COLONEL ROBERTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3131, 16 February 1889, Page 2

COLONEL ROBERTS.

;..' We reprint the following notice on the genllaman who is understood to be our futnreß;M,;from a 1 well-known work Heroes of New Zealand." ". John Maointoali Boberfs/jin August 186$, joined Majorlackson'srobpaiiy ofMTorest Bangers,' a'nd'in{ttorfbllowr tog" November was appointed ensign

inj- V\T6n promoted;ito :;Lieutbnaiit;;.'in ;Marcj£ the first he took a-niostoictiye part in. the'war, was preseut*at ; Rarigaiohia;: tiad, Haeriiii,, nudonVtlie day.prior!to the;attack:at Orakaiij .was ; ordered;trom; Te A wamiitu,• tpJKiiiikihi,• with 2Q.ForeHt Rangers, Jo> join Company.: :(18 which company,;.with the .Forest ■'ltahgeis, formed; the advance guard to, and the storming party:.afterwards, on tjie. ■' In-this attaok tho gal-' lant Eing fell mortally wounded. 'ln Mai'bli, 1868, Captain Roberts, was made Sub-inspector .of Armed Constabulary, and on the outbreak;; of hostilities in-the, Wangahui district was transferred from 1 the Waikato to Patea, with'Von TeaiskyVdivision of Armed Constabulary. He -was present" at; the "relief of Turi-turi Mokai. ; arid was'left in command of the redoubt;;; -He. took,.' both attacks pn', Te ", Ngtitu-q-te-Maniij;and was- the officer, who, on the second.attack,"w,as cut' off from the .maini.-tody'■•■.with. 58 men and 11 wounded, and who}':.aftet: so gallantly beating- off- .the ■ enemy, got benighted' in the densev.bush.'-Here he'anxiously' awaited' the first 'streak of daylight to try -and .'feel;-hiiway. out to the open country, which was lat'last successfully accomplished, arid Captain Roberts had the .satisfaction of seeing his parly in safety at Waihi Redoubt, about .nine o'clock the following morning, thoroughly ■'■ exhausted. ~(Vfde his report attached, taken from the Gazette.) Captain Roberts, with the 6th - division- of Armed Constabulary/was also'present |

at tno attack on Motorua, mid again distinguished himself in covering the retreat of our forces, for which'ser-, vic6he received his majority and rank of inspector, He soon after, took an active part in the Beige .".and capture of Ngatapa; was at' tW taking' of Taiiriingu-a-haka : Pa, ;and at the defeat of Titokowsru at Otauto and Te 'Whakaniaru. He afterwards led the right column of the troops engaged in the pursuit ofTeKooti, in the Uriwera,. campaign, tinder •Colonel Wiiitmore, and was subsequently appointed to the command of

the Taupo district. Hero he remained until May, 1871, when he whs transferred to the district of Tauranga, and made Resident Magistrate for the.';Bame, ;B«t, on the ' outbreak of. active'resistance and ! aggressive measures takca by . Hie ■ fanatics of the West Coast, Major Roberta' military services were again ' called into action, the Government ' conferring on him the rank of Lieut- ' Colonel, and placing him in command ' of all the colonial forces gathered together at Parihaka" on that memorable eccasion. In 1888, he succeeded Colonel Lyon in command of the Aucklaud district. The Gaietk, conferring on LieutColonel Roberts the decoration of the New Zealand- Cross, says:—'• This gallant offioer was awarded tho New 1 Zealand Cross, by His Excellency the Governor, Sir George Grey, for his 1 resolute bearing on the 6th September. 1 18G8, at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu, where ! owing to a miscarriage of orders' 1 lßsued by Colonel MoDonnell, to >. retire, he and his men 'were left '■ behind, and eventually had to fight ' their way back through the standing [ bush, closely'pursued by the enemy. • To Colonel Roberts' coolness and 3 determination on this occasion may 1 be attributed the saving of. the force

' under his command. And for the 3 courage and judgment displayed by i him at the battlo of Moturoa, on' tho ' 7th November, 1868, when, having ' only arrived during tho night; he, | with his young and newly raised 1 division, succeeded in covering the 3 retreat of Colonel Whitmore's force, 6 although greatly outnumbered, and at & one time nearly surrounded. To bis • fortitude as a soldier, aud the confir denco he inspired, was mainly duo >• the descipline of the raeiij who >• kept their ranks in a dense bush in jj spite of the repeated efforts of tho A enemy to olose with them, and 60 enabled the force, encumbered with '' wounded, to draw of in good order."