EARLY DAYS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 676, 21 October 1921, Page 5

EARLY DAYS.

(Written Specially for the Times) XI. The fall of Rangiriri, which they had deemed impregnable, was a heavy blow for the natives, and somewhat staggered their belief jthat they were going to drive the wbjfte man out- of - New Zealand. Wiremu Tamehanga, an intelligent chief of the Thames Valley, who had joined the rebels against his better judgment, was anxious to sue for peace, bu|t ! the war-like counsels of Riwi Maniapoto, chief of the Ngatimaniapoto tribe, prevailed. Rewi had always been of opinion that it was a mistake to pry and hold Rangiriri, and that the Taupiri Gorge was the place where the natural features of the country presented a second Pass of Thermopolae |the enemy would If&ve found it almost impossible to pass. But it was too late to commence to fortify now, and the Maoris had no option but to fall back on pas already existing, and make what defence was possible. In the had been madle for taking them in the flank. By the end of \\e year\ 1863, some 300 men of the Regiment went by sea to Raglan, had cut a road through ,the hilly bush country to the Waipa River, and were ready to co-operate wi|th General Cameron. By this time the General had some 25Q0 men in his command, including the regulars, sailors, ’ militia and volunteers, by far the largest force thaft had ever taken the field in this country. Patirangi Pa, on the banks of the Waipa, was the position chosen by Rewi. The position was an extremely strong one, and considerable engineering skill had been shown in its construction. Three high-banked redoubts, enfiladed by lines of riflepits, and surrounded by high and massive palisades, with an outer chivauX dte frise of sharply-pointed stakes, and garrisoned by more than three thousand men, presented a problem (that Cameron’s experiences at Rangiriri told him cou)d only be solved by a heavy expenditure of men. There was another and cheaper way of effecting his purpose that he preferred to employ. Patirangi could only exist while supplied with food from the extensive cultivations at Te Awamutu, and these supplies once cut off the fortress would fall unassaulted. His decision to take this step was the culmination of the long cmouldering disagreement between him and Governor Grey. Grey had for a long time been personally interfering in purely military operations, to jt-he • natural and unconcealed annoyance of the General. 1 He now ordered Cameron to assault Patirangi. Cameron refused ito do so. Grey peremptorily demanded him to obey, and Cameron, consigning him to a place it is to be hoped he never reached, told him he intended to conduct the war in his own fashion. The breach between the two was never healed, but it ended once and foj all the Governor’s intreference.* A subsequent examination of Patirangi Pa 1 shows how amply justified Cameron was in his decision not to attack it. Silently at midnight on February 20th, . 1000 men marched out of camp. The Forest Rangers were given the post of honour M. Tempsky’s company forming the vanguard, and Jackson’s company covering the rear. In spite of the utmost care so large a body of men could not pass the pa without being heard, and it was plain from the calls of the chiefs and the activity of the garrison that they expected an immediate assault. But daylight revealed the true position of affairs. Patirangi was oujt-flanked, hanging helplessly in the air, and Rewi saw the only course open to him was immediate evacuation. Cameron’s stroke of strategy was the turning point in the war, and his refusal to obey Grey amply justified.

It was in the neighbourhood , of Patirangi that a volunteer officer, Major Heaphy, won an unique honour in the shape of the first Victoria Cross that had ever been given to a member of the irregular forces. A bathing party in the Mangapiko creek was attacked by a large band of Maoris, and Major Heapny’s gallantry on the occasion was so marked that it was resolved to make an exception in his favour. The regulations; of the Order* only permitted it to be given to soldiers or sailors, and a, special Act of the Imperial Parlia-, ment was necessary to enable Major Heaphy to wear the ' jptile bronze cross ‘ with the • Simple inscription : “For Valour,” which is the most/ coveted of . all .military distinctions. At his death his Widow presented it to the nation, and it may be seen at the Art Gallery in Auckland. -

NOTE.

*This dispute between the civil' Governor and the military authority is net Without its parallel in more recent times.’ ; ' Some day the reader of New Zealand history will be amazed at learning the appalling magnitude of the disaster that would have inevitably followed! obedience to the insistent commands of a later Governor. The episode was a revelation of the truth of the line “Fools .rush in where angels fear to tread.”