THE SEAT OF WAR.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 13, 7 December 1863, Page 3

THE SEAT OF WAR.

DEFEAT. AnD| FX.tGI£T OF THE REBF.ES. SURRENDER' OF RANG||sgtl. 0 HUNDRED "AND EIGHTY-THREE PRISONERS TAKEN. The Phoebe left.* he Manukau on the 27th 1.30 p.m-,' experienced very heavy weather Taramf*v where she arrived at 9 a.m. the lowing auy ; left at 8 o'clock in the event) and arrived at Nelson at 11.15 a.m. next y; left Nelson oh Itfce '87th -at 10115-a.ro. J arrived, at Pieton at 7 ololock the same f aing; left ag-nn at 6 a.m. on the 27th, j made the passage to Wellington in 5j bts 5 left WelHngtdnjat in3jjp.ni.jbn 'the th, and aVrrved: al^^tteltoi-rat 7 tf.clock tt morning; left Lyttelton at 12,30 p.m. the 2nd, at 8.30 a.ra. arrived at Port maimers on the 3rd, and the Bluff on Saturjn coming through the main channel -of the mukau harbor -the Phoebe struck someiat heavily on the bar. At "the time of pcing, the Nine Pin Rock was on with the per south head in accordance with, instruc- & gitei on the most-decent chart — tliat of i preirtfeyenx by Commander- Wayne of 11/s.*. .-When tne Phoebe struck itry heavy W* was running, and it was id low 'water. ,_Tlie_, lead, was constantly jit going, : ab<£-aj caog taken immediately tr'Striking, , jraW^-«^ , -atnon-8 k . It seems ident that the bank has shifted, and that vj recently. Increased vigilance and predion are thweCot»ne^ssar^wJi£ul entering i dangerous harbor. How of tea soundings i taken Acre we are not in a position to i!e, but jf tibey were taken.once pxery three albs we should suppose it would be seldom High. The preservation of life and prorty demands that every effort, should be de to diminish the '.lwlßQUriclfaßend the using of the Manukau bar. The following is. a telegraphic despatch nsmitted by the General commanding to 3 Excellency the Governor- - November 21. 1863. |l r e:assH&lted the enemy's entrenchment at ngariri at 4.30 p.m. on the 20th, and car--1 it after a desperate engagement. ! regret to aay our lassie $&retei .- Lieut. aphy 12th, and midshipman Wafi-ins and men killed. [hirteen officers and eighty men wounded, luding Colonel Austin -Wtnßegt., Captain yne, Lieutenants Alexander, Downes, and tham. Captain Mercer, R.A., Captain jlps, 14th Regt., •Curptam -Gresson, Lieuant Lieutenant Chevalier, Adju- & Lewis, 65th, Captain Brooks, R.E., sign Ducrow, 40tl£_JRegt. The enemy jlit with the greatest <- termination, and 1 the strongest part of his position during whole night, ling completely/inrrounded and cutoff surrendered unconditionally at 5.30 a.m. lay, 183 in nuraber;*ife- ' are now pti■3 of war. Amongst fcbem several chiefs ite. The enemy's loss has not yet b- en tamed r but is known to bcyery great., rty of 400 under William Thompson ftpdied the position from the east with a »f truce after the surrender. Interprefho was- jsent -for, states that William ipson appeared inclined to surrender, ia people were^ppnosed and went back. lias sent in his " Mei»e (1) by interpreter, . what objects -am not aware. The king i present at Rangariri and escaped during night by swimming across the swamp as i several others. Total number of enemy Sj-'ent at engagement is not known. ipter since, reports on eve of steamer sailfistate that Captains Phelps, Mercer, and [Ssstzn, and Lieutenant Talbot of 65th, had il uf their wounds. I DETAILS. wm-ihe Note Zcaicuukr's own correspondent). if Rangiriri, November 21. Mt 6.20 a.n3u-.y\e#t,rd a y. .mom .<tg r afaotit 500 tips left the Queen's Redoubt, and were Barked on board the Pioneer and Avon. Iting at Mere Mere, the General and s&a'ff iletl, and accompanied the force, which siad there the day before. The I party marched along the traetk to Raji|i while the Steamers, towing four gunis, proceeded up the river. in nrriving at Hangiriri we saw that the | force bad taken up a position a few ftlred yards in front of the Maori position,. Bthat they had got two Armstrong guns ■.position- At three o'clock, these guns jled fire on the enemy, and the steameis iaickly as possible, took up their position SL to ena"ble fhem to rake the pits. a t four the land /orce advanced to the I ;k, end >were met by a withering cross j from behind the entrenchments, by which j ral officers and privates were knocked ji ; but with only a slight hesitation the j ng ladders were placed, and our men I mcd over, ba7onettin^ right and left. A 'gite of the 65th Regiment was the first to ■rl the regimental flag on the parapat ; lame was, I believe, -Gallagher. le troops scaled the left flank of the rifle and then charged round to the rear, but s fouad that the enemy had a very strong ion in the centre, so that wa« charged the rear, but without success, aa there only a narrow opening by which our men 1 find entrance. Several times was this endeavored to be taken, but each time aen were driven back with loss. Lieut. ill, A.D.C., led on a party twice, and lin Mc-rcer, whilst attempting the same :, was badly wounded in the face, and lay under the enemy's position. Several ipts were made to reach him, bnt without |, and at last he was only brought back I sap being dug to the place where he Binnot at present give <a full account of affair, but must leave that for my next ftuinication. plst this was going on at tlie front, the B 3 were landed from the steamers, and jfied the enemy in the other positions whundred yards to the rear. The enemy grom these, and took to the Lake Waiisonie in canoes and some swimming. It Siere that the greatest slaughter took •* The enemy were shot down as they grd, firing, towards the Lake. It is supi that at least 50. fe1l here, and the blue lis are now engaged in 'the search after foilies. wards evening-, a request was cent down '■Commodore that he would send up as 1 blue jackets as possible to assist in ling. A large party accordingly started Iche command of Commander Mayne, B Eclipse, and the First Lieutenant of the . -||da, Mr Bowler., On arriving, this i chaTged the Maori stronghold, but idriven back with the loss of several Jfcand Commander Mayne and Mr Bowler '«*as now determined to undermine the awhich was only a small redoubt — as it Bled with natives, aRd ourmen were in the loutside. A mine was therefore comgd, but after proceeding some distance, S found to be impracticable, the soil Sreachyjtvas therefore commenced on the gide of the position (our men were all '@' l )> an( l» as the day began to dawn, a ' wvas told off for the " forlorn hope ;" ftw the white flag shows above the works, ,g e tnemy advanced out to the number. W, and were" taken prisoners. Most of _. grincipal Chiefs of Waikato are either m\ taken prisoners. ||a Correspondent oi the Daily Telegraph.) tjl --- November 24th, 1863. ; &*ill learn from your own corresponIfoubtjess, of the fall of Rangiriri. Full

particulars are very slow in arriving, but sufficient are iv hand to enable us to say without any hesitation, that we are now fairly on the winning tack. No New Zealand fight has ever been so fiercely contested ; no New Zealand victory half so complete or final as that at Rangiriri on the 20th instant. Our force on the occasion amounted to fully 1200 ( men, while the Natives numbered about 1000, inside very strong works — much stronger indeed than we had any idea of. The fighting lasted altogether about twelve hours, and considering the desperate nature of the resistance offered, our loss may be reckoned very light indeed. We have lost three officers killed, and twelve wounded, thirty men killed, and fully eighty wounded. The loss of the enemy may be put down as killed and wounded, fully 300, and taken prisoners, 183, •making a total of about on.-lialf of those engaged. The blow is producing a great effect on the Native mind, but we shall not see the end of the war for some time yet. The General will march on Ngaruawahia in a few days, and then- if ever, the Maories must 'fight en open ground, for their >very existence is at 6take with their cultivations. The Thames expedition has never yet landed, -•so f«r as we know in Auckland. An unusually large proportion of men of great note amongst the Natives are either killed, wounded, -or prisoners. The "first Waikato settlement is being surveyed *y .Captain Heady, . who is Surveyor-General to the Forces. One is to lie placed at llangkiia, The Himalaya sails for England, in a few days' time, with rejected stores and invalids. -She goes via Cape Horn and calls at Ascension. Gov- > erHtnerct-are about .taking immediate steps to get Ahe other 5,500 men from Australia. I J hear tt : hac fceen proprsed to get married men ' in as large a proportion as possible. This is \ Very desirable, as many of the single men ( are cerraa* not to remain. Lady Joscelyn.with flae 6Sth^rom Rancoon, is daily looked for, but has' not yet made her appearance. The 50th is already far ©a its wa-y towards the £ i oat. Jfas head-%ttßTters are at Drury. The weather, which has been very' stormy indeed, for some time back, has now Very much improved, and We- begin to hope for good weather. Any change of this kind will be greatly in our favor, as the roads have never been worse than they now aTe, which makes transport frightfully diffici.lt. The first decisive action in the Waikato Hook place on Friday last, when the troops invested K mgarixi by land and water. The outer works were carried on tlie' same day, and the next morning the inner pah surreudeiefi unconditionally, and the 183 Ma ries who were left aHve, or who had not escaped during the night %gr -swimming across th • Waikari Lake, laid down their arms, and we.c made prisoners. The «torming party consisted of 1,200 men, composed of detachments of the 65th, 12th, 40th, and 14th regiments, the artillery under Capt. Mercer, and the blue jackets of the Curaeoa and Miranda. At nine a.m. on the 20th, the Av.on,jand Pioneer, the former having General Camefom on boaid, got up .steam, and leaving the ■ Queen's Redoubt, 'proceeded up the river towards Rangariri. On board tne Pioneer were Commander Sir William Wiseman and a number of blue jackets. Four gunboats, also in tow of the Pioneer were filled with men of the Naval Brigade. On reaching Mere Meie, the General joined the detachment waiting for him there, and proeeedVii overland to the general rendezvous.- The I steamers, with the gunboats in tow,pro__o<i-il_ on their -voyage up the river, and so well timed were the dispositions of the land and water forces, that they arrived in«4rd»t of the pah almost sitnultaneodsly.-^-gooTCaptaTli Mercer having just got his batteryiifato pos-i- ' tion as the steamers broached up alongside of tlie famous Rangariri stronghold. As they neared the spot a few Natives showed themselves on the bank, but- did no£ tire at the steamers. By this time it was about half past four ©'■clock, p?m:*,'whl>n the guns were opened on the fort, and after about an hour's shelling, which was ' answeied by a brisk fusilade, the advance was sounded, and the men with a loud cheer earriexLthe first ljju^ojv v wflp. P^»^ith- a t^»tlie enemy scarcely waiting to'bVfcayonetted, but bolting fir the swamp and lake close by ; many escaping in canoes, and others by swimming across the Waikari Lake, though many were shot in tho attempt. The first line of rifle pits carried, however, it was fonnd that the inner works would nut be so easily taken, for the first attempt made by the troops was repulsed with considerable 1063, tbe officers who led it being- all shot down with wounds in ire or 'less dangerous. I Twice did Lieut. Ilill wath a portion of the regulars, and talents. Alexander and Hot barn of the Outacoa, will Lieut. Downs ef the' Miranda, and Captain Mayne of the Harrier, lead on the attack, and twice were they driven back, all four naval officers being ! severely wounded. It was then that Captain Mercer of the Artillery rallied the men, who had each time retired fo the outer line of defence whi'di they had first taken, and again led them to the attack, to be -again repulsed, and to be left himself under the very wall of the enemy's position, and desperately wounded, struck by a bullet in the face. There he lay unable to crawl away, and his I men unable to carry him off. so hot was the lite poured upon them each time they made j the attempt. At last, by cutting a sap from the outer line of defence, to where he lay, our men recovered his almost senseless body, and carried him to the rear, when it was found that the ball, which had struck his head, had -carried away & large poitioji of the tongue, and it is already reported in town, with what truth I know not, that he has since died under the operation of cutting away the remainder of the tongue. Be this as ie may, his life was despaired of when the last authentic ne--. s left. Mrs Mercer had proceeded to the front immediately eta the news reaching town on Saturday night. Captain Mercer, who -was in command of the Artillery in New Zealand, is well known and much respected in Auckland, and his fearful misfortune has caused almost universal regret. But to return. The General by tlvs time saw that it was impossible to carry the inner line by assault, and with the ladders used in scaling th-: outer wall, this inner work being a bastion redoubt 18 feet high, for scaling which the ladders were too short. The General, therefore, sounded the retreat and commenced breaching the place with tne big guns. During the whole of the night the Maories kept up a yelling and firing ; but as morning broke, a white flag was seen flying, and those left inside— to the number of 183, among whom are a number of principal chiefs of Waikato, with 1 75 stand of arms, surrendered unconditionally. Matutaera, the King, was one of those who escaped by swimming across the swamp. The next morning, Thompson, who with some 400 escaped natives were in the neighborhood, came n ar to Rangariri, and. seeing how matters stood, hoisted the white flag. An interpreter was sent to him by the General, and though Thompson sent his mere to the General as a token of submission, those with him refused to surrender, and fled incontinently. It is thought that the Natives will sue for peace generally, after so great a defeat. It is not yet known how many were killed ; but the loss must have been great. It is said there were 1000 Maoris engaged ; but if the real truth were known probably 500 or 600. On our side the casualties were very severe. We have two officers — Lieut. Murphy, 12th, and Midshipman Watkins, Curaeoa— killed. Lt. Talbot, 65th, Capt. Phelps, 14th, Capt. Mercer, R.A., Capt. .Gresson^esth, dangerously— Lieut.-Colonel Austen, 14th, Capt. Mayne, R.N., Lieuts. Downs, Alexander, and H jtham R.N., Lieuts. Lewis and Chevalier, 65th t and Ensign Ducrow, 40tb, all severely — and Lieut. Brooke, R.E., slightly — wounded. 33 rank and file and 6eamen have been killed, and 80 w»unded. Truly it has been a dearly bought victory. The Maori jrisoners arc tobe sent down fo

Auckland, and put on board the Curaeoa until the Marion hulk shall have been made ready for them as a prison. In removing them to the Queen's Redoubt, one brute tried to make his escape, but was dropped by a shot in the leg. What is intended to be done with them in Auckland, I don't know ; this I do know, that if so many white rebels had been captured with arms in their hands, after having butchered scores of unoffending settlers during the last few months as these wretches have done, they would have been strung up at onGe to the nearest trees. There is a general orv out in Auckland — What will be done with the -prisoners? and the answer generally is a shrug of the shoulders, and *' Oh, they'll be fed up into good condition, have a pound of tobacco a-piece given to them, and then be -sent home to their friends ! " An expedition of *QBG men (cavalry, regulars, and seamen), left in the Esk, Miranda, Sandfly, and Corio, for the Thames, on Monday, 16th inst. but up to Saturday last, there they lay off Waaheki, unable to land on account of the weather, which has "been very severe. A s yesterday was a fine day, they have ia all probability, been landed by this •time. It was said that the Maories were prepared to oppose their landing, but possibly the check at Rangiriri may cause them to think twice. A battery of six 6-pounder Armstrong rifled cannon was brought in the Himalaya from Melbourne, antf has, I am informed, been purchased by the Colonial Government. Captains Phelps, Mercer, and Gresson, and Lieut. Talbot were reported by the Rangitira, which arrived in Wellington the day the Phsebe left, and had sailed from Auckland two days' later, to have died. Amongst the Maories taken at Rangiriri, are the following powerful chiefs : — Takerei Te Rau Angaanga; Ti Ori Ori ; Te Hura, a relation of W. Thomson ; Tarahawaika, a member of the King's Council ; Kihirini Te Kauawa. The first mentioned of these chiefs is a man of great importance, and was the rival of the present Maori King. Mr Bell stated in tlie House on the 24th — -"Takerei Te Rau and Ti Ori Ori are the two greatest chiefs in Waikato, and he believed Takerei Te Rau to be the largest landholder in New Zealand." Te Hura. — Is a near relative of W. Thompson ; and it was Tor the purpose of redeeming him that he sent his mere, valued at .£2OO or ,£3OO. That it meant peace or submission is not believed. Tarahawaika — Is .the murderer of the Merediths.