BOMBARDMENT OF ELMINA.
In an article on the “ Little War in West Africa,” the Spectator gives the following account of the bombardment of Elmina : The accounts from the Gold Coast are in one way cheering. It is quite evident that the superiority of the civilised over the uncivilised warrior still exists, and that we have officers and men, as in th? days of Clive, who do not count numbers, or fear responsibilities, or whine about deficiencies in green peas. Colonel Fcsting, to begin with, is evidently an officer who, besides being a daring and alert man, can take a very heavy responsibility when necessary. After a dashing night march from Cape <'oast Car.Mc to FJmina, whither he arrived on Thursday, the 12th dime, he found 3,000 Ashantccs besieging Flmina Castle, ami .supported by the inhabitants of the “ King’s Quarter” of Elmina who have always since the cession been more or less disaffected. They were ordered to surrender their arms, under a regular decree from the Administrator, but their chiefs after a personal interview with Colonel Fcsting, distinctly refused, and after repeated warn ings to the inhabitants orders were issued for the most serious of all operations, the destruction of a British town by bombardment In a quarter of an hour the town was destroyed, and Colonel Fcsting agreed with Captain Fremantle to meet the Ashantees where Asiatics and Africans should always be met, in the open, and with 104 marines, and the 250 men of the Barracouta and other vessels, supported by an unknown police force of Houssas, under Mr Logie, Inspector of Police, armed with the Snider, they attacked the enemy. The Ashantees, after a stout resistance, finding the Snider too powerful, retreated in confusion, and the affair was supposed to he over, when the Aslmnteeiwho appear to have been much better led than usual, attacked I* ffotoo, a suburb of Flmina, in full force, thinking apparently, as Colonel Festmg had no guns, to creep towards him under cover. 'The British however, though terribly w.ary —for all this occurred under an African sun in June—immediately advanced again, but being out flanked by the Ashantees, could scarce!) move, when the kind of man who alway> makes his appearance in these scrimmages suddenly turned up. “The Barraci uta’smen came up cm our right, and Licutenan Wells saw our opponents, who weie too busily engaged with ns to observe his approach. He extended his men in skirmishing order and quickly drove their skirmishers out of a large garden, where they were establishing themselves, and advanced to the shelter of a wall about four feet high, from which he poured a heavy lire into their retreating skirmi.-hers and their main body, which was then massed on the plain. The enemy were outflanked and staggered by this unexpected attack, when Colonel Fcsting ordered a general advance, and a running fight ensured across the salt plain (the enemy attempting to make a stand occasionally), past a village called Achimum, till they were completely defeated ami dr.veil into the hush, leaving the plain strewed with theii dead.” The Ashantees were commanded by distinguished chiefs, and fought with unusual gallantry, reforming three times ; but they could not stand either the Snider or the sailors, most of whom we hope are our new A.B.’s, once ragged schoolboys, who have now for the first time shown their steadiness under Hre. It was a most gallant piece of work, and deserves all the more credit be cause Colonel Fcsting had not received any pieces of artillery, and moqrns openly over two steel field pieces still on the sea, which would have tripled the slaughter, which equalled, as it was, the number of Europeans employed All this is most satisfactory', and entirely in accordance with English precedent. The regular thing with the British Government is to take possession of a new colony, or province, or island, and leave it without sufli eicnt armed force, whereupon the colony or province being attacked by “Natives,” a few Furopeau officers and men arc scraped together, disaffection is stamped out by some tremendous deed, the right men turn up, and by reckless contempt of everything but the necessity of abolishing anybody who is firing on the flag—dashing up, as Captain Fremantle did, within pistol shot in,order to encourage the men —pull the Government out of its scrape by the hair of the head, and then subside into the mass, apparently forgotten, but strictly remembered when the next hour of danger arrives. The skirmish of Effotoo was like one of our early Indian exploits, the actual victory being due to one lieutenant Lewis F. Wells, who, not having had the original fire quite taken out of him by red tape, on his own judgment and without orders flung his 275 men upon some 2,000 Ashantees, exactly at the moment and in the style required, taking advantage, even while charging, of any shelter open for his men. He would have done it just as coolly if the Ashantees had been, like Clive’s opponents, I (JO, QUO strung.
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Evening Star, Issue 3324, 15 October 1873, Page 3
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840BOMBARDMENT OF ELMINA. Evening Star, Issue 3324, 15 October 1873, Page 3
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