THE MAORI WAR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 188, 18 November 1910, Page 8

THE MAORI WAR

THE ATTACK OX WEREROA REDOUBT. Saturday (November 12) was the forty-second anniversary of the defeat of the Maori force at Wereroa Redoubt. The Wanganui Times of November 14, 1308, savs.—

The Wereroa redoubt, which has been held for the past fortnight by about forty of the Ist Class Militia, was attacked under the following circumstances:—

On Thursday morning Captain Wi!mot Powell had his men, or rather boys, out at drill in front of the redoubt, when a volley was fired at them by the Hauhaus from the opposite side of a gully, without doing any mischief. They immediately retired into the redoubt, pulled up the drawbridge, ftnd stood every man to his post. The Hauhaus crossed the gully and ascended the slope leading to the redoubt, firing and cheering each other on to the attack. Our boys returned the fire, and in a spirited manner kept it up from half-past four till half-past nine at night. Two Hauhaus were shot dead and dragged into the bush by their comrades. The number of killed and wounded could not be ascertained, but yesterday morning pools of blood were observed in several places. There were no casualties on our side, but many narrow escapes. The firing was very" heavy and kept up with great spirit upon both sides during those five hours.

The firing was not heard at Colonel Whitmore's camp, although sentries were on the qui vive; this must have been caused by the direction in which the wind blew, as the firing was distinctly heard more than double the distance that this camp was from the redoubt.

The Armed Constabulary who came from Auckland by the s.s. Rangatira, arrived at Colonel Whitmore's camp at 8 p.m., and reported that whilst on the march they heard firing in - the direction of the redoubt. Yesterday morning two natives reported that in the previous evening thev had hoard firing in the direction of the Wereroa redoubt. Colonel Whitmore immediately got his men under arms and with 300 marched to the relief of the Wereroa men, but on, arriving there he found that the Wanganui boys had done their work and driven their assailants off. The famous Wereroa redoubt is.once more to be abandoned and will, we fear, be occupied by the enemy. The reason for abandoning the redoubt, as we are informed is because the second class militia did not go out to relieve the first class men who had held it for a fortnight. However, this may be, Colonel Whitmore brought away the garrison, dismantled the place, and it is now deserted. Had the first class militia been reinforced by twenty men, and asked to hold the redoubt for another month they would cheerfully have done so. Both the redoubt and the new block house sent up there last week are .now left to the enemy. We understand that Captain Kills and Lieutenant Watt, with their thirty-four veterans and militiamen went up on Thursday for the express purpose of reinforcing the first class militia who held the redoubt. Instead of allowing them to do so they were ordered to the Kai Iwi where they will most likely throw up a redoubt. We greatly regret that the Wereroa has been abandoned.