r . ; p r d t o t h e Dutci: l,cs--
s e s s i o n s r e c c i v c c ? f a v o u r a b l e a t t , e n t i u n . 3' i r o ~ i c ~ l l yi t, . J:as
t h e ?3ritisi: arstioy taker, OE t h e b a s i s c f t h i s reco:n!;;endaticn,
w h i c h was i t s z l f i r . s p i r c d by t h e s p i r i t of t h e recor;ii.;er,i~t
ions
of t h e 1865 Coi-m:it,tee, t i n t scalt?d t h e f a t e o r tile v e r y p o l i c y
a d v o c a t e d b y t?:e 1865 C o r m i t t e e . It a l s o proved t o b e a i'actcr-
w h i . c h c o n 3 r i b a t e d i n 1 a q ; e measure to* t h e Anglo-A:;n?te :.Jar sf
1873-1671+. f o r it wzs e v e n t u a l l y t o l e a d t o circu~rs',::r.ccs -;::lich
l e f t t h e C r i t i s i ~a s t h e s o l e S u r o p e s n por':ei- 02 thi. c o z s t ; t h ~ s

e n s u r - i ~ gt h a t it would b e t h e I 3 r i t i s h who had t o l a c e any Asan,te

move:; i n the future.

a t o t a l o f four f o r t s . The S ~ i t i . : j hc e d e d L O t h e Dutch a l s o t h e i r

3 . c : ~ ~ h i c l ithis e r r o r o f o:!iission caurec: p r o v e 2 that i t \!as ar:
o v e r s i i ; h t of t t l ~f i r s t ;lia;;nitucie for t h e p o l i t i c a l ra~.:ific?..?tlons
were n o s t s e r i o u s , For exar:,yle, D e r k y e r a a n d ,.c?ssav had beer, a l -
7 .

T h u s tihe 2 ~ i t i s ho f f i c i a l s were o z c e azairl f a c s d w i t 1 1 t h e

c o n t i n f i i n l ; a n o r n l y c f t h e i r p o s i t i o n or, t h e Gold C o s s t ; t h e y ?icd
&i.atitxilly assur.~ed, al?d c o ~ t i n u a l . l y e x e r c i s e ~ l , s o m n y s 02.
i*ii;!l~f,
f'

j ~ i r i s d i c t i o r .t h a t t h e y llad coine t o b e l i e v e t i l s t t'r:ey aka he7.d

~.i:;i~ts of s o v c r c i ~ r . t ; ; .lot, The c o ? s e q s o n c c of t h c i r or'c1itrni-y
acl.ior WAS d i s ; ? : ; t r ~ : ~ tan2 c l i r i n ~tile succecdi.n; y c a r s t!se t ? r o -

t.ec t o r n t e \ins a l - ~ m s t
t o m alcirt. y ?&;:.c~rx:t
S~.~blir,w c-y t.1112
whir1wir.d t h a t v~asa b o u t t o d e s c e n d upon t h m , t h e C u r s ; - : ~ n n sse'i
t h e t r a n s f e r d a t e Tor 1st J a n u a r y Ib'Gd, and ir. t h e e a r l y day:; o f
J a n u a r y t h e f o u r e a s t e m 2uui;ch f o r t s ;?ere d u l y !lar.ded o v e r kc, th;.
B r i t i s h v i t h o u t cng- t r o u b l e . Dut wlier! Lhe j o i n t An~1.o-3ut.c:l
i n a t r i e d t o tra?.sf e s the f cur
Co~rmissj.onlnoved beyond E l ~ ~ ~ and
B r i t i s h T o r t s , t r o u b l e began a t once. I.07

The c r u x o f t h e problein was t h e r e f u s a l o f t h e i:ol:~i.ler,ci~

p e o p l e t o a c c e p t tlie Dutch f l a g . T h i s d i s p u t e bsgan a l o n g :'sr
b e t v e e ~t h e J l ~ t c hand t h e % o m e n d 2 rv;~ich t h s Z ~ t c h\:ere unable
t o b r i n g t o an end. Tho i:o:.u.lenda plundered t h e Z l i a i ~ zvil1a;es ;

t h e Dut ci: made u r s u c c e s s f u l a t t e ~ . : ) t s t o r e c a p t w - e t h e toerr1 of

Komenda i t s e l f , b o t h by l a n d a n 3 n a v a l expeditions; a?< e v c n t u -
a l l y t ! ~ e 1:oime:tda rmn b e c a m s o b o l d that t h e y c a r r i e d ~ u c r r i i l s
warfare r i g h t up t o t h e o u t s k i r t s o f Ellnina i t s e l f . lo$

I'leanrihilc, a wides:jread Africar? ,iovt;raer?.t was s t a r t e d t o

h e l p t h e i:o:.r;enda i n their r e s l s t a n c c , and t o h e l p a1 s o nr,;. cther
t r i b c t h a t s h o d d be f o r c e d t c a c c e p t =Iutch a u t h o r i t y c ? z ~ ? i n s it t s
will. An asseinbly w a s h e l d a t Iiankessi:!:, a t which t h e F n n t i
c h i e f s a n d peo:,le a g r e e d t o h e l l ) Kosiiocnda a&air.st C I - w i x i . , nqci i n
a s h o r t tirne a F m t i Army ap:,eared b e f o r e Z l n i r , a am1 biccl:aded tht?
town. The statics r e p r e s c q t e d a t : b n k e s s i x i ~ c l u c l e c !so:2s o f t h e
p r i n c i p a l F a n t i s t a t e s , a s wel.1 as X s s i n , Vassav; and Perll:y?rn. 109
A t f i r s t Cape C o a s t d j d r o t j o i r , b u t Anorxibu c l i d . Aor;zvor, i n
A p r i l 1.263 t!le paop2.c or Ca9e Coost Scca7.ie i n f a r i o t e d by a-
E l m i n n a t t a c k on orle o f t 1 : c i r vil-iages, and a Czpe C o a s t c o - t i r -
g e n t a t once r:~rtrcher! out to J o i n the bloc't;ndini; arixy. 11•‹ 1 n this
way t h e F a n t i Co*:federatio~!was b o r n .
 T!le e v e n t which p r e c i i 3 i t a t e d th'.s c l l a n ~ e c !s i t w t i o n w s
the Dutch d c c i s i o n t o l e a v e t h e Gold Coast f o r good and s e l l

t h e i r . f o r t s t o t;ie S r i t i s l l . ~ !.: l decj.sior,

mi
s had Lzer pro:.:iii,ed by

t h r o t t l e d their. t r a d e , Th2y vrc.~-e u t t c ~ l yun'3ble t o p u t a s t 0 2

t o t h e guerril.1 a i c a ~af r e of t h e Ko~wen.daxen. At,jie:ilpon, li:l~cse

march frorn Axim a1.o~;; tht. c c a s t t o El::iir,a had beer, a c ly:ir.ied
had no c o n t r j l whatsoevel- o v e r t h e "Lli:~i-.zp e o p l e 2nd the knov?-

l e d g e t h a t a s t r o n g co-.tinc:;:lt was on its v:zy fror.1 i;ui;iasi t o r e -

i . n f o r c e h i l : ~m d e a n y hope o f r e s l o r i n ; : Dutch n u t h o r i i y a v e r y
remote p o s s i b i l i t y . 1.20

r e a s o n f o r t h e p r o t r a c t e d n a t u r e 0 2 thrse n e j o t i a t i o r . ~ ,2nd r h e

the s t a t u s o f 3lri1ira. surprisi?:;:ly,

So~-~ieiiilnt t h e u l f i c i a l s at
Cape Coast d i d not; view t h e q u e s t i o r ! of t h e si;at;~;so f Elr.:ina 3:.

a pcrtert i n 1 sou;-ce o f s e r i o u s troub3.e wi'ih t h c As:lmi;e .&'-

'?' 111

~ ; e cn r a l , t h e y viewed t h e q u e s L i o n i n its r;:orc p o s i t i v z f;o,r~,!~;.

the;^ felt t:lat il the B r i t i s h c o r . t r o l l . c d t h e r.:liolc coas;;l.ine f'rori

rjcyin t,o % e t a i i ; w o u l d be f a , i r l y e a s y t o s t o p the c o n t f n ~ i a lfl:-?it,- -
in^ bct\rec:l E1i:lina and the Far,ti towns, t o impose a u n i f c r n i cus-

t o n s t a r i f f , and t o s t o i ~s m g , l i n g . They f e l t t h a t the o l d 2.1-

l i a ~ c ebetween t h e 3ritis!: arLd t h e rest err. s t a t e s c o u l d b e r e -

suned a ~ dt h a t u n d e r a l l o f t h e s e c i r c u i e s t a n c e s , :.s:~te i~tricue
on Lhe coos?. would be niuch e a s i e r t o c o l t ] - 0 1 . :.lorzcvo:-, ::Lth tile
c a s t l e i n B r i t i s h hzrtds, tile AsanLc c o n k r o l o f Sl:5.na to:.,^ would
be k;i-cztly r ~ e a k c ~ e d .
i n the s i t u , ? t i o n seel-led sc; g r e a t t h a t 8 t ; h c Covcrrinent was d e t e r -
mined n o t to take o v e r X l ~ n i n aunless t h e I l ~ l t c ha c , t ! i c r i t i e s c ~ u 1 . d
satisfy t1lcr.l t h a t they had a s o c d title, ar.6 t h a t 1;',1e .clsz;,rte
c1ai.r;:~t o a r ; y t ' : i n ~ rnore t h a n f r i e n d s h i p and a l l i a ~ c e\.:ere m -
tile B r i t i s h t i l e x s c l v e s had r e c o p i z e d t h e r i g h i ; of' t::e Eisa-td!;e-c
t o c o v t r o l i:lc Zlr,:ina people, 2 n d had s e c u r e d a g u a r a r l t c e fi-or.]
3r
llici t h - t SI:.ii-a siiould r o t iiioke var on Cape ~ o s s t . ' " ) I? a d d i -
t i o n , a f t e l ? t h e 3ni;l;le o f Katar.:an.su, Lhc .isanto!icne i i ~ dnade j t
c l e a r t o 2 l c k o t t : ; t l l n t he r e g a r d e d i t a s t r s a c i : e r y G- tiie p s r t of
t h e B r i t i s h a n d F a n t i t o c o q t i r u e b l o c k a c ' i r i C l o i n a d z l - i ~ i ;an
ar1;iistice h i llcl had u n d e r s t o o d t o l z c l l ; d a a l l h i s S G ~ :j ~ c t . 3 ,

arilong whcrn he corn--tied t h e E1r:li.x p e o p l e . 126 1 I o r e o v e ~ ,t h c r e were

l e t t e r s on f i l e i n which t h e A s a ~ ? ; e i ~ r r: n~ ~f e r r s dt o t h e Slciina ns
h i s ~ f f r i s n c ' ! and
s r e l a t i o p . s t l and i n ed!ich 11s stated t:iat " t h e
Dutch had delivered Elmlna t o him as h i s ownv. 1 2 7 Ard, finally,
when tile I l s n n t e h n e h e a r d of t h e proposed s a l e , h z :;:rote t o I;r.
Uss!~cr, t h e i2dt:linistrat;or of tlic S o l d C o a s t , t o re:r.ir.d hi;..: t h z t
Elniinn rias his t t o ex;ress
by r i ~ h t ~and ti12 hopo t : ~ Pl.i::ira
t m.s
not; ir:cl.uded i.r, L!le p r c p o s e d cessicm. 128

I n t h e f a c e oT t h i s , i t i s n o t s u r p i s i ~ gt h a t the I 3 r i t i s h
r e q u i r e d the Dutch t o s e c u r e froin Xu:,iasi c o ~ l ' i r ~ r ! a t i oonf t h c f a c t
t h a t Elininn was qot: sub j o c t t o t h e Asnr?teiie?e b e h o r e t;:ey rrou2.d
r a t i f y t h e t r e n t y of coasion. Bccordim.gly, a :.k.Kwsi ?lr;nge
werL t o i;c:~as.i;lar.:? brou"ilt bac!: t h e r e n u n c i a i l o n aL:ed f o r , and
i s e d t;c d o u b l e tlle s?nnual pa;rr:;enf; t h a t tlle 3 u t c h had beer, r;;al:in6;
f o r so l o n g . 132 Pope-:ien~i.ssy also r e o p e n e d the roecis to L s a n t e

w l ~ l c l lhad t e e n c l o s e d f o r s e v e r a l yeai's ar,d thus o b l i g i n g l y :mde

L,l,e efZ'eci tl!cit; t11e o r . l y q ~ ~ c s t i osnt i l l out,st;i?,r?dir.~vzis t h e r a n s o x

J. 7,

t o be p a i d I'o? t h e cap;i;-c r ; ~ i s s i o r ? a r i ~'33

s. Sver iq Gl:.~ira itself,
the s i t u n t i.on l o o k e d proini s i n s . Kobinz Xcl jan13'+ had been deposo2
by the Dutch b e f o r e t h e t r - a ~ s i ' e r haci t a k e n p h c e z ~ c !the A f r i c a n
leaders t he,.l:;clves had p u b l i c l y stated t h a t t h e y apiiroved of t h e
t r a r , s r c r t o t h e Iki>isl!.135

sidcrable unrest. A scrious r i o t ; moved f.:r. P o p e - i I e ~ r ? e s s yt o r e -

i n s L a t s i:o'r;lr.;~ Zd j a n a s c i l l e f o f Z1.1:iinn. T h i s i i a s an un<er-
standable b ~ t~i.n.iiise; l o v e , for Kobira rras just as s t r o n ~ l yopposei!
as e v e r t o a c c e p t i n 2 Z r i t i s h r u l e a n d 5y r e t u r n i n ; ; hi.:;] t o porrer
Pope-I!cnncssy had ir. e f i ' e c t re-cstab3.Lshed t l i z Asanti-: e ~ c i i i v ei n
F'anti cour?Lr;v.,
 I:ir. Pope-IIe;.~.e:;sy mis j u c f ~ e dt h e iZs,~nt.esit~,,' 1L -', :. L O ~ 2 s bc?-dJ-y
a s he had t h a t j.r.Elmina :or. t i l e Asante r m * e not; zeal.:; -so quies-
c e n t as he b e l i e v e d . ,211 p o s s i 5 i l i t ; y of war had r o t bzen d i s -
posed o f by t h e proinises m d e t o t h e A:;artehe~.e or, t : l e o c c a s i o r
of the trmsi'er n7tl t h e r e were ot;her a a t L e r s t c s i d e s t h a t of' t h e

c a p t i v e : n i s s i o n a r i e s i l l ~ l c hr a n k l e d in t h c h e a r t s of' the Xsatite. 137

biost of t h e g r i e v a n L c e sv:hi.cil l e d t o t h e 1263-1.834. c o r . l l i c t iiad

n o t been r e d r e s s e d because t h e war was s t i 1 . l t e c i m i c n l l y i n 21-og-

ress. These Erievonceo13C w e r e o n l y f u r t h c s inflamed 'sy t'm
t h r e a t e n e d l o s s of El.:-lina and t h e cJ.osinl; of' the r o a d s t o A s m t e
t r 2 d . e ar.d the b l o c k a d i n g o f Elr;iJ.na by t ! w F a n t i . 3ven i n t h e

t h e a b s o l u t z l y u n a c c e p t a b l e clemnd f o r t h c r c ? ; l r r . t o the As?*;te-

h e n e l s a l l e g i a n c e o f all t h e t r i b e s i n t h e t F r o t e c t o r ~ . L e 1.33
~.
t:..-;n:;ec', t;2~3 TcnLi;i C;i-.f'el:<?:-;it,li?r. A!Lt;lldilL:i-~ :,he ?;,?ti Ci;y.?e~t?'.;'~t!.i'n

d5.d :.(st, b c c ~ : , ; ea fnc:..:)l> iy, ,'L~glo.-:,cn:-.t,t: -relatS.lj?s, ii; .'is .. ..L- -- -u~~
"'
I n d e e d , t ? l e a u t h o r s o f t l ~ ec o n s i i t ; u t i o n soui:llt the reco;r iiio?,
a d v i c e nr.d support. o f t h e 1 3 r i t i s h Govcrxiimt i n c d e r t o ::;die it
work s u c c e s u f u l l y , 1 . 5 l h e 3 r i t i s h r c ~ c t i o nt o tiiis r e q u e s t f o r
he3.p proved 2. m d e shock t o t h e X f r i c z ? s . f i t f i r s t L5e o X i c i . a l s

at Cape COZSL act:ivaly opposed t h e s c h z r x 116 b u t 2 s ti-e p a s s e d 9

rrnd t h e mountin:.-, t a n s i o r ! :;ith A s a n t e ) ; t f i 2 B r i t i s h sir.:ply nei;-

lect.,ed t o l e n d any si..~;)port t o t h e n:over;i~vli; and i t slovriy b u t s u r e -

l y xit;hc.red on kiie v i n e . The o n l y c v i d e r , c e w:\ich a p p e a r s t o ex-
P
p l a i n the I3riti:;l.i r e a s o n f o r t!lis atti.!,ude i s t o be f o ~ ~ qi d
n the
Cc3 onicil O f f i c e desp=lt;ch o f 1 6 t h J a n u a r y 1872. 'i?\.is d z s p n t c h
b--r c i z c : ;
cl,.j.+ t h e h a s t e which l e d t h e p r o : , ~ o t e r sof t h e sche;ne t o a c t

iljrcn it; a s a s e t t l e d i n s t i L u t i o n b e f o r e s u b i ~ i i t t i n git t o Tk.

Salrmn , tile A c t - . i ~ gXdr.lir.istr;itor. Zut i t s main critic is:^ i s that.
frsorne of t!-le Art,icles i n t h e Const;it;ution or" t h e C o n f e d e r a t i o n
were p r a c t i . c d l y i n c o n s i s t e n t irFt;h t h e j u r i s c l i c t i c r . o f t h e Z r i t , i s ! i
Covcrninent i n t h e p r o t e c t e d t e r y i t o r y t t .147 Rerein l i e s t h e of-
S i c i d ex;,ress:ion o f tlic chzm.;ed D r i Lish a t t i t i . ~ d e . I n 1665, j11-

risclic'i.ion was c I . e a r l y def'iR?.ed a s b c i r g f i r i h i l y r e s t r i c t e d t o t i l e

f o r t s arld t h e t e m s of t h e Doncis b u t less t h a n s e v e r y e a r s l a t e r

t h e l-:ri.tish were cla!~ai.?g the ri@hl; t o j.r.terfere i n Llia p 0 1 i t i c ; i l
a l f a i r s o f t h e c o a s t x l stat3s. 11,s

Clca:-ly, t:ie 0:I.y Juri.:;diction e r j o j r e d by t h e n;;~-lt.i.sli

In
t e r l - i tor y cjutsicle of t h c farts il2.S % h e r e s t i r i c t c d j u t i i c L a l :~l.;tli~r-
i t y c>f the 9rit::Lsli c o t i r t s , iX:i ch ikvas c;c<:i>ciscd i n accci-dar.cc w i t h
t h e Zonds o f 1Glklt. and t h e F o y e i ~ zJ u r i s d i c t i o n Act o f 1.6;+3.
T h s r e v:c.rc sinpl.;. RO g r o u n d s t o s u p p o r t arly c l a i l a t o pol.;-tical.
authority. C e s p i t e tilis, ho;.iaver, a n d i n t h e f a c e of t h e r e c c n -

fr0i.1 C a r c l ~ i e l lt c Conran and t!lc c l c s p ~ t ~ oT

i i 1663 f r c l m Crznvj-lle
t o ~ e r ; n e d ~ a, l ll ~of~ which s t m i - s o d t h e a v o i d a r c e c f a n y r o a l o r

i n g d r i f t on t h e p a r t o f t h e 3 : - i t i s h o f f i c i a l s s c r v i r ~G?? t!le
c o a s t , t o exter.cl. what a ~ i l o u ~ t ctdo n v e r y t e n u o u s ' 3 r i t , i s h i n f l u -
ence i n t o a n i l l e ~ i t ~ i ~ n r jlut rei s d i c t i o n o v e r pol.i'iic.1 affairs in
.
t h e ' F r o t e c t o r a t e ! 150

t h e most o u t s t a n d i n g and inost r e c e n t ;,lnnifest;~ii;iono f t h i s c'ievel-

opi;icni;. ,t
T
i s i:nportnrlt b e c a u s e alt:loush tht? 3 r i t i s h iverc r o t
y e t arrai-e o f i t , t h e r e n u q c i n t i o n o f t h e Conf e d c r ~ tor,
i ei?f a c t i v c l : , -
d e s t r o y e d t,he o n l y p o s s i b l e hope of t h e c o a s t a l t r i b n s lornicg an
eI'?ective p r o t e c t i v e a l l i a n c e .
-m d ? , ? d , t h e 2 r i t i s i i hzd rulec! out,

t h e ~2s;1."t3 2nd t h e y ware s o c n t o f i n d t h a t t h e y had a s s m e d t h e

scme f ~ t ; u r ed a t e . Gns of t h e p r i n -
cipa2 object; o r t h e Z n ~ l l s hi n a c -
q u : t r i n g E l x i n a and tIio ot!icl- DuL ch
Sett;lei:lmis had bcerr t o p u t ar, end
to t h c wsrL'are on t h e C o a s t , b u t nevi
t h e co:fi~:~or,fate of woil!L(:>-t;e perice-
rnakcrs \<ast h e i r s and tliajr f o u n d tllcm-
s e l v e s s c ~ r i o u s l yinvolved.

i n 2 p o l i c y adopted, o r any str~jn,er

p o l i c y WLS ur,5aclieti by t h e pu;;er t o
e n f o r c e coi.;plic.,?c~~ r i t l ! l e g i t i:natc.
de:ixnds, t h e g r e 2 t e r t i i c d i f f i c u l -
t i e s S c c a n 3 a ~ td: ? ~ 1ilOL'E d i d thc
A s ' n a ~ t i sl e a r n t o des1)ise t h e po::zr
o f t h e English and hava i n c r e a s c i !
f a i t h i n Liieir o:m s~:p:msed i n v i n c i -
b i l - i t y . So f a r ilad t h l s p r o c e s s zl-
r e a d y gc;ne, ar!d s o i~c.uli::x. a n d ciif-
f i c u l 3 l,,;o~idhave be?? bi12 s i t u a t i o n ,
even i f a t r c c t y c a u l d now h z v e been
made betvlcen tv:o n a t i o : ? s s o w i d e l y
sepa:*al;ed i n Liie sca1.e o f c i v i l i z a -
t i o r , t h e ril0r-e b a r b a r o u s of ;;!ilch
was l o c a l l : ~ ul, t h a t
t h e inore pcj7~~:er-f
t h e d e f i n i t e c o n ~ u e s tcT A s h a n t i c c u l d
n o l o ~ . ~ bce~ d*e f e r r a 2 . l - 5 1
T h i s comicni; i s r:;ade :~il;li tlle bc?nef it; o f h i ? d s i g \ l t , iiowzver , zr 2
t h e s i t u a t i o n was n0.t so c l e a r c u t vhen tile X s a ~ t eal*itiy c r o s s e d
t h e ? r a i n Ja;?uary 1673. IP f a c t ; , t h e I31*itis!l m r c r.oL c v c r l : ~

con.cerneci :.d!er, t h e y were f i r s t i n f o l x e c ? t h a t Cie A s m t e t?:.i.ly !lad.

i ~ v a d c dthe l ? r o t e c k : ) r ' ~ t e ' f o r t,ley f e l t tEia t t h e coasl;c?4i t r i b e s

woul-c! b e a b l e t;o h a n d l e t h e s i t u a t l o r , . Soxe ir.or?tiiu m r c t o pas;

b e f o r e the t r u e s i t t i a t i o n was r e c o g n i z e d and o n l y t h e n d i d t h e y
c o r m i t the;rlseI.ves t o a f u l l - s c a l e war w i t h t h e Asar?ie.
 - h9 -
s e c u r e d , t h e main body--a d i v i s i o n o f some f i f t e e n t o t w e n t y
t h o u s a n d w a r r i o r s d i r e c t l y under t h e command o f t h e Supreme Com-
mander, Amankwa Tia, C h i e f o f Bantame--was t o advance due s o u t h
a l o n g t h e Prasu-Cape Coast r o a d . H i s m i s s i o n was two-fold. He
was n o t o n l y t o r e - e s t a b l i s h Asante s u z e r a i n t y o v e r t h e c o a s t a l
s t a t e s which had been l o s t by v i r t u e o f t h e T r e a t y o f 1831, b u t
he was a l s o t o e i t h e r b r i n g t h e E n g l i s h t o t e r m s o r e x p e l them
from t h e c o a s t .4

Adu Bofol s d i v i s i o n marched f i r s t . F o l l o l i i n g t h e 1lsnsu.-

Inkwanta r o a d , t h i s f o r c e c r o s s e d t h e O f i n i n t o Sefwi and march-
e d on FJiosu. From Wiosu it b o r e s o u t h and a f t e r s e v e r a l b r i e f
and s u c c e s s f u l e n c o u n t e r s , c o n c e n t r a t e d i n t h e r e g i o n o f Apol-
l o n i a m 5 The army's r i g h t f l a n k had t h e r e f o r e been r a t h e r e a s i l y
secured, Such was n o t t h e c a s e on t h e l e f t f l a n k . Due t o t h e
s l o w c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f some l e v i e s , Kofi B e n t u o l s d i v i s i o n d i d n o t
move u n t i l some seven weeks a f t e r Adu B o f o ' s d e p a r t u r e and F u l l e r
I

r e p o r t s t h a t he w a s r e c a l l e d even b e f o r e he had e n t e r e d Akim Ter-

ritory. The Asantehene had h e a r d " t h a t t h e Denkeras had h i d d e n
t h e i r h e i r l o o m s i n a f o r e s t c a l l e d Y i n a b a f o r a , c l o s e t o Imbraim,
and s e n t Bentuo t o r e c o v e r them. n6 A s a r e s u l t , Kofi Bentuols
m i s s i o n was n e v e r accomplished because b e f o r e he c o u l d be d i v e r t -
e d from h i s ' t r e a s u r e h u n t ' , d i s a s t e r had s t r u c k t h e main army
u n d e r Amankwa T i a .
 A t t h e t i m e o f Kofi Bentuof s r e c a l l , however, t h e r e were
n o i n d i c a t i o n s t h a t t h e e a s t w a r d t h r u s t c o u l d n o t be c a r r i e d o u t
once t h e Kenkyera t r e a s u r e had been r e c o v e r e d . Indeed, during
t h e i n i t i a l s t a g e s of Amankwa T i a f s campaign, t h e r e was some
j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r b e l i e v i n g t h a t t h e e a s t e r n o p e r a t i o n might be
quite s a f e l y cancelled entirely. When t h i s p o w e r f u l c e n t e r d i v i -
s i o n l e f t Kumasi j u s t one week a f t e r Adu B o f o f s d e p a r t u r e , it
g a v e e v e r y i m p r e s s i o n o f b e i n g i n v i n c i b l e e 7 And i t s e a r l y o p e r -
a t i o n s l i v e d up t o t h e promise o f t h a t e a r l y i m p r e s s i o n .

Amankwa T i a f s d i v i s i o n began c r o s s i n g t h e P r a a t A t a s i
on t h e 22nd o f J a n u a r y 1873 and f i v e d a y s o f c o n t i n u o u s f e r r y i n g
were r e q u i r e d b e f o r e t h e army was f i n a l l y c o n c e n t r a t e d on t h e
s o u t h bank o f t h e pra.* The southward d r i v e t h u s began on t h e
2 8 t h o f J a n u a r y when t h e A s a n t e s f i r s t p l u n d e r e d and burned s e v -
e r a l A s s i n v i l l a g e s and engaged i n a minor s k i r m i s h a g a i n s t a
body o f some one t h o u s a n d A s s i n s . I n t h i s a c t i o n one Asante
p r i s o n e r was t a k e n and two more were k i l l e d . The p r i s o n e r was
k i l l e d and a l l t h r e e h e a d s were s e n t t o King Anfoo Otoo a t
Abrakranipa as p r o o f o f t h e a c t u a l i t y o f t h e i n v a s i o n . It was
from King A n f o o f s l e t t e r r e p o r t i n g h i s i n f o r m a t i o n and a message
f r o m Chibu t h e King o f A s s i n , b o t h o f which r e a c h e d Cape Coast
on t h e 31st o f J a n u a r y , t h a t t h e Government f i r s t l e a r n e d o f t h e
invasion. 9
 C o l o n e l H a r l e y , t h e Gold Coast A d m i n i s t r a t o r , lowas a c -
t u a l l y c o n d u c t i n g n e g o t i a t i o n s f o r t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e European
M i s s i o n a r i e s when he r e c e i v e d word o f t h e i n v a s i o n and h e was
caught completely o f f guard. I n reporting the invasion t o the
Administrator-in-Chief a t S i e r r a Leone, M r , Pope-Hennessy, " he
c l e a r l y e x p r e s s e d h i s shock and bewilderment when he s a i d :
-'Ineed s c a r c e l y convey t o your
E x c e l l e n c y t h e profound a s t o n i s h m e n t
w i t h which I have r e c e i v e d t h e s e t i d -
i n g s , a s n o t h i n g b u t t h e most a m i c a b l e
r e l a t i o n s have e x i s t e d between t h i s
Governnent and Ashantee f o r some t i n e ,
and a s s u r a n c e s o f l a s t i n g peace and
g o o d w i l l have been s e n t down by t h e
king ever e my assumption o f t h e
Government.
H a r l e y a l s o e x p r e s s e d annoyance a t what he viewed as Asamte
t r e a c h e r y i n a t t a c k i n g w i t h o u t p r o v o c a t i o n w h i l e envoys were ac-
t u a l l y a t Cape Coast c o n d u c t i n g n e g o t i a t i o n s f o r t h e removal o f
t h e " l a s t c a u s e f o r c o n f l i c t between ( t h e ~ r i t i s h )and t h e
.
~ s h a n t e e s"I3 D e s p i t e h i s s u r p r i s e and c h a g r i n , however, H s r l e y
was d e s t i n e d t o move q u i c k l y and p o s i t i v e l y t o c o n f i r m t h e f a c t
of t h e i n v a s i o n and t a k e measures t o c o u n t e r i t ,

M r . IIennessy, who had been A d i n i n i s t r a t o r - i n - C h i e f for

b a r e l y e i g h t months, r e c e i v e d Colonel H a r l e y ' s d e s p a t c h on t h e
8 t h o f F e b r u a r y and h i s r e a c t i o n v e r g e d on t h e h y s t e r i c a l . No
d o u b t t h i s was due i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e f a c t t h a t s h o u l d t h e i n -
v a s i o n be s e r i o u s , Hennessy's diplomacy on t h e Gold Coast would
be e n t i r e l y d i s c r e d i t e d . l4 As a consequence, he m a i n t a i n e d u n t i l
t h e day h e l e f t West A f r i c a t h a t t h e c o n f l i c t was a l o c a l i z e d
"border skirmish. l t l 5 H i s despatches t o t h e Colonel S e c r e t a r y ,
t h e E a r l o f Kimberley, and h i s d i r e c t i v e s t o C o l o n e l H a r l e y ,
c o n s i s t e n t l y r e p e a t e d t h i s theme w h i l e a d v i s i n g and o r d e r i n g
t h a t t h e Asante h a d , t o be d e a l t w i t h c a r e f u l l y t o a v o i d expand-
ing t h e c o n f l i c t . He c o n t i n u a l l y blamed C o l o n e l Harley f o r t h e
d i f f i c u l t i e s and t h e s e n i o r n a v a l o f f i c e r on t h e c o a s t , Commo-
d o r e Commerell, R.M., as w e l l a s some f u n c t i o n a r i e s a t Cape
~ 0 a s t . sl u~p p o r t e d him b o t h i n h i s view of t h e i n v a s i o n and h i s
condemnation of t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r . H i s d e s p a t c h t o Lord
Kimberley on t h e 1 3 t h o f February c o n t a i n s t h r e e p a r a g r a p h s
which c l e a r l y i l l u s t r a t e h i s p o s i t i o n . He w r o t e :
4. A t t h e same t i m e , t h e Conui~odore
(Commerell) a p p e a r e d t o t h i n k t h e a f f a i r
was much e x a g g e r a t e d .
5. 'Fror;! what he saw a t Seccondee,
h e b e l i e v e d t h e d i s t u r b a n c e s t h e r e were
t h e r e s u l t of t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r ~ sspeech
a t Elmina a b o u t t h e n a t i v e customs.
7. A l l t h e p r i v a t e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e
I have seen from t h e Coast c o n f i r m s t h i s
view; and i t i s i n e n t i r e a c c o r d w i t h my
own o p i n i o n . 1 7
M r . Hennessy' s o p i n i o n n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g , C o l o n e l H a r l e y
i m m e d i a t e l y began t o t a k e measures t o c o u n t e r what h e viewed a s
a s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' and t h u s t h e Anglo-Asante
Wa.r o f 1873-1$74 was w e l l and t r u l y under way. The s u b s e q u e n t
campaign f a l l s i n t o t h r e e d i s t i n c t p h a s e s . The f i r s t phase cov-
e r s t h e p e r i o d from 1 F e b r u a r y , 1873 u n t i l t h e a ~ * r i v a ol f S i r
Garnet V o l s e l e y i n S e p t e ~ l b e r1873. Phase two b e g i n s w i t h
W o l s e l e y ' s a r r i v a l on t h e Gold Coast a n d e n d s w i t h t h e c o m p l e t i o n
of t h e Asante w i t h d r a w a l a c r o s s t h e P r a R i v e r l a t e i n November
1873. The t h i r d phase i n v o l v e s t h e p r e p a r a t i o n f o r and e x e c u t l o i l
o f t h e s u c c e s s f u l B r i t i s h i n v a s i o n o f Asante t e r r i t o r y , t h e sub-
s e q u e n t w i t h d r a w a l from Kumasi and t h e e v a c u a t i o n o f t h e Ewzopean
t r o o p s from t h e Gold Coast i n F e b r u a r y 1874.

P h a s e one was dominated by C o l o n e l H a r l e y t s a t t e m p t s t o

cope w i t h f o u r b a s i c problems. I n t h e f i r s t p l a c e , he had t o
c l e a r l y and f i r m l y d e f i n e B r i t i s h p o l i c y f o r t h e b e n e f i t o f t h e
chiefs i n t h e 'Protectorate' . He t h e n had t o e n s u r e t h e s e c u -
r i t y of t h e f o r t s s c a t t e r e d a l o n g t h e c o a s t l i n e . T h i r d l y , he
had t o encourage and s u p p o r t t h e t r i b e s m e n of t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e '
i n t h e i r e f f o r t s t o h a l t t h e Asante i n v a s i o n . F i n a l l y , some
means had t o be found t o d e a l w i t h t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s p r e s e n t e d
by Elmina and a l l o f t h e o t h e r s e t t l e m e n t s which had p r e v i o u s l y
been u n d e r Dutch c o n t r o l , many o f which sympathized w i t h t h e
Asantes .
The f i r s t s t a t e m e n t on B r i t i s h p o l i c y was g i v e n on t h e
3 0 t h of J a n u a r y when C o l o n e l H a r l e y responded t o King Anfoo
O t o o T s n o t i f i c a t i o n o f t h e Asante i n v a s i o n . The A d m i n i s t r a t o r
first expressed h i s s t r o n g doubts over t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of a
m a s s i v e i n v a s i o n b u t t h e n went on t o c l e a r l y i n t i m a t e what t h e
B r i t i s h a t t i t u d e would be s h o u l d an i n v a s i o n p r o v e t o have t a k e n

place. He w r o t e :
 You and t h e o t h e r k i n g s o f t h e
P r o t e c t o r a t e may r e l y upon t h e Govern-
ment g i v i n g you a s s i s t a n c e i n arms and
ammunition, i n t h e e v e n t o f your b e i n g
a t t a c k e d ; b u t you must b e a r i n mind t h a t
it i s a l i k e y o u r i n t e r e s t and d u t y t o
d e f e n d y o u r own f r o n t i e r s , and t h a t
n o t h i n g b u t an u n i t e d and d e c i d e d s y s t e m
o f d e f e n c e , which t h e k i n g s s h o u l d a l l
a g r e e upon, i s l i k e l y t o r e n d e r your
e f f o r t s s u c c e s s f u l i n r e i s t i n g and
overcoming y o u r enemy. 18
One day l a t e r , t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r r e c e i v e d s u f f i c i e n t ev-
i d e n c e t o s h a t t e r h i s somewhat corilplacent a t t i t u d e . He responded
by i m m e d i a t e l y convening h i s L e g i s l a t i v e c o u n c i l .I9 A f t e r due
d e l i b e r a t i o n , t h e C o u n c i l a g r e e d unanimously t h a t a l l f u t u r e a c -
t i o n s o f t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r and t h e Council would be g u i d e d and
c o n t r o l l e d by t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s i s s u e d on 23 J u n e , 1864, by t h e
t h e n S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r t h e C o l o n i e s , M r . Cardwell. 20 The
most i m p o r t a n t p o r t i o n o f t h o s e i n s t r u c t i o n s s t a t e d t h a t :
.,. .. t h e proper course, t h e r e f o r e , is
t o t a k e e v e r y p o s s i b l e means f o r b r i n g -
i n g t h e c h i e f s t o a u n i t e d and d e c i d e d
s y s t e m o f d e f e n c e , and f o r t h i s p u r p o s e
t o g i v e them a d v i c e , t o s u p p l y them
judiciously w i t h m i l i t a r y s t o r e s , and,
i n c o n c e r t w i t h t h e o T f i c e r commanding
t h e f o r c e s , t o f u r n i s h them w i t h assist-
a n c e as he may be a b l e t o a f f o r d , w i t h o u t
e x p o s i n g h i s o f f i c e r s and men t o any pro-
t r a c t e d residence i n t h e i n t e r i o r , espe-
c i a l l y a t t h e u n h e a l t h y s e a s o n , and w i t h -
o u t weakening h i s f o r c e upon t h e C o a s t ,
s o as t o endanger t h e sa e t y o f t h e
S e t t l e m e n t s themselves. h
The e s s e n c s o f t h e s e i n s t r u c t i o n s was i n c l u d e d i n a Proc-
l a m a t i o n i s s u e d by t h e L e g i s l a t i v e C o u n c i l on t h e 3 1 s t o f J a n u a r y
and was i m m e d i a t e l y d i s t r i b u t e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' .
 C o l o n e l H a r l e y was f i r m l y s u p p o r t e d i n t h i s a c t i o n by b o t h Mr,
Hennessy and t h e C o l o n i a l S e c r e t a r y h i m s e l f , Lord Kimberley 22 .
I n d e e d , M r . Hennessy was most a n x i o u s t h a t t h i s p o l i c y s h o u l d be
. p u r s u e d b e c a u s e o f h i s f i r m c o n v i c t i o n t h a t t h i s was o n l y a b o r -
d e r d i s p u t e o f minor i m p o r t . I n p a s s i n g H a r l e y ' s r e p o r t s on t o
Kimberley, he s t a t e d most f o r c e f u l l y t h a t a n y d i r e c t B r i t i s h
i n v o l v e u e n t would s e r v e o n l y t o i n f l a m e t h e Asantehene and p r e -
c i p i t a t e a f u l l - s c a l e i n v a s i o n o f t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' and t h a t
t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n o f t h e p o l i c y o f non-involvement was t h e o n l y
c o u r s e t o be a d o p t e d . 23

B r i t i s h p o l i c y was t h u s c l e a r l y s t a t e d from t h e v e r y
outset, S h o u l d any d o u b t s have r e n a i n e d , however, Nr. R. I!,
~ a a t e Hennessyt
, ~ ~ s r e p l a c e m e n t , removed t h e n i n a c o n c i s e s t a t e -
ment o f p o l i c y which h e communicated t o C o l o n e l H a r l e y on t h e
1 8 t h of February. I n t h i s d e s p a t c h he s a i d :
I d e s i r e , however, e s p e c i a l l y t o
draw t o y o u r a t t e n t i o n t o a d e s p a t c h from
S i r A r t h u r Kennedy o f t h e 8 t h J u n e 1869,
i n which h e t r a n s m i t t e d t o t h e o t h e r a c t -
i n g A d m i n i s t r a t o r f o r h i s g u i d a n c e a Des-
p a t c h from t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e , d a t e d
t h e 1 7 t h Nay 1869, i n which t h e p r i n c i p l e
i s e x p r e s s l y l a i d down w i t h r e s p e c t t o
t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e c h i e f s , t h a t ' t h e wars
i n which t h e y engage t h e m s e l v e s a r e t h e i r
wars, and n o t t h e wars o f t h i s c o u n t r y
( G r e a t B r i t a i n ) ; t h a t t h e y must r e l y on
t h e m s e l v e s f o r s u c c e s s i n t h e i r wars, and
t h a t t h e B r i t i s h Government i s unable t o
make i t s e l f r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e i r d e f e n c e
i n c a s e t h e y s h u l d prove u n a b l e t o d e f e n d
themsalves. ' 25
 T h i s a y p w a c h was e v e ~ t u a l l yt o prove coinpletelj. ~ m i i o r k -
a b l e b u t solne iiwnths were t o p a s s b e f o r e t h e B r i t i s h r e a l i z e d
this. I n t h e i n t e r i n , C o l o n e l I I a r l e y strucgled--wit!; what ws,
under. t h e circurllstc7,nces, a considerable d e g r e e o f success--tic,
d e a l w i t h t l i e t;kiree s e r i o u s problercs which s t i l l rerilair.ed t o f a c e
hilil. I n d e e d , upcn i ~ v e s t i g a t i n gt h e s e p r o b l e m one b e g i n s t o
r e a l i z e how d o u b t f u l i t i s , under t h e circu:nst,ar.ces p r - e v a i l i ? ~in
e a r l y 1673, th:;c t h e s i t u a t i o n d u r i n t t h i s e a r l y phase o f t h e \;ar
would have developed a n y d i f f e r e n t l y even had t h e C r i t i s h a d o p t e d
a p o l i c y oi' d i r e c t i - t c ~ v e n t i o n . FTo r m t t e r i i i : ~ tp o l i c y they
n i ~ h thave chose-., t!ie 3 r i i i s h were s i n p l y n o t c a p a b l e o i d c i r g
muc?l narc t h a n t h e y a c t u a 1 l . y d i d d : l r i n ~ t h e e a r l y mor.'ilis cf t h e
war.

IQ k e c p i q g w i t h an i ~ f o r r , i a lb u t t h e - h o n o u r e d t r a d i t i c r . ,
t h e 7 t A s h a r t i s had c a u ~ ~ ht ht e Goverr1.1ent i n i t s h a b i t u a l s t a t e of
unpreparednes:;. tt26 I n t:ie e r t i r e t e r r i t o r y tilei-e irore o n l y 176
o f f i c e l + s avd :,lw a v a i l a b l e f o r f i e l d d u t y artd e v e n t l l i s sx211
f o r c e was spl-cad o u t i n 'penny p a c k e t s ' as garrisons a t Cape
C o a s t C a s t l e , Accra, Seconde2, A:ciic m:'; 9 i i i l i ~ a . The:€ v c r e some
s e r . v i c e L ~ ' s i ef i c l d - a r i i l l z r y p i e c e s a v a i l a b l e b u t t h e y v e r e v i r -
t u a 1 . l ~u s e l e s s duc t o t h e aLsen,ce of t r a i n e d gun crct:s a ~ ad lac!:
of ar:inlunition. Sven r o c k e t s , t h e most p o r t a b l e and e a s i l y a t i -
l i z e c l f or111of art:-,..-t.
- 1 7
1.7, wore i n cxcevd i ~ c l ys'i-iort svl;;;l;: . ~ilerc
rnr

\rere o n l y l$ o? t h e e n t i r e cocsl;.
-
~ v c nir,orc. s ~ r i o u s ,:?o;!cv?T,

b ~ a st: e s:lort;lgc 0; p c r s o ? a i ; i c c ? p o ~ s . The stores a t C q : c C O L S ~

C a s t l e c o n t a i n e d o n l y 380 f l i n t - l o c k muskets and 1 9 0 muzzle-
l o a d i n g (M.L.) Enfield r i f l e s . F o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e was a r e a s o n -
a b l y l a r g e q u a n t i t y o f gunpowder, M.L. c a r t r i d g e s and l e a d w i t h
which t o s u p p l y t h o s e t r i b e s m e n i n t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' who a l r e a d y
p o s s e s s e d t h e i r own f i r e a r m s . 27

These a p p a l l i n g s h o r t a g e s and t h e l a c k o f s u p p o r t from

Hennessy and Cornmerell n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g , C o l o n e l H a r l e y was f a c e d
w i t h t h e monumental t a s k o f h a v i n g t o d e v i s e sone method whereby
h e c o u l d defend t h e f o r t s and s t i l l g i v e a i d t o t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t a '
chiefs. Undaunted, t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r t h r e w h i m s e l f i n t o t h e t.as?c
and had soon d e v i s e d a s i m p l e t h r e e - p h a s e p l a n which u t i l i z e d t h s
meagre s u p p l i e s a v a i l a b l e t o t h e i r b e s t a d v a n t a g e w h i l e a d h e r i n g
t o t h e l i m i t a t i o n s p l a c e d on h i s freedom o f a c t i o n by t h e ar.-
nounced B r i t i s h p o l i c y .

The f i r s t s t e p was t o c a r r y o u t a r e c o n n a i s s a n c e i n o r d e r
t o d e f i n e t h e scope and i n t e n t of t h e i n v a s i o n and i n o r d e r t o
a s s e s s t h e s p i r i t of t h e t r i b e s i n t h e 'Protectorate'. On t h e
b a s i s o f t h e i n f o r m a t i o n c o l l e c t e d , t h e d e c i s i o n would be made
as t o what s u p p l i e s o f arms and a m w n i t i o n c o u l d b e s p a r e d f o r
issue t o the tribes. A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e p r o c l a m a t i o n i s s u e d by t h e
L e g i s l a t i v e C o u n c i l a t i t s meeting on t h e 31st o f J a n u a r y , 1873
was d e l i v e r e d t o t h e c h i e f s by D r . Rowe, t h e c o l o n i a l s u r g e o n , 28
who was s e n t t o them as a s p e c i a l commissioner. The p r o c l a m a t i o n
e x h o r t e d t h e t r i b e s t o u n i t e and f a c e t h e i n v a d e r and itowe was
d i r e c t e d t o encourage t h e c h i e f s as s t r o n g l y as p o s s i b l e w h i l e
a t t e m p t i n g t o a s s e s s t h e i r s p i r i t o f d e t e r m i n a t i o n . 29

D r . Rowe r e p o r t e d r a t h e r f a v o u r a b l y on t h e a t t i t u d e p r e -
v a i l i n g among t h e c h i e f s 3 ' and C o l o n e l H a r l e y was i m p r e s s e d w i t h
what he viewed as a s p i r i t o f e n t h u s i a s m p e r v a d i n g a l l c l a s s e s
of t h e Africans. The s p i r i t o f Cape Coast was e x e m p l i f i e d by
t h e prompt o f f e r o f t h e i r s e r v i c e s by t h e 250 members o f t h e
Cape C o a s t ~ o l u n t e e r sand
~ ~i n t h e i n t e r i o r , t h e Kings o f Abrah,
Anambo, Mankessim and A s s i n a l l d e c l a r e d t h e i r i n t e n t i o n t o
f i g h t a n d r e q u e s t e d a s s i s t a n c e i n t h e form o f arms and ammuni-
tion. I n f a c t , t h e r e s p o n s e was s o good t h a t t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r
e s t i m a t e d t h a t t h e r e would be w u p ~ t a r d so f 6 0 , 0 0 0 men i n t h e P r o -
tectorate. . . more o r l e s s a c t i v e l y engaged i n t h e coming s t r u g -
g l e , and who ( w e r e ) a l l p r e p a r e d t o demand Government a i d . (132
C e r t a i n l y t h i s e s t i m a t e a p p e a r e d t o be w e l l j u s t i f i e d when j u s t
one o f t h e C h i e f s , C h i e f B e n t i l l o f Murnford o f f e r e d t o t u r n o u t
20,000 men. 33 This h i g h l y encouraging p i c t u r e l e d Colonel
H a r l e y t o i s s u e h i s small s t o c k o f arms and ammunition t o t h e
e x i s t i n g t r i b a l f o r c e s i n l i m i t e d but--by European s t a n d a r d s 3 4 -
a d e q u a t e q u a n t i t i e s s o t h a t he would be a b l e t o s u p p l y t h e ex-
p e c t e d new l e v i e s as t h e y came i n t o s e r v i c e .
 The second phase o f t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r ' s p l a n was t o p r o -
v i d e some c o n c r e t e y e t q u a l i f i e d p r o o f of t h e B r i t i s h i n t e n t i o n
t o support the t r i b a l a l l i e s , To a c h i e v e t h i s , t h e L e g i s l a t i v e
C o u n c i l a g r e e d t h a t t h e a v a i l a b l e detachment o f 50 Hausa
be s e n t t o Dunkwa. However, w h i l e t a k i n g t h i s a c t i o n , t h e Coun-
c i l made it c l e a r t h a t t h e airn o f t h e move was n o t t o p r o v i d e a
f o r c e t o s t a n d and f i g h t t h e Asante i n v a d e r s . In his letter t o
D r . Rowe, C o l o n e l H a r l e y a s k e d him t o make it c l e a r t o t h e c h i e f s
t h a t h i s " o b j e c t i n s e n d i n g f i f t y armed p o l i c e ( H a u s a s ) t o
Dunquah i s n o t i n any way t o be r e g a r d e d as more t h a n a demon-
s t r a t i o n i n f a v o u r o f t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e , and my d e s i r e t o have t h e
l a w e n f o r c e d a g a i n s t marauders and p l u n d e r e r s i f t h e y can b e
t a k e n , b u t t h e y w i l l , as a m a t t e r o f c o u r s e , d e f e n d t h e m s e l v e s
i n case of a t t a c k . Should, however, t h e r e b e any chance o f t h e i r
b e i n g outnumbered and a t t a c k e d by s u c h a f o r c e a s t h e y a r e n o t
s t r o n g enough t o r e p e l , t h e y w i l l a t once f a l l back on Cape Coast
Castlev. 36

The p l a n ' s t h i r d phase c a l l e d f o r a g e n e r a l s t r e n g t h e n i n g

o f t h e B r i t i s h p o s i t i o n on t h e c o a s t , Consequently, t h e Adminis-
t r a t o r r e q u e s t e d a i d from S i e r r a Leone i n ar. a t t e m p t t o b u i l d up
h i s g a r r i s o n and r e p l e n i s h h i s g e n e r a l s t o r e s and magazine. He
reconmended t o M r . Hennessy t h a t 300 o f t h e new b r e e c h - l o a d i n g

(B.L.) S n i d e r r i f l e s be s e n t t o t h e Gold Coast f o r t h e purpose

of re-arming t h e Hausas. He would t h e n be e n a b l e d t o arm t h e

Cape Coast V o l u n t e e r s w i t h t h e M.T,. Enfields thus released. Re-
i n f o r c e m e n t s o f at l e a s t conpany s t r e n g t h were a l s o r e q u e s t e d s o
t h a t t h e f o r t s c o u l d be c o m p l e t e l y g a r r i s o n e d w i t h r e g u l a r t r o o p s
of t h e Second West I n d i a Regiment ( 2 WIR) .37 T h i s move was i n -
t e n d e d t o b o t h s t r e n g t h e n t h e g a r r i s o n and r e l e a s e t h e e n t i r e
Hausa f o r c e f o r d u t y a s a form o f r e s e r v e . F i n a l l y , he a s k e d f o r
o f f i c e r s t o comiand t h e v a r i o u s o u t p o s t s . He s p e c i f i c a l l y r e -
q u e s t e d t h e s e r v i c e s o f a L i e u t e n a n t Hopkins, 2 W I R , t o t a k e
c h a r g e o f t h e Hsusas. 3* Thus r e a l i s t i c and p o s i t i v e s t e p s were
planned by C o l o n e l Harley. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , however, h i s p l a n wcs
somewhat f r u s t r a t e d from t h e v e r y o u t s e t .

Although immediate arrangements were made t o p r o v i d e f o r

t h e g r a n t i n g o f t h e s e r e q u e s t s , M r . Hennessy was l o a t h t o a u t h o r -
i z e t h e shipment o f t h e men and s u p p l i e s concerned. He s t u b b o r n -
l y c l u n g t o t h e i d e a t h a t t h e whole a f f a i r was b e i n g g r e a t l y ex-
at;gerated. He c o n t i n u a l l y a n d vehemently denounced C o l o n e l
H a r l e y and used e v e r y s c r a p o f e v i d e n c e he c o u l d g a t h e r t o d i s -
c r e d i t t h e Gold Coast ~ d r n i n i s t r a t o r . ~H ~i s v e n d e t t a had gone s o
f a r by t h e m i d d l e o f F e b r u a r y t h a t he was a c t u a l l y p r e p a r e d t o
r e l i e v e C o l o n e l H a r l e y o f h i s d u t i e s O 4 O He was f r u s t r a t e d i n
t h i s a t t e m p t , however, by t h e t i m e l y and f o r t u n a t e a r r i v a l o f h i s
own r e p l a c e m e n t , Idr. R . Keate. 4 1
 On h i s a r r i v a l a t S i e r r a Leone, Governor Keate found t h e
s i t u a t i o n s o confused t h a t he s e n t o n l y t h e arms and ammunition
t o t h e Gold Coast w h i l e r e t a i n i n g t h e t r o o p r e i n f o r c e m n t s i n
S i e r r a Leone. He d e c i d e d t o h o l d t h e r e i n f o r c e m e n t s and p r o c e e d
t o t h e Gold Coast w i t h M r . L o g g i e , t h e I n s p e c t o r - G e n e r a l o f Po-
l i c e , i n a n a t t e m p t t o c l a r i f y t h e s i t u a t i o n and a s c e r t a i n wheth-
e r o r n o t t h e t r o o p s were r e a l l y needed. 42

The Governor and t h e consignment o f arms and ammunition

a r r i v e d a t Cape C o a s t C a s t l e on t h e 7 t h o f March and a l t h o u g h he
d i e d w i t h i n t e n d a y s o f ' h i s a r r i v a l , Governor Keate was a b l e t o
w r i t e two d e s p a t c h e s which were t o be o f c o n s i d e r a b l e i m p o r t a n c e .

The f i r s t o f t h e s e d e s p a t c h e s was of g r e a t importance ir:

London a s it c l e a r l y s t a t e d t h e e x t e n t o f t h e Asante menace and
t h e p o l i c y which was t o b e . pursued by t h e Gold Coast o f f i c i a l s 5.3

t h e f a c e o f t h a t menace. The Governor s t a t e d t h a t s i n c e he hs.d

become b e t t e r a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e f a c t s , he could n o t b u t concur
i n t h e o p i n i o n e x p r e s s e d by a l l p e o p l e o f consequence on t h e Gold
C o a s t t h a t t h e i n v a s i o n was t h e most s e r i o u s o f any t h a t had e v e r
been made i n t o t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e f . He f u r t h e r commented t h a t t h e
p o l i c y b e i n g pursued was c o m p l e t e l y i n l i n e w i t h p a s t i n s t r u c t i o n s
which r e q u i r e d t h a t t h e B r i t i s h Government s h o u l d i n no c a s e be-
come a p r i n c i p a l i n r e p e l l i n g a t t a c k s upon t h e n a t i v e s o f t h e
tProtectorato''.43 The second d e s p a t c h , which r e p o r t e d a n Asante
v i c t o r y a t Yankumasi F a n t i , was o f v i t a l i m p o r t a n c e t o C o l o n e l
H a r l e y ' s p l a n s b e c a u s e it a u t h o r i z e d t h e movement of t h e 100-nan
r e i n f o r c e m e n t company o f 2 T/!IR t r o o p s , who had been on s t a n d b y
a t S i e r r a Leone, t o t h e Gold These a d d i t i o n a l t r o o p s
a r r i v e d a t Cape Coast C a s t l e on t h e 2 0 t h o f Narch, and proved t o
be b u t t h e f i r s t i n s t a l m e n t i n a s t e a d i l y growing f l o o d o f sup-
plies.

The s e r i e s o f d e s p a t c h e s r e c e i v e d i n London up t o t h e
1 0 t h o f March had been c a u s i n g i n c r e a s i n g c o n c e r n on t h e p a r t o f
t h e G l a d s t o n e Government. I n d e e d , by t h e 2 0 t h o f March t h e Col-
o n i a l O f f i c e was s o convinced o f t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e s i t u a t i o n
t h a t it i s s u e d a menlorandurn t o t h e War O f f i c e which made r e f e r -
e n c e t o t h e f a c t t h a t '?the i n v a s i o n o f t h e p r o t e c t e d t e r r i t o r y
by t h e Ashantee may be p r o l o n g e d and t h e r e may be some d i f f i c u l t y
i n h o l d i n g t h e f o r t s i n B r i t i s h o c c u p a t i o n . v45 Nevertheless, t h e
Government was f i r m l y opposed t o t h e i d e a o f s e n d i n g a n e x p e d i -
t i o n a r y f o r c e t o t h e Gold C o a s t . 46 Under s u c h c i r c u m s t a n c e s , t h e
o n l y a l t e r n a t i v e a c t i o n was t o a d h e r e t o t h e e x i s t i n g p o l i c y and
a t t e m p t t o e n s u r e t h e c o n t i n u e d o p e r a t i o n o f t h e a l l i e d a r m i e s by
p r o v i d i n g s u f f i c i e n t q u a n t i t i e s o f arms and ammunition t o k e e p
them i n t h e f i e l d .

T h i s t h e Government r e s o l v e d t o do and t h e Vlar O f f i c e de-

c i d e d on t h e 2 0 t h o f March t o s h i p c e r t a i n m u n i t i o n s t o t h e Gold
Coast. The Government's u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e urgency o f t h e mat-
t e r i s e x e m p l i f i e d by t h e f a c t t h a t a s p e c i a l t r a i n was made up
t o c a r r y t h e consignrmnt t o t h e docks s o a s t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e
shipment was d e l i v e r e d w i t h t h e l e a s t p o s s i b l e d e l a y . 47 AS a
r e s u l t , 700 M.L. E n f i e l d r i f l e s and 210,000 r c u n d s o f b a l l a m u -
n i t i o n a r r i v e d a t Cape Coast C a s t l e on t h e 7 t h o f A p r i l . 48 Frorli
t h i s p o i n t onward, t h e p r o v i s i o n o f s u p p l i e s f o r t h e Gold Coast
n e v e r posed a s e r i o u s problem even though t h e o f f i c i a l s on t h e
Gold Coast d i d n o t become aware o f t h e s e d e v e l o p n e n t s u n t i l t h e
arms and s u p p l i e s a c t u a l l y began a r r i v i n g .

As o n l y t h e s u p p l i e s and r e i n f o r c e ~ e n t sr e q u e s t e d from

S i e r r a Leone had been v i t a l t o C o l o n e l H a r l e y ' s p l n n , t h e i r a r -

r i v a l , combined w i t h t h e a p p a r e n t l y s u c c e s s f u l c a l l f o r a u n i t e d
e f f o r t on t h e p a r t of t h e t r i b e s of t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' should
have s i g n a l l e d t h e b e g i n n i n g of s u c c e s s f o r t h e B r i t i s h p l a n .
U n f o r t u n a t e l y , s u c h was n o t t o be t h e c a s e f o r t h e v e r y premise
upon which t h e B r i t i s h had based t h e i r p o l i c y - - t h e a b i l i t y of t h e
F a n t i t o u n i t e e f f e c t i v e l y i n t h e f a c e o f t h e Asante t h r e a t -
proved t o be f a l l a c i o u s . Thus, w i t h b u t one e x c e p t i o n , t h e p a t -
t e r n o f t h e e a r l i e r i n v a s i o n s was once more t o be r e p e a t e d . In
t h e coming campaign t h e enemy would b e a b l e t o engage and d e f e a t
t h e s e v e r a l t r i b e s one a f t e r t h e o t h e r , d r i v i n g b e f o r e them t h e
f u g i t i v e s from t h e f i r s t b a t t l e s t o d e n o r a l i z e t h o s e whom t h e y
had n e x t t o e n c o u n t e r .

T h e r e were t h r e e b a s i c r e a s o n s f o r t h e l a c k o f F a n t i u n i -

ty. F i r s t , t h e F a n t i w e n t r a d i t i o n a l l y a d i v i d e d p e o p l e who
c o n t i n u a l l y q u a r r e l e d amongst t h e m s e l v e s and whose q u a r r e l s had
become e s p e c i a l l y d i v i s i v e as a r e s u l t of t h e Anglo-Dutch a g r e e -
ment on t h e c e s s i o n o f t h e Dutch f o r t s . Second, t h e t a c t i c s t r a -
d i t i o n a l l y used by t h e F a n t i were n o t d e s i g n e d f o r o f f e n s i v e a c -
t i o n and t h e y were n o t conducive t o t h e f o r m a t i o n o f a l a r g e ar-
my f i g h t i n g f o r broad s t r a t e z i c g o a l s . T h i r d , t h e B r i t i s h , by
v i r t u e o f t h e i r Gold Coast p o l i c y , had n o t o n l y undermined t h e
one r e c e n t a t t e m p t made by t h e F a n t i t o u n i f y t h e m s e l v e s , 49 b u t
had a l s o p l a c e d C o l o n e l H a r l e y i n t h e p o s i t i o n where n o t even h e
c o u l d s u p p l y t h e d e g r e e o f s u p p o r t and l e a d e r s h i p n e c e s s a r y t o
e f f e c t i v e l y u n i t e t h e tribesmen. This t h i r d f a c t o r has already
been d i s c u s s e d a t some length5' b u t t h e o t h e r s have n o t . It i s
t h e r e f o r e n e c e s s a r y t o b r i e f l y r e v i e w t h e f i r s t and second f a c -
t o r s a t t h i s point.

It i s known t h a t t h e F a n t i s e t t l e d i n t h e r e g i o n o f
Mankessim n e a r t h e end o f t h e f i f t e e n t h c e n t u r y and t h a t between
a b o u t 1 6 6 0 and 1690, p a r t l y because o f p o p u l a t i o n p r e s s u r e , p a r t -
l y w i t h a view t o . e s t a b l i s h i n g a t i g h t e r c o n t r o l o v e r t h e i n -
c r e a s i n g l y l u c r a t i v e t r a d e between t h e Europeans and t h e i n t e r i o r
p e o p l e s , and p a r t l y because o f p o l i t i c a l r i v a l r y , t h e d i f f e r e n t
c l a n s began t o move o u t t o c a r v e o u t kingdoms f o r t h e m s e l v e s i n
r e g i o n s f o r m e r l y o c c u p i e d by t h e E t s i i . Each o f t h e s t a t e s t h u s
formed c o n s i d e r e d i t s e l f i n d e p e n d e n t , though i t d i d i n t h e o r y
r e c o g n i z e t h e B r a f f o o f Nankessirn as i t s supreme head. Thus even
t h o u g h , by t h e end o f t h e t h i r d decade o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y ,
t h e F a n t i had expanded f r o n t h e i n t e r i o r and o c c u p i e d o r e s t a b -
l i s h e d t h e i r c o n t r o l o v e r t h e whole c o a s t s t r e t c h i n g from t h e
mouth o f t h e P r a i n t h e west t o t h e b o r d e r s of t h e Ga kingdom
i n t h e e a s t , t h e r e was no u n i f i e d F a n t i s t a t e . Each small Oman
j e a l o u s l y g u a r d e d i t s independence and c o n f l i c t s between t h e v a r -
i o u s F a n t i kingdoms were r e l a t i v e l y comrnon. There was t h e r e f o r e
a s t r o n g c l i m a t e o f mutual s u s p i c i o n among t h e F a n t i and i t r e -
.
q u i r e d an e x c e p t i o n a l l y s e r i o u s e x t e r n a l t h r e a t t o b r i n g them i n -
t o a l l i a n c e . 51

T h i s s i t u a t i o n was e x a c e r b a t e d by t h e Anglo-Dutch r i v a l -
r y on t h e Coast. T h i s r i v a l r y had t r a n s m i t t e d i t s e l f t o t h e
c o a s t a l t r i b e s m e n w i t h t h e r e s u l t b e i n g t h a t t h e i r n a t u r a l an-
t a g o n i s m became i n t e n s i f i e d . I n f a c t , d u r i n g t h e s p r i n g o f 1873,
most o f t h e q u a r r e l s t h a t l e d t h e p e o p l e t o f i g h t amongst them-
s e l v e s r a t h e r t h a n marching t o oppose t h e a d v a n c i n g A s a n t e , were
t h e r e s u l t o f d i s p u t e s between t h o s e who had a l w a y s been under
B r i t i s h p r o t e c t i o n and t h o s e who had u n t i l v e r y r e c e n t l y been
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e Dutch. These d i s p u t e s , two examples o f
which were t h e r i o t s a t Sekondi and B u t r i d u r i n g t h e m i d d l e o f
J a n u a r y , comprised C o l o n e l H a r l e y ' s f o u r t h problem. However,
a l t h o u g h t h e s e q u a r r e l s and o t h e r s l i k e them were t o be a con-
s t a n t s o u r c e o f worry t o t h e B r i t i s h , t h e y n e v e r a c h i e v e d t h e
d e g r e e o f s e r i o u s n e s s r e a c h e d by t h e t h r e a t posed by King Kobina
Edjan a n d h i s a d h e r e n t s a t Elmina.
 lM,l.e i n v e s t i g a t i n g v a r i o u s d i s t u r b a n c e s a t Sekondi and
B u t r i , t h e B r i t i s h o f f i c i a l s found t h a t Kobina Edjan waS e x e r -
c i s i n g a powerful i n f l u e n c e over t h e c h i e f s o f many of t h e towns
t h a t had formerly been under Dutch i n f l u e n c e , and was, i n f a c t ,
encouraging a s p i r i t of d i s a f f e c t i o n w i t h B r i t i s h r u l e . 5 2 His
o b j e c t was a p p a r e n t l y t o c a r r y o u t t h e o r i g i n a l scheme f o r which
Atjiempon had been s e n t t o Elmina--a 'general r i s i n g of t h e west-
e r n t r i b e s l e d by t h e Elminas as soon a s t h e Asante army reached
t h e neighbourhood o f t h e c o a s t towns. 53 By t h e f i r s t week of
March, h i s conduct had bacome s o s u s p i c i o u s t h a t Colonel Harley
decided t o t e s t h i s l o y a l t y . To accomplish t h i s , a meeting was
h e l d i n Elmina C a s t l e on t h e 1 1 t h o f March. A l l of t h e C h i e f s
a t t e n d e d , t h e o a t h o f a l l e g i a n c e was r e a d and i n t e r p r e t e d , and
Kobina Edjan was t h e n c a l l e d upon t o s e t a n example t o h i s C h i e f s
by b e i n g f i r s t t o s i g n it. T h i s he f l a t l y r e f u s e d t o do a s d i d
two o t h e r C h i e f s , Kwamin Ekum and Tando IbIensa. A l l t h r e e men
were t h e r e f o r e a r r e s t e d and s e n t t o Cape Coast where t h e y were
imprisoned i n t h e C a s t l e and from whence t h e y were s u b s e q u e n t l y
d e p o r t e d t o S i e r r a Leone. 54 The B r i t i s h had no t i m e t o c e l e b r a t e
t h e i r a p p a r e n t d e f u s i n g o f t h e E l n i n a a f f a i r , however, f o r even
b e f o r e t h e t h r e e C h i e f s had been a r r e s t e d , news was r e c e i v e d o f
y e t a n o t h e r Asante v i c t o r y .
 The second f a c t o r which m i t i g a t e d a g a i n s t t h e e f f e c t i v e
u n i f i c a t i o n of t h e F a n t i w a r r i o r s - - t h e i r traditional military
o r g a n i z a t i o n and t a c t i c s - - w a s n e v e r f u l l y u n d e r s t o o d by t h e B r i -
t i s h and it was f o r t h i s r e a s o n more t h a n any o t h e r t h a t t h e
F a n t i r e p u t a t i o n f o r cowardice g a i n e d c r e d e n c e . The B r i t i s h d i d
u n d e r s t a n d t h a t e v e r y F a n t i v i l l a g e and town had i t s own w a r r i o r
o r g a n i z a t i o n , t h e Asafo. They a l s o knew t h a t i n t i m e s o f emer-
g e n c y , t h e Asafo o f e a c h s t a t e came t o g e t h e r under a comrnander-
i n - c h i e f known as t h e S a h i n , and formed a w e l l - o r g a n i z e d f i e l d
army w i t h i n which e a c h Asafo had a s p e c i f i c f u n c t i o n . What t h e
B r i t i s h d i d n o t r e a l i z e , however, was t h a t t h e Asafo were o r g r n -
i z e d f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f d e f e n d i n g t h e i r homes; n o t f o r a g g r e s s i v e
purposes. N e i t h e r d i d t h e y r e a l i z e t h a t even t h o u g h t h e v a r i o u s
Asafo might b e i n v o l v e d i n o p e r a t i o n s a s p a r t o f a F a ~ t i - w i d e
army under t h e command o f a S a h i n , t h e i r p r i m a r y r e s p o n s i b i l i t y
was t o t h e i r home-village o r town. It was n o t a p p r e c i a t e d , t h e r e -
f o r e , t h a t t h e Asafo would l e a v e t h e f i e l d i f t h e i r hones were
t h r e a t e n e d r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e consequences t o t h e F a n t i as a
whole. 55 Thus it was p o s s i b l e f o r a s i z e a b l e F a n t i army t o d i s -
i n t e g r a t e i n t h e f a c e o f a d e t e r m i n e d enemy a t t a c k more as a r e -
s u l t o f t h i s c i r c u m s t a n c e r a t h e r t h a n as a r e s u l t o f a complete
l a c k o f courage.
 T h i s i s n o t t o s a y t h a t f e a r p l a y e d no p a r t i n t h e F a n t i
r e l u c t a n c e t o a t t a c k Amankwa Tia and i n t h e s u b s e q u e n t d i s i n t e -
g r a t i o n o f t h e Fanti. arniy. I n d e e d , t h e F a n t i had e v e r y r e a s o n
t o b e a f r a i d o f t h e Asante who had s u c c e s s f u l l y invaded and l a i d
waste l a r g e p o r t i o n s o f t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' on p r e v i o u s o c c a s i o n s .
The Asante r e p u t a t i o n f o r i n v i n c i b i l i t y which had a r i s e n as a
r e s u l t , o f t h e s e p r e v i o u s i n v a s i o n s no'doubt had a s t r o n g e f f e c t
on F a n t i m o r a l e and was, i n p a r t , r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e s l o w n e s s
o f t h e F a n t i r e s p o n s e t o C o l o n e l H a r l e y f s c a l l t o arms and f o r
t h e i r poor showing s u b s e q u e n t t o t h e b a t t l e o f Dunkwa. The i n -
t e n t i o n of t h i s b r i e f review of t h e t r a d i t i o n a l F a n t i m i l i t a r y
organization i s not t o discount completely t h e B r i t i s h claims of
F a n t i cowardice. R a t h e r it i s i n t e n d e d t o s!lov t h a t t h e r e was
a n i n h e r e n t weakness i n t h e F a n t i m i l i t a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n which
c o n t r i b u t e d e q u a l l y t o t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s encountered i n attempt-
ing t o o r g a n i z e a u n i t e d F a n t i r e s i s t a n c e t o t h e i n v a s i o n .

T r a d i t i o n a l F a n t i d i v i s i o n s , t h e i n h e r e n t weakness i n t h e
F a n t i m i l i t a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n , and t h e d i b i l i t a t i n g e f f e c t s o f B r i -
t i s h p o l i c y on t h e Gold Coast were a l l e v e n t u a l l y t o i n t e r a c t i n
v a r i o u s s u b t l e ways t o b r i n g a b o u t t h e c o l l a p s e o f F a n t i r e s i s t -
ance. I n i t i a l l y , however, t h e o v e r a l l e f f e c t was s i m p l y t o r e -
t a r d t h e a s s e m b l y o f t h e F a n t i army. Therefore, although t h e
A s s i n s had c o l l e c t e d a t Yankuniasi A s s i n by t h e 7 t h o f F e b r u a r y ,
t h e y were n o t s t r o n g enough t o check t h e Asante advance unaided.
However, as t h e F a n t i S a h i n , Chief B e n t i l of Mudford, had s e t -
t l e d on Yankumasi F a n t i as t h e p l a c e t o make a s t a n d , t h a t a i d
was n o t f o r t h c o m i n g . A s a r e s u l t , t h e A s s i n s were l e f t a l o n e t o
f a c e t h e enemy and when Amankwa Tia a t t a c k e d on t h e 9 t h o f Feb-
r u a r y , t h e A s s i n s were d e f e a t e d and d r i v e n back w h i l e t h e Asante
army o c c u p i e d Yankumasi A s s i n , 56
.
A f t e r t h e i r d e f e a t a t Yankumasi A s s i n , t h e A s s i n s had
r e t i r e d t o Mansu, a d i s t a n c e o f some t w e n t y m i l e s , where t h e y
were j o i n e d by a small f o r c e u n d e r t h e King of Abrah. The bulk
o f t h e t r i b e s were s l o w l y c o n c e n t r a t i n g around Dunkwa, however,
and under g r a d u a l l y i n c r e a s i n g Asante p r e s s u r e , t h e t r i b e s m e n a t
Mansu moved back t o Yankuniasi F a n t i . 57 C o l o n e l H a r l e y was by
t h i s tinlo becoming t h o r o u g h l y a l a r m e d o v e r t h e d i s c o r d among t h e
t r i b e s and o v e r t h e f a c t t h a t t h e F a n t i s were n o t a d v a n c i n g t o
meet t h e enemy, A s a r e s u l t , he a d o p t e d two measures i n a des-
perate attempt t o s t i f f e n the Fanti resistance. He d e s p a t c h e d
L i e u t e n a n t Hopkins w i t h 100 Hausas who had r e c e n t l y a r r i v e d from
~ a g o s , ~t ' o j o i n t h e 50 man detachment a l r e a d y a t Dunkwa. Lieu-
t e n a n t Hopkins was o r d e r e d t o a c t i n t h e way he might deem b e s t ,
w i t h t h e view o f g i v i n g e v e r y moral a i d t o t h e A s s i n s and F a n t i s
i n r e s i s t i n g t h e p r o g r e s s o f t h e enemy. He was a l s o d i r e c t e d ,
s h o u l d h e f i n d h i m s e l f i n a p o s i t i o n t o do s o , t o a i d t h e A s s i n s
i n d r i v i n g t h e A s a n t e s beyond Mansu and h o l d i n g t h a t p l a c e ,
However, he was o r d e r e d n o t t o employ t h e Hausas i n any way s o es
t o e n d a n g e r t h e i r s a f e and d i r e c t c o n c e n t r a t i o n a t Cape Coast i n
c a s e t h e A s a n t e s s h o u l d make a f u r t h e r advance beyond Dunkwa. 59
C l e a r l y , t h e i m p o r t a n t o b j e c t o f h i s command was t o c o v e r Cape
Coast from any sudden a t t a c k . I n a d d i t i o n t o t h i s f i r s t measure,
C o l o n e l H a r l e y s e n t Mr. Thompson, a Government i n t e r p r e t e r , t o
rouse t h e F a n t i s t o action. A f t e r c o m p l e t i n g h i s t o u r , Idr.
Thompson r e p o r t e d t h a t , i n h i s o p i n i o n , t h e y were d e t e r m i n e d t o
u n i t e a n d d r i v e t h e A s a n t e s away, b u t t h a t " d e l a y was t h e e v i l :
t h e y wou1.d n o t go t o f i g h t and d r i v e t h e k i n g away; t h e y s a i d ,
l e t him come and we w i l l f i g h t him'! 60 O f c o u r s e t h i s was t h e
normal t a c t i c a d o p t e d by t h e F a n t i s b u t t h e B r i t i s h f a i l e d t o
a p p r e c i a t e t h e f a c t and t h e view t h a t t h e t r i b e s m e n o f t h e c o a s t
were cowards began t o g a i n c r e d e n c e from t h i s p o i n t on.

L i e u t e n a n t Hopkins moved h i s Hausas from Dunkwa t o

Yankumasi F a n t i on t h e 1st o f Narch. On h i s a r r i v a l t h e r e , h e
assembled t h e k i n g s and c h i e f s and managed t o g e t them working
w i t h a w i l l t o f o r m a n - e x t e n s i v e c m p on t h e r i g h t and l e f t o f
t h e r o a d , i n advance o f t h e v i l l a g e . Even s o , h e was u n a b l e t o
i n s p i r e them t o t a k e t h e i n i t i a t i v e and go o u t i n s e a r c h o f t h e
enemy. 61 E v e n t u a l l y , however, v e r y e a r l y on t h e 1 0 t h of Elarch,
a small p a r t o f t h e F a n t i army d i d f i n a l l y advance i n s e a r c h of
t h e Asante f o r c e b u t i t soon gave up t h e e f f o r t and r e t u r n e d t o
t h e a l l i e d l i n e s j u s t as t h e camp was b e g i n n i n g t o s t i r . At
t h a t v e r y moment t h e main body o f t h e A s a n t e army f e l l upon them.
Caught c o m p l e t e l y by s u r p r i s e , a l l o f t h e t r i b e s e x c e p t t h e
also retired, As a c o r s e q u e n c a , L i e u ? , e ~ . a n tI i o y k i n s , c c n s l d s r i n g
that; lij-s s p e c i a l d u t y was to ccvcr a ~ dp r o t e c t Cnpc C o a s t f m r i i
a n y suclc!en a t k a c k , f e l l back on Cape Coast,62

n
r. c r t n ~ a t e l y ,Ar.lsn!:i:a "a d i d r ? o t e x p l o i t tliis s u c c z s s ar?d
o f t h e r e i n f o r c i n g 2 W I R t r o o p s from S i e r r a Leone and t h e 100
a d d i t i o n a l Hausas from Lagos had made it p o s s i b l e t o p u t a r e -
s p e c t a b l y s i z e d c o n t i n g e n t o f Hausas i n t h e f i e l d i n s u p p o r t of
t h e African a l l i e s . The a l l i e s t h e m s e l v e s were b e g i n n i n g t o
g a t h e r i n c o n s i d e r a b l e numbers a r o u n d Dunkwa.. And f o u r s h i p s o f
war were anchored i n t h e r o a d o f Cape Coast C a s t l e . 64 It s h o u l d
t h e r e f o r e n o t bs s u r p r i s i n g t h a t t h e A r r i v a l on t h e 7 t h o f A p r i l
o f t h e l a r g e s p e c i a l c o ~ s i g n r n e n t o f arms and arnmunition which
had been s h i p p e d from London on t h e 2 1 s t of Llarch, s h o c l d l e a d
C o l o n e l H a r l e y t o comment on what he viewed as a " f e e l i n g o f
complete s e c u r i t y ( a t Cape C o a s t ) and a l o n g t h e Coast". 65

D e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t he p r o f e s s e d a "complete f e e l i n g
o f s e c u r i t y , " one s h o u l d n o t f e e l t h a t C o l o n e l H a r l e y was b l i n d
t o t h e problem he f a c e d w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e A f r i c a n a l l i e s i n
t h e 'Protectorate'. A s e a r l y as t h e 1 5 t h o f biarch h e was begin-
n i n g t o r e a l i z e t h a t t h e continued adherence t o p u r s u i t o f t h e
p o l i c i e s l a i d down i n 1864 and 1869 was n o t n e c e s s a r i l y p r a c t i -
cable. I n a d e s p a t c h w r i t t e n on t h a t day he w r o t e ,
7. The t r i b e s of t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e
a r e now as.;ccrbling at; Dunquah, and I have
i s s u e d a f r e s h s u p p l y of arnrnunition.
It i s d i f f i c u l t t o r e s i s t t h e demands which
...
a r e made as a r i g h t , n o t as a f a v o u r , on
t h e p a r t o f t h e n a t i v e k i n g s and c h i e f s f o r
m u n i t i o n s o f war, men, and money, as t h e y
s t a t e t h a t t h e y a r e a ~ have
d been l o y a l
s u b j e c t s of t h e Queen, and a s such s h o u l d
receive protection. I confess t h a t t h e
p o s i t i o n i s one of some embarrassment; f o r ,
w h i l e on t h e one hand t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s of
t h e S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e ( ' v i d e ' Despatch of
 t h e 23rd June 1E%4) a r e d e f i n i t e and s p e c i f -
i c a s t o t h e e x t e n t o f t h e a s s i s t a n c e t o be
g i v e n t o t h e t r i b e s o f t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e upon
s u c h an emergency r i s i n g a.s t h e p r e s e n t , it
is d i f f i c u l t t o find t h a t these instructions
have been impressed o r even communicated t o
t h e p e o p l e a f t e r t h e c l o s e o f t h e war o f
1864; s o t h a t t e n y e a r s o f an i n d o l e n t e a s e
h a s been a l l o w e d t o p a s s w i t h o u t t h e t r i b e s
t a k i n g any a c t i v e measures, s o f a r a s I can
a s c e r t a i n , f o r t h e i r defence. Indeed, t h e
f a c t d e c l a r e s i t s e l f o p e ~ l y ,as t h e y a r e a s
h e l p l e s s now a s t h e y were found t o be i n
1863, when t h e Ashcantees invaded t h e Pro-
tectorate.
T h e r e can be no doubt t h a t t h e y r e q u i r e
l e a d e r s c a p a b l e o f d i r e c t i n g them, and, above
a l l , s t a y i n g f o r t h e p r e s e n t t h e a n g r y and
b i t t e r j e a l o u s i e s which e x i s t among t h e m , s o
as t o p r s e n t an u n i t e d and d e c i d e d c o u r s e o f
a c t i o n . b%
C o l o n e l H a r l e y ' s d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n was echoed by L i e u t e n -
a n t Hopkins. Upon h i s r e t u r n t o Dunkwa, Hopkins once more t r i e d
t o imbue t h e t r i b e s m e n w i t h some a g g r e s s i v e s p i r i t , However, he
again encountered t h e o l d d i f f i c u l t y o f s t i r r i n g t h e n a t i v e c h i e f s
to.take the initiative. I n f a c t , h e was h a r d l y a b l e t o g e t them
t o complete t h e minimum works r e q u i r e d f o r d e f e n s i v e o p e r a t i o n s
l e t a l o n e a c h i e v i n g any p r o g r e s s t o w a r d s t h e a d o p t i o n o f any o f -
f e n s i v e measures. The bush was c l e a r e d i n t h e a r e a s e l e c t e d f o r
t h e b a t t l e l i n e 6 ? b u t d e s p i t e promises made on t h e 4 t h and 5 t h o f
A p r i l , no advance was made a g a i n s t t h e A s a n t e s . I n attempting t o
overcome t h i s r e l u c t a n c e t o t a k e t h e i n i t i a t i v e , Hopkins even
went s o f a r a s ' t o t a k e h i s Hausas and Cape Coast V o l u n t e e r s t o
t h e f r o n t as i f t o a t t a c k t h e enemy w i t h o u t w a i t i n g f o r t h e a l -
l i e s . 68 Even t h i s s t r a t e g e x f a i l e d and by t h e 8 t h o f A p r i l ,
Colonel H a r l e y w r o t e t h a t t h e a l l i e s simply c o u l d n o t be induced
t o a t t a c k and t h a t t h e i r whole conduct might be s u r i e d up i n t h e
S p a n i s h p h r a s e 'P?lanZnat. Even s o , t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r was n o t over-
l y d i s c o u r a g e d f o r he b e l i e v e d t h a t though t h e y c o u l d n o t be i n -
duced t o a t t a c k , t h e F a n t i s were i n good s p i r i t s and he had e v e r y
c o n f i d e n c e t h a t t h e y would f i g h t v i g o r o u s l y i n d e f e n c e o f t h e i r
c o u n t r y i f t h e y were t h e m s e l v e s a t t a c k e d . 69

The A d m i n i s t r a t o r ' s c o n f i d e n c e was o n l y p a r t i a l l y v i n -

dicated. A t t h e v e r y time h e was w r i t i n g , t h e A s a n t e s were t a k -
i n g t h e i n i t i a t i v e and were t h e m s e l v e s a t t a c k i n g t h e F a n t i s .
About sever, o ' c l o c k on t h e morning o f t h e 8 t h o f A p r i l t h e y a t -
t a c k e d t h e F a n t i camp a l o n g i t s whole f r o n t . On t h i s f i r s t day
o f t h e b a t t l e , however, t h e F a n t i s h e l d t h e i r p o s i t i o n a t e v e r y
p o i n t and f o u g h t t h e A s a n t e s t o a s t a n d s t i l l , t h u s f o l l o w i n g
t h e i r normal- p r o c e e d u r e and p r o v i n g t h e i r a b i l i t y t o f i g h t a de-
fensive b a t t l e .
Immediately on r e c e i v i n g word o f t h e b a t t l e , C o l o n e l
H a r l e y s e n t f o r w a r d a l a r g e s u p p l y o f ammunition, a n d , even more
i m p o r t a n t , he d e s p a t c h e d a s u p p l y o f H a l e ' s r o c k e t s and a n expe-
r i e n c e d a r t i l l e r y o f f i c e r , M r . ~ 0 , g ~ i ,70
.e t o the battlefield.
The a r ~ m u n i t i o nwas d e l i v e r e d and N r . Loggie was i n p o s i t i o n b e f o r e
dawn on t h e 9 t h o f A p r i l and as soon a s i t was l i g h t enough, L i e u -
t e n a n t Hopkins u r g e d t h e p e o p l e t o f o l l o w up t h e i r s u c c e s s o f t h e
p r e v i o u s day. His e x h o r t a t i o n s were t o no a v a i l f o r t h e y would
n o t advance b u t r a t h e r were r e s o l v e d t o await a c o t h e r a t t a c k . 71
A s a r e s u l t , a s i d e from some c o n s i d e r a b l e e x c i t e m e n t w i t h i n t h e
F a n t i camp i t s e l f on t h e 1 3 t h o f ~ ~ r in o tlh i ,n g ~happened
~ until
t h e 1 4 t h of April.

A t e i g h t o ' c l o c k on t h e morning of t h e l k t h t h e A s a n t e s
renewed t h e i r a t t a c k on t h e F a n t i camp a l o n g i t s e n t i r e l e n g t h
and a l t h o u g h t h e b a t t l e r a g e d f o r some e l e v e n h o u r s no d e c i s i v e
r e s u l t was a c h i e v e d . The F a n t i t r o o p s f o u g h t a good d e f e n s i v e
b a t t l e even though nurrtbers o f t r i b e s m e n , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e Cape
Coast p e o p l e , had proven most u n r e l i a b l e . The r o c k e t s had a l s o
proven p a r t i c u l a r l y e f f e c t i v e i n h a l t i n g t h e Asante a t t a c k . In
f a c t , t h e d e t e r m i n e d s t a n d o f t h e a l l i e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e two b a t -
t l e s , combined w i t h t h e d e s t r u c t i o n wrought by t h e r o c k e t s , had
c a u s e d Amankwa T i a t o g i v e up t h e a t t e m p t t o f o r c e t h e Cape Coast
r o a d and he began t o w i t h d r a w from t h e f i e l d d u r i n g t h e e a r l y
hours of the 15th. The F a n t i s were n o t aware o f t h i s , however,
and a t t h e v e r y moment when t h e Asantes were b e g i n n i n g t h e i r
w i t h d r a w a l , t h e F a n t i s began t o r e t r e a t t e n masset toward Cape
Coast. L i e u t e n a n t Hopkins and t h e u b i q u i t o u s D r . Rowe t r i e d
t h e i r best; t o t u r n them around b u t t h e i r e f f o r t s were i n v a i n
a n d b e f o r e l o n g t h e whole o f t h e t r i b e s were i n f u l l r e t r e a t t o
t h e coast. L i e u t e n a n t Hopkins t h e n had no c h o i c e b u t t o withdravr
h i s command t o Cape Coast C a s t l e . Amankwa T i a r e c e i v e d news o f
what was happening j u s t a f t e r h e had begun t o move northward. He
promptly t u r n e d h i s army a b o u t and occupied ~ u n k w a . 7 3 A s a r e s u l t
o f t h i s r e v e r s e , C o l o n e l Harley was f o r c e d t o r e p o r t t o Lord
Kimberlcy i n t h e f o l l o w i n g v e i n :
2, I r e g r e t t o have t o i n f o r m your
Lordship t h a t f o r t h e present, defensive
o p e r a t i o n s on a l a r g e and combined s c a l e
a r e a t . an end, a s t h e F a n t e e s have d i s -
....
p e r s e d t o t h e i r h o n e s , and141 f e a r , a r e
sadly dexoralized;
T h i s break-up of t h e whole o f t h e F a n t i army caused c o n s i d e r a b l e
a p p r e h e n s i o n and c o n f u s i o n a t Cape Coast. The A d m i n i s t r a t o r r e -
q u e s t e d t h e s e n i o r n a v a l o f f i c e r , Comrsander S t u b b s , R.?!. , to send
a gunboat i m m e d i a t e l y t o Elrnina a s he r e a l i z e d t h a t b o t h E l n i n a
and Cape Coast C a s t l e were now uncovered and i n d a n g e r o f s u f f e r -
i n g a n Asante a t t a c k . These were t h e o n l y e x t r a p r e c a u t i o n s
t a k e n t h o u g h , f o r t h e A d n i n i s t r a t o r f e l t t h a t ; t h e f o r t s were ade-
q u a t e l y g a r r i s o n e d 7 5 and t h a t t h e navy c o u l d p r o v i d e s u f f i c i e n t
s u p p o r t i n g g u n f i r e i n t h e e v e n t o f an a t t a c k . H i s main concern
was o v e r t h e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e A f r i c a n a l l i e s . He s e r i o u s l y con-
s i d e r e d t h e f o r m a t i o n of y e t a n o t h e r war camp b u t D r . Rowe ad-
v i s e d him t h a t it would b e i m p o s s i b l e t o u n i t e t h e whole o f t h e
F a n t i t r i b e s i n one camp u n t i l a f t e r t h e c l o s e o f t h e r a i n y s e a -
son, A s a n a l t e r n a t i v e , h e s u g g e s t e d t h a t something might w e l l
be done t o u n i t e t h o s e who were n e a r t o e a c h o t h e r , o r whose i n -
t e r e s t s weye e s p e c i a l l y co;ilnon, i n l a r g e r bands t h a n t h e y would
o t h e r w i s e form, Such s m a l l e r u n i t s could p o s s i b l y p r e v e n t t h e
r a v a g e s o f small bands o f Asante p l u n d e r e r s even t h o u g h t h e y
c o u l d n o t p r e v e n t t h e approach of t h e Asante army, 76
 I n t h e f a c e of t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s which e x i s t e d , t h e Admin-
i s t r a , t o r once more t o o k s t e p s t o p r e p a r e some form o f d e f e n s i v e
system w i t h t h e m a t e r i a l s a t hand. Measures were t a k e n t o imple-
ment D r . Rowe's s u g g e s t i o n f o r t h e f o r m a t i o n o f small camps. f4r.
L o g g i e , w i t h s i x t y Hausas, was s e n t t o Annalnaboe t o form t h e nac-
l e u s around which t h e Annamaboes, Cormantines, S a l t p o n d s , and
Winnebahs c o u l d be induced t o r a l l y . The A s s i n s , Abrahs, and
Akims c o l l e c t e d i n ' s m a l l numbers a t Assayboo, and t h e Cape C o a s t
p e o p l e promised t o j o i n them. Around E l n i n a was drawn a cordon
of l e s s e r c h i e f s , who promised t o oppose any advance on t h e par%
o f t h e A s a n t e s and t h e King o f Comnendah promised t o r e s i s t ; t h e
enemy s h o u l d he advance i n h i s d i r e c t i o n . 7 7 With t h i s , C o l o n e l
H a r l e y had t o be c o n t e n t .

These new e f f o r t s s a y much f o r t h e f l e x i b i l i t y and i n g e -

n u i t y o f t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r and t h e o t h e r o f f i c i a l s on t h e Gold
Coast b u t as m a t t e r s d e v e l o p e d , n e i t h e r t h e f r u i t o f t h e i r l a b o u r s
among t h e a l l i e s n o r t h e f o r t s were p u t t o t h e t e s t . Amankwa T i a
had s u f f e r e d h e a v i l y a t Dunkwa, as h i s i n i t i a l w i t h d r a w a l from
t h e f i e l d i n d i c a t e s , a n d , if he was t o a c h i e v e h i s aim, he would
r e q u i r e b o t h r e s u p p l y and r e i n f o r c e m e n t . 76 A s a r e s u l t , he f a i l -
e d t o d r i v e f o r t h e c o a s t i n an e f f o r t t o e x p l o i t h i s somewhat
marginal v i c t o r y . I n s t e a d , h e c o n c e n t r a t e d h i s army a t Dunkwa
and w i t h i n d a y s o f t h e i r s e t t l i n g i n t h e camp b u i l t by t h e a l l i e s ,
h i s t r o o p s were i n w r e t c h e d p h y s i c a l and p s y c h o l o g i c a l c o n d i t i o n .
R e l y i n g on t h e e v i d e n c e g i v e n by s e v e r a l Asante p r i s o n e r s cap-
t u r e d on t h e 23rd o f A p r i l , C a p t a i n L.L. B r e t t , 2WR, t h e O f -
f i c e r Comnancting t h e Troops, Gold C o a s t , comxented on t h e s t a t e
o f t h e Asante encaraprnent as f o l l o w s :
... i n t h o s e two engagements ( t h e
8 t h and 1 4 t h o f A p r i l ) t h e y s u f f e r e d most
s e v e r e l y , and e s p e c i a l l y from t h e H a l e ' s
r o c k e t s s e r v e d by t h e Hausas.
They a r e now i n p o s s e s s i o n o f t h e
l a t e F a n t e e camp, b u t , n o t f i n d i n g an
enemy, t h e y imagine t h e F a n t e e s have gone
around them; t h e y a r e no\v a f r a i d e i t h e r t o
advance o r r e t i r e , n o t knowing i n t h e bush
when t h e y may meet t h e F a n t e e s .
The Ashantee camp i s i n a most wretch-
ed c o n d i t i o n , a l a r g e q u a n t i t y o f them s u f -
f e r i n g from wounds and f r a c t u r e s .
Small-pox h a s broken o u t d r e a d f u l l y
amongst them. They a r e s t a r v i n g ; a p l a n -
t a i n , t h e p r i c e o f which i s u s u a l l y a b o u t
2d. a dozen, now s e l l i n g f o r t h e same sum
e a c h p l a n t a i n ; and b e s i d e s t h e r e i s an
abominable s t e n c h from dead b o d i e s s c a t -
t e r e d t h r o u g h t h e bush i n a l l s t a g e s o f
de~ora~osition.79
I n s p i t e o f t h i s r e p o r t , one must n o t jump t o t h e c o n c l u -
s i o n t h a t t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e k s a n t e a r n y was h o p e l e s s . So f e r -
t i l e was t h e c o u n t r y , b 0 and s o s c a t t e r e d t h e i r F a n t i o p p o n e n t s ,
t h a t t h e y were a b l e t o remain i n t h e F a n t i c o u n t r y f o r a n o t h e r
six months. As one camp became denuded of p r o v i s i o n s , t h e y s i m -
p l y moved t o a n o t h e r and e x t e n d e d t h e range o f t h e i r f o r a g e r s .
Auankwa T i a was c l e a r l y f o l l o w i n g t h i s age-old t a c t i c when he
b r o k e camp a t Dunkwa n e a r t h e end of May and, as he hoped t o c a r -
r y o u t h i s o r d e r s t o p u n i s h t h e King o f Denkyera a n d t o e f f e c t a
juncture with f o r c e , began s l o w l y moving h i s
e a s t w a r d toward t h e Denkyera town o f Jukwa. 8 1.

I n t h e f a c e of t h i s new t h r e a t , t h e Denkyeras immediately

a s k e d t h e B r i t i s h f o r a s s i s t a n c e i n arms and ammunition.82 These
were s u p p l i e d and D r . Rowe t r i e d once a g a i n t o induce t h e a l l i e s
t o r e a s s e m b l e and make y e t a n o t h e r s t a n d . However, t h e F a n t i s
c l u n g t o t h e i r t r a d i t i o n a l m i l i t a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n and p l a n . On
e v e r y s i d e he e n c o u n t e r e d a f i r m r e s o l v e on t h e p a r t o f e a c h
c h i e f t o d e f e n d o n l y his own hoine83 f o r t h e complete l a c k o f any
r e l i a b l e i n t e l l i g e n c e a s t o t h e enemy movements had r e s u l t e d i n
a v e r i t a b l e o r g y o f rumours which had t h e A s a n t e army t h r e a t e n i n g
e v e r y c o n c e i v a b l e p o i n t a t once. Under t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s t h e r e
was v e r y l i t t l e hope o f o r g a n i z i n g any u n i t e d e f f o r t on t h e p a r t
of t h e t r i b e s o f t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' .

E v e n t u a l l y , however, a c o n s i d e r a b l e f o r c e mustered a t
* ~ moved t h e e i g h t m i l e s t o Jukwa a t t h e end o f t h e
~ b a k r a m ~ aand
month o f Nay. On t h e 3 r d and 4 t h o f J u n e t h e A s a n t e s a t t a c k e d ,
b u t o n l y some d e s u l t o r y f i g h t i n g t o o k p l a c e on t h e o u t s k i r t s o f
the tom. On t h e 5 t h , however, t h e A s a n t e s a t t a c k e d t h e p l a c e
i n force. They met w i t h o n l y t h e most f e e b l e r e s i s t a n c e . In-
d e e d , t h e King o f Denkyera h i m s e l f f l e d from t h e f i e l d a t t h e
v e r y b e g i n n i n g o f t h e b a t t l e and t h u s s e t t h e example f o r t h e
other tribesnen. The r e s u l t was even worse t h a n a t Dunkwa.
T h i s t i m e t h e F'anti army was f i n a l l y c r u s h e d a s a n e f f e c t i v e
f o r c e and t h e t r i b e m e n wit;hdrew p r e c i p i t a t e l y over t h e t w e l v e
 m i l e s o f b u s h . t r a j - 1 t o Cape Coast. These t e r r o r - s t r i c k e n f u g i -
t i v e s soon i n f e c t e d t h e e n t i r e c o u n t r y s i d e w i t h p a n i c and between
15,000 and 20,000 p e o p l e were e s t i m a t e d t o have sought t h e pro-
. t e c t i o n o f t h e C a s t l e guns w i t h i n h o u r s o f t h e b a t t l e . Captain
Reade d e s c r i b e d t h e r e s u l t a n t s c e n e i n t h e f o l l o w i ~ gt e r n s :
It was a most p i t e o u s s i g h t . Many
were e m a c i a t e d by farnine o r d i s e a s e : some
were c a r r y i n g t h e i r aged p a r e n t s on t h e i r
b a c k s , o r l e a d i n g t h e b l i n d ; t h e wayside
was l i t t e r e d w i t h c o r p s e s , w i t h t h e d y i n g ,
w i t h women b r i n g i n g f o r t h c h i l d r e n e 8 5
The p a n i c became even worse when Amankwa Tia f o l l o w e d up h i s s u c -
c e s s a t Jukwa by moving f u r t h e r s o u t h t o Mampon and E f u t u s e v e r a l
days a f t e r t h e a c t i o n o f t h e 5 t h o f June. He was now a p p r o x i -
m a t e l y t e n m i l e s from b o t h Cape Coast C a s t l e and Elmina and t h e
o n l y e f f e c t i v e t r o o p s l e f t t o oppose him i n t h e f i e l d were t h e
two o r t h r e e hundred Hausas and s e v e r a l hundred Cape Coast Volun-
t e e r s . 86

A t t h i s c r i t i c a l moment news was r e c e i v e d o f t r o u b l e i n

t h e Vestern d i s t r i c t s . A t jiempon had f i n a l l y a p p e a r e d i n t h e
neighbourhood o f Elrnina and t h e Asante s y m p a t h i z e r s t h e r e had r e -
volted. They o p e n l y j o i n e d t h e enemy and were soon busy supply-
i n g b o t h A t jiempon a n d Amankwa Tia w i t h food and w a t e r . British
a c c e s s t o Elmina by r o a d was c u t o f f a l m o s t i ~ m e d i a t e l yand r u -
mours were soon c i r c u l a t i n g t o t h e e f f e c t t h a t t h e Shamas and
Elminas were p r e p a r i n g t o a t t a c k Konenda. 87
 The s i t u a t i o n was e x t r e a e l y s e r i o u s and on t h e 6 t h o f
J u n e , C o l o n e l H a r l e y made a d e s p e r a t e e f f o r t t o r e v e r s e t h e t r e n d .
He c a l l e d a m e e t i n g o f a l l t h e Kings and c h i e f s , from which t h e
King o f Anamabo was t h e o n l y a b s e n t e e , and proceeded t o p o i n t o u t
t o them t h a t t h e i r f a i l u r e had been clue t o a l a c k of u n i t y and
t h a t t h e r e a s o n f o r t h e Asante s u c c e s s had been t h e i r a b i l i t y t o
a c t under one head. He s u g g e s t e d t h a t t h e F a n t i s s h o u l d f o l l o w
t h e Asante example, e l e c t one of t h e i r number as commander-in-
c h i e f , and form a new war-camp i n a p l a c e o f t h e i r c h o i c e i n
p r e p a r a t i o n f o r y e t a n o t h e r c o n f r o n t a t i o n w i t h t h e Asante army. 88

I n t h e i r r e p l y t o t h i s s u g g e s t i o n , t h e Kings and c h i e f s
f i r m l y t o s s e d t h e problem back t o t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r . Their l e t -
t e r , which was p u b l i s h e d i n t h e West A f r i c a n H e r a l d on t h e 2 6 t h
of June, s t a t e d t h a t :
They ( t h e Kings and c h i e f s ) do n o t f e e l
a b l e t o t a k e t h e management o f a f f a i r s . It
would be i m p o s s i b l e f o r them t o do s o ; n o r
c o u l d t h e y e l e c t one t o be t h e i r Chief King;
t h a t power must come from t h e Governor,. 89 ..
It t h e r e f o r e becomes c l e a r t h a t an impasse had been r e n c h -
ed. C o l o n e l H a r l e y had o b v i o u s l y done a l l t h a t could b e don2 w i t h
t h e a v a i l - a b l e r e s o u r c e s i f he was t o a d h e r e t o t h e l i m i t s o f B r i -
t i s h p o l i c y as e x p r e s s e d i n h i s i n s t r u c t i o n s f r o n The C o l o n i a l
Office. C o n v e r s e l y , t h e F a n t i s had a l s o r e a c h e d t h e l i m i t o f
t h e i r resistance. No doubt t h e d i s p u t e s between t h e TIDutchvand
lfEnglishT1f a c t i o n s a l o n g t h e c o a s t - l i n e d i d much t o weaken t h e
F a n t i r e s i s t a n c e b u t t h e r e were o t h e r f a c t o r s which combined t o
make it v i r t u a l l y i m p o s s i b l e f o r t h e F a n t i s t o u n i t e and once
more t a k e t h e fielc! as t h e y had done a t Dunkvra where t h e y had
been a b l e t o assemble a f o r c e o f o v e r 56,000 men. 9 0

One major f a c t o r was t h e e f f e c t o f t h e h i g h c a s u a l t y r a t e

d u r i n g t h e b a t t l e o f Du-nkwa. 91 Yet a n o t h e r was t h e d e m o r a l i z i n g
b e h a v i o u r o f t h e King of Denkyera d u r i n g t h e b a t t l e o f Jukwa.
O f even g r e a t e r importance t h a n t h e s e two, was t h e w i t h d r a w a l o f
t h e Asafo, a f t s r t h e b a t t l e o f Dunkwa, s o t h a t t h e y might assume
t h e i r prime r o l e a s t h e d e f e n d e r s o f t h e i r h o m e - v i l l a g e s from
t h e d e p r e d a t i o n s of t h e i n v a d i n g A s a n t e s . It was, however, q c i t e
possib3.y t h e i n c r e a s i n g i n c i d e n c e o f famine and s i c k n e s s due t o a
conibina$ion o f t h e growing p r e s s u r e b e i n g e x e r t e d on t h e c o u n t r y -
sid.e w i t h i n a f i f t e e n - m i l e r a d i u s o f Jukwa by Asante f o r a g i n g
p a r t i e s and t h e u n u s u a l . 1 ~s e v e r e r a i n s , which proved t o be t h e
m a j o r f a c t o r i n p r e v e n t i n g any f u r t h e r c o - o r d i n a t e d e f f o r t on
the part of the Fantis.

I n t h e end a n a l y s i s , however, n e i t h e r C o l o n e l H a r l e y ' s

a t t e m p t s t o r a l l y t h e t r i b e s m e n n o r t h e i r i n a b i l i t y t o r a l l y were
t o provc o f any g r e a t s i g n i f i c a n c e . D e c i s i o n s t a k e n i n England
as soon a s t h e d i s a s t e r a t Dunkwa became known, were d e s t i n e d t o
change t h e e n t i r e c h a r a c t e r o f t h e c o n f l i c t . I n e a r l y May, Lord
Kimberley d e c i d e d t h a t t h e f o r t s were n o doubt l i a b l e t o b e i n -
v e s t e d by t h e Asante army and a l t h o u g h he f e l t t h a t t h e e x i s t i n g
f o r c e s were s u f f i c i e n t f o r a s h o r t s i e g e , he b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e
-
c o n t i n g e n c y of a prolonged a t t a c k a g a i n s t E l n i n a o r t h e o t h e r
f o r t s had t o be p r o v i d e d a g a i n s t . 92

The C o l o n i a l O f f i c e and t h e 'Jar O f f i c e a g r e e d t h a t t h e

s i t u a t i o n w a r r a n t e d t h e immediate d e s p a t c h o f a n a d d i t i o n a l war-
s h i p ; 1 1 0 o f f i c e r s and men o f t h e Royal EIarine L i g h t I n f a n t r y
(R.M.L.I.) and t h e Royal Marine A r t i l l e r y (R.M.A. ) under t h e con-
mand o f L i e u t e n a n t - C o l o n e l F e s t i n g , R.M.A. ; as w e l l a s l a r g e ad-
d i t i o n a l q u a n t i t i e s of ammunition and r o c k e t s and a p o r t a b l e
f i e l d gun. A t t h e same time it was d e c i d e d t h a t a r e i n f o r c e m e n t
of f o u r companies and a ' f u l l r e g i m e n t a l s t a f f from t h e 2YIR would
be t r a n s f e r r e d from t h e West I n d i e s t o t h e Gold Coast a s q u i c k l y
as p o s s i b l e . 93

P r o v i d e n t i a l l y , t h e Royal I - h r i n e r e i n f o r c e m e n t s and t h e
m u n i t i o n s a r r i v e d j u s t when t h e y c o u l d be of t h e most p r a c t i c a l
and p s y c h o l o g i c a l v a l u e . H.M.S. Barracoota, with Captain
F r e m a n t l e , R.N., i n command, r e a c h e d Cape Coast w i t h t h e t r o o p s
and s u p p l i e s on t h e 8 t h o f June. Twenty-four h o u r s l a t e r t h e
t r o o p s a n d s u p p l i e s were a s h o r e and were immediately b e i n g u t i -
l i z e d i n a t t e m p t s t o s t a b i l i z e a s i t u a t i o n which had been grow-
ing s t e a d i l y worse i n t h e wake of t h e d e b a c l e a t Jukwa. 94

C o l o n e l F e s t i n g assumed r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e d e f e n c e
of t h e f o r t s and t h e c o o r d i n a t i o n o f any f u r t h e r m i l i t a r y moves
i n v o l v i n g B r i t i s h t r o o p s and he began t o p l a n o p e r a t i o n s a l m o s t
immediately. On t h e 1 1 t h o f J u n e , h e , D r . Rowe and C a p t a i n
F r e m a n t l e c a r r i e d o u t a r e c o n n a i s s a n c e of E h i n a and confirmed
t h a t t h e i n h a b i t a n t s or" t h e q u a r t e r f o r n l e r l y c o n t r o l l e d .by Kobina
E d j a n were s u p p l y i n g t h e Asante w i t h s t o r e s of v a r i o u s d e s c r i p -
t i o n by way o f S a l t p o n d . T h i s i n t e l l i g e n c e was t r a n s n l i t t e d t o
t h e L e g i s l a t i v e C o u n c i l on t h e 1 2 t h of June and t h e members o f
t h e C o u n c i l d e c i d e d b o t h t o p r o c l a i m martial law i n t h e town o f
Elmina and t h o s e s u r r o u n d i n g d i s t r i c t s o c c u p i e d by t h e Asante
and t o r e q u i r e t h e r e s i d e n t s i n t h o s e p l a c e s t o g i v e up t h e i r
arms. 95

I n o r d e r t o e n s u r e s u r p r i s e , C o l o n e l F e s t i n g t o o k a 500
man f o r c e o f Hausas, I ~ I a r i n e s , and 21liIR t r o o p s and marched f o r
Elmina t h a t same n i g h t . Supported by b o a t s from f i v e o f t h e war-
s h i p on t h e c o a s t , he planned t o e n f o r c e t h e p r o c l a m a t i o n i n
t h a t center of d i s a f f e c t i o n . I n t h e r e s u l t a n t a c t i o n , t h e town
o f Elrnina was bombarded by t h e s h i p s and a body o f some 2,000
A s a n t e s was engaged immediately t o t h e w e s t of t h e town and de-
f e a t e d by t h e B r i t i s h t r o o p s . The B r i t i s h t h o u g h t t h a t t h e y had
s u c c e s s f u l l y d r i v e n t h e enemy from t h e immediate v i c i n i t y and
had begun t o p r e p a r e t h e i r mid-day meal when a body o f A s a n t e s
e s t i m a t e d a t a s t r e n g t h o f between 2,000 and 3 , 0 0 0 men s u d d e n l y
began t o advance on t h e l o y a l q u a r t e r from t h e n o r t h . I a v a l gun-
f i r e was u s e d t o s u p p o r t t h e B r i t i s h f o r c e and a f t e r a s h o r t en-
gagement on a n open p l a i n t o t h e north-west o f t h e f o r t , t h e
Asantc were d r i v e n away a t a c o s t o f sone 200 enemy k i l l e d as
opposed t o B r i t i s h l o s s e s of one k i l l e d and f o u r wounded. 96 The
e x p e d i t i o n had been most s u c c e s s f u l because it n o t o n l y n e u t r a l -
i z e d t h e t h r e a t posed by Asante s y m p a t h i z e r s i n Elmina, b u t be-
c a u s e i t a l s o e f f e c t i v e l y p r e v e n t e d any renewed a t t a c k on t h e
f o r t s by t h e A s a n t e s .

Unfortunately, t h i s success d i d l i t t l e t o brighten

o t h e r w i s e gloomy p i c t u r e . Thousands o f r e f u g e e s from a l l p a r t s
o f t h e c o u n t r y , cowed and despondent a f t e r t h e i r d e f e a t a t t h e
h a n d s of t h e A s a n t e s , had c o n t i n u e d t o descend on Cape Coast.
They jammed i n t o t h e a l r e a d y over-crowded town and many were
forced t o sleep i n the s t r e e t s . Food became i n c r e a s i n g l y s c a r c e
as s u p p l . i e s from t h e bush were c u t o f f by t h e Asante f o r g i n g
p a r t i e s o p e r a t i n g i n t h e t r i a n g l e formed by Jukwa, Cape Coast
and Elrnina, and t h e t e r r i f i e d people r e f u s e d t o v e n t u r e o u t o f
t h e town even t o c u t f i r e w o o d . A t t h i s p o i n t t h e a l r e a d y heavy
r a i n s s e t i n w i t h u n u s u a l s e v e r i t y and t h e r e f o l l o w e d a n a l m o s t
c o n t i n u o u s heavy downpour f o r s e v e r a l weeks. The r e s u l t a n t fam-
i n e , s i c k n e s s , e x p o s u r e and r e g u l a r o u t b r e a k s o f p a n i c a t e v e r y
rurnour of an A s a n t e advance, t u r n e d Cape C o a s t i n t o an u n b e l i e v -
a b l e c e n t e r o f f i l t h , d e a t h a n d t u r m o i l which t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r
and h i s s t a f f c o u l d do l i t t l e t o change. 97

A s one would e x p e c t , t h i s d e p r e s s i n g s t a t e o f a f f a i r s
was n o t r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e c i v i l s p h e r e . L a r g e l y because o f t h e
w e a t h e r , t h e m i l i t a r y s i t u a t i o n was a l s o r a p i d l y d e t e r i o r a t i n g .
I n i t i a l l y , t h e h e a l t h of t h e t r o o p s had c o n t i n u e d t o be good da-
.-
s p i t e t h e w e a t h e r b u t towards t h e end o f J u n e , s i c k n e s s - - p a r t i c u -
l a r l y dysentery--began t o b r e a k o u t among t h e m a r i n e s and s a i l o r s .
I n f a c t , by t h e end o f j u n e , t h e t r o o p s a v a i l a b l e t o t h e Adminis-
t r a t o r were i n poor c o n d i t i o n , O f t h e more t h a n one hundred bia-
r i n e s a t Elmica, j u s t under o n e - h a l f were on t h e s i c k - l i s t . Of
t h e 273 2!51R men s t a t i o n e d a t t h e f o u r major f o r t s , o n l y s l i g h t -
l y o v e r 200 were f i t f o r s e r v i c e . The Iiausas numbered 210 a l l
r a n k s , of which 32 men were i n h o s p i t a l . The Cape Coast Volun-
t e e r s c o u l d m u s t e r o n l y 70 o r 8 0 men a t any g i v e n t i m e . Adrnit-
t e d l y t h e r e were a p p r o x i m a t e l y 400 m a r i n e s and seamen o f t h e
f l e e t who c o u l d p o s s i b l y be s e n t a s h o r e i n an b u t by
t h e I s s t o f J u l y , t h e O f f i c e r Comnanding t h e Troops on t h e Gold
Coast would be h a r d p r e s s e d t o r a i s e a t o t a l o f 1 , 0 0 0 men even
w i t h t h e a i d o f t h e men from t h e f l e e t . 99

Without doubt t h e B r i t i s h and t h e i r a l l i e s were i n v e r y

poor c o n d i t i o n b u t t h e r e was some c o n s o l a t i o n t o be found i n t h e
knowledge t h a t t h e enemy was no b e t t e r o f f . The A s a n t e s had re-
mained encamped w i t h i n a p p r o x i m a t e l y t e n m i l e s o f Elmina a t
Mampon, E f u t u and t h e s u r r o u n d i n g v i l l a g e s , and though b e t t e r o f f
t h a n t h e F a 2 t i s , t h e y were i n a bad enough p l i g h t t h e m s e l v e s .
As t h e B r i t i s h had no c o n t r o l . over t h e Elrnina h i n t e r l a n d , t h e

A s a n t e s had f r e e a c c e s s t o a l l t h e f a r r ~ ~l os c a t e d t h e r e and a l s o
drew s u p p l i e s of f o o d r e g u l a r l y from t h e i r s y m p a t h i z e r s i n
Elrnina; b u t even w i t h t h o s e a d v a n t a g e s , food was none t o o p l e n t i -
ful, I n a d d i t i o n , t h e heavy r a i n s , t h e swanpy ground, t h e un-
s a n i t a r y c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e i r camps, t h e r a v a g e s o f small-pox and
d y s e n t e r y , and t h e d e s t r u c t i v e e f f e c t s o f t h e i d l e n e s s of camp
l i f e on men who v a l u e d t h e i r f a m i l y l i f e but; were f a r from home,
a l l combined t o d i s h e a r t e n them a n d make them t h o r o u g h l y raiser-
able. The s t a t e o f t h e i r morale was i n d i c a t e d by t h e i n c r e a s i ~ g
numbers o f d e s e r t e r s who were g i v i n g t h e m s e l v e s up a t t h e d i f -
f e r e n t f o r t s . loo F i n a l l y t h e c h i e f s f o r c e d Rmnnkwa T i a t o p e t i -
t i o n t h e Asantehene t o r e c a l l t h e army. The r e q u e s t was sen% t o
Kumasi b u t K o f i K a r i k a r i had f e l t from t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g t h a t
he had been f o r c e d i n t o t h e war by t h e a m b i t i o n o f t h e s e v e r y
c h i e f s and he showed h i s r e s e n t m e n t of t h i s by r e f u s i n g t o snnc-
t i o n any w i t h d r a w a l . 1 0 1

By l a t e J u n e , t h e r e f o r e , b o t h s i d e s had sunk t o t h e i r
l o w e s t ebb. It i s h a r d t o imagine what t h e coming d r y s e a s o n 102
would have b r o u g h t had n e i t h e r s i d e made a move d u r i n g t h e r a i n s
b u t as t h i n g s t r a n s p i r e d , t h e B r i t i s h d i d n o t a l l o w m a t t e r s t o
s t a n d a s t h e y were. The a r r i v a l on t h e 6 t h of J u l y o f t h e f i r s t
c o n t i n g e n t of t h e 21IIR r e i n f o r c e c l e n t s promised by Lord Kimberley
i n his d e s p a t c h o f t h e 1 2 t h o f bky, a l l o w e d t h e B r i t i s h t o b e g i n
taking t h e i n i t i a t i v e . Co~nmodore Commerell, R.N., a r r i v e d on t h e
5 t h a b o a r d H.N.S. R a t t l e s n a k e t o f i n d H.M.S. 1s B a r r a c o u t a , Druid
and M e r l i n a l r e a d y i n t h e r o a d s a t Cape Coast and H.M.S. Argus
a t Elmina. On t h e 6 t h of J u l y , t h e Himalaya a r r i v e d w i t h t h e
h e a d q u a r t e ~ s , 13 o f f i c e r s and 360 men of t h e 2Vlii and a L i e u t e n -
a n t A.H. Gordon of t h e 9 8 t h Foot who was t o r e p l a c e L i e u t e n a n t
Hopkins, who was a t t h i s t i m e s u . f f e r i n g from f e v e r , as Conlma~dant.
o f Hausas. This reinforcement r e l i e v e d t h o s e of Colonel F e s t i n g ' s
M a r i n e s who were a t Cape Coast C a s t l e and t h u s p e r m i t t e d t h e con-
c e n t r a t i n g o f a l l o f t h e Marines a t Elmina, 103

The a r r i v a l o f t h e s e f r e s h t r o o p s caused some r e s u r g e n c e

o f c o n f i d e n c e on t h e p a r t o f t h e B r i t i s h on t h e Gold Coast and
b e c a u s e of t h i s , i t was f i n a l l y d e c i d e d t h a t something c o u l d now
be done t o r e c t i f y t h e h i t h e r t o a p p a l l i n g l a c k o f a c c u r a t e i n t e l -
l i g e n c e a b o u t t h e Asante d i s p o s i t i o n s and moverients, It was a
h a r d f a c t t h a t w h i l e e v e r y movement t h e B r i t i s h made was a t once
known i n t h e Asante camp, lo4t h e o n l y i n f o r m a t i o n g a i n e d by t h e
B r i t i s h which was o f any v a l u e a t a l l was t h e s c a n t y f a r e de-
r i v e d from p r i s o n e r s . T h i s was m a i n l y because t h e s c o u t i n g par-
t i e s h i r e d by t h e B r i t i s h from among t h e a l l i e s d i d no a c t u a l
s c o u t i n g and upon t h e i r r e t u r n t o camp a f t e r a supposed m i s s i o n ,
l i e d f r e e l y i n o r d e r t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e y were p a i d . For example,
Chief A t t a h o f Cape Coast was employed t o s e n d o u t s c o u t i n g p a r -
t i e s and it was proven t h a t h i s s c o u t s seldom went f u r t h e r t h a n
a m i l e from t h e town. And it was f u r t h e r proven t h a t once t h e y
were o u t of s i g h t , t h e y retcained s a f e l y hidden u n t i l t h e y had
f i n i s h e d t h e i r p r o v i s i o n s a t which t i m e t h e y wou1.d r e t u r n t o s p i n
w h a t e v e r t a l e t;hey t h o u g h t would s a t i s f y t h e B r i t i s h . 1 0 5
 I n order t o correct t h i s serious military deficiency,
L i e u t e n a n t Gordon and h i s Hausas conducted a s e r i e s o f r e c o n n a i s -
s a n c e p a t r o l s a l o n g t h e c o a s t between Cape Coast and Elmina and
from Cape Coast i n t o t h e i r m n e d i ~ t eh i n t e r l a n d . The aim o f t h e s e
p a t r o l s was t o a c c u r a t e l y a s c e r t a i n t h e s t r e n g t h and p o s i t i o n o f
t h e Asante f o r c e but t h e c o n s i s t e n t l y bad w e a t h e r p r e v e n t e d t h e
c o m p l e t i o n of t h i s rnission.lo6 However, t h e importance o f t h e
p a t r o l s l a y i n t h e f a c t t h a t t h e y s i g n a l l e d t h e beginning of a
more a g g r e s s i v e s p i r i t on t h e p a r t o f t h e B r i t i s h f o r from t h i s
p o i n t onward, t h e y began t o assume more and more r e s p o n s i b i l i t y
f o r t h e d i r e c t i o n and p r o s e c u t i o n of t h e campaign.

T h i s growing s p i r i t o f a g g r e s s i v e n e s s was a l s o exempli-

f i e d by t h e B r i t i s h r e s p o n s e t o e v e n t s which o c c u r r e d i n t h e
Western d i s t r i c t s l a t e i n J u l y . A t t h a t t i m e Adu B o f o ' s d i v i -
s i o n had e f f e c t e d a rendevous w i t h t h e f o r c e o f 3 , 0 0 0 men which
had been s e n t s o u t h from Kumasi u n d e r t h e command of t h e r e d o u b t -
a b l e A t jiernpon ,lo' The Asantehene had o r d e r e d t h a t t h i s j o i n t
f o r c e was t o assist t h e Amahi a g a i n s t B l a y and t h e n r a i s e a l a r g e
army from amongst t h e former Dutch s u b j e c t s i n T a k o r a d i , Sekondi
and Sharna w i t h a view t o c r o s s i n g t h e P r a a n d j o i n i n g t h e Elminas
and Arnankwa ~ia."' Of c o u r s e t h e scheme s t o o d a n e x c e l l e n t
chance o f s u c c e s s b e c a u s e o f t h e g r e a t a n i m o s i t y which s t i l l ex-
i s t e d between t h e r e s i d e n t s i n t h e f o r m e r l y Dutch t e r r i t o r i e s
and t h o s e who had a l w a y s been under B r i t i s h p r o t e c t i o n . 109
 Up u n t i l t h e 2 0 t h o f J u l y 1873, however, t h e B r i t i s h had
n o t even r e c e i v e d any r e l i a b l e i n t e l l i g e n c e as t o t h e e x i s t a r c e
o f t h i s p a r t i c u l a r Asante f o r c e l e t a l o n e i t s i n t e n t i o n s . But
on t h a t day d e s p a t c h e s were r e c e i v e d which r e v e a l e d t h i s new
Asante t h r e a t f o r t h e f i r s t time. It was r e p o r t e d t h a t two t o m s
b e l o n g i n g t o t h e l o y a l King o f Blay ha.d been d e s t r o y e d and t h a t
b o t h Dixcove and Sekondi were t h r e a t e n e d , 'lo Obviously Adu Bofo
a n d Atjiempon had begun t h e i r campaign b u t , i n c o n t r a s t t o t h e i r
e a r l i e r a p p r o a c h , t h e B r i t i s h d i d n o t respond t o t h e emergency
by a t t e m p t i n g t o r o u s e and arm t h e t r i b e s under a t t a c k . Their
e x p e r i e n c e w i t h t h e F a n t i s and t h e i r knowledge of t h e s t r o n g
Dutch s e n t i m e n t i n t h e r e g i o n convinced t h e men a t Cape Coast
t h a t such e f f o r t s would b e f u t i l e . Accordingly, t h e y decided t o
c o n c e n t r a t e t h e i r e f f o r t s on d e f e n d i n g and h o l d i n g t h e f o r t s .

On t h e 2 1 s t of J u l y , Hausa detachments were s e n t t o r e -

i n f o r c e a l l t h r e e of t h e t h r e a t e n e d f o r t s and a t t h e same t i m e
100 men o f ZT:!IR were s e n t t o t h e t h r e a t e n e d area as a shock f o r c e ,
About 5 0 o f t h e West I n d i a n s were s u b s e q u e n t l y l e f t a t Sekondi
111
w h i l e t h e r e m a i n d e r r e t u r n e d t o Cape Coast C a s t l e on t h e 2 4 t h .
These moves e f f e c t i v e l y c o u n t e r e d t h e Asante t h r e a t a n d , w i t h
one e x c e p t i o n , t h e enemy f o r c e s i n t h e r e g i o n playec! n o s i g n i f i -
c a n t r o l e i n t h e o p e r a t i o n s which were t o f o l l o w . Frola t h i s

p o i n t onward, t h e major e v e n t s of t h e war were d e s t i n e d t o o c c u r

a l o n g t h e a x i s of t h e Prasu-Cape Coast r o a d .
 T h i s s u c c e s s f u l r e i n f o r c e ~ n e n t o f t h e f o r t s i n t h e Western
d i s t r i c t s was immediately f o l l o w e d by f u r t h e r B r i t i s h i n i t i a t i v e s .
On t h e k t h of August, C o l o n e l H a r l e y c a l l e d a s t a f f c o n f e r e n c e a t
which it; was d e c i d e d t o t a k e s t e p s t o d i s l o d g e t h e A s a ~ t e sfrom
t h e i r p o s i t i o n a t Mampon. It was a l s o a g r e e d t h a t a n e c e s s a r y
p r e l i m i n a r y t o t h i s o p e r a t i o n would be t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f s e v -
e r a l s e c u r e f o r w a r d b a s e s between t h e c o a s t and Mampon. 112 L i e u -
t e n a n t ' Gordon and h i s Hausas were s e l e c t e d f o r t h e t a s k of e s t a b -
l i s h i n g t h e s e o u t p o s t s and on t h e 6 t h of August Cordon d e p a r t e d
f o r t h e v i l l a g e o f Napoleon w i t h 100 Hausas, 20 members o f t h e
Gold Coast R i f l e Corps, and 1 0 0 l a b o u r e r s . He was t o t h r o w up
a r e d o u b t and form a n encampment i n o r d e r t o o b t a i n b e t t e r i n f o r -
mation of t h e enemy's p o s i t i o n and s t r e n g t h and t o r e s t o r e t h e
confidence of t h e F a n t i s . The p o s t was a l s o i n t e n d e d t o s e r v e
as a n assembly a r e a once a g e n e r a l move a g a i n s t t h e enemy c o u l d
be mounted. '13 W i t h i n a week o f l e a v i n g Cape C o a s t , Gordon had
completed t h e r e d o u b t , i n s i t ~ l t e da r e g u l a r and r e l i a b l e syst.eln
o f p a t r o l l i n g o v e r a r a d i u s of some seven m i l e s and had msdz i t
p o s s i b l e f o r t h e v i l l a g e s between Cape Coast and Hapoleon t o be
r e o c c u p i e d by t h e i r f o r m e r i n h a b i t a n t s . 114

The p a t r o l l i n g was o f e s p e c i a l importance. No map o f t h e

c o u n t r y was a v a i l a b l e from any s o u r c e and t h e p a t r o l s made it

p o s s i b l e f o r L i e u t e n a n t Gordon t o complete a rough b u t a d e q u a t e

115
t r a c i n g of t h e c o u n t r y which was s u b s e q u e n t l y used e x t e n s i v e l y .
The p a t r o l s a l s o g a t h e r e d i n f o r m a t i o n of g r e a t immediate m i l i -
t a r y value, Frcm t h e i r r e p o r t s i t was d e f i n i t e l y a s c e r t a i n e d
t h a t no A s a n t e s c r o s s e d t h e S w e e t R i v e r ; t h a t t h e l e f t q f t h e
Asante s t a n d i n g camp was a t E f u t u , where t h e i r numbers were few;
t h a t g r e a t n u n b e r s were a t Karnpon, whence t h e y e x t e n d e d westward
t o w a r d s Agoonah a.nd Aquafoo; t h a t a l a r g e body o f them--perhaps
s e v e r a l thousand--was a t Simeo; and t h a t t h e y f o r a g e d f o r pro-
v i s i o n s i n t h e g a r d e n s o f d e s e r t e d v i l l a g e s between Sirneo and
t h e Sweet R i v e r . It was a l s o e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t t h e A s a n t e s com-
municated r e g u l a r l y w i t h E l m i n a by way o f Simeo, 116

The e f f o r t a t Napoleon succeeded s o w e l l t h a t Colonel

F e s t i n g o r d e r e d L i e u t e n a n t Gordon t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e p o s s i b i l i t y
o f r e p e a t i . n g t h e p r o c e s s somewhere between E l n i n a and blampon.
Gordon t h e r e f o r e began a d e t a i l e d r e c o n n a i s s a n c e o f t h e a r e a west
o f Napoleon on t h e 1 1 t h of August. While c a r r y i n g o u t t h i s recon-
n a i s s a n c e he l e a r n e d t h a t t h e n o r t h - s o u t h t r a i l s were h e a v i l y u s e d ,
b u t t h a t t h e r e was n o l a r g e body o f Asante t r o o p s i n t h e r e g i o n
between Elmina a n d Mampon. He a l s o l e a r n e d t h a t t h e c e n t r a l l y
l o c a t e d v i l l a g e o f Simeo had r e c e n t l y been e v a c u a t e d by a l a r g e
Asante f o r c e and as it was s t r a t e g i c a l l y l o c a t e d and t a c t i -
c a l l y sound f o r t h e t y p e o f o u t p o s t d e s i r e d by C o l o n e l F e s t i n g ,
Gordon d e t e r m i n e d t o s i t e h i s second r e d o u b t t h e r e ,
118

Napoleon was t h e n g a r r i s o n e d by a new detachment o f mixed

Hausa and 2 1 ~ 1t~r 'o o p s and Gordon began h i s move on t h e 1 6 t h o f
August. He was f o r c e d t o abandon Simeo, however, because h i s
Gold Coast Riflemen f l a t l y r e f u s e d t o go t h a t c l o s e t o t h e Asante
main camp. A s a r e s u l t , he moved t h r e e m i l e s c l o s e r t o S E l m i n a
and began c o n s t r u c t i o n a t Abbaye, 119 The new r e d o u b t was b e g m
on t h e 1 8 t h o f August and w i t h i n t e n d a y s t h e s u c c e s s f u l p a t t e r n
e s t a b l i s h e d a t Napoleon had been r e p e a t e d , Brackenbury corrunented,
Gordon c a r r i e d on a s y s t e m o f pa-
t r o l s and s p i e s and he d a i l y c a p t u r e d
A s h a n t i p r i s o n e r s who weke f o r w a r d e d t o
headquarters. Besides stopping t h e di-
r e c t communication between Mampon and
Elrnina, t h e o c c u p a t i o n o f Abbaye r e -
s t o r e d l a r g e portions of f r u i t f u l land
t o t h e F a n t i s , and covered t h e lower
Sweet R i v e r and Sirowee from t h e enemy. 1 2 0
The e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e s e t w o forward p o s t s were s o l i d a c h i e v e -
ments and were of i n e s t i m a b l e v a l u e f o r detachments under B r i t i s h

c o n t r o l and l e a d e r s h i p were a t l a s t p r o v i n g t h a t t h e y could go

i n t o t h e bush and f u n c t i o n e f f e c t i v e l y ,

These modest b u t i m p o r t a n t a c c o n p l i s h m e n t s i n t h e f i e l d
were p a r a l l e 1 . e d by a tremendous i n c r e a s e i n t h e q u a n t i t y and
q u a l i t y o f r e s u p p l y from England, The s u p p l i e s which had come
w i t h Colonel F e s t i n g ' s Marines had been b u t a sample o f what was
i n store. A b r i e f r e v i e w o f t h e f o u r month p e r i o d e n d i n g on t h e
3 0 t h o f August w i l l i l l u s t r a t e t h e i n c r e a s e d r a t e a t which t h e
l o g i s t i c s u p p o r t was growing. The mail-packet which l e f t England
on t h e 1 8 t h o f May brought a d d i t i o n a l h o s p i t a l s u p p l i e s i n quan-
t i t i e s p r e v i o u s l y o n l y dreamed o f . It a l s o b r o u g h t s u f f i c i e n t
s u p p l i e s t o r e p l a c e a l l t h e s t o r e s i s s u e d from t h e I m p e r i a l maga-
z i n e s a t Cape Coast C a s t l e a ~ Sd i e r r a Leone f o r t h e u s e of t h e
C o l o n i a l Government as w e l l a s l a r g e q u a n t i t i e s o f s u c h g e n e r a l
st;ores a s e n t r e n c h i n g t o o l s , b l a n k e t s , t e n t s , Rortonl s t u b e -
w e l l s 121 and k i t c h e n equipment. 12* Xeanwhile, it was d e c i d e d a t
a c o n f e r e n c e t o send out; H.N.S. Sirnoom w i t h 200 R.1:I.L .I. and
R.1I.A. t o i n c r e a s e t h e e x i s t i n g establishment and f i l l a n y va-
c a n c i e s due t o d e a t h o r i n j u r i e s . 123 The Simoom s a i l e d on t h e
1 7 t h of J u l y , The n e x t day, 21+0,000 rounds o f S n i d e r ammuni-
t i o n , l50,OOO r o u n d s o f E n f i e l d ainrnunition and a q u a n t i t y o f
powder and l e a d were s h i p p e d o u t t o g e t h e r w i t h two 7-pounder
mountain-guns and 300 rounds p e r gun. 124' On t h e 3 0 t h o f J u l y
two G a t l i n g guns w i t h 1 0 , 0 0 0 rounds p e r gun were s h i p p e d o u t by
mail-packet. A t t h e s a n e t i m e , a l a r g e demand f o r such s t o r e s
e n t r e n c h i n g t o o l s , a c c o u t e r m e n t s , e t c . , which had been made
Commissary Marsden i n m e d i a t e l y on h i s a r r i v a l a t Cape Coast
t h e b e g i n n i n g o f J u n c , was complied with.125 Finally, further
q u a n t i t i e s o f h o s p i t a l s t o r e s were d e s p a t c h e d on t h e 3 0 t h c f
August. 1 2 6

T h i s f l o o d o f s u p p l i e s began t o a r r i v e when H.X.S. Sirnoom

dropped a n c h o r a t Cape Coast on t h e 9 t h o f August. 127 The Sirnoom

was r e t a i n e d on t h e c o a s t a s a h o s p i t a l s h i p and was g i v e n t h e

a d d i t i o n a l t a s k o f d i s t i l l i n g w a t e r . 128 Because of t h e preva-
l e n c e o f f e v e r , t h e F a r i n e s were n o t l a n d e d u n t i l s e v e r a l weeks
had passed. Aourever, t h e poor h e a l t h o f C o l o n e l F e s t i n g ' s o r i g -
i n a l cont,ir.gcnt of Blarines caused t h e s t a f f t;o i n s t i t u t e measures
f o r t h e immediate e v a c u a t i o n of t h e b u l k o f t h e command. Eighty
men had a l r e a d y s a i l e d f o r England on t h e 4 t h o f August a n d , w i t h
t h e a r r i v a l of t h e r e i n f o r c e m e n t s , t h e remainder were s e n t t o s e a
f o r a s h o r t r e c u p e r a t i v e c r u i s e b e f o r e b e i n g once n o r e co~nrnitted
t o a c t i o n . 129 Aside f roril t h e m i l i t a r y s t o r e s and r e i n f o r c e m e r . t s ,
however, t h e Sinloom c a r r i e d a l a r g e s u p p l y o f r i c e which had been
s e n t o u t t o h e l p meet t h e enormous demands which were t h e n b e i n g
made on t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r by t h e s t a r v i n g populace. 13' From t h i s
t i m e onward, s u p p l y s h i p s a r r i v e d a t r e g u l a r i n t e r v a l s and t h e
v a r i o u s magazines and commissaries were soon b e g i n n i n g t o f i l l
w i t h all. manner of arms, amnunition and equipment.

T h i s s t e a d i l y b r i g h t e n i n g p i c t u r e was marred by o n l y one

serious reverse. On t h e 7 t h o f August, a r e p o r t had a r r i v e d
from Dixcove t h a t Amankwa Tia was t r y i n g t o move h i s army a c r o s s
t h e P r a i n t o t h e Vassaw c o u n t r y i n o r d e r t o j o i n f o r c e s w i t h Adu
Bof o and A t jiempon 131 . his move was t h o u g h t t o be i n p r e ' p a r a t i o n
f o r a n a t t a c k on Dixcove and Sekondi and w i t h i n a week Commodore
Cornrnerell was a t Sekondi i n comiand o f r e 1 a t i v e l . y s m a l l f o r c e o f
armed and manned b o a t s from t h e Argus and t h e R a t t l e s n a k e . On
t h e l k t h h e l e d t h i s s m a l l f l o t i l l a t o Shama where he a n c h o r e d ,
went a s h o r e , and h e l d a p a l a v e r w i t h t h e k i n g s and c h i e f s , hoping
t o o b t a i n t h e i r a s s i s t a n c e t o d r i v e t h e A s a n t e s from t h e i r c r o s s -
ing place. The Shama p r o t e s t e d t h a t t h e i r o n l y d e s i r e was t o
m a i n t a i n an a b s o l u t e n e u t r a l i t y . They r e f u s e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n

t h e e x p e d i t i o n and t h e y even r e f u s e d t o p r o v i d e p i l o t s f o r t h e
b o a t s t h a t were t o a s c e n d t h e r i v e r .
 Undaunted, t h e Conmodore proceeded a c r o s s t h e b a r agd up
tkIe r i v e r w i t h o u t Sharna a s s i s t a n c e b u t b e f o r e t h 9 b o a t s had gone
two m i l e s upstream, i t became o b v i o u s why t h e Sharna had n o t want-
ed t o acco::lpany them. Without any w a r n i n g , s h o t s r a n g o u t from
t h e Shama s i d e o f t h e r i v e r and a h a i l o f s l u g s came p o u r i n g i n -
t o t h e b o a t s a t about t e n y a r d s range. The f i r e was such t h a t
t h e f o r c e had t o withdraw dovn t h e r i v e r t o t h e town where i t was
e a t t a c k e d a small reinforcement o f
found t h a t t h e t o ~ ~ i s p e o p lhad
Fanti being landed f o r service i n t h e f o r t . The Corn-
modore promptly had t h e .town s h e l l e d and r e d u c e d t o a heap o f
burning rubble. The B r j - t i s h l o s s ir, t h i s u n f o r t u n r t e a f f a i r was
f o u r men k i l l e d and s i x o f f i c e r s and f o u r t e e n men wounded, 133

T h i s B r i t i s h r e p u l s e a t t h e hands o f t h e Asantes caused

t h o s e f o r m e r Dutch s u b j e c t s who had h i t h e r t o been h e s i t a t i n g i n
t h e i r a l l e g i a n c e and m a i n t a i n i n g an outward s e a b l a n c e o f l o y a l t y
t o b r e a k o u t i n t o open r e b e 1 l i 0 n . l ~ ~The i n h a b i t a n t s o f T a k o r a d i ,
Dutch Sekondi and many o t h e r p l a c e s t o o k up arms and d e c l a r e d
a g a i n s t t h e Government. 135 The o n l y way t h a t t h e s e i n s u r r e c t i o n
c o u l d be d e a l t w i t h was t h r o u g h t h e o l d medium of gun-boat p e r -
suasion, Consequently, d u r i n g t h e s u c c e e d i n g weeks, n a v a l ves-
s e l s c r u i s e d up and down t h e c o a s t , s h e l l i n g and b u r n i n g a v i l -
l a g e h e r e and t h e r e as o u t b r e a k s of d e f i a n c e were r e p o r t e d . Of
course t h i s w a s l i m i t e d i n e f f e c t i v e n e s s because only t h e v i l -
l a g e s were d e s t r o y e d w h i l e t h e i n h a b i t a n t s u s u a l l y escaped un-
s c a t h e d i n t o t h e bush and c o n t i n u e d t o c a r r y on a campaign of
harrassment a g a i n s t t h e various f o r t s . Throughout t h e month of
August, t h e e n t i r e c a a s t l i n e from Axim t o Sharia was d i s t u r b e d by
s p o r a d i c c l a s h e s between t h e 'Dutch' p e o p l e and t h e l o y a l t r i b e s -
men and t h e s h e l l i n g o f d i s l o y a l t o w n s was a r e g u l a r o c c u r r w c e . 1 3 6

Commodore Corninerell's d e f e a t s t r o n g l - y i n f l u e n c e d C o l o n e l
H a r l e y ' s t h i n k i n g w i t h r e g a r d t o t h e s t r a t e g i c coriduct of t h e war,
He had f i n a l l y become convinced t h a t it was no l o n g e r p r o f i t a b l e
t o c o n t i n u e r u s h i n g back and f o r t h a l o n g t h e c o a s t i n f r a n t i c e f -
f o r t s t o c o u n t e r e v e r y t h r e a t posed by t h e enemy. A s a result,
he proposed t o Lord Kimberley t h a t t h e B r i t i s h s h o u l d r e a l l y t s k e
t h e i n i t i a t i v e by a t t a c k i n g and t a k i n g Kwnasi. He s u g g e s t e d t h a t
a f o r c e composed of 300 N a r i n e s , 600 West I n d i a n s , a b a t t a l i o n o f
r i f l e s (European) n o t l e s s t h a n 800 s t r o n g , 200 Gold Coast R i f l e - .
men and 1 0 , 0 0 0 n a t i v e a u x i l i a r i e s could accomplish t h e m i s s i o n
q u i t e e a s i l y a f t e r a " l e i s u r e l y march o f t e n d a y s f r o n Cape C o a s t w
on t h e P r a s u r o a d . 137 Colonel F e s t i n g recognized t h e dangers
i n h e r e n t i n t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r ' s scheme and f i r m l y s t a t e d h i s d i s -
a p p r o v a l o f it. He c l o s e d h i s memorandwn on t h e m a t t e r by s a y i n g ,
"As a n o f f i c e r w r i t i n g w i t h r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , I cannot p e r m i t n y s e l f

t o t h i n k l i g h t l y of an u n d e r t a k i n g involving; unknown h a z a r d s .
T h a t it i s p o s s i b l e t o a s s e r t t h e s o v e r e i g n t y of o u r c o u n t r y on
t h i s c o a s t I f u l l y b e l i e v e ; b u t n o t , i n my humble o p i n i o n , w i t h
t h e i n s u f f i c i e n t m a n s proposed i n your E x c e l l e n c y r s d e s p a t c h . 11138
 - 98 -.

I n t h e e n d , n o t h i n g was done t o inlplement t h i s p a r t i c u l a r

plan. On t h e 11th o f September, t h e m a i l - p a c k e t a r r i v e d from
England b r i n g i n g C a p t a i n G l o v e r , R.N. ,139 and i n s t r u c t i o n s from
t h e Government. These i n s t r u c t i o n s s t a t e d t h a t S i r G a r n ~ t
Vlolseley was a b o u t t o p r o c e e d t o t h e C o a s t , i n o r d e r t o assume
t h e duties o f c i v i l a d m i n i s t r a t o r and m i l i t a r y commander, and
t h e y d i r e c t e d t h a t no extended o p e r a t i o n s s h o u l d be undertaken
pending h i s a r r i v a l . 140 C o l o n e l H a r l e y was t h u s s w m a r i l y r e -
p l a c e d , and t h e second phase o f t h e war was a b o u t t o b e g i n .
pcdit;:ionai.j; f o r c e . ' i n the p a s t , such f o r c e s had proved u n p i ; ) c l e r

s u b s c q u e ~ t , l - yprove a fnj.11xrc a s i n t h c c x e o f I;acarthy a n d t h s

of o f f i c c .

wrote :
 S i r G a r n e t was s e r v i n g i n t h e War O f f i c e as A s s i s t a n t
Adjutant-General: D i s c i p l i n e D r m c h , a t t h i s t i m e and he r e c e i v e d
h i s f i r s t i n t i m a t i o n a s t o what was a f o o t from t h e PJar S e c r e t a r y ,
I&, C a r d w e l l , i n J u l y o f 1873. Cardwell c o n f i d e d t o S i r G a r n e t
t h a t t h e r e was a p o s s i . b i l i t y o f an e x p e d i t i o n b e i n g s e n t t o t h e
Gold Coast and t h a t he would work f o r W o l s e l e y t s appointment t o
head such a f o r c e . He a d v i s e d t h e young c o l o n e l t o p r e p a r e f o r
s u c h a n e v e n t u a l i t y by s u b m i t t i n g t o hirn a n a p p l i c a b l e m i l i t a r y
T h i s S i r Garnet proceeded t o do, and he emerged w i t h a
d e t a i l e d p l a n a t t h e v e r y moment when Lord Kimberley, who was
working c l o s e l y w i t h C a r d w e l l , d e c i d e d t o a p p o i n t a s o l d i e r as
m i l i t a r y and c i v i l head of t h e Gold Coast t e r r i t o r y . The \Jar
S e c r e t a r y immediately s e n t t h e p l a n t o Lord Kimberley w i t h a n o t e
s a y i n g , " S i r Garnet t l o l s e l e y , who s o s u c c e s s f u l l y went t o t h e Red
R i v e r , i s now r e a d y t o c a p t u r e Ktunasi. tt 6

T h i s o r i g i n a l scheme was disa.pproved by t h e Duke of

Cambridge, who was n o t i n f a v o r of u s i n g European t r o o p s , and it
a l s o came under f i r e from s e v e r a l o f f i c i a l s i n t h e Government f o r

v a r i o u s o t h e r r e a s o n s .7 U n d e t e r r e d , S i r Garnet immediately s e t
a b o u t p r o d u c i n g y e t a n o t h e r p l a n which t o o k i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n
the v a r i o u s o b j e c t i o n s which had been r a i s e d . His r e v i s e d schexe
c a l l e d f o r h i s immediate d e p a r t u r e w i t h a g r o u p o f s p e c i a l l y s e -
l e c t e d o f f i c e r s t o s u r v e y l o c a l c o n d i t i o n s and t o o r g a n i z e a
f o r c e o f f r i e n d l y n a t i v e s t o d r i v e t h e Asante back o v e r t h e P r a .
Should t h e n a t i v e l e v i e s prove inadequate f o r a f i n a l t h r u s t
a c r o s s t h e r i v e r t o Kumasi, two f i r s t - r a t e w h i t e b a t t a l i o n s and
n e c e s s a r y s u p p o r t e l e m e n t s , h e l d i n a s t a t e o f r e a d i n e s s a t home,
would be s e n t o u t upon r e q u e s t t o complete t h e work, Because o f
t h e d e a d l y c l i m a t e , S i r G a r n e t promised t o u s e t h e s e men w i t h a l l
p o s s i b l e s p e e d d u r i n g t h e b e s t s e a s o n between December and Feb-
ruary, A good r o a d would be c o n s t r u c t e d t o t h e P r a b e f o r e h a n d ,
w i t h s u i t a b l e s h e l t e r s e r e c t e d a t each h a l t i n g place. Once t h e
Asantehene had been f o r c e d t o t e n n s , o r h i s c a p i t a l a t Kumasi
d e s t r o y e d s h o u l d he r e s i s t t o t h e end, t h e w h i t e t r o o p s would be
h u r r i e d back t o t h e t r a n s p o r t s . Wolseley promised t o c a r r y o u t
t h e e n t i r e o p e r a t i o n f o r l e s s t h a n •’150,000. 8

The f i n a l d e c i s i o n a s t o t h e a d o p t i o n o f t h i s p l a n and
t h e appointment of S i r Garnet t o i t s command was r e a c h e d a t a
l e n g t h y and somewhat a c r i m o n i o u s meeting i n t h e War O f f i c e on
t h e 1 3 t h of August, 1873. Senior representatives of various
Governmental d e p a r t m e n t s , and high-ranking n a v a l and m i l i t a r y o f -
f i c e r s w e r e i n a t t e n d a n c e and t h e n a v a l c o n t i n g e n t , s u p p o r t e d by
a t l e a s t one unnamed m i n i s t e r o f t h e Government, a c t i v e l y o y y s s d
t h e i d e a o f a n e x p e d i t i o n and a r g u e d s t r o n g l y f o r a c o n t i n u a t i o c
of gunboat diplomacy.9 Lord Kimberley, i r r i t a t e d by t h e obvi-
o u s l y i n a d e q u a t e p r o p o s a l s by t h e Admiralty and e x a s p e r a t e d by
t h e c r o s s - e x a m i n a t i o n of a n o t h e r M i n i s t e r , f i n a l l y l o s t h i s tern-
Per. Thumping a t a b l e , he d e c l a r e d t h a t e i t h e r t h e Wolseley p l a n
would be a d o p t e d o r he would r e s i g n . S i r Garnet was t h e n asked
i f he was p r e p a r e d t o t a k e o v e r c i v i l a s w e l l as m i l i t a r y a u t h o r -
i t y p r o v i d e d he was n o t e x p e c t e d t o remain i n A f r i c a a f t e r s e t -
t l i n g t h e Asante a f f a i r . He r e p l i e d t h a t he was p r e p a r e d t o a c -
c e p t t h e p o s t on t h o s e t e r m s and i t was t h e n a g r e e d t h a t he would
be a p p o i n t e d t o e x e c u t e h i s own p l a n w i t h t h e c l e a r u n d e r s t a n d i n g
t h a t " n o t h i n g b u t a c o n v i c t i o n of n e c e s s i t y would induce Her Elaj-
e s t y ' s Government t o engage i n any o p e r a t i o n s i n v o l v i n g t h e pos-
s i b i l i t y o f i t s r e q u i r i n g t h e s e r v i c e of Europeans a t t h e Gold
C o a s t . tr 1 0

Two d a y s a f t e r t h i s c r u c i a l meeting, i t was anpounced i n

t h e London newspapers t f i a t S i r Garnet was t o l e a v e f o r Plest Af-
r i c a a s soon a s p o s s i b l e t o u n d e r t a k e t h e d i r e c t i o n of t h e c i v i l
11
and m i l i t a r y a f f a i r s t h e r e w i t h t h e l o c a l rank o f m a j o r - g e n e r a l .
The move was d e c r i e d n o t o n l y by t h o s e who d i d n o t approve o f
W o l s e l e y t s r o l e i n t h e Cardwell r e f o r i a s , and by t h o s e o f f i c e r s
s e n i o r t o WoLseley who f e l t t h a t t h e y s h o u l d have had t h e c o m a n d ,
b u t a l s o by t h e 'Old. A f r i c a Hands' who had begun t o condemn t h e
v e r y t h o u g h t of u s i n g European t r o o p s on t h e Gold Coast when t h e
f o r m a t i o n of a Gold Coast e x p e d i t i o n was f i r s t rumoured. However,

t h e v a s t m a j o r i t y of younger o f f i c e r s i n t h e army and much o f t h e

g e n e r a l p u b l i c approved of t h e appointment. l2 Wolseley h i m s e l f
c a r e d l i t t l e f o r what anyoce t h o u g h t , however, and once he had
r e c e i v e d h i s ir.structions, l3 he immediately began making p r e p a r a -
t i o n s f o r t h e execution o f h i s plan.
 The i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of h i s r e v i s e d p l a n r e q u i r e d t h a t S i r
G a r n e t g a t h e r around h i m s e l f an a b l e s t a f f f o r o n l y d e d i c a t e d ,
e n e r g e t i c and competent s t a f f - o f f i c e r s c o u l d hope t o c a r r y o u t
t h e d i f f i c u l t d u t i e s which l a y ahead. He was l i m i t e d t o s e l e c t -
i n g t h i r t y - s i x s t a f f and s p e c i a l s e r v i c e o f f i c e r s from t h e moye
t h a n two hundred v o l u n t e e r s who answered h i s c a l l . Revertlielese,
when h i s s e l e c t i o n was c o m p l e t e , he had assembled what Alan Lloyd
d e s c r i b e s a s a 'Iremarkable c l i q u e o f young e n t h u s i a s t s T 1 c o n p r i s -
i n g a n "odd m i x t u r e of u n t r i e d s t a f f t h e o r i s t s and proven d e r r i n g -
d o e r s , u n i t e d t o a man i n t h e i r d e v o t i o n t o V o l s e l e y and t h e 'mod-
e r n t m i l i t a r y school11,l4 T h i s g r o u p was s c o r n f u l l y dubbed t h e
' l ~ o l s e l c yRing' o r t h e ' A s h a n t i RingT by t h e s k e p t i c s and, t o
some d e g r e e t h i s skept;icisri was t o prove j u s t i f i e d b u t t h e mem-
b e r s o f "Ring" s t i l l . were a b l e , and i n some few c a s e s , b r i l l i a n t
men. 15

W i t h h i s s t a f f s e l e c t e d and r a p i d l y a s s e m b l i n g , Wolseley
t u r n e d t o t h e t a s k of c o m p l e t i n g t h e d e t a i l e d p l a n n i n g f o r t h e
coming o p e r a t i o n s , l6 W i t h i n t h r e e weeks t h e p l a n n i n g job had
been completed and on t h e 1 2 t h of September, 1873, S i r Garnet and
his staff boarded t h e s t e a m e r "Arnbriz" and d e p a r t e d f o r t h e Gold
Coast i n what one o b s e r v e r d e s c r i b e d as a " h o l i d a y moodv. l7 The
t r i p was n o h o l i d a y , however, f o r t h e G e n e r a l had made p l a n s t o
u s e t h e s e a voyage t o good e f f e c t by c o n d u c t i n g a n i n - t r a n s i t
t r a i n i n g school f o r h i s staff.
 He b r o u g h t d o z e n s o f books on t h e h i s t o r y and geography
of West A f r i c a f o r t h e u s e of t h e s t a f f and C a p t a i n K a u r i c e h e l p -
ed i n t h e s e a r c h f o r knowledge by making a compendium o f t h e v a r -
i o u s works. These were d i s t r i b u t e d among t h e members o f t h e
s t a f f , a l o n g w i t h a t a b l e o f a d v i c e on h e a l t h w r i t t e n by t h e
c h i e f m e d i c a l o f f i c e r and e a c h day C a p t a i n s Huyshe and Bracken-
b u r y p u t t h e i r n o t e s i n shape and l e c t u r e d t h e o f f i c e r s on t r i b e s
and t e r r a i n . 18

S i r G a r n e t u t i l i z e d h i s own t i m e a t s e a t o f i n a l i z e h i s
g e n e r a l p l a n f o r t h e call~paign. He viewed t h e o p e r a t i o n a s break-
ing down i n t o two p h a s e s : ( 1 ) what was t o be accomplished b e f o r e
t h e Europeac t r o o p s a r r i v e d ; ( 2 ) what was t o be done once t h e
European t r o o p s had been c o n c e n t r a t e d a t P r a s u . Commenting on
t h e f i r s t of t h e s e p h a s e s , he wrote:
Number one d i v i d e d i t s e l f i n t o two ob-
j e c t i v e s which must be accomplished be-
f o r e number two could be begun; t h e y
-
were a s f o l 1 . 0 ~ ~ :

( a ) To c l e a r o u t t h e Ashantees
from t h e p r o t e c t o r a t e w i t h what-
e v e r n a t i v e t r o o p s I could raise;

( b ) The c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a r o a d
f r o m Cape Coast t o Prahsu---a
d i s t a n c e s a i d t o be s e v e n t y - f i v e
miles--and t h e p r e p a r a t i o n o f good
s h e l t e r f o r the white troops a
t h e selected halting-places. 18
Obviously one of t h e major t a s k s f a c i n g t h e G e n e r a l and
h i s s t a f f would be t h e r e c r u i t m e n t of A f r i c a n t r o o p s . After
i t would be b e s t t o a v o i d r e l y i n g t o o h e a v i l y on t h e F a n t i s and
t h e o t h e r C o a s t a l t r i b e s as a s o u r c e o f manpower, Accordingly,
a comprehensive p l a n was d e v i s e d f o r t h e a c q u i s i t i o n of r e c r u i t s
from o t h e r p o i n t s i n V e s t A f r i c a ; r e c r u i t s who would be f a r t h e r
f r o m t h e i r homes and whom S i r Garnet t h e r e f o r e b e l i e v e d would be
l e s s l i k e l y t o d e s e r t t h e i r p o s t s . 20

Although t h i s p l a n was o f q u e s t i o n a b l e m e r i t , it was be-

gun immediately upon t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e vAmbr*izv a t S i e r r a Leone

on t h e 2 7 t h of September. C a p t a i n F u r s e a n d L i e u t e n a n t Saumders
were s e n t by b o a t n o r t h t o t h e Gambia t o e n l i s t f i g h t i n g men from
among t h e Noslern t r i b e s t h e r e . L i e u t e n a n t Gordon of t h e 9 3 r d
H i g h l a n d e r s remained behind i n Freetown i n an e f f o r t t o r e c r u i t
v o l u n t e e r s , e s p e c i a l l y p e n s i o n e r s from t h e V e s t I n d i a r e g i m e n t s . 21
It was a l s o hoped t o e n l i s t men from t h e w a r l i k e Kossoo (14ende)
t r i b e a t S h e r b o r o where M r . L o g g i e , who was by t h i s time s t a t i o n -
ed a t S h e r b o r o as t h e c o l l e c t o r o f customs, was p r e s s e d i n t o s e r v -
i c e as t h e r e c r u i t i n g a g e n t . It was i n t e n d e d t h a t t h e s e n a t i v e
l e v i e s from t h e Gambia, S i e r r a Leone and t h e S h e r b o r o would u l t i -
m a t e l y form two r e g i m e n t s which were t o be corxnanded by L i e u t e r -
a n t - C o l o n e l Wood, V .C ., and Major Baker R u s s e l l . 22

Aside from t h e s e r e c r u i t i n g e f f o r t s , s e v e r a l o t h e r s t e p s

were t a k e n t o b u i l d up t h e f o r c e , Arrangements were made w i t h

C a p t a i n ~ t r a c h a n ,R.N., t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r o f Lagos, who was ther.

i n S i e r r a Leone, f o r t h e t , r a n s f e r o f 1 5 0 Hausas t o t h e Gold Coast
i n exchange f o r h a l f t h a t number o f men from t h e 2!.tIit. I n addi-
t i o n , EIa j o r Home, t h e Co!manding Royal E n g i n e e r ( C R E ) , succeeded
i n o b t a i n i n g a body o f 33 c a r p e n t e r s and nzsons and 2 0 l a b o u r e r s
i n S i e r r a Leone, A t t h e same tirim he had a s c e r t a i n e d t h a t more
a r t i f i c e r s c o u l d be o b t a i n e d a t Accra s o it was d e c i d e d t h a t
L i e u t e n a n t Eol.ton, l.!'.IIH, would proceed t o Accra immediately upon
t h e a r r i v a l of t h e An1bri.z a t Cape Coast w i t h a view t o h i r i n g
more o f t h e b a d l y needed c a r p e n t e r s a ~ masons
d there. It was
a l s o d e c i d e d t h a t he would c o ~ t i n u eon t o Vinneba and t h e r e a t -
tempt t o e n l i s t more f i g h t i n g men f o r use i n e i t h e r R u s s e l l ~ s
o r Wood's regirrlents. The f i n a l recruit in^; rnissicr, was c a r r i e d
o u t a f t e r t h e Ambriz s a i l e d from S i e r r a L e o ~ ewhen Comclissary
OtConner was l a n d e d a t Cape Palmas w i t h i n s t r u c t i o n s t o e n l i s t
Krumen, whose r e p u t a t i o r ! a s w i l . l i n g w o r k e r s caused Wolseley t o
b e l i e v e t h a t t h e y would be a v a l u a b l e a c q u i s i t i o n a s c a r r i e r s . 23

Once OtConner had been s e t a s h o r e , t h e Ambriz s a i l e d d i -

r e c t l y t o Cape Coast and e a r l y on t h e morning o f t h e 2nd o f Oc-
t o b e r , she dropped a n c h o r i n t h e Cape Coa.st Roads. 24 S i r Garnet
and t h e mernbers of h i s s t a f f had l o s t none o f t h e i r e n t h u s i a s m
d u r i n g t h e i r uncomfortable voyage and Brac1:enbury comments t h a t
f a r from b e i n g d e p r e s s e d by t h e d i s m a l a s p e c t p r e s e n t e d by t h e
town, a l l and s u n d r y viewed it a s " t h e Land of Promisev. 25 in
k e e p i n g w i t h t h e t r a d i t i o n s of t h e Gold C o a s t , t h i s enthusiasm
was p u t t o t h e t e s t a l m o s t i m ~ e d i a t e l y , Fiithin h o u r s o f t h e i r
a r r i v a l , t h o General a ~ hd i s s t a f f were q u i c k l y made airare o f t h e
f a c t t h a t n e a t l y d e s i g n e d p l a ~ sconceived i n London by men igno-
r a n t of t h e c o n d i t i o n s of l i f e on t h e Gold Coast were o f t e n knock-
ed awry when t h e i r e x e c u t i o n was a t t e m p t e d . .

F o r example, S i r Garnet had c o m t e d h e a v i l y on f i n d i n g a t

h i s command some 300 t r a i n e d and d i s c i p l i n e d Hausas, armed w i t h
Snider r i f l e s . To h i s c h a g r i n , he found t h a t C o l o n e l H a r l e y had
a l l o w e d C a p t a i n Glover t o t a k e a l l
.
o f them away t o Accra f o r em-
ployment i n h i s e x p e d i t i o n . 2 6 The r e s u l t of t h i s was t h a t t h e

o n l y r e l i a b l e t r o o p s r e n a i n i n g i n t h e neighbourkood of t h e main
camp o f t h e Asante army, were s e v e r a l s m a l l detachments o f t h e
a?IR. What w a s w o r s e , evcn t h e small complement o f 2XIR t r o o p s
s t i l l a v a i l a b l e was f u r t h e r reduced by t h e need t o p o s t f i f t y
men t o Lagos i n k e e p i n g w i t h t h e agreement w i t h C a p t a i n S t r a c h a n .
When one d e d u c t e d t h e Lagos c o n t i n g e n t and t h e g a r r i s o n s o f S i e r -
ra Leone, A x i m , Dixcove, and Secondee, t h e numerous s i c k , and t h e
men a b s o l u t e l y r e q u i r e d f o r g a r r i s o n d u t i e s and n o t a v a i l a b l e f o r
t h e f i e l d , t h e e n t i r e f o r c e which c o u l d be deployed a t Elrnina,
27
Cape Coast Castle, Beulah and Napoleon was under 400 s t r o n g .
T h i s s h o r t a g e of o t h e r - r a n k s m s exceeded o n l y by t h a t o f o f f i -
cers. S i r G a r n e t had a l r e a d y s e n t back t o England f o r a n a d d i -
t i o n a l t w e l v e s p e c i a l - s e r v i c e o f f i c e r s when he was i n Freetown
b u t he had a l s o c o u n t e d on u s i n g some of t h e o f f i c e r s a l r e a d y a t
t h e Coast f o r s p e c i a l d u t y . Upon h i s a r r i v a l a t Cape Coast, how-

e v e r , he found o n l y t l l i r t e e n o f f i c e r s a v a i l a b l e f o r s e r v i c e w i t h
t h e 2WIR and a s that, number was n o t even s u f f i c i e n t f o r normal
r e q u i r e m e n t s , he dashed o f f y e t a n o t h e r u r g e n t demand s u p p o r t i n g
h i s Freetown r e q u e s t and a s k i n g t h a t it be g r a n t e d w i t h a l l s p e -
ed. 28

T h i s was a l l a s e r i o u s blow t o S i r G a r n e t ' s p l a n s a s h e

had been c o u n t i n g h e a v i l y on t h e Hausas, t h e West I n d i a n s and t h e
l o c a l B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s t o a c t a s a n u c l e u s around which t o form
h i s African l e v i e s . Under t h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , i t was f o r t u n a t e
t h a t t h e G e n e r a l had t h e s u p p o r t o f C a p t a i n Fremantle and t h e
n a v a l squadron even though t h e c a p t a i n ' s freedom o f a c t i o n was
s e v e r e l y l i m i t e d by t h e * i n s t r u c t i o n s l e f t behind by Cormodore
Commerell. The Commodore had had l i t t l e l o v e f o r Colonel Harley
and h e had l e f t s p e c i f i c i n s t r u c t i o n s t h a t u n l e s s C a p t a i n F r e -
m a n t l e s h o u l d r e c e i v e s p e c i a l o r d e r s from t h e A d m i r a l t y , no o f -
f i c e r s o r men were t o be l a n d e d f o r s e r v i c e on t h e c o a s t , n o r
were t h e y t o p r o c e e d up a n y r i v e r s u n l e s s a b s o l u t e l y n e c e s s a r y
f o r t h e p r o t e c t j . o n of B r i t i s h l i f e and p r o p e r t y *29 Nevertheless,

C a p t a i n Frernantle promised h i s f u l l e s t s u p p o r t t o S i r Garnet w i t h -

i n t h e scope of h i s powers. A s a r e s u l t , t h e General's despatch
of' t h e 1 0 t h of O c t o b e r c o n t a i n e d t h e comment t h a t he b e l i e v e d
t h a t n o t o n l y might ape Coast C a s t l e be p r o t e c t e d , b u t t h a t any
enemy att;ack could b e " r e p u l s e d w i t h much m a t e r i a l l o s s t o t h e
enemy a n d c o n s i d e r a b l e r m r a l b e n e f i t t o t h e B r i t i s h and t h e i r
African a l l i e s t t . 3O of c o u r s e i n making t h i s s t a t e m e n t he was

r e a n o n a b l y s a f e a s C o l o n e l Harley had a l r e a d y proven t h a t t h e ex-

i s t i n g f o r c e was c a p a b l e of meeting and r e p u l s i n g a r e a s o n a b l y
s t r o n g enemy a t t a c k on Elmina.

The l a c k of t h a t v i t a l ' s t i f f e n i n g ' which S i r Garnet k n e ~

t h e Hausas, t h e 2WIR t r o o p s and t h e i r o f f i c e r s would have p r o v i d e d
f o r t h e p r o j e c t e d A f r i c a n l e v i e s proved t o b e o n l y one o f t h e
problems which he found a w a i t i n g him. Somewhat t o t h e i r s u r p r i s e ,
t h e s t a f f d i s c o v e r e d a g r e a t s h o r t a g e o f t h e s u p p l i e s and arms
n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e e q u i p p i n g of t h e l e v i e s - - s h o u l d t h e A f r i c a n s en-
l i s t i n a n y numbers. Although q u a n t i t i e s of camp s u p p l i e s and
r e l a t i v e l y s o p h j . s t i c a t e d weapons had begun a r r i v i n g as e a r l y a s
August, and a l t h o u g h S i r G a r n e t ' s own s t o r e s were e n r o u t e , t h e
q u a n t i t i e s of r i f l e s , anmunition and b a s i c a c c o u t e r n e n t s n o r ~ n a l l y
i s s u e d t o t h e A f r i c a n s were s t i l l n o t i n s t o r e s . In h i s report
of t h e 4 t h of O c t o b e r , t h e Deputy-Controller s t a t e d t h a t t h e r e
were o n l y n i n e t e e n S n i d e r r i f l e s i n t h e i m p e r i a l s t o r e s and 400
E n f i e l d r i f l e s i n t h e c o l o n i a l s t o r e s , t o g e t h e r w i t h a few Dutch
r i f l e s f o r which t h e r e was no ain~nunition. P o s s i b l y ever. more

i m p o r t a n t , however, he e s t i m a t e d t h a t h i s r e s e r v e of r a t i o n s was
o n l y e q u a l t o f o u r d a y s ' i s s u e f o r t h e f o r c e of r e g u l a r t r o o p s
on t h e c o a s t . 31

F o r t u n a t e l y f o r S i r G a r n e t , he was n o t d e s t i n e d t o o p e r -
a t e under t h e heavy r e s t r i c t i o n s which had b e j e v i l l e d Colonel

H a r l e y , and he was t h u s a b l e t o rdove q u i c k l y t o c o u n t e r many o f

t h e s e p r o b l e ~ o s ; something t h e former A d m i n i s t r a t o r could n o t do.
 The G e n e r a l had v i r t u a l l y u n r e s t r i c t e d a c c e s s t o t h e f u l l r e -
s o u r c e s of a now t h o r o u g h l y a r o u s e d B r i t i s h Government and a s a
f i r s t s t e p t o w r d s o l v i n g t h e immediate problems, a p p l i c a t i o n
was immediately made by way o f Idadeira f o r 500,000 pounds o f
s a l t beef i n small packages i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e q u a n t i t y o r i g i n a l -
l y i n d e n t e d f o r w h i l e t h e s t a f f was s t i l l i n England. Pending
t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e s u p p l i e s a l r e a d y a t s e a , s a l t meat and b i s c u i t s
were o b t a i n e d from t h e ships-of-war i n p o r t . With t h e f o o d prob-
lem t h u s a p p a r e n t l y coming under c o n t r o l , t h e General t u r n e d t o
t h e q u e s t i o n of weapons. I n a b i t o f high-handed c h i c a n e r y , he
s i m p l y d e t a i n e d t h e s t o r e - s h i p " G e r t r u d e v , which a r r i v e d a t Cape
Coast on t h e 6 t h of October c a r r y i n g s u p p l i e s f o r Captain Glover,
and removed 300 S n i d e r r i f l e s t o r e p l a c e t h o s e which had been
t a k e n away w i t h t h e Hausas p r e v i o u s l y panyared by Glover. 32

While a t t e m p t i n g t o d e a l w i t h t h e s e s h o r t a g e s i n s u p p l i e s ,
equipment and d i s c i p l i n e d t r o o p s , S i r Garnet a l s o proceeded t o
make t h e p r e p a r a t i o n s n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e e x e c u t i o n o f t h e p l a n s
on o p e r a t i o n s , which he had forloulated i n London and on board t h e
"Ambrizft. On t h e 3 r d of O c t o b e r , t h e G e n e r a l o r d e r e d work t o
b e g i n immediat,ely on t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a d e q u a t e beach-head f a -

c i l i t i e s a t Cape Coast and f o r a s t a r t t o be made on t h e s u r v e y

and improvelIlent of % h e Cape c o a s t / ~ r a s u road.33 T h i s a c t i o n was

t a k e n even b e f o r e any a t t e m p t s were made t o r a i s e a n A f r i c a n army

i n t,lle t P r o t e c t o r a t e t because u n l i k e t h e t a s k of r a i s i n g A f r i c a n
l e v i e s , t h i s problerfi was a r e l a t i v e l y simple and s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d
m a t t e r o f m i l i t a r y l o g i s t i c s and because S i r Garnet a l r e a d y had
sufficient staff-officers and s k i l l e d tradesmen t o s t a r t work
on t h e p r o j e c t w i t h o u t i n v o l v i n g an a p p e a l t o k t h e A f r i c a n l e a d e r s
for assistance.

The m a j o r problem o f o f f - l o a d i n g and s t o r a g e f a c i l i t i e s

was t h e f i r s t t a s k t o engage t h e a t t e n t i o n o f t h e s t a f f because
c o n s i d e r a b l e work was r e q u i r e d b e f o r e Cape Coast would be c a p a b l e
of s u p p o r t i n g t h e p r o j e c t e d i n v a s i o n . One d i f f i c u l t y l a y i n t h e

l a n d i n g and s t o r a g e of s u p p l i e s and s t o r e s . The s h i p s a r r i v i n g

from England had t o l i e n e a r l y a m i l e from t h e s h o r e and e v e r y -
t h i n g had t o be l a n d e d i n s u r f - b o a t s which were s u p p l i e d a t i n -
f l a t e d p r i c e s by l o c a l c o n t r a c t o r s . It was t h e r e f o r e d e c i d e d t o
e s t a b l i s h a b o a t - s e r v i c e which was independent of c o n t r a c t and
w i t h i n t w o weeks s u c h a s e r v i c e was i n o p e r a t i o n . There was a l . s c

a great s h o r t a g e of s t o r a g e space and c o n s i d e r a b l e c o n f u s i o n i n

t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n of t h e e x i s t i n g s t o r e s due t o t h e c o n s t a n t chang-
i n g o f c o n t r o l o f f i c e r s . 34 To overcome t h i s , t h e e n g i n e e r s inune-

d i a t e l y began t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f p r o p e r s t o r a g e s h e d s and by t h e
7 t h of O c t o b e r , t h r e e l a r g e d o u b l e h u t s were a l r e a d y completed
and i n use. T h i s a d d i t i o n a l accommodation and t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t

of a f u l l - f ledgod c o n t r o l departnlent q u i c k l y s o l v e d b o t h prob-

lems. 35

Off-loading and s t o r a g e f a c i l i t i e s were o n l y p a r t of t h e

P i c t u r e , however. Adequate t r a n s p o r t and communications were
a l s o v i t a l t o thz operation, I n i t i a l l y , t r a n s p o r t was n o t a s z -
r i o u s problem a s a c o r p s o f some 600 n a t i v e c a r r i e r s had a l r e a d y
been e s t a b l i s h e d , Even s o , s t e p s were t a k e n t o improve t h e o r -
g a n i z a t i o n o f t h i s body ar.d p l a n s were made f o r i t s augmentation
by assigning t o it t h o s e Krurnen r e c r u i t e d a t Cape Palmas, 36 The
s i t u a t i o n w i t h r e g a r d t o cornrnunications was n o t s o e n c o u r a g i n g .
A s w i f t and r e l i a b l e means o f co:lmunicatj.on s i n p l y d i d n o t e x i s t
within t h e 'ProtectorateT. The s t a f f a t t e m p t e d t o c o r r e c t t h i s
d e f i c i e n c y by e s t a b l i s h i n g a system o f p o s t a l communication w i t h
t h e various outposts. A l i n e o f p o l i c e - r u n n e r s was formed and a
h e a d q u a r t e r m i l i t a r y p o s t - o f f i c e e s t a b l i s h e d a t Cape Coast. Run-
n e r s were p o s t e d a t t h e d i f f e r e n t s t a t i o n s , and a t a b o u t s i x m i l e
i n t e r v a l s on t h e s e c u r e p o r t i o n o f t h e Cape coast./"r r a s u r o a d ,
A s s i s t a n t p c s t m a s t e r s were a p p o i n t e d a t t h e r ~ l a j o ro u t p o s t s w i t h
orders t o report d a i l y t o headquarters, ( T i n e - s l i p s ' were g i v e n
t o each r u n n e r , cn which t h e h o u r s o f d e p a r t u r e and a r r i v a l a t
e a c h p l a c e were n o t e d by t h e p o s t m a s t e r ; and f i n e s were i n s t i t u t e d
t o i n s u r e r e g u l a r i t y i n t h e t r a n s i t of l e t t e r s . 37 Unfortumtely,
a l t h o u g h t h i s system vas r e a s o n a b l y e f f e c t i v e , i t was n e v e r expand-
ed t o p r o v i d e a d e q u a t e cornnlunications a s t h e a r e a o f o p e r a t i o n s
s o u t h of t h e P r a s l o w l y i n c r e a s e d i n s i z e ,

F i n a l l y , i n t h e f a c e o f t h e p e r s i s t e n t rumours o f a f o r t h -
coming Asante s t e p s had t o be t a k e n t o i n s u r e t h e secu--
r i t y of Cape C o a s t a n d i t s e n v i r o n s , Lieutenant-Colonel Festing
was p l a c e d in'cornmand of t h e t r o o p s a t Cape Coast and was charged
w i t h r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e d e f e n c e o f Cape Coast and i t s imme-
d i a t e environs. By t h e 5 t h o f O c t o b e r , he had p r e p a r e d a c m p r e -
h e n s i v e and d e t a i l e d p l a n o f d e f e n c e which made t h e b e s t p o s s i b l e
u s e n o t c n l y o f t h e weap0n.s and t r o o p s inm1ediatel.y a t hand b u t
a l s o of t h e s a i l o r s , m a r i n e s , g u n s and r o c k e t s o f t h e f l e e t an-
c h o r e d i n t h e Cape Coast ~ o a d s . The
~ ~ p l a n was n e v e r p u t t o t h e
t e s t b u t i t s cunning u s e o f s h e l t e r - t r e n c h e s and t h e f i r e p o w r
of t h e guns, r o c k e t s and S n i d e r s g i v e one e v e r y i n d i c a t i o n t h a t
any Asante a t t a c k would have r e s u l t e d i n a bloody r e p u l s e .

With t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e s u p p o r t a r e a t h u s growing and

s e c u r e , t h e s t a f f d e v o t e d more o f i t s a t t e n t i o n t o t h e v i t a l
q u e s t i o n o f t h e proposed , m i n s u p p l y r o u t e ( M S R ) f o r t h e inva-
s i o n , t h e Cape ~ o a s t / ~ r a sruo a d . The r o a d had l o n g been a n e s -
t a b l i s h e d t r a d e r o u t e from t h e i n t e r i o r and even b e f o r e S i r
G a r n e t ' s a r r i v a l , L i e u t e n a n t Gordon and h i s Hausas had done much
t o improve it a s f a r a s Yankumasi F a n t i , a d i s t a n c e o f some twen-
t y miles. I n d e e d , L i e u t e n a n t Gordon s u b a i t t e d a most o p t i m i s t i c
a p p r a i s a l o f h i s achievcrnents i n t h i s r e s p e c t L t o b u t C a p t a i n Huy-
s h e , t h e Deputy A s s i s t a n t Q u a r t e r m a s t e r - G e n e r a l on t h e s t a f f , c a r -
r i e d o u t h i s own i n s p e c t i o n o f t h e r o a d on t h e 8 t h and 9 t h o f
October.

H i s r o a d - r e p o r t i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e road-naking c a r r i e d
o u t s o f a r had c o n s i s t e d o n l y o f c l e a r i n g t h e p a t h t o a c o n s i d -
e r a b l e w i d t h . . He cornmer,ted t h a t a s S i r Garnet c o n s i d e r e d i t v e r y
i m p o r t a n t t h a t t h e t r o o p s s h o u l d rrlarch dry-shod and w i t h t h e
l e a s t p o s s i b l e f a t i g u e t o t h e P r a , much work remained t o be done. 41
The t a s k of b u i l d i n g such a r o a d f e l l t o Major Home, t h e CRE, and
t h e s m a l l detachment o f Royal E n g i n e e r s under h i s command. Their
job was n o t t o be a n e a s y one f o r i t was i n t e n d e d t o make t h e
r o a d as n e a r l y d r y as p o s s i b l e , t w e l v e f e e t wide, and c l e a r o f
stumps and r o o t s . T h i s meant t h a t i n a d d i t i o n t o normal c l e a r i n g ,
swamps had t o be e i t h e r d r a i n e d o r a v o i d e d , o r causeways had t o
be b u i l t t h r o u g h them, w h i l e c u l v e r t s had t o be made where n e c e s -
s a r y and a l l s t r e a m s had t o be b r i d g e d .

The o r d e r s r e c e i v e d by Major Home on t h e 4 t h of Oc%oSer

d i r e c t e d him t o i n p r o v e t h e e x i s t i n g r o a d and e x t e n d it as f a r
as p o s s i b l e t o t h e P r a . However, it was n o t u n t i l t h e a r r i v a l
o f a small detachment o f t h r e e o f f i c e r s , one s e r g e a n t and f i v e
s a p p e r s o f t h e Royal E n g i n e e r s on t h e 1 0 t h o f October t h a t work
could a c t u a l l y begin. The CRE broke h i s small group o f e x p e r t s
i n t o f o u r s p e c i a l i z e d p a r t i e s and a l l o t t e d t o them a l l o f t h e
A f r i c a n l a b o u r e r s he was a b l e t o g e t . 42 However, t h o l a c k o f
s k i l l e d l a b o u r and t h e c o n s t a n t t h r e a t o f a n Asante ambush slowed
t h e work down c o ~ s i d e r a b l y . I n f a c t , it was due s o l e l y t o t h e
i n i t i a l . work done by L i e u t e n a n t Gordon t h a t t h e CRE c o u l d r e p o r t
on t h e 1 5 t h o f October t h a t he had r e a c h e d Yankumasi F a n t i and
t h a t t h e r o a d t o t h a t p l a c e , w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n o f a f o u r rnile
s e g n e n t immediately s o u t h of Assayboo, was c l e a r e d t o a w i d t h o f
some f i f t e e n f e e t , and was p a s s a b l e f o r t r o o p s marching i n forcla-
t i o n . 43 Even s o , i t was becoming o b v i o u s by t h e end of O c t o b e r
t h a t t h e r o a d work was n o t p r o c e e d i n g as r a p i d l y a s i t s h o u l d .
However, S i r Garnet was by t h a t t i m e f u l l y i m e r s e d i n h i s o p e r a -
t i o n s and t h e 1 o g i s t ; i c s prob1e:ns tiere l e f t l a r g e l y i n z b e y a ~ c e .
T h i s was soon proved t o have been a major e r r o r on t h e G e n e r a l ' s
part. .
As t h e s e p r e p a r a t o r y measures were b e i n g t a k e n by t h e
A d m i n i s t r a t i v e and Q u a r t e r m a s t e r b r a n c h e s o f t h e s t a f f , t h e
G e n e r a l and h i s o p e r a t i o n s p e r s o n n e l were busy on o t h e r m a t t e r s .
Immediately upon h a v i n g a s s u r e d h i m s e l f t h a t a d e q u a t e s t e p s had
been t a k e n f o r t h e s t a r t of t h e development and p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e
beachhead and t h e MSR, S i r G a r n e t t u r n e d t o t h e c o l l e c t i o n and
o r g a n i z a t i o n o f a f o r c e o f A f r i c a n s which were t o be d r a m from
t h e F a n t i s and t h e o t h e r c o a s t a l t r i b e s . On t h e 4 t h o f O c t o b e r ,
a f u l l - d r e s s ' p a l a v e r ' was h e l d on t h e g r o u n d s o f Govermnent
House and Wolseley a d d r e s s e d t h e assembled k i n g s and c h i e f s i n a n
a t t e m p t t o s t i r t h e n i n t o p r o v i d i n g men f o r t h e coming s t r u g g l e .
C l a r i d g e comnlents t h a t :
S i r G a r n e t , b e i n g bound by h i s i n -
s t r u c t i o n s , had once more t o r e p e a t t h e
o l d r i d i c u l o u s a s s e r t i o n t h a t t h e war
was a p u r e l y n a t i v e w a r and n o t Her I4aj-
e s t y v s , b u t p r ~ ~ n i s et dh a t , i f t h e p e o p l e
would o n l y e x e r t t h e m s e l v e s , t h e y c o u l d
be given every p o s s i b l e a s s i s t a n c e a g a i n s t
t h e enemy. ... ( C o n c r e t e o f f e r s of as-
s i s t a n c e were made a n d ) t h e C h i e f s r e t i r -
ed t o c o n s u l t t o g e t h e r , p r o r i i s i n g t o r e -
 . . .. .
t u r n w i t h t h e i r answer on t h e 6 t h
bth,.
when t h e y r e t u r n e d on t h e
one and a l l e x p r e s s e d
t h e i r willingness t o collect t h e i r
men i f t h e y were g i v e n E n g l i s h o f -
f i c e r s t o accompany and a s s i s t them.
They were i n no g r e a t h u r r y t o s t a r t ,
however, even a f t e r t h e i r r e q u e s t had
been grarlted. L e t t e r s were a l s o s e n t
t o t h o s e Kings who had n o t a t t e n d e d
t h e m e t i n g suimoning them t o c o l l e c t
t h e i r men and march t o Dunkwa, v h e r e
t h e o t h e r c o n t i n e n t s had been o r d e r -
ed t o a s s e m b l e . 4 t
The r e a s o n s f o r t h i s f a r from e n t h u s i a s t i c r e s p o n s e t o
y e t another B r i t i s h c a l l t o a r m a r e n o t hard t o f i ~ d . I n t h e
f i r s t p l a c e , t h e s e A f r i c a n s had s a e n similar ap;:eals and prom-
i s e s cone t o n o t h i n g and t h e y had no p r o o f t h a t t h i n g s would b e $

d i f f e r e n t on t h i s o c c a s i o n . I n f a c t , i n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r war,
which t h e y f e l t had been c a u s e d by t h e B r i t i s h a c q u i s i t i o n of
E l n i n a and n o t by t h e n , 4 5 and i n which t h e y had s o f a r borne t h e
b r u n t o f t h e f i g h t i n g , B r i t i s h s u p p o r t had been even more f e e b l e
t h a n it had a t a n y p r e v i o u s tinie. I n a d d i t i o n , t h e i r u t t e r de-
f e a t a t Jukwa and t h e t e r r i b l e p r i v a t i o n s which t h e y s u f f e r e d i n
t h e wake of t h a t d e f e a t were s t i l l f r e s h i n t h e i r minds. Therc-
f o r e t h e F a n t i were u n d e r s t a n d a b l y r e l u c t a n t t o once n o r e engage
a n enemy whom t h e y had e v e r y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e was s t i l l c a p a b l e
o f d e v a s t a t i n g r e t a l i a t i o n s h o u l d t h e y have t h e t e m e r i t y t o a t t a c k
him. F i n a l l y , t h e y f e l t t h a t no such c o n f r o n t a t i o n was n e c e s s a r y
because t h e war was a c t u a l l y o v e r . They knew t h a t Anankwa Tia
had c e a s e d a l l major o f f e n s i v e o p e r a t i o n s and was o n l y a w a i t i n g
t h e A s a n t e h e n e ' s p e r m i s s i o n t o withdraw t o Kumasi. 46 They t h e r e -
f o r e had no d e s i r e t o f o r c e a b a t t l e when a l l t h e y had t o do was
l e a v e t h e enemy a l o n e and he would e v e n t u a l l y l e a v e . The B r i t i s h
d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o engage t h e enemy w i t h a view t o t e a c h i n g him
s u c h a l e s s o n t h a t he would n e v e r a g a i n be tempted t o i n v a d e t h e
' P r o t e c t o r a t e f sim?ly had no v a l i d i t y i n t h e i r minds,

S i r G a r n e t , who was aware of t h i s a t t i t u d e and who had

r e a l l y ' d o n e n o t h i n g new t o change i t , s t a t e d i n h i s d e s p a t c h o f
t h e 9 t h of O c t o b e r t h a t i n view o f p a s t B r i t i s h p e r f o r n ~ a n c eit
was s c a r c e l y t o be e x p e c t e d t h a t w i t h o u t something more t h a n
mere v e r b a l a s s u r a n c e s ''the whole o f a much-dispersed and d i s p i r -
i t e d p e o p l e w i l l s u d d e n l y come t o b e l i e v e i n o u r s e r i o u s i n t e g -
t i o n v i g o r o u s l y t o a i d thernu.47 The G e n e r a l b e l i e v e d i t n e c e s -
s a r y f o r t h e B r i t i s h t o t a k e some form o f e n e r g e t i c , o f f e n s i v e
a c t i o n i f t h e r e was t o be any hope o f e n c o u r a g i n g t h e A f r i c m s
t o a c t w i t h t h e s p e e d t h a t was n e c e s s a r y i f t h e y were t o be of
any u s e i n t h e f o r t h c o c i i n g o p e r a t i o n s . However, i n t h e l i g h t of
h i s c o n ~ ~ e n at sb o u t t h e A f r i c a n s a t t h i s t i m e and c o r s i d e r i n g h i s
s l o m e s s t o adopt aqy new o r more e f f e c t i v e means t o encourage
g r e a t e r F a n t i p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e war, one wonders i f t h i s was
t h e t r u e motive b e h i n d t h e G e n e r a l ' s s u b s e q u e n t a c t i o n s , The
f a c t t h a t h e s e r t f o r t h e European t r o o p s a f t e r t a k i n g o n l y n i n e
d a y s t o a s s e s s t h e A f r i c a n p o t e n t i a l - , l e a d s one t o t h e c o n c l u s i o n
t h a t he was r e a l l y more i n t e r e s t e d i n j u s t i f y i n g h i s r e q u e s t f o r
t h e r e l y l a r troops r a t h e r than s t i r r i n g the Africans i n t o a c t i o ~ ,
N e v e r t h e l e s s , d e s p i t e h i s t r u e m o t i v e s , s t e p s were immediately
t a k e n t o advert;isc a more a g g r e s s i v e B r i t i s h s p i r i t .

A s a n e c e s s a r y p r e l i m i n a r y s t e p t o any o f f e n s i v e move on
h i s p a r t , S i r Garnet s e t a b o u t s t r e n g t h e n i n g h i s i n t e l l i g e n c e
service. He c r e a t e d a s m a l l i n t e l l i g e n c e o f f i c e w i t h i n h i s s t a f f ,
r e i n f o r c e d t h e e x i s t i n g o u t p o s t s a t Abbaye and Napoleon and ES-

t a b l i s h e d now o u t p o s t s a l o n g t h e Cape ~ o a s t / ~ r a sruo a d . Unfor-

t u n a t e l y , however, he d i d n o t h i n g t o e s t a b l i s h a p r o p e r p a t r o l
system. N e v e r t h e l e s s , by t h e 8 t h o f O c t o b e r , t h e t o t a l number
o f o u t p o s t s t h u s f a r e s t a b l i s h e d were a s f o l l o w s : Abbaye w i t h a
detachment o f two o f f i c e r s , 100 o t h e r - r a n k s o f t h e 2'iIR, e n d
1 2 5 Gold Coast Riflemen; Napoleon, w i t h one o f f i c e r and 48 o t h e r -
r a n k s o f t h e 2i:IR; A c c r o f u l , w i t h one o f f i c e r and 1+9 o t h e r - r a n k s
o f t h e 21!IR ; Dunkwa, w i t h one o f f i c e r and 20 Hausas and Yankumasi
F a n t i , w i t h one o f f i c e r , 15 Hausas and 35 Gold Coast Riflemen. 48
I n t h i s way a s e l n i c i r c l e of what c o u l d be d e s c r i b e d a s p a t r o l
b a s e s l a y between t h e A s a n t e s and t h e C o s s t and t h e s o u t h e r n por-
t i o n o f t h e Cape ~ o a s t / ~ r a sruo a d , b u t e f f e c t i v e p a t r o l l i n g was
n e v e r conducted from them.

When combined w i t h t h e v a r i c u s s t e p s t a k e n t o d e f e n d E l -
mina and Cape C o a s t , t h i s cordon of o u t p o s t s completed t h e p r e p -
a r a t i o n of a r e a s o n a b l y a d e q u a t e d e f e n s i v e system. Certainly
t h e r e was l i t t l e doubt i n a n y o n e ' s mind t h a t a n y f o r t i f i e d p o s t
h e l d by d i s c i p l i n e d t r o o p s armed w i t h b r e e c h - l o a d i n g r i f l e s
c o u l d w i t h s t a n d a n Asante a t t a c k f o r an i n d e f i n i t e t i n e . How-
e v e r , no s t e p s had been taken w i t h r e g a r d t o o f f e n s i v e o p e r a t i o n s
o t h e r t h a n t h e a t t e m p t s t o c o l l e c t men and t h e advance o f p a r t i e s
a l o n g t h e main r o a d a s f a r a s Yankurilasi F a n t i i n o r d e r t o t h r e a t -
en i n d i r e c t l y t h e l i n e o f c o m ~ ! u n i c a t i o n sbetween Amanha T i a t s
army a t Jukwa and P r a s u .

S i r Garnet r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f o u t p o s t s
and a t t e n l p t s t o once more r o u s e t h e A f r i c a n s s h o u l d n o t be t h e
l i m i t of B r i t i s h aggressive action, F o r two v e r y good r e a s o n s ,
he rnade up h i s rnind t o f o r c e an e n c o u n t e r w i t h t h e enemy. In the
f i r s t c a s e , he had cone t o Africa a l r e a d y convinced t h a t o n l y
B r i t i s h t r o o p s c o u l d e f f e c t i v e l y f i n i s h t h e war. He was t h e r e -
f o r e most a n x i o u s t o conduct a n e a r l y t e s t of t h e n e g a t i v e opin-
i o n he had a l r e a d y formed a s t o t h e combat c a p a b i l i t i e s o f t h e
t r o o p s which were t o be r a i s e d by t h e k i n g s and c h i e f s o f t h e
'Protectorate' s o t h a t B r i t i s h t r o o p s c o u l d be a s k e d f o r a t t h e
e a r l i e s t p o s s i b l e moment, Secondly, he r e a l i z e d t h a t A f r i c a n
morale was a t a d a n g e r o u s l y low l e v e l and t h a t some s u c c e s s was
needed t o reawaken t h e i r c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e B r i t i s h and t h u s en-
courage them t o answer h i s c a l l f o r a s s i s t a n c e . 49

The Elrnina a r e a was s e l e c t e d a s t h e s i t e most s u i t a b l e

f o r an e n c o u n t e r o f t h e t y p e e n v i s a g e d by S i r G a r n e t , The A s a n t e s
encamped a t Mampon and E f u t u were s t i l l drawing t h e i r s u p p l i e s
from t h e v i l l a g e s around Elmina and t h e v i l l a g e r s , e s p e c i a l l y t h e
p e o p l e o f Ampeni, d e f i e d t h e B r i t i s h a t e v e r y t u r n . In fact,
B r i t i s h c o n t r o l i n t h e r e g i o n was s o t e n u o u s t h a t p a r t i e s o f
A s a n t e s were a b l e t o approach w i t h i n a few m i l e s o f E l x i n a i t s e l f
and f i r e on t h e s u r v e y p a r t i e s engaged i n nmpping t h e a r e a . It;
was e s s e n t i a l t h a t s ~ m e t h i n gbe done i f any semblance o f B r i t i s h
a u t h o r i t y and p r e s t i g e was t o be maintained.. T h e r e f o r e , by
s t r i k i n g a t t h e s e v i l l a g e s , t h e G e n e r a l f e l t t h a t he would b e
a b l e t o a c h i e v e t h e t h r e e - f o l d aim o f i n s p i r i n g t h e t r i b e s m e n o f
t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e 1 , p a c i f y i n g t h e Elmina d i s t r i c t and c a u s i n g
t h e A s a n t e s " g e n e r a l l y t o f e e l t h a t a new s t a t e o f t h i n g s had
arisen ,,.50
Even b e f o r e t h e o p e r a t i o n could be mounted, however, Sir
G a r n e t had a l r e a d y e l i m i n a t e d one o f t h e r e a s o n s f o r c a r r y i n g i t .
out. On t h e 1 1 t h o f October he r e v e a l e d t h e f a c t t h a t h i s a t -
t e m p t s t o r a i s e F a n t i l e v i e s were r e a l l y more sham t h a n r e a l i t y ,
f o r he d e c i d e d t h a t he d i d n o t need t o t e s t t h e w a r l i k e c a p a b i l -
i t i e s o f t h e tribesmen o f t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' . H i s previously
h e l d convicti.on as t o t h e v a l u e of A f r i c a n t r o o p s and what he had
s e e n and h e a r d s i n c e h i s a r r i v a l had convinced him t h a t t h e y were
o f l i t t l e o r no u s e t o him. A c c o r d i n g l y , he r e s o l v e d n o t t o g i v e
them a chance t o prove him wrong. A s a r e s u l t , he w r o t e t o t h e
C o l o n i a l and liar O f f i c e s on t h e 1 3 t h of October r e q u e s t i n g t h a t
t h e p r e v i o u s l y a l l o t t e d European t r o o p s be d e s p a t c h e d t o t h e
Gold Coast. I n t h e s e d e s p a t c h e s he claimed t h c t t h e r e was l i t t l e
o r no hope o f s e c u r i n g peace e x c e p t by i n f l i c t i n g a s i c n a l d e f e a t
on t h e A s a n t e s ; t h a t t h i s c e r t a i n l y c o u l d n o t be done w i t h o u t t h e
a s s i s t a n c e o f European t r o o p s ; t h a t t h e y would n o t be r e q u i r e d t o
s e r v e on t h e Coast d u r i n g t h e u n h e a l t h y s e a s o n ; t h a t e v e r y t h i n g
would be p r e p a r e d f o r t h e i r r e c e p t i o n b e f o r e t h e y a r r i v e d , a n d
t h a t t h e r i s k t o t h e i r h e a l t h would be f a r l e s s t h a n commonly
supposed, l o s s e s i n p r e v i o u s u n d e r t a k i n g s h a v i n g been due mainly
t o c a u s e s t h a t would be e f f e c t i v e l y guarded a g a i n s t on t h i s oc-
casion. 51

T h e r e was, of c o u r s e , no g u a r a n t e e t h a t h i s r e q u e s t would
b e g r a n t e d and even i f it were, t h e o t h e r m o t i v e s g i v e n above
s t i l l made t h e Slmina a t t a c k n e c e s s a r y . S i r G a r n e t was s t i l l r e -
s o l v e d t o c l a a r t h e A s h a n t e e s from t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e w i t h t h e a i d
o f w h a t e v e r A f r i c a n t r o o p s he could r a i s e . To r a i s e t h e n e c e s s a r y
l e v i e s he s t i l l had t o do something t o b o l s t e r A f r i c a n m o r a l e and,
o f c o u r s e , t h e r e were s t i l l t h e q u e s t i o n s of t h e Asante p r e s e n c e
n e a r Elmina and t h e r e c a l c i t r a n c e of t h e t r i b e s m e n i n t h e Elmina
a r e a which had t o b e d e a l t w i t h . He t h e r e f o r e c o n t i n u e d t o make
h i s b a t t l e p l a n s and by t h e morning of t h e 1 4 t h o f October a l l
was r e a d y . S e c r e c y had been m a i n t a i n e d u n t i l t h e v e r y l a s t mo-
rnent5* and t h e column of some 500 men which began t o move o u t o f
Elmina a t 5 : 3 0 t h a t morning, a c h i e v e d complete s u r p r i s e when it
descended u p o ~t h e Asante detachmsnt q u a r t e r e d i n t h e v i l l a g e o f
Esaman n i n e t y m i n u t e s l a t e r . The e n s u i n g b a t t l e was v i o l e n t b u t
b r i e f a n d r e s u l t e d i n a cornplete v i c t o r y f o r t h e B r i t i s h . The
t r o o p s r e s t e d b r i e f l y and t h e n began a twenty-one n i l e t r e k
t h r o u g h t h e btish which r e s u l t e d i n t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e t h r e e
a d d i t i o n a l v i l l a g e s o f Ankwanda, Brenu Ankinim and Ampeni. The
r e t u r n of t h e t r o o p s t o B l n i n a a t 8:OO F.I4., t h a t same day s i g -
n a l l e d t h e end of an a c t i o n which was f a r more i m p o r t a n t t h a n i t s
s i z e would l e a d one t o b e l i e v e . 5 3

O f prime i m p o r t a n c e was t h e e f f e c t i v e d i s r u p t i o ~o f a
major Asante s o u r c e of s u p p l y . Not o n l y had t h e a t t a c k d e p r i v e d
Amankva T i a of h i s main s o u r c e o f s u p p l i e s on t h e c o a s t 5 4 b u t it
had a l s o e f f e c t i v z l y d i s s u a d e d o t h e r w i s e s y m p a t h e t i c v i l l a g e r s
from o f f e r i n g any h e l p . O f soalewhat l e s s importance i n t h e l i g h t
o f h i s p r i o r r e q u e s t f o r European t r o o p s , was t h e f a c t t h a t t h e
a c t i o n confirmed S i r Garnet i n many of h i s p r e v i o u s l y h e l d opin-
i o n s a s t o t h e q u a l i t y of t h e t r i b a l s o l d i e r s and s u p p o s e d l y
proved many o f h i s t h e o r i e s on t h e n a t u r e o f bush f i g h t i n g . P!ot
s u r p r i s i n g l y and somewhat c o n v e n i e n t l y , as he had o n l y Hausas and
2WIR under comnand, e v e r y t h i n g he observed convir?ced h i n o f h i s
wisdom i n r e q u e s t i n g t h e European t r o o p s . F o r example, he found
t h a t " l i t t l e r e l i a n c e can be p l a c e d on even t h e b e s t n a t i v e t r o -
ops i n t h i s bush-fighting, where it i s imi:jossible t o keep them
under t h e irmnediate c o n t r o l o f European o f f i c e r s v . He was a l s o
convinced t h a t "a small body o f v e r y h i g h l y d i s c i p l i n e d t r o o p s ,
w e l l s u p p l i e d w i t h s e l e c t e d o f f i c e r s , would be o f f a r g r e a t e r
s e r v i c e f o r w a r f a r e i n t h i s c o u n t r y , t h a n a much l a r g e r number de-

t a i l e d f o r s e r v i c e i n t h e o r d i n a r y t o u r o f d u t y " 55 . But p o s s i b l y
sf even g r e a t e r h p o r t ; a c e :v2s t : ~ e r e a l i z a t i o n t k t Z u r o p a n t r o -
o p s had ca1-ried oct, n relc3tivt?.l.yder.landin;: l i i i s c i o n dur-ing t h e
h e i g i i i of t h e l e s s e r o f t h e two a n n u a l r a i n y i:it:i b u t

few c a s e s o f i l l n e s s o r eshausl;lon. 57

points, p n r t , l y b e c a u s e of subse;ut~nt e v e n t s , and p z r t l y b e c a u s e

Sir Garnet n e v e r e x p l o i t e d t h e s i t u a t i o n was t h e f a c t t h a t t h e
v i c t o r y r e s u l t e d i n soi:ie 1.h.i Led r e s t o r a t i o n o f p u b l i c c o ~ i ' i d e 7 c e

a~aihy.5' p:ot sor;,ria-jni;li, sir G a r n e t d i d n o t see tilc prolii3:i

in i s 1 , I n h i s v i e v , e - ~ e r ,tilough he had r e a l l y fou:;;!lt but
one s m a l l a . c t i o n a ~ a i ~ ssonieib~at
i; l c s s then 1 , 0 0 3 eneai;. t r o c p s ,
he b e l i ~ v e c lt h a k t h e Esaxan ac.Lior! had c i v e n drar;intic i)rc;cf t h a t
he not; or.l;i inte:i.ded t o attac:.: the A s a n t e s i n the tush b ~ t ,a l s o
t h a t - h e was c a * ~ a b l eof b e a t i n 2 t ham, and t h e lac:: of A f r i c a n 1-2-

spor.se VE~S t h e r e f ~ r ei n e x c u s a b l e . Consaque!:tly, t h e F a n t i repu-

tatior, f o r cowai-dice and l . a z i n e s s b e c a m r:iore f i i - i d y r o o t e d t h a n
ever.
 Unfortunately, t h e r e c r u i t i n g i n t h e ncighbouring s e t t l e -
ments had been e q u a l l y u n s u c c e s s f u l . The o n l y men o b t a i n e d were
66 from S i e r r a Leone, 1 2 0 Nende from t h e Sherbo, 1 0 0 men from t h e
Gambia, 53 Opobos, 1 0 4 Bonnys a n d 100 Krumen who were t o s e r v e a s
c a r r i e r s only. S i r Garnet formed t h e s e men, t h e Cape Coast Vol-
u n t e e r s a n d some o f t h o s e t r i b e s m e n who had g a t h e r e d a t Dur.!:wa,
i n t o two u n i t s and d e s i g n a t e d them as Wood's and R u s s e l l ' s Regi-
m e n t s r e s p e c t i v e l y .5 9 The f o m a t i o n o f t h e s e u n i t s l e f t a n ir-
r e g u l a r and u r ~ d i s c i p l i n e df o r c e of n o t more t h a n 1 , 5 0 0 a l l i e d
tribesmen a v a i l a b l e f o r - s e r v i c e . R e a l i z i n g t h a t t h i s would be
p r o b a b l y t h e best he c o u l d hope f o r , and b e i n g h i n s e l f e i t h e r un-
a b l e o r u n w i l l i n g t o d e v i s e more e f f e c t i v e methods o f r e c r u i t -
ment, t h e G e n e r a l i n c r e a s e d h i s r e q u e s t f o r European t r o o p s t o
three battal-ions. I n h i s l e t t e r of r e q u e s t , d a t e d t h e 2 4 t h of
O c t o b e r , he w r o t e :
I have s e e n t h e d a y s p a s s by
s i n c e I h e l d a reception of t h e n a t i v e
Kings and C h i e f s , and no n a t i v e l e v i e s
of any importance have t a k e n t h e f i e l d .
Apathy, i f n o t cowardice, seems t o have
e n v e l o p e d t h e p e o p l e of t h e s e t r i b e s .
I had hoped t o r a i s e l a r g e n a t i v e l e v i e s
from e v e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e C o a s t ; b u t a
few s c o r e s o f men from e a c h t r i b e amount-
i n g a l t o g e t h e r t o a f e w hundred, seem all
t h a t I ara l i k e l y t o o b t a i n . I have s e e n
t h e d a n g e r o f depending on i l l - d i s c i p l i n e d
l e v i e s i n bush-warfare. I have l e a r n e d
t h a t t h e 2nd \lest. I n d i a Regiment, on which
I had r e l i e d as an e f f e c t i v e b a t t a l i o n , i s
u n a b l e t o f u r n i s h rno e t h a n a b o u t 1 0 0 bay-
onets f o r t h e f i e l d . SO
 The b i t t e r d i s a p p o i n t n i e n t which he s a i d he now f e l t o v e r
t h e r e l u c t a n c e of t h e t r i b e s m e n t o r a l l y t o t h e c a u s e was sorne-
what s o f t e n e d by good news from t h e N e s t e r n D i s t r i c t s . Irnrnedi-
a t e l y b e f o r e and a f t e r S i r G a r n e t ' s a r r i v a l , t h e navy had been
doggedly p u r s u i n g i t s t a c t i c o f p a t r o l l i n g t h e c o a s t and occa-
s i o n a l l y bombarding t h e r e b e l v i l l a g e s 6 1 b u t w i t h i n one week o f
h i s a r r i v a l , t h e G e n e r a l had been i m p r e s s e d w i t h what he termed
t h c t r s i n g u l n r l a c k of s u c c e s s enjoyed by ( t h e gunboat
By t h e m i d d l e o f O c t o b e r , he was r e l u c t a n t l y coming t o t h e con-
c l u s i o n t h a t he m i ~ h tc q n c e i v a b l y be f o r c e d t o a t t e m p t t h e r e -
nioval o f t h e t h r e a t posed t o h i s l e f t f l a n k by t h e r e c a l c i t r a n t .
Western t r i b e s m e n and t h e Asante arr!l:r which was o p e r a t i n g i n
t h t i r s u p p o r t b 3 b e f o r e he c o u l d do a n y t h i n g f u r t h e r a b o u t Anankwa
Tiafs force. He had even a s s i g n e d s e v e r a l rrlembers o f h i s s t a f f
t o s t u d y t h e p r o b l e ~ :when
~ news was r e c e i v e d which made s u c h an
o p e r a t i o n unnecessary. On t h e 2 0 t h o f October a d e s p z t c h was
r e c e i v e d from Axim r e p o r t i n g t h a t Atjiempon had d i e d of consump-
t i o n , a c c e l e r a t e d by a wound i n t h e s i d e , and t h a t t h e remnants
o f t h e Asante arrny under h i s command were b e g i n n i n g t o withdraw
t o t h e n o r t h . 64* It was r e p o r t e d t h a t v a r i c u s Asante p r i s o n e r s
c l a i m e d t h a t t h e arrny was a c t u a l l y r e t u r n i n g t o Kwnasi on o r d e r s
f r o m t h e Asantehene 6 5 . The problem o f moving a l a n d f o r c e i n t o
t h e Western D i s t r i c t s was t h e r e f o r e dropped and t h e problem of
p a c i f y i n g t.he troubl-esorne t r i b e s m e n o f t h e r e g i o n was a l l o w e d t o
remain i n t h e hands of t h e Royal Navy and t h e g a r r i s o n s o f t h e
v a r i o u s f o r t s a l o n g t h e c o a s t l i n e . 66

While t h e s c e v e n t s were i n p r o g r e s s , S i r Garnet was a l s o

complying w i t h t h a t p o r t i o n o f h i s i n s t r u c t i o n s which r e q u i r e d
him t o communicate w i t h t h e Asantehcne. 1mmedi.ately a f t e r t h e
Esaman b a t t l e , he wrote a l e t t e r t o K o f i K a r i k a r i and had t h r e e
c o p i e s f o r w a r d e d by s e p a r a t e messengers on t h e ll+.th, 1 7 t h and
1 8 t h of October. I n t h i s l e t t e r he a s s e r t e d t h a t t h e i n v a s i o n
was w i t h o u t j u s t i f i c a t i o n b u t t h a t he was w i l l i n g t o d i s c u s s
t e r m s o f peace p r o v i d e d t h e Asantehene would, w i t h i n t w e n t y d a y s ,
comp1.y wi.th t h r e e c o n d i t i o n s . F i r s t , a l l Asante f o r c e s were t o
withdraw from t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t . e ' . Second, a l l p r i s o n e r s were t o
be s u r r e n d e r e d irimediate1.y. T h i r d , g u a r a n t e e s were t o be g i v e n
f o r t h e payrnert of compensation. The l e t t e r c l o s e d w i t h a f i r m
s t a t e m e n t t o t h e e f f e c t t h a t non-acceptance o f t h e B r i t i s h t e r m
would r e s u l t i n n t h e f u l l punishment which y o u r ( t h e A'santehene ' s )
d e e d s have m e r i t e d . tf 67

Two c o p i e s of t h i s l e t t e r f e l l i n t o t h e hands o f Am.mkr;a

Tia and t h e t h i r d went a s t r a y somewhere between Cape Coast C a s t l e
a n d Ku~nasi and was n e v e r r e c o v e r e d . There i s no r e c o r d o f what
K o f i R n r i k a r i ' s r e s p o n s e would have been t o S i r G a r n e t ' s dernands
b e c a u s e Amankwa Tia, i n s t e a d o f f o r w a r d i n g t h e l e t t e r s which he
had i n t e r c e p t e d or. t h e 2 0 t h o f O c t o b e r , t o o k upon h i m s e l f a r i g h t ,
f

which was Kofi I C a r i k n r i l s a l o n c , and r e p l i e d i n t h e A s a n t e h e n e ' s

name. T h i s response6' made it c l e a r t h a t even though he had a s k -
e d t h e A s a t e h e n e t s p e r m i s s i o n t o withdraw from t h e ' P i - o t e c t o r a t e ' ,
he had no i n t e n t i o n o f complying w i t h t h e B r i t i s h c o n d i t i o n s .

T h i s was no doubt due t o t h e f a c t t h a t t h e Asante g e n e r a l

had w r i t t e n h i s l e t t e r b e f o r e r e c e i v i n g any i n t e l l i g e n c e a s t o
t h e B r i t i s h o c c u p a t i o n and f o r t i f i c a t i o n o f Dunkwa and Nansu.
Although he had been aware of B r i t i s h p a t r o l s a l o n g t h e Cape
~ o a s t / ~ r a sruo a d f o r somo t i m e , it w a s n o t u n t i l someti1:le a f t e r
t h e 2 0 t h of October t h a t he had confirrnat i o n o f t h e B r i t i s h i n -
t e n t i o n t o i n t e r d i c t t h e r o a d s o u t h o f Kansu t o h i s army. 69
However, w i t h h i s l i n e of r e t r e a t t h u s t h r e a t e n e d , S i r G a r n e t ' s
l e t t e r , t h e d e f e a t a t Esaman and t h e weakened c o n d i t i o n o f h i s
army due t o i t s l o n g s t a y i n Nampon assumed much g r e a t e r i m p o r t -
a n c e t h a n was p r e v i o u s l y t h e c a s e . Recognizing t h e d a n g e r s , t h e
A s a n t e s became t h o r o u g h l y alarmed and even though t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s
p e r m i s s i o n t o withdraw had n o t y e t been r e c e i v e d , Amankwa Tia
d e c i d e d t o b r e a k camp and p u l l back Lo t h e P r a b e f o r e he could be
t r a p p e d by t h e s u d d e n l y a g g r e s s i v e ~ r i t i s h . ~ ~

Had t h i s d e c i s i o ~been made a month e a r l i e r , i t i s most

p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e Asante army c o u l d have l e f t t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e '
without encountering any B r i t i s h f o r c e s , By t h e l a s t week o f
O c t o b e r , however, Atnankwa Tia had l o s t t h i s o p ; i o r t u n i t y . By t h a t
t i m e t h e newly established b u t sonlewhat rudinlentary i n t e l l i g e n c e
depari;:nent under C a p t a i n D u l l e r was b e g i n n i n g t o b u i l d up a r e a -
s o n a b l y a c c u i - a t e p i c t u r e of t h e eneir,y s i t u a t i o n i n s p i t e o f t h e
l a r g e number o f u n r e l i a b l e r e p o r t s t h a t were r e c e i v e d . Conse-
q u e n t l y , a f t e r much c o n f l i c t i n g and d u b i o u s i n f o r m a t i o n had Seen
c a r e f u l l y s i f t e d and e v a l u a t e d , t h e i n t e l l i g e n c e s t a f f had Seen
a b l e t o p r e p a r e a r e p o r t on t h e 1 6 t h o f October which t e n t a t i v e l y
f o r e c a s t t h e irnminent w i t h d r a w a l o f t h e Asante army from 14arnpon
n o r t h w e s t t o t h e Cape ~ o a s t / ~ r a sr0a.d
u and t h e n n o r t h t o t h e
P r a . 71

U n d e t e r r e d by t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t C a p t a i n B u l l e r ' s as-
sessment o f t h e s i t u a t i o n might be wrong, S i r Garnet d e c i d e d
t h a t immediate s t e p s would have t o be t a k e n t o p r o t e c t t h e road
s o that; t h e job o f improving i t could be c a r r i e d o u t w i t h o u t i n -
terruption. A s a r e s u l t , on t h e 1 6 t h of October it was d e c i d e d
t o e s t a b l i s h a n o t h e r o u t p o s t between Napoleon and Dunlwa. The
v i l l a g e o f Abrakrarnp was s e l e c t e d f o r t h i s purpose and by t h e
1 9 t h t h e town was b e l i e v e d s u f f i c i e n t l y g a r r i s o n e d and f o r t i f i e d
s o a s t o a c t as an e f f e c t i v e r o a d b l o c k t o a n y Asante move i n t h a t
d i r e ~ t i o n . 7 ~The s u r v e y p a r t i e s which had moved as f a r n o r t h as
Mansu were a l s o r e i n f o r c e d on t h e 1 9 t h , and by t h e 2 1 s t t h a t t o m
was f u l l y f o r t i f i e d and had been r e d e s i g n a t e d as F o r t Cainbridge.
I n a d d i t i o n , Colonel. F e s t i n g was o r d e r e d t o Dunkwa t o t a k e corn-
niand of t h e cainp s e t a s i d e f o r t h e A f r i c a n f o r c e s a s s e m b l i n s
t h e r e and t o assume r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r a l l o f t h e advanced p o s t s
a l o n g t h e road..73
 By t h e 22nd o f O c t o b e r ; t h e r e f o r e , t h e B r i t i s h had some-
what f o r t u i t o u s l y a d o p t e d measures t o cope w i t h t h e Asante w i t h -
d r a w a l even b e f o r e t h a t w i t h d r a w a l was f u l l y undertray. Certainly
t h e d e f e n s i v e s i t u a t i o n l o o k e d b e t t e r t h a n i t e v e r had b e f o r e .
A l l . was q u i e t a t ESmina and Cape Coast. The bush o u t p o s t s a t
Abbaye, Napoleon and Abrakrampa were i n good c o n d i t i o n and were
engaged i n a t t e m p t i n g t o g a t h e r i n t e l l i g e n c e . And t h e main r o a d
o u t p o s t s a t Akrofu, Dunkwa and Mansu were s u f f i c i e n t l y f o r t i f i e d
and g a r r i s o n e d t o be c a p a b l e o f r e s i s t i n g a t t a c k and p r o t e c t i n g
t h e r o a d crews supposedly engaged i n t h e v i t a l t a s k o f p r e p a r i n g
t h e main road f o r t h e c o n i n g i n v a s i o n . 74

While t h e B r i t i s h had bee? c o n t i n u i n g t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e i r

o u t p o s t s , e t c . , i n f o n n a t i o n c o n t i n u e d t o t r i c k l e i n which i n d i c a t e d
more and more s t r o n g l y t h a t a g e n e r a l Asante movement was b e i n g
made t o v a r d Dunkwa. It was n o t u n t i l t h e 23rd o f O c t o b e r , how-
e v e r , t h a t any completely r e l i a b l e word was r e c e i v e d a s t o t h i s
movement. On t h a t d a y , a r e c o n n a i s s a n c e by L i e u t e n a n t Gordon and
h i s Hausas confirmed t h a t l a r g e b o d i e s o f A s a n t e s were moving
t h r o u g h A i n s a a l o n g t h e "Haunted Roadv t o Dunkwa. 75 The f o l l o w -
i n g day t h i s i n t e l l i g e n c e was confirmed and added t o when a young
F a n t i woman, t h e s l a v e - w i f e o f one o f t h e Asante c h i e f s , escaped
from t h e r e t r e a t i n g army and came t o t h e B r i t i s h h e a d q u a r t e r s .
She gave a complete and d e t a i l e d and v a l u a b l e a c c o u n t o f Amankwa
T i a t s p l a n s and o f t h e c o n d i t i o n o f h i s artily. Brackenbury s t a t e s
that,
 Her manner, t h e c i r c u m s t a n t i a l
n a t w e o f h e r e v i d e n c e , and t h e ab-
s e n c e o f ally c o n t r a d i c t i o n when c a r e -
f u l l y examined a second and t h i r d
t i m e , p l a c e d i t p r a c t i c a l l y beyorid
al.1 doubt t h a t t h e A s h a n t i camp a t
Marnpon was broken up; t h a t t h e army
had t h e i n t e n t i o n o f r e t r e a t i n g ; t h a t
i t i n t e n d e d t o move i n t h e d i r e c t i o n
o f Dunquah ( ~ u n k w a ) , and t h e n s t r i k e
t h e main P r a h road. 16
The G e n e r a l h e l d a s t a f f con•’e r e n c e i i m e d i a t e l y and be-
f o r e t h e day was o u t a p l a n o f o p e r a t i o n s had been d e v i s e d , which
i n d i c a t n d t h a t S i r Garnet was f i n a l l y becolning aware o f t h e r e a l -
i t i e s o f h i s p o s i t i o n and a d o p t i n g h i s t a c t i c s a c c o r d i n g l y . It
was g e n e r a . 1 1 ~a g r e e d t h a t because o f t h e n u m e r i c a l weakness o f
t h e r e l i a b l e B r i t i s h f o r c e s , a head-on c l a s h with t h e Asante main
body had t o be a v o i d e d a t a l l c o s t s . A t t h e same t i m e , however,
i t was a l s o a g r e e d t h a t t h e enemy had t o be p r e v e n t e d from g a i n -
i n g t h e u s e o f t h e Cape ~ o a s . t / ~ r a sroad
u and t h a t e v e r y e f f o r t
s h o u l d be made t o e n s u r e t h e " g r e a t e s t p o s s i b l e d i s p l a y o f t h e
. European f o r c e i n v a r i o u s d i r e c t i o n s ~ . ~I n~ h i s d e s p a t c h o f t h e
31st o f O c t o b e r , 3ir Garnet e x p l a i n e d h i s t h i n k i n g t o t h e a u t h o r -
i t i e s i n London. He w r o t e ,
I d e s i r e not only t o hasten the
enemy's r e t r e a t , which i s n e c e s s a r y be-
f o r e I can advance beyond IiIansu, b u t t o
a p p e a r t o be d r i v i n g them o u t o f t h e
c o u n t r y , i n hopes t h a t I may t h u s i n -
s t i l l some s p i r i t i n t o t h e F a n t i s , and
i n d u c e them t o r i s e and h a r a s s t h e r e -
t i r i n g enemy, a s , would t h e y do s o , t h e y
might i n f l i c t v e r y heavy l o s s e s xpon him.
A t t h e same t i n e , I ha.ve done a l l i n ny
power t o S p a r e t h e Guropean t r o o p s undue
f a t i g u e .7
 The b a s i c i d e a was t h e r e f o r e n o t o n l y t o p r o t e c t t h e
r o a d b u t a l s o t o p r e s s i n on and h a r a s s t h e Asante army as it a t -
tempted t o c a r r y o u t i t s withdrawal-. I n accordance with t h i s
p l a n , o r d e r s were s e n t t o L i e u t e n a n t - C o l o n e l Vood, a t t h a t t i m e
t h e O f f i c e r C o n ~ ~ a n d i nagt E l n i n a , on t h e 2 5 t h of October d i r e c t -
i n g him t o b e g i n p u s h i n g h i s r e g i m e n t toward Abbaye a s soon as
t h e C a p t a i n o f H.14.S. Druid had t a k e n o v e r t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r
g a r r i s b n i n g t h e coniplex of f o r t s a t Elrnina. Once he bad e s t a b -
l i s h e d a firm b a s e a t Abbaye, Colonel Wood was t h e n t o move t o a
p o i n t a p p r o x i m a t e l y half-way t o Idampon, s u r v e y t h e s i t u a t i o n ,
and d e v i s e h i s otm p l a n f o r t h e harassment of any r e a r - g u a r d which
might; have been l e f t a t blampon. Me was t o be s u p p o r t e d by a r e -
c o n n a i s s a n c e p a r t y which had s i m u l t a n e o u s l y been o r d e r e d o u t of
Napoleon i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f Mampon 79 .
On t h e 2 6 t h o f O c t o b e r , S i r Garnet h i m s e l f began march-
i n g t o Dunkwa w i t h r e i n f o r c e m e n t s o f 1 0 0 men from R u s s e l l ' s Regi-
ment and 250 men from t h e Naval B r i g a d e . T h i s p a r t y camped a t
Assayboo on t h e n i g h t of t h e 26th. While t h e r e t h e G e n e r a l l e a r n -
e d t h a t L i e u t e n a n t Gordon had once more d e t e c t e d s t r o n g Asante
f o r c e s moving e a s t w a r d on t h e Haunted Road between Jukwa and
Dunkwa. S i r Garnet r e a l i z a d t h a t , s h o u l d he advance w i t h h i s
f o r c e t h r o u g h Abrakrampa and on t o Assanchi, he could h i t t h e
Asante column i n t h e f l a n k ; and s h o u l d Colonel F e s t i n g march si-
m u l t a n e o u s l y w i t h t h e whole of h i s a v a i l a b l e f o r c e westward a1or.g
t h e Haunted Road, he c o u l d t a k e a d v a n t a p of the c o n f u s i o n which
would r e s u l t f r o 3 t h e f l a n k a t t a c k . There was no doubt i n t h e
G e n e r a l t s mind t h a t t h e i ~ s y c h o l o g i c a land n a t e r i a l e f f e c - t on t h e
A s a n t e s would be c o n s i d e r a b l e s h o u l d s u c h an a c t i o n prove s u c c e s s -
ful. C o n s e q u e ~ t l y ,d e s p i t e t h e dangers i n h e r e n t i n t h e exhaustion
o f h i s t r o o p s , t h e l a c k o f r e l i a b l e i n t e l l i g e n c e , and t h e s l o w n e s s
o f c o m m u n i c a t i o ~ sbetween t h e v a r i o u s detachments s c a t t e r e d a l o n g
t h e r o a d , t h e n e c e s s a r y o r d e r s f o r a aove on t h e Haunted Road
were i s s u e d w e l l b e f o r e s u n s e t . 81

Both o f t h e B r i t i s h colurms moved o u t on t h e 2 7 t h b u t ,

n o t s u r p r i s i n g l - y , t h e o p e r a t i o n d i d n o t work o u t i n q u i t e t h e way
it had been planned. S i r Garnet found t h a t t h e w e a t h e r and t h e
f a t i g u e d c o n d i t i o n of h i s s a i l o r s and rnerines made i t i m p ~ s s i b l e
f o r I l i ~ n t or e a c h Assanchi i n one day. He t h e r e f o r e abandoned h i s
a t t a c k and remained i n Abrakrampa r a t h e r t h a n p u s h i n g on t o As-
samchi. Colonel F e s t i n g f s colurnn d i d n o t have t h i s problerri ar?d
it .moved o u t o f Dunkwa i n s e a r c h o f t h e enemy. C o n t a c t was made
w i t h a Asante camp of sorne 4,000 men a b o u t one m i l e e a s t o f
I s c a b i o and F e s t i n g t s f o r c e p r o n p t l y a t t a c k e d . The e n s u i n g a c t i o n
was c o n f u s e d and f o r sorne t i m e t h e outcome was i n doubt b u t w i t h
t h e a i d of Raitts a r t i l l - e r y , t h e B r i t i s h force f i n a l l y dispersed
t h e A s a n t e s a n d c o m p l e t e l y d e s t r o y e d t h e i r camp. Colonel F e s t i n g
s u f f e r e d v e r y few c a s u a 1 t i . e ~a n d h i s t r o o p s were back i n D1inkt:a
before n i g h t f a l l . 82
 Unaware o f Colonel F e s t i n g ' s s u c c e s s , S i r Garnet made
p l a n s f o r y e t a n o t h e r s i m i l a r combined d r i v e on t h e r e t r e a t i n g
Asantes. L a t e on t h e 2 7 t h , he i s s u e d o r d e r s which r e q u i r e d b o t h
. h e and C o l o n e l F e s t i n g t o move on I s c a b i o on t h e 2 8 t h . The
Wolseley column was t o move t o Assanchi and t h e r e await t h e sound
o f f i r i n g from t h e d i r e c t i o n o f I s c a b i o which would i n d i c a t e t h a t
t h e F e s t i n g column had engaged t h e enemy t h e r e , Once t h e f i r i n g
was h e a r d , t h e Wolseley column was t o move e a s t a l o n g t h e Haunted
Road azd t h u s c a t c h t h e enemy between two f o r c e s and d e s t r o y him.
The p l a n m i s c a r r i e d . The G e n e r a l a r r i v e d a t Assanchi but t h e
sound o f f i r i n g was n e v e r h e a r d because C o l o n e l F e s t i ~ ghad been
u n a b l e t o i n d u c e h i s A f r i c a n a l l i e s t o l e a v e Dunkwa and he q u i t e
w i s e l y d e c i d e d t o c a n c e l t h e o p e r a t i o n r a t h e r t h a n r i s k t h e de-
s t r u c t i o n o f h i s small f o r c e of d i s c i p l i n e d t r o o p s i n t h e bush.
A f t e r w a i t i n g s e v e r a l h o u r s , S i r Garnet t u r n e d h i s column a b o u t
and marched back t o Abrakrampa. $3

An e x c e l l e n t o p p o r t u n i t y t o i n f l i c t a c r u s h i n g d e f e a t on
an el-ement o f t h e r e t r e a t i n g Asante army was t h u s missed and S i r
G a r n e t ' s conduct of o p e r a t i o n s r e f l e c t s l i t t l e c r e d i t on his
professional a b i l i t y . I t i s p o s s i b l e , however, t h a t t h e f a i l u r e
of t h i s o p e r a t i o n was a c t u a l l y a b l e s s i n g i n d i s g u i s e , Had Sir
Garnet s u c c e e d e d ir, e n g a g i n g t h e enemy f o r c e s i n t h e Assanchi-
I s c a b i o a r e a w i t h o u t h a v i n g f i r m i n t e l l i g e n c e a s t o t h e enemy
d i s p o s i t i o n s , he might w e l l have i n v i t e d a n a t t a c k by t h e Asante
main body tfnich unbdcnovmst t o him, w a s r a p i d l y a p p r o a c h i n g h i s
rear. C e r t a i n l y s u c h ar. a t t a c k would m o r e - t h a n - l i k e l y have r e -
s u l t e d i n a r e p e t i t i o n o f t h e Macarthy d e b a c l e o f 1 8 2 2 . it i s
i n d i c a t i v e o f t h e inadequacy o f S i r G a r n e t ' s a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r
s c o u t i n g and r a p i d c o r m u n i c a t i o n t h a t it was n o t u n t i l h i s r e -
t u r n t o Abrakrampa t h a t he was infolmed of t h e p r e s e n c e of t h e
main body o f t h e Asante army a t Zssecroorn and o f Aclankwa Tial s
i n t e n t i o n t o move a g a i n s t Abrakrarnpa and t h u s eliriiinate a s ~ r i -
o u s t h r e a t t o h i s f l a n k . 84 T h i s p l a c e d t h e General i n a d i f f i -
c u l t position. H i s detqchmenl o f f a t i g u e d s a i l o r s and marines
c o n s t i t u t e d h i s only d i s c i p l i n e d reserve but t h e f e a r of sick-
ness m a n t t h a t he cou1.d n o t r e t a i n them a t Abrakrampa f o r a n i n -
d e f i n i t e p e r i o d o f t i m e o r u n t i l it p l e a s e d Amankwa T i a t o a t -
tack. A c c o r d i n g l y , he d e c i d e d t o withdraw t h e b u l k of t h e 3 u r o -
p e a n s from Abrakrampa and by t h e 3 0 t h of O c t o b e r t h e y had been
re-embarked on b o a r d t h e w a r s h i p s i n t h e r o a d s . 85

A g a r r i s o n o f t w e n t y - f i v e s a i l o r s and m a r i n e s was, how-

e v e r , l e f t a t Abrakranlpa, under t h e command o f L i e u t e n a n t ?:Jells,
R.N. T h i s f o r c e was l e f t t h e r e t o form a rrucleus o f r e l i a b l e rrlen
i n c a s e t h e p l a c e s h o u l d be a t t a c k e d . E h j o r R u s s e l l was l e f t i n
o v e r a l l comniand, and h i s regirne2t was i n c r e a s e d t o a s t r e n g t h of
n e a r l y 200. He had a l s o a b o u t 80 Hausas under L i e u t e n a n t Gordon
and more t h a n 300 Abrahs i n t h e g a r r i s o n . A s t h e p o s t was w e l l
p r o v i s i o n e d and s t r o n g l y e n t r e n c h e d , w i t h t h e bush w e l l c l e a r e d
a r o u n d i t , i t was c o n s i d e r e d t h a t it was q u i t e c a p a b l e of r e s i s t -
i n g an a t t a c k by any number o f t h e enemy. 86

Although d i s a p p o i n t e d o v e r h i s i n a b i l i t y t o c l o s e w i t h t h e
enemy a l o n g t h e Haunted Road, and c o n s i d e r a b l y s o b e r e d by t h e f a c t
t h a t h i s f a i l u r e had p r o b a b l y s a v e d h i m s e l f and h i s f o r c e from
d e s t r u c t i o n , S i r Garnet had no i n t e n t i o n o f abandoning o f f e n s i v e
operations. I n d e e d , irnrilediately p r i o r t o h i s r e t u r n t o Cape
C o a s t , he had made f u r t h e r p l a n s f o r e n g a g i n g t h e enemy. After
n e a r l y a month o f f u t i l e a t t e m p t s t o r a i s e African f o r c e s o f s u f -
f i c i e n t strength t o a l l o w a n e n c o u n t e r w i t h Amnnkwa T i a ' s array,
t h e G e n e r a l was f i n a l l y coming t o t h e r e a l i z a t i o n that; h i s numer-
i c a l i n f e r i o r i t y made it i n i p o s s i b l e f o r him t o engage t h e main
Asante army w i t h o u t t h e r i s k o f l o s i n g t h e f e w d i s c i p l i n e d t r o o p s
h c p o s s e s s e d a s w e l l as much o f t h e p r e s t i g e he had worked s o
hard t o gain. IIe t h e r e f o r e ' a n n o u n c e d h i s d e c i s i o r ? t o a d o p t t h e
hit-and-run t a c t i c s o f bush w a r f a r e . 67 Brackenbury e x p l a i n s t h a t
t h e movements o f t h e enemy d e t e r m i n e d t h e n a t u r e of t h e o p e r a t i o n s
whi ch were s u b s e q u e n t l y u n d e r t a k e n .
To h a r a s s him ( t h e enemy) by means
o f c o n s t a n t r a i d s from Dunquah and Abrak-
rampa, b o t h o f which p l a c e s must be
s t r e n g t h e n e d by a n i n c r e a s e d g a r r i s o n ,
and t o p r e s s , s o f a r a s p o s s i b l e upon h i s
r e a r , w i t h n a t i v e d l i e s from Napoleon
and Abbaye, was t h e c o u r s e p r e s e n t i n g i t -
s e l f a s t h e most s u i t a b l e under t h e un-
f o r t u n a t e c o n d i t i o n of o u r i n a b i l i t y t o
a t t a c k b o l d l y h i s main body, caused- by
t h e p a u c i t y o f t r o o p s a t o u r d i s p o s a l . 88
 From t h i s t i m e onward, t h e B r i t i s h began t o i n c r e a s e b o t h
t h e d i p l o n a t i c and t h e m i l i t a r y p r e s s u r e on t h e Asantes. On t h e
f i r s t o f November, S i r Garnet once more t o o k t h e i n i t i a t i v e i n
t h e d i p l o m a t i c s p h e r e by s e n d i n g t o Kumasi y e t a n o t h e r copy o f
h i s o r i g i r a l l e t t e r t o t h e Asantehene. T h i s t i m e t h e l e t t e r ar-
r i v e d a t i t s d e s t i n a t i o n b u t i t was g r e a t l y d e l a y e d e n r o u t e ,
The Asantehene d i d n o t r e c e i v e it u n t i l t h e 2 0 t h o f November by
which t i m e t h e t w e n t y d a y s a l l o w e d f o r a r e p l y had a l r e a d y ex-
p i r e d . 89 Even s o , it a r r i v e d a t an o p p o r t u n e moment.

The f a i l u r e o f ddu Bofo and Atjiempon i n t h e ' J e s t e r n d i s -

t r i c t s and t h e d i s c o n c e r t i n g l y f r a g w n t a r q r and d i s t o r t e d news of
Amankwa T i a t s r e v e r s e s i n t h e s o u t h had a l r e a d y caused g r e a t
concern i n K u r a s i . A s e a r l y a s t h e 2 7 t h of October a g r e a t meet-
i n g of t h e C o u n c i l had b e a n h e l d a t Amankia, a suburb of Kumasi,
a t which t h e C h i e f s now urged Kofi K a r i k a r i t o r e c a l l t h e iirmy,
Unimpressed by t h e C h i e f s ? arguments, he a g a i n p o i n t e d o u t t h a t
it had been t h e y and n o t he who had clamoured f o r war. He t h e r e -
f o r e r e f u s e d t o do a s t h e y asked u n l e s s t h e y g u a r a n t e e d t o r2fund
t h e l a r g e sums cf nioney t h a t he had a l r c a d y expended on t h e car,-
paign. T h i s t h e y e v e r t u a l l y a g r e e d t o do and t h e message o f re-
c a l l had t h e n been s e n t t a Amankwa T i a who was a l r e a d y withdraw-
ing. 30
 The copy o f S i r G a r n e t ' s t h r e a t e n i n g l e t t e r was t h u s
bound t o have riluch more impact a r r i v i n g when it d i d t h a n t h e
o r i g i n a l would have had. For c e r t a i n l y t h e l e t t e r w r i t t e n i n
mid-October would have a r r i v e d w h i l e t h e Asantehene and h i s Coun-
c i l still f e l t t h a t the i n i t i a t i v e l a y with t h e i r forces. Inme-
d i a t e l y upon tile r e c e i p t o f t h i s copy of tine B r i t i s h d e n m d s , :IT.
Dawson was c a l l e d t o r e a d and i n t e r p r e t them t o t h e Asantehene
and h i s assembled c o u n c i l m c ~who L i s t e n e d i n profound s i l e n c e . 91
The c a p t i v e m i s s i o n a r i e s were a t t e n d i n g t h i s assembly and Ram-
s e y e r a n d Kuhne r e p o r t t h a t t h e s u b s e q u e n t s p e e c h e s r e f l e c t e d
c o n s i d e r a . b l e c o n c e r n o v e r t h e manner i n which t h e war was prog-
r e s s i n g . 92 Tho l e t t e r s which t h e Asnntehene wrote i n r e s p o n s e
t o t h e B r i t i s h demands r e f l e c t e d t h i s concern and c l e a r l y i l l u s -
t r a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e h s a n t e f e a r e d an i n v a s i o n , t h e y d i d n o t
r e a l l y b e l i e v e t h a t one w o u l d t a k e p l a c e . However, t h e s e l e t t e r s
were n o t r e c e i v e d by S i r Garnet u n t i l l a t e i n December and i n t h e
i n t e r i m , t h e s i t u a t i o n s o u t h o f t h e P r a was c h a n g i n g r a d i c a l l y ,

The G e n e r a l had n o t w a i t e d f o r a r e p l y t o t h i s second

l e t t e r b e f o r e i n c r e a s i n g t h e tempo of h i s m i l i t a r y moves I n t h e
'Frotectorate'. On t h e 1st and 2nd of November, b o t h Abrakranpa
and Dunkwa were r e i n f o r c e d t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t t h e former had a
EScrrison o f so;,!e 900 men and t h e l a t t e r had one i n e x c e s s o f
1,500, A t t h e same t i m e t h e g a r r i s o n a t 1Japol.eon was r e l i e v e d
by a s m a l l e r f o r c e and C o l o n e l Vood was pushed or, t o t h e v i l l a g e
of Beulah. The aim of t h i s move a p p a r e n t l y b e i n g t o g i v e a more
f o r w a r d b a s e f r o n ~ h i c ht o use Wood's f o r c e and some l e v i e s t o
s c o u t f u r t h e r t o t h e n o r t h - e a s t i n t h e d i r e c t i o n of Essecroorn
and Abraltrarnpa. Also on t h e 1st o f November, Colonel F e s t i n g
was inforiricd t h a t t h e b u l k of t h e enernyTs f o r c e was d e f i n i t e l y
between t h e Sweet R i v e r and Dunkwa. He was o r d e r e d t o make a
r e c o n n a i s s a n c e i n f o r c e e a c h d a y , a t t a c k i n g t h e enany whenever
he had a n o p p o r t u n i t y , hanging on t o him and h a r a s s i n g him a s
much a s p o s s i b l e . S i m i l a r o r d e r s were i s s u e d t o X a j o r R u s s e l l
a t Abrakrampa. 93 F i n a l l y , on t h e 3 r d o f Novelabcr, t h e newly ar-
r i v e d L i e u t e n a n t - C o l o n e l Irc'ebber assumed command of t h e 25IR and
marched w i t h a r e i n f o r c e m e n t o f 100 2UIR t r o o p s t o Ilansu where
he was t o t a k e cormawl of t h e g a r r i s o n . 94

D e s p i t e t h e s e p l a n s , S i r G a r n e t f u l l y r s a l i z e d t h a t even
t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of e f f e c t i v e l y f o l l o w i n g and h a r a s s i n g t h e enemy
was d o u b t f u l . Thc a l l o c a t i o n o f t h e European t r o o p s h2d n o t y e t
been confirmed and even if t h e i r use was a u t h o r i z e d , t h e y c o u l d
n o t be e x p e c t e d u n t i l t h e f i r s t wzek i n December a t t h e e a r l i e s t .
The few r e g u l a r s t h e n on t h e Coast were i n s u f f i c i e n t f o r t h e work
to b e d o n e , and t h e A f r i c a n a l l i e s , who might have provided a n
a d e q u a t e f o r c e and i n f l i c t e d a s e v e r e d e f e a t on t h e enerny, were
s t i l l n o t r e s p o n d i n g t o S i r G a r n e t ' s i l n p a s s i m e d c a l l Lo ar:ns i n
t h e necessary nunbers.
 Any a t t e m p t t o f o l l o w and a t t a c k t h e Asantes w i t h t h e
s m a l l f o r c e a t h i s d i s p o s a l would have i n v o l v e d a t e r r i b l e r i s k
and S i r Garnet,who s t i l l f a i l e d t o u ~ l d e r s t a n d - t h eF a n t i a t t i t u d e ,
made one l a s t d e s p a i r i n g e f f o r t t o i n c r e a s e F a n t i r e c r u i t i n g .
On h i s r e t u r n from Abrakrampa, he p u b l i s h e d a p r o c l a m a t i o n 95
which he f e l t was a p l a i n s t a t e m e n t of t h e c o n d i t i o n o f a f f a i r s
e x p r e s s e d i n t e r m s which would h a v e a ' p o s i t i v e e f f e c t on t h e
tribesmen. However, t h e r e was s t i l l n o r e a s o n f o r t h e F a n t i s t o
r e s p o n d any more v i g o r o u s l y t h a n t h e y a l r e a d y had, and t h e c a l l
achieved nothing.

The G e n e r a l ' s comments i n many subsequent d e s p a t c h e s

c l e a r l y i l l u s t r a t e t h a t t h i s a p p e a l f a i l e d and t h a t he had l i t t l e
u n d e r s t a n d i n g as t o why i t had f a i l e d . F o r example, on t h e 5 t h
of November, he w r o t e :
It i s i m p o s s i b l e t o e x a g g e r a t e t h e
cowardice and f e e b l e n e s s o f t h e conduct
of o u r n a t i v e a l l i e s . They remain ab-
s o l u t e l y i n t h e r e a r , abandoning o u r
o f f i c e r s and f i r i n g w i l d l y i n t o t h e a i r
a t n o t h i n g ; t h e n a sudden p a n i c s e i z e s
them, and t h e y r u s h p a n i c - s t r i c k e n home
when n o Ashantee i s n e a r them. Near
Beulah a p a n i c o f t h i s k i n d occurr-cd
because t l l e y came a c r o s s sorne dead
Ashnntees . Fron Abra r a a p a similar
scenes a r a reported.9 g
TO t h e v e r y end of t h e campaign t h e B r i t i s h r e t a i n e d t h i s view o f
the Panti. They made no a t t e m p t e i t h e r t o a s c e r t a i n t h e under-
lying r e a s o n s f o r t h e F a n t i a c t i o n s o r t o u t i l i z e t h e t r i b e s m e n
i n a manner b e t t e r s u i t e d $0 t h e i r methods o f w a r f a r e and tc:nper-
 017 t h e 3rd o f Movember. s t r o n g p a t r o l s were s e n t o u t from
Beulah, A b r a k ~ w ~ pand
a Dunkwa. The two l a t t e r a l o n e caxe upon
t h e enemy, and o n l y C o l o n e l F e s t i n g l s p a t r o l from Dunkwa f o u n d
them i n a n y g r e a t numbers. The D u n h a p a t r o l becaxe engaged i n
a f i e r c e e n c o u n t e r ~ : i t ha body of some 3,000 A s a n t e s j u s t on t h e
o u t s k i r t s of I s c a b i o b u t t h e b u l k o f t h e u n t r a i n e d A f r i c a n l e v i e s ,
who composed more t h a n n i n e t y p e r c e n t , o f t h e column i r n m d i a t e l y
f l e d t o I)unkwa and ever, beyond it. The s t e a d i n e s s o f t h e m a l l
detachment o f :'lest I n d i a ~ sa l o n e saved t h e s i t u a t i o n , and a f t e r
t h e a c t i o n h2d l a s t e d two h o u r s t h e e n e n y t s f i r e s l a c k e n e d enough
t o a l l o w t h e t r o o p s t o f a l l back upon Dunkwa. 97 T h i s a c t i o n com-
b i n e d w i t h t h e r e l a t i v e q u i e t around Abrakrampa t o convince S i r
G a r n e t t h a t t h e main body of t h e A s m t e army was g o i n g t o go a-
round Abra1cra:npa and a t t e m p t t o debouch on t h e main r o a d scme-
where n e a r Dunkwa. I n d e e d , d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t t h e r e was vil*-
t u a l l y no s c o u t i n g b e i n g c a r r i e d o u t i n t h e immediate v i c i n i t y
of Abrakrampa, h e was s o convinced t h a t t h e r e was t o be no a t -
t a c k on Ahyakrampa t h a t h e o r d e r e d t h e r e t u r n of t h e m a r i n e s and
s a i l o l - s from t h e r e t o Cape Coast on t h e 4 t h o f November. 98

~ o r t u n a t e l y ,Major R u s s c l l misread99 t h e s e o r d e r s and d i d

not; p r e p a r e t h e t r o o p s f o r t h e i r r e t u r n t o C2pe Coast u n t i l t h e
a f t e r n o o n of t h e 5 t h . Thus i t happened t h a t a t t h e v e r y moment
when t h e m a r i n e s and s a i l o r s were forming up t o b e g i n t h e i r t r e k
t o t h e c o a s t , t h e l o n g - p r e d i c t e d Asante a t t a c k was made. The
b a t t l e began a t 3:30 F.F.I., and it r a g e d on u n t i l l a t e i n t h e even-
i n g when t h e A s a n t e s f i n a l l y r e t i r e d a f t e r h a v i n g been u n a b l e t o
breach t h e defences. S i r Garnet r e c e i v e d word of t h e f i g h t i n g
d u r i n g t h e n i g h t and a r e l i e f c o l u m composed of t h e G e n e r a l , h i s
s t a f f , and 22 o f f i c e r s and 303 men of t h e Naval B r i g a d e began
marching f o r t h e b e s i e g e d town e a r l y on t h e morning of t h e 6 t h .
The t r o o p s were t h o r o u g h l y e x h a u s t e d By t h e march and l e s s t h a n
h a l f o f t h e o r i g i n a l c o n t i n g e n t was p r e s e n t when t h e c o l u m ar-
r i v e d a t its d e s t i n a t i o n around s u n s e t of t h e same day. Upon h i s
a r r i v a l , S i r Garnet found t h a t t h e enemy had o n l y j u s t broken o f f
t h e a t t a c k a ~ withdrawn
d from t h e f i e l d . I n anticipation of yet
a n o t h e r engagement, he o r d e r e d t h e r e l i e v i n g t r o o p s t o man t h e
e n t r e R c h m e n t s s o t h a t t h e e x h a u s t e d d e f e n d e r s might r e c e i v e some
r e s t b e f o r e t h e y would be once more r e q u i r e d f o r coxbat. 100

The n i g h t p a s s e d q u i e t l y and on t h e n e x t morning, t h e 7 t h ,

had happened by 2:00 P.N., i t began t o a p p e a r t h a t t h e enemy must

be r e t r e a t i n g and i n o r d e r t o c l a r i f y t h e s i t u a t i o n , S i r Garnet
o r d e r e d t h e 1 , 0 0 0 nen of t h e Cape Coast l e v y which had a r r i v e d
j u s t t h a t morning, t o advance i n t o t h e bush. It i s n o t s u r p r i s -

i n g , when one c c n s i d e r s t h e i r l a c k of t r a i n i n g and p r o f e s s i o n a l

l e a d e r s h i p , t h a t t h e tribesmen refused t o c a r r y out t h i s order
d e s p i t e t h e v i g o r o u s a t t e m p t s on t h e p a r t o f s o m B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s
t o f o r c e them t o d o s o , L a t e t h a t s a n e a f t e r n o o n , however, s c v e r -
a1 wounded Asantc were t a k e n p r i s o n e r and t h e y r e v e z l e d t h a t
Amankwa Tia and h i s c h i e f s had d e c i d e d t c b r e a k - o f f t h e b a t t l e
and t h a t t h e Asantc army had begun t o withdraw toward Ainsa e a r l y
on t h e morning o f t h e 7 t h . 1 0 1

Had he b u t r e a l i z e d i t , S i r Garnet was now p r e s e q t e d w i t h

a n e x c e l l e ~ topport.unit,y t o s e v e r e l y h u r t t h e r e t r e a t i n g Asante
amy. Vi3h t h e d e f e n d i n g f o r c e from Abrakranpa worn o u t from
t h e l o n g b a t t l e and w i t h t h e u n t r a i n e d , u n d i s c i p l i n e d , and i n -
adequately l e d African l e v i e s obviously incapable o f c l o s i ~ g ,
a n d / o r u n w i l l i n g t o c l o s e w i t h t h e enemy's r e a r - g u a r d , the t i r e
had conic f o r t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of t h o s e harassinent t a c t i c s which
t h e G e n e r a l had s u p p o s e d l y a d o p t e d on t h e 31sL of October. Smll
S c o u t i n g p a r t i e s composed of t h e s p e c i a l s e r v i c e o f f i c e r s , nec
fror;7 2!IIR, Hausas, i(ossoos, and soue of t h e Assiys, c o u l d havp,
been formed and d e s p a t c h e d a l o n g t h e t r a i l b e i n g used by t h e
Asante. These patro1.s c o u l d have r r m i n t a i ~ e d c o n t a c t w i t h t h e
enemy w i t h a v i e t i t o k e e p i n g t h e G e n e r a l informed as t o t h e i r
l o c a t i o n x d a c t i o n s s o t h a t he could t h e n s l i p an ambushirg p a r -
t y around t o t h e n o r t h t h r o u g h Durkwa and a t t a c k t h e f l m k o f t h e
A s a n t e co1ur.v~ at a time ar.d p l a c e o f h i s own choosing. Fortun-
a t e l y f o r t h e Asante, t h e General f a i l e d t o g r a s p t h i s opportu-
nity. I n s t e s d , h e d e c i d e d t o a d h e r e t o t h e v e r y p o l i c y which
had a l r e a d y f a i l e d s o m i s e r a b l y .
 A t d a y b r e a k on t h e morning of t h e 8 t h ) columns composed
a l m o s t e x c l u s i v e l y o f A f r i c a n l e v i e s l o 2 were s e n t o u t on b o t h
t h e Anasrnadie and Ainsa r o a d s w i t h o r d e r s t o h a r a s s t h e e n e n y f s
rear. However, a l t h o u ~ ht h e s e unbelievabl-y i n a d e q u a t e p a t r o l s
c l o s e d w i t h t h e r e t r e a t i n g enemy n e a r t h e v i l l a g e o f A i n s a , t h e y
accomplished a b s o l u t e l y nothing, I n d e e d , when i t was d e c i d e d t o
d i s e n g a g e from t h e f i r e - f i g h t which had b r o k e n o u t as soon a s
c o n t a c t had been made w i t h t h e Asante r e a r - g u a r d , the A f r i c a ~
l e v i e s c u t and r a p f o r Abrakrampa as t h e y f e a r e d t h a t t h e Asante
were f o l l o w i n g and s u n - o u n d i n g t h e n .

It was o b v i ~ u sfrom t h e s e e v e n t s t h a t t h e c o n t i n u e d u s e
of t h e l e v i e s i n t h i s rilmner would a c c o m p l i s h v i r t u a l l y n o t h i n g .
S i r G a r n e t r e f u s e d t o s e e t h i s , however. I g n o r i n g t h e obvious
d e f i c i e n c i e s i n t r a i n i n g , d i s c j - p l i n e , and l e a d e r s h i p i n t h e A f r i -
can l e v i e s , he cor.tcnted h i m s e l f w i t h c o n t i n u i n g t o f ~ l l o wwhat
WCis by t h i s t i m e t h e s t a n d a r d B r i t i s h approach: b l a m t h e coward-

l y b l a c k s b u t b a s h on r e g a r d l e s s . 3' Accordingly, n e i t h e r he n o r
a n y member of h i s staff r , l ~ d eany a t t e m p t t o a d a p t t h e i r t a c t i c s
t o t h e r e a l i t i e s of t h e s i t u a t i o n .

The p o s t a t Abbaye was c l o s e d down and t h e t r o o p s from

t h e r e t i e r e used t o r e i n f o r c e tile now r e d u n d a n t "advancedn p o s t s
a t Beul-ah, Yapoleon, and Abrakrampa. In addition, these three

P o s t s as w e l l as A::rofu, Dl;r.kwa, and Hansu, were a l l f o r t i f i e d

and prepar-ec! t o m e t a n y Asante a t t a c k . I n t h i s way, Hausas and
t r o o p s froin 2\!Itl were co,:unitted t o g a r r i s o n du.ty i x p o s t s which
a s t u d y of t h e map r e v e a l s w e r e i n a l l l i k e l i h o o d coinpletely s a f e
f r o n enemy a t t e c ) : . T h u s t h e t r o o p s most suitqb3.e f o r use i n
s c o u t i ~ gand h a r a s s m e n t o p e r a t i o n s were rernoved from t h e f i z l d
a t j u s t t h e nlornent when t h e y could have been most e f f e c t i v e l y
emplcyed. Not c o n t e n t w i t h t h i s , however, t h e G e n e r a l t h e n o r d e r -
e d t h a t p a r t i e s con~poseda l r m s t e x c l u s i v e l y o f t h e A f r i c m l e v i e s
p r e s s upon t h e Asante r e a r from Beulah and Abrakrampa a ~ hda r r y
t h e Asantie f l a n k s from t h e d i r e c t i o n o f Dunkwa and Kansu. 110 a t -
t e m p t was maclc t o head t h e Asante w i t h d r a w a l . The main o b j e c t i v e
had become s i m p l y t o deny t h e eneny t h e use of t h e Cape Coast/
P r a s u r o a d and t o s p e e d h i s movement a c r o s s t h e P r a . 104

The v e r y composition o f t h e s e h a r a s m e n t f o r c e s made it

v e r y unlikely t h a t t h e y would be a b l e i n any way t o o p e r a t e e f -
fectively, As m a t t e r s developed, however, t h e y n e v e r had t h e

O p p o r t m i t y t o prove o r d i s p r o v e t h i s p o i n t f o r S i r G a r n e t ' s f a i l -
ure t o c r e a t e an e f f e c t i v e s c o u t i n g f o r c e i n ~ n e d i a t e l ya f t e r
Abrakraiapa r e s u l t e d i n a l l c o n t a c t w i t h t h e enemy b e i n g l o s t .
c o n s t a n t r e p o r t s a ~ rumours
d of enemy a c t i v i t y betweer, Dunkwa an2
Mansu. Somewhat s u r p r i s i n g l y , t h e main body of t h e Asante a r n y
remained i n t h e bush r a t h e r t h a ~b r~e a k o u t o n t o t h e Cape Coast/
Prasu road. F i n a l l y , on t h e 2 0 t h of November, it was a s c e r t a i n e d
t h a t Amnnkwa T i a had bypassed b o t h Du~ltwaand Elansu and was a l -
r e a d y t o t h e n o r t h w e s t of Diansu. On t h e b a s i s o f t h i s inforrna-
t i o n , c o n s t r u c t i o n was begun on a new p o s t a t Acrofumu on t h e
2 l s t , and on t h e 2 3 r d , C o l o n e l rilood t o o k com~nand of b o t h t h e new
p o s t a n d t h e advanced g u a r d i n t h e o p e r a t i o n s s o u t h of t h e P r a , 105

On t h e 2 6 t h , C o l o n e l Wood moved s o u t h t o y e t a n o t h e r o u t -
p o s t which had been e s t a b l i s h e d j u s t s o u t h o f S u t a . T h e r e he
l e a r n e d t h a t t h e Asante army had f i n a l l y debouched o n t o t h e r o a d
at S u t a and Fesu on t h e n i g h t of t h e 25th/26th and t h a t i t was
n o v i n g s l o w l y toward P r a s u . lo6 On t h e morning o f t h e 2 7 t h , l e t -
t e r s were r e c e i v e d from h e a d q u a r t e r s i n s t r u c t i n g him t o h a r a s s
t h e enemy i n h i s r e t r e a t , and a u t h o r i z i n g him t o proceed beyond
S u t a i f he should t h i n k it d e s i r a b l e . He a c c o r d i n g l y d e c i d e d t o
march t o e i t h e r Ahtoh I n s u o r Fesu depending on t h e cj-rcum-
s t a n c e s , 1•‹7 T h i s d e c i s i o n l e d t o t h e b a t t l e o f Fesu which p r o v e d
t o be t h e l a s t engagement w i t h t h e A s a ~ t e ss o u t h of t h e P r a .

The b a t t l e bega3, w e l l f o r t h e B r i t i s h f o r c e s b u t a minor

t a c t i c a l w i t h d r a w a l caused t h e Hausas and Mende i n t h e f o r c e t o
P a n i c and t h e v a s t m a j o r i t y of t h e A f r i c a n t r o o p s r a n f o r t h e i r
lives. F o r t n q a t e l y , t h e enemy d i d n o t p r e s s tllem v e r y c l - o s e l y
d u r i n g t h i s r e t r e a t , o r t h e r e s u l t might w e l l have been d i s a s -
t r o u s . lo8 Evan s o , a g r e a t d e a l was made of t h e a f f a i r though
i t was n o t n e a r l y t h e d i s a s t e r t h a t t h e B r i t i s h p r e s s subse-
q u e n t l y t r i e d t o make of it.lo9 I n d e e d , t h e s t a f f e v e n t u a l l y
l e a r n e d t h r o u g h a p r i s o n e r t h a t f a r frorn b e i n g a t o t a l f a i l u r e ,
t h e a c t i o n had f i n a l l y produced t h e d e s i r e d e f f e c t . This pris-
o n e r r a p o r t e d t h a t a s soon a s t h e A s a n t e s had .given up t h e i r
p u r s u i t o f t h e r e t r e a t i n g B r i t i s h f o r c e , t h e y broke up t h e i r
camp, and f l e d t h r o ~ i g ht h e n i g h t by t h e l i g h t of t o r c h e s , s c a r c e -
l y s t o p p i n g i m t i l t h e y r e a c h e d t h e banks of t h e P r a . colorel
Wood was n o t aware of t h i s , however. H i s u n t r a i n e d s c o u t s were
u n a b l e t o p a t r o l e f z e c t i v e l y and even though t h e m i s e r a b l e c o n a i -
t i o n o f t h e A s a n t e s was c l e a r l y i l l u s t r a t e d by t h e f a c t t h a t t h e

dead and d y i n g , t h e s c o u t s . s i r n p l y r e f u s e d t o push on p a s t Fesu. I l l

C o n s e q u e n t l y , he was u n a b l e t o foral an a c c u r a t e p i c t u r e of t h e
enemy1 s l o c a t i o n . AS a r e s u l t , it was n o t u n t i l t h e 4 t h o f Dec-
elilber t h a t Color.cl yood had s u f i ' i c i e n t i n f o r l a a t i o n t o perinit h i s
a d v a n c i n g beyond S u t a . 112 By t h a t t i n e , a l l o f t h e A s a n t e s m r e
a c r o s s t h e r i v e r and n o t a man was t o b e s e e n upon t h e n o r t h bank,

The r e t r e a t i n g army d i d n o t r e a c h Kunasi u n t i l t h e 22nd

of December, and it;s r e t u r n was f a r d i f f e r e n t from t h e t r i u r l p h a l
Processions so o f t e n seen before. I n s t e a d of t h e u s u a l l o n g
l i n e s of p r i s o n e r s a n d s l a v e s 1oad.d with valuable l o o t ald t h e
nunierous jawbones o f t h e enemy' s s l a i n , o n l y e i g h t y p e r s o n s now
r e t u r n e d w i t h t h e army and t h e jawbones t h a t were d i s p l a y e d w e r e
nearly a l l very old. I n a d d i t i o n , b a t t l e , f a a i ~ e ,and d i s e a s e
h a d f e l l e d f u l l y h a l f o f t h e some 40,000 men who had gone f o r t h
t o t h e war. Nore t 3 a n 280 c h i e f s had f a l l e n and o t h e r s who had
gone o u t w i t h t w e n t y men now r e t u r n e d a l o n e c a r r y i n g t h s i r bun-
d l e s on t h e i r h e a d s . Under t h e s e circumstances, t h e r e can be
3 - i t t l e wonder t h a t a c i t y which had b u t t w e l v e s h o r t months Se-
f o r e e c h o e d w i t h t h e j o y o u s send o f f g i v e n t o a s e e m i n g l y i n v i n -
c i b l e army, s h o u l d now be f i l l e d w i t h t h e sounds of "mourning and
l a m e n t a t i o n s . "113 Even s o , one must n o t draw t h e c o n c l u s i o r . f r o m
t h i s t h a t t h e m i s e r a b l e c o n d i t i o n o f Arxinkwa T i a l s army was s o l e -
l y t h e r e s u l t of S i r G a r n e t ' s o p e r a t i o n s . I n f a c t , a l t h o ~ l - g ht h e
G e n e r a l a n d h i s c h r o n i c l e r s would i n t i m a t e t h a t t h e o p e r a t i o n s
c o n d u c t e d a f t e r t h e end of . O c t o b e r were l a r g e l y r e s p o r . s i b l e f o r
t h e d e p l e t i o n of t h e A s a n t e f o r c e ; most of t h e darnage was i n -
f l i c t e d by C o l o n e l H a r l e y , t h e F a n t i s , t h e r a i n s , d i s e a s e a n d
famine. Indeed, although t h e a c t i o n s of S i r Garnet's forces
w e r e u n d o u b t e d l y one of t h e m o t i v e s p r o m p t i n g Anankwa T i a ' s 6e-
c i s i o n t o w i t h d r a w , t h e y i n f l i c t e d heavy c a s u a l t i e s on o n l y one
CJCcasion--Abrakr.ampa. The G e n e r a l a c t u a l l y m i s s e d h i s one op-

P o r t u n i t y t o s e v e r e l y maul Amapkwa T i a t s army a t l i t t l e c o s t t o

h i m s e l f when he n e g l e c t e d t o p r o p e r l y c a r r y o u t h i s p r o P s e d
h a l * a s s i n g o p e r a t i o n s a f t o r t h e b a t t l e a t Abral:ra;npa.
 N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e second phase o f t h e v a r drew t o a cl-ose
w i t h t h e b e d r a g g l e d Asante army once more back i n Eumasi a r d t h e
B r i t i s h f o r c e c l o s e d up o n t o t h e s o u t h bank o'f t h e P r a ar.d it was
a t t h i s time t h a t S i r Garnet received t h e Asantehene's r e p l y t o
h i s l e t t e r o f t h e 1 s t of November. Had he e n t e r t a i n e d a n y d o u b t s
as t o w h e t h e r o r n o t an i n v a s i o n would rea.3.ly be n e c e s s a r y , t h e
tone of Kofi K a r i k a r i t s response s e t t l e d t h e issue. The answer
t o S i r G a r p e t ' s l e t t e r a n d a s u b s e q u e n t one w r i t t e n irninediately
a f t e r t h e b a t t l e a t Fesu, were r e c e i v e d on t h e 2 4 t h of December
and once he had s t u d i e d . them b o t h , t h e General was c o n v i n c e d t h a t
a n i n v a s i o n was absolutely n e c e s s a r y i f t h e Asante p e o p l e were t o
be t a u g h t a " p r o p e r lesson".114 However, t i m e was of t h e e s s e n c e
a s t h e n e c e s s m y European t r o o p s had t o be used d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d
of tirne betweep December and February. 3;Tith t h e month o f Decern-
b e r a l r e a d y p a s t t h e r e remained b a r e l y enough tirne t o r e a c h K u m s i
and t h e n e f f e c t a ~ ; i t ; h d r a w a lt o Ca:,)c Coast b e f o r e t h e end of Feb-
ruary. E v e r y e f f o r t had t h e r e f o r e t o be made t o acconiplish t h i s

I~lissw
i~i t~
hin t h e s t i p u l a t e d time l i m i t . Thus i t t r a n s p i r e d
t h a t t h e t h i r d phase of t h e war, some p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r which had

a l r e a d y been under\ray s i n c e t h e a r r i v a l of S i r Garnet a n d h i s

s t a f f , began i1anunediatelya f t e r t h e ' ? r o t e c t o r a t c ' was d e c l a r e d

free of t h e enemy.
 WHE D H I V X TO KUiTA31

The t h i r d p h a s e of t h i s war tras f i r s t a n d f o r e m o s t a r a c e

against title. Even b e f o r e Ananhra T i a had completed h i s w i t h -
d.rawal from t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' , Sir G a r n e t had been becoming i n -
c r e a s i n g l y alar.med o v e r t h e r a p i d l y d w i n d l i n g ' d r y ' season.' For
t h i s r e a s o n , a l t h o u g h he had r e c e i v e d n o a s s u r a n c e s t h a t European
t r o o p s rierc t o be s e n t t o t h e Gold Coast, h e had b e m d r i v i r g t h e
members of h i s s t a f f e v e r s i n c e t h e i r a r r i v a l i n O c t o b e r i n o r d e r

t h e expecLed r e i n f o r c e m e n t s a r r i v e d . On t h e 9 t h of December t h e
a l r e a d y s e r i o u s t i m e l e m e n t b e c a w even more v i t a l . On t h a t
d a y , S i r G a r n e t , w:lo was s t i l l u p - c o u n t r y , r e c e i v e d word t h a t t h e
2
f i r s t c o n t i 9 g c p t of European t r o o p s h a d a r r i v e d a t Cape C o a s t .

The G e n e r a l was t h a n k f u l t h a t t h e G l a d s t o n e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
had g r a n t e d h i s r e q u e s t b u t he was u n j u s t i f i a b l y c r i t i c a l of t h e
t h i n y ; o f t t l e a r r i v a l of t h e t r o o p s . He b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e y ar-

r i v e d t o o l a t e t o a t t a c k a n d d e f e a t t h e A s a n t e s w h i l e t h e y were
Still n e a r t h e c o a s t a n d t l l e r e b y d e s t r o y t h e i r army b e f o r e i t
p r i o r w a r n i n g , t h e i n v a s i o n p r e p a r a t i o n s c o u l d h a v e been pushed
more v i g o r o u s l y a n d h e would li~!ve bcen r e a d y t o t a k e up t h e p u r -
s u i t w h i l e t h e eneifiy was s t i l l o f f b a l a n c e a 4 -Hoi:ever, s u c h was
n o t t h e c a s e and as it was of prir,ie i n i p o r t a n c e t h a t t h e w h i t e
t r o o p s n o t be e x p o s e d t o t h e \ J e s t A f r i c a n c l i m a t e a n y l o n g e r than,
a b s o l u t e l y n e c e s s a r y , h e was f o r c e d t o o r d e r t h e s h i p s t o s e a un-
til t h e e n d o f t h e y e a r , by which t i m e i t was e s t i m a t e d t h a t e v e r y -
t h i n g would b e r e a d y f o r t h e march t o t h e P r a .

Thus t h e a r r i v a l of t h e European B r i g a d e , c o m p l i c a t e d as
it was by t h e r a p i d l y a p i ~ r o a c h i n gr a i n y s e a s o n , and t h e a b s e n c e
of a n y i n d i c a t i o n t h a t t h e Asantehene was p r e p a r e d t o a c c e p t t h e
B r i t i s h t e r l ' l s , s u d d e r . 1 ~r e v e a l e d a major s h o r t c o m i n g i n t h e Gen-
e r a l ' s corlduct of o p e r a t i o n s t o t h i s p o i n t . It was a l l a t once

c l e a r l y a p p a . r e n t t h a t even t h o u g h v i g o r o u s i n i t i a l s t e p s h a d been
t a k e n , t h e s t a f f h a d n o t k e i t u11 t h e teriipo o f t h e p r e p a r a t i o n s
f o r t h e o x p a c t e d i n v a s i o n of A s a n t e t e r r i t o r y . Consequently, al-

t h o u g h t h e t r o o p s h a d a r r i v e d w i t h i n t w e n t y - f 0 w h o u r s of when
he had f o r e c a s t t h e y r;ould a l - r i v e S i r G a r n e t was n o t y e t r e a d y
f o r them. He t h e r e f o r e e x e r t e d & r e s t p r e s s u r e on a l l c o n c e r n e d

in a n a t t e l n p t t o makc up f o r l o s t t i m e ; a s t e p which was made

even more v i t a l by tile f a c t t h a t he had a l r e a d y s e t t h e 1 5 t h of

J a n u a r y , 187h, as t h e d o t o f o r t h e i n v a s i o n t o b c g i n .
 On t h a t d a t e h e p l a n n e d t o l a u n c h s e v e r a l columns s i m u l -
t a n e o u s l y a c r p s s t h e P r a a n d h a v e them c o n v e r g e on Kumasi w i t h a
v i e w t o w e a k e n i n g t;he arrily which would o p p o s e - h i s Main Body by
f o r c i n g t h e detachment froln t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s army of t h e c o n t i n -
g e n t s o f t h o s e C h i e f s who would f i n d t i h e i r own d i s t r i c t s t h r e a t -
e n e d by t h e a u . x i l i a r y colurnns, The Main Body, c o n s i s t i n g o f t h e
European b r i g a d e , t h e Naval B r i g a d e , ?Joodl s and F i u s s e l l ' s R e g i -
m e n t s and R a i t f s A r t i l l e r y , u n d e r S i r G a r n e t h i m s e l f , was t o a d -
v a n c e a l o n g t h e Prasu-Kurnasi r o a d ; C a p t a i n G l o v e r was t o l e a d h i s
f o r c e t o w a r d s J a b i n from t h e e a s t ; w h i l e a t h i r d c o l u r a conposed
of Akins u n d e r Capta.in B u t l e r , was t o o p e r a t e between G l o v e r ' s
f o r c e a n d t h e main body, A f o u r t h colunln was t o o p e r a t e on t h e
G e n e r a . 1 ' ~l e f t f l a n k u n d e r C a p t a i n Dalrymple who was t o a d v a n c e
w i t h a f o r c e of W a s s a w , Denkyeras, and Komendas, and c r o s s t h e

In t h e l i g h t of t h e p r e v i o u s d i f f i c u l t i e s wi.t;h t h e A f r i -
can and t h e v i r t u a 1 l . y i n s u r m o u n t a b l e p r o b l e m s o f com-
m u n i c a t i o n , t h i s was a h i g h l y a m b i t i o u s p l a n . N e v e r t h e l e s s , it

w e r e underway. PJow t h a t t h e European t r o o p s had a r r i v e d , n o t

Only t h e 0 r g a n i a a i ; i o n of t h e a u x i l i a r y colurnns, b u t a l s o t h e con-

Pletion of t h e road t o t h e Pra, t h e preparation of t h e staging

and t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n of t r a n s p o r t , a l l of which were f a r
b e h i n d s c h e d u l e , had t o be r a p i d l y pushed f o r w a r d , i n o r d e r t o
 a c h i e v e a maxirnun p e r i o d of tirile f o r "dryv o p e r a t i o n s . Thus t h e
s h o r t d r y p e r i o d w a s t o be f u r t h e r reduce<? by v i r t u e o f t h e f a c t
t h a t S i r Garnet's f a i l u r e t o properly expedite these invasion
p r e p a r a t i o ~ would
s ult,f lnately r e s u l t i n t h e l o s s o f p r e c i o u s time
s p e n t i n c o m p l e t i n g t a s k s which s h o u l d , and c o u l d , have been
completed e a r l i e r .

The b u i l d i n g of t h e b b i n Supply Route from Cape Coast was

of b a s i c i m p o r t a n c e t o t h e f o r t h c o n i n g o p e r a t i o n , Fortunately,
c l e a r i n g and g e n e r a l s u r f a c e i n p r o v e ~ n o n thad been pushed on a s
r a p i d l y a s t h e r e t r e a t i . h g Asantes had p e r t a i t t e d and by C h r i s t z a s
Day, Na.jor IIome was a b l e t o r e p o r t from P r a s u t h a t t h e r o a d was
completed t o t h e s p e c i f i c a t i o n s s e t e a r l i e r by S i r Garnet.
6

E i g h t s i t e s weye a2proved and d e s p i t e t h e l a t e

S t a r t and s e v e r a l c m s t r u c t i o r , problems, t h e t h r a e office.^'^ d i -

r e c t l y r e s i l o n 3 i b l e f o r t h e p r e p r a t i o n o f t h e c m p s had ~~~~~~~~ted
 t h a i r t a s k b y . t h s 2 6 t h of ~ e c e ~ n b c rWhile
.~ t h e preparation of t h e
r c a d had e n s u r e d t h a t t h e men s h o u l d m r c h t o t h e P r a w i t h d r y
f e e t , t h e c s n p s were d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e f o r any o t h e r c o n t i n -
gency. F o r exa11lp2.e)s h e l t e r from t h e sun and r a i n ensured
W ~ S

by t h e b u i l d i r g of h u t s ; by m a n s of guard-beds, t h e t r o o p s were
r a i s e d two t o t h r e e f e e t above t h e damp ground; a s u p p l y o f p u r e
d r i n k i n g - w a t e r was e n s u r e d by t h e c a r e f u l s e l e c t i o ? o f t h e camps
a n d t h e abundance of f i l t e r s ; and l a s t l y , an ample s u p p l y o f
good f o o d was e n s u r e d by t h e r a t i o n which had been f i x e d on t h e
r e c o m ~ e n d a t i o nof D r . Home, t h e P r i n c i p a l N e d i c a l Off'icer. Good
o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r a b l u t i o n were p r o v i d e d a t a l l t h e s t a t i o n s ;
s u p p l i e s o f d r i e d wood were c o l l e c t e d f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f f i r e s
f o r c o o k i n g , and a l s o t o e n a b l e f i r e s t o be l i g h t e d a t n i g h t i n
t h e h u t s o r i n t h e d o o r s a s smudges and f o r warmth. A good ar-
rangement f o r s u r f a c e d r a i n a g s was e s t a b l i s h e d a t e a c h camp; and

a small body of s a n i t a r y p o l i c e a n d s c a v e n g e r s was formed f o r

t h e s o l e p u r p o s e of ca:np conservancy. 1 0

D e s p i t e al.1 of t h e s e m e a s u r e s , h o x e v e r , i t was a p p r e c i a t e d
t h a t s i c k n e s s t r o u l d be r e l a t i v e l y h i g h axon6 t h e Europeans through-
o u t t h e c m p n i t ; n and t h a t t h e r e would be b a t t l e - c a s u a l t i e s once
the i n v a s i o n began. Imrfiediate a t t e l t i o n had t h e r e f o r e t o be

Given t o t h e c r e a t i o n of a sjrstenl of t r e a t m e n t and e v a c u a t i o n f o r

t h e s i c k a n d wounded, It had a l r e a d y bee? d e c i d e d b e f o r e he l e f t
England t h a t S i r G a r n e t would be r e s p o n s i b l e f o r m e d i c a l m a t t e r s
Only up u n t i l t h e tinle t h a t c a s u a l t i e s were marked f o r e v a c u a t i o n
back t o England and t h a t once i t had been d e c i d e d t o send a man
horn?, he becand t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of t h e Royal Navy and t h e Home
Government. 11

D r . Home was t h e r e f o r e concerned o n l y with l o c a l o r firs^

e c h e l o n medical, p l a ~ n i n gand he had a c t u a l l y d e v i s e d a n a p p l i -
c a b l e m e d i c a l p l a n w i t h i n two weeks of h i s a r r i v a l on board t h e
.
Ambri z 12 The p r e s s u r e of t i n e , however, e n t a i l e d some r m d i f i -
c a t i o n o f t h i s p l a n 2nd i n t h e end p r o p e r h o s p i t a l s were con-
s t r u c t e d o n l y a t C a p C o e s t , Iktnsu, Akrofu and P r a s u . A t a l l of
t h e o t h e r staging-ca:.lps tile procedure f o l l o w e d was sir,iply t o i m -
prove t h e b e s t of t h e b a r r a c k s and s e t t h e x a p a r t f o r t h e s i c k
and wounded a f t e r t h e t r o o p s had marched through. In anticipa-

t i o n o f a heavy dei;iand, t h e p l a n a l s o p r o v i d e d f o r f u r t h e r ac-

conurmdation of c a s u a l t i e s a b o a r d c z r t a i n s h i p s . H.bI.3. Victor
Emxinuel was s e n t o u t from ~ n g l a n df i t t e d t o s e r v i c e 240 pa-
tients. H.I.T.S. Himalaya and W.PI.S. Tamar, l y i n g i n t h e r o a d s ,
C o u l d accommo&qte 100 e a c h ; b e s i d e s which, t h e o t h e r t r a n s p o r t s

could--in c a s e of need--take c o n v a l e s c e n t s , and p r o v i d e p r o p e r l y

13
f o r rnon n o t r e q u i r i n g a c t i v e m e d i c a l t r e a t m e n t .
ed a t hi& p r e s s u r e , was c o n s i d e r e d c a p a b l e o f moving 1 , 4 2 5 c a s -
u a l t i e s a montli and h i s nicnzoranduri? on t h i s m a t t e r i s a c o n c i s e
and r e a l i s t i c d i r e c t i v e which p r o v i d e d f o r t h e most e f f i c i e n t u s e
of p o r t e r s arid l i t t e r s . Of h i s work i n t h i s f i e l d , B r a c k e n b u r y
writes:
Only a b r a i n s p e c i a l l y g i f t e d
w i t h o r g a n i z i n g power, and o f remark-
a b l y c l e a r j u d p ? n t , could have arrang-
ed w i t h such s i n g u l a r e f f e c t i v e n e s s f o r
t h e p r o b a b l e c o n t i n g e n c i e s o f a campaign
i n t h i s c l i m a t e . A l l D r . HonleVs c a l c u -
l a t i o n s were s u b s e q u e n t l y f o u n d t o be
most w o n d e r f u l l y c o r r e c t ; and h i s s u c -
c e s s o r s found organized and r e a d y t o
t h e i r hand a c o n p l e t e systeina14
The r o a d , i n - t r a n s i t t r o o p accoin:nodation and t h e m e d i c a l
arlqilnpmcnts x e r c t h e r e f orc r a t h e r r a p i d l y prepared. Unfortunately

a n a j o r p r o b l e m p r i o l * t o t h e i n v a s i o n b u t which a l s o became a
c h r o r i c d i f f i c u l t y t h r o u g h o u t t h e campaign. T h i s was p a r t l y be-
c a u s e S i r G a r n e t d i d n o t h i n g t o r e l i e v e t h e problem u n t i l it had

the C0rnplnini;s of t h e A f r i c a n s s o t h a t t h e o n l y e f f e c t i v e s y s t e m
 E v e n t u a l l y , however, t h e B r i t i s h were f o r c e d t o acknowl-
edge t h z t h u m n p o r t e r a g e was t h e o n l y answer t o t h e t r a n s p o r t
problem. T h i s n e a n t t h a t t h e c o r p s of sone 650 c a r r i e r s found
on t h o C o a s t wile^ S i r G a r n e t a r r i v e d , 1 7 would have t o be i n -
c r e a s e d t o more t h a n t e n t i a e s t h a t nuinber b e f o r e t h e d r i v e on
Kumasi c o t ~ l dbe I.aunched.. However, by t h e l g t h o f fi?ovember, t h e
t o t a l t r a n s p o r t c o r p s was r e p o r t e d to' be a t a s t r e n g t h of o n l y
1,323.18 I n a n attempt t o s w e l l t h e s e nunibers, s e v e r a l r i i s s i o n s
were s e n t t o v a r i o u s k i n g s and c h i e f s i n t h e hope t h a t t h e n m b e r

be lef% f o r t h e p r e s e n t , relriaining a v a i l a b l e t o be t a k e n and en-

plojred a s c a r r - i e r s a t sone s u b s e q u e n t d a t e . U n f o r t ~ ~ n a t e l yt ,h e s e
~ ~ S i r Garnet% f a i l -
m i s s i o n s were o n l y p a r t i a l l y s ~ c c e s s f u l ,and

made i t n e c e s s j r y n o t o n l y t o d i s a r m some of t h e A f r i c a n a l l i e s
 l i t t l e time f o r organizing, paying, counting, and c a r i n g f o r car-
r i e r gangs. S i r G a r n e t r e a l i z e d t h a t o r g a n i z a t i o n was one of t h e
p r o b l e m s b u t t h e s i t u a t i o n was s o o u t o f hand. t h a t he was a l m o s t
d e s p a i r i n g of f i n d i n g a s o l u t i o n when a s e n i o r o f f i c e r i d e a l l y
s u i t e d t o h a n d l i n g t h e s i t u a t i o n a r r i v e d a b o a r d t h e S a m a r i t a n on
t h e 1 8 t h of December. L i e u t e n a n t C o l o n e l George C o l l e y was w e l l
known t o t h e G e n e r a l who s a i d of him,.
. .
He w a s - - a l l round--one o f t h e
v e r y a b l e s t r!len I e v e r knew. P e r f e c t
as a man o f b u s i n e s s , I n e v e r s e r v e d
w i t h a n y one who c o u l d s o a b s o l u t e l y
e v o l v e o r d e r from c o n f u s i o n o r
s t r a i g h t , e n o u t t h e most t a n g l e d web
o f d i r ' c u l t i e s s o e f f e c t u a l l y as h e
cocld. 43
No t i m e was l o s t i n a p p o i n t i n g t h i s new a r r i v a l as D i r e c -
t o r o f T r a n s p o r t a n d a s s i g n i n g him t o t h e cormnand and o r g a n i z a t i o n
of t h e t r a n s p o r t s e r v i c e . The move was a good one f o r n o t o c l y
had C o l o n e l ~ o l l e yf o r so.:~ec o ~ s i d c r a b l et i m e d e v o t e d h i s a t t e n -
t i o n t o q u e s t , i o n s of army o r g a n i z a t i o n , i n c l u d i n g t h e v i t a l ques-
t i o n s o f t r a n s p o r t a n d s u y p l y , * 3 b u t he a l s o b r o u g h t t o t h e j o b
an abundance of e n e r g y and a g r e a t c a p a c i t y f o r h a r d work.

The neti D i r e c t o r of T r a n s p o r t l e f t f o r I.lansu or, t h e 1 9 t h

Of December ap,d ~ j i t h i na weel, he had s u b a i t t e d t o t h e Deputy-

C o n t r o l l - o r a inemorar.dw,l u h i c h p r o v i d e d f o r t h e s y s t e m a t i z a t i o n o f
th% t r a n s p o r t . T h i s memorandum, a n a d a p t i o n of normal army t r a n s -
p o r t o r C a n i z a t i o q , was a c c e p t e d a n d i t s reco;:::aendations imrwdia-
t;ely implemer t e d . 24 ~ h fc a c t remained, however, t h a t t h e systern
would work o n l y if s u f f i c i e n t manpower was a v a i l a b l e 2nd l~ianpower
was s t i l l i n s h o r t s u p p l y . The t o t a l number o f c a r r i e r s r e q u i r e d
by t h e f o r c e f o r t i l e march n o r t h w a r d s iron: t h e P r a , without, p r o -
v i s i o n s , b u t c a r r y i n g r e g i m e n t a l r e s e r v e o f f i f t y r o u n d s o f am-
m u n i t i o n p e r mar,, amount,ed t o more t h a n 3,500 a e ~25
. In addition
t o t h e s e 3,5CO men, t h e r e would a l s o be a r e q u i r e m e n t f o r 5 , 0 0 0
s t a t i o n . c a r r i e r s who w e r e n e e d e d t o c a r r y up s u p p l i e s of f o o d a n d
ammunition, a n d t o c a r r y back t h e s i c k and womded. 26 1t was ap- '

p r e c i a t e d t h a t if arly p o r t i o n of t h i s t r a ~ s p o r ts h o ~ l df a i l t h e r e
would b e b u t ope way t o meet t h e d i f f i c u l t y ; t o r e d u c e t h e m n o e u -
w i n g forcc.
 a f t e r h i s a r r i v a l a t Cape C o a s t and had heen v i r t u a l l y s i n g l e -
h a n d e d l y o r g a n i z i n g h i s V o l t 3 e x p e d i t i o n e v e r s i n c e l a t e Sep-
teriiber. It h a d b e e n h i s i n t e n t i o n t o u s e t h e - Hausa Armed T o l i c e
w h i c h h c had tnlcen froi,l Cape Coast C a s t l e a s t h e n u c l e u s o f a
f o r c e o f aimed A-fricczns drawn f r o m t h e v a r i o u s t r i b e s f o u ~ di n
t h e souther-n trans-Volts r e g i o n . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , he f o u n d it nluch
more d i f f i c u l t t o execui;e h i s p l a n s t h a n t o e v o l v e thein f o r h e
Et7countered one d i f f i c u l - t y a f t e r another.*' A s a result, although

he h a d p r o m i s e d Six* G a l n e t on t h e l l + t h of December t h a t h e would

b e e s t a b l i s h e d on tile b a n k s of t h e P r a by t h e 1 5 t h of J a n u a r y
Wit;!) a f o r c e of a t l e a s t 1 6 , 0 0 0 m n and p o s s i b l y a s rnnny as
30,000,*9 h e was f o r c e d t o w r i t e t h e G e n e r a l on t h e 22nd o f De-

T h i s message c a u s e d c o ~ s i d e r a b l ec o n s t e r n a t i o n a t Cape
C o a s t f o r it had been G l o v e r ' s o p t i m i s t i c f o r e c a s t of t h e 6 t h
which had been l a r i ; e l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r S i r G a r n e t h a v i n g c h o s e n
t h e 1 5 t h of J a n u a r y as invasion date. The G e n e r a l r e a l i z e d
t h a t because of h i s slowness i n c o r n p l e t h g h i s p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r
i n v a s i o n , a n y f u r t h e r d e l a y on h i s p a r t would n e c e s s i t a t e t h e
abandonmsnt of t h e p r o j e c t e d i n v a s i o n a l t o g e t h e r f o r t h e r a i n s
W o ~ l r !set; i n b e f o r e it collld p o s s i b l y be c a r r i e d o u t . Additional

Orders were t h e r e f o r e s e n t t o C a p t a i n Glover r'equil-ing him t o

advance imolediatel;. t o t h e I ) r a w i t h h i s Hausas a n d any o t h e r d i s -
c i p l i n e d t r o o p s he h a d , and t o be on t h e b a n k s of t h e r i v e r b y
t h e 1 5 t h of J a n u a r y w h e t h e r t h e a l l i e s c o u l d b e i n d u c e d t o f o l l o x
him o r n o t . I n a d d i t i o n , he was n o t t o a l l o w - a n y of h i s men t o
c r o s s t h e Oda Rj-ver t o t h e w e s t of J a b i n or advance t o w a r d s
Kwnasi. 31

To t h e c h a g r i n of a l l c o n c e r n e d , t h e two r e m a i n i n g o f f i -
c e r s g a z e t t e d t o r a i s e a u x i l i a r y collxmns were even l e s s s u c c c s s -
f u l t h a n Captain Glover, C a p t a i n B u t l e r , who had l e f t Cape C o a s t

f o r Akiia c o u n t r y on t h e 3 r d of November, had been c h a r g e d ~ i i t ha

double mission. IIe was . t o r a i s e A f r i c a n l e v i e s a s q u i c k l y as pcs-

t h e ~ P r o t e c t o m t e fa n d f o r p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n t h e i n v a s i o n o f A s a n t e
t e r r i t o r y . 32

Ile f a i l e d i n h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n p a r t l y b e c a u s e o f C a p t a i n
G l o v e r ' s r e c k l e s s g i v i n g of p r e s e n t ~ 3 3which made t h e A k i m re-
l t l c t a n t t o j o i n B u t l e r and f o r e g o t h e more l u c r a t i v e r € % I ~ n e r a t , i o ~
in G l o v c r t s camp, a n d p a r t l y b e c a u s e o f what a p p e a r s t o h a v e beer.
a g e n e r a l l a c k of f i g h t i n g s p i r i t on t h e p a r t of t h e Akifils, who
had bee? untotlched by t h e i n v a s i o n and h a d , t h e r e f o r e , no r e a s o n
P a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e B r i t i s h venture. I n t h e end a n a l y s i s , o n l y

B u t l e r h i m s e l f , w i t h a b o u t f i f t e e n men, r e a c h e d P r a s u b y
o f Yankuqlasi A s s i n o;? t h e 1 0 t h o f December and found that t h e
had a l r e a d y c r o s s e d t h e r i v e r . 34 U n d e t e r r e d by t h e f a c t

t h a t wl~athe a s t h e a p a t h y and g r e e d of t h e Akin c h i e f s

had t h u s brought a b o u t t h e u t t e r f a i l u r e o f h i s f i r s t o b j e c t i v e ,
C a p t a i n B u t l e r r e t u r n e d t o t h e Akim t e r r i t o r y and t u r n e d h i s a t -
t e n t i o n t o h i s second t a s k , t h e c o l l e c t i o n of-men f o r t h e i n v a -
s i o n o f Asante.

The s i t u a t i o n i n t h e w e s t , where C a p t a i n D a l r y n p l e had

gone a t a b o u t t h e same t i m e t h a t C a p t a i n B u t l e r had d e p a r t e d f o r
A c c r a , was even more d i s c o u r a g i n g . C a p t a i n Dalrymple had e x e r t e d
e v e r y e f f o r t t o r a i s e h i s f o r c e o f Wassawas, Denkyeras, Eguafos
and Kornendas b u t he s u f f e r e d much t h e same problems a s Captain
Butler. When he had f i r s t s e t o u t f o r h i s r e c r u i t i n g a r e a , he
had e x p e c t e d t o f i n d f u l l y 1 , 0 0 0 a l l i e s a l r e a d y g a t h e r e d under
S e r g e a n t Hughes of t h e Cape Coast V o l u n t e e r s , b u t found none a t
W e n s o , he k e p t a t h i s t a s k i n t h e hope t h a t a t l e a s t
some men c o u l d be persuaded t o s e r v e .

D e s p i t e t h e a p p a r e n t f a i l u r e o f a t l e a s t two o f t h e aux-
i l i a r y c o l u n n s , S i r Garnet was d e t e r m i n e d t o move t h e main body
a c r o s s t h e P r a on t h e 1 5 t h o f J a n u a r y . By C h r i s t n a s of 1873 most
of t h e l o g i s t i c p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r t h e movcmmt o f t h e main body
had beer? completed a ~ on
d t h e 2 7 t h o f December t h e t r o o p s began
t o c o n c e n t r a t e a t P ~ a s u . The G e n e r a l and h i s s t a f f d e p a r t e d from
Cape Coast on t h e morning o f t h e 2 7 t h and j o i n e d t h e g a r r i s o n a l -
ready a t Yrasu 03 t h e 2nd of J a n u a r y . 36 The F a v a l Brigade a ~ d
1:;IR disenibarked or? t h e 2 7 t h . The f o r m r moved o f f t o P r a s u and
t h e l a t t e r , i n a s e r i o u s i n s t a n c e o f m i s u s e , was d e s p a t c h e d t o
v a r i o u s g z r r i s o n d u t i g s a l o n g t h e n n i n r o a d . 37 The European
b r i g a d e began t o disembark on t h e 1st o f J a n u a r y . 38 Both t h e
R i f l e C r i g a d e and t h e B?ack Watch l a n d e d and began moving ~13-

c o u n t r y w i t h o u t i n c i d e n t b u t on t h e 3 r d , b e f o r e t h e f u l l c o a y l e -
rmnt o f F u s i l i e r s could be l a R d e d , t h e t r a n s p o r t systein begax t o
f a l t e r . 39

B r i g a d i e r - G w e r a l S i r A r c h i b a l d A l i s o n , who y:as i n d i r e c t
conlinand of t h e European b r i g a d e , i m n e d i a t e l y suspended t h e dis-
e m b a r k a t i o n of t h e second h a l f - b a t t a l i o n of t h e F u s i l i e r s a d t h e
Royal A r t j l l e r y and t e l e g r a p h e d t o Colonel C o l l e y t h a t he would
h o l d u p any f u r t h e r u n l o a d i n g u n t i l t h e m t t e r was r e s o l v e d , 40
On r e c e i p t o f t h e s e r e p o r t s a t F r a s u , S i r Garnet confiriaed t h e
B r i g a d i e r ' s o r d e r s t o h a l t t h e d i ~ e i ~ l b a r i c a t i oand
n he f u r t h e r o r -
d e r e d t h a t t h e t r o o p s i n t r a n s i t be h a l t e d i n t h e i r s t a g i n g - c m p .
He t h e n mads a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r t h e t e m p o r a r y ei~iployment of t h e ner.
o f l Y I R 2nd 2!IIH a s w e l l a s Vood's Regiment as c a r r i e r s , b l b u t
t h e problem was a c u t e a n d some more permanent s o l u t i o n had t o be
found.

Even b e f o r e D r i g a d i e r A l i s o n ' s r e p o r t , C o l o n e l C o l l e y h a i
inforitled S i r Garr.et t h a t c a r r i e r d e s e r t i o n s had becone g e r e r a l at.
a l l s t a t i o n s a l o n g t h e r o a d and t h a t u ? ~ l e s st h e t r c ~ dc o u l d be
s t o p p e d , t h e marc11 t o Kuiilasi c o u l d n e v e r be u n d e r t a k e n . He a l s o
s t a t e d t h a t under a n y c i r c u i x s t a n c e s , s o l a r g e a f o r c e o f Xuropea?s
as o r i g i n a l l y c o n t e ~ . ~ p l a t ewould
d ha\r; t o b ~ akandoced because sk~f-
f i c i e n t t r a n s p c r i ; was s i q l y n o t a v a i l a b l e . Brackenbury coni..ent,s :
 E v e r y mouth t o b e f e d must now
b e c o n s i d e r e d ; and n o t one s i n g l e
Eurogean w i t h whorfl i t was p o s s i b l e t o
d i s p e n s e , c o u l d u n d e r t h e s e circum-
s t a n c e s be b r o u g h t up t o t h e f r o n t .
A l r e a d y a t t h i s d a t e i t was p e r f e c t l y
e v i d e n t t h a t t h e amount o f s u p p l i e s
which t h e D e p u t y - C o n t r o l . l e r had u n d e r -
t a k e n t o have a t P r a s u by t h e 1 5 t h o f
J a n u a r y , c o u l d n o t be t h e r e ; and it be-
came a m a t t e r f o r s e r i o u s c o n s i d . e r a t i o n ,
w i t h e r , if t h e f o r c e o r i g i n a l l y p r o -
p o s e d were t o b e b r o u g h t ' up t o t h e P r a h ,
t h e s t o c k o f s u p p l i e s t h e r e would n o t
d i m i n i s h d a y by day r a t h e r t h a n i n -
c r e a s e . 42
It was a d i f i i c u l t s i t u a t i o n b u t S i r G a r n e t made t h e o n l y
d e c i s i o n p o s s i b l e under t h e circumstances. He a t once o r d e r e d
t11e f i r s t h a l f - b a t t a l i o n o f F u s i l i e r s t o re-e::~bark on b o a r d t h e
ships. The G e n e r a l was r.iost unhappy a t t h e r e s u l t a n t l o s s o f t h e
d e t a c h m e n t o f Royal A r t i l l e r y and o f t h e i n f a n t r y b a t t a l i o n 4 3 b u t
a t l e a s t t h e p r e s e n c e o f R a i t f s h i g h l y p r o f i c i e n t Hausn a r t i l l e r y 4 4
o f f s e t t h e l o s s of t h e B r i t i s h gunners. !?ith t h e t r o o p s a l r e a d y
a s h o r e s t i 11 s t o p p e d i n t h e i r s t a g i n g camps, t l ~ ei ~ m e d i a t ederaand
f o r c a r r i e r s was made l e s s a c u t e a n d S i r G a r n e t t h e n c c j n f e r r e d
w i t h C o l o n e l C o l l e y a s t o a Illore permanent s o l u t i o n t o t h e o v e r -
a l l problem.

The l o n g o v e r d u e s o l u t i o n which t h e y a r r i v e d a t c a l l e d f o r
an irtiprovenont i n t h e f o o d b e i n g p r o v i d e d f o r t h e c a r r i e r s , a n
i n c r e n s e i n t h e i r p a y , a n d more s t r i n g e n t a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e pun-
i s h m e n t s p r o v i d e d f o r d e s e r t i o n .'+5 The t h i r d i t e m was e s p e c i a l l y .
e f f e c t i v e a n d w i t h t h e a r r i v a l , d u r i n g t h e s e c o n d week o f J a n u a r y ,
of a l a r g e r e i n f ~ r c e r n e n to f o f f i c e r s s p e c i f i c a l l y g a z e t t e d b y
S i r G a r n e t f o r employment w i t h t h e l o c a l l y o r g a n i z e d t r a n s p o r t
s e r v i c e , t h e s i t u a t i o n began t o improve c o n s i d e r a b l y . By t h e
6 t h o f J a n u a r y , t h e t r o o p s were once more on t h e nove arid t h e
f l o w of s u p p l i e s was r a p i d l y b u i l d i n g up t o t h e p r o p e r volurrie. 46

I n t h e meantime, however, S i r G a r n e t had r e c e i v e d an

embassy from t h e Asantehene b e a r i r . ~K o f i K a r i k a r i ' s answer t o h i s .

ultirnaturn ~f t h e 2 1 s t o f b ? o v e r ~ ~ t e r .He had b a r e l y f i n i s h e d r e -

viewing t h e ~ a r r i s o nupon h i s a r r i v a l a t P r a s u when he was i n -
fornicd t h a t n i n e Asante m e s s e n g e r s were on t h e i r way t o t h e camp
w i t h two l e t t e r s . The c o n t e n t s of b o t h l e t t e r s l e d t h e B r i t i s h
t o b e l i e v e t h a t R o f i K a r i k a r i had no i d e a o f t h e t r u e s t a t e o f
affairs. Claridge sunmarizes t h e g e n e r a l opinion a t t h e time
when he w r i t e s :
It was t i e l l knovm t h a t no one
d a r e d t o t e l l t h e King a n y bad news,
and t h e t o n e o f t h e s e two l e t t e r s f u l -
l y b o r e o u t t h e supposition t h a t K o f i
K a r i k a r i had no i d e a o f t h e r e a l e x t e r . t
o f t h e r e v e r s e s t h a t h i s army had met
w i t h , and t h i s b e l i e f was a f t e r m r d s
c o n f i r m e d by t h e m i s s i o n a r i e s . A s a
m a t t e r o f f a c t , t h e King knew n o t h i n g
o f t h e d e f e a t o f his t r o o p s b e f o r e E l -
mina a n d a t Abrakrampa ar.d D u ~ k w a , b u t
had o n l y h e a r d o f a b r i l l i a n t v i c t o r y
t h a t had been ~ 7 i n e do v e r t h e 3 r i t i s h
atFesu, ...
t h a t t h i s wa.s t h e c a s e , S i r Garnet d e c i d e d
cornmur,i.cate once more with t h e Asantehene i n a f i n a l a t t e n p t t o
c l a r i f y t h e s i t u a t i o n and, if possible, t o avoid ap invasion.
H i s r e v i e w o f t h e Asante r e v e r s e s s o u t h of t h e P r a was b r u t a l l y
f r a n k and h i s promise of u l t i m a t e d e s t r u c t i o n s h o u l d t k e war be
c o n t i n u e d was e q u a l l y s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d . Then; d e s p i t e t h e ob-
v i o u s d a n g e r s involved, he i n f o r m d t h e Asantehene o f h i s p l a n
o f o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e hope t h a t K o f i K a r i k a r i w o ~ l dbe under no
rnisapprchension as t o t h e t h r e a t posed by t h e ~ r i t i s h . ~ *Me d i d
.
n o t , however, c l o s e t h e d o o r t o a n e g o t i a t e d peace. He o f f e r e d
peace on t h e p r i v i s o t h a t a l l of t h e European and A f r i c a n p r i s -
o n e r s be i : m e d i n t e l y r e l e a s e d ; t h a t an i n d e m n i t y o f 50,000 ounces
o f g o l d b e p a i d ; 4 9 avd t h a t a new t r e a t y o f peace be c o ~ . c l u 2 e d ,
i n Kumasi, a f t e r t h e d e l i v e r y of c e r t a i n l a t e r t o be s p e c i f i e d
h o s t a g e s f o r t h e s a f e t y o f t h e G e n e r a l a n d h i s e s c o r t . 50

Mot c o n t e n t w i t h t h e e x p e c t e d shock v a l u e o f t h i s l e t t e r ,
S i r G a r n e t a l s o proposed t o s l i o ~u~n ~ n i s t a k e a b l yt o t h e m e s s e n g e r s
e n t r u s t e d w i t h t h e d e l i v e r y o f h i s l e t t e r t h a t he was d e t e r n i n e d
t o compel colnplj ance w i t h h i s t e r m s . A c c o r d i ~ g l yt h e m e s s e l g e r s
were d e t a i n e d u n t i l more w h i t e t r o o p s s h o u l d r e a c h t h e P r a a r d be
pushed a c r o s s i t i n a show o f s t r e n g t h and u n t i l t h e b r i d g e a c r o s s
t h e r i v e r c o u l d be coiapleted.

The a r r i v a l o f Naval B r i g a d e a t P r a s u on t h e morning o f

t h e 3rd o f January provided t h e General with t h e ' c a s t c f o r h i s
show. As a f i r s t s t e p , t h e s a i l o r s a n d m a r i n e s were formed up

and t h e A s m t e envoys were marched p a s t then1 so t h a t t h a r e n i g h t

be no doubt i n t h e i r minds as t o t h e f a c t o f t h e European b u i l d -
up. Then, on t h e f s l l o x i n ~d a y , t h e G a t l i p & gun was d e m o n s t r a t e d
f o r them as a?, i n d i c a t i o n of t h e ovct-wheln~ing f o r c e of t-he B r i t i s h
f i r e p o w e r . 51 F i n a l l y , on t h e morning of t h e 6 t h , t r o o p s were
marched a c r o z s t h e newly c o n p l ~ t e db r i d g e a s y e t a n o t h e r example
o f B r i t i s h s t r e n g t h and d e f , e r m i n a t i o n . The envoys were t h e n p a s -
s e d t h r o u g l ~t h e s e a p p a r e n t l y i n v a d i n g f o r c e s 5 2 and s s n t on t h e i r
way t o Kunasi v i t h S i r G a r n e t ' s l a t e & l e t t e r . Although t h e r e
was some s l i m hope t h a t t h i s l a t e s t c o n - ~ u n i c a t i o nmight r e s u l t i n
a n e g o t i a t e d s e t t l e i n e n t , t h e G e n e r a l e n t e r t a i n e d l i t t l e hope f o r
such a r e s u l t and a s t h e t r a n s p o r t problem had a l r e a d y s e r i o u s l y
d i s r u p t e d h i s t i i n e t a b l e , h e c o n t i n u e d t o push f o r m r 6 x i t h h i s
invasion plan, ~f v i t a l i m p o r t a n c e t o which was t h e e s t a b l i s h -

ment of a s e c u r e b r i d g e h e a d on t h e n o r t h b a ~ ko f t h e P r a . The
s t a f f a n t i c i p a t e d enemy r e s i s t a n c e , i f n o t t o t h e passage of t h e
P r a i t s e l f , t h e n a t l e a s t t o t h e advance i m m d i a t e l y bey0r.d it.
I n f a c t , i t was f e l t t h a t t h e r o a d s would have t o be c u t aqd t h e
v a r l o t i s c a n p i n g g r o u n d s c l e a r e d e v e r y day under c o v e r of t h e
whole S u r o p e m f o r c e and t h a t t h e r a t e o f adval?ce ~ ! c u l d avzra;ge .

o n l y f o u r o r f i v e m i l e s a day.53 A b r i d g e h e a d was t h e r e f o r e nced-

e d i n o r d e r t o have a s e c u r e b a s e from which t o l a u n c h t h e as-

s a u l t and f r o n which t o s u p p l y s u p p o r t s u f f i c i 2 n t t o s u s t a i ? t h e
advance under t h e most g r u e l l i n g of c o n d i t i o n s .

The o r i g i n a l p l a n was t o c o ~ ~ ~ p l teht ee b r i d g e and f o r ~ nt h e

bridgelzcad u n d e r t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f W i t ' s guns ard t h e k f m t r y
o f t h e P!aval B r i g a d e arld i':ood' s and " n i s s e l l ' s Re$.r.ler,ts. There-
f o r e a s t h e t r a n s p o r t problem had made t i n e ever! more c r u c i a l *

t h a n had p r e v i o u s l y been t h e c a s e and a s t h e A s a n t e s were e x p e c t -

e d t o c o n t e s t t h e c r o s s i r g , t h e b r i d g e h e a d began e v a r w h i l e t h e
Asrtnte envoys were a t P r a s u .

Immediately upon h i s a r r i v a l a t P r a s u , S i r G a r n s t d e c i d e d
t o increase reconnaissance north o f t h e Pra. Accordingly, t h e
.
e x i s t i n g body o f s c o u t s was i n c r e a s e d i n n u u b e r s , 54 p u t under coin-
mand o f L i e u t e n a n t Lord G i f f o r d and s e n t a c r o s s t h e r i v e r on t h e
morning of t h e l+th of J a n u a r y . The s c o u t s e n c o u n t e r e d no r e s i s t -
a n c e a n d , on t h e morning of t h e 5 t h , R u s s e l 1 7 s Regiment was f e r -
r i e d a c r o s s , t h e b r i d g e n o t y e t b e i n g r e a d y , and marched a b o u t
eight; m i l e s r.orth o f t h e r i v e r t o t h e v i l l a g e o f k t o b i a s i , w h i l e
G i f f o r d l s s c o u t s advanced t o E s a m n . R u s s e l l 7s Regiment had
o r d e r s t o send on a co:.lpany p r o v i d e d w i t h e n t r e n c h i n g t o o l s t o
f o n n a d e f e n s i v e p o s t a t Esanar., w h i l e t h e re.;lainder of t h e r e g i -
ment was t o u s e t h e time r e m a i n i q g on t h e 5 t h t o c l e a r t h e ground
and e r e c t h u t s a t Atobiasi. On t h e 6 t h i t was t o cornmelce open-
ing t h e r o a d . The r e g i r n e q t a l c a r r i e r s r e t u r n e d t o T r a s u on t h e
6 t h i n o r d e r t o b e g i n c a r r y i n g s u p p l i e s from P r a s u t o k t o b i a s i .

T h i s move was a l s o c a r r i e d o u t w i t h o u t e n c o u n t e r i n g any

enemy r e s i s t a n c e and from t h e 7 t h o f J a n u a r y onward, p r e p a r a t i o n s
moved ahead s m o o t h l y and t h e p a t t e r n e s t a b l i s h e d s o u t h o f t h e P r a
was soon b e i n g s u c c e s s f u l l y r e p e a t e d . 5 5 By t h e 1 2 t i l of J a n u a r y ,
was c o r n ~ l e t e d ; t h e e n g i n e e r s ware working on
t h e P r a s u or.cai~~pr!lnnt
t h e improvement of t h e r o a d n o r t h o f t h e r i v e r ; G i f f o r d an3 h i s
s c o u t s were a b o u t 1 2 m i l e s up t h e t r a i l a t Xccrofumu; a d e q u a t e
d e f e n s i v e p o s t s had been e s t a b l i s h e d a t A t o b i a s i , Esaman, Ar?sah,

and t h e f o r d on t h e Funusu R i v e r ; t h e move:i~er,t o f r e s e r v e s o f

s u p p l i e s t o t h e s e p o s t s was well. undt3r way a n d t h e c o r , s t r u c t i o n
of a l a r g e c o n t r o l s t o r e had been s t a r t e d a t Esaaan. 56 1t was a t
t h i s p o i n t t h a t a second embassy a r r i v e d from t h e Asantehene.

The envoys who had c a r r i e d S i r G a r n e t t s l e t t e r o f t h e 2nd

t o Kufiasi had been g r e a t l y a l a r m e d by t h e growing European f o r c e

a t P r a s u as w e l l a s by t h e s i g h t of t h e Maval B r i g a d e on t h e r o a d
j u s t n o r t h o f t h e P r a , R w s e l l t s r a m a t A t o b i a s i , and G i f ' f o r d t s
s c o u t s a t Esama?. They w e r e t h e r c f o r s c o n v i n c e d t h a t a c r i s i s
was a t hand s u c h a s had n e v e r t h r e a t e n e d Asante b e f o r e mci t h e i r
comments a s w e l l a s t h e c o n t e q t s o f S i r G a r n e t ' s l e t t e r had a
profound e f f e c t on t h e Asantehene and h i s c o u n c i l . Indeed, v i r -
t u a l l y a l l of t h e C h i e f s who had been engaged i n t h e war f a v o u r e d
peace w h i l e o n l y t h o s e who had n e v e r l e f t Kumasi d u r i n g t h e con-
f l i c t now d a r e d t o c o u n s e l f u r t h e r r e s i s t a n c e . 57 I n f a c t , it i s
proposed t h a t t h e o n l y t h i n g p r e v e n t i ~ gt h e Asantehene from s u r -
r e n d e r i n g was one o f S i r G a r n e t t s demands. 5g

As t h e n a t t e r of t h e h o s t a c e s h a d n o t y e t become an i s s u e ,

i t i s s u & g e s t e d t;hat K o f i K a r i k a r i trou1.d p r o b a b l y h a v s c o n s e ~ t e d

t o s u r r e n d e r a l l o f t h e p r i s o n e r s , and might even have a g r e a d t o
pay t h e i n d a x n i t y . Hot:ever, t h e p r o p o s e d y r s s e n c e o f a B r i t i s h
 - 170 -
f o r c e i n Kumasi when t h e t r e a t y rras s i g n e d was ' ? t o o much f o r
A s h a n t i p r i d e t r . 59 It would have s i g n i f i e d t o t a l s u r r e n d e r a n d
would c e r t a i n l y ht2ve t h r e a t e n e d t h e empire w i t h t o t a l e x t i n c t i o n
as it would h a v e p r o v e d t o t h e t r i b u t a r y s t a t e s a c d t h e s u r r o u n d -
i n g t r i b e s t h a t t h e power o f Kunasi was i n d e e d on t h e wane. Such
a n a d n i s s i o n was o b v i o u s l y an i m p o s s i b i l i t y a ~ sdo n e n e a q s had
t h e r e f o r e t o be f o u n d t o g a i n t i m e s o . t h a t t h e d e f e a t e d and d i s -
banded A s a q t e army, which h a d b e a n a l l o w e d t o d i s p e r s e i r m e d i a t e -
ly a f t e r i t s a r r i v a l i n K u n ~ a s i ,c ~o u~l d be once more b r o u g h t t o -
gether. It. would a p p e a r l i k e l y , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t t h e k s m t e h e n e ,
r a t h e r t h a n a b s o l u t e l y r c f u s e t h e B r i t i s h t e r n s , atternpted t o
p r o l o n g t h e n e ~ o t i a t i o n sw i t h a view t o n o t o n l y g a i n i n g s o n e
d e l a y f o r t h e purpose of r a l l y i n g h i s f o r c e s , but a l s o i n t h e
h o p s k h a t sor.ie b e t t e r t e r i n s m i g h t b e o b t a i n e d whereby h e night;
g a i n p e a c e ~ i t h o u th a v i n g t o s a c r i f i c e h i s d i g n i t y and i m p e r i l
t h e i n t e g r i t y o f h i s empire.

For t h e s e reasons, t h e l e t t e r c a r r i e d bjr h i s e n v o y s ex-

p r e s s e d h i s d e s i r e f o r peace and asked t h a t a B r i t i s h o f f i c e r
m i g h t be a l . l o c e d t o r e t u r n w i t h t h e Asnnte p a r t y i n o r d e r t o h e a r
a l l t h a t t h e A s m t c h e n e and h i s C o i m c i l had t o s a y on t h e s u b j e c t .
In a d d i t i o r , P l a q g e a n d A m a n h a T i a v e r e blarned f o r a l l of t h e
m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s and t h e G e n e r a l was a s k e d t o h a l t h i s army and
t h u s a v o i d a n y p o s s i b i l i t y o f f i g h t i n g . 61 A s a s i g n o f h i s good
f a i t h and i n a n a s t u t e d i p l o m a t i c move K o f i K a r i l a r i a l s o r e l e a s -
ed t h e nissior?ar;., K u h ~ e , a n d b e g g i n g him t o i n t e r c e d e f o r hi.m
 w i t h S i r G a r n e t , s e n t him w i t h t h e envoys a s s u r i v g h i n t h a t , e v e r y -
t h i n g would be a r r a n g e d s a t i s f a c t o r i l y i f o n l y t h e European anbas-
s a d o r was s e n t . Ho:rever, t h e inforrriation s u p p l i e d by rlr. Kuhne
. was i n t e r p r e t e d by S i r Garnet a s a f u r t h e r i n d i c a t i o n t h a t t h e
Asantehene was o n l y t r y i n g t o g a i n t i m e . 62

T h e r e f o r e , i n acknowledging t h e r e c e i p t o f t h i s l e t t e r ,
S i r G q n c t e x p l a i n e d t h a t he c o u l d n o t c o n s e n t t o s e n d any of"'
~ 1 C t ? r

t o Kumasi s o l o n g as t h e Asantehene d e t a i n e d two o f t h e p r e v i o u s

G o v e r n o r ' s messcngei-s. lie. a l s o s t a t e d t h a t he would n o t h a l t h i s
army u n t ; i l t h e p r c l i n i i n a r y t e r n ~ sChat he had imposed had been
col:ipliec? w i t h . 63

A s a r e s u l t , Accrofumu was o c c u ~ i e don t h e 1 3 t h o f J z ~ u ~ Y ~

and t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a l a r g e c o n t r o l s t o r e was begun t h c r s .
O n t h e l l k t h , G i f f o r d ' s s c o u t s advanced t o Anwiawso, and i t was

frorn t h e r e t h a t t h e Asar.te envoys were d e s p a t c h e d x i t h S i r G a r n e t ' s

answer t o t h e X s a n t e h e n e l s second l e t t e r . On t h e 1 5 t h , t h e s c o u t s
pushed on t o ~ r o f o ~ e d r u .On t h e same d a y , new o r d e r s were i s s u e d
t o Flajo:. T t u s s e l l , who had been c o ~ x a n d i n gt h e Advance Guard and
s u p e r v i s i n g t h e g a r r i s o n i n g o f t h e v a r i o u s new p o s t s , directing
him t o o b t a i n and h o l d , i f p o s s i b l e , p o s s e s s i o n o f t h e c r e s t o f
t h e Adansi h i l l s . G i f f o r d t s s c o u t s conducted a r e c o r n a i s s a n c e o f
t h e ncw p o s i t i o n on the 1 6 t h and r e p o r t e d b o t h t h e town of I.ionsi
and t h e c r e s t o f t h e h i l l s d e s e r t e d . R u s s e l l t h e r e f o r e occupied
and f o r t , i f i e d t h e c r e s t o f t h e : I o r s i h i l l on t h e 1 7 t h o f J a n u a r y .
N a j o r Horns, w i t h 36 s a p p e r s , a r r i v e d a t LIonsi on t h e sa:ne day
and corrunenced forming a n e n t r e n c h e d p o s t t h e r e . 64

The n e x t d a y , G i f f o r d t s s c o u t s made t h e f i r s t move i n t o

Asante p r o p e r 6 5 by a d v m c i n g t o Quisah 1;rilic'n t h e y found o c c u p i e d
by a s m a l l p a r t y o f A s a n t e s c o u t s . K O f i g h t i n g t o o k p l a c e , hoti-

.
e v e r , and R u s s e l l moved down and occupied t h e town on t h e 1 9 t h
of January. S i r G a r ~ c thad o r d e r e d t h a t no advance iras t o t a k e .

p l a c e b e y o ~ dt h e c r e s t o f t h e Xonsi h i l l a s he d i d n o t wish t o
show a n y f o r c e beyond t h a t p o i n t u n t i l he s h o u l d m x c h o v e r w i t h
h i s white troops. However, t h e o r d e r s d i d n o t r e a c h iyajor Rus-
se1.l i n t i m e f o r him t o a c t on them and once he was i~ p o s s e s s i o n
o f t h e town h e d i d n o t abandon it. 66

The e n t i r e B r i t i s h o p e r a t i o n was s e t t l i ~ gdown and g a i n -

ing moclentum u i t h t h e p a s s a g e of e a c h day. By t h e 1 9 t h a good
r o a d had been c u t t o t h e v e r y c r e s t o f t h e Konsi h i l l and t h e
e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f staging-camps was p r o c e e d i n g e x t r e m e l y w e l l .
?!ot; o n l y was t h c Monsi Hill p o s i t i o n i i z l l f o r t i f i e d b u t c l e a r i n g s
s u f f i c i e n t f o r t h e encampaent of two b a t t a l i o n s t o g e t h e r w i t h
f o r t i f i e d p o s t s f o r s i x t y men and l a r g e c o n t r o l s t o r e s had been
completed a t b o t h Esa~xar,and Accrof~unuand were w e l l on t h e way
t o co~:pletiona t i h n s i . I n a d d i t i o n , i t ms d e c i d e d t h a t t h e
Advanced-Guard, which now c o n s i s t e d o f 3 a i t t s A r t i l l e r y , Vood's
and Russellts Regiments and tile h e a d q u a r t e r s of 2!i1R, 67 could be
more p r o f i t a b l y used i f i t were o r g a n i z e d a s a s e p a r a t e coi?xand
u n d e r C o l o n e l i4cLeod of t h e Black Xatch. Even n o r e important,,
however, was C o l o n e l C o l l e y t s ;*eport o f t h e 1 9 t h t o t h e e f f e c t
t h a t t h e t r a n s p o r t d i f f i c u l t y h a d , from t h e B r i t i s h p o i n t o f viet:,
been s a t i s f a c t o r i l y overcome. 68 I n f a c t , m a t t e r s had p r o r r e a s e d
s o w e l l t h a t t h e European t r o o p s began t o c r o s s t h e P r a on t h e
morning o f t h e 2 0 t h o f J a n u a r y .

e t h i s d a t e was a
The d e p a r t u r e o f t h e ~ u r o ~ e a n ' E r i g a d on
g r e a t r e l i e f t o S i r Garnet who had been s e r i o u s l y d i s t u r b e d by
t h e f a c t t h a t t h e c a r r i e r p r o b l e r ; ~had f o r c e d him t o abandon his
p l a n s t o c o n c e n t r a t e h i s t r o o p s a t P r a s u by t h e 1 3 t h 2nd t c c r o s s
t h e r i v e r o r t h e 1 5 t h . 67 A s m a t t e r s h r ~ dd e v e l o p e d , however, t h e
s l o w e r r a t e of c c n c e n t r a t i o n a ~ tdh e d e l a y e d d e p a r t u r e d a t e weye
o f l i t t l e consequcr.ce. The l a c k of any Asante r e s i s t a n c e t o t h e
Inovernents o f t h e Advanced-Cunrd had chanced t h e e n t i r e p i c t u r e
and t h e e x p e c t e d f i g h t i n g advance a t t h e r a t e of f o u r o r f i v e
m i l e s p e r day r e v e r m a t e r i a l . i z e d . Indeed, r a t h e r than having t o
f i g h t f o r e v e r y f o o t o f g r o u n d , t h e European Urigade was voir
f a c e d w i t h a siriiyle f our-day a p p r o a c h march t o Quiszh. Bracken-
b u r y p u t a good f a c e on t h e s i t u a t i o n by i g n o r i n g t h e f a c t t h a t
S i r G a r n e t ' s n e g l i g e n c e w i t h r e g a r d t o c e r t a i n of' t h e p r e p a r a t i o r . ~
f o r t h e i n v a s i o n had been l a r g e l y t o blame f o r t h e d c l a y . Ye
wrote:
 . . r SO f a r from o u r r n o v e m z t s
h a v i n g beer. d e l a y e d , and t i x e h a v i n g
been l o s t , t i m was a c t u a l l y t;ai.ned
o v e r what had o r i g i r m l l y been a ~ t i c -
i p a t e d ; and i n a d d i t i o n , t h e Euro-
p a n t r o o p s would be a b l e t o m r c h
t o t h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e Adansi h i l l s
w i t h c o m f o r t , a ~ udn d e r 1:lost f a v o u r -
able sanitary conditions instead of
t h e d i s c o m f o r t s and u n d e r t h e un-
f a v o u r a b l e c o n d i t i o n s , w h i c h , i t had
been f e a r e d , t h e y would have t o meet. 70
S i r G a r n e t , t h e s t a f f and t h e F a v a l B r i g a d e i f e r e t h e
f i r s t t o l e a v e P r a s u w h i l e t h e r e ~ r i a i n i n g u n i t s follo:,:ec! a t set
intervals. The G e n e r a l was most; i r q r e s s e d w i t h what he saw a l o n g
t h e r o a d a n d h i s a r r i v a l a t 1';onsi on t h e 2 3 r d , a c c o ~ ~ l p a n i eads i t ,
was by t h e arrival. o f t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e a t blonsi, t h e rilovenlent
of t h e K a v a l B r i g a d e a n d R a i t f s A r t i l l e r y t o Q u i s a h , a x ? t h e a d -
v a n c e o f R u s s e l l f s Regiment and a d e t a c h m n t o f R o y a l E - g i - e e r s
t o Fornana, f i l l e d him w i t h a s t r m ~f e e l i n g o f opti:riism. 7 1 S e n s -
i n g t h a t t h i s was t h e t i n e t o p r e s s home h i s a d v a n t a g e , he t h e n
i s s u e d o r d e r s f o r a c o n t i n u a t i o n of t h e advance. Moxever, it was
p r e c i s e l y a t t h i s rnor:lent t h a t y e t a n o t h e r embasey a r r i v e d f r o m
t h e Asmtehcne.

I n t h e e a r l y a f t e r n o o n o f t h e 2 3 r d ) two envoys a r r i v e d i n
Fornana a c c o l u p m i c d by t h e r e s t o f t h s w h i t e c a p t i v e s and c a r r y i q g
y e t a r o t h e r l e t t e r f r o 1 3 t h e A s n ~ t c h e n e . The e n v o y s wcrc h e l d a t
Fonnna w h i l e t h e c a p t i v e s , X o n s i e u r 3onnnt; a n d i k . and LIrs. Ram-
s e y e r a ~ tdh e i r t ~ r oc h i l d r e n , b r o u g h t K o f i K a r i k a r i f s l a t t e r
con!rn\mic3ti0n~. R e p a t i n ; ; h i s p l e a t h n t t h e General h a l t h i s
a d v a n c e , he decl.ar.ed t h a t he would rmke Amnnhia T i a pa:y . t h e i n -
derilnity i f he was o 3 l y g i v e r ! tirne a n d t h n t he.woi;ld l i b e r a t e a l l
of t h e Fnnt,i p r i s o n e r s d i r e c t l y upon t h e cor,:pletion o f z e g o t i -
a t i o n s . 72

The G e n e r a l r e f u s e d t o s e e a n y a t t e m p t a t c o r c i l l i a " , o n
i n t h i s r e s p o n s e t o h i s d e a a n d s and once a g a i n t h ? c o x n e n t s cr"
t h e r e l e a s e d c a p t i v e s c o n f i r c l e d him i n h i s b e l i e f t h a t t h e kszt:te-
h e n e was o n l y atterfiptin?; t o bu.y tirne s o t h a t he c o u l d g a t h e r h i s
army.73 C o n s e q u e n t l y , i n h i s r c g l y , S i r G o r n e t r e f u s e d t o ciaire
a n y coqx*orni.se. Inst e n d he h a r d e n e d h i s de:nar,d s by i n s i s t i n s on
t h e i m m d i a t e l i b e r a t i o n o f t h e F a n t i p r i s o n e r s a n d by Cexanding
t h e paymerlt o f h a l f t h e indel~~nity--so::letllingwhich K o f i K c r i k a r i
had a l r e a d y s a i d r e q u i r e d t i m e - - m i l t h e d e l i v e r y o f c e r t a i n irc-
p o r t a n t h o s t a g e s a s p r e l i : . l i n n r i e s t o t h e c o n c l ~ s i o no f p e a c e . IIe
promised t o advance b u t slowly f o r t h e n e x t f e w days i n o r d e r
t h a t t h e Asantehene n i g h t have time t o coxply with t h e s e c o n d i t i o - s
a n d t o h a l t h i s a r n y d i r e c t l y K o f i K a r i l t a r i had done s o . Re would
t h e n a d v a n c e v i t h a n e s c o r t o f o n l y 5GO inen t o s i g n t h e t r e a t y i n
.
Kuma s i 711 On t h e s u r f a c e , i t a p n e a r o d t h a t S i r G a r n e t was g r a n t -
i n g a c o n s i d e r a b l e c o ~ c e s s i o nt o t h e As2?tehene by c a l l i n g a h a l t
t o t h e advance. The t r u t h o f t h e m a t t e r was, ho-mver, t h a t no
r e a l d e l a y \ [ a s e n t a i l e d b y t h e G e n e r a l ' s p r o m i s e f o r i t was a c t u -
a l l y n e c e z s a r y t o c a l l a h a l t a t t h a t p o i n t i n t h e ~:iarcl?i n o r d e r
 - 176 -
t o f o r m a s u p j ) l y d e p o t a t Fomana and c l o s e up t h e c o l u ~ r nb e f o r e
c o r t i n u i n g t h e a d v a n c e . 75

I n f a c t , , e v e n had t h e f o u r - d a y h a l t a t Fomana been a s e -

r i o u s c o n c e s s i o n t o t h e X s a ~ t e s , t h i s l a s t l e t t e r from S i r G a r n e t
h a d , t h r o u g h h i s l a c k o f knowledge, f i r m l y c l o s e d t h e d o o r on a n y
p o s s i b i l i t y o f a n e g o t i a t e d peace. Not o n l y had he c o n t i n u e d t o
i n s i s t ~ o nEumasi a s t h e s i t e f o r t h e s i g n i n g o f a peace t r e a t y
b u t he had a l s o demanded, and c o n t i n u e d t o d e n o r d , h o s t a c e s whom
i t was i m p o s s i b l e f o r Kofi K a r i k a r i t o s u r r e n d e r . The h o s t a g e s
s p e c i f i e d by S i r G a r n e t were P r i n c e Kensa, t h e H e i r - A p p a r e n t , t h e
Queen-Xother, E l u n K o b r i , and t h e h e i r s t o t h e s t o o l s o f J a b i n ,
b:mpon, Kokofu and Bekwai. These were t h e most i r q o r t a n t p e r s o n s
i n t h e e m p i r e a ~ had
d a p ; > a r e n t l y been choscn w i t h t h e i d e a o f i n -
p r e s s i n g t h e Asarltes w i t h t h e i r r e s i s t i b l e s t r e n g t h o f t h e E r i t -
ish. The f a c t o f t h e r . m t t e r was, however, t h a t i t was a b s o l u t e l y
o u t o f t h e q u e s t i c n t h a t t h e y c o u l d e v e r b e g i v m up a s 3 o s t a g e s .
U n i t e d t h e y were f a r :,lore p o w e r f u l t h a n Kof i g a r i k a r i h i n s e l f , 76
and even s h o u l d t h e A s a n t e h e n e be a b l e t o c o n v i n c e t h e x t h a t t h e y
s h o u l d v ~ l u r . t a r i l ybecome h o s t a g e s , n e i t h e r t h e Queen-!;other For
t h e I i e i r - A p p a r e n t co::ld e v e r have b3en s u r r e n d e r e d s o l o n g a s
A s a n t e r e m i n e d a kingdo;:i. It i s t h e r e f o r e c l e a r t h a t t h e h a l t
a t Fomana c o u l d a c c o n i p l i s h n o t h i n g t o x a r d t h e a c h i e v e m e ~ to f a
d i p l o m a t i c s o l . u t i o n t o t h e problem and t h a t u l t h a t e l y K u n a s i
would have t o be t a k e n by f o r c e .
 F o r t ; u n a t e l y f o r t h e B r i t i s h , it a p ~ l e a r e dt h a t t h e Ilain
Body had s u c c e s s f u l l y overcome i t s i n i t i a l problei-.s a ~ tdh a t w i t h
niatters ROW f i n a l l y going l a r g e l y according to'pla9, a f i g h t f o r
Kumasi, s h o u l d i t be n e c e s s a r y , would n o t b e t o o t r y i n g a t a s k .
Things were n o t going n e a r l y so w e l l w i t h t h e a u x i l i a r y c o l u m s .
I n t h e e n d , C a p t a i n Dalryln2le f a i l e d c o n p l e t e l y i n h i s a t t e n i 2 t s
t o r a i s e a f o r c e i n t h e West a n d he was f i n a l l y f o r c e d t o abandon
h i s m i s s i o n a n d r e j o i n t h e JIain Body a t Fociana a s i t r e t u r n e d
. f r o m Kumasi, 77 S i m i l a r l y , C a p t a i n Dirtier, who d i d a t l e a s t r.ianaze
t o r a i s e a s m a l l f o r c e o f Akims and l e a d the::] as f a r a s Akir?a,
l o s t a l l o f h i s men when t h e y s u d d e n l y m l t e d i n t o t k e b u s h and
d i s p e r s e d t o t h e i r homes. 78 He r e j o i n e d t h e r r t u r r i n g " k i n Body
a t Aj i r r u I n d e e d , o f t h e t h r e e a u x i l i a r y c o l u ~ n nc o r m a n d e r s ,
o n l y C & p t a i n G l o v e r e n j o y e d a n y r e a l measure o f s u c c e s s .

Captair! G l o v e r c r o s s e d t h e P r a on t h e 1 5 t h o f J a n u a r y
w i t h 7 5 0 Wausas, Yorubas a n d Donkos 2nd a c l v a ~ c e dt o Abogu, which
was r e a c h e d on tile 1 6 t h . A b r i e f a c t i o n was f o u g h t t h e r e o r t k t
day b u t t h e u s u a l o v e r expenditure of anmunition f o r c e d h i a t o
reriiain tl.lere u ~ t i tl l ~ e2bth s o t h a t f u r t h e r s u p p l i e s coulc: bc
b r o u g h t up. However, t h i s d e l a y al1o::ed t h e Chief of A s w t o
J o i n him 1 ~ 5 t h1 2 0 men a n d K o f i Xhinkora o f E a s t e r n A!:irn x i t l l 353
more. The r e i n f o r c e d c o l u m r e s u m d i t s n o r t h w a r d rr!ax8ch on t h e
.
2 7 t h o f J a c u a r y 79 S u b s e q u e n t l y i t made a s u b s t m t i a l c o r t r i b u -
t i o n t o t h e c a q a i g n i n a n i ~ c l i r e c t:Tanner f o r i t s v e r y p r e s e r ? c e
f o r c e d t h e King of J a b i n t o p r e p a r e t o oppose i t s advance by
refusin:: t o send h i s c o n t i n g e n t t o t h e s l o w l y r e a s s e n b l l n g k s a n t e
army. T h i s meant a l o s s o f socle 1 2 , 0 0 0 men t b t h e Asantehene and
t h u s c o n s i d e r a b l y l i g h t e ~ e dS i r G a r n e t ' s t a s k o f f0rcir.i; h i s tray
u p t h e m a i ~r o a d t o Kurmsj.. 80

A t f i r s t g l a n c e , t h i s evidenc? would t h u s cause one t o

p l a c e l i t t l e v a l u e on t h e e f f o r t s p u t f o r t h by C a p t s i r l s Dalrymple '

and B u t l e r , b u t such i s n o t t h e c a s e . S i r Garnet had informed

K o f i K a r i k a r i o f h i s p l a n t o u . t i l i z e t h e t h r e e a u x i l i a r y colurms
and even though C a p t a i n G l o v e r was t h e o n l y one o f t h e t h r e e com-
manders t o f i e l d a n e f r e c t i v e f o r c e , t h e v e r y p r e s e n c e of t h e
o t h e r two men a c t i v e l y t r y i n g t o r a i s e f o r c e s ir! t h e i r a l l o t t e d
a r e a s o f o p e r a t i o n s gave c r e d e n c e t o t h e G e n e r a l ' s words and l e n t
s o m legitinacy t o the threat. Thus t h e Asantehene l o s t men from
h i s t r i b u t a r y p r c w i n c e s whom he c o u l d ill a f f o r d t o l o s e when
c o n t i n g e n t s were d e n i e d t o h i s arrily i n o r d e r t o c c u n t e r t h e phan-
tom t h r e a t s from t h e Akiril and T;lassaw/~enkyerac o u n t r y . Commenting
on t h e s i t u a t i o n , Brackenbury w r i t e s :
... a l t h o u g h we were s c a r c e l y armre o f
i t , t h e rnoverlie?ts of t h e s e f o r c e s had be-
gun t o have t h e i r e f f e c t upon t h e move-
ments o f t h e c?emy, a n d t h e r e i s e v e r y
r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e t h a t by t h i s t i m e t h e
news o f C a p t a i n B u t l e r s rriovemnt s , as
well. a s of C a p t a i n G l o v e r ' s , had r e ~ c h e d
Coonlassie ar.d t h e o t h e r p e a t t o w s , a ~ d
t h a t t h e c h i e f of J a b i n was rnusterlng h i s
f o r c e s t o oppose C a p t a i n Glover on t h e
roads l e a d i n g t o h i s ciipital while t h e
c h i e f o f Kokofoo was a s s e n l b l i n g 11'IS men
 t o oppose t h e advance o f C a p t a i n Gut-
ler .Yor had C a p t a i n Da1ryuplet s
been w i t h o u t e f f e c t . ...
movements, u n i e p o r t a n t a s t h e y y e t w e r e ,
(for) the
King o f Recqua assembled h i s m e n - t
oppose t h e i n v a s i o n by t h a t r o u t e . 81
I n t h e meantime, w h i l e C a p t a i n G l o v e r was m o u ~ t i n ga
r e a s o ~ a b l eo f f e n s i v e and w h i l e C a p t a i n s I 3 u t l e r a n d Dalrymple were
s t i l l s t r u g g l i n g t!rough t h e bush i n 9 v a i n a t t e m p t t o r a i s e t h e i r
columns, S i r Garnet h i m s e l f had beer, completing h i s p r e p a r a L i o n s
f o r t h e r e s u m p t i o n of t h e advance on Kumasi. During t h e f c u r -
day hali;, t h e n e c e s s a r y r e s e r v e s u p p l y d e p o t had been e s t a b l i s h e d ,
t h e t r o o p s had c l o s e d up from t h e r e a r , and f u r t h e r recon:lais-
s a n c e had been c a r r i e d o u t . On t h e 2 6 t h o f J a n u a r y , a s t r c n g
r e c o n n a i s s a n c e p a r t y had maved on A t o b i a s i where a b r i e f a c t i o n
was fought; and where, as a r e s u l t o f t h i s s k i r l i l i s h , i t was as-
c e r t a i n e d t h a t t h e k s a n t e arr:iy would most p r o b a b l y rmke i t s s t a n d
a t Amoafu. 6 2 S i r Garnet t h e n w r o t e t o t h e Asanteheno on t h e 2 7 i h ,
inforr!iing him o f t h e A t o b i a s i e n c o u r t e r a n d g i v i n g h i a a l a s t
w a r n i n z , p c i n t i n g o u t once x o r e t h a t i t would be u s e l e s s f o r him
t o a t t e r c p t t o oppose t h e a d v a n c e o f t h e Curopean t r o o p s . 63 How-
ever, t h e G e n e r a l allowed h a r d l y enough t i m e f o r ar, a r s w e r t o
cone back frorri Kunasi.

A s no ayisver had been r e c e i v e d by t h e mornin;; o f t h e 2 9 t h

t h s mail-r body began t o !,love on t o i k c h l a s u . The n o w was unop-
posed and or? his a r r i v a l i n t h a t ; town, S i r G a - n e t f c u n d f u r t h e r
h t t e r s frorn t h e A s a ~ t e h c r l ewhich c c v t a i ~ e drene;ied a s s u r a r c e s of
h i s p e a c e f u l i n t e n t i o n s a ~ rde p e a t i n g h i s r e q u e s t s f o r d e l a y . He
o m i t t e d , however, t o c o n p l y w i t h a n y o f t h e demands t h a t h a d been
made upon hirn as p r e l i m i ~ a r i e st o f u r t h e r n e g o t i a t i o ~ s . He d i d
t h i s on t h e b a s i s t h a t t h e n e a r approack, o f t h e B r i t i s h f o r c e had
d r a w n . a l l h i s c h i e f s i n t o t h e f i e 1 . d a n d t h u s ha.d made i t i n p o s -
s i b l e f o r him t o convene h i s c o u ~ c i ~ .Nr.
. ~ Davrsor.,
~ the inter-
rnanaged t o warn t h e G e n e r a l * t h r o u g h t h e u s e o f a n o t e ,

n o t t o p u t t o o mxch f a i t h i n t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s p r o t e s t a t i o n s . 86
I n f a c t , t h i s warning seerls t o have been s u p e r f l u o u s f o r t h e
G e n e r a l had c o n s i s t e n t l y r e f u s e d t o e r t e r t a i n a n y s u g g e s t i o n t h a t

K o f i K a r i k a r i might be a t t e m p t i n g t o n e g o t i a t e i n good f a i t h . IIe

a p p e a r s t o h a v e i n t e r p r e t e d e v e r y Asante o v e r t u r e as a s i n p l e de-
v i c e t o buy t i u e w h i l e , i n t u r n , he s t e a d i l y i n c r e a s e d t h e p r e s -
s u r e on t h e A s a n t e h e n e s o t h a t a n y hope o f a compronise was de-
stroyed. Y i t h t h i s p a t t e r n a l r e a d y fj.rin1.y e s t a b l i s h e d , i t i s r o t

s u r p r i s i n g t h a t he r e s p o n d e d h a r s h l y t o t h i s most r e c e r t p e a c e
i n i t i a t i v e a n d resumed h i s a d v a n c e t h e f o l l o w i n g d a y , t h e 3 0 t h
of J a n u a r y . 87

By t h e 3 0 t h , t h e whole o f t h e European f o r c e , t o g e t h e r
w i t h R a i t ' s a r t i l l e r y a n d t h e A f r i c a n r e g i m e n t s , had Saen con-
c e n t r a t e d a t Insnfu and Akankuasi. 88 G i f f o r d t s s c o u t s had coc-
f i r m e d t h e presence o f a s t r c n y ; A s a n t e f o r c e n e a r Arnoafu, and it
was v i r t u a l l y c e r t a i n t h a t a b a t t l e would h a v e t o be f o u g h t t h e r e
 S i r ~ n r n c ta p p r e c i a t e d t h e v i r t u a l c e r t a i n t y t h a t t h e
e n e x y , who were p r c s s n t i n iminer,sely s u p r i o r n u ~ i b e r s ,would t r y
t o c a r r y o u t t h e i r u s u a l p l a n of inaking f l a n k a t t a c k s and s u r -
r o u n d i n g t h e arrny opposed t o them. A s t h e B r i t i s h f o r c e was f a r
t o o small t o p r e v e n t t h i s , it was d e c i d e d t o rLieet t h e t a c t i c
head-on by d i v i d i n g t h e B r i t i s h t r o o p s i ~ t of o u r columrs t o f o r n ~
a l a r g e, open s q u a r e . 89

The l e a d i n g c o l u ~ mwas t o advance a l o n g t h e & x i s o f t h e

road. The r i g h t and l e f t col.wnns were t o advance a t some d i s -
t a n c e f r o m , b u t p a r a l l e l t o t h e n a i n r o a d , k e e p i n g i n t o u c h wit:?
t h e c e n t e r colurm and c a t t i n g t h e i r own p a t h s t h r o u g h t h e bush.
The r e a r of t h e s q u a r e was c l o s e d by t h e R i f l e B r i s a d e . The t o t a l
f o r c e , including Engineer labourers, amomted t o 1,539 Suropeaas
a n d 708 A f r i c a n s . 90

The advance began s o o n a f t e r d a y b r e s k on t h e 31st o f Jsn-

u a r y and t h e s c o u t s f i r s t caiile i n t o u c h ~ l t thh e enemy j u s t o u t -
s i d e E j i n a s i a t a l i t t l e before eight o'clock. The s m l l p a r t y
of A s a n t e s 5;ho o c c u p i e d t h i s v i l l a g e f e l l back a f t e r o f f e r i n g
o n l y a t o k e n r e s i s t a n c e b u t when two c o n p a n i e s o f t h e Black t'citch
began t o advance a l o n g t h e p a t h beyond, t h e y c o l l i d e d w i t h t h e
main body o f t h e eneny and t h e b a t t l e began i n e a r n e s t .

The A s m t e co:mander, Asarnoa Kwar.ta, had chosen h i s p o s i -

tion skillfully. i l o g e r s , who was p r e s e n t and s e r v i n g on t h e Gen-
e r a l ' s s t a f f , corn-uerted t h a t :
 SKETCH
t o i!!ustrarc tbc

R,efcr e n c e s
?'fir
Q k 6 - r Z t ~ r i r pof bruh urt b y Str C. EWselzy'J artactir-y fmcrs .

b --
m a r o d a& hj l e f t a%!m5+, a g a i d ;?Jhmti ri*.
NlI storrrtcd b y - A ~RQg
s"'~ ~
flfcn7c.
 - Soon a f t e r l z a v i n g E j i n a s i t h e road
descended i n t o a swampy h o l l o w f i l l e d
w i t h deep rnud, t h r o u g h which flowed a
s l u g g i s h s t r e a m , and t h e n ascended a
r i d g e on t h e o p p o s i t e s i d e . Beyond
t h e s t r e a i n , t h i s r i d g e f e l l back on
t h e r i g h t s i d e o f t h e t r a c k ; b u t on
t h e s o u t h e r n s i d e i t swept round i n a
s e m i - c i r c l e and covered t h e p a t h de-
s c e n d i n g i n t o t h e r a v i n e on t h e l e f t ,
so. t h a t t h e A s h a n t e e s , who had chosen
t h i s r i d g e a s t h a i r main p o s i t i o n and
o c c u p i e d i t i n t h o u s a n d s , f l a n k e d and
completely commanded, n o t o n l y t h e
p a t h d e s c e n d i n g i n t o t h e swanp, b u t
a l s o i t s c o n t i n u a t i o n up t h e s l o p e
beyond. They c o u l d h a r d l y have found
a s t r o n g e r p l a c e .91
D e s p i t e t h e o b v i o u s s t r e n g t h of t h e enemy p o s i t i o n , t h e
f r o ~ t a al t t a c k was p r e s s e d hone. The Black Yatch desccr'ded i n t o
t h e r a v i n e and came under heavy f i r e a t a p p r o x i m t e l y e i g h t o f -
c l o c k and t h e s u b s e q u e n t b a t t l e f o r t h e main r m d r a g e d on u n t i l
midday whet? a f i n a l c h a r g e by t h e H i g h l a n d e r s , supported by R a i t f s
guns, d r o v e t h e A s a n t e s o u t o f t h e town o f Arnoafu. 92 k t t h e sane
t i m e t'mt t h e Black Watch was t h u s engaged i n t h e b a t t l e f o r t h e
town, b o t h of t h e f l a n k i n g columns had been engaged i n b r i s k f i r e -
f i g h t s of t h e i r own.

C o l o n e l McLeodfs men had c u t t h e i r way i n t o t h e bush on

t h e l e r t where t h e y were met w i t h a heavy f i r e f r o n a body o f lien
who o c c u p i e d t h e summit and s l o p e s o f a s m a l l h i l l . It was soon
found i n p o s s i b l e t o k e e p pace w i t h t h e Black ? l a t c h s o a p a t h was
c u t t o t h e surninit o f t h e h i l l where a c l e a r i n g was made, a ~ tdh e
enemy were tllen d r i v e n back by R u s s e l l f s Regiraent under c o v e r o f
rocket f i r e . J u s t a f t e r t h e v i l l a g e was t a k e n , t h i s colunm c u t
i t s way t o t h e niair: road behind t h e Clack 'I'latch. I n t h e same way,
C o l o n e l Woodts f o r c e was u n a b l e t o advance a g a i n s t t h e t e r r i f i c
f i r e t h a t was poured i n t o it as i t c u t i t s p a t h t o t h e n o r t h - e a s t ,
and h e , t o o , o r d e r e d h i s men t o make a c l e a r i n g i n which t h e y
c o u l d l i e dam and r e t u r n t h e enemy1 s f i r e . 93

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e s e v i c i o u s a c t i o n s , however, t h e r e were
o t h e r s m a l l e r engagements t a k i n g p l a c e . While t h e main body o f
t h e Asar.te army was opposing t h e advance o f t h e t h r e e B r i t i s h
columns, o t h e r d e t a c h m e n t s had been making f r e q u e n t , d e t e r m i n e d
a t t a c k s on t h e B r i t i s h f l a n k s and had even c u t t h e i r way i n t o t h e
r o a d between t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e and t h e f o r w a r d elernents of t h e
s q u a r e . 94 Even t h e f a l l o f Amoafu f a i l e d t o s t o p t h e s e h a r a s s -
ing attacks. For exa:itple, a t a b o u t one o ~ c l o c kheavy f i r i n g came
from t h e bush on t h e e a s t e r n s i d e o f E j i n a s i and from t h e bush
a l o n g t h e r o a d as f a r a s Amoafu, and though t h i s r o a d was l i n e d
by t r o o p s , who r e t u r n e d t h e f i r e , t h e enemy s t o o d t h e i r ground
u n t i l t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e f i n a l l y advanced and o c c u p i e d E j i n a s i
Hill. Because of t l ~ i s ,it was n o t u n t i l a l m o s t two O ' C ~ O C ! ~t h a t

t h e f i r i n g i n t h e Imxediate v i c i n i t y of Amoafu f i n a l l y s p u t t e r e d
o u t . 35

The E r i t i s h had f o u g h t doggedly and t h e i r f i r e p o w s r and

d i s c i p l i n e clecided t h e i s s u e b u t t h e A s a n t e s had perforiiied mag-
nificeqtly. FJithout even t h e a i d o f a r t i l l s r y , t h e y had managed
 - 185 -
t o s u b j e c t a well-armed and d i s c i p l i n e d B r i t i s h l i n e - r e g i m e n t t o
f o u r h o u r s of heavy f i g h t i ~ gb e f o r e g i v i n g ground. It i s t r u e
t h a t t h e y were g r e a t l y shaken by h a v i n g t h e i r c e n t r e f i n a l l y
broken a n d it i s a l s o t r u e t h a t t h e y c o u l d n o t w i t h s t a n d t h e
s t e a d y advance o f t-he H i g h l a n d e r s who k e p t them a l m o s t c o n t i n u -
o u s l y on t h e move and p r e v e n t e d t h e i r t a k i n g c o v e r ; b u t i n s p i t e
of t h i s , t h e y n o t o n l y d i s p u t e d e v e r y i n c h of ground i n f r o n t ,
b u t a l s o d e l i v e r e d a s u c c e s s i o n of d i s r u p t i v e a t t a c k s on t h e
f l a ~ k so f t h e s q u a r e and a l o n g t h e l i n e o f comxunication.

One need n o t l o o k f a r f o r t h e r e a s o n s b e h i n d t h i s d e s p e r -
a t e resistance. Henty comments t h a t :
They were t r u l y a t bay: n e v e r b e f o r e
had t h e y s o much a t s t a k e . Even a t
Dodowa t h e y had had a c l e a r l i n e o f
r e t r e a t and t h e i r ow^ cour,try had n o t
been t h r e a t e n e d ; b u t h e r e was a n army
of white s o l d i e r s not only i n t h e i r
c o u n t r y , b u t b o l d l y pushing f o r w a r d
i n s p i t e of t h e i r utmost e f f o r t s t o
s t a y them, and a l r e a d y a l ~ ~ o w s it t h i n
s t r i k i g d i s t a n c e of t h e c a p i t a l it-
s e l f .9'6
I n t h e l i g h t o f t h i s , i t i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g t h a t Asante
e f f o r t s t o h a l t t h e B r i t i s h advance d i d n o t c e a s e w i t h t h e f a l l
o f Arnoafu. Once t h e y r e a l i z e t h a t Arnoafu was f i r m l y i n B r i t i s h
h a n d s , t h e enemy t r o o p s i i m e d i a t e l y p a s s e d around t h e main body
of t h e B r i t i s h f o r c e and once ;.lore a t t a c k e d t h e l i n e of cormuni-
cations. A t a b o u t one 01 c l o c k heavy f i r i n g was a g a i n h e a r d i n
t h e d i r e c t i o n o f Kwama? where a n Asante a t t a c k was S e i ~ gmade
from t h e s o u t h - w e s t . The enenly p r e s s e d h a r d on t h e g a r r i s o n b u t
 a company o f t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e was s e n t t o t h e r e s c u e and t h e
A s a n t e s were d r i v e 3 back aqd t h e i r f i r e was s i l e n c e d bjr f o c r
o f clock. About a n h o u r l a t e r , however, t h e a t t a c k was renewed,
The A s a r t e s s t r u c k j u s t when t h z baggage, r e s e r v e amrnuqition
colurm and f i e l d h o s p i t a l s which had been l e f t i n Akankuasi a r d
I n s a f u d u r i n g t h e advance a g a i n s t Amoafu, were b e i n g movsd up
t h e r o a d i n a f i v e - m i l e s l o n g convoy under e s c o r t o f t r o o p s from
2XR. T h i s convoy had a r r i v e d some 1 , 0 0 0 y a r d s s h o r t o f Klqana.1
when t h i s s c c o n d a t t a c k on t h e v i l l . a g e began and t h e s o u t h e r n
d i v i s i o n of t h e enemy s u d d e n l y t u r n e d upon t h e h i g h l y v i l l n e r a b l e
carriers. 14any o f t h e c a r r i e r s b o l t e d down t h e r o a d , and m a t t e r s
had begun t o l o o k most s e r i . o u s when r e l n f o r c e n e n t s frcril tile R i f l e
B r i g a d e and 2'.!IR a r r i v e d from Kwaman. These a d d i t i o n a l t r o o p s
soon d r o v e t h e enerny i n t o t h e bush and e n a b l e d C o l o n e l C o l l e y t s
men t o r e c o v e r a g r e a t d e a l o f t h e baggage. Nevertheless, a
g r e a t many of t;he l o a d s f e l l i r . t o t h e hands of t h e enerny and t h e
. f i g h t i n g on t h e r o a d c o n t i n u e d w i t h o u t any i ~ t e r s i s s i o nu n t i l
night set in. Another m a l l convoy was a t t a c k e d on t h e sarne d a y
n e a r Dompoasi, and $80 o f G o v e r n ~ l l e ~money
t and a few l o a d s were
lost. However, by e a r l y t h e n e x t morning t h e r o a d from I n s a f u
t o Amoafu was l i n e d by t h e , t r o o p s , t h e baggage and a n w n i t i o n was
s a f e l y p a s s e d up, and t h e i m n e d i a t e Asante t h r e a t t o t h e Xair,
S u p p l y Route had been a t l e a s t t e m p o r a r i l y c o u n t e r e d . 97
 I n t h e mear.til:ie, however, r.lany o f t h e A s a n t e s had r e -
t r e a t e d t o Bekwai vi.l?ich was s i t u a t e d o f f t h e main r o a d a b o u t one
m i l e w e s t o f Amoafu. S i r Garnet f e l t t h a t t h i s posed t o o s e r i o u s
a t h r e a t t o t h e a d v a n c i n g army and he o r d e r e d i t s d e s t r u c t i o n
b e f o r e t h e advance was resurned. A c c o r d i n g l y , on t h e morning o f
t h e 1st o f F e b r u a r y , a f o r c e o f some 250 men a d v m c e d on Bekwai
where a s h o r t f i g h t ensued. The enexy was d r i v e n away, t h e t o m
was d e b t r o y e d and t h e f o r c e r e t u r n e d t o A n o a h on t h e same day
w i t h a l o s s of b u t one man k i l l e d and two wounded. 98

I n g e n e r a l , t h e two d a y s of f i g h t i n g had proven r e l a t i v e l y

expensive t o both s i d e s . The B r i t i s h had l o s t f i v e k i l l e d and 196
wounded w h i l e i t was e s t i m a t e d t h a t t h e A s a n t e s had l o s t between
900 and 1,300 k i l l e d and a t l e a s t a s many more wounded.99 Yeither
s i d e could c o n t i c u e t o s u s t a i n such l o s s e s f o r long. The B r i t i s h
were a l r e a d y s t e a d i l y l o s i n g men t o s i c k n e s s and t h e i r manpower
r e s o u r c e s were d e f i n i t e l y l i m i t e d . S i m i l a r l y , t h e withdrawal o f
v a r i o u s c o n t i n g e n t s t o c o u n t e r t h e t h r e a t posed by C a p t a i n
G l o v e r ' s f o r c e and t h e l o s s e s s u f f e r e d i n t h e p r i o r c a i ~ p a i g n ,
s e r i o u s l y r 2 s t r i c t c d t h e number of men a v a i l a b l e t o t h e Asante-
hene .
H i s c l w i n d l i ~ gs t r e r g t h , t h e r a p i d l y a p 2 r o a c h i n g r a i n y
s e a s o n , h i s a b s o l u t e r e f u s a l t o c o n s i d e r t h a t t h e Asantehene
Wanted t o n e g o t i a t e i n good f a i t h , and t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t t h e
A s a n t e c h i e f s would d i s c o v e r t h e s p u r i o u s n a t u r e of t h e t h r e a t
posed by C a p t a i n s D a l r y n p l e a n d 8 u t l e r and h a s t m t o r e i n f o r c e
t h e A s a n t e h e R e t s army, a l l combined t o convince S i r G a r n e t t h a t
he must c o n t i n u e t o push forward w i t h utmost v i g o u r . Therefore,
w i t h t h e t h r e a t posed by Bekwai removed, t h e advance was resun;ed
on t h e 2nd o f F e b r u a r y . A t daybreak t h e e n t i r e f o r c e ~ m r c h e do u t
o f Amoafu, and a l t h o u g h t h e Advanced Guard tias f i r e d on as e a c h
v i l l a g e was r e a c h e d , i t met w i t h no r e a l l y s e r i o u s o p p o s i t i o n and
r e a c h e d Ajimamu soon a f t e r midday. The I k i n Body a r r i v e d a l i t t l e
l a t e r , b u t it was d e c i d e d t o move t h e t r o o p s no f u r t h e r t h a t day.
I n t h e a f t e r n o o n , however, t h e Advanced Guard was s e n t on t o
A j a b i n , which was o c c u p i e d w i t h o u t a f i g h t . The baggage was t h e n
o r d e r e d up from Amoafu and t h e Maval B r i g a d e e s c o r t e d t h e r e a r o f
t h e f o r c e i n t o camp s h o r t l y a f t e r d a r k . 1 0 0

D e s p i t e t h i s u n c o n t e s t e d a d v a n c e of t h e Xain Body, t h e
A s a n t e s had n o t l e f t t h e f i e l d . They c o n t i n u e d t o h a r e s s t h e SUP-

p l y l i n e s and on t h e a f t e r n o o n of t h e 1st o f F e b r u a r y , a n o t h e r
convoy had been a t t a c k e d a t Donpoasi. Once rtiore tile c a r r i e r s
b o l t e d b u t t h i s t i n e , however, t h e r e was no l o s s o f l i f e 2r.d a l l
of t h e abandoned l o a d s were r e c o v e r e d . Then, on t h e 2nd, t h e
enemy encamped a t B o b o r a s i , under Asonoa Kwanta and Kobira C b i n a ,
made a d e t e r m i n e d a t t a c k on t h e i m p o r t a n t s u p p l y and m e d i c a l t r a n s -
P o r t c e n t e r a t Fomana. T h i s b a t t l e r a g e d back a ~ fdo r t h f o r sev-

e r a l h o u r s b u t , once more, t h e enemy was d r i v e n back and no s e r i -

o u s damage o r l o s s was s u f f e r e d . 1 0 1
 The i m p o r t a n c e of t h e s e r a i d s on t h e l i n e s of c o a a u n i -
c a t i o n l a y n o t i n t h e e x t e n t o f m t e r i a l damage o r l o s s . i n f l i c t e d .
T h e i r s i g n i f i c a n c e l a y i n t h e p s y c h o l o g i c s l e f f e c t t h e y had cn t h e
carriers. I n t h i s r e s p e c t t h e y had a s e r i o u s b e a r i n g on s u b s e -
q u e n t e v e n t s f o r t h e c o n t i n u i ~ gt h r e a t which t h e y posed t o t h e
supply l i n e demoralized t h e c a r r i e r s t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t t h e y
c o u l d n o t be p e r s u a d e d t o l e a v e f o r t h e f r o n t w i t h s t o r e s . FTei-
t h e r c o u l d t h e r e g i m e n t a l c a r r i e r s be p r e v a i l e d upon t o c a r r y t h e
r e g i m e n t a l baggage u n l e s s t h e r o u t e was l i n e d w i t h t r o o p s w h i l e
t h e convoy wss b e i n g p a s s e d up. T h i s l e d t o a f u l l s t o p ~ a g ei n
t h e movement of s u p p l i e s . In f a c t , t h e s i t u a t i o n had become s o
s e r i o u s t h a t t h e b e s t C o l o n e l C o l l e y c o u l d promise was t o move up
a f u r t h e r s u p p l y of r a t i o n s , e t c . , i n f i v e d a y s t i m . lo2 T h i s
was a s e r i o u s s i t u a t i o n f o r t h e t r o o p s i n Ajimanu had o n l y f o u r
d a y s r a t i o n s w i t h thern.

Under normal c i r c u m s t a n c e s , t h e r e would have been no

q u e s t i o n a s t o t h e most a d v i s a b l e a c t i o n t o be t a k e n a t t h i s t i m e .
The l i n e s of c o m ~ l u n i c a t i o nwere i n d i s a r r a y a n d t h e t r o o p s were
o p e r a t i n g on t h e i r i m n e d i a t e r e s e r v e s of s u 2 p l i e s . T h e r e f o r e , as
t h e main c o n c e r n of a comixnder i s t h e s a f e t y of h i s c o m a r d , t h e
G e n e r a l s h o u l d have p u t h i s men on a s l i g h t l y reduced r a t i o n and
h a l t e d f o r t h e n a c e s s a r y f i v e day p e r i o d .

Circumstances were n o t norr:ial, however, f o r S i r G a r n e t

was now p a y i n g t h e p r i c e f o r h a v i n g n e g l e c t e d t o e x p e d i t e t h e i n -
v a s i o n p r e p a r a t i o n s a t t h e same t i m e a s he was c a r r y i n g otlt h i s
o p e r a t i o n s a & ? i n s t Amavkwa T i a . T h i s n e g l e c t had d e l a y e d h i s
invasion s u f f i c i e n t l y t o s e r i o u s l y reduce h i s a v a i l a b l e a e r i o d
o f "dryTt w e a t h e r n a n o e u v r i g g t i m e . Thus w i t h t i m e a c r u c i a l
f a c t o r , S i r G a r n e t was r e a l l y f a c e d w i t h two p o s s i b l e c o u r s e s .
F i r s t , a t t h e r i s k o f h z v i n g t h e a r r i v a l of r a i n s f o r c e h i s w i t h -
d r a w a l t o t h e s o u t h b e f o r e h e a c c o ~ n y l i s l ~ ehdi s m i s s i o n , he c o u l d
remain i n Ajirnmu m t i l h i s a d r n i n i s t r c l t i v e s e r v i c e s v e r e o ~ c e
more f u n c t i o n i n g e f f e c t i v e l y . The f ive-day p e r i o d needed f o r
t h i s c o u l d t h e n be used i n an a t t e n p t t o n e g o t i a t e a compromise
w i t h Kofi K a r i l t a r i . A l t e r n a t i v e l y , he c o u l d abandon h i s l i n e s
o f c o m n ~ u z i c ~ i ; i oand
n make a dash f o r Kumasi, which was b a r e l y
f i f t e e n m i l e s awasT, i n t h e hope t h a t such a s t r o k e would b r i n g
t h e Asantehene t o t e r n s .

Three f a c t o r s n a d e ' t h e f i r s t o f t h e s e c o u r s e s t h e most

prudent. I n t h e f i r s t p l a c e , because a l l o f t h e A s a n t e h e n e ' s
o f f e r s t o n e g o t i a t e had s h o m a c o n c i l i a t o r y a t t i t u d e , t h e r e was
s u f f i c i e n t j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r t h e b e l i e f t h a t n e g o t i a t i o n s would
be s u c c e s s f u l . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e B r i t i s h s u c c e s s a t Anoafu had
c l e a r l y d e m o n s t r a t e d b o t h t h e s e r i o u s i n t e n t and t h e s t r e n g t h o f
t h e B r i t i s h o p e r a t i o n , t h u s g i v i n g S i r Garnet a s t r o n g 2 o s i t i o n
i n any n e g o t i a t i o n s . F i ~ a l l y ,t h i s c o u r s e would a v o i d any un-
necessary r i s k t o t h e invading forces.
 The second c o u r s e had 1i:tle t o recommend i t . To a d o p t
it would r e s u l t i n h a v i n g t h e s m a l l B r i t i s h f o r c e o p e r a t i n g un-
s u p p o r t e d i n a h o s t i l e l a n d surrounded by v a s t l y s u p e r i o r n u n b s r s
o f t h e enemy, C o i n c i d e n t a l l y , with t h e passage of each a i l e a f t -
e r Ajimamu, t h e i n v a s i o n f o r c e would e n c o u n t e r e v e r i n c r e a s i n g
A s a n t e r e s i s t a ~ c eand ; ~ o u l dno doubt be r e q u i r e d t o f i g h t a t
l e a s t one major a c t i o n . F i n a l l y , t h e r e was no r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e
t h a t t h e t a k i n g o f t h e t o m , d e s p i t e i t s i n p o r t a n c e , would r e s u l t
i n an Asagte c a ? i t u l a t i o n , T h e r e f o r e , t h i s approach would con-
d more t h a n t h e f i r s t b u t i t v a s i n f i n i t e -
c e i v a b l y a c c o ~ ~ i p l i s h eno
l y more h a z a r d o u s t o t h e t r o o p s invol-ved.

N e v e r t h e l e s s , S i r G a r n e t d e c i d e d t o a l l o w h i s men t o
b r a v e t h e r i s k s i n h e r e n t i n t h i s second c o u r s e o f a c t i o r . . Appar-
e n t l y convinced of t h e Asantehenet s p e r f i d i t y , clearly agprehm-
s i v e o f t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of an u n u s u a l l y e a r l y b e g i n n i n g t o t h e
r a i n y s e a s o p , and f i r m i n h i s b e l i e f t h a t he had proven a t Amoafu
t h a t t h e Asante were i n c a p a b l e of w i t h s t a n d i n g a c o n t i n u o u s and
d e t e r m i n e d advance on t h e p a r t o f h i s a r t i l l e r y su?ported f o r c e ,
he d s c i d e d t o nake t h e dash f o r Xumasi. He r e s o l v e d t h a t once
Kurnasi had been t a k e n h e would t h e n e i t h e r make peace o r d e s t r o y
t h e p l a c e and r e t u r n . a s q u i c k l y a s p o s s i b l e t o t h e now s t r o n g l y
e n t r e n c h e d p o s i t i o n a t Ajinanu where f u r t h e r s u p p l i e s would by
t h e n have been accumulated. 103
 I n a c c o r d a n c s w i t h t h i s d e c i s i o n , he l e f t t h e l e s s f i t
men o f h i s coraiiand a t A jimamu a s a g a r r i s o n and began th? f i n a l
advance on Kumasi e a r l y on t h e morning o f t h e 3 r d o f February.
;Jithi.n f o r t y - f i v e minu+,es o f s t a r t i n g , t h e Advanced-Guard a a d e
c o n t a c t w i t h t h e enemy. A f t e r an i n i t i a l s k i r m i s h , t h e r e en-
s u e d a hit-2nd-run b a t t l e i n t h e c o u r s e o f which t h e enerrly f i r e d
from ambush, t h e r e b y f o r c i n g t h e a d v a h c i n g B r i t i s h t o d e p l o y ,
and t h e n withdraw t o a new p o s i t i o n o n l y t o r e p e a t t h e same ma-
noeuvre time a f t e r time. The Asante u s e o f t h i s t a c t i c i n f l i c t -
e d some c a s u a l t i e s a t e v e r y e n c o u n t e r and a l t h o u g h t h e advance
was s t e a d y , i t was slow and r e l a t i v e l y c o s t l y i n c a s u a l t i e s . Sir
G a r ~ e twas i n t;he p r o c e s s o f forrilulating a p l a n t o i ~ c r e a s eh i s
r a t s o f advance when t h e a r r i v a l o f y e t a n o t h e r p a r t y o f k s a - t e
messengers b r i n g i n g l e t t e r s fro111t h e Asantehene ar,d Xr. Dawsor,,
c a u s e d a temporary h a l t i n t h e advance, 1 0 4

K o f i K a r i k a r i once more c a l l e d upon t h e G e n e r a l t o h a l t

h i s advance and r e c o n s i d e r t h e m a t t e r o f t h e indezlnity and t h e
hostages. Nr. Dawson a l s o begged S i r G a r n e t t o h a l t and t r e a t
w i t h t h e Asantehene. It was o b v i o u s from t h e t o n e and c o n t e n t o f
h i s l e t t e r t h a t Kofi K a r i k a r i was s e r i o u s l y a l a r n e d a n d i t a p p e a r s
r e a s o n a b l y c e r t a i n t h a t he would have been more t h a n e a g e r t o make
peace a t t h i s j u n c t u r e had such a move n o t e n t a i l e d t h e s u r r e n d e r
of t h e h o s t a g e s e a r l i e r s p e c i f i e d by S i r G a r n e t .
 U n f o r t u n a t e l y , S l r G a r n e t , who c l a i m s t h a t he was con-
v i n c e d t h a t t h e g r a n t i n g o f any c o n c e s s i o n a t t h a t t i m e would be
c o n s t r u e d a s a s i g o f weakness on h i s p a r t and who s t i l l c l u ~ g
t o h i s b e l i e f t h a t t h e Asantehene was simply a t t e m ~ ~ t i nt go g a i n
t i m e i n which t o c o l l e c t more t r o o p s , a p p a r e n t l y d i d n o t a p p r e -
c i a t e t h e s i g n i f i c a n z e of h i s d e r n a ~ df o r h o s t a g e s o f s u c h impor-

t a n c e lo5and he r e f u s e d t o a l t e r h i s o r i g i n a l r e q u e s t . Conse-
q u e n t l y , h e r e s p m d e 5 t o t h i s e l e v e n t h h o u r a p p e a l by i n f o r a i n g
t h e Asantehene t h a t he would n o t h a l t u n t i l t h e h o s t a g e s were i n
his p o s s e s s i o n ; b u t t h s t , a s t i m e p r e s s e d , he was wi1lir.g t o a c -
c e p t t h e Queon-l.loth5r aqd P r i ~ c erilensa only. He s a i d t h a t he
would h a l t f o r t h e g i g h t on t h e s o u t h bank o f t h e Oda R i v e r i n
o r d e r t o g i v e t h e k s a n t e h e n e tilne t o send them; e t h e r w i s e he
would march s t r a i g h t t o K u ~ m s ilo6
. Vhatever may have been Kofi
K a r i k a r i ' s r e a l i n t e n t i o n s b e f o r e , t h e r e c e i p t o f t h i s ultimatum
decided t h e i s s u e . He could n o t comply w i t h S i r G a r n e t ' s demands
a n d , a s t h e R i v e r Oda f o r m d h i s l a s t l i n e o f d e f e n c e b s f o r e
Kumasi, he had no a l t e r n a t i v e b u t t o f i g h t a s a i n i n a l a s t e f -
f o r t t o d e f e n d h i s c a p i t a l . 107

The Asante envoys w e r e s e n t back t h r o u g h t h e l i r e s s h o r t -

l y a f t e r noon and t h e advance was i n i u e d i a t e l y resumed. This time,

however, a l t h o u g h t h e r e was some r e s i s t a n c e , it was n o t s o heavy

as it had been and b y 3 o f c l o c k i n t h e a f t e r n o o n , t h e Oda R i v e r
had been r e a c h e d . A s a b r i d g e was necessq2ry f o r t h e p a s s a g e of
the force across the r i v e r a t t h i s point,
ordered a c m e s t o a c t as a covering f o r c e
i m m e d i a t e l y began t h e i r b r i d g e b u i l d i n g t a s k w h i l e t h e t r o o p s
went i n t o b i v o u a c . Zveryone s p e n t a t h o r o u g h l y niseraL81e n i ~ h t
under t h e l a s h i n g downpour of a heavy t o r n a d o but;, u n d e t e r r e d by
t h e w e a t h e r , t h e s a p p e r s worked a t t h e b r i d c e t h r o ~ g h o u tn e w l y
t h e whole night, avd by sever, o Tc l o c k t h e n e x t n o r r i n g i t was
finished. The r a i n had c e a s e d j u s t b e f o r e daim a n d a f L e r t h e nen
had t i n s t o d r y t h e i r c l o t h e s a l i t t l e and g e t soiile hot; 'cx-eakfast,
t h e advance was resumed. l o 8

The c r o s s i n g was inasdic.,tely c o n t e s t e d wich t h e r e s i s t a n c e

b e i n g c e n t e r e d around t h e v i l l a g e o f Cdasu u h i c h l a y a t 0 2 a p i e c e
of r i s i n . ~ d, i f f i c ~ ~ lgrcruzd
t a?;>roxil,~at
e l y one a i l e fro::! t h e r i v e r .
It was o 9 l y a f t e r a l m o s t two h o u r s o f heavy f i ~ h ~ i d~ ugr i, ~ g
whicI-1 tirne f o u r c a r : l p a ~ i e so l t h e X i f l e E r i g a d e and a d a t a c h m w t
of g u n s were f i n a l l y corl;;litted, t h a t t h e town was t2l:er. Hoiie:rer,

d r i v i r g ttle enemy froci t h e t o m d i d n o t si"r.al t h e end cf t h e ba5-

tie a s he s t i l l h e l d t h e bush t o t h e f r m t a n d on b o t h i'larks.

r'Tevertheless, t h e r o a d from t h e r i v e r t o t h e v i i l a s e ~ 2 . sl ired
w i t h t r o o p s a r d at; h a l f - p a s t t w e l v e t h e ?lava1 B r i g a d e , which f o r r l -

ed t h e Rear-Gu.ard, was p a s s e d o v e r w i t h t h e baggage arc? moved 2-

l o n g t h i s covered way i n t o t h e v i l l a g e .
 The enemy t h e n c l o s e d i n on t h e r e a r of t h e colurm and
overran the deserted B r i t i s h cmp. S i r Garnet had e x p e c t e d t h i s
b u t he a c h i t s i n h i s memoirs t h a t t h e s i t u a t i o n becane nuch a o r e
s e r i o u s t h a n he had a n t i c i p a t e d f o r r a t h e r t h a n f a l l i n g back on
Kumasi a s he had e x p e c t e d t h e y would, t h e A s a n t e s s u r r o u z d e d t h e
B r i t i s h f o r c e a n d m a i n t a i n e d a c o ~ t i n u o u sa n d f i e r c e a t t a c k . 109
F o r t u n a t e l y , t h e men o f t h e i i i f l e B r i g a d e , who l i n e d t h e bush a l l
around t h e v i l l a g e , were a b l e t o d r i v e back t h e s u c c e s s i v e Xsante
a t t a c k s and i n f l i c t considerable c a s u a l t i e s i n the process.

Even s o , t h e s i t u a t i o r , was becoming n o r e d a n g e r o u s w i t h

t h e p a s s a g e of each minute when, a t e l e v e n o ' c l o c k , B r i g a d i e r
A l i s o n r e p o r t e d t o S i r Garnet t h a t ,
.. . ( t h e ) enemy seems t o be c o l l e c t -
e d i n f o r c e on o u r f r o n t . I purpose
t o a t t a c k them a t once w i t h t h e i l i f l e
B r i g a d e , guns, and 2 3 r d ; b u t I must be
s u p p o r t e d by t h e 42nd c l o s e l y , as I
want t o b r e a k thern t h i s t h e w i t h o u t
f a i l . It i s no use i n s e n d i n g \food's
and R u s s e l l ' s r e g i m e n t s t o t h e f r o n t - -
t h e men won't g o ; b u t t h e y can g a r r i s o n
t h i s v i l l a g e , and keep up t h e conmuni-
c a t i o n w i t h ne. 1 1 0

S i r Garnet weighed t h e B r i g a d i e r ' s r e p o r t c a r e f u l l y and

f i n a l l y d e c i d e d t h a t t h e b e s t s o l u t i o n t o t h e problem was t o nak3
a d a s h f o r Kunasi. The r e s u l t a n t p l a n c a l l e d f o r t h e Black \!atch
t o l e a d t h e a t t a c k under t h e c o v e r of R a i t t s A r t i l l e r y . Colonel
McLeod, who resumed comina~d of h i s regiment f o r t h e a t t a c k , was
t o form a ' f l y i n g column' , break r i g h t through t h e c e n t r e of t h e
enemy's f r o n t , and push s t r a i g h t on t o ICunasi, d i s r e g a r d i n g a l l
flank attacks. The H e a d q u a r t e r s a n d t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e were t o
f o l l o w as saon as t h s c e s s a t i o n o f t h e Asante a t t a c k s on t h e v i l -
l a g e would p e x 5 . t them t c do s o . The r e m a i n i n g e l e n l e n t s o f t h e
f o r c e were t o rernair, ir. Odasu a s a r e a r - g u a r d u n t i l c a l l e d f o r .

C o l o n e l 14cL9od and h i s H i g h l a n d e r s began t h e a t t a c k

s h o r t l y a f t e r midday, The Hausa a r t i l l e r y f i r e d s e v e r a l r o u n d s
s t r a i g h t down t h e r o a d and t h e l e a d c o a p a n i e s t h e n e r u p t e d from .

t h e v i l l a g e a n d charged down t h e r o a d toward t h e a s t o n i s h e d

Asantes. $ J r i t i n g l a t e r o f t h e ensuing a c t i o n , Brigadier Alison
commented,

P l a c i n g himself a t t h e i r head, he
( M c ~ e o d )gave t h e word t o advance.
On f i r s t debouching from t h e v i l l a g e ,
. .
a tremendous f i r e was opened on t h e
head o f t h e colurm from a w e l l - p l a n ~ e d
and s t r o n g ambuscade, s i x Inen b e i n g
knocked o v e r i n a n i ~ s t a n t . But t h e
f l a n k c o i i ~ p a n i eworked
~ s t e a d i l y through
t h e b u s h ; t h e l e a d i n g company i n t h e
p a t h sprang forward w i t h a cheer; t h e
p i p e s s t r u c k up, and t h e ambuscade was
a t once c a r r i e d . Then f o l l o w e d one of
t h e f i n e s t s p e c t a c l e s I have e v e r s e e n
i n war. :'lithout s t o p o r s t a y t h e 42nd
r u s h e d on c h e e r i n g , t h e i r p i p e s p l a y i n g ,
t h e i r o f f i c e r s t o t h e f r o n t ; ambuscade
a f t e r ambuscade was s u c c e s s f u l l y c a r r i e d ,
v i l l a g e a f t e r v i l l a g e won i n s u c c e s s i o n ,
till t h e tdlole A s h a n t i s b r c k e and f l e d i n
t h e w i l d e s t d i s o r d e r down t h e pathway t o
t h e i r f r o n t t o Cooniassie.lll
While t h e H i g h l a n d e r s where pushing on as a f l y i n g colurrn,
however, t h e A s a n t e a t t a c k on Odasu had c o n t i n u e d unabated. Al-
though S i r Garnet was keen t o push on t o Kumasi ~ 5 t ht h e rer,iair,der
of h i s f o r c e , he r e f u s e d t o move o u t o f Odnsu u n t i l t h e s e a t t a c k s
had a b a t e d a n d u n t i l he was s u r e of t h e s i t u a t i o n w i t h r e s p e c t t o
t h e Black C'latch. A t 1:45 P.I.1. a message was r e c e i v e d frcm B r i g -
a d i e r A l i s o n , who was w i t h Colonel IkLeod, which s a i d ,
Ve have won e v e r y v i l l a g e e x c e p t
Karsi, which I hope t o t a k e soon.
T h e i r army i s f l y i n g i n p a n i c ,
c h i e f s ' c h a i r s and u m b r e l l a s a r e
s t r e w i n g t h e g r o u n d ; i f you w i l l
.
s u p p o r t me v i g o r o u s l y I w i l l be
i n Coo~nassiet o - n i g h t 112
T h i s message was r e c e i v e d j u s t a s t h e A s a n t e s v e r e once
more renewing t h e i r a t t a c k on t h e v i l l a g e a n d , cor~l;nentin&on i t s
e f f e c t upon t h e t r o o p s , Brackznbury w r o t e :
... when it ( t h e message) ;ias com-
municated t o o u r t r o o p s and t r a n s -
l a t e d t o t h e n a t i v e s , t h e y r a i s e d such
a r i n g i n g c h e e r t h a t , a l m o s t , as by
magic, t h e enemy's f i r e c e a s e d , and
n o t a n o t h e r s h o t was f i r e d by him.
He knew t h a t t h a t c h e z r could have
b u t one meanin l o s t h e a r t , and gave
up t h e game. 114,
A s soon a s i t had been confirmed t h a t t h e enemy h s d ip

f a c t withdrawn from Odasu, S i r Garnet i s s u e d o r d e r s f o r an imme-

d i a t e g e r e r n l advance. A small b u t s u f f i c i e n t garsison114 was
l e f t t o h o l d Odasu and t h e G e n e r a l marched o u t w i t h t h e R i f l e
B r i g a d e , f o l l o w e d by C o l o n e l Wood w i t h h i s o m a n d R u s s e l l ' s Reg-

the h s s p i t a l , wounded and o t h e r impedimenta. :?bile e n r o u t e S i r

on him t o s t o p t h e advance. Paying no a t t e n t i o n t o t h e s e r e -

q u e s t s , t h e G e n e r a l s i m p l y o r d e r e d t h e t r o o p s t o p r e s s on. 1 1 5
 The t r o o p s ar;tvan.czd q u i c k l y and Colonel I:cLeodYs men
c r o s x d t h e Subon s w m p and e n t e r e d X i l m a s i a t 5 : 3 0 ?.!I. S i r
G a r n e t , who a r r i v e d b a r e l y f o r t y - f i v e m i n u t e s l a t e r , found t h e
t r o o p s a l r e a d y d r a l ~ nup i n t h e market p l a c e t o r e c e i v e hirn w i t h
a general salute. Thus t h e gamble worked and t h e G e n e r a l r e c o r d s
i n h i s memoirs t h a t he f e l t a " f l u s h o f p l e a s u r e v when he r e -
c e i v e d t h e r e p o r t t h a t t h e headlong a n d e x c e e d i n g l y h a z a r d o u s
d a s h from Odasu t o Kurnasi had been a c c o r ~ l p l i s h e da t a c o s t o f o n l y
6 k i l l e d and 60 wounded o u t of a t o t a l f o r c e of 1,611 men. 1.16

T h e r e was l i t t l e t i m e f o r s e l f - c o n g r a t u l a t i o n , however,
f o r Kun~asiwas s t i l l an armed ca:np and t h e B r i t i s h had t o proceed
with extrene caution. Brackenbury r e p o r t s t h a t t h e t;o!;~ was f u l l
of armed men and t h a t t h e y d e l i b e r a t e l y walked t h r o u g h $he market-
p l a c e , p a s t t h e front; of t h e t r o o p s , c a r r y i n g t h e i r a r m and am-
m u n i t i o n away i n t o t h e b u s h . Members of t h e s t a f f ar.2 s o a e r e g i -
m e n t a l o f f i c e r s p r e s s e d S i r Garnet t o t a k e some a c t i o n t o s t o p
k h t t h e y viewed as t h e e s c a p e of t h e enemy arrcy. Hoiiever, t h e

G e n e r a l wanted t o a v o i d t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f s t r e e t f i g h t i n g ar?d
as he f e l t t h a t t h e r a p i d a p p r o a c h of d a r k n e s s made i t i i n p o s s i b l e
t o f i n d and g u a r d a l l of t h e e x i t s from t h e s t r a n g e ~ O I V Y I , he COP-

t e n t e d h i m s e l f w i t h making a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r t h e s a f e t y o f h i s
t r o o p s and i s s u i n g a n o r d e r which sii,iply f o r b a d e t h e r o n o v a l o f
m u n i t i o n s of war. I n l l i s o p i n i o n , t h e r e was no r e a s o n t o s t o p
t h e moveixant o u t of t h e town of t h o s e Asantes who wished t o l e a v e
 An armed p a r t y was t h u s s e n t o u t t o f i n d t h e p a l a c e and
a r r e s t Kofi K a r i k a r i , The p a l a c e was e v e n t u a l l y found b u t t h e
Asantehene, t h e Queen-I.lother, t h e Crown-Prince, and a l l c f t h e
o t h e r n o t a b l e s had f l e d , A t t h i s p o i n t , Xr. Dawso?., who had
p r e v i o u s l y r e f u s e d t o g u i d e t h e a r r e s t i n g p a r t y t o t h e p a l a c e , 117
produced n e s s e n g e r s who were r e a d y t o go t o t h e Asantehene w i t h
any c o m r n u n i c a t i o ~which t h e General might wish t o s e n d , As Sir
G a r n e t was now a n x i o u s t o conclude a peace w i t h KoCi K a r i k a r i ,
a n d , i f p o s s i b l e , o b t a i n a t r e a t y from him, he dashed o f f a l e t -
t e r f o r iminediate d e l i v e r y t o him, I n this l e t t e r he a g r e e d t o
a c c e p t h o s t a g e s of l e s s e r r a n k t h a n t h e Queen-Xotlier and t h e
C r o w n - P r i ~ c e and he c a l l e d upon t h e Asantehene h i m s e l f , o r i f he

Was u n w i l l i n g , t h e Queen-!.Iother o r t h e Crown P r i n c e , t o come t o

h m a s i on t h e f o l l o t ~ l n gday i n o r d e r t o conclude a t r e a t y of
p e a c e , 118

The n i g h t which followed a l l of t h i s a c t i v i t y was one o f

broken s l e e p f o r t h e a l r e a d y e x h a u s t e d B r i t i s h . A number o f f i r e s

broke o u t one a f t e r a n o t h e r i n d i f f e r e n t p a r t s of t h e town. 119

Many of t h e t r o o p s , t i r e d o u t w i t h t h e d a y t s march and f i s h t i n g
a f t e r t h e i r s l e e p l e s s n i g h t a t t h e Oda Z i v e r , were a g a i n k e p t o u t
f o r h o u r s t r y i n g t o e x t i n g u i s h t h e s e f i r e s and p r e v e n t t h e i r
spread, Tilt. s i t , u a t i o n was made even more c o ~ f u s e dand t i r i n g by

t h e need t c u s e even mcre t r o o p s t o s t o p t h e heavy l o o t i n g b e i n g

c a r r i e d o u t b ; ~ some of t h e A f r i c a n t r o o p s a n d t h e now r e l e a s e d

Fanti priscn?rs. For t h i s r e a s o n , when dawn f i n a l l y broke on

t h e morning o f t h e 5 t h , it was a weary B r i t i s h s o l d i e r y which
found t h a t t h e s i t u a t i o n i n t h e town had changed c o n s i d e r a b l y
during t h e night.

I n s t e a d of t h e t h o u s a ~ d so f armed men t h a t had f i l l e d t h e

s t r e e t s t h e n i g h 3 b e f o r e , t h e r e were n o t n o r e t h a n t h i r t y o r f c r -
t y A s a n t e s i n t h e town. A l l n i g h t l o n g t h e p e o p l e had c o ~ t i n u e d
t o s t r e a m from t h e p l a c e , t a k i n g t h e i r arms, ammunition and v a l u -
a b l e s w i t h them. Even t h e p a l a c e , which had been l e f t unguarded,
had been s t r i p p e d o f much o f t h e r o y a l t r e a s u r e d a r i n g t h e h o u r s
of d a r k n e s s . 1 2 1

A s t h e morning wore on, how?ver, t h e r e was no s i g n o f

e i t h e r t h e Asantehene o r any agent he might wish t o a p p o i n t . As
t i m e p a s s e d and no n e g o t i a t o r s a p p e a r e d , S i r Garnet began t o sus-
pect treachery. H i s f e e l i n g o f unease was i n c r e a s e d when a s e -
r i e s o f v i o l e n t r a i n s q u a l l s t u r n e d t h e B r i t i s h canp i n t o a s e a
of mud. Being d i s i n c l i n e d t o r e l y t o o h e a v i l y e i t h e r on t h e
t r u s t w o r t h i n e s s o f t h e Asantehene o r t h e r e l i a b i l i t y of t h e weath-
e r , t h c G e n e r a l t h e r e f o r e began t o p r e p a r e f o r t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of
a spezdy w i t h d r a w a l by e v a c u a t i n g t h e wounded from Kuinasi.

By midmorning o f t h e 5 t h , a l l w o u ~ d e dwho were u n a b l e t o

march were s e n t o f f under e s c o r t of ' d o ~ d ' s and R u s s e l l ' s Regl-
rnents and a company o f t h e R i f l e S r i g a d e . A t eleven o'clock,
1-lajor R u s s e l l r e p a r t e d f r o n t h e Ordah R i v e r t h a t t h e b r i d g e was
a b o u t 18 i r c h e s u z d e r w a t e r i n p l a c e s and t h a t t h e r e had been
s o n e difficulty i n p a s s i n g t h e convoy a c r o s s t h e r i v e r . 1 2 2

T h i s r e p o r t c a u s e d s o a e c o ~ s i d e r a b l ec o n s t e r n a t i o n i n
Kuinasi. A s u c c e s s i o n o f h e a v y r a i n s q u a l l s had s a e n i n g i y s e t i n
a n d t h e A f r i c a n s a s s u r e d S i r G a r n e t t h a t t h e s e were t h e p r e l u d e
t o t h e r a i n y s e a s o n , which--as h e h a d been forwar~ed--:.:as evi-
d e n t l y t o b e g i n sonewhat e a r l i e r t h a n u s u a l . A s t h e r e had been
no fur$Elcr word f r o m I i o f i K a r i k a r i , t h e G e n e r a l was f a c e d wi2h
t h e problem o f d e c i d i n g w h e t h e r t o t a k e t h e r i s k o f r e m a i n i n g i n
Kumasi o n e more d a y o r t o d e s t r o y Kumasi a t once ar.d r e t u r n t o
A jirnamu. 3.23

The d e c i s i o n was r e a l l y n o t t o o d i f f i c u l t t o make. Rus-

s e l l ' s r e p o r t on t h e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e r i v e r and t h e r a p i d l y d e t e -
r i o r a t i n g w e a t h e r made i t c l e a r t h a t e v e r y h o u r o f d e l a y would
make t h e r e t u r n f r o m Kumasi j u s t t h a t much more d i f f i c u l t . Plac-
i n g t h e h e a l t h a n d w e l f a r e o f t h e t r o o p s , f o r whose l i v e s and
h e a l t h h e was r e s p o n s i b l e , a b o v e a l l o t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , S i r
Garnet decided t o d e s t r o y t h e t o m and t h e p a l a c e and r e t u r n s o u t h
a t d a y b r e a k t h e n e x t r.zorning. 121,

D u r i n g t h e a f t e r n o o n o f t h e 5th, t h e r e f o r e , a r e p o r t vas
c i r c u l a t e d t o t h e e f f e c t t h a t t h e t r o o p s would a d v a n c e i n p u r s u i t
of t h e A s a n t e l l m e a t d a y b r e a k and t h a t a n y h s a n t e s who were t h e n
f0ur.d i n t h e town would be s h o t . T h i s was d o ~ et o i n s u r s t h e
d e p a r t u r e o f a l l t h e i n h a b i t a n t s b e f o r e t h e p l a c e was s e t on f i r e ,
P r i z e agents vere appointed t o v i s i t the palace t h a t night acd
c o l l e c t a s many v a l u a b l e s as c o u l 2 be c a r r i e d b y t h i r t y en 125
and a r r a n g m e n t s x e r e riiade f o r t h e Z n g i n e z r s t o spenCi t h e zi;;tlt
i n malting p r e p a r z t : i o n s f o r t h e 5loi;inir; up o f t h e p a l a c e a n d t h e
b u r n i n g o f t h e town.

A t s i x o ' c l o c k on t h e morning of t h e 6 t h , t h e t r o o p s v e r e
formed up and b y s e v e n oTclock all e x c e p t t h e r e a r - g u a r d had
marched o f f . By e i ~ h ot T c l o c k a l l o f t h e c h a r g e s were l a i d . The
f u s e s were t h e n lii a r d tiie t o m s a t on f i r e a ~ by
d ~ i n coTclocl:,

when tiie r e a r - g u a r d f i n a l l y l o s t s i g h t o f t h e t o m , all t h a t r e -

mained o f K u i a s i xis a heap o f s;noulderir,g r u i n s , 1 2 6

L a c k i n g t h e sar,le s e n s e of iinixciiate d a n g e r ~ L l i c haccol-1-

paniecl t h a r:iarch t o Kuiimsi, t h e r e t w n larch was sofiewhat o f ar.
anti-climax f o r the troops. It was n o t , h e x e v e r , a h e l t e r -
s k e l t e r dash f o r t ! i ~ coast. The t r o o p s moved i n planned s t a g e s
from one p r c ) t a c t e d ;lost t o t h e n e x t i n much tiis s m e ~ x m n e ra s
t i l e y tiad done di.lr5ng t h e advance. G e n e r a l l y , t h e xove went snc-
o t h l y and t:le trious us s u p p l y c e ? t e r s , e t c . , were d i s n a n t l e d and
t h e s t o r e s rer,:ofc.d t o t h e s o u t h a s t h e Zear-Guard passed tlwougil.
It was a w e l l e x e c u t e d m v e which, so:i:ewhat s u r p r i s i n g l y iz t h e
l i g h t of S i r G a r n e t ' s p r a v i o u s d i s r e g a r d f o r such r m t t e r s , r e -
s u l t o d ir! t h e p r e s . 3 r v a t i o n o f l i v e s and ttle r e c o v e r y o f c o n s i d e r -
a b l e q u a n t i t i e s o! m t e r i a l ,
 The o v e r r i d i n g c o n s i d e r a t i o n was t h c Ge?.eralt s concern
t h a t t h e European t r o o p s be e v a c u a t e d a s q u i c k l y as p o s s i b l e .
C o n s e q u e n t l y , when a t r a n s p o r t a t i o n d i f f i c u l t y a r o s e a t khkan-
k u a s s i e on t h e 1 0 t h o f F e b r u a r y , t h e o r d e r o f tnarch was abandoned
and t h e European b r i g a d e was p a s s e d down t h e l i n e t o Cape Coast
without; f u r t h e r d e l a y , The \Jest I n d i a n R e g i ~ n e n t swere u t i l i z e d
i n con j u n c t i o n w i t h kioodl s and R u s s e l l t s Regiments t o g a r r i s o n
t h e r e m a i n i n g o u t p o s t s 127 and by t h e e n d o f F e b r u a r y , a l l o f t h e
European t r o o p s had embarked f o r England, 1 2 8

S i r Garnet a r d s e v e r a l ~nemberso f h i s s t a f f r e m i n e d a t
Fonlana r a t l ~ e rt h a n accompany t h e main body t o t h e C o a s t . This
t h e y d i d f o r two r e a s o n s . I n t h e f i r s t p l a c e , t h e G e n e r a l wished
t o remain i n t h e r e a r of t h e coluriin u n t i l t h e l a s t convoy o f s i c k
and wounded c o u l d b e s e n t a c r o s s t h e Adansi Hills. T o s s i b l y even
rlicre i m p o r t a n t , howcver, was t h e f a c t t h a t h e had f i r . a l l y r e c e i v -
ed r e l i a b l e word from t h e Asantehene.

While camped i n D e t c h i a s u on t h e g t h , S i r Garnet had r e -

c e i v e d a message from Kofi K a r i k a r i . I n t h i s message, t h e Asante-
h e n e e x p r e s s e d h i s d e s i r e t o make p e a c e , a n d , a f t e r beg gin^ S i r
G a r n e t t o h a l t Cnptair. G l o v e r , who was by t h i s tirile encar.iped at;
J a b i n , o f f e r e d t o accede t o a l l o f t h e General's terms. Sir
G a r n e t i c ~ n e d i a t e l y~ r r o t eback t o t h e A s a n t e h e r e i n f o r m i n g hir?
t h a t h e would h a l t a t Fonana u n t i l t h e 1 3 t h , arid t h a t i f by t h e
n i g h t o f t h e 1 2 t h t l j e A s m t e h e n e s e n t t o him 5,000 o u n c e s o f g o l d
a s a s i g ? of good f a i t h , he would. nake p e a c e , and o r d e r C a p t a i n
G l o v e r ' s f o r c e s back a c r o s s t h e P r a . 129 He t h e n c o n t a c t e d Cap-
t a i n G l o v e r inforriling him o f what had happened a n d ' a s k i n g Glover
t o remain where he was u n t i l t h e 1 4 t h , i f he c o u l d s a f e l y do
SO 130

.
The G e n e r a l t h e n proceeded t o Foinana where, on t h e n i g h t
o f t h e 1 2 t h , word was r e c e i v e d t h a t t h e A s m t e h e n e T s er.voys were
a t Dorzpoasi and t h a t t h e y wished t o rieet w i t h S i r G a r ~ e ti n o r d e r
t o t r e a t f o r peace1.31~er~ilission was giver, f o r them t o e n t e r t h e
B r i t i s h camp p r o v i d e d t h e y had b r o u g h t t h e g o l d , and e a r l y or. t h e
morning o f t h e 1 3 t h , two envoys and a l o n g t r a i n o f c a r r i w s en-
t e r e d Fornzna. They b r o u g h t o n l y 1 , 0 0 0 ounces o f g o l d w i t h t h e n 132
b u t by t h i s t i m e t h e main o b j e c t was t o s e c w e p e a c e , and a s t h e
i n d e w n i t y was o f i m p o r t a n c e o n l y a s a s i g n o f K o f i K a r i k a r i T s
s u b m i s s i o n , t h e amount i n v o l v e d was of l i t t l e i m p o r t a n c e . The
G e n e r a l t h e r e f o r e a c c e p t e d t h e s m a l l e r amount and p r e s e n t e d t h e
envoys w i t h a d r a f t t r e a t y t o t a k e back f o r t h e A s a . n t e h e n e T s s i g -
nat; ure .
The t r e a t y was r e a d o v e r and e a c h a r t i c l e c a r e f u l l y ex-
p l a i n e d t o t h e envoys, who r a i s e d o b j e c t i o q s t o o n l y two o f i t s
provisiors. F i r s t , they questioned t h e s i z e o f t h e i ~ d e n r i t y .
Horever, when S i r G a r n e t p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e Bsante3ene had a l -
r e a d y a g r e e d t o t h e s u n of 50,000 ounces o f g o l d i n h i s l e t t e r o f
t h e 23rd o f J a n u a r y , t h e y :iithdrew t h e i r o b j e c t i o n . The s e c o ~ d
p o i n t i n v o l v e d t h e requj.rt?d s c k n o t r l e d g e : ~ e n t o f t h e independence
o f Adnnsi. S i r G a r n e t expl-ained t h a t t h i s s t i p u l a t i o n had. been
i n c l u d e d i n t h e t r e a t y a t t h e r e q u e s t o f Robina Obin o f A d s n s i ,
who had a r r i v e d i n F m a n a on t h e l l t h , and t h a t a s i t i n v o l v e d a
p r i v a t a a r r a n g e m e n t b e t v e e n t h e A d a ~ s i sand t h e I/assrlws, he
c o u l d n o t i n t e r f e r e . 133 The envoys had t h e r e f o r e t o be c o ? t e n t
w i t h t h e t r e a t y a s it s t o o d and t h z y l e f t on t h e a f t e r n o o n o f t h e
1 3 t h p r o n i s i n g t o g e t t h e t r e a t y s i g n e d by t h e Asantehene a d t o
produce it i n C a p Coast w i t h i n t h e p r e s c r i b e d tinia limit o f f o u r -
t e e n days.

On t h a t s m e a f t e r n o o n , o r d e r s ~ 2 r es e n t t o Captair, Glov-
e r i n f o r m i n g :?ir,l ol" t h e s i t u a t i o n a n d r e q u i r i n g hiln t o r e t i r e
s o u t h o f t h e Pr.2 w i t h h i s t r o o p s . These o r d e r s r e a c h e d G l o v e r a t
Kwaman on tT?e 1 4 t h and he began h i s w i t h d r a w a l t h e n e x t d a y .
Reaching P r a s u on t h e 1 7 t h , h e d i ~ r ~ i i s s ehdi s A f r i c a n l e v i e s , who
moved e a s t w a r d t o t h s i r o m h o a s s , w h i l e he marched dovm t h e main
road t o Ananiabo w i t h t h e Hausas. 1 3 4

U i t h C a p t a i n G l o v e r ' s r c t u r ~ ,t h e B r i t i s h w i t h d r a w a l was
a l l b u t complete. S i r C a r n e t had l e f t Fomana f o r Cape C o a s t on
t h e U k t h and by t h e 2 0 t h , t h e l a s t o u t p o s t n o r t h o f t h e P r a ,
Esa;,1ar, had Seen c l e a r e d o f i t s s t o r e s and disnnantled. The l a s t
B r i t i s h t r o o p s , t h r e e coi.q)anies of l!.'IZ, c r o s s e d t h e P r a and
assumed g t i r r i s o n d u t i e s a t P r a s u on t h e 2 1 s t , and, on tile 2 3 r d ,
t h e i n v a s i o n was o f z i c i a l l y t e r n i n a t e d when tile b r i d g e a c r o s s t h e
r i v e r was destroyeci.

V i t h t h e A s a n t e s d e f e a t e d , and t h e European t r o o p s r e -
moved frorri t h e Gold C o a s t , t h e o n l y t a s k s remaining were con-
c e r n e d w i t h t h e s e c u r i t y of t h e ? P r o t e c t o r a t e f . G a r r i s o n s v:ere
r e t a i n e d a t P r a s u and 12insu o n l y and a l l i n t e r m e d i a t e o u t p o s t s
a l o n g t h e Cape ~ o a s t / P r a s cRoad were @ e a r e d o f t h e i r s u p p l i e s
and r a z e d t o t h e ground. I n a d d i t i o n , m a r t i a l l a w was f i ~ a l l y
l i f t e d f r o ~ i lE l m i ~ aand S i r G a r n e t p r e p a r e d a L ~ m o r a n d mon t h e
s u b j e c t o f g a r r i s o n i n g t h e Gold Coast w i t h A f r i c a n t r o o p . As a

f i r s t s t e p toward t h e i n p l e r l e n t a t i o n o f t h e recor:i~t~enda:ions con-

t a i n e d i n t h a t menlorandurn, t h e G e n e r a l i m n e d i a t e l y r e q u e s t e d
C a p t a i n Glover t o r e t a i n 350 o f h i s Hausas a t Ana~ilabo u n t i l N r .
Berkeley, t h e Governor-ir-Chief, s h o u l d d e c i d e w!letiier h e would
k e e p them o r n o t . 1 35

F i r a l l y , s t e p s were t a k e n t o r e - e s t a b l i s h peace i n t h e
w e s t e r n and e a s t e r n r e g i o n s o f t h e T P r o t e c t o r a t e ' . The two men
d i r e c t l y i n v o l v e d i n t h e s e e f f o r t s w e r e a M r . Goldsworthy 2nd a
l<r. Gouldsbury. 1-ir. Goldsworthy was c h a r g e d w i t h a f f a i r s i n t h e
east b u t he f a i l e d i n h i s e f f o r t s t o make peace w i t h e i t h e r t h e
Awunas o r t h e Akwanus. Ho::ever, ?.?re
Gouldsbury was x o r e f o r t u -
nate. He t o u r e d a l l o f t h e t r i b e s i n t h e !!estern Regio? and a l -
t h o u g h many months wzre t o p a s s b e f o r e h e had f i n i s h e d h i s work,
he e v e n t u a l l y e x t r a c t e d promises o f p e a c e f u l and o b e d i e n t be-
h a v i o u r from a l l o f t h e k i n g s and c h i e f s c o ~ c s r n e d136
.
 A s h i s t e r m s o f s e r v i c e had s p e c i f i c a l l y exempted him
f r o n r e r n a i ~ . i n gi n V e s t A f r i c a once t h e campaign was over' S i r
Garnet d i d n o t remain t o s u p e r v i s e t h e completion o f t h e m i l i t a r y
a n d p o l i t i c a l p r e p a r a t i o n s which h e had sst i n niotior,. In his
o p i n i o n , h i s m i s s i o n had been a c c o r : z ~ l i s h e dand even though h i s
job was f a r from f i ~ i s h e d ,he s a i l e d f o r 9 n g l a n d on t h e 4 t h o f
Ihrch. B e f o r e l e a v i n g , however, h e w r o t e one f i n a l l e t t e r t o t h e
Asantehene. E i g h t e e n d a y s had p a s s e d s i n c e t h e t r e a t y had been
s e n t t o Kofi K a r i k a r i a n d as it had n o t y e t bee? r e t u r n e d , t h e
G e n e r a l w r o t e t o renlind him t h a t h i s m e s s e n g e r s had proniised t o
d e l i v e r t h e t r e a t y t o Cape C o a s t w i t h i n f o u r t e e n days. I n clos-
i n g , h e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t h o s t i l i t i e s would n o t be t e r m i n a t e d
w t i l t h e t r e a t y had been r a t i f i e d and t h e r e b y i i x p l i e d t h a t f u r -
t h e r f i g h t i n g ; was n o t an i m p o s s i b i l i t y . 1 3 7

T h i s l e t t e r a c t u a l l y proved t o have been u n n e c e s s a r y f o r

on t h e 1 2 t h o f ifarch, a n embassy f r o m t h e Asantehene a r r i v e d i n
Cape C o a s t . Composed o f one o f K o f i K a r i k a r i t s s o n s , K o f i I ~ t i n ,
and r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of e v e r y t r i b e and p r o v i n c e i n t h e e n p i r e ,
t h e embassy was r e c e i v e d by C o l o n e l I ~ a m e l l , t h e A c t i n g Adminis-
t r a t o r o f t h e Gold C o a s t , on t h e d a y o f i t s a r r i v a l . The t r e a t y
d r a f t e d a t Fomana was pl-oduced w i t h tk,e t v o c r o s s e s which i n -
d i c a t e d K o f i K a r i k a r i t s a s s e n t t o t h e teixxi c o n t a i n e d t h z r e i n
a f f i x e d t o it m d a l t h o i l ~ ht h e r e c o n t i n u e d t o be some d i s p u t e as
t o t h e s i z e o f t h e i n d e m i t y , t h e t r e a t y wzs f i n a l l y r a t i f i e d on
t h e 15th o f l l a r c h , 1674. 1 3 8
 The Anglo-Asinte 'Jar o f 1873-1874 t h u s o f f i c i a l l y came
t o a c l o s e and a t a s u p e r f i c i a l g l a n c e , it would a p s e a r t h a t t h i s
l i t t l e war had b2en a complete and somewhat b r i l l i a n t s u c c e s s f o r
the British. Rowever, s u c h was n o t e n t i r e l y t h e c a s e and it i s
now n e c e s s a r y t o c r i t i c z l l y a n a l y s e t h e c a m ~ a i g nw i t h a view t o
a s s e s s i n g i t s conduct and e s t a b l i s b i n ~t h e d e g r e e o f e f f e c t i v e -
n e s s o f S i r Garnet's l e a d e r s h i p .
 To c r i t i c i s e t h e con3uct o f a c a r q a i ~ nwhich h a s a c h i e v e d
i t s s t a t e d a.ims i s d a n g e r o u s . From t h e o u t s 2 t t h e c r i t i c i s
n
f a c e d w i t h s a v e r a l iila j o r d i f f i c u l t i s s . r l r s t , t h e s m z t glow of
s u c c e s s of ter. c a u s e s c o r t e r q ~ o r a r yr e p C r t e r s t c i ~ n o r eo r r a t i o ? -
a l i z e t h e e r r o r s xade by t h e v i c L o r s . It i s t l l e r a f o r e c f t m d i f -
f i c u l t t o c l e a r l y a s t a b l - i s h l o p e r g e t r a t e d t t e m i s t a k e s , :;hat
caused t h o s e m i s t a k e s , 2nd \;:?at e f f e c t t h e y r a l l y k d 07. the
conduct. o f tile c a n p a i ~ n . S e c o r ~ d , t h e c r i t i c i s J ~ r i t i -\:it!i
i the
b e n e f i t o f h i n d s i g h t a n d i s o f t e n ir. p o s s e s s i o g of i - ~ o r . . ! a i i o n
which was n o t a v a i l a b l e t o t h e p a r t i c i p a - t s . F o r tl3.s r e - ~ s o r ,
h i s c r i t i c i s r ~ l sa r e o f t e n i n dani;er of b i i ~ gaxcessivi~l:: ila~s'r..
N e v e r t h o l e s s , i t i s t h e f u n c t i o n o f t h e c r i t i c t o loci: beyond 'he
c l e a r l y o b v l c u s r e s c l t s o f t h e car.!pign i n ar. e f f o r t ta a s s z s e
i t s conduct s o t h a t a b a l a n c e m y be p r o v i d e d f o r ths c r t e r 'ci2.s-
ed and u ~ c r i t i c a ln a r r a t i v e s p-cduced i n n e d l a t e l y aftel- t h e e v e ~ t .
A c r i t i c i s r . ~of t h e Anglo-Asszte Yar of 1c73-1274 l a b o u r s
under a l l of t h e s a d i f f i c u l t i e s . I n d e e d , t h i s c 3 i ; p i ~ nhas t h e

p a r t i c u l a r l y searc::i.ng a?.alysis. V i r t u a l . i y a l l of t h e p u k l l s h e c !
works d e a l i n g 1 ~ 2 t ht I i 9 s u b j e c t r e l y llesvi l:i o? tlie " o . ? f i c i ~ l : ~
t o b e l a r g e l y a c c e p t e d as f a c t . The most i m p o r t a n t o f t h e s e con-
tend t h a t :
1. Colonel Harley acconplished lit-
t l e d u r i n g t h e f i r s t phase o f t h e
war ;
t h e c o a s t a l t r i b e s m e n were coward-
l y , l a z y p e o p l e who f i r s t r e f u s e d
t o d e f e n d t h e r x e l v e s and t h e n r e -
fused t o help the B r i t i s h f i n i s h
t h e war;
C a p t a i n Glover c o n t r i b u t e d v i r -
t u a l l y n o t h i n g t o t h e campaign,
a n d , t o a d e g r e e endangered i t s
chances of success;
Sir Garnet X o l s e l e y was ''the v e r y
model o f a modern Xa jor-Generaltf
w i t h o u t whose guidance and l e a d e r -
s h i p t h e war would have been l o s t ;
and
t h e Asantehene n e v e r s e r i o u s l y a t -
tempted t o n e g o t i a t e a s e t t l e n e n t
with t h e B r i t i s h but r a t h e r a t -
tempted t o u s e t h e p r e t e x t of ne-
g o t i a t i o n s a s a s c r e e n from behind
which he c o u l d p r e p a r e f o r t h e de-
s t r u c t i o n of t h e B r i t i s h f o r c e .
A c a r e f u l study of t h e v a r i o u s primary source m a t e r i a l s
r e v e a l s that t h e s e conclusions a r e , t o varying degrees, inaccurate.
T h e r e f o r e , w i t h o u t d e t r a c t i n g i n any way from t h e fact; t h a t t h e
B r i t i s h carnpaign d i d succeed i n a c h i e v i n g i t s s t a t e d a i m , t h e
corments and c r i t i c i s m below a r e i ~ t e n d e dt o expose t h e s e i n a c -
curacit?~.
 Of a l l t h e B r i t i s h o f f i c i a l s i n v o l v e d i n t h i s war, Colo-
n e l H a r l e y i s p o s s i b l y t h e one who h a s r e c e i v e d t h e l e a s t recog-
nition for his efforts, C e r t a i n l y t h e g r e a t b u l k of ~ i a t e r i a lon
t h e war l e a d s one t o c o n c l u d e t h a t n o t h i n g of any importance was
a c h i e v e d p r i o r t o S i r Garnet I l o l s e l e y t s a r r i v a l a t Cape Coast.
Yet even t h o u g h he was c o n p l e t e l y hamstrung by t h e r e q u i r e r e n t s
o f t h e B r i t i s h p o l i c y t h e n b e i n g pursued on t h e Gold C o a s t ; ob-
s t r u c t e d by t h e a c t i v e o p p o s i t i o n o f h i s immediate s u p e r i o r , ?.Ire
Pope-IIennesey, and h i s s e n i o r o f f i c i a l a t Cape C o a s t , Colonel
F o s t e r F o s t e r ; o p e r a t i n g w i t h a s a d l y reduced g a r r i s o n and a
s h o c k i n g l y d e p l e t e d magazine; ar,d s u f f e r i n g from a l a c k of expc-
r i e n c e among t h e F a n t i ; n e v e r t h e l - e s s , i t was C o l o n e l Harley who
managed t o p r e s e r v e t h e B r i t i s h p r e s e n c e or, t h e Gold C o s t and
t h u s s e t t h e s t a g e f o r S i r Garnet's subsequent o p e r a t i o n s ,

I n d e e d , when one c o n s i d e r s t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s under w'nich

h e had t o f u n c t i o n , it i s amazing j u s t hotr much t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r
accomplished. F o r example, t h e i n i t i a l s u p p o r t which he p r o v i d e d
t o t h e F m t i had e n a b l e d them t o f i g h t t h e Asante army t o a draw
a t Dunlcwa. He was t h e r e f o r e i n s t r u n e g t a l i n c h e c k i n g v ~ h a t could
e a s i l y have become a r a p i d Asnnte sweep t o t h e c o a s t . * EIowever,
he r e c e i v e d l i t t l e r e c o g n i t i o n f o r h i s r o l e i n t h i s a f f a i r be-
c a u s e Ac~anktra T i a t s c o n t i r u e d p r e s e n c e ir. t h e t P r o t e c t c r a t e t ob-
s c u r e d t h e t r u e s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h e b a t t l e . i n addition, al-
t h o u g h h i s ins:ructions ayd h i s s l e n d e r r e s o u r c e s rmde it irnpos-
 - 212 -
s i b l e f o r him t o e f f e c t i v e l y r a l l y t h e F a n t i f o r c e s a f t e r t h e i r
d e f e a t a t Jukwa, C o l o n e l Harley m a n a p d t o t a k e s e v e r a l .other
v i t a l s t e p s which c o u n t e r e d t h e A s a n t e moves. The f o r t s were
s e c u r e d a g a i n s t t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f s e i z u r e by t h e Asante armies.
E f f e c t i v e s t e p s v c r e t a k e n t o r e l i a v e t h e s u f f e r i n g of t h e h o s t s
o f F a n t i r e f u z e e s i n and around C a p C o a s t . The s i t ~ m t i o na t
Elrnina was r e n d e r e d f a r l e s s dangerouS t h a n had p r e v i o u s l y been
t h e case. The u p r i s i n g s i n t h e t e r r i t o r i e s west o f t h e F r a were
d e a l t w i t h as e f r e c t i v e l y as condiLions would peri:lit. And, pos-
s i b l y most i n p o r t i a n t , s t e p s were t a k e n t o c l e a r l y d e f i n e t h e l o -
c a t i o n and c o n d i t i o n of t h e Asnnte army a ~ td o reopen t r a c t s cf
F a n t i t e r r i t o r y t o t h e i r f o r m e r i n h a b i t a n t s w i t h a view t o p r e -
p a r i 7 . l ~f o r sorne f u t u r e Llove a g a i r st Ama~kwa T i a ,

F e v e r t h e l e s s , d e s p i t e t h e s e a c c o i n p l i s ~ n s n t s ,Colonel
H a r l e y r e c e i v e d no r e c o ~ n i t i o ni q any o f t h e works wllich c l a i c l t;o
d e s c r i b e t h e r m r f u l l y and n e i t k e r d i d he r e c e i v e any o f f i c i a l
Government r e c o g n i t i o n f o r a job w e l l done. I n s t e a d , he was r e -
l i e v e d of h i s d u t i e s an.d r e c a l l e d t o Z n g l a ~ di m m e d i a t e l y upon S i r
G a r n e t ' s a c c e p t a n c e of t h e d u a l p o s t o f C i v i l A d m h i s t r a t o r and
M l i t a r y C o m ~ a n d e ro f t h e Gold Coast. D e s p i t e t h e E a r l of Kim-
b e r l e y t s p r i v a t e p r o t e s t a t i o n s o f s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e Adminis-
t r a t o r ' s p e r f ormnnca under admitted1;r d i f f i c u l t c i r c ~ m s t c ~ c e3s ,
it was q u i t e p c s s i b l y t h i s f a i l u r e on t h e p a r t o f t h e G o v s r m e n t
t o acknowledge t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r ' s e f f o r t s vrhich 1:as .nost r c s p o n -
s i b l e f o r the general lack of r e c o ~ n i t i o n ,
 - 21.3 -
The s t a n d a r d assessinont of t h e a c t i o n s of t h e t r i l e s r , ~ e n
of t h e ' P r o t e c t o r ' a t e ' , orho a r e universzlly execrated f o r t h e i r
cowardice and l a z i n e s s , i s even more u n f a i r timn t h a t a c c o r 2 e d
Colonel Harley, The t r u t h i s t h a t t h e t r i b e s m e n began t h e war
by f i g l ~ t i n gw e l l and a l t h o u g h one cannot deny t h a t t h e y s u b s e -
q u e n t l y d i d n o t respond i n t h e vay which t h e B r i t i s h wished them
t o , cowardice and L a z i n e s s do n o t a p y h a r t o have beer, t h e r e a s o n s .
I n f a c t , t h e i r good s h o w i r , ~a t t h e cormencement of t h e b a t t l e o f
Dunkwa l e a d s one t o b e l i e v e t h a t had t h e y been p r o p e r l y s u p p o r t e d
a n d h a n d l e d by t h e B r i t i s h t h e y might have a c q u i t t e d t h e ~ x e l v e s
w e l l t h r o u g h o u t t h e campaign.

The F a n t i p e r f o r n a ~ c ea t t h e b a t t l e o f Dunkwa on t h e 8 t h
and 1 4 t h o f A p r i l , 1873, c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e y would and
c o u l d f i g h t t o good e f f e c t d e s p i t e t h e i r a b h o r r e n c e o f o f f e n s i v e
tactics. It i s o b v i o u s , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t t h e p r o b l e ~ nwas n o t t h a t
they lacked t h e w i l l t o f i g h t , I n s t e a d , t h e problem l a y i n t h e
f a c t t h c t t h e F a n t i , whose a t t e x p t s t o a c h i e v e some d e g r e e o f
e f f e c t i v e u ~ i t yt h r o u g h t h e medium o f t h e F a n t i C o n f e d e r a t i o n
had been f r u s t r a t e d by t h e B r i t i s h , l o o k e d t o t h e B r i t i s h t o pro-
v i d e t h e n e c e s s a r y l e a d e r s h i p around which t h e y c o u l d u n i t e . 4
C o l o n e l H a r l e y a p p a r e n t l y r e a l i z e d t h i s and he t r i e d , w i t h i n t h e
s t r i c t l i n i t s i n p o s e d on him bjr h i s i n s t r u c t i o n s and h i s r e -
s o u r c e s , t o g i v e a d e q u a t e supi>ort and l e a d e r s h i p . U~fortuw~ely,
h e c o u l d n o t p r o v i d e e v i d e n c e of B r i t i s h l e a d e r s h i p 2nd z ~ p p o r t
s u f f i c i e n t t o i ~ b u et h e F a n t i w i t h t h e c o n f i d e n c e n e c e s s a r y t o
k e e p them u n i t e d i n a n army l a r g e enough t o d e f e a t Aniankwa Tia.

C o n s e q u e n t l y , when t h e y bzgan t o s u s p e c t t h a t t h e y were

b e i n g l e f t unaided t o f i g h t a w a r which t h e y saw as b e i v g l a r g e l y
t h e r e s u l t of B r i t i s h a c t i o n s , e a c h F a n t i c o n t i n g e n t p l a c e d i t s
t r a d i t i o n a . 1 r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o d e f e n d i t s h o m e - v i l l a g e ahead o f
t h e r e q u i r c ~ n e n t so f t h e t P r o t e c t o r z t e t as a whole. It was t h e
c o m b i ~ a t i o no f t h i s a t t i t u d e , t h e a r r i v a l of t h e r a i n s , and t h e
heavy d e f e a t a t Jukwa which was l a r g e l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t i l e d i s -
i n t e g r a t i o n o f t h e F a n t i army i n e a r l y J u n e , 1873. Universal
F a n t i cowardice d o e s n o t L h e r e f o r a a ? p e a r t o have been a r n ~ i o r
f a c t o r b e h i n d t h e F a n t i c o l l a p s e d u r i n g t h e f i r s t phase o f t h e
war. b l e i t h e r d o e s i t a p p e a r t o have been a major r e a s o n f o r t h e
f a i l u r e o f t h e F a n t i t o r e s p o n d t o S i r G a r n e t ' s c a l l Lo arms
d u r i n g t h e second and t h i r d p h a s e s of t h e war.

I n s t e a d , t h e F a n t i f a i l e d t o re-form t h e i r army f o r t h e
s i r q l e r e a s o n t h a t t h e y saw no r e a s o n t o d o s o . "i'lis was p a r t l y
due t o t h e f a c t t h z t S i r C a r n e t , i n a massive b u t p o s s i b l y con-
s c i o u s m i s c a l c u l a t i o n , to1.d t h e a n o t h i n g o f t h e p r o b a b l e i n v o l v e -
ment o f European t r o o p s ; t h u s l o s i n g h i s one chance o f s h o x i n g
t h a t a new a p p r o a c h had bean a d o p t e d by t h e 1 3 r i t i s h e 5 ~ n s t e a d ,
he r e p e a t e d t h e s a x e t i r e d p r o m i s e s t h a t t h e F a n t i had h e a r d be-
f o r e tmd, u ~ i r i i p r e s s s dby mere p r o m i s e s a s proof of t h e s e r i o u s -
n e s s of t h e 3ritisl.l i n t z n t i o n s , t h e y ifere r e l u c t a n t t o once igov
take t o the ff-eld. In a d d i t i o n t o t h i s , horiever, t h e y could
no val.ic! r e a s o n f o r once inore engaging t h e Asante a m y . Ir. t h e i r
view, s h o r t s i l l ; h t e d though i t might have b e e n , 6 tile war wbs now
f o l l o w i n g t h e t r a d i t i o n a l p a t t e r n o f a l l s u c h Asante i n v a s i o n s
a n d was t h e r e f o r e v i r t u a l l y o v e r , They knebv t h a t Anankwa T i a had
e x h a u s t e d hir'lself and was o n l y a v a i t i n g t h e A s a n t e h e n e ' s psrmis-
sion t o return t o Kumsi. They t h e r e f o r e had no d e s i r e t o e x c i t e
t h e enemy i n t o renewed a c t i v i t y by t h r e a t e n i n g t o a t t a c k him.
I n s t e a d , t h e y were q u i t e c o n t e ~ tt o a w a i t h i s w i t h d r a w a l s o t h a t
t h e y r , ~ i g h tq u i e t l y r e t u r n t o t h e i r horles. This last c o ~ s i d e r a -
t i o r . was o f g r e a t iraportance a s t h e F a n t i hcd s u f f e r e d t a r r i b l y
t h r o u g h o u t t h e i n v a s i o n m d t h e y were e a g e r t o resume t k , o i r :?or-
ma1 l i v e s . They c o n s e q u e c t l y had l i t t l e i n t e r e s t i n p z r t i c i p a t -
i n s i n what t h e y viewed a s a n u n n e c e s s a r y m i l i t a r y e x e r c i s e which
would do n o t h i n g n o r e t h a n d e l a y t h e i r e f f o r t s t o r e t u r n t o n o r -
malcy.

Aside fro1.1 t h e s e major c o r . s i d e r a t ; i o n s , t h e r e were tiJO ad-

d i t i o x i l f a c t o r s which caused t h e F a n t i t o r e s i s t s e r v i c e i n $ h s
projzcted levies. One o f t h e s e i n v o l v e d pay. A s o l d i e r received
1& pence p e r day and z l l found w h i l e a c a r r i e r r e c e i v e d 6 s h i l -
l i n g s p e r month and a l l found. Thus t h e B r i t i s h t h e a s e l v e s m ~ d e
armed s e r v i c e l e s s a t t r a c t i v e than c i v i l employment. The o t i l e r
was t h e f a c t t h a t t h e l e v i e s were g e n e r a l l y b a d l y h a n d l e d hy t h e
British. They were g i v e n l i t t l e o r no t r a i n i n g a n d y e t their we;.e
o f t e n thrown i n t o s i t u a t i o n s w i t h which t h e y c o u l d n o t be e x p e c t -
ed t o cope w i t h t h e r e s u l t , t h a t d e s e r t i o n s were heavy and p a n i c s
commonplace whencver t h e y were i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e eneny. 7

It t h u s becomes c l e a r t h a t t h e o f t e n r e p e a t e d c h a r g e s o f
F a n t i cowardice were, i f n o t u n t r u e , a t l e a s t gross1.y u ~ f z i r .
The s a n e may be s a i d o f t h e c h a r g e o f l a z i n e s s - a n accusation
based on t h e g e n e r a l F a n t i r e l u c t a n c e t o s e r v e i n t h e T r a n s p o r t
Corps. I n t h i s i n s t x c e a l l of the mitigating circuasta-tces
reviewed a5ove remain e q u a l l y v a l i d . There a r e two o f t h o s e
c i r c u n s t a n c e s which a r e p o s s i b l y lnore i m p o r t a n t t h a n t h e o t h e r s ,
however.

The f i r s t c o n c e r n s t h e F a n t i d e s i r e t o r e t u r n hone a s
soon as p o s s i b l e i n o r d e r t o resume a norriial way o f l i f e . This
d e s i r e h a d a l r e a d y caused numbers of t r i b e s m e n t o r e f u s e t o
j o i n i n t h e f i g h t t o d r i v e ' a n a l r e a d y d e p a r t i n g ener~pjfrom t h e
'ProtectorateT. It would t h e r e f o r e no doubt have been an s v e n
more p o t e n t r e a s o n f o r r e f u s i n g t o s e r v e a s a c a r r i e r d n r i ~ ga n
o p e r a t i o n vhic'n would e n t a i l s e r v i c e even f u r t h e r away froiii t h e
homes which t h e y ;rere s o e a g e r t o r e - e s t a b l i s h .

The second nin j o r c i r c u m s t a n c e which caused t h e 3'ant.i t o

a v o i d s c r v i c e i n t h e Transport; Corps was t h e poor treat::icnt t h e
c a r r i e r s received. For example, d r a f t s from v a r i o u s v i l l a g e s
were bl.oh.cn up and d i s t r i b u t e c l t h r o u ~ hv a r i o u s n i x e d p.',nl;s s o
t h a t men v e r e o f t e n f a c e d w i t h t h e d i s t a s t e f u l p r o s p e c t o f viork-
i n g witah s t ; r a n g e r s u r d e r s t r a n g e h e a d ~ i ~ e n . There were a l s o m n y
o c c a s i o n s when t h e food and a c c o a o d a t i o n were poor and i n a d e q u a t e .
I n a d d i t i o n , pay was e r r a t i c and t h e r e were f r e q u e n t i n s t a r c e s o f
g r a f t and e x t o r t i o n . F i n a l l y , t h e s u p e r v i s i o n was i n e f f i c i e n t and
t h e c a r r i e r s o f t e n r e c e i v e d b r u t a l t r e a t m e n t from Suropean s a p o r -
v i s o r s and African headmn alike.' It i s l i t t l e warder, t h e r e -
f o r e , t h a t s e r v i c e a s a c a r r i e r r a p i d l y becane u n p o p u l a r , de-
s p i t e t h e r e l a t i v e l y h i g h pay, and t h a t d e s e r t i o n s i n c r e a s e d a t
I

t h e same t i x e a s r e c r u i t i n g d e c l i n e d .

U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e s p o n s i b l e B r i t i s h o f f i c i a l s or, t h e
Gold Coast \;ere e i t h e r u n a b l e o r u n w i l l i n g t o r e c o g n i z e t h a t t h e
F a n t i f a i l u r e t o respond t o t h e s i t u a t i o n i n a manner which t h e
Europeans t h o u g h t p r o p e r was a t t r i b u t a b l e t o v a l i d r e a s o r s. In
t h e e y e s o f S i r Garnet ! l o l s e l e y , t h e members of h i s s t a f f , and
v i r t u a l l y e v e r y European o b s e r v e r on t h e C o a s t a t t h i s t i m , t h e
r e a s o n s behind t h e F a n t i r e l u c t a n c e t o "cone t o g r i p s w i t h t h e i r
t r a d i t i o n a l enemy a n d d r i v e him f rain t h e i r s a c r e d hoineland?' were
p u r e l y and s i m p l y t h e i r " n a t u r a l co:.iardice a ~ ld a ~ i n e s s ~It
. ~
i s regretable t h a t t h i s largely unjustified generalization gain-
ed c r e d e n c e and became t h e s t a n d a r d e x p l a n a t i o n f o r F a n t i conduct
t h r o u g h o u t t h e war, b u t s u c h was t h e c a s e .

The c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f b o t h C o l o n e l H a r l e y and t h e F a n t i
were t h u s i g n o r e d o r b a d l y m i s r e p r e s e n t e d i n n o s t o f t h e contem-
p o r a r y a c c o u n t s of t h e war. They were n o t a l o n e i n t h i s , however,

f o r C a p t a i n Glover s u f f e r e d a s i m i l a r f a t e . T h i s was s o m a i n l y
b e c a u s e S i r G a r n e t , w l ~ o s eo p i n i o r . ~and a t t i t u d e s t e n d t o domi-
n a t e most o f t h e r n a t e r i a l w r i t t e n a t t h e t i m e , disapprov'ed o f t h e
Volta expedition.10 It i s a l s o due, i n p a r t , t o t h e f a c t t h a t
C a p t a i n Glover was n o t accompanied by newspaper c o r r e s p o n d e n t s t o
t h e e x t e ~ t h a t S i r Garnet was. As a r e s u l t ; , t h e t e n d a c c y
t h r o u g h o u t was t o view e v e n t s from t h e G e n e r a l t s p o i y t - o f - v i e w
.
and t o downgrade t h e importance o f C a p t a i n G l o v e r ' s a c t i o n s ac-
cordir.gly. Even s o , t h e r e i s no d o u b t t h a t C a p t a i n G l o v e r , l i k e
Colonel Harl-ey, a c c o : . i ~ l i s h e d much under d i f f i c u l t c o r d i t i o n s . 11
Because t h i s i s t h e c a s e , it i s w e l l t o b r i e f l y review t h e two
m a j o r c m t r i b u t i o n s made by C a p t a i n G l o v e r and t o a s s e s s t h e i r
i m p a c t on t h e campaign.

The f i r s t o f t h e s e two major c o n t r i b u t i o z s was h i s suc-

c e s s f u l d i v e r s i o n of t h e King of J a b i n ' s l a r g e c o n t i n g e n t frcm
Kofi K a r i k a r i f s army a t a t i n e when it was v i t a l l y needed. Even
though he was seriously under s t r e n g t h as a r e s u l t o f t h e coxbin-
ed e f f e c t s of S i r G a r n e t ' s i n s i s t e n c e on a d h e r i n g t o t h e 1 5 t h of
J a n u a r y i n v a s i o n d a t e and t h e c o n f l i c t s amcng t h e A f r i c a n s ir,

t h e t r a n s - V o l t a r e s i o n , C a p t a i n Glover managed t o c r e a t e a d i -
v e r s i o n of s u f f i c i e n t p r o p c r t i o n s t o deny t h e Asantehe2e some
1 2 , 0 0 0 men. The importa!?ce o f t h i s car. be a p p r e c i a t e d when one
c o ~ s i d e r st b a t t h e b a t t l e s o f Amoafu a n d Odasu v e r e 'rjcth h a r d
f o u c h t e n g a g e m n t s v'nich t h e 1 3 r i t i s h cane v e r y c l o s e t o l o s i r l ~a n d
which t h e y w u l d q u i t e p r o b 3 b l y hsve l o s t had Kofi K a r i k a r i had
t h o s e a d d i t i o n a l 1 2 , 0 0 0 Inen. 1 2
 C a p t a i n Gi.overTs a c c o ~ p l i s l ~ n s n +w, si t h r e s p e c t t o t h e
J a b i p s d i d :riar.age t o e l i c i t some g r u d ~ i n gr e c o g n i t i o n f r o n Henry
Brackenbury and o t h e r s . !Iowever, h i s second ::laj o r cor,i;ributicr.
i s mentioned o n l y once: i n a modern s t u d y o f t h e A s a ~ t ewars
w r i t t e n by i41r. Alon ~ 1 o ~ d .ilr.
l ~ Lloyd s u g g e s t s t h a t it was t h e
added t h r e a t posed by C a p t a i n G l o w r , when he s u d d e n l y a p p e a r e d
i m m e d i a t e l y t o t h e e a s t of Kunasi j u s t a f t e r S i r G a r n e t ' s w i t h -
d r a w a l , which ::as t h e a c t u a l reason f o r t h e k s a n t e h e r e t s accept-
a n c e o f t h e S e ~ e i - a l ~terins
s ever. a f t e r t h e B r i t i s h h2d a l r e a d y
begun t o novo south.14 .The f a c t s would a p p e a r t o s u p p o r t t h i s
c o n t e n t i o n f o r S i r Garnet had done h i s w o r s t , had acccL::p1iAed
n o t h i n g toward g e t t i n g a t r e a t y w i t h t h e h s a n t e h e n e , a??d :GS vir-
t u a l l y f l e e i n g t o t h e Coast when t h e Asante envojrs o v e r t o & him
a t Ketchiasu with Kofi I h r i k a r i f s o f f e r t o t r e a t .

I n t h e l i g h t of t h i s , i t i s t h u s d o u b t f u l t h a t tihe Sen-
e r a l f s a c t i o n s were s o l e l y r ' e s p o n s i b l e f o r t i l e sudden A s z n t e de-
s i r e t o reach an accord. I n s t e a d , t h e r e a l r e a s o n b e h i n d t h e sud-
den p e a c e move r-ms rsveclled i n t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s r e q u e s t which a c -
co~ilpaniedh i s o f f e r t o s i g n t h e t r e a t y , t h a t C a p t a i n G l o v e r T s
f o r c e be h a l t e d and withdrawn. T h i s nade i t c l e a r t h a t S i r
G a r n e t h,c! n o t d e a l t t h e Asante a m o r t a l blow b u t r a t h e r t h a t it
was t h e shock o f what t h e y t o o k t o be a n o t h e r s t r 0 r . g Z r i t i s h
f o r c e cocii?g fran t h e e a s t t o c o n t i n u e t h e war, t h a t provokad

t h e b e l a t e d A s a ~ t ea p l ~ e a lf o r a t r e a t y . A s t h i s i s ar, i q t e r -
p r e t a t i o n v ? l i c h w c u l d have been a n a t h e a a t o S i r Garnet a s c e l l a s
t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e nien who ui-ote o f t h e war, t h i s v i t a l c o ~ t r i -
b u t i o n was n e v e r r e v e z l e d i n i t s t r u e l i g h t by a n y o f t h e con-
t-emporary wit o r s . 1 5

Unlike C o l o n e l X a r l e y , t h e c o a s t a l t r i b e s n e n , and Cap-

t a i n G l o v e r , S i r G a r n e t 7Jolseley emerged from t h i s war ~ : i t hhi.s
r e c o r d u n t a i - r i s h e d a n d h i s r e p u t a t i o n enhanced. T h i s was n o t
b e c a u s e h e waged a b r i l l i a n t campaign. R a t h e r i t was a r e s u l t
o f t h e f o r t u i t o u s c o m b h a t i o n o f two o t h e r e l e m e n t s . F i r s t and
f o r e m o s t , he s i m p l y suxceeded, i n s p i t e o f h i s many m i s t a k e s , ir.
d o i n g what he s e t o u t t o do. Second, t h e men who w r o t e o f t h e
war, be t h e y s o l d i e r s , who were i n v a r i a b l y nienbers of t h e " r i n g T t ,
o r newspaper c o r r e s p o n d e n t s , were g e n e r a l l y s y m p a t h e t i c toward
him a n d r e c o r d e d h i s a c t i o n s i n a f a v o u r a b l e l i g h t . 16 I'everthe-
l e s s , t h e t r u t h o f t h e m a t t e r i s t h a t S i r Garnet p c r f o w e d poor-
l y t h r o u g h o u t t h e campaign and it was more by good l u c k t h a n good
management t h a t t h e B r i t i s h cause was saved from d i s a s t e r .

I n i t i a l l y , t h i s d i d n o t a p p e a r t o be t h e c a s e f o r t h e
G e n e r a l ' s work on t h e Gold Coast began w e l l . H i s plan appeared
b o t h s i m p l e a n d v i a b l e , e v e r though it had been conceived i n
England w i t h o u t informed a s s i s t a n c e , and h e moved w i t h speed a n d
e n e r g y t o p u t it i n t o i m c n d i a t e o p e r a t i o n . Sven s o , w i t h i n days
of h i s a r r i v a l t h e b a s i c weaknesses i n h i s a p p r o a c h were b e g i n -
ning t o m i t i g a t e a g a i n s t i t s c h a r c e s of s u c c e s s .
 A m a j o r s h o r t c o m i n g ivhs h i s f a i l u r e t o f i n d a way t o i n -
duce t h e F a n t i s t o v o l u n t a r i l y p a r t i c i p a t e more f u l l y i n t h e COT.-

d u c t o f t h e wa.ar. T h i s f a i l u r e can be a s c r i b e d t o s e v e r z i b a s i c
factors. I n t h e f i r s t p l a c e , a l t h o u e h he n e v e r a d m i t t e d i t , it
was a g a i n s t h i s i n t e r e s t s t o e f f e c t i v e l y r a l l y t h e F a n t i s . He
had become c m v i n c e d of t h e a b s o l u t e w o r t h l e s s n e s s of t h e c o a s t a l
t r i b e s m e n even b e f o r e h e l e f t England a n d he ~ r r i v e da t Cape
Coast a l r e a d y d e t e r n i n e d t o c a l l f o r t h e European t r o o p s . l7 It
was t h e r e f o r e c o n v e n i e n t f o r hirz t o denean t h e f i g h t i n g s p i r i t
and a b i l i t y of t h e tribesi.len on e v e r y p o s s i b l e o c c a s i o ? s o t h a t
he might f u r t h e r j u s t i f y his r e q u e s t f o r r e g u l a r amny u n i t s .
Second, as he d i d l i t t l e t o make h i s c a l l t o arms and h i s p r o n i s e s
o f s u p p o r t a n y more c o n v i n c i n g t h a n C o l o n e l H a r l e y ' s had b e e n , t h e
F a n t i s had no cause t o r e s p o n d any n o r e v i g o r o u s l y t h a n t h e y had
f o r t h e Administrator. T h i r d , he r e f u s e d t o u t i l i z e men e x p e r i -
enced i n t h e h a n d l i n g o f A f r i c a n s i n h i s a t t e i n p t s t o r a l l y and
o r g a n i z e t h e t r i b e s r : ~ e n . He r d u s e d t h e s e r v i c e s o f s e v e r d 'Old
A f r i c a HacdsT1' wlm o f f e r e d t o cor.:c o u t from England f o r him
s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r t h a t purpose. And, even worse, he n e g l e c t e d t o
u t i l i z e s u c h r e l a t i v e l y e x p e r i e n c e d men a s S o l o n e l H a r l e y , who
o f f e r e d Lo s t a y on i n a n a d v i s o r y c n p a c i t y , 1 9 and C o l o n e l F e s t i n g ,
who was d e n i e d a p o s t on t h e s t a f f 2nd was r e l e g a t e d t o a r e l a -
t i v e l y minor coii~xmd i n t h e f i e l d . I n s t e a d , he s u r r o m d a d hiin-
s e l f v i t h inen who v;;iare g e n e r a l l y g i f t e d i n t h e a r t of c o n v c -
t i o n a l w a r f a r e b u t w5o were a s i c n o r a n t of c o n d i t i ~ n sor. t h e
Gold Coast as .he was. He t h u s d e n i e d h i m s e l f t h e s e r v i c e s o f t h e
v e r y men who might b e s t have been a b l e t o i n d u c e t h e t r i b e s m e n t o
fight .
An a d d i t i o n a l f a c t o r which m i t i g a t e d a g a i n s t h i s c h a n c e s
o f s u c c e s s f u l l y e x e c u t i n g t h a t p o r t i o n o f h i s p l a n which c ~ i l i e d
f o r enga2;ing t h e Asante a r x y i n damaging f i e l d o p e r a t i o n s , was
t h s G e v e r a l ' s s l o r m e s s i~ a d a p t i n g h i s p l a n s t o s u i t t h e e x i s t i n g
circurnstnnces. The F a n t i l e v i e s ware vital t o t h z s u c c e s s o f h i s
t a c t i c a l p l a n , which e q v i s a g e d t h e d r i v i n g of Ainarkwa Tia from
t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' w h i l e i n f l i c t i n g t h e g r e a t e s t l o s s p o s s i b l e on
h i s army. However, even t h o u g h he h&d d e c i d e d w i t h i n d a y s of h i s
a r r i v a l a t Cape Coast t h a t a n y F a n t i f o r c e would be u s e l e s s aqd
d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t he knew w i t h i n two weeks o f h i s a r r i v a l
t h a t t h e Asante army was a l r e a d y p l a n n i n g t o withdraw, he made ~ o
move t o change h i s p l a n accol-dingly. I ~ s t e a d ,he t r i e d f o r t h e
better p a r t o f a month t o e x e c u t e h i s o r i g i n a l p l a n and it was
n o t u n t i l t h e 1 s t . o f ?Jovei,lber t h a t he f i n a l l y a d i n i t t e d t h e f u -
t i l i t y o f h i s e f f o r t s and d e c i d e d t o change h i s zpproach. *' This
was l a t e i n the & a m , however, and a s a r e s u l t , he was n p i d l y
l o s i n g h i s one o p p o r t u n i t y t o i n f l i c t s i g n i f i c a n t l o s s e s on t h e
Asante f o r ce.

Even s o , l a r g e l y as a r e s u l t o f t h e l u d i c r o u s manoeuver-
in@ a r o u n d t h e Haunted Road i n l a t e O c t o b e r , he announced h i s
dcp-:
w A a ~ . otno a d o p t t h e b u s h - x a r f a r e t a c t i c o f h a r a s s n e n t i n l i e u
C.
of seeking a t r a d i t i o n a l confrontation i n t h e f i e l d . Thus on t h e
s u r f a c e o f t h i n c s , it a p p e a r e d t h a t S i r Garnet was a t l a s t com-
ing t o terms with t h e situation. C e r t a i n l y had he pursued h i s
new t a c t i c a s v i g o r o u s l y a s he denounced t h e F a n t i s , he might
s t i l l have e x a c t e d a heavy t o l l on t h e r e t r e a t i n g Asante a r x y .
A s m a t t e r s d e v e l o p e d , however, t h e G e n e r a l soon proved t h a t he
had l i t t l e u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f b u s h - v a r f a r e and
h i s a c t i o n s a f t e r t h e b a t t l e o f Abrakrainpa even c a s t sorne doubt
on h i s b a s i c l e a d e r s h i p a b i l i t y .

The s i t u a t i o n a f t e r t h e b a t t l e o f Abrakra:.ipa p r e s e n t e d
S i r G a r n e t w i t h a golder: o p r l o r t u n i t y f o r t h e p r o s e c u t i o r , of h a r -
assment t a c t i c s . Although t h e eneiny was s t i l l c a p a b l e of d e f e a t -
i n g h i n i n a head-on c o n f r o n t a t i o n , i t was S i r Garnet who p o s s e s -
sed a l l t h e necessary advantages. The enemy was s u f f e r i n g from
a n a p p a r e n t c o l l a p s s of l e a d e r s h i p ; h i s morale was low; s i c l m e s s
and hunger were r i f e t h r o u g h o u t t h e army; s u p p l i e s were low; and
he was a l r e a d y c o w i t t e d t o a w i t h d r a w a l . On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e
t a c t i c a l a d v a n t a g e l a y w i t h t h e B r i t i s h who now p o s s e s s e d t h e
i n i t i a t i v e , who f i n a l l y e n j o y e d a r e l a t i v e l y p l e n t i f u l s u p p l y o f
a r n s and m u n i t i o n s , and who p o s s e s s e d s u f f i c i e n t d i s c i p l i n e d t r o -
o p s t o e f f e c t i v e l y h a r a s s t h e enemy colurims. However, t h e Gen-
e r a l f a i l e d t o seize t h i s opportunity t o exact an additional t o l l
f r o m t h e s i c k a r ~ d-t~earjrA s a ~ t ea r n y . 2 1
 What i n f o r n a t i o n t h e B r i t i s h had confirmed t h a t X;;ianki.ia
T i a was d e f i n i t e l y h e a d i ~ cf o r t h e P r a and t h a t h i s f o r c e was on
t h e v e r g e of a r o u t . He s h o u l d i r m e d i a t e l y have s e n t r e l i a b l e
p a t r o l s a f t e r t h e r e t r e a t i n g enemy i n o r d e r t o m a i n t a i n c o n t a c t
w i t h him and i n o r d e r t o h u r r y him on h i s way, He s h o u l d . tiler,
have formed s e v e r a l s m a l l but; w e l l armed and conipetently l e d
r a i d i n g p a r t i e s which he c o u l d i n i t i a l l y have s t a t i c n e d a t Dunkva
and P:ar?su. but, which he e v e n t u a l l y would have noved n o r t h a l o n g
t h e r o a d p a r a l l e l t o Amankwa Tiaf s L i n e o f march. 22 He would
t h e r e f o r e have been i n a p o s i t i o n t o a c t on t h e r e p o r t s of h i s
p a t r o l s by c a r r y i n g o u t n u m e r i c a l l y small b u t p h y s i c a l l y and
p s y c h o l o ~ i c z l l yd e s t r u c t i v e h i t - a n d - r u n r a i d s on t h e f l a n k s o f
the

I n s t e a d o f t h i s , however, t h e t r o o p s most s u i t a b l e f o r
t h e s e operations--the !,'est Indians--wzre comoitted t o t h e r e i n -
f o r c e m e n t o f t h e a l r e z d y r e d u n d a n t p o s t s a t Beulah, ? a p c l e o n ,
Abrakranpa, Assayboo, and Akrofu; c o n t a c t w i t h t h e enemy was
l o s t ; and t h e d i f f i c u l t j o b o f l o c a t i n g and h a r a s s i n g t h e memy
was g i v e n o v e r t o t h e same F a n t i l e v i e s which had a l r e a d y dem-
o n s t r a t e d t h e i r i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y o u t s u c h a t a s k imrnedlately
a f t e r t h e b a t t l e o f ~ b r a k r a r i l ~ a .A s a r e s u l t , t h e r e was no c f -
fective pursuit. I n s t e a d , once h e r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e was n c
p r e s s u r e on h i s Rear-Guard, Arnankwa Tia slowed down h i s r a t e cf
march, I n f a c t , t h e Asante g e n e r a l was a1lol:ed t o t a k e t l i e n t y
d a y s t o c o v e r . t h e f o r t y n i l - e s from Dunkwa t o P r a s u v i r r t u - l l y un-
h i n d e r e d , t h u s s a v i n g marly nen vho ~ ~ c u lhave
d beer! ul13bl.e t o
s t a n d t h e r i g o u r s o f a f o r c e d march. C c n s e q u e n t l y , a l t i i o u ~ ht h e
A s a n t e army r e t u r n e d t o Kunasi i n a s a d s t a t e , i t r e t u r n e d in
much b e t t e r c o n d i t i o n t h a n i t would have had S i ? Garnet z.st,ed
more v i g o r o u s l y and i n t e l l i g e n t l y t h a n he d i d .

' N e v e r t h e l e s s , had S i r G a r n e t t s e r r o r s d u r i n g t h i s second

p h a s e o f t h e war been r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e f i e l d o f t a c t i c z l o p e r a -
t i o n s , o r e would be i n c l i n e d t o o v e r l o o k h i s v a r i o u s e r r o r s and
s i m p l y a t t r i b u t e them t o a l a c k of e x p e r i e n c e i n a v e r y s p e c i a l -
i z e d form of w a r f a r e . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e G e n e r a l was f 0un.d e-
q u a l l y wanting i n t h e f i e l d o f l o g i s t i c a l o p e r a t i o n s and f o r t h i s
t h e r e could be no e x c u s e . It i s a m i l i t a r y axiom t h a t a comimnd-
e r a t any l e v e l must d e l e g a t e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o t r u s t e d s u b o r d i n -
a t e s b u t t h a t h e must a t a l l t i m e s s u p e r v i s e t h e a c t i o n s o f t h o s e
s u b o r d i n a t e s a s he a l o n e b e a r s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e s u c c e s s o r
f a i l u r e of t h e o p e r a t i o n i n hand. A general's reputation is
t h e r e f o r e based n o t o n l y on. h i s a b i l i t y t o choose a b l e a n d r e l i -
a b l e s u b o r d i n a t e s b u t a l s o on h i s c a p a c i t y f o r as sun in^ o v e r a l l
d i r e c t i o n a n d c o n t r o l o f e v e r y major aslnect o f t h e cnmaaign w i t h -
o u t unduly emphasizing one p a r t i c u l a r a s p e c t t o t h e d e t r i a e n t o f
the cthers. T h i s S i r Garnet f a i l e d t o do. 'Ihroughout t h e car.-
p a i g n he c o n c e q t r a t e d OP. t a c t i c a l opzz-ations and a l l o w e d h i s l o -
g i s t i c su.pprt t o fall into disarray.
 IIis a c b i o n s durir.;; phase two of t h e c a x p a i g n c l e a r l y
illustrate t h i s situation. A d m i t t e d l y he t o o k p o s i t i v e s t e p s t o
b e g i n t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n of t h e c e n t e r of s u p p l y a t Cape C c a s t ,
t h e Kain S u s p l y Route from Cape Coast t o P r a s u , a n d t h e T r a n s p o r t
Corps i r n r , ~ e d i a t e l ya f t e r h i s a r r i v a l . But from t h a t t i m e u n t i l
j u s t b e f o r e t h e a r r i v a l of t h e Suropean t r o o p s i n e a r l y December,
he v i r t u a l l y i g n o r e d t h e p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r t h e i n v a s i o n , Instead,
he dashed a b o u t t h e c o m t r y s i d e l e a d i n g a t t a c k s a ~ dd i r e c t i n g
r e l i e f columns which c o u l d h a v e been commanded a t l e a s t a s e f -
f e c t i v e ) - y by s u c h s u b o r d i n a t e s a s Colo2el- F e s t l n g , C o l o r e l idood,
and Elajor l i u s s e l l ,

As a r e s u l t o f t h i s s i t u a t i o n , t h e o n l y p r o j ' e c t s which
1i10ved a h e a d a t a r e a s o n a b l e r a t e w h i l e t a c t i c a l opera ti or.^ viere
a t t h e i r h e i g h t , were t h e c o r . s t r u c t i o n o f s t o r a g e f a c i l i t i e s and
t h e improveraent o f t h e road--both of which were o f importan.ce t o
t h e immediate t a c t i c a l aims. However, n o t h i n g was done about. t h e
v i t a l need t o p r e p a r e t h e s t a g i n g camps a l o n g t h e r o a d a n d n o t h -
i n g was done t o s o l v e t h e s t e a d i l y worsening c a r r i e r problem.

S i r G a r n e t ' s f a i l u r e t o p u s h ahead w i t h t h e construct lo^

of t h e c a ~ n p s i t a sw h i l e t h e A s a n t e s were s t i l l i n ti!e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e T
i s v i r t u a l l y inexplicabl-e, We knew t h a t t h e e n m y had d e f i n i t e l y
begun t o x i t h d r a w by t h e end of ~ c t o b e and
r ~ ~h e a l s o knew t h a t
t h e European t r o o p s would b e z r r i v i v g , i f t h e y were t o be s e n t
a t a l l , e a r l y ir. Decenber. '
4 I T e v c r t h e l e s s , no a t i e n ~ p twas rmde
 - 227 -
t o s e l e c t , p l a n , o r b e g i n c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e c a n p s i t e s u n t i l
t h e f i r s t week i n Dece:.lber. T h i s was n e g l i g e n c e of t h e h i z h e s t
o r d e r because Inkirabix, Akrof u , Y a ~ k u n a s iF a n t i and Tansu, t h e
f i r s t f o u r of t h e e i g h t c a m p s i t e s e v e n t u a l l y s e l e c t e d , were s u f -
f i c i e ~ t l yprol;ected f o r work t o have been s t a r t e d a n o n t h e r ? r l i e r
t h a n it was ar.d b e c a u s e s u f f i c i e g t l a b o u r was a v a i l a b l e t o b e z i p
t h e c o r s t r u c t i o n j u s t as soon as t h e c m p s i t e s were s e c u r e . 25

S i m i l a r l y , t h e t r a n s p o r t probleiii was r e c o g n i z e d a s early

a s mid-Fove~nber b u t no a c t i v e s t e p s were t a k e n t o r e c t i f y t h e
s i t u a t i o n u n t i l one month l a t e r by which t i m e t h e s i t u a t i o n had
d e g e n e r a t e d i n t o a l m o s t h o p e l e s s chaos. S i r G a r n e t h i m s e l f ac?-
m i t t e d i n a d e s p a t c h d a t e d t h e l g t h o f Novenber, t h a t t h e d i f f i -
c u l t i e s beir.g e n c o u n t e r e d i n t h e r a i s i n g of t r a n s p o r t cocipa^nies
l a y i n t h e l a c k o f o r g a ~ i z a t i o nand i n " n a t i v e d i s c o n t e n t v 26
w i t h t h e t e r m s of s e r v i c e . Y e v e r t h e l e s s , i n s t e a d of a t t e n p t i ~ g
t o r e c t i f y t h e problem by removing t h e c a u s e s , t h e G e n e r a l a n d
h i s staff spent t h e i r time unsuccessfull-y t r y i n g t o devise a l t e r -
n a t e means o f t r a n s p o r t .

It was n o t u n t i l C o l o n e l C o l l e y a r r i v e d t11a.t a n y p o s i t i v e
s t e p s were t a k e n t o r e c t i f y t h e s i t u a t i o n and i t s a y s l i t t l e f o r
t h e General and h i s " r i n g v t h a t t h e C o l o n e l s i n p l y a d c p t e d p r o c e -
d u r e s a n d t o o k s t e p s t h a t would have o c c u r r e d t o any s o l d i e r who
p o s s e s s e d a rncdicum of comt:lon s e n s e and a rudi:nentary linovledge
a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e p r i n c i p l e s of f i e l d s u p p l y and p e r s o n -
n e l aanageuent;. 3 e sirnply a d a p t e d t h e e x i s t i z g o r g a r i z a t i o n o f

t r a n s p o r t t h e n c u r r e n t i n t h e B r i t i s h krrny t o s u i t Y e s t A f r i c a n
c o n d i t i o n s and t h e n proceeded t o meet w i t h t h e A f r i c a n l e n d e r s
i n o r d e r t o d e f i n e t h e a r e a s of W a t i v e d i s c o n t e n t t T s o t h a t
s t e p s c o u l d be t a k e n t o remove t h e c a u s e s of t h a t d i s c o n t e ~ t .

S i r G ~ r n e t T so n l y comment on t h e s i t u a t i o n was t o t h e
e f f e c t , t h a t it had h i t h e r t o been i m p o s s i b l e t o form a p r o p e r
T r a n s p o r t Department b s c a u s e t h e r e were n o t s u f f i c i e n t o f f i c e r s
a v a i l a b l e t o s t a f f it and t h a t t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e d r a f t o f o f -
f i c e r s on t h e 23rd o f Decenber was a l l t h a t nade C o l o n e l C o l l e y f s
r e c o m r n e n d a t i o ~ sv i a b l e . Vot o n l y does t h i s f a i l t o e x c u s e h i s
f a i l u r e t o p r o v i d e t h e l e a d e r s h i p and d i r e c t i o n n e c e s s a r y a t
l e a s t t o d e a l w i t h t h e problem o f A f r i c a n g r i e v a n c e s b u t it i s
a l s o patently untrue. There were S p e c i a l S e r v i c e o f f i c e r s whom
S i r Garnet h i m s e l f had a t t a c h e d a s l i a s o n and t r a i n i n g o f f i c e r s
t o t h e v a r i o u s k i n g s and c h i e f s o f t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e f who c o u l d
e a s i l y have been y i t h d r a w n t o a s s u n e t r a n s p o r t d u t i e s f o r it was
c l e a r by mid-?!overnber t h a t t h e i r c c n t i n u e d eaployment ir. t h a t
c a p a c i t y was u s e l e s s . I n f a c t , t h e y were q u i t e p o s s i b l y t h e
b e s t men a v a i l a b l e f o r employment i n t h e T r a n s p o r t D e p . r t n e n t f o r
by t h i s t i m e a l t h o u g h t h e l a r g e arnied l e v i e s which t h e y wer; sup-
posed t o o r g a n i z e a ~ tdr a i n were a p p m e n t l y n c t g o i n g t o ma+,erlal-
i z e , t h e y were i n a? excell.er,t p o s i t i o n , t h r o u g h t h e i r i n t i z a t e
a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h t h e v a r i o u s t r i b e s a d t h e i r l e a d e r s , t o be h i & -
l y effective t h e r s i s i n g and s u p e r v i s i o n o f t r a n s p o r t conpa-
n i e s based on t r i b a l groupings27--if t h e F a n t i would come f o r w a r d .

U n f o r t u n a t e l y t h i s t y p e o f s o l u t i o n was n e v e r a t t e m p t e d
a n d t h e damage caused by S i r G a r n e t ' s n e g l e c t o f t h e t r a ~ s p o r t
problem eras n e v e r f u l l y overcome. Service with t h e Transport
Corps had f a l l e n i r t o s u c h d i s r e p u t e w i t h t h e A f r i c z n s t h a t even
C o l o n e l Co13.eyTs l a s t m i n u t e a t t e n p t s t o r e c t i f y t h e problenl
c o u l d a c c o n p l i s h l i t t l e a ~ tdh e S r i t i s h had e v e n t u a l l y t o r e s o r t
to a n d t h e u s e o f women and c h i l d r e n i n o r d e r t o r a i s e
t h e b a r e rnininum nuinber of c a r r i e r s needed.

I n t h e end a n a l y s i s , S i r G a r n e t ' s f a i l u r e t o p r o p e r l y
p l a n a n d s u p e r v i s e t h e c a m p s i t e work on t h e Kain Supply 2 o u t e and
h i s i n a b i l i t y t o d e a l effectively with the transport question
when i t f i r s t a r o s e were t o have f a r - r e a c h i n g consequecces. For
example, h i s f a i l u r e t o push forward w i t h t h e work o f p r e p a r i n g
t h e czrr,psites and h i s f a i l u r e t o have a n a d e q u a t e t r a n s p o r t sjrs-

tern r e a d y t o begir, rrloving s u p p l i e s n o r t h w a r d as soon a s A n a n h a

T i a was c l e a r o f t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ? d e l a y e d t h e i n v a s i o n by n o r e
t h a n t h r e e weeks. Consequmtly , he exposed t h e E u r o p e a ~ .t r o o p s
t o a t l e a s t t h r e e coinpletely u m e c e s s a r y r i s k s . I n t h e first
p l a c e , t h e d e l a y s e r L o u s l y reduced t h e p e r i o d of t i m e a v a i l a b l e
f o r " d r y v w a t h e r o p e r a t i o n s and t h u s i n c r e a s e d t h e r i s k o f ex-
p0sip.g t h e t r o o p s t o t h e d e l e t e r i o u s e f f e c t s of t h e r a i n y s e a s o q .
Second, t h e l o s s o f t i m e p r e y e d on t h e m i ~ d so f t h e G e y e r a l and
t h e rseinbers of h i s s t a f f a d l e d them t o a d o p t q u e s t i o m b l e , i f
n o t d a n g e r o u s , t a . c t i c a 1 p l a n s oqce t h e i n v a s i o n was begun. Fi-
n a l l y , a n y d e l a y on t h e p a r t o f an a t t a c k i n g f o r c e nortixilly works
t o t h e a d v a n t a g e of t h e d e f e ~ d e ra n d , a s S i r G a r x t had i ~ f o r n e d
t h e Asante5eno o f h i s i n v a s i o n p l a n s , 2 9 t h i s o c c a s i o n proved t o
be no e x c e p t i o n t o t h e r u l e . I n addition t o a l l of t h i s , the
G e n e r a l ' s n e g l e c t of t h e t r a r l s p o r t p o b l e m which v a s p a r t i a l l y
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e u n n e c e s s a r y l o s s of a s i g n - i f i c a n t p o r t i o n o f
h i s Europear, b r i g a d e , a l o s s which l i m i t e d t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f
h i s f o r c e a n d g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d t h e r i s k of f a i l u r e . This l a s t
p o i n t i s of c o n s i d - e r a b l e i n p o r t a n c e b e c a u s e , possib1.y more t h a r .
a n y o t h e r s i n g l e i n c i d e ~ ti n t h e c a q a i g r , , it c l e a r l y il!.ust;rates
a major and c o n s i s t e n t f l a w i n S i r G a r n e t ' s g e n e r a l s h i p .

A general's first r e s p o n s i b i l i t y is t o preserve h i s force

a s a n e f f e c t i v e m i l i t a r y instrumen.t, fie must t h e r e f o r e t a k e ev-
ery p r e c a u t i o n t o p l a n t h e conduct o f t h e o p e r a t i o r f o r vi'nich h e
i s r e s p o n s i b l e i n such a way a s t o e l i m i n a t e e v e r y u n n e c e s s a r y
r i s k t o t h a t force. The n o s t a p p a l l i n g a s p e c t o f S i r G a r n e t Ts
conduct of t h e Asar,i;e c a n p a i g r i s t h e way i n which he c o r s i s t -
e n t l y proceeded t o unclemine i t s c h a n c e s o f s u c c e s s by i g ~ o r i n g
t h i s prime r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . His a c t i o n s , o r l a c k t h e r e o f , d u r i n g
t h e p e r i o d from e a r l y October t h r o u g h t o l a t e December 1873, p a r -
t i a l l y illustrate t h i s fact. Holwever, h i s a c l r i o ~ sa f t e r t h e t r o -
o p s begar, t o l a n d i n l a t e Decenber, expose t h i s s e r i o u s s h o r t -
coming even n o r e c l e a r l y . I n f a c t , he s o g r e z t l y i ~ c r e a s e dt h e
 r i s k of f a i l u r e t h a t i t i s a c t u a l l y d i f f i c u l t t o b e l i e v e t h z t h e
was s u c c e s s f u l i n e x t r i c a t i n g h i s i n v a s i o n f o r c e f o r h e c o m n i t t e d
s e v e r a l :na j o y e r r o r s which p u t t h e e n t i r e o p e r a t i o n i n jeopzrdy.
I n d e e d , a s cne s t u d i e s t h e campaign i t becomes i n c r e a s i ~ g l yc l e a r
t h a t had t h e G e n e r a l f a i l e d , h i s a c t i o n s would have been s u b j e c t -
ed t o a much more c r i t i c a l a p p r a i s a l t h a n t h e y were and t h a t h i s
campaign would have gone down i n h i s t o r y w i t h s u c h c l a s s i c r.iili.-

t a r y b l u n d e r s a s t h e c h a r g e of t h e L i g h t B r i g a d s , G a l . l i p o l i , and
. Dieppe axd h i s r e p u t a t i o n would have s u f f e r e d t h e same f a t e a s
d i d t h o s e of t h e l e a d e r s i n v o l v e d ir, those infanous debacles.

One o f t h e G e n e r a l ' s a c t i o n s which s e r i o u s l y and w n e c e s -

s a r i l y endangered t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e i n v a s i o n was h i s misuse of
t h e troops a t h i s disposal. When making t h e p l a n s f o r h i s d r i v e
t o t h e n o r t h , S i r Garnet was f a c e d w i t h t h r e e b a s i c r e q u i r e n e n t s
f o r troops. He had t o g a r r i s o n t h e f o r t s on t h e coast., p a r d h i s
l i n e s o f c o r m u n i c a t i o n , and f i e l d an i n v a s i o n f o r c e which c o u l d
make u p f o r i t s l a c k o f numbers by i t s s u p e r i o r d i s c i p l i n e and
fire-power. The o b v i o u s p r i o r i t y f o r t r o o p a l l o c a t i o n v a s t h e r e -
f o r e t o u s e t h e l e a s t r e l i a b l e f o r c e s i n t h e f o r t s \dlere t 1 . l ~f?avy

c o u l d l e n d a s s i s t a n c e i n an e ~ e r ~ e n t h
c e~ n,e x~t ~b e s t ti3it.s could
t h e n be u s e d t o s e c u r e t h e l i n e s o f communication, and t h e r e g u -
l a r t r o o p s c o u l d form t h e i n v a s i o n f o r c e . Taking i n t o c o n s i d e r -
a t i o n t h e G e n e r a l ' s p r e j u d i c e a ~ a i c s tt h e V e s t ~ n d i a n s t, h~i ~s
would have e n t a i l e d t h e assignriient o f ',food's a n d 8 u s s e l l ' s Xegi-
m e ~ t s ,t h e Gold Coast R i f l e s , tile r e m n a n t s o f t h e F a n t i
l e v i e s 3 * t o g a r r i s o n d t i t i e s i n t h e f o r t s ar.2 a l o n g t h e ? k i n Supply
Route. It would t h c r have r e q u i r e d t h e employment of s o m o f t h e
V e s t I n d i a n s as g a r r i s o n s f o r t h e most forward s t a t i o n s on t h e
Nain Supply Routc and a s a f i r s t - l i n e r e s e r v e . However, t h e na-
j o r i t y of t h e l l e s t I n d i a n s would move w i t h t h e European t r o o p s
who would form t h e b u l k o f t h e Iiain Body o f t h e i n v a d i n g army.

O r i g i n a l l y , t h e Generalf s t r o o p a l l o c a t i o n s adhered
r o u g h l y t o t h i s o r d e r of p r i o r i t y . The f o r t s were t o be g a r r i s o n -
ed by t h e Gold Coast R i r l e s , some F a ~ t il e v i e s , and t h e Hausas.
The Xain S u p p l y Route was t o b e guarded by t h e u n d e r - s t r e n g t h
2l!IR. 3 3 The ? k i n Body was t o c o n s i s t o f 1:?1R, t h e 6 a v a l B r i g a d e ,
two Euroi)ean b a t t a l i o n s and R a i t f s A r t i l l e r y . The o n l y major
d e v i a t i o n was t h e eniployment of !Qoodts and P c u s s e l l r s r e g i i w n t s
w i t h t h e Kain Body; a d e c i s i o n ~ i h i c hcan o r , l y be a s c r i b e d t o S i r
G a r n e t ' s d e s i r e t o push f o r w a r d two members o f t h e " r i n g v f o r t h e
t r o o p s t h e m s e l v e s were h a r d l y s u i t a b l e m a t e r i a l f o r t h e i n v a s i o n
force.

With t h e e x c e p t i o n of t h e u s e of T;Joodfs a r d 3 u s s e l l ' s

units i2 l i e u o f 2:'TIR, the r o l e s o f t h e two componer,ts shov.1.d
have been r e v e r s e d f o r naxiraun e f f e c t i v e n e s s , t h i s a s s i p x c ~ . to f
t h e a v a i l a b l e t , r o o p s was r e a s o n a b l y sound. :.'ith t h e a r r i v a l of

t h e t h i r d European b a t t a l i o n , h o v e v e r , t h e s i t u a t i o n charyed r a d -
ically. On t h e b a s i s of h i s u n j u s t i f i e d b e l i e f that t h i s ad-
d i t i o n a l S r i t i s h r e g i n e p t , which had j u s t completed a t l e a s t six
y e a r s o f g a r r i s o n d u t y i n G r e a t S r i t a i n , provided " t h e b e t t e r
fighting S i r Garnet t o o k a s t e p t h a t s e v e r e l y i n -
c r e a s e d t h e marsir. o f d a n g e r i n t h e coming o p e r a t i o n . Apparent-
l y w i t h o u t g i v i n g a t h o u g h t t o n o v i n g Vood's and R u s s e l l ' s r e g i -
rner.ts, he a s s i g n e d t h e 575 o f f i c e r s and men o f 1liIR t c g a r r i s o n
d u t y a t Cape Coast C a s t l e and S l r n i ~ a . Thus a t one b l o v ~ , he r e -
p l a c e d men most l i k e l y t o w i t h s t a n d t h e c l i m a t e w i t h Europeans
and d e n i e d t h e 1:ai.n Body t h e s z r v i c e s of b a d l y needec! r e g u l a r
t r o o p s while r e t a i n i n g i n t h e i r s t e a d the highly dubious f i g h t -
ing m a t e r i a l c o n t a i n e d i n t h e a&or,lerations cornmanled by Colo-
n e l Wood and I.:ajor R u s s e l l .

T h i s was i n i t s e l f , a c o l o s s a l b l u n d e r b u t S i r G a r n e t
went on t o compound h i s f o l l y . Yhen he l o s t t h e use o f some two-
t h i r d s o f t h e t h i r d European b a t t a l i o n due t o t h e breakdown i n
t h e t r a n s p o r t s y s t e m d u r i n g t h e u n l o a d i n g o f t h e t r o o ~ s ,he t o o k
no a c t i o n t o b r i n g h i s i n v a s i o n f o r c e up t o s t r e n g t h b y n o v i n g
lT,\T1R up t o P r a s u . I n s t e a d , he s i m p l y re-embarked somc 4CO regu-
l a r t r o o p s a ~ lde f t lT,lIR on g a r r i s o n d u t y . I n t h i s way h e un-
j u s t i f i a b l y d e n i e d h i s b k i n Body o f a c o n s i d e r a b l e w e i g h t o f
d i s c i p l i n e d f i r e - p o w e r and exposed i t t o y e t a n o t h e r u n n e c e s s a r y
risk.

Had Sir Garnet; been t h e g i f t e d field-cornmmder we have

been l e d t o b e l i e v e him t o b e , he s u r e l y would have p o s s e s s e d t h e
knowledge n e c e s s a r y t o r e c o g n i z z t h e d a n g e r s i n h 2 r e r . t i n t h i s
a p p r o a c h and h e woul-d have p o s s e s s e d t h e f l e x i b i l i t y and imagi-
nation Fecessary t o c o r m c t the deficiency. The f a c t of t h e nat-
t e r i s , however, t h a t he t o o k no s t e p s t o r e p l a c e t h e lcist xien
and h i s f a i l u r e t o r e c t i f y t h e problem seems doubly darming vhe?
a s o l u t i o n was s o c l o s e a t hand.

The problem l a y i n t h e f a c t t h a t a. European b a t t a l i o n

r e q u i r e d a l m o s t t h r e e t i m e s t h e ariiount o f t r a n s p o r t t c move 2nd
s u p p l y i t s e l f a s an A f r i c a n u c i t d i d . Colonel Collcy c l e a r l y
s t a t e d t h a t i t woulc! b e i i . l p o s s i b l e f o r him t o r a i s e s u f f i c i e q t
c a r r i e r s t o k e e p a t h i r d Xuropean b a t t a l i o n i n t h e f i e l d b u t h i s
s t r m g t h r e t u r n s f o r t h e 1 2 t h of J a n u a r y 1874, shot: t h a t he d i d
h a v e s u f f i c i e n t t r a n s p o r t t o move and s u p p o r t a % a t i v e u b a t t a -
lion.35 By t h a t d a t e , t h e r e f o r e , S i r Garnet had t h e n a n m t o
f i l l t h e l a r e e gap i~ h i s Kain Body. He c o u l d have b r o u g h t t h e
more e x p e r i e n c e d 2:JIR up t o s t r e n g t h i v i t 11 r e i n f orcame~..tsfr o n
1'YIR and i a r n e d i a t e l y move i t up t o P r a s u . He c o ~ l dt h e n hzve
u t i l i z e d t h e relaairling r:len from ll!iIR as an i m x c l i a t e r e s e r v e
w h i l e t h e y performed g a r r i s o n d u t y ir! t h e most f o r w a r d staeir,g
camps. The i ~ m o b i l i z e dF u s i l i e r s c o u l d t h e n have bsan used t o
g a r r i s o n t h e f o r t s a n d , as t h e c a r r i e r problem e a s e d , t h e y could
have been moved up t h e r o a d on l i n e of c o r m u n i c a t i o n s d u t i e s and
as a second-line reserve. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h i s s o l u t i o n , o r some
m o d i f i c a t i o n of i t , does n o t a p p e a r t o have o c c u r r e d t o e i t h e r
t h e G e n e r a l o r t h e members o f h i s s t a f f . The s e r i o u s n e s s cf t h i s
o v e r s i c l i t soon 3 e c u e a p p r w t :.:hc~ i l l n e s s an6 b a t t l e c s s m l t i e s
began t o r e d u c e h i s a l r e a d y i n a d e q u z t c f o r c e t o a d a ~ g e r o \ i s l ylow
l e v e l . 36

I n t h e 1 i ~ ; h to f t h e s e cotcmmts, i t appears r e ~ c o r a b l c ?t o
say t h a t S i r G z m a t , by v i r t u e of 11:s cir? :l~istnIces, be~a.; h i s

invzsior, too l a t e and 5:itll a? urr.ecos:inrily i:eak f o r c e o f ::!a?.

"eref'ooe, i n t h e i ~ ~ t e r e s ol fs c o ? s ? r v i n ; his i . ~ , ? . ~ ~ j o a\ :r~dr a v o i d -

i n g any u n n e c e s s a r y r i s k , he shouli! hove :iiar?c e v o r j . e f i o i . i :o 7 e -
g o t i a t e s. s o t t l e : ; s n t b e f o r e engogin;: t h e Asante o r . 7 i n cc.!bzt.
Certain1.y t h i s x a s t h e c o u r s e o r a c t i o n sii_;ested to l l i i , . ~ ? j t. h e

E a r l of i3nberle;r. I n h i s i ? s t r u c t i o n s t o t h e G e ? ~ r u i , the Colo-

n i a l S e c r e t o r y had c a u t i o n e d 'nil: t o b e a r i n i.iind " t h e c c p c i . t y
( o f t h e X s a n t e ) f o r c a r r y i n g cn i l l u s o r y ? e ; o C i ~ t i o r s , ~b~u t h e
a d v i s e d him t o c o - s i d e r t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t the Asa?taher.e,
"OF l e a m i n i : o f t h e r e t r e a t of h i s army and t h e f u r t h e r p r e p a r a -
t i o n s a ~ a i r r th i o , (would) be r e a d y t o ilakn r i p a r a t i o ~ s ,acr! t o
c o n c l a l e a t once a peace on c o ? d i t i o n s a c c e p t a b l e t o Her :'ajest-,yTs
Governrian t r t . i?e a l s o re:linded t h e Cie?ercil t h a t "a s a t i s f a c t o r y
s t a t e o f ';hiqr:~.
, would be obtainecl i f ( h e ) c o u l d p r o c u r e a? :?or.-
o u r a b l e p e n c e , o r coi:ld i r f l i c t , i n d e f a u l t o f s u c h penca, a? e f -
f e c t u a l c;:~st,iserierit on t h e As!iaqti force!'. 37 Ho:iovcr, ho es;,e-
c i a l l y c a u t i c r o d S i r C z r n e t a s t o t h e p r o b ~ b l ei n a d v i s a b i l i t y of

o c c u p y i ~ gKuansi. 38 That i s , S i r C o m e t :-!as a d v i s e d t o fi;hb if'

necessary but t o a v o i d a f i g h t i f p o s s i b l e .
 These i n s t r u c t i o n s d i d r o t have any g r e a t d e g r e e o f i n -
f l u e n c e on S i r G a r n e t ' s d e a l i n g s w i t h t h e Asanteheze , hswever.
I n s t e a d , he a p p a r e ~ t l ychose t o be g u i d e d bjr Lord E i i ~ a b e r l e y ' s
t h a t t h e r e w a s n o d e s i r e on t h e p a r t o f t h e C o v e r r n e n t
co~mi~ent
t o " f e t t e r t h e d i s c r e t i o n which must a l w a y s be p l a c e d i n t h e
hands of an o f f i c e r cormanding a f o r c e i n t h e Thus
d e s p i t e r e p e a t e d a t t e m p t s on t h e p a r t ' o f K o f i K a r i k a r i t o i n i t i -
a t e some form o f n e g o t i a t i u n s , S i r Garnet c l u n g s t u b b o r n l y t o t h e
view t h a t t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s o v e r t u r e s were b e i n g made i n bad f a i t h .
He s u b s e q u e n t l y r e f u s e d t o a t t e m p t any f o r n o f compronise a n d ,
i g n o r i n g h i s p r o f e s s i o n a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y and p e r s o q a l ~ n d e r t a k i n g
t o husband h i s European s o l d i e r s , he c o r m i t t e d h i s t r o o p s t o a
campaign t h a t q u i t e p o s s i b l y need n o t been f o u g h t . ..
There i s no doubt t h a t S i r Garnet was c o r r e c t i n t r e a t i n g
t h e i n i t i a l Asante o v e r t u r e s w i t h s u s p i c i o n , 4 0 b u t it i s a l - n o s t
i m p o s s i b l e t o s e e how he c o u l d c o n t i n u e t o d i s c o u n t t h e s i n c e r i t y
of t h e s u c c e e d i r g i n i t i a t i v e s . I n t h e 1 i ~ ; h t of t h e e v i d e n c e
a v a i l a b l e , t h e r e were a t l e a s t two r e a s o n s why Kofi K a r i k a r i t s
o f f e r s t o f i e g o t i a t e s h o u l d have been taken se:*iously.

I n t h e f i r s t p l a c e , he rmde no a t t e n p t t o s t o p t h e B r i t -
ish advance by f o r c e u n t i l a l l a t t e i n p t s a t n e g o t i a t i o n had f a i i e d .
T h i s i s of c o ~ s i d e r a b l eir,lportance because had t h e ksar.tac,hens
been s i n p l y n e c o t i n t i n g f o r t h e purpose of "buyir.;: t i m e v , he
Would have rmde h i s first; s t a n d a t t h e Aciansi X l l s . This posi-
t i o n would have been chosen f o r t h r e e r e a s o n s . F i r s t , i t was
s y m b o l i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t i n t h a t it was t h e f r o n t i e r b e t n e e n
m e t r o p o l i t a ~ >and p r o v i n c i a l Asante. 41 F o r t h i s r e a s o n , hn? F:
been t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s i ~ t e n t i o nt o f i g h t , it would have bee?:
p o l i t i c a l l y important t o h a l t the B r i t i s h before they z c t u a l l y
e n t e r e d t h e Asante h e a r t - l a n d . S e c o r d , t h e h i l l s for:ned a mag-
n i f i c e n t d e f e n s i v e f e a t u r e and it is l i k e l y t h a t t h e B r i t i s h
would havc been m i i c e d i T t o e x h a u s t i n g t h e n s e l v e s i n t h e i r ai-
t e m p t s t o t a k e it. T h i r d , t h e Asantehene had a d e q u a t e r e s o u r z c s
a t hand t o d e l a y t h e 3 r i t i s h Xdva9ced Guard s u f f i c i e n t l y 1or.g
enough t o p e r c i i t t h e r e c o n c c n t r a t ; i o r , o f h i s army ir! t h e t o cor-
f r o n t ; t h e B r i t i s h TIain Body when it r e a c h e d 1:onsi. A s matters
d e v e l o p e d , h o w e ~ e r ,no a t t e m p t was made t o h a l t o r h a r a s s t h e
B r i t i s h u n t i l t w e n t y - s i x d a y s a f t e r G i f f o r d t s s c o u t s had c r o s s e d
t h e Pra.

The scco2d r e a s o n f o r t a k i n g t h e Asante o f f e r s t o neLo-

t i a t e s e r i o u s l y l a y i n t h e f a c t t h a t K o f i K a r i k a r i gave c m c r e t e
i n d i c a t i o n s of h i s w i l l i n g n e s s t o comprornise . Upon r e c e i v i n g
S i r G a r n e t ' s b l u n t and uncornproir~ising l e t t e r o f t h e 2nd o f Janu-
a r y 1874, t h e Asantehene a d o p t e d t h e l o g i c a l p r o c e d u r e o f t r y i n g
t o show h i s good f a i t h ; t h e r e b y o p e n i n g t h e d o o r t o s e r i o u s nego-
tiatioys. He r e l e a s e d T:r. Kuhne and r e q u e s t e d S i r G a r ~ e tt o a p -
p o i n t a n o f f i c i a l envoy t o h'uriasl v i t h a view t o o p e n i n g d i r e c t
negotiations. It i s n o t p a r t i c u l a r l y s u r p r i s i r g , i n t h e l i g h t o f
t h e C o l o r i a l O f f i c e corn:;ents and a l l t h a t he had r e a d o f p r e v i o u s
c o n t i n u i n g h i s advance.

Dy the 23rd of J a n u a r y , howe.~cr, t h e G e n e r a l had f a r l e s s

reason f o r doubting t h e that
received s h o u l d have ~ i v e na n y
who honestly interested i n negotiating
s e t t l e ~ n e n t , s u f f i c i e n t c a u s e t o make s o i x cor.cession i n the i n -
t e r e s t s of f a c i l i t a t i n g negotiations. On this o c c z s i o n , K o f i
K a r i k a r i r e l e a s e d t h e r c r x i n i n g Zuropean p r i s o n e r s , a g r e e d t o
pay t h e i n d e m i t y , and a g r e e d t o r e l e a s e a11 o f t h e t l f r i c m
p r i s o n e r s once ~ z g o t i a t i o ~were
s cornyletzS. I n r e t u r n h e as!:ed
o n l y t h a t S i r Garnet h a l t h i s a d v w c e and "go on ~ 5 t hp e a c e f u l
.
n e g o t i a t i - o n( s )r, 42

C e r t a i n l y a man s i n c e r e l y bent; or! Z'ollov~ing t h e s p i r i t .

o f Lord K i n b e r l e y f s i n s t r u c t i o ~ awould ix.ve t a k e n e v e r y o p p o r t u -
n i t y t o reac.1 a n e ~ o t i a t e dsett1a::ent s t t h i s t i m e as t h e B r i t F s h
\rere i n a n e ~ c e p t i o ~ a l ls yt r c r ; ; p o s i t i o n . They o c c u y i c d a n
e x c e l l en t d e f e - s i v z p o s i t i o n f r o t i ~ d l i c i i:hey could e a s i l y with-
draw i," t h e need a r o s e ; t h e y h a l d a s t r o n g , well s u p J i e d support-
b a s e soiit;h o f Lt'!~eP r a a t P r a s u ; a ~ tdh e i r l i ~ e os f c o ~ ~ ~ ~ u r i c z t i o ~
were s e c u r e a?d o p z r a t i n g e f f i c i e r . t l y . I n a d d i t i c n , t h e i r ext,ra-
o r d i n z r y r c s p o l s s t o t h e . t s a z t e i y - ~ a s i o nh2d
~ ~ thrown t h e Asantc-
h e ~ co f f bnlan.ce a ~ idt would 5 e r a a s o ~ a b l et o a s s m e t,ilat he was
e a g e r t o r e a c h a coapro:nise. It was a t t h i s p o i r t t h r l t S i r
Garnet c o u l d h a v e s e ~ ht i s e m i s s a r y t o E u n a s i and t e s t e d t h e
s i n c e r i t y of t h e h s a n t z h e r e T s i n t e n t i o n s but this he refused t o
do.

There a r e s e v e r a l p o s s i b l e explanations f o r t h e General's

.
r e f u s a l t o take t h i s opportunity t o reach a negotiated settlement.
The f i r s t , and t h e o n l y one t o ~ i l i c i lhe a d z i i t s , i s t h a t he was
convinced o f t h e d u p l i c i t y o f Kofi E a r i k a r i . The second i s t h a t
h e r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e d e l a y caused by h i s n e g l e c t o f t h e l o g i s t i -
c a l p r e p a r a t i o n s p r i o r t o t h e i n v a s i o n had s o s e r i o u s l y reduced
h i s time f o r o p e r a t i o n s t h a t , s h o u l d he pause 1or.g enough t o con-
d u c t p r o p e r n e g o t i a t i o n s , a c d s h o u l d t h o s e n e g o t i a t i o n s f a i l , he
would have no t i m e l e f t t o rriove on Kuinasi and s t i l l withdraw h i s
Europear t r o o p s b e f o r e t h e e ~ of
d "the healthy seasonv. Third,
h e tms s o c o n s u m d v i t h h i s p e r s o n a l d e s i r e t o occapy t h e Asante
c a p i t a l a n d g a i n t h e a t t e n d a n t g l o r y , t h a t he would a l l o w n o t h i n g
t o s t a n d i n h i s way. ??o doubt a l l t h r e e o f t h e s e c o ~ s i d e r a t i o ~ s
i n f l u e n c e d h i s a c t i o n s b u t , o f t h e t h r e e , t h e second a p i d e a r s t h e
most v a l i d .

H i s motives a s i d e , t h e f a c t r e m i n s t h a t S i r Garnet d i d
n o t f o l l o w t h e s p i r i t o f h i s i n s t r u c t i o n s by t a k i n g a d v a n t a g e o f
t h e e x c e l l e n t b a r g a i n i n g p o s i t i o n i n which h e found h l m e l f .
~ n d e e d , h e not; o n l y f a i l e d t o make any c o n c e s s i o n t o t h e Asante-
h e n e , b u t h e a l s o i n c r e a s e d h i s d e m n d s t o s m h an e x t e n t t h a t
he made i t a b s o l u t e i : ~i r i p o s s i b l e f o r R o f i Z n r i k z r i t o compl:? over
though t h e A s s ~ t e : l e ~ et r i e d t w i c e :.lox, on t h e 2 6 t h o l January,
and 3 r d of F e b r u a r y t o a v o i d f u r t h e r f i g h t i ~ r ar.d
; nezotiate e set-
tlement. Thus tiie xan who had a l r e a d y coinpromissd t h e s a f e t y o f
h i s t r o o p s by n c g l e c t i n ~s e v e r a l v i t a l s s p e c t s o f h i s r e s p o n s i -
b i l i t i e s a s c o i n ~ i l ~ d ig~e gl e r a l , vms now, a s t h e B r i t i s h d i ~ l o ! : a t
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r n e g o t i a t i n g a s e t t l e m n t of tiie d i s p u t z , q i i i t e
p o s s i b l y n e e d l e s s l y e x p o s i r g them t o c o r ~ b a tby v i r t u e c f h i s
i n n b i l - i t y , o r l a c k of' d e s i r e , t o conduct m e a n i n g f u l n e g o t i a t i o n s
toward a? accep-ixble conpromise.

The G e n e r a l ' s conduct o f a f f a i r s d c r i n ~t h e b a t t l e s c f

Amonfu a n d O d a s ~ tand his a c t i o n s in Ku:mai need ~ o be
t sub:ected
t o a n y s e a r c h i n ~a n a l y s i s h e r e . By v i r t u e o f t h e f a c t s a l r e a d y
d i s c u s s e d above, S i r Garget hsd p l a c e d hi:ilself i n a d e s p e r a t e
position. '.?hatever h i s m o t i v e s , he was d e t e r x i ~ e dt o tzl;e X u i x , s i
w i t h a n i n a d e q m L e f o r c e w i t h i ? an e x t r o - i e l y l i n i t a d p z r i u d of
tine. H i s advance t h e r e f o r d d e g e r e r n t e d i n t o a b l i n d c',~.rl;e
t h r o u g h t h e buch whicll, had 533 Asante h a d t h e b c r . c f i t of t h e
Snider r i f l e , would p r o b z b l y l e v e r hcve s u c c e ~ d e d .

A f t c t h e b a t t l e o f Ainoafu, t h e C e ~ e r a la c t e d l i k e a
hound on tile s c c r - t l o r h e / j r e s s e d on t o ; w r d K ~ ~ m w
sith YO

t h o u i . ; h t f o r anq-ii:inl; o t h e r t h a n r z a c i ~ i n gt h a t p l a c e . A l l of i h e
e l a b o r a t e s u p i ) l y ar d m e d i c a l a r r a ~ g e ~ i ~se,nr tz i i i ch k d workc:d ex-
c a p t i o m a l l y r r e l l up t c t h e t i L i e o f Al.ioafu, were a1lo;:ed t o d2clin;3
i n e f f i c i e n c y as S i r Garnet once more c o n c e r t r a t e d on t a c t i c a l
o p e r a t i o ~ st o t h e e x c l u s i o n o f a l l e l s e . R a t h e r thar, g e L t i n g h i s
l i n e s o f communication back i n t o p r o p e r working o r d e r b e f o r e
c o n t i n u i n g t h e advance, a s t e p wlnich t h e t i m e element nade x o s t
d i f f i c u l t , h e s i x p l y c u t h i m s e l f o f f fro1:i a l l a d n i n i s t r o t i v e sup-
p o r t and dashed o f f i n t o t h e bush.

A d m i n i s t r a t i v e d e t a i l was n o t t h e o ~ l yt h i n g i g n o r e d by .

S i r Garnet , however. He a l s o made s e v e r a l major t a c t i c a l e r r o r s .

I n h i s h a s t e , h e f a i l e d t o u s e h i s s c o u t s and Advav-ced-Guard t o
f u l l a c i v a n t a ~ e . Thus h i s men were once ;.lore exposcd t o f u r t h e r
u n n e c e s s a r y r i s k as t h e y found t h e ~ n s e l v e sb e i r , ~r:orr. dc:m by t h e
s u c c e s s i o n o f A s a n t e ari~bushes s e t between A jimaxu a n d t h e Oda
r i v e r ; a n b u s h e s which could have been c l e a r e d a t l o s s ex;amse in
m a ~ p o t r e rb y p r o p e r s c o c t i n g and u t i l i z a t i o n of t h e .Idvanced-Guard.
The G e n e r z l a l s o endangered t h e e n t i r e f o r c e by purposelyLi4 a l -
louring h i m s e l f t o be c o m p l e t e l y s u r r o u n d e d i n t h e v i l l a g e o f Cdasu
by t h e n u m e r i c a l l y s u p e r i o r Asante f o r c e . It seems p r o k + S l e a t
t h i s p o i n t t h a t , had K o f i K a r i k a r i deployed h i s f o r c e s i n s u c h a
way a s t o s i m p l y h o l d t h e B r i t i s h i n Odasu f o r as l i t t l e a s
t h i r t y - s i x t o forty-eight hours r a t h e r than att9nptin.g t o f o r c e
a n i n m e d i a t e d e c i s i o n , 3ir G a r n e t wciild have been d e s t r o y e d a t
t h a t p o i n t awl Cove down i n h i s t o r y w i t h s u c h c o l o s s a l r ' i i l i ~ a r y
b l u n d e r e r s as t h e Aaericnn I ~ d i a n - fi ~ i i t e r ,G e n e r o l G e o r ~ eC u s t e r .
Portun.;tely Tor S i r G a r n e t , ho:ieuer, h i s s u p c r i o r fire-2c:ier and
t h e shock v a l u e o f h i s dcspera:e b r e a k - o u t f o r Kuxasi s o unr,erv-
e d t h e Asantehene t h a t . he f l e d from t h e f i e l d a?d t h e r e b y r e -
leased the British fron the trap,

Y i s i n i t i a l a c t i o n s on r e a c h i ~ gKurnasi a l s o f a i l t o r e -
f l e c t much c r e d i t on S i r G a r n e t ' s m i l i t a r y c a p a b i l i t y f o r h e iiiade
no attielapt t o d i s a r m t h e enemy t r o o p s i n and around t h e town.
One o f t h e main o b j e c t i v e s o f x a r f a r e i s t o destroy t h e a i l i t a r y
p o t e n t i a l o f t h e enemy. I n t h i s i n s t a n c e , howevsr, t h e v v i c t o r v
h e l d h i s o w t r c o p s ir! check a ~ ad l l o r ~ e da l a r g e p o r t i o n of t h e
enemy f o r c e t o p a s s unlnolested i n i o the b ~ s hwhere t h e y r e - j o i n e d
t h e Asantehene. S i r Garnet h i m s e l f r,ever b o t h e r s t o e x p l a i n t h i s
a c t i o n b u t hFs most s y m p a t h e t i c c h r o n i c l e r , Fienry G r a c k m b d r y ,
i n t i n a t e s t h a t t h e G e n e r a l a c t e d as fie d i d f o r two r e i s w s . First,
h e f e l t h i m s e l f tud weak t o f o r c e t h e i s s u e . Second, he b e l i e v e d
t h a t s u c h an a c t i o n would i l l u s t r a t e t o t h e Asanteher.e h i s good
i n t e ~ t i o n sand t h u s pave t h e way f o r immediete n e g o t i a t i o n s t o -
ward a p e a c e t r e a t y , T h e r e a r e a r g u m e n t s f o r and a g a i n s t t h e
v a l i d i t y o f b o t h o f t h e s e r e a s o n s ar?d i t i s p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e
G e n e r a l was a c t u a l l y m o t i v a t e d by thein. I n r e t r o s p e c t , however,
it a p p e a r s t h a t S i r Garnet d i d have t h e c a p a b i l i t y t o s e a l o f f
t h e t o m a n d d i s a r m t h o s e Asante who were ther. i n i t ar.d t h o s e
who s u b s e q u e ~ t l ya t t e ~ n p t e dt o p a s s t h r o u g h i t . The T a c t t h a t h e
f a i l e d t o do t h i s d o e s r o t redouqd t o h i s c r e d i t as a f i e l d -
commander.
 C e r t a i v l y t h e G e n e r a l ' s g c s t c r e had no e f f e c t on K o f i
K a r i k a r i f o r t h e Asartehene made no e f , ? o r t t o s s e k a y s a c e s ~ t -
t l e m e n t even though t h e B r i t i s h had r e a c h e d a ~ occupied
d his
capital. I n s t e a d , h e s t a y e d i n t h e bush w i t h h i s a r n y where he
a p p e a r e d q u i t e c o n t w t t o remain u n t i l S i r Garnet had w i t h d r a m
from A s a n i e t e r r i t . o r j r . Thus when t h e G e n e r a l withdrew f r m Kurm-
s i , f e a r i n g t h e a d v e ~ to f t h e r a i n s , he had n o t s u c c e e d e d ir.
achieving the basic airii of his m i s s i o n , f o r he had either con-
c l u d e d a peace t r e a t y w i t h t h e Asante n o r had he i c f l i c t e d an
e f f e c t u a l chastisement cr: t h e Asante f o r c e , I n s t e a d , he h a d
s i m p l y f o r c e d t h e Asantehene and :?is ar[ily t o abarLdon Xurmsi which
he t h e n d e s t r o y e d a f t e r h s v i ~ gp l u n d e r e d t h e r o y a l p a l a c e ; a c t s
which one c o u l d h a r d l y c h a r a c t e r i z e as an e f f e c t u a l c 5 a s t i s x - i c - t
of t h e Asante f o r c e . I n f a c t , it was n o t u n t i l S i r Gernet was
w e l l on h i s way back t o Cape Coast that K o f i K a r i k a r i a g r e e d t o
coma t o terins and, a s h a s been poir?ted o u t , t h e r e i s good reasor?
t o b e l i e v e t h a t h i s sudder. c a p i t u l a t i o n was f a r from being: en-
t i r e l y n o t i v a t e d by S i r G a r n e t ' s o p e r a t i o n s ,

The o f f i c i a l view of t h e Anglo-.risa?te v s r o f 1873-S71t

n o t w i t h s t a r , d i n t ; , i t s h o u l d now be c l e a r t h a t tile s u c c e s s ?.r?ich
a t t e n d 4 S r i t i s h o p e r a t i ~ n son t h e Gold Coast d i d n o t r e s a l t s o l e -
ly froill t h e e f f o r t s of S i r Garnet l l o l s e l e y a n d " t h e t r o o p s which
b j e s t y t s G o v e r n ~ l e n tc o r ~ f i d e dt~o~ him,145 I n s t e a i , i t s k c u l d
her T
be o b v i o u s t h 3 t t!le 3 r i t i s h w z e a b l e t o b r i n g t h e war t o a? e-id
on t e r m s fl-;,vournble t o t h e m s l v c s thro.igli a c c r b i n a t i o r : o f f o u r
contributirg factors.
 O f prime i m p o r t w c e were t h e c o n t r i b u t i o v s o f C o l o ~ e l
H a r l e y and t h e Far?ti. I n d e e d , had t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r and h i s a l -
l i e s n o t c h a l l e n g e d a ~ ds e v e r e l y checked Ar~anktra T i a r s a r x y a t
Dunkwa, and had C o l o n e l !Iarley h i i : ~ s e l f n o t a c t e d q u i c k l y and e f -
f e c t i v e l y t h r o u ~ h o u tt h e f i r s t phase o f t h e war, it i s p o s s i b l e
t h a t t h e war would have ended i n t h e e a r l y surmer o f 1673 w i t h
t h e B r i t i s h b e i r g f o r c e d fro.11 t h e Gold Coast e ~ t i r e l y . S i m i l x - -
l y , S i r Garnet's e f f o r t s throughout t h e c m y a i g n , d e s p i t e h i s
many e r r o r s and ~ h . o r t z o : ~ i i n ~ ;were
s, v i t a l t o t h e end r e s u l t . Cert-
a i n l y w i t h o u t h i s o p e r a t i o n s t h e r e would have been no t r e a t y and
r e l a t i o n s between t h e k s z n t e , t h e F a n t i , and t h e B r i t i s h would
have c o n t i n u e d i n t h e s a n e s t a t e o f suspended h o s t i l i t i e s a s had
e x i s t e d e v e r s i n c e 1g63. It i s e q u a l l y a p p a r e n t t h a t w i t h o u t t h e
t h i r d c o n t r l b u ti n g factor--Captain Glovert s esgedition--all that
had been done by t h e B r i t i s h i n t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e ' and a l m g t h e
~ r a s u / K u r . n s i r o a d would have been f o r n a u g h t . S i r G a r l e t had
w i t h d r a w n f r o u Ih:nasi w i t h o u t t h e t r e a t y f o r which he had s!ip-
p o s e d l y f o u g h t and i t was s o l e l y due t o C a p t a i n S l o v e r t s sudden
a p p e a r a n c e t o t h e e a s t o f t h e Asante c a p i t a l t h a t t h e Tre;.,ty o f
Fomana was s i g n e d . Fir,al.ly, t h e Asa>tehene h i s i s e l f ma2e an i3-

d i r e c t y e t s u b s t a n L i a 1 c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e Britls11 s u c c e s s . It
was his f a i l u r e t o make t i ~ i ss t a n d a t t h e Adansi Hills which nade
it possib1.e f o r S i r Garnet t o r e a c h Kuclasi a t a l l . By n e g l e c t i n g
t o t a k e t h i s s t e p , K o f i K m i k a r i a l l o ~ i e dt h e B r i t i s h t o p a s s un-
rriolcsted beyond t h e o n l y d e f e n s i v e p o s i t i o n a l o ~ gt h e i n v a s i o n
r o u t e fro19 which t h a Asante a r n y c c u l d p o s s i b l y have o f f s e t t h e
overwhelming s u p e r 2 , o r i t y of 3 r i t i s h f i r e - p o w e r and t h u s h a l t e d
t h e invasion.

Aside from t h i s d e b i t a?d c r e d i t a c c o u n t i n g , t h e war had

been a c o s t l y ventul-e. Althoucll t h e d r a i n on t h e B r i t i s h c o f f e r s
had been r e l a t i v e l y t h e c o s t i n human l i v e s had been
higher, The t o l l ar,long t h e A f r i c a n s w i l l n e v e r be knctm b u t o f
t h e a p p r o x i n s t e l y 4,000 Europeans, :Yest I n d i a n s , and A f r i c a n s i n -
v o l v e d a s merilbers of t h e v a r i o u s m i l i t a r y u n i t s , 6fi were d e a d ,
394 were wounded (135 froin t h e a l a c k TJstch), and a t o t a l o f 1 , 9 1 8
weTe i n v a l i d e d f o r o7.e r e a s o r o r a n o t h e r . Seven rnenbers 'of t h e
o r i g i n a l Fiolseley "Xingw w2re dead and 31 i n v a l i d e d . Proportion-
a t e l y , no l e s s t h a n 4.3 p e r c e n t of t h e cornbined s t r e n g t h o f t h e
Europaar. regi:nents was i n v a l i d e d home, and t h e r e was 71 p e r c e n t
s i c k n e s s i n two months. he V e l s h F u s i l i e r s , n o t a l l of whose
c o m p a ~ i e swere used i n a c t i o n , hs?d t h e g r e a t e s t p r o p o r t i o n a t e
amount o f s i c k ~ e s s ,t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e n e x t and t h e Black L'atc'n
l e a s t , w h i l e t h e l i s t of wounded a n d k i l l e d i n t h e s e u n i t s s h o i ~ e d
proportions of t h e reverse order. In cddition, xary hospital
c a s e s d i e d oq t h e b o a t s d u r i n g e v a c u a t i o n . 47

A c c e p t i n g t h e h y ~ o t h e s i st B a L t h i s war was a c t u a l l y n e c e s -
s a r y , i t s c c s t i n g o l d and l i v e s c o : ~ l dbe l a r s e l y j u s t i f i e d h a d
i t r e s a l t e d ir. t h e D r i t i s h a c t u a l l y b e i n g a b l e t o t l i r s u r e a k s t -
i n g peace :;'it'll t!le As!mnt i kir.gdotiV .46 ~ u c l lwas l o t t:ie c e s e ,
however. Y i t h t h e war o v e r an2 ~ ~ i the
t h t r e a t y a f Fomana s u p -
posedly fomir?g a firlil ar,d l a s t i n g b a s i s f o r r e l a t i c l n s Se:,tieen

t h e B r i t i s h a?cl t h e A s a n t e , t h e B r i t i s h Government r e v ~ r t e dt c
t h e v e r y p o l i c y ~ L i i c hhad been l a r g e l y r e s p c ~ s i b l ef o r t h e w 2 r
i n the first place. Thus t h e d o o r ms l e f t open f o r an Asz.?t;e
r e s u r g e n c e ~ n da r e c u r r e n c e of Asznte a t t e n p t s t o r e s s s z r t t h e i r
i n f l u e r c e i n t h e T P r o t e c t o r a t e T . "its o p p o r t u n i t y x a s p e t a l -
lolied t o s l i p p a s t .

When t h e war had e r d e d , t h e Xsante Ernpire had f d l e n t o

pieces. iyost of t h e i n p o r t a n t s t a t e s , i?,cludlnl; ::a::lpon, Ysuta,
Bekvmi, Kokofu, J a b i n and even Ckornfo A ~ o k y e ' s town of A p n a ,
r e f u s e d t o obey t h e c c ~ t r a l~ o v e r n i ~ l e q tanti
; a l l the outl.ying
p r o v i r , c e s sucll as K\rahu, Gya:il~n, S e f w i , B a ~ d a ,and t h e n o r t h e r n
t r i b e s o p e n l y d e c l a r e d t h e i r i ~ d s p e n d e n c e . R o f i K ~ r i k a r iwas
unabla t o r e a s s e r t h i s a u t h o r i t y and i n h u g u s t 01- Septesber of
1874, he was deposed. He was succeeded by h i s younger b r c t h e r ,
Kensa Bonsu, who . s e t h i m s e l f t o r e b u i l d K u m s i and t o r e a s s e r t
t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h s Golden S t o o l o v e r t h e r e b e l l i o u s provin.ces.

Kensa Donsu b e ~ a nh i s ca:;lpaip t o r e g a i n h i s e x p i r e by

exertir!:: p r * e s s w e on J a b i n . E u t Xsafo Agyei, t h e King of Jabi:?
would n o t c o n s i d e r r e s u n l i ~ gh i s m l e a s a t r i b u t a r y o f :;uiimsi
ar.d he ever! wept; s o f a r a s t o k i l l a l l . t h e K u m s i t r a d e r s i n t h e

kingdox as a s i g n of h i s d2fiancc. I n t h e face of tiiis, T.krs~:

subject. tiowevll:r, t h e E r i t i s h d e c 1 i r . d t o i n t e r f e r e i n ar.y way.
The Asa.ntehene t h e r e f o r e d e c i d e d t o make t h e J a b i q q u e s t i o n i n t o
a t e s t c a s e f o r t h e rest o f t h e A s a n t e s t a t e s . A1
1 of those
s t a t e s , f a c e d w i t h t h e a l t e r r a t i v e s of r a l l y i n g a r o u ~ dKuinasi o r
around J a b i n , s u p p o r t e d Ku:nasi. A c c o r d i n g l y , i n October of 1875,
ldensa Bonsu a t t a c k e d J a b i n and by t h e 3 r d of P o v e n b s h e had
d r i v e n t h e J a b i n army froill t h e f i e l d . .

T h i s v i c t o r y g r e a t l y s t r e n g t h e n e d t h e Asantehanet s p o s i -
tion. ?!o o t h e r s t a t e had s u p p o r t e d J a b i n i n i t s revcit,, the
B r i t i s h , who no doubt, wished t o s e e a s rnuch d i s s e r s i o n as pos-
s i b l e amnrg t h e A s a ~ t e , c l e a r l y would do n o t : l i ~t c~? interfere
w i t h him, m d t h e f l i s h t o f t h e J a b i n had a l l o m x i t h e d i r . e c t r u l e
of Kumasi t o be ext,e?ded c o n s i d e r a b l y . It was t h e r e f c r e n.rz',ural
that I'lensa Bonsu s h o u l d d e c i d e t h a t he had not:ii.nz t o f e a r from
the Uritish. A s a r e s u l t , whev t h e E r i t i s h envoy a r r i v e d irl

Kunasi i n Dccexber o f 1675 t o r e c e i v e a n o t h e r i m s t a l a z ? L o f t h e

war indemnity, he was h o o t e d a r d p e l t e d i n t h e s t r e e t s o f t h e
town. This s o a l a r m e d t h e B r i t i s h G o v e r m e n t t h a t i t n e v e r a g a i n
a t t c n p t e d t o c o l l e c t t h e i n d e m n i t y and o n l y 4,OOC o f t h e 50,OOO
ounces o f g o l d demanded by t h e t r e a t y o f Fomana were e v e r p a i d . 49
C o l n i i e n t i n ~on t h i s c ~ n d i t i o n ,E l l i s w r i t e s :
Thus v i t h i n l e s s t h a n two y e a r s a f t e r
t h e b u r r i n g 02' Kumasi t h e A s h a n t i had,
t h a ~ k st o t h e Covernri~cnt p o l i c y o f non-
i n t e r v e n t i o n , r e c o v e r e d t h e whole of t h e i r
l o s t t e r r i t o r y e x c e p t Kwahu and A d m s i ,
and e s c a p e d t h e pay:%mt o f t h e p e a t i e r -
p a r t of t h e inde:.lnity.50
 The p o l i c y of t h e G r i t i s h Gcrvernrnent t o w a r d s Asante from
187i+ t o 1890 was t h e r e f o r e weak and i n c o n s i s t e n t , a ~ tdh e f r u i t s
o f t h e war o f 1g73-1874 wera l o s t i n an u n b e l i e v a b l y s h o r t tine.
A small band o f c i v i l o f l i c i a l s , s o l d i e r s , and a d v e n t u r e r s had
won t h e w a r - - l a r g e l y by &cod luck--but t h e p o l i c y makers a n d
t h e i r o f f i c i a l s l o s t t h e peace w i t h t h e r e s u l t t h a t t h e whole
p r o c e s s would hsve t o be r e p e a t e d i n 1295-1696.
 CHAPTER I - FOOTROTES
1 J.U. Blake, European Beginnings i n West A f r i c a , London,
M a m i l l a n , 1941, p. 143.
2 See W.E.F. Ward, A H i s t o r y o f t h e Gold C o a s t , London,
George A l l e n & Unwin L t d . , 1948, f o r a b r i e f b u t u s e f u l d e s c r i p -
t i o n o f t h e s e e a r l y y e a r s . See a l s o J . A . Williamson, A S h o r t
H i s t o r of B r i t i s h Expansion: The Old c ; o l . n i a l Empire, Lordon,
=!an, 1965, f o r a r e v i e w of t h e domestic f a c t o r s which r e -
t a r d e d E n g l i s h development i n West A f r i c a .
3 Ward, Gold C o a s t , p. 140. D e s p i t e t h e u s e o f t h e term
' ' B r i t i s h " , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o r e a l i z e t h a t t h e B r i t i s h Government
had no d i r e c t d e a l i n g s w i t h t h e Gold Coast. F r o a e a r l y S t u a r t
t i m e s t h e B r i t i s h s y s t e m had been t o c h a r t e r a company which
en joyed a monopoly o f t h e B r i t i s h t r a d e on t h e c o a s t . I n r e t u r n ,
t h e company m a i n t a i n e d t h e f o r t s which were c o n s i d e r e d e s s e n t i a l
f o r t h e s e c u r i t y of t r a d e . The s u c c e s s i o n o f m o n o p o l i s t cornpanics
which r e s u l t e d from t h i s p o l i c y were c o n s t a n t l y c r i t i c i s e d b u t t h s
p o l i c y was r e t a i n e d f o r some time. I n 1750, however, p r e s s u r e
f r o m t h e r i s i n g p o r t o f ~ i v e r p o o lcaused t h e r e p l a c e n e n t of t h e
Royal A f r i c a n Company-the l a s t a n d ciost l o n g - l i v e d of a l l t h e
companies--by a l o o s e a s s o c i a t i o n o f a l l t h e B r i t i s h merchants
t r a d i n g t o Africa. Known as The Company o f Merchants T r a d i n g t o
Africa, t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n was n o t i n i t s e l f a t r a d i n g concern.
R a t h e r it was simply a d e v i c e f o r m a i n t a i n i n g t h e f o r t s and
f a c t o r i e s by rrieans o f a P a r l i a m e n t a r y g r a n t i n s t e a d o f a t r a d i n g
monopoly.

4 The European powers had e s t a b l i s h e d t h e m s e l v e s on t he Gold

Denmark ( 1 6 4 2 ) , Sweden (1647) and Brandenberg (1682) .
Uoast a t t h e f o l l o w i n g t i m e s : P o r t u g a l (lL+8Z.), Ho1lar.d ( l 5 9 5 ) ,
F r e n c h a n d E n g l i s h had been on t h e c o a s t from t h e middle o f t h e
30th t h e
s i x t e e n t h century but they did not build t h e i r first f o r t s u n t i l
1650 and 1631 r e s p e c t i v e l y . Although Gold had been t h e c o m o d i t y
which had o r i g i n a l l y dravm t h e Europeans t o t h e Gold c o a s t , it
was t h e a d v e n t o f t h e t r a n s - A t l a n t i c s l a v e t r a d e which caused t h e
sudden i n c r e a s e i n a c t i v i t y a f t e r 1630. However, b e f o r e t h e end
of t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y most of t h e c o m p e t i t i o n had been e l i n i -
n a t e d and o n l y t h e Dutch, Danes and E n g l i s h s t i l l p o s s e s s e d f o r t s
on t h e b o l d Coast. O f t h e s e , t h e Dutch and E n g l i s h i n s t a l l a t i o n s
were b y f a r t h e most i m p o r t a n t and by t h e e n d o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h
c e n t u r y t h e E n g l i s h had s e c u r e d an e a s y dominance o v e r t h e s l a v e
t r a d e i n g e n e r a l and t h e Gold Coast t r a d e i n p a r t i c u l a r . See E.C.
M a r t i n , The B r i t i s h N e s t A f r i c a n S e t t l e m e n t s : 1750-1621, London,
Longnan's, Green a n d Co. L t d . , 1927, pp. 52-5G and Y.E.F. 'ilard,
A H i s t o r y o f t h e Gold C o a s t , London, George A l l e n & Unwin L t d . ,
'1 .m passim.
 5 J . D . Fage, Ghana: A H i s t o r i c a l I n t e r p r e t a t i o n , Xadison,
The U n i v e r s i t y of Wisconsin P r e s s , 1961, pp. 50-51.
6 I b i d . , pp. 51-52,
7 F o r s p e c i f i c works d e a l i n g w i t h t h e r i s e o f t h e s e two
p e o p l e s s e e ; A.B. E l l i s , The Tshi-speaking P e o p l e s o f t h e Gold
C o a s t , London, Longmans Green and Co. L t d . , 19b3; J . L S a r b a h ,
F a n t i ~ a t i o n a lC o n s t i t u t i o n , Oaflord, Clarendon P r e s s , 1958;
W e Uosman, A r5!ew and A c c u r a t e D e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e Coast o f Guinea -- 9
London, Frank Cass k Co, Ltd. , 1701+.; c a p t . L . S . R a t t r a y , ----, Ashanti
Oxford, Clarendon P r e s s , 1923; J. Bowdich, LIission From Cape C ~ a s t
C a s t l e t o A s h a n t i e , London, k'rank cass & Co. L t u . , 1S19; Joseph
Dupuis, J o u r n a l o f a Residence i n Ashantee, London, Frank Ccss &
Co. L t d . , 1824.. F o r more g e n e r a l works on t h i s s u b j e c t s e e : A . A .
Boahen, T o p i c s i n \ l e s t A f -- r i c a n H i s t o r y , London, Longmans, Creen
a n d Cob L t d . , D * John E. F l i n t , N i g e r i a and Ghana, ?ew J e r s e y ,
~ r e n t i c e - ~ a l l , ~ ? & 6U.M.; --
C l a r i d g e , A U i s t o r y o f t ; ~ eGold Coasr.
a n d A s h a n t i , Rew York, Brirnes and Noble, I n c . , 1904; and !yard,
H i s t o r y , Chaps. I V and V.
The Ghanian h i s t o r i a n , D r . A. Adu Boahen d e v e l o p s t h i s
theme of economic d e t e r m i n i s m r a t h e r f u l l y . See Boahen, T o p i c s ,
pp. 69-7b.
9 From t h e t i m e of t h e f i r s t P o r t u g u e s e s e t t l e m e n t on t h e
Gold C o a s t , t h e r e had a r i s e n t h e custom o f paying r e g u l a r l a n d -
r e n t a l t o t h e l o c a l A f r i c a n r u l e r s f o r t h e l a n d on which t h e f o r t s
s t o o d . T h i s custoln was e v e n t u a l l y f o r m a l i z e d i n t o w r i t t e n con-
t r a c t s c a l l e d 'Notes'. I n t h e e y e s o f A f r i c a n s and Europeans
a l i k e , t h e s e N o t e s s t o o d f o r t h e r e n t a l f e e s and t h e honouring
o f them by t h e Europeans acknowledged t h e s o v e r e i g n t y o f t h e
A f r i c a n r u l s r i n c o n t r o l of t h e s t a t e wherein t h e f o r t l a y .
10 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp, 197-198.
11 The Asante Empire may be s a i d t o have c o n s i s t e d o f two
d i s t i n c t segments r o u g h l y i n t h e form o f c o n c e n t r i c c i r c l e s
c e n t e r i n g on Kumasi. The i n n e r c i r c l e was comprised m a i n l y o f
Akan s t a t e s ; founded i n l a r g e p a r t by t h e Oyoko c l a n . These
, s t a t e s came u n d e r c l o s e s c r u t i n y o f t h e Asantehene h i m s e l f . T h i s
i s o f t e n r e f e r r e d t o a s K e t r o p o l i t a n Asante. The o u t e r c i r c l e
was comprised o f conquered s t a t e s which were o f t e n o f non-Akan
o r i g i n . These were c o n s i d e r a b l y more f r e e o f c o n t r o l and s u p e r -
v i s i o n by t h e Asantehene. These s t a t e s a r e o f t e n r e f e r r e d t o a s
b e i n g p a r t o f P r o v i n c i a l Asante. See R.S. R a t t r a y , A s h a n t i Law
---
and C o n s t i t u t i o n , London, Oxford U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1956, f o r
details,
 12 A t t h i s t i m e , t h e Asantehene, O s e i Kojo, planned a
p u n i t i v e e x p e d i t i o n a g a i n s t t h e Akim. The Akim widened t h e a r e a
of c o n f l i c t by a l l y i n g t h e m s e l v e s w i t h t h e i r w e s t e r n n e i g h b o u r s ,
t h e Assin. T h i s was a s e r i o u s development f o r t h e Assin were
c l o s e l y a l l i e d w i t h t h e P a n t i . The q u e s t i o n of F a n t i n e u t r a l i t y
t h e r e f o r e became most i m p o r t a n t and O s e i Kojo payed t h e F a n t i
c h i e f s a b r i b e i n o r d e r t o e n s u r e t h e i r n e u t r a l i t y . The F a n t i
a c c e p t e d t h e b r i b e b u t broke t h e i r promise and t h u s c r e a t e d t h e
first of s e v e r a l g r i e v a n c e s which would e v e n t u a l l y l e a d t o mas-
s i v e Asante r e t a l i a t i o n . See n la ridge, H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 149-

-
Ward, Gold C o a s t , pp. 132-133.
C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 230-240.

*I b i d , P. 234.

C J p Coast
 17 I b i d . , p b 279
18 P.R.o./T. 70/149: A f r i c a n Committee X n u t e . A f r i c a n O f -
f i c e , 2 I h r c h , 1807, c i t e d i n G.E. i v , e t c a l f e , G r e a t 6 r i t a i n and -
Ghana: Docunents o f Ghana H i s t o r y : 1807-1957, Lonuon, ''hornas
el son 8; Sons L t d . , 1964, p. 41 See n o t e 3 above f o r a r e v i e w o f
t h e s t a t u s of t h e company.
19 l i l e t c a l f e , Documents, p. 3 .
20 A t t h i s t i n e , t h e r e were C r i t i s h s e t t l e n e n t s on t h e
Gambia, a t S i e r r a Leone, and on t h e Gold Coast. Y i t h t h e excep-
t i o n o f a n e x p e r i m e n t i n Crown colony government i n t h e c a 2 t u r e d
' P r o v i n c e t of Seneganbia from 1764 t o 1783, t h e B r i t i s h Govern-
ment had r e l i e d on r e g u l a t e d cor,lpanies o f merchants and p h i l a n -
t h r o p i s t s t o a d m i n i s t e r tile v a r i o u s s e t t l e m e n t s a l o n g t h e c o a s t
w i t h t h e a i d o f p a r l i a m e n t a r y g r a n t s . Thus i 3 r i t i s h p a r t i c i p a t i o n
i n West A f r i c a n t r a d e by t h e l a s t d e c a d e s o f t h e e i z h t e e n t h
c e n t u r y was l a r g e l y t h e b u s i n e s s o f L i v e r p o o l , B r i s t o L , and
London t r a d i n g houses. In f a c t , with t h e exception of t h e b r i e f
p e r i o d o f Crown colony r u l e i n t h e Gambia r e g i o n , o f f i c i a l w i t h -
d r a w a l f rorn r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r A f r i c a n p l a n t a t i o n s o r p o s t s was
alrnost cornplete f o r t w e n t y - f i v e y e a r s . It i s i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e
t h a t t h e 1811 d e c i s i o n t a k e n w i t h r e g a r d t o t h e Gold C o a s t was
r e f l e c t e d b o t h i n S i e r r a Leone--which was d e c l a r e d a crown colony
i n 1807--and on t h e Gambia.
It i s a l s o i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e d e s i r e
t o h a l t t h e s l a v e t r a d e and t h e e x p e c t a t i o n o f a l u c r a t i v e
' l e g i t i m a t e t t r a d e were p o t e n t f a c t o r s i n t h e m o t i v a t i o n o f t h e
p r e s s u r e g r o u p s which e x e r t e d i n f l u e n c e on t h e B r i t i s h Government
a t t h i s time; t h e r e was a t h i r d f a c t o r . T h i s was A f r i c a n ex-
p l o r a t i o n which by t h e end of t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y had become
a f i e l d f o r s c i e n t i f i c and c o m r ~ e r c i a li n v e s t m e n t am? p a r t o f t h e
s t r a t e g y o f t h e war w i t h k'rance. The o r g a n i z a t i o n most a c t i v e
i n t h i s f i e l d was t h e A s s o c i a t i o n f o r prornoting t h e Discovery o f
t h e I n t e r i o r P a r t s o f A f r i c a . Founded i n 1788, t h i s A s s o c i a t i o n
was i n t e n d e d t o open t o B r i t a i n a c o m a e r c i a l p a s s a g e t o r i c h and
p o p u l o u s n a t i o n s by i n v e s t i g a t i n g t h e c o u r s e o f t h e Y i g e r R i v e r .
It must be remembered, however, t h a t t h e o n l y Government s u p p o r t -
e d e x p e d i t i o n p r i o r t o 1815 was Mungo P a r k ' s second--and f a t a l - -
N i g e r e x p e d i t i o n o f 1805. The p e r i o d o f r e l a t i v e l y heavy Govern-
m e n t a l involvement began i n 1815 w i t h t h e Luckey and Pedciie
e x p e d i t i o n s and ended w i t h t h e Lander b r o t h e r ' s e x p e d i t i o n o f
1831. (Naps 4 and 5 r e f e r . )
A t t h i s t i m e , t h e r e f o r e , what ~ o l i nRewbury d e s c r i b e s a s
a few d e d i c a t e d e ~ t h u s i a s t sh e l p a d t o c r e a t e c o r m i t n e n t s i n t r a d e ,
a n t i - s l a v z r y a c t i v i t i e s , and e x p l o r a t i o n , f o r governxent d e p a r t -
ments which had been g l a d t o renounce t h e X e s t A f r i c a n c o a s t a s
p r o f i t l e s s a n d u n h e a l t h y i n 1783. See C o l i n I,:erbury, B r i t i s h
P o l i c y Towards !.!est A f r i c a : S e l e c t e d Documents: 176'6-lg?q,
Oxford, Clarendon i2re=, 1965, pp. 2-7.
2 1 Zacheray 1:acaulay: Governor o f S i e r r a Leone, 1793-95;
S e c r e t a r y of t h e S i e r r a Leone Company, 1799-180g; and o f t h z
A f r i c a n I n s t i t u t e , 1807-12; member of t h e A n t i - S l a v e r y S o c i e t y
from 1823.
22 C.O. 267/24; Zachary Biacaulay t o Lord C a s t l e r e a g h ; 8
May, 1807, c i t e d i n J . J . Crooks, Records of t h e Gold Coast S e t -
t l e m e n t s : 1750-1674, Dublin, Brown and n o l a n , 1923, p. 63.
23 9.C. 506 Report of t h e C o r m i s s i o n e r s o f A f r i c a n I n -
q u i r y ' 29 J u l y , 1811, pp. 135-136, c i t e d i n E i e t c a l f e , D o c u x n t s ,
pp. 14-22.
24 Ward, Gold c o a s t , p. 155.
25 One of t h e v e r y f e w r e f e r e n c e s t o t h i s i n c i d e n t nay b e
,
found i n E.F. c ; o l l i n s t "The P a n i c Element i n n i n e t e e n t h Century
B r i t i s h F i e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e A s h a n t i , " T r a n s a c t i o n s o f t h e His-
t o r i c a l S o c i e t y o f Ghana, Vol. 5, No. 2 , (lgo2), p. 81.
26 M r . T.G. Bowdich n e g o t i a t e d a t r e a t y i n 1817 a n d Fir. J.
Dupuis n e g o t i a t e d a s e c o ~ dt r e a t y i n 1820. I n b o t h c a s e s , t h e
Governor a t cape C o a s t , M r . John IIope-Smith, f a i l e d t o honour t h e
tenns of t h e t r e a t y . See Bowdich, I : i s s i o n , and Dupuis, J o u r n a l ,
f o r t h e v i e w s o f t h e B r i t i s h n e g o t i a t o r s . See a l s o c.0.'-
Gold Goast no. 46, The Gold Coast S e t t l e m e n t s from t h e i r f i r s t
-
e s t a b l i s h m e n t t o t h e d e a t h o f i4r. i l a c l e s n i n 1 8 4 7 ; i - a r c h , 1 8 7 4 ,
f o r t h e C o l o n i a l O f f i c e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . C o l l i n s t , "The P a n i c
Elementv i s e s p e c i a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g f o r t h e l i g h t it s h e d s on some
o f Dupuist p r e j u d i c e s w i t h r e g a r d t o t h e Company.
27 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, p. 327.
28 ~ . 7 0 / 1 6 0 4 / l ; Governor and C o u n c i l t o t h e A f r i c a n Commit-
t e e , 2 2 J a n u a r y , 1819; ~ . 7 0 / 1 6 0 1 / 1 ; J. Hope-Smith t o J. Dupuis;
26 J a n u a r y , 1 8 2 0 ; a n d T .70/160b/l; Governor and C o u n c i l t o t h e
A f r i c a n C o r m i t t e e ; 1 9 Ilay 1 8 2 0 , c i t e d i n P I e t c a l f e , Documents,
PP. 54, 57, and 61.
29 I n t h e AsanteheneTs o p i n i o n , t h e one d i f f e r e n c e between
Cape Coast and t h e r e s t of F a n t i l a n d was t h a t it had n o t been over-
r u n by h i s a r m i e s , and t h i s , o n l y o u t o f h i s c o n s i d e r a t i c n f o r t h e
E n g l i s h . See ~ . 7 0 / 1 6 0 3 / 2 ; Hutchison t o Hope-Sraith; 17 November,
1817, c i t e d i n X e t c a l f e , Documents, p. 70.
30 Dupuis, J o u r n a l , p , 131.
 31 H.C. 431, 1817, Vol. V I , Recommendations, pp. 1143-1187.
A b s t r a c t e d i n X e t c a l f e , Document,, pp. 41-45.
32 S i r C h a r l e s PiacCarthy. A f t e r s e r v i c e i n t h e ';Yest I n d i e s
he was g i v e n a L i e u t e n a n t - C o l o n e l c y i n t h e Royal A f r i c a n Corps
and n e x t y e a r ( 1812) became Governor of S i e r r a Leone. he was '

k n i g h t e d i n 1820.
33 c.O. 879/6; G.C. 46; blarch, 1874, pp. 26-27.
34 T h i s i n c i d e n t i s d e a l t w i t h i n c o n s i d e r a b l e d e t a i l i n
Ward, Gold Coast - 8 pp. 168-170.
34 I k t c a l f e , Documents, p. 71.
36 C.O. 267/58; B I a c ~ a r t h yt o S a t h u r s t , 7 A p r i l , 1823; c.0.
267/56; C h i s h o l n t o hIacCarthy, 8 August, 1823 ; and G.O. 267/59;
NacCarthy t o B a t h u r s t , 1 2 December, 1823; a l l c i t e d i n Crooks,
R e c o r d s , pp. 169-172. O f s p e c i a l note i n t h i s formation of an
alll'ance was t h e a s t u t e p o l i t i c a l s e n s e e x h i b i t e d by t h e A f r i c a n
c h i e f s who t o o k c a r e t o s e c u r e t h e m s e l v e s a g a i n s t b e i n g a b a n d ~ n e d
t o t h e t c n d e r mercy o f t h e Asantehene by h a v i n g a f o r m a l a g r e e -
ment and h o l d i n g a r i t u a l o a t h - t a k i n g . See X.K. R i c k e t t s , A
N a r r a t i v e of t h e Ashantee Xar, London, Frank Lass 6 GO. '~td:, 1831,
PP* 40-41
37 A c l e a r and c o n c i s e a c c o u n t o f t h e e n t i r e a c t i o n i s
c o n t a i n e d i n Ward, Gold C o a s t , pp. 168-174. The Asante were much
i m p r e s s e d w i t h S i r C h a r l e s 1 courage. They c o n s e q u e n t l y a t e p o r t -
i o n s o f h i s body ar,d p r e s e r v e d h i s head which became a powerful
t f e c i s h ' i n Kurnasi. See lar ridge, H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, p. 352, f o r
details.
38 Georg N b r r e g a r d , Danish S e t t l e n e n t s i n V e s t A f r i c a : 1658-
1 8 5 0 , Boston, Boston U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1960, pp. 195-196.
39 bIajor-General C h a r l e s T u r n e r e n t e r e d t h e army i n 1795;
s e r v e d i n t h e k!est I n d i e s and t h e P e n i n s u l a ; Kajor-Generai, 1821;
Governor o f S i e r r a Leone, 5 F e b r u a r y , 1 6 2 5 , t o 7 March, 1826.
40 Henry B a t h u r s t , 3 r d E a r l B a t h u r s t ; I4.P. 1793; P r e s i d e n t
of t h e Board o f T r a d e , 1807-12; S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r l!ar and
t h e C o l o n i e s , 11 J u n e , 1812, t o 30 A p r i l , 1827.
41 A s e r i e s o f d e s p a t c h e s were exchanged between f l a j o r -
G e n e r a l T u r n e r and E a r l 3 a t h u r s t on t h i s m a t t e r b u t t h e most i m -
p o r t a n t a p p e a r t o be: C.O. 267/65, T u r n e r t o B a t h u r s t , 2& iIarch,
1 8 2 5 ; C.0. 267/65, Turner t o B a t h u r s t , 9 A p r i l , 1925; and c.0.
268/20, B a t h u r s t t o T u r n e r , 5 J u l y , 1825. A l s o o f c o n s i d e r a b l e
i m p o r t a n c e a r e : C.O. 267/65, F:err,orandum on t h e Gold b o a s t , 2
J u l y , 1825; and C.O. 2%/23, I n s t r u c t i o n s t o t h e Y e s t A f r i c a n
C o m n i s s i o n e r s , 11 Plovember, 1825.
 42 T h i s t h e y were a b l e t o do w i t h impunity f o r n e i t h e r t h e
t r i b e m e n n o r t h e Danes were a b l e t o e f f e c t i v e l y c h a l l e n e t h e i r
i n v a s i o n . See ~ b r r e g a r d , Danish S e t t l e ~ o e n t s ,pp. 196-lgY.$
43 Major-General S i r E!eil Campbell, e n t e r e d t h e arniy i n
1797; s e r v e d i n t h e :lest I n d i e s and t h e P e n i n s u l a , a ~ w
d ith the
A l l i e d arraies i n Gerrnny a ~ F d r a n c e , 1813-14; k n i ~ h t e di n 1614;
Ela jor-General i n 1825 ; a p p o i n t e d Governor o f S i e r r a Leone, 13
May, 1825.

44 C.O. 266/26, B a t h u r s t t o Campbell, 20 J u n e , 1826; and

C.O. 267/66, T u r n e r t o Purdon, 18 O c t o b e r , 1 6 2 5 ; See a l s o ,
C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 384-391.
45 tJard, Gold C o a s t , p. 1 7 7
46 The C o n i i i s s i o n e r a p p o i n t e d on 11 Yovember, 1825. See
above, p. 14. H.C. 352, Vol. V I I , 267, Report of Comnissioner
Rowan on h i s v i s i t t o t h e Gold C o a s t , J u n e , 1827. A b s t r a c t e d i n
Met c a l f e , Documents, pp. 110-112.
47 C.O. 268/26, B a t h u r s t t o Campbell, 2 1 Karch, 1827.
48 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 402-40l+.
49 C.O. 267/97, Hay t o B a r n e s , Brown and P o r s t e r , 3 0 October,
1 8 2 8 ; and C.O. 268/27, R u l e s f o r c o n d u c t i n g t h e a f f a i r s o f Cape
Coast C a s t l e and Accra a n d s e c u r i n g t h e appointment o f f i t and
p r o p e r p e r s o n s f o r t h e charge and nanagencnt o f t h e s e f o r t s , 13
J a n u a r y , 1629.
50 C a p t a i n George Naclean, s e r v e d as a n o f f i c e r i n Royal
A f r i c a n ~ o l o n i a lCorps and came t o o f f i c a l n o t i c e when he went
t o t h e Gold Coast i n 1826 i n a m i l i t a r y c a p a c i t y . Appointed
P r e s i d e n t o f t h e Conunittee of 2;erchants and Governor of t h e Gold
C o a s t , 1830-1643 ; J u d i c i a l A s s e s s o r on t h e Gold C o a s t , 1&!+3-1&+7.
Died of d y s e n t e r y a t Cape Coast C a s t l e i n I.iay, 1847.
51 P a n y a r r i n g was t h e w e l l - e s t a b l i s h e d custom whereby a
c r e d i t o r might s i e z e any fellow-townsman o f t h e d e b t o r and h o l d
him a s s e c u r i t y . The f a m i l y o f t h e man t h u s p a n y a r r e d w o d d
n a t u r a l l y p u t p r e s s u r e on t h e d e b t o r t o pay. During t h e s l a v e
t r a d e , however, t h e r e was a s t r o n g t e m p t a t i o n t o p a n y a r a man
f o r a small d e b t and s e l l him i n t o s l a v e r y w i t h o u t g i v i n g h i s
f a m i l y a chance t o s e c u r e payment o f t h e d e b t ; t h u s n a k i n g a
handsome p r o f it.
 52 T h i s i s a d i r e c t r e f e r e n c e t o t h o s e s o u t h e r n s t a t e s
which became Asante p r o v i n c e s a s a r e s u l t of t h e 1807-1814 wars.
S e e above, pp. 6-10; and c.0. 879/6, G . G . 46, pp. 13-15.
53 T h i s seems t o r e f e r t o t h e t e r m s which had been r e a c h e d
u n d e r R i c k e t t t s a u s p i c e s i n December 1827, b u t which were never*
carried into effect .
54 C . 0 , 879/6, G.C. 46, Appendix ( c ) .
55 Although b o t h t h e Dutch and t h e Danes were s t i l l a c t i v e
on t h e c o a s t a t t h i s t i m e , n e i t h e r became a s i n v o l v e d as t h e
B r i t i s h i n t h e affairs of t h e Africans. herefo fore, even t h o ~ h
b o t h powers r e f u s e d t o co-operate i n s u c h matters a s common
customs d u t i e s , e t c . , a n d even though t h e Dutch e x a c e r b a t e d Asante/
F a n t i r e l a t i o n s by t h e i r a c t i v i t i e s t h r o u g h Elmina, t h e trpower
g r o u p i n g s " were a c t u a l l y t h e Asante, F a n t i , and m i t i s h .
56 C l n r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, p. 391 -
These n o t e s , h a v i n g
once been c l a i m e d from t h e F a n t i c h i e f s by t h e ksanteherle a s a
r i g h t of c o n q u e s t , had simply r e v e r t e d by t h e same r i g h t t o t h e
B r i t i s h , and t h e s i t e s t o which t h e y r e f e r r e d became t h e i r abso-
l u t e property.
57 The o f f i c i a l s t i p u l a t i o n was t h a t h i s a u t h o r i t y was
r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e t l f o r t s , r o a d s t e a d o r h a r b o u r s t h e r e u n t o ad j o i n -
i n g , ' as w e l l a s t h e p e r s o n s r e s i d i n g t h e r e i n . " Even s o , a p r e c e -
d e n t e x i s t e d f o r t h i s i n t h a t under b o t h t h e o l d Company ( H . C .
507, 1816, Vol. V I I R e p o r t . o f C o n n i t t e e on t h e s t a t e o f t h e S e t -
t l e m e n t s and F o r t s of A f r i c a
and under t h e Crown (H.c.
- P a r t I1 - Evidence of Xr. 3 . Cock)
551, 1842, Vol. X I - X I I , Iteport o f C G ~ -
m i t t e e on t h e s t a t e o f B r i t i s h P o ~ s e s s i o n son t h e V e s t Coast o f
Africa and t h e i r p r e s e n t r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e n e i g h b o u r i n g t r i b e s ;
Evidence o f Xr. W.B. S e w e l l , ) , t h e B r i t i s h a u t h o r i t i e s had i n t e r -
vened i n p o l i t i c a l . a n d j u d i c i a l d i s p u t e s amongst t h e A f r i c a n pop-
ulation, usually at t h e i r request.
58 By t h e 1 e 3 0 l s b o t h A f r i c a n t r a d e a n d A f r i c a n e x p l o r a t i o n
had c e a s e d t o a t t r a c t t h e s u p p o r t o f t h e B r i t i s h Governnent. The
Committee o f P r i v y C o u n c i l f o r Trade and P l a n t a t i o n s made PO
o b j e c t i o n s t o a ~ o l o n i a lO f f i c e s u g g e s t i o n t o abandon t h e Gold
Coast a t t h e end o f t h e 1 8 2 0 t s ; and i n 1 g 4 1 t h e N i g e r D e l t e palm
o i l t r a d e was c o n t r a s t e d f a v o u r a b l y w i t h t h e small amounts e x p o r t -
e d from p o r t s u n d e r B r i t i s h r u l e . The l e s s o n w s o b v i o u s enough:
A f r i c a n p o s s e s s i o n s o f f e r e d l i t t l e c o m e r c i a l a d v a n t a g e ir. r e t u r n
f o r t h e i r upkeep, i n r e l a t i o n t o c o a s t a l t r a d e a s a whole. The
m e r c h a n t s ' c a s e f o r t h e r e t e n t i o n o f A f r i c a n pos5.s which was s t i l l
b a s e d on t h e e i g h t e m t h c e n t u r y premise t h a t a f o r t o f f e r e d pro-
t e c t i o n o f t h e p r i n c i p a l n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t i n t h e A f r i c z n mzrket
was, by t h e 1 8 3 0 t s , and e x t r e i ~ i e l yweak one.
 S i r n i l a r l y , t h e 1831 journey o f t h e Lander b r o t h e r s down
t h e N i g e r t o t h e D e l t a rounded o f f t h e p e r i o d o f West A f r i c a n
e x p l o r a t i o n begun i n t h e l a s t decades o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y .
I m i e d i a t e l y t h e i n t e r e s t of t h e government d e p a r t m e n t s l a p s e d
and it was l a i d down t h a t no m i s s i o n s were t o b e s e n t from S i e r r a
Leone o r t h e Gambia a t t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ' s expense.
T h i s a t t i t u d e was a l s o r e f l e c t e d i n t h e f i e l d o f ad^' L1 m-

i s t r a t i o n . XacCarthyfs plan f o r u n i f i e d settlements d i d b r i n g

about t h e a b o l i t i o n o f t h e A f r i c a n Company i n 1821, when t h e
f o r t s on t h e Gold Coast were p l a c e d under S i e r r a Leone. However,
v e r y few o f t h e i m p l i c a t i o n s o f e s t a b l i s h i n g a u n i t e d governmefit
were t h o u g h t o u t . XacCarthyl s r e c o n m e ~ d aito n s f o r a s u p r e u e
c o u r t w i t h power t o a p p o i n t m a g i s t r a t e s were i g n o r e d , a n d t h e
e x e c u t i v e powers o f t h e g o v e r n o r o u t s i d e o f S i e r r a Leone were n o t
mentioned a t a l l . I n t h e Gambia s e t t l e m e n t , whi'ch was t i e d t o
t h e S i e r r a Leone C o u n c i l , a l i e u t e n a n t - g o v e r n o r was a p p o i n t e d f o r
t h e f i r s t t i n e i n 1829--unable t o p a s s h i s own l e g i s l a t i o n and
s u b j e c t e d t o t h e m ~ i l t i p l ed e l a y s o f a s y s t e n o f a d m i n i s t r a t i o n
which was i n need o f a b o l i t i o n o r reform.
I n f a c t , by t h e e a r l y 1 8 3 0 ' s , o f f i c i a l i n t e r e s t i n West
A f r i c a had sunk t o t h e l o w e s t p o i n t i n t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y .
F o r a n e n c r a l d i s c u s s i o n of t h e p l a n s f o r w i t h d r a w a l which were
s u g g e s t e d a t t h i s t i m e , s e e The earabridge H i s t o r y o f t h e Z r i t i s h
Em l i r e , Vol. 11, "The Growth o f t h e New Empire 1783-187OU, Carn-
, The U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1940, pp. 650-2.
59 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 403-1+04.
60 Ward, Gold L o a s t , p, 185. T h i s i s i n d e e d "roughly speak-
i n g " f o r a l t h o u g h t h e Danes were o f c o n s i d e r a b l y l e s s i m p o r t a n c e ,
t h e Dutch c o n s t i t u t e d s e r i o u s b r e a c h e s i n t h e B r i t i s h s p h e r e .
I n d e e d , t h e Dutch o f t e n c r e a t e d problems f o r t h e B r i t i s h t h r o u g h
t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h k s a n t e v i a t h e Elmina f o r it was from t h e
Dutch t h a t t h e Asante r e c e i v e d most of t h e i r arms and a ~ m u n i t i o n .
61 G.O. 9 8 / 1 ~ , Council H i n u t e , 1 2 Aovember, 1839; C.O. 267/
162, !.laclean t o R u s s e l l , 27 J a n u a r y , 1840; a n d 1I.C. 551, 1842,
Vol. X I I , C o n c l u s i o n s . Human s a c r e i f i c e s and 2 a n y a r r i n g came i n t o
t h i s c a t e g o r y b u t t h e m i l d form o f domestic s l a v e r y p r a c t i s e d on
t h e Gold Coast d i d n o t , Few p e o p l e were ri:ore h o s t i l e t o t h e s l a v e
t r a d e t h z n l.Iaclean, b u t he d i d n o t s e e t h a t he had any a u t h o r i t y
t o a r r e s t s l a v e - t r a d e r s who were n o t B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s .
62 C.O. 267/162, 14inutes by R u s s e l l and S t e p h e n , 3 A p r i l ,
l8&O.
 63 See G.E. K e t c a l f e , Idaclean o f t h e Cold Coast: The L i f e
and Times of George Haclean, 1801-1847, London, Oxford U n i v e r s i t y
P r e s s , 1962. T h i s work g i v e s a n e x c e l l e n t a c c o u n t of t h e d i f -
f i c u l t i e s e n c o u n t e r e d by Haclean a n d i l l u s t r a t e s most c l e a r l y t h e
d e v a s t a t i n g campaign o f c h a r a c t e r a s s a s s i n a t i o n which was c a r r i e d
o u t a g a i n s t him a f t e r t h e sudden d e a t h o f h i s w i f e a t cape Coast.
~ a s t l 6 . See a l s o , Cruilcshank, E i g h t e e n Y e a r s , Vol. 1, pp. 224,
e t . s e q . , which d e a l s w i t h t h e q u e s t i o n o f airs. iliaclean's d e a t h
very fuily.
64 Lord John R u s s e l l ; S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r Yar and t h e
c o l o n i e s , August 1839 t o September 1841; S e c r e t a r y o f S t z t e f o r
t h e c o l o n i e s , 1855 ; F o r e i g n S e c r e t a r y , 1852-3 and 1859-65; Prime
Elinist;er, 1846-52 and 1865-6.

65 H.G. 551, T r e a s u r y t o ~ o l o n i a lO f f i c e , 1 0 J u n e , 1840;

a n d H,C. 551, C o l o n i a l O f f i c e t o T r e a s u r y , 17 J u n e , 1840,
66 b l e t c a l f e , Naclean, p. 268. >ladden's r e p o r t i s i n c l u d e d
i n H.C. 551 a n d a summary o f h i s r e c o r m e n d a t i o n s can be found i n
C.O. 267/170 - c i t e d i n M e t c a l f e , Documents, pp. 170-171.

67 Edward George S t a n l e y ( l a t e r 1 4 t h E a r l o f D e r b y ) , E n t e r -
ed P a r l i a m e n t a s a Whig i n 1822. Under-Secretary f o r t h e Colop-
i e s , 1827-30; S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r Xar and t h e C o l o n i e s , ;:;arch
1833 t o May 1831, and from Septernbcr 1841 t o December 1845. J o i n -
e d t h e l i o n s e r v a t i v e s i n 1 8 3 5 ; l a t e r t h r e e t i m e Prime i h i s t e r .
68 c.0. 267/170, Minute by S t a n l e y , 1 2 J a n u a r y , 1842. See
H.C. 551, Vol. X I , pp. i i i - x x i , f o r t h e S e l e c t C o r m i t t e e ' s f i n d -
i n g s and recomii~endationsw i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e Gold Coast.

69 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 448-450. T h i s p e r i o d o f

t i m e was v i t a l f o r t h e e n t i r e X e s t Goast o f A f r i c a , ~ o l i n~ ~ e w -
b u r y cominents t h a t :
The y e a r s from 1839 t o 1841+ were a w a t e r -
s h e d f o r B r i t i s h p o l i c y towards West Africa
as a whole. D e c i s i o n s t a k e n t h e n ended t h e
i n d i f f e r e n c e o f t h e p r e v i o u s decade t o t h e
i n h e r i t a n c e of t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y on t h e
c o a s t ; and from t h e s e d e c i s i o n s a b o u t t h e
conduct o f t h e a n t i - s l a v e r y campaign and t h e
o r g a n i z a t i o n of t h e f o r t s and s e t t l e m e n t s
d e r i v e d most o f t h e consequences which i n -
v o l v e d Government, o f f i c i a l s , and t r a d e r s
more c l o s e l y i n A f r i c a n a f f a i r s d u r i n g t h e
r e s t o f t h e c e n t u r y . See Kewbury, F o l i c y ,
p. 43.
 It was i n 1840 t h a t e v i d e n c e o f an i n c r e a s e i n t h e s l a v e
t r a d e a n d t h e s u s p i c i o n t h a t t h e Gold Coast f o r t s were b e i n g used
t o s u p p l y s l a v e r s shook t h e C o l o n i a l and F o r e i g n O f f i c e o u t o f
t h e a t t i t u d e o f m a k e s h i f t and compro:nise t h a t had p r e v a i l e d i n a l l
o f t h e West A f r i c a n s e t t l e m e n t s s i n c e a b o u t 1826. The consequences
on t h e Gold Coast have been d e a l t w i t h b u t t h e r e were a l s o import-
a n t consequences e l s e w h e r e . One major consequence was t h e a t t e m p t
t o n e g o t i a t e anti-slavery t r e a t i e s with African r u l e r s a t S i e r r a
Leone and on t h e Gambia. Even more i m p o r t a n t , however, was t h e
development o f t h e use of c o n s u l s i n t h e B i g h t s of Benin and
Biafra and on t h e S h e r b r o from t h e end o f t h e 1 8 4 0 ' s .
The consequence of c o n s u l a r a p p o i n t m e n t s t o t h e B i g h t s
was i n c r e a s e d r e l i a n c e on t h e Navy t o s e c u r e t h e aims o f 3 r i t i s h
p o l i c y . One c o n s u l , I k . B e e c r o f t , made o v e r t u r e s a t Abonny a n d
Abeokuta i n l g 5 0 b u t f a i l e d t o win o v e r King Ghezo t o thr. a n t i -
s l a v e r y c a u s e a n d t h u s brought t h e B r i t i s h i n t o temporary a l l i a n c e
w i t h t h e Yoruba. The n a v a l bombardment of Lagos i n 1851 which
f o l l o w e d t h i s , and t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f King Akitoye a t Lagos a s
s i g n a t o r y t o a n a n t i - s l a v e r y t r e a t y produced a c r o p o f a g r e e n a n t s
a l o n g t h e c o a s t . Thus t h e k i n d of commitment which t h e C o l o n i a l
O f f i c e had t r i e d t o a v o i d i n t h e Ganbia and i n S i e r r a Leone had
now beer. e n t e r e d i n t o by t h e F o r e i g n OfTice and t h e Admiralty i n
t h e Lagos i n t e r i o r .
70 Loc. c i t .
71 M e t c a l f e , Docunents, pp. 191-192.
72 Commander H i l l had s e r v e d as c o m n n d e r of t h e Y e s t A f r i -
can Squadron, R.V., p r i o r t o t h i s appointrilent.
73 c.0. 96/4, D e c l a r a t i o n o f t h e F a n t i c h i e f s , 6 Xarch,
1844.
74 ~ $ r r e g a r d , Danish S e t t l e m e n t s , Chap. 22 and C l a r i d g e ,
H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 474-476.
75 They d i d , however, open t h e way t o f u r t h e r encroacilments.
I n d e e d , t h e i3onds were unique t o t h e Gold Coast. I n S i e r r a Leone,
t h e need f o r a s s e r t i n g t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o u t -
s i d e t h e c o l o n i a l b o u n d a r i e s was n e i t h e r s o p r e s s i n g a s on t h e
Gold C o a s t , n o r was it t o l e r a t e d by t h e ~ o l o n i a lO f f i c e . in
Gambia t h e s i t u a t i o n was d i f f e r e n t a g a i n . There, by t h e 185G's
t h e o l d t r e a t y p o l i c y was b r e a k i n g down because of e x t e r n a l f a c t -
o r s and t h e whole B r i t i s h p o l i c y t o w a r d s t h e Gambia Wolof and
Kandinka chiefdoms which had r e p o s e d on o c c a s i o n a l agreeriients and
s t i p e n d s was d e s t r o y e d between 1852 and t h e mid-1860's by a s e r i e s
of p o l i t i c a l and r e l i g i o u s r e v o l t s . ( F o r i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e s e
w a r s , s e e J.S. Trimingham, A H i p t o r y o f I s l a m i n FIest A f r i c a ,
London, Oxford U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s 1962, pp. 155-184). A t Lagos,
t o o , t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a f t e r 1d61 was v u l n e r a b l e t o d i s r u p t i o n
o f i n t e r i o r t r a d e and l o c a l market s u p p l i e s . IIowever, t h e r e -
a c t i o n o f o f f i c i a l s t h e r e w a s t o i n t e r v e n e by f o r c e o f arms, a s
e x e m p l i f i e d by A d m i n i s t r a t o r G l o v e r ' s d e f e a t a t t h e Egba i n 1865,
76 H.C. 383, 1855, Vol. XUVI, - E x t r a c t s of Acts of
P a r l i a u e n t , Orders i n Council, Charters, Local Ordinances, e t c . ,
defining the Civil and J u d i c i a l C o n s t i t u t i o n s o f t h e 3 r i t i s h
S e t t l e m e n t s on t h e West Coast o f A f r i c a .
77 c.0. 96/7, iwlinuteby S t e p h e n , 26 J a n u a r y , 1846; and
C.U. 96/11, Gray t o Winnietl;, 20 J a n u a r y , 1849.
76 T h i s growing demand was i n l a r g e p a r t a r e s u l t o f t h e
i n c r e a s i n g i n f l u e n c e of t h e m i s s i o n a r i e s . A good g e n e r a l r e v i e w
of t h i s d e v e l o p n e n t can be found i n Ward, Gold c o a s t , pp. 193-
199. F o r a more d e t a i l e d and a d e q u a t e l y documented a c c o u n t , s e e
David Kimble, h P o l i t i c a l H i s t o r y of Ghana: The R i s e o f Gold
Goast M z t i o n a l i s a : 1850-1928, Oxford, Clarendon P r e s s , 1903,
Chap. I1 and hap. 111, - pp. 125-135.
79 With t h e c o f f e r s i n London l o c k e d t o them t h e l o c a l
a d m i n i s t r a t o r s were f a c e d w i t h a s e r i o u s problem because t h e r e
were g r e a t d i f f i c u l t i e s i n t h e way o f r a i s i n g a d e q u a t e r e v e n u e
l o c a l l y . The major problem was t h a t t h e A f r i c a n s c o u l d n o t be
t a x e d as t h e y were n o t B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s . It had been hoped t h a t
customs d u t i e s might p r o v i d e t h e needed f u n d s b u t even t h a t s o u r c e
o f income h e l d l i t t l e p r o a i s e because a n y a t t e m p t t o i n c r e a s e t h e
small d u t i e s l e v i e d on t r a d e p a s s i n g t h r o u g h t h e B r i t i s h f o r t s
would m e r e l y have meant t h a t t h e B r i t i s h t r a d e w o d d r e v e r t t o
t h e Dutch and t h e Danes. Even t h e p u r c h a s e o f t h e Danish f o r t s
d i d n o t produce t h e hoped f o r a d d i t i o n a l r e v e n u e from r a i s e d d u t i e s
on t r a d e because t h e Dutch s t i l l r e f u s e d t o c o - o p e r a t e .
The Anglo-Dutch r i v a l r y which l a y behind t h i s l a c k o f co-
o p e r a t i o n i s e x c e p t i o n a l l y w e l l d e s c r i b e d by Douglas Coonbs i n h i s
c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e Oxford 'Jest A f r i c a n H i s t o r y S e r i e s ; The Gold
C o a s t , B r i t a i n , a n d t h e N e t h e r l a n d s , Londor , Oxford U n i v e r s i t y
--
P r e s s , 1963.
80 Henry George Grey, Viscount Rowick, l a t e r 3 r d Z a r l Grey:
U n d e r - S e c r e t a r y f o r t h e C o l o n i e s , 1830-3 ; S e c r e t a r y a t Uar, 1835-
9 ; S e c r e t a r y f o r War and t h e C o l o n i e s , 1846-52.
$1 c.0. 96/19, Minute by Grey, 16 Rovember, 1g50.
82 C.O. 96/25, The P o l l Tax ' O r d i n a n c e ' , 19 A p r i l , 1852.
 83 C.O. '96/40, Ord t o Labouchere, 16 Kay, 1856, and Ward,
Gold Coxat, p. 191. See Kimble, P o l i t i c a l H i s t o r y , hap. I V , f o r
a c o n c i s e and w e l l document a c c o u n t of t h i s ~ e r i o di n Gold Coast
..
h i s t o r y . ,.ot o n l y d i d t h e measure f a i l t o r a i s e t h e d e s i r e d
f u n d s , b u t it a l s o caused u n r e s t and d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n among t h e
t r i b e s m e n i n t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e t . The p e o p l e o b j e c t e d t o t h e
methods used t o c o l l e c t t h e t a x and t h e y a l s o a s s e r t e d , no d ~ u b t
c o r r e c t l y , t h a t t h e i r c h i e f s had no r i g h t t o t a x thein i n t h i s
way. R e s i s t a n c e was s o g r e a t t h a t i n s t e a d of a n e x p e c t e d
•’20,000, o n l y •’7,500 was c o l l e c t e d i n t h e f i r s t y e a r . I n s u c c e -
e d i n g y e a r s s o l i t t l e was c o l l e c t e d t h a t t h e tax was e v e n t u a l l y
quietly discontinued.
T h i s measure was n o t unique t o t h e V e s t A f r i c a n s e t t l e -
ments. The p r i n c i p a l aim of Crown a d m i n i s t r a t i o n w a s t o keep
t h e t r a d e r s ' peace and make c o l o n i a l government pay f o r i t s e l f .
Economy had been one motive behind t h e r e t u r n of t h e f o r t s t o
t h e m e r c h a n t s ir, 1 8 2 6 ; i t was no l e s s a c o n s i d e r a t i o n from t h e
1640's on, when Custo~ilsd u t i e s were l o o k e d t o i n c r e a s i n g l y a s a
means of paying f o r l o c a l e x p e n d i t u r e . Experiments w i t h d i r e c t
t a x e s on p e r s o n s , p r o p e r t y and p r o d u c e were t r i e d a t v a r i o u s
t i m e s , s i n c e t h e d a y s o f t h e S i e r r a Leone Company's q u i t r e n t s .
However, t h e y had f a i l e d f o r much t h e same r e a s o n s a s had t h e
Gold Coast p o l l t a x .
P?eed f o r revenue was a l s o a f a c t o r which c o m b i ~ e dv i t h
h u m a n i t a r i a n m o t i v e s t o p e r s u a d e t h e ~ ' o l o n i a lOi'fice t o a p p r o v e
between 1850 and 1843 a number of t e r r i t o r i a l a c q u i s i t i o n s . The
p e r i o d o f r e s t r a i n t from a b o u t 1827 till 184G ended when E a r l
Grey a g r e e d t o t h e p u r c h a s e o f t h e Danish f o r t s as Customs p o s t s
i n 1650 and t o t h e a n n e x a t i o n of l a n d a t Konbo t o s u p p o r t 9 a t h -
u r s t s e t t l e r s . I n t h e Bight o f Benin, as a r e s u l t o f t h e growth
o f c o n s u l a r a u t h o r i t y and t h e promise o f a new f i e l d f o r t r a d e ,
t h e P o r c i g n O f f i c e persuaded t h e C o l o n i a l O f f i c e t o a g r e e t o t h e
a n n e x a t i o n o f Lagos i n 1861. Annexations of Bendu and of S h e r b r e
I s l a n d i n t h e name o f t h e a n t i - s l a v e r y campaign and t h e t i m b e r
t r a d e f o l l o w e d soon a f t e r . Uularna I s l a n d which had been f o r m a l l y
annexed i n 1849 and Koya were d e c l a r e d p a r t of t h e colony o f
S i e r r a Leone and occupied i n 1861, On t h e Gold c o a s t t h e a d ~ n i n -
i s t r a t i o n o f t h e e a s t e r n d i s t r i c t s was expanded t o w a r d s t h e V o l t a
mouth a s f a r a s Eeta; and ~ a d a g r i ,Palma and Lekki were added t o
Lagos t o e n s u r e c o n t r o l of t h e l a g o o n m a r k e t s f o r customs i n 1863,
84 'dard, Gold C o a s t , p. 191.
 85 The i n c i d e n t i n 184b i n v o l v e d B r i t i s h r e f u s a l t o r e t u r n
a n A s s i n i f u g i t i v e from t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s j u s t i c e t o Kurnasi and
war was o n l y j u s t a v e r t e d by a t i m e l y g i v i n g way on t h e .part o f
t h e Governor, Gomander H i l l , R.P! ., The problem i n 185Lt was t h e
r e s u l t o f Asante i n t r i g u e s w i t h Kviadwa O t i b u o f A s s i n t o b r i n g
h i s s t a t e o u t of t h e t P r o t e c t o r a t e l and p l a c e i t once n o r e under
Asante s u z e r a i n t y . The p l a n s went awry and t h e Asantehene r e -
s o l v e d on t h e u s e o f f o r c e . Xowever, t h e B r i t i s h assembled a
f o r c e l a r g e enough t o c a u s e t h e Asantehene t o r e c o n s i d e r h i s
plans f o r invading t h e c o a s t a l region.
86
R i c h a r d P i n e , younger b r o t h e r o f S i r Benjamin P i n e
(Governor of t h e Gold c o a s t , March 1854-lIay 1 8 5 8 ) , s e r v e d on t h e
Gambia, 1855-62 ; Governor o f Gold c o a s t , 1862-1865.
87 C.O. 96/58, P i n e t o R e w c a s t l e , 1 0 December, 1 8 4 2 , c i t e d
i n M.C. 385, 1864, Vol. X L I , - D e s p a t c h e s from t h e Governor of
t h e Gold Coast e x p l a i n i n g t h e c a u s e of t h e war w i t h t h e K i ~ gof
Ashantee: d e s p a t c h e s t o t h e Governor d i r e c t i n g him t o p r o s e x t e
t h e war:- r e t u r n s o f t h e e x p e n s e s i n c u r r e d , e t c . , p. 133.
88 Henry Pelham F i e n ~ e sPelharn C l i n t o n , 5 t h Duke of Rew-
c a s t l e ; M.P. 1832-51, f i r s t a s a Tory and l a t e r a s a P e e l i t e ;
S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r Var and t h e C o l o n i e s , December, 1852 t o
J u n e , 1 8 5 4 ; S e c r e t a r y f o r Var u n t i l F e b r u a r y , 1855; S e c r e t a r y o f
S t a t e f o r t h e C o l o n i e s , 1859-64.
89 H.C. 385, 1864, Vol. XLI, p r o v i d e s c o n s i d e r a b l e document-
a r y e v i d e n c e on t h i s campaign. I n t h e l i g h t o f t h e vague and con-
corrunittal wording o f t h e d e s p a t c h g r a n t i n g p e r r ! ~ i s s i o nt o c r o s s
t h e P r a ( c . 0 . 96/63, Rogers t o P i n e , 2 1 December, 1863), it i s
n o t s u r p r i s i n g t h a t t h e i n v a s i o n was n o t u n d e r t a k e n ,
-
90 C l a r i d g e , H i s t x , pp. 529-530.
91 The d i s t u r b a n c e s o v e r t h e p o l l t a x had been a major
f a c t o r i n t h e development o f t h i s f e e l i n g b u t t h e r e wasa more
f u n d a m e n t a l c l a u s e . When Xaclean had had t h e d i r e c t i o n o f Gold
Coast a f f a i r s , he was t o a g r e a t e x t e n t a b l e t o make h i s own
p o l i c y and t o a c t c o n s i s t e n t l y on it. But t h e B r i t i s h o f f i c i a l s
who f o l l o w e d him were r e q u i r e d t o f o l l o w t h e c o n s t a n t l y changing
p o l i c i e s o f s u c c e s s i v e governments i n B r i t a i n . T h i s s i t u a t i o n
was f u r t h e r c o m p l i c a t e d by t h e f a c t t h a t t h e B r i t i s h g o v e r n o r s
and t h e i r a i d e s were r a r e l y on t h e c o a s t f o r p e r i o d s l o n g e r t h a n
a y e a r t o two. I n g e n e r a l t h e y l a c k e d t h e t i m e and t h e i n c e n t i v e
t o g e t t o know t h e c o u n t r y and i t s p e o p l e p r o p e r l y , and were t h u s
u n a b l e t o a c t as a n e f f e c t i v e counter-weight t o v a c i l l a t i n g pol-
icy.
 92 Edward C a r d w e l l ( l a t e r 1st Viscount C a r d w e l l ) ; 1.i.P. 1842-
74; P r e s i d e n t of t h e Board o f T r a d e , 1852-5; ~ h i e fS e c r e t a r y f o r
I r e l a n d , 1659-61; C h a n c e l l o r o f t h e Duchy o f L a n c a s t e r , 16b1-4;
S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r t h e ~ o l o n i e s ,1864-6; S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e
f o r War, 1868-74.

93 C.O. 96/64, Cardwell t o H a c k e t t , 23 May, 1864; and C.O.

96/64, Cardwell t o P i n e , 23 J u n e , 1864.
94 C.O. 96/64, G r i e v a n c e s of t h e Gold Coast C h i e f s , 9
August, 1864.
95 S i r ~ h a r l e sHowyer Adderley, l a t e r 1st baron Norton.
C o n s e r v a t i v e b1.P. f o r North S t a f f o r d s h i r e , 1841-1878; i n t e r e s t e d
i n c o l o n i a l q u e s t i o n s ; co-operated w i t h 3.G. Wakefield i n found-
i n g C a n t e r b u r y , N.Z., and t h e C o l o n i a l Reform S o c i e t y * under-
S e c r e t a r y f o r t h e ~ o l o n i e s ,June 1866 t o December, U ~ S .
96 H a n s a r d 3/177/535 f f : , c i t e d i n H e t c a l f e , Docuxents,
pp. 305-308. The e n t i r e q u e s t l o n of t h e 1865 Committee i s cover-
e d i n a n o u t s t a n d i n g manner i n J .Dm Hargreave, P r e l u d e t o t h e
P a r t i t i o n o f West A f r i c a , London, Nacrnillan ei Co. L t d . , 1963,
pp. 1-90.
97 H.C. 1 7 0 , 1 8 6 5 , Vol. X X V I I , Colonel O r d ' s R e p o r t on t h e
c o n d i t i o n o f t h e S e t t l e m e n t s on t h e West c o a s t o f A f r i c a , p. 287;
and C.O. 267/282, F o r e i g n O f f i c e t o C o l o n i a l O f f i c e , 24 O c t o b e r ,
1864; See a l s o , C.O. 267/282, Cardwell t o Ord, 25 O c t o b e r , 1861+
as c i t e d i n H a r g r e a v e s , P r e l u d e , p. 72.
98 Cmd. 412, 1865, Vol. 1, Report of t h e Committee on t h e
C o n d i t i o n of t h e S e t t l e r r e n t s on t h e \ J e s t Coast o f A f r i c a .
99 Crad. 412. 1865, - . Vol. 1 , a b s t r a c t of r e s o l u t i o n s c i t e d
i n N e t c a l f e , ~ o c u i e nst, pp. 3ll-'312. Commenting g e n e r a l l y on t h e
s i t u a t i o n a t t h i s tirile, C o l i n kewbury w r i t e s :
I n c r e a s i n g l y , t h e r e was a t e n d e n c y
(from t h e l a t e 1 8 4 0 ' s ) t o l o o k t o
t h e B r i t i s h Government t o c u t t h e
Gordian k n o t s t h a t bound small com-
m u n i t i e s o f European t r a d e r s and o f -
f i c i a l s t o t h e l e a d e r s of l o c a l Afri-
can s o c i e t y and impose a s o l u t i o n t o
t h e problems of c o n t a c t on European
t e r m s . The Government, however, was
l i m i t e d i n i t s c h o i c e of 1n3thods, i n -
h i b i t e d by t h e need f o r economy and by
a g e n e r a l d e s i r e t o a v o i d a c q u i r i n g an
empire i n A f r i c a . The f o r t s and s e t t l e -
ments had be& r e t a i n e d and a d m i n i s t e r e d
l a r g e l y f o r humanitarian reasons i n t h e
c a s e o f S i e r r a Leone and t h e Gold C o a s t ,
f o r t h e gum t r a d e i n t h e c a s e of t h e
 Gambia, and a s a b a s e f o r l e g i t i m a t e
t r a d e on t h e S l a v e C o a s t i n t h e c a s e
o f Lagos. After 1865, t h e h u n a n i t a r -
iar! argurnent f o r t h e p o s t s weakened.
But by t h e n t h e y had developed i n t o
Crown c o l o n i e s and t h e p r e s s u r e o f
t h e a p o s t l e s o f Buxton was r e d i r e c t -
ed a g a i n s t d o m e s t i c s l a v e r y and l o r
t h e reform o f n a t i v e law and custom.
The r o l e t o be p l a y e d by Government,
t h e r e f o r e , was s t i l l n o t u n i n f l u e n c e d
by what was l o o s e l y termed " p u b l i c
opinionf1. I n the c a s e ' o f Yest A f r i c a
t h i s meant t h e s n a l l p a r l i a n e n t a r y
g r o u p from t h e A b o r i g i n e s P r o t e c t i o n
S o c i e t y , t r a d e r s from L i v e r p o o l , :Ian-
c h e s t e r , B r i s t o l , and London, and oc-
casionally missionary societies.
C o n s e q u e n t l y , abandonnent of a l l p o s t s
...
was never r e a l l y considered s e r i o u s l y
i n t h e 186Ofs. Newbury, P o l i c y , pp. 38-9.
1 0 0 Na j o r Sarnuel V e n s l e y B l a c k a l l ; I"d.P. 1847-61; Governor
of Dominica; Governor of S i e r r a Leone 1863; Governor-in-Chief,
West A f r i c a n S e t t l e m e n t s , F e b r u a r y 1 8 b 6 - ~ e b r u a r18'68.
~
101 C.O. 96/68, Cardwell t o Conran, 23 November, l e 6 5 ; and
C . O . 96/71, C a r d w e l l t o B l a c k a l l , 23 J m e , 1666. See a l s o ,
G.0. 8 7 9 / 2 , Gold C o a s t No. b -
20 J a n u a r y , 1866, i;enorandum by
M r . E l l i o t and J l a j o r B l a c k a l l on r e m o d e l l i n g o f k!est A f r i c a n
Governments .
1 0 2 L i e u t e n a n t - C o l o n e l Ew Conran of t h e K e s t I n d i a n ReQ-
ment who c a a e t o Cape C o a s t w i t h r e i n f o r c e m e n t s i n August l t 6 3 .
Remained t o s e r v e a s Governor from August 1865 t o J u l y 1 ~ b 7 .
103 C.O. 879/2, G.C. 6 , 20 J a n u a r y , 1866, pp. 7 - 8 ; and C . O w
96/72, Conran t o D l a c k a l l , 6 September, 1866:
104 Coombs, The Gold C o a s t , B r i t a i n and t h e Y e t h e r l a n d s ,
PP. 40-46.
105 Ibid., pp. 50-55.
106 F o r a d e t a i l e d a c c o u n t o f t h i s s i t u a t i o n , s e e K i n b l e ,
-P~ oul ir tii cs adl i Ici its tio~r qi- d, Chap. V , "King Aggery' s C h a l l e n g e t o 3riti s h
f f ,Chap. VI, !!Tho F a n t i . C o n f e d e r a t i o n :
~ - 7and
1868-73".
107 Loc. c i t .
 106 Loc, c i t .
109 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r x , Vol. I , pp. 564, 567.
110 C.O. 96/71, Ussher t o Kennedy, 6 A p r i l , 1868. T h i s i s
a v e r y c o n c i s e d i s s e r t a t i o n on t h e problem a n d i s p a r t . i c d . a r l y
enlightening as t o t h e posFtion of t h e A f r i c ~ n s .
111 Ward, Gold C o a s t , p. 234.
112 Ibid., pp. 234-235.
113 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 555-556.

115 See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r , Vol. 1, pp. 585-593 a c d Chap.

XXX, p a s s i m f o r a d i s c u s-$s i o n o A t j i e n l p o n l s a d v e n t u r e s 2nd h i s
t r e a t m e n t a t t h e h a n d s o f t h e Dutch and Y r i t i s h ,
116 T h i s a c t i o n i s of c o n s i d e r a b l e i n t e r e s t f o r t h e p r o o f
it p r o v i d e s o f b ' a n t i f i g h t i n g q u a l i t i e s a n d it b r i n g s t h e sub-
s e q u e n t B r i t i s h c h a r g e s o f c o w a r d i c e , e t c . , i n t o q u e s t i o n . See
comilents by W o l s e l e y , Brackenbury, e t c . , i n s u b s e q u e n t c h a p t e r s .
117 See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r -,
645-647; Ward, Gold C o a s t , p . $38 and p . p%
.
579-583, and pp.
2 2 ; C.O. 679/3, Cold
Coast No. 25
Dutch settlements
- - -
19 J a n u a r y , 1870 6 F e b r u a r y , 1872; ~ e s s i o x
Correspondence ; and C.O. 879/4, Gold Coast
No. 29 -
E t s and A s h a n t i I n v a s i o n
- -
1 5 J a n u a r y , 1872 17 $:ay, 1873; C e s s i o n of Dutch S e t -
Correspondence; passim, f o r a
d i s c u s s i o n of t h e c a p t u r e of t h e m i s s i o n a r i e s and t h e s u b s e q u e n t
negotiations f o r t h e i r release.
118 ~ u l l c r ,Vanished Dynasty, p. 109.
119 C l a r i d g e , W i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 577-578.
120 Coombs, -
The Gold C o a s t , B r i t a i n and t h e Y e t h e r l a n d s ,
PP. 54-56.
121 C.O. 879/3, G.C. 25, Appendix A.
1 2 2 A.B. E l l i s , A I I i s t o r y of t h e Gold Coast of ::est Africa,
Cambridge, Cambridge U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1893, p. I t j O .
123 c.0. 879/3, C o l o n i a l O f f i c e t o F o r e i g n O f f i c e , 3 F e b r u a r y ,
1871, p. 106.
124 C.O. 879/3, F a c t c l a s t o U s s h e r , 20 Deceaber, 1870, p.
132.
 125 C.O. 879/6, ---
L C . 46, Appendix A .
126 E l l i s , H i s t o r x , pp. 191-192.
127 Crooks, R e c o r d s , pp. 386-387.
128 I b i d . , pp. 391-3.
1 2 9 D. Coombs s h e d s sorne new l i g h t on t h i s q u e s t i o n i n h i s
The Gold C o a s t , B r i t a i n and t h e B e t h e r l a n d s . He s u g g e s t s t h a t
t h e docurnant-was n o t a f o r g e r y , as charged by E l l i s and o t h e r s ,
b u t was g e n u i n e and p a r t of t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s v e r y c l e v e r d i p l o -
m a t i c campaign a g a i n s t t h e 3 r i t i s h .

--
29
1 3 0 See C.O. 879/3, G.C. 2 5 , and C.O. @ 9 / 4 Gold Coast, 130.
-
13 J a n u a r y , 1872 1 7 x 5 8 7 3 , C e s s i o n o f Detch s e t t l e g e n t s
-
and A s h a n t i i n v a s i o n ; Correspondence, f o r d e t a i l s .
131 John Tope-Hennessy ( l a t e r S i r J o h n ) ; Governor o f Labuan,
1867 ; A c t i n g Governor-in-C : i e f of !,'esi A f r i c a n S e t t l e m e n t s ,
F e b r u a r y 1872 - F e b r u a r y 1673 Governor o l Bahamas, 1973 ; L'indvord
I s l a n d s , 1 8 7 5 ; Hone Kong, ls76; a n d E l a u r i t i u s , 1882-9.
132 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 636-638.

131, Kobina E d j a n a n d h i s p a v t y had been t h e s t r o 9 ~ e s ts u p p o r t -

e r s o f t h e Asante l i n k and a l t h o u g h t h e y had been u n a b l e t o a c t i v e -
l y oppose t h e t r a n s f e r o f Z l a i n a t o t h e S r i t i s h , t h e i r s y m p a t 3 i e s
Mere x e l l known and Kobina Edjan was t h e r e f o r e deposed, i n p a r t
a s a p r e v e n t a t i v e measure.
135 lar ridge, I i i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 628-529.
136 K i n b l e , -
P o l i t i c a l H i s t o r y , pp. 256-257.
137 ';lard c o n t e n d s t h a t , " t h e h a g g l i n g t h a t ensued ( o v e r t h e
m i s s i o n a r i e s ) was p r o b a b l y n o t meant s e r i o u s l y by t h e A s a n t e h e z e ;
a t a l l e v m t s n o t h i n g came o f i t ." Ward, Gold c o a s t , p. 262.
138 See pp. 24-2b above.
139 Crnd. 890, 1$71k, Vol. LXVI, King K o f i K a l k a r e e t o Gover-
n o r I I n r l e y , 20 Narch, 1 8 7 3 , c i t e d i n I ' k t c a l f e , Documents, p. 349.
T h e r e i s e v e r v i n d i c s t i o n . however. t h a t t h e Asantehene was n o t
in f a v o u r o f ille war and Gas a c t u a i l y f o r c e d i n t o it by h i s
C o u n c i l of C h i e f s . Sen F u l l e r , A v a n i s h e d DynasQ, pp; 100-115.
It tiou3.d a l s o a p p e a r t h a t hopes of a ~ e t ~ t l e r i i e nweret seriously
hampered by t h e ' i c t i o n s and i h r e a t s of t h e u b i q u i t o u s Xr. P l a n g e
who a c t e d as R e n n e s s g r s raessenger t o Kumasi d u r i n g t h e n e g o t i a t i o ~ s
o v e r t h e m i s s i o n a r i e s . See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 11, pp. 6-8.
Although it r e r a i n e d r e l a t i v e l y s t e a d y a t a p p r o x i ~ o a t e l y29,000 p e r
Year from 1853 t o 1865, revenue from i m p o r t s and e x p o r t s was
s t e a d i l y i n c r e a s i n g by 1866. I v l e t c a l f e ' s f i g u r e s a r e : 1666
•’11,053; 1867, f l 0 , 8 3 9 ; 1 8 6 8 , f15,40L+; 1809, •’24,127; 1 8 7 0 , ' • ’ 3 ~ 1- , 6 I~ 1 -
1871, f.28,609 ; 1872, f 4 O , l b 5 . S e e L I e t c a l f e , Docurnents, Appendix
Dl PP* '750-751.
140 Crooks, R e c o r d s , p. 374.
1 4 1 -B0 8 i d pp. 385-388.
142 K i n b l e , P o l i t i c a l H i s t o r y , p , 260
143 C.O. 96/87, Ussher t o Kennedy, 6 ):arch, 1 8 7 1 ; C.O.
96/89, Kennedy t o Kimberley, 8 November, 1871.
144 Kirnble , P o l i t i c a l M i s + , o r - , pp. 246-249.
145 C.O. 879/4, Gold C o a s t !lo. 29-A, 3 J a n u a r y , 1872
14arch, 1673, F a n t i c o n r e d e r a t i o n c o r r e s p o n d e n c e , pp. 98-99.
- 10
11$ Kirnble, P o l i t i c a l H i s t o r y , pp. 249-256. C o n t a i n s an
e x c e l l e n t d e s c r i p t i o n of tir. Salmon's v i o l e n t r e a c t i o n s , t t e
r e a s o n s f o r s u c h - r e a c t i o n s a n d t h e r e s p o n s e t o them.

147 C.O.
, 96/89, Kimberley t o Kennedy, 1 6 J a n u a r y , 1872.
146 S e e C O O . 879/4, G.C. 29-A, for full details.
149 Crooks, Z e c o r d s , p. 374 and pp. 385-8.
1 5 0 The r e a s o n s behind t h i s d r i f t a r e t o a l a r g e e x t e n t
e x p l a i n e d i n n o t e 97 above. In a d d i t i o n , however, t h e men d i r e c t -
l y i n v o l v e d r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e airas of 3 r i t i s h p o l i c y could n o t be
a c h i e v e d w i t h o u t a g r e a t e r involvement t h a n had h i t h e r t o been t h e
case,
1 5 1 C l a r i d g e , E i s t o r y , Vol. 11, pp, 8-9. T h i s e n t i r e p a s s a g e
is a l s o n o t e w o r t h y f o r t h e l i g h t i t s h e d s on t h e 1 9 t h C e n t u r y
". . .
B r i t i s h a t t i t u d e toward t h e A f r i c a n s . Such t e r m as " h i g h e r
civilieation of the 3-1glish;~~ b e i n g weaned from t h e i r
( t h e A f r i c a n s ) more o b j e c t i o n a b l e c u s t ~ r n s ;and
~ ~ "the barbarous
and d e s p o t i c n a t u r e of ( t h e i r ) governtnent ;" a3.1 c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e
t h e l3uropea.n s e c t i m e n t s a t t h i s t i m e . I n t h e succeeding chapters,
t h i s b i a s w i l l be i l l u s t r a t e d o v e r and o v e r a,gain i n t h e q u o t e s
t a k e n f r o n S i r Garnet Wolseley, Henry Brackenbury, and t h e i r
Contemporaries.
 CHAPTER I1 - FOOTNOTES
1 S e e Henry Brackenbury, The A s h a n t i War: A N a r r a t i v e ,
London, Ti.611ian Blackwood and Sons, 1874, Vol. 1, Chap. 1;
C l a r i d g e , l i i s t o r , 0 1 2, p
Dynasty, pp. -- 0I ??
-114.
-
3 8; and F u l l e r , A Vanisiiei,

2 F u l l e r , A Vanished Dynasty, p. 114.

3 I b i d . , p. 115 and Ramseyer and Kuhne, Four Y e a r s i n Ash-
anti, , Cass, 1962, p. 124.
4 L O . 879/4; Gold c o a s t
a n d A s h a n t i 1nva-sion; S e r i a l 18
-C e s s i o n of Uutch S e t t l e x e n t s
s u b - ~ n c l o s u r e 1 0 , Howe t o
H a r l e y , 6 F e b r u a r y , 1873, and S .a1 200, s u b - ~ n c l o s u r et o Enclo-
s u r e 2 , I4inutes o f - t h e m e e t i n g t h e L e g i s l a t i v e ~ o u n c i l ,11
F e b r u a r y , 1873.
5 Ramseyer and Kuhne, Four Y e a r s , p. 1 3 8 ; a n d C.0. 679/4;
G.C. 29; S e r i a l 297, G n c l o s u r e , Gouldsbury t o H a r l e y , 6 J a n u a r y
d --i d , 9 J a n u a r y , 1873.
6 F u l l e r , A Vanished Dynasty, p. 115.
7 See Alan L l o y d , The Drums o f Kumasi : The S t o r y o f ths
A s h a n t i Wars, ond don, Longmans, Green &; Co. L t d . , 1904, pp. 69-70,
f o r a v i v i d a c c o u n t of t h e Asante army's d e p a r t u r e f o r t h e P r a .
8 c.0. 879/4; G.C. 29; S e r i a l 1 8 3 , Sub-$nclosurc 1 0 , R o . m
t o H a r l e y , 6 Februar-.
9c.0, a79/4; G.C. 29; S e r i a l 183, Sub-Snclosure 1, Anfoo
Otoo t o H a r l e y , 29 J a n u a r y , 1873 and Sub-Enclosure 2 , ~ h i b ut o
Harley.
10 C o l o n e l ( l a t e r Sir) R o b e r t Yilliam H a r l e y , e n t e r e d t h e
army i n 1647; s e r v e d i n t h e Gold C o a s t ( 1 8 6 3 ) and Gambia ( 1 8 6 4 )
e x p e d i t i o n s ; A d m i n i s t r a t o r o f B r i t i s h Honduras, 1871-2 ; Adxin-
i s t r a t o r of t h e Gold C o a s t , 1872-3; A c t i n g Governor-in-Chief Xest
Africa, )larch - Au u s t 1873; l a t e r L i e ~ t e n a n tGovernor o f Tobago
8
( 1 8 7 5 ) , Grenada (1 77) and B r i t i s h Honduras ( 1 8 8 3 - 4 ) .
11 S e e a b o v e , C h a p t e r I , n o t e 131.
12 C.0. 879/4; G.C. 29; S e r i a l 1 8 7 , E n c l o s u r e 1, H a r l e y t o
Hennessy, 3 1 ~ a n u a r y , =
13 Loc. c i t .
 1 4 Mr. Pope-Hennessy had cor2pletely misread t h e s i t u a t i o n
and, having a' h i g h l y i n f l a t e d opinion o f h i s own i n f l u e n c e w i t h
t h e Asantehene, proceeded t o f o l l o w a p o l i c y which a i d n o t h i n g
t o s o l v e t h e d i s p u t e s e x t a n t between t h e B r i t i s h and t h e Asante.
F o r a s y m p a t h e t i c r e c o u n t i n g of t h e s i t u a t i o n , s e e , James Fope-
Hennessy, Verandah, Uew York, A l f r e d A. Knopf, 1964, pi:. 131-
171.
15 (2.0. 879/4; G.C. 29; S e r i a l 187, Hennessy t o Kirnberley,
8 February, 1873.
16 The most o u t s t a n d i n g o f t h e s e f u n c t i o n a r i e s was Colonel
F o s t e r F o s t e r whose main a p p o i n t m e ~ twas C o l l e c t o r of Customs b u t
who h e l d s e v e r a l o t h e r appointments and a c t i n g appointments.

17 C.0. 679/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 183, Hennessy t o Ximberley,

10 February, 1873.
18 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 187, Enclosure 2 , Harley t o
Anfoo Otoo, 30 ~ a n u a r m .
19 The Council membership i n c l u d e d Colonel Harley, Admin-
i s t r a t o r ; D.P. Chalnlers, chief H a g i s t r a t e ; and ~ o l . ,The Hon.
F o s t e r F o s t e r , Acting C o l l e c t o r o f Customs. Captain T u r t on
( ~ ~ I ' IOIC K )t,r o o p s was a l s o p r e s e n t a t t h i s meeting. C.O. 879/4;
G.C. 29, S e r i a l 183.
20 C.O. 87914; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 183, Sub-Enclosure 2 ,
Minutes of a meeting o f ~ e g i s l ai vt e Council, 31 J a n u a r y , 1873.
21 Cmd, 3364 F u r t h e r p a p e r s r e l a t i n g t o a f f a i r s on t h e Gold
Coast;, Vol. XLI, 1d64, p. 210.

22 (2.0. 879/4; G.C. 29; S e r i a l 189, Kinberley t o Keate, 28

F e b r u a r y , 1873,

23 C.O. 87914; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 183, Hennessy t o Kimberley,

1 0 F e b r u a r y , 1873 a n d ~ c r i a 193,
r Iiennessy t o Kilnberley, 1 3 Feb-
r u a r y , 1873.
24 Mr. R.W. Keate, Educated a t Eton and C h r i s t c h u r c h ,
Oxford; c a l l e d t o t h e b a r a t L i n c o l n t s I n n , 1844; was a p 2 o i n t e d
c i v i l commissioner of t h e S e y c h e l l e s I s l a n d s , 1849; L i e u t e n a n t
Governor o f Granada, 1853. and Governor o f T r i n i d a d , 1854-1864;
Governor of Natal, 1666-76.

25 C.O. 979/4; &C. 29, S e r i a l 195, Keate t o Harley, 18

F e b r u a r y , 1873.
26 C l e r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol, 2, p. 11.
 27 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 1 e 3 ; E n c l o s u r e 1, H a r l e y t o
Hennessy, 4 F e b r u a r y , 1873.
28 D r . ( l a t e r S i r ) Samuel itowe, Surgeon-!b;ajor, ~n&-pd or.
t h e West C o a s t of A f r i c a from 1862. X e d i c a l O f f i c e r and Chief o f
S t a f f t o C a p t a i n G l o v e r d u r i n g t h e Asante \Jar o f 1G73-4; on spe-
c i a l s e r v i c e t o t h e Gold C o a s t , November, 1874; l i e u t e n a n t -
g o v e r n o r , V e s t A f r i c a n S e t t l e m e n t s , 1 8 7 5 ; A d m i n i s t r a t o r of t h e
Cambia 1 8 7 5 ; conducted two e x p e d i t i o n s i n t o t h e Sherbo c o u n t r y
i n 187&, Governor o f t h e West A f r i c a n S e t t l e m e n t s , 1 8 7 6 ; k n i g h t e d ,
1880; Governor of Gold Coast Colony, J a n u a r y , 1 8 6 1 Decelnber,
1683.
-
29 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 183; Sub-Enclosure 7 , H w l e y
t o R o w , 2 F e b r u a r y , -1
30 C.O. L179/4; G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 183; Sub-Enclosure 1 0 , Roue
t o Harley, 6 ~ e b r u a r y ~ a S n edr i a l 1 9 5 , Sub-Enclosures i n
E n c l o s u r e 2 , D r . Rowe's R e p o r t t o t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r H a r l e y , 11
F e b r u a r y , 1873.
31 The Cape Coast V o l u n t e e r s were a E u r o p e a n - o f f i c e r e d ,
A f r i c a n m i l i t i a which had been a t t a c h e d t o t h e r e g u l a r n i l i t a r y
f o r c e s a s t h e Governort s Body Guard i n 1845, 1852 and 1863. See
C.O. 879/4; G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 183, s u b - e n c l o s u r e 9 , C a p t a i n D e g r a f t
t o C o l o n e l H a r l e y , 3 F e b r u a r y , 1673.
32 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 1 8 3 - % c l o s u r e 1, H s r l e y t o
Henncssy, 2 F e b r u a r y , 1873, a n d S e r i a l 1d3 ; Sub-Snclosure e,
Rough E s t i m a t e o f t h e F a n t e e F o r c e s ,
33 C.O. $7914; G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 1 9 5 , E n c l o s u r e 2 , H a r l e y t o
Hennessy, 11 ~ e b r u a r y m
34 During a b a t t l e t h e r e was a c o n s i d e r a b l e d i f f e r e n c e be-
tween t h e amount o f ammunition consur-led by ~ f r i c a n sand t h a t
consuaed by Europeans. F o r example, a f i r s t l i n e s u p p l y and r e -
s e r v e o f a n m u n i t i o n judged s u f f i c i e n t f o r t h r e e d a y s heavy f i g h t -
ing by European t r o o p s would o f t e n be expended i n one b r i e f engage-
ment by t h e A f r i c a n l e v i e s .
35 Although t h e r e were Hausa people i n t h e n o r t h e r n t e r -
r i t o r i e s above A s a n t e , t h e Hausa P o l i c e were r e c r u i t e d from Lagos
a n d were hence of ~ o r t h e r nNigerian o r i g i n . However, a l t h o u g h
t h e s e men v e r e n o t a l l Hausa, t h e y were a l l l~luslim.
36 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 183, Sub-Enclosure 7, H a r l e y
to Rowe, 2 F e b r u a r y , T F
 37 Apart from t h e V e s t A f r i c a squadron which was p r i m a r i l y
f o r use a g a i n s t t h e s l a v e t r a d e , Vest A f r i c a n f o r c e s were drat:n
from U r i t i s h A f r i c a n arld Vest I n d i a whits and from l o c a l l y r a i s e d
v o l u n t e e r s . The !Jest I n d i a Regiments were p a r t l y r e c r u i t e d from
l i b e r a t e d A f r i c a n s from 1 g l l till t h e 18301 s . The f i r s t u n i t s o f
t h e k'est I n d i a Regiments were sent t o t h e Gold Coast f o r t s i n t h e
1840's a l t h o u g h t h e r e w e r e Yest I n d i a n t r o o p s a t t h e ~ a a b i aand
S i e r r a Leone long b e f o r e t h e n . The s t r e n g t h was v e r y low and it
was n o t u n t i l t h e i n e f f e c t u a l campaign a g a i n s t t h e Asante i n 1863-
4, t h a t two complete l!est I n d i a Regiments were brought t o V e s t
A f r i c a . I n 1869, t h e West I n d i a n e s t a b l i s h m e n t i n Yest ~ f r i c a
was reduced t o o n l y f o u r co:npanies. A t t h e beginning of 1873
-
t h e r e were no more t h a n 375 men of t h e Yest I n d i a Repiment on t h e
c o a s t , supplemented by 1 , 2 5 0 p o l i c e and v o l u n t e e r s . See Nexbury,
B r i t i s h P o l i c y , pp. 584-585.

38 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 183, Enclosure, H a r l e y t o

Hennessy, 4 ~ e b r u a r y , m

39 See C.O. 879/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 193, Henncssy t o K i m -

b e r l e y , 13 February, 1873; and S e r i a l 194, Hennessy t o Kimberley,
12 F e b r u a r y , 1873, f o r t h e most o u t s t a n d i n g exa~nplesof Henness~rls
attitude. I n t h i s Hennessy w a s f o l l o v i n g t h e p a t t e r n he had a l -
r e a d y e s t a b l - i s h e d i n Labuan where he h2d become involved i n p e t t y
d i s p u t e s . Indeed, he r e p e a t e d t h e p a t t e r n i n t h e L'est I n d i e s ,
,
Hong Kong, and M a u r i t i u s . See Pope-Hennessy Verandah, passim.

40 C.O. 87914; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 1 8 7 , Hennessy t o Kimberley,

8 F e b r u a r y , 1873.
4 1 Mr. R. Keate had been d e l a y e d i n t a k i n g up hi's d u t i e s
because of a prolonged
Hennessyl s b l u n d e r i n g ,
a f f a i r s and a s m a t t e r s
t h e c l i m a t e and he had
42
C.O. 879/4; G.C.
21 February, 1873.
43 C.O. 879/4; G.C.
Kimberley, 14 March, T a
44 G.O. 879/4; G.C.
Kimberley, 15 Karch,
i l l n e s s . Even though h i s a r r i v a l stopped
he was t o o l a t e t o r e v e r s e t h e t r e n d of
developed, his h e a l t h proved unequal t o
l i t t l e e f f e c t on t h e s i t u a t i o n .
29, S e r i a l 1 9 5 , Keate t o Kimberley,
29, S e r i a l 236, Harley ( f o r Kectej t o
r -
29, S e r i a l 237, Harley ( f o r Keate) t o

1873 .45 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 22, S e r i a l 208, G.O. To K.O., 2C h k r c h ,

 46 The Gladstone Government was i n s u f f i c i e n t domestic d i f -
f i c u l t y - - e s p e c i a l l y o v e r t h e I r i s h q u e s t i o n - - t h a t i t s members
were more t h a n e a g e r t o a c c e p t Hennessy's r e a s s u r i n g r e p o r t s and
f a l l back on t h e o u t d a t e d p r i n c i p l e s e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1665 by t h e
S e l e c t Committee.

47 C.O. 679/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 226, 3.0. t o C.O., 28 March,

1873.
48 C.O. 679/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 275, Harley t o Kimberley,
d A p r i l , 1873, and S e r i a l 200, 9.0. t o C.O., 1 5 l h r c h , 1673.
49 That i s , t h e F a n t i tionfederation, See Yard, Gold C o a s t ,
PP. 275-2550
50 See above Chapter I , pp. 41-44.
51 See Boahen, T o p i c s , pp. 63-69, and Yard, Gold C o a s t ,
Chap. V I f o r a g e n e r a r e n e w of t h e r i s e o f t h e F a n t i s t a t e s .
52 C.O. 87914; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 1 9 5 , Sub-Enclosure t o Enclo-
sure 3 , S t a f f - A s s i s t a n t Surgeon t o Mathews, 23 January, 1873.
53 6.0. 879/4; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 218A, Herbert t o Hennessg,
28 Elarch, 1873, and ~ - 1 8 ~ , Enclosure 1, Report by Colonel
F o s t e r t o the A d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e Gold G O a s t , 30 October, 1672.
54 87914; G.C. 2 9 , Serial 237, Harley t o K i z b e r l e y ,
C.O.
1 5 March 18'73, and 5 m 3 7 , E n c l o s u r e , Turton t o H a r l e y , 1 3
March, 1473.
55 See J.V. de G. Johnson, "The F a n t i Asafow, A f r i c a , Vol.
3 , J u l y 1932, pp. 307-322, f o r a f u l l d i s c u s s i o n of t h i s m a t t e r .

57 C.0. 879/4.; G.G. 29, S e r i a l 237, H a r l e y t o K i n b e r l e y ,

1 5 Narch, 1873.
58 C O O . 879/4; G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 1 9 5 , Enclosure 3 , H a r l e y t o
Xeate, 1 4 k'ebrunry, 1 B m h e s e e x t r a Hausas had been s p e c i f i c a l -
l y r e q u e s t e d from A d m i n i s t r a t o r b e r k e l y a t Lagos by Colonel Harley.
59 C.O. 879/&; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 236 Harley ( f o r Keate) t o
Kimbcrley, 14 March, T-nd S e r i a l 231, Enclosure 3 , Chalners
to Keate, 6 I h r c h , 1873.
 60 C.0. 879/4; L C . 29, S e r i a l 236, Sub-Enclosure t o Enclo-
sure 2 , F o s t e r t o Thompson, 16 F e b r u a r y , 1 6 7 3 , and I b i d . , Thonp-
son t o F o s t e r , 26 F e b r u a r y , 1873. T h i s proved t o b e t h e v e r y
b e g i n n i n g of a l o n g and acrinionious d e b a t e o v e r t h e m i l i t a r y
c a p a b i l i t i e s of t h e Fanti.
61 6.0. 879/4* G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 237, E n c l o s u r e , IIopkins t o
H a r l e y , 13 I~larch, 1d73.
62 Loc, c i t .

63 C.0. 879/4; G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 266, H a r l e y t o Kimberley,

31 March, 1873.
64 These s h i p s , H.M.S.'s S e a g u l l , R a t t l e s n a k e , D r u i d , and
B a r r o c o u t a , w e r e i n v a l u a b l e n o t o n l y f o r t h e i r m o b i l i t y and
heavy f i r e p o w e r b u t a l s o a s a s o u r c e of e x t r a nanpower f o r b o t h
m a r i n e s and s a i l o r s c o u l d b e l a n d e d t o assist t h e g a r r i s o n s of
t h e v a r i o u s f o r t s s h o u l d t h e need a r i s e . The t o t a l f o r c e a v a i l -
a b l e t o t h e A d m i n i s t r a t o r now c o n s i s t e d o f : 2XIR (273) ; Hausa
( 2 1 0 ) ; V o l u n t e e r s ( 9 6 ) ; K.PI. ( a p p r o x . 1 0 0 ) . Of t h e s e f i g u r e s ,
o n l y 2VIi3 r e t u r n s a r e v e r i f i a b l e . The Hausa t o t a l i n c l u d e s t h e
Lagos c o n t i n g e n t , and t h e R.N. p e r s o n n e l a r e based on an i n -
f o r m a l e s t i m a t e made by c;ormander S t u b b s . The Z1!.lIH and Hau.sa
f i g u r e s include personnel l i s t e d as sick.
65 C.0. $79/4.; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 275, H a r l e y t o i;i:nberley,
8 A p r i l , 1873.
66 C.0. d79/4; G.C. 2 9 , S e r i a l 237, H a r l e y t o Kifiiberley,
15 March, 1g73.
67 The s i t e was chosen f o r t h e b a t t l e by t h e S z k i n and
L i e u t e n a n t Hopkins. As t h e e n t i r e a r e a was covered i n bush and
a s t h e r e was no t a c t i c a l f e a t u r e o f b e n e f i t t o t h e F a n t i , it
would a p p e a r t o be s i g n i f i c a n t o n l y f o r i t s p r o x i u i t y t o t h e
c e n t e r s of F a n t i p o p u l a t i o n . A m a t t e r o f some consequence when
one r e c a l l s t h a t t h e prime d u t y o f e a c h Asafo was t o p r o t e c t i t s
own v i l l a g e o r totm.
6e B m c k e n b u r y , A s h a n t i Yar, Vol. 1, p . 61.
69 C.O. 87914; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 275, H a r l e y t o Kirnberley,
8 A p r i l , 1873,
70 Nr. Loggie had e x p e r i e n c e i n t h e Royal A r t i l l e r y where
he had s e r v e d as a c a p t a i n . He had remained a t Gape Coast e v e r
s i n c e h i s a r r i v a l w i t h Xr. Keate on t h e 7 t h o f F k r c h , 1873.
 7 1 C.0. . 8 7 9 / 4 ; G.C. 29, S e r i a l 297, H a r l e y t o Kimberley,
10 A p r i l , 1873.
72 T h i s e x c i t e m e n t was c a u s e d by t h e a l l e g e d t r e a c h e r y o f
a Cape Coast m e r c h a n t , I k . George Blankson. He was a c c u s e d of
s u p p l y i n g arms and ammunition t o t h e A s a n t e and even t h o u g h t h e
e v i d e n c e was f a r from c o ~ c l u s i v e , he would have been s u m a r i l y
e x e c u t e d by t h e F a n t i c h i e f s had ~ o l o n e lH a r l e y n o t had him b r -
o u g h t t o Cape Coast where he r e n a i n e d i n j a i l u n t i l t h e end o f
h o s t i l i t i e s . He was e v e n t u a l l y a c q u i t t e d .

-
73 C.O. 879/4; Gold Coast 3 0 F u r t h e r P a p e r s 3 e l a t i n g t - o
t h e A s h a n t i e I n v a s i o n ; S e r i a l 8, H a r l e y t o Kirnberley, 12 A p r i l ,
1873 .
74 C.O. 879/1+; G.C. 30, S e r i a l 37, H a r l e y t o Kimberley,
2 1 A p r i l , 1873. H a r l e y was e x p r e s s i n g what was becoping t h e gen-
eral B r i t i s h a t t i t u d e toward t h e F a n t i . S e e i n g o n l y t h e immediate
s i t u a t i o n a n d , one s u s p e c t s , s u b s e q u e n t l y c o n f i r m i n g h i s a s s e s s -
ment on t h e b a s i s o f t h e r e p o r t e d i n i t i a l w i t h d r a w a l o f Amankwa
T i a , he a c c u s e d t h e F a c t i of becoming d e m o r a l i z e d . I n f a c t , how-
e v e r , i t would p r o b a b l y be more a c c u r a t e t o s o f t e n t h i s judgement
b y c o n s i d e r i n g t h a t t h e heavy l o s s e s s u f f e r e d by t h e F a n t i , com-
bined w i t h t h e i r j u s t i f i e d f e a r o f t h e Asante, caused t h e k s a f o
t o d r o p t h e i r co~imitmentt o t h e o v e r a l l F a n t i c a u s e i n f a v o u r of
t h e i r basic responsibility t o arotect t h e i r individual villages
and towns. I t i s p o s s i b l e , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t t h a i r w i t h d r a w a l wa$
a c o n s c i o u s d e s i r e on t h e i r p a r t t o b r e a k o f f t h e f o r m a l b a t t l e
i n f a v o u r of a form of g u e r r i l l a war i n an a t t e n p t t o wear o u t
Amankwa Tia i n numerous small b u t t i r i n g e n g a g e n e n t s .
75 By t h i s t i m e t h e g a r r i s o n s c o n s i s t e d of b e t x e e n 50 a n d
75 2T;iIR a t e a c h of t h e f o u r f o r t s w i t h t h e d e t a c h m e n t s at Cape
Coast C a s t l e and R l n i n a b e i n g r e i n f o r c e d by t h e Hausas and Val-
u n t e c r s a s t h e y came down f r o n Dunkwa. I n a d d i t i o n , t h e R.R.
p e r s o n n e l were on stand-by.
76 LOC. cit.

78 Hatnseyer and Kuhne, -

Four Y e a r s , p. 189. See p. 2 above
f o r Amankwa T i a ' s o b j e c t i v e .
79 C.0. 879/4; G.G. 3 0 , S e r i a l 5 2 , Sub-Enclosure 2 , Contin-
u a t i o n of t h e Report on t h e Ashantee I ~ v a s i o no f t h e Gold C o a s t ,
23 A p r i l , 1673.
 8 0 "The heavy a n n u a l r z i n s and t h e f e r t i l i t y o f t h e s o i l
make t h e f o r e s t e x t r e m e l y p r o d u c t i v e w.d it c o n t a i n s the c h i e f
farming
Handbook
.- . .
districts." -
John 3laxwel1, e d . , The Gcld Coast
1928. London, Crown Agents f o r t h e C o l o z i e s , 1 9 3 ,
P * 5.
81 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 30, S e r i a l 1 3 2 , H a r l e y t o Eiclberley,
1 5 May, 1873; S e r i a l 1 3 5 , H a r l e y t o Kimberley, 16 IIay, 1873; and
S e r i a l 159, H a r l e y t o Kimberley, 24 Kay, 1873. It s h o u l d be n o t e d
h e r e t h a t t h e s p e l l i n g o f Jukwa used i n t h i s p a p e r i s t h e modern
s p e l l i n g . The 1 9 t h Century s p e l l i n g was Jooquah,
82 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 30, S e r i a l l d 5 , H a r l e y t o K i n b e r l e y ,
2 J u n e , 187).
83 Loc. c-
it.

84 It i s e s t i m a t e d t h a t some 15,000-20 000 F a n t i t r o o p s

g a t h e r e d a t Jukwa. C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 1, pp. 26-27.

85 tlinwood Zeade, The S t o r y of t h e Ashnntee C a r n y a i ~ n ,

London, S m i t h , E l d e r & Co., 1874, p. 100.
86 The Cape C o a s t V o l u n t e e r s had n o t proven t o o e f f e c t i v e
i n t h a t t h e i r t e r m s of s e r v i c e were o f s u c h a n a t u r e as t o a l -
low them t o s e r v e on an " i f I wishrtb a s i s . Consequently, t h e y
were d i s b a n d e d on t h e 2 0 t h o f J u n e . I n t h e i r p l a c e , a Gold
C o a s t R i f l e Corps was e n r o l l e d - - w i t h a number o f t h e sane men
b u t u n d e r t e r m s o f s e r v i c e sinlilar t o t h o s e f o r r e g u l a r t r o o p s .
None b u t B r i t i s h s u S j e c t s o r t h o s e who had been born u n 6 e r B r i t -
ish P r o t e c t i o n b e f o r e t h e 31st o f Deceicber, l d 6 7 , were e n l i s t e d ,
and t h e o f f i c e r s were a l l A f r i c a n s . See C l a r i d ~ e ,E i s t o r y , Voi.
2, p . 66.
87 C.G. 879/4; G . C . 30, S e r i a l 228, H a r l e y t o Kimberley,
21 J u n e , 1873. ~ o l o n m e had y r e c e i v e d some p r i o r x a r n i n g of
t h i s move, a n d he had a l r e a d y a s k e d Cormlander S t u b b s , R.1':. , t h e
s e n i o r n a v a l o f f i c e r on t h e Gold c o a s t , t o t r a n s p o r t m a l l t a r -
r i s o n s t o Dixcove, Sekondi a n d Axin. See C.O. 87914; G.G. 3 0 ,
a e r i a l 35, m c l o s u r e 6 , H a r l e y t o S t u b b s , 2 1 A p r i l 1873, a n d
-*I b i d S e r i a l 43, H a r l e y t o Kimberley, 24 A p r i l , 1873.

-+
8

-
88 c.0, &79/5; Gold Coast 35 F u r t h e r C o r r e s ondence
R e s p e c t i n g t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n ; 9 I k y , 1873 t o 0 S e p t c n b e r ,
1873, S e r i a l 44, ~ a w t Koi n b e r l e y , 30 J u n e , 1673.
89 The Y e s t A f r i c a n H e r a l d o f t h e 2 8 t h o f J u n e , 1873.
 91 O n t h e 8 t h o f A p r i l a l o n e t h e A f r i c a n c a s u a l t i e s w:?re
221 men k i l l e d and 643 wounded. See C.O. 679/4; C.C. 30; S e r i a l
37, H a r l e y t o K i n b e r l e y , 2 1 A p r i l , 1873.
9 2 On t h e 1 2 t h o f 1-Iay, a C o l o n i a l Ofi'ice menorandm o b s e r v -
ed t h s t ". . . it i s n o t p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e war w i l l be soon o r
e a s i l y t e r m i n a t e d , and t h e l o c a l g o v e r n a c n t nay have t o meet a
s t r o n g a n d s u s t a i n e d a t t a c k upon t h e forts and towns. The r a i n y
s e a s o n now comnenced may c o n p e l t h e A s h a n t e e s t o suspend a c t i v e
o p e r a t i o n s b u t Lord Kirnberley i s o f t h e o p i n i o n t h a t n o titne
s h o u l d be l o s t i n i n c r e a s i n t h e s t r e n g t h of Her Pllajesty's f o r c e s
on t h e Gold Coast."
W.O., 1 2 Nay, 1873.
- C.O. gr19/4; G.C. 30; S e r i a l 2 1 , (2.6. to

93 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 3 0 ; Kimberley t o I I a r l e y , 1 2 Nay, 1673.

The e s t a b l i s h m e n t f o r one company o f t h e Y I K was 1 c a p t a i n , 1
s u b a l t e r n , ar.d 85 o t h e r r a n k s .
94 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i Yar, Vol. 1, pp. 72-73. The b u l k
of t h e r e l n f o r c e n i e n t s were a s s i g n e d t o Elrnina and t h e r e m a i ~ d e r
were k e p t a t Cape C o a s t .
95 T h e r e a p p e a r s t o have been no l e g a l b a s i s f o r t h i s a c t i o n
o t h e r t h a n t h e f a c t that t h e B r i t i s h h e l d t h e b e l i e f t h a t t h e
DuLch had a n a r r a n g e m e n t similar t o t h e trBondsn which t h e B r i t i s h
had w i t h t h e F a n t i . T h i s was not; t h e c a s e , however, am! t h e
T r e a t y of Cession gave t h e B r i t i s h no such a u t h o r i t y .

96 T h i s was t h e f i r s t time t h a t t h e A s a n t e s f a c e d a conipe-

t e n t l y l e d , d i s c i p l i n e d f o r c e of men who were armed w i t h t h e
S n i d e r r i f l e and s u p 2 o r t e d by a r t i l l e r y f i r e . Aside f r o 3 i t s
t a c t i c a l i m p o r t a n c e , t h e b a t t l e was t h e r e f o r e s i g n i f i c w t b e c a u s e
it proved t h e need f o r b o t h more r e l i a n c e on a t r a i n e d s o l d i e r
and more emphasis on p r o f e s s i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p . The a c t i o n was a n
u n a v o i d a b l e f a i l u r e i n one r e s p e c t , however. ':'he pruder.t E j r i t i s h
d e c i d e d n o t t o p u r s u e t h e r e t r e a t i n g Asante t r o o p s i n t o t h e bush
a n d t h u s h e l p e d t o r e i r f o r c e t h e o p i n i o n h e l d s i n c e 1863 t h s t
European t r o o p s d a r e d n o t v e n t u r e i n t o t h e bush. The v i c t o r y was
t h e r e f o r e of l i t t l e v a l u e p r o p a g a ~ d av a l u e i n - s o - f a r a s t h e
A f r i c a n s were c o n c e r n e d . See Brackenbury, - A s h a n t-i Xar P Vol. I ,
PP. 73-77; C l a r - i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , pp. 29-32; and L.S. 8 7 9 j 4 ;
G.C. 30. S e r i a l 234, E n c l o s u r e I, F r e m a n t l e t o C o m e r e l l , 1 7
-873, f o r a f u l l d e s c r i p t i o n and d i s c u s s i o n of t h e b a t t l e
and i t s consequences.
 97 U n l i k e o f f i c i a l r e p o r t s of t o d a y , t h e r e p o r t s which i s -
s u e d from t h e Gold Coast d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d , i n c l u d e d comments
which were p e n e t r a t i n g and e x h i S i t e d an e m o t i o n a l r e s p o n s e and
compassion x h i c h t h e modern b e a u r o c r a t must b l u s h t o r e a d . The
f o l l o w i n g d e s p a t c h e s t h e r e f o r e g i v e c o l o u r f u l and complete p i c -
t u r e s o f t h e p l i g h t o f t h e A f r i c a n r e f u g e e s . See C.O. 8'79/4;
G.C. 30; S e r i a l 37, l ? a r l e y t o K i n b e r l e g , 2 1 A p r i l , 1 6 7 3 ; I b i d . ,
-135, P a r l e y t o K i n b e r l e y , 1 6 May, 1 8 7 3 ; I b i d . , s e r m 1 8 4 ,
H a r l e y t o Kimberley, 1 June, 1873 ; and e s p e c i a l m-* b i d J S e r i a l
228, H a r l e y t o Kimberley, 2 1 June, 1873.

98 C.0. 879/4; G.C. 3 0 ; S e r i a l 1 8 4 , E n c l o s u r e 4, C o m a n d e r

S t u b b s t o H a r l e y , 30 m 1 8 7 3 .
99 Brackeribury, A s h a n t i ?jar, Vol. 1, pp. 83-85.
I b i d . ? p. 86. See a l s o Rarnseyer and Kuhne, -Four
1 0 0 --.-. Years,
. vlevea
f o r a n interesting commentary on t h e s i t u a t i o r ! as it was
from t h e r e p o r t s r e c e i v e d i n Kuinnsi where t h e n a t u r e o f Arnmkwa
T i a ' s p l i g h t was n o t f u l l y a p p r e c i a t e d .
101 Ramseyer and Kuhne, F o u r Y e a r s , p , 239.
1 0 2 The c y c l e on t h e Gold C o a s t i s comprised o f a n a j o r
r a i n y season from ?*!arch t o J u l y , a n August d r o u g h t , a ruinor r a i n y
s e a s o n from September t o Novenber, and a d r y s e a s o n from December
t o F e b r u a r y . See The Gold Coast Handbook - 1 3 2 8 , p . 56, f o r more
d e t a i l e d i n f o r i n a t i o n on t h e w e a t h e r i n t h a t r e g i o n .

1 0 3 C.0, 879/5; 6.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 81, H a r l e y t o Kirnberley,

7 J u l y , 1873.
1 0 4 The Asante s y s t e m of s c o u t i n g and use o f s y m p a t h e t i c
c o a s t a l t r i b e s m e n g a v e them an e x c e p t i o n a l l y e f f e c t i v e i n t e l l i g e n c e
network.
105 Both c l a r i d g e , A s h a n t i , Vol. 2, pp. 34-35 a n d a r a c k e n -
b u r y , A s h a n t i Flar, Vol. l - r p p . 7 - W , cornrnent on t h i s s i t u a t i o n
i n sorne d e t a i l ,
106 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i t J a r , Vol. 1, p. 87.
107 See above pp. 80-81.
108 G.U. 879/5; G.C. 35; S e r i a l 1 9 3 , H a r l e y t o Kirnberley,
2 4 J u l y , 1873, and Ramseyer and Kuhne, Four Y e a r s , pp. 243-244.
 1 0 9 ~ x i m , Sekondi and Shama had been n o t b e d s o f d i s a f -
f e c t i o n e v e r s i n c e t h e Dutch w i t h d r a w a l from t h e Gold Coast.
1 1 0 c.0. 879/5; G.G. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 1 9 3 , E n c l o s u r e 11, Goulds-
b u r y t o H a r l e y , 19 ~ u l m and , I b i d . , E n c l o s u r e 13, S t e v e n s
t o H a r l e y , 19 J u l y , 1873. I t i s o f i n t e r e s t t o n o t e t h a t a l t 5 o u s h
t h e main Asante t h r u s t was t h r o u g h 1 t i 3 r i t i s h u t e r r i t o r y , b o t h o f
t h e f l a n k i n g a t t a c k s d e s c r i b e d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h i s c h z p t e r
were aimed a t % o n - B r i t i s h v t e r r i t o r i e s . Adu Bofo and A t j l e n p o n
were o p e r a t i n g i n a r e a s which had e a r l i e r been under Dutch i n -
f l u e n c e and K o f i B e n t u o l s a b o r t i v e campaign was i n t e n d e d t o move
i n t o an a r e a whsre Danish i n f l u e n c e had been dominant. There i s
no e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t t h e view that t h i s was a c o n s c i o u s e f f o r t
on t h e p a r t o f t h e Asante t o c a p i t a l i z e on any a n t i - B r i t i s h
s e n t i m e n t i n t h o s e a r e a s . However, t h e d i p l o m a t i c ar?d m i l i t a r y
s o p h i s t i c a t i o n o f t h e Asante wotlld l e a d one t o b e l i e v e t h a t s u c h
was p r o b a b l y t h e c a s e . c e r t a i n l y t h e r e s u l t s i n t h e Westerr,
T e r r i t o r i e s , where t h e A s a n t e ar:nies r e c e i v e d c o n s i d e r a b l e sup-
p o r t , would seem t o j u s t i f y t h i s s u p p o s i t i o n .
111 C.0. 679/5; G . C . 35; S e r i a l 193, H a r l e y t o Kimberley,
24 J u l y , 1873.
112 C.O. L179/5; G.C. 35; S e r i a l 257, H a r l e y t o Kir;iberley,
4 August, 1873.
113 Loc. c i t e
114 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, Vol. 1, pp. 110-112 and C . 0 .
879/5; C.C. 35; S e r i a l 381, H a r l e y t o Kimberley, 19 August, 1873.
115 T h i s was r e p l a c e d when t h e \ l o l s e l e y e x p e d i t i c n b r o u g h t
a s l i g h t l y more u s e f u l b u t s t i l l v e r y i n a c c u r a t e mcip p r e p a r e d by
t h e new, formed i n nid-1972, and s m l l ( 5 man) Topographica?-
Department of t h e War O f f i c e from i n f o r m a t i o n t a k e n from xany o f
t h e old journals. Brackenbury, A s h n n t i War, Vol. 1, p. 116.
116 *I b i d 9 pp. 118-120.
117 Althou&: t h e B r i t i s h were n o t y e t aware o f i t , Amankwa
'lia was a l r e a d y p l a n n i n g h i s w i t h d r a w a l ( S e e Chap. 111) and a l -
t h o u g h convoys p l i e d t h e t r a i l s between Julcwa and Elmina, s e v e r a l
of t h e f o r m e r l y g a r r i s o n e d t o m s were abandoned and t h e t r o o p s r e -
c o n c e n t r a t e d a t Jukwa, Liarngon, and 3f u t u .
118 c.o.' 879/5; G . C . 3 5 ; S e r i a l 297, Harley t o K i ~ b e r l c y ,
10 August 1873 ; and * bide 9 rial 381, H a r l e y t o Kimbcrley, 19
A u g u s t , 1 6 7 3 , and I b i d . , S e r i a l 379, E n c l o s u r e 1 2 , Gordon t o
H a r l e y , 1 3 ~ u ~ u,-3.s t
 119 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 381, H a r l e y t o Kirnberley,
19 August, 1873.
1 2 0 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, Vol. 1, p. 98. It s h o u l d be
n o t e d , however, t h a t t h i s assessinent i s n o t e n t i r e l y a c c u r a t e i n
t h a t s u p p l i e s were s t i l l a b l e t o f l o v n o r t h from E h i n a a l b e i t
w i t h less e a s e .
1 2 1 N o r t o n ' s t u b e - w e l l s were a p a t e n t e d p r e f a b r i c a t e d m e t a l
t u b e a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h i r t y - s i x i n c h e s i n d i a m e t e r . They were
l o w e r e d i n t o a w e l l once i t had been dug t o t h e r e q u i r e d l e v e l
and t h u s p r e v e n t e d c a v e - i n s .
122 C.O. 879/4; G.C. 30; S e r i a l 18, Kimberley t o H a r l e y ,
1 2 Kay,, 1 8 7 3 , and c . o . G.C.
~ ~3 5 ; S e r i a l 6 , E a r l e y t o
Kirnberley, 1 0 J u n e , 1873.

123 C.0. 879/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 9 , W.O. t o C.O., 16 J u l y ,

1873
1 2 4 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 1 6 , A d m i r a l t y t o C.O., 18
J u l y , 1873. The seven-pounder guns wsre o f e s p e c i a l v a l u e be-
cause t h e y were q u i c k f i r i n g , a c c u r a t e , s i m p l e - i n mechanism, and
portable. Designed as a mountain gun, t h e y were i d e a l f o r a bush
campaign as t h e y c o u l d b e broken down f o r hurnan p o r t e r a c e ,
1 2 5 c.0. 879/5; G . C . 35; S e r i a l 30, LO. t o If.@., 22 J u l y ,
-
1873, and I b i d . , ~ e r i a - . ~ . t o A d m i r a l t y , 29 J u l y , 1673.
1 2 6 c.0, 879/5; G.C. 35; S e r i a l 261, W . 0 , t o u.O., 26
August, 1873.

1 2 7 C.O. 979/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 300, A d n i r a l t y t o U.O., 1

S e p t e m b e r , 1873.
1 2 8 T h i s d i d n o t prove t o b e a p a r t i c u l a r l y happy a r r a n g e -
ment f o r t h e Sirnoom was a n o l d merchant s h i p idlich l a c k e d t h e h e a d -
r o o n and v e n t i l a t i o n n e c e s s a r y f o r a h o s p i t a l s h i p . N e v e r t h e l e s s ,
s h e r e n a i n e d on t h e Coast as a h o s p i t a l s h i p u n t i l v e r y n e a r t h e
end of t h e war.

1 2 9 C . 0 . 879/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 357, H a r l e y t o Kimberley,

4 August, 1873 and bid., S e r i a l 381, H a r l e y t o Kimberley, 19
August, 1873.
 1 3 0 The. e x t e n t o f t h o s e demands can be gauged by t h e f a c t
t h a t , i n t h e months of J u l y and August, r e l i e f was i s s u e d t o an
a v e r a g e number o f 980 persons d a i l y by t h e R e l i e f Cormittee.
T h i s Comrnittee was c r e a t e d by Colonel Harley a f t e r it was found
t h a t t h e l o c a l c h i e f s were p r o f i t e e r i n g on t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of
r e l i e f s u p p l i e s , It was an o r g a n i z a t i o n o f o f f i c i a l s and mcrcn-
a n t s a t Cape Coast who r e c e i v e d and d i s t r i b u t e d t h e f o o d s u p p l i e s
d i s p a t c h e d from England a t t h e expense o f t h e Ifone Government.
See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , pp. 33-34 f o r a b r i e f review of
the s i t u a t i o n .

131 C . 0 . 879 5 ; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 379, Enclosure 2 , !-ielden t o

H a r l e y , 4 August, 673,bid., E n c l o s u r e 6, Gouldsbury t o
H a r l e y , 4 August, 16'73.
1 3 2 The F a n t i P o l i c e were l o c a l A f r i c a n s r e c r u i t e d i n and
around Cape Coast i n 1863. It i n t e n d e d t h a t t h e y would
e v e n t u a l l y r e p l a c e t h e Hausa P o l i c e a t t a c h e d frcm Lagos and as-
sume t h e p o l i c e d u t i e s f o r t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e 1 , Vhen h o s t i l i t i e s
broke o u t , some of them were armed and used f o r g a r r i s o n duty
i n some of t h e l e s s e r f o r t s .
133 C.O. 87915; G . C . 35; S e r i a l 380, Harley t o Riiiberley,
16 August, 1873.
134 Long d i s s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e Dutch withdrawal from t h e
c o a s t , t h e tlDutchlr A f r i c a r s a p p e a r t o have been s i n p l y w a i t i n g
f o r sornc s i g n t h a t a B r i t i s h l a n d - f o r c e could be d r i v e n away,
C o m e r e l l l s r e p u l s e was t h a t s i g n , and t h e unhappy t r i b e s n e n i ~ -
mediately t r i e d t o d r i v e t h e a r i t i s h out of t h e f o r t s i n order
t o r e - e s t a b l i s h t h e i r p o s i t i o n a s c o a s t a l middlemen f o r t h e
Asante.
135 C.0. $7915; G.G. 35; S e r i a l 382, Harley to Kinberley,
20 A ~ ~ g u s 1873.
t,

136 C.0. 879/5; G.C. 35; S e r i a l 408; Harley t o Kii:lberley,

22 August 1873, and *~ ' o i 1a e r i a l 412, Harley to K i n b e r l c y , 25
~ u g u s t ,1873.
137 C.O. 679/5; G . C . 3 5 ; S e r i a l 381, Harley t o K i n b e r l e y ,
19 August, 1873.
13e C.O. $ 7 9 / 5 ; G.G. 35; S e r i a l 410, E n c l o s u r e 1, F e s t i n g
t o H a r l e y , 20 August,
 139 C a p t a i n J.11. G l o v e r , R.Y. ( l a t e r S i r J o h n ) ; accompanied
B a i k i e T s 2nd M i e r e x p e d i t i o n ; A d n i n i s t r a t o r 1863 and C o l o n i a l
7
S e c r e t a r y (1864 of Lagos, of which he was again A d m i n i s t r a t o r
from 1866-1872; l a t e r Governor o f t h e Leeward I s l e s a n d t h e n of
Newfoundland. It was Glover who f i r s t formed t h e Hausa P o l i c e
when he was A d m i n i s t r a t o r of Lagos i n 1863 and was o f t e n r e f e r r e d
t o as " t h e f a t h e r of t h e IIausasn.
140 G.O. 8?9/5; G . C . 35; S e r i a l 1 7 0 , Kimberley t o H a r l e y ,
18 August, 1873.
 CHAPTER 111 - FOOTITOTES
1 T h i s i s a f a s c i n a t i n g e r a i n B r i t i s h h i s t o r y . The de-
f i n i t i v e work on G l a d s t o n e h i m s e l f i s The L i f e o f G l a d s t o n e ,
.
London, Ibiacmillan and Co. Ltd , 1903, 3 v o l s . , by V i s c o u n t t i o r l e y .
However, P h i l i p Idkqyus, G l a d s t o n e , London, John i h r r a y , 1 9 5 4 ,
p r e s e n t s what i s p o s s i b l y a n o r e o b j e c t i v e view o f G l a d s t o n e ' s
m o t i v e s and t h e c o r s e q u e n c e s o f h i s a c t i o ~ s . C h a p t s r n i n e o f
G l a d s t o n e , " I r i s h Rhapsody, 1868-1873," i s e s p e c i a l l y good. The
q u e s t i o n of army r e f o r n i s h a n d l e d most s u c c i n c t l y by J o s e p h H.
, --
Lehmann A l l S i r G a r n e t , London, J o n a t h a n Cape, 1964, pp. 156-
170, b u t t h e m a t t e r i s g i v e n more d e t a i l e d t r e a t m e n t by J . W.
F o r t e s c u e , A H i s t o r y o f t h e U r i t i s h Army, Lcndon, LIacnillan and
Co. L t d . , 1 3 3 5 , Vol. 13. A p r i m a r y s o u r c e o f p e r s o n a l o b s e r v a -
t i o n i s p r o v i d e d by t h e S a r l of K i u b e r l e y , A Journal. o f E v e n t s
D u r i n ~t h e G l a d s t c n e M i n i s t r y : 1868-1671+, London, The Hoyal K i s -
t o r i c a l ~ o c i e t ? , 1958. (E. Drus, e d . , Carnden ! . , i s c e l l a n y , Vol. 21. )
2 On t h e 6 t h of September, 1 8 7 3 , Kirnberley made t h e f o l l o w -
i n g e n t r y i n h i s j o u r n a l : "1 must c o n f e s s t h a t knowing n o t h i n g of
t h e a f f a i r s of t h e Gold Coast (upon coriling i n t o o f f i c e ) I d i d n o t
ing o u t o f t h e T r e a t y ( c e d i n g t h e Dutch f o r t s ) .
t a k e s u f f i c i e n t p r e c a u t i o n s a g a i n s t a q u a r r e l w i t h Ashantee a r i s -
Then I was un-
f o r t u n a t e i n removing S i r . A . Kenredy t o Hong-Kong and a p p o i n t i n g
M r . Keate t o s u c c e e d him. ... Had I p o s s e s s e d any i n s i g h t i n t o
t h e s t a t e o f t h i n g s a t t h e Gold C o a s t , I s h o u l d n e v e r have remov-
e d S i r . A . Kennedy a t such a c r i s i s . I was s t i l l more u n f o r t u n a t e
i n a p p o i n t i n g Pope-Hemessy a s an i n t e r i m Governor till Xr. Keate' s
t h a n a few months. ...
a r r i v a l . I n e v e r e x p e c t e d t h a t h e would h o l d t h e a p p o i n t m e n t more
A man o f q u i c k i n t e l l i g e n c e and c o n s i d e r -
able a b i l i t i e s , h e i s v a i n , u n s c r u p u l o c s , w a n t i n g i n sound judge-
ment and common s e n s e , and prone t o q u a r r e l w i t h h i s s u b o r d i n a t e s .
C o l o n e l H a r l e y whom I a p p o i n t e d a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e h o l d Goast
i s a p a i n s t a k i ~ ~ gwell , meaning man: and d i d h i s b e s t i n g r e a t d i f -
f i c u l t i e s . Wad he been p r o p e r l y s u p p o r t e d by Hennessy, t h i n g s
might have gone b e t t e r , b u t Hennessy wholly n i s t o o k t h e situation,
and was a n g r y w i t h H a r l e y f o r r e f u s i n g t o a g r e e i n h i s view t h a t
no d a n g e r was t o be apprehended from t h e Ashantees. The consequ-
e n c e was t h a t t h e Government a t h o r ~ ewas m i s l e d by Hez?nessyt s re-
a s s u r i n g r e p o r t s and no t i m e l y n e a s u r e s were t a k e n t o meet t h e
ernergep cy ."The l a t e s t a c c o u n t s which have r e a c h e d u s a r e t h a t Corn-
modore Cormere11 and C o l o n e l H a r l e y a r e q u a r r e l l i n g , and t h a t t h e
,
s e n i o r m i l i t a r y o f l i c e r , C o l o n e l 'disc i s drunken. C a r d w e l l and
I h a v e t h e r e f o r e d e t e r m i n e d t o c u t t h e k n o t by s e n d i n g o u t S i r
G a r n e t l i o l s e l e y u . The E a r l o f Kimberley, A ~ b w n a lo f E v e n t s
D u% rbr. t h e Gladstone liirlistr l$68-1$71,,-si -L
,
t o r i c a l s o c i e T y , 1958. *., ~arnden, . ! i s c e l l a n y , Vol. 21. )
 3 S i r G a r n e t J o s e p h ( l a t e r 1st V i s c o u n t ) VIolseley; Commis-
s i o n e d , 1 8 5 2 ; s e r v e d i n Burma, t h e Crimea, I n d i a , China and
Canada, a n d a f t e r a p e r i o d a t t h e ';Jar O f f i c e under Cardw,ell,
s u b s e q u e n t l y s e r v e d i n Z u l u l a n d and Egypt. Knighted i n Rovernber,
1870. R e t i r e d w i t h t h e r a n k o f F i e l d L a r s h a l and as Commander-
in-Chief i n 1900.
4 F i e l d - h i a r s h a l , t h e V i s c o u n t W o l s e l e y , The S t o r y of a
S o l d i c r t s L i7 f- e9 V e s t m i n s t e r , A r c h i b a l d c o n s t a b l e & Co. L t d . , 1 9 0 3 ,
V 0 l . 2 , p. 2b1.
5 Lehrnann, A l l S i r Garnet
- 9 P * 164.
6 S i r R o b e r t Biddulph, Lord C a r d w e l l a t t h e War O f f i -c9 e
London, J . Murray, 1904, p . 2 r
7 The major s t u m b l i n g block proved t o be t h e ob j e c t i o z s
,
r a i s e d by P r i n c e George, Duke o f Canbridge Commander-in-Chief o f
t h e army. ?!o doubt t h e Duke d i d have s i n c e r e r e s e r v a t i o n s a s t o
t h e a d v i s a b i l i t y o f e~rlployingEuropeans on t h e Gold C o a s t . I t
i s more p r o b a b l e , however, t h a t he was s e e k i n g r e v e n g e a g a i r - s t
t h e young " u p s t a r t H who had been one o f t h e s t a u n c h e s t a d v o c a t e s
of army r e f o r m : a measure which t h e Duke had f o u z h t w i t h e v e r y
f i b r e o f h i s a r i s t o c r a t i c being.
8 Wolseley, S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 267.
9 See W o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , pp. 26G-269 f o r h i s
r e c o l l e c t i o n of t h e s c e n e . T h i s a p p e a r s t o be t h e o n l y s u r v i v i n g
comment on t h e m e e t i n g f o r it i s t h e o n l y one q u o t e d i n f o u r
o t h e r s c h o l a r l y s t u d i e s of t h e p e r i o d . See a l s o , C.O. $79/5;
G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 1 5 2 , W.O. t o C.O., 16 August, 1873.
10 The navy was u n a b l e t o b l o c k t h e d e c i s i o n t o s e n d 'Jelse.ley
o u t t o t h e Gold c o a s t b u t t h a t d i d n o t mean t h a t t h e r e was t o be
no r o l e f o r t h e navy t o p l a y i n t h e c o n i n g c a q a i g n . Aside fro~ii
i t s v i t a l squadron d u t i e s a l o n g t h e Goast i t s e l f , i t s t i l l managed
t o become sornewhat v i c a r i o u s l y i n v o l v e d i n t h e l a n d a f f o r t . On
t h e 3 0 t h o f J u l y , 1e73, c a p t a i n J.K. b l o v e r , R.N., had o f f e r e d t o
o r g a n i z e t h e e a s t e r n t r i b e s and t t c a u s e a d i v e r s i o n i n t h e r e a r of
t h e A s h a n t i a n d t h r e a t e n Kumasi." The C o l o n i a l O f f i c e a c c e 2 t e d
h i s o f f e r on t h e 7 t h o f August and on t h e 2 0 t h o f August, he l e f t
f o r t h e Gold Coast. Upon h i s appointnient t o t h e o v e r a l l ~ o n ~ i z n d
o f t h e e f f o r t a g a i n s t t h e A s a n t e , Wolseley s t a t e d t h a t h e had no
o b j e c t i o n t o G l o v e r ' s r o v i n g cominission s o l o n g a s he a d h e r e d t o
his i n s t r u c t i o n s t o h a r a s s and alarm t h e Asnnte s o as t o f o r c e
t h e i r r e t r e a t frorn t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e , o r a t l e a s t t o i n p r o v e p r o s -
p e c t s f o r t h e s u c c e s s o f a f r o n t a l a t t a c k ; b u t he s u s 2 e c t e d t h a t
t h e e x p l o r e r - c a p t a i n ' s c h i e f a s p i r a t i o n was t o open o u t a new, e a s y
r o u t e f o r t r a d e i n t o t h e i n t e r i o r of A f r i c a by t h e V o l t a K i v e r
V a l l e y . t l h e t h e r t h i s was r e a l l y C a p t a i n G l o v e r ' s air11 o r n o t we
w i l l q u i t e p o s s i b l y n e v e r know f o r Glover h i m s e l f n e v e r p u b l i s h e d
a memoir and t h e a v a i l a b l e m a t e r i a l on him s a y s n o t h i n g s p e c i f i -
c a l l y o f t h i s a s p e c t o f t h e m a t t e r . Motive a s i d e , however, t h e
G l o v e r e x p e d i t i o n o f t e n proved a n annoyance and a h i n d e r a n c e t o
S i r Garnet and it was r e a l l y a s i d e i s s u e i n t h e 1873-1874 war.
F o r t h i s r e a s o n , l i t t l e w i l l be s a i d o f it i n C h a p t e r s t h r e e and
f o u r o f t h i s t h e s i s b u t it w i l l be d i s c u s s e d i n somewhat more de-
t a i l i n t h e c o n c l u d i n g c h a p t e r . C.O. 8 7 9 / f + ; A f r i c a n ?!o. 31; Cor-
r e s p o n d e ~ ? c er e s p e c t i n g C a p t a i n G l o v e r ' s Liission t o ;.;astern D i s -
-
t r i c t s o f t h e Gold c o a s t P r o t e c t o r a t e ; and s u b s e q u e n t f o l i o s from
t h e C o l o n i a l O f f i c e ~ o n f i d e n t i a lP r i n t t o 1916 g i v e d e t a i l s o f
Glovert s expedition.
11 C . U . 679/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 1 5 5 , W.O. t o LC., 16 August,
1673. Examples t o b e f o u r i d i n The Times, The D a i l News, and -
The
S t a n d a r d of b o t h t h e 15th and 1 6 t h o f A u g i e
12 Lehmann, A l l S i r G a r n e t , pp. 165-166. A v a r i e t y cf l e t -
t e r s a p p e a r e d i n a number o f London newspapers which e x c x p l i f i e d
a l l of t h e s e views. The p u b l i c i n g e n e r a l a p p e a r e d t o have been
a p a t h e t i c toward t h e whole e n t e r p r i s e , however, and n o t e-rerl t h e
d i r e w a r n i n g s o f t h o s e u b i q u i t o u s l e t t e r - w r i t e r s t o t h e --,
'i'ir~cs
''One Who know^,^! ( 1 7 August, 1 8 7 3 ) V h e Eian Who Has Been Therev
( 1 9 August, 1873) a n d t h e i r kinsman of t h e A f r i c a n Times., 'The
Elan on The S p o t v ( 2 4 August, 1873), c o u l d a r o u s e much g e n u i n e
public interest.
13 S e e Annexes A , B and C f o r t h e t e x t o f t h e s e i n s t r u c t i o n s .
14 L l o y d , The Drums o f Kurnasi, p. 75.
1 5 The h i g h l e v e l o f a b i l i t y p o s s e s s e d by t h e s e rnen i s il-
l u s t r a t e d by t h e f a c t t h a t d e s p i t e t h e f a t s l i t i e s arid permanent
d i s a b i l i t i e s which were s u f f e r e d , a s t a f f which had comprised one
C o l o n e l , one L i e u t e n a n t - C o l o n e l , f i v e Ka j o r s , t w e l v e C a p t a i c s ,
f o u r t e e n L i e u t a n a n t s and e i g h t a t t a c h e d s p e c i a l i s t r a n k s ; was
d e s t i n e d t o produce one f i e l d - b ! a r s h a l , s i x G e n e r a l s , one L i e u -
t e n a n t - G e n e r a l and two $Inj o r - G e n e r a l s . I n a d d i t i o n , f o u r of these
men were a c t u a l o r p r o s p e c t i v e h o l d e r s of t h e V i c t o r i a c r o s s and
t h e r e s t were t o be mentioned i n d e s p a t c h e s s o f r e q u e n t l y t h a t a
c a t a l o g u e of t h e i r h o n o u r s would f i l l a book i n i t s e l f .
16 This was an unheard o f p r o c e d u r e and V o l s e l e y had some
d i f f i c u l t y i n p e r s u a d i n g t h e n e c e s s a r y p e o p l e t o p a r t i c i p a t e . How-
e v e r , once i t s u s e f u l n e s s had been f u l l y i l l u s t r a t e d , it became
a more o r l e s s e s t a b l i s h e d p r o c e d u r e . V o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e ,
Val. 2, pp, 270-271.
17 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i !!ar, Vol. 1, pp. 125-129.
 18 I b s . , pp. 144-145 and J.F. Plaurice, The Ashantee Y a r ,
London, S . k l n g and Co,, 1874, pp. 18-20.
-
T h i s was a v a l i a n t
a t t e m p t t o overcome a l m o s t t o t a l - l a c k o f knoxledge and e x p e r i e n c e
on t h e p a r t of t h e members o f t h e l f r i n g l f . I t was, however, i n p o s -
s i b l e t o p r o v i d e t h e s e men w i t h t h e background o f s u c h e x p e r i e n c e d
men a s Glover and Harley--whom Wolseley r e f u s e d t o u t i l i z e t o b e s t
e f f e c t . S e e ~ h a p t e rF i v e below f o r f u r t h e r comment on t h i s p o i n t .
19 W o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2, p. 2&6.
20 Brackenbury, The A s h a n t i Ibar, Vol. 1, p. 132.
21 A number o f t h e men who were p e n s i o n e d frorn t h e blest
I n d i a Regiments had s t r o n g e r t i e s w i t h S i e r r a Leone and Freetown
t h a n t h e y d i d anywhere e l s e . C o n s e q u e n t l y , many o f the:n went t o
pension t h e r e .
22 -*I b i d 9 pp. 146-147.
-
23 C.O. 879/5 ; old Coast 3'0. 36: F u r t h e r Correspondence
Res e c t i n , ~t h e Asllantee I n v a s i o n ; -206, V o l s e l e y t o Kimberley,
&;ober, 1873. A l l of t h e s e r e c r u i t i n g v e n t u r e s were o f q u e s t i o n -
a b l e v a l u e . There was no g u a r a n t e e t h a t t h e i m p o r t e d men would b e
a n y b e t t e r t h a n t h e F a n t i and i t was c e r t a i n l y t r u e t h a t \iood's
and R u s s e l l ' s Regiments could have been j u s t as e a s i l y manned by
F a n t i l e v i e s . I n f a c t , had t h e l e v i e s been o r g a n i z e d w i t h t h e
N.C.O. and o f f i c e r s t r u c t u r e c o n t a i n e d i n t h o s e two u n i t s , t h e y
might have performed much b e t t e r t h a n t h e y d i d .
24 Loc. c i t .
25 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i 'Jar, Vol. I, p. 1 4 9
26 There was c o n s i d e r a b l e h a r d f e e l i n g o v e r t ? l i s i y c i d e z t
f o r t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s i s s u e d t o H a r l e y ( C . O . 879/5; G.C. 35; S e r i a l
173, Kirnberley t o H a r l e y , 18 August, 1873. ) c l e a r l y s t a t e d t h a t
the Haussas were n o t t o be p l a c e d a t C a p t a i n G l o v e r ' s d i s p o s a l i f
the 'Frotectorate' .
t h e i r removal would a t t h e time be a t t e n d e d w i t h a c t u a l d z n g e r t o
H a r l e y had choser. t o i n t e r p r e t t h e s e i n -
s t r u c t i o n s v e r y l i b e r a l l y and S i r Garnet a c t u a l l y s u s p e c t e d him
o f a c t i n g w i t h malice o v e r what he f e l t had been h i s u n j u s t r e -
moval from o f f i c e (T,!olseley, S o l d i e r 1s L i f e , Vol. 1, pp. 294-295).
There i s no e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t X o l s c l e y f s c o n t e n t i o n b u t H a r l e y t s
a c t i o n was n e v e r t h e l e s s a s e v e r e blow t o t h e G e n e r a l ' s p l a n s . See
0 879/5; C . G . 36; S e r i a l 209, H a r l e y t o K i r ~ b e r l e y , 15 Septem-
ber, 1873.
27 Brackenbury, Asflanti Y a r , Vol. 1, p , 151.
 28 6.0. 87936; G . C . 36; S e r i a l 266, V o l s e l e y t o Kiciberley,
2 O c t o b e r , 1673, S i r G a r n e t r s comments on t h i s m a t t e r a r e t y p i c a l
of h i s r e p o r t i n g of e v e n t s . He c r e a t e s t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t soale-
one, p r o b a b l y H a r l e y , was t o blame f o r t h i s s h o r t a g e o f o f f i c e r s .
However, he s h o u l d have a l r e a d y been aware o f t h e s i t u a t i o n as h e
knew t h a t t h e e s t a b l i s i m e n t on t h e c o a s t wocld a l l o v f o r a n abso-
l u t e maximum o f t w e n t y o f f i c e r s - - p r o v i d e d t h r e was no i l l n e s s ,
ad i'lolseley been t h e man o f g e n i u s we a r e l e d t o b e l i e v e him t o
b e , h e would have e q u a t e d t h i s f a c t o r v i t h t h e e f f e c t s o f d i s e a s e
and b r o u g h t e x t r a o f f i c e r s w i t h him. He was z i v e n t h i s o p p o r t u -
n i t y (Brackenbury, A s h a n t i Yar, Vol. 1, ~ . 1 5 ~ b*u)t he t u r n e d i t
down.

29 C.O. 879/5; G . C . 3 5 ; S e r i a l 372, A d m i r a l t y t o C.C., 14

September 1873 and c.O.87975; G . C . 36; S e r i a l 363, K o l s e l e y t o
Kimberley, 7 O c t o b e r , 1$73.

30 C.O. 679/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 326, ' J o l s e l e y t o K i n b e r l e y ,

1 0 O c t o b e r , 1873.
31 C.O. 879/5 ; G . C . 36; S e r i a l 267, Wolseley t o Kimberlep,
5 O c t o b e r , 1873. A l l of t h i s was, o f c o u r s e , n o t e n t i r e l v sw-
p r i s i n g , - l ; o l o n e l H a r l e y had b e e n . a o r k i n g what few t r o o p s O h e had
v e r y h a r d and t h e i r demands on t h e s t o r e s , when combined w i t h t h e
demands o f t h e c h i e f s f o r s u p p l i e s o f arms and a n m u n i t i o n , de-
p l e t e d t h e b a s i c s t o r e s i t e m s . There were, however, growing
q u a n t i t i e s of h o s p i t a l and camp s t o r e s .
32 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 322, l l o l s e l e y t o Kirnberley,
1 0 O c t o b e r , 1873. F o r t u n a t e l y f o r G l o v e r t h i s l o s s had no l o ~ g
term e f f e c t on h i s e x p e d i t i o n . H i s s t o r e s had been o r d e r e d some
weeks p r i o r t o S i r G a r n e t ' s a n d much had a l r e a d y a r r i v e d b e f o r e
t h e G e n e r a l l a n d e d a t Cape Coast. I n a d d i t i o n , Glover was
enough o f a n handw t o o r d e r e q u i p n e n t and s u-p-p l i e s i n s u f -
f i c i e n t q u a n t i t i e s t o c o u n t e r s u c h -a l o s s .

33 Wolseley, S o l d i e r l s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p , 283.

34 T h i s s h i f t i n g of o f f i c e r s was l a r g e l y due t o the h i g h
r a t e of s i c k n e s s , IIowever, C a p t a i n G l o v e r , who was a u t h o r i z e d t o
r e c r u i t from t h e Gold c o a s t s t a f f , was a l s o p s r t l y r e s p o n s i b l e i n
t h a t he had e n t i c e d s e v e r a l c o n t r o l o f f i c e r s i n t o a c c o r n p a n y i -n ~
him t o t h e V o l t a . He a l s o managed t o g a i n t h e s e r v i c e s - o f an
e x p e r i e n c e d and e n e r g e t i c man when D r . Rove a g r e e d t o accon;)any
him.

35 Urackenbury, A s h a n t i 'Jar, Vol. 1, pp, 153-5 and G.O.

8?9/5; LC, 3 6 ; S e r i a l 435, ~ : l o l s e l e y t o Eirnberley, 20 O c t o b e r ,
1873.
 37 C.0. 879/5; G.C. 36; E n c l o s u r e 1 i n S e r i a l Mo. 399,
Wolseley t o PJ.O., 7 O c t o b e r , 1873.

39 Loc. c i t . and C.O. 879/5; G . C . 3 6 ; S e r i a l 326, V o l s e l e y

t o Kinber'ley, 1 0 O c t o b e r , 1873.

40 Gordon had a c t u a l l y r e p o r t e d t!mt t h e r o a d was f i t f o r

a r t i l l e r y a s f a r as Dunkwa. I t i s n o t c l e a r fro:n t h e r e p o r t ,
however, as t o w h e t h e r o r n o t he meant a r t i l l e r y c a r r i e d by por-
t e r s f o r t h e seven-pounder f i e l d g u n s were o f t e n d i s m a n t l e d and
c a r r i e d i n t h a t manner. His r e p o r t i s c i t e d i n C.O. 6 7 9 / 5 ;
6 ; S e r i a l 399, E n c l o s u r e 1, Wolseley t o W.O., 7 O c t o b e r ,

42 I n i t i a l l y , t h e s e were v e r y s m a l l p a r t i e s c o n s i s t i n g of
a p p r o x i n & e l y 5 B r i t i s h s o l d i e r s and 45 A f r i c a n l a b o u r e r s each.
W i t h i n t h r e e weeks t h e nuinber o f l a b o u r e r s had begun t o i n c r e a s e
s t e a d i l y . More e n g i n e e r s d i d n o t become a v a i l a b l e u n t i l a f t e r
t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e I!inalaya, however. See Dracltenbury A s h a n t i ,
-
War, Vol. 1, p. 159.
43 C.O. 879/5; G . C . 36; S e r i a l 434, Wolseley t o Eirnberley,
2 1 O c t o b e r , 1873. LIucil h a s been made i n t h e v a r i o u s h i s t o r i e s of
t h e f a c t t h a t r a i l w a y equipment had been b r o u g h t o u t w i t h t h e
W o l s e l e y e x p e d i t i o n w i t h a view t o c o n s t r u c t i n g a l i n e a t l e a s t
as f a r a s t h e P r a . t l o l s e l e y h i m s e l f cones i n f o r c o n s i d e r a b l e
c e n s u r e on t h i s s c o r e b u t , i n f a c t , t h e scheme was f o r c e d upon
him and immediately upon h i s a r r i v a l he had r e c o g n i z e d t h e i m p s -
s i b i l i t y o f c a r r y i n g o u t such a scheme and had immediately s t o p p e d
-
t h e shipment o f f u r t h e r s t o r e s . See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i ?Jar,
Val. 1, p. 3 0 9 , f o r c i r ~ u ! ~ l s t a n c e se, t c .
4 b C l a r i d g e , A s h a n t i , Vol. 2, p. 49. This r e q u e s t f o r F a n t i
p a r t i c i p a t i o n was d-lmost from t h e v e r y f i r s t as F i o l s e l e y
o f f e r e d - n o t h i n g new i n t h e form of a i d and a& he r e f u s e d t o a h i t
what t h e F a n t i a l r e a d y knew--that t h i s was a n Anglo-hsantc d i s p u t e
j u s t a s much a s a n A s a n t e - F a n t i q u a r r e l . S i r Garnet d i d a t t a c h
l i a s o n o f f i c e r s t o some of t h e Kings and c h i e f s , however. The
,
Kings o f Denkyera, Annmaboe iIankessic1, E a s t A s s i n , D o n o ~ a s s i e ,
Goomooh, a n d Cape C o a s t - - a l l o f whom a t t e n d e d t h e meeting--had
B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s a t t a c h e d t o t:lern. The l e a d e r s o f V e s t e r n Akin,
F e s t e r n A s s i n , I n s a b a h , Cssecoona and Ad j u m c o e , a l l o f thocl f a i l -
ed t o n t t e r t d , r e c e i v e d no s u c h a i d . Those who f a i l e d t o a t t e n d
were v i r t u a l l y a l l l i v i n g o u t s i d e of t h e d a n g e r zone w h i l e t h o s e
who d i d a t t e n d were ~ n o s t l yr e s i d e n t s o f t h e a r e a most d i r e c t l y
t h r e a t e n e d by t h e enemy. None o f t h e p r e v i o u s l y "Dutchtt A f r i c a n s
atLended.

45 I t must be remembered, however, t h a t Kofi K a r i k a r i main-

t a i n e d t h a t t h e e x p e d i t i o n was i n t e n d e d t o p u n i s h t h e King o f
Denkyera and t o r e g a i n t h e t e r r i t o r i e s l o s t by v i r t u e o f t n e
T r e a t y of 1831.

48 -
Brackenbury, A s h a n t i !far, Vol. 1, pp. 168-9.
49 W o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , pp. 294-295.
50 I b i d . , p. 297.
-
51 C . 0 . 6 7 9 ; ~ ; G . C . 36; S e r i a l 481, W.9. t o c.o., 24
november, 16'73, and b r a c k e n b u r y , -- - Vol. 1, pp. 170-171.
A s h a n t i iiar,

52 C.0. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 427, Wolseley t o Eimberley,

1 5 O c t o b e r , 1873; and tirackenbury, -
A s h n n t i K a r , Vol. 1, p . 172.
S e e t h e c o n n e n t s of !.linwood Zeade, Ashantee Canpai:;n, pg. 137-1L0,
a n d S i r Henry biorton S t a n l e y , Coornassie and , . ~ a g d a l a : T h e.--S t o r ~ rof
-
Two B r i t i s h Ca111paii;ns i n A f r i c a , London, Chap~rian a n d H a l l , 16.74,
Chap. 111, f o r t h e r e a c t i o n of t h e "gentlemen o f t h e p r e s s u t o
S i r G a r n e t ' s h i g h l y e f f e c t i v e m a i n t e n a n c e o f s e c r e c y on t h i s oc-
c a s i o n . The f o r c e c o n s i s t e d of 1 2 6 Aausas, 210 men o f 2 X 2 , 1 2 9
H M L I , 20 RllrH, 16 seamen, 300 l a b o u r e r s a n d c a r r i e r s , 2 x 7 guns
and 1 r o c k e t t u b e .

53 C.0. 879/5; G.C. 36. S e r i a l 427, I'iolseley t o Kirnberley,

1 5 O c t o b e r , 1873 and ~ r a c d u r -
~ s,h a n t i Yar, Vol. 1, p. 173.
A

54 S e e a b o v e , C h a p t e r 11, n o t e 1 2 0 f o r background*
55 Loc, c i t . I n t h i s i n s t a n c e , he a p p e a r s t o hove been
m o t i v a t e d by h i s concern o v e r s t a m i n a and t h e psychology o f
v o l u n t e e r s v e r s u s d r a f t e e s . He c o m p l e t e l y i p o r e s , however, t h e
m a t t e r of e x p e r i e n c e - - o f v i t a l c o n c e r n i n t h l s form o f w a r f a r e
and i n t h e t e r r a i n involved.

56 See a b o v e , C h a p t e r 11, n o t e 102.

 57 C.O. 879/5; G . C . 3 6 ; S e r i a l 427, E n c l o s u r e 1, Report c f
Deputy s u r g e o n - ~ c n e r a l1 4 O c t o b e r , 1873. T h i s a s s e s s m e n t
was t o have s e r i o u s repercussions. ':!olseley had n e i t h e r m d e r -
s t a n d i n g of n o r sylnpathy f o r t h e F a n t i and t h i s i n c i d e n t o n l y
hardened h i s p r e j u d i c e . He t h e r e f o r e d i d l i t t l e o f a c o n s t r u c -
t i v e n a t u r e t o encourage A f r i c a n r e c r u i t i n g from t h i s p o i n t on
and h i s o p e r a t i o n s s u f f e r e d b e c a u s e of i t ,

58 L e s s t h a n f o u r hundred had a r r i v e d a t Dunkwa by t h e 1 5 t h

of O c t o b e r . -
See S r a c k e n b u r y , k s h a n t i i a r , Vol. 1, p . 182. Viewed
r e a l i s t i c a l l y , t h e H r i t i s h e f f o r t s were s t i l l f a r s h o r t o f what
was r e q u i r e d i f F a n t i c o n f i d e n c e was t o be f u l l y r e s t o r e d .
59 C.O. 679/5; G.C. 3 6 ; s e r i a l 434, Wolseley t o K i n b e r l e y ,
2 1 O c t o b e r , 1673. W o n d i i u s s e l l ? ~Regiments welere used a
g r e a t d e a l t h r o ~ ! g h o u t t h e campaign but one t e n d s t o b e l i e v e t h a t
t h i s was s o more b e c a u s e of t h e i r cormanders t h a n because o f t h e
f i g h t i n g q u a l i t i e s o f t h e men. One o f t h e main drawbacks t o
t h e s e u n i t s was t h e n i x i n g of t h e v a r i o u s c o n t i n g e n t s ; a f a c t
which caused c o n s i d e r a b l e d i f f i c u l t y i n c o m ~ ~ u n i c a t i o n .The a c t u a l
c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h e u n i t s was a s f o l l o v f s : Woodf s Re,-irnent--yo. 1
Company, Gape Coast V o l u n t e e r s ; No. 2 Coapany, E l m i n a s ; fro. 3
Company, Kossus; No. 4 Company, Bonnys. i l u s s e l l ' s Regiment--Po. 1
Company, Hausas; FJO. 2 Company, S i e r r a L e o n i a n s ; F!o. 3 C o n a n y
Murnfords ; No. 4 Company, Winnebas; Ro. 5 Company, Opotos ; o 6(
Company, Anambos .
60 C.0. 879/5; LC. 36; S e r i a l 435, \ J o l s e l e y t o x.o., 24
O c t o b e r , 1073. T h i s i s a b i a s e d and n i s l e a d i a g d e s p a t c h t h e o n l y
aim o f which a p p e a r s t o be t h e j u s t i f i c a t i o n of t h e i n c r e z s e d
demand. W o l s e l e y had no p e r s o n a l experience w i t h F a n t i coward-
ice i n t h e f i e l d . He had done n o t h i n g new t o i n s p i r e T a n t i
p a r t i c i p a t i o n . He r e f e r s t o l e v i e s which he had hoped t o r a i s e
b u t g i v e s n o i n d i c a t i o n a s t o how he would have o f f i c e r e d 2nd
t r a i n e d them had t h e y m a t e r i a l i z e d . He r e f e r s t c e x p e r i e n c e
w i t h i l l - d i s c i p l i n e d l e v i e s i n t h e bush when he had had no such
e x p e r i e n c e . Ile u s e s t h e d e p l e t e d 2YIR a s a n e x c u s e when it was
h e who had c a u s e d t h a t d e p l e t i o n . I n g e n e r a l , t h i s l e t t e r r e v e a l s
S i r G a r n e t ' s penchant f o r c o l o u r i n g a l l e v e n t s t o h i s advantage--
a s h o r t - c o a i n ~which makes a l l o f h i s d e s p a t c h e s s u s p e c t .
61 A b r i e f d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e s e o p e r a t i o n s can b e found i n
John ]!la j o r and Antony P r e s t o n , -Send -- a Gunboat! A s t u d y of t h e
Gunboat and i t s r o l e i n E r i t i s h p o l i c y : l m ? 0 4 , London? Long-
mans, Green and Co. L t d . , 1967, . p- -p , 122-123. A more d e t a l l e d
t r e a t m e n t o f t h e s u b j e c t - c a n b e found i n sir \!me L a i r d Clowes,
The Ro a 1 Navy: A H i s t o r London, Sainpson Low, Ibiars%on t, Co.,
Fm-33. 7, pp* ~3- 4 7 b :
 62 C.0. 879/5; G.C. 3 6- ; S e r i a l 3 6 3 , V o l s e l e y t o Kimberley,
7 O c t o b e r , 1873.
63 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i :!ar, Vol. 1, p. 185.
64 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 433, E n c l o s u r e YO. 1, E l a k e
t o W o l s e l e y , 18 0 c t o b f l 6 ? 3 .
65 Loc. c i t . , and s u c h a u t h o r i t i e s as Brackenbury and
Maurice. It i s v i r t u a l l y i m p o s s i b l e , h o m v e r . t o a s c e r t a i n whether
o r n o t t h e Asantehene hah i s s u e d o r d 6 r s f o r a ' w i t h d r a w a l a t t h i s
tirne. C e r t a i n l y Hamseyer and Kuhne make no comiaent i n t h i s r e -
gard a l t h o u g h t h e y do enti ti on t h e r e t u h o f t h e f o r c e s from
A p o l l o r ~ i aand t h e y make much o f t h e concern c a u s e d i n K w a s i by
t h e r e v e r s e s s u f f e r e c i by t h o s e f o r c e s .
66 T h i s was, o f c o u r s e , l i m i t e d i n e f f e c t i v e n e s s as t h e
d e g r e e o f B r i t i s h c o n t r o l was d i c t a t e d by t h e r a n g e o f tile g m s
on t h e s h i p s and i n t h e f o r t s . A r a n g e which one would e x p e c t
t o be no more t h a n t h r e e miles and q u i t e p o s s i b l y much l e s s ,
Even t h a t s h e l l i n g which d i d t a k e p l a c e was of quesi;ior.able v a l -
ue as t h e A f r i c a n s s i m p l y t o o k t o t h e b u s h when t h e s h i p s were
s i g h t e d . Consequently, damage was u s u a l l y r e s t r i c t e d t o a few
huts destroyed.
67 C.O. 6 7 9 / 5 ; G.C. 3 6 ; S e r i a l 431, W o l s e l e y t o Fiirnberley,
18 O c t o b e r , 1873.
68 See Annex C f o r t h e t e x t of t h i s l e t t e r ,
69 Urackenbury, A s h a n t i Y a r , Vol. 1, p. 210. T h i s informa-
t i o n was g a i n e d from s e v e r a l ~ r i s o n e r swho i m p r e s s e d on t h e Gen-
e r a l f o r t h e p o s s i b l y first time, t h e f a c t t h a t a c c e s s t o t h e road
was v i t a l l y i m p o r t a n t t o kmank~ia 'i'ia and t h a t even t h e r e l a t i v e l y
small B r i t i s h o u t p o s t s posed a s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o t h e o r d e r l y w i t h -
d r a w a l of t h e Asante army.

70 ' r h i s d e c i s i o n t o withdraw d i d n o t y e t encompass a move

back a c r o s s t h e F r a f o r t h e A s a n t e h e n e T s p e r m i s s i o n t o r e t u r n t o
Kumasi had n o t y e t been g i v e n and i t i s x o s t d o u b t f u l t h e Amankwa
T i a would have c r o s s e d t h e r i v e r w i t h o u t t h a t periilission.
71 C . 0 . 879/5; G.C. 3 6 ; S e r i a l 434, E n c l o s u r e rio. 2 , B u l l e r
t o W o l s e l e y , 16 0 c t o b q g T 3 .
72 The church i n t h e v i l l a g e had been l o o p h o l e d a n d f o s t i -
f i e d as had t h e h o u s e s on t h e n o r t h , w e s t , and s o u t h . I n a d d i t i o n ,
c o n n e c t i n g s h e l t e r - t r e n c h e s had been c o n s t r u c t e d and an i n t r e ~ c h e d
magazi r e and s t o r e h o u s e h,?d been c o n s t r u c t e d , The g a r r i s o ~a t
t h i s t i m e c o n s i s t e d o f 100 Iiausas, 25 men of 2!li3, and approxim-
a t e l y 100 men o f t h e Abrah l e v y .
 291 -
73 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 436, l l o l s e l e y t o Kimberley,
26 October, 1873.
71+ A t t h i s p o i n t t h e r e i s c o n s t a n t r e f e r e n c e t o road b u i l d -
i n g i n t h e d e s p t i h e s t o London and i n Hrackenbury, However,
l a t e r e v e n t s proved t h a t t h i s a s p e c t of t h e G e n e r a l ' s plan %as
not going w e l l due t o t h e f a c t t h a t i t was n o t r e c e i v i n g s u f -
f i c i e n t a t t e n t i o n from e i t h e r S i r Garnet o r t h e menbers of h i s
staff.
75 The 'Haunted Road' was t h e t r a c k which ran n o r t h - e a s t
from Jultwa t o Dunkwa. It was s o named by t h e F a n t i s because t h e
Asantes were r e p o r t e d t o have 'done f e t i s h ' on t h e road and t h e r e -
by have c l o s e d it t o t h e i r enemies.
76 Brackenbury, Ashanti Yar, Vol. 1, p. 234.
77 C.O. 87915 ; G.C. 3 6 ; S e r i a l 477, Wolseley t o Kimbcrley,
3 1 October, 1873.
78 &oc. c i t . T h i s was most t r u e . What European t m o c s he
p o s s e s s e d had been e i t h e r r e t u r n e d t o England (XLI and ~ i L 4 ) o r
re-embarked (Naval Brigade) a f t e r t h e Elrnina o p e r a t i o n and had
t h u s n o t been employed s i n c e mid-October.
79 Loc. c i t .
80 The Naval Brigade was formed of sailors and marines from
t h e f l e e t t h e n on t h e Gold b o a s t . I t s f i r s t detachment was formed
on t h e 28th of November, 1873 and it c o n s i s t e d of f i f t y - t h r e e a l l -
r a n k s and numbered i n e x c e s s of 250 by t h e 1st of J a n u a r y , 1873.
See Wolseley, S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2, pp. 318-319, f o r h i s comments
on t h i s u n i t .
81 C . 0 . 8 7 9 / 5 ; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 477, Wolseley t o Kimberley,
31 October, 1873 and,= -* 9 S e r i a l 487, Kimberley t o V o l s e l e y ,
24 November, 1873. The F e s t i n g column c o n s i s t e d of 12 o f f i c e r s
and 701 men, o f whom 73 were from 2::TIH, and 615 were F a n t i a l l i e s ,
R a i t ' s A r t i l l e r y was a t t a c h e d . The guns and t h e S n i d e r s of t h e
2VIR t r o o p s were d e c i s i v e and t h i s f i r e p o x e r was l a r g e l y respon-
s i b l e f o r keeping t h e l o s s e s i n t h e a c t i o n t o f i v e o f f i c e r s , f i v e
!vCO1s and men o f 21;IIK, and 42 A f r i c a n s wounded, and one P m t i k i l -
l e d . Brackenbury, Ashanti IJar, Vol. l , pp. 239-240.
82 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 477, E n c l o s u r e ?!o. 1, F e s t -
i n g t o Wolseley, 28 October, 1873.
 63 T h i s p a r t i c u l a r o p e r a t i o n reminds o n e o f t h a n u r s e r y
j i n g l e , "The Grand Old Duke o f York. He had t e n t h o u s a n d men.
He marched then1 up t h e h i l l and marched them down again." Indesd,
t h i s l i t t l e rhyme i s i n d i c a t i v e o f many o f t h e B r i t i s h moves d u r -
ing t h i s phase o f t h e o p e r a t i o n . C e r t a i n l y t h e l a c k o f r e l i a b l e
i n t e l l i g e n c e , t h e f a u l t y n a t u r e of cornrnunications and t h e s m a l l
numbers o f t r o o p s a t S i r G a r n e t ' s d i s p o s a l a l l combined t o n a k e
t h e C e n e r a l t s e f f o r t s j u s t a b o u t a s p r o d u c t i v e as t h e Duke's.
64 C.0, 879/5 ; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 477, Wolseley t o K i n b e r l e y ,
31 O c t o b e r , 1Gr73.
85 Loc. c i t .
86 See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, Vol. 1, pp. 235-245;
W o l s e l e y , A S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. G p . 30g-310 f o r a d e t a i l e d
a c c o u n t o f t h i s o p e r a t i o n which e v e n t u a l l y t o o k p l a c e h e r e . See
a l s o Reade, Ashantee C a ~ l p a i g n , pp. 224-228 azd G.A. l!enty, The
, ,
March t o C o o n a s s i e 2nd, e d . Lordon, John Nurray and Go., ml+,
pp. 108-112 f o r comments on t h e a c t i o n a s viewed t h r o u g h t h e e y e s
o f c i v i l i a n r e p o r t e r s . A s i s normal, t h e s e r e p o r t s e x h i b i t con-
s i d e r a b l e pique t h a t t h e s o l d i e r s saw f i t t o do t h e i r job ~ L t h -
o u t t h e b e n e f i t of t h e e x p e r t a s s i s t a n c e o f t h e c o r r e s p o n d e r , t s
c o n c e r n e d . I n g e n e r a l , t h e a r r a n ~ e i ~ l e n were
ts good. it m a 1 3 can-
non had been added t o t h e Abrakrampa weapons and a l l of t h e t r o -
ops e x c e p t t h e F a n t i l e v i e s were a r m d w i t h t h e S n i d e r r i f l e .
The f a c t t h a t t h e g a r r i s o n e v e n t u a l l y w i t h s t o o d two d a y s o f
heavy Asante a t t a c k s s p e a k s w e l l f o r t h e d e f e n s i v e a r r a n g e i a e n t s .
87 T h i s was a n a d m i s s i o n t h a t t h e p l a n , conceived i n i g n o r -
a n c e o f Gold Coast c o n d i t i o n s , was unworkable. It i s u n f o r t u n a t e
t h a t so much t i m e had t o p a s s b e f o r e t h i s d e c i s i o n was rilade f o r
much v a l u a b l e t i m e was l o s t d u r i n g which t h e G e n e r a l and his t r o -
o p s c o u l d have b e e n m a s t e r i n g t h e r u d i m e n t s o f t h i s unorthodox
mode of w a r f a r e . A s m a t t e r s developed, t h e change had b e e n l e f t
u n t i l t o o l a t e and s u b s e q u e n t m i l i t a r y o p e r a t i o n s were n o t p a r t i c -
ularly effective.
88 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i !!ar, Vol. 1, pp. 249-250.
89 T h i s i s i n f e r r e d fro12 t h e d a t e o f t h e Asanteheriels r e p- l y-,.
25 ~ o v e r n b e r , 1g73, which i s quoted i n Brackenbury, A s h a n t i klaiai.,
Vol. 2, pp. 40-41.
90 Ramseyer and Kuhne , Four Y e a r s , p . 2 4 5 .
91 Ibid., p. 247
 92 Loc. c i t . S p e c i a l e a p h a s i s was l a i d on t h e s p e e c h made
by t h e Quecn-1,iother whose harangue a d v i s i n g t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e
m i s s i o n a r i e s i n t h e hope o f p l a c a t i n g t h e b r i t i s h , i s c i t e d i n
a l l of t h e major works on t h i s t o p i c ,
93 U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h i s move d i d n o t f u l l y a c h i e v e i t s t a c t i -
c a l purpose. T h i s was p a r t l y b e c a u s e t h e u n t r a i n e d A f r i c a n a l -
l i e s once more r e f u s e d t o move i n a n y d i r e c t i o n where it was pos-
s i b l e t h a t t h e enemy might be found a n d p a r t l y b e c a u s e Wood's men
were e q u a l l y u n q u a l i f i e d f o r s c o u t i n g o p e r a t i o n s .
94 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 524, Wolseley t o Kimberley,
4 November, 1873. ~iz
g a r r i s o n t h e n c o n s i s t e d o f 1 5 0 men frorn
2'dIR, 2 x 7 pdr. g u n s , and 1 , 4 0 0 A f r i c a n a l l i e s ,

95 G.O. 8 7 9 / 5 ; C.C. 36; S e r i a l 477, E n c l o s u r e 4, Proclama-

t i o n by Wolseley t o Kings, Headmen, e t c . , o f t h e Cold C o a s t , 3 0
O c t o b e r , 1273.
96 C.O. 87915; C.G. 36; S e r i a l 525, Wolsaley t o Kimberley,
5 November, 1873.
97 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 526, Wolseley t o Kimberley,
8 November, 1873. The f o r c e o f A s a n t e e n c o u n t e r e d a t t h i s t i m e
was e s t i m a t e d a t a b o u t 3 , 0 0 0 men.Festings f o r c e consisted of
some 1 , 1 0 0 men of: whom alniost 1,000 were A f r i c a n a l l i e s . The
r e m a i n d e r o f t h e f o r c e was composed o f a detachment o f R a i t l s
A r t i l l e r y , 80 men from 2\!IR, and a f e w Hausas.
98 Loc. c i t . See a l s o Reade, Ashantee Campaign, pp. 187-190
f o r a most a c i d conmentary on t h i s i n c i d e n t . It i s s u r p r i s i n g
that S i r G a r n e t would c o n t e m p l a t e r e c a l l i n g t h e t r o o p s a t t h i s
c r i t i c a l moment b u t his concern f o r m a i n t a i n i n g t h e good h e a l t h
of t h e European t r o o p s no d o u b t was t h e d e c i s i v e f a c t o r . He him-
self o f f e r s no e x p l a n a t i o n e i t h e r i n h i s d e s p a t c h e s o r h i s mem-
o i r s . N a u r i c e , The Ashantee ::jar, p. 1 5 1 , r e f u t e s R e a d e T s argu-
ments on t h i s poxnt.
99 T h e r e i s some c o n t r o v e r s y o v e r t h i s p o i n t b u t R u s s e l l
himself a d m i t s t o m i s r e a d i n g t h e o r d e r . See C.O. 879/5; G.C. 36.
S e r i a l 526, E n c l o s u r e 3 , R u s s e l l t o t i ? o l s e l e y , 7 r r o v e m b e r , f 6 1 3 ~ '
1 0 0 Loc. c i t . See Piaurice, The Ashantee '~2, pp. 3.52-151,,
f o r a n i n t e r e s t i n g and h i g h l y c o l o u r f u l d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e m ~ c h
o f t h e r e l i e f column and i t s a c t i o n s upon a r r i v i n g a t Abrakl-axpa.
P a u r i c e makes no coriment, however, on t h e q u e s t i o n a b l e v a l u e o f
r e p l a c i n g e x h a u s t e d men ~ 5 t ho t h e r e x h a u s t e d men who were i g n o r -
ant of l o c a l co~ditions.
 1 0 1 Loc. c i t e A l l o f t h e contemporary a u t h o r s make much
of t h e cowardice o f t h e A f r i c a n a l l i e s on t h i s o c c a s i o n and t h e r e
a r e many i n d i g n a n t c o n n e n t s r e s p e c t i n g t h e B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s and
t h e klende b e a t i n g t h e A f r i c a n s i n t o t h e bush w i t h t h e a i d o f
t h e i r u m b r e l l a s and swords r e s p e c t i v e l y .
1 0 2 S i r G a r n e t ' s corments on t h i s a c t i o n a r e c o n t a i n e d i n
C.O. 879/5; Gold Coast 38 -
F u r t h e r Correspondence r e s p e c t i n g t h e
Asante I n v a9- s i o n * S e r i a l 30, U.O. t o C.O., 8 Decenber, 1874. ~7
stated, i n part, that,
... even t h e eneinyts r e t r e a t cannot i n s t i l
courage i n t o t h e s e f a i n t - h e a r t e d n a t i v e s ,
a n d t h a t t h e y can n e i t h e r be c o u n t e d on t o
i n s u r e a v i c t o r y n o r t o complete a d e f e a t .
They were o r d e r e d t o p u r s u e t h e enemy, r e -
main i n t h e f i e l d , and h a r a s s him i n h i s
r e t r e a t . The r o a d was s t r e w n w i t h t h e
d e b r i s o f t h e r e t r e a t i n g army; b o d i e s of
murdered s l a v e s l a y a l o n g t h e r o u t e ; many
p r i s o n e r s were c a p t u r e d ; t h e enemy7s f i r e
was s i l e n c e d ; a n d y e t , s u c h i s t h e coward-
i c e o f t h e s e p e o p l e t h a t t h e y had t o b e
d r i v e n i n t o a c t i o n and a f t e r a s u c c e s s
t h e y became a p a n i c - s t r i c k e n and d i s -
orderly rabble.
-
103 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 38 F u r t h e r Correspondence r e s p e c t i n g
t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n ; S e r i a l 30, U.O. t o C.O., 8 December, 1874.
1 0 4 C.U. 879/5; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 526, V o l s e l e y t o R i n b e r l e y ,
8 Movember, 1873, and -9/5; G.L. 38, S e r i a l 50, !?olseley t o
Kimberley, 1 0 P!ovember, 1873.

1 0 5 c.0. 879/5; G.C. 38; S e r i a l 87, Wolseley t o K i n b e r l e y ,

2 1 November, 1873.
106 -I* ba i d S e r i a l 98, Wolseley t o Kirnberley, 27 Novenber,
1873 .
298.
107 -
Loc. c -
it. and Brackenbury, A s h a n t i liar, Vol. 1, pp. 296-

108 C.O. 87915; G.C. 38; S e r i a l 126, Wolseley t o Kimberley,

28 Movernber, 1873.
1 0 9 S p e c i a l c o r r e s p o n d e n t s S t a n l e y , Reade and Henty were
l a r g e l y t o blame f o r t h i s a s t h e i r d e s p a t c h e s were h i g h l y c o l o u r e d .
However, S i r G a r p e t ' s d e s p a t c h was a l s o p a r t l y t o b1a:ne due t o t h e
f a c t t h a t he d i d u s e s e v e r a l t e r m s which c o u l d have been mis-
i n t e r p r e t e d . See c l a r i d g e , A s h a n t i , Vol. 2, p. 73.
 110 This was a prisoner t a k e n i n t h e a c t i o n around t h e
Adansi H i l l s a f t e r t h e B r i t i s h had c r o s s e d t h e Pra. See Bracken-
bury, A s h a n t i Yar, Vol. 1, pp, 296-297,
111 ~ ~ 879/5;
0 . G.C. 38; S e r i a l 142, PJ.0. t o c.O., 29
December, 1873,
112 L O . 879/5; G.G. 38; S e r i a l 168, Wolseley t o Kinberley,
3 December, 1873.
113 Rameyer a n d Kuhne, Four Years, pp. 251-253.
Ill+ Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, V a l . 1, pp. 303-309, and
Wolseley, S o l d . i e r Ts Life, Vol. 2 , pp. 310-311. See Annex D f o r
t h e text of t h e s e l e t t e r s ,
 CHAPTER I V - FCOT1:OTES
1 I n f a c t , a l m o s t o n e - t h i r d of t h e t i m e a v a i l a b l e f o r
o p e r a t i o n s i n v o l v i n g European t r o o p s had p a s s e d b e f o r e a l l p r e p -
r a t i o n s had been conlpleted. See I l o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol.
2 , pp. 298-2'39; Brackenburg, A s h a n t i Var, Vol. 1, p. 310; and c.C.
879/5 ; Gold Coast j S , F u r t h e r Correspondence R e s p e c t i n g t h e
Ashantee I n v a s i o n ; S e r i a l 98, Wolseley t o iiirnberley, 27 Kovernber,
1 dr73

2 C.O. 679/5; G . C . 3 6 ; S e r i a l 169, Wolseley t o K i n b e r l e y ,

1 5 December, 1873. fi.;,L.S. iiirnalaya r e a c h e d Cape Coest w i t h t h e 2nd
b a t t a l i o n of t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e and some detachments o f Royal
E n g i n e e r s and o t h e r s p e c i a l c o r p s on t h e 9 t h o f llecenber. The
Tarnar a r r i v e d on t h e 1 2 t h w i t h t h e 23rd Royal !lelsh F u s i l i e r s , a
dethchment o f Hoyal A r t i l l e r y , t h i r t e e n ~ i ~ e d i c ao lf f i c e r s , acd
s e v e r a l o t h e r srnall d e t a i l s . These were f o l l o w e d on t h e 1 7 t h by
t h e h i r e d t r a n s p o r t , S a r m a t i a n , h a v i n g on board t h e 42nd Nigh-
l a n d e r s ( B l a c k : ; a t c ' n ) a n u l n b e r of S p e c i a l S e r v i c e O f f i c e r s
( T r a n s p o r t ~ e ~ a r t n c n and t ) a few n o r e men fro^.^ o t h e r Departmental
Corps. F i n a l l y , on t h e 27th of December, t h e 1st K c s t I n d i a Regi-
ment a m i v e d from Jamaica. The breakdown o f s t r e n g t h s i s as shown
i n t h e t a b l e below.

TABLE I - British Troop A r r i v a l s .

N.C.O.'r
Regimcnt. (46 Llm.
p-

Himalcya Rifle Brigade 65s

A m y Service Corps . 30
: g'lnccrs
Royal I.n . 68
Army Hospital Corps . 26
AIedical Oiiiccrs .
Chzp!ains .
Royal Wclsh Fusilicrs . 650
Royal Artillcry . 61
2nd West India Regimcnt 2
Medicc.1 OlfGcers .
Chaplains .
Special Service Officers . ,
Black Watch . 652
Amiy Servicc Corps . I2
Anny Hospital Corps . 26
Staff Clrrk . I
Royal Ecgixers . 2
hfcdical Oficcn .
--
I W 1 T( 24 Oficers and 554 N.C.O.'s and men.
L
 3 The G e n e r a l had no j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r h i s annoyance o v e r
t h e tir?iing o f t h e a r r i v a l of t h e t r o o p s ar,d he had no r e a s o n t o
b e l i e v e t h a t t h e y would have a c c o a p l i s h e d much even had t h e y n r -
r i v e d e a r l i e r . I n t h e f i r s t i n s t a n c e , S i r G a r n e t h i m s e l f had
e s t i m a t e d t h a t t h e t r c o p s could n o t p o s s i b l y a r r i v e b e f o r e t h e
1 0 t h of I l e c e ~ i b e r . (Ejrackenbury, - A s h a n t i :'jar, Vol. 1, p. 1 2 5 . )
I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e was n o t s u f f i c i e n t t i m l o r t h e Government t o
i n f o r i l him o f t h e d e s p a t c h o f t h e t r o o p s . His r e q u e s t was r e c e i v -
ed i n London on t h e 1 7 t h o f ~ ~ o v e m b eand r t h e Himalaya and t h e
T a n a r s a i l e d f r o u Plymouth on t h e 1 9 t h of b'ovember. S h o r t of
d e s p a t c h i n g a s h i p with a warning on t h e 1 8 t h , t h e r e was i i t t l e
t o be done. I n any e v e n t , such a warning would have g i v e n o n l y
a few d a y s n o t i c e and p r e p a r a t i o n s on t h e Gold Coast were s o de-
l a y e d t h a t by t h i s t i m e s u c h a s h o r t warning p e r i o d would have
a c c o m p l i s h e d l i t t l e . Second, h i s b e l i e f t h a t a n e a r l i e r a r r i v a l
would have a l l o w e d t h e d e f e a t 02 Arnarlkwa Tia s o u t h o f t h e P r a i s
based on t h e f a l s e premise t h a t t h e European t r o o p s were e x p e r i -
enced i n bush-varfarc. I n f a c t , t h e t h r e e b a t t a l i o n s were s t a l e
from y e a r s o f g a r r i s o n d u t y i n t h e U n i t e d Kingdom. (The 3ifl.e'
B r i g a d e was t h e u n i t w i t h t h e most r e c e n t o v e r s e a s d u t y and it
had been i n England f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y s i x y e a r s . )
4 W o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 304, and C l a r i d g e ,
H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , p-17-11)+.
5 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i X a r , Val* 1, pp. 373-374.
6 (3.0. 679/6; Gold Coast 39 F u r t i l e r Corres7ondevce E e s p e c t -
i n g t h e Ashantee i n v ~ s i o n ;~ e r i e ~ 7 ~ 1 0 5 u2 , r Eome e to
Yolse-~~e?-~&?~?j. The worry o v e r the completion o f
t h e r o a d wozld have been l e s s e n e d had a l l o f t h e s o y a 1 2 n g i n e e r s
been disembarkca from t h e H i m l a y a on t h e 1 2 t h of December, How-
e v e r , t h i s m a t t e r w i l l be d e a l t w i t h i n C h a p t e r F i v e . A p o i n t o f
i n t e r e s t i n t h i s r e s p e c t was t h e a r r i v a l o f R.E. c o ~ ~ ~ l u n i c a t i o n s
p e r s o n n e l . S i r Garnet had made a r e q u e s t i n u c t o b e r f o r 200 m i l e s
of t e l e g r a p h w i r e and a s i g n a l s detachment o f one o f f i c e r a n d 25
o p e r a t o r s a n d linemen t o b e s e n t o u t u i t h t h e European t r o o p s .
U n f o r t u n a t e l y , o n l y 1 2 o p e r a t o r s and l i n e s l a e n and 72 m i l e s o f w i r e
a r r i v e d w i t h t h e t r o o p s w h i l e t h e r e r ~ a i r ~ i n126 g r ~ l i l e so f w i r e were
s e n t o u t aboard one o f t h e s l o w e s t t r a n s p o r t s t h e n i n u s e . Never-
t h e l e s s , t h e wire irhich a r r i v e d w i t h t h e Himalaya was i r m e d i a t e l y
o f f - l o a d e d and c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a l i n e was begun immediately. I t s
c o n s t r u c t i o n and o p e r a t i o n was p l a g u e d by a l l manner of human and
n a t u r a l problems but b e f o r e t h e carllpaign had come t o a c l o s e , t h e
l i n e was o p e r a t i n g w i t h r e a s o n a b l e e f f e c t i v e n e s s between Cape
C o a s t and P r a s u .
 7 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i ::ar, Vol. 1, pp. 316-317. Ths d a t e
i s d i f f i c u l t t o confirci b u t vrvuld a p p e a r t o have been sonetime
i n t h e l a s t week o f F!overnber.
Zj Loc. c i t.-.
9 The cainps s e l e c t e d were:
a. Inkwabirn
b. Akrofu..
.......... 6% m i l e s from
......... .l3? tt 11
Coast
n
c. Yankurnasi Fanti...21+1 n
d. t~lansu .............
e . S u t a ..............46
358
. 11
1t
tt
11
11
n
f . Yankumasi Assin ...5 8; 11
g. Beraku. ...........671
h. Yrasu .............73& a f1
1,
11
11

One s h o u l d n o t e t h a t t h e f i r s t two rnarches were p u r p o s e l y zlade a s

s h o r t a s p o s s i b l e , on a c c o u n t o f t h e a b s e n c e o f a c y s h a d e on t h a t
p o r t i o n o f t h e r o a d , and a l s o because t h e men, coming s t r a i g h t
f r o m on-board s h i p , c o u l d n o t be e x p e c t e d t o b e i n t r a i n i n g f o r
a l o n g march i n t h e h e a t , and would have t o be broken-in g r a d u a l l y .
10 C.O. 8?9/6; G.C. 3 9 ; Scri.61 76, Wolseley t o Kimberley,
26 December, 1873.
11 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i Y a r , Vol. 1, pp. 322-324.
1 2 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 525, E n c l o s u r e 3 , Hone t o
W o l s e l e y , 26 ~ c t o b e r , 1 8 7 3 . T h i s was i n c l u d e d il: a d e s p a t c h t o
Kimberley d a t e d 5 November, 1873, a n d a p p e a r s t o be i n s u p p c r t
of h i s r e q u e s t f o r t h e European t r o o p s .
13 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i V a r , Vol. 1, p. 323.
14 I b i d . , p. 329. T h i s s y s t e m was an improved and s p e c i a l -
i z e d v a r i a t i o n o f t h e p r o c e s s o f c a s u a l t y e v a c u a t i o n which had be-
gun t o a p p e a r i n t h e American C i v i l Yar o f 1660-11155, a ~ which d
evolved through t h e i n t e r v e n i n g y e a r s i n t o t h e system of echeloned
c a s u a l t y e v a c u a t i o n and t r e a t m e n t now i n u s e i n most niodern a m i r s .
T h i s p l a n i s d e s e r v i n g o f t h e c r e d i t i t r e c e i v e s frcm S r a c k e n b u r y .
However, t h e r e were m a j o r s h o r t c o x i n g s . F o r example, a l t h o u g h t h e
manning o f t h e s y s t e m i n v o l v e d no r e d u c t i o n i n t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h e
Nain Body and a l t h o u g h a l l members of t h e f i ~ h t i n gf o r c e ver8e
h a n d l e d by t h e s y s t e m , no a r r a n g e m e n t s were l n c l u d e d f o r t h e c a r e
a n d t r e a t m e n t o f t h e A f r i c a n c a r r i e r s , e t c . I n a d d i t i o n , no
m e d i c a l p l a n s were e v o l v e d f o r G l o v e r , B u t l e r , and Dalryraplo.
 -
1 5 See w o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 312. T h i s
problem had a l r e a d y been c l e a r l y i f E s t r a t e d i n t h e A b y s s i n i a n
campaign l e d by sir Robert K a p i e r i n 1867 a g a i n s t t h e f o r t r e s s
o f Nagdala, (See S t a n l e y , Coomassie and ;Ia,.;dala, f o r a ne1;s-
p a p e r c o r r e s p o n d e n t ' s view o f t h i s p u n a t i v e e x p e d i t i o n . See R .
O l i v e r and J.D. F a t e , A S h o r t H i s t o r y o f A f r i c a , B a l t i m o r e ,
Penguin Books, 1966,. pp. - - 177-178, f o r a b r i e f r e v i e w o f t h e
c i r c u m s t a n c e s ; ) I n m!.litary t e r i i s , t h e problem was s i m p l y t h a t
t r a n s p o r t cane u n d e r t h e C o n t r o l d e p a r t m e n t ; a c i v i l i a n s u p p l y
d e p a r t m e n t which had no i d e a of t h e n i i l i t a r y t r a n s p o r t r e q u i r e -
ments. I t was n o t u n t i l t h e Boer ';Jar t h a t a p r o p e r m i l i t a r y
t r a n s p o r t o r g a n i z a t i o n , t h e Royal Aruy S e r v i c e Corps, cane i n t o
b e i n g . See n o t e 18 below.
16 Although t h i s m a t t e r was p o s s i b l y t h e most thorough17 n i s -
managed a s p e c t of t h e e n t i r e campaign ( s e e C h a p t e r F i v e below
must be a d m i t t e d t h a t a number o f a l t e r n a t i v e s t o human p o r t e r a g e
5,
it
had a t l e a s t been g i v e n s e r i o u s c o n s i d e r a t i o n . The p o s s i b i l i t y o f
t h e u s e o f m e c h m i c a l t r a n s p o r t , mules, e l e p h a n t s , m d s e v e r a l
o t h e r s u b s t i t u t e s were a l l i n v e s t i c a t e d , I n t h e end, however,
t h e p a s s a g e o f time f o r c e d t h e abandonment o f a l l schemes e x c e p t
t h e t r a n d i t i o n a l method o f employing c a r r i e r s .
1 7 See C h a p t e r T h r e e , p . 1 1 2 above.
18 From a r e p o r t s u b m i t t e d by C a p t a i n Iiuyshe D.A. , - Q.I.I.Z.,
t o S i r G a r n e t . C i t e d i n Brackenbury, A s h a n t i I'!ar, - Vcl. 1, pp,
338-339. The r e l u c t a n c e of t h e F a n t i and o t h e r t r i b e m e n t o s e r v e
i n t h e t r a n s p o r t c o r p s was due l a r g e l y t o s e v e r a l e z s i l y remedied
c o r n p l a i ~ t s . The f o o d was poor and i n a d e q u a t e , t h e pay was spo-
r a d i c , l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s p o o r , t r e z t n e n t was o f t e n b r u t a l , a n d
g a n g s w e r e n o t o r g a n i z e d on a t r i b a l b a s i s , hence men were f o r c e d
t o work w i t h s t r a n g e r s - a f a c t which s e r i o u s l y a f f e c t e d m o r a l e .
S e e below, C h a p t e r V , n o t e 26.
1 9 C a p t a i n Huyshe was s e n t on a m i s s i o n t o t h e d i f f e r e n t
k i n g s and c h i e f s a t Asebu, Abrakrampa, Dunkwa, a n d ;:ansue Ile was
t o a t t e m p t t o c o l l e c t , i n e x c e s s o f t h e men a l r e a d y u n d e r arms,
some 5 , 0 0 0 c a r r i e r s . He managed t o c o l l e c t l e s s t h a n o n e - t e n t h
t h a t number.
20 The p r o c e s s o f d i s a r a i n g t h e A f r i c a n l e v i e s had a c t u a l l y
begun, a l t h o u ~ hon a v e r y small s c a l e , a f t e r t h e b a t t l e a t Ainsa
where t h e y had proved t h e n s e l v e s s o u n r e l i a b l e . ) ! e v e r t h e l e s s ,
t h i s f a i l e d t o r e c t i f y t h e s i t u a t i o n f o r t h e s e men d e s e r t e d t h e
c a r r i e r c o r p s j u s t a s r e a d i l y as d i d t h o s e mer, r e c r u i t e d s p e c j - f i c -
a l l y f o r c a r r i e r s e r v i c e . For d e t a i l s of disarming, s e e Sracken-
b u r y , A s h a n t i War, Vol. 1, pp. 340-341.
 21 Brackenbury comments t h a t b o t h women and c h i l d r e n were
o b t a i n e d f o r c a r r i e r s e r v i c e between Cape c o a s t and Dunkwa a n d
t h a t t h e women proved t o be b o t h w i l l i n g and s t r o n g and t h a t t h e y
made i n f i n i t e l y b e t t e r c a r r i e r s t h a n t h e men. See Brackenbury,
A s h a n t i Y a r , Vol. 1, pp. 336-338.
22 Wolseley, S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 317.
23 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i !Jar, Vol. 1, p. 368. V h e t h e r o r n o t
t h e e v e n t u a l s o l u t i o n t o t h e problem was r e a l l y a r e s u l t o f ~ o l l e y ' s
work--as clainied by b o t h l'lolseley and Brackenbury--is d e b a t a b l e .
C o l l e y Ts a b i l i f y i s b r o u g h t s h a r p l y i n t o q u e s t i o n by s u b s e q u e n t
e v e n t s i n h i s c a r e e r . See e s p e c i a l l y ' I a n Hamilton, The Happy l i a r -
r i o r : A L i f e o f Geneyal S i r I a n Ilarnilton, London, C a s s e l l , 1900,
PI;. 42-45, f o r C o l l e y t s r o l e i n t h e d e b a c l e a t Xajuba i n 1861.
24 I n b r i e f , Colonel C o l l e y o r g a n i z e d t h e t r a n s p o r t a s f o l -
lows:
a. The T r a n s p o r t Corps was o r g a n i z e d i n t o two
b r a n c h e s ; t h e f i r s t was termed Regimel.?tal
T r a n s p o r t , t h e second Local Transport.
There w e r e , however, no t r a n s p o r t companies
o r platoons.
b. Regimental T r a n s p o r t i n c l u d e d a l l c a r r i e r s
a t t a c h e d permanently t o r e g i m e n t s , c o r p s ,
d e p a r t m e n t s ; and moved r d t h t h e t r o o p s f o r
t h e p u r p o s e o f c a r r y i n g baggage and immediate
r e s e r v e s of r a t i o n s , ammunition, and s u p p l i e s .
c. L o c a l T r a n s p o r t i n c l u d e d a l l c a r r i e r s enploy-
e d i n m a i n t a i n i n g s u p p l i e s and comrnunicatbors
between Cape Coast and t h e f r c n t . It worked
p e r m a n e n t l y between f i x e d s t a t i o n s a l o n g t h e
r o a d which was d i v i d e d i n t o d i s t r i c t s f o r e a s e
o f c o n t r o l and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
d. The c a r r i e r s were o r g a n i z e d i n t o gangs based
on r e g i o n a l and/or t r i b a l a s s o c i a t i o n and
e a c h man was r e g i s t e r e d and g i v e n a number
s o t h a t i d e n t i f i c a t i o n was s i m p l i f i e d ,
e. Pay, f e e d i n g , r e s t , accomodation, m e d i c a l
t r e a t m e n t , and o t h e r s o u r c e s o f f r i c t i o n
were s t a n d a r d i z e d and t h e i r i m p l i c a t i o n s
c l e a r l y o u t l i n e d t o t h e o f f i c e r s concerned.
F o r f u l l d e t a i l s , s e e Brackenbury, A s h a n t i
-
War, Vol. 1, pp. 369-372.
25 C.O. 87916; G.C. 39; S e r i a l 76, E n c l o s u r e 5 , C o l l e y t o
,
Wolseley 26 ~ e c e r n b e r m
 26 Loc. c i t .
27 C.O. 679/6; G.C. 39; S e r i a l 1 5 3 , V o l s e l e y t o Eimberley,
8 J a n u a r y , 1873.
26 The major d i f f i c u l t y was t h e l a c k o f s u p p o r t s t a f f f o r
G l o v e r had b u t t e n B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s t o a s s i s t him. Another
s e r i o u s problem l a y i n t h e f a c t t h a t h i s a l l i e s , m o s t l y Akias and
A c c r a s , had been promised a c r a c k a t t h z i r t r a d i t i o n a l e ~ e x i e s
from t h e 3ast bank o f t h e V o l t a , t h e kwunas and Ahranus, b e f o r e
moving on t h e Asante.

29 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i l a r , V O ~ . 1, p . 399.
30 C.0. 87916; G.C. 39; S e r i a l 76, E n c l o s u r e 1, Glover t o
W o l s e l e y , 22 ~ecernber-

31 C.O. 879/6; G.C. 3 9 ; S e r i a l 76, b f o l s e l e y t o K i n b e r l e y ,

26 December, 1m3.
3 2 C.O. 879/5; G.C. 3 5 ; S e r i a l 477, l i o l s e l e y t o Zimberiey,
31 O c t o b e r , 1 8 7 3 ; a n d m S e r i a l 521, k l o l s e l c y t o K i n b e r l e y ,
4 November, 1873,
33 V a r i o u s d e s p a t c h e s , and most of t h e p r i n a r y s o u r c e s
make c o n s t a n t r e f e r e n c e t o t h e r e c k l e s s way' i n which Glover
had been g i v i n g p r e s e n t s t o t h e A f r i c a n k i n ~ sand c h i e f s i n h i s
e f f o r t s t o g a i n r e c r u i t s . He i s a c c u s e d o f h a v i ~ gd i s t r i b ~ t e d
g i n , rum, t o b a c c o and o t h e r a r t i c l e s w i t h a n e x c e s s i v e l y l a v i s h
hand i n t h a t e v e r y c h i e f o f any i m p o r t a n c e had r e c e i v e d goads
and money t o t h e v a l u e of •’200 o r C300 i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e o r d i -
n a r y g r a t u i t y and pay a n d al1or:ances f o r h i s men. Howe;.er, t h e s e
comnents do n o t a p p e a r p a r t i c u l a r l y j u s t i f i e d f o r it was G l o v e r
more t h a n h i s d e t r a c t o r s who h e w what w a s needed i n t h e way o f
g i f t s if t h e r e was t o be any A f r i c a n p a r t i c i p a t i o n . Q u i t e n a t u -
r a l l y , C a p t a i n B u t l e r p r e s e n t s t h e most v i t r i o l i c and. one-sided
a c c o u n t o f t h i s problem b u t h i s cocinents have some v a l i d i t y .
See a F . B u t l e r , Akim-Foo: The :!istory o f a F a i l u r e , London,
S m p s o n Low, I I a r s t o n , Low & S e a r l e , 1 m 5 , f o r 3 u t l e r ' s a c c o u n t o f
h i s m i s s i o n among t h e Akirns. I t i s u n f o r t u n a t e t h a t G l o v e r ' s
d e s p a t c h e s p r o v i d e n o r e f u t a t i o n t o t h e s e c h a r ~ e sand i t i s
d o u b l y u n f o r t u n a t e t h a t n e i t h e r Glover h i m s e l f n o r anyone e l s e
h a s w r i t t e n o f h i s V o l t a e x p e d i t i o n and t h e r e b y p r e s e n t e d h i s
s i d e of t h e s t o r y . T h e r e i s , however, a r e p o r t by Glover on t h e
"Conduct of t h e Deputy Commissioners, O f f i c e r s a n d IYen C o n p o s i ~ g
t h e E x p e d i t i o n Under h i s Comrdandl', See B r i t i s h P a r l i a m n t a r y
P a p e r s , 1874, X L V I , (Cmd. 8 9 2 ) , p. 1089.
34 B u t l e r , Akirn-Foo, pp, 153-154.
 35 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , p . 116. The f a i l u r e o f
Dalrymple and B u t l e r t o accomplish t h e i r m i s s i o n s wr;s l a r g e l y due
t o t h e i r i n e x p e r i e n c e . They were w e l l s u p p o r t e d by I'iolseley,
who e n s u r e d t h a t t h e y r e c e i v e d s u p p l i e s on t h e same s c a l e as
G l o v e r , b u t t h e y were u n a b l e t o o p e r a t e e f f e c t i v e l y i n t h e r e -
c r u i t m e n t of A f r i c a n s , On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e h i g h l y e x p e r i e n c -
e d G l o v e r had l i t t l e d i f f i c u l t y i n c o l l e c t i n g a l a r g e A f r i c a n
f o r c e . It i s r e v e a l l i n g o f W o l s e l e y t s a t t i t u d e t h a t Glover i s
given l i t t l e c r e d i t f o r t h i s .
36 The g a r r i s o n t h e n a t P r a s u c o n s i s t e d o f L'oodt s r e g i m e n t
o f a p p r o x i m a t e l y 450 men; X u s s e l l T s r e g i m e n t w i t h some 500 men;
R a i t l s A r t i l l e r y w i t h a s t r e n g t h of 50 men, 3 ?-pounder f i c l d
g u n s , 2 4 2/5-inch h o w i t z e r s , a G a t l i n g gun, and 6 r o c k e t - t r o u g h s ;
t o g e t h e r w i t h a detachment o f 70 men from 2PIIR.
37 See c h a p t e r F i v e f o r f u r t h e r d i s c u s s i o n of t h i s p o i n t ,
S i r Garnet! s employ~nent of t h e Y I R t r o o p s a n d t h e men ir. Yoodt s
and Hussel-1's r e g i m e n t s r a i s e s e r i o u s q u e s t i o n s as t o h i s compe-
t e n c e as a field-commander,

38 The d i s e m b a r k a t i o n began a t 1:45 A . N . on t h e 1st when

t h e p e r s o n n e l on t h e Himalaya were t r a n s f e r r e d a s h o r e and by 6:35
A . X . t h e whole of t h e R i f l e u r i g a d e and t h e detachment o f Royal
E n g i n e e r s were i n Inkwabirn. The u n l o a d i n g o f t h e S a r m a t i a n began
a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h e same t i m e on t h e 2nd and t h e t r a n s f e r t o
s h o r e o f t h e Black G a t c h proceeded w i t h t h e same q u i e t o r d e r and
r e g u l a r i t y a s had t h e d i s e m b a r k a t i o n o f t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e . The
removal o f t h e F u s i l i e r s from t h e Tamar was s c h e d u l e d t o t a k e
p l a c e on t h e 3 r d .
39 The problem l a y w i t h t h e r e g i m e n t a l t r a n s p o r t . The
t r a n s p o r t r e q u i r e m e n t f o r t h e h e a d q u a r t e r s and t h e Naval B r i g a d e
was m a l l and had been e a s i l y s a t i s f i e d . 'The R i f l e B r i g a d e drew
i t s t r a n s p o r t from Cape C o a s t , c h i e f l y Ahanta and C h i n a men w h i l e
t h e t r a n s p o r t f o r t h e u l a c k K a t c h , c h i e f l y Goomoahs, was b r o u g h t
down from I~lansu; and t h e s e two r e g i m e n t s s t a r t e d w i t h o u t d i f f i c u l t y ,
But c o n d i t i o n s i n t h e s e r v i c e were l i t t l e b e t t e r t h a n t h e y had
been and between t h e 31st of December and t h e 3 r d of J a n u a r y ,
r e p o r t s were r e c e i v e d by C o l o n e l C o l l e y o f t h e d e s e r t i o n of t h e
b u l k o f t h e Adjumacoes; t h a t t h e Acoumfies had d i s p e r s e d even be-
f o r e t h e y r e a c h e d t h e r o a d ; and t h a t t h e Agoonahs, 500 i n number,
had d e s e r t e d a f t e r one t r i p . Thus, f o r t h e v e r y r e a s o n s t h a t had
made r e c r u i t i n g o f c a r r i e r s d i f f i c u l t t o b e g i n w i t h , t h e t r a n s p o r t
d e s i g n a t e d f o r t h e F u s i l i e r s s i m p l y e v a p o r a t e d . There remained
only t h e t r a n s p o r t a b s o l u t e l y necessary t o maintain t h e flow of
s u p p l i e s t o t h e f r o n t . See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, Vol. 2 ,
pp. 18-20; and C.O. 8 7 9 / 6 ; G.C. 39; s e r i a l 1 5 3 , F o l s e l e y t o
Kimberley, 8 J a n u a r y , 1874.
40 Brackenbury, Ashanf-,i Yar, Vol. 2 , pp. 19-20.
 41 C.O. g79/'6; G.C. 39; s e r i a l 153, Wolseley t o K i n b e r l e y ,
8 J a n u a r y , 1874.
42 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, Vol. 2 , p. 20.
l k 3 Wolscley g l o s s e s o v e r t h i s p o i n t i n h i s memoirs b u t h i s
d e s p a t c h t o Kimberley on t h e e t h o f J a n u a r y r e f e r s t o t h e l o s s o f
t h e F u s i l i e r s and co~rirnents on t h e f a c t t h a t he would have t o
d e v i s e some way t o e n e u r e t h a t t h e F ' u s i l i e r s would be r e g r e s e n t e d
i n t h e campaign. T h i s he e v e n t u a l l y d i d by l a n d i n g one hundred
members o f t h a t u n i t t o r e p l a c e one hundred of t h e Black \ l a t c h
who were s p e c i a l l y chosen a s b e i n g t h e l e a s t l i k e l y t o b e a r t h e
f a t i g u e s o f t h e campaign.

44 Formed on t h e 1 6 t h o f O c t o b e r , 1873, by C a p t a i n H a i t , R.A.,

one s e r g e a n t , one b o m b a r d i e r , and 1 0 Hausa g u n n e r s ; t h i s u n i t
had grown t o i n c l u d e C a p t a i n Rait, one l i e u t e n a n t , two s e r g e a n t s ,
f o u r b o m b a r d i e r s and 50 Iiausa gunners by t h e 2nd of J a n u a r y , 1874.
Arrned w i t h 3 x 7-pounder g u n s , 2 x 4 2/5-inch h o w i t z e r s , a Gat-
l i n g gun, and 6 r o c k e t t r o u g h s , t h i s u n i t h a d , by a l l a c c o u n t s ,
become a w e l l - d r i l l e d and competent f i r e - u n i t . See b r a c k e n b u r y ,
A s h a n t i :Jar
- 9 Vol. 1, p. 206, and -*I b i d 3 Vol. 2 , pp. 10-11.
45 P r i o r t o t h i s t i m e , S i r G a r n e t had been l o a t h t o u s e his
powers i n o r d e r t o c o e r c e t h e A f r i c a n s t o s e r v e . However, he now
r e c o g n i z e d t h e s e r i o u s n e s s of t h e s i t u a t i o n and a p p l i e s a l l t h e
p r e s s u r e o f which he was c a p a b l e . See Xeade, Ashantee Campaign,
.
p. 234 e t . s e q . ; and Eiaurice, Ashantee L'ar, pp. 251-252, f o r
f u r t h e r cormentary
46 The numbers s t e a d i l y i n c r e a s e d a n d by t h e 1 5 t h , t h e r e
were 4 , 2 0 0 men a n d 1 , 2 5 0 women employed w i t h t h e L o c a l t r a n s p o r t
s e c t i o n s . See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i Y a r , Vol. 2 , p. 34.
47 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , p. 104.
48 One can u n d e r s t a n d t h i s m o t i v e b u t it i s d i f f i c u l t t o
see how any m i l i t a r y commander c o u l d s o b l i t h e l y compromise h i s
o p p o r t u n i t y t o a c h i e v e s u r p r i s e and t h u s g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e t h e
risk t o h i s t r o o p s .
49 S i r Garnet had e s t i m a t e d t h e c o s t of t h e e x p e d i t i o n a t
•’150,000. It a c t u a l l y c o s t a p p r o x i n l a t e l y , Z300,OOO. The i n -
demnity wocld have had a market v a l u e c o n s i d e r a b l y i n e x c e s s o f
t h a t amount.
50F o r t h e t e x t of K o f i K a r i k a r i ' s l e t t e r s , see G.O. 879/6;
G.C. 39; S e r i a l 148, H o l s e l e y t o Kiroberley, 2 J a n u a r y , 1874; and
forG a r n e t f s r e p l y , s e e I b i d . , S e r i a l 1 5 1 , 7 l o l s e l e y t o
,
Kirnberley 6 J a n u a r y , 1874.
 51 Although more w i l l be s a i d of t h i s i n C h a p t e r F i v e below,
i t i s of i n t e r e s t t o n o t e h e r e t h a t d e s p i t e t h i s u s e of t h e Gat-
l i n g gun t o d e m o n s t r a t e B r i t i s h s u p e r i o r i t y i n weapons, t h e gun
was n o t used e f f e c t i v e l y i n t h e s u b s e q u e n t campaign. Dlo r e a s o n
i s g i v e n f o r t h i s and t h e weapon i s n e v e r mentioned a f t e r P r a s u .

52 Some of t h e t r o o p s s e e n by t h e envoys on t h e i r r e t u r n t o
Kumasi were p a r t o f a r u s e d e v i s e d by S i r Garnet and t h o s e men r e -
t u r n e d t o P r a s u once t h e Asantes had p a s s e d by. However, t h e r e
were a l r e a d y c o n s i d e r a b l e B r i t i s h f o r c e s o p e r a t i n g n o r t h o f t h e
r i v e r by t h i s tirne. See below pp. 16Sf-170.

53 C O O . 879/6; G.C. 39; s e r i a l 76, X o l s e l e y t o Kimberley,

26 December, 1873.
54 The o r i g i n a l body o f s c o u t s had o n l y been formed i n
e a r l y December. It c o n s i s t e d o f sorrie t w e n t y A f r i c a n s o f mixed
o r i g i n under a L i e u t e n a n t Grant. T h e i r o n l y t r a i n i n g had been
"on t h e j o b r f . Hotrever,. some t h i r t y A s s i n s were added and a l -
t h o u g h t h e y l a c k e d i n f o r m a l m i l i t a r y t r a i n i n g , t h e y knew t h e
c o u n t r y s o u t h o f t h e Adansi H i l l s and were t h u s o f g r e a t v a l u e .
I n g e n e r a l , t h e s c o u t s a c q u i t t e d themselves well throughout t h e
i n v a s i o n . However, a f t e r t h e b a t t l e of Amoafu, S i r Garnet f a i l -
ed t o u s e them e f f e c t i v e l y .

55 C.O. 879/6; G.C. 39; S e r i a l 1 5 1 , Wolseley t o Kimberley,

6 J a n u a r y , 1874. himo of Asante r e s i s t a n c e i s most s i g n i f i -
c a n t . Wolseley chose t o i n t e r p r e t it a s a n i n d i c a t i o n t h a t Kofi
K a r i k a r i was s i m p l y u n a b l e t o c o n f r o n t t h e B r i t i s h a t t h i s p o i n t .
He a l s o chose t o view t h e s u b s e q u e n t Asante e n b a s s i e s as t i m e -
b u y i n g d e v i c e s t h r o u g h t h e u s e of which t h e Asantehene e x p e c t e d
t o be a b l e t o r a i s e s u f f i c i e ~ tf o r c e s t o r e p e l t h e B r i t i s h f o r c e .
It i s more l i k e l y , however, t h a t Kofi K a r i k a r i r e f r a i n e d from
c h a l l e n g i n g t h e i n v a d e r s a t t h i s p o i n t i n t h e hope t h a t a nego-
t i a t e d s e t t l e m e n t c o u l d be r e a c h e d . See Chapter F i v e below.
56 C . 0 . 879/6; Gold c o a s t No. 41, Ashantee I n v a s i o n : L a t e s t
D e s p a t c h e s from S i r Garnet !Volseley; S e r i a l 4, 1;iolseley t o Kimber-
l e y , 12 J a n u a r y , 1874.
57 Ramseyer a n d Kuhne, Four Y e a r s , p. 263.
58 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , p. 113.
59 LOC. c-
it,
 6 0 \ h e n q u e s t i o n e d , 14r. Kuhne, who was w i t h t h e envoys,
s t a t e d t h a t when Amankwa Tia had r e a c h e d ICumasi Gn t h e 22nd o f
December, h i s army had been d i s b a n d e d and t h e men s e n t t o t h e i r
homes. He c l a i m e d t h a t t h e o n l y p e o p l e on t h e r o a d between t h e
Adansi Hills and t h e F r a , a s of t h e 2nd o f Jariuary, were a f e w
h u n t e r s i n h a b i t i n g t h e a l l b u t d e s e r t e d v i l l a g e s t h e r e . Eeyond
t h e Adansi IIills, hcwever, would be found t h e Adansi c o n t i n g e n t
of t h e main army. See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, Vol. 2 , p. 5 0 .
It i s p o s s i b l e t h a t a t t h i s p o i n t t h e Asante were s t i l l e x p e c t i n g
the B r i t i s h t o f o l l o w t h e p a t t e r n e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1863--the p a t -
t e r n co'mion t o t r i b a l w a r f a r e w h e r e i n t h e h o s t i l i t i e s c e a s e d once
t h e enemy was c l e a r o f t h e d e f e n d e r ' s t e r r i t o r y . T h i s was t h e
a t t i t u d e t a k e n by t h e F a n t i , who were c e r t a i n l y u n a b l e t o a p p r e c i -
a t e t h e B r i t i s h d e t e r x i n a t i o n t o c a r r y on t h e f i g h t , T h e r e f o r e ,
it i s r e a s o n a b l e t o suppose t b t t h e Asante viewed t h i n g s i n t h e
same l i g h t .
61 S e e C.O. 6 7 9 / 6 ; G.C. 41; S e r i a l 5 , V o l s e l e y t o Kimberley,
13 J a n u a r y , 1874; f o r t h e t e x t o f t h i s l e t t e r and S i r G a r n e t ' s
response as w e l l a s the circumstances surrounding t h e a r r i v a l
o f M r . Kuhne, e t c .
62 I4r. Kuhne n e v e r a d m i t s t h a t he s a i d a n y t h i n g l i k e t h i s
t o S i r G a r n e t . IIe d o e s s a y , however, t h a t he t o l d S i r Garnet
t h a t he b e l i e v e d i t p r o b a b l e t h a t Kofi K a r i k a r i was p r e p a r i n g t o
d e f e n d Kumasi a t a l l c o s t s . It would t h u s a p p e a r t h a t S i r Garnet
p u t h i s ovm i n t e r p r e t a t i o n on t h e m i s s i o n a r y ' s torments. See
C h a p t e r F i v e below f o r f u r t h e r comment.
63 C.O. 879/6; G.C. 41; S e r i a l 5.
64 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i V a r , Vol. 2 , pp. 59-70. S u r p r i s i n g -
l y enough, S i r G a r n e t c o u l d s e e no s i g n i f i c a n c e i n t h e f a c t t h a t
h i s f o r c e s had been o p e r a t i n g i n Asante t e r r i t o r y f o r a l m o s t two
weeks w i t h o u t e ~ c o u n t e r i n gany A s a ~ t er e s i s t a n c e . He s i m p l y
c o n t i n u e d t o b e l i e v e t h a t it would c o n c e i v a b l y t a k e t h i s l o n g f o r
Kofi K a r i k a r i t o f i e l d any r e s p e c t a b l y s i z e d f o r c e . !le t h e r e f o r e
c o n t i n u e d i n h i s r e f u s a l t o s e e t h i s as any s i g n o f c o n c i l i a t i c n
and adhered t o h i s b e l i e f t h a t t h e Asantehenets r e q u e s t s f o r a
compromise were b u t a c l e v e r p l o y . See C h a p t e r F i v e below f o r
f u r t h e r co~unent,
65 The t e r r i t o r y s o u t h o f t h e Adansi H i l l s was c o n s i d e r e d
p a r t of t h e Asante Empire b u t it was t e r r i t o r y which had been
s u b j u ~ a t e d . The t e r r i t o r y n o r t h of t h e h i l l s was p a r t o f c e n t r a l
o r ~ ~ e t r o p o l i t aAsanten and a s s u c h had much c l o s e r p o l i . t i c a 1 and
e t h n i c t i e s w i t h Kurnasi and t h e fisantehene. See C a p t a i ~ R . .S.
R a t t r a y , A s h a n t i Law and C o n s t i t u t i o n , London, o x f o r d U n i v e r s i t y
P r e s s , 1 9 F f o r a f u l l d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e
Asante Ernpire. See a l s o , Kwarne A r k i n , T h e S t r u c t u r e of G r e a t e r
A s h a n t i " 3 -J-o
-.-u r n a l of A f r i c a n M i s t o r x , Vol. 8 , No. 1, (1967), pp.
65-86, and above C h a p t e r I , n o t e 11.
 66 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i !Jar, Vol. 2 , p. 71.
67 T h i s I1.Q. was used a s i t s t r o o p s were employed on l i n e
c o m u n i c a t i o n s d u t i e s and it t h e r e f o r e had n o command f u n c t i o n
perform.
68 W o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 321. T h i s was ac-
complished by a combination o f s l i g h t l y b e t t e r f o o d , e t c . , and
by i n c r e a s e d p e n a l t i e s f o r descrt;ion and r e f u s a l t o work.

69 One of t h e General's m a j o r c o n c e r n s was t h e r i s i n g i n -

c i d e n c e o f s i c k n e s s . By t h e 2 5 t h of J a n u a r y , 3 o f f i c e r s and 215
o t h e r - r a n k s had been s e n t down t o t h e Coast. I n f a c t , t h e
s i t u a t i o n was s o s e r i o u s t h a t a n a d d i t i o n a l 200 men from t h e
V u s i l i e r s were l a n d e d and marched t o P r a s u a s r e i n f o r c e m e n t s even
b e f o r e t h e Idrain uody c r o s s e d t h e P r a . See lar ridge, l ! i s t o r y ,
Vol. 2 , pp. 109-110. T h i s concern was w e l l w a r r a n t e d a s ',Jolseley
h i m s e l f was l a r g e l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e f a c t o r s which c a u s e d t h e
d e l a y and s h o u l d he be unable t o a c h i e v e h i s aim, no doubt h i s
n e g l i g e n c e would be r e v e a l e d . His p o s i t i o n on t h i s o c c a s i o n t e n d s
t o make h i s o r d e r s t o G l o v e r a p p e a r unwarranted. B u t , i n a l l fair-
n e s s t o CJolseley, it must be n o t e d t h a t had he a l l o w e d G l o v e r t o
become i n v o l v e d i n t r i b a l wars e a s t o f t h e V o l t a , it i s p o s s i b l e
t h a t G l o v e r would c o n t r i b u t e d n o t h i n g t o t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e carnp-
a i g n . A s rnatt,ers d e v e l o p e d , however, he rnade s e v e r a l v i t a l
contributions t o t h e B r i t i s h success.
70 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i War, Vol. 2 , p , 73.
71 FJolseley, S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 328.
72 C.O. 879/6; G.C. 41; S e r i a l 9 , Wolseley t o Kimberley,
26 J a n u a r y , 1874.
73 The comments i n n o t e s 60 and 62 above a p p e a r t o a l s o
a p p l y i n t h i s i n s t a n c e . I n d e e d , t h e f a c t t h a t K o f i K n r i k a r i had
by t h i s t i m e had t h r e e weeks w i t h i n which t o r a i s e h i s army g i v e s
s u f f i c i e n t cause t o q u e s t i o n S i r G a r n e t ' s m o t i v e s f o r n o t s e e i n g
some o t h e r r e a s o n f o r t h e u n u s u a l l a c k o f Asante r e s i s t a n c e .

75 See C.0. 879/6; Gold Coast 43, C h r o n o l o ~ i c a lTable of

- C o a s t ; p. 8.
& v e n t s a t t h e Gold
 76 It i s o f t e n m i s t a k e n l y b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e Asantchene was
a n a b s o l u t e rnonarch c a p a b l e o f o r d e r i r ? ~h i s s u b j e c t s t o obey h i s
every Gonnand. T h i s was n o t t h e c a s e , however, f o r e v e r y a s p e c t
of Asante l i f e r e l i e d h e a v i l y on t h e r e a c h i n g o f a conser.sus
r e g a r d l e s s o f l e v e l o f s o c i e t y i n v o l v e d . See n o t e 65 above f o r
s o u r c e s on t h i s matter. Ramseyer a n d Kuhne comxent t h a t : " t h e
reins o f t h e Ashantee government a r e n o t e x c l u s i v e l y i n t h e hands
o f t h e k i n g , n o r d o e s he p o s s e s s u n l i m i t e d power, b u t s h a r e s i:
w i t h a c o u n c i l which i n c l u d e s , b e s i d e s h i s m a j e s t y , h i s n o t h e r
and a few n o b l e s o f Kunasi. . ."
t h e t h r e e f i r s t c h i e f s of t h e kingdom ( ~ u a b e n ,B e h r a i and Zampongl,
Y e a r s , appx. 111, "The Government o f Ashanteen.
See Ramseyer and Kuhne, Four -
77 See Drackenbury, A s h a n t i 'Jar, Vol. 2 , Chap, 111.
78 A c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r was a b a t t l e which took p l a c e b e -
tween Uut;lerls f o r c e and a n e l e m e n t of G l o v e r ' s column when e a c h
t o o k t h e o t h c r f o r t h e enemy n e a r t h e town o f Enunsu on t h e 2 6 t h
of J a n u a r y . To d a t e , however, t h e r e i s no e x p l a n a t i o n , o t h e r
t h a n B u t l e r 1 s c h a r g e o f c o w a r d i c e , f o r t h e sudde? p a n i c o f t h e
Akin~son t h e 3 0 t h o f J a n u a r y j u s t b e f o r e t h e y t i e r e t o c a r r y o u t
a flank a t 5 a c k a g a i n s t t h e A s a n t e s t h e n b e i n g engaged by S i r G m n e t
a t Anoafu. See B u t l e r , Akin-P'oo, Chap. 1311, f o r h i s cormer.ts.
S e e a l s o Cmd. 892, Gold C o a s t , F u r t h e r Correspondence R e s p e c t i r . ~ ;
-
t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , K O . 8 ; S e r i a l 1 5 , k l o l s e l e y t o K i n b e r l e y ,
7 February, 1 v C
79 C.0. 879/6; - G.C.-41; S e r i a l 9 , V o l s e l e y t o Kimberley
26 J a n u a r y , 1874; a n d ijrackenbury, A s h a n t i !Jar, Vol. 2 , pp. 94-
105.
80 Ranseycr and Kuhne, Four Y e a r s , pp. 2'73-274; C l a r i d g e ,
Histor , Vol. 2 , p , 1 1 7 ; and Erackenbury, A s h a n t i Yar, Vol. 2,
d
81 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i - 'Jar
9 Vol. 2 , p. 133.
8 2 C.O. 879/6; G.C. 41; S e r i a l 9, V o l s e l e y t o Kimberley,
- -
26 J a n u a r y , 1874; a n d m x e y , S o l d i e r l s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 33b.

85 tk. J o s e p h Dawson, an e d u c a t e d A f r i c a n , had been S e c r e -

t a r y of t h e ? a n t i C o n f e d e r a t i o n and had been s e n t t o Kmasi dur-
i n g t h e n e g o t i a t i o n s p r e c e d i n g t h e war a s an i n t e r p r e t e r . Upon
t h e o u t b r e a k o f war, he had been o b l i g e d t o reiliain i n !;ui;lasi.
See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , p. 248.
 66 V i r t u a l l y e v e r y p r i m a r y s o u r c e makes mention o f t h e f a c t
t h a t Davson i n c l u d e d i n h i s n o t e a r e f e r e n c e t o t h e B i b l e , i . e . ,
"See 2 d o r . ii. 11." That v e r s e is: "Lest S a t a n should g e t a n
a d v a n t a g e o f us: f o r we a r e n o t i g n o r a n t of h i s d e v i c e s b r I
87 U o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. 337; and C.O. 679/6;
) , ,
G
, - .
C lc3 Po 1 0 .
88 Wood's and R u s s e l l ' s r e g i m e n t s , however, had been much
r e d u c e d i n s t r e n g t h , f o r t h e y had been p r o v i d i n g d e t a c h m e n t s t o
g a r r i s o n t h e p o s t s s c a t t e r e d along the road.
89 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i V a r , Vol. 2, p. 158. S e e diagram

Rockets. hit's hms. Rockets.

.".."..........
\\""
-r .....................0
Higl~la~dt~s.
/
.
:
- /
i?
: -c! 02
: .% E
: k"
:cncml. :
. 3 =
-4
: g=;
.
:ZS
2 -

Icocral. -

Rifle

90 Ibid., p. 1 5 ? - 1 ~ 0 .

'
91 R o g e r s , Campaigning, p. 149. Aside from i t s t a c t i c a l
s i g n i f i c a n c e , t h i s b a t t l e i s i m p o r t a n t f o r what it r e v e a l s o f t h e
Wolseley/Kof i K a r i l r a r i c o r r e s p o n d e n c e . Even lirackenbury a d n i t s
t h a t e v i d e n c e was found a f t e r t h e b a t t l e which i n d i c a t e d that ~nuch
of t h e Asante f o r c e had been a t Amoafu f o r a t l e a s t f i v e o r s i x
d a y s . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e s c o u t s had c o n f i r n e d t h e p r e s e n c e of a
l a r g e Asante f o r c e a t Amoafu on t h e 2 6 t h o f J a n u a r y : f i v e d a y s
before t h e battle. It seems r e a s o n a b l e t o assume, t h e r e f o r e ,
t h a t E o f i K a r i k a r i had f o r soiiie t i n e p o s s e s s e d f o r c e s s u f 3 . c i e n t
t o c h a l l e n g e t h e k i t i s h advance. ?'he f a c t t h a t he waited u n t i l
Amoafu t o d o s o i s s i g n i f i c a n t i n t h a t it would a p p e a r t o sub-
s t a n t i a t e h i s p r o t e s t a t i o n s t h a t h e d i d n o t wish t o f i g h t b u t
t h a t he much p r e f e r r e d t o r e a c h a n e g o t i a t e d settlement. See
Ilenty's coniment on p. 38 o f t h i s C h a p t e r ,
92 Brackenbury, A s h a ~ t i!jar, Vol. 2 , ~ p 168-170;
. and
Wolseley, S o l d i e r ' s ~ix
-
Vol. 2 , pp. 341-344.
93 Loc. c i t .
94 One o f t h e s e p a r t i e s a c t u a l l y cane c l o s e t o e i t h e r k i l -
l i n g o r c a p t u r i n g S i r G m n e t h i m s e l f when i t a t t a c k e d t h e v i l l a g e
o f Kwaman, f r o n which he tias d i r e c t i n g t h e b a t t l e .
95 S e e C.O. 879/6; G.G. 4.3, pp. 10-11 f o r a b r i e f resame.
96 Henty, Coornassie, p. 197.
97 Both Brackenbury a n d ':!olseley a t t e m p t t o make t h i s i n -
c i d e n t a p p e a r much l e s s i m p o r t a n t t h a n i t r e a l l y was by s t r e s s i n g
t h e a -p -p a r e n t l y e f f e c t i v e u r i t i s h counte'r-neasures. Elowever. b o t h
Keade, ilshantee C a n ~ a i g n , pp. 247-250; and S t a n l e y , - ~ o o r n a s--
s i eand
blagdzla, pp, 173-175, coriu.ien.t, p o s s i b l y w i t h t h e wisdom o f hind-
s i g h t , on t h e s e r i o u s n e s s of t h e s i t u a t i o n . L l o y d , Drums, Chap.
8, g i v e s a b a l a n c e d c r i t i c a l a c c o u n t of t h e e n t i r e Anoafu a c t i o n .
98 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i ' J a r , Vol. 2, p. 185-166.
,
99 See C l a r i d g e , X i s t o r Vol. 2 , p. 1 2 4 , f o r t h e most
--f
complete d e s c r i p t i o n of c a s u a t i e s . The s i t u a t i o n w i t h t h e B r i t i s h
was c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e d by Erackenbury who w r o t e , "Our l o s e s i n t h i s
a c t i o n (Amoafu) s a d l y d i m i n i s h e d t h e l i t t l e f o r c e a l r e a d y so much
who had o r i g i n a l l y l a n d e d . ..
t h i n n e d by - s i c k n e s s . O f t h e 1 , 5 5 0 European rl ,L. o f f i c e r s and nen
o n l y 1 , 3 7 5 were p r e s e n t a t kmoafu,
n e a r l y 200 h a v i n g t h u s succumbed t o s i c k n e s s , o r z b o u t 12 p e r c e z t ,
i n t h e s p a c e o f one rnonthOtr See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i Var, Vol. 2 ,
p , 184.
100 Brackcnbury, A s h a n t i Yar, Vol. 2 , p. 193.
1 0 1 See Cmd. 8 9 2 , G . G . 8 , f o r comments on t h i s a s p e c t o f t h e
campaign.
102 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i ' J a r , Vol. 2 , p. 200.

1 0 3 A s would be e x p e c t e d , t h i s was n o t t h e o n l y cor,cern

f a c i n g U o l s c l e y t o d e c i d e on s u c h a d e s p e r a t e move. Although h e
f a i l s t o mention it i n h i s memoirs, s i c k n e s s was a major f a c t o r
i n h e l p i n g him t o d e c i d e t o p r e s s on. A t t r i t i o n due t o f e v e r ,
e t c . , had by no means s l a c k e n e d and i f he d i d n o t move q u i c k l y ,
h i s Europezn f o r c e n i g h t e a s i l y hzve m e l t e d away even b e f o r e
r e a c h i n g K u r ~ a s i . See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i Var, Vol. 2 , T a b l e VI,
p. 344. See a l s o t J o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r T s L i f e , Vol. 2 , pp. 338-342,
f o r S i r G a r n e t ' s comments.
104 See Cmd. 892, Brackenbury, A s h a n t i - 9;Jar Vol. 2 , pp,
201-202.
1 0 5 The t e r m r l a p p a r e n t l y f i i s used h e r e b e c a u s e t h e r e i s no
e v i d e n c e t o show t h a t S i r Garnet a p p r e c i a t e d t h e enormity o f h i s
demand. I n d e e d , no Englishman r e a l l y u n d e r s t o o d t h i s m a t t e r until
C a p t a i n R a t t r a y made h i s s t u d y of t h e k s a n t e i n t h e e a r l y 2 0 t h
century.
106 Loc. c i t .
1 0 7 I n d e e d , t h e B r i t i s h a l r e a d y knew, tiirough t h e inforrnatici;
g a i n e d fro12 s p i e s a n d p r i s o n e r s , t h a t a l a r g e f o r c e w a s b e i n g c o l -
l e c t e d t o t h e n o r t h of t h e Oda 9 i v e r , where t h e A s a n t e h e ~ ei n t w d -
ed t o make a f i n a l s t a n d i f h i s n e g o t i a t i o n s f a i l e d . See ?+!olseley,
-
S o l d i e r r s L-
i f e , Vol. 2 , -pp. 345-347. A s n a t t e r s d e v e l o p e d , Kofi
aariTari a c t u a l l y t o o k t o t h e f i e l d and was p r e s e n t w i t h h i s t r o -
o p s d u r i n g t h e b a t t l e which f o l l o w e d t h i s exchange.
106 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i !Jar, Vol. 2 , pp. 206-207.

1 0 9 W o l s e l e y even goes s o f a r a s t o admit t h a t had t h e er,emy

been armed w i t h t h e S n i d e r r i f l e , m a t t e r s might have gene d i f -
f e r e n t l y f o r t h e 1 3 r i t i s h . See V o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Voi. 2 ,
p . 343. Having a l r e a d y c u t h i m s e l f o f f from h i s :win s u p p l y c o l -
umn, t h e G e n e r a l now c o m p l e t e l y i s o l a t e d h i s f o r c e . It i s hard
t o b e l i e v e t h a t h e t o o k s u c h a monumental r i s k a n d managed t o
emerge from i t r e l a t i v e l y u n s c a t h e d . However, h i s s u c c e s s i n
t h i s m a t t e r does not negate t h e f a c t t h a t h i s a c t i o n s a r e nore
t h o s e which one wocld e x p e c t of a n i g n o r a n t , g l o r y - h u n t i n g sub-
a l t e r n r a t h e r t h a n a n e x p e r i e n c e d field-commander o f g e n e r a l r a n k .
1 1 0 Brackenbury, A s h a n t .i-' 'Jar Vol. 2 , p. 212. R e n t i o n h a s
been nmde p r e v i o u s l y o f t h e mls-employinent o f t'Joodls and R u s s e l l ' s
r e g i m e n t s i n t h i s o p e r a t i o n , b u t t h i s i s t h e f i r s t a d m i s s i o n on
t h e p a r t o f a n y contemporary t h a t t h e y were l e s s t h a n s a t i s f a c t o r y .
It would seem t h a t t h i s a l o n e would have j u s t i f i e d t h e r e t e n t i o n
of t h e s e two TTRingern-led u n i t s s o u t h of t h e Yra ar,d t h e employ-
ment o f t h e much n o r e s u i t a b l e t r o o p s of t h e T;iIH i n t h e i r s t e a d .
-.
111 I b i d , p. 215. T h i s h i g h l y d r a m a t i c d e s c r i p t t o n of t h e
b r e a k o u t r e v e a l s t h a t t h e Asante f o r c e between Odasu and I:un;a.si
was n o t v e r y l a r g e f o r t h e Black klatch had l e s s t h a n 400 nen f i t
f o r a c t i o n , I n d e e d , s u b s e q u e n t e v i d e n c e proved t h a t R o f i K a r i k a r i ,
who had been p r e s e n t i n t h e f i e l d , had hinlself f l e d t h e s c e n e a t
a b o u t t h e t i m e of t h e charge by t h e Highl-anders. There i s t h e r e -
f o r e r e a s o n t o s u s p e c t t h a t t h e Asantehene had a l r e a d y d e c i d e d t o
g i v e up I<unasi and nove t o - t h e n o r t h w e s t even b e f o r e t h e j l r i t i s h
breakout.
 112 , ,I b i d 9 p. 216. T h i s s u c c e s s was no doubt l a r g e l y due
,
t o t h e f a c t t h a t t h e B r i t i s h move came a s a complete s u r p r i s e .
The Asante had W o l s e l e y t s t i n y f o r c e s u r r o m d e d and outnumbered.
In t h e s e c i r c u r n s t a ~ c e s , i t i s r e a s o n a b l e t o assume t h a t t h e l a s t
t h i n g t h e y would e x p e c t would be a n a t t a c k by t h e s u r r o u n d e d
f o r c e . The combination o f H a i t ' s a r t i l l e r y f i r e and t h e h i g h l y
a g g r e s s i v e i n f a n t r y a p p e a r s t o have thrown t h e Asante t r o o p s
between Odasu a n d Eurnasi i n t o c o n f u s i o n .
113 -Loc.
- cit.
114 T h i s was a c t u a l l y a baggage d e t a i l composed o f 50 s i c k
and wounded Europeans and t h e b u l k o f I i u s s e l l l s r e g i m e n t .

115 See C.O.d79/6; -

G . C-
. 43; pp. 12-14 f o r a g e n e r a l resume.
116 C.0. 8 7 9 / 6 ; G.C. 41; S e r i a l 11, l j o l s e l e y t o Kimberley,
5 F e b r u a r y , 1874. ~ e e m l o y d D, r u m s , Chap. 1 0 f o r an e x c e l -
l e n t c r i t i c a l a c c o u n t of t h i s b a t t l e .
11.7 One o f t h e u n e x p l a i n e d m y s t e r i e s o f t h i s war i s t h e
r o l e p l a y e d by Davrson. There i s no e x p l a n a t i o n f o r t h e f a c t t h a t
h e warned S i r G a r n e t o f t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s supposed p e r f i d i t y on
t h e one hand and t h e n r e f u s e d t o c o - o p c r a t e once i h n a s i was t a k e n
and he was no l o n g e r under t h r e a t o f d e a t h .
118 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , p. 126. Wolseley h i m s e l f
n e v e r e x p l a i n s t h i s sudden change of mind w i t h r e g a r d t o t h e
h o s t a g e s . Alan Lloyd s u g g e s t s t h a t h e r e a l i z 2 d , a f t e r h i s a r -
r i v a l i n Kurilasi, t h a t h i s whole o p e r a t i o n was i n jeopardy a n d t h e
r e q u i r e m e n t f o r -h o s t a g e s was t h u s reduced. See L l o y d , -- D r u a -s 3
pp. 170-171,

119 Brackenbury c o n t e n d s t h a t t h e r o b b i n g and b u . r n i n ~of

t h e h o u s e s were due t o t h e F a n t i p r i s o n e r s whom t h e S r i t i s h had
r e l e a s e d t flat same a f t e r n o o n . IIe e s t i m a t e s t h a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y
o n e - f o u r t h of t h e d w e l l i n g s i n t h e town were d e s t r o y e d . See
Brackenbury, A s h n n t i 'Jar, Vol. 2 , p . 231.
120 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vole 2 , p. 127.
1 2 1 T h i s s h o r t c o n i n g was r e c t i f i e d i n t h e morning when a
g u a r d of 1 0 0 men from t h e R i f l e B r i g a d e was d e t a i l e d t o g u a r d t h e
p a l a c e a n d s t o p t h e f l o w of t r e a s u r e i n t o t h e bush.
122 Brackenbury, -
A s h a n t i Ylar, Vol. 2 , p. 237.
 1 2 3 A t t h i s t i m e , t h e r e was some p r e s s u r e p u t upon l'lolseley
t o march on B a n t a n a , t h e s i t e o f t h e Asante r o y a l b u r i a l &round,
and dest.roy i t f o r t h e p s y c l ~ o 1 o ~ ; i c ae lf f e c t s u c h a move wculd
have. Therp2 was a l s o a s t r o n g t e m p t a t i o n t o s t a y one d a y l o n g e r
i n t h e hope t h a t t h e Asantehene would a p p e a r and s i z n a t r e a t y
-
b e f o r e t h e t r o o p s withdrew. See a r a c k e n b u r y , A s h a n t i V a r , Vol. 2,
pp. 236-239.
1 2 4 On t h i s m a t t e r , Hraclcenbury comnents t h a t i t was o u t
of t h e q u e s t i o n t o u n d e r t a k e any o p e r a t i o n which might i n v o l v e
a n o t h e r b a t t l e . He s t a t e s t h a t any i n c r e a s e i n t h e number o f s i c k
and wounded wl:ld have p l a c e d i t beyond t h e power o f t h e f o r c e t o
remove them f r o x Kurfiasi a s t h e r e were s i m p l y n o t enough h a m o c k s
o r b e a r e r s t o c a r r y them.
1 2 5 T h i s l o o t was s o l d a t a u c t i o n when it a r r i v e d a t Cape
Coast and t h e 2 5 , 0 0 0 r e a l i z e d was a p p o r t i o n e d t o t h e t r o o p s G S
p r i z e money. See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol, 2 , p , 144.
126 U.0, 879/6; G ; C . 41; V o l s e l e y t o Kiaiberley, 8 F e b r u a r y ,
1874. F u r t h e r details- found i n m d . 892, G.G. $; S e r i a l
14, V o l s e l e y t 9 Kimberley, 7 F e b r u a r y , 1874.
1 2 7 These u n i t s were r e t a i n e d f o r a s h o r t t i n e o n l y . B e f o r e
t h e end o f Flnrch, Wood's Regiment had beer! d i s b a n d e d a t El:nina,
R u s s e l l l s Regiment and R a i t t s A r t i l l e r y had been d i s b a n d e d a t
Cape Coast ar?d 21CIR had r e t u r n e d t o t h e Y e s t I n d i e s . Cnly l'i?IR
remained i n t h e ' P r o t e c t o r a t e 1 .
1 2 8 The s t e a d i l y i n c r e a s i n g i n c i d e n c e o f s i c k n e s s a l s o
prompted t h i s a c c e l e r a t i o n i n t h e w i t h d r a w a l of t h e Suropean t r o -
o p s . The P!aval B r i g a d e and t h e F u s i l i e r s were embarked on t h e
2 0 t h , t h e R i f l e 3 r i g a d e a n d t h e Royal E n g i n e e r s on t h e 2 3 r d , t h e
s e r i o u s l y ill on t h e 2 6 t h , and t h e b l a c k \latch on t h e 27th.
1 2 9 B r i e i s h F a r l i a m e n t a r y P a p e r s ; 1874; Vol. XLVI; S e r i a l
17, U o l s e l e y t o Kimberley, 9 P'ebruary, 1874. It h a s been s u g g e s t -
ed by s e v e r a l o b s e r v e r s t h a t t h e Asantehene had h e l d back from
n e g o t i a t i n g w i t h S i r G a r n e t i n Kunasi because he f e a r e d f o r h i s
l i f e and b e c a u s e h i s f o l l o w e r s were once more g a t h e r i n g around
him. See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , p . 1 3 4 , f o r one example. It
i s also s u g g e s t e d t h a t it was t h e t h r e a t posed by Glover which
prompted him t o a c t when he d i d . S e e , Lloyd, D r u m , pp. 178-179.
C e r t a i n l y t h e r e q u e s t Gloves be h a l t e d s u p p o r t s t h i s view.

1 3 0 G l o v e r had l e f t Abogu on t h e 2 6 t h o f J a n u a r y a n d oc-

c u p i e d 1ionot.lo where he rernained e n c m p e d a w a i t i n g t h e a r r i v a l o f
f u r t h e r s u p p l i e s of ammunition and s e n d i n g o u t f r e q u e n t r e c o n -
n a i s s a n c e s i n e v e r y d i r e c t i o r . . On t h e 1st o f F e b r u a r y , he con-
f i r m e d M s s u s p i c i o n t h a t t h e J a b i n s were encamped a l o n g t h e Enuv
R i v e r and t h a t t h e y i n t e n d e d t o oppose any f u r t h e r advance on h i s
part;. However, by t h e 8 t h , he had r e c e i v e d f r e s h s u p p l i e s o f am-
m u n i t i o n . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e end o f t h e A f r i c a n s T t r a n s - T o l t a ex-
p e d i t i o n which had c o s t him most of h i s ~ f r i c a nl e v i e s , combined
with t h e e f f e c t h i s success t o d a t e r e s u l t e d i n t h e a r r i v a i of a
reinforcenlerlt of a b o u t 4,000 kkirns, Akwapims and Krobos .
t h e n advanced t o a t t a c k t h e J a b i n p o s i t i o n , which he f o u n d aban-
iIe
doned. T h i s was, of c o w s e , due Lo t h e f a l l of iiuclasi, o f which
Glover as y e t knew n o t h i n g . Glover c o n t i n u e d h i s advavce avd,
on t h e l o t h , b e l i e v i n g h e was t h e n w i t h i n a b o u t seven rriiles o f
Kwnasi and u n d e r t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t :-iolseley was s t i l l i n t h e
Asante c a p i t a l , he s e n t h i s a s s i s t a n t , C a p t a i n S a r t o r i u s t o open
communication w i t h t h e G e n e r a l . I n f a c t , however, t h e d i s t a n c e
was c l o s e r t o e i f ; h t e e n m i l e s and t h e eneny was s t i l l a b o u t i n
c o n s i d e r a b l e s t r e n g t h and S a r t o r i u s was u n a b l e t o c o n t a c t 'Iiolsel-
e y u n t i l the 1 2 t h when he f i n a l l y caught up w i t n t h e G e n e r a l i n
h i s camp i n Fomana, C a p t a i n Glover f o l l o w e d S a r t o r i u s , e n t e r i n g
Kumasi w i t h 4 , 7 0 0 men soon a f t e r midday o f t h e 1 2 t h , a ~ tdh e n
marching by e a s y s t a g e s t o Kwarnan, which he r e a c h e d on t h e 1 4 t h .
See Brackenbury, A s h a n t i 7:!ar, Vol. 2 , pp. 262-265; and Czd. 892,
G.C. 8 ; S e r i a l 46, E n c l o s u r e 1, G l o v e r t o U o l s e l e y , 20 F e b r u a r y ,
W r
131 C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , V o l e 2 , p. 148.
1 3 2 I b i d . , pp. 274-275. See a l s o , Cmd. 892, G.C. o"; S e r i a l
25, SJolseley t o Kimberley, 16 F e b r u a r y , 1874.
133 S e e C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , pp. 154-156, f c r a b r i e f
r e v i e w of t h i s m a t t e r ; and Cmd. 892, G.C. 8 ; S e r i a l 35, Y o l s e l e y
t o Kimberley, 13 F e b r u a r y , 1874.
134 Brackenbury, A s h a n t i ?Tar, Vol. 2 , pp. 275-276.
135 T h i s memorandum i s r e p r i n t e d i n i t s e n t i r e t y i n racke en-
b u r y , A s h a n t -9i h'ar Vol. 2 , pp. 275-280.
136 C l a r i d g a , ! I i s t o r y , Vol. 2 , pp. 158-100; and C.O. 679/6,
_G.C. 42, p. 16.
- War, P a r t i x , pp. ?-9.
137 Ccld. 892 (1873-1674) The Ashantee
138 ,
I b i d-
9 p. 11.
 1 T h i s a p p l i e s t o a l l of t h e s e c o n d x y s o u r c e s l i s t e d i n
t h e b i b l i o g r a p h y f o r t h i s s t u d y , w i t h t h e s i n g l e e x c e p t i o n of
Alan L l o y d t s Dru-rns o f Iiumasi, -
"
I n t h e c a s e o f t h e contemporary
works, o n l y \!inwood Eeade, S t o r y o f t h e Ashantee C'anpai,qn; and
H.N. S t a n l e y , Cooinassie and Kagdala, o f f e r any s e r i o u s c r i t i c i s z .
2 E l l i s contends t h a t although t h e s h o r t a g e of food, t h e
i n c i d e n c e of d i s e a s e , and t h e u n u s u a l l y heavy r a i n s were a l l maior
r e a s o n s b e h i n d Xrnankwa T i a t s f a i l u r e t o f o l l o w up t h e d i s i n t e g r a t -
i n g a l l i e d arr~ty, t h e s t u b b o r n r e s i s t a r i c e o f the a l l i e s a t Dunkwa
was a n e q u a l l y i m p o r t a n t r e a s o n f o r h i s d e c i s i o r , .
3 C.O. 87915; G.C. 36; S e r i a l 440, Kiinborley t o i i a r l e y ,
1 7 November, 1873,
4 A l e t t e r a d d r e s s e d t o C o l o n e l H a r l e y from Q u a s s i Adoo,
t h e Kin[; of P h n k e s s i n , on t h e v e r y e v e o f t h e i n v a s i o n c l e a r l y
i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e A f r i c c m s were l o o k i n g t o t h e a r i t i s h f o r f i l m
l e a d e r s h i p as w e l l as l o g i s t i c s u p p o r t . I n h i s l e t t e r , I k i g
Q u a s s i , who had been e l e c t e d head o f t h e a b o r t i v e E'anti Ccnfeder-
ation, said:
I f I now a d d r e s s y o u r E x c e l l e n c y a s t h e
head o f t h e F a n t i C o n f e d e r a t i o n , f o r t h e p u r s o s e
o f l e a r n i n g from you what a n o u n t and t h e n a t u r e
o f t h e a s s i s t a n c e y o u r Government w i l l r e n d e r t o
t h e country i n t h e present s t a t e of a f f a i r s .
Since t h e F a n t i Confederation has n o t y e t
r e c e i v e d t h e s u p p o r t o f H..'". Government, b u t h a s
been l e f t t o s h i f t f o r i t s e l f a s b e s t i t c a n ; and
t h e powers inherent; i n a l l Governments have been,
i n t h e c a s e of t h e C o n f e d e r a t i o n , d e p r i v e d o f
t h e i r l e g i t i m a t e e x e r c i s e and f u n c t i o n s by t h e
a c t i o n o f H.FI. o f f i c i a l s h e r e , and by t h e n e g l e c t
and d i s c o u r a g e m e n t of H.X. Government; I am t h u s
c o n s t r a i n e d t o a p p e a l t o you, a s we i n f e r from
t h e s e f a c t s t h a t F!.I4. Government i s p r e p a r e d t o
a c c e p t , and h a s a c c e p t e d , a n d w i l l a c c e p t i n t h e
t a c h t o it a s ' t h e p r o t e c t i n g power!. ..
p r e s e n t emergency, t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s t h a t a t -
( I an
t h e r e f o r e w r i t i n g ) f o r t h e purpose o f e n q u i r i n g
i n t o t h e s t e p s t h a t a r e t o b e t a k e n , and w i l l be
taken, t o r i d our s o i l of t h e invader."
See C.O. 879/4; PC. 2 9 ; S e r i a l 183, Sub-Enclosure 3 , Q u a s s i Adoo
t o H a r l e y , 1 F e b r u a r y , 1673.
 5 C l a r i d z e s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e G e n e r a l , wishink; t o make t h e
p e o p l e d c t h e i . r u t m o s t , had c a r e f u l l y a v o i d e d nalting any a l l u s i o n
t o t h e p o s s i b l e employment o f European t r o o p s . Sec C l a r i d g e ,
H i s t o r y , Vol. 2, p. 52. Y e i t h e r Brackenbury n o r J J o i s e l e y o p e n l y
make t6is c l a h b u t t h e y h i n t a t it.
6 The Europcan argument t h a t t h e F a n t i f a i l u r e t o s o u n d l y
d e f e a t t h e A s s n t e on t h i s o c c a s i o n would j u s t r e s u l t i n a n o t h e r
i n v a s i o n a t some f u t u r e d a t e had no e f f e c t on t h e F a n t i who view-
ed Asante i n v a s i o n s a s an i n e v i t a b l e f a c t of l i f e and who were
s i m p l y g l a d t o be f i n a l l y q u i t of them t h i s t i n e ,
7 The most o u t s t a n d i n g example o f t h i s was S i r G a r n e t ' s
a t t e m p t t o s e n d t h e newly r a i s e d F a n t i l e v i e s i n t o t h e bush a f t e r
t h e r e t r e a t i n g Asante immediately a f t e r t h e b a t t l e o f Abrakraclpa.
On that o c c a s i o n , t h e B r i t i s h o b s e r v e r s made no comment on t h e
lack of t r a i n i n g a n d e x p e r i e n c e on t h e p a r t of t h e F a n t i . I n s t e a d ,
th y w r o t e p a r a g r a p h s on t h e i r a t t e m p t s t o f o r c e t h e A f r i c a n s
a f t e r t h e Asarlte by b e a t i n g them i i t h t h e i r u m b r e l l a s .
8 A l l of t h e s e g r i e v a n c e s came o u t when C o l o n e l C o l l e y had
h i s meeting w i t h t h e c h i e f s i n T,?ovember, 1873, and t h e y were f u l -
l y r e p o r t e d i n h i s memorandum on t h e subject;, However, Bracken-
b u r y p r i n t e d o n l y t h a t p a s t of t h e memorandum which d e a l t w i t h
t h e method o f r e - o r g a n i z a t i o n . The e n t i r e r e p o r t i s a v a i l a b l e
i n C.O. 8791.
9 These p h r a s e s have been t a k e n from S t a n l e y , C o o n a s s i e ,
p. 1 3 2 , It w a s he who s u g g e s t e d t h e more e x t e n s i v e u s e o f t h e
whip a n d l e g - i r o n t o s o l v e t h e c a r r i e r problem.
10 Wolseley v e r y c a r e f u l l y a v o i d e d making any o p e n l y hos-
t i l e comnents about; G l o v e r ' s e x p e d i t i o n b u t he managed t o convey
h i s o p i n i o n by cocu:!ents t o t h e e f f e c t t h a t he s u s p e c t e d t h e
e x p l o r e r - c a p t a i n t s " c h i e f a s p i r a t i o n was t o open o u t a new, a n
e a s y r o u t e f o r t r a d e i n t o t h e i n t e r i o r o f A f r i c a by t h e h i t h e r t o
u n e x p l o r e d V o l t a V a l l e y v . See ? o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 ,
p , 268. W i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n o f S t a n l e y ' s coinnients, a l l o f t h e
o t h e r contemporary r e p o r t e r s r e f l e c t e d t h i s b i a s ,
11 Althouglz G l o v e r had l a r g e q u a n t i t i e s o f c a s h a n d equip-
ment w i t h which t o r a i s e and o u t f i t h i s e x p e d i t i o n , he had o n l y
t e n B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s and t h e b e s t s o r t of A f r i c a n army he c o u l d
scratch together t o achieve h i s nission.
1 2 Zven had t h e y s t i l l been f o r c e d t o q u i t Amoafu, t h e s e
e x t r a men would have made i t p o s s i b l e f o r t h e Asante t o more ef-
f e c t i v e l y d i s r u p t t h e B r i t i s h l i n e s of c o n ~ u n i c a t i o nand might
p o s s i b l y have h a l t e d S i r G a r n e t ' s advance a t t h a t t i m e .
 13 L l o y d , The Drtms of Kurnasi, pp, 178-179.
14 L l o y d , Drums, pp. 178-179.
15 I n v i r t u a l l y e v e r y s o u r c e , Glover i s made t o a p p e a r t o
have a r r i v e d on t h e s c e n e a f l ; e r it was a l l o v e r a n d h i s o p e r a t i o n
i s t h e r e b y s e v e r e l y reduced i n i m p o r t a n c e , T h i s e n t i r e p r o c e s s
o f r e l e g a t i n g Glover t o a p o s i t i o n o f unimportance i s t a k e n t o
s u c h a n e x t e n t by a number o f t h e contemporary w r i t e r s t h a t e-$en
h i s s u c c e s s i n d i v e r t i n g t h e J a b i n c o n t i n g e n t frorn t h e A s a n t e h e n e t s
army i s made t o l o o k of somewhat l e s s i m p o r t a n c e t h a n t h e f u t i l e
e f f o r t s of C a p t a i n B u t l e r .
16 The o n l y e x c e p t i o n s t o t h i s r u l e were Vinwood 3 e a d e a n d
H.Li, S t a n l e y b u t even t h e i r c r i t i c i s m were s u p e r f i c i a l ar?d a t
t i m e s were t i n g e d w i t h m a l i c e .
17 M o l s e l e y , S o l d i e r ' s L i f-
e , Vol. 2 , p , 216.
18 C.O. 8 7 9 / 5 ; G.C. 3 5 ; passim. O f f e r s of s e r v i c e came
from P r i n c e Ansah, t h e Asante p r i n c e who had l i v e d on t h e Coast
f o r a number o f y e a r s b u t who was a t t h i s t i m e i n London; :*:ajar
Levenson, a n e x p e r i e n c e d o f f i c e r w i t h t h e Jlausns, :Ire E . Wilson,
a v o l u n t e e r from t h e Cape o f Good Rope who had y e a r s o f A f r i c a n
e x p e r i e n c e ; t h e A f r i c a n B a r t e r Co., which had a nurilber o f expe-
r i e n c e d men a v a i l a b l e f o r employment w i t h t h e f o r c e ; Lt. Col.
De Ruvignes, who had once been c i v i l commandant on t h e Gold C o a s t ;
and many o t h e r s , They were a l l p o l i t e l y t u r n e d down o r had t h e i r
s u g g e s t i o n s and o f f e r s f u n n e l l e d i n t o t h e Var O f f i c e machinery
where t h e y s l o w l y s a n k o u t o f s i g h t ,

19 c.0. 879/5; G.G. 36; S e r i a l 440, E n c l o s u r e 1, Marley t o

Kimberley, ( u n d a t e d ) ,
20 See ~ h a p t e r111, p. 1 3 6 above.
2 1 I n a l l f a i r n e s s t o t h e G e n e r a l , it must h e r e be n o t e d
t h a t he was s u f f e r i n g from a s e v e r e b o u t o f f e v e r j u s t a t t h i s
t i m e , However, t h i s d o e s n o t excuse him from n o t h a v i n g m d e
some p r e l i m i n a r y p l a n s f o r j u s t such a n e v c ~ t u a l l i t ya s he now
faced. either d o e s it e x c u s e h i s s t a f f , t h e members o f which
s h o u l d have been a b l e t o c a r r y on d u r i n g h i s i l l n e s s ,
22 A t t h i s t i m e he had some 200 members o f t h e n a v a l S r i -
g a d e , a p p r o x i n i a t e l y 600 men o f 2YIIR, as w e l l a s t h e men o f Rait's
a r t i l l e r y , and Gordon's EIausas from whon he could have chosen
s e v e r a l s t r i k e - f o r c e s o f between 1 0 0 a n d 150 men each. lie c o u l d
t h e n have i r , c r e a s e d t h e s i z e o f t h e s e f o r c e s by a n i n t e l l i g e n t
and e f f e c t i v e a s s i g n m e n t of men from t h e F a n t i l e v i e s cutd Xood's
and Hussel1.t s r e g i m e n t s . T h i s would s t i l l have l e f t s u f f i c i e n t
troops f o r t h e necessary garrison detachnents.
 23 See C h a p t e r 111, pp. 130-131 above.
24 Brackenbury h i m s e l f a d m i t s t h i s when he w r i t e s t h a t even
b e f o r e l e a v i n g England, S i r Garnet had e s t i m a t e d t h a t , s h o u l d he
r e q u e s t t h e t r o o p s by t h e 1 6 t h o f O c t o b e r , %he 1 0 t h of Cecember
would be t h e e a r l i e s t d a t e a t which t h e t r o o p s c o u l d be e x p e c t e d
a t t h e Gold C o a s t v . See Brackenbury, A s h n n t i C a r , Vol. 1, p. 125.
As m a t t e r s d e v e l o p e d , t h e r e q u e s t f o r t h e European c r o o p s l e f t
t h e Gold Coast on t h e 1 4 t h of October and t h e f i r s t t r o o p s ar-
r i v e d on t h e 9 t h of December.

25 T h i s o b s e r v a t i o n was made by Plajor Hone i n a r e p c r t d a t -

ed t h e 3 r d of :~iovember, 1873. C i t e d i n Uooks, Docurnens, p. 168.
26 See above, C h a p t e r I V , n o t e 18.

27 T h i s mixing o f t h e v a r i o u s g r o u p s o f c a r r i e r s i n t o d i f -
f e r e n t ; p a r t i e s had been one o f t h e rm j o r c o m p l a i n t s made by t h e
c h i e f s t o Colley.
28 See C l a r i d g e , H i s t o r ,
Vol. 2 , pp. 103-113, f o r a d e s c r i p -
t i o n of t h e v a r i o u s metr-
lods used t o r a i s e c a r r i e r s .
29 S i r Garnet m a i n t a i n e d t h a t he t o o k t h i s s t e p i n a n e f f o r t
t o convince Kofi K a r i k a r i of t h e s e r i o u s n a t u r e o f t h e b r i t i s h
p r e p a r a t i o n s . It i s , however, d i f f i c u l t t o s e e how any i n t e l -
l i g e n t commander would s o c o m p l e t e l y f o r e g o t h e b e n e f i t s t o be
g a i n e d by s u r p r i s e .

3 0 Such a need had been a n t i c i p a t e d a n d a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r t h c

l a n d i n g of' s a i l o r s a n d m a r i n e s t o h e l p g a r r i s o n t h e f o r t s had
been made w i t h C a p t a i n F r e n a n t l e . See C.O. 679/5; G . C . 3 6 ; S e r i a l
102. H e w i t t t o A d m i r a l t y , December 22, 1g73.
31 S i r Garnet h e l d a s t r o n g p r e j u d i c e a g a i n s t any v c o l o n i o l f f
t r o o p s but he was p a r t i c u l a r l y outspoken i n h i s n e g a t i v e conlnents
a b o u t t h e V e s t I n d i a n s . He a p p e a r e d t o l o o k upon t h e Yiest I n d i a n
u n i t s as n o t h i n g more t h a n a haven f o r incompetent E n g l i s h o f -
f i c e r s a n d he gave them l i t t l e chance t o p r o v e o t h e r w i s e . See
-
Wolsel.ey, S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , passim.

32 'l'here were s t i l l some 1 , 5 0 0 F a n t i t r i b e s m e n under arms

even a f t e r t h e mass di.sarclings were c a r r i e d o u t t o h e l p s o l v e t h e
c a r r i e r problem.

.
33 By t h i s t i m e , 2tIIR was o p e r a t i n g a t j u s t s l i g h t l y more
t h a n h a l f - s t r e n g t h ( a p p r o x i m a t e l y 300 a l l - r a n k s )
31, k l o l s e l e y , -
S o l d i e r ' s L i f e , Vol. 2 , p. ll+tf.
 35 C.0. 879/6; G.C. 39; S e r i a l 1 5 9 , E n c l o s u r e 2 , C o l l e y
t o W o l s e l e y , J a n u a r y -4.
36 By t h e 2 5 t h of J a n u a r y , even b e f o r e t h e y e n t e r e d t h e i r
f i r s t b a t t l e , 218 o f t h e 1,800 European t r o o p s on s h o r e , had be-
come i n e f f e c k i v e from s i c k n e s s . See Brackenbury, k s h a n t i I l a r ,
Vol. 2, pp. 139-140.
37 See Annex ttCv a t t a c h e d .

38 K i m b e r l e y l s comnents i n t h i s r e s p e c t a r e most i n t e r e s t -
ing i n t h e l i g h t o f what a c t u a l l y happened. See Annex " C V attach-
ed.
39 k c . c i t .
40 Any i n i t i a l o f f e r t o n e g o t i a t e s h o u l d be t r e a t e d ~ 4 t h
a h e a l t h y s u s p i c i o n , r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e c i r c u n s t n n c e s 2nd t h e
Asante r e c o r d i n t h i s r e s p e c t c e r t a i n l y d i d not; make them e x c e p t -
ions t o t h e r u l e .
41 See C h a p t e r I V , n o t e . 56.
42 Brackenbury, -
A s h a n t i Biar , Vol . 2 , pp, 81-82.
43 T h i s was t h e f i r s t t i m e t h a t t h e B r i t i s h had r e f u s e d t o
c o n f i n e t h e i r m i l i t a r y a c t i v i t i e s t o t h e ' F r o t e c L o r a t e l , an6 it
i s p r o b a b l e t h a t K o f i K a r i k a r i was h a v i n g d i f f i c u l t y u n d e r s t a ~ d -
i n g t h a t Wolseley was a c t ; u a l l y deterrained t o move on Kunasi un-
l e s s h i s t e r m s were met.
44 The G e n e r a l f e l t t h a t h i s f o r c e was s o small t h a t he
c o u l d n o t a f f o r d t o l e a v e any d e t a c h m e n t s behind t o p a r d t h e
camp s o u t h of t h e Oda R i v e r and keep open h i s l i n e o f r e t r e a t
over t h e river.
45 C.0. 87916; - G . C .-41; S e r i a l 18, Wolseley t o K i n b e r l e y ,
16 F e b r u a r y , 1874.
46 E s t i m a t e s v a r y b u t t h e most common f i g u r e i s 2150,000.
S e e , Cmd. 892, p. 946.
47 S e e t a b l e s D: and III below and Brackenbury, As!?antj. Vzr,
Vol. 2 , pp. 340-344 f o r a f u l l m e d i c a l r e p o r t .
 -
1 ......
I I Per crut
Per cent :
of' l'otnl
i1nrtnii:y. '

1- _-
. _ _.. _
i
2nd Rt'gt., . ... ...
)?#IT:t>gt., . .Dl ...
15tlt. I:rix;t~it.,' .31 .1;1
1 s t \Iw.I. I<. , .31; ...
(l{i,icli 0 1 1 1 ~ ) . I

211 I\.. 1-ii. 1 -

i .-35
( I L l k only),
Xiivttl 1~ ~ ~ i < ~ i , l ....
~. 1.20
1 1 . ... ...
. I:ll.sL!ll's 1:*y:., ... I ...
i triIl:r,' ... ...
I .... ( 5 , . . . ; 1.13
: 1:. A. . .
1 ... I 1.43
- . ~
--- -.- .- - - - - -- . . .

'
I
Off. >I?".' Otf. ' JIcn. Off.
1- I I

Special Scwic~,
Royal Artillery, I , P;~
Xoy a1 lhginccrs,
23tl Ikgt., .
" .
3:iflv I k i p l c , .
1st \V. I. E. I ,:
1
i d I\.. I. C. { f;,
A. 3r. I)., . .
Ihit's Artillery,
IYood's Eest., .
J ~ ~ ~ s s e ll:vgt,,
l's
l':twI l;ci;mlv,
 48 C.C. . 8 7 9 / 6 ; G.C. 41; -
Ibid.

pp. 279-283.
--
49 F o r a b r i e f resume o f t h i s p e r i o d s e e Karci, Gold C o a s t ,
F o r a more d e t a i l e d a c c o u n t , See C l a r i d g e , I l i s t o r ~ ,
Vol. 2, Chaps. X t o XX.
 PUBLIC DOCUPGNTS
I

.
1 Parliamentary Papers
1816 - Vol. N - Report of Committee on t h e s t a t e o f t h e
S e t t l e m e n t s and F o r t s on t h e Coast o f A f r i c a . Part-
I - NO. 470.

1816 - Vol. V I I - Report of Committee on t h e s t a t e o f t h e

S e t t l e m e n t s and F o r t s on t h e Goast of A f r i c a .
-
11 NO. 507.
Part -
1817 - Vol. V I - Report of Go~nmitteeon t h e s t a t e o f t h e
S e t t l e m e n t s and F o r t s on t h e Coast o f A f r i c a Part-
-
111 NO. 431.
1842 - Vol. X I - X I 1 - Report of C o r n i t t e e on t h e s t a t e of
B r i t i s h P o s s e s s i o n s on t h e West Coast of A f r i c a bour-
ing Native t r i b e s . - No. 551.
1852-53 -Vol. LXV -
Despatches from Hajor H i l l , t h e
Governor o f Gold a o a s t , r e l a t i n g t o the Warfare be-
tween t h e F a n t e e s and t h e Ashantees, and t h e p a r t
t a k e n by t h e B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s i n t h e t r i a l s and cxecu-
t i o n s of some of t h e n a t i v e c h i e f s . - No. 703.
1854-55 - Vol. XXXVI - F u r t h e r p a p e r s i n 1852.53, Vol. LXV,
No. 703 - 456.
NO.

- vol.. XXXBII - E x t r a c t s o f Acts of P a r l i a m e n t , Orders

i n Council, C h a r t e r s , Local Ordinances, e t c . , d e f i ~ i n g
t h e ~ i v i and l J u d i c i a l Gonstitutions of the B r i t i s h
S e t t l e m e n t s on t h e West Goast of A f r i c a , -
KO. 383.
-Coast
Vol. XLI - Despatches from t h e Governor of t h e Gold
e x p l a i n i n g t h e cause o f t h e war with t h e King
of Ashantee: d e s p a t c h e s t o t h e G o v e r ~ o rd i r e c t i n g him
t o p r o s e c u t e t h e war:- r e t u r n s o f t h e expenses i n c u r -
red, etc. - b!o. 385.
- -
Vol. Z I Number of O f f i c e r s and men i n t h e Cape
Coast cormand; nurnber dead and i n v a l i d e d , e t c . No. -
393
- Vol. XLI -
F u r t h e r p a p e r s r e l a t i n t o m i l i t a r y oper-
a t i o n s on t h e Gold Coast. - 5
Cmd. 33 4.
 - 322 -
1. Parliamentary Papers cont'd
-Coast.
Vol. XLI - P l a n o f i x i l i t a r y O p e r a t i o n s on t h e Gold
- Cmd. 336b-11.
- Vol. I'iXXVII - D a t e s of Correspondence w i t h r e s p e c t
t o t h e A s h a n t i War, - No, 70.
- Vol. X X X V I I - Correspon,dence r e l a t i n g t o t h e d e t a i l
o f t r o o p s from t h e Gold Coast i n 1863 and 1664 i n c l u d -
i n g r e q u i s i t i o n s f o r t r a n s p o r t t o Admiralty e t c . -
No. 71.
- Vol. XXXVII -c o l o n e l Ordt s R e p o r t on t h e c o n d i t i o n
of t h e S e t t l e m e n t s on t h e West C o a s t o f A f r i c a . - No.
170.
- Vol. I - R e p o r t o f Committee on t h e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e
S e t t l e m e n t s on t h e West Coast o f A f r i c a , -
Cmd. 412.
-King
Vol. L X X I V - Convention between Her b i a j e s t y and the
of t h e Netherlands, f o r an interchange of t e r -
r i t o r y on t h e Gold Coast o f A f r i c a ; s i g n e d a t London,
5 t h March, 1867. -
Cmd. 3300.

- Vol. X L V I
Invasior. --
Correspondence R e s p e c t i n g t h e A s h a n t i e
Cmd. 892.

2 Colonial Office confidential P r i n t

C.00 -
879/1 KO. x x i v -
A p r i l - O c t o b e r , 1857
Sir B. P i n e t s views i n r e g a r d t o t h e f u t u r e government
of Her I:Iajestyt s s e t t l e m e n t s on t h e west c o a s t o f
Africa.
C.O. 87912 -
Gold Coast rye. 6 -
20 J a n u a r y , 1866.
Memorandum by hir. Y l l i o t t a n d Xa.ior B l a c k a l l on r e -
modelling of-Vest African Eovernients.
c.0. d79/2
1865.
-
-
Gold c o a s t N O . 7 - -
16 J u l y , 1864 1 0 F e b r u a r y ,
~ i n a n c e sof S e t t l e m e n t s ; D e s p a t c h e s a n d r e p o r t s .
G.0. 879/2 -
Gold Coast No. 8 -
J u n s , 1864
Use of S e t t l e a e n t s ; Xemorandum by T.F. E l l i o t t .
c.0. 879/2 - Gold Coast Yo. 18 -
O c t o b e r , 1867
P r o t e c t o r a t e ; A b s t r a c t of c o r r e s p o n d e n c e ,
2. Colonial O f f i c e Confidential P r i n t cont td
C.O. 879/2 --
Gold Coast l o . 1 9 - 6 Nay, 1867 - 3 August,
1869.
P r o t e c t o r a t e ; Correspondence.
C.O. 87913 - Gold Coast No. 25 - 1 9 J a n u a r y , 1870 -6
F e b r u a r y , 1872
C e s s i o n o f Dutch s e t t l e n e n t s ; Correspondence.

Cession of Dutch s e t t l e n e n t s and A s h a n t i i n v a s i o n ;

Correspondence.
C.0. 679/4 - Gold Coast ?!o. 29A -
3 J a n u a r y , 1672 - 10
March, 1873.
F a n t i C o n f e d e r a t i o n ; Correspondence.
G.0. 679/4 -Gold Coast No. -.-- 3 0 -
Further Papers Relating
t o t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 1 4 Eiarch, 1873 t o 18 J u l y ,
1873
C.U. 879/4 - Gold u o a s t No. 3 1 - Correspondence R e s p e c t i n g
C a p t a i n Gloverf s ' t ' i i s s i o r t o the E a s t e r n D i s t r i c t s of
t h o Gold Coast P r o t e c t o r a t e , September, 1673.

C.0. 879/4 -Gold Coast NO. 32 -

Further Papers Rel3ting
t o t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 13 June, 1873 6 September,-
1873.
C.O. 679/4 - Gold Coast K O . 33 -
L i s t of X i l i t a r y Equipinent
o r d e r e d f o r t h e Gold C o z t , 15 September, 1873.
GOO. 679/5 -- Gold Coast Fro. 35 -
F u r t h e r Correspondelce
R e s p e c t i n g t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 9 Hay, 1873 t o 30
Septen'oer, 1873.
C.O. 879/5 - Gold c o a s t Yo. 36 -
F u r t h e r Correspondezce
R e s p e c t i n g t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 29 A u g u s t , 1873 t o
3 December, 1873.
C.O. 879/5 - Gold Coast N O . 38
--_-_I_ -
F u r t h e r Correspondence
H e s p e c t i n g t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 1 December, 1673 t o
3 J a n u a r y , 1874.
C.O. 879/6 - ----
Gold Coast -
- K O . 39 F u r t h e r Correspondence
R e s p e c t i n g t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 5 J a n u a r y , 1 8 7 4 t o
3 F e b r u a r y , 18'74.
 C o l o n i a l Off i c e C o n f i d e n t i a l P r i n t c o n t t d
C.O. 879/6 - -Gold
.-- Coast ?lo. 41 -
Ashantee I n v a s i o n : L a t e s t
D e s p a t c h e s from S i r Garnet Wolseley, 26 Deceinbcr, 1873
t o 5 F e b r u a r y , 1874.
C.O. 679/6 - Gold Coast No. 42 -- F u r t h e r correspondence
R e s p e c t i n g t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 4 b'ebruary, 1874 t o
3 March, 1874.
C.O. 879/6 - --
Gold c o a s t no. 45 F u r t h e r Correspondence
R e s p e c t i n g t h e ~ s h a n t e eI n v a s i o n , 1 &larch, 1874 t o
31 March, 1874.
C.O. 679/6 -
Gold Coast No. 46 -
Fnrch, 1874 Gold Goast
Settlements froin t h e i r f i r s t e s t a b l i s h n ~ e n tLo t h e
d e a t h of Rr. 3laclean i n 1847.
c.0. 879/6 -- Gold Coast No. 55 -
F u r t h e r Correspondence
R e s p e c t i n t h e Ashantee I n v a s i o n , 4 A p r i l , 1874 t o
1 4 May, 1$74.
C.0. 679/? -
Gold Coast No. 69 -
Correspondence R e l a t i n g
t o t h e ~ r f a i r so f t h e Gold C o a s t , 1 5 J u l y , 1873 t o
22 J a n u a r y , 1875.

The C o l o n i a l O f f i c e L i s t
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f o r 1877. London, H a r r i s o n Ltd. , 16j7.

S e m i - O f f i c i a l Docu!nentary C o l l e c t i o n s
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i~,,,,,,, tfFro~nCape Coast t o Coomassie: A N a r r a t i v e of t h e
Ashantee ',Jarv, I l l u s t r a t e d London Tdews, 1874. .-

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-The Mew York Herald, O c t o b e r , 1673 - February, 1674
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s u l a and t h e S o u t h P a c i f i c Durini; t h e C o l o n i a l S e c r e t a r y -
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 APPENDIX A

E,mR.iCT FROf4 COLONIAL OFFICE ORDERS

TO SIR GARMET 5:OLSSLEY

No. 1
" 9 . I need s c a r c e l y s a y t h a t h e r M a j e s t y l s Government
c a n n o t f o r a moment l i s t e n t o s u c h p r e p o s t e r o u s demands, n o r can
t h e y a l l o w t h e t e r r i t o r i e s of t h e t r i b e s i n a l l i a n c e w i t h h e r
M a j e s t y t o be d e v a s t a t e d , t h e i n h a b i t a n t s b u t c h e r e d o r d r i v e n a-
way i n t o s l a v e r y , and a l l p r o g r e s s and commerce s t o p p e d on t h e
Coast by h o r d e s o f b a r b a r i a n s ,
"10. A t t h e same t i m e , h e r NajestyT s Government have
n e v e r had z n y d e s i r e t o p r e v e n t t h e A s h a n t i s from p e a c e f u l i n t e r -
c o u r s e w i t h t h e C o a s t ; on t h e c o n t r a r y , t h e y have always been
a n x i o u s i n e v e r y way t o f o s t e r and encourage s u c h i n t e r c o u r s e ;
and one of t h e a d v a n t a g e s which t h e y m t i c i p a t e d from t h e 2 o s s e s -
s i o n o f t h e f o r t s a t Elmina was, t h a t throug!l t h e f r i e n d l y c o n -
n e c t i o n between t h e Elminas and t h e A s h a n t i s , i n c r e a s e d f a c i l i t i e s
would have been a f f o r d e d f o r t r a d e w i t h t h e l a t t e r ,
t f 1 1 , On y o u r assuming t h e government, o r a s soon a f t e r as
you may t h i n k a d v i s a b l e , you w i l l a d d r e s s a comnunication t o t h e
King of A s h a n t i , sum11onir.g him t o withdraw h i s f o r c e s froin t h e
t e r r i t o r i e s of our a l l i e s w i t h i n s u c h a p e r i o d as you nay f i x ,
and t o make a d e q u a t e r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e i n j u r i e s and l o s s e s which
he h a s i n f l i c t e d upon Our a l l i e s , and g i v e s e c u r i t i e s f o r t h e
maintenaqce of peace i n f u t u r e . I have i n a n o t h e r d e s p a t c h i n -
d i c a t e d t o you g e n e r a l l y t h e n a t u r e o f t h e c o n d i t i o n s which h e r
Ma jest;yt s Governnent would c o n s i d e r e q u i t a b l e .
"12, you w i l l i n t i m a t e t o him t h a t a c t i v e measures a r e i n
p r c g a r a t i o n a g a i n s t him, and t h a t i f he r e f u s e s t o comp1.y w i t h
o u r deinands, 01- d e l a y s t o withdraw h i s f o r c e s w i t h i n t h e t i m e
named, he may r e s b a s s u r e d t h a t means w i l l n o t b e wanting t o com-
p e l him t o do s o , and t o i n f l i c t s u c h a d e f e a t upon him a s w i l l
e f f e c t u a l l y d e t e r him from r e p e a t i n g h i s a g g r e s s i o n s ,
"13. C o l o n e l H a r l e y h a s been i n s t r u c t e d t o i n v i t e t h e
p r i n c i p a l k i n s s and c h i e f s of t h e f r i e n d l y t r i b e s t o meet you on
your a r r i v a l a t Cape C o a s t , and you w i l l of c o u r s e l o s e no time
i n e n d e a v o u r i n g t o c o l l e c t and o r g a n i z e any n a t i v e f o r c e which
you judge t o bc n e c e s s a r y f o r c o n d u c t i n g any o p e r a t i o n s which
may a p p e a r t o you c e r t a i n , o r i n a h i g h d e g r e e l i k e l y , t o be
undertaken.
 "14. You s h o u l d s t a t e t o t h e n a t i v e k i n g s t h a t t h e Queen,
on l e a r n i n g t h e c a l a m i t o u s p o s i t i o n i n rrhich h e r a l l i e s a r e p l a c e d
by t h e i n v a s i o n of t h e i r c o u n t r y by t h e A s h a n t i s , and t h e i r i n -
a b i l i t y , without f u r t h e r a s s i s t a n c e , t o r e p e l t h e invaders, has
s e n t o u t s p e c i a l l y a n o f f i c e r of h i g h a u t h o r i t y and e x p e r i e n c e ,
u n i t i n g t h e c h i e f c i v i l and m i l i t a r y cormand, f o r t h e p u r p o s e of
r e n d e r i n g them t h a t a s s i s t a n c e .
"15. You s h o u l d e x p l a i n t o them t h a t w h i l e h e r 14aajestyls
Government a r e p r e p x e d t o t a k e s u c h measures as may be found
e x p e d i e n t on y o u r a d v i c e t o a i d them i n c a r r y i n g on t h e rvar a g a i n -
st t h e A s h a r t i s , t h e y expect t h e n a t i v e t r i b e s t o use t h z i r u t -
most e f f o r t s t o defend t h e m s e l v e s , and t o p l a c e t h e i r r e s < ) u r c e s
unreservedly a t your d i s p o s a l .
"16. The n a t i v e t r i b e s undoubtedly made c o n s i d e r a b l e e f -
f o r t s a t t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e war; b u t s i n c e t h e i r l a s t d e f e a t ,
t h e y a p p e a r t o have bee? u n a b l e t o r o u s e t h e m s e l v e s t o even t h e
most n e c e s s a r y e x e r t i o n s f o r t h e i r orvn p r o t e c t i o n . The r e p o r t s
r e c e i v e d by h e r f b l a j e s t y t s Government show t h a t a t Cai:e Coast t h e
n a t i v e s have n o t even t a k e n s t e p s t o c l e a r away t h e bush which
e n d a n g e r s t h e s a f e t y of t h e town, and t h a t n o t h i n g h a s bee? dove
b y them t o o b t a i n t r u s t w o r t h y i n f o r m a t i o n o f t h e moverne~tso f t h e
A s h a n t i s . You w i l l i n t i m a t e p l a i n l y t o t h e n a t i v e k i n g s t h a t i t
i s i m p o s s i b l e t o h e l p t h o s e who a r e u n w i l l i n g t o h e l p t h e n s e l v e s ;
a n d t h a t u n l e s s t h s y u n i t e t o g e t h e r c o r d i a l l y i n t h e i r 6:-m de-
f e n c e , and show therzselves p r e p a r e d t o make e v e r y s a c r i f i c e i n
t h e i r power t o m a i n t a i n t h e m s e l v e s a g a i n s t t h e i n v a d e r , t h e y must
n o t l o o k f o r a i d t o h e r J ! a j e s t y T s Government.
"17, Her l . i a j e s t y t s Government a r e u n a b l e t o g i v e you mora
p r e c i s e i n s t l - u c t i o n s a s t o t h e measures which s h o u l d be t a k e n i n
o r d e r t o b r i n s t h e war t o a s p e e d y a n d s u c c e s s f u l t e r m i n a t i o n ,
w i t h o u t f u r t h e r i n f o r i n a t i o n t h a n t h e y a t p r e s e n t p o s s e s s . Nuch
w i l l depend upon t h e amount of co- pera at ion which you may be a b l e
t o o b t a i n from t h e f r i s g d l y t r i b e s , t h e p o s i t i o n a n d f o r c e of t h e
A s h a n t i s , c o n c e r n i n g which b u t i m p e r f e c t i n t e l l i g e n c e h a s h i t h e r -
t o bee11 r e c e i v e d , and upon t h e o p i n i o n which you rnay f o r n a f t e r
e x a f i ~ i n a i i o nof t h e s t a t e o f a f f a i r s on t h e s p o t a s t o t h e p r a c -
t i c a b i l i t y of a n e x p e d i t i o n i n t o t h e i n t e r i o r , and t h e n u a b e r and
c o m p o s i t i o n of t h e f o r c e w i t h which you rnieht r e c o m e n d t h a t s u c h
a n e::pedition s h o u l d be u n d e r t a k e n . It may be t h a t you w i l l f i n d
t h e f o r c e s a t your d i s p o s a l upon t h e Coast s u f f i c i e n t f o r t h e
accolnplishx?lcnt o f a n y o b j e c t whicE1 you may t h i n k it p r o p e r t o
underC&e. But if you s h o u l d f i n d it n e c e s s a r y t o a s k f o r a n y
c o n s i d e r a t l e r e i r f o r c e m e n t of EuroApan t r o o p s , I have t o r e q u e s t
t h a t you r j i l l e n t e r i n t o f u l l e x p l a n a t i o n s a s t o t h e c i r c u n -
s t a y c c s i n r r l ~ i c hyou propose t o enplo-j them, and t h e r e a s o n s v h i c h
may ]-cad you t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e y can be e:nployed w i t h o u t an un-
j u s t i f i z b l e e x p o s u r e , and w i t h a well-grounded a n t i c i p a t i o n o f
SUCC~SS. - I have, kc.,
No. 2
"SIR,- Her t I a j e s t y t s Government wish t o l e a v e you a
l a r g e d i s c r e t i o n as t o t h e t e r n s which you nay t h i n k it a d v i s -
a b l e t o r e q u i r e from t h e King o f A s h a n t i , b u t I nay p o i n t o u t t o
you t h a t t h e t r e a t y which was concluded w i t h A s h a n t i i n 1g31, and
o f which I e n c l o s e a copy f o r y o u r i n f o r m a t i o n , seems t o a f f o r d a
r e a s o n a b l e b a s i s f o r any f r e s h c o n v e n t i o n ,
"2. I t would c e r t a i n l y be d e s i r a b l e t o i n c l u d e i n s u c h a
c o n v e n t i o n an e x p l i c i t r e n e w a l by t h e King o f A s h a n t i o f t h e r e -
n u n c i a t i o n corltained i n t h e t r e a t y of 1831, o f a l l c1.31 in t o t r i b -
u t e o r homage from t h e n a t i v e k i n g s who a r e i n a l l i a n c e i ~ i t hh e r
Majesty, - and f u r t h e r , a r e n u n c i a t i o n on h i s p a r t t o supremacy
o v e r Elmina, o r o v e r any of t h e t r i b e s f o r m e r l y connected w i t h
t h e Dutch, and t o any t r i b u t e o r homage from such t r i b e s , a s w e l l
as t o any payment o r acknowledgment i n a n y shape by t h e S r i t l s h
Government, i n r e s p e c t of Elmina o r any o t h e r o f t h e B r i t i s h f o r t s
o r p o s s e s s i o n s on t h e Coast.
"3. The k i n g s h o u l d a l s o , f o r h i s o m i n t e r e s t no less
t h a n w i t h a view t o t h e g e n e r a l b e n e f i t o f t h e c o u n t r y , engage t o
keep t h e pa:.hs open t h r o u g h h i s d o a i n i c n s , t o promote l a ~ ~ f ucom- l
merce t o and t h r o u g h t h o A s h a n t i c o u n t r y , a n d t o p r o t e c t a l l
p e a c e f u l t r x l e r s p a s s i n g t h r o u g h h i s doiiiinions t o t h e c o a s t ; and
i.t might be e x p e d i e n t t h a t a s t i p u l a t i o n s h o u l d be made t h a t a
r e s i d e n t B r i t i s h c o n s u l o r a g e n t s h o u l d be r e c e i v e d a t t h e
A s h a n t i c a p i t a l i f h e r blajesty s h o u l d t h i n k f i t a t any t i m e t o
appoi'nt one,
*4. You w i l l of c o u r s e be c a r e f u l t o a v o i d a s f a r a s
p o s s i b l e a n y t h i n g which may endanger t h e l i v e s o f t h e European
m i s s i o n a r i e s and t h e i r f a n i l i e s who have s o l o n g been h e l d i n
c a p t i v i t y a t Coomassie, w i t h o u t any f a u l t o f t h e i r own s o f a r a s
h e r T.';ajesty's Government a r e aware, and you w i l l u s e e v e r y e f f o r t
t o sccure t h e i r safe release,
" 5 . you w i l l a l s o endeavour t o p r o c u r e t h e s u r r e n d e r of
a l l t,he p r i s o n e r s t a k e n by t h e A s h a n t i s from tile t r i b e s i n a l -
l i a n c e with h e r Jlajesty.
It i s a u s u a l p r a c t i c e w i t h t h e n a t i v e t r i b e s t o
denand l l o s t a g e s f o r t h e f a i t h f u l p e r f o r n a n c e o f t r e a t i e s of p e a c e ,
This tlas done i n 1831, when two h o s t a g e s o f h i g h r a n k were d e l i v e r -
e d o v e r t o t h e B r i t i s h Government by t h e King o f A s h a n t i . If you
s h o u l d f i n d i t a d v i s a b l e t o make a s i r i l i l a r demand on t h e p r e s e n t
o c c a s i o n , you w i l l b e a r i n mind t h a t t h e h o s t a g e s s h o u l d be men of
h i g h r a n k and p o s i t i o n i n A s h a n t i .
n7. ~t would be r e a s o n a b l e t o e x a c t frorz t h e King t h e
payment of s u c h an i n d e r m i t y a s m y be ~ : i t h i nh i s means, which
a r e s a i d t o be c o n s i d e r a b l e , f o r t h e e x p e n s e s of t h e w a r , and t h e
i n j u l - i e s i n f l i c t e d on h e r Ida j e s t y ' s a l l i e s .
 " 8 . L a s t l y , t h e o p p o r t u n i t y s h o u l d n o t be l o s t f o r p u t -
t i n g a n end i f p o s s i b l e t o t h e human s a c r i f i c e s and t h e s l a v e -
h u n t i n g which, with o t h e r b a r b a r i t i e s , p r e v a i l i n t h e Ashacti
kingdom. - I have, k c . ,
 WAR OFFICE ORDZRS TO
SIR GARNET !JOLSZLEY

of
"SIR, - I have t h e honour
her- M a j e s t y ' s l a n d f o r c e s
t o i n f o r m you t h a t t h e c o m a n d
on t h e Gold C o a s t h a s been c o n f e r r e d
upon you d u r i n g t h e p r e s e n t t r o u b l e s t r i t h t h e A s h a n t i s , i n com-
b i n a t i o n w i t h t h e c i v i l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h e s e t t l e ~ ~ l e n t .
"The o b j e c t s w i t h which t h i s arrangement h a s been rriade
have been communicated t o you by t h e S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r t h e
C o l o n i e s . 14y d u t y i s t o g i v e you such g e n e r a l i n s t r u c t i o n s i n
r e s p e c t t o y o u r m i l i t a r y command, a s may be n e c e s s a r y t o convey
t o you t h e v i e w s of h e r X a j e s t y t s Government i n t h a t r e s p e c t .
"The d i f f i c u l t i e s w i t h which you w i l l have t o c o n t e n d
are n o t s u c h a s a r e t o be e n c o u n t e r e d frorn an enemy f o r m i d a b l e
i n t h e f i e l d . They a r e t h e f a r more s e r i o u s d i f f i c u l t i e s of
contendinc with a climate p e c u l i a r l y f a t a l , e s p e c i a l l y a t par-
t i c u l a r s e a s o n s o f t h e y e a r , t~ t h e c c n s t i t u t i o n s of European
s o l d i e r s , and, i n a l e s s d e g r e e , of a l l s o l d i e r s r e c r u i t e d any-
where e l s e t h a n upon t h e Coast i t s e l f .
" I n d e t e r m i n i n g what r e i n f o r c e m e n t s i t may be n e c e s s a r y
t o s e n d you frorn t i m e t o t i m e , h e r L l a j e s t y t s Government t r i l l be
g r e a t l y i n f l u e n c e d by t h e r e p o r t s t h e y w i l l r e c e i v e from you
a f t e r your a r r i v a l on t h e C o a s t , when you w i l l have h a d t i n e t o
~ ~ m : i i u n i c a twe i t h t h o s e whose e x p e r i e n c e on t h e C o a s t , and know-
l e d g e of t h e immediate c i r c u m s t a n c e s of t h e c a s e , w i l l b e s t en-
a b l e you t o judge what measures you ought t o a d o p t i n o r d e r t o
g i v e e f f e c t t o t h e v i e w s of h e r b I a j e s t y T s Gcvernment, as con-
veyed t o you by t h e S e c r e t a r y of St2.te f o r t h e C o l o n i e s , and what
means it; i s p e c e s s a r y t o ernploy f o r t h a t purpose.
"The f o r c e a t p r e s e n t Upon t h e Coast a p p e a r s , bjr t h e
l a t e s t r e p o r t s , t o b e f u l l y a d e q u a t e f o r t h e d e f e n c e of t h e a r i t -
is11 s e t t l e m e n t s t h e m s e l v e s a g a i n s t t h e a t t a c k s o f t h e A s h a n t i s .
It w i l l be f o r you t o c o n s i d e r what m i l i t a r y measures w i l l be
n e c e s s a r y t o f r e e t h o s e s e t t l e r n e n t s from t h e c o n t i n u e d menace of
s u c h a t t a c k s , and t o a c c o m p l i s h t h e f u r t h e r o b j e c t s o f y o u r mia-
s i o n , I n a r r i v i n g a t a ju.dgnent on t h i s s u b j e c t , Y O U w i l l n o t
f a i l t o b e a r i n lnind t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n s i d e r a t i o n s - viz.:
1 That European t r o o p s ought n e v e r t o be exposed t o
t h e i n f l u e n c e of t;t.lat c l i i n a t e , when t h e s e r v i c e r e q u i r e d can be
performed by Houssas, o r by n a t i v e a u x i l i a r i e s , o r by any o t h e r
f o r c e indigerous t o the country.
 "2. Nor, u n l e s s t h e s e r v i c e i s one o f paramount i m p o r t -
a n c e t o t h e main o b j e c t o f y c u r m i s s i o n .
n3. Nor, u n l e s s it ca? be a c c o m p l i s h e d w i t h a r a p i d i t y
of e x e c u t i o n which may r e n d e r t h e exposure t o t h e c l i m a t e v e r y
short.
"For t h i s r e a s o n , if t h e employment of Europeans s h a l l
become a n e c e s s i t y , e v e r y p r e p a r a t i o n s h o u l d be made i n a d v a n c e ;
a n d no Eureopan f o r c e s h o u l d b e l a n d e d on t h e Coast u n t i l t h e
t i m e f o r d e c i s i v e a c t i o n h a s a r r i v e d . The p e r i o d when t h e r i s k
o f l o s s from c l i m a t e i s a t a minimum, a p p e a r s t o be t h a t com-
p r i s e d w i t h i n t h e months of Deceaber, J a n u a r y , F e b r u a r y , and
March, a n d it i s c o n s e q u e n t l y of much importance t h a t y o u r d e c i -
s i o n s h o u l d be a r r i v e d a t as soon a f t e r your a r r i v a l on t h e Coast
a s you may be e n a b l e d t o frarne i t w i t h s u f f i c i e n t knowledge of
t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , and w i t h s a t i s f a c t i o n t o y o u r s e l f .
"You w i l l be a b l 2 t o judge what p r o s p e c t C a p t a i n G l o v e r
h a s o f r a i s i n g a l o c a l f o r c e , s o a s t o make a d e c i d e d i m p r e s s i o n
upon t h e i n v a d e r s by h i s rnovement upon t h e V o l t a , and how f a r i t
i s p o s s i b l s t o o r g a q i z e t h a t n o t i n c o n s i d e r a b l e body o f n a t i v e s ,
o f whom C o l o n e l Harley s p e a k s a s a v a i l a b l e , when s u p p l i e s of food
s h a l l h a v e been p l a c e d a t y o u r d i s p o s a l f o r t h e i r u s e . You w i l l
a l s o be a b l e t o judge what a s s i s t a n c e n a t i v e a t t e n d a n t s i~illbe
a b l e t o r e n d e r t o t h e European t r o o p s , if you s h a l l e v e n t u a l l y
f i n d t h a t you a r e compelled t o e n p l o y E u r e o p m s i n o r d e r t o e f -
f e c t t h e p u r p o s e s which h e r N a j e s t ; y t s Government have i n vic:.r.
"The r e p o r t s j u s t r e c e i v e d by t h e Himalaya g i v e a n a c c o u n t
of 1,he s i c k n e s s o f t h e marines employed upon tile d e f e n c e of t h e
s e t t l e m e n t b e f o r e t h e a r r i v a l of t h e West I n d i a n t r o o p s , and of
t;he !','est I n d i a n t r o o p s t h e m s e l v e s , which h e r Ka j e s t y t s Governnent
h a w r e c e i v e d w i t h g r e a t c o n c e m . It i s t r u e t h a t t h e s e a s o n i n
which y o u r o p e r a t i o n s w i l l be c a r r i e d on w i l l be much l e s s expos-
ed t o t h e h a z a r d s of t h e A f r i c a n c l i m a t e t h a n t h a t which has j u s t
p a s s e d ; and t h e r e seems good r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h o s e h a z a r d s
rtre g r e a t e r upon t h e s e a b o a r d t'han i n some f a v o u r e d p a r t s of t h e
illter.ior.; b u t it, i s t o be remembered, on t h e o t h e r hand, t h a t
s e r v i c e on a march i s exposed t o t r i a l s of i t s ovm, which do n o t
af'f'oct n?2n l i v i p g on board s h i p o r i n q u a r t e r s .
have t h o u z h t i t r i g h t t o s t a t e f o r y o u r g u i d a n c e t h e s e
g c z e r a l c o 7 s i d e r a t i o n s , because n o t h i n g but a c o n v i c t i o n o f n e c e s -
s i t y l ~ o u l di n d u c e h e r E l a j e s t y f s Governaent t o engage i n a n y o p e r a -
t i c n invol-ving t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of i t s r e q u i r i n g t h e s e r v i c e of
E u r o p e a n s at, t h e c o l d Coast. But i t i s f a r from ay i n t e n t i o n t o
f e t t e r y o u r judgillznt i n t h e r e s p o n s i b l e and a r d u o u s d u t i e s which
I
1

h a v % been i n t r u s t ; e d t o you; and no one, I am s u r e , w i l l be more

s e n s i b l e t h a n y o u r s e l f of t h e c a r d i n a l i a p o r t a n c e o f t h e c o n s i d e r -
a t i o n s t o t ~ ] ~ i cIh have i n v i t e d y o u r a t t e n t i o n , o r more d e s i r o u s
to s p a r e t o t h e utmost o f your power t h e e x p o s u r e of European
I
i

s o l d i e r s 01- nlarines t o t h e c l i m a t e of t h e Gold Coast. - I am, &c., 1

 FURTHE2 IP!STZUCTIO?IT FROLI THE COLCF! IAL O F F I C E
TO SIR GARNET ZOLSELEY
24 FJOVEiX3Eil 1873

"SIR, - I informed you, i n my d e s p a t c h o f t h e 1 1 t h o f

November, t h a t I s h o u l d a d d r e s s you f u r t h e r when t h e s t a t e m e n t
which you proposed t o s e n d t o t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r \Jar
r e s p e c t i n g t h e employment o f a European f o r c e had been r e c e i v e d .
?l2. You w i l l have l e a r n t from t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e
f o r War by t h e l a s t mail t h a t , a f t e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n ' o f t h a t s t a t e -
ment, it had b e e n d e t e r m i n e d t o d e s p a t c h a t once t h e t r o o p s which
h a d been h e l d i n r e a d i n e s s , and t h a t t h e f u r t h e r b a t t a l i o n which
you had a s k e d f o r would f o l l o w .
"3, I have now t o a c q u a i n t you w i t h t h e views o f h e r
M a j e s t y ' s Government r e s p e c t i n g t h e employment o f t h i s f o r c e , and
t h e g e n e r a l l i m i t s w i t h i n w h i c h , a s f a r a s c i r c u m s t a n c e s may ad-
mit, y o u r a c t i o n s h o u l d be c o n f i n e d .
4 You a r e aware, from p r e v i o u s d e s p a t c h e s , b o t h from
t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r Var and from m y s e l f , t h a t h e r 1 4 a j e s t y t s
Government were most r e l u c t a n t t o s e n d European t r o o p s t o t h e
Gold C o a s t . I n t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s conveyed t o you i n my l e t t e r of
S e p t e ~ a b e r10, b e f o r e your d e p a r t u r e from t h i s c o u n t r y , you were
i n f o r m e d t h a t , i f you s h o u l d f i n d it n e c e s s a r y t o a s k f o r any
c o n s i d e r a b l e r e i n f o r c e m e n t o f European t r o o p s , you were t o e n t e r
i n t o f u l l e x p l a n a t i o n s a s t o t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s i n which you p r o -
posed t o employ them, and t h e r e a s o n s which l e d you t o b e l i e v e
t h a t t h e y c o u l d be employed w i t h o u t a n u n j u s t i f i a b l e e x p o s u r e and
w i t h a well-grounded a n t i c i p a t i o n of s u c c e s s .
" 5 . You have now g i v e n it a s y o u r o p i n i o n t h a t a c e r t a i n
f o r c e o f European s o l d i e r s i s i n d i s p e n s a b l e , n o t o n l y f o r t h e
p u r p c s e o f a n a d v a n c e i n t o t h e enemyts t e r r i t o r y , b u t a l s o f o r
t h e preliminary o p s r a t i o n s which you d e s c r i b e i n y o u r d e s p a t c h t o
me o f O c t o b e r 9, and you s t a t e t h a t you h a - ~ es a t i s f i e d y o u r s e l f
t h a t t h e y can be employed d u r i n g t h e more h e a l t h y s e a s o n i n t h e
.
manner you p r o p o s e , w i t h o u t s e r i o u s r i s k from s i c k n e s s .
6 A f t e r c a r e f u l l y con s i d e r i n g t h e arguments by which
y o u r p r o p o s a l s a r e s u p p o r t e d , h e r 1,:aj e s t y t s Government had no
h e s i t a t i o n i n d e t e r m i n i n g t o conlply w i t h y o u r r e q u e s t , a n d o r d e r s
wers a t once g i v e n a c c o r d i n g l y f o r t h e d e s p a t c h o f t h e t r o o p s .
" 7 . E e f o r e t h e t r o o p s r e a c h t h e c o a s t you w i l l , no d o u b t ,
as f a r as l i e s i n y o u r power, have made e v e r y p r e p a r a t i o ~i n a d -
v a n c e , s o t h a t no European s o l d i e r may be l a n d e d u n t i l t h e t i n e
f o r d e c i s i v e a c t i o n h a s a r r i v e d ; a n d h e r lY:ajestyts Governaent
r e l y w i t h c o n f i d e n c e t h a t you w i l l n o t employ t h i s f o r c e , e s p e -
c i a l l y i n t h e i n t e r i o r , a day l o n g e r t h a n t h e paramount o b j e c t s
o f y o u r m i s s i o n m y r e q u i r e . The l i r ~ i to f t h e i r enployment i s
f i x e d by t h e c o n t i n u a n c e of t h e more h e a l t h y s e a s o n , a?d h e r
M a j e s t y T s Government t r u s t you may b e a b l e t o re-embark t h e t r o -
o p s f o r r e t u r n t o Zngland d u r i n g t h e month o f F e b r u a r y , o r a t t h e
v e r y l a t e s t i n I'Iarch, b e f o r e t h e end of which month, a t a l l e v e n t s ,
i t w i l l be a b s o l u t e l y n e c e s s a r y t o withdraw them. T h i s l i m i t o f
t i m e , which i s imposed by t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e c l i m a t e , w i l l , o f
c o u r s e , o f i t s e l f p l a c e a c o r r e s p o n d i n g l i m i t upon t h e o p e r a t i o r s
which i t w i l l be p r u d e q t o r p o s s i b l e f o r you t o a t t e m p t , The
n a t u r e and e x t e n t o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s which i t may, w i t h i n t h i s
l i m i t o f t i m e , be n e c e s s a r y t o u n d e r t a k e i n o r d e r t o b r i n g t h e
war t o a c o n c l u s i o ? , must be l e f t t o y o u r o m juclgmer,t t o d e t e r -
mine; n o r do h e r l ! a j e s t y 7 s Government w i s h t o f e t t e r t h e d i s c r e -
t i o n which !nust a l w a y s be p l a c e d i n t h e hands o f a n o f i ' i c e r com-
manding a f o r c e i n t h e f i e l d ; b u t t h e y d e s i r e t h a t , i n f o r n i n g
y o u r d e c i s i o n , you w i l l b e a r i n mind t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n s i c l e r a t i o r . s : -
'18. You were i n f o r n e d i n lily d e s p a t c h o f O c t o b e r 6 t h a t
a s a t i s f a c t o r y s t a t e o f t h i n g s would be o b t a i ~ . e di f you c o u l d
p r o c u r e an h o n o u r a b l e p e a c e , o r c o u l d i n f l i c t , i n d e f a u l t o f s u c h
p e a c c , a n e f f e c t u a l c h a s t i s e x e n t on t h e h s h a n t i f o r c e .
" 9 . It i s o b v i o u s t h a t i t w i l l be t h e i n t e r e s t o f t h e
A s h a n t i s t o g a i n t i m e b ; ~n e g o t i a t i o n s , s o a s t o d e l a y t h e p r o g r e s s
o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s a g a i r s t t h e n u n t i l t h e unhealthy season r e t u r n s .
They have a b u n d a n t l y proved t h e i r c a p a c i t y f o r c a r r y i n g on s u c h
i l l u s o r y n e g o t i a t i o n s , and I h a v e no f e a r t h a t you w i l l s u f f e r
y o u r s e l f t o b e d e c e i v e d by t h e n . But it may be t h a t t h e K i ~ go f
A s h a n t i , on l e a r n i n g t h e r e t r e a t of h i s army and t h e f u r t h e r
p r e p a r a t i o n s a g a i n s t him, w i l l b e r e a d y t o make r e p a r a t i o n , and
t o c o n c l u d e a t once a peace on c o n d i t i o n s a c c e p t a b l e t o Her Kaj-
e s t y l s Government, i n o r d e r t o a v e r t t h e impending blow. Her
M a j e s t y f s Government would view w i t h much s a t i s f a c t i o n s u c h a
terr!iitmt;ion o f t h e e x i s t i r . 6 d i f f i c u l t i e s .
"10. But i f i t s ' l o u l d be n e c e s s a r y t o advance f a r i n t o
t h e i n t e r i o r o f t h e c o u n t r y , and evev beyond t h e P r a h , i t a p p e a r s
t o Her b k j e s t ; y ? s Government by no means t o f o l l o w t h a t i t would
be a d v i s a b l e t o occupy Coomassie.
"11, If you s h o u l d i n f l i c t a s e v e r e d e f e a t on t h e A s h a n t i
arrny m a r o r beyond t h e f r o n t i e r , t h e o c c u p a t i o n o f t h e c a p i t a l
m i g h t , p e r h a p s , be e f f e c t e d w i t h o u t much d i f f i c u l t y ; 'out it i s
p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e r ~ s u l tmight be a complete b r e a k up o f t h e k i - g t s
goverr,mcnt and poxer. I n such a n e v e n t , you m i ~ h tf i n d y o u r s e l f i n
p o s s e s s i o r . o f Coomassie w i t h o u t a n y government o r r u l e r t o t r e a t
w i t h ; and a s it would be w h o l l y o u t o f t h e q u e s t i o n t o keep Euro-
pear? t r o o p s i? a s t a t e o f i n a c t i v i t y i n t h e i n t e r i o r ; you n i c h t be
com;)elled t o r e t u r n w i t h o u t h a v i n g o b t a i n e d a f u l l s e c u r i t y f o r
t h e e s t n b 1 i s h m r . t o f a l a s t i n t ; peace.
 "12, It s e e m p r o b a b l e t h a t one of t h e main grounds o f
q u a r r e l between t h e A s h a n t i s acd t h e c o a s t t r i b e s a r i s e s , as i n
o t h e r p a r t s o f A f r i c a , from t h e iclpedirnents i n t e r p o s e d by t h e
l a t t e r t o t h e f r e e a c c e s s and t r a d e o f t h e A s h a n t i s w i t h t h e
c o a s t . If t h e King of A s h a n t i were p e r s u a d e d t h a t o u r o b j e c t
would b e t o f a c i l i t a t e and p r o t e c t t h e t r a d e of t h e A s h a n t i s , and
t h a t t h e y might r e g a r d Elrnina a s i n e v e r y r e s p e c t as much open t o
them, now i t i s u n d e r o u r i n f l u e n c e , a s it was when u n d e r Dutch
p r o t e c t i o n , o r a s it c o u l d be i n any o t h e r c i r c u m s t a n c e s , i t i s
r e a s o n a b l e t o suppose t h a t i t trould e f f e c t a g r e a t c h a n ~ ei n h i s
r e l a t i o n s with t h e B r i t i s h settl-emnts.
f113. I n a n y co~nrnunicationwhich you may have w i t h t h e
k i n g , you s h o u l d l o s e no o p p o r t u n i t y t o i m p r e s s upor, him t h a t o u r
o b j e c t i s t o promote, i n e v e r y way, t h e i n t e r c o u r s e o f t h e Ashant-
i s w i t h t h e c o a s t , and t o p r o t e c t t h e t r a d e coning from t h e in-
t e r i o r from i n t e r r u p t i o n and annoyance, You c a n n o t t o o s t r o n g l y
a s s u r e him t h a t we d e s i r e t o be on t e r m s o f f r i e n d s h i p w i t h
A s h a n t i n a t i o n , and t h a t he h a s been c o m p l e t e l y d e c e i v e d i f he
h a s been l e d t o b e l i e v e t h a t o u r o b j e c t i n o b t a i n i n g p o s s e s s i o n
of t h e Dutch f o r t s was t o c u t o f f h i s people from communication
w i t h t h e c o a s t ; t h a t , on t h e c o n t r a r y , i f t h e y come as p e a c e f u l
t r a d e r s , it i s a s much o u r i n t e r e s t a s h i s t h a t t h e y s h o u l d meet
with no h i n d r a n c e which it i s i n o u r power t o remove,
t f l f + , I have f u r t h e r t o o b s e r v e t h a t , w h i l s t t h e v i o l e n t
a g g r e s s i o n of t h e King of A s h a n t i upon t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e , a t a
t i m e when he was p r o f e s s i n g t o be i n f r i e n d l y n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h
t h e B r i t i s h a u t h o r i t i e s , cannot be o v e r l o o k e d , much l e s s t h e
r a v a g e s and b a r b a r i t i e s by which t h e p r o g r e s s o f t h e i n v a d e r s
h a s been marked, i t must n o t be f o r g o t t e n t h a t t h e r e i s a r e a s o n
t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e A s h a n t i s r e c e i v e d some p r o v o c a t i o n from t h e
t r i b e s o f t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e , and i n n e g o t i a t i n g t h e t e r n s o f p e a c e ,
you w i l l b e c a r e f u l t o g i v e f a i r con side ratio^ t o any c o m p l a i - t s
which t h e k i n g may u r g e a g a i n s t t h e s e t r i b e s ; and i f you s h o u l d
be of o p i n i o n t h a t t h e y are t o any e x t e n t w e l l f o u n d e d , you w i l l
g i v e due w e i g h t t o them ir d e t e r m i n i n g t h e a n o u n t o f r e p a r a t i o n
which you may r e q u i r e .
"15. I may sum up by s a y i n g , t h a t i t i s t h e w i s h o f Her
M a j e s t y ' s Government t h a t you s h o u l d c c n c l u d e a s a t i s f a c t o r y
p e a c e a s soon a s i t can be o b t a i q e d ; t h a t you s h o u l d advance no
f u r t h e r i n t o t h e i n t e r i o r t h a n rimy be i n d i s p e n s a b l e f o r t h e a t -
t a i n r ~ a n to f s u c h a p e a c e ; and t h a t , a f t e r c o n c l u d i n g , i f p o s s i b l e ,
a T r e a t y w i t h t h e King o f A s h a ~ t i , you s h o u l d r e t u r n v i t h t h e
l e a s t p r a c t i c a b l e d e l a y t o t h e s e a - c o a s t , and s e n d hone t h e Euro-
pean t r o o p s , k e e p i n g on f o o t o n l y s u c h o t h e r f o r c e s a s you n a g
c o n s i d e r n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e s e r v i c e of t h e s e t t l e m e n t s , a r d f c r
h o l d i n & t h e r o a d t o t h e P r a h , s o as t o keep t h e co:nniunication w i t h
t h c i r ~ t e r i o ropen t o t r a d e .
 n 1 6 . With r e s p e c t t o o u r r e l a t i o n s a f t e r t h e war w i t h t h e
t r i b e s o f t h e P r o t e c t o r a t e , c o n s i d e r i n g t h a t w i t h sono few excep-
t i o n s t h e n a t i v e t r i b e s s i n c e t h e i r first; d e f e a t s have made v e r y
l i t t l e e f f o r t t o defend t h e m s e l v e s a g a i n s t t h e A s h a n t i s , and t h a t ,
p r a c t i c a l l y , t h e whole burden of t h e war h z s f a l l e n upon t h i s
c o u n t r y , it must be u n d e r s t o o d t h a t when t h e p r e s e n t opera ti or.^
have b e e n c o n c l u d e d , Her N a j e s t y ' s Government w i l l h o l d t h a t t h e y
have d i s c h a r g e d t h e i r o b l i g a t i o n s t o t h e p r o t e c t e d t r i b e s , and
t h a t t h e y a r e e r t i r e l y f r e e t o review t h e i r r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h o s e
t r i b e s , and t o p l a c e then; or! such f o o t i n g a s t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h i s
c o u n t r y may seem t o them t o r e q u i r e .
"17. I n d e s i r i n g you, t h e r e f o r e , t o l e a v e t h e r o a d t o t h e
P r a h under t h e p r o t e c t i o n of such a f o r c e as you may d e e x n e c z s -
sary, t h e y must n o t be u n d e r s t o o d as p l e d g i g s t h i s c o u n t r y t o
p e r m a n e n t l y l a a i n t a i n a f o r c e t o keep t h e road open; and you will
be c a r s f u l n o t t o e n t e r i n t o a n y s t i p u l a t i o n w i t h t h e A s b a n t i s
which n a y fetter t h e d i s c r e t i o n of Her ? ? a j e s t y Ts Goverrnsnt i n
d e a l i n g h e r e a f t e r w i t h t h e r e l a t i o n s between t h i s c o u n t r y and t h e
Gold Coast g e n e r a l l y .
T T l g .You w i l l , o f c o u r s z , g i v e such i r \ s t r u c t l o ? s t o Cap-
tain G l o v e r a s rvi11. i n s u r e h i s c o n f o r r n i ~ gs t r i c t l y t o t h e views
o f Her 14ajcst;y's Governnant as i n d i c a t e d i n t h i s d e s p a t c h . -
I h a v e , &c.

(Signed)
 APPENDIX D

I N I T I A L LSTTERS ITIGluI KOFI K A R I K A R I

TO SIR GARNET VOLS3LEY

l'Kumassi, Novcnber 25, 1873.

"SIR, - Your h o n o u r ' s l a t t e r s by t h e man c a p t u r e d a t A s s a n c h i ,
b e a r i n g t h e d a t e s O c t o b e r 1 3 t h and 1st i n s t a n t , I h a v e s a f e l y
r e c e i v e d , a n d h a v e tile c o n t e n t s r e a d a n d i n t e r p r e t e d c o r i - e c t l y
t o me. It i s t r u e t h a t t h e r e e x i s t s s u c h t r e a t y as y o u r h o n o u r
r e f e r between my p r e d e c e s s o r a n d l a t e Governor NcClean. E e i n g
aware o f i t , a n d h a v i n g no p a l a v e r 1;ith i ; h i t e men, my good
f r i e n d s , I o n l y d i r e c t e d my G e n e r a l A r x n q u a t i a a g a i n s t t h e b l a c k
men, who a r e may own s l a v e s , and no:,! r e f u s e t o s e r v e me. I was
i n c i t e d t o t a k e t h i s s t e p by t h e m e s s a g e A t t a h , a l i a s bIr. Henry
P l a n g e , b r o u g h t t o me, " c h a t i n f o u r months' t i n e t h e Administ;ra-
t o r - i n - C h i e f was t o take my power away f o r Kwarkef ram, t h e K i ~ g '
of Dcnkera. Of c o u r s e I c o u l d n o t b e a r t o h e a r t h i s , and I
t h e r c f o r e s e n t t o f e t c h him, Kwaricefran. B u t s i n c e I h e a r 2 h i s
d e a t h , which has p a c i f i e d me, and h e a r d t h a t my a r m i e s were
proceeding t o a t t a c k t h e f o r t s , I i:mediately s e n t , about twenty
d a y s ago, e r e y o u r h o n o u r ' s l e t t e r s r e a c h e d n e , one o f my cap-
tains, 'Eusu:m~uru I n t e l c u r a ' by nane , t o c a l l back A m a ~ q u a t i a ,
f o r b i d d i n g h i s a t t a c k s upon t h e f o r t s , as t h a t would i n c u r t 5 e
d i s p l e a s u r e o f you, my good f r i e n d . R e s p e c t i n g t h e d e t e r t i o n o f
y o u r h o n o u r ' s m e s s e q g e r , P:r. Datison, a n d t h e E u r o p e a ~ ~ sit , is
b e c z u s e my c a p t a i n who b r o u g h t t h e n d i s a p p o v e d my send in^ them
t o t h e c o a s t e r e t h e money i s s e n t , I f , t h e r e f o r e , y o u r honour
would s e n d it a s e a r l y a s you can by t h e r e t u r n o f t h e b e a r e r s
of t h i s , Nr, Dawson w i l l b e a l l o w e d t o s t a r t d i r e c t l y w i t h them.
( Signed ) "KOFI K A X X A R T X , h i s X mark.
by t h e L i n g u i s t s ,
KOFI UUAKI, h i s X mark,
AKOSSI APPIA, h i s X mark,
YAW N A F M 7 1 , h i s X mark.

(Signed) .
t l i t n e s s e s t o the s i g n a t u r e s :
. F r Ratnseyer
M. G. B o r n a t .
His Honour C o l o n e l H a r l e y , C O B o ,
h d m i r ~ i s t ~ a t oo rf h e r Ka j e s t y ' s F o r t s a n d
."
S e t ; t l e : x n t s on t h e Gold C o a s t
 nI(urnassi, December 26, 1 $ 7 3 .
"biY GOOD FRIEF!L), - Your honour b y t h i s w i l l f i n d t h a t my l e t t e r
d a t e d 2 4 t h u l t i m o had beer, r e t u r n e d back a g a i n t o Coornassie. The
c w s e of t h i s i s the a t t a c k nlade upon my army on t h e i r way b a c k ,
when I o r d e r e d , by y o u r Honour's d e s i r e , t h e i r r e t u r n home, a n d
t h e r e b y k i l - l a d a l l t h e i r s i c k men, a n d t o o k away a l l t h e i r prop-
erty, Espcnially f i n d i ~ i n~ t h a t a t Fosoo o n e o f y o u r h o n o u r ? s
o f f i c e r s among t h e m , whose harnlnock and p r o v i s i o n s my men t o o k
a f t e r d e f e a t i n g t h e n . T h i s , o f c o u r s e , p a i n s me v e r y much, as I
d i d n o t f o r e s e e a t r i c k i n i t ; a n d a l s o h a v i n g w r i t t e n y o u r hon-
o u r t o a c q u a i n t you w i t h my h a v i n g n o war w i t h w h i t e men, k u t t h e
b l a c k p e o p l e . IIowever, c o n s i d e r i n g y o u r h o n o u r as my good f r i e n d
s t i l l , I s e n d one o f my c o u r t c r i e r s , Z s s e n Kunku, a n d a n o t h e r
man, Kudjo Fodwin, t o accompany one o f Mr. D a m o n ' s men, A s s r a d u ,
t o a s k y o u r h o n o u r f s a n s w e r t o my f i r s t l e t t e r , r e s p e c t i n g th-2
g i v i n g me back A s s i n s a n d D e n k e r a s , a n d a t t h e s a n e t i n e f o r soiile
e x p l a n a t i o n f o r t h e s e l a s t a t t a c k s upon my p e o p l e . I beg t o say
t h a t I have g i v e n t h e n o n l y f o u r t e e n d a y s t o p e r f o r m t h e i r j c u r -
ney i n a n d o u t . - We a r e , k c . ,

( F o r King K o f i K a l k a r e e ) ,
Linguists,
(Signed) "YAT'I NXT!TiJI, h i s X mark.
KOFI B U A K I , h i s X mark,
VINES3 APPZA, h i s X mark.
KIJABIPA APIFRUZMSA, h i s X mark.
" H i s Honour C o l o n e l R. !!. H a r l e y , C.B., Administrator,
kc. &c. &c .
 SOKOTO OZINDER

o
Gw- KANO

,.,., ,- Clapperton And R. L. Lander

1825-1827

YhA... . ...
, r,?.
R. L. Lander Alona 1827-1828

. . . R. L. And John Lander 1830

 Mso 9
General map
COOMASSIE *-