Chapter VIII: Part 8

=Taku Forts, 1860.=--The signature of a treaty was one thing, the ratification another; and when the British Envoy was proceeding up the Peiho River, in order to obtain the ratification, the forts at the mouth of the river opened fire upon the ships accompanying him, and they had to retire. It was therefore determined to achieve by force of arms what diplomacy had failed to do. An army of 10,000 British troops, and a force of 7,000 French, were organised to take the offensive against the Celestials. The British were under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Hope Grant, and the French under General de Montaubon, a "beau sabreur." At the end of July 1860 the British and French fleets were ready, and on August 1st the allied troops were disembarked a couple of thousand yards from the Pehtang Forts in the Gulf of Pecheli, and they marched towards Sin-ho, where a battle was fought in which the new Armstrong guns were used in warfare for the first time. In this battle the allies outnumbered the enemy by two to one, and their steadfastness in the face of the most modern artillery and seasoned troops called forth the praise of General Sir Robert Napier, who stated that the enemy "had behaved with courageous endurance." After another engagement on the following day, and the rout of the enemy, the way was clear to attack the Taku Forts. The northern forts were assailed on land and bombarded from the sea on August 21st; the assault was made difficult by an arrangement of spiked bamboo stakes that had been planted over a space 20 feet wide, and while the allies were gingerly creeping over it missiles of all kinds were hurled at them. Ultimately the walls were reached, and a daring French soldier planted the tricolour on the parapet, only to fall dead with the cry of victory on his lips. Lieutenant Rogers of the 44th and Ensign Chaplin of the 67th were more fortunate, and the Queen's colours were firmly fixed over the fort. In their retreat from the first northern fort the unfortunate Chinamen had to cross the ground they had so ingeniously staked out as an obstacle for their enemy, and were spitted on their own stakes. The fall of the first fort advised the commander of the second fort that opposition was useless, and he hoisted a white flag; later the troops took possession of it, and then the southern forts were likewise surrendered, and the capture of the Taku Forts effected with the loss to the British force of 67 rank and file killed, and 22 officers and 161 men wounded; and to the French of 30 killed, and about 100 wounded. The Chinese are said to have had at least 2,000 killed.

=Pekin, 1860.=--The Buffs were left to garrison Taku, and the 44th Shanghai, which was threatened by the Taiping rebels, while the army marched on to Tientsin, from which on September 8th the 1st Division and about half the French force set out on the advance to Pekin. At Changdia-wan there was a sharp skirmish, and the enemy abandoned their entrenchments with 74 guns, and offered to sign a convention. Mr. (afterwards Sir Harry) Parkes, Lord Elgin's secretary, together with four officers and an escort, set out to arrange preliminaries, but were treacherously taken prisoners, and all the officials, with the exception of Mr. Parkes, barbarously murdered. Sir Hope Grant then prepared to meet the Chinese attack, and in the action which was fought at Chow-ho the Chinese were put to rout, and a great number cut down in the pursuit by the Dragoons and Probyn's Horse. The allies then advanced on Pekin, and the French army occupied the Summer Palace of Yuan-ming-Yuan. At the Bridge of Palichaio a last desperate effort was made by the Chinese Imperial Guard, but the vigorous French attack drove them back with the loss of 25 guns, and gained for General Montauban the title of Comte de Paliko.

On October 7th the enemy was informed that unless the prisoners were restored and one of the gates of the city given up to the allies, the city would be stormed. The Chinese agreed to this, and the Au-ting gate of the city was occupied without opposition by 200 British and French troops on October 13th. It was found, however, that twenty of Mr. Parkes' party had succumbed to the terrible treatment of their Chinese captors, and Lord Elgin having given his word to spare the city if it were surrendered, ordered the Summer Palace, where the atrocities had been committed, to be razed to the ground. The Summer Palace consisted of thirty buildings in grounds extending for about 6 miles, and although the troops set to work with a will to burn--and to plunder--it took two days to destroy the buildings by fire. Of the loot of the Summer Palace at Pekin many fabulous stories have been told, but there can be no doubt that in this wilful destruction of the palace, and the indiscriminate dispersal of its valued contents, gems of art and wonderful pieces of jewellery and goldsmith's work were annexed by men who had not the faintest notion of their exceeding value. It is said that a French officer found a string of beautiful pearls, each about the size of a small marble, and sold it for £3,000! The loot taken by the British troops, such as was given up, was sold at public auction by order of Sir Hope Grant, and it is recorded the share of each private soldier was not less than £4 sterling. The city of Pekin was then occupied by the allies, and, the Chinese having agreed to cede the island of Kowloon, opposite Hong Kong, to Britain, to make Tientsin an open port, and to pay an indemnity of £100,000 to the relatives of the murdered men, the war was concluded.

The following regiments were engaged: 1st, 2nd, 1st Batt. 3rd, 31st, 44th, 59th, 60th, 67th, 99th; Royal Artillery; Sappers and Miners, and two squadrons 1st Dragoon Guards; 11th and 19th Bengal Lancers; 20th and 23rd Bengal Cavalry.

=The China Medal, 1857-60.=--This medal was granted on February 28th, 1861, to commemorate the successes of Her Majesty's British and Indian forces, both naval and military, employed in the operations in China which terminated in the capture of Canton on December 29th, 1857, and in the operations which terminated in the capture of the city of Pekin. The bars issued with the medal were, CHINA 1842 to those who had been in the first war; CANTON 1857, TAKU FORTS 1858, TAKU FORTS 1860, PEKIN 1860, and FATSHAN 1857 to seamen and marines only. The medal, which is the same size and design as that issued for 1842, but with the date left out on the reverse, is affixed to an ornamental clasp for suspension; the ribbon is also the same, and the names of the recipients, their regiments and rank, are impressed on the edge in Roman capitals. The medals given to the navy were mostly issued unnamed, with the exception of those awarded to the Indian navy, and sometimes those to the marines. The suspender and bars of this medal are of the same pattern as those used with the "Mutiny Medal." A bar, or bars only, was granted for the second China War, 1857-60, to be affixed to the medal of those who had also served in the first China War, 1842, but such specimens are of the greatest rarity.

The medal given with the two bars TAKU FORTS 1860 and PEKIN 1860 to the 1st Dragoon Guards is rare, as only two squadrons of the regiment were present, no other British cavalry being engaged, and because of the brilliant action of the men on September 21st in riding at "a very ugly place," and scattering the Tartar cavalry. Lord Cheylesmore has in his collection the only five-bar medal issued for the war; it was awarded to a gunner in the Royal Marine Artillery, and has the bars for FATSHAN 1857, CANTON 1857, TAKU FORTS 1858, TAKU FORTS 1860, and PEKIN 1860.

NEW ZEALAND, 1860-6

War again broke out in New Zealand in 1860, and so serious did it become that at one time as many as 10,000 regulars and 15,000 colonials were under arms. At Taranaki, on June 13th, the Maoris were defeated, and again at Mahoetaki on November 6th. In order to protect New Plymouth, or the Taranaki district, a chain of redoubts was built, and from one of these, on the Waitara River, a little party of men of the 40th Regiment moved out to locate the Maories known to be in the bush. Directly they entered it a number were killed and wounded by the fire of the hidden enemy, and in a very short time hardly a man was unhurt. In this unfortunate affair, on March 18th, 1861, Sergeant Lucas gained the V.C. for his heroic conduct in assisting Lieutenant Rees, who had been wounded, into cover, and, although himself wounded, remaining at his post under a galling fire. Next day the Maoris surrendered, and for a short spell peace was restored.

In 1863 war again broke out. The Maoris in the North Island had elected a young, characterless man as King, and established a capital at Ngaruawahia, near the junction of the Waikoto and Waipa Rivers. British law was defied, and when the supporters of the weak and pliant "King" had interfered in a dispute affecting Europeans and Maoris, it became necessary to take strong measures. Lieutenant-General Sir Duncan A. Cameron, learning that the Waikoto tribe had planned to invade Auckland, advanced into the wild country north of the Waikoto River, where at Kohera, above the Mangatawari Creek, the rebels had taken up a strongly fortified position. Attacking them on July 12th, 1863, Cameron drove them out and into the swamps, but owing to difficulties in transport was unable to follow up his success. An instance of the chivalry which characterised the brave Maori warriors throughout the war may here be mentioned; the Maoris at Meri-Meri, hearing a rumour that Cameron and his men were short of food, sent a little fleet of canoes under a flag of truce with potatoes and milch goats for their enemy. When he was able to move, Cameron set out to attack Meri-Meri, but on his arrival he discovered that the Maoris had retired southwards across country, whither, owing to the condition of the land caused by the heavy rains, they could not be followed. Cameron pushed on up the river, and at Rangireri attacked the strongly fortified Pah on November 20th; but owing to the assault being made before the artillery had completed its work, the troops, after their repeated assaults, were only partially successful, and during which 6 officers were killed and 9 wounded, and 120 men killed and wounded. At night a number of the enemy escaped from the Pah, and the remnant of 183 surrendered at daybreak.

=Four V.C.'s in 1863.=--In this fight about 50 artillerymen, armed with swords and revolvers, led by Colonel Mercer, made a brave effort to enter the Pah, but the Colonel was mortally wounded and the gunners had to retire: brave efforts were made by some of his men to rescue him, and Surgeon Temple of the artillery well earned his V.C. for dressing the dying man's wound while the bullets showered around him. Prior to this, Sergeant McKenna of the 65th had gained the V.C. for his coolness and excellent handling of a small detachment of men after the officers had been mortally wounded near Cameron Town on September 8th, and Ensign Donn and Drummer Stagpoole of the 57th had won theirs by a very gallant action in bringing in a wounded man under a heavy fire at Pontoko, on October 2nd. On December 9th General Cameron occupied Ngaruawahia and the Maori "King" surrendered.

=The "Gate Pah."=--On February 21st, 1864, Rangiawahia was taken, and on March 31st Orakau was invested by a force under Major-General Carey, and captured on April 2nd. Sixteen officers and men were killed and 52 wounded in this engagement. The Maoris then fortified Tauranga, which, on April 29th, after the artillery had played on the place for several hours, a party of the 43rd and about 150 seamen and marines stormed, and thinking the enemy had deserted the Pah, took little precautions for their own safety. The Maoris, however, breaking from the inner entrenchments, mortally wounded the officers, and the storming party, which had entered the "Gate Pah" with ringing cheers, poured out again in confusion. The Pah was evacuated during the night. The "Fighting 43rd" lost 7 officers killed and mortally wounded, and 97 men killed or wounded, the naval brigade losing its Commander, also 4 officers and 40 seamen and marines killed or wounded. In the assault on the Gate Pah Samuel Mitchell, Captain of the Foretop of H.M.S. "Harrier," gained the Victoria Cross for refusing to leave Commander Hay when ordered by him to do so, and, under a shower of bullets, carrying him in his arms out of the Pah. Surgeon Mauley of the R.A. also earned the V.C. for his gallantry in succouring the dying Commander and the wounded generally under the most dangerous circumstances.

Albert Medal (3rd Class).

Jubilee Medal.

Zulu War Medal.

Queen's South Africa.

Royal Humane Society's Medal.

DECORATIONS AWARDED TO THE LATE MAJOR EDWARD DENMAN THORNBURG CROOPER, D.S.O.]

On June 21st the 43rd and a detachment of the 68th marched against the Maoris at a Pah they had started to fortify at Te Ranga. After a short but stubborn fight the enemy was worsted and routed, among the killed being the chief, Rawhiwi, who had led the Maoris at the Gate Pah. In this affair Sergeant J. Murray of the 68th gained the V.C. for his bravery in charging one of the enemy's rifle pits and, singlehanded, killing or wounding the eight or ten men who occupied it.

=V.C. and three D.C.M.'S.=--On January 25th, 1865, a daring attack was made on the British camp at Nukumaru, but was repulsed with great loss. At this place, on the 24th, Captain Shaw of the 18th Royal Irish gallantly won his V.C., and Privates John Brandon, George Clampitt, and James Kearns Distinguished Conduct Medals for the daring rescue of a comrade who had been wounded within about 30 yards of the Maori position.

After the repulse at Nukumaru the Maoris retired upon Wereros, a Pah considered by them to be impregnable and apparently also by General Cameron, for he moved slowly up the coast; and it was not until July 20th, 1865, that the place was attacked, and then under orders from Sir George Grey, the Governor of the Colony. One hundred of the 14th and a like number of the 18th Royal Irish were deputed to threaten an attack on the front of the position, while the 470 colonials and friendly Maoris worked round the rear. This strategy disconcerted the enemy and they abandoned their fortress without firing a shot. During the rest of 1865 and 1866 the fighting was restricted to the West Coast.

In January 1866 an expedition was organised against the Hau-Haus, a body of fanatics whose religion was a strange mixture of cannibalism, paganism, and Christianity. The force consisted of 139 of the 14th, 100 men of the 18th Royal Irish and a like number of the 50th, 45 Forest Rangers, and 300 native auxiliaries under Major Rocke of the Royal Irish. This little army captured the palisaded village of Otahuhu and the Putahi Pah, a fort in the top of a hill 500 feet high covered with dense and primeval jungle. On the night of October 17th Papoia, a native village in the depths of the primitive forest, was captured, and the Hau-Haus no longer offered serious resistance. This was the last serious engagement in which the regular troops took part, and for the rest of the campaign, which terminated in 1869, the Colonials were engaged under the direction of Colonel (afterwards Sir George) Whitmore.

=The New Zealand Medal.=--This, the second in the chronological order of the series facing page 188, was granted to the troops and seamen who had taken part in the Maori Wars of 1845-6-7 and 1860-1-2-3-4-5-6. The medal, however, was not authorised by a general order until 1869, and there are twenty-two different dates for the army and ten for the navy in raised letters in the centre of a laurel wreath, above which, following the outline of the medal, is "NEW ZEALAND" and below "VIRTUTIS HONOR." On the obverse is the bust of Queen Victoria with a coronet, in which fleur-de-lis stand out prominently, holding a veil which falls upon the shoulders, and the legend VICTORIA D. G. BRITT. REG. F. D. The suspender is fashioned after the manner of a fern frond. This type is only seen with this medal, which is 1⅖ in. in diameter. No bars were issued, but the dates of service were struck as stated above, for example: 1845-7, 1860, or 1860-6; the rank, name, and ship or regiment being impressed on the edge. The medallists were Joseph S. and Alfred B. Wyon, but their names are not always found on truncation of the bust on the obverse of the medals. The ribbon, 1¼ in. wide, is dark blue with dark-red centre of equal width to the blue which borders it.

=North-West Frontier.=--Between the end of 1849 and the beginning of 1868 no less than seventeen expeditions had been sent to deal with the turbulent inhabitants on the North-West Frontier of India, but the troops which took part in the operations were not granted a medal until 1869, when by a general order dated July 1st it was decided to issue a medal for the services rendered, and then the India General Service Medal, with a bar inscribed NORTH WEST FRONTIER, was given to those who had taken part in fifteen of the expeditions enumerated below; to those who already possessed the medal the bar was added. The names and the regiments were impressed on the edge of the medal in Roman capitals.

The following regiments took part in the various expeditions. Regiments present, 1849: 60th and 61st. 1850: 60th, 61st, and 99th. 1852: 32nd, 53rd, and a battery of Royal Horse Artillery. 1853: 22nd, Guides, 66th Goorkas. 1857: 81st and 98th. 1863: bar for UMBEYLA--7th and 101st Fusiliers; 71st and 93rd Highlanders; half a battery of Royal Artillery and a Mountain Mule battery; the Guides, both Foot and Horse; a squadron of Probyn's Horse; 4th and 5th Goorkas; 3rd and 14th Sikhs; 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 20th Punjab Infantry; 23rd and 32nd Punjab Pioneers and a company of Native Sappers. End of December 1863 to January 1864: 79th Highlanders; 3rd Batt. Rifle Brigade; "D" Battery 5th Brigade Royal Horse Artillery; 7th Hussars and Native Corps.

=Umbeyla.=--At the end of 1863 a somewhat serious trouble again broke out on the borders of the Aklumd of Swat by the fanatical outbreak of Hindustanis, and a very arduous campaign had to be undertaken between October and December before the district settled down. This little war in Umbeyla (Ambela) was responsible for the death of a great number of officers; first the Buner people refused to allow Sir Neville Chamberlain's army to pass, and the commanding points on the mountains were repeatedly taken and retaken, despite the bravery of the Punjabis and the general gallantry of the troops. Around the Eagle's Nest and the Craig Piquet the most desperate fighting took place, and at the latter post Lieutenants Fosbery and Pitcher won the V.C. for their daring, but to little avail until the force was increased to 9,000 men, and then through strenuous opposition it pushed on, and the Hussanzaie tribes were dispersed. In this expedition 36 British and 31 native officers were killed, and 150 British and 689 native soldiers killed or wounded. A bar for this expedition was not authorised until July 1st, 1869.

=Bhootan, 1864-6.=--The Umbeyla campaign was but the precursor of another, for that restless spirit which seems to thrive so well on the frontier engendered another outbreak, and disturbances among the Bhootanese in 1864 necessitated the sending of an expedition of four columns to invade Bhootan, a district to the north-east of India. The left column met with little opposition at Dhalimcote, where the fort was bombarded and stormed, or at Bhumsong, where the stockaded positions were evacuated without a shot being fired by the enemy, although they made something of a stand at Chamoorchee. Buxa was taken by one column, and while another pressing on to the Barungah Pass found small opposition, the other reached Bisheusing unmolested. The annexation of Bhootan was then formally declared. In 1865, however, the inhabitants endeavoured to free themselves from British dominion, and rather determined fighting ensued; at the various places already mentioned attacks were made upon the garrisons, and it became evident that stronger force was necessary to hold the country. Reinforcements were hurried forward under Brigadier-General Tombs, C.B., V.C., but after the defeat of the Bhootanese at Dewangari, a hill post at the summit of the Dungarah Pass, hostilities came to an end, and with a stronger permanent military establishment peace was ensured, but not effectually until in 1866 a force of 7,000 men was sent into the country. This determined attitude on the part of the Indian Government resulted in the Deb Rajah of Bhootan signing a treaty of peace.

New Zealand.

Ashantee.

Afghanistan.

I.G.S., 1895.

Sudan, 1899.

South Africa, 1900.

SEVEN PHASES OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S LIFE AS REPRESENTED ON THE OBVERSE OF HER WAR MEDALS.

1881]

The following regiments were engaged in the campaign, for which a bar was granted on April 28th, 1870: 55th and 80th Foot; 2 batteries of Royal Artillery; 2nd Goorkas; 11th, 12th, 18th, 43rd, and 44th Bengal Infantry; 5th and 14th Bengal Cavalry; 19th, 29th, and 30th Punjab Infantry.

=Looshai.=--The introduction of tea-planting into Assam, and the consequent immigration of Europeans, encouraged the predatory hill tribes of the vicinity to extend their depredations, and the Looshai expedition had to be organised to punish the tribes which had been making incursions into the fertile districts at the foot of the mountains. Two columns were sent into the district. One under General Bouchier, composed of native troops with artillery sappers, advanced from Cachar, and so harassed the Looshais that they sued for peace, but it was hardly agreed to before they attacked the British column and wounded the commander. The right column, which had set out from Chittagong, joining hands with the left, assailed the stronghold of Lungvel, and taking it by storm burnt it. The payment of an indemnity was then agreed to, likewise the residence of Government agents in the Looshai villages.

The troops engaged in the operations, which extended from December 1871 to February 1872, were native troops only: 2nd and 4th Goorkas; 22nd and 27th Punjab Infantry; 42nd and 44th Assam Infantry; a battery of Peshawar Mountain Artillery; two companies of Sappers and Miners, and 100 Native Police. The troops were under the command of British officers.

ABYSSINIAN WAR

In January 1864 Theodore "The Negus," or Emperor of Abyssinia, fancying himself insulted by the British Government, imprisoned the British Consul, Captain Cameron, together with the Europeans resident in his territory. Mr. Hormuzd Rassam, with Lieutenant Prideaux and Dr. Blane, was sent by the British Government to obtain the release of the prisoners, but they also were incarcerated, and it ultimately became necessary to send an expedition to secure the release of the prisoners. The Resident at Aden, Colonel Merewether, commanding a reconnoitring party, landed at Mulkutto in Annesley Bay, where he established a base, and, entering into friendly relationship with the local chiefs and tribesmen, prepared the way for the army which under Sir Robert Napier was to march on Magdala and effect the release of the captives.

The force at the command of Sir Robert was about 4,000 British and 8,000 Indian troops, with a transport service and camp followers numbering about 14,000. How splendidly this mass of men was organised, and led with remarkable rapidity across a most difficult country, was a military feat reflecting the greatest credit upon the Indian veteran, who was rewarded with the peerage of Magdala. With this intrepid warrior they had, on scant rations, and each soldier carrying accoutrements, etc., weighing 55 lb., scaled "mountains and descended precipices ... traversed along the face of deep ravines, where a false step was death!" scorched by the intense sun by day, and chilled to the bone by the cold night air. But the valley of Bachelo was reached; the three brigades formed into one, and then the fighting commenced, when, after descending 3,800 feet, the army attempted to ascend the other side of the ravine, but the 4th with their Sniders--in use for the first time in warfare--and the Rocket Battery of the Naval Brigade, did excellent service; and one body of the enemy being disposed of, the other, amounting to about 5,000 men who made a rush at those in charge of the convoy, was practically decimated by the fire from the battery under Colonel Penn and the Sniders of the infantry. It is said that in one hour each man had discharged ninety rounds of ammunition! Then the guns and rockets were directed upon Magdala, the capital standing 9,000 feet above sea-level. Theodore made overtures for peace, released the captives, and sent a present of sheep and cattle in token of submission; but the fortress was stormed on Easter Monday, April 13th, 1867, the 33rd with the Engineers leading the way, with the 45th in support. The fortress taken, it was discovered that Theodore--deserted by his men--had committed suicide. The fortifications having been destroyed and the huts burned, the troops returned to Mulkutto, and before the end of June 1867 the British force had left Africa.

The following troops were engaged: 4th, 26th, 33rd, 45th; Royal Artillery and Engineers; 3rd Dragoon Guards, and the following Indian regiments: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 10th, 18th, 21st, 25th, and 27th Bombay Infantry; Bombay and Madras Sappers and Miners; 3rd Bombay Cavalry; 10th and 12th Bengal Cavalry; Scinde Horse and a Naval Brigade (see Naval Section).

=Abyssinia Medal.=--By a general order dated March 1st, 1869, a medal was granted to all Her Majesty's British and Indian forces, naval and military, who took part in the operations in Abyssinia under Sir Robert Napier between October 4th, 1867, and April 19th, 1868. This is a very distinctive silver medal, being considerably smaller than the others issued. On the obverse, within a beaded circle, is the bust of Queen Victoria facing left, crowned and veiled, encircled by a star of nine points with the letters of the word ABYSSINIA between the angles. The portrait of the Queen is similar to that on the New Zealand medal. On the reverse, within a beaded circle surrounded by a wreath of laurel tied at the base, the recipient's name, rank, and regiment or ship are stamped in relief in the centre. The Indian troops had their names and regiments generally engraved, but I have several in my possession with the names stamped in relief, and also in intaglio. The medal is suspended from a silver swivel ring attached to a crown soldered on to the top of the medal, which is 1¼ in. in diameter, by means of 1½ in. wide ribbon of red, with broad white borders.

ASHANTEE, 1873-4

There had been troubles on the Hinterland and in the West Coast settlements as far back as 1824 and 1826, and again in 1863; but the more serious outbreak of hostilities occurred in 1873, when the Ashantees crossed the River Prah, and, attacking the Assims and Fantees, opened a road for themselves to Elmina and Cape Coast Castle, and in company with the Elminas attempted to capture Fort Elmina, but were beaten off. A force of 20,000 Ashantees, however, sat down before Mampon, 10 miles from the British forts, and there they remained until the advent of Sir Garnet (afterwards Viscount) Wolseley in October 1874, when they abandoned their camp, and fell back behind the Prah. A small force was sent to Elmina to disperse the natives, which it did, while the main force, composed of the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the 42nd Black Watch, and 2nd 60th Rifles, pressed forward over the Prah--which the Ashantees asserted no white man could cross--over the Adansi Hills, and across the Bahrein River on to Amoaful, where 20,000 Ashantees under General Amanquatia stubbornly fought for five hours before giving way, and then desultory fighting continued for at least six hours more before the enemy actually retreated, having lost their General and considerably over 2,000 men. In this stubborn fight the 42nd, which had led the attack, and repeatedly charged the enemy, lost Major Baird, who was mortally wounded, and had 7 officers and 104 men placed _hors de combat_ by wounds.

Hewing their way through the dense bush, constantly assailed on all sides by the natives, the army pushed on in three columns, and after passing the village of Egginassie encountered considerable opposition, and later stormed the village of Bequah, where Lord Gifford earned his Victoria Cross. In effecting the bridging of the Ordah, severe skirmishing took place, and at Ordah-su a lengthy battle was fought, the village being ultimately carried and held by the Rifles. In this battle the ill-fated Wauchope, who later met his death at Magersfontein, was severely wounded when serving with the 42nd. Forcing its way onward, with the pipers of the Black Watch playing at its head, the army entered Commassie practically unopposed, and the reign of the barbarous King Koffi Calcali came to an end, a reign in which "murder, pure and simple, monotonous massacre of bound men," was the "one employment of the King, and the one spectacle of the populace."

In the march on Commassie 80 European officers and men were killed, and 261 officers and men wounded, but the number of deaths from disease was very great. The grim spectre of disease is always more to be feared than the bullets of an enemy. In this war Captain (afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel) Reginald Sartorius, who had accompanied the column from Accra in the advance on Commassie, but did not reach there until it was abandoned, earned the V.C. for a daring ride of 55 miles across country in order to communicate with the General Commanding, and at Abogov, under a heavy fire, carrying a wounded Houssa soldier into cover. For his services Sir Garnet Wolseley was offered a baronetcy, which he declined, but accepted a grant of £25,000.

The troops engaged were the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers; 42nd Black Watch; 2nd Batt. 60th Rifles; 150 Royal Engineers; 2nd West India Regiment; Houssa Artillery and a Naval Brigade.

=The Ashantee Medal.=--By a general order dated June 1st, 1874, Her Majesty granted a medal to her naval and military forces who had been employed on the Gold Coast under Sir Garnet Wolseley during the operations against the King of Ashantee from June 9th, 1873, to February 4th, 1874, with a bar inscribed COMMASSIE to those who were present at Amoaful, and the actions between that place and Commassie, including its capture, and to those who during the five days of those actions were engaged on the north of the Prah in maintaining and protecting the communications of the main army. This medal has since been given for a number of expeditions in Central Africa, and on the East and West Coast. The recipient's name and regiment, or ship, and the date 1873-4, are engraved in square Roman capitals on the edge of the medal, and blacked in for the campaign 1873-4, but after that date the names are found impressed as well as engraved. On the obverse is the diademed head of Queen Victoria facing left, with plain veil falling over the back of the crown behind, surrounded by the legend VICTORIA REGINA. On the truncation L. C. WYON. The reverse, by Sir Edward Poynter, P.R.A., represents British troops fighting natives in the bush, and while it may be alleged to pictorially represent something of the difficulties met with by the troops--which I do not consider it does--it cannot be said to fulfil the requirements of a decoration for personal wear. The medal, which is 1⅖ in. in diameter, with a straight clasp and claw clip arrangement, fastened by a rivet through the medal, is suspended from a ribbon 1¼ in. wide, yellow with black borders, and two narrow black stripes. The bars are plain, with a raised straight border.

=Perak.=--Perak, on the western side of the Malay Peninsula, had been independent of Siam since 1882, but the sovereignty of the State had been in dispute. In order to put an end to the constant feuds, the offer of Ismail, one of the claimants, to surrender the sovereignty to Britain was accepted, and Mr. Birch was appointed British Resident in Perak city. Ismail a few months later, desirous of securing the throne, attacked the Residency and murdered the Resident. The neighbouring Rajahs joined with him, and it became necessary to dispatch a punitive expedition. A party of troops and a Naval Brigade therefore proceeded up the Perak River, destroyed the village of Passir Sala, and captured 6 guns, while General Colbourne's column marched through the jungle, so "dense and dark that during all the time not a vestige of sun or sky was visible overhead," and during the advance (on Kintra) the troops--1,300 men of the 80th and a naval brigade from the "Modeste" and "Ringdove"--"were without cover of any kind, and slept in the damp dewy open." On the capture of Kintra, the Maharajah Lela and Ismail fled into the jungle; meantime Brigadier-General Ross, with a detachment of the Buffs and some Goorkas, stormed Kotah Lama and burned it. On January 19th Ismail was decisively worsted, and on March 22nd he was captured and sent to Singapore, and the districts which had been the scene of constant conflict became, under British rule, prosperous and contented.

The troops engaged were: 1st Batt. 3rd; detachments of the 10th and 80th; Royal Artillery and Engineers; a Naval Brigade, and detachments of Indian troops.

An issue of the India General Service Medal 1854 was authorised with a bar for PERAK on September 1st, 1879, for the campaign from November 2nd to March 20th, 1875-6, and by a general order issued in 1881 to those who had been engaged between November 27th and December 10th, 1874.

=Jowaki.=--Living on the hills of the Afghan frontier, the Jowakis, a branch of the Afridis, long had a bad reputation as marauders, disturbing, robbing, and slaughtering the inhabitants of the Peshawar Valley; finally they attacked a British outpost, and it became necessary to teach them a serious lesson. A force composed of the 9th and 51st Regiments, and two companies of the 4th Rifle Brigade, with Royal Engineers, Artillery, and Indian regiments, was therefore sent against the hillmen under the command of Generals Keyes and Ross. The Jowaki villages, fortified Sangars and crops, were destroyed, and on December 1st, 1877, the stronghold of Jummoo was taken with little opposition. By the end of January 1878 the Jowakis sued for peace; unwilling, however, to accept the terms imposed, the hostilities were resumed, but after a crushing charge by the Bengal Cavalry, on February 15th, their spirit was damped, and they unconditionally accepted the terms laid down for peace.

By another order dated March 1st, 1879, a medal with bar for JOWAKI was awarded to the troops who took part in the operations between November 9th, 1877, and January 19th, 1878.

The troops engaged were the 9th and 51st; two companies 4th Batt. 60th; two companies Royal Engineers; a battery of Field and a battery of Royal Horse Artillery; 20th, 22nd, and 27th Punjab Infantry; 14th Sikhs; 17th Bengal Cavalry.

=Campaign against Galekas and Gaikas.=--On September 25th, 1877, the Galekas attacked the old allies of the British, the Fingoes, and a party of mounted police at Guadana, but were repulsed. Troops were immediately sent to the scene of hostilities, Kreli's country was invaded and his kraal burnt, and a stiff fight was made at Umzintzani before crossing the Krei. The Connaught Rangers then proceeded to the front, with 50 mounted men of the 24th, and the bandsmen of that regiment as gunners with a 7-pounder gun and Naval Brigades from the "Active" and "Florence." The Galekas, who had joined forces with the Gaikas under Sandilli, were badly beaten at Nynnuxa, but rallied in the Chickaba Valley, where the British column attacked them on January 14th, 1878, and drove them off with considerable loss in men and cattle. On February 25th General Thesiger (later Lord Chelmsford) took over the command from Sir Arthur Cunningham, and Sandilli's force was defeated in the Amotala Mountains by the column under Colonel (now Field-Marshal Sir Evelyn) Wood. In succeeding skirmishes Sandilli was killed; then the Galeka chief, Kreli, surrendered, and an amnesty was proclaimed on June 28th, 1878, for all who had taken part in the war except the sons of Sandilli.

=The Griqua Campaign.=--Meanwhile an outbreak in Griqualand West had to be suppressed, and this was done by the colonial troops, without the assistance of the regulars, but not until several sharp engagements between the Griquas and the Colonials had been fought between June 11th and July 20th, 1878, when an amnesty was declared and the war was at an end.

=The Basuto War.=--Following closely on the suppression of the rising in Griqualand came the Basuto War, occasioned by the refusal of Morosi and his son Dodo, chief of the Baphutis, to pay the hut tax. Morosi had fortified an almost inaccessible mountain near the Orange River, and thither, after a skirmish with the Cape Mounted Rifles, he gathered his people, and for nine months defied the forces and artillery ranged against him in his mountain fastness, which with only one accessible side he had, with considerable skill, fortified and loopholed for musketry fire. After many futile attempts to storm the place Morosi was killed, and what was considered to be an impregnable mountain fortress was taken, and the fortifications blown up. Then it was decided to disarm the natives, and some hard fighting took place against the rebel chief Letherodi, and the rising was not stamped out until the Imperial and Colonial forces in the field totalled 15,000 men. In April 1878 an amnesty was proclaimed, and although the Basutos had been badly defeated they gained practically all they asked for prior to the rising.

THE ZULU WAR

Then a war was entered upon which was to alternately bring disaster and as frequently demonstrate the stern inflexibility of the white man. Zululand, to the north-east of Natal, produced the finest and bravest black warriors against whom Britain has fought. Chaka on becoming chief in 1810 organised the tribe on a martial basis, and to his determined and ruthless efforts to establish a military despotism the splendid fighting qualities of the Zulu were due. Our story commences with the recognition of Cetewayo as King of the Zulus by the British Government in 1872. His father Panda had reverted to the peaceful pastoral pursuits of the tribe, but Cetewayo determined to again organise his countrymen as a military nation, and with such success did he do this that he felt himself in a position to defy white authority. The seizure of two women on British territory, claimed as the runaway wives of a chief, and the refusal of Cetewayo to make reparation for the incursion into British territory, led to the invasion of Zululand on January 11th, 1879. It was decided to invade the country by three columns. The first, or southern column, under Colonel Pearson of the Buffs, was composed of the 2nd Batt. Buffs; six companies of the 99th; 100 Mounted Infantry; 19th Hussars; Royal Artillery with 4 guns; 170 Seamen and Marines from H.M.S. "Active," with a Gatling gun and Rocket Battery; Mounted Colonial Volunteers, and about 1,000 natives. The second, or central column, under Colonel Glyn of the 24th, comprised seven companies of the 1st Batt. and the 2nd Batt. 24th Regiment; Royal Artillery with 2 7-pounders; Natal Mounted Police; Mounted Colonial Volunteers, and 1,000 natives. The third, or northern column, under Colonel Evelyn Wood, consisted of the 1st Batt. 13th; the 90th Regiment; Royal Artillery with 4 7-pounders; 100 Mounted Infantry; 200 Frontier Light Horse; 100 local Volunteers; a body of Boers under Commandant Piet Uys, and 5,000 Swazies.

MEDAL AWARDED FOR NATAL NATIVE REBELLION.]

On January 22nd a body of about 6,000 Zulus were defeated at Inyezane by Colonel Pearson's force, which then marched on to Ekowe (Etschowe), where a depot was formed without opposition, but on the same day the central column, which had crossed the river at Rorke's Drift, where a detachment of the 24th was left, met with overwhelming disaster at the isolated hill of Isandhlwana. Lord Chelmsford, with Colonel Glyn, had marched out leaving one company of the 2nd 24th, and five companies of the 1st 24th, with 70 artillerymen and 2 guns, mounted police, volunteers, and native friendlies, to defend the unfortified camp, and while he was reconnoitring in the south-west the Zulu impi of 14,000 attacked the camp at Isandhlwana, where the men, standing back to back, faced the fearful odds until almost every white man had fallen where he stood. A Zulu chief afterwards said, "They turned back to back and fought till they died. Not one tried to escape."

In this desperate struggle Lieutenants Coghill and Melville made a gallant attempt to save the colours of the 24th, and with their precious charge essayed to swim the Buffalo, but Melville's horse being killed Coghill returned to assist him, and his horse being also shot the colours fell into the river, from which they were rescued ten days later. The brave officers were found dead side by side. For this gallant effort the Victoria Cross was posthumously conferred upon the two officers. Around the fatal hill of Isandhlwana 50 British officers, and over 800 non-commissioned officers and men, met their death; the five entire companies of the 1st 24th were annihilated, and 90 men of the 2nd Battalion killed.

=Rorke's Drift.=--Meanwhile on that fatal day the little force which had been left under Lieutenant Bromhead at Rorke's Drift to guard 35 sick men and the stores, had performed prodigies of valour. About 80 men kept at bay 3,000 Zulus from 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 22nd until 4 a.m. on the 23rd. Again and again the Zulus tried to rush the hastily improvised fort; they set fire to a building which had been converted into a hospital, and forced the devoted band into the inner defences. Half a dozen times they rushed the meagre entrenchments, but were forced back, until at last on the morning of the 23rd they retired, leaving 370 dead around that well-kept post. The gallant men who defied that army lost 17 killed and 2 wounded, 5 of the sick men being burnt to death despite the strenuous efforts of their comrades to rescue them.

=Eight Victoria Crosses.=--In this glorious defence, in which every man was a hero, eight Victoria Crosses were earned: Lieutenant G. Bromhead of the 24th, Lieutenant J. M. R. Chard, R.E., for their brilliant defence; Corporal W. Allen, Privates F. Hitch, Hy. Hook, John Williams, and W. and R. Jones, for their gallant defence of the hospital, and holding it against the enemy while the patients were removed. Corporal Allen and Private Hitch were wounded, but when no longer able to fight served out ammunition to their comrades through that terrible night.

Towards the end of March Lord Chelmsford proceeded to the relief of Ekowe, at the same time instructing Colonel Evelyn Wood to advance on the Zlobani, or Inholbani, mountain, a precipitous and deeply wooded stronghold which he determined to attack. Dividing his force into two columns under Colonel Russell and Colonel (later General Sir Redvers) Buller, he attacked the place on the early morning of March 28th. Buller gained the summit without much opposition, but Russell discovered that an immense impi of Zulus was attempting to cut off the former's retreat, which unfortunately became a rout, as the struggling mass of men were compelled to face the assegais of the Zulus with little opportunity of retaliating. Buller, who was one of the last to leave the "Devil's Pass," won the V.C. for saving the lives of two officers and a trooper during the retreat, which would have had more disastrous results but for Russell's perception and assistance.

Next day the entrenched camp at Kambula was attacked by a force of 25,000 Zulus, but after four hours' fighting, in which assegai frequently clashed with British bayonet, they made off with Colonels Buller and Russell in hot pursuit, and the humiliation of the previous day was avenged, over 3,000 Zulus being killed. Meanwhile, Lord Chelmsford, with 3,000 soldiers and sailors, and 2,500 friendlies, was attacked on his way to Ekowe by a Zulu impi under Dabulamanzi, the half-brother of Cetewayo, at Ginghilova; but after one and a half hour's fighting, during which the Zulus rushed right up to the muzzles of the British rifles, they were driven off with the loss of about 1,000 men. Two days later Ekowe was relieved, and the post abandoned. By this time considerable reinforcements had arrived from England, among the officers being the Prince Imperial of France, who on June 1st, while reconnoitring with Lieutenant Carey of the 98th Regiment and 6 troopers, was killed by a party of Zulus. On July 3rd, Buller, with 500 cavalrymen, was attacked after crossing the White Umvolosi River by nearly 5,000 Zulus, and in this affair Lord William Beresford of the 9th Lancers gained the V.C. for the rescue of a dismounted trooper, and Lieutenant Lysons and Private E. Fowler of the 2nd Cameronians also gained the coveted distinction for their bravery.

=Ulundi.=--Next day the battle of Ulundi was fought, and despite the repeated charges of the Zulu army of over 15,000 men, the British square remained unbroken, until the enemy gave way after forty minutes' desperate endeavour, and then the 17th Lancers under Colonel Drury Lowe cut them up as they fled. The capture of the King's kraal at Ulundi practically ended the war, although for over a fortnight he eluded the vigilance of his pursuers. On August 28th he was captured, and on September 1st, 1879, the Zulu chiefs accepted the conditions laid down by the British Government. During this campaign 76 officers and 1,007 men were killed; 37 officers and 206 men wounded; 17 officers and 330 men died of disease, while 1,286 were invalided home.

=Basuto War, 1878-9.=--Sekukuni, who had allied himself with Cetewayo and defied the Colonial Government, stating that the country was his, and he was ready for war, caused trouble by raiding a friendly chief; an expedition was therefore organised to proceed against him, but owing to the need for the concentration of British troops in Zululand, operations were suspended. When, however, Cetewayo had been captured, Sir Garnet Wolseley, who had succeeded Lord Chelmsford in the command, proceeded to attack the strongholds of Sekukuni on November 28th, 1879, and the "Fighting Koppie" was taken after a desperate struggle, during which the chief escaped, but was captured a few days later and taken prisoner to Pretoria. Thus came to an end a succession of wars during the severe trials of which the finest attributes of the British soldier were repeatedly called forth.

The troops engaged from 1877-9 were, in 1877-8-9: 24th, 88th, 90th, 94th; 1878-9: 13th, 80th, 83rd; 1879: 2nd Batt. 3rd; 4th, 21st, 57th, 58th; 3rd Batt. 60th; 3rd Batt. 91st, 97th, 99th; and Naval Brigades.

=The Zulu Medal.=--For these campaigns a medal similar to that awarded for the Kaffir wars was given to the participants, the only difference being the substitution of a Zulu shield and assegais for the date in the exergue of the reverse. The ribbon is the same. The bars are similar to those given with the I.G.S. 1854 medal, and do not record specific actions, but periods of service. Those serving for three years received the bar inscribed 1877-8-9; two years, 1877-8 or 1878-9; or for one year, 1879. A single bar only was issued with each medal.

AFGHANISTAN, 1878-80

The British had by military and monetary assistance helped Shere Ali on to the throne of Afghanistan in 1869, and, naturally, took umbrage at the overtures made to Russia--the refusal to accept a British Resident at Cabul, the honoured reception of a Russian envoy, and finally the signing of a treaty which placed the Ameer of Afghanistan under the guardianship of Russia. A mission was consequently sent to Cabul, but it was stopped at Ali Musjid, at the entrance to the Khyber Pass, by threats of attack if it dared to proceed any farther. Sir Nevill Chamberlain, therefore, thought it prudent to return to Peshawar, and on November 21st, 1878, war was declared. Afghanistan was then invaded, and the Ameer declared a Jehad, or holy war, against the British.

=Ali Musjid.=--The same day the fort of Ali Musjid, armed with 22 guns, was attacked, and the enemy abandoned it after some smart fighting. The column under General Sir S. Browne then pushed on to Jellalabad, having lost in the attack 2 officers and 35 men killed.

The troops engaged at Ali Musjid, on November 21st, 1878, were the 17th, 51st; 4th Batt. 60th; 81st; four Batteries of Artillery; 10th Hussars, and the following native regiments: 1st Sikhs; 4th Goorkas; 6th, 14th, 20th, 27th, and 45th Bengal Infantry; Bengal Sappers and Miners and 11th Bengal Lancers.

=Peiwar Kotal.=--Major-General (later Field-Marshal Lord) Frederick Roberts, V.C., with the Kurram Field Force, crossed the Thall the same day as General Browne had captured Ali Musjid, and advancing up the Kurram Valley garrisoned Fort Azim, and then proceeded to attack Peiwar Kotal; but finding it too strong to assault in front, General Roberts decided upon a daring march of 10 miles in order to turn the Afghan position, and this he carried out in a masterly and successful manner while the heavy snowstorms made the intense cold less endurable. The attack was successfully delivered, the Afghan defence turned, and then Brigadier-General Cobbe hammered away at the enemy's front with his artillery while Roberts advanced against the main body; and after a contest which fiercely raged for seven hours, the Afghans made off, leaving their tents standing and the whole of their baggage; 6 field and 11 mountain guns were captured, and so distressed was Shere Ali with the defeat that he fled to Balkh, where he died while awaiting permission to make an asylum in Russia. The British losses were: 2 officers killed, and General Cobbe wounded; 90 European and Indian soldiers killed or wounded. In this battle Major J. Cook, of the Bengal Staff Corps, gained the Victoria Cross by charging the enemy and rescuing Major Galbraith, who was attacked by an Afghan. During the operations at Cabul this gallant officer was killed.

The troops engaged were the 8th and 72nd, a squadron 10th Hussars, and the following native regiments: 2nd and 5th Punjab Infantry; 5th Goorkas; 23rd and 29th Bengal Infantry, and 12th Bengal Cavalry.

=Charasia.=--On the death of Shere Ali, his son Yakoub Khan, who had been imprisoned by his father, ascended the throne, and, recognising the futility of the contest, agreed by the treaty of Gandamak to vest the control of his country in the Indian Government, to allow a British Resident at Cabul, and to accept a subsidy of six lakhs of rupees while the Khyber Pass was to be controlled by us, and the Kurram, Pishi, and Sibi Passes were to be attached to the Indian Empire. On June 17th, 1879, Sir Louis Cavagnari set out with his secretary, Mr. Jenkins, and Dr. Kelly, and an escort of 25 cavalry and 50 infantry of the Guides under Lieutenant Hamilton. Cabul was reached on July 24th, and on the night of September 2nd the Residency was attacked, and after a gallant defence Sir Louis and his officers and almost all the escort were murdered. This outrage necessitated prompt action, and General Roberts hurried up from Simla. Pushing past Peiwar Kotal, the Shaturgardan Pass was occupied before the enemy could reach it. At Kushi the Ameer rode into camp and said that he had been dethroned by his rebellious troops. No one believed him. Pressing as rapidly as possible on to Cabul, Sir Frederick Roberts found that the Afghan army occupied a very strong position at Charasia. On October 6th he stormed the place, and after a determined defence the Afghans fled towards Cabul in great confusion, leaving behind them 20 guns and 2 standards. Next day the British army marched on Cabul, and entered with the band of the 67th playing at its head; by October 8th General Roberts was occupying the fortified cantonments of Sherpur, in which he found 73 guns. The British losses were 20 killed and 70 wounded.

Medal for Abor.

INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDALS, 1908.]

SILVER MEDAL FOR SUDAN, 1910.]

The regiments engaged were the 67th, 72nd, and 92nd; one battery Royal Horse Artillery; one battery Royal Field Artillery; two Mountain Batteries, and 9th Lancers. Native regiments: 5th Goorkas; 5th Punjab Infantry; 5th Punjab Cavalry; 12th Bengal Cavalry; 14th Bengal Lancers; Bengal Sappers and Miners.