YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

From the Library of
IRVING GOODWIN VANN, '63
Gift of his children
FLORENCE VANN FOWLER
IRVING DILLAYE VANN, '97

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GENERAL

LORD WOLSELEY

(OF CAIRO),

G.C.B., G.C.M.G., D.C.L., LL.D.

A MEMOIR.

BY

CHARLES RATHBONE LOW, LN., F.R.G.S.,
AUTHOR OF
'the history of the INDIAN NAVY,' ETC.

LONDON :
RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON,
^abliahirs in ffltbtnarg tu '^n ^ajestg tltf OJJuefn.
1883.
[All Rights Reserved. ]

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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

This Memoir of Lord Wolseley, so far as it deals -with his
career up to the time of his proceeding to Cyprus in the
summer of 1878, -was published in that year. His conduct
of operations in Egypt appearing to call for a new edition,
I have written a sketch of his services from that date up to
the present time.
This volume contains the first published account of Lord
Wolseley's administration of Cyprus. It was his intention to
write an official report of his doings during the first twelve
months the island was under British rule, when he organized
the administration and guided the tottering footsteps of this,
the youngest of the Mother Country's Colonies. But his
hurried departure to Natal, to supersede Lord Chelmsford,
prevented the execution of this design. The account of
Lord Wolseley's conduct of affairs in South Africa, including
the operations in Zululand, his dealing with the Boers, and
the Secocoeni Campaign, are also published in this volume
for the first time, and, as with the Cyprus chapter, the
details may be relied upon, his lordship having kindly re
vised the proof-sheets.
As with the Cyprus and South African chapters, the last,
giving an account of the Egyptian Campaign, has been

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

written without any assistance from previously published
works, for mine is the first in the field. This will, perhaps,
be taken into consideration by critics and an indulgent
public, whose pardon I crave for any shortcomings. These
will be amply atoned for when Colonel Maurice, R.A., the
accomplished writer and correspondent of the Times in
Egypt, has published the official account of the campaign,
in which I understand he is engaged. I take this oppor
tunity of specially thanking him,* and also Colonel Herbert
Stewart, C.B., A.D.C. to the Queen, Major R. C. Lawrence,
who commanded the detachment of cavalry that occupied
the citadel of Cairo — one of the most dashing feats of the
war — and other officers who have afforded me information
when writing this portion of the work.
In the previously published chapters of this volume, we
have seen Lord Wolseley as a Regimental officer in Burmah,
leading a storming party and narrowly escaping with his life ;
as an Engineer in the trenches before Sebastopol, fighting and
toiling, suffering and shedding his blood; as a Regimental and
Staff officer, participating in some of the most stirring scenes
of the Indian Mutiny ; and on the Staff in the China Cam
paign of i860; — thus building up that thorough acquaintance
with the art of war, which he has turned to such good
account We have followed him as leader in the Red River
and Ashantee Expeditions, in both of which he displayed
his remarkable aptitude for command, his energy, resource,
and unflagging determination to succeed when everything
was against him, and failure appeared imminent to the most
hopeful. In the last five years of his eventful life we shall see him
as an administrator and lawgiver in Cyprus, which afforded
a virgin field for constructive statesmanship. We shall see
* Colonel Maurice was kind enough to peruse the proof-sheets of the
Egyptian chapter, and says, in a letter to me : ' I must congratulate you upon
the accuracy with which the account of the Egyptian Campaign is written.'

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. v
him in Zululand, as the soldier who, by his combinations
and pertinacity, hunted down the Zulu King in the depth of
his African jungle, and as a Constitution-maker, partitioning
his kingdom, and dictating the terms of settlement. From
Zululand we shall follow him to the Transvaal, and his
duties change from coercing Zulus to the impossible task of
striving to conciliate Boers. But at least he kept the
peace, and the magic of his name awed the sturdy farmers
into submission. Again the scene changes, and we find him
once more leading British soldiers to victory. Secocoeni,
the Basuto chief, who had defeated the attempts alike of
Zulus, Boers, and British soldiers to capture his stronghold,
met his conqueror in Lord Wolseley, whose brief but
brilliant and successful campaign against that dreaded chief
astonished alike Native and European in South Africa,
and raised British prestige to a height it had never before
attained. From South Africa, and the peaceful precincts of the
Horse Guards, where he guided the military reforms insti
tuted by Lord Cardwell and Mr. Childers, at the call
of his country he once more buckled on his sword, and
having organized the force that was to restore the authority
of the Khedive and put an end to military despotism in
Egypt, he carried through, to the letter, the programme of
operations he had marked out before leaving this country.
This punctuality is not the least surprising feature of his
conduct of the war, but it is one that has always marked his
military career.
In the Red River Expedition he took a force of 1,200
soldiers and 500 non-combatants, over an untrodden wilder
ness, to Fort Garry, a distance of 1,200 miles from the point
of departure, and arrived at his destination within twenty-
four hours of the time fixed before quitting Toronto. He
marched into Coomassie on the day he designated before

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

quitting Cape Coast Castle ; and, as he told us, drank his.
afternoon tea in the fortress of Secocoeni, in the wilds of
the Lulu Mountains in the Transvaal, on the very day he
indicated, months before, in letters to the Secretary of
State for War and the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief.
Finally, as we have seen, he fought the decisive action of
the war and entered the capital of Egypt on the dates marked
out by him while in England ; — thus conducting the move
ments of armies and the combinations of war with the regu
larity of clock-work. As far as we are aware, in no age and
by no general has the practice of the art been reduced to
such conditions of mathematical precision, and been made
so closely to conform to the will of the Commander.
Before the victories of Prussia over Austria in 1866, and
of the combined German army over France four years later, it
was the custom in this country to sneer at studious officers as
doctrinaires, but few now will be bold enough to gainsay the
truth of Don Quixote's saying, 'The sword hath never blunted
the pen, nor the pen the sword.' Lord Wolseley has ever been
one of those ardent but judicious reformers who, while re
cognising with the Duke of WeUington the superiority of the
British officer to the same class in any other army, and ap
proving generally our regimental system, have sought to
remedy defects in our military organization, which, if per
mitted to exist unchecked, would land this country in
disasters more dire than those she met with in the Crimea.
An advocate of short service, not only with its concomitant
of young non-commissioned officers and soldiers, but of
young officers also, he dared to lay a sacrilegious hand on
the constitution of the British army, hitherto regarded as
the very Palladium of aristocratic privilege, and placed by
a constitutional figment under the direct control of the
Crown. When the new system did not, apparently, work
well, as during the Zulu War, when some of the battalions

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. vii
were notoriously inefficient, he bluntly asserted that the
cause of the failure lay not in the system, though that was
not sufficiently developed to be fairly tested, but to the half
hearted manner in which it was worked by the Horse Guards.
This assertion aroused a storm of abuse on the head of the
bold innovator, but the high state of discipline, and the
marching and fighting powers displayed by the army under
his command in Egypt, and the greater ease with which the
complicated machine having its motive-power in Pall Mall,
now moves under his guiding hand, proves that he had
warrant for his assertions.
It is easy, after success has been won, to make light of
the difficulties encountered by our army in Egypt, and to
depreciate the fighting qualities of the men opposed to us ;
but the former were very great, and afforded to an incom
petent general — and recent events in South Africa have
shown the race is not extinct — vast possibilities of failure
and disaster, while the resistance made by the Egyptian
army during the brief struggle at Tel-el-Kebir, when it was
surprised out of sleep by the fierce onslaught at all points
of an apparently endless line of British red-coats, was by no
means so despicable as was made out. Sir Edward Hamley
does justice to the gallantry of the enemy opposed to his
Highlanders, who, at one point, actually gave ground, and
were driven back to the first line of the intrenchments they
had carried.
It was on all grounds, political no less than military,
essential that the campaign should be 'short, sharp, and
decisive.' Delay meant not only vast expenditure, but in
creased probabilities of political complications with Turkey,
France, and Russia, no less than a great uprising of the
Arab race. Had Arabi won even a partial success, or held
his opponents temporarily in check, the power of the move
ment he headed would indeed have become more than

viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
national, and the Mussulmans of the Arabian desert, and of
Tunis and Tripoli, no less than the malcontents from the
Soudan, would have thrown in their lot with the leader of
the rebelUon. Then the physical difficulties were great, and
the time of year was unfavourable ; and when we consider
the heavy sick-list of our troops in Egypt, the result, accord
ing to the doctors, of the hardships of the brief campaign,
some calculation may be made of the losses we must have
encountered had it been prolonged Thus while the croakers,
who always make their voices heard on the outbreak of a
war, had many grounds for their pessimistic vaticinations,
the most sanguine never anticipated such a rapid and com
plete success.
Marching and fighting under a tropical sun in the strip
of desert between Ismailia and the cultivated Delta was
nothing to the Indian Contingent, some of whom had
accompanied Sir Frederick Roberts in his celebrated march
through Afghanistan ; but it was otherwise with the soldiers
fresh from Aldershot and the Wellington Barracks. Faint
ing under the stifling heat, the Guards and the rest of the
army marched and worked like navvies with an unmurmur
ing spirit worthy their ancient renown. Like the immortal
' Ten thousand' Greeks, — ' whose glory,' says the poet Thom
son, ' not the prime of victories can reach :'
' Deserts, in vain, opposed their course.'
Not the least brilliant operation of the war was the seizure
of the Suez Canal, which was exclusively the work of the
British navy. M. de Lesseps acted on the impression that
his 71071 possu77ius and bluster would paralyze the action of
the British commanders so far as operations on the Canal,
the offspring of his genius, were concerned. But he exag
gerated the extent of his power, and his indignation was
almost ludicrous when Admiral Hoskins and Captain Fitzroy
met his hysterical protests by courteously but firmly carrying

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. ix
out their orders. As matters turned out, the eminent French
engineer not only rendered incalculable service to civiliza
tion and his Canal, but conduced to the rapid success of the
campaign, by hoodwinking Arabi into the belief that his
guarantee of the neutrality of that passage would be respected
by the British commanders, for a small portion of the 7,000
labourers whom Arabi impressed to throw up the lines of
Tel-el-Kebir could, in a few hours, have rendered the Canal
impassable to the transports conveying the troops.
When the difficulties of transport had been overcome,
and the force was massed at Kassassin, the critical moment
for proving his capacity had arrived for Lord Wolseley. He
had to decide by the light of insufficient information — for
he had no reliable intelligence of the real strength of the
army concentrated behind the lines in his front— the method
by which he was to assault the works — whether by shelling
them preparatory to an assault, by turning them, or by sur
prise. A doctrinaire general would have adopted the first
course, which would have prepared his enemy to give him
a warm reception, and might have ended in a failure. The
second method, even if successful, would have involved
tedious movements and the dispersion of his force, and
both courses would have been attended with a prolongation
of the campaign. The assault with the bayonet, delivered
as a surprise, was the course that alone remained, and its
adoption showed military genius of a high order, which was
not belied by the manner in which it was carried into execu
tion. No such feat has been performed in recent times,
except at Shenovo, when Skobeleff stormed the Turkish in
trenchments ; but that was after the capture of Plevna had
demoralized his enemy. In adopting this method of attack.
Lord Wolseley displayed the judgment which forms a correct
estimate of the resistance to be overcome, the self-reliance
which is wilHng to risk the chance of failure in order to

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

attain an adequate result, and the confidence in his troops
which induces a reciprocal feehng.
It was said by the Duke of Wellington that there were not
half a dozen generals in the British army who could march
a body of 10,000 men into and out of Hyde Park without
confusion ; and if this is so, few indeed are the generals in
ours or any other army who would undertake to march a
force of 14,000 men and 60 guns, forming a line nearly four
miles in length, for a distance of eight miles over the track
less desert, guided only by the glimmer of the stars. To per
form this operation so that, at the moment of attack, the
whole line should have taken up their assigned positions
with absolute accuracy, is a feat unprecedented in ancient or
modern warfare. With such judgment was the time for the
final rush selected, that had it been a few minutes earher it
would have been too dark, and had it been a few minutes
later the surprise would have failed ; while, as planned, the
exact moment was chosen when the assault could be de
livered with the smallest loss, the distance to be crossed
under fire was moderate, and the leaden hail mostly passed
over the heads of the stormers.
Again Lord Wolseley displayed his military genius,* -jvhich
in him is almost an instinct, in dividing his operations into
two distinct attacks, so that in the event of one failing, the
chance of the second succeeding would not be lessened.
Between the two attacks the artillery was massed ; on the
right flank was the whole of the cavalry, to profit by suc
cess or cover a retreat ; and on the left flank, south of the
Canal, marched the Indian Contingent, which moved one
hour and a half after the main body, in order that it might
* A writer of acknowledged originality and graphic power, Mr. Kinglake,
in his latest published (the seventh) volume of the ' Invasion of the Crimea,'
goes out of his way to compliment Lord Wolseley and his army for their
achievements in Egypt. The passage is as forcibly and picturesquely written
as anything from the pen of tlie author of ' Eothen.'

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. xi
press home its attack only in the event of success. Lord
Wolseley knew that if one of the attacking brigades could
establish a footing within the enemy's works, all would be
lost for the Egyptians ; and so it proved when the High
landers crossed the ditch and scaled the intrenchments.
It was the chief characteristic of Napoleon that he gave
no time to a beaten enemy to rally, but followed up a victory
with crushing effect. In this crucial test of a great general
Wolseley is not wanting. Having defeated the Egyptian army,
he gave no thought to his rear or transport — these had been
sufficiently provided for in the busy days since landing at
Ismailia ; but he directed his undivided attention to crush
ing the enemy in his front beyond the power ofhis again rally
ing, and seizing the strategic points, above all the capital,
menaced with the fate of Alexandria. Within forty-eight
hours of his victory, he had reaped the full fruits of that
surprising success. The country had been overrun, the
army dispersed, and, with the surrender of Cairo and of the
rebel leaders, the resistance to the authority of the Khedive
collapsed. Lord Wolseley has had to pay the penalty of greatness,
and cavillers have sought to detract from the credit due to
him for the uniform success he has achieved ; but since his
last surprising performance the voice of envy and detraction,
which, in former campaigns, attributed success to fortune, or
to his staff (who repudiated the honour), has been silent
under the unanimity with which foreign as well as home
critics have lauded the originality of his plans for the con
quest of Egypt, and the boldness and promptitude with
which he put them into execution. From a political point of
view the services he has rendered to his country by the
rapidity and completeness of his success can scarcely be
exaggerated, and will become more apparent with the
lapse of time. That trite phrase of Julius Csesar — Veni,

xii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
vidi, via — has never been more aptly applied than to the
conquest of Egypt by the British General. To have over
run and subdued in twenty-five days the country of the
Pharaohs and Ptolemies — the classic land that has witnessed
the glories of Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon — must be a
proud recollection to Lord Wolseley, to the brave army he
has led to victory, and to the country that gave them birth.
C. R. LOW.
Ken.sington, Jamiary, 1883.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

Some explanation appears necessary in publishing the
Biography of a man still living. On the 6th of May, 1874
immediately on the return of Sir Garnet Wolseley from
Ashantee, I commenced to write this Memoir of his military
services. The task was a difficult one, for Sir Garnet had
lost all his papers and journals. During the Indian Mutiny
they were stolen, and what remained to him were burnt
at the great fire at the Pantechnicon, where all his furniture
and effects were consumed. When, therefore, I applied to
him for assistance, he expressed his regret that he had no
private papers whatever in his possession, but consented to
give me all the information in his power. Thus, at numerous
interviews, whenever he had a spare hour from his duties at
the War Office, as head of the Auxiliary Forces, he told me
' The story of his life,
From year to year ; the battles, sieges, fortunes.
That he had passed.
He ran it through, even from his boyish days.
To the very moment that I bade him tell it. '
As I was not unfamiliar with the military events of the
wars in which he had participated, I was enabled to put to
him what lawyers call 'leading questions;' and these, as he
frequently owned to me, assisted a naturally retentive memory

xiv PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
in reviving his recollections of the past. In this story of an
eventful life, he ' Spoke of most disastrous chances,
Of moving accidents by flood and field ;
Of hair-breadth 'scapes i' the imminent deadly breach.
By correspondence and personal acquaintance with officers
of his Staff, and others who had served under his orders, I
learned anecdotes illustrative of traits of character, which
will lend an additional interest to the narrative. In this
manner the book was written, and Sir Garnet Wolseley, after
perusal, testified to its absolute veracity in a letter addressed
to me. The Memoir, especially the earlier portion, may,
therefore, almost be regarded as an Autobiography.
The Memoir was passed through a military magazine, but
it was not until early in the present year, when war with
Russia was imminent, and Sir Garnet was placed under
orders as Chief of the Staff to the Expeditionary Army, that
I decided to republish, in book form, the military experi
ences of an officer whose name was in everyone's mouth,
as that of a General of established reputation, from whom
great things were expected. The Press and periodicals of
the day were full of speculations as to his chances of success,
and the events of his past career, so far as they were known,
were eagerly discussed, thus showing the public interest in
him. I accordingly revised the work, and completed it up
to date, including an account of the Natal Mission, derived
fiom papers supplied by Sir Garnet Wolseley. However
well or ill, from a literary point of view, I may have acquitted
myself of the task, at least I may claim for the book the
merits of authenticity and completeness, and trust it may be
found interesting, as the hero's life has been a changeful
scene of adventure, such as falls to the lot of few men in
this prosaic age.
In writing of one still among us, it would be unseemly to

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

speak in the terms of eulogy warranted by the circumstances
ofhis career; but it is allowable to quote despatches and the
opinions of those who have served with him. As a young
officer, wherever the danger was greatest and the fire hottest,
there he was to be found. In Burmah he led two storming-
parties in one day, and was dangerously wounded at the
moment of victory. In the Crimea he was once so severely
wounded, that the surgeon passed him over for dead, and
he was twice slightly wounded, while he was, perhaps, oftener
in the trenches than any officer in the British army.
At the Relief of Lucknow he again led a storming-party ;
and, in the China Campaign, he was in the thick of the fire at
the capture of the Taku Forts. The bare enumeration of
the occasions on which he courted death and won ' the
bubble reputation,' shows that he was possessed in a con
spicuous degree of the first of military virtues. More admir
able than the fierce courage which inspires during the heat
of battle is the calm lofty spirit that retains its equanimity
when failure appears certain and all men despair of success.
That Sir Garnet Wolseley possesses this noblest of the
attributes of those who claim to be leaders of men, is testified
by those who served with him in the Red River and Ashantee
Expeditions. A distinguished officer assured us that when,
in the advance through the Canadian wilderness, everyone
resigned all hope of reaching Fort Garry, so many, and
seemingly insurmountable, were the natural obstacles, the
Commander alone retained his sanguine anticipations of
success, and nerved all hearts by his encouraging words and
example. The same we know was the case in the Ashantee
Campaign, when, at one time, it appeared that the task of
reaching Coomassie and returning to the coast within the
limited period available for hostilities, was an impossibility.
But his indomitable will surmounted all obstacles, and the
campaign was a brilliant success.

xvi PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
We are accustomed to applaud such acts of heroism
and devotion when told of the warriors of Greece and
Rome, but they are not less worthy of chronicle and
admiration when narrated of our fellow-countrymen and
contemporaries. Moreover, the narrative of deeds such as
we are about to recount is useful as an example_to the rising
generation of young Englishmen, who will learn that the age
of chivalry, notwithstanding Burke's magnificent lament, is
not yet over, but will last as long as there are brave hearts
to illustrate the page of our history, and generous instincts
to applaud them.
Sir Garnet Wolseley carries self-reliance almost to a fault,
if that is possible ; though the absolute confidence he inspires
in his Staff, who rally round him as he passes from one
triumph to another, willing tools in the hands of the master
workman, shows that it is founded on just appreciation of
his own powers. Swift to form his plans, he executes them
with unfaltering tenacity of will, and the correctness of his
judgment amounts almost to instinct.
C. R. LOW.
Chelsea, //((v, 1878.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER L
THE BURMESE WAR. PAGE
Introduction. — Parentage. — Early Life. — The Burmese War. — The Ad
vance on Myat-toon's Position. — Ensign Wolseley leads the Storming
Party on the 19th of March, 1853. — Is v/ounded. — Returns to Eng
land ...... .1
CHAPTER II.
THE CRIMEAN WAR.
The Crimean War. — Captain Wolseley proceeds to Sebastopol. — Work
in the Trenches. — The Bombardment of the 9th to the 17th of April.
— The Attack on the Quarries. — Gallant Services of Captain Wolseley.
—The Assault of the i8th of June.— The Third, Fourth, and Fifth
Bombardments of Sebastopol. — The Affair of the 30th of August. —
Captain Wolseley is severely wounded. — Service in the Quarter
master-General's Department. — Return to England . . .22
CHAPTER III
THE INDIAN MUTINY.
Captain Wolseley proceeds on Service to India. — Wrecked at Banca. —
Arrival at Calcutta. — Proceeds up-Country. — In Action near Cawn-
pore. — March to Alumbagh. — The Relief of Lucknow. — Wolseley
storms the Mess-house. — Occupies the Motee Mahul, and effects
Communication with the Residency of Lucknow. — The Defence of
Alumbagh. — Campaigning in Oude. — ^Actions at Baree and Nawab-
gunge. — Service on the Nepaul Frontier . . . .66

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.
THE CHINA WAR. PAGE
The Occupation of Chusan. — The Disembarkation at Peh-tang. — The
Action at Sinho. — The Capture of the Taku Forts. — The Advance on
Pekin. — Narrow Escape of Colonel Wolseley from Capture. — The
Looting of the Summer Palace and Surrender of Pekin. — Colonel
Wolseley's Visit to Japan and Mission to Nankin. — Retum to Eng
land ......... 119

CHAPTER V.
SERVICE IN CANADA.
The Trent Affair. — Colonel Wolseley embarks for Canada, and is em
ployed on Transport Duty. — His Visit to the Headquarters of
Generals Lee, Jackson, and Longstreet, and Impressions of the
Confederate Armies. — Colonel Wolseley's Services during the Fenian
Invasion in 1866 ....... 154

CHAPTER VI.
THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION.
The Red River Expedition. — The Organization of the Force, and Start
for Thunder Bay. — The Road thence to the Shebandowan Lake. —
Down the Lakes, and across the ' Portages' to Fort Frances. — Running
the Rapids of the Winnipeg River to Fort Alexander. — The Arrival
at Fort Garry.— Success of the Expedition. — Return of Sir Garnet
Wolseley to England ....... 185
CHAPTER VII.
THE ASHANTEE WAR.
Preparations for the War. — Arrival at Cape Coast. — Operations South
of the Prah. — The Action at Essaman. — Defence of Abrakrampa, and
Retreat ofthe Ashantees. — Illness of Sir Garnet Wolseley. — Prepara
tions for crossing the Prah. — The Advance into Ashantee. — Battle of
Amoaful. — Action at Ordahsu. — Capture of Coomassie. — Return to
Cape Coast.— The Treaty of Fommanah.— Sir Garnet Wolseley re
turns to England. — The Welcome Home .... 241

CONTENTS,

CHAPTER VIII.
THE NATAL MISSION. PAGE
Visit to the Cape. — Reception at Durban and Maritzburg. —Natal
Pohtics and Parties. — ^The Constitution Amendment Bill.— Triumph
of Sir Garnet Wolseley's Pohcy. — Progress through Natal. — Return
to England. — Is appointed High Commissioner and Commander-in-
Chief of Cyprus ........ 328
CHAPTER IX.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF CYPRUS.
Occupation of Cyprus by the British Troops. —Condition of the Island
and its Inhabitants. — The Reforms introduced by Sir Garnet
Wolseley. — His Opinion of the Healthiness of Cyprus. — Sir Garnet
Wolseley recasts the Administration of the Island. — Visit of some
Members ofthe British Government to Cyprus. — Sir Garnet Wolseley
and the War in Afghanistan. — Condition and Prospects of Cyprus. —
Sir Garnet Wolseley returns to England in May, 1879 . . 347
CHAPTER X.
SERVICES IN ZULULAND AND THE TRANSVAAL.
Sir Garnet Wolseley is appointed to the Chief Political and Military
Command in Natal and the Transvaal. — Arrival in Zululand. — Pur
suit and Capture of Cetewayo. — The Settlement of Zululand. — De
parture of Sir Garnet Wolseley for the Transvaal. — His Reception at
Pretoria and the other Towns of the Transvaal. — Declaration of
British Policy with respect to the Country, and its Effect on the Boers.
— The Campaign against Secocoeni. — Capture of the Chief's Strong
hold on the 28th November, 1879. — Sir Garnet Wolseley and the
Boers. — His Opimon on the Basuto Question. — Return to England of
Sir Garnet Wolseley ....... 361
CHAPTER XI.
THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN.
Sir Garnet Wolseley as Quartermaster-General.- Attends the German
Autumn Military Manoeuvres. — Is appointed Adjutant-General. —
Nomination of Sir Garnet Wolseley to the Command of the Expedi
tion to Egypt. — He proceeds to Alexandria.— Change of the Base of
Operations to Ismailia.— Transport Difficulties.— Advance of Sir

CONTENTS.

PAGE
Garnet from Ismailia.' — The Action at Tel-el-Mahuta. — Capture of
Mahsameh. — The Action at Kassassin of 28th August. — Preparations
for the final Advance. — The Action of the gth September. — The Night
March on the 12th September. — The Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. — The
Surrender of Cairo. —Operations of the Cavalry. — Sir Garnet Wolseley
in Cairo. — Return to England. — Conclusion .... 399

GENERAL
LORD WOLSELEY
(OF CAIRO),
G.C.B., G.C.M.G., D.C.L., LL.D.
CHAPTER I.
THE BURMESE "WA^R.
Introduction. — Parentage. — Early Life. — The Burmese War. — The Ad
vance on Myat-toon's Position. — Ensign Wolseley leads the Storming
Party on the 19th of March, 1853. — Is wounded. — Returns to England.
Lord Wolseley is one of the foremost and most trusted of
England's soldiers. In his conduct of the Ashantee and
Egyptian Expeditions he presented a rare combination of
dash and foresight, patience and energy, strategical skill and
administrative capacity. These pages will show that, alike
in the planning and execution of both these campaigns, he
took a just view of the difficulties to be encountered, and of
the time and measures necessary to overcome them.
But not only for the skill with which he conducted the
Ashantee and Egyptian Wars does Lord Wolseley merit the
thanks of his countrymen, and the commendation of mili
tary critics. He had seen much and varied service since he
entered the Army, and the galaxy of medals and stars he

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

wears on his breast, attests the fact that in every quarter of
the globe, and in every great and almost every ' little ' war
in which the British soldier has been engaged since his entry
into the Service, he has participated ; while the official records
of these campaigns and sieges show that he has always earned
the encomiums of his commanding officers and the thanks
of his Government.
Lord Wolseley served as a subaltern officer in the Bur
mese War of 1852-53, and showed in his 'first appear
ance ' on that stage where soldiers achieve distinction — the
field of battle — that he was made of the stuff of which
heroes are fashioned. Again, in the trenches before Sebas
topol, which ran with the blood of some of England's
bravest sons, he manifested, under the most trying circum
stances, a calm intrepidity which extorted the admiration of
all witnesses. He participated in some of the most striking
episodes of that terrible struggle known as the Indian
Mutiny, which, doubtless, future historians will regard as
exhibiting in their strongest light the patient endurance and
stubborn valour of the British soldier ; and again, the
orders and despatches of the General Commanding in the
China War of i860, show the estimation in which he was
regarded by his military superiors. In the Expeditions to
the Red River and the Gold Coast, when Lord Wolseley
was first entrusted with independent command, he mani
fested talents for organization and practical knowledge of
the art of war, as well as that peculiar aptitude for inspiring
confidence in those under his command which is among
the chief attributes of military genius. His successful con
duct of these arduous operations placed him in the foremost
rank of that small band of Generals from whom any Govern
ment, jealous only of the honour of its country, without any
regard to aristocratic connections or political claims, would
feel bound to select the Commander of an army, in the

PARENTAGE AND FAMILY.

event of political complications embroiling this country in
an European war.
Lord Wolseley is the eldest son of the late Major G. J.
Wolseley, of the 25th King's Own Borderers, and was born
at Golden Bridge House, County Dublin, on the 4th June,
1833- The family of Wolseley is one of the most ancient in the
county of Stafford, the manor of Wolseley having been in
their possession before the Conquest. Among their pro
genitors was Sewardus, Lord Wisele, fifth in descent from
whom was Robert, Lord of Wolseley in 1281 ; and Ralph,
another descendant, was a Baron ofthe Exchequer in the reign
of Edward IV. There are two baronetcies in the Wolseley
family. The senior title was among the first creations of
James I., and dates from the year 1628. Sir Charles Wolseley,
the second baronet, represented the county of Stafford in the
Parliaments of Charles I. and Charles II. ; he was also high
in favour with the Protector, and was a man of much con
sideration in those times. Richard Wolseley, a younger son
of the second EngUsh baronet, was a captain in the service
of King William IIL, and had three sons, the eldest of
whom, on the death of his uncle, succeeded as fifth baronet
to the English title and estates. Captain Wolseley devised
his Irish property to his youngest son, Richard, who, in
1744, was created a baronet of ' Mount Wolseley, Carlow,'
in Ireland. His eldest son, Sir Richard, succeeded to the
tide and estates; and the younger, WiUiam, Sir Garnet's
grandfather, entered the Army and became a captain in the
8th Hussars, in which regiment he served on the Continent.
Subsequently he retired from the Service, took holy orders,
and became Rector of Tullycorbet, County Monaghan.
Lord Wolseley is not the first of his family who has won
military fame; his ancestor, Colonel William Wolseley, having

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

greatly distinguished himself during the Irish war temp.
William III. This officer,* on the 29th of July, 1689, re
lieved the hardly pressed garrison of Enniskillen, defended
by General Gustavus Hamilton, and advancing with the
Enniskilleners, numbering about 3,000 men, defeated the
Irish army, 5,000 strong, with guns, commanded by Ma-
carthy (Lord Mountcashel) at Newtown Butler. In those
fanatical days ' The sword of the Lord and of Gideon ' was
the watchword alike among Protestants and Papists; no
quarter was given by the stout colonists of Ulster, and 1,500
of the enemy fell by the sword, and 500 were driven into
Lake Erne, where they perished miserably. Colonel Wolse
ley also commanded the Enniskillenersf at the ever memo
rable battle of the Boyne, on the ist of July, 1690, when the
star of King William, of 'pious, glorious, and immortal
memory,' rose in the ascendant, and that of his pusiUani-
mous rival, James II. , set for ever in defeat and ruin.
Lord Wolseley was educated at a day-school near DubUn,
and later had private tutors. As a boy he was remarkable
for his studious habits, and when a mere child had read all
* Lord Macaulay (see his ' History of England,' vol. iii. p. 242) writes
of Colonel Wolseley : ' Wolseley seems to have been in every respect well
qualified for his post. He was a staunch Protestant, had distinguished
himself among the Yorkshiremen who rose up for the Prince of Orange and
a free Parhament, and had, if he is not belied, proved his zeal for 'liberty
and true rehgion, by causing the Mayor of Scarborough, who had made a
speech in favour of King James, to be brought into the market-place and
well tossed there in a blanket. This vehement hatred of Popery was, in
the estimation of the men of Enniskillen, the first of all qualifications' of
command ; and Wolseley had other and more important quahfications.
Though himself regularly used to war, he seems to have had a pecuhar
aptitude for the management of irregular troops. '
t The EnniskiUeners commanded by Colonel Wolseley consisted of horse
and foot, and are now known as the 6th Dragoons and 27th Reo-iment
They were raised, respectively, by Colonel Cole (afterwards Earl of" Ennis
killen) and Gustavus Hamilton (son of Sir Frederick Hamilton one of the
Generals of Gustavus Adolphus, the great Protestant champion) who for
his great services as Governor of Enniskillen, at the Boyne, and tlie capture
of Athlone (which he effected by surprise), was raised to the peerao-e as
Baron Hamilton and Viscount Boyne. The author may perhaps be for
given for noting his own descent from this nobleman, with whom Wolselev's
ancestor was so closely associated, Richard, fourth Viscount Boyne beiiie
his great-grandfather. ' °

EARL Y LIFE. 5

the chief works on military history. It was always his own
wish and that of his parents that he should enter the mili
tary profession, and his name was put down for a com
mission when fourteen years of age. His predilection for
study was not confined to a liking for one branch of learn
ing, and he was remarkable for proficiency in mathematical
studies, and used regularly to go out four or five times a
week surveying and acquiring a knowledge of the art of
military engineering. He was also versed in fortification
and astronomical science, and exhibited his versatility by the
proficiency he acquired in such practical pursuits as car
pentering and the use of the lathe. His aptitude for mili
tary engineering and fortification, and the practical knowledge
he acquired of these sciences, as well as of the cognate
study of land-surveying, were of great service to him during
his career in the Crimea, where he performed the duties of
Assistant-Engineer during the siege of Sebastopol, and
afterwards when employed surveying in the Quartermaster-
General's Department. A high historical authority has said
that no ' commander-in-chief is fit for his post who is not
conversant with military engineering,' and certainly the
successes achieved by Lord Napier in Abyssinia, and Lord
Wolseley in the Red River and Ashantee campaigns, may
be greatly attributed to their practical knowledge of the
science of military engineering.
Lord Wolseley's military career commenced in March,
1852, when he was appointed Ensign in the Soth Regiment,
at that time engaged in the Second Burmese War. As re
inforcements were required for the regiment owing to the
great losses it had sustained by disease more than at the
hands of the enemy, he was ordered out from the depot to
the seat of war with a detachment of recruits. Ensign
Wolseley, therefore, had not been many months in the
Army before he left England on foreign service.

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

Since those early days in his career, the subject of this
memoir has voyaged over many seas, to China and India,
to America, the West Coast of Africa, Cyprus, Natal, and
Egypt ; but at this period of his life, the sea, -with all its
terrors and fascinations, was novel to him. This his first
voyage was made in a sailing-ship, steamers as transports
being at the time unknown, for the Hi7nalaya, the first of
the class, was yet in the ship-builder's yard. His experi
ences of this long voyage were therefore similar to those of
most of us who have voyaged to India by the Cape route in
a sailing-ship, and are well summed up by Lord Macaulay
in that passage in his biography of Warren Hastings
wherein he gives the monotony of the sea as the reason
for the first of the famous Viceroys of India doing any
thing so commonplace as falling in love with the Baroness
Imhoff. 'There are few people,' says the great essayist, 'who do not
find a voyage which has lasted several months insupportably
duU. Anything is welcome which may break that long
monotony — a sail, a shark, an albatross, a man overboard.
Most passengers find some resource in eating twice as many
meals as on land ; but the great devices for killing the time
are quarrelling and flirting.'
As regards our hero, he passed his time in neither
quarrelling nor flirting ; for as to quarrelling, though a very
fire-eater in the presence of the enemy, he was far from
being of a quarrelsome disposition ; and as to flirting, why
that was out of the question, for the sufficient reason that
there were no ladies to flirt with.
• Ensign Wolseley arrived in Burmah at a time when the
almost unbroken series of successes achieved by the British
land and sea forces was dimmed by a sad disaster  the
failure at Donabew, which necessitated retributive opera
tions, in which Mr. Wolseley first exhibited those soldierly

ARRIVAL IN BURMAH.

qualities which have made his name renowned in our mili
tary annals.
A noted Burmese leader, Myat-toon by name — whom it
was the fashion of despatch-writers to style a ' robber-chief
tain,' though his countrymen doubtless regarded him as a
self-sacrificing patriot — having established himself near
Donabew, a force of 272 seamen and marines and 300
Sepoys, under Captain Loch, C.B., of H.M.S. Winchester,
was despatched against him. On the 3rd of February,
1853, the column marched through fifteen miles of jungle,
and on the following morning, after advancing five miles,
came to a deep and broad nullah, from the opposite bank of
which the enemy, concealed behind a breastwork, opened a
heavy musketry fire. Captain Loch made repeated but un
availing efforts to cross the creek, and received a mortal
wound; at length, when Mr. Kennedy, First Lieutenant of the
Fox, and many brave men had fallen, the force retired, and
after a fatiguing march of twelve hours, reached Donabew.
General Godwin and the whole army were eager to wipe
out the stain of this disaster, and to that able soldier, the
late Brigadier-General Sir John Cheape, of the Bengal
Engineers (the same distinguished corps that has produced
Lord Napier of Magdala), was entrusted the arduous task.
Every European soldier that could be spared from Rangoon
or elsewhere was hurried up to Prome, and Ensign Wolse
ley, who had arrived in November with a detachment of
about 200 men of his regiment, chiefly recruits, found him
self under orders to embark from Rangoon. On the i8th
of February, previous to Wolseley's arrival at Prome, Sir
John Cheape had left that place, with 800 men, for the pur
pose of attacking Myat-toon's stronghold ; and four days later
quitted Henzadah,~on the Irrawaddy, some thirty-five miles
north of Donabew, and began the march inland, but owing
to defective information, and a failure of supplies, he was

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

obliged to fall back on the river, and reached Zooloom on
the 28th of February. Thence, on the foUowing day, the
greater part of the force moved to Donabew, where they
were joined, on the 6th of March, by reinforcements, in
cluding 130 men of the 80th Regiment, under the command
of Major Holdich,* with whom was Ensign Wolseley.
Again, on the 7th of March, the Brigadier-General started
to beat up the quarters of Myat-toon, who had shown him
self the most redoubtable of all the leaders of the ' Golden
Foot,' as the monarch of Burmah styled himself. The
British force consisted of about 600 Europeans and 600
natives, 2 guns, 3 rocket-tubes, and 2 mortars, with a de
tachment of Ramghur Horse, and 70 Sappers. Being now
assured that three days' march would bring them in front of
Myattoon's stronghold. General Cheape started at two p.m.,
on the 7th, taking seven days' provisions with him, but with
out tents.
About five p.m. the column reached the bank of a broad
nullah ; at least 130 yards wide, seven miles distant from
Donabew. Here the enemy opened a fire of jingals and
musketry, and Ensign Wolseley first smelt powder in
earnest. The guns having silenced the enemy, the troops
passed the night behind a belt of jungle parallel with the
nullah ; and rafts having been put together by the Sappers,
the following day was occupied in passing across the guns and
baggage, which operation was not concluded tUl late at
night. The force marched on the 9th, but, about noon, it
was said they were on the wrong road ; the guide was ac
cordingly flogged, sent to the rear, and another one called
up to take his place. The new guide turned to the left,
and, after a most tedious round, under a glaring sun, brought
the wearied troops back to the identical spot from which
they had started. After a halt of two hours, the column
* Now General Sir Edward A. Holdich, K.C.B.

MARCH ON MYAT-TOON'S POSITION. 9
marched to a nullah at Kyomtano, where they encamped.
During the night the Burmese showed themselves from the
jungles on the left, but the guns opening on them, they
soon disappeared; they then came down under cover of
the fog, and fired into the camp at a point where the nullah
was about fifty yards wide. On the following morning a
bridge was extemporized by connecting the rafts with planks,
and the troops and baggage were passed across.
On the nth, the force started at the usual hour (nine
a.m.), and everyone expected to reach Myat-toon's position
that day. During the march the rear-guard was attacked.
The road lay through a thick forest, where the Burmese
had only to throw down a tree or two with their usual skill
in such matters in order to require a new road to be cut
round the obstacle. As they had done this in several places,
there was very hard work, and the advance was tedious.
Shortly after entering the forest, a small breastwork was
taken, and at length, as the ArtiUery horses were staggering
in their harness, the General determined to encamp near
some water. Cholera made its first appearance in camp
this night.
Myat-toon's position was said to be only two miles to the
left, but no reliable information could be gained of the road
through the jungle. As provisions were failing, it was
thought prudent to return to Kyomtano, about nine miles
from Donabew. On the 13th March, all the hackeries (as
also the sick and wounded) went into Donabew for pro
visions, and, on the i6th, returned with ten or twelve days'
rations. It would be hard to exaggerate the difficulties and
obstacles encountered on this march. When the small
force had, with infinite toil, and suffering severe privations
owing to the intense heat and want of water, commenced
to close in towards Myat-toon's stronghold, it was found

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

that the approaches had to be made through a dense forest,
or thick jungle and heavy brushwood, through which it was
necessary to cut every inch of the paths along which the
hackeries (or bullock-carts), the guns, and the troops had
to pass. This dangerous and fatiguing duty had to be
performed under a hot sun, for throughout the entire time
occupied by the operations, it was impossible to march until
nine a.m., on account of dense fogs, which rose about two
in the morning, and wet the men's clothes as effectually as
rain, and as there was no such luxury as a change of linen
in the camp, the clothes had to be dried on their wearers'
backs, only to be drenched again on the succeeding night.
There was not a single tent with the force, and the men
bivouacked in the fog aiid dew all night, and marched and
fought under the tropical sun all day. But all was of no
avail, and owing to the unwillingness or treachery of his
guides and the failure of provisions, Sir John Cheape was
compelled to retrace his steps to Kyomtano. The heat
and hardships the troops had endured during this trying
march, induced fever, dysentery, and, worse than all,
cholera; 13 succumbed in one day, and over 80 perished
from this fell disease, which is the invariable accompani
ment of Indian campaigns in which the troops are much
exposed. While halting at Kyomtano, Sir John Cheape ascertained
that the jungle to the westward was quite impenetrable, and
that there were only two routes to the position occupied by
Myat-toon at Kyoukazeen, one to the southward, and the
other to the northward by Nayoung-Goun. As there was
no choice between these routes as regarded distance, and
the same obstacles and opposition were to be anticipated,
Sir John resolved to adopt the northerly route.
As Sir John Cheape considered it desirable to give the
enemy as little time as possible to strengthen his almost im-

AN ARDUOUS MARCH.

pregnable works, he directed Major Wigston,* of the i8th
Royal Irish, to occupy a position of importance some three
miles in advance, so as to enable the main force to move
early on the following morning. Major Wigston accordingly
marched at two p.m., on the 17th of March, with the right
wing, consisting of 9 officers and 200 men ofthe i8th Royal
Irish, 3 officers (including Ensign Wolseley) and 130 men of
the 80th Regiment, 3 officers and 190 men ofthe 4th Sikhs,
and 33 Madras Sappers. A breastwork in the forest was
carried in good style by the i8th Royal Irish, who were
leading, supported by the Sikhs, and the column bivouacked
here for the night, and was undisturbed.
Sir John Cheape moved early on the morning of the i8th,
with the left wing, consisting of 6 officers and 200 men of
the 51st Light Infantry, and 8 officers and 380 men of the
67th Bengal Native Infantry, followed by the guns — the
entire forcef carrying seven days' provisions.
After going about two miles through the forest, and passing
breastworks from which only an occasional shot was fired,
the guides, instead of proceeding farther by the road which
had been followed on the nth, turned sharp off to the left,
along a path bristling with obstructions and felled trees, so
that it occupied two hours to perform the distance of one
mile. As they drew nearer to Myat-toon's stronghold, it was
found that his dispositions for defence exhibited considerable
skill, and were admirably adapted to the nature of his posi
tion. The entire country, or rather forest, was defended
with strong works, such as stockades, abattis, stakes or fences,
according as the nature of -the ground seemed to require,
while the presence of the enemy was constantly made appa
rent by a straggling and worrying fire on every side.
* The late Colonel Wigston, who died in September, 18S2.
¦)¦ The total force engaged was 605 Europeans and 22 officers ; 608 Sepoys
and 12 ofiicers.

12 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
They had not proceeded more than a mile from their mid
day halting-place when a sharp fire opened from the left ;
but the troops, advancing with great gallantry, carried a
breastwork. In this affair Ensign Boileau, of the 67th
Native Infantry, was killed, but the enemy suffered severely,
though, unfortunately, Myat-toon, who commanded in person,
effected his escape to his main position about midway
between the Bassein river and the Irrawaddy.
Sir John Cheape lost no time in foUowing up the enemy ;
but, after proceeding along the road for about a mile, thought
it advisable to halt at a piece of water, the surrounding
jungle being reported as full of Burmese. At eight p.m.
the General fired three rockets as a signal to Commander
Rennie, I.N., who, with 80 blue-jackets from his ship, the
Honourable Company's steam-frigate Zenobia, and Captain
Fytche, with his Native levies, was acting in co-operation
in the neighbourhood. The rockets were repUed to by
guns. All that night cholera raged in the camp, and the
position of affairs looked very gloomy.
At seven a.m. of the 19th of March the force moved, the
right wing leading, with the Soth as the advance-guard,
followed by the Sappers clearing the road ; the left wing
being in rear of the Artillery This eventful day was not to
close without some warm work, in which young Wolseley
was destined to play a prominent part. In his life had
arrived that most critical and anxious time for which every
soldier yearns— the hour had struck in which he was to
receive his ' baptism of fire.' Every man who has worn a
sword knows full well how many gaUant hearts there are in
both Services, who have prayed for this most honourable
opportunity, but have been denied the distinction they
would have earned had a hard fate been more propitious.
In his incomparable ' Elegy,' Gray sings how
' Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed,'

THE STORMING PARTY.

are bent only on the plough in the painful struggle, continued
day by day, to gain a bare subsistence. So, in some remote
country town or cheap watering-place, may be seen gallant
gentlemen on the Half-Pay or Retired List, who drag out
their remaining years in obscurity, 'unhonoured,' as far as
medals and decorations go, and ' unsung ' by the Muse of
History, but who, had they been born under a luckier star,
would have been immortalized in history as the possessors of
qualities that we recognise in a Napoleon, a Wellington, and
a Lee. If Ensign Wolseley was fortunate in the circumstances of
his military career, it is equally certain that he never missed
an opportunity. Whenever a chance offered , for earning
distinction, he eagerly grasped at it, and — being blessed
with a sound constitution and an equable temperament, the
7nens sana in corpore sano, so much lauded by the Roman
poet — was enabled to pass with unbroken health through the
hardships of campaigns conducted in the most deadly
climates of the world, and to return to duty after receiving
severe wounds.
A storming-party was told off, consisting of the Soth Regi
ment, supported by the iSth Royal Irish and the 4th Sikhs.
On coming opposite the enemy's left flank, the firing com
menced, and the rockets were advanced and opened fire.
The Sappers worked away at the path, which was much en
tangled with wood, and the guns were shortly got into position
and opened fire. Then the storming-party advanced,
but were met by so heavy a fire that both the senior officers,
Majors Wigston and Armstrong, and many men, were
wounded. ' On reaching the front,' says the General in his
despatch, ' I found that Major Armstrong was also wounded,
as well as many other officers and men, and that the fire of
the enemy on the path leading up to the breastwork was so
heavy, that our advanced party had not succeeded in carry-

14 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
ing it ; the most strenuous exertions were made, and Lieu
tenant Johnson,* the only remaining officer of the 4th Sikh
Local Regiment, persevered most bravely, but it only in
creased the loss. The Soth and Sikhs then went on in the
hope of getting round the extreme right of the enemy. The
jungle, however, was so thick, and the abattis so strong, that
our men got dispersed, and could not get through it.'
Ensign Wolseley's personal share in this first effort to
storm the enemy's works was cut short, doubtless fortunately
for himself, by an accident. He speaks with admiration of
his associate in the perilous honour of leading the stormers,
young Allen Johnson of the 4th Sikhs. He himself being
well in advance of his men, had reached within twenty yards
of the breastwork, when, suddenly, the earth gave way under
him, and he found himself precipitated into a covered pit
(technically known as a trou de loup), having pointed stakes
at the bottom, with which, among other obstructions, the
Burmese had studded the narrow entrance to their position.
When his men were beaten back, he was in great danger of
being killed by the enemy ; but after a time he managed to
rejoin the detachment, which had fallen back and got scat
tered. The task allotted to the Soth was certainly a very
trying one for a body of rnen consisting almost entirely of
recruits who had never before been under fire ; to carry an
almost inaccessible position, held by a numerous and in
visible enemy, was a duty that was calculated to put to the
test the steadiness of veteran soldiers.
The General now determined to try the iSth Royal Irish,
but the fire of musketry and grape was so heavy, that they
also feU back having sustained loss, including Lieutenant
Cockburn,t who was wounded. Although it was difficult,
from the dense smoke, and under so heavy a fire, to discern
* Now Major-General Allen Johnson, C.B., Military Secretary to the
Secretary of State for India.
t This gallant young officer died shortly after of his wound.

WOLSELEY IS WOUNDED. 15
exactly what lay between the assailants and the breastwork,
the General — who was now joined by Major Holdich, of the
Soth, who succeeded to the command of the right wing on
Major Wigston being wounded — at length ascertained that
there was no water, and no obstacle that could not be easUy
surmounted, if only the troops could pass through the
enemy's fire, a distance of some thirty yards. The ' assembly '
was, accordingly, sounded, with a view of getting together as
many men of the right wing as could be collected.
In the meantime, Major Reid, of the Bengal Artillery,
brought up, in the most gallant manner, his 24-pounder
howitzer, which was dragged through the bushes by
hand (chiefly by volunteers from the 51st Regiment), and
opened with canister within 25 yards of the enemy, with
deadly effect. The gun was, however, in a much ex
posed position, and Major Reid was almost immediately
wounded, upon which the command devolved upon Lieu
tenant Ashe, who kept up the fire with spirit.
' Finding,' says the General, ' the right wing much
weakened from the loss they had sustained, and the number
of men it was necessary to employ as skirmishers on the
banks of the nullah for the purpose of keeping down the
enemy's fire, I ordered a reinforcement from the left wing ;
they were joined by the men of the right wing that had been
collected by Major Holdich, and who were led by Ensign
Wolseley, and the whole advanced in a manner that nothing
could check. The fire was severe, and I am grieved to say
that gaUant young officer. Lieutenant Taylor, gth Madras
Native Infantry, doing duty with H.M.'s 51st Light Infantry,
fell mortally wounded. Ensign Wolseley, H.M.'s Soth
Regiment, was also struck down, as well as many other
gallant soldiers ; but the breastwork was at once carried ;
and the enemy fled in confusion, the few who stood being
shot or bayoneted on the entrance of our men.'

1 6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
In this second attempt to storm the enemy's position,
which ended in a complete and glorious success, the chief
honours were borne off by Lieutenant Taylor, who feU a
sacrifice to his gallantry, and Ensign Wolseley, who nearly
shared a like fate, though, happily for his country, a merciful
Providence bore him through that terrible fire to increase
his renown on many battlefields. Taylor led the men of
the 51st, and when Major Holdich called for volunteers from
his own regiment, Wolseley immediately responded, and,
though much shaken by his accident, offered to lead the
storming-party. In a few minutes he had hastily collected
such of his men as were within call, and was ready for a
second attempt. The two young officers, without a moment's
hesitation, made a rush up the path leading over the breast
work, which was so narrow that but two men could advance
together. Almost at the same moment, while well in ad
vance of their men, and racing for the honour of being first
in the enemy's works, they were both shot down, and, strange
to say, were wounded exactly in the same spot. A large iron
jingal ball struck Wolseley on the left thigh, tearing away
the muscles and surrounding flesh. Feeling the blood
flowing from the wound, with great presence of mind he
pressed his fingers on the veins, and so slightly staunched
the bleeding. Fortunately, in his case, the artery, which was
laid bare, was not severed, whereas with poor Taylor the
artery had been cut, and so he bled to death in a few
minutes before assistance could come.
As Wolseley lay helpless on his back, he, with unabated
resolution, waved his sword, and cheered on his men, and
though some of them offered to carry him to the rear, he
refused, and lay there until the position was gained by the
gallant feUows, who emulated the example of their youthful
leader.* ' I
* Speaking of his own men, Wolseley says that, after he received his I
wound, Sergeant-Major Quin greatly distinguished himself by the intrepid

RESULTS OF THE VICTORY. 17
Mr. Wolseley received the most prompt attention at the
hands of Assistant-Surgeon Murphy, who immediately ap
plied a tourniquet to the wound, and to his skill and care
he attributes, under Providence, his recovery. For six
months he had a soldier in constant attendance upon him,
as there was great danger of his bleeding to death. During
all that time his constitutional strength was severely taxed,
owing to the suppuration, which was constant and profuse,
and he was given to understand that his condition was one
of grave anxiety, for had the sloughing extended to the
artery, which was much apprehended, nothing could have
saved his life. But, thanks to a sound constitution, unim
paired by youthful excesses or hard living, he gradually
gained strength, and though he had to use crutches for
some time after his arrival in England, no permanent injury
was sustained either to his general health or to the limb
affected. In the captured works were found the 2 guns which fell
into the enemy's hands on the 4th of the previous month.
They had been well served to the last, and in attempting to
carry off one of them, 12 Burmese were killed by a well-
directed discharge from a nine-pounder gun. The enemy sus
tained heavy loss in killed and wounded. His whole force
and means were concentrated in this position, and the
General was of opinion that he must have had about 4,000
men in the breastworks, which extended some 1,200 yards
in length. Myat-toon, the Burmese leader, escaped with
manner in which he led the detachment. This gallant soldier, who after
wards served in the 78th Highlanders, was offered a commission for his
bravery on this occasion, which, however, he declined. The General wrote
in his despatch : ' Lieutenant Trevor, of the Engineers, with Corporal
Livingstone, and Private Preston, of the sist Light Infantry, first entered
the enemy's breastwork, the two former each sliooting down one of the
enemy opposing their entrance. The lead devolved on them and on Ser
geant Preston, of the 51st, and Sergeant-Major Quin, of the 8oth, when
Lieutenant Taylor, Ensign Wolseley, and Colour-Sergeant Donahoe fell in
the advance.' 2

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

about 200 followers. Owing to the assistance of Captains
Tarleton, R.N., and Rennie, I.N., by one p.m. ofthe 21st, a
sufficient number of boats was ready in the nullah for the
conveyance of the artillery, and the sick and wounded,
Ensign Wolseley being of the party. The whole were
shipped on board the steamer on the following morning,
and arrived at Donabew the same day. Mr. Wolseley, with
all the bad cases of the sick and wounded, was then tran
shipped to the Phlegethon, which was despatched to
Rangoon. On the evening of the 24th of March, the whole force
had arrived at Donabew, and thus ended the last service of
importance of the Burmese War. The loss in killed and
wounded during the operations, between the 27th of Feb
ruary and the 19th of March, was 2 European officers*
kiUed, and 1 2 wounded ; i Native officer killed, and i
wounded ; 1 8 non-commissioned officers and rank and file
kiUed, and 93 wounded. Of these casualties, 11 were
kiUed, and 9 officers and 75 men were wounded, in the
action of the 19th of March, when the fire was pronounced
by Sir John Cheape— a veteran who had conducted the
engineering operations at the second siege of Mooltan in
1849, and was present at the 'crowning mercy' of Goojerat
—to be 'the most gaUing he had ever seen.' Myat-toon,
styled a robber, and for whose head a reward of 1,000 rupees
was offered, though he asserted that he had a commission
from his sovereign, displayed military capacity of a high
order in the choice of his position, the manner in which he
• The following were the officers killed and wounded -—Killed • Lieu
tenant , Taylor, 9th M.N.I. ; Ensign Boileau, 67th B.N I Woinded -
Bengal Artillery, Major Reid, severely. Madras Artillery Lieutenant
Magrath, slightly. Bengal Engineers, Lieutenant Trevor, slightly i8th
Royal Irish, Major Wigston, severely; Lieutenant Cockburn mortally
and Lieutenant Woodwright, slightly. Soth Regiment, Lieutenant Wil
kinson, severely; Ensign Wolseley, severely; and Assistant - Surgeon
Murphy, shghtly. 67th B.N. I., Lieutenant Clarke, severely ith stkhs
Major Armstrong, severely ; and Lieutenant RawUns, severely.

ANECDOTES OF WOLSELEY. 19
Strengthened it, and the resolution with which he withstood
the assaults of a disciplined force with guns. He inflicted
on the first Expedition the severest check and the heaviest
loss we had experienced throughout the war, and was not
routed by Sir John Cheape without heavy loss, and then
confessedly only by a final desperate effort. Though the
arena of the encounter was in a remote jungle, where
special correspondents, unknown in those days, had not
penetrated, it is certain that British gallantry has not often
received a brighter illustration than in the stubborn efforts,
at length crowned with victory, made by that handful of
soldiers.* This service, which was the last performed by Sir John
Cheape, was also the first seen by young Wolseley, who re
ceived here a scar which he wUl carry to his grave, the first
of those honourable mementoes of valour and patriotism.
It was a service that merited the Victoria Cross ; and had
the order ' For Valour ' been instituted in those days, most
surely Ensign Wolseley would have added the magic letters
V.C, to the numerous other distinctions he is entitled to
bear. An officer of the Soth Regiment, who, at the forcing of
Myat-toon's position, received a severe wound in the arm,
gives some interesting anecdotes of our hero at this time.
When Mr. Wolseley accompanied his regiment from
Rangoon to take part in the operations against Myat-toon, a
soldier, who was bathing with some comrades in the Irra
waddy, was carried away by the current. Seeing the man
* The Burmese War cost the Indian Government two millions of money.
and the great sacrifice of life was a high price to pay even for the fertile
province of Pegu. Between January, 1852, and May, 1B53, 54 officers and
i^i3S3 European soldiers, and 2,000 Sepoys died from the effects of climate
and disease alone, exclusive of the large number who fell in action during
the military operations. The military and naval forces engaged in Burmah
received a medal and six months' batta, together with some prize-money,
which was not distributed until ten years later.

20 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
in imminent danger of drowning, young Wolseley plunged
into the stream, which ran with great velocity, but, notwith
standing all his exertions, the unfortunate soldier perished.
In the severe fighting on the 19th of March, Ensign
Wolseley, says his brother officer, seeing his men hang back,
headed the advance-guard, which consisted of only 3 or 4
men ; it was then that he fell into the pit as mentioned in
the preceding chapter, and to this circumstance he doubtless
owed his preservation from death. After Wolseley made
his retreat under a hot fire, and returned to his regiment,
his brother officer was severely wounded in the arm ; and
Wolseley bound up the wound, and attended him when,
owing to the heat of the sun and loss of blood, he became
faint. When Wolseley, in company with Taylor, headed
the second storming-party, and received his severe wound
in the leg, the officer in question, who had lent him the
only shirt he had besides the one on his back, merifally
ejaculated, ' There goes my change of linen 1' for he never
expected to see any more of either his friend or his garment,
a loss almost equally to be deplored in a campaign when
an officer's kit consisted of Uttle more than the towel and
bit of soap considered sufficient by Sir Charles Napier.
Wolseley and his friend, with the other wounded, remained
aU night in the stockade, and, on the foUowing morning, were
put into a canoe and escorted down the river to a place of
safety. The sailors prematurely set fire to the stockade,
and Sir John Cheape and others narrowly escaped death.
It was owing to his remembrance of this circumstance that
our hero, during his Ashantee campaign, issued an order
that no stockades or other entrenchments were to be fired
before instructions had been given by himself, or some
other responsible authority.
As it was apparent, on Ensign Wolseley's arrival at Ran
goon, that his wound was of so serious a nature as to render

WOLSELEY'S ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. 21
his return home necessary, in May he embarked for England
in the lady Joceyln, steamer. The voyage home was per
formed without any noteworthy incident, beyond the cir
cumstance that, during the four months of the passage, he
suffered greatly from his wound, and was only convalescent
and out of danger shortly before his arrival in England.
Though his absence from his native land had been brief, it
had been eventful, and on being released from a long period
of confinement and suffering, and treading once more the
turf of old England, his feelings were not inaptly described
in Wordsworth's Unes : —
' 'Tis joy enough and pride
For one hour's perfect bliss, to tread the grass
Of England once again !'
In the autumn of 1853, Ensign Wolseley proceeded to Dublin
to stay with his family, and, on having sufficiently recovered
his health, went to Paris, accompanied by a brother officer.
He did not rejoin his old regiment, but was posted to a
lieutenancy, without purchase, in the 90th Light Infantry,
with which his name and fame are identified, although the
officers of the Soth have cause to remember with pride that
he made his debiit in the arena of arms in their regiment.

CHAPTER IL
THE CRIMEAN WAR.
The Crimean War.— Captain Wolseley proceeds to Sebastopol.— Work in
the Trenches.— The Bombardment ofthe gth to the 17th of April.— The
Attack on the Quarries. — Gallant Services of Captain Wolseley. — The
Assault of the 18th of June.— The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Bombard
ments of Sebastopol. — The Affair of the 30th of August. — Captain
Wolseley is severely Wounded. — Service in the Quartermaster -General's
Department. — Retum to England.
The winter of 1853 was a momentous period. Already
were audible the distant mutterings of the storm brewing
on the Turkish frontier, which was destined soon to break
over Europe, and deluge a remote corner of the Continent
with the blood of the bravest of three great Powers.
It was the eve of the Crimean War, a memorable contest
in which was broken the spell of a forty years' peace, and
which was destined to be the precursor of an era of conflict,
which there is too much reason to fear has not yet been
closed. Within the quarter of a century since passed, how
many and vast have been the changes that have occurred
and how stupendous the conflicts we have witnessed ! An
Empire has been founded, and a petty Kingdom has risen
to the rank of a great Power ; our ally of Crimean days,
whose boast it was that Europe could only be at peace when
she was satisfied, has expelled from her soil the dynasty of
her mightiest soldier, and, after having drunk at the hands
of her ancient foe of the bitter cup of defeat, spoliation
and dismemberment, which she undertookj ' with a light

THE CRIMEAN WAR.

heart,' to force upon her neighbour, has risen Phoenix
like from her ashes, under the aegis of the same form of
government which produced a Hoche and a Dumouriez
to lead her armies to victory.
The combined British and French Expedition saUed from
Varna on the 3rd of September, 1S54, and landed, without
meeting any opposition, at Old Fort, near Eupatoria, on the
14th of that month. The troops at this time numbered
58,000 men, of whom 25,000 were EngUsh. The latter
were under the orders of Lord Raglan, a tried veteran who
had won the good opinion of his former chief, Wellington ;
and our Allies were commanded by Marshal St. Arnaud,
who, dying soon after the Alma, gave place to General
Canrobert. The fleet of war-ships and transports formed
the most mighty Armada the world had seen ; but, on the
element where Briton and Gaul had so often fiercely con
tended, there was none to oppose them, and the laurels won
by our sailors were gained on shore in the trenches before
Sebastopol, or at the bombardments of Kertch and Kinburn.
On the 19th of September, the AUied Army quitted their
encampment at Kalamita Bay, and, after a weary march,
bivouacked on the right bank of the Bulganak. That night
many brave men slept their last sleep, for, ere the morrow's
sun had set, was fought and won the victory of the Alma.
Six days later Balaklava surrendered after the memorable
and much-discussed flank march, and the siege of Sebastopol
was undertaken.
On the I oth of October, the first paraUel, about 1,000
yards in extent, was traced at a distance of 1,350 yards from
the Russian works; and on the 17th of October, the whole
of the French and EngUsh batteries, the latter mounting
73 guns and mortars, assisted by the fleet, commenced
to bombard the Russian works. At this time the Mala-
khoff had been reduced to a ruin, and the Redan was

24 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
completely silenced, but unfortunately, although the troops
were told off to storm, the attempt was not made. With
wonderful energy and resource, the Russians repaired and
strengthened their works, and, in a few days, possessed an
artiUery fully double that of the Allies.
On the 25 th of October was fought the Batde of Bala
klava, and, on the 5th of November took place the desperate
struggle at Inkerman, the 'soldiers' battle' as it was caUed
As it was now apparent that the siege would be prolonged,
probably throughout the winter, preparations were made to
withstand the onslaught of enemies far more dreaded than
the Muscovite. Cold, the bitter cold of an almost Arctic
winter, attacked the soldier without, while disease, the result
of privation, gnawed at his vitals.
After the Battle of Inkermam, Lord Raglan made urgent
requests for reinforcements to fill up the gaps caused by that
sanguinary struggle and the demands of the siege. At this
time that gallant soldier and ex-Governor-General of India,
Viscount Hardinge, was Commander-in-Chief, and his Lord
ship had determined very wisely to abolish an exemption
enjoyed by Light Infantry Regiments and the Rifle Brigade,
by which they were relieved from service in the East. The
52nd and 43rd had gone out to India, and the 90th were
warned for service there in the following year. However,
Lord Raglan's demand for every soldier that could be
spared, shook the expressed determination of the Horse
Guards' Chief that the 90th should go nowhere, not even
to the Crimea, until they had first served in India ; and,
yielding to the inevitable, that regiment, then quartered in
Dublin, was ordered to embark forthwith for the seat of
war. Lieutenant Wolseley was so disgusted by the pro
hibitory order regarding service in the Crimea, that he and
a brother officer, Captain Barnston, had made all arrange
ments to exchange into a corps before Sebastopol, when the

WOLSELEY PROCEEDS TO THE CRIMEA. 25
orders arrived for immediate embarkation. He describes
how they were at church when the Colonel received tele
graphic news of Inkerman, accompanied by the peremptory
orders of the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief. And so
our hero, who had by this time quite recovered from his
wound, was again placed in a position to win that distinction
for which every soldier sighs.
The regiment sailed from Dublin on the 19th of Novem
ber, 1854, and, landing at Balaklava on the 4th of December,
immediately proceeded to the front. The first object that
greeted Wolseley's eyes as he stepped out of the boat on to
the inhospitable shores of the Crimea, was a firelock which
lay half in and half out of the water. Lifting it up, he found
it marked 'G Company,' and identified it as one of the
Minife rifles that lately belonged to his own company. In
those days when ' Brown Bess,' with her well-known pro
clivity of ' shooting round corners,' was the arm with which
the British soldier was marshalled for battle, only a small
portion, about twenty men of each company, were supplied
with the Minib rifles ; and, as the demand for these weapons
during the Crimean War was greater than the supply, the
90th gave up their rifles, and placed their trust once more
in 'Brown Bess.' Probably this arose from their being
destined for India, where, we suppose, our experiences
during the Afghan War had failed to teach the authorities
how infinitely superior was the native ' juzaU ' to that anti
quated, but, in the eyes of martinets of the old school,
infallible weapon. The 90th, accordingly, landed at Bala
klava armed with the musket, and, on the following day,
marched down to the trenches.
The mismanagement which was so conspicuous in almost
every military department, was apparent at this early stage
of the Crimean experiences of the 90th Regiment.
The distance from Balaklava, the base of operations, to

26 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the camps by way of the Col de Balaklava — which was the
road we were forced to adopt in preference to the Woronzoff
Road, after the Russians occupied the Turkish redoubts on
the 25th of October — was about nine mUes, and, until the
construction of a tramway, the road was quite unformed,
and without any metalling. The traffic was stated to be
equal to that along Piccadilly, but yet to form and mac
adamize such a road, the working-party consisted at first of
400, and subsequently only of 150 sickly Turks, some of
them too weak even to dig, and none working more than
four hours a day. Besides the difficulty of procuring
labour, the road itself passed through a rich alluvial soU,
while the stones, which were only procurable about three-
quarters of a mile distant, had to be carried by manual
labour, the transport being insufficient to supply the troops
with provisions. Such was the road along which the 90th
Regiment marched when proceeding to the front, and such
their first experience of service before Sebastopol.
Their arrival, and that of other reinforcements, must have
been haUed with joy by the troops investing this fortress, if
that could be caUed an investment in which the enemy
were in a position to receive reinforcements, while almost
surrounding the position of the Allies and blockading the
base of supplies at Balaklava.* Before the landing of these
reinforcements, the French Army mustered 39,450 men,
while the British, who held an extent of ground, including
the right and left attacks, of nine miles, numbered about
22,369 effectives, there being no less than 10,090 sick on
the 30th of November, 1S54. When we contrast the
numerical inferiority of the Allies with the strength of the
Russians, we cannot but be filled with admiration at the
constancy and courage that animated every man, from Can-
* In the last days of December, the Russians withdrew from the valley of
the Tchernaya, and abandoned the old Turkish redoubts, concentratin"-
their troops in Sebastopol. ' "

ARRIVAL BEFORE SEBASTOPOL. " 27
robert and Raglan to the drummer and private in the ranks.
Prince Menschikoff had under his orders, after the arrival
of the 4th Corps d'Arm^e and other reinforcements, an
army of 82,000 men, and though, according to what Fluellen
would call ' the true disciplines of the wars,' the investing
force should be double or treble that of the besieged, the
latter was more numerous, and possessed a more powerful
artiUery. The 90th arrived in the Unes before Sebastopol on the
5th of December, and, on the following morning, went down
to the trenches. In those days staff officers did not come
up to the standard now exacted at Sandhurst, and Wolseley
recounts how when his regiment was ordered to the front,
no staff officer appeared to show them the way to the
trenches. However, they managed to find their way down,
and proceeding to the foremost rifle-pits, four or five com
panies, including Wolseley's, at once became engaged with
the enemy, who opposed their rifles to the antiquated
British musket. Presently the Russians opened fire with shot
and shell, when the order came for the 90th to cease firing.
The first serious fighting that took place after our hero's
arrival before Sebastopol, was on the night of the nth of
December, when the Russians made sorties against both
the English and the French positions, and, again, on the
2oth of December against the EngUsh lines.
Since his arrival before Sebastopol, Lieutenant Wolseley
had been employed with his regiment in the trenches, but
he was soon selected for the post of Acting-Engineer, the
number of officers of the Royal Engineers being unequal to
the severe work entailed upon them by the protracted siege.
He was posted, accordingly, to the right attack on the
30th of December, and did duty for the first time as Assis
tant-Engineer on the 4th of January, 1855. On that day
he was employed in ' Gordon's Battery,' and the working-

28 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

party, consisting of only 31 men and 28 Sappers, 'finished
laying two platforms, relaid the sleepers of a third, and
cleared out the drains in the third paraUeL'*
On the ist of January, 1855, the -effective of the British
army, according to returns furnished at the time to Lord
Raglan, numbered only 1,045 officers and 21,973 men.
The French army, meanwhUe, had received considerable
reinforcements, and mustered at the same date about 67,000
of all arms. Their arrangements were also further advanced
than ours. Their batteries were armed, their trenches had ap
proached to within 180 yards of the Flagstaff Bastion, and
they expected soon to be in readiness to assault Sebastopol
in conjunction with their AUies. On our side, however,
the insufficient number of workmen had retarded the con
struction of the defensive and offensive works, aijd the
engineering operations were greatly hindered for want of
such essentials as timber for the platforms and magazines,
which could not be removed from Balaklava, where it was
stored, owing to the limited supply of transport.
Throughout the siege the Engineers had to carry on their
duties under the greatest difficulties, and generally without
obtaining that support which was essential to the success of
their operations. Irrespective of the inclemency of the
weather, and the rocky nature of the soU, which rendered
the construction of siege-works a task of great labour, the
Engineers had to make up for their numerical paucity by
increased exertions. The term of duty for Engineer officers
was never less than twelve, and sometimes even twenty-four
hours ; and, after returning from the trenches, they had to
write the report of the day's proceedings. Although skilled
labour was in great demand for the construction of wharves,
* By the courtesy of General Browne when Deputy Adjutant-General at
the Horse Guards, we have been enabled to make extracts from the original
reports of the Engineer officers of the right attack throughout the siege,
including those of Lord Wolseley.

WOLSELEY ON DUTY AS AN ENGINEER. 29
hospitals, and ¦ storehouses at Balaklava, also for the road to
the front, and the hutting of the troops and horses, as well
as to carry on the siege and defensive works, yet the total
effective force of Engineers on the ist of January was only
28 officers and 395 non-commissioned officers and men.
Between New Year's Day and the 13th of January the
weather was very unfavourable. At times the snow-storms
and heavy drifts rendered it necessary to suspend the works
entirely, and on the 13th of January the frost set in with so
much severity that it was difficult to make any impression
ou the ground even with a pickaxe. The snow lay on the
plain from twelve to eighteen inches in depth, and the drifts
were in some places dangerous. Owing to the disappear
ance of all fuel, even roots were eagerly grubbed up by the
starving soldiers, and sold at a high price. The appearance
of the camp was cold, dreary, and miserable ; and no
blazing fires could be seen to cheer the men or dry their
clothes on their return from the trenches or other fatigue
duty. Owing to this great scarcity of wood, the sufferings of
the troops on the exposed plateau of Sebastopol were much
aggravated ; and when a large supply of charcoal arrived at
Balaklava, as no means of transport was available other
than by manual labour, the Turks employed in the trenches
were withdrawn from the Engineers, and the siege-works in
consequence suffered.
During the latter half of January the British attacks had
been so feebly guarded, owing to sickness, that, according
to the official report, ' the covering party for the entire right
attack, upwards of a mile in extent, never had exceeded,
during this period of the siege, 350 men, and, on the night
ofthe 2 ist of January, it mustered only 290 men. The guards
for the other attacks were equally small.' According to Sir
John Jones, the eminent Engineer officer of the Peninsular

30 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
War, ' the guard of the trenches ought never to be less
than three-fourths of the garrison,' which mustered between
36,000 and 40,000 men. Such were the adverse circum
stances under which this unparalleled siege was prosecuted !
Fortunately the Russians were deficient in enterprise.
The guard being so small, it often happened that all
repairs of importance had to be performed by the Sappers
alone ;* but when, on the 21st January, a French Division
relieved the Light and Second Divisions from the guard of
the extreme right flank, more adequate parties were furnished
for the protection of the batteries and the assistance of the
Engineers. The duty in the trenchest was also very severe ; and the
enemy, by frequent sorties during the night, kept the troops
on duty constantly on the alert.
Lieutenant Wolseley, whose talent for sketching and for
topographical studies was well known, prepared for General
Harry Jones, R.E., who assumed charge ofthe Engineering
Department on the Sth January, a plan of the position of
Inkerman, including the trenches. It was required to be
done in water-colours ; but so intense was the cold that the
water froze on his brush, and he had to use charcoal to melt
the ice and keep the water from freezing. He succeeded in
completing the survey, and preparing the plan to the com
plete satisfaction of the General.
At this period the weather was very severe and unfavour
able for siege operations, so that little progress could be
made. The trenches were knee-deep in snow, which, when
a shower of rain came on, was converted into Uquid mud,
¦* Between the i6th and the 21st of January, the number of workmen in
the^ right attack never exceeded 3g. According to M. de Bazancourt's
' L'Exp^dition de la Crim^e' : ' The French employed daily 4,000 men on
the works, and sometimes the number exceeded 6,000.
t In the month of January, Wolseley was on day duty in the trenches, on
the 4th, 14th, and 24th ; and on night duty on the 7th, loth, i6th, 20th. and
27th.

THE STORY OF HIS PROMOTION. 31
employing the men in clearing it out from the trenches, or
cutting drains as outlets for the water.
At this time occurred a singular circumstance in connec
tion with Lieutenant Wolseley's promotion to a captaincy.
He was gazetted to his company in December, 1S54 ; but
fourteen days after, the authorities, considering him too
young — he was exactly twenty-one and a half years of age —
cancelled the promotion they themselves had authorized.
Considering this as a slur cast upon him, Wolseley at
once wrote expressing his intention to resign his commission
unless he was immediately reinstated ; and, fortunately for
his country, the order was rescinded. Some time afterwards
Captain Wolseley learned the true cause of this extraordinary
freak of the authorities ; and it was this. The father of an
officer of the 77th went to the Horse Guards and asked
why his son, who was older than Captain Wolseley, had not
been promoted to his company ? The answer the anxious
parent received was, that his son was too young, and that
Captain Wolseley's promotion was an exception to the rule,
because he rose fro7n the ranks. Subsequently finding out
the blunder they had committed, and that Wolseley had 7iot
risen from the ranks, the said authorities canceUed his pro
motion, only to reinstate him as before mentioned, and so
ended this 'Comedy of Errors.'
The night of the nth February was very stormy, and so
inclement was the weather that no work was done in the
left attack. Captain Wolseley,* who was in sole charge of
a party of men in his (the right) attack, was busily
employed, but on applying to the field officer on duty for a
-* The day duty was generally from eight or nine a. m. to four or six p.m. ;
and the night duty from seven p.m. to four a.m. During the month of
February, Captain Wolseley was on duty in the trenches — day, 7th, 15th,
22nd ; night, 3rd, nth, i8th. The working-party on this night, the 7th of
February, which may be considered of an average strength, was constituted
as follows : Line, first relief, 134 men ; second relief, 140 men. Sappers,
4 brigades, or 32 men. Turks, 52 men.

32 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
larger number of men, his request was refused on the
ground of the inclemency of the weather. On the 13th
February, Captain H. C. Owen, R.E., arrived from England,
and was appointed to duty with the right attack. On the
first occasion of his proceeding to the trenches, which was
in company with Captain Wolseley, the gallant officer
proposed that they should proceed at once to trace out a
new battery, the work then in hand Wolseley vainly tried
to dissuade him, as it was stUl Ught and the attempt might
draw the enemy's fire upon them. However, Captain Owen
was full of ardour, and Wolseley was not the man to throw
cold water on any adventure, however risky ; so they set to
work. But, speedily, the Russians opened fire from all the
surrounding rifle-pits ; two men were killed, and Wolseley's
coat was pierced by a ball. So the work was postponed till
nightfall, when it was successfuUy accomplished.
On the 15th February, when Captain Wolseley was on
duty with Captain Craigie, R.E., the weather being more
favourable, the working-parties were increased to 400 men,
and 48 Sappers; and on the 18th and 22nd, when an
almost equal number were employed, the work in the
trenches progressed rapidly. On their part the Russians
were not idle in their works facing the right attack.
Early in March, upwards of 3,000 yards of parallel and
approach had been made in the right attack ; and, in the
left, upwards of 4,200 yards. AU this had been done on
very rocky ground, with the enemy's works only 600 yards
distant at the nearest point.
Captain Craigie, the Engineer officer in charge of the
trenches on the 13th of March, who had never once been
absent from his post, was kUled in a somewhat singular
manner. Captain Wolseley, on relieving him, asked if any
thing particular was going on. ' No,' said Craigie, ' matters
are much as usual. ' And so, bidding each other ' good-night,'

INCIDENTS OF DUTY IN THE TRENCHES. 23
they parted, he to return to his quarters, and Wolseley to
take charge of the trenches. At this time an ArtUlery duel
was in progress, but the Russian practice was wild, and their
shells mostly burst short, causing the officers and men much
diversion. They were in the middle of their merriment,
when a sergeant arrived with the intelligence that Captain
Craigie was killed. He was several hundred yards in rear of
the batteries, and was in the act of giving a light to a Sapper
from his pipe, when one of these erratic sheUs kiUed him
instantly. On the morning of the 17th of March,* when Captain
Wolseley, accompanied by Captain King, R.E., went on
duty, it was discovered that the enemy had formed new
rifle-pits in front of the French on our right, which enfiladed
the British new right advance. As it was impossible to
employ the working -party f of 150 men, application was made
to the officers commanding the Royal Artillery and Naval
Brigade batteries, to open fire on these pits. The former
fired only a few shots, but the saUors made such good
practice with their eight-inch guns, that they knocked over the
parapet, and sent the occupants flying out of the pits. A
good day's work was then performed, under the directions
of Captains Wolseley and King.
The Russians^ continued to receive reinforcements,
whUe their supply of guns was practically inexhaustible ; their
fire on the right attack during the latter part of March, was
officially described as * very heavy,' and among the casualties
was Major J. W. Gordon, second in command of the siege
* Captain Wolseley was on duty during this month ; day duty, loth and
17th ; night duty, 13th, 19th, and 30th.
t The total number of men employed in the trenches at tffis time, was
2, 100, from which were furnished the working-parties, as well as the guards
necessary for the defence of the batteries and parallels.
t The Russian infantry in Sebastopol, m April, numbered 36,600.
There were besides, near the town, 35,400 ; at Eupatoria, 34,600 ; and in
other parts 13,000. Total iu the Crimea, including 15,000 cavalry, and
8,000 artillery, 142,600 men. 3

34 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
operations, who was severely wounded on the night of the
22nd, when the Russians made a determined sortie, not in
aptly styled ' Inkerman on a small scale,' but were repulsed.
During the early part of April, the Engineers were very busy
preparing for the bombardment, which had been decided on
by the AUied Commanders. On the .3rd, when Captain
"VA'olseley was on duty, the enemy kept up a heavy fire, one
of the casualties being Captain Bainbrigge, R.E., who was
killed by the explosion of a shell. At this time. Captains
Stanton and Armit, R.E., were respectively in charge of the
right and left attacks. Major Chapman being in command
of the whole, under Major-General Jones, who notified, in
General Orders of the 4th of AprU, his ' great satisfaction
with the manner in which the works were executed, reflecting
great credit upon them, and the other Assistant-Engineers
employed under them.'
On the morning of the 9th of April, the whole of the
Allied Artillery opened fire. The British batteries were now
armed with 20 thirteen-inch, and 16 ten-inch mortars, and
87 guns, giving a total of 123 pieces of ordnance — of which
49 were manned by the Naval Brigade, and 74 by the Royal
Artillery. The French, on their part, opened fire with 303
pieces on the left, and 50 on the right
The morning of the 9th of AprU broke in thick fog and
drizzling rain, but shortly before half-past five, the mist par
tially rolled away, permitting the outlines of the Redan and
Malakhoff to be seen. Exactly an hour later, the first gun
was fired from the British batteries, and, in a few seconds,
the whole of both attacks, with the exception of one battery,
were in at;tion ; shortly afterwards the French opened fire,
and the south side of Sebastopol, from the sea to Inker-
man, was encircled in what Prince Gortschakoff well called
a feu d'enfer. The Russians appeared to be taken by sur
prise, but about six o'clock their batteries began to reply ;

NARROW ESCAPE OF WOLSELEY. 35
though at no time of the day was their fire heavy or effective.
The continuous rain and bad weather made the work very
laborious, some of the platforms being under water and all
very slippery. At dusk the fire on both sides ceased, with
the exception of an occasional shell from the mortars. On
the foUowing day all our batteries opened fire at daylight,
the Russians replying with spirit. Though the fire of the
Mamelon was checked, and that of the Malakhoff Tower
slackened, our fire made no material impression upon the
Redan and Garden Batteries, by which alone it was answered.
Much damage was done to the embrasures, magazines, and
traverses of the British by the enemy's fire, and the Sappers
behaved very well in repairing the embrasures, and even re
constructing them, under fire.
Lieutenant Graves, R.E.,* who, with Captains Owen, R.E.,
and Wolseley, was on duty, was wounded, and Wolseley him
self had a narrow escape. The Russian fire had been very
heavy, and the ArtiUery officers reported an embrasure as
unserviceable. This, of course, it was the duty of the En
gineer officers to repair; but from the proximity and precision
of fire of the Russian batteries, it was a service of extreme
hazard, for directly a man showed himself above the parapet,
he became a mark for the Russian gunners. However,
Graves and Wolseley, with two or three Sappers, set to work
to repair an embrasure, and while they were buUding up one
cheek with gabions, a round shot from the enemy carried
away the other cheek, to which Wolseley had his back turned,
kiUing a Sapper. At the time he was holding on to a hand
spike, prizing up one sandbag to put another under it, and it
was, in racing parlance, ' a near thing ' for him ; indeed, he
received a slight wound from the debris scattered by the
round shot, though he did not report himself as wounded, it
*This gallant young officer was killed by a rifle buUet, on the iSth of
June, in the assault on the Redan.
3—2

36 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
being a point of honour among the Engineers not to leave
their post until disabled
On the night of the 12th, Wolseley was again on duty,
when much was done in effecting repairs, laying platforms,
and other necessary work. Though our batteries had kept
up a hot fire all day, little permanent effect was visible;
and, sd inexhaustible were the Russian resources, that fresh
guns opened fire from embrasures whose guns had been dis
mounted or silenced. When Wolseley was next on duty,
the night of the isth of April, the enemy was very active,
and Lieutenant-Colonel Tylden, R.E., in charge of the
right attack, reported: 'Captain Wolseley, Assistant-
Engineer, who was in charge of the working-party in the
advanced trenches, retired the party from the most advanced
part between twelve and one, finding it impossible to keep
the men at work under the fire the enemy poured in.' Our
loss on this occasion was heavy, being 3 officers kUled, and
I officer and 20 rank and file wounded.
The following incident, which happened on this night, is
one of many such during the siege : Captain Wolseley was
with Captain E. Stanton, R.E.,* who was sitting behind
the Engineer park giving orders to two Sappers standing at
attention before him. Suddenly a round shot took one
man's head off, and drove his jaw-bone into the other man's
face, to which it adhered, bespattering the party with blood.
Men got into the way of considering these incidents as
almost commonplace, and scarcely noteworthy, but, though
such horrors bred a feeUng of indifference to danger and
death, few could lay claim to the possession of such imper
turbable sang-froid as Captain W. Peel, R.N., of Her
Majesty's ship Diai7io7id, then serving on shore in the Naval
Brigade. Wolseley, who saw much of Peel and his sailors,
confesses that he never saw any man so indifferent in the
* Now General Sir Edward Stanton, K.C.M.G., C.B.

WOLSELEY AND PEEL. 37
presence of seemingly certain death as this gallant sailor,
and gives the following instance, among others, of this
characteristic. He was walking one day during the bom
bardment with Captain Pee], in rear of the line of batteries,
when a thirteen-inch sheU, hurtling through the air, lit on the
entrance of a magazine and crushed it in. Just for a pass
ing second, Wolseley stood stUl, paralyzed as it were, while
he waited for the whole party to be blown to atoms, a fate
which seemed imminent. But Peel's undaunted heart
quailed not even for that infinitesimal portion of time, and
he dashed into the magazine, full as it was of powder, with
out a moment's hesitation or a thought of danger. A
second later and Wolseley was by his side, and they were
engaged pulling down the sand-bags, which guarded the
entrance and were all on fire, and soon the magazine was
built up again.
The subject of this memoir has, however, a more modest
opinion of his courage than other people who know him
well, and have seen him under fire. A distinguished
General officer of Engineers, who served in the trenches
with Captain Wolseley, perhaps on more occasions than
any other man, and therefore had more ample opportunities
of observing his bearing under the most trying circum
stances, declared to us that he considered him ' the bravest
man he ever knew.' He also mentioned that he was noted
for always turning his face towards an approaching Russian
shell ; and, on being interrogated as to his reason for doing
so, replied, that in the event of his being kiUed it could not
be said of him that he turned his back on the enemy, or
feU whUe running away from a shell. Such little traits as
these give the clue to a man's character.
After eight days' incessant firing, the second bombard
ment ceased on the 17 th of AprU, without any decisive
result having been achieved, and though the Mamelon and

38 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Malakhoff suffered considerably, the guns destroyed, or
silenced, by day were replaced at night. On our side,
26 pieces of ordnance were disabled, and our expenditure
of ammunition amounted to 47,854 rounds, of which up
wards of 15,000 were shell.*
On the 19th of AprU, the 77th Regiment, led by Colonel
Egerton, carried, by assault, the rifle-pits in advance of the
right attack, when Colonel Egerton, i officer, and 10 men
were killed, and 6 officers and 50 men were wounded. On
the I Sth of May, Lord Raglan, accompanied by General
Jones and General de la Marmora, in command of the
newly-arrived Piedmontese Division of 17,000 men, in
spected the works of the left attack; and, on the i8th,
-when Captain Wolseley was on duty,t those of the right
attack. On the following day. General Canrobert resigned
the command of the French army to General Pelissier.
On the 6th of June, the third bombardment took place,
when the EngUsh batteries mounted 154 mortars and guns.
Of these, there were in the right attack 55 pieces, 22 of
which were manned by the Naval Brigade ; and 99 in the
left attack, of which 36 were worked by the sailors. The
-whole fire of the right of the right attack was to be
directed on the Mamelon and the Malakhoff, whilst the left
of the right, and the left attack engaged the Redan and
Barrack Battery. The Russian works stood out in bold
reUef under a cloudless sky, offering a strong contrast to
the dismal circumstances of the last bombardment The
enemy replied vigorously at first, but about half-past four
* During the bombardment the Artillery lost 5 killed and 86 wounded ;
and the Naval Brigade, which suffered more severely, owing to their prac
tice of not retiring behind the parapet after firing, lost 2 officers and 24 men
killed, and 6 officers and 92 wounded.
+ During this month. Captain Wolseley was on duty : day, ist, sth, 14th,
and i8th ; night, 25th, 28th, and 31st. On the three last occasions he was
the only Engineer officer with the working-parties, which numbered 150
men, and 20 Sappers.

CAPTURE OF THE QUARRIES. 39
the Mamelon and Malakhoff were almost silenced, and at
dusk, when our fire, except from the mortars, ceased, the
Russian works showed unmistakable evidences of the severe
handling they had undergone. Our batteries reopened on
the 7th, and on that evening was delivered the memorable
assault on the Quarries by our troops, and that on the
Mamelon by our Allies.
All that day a heavy cannonade was kept up ; but, at six
o'clock, when the French and English assaulting columns
were formed in the trenches, it burst forth with renewed
intensity, the fire, for the hour that it lasted, being the
heaviest during the siege.* The Russians had massed men
on the Redan, evidently anticipating an assault, and so
tremendous was the fire directed on that work, that ' the
shells could ,be seen plunging and cutting gaps in the ranks,
blowing the bodies of their victims into the air.'
At half-past six the French captured the Mamelon, and
the 'Ouvrages Blancs,' which had been rendered almost
untenable by the fire from our batteries, but, advancing
towards the Malakhoff, were driven back. The Mamelon
was now retaken by the enemy, but, after a renewed fire
from the British batteries, once more changed hands.
A few minutes after the French had attacked the Mame
lon, the British columns advanced on the Quarries and the
Russian trench leading to the Karabelnaia Ravine. The
column consisted of detachments of the Light and Second
Divisions, who were supported at night by the 62 nd Regi
ment. The command of these troops was entrusted to
General Shirley, of the 88th, who was acting general officer
of the trenches ; and Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, of Wol
seley's regiment, the 90th, led the storming-party, and
remained in the Quarries aU night in command of the
* During the day the Royal Artillery had 47 killed and wounded, and the
sailors 40 ; being the heaviest loss on one day during the siege.

40 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
troops. On the Engineer officers of the right attack, how
ever, devolved, according to custom, the honourable and
deadly duty of ' showing the way ' to the storming column,
and also of forming the lodgment after the enemy's works
were won, and the communication from the parallel in
our occupation, a trying and perUous task, as it had to
be completed in the open and under the enemy's fire.
Colonel Tylden, R.E., advised as to the attack and distribu
tion of the troops, but the Engineer officers, who actually
accompanied the assaulting columns, were Captains Browne,
R.E.,* and Wolseley; and Lieutenants Elphinstone, R.E.,t
Lowry, R.E., and Anderson, 96th Regiment. Already one
officer of the corps. Captain Dawson, R.E., who had been
in charge of the engineering duties during the day, had
fallen, but he was not destined to be the only Engineer
officer sacrificed on the altar of duty in the memorable
struggle of the 7th of June.
The Quarries were carried with a rush, though the
Russians made three desperate attempts to retake themj
during the night, and again soon after daylight on the
foUowing morning, and it was in resisting these repeated
efforts on the part of the enemy that the army sustained its
chief loss. Among the officers who thus fell was Lieutenant
Lowry, R.E., who was killed by a round shot whUst gal
lantly cheering on the men. Notwithstanding the frequency
of the endeavours of the Russians to regain possession of
the Quarries, and the interruptions to which these attacks
gave rise, the Engineers made a lodgment of gabions and
barrels, and also estabUshed the communication with their
advanced sap, which, says Lord Raglan, ' redounds to the
* Now Lieut.-General J. F.M. Browne, C.B. On the 24th of August
this officer was severely wounded in the shoulder by a rifie-bullet.
f Now Colonel Sir Howard Elphinstone, V.C, K.C.B., CM.G.
j The Engineer officer in charge of the right attack says ; ' The enemy
actually expelled us three times and removed some of our gabions, which
were immediately retaken.'

WOLSELEY'S SERVICES ON 7th OF JUNE. 41
credit of Colonel Tylden, and that of the officers and men
employed as the working-party; and I cannot,' adds the
Field-Marshal, ' miss the opportunity to express my appro
bation of the conduct of the Sappers throughout the opera
tions.' Captain Browne, who was the senior Engineer officer
accompanying the assaulting column, after passing a high
encomium on the gallant young Lowry, proceeds : ' I beg to
report most favourably on the conduct of Lieutenant Elphin
stone, R.E., and of Captain Wolseley, 90th Regiment,
Assistant-Engineer, who was employed in forming the lodg
ment and communication. Lieutenant Anderson, 96th
Regiment, Assistant-Engineer, was unfortunately wounded
in the leg early in the evening.' But the highest honour a
soldier can receive, next to the approval of his country and
his sovereign, was in reserve for Captain Wolseley, who was
specially mentioned in the despatch of the Field-Marshal
Commanding-in-Chief, as one of the officers ' who distin
guished themselves on this occasion.'
The casualties on the 7th of June were proportionately
heavy as the result attained was glorious. 10 officers and
117 rank and file were killed, and '36 officers and 486
men were wounded, besides 18 missing. Ofthe 6 Engineer
officers engaged during the 6th and 7 th of June, 2 were
kUled and i was wounded
Captain Wolseley's personal share in the dangers and
glories of this memorable day was arduous, and no officer
was exposed for an equal length of time, or to a similar
extent, to the perUs incident to a bombardment and an
assault. The cause of his having this double share of duty,
entaUing a corresponding increase of fatigue and exposure,
we wUl now detail, as weU as his experiences in the assault
of the Quarries. For twenty-four hours before the time
named for the attack on the Russian works, all the officers

42 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
detailed for service were kept off duty, so as to be fresh for
the arduous work in store for them. Among them, of
course, was Wolseley ; but in the morning Captain Dawson,
who had gone on duty for the first time that day, was killed
by a round shot, and he was ordered to take his place.
Wolseley was, therefore, all day hard at work as the only
Engineer officer of the right attack ; and the bombardment
was in full progress, requiring all his energies, besides en
tailing that great mental wear which is incidental to the
performance of duties under such a terrific fire as raged on
that day. When evening came, and the hour fixed for
the assault arrived, most men would have had enough of it,
but not so Wolseley ; and though he had never quitted the
trenches, when the hour struck — big with the fate of so
many gallant hearts throbbing with eager expectancy, while
they waited for the signal to quit the protection of their
batteries to run the gauntlet of the open space ploughed by
the death-dealing sheUs and bullets — Captain Wolseley took
his place with the small band of Engineer officers, whose
perUous duty it was to accompany the assaulting column.
There were two communications to be made — one be
tween the paraUel on the right and the Quarries, which he
was directed to carry out ; and the second direct between
the Quarries and the parallel in rear, under the direction of
Lieutenant Lowry. The difficulty of doing much towards
effecting the lodgment and communications was enhanced
by the fact that of the Soo men detailed as a working-party,
only 250 were actually available, the remainder being en
gaged with the enemy. And so it was throughout this un
paralleled siege ; the British army was expected to,'perform,
and, as a matter of history, did actually perform, duties
that required the exertions of a force at least treble their
numbers. It was a dictu7n of Nelson's that a British sailor
was equal to three Frenchmen, and the saying certainly

WOLSELEY'S SERVICES ON 7th OF JUNE. 43
holds good of the relative value of the British soldier and
his Russian foeman.
Wolseley began working the lateral communication too
soon, and the enemy's fire was so hot that the party was
driven back with loss. Just then he was sent to take the
place of poor Lowry, and proceeded to make the direct
communication on the open,* between ' Egerton's rifle-pits '
and the captured works. While so engaged, he lost one-
third of his working-party, and on the three occasions when
the enemy expelled our soldiers from the Quarries, only in
turn to be themselves driven out, he entered the Quarries
with the victorious column. Not often has more desperate
hand-to-hand fighting taken place than on that eventful
night, and Wolseley's f enchant for such work was amply
gratified. That the position was retained in the end was
perfectly marvellous, considering the persistent attacks made
by the Russians with overwhelming numbers. Between
these assaults he busied himself with building up, on the
reverse side of the Quarries, a little parapet composed of
anything he could lay his hands on, among the chief ingre
dients being the bodies of the fallen, friends or foes indis
criminately, the latter thus affording in death the welcome
protection they would have denied while living.
Just before daybreak Wolseley saw a dense column of
Russians, ' so long that he could not see the end of it,'
issue from out of their works with the object of making a
final dash to recover the lost Quarries ; and had they known
the real position of affairs they might have accomplished
their purpose, temporarily at least. Our soldiers were so
overcome with fatigue by the night's fighting and hard work,
* Gunner and Driver Thomas Arthur received the Victoria Cross for
' carrying barrels of infantry ammunition for the 7th Fusiliers several times
during the evening across the open.' On this very 'open,' Captain
Wolseley and the other Engineer officers and Sappers were engaged
throughout the night.

44 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
that it was in vain the officers made the utmost efforts to
rouse them from their sleep to resist the enemy. British
officers have seldom failed to do their duty under the most
trying circumstances, and they did not belie this charac
teristic of the race on this occasion. Finding their efforts
useless, the officers, to the number of 20, with some few
non-commissioned officers and men, certainly not more
than 60, opened fire, the former with their pistols, on the
advancing column ; at the same time the bugler sounded,
and the little band shouted and cheered to their utmost
capacity. Never did the famous British cheer stand in such
good stead to British throats as on this occasion. The
Russian soldiers, remembering the bloody repulses they had
already suffered, first wavered, and finaUy refused to ad
vance. Wolseley saw the officers by turns imploring and
threatening them, but all in vain ; they could not be in
duced to proceed, and the British officers redoubling their
efforts, the Russians gave up the task as hopeless and
retired, and so ended their last effort to regain the Quarries.
But it is the opinion of officers present, that had the Rus
sians shown any enterprise they might have easUy overcome
the only opposition that awaited them, as there was no force
in the Quarries capable of an effective resistance.
After his indefatigable exertions both by word of mouth
and example. Captain Wolseley completely lost his voice,
and could not speak above a low whisper ; and when he was
relieved in the morning, so overpowered was he with the
exertions of the past twenty-four hours, and the strain upon
his faculties, that he fell down from fatigue outside the
Quarries, and lay there among a number of dead bodies,
himself having the appearance of one numbered with the
dead. So thought an officer of his regiment, who, passing
by, found his friend lying on a heap of slain covered with
blood. Though he had not reported himself wounded,

WOLSELEY IS WOUNDED. 45
Wolseley had been hit on the thigh by a bullet from a
canister-shot, which tore his trousers, and caused consider
able loss of blood He received this wound just as he got
outside the parapet oli his way to the Quarries to relieve
Lieutenant Lowry. His friend of the 90th roused him with
much difficulty, and assisted him to the camp at the Middle
Ravine, a distance, aUowing for the zigzag road, of over two
miles. The kind Samaritan had almost to carry our hero,
who was so fatigued that he fell down many times, and had
to be roused up again, just as a man might who was intoxi
cated. It must have been a relief to them both, as it was
a cause of thankfulness to Wolseley, when they met Major
(now General) MaxweU, who dismounted and lent him his
horse, on which, with assistance, he rode the remainder of
the way, often nearly tumbling off with fatigue. His
position was all the more trying, as he had completely lost
his voice, so that when he mustered up sufficient strength to
Speak he was totally inaudible. And so concluded what
Wolseley himself emphaticaUy declares was 'the hardest
day's work he ever did in his life.'
' It may be said,' writes Major-General Sir Harry Jones,
'that until the 7th June, when the Quarries, Mamelon, and
"Ouvrages Blancs" had been captured and lodgments made
in them, the Allies had scarcely gained an advantage over
the enemy since October, 1854, a period of seven months.'
By the capture of these works the besiegers were placed in
a more favourable position for carrying on ulterior operations,
while every man in the Allied Armies was inspired with
increased spirit and energy, for they regarded these important
successes as only the prelude to the fall of the great strong
hold that had so long defied their utmost efforts, and
attributed them chiefly to the substitution of Pelissier,
emphatically a fighting general, for the more easy-going
Canrobert Considering the great strength of the enemy, it

46 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
is surprising the want of energy they displayed. Their
numerical superiority rendered it necessary to be prepared
with strong reserves to repel an assault on the trenches by a
powerful column ; but to do this effectually would have been
a task of great difficulty, there being no cover for troops in
the immediate rear of the trenches, while the distance to the
nearest camp was too great to afford any hope that a body
of men could arrive in time to render immediate support.
As this circumstance necessitated a stronger guard than is
usual at an ordinary siege, the Engineers were unable to
obtain the complement of men necessary to carry on the
required works.
After the success of the 7th June, Lord Raglan and
General Pelissier determined to press on the siege with
redoubled energy, and preparations were made for a fourth
bombardment, and the assault of the enemy's works extend
ing from the Redan to Careening Bay. Two days after the
capture of the Quarries Captain Wolseley was again on duty,
accompanied by Lieutenant Darrah, R.E. The Russian
fire during the day had been very heavy, and our loss was
3 officers and 7 rank and file killed, and 38 officers and
men wounded, a severe loss for what might be caUed an
'off day'*
A good many casualties were also caused on the 12th,
when Captain Wolseley was on duty, ' by sheUs from a 2-gun
* Captain Wolseley says in his report, the original of which is lying before
us : ' I had a special working-party of 400 men, 50 of whom', with half
brigade ot Sappers, repaired the embrasures in the 21-gun battery ; 100
men, with a brigade of Sappers, revetted all the embrasures in Nos. 9, 12,
and 14 Batteries ; 50 men, with half brigade of Sappers, were employed
mending and placing in a fighting condition the old third parallel and left
advance ; the remaining 200 men, with a brigade of Sappers, were en
gaged in the Quarries and the communication to them. They completed a
rifle-screen overlooking the Woronzoff Ravine on our left. At two a.m.,
the battery parties were relieved by 150 men from the guard of the trenches'
and the Quarry party by 50 men. All the batteries were placed in admir
able repair, and our new lodgment considerably strengthened. The Russians
were found to be working outside the proper right of the Redan.'

WOLSELEY IN THE TRENCHES. 47
battery under the Garden batteries, which likewise annoyed
the parties in the Quarries during the forenoon,' so that they
had to be withdrawn. ' In the afternoon,' continues his
report, ' some of the enemy's riflemen climbed up among
the rocks on the opposite side of the Woronzoff Ravine
under the advanced trenches of the left attack, and caused
us some annoyance.' The working-parties of 400 men,
besides Sappers, employed on the night ofthe 14th of June,
' worked well, but were annoyed by shells from the Garden
batteries, and grape and canister from the salient gun in the
Redan, which caused about ten casualties. The enemy were
heard working through the night inside the Redan.' During-
this time, whUe our Engineers worked hard preparing for the
attack, which it was hoped and anticipated would decide
the fate of Sebastopol, the Russians were also busied
strengthening the Redan, large parties of troops being seen
bringing up gabions and pieces of timber. Between the
14th and I Sth of June, our Engineers were employed
improving the lodgment in the Quarries.
At daylight on the morning of the 17th of June, the
British batteries * opened fire for the fourth general bombard
ment of the defences of Sebastopol, the fleet co-operating
against the sea defences.
Our efforts were chiefly directed against the Redan and
its flanking works, although the BrUish gunners afforded
powerful aid with the mortars of the right attack against
the Malakhoff Tower. But though the Redan presented a
shattered appearance it was only temporarily silenced, for at
night fresh guns were mounted wherever they were disabled
by our fire during the day. In the evening Captain
Wolseley, accompanied by Lieutenants Graves and Murray,
both of whom feU in the assault on the Redan on the foUow-
¦* In the right attack were mounted 62 pieces of ordnance ; and in the
left attack 104.

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

ing day, went on duty with a working-party of 400 men and
12 Sappers.*
A heavy fire was kept up on the works from the mortars
during the night of the 17 th, and at daylight all the guns
joined in the bombardment. The assault was fixed for the
I Sth of June, a singular choice, for though the anniversary
of Waterloo is a day the memories of which must always
exercise an inspiriting effect on British soldiers, the influence
must be correspondingly depressing, not to say exasperating,
to our Allies when acting in concert with us.
Before three am. Lord Raglan was at the signal post,
accompanied by the headquarter staff. Generals Jones
and Dacres, commanding the Engineers and ArtiUery;
Colonel Warde, commanding Siege Train; and Captain
Lushington, R.N., commanding Naval Brigade. Captain
Wolseley was also there, having charge of the third paraUel
of batteries, in which Lord Raglan and staff were assembled.
From this position he witnessed one of the most gallant
attempts to carry an enemy's works, and at the same time
one of the most sanguinary repulses of which we have any
record in the annals of war.
No sooner had the three assaulting columns shown them
selves beyond the trenches than they were assailed by a
murderous fire of grape and musketry, such as Lord Raglan
declared he had never witnessed before.
Both the British and French columns of attack were
¦* The responsibility of the engineering duties, even upon an ¦ off day '
devolving upon a young officer in his twenty-second year, may be gathered
from Wolseley's report of the day's work : ' 140 men and 2 Sapplrs, with
Major Campbell of the 46th Regiment, were employed carrying materials •
120 men with Lieutenant Graves, 100 men and 2 Sappers with Lieutenant
Miirray All these parties were employed carrying materials to the places
assigned for them ; 20 men and 4 Sappers revetting embrasures in 2i-<'un
battery ; 20 men and 4 Sappers revetting embrasures in Nos 0 13 and°i4
Batteries. These parties worked until two o'clock a.m., after which none
were employed. There were three considerable fires in the town in the
rear of the Flagstaff Battery. Ihe enemy were working all night at the
Redan, and seemed to be strengthening the abattis in its front.'

THE ASSAULT OF THE \%th OF JUNE. 49
driven back, our casualties being 21 officers, including
Major-General Sir John Campbell, and Colonels Shadforth
and Yea, and 244 men, killed; and 72 officers, including
Major-General Sir William Eyre, Colonels (now Sir Daniel)
Lysons, Johnson, GwUt, and Cobbe, Captain Peel, R.N.,
and Mr. Midshipman Wood (now Sir Evelyn Wood), and
1,097 ™^n wounded. The Russian loss was 16 officers and
783 men kiUed, and 152 officers and 4,826 men wounded.
The Engineers suffered heavily on this occasion. Three
officers. Captain Jesse and Lieutenants Graves and Murray,
-were kiUed ; and Major-General Jones, Major Bourchier
(Brigade Major), and Colonel Tylden, Director of the right
attack, were wounded ; the latter officer was shot through
both legs and died from the effects of the wounds. Captain
Wolseley was near General Jones when he received his
wound. He was standing at the time in rear of Lord
Raglan, with whom General Jones was in conversation,
when the latter, whose head was over the parapet, received
a bullet-wound in the temple, which, with his white hair,
was all dabbled with blood. Almost at the same time
another officer received a severe wound. Wolseley was in
conversation with Captains Beresford and Browne of the
88th, when a round shot carried off the arm of the latter,
covering a new jacket Wolseley had put on that morning
with blood. Captain Browne jumped up from the ground,
and actuaUy did not know of the loss he had experienced.
To Wolseley's hurried question, ' What's the matter ?' he
replied, ' Nothing.' So exposed was the position occupied
by Lord Raglan, that officers andi soldiers, as they passed,
cried out to his staff, ' If you want Lord Raglan to be kiUed,
you'll let him stop there.'
The disastrous failure of the i8th of June told severely
on the already failing health of Lord Raglan, and he expired
on the 2Sth of June, four days after the death of General
4

so LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Estcourt, his Adjutant-General. Thus, one by one, all the
chief actors in this tremendous drama, had been removed —
Nicholas, Menschikoff, St. Arnaud, and finaUy, Raglan, all
were gone.
Lord Raglan was succeeded in the command by Lieu-
tenant-General Simpson, his Chief of the Staff, although
there was present with the army Sir Colin Campbell, a
soldier who had served with distinction in almost every
war in which our troops had been engaged from the battle
of Corunna to Chillianwallah. But the ' seniority ' system,
which was the curse of our army, placing in the highest
commands officers whose sole claim to lead our soldiers
rested on the accident of birth, or service forty years before
in the Peninsula, prevailed at this critical emergency.
After the assault of the i8th June, Captain Wolseley*
and the other Engineer officers were employed in effecting
the necessary repairs to the parapets and platforms conse
quent upon the damage they had sustained.
The enemy, on their side, guided by the genius of
Todleben, were busily employed in strengthening their works,
while large convoys were seen daily entering the town from
the north, bringing in supplies and munitions to any extent
As the siege progressed, the place increased in strength, and
never, perhaps, was an investment carried on under such
disadvantages ; but still the determination of the aUied com
manders to prosecute the enterprise to a successful conclu
sion never faltered, and, like Cato, their cry was ' Delenda
est Carthago.'
During the month of July, the efforts of the Engineers
were directed towards working up to the enemy's entrench
ments, though, situated as they were between the two attacks
of the French, and exposed to heavy artillery fire on both
* During the month of June he was on duty as follows : day duty, 4th,
7th, i2th, 2ist, and 28th ; night duty, 7th, 9th, 14th, 17th, 23rd, and 26th.

WOLSELEY AND GRAHAM. 51
flanks, also from the Garden, Malakhoff, and intervening
batteries, including that of the Redan, but Uttle progress
could be made in their attack.
Captain Wolseley was on duty on the ist of July,* each
relief of the working-party numbering 400 men and 24
Sappers, and the works were carried on under a heavy fire,
the enemy shelling the Quarries and the new fourth paraUel.
On the Sth of July, when he was on night duty in the
trenches, the working-party numbered 950 men, besides 20
Sappers ; on this occasion. Lieutenant Gerald Graham,t of
the Engineers, was severely wounded. He says in his
report, the original of which is lying before me : ' Lieu
tenant Graham having been, unfortunately, struck in the
face with some stones from a round shot, and, consequently,
forced to leave his party on the left advanced sap, the officer
of the 62nd Regiment, who commanded the party, withdrew
his men, telling the Sapper then in charge, that he con
sidered it too dangerous for linesmen. The enemy kept up
a continual fire of shell and grape, and then a number of
light balls, which greatly interrupted our work."
Wolseley and his coadjutors in the right attack completed
Battery No. 18, for six mortars, and commenced No. 19.
They also converted, for the occupation of our troops, the
Russian trench nearest the third parallel, a work of great
labour, many parts being of rock, and requiring the addition
of earth to form a parapet ; and extended the right of the
advanced works in front of the Quarries, to form a junction
with this trench, which now became a fourth parallel, a
perilous and difficult task, owing to the numerous light balls,
which burnt nearly half-an-hour. Traverses were thrown up
in the Quarries to protect the working-parties and guard of
* During this month Captain Wolseley was on day duty ist, 6th, 12th,
ISth, and 22nd ; night duty, 3rd, 8th, 15th, 19th, and 22nd.
f This officer, as Major-General Graham, commanded a brigade in Egypt,
under Sir Garnet Wolseley.

52 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the trenches, from the fire of the Garden batteries and
Bastion du Mat. The casualties were heavy, owing to the
proximity of the British works to the Redan, from which
the enemy maintained a vertical fire from mortars, and
discharges of grape and grenades. As this cannonade con
tinued day and night, causing great loss to our troops, and
hindering the prosecution of the engineering works, all our
batteries that bore upon the Redan opened fire on the loth
of July, which had the desired effect.
The Engineers now being more free from annoyance,
extended the fifth parallel as far as the small Quarry, and
ran out a sap from its left. The works were pushed on with
the utmost alacrity, and at no time of the siege were the
Engineer officers harder worked, Wolseley being the only
one on duty, on the 12th of July, to direct the two reliefs
of the working-party, each of which numbered 400 men,
with 24 Sappers. In conjunction with Major Stanton and
Lieutenant Somerville, he was on continuous duty for twenty-
four hours on the 15th of July. During the afternoon, the
enemy opened a very heavy, well-directed fire on the right
of the fifth paraUel, and the working-party was obliged to
be partially withdrawn. Most of the damage was, however,
made good during the night ; but the labour was very great
in consequence of the men having to carry the earth some
distance, and there were several casualties from grape and
case-shot fired from the left of the Redan.
The night of the 19th, when Wolseley was again on duty,
passed off more quiedy, and the working-parties were
enabled to do a fair average of work. The parapets and
batteries were put in a thorough state of repair during the
latter part of July, and the platforms for the guns were
removed to batteries more in advance, while new communi
cations were made from the third parallel and the Quarries
to Battery No. 19. At this time, orders were issued by

ILLNESS OF WOLSELEY. 53
General Simpson that the night-guard in the trenches of
the left attack was to be increased to 1,400 men, and in the
right attack to 2,400, under a General of the day, and three
field officers. Of this number 600 were to work, if required
by the Engineer officers, from four to eight a.m., when they
were to return to camp, if they could be spared ; the re
mainder were to furnish working-parties during the day,
There was also to be a special working-party of 400 men,
independently of the guard, who were to return to camp
at daybreak.
On the 22nd of July, Captain Wolseley was again on
duty for twenty-four hours.* There were no less than 1,050
men at work in the trenches under the orders of the Engi
neer officers, besides 52 Sappers and 16 carpenters, and the
work was very heavy. During the day, the right attack kept
up a fire on the Redan for some hours with mortars, and a
shell from the enemy, faUing among a heap of carcases in
the new batteries of the right attack, ignited about fifty of
them, and the gabions being very dry, they also were set
on fire ; but the flames were extinguished by earth being
shoveUed over them. During the night also there was hot
work, and Wolseley's exertions, under constant fire from
grape and shell, were too much even for his constitution.
He had been suffering for some time from dysentery, but
with that devotion to duty which had characterized him
since he joined the besieging force in December of the
previous year, he battled against his ailment, and could not
be induced to go on the sick Ust. This arduous and pro
longed duty of twenty-four hours, however, incapacitated
him for further exertion, and the medical authorities directed
-* The officer commanding the Royal Engineers in his remarks on the
progress of the siege, says : ' The young officers of Engineers, and of the
Sappers lately joined from England, suffer very much from the heat. They
soon fall ill with fever. This makes the duty in the trenches very severe
upon those who are able to bear the fatigue. '

54 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

his removal to Balaklava, thence to proceed on board ship
for a period of a fortnight at least, or until the restoration
of his health had been established. But AVolseley could
not be persuaded to remain beyond a week, and returned to
duty not much better than when he quitted the trenches.
Captain Wolseley was in charge of the trenches, with a
working-party of 400 men and 20 Sappers, on the night of the
1 6th of August, and on the foUowing morning, when the fifth
bombardment of Sebastopol commenced. He says : ' The
enemy appeared to be working at, and in the neighbourhood
of the 6-gun battery to their left of the Karabelnaia Ravine.
Their vertical fire was heavier than usual, as they fired
salvoes from three mortars on the left flank of the Redan.
Upon a signal of three mortar shells from No. 13 Battery,
fire was opened this morning at daybreak from all our
batteries.' During the night there -were 39 casualties in
the right attack. At this time the British batteries mounted
186 pieces of ordnance, of which 77 were in the right attack.
On the morning of the 19th, the Redan being much
damaged, and the Malakhoff almost silent, orders were
issued to cease firing.*
During the 21st of August, Captain Wolseley was on
duty with two reliefs of 300 men each, besides a strong
body of Sappers and carpenters, the latter being engaged
in making platforms and placing frames for magazines. The
men worked well and much progress was made, though
under a brisk fire from the enemy. A sap was commenced
from the fifth parallel in advance upon the capitalt of the
Redan. Fifty-eight yards were executed without interrup
tion from the enemy, and during the night of the 23rd,
Wolseley managed to execute about fourteen more yards,
* During the forty-eight hours of the bombardment, the British batteries
expended 26,270 rounds of ammunition, the total weight being 81 tons.
t The capital is the centre line which divides a bastion into two equal
parts.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE ASSAULT. 55
but under a heavy fire from the Redan. In consequence of
their proximity to this work, there were 52 casualties among
his men on this day. Captain Wolseley was on duty in the
trenches, with a working-party of 800 men from five a.m. to
seven p.m. on the 27th of August, when, under orders from
General Simpson, a heavy fire was opened by the batteries
of both attacks — 77 in the right and 120 in the left — on the
salient angle of the Redan. Of the effect of this fire,
Wolseley says in his report : ' The salient of the Redan
was considerably injured towards the evening by our fire.
The enemy's fire during the day was heavier than usual, and
they kept up a continual fire upon the several working-parties.'
Preparations for the final assault were pushed forward
with much energy, and the Engineer staff were worked to
the utmost, making up by their goodwill and indomitable
perseverance for their numerical inferiority. The time since
the repulse of the i8th of June had been utilized by the
Allies, and an incredible amount of work had been per
formed. The French had established themselves close to
the crest of the counterscarp of the Malakhoff, the key of
the position, and scarcely less difficult was the task our
troops performed in their advance against the Redan.
During the month of August, the Russians, rendered
desperate by the sight of the iron ring which was
growing in strength day by day, made repeated efforts to
break through. Frequent sorties were made all through
the month, and the fighfing in that confined and blood
stained arena became fast and furious. The genius of a
second Homer — ' whose verses,' says Bacon, ' have a slide
and easiness more than the verses of other poets ' — would
be worthily taxed in describing the heroic deeds of our
gaUant soldiers and sailors and their AUies. Failing the
pen of ' the blind old bard of Scio's rocky isle,' we will, in
homely prose, depict an event in the life of our hero who,

S6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
like Achilles in his ardour for the fight, was 'imfiger,
iracundus, inexorabilis, acer.'
On the night of the 30th August, an event occurred in
Wolseley's life which, at length, after his many narrow
escapes, incapacitated him from taking part in the closing
scene of the struggle in which he had been so long engaged
At eight p.m., Wolseley, accompanied by Lieutenant
Dumaresq, R.E, proceeded on duty, and had charge of
the advanced flying sap, which he was directed to carry on
as far towards the Redan as the time at his disposal before
daylight, and the endurance of his working-party of 400
men and 20 Sappers, would permit. The work progressed
as satisfactorily as could be expected, but there was very
Uttle earth, and most of the gabions had to be filled with
rubble and stone as substitutes. However, he managed
to place sixty gabions when the moon rose, and her
unwelcome light put a stop to all further proceedings for
that night, when, taking advantage of this enforced
period of idleness, he proceeded to make a sketch of the
ground in order to give his successor an idea of the topo
graphy, so that he might carry on the work in hand
Wolseley was thus engaged, when suddenly the Russians
made a sortie, and he found himself surrounded by the
uncouth visages and strange forms of the soldiery of the
Czar, who looked more formidable by the pale and uncer
tain moonlight. The sortie was made under circumstances
and at an hour to call for the exercise of that promptitude and
presence of mind which the great Napoleon once described
as 'two o'clock in the morning courage,' and said he rarely
found even among the bravest of his soldiers.
This serious state of affairs had arisen through the neglect
of the field-officer in command, who could not be induced
to cover the working-party properly, notwithstanding the
repeated representations of Captain Wolseley, who begged

SORTIE BY THE RUSSIANS. 57
him to take a rifle-pit that was annoying his men, and
showed how it might be done with most advantage. How
ever, this officer would not do as he was requested, and as
the Russians kept firing volleys from it all night, Wolseley's
men had to work lying down. As a further consequence,
the front was not protected by sentries, so that a sortie or
surprise of some sort was just what might have been anti
cipated. As we have seen, there was a sortie, and the sur
prise was complete, but Wolseley was equal to the occasion.
The working-party, finding themselves surrounded, cast
down their tools or arms and bolted to a man. In vain the
officers did all they could to stop the stampede. Wolseley
seized by the belt one man who was in the act of flying, but
was instantly knocked down by another fellow who took
this irregular method of releasing his comrade. On recover
ing his feet, Wolseley found there was nothing between
himself and ' the Russians but the gabions, which they were
puUing down with all celerity. Looking about him with
the intent of rallying his men, he found that he was alone ;
all had fled, the officers, recognising the futility of resistance
without their men, being the last to retire. Another
moment's hesitation on Wolseley's part and it would have
been too late for him to secure his own safety, and he had
barely time to spring over the work and run back to the
nearest parallel about 150 yards in rear. British soldiers
do not often, or for any length of time, forget themselves ;
and the same men who, taken by surprise, had just fled in
panic from the face of their enemies, rallied in a few minutes,
and, led by their officers, drove the Russians pell-mell out
of the advanced sap. *
'* The following is the official narrative of this affair : ' At about half-
past twelve a.m. , a party of the enemy made an attack on the advance up
the httle ravine from the fifth parallel. The working-party retired in great
confusion, in spite of repeated attempts on Captain Wolseley's part to rally
them, and the Russians threw down about fifty gabions into the trench ;
they then retreated, keeping up a fire of musketry, which caused consider-

58 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
The field-officer whose negligence had caused this unfor
tunate business, now asked Captain Wolseley, ' What was to
be done ?'
' I will do nothing,' replied Wolseley, ' until you have
carried the rifle-pit I requested you to take before.'
A gallant officer. Captain Pechell, of the 77th, who was
kUled two nights later, was standing by, and, hearing this
colloquy, said, ' I wUl take the rifle-pit.' And this he did
with a small party of his own men, who carried it with a
rush. The Russians had not only pulled up some of the gabions,
which had been filled at such great cost of time and labour,
but they had rolled others down the hill ; Wolseley, there
fore, taking with him a strong party of men, recovered most
of these gabions, and was engaged in the task of putting up
and refiUing them when he received his wound. He was at
the end of the sap talking to two Sappers, who were assisting
him to fiU with stones one of the gabions ; one hand was
stretched back, and the other was resting on a spike of the
gabion, when a round shot dashed into the middle of the
group. He had just time to call ' Look out ! ' when down
went both the Sappers, whUe he felt himself hurled to the
ground with resistless force. The round shot had struck
the gabion, which was fuU of stones, and, scattering its
able loss. The guns also from the batteries below the Malakhoff opened,
and caused numerous casualties by stones. Amongst the wounded, I regret
to say, was Captain Wolseley, who was severely cut in the face and leg by
stones. The guard of the trenches was very strong in the fifth parallel, and
there were abundance of men near the entrance to the sap ; but the attack
was so sudden, that unless the working-party themselves repulsed the enemy,
the mischief done to the trench could not be prevented. Captain Wolseley
had placed about fifty gabions, and was proceeding to fiU them, when the
attack took place, all of which, and a considerable quantity besides, were
overturned into the trench by the enemy. No more work was done there,
on account of the precision of the artillery-fire from the Malakhoff
batteries, and also the incessant fire of musketry, as the enemy only re
tired about 200 yards down the ravine. The casualties among the working-
party were very great, amounting to 12 out of 65, and these in a very short
space of time. '

WOLSELEY IS WOUNDED. 59
contents with terrific violence, instantaneously killed the
poor fellows by his side, the head of one man being taken
off, whUe the other was disembowelled. As for himself, he
lay senseless until a sergeant of Sappers picked him up,
and, after a time, he rallied sufficiently to avail himself of
the assistance of this man and of Prince Victor Hohenlohe,*
of the Naval Brigade, who, coming up, helped him to walk
towards the doctor's hut in the trenches. He just managed
to totter so far, and was laid down outside the hut in a
semi-unconscious state.
Prince Victor called the attention of the surgeon to his
newly arrived patient, and the reply was, after a hasty glance,
for he was too busy just then to examine him, ' He's a dead
un.' This roused up the wounded officer, who, though
half-unconscious, seemed to regard the remark in the light
of a reflection ; and turning himself as he lay there all
smothered in blood, he made answer, ' I am worth a good
many dead men yet'
This remark caused the doctor, who fancied from his
appearance that his injuries were mortal, to turn his atten
tion to Captain Wolseley, and from the nature of the wounds,
and the shock to the system their number and extent would
have caused in most cases, it seemed as if the surgeon had
only been a little premature in his rough and ready diagnosis.
Wolseley's head and body presented a shocking appearance.
His features were not distinguishable as those of a human
being, while blood flowed from innumerable wounds caused
by the stones with which he had been struck. Sharp frag
ments were embedded aU over his face, and his left cheek
had been almost cut completely away. The doctor fancied,
after probing the wound, that his jawbone was shattered ;
* When Prince Victor again met Sir Garnet at a public dinner, after his
return from the Gold Coast, he reminded him of the circumstances of their
last meeting.

6o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
but Wolseley made him pull out the substance in his mouth,
when a large stone came away. The surgeon then lifted up
and stitched the cheek. Both his eyes were completely
closed, and the injury to one of them was so serious that
the sight has been permanently lost Not a square inch of
his face but what was battered and cut about, while his
body was wounded all over, just as if he had been peppered
with small-shot. He had received also a severe wound on
his right leg, so that both limbs had now been injured, the
wound in the left thigh, received in Burmah, rendering him
slightly lame.
For many years afterwards the wound on the shin, received
on this 30th of August, caused him much suffering ; and,
when on duty in Canada, nearly ten years after the event,
he was under the necessity of returning to England for
medical advice regarding the bone, which was exfoUating.
Considering the extent of his wounds, Wolseley's recovery
must be chiefly attributed to his wonderful constitution,
and, in a scarcely less degree, to his strong vitaUty and
buoyant courage.
After the surgeon had dressed his wounds. Captain
Wolseley was placed on a stretcher, and carried by four
soldiers to St. George's Monastery, situated on the sea-
coast not far from Balaklava, and there he passed some
weeks, the sight of both eyes being too much injured to
subject them to the light. While he was pent up in this
gloomy cell, meditating on the sad prospect of being totally
blind for the remainder of his days, news arrived of the fall
of Sebastopol. The great Russian stronghold, which had
for so many weary months defied the utmost efforts of
two Great Powers, was at length carried by assault on
the Sth of September, and Captain Wolseley had the ad
ditional mortification of feeling that all his devotion and
suffering had not received the reward he most coveted

WOLSELEY AND THE ROYAL ENGINEERS. 6i
— that of participating in the storm of the Russian strong
hold.* The Siege of Sebastopol stands in many respects without
example in the annals of war. The Russian works ex
tended for nearly fifteen mUes, whUe the besiegers' trenches
were no less than fifty-two miles in length, and comprised
109 batteries, armed with 806 pieces. The expenditure of
ammunition during the siege, during the 327 days the
batteries were open, amounted to about one and a half million
rounds. The Russians opposed to the Allies an army
numerically superior, intrenched behind formidable de
fences, mounting no less than 1,100 cannon, and protected
by the guns of their fleet
Immediately on learning the news of the fall of Sebastopol,
Captain Wolseley resigned his post of Assistant-Engineer,
and his name was removed from the list from the 7th of
November. He had been ordered to England for the re
covery of his health, and to seek the best medical advice
for his eyes, the sight of both of which it was at first feared
was permanently lost
Sir Harry Jones, in a confidential Memorandum to the
Secretary of State for War, brought to his lordship's notice
the names of the officers whom he recommended for pro
motion, among them being that of Captain Wolseley.
Throughout the siege the duties of the trenches feU with
great severity on the Engineer officers, of whom the General
said he ' could not speak too highly in praise of the zeal
and inteUigence they displayed ;' day and night they were
constantly under fire in the most advanced positions, direct
ing the working-parties, and it is surprising that any of those,
' Our loss on the Sth of September was 29 officers, and 356 men killed ;
124 officers and 1,762 men wounded ; and 175 missing. The French lost
14s officers and 1.489 men killed ; 254 officers and 4,259 men wounded ;
and 10 officers and 1,400 men missing.

62 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
who, like Wolseley, served continuously for many months,
escaped with their lives.
The total number of non-commissioned officers and men
of the Royal Engineers employed throughout the siege,
amounted to only 935 ; of these 21S were killed or died,
and 119 became non-effective from various causes, leaving
598 in the Crimea on the 9th of September. During
the same time, 69 officers of the Royal Engineers, and 19
other officers, acting as Assistant-Engineers, served with the
corps; of the former, iS were killed or died (exclusive of
Lieutenant H. G. Teesdale, who died of wounds received
at the Alma), and 14 were wounded, while 2 Assistant-
Engineers were killed, and 6 wounded*
During the nine months Captain Wolseley served unin
terruptedly before Sebastopol (with the exception of a week's
sick leave at Balaklava), he was, perhaps, as often on duty
in the trenches as any officer in the British Army ; whUe as
one of the Engineer officers of the right attack, he was in
the post of the greatest danger, as evinced by the fact that
of the 14 officers killed at the siege, 12 belonged to the
right attack, or were killed when doing duty there, t The
preceding pages show the nature of the duty performed by
Captain Wolseley during the siege. In the dreary winter of
i8S4-S5> he, in common with every officer and man, suffered
from hunger and cold; but, though for weeks his diet was an
insufficient aUowance of unwholesome biscuit and stiU more
unwholesome water, he cheerfuUy performed his tour of duty
in the trenches, and faced the Russian fire and the biting cold
of an Arctic winter, which proved fatal to so many gallant
* The total loss of the British Army in the Crimea was 243 officers and
4,531 killed and died of wounds ; 577 officers and 10,800 men wounded ;
and 13 officers and 491 men missing. The Naval Brigade, out of 135
officers and 4,334 men engaged, lost 5 officers and 95 men killed ; and 38
officers and 437 men wounded.
t The reason is obvious why the mortality in the right attack was greater
than in the left. The right attack was on the slope of the Redan, while a
ravine intervened between the Russian batteries and the left attack.

WOLSELEY'S ESCAPES DURING THE SIEGE. 63
officers and men. While the army was perishing from want
and cold in the trenches, ship after ship arrived at Balaklava,
stowed with boots too small for use, and greatcoats that would
not button : and when officers, even at headquarters, were fain
to be thankful for mouldy biscuits, preserved meats and vege
tables were rotting on the quays of Balaklava. Routine and
red-tapeism reigned supreme, and the world wondered at the
astounding display of mismanagement in every department of
our complicated military machine. The onesatisfactoryfeature
was the valour and patience of our officers and soldiers,
who doggedly fought on, and never murmured when affairs
looked their blackest
It was a point of honour among the Engineer officers and
Sappers to bear up against sickness, and hold out as long as
they could stand on their legs ; and Wolseley, though he
frequently suffered from illness and overwork, with the ex
ception of a brief interval in July, remained at his post
until severe wounds incapacitated him for further duty.
Speaking of the officers and men of the Royal Engineers,
he has expressed an opinion that ' he never saw men work
like them,' and considers their conduct in this unparalleled
siege as 'beyond all praise.'
Captain Wolseley was wounded severely on the 30th of
August, and slightly on the loth of April, and 7th of June.
On the 15th of February his coat was pierced by a ball; on
the I oth of April a round shot struck the embrasure at
which he was working, and cut his trousers ; and on the
7th of June a ball passed through his forage-cap from the
peak to the back, knocking it off his head. It may be said,
without exaggeration, that he bore a charmed life ; for, at
the termination of the siege, of three messes of four members
each to which he had belonged, he was the only officer
remaining in the Crimea, all the others being either killed
or forced to leave through wounds.

64 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Captain Wolseley was about to return to England for the
recovery of his health, when he was offered an appointment
in the Quartermaster-General's Department, which he re
solved to accept There was a great improvement in the
sight of one of his eyes, though, as he told us, he has never
recovered the sight of the other — as Wordsworth's naval
showman says of Nelson :
' One eye he had, which, bright as ten,
Bum'd like a fire among his men.'
He was employed on the Quartermaster-General's staff, in
conjunction with two officers of the 90th Light Infantry,
Major Barnston (who died of wounds received at the ReUef
of Lucknow, and of whom Wolseley speaks as ' the best
officer he ever knew '), and Captain Crealock, whose gallantry
on the disastrous Sth of September, and in the China
Campaign of i860, and skill as an accomplished artist,
have made his name famous. Captain Wolseley and Major
Barnston were attached, for surveying duties, to a French
army of 20,000 men and a small force of English cavalry,
which had taken up a position in the valley of the Belbec,
menacing the left flank of the Russians, who, after the
fall of the south side of Sebastopol, occupied a Une ex
tending from the Star Fort to the extreme left on the
Mackenzie Heights. At this time the AUies had, in the
Crimea, an army of about 210,000 men, of which the
British portion numbered, on the i6th of October, 56,000,*
of whom only 4,500 were ineffective through wounds or
sickness. * This total was composed of 14 regiments of Cavalry, about 5,000 sabres ;
52 battalions of Infantry, about 33,000 bayonets; and 14 batteries of
Artillery, and 9 companies of Sappers, about 9,000 men. The remaining
9,000 were made up of non-combatants, as Land Transport, Army Works,
and Medical Staff. This was exclusive of the Turkish Contingent of
20,000 men. There were in the United Kingdom only 7 regiments of
Cavalry, exclusive of the Household Brigade, and 8 regiments of Infantry,
besides 5 in the Mediterranean.

THE LAST DA YS IN THE CRIMEA. 65
While employed with the French corps d'armee in the
valley of the Belbec on surveying duties. Captain Wolseley
had many narrow escapes from capture. Every morning,
he and Major Barnston would leave the French camp,
either alone, or escorted by a few troopers, and many a hot
chase they had when the Russians, annoyed at seeing British
officers reconnoitring and sketching close up to their ad
vanced posts, sent some of their hardest-riding Cossacks in
pursuit When the French force fell back, and it became
too cold for surveying, Wolseley was appointed Deputy
Assistant-Quartermaster-General to the Light Division, then
under the command of Lord WiUiam Paulet.
Captain Wolseley remained in the Crimea untU the con
clusion of peace with Russia, when he assisted Colonel
Hallowell, at Balaklava, in despatching homewards the troops
of his division, a great portion of the army embarking at
Kasatch Bay, near Kamiesch, where the fleet lay. On 5th
of July, 1856, Marshal Pelissier, with his staff, sailed from
Kamiesch; and, on the 12th of July, Sir William Codring-
ton, commanding the British Army, having made over the
Dockyard of Sebastopol, and Port of Balaklava, to the
officer in command of the Russian troops, embarked on
board H.M.S. Algiers. After the departure of all the regi
ments. Captain Wolseley embarked for England, being one
of the last men to quU the land where he had done and
suffered so much in his country's service.

CHAPTER III.
the INDIAN MUTINY.
Captain Wolseley proceeds on Service to India.— Wrecked at Banca. —
Arrival at Calcutta— Proceeds up-Country.— In Action near Cawnpore. —
March to Alumbagh. — The Rehef of Lucknow. — Wolseley storms the
Mess-house. — Occupies the Motee Mahul, and effects Communication with
the Residency of Lucknow. — The Defence of Alumbagh. — Campaigning
in Oude. — Actions at Baree and Nawabgunge. — Service ou the Nepaul
Frontier.
On his return from the Crimea, Captain Wolseley* rejoined
the 90th Regiment, then stationed at Aldershot, but was soon
after employed in reporting on a new system of visual tele
graphy. For this purpose he came up to London, in order
that he might acquire a knowledge of the system from the
German Professor, who sought, but unsuccessfully, to intro
duce it into our army. On his return to Aldershot, he was
attached to the staff of Lord WUliam Paulet, then command
ing a brigade at the camp, as ' galloper,' or extra aide-de
camp, without, however, the extra pay.
In the beginning of February, 1857, the goth, being one
of the regiments under orders to proceed to India, was sent
for a few months to Portsmouth to enjoy the pleasures and
relaxation of a garrison town, to which it had certainly earned
* Notwithstanding that he had been specially mentioned in despatcTies
by Lord Raglan, and recommended for promotion by Sir Harry Jones,
K.C.B., Wolseley did not receive the brevet-majority to which he might
have been considered entitled for his meritorious services at the siege of
Sebastopol The French Emperor nominated him a Knight of the Legion
of Honour, and the Sultan conferred on him the Fifth Class of the
Medjidie,

WOLSELEY IS ORDERED TO THE EAST. 67
a title after its sufferings in the Crimea. The regiment, how
ever, had only been a few days at that famous seaport, when
orders were received for it to proceed to India at a week's
notice. But the authorities at the War Office altered their
determination, and a reprieve of a week was aUowed; finaUy,
the officers, who had aU been hastily recaUed from leave,
¦were given to understand that positively the regiment would
not embark for foreign service untU June, the usual period
for the despatch of Indian reliefs, so that the troops might
land in the cool season.
But a British soldier, who may be called upon at any
moment to defend the most distant dependency of an
empire ' upon which the sun never sets,' can never, even for
a few months, consider his destination ' finally ' settled, while
the War Office twenty years ago — there is more consideration
for officers and men nowadays — habitually hated finality in
making up its mind to anything, and cared little for the ex
pense and inconvenience it caused to officers who drew the
munificent pay of a grateful country. The present afforded
a notable instance of this lordly disregard of other people's
comfort ; for about three weeks after aU had been settled,
the regiment received orders to hold itself in readiness to
proceed forthwith to China.
At this time the 90th was commanded by Colonel Camp
beU, an officer whose brUliant defence of the Quarries on the
night of the 7th of June — when our troops, acting alone and
without the assistance of our AUies, achieved almost the only
striking success throughout the siege — gained him the well-
merited honours of the Bath. The regiment now mustered
a thousand bayonets, and it was a goodly sight to witness the
90th on parade, as smart a corps as any in Her Majesty's
service. Captain Wolseley's company, like all the others,
numbered 100 non-commissioned officers and men, and he
had three subalterns. Lieutenants Herford and Carter, and
5-2

68 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Ensign Haig. Of the entire strength of the regiment, 700
men, with head-quarters, embarked in the Himalaya, under
command of Colonel CampbeU, C.B. ; and Major Barnston,
with the three remaining companies, under Captains Wosle-
ley. Guise, and Irby, sailed in the Transit, whose history,
from her cradle to her grave, bore a singular resemblance to
that of another trooper, the ill-fated Megeera.*
Besides 300 men of the 90th, the Transit embarked for
Hong Kong a detachment of the 59th Regiment and 200
men of the Medical Staff Corps, a body recently organized
for furnishing mUitary hospitals with attendants. The whole
force was under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Stephen
son, who had been appointed Assistant Adjutant-General to
the China Expedition, then fitting out under the command
of the late Major-General Hon. T. Ashburnham, C.B. The
troubles of the Transit commenced before she had lost sight
of land. Directly after quitting Spithead, a dense fog came
on, when Commander Chambers, her captain, brought-to in
the Solent On weighing anchor the following day, he found
the ship making water so fast that he had to run back to
Spithead, flying the ensign ' Union down,' as a signal of
distress. The T7'ansit managed to creep into Portsmouth
Harbour, and, discharging the troops into a hulk, hauled off
to the dockyard, nearly sinking before she could be pumped
* Lieutenant (now retired Captain) J. S. A. Herford, in his work, 'Stirring
Times under Canvas,' describes the ship in the foUowing terms : ' The
Transit had always been an unfortunate ship. Bought, if not literally on
the stocks, yet in an unfinished state, from a private company, she was
completed by the Royal Na-vy authorities, by which ingenious plan, when
ever anything afterwards went wrong, the original builders and the finishers
were able to shift the blame on each other. She was continually breaking
down in her various voyages to and from the Crimea with troops. Those
who were so unfortunate as to be embarked in her knew well enough that
something was certain to happen in the course of the voyage. Yet the
authorities had stiU a firm behef in her merits ; so, putting a new pair of
engines in her, they determined to send troops in her a short way— only to
China ! The new engines were smaller, but more powerful, than the last
had been, and, to steady the ship and keep her together, two large iron
beams, running fore and aft, were added. To these beams we probably,
at a later period, owed our Uves. '

THE VOYAGE TO CHINA. 69
out and docked. It was then discovered that she had
knocked a hole in her bottom, which was probably occa
sioned by her settling on her anchor at low water when in a
tideway. On the necessary repairs being effected, the
Tra7tsit, having re-shipped the troops and the guns and
military stores which formed her cargo, once more pro
ceeded on her long voyage. But it was only to encounter
further ill-luck. A strong gale came on in the ' chops of the
Channel,' and the rigging having been loosely set up, the
masts swayed about to such an extent that the captain
made all preparations to cut them away. The gale moderat
ing, the T7-ansit put into Corunna, where Captain Wolseley
and the other officers proceeded ashore, and visited the
grave of one of England's bravest and best soldiers. Sir John
Moore. The rigging having been set up, the Transit pro
ceeded once more to sea ; but on arriving at the Cape, on
May the 28th, it was discovered that she had sprung a leak
near her sternpost ; however, on examination by a diver, it
was pronounced as of no consequence, and so the Transit
proceeded on her long flight across the Indian Ocean, her
donkey-engine working the whole time to keep the leak
under. When near St Paul's, the island on which the
Megara, of evil memory, left her bones, the Transit encoun
tered a hurricane, and it seemed as if the ship was to add
another to those mysteries of the deep which are every now
and then chronicled in the public papers.
Wolseley described her condition to us : ' For three days
and three nights the cyclone lasted. AU our saUs were
carried away, and the mainyard went to pieces. An enor
mous leak showed itself; some plates were supposed to
have burst, so that the water poured in like a sluice. We
had on board the Transit nearly 900 souls, and it was as
much as all hands could do, by constant pumping, to keep
her afloat' But Providence destined the gallant hearts on

70 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
board the Tra7isit to fight their country's battles in a great
crisis, and the gale moderated when matters looked so
serious that it only seemed a question of how many hours
they could keep afloat the worn-out hull in which ' the
authorities' had so perversely sent them to the other side of
the world. By dint of hard pumping the leak was kept
under, and the ship, having passed through the Straits of
Sunda, headed north for Singapore, when officers and men
began to count the days before they might expect to sight
the rich and varied foUage amid which that city is em
bosomed. Soon they were steaming rapidly through the
Straits of Banca, whose well-wooded shores and sandy coves
excited their admiration, as we remember it did ours when
cruising in those seas. But their acquaintance was destined
to be not altogether of a pleasurable tinge, and our hero, like
everyone who has been much at sea, learnt the truth of the
saying of Juvenal, that on that unstable element a man is at
all times removed from death ' by four fingers' breadth or
seven at most' At ten o'clock on the morning of the loth
of July, as the Transit was passing through the Straits, the
Island of Banca being on the starboard hand and Sumatra
on the port side, and the sea as smooth as a mill-pond, the
crazy old ship suddenly crashed on a coral reef, on which
she remained immovable. Then it was seen what discipline
could effect among men whose lives were not passed, like
saUors, amid the perUs incidental to a nautical profession,
but who suddenly found themselves confronted by a novel
danger. 'The majority of the troops,' says Captain Herford, 'were
on the main-deck at the mess-tables. On feeUng the first
shock they naturaUy rose en 77iasse, and were about to rush on
deck, when Major Barnston, who was quietly writing in his
cabin, appeared before them, and lifting his hand, said in
his usual undisturbed voice, ' It's aU right, men ; stay where

WOLSELE Y IS SHIP WRECKED. 7 1
you are 1" These few words, coming from an officer who
inspired confidence and was generally beloved, acted Uke
magic. The men, like so many children, obeyed and sat
down.' The ship's company, meanwhile, lowered the boats, and
it was found, ori taking soundings, that there was not less
than nine fathoms all round. In the meantime the ship
began to settle by the stern, and there was great danger of
her sliding off the rock and sinking in the deep water along
side, when a lamentable loss of life must have ensued. The
engine-room was soon full of water, which rushed in with
great velocity. WhUe the soldiers were busy bringing up on
deck the provisions and arms, the sailors lowered the remain
ing boats, and prepared them for the reception of the troops,
who were landed on a reef distant about a mile and a half,
as it was considered desirable to remove all hands from the
wreck with the utmost despatch, the Island of Banca being
about two miles farther away. When this had been com
pleted, the crew first proceeded to the mainland with what
provisions they could save, and, having deposited these on
the sandy beach, returned to the reef, which was now nearly
submerged by the advancing tide, and removed the soldiers
to the neighbouring shore. Here large fires had been lit,
and, as a fine stream of water was close at hand, the gaUant
light-hearted fellows of both services were soon making
themselves merry over biscuit and water, thankful that they
had escaped with their Uves.
Captain Wolseley lost everything he possessed in the world
except the clothes on his back, for strict orders had been
issued by Captain Chambers that nothing was to be passed
into the boats except provisions, so that officers and men
saved only their arms, each man taking with him also four
rounds of ammunition. This was the first time Wolseley
had suffered this misfortune, one of the most trying of the

72 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
chances of active service ; but it was not destined to be the
last, for, not many months later, when the rebels defeated
General Windham and burned Cawnpore, he and his brother
officers lost the second kit they had provided themselves
with in Calcutta : among his losses at Cawnpore were his
Legion of Honour and Crimean Medal, which were after
wards found on the body of a dead ' Tandy.' Again, during
his absence from England, on his Ashantee Campaign,
Wolseley had the misfortune to lose all his furniture and
goods, which he had warehoused in the Pantechnicon, in the
great fire which, in a few hours, reduced to ashes that vast
buUding and its costly contents.
On the following morning, when it was found that the
bows of the Tra7isit were still visible above water, an
attempt was made to secure some baggage and necessaries,
but the salvage from the wreck was inconsiderable and
almost valueless.
The spot on which the shipwrecked crew and passengers
of the Transit had landed was . not without a certain his
torical interest for soldiers and saUors, as, on examination,
there were found among the trees and brushwood the re
mains of ditches and embankments, indicating that it was
at this spot the British constructed a fort during the Expe
dition to Java, in iSii. The Island of Banca is under the
protection of the Dutch, whose settlement at Minto was
some eight mUes distant To this place Captain Chambers,
on the morning after the disaster, senf the cutter to ask for
assistance ; when the Governor immediately despatched one
gunboat to Singapore to advise the authorities there,- and
another to protect the wreck from the depredations of the
natives, who had commenced seizing all they could pick up.
As all the fresh provisions and live stock had been lost, the
shipwrecked people had to subsist on salt meat and biscuits;
a fare which was varied by the flesh of baboons, which they

WOLSELEY PROCEEDS TO INDIA. 73
shot, and made into a nutritious, if not very palatable, soup.
The natives also drove a good business in the sale of pine
apples, yams, bread, eggs, and poultry, though the supply
was limited, and the price demanded so great as to be
almost prohibitory. With such eatables, and sheltered by
the saUs of the Transit, which were spread between the
trees, officers and men passed a not unpleasant Robinson
Crusoe sort of life for eight days ; and just when the sense
of novelty had worn off, and this mode of existence began
to pall. Her Majesty's ganhodX Dove arrived from Singapore,
and brought some startling news, that altered the destination
of the 90th Regiment, and opened a new chapter in the
adventurous career of Captain Wolseley.
This was the announcement that the Bengal Native Army
was in full mutiny, and had inaugurated the movement by the
destruction of Meerut and the seizure of Delhi, whUe mas
sacres were perpetrated throughout the land, coupled with
an urgent demand for the aid of every European soldier to
uphold the banner of British supremacy and withstand the
mighty uprising to 'drive the British leopard into the sea,'
as Napoleon would have styled it. Already the head
quarters of the regiment, which had saUed in the Himalaya,
had been despatched to Calcutta, and, at once proceeding
up-country, formed part of the reinforcements brought up
by Sir James Outram, when that most distinguished of
Indian Generals, fresh from his Persian triumphs, marched
to join Havelock, then battling against tremendous odds.
Two days after the arrival of the Dove, H.M.S. Adceon,
Captain Bates, steamed up to Banca, and embarked the three
companies of the 90th, which, on arriving at Singapore, on
the 23rd of July, were quartered in some large roomy huts
about three miles outside that picturesque-looking town,
whose situation on one of the chief highways of commerce,
surely marks it out for a great future. On the 29th, H.M.S.

74 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Shannon, Captain WUliam Peel, wUh Lord Elgin on board,
arrived from Hong Kong, and on the following day she and
H.M.S. Pearl, Captain Sotheby, ^embarked the 90th for Cal
cutta, Captain Wolseley's company sailing in the latter ship.
The arrival of these reinforcements was rnost opportune.
Delhi had not yet been captured, and Lucknow was closely
"besieged by the enemy, while every day brought fresh news
of rebelUon, and the air was thick with rumours of disaster.
Men's hearts failed them for fear, and Fort WilUam itself
presented the aspect of a fortress in an enemy's country.
On the morning after their arrival at Calcutta, the detach
ment proceeded in a river steamer to Chinsurah, and here
they remained for some weeks, during which the soldiers
received a new outfit, and exchanged their arms, which had
been damaged, for more serviceable weapons. The officers
ordered new outfits in Calcutta, and Captain Wolseley ex
pended ,;^ioo in restoring his lost kit ; but though they sent
in their claims for compensation for lost baggage, which,
according to the War Office Regulations, would be immedi
ately honoured, three years elapsed before the expenses they
had incurred were refunded.
At length, all the arrangements for the transport of the
detachments being complete, on the 29th of August, Captain
Wolseley's company left Chinsurah by rail for the long jour
ney up-country. The first halting-place was Raneegunge,
about 112 miles from Calcutta, and as the raU went no
further, the company started in bullock ' gharees' for Benares.
The detachment marched by companies, each ' bullock-
train' accommodating 80 men, and each ' gharee ' either 6
men, or 2 officers with their baggage, while one-third of
the men, with an officer, as a guard, proceeded on foot.
The average pace was about two miles an hour, and the
buUocks were changed every ten miles ; thus the company
marched until, on the foUowing morning, a halt was made

THE MARCH UP-COUNTRY. 75
for some hours at the staging bungalow. As time was of
importance, and they were occasionaUy delayed by the rivers,
¦which were swelled by the heavy monsoon rains, forced
marches had sometimes to be made during the heat of the
day, which, at first, was found to be very trying to unaccli-
matized soldiers.
After passing Dehree, burnt bungalows and devastated
¦villages afforded signs that they were approaching the scene of
operations, and, on the loth of September, Captain Wolseley
and his company crossed the Ganges in a paddle-boat worked
by manual, or rather pedal, labour, and proceeded to a palace
of the Rajah of Benares, situated about three mUes from
that city, which had been prepared for their reception.
The Holy City of the Hindoos was, at this time, the hot-bed
of sedition. Earthworks, mounted with guns, commanded
the town, and it was intimated to the inhabitants that any
overt act of rebeUion would be the signal for the destruction
of their chief temple.
On the following day the company started from Benares,
again by bullock-dak, and, after two days' marching, re-
crossed the Ganges, and entered the fort of Allahabad,
which, situated at the junction of that sacred river with the
Jumna, is a place of the greatest strategical importance,
though, Uke Delhi and other arsenals in Upper India, at the
time of the Mutiny it was denuded of white troops by the
insane policy that dictated our military dispositions.
Proceeding by forced marches through Futtehpore, Cap
tain Wolseley arrived, about the 27th of September, at
Cawnpore — whose very name arouses sad memories in the
minds of everyone who was in India in that terrible year,
1857. Formerly one of the largest and finest mUitary
stations in India, Cawnpore now presented a desolate ap
pearance. On every side were burnt cantonments and bun
galows, and Wolseley passed the entrenchment defended

76 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
 \ 
•with such desperate tenacity by Sir Hugh Wheeler and his
handful of British troops, and the small low-roofed row of
houses in which was consummated the butchery of the
helpless women and children, and the neighbouring well in
which their still palpitating cprpses were cast by the orders
of the monster. Nana Sahib. AU these sights were viewed
by the officers and men of the 90th, and aroused in them,
as in every regiment, which on arriving up-country had
visited in succession these harrowing scenes, feelings of
hate and revenge, which found ample vent at the Relief and
Siege of Lucknow in the following November and March.
In October, Captain Wolseley had his first brush with
the Pandies. A report reached Cawnpore that the insur
gents were mustering in force at Sheo Raj pore, some mUes
from Bhitoor, the residence of Nana Sahib. At midnight,
on the 17th of October, Brigadier Wilson,* of the 64th Regi
ment, taking with him a field battery, a few Native horse
and 650 bayonets — made up of detachments of the Madras
Fusiliers and the 64th and 90th Regiments — carrying four
days' provisions, moved off rapidly towards Bhitoor. It
was the time of the Native Festival of the Dewalee, or
Feast of Lamps, and hopes were expressed of inflicting a
severe blow on the rebels. The force proceeded aU night
the infantry being mounted on elephants and camels ; at
daybreak they dismounted, and marching briskly, approached
Bhitoor early in the morning. On the way they learned that
the enemy occupied a grove of trees half a mile in front,
with 2 guns, a 9-pounder and a 24-pounder, in position.
The British column was marching along a hard ' pucka' t
road, when, the enemy beginning to open fire. Brigadier
Wilson deployed his force. Wolseley's company — which,
* This gallant officer fell on the 27th of November, when the Gwalior
troops attacked General Windham in his entrenchments at Cawnpore.
+ Pucka is a word of very general use and many significations in Hin-
dostanee ; here it denotes ' permanent,' as opposed to cutcha, raw or new.

FIRST BRUSH WITH THE REBELS. 77
with the detachment of Native cavalry, formed the advanced
guard — was marching in column of sections, when the round
shot and shell began to fly down the road pretty freely.
One shot passed through his files, and, bursting in front of
the other companies of the 90th, which were in rear and
in the act of deploying, kUled and wounded seven men.
The cavalry thereupon turned and bolted, charging through
Wolseley's company. He now quickly threw his men into skir
mishing order, and Major Barnston proposed to the Briga
dier that he should advance upon the guns — for, Uke most
soldiers who had served at Sebastopol, and had been daily
under sheU-fire, he had not that dread of attacking guns
which generally characterizes inexperienced soldiers. But
Wilson,' though personally as gaUant a soldier as any in Her
Majesty's service, feared to incur the responsibUity of the
act, and, though Wolseley was already advancing on the guns,
countermanded the attack, and halting his force, brought
up his battery and opened fire on the enemy. This occu
pied some time, as the guns were drawn by bullocks, and
before he had fired many rounds the enemy had limbered
up and made off with their guns, leaving behind only two
waggons and three country carts with ammunition.
The t9th of October was occupied in destroying Bhitoor,
the troops bivouacking that night in Nana Sahib's compound,
and the ' bawachee,' or cook, of Wolseley's mess used for
fuel the legs of the Nana's bUliard-tables. On the foUowing
day the column returned to Cawnpore, having first destroyed
Sheo Rajpore.
At this time, though Delhi had fallen, and a portion of
the army — which, at the time of the assault, numbered
10,000 effectives — was free for ulterior operations, the
position of affairs at Lucknow was still most critical. On
the 25th of September, General Havelock and Sir James
Outram had effected the relief of the Residency; but litde

78 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.'
had been accomphshed beyond increasing the strength of
the garrison, and occupying the Furreed Buksh and Chuttur
•Munzil Palaces, and other buildings. The entire British
force in Lucknow only numbered 3,000 effectives, and the
rebel hordes were sweUed to some 70,000 fighting men.
On the day preceding his entry into Lucknow, Havelock
left at Alumbagh all his baggage and some 130 sick and
wounded, under a guard of 400 men, with some guns.
On the 3rd of October, a convoy of provisions from Cawn
pore was thrown into Alumbagh, and, on the i ith, orders
were issued that 500 men, under Major Barnston, including
the detachment of the 90th, with 4 guns, was to march to
Alumbagh with supplies. As they were to return in a few
days, the column was ordered to leave behind at Cawn
pore all their i77ipedimenta, with which, however, neither
Captain Wolseley nor any of his brother officers were des
tined to be encumbered any farther.
Accordingly, on the 21st of October, 300 waggons, laden
with stores, and eight camels, were sent across the river ;
and, early in the ensuing morning the column crossed over
the bridge of boats, and after a march of a few mUes,
halted under some trees, no tents being taken for the same
reason that the baggage was left behind. At midnight.
Major Barnston started again, and marched till eight in the
morning. On the second day he learnt that the rebels, 700
strong, with 2 guns, intended to dispute the passage of the
river Sye, at the Bunnee Bridge, the centre arch of which
they had undermined. Having made his disposUions, Major
Barnston advanced his small force. Captain Guise's company
forming the advanced guard ; ' but,' wrUes Captain Herford,
« Wolseley, who foUowed, told Guise that he must let him go
in and take one of the guns.'
However, the gallant officers were disappointed of their
game this time, for on reaching the Sye it was found that a

A SKIRMISH NEAR ALUMBAGH. 79
battery had indeed been built, but the birds were flown !
Nothing remained but to cross the river without the ex
citement of performing the operation under fire, and this
was a work of much difficulty and requiring considerable
time. It took eight hours of hard work before the long train,
which covered nearly two miles of ground, was transported
across the river and pulled up the steep bank on to the road on
the opposite side. Proceeding three-quarters of a mile farther
on, the force halted under a ' tope' of trees. Alumbagh was
only about eight miles distant, and the small column marched
on the foUowing morning, Captain Wolseley's company form
ing the rear-guard, which was destined to be the post of
honour. The force had just cleared two topes, and de
bouched on a large plain, when the enemy opened fire upon
the rear-guard. The road along which they marched was a
'pucka ' road, and extended through the centre of a vast plain
forming a dead level, and admirably adapted for the opera
tions of cavalry. The enemy's horse galloped up in a threat
ening attitude, but Wolseley received them with a volley,
and they hung back. Some desultory fighting then ensued,
and the Enfield proved its efficiency at long ranges. Major
Barnston ordered the centre column to fall back and, assist
Wolseley's company; this was done, and the enemy, after a
show of resistance, retreated, deserting two stockades they
had constructed. Soon after, the long convoy was passed in
safety into Alumbagh.
Alumbagh ('Garden of the World,' as it means in Pei-
sian) stands almost three miles due south of Lucknow, and
had been a favourite residence of one of the Queens of
Oude. At this time it consisted of a waUed enclosure 500
yards square, having turreted buUdings at the four corners,
in each of which were mounted 2 guns. Its defences were
further strengthened by an abattis of feUed trees and a trench,
and the waUs were loopholed, whUe a 3 2 -pounder at the

8o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
principal entrance commanded the road ; but the place
was incapable of resisting artillery, had the rebels possessed ¦
sufficient enterprise to attack it. From the turrets of the
buUding in the centre, were visible the domes and minarets
of Lucknow, as well as the Residency, to the beleaguered
garrison of which the maintenance of this post proved of
essential benefit, as it was the means of securing their com
munications with Cawnpore. One set of ' kossids ' carried
correspondence, worded in French, but written in the Greek
character, from the Residency — a work of the greatest diffi
culty and danger, and which only very large bribes could
induce natives to undertake — and another set performed
the comparatively safe task of conveying messages thence to
Cawnpore. Major Barnston had received orders to return to Cawn
pore three days after his arrival at Alumbagh ; but Colonel
Mclntyre, commanding at that post, requiring the aid of the
column to defend the post, obtained leave for them to remain
with him. The enemy had planted heavy guns within range
of the enclosure, and greatly annoyed the garrison, who,
though anxious to sally out and capture or spike the cannon,
were not permitted to quit the walls, except on foraging
expeditions for the supply of the immense herd of camels
and elephants.
So passed a short period of inactivity, until the 30th of
October, when Brigadier-General (the late Sir) Hope Grant
crossed the Ganges, with some 4,000 men. On the 4th of
November the road to Cawnpore being open, all the wag
gons, with the camels, elephants, and other animals, which
were in a half starved state, were sent thither from Alumbagh,
whUe the convoy of provisions escorted by Grant was thrown
into the place. On the 9th, a semaphore communication
was opened with the Lucknow Residency from the roof
of the buUding in the centre of Alumbagh, and the first use

THE ADVANCE ON LUCKNOW.

to which it was put was to announce the arrival, on the
following day, of Mr. Kavanagh, who, disguised as a native,
had brought a message from Outram to Sir Colin Campbell.
It was a most gaUant deed, and Kavanagh received the Vic
toria Cross, was admitted into the Covenanted Service, and
awarded a grant of ;^2,ooo.
On the 1 2th of November, Sir Colin Campbell arrived at
Alumbagh with some additional troops, and, on the following
afternoon, the detachment of the 90th received the welcome
order to march out of Alumbagh, and join the 4th Brigade
camping outside, under the command of Brigadier Hon.
Adrian Hope, of the 93rd Highlanders. The brigade was
composed of the 53rd and the 93rd, and a battalion of about
600 men, made up of companies of the goth, 84th, and
Madras Fusiliers, under the command of Major Barnston.
The Alumbagh garrison was relieved by the 75 th Regi
ment, which had seen much hard fighting and suffered
heavily at Delhi. The Commander-in-Chief had under his
command, for the proposed operations for the relief of the
Residency, only some 4,550 men and 32 guns.
On the 14th of November, about nine a.m., the British army
started on its momentous mission of effecting the final relief
of our countrymen, the 4th Brigade bringing up the rear of
the main column. The Dilkhoosha and Martinifere were
carried with small loss, and the latter was occupied by the
90th. Wolseley, on ascending to the roof, had presented to
him for the first time a fine view of the superb Eastern city
spread at his feet.
A little later, the 90th were directed to encamp in a tope
in rear of a mud wall, behind which the rebels had taken up
a posUion, and the men were about to dine, when a heavy
musketry-fire denoted that the rebels were making an
attempt, in great force, to retake the position. The battalion
were at once hurried off to support the 93rd Highlanders, 6

82 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
who were out skirmishing to their left, and, forming Une,
advanced to where two hea-s^^ guns of the Shannon Brigade,
under Captain Peel, were pounding away at the enemy.
Wolseley, profiting by the halt, was snatching the luxury of
a ' tub,' when he , was summoned to the front Hastily
dressing himself, he turned out with his company, and
came up just as Peel began firing. As he passed between
the guns the charge in one of them exploded, owing to the
vent not being ' served,' and carried off the head of a saUor.
BuUets began to fly about plentifully, and a brass shell roUed
down and exploded quite close to Wolseley; round shot were
also fired from guns posted over the canal, and the 90th
received orders to advance and take them. On reaching
the canal, however, it was found that the rebels had dammed
it at this point, and, instead of being only ankle-deep, the
water came up to a man's shoulders. It was now getting
dark, and as Sir Colin determined to bivouac on the banks
of the canal for the night, Captain Wolseley received orders
to ' picket ' his company on the spot, the rest of the force
retiring. Sentries were placed on the canal bank, and
Wolseley enjoined silence, as they were so close to the rebel
sentries posted on the opposite side, in front of Banks' house,
that their conversation could be heard. So passed the night,
which was dark and cold, for though the sun was overpower-
ingly hot during the day, the temperature fell very consider
ably after nightfall. All the foUowing day, during which the
troops remained stationary, waiting for a fresh supply of am
munition. Major Barnston's battalion was on picket, retiring
a few yards into a hollow, while musketry-fire raged over their
heads. At length, after being on continuous duty for thirty-
six hours, Wolseley was reUeved, and he and his men enjoyed
a night's rest
On the following morning (i6th of November) the Com
mander-in-Chief, having left all his baggage at Dilkhoosha,

A WARM DA Y'S WORK. 83
crossed the canal and resumed operations. At ten o'clock,
he rode up to Major Barnston, and calling the officers of his
battalion together, told them that when fired at in the streets
it was best not to stop and return the fire, but to fix bayonets
and rush on. It was decided that Barnston's battalion was
to have the honour of being the first of the main body ; but,
subsequently, this was changed, and Brigadier Hope arranged
that they were to follow the 93rd, the 5 3rd forming the
advance-guard. At twelve o'clock the battalion started, and
crossing the canal, made a detour to the right ; soon they
were in the thick of the firing, but Barnston pressed on, and
reached some houses on the edge of an open space, across
which ran a road, now commanded by the guns of the rebels.
Captain Wolseley was directed to double across this open,
a run of about 300 yards, and occupy some ruined houses on
the other side. This he did amid a shower of shot and bullets.
After keeping up a musketry duel from behind the remains
of some walls scarcely breast-high, Wolseley advanced with
the intention of driving out the enemy.
Marching rapidly along a narrow lane, his company led
into the town. The enemy retired, keeping up a hot fusil
lade, and as they gave ground the guns were brought for
ward, Wolseley, with a party of his men, himself assisting in
dragging them to the front, through the sand which lay
ankle-deep. At this time the enemy's fire was so hot, that,
as he said, ' the bullets hopped off the tires of the guns like
peas off a drum.' How any man of the score or so of his
company who assisted him escaped with their Uves, was mar
vellous. Among those who particularly distinguished them
selves were Sergeant Newman (now Quartermaster of the
90th), and another of Wolseley's sergeants, who, though
wounded by a musket-baU, which carried away his upper
lip, and passed clean through his face, refused to leave, and
remained till the close of the action.
6—2

84 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Wolseley was now ordered to protect the flank of Captain
Blunt's troop of Horse ArtiUery, which came into action in
brilliant style. While the rest of Major Barnston's battalion
advanced towards the Secundrabagh, he pushed past that
enclosure, and leaving it untaken in the rear, advanced to a
line of huts. Here he remained for the rest of the day,
protecting the flank of the forces engaged in taking the
Shah Nujeef, and fighting from house to house. That night
Wolseley's company bivouacked outside the Secundrabagh.
Thus he had his share of the hard fighting that rendered this
day the most memorable during the operations connected
with the Relief
When he retired in the evening with his company, and
joined the rest of the battalion, he was grieved to learn
that his friend and brother officer. Major Barnston, had been
severely wounded in the thigh. Like so many others who
were wounded, he ultimately sank under the effects of the
climate, though he spoke cheerfully ofhis recovery to the last
Meanwhile Sir Colin Campbell had been conducting the
main operations of the army with signal success. The
enemy had fortified the Secundrabagh — a garden 120 yards-
square, surrounded by a high wall of solid masonry,, which
had been carefuUy loopholed. The artUlery having effected
a breach, the 93rd Highlanders and 4th Sikhs stormed the
enclosure, and the rebels, mostly Sepoys of the regular
service, were slaughtered like rats in a barn. In the even
ing, when the bayonet had completed its fatal work, the men
were employed in burying the dead in two large pits. Cap
tain Wolseley, who was engaged on this unpleasant task,,
mentions as a singular coincidence, that when counting the
corpses, as they were flung into the pits, it was found that
they numbered 1S57 — the date ofthe year; this number
was exclusive of others who were kiUed outside when seek
ing to make their escape.

WOLSELEY STORMS THE MESS-HOUSE. 85
From the Secundrabagh, Sir CoUn proceeded against the
Shah Nujeef, a tomb of one of the kings of Oude, and here
ensued the sternest struggle of the Relief. Lieutenant
Wynne and Ensign Powell, of the goth, were wounded, and
it was while bringing up the remainder of his battalion that
Major Barnston received his death-wound from a shell.
Peel now battered the place with his heavy guns, after which
the 93rd stormed it On the morning of the 17th opera
tions were resumed, and the services of Captain Wolseley
during the day were of so marked a character, that he had
the coveted honour of seeing his name specially mentioned
in the Commander-in-Chief's despatch. This was in con
nection with the attack on the 32nd Mess-house,* formerly
known as the Khoorsheyd MunzU ('Happy Palace'), a
building of considerable size and great strength, defended by
a ditch and loop-holed wall.
During the morning of the 17th, Sir Colin was engaged
in pressing back the enemy, and about noon Captain Peel
brought up his guns, and kept up a heavy fire on the Mess-
house. After the buUding had been battered for about three
hours, Sir CoUn determined to storm, and sent for Captain
Wolseley, whom he had known by repute in the Crimea.
The Commander-in-Chief, addressing him, said that he had
selected him to command the storming-party, and that he
would be supported by a detachment ol the 53rd regiment,
and the battalion of detachments led 'Dy Captain Guise, the
officer next in seniority to Major Barnston. On Wolseley's
expressing his extreme gratification at being selected for this
honourable task. Sir CoUn described the work as being sur-
* The late Mr. Martin Gubbins, at this time Financial Commissioner of
Lucknow, in his 'Mutinies in Oude,' describes the Mess-house in the fol
lowing terms ; ' Its structure is massive ; all the windows on the ground-
floor are furnished with strong iron gratings, and it is surrounded by a moat,
passable only at the two entrances, of which the principal immediately faces
us. AU those windows are bricked-up inside the iron grating for three parts
of their height, and the masonry is most carefully loopholed. '

86 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
rounded by a ditch, about twelve feet broad and scarped
with masonry, and beyond that a loopholed mud wall ; there
were also drawbridges, but he did not know whether they
were down. His instructions were that, in the event of the
drawbridges being up, and his not being able to effect an
entrance, he was to leave his men under cover and return
and report to him.*
Wolseley left the Chief, and proceeded to carry out his
instructions. t Captain Peel, who was battering the Mess-
house with his heavy guns, was requested to cease firing ;
but just as Wolseley gave the order, ' Double,' to his men.
Peel characteristically turned to Sir CoUn CampbeU, and
asked leave just to give 'one more broadside.' This favour
granted, Wolseley amid a hot fire from the neighbouring
buildings, outstripping his men with the fierce energy that
distinguished him in the assault of Myat-toon's position, ran
over the intervening space, and arriving under the garden
waU, halted to get breath, and then clambered over it In
side the garden he found many matchlockmen, who fired at
him, but, though the buUets flew about him, he ran on
unscathed and entered the Mess-house without opposition.
As he gained the drawbridge, which was down, he called to
the bugler to sound the advance.
At this moment, the two most distinguished soldiers of
the British army of the present generation were brought
together. As Captain Wolseley left the Mess-house, Lieu-
• We have been assured by an officer of the goth, who accompanied
Wolseley on this occasion, that the Commander-in-Chief promised him the
Victoria Cross before he dismissed him from his presence. While on this
subject of the Victoria Cross, we may mention th.it, during the Crimean
War, the late Sir W. Gordon, of ' Gordon's Battery,' recommended Captain
Wolseley for the distinction, for his conspicuous gallantry on the 7th of
June, and again on the 30th of August, on the occasion of his receiving his
wound. -j- By a singular coincidence he was accompanied by Lieutenant F.
Roberts, of the Bengal ArtiUery, Deputy Assistant Quarttrmaster-General,
an officer who has eiiice acquired a woild-wide renown by his remarkable
achievements in Afghanistan.

WOLSELEY ATTACKS THE MOTEE MAHUL. 87
tenant (afterwards General Sir Frederick) Roberts appeared
on the scene. He wrote to the author : ' I took the flag of
the 2nd Punjaub Infantry, by Sir CoUn Campbell's orders,
and placed it on the Mess-house, to show Havelock and
Outram where we were. The enemy knocked the flag
staff down three times, breaking the pole.'*
At this time Captain Irby came up with his company of
the goth, and Wolseley directed him to take some houses to
the left, while he proceeded to attack those to the right, the
fire being heavy from both directions. Irby succeeded in
occupying the Tara Kothie,t or observatory, without meet
ing with any opposition, though during the latter part of the
day he had hard work in holding the position.
And now one more task remained — the occupation of the
Motee Mahul Palace, J situated on the banks of the Goomtee,
the last post which separated the besieged and their de
liverers. While Irby held the Tara Kothie, Wolseley pro
ceeded to the attack of the Motee Mahul, and the success
¦*- Mr. Gubbins, who, in company with General Havelock, witnessed this
exploit from their post of observation, the roof of the Chuttur iNlunzil Palace.
thus graphically describes it : 'It is now three o'clock, and if the enemy have
any men concealed in that massive pile, the Mess-house, we shall soon see,
for the red-coats are approaching ; they are moving down in regular order
along the road leading from the Shah Nujeef, and now are lost to view.
Presently a part of them are seen advancing in skirmishing order. They
have reached the enclosing waU ; they are over it, through the shrubbery,
and now the leading officer enters at the door which we have been-watch-
ing ; and while a larger body foUow, rushing at a double up the building.
he reappears upon the roof, and presently a British ensign floats on the
right-hand tower of the Khoorsheyd Munzil.
' The building was indeed, as we supposed, abandoned, but the fire is so
heavy from the Tara Kotee and adjacent buildings that it is no easy work
that our noble feUows have to do. See ! the ensign is struck down, and now
it is again raised and fixed more firmly than before. But again a shot strikes
it down, and probably the staff is damaged, for they have taken it down
through the garden to that group of officers — probably Sir CoUn himself and
staff — vAose caps are visible inside the enclosing compound wall To the
right, this wall is Uned by the captors of the Mess-house, and a heavy fire of
musketry, with occasional shot and shell, is directed from the Kaiser Bagh
upon them ; and now they cross the wall, enter the Tara Kotee enclosure,
charge up its main avenue, and are hid from us by the trees.'
+ Tara means ' stars,' and Kothie, 'pucka,' or permanent building.
t This Motee Mahul (' Pearl of Palaces '), like similar edifices, is enclosed
within a high wall, and is one of the most spacious and graceful buildings
of its kind in Lucknow. Here the King of Oude was wont to regale his
European guests.

88 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
he achieved with only his company forms one of the most
extraordinary episodes of the war. Quitting the garden of
the Mess-house, he ran the gauntlet across the road under a
heavy fire, but, on arriving at the Motee Mahul, found that
the gateway v.-as buUt up and loopholed. He was met by a
volley, but proceeded with his company to subdue the
enemy's fire, and at length, by dint of hard fighting, won the
loopholes, though with the loss of many of his brave feUows.
He now sent back an officer with a few men, to bring up
crowbars and pickaxes to force the newly-made brickwork of
the gateway. This was a service of some danger, as the road
was still swept by musketry and canister. In the meantime,
Wolseley kept his company as much under cover as possible.
Soon the men were seen returning with the tools, and Private
Andrews, a gaUant fellow who had been Wolseley's servant
in the Crimea, ran out from under shelter to show his com
rades the way across. No sooner, however, had he darted
into the street, than he was shot through the body from one
of the loopholes. Wolseley had a particular regard for this
fine fellow, and, though he was lying out in the street within
five or six yards of the loophole from whence he had been
shot, sprang out and bore him back in his arms. As he
was carrying Andrews, a Pandy took deliberate aim at the
officer, but the bullet passed through the body of the
soldier.* At this time, while Wolseley was busy with his ra^xv in
knocking a hole in the waU of the Motee Mahul, the late Mr.
Kavanagh, V.C, arrived on the scene and offered to guide
-* Andrews, we may observe, still lives, and, for his services and wounds,
enjoys the magnificent pension of eightpence per diem. Like the greater
portion of the goth, of Crimean and Indian Mutiny days, he was a cockney,
as the regiment recruited largely in the metropolis ; and, in the opinion of
Wolseley, your Londoner is peculiariy adapted for light infantry work, by
reason of his superior inteUigence and general smartness. This incident of the
rescue of Andrews formed the subject of a painting, which was exhibited in
the Royal Acidemy Exhibition of i83i.

WOLSELE Y FIRST MAN IN LUCKNO IV. 89
him to a place where an entrance could be effected.
Wolseley gladly closed with the proposal, and, leaving in
junctions with his subalterns to get on as fast as they could
with the work in hand, accompanied Kavanagh on his
perilous mission. Proceeding down the street about one
hundred yards with the ' whish ' of a rifle-bullet occasionally
ringing in their ears, they passed through broken walls, and
gardens, and deserted courts, but their endeavours to find an
entrance into the palace were unsuccessful. After an absence
of about ten minutes, during which Kavanagh found that all
the entrances he knew of were buUt up, they returned, and
arrived just as Ensign Haig was wriggling through an aper
ture knocked in the wall.
Soon the hole was sufficiently enlarged for Wolseley and
all his men to make their way into a courtyard of the Motee
Mahul, whence, proceeding into the palace, they drove the
enemy from room to room, and from yard to yard, firing
and receiving their fire as the fight progressed towards the
river, on the banks of which the palace was buUt At length
they drove them all out of this great agglomeration of build
ings, and, closely following the fugitives, forced them into
the Goomtee, where a number of them were shot as they
tried to swim across. -*f
Having cleared the Motee Mahul, Wolseley proceeded
with his company, which nobly responded to the calls made
upon them by their chief, to force his way into the Resi
dency itself Now it so happened that the goth, which,
under the command of Colonel PurneU, the successor of
the lamented Colonel Campbell, formed a portion of the
Lucknow garrison, held the most advanced post in the
Residency ; and, just at this time, a company of the regi-
* Kavanagh says of Wolseley, in his work, ' How I Won the Victoria
Cross': 'Captain Wolseley, who deUghted in dash and danger, feU upon
the enemy as they tried to escape, and in half an hour he was seen on the
top of the inner buildings, waving the British banner.'

go LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
ment made a sortie, so that, strange to relate, the first of
the relieved and their deliverers to join hands were the
officers and men of the gaUant goth Light Infantry ! , It was
a singular coincidence, and *¦ terque, quaterque beatus,' to
borrow a Virgilian phrase, was Captain Wolseley, in being
the undoubted claimant to the distinction of first effecting
a junction with the heroic garrison of the Lucknow Resi
dency. And now the three noble chiefs, Campbell, Outram, and
Havelock, at length met, and there was presented the group
delineated by the artist, Mr. Barker, in his great painting of
the ' ReUef of Lucknow.'*
Fortune had certainly smUed on Wolseley. It was so at
the Quarries, when he participated in almost the only suc
cessful assault of the EngUsh army, and now, on this memor
able occasion, the ' fickle jade ' again favoured her favourite
chUd; on his part, the young soldier eagerly seized each
opportunity for winning her favours as it was presented to
him, and, by his judgment and impetuous valour, justified
the choice.
All was now gratulation and hand-shaking ; and the
British soldiers and sailors of the relieving force eagerly
greeted their comrades and the women and chUdren they
had dared so many perUs to rescue from the clutches of the
rebelUous Sepoys surrounding them. The detachment of
the goth, which lately had Major Barnston for its leader,
welcomed their comrades, who, embarking in the Himalaya,
had marched up-country with Sir James Outram, and earned
for the regiment immortal renown by their bearing through
out those trying days in September, when Havelock forced
* The engraving of this painting, with the heads of Hope Grant, Mans
field, Napier, Inglis, Greathed, Peel, Adrian Hope, AUson, Little, David
Russell, Hope Johnstone, Norman, Anson, Hodson, Probyn, Watson,
Kavanagh, and other gallant soldiers, is well known to old Indians. The
painting itself fetched, on the 24th of April, 1875, at the Manley HaU Sale,
;£i,oi8.

WOLSELEY AND SIR COLIN CAMPBELL. 91
his way through the heart of Lucknow with only 2,600 men.
Wolseley now learnt, with sincere regret, of the death of
Colonel Campbell, who had expired of his wound only four
days before, and also of other friends and gaUant soldiers of
humbler rank. The loss sustained by the relieving army,
which only numbered 4,550 men, between the 14th and
25 th of November, was 10 officers and 112 men kiUed, and
35 officers (of whom 3 died) and 379 rank and file
wounded. It wUl be allowed that Wolseley had good reason to anti
cipate the congratulations and thanks of the Commander-
in-Chief for his conduct, but what was his astonishment on
learning from his Brigadier, the Hon. Adrian Hope, that
Sir Colin was furious with him for having exceeded the
letter of instructions, in that when he was only ordered to
take the Mess-house, he actually, of his own motion, had
driven the enemy out of the Motee Mahul ! The Brigadier
advised him to keep out of the way, as the Chief was asking
for him, and he never saw a man more enraged in his life.
Captain Wolseley's company passed the night of the 17th
of November* in the Shah Nujeef, where the Commander-
in-Chief and his staff had taken up their quarters; the
* Wolseley's adventures on this 17th November did not end when he
effected a junction with Captain Tinhng's company of his regiment. Being
desirous of showing in a practical form his regard for his old comrades, he
had brought with him some tobacco, which he distributed among the officers
and men of this company, to whom it was a real godsend. But there was
still one desideratum which was requisite to make the gaUant fellows happy,
and that was — rum. This also their thoughtful comrade had not forgotten,
but the liquor, being bulky, had been left behind at the place from which
he had started in the morning, when proceeding to storm the Mess-house.
It was now between six and eight in the evening, and getting dark ; but
Wolseley, though his exertions had been of a sufficiently arduous character
to tire most men, started off on his charitable errand, with four or five men,
who volunteered to accompany him. At length, having secured the rum,
he slung it on a pole between two men, and commenced his return march.
It was pitch-dark as he passed through the Mess-house gardens, and sud
denly, as he was proceeding along, himself leading the way, he heard a
scream. Turning round, he found that one of the pole-bearers had been
run through the body by a Pandy, who was prowUng about the grounds,
and whom he had himself just passed. In the dark 'Wolseley lost his way,

92 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

building was commanded by the enemy, who stiU occupied
the Kaiser Bagh, from which they kept up a cannonade,
but the British soldiers slept the sleep of the weary, having
learned to disregard such interruptions provided they were
not too personal.
After the warning he had received from his Brigadier,
Wolseley, on the foUowing morning, kept out of the way of
the ' Lord Sahib ;' but Sir CoUn espied him, and caUing to
him, began to administer a severe 'wigging' He com
menced by asking him what he meant by exceeding his
instructions ; that he had ordered him to take the Mess-
house, and how dared he attack the Motee Mahul? He
then told him that he was very angry wUh him on the
previous night ; indeed, he did not think he was ever so much
incensed against any man in his life, and it was lucky for
him that he could not be found. The ire of the old Chief
now began to cool, and his tone became half jocular. He
invited Wolseley by a gesticulation to pace up and down
with him, and, after warning him against the heinousness
of exceeding instructions, the veteran, who could not but
admire gallantry, such as he himself had displayed through-
and it was some hours before he gained the garden of the Furreed Buksh,
where he was told his brother officers were assembled, in a summer-house
in the centre of the grounds. Proceeding there, he put his head in and
glanced round the room, where he saw a number of men sitting at a table
in the centre, but he did not recognise any of them. As he was going away,
one ofthe number, Captain (now Sir Harry) Goodricke, called out : 'Why,
that's Wolseley.' He turned, and then recognised his old messmates, who
were so altered by privation and constant duty that, at first, he actuaUy did
not know them.
An amusing circumstance happened during the night. Wolseley heard
Lieutenant Carter raging and swearing at some one, and, on inquiring the
exciting cause of his subaltern's wrath, learned that, in the dark, some
' beastly nigger ' had attempted to place one of the legs of a charpoy, or
light wooden bedstead, on his stomach. Lieutenant Carter naturally re
sented this indignity, but the language in which he couched his protest was
far from parUamentary, or complimentary to the native in question. After
a laugh at this slight contretemps the officers went to sleep. On awaking in
the morning. Carter's consternation may be imagined when he discovered
that the ' beastly nigger ' of the previous night was none other than His
Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, the lord of many legions.

WITHDRAWAL FROM LUCKNOW. 93

out his fifty years' service, ended by congratulating him on
the courage and abUity he had displayed, and expressed his
intention to recommend him for promotion.
Sir Colin Campbell having resolved to withdraw from
Lucknow, contrary to the advice of both Outram and Have
lock, the goth and other regiments were engaged in making
a direct road from that portion of the Residency where the
ladies and children had been confined, to the ground occu
pied by the reUeving force. In order to effect this, walls
and houses were broken down, and all open spaces between
Martin's House and the Motee Mahul and Secundrabagh
were screened from fire by means of shutters, doors, and
anything that came to hand. In the evening, after being
thus engaged all day, Wolseley's company and the remainder
of the detachment were sent back, and placed on picket on
the side of the road close to the Shah Nujeef On the 19th
commenced the withdrawal to DUkhoosha of the ladies and
children, who numbered about 500, and sick and wounded
1,500 more.
The goth pickets had received orders to wait till the
garrison had passed out, and cover the retreat as far as
Secundrabagh, a duty which the detachment performed
with perfect order and regularity. At midnight of the
22 nd, leaving all lights still burning, Outram's soldiers
marched sUently out of the post they had so long defended,
being followed by Hope's Brigade, which had been quartered
in the Motee Mahul, the goth bringing up the rear, while
the sullen boom of the cannon told that the enemy, unaware
of what had happened, were stUl firing into the position
which was now unoccupied. On arriving at Secundrabagh,
the army continued its movement of retreat in the same
order towards Dilkhoosha, which was reached at half-past
three in the morning. At noon of the 23rd of November,
the detachment drew up in line opposite the Martinifere,

94 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and the non-effectives, baggage, and ammunition, forming
an immense convoy, were passed through it.*
Early in the morning of the 24th of November, the de
tachment paraded, and Sir Colin's General Order of the
previous day, complimenting the relieving army, was read to
the men ; and then, as they were about to rejoin the head
quarters of the regiment, under the command of Colonel
PurneU, Brigadier Hope rode up, and addressed the officers
and men on leaving his brigade. This the gallant Brigadier
did in a graceful, manly speech, which was responded to by
three hearty cheers. The goth was attached to Outram's
Division, which it was decided should remain at Alumbagh.
The object of this occupation was threefold, viz., to avoid
the appearance of having abandoned Oude ; to keep the
insurgents around Lucknow in check ; and to secure a
point on which our advance for the re-conquest of Oude
might be made.
The entire army halted at Alumbagh on the 26th of
November, and, on the following day, the Commander-in-
Chief commenced his march for Cawnpore with General
Grant's Division, and the whole of the sick and wounded,
and Lucknow refugees.
Sir James Outram took up a position about 1,500 yards
from Alumbagh on the vast plain which, smooth as a
billiard table, extends without a break to the Bunnee Bridge.
The Alumbagh enclosure was one of his outposts, as were
also the neighbouring villages, which were aU fortified ; and,
at these posts, strongly occupied by our troops, desultory
fighting took place almost daily. The division — which
* Captain Wolseley was witness to a curious and suggestive scene that
happened on this night. Captain Magennis, of the gotli, was in charge of
some State prisoners of high rank, including the King of Oude's brother.
As they passed, Wolseley, whose company was the last picket in the direc
tion of Lucknow, heard Magennis ask a'sergeant where was his prisoner.
' Oh, sir, he wouldn't come on, and so I just shot him,' repUed the non
commissioned officer, who seemed to think it the most natural, as it was the
easiest, way of curing a fit of obstinacy.

THE DEFENCE OF ALUMBAGH. gs
numbered only 4,400 men of all arms, inclusive of those at
Bunnee — consisted of Her Majesty's 5th, 7Sth, 84th, and
goth Regiments, and Captain Brasyer's Ferozepore Regi
ment of Sikhs, 800 strong, the whole being organized into
two brigades, under Colonels Hamilton (78th) and Stisted
(64th). The artiUery, under the command of Major Vin
cent Eyre, included the batteries of Captain Maude (Royal
ArtUlery), and Captain Olpherts (Bengal ArtiUery), and
many guns of position, forming a total of about forty pieces.
The cavalry consisted of Major Robertson's battalion of
MUitary Train, which now acted as light horse, and some
of the 1 2th Native Irregulars, the whole numbering not
more than 250 sabres. But any deficiency of numbers was
made up by the gallantry of these veteran soldiers, the re
markable capacity of the staff and other officers, and, more
than aught else, by the prestige attaching to the name of the
Commander, to which, doubtless, was due the fact that a
force of little more than 4,000 men was able successfully to
defend an open position against the attacks of 100,000
rebels, of whom half were trained soldiers — for this was the
number of armed men Outram, on one occasion, assured
Wolseley were assembled in Lucknow and its neighbour
hood, according to reliable information he had received.
Outram did not think it beneath his dignity to seek to
make his soldiers regard him with personal affection, as well
as with that respect which he inspired in the minds of every
one who came within his influence ; rarely indeed has any
character afforded such an admixture of dignity and amia
bility, of heroism and gentleness, of a high and noble am
bition and a yet loftier and purer self-sacrifice, of which his
whole life afforded many memorable instances.* Every
* Such high authorities as Lord Napier of Magdala, Lord Wolseley, and
the late Sir "Vincent Eyre, are agreed as to Outram's distinction as a general.
Lord Napier once said of him : ' Of all those whose names are borne in the
annals of the history of India, or enshrined in the hearts of its people, there

96 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

officer and man of the goth loved the General, who, in
return, showed his appreciation of their regard by numerous
acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. Among such traits,
Wolseley mentions that he would, when visiting the Alum
bagh or other outposts, read out to the officer in command
any inteUigence he had received from Cawnpore or Calcutta
in a sufficiently loud tone of voice for the men about to
hear the news.
Almost daily there was fighting at the outposts near
Alumbagh, but the enemy shrank from continuous and deter
mined attacks in full force on the standing camp, and there
was no rebel leader of sufficient enterprise to attempt to
repeat the tactics of Cawnpore. The camp had Alumbagh
in front, the smaU fort of Jellalabad to the right front, some
viUages to the left front, and outposts at viUages on the right
and left rear ; a strong detachment also was at Bunnee
Bridge, about eight miles on the road to Cawnpore, under
command of Colonel Fisher.
Wolseley had not been long at Alumbagh when he was
sent for a week to do outpost duty at the old fort of JeUala-
bad, which was decidedly the pleasantest post in the position,
some ten miles in circumference, which Sir James Outram
undertook to defend with his small division.
In the middle of December, a convoy arrived from Cawn
pore, and then Wolseley and his brother officers who sailed
in the Transit, learned that the kit which they had deposited
there had all been burnt by the Gwalior mutineers, who
first defeated General Windham — ' Redan Windham,' as he
was called — and then besieged him in his intrenchments.

is none more noble, none more worthy of love, admiration, and gratitude
than Sir James Outram. ' Sir Garnet Wolseley declared to the writer that
Outram was ' the finest soldier he ever served under ;' and Sir V. Eyre said,
' As a commander in the field, he possessed a rare and most valuable com
bination of pluck and caution, and he knew exactly the time for bringing
each quahty into play.'

ACTION OF THE 22nd DECEMBER. 97
Thus, for the second time, Wolseley was a heavy loser by
the chances of war.
On the 2oth of December, information was brought to Sir
James Outram by his spies, that the rebels intended sur
rounding his position, with the object of cutting off his
supplies and intercepting his communications with Bunnee.
He accordingly determined to anticipate them and strike a
blow, and, at 2.30 a.m., on the 22nd of December, a column
of 1,000 men and 2 guns marched out under his personal
command to attack the enemy, who had left a space of
about half a mile intervening between their position and the
gardens skirting the canal and the Dilkhoosha. Outram,
seeing his advantage, resolved to take them by surprise, and
cut off their retreat from Lucknow.
It was cold and rather dark when Captain Wolseley pro
ceeded with his regiment, which formed the right column of
the attacking force. Favoured by a heavy mist, Outram
was enabled to approach quite close to the left flank of the
enemy, whose cavalry vedettes challenged, and then, firing
their carbines, galloped off to the main body. Outram gave
the order to deploy, and with a loud hurrah the right
column, under the command of Colonel PurneU, of the goth,
charged the enemy in line, and, in spite of a heavy fire of
grape and musketry, carried the position with a rush. The
left column, under Colonel Guy, of the 5th Fusiliers, was
equaUy successful, and soon the rebels were in full retreat
across the plain, pursued by the cavalry, until they found
refuge in a village, from which they opened a heavy fire of
grape and musketry. Olpherts now came into action with
his guns, and speedUy dislodged the enemy, who, changing
their Une of retreat, endeavoured to reach the city by the
Dilkhoosha. The MiUtary Train, detached to make a flank
movement, foUowed them up so rapidly that they dispersed
their cavalry, and captured their 4 guns. Outram's arrange-
7

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

ments were rewarded with the success they merited ; the
surprise had been complete, and in the viUage were found
the chUdren and women cooking their chupatties, or oat
cakes. The houses were fired after the non-combatants
were driven away, and the column returned, the men carry
ing vegetables and dragging or leading away all the live stock
they could lay their hands on, such as goats, sheep, and
buUocks. As they were moving off, a large body of the
enemy advanced towards the burning vUlage, but finding
that they were too late to be of assistance, halted and re
traced their steps to Lucknow. Before noon Outram had
returned to his camp, having taught the Natives a severe
lesson regarding the danger of attempting to interfere with
his communications.
On the following day. Captain Wolseley proceeded to
Cawnpore, with his company, to escort supplies. The journey
occupied three days, the force marching about fifteen mUes
a day. The first night the escort halted at Bunnee, up to
which point there was desultory fighting with the enemy.
The second night they halted at Busserutgunge, a waUed
viUage with a high road running through the centre. On
arriving at Cawnpore, Wolseley learnt with deep sorrow the
death of his friend. Major Barnston, who had been wounded
five weeks before. The escort returned immediately to
Alumbagh with the convoy, and, on New Year's Day, there
were athletic sports. Sir James Outram and the officers sub
scribing liberaUy for prizes for the men.
On the 1 2th of January, 185 8, the rebels made a most
determined assault on the British position. As on the
previous occasion, he had received information from his
spies that the enemy would attack, and made the necessary
dispositions. At daybreak the troops breakfasted, and were
held in readiness for immediate service. About sunrise
large masses of the enemy, calculated by Outram to amount

REBEL ATTACKS ON ALUMBAGH. 99
¦ at the lowest estimate to 30,000 men,' were seen on the
left front, and they graduaUy surrounded the whole front
and flanks of the position, a distance of at least six mUes.
As soon as their movements were sufficiently developed,
Outram marched his small army, decreased by the absence
on convoy duty of 530 men and 4 guns, in two brigades, the
right mustering 713 Europeans, and the left, with which was
Wolseley's company, 733 bayonets, with 100 of Brasyer's
Sikhs. Fighting commenced aU along the line about half-
past eight a.m., and it was not untU four p.m. that the enemy,
who suffered very considerably from the fire of the guns,
finally withdrew, and returned to Lucknow or to their origi
nal positions in the gardens and villages in front of the
British camp.
Again, only four days later, the rebels made a determined
attempt to overwhelm the small band of Englishmen, whom
it must have been most gaUing to them to see entrenched
within a few mUes of the great stronghold of rebeldom.
Captain Wolseley was on picket at the left-front viUage, on
the morning of the 1 6th of January, when the enemy were
seen advancing in great numbers. They made repeated
attempts throughout the day to carry the viUage, but were
driven back with severe loss. After dark they assembled in
great strength, and, about eight o'clock, 'screwing their
courage to the sticking-place,' advanced to attack the vUlage
to the inspiriting calls of many bugles, sounding the ' assem
bly,' the 'advance,' and the 'double.' They were distinctly
heard encouraging one another with ' Chelow-bhye I' (Go on
quick, brother !), and other exclamations by which the ' mild
Hindoo ' is wont to prompt his neighbour to deeds of gal
lantry, and keep up his own faUing heart They occupied a
' tope ' of trees to the left of the viUage, and advanced into
the open ; but the guns and infantry reserved their fire. At
length, when they had approached to within seventy yards of

loo LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the position, they were met by discharges of grape from the
battery, and a volley from Wolseley's company. Still they
hesitated, thus giving time to reload to their opponents, whom
they might have annihilated had they mustered only sufficient
pluck to charge at this critical moment when only loo
British bayonets intervened between them and the revenge
they thirsted for. That hesitancy of a moment was fatal.
A second volley of grape and rifle-bullets swept through their
ranks, when they broke and fled in the utmost confusion,
carrying away, according to custom, most of their kiUed
and wounded. 'After they had retired,' says Lieutenant
Herford, ' we wandered over the ground near the topes, and
found a few dead bodies, some pools of blood, and heaps
of shoes, which had been kicked off, lying about everywhere.'
The enemies from whose attacks the gaUant Alumbagh
garrison most suffered at this time were ennui and dust
The former was irksome, after the excitement of long
marches and hard campaigning ; but the latter was un
bearable, and caused the greatest discomfort, almost
amounting to positive misery. The dust, which lay some
six inches deep, was blown in great clouds and eddies,
which swept over the plain, searching out every chink and
crevice of the flimsy tents, and filled the mouth and eyes
and entered into the composition of every dish.
Nothing of importance occurred until the 21st of February,
when the enemy made the long-threatened ' grand attack,'
which was not only carefuUy designed, but was so well matured
that had they evinced determination, the Alumbagh garrison
would have been hard pressed. The Moulvie, Mansoob Ali,
and the Begum, Huzrut Mahul, wife of the ex-King of Oude,
agreed to set aside their differences for that day; and the
Oude local troops and the regulars entered heart and soul
into the matter. The plan was to surround the British
camp, and make simultaneous assaults from five or six dif*

FINAL ROUT OF THE REBELS.

ferent points, while demonstrations against the intermediate
portions of the wide-extended enceirtte were to prevent a con
centration of Outram's troops, and at the same time distract
his attention and embarrass his defensive operations. But
Outram was not the man to wait quietly on the defensive.
He mo-ved out with cavalry and guns, and attacking with
spirit, put them to the rout Meantime some sharp fighting
took place at Alumbagh, where Wolseley was stationed. A
few shots struck the centre building, and at seven a.m. the
enemy came on at all points, lining every shrub and tree
where they could get cover. But they were deficient in
spirit, and dispersed under the musketry-fire and discharges
of grape. The rebel commanders confessed to the Durbar
that their losses were between 400 and 500 ; but their in
tentions were praiseworthy and their preparations complete,
for Outram's spies reported that they had scaling-ladders all
ready for storming Alumbagh.
Sir James Outram went out with some cavalry and guns
on the 24th of February, and again, on the foUowing day,
proceeded beyond JeUalabad, when he encountered and de
feated the enemy, who had come out under the leadership
of the Begum. During the night the rebels attacked all
along the British front and left flank where Wolseley's
company was posted, and were bold enough to fire grape
from the ' tope ' of trees on the left-front picket, where the
fighting took place on the i6th of January. They, however,
soon retreated ; and this was the last time the Alumbagh
force, as such, received molestation from the enemy.
In the meantime. Sir Colin Campbell had been organizing
his ' grand army'* for the reconquest of Lucknow and Oude,
¦* On the 2nd of March the effective force consisted of: ArtiUery, 1,613
officers and men ; Engineers, 2,002; Cavalry, 3,613; Infantry, 11,940;
Total, 19,771. On the 5th of March it was joined by General Franks'
Division, numbering 5,893 men, the Goorkha portion of which, 3,000 bayo
nets, joined the Nepaul Maharajah when he arrived before Lucknow with
his division, g,ooo strong.

I02 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and on learning that Rose's and Whitlock's columns were
well on their march towards Jhansi, he pushed his troops
across the Ganges, and arrived at Buntara, about four miles
from Alumbagh, on the ist of March. On the following
morning Sir CoUn Campbell moved up from Buntara to
DUkhoosha with General Lugard's Division and the cavalry,
commanded by Brigadier-General Hope Grant, who had been
carrying on operations against the rebels in Oude during
the month of February. In the meantime, Jellalabad had
been formed into a commissariat depot on the largest scale,
there being attached to the advancing army no less than
16,000 camels, a siege-train park covering a square of 400
yards, with 12,000 oxen, and a foUowing of 60,000 non-
combatants. Since the Commander-in-Chief had evacuated Lucknow,
taking with him the women and chUdren of the Residency,
the rebels had fortified the city with no little care and skill.
Behind the canal they had thrown up earthworks, while the
Martini^re, Secundrabagh, Shah Nujeef, Mess-house, and
Motee Mahul were fortified ; the Kaiser Bagh also was a
perfect citadel, and the streets and houses had been loop-
holed. Between the 3rd and 4th of March the Third Division,
under General Walpole, came up to Alumbagh, and, at the
same time. Sir James Outram was directed to take com
mand of the division, which the Commander-in-Chief had
determined to detach across the Goomtee, to operate on
Lucknow from that side. And so the goth was parted
from the General, under whom they had served for many
months in the defence of Alumbagh.* Even after the seve-
* The garrison of JeUalabad, in Afghanistan, gained the title of ' illus
trious ' from Lord EUenborough for their gaUant defence of a position pro
tected by walls and bastions. Though the Afghans are a fiercer race than
the natives of India, yet the 37th Bengal Native Infantry (which mutinied in
1857) repeatedly encountered and defeated them ; and Akbar Khan, in his
great effort against the Jellalabad garrison, on the 7th of April, 1842, only

THE ADVANCE ON LUCKNOW. 103
ranee of the connection that had been cemented on the
battle-field and the bivouac, the good General showed that
he did not forget the gallant fellows who had fought and
bled under him, for he used regularly to send the goth a
liberal supply of newspapers and periodicals for the use of
the men.
On the afternoon ofthe 6th of March, the goth left their old
camping-ground at Alumbagh, and started to join the Com
mander-in-Chief at Dilkhoosha. The night was very dark, and
the road bad, and, being encumbered with baggage and am
munition, it was not until the morning, after a march of nearly
twelve hours, that they reached the camping-ground marked
okt for them in rear of the artillery park. Scarcely had they
arrived, and were counting upon breakfast and a little rest,
than they received fresh orders to move again, as it was de
cided that the goth should be brigaded with the 42nd, gsrd,
and 4th Punjaub Rifles, forming the 4th Brigade of the
2nd, or General Lugard's, Division, under the command of
their old Brigadier, the Hon. Adrian Hope. On the follow
ing day, the whole regiment was sent on picket about five
p.m., with orders to line some of the walls surrounding the
Dilkhoosha Park.
mustered 6,000 men to his standard, while Outram's force was assailed by
30,000, including some of the finest regiments of the Sepoy army, and ex
perienced artillerymen. Sir Vincent Eyre, in a letter addressed some years
ago to the author, then employed on a memoir of Sir James Outram, says :
' Outram's prolonged occupation of Alumbagh plain, comprising a frontage
of two miles and a circuit of seven, with a small army of occupation never
exceeding 3,500 men, within cannon-range of Lucknow, to hold in check an
enemy mustering 100,000 strong within the walls, was a masterpiece of
cautious warfare, to which justice has never yet Ijeen done, because his
precarious position there, in obedience to Sir Colin CampbeU's commands,
has never up to this moment been properly understood.' Lord Napier of
Magdala also said : ' No achievement in the events of 1857 surpassed in
skill and resolution the maintenance of the position of Alumbagh with a
mere handful of troops against overwhehning numbers, well suppUed with
artiUery. There were no walls or ramparts, merely an open camp, protected
by a few well-selected intrenched outposts, and a scanty hne of bayonets,
ever ready, day and night, to repel attack.' The Alumbagh force and its
heroic chief have never had justice rendered to them for their defence of this
position.

104 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
During the morning of the gth of March a heavy artiUery
fire was maintained on the Martiniere, and General Lugard
received instructions to carry the position. The Comman
der-in-Chiefs orders specified that ' the men employed in
the attack will use nothing but the bayonet. They are ab
solutely forbidden to fire a shot tiU the position is won.'
At two o'clock the 42nd Highlanders and 4th Sikhs stormed
the Martinifere, with slight loss, the goth, which acted in
support, only losing one man from a discharge of grape.
The regiment passed the night of the gth in the Martiniere,
and on the following day was divided into detachments,
which were placed on picket in different places. Captain
Wolseley was employed with his company (the I Company)
covering the pontoon bridge which had been thrown across
the Goomtee just beyond the enemy's first Une of works.
Early on the morning of the nth, Wolseley's company,
with two others of his regiment, was directed to cover some
Horse ArtiUery guns engaged in the open. While thus em
ployed a round shot carried away the end of an elephant's
trunk, when the poor beast, frantic with rage and pain, came
rushing down through the skirmishers. After this service,
Wolseley proceeded on picket in the open space in front of
the Secundrabagh,* where he remained all night.
On Sunday morning, the 14th of March, Kaiser Bagh, the
chief stronghold of Lucknow, was won. "Wolseley's and the
two other detached companies of the goth and the 5 3rd,
having been reUeved by the g7th, were ordered to proceed
to the Kaiser Bagh in support. Passing up loopholed
streets, round by batteries, the guns of which stiU threat
ened them, and over a bridge of loose planks, past burn-
-* While under the enemy's fire, Wolseley was attracted by a curious-
looking projectile which dropped near hiip. Taking it up, he found that it
was a large cut-glass knob, which the native gunners, being hard pushed
for round shot, had doubtless broken off from one of the magnificent chan
deliers of the Kaiser Bagh. This singular projectile he presented to Sir Hope
Grant, by whom it was used as a letter-weight.

THE SACK OF THE KAISER BAGH. 105
ing timber, they reached the enclosure of the Kaiser Bagh,
where they found that the remainder of the goth Regiment
-were already established, they having rushed in by one entry
whUe the Sikhs and loth Foot effected an entrance by
another. The scene that presented itself to Captain Wolse
ley's eyes within the building, or rather collection of palaces,
courts, and gardens, which for magnificence and costliness
of fittings enjoyed a reputation that was not belied by the
reality, baffles description.
The Kaiser Bagh was given up to plunder, and there
ensued a scene of vandalism and wilful destruction paral
leled in those pages of Gibbon wherein he describes the
sack of Ctesiphon, in the year 627, by the Saracenic hordes
led by the ruthless Caliph Omar. Sikh and Briton vied with
each other, as with clubbed muskets they shivered to frag
ments the costly glass chandeliers, battered to pieces the
statues and gilt furniture, and strewed the floor with the
mirrors they could not remove. FiUed with the wanton
spirit of mischief they broke into atoms on the floor ' large
boxes of japanned work containing literaUy thousands of
cups and vessels of jade, of crystal, and of china' Entering
the library, they tore into fragments the books, and Ut their
pipes with the Uluminated MSS. and coloured miniatures,
whUe boxes, swords, and pistols were shattered to pieces for
the jewels with which they were inlaid. In some instances
men sold for a few rupees, priceless jewels, beUeved to be
worthless on account of their size and bad setting ; and one
case is recorded of a soldier who, for ;!^io, parted with some
jewels which were resold for ;!^ 7, 5 00. Officers in many in
stances were seized with the desire to grow rich, though
Wolseley was among the number of those who could con
template the loot with Platonic indifference, and he did not
appropriate a gold mohur, or any article whatever. His
men secured their fair share of plunder, and one officer,

io6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
who had a bundle of thirty Cashmere shawls, gave him,
unsolicited, one of great value ; however, he did not long
retain the gift, for while sleeping on it that night, he hurried
out on the occasion of an alarm, and upon his return the
shawl had been appropriated. On the following day, the
men of his company presented him with two large sUver
bowls; but he was equally unfortunate with these mementoes,
for one night some thieves stole from the head of his bed
the box in which they were deposited.
After the capture of the Kaiser Bagh, Captain Wolseley's
company rejoined the headquarters of the regiment, which
was operating in the immediate neighbourhood. During
the day, the Mess-house, Tara Kothie, Motee Mahul, and
the Chuttur Munzil were rapidly occupied by our troops,
which occasionally met with opposition. The goth assisted
in driving the enemy out of these strongly fortified positions,
and on the i6th was relieved by the 97th, when the regiment
returned to camp near the Dilkhoosha.*
After the capture of Lucknow, Sir Hope Grant was placed
in command of a division, called the 'Lucknow Field
Force;' and, on the ist of April, the goth, which was to
form part of the force, struck their tents at DUkhoosha, and
marched into the city. They were quartered in a palace
called Zoor-Buksh, near the Kaiser Bagh. But Wolseley's
good fortune in always sharing in whatever fighting was in
progress, again favoured him, and he did not for any length
of time occupy his new quarters. A vacancy occurring on
Sir Hope Grant's Staff, by the return to England on sick-
leave of Lieutenant (now Major-General Sir Frederick)
Roberts, V.C, Colonel the Hon. WiUiam Pakenham (now
the Earl of Longford), an excellent officer, who succeeded
* The losses of Sir Colin Campbell's army between the 2nd and 21st of
March inclusive, were 16 officers and iii of aU ranks kiUed, 51 officers and
545 wounded, and 13 missing.

WOLSELE Y AND R OBER TS. 1 07
General Estcourt as Adjutant-General in the Crimea, and held
the same office for the royal troops in Bengal, recommended
Captain Wolseley, with whose services he was familiar, for
employment. Wolseley was, accordingly, appointed to the
charge of the Quartermaster-General's Department of the
Oude Division. It was a curious coincidence that thus, for
the second time, brought into connection these two distin
guished and representative officers, whose deeds form a
proud page in the history of the British army.
Wolseley had not been many days in his new post, when,
on the nth of AprU, he accompanied Sir Hope Grant in an
expedition, or dour, to Baree, a village twenty-five miles from
Lucknow, on the Seetapore road, where Mansoob AU, known
as ' the Fyzabad Moulvie,' who had displayed great ability
and energy in the defence of Lucknow, had taken up a
position with a strong body of rebels.
On the 13th of April, the column, 3,000 men of all arms,
came up with the enemy, some 6,000 infantry and 1,000
cavalry, who had taken up a strong position on the banks of
a stream, having hills on either side. As the General had
received intelligence of the close proximity of the rebels.
Captain Wolseley,* as Quartermaster-General of the force,
proceeded to reconnoitre their position, taking with him a
guide and an escort of Native cavalry.
It was three o'clock in the morning when he started, the
rest of the troops following soon after. About daybreak he
suddenly came upon the enemy's cavalry, which, led by the
redoubtable Moulvie in person, was seen charging down the
* On Wolseley devolved the task of leaming the roads, marking out the
camping ground, and securing the services of guides. "The following was
the method he adopted for acquiring trustworthy guides. In the evening he
would send out a chuprassie, or one of the Native pohce, to the next village.
The first four men he encountered in it were asked if they knew the way to
such and such a place ; if they answered in the affirmative, they were imme
diately seized and brought into camp. When the march was over they were
dismissed ; but woe to them if they misled the column 1

io8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
road. Wolseley, who at this time was in advance with only
five troopers, galloped back to the advanced guard, consist
ing of a squadron of the 7 th Hussars, a detachment of
Wales' Punjaub Horse, 2 guns, and about 150 infantry, the
-whole under Colonel Hagart. There was barely time to
unlimber the guns, and fire a round of grape into the enemy,
before the rebel horsemen were down upon them. Wolseley
had to draw his sword, and a sharp hand-to-hand affair
ensued. The enemy's cavalry charged the guns, but were
repulsed, and an attempt by the rebel horse to capture the
baggage was also repeUed.
Wolseley was hard at work all day, which was a busy one
for aU arms of the small force, and very trying, owing to the
excessive heat ; and he met with an accident which caused
him considerable inconvenience and pain. While jumping
over banks carrying orders, and seeing to the disposition of
the force, his sword tUted up, and struck his elbow-joint, in
ducing the formation of a large abscess, which caused him
much suffering, though he refused to lay up, and continued
his duties with his arm in a sling.
The column visited various places, and, on the 23rd of
April, returned to Lucknow. On his arrival there Wolseley
was gratified to learn that he had been gazetted Brevet-
Major for his distinguished services during the Mutiny.
Sir Hope Grant now received orders from Lord Clyde to
make a dour to disperse a large rebel force. Leaving Luck
now on the 27th of AprU, the column visited Poorwah, Par-
than, Dhoundhea Keira, and other places, and at eleven p.m.,
on the nth of May, proceeded on its march to Nuggur, over
a broken country. On the foUowing day — after a killing
march of seven miles in the blazing sun, over ploughed
fields, standing crops, and brushwood, when many men suf
fered from sunstroke— Sir Hope arrived about five o'clock
at Sirsee, where he was informed the rebel leaders, Bene

CAMPAIGNING IN OUDE. 109
Madhoo and Shewrutten Singh, had assembled an army of
15,000 infantry, 1,600 cavalry, and 11 guns.
On his arrival at Sirsee, he found the enemy had taken
up a strong position along a nullah, with a jungle, containing
the viUage and fort of Towrie, in their rear. The rebels
opened fire about five o'clock, but, forming his column with
the cavalry and Horse Artillery covering his right flank, he
attacked with his infantry, under Brigadier (now Sir Alfred)
Horsford, with such vigour that they gave way, and were
driven into the jungle, leaving 2 guns in the hands of the
victors. Owing to their superior numbers, the enemy at one
time almost surrounded the small British force, but they
were defeated with considerable loss, Shewrutten Singh, the
rebel talookdar who held the neighbouring lands, being
among the killed.
On the foUowing morning, 13th of May, the column re
turned to Nuggur, and, proceeding by easy marches, en
camped near the Martiniere on the 21st of May. This dour
was attended with serious loss to our troops, for out of less
than 3,500 men, 32 died of sunstroke and 500 were sick,
being nearly one-sixth of the entire force.* But Sir Hope
was not disposed to allow even the hot weather that had set
in with unusual intensity to deter him from resuming active
operations, and learning that the enemy, under Bene Mad
hoo, were threatening the Cawnpore road, he marched on
the 25th of May. Jessenda and Poorwah were visited, but
hearing that the enemy was in force at Nawabgunge Bara-
Bankee,t a vUlage on the Fyzabad road, about eighteen
* Of this number the goth lost 4 men, and 75 went into hospital. Since
the regiment left England, early in the preceding year, 13 officers had been
killed and 5 had died. In the Crimea the goth lost 21 officers and 307
non-commissioned officers and men, killed, wounded, and missing. This
was exclusive of the large number who died from the effects of disease in
hospital. t.The 'big' Nawabgunge, so called to distinguish it from the Nawab
gunge on the Cawnpore road.

IIO LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
mUes from Lucknow, Sir Hope, at eleven p.m. on the 12th
of June, marched across country with great rapidity, in order
to accomplish the distance of twelve miles in the darkness,
and save his men from the fearful effects of a forced march
in the hot sun. Major Wolseley had a busy time making
the necessary inquiries regarding the route, procuring guides,
and seeing to the other arrangements of his department
The enemy, who numbered 16,000 men, had taken up a
strong position on a large plateau, surrounded on three sides
by a stream, which was crossed by a stone bridge at a little
distance from the town, on the fourth side being a jungle.
The General's object was to turn their right, and to inter
pose between them and the jungle. The forced march
across country was made with the loss of several men from
heat apoplexy, and the stone bridge was reached about half
an hour before daybreak.
After a short rest, the troops fell in at daylight, and
having crossed the stream. Sir Hope advanced against the
centre of the position. Though the enemy had been sur
prised by the celerity of the attack, they opened fire, and
tried to surround the force, but were repulsed by Johnson's
guns, supported by the Bays, whUe their attack on the right
rear was met by the 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade and Hod-
son's Horse, which had just crossed the stream. A severe
struggle ensued, and the enemy stood their ground well, but
were driven back, the Rifles attacking with the bayonet, and
Hodson's Horse charging over broken ground in gaUant
style. Meanwhile Mackinnon's battery and the 7 th Hussars
•were hotly engaged to the front, and, supported by the
remainder of the Rifle Brigade, under Colonel Glyn, drove
the enemy with serious loss from their position on the left
At this time a body of Ghazees displayed the most desperate
courage ; after sustaining the fire of Carleton's battery, they
withstood two charges of the 7 th Hussars, led by Sir WiUiam

THE A CTION OF NA WABGUNGE. 1 1 1
RusseU, and left 125 dead round 2 guns they defended.
During the action Brigadier Horsford attacked the enemy
on the extreme left and captured 2 guns.
The action lasted three hours, and the troops were
thoroughly exhausted, having been under arms from ten
p.m. on the previous night, to nine a.m. on the morning of
the 13th, when the enemy finaUy quitted the field of battle,
on which they left 600 dead and g guns. The British loss
in kUled and wounded was 67 ; and, in addition, 33 men
died from sunstroke, and 250 went into hospital.
In his despatch the General, who had before specially
mentioned the services of Major Wolseley during the action
at Baree, again highly commended him. After the battle
Major Wolseley surveyed the ground, and drew a plan
which was sent to the Commander-in-Chief Indeed, at
Baree, and after every action throughout the campaign in
Oude, of which province there were no maps in existence,
Wolseley executed plans, which were forwarded to head
quarters, and were of essential use to Lord Clyde when he
went over the same ground.*
After gaining this important success, which had a marked
moral effect upon the rebels, greatly dispiriting them and
their leaders, the column encamped on the large sandy
plain in rear of the viUage of Nawabgunge, where they
erected huts with straw-thatched roofs.
* Wolseley was in the habit of keeping a journal of all the marches and
movements, which were posted up daily, the book being stowed away in a
large pocket on his person. In this journal he entered the hours of march
ing and halting, and minute details of the towns and viUages, their inhabit
ants and capabilities. These particulars were transferred to a weekly report,
which was sent to the Quartermaster-General of the Army ; but it was so
injured by damp while kept in store, that some years after, upon his apply
ing to the Quartermaster-General in Oude, portions of the writing were
found to be obhterated ; what could be deciphered was copied out, at his
request, and sent to England, but unfortunately it was destroyed, with the
rest of his papers and effects, at the fire at the Pantechnicon. Wolseley
also kept a private journal of his Indian experiences, but this he unluckily
lost in China.

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

Sir Hope Grant's energy was untiring, and, thanks to a
strong constitution and spare habit of body, he, in common
with Major Wolseley, appeared to be exempt from the evU
effects of campaigning during the four monsoon months.
WhUe his forces melted away under the fervent heat, and
the members of his personal and divisional staff, one after
another, suffered from its effects — the gallant Anson, his
aide-de-camp, being ill with dysentery, and HamUton, his
Assistant Adjutant-General, dying while proceeding to Cal
cutta on his way to England — the veteran General knew not
what it was to have a day's illness, an immunity also enjoyed
by Wolseley, whom wounds and exposure to Arctic cold and
torrid heat appeared to have hardened to the point neces
sary for a soldier whose fortune it was to fight his country's
battles in the four quarters of the globe.
On the 2 ist of July Sir Hope Grant marched to Fyzabad,
to the assistance of Maun Singh, a powerful chief, who,
after being one of the mainsprings of the rebellion, had
deserted a failing cause, and was besieged by a large body
of the enemy at Shahgunge. But the rebels dispersed, and
Sir Hope pushed on to Ajudia, four miles lower down on
the Gogra, where his guns opened fire on a portion of the
fugitives as they were crossing the river. On the gth of
August, the General having returned to Fyzabad, despatched
Brigadier Horsford towards Sultanpore to foUow up the
rebels ; but learning that they mustered 20,000 men, with
15 guns, he proceeded to his assistance with the main body
of his troops, and after an irksome march across cultivated
fields and through marshes, in which the guns sank to the
axle, joined the Brigadier on the 22nd August
The Engineers having constructed a raft from some small
boats and canoes, the General crossed the greater part of
his force over the Goomtee, between the 25th and 27th of
August, an operation which was skilfully performed in the

WOLSELEY AND SIR HOPE GRANT. 113
face of the enemy, who, led by Bene Madhoo, opened fire
with their guns posted on high ground on the opposite
bank. At three a.m. on the 2 gth of August, Sir Hope,
after repulsing an attack on the previous night, moved on
the enemy, who, however, evacuated the position they had
taken up.
The General entrusted all the arrangements for the pass
age of the river, which, owing to the heavy rains, was
greatly swollen, to Major Wolseley, who had no rest for two
nights and one day, while superintending the transport of
the little army. The manner in which the difficult opera
tion of crossing a swiftly-flowing and broad stream (the
Goomtee at Sultanpore being 400 feet wide) was accom
plished, in the face of a strong rebel army, with a powerful
artillery, and with only three rafts made from dinghies,
was creditable to Major Wolseley, 'who,' says Sir Hope
Grant, ' as Deputy Assistant-Quartermaster-General, had
the superintendence of the arrangements for crossing
the river, and who performed them to my perfect satisfac
tion.' The country was now tolerably clear, and the force re
mained at Sultanpore, further operations against the rebels
being deferred until the cold weather in October. The in
terval Was employed in throwing a bridge across the Goom
tee, in which Wolseley gave his advice and assistance to
the Engineer officers. Sir Hope Grant marched on the
nth of October with a small column towards Tanda, but
returned to Sultanpore on the 23rd, proceeding thence
again to Kandoo Nuddee, where 4,000 of the enemy were
posted with several guns. But the rebels fled on the ap
proach of the British force ; and a few days later the column
returned to Sultanpore.
The Lucknow Field Force was not aUowed a lengthy
period of repose, and, on the 3rd of November, Sir Hope

114 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
marched to Amethie to operate against the rebel Rajah, in
conjunction with Lord Clyde ; and, accompanied by Major
Wolseley and his staff, reconnoitred the fort, which he
found to be of great strength and extent. However, the
Rajah surrendered on the foUowing day, and Sir Hope pro
ceeded to Purseedapore on the nth of November, and, on
the following morning, took possession of the strong fort of
Shunkerpore, belonging to Bene Madhoo, whom he had
defeated at Nawabgunge. Under instructions from Lord
Clyde, Sir Hope proceeded to Fyzabad, on the Gogra,
which he crossed before daylight on the 27th of November,
and, under fire of his heavy guns, carried the enemy's posi
tion. The cavalry and field-artillery went in pursuit, and six
guns were captured and brought into camp.
On the 3rd of December, the column, which had re
turned to Nawabgunge, marched in the direction of Bun
kussia, and, whilst proceeding to reconnoitre, suddenly came
upon the main body of the Gondah Rajah's troops, about
4,000 men. The enemy opened fire from 3 guns, upon
which Sir Hope advanced and drove them through the
jungle, a distance of two miles, capturing 2 guns. On the
7th the column reached Bunkussia, the principal fort of
the Gondah Rajah, which was destroyed, after which Sir
Hope crossed the Raptee, and visited Bulrampore and Tool-
sepore. In order to prevent the enemy escaping to the
Goruckpore district, he marched to Dulhurree, close to the
Nepaul frontier, and then proceeded to Pushuroa. Dis
posing two small columns, under Brigadiers Rowcroft and
Taylor, to cut off the escape of Bala Rao, who, with a force
of 6,000 men and 15 guns, had retreated to near Kunda-
kote, he moved forward to attack the rebel chief on the 4th
of January, iSsg. The enemy were, however, so thoroughly
disheartened by the continuous defeats they had sustained,
that neither Bene Madhoo, Bala Rao, nor any other of their

END OF THE OUDE CAMPAIGN. 115
leaders (the Fyzabad Moulvie, the most able of them, having
fallen) could succeed in bringing their men to face our troops,
and they fled, leaving 15 guns in the hands of the victors.
After this they dispersed, most of them making their way
into Nepaul.
Sir Hope Grant, accompanied by Major Wolseley, marched
to Fyzabad, whence he proceeded by boat to Amorha, on
the opposite side of the Gogra. Here he received informa
tion that 4,000 of the enemy had taken up a position near
Bunkussia, and another party of 1,800 had made for the
Gogra. The General, determined to give no rest to the
rebels, who were moving from Nepaul into the Terai, divided
his forces, sending one portion by Rampore Thana to scour
the jungles, himself following in their track along the banks
of the Gogra, while a third column was despatched into the
jungle about Bunkussia At midnight of the 20th of May,
he marched from Burgudwa, and arrived soon after sunrise
at the jungle covering the entrance to the Jerwah Pass.
Here he received information that the Nana and Bala Rao,
with 2,000 men and 2 guns, were at the mouth of the Pass,
and Mummoo Khan, with 500 followers, a little to the west,
on the same ground where he had inflicted a severe defeat
on Bala Rao on the 4th of January.
Sir Hope, having ordered the cavalry and artillery to en
camp, sent Colonel Brasyer with his Sikhs against Mummoo
Khan, who, however, dispersed on his approach, and him
self moved with the 7 th Punjaubees into the Pass. The
enemy occupied the spurs of the mountain stretching into
the jungle on either side of the Pass, from the gorge of
which their two guns opened fire. One company of the
Punjaubees, led by Wolseley, Biddulph, and Wilmot, three
officers of the divisional staff, climbed the hiU to the left
and drove the enemy before them, and the remainder of the
regiment cleared the ridge on the right and captured the
8—2

ii6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
guns, but owing to the troops having marched twenty mUes,
they were not able to overtake the retreating enemy.
Thus ended almost the last conflict of this great and
memorable struggle, which had lasted two years, as it was
on Sunday, the loth of May, 1857, that the 3rd Bengal
Cavalry mutinied at Meerut As the last band of the rebels,
deprived of their only remaining guns, was now driven beyond
the Nepaul frontier, the General, leaving some small columns
to meet any attempt on their part to break through, pro
ceeded to Lucknow on the 4th of June, and, with his staff,
took up his residence in the Dilkhoosha.
In the distribution of honours on the conclusion of the
Mutiny, Wolseley received the brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel.
He was young to have attained so high a rank, for it was on
the twenty-sixth anniversary of his birth, that, in company
with his chief, he entered Lucknow, and, for a brief period,
enjoyed the ' blessings of peace.' He was now employed
in laying out the new cantonments, those formerly in use by
our troops having been utterly destroyed by the rebels.
Henceforth it was decided that Europeans should form a
large proportion of the garrison of this important city, and
his experience in quartering troops was of essential service
when this question of the new cantonments came up for
consideration. Wolseley had only been established some five mouths in
his comfortable quarters in the fine old palace near Lucknow,
when he was once more offered a position on the staff of an
army about to take the field, and, action being to him as the
breath of life, he gladly accepted the proposal.
Early in October, Sir Hope Grant was nominated to the
command of the troops about to proceed, in conjunction
with a French army, to the north of China, to bring to
terms the Imperial Government Sir Hope Grant was de
sirous of appointing Colonel Wolseley to the head of the

WOLSELEY AND THE CHINA WAR. 117
Quartermaster-General's Department, but Lord Clyde nomi
nated the late Colonel Kenneth McKenzie, a most able and
distinguished officer, and Wolseley went as Deputy Assistant-
Quartermaster-General in charge of the Topographical De
partment Had it not been for the sudden outbreak of the Indian
Mutiny, Wolseley would have been serving during the past
two years in China, to which country he found himself once
more under orders. And what an eventful period in the
history of this country, and of her great Asiatic dependency,
as well as in his own life, had been those two years just con
cluded !
India has ever afforded the grandest field for the display
of those talents and qualities which have rendered this
country the Rome of modern history. In India, whether in
war or statesmanship, the Anglo-Saxon race has appeared to
the greatest advantage. This may in part be due to the supe
riority over natives which we share with all European nations ;
but we do not think we shall be guilty of self laudation, if
we chiefly attribute it to that peculiarity of the Anglo-Saxon
race, by which resistance and difficulties only increase the
determination to succeed. It is morally certain that no
other Power save England could have retained her hold of
India during the year 1857, with a mUitary force which, at
the time of the outbreak, only numbered 38,000 soldiers in
the three Presidencies. To use Canning's phrase, ' India is
fertUe in heroes ;' and probably at no previous period of our
history have the attributes which peculiarly distinguish our
countrymen and countrywomen received a more striking
illustration. Our women were heroines, and our incom
parable rank and file nobly did their duty ; while as for the
officers throughout the long-drawn hardships, the dramatic
episodes, and the glorious triiimphs of the Indian Mutiny,
we cannot do better than repeat the saying of that great

Ii8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
leader who may be regarded as the type, as he was the
greatest representative, of the class. ' Brave,' would the
great Duke of WeUington impatiently say, when anyone
spoke in commendatory terms of the courage of British
officers, ' of course they are ; all Englishmen are brave ; but
it is the spirit of the gentleman that makes a British officer.'
Those who were privileged to take part in those glorious
feats of arms, the Siege and Storm of Delhi and the Defence
and Relief of Lucknow, may be congratulated in having been
actors in some of those historic scenes, the record of which
will never fade from the page of history.

CHAPTER IV.

THE CHINA -WAR.

The Occupation of Chusan. — The Disembarkation at Peh-tang.— The
Action at Sinho. — The Capture of the Taku Forts. — The Advance on
Pekin. — Narrow Escape of Colonel Wolseley from Capture. — The Loot
ing of the Summer Palace and Surrender of Pekin. — Colonel Wolseley's
Visit to Japan and Mission to Nankin.— Return to England.
Colonel Wolseley accompanied Sir Hope Grant to Cal
cutta, and, with the other members of his staff, sailed on
the 26th of February, 1S60, in the Fiery Cross, one of Jar-
dine's steamers, which cast anchor at Hong-Kong on the
13th of March. As the transports arrived from England,
India, and the Cape of Good Hope, the troops were disem
barked and encamped at Kowloon, opposite Hong-Kong,
which Colonel Wolseley surveyed, the other officers of the
department, under Colonel Kenneth McKenzie, being en
gaged in arranging for the reception of the British troops.
In a very short time, the required space was converted from
a rocky waste into a neat camp, with tents and lines for the
horses. The first step was the joint occupation, by the British and
French forces, of the island of Chusan, which was accord
ingly undertaken under instructions from the Home Govern
ment, who, in this, foUowed the precedent of the war of
1840-42, though Colonel Wolseley has expressed his opinion
that the step was of little use, either from a military or

I20 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
political point of view.* The expedition rendezvoused off
King-tang, opposite the town of Chin-hai, at the mouth of
the Ning-po, and, on the 21st of April, dropped anchor in
the noble harbour of Ting-hai, the capital of Chusan, which
immediately capitulated. On the following day, the naval
and military commanders, with their staffs and a small guard,
landed and made an inspection of the town and its vicinity,
at which Wolseley, being in charge of the Quartermaster-
General's Department, was present with the General.
One thousand soldiers only were landed, there being great
difficulty in finding accommodation in the various yamuns,
or official residences, and 300 Marines were placed in the
Custom-house and adjoining buildings. Wolseley took over
the requisite buildings from the native officials, and made
the necessary arrangements, in conjunction with the French
staff-officer, for the quartering of the garrison. He returned
with Sir Hope Grant to the Grenada, on the evening of the
23rd of AprU, and, on the following morning, the steamer
proceeded to Poo-too, an island lying to the eastward of the
Chusan group, which, it was considered, might be suitable
for a military sanatorium. Wolseley proceeded on shore
with the General, and visited the temples and monasteries,
of which this sacred city alone consists. In the evening the
party returned to the Grenada, which then sailed for Hong-
Kong. One of the chief difficulties that had to be encountered
in the organization of the army destined to proceed to the
north of China, was that of transport; but at length, in
May, every preparation being completed, some saUing
transports left HOng-Kong for the seat of war, with a portion
of the infantry, and the main body foUowed on the Sth of
June. * See Colonel Wolseley's interesting work ' Narrative of the War with
China, in i860,' which was written daily while the operations were in
progress.

WOLSELE Y ARRIVES A T THE SEA T OF WAR. 121
The British army, of which the Divisional Commanders
were Sir Robert Napier and Sir John Michel, Brigadier
Patde being in command of the cavalry, numbered about
14,000 men, and that of the French, under General Mon-
tauban, which mustered at Shanghai, about 7,000. The
fleet, under Admiral Sir James Hope, consisted of 70 ships
of war, including gunboats, and the hired transports num
bered 120 sail.
On the 16th of June, the Grenada, in which Colonel
Wolseley had embarked with the Commander-in-Chief, and
some troopships, proceeded to sea, and put in at Shanghai,
where, at the earnest entreaty of the European residents and
Chinese authorities, some troops were landed to protect the
town against the rebels, better known as Taipings, who, for
the past eight years, had desolated the country. Three
days after quitting Shanghai, the Grenada cast anchor off
the town of Wei-hei-wei, on the western shore of the Gulf
of Pechili, the transports, with the greater portion of the
troops, having already arrived at Talien-wan, on the eastern
side. Wolseley and other officers landed at Wei-hei-wei,
and visited the town, which is of considerable extent. On
the following morning he explored the neighbouring country,
but its capabilities for supplying water were unpromising in
the extreme.
According to the plan of operations agreed upon between
the allied commanders, the French were to rendezvous at
Chefoo,* in the province of Shantung, and the British at
Talien-wan. Sir Hope Grant, with his staff, remained on board the
Grenada, in Victoria Bay, whence a small steamer daUy went
* Chefoo and Talien-wan were fixed upon as the respective bases of
operations of the French and English armies, because it was known that
along the coast near Takoo the ice in winter prevented all approach for
several months ; but there was deep water at these places, which were free
from ice all the year round. Colonel Wolseley visited Chefoo, and was
pleased with the order and regularity of the French camp near that town.

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

the round of the great bay or harbour, carrying orders to the
various encampments.
Lord Elgin arrived at TaUen-wan on the gth of July, in
the Indian Navy steam-frigate Feroze, and, after many con
ferences, it was decided by Sir Hope Grant and General
Montauban, that both armies should sail for Peh-tang on
the 26th of July. Accordingly, on that day, the vast armada,
presenting a grand spectacle, weighed anchor, and started
with a fair wind for the general rendezvous, twenty mUes
south of the Peiho ; and in the evening the French fleet of
33 sail hove in sight, passing round the Meatow Islands.
On Saturday, the 2 Sth of July, the entire Expedition was
assembled at the appointed rendezvous, and, on Monday,
¦weighed and stood in for the mouth of the Peiho river.
A memorandum was issued by the Quartermaster-General
for the guidance of the officers superintending the disem
barkation of the troops, and, on the ist of August, the
Indian Navy troopship Coromandel, having on board Sir
James Hope and Sir Hope Grant, with his staff, including
Colonel Wolseley, led the way, followed by the gunboatsj
with their decks crowded with men, each towing six launches,
full of troops. The French flotiUa also put off at the same "
time. Soon after two o'clock, the gunboats anchored about 2,000
yards from the famous Taku forts, situated about three miles
from the mouth of the river, the passage of which they com
mand. It was decided by Generals Grant and Montauban that a
reconnoissance should be made in the direction of a cause
way running towards Taku, and 400 men, drawn equally
from the English and French armies, were landed on a soft,
sticky, mud flat, through which, for nearly a mile, the men
floundered and struggled before reaching a hard patch of
ground. ' Nearly every man,' says Mr. Bowlby, the Times

THE LANDING AT PEH-TANG.

correspondent, 'was disembarrassed of his lower integuments,
and one gallant brigadier led on his men with no other
garment than his shirt.' The Tartars now retreated along
the causeway, and the rest of the force was disembarked
by five o'clock. ' Never,' says Mr. Bowlby, ' did more hope
less prospect greet an army. Mud and water everywhere,
and " not a drop to drink." Pools of brackish water were
scattered about here and there, but perfectly undrinkable,
and not a well or spring could be found. They were on an
island cut off from the causeway by a deep ditch forty feet
¦wide, through which the tide flowed. In plunged the
brigades, and sank middle deep in the vilest and most
stinking slush ; but the men struggled gallantly on, and in a
few seconds the whole force was on the road.'
The bridge and gate of the town were occupied, but the
greater portion of the troops rested for the night on the
causeway, and Colonel Wolseley and a large party halted on
the hard ground, cut off from it by a deep ditch. They were
all in a plight calculated to try the temper of Mark Tapley
himself, for not only were they destitute of water, every man
having long before consumed the pint he carried in his
water-bottle, but they were cold and wet, and had to lie on
the damp ground. It is under such circumstances that the
real nature of a man reveals itself As Wolseley says : 'The
noble-hearted come to the front, at once ready to help
others, and being themselves generous and jolly, make the
best of untoward events ; whUst the selfish man stands out
in his true colours, whining and pining like,an ill-tempered
child, a picture of misery himself, and likely to make others
so, by his captious ill-humour. We were a large party of
people, odds and ends of all sorts, including some who, in
the dark, could not make their way any farther to the front
All were horribly thirsty To go back to the boats for water,
through the slush, was reaUy a fatiguing journey; but the

124 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
task had to be accomplished, and never did the weary tra
veller in an arid desert haU a spring with greater joy than
we all did our Judge-Advocate-General's return with a small
barrel of water, after his trip there. Subsequently the in
valuable Coolie corps* made their appearance with breakers
of a like nature, which supplied everyone.'
But Wolseley, in his published work, omits to mention
that he accompanied Major Wilmot on his errand of mercy
— for such it really was, as many of the men were so fatigued
and overcome by thirst, that their tongues were hanging out
of their mouths — and on their return from their long tramp
through the mud, laden with the precious liquid, the gaUant
officers were cheered heartily by their comrades.
The night was as unpleasant a one as Colonel Wolseley
ever spent, even bearing in mind his Crimean and Indian
bivouacs. He had, of course, no bedding, and it was im
possible to lie down on ¦ the wet mud with any hope of
obtaining rest. So he walked about and shivered through
the night without closing his eyes. In the morning the
town was occupied, but 'looting' was strictly prohibited,
and any men found indulging in the unlawful pursuit were
instantly tied up and flogged on the spot
Our men landed with three days' provisions, but after the
fourth day supplies of food and water were regularly issued
to them. The French arrangements not being so complete
or successful, our gallant allies had exciting sport in chasing
and kiUing all the pigs they could lay hands on, not even
disdaining to ijsgale themselves on such deceased porkers
as they found in ditches ; indeed, for the first week they
seemed to subsist on litde else. Our military system also ap
peared in favourable contrast to that of our aUies, as regards
strictness of discipline and employment of the troops, for
* The Coolie corps, organized and led by Major Temple, of the Indian
army, consisted of 2,500 Chinamen, recruited at Canton and Hong-Kong.

RECONNOISSANCE OF THE TAKU FORTS. 125
whUe their officers and men were sauntering about the town
with their hands in their pockets, our men, of all ranks and
arms of the service, were busily employed constructing
¦wooden wharves and piers, and improving the principal
thoroughfares for the passage of guns.
The Allied Generals having decided on a reconnoissance
in force of the enemy's position, on the 3rd of August a
strong column, consisting of 1,000 French and as many
EngUsh, under the command of General CoUineau, moved
out along the raised causeway leading towards the Taku
Forts. Colonel Wolseley was selected by Sir Hope Grant
to accompany the force, and indeed throughout this war,
so highly did the General estimate his services, that when
ever he decided to undertake some duty requiring tact or
capacity, he would always inquire, ' Where's Wolseley ?
Send him.' And Wolseley, ever ready to undertake any
charge entailing responsibUity, would respond to the call
with cheerful alacrity. His duties as the officer in charge
of the topographical survey of a country totally unknown,
naturally required his presence in the van of the army, and
whether there, or sweeping round the flanks with a handful
of Native cavalry for an escort, he carried his life in his
hand and narrowly escaped capture, which would have in
volved torture or death at the hands of the barbarous
enemy. On one occasion the fate that befell another
lamented officer of his department. Captain Brabazon,
would have been his, but for an accidental circumstance,
or rather should we say, having regard to the services he
was spared to render to his country, by the interposition of
that Divinity which, says Hamlet, ' shapes our ends, rough-
hew them how we may.'
The Allied force started at four am., and, after a march
of about four miles, came upon the main body of the enemy,
who were waiting just beyond a bridge, about half a mile

126 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
farther on. As soon as the French, who led the advance,
had passed the bridge, the enemy opened fire, and a large
body of Tartar cavalry threatened the flanks of the aUies,
when General CoUineau opened fire with two guns, and,
having forced them back, advanced, the French on the
right, and the English on the left, towards a large intrench-
ment about a mUe distant The force now halted, and
Brigadier Sutton sent Colonel Wolseley to Sir Hope Grant
to apprise him of the state of affairs, and request reinforce
ments if the enemy's position was to be forced. Wolseley
galloped back, and, having given the necessary information,
returned with 2 guns, and the Allied Generals immedi
ately foUowed with a reinforcement, but the reconnoitring
party was already on the return march to Pehtang, and the
day's proceedings ended somewhat abortively, the Tartars,
in their ignorance of the object sought to be attained,
claiming a victory, and sending flaming reports to Pekin of
their having forced the white soldiers to retreat.
On the gth of August, Colonel Wolseley was selected to
command a second reconnoitring party, consisting of 200
cavalry and 100 infantry, and Sir Hope gave him positive
instructions, before starting, on no account to bring on an
engagement Proceeding along the causeway for two miles,
he placed his infantry in position in a ruined farmhouse,
usuaUy held by a cavalry picket of the enemy, whUe he
moved off to reconnoitre with the cavalry, whose exposed
flank was thus protected. Leaving the causeway to hisjeft,
Wolseley made a long circuit, until he approached within a
mUe of the enemy's works on the Peiho, and, having sur
veyed the whole of the enemy's position, and the line on
their flank by which the advance was to be made, and having
further ascertained that the country in that direction was
practicable for all arms, and abounded in pools of fresh
¦water, he returned without having exchanged a shot with

WOLSELEY CONDUCTS A RECONNOISSANCE. 127
the enemy. Immediately on his arrival in camp, Wolseley
made a report of the survey he had completed, and having
that night executed a plan, he had copies struck off from a
steel plate of the -size of a sheet of foolscap, and by an early
hour on the following morning these copies were in the
hands of every staff officer of both armies.
On Sunday, the 12th of August, the AUied Army began
its march towards the Taku Forts, and everyone was in high
spirits at leaving that detestable place with its inodorous
smells. It was arranged that the 2nd, or Sir Robert Napier's,
Division, should move out along the track reconnoitred on
the gth, guided by Wolseley, who had laid down the route
by which the division, when attacking in flank, should
march so as to avoid the swamps and quicksands which
abounded on both sides of the causeway, and yet at the
same time keep intact the communications with the main
body. Sir Robert Napier was directed to turn the left of
the enemy's position, whUst the ist Division and the French,
advancing along the causeway, should attack the enemy's
works in front. As the ground on the right was admirably
adapted for the operations of cavalry, the whole of that arm
was attached to Napier's Di-vision. At four a.m. the march
began through slush and mud, which was terribly heavy for
the artillery horses. After advancing for three miles from
the causeway, Napier opened fire on the enemy with 15
guns, and he expressed his admiration of the unflinching
fortitude with which the Tartar cavalry stood the iron hail
at 450 yards' range. A portion of them charged our cavalry,
but were met half-way, and utterly routed by the Sikh horse,
led by those gaUant sabreurs, Fane and Probyn, supported
by a squadron of the ist Dragoon Guards.
In the meantime, the ist Division and the French,
moving along the causeway leading from Pehtang towards
the enemy's intrenched camp before the village of Sinho,

128 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
deployed within 1,400 yards of these works, and, after a
brief artiUery fire, the whole army advanced and occupied
the place.
Throughout this China War, our allies, notwithstanding
their gallantry, did not show to advantage, which was chiefly
due to the incapacity of General Cousin de Montauban,
who was a gasconading, self opiniated man, without a particle
of military talent. At no time throughout the campaign did
the French Division muster more than 4,000 effectives, while
we had in China a well-appointed army numbering ig,ooo
men, of whom 14,000 were at the seat of war. Thus the
co-operation of the French was quite unnecessary; but
Lord Palmerston, sacrificing military considerations to the
poUtical requirements involved in the maintenance of the
entente cordiale, accepted the proffered assistance of the
Emperor Napoleon. The campaign had not been inaugu
rated many days before Montauban gave evidence of his
military incompetence, which went so far in assisting to
wreck his country in the memorable days preceding the
catastrophe of Sedan.*
From the AUied position, distant about two miles and a
half, was visible the large intrenchment around the viUage
of Tangku, having a long narrow causeway, with ditches,
leading from Sinho towards it
Notwithstanding Sir Hope Grant's refusal to advance
upon the enemy's position untU bridges had been thrown
across the canals which separated the roadway and village
from the open, firm ground to the south of the causeway,
Montauban sallied out with his division ; but after two hours
* VVolseley was in the heart of the American Continent, conducting his
Red River Expedition, in the autumn of the memorable year 1870, when
he received inteUigence that the Count de Palikao had been nominated
Mimster-at-War, thus receiving charge of the destinies of his country at a
most momentous crisis. Turning to his officers, he exclaimed : ' Then it is
aU over for poor France !'

CAPTURE OF TANGKU. i2g
spent in a purposeless cannonading, returned to Sinho, re
infecta. On the foUowing day Colonel Wolseley made a reconnais
sance up the banks of the Peiho, which resulted in showing
that the enemy had retired to the southern bank of the
river, with the exception of the troops garrisoning the forts.
On the morning of the 14th, the First Division, with all
the artillery, having their right flank resting on the Peiho,
advanced to attack the enemy's intrenchments. Our allies,
having taken up a position on our left, their left flank resting
upon the Tangku causeway, the whole line of artillery, con
sisting of 12 French and 24 British guns, opened fire, under
which the infantry advanced and entered the enemy's in
trenchments. About 45 guns, of various calibre, between
four and twenty-four pounders, of which 16 were brass and
the remainder, iron, fell into the hands ofthe victors.
Colonel Wolseley accompanied the Commander-in-Chief
in his reconnaissance towards the Taku Forts, but not
much information was gained, as the enemy opened fire on
the escort.
Sir Hope Grant now busied himself in perfecting his
arrangements for the attack on these formidable works ;
heavy guns and ammunition were brought to the front, and
ten days' provisions collected at Sinho.
The question of the attack on the Taku Forts was one upon
which the British and French Commanders-in-Chief were
divided. Sir Hope Grant, who was strongly supported in his
views by Sir Robert Napier, proposed to operate against the
northern fort, which enfiladed those on the southern bank,
and was the key to the position ; but General Montauban
was loud in favour of crossing the river and assaulting the
southern forts. However, finding his colleague determined
to abide by his own judgment, Montauban made a formal
protest, and then acted in loyal concert with the British
9

I30 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
General. During the halt at Tangku, the Engineers had
been busy constructing a road towards the forts, also bridges
or causeways over the canals, and batteries, which were
armed during the night of the 20th with 16 guns and 3
mortars. At daybreak on the following morning, 23 pieces
of ordnance, including 4 of the French, opened fire on the
forts, which repUed with spirit
The British force detaUed for the assault was drawn from
Sir Robert Napier's Division, and numbered 2,500 men.*
The French assaulting column, numbering 1,000 men, was
under the command of General CoUineau.
About six o'clock a tremendous explosion took place in
the nearest fort ; half an hour later, a second explosion oc
curred in the larger northern fort, and, by seven o'clock,
most of the enemy's guns had been dismounted. The field-
guns were advanced to within 500 yards of the fort, and
the fire of the works having been silenced, a breach was
commenced near the gate, and the storming-party advanced
to within thirty yards, keeping up a hot fire, the French
infantry being on the right, and the English on the left
Under a heavy musketry-fire from the enemy, who quitted
their cover, on the troops forming up for the assault, our men
advanced straight to their front towards the gate of the fort,
the French advancing by the right and approaching the
angle of the work resting on the river's bank. It very soon
became apparent that our engineering arrangements had
been faulty, for, instead of using a number of light ladders,
or a small plank bridge resting on wheels, on which to cross
the wet ditch, a pontoon bridge had been taken, and a round
* The assaulting column consisted of a -wing of the 44th, under Colonel
MacMahon, and a wing of the 67th, under Colonel Thomas, the other wings
of these regiments acting as supports ; the Royal Marines, under Colonel
Gascoigne, and a detachment of the same corps carrying a pontoon bridge
for crossing the wet ditches, under Colonel Travers; and a company of
Royal Engineers under Major Graham, V.C.

WOLSELE Y AT THE ASS A ULT OF TAKU. 131
shot, passing through one of the metal pontoons of which it
was constructed, rendered it unserviceable.
The French, with great dash, escaladed the walls, and
almost simultaneously our men forced their way through the
breach in single file, the foremost being Ensign Chaplin, of
the 67th, who planted the colours on the top of the parapet,
and Lieutenants Rogers (44th), Lenon and Burslem (67th).
In seeking to lay down the pontoon bridge, 15 Sappers
were almost instantaneously placed hors de combat, and, by
an unlucky round shot, the bridge was rendered useless.
Wolseley was with the advance party at the time, and used
his utmost endeavours to withdraw the bolt by which the
damaged portion was fastened to the superstructure ; this,
however, was a work of extreme difficulty, as owing to a
portion of the bridge being in the water, a great strain was
brought to bear on the bolt, which could not be withdrawn.
Wolseley recounts some instances of gallantry that attracted
his attention, which was always interested in observing the
exhibition of that greatest of military virtues in others.
While our men were endeavouring to cross the ditches, he
was standing by Major Graham, V.C* — an old comrade in
the trenches before Sebastopol— who, being almost the only
mounted officer, offered an easy mark to the Chinese match
lockmen. So deafening was the uproar of great guns and
smaU arms at this time, that Wolseley, having some remark
to communicate to Graham, placed his hand on that officer's
thigh to draw his attention. ' Don't put your hand there,'
exclaimed Major Graham, wincing under the torture, ' there
is a jingal-baU lodged in my leg.' It was the first notice he
had taken of his wound.
Colonel Mann, commanding the Royal Engineers, was
one of the first to cross the two ditches, and Major (the
* Now Major-General Sir Gerald Graham, who commanded a brigade in
the Eg3T)tian Expedition under Lord Wolseley.
9-2

132 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
late Colonel) Hon. A. Anson, A.D.C., on reaching the
other side, which was covered with pointed bamboo stakes,
proceeded to swarm up a pole, to the summit of which the
rope drawing up the drawbridge was made fast. The daring
act attracted the fire of the enemy's marksmen, but the
gallant officer, nothing daunted, hacked away with his sword,
untU he cut the rope, when down fell the drawbridge with a
great clang. It was so shattered by shot that it seemed
scarcely capable of sustaining any weight, but our men man
aged to cross a few at a time.
The scene presented in the interior of the captured work
evinced the determination with which the garrison had held
the place, and among the dead, who were estimated to
number about 2,000, was a General and the officer com
manding the northern forts.
The losses incurred by the Allies in achieving this really
brUliant triumph were moderate, considering the strength of
the defences they had stormed. Our loss was 1 7 killed and
161 wounded, of whom 22 were officers. The French had
about 130 casualties.
Without loss of time, preparations were commenced to
attack the large northern fort, distant exactly 1,000 yards,
which had a raised causeway running towards it, with wet
ditches on either side. Colonel Wolseley proceeded, with a
small escort, under a heavy fire, to reconnoitre the ground
to the north of the causeway, and, slowly advancing his
party in skirmishing order towards the space, ascertained its
fitness for the purposes required. But the Chinese had no
heart for further resistance, and as the AUied troops ad
vanced towards the north fort, the garrison, numbering
2,000 men, surrendered at discretion. A little later the
enemy evacuated the southern works, and in the evening
Mr. (now Sir Harry) Parkes received the unconditional
surrender of the whole country on the banks of the Peiho

SURRENDER OF THE FORTS. 133
as far as Tientsin. The day closed with a tremendous
storm of wind and rain, and soon the roads by which the
troops had advanced were quite submerged. The camp
was flooded, and, under such depressing influences, Wol
seley rode back a distance of five miles, to find the interior
of his tent a pond, with every article therein floating about
as if another flood had covered the face of the earth. Thus,
without light or fire to dry the wet clothes on his back, and
after a frugal supper of biscuit and brandy-and-water, he
turned in, ruminating, doubtless, on the changes and chances
of a soldier's Ufe.
The first phase of the war was completed by the capture
of the famous Taku Forts, which, though taken by our sailors
in 1S58, had, in the following year, successfuUy resisted a
naval force, under Admiral Sir James Hope, when convey
ing the British Minister to Pekin, for the purpose of ex
changing the ratification of the treaty concluded at Tient
sin, in June, 1S58. Our Government now determined that
the violated treaty should be ratified at Pekin, as this would
imply a sense of defeat and humUiation which the Imperial
Government, skilled as it is in sophisms, could not argue
away in the lying proclamations it was in the habit of ad
dressing to its many millions of subjects.
Sir James Hope pushed on to Tientsin on the 23rd of
August, and, so demoralized were the enemy, that the forts
at that place were occupied without a shot being fired. Two
days later Lord Elgin and Sir Hope Grant foUowed with
the troops, leaving a garrison at Taku and Sinho. Eight
days were wasted at Tientsin in negotiations with unac
credited envoys, and at length it was decided to commence
the march towards Tungchow. But there were difficulties
to be overcome ; the road between Tientsin and Pekin was
Uttle known, as also the capabilities of the country to furnish
suppUes for the large number of soldiers, non-combatants,

134 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and animals. It was Colonel Wolseley's duty to collect
information on these points, and the Topographical Depart
ment, of which he had been in charge from the outset of
the campaign, was, at this time, reorganized, his assistants
being Lieutenant Harrison, R.E, who had served at Alum
bagh and Lucknow, and Mr. Robert Swinhoe, Interpreter
in the British Consular Service, who had hitherto been
acting in that capacity on Sir Robert Napier's staff.
Owing to the difficulty as to supplies, it was arranged that
the two armies should advance by detachments. Brigadier
Reeves started on the Sth of September, with his brigade,
and, on the following day. Lord Elgin and Sir Hope Grant,
and Wolseley with his assistants, quitted Tientsin.
The French troops, about 3,000, left Tientsin on the
I oth of September, and Sir John Michel marched with the
remainder of the First Division on the 12 th, Sir Robert
Napier remaining behind with the Second Division to
garrison the place. On their arrival at Yangtsun, the head
quarters camp remained immovable, owing to the flight of
the drivers with the mules and ponies.* Parties were sent
* During the night of the loth aU the Chinese drivers of the carts of Lord
Elgin's and Sir Hope Grant's estabhshments had decamped, taking vrith
them the whole of their mules and ponies. Wolseley alone retained his
drivers, and that he did so was owing to an amusing circumstance. While:
riding out of Tientsin, he was conversing with the Ressaldar, or native com
missioned officer, in command of his escort, and told him to impress upon
his men that unless he and they looked sharply after the native drivers and
prevented them from deserting, they would be left behind, and could not
participate in the capture of Pekin. The native officer and his sowars took
the hint, and on the following morning there was not a driver in the camp,
except his own, who had all been tied together by their tails, and then
made fast to the tent-pole ! Thereafter this was done every night, and Wol
seley arrived at Pekin with the carts and drivers and ponies he had started
with, the only officer who did so. 'The small camp of our department,'
says Mr. Swinhoe, ' consisted of one Indian tent and two beU-tents. The
Chinese servants and carters generally buUt huts of mats and millet-stalks,
and the two native servants were accommodated with a tente d'ahri. Be
sides our three horses, picketed in a row, there were six luggage ponies
belonging to the carts, and the carts themselves, and in the group hard by,
the eleven Sikh troopers detailed to us as guard, with their tents and horses.
The whole made quite a conspicuous Uttle group to the observation of
passers-by.'

WOLSELEY'S DUTIES ON THE SURVEY. 135
out into the country to try and recover the lost animals, or
procure others, but without success, and, at length, as no
other means of transport were avaUable, several junks were
seized, into which the greater portion of the stores and lug
gage was stowed.
Colonel Wolseley commenced his surveying duties im
mediately upon quitting Tientsin ; he himself, accompanied
by the interpreter, proceeded along the road. Lieutenant
Harrison taking the course of the Peiho for his part of the
survey. The country on either side of the Peiho, which is
fenced in with artificial dykes, is one vast level plain,
covered, as far as the eye could reach, with crops of maize
and millet ; and were it not for occasional brick-kilns and
watch-towers, an accurate survey of the road would have
been most arduous. As it was. Colonel Wolseley, in order
to insure accuracy, paced the road, and afterwards com
pared the distances so noted with the revolutions of the
perambulator. On their first day's march to Pookow, about
twelve and a half mUes from Tientsin, several distant large
villages were passed, the names of which may be found in the
survey maps of the road to Pekin executed by Colonel Wol
seley and Lieutenant Harrison. On the nth he proceeded
on to Yangtsun, on the 12th to Nantsai, and on the 13th to
Ho-se-woo, where he was engaged upon the survey of the
river, and his assistant worked on the road. As this town
appeared to be a good half-way station between Tientsin
and Pekin, being about forty miles distant from each, a
hospital and a depot were estabUshed here.
At a meeting held at Tungchow between Messrs. Wade
and Parkes and some Imperial Commissioners, it was decided
that the Allied army should march to within a mile and a
half of Chang-kia-wan, whence Lord Elgin, with an escort of
1,000 men, was to proceed to Tungchow, and, after signing
the Convention, to the capital for the purpose of ratifying

136 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the 1S58 Treaty. On the 17th of September, the British
force, with 1,000 French, marched to Matow, a distance of
twelve mUes, and Wolseley resumed his survey of the road,
but encountered great difficulty in procuring information, as
the native villagers fled on the approach of their invaders,
and had to be chased and run down by the Sikh escort
The following day, the i8th of September, was destined to
be a memorable one in the history of the campaign, and
before the sun went down, convincing proofs were afforded
— though, indeed, none were required save to enlighten the
understanding and open the eyes of the diplomatists* — that
the Chinese Government and its Commissioners were acting
with their wonted duplicity and treachery.
The army marched at daylight on the 18th of September;
but Wolseley remained behind during the forenoon, having
obtained permission from Sir Hope Grant, on the previous
night, to halt at Matow, and continue the survey of the
road, promising, on its completion, to join him at Chang-
kia-wan. After being busy for some hours, he was sitting
in his tent, when Captain Gunter, of the King's Dra
goon Guards, galloped up, calling out to him to be on
his guard. ' The General,' he said, ' had sent him with
orders to move up the rear-guard, which had charge of the
baggage, with all despatch, as there was a large body of
cavalry ahead.' Soon after Wolseley, who had betaken
himself to the raised road, saw puffs of smoke in the air,
* Speaking of the simpUcity displayed by the representatives of our
Foreign Office, Wolseley observes : ' Military men are far less confiding
than civiUans in deaUngwith uncivilized nations. The little experience that
I have had goes to prove that the latter are far more rash and less Uable to
take the precautions which ordinary military knowledge would indicate as
necessary. How often have I known civilians, accompanying an army,
scoff at the caution of general officers, forgetting altogether that any com
mander who fails to provide against every possible mistake, or probable
contingency, is deeply culpable. By the strange contrariety of human
nature, it is generaUy these irresponsible gentlemen who are first loudest in
their abuse of officers who fail in anything through rashness, or want of
caution.

AN ANXIOUS TIME. 137
denoting the firing of shells, and clouds of dust, such as are
caused by cavalry charges. The thought flashed across him
of the precarious position in which he and his party were
placed, as in that open plain their white tents were visible a
long way, and would doubtless draw upon them the obser
vation of some of the Tartar cavalry, which was even now
clearly carrying out the tactics of surrounding the AUied
army, which Sang-ko-lin-sin was always able to adopt, by
reason of his numerical superiority. With the utmost de
spatch, he caused the tents to be struck and packed, him
self and his officers assisting, and in a few minutes the party
were on their way to join the army.
Wolseley says that he never spent a more anxious time
in his life than while making that march of four miles. It
was not that he feared for himself and his mounted fol
lowers, but his soldier-servant and the corporal of Engineers
were on foot, and he could not desert them in the event of
an attack by the Tartar horse. He had made up his mind
to throw himself and his men in the first house they passed
on the road, and defend themselves to the last extremity
with the guns and pistols they could muster. But, at length,
he began to breathe more freely as he approached a village
containing the baggage in charge of a strong rear-guard ;
and, in a few minutes, he had the satisfaction of seeing in
safety, not only the personnel of his detachment, but also
all the results of his surveys, which had cost him so much
labour, and were almost equaUy precious to him. To show
how critical was the position of the party, and how near
they were sharing the sad fate that overtook some of our
countrymen, who were tortured to death by the savage foe,
it may be mentioned that a large force of Tartar cavalry
had actually passed between them and the rear-guard, and
crossed the river less than half an hour before their arrival.
Leaving his baggage along with the rest. Colonel Wolseley's

138 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
party galloped along the road, turned off to the left along
the bank of the Seau-ho (' Little River '), and proceeded to
the spot where Sir Hope Grant was resting under the shade
of some trees.
He now learnt that the Allies had encountered, and driven
from their position, a Chinese army of about 20,000 men,
which barred their progress towards Tungchow, and captured
74 guns, with but slight loss. But the elation consequent
upon this great success was dimmed by the consideration
that the enemy had in their hands many of our country
men, and fears were entertained for their safety, which
proved but too well founded. Captain Brabazon, Lieutenant
Anderson, Messrs. Bowlby and De Norman, and many of
the sowars and Frenchmen, died a cruel death, which
Wolseley was near sharing, as Sir Hope Grant had sent for
him to accompany Mr. Loch, of the Embassy, to proceed
to Tungchow, to bring back the party there, and it was in
consequence of his absence in the rear, completing the
survey of the road, that Captain Brabazon was directed to
proceed in his place.
On the 20th of September, Colonel Wolseley rode back to
Matow, and having completed the survey of the road be
tween that vUlage and Chang-kia-wan, returned in time to
move out with the Allied army, which, at daybreak on the
following morning, marched to engage the enemy, who were
drawn up about two miles distant from the town.
Colonel Wolseley attended Sir Hope Grant during the
day, and, with the rest of the staff, had a narrow escape of
falling into the hands of the enemy. He says : ' When we
had marched a mile, we found ourselves in presence of a
large army, their cavalry stretching away to the right as far
as we could see, and endeavouring to turn our left flank ;
their infantry strongly posted in the numerous clumps of
trees and enclosures which lay between us and the canal.

A NARROW ESCAPE. 139
As soon as we came within range, they opened fire upon us
from hundreds of jingals and small field-pieces, to which
our aUies replied with their rifled cannon. Sir Hope Grant
rode forward towards the French for the purpose of examin
ing the position, and having advanced beyond our line of
skirmishers, rode almost in amongst the Tartars, mistaking
them for the French. Upon turning back to rejoin our
troops, the Tartar cavalry, seeing him and his numerous
staff cantering away from them, evidently thought it was
some of our cavalry running away, and at once gave pursuit
with loud yells. Stirling's guns, however, opened heavily
upon them when they were about 250 yards from our line,
saluting them well with canister, which sent them to the
right-about as briskly as they had advanced.' Soon after
the Tartar cavalry tried to outflank the Allies, upon which
our cavalry charged them ; and, says Wolseley, ' riding over
ponies and men, knocked both down like so many nine
pins.' Sir Hope Grant now moved in pursuit to the left, and
captured several camps, with tents standing, which were all
burnt. The enemy having disappeared from the front and
flank, he retired towards the wooden bridge over the
Yuliang-ho Canal.
The French had meanwhile captured all the camps which
lay near the Pa-le-cheaou* Bridge, over which they drove the
enemy at the point of the bayonet, with great slaughter.
Here General Paou, commanding the Tartar cavalry, re
ceived his mortal wound. Towards evening, the French
encamped close to the canal upon the British right Sir
Hope Grant, though within sight of Pekin, was unable to
push his advantage and compel the surrender of the capital,
as, relying upon the assurances of the diplomatists, he had
* General Montauban took his title of Count de Palikao from this bridge,
which means ' 8 le bridge,' so called because it is 8 le, or 2i miles, along
the paved road from Tung-chow.

140 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
left his siege-guns at Tientsin. However, Sir Robert
Napier, to whom he had sent word after the action of the
I Sth, advanced by forced marches, and arrived on the 24th
of September. Five days , later the siege-guns came into
camp, and, by the 3rd of October, all the available troops
from the rear had arrived.
During the halt, Colonel Wolseley was very busy survey
ing the country between Chang-kia-wan and Pekin, and also
reconnoitring about the capital and obtaining information
from the villagers as to the movements of Sang-ko-lin-sin's
army, which was reported to be in position to the north of
the city. Proceeding almost daily with a small party of
cavalry as an escort, he, and other staff officers, advanced
occasionally within a few hundred yards of the walls of
Pekin. On the 3rd of October, the camp at Pa-le-cheaou was
broken up, and the British force, 6,000 strong, crossed the
canal by the bridge of boats prepared for the purpose, and
encamped on the paved road leading to Pekin. Two days
later, the French having received the reinforcements for
which they had been waiting, the combined army, number
ing about 10,000 combatants, carrying three days' cooked
rations, and without tents, advanced in lines of contiguous
columns. After a march of between four and five miles,
our army bivouacked. Colonel Wolseley located himself
and assistants in an old broken-down homestead, the sole
occupant of which was a deaf and imbecile old woman; and,
ere ' the early vUlage cock had twice done salutation to the
morn,' was only too glad to be astir and quit his squalid
quarters. The Allied armies now advanced, the EngUsh
moving on the right into some abandoned intrenchments,
and thence advancing upon the main road leading to the
An-ting gate of the city, where Sir Hope Grant halted for
the night.

RIDE TO THE SUMMER PALACE. 141
Meanwhile the French Division, accompanied by the
British cavalry, arrived about sunset at the central gate of
the Summer Palace, which is distant about six miles in a
north-westerly direction from Pekin.
At daybreak on the following morning, the 7th of
October, Sir Hope Grant, in order to apprise our cavalry
and the French of his whereabouts, fired 2 guns, and
directed Colonel Wolseley to proceed with an escort of two
squadrons of cavalry, and ascertain their position. Wolseley
took the road towards the Summer Palace, and proceeded
nearly due west for about a mUe. He adopted the course
famUiar to fox-hunters at home, and took ' casts ' in order to
come on the track of the French. At length he sighted, in
the distance, a sowar, who was on duty as a cavalry vedette.
Wolseley rode towards him, but the man, mistaking the
escort for the enemy, put spurs to his horse, and, notwith
standing that Wolseley shouted to him to stop, the fellow
rode at full speed, and so the chase continued for a distance
of two miles. Following the fugitive, Wolseley entered the
parks and gardens of the Summer Palace — known as Yuen-
ming-yuen, or, 'Round and Brilliant Garden' — which is
enclosed by high granite walls. General Montauban had
fixed his camp in a fine grove of trees near the grand en
trance ; and Wolseley, after communicating with him and
Brigadier Battle, rode back to headquarters to report,
escorted by two sowars.
About noon. Lord Elgin and Sir Hope Grant, guided by
Colonel Wolseley, who had just time before starting to
snatch a hasty breakfast, rode over to Yuen-ming-yuen, for
the purpose of conferring with General Montauban. On
arrival, the Generals with their staffs proceeded into the
palace. It was a curious sight that met "Wolseley's eyes as
he entered the palace, which for two hundred years had been
the most cherished abode of the dynasty of the Emperor

142 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Hien-fung, who, among other titles, arrogated to himself
those of ' the Sacred Son of Heaven,' and ' the Governor
and TranquUlizer of the Universe.'
The grand entrance opened into a paved courtyard,
crossing which, the party of ' barbarians ' entered the Hall
of Audience, at the upper end of which, opposite the door,
was the Imperial throne. The chamber was highly coloured
and gilt, and the floor was ofj polished marble ; an immense
picture, representing the surrounding palaces and gardens,
covered the upper portion of one wall, and the rosewood
throne, surrounded by an open-work balustrade, was a fine
piece of workmanship. Around the apartment were hand
somely-carved sideboards and tables, on which were arranged
enamel and china vases, porcelain bowls, and large French
clocks. Passing through the gardens, the party of British
and French officers entered the suite of private rooms occu
pied by the Emperor, which were filled with the rarest and
choicest articles of vertu of native and European manufac
ture. When Wolseley entered, everything was in statu quo
as when the Emperor fled. ' His small cap, decorated with
the character of longevity embroidered upon it, lay upon his
bed ; his pipe and tobacco-pouch were upon a small table
close by. In all the adjoining rooms were immense ward
robes filled with silks, satins, and fur coats. Cloaks covered
with the richest golden needlework, mandarin dresses edged
with ermine and sable, and marked with the representations
of the five-clawed dragons, showing that they were intended
for royalty, were stored in presses. The cushions upon the
chairs and sofas were covered with the finest yellow satin,
embroidered over with figures of dragons and flowers.
YeUow is the Imperial colour, and none but those of royal
birth are permitted to wear clothes made of it Jade-stone
is of aU precious articles the most highly prized in China,
some of it fetching immense prices. For centuries past the

THE LOOT OF THE SUMMER PALACE. 143
finest pieces have been purchased by the Emperors, and
stored up in Yuen-ming-yuen. In some rooms large chests
were filled with cups, vases, plates, etc., made of jade-
stone.' The private apartments of the Emperor were surrounded
by those of his wives, retainers, eunuchs, and servants ;
these, in addition to the buildings, each stored with different
articles of use or luxury, made up a vast group of some
fifteen or twenty pavilions. One was full of furs, another of
silks, another of drawings, a series of 4,000, illustrating the
whole history of China, which, during the sack, the soldiers,
ignorant of their value, trod underfoot, and used as firing,
so that scarce 200 were saved. Then there was the Car
riage Palace, in which were found two howitzers and two
magnificent coaches, presented by Lord Amherst to the
Emperor Taou-Kwang, in 181 8, but which had never been
used ; also Lord Macartney's presents to the ' Brother ofthe
Sun and Moon,' during his embassy in 1793; and, lastly, in
his Majesty's private room, was found Lord Elgin's Treaty
of 1 85 8, in its envelope.
Passing to the rear of the buUdings, Wolseley took a
brief survey of the park, enclosed by a wall some twelve
miles in circumference. The walks and paths seemed end
less, and led over marble bridges, canals, and fish-ponds,
upon some of which were mimic fleets of war-junks armed
with brass cannon, which afforded amusement to the
Emperor. A Mixed Commission was nominated to divide the booty
between the soldiers of the two armies ; but the French
managed to secure more than their rightful share by looting.*
¦* ' If the reader wiU imagine,' says Wolseley, ' some 3,000 men let loose
into a city composed only of Museums and Wardour Streets, he may have
some faint idea of what Yuen-ming-yuen looked Uke after it had been about
twenty hours in the possession of the French. Officers and men seemed to
have been seized with a temporary insanity ; in body and soul they were

144 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
On the nth of October, a sale was held ofthe booty, which
realized 123,000 dollars (about ^^24,000 sterUng), a sum
which enabled each soldier to receive seventeen dollars
{£>'i IOS-), and the officers, who were divided into three
classes, and received one-third of the whole, were paid in
like proportion. But Sir Hope Grant declined to take his
share, throwing it into the common fund, an example which
was followed by the Generals of Division.
Wolseley returned with Sir Hope Grant to the British
camp before the Teh-shun gate, and on the gth the French,
having burnt the Emperor's private residence to the ground,
quitted Yuen-ming-yuen and encamped to the British left,
opposite the An-ting gate of Pekin. On the foUowing day
the AUied commanders drew up and forwarded a summons
to the Prince of Kung, demanding the surrender of the
An-ting gate by noon of the 13th of October, faUing which
the city should be bombarded. A reconnaissance was made
of the northern face of the city defences, during which
Wolseley, and other officers of the staff, rode up to the edge
of the ditch, and a position was settled for the breaching
batteries, about 600 yards to the east of the An-ting gate.
On the night of the 1 2th all arrangements for opening fire
at noon of the following day were completed, and the bat
teries were unmasked ; when at the last moment the resolu
tion of Prince Kung gave way. The AUied troops marched
in, and soon the Union Jack and Tricolour were flying side
by side on the walls of the chief city of the most populous
kingdom of the world.
A few days after the occupation of Pekin, Colonel
Wolseley, while engaged on a survey of the west waU,

absorbed in one pursuit, which was plunder, plunder. I stood by while one
ofthe regiments was supposed to be parading; but although their "fall-in"
was sounded over and over again, I do not beUeve there was an average of
ten men a company present.'

RETURN TO THE COAST. 145
accompanied by his interpreter, Mr. Swinhoe, and an escort
of cavalry, encountered a party of Chinamen with five carts.
On examination, he found that each cart contained a coffin,
with the body of one of our countrymen who had been
captured on the iSth of September, and died of the cruel
treatment to which they had been subjected. The bodies
were interred with befitting ceremony in the Russian ceme
tery, which General Ignatieff, the Russian Ambassador,
placed at the disposal of the British Commander.
Lord Elgin demanded as compensation the payment of
300,000 taels, about ^100,000, which was paid on the 22nd
October, and in expiation of the foul crime his lordship
directed the destruction of the Palace of Yuen-ming-yuen,
which was acccordingly carried into effect by Sir John
Michel's Division. Colonel Wolseley was present during the
I Sth and igth October, while the work of destruction was in
progress, and took the opportunity of inspecting the country
around the palaces, and that lying between them and the
neighbouring hills. He was among the last to quit the
heap of smouldering ashes that alone remained to mark the
site of the palace in which for centuries the Emperors of the
Mantchoo, or Ta-tsing, dynasty received the embassies of
some of the most powerful nations on earth.
The ratification and signature of the Treaty of Tientsin
took place on the 24th of October, Colonel Wolseley, in
consequence of rumours of treachery, having on the preced
ing evening proceeded into the city and made a careful in
spection of the Hall of Ceremonies, one of the six Imperial
Boards, the scene of the meeting.
Colonel Wolseley now proceeded to Tungchow, to super
intend the transport, by boat, from thence to Tientsin, of the
sick and heavy stores. During his stay before Pekin, by
great diligence, and with the assistance of Lieutenant Harri
son, he had managed to make surveys of the country around
10

146 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the capital, with the exception of the south side, which was
too distant from the camp to enable him to reconnoitre
there with a suitable force and return on the same day. In
all other directions, however, the localities were closely
examined, and the beautifully executed maps he prepared
are, doubtless, to be found in the Quartermaster-General's
Department at the Horse Guards. In his history of the
campaign, where his own name nowhere appears, he states
that the maps were prepared ' under the superintendence of
Colonel Mackenzie ;' and merely adds : ' AU the information
that could be obtained was collected, so that in the event of
any future operations being required in those regions, our
work will be much simplified.' The good work he had done
did not, however, escape the notice of those most compe
tent to judge, and whose favourable opinion would be there
fore all the more highly appreciated. The Commanding
General bestowed high praise upon him, and frequently
mentioned him in despatches.
On the 7th of November, the Second Division quitted
Pekin, Sir Hope Grant and the First Division marching on
the following day. Quitting Tungchow, the army proceeded
to Tientsin, where a garrison was left under Brigadier Stave-
ley. The embarkation was commenced about the middle of
November — the cavalry proceeding on to Taku, where they
embarked — and completed by the end of the month, and
very hard work it was for the officers of the Quartermaster-
General's Department and the gunboats, which day and night
were busy, amid very severe weather, conveying the troops to
the fleet But the arduous duty was performed with exem
plary regularity, and without a hitch or accident of any kind,
though not a day too soon, for, on the 25th of November,
the mouth of the Peiho was completely frozen over near the
ctiy, and Colonel Wolseley and other officers walked across
the river.

WOLSELEY'S TRIP TO JAPAN. 147
Wolseley accompanied Sir Hope Grant to Shanghai, where
they, and twelve other officers, hired a steamer, and made a
pleasure-trip to Japan, every important port of which interest
ing country they visited. On their arrival at Yokohama, the
party rode to Yeddo, a distance of nine miles, and stayed at
the British Embassy; and, finaUy, having obtained the per
mission of the Japanese Government, proceeded on their
return voyage — this being only the second steamer to make
her appearance in those waters — through the famous Inland
Sea, the beautiful scenery of which has been described by
Oliphant and other writers.
With the departure of Sir Hope Grant for England, the
China War of i860 was 'as a tale that was told.'* As this
campaign was one of the shortest, so it was one of the most
ably conducted this country had hitherto waged. The more
recent Abyssinian, Ashantee and Egyptian Expeditions have
accustomed us to short and sharp campaigns, crowned with
brilliant success, for which we are indebted to the genius of
the commanders who led British soldiers across the mountain
passes of Abyssinia and the forests and deserts of the Gold
Coast and Egypt; but the Chinese War of i860 is not without
its lessons, and though not so romantic in its incidents, or
watched with such eager expectancy by the British public,
as were those memorable Expeditions, Sir Hope Grant
scarcely received adequate praise or reward for the great
success he achieved. The storm of the Taku Forts was a
gaUant feat, and the advance upon and occupation of the
populous Chinese capital — the KambaUi of Marco Polo,
around which hung a halo of romance as the place whence
Kublai Khan issued his decrees to the ambassadors of
dependent nations — was a daring act for so small a force to
* The army engaged in this war received a medal, and those present at
the storm of the Taku Forts and the capture of Pekin were awarded two
clasps. The thanks of both Houses of Parhament were voted to Sir Hope
Grant and those who had served under his command.

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

execute. The distance traversed was limited in comparison
with that over which Sir Robert Napier and Sir Garnet
Wolseley advanced in 1868 and 1S74, and there were no
natural obstacles to overcome, but the country might have
been made impracticable had Sang-ko-lin-sin adopted the tac
tics of Napoleon in 1S12, whUe the population was^normous,
though happily unwarlike. The loss in all these campaigns
whether in the field of battle or on the march, was very
small, and the operations were conducted with extraordinary
rapidity and a masterly adaptation of means to ends. Not
only is the conduct of these 'little wars' fraught with weighty
lessons to students of the art military, but, in each case, the
incidents were full of interest to all Englishmen, and the
denoue7ne?tt was replete with tragic effect and grandeur. The
treacherous murder of our countrymen by Hien-fung, the
wholesale massacres of Theodore, and the sanguinary orgies
of Koffee Kalcalli, received a fitting expiation in the de
struction, by the purifying agency of fire, of the Summer
Palace, with its priceless contents, of Magdala, left a
blackened rock, and of Coomassie, with its Golgotha of
decaying corpses.
In the month of January, 1861, Colonel Wolseley was
directed to proceed to Nankin, accompanied by an in
terpreter, on a semi-diplomatic, semi-military mission, with
the object of reporting to the mUitary authorities upon the
position and prospects of the Taipings,* who had now been
_ * The Taiping cause at that time was taken up by a smaU cUque in
England, who appeared to think that, as these people were nominally
Christians, they were justified, in their iconoclastic zeal, in committing
wholesale murder and rapine. The real facts of the case were misrepre
sented, from interested motives, by some of the merchants, and from
bigoted zeal by certain of the Protestant missionaries, who regarded these
rebels with favour because they expressed a determination to extirpate
idolatry, whether heathen or Popish, from the face of the land. But their
rehgion was a mixture of blasphemy and barbarity, the chief head, ' Tien-
wan,' being a prophet who lived at Nankin, in seclusion with his 300 female
domestics and 68 wives, in a state of the most gi-ovelling sensuality, until
he died by his own hand, some four years later. All who opposed the new
rehgionists were put to the sword, and entire provinces were desolated, the

WOLSELEY'S MISSION TO THE TAIPINGS. 149
eleven years in arms ; and also of notifying to the rebel
king our treaty with the Imperial Government, by which
the Yang-tze-Kiang was opened to foreign trade, and that
our merchants intended to send vessels up to Hankow im
mediately, and our Government proposed establishing Con
sulates there, and at Hu-Kau, and Ching-Kiang-foo. At
Nankin he was accommodated in a palace belonging to the
Chung-wan, or ' Faithful King,' one of the eleven Taiping
Chiefs, and received daily a supply of fowl, eggs, and other
eatables, for which no money was required, it being the
avowed intention of the leaders to abolish the use of coin,
and reduce society to the patriarchal state ; actually, on
"Wolseley's offering money to the wretched starving coolies
who carried his wearing apparel, they refused to accept it
if anyone was present, from dread of the executioner's
sword. AU communications between him and the Taiping au
thorities were carried on through Tsan-wan, the cousin of
Tien-wan (the ' Heavenly King '), with whom he had great
influence. Wolseley used to stroll about the city unques
tioned, visiting all that was worth seeing, including the
famous ' Porcelain Tower,' the old tombs of the Ming
dynasty, and the extensive field-works surrounding the
walls, thrown up by the Imperialists during their siege of
the city, extending over several years. The only annoyance
he suffered was caused by the crowds of idlers who followed
him about, much as a London mob tracks the footsteps of
any Eastern visitor, whose peculiarity of dress attracts the
eye of the cockney ga77ii7i. But in China the Jwi polloi.

rebel soldiers pillaging the cities they conquered, and recruiting their armies
by pressing into their service all males capable of bearing arms. Colonel
¦Wolseley says that, knowing the imbecility and corruption of the Imperial
Government, he went to Nankin strongly prejudiced in favour of the Tai
pings, but he came away enlightened as to the real character of this mock
Christianity.

ISO LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
though perhaps not more personal in their remarks, are
certainly less complimentary, and the opprobrious epithet
of ' fan-qui ' (foreign devil) was appUed to Wolseley more
audibly than was at all agreeable.
' Crowds of men and women,' he writes, ' came daUy to
see us; all were most good-humoured, and took consider
able pleasure in examining our clothes, and watching us
eat One evening a great procession carrying lanterns
visited us.'
Wolseley visited a new palace built by Tien-wan — which
was levelled to the ground by the Imperialists in 1864 — in
order to witness the ceremonies attendant upon the promul
gation of a royal edict, and one which he saw was worded
in the most blasphemous language, the name of Tien-wan
being coupled with the Trinity, as he was declared to be the
brother and equal of Christ
During Wolseley's stay at Nankin, the Yang-tse, a fine
steamer belonging to Messrs. Dent and Co., arrived there
on its way to Hankow, and Admiral Hope's squadron not
having yet appeared so far up the Yang-tze-Kiang, he gladly
availed himself of an invitation to proceed thither from a
member of the firm, who happened to be on board. On
the 28th of February, 1861, he quitted the city of Nankin,
and, after a pleasant trip up the Yang-fse-Kiang, which he
describes in detail in his Journal, arrived at Hankow at
four p.m. on the 5th of March.
Wolseley was received with the utmost consideration by
the Viceroy, Kwang-wan, and, on the occasion of his making
a state visit, was attended by the Commandant and a ' three-
button Mandarin,' who escorted him in his state barge. A
triumphal arch, covered with flags and coloured cloth, was
erected in his honour, and a vast crowd lined the river-front
of the city, along which he was carried in a sedan-chair, all
anxious to catch a glimpse of the 'foreign devil,' and only

HIS REPORT ON THE TAIPINGS. 151
kept in order by the police, who freely used their whips of
twisted thongs. Colonel Wolseley quitted Hankow on the
I oth of March, and reached Shanghai on the evening of
the 1 6th, when he bade adieu to the hospitable owner of
the Yang-tse, having greatly enjoyed his trip.
When quitting Shanghai for his mission to Nankin, Wolseley
had been furnished with merely verbal instructions to gain all
the information practicable of the position and prospects of
the Taipings, considered from a mUitary point of view. The
conclusion he arrived at from a close survey of their re
sources, was most unfavourable to their eventual success.
In the opinions he formed he was not, however, supported
by British officials, who, it might be thought, from their
long residence in the country, and intimacy with the people
and their language, would have arrived at juster conclusions.
Thus, Consul Meadows, in a despatch to Lord John
Russell, dated 19th of February in this year, took a favour
able view of the rebel power, stating : ' I entirely deny that
the Taipings have no regular government, and have no
claim to be considered a poUtical power;' and also ex
pressed an opinion that to subjugate the Taipings it would
require on the part of the power which had just humiliated
the Imperial Government, and defeated and dispersed its
armies, ' a large fleet of steamers and some 20,000 troops
operating in three or four armies in the country under their
authority, extending Soo or 900 miles from north to south,
and 1,000 or 1,100 east and west' Colonel Wolseley, in
his Report, took a far different view of the strength of the
Taipings, which turned out to be but weakness when, with
native troops alone. Colonel Gordon, in his brief campaign
of three months, completely shattered this power, which, to
the consular mind, appeared so formidable a mUitary organ
ization. From Shanghai, Colonel AVolseley proceeded to Hong-

152 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Kong, whence he embarked, the last of the headquarter
staff to leave the country, in one of the steamers of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company, and landed in England
in May, 1861, after an absence of something over four years.
During that brief space in Wolseley's military career, in
cidents had been crowded sufficient to make a lifetime
eventful. This country had emerged triumphant from one
of the most tremendous struggles in which she has been
engaged since, in the words of Thomas Campbell, Europe
' Taught her proud barks the winding way to shape.
And braved the stormy spirit of the Cape.'
She had also humbled to the dust the pride and miUtary
power of the most populous, and one of the most ancient,
empires in the world. By these achievements England had
regained her pride of place, for though her position as one
of the Great Powers can never be disputed, as long as she
wields the sceptre of the seas, her prestige and miUtary
status had received a severe shock by the events of the
Crimean War.
During those four years, also, Wolseley had frequently
found himself face to face with Death in many of the varied
forms ' the lean abhorred monster ' assumes in his battle
with life. He had encountered him amid the terrors of
the storm and shipwreck, when it seemed as if the sea was
to engulph the 'twice five hundred iron men,' who had
embarked in the ill-fated Transit. He had met him in the
battlefield, and when struggling through the narrow streets
of Lucknow with matchlockmen aiming at him from ' tower
and turret and bartizan ;' and he had wrestled with him in
the form the Destroyer assumes, when he is in his feUest
mood — that of the pestUence which, even in the hour of
victory, dogs the footsteps of our armies in the East, and,
in the shape of cholera or heat apoplexy, carries off his
victims from among our bravest and most vigorous. From

HIS ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. 153
all these perUs, by land and by sea, by battle, fire, and
wreck, he had been preserved to land once more in his
country, and we doubt not that on sighting the white cliffs
of his native land, he offered up heartfelt thanks to the
Providence that had watched over his safety during the
past four eventful years.
On his arrival in England, Colonel Wolseley, who was
promoted for his services to a substantive majority, got his
long leave of eighteen months, and, after visiting his family,
proceeded in the autumn of 186 1 to Paris, where he em
ployed his leisure in painting in oUs and water-colours, for,
like some other officers of the British army, he added to his
professional acquirements the skiU of an accomplished
artist Wolseley seemed, however, — Uke the ' stormy petrel '
of the ocean — to be the harbinger of wars and rumours of
wars, for, as on his return from Burmah, he had scarcely
set foot on the soil of his native land, than he found her
embroiled in a stupendous conflict with one of the most
powerful empires of the world, in the vortex of which he
was himself quickly drawn, so again, hardly had he landed
from service in the East, than there was every indication
that this country would be soon grappling in a life-and-death
struggle with the greatest RepubUc of modern times.

CHAPTER V.
SERVICE IN CANADA.
The Trent Affair. —Colonel Wolseley embarks for Canada, and is employed
on Transport Duty. — His Visit to the Headquarters of Generals Lee
and Longstreet, and Impressions of the Confederate Armies.— Colonel
Wolseley's Services during the Fenian Invasion in 1866.
In this politicaUy hard-living age — when, within a decade,
empires are founded and subverted, ancient despotisms
humbled to the dust, and new republics given to the Euro
pean system ; when wars of the first magnitude are waged,
resulting in battles and sieges, wherein hundreds of thou
sands of combatants are engaged — it has, perhaps, been
forgotten that, in 1861, this country was on the verge of
hostUities with the United States, then not long entered
upon that ' War of Secession ' which demonstrated the vast
resources of the Great Republic and the warlike spirit
which only slumbered within the breasts of her citizens,
who, whether as Confederates or Federals, showed them
selves no unworthy scions of the Anglo-Saxon stock.
In the winter of 1861 nothing looked more certain on
the political horizon than the embroilment of this country
in that momentous struggle, the issues of which would, in
that event, have been far different from what history records.
At that time the destinies of England were still wielded by
the aged statesman. Lord Palmerston, who exhibited in this
crisis all the warlike spirit and energy for which his name
was almost a synonym, until the Danish business, when

ENGLAND ON THE BRINK OF WAR. 155
what Lord Derby called the ' meddle and muddle ' policy
of his Foreign Secretary, caused it to be associated with
something like pusillanimity. Stat magni noi7iinis umbra
might have been written of his lordship after \hs.t fiasco.
The incident which nearly precipitated this country into
war was that known as the ' Tre7it Affair.' On the Sth of
November, Commodore Wilkes, commanding the United
States ship-ofwar San Jacinto, boarded the British Mail
Company's steamship Trent, on the high seas, and seized
Messrs. Mason and Slidell, the Confederate Agents accre
dited to the Courts of London and Paris. Though the act
was a clear violation of national rights and international
law, Commodore Wilkes was raised to the height of popu
larity among the rowdy writers of the American press, who
indulged in that species of ' tall ' talk expressively known as
' spread-eagleism ;' and even an eminent statesman like
Everett, who had been Secretary of State to President Fill
more, and previously Minister in England, gave Wilkes'
conduct the sanction of his approval.
England was seized with a patriotic mania, and the most
pacific were fired with a determination to uphold the honour
of the flag and avenge this outrage, if reparation were not
promptly made by the surrender of the Confederate Envoys.
But the American press and public were equally outspoken
against the possibility of concession, and for some weeks a
war seemed inevitable. Our Government displayed the
utmost energy in the preparations they made to meet the
contingency, and the country waited with feverish anxiety
the reply to Lord Russell's ultimatum of the 30th of
November, addressed to Lord Lyons, requiring 'the
liberation of the four gentlemen and their delivery to your
lordship in order that they may again be placed under
British protection, and a suitable apology for the aggression
which has been committed.' The dockyards resounded with

156 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the din of workmen fitting vessels for sea, troops were
despatched to Canada with all possible despatch, and that
colony, with the loyalty for which it has ever been remark
able, called out its mUitia and volunteers in readiness to
defend its borders from aggression. Happily, however,
wise counsels prevailed in the Lincoln Cabinet ; it was seen
by the American Government and people that John BuU
was really in earnest this time and meant to fight ; all the
Governments of Europe were as one upon the merits of the
question, and the cabinets of Paris, Berlin, and Vienna
addressed weighty remonstrances to the Washington Govern
ment, recommending them to make the ai/iende and release
the prisoners; and, finally, after an irritating delay, a
despatch, dated 26th of December, was received from Mr.
Seward, who, after arguing the case at most immoderate
length, stated that ' the four persons in question are now
held in military custody at Fort Warren, in the State of
Massachusetts. They wiU be cheerfully Uberated. Your
lordship wiU please indicate a time and place for receiving
them.' This was done by placing them on board H.M.S.
Rinaldo, Commander (now Admiral Sir WiUiam) Hewett,
who was specially sent out to receive them ; and they arrived
at Southampton on the 2gth of January, 1S62, in the La
Plata. But we are anticipating.
On the 17th of November, the day the news of the
Trent outrage reached London, a Cabinet CouncU was
held, and, on the following day, the War Office ordered the
despatch of troops and stores, and Special Service officers
were selected to prepare for the reception of the troops
which were to be despatched in large swift steamers. Colonel
McKenzie was appointed Quartermaster-General, and he
immediately asked for the services of Colonel Wolseley, who
at this time was on leave, hunting in the county Cork. He
had just bought two horses, and had enjoyed one day's

WOLSELEY EMBARKS FOR CANADA. 157
sport on each animal, when a telegram came from Colonel
McKenzie offering him employment on active service as
Assistant Quartermaster-General. Not many hours were
suffered to elapse before the hunters were given away, and
Wolseley was in London. Colonel McKenzie proposed to
the War Office that he, and the other selected officers,
should proceed to Canada by the next mail steamer ; but,
with singular obtuseness, it was directed that they should
embark in the Melbourne, which was notorious during the
China War, where she had been employed as a transport, for
her slowness and a habit she had of breaking down. In vain
Colonel McKenzie, who knew from experience the steamer's
unseaworthy qualities, pointed out that the object for which
the Special Service officers were proceeding to Canada,
namely, to prepare for the reception of the troops under
orders for that country, would be best attained by their
embarking in a swift mail steamer. It was all to no purpose ;
and the influences which were paramount when valuable
Uves were embarked in the Transit, and, more recently, in
the Megara, again prevailed.
The Melbourne sailed on the 7th of December with a
battery of artiUery, 30,000 stand of arms, and about goo
tons of stores. Besides Colonels McKenzie and Wolseley,
she had on board Colonel Lysons* (selected to organize the
Canadian MiUtia), Captain Stoddart, R.E, and the late
lamented Sir WiUiam Gordon, R.E, of 'Gordon's Battery,'
a man of the true heroic mould, who proceeded in command
* The ground to be traversed by the troops proceeding to Quebec was
familiar to Colonel (now Sir Daniel) Lysons, who, in 1843, when a young
officer in the Royal Scots, on the occasion of the wreck at Cape Chat, near
the mouth of the St. Lawrence, of the Premier, saiUng transport, convey
ing his regiment from Canada, volunteered to proceed on snow-shoes to
Quebec, a distance of 300 miles. This distance he actually accomplished
by waUiing and travelling in carts, within six days. A ship was started off
to the rescue immediately on his arrival, and was just in time to embark the
troops before the river was frozen over. On the occasion of the wreck it was
mainly by his gallantry and devotion that the lives of some hundreds of men,
women, and children were saved.

158 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
of the troops. No sooner had the Melbou7'ne sailed than
she showed her unseaworthy quaUties.
After a weary passage, the ship, according to orders, tried
to get through the ice to Bic, on the St Lawrence; but
this being found wholly impracticable, she bore up, under
stress of weather and want of coal, for Sydney, Cape Breton
Island. The miseries of that passage had been paraUeled
before by Wolseley in his Transit experiences ; but still it
was a peculiarly hard fate that forced him and his shipmates
to pass the Christmas Day of 1861, coiled up on tables and
benches in the cuddy, whUe the ' green seas ' washed at
their sweet will under and over them, and the ship laboured
heavUy against the wintry gale. The Melbourne was thirty
days performing a voyage which the Persia, carrying a
portion of the reinforcements for whose reception they had
been despatched to prepare, made in nearly one-third of
that time. While at Sydney, a telegram arrived from
Halifax, announcing the surrender of Messrs. Mason and
SlideU, and that all chance of war was at an end. The
Melbour7ie then proceeded to Halifax, where she found three
transports which had disembarked their troops, the War
Office having determined to send to Canada 10,000 men
and 4 batteries of artiUery.
From Halifax Colonel Wolseley and other officers pro
ceeded, by a Cunard mail steamer, to Boston, on their
voyage to Montreal. It was feared that the Boston people
would be uncivU, and the officers were warned that the
lower classes, in the excited state of public feeling, might
even offer violence were they to display the British red coat
in the streets. On their arrival, however, they found it was
far otherwise ; they were treated most respectfully whUe
walking about during their afternoon's stay, looking at the
lions of the city, and were regaled sumptuously by a private
citizen. The same night they started for Canada; and, after

HIS DUTIES AS TRANSPORT OFFICER. 159
a cold journey during the depth of an inclement winter,
arrived at Montreal on a Sunday. On the foUowing morn
ing Colonel Wolseley started off on a journey of 300
mUes, down the river to Riviere du Loup, situated on the
terminus of the Grand Trunk Railway, where the troops
coming from St John's, New Brunswick, including a
battalion of the Scots Fusilier Guards and two batteries of
artillery, which arrived out in the Hibernian, were tran
shipped from sleighs, or sleds, in which they had travelled,
via Fredericton, to the railway, by which they proceeded to
their destinations at Quebec, Montreal, Hamilton, Kingston,
or Toronto. Colonel Wolseley was the only staff officer at
Rivifere du Loup, and had to make all the arrangements for
the accommodation and passage of the troops, who, after
sleeping one night at the village, continued their journey on
the following morning.
During his stay at this cheerless little place, the troops
passed through at the rate of nearly 200 men a day. It was
his task to lodge, feed, and clothe them from the stores
placed under his charge, and then to start them off on their
long journey by rail. These duties were fulfilled without a
hitch or a single accident ; and of the large force that passed
through his hands only one man deserted, although induce
ments were held out to them to forsake the flag of their
country, and during the transit they passed close to the
American frontier, at one place only a frozen river forming
the boundary. In the middle of March, on the completion
of his duties at Rivifere du Loup, Wolseley returned to
Montreal, the headquarters of the army in the Dominion,
then under the command of Sir W. F. Williams (of Kars).
Soon after these events Colonel McKenzie proceeded to
England, and Wolseley acted for some months as Deputy
Quartermaster-General, until relieved by Colonel Lysons.*
* This officer, soon after his first arrival in Canada for the purpose of
organizing the MUitia, had returned to England, upon the rejection by the

i6o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Colonel Wolseley went on leave in the latter part of
August, 1862, but like many great actors, who, they say, on
taking a holiday, may generally be found in the staUs of a
theatre scrutinizing the performance of a brother artist, his
strong professional proclivities induced him, instead of enjoy
ing a little well-earned relaxation, to repair to the seat of war
then raging in its fiercest intensity between the Federal and
Confederate States. While living at Montreal with his
friend, Inspector-General (now Sir AVilliam) Muir, Chief
Medical Officer in Canada, they decided the question as
to which of them should join the headquarters of the
Northern, and which those of the Southern, army, with the
view of comparing notes afterwards, by the familiar method
of ' tossing up.' AVolseley ' won the toss,' and elected to
proceed South, in order to seek instruction under that un
equalled master of the art of war. General Robert Lee —
' unequalled,' we say advisedly, for it is Wolseley's opinion
that in military genius Lee has had no superior since the
great Napoleon, and he even places him above the great
German Generals of the war of 1S70. But to join a
Confederate army in the field, or even to enter Richmond,
was not only a most difficult, but an extremely hazardous
adventure, for, even if he escaped the toils of the
Northerners, and avoided being seized as a spy, the British
Government highly reprobated such proceedings on the part
of their officers, and the experiment was one that entailed
the risk of his commission. However, considerations of
danger were not likely to deter Wolseley from carrying out
any scheme on which he had set his heart, so he proceeded
to lay his plans, and procure letters of introduction to lead-

Opposition, led by the late Sir George Cartier, of the Government MiUtia
BiU, a measure founded upon the scheme elaborated by Colonel Lyons at
Quebec, and brought forward by the Ministry of Sir John Macdonald, who
resigned upon faUing to pass his BiU.

WOLSELEY RUNS THE BLOCKADE. i6i
ing Southerners from sympathizers and correspondents.
Having first proceeded to New York, he left that city for
Baltimore on the nth of September, and there made
arrangements, in conjunction with his friends, for crossing
the frontier by ' underground railway,' as the method by
which communication was kept up between the North and
Secessia was caUed.
Armed with letters of introduction, he prepared to foUow
in the footsteps of the adventurous messengers, who were
wont to ' run the blockade of the Potomac,' when conveying
information between Richmond and the Northern States.
There was, however, a difficulty in his case, for his ' patois
English,' as the Yankees called it, would inevitably betray
his nationality, and all our countrymen were under a ban in
the North, as ' rebel sympathizers. ' Then there was the
inevitable portmanteau of civilized life, without which an
English gentleman, who has a regard for personal cleanli
ness and a change of linen, would not care to travel in
country places where hotels are unknown, but which was
not considered a necessity in a land where your ' free-born
American ' thinks himself amply provided with a few paper
collars and a pocket-comb.
When preparing to leave Baltimore he met the Hon.
Frank Lawley, a brother of Lord Wenlock's, at that time
one of the Ti7nes correspondents in America, a clever and
adventurous gentleman, and they agreed to run the blockade
together. But in the first instance it was a matter of
difficulty to reach the banks of the Potomac, whose broad
stream, again, patroUed by numerous Federal gunboats,
offered an almost impassable barrier to anyone seeking to
cross over into Dixie's Land. Though the Federal gunboats
patrolling the river were not as numerous as between July,
1863, when the battle of Gettysburg was fought, and AprU,
1865, at the close of the War, on the other hand, at this

i62 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
time, as Mr. Lawley observes, ' there was no such organiza
tion for running the blockade between Baltimore and Rich
mond as was estabUshed during 1863, and as was available
for those rightly initiated into its mysteries until the spring
of 1S65.'
The Potomac, at the point of crossing, is rather an arm
of the sea than a river, and varies between ten and thirteen
mUes in breadth, so that during the prevalence of south-east
winds, its broad bosom is scarcely less agitated than the
Atlantic outside the Capes of the Chesapeake. Mr. Lawley
says : ' It was necessary for the boatmen connected with
the Signal Service of the Confederate Government to be
well acquainted with the moods of the mighty and dangerous
river, in order to understand the seasons when it was safe
for a row-boat with muffled oars to cross. In addition, the
phase of the moon had to be closely watched, in order that
a dark night might be selected. But even during the
blackest night there were the Federal gunboats, which were
at last no less thick upon the stream than policemen in the
Strand between midnight and sunrise. Each of these boats
was armed with a calcium or lime light, and if the slightest
sound was heard at night upon the surface of the stream,
a broad luminous ray of light was shot forth from the
sentinel vessel, which illumined the river for a quarter of a
mile, so that the head of a swimming otter was discernible.'
But before the Potomac could be crossed, the two English
men had to smuggle themselves from Baltimore to the
northern bank, every road and path leading to which was
patrolled by bodies of Federal troops. The start was made
in a waggon and pair, driven by a trusty agent, who had
been well paid for the trouble and risk. In this conveyance
they contrived to sUp from the country-house of one Seces
sion sympathizer to another, and as bodies of patrolling
cavalry and infantry had at that time regular beats, and

HIS EXPERIENCES CROSSING THE POTOMAC. 163
fixed hours for traversing them, which were well known to
the farmers in that part of Maryland, who were nearly all
Secessionists, they managed to elude the patrols while pro
ceeding from house to house. ' I travelled,' says Colonel
Wolseley,* ' about thirty miles a day, until I reached the
village from which I had arranged that my final start should
be made, and where I was informed certain people, with
whose names I had been furnished, would arrange all
matters for me. For the first few nights of our journeyings
we stopped at different gentlemen's houses, where we were
entertained with patriarchal hospitality. It was interesting
in some instances to hear the history of these homesteads ;
many of them had been built before the Declaration of
Independence, and more than one was of brick imported
from England. All the proprietors boasted of their EngUsh
descent from good families, and seemed to attach far greater
importance to blood and ancient pedigree than even we do.'
At length they arrived at a farm-house on the river, but
had great difficulty in procuring a boat After many dis
appointments, they were directed to a smuggler on the
river, who had a craft of his own, in which he consented
to take them over. ' We remained,' says Wolseley, ' for a
night at his abode, sleeping in a garret destitute of windows,
but abounding with rats which sadly disturbed my friend's
rest; though. I slept soundly, being accustomed to rough it
in every part of the globe.' They were astir early, and
embarked in the smuggler's boat ' The creek,' says
Wolseley, ' into which we had hoped to run on the Virginian
shore, was about a couple of miles higher up than the point
from which we started, but, unfortunately, a gunboat lay off
the entrance to it, and there were two others at no very
great distance. After due deliberation, it was determined
* See an article in Blackwood s Magazine for January, 1863, entitled ' A
Month's Visit to the Confederate Headquarters, byan English Officer.' This
is not the only article Colonel Wolseley has -written in ' Old Ebony.'
II  2

i64 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
that we should make for a spot about five mUes higher up,
and endeavour to get there by running close along the left
bank of the river, so as not to attract attention, and, when
clear of all gunboats, to push out into the centre of the
stream, and then watch a favourable opportunity for steering
into the desired haven. The tide being in our favour, we
dropped slowly up on it, until about mid-day, when it
turned, and, the wind dying away, we were obliged to make
close in for shore and anchor.
' My friend and I had landed, and spent the day in an
old ruined shed surrounded by reeds and rushes. Large
steamers and gun-vessels of various sizes kept passing and
re-passing all day ; but none of them seemed to notice our
little craft. On one occasion we saw a boat put off from
one ofthe gunboats and come in our direction; but, instead
of visiting us, its crew boarded a small cutter which lay
becalmed in the centre of the river, and then returned to
their own vessel. At sunset a slight breeze arose, before
which we gUded direcdy up the river. When we passedl
the mid-stream and approached near the Virginian shore,
the owner of the boat became quite nervous, and began.
lamenting his fate in having to turn smuggler ; but the hard
times, he said, had left him no alternative, his farm having
been destroyed by the Northern troops. He seemed to
have a superstitious awe of gunboats, too ; and told us he
had heard that the officers on board of them possessed
telescopes through which they could see distinctly for miles
at night. Several steamers passed us when we were about
two-thirds of the way over, but although the moon every
now and then emerged brightly from behind the drifting
clouds, we had got under the shade of the land, and managed,
so that she always shone upon our sails on the side away
from the ' enemy.' We could hear the steamers for about
twenty minutes before we caught sight of their light, and

HIS EXPERIENCES CROSSING THE POTOMAC. 165
during that time the anxious face of the smuggler would
have made a glorious study for an artist of the Rembrandt
¦school. The cargo consisted of coffee and sugar, and, if
safely landed, would be in itself a smaU fortune to the owner
of the boat ; that he should feel alarmed for its safety, there
fore, was not surprising.
' As we approached the shore, the wind died away, so we
were obliged to punt the Uttle craft along ; the men thus
employed taking off their boots, lest they should make any
noise in moving upon the deck. Now and then one of the
gunboats, anchored off the neighbouring creek, would throw
a light along the waters in all directions ; once we all fancied
that it was approaching nearer to us, and on another occa
sion we thought we heard the sound of oars, and as there
was not a breath of wind to help us along, and punting is a
slow process, we felt far from comfortable. Half-past ten
found us safe in a little creek almost land-locked, so there
was no danger of discovery there ; and a run of about a
mile and a half up it took us to the point of landing. After
a dreary walk of about five miles over a forest road, we
reached a small village, and, having spent a considerable
time in knocking at the door of the house to which we had
been directed, we at last succeeded in gaining admittance.
The landlord was absent, being in concealment at a farm
house in the neighbourhood ; but his niece, a very nice girl,
did the honours in his stead. She told us that the Yankees
had made a descent upon the village, and carried off several
of the inhabitants as prisoners to Washington. The place
was suspected of containing smugglers, consequently the
Federal troops frequently visited it in search of contraband
goods.' Mr. Lawley thus describes the passage across the Potomac,
and an interview in the smuggler's cottage with a Federal
¦officer commanding a patrol, which, but for the presence of

i66 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
mind displayed by our hero, must have proved fatal to the
success of their undertaking, if not to their liberty :
' We succeeded, one evening at nightfall, in making our
way to a cottage which looked down upon the broad and
tranquil river. Its owner was a fisherman, who told us that
his house was usually visited during the night by a patrol,
and that it would be unsafe for us to sleep there ; but he
promised that, if we would return on the morrow at noon,
he would have a friend named Hunt to meet us, with whom
we might probably make a bargain. Meantime, we ad
journed to a vUlage some two or three miles distant, where,
what between heat and insects, we passed an awful night.
At noon we were again at our friend's house, and covenanted
with a son of Hunt the fisherman, for twenty dollars a piece
in gold, that his father's boat would take us on board that
night at ten o'clock, in an adjoining creek, and would land
us before daybreak on the Virginian shore. But the inter
vening afternoon brought with it fresh adventures. We
were forbidden by our host to leave the house, because the
telescopes of the Federals in the neighbouring gunboat were
said to be constantly sweeping the shore, and would infallibly
detect the presence of strangers in the little hut Shortly
after two o'clock we were horrified by the sight of a Federal
officer, in the weU-known blue uniform of the United States
army, who was ascending on foot by a litde path which led
to the house from the river. In his hand he carried a
revolver, and behind him foUowed 7 soldiers, who, with their
leader, had just got out of a boat The consternation of our
host during the few seconds of suspense before the Federals
reached the house, was pitiable in the extreme. There was-
scant time for consultation, and when the officer looked into
the hut and descried Colonel Wolseley and myself, he seemed
scarcely less disquieted than our host Having in previous.
years shot canvas-backs and blue-wings on the Potomac, I

A CRITICAL MOMENT. 167
stepped forward as spokesman, and asked the officer whether
it would be possible for us to hire a boat, as I had often
before done, with a view to doing some " gunning " on the
river. The officer answered that no " gunning " was now
permitted on the river. I then asked him how it would be
possible for my companion and me to get back to Washing
ton. Just as he was hesitating about his answer. Colonel
Wolseley adroitly advanced, cigar-case in hand, and offered
him a " regalia." That judiciously proffered cigar turned
the balance in our favour. The officer answered that a
steamboat would call the following morning about four
o'clock at the neighbouring wharf, by which we might take
passage to Washington. We parted the best friends, in
spite of the whispered remonstrances of a sergeant, who
probably thought our appearance suspicious, and remarked
that we had no guns with us. Long before four o'clock of
the following morning. Hunt and his two sons had landed
us in Virginia. Colonel Wolseley and I had to lie down
and conceal ourselves below the gunwale, and I remember
how long the trajet seemed to us, as the fishing-boat tacked
hither and thither while casting its nets, and approached un
comfortably near the Federal gunboat. After I had passed
two or three months at Richmond, and become intimate
with the officers of the Signal Service, I heard that poor
Hunt had been subsequently caught in carrying passengers
across the Potomac — that his boat had been seized, and
himself sent to prison. But I have often thought how
severely the Federal authorities, and especially Mr. Seward,
would have blamed the young gentleman who thus allowed
so distinguished a British officer as Colonel Wolseley to sUp
through his fingers.'
On landing in Virginia, Colonel Wolseley and his friend
walked to the viUage of Dumfries ; it was dark and the roads
were bad, but they were light-hearted and contented at

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

having crossed the dreaded Potomac and eluded the Federal
cruisers. At Dumfries they procured a farmer's cart without
springs, drawn by two mules, and in this comfortless convey
ance, which jolted along over ' the very worst road ' Wolseley
had seen even in all his Indian and China experiences, they
drove into Fredericksburg, crossing the Rappahannock
River. Early on the following morning they again started, and,
taking the road leading under Mary's Heights, which, three
months later, was the scene of one of the most sanguinary
struggles of the war, reached Beaverdam Station, on the
Virginia Central Railroad, in time for the afternoon train,
which took them to Richmond. Wolseley says :
' All the carriages were crowded with passengers, of whom
a large proportion were the sick and wounded coming from
General Lee's army at AVinchester. They had been all day
on the railroad, and some of the poor fellows seemed quite
worn out with fatigue. My friend and I stood on what is
caUed the platform of the car, during the journey of two
hours and a half, as the regular passenger-cars were full, and
those containing the sick and wounded were anything but
inviting, as men with legs and arms amputated, and whose
pale, haggard faces assumed an expression of anguish at
even the slightest jolting of the railway carriages, lay stretched
across the seats. At every station where we stopped, a rush
for water was made by the crowds of men carrying the
canteens and calabashes of those whose disabled condition
prevented them from assisting themselves. The filth and
stench within those moving hospitals were intolerable, and,
though well inured to the sight of human suffering, I never
remember feeling so moved by U as during that short raUway
journey. ' Upon reaching Richmond we found a dense crowd on
the platform, men and women searching for brothers, fathers,

WOLSELE Y'S ARRIVAL A T RICHMOND. 169
husbands, and lovers. A miUtary guard, with fixed bayonets,
was endeavouring to keep order and a clear passage for
those on crutches, or limping along with the aid of a stick
¦or the arm of some less severely wounded comrade.'
The two EngUshmen drove off to the Spottiswood Hotel,
but were informed that there was not even one room vacant
The same answer was given at the American; but at the
Exchange they obtained a little double-bedded apartment up
four flights of stairs. Congress was sitting, so the best apart
ments at most houses were engaged by the members of the
Legislature, and wounded men occupied almost all the other
available bedrooms. As Wolseley says, when black tea was
selling at sixteen doUars a pound, and everything else, except
bread and meat, was proportionately expensive, it may be
readily imagined that the fare was far from good. Four
dollars a day, however, for board and lodging, was not very
•exorbitant; but no wine or spirits was procurable at any
hotel, the manufacture and sale of all intoxicating liquors
having been prohibited by Government
On this question of spirits as it concerns the health of
soldiers on active service. Colonel AVolseley has always enter
tained opinions in consonance with those of Sir Wilfrid
Lawson, and, though no teetotaler, has ever been averse
from serving out spirits to troops in the field* This view
he has studiously carried out in the campaigns which he
himself has conducted, and he attributes the health enjoyed
* He remarks: 'When the Confederate army was first enrolled, each
man received a daily ration of spirits ; but this practice has been long since
discontinued, and, strange to say, without causing any discontent amongst
the men — a practical refutation of the assertion that a certain amount of
stimulants is absolutely necessary for soldiers, and that without it they
cannot endure the fatigues of acdve service. For what army in modern
times has made the long marches, day after day, that Jackson's corps of
' ' foot cavalry," as they are facetiously called, have accomphshed ? Doubtless
there are circumstances when an aUowance of grog is very beneficial to
health — such as bivouacking in swampy places and during heavy rains ; but
in ordinary cases, and in fine weather, I am convinced that men wiU go
through as much continuous hard work without any stimulants whatever as
with them.'

I70 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
by the troops in the Red River and Ashantee Expeditions,
in no small degree, to the fact of their abstention from
spirituous liquors.*
AVolseley and his friends were received with open arms by
the Southern leaders, and such letters of introduction as
they had managed to retain, having previously seWn them up
in their clothes, proved an ' open sesame ' in society. They
were received and hospitably entertained by the members of
the Government, including Mr. Benjamin, Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, and General Randolph, the Secretary at
War, who was most obliging in furnishing them with passes
to go wherever they pleased, and with letters to the various
military authorities. The first Confederate officer who called
upon them at their hotel, was the late General John B.
Magruder, who, when in Canada, had made many friends
among the British officers.
One can scarcely realize the intensity of the passionate
fervour with which the gaUant Southerners maintained the
unequal conflict with their gigantic opponent. Whatever
had been the original cause of the war, it was now, in the
opinion of Lord RusseU, ' a contest for dominion on the
part of the North, and for independence on the part of the
South,' a conclusion which the Times endorsed on the 19th
of January, 1862, when it declared that the war was 'a
purely political quarrel ;' adding, ' that as the cause of Italy
against Austria is the cause of freedom, so also the cause of
the South gallantly defending itself against the cruel and
desolating invasion of the North, is the cause of freedom.'t
* The same applies to the campaign in Egypt, where, under his instruc
tions, only coffee and a double aUowance of tea were served out to ' his
troops, no spirits being allowed to either ofiicers or men.
f Early in the struggle it was manifest that the Northern statesmen and
Congress would sacrifice principle to retain the seceding States, for on the
3rd of March, i86t, after the formation into a Confederacy ofthe six States
and the inauguration of Jefferson Davis, and on the day preceding the in
staUation of Abraham Lincoln, President Buchanan and the Congress
amended the Constitution in these terms : ' That no amendment shaU be

HIS VISIT TO THE SEAT OF WAR, 171
At the time of AA^olseley's arrival at Richmond, the Con
federate army had just returned from the expedition into
Maryland, after having fought, on the 17th of September,
the sanguinary but indecisive battle of Antietam, or Sharps-
burg ; and he mentions as an interesting fact, that during a
conversation with General Lee, he assured him that through
out the day he never had more than 35,000 men engaged ;
and with these he fought a drawn battle with McClellan's
host of 90,000 men. General StonewaU Jackson being en
gaged in reducing Harper's Ferry with the remainder of
the Confederate army which had crossed the Potomac.
While at Richmond, AVolseley visited the scene of the
seven days' desperate fighting which took place in its vicinity
in the previous June, when, in his opinion, General Lee
showed himself as consummate a master of the art of war
as Napoleon himself He says of these battle-fields : ' In
some places the numerous graves and pits filled with dead
bodies but slightly covered over, testified to the severity of
the fighting there. The debris of all things pertaining to an
army, which lay strewn about on the ground camped on by
McClellan's troops, was immense. In many places the
blackened embers of flour-barrels, clothing-cases, and com-

made to the Constitution which shall authorize or give Congress power to
abolish or interfere within any State with the institutions thereof, including
that of persons held to labour or servitude by the laws of the said State.'
Cordially hating slavery as we do, whether in its worst form, as we have
seen it on the east coast of Africa, or as a ' domestic institution,' as it ap
peared in the Southern States, we cannot but rejoice that it was crushed out
once and for ever from the American Continent. Englishmen should re
member, with humihty and shame, that aU the misery and bloodshed of this
great Civil War was the damnosa hereditas bequeathed by our ancestors to
our American colonies. Though slaves were first imported into America by
the Spanish missionary. Las Casas (who was horrified by the cruelty with
which the Aborigines were treated by the European settlers), it was in 1562,
long before the settlement of Virginia, that Queen Elizabeth founded a
company for its promotion, while Charles II. made grants of lands to the
colonists in proportion to the number of their slaves. William III. gave
further encouragement to slavery; and finaUy, in the reign of George II.,
free trade in slaves was declared.

172 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
missariat stores covered large spaces, showing the haste
with which the general retreat was commenced, and the
great quantity of stores which it had been found necessary
to destroy. In some parts the very trunks of the trees were
¦riddled through, huge pines being cut down by round shot,
and great branches torn off by bursting sheUs.' His com
ments on the strategy of the rival commanders, as coming
from a master of the art, and one who had studied the
ground, are of great interest and no little value.
Before leaving Richmond, Colonel Wolseley and Mr.
Lawley spent a day at Drury's Bluff (or Fort Darling, as
it was called in the North), which was attacked by the
Monitor, Galena, and some other Federal ironclad gunboats,
when McClellan's army was on the peninsula. Captain Lee,
formerly of the United States Navy (brother to General R.
Lee, and father to General Fitzhugh Lee), was in command
of the troops and position, and showed them round the
works, pointing out all the new improvements in guns, car
riages, and projectUes. Wolseley also inspected the Rich
mond (or Merrimac, No. 2), and was astonished at the
success of the efforts of the Southerners in the art of ship
building and the manufacture of gunpowder and other
munitions of war.
Having been furnished by the War Minister with letters
of introduction to General Lee, and the necessary passes.
Colonel Wolseley and his companion left Richmond by the
Virginia Central RaUroad, and reached Staunton in the even
ing. This place, owing to the war, was in a forlorn con
dition ; no business was doing, and Wolseley searched in
vain through a number of shops for such common domestic
utensUs as a teapot or kettle of any description. Being the
railway terminus, and the commencement of the turnpike-
road line of communication with the army, Staunton had
become an entrepot for stores, waggons, and ambulances,

EXPERIENCES OF TRA VEL. 173
and most of the best houses had been converted into
hospitals. No other means of transport being avaUable, they suc
ceeded, with some difficulty, in getting permission to pro
ceed in an ambulance cart, one of a train of thirteen going up
to carry back sick and wounded men. It was four-wheeled,
fitted with a tarpaulin hood, and drawn by two horses, the
body of the cart being made to carry two men on stretchers,
with room for another man beside the driver. Not more
than five-and-twenty miles were made the first day, and a
halt was called for the night in a field a few mUes short of
Harrisonburg. The night was cold, with a heavy dew, but
they soon lighted good fires, and, squatting around them,
made themselves tolerably comfortable. The waggon
would only admit of two sleeping in it, so one of their party
of three had to lie on the ground with his feet to the fire in
correct bivouac fashion.
The following night the ambulance-train halted between
Mount Jackson and Woodstock, and, on the third night, at
Middletown, about thirteen miles from Winchester. It had
been raining all day, and the prospect of a bivouac was far
from agreeable, so Wolseley and his two companions — one
a Southerner — shouldered their baggage and marched for
the inn at the vUlage. As usual, the place was crowded to
excess, so, tired, wet, and hungry, two of his companions,
one carrying a candle, sallied forth in search of a lodging
for the night, while Wolseley mounted sentry over their
traps. At length, an old woman consented to give them
shelter, and was most kind and attentive.
On the fourth day after leaving Winchester* they arrived
* Wolseley remarks in his Journal : ' Every day during our journey to
Winchester we passed batches of convalescents marching to join the army
many of whom were totally unfit for any work, and also batches of sick and
wounded going to the rear. It was an extremely painful sight to see such
numbers of weakly men struggling slowly home, many of them without
boots or shoes, and aU indifferently clad ; but posts were estabhshed every

174 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
at Staunton, and, having procured passes from the Provost-
Marshal, without which no one could have passed the guards
posted on all the roads, proceeded to General Lee's head
quarters, which were close to the Martinsburg road, about
six miles from Winchester. Colonel Wolseley and his friend
presented their letter to the Adjutant-General, by whom
they were introduced to the famous Commander-in-Chief
of the Confederate forces, who received them with kind
ness and the stately courtesy for which he was remarkable.
Of General Lee, and the impression he created in his mind,
AVolseley says : ' He is a strongly-built man, about five feet
eleven in height, and apparently not more than fifty years of
age. His hair and beard are neariy white ; but his dark-
brown eyes stiU shine with all the brightness of youth, and
beam with a most pleasing expression. Indeed, his whole
face is kindly and benevolent in the highest degree. In
manner, though sufficiently conversible, he is slightly re
served ; but he is a person that, wherever seen, whether in
a castle or a hovel, alone or in a crowd, must at once attract
attention as being a splendid specimen of an EngUsh gentle
man, with one of the most rarely handsome faces I ever saw.
He had had a fall during the Maryland Expedition, from
which he was not yet recovered, and which stUl crippled his
right hand considerably. We sat with him for a long time
in his tent, conversing upon a variety of topics, the state of
seventeen miles along the road, containing commissariat suppUes for pro
visioning them. Into whatever camp you go, you are sure to see tents,
carts, horses, and guns all marked with the " U. S." Officers have declared
to me that they have seen whole regiments go into action with smooth-bore
muskets and without great-coats, and known them in the evening to be well
provided with everything — having changed their old muskets for rifles !
T he Northern prisoners we passed on the road were well clothed in the
regular blue frock-coat and light-blue trousers, whUst their mounted guard
wore every variety — jackets or coats, it seemed to matter httle to them ; and,
indeed, many rode along in their shirt-sleeves, as gay and happy as if they
were decked with gold and the richest trappings.' As General Lee said to
Wolseley, when alluding to the ragged uniforms of his soldiers : ' There is
one attitude in which I should never be ashamed for you to see my men —
that is to say, when they fight.'

AT GENERAL LEE'S HEADQUARTERS. 175
public affairs being of course the leading one. You have
only to be in his society for a very brief period to be con
vinced that whatever he says may be implicitly relied upon,
and that he is quite incapable of departing from the truth
under any circumstances.'
Wolseley, who had seen so many French and British
armies in the field, was greatly struck with the marked
absence of all the ' pomp and circumstance of glorious
war' at General Lee's headquarters. ' They consisted,' he
says, ' of about seven or eight pole-tents, pitched with their
backs to a stake fence, upon a piece of ground so rocky that
it was unpleasant to ride over it — its only recommendation
being a little stream of good water which flowed close by
the General's tent. In front of the tents were some three or
four wheeled waggons, drawn up without any regularity. No
guard or sentries were to be seen in the vicinity, and no
crowd of aides-de-camp loitering about. A large farm-house
stands close by, which, in any other army, would have been
the General's residence ; but as no liberties are aUowed to be
taken with personal property in Lee's army, he is particular
in setting a good example himself His staff were crowded
together two or three in a tent : none are allowed to carry
more baggage than a small box each, and his own kit is but
very little larger. Everyone who approaches him does so
with marked respect, although there is none of that bowing
and flourishing of forage-caps which occurs in the presence
of European Generals ; and whilst all honour him and place
implicit faith in his courage and abUity, those with whom he
is most intimate feel for him the affection of sons to a
father. Old General Scott was correct in saying that when
Lee joined the Southern cause, it was worth as much as the
accession of 20,000 men. Though his house on the
Pamunky river was burnt to the ground, and his residence
on the Ariington Heights not only gutted of its furniture.

176 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
but even the very relics of George Washington were stolen
from it and paraded in triumph in the saloons of New York
and Boston, he neither evinced any bitterness of feeUng, nor
gave utterance to a single violent expression, but alluded to
many of his former friends and companions amongst the
Northerners in the kindest terms. He spoke as a man proud
of the victories won by his country, and confident of ultimate
success under the blessing of the Almighty, whom he glorified
for past successes, and whose aid he invoked for all future
operations. He regretted that his limited supply of tents
and available accommodation would prevent him from
putting us up, but he kindly placed at our disposal horses,
or a two-horsed waggon, if we preferred it, to drive about in.'
Upon leaving General Lee, they drove to Bunker's Hill,,
six miles nearer Martinsburg, where that extraordinary man.
General Stonewall Jackson, had his headquarters. With
him they passed a most pleasant hour, and were agreeably
surprised to find him very affable, having been led to expect
that he was silent and almost morose. Wolseley's descrip
tion of this noble soldier, whose loss, soon after, dealt an
irreparable blow to the Confederate cause, is graphic and
full of interest : ' Dressed in his grey uniform, he looks
the hero that he is ; and his thin compressed lips and calm
glance, which meets yours unflinchingly, gave evidence of
that firmness and decision of character for which he is so-
famous. He has a broad open forehead, from which the
hair is well brushed back ; a shapely nose, straight and long;
thin colourless cheeks, with only a very small aUowance of
whisker ; a cleanly shaven upper Up and chin ; and a pair
of fine greyish-blue eyes, rather sunken, with overhanging
brows, which intensify the keenness of his gaze, but without
imparting any fierceness to it Such are the general charac
teristics of his face ; and I have only to add, that a smile
seems always lurking about his mouth when he speaks ; and

WOLSELEY ON GENERAL JACKSON. 177
that though his voice partakes slightly of that harshness
which Europeans unjustly attribute to all Americans, there
is much unmistakable cordiality in his manner : and to us
he talked most affectionately of England, and of his brief
but enjoyable sojourn there. The religious element seems
strongly developed in him ; and though his conversation
is perfectly free from all puritanical cant, it is evident that
he is a man who never loses sight of the fact that there is
an omnipresent Deity ever presiding over the minutest
occurrences of life, as well as over the most important.
Altogether, as one of his soldiers said to me when speaking
of him, "he is a glorious fellow !" and, after I left him, I
felt that I had at last solved a mystery and discovered why
it was that he had accomplished such almost miraculous
feats. With such a leader men would go anywhere, and
face any amount of difficulties. For myself,' adds
Wolseley, with the enthusiasm of a soldier, ' I believe that,
inspired by the presence of such a man, I should be per
fectly insensible to fatigue, and reckon on success as a
moral certainty.'*
The army at Winchester was composed of two corps
d'armee under the command of Generals Jackson and Long-
street, each consisting of four divisions. Wolseley was
present whUst the latter officer inspected one of his divisions,
and was highly pleased with the appearance of the men,
and the manner in which they marched. He says : ' I re
marked that, however slovenly the dress of the men of any
* Wolseley thus analyzes the nature ofthe different feehngs with which these
two remarkable soldiers inspired their devoted followers : ' Whilst Lee is
regarded in the light of the infallible Jove, a man to be reverenced, Jackson
is loved and adored with all that childlike and trustful affection which the
ancients are said to have lavished upon the particular deity presiding over
their affairs. The feeUng of the soldiers for General Lee resembles that
which Wellington's troops entertained for him — namely, a fixed and un
shakable faith in aU he did, and a calm confidence of victory when serving
. under him. But Jackson, Uke Napoleon, is idolized with that intense fervour
which, consisting of mingled personal attachment and devoted loyalty, causes
them to meet death for his sake, and bless him when dying.'

178 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
particular company might be, their rifles were invariably in
good serviceable order. They marched, too, with an elastic
tread, the pace being somewhat slower than that of our
troops, and seemed vigorous and healthy. I have seen
many armies file past in all the pomp of bright clothing and
well-polished accoutrements ; but I never saw one composed
of finer men, or that looked more like work, than that
portion of General Lee's army which I was fortunate enough
to see inspected'
Wolseley saw but Uttle of the Confederate cavalry, as
General Steuart had left for his raid into Pennsylvania the
day he reached headquarters, and only returned a couple of
days before he commenced his homeward journey. He
remarked, however, 'that though their knowledge of drUl
is limited, all the men ride well, in which particular they
present a striking contrast to the Northern cavalry, who can
scarcely sit their horses, even when trotting.'
Colonel Wolseley had quitted New York for his trip
'down South' on the nth of September, and had to
report himself at Montreal on the expiration of his six
weeks' leave. The short time at his disposal was the
great drawback to the enjoyment of this visit to the head
quarters of the Confederate army ; but he made the most of
it, and altogether he never passed a pleasanter time than
when ' running the blockade,' with its attendant excitement,
while, as an enthusiastic soldier, he considered himself
amply repaid for any discomfort by his conversations with
Robert Lee and Stonewall Jackson, whose deeds wiU live in
song and story as long as high character, spotless patriotism,
and brUliant military genius command the admiration of the
human race.
After his return to Canada, Colonel Wolseley suffered
greatly from the wound in the right leg he had received in
the Crimea seven years before. His exertions on foot

THE CAMP OF INSTRUCTION. 179
caused the wound to open afresh, and, under medical
advice, he was constrained to proceed to England. Here
he placed himself under the eminent surgeon. Sir WUliam
Fergusson. There was considerable exfoliation of the right
shin-bone, and he did not begin to mend until after Sir
WUliam had cut out the part affected. Wolseley returned
to Canada in the spring of 1863, and resumed his duties as
Assistant Quartermaster-General, under Colonel Lysons.
In the autumn of 1S65 the Fenians in the United States,
by their threatening attitude, gave cause for anxiety to the
Dominion Government, and Colonel (now General Sir)
Patrick McDougaU, who came out to the Dominion to
organize the local forces, established a Camp of Instruction
for cadets, in order to test the efficiency of the training im
parted by the Canadian Military Schools. At his request,
the services of Colonel Wolseley were placed at his disposal
by Sir John Michel, commanding the forces, and he ap
pointed him to command the first Camp of Instruction
ever established in Canada. The place selected for this
experiment was La Prairie, about nine miles distant from
Montreal, on the opposite side of the river.
A general and regimental staff were placed under Wol
seley's orders, and quartermasters and sergeant-majors were
appointed permanently to battalions from among the dis
charged non-commissioned officers resident in Canada.
The remaining battalion officers and non-commissioned
officers were furnished by the cadets themselves in rotation,
except that two cadets were named permanently as sergeants,
and two as corporals to each company. The force was
formed into three battalions. The cadets of the Toronto
school, and the schools west of Toronto, numbering 366,
were formed into the right battalion ; the cadets of the
Kingston school, and the English-speaking cadets of the
Montreal and Quebec schools, 334, composed the centre

i8o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
battalion ; and the cadets of French-Canadian origin com
posed the left battalion, 405 strong.
By utilizing the small barrack at La Prairie, Colonel Wol
seley was enabled to place each battalion under canvas
during two weeks, and in quarters one week.*
The late Sir James Lindsay, then commanding the Mon
treal Division, marched into La Prairie Hon the 4th of Oc
tober, with the Montreal garrison of regular troops, and
held two divisional field-days, when the Montreal garrison
acted as one brigade, and the cadets, with a battery of
Royal ArtiUery temporarUy attached, formed a second
brigade under Colonel Wolseley. The second field-day
was held in the presence of Sir John Michel, and, says
Colonel McDougall, ' I can fuUy corroborate Colonel Wol
seley's opinion that the cadets compared most favourably
with the regular troops, an opinion that was shared in and
expressed by both Sir John Michel and the Major-General,
and that they executed all the movements of a sham fight
with the same precision and quickness.'
Wolseley performed his arduous duties during the three
weeks the camp was established to the entire satisfaction of
his superiors, and Colonel McDougaU reported in the fol
lowing terms : ' I desire to record as strongly as "possible
my sense of the ability and energy with which the immediate
command of the camp was exercised by Colonel Wolseley,
and to which is attributable a large share in the success of
* The cadets, among whom were three French-Canadian Members of
Parliament, and one Upper Canadian Member, also Lord Aylmer, and
several gentlemen holding the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Sedentary
Mihtia, and officers who had served in the Regular Army, feU into the usual
routine of camp life with surprising readiness ; and though their duties were
precisely the same as those performed by soldiers of the Regular Army in
camp, their demeanour throughout was beyond praise. Every cadet had
an opportunity for showing his abiUty in drilUng a squad or company, as
well as for acting as captain and covering sergeant of a company in battalion;
and the aptitude and knowledge they genecaUy displayed was a matter of
surprise to Colonels McDougall and Wolseley, and afforded a gratifying
testimony to the value of the MiUtary Schools which had been established
in the Province.

THE FENIAN INVASION. i8i
the experiment. It was a charge requiring unusuaUy deli
cate management ; but in Colonel Wolseley's qualifications,
tact is combined with firmness, and both with an intimate
knowledge of his profession in an unusual degree.'
At length, after many 'scares,' on the night of the 31st
of May, the Fenian leader, ' General ' O'Neil, crossed the
Niagara river with .about 1,200 men, and, having captured
Fort Erie, some three miles from Buffalo, advanced towards
Ridgeway, where he threw up breastworks and awaited
reinforcements. On receipt of inteUigence of this daring act the whole
Dominion was thrown into a perfect fever of indignation
and patriotic ardour. The call to arms was responded to
by all classes, and had the necessity arisen, the whole
Volunteer Militia force could have been collected in a few
days. On the 31st of May, Colonel McDougall, Adjutant-
General of Militia, received instructions to call out for
actual service 14,000 Volunteers, and within twenty-four
hours the companies were all ready, and many had moved
to the stations assigned them. On the 2nd of June the
whole of the Volunteer force, not already called out, was
placed on actual service, and on the following day the
Province had more than 20,000 men under arms. Not
withstanding that the season of the year entailed heavy
sacrifices on those of the Volunteers who were business
men, all joined with eagerness ; and, ' experience has
shown,' wrote the Adjutant-General, ' that, in the event of
a regular invasion, 100,000 men, in addition to the Volun
teer force, would eagerly come forward in forty-eight hours
to aid in defending the country.'
When the news of the Fenian invasion arrived at Mon
treal, Colonel Wolseley, under orders from Sir John Michel,
started thence for Toronto, and joined a column of regular
troops, consisting of a battery of ArtUlery and the i6th and

1 82 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
47th Regiments, under the command of Colonel Lowry, of
the 47 th, which was about to start to attack the Fenians.
The column arrived that night at the Suspension Bridge
over the Niagara river ; but on reaching Fort Erie, on the
following day, they learnt that a fight had already taken
place, with indecisive results, at Ridgeway.* Far different
must it have been had the inexperienced commander of the
Militia awaited the arrival of the regular troops under
Colonel Lowry, or a second column under Colonel Peacock,
which, unfortunately, had taken the wrong road.
Wolseley was sent on the foUowing day to Stratford, a
railway station near Georgian Bay, on Lake Huron, to take
command of a brigade, consisting of a battery of Artillery,
the 1 6th Regiment, and two battalions of Canadian MUitia.
But there was no further attempt at invasion by the
Fenians, and when Wolseley's brigade was broken up, he
returned to Montreal. He had scarcely resumed his duties
when, in the autumn of this year (1S66), he was placed in
command of a Camp of Observation, consisting of the i6th
Regiment, two troops of Volunteer Cavalry, and three
battalions of Militia, at Thorold, near St Catherine's, on
the Welland Canal, which the Fenians had expressed their
intention to destroy. The large and wealthy city of Buffalo,
on the American side, was at this time the centre of the
Fenian military organization, and Wolseley had very re
sponsible duties in watching the frontier between Fort
Cockburn and the Niagara Falls. He remained at Thorold
about a month, exercising his troops, and during this time
* At eight a.m. on the and of June two battalions of Canadian MUitia, the
'HamiUon' and 'Queen's Own' Volunteers, marching from Toronto.
attacked the Fenians at Ridgeway, between Forts Cockburn and Erie ; but,
though there was no lack of enthusiasm and gallantry, the commander was
inexperienced, and the ammunition failed. The Canadians got into some
confusion, and were forced back, but again attacked the Fenians, and drove
them back, many being killed and wounded on both sides. The Fenians
now retreated across the river, when many of them were captured by an
United States war-steamer.

THE 'SOLDIER'S POCKET BOOK.' 183
nearly aUthe MUitia of Upper Canada passed through his
hands. Three battalions, of about 1,000 men each, were
drilled a week at a time, and the work was arduous for
Wolseley, who was in the saddle all day and every day.
On the approach of winter the camp was broken up, and
he returned once again to Montreal ; but, during the
succeeding months, there were constant Fenian alarms, and
the Generals and staff officers v^ere kept on the qui vive.
Indeed, in January, 1867, the alarm of threatened invasion
was so great that field brigades were established in all the
principal mUitary centres, fully equipped, and in constant
readiness to turn out should their services be required.
Colonel Wolseley was sent to Toronto, where he organized
the Toronto Brigade ; but in April, 1S67, when matters
looked more settled, he proceeded to England, being
relieved as Assistant Quartermaster-General by Sir Henry
Havelock. Wolseley's services in Canada had been so meritorious,
and his claims for promotion were so generaUy acknow
ledged, that he was almost immediately nominated to
succeed Colonel Lysons as head of the department in
which he had acquired such vast experience in the Crimea,
India, and China, irrespective of the special knowledge of
its working gained in Canada during the past five years.
Colonel Lysons' term of service expired in the autumn of
1867, and, in September, Wolseley returned to the Dominion
as Deputy Quartermaster-General, being, as we were assured
by his predecessor, the youngest officer who was ever
nominated to fill that responsible post. He came home to
England, on two months' private leave, in 186S, and during
his stay occurred an important event in his Ufe, his mar
riage with Miss Erskine, who accompanied him on his
return to Canada.
In the foUowing year was published his ' Soldier's Pocket

i84 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Book for Field Service,'* which is considered in the army a
standard authority. This invaluable Uttle work offers, in a
handy form, as its name implies, information on every
subject of a professional nature, and to every rank in the
army, from the private who' wants information how to keep
his accoutrements clean or to cook a beafsteak, to the
' non-combatant ' officer in search of a ' form ' for indenting
for stores, or the General in the field who seeks to solv§
some knotty point in miUtary law, or in the manceuvring of
the 'three arms.' It is, in short, a most trustworthy and
indispensable vade mecum, and its value has been universaUy
acknowledged. Much of the information embodied in its
pages, with the brevity and conciseness of style becoming a
soldier, is original ; and the articles on Staff duties, such as
reconnoitring, surveying, and other duties of an officer of
the Quartermaster-General's Department, embody the results
of the writer's own lengthened experience in what was, before
the new organization at the Horse Guards, and the estab
lishment of an Intelligence Department, the most important
section of the MiUtary Staff.
* The preface to the first edition of the 'Soldier's Pocket Book' was
written in Canada, and dated ' Montreal, March, 1869.' A second edition
of this work was issued in 1871, and a third and revised edition in 1875,
and a fourth in 1882. Wolseley is also the author of a ' Field Pocket
Book for the AuxiUary Forces,' a work of more recent date.

CHAPTER VI.
THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION.
The Red River Expedition. — The Organization of the Force, and Start for
Thunder Bay. — The Road thence to the Shebandowan Lake. — Down the
Lake, and across the ' Portages' to Fort Frances. — Running the Rapids
of the Winnipeg River to Fort Alexander. — The Arrival at Fort Garry. —
Success of the E.xpedition. — Return of Sir Garnet Wolseley to England.
Early in 1870, the troubles on the Red River became of
so pressing a nature that the Dominion Government, with
the consent of the Home Colonial Office, determined on
sending an expedition to restore the Queen's authority in
that Settlement. The consensus of public opinion in the
Colony pointed to Colonel Wolseley, who was exceedingly
popular among all classes of the Canadians, and in an
especial degree commanded the confidence of the MiUtia,
as the fittest officer to lead a combined force of Regulars
and Volunteers, and Major-General Hon. James Lindsay*
accordingly nominated him to the command of the Red
River Expedition.+ After eighteen years' service. Colonel
* On the abolition of the divisional commands at Montreal and Toronto,
and .the withdrawal of all British troops from the Dominion to Halifax,
General Lindsay had proceeded to England, and at this time held the post
of Inspector-General of Reserve Forces at the Horse Guards, only returning
to Canada to organize and despatch the Red River Force, and to make the
necessary arrangements for handing over to the Dominion authorities the
Govemment military buildings and materiel of war.
f In wridng this portion of the Memoir we are indebted to the following
sources : The late Captain Huyshe's ' The Red River Expedition ;' to a
' Narrative ' pubUshed in Blackwood s Magazine, written by Sir Garnet
Wolseley himself; to the private journal of Mr. M. B. Irvine, C.B., C.M.G.,
in charge of the Control Department of the Expedition ; to that officer's
official ' Report on the Red River Expedition of 1870 ;' to Colonel Wol-

1 86 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Wolseley found himself entrusted with supreme command,
thus, at length, being afforded the opportunity of achieving
distinction for which, as an ambitious soldier, confident in
his own capacity for independent command, he had long
been sighing.
The Red River Territory, the inhabited portion of which,
called the Red River Settlement, now forms a portion of
the province of Manitoba, is a large tract lying nearly in the
centre of British North America, and receives its name from
the Red River. Fort Garry — which is situated close to
Winnipeg, the capital, on the left bank of the Red River,
where it is joined by the Assiniboine — is only sixty miles
from the United States frontier, and therefore is easily
accessible to citizens of the Republic desirous of fomenting
troubles, or to disloyal British subjects. Owing to its
geographical position, the Settlement is completely isolated
from the outside world, as the nearest raUway station in
Canada is 900 mUes distant, as 'the crow flies,' and the
railway system of the United States is also some hundreds
of miles to the southward* The inhabited portion, or
Settlement, is merely the strip lying along the banks of the
Red River, and of its affluent, the Assiniboine ; its popula
tion at the beginning of 1870, exclusive of Indians, numbered
about 15,000 souls, a large proportion of whom were French
' half-breeds,' as the degcendants of European fathers and
Indian mothers are called.
The Red River Territory had long been under the rule of

seley's ' Correspondence relative to the recent Expedition to the Red River
Settlement, with Journal of Operations ' — both these latter being in the
Blue Book presented to the Houses of Parhament. Also to a Lecture de
livered by Captain Huyshe at the Royal United Service Institution, on the
20th of January, 1871 (which appears in No. 62, Vol. XV. , of the Journal),
the first part of which, treating of the origin of the expedition and organiza
tion of the force, was written by Colonel Wolseley.
* This was written nine years ago, since which vast changes have occurred
in these regions.

THE DIFFICULTY ON THE RED RIVER. 187
the Hudson's Bay Company, which, in 1670, had received a
charter from Charles II., granting them sovereign rights over
a vast extent of country, the geographical Umits of which
were not clearly defined. After many years of fruitless
negotiations between Canada and this great trading commu
nity, a three-cornered arrangement was arrived at, England
acting as a sort of go-between, by which the vast territories,
officially known as Rupert's Land, together with all territorial
rights, were first transferred, on paper, to this country, and
then made over, by royal proclamation, to the Confederation
of the North American Provinces, which paid to the Hudson's
Bay Company the sum of ;!^3oo,ooo, the transfer to take
effect from the ist of December, 1869. It appears that in
these negotiations the people of the Red River Settlement
were consulted by neither the Canadian statesmen nor the
directors of the Hudson's Bay Company sitting in London.
They, and the French half-breeds in particular, naturaUy
resented such cavalier treatment, and when, in 1869, the
Canadian Government sent thither a surveying party, some
eighteen half-breeds, under Louis Riel, compelled them to
quit the country.
The Dominion Government nominated to the post of
Lieutenant-Governor Mr. AV. McDougall; but the people
refused to acknowledge him, and, on the 24th of November,
Riel took possession of Fort Garry, and assumed the Presi
dency of the so-caUed 'RepubUc of the North-West ' The
Canadian Government then sent Mr. Donald Smith to Fort
Garry as Special Commissioner, but his mission proved
abortive. Riel now conducted himself with great violence,
and, on the 4th of March, executed, after a sham court-
martial, a man named Thomas Scott, who formed one
of a party of loyal EngUsh and Scotch halfbreeds, who
had attempted to effect the release of some sixty British
subjects iUegaUy confined in Fort Garry. Scott's execu-

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

tion aroused a feeUng of intense indignation throughout
Canada In the meantime. Colonel Wolseley had prepared an able
Report, in which he entered into minute detaUs regarding
the composition, equipment, and organization of the force,
as well as its victualling, clothing, and transport. Equally
important with the question of the organization of the Expe
ditionary Force, was the question of its leader ; and when it
was announced that Colonel AVolseley was to command,
there was a chorus of approval from the Canadian public
and press, and it was universally felt that the success of the
expedition was already assured. It was decided that the
force was to consist of 1,200 men, and that the Home
Government should bear one-fourth of the charges. The
Dominion Government were to raise two battalions of Militia,
each of which, as in the case of the 6oth Rifles, was to
consist of seven companies of 50 men each, with the object
of making them more handy for boat service, with 3 officers
per company.
On the 4th of May, 1S70, Colonel Wolseley left Montreal
for Toronto to organize the column. Thence he proceeded
to ColUngwood, on the shores of Lake Huron, 94 miles dis
tant from Toronto, accompanied by Mr. S. J. Dawson, the
able executive officer of the Public Works Department,
whose services had been placed at Colonel Wolseley's dis
posal by the Canadian Government.
Almost insuperable were the difficulties involved in trans
porting a large armed force, with aU the materiel of war, a
distance of 600 miles, through rivers and lakes, and over no
less than 47 ' portages ' — a word appUed to the breaks in the
navigation between two lakes, or between a river and a lake
— across which everything had to be ' portaged,' or carried
on men's backs, a necessity which caused a most serious
addition to the labours of the route, as the portages varied

THE ROUTE* TO FORT GARRY. 189
in length from 20 yards to i\ mile. Of the entire dis
tance of 600 miles, 48 only — that from Thunder Bay
to Lake Shebandowan — was by land transport, over a road
only partially constructed by 'Mr. Dawson. From Lake
Shebandowan to Lake of the Woods was a distance of 310
miles by rivers and lakes, with about 1 7 portages, and from
thence to Fort Garry was only about too miles in a straight
line by land ; but, says Wolseley, ' there was only a road
made for about 60 miles of that distance, the unmade portion
being laid out over most difficult swamps. If, therefore, the
troops could not advance by that route, as was subsequently
found to be the case, the only other way of reaching Manitoba
was via the Winnipeg River, the navigation of which was
known to be so difficult and dangerous that none but expe
rienced guides ever attempted it. There were about 30
portages in the extra 160 mUes thus added to the total length
of the distance to be traversed.'
The distance to Fort Garry might thus have been shortened
by 160 mUes, had it been possible to adopt the former route,
which struck off towards the fort from the north-west angle
of the Lake of the Woods ; but the wisdom of AVolseley's
adopting the route by Lake Winnipeg was amply proved
when, on his arrival at Fort Garry, Colonel Bolton, whom he
sent to inspect the direct road to the Lake of the Woods,
reported that the last 33 mUes had not yet been cut, and
that there were such heavy morasses and thick woods, that
only a small body of men could get through.* Considering
all the enormous obstacles to the transport of stores and
* There was a second route to Fort Garry, employed by the Hudson's Bay
Company, who landed at York Factory in Hudson Bay, and ascended the
Nelson River to Lake Winnipeg. This had been made use of in the con-
vevance of small bodies of troops, which, on two occasions, under Colonel
Cr'ofton and Major Seton, had been quartered at Fort Garry. But these
had never exceeded a few hundred men, and the whole resources of the
Hudson's Bay Company had been placed at their disposal. Again, the sea
off York Factory is only free from ice about six weeks in the year, and the
navigation of the Arctic Ocean is both difficult and dangerous.

I90 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
warlike materiel. Colonel Wolseley exhibited throughout the
expedition a patience, energy, and forethought that stamp
him as a true leader of men. Often during the long and
weary march the spirits ofhis officers and men were seriously
affected by the difficulties of the route ; more than once it
was anticipated by all that the expedition would have to be
abandoned ; but, as we were told by an officer who accom
panied Colonel Wolseley, and had the best opportunity of
daily judging of his temper and intentions throughout the
expedition, he alone never once lost heart, but was always
cheerful and confident, and bent on pushing on.
The country between Lake Superior and Red River was
known to be a wilderness of poor timber, lakes, rivers, and
rocks, and to be uninhabited except by wandering tribes of
Chippewa Indians. From ColUngwood, on Lake Huron, to
Thunder Bay, on Lake Superior,* whence this long journey
of 600 mUes was to commence, was a further distance of 534
miles, the communication being through a broad channel
called St. Mary's River, about 50 mUes in length, which
forms the boundary between the American State of Michigan
and British territory. There is a canal on the American
side, by which some rapids in the river can be avoided, but
the American authorities at first refused to allow the troops
and stores to pass through the canal. Everything had to be
landed on the Canadian side of the rapids, transported by
land across a three-mile ' portage,' and re-embarked again at
the upper end on board a second steamer. Subsequently,
this unfriendly order was withdrawn, and a free passage was
allowed to all ardcles not contraband of war.
Colonel R. J. Fielden, of the 6oth Rifles, second in
command of the expedition, was, meanwhile, engaged in
raising and organizing two battalions of Canadian Militia.
* The great lake system of America extends 1,085 m'les in length from
Kingston on Lake Ontario to Fort WiUiam on Lake Superior, covering an
area of 80,000 square miles, or more than the superficies of Great Britain.

THE PERSONNEL OF THE EXPEDITION. 191
The force* consisted of — ist battalion 6oth Rifles, 26
officers and 350 men, under Colonel Fielden ; ist, or
Ontario, Militia, 28 officers and 350 men, under Lieut -
Colonel Jarvis ; 2nd, or Quebec, MiUtia, 28 officers and
350 men, under Lieut.-Colonel Casault Lieutenant AUeyne,
R.A., and 19 men, with 4 7-pounder bronze mountain
guns; Lieutenant Heneage, R. A., and 19 men; Army
Service Corps, 12 men, and Army Hospital Corps, 8 men.
The total of all ranks was 1,214, with about 400 voyageurs,
and 100 teamsters. The voyageurs were coUected by Mr.
Dawson, but a large portion of them were found to be
utterly ignorant of the management of boats ; about 100
of the number were Irroquois Indians, from viUages near
Montreal, who were fully capable of navigating boats in
rapid water, and indeed without their services the expedition
could not have been conducted. Two hundred boats were
specially constructed under the directions of Mr. Dawson,
and were on an average from 25 to 32 feet long, from 6 to 7
broad, with a draught, when loaded, of 20 to 30 inches, and
a carrying capacity of from 2 J to 4 tons. Their crews,
as subsequently arranged, consisted of from S to 9 officers
and soldiers, and 2 voyageurs. The boats were fitted with
masts and sails, in addition to oars, and with arm-chests
for the rifles of the men and officers,! who were armed
with breech-loading carbines in lieu of swords. In addition
to this ' Boat Transport Corps ' was the Land Transport
* The staff officers of the force were : Captain Huyshe, Rifle Brigade,
and Lieut. F. C. Denison, Militia, orderly officers; Lieut.-Colonel Bolton,
R.A. , Deputy Assistant-Adjutant-General, and Major McLeod, of the
MiUtia, his assistant. Lieut. -Colonel J. C. McNeiU, V. C. , 48th Regiment,
MiUtary Secretary of the Governor-General, was, at his request, attached to
the staff Surgeon-Major Young, M.D. , was principal medical officer, with
a staff of four assistant-surgeons. The chief control officer was Assistant-
ControUer M. B. Irvine, a member of a Canadian family, assisted by 6
commissaries, and 3 officers of the lately dissolved Royal Canadian Rifles,
and I from the Mihtia, who were attached for transport duties.
t The luggage of officers, without distinction of rank, was restricted to
90 lb., including cooking utensils, bedding, etc., which were carried in two
waterproof bags.

192 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Corps, for the carriage of boats and stores from Thunder
Bay to Lake Shebandowan, which consisted of 150 horses,
100 teamsters, a number of waggons and carts, and about
36 draughtsmen.
A multiplicity of articles had to be suppUed for the
comfort of the men, such as waterproof kit-bags, mocassins,
cases of mosquito oil, and veUs of fine black netting to
protect the face and head from the attacks of flies. The
utmost care and forethought were expended in the organiza
tion of the little force, which required multitudinous details
for the different species of transport — by railway, steamer,
land-carriage, and boats. Colonel Wolseley looked to every
thing himself, considering no detail too small to engage his
time and attention.
Between the 6th and 12th of May he was busily engaged
at Toronto in organizing the expedition, selecting horses,
and completing the two battalions of MUitia General
Lindsay furnished Colonel Wolseley with instructions for
his guidance, in which, however, ' the detail of the arrange
ments for an advance of the force and transport of stores '
were left to his discretion ; and, on the 14th of May, when
everything was ready for the start, AVolseley issued his
' Standing Orders for the Red River Expeditionary Force,'
a lengthy and able paper, drawn up under thirty-four heads,
which completely and fully met every requirement as it
arose during the long march of 600 miles.
At noon of the same day two companies of the Ontario
Rifles left Toronto for the Sault St. Marie, under Colonel
Bolton, to Complete the road across the portage, and get
the stores re-shipped on Lake Superior. Owing to tele
graphic information from Ottawa respecting Fenian intentions
to annoy the expeditionary force. Colonel AVolseley, on the
1 6th, sent two more companies ofthe Ontario Rifles to join
Colonel Bolton's camp, and it is certain that had he not

ARRIVAL AT THUNDER BAY. 193
thus early taken steps to frustrate the purposes of those
doughty warriors, who soon afterwards made a raid on the
Huntingdon Border, an effort would have been made to
destroy the stores accumulated at the Sault, which, had it
been successful, would have probably deferred the enter
prise for another year. On the 21st of May, Colonel
Wolseley, accompanied by his staff, with a company of the
6oth Rifles, quitted Toronto amid the hearty good wishes of
all classes of the community ; the headquarters and four
more companies of the Rifles foUowed the same day, and the
expedition was now fairly started.
The Chicora, with Colonel Wolseley on board, having
landed the troops and mUitary equipment at the Sault
St. Marie, and steamed over to the American side to pass
through the canal, again re-embarked the soldiers and
Colonel Wolseley at the upper end of the rapids, and,
steaming across the broad bosom of Lake Superior, anchored,
on the 25th of May, in Thunder Bay, off the end of the
road leading to Lake Shebandowan. On its shores, at the
mouth of the Kaministiquia River, is the Hudson's Bay
Company's post of Fort WiUiam, and, about four miles
farther on, was a small clearing with a few wooden huts and
tents, which marked the first stage of the march to Fort
Garry. The scenery was calculated to have a most de
pressing effect on the spirits of officers and men, as a great
forest fire had recently raged over the country, destroying
all vegetation, and leaving only the tall, gaunt, and blackened
trunks of the huge trees to greet the eyes of visitors to this
desolate shore.
Colonel Wolseley immediately landed, and gave to the
spot the name of ' Prince Arthur's Landing,' in honour of
his Royal Highness, who was then serving in Canada with
his regiment, the Rifle Brigade. The troops and camp
equipment were disembarked by means of a large ' scow,'
13

194 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and by ten p.m. the work was completed, an earnest of
what was to follow.
The following anecdote, iUustrative of Wolseley's readi
ness of resource and unvarying cheerfulness and bonhomie,
was told us by one of the heads of departments. On dis
embarking, it was found that in the hurry of re-embarking
the mUitary stores on the Lake Superior side of the Sault
St. Marie portage, though the tents and camp equipage
belonging to the 6oth Rifles and Headquarter Staff had been
brought, all the tent-poles had been left behind. The chief
Control officer had expected an explosion of ill-humour at
the oversight ; but, on reporting the circumstance to
Colonel Wolseley with some trepidation, he was met with a
hearty laugh, and the query, ' You have not forgotten the
axes too ?' Receiving a reply in the negative, he promptly
added, pointing to the primeval forest around the landing-
place, ' Then you can help yourself to as many tent-poles
as you require.' This cheery way of regarding a simple
omission had the best possible effect among the officers and
men, and encouraged them to exert themselves and merit
the confidence of a chief who only encountered difficulties
to overcome them.
Wolseley's experience as an old campaigner was of
essential service in a way that would never have entered
into the philosophy of a general officer of the Horse-
Guards type. His domestic arrangements, as regards kit
and cooking utensUs, were identical with those of the other
officers of the force, and thus it happened that to Lieutenant
Riddell, of the 6oth Rifles, was relegated the duty of cook
ing the dinner of the Commander. This young officer had
no personal knowledge of the most important of all the arts,
so that when he came to cook a piece of pork, aU his
efforts ended in failure. The fire had gone out, and the
subaltern was abusing the pork for not boiUng, when a

ANECDOTES OF WOLSELEY. 195
deus ex 7nachina, in the person of the Chief, made his
appearance. Equally at home making the pot boU, or
planning and executing an arduous military expedition,
Wolseley set to work, and, says Riddell, ' he showed me,
in the scientific manner of an old campaigner, how to dig
a trench in the ground, and with stones and sticks to
construct a fender over it, on which to place my cooking
utensils ; and the result was, that when dinner-time
approached a hard tough mass of over-boiled meat was
fished out of the pot, with the assistance of a forked stick,
and served up with tea and biscuit, as the midday repast of
the officers.' Later on, fresh bread and meat were issued
daily, officers and men having the same rations; and the
salt pork, which was sent out from England, was husbanded
for the line of march where live cattle could not be had.
Encouraged by the example of a leader who could turn
his hand to anything, officers and men cheerfuUy set to work
the day after their arrival, clearing roads, establishing the
depot for supplies, a hospital for the sick, and a redoubt to
repel an attack from the Fenians, who had openly expressed
their intention to destroy the depot when the troops had set
out on their long march for Fort Garry.
Early on the morning following his arrival at Thunder
Bay, Colonel Wolseley, accompanied by Mr. Russell, the
engineer employed during the spring upon the construction
of the road to the Shebandowan Lake, started off on horse
back to inspect its condition. He returned at noon of the
following day, having ridden and inspected the road as far
as it was practicable for teams, some thirty-one miles out of
the forty-four intended to be constructed, a footpath only
being designed for the remaining four mUes. But there
StiU remained thirteen mUes of road to be made to the lake,
over a hilly and thickly wooded country, a business involving
considerable time and trouble. When at Ottawa, in the
13—2

196 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
month of April, Colonel Wolseley had been positively
assured that the road would be open for traffic by the 25th
of May, and on this assurance his calculations had been
based. Again, on Monday, 6th of June, he started at half-past
four a.m., to make a second inspection of the road as far as
its limit at the Oskondagee Creek, some thirty-nine miles.
He says, ' It poured with rain all Monday, Tuesday, and
yesterday, up to about four o'clock p.m. At the present
moment the road may be said to end at the Oskondagee
Creek, seventy-five feet wide, which is still unbridged.
For the last eight or nine miles before reaching that creek
the road is only a track, and is impassable for loaded
waggons in wet weather. My horse was tired out in going
over it at a walk.' Colonel AA''olseley camped for the night
on the bank of the Oskondagee Creek, which is the third
of the three rivers that had to be bridged between Thun
der Bay and Shebandowan, the others being the Kaministi
quia, twenty-two miles from the camp, and the Matawan,
twenty-seven miles.
On Tuesday, the 7th, he crossed the creek on a temporary
raft, and walked to a hill which commanded a view of the
line of march. The scene was not reassuring, and Wolseley
describes the track a mile beyond the creek as ' execrable.'
He immediately had a strong gang of men turned on it, and
Colonel McNeUl,* who proceeded a week later to inspect
the road, reported that rather more than four mUes had
been cleared of timber, and a rough waggon-road formed ;
the remaining four mUes to the lake had not been touched.
He reported also that owing to the recent heavy rains there
were places one and two miles in extent that would be im
passable for horse transport for a week or ten days at least.
' Now Sir John McNeill, Equerry to the Queen, who served under Sir
Garnet Wolseley in Ashantee, and in Egypt on the staff of the Duke of
Connaught.

DIFFICULTIES OF THE ROAD. 197
Added to this, the carts provided were found to be useless
for carrying supplies, and owing to the state of the roads the
horses could only drag loads of 1,000 pounds in each
waggon. Matters looked very gloomy for the success of
the expedition, and those best qualified to judge laughed
at the idea of reaching Fort Garry, so as to return before
the winter set in. Under these adverse circumstances,
Colonel Wolseley preserved his equanimity, and spoke con
fidently of ultimate success.
Directly after his first inspection of the road on the 26th
of May, on finding its condition and the progress made so
unsatisfactory, he turned his attention to another mode of
transport. On questioning Mr. Dawson on the feasibility of
passing boats up the Kaministiquia* and Matawan Rivers,
so as to relieve the land transport, that gentleman did not
think the proposal practicable ; but Mr. Maclntyre, the
Hudson's Bay Company's officer at Fort WiUiam, thought
otherwise, and placed his voyageurs and guides at the com
mander's disposal. AVolseley accordingly selected Captain
Young, of the 6oth Rifles, an officer of energy and resource,
to make the attempt with thirty-four men and six boats. Cap
tain Young left the camp early on the 4th of June, and, his
boats having been towed to Fort AVilliam, began to pull up
the Kaministiquia River, which falls into Thunder Bay at
that point. They poled and tracked along the river, or
marched by the side whUe the Indians took the boats up
the Rapids, or carried them across the portages, untU, on
the Sth of June, he met Colonel Wolseley, who, after riding
over the road as far as Oskondagee Creek, descended the
rapids of the Kaministiquia River in a canoe, in order to see
what progress he had made. Wolseley was delighted to find
that his project to relieve the land transport was feasible,
* This Indian word means, according to Sir John Richardson, ' the river
that runs far about.'

198 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and, having directed Captain Young to proceed up to the
Kaministiquia Bridge — a structure 320 feet long and 18
broad, supported on eight arches — and continue the route
by boats as far as Matawan Bridge, he proceeded on his
journey to the camp by the river route.
After crossing four more portages. Captain Young arrived
at Kaministiquia Bridge on the loth of June, and, on the
12th, reached Matawan Bridge, with his men and stores in
perfect condition, thus conclusively proving, notwithstanding
the predictions of ' experienced ' persons, that the water
route was practicable, and that the word ' impossible ' was
unknown in the vocabulary of the gaUant Commander of
the Red River Expedition. Colonel Wolseley determined
to send the whole of his boats by this route, and to devote
his land transport to supplies, and Mr. Dawson acceded to
this arrangement.
In the meanwhile the troops continued to arrive at
Thunder Bay. Two companies of the 60th Rifles were
employed at Kaministiquia and Matawan Bridges, forming
depots for stores, and the remainder of the force were busily
occupied turning Prince Arthur's Landing into a miniature
Balaclava, without its chaotic confusion. As the work pro
gressed, more detachments of troops were sent from
Thunder Bay, those in advance proceeding towards Lake
Shebandowan. By the 19th of June there were thirty-five
days' rations for 1,500 men in depot, either at Kaministiquia
or Matawan Bridges, and Colonel Wolseley reported :
'When I have 100, or even So boats on the lake, and
provisions for 1,500 men for sixty days there, I shaU move
off by detachments. I am stiU in hopes of being able to
leave Fort Frances for Fort Garry on the ist of August.'
On the 3rd of June, Wolseley despatched to the Matawan
Bridge the first four boats mounted on platforms set on the
wheels of waggons. On reaching the river the boats were

HARDSHIPS OF THE EXPEDITION. 199
launched and moored — a wise precaution, which secured
them against the ravages of a fire which swept over the
country, destroying all the stores and huts. The weather
at this time was wretched in the extreme, and officers and
men worked daily in their wet clothes. Notwithstanding
this, and the hardships they endured, the health of the
camp was most satisfactory, a result due, doubtless, to
Colonel AVolseley having strictly prohibited the use of spirits,
which was an unknown luxury in the camp, save in the form
of 'medical comforts.'
On the 2 ist of June, he rode over the whole road, three
miles in advance of the Oskondagee Creek, returning at
ten a.m. on the 23rd, having ridden that morning from the
Matawan Bridge, a distance of twenty-seven mUes. He
says in his report, he found the road between the Matawan
and Oskondagee, at many places, ' even in fine weather,
practicaUy impassable for waggons ;' and that ' no horse
transport in the world could stand having to get over such
places, as the horses would be knocked up in a few days.'
On his arrival he directed Mr. Dawson to employ all his
men to cut a branch road of one mile from the main road
to the river, at a point about four miles from the Matawan
Bridge, and settled the arrangements for the transport of
stores as foUows : By horse teams from the camp to the
Matawan Bridge, a structure 216 feet long, supported on
five piers ; thence by boats two miles further along the road
to a point named Young's Landing, where the river leaves
the road ; thence by ox teams to Calderon's Landing, for a
distance of two miles up the road, and one mile along a
branch road then being cut to the river; thence up the
river to Oskondagee Creek by boats ; thence to the Dam
Site, a distance of five miles, by ox teams ; and finally,
thence up the river to McNeiU's Bay on the Shebandowan
Lake, in flat-bottomed boats, a path for the troops being cut

200 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
through the woods for this last four miles. The obstacles
to be overcome, even in this preUminary portion of the
route, seemed insurmountable ; but Wolseley was confident
and cheerful, and, though it was not till the first week in
July that the branch road to Calderon's Landing and the
road to the Dam Site were fit for traffic, he would reply to
all queries of when the, start would be made : ' As soon as
I have 150 boats and two months' provisions at the lake.'
On the 29th of June, General Lindsay arrived at Prince
Arthur's Landing ; and, on the following day, accompanied
by Colonels Wolseley and McNeill, he rode over the whole
road as far as the Dam Site, and thence proceeded to the
Shebandowan Lake in a canoe, arriving at camp in the
evening of the 3rd of July, by the Kaministiquia River. At
daylight on the same day, under Colonel Wolseley's orders,
the headquarters of the 6oth Rifles, under Colonel FeUden,
marched from Matawan ; and, on the following day, the
Ontario Rifles quitted the camp for the Kaministiquia
Bridge. Another even more welcome visitor at Prince Arthur's
Landing than General Lindsay was Mrs. Wolseley, who
unexpectedly arrived in one of the transport steamers,
returning to Toronto after a brief visit of a few days.
Before finally quitting the camp for the front. Colonel
Wolseley drew up, in French and English, a ' Proclamation
to the loyal inhabitants of Manitoba,' which he entrusted
for delivery to Mr. Donald Smith, who had arrived at Fort
WUliam on his way to succeed Mr. McTavish as Governor
of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts. He also sent copies
of this Proclamation,* which was dated the ' 30th of June,'
¦*¦ In this document he said : ' Our mission is one of peace, and the sole
object of the e.xpedition is to secure Her Majesty's sovereign authority.
The force which 1 have the honour of commanding wiU enter your province,
representing no party, either in rehgion or pohtics, and will afford equal
protection to the lives and property of all races and all creeds. The strictest
order and discipline will be maintained, and private property will be care-

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE INDIANS. 2oi
to the Protestant and Roman Catholic Bishops, and to the
Hudson's Bay Company's officer at Fort Garry, and letters
requesting them to take measures for pushing on the road
from Fort Garry to the Lake of the Woods, although it was
well known that it could not be completed in time for the
use of the troops. This ruse de guerre of Colonel Wolseley's
succeeded admirably, for on his arrival at Fort Frances he
learned that Riel had placed armed men on the look-out in
the neighbourhood of the spot where he thought the dis
embarkation on the shores of the Lake of the Woods would
take place.
While at Thunder Bay Colonel Wolseley had an oppor
tunity of being introduced, for the first time, to the Red
Indian of Fenimore Cooper's novels, and very different he
found him from the ideal limned by that picturesque, but
untrustworthy, -writer. The party consisted of ' Black Stone,'
a Chippewa, or Ojibbeway chief, two of his tribe, and a
squaw — ugly, dirty, half-naked savages, who came ostensibly
to express their loyalty to the ' great mother,' but in reality
to get what they could, and report what was going on to
their tribe. Indeed, ' Black Stone's ' sole claim to the
picturesqueness of garb, with which we are accustomed to
accredit the creations of the novelist, lay in his having ' tied
round his head a mink-skin, from which at the back stood
up a row of eagle's feathers, with here and there an ermine-
tail hanging from them,' while the influences on his condition
of advancing civilization were only discernible in the fact
that he boasted the possession of a piece of soap, with which
he was seen furtively smoothing his hair, previous to being
ushered into the presence of the Chief of the ' pale-faces.'
fuUy protected. All suppUes furnished by the inhabitants to the troops will
be duly paid for. Should anyone consider himself injured by any individual
attached to the force, his grievance shall be promptly inquired into. All
loyal people are earnestly invited to aid me in carrying out the above-
mentioned objects.'

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

Colonel Wolseley received the Indians with great politeness,
and reassured them as to his intentions regarding their
lands, and they took their departure, thoroughly satisfied
with their reception and the presents they had received
On the 5 th of July, Colonel Wolseley moved his head
quarters to the Matawan, which in the Indian tongue means
' fork.' Starting at five a.m., he rode the distance of twenty-
seven miles, and, procuring a fresh horse at the bridge, went
up the road a further five miles, as far as the end of ' Brown's
Lane,' where the branch road meets the river. The weather
was simply frightful, the rain pouring all day in cataracts ;
but he cared nothing for this, and, on the following morning,
as appears by his Journal, was again in the saddle, ' showing
the working-party of the 6oth Rifles where they were to
work;' and in the afternoon 'rode off again to Brown's
Lane to see Captain Young off with the three boats to the
Oskondagee.' Thus daily he personally saw to the work of
making the roads passable for waggons, and it progressed
rapidly under his superintendence. The 6oth Rifles moved
to Calderon's Landing, at the end of Brown's Lane, on the
Sth of July, and for the nonce the gaUant feUows were
turned into labourers. The costume of officers and men
did not belie the novel character thus assumed. The
only garments worn by all ranks of one of Her Majesty's
crack regiments were a flannel shirt, with breast-pocket for
handkerchief, and uniform trousers, with Canadian mocassins
and a felt helmet What would Sir George Brown and
others of ' the old school ' have said on learning ' that the
officers, who have been going up and down the river with
boats, all wear the sleeves of their shirts tucked up, and
their arms are as black as negroes ; some have their shirts
open, with their breasts exposed. At night we aU wear red
or blue nightcaps ? '
The road to the Oskondagee Creek was stiU almost im-

WOLSELEY IS ILL. 203
passable, and ' for a few miles was nothing but a track
through the woods.' ' The teams that took in the ammuni
tion,' says Mr. Irvine, in his Journal, 'have returned with
others along this road, with ninety shoes off sixty horses.
The teamsters state it was all the horses could do to drag
the empty waggons, the bed of the waggon being constantly
in the mud, and the horses up to their beUies.'
For the past few days, owing to over-exertion, and being
constantly all day in wet clothes, Colonel Wolseley was very
unwell, suffering much from diarrhoea; but stiU, at four a. m.
on this 14th of July, he finaUy quitted his camp at the
Matawan Bridge, and rode to the camp at McNeiU's Bay.
On the following evening he walked down to the wharf to
superintend the despatch of the first detachment of troops
in the boats on the Shebandowan Lake. Discarding the yet
unfinished road for the transport of stores, he had for some
time been employing the Irroquois Indians in taking up
boats and stores from Ward's Landing to McNeiU's Bay, a
distance of three miles, having no less than six rapids.*
The night of the 15th of July was signaUsed by a storm
of thunder, lightning, and rain of exceptional severity, even
after their experience of twenty-three days' rain since the ist
of June ; and the only accident that happened during the
expedition, and one that was nearly proving fatal to the
commander, occurred on this night In the middle of the
storm, a tree close to where Colonel AVolseley was sleeping,
fell and crushed a boat. The tempest, which raged over the
whole of Canada, was most destructive, great numbers of
men and cattle being kiUed.
* Infinite trouble and delay had been caused by the uselessness of most
of the so-called voyageurs, some of whom had been picked up indiscrimi
nately from the streets of Toronto, and had never seen either a canoe or a
rapid. To guard against the force being encumbered by these loafers.
Colonel Wolseley, on the 14th of July, addressed a letter to Mr, Dawson,
directing that none but skilled voyageurs would be permitted to embark on
the boats. He says : ' Only two classes of men can be aUowed in the boats,
viz., the soldiers constituting the Red River Force and the skilled voyageurs
capable of managing boats and of instructing the soldiers how to do so.'

204 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
The morning of the i6th of July broke bright and clear,
and when Colonel Wolseley arrived at McNeiU's Bay at five
in the evening, it seemed hopeless to expect the fulfilment
of his determination, expressed long before, that the start
must be made on that day. Mr. Dawson, Ul-assisted, had
done all that lay. in the power of one man ; the Irroquois
Indians and the soldiers had worked indefatigably, over
coming the difficulties of the road and transport and fitting
out the boats with their gear ; but still much remained to be
done. Wolseley, however, was resolved to be as good as his
word, even if the men had to work till midnight, and, by
halfpast eight p.m., the first three brigades of boats, seven
teen in all, containing two companies of the 6oth Rifles,
under Captains Young and Ward, also the detachments of
Royal ArtiUery* and Royal Engineers, the whole commanded
by Colonel FeUden, were ready moored in the bay. As
they moved off on their long journey of 560 miles, the
avant garde of the Red River Force, the waters of that sUent
and sequestered American lake resounded with rounds of
hearty British cheers, which were caught up and echoed
back no less warmly by their comrades, who watched the dip
of the oars until the shades of evening hid from their sight
the quick-retreating flotiUa.
It must have been a proud and happy moment for the
Commander when, turning from the wharf, after the last
sound of oars had died away in the distance, he walked to
his tent ; and the extreme beauty of the evening, doubtless,
appeared to his sanguine mind a happy augury for the success
of the undertaking on which he had embarked. One pre
sent gave expression to a pleasant bon mot, when, in the
words of the opening stanza of Virgil's famous epic, he ex
claimed, ' Arma virutnque cano,' which he rendered by a very
free translation into ' arms, men, and canoes.'
* Two guns were taken with this expedition, the other two being left in the
redoubt at Thunder Bay.

THE START ON LAKE SHEBANDOWAN. 205
The whole force was divided into twenty-one brigades,
which were distinguished by the letters of the alphabet, the
brigades consisting of six boats, each of which carried,
besides the necessary stores, about nine officers and men,
and two voyageurs. Of the total number of 150 boats,
31, constructed in Quebec, were 'carvel-built,' 16 being
rigged with ' sprits,' and the others with lug-sails ; the re
maining 119 boats were 'clinker-buUt'* All were fitted
with two masts, and six oars were generally used. The
boats and voyageurs not required for the conveyance of
troops were employed in forwarding a reserve of supplies
to Fort Frances, at the head of Rainy Lake. The brigades
of boats — lettered from A to X, omitting J, U, and W —
foUowed each other daily in quick succession, the 60th
Rifles first, then the Ontario Rifles, and lastly the Quebec
Rifles. On the ist of August the last brigade had left; and, on
the 3rd, Colonel McNeiU, who had remained to superintend
the embarkation, quitted the bay called after him. On this
day the leading brigades had reached Bare Portage, 150
miles ahead, the others being scattered along the interme
diate space ; but as arrangements had been made for com
municating and sending either backwards or forwards, and
as Colonel Wolseley himself proceeded in a canoe well
manned by Indians, going from one detachment to another,
as he considered necessary, all were well in hand, and under
his control for concentration at any time, should circum
stances have required it.t
* A boat is said to be ' chnker-built ' when the planks overlap each other,
and ' carvel-built ' when the planks are aU flush and smooth, the edges being
laid close to each other, and caulked to render them water-tight. The latter
were found to be stronger and more serviceable.
+ Few guides were forthcoming, but the officers commanding the boat
brigades had been furnished with maps, which, however, were far from
accurate. The boat with the Army Hospital and Army Staff Corps, under
Mr. MelUsh, carried also the equipment of a field-hospital, consisting of
beU-tents for 36 men, a field-bakery for Fort Frances, and medical comforts

2o6' LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
The old Hudson's Bay canoe route was by Dog Lake, but
the new route, discovered by Mr. Dawson, which was that
now adopted, passed through Lakes Shebandowan and
Kashaboiwe ; then crossed, by one of the lowest passes,
the ' Height of Land ' — as is termed the watershed which,
rising gradually from Lake Superior to a height of nearly
I, ooo feet, forms the line whence the streams diverge to
the west and north, or to the east — and, turning westward
into Lac-des-Mille-Lacs, there joined the old canoe route,
which it followed for the remainder of the way to the Red
River. On Saturday, the 23rd of July, Colonel Wolseley, accom
panied by Mr. Irvine, his soldier-servant and eight voyageurs
— six Irroquois and two French Canadians — making eleven
in all, quitted the camp at Ward's Landing in a bark canoe ;
and, on its being equipped at McNeill's Bay for the voyage,
started at half-past four the same afternoon, having first seen
off two brigades of the Ontario Militia. The weather was
remarkably beautiful, and the light bark canoe quickly sped
over the nine miles that intervened between the point of
departure and the first camping-ground on the north shore
of the lake. The camp equipment consisted of a small
tent for the officers, and a bell-tent for the men ; and the
first camp was pitched just as it was growing dusk.
At 3.30 a.m. on the following morning the small camp
was astir, and, an hour later, after a frugal repast of hot tea,
pork, and biscuits — the Commander throughout the expedi
tion having the same rations as the private soldier — the
party embarked, arriving a Uttle before eight at the first
and stores. In addition to the minimum of sixty days' rations per man,
provisions sufficient to last the force until the 30th of September were
carried in the boats. The fresh-meat supply, which had been served out
hitherto, was, of course, discontinued ; but Colonel Wolseley arranged with
Mr. Dawson to send on to Fort Frances, by the 15th of September, 20,000
rations complete.

THE FIRST PORTAGE. 207
portage, the Kashaboiwe, where they found a block of four
brigades, which gave an earnest of what might be expected
in crossing the remaining portages. This one was a very
stiff one, nearly 1,500 yards in length, and the labour of
transporting the boats, stores, camp equipment, ammuni
tion, and sixty days' provisions carried by the force, was
excessive.* A little after eleven Colonel Wolseley was in his canoe,
paddling up the Kashaboiwe Lake, about nine miles in
length, and, before two, reached the head of the lake, which
is studded with beautifully-wooded islands. Between it and
the Lac-des-Mille-Lacs lies the high land forming the water
shed between Hudson's Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
Lac-des-Mille-Lacs discharging its waters into the former,
and the Kashaboiwe Lake into the latter. The intervening
space between these two lakes is about two and a half miles
wide, and Wolseley made one portage of about 1,900 yards,
by going up a small shallow creek, which, however, was so
¦* The foUowing was the method adopted of crossing these portages ;
'On the arrival at the portages,' says Wolseley, 'the boats were at once
dra-wn into the shore as close as possible, and unloaded, the stores belong
ing to each boat being put into a separate pile. These were covered over
¦with tarpaulins, if the time was too late for work ; or if — as was always the
case -with the leading detachment, consisting of three brigades — the road
over the portage had to be opened out, and rollers for the boat laid down
upon it. At other times the men began to carry over the stores without
delay, piling them in heaps, one for each boat, at the end of the road.
After a httle practice most of the soldiers soon learned to use the common
portage-strap, their officers setting them the example by themselves carrying
heavy loads with it. As soon as aU the stores were conveyed across the
portage, the boats were hauled ashore and dragged over, their keels resting
on small trees felled across the path to act as rollers. The labour involved
by hauling a heavy boat up a very steep inchne, to a height of about loo
feet, is no child's play. In each boat there was a strong painter and a
towing-Une, by means of which and the leather portage-strap, a sort of man-
harness was formed when required, so that forty or fifty men could haul
together. Say the portage was a mile long (some were more), and that each
man had to make ten trips across it before all the stores of his brigade were
got over, he would have walked nineteen miles during the operation, being
heavUy laden for ten miles of them. At some portages considerable en
gineering ingenuity was required ; small streams had to be bridged and
marshy spots to be corduroyed over. By the time our men retumed many
of them were expert axemen, and all were more or less skilled in the craft of
the voyageur and American woodsman.'

2o8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
choked up with reeds, that all the men had to get out of the
boats into the water and pull them through. A paddle of
about half a mile brought the party to the camping-ground
for the night on the north shore of the Lac-des-Mille-Lacs, a
fine sheet of water about thirty mUes long and six to ten
miles broad, and studded with innumerable islets, through
which even the guides have difficulty in steering their way,
so that often it is necessary to have recourse to the compass.
Early on the 25th of July, the canoe was under weigh,
and, at one o'clock, the ' BarU ' portage, 350 yards long,
was reached, the distance from the ' Height of Land ' portage
being twenty miles, though owing to Wolseley having lost
his way — as did all the boats, that of the correspondent of
the Toronto Globe for two days — the actual distance traversed
was far greater.
After a vain search that afternoon, on the BarU Lake,
nine miles in length, for the Brul^ portage, they landed at
the south-western extremity of that lake. On the foUowing
day they found the portage, which is 500 yards long, and
while the provisions and stores were being carried across,
the boats were taken, for half the distance, through a little
creek that runs between Lakes BarU and Windegoostigon
(an Indian name meaning ' a series of lakes '), which
Wolseley reached by proceeding along a narrow winding
stream, through a series of small lakes connected by rapids
and creeks, fringed with cedar and spruce, and covered
with white and golden-hued lilies, forming an enchanting
scene of secluded loveliness.
That afternoon they arrived at the ' French ' portage, two
miles in length, over steep and rocky hills that would have
occupied the brigade three or four days to traverse ; but
fortunately the river, though long and winding, was found
to be navigable, with the exception of some falls, round
which the leading detachment of the 6oth Rifles had cut a

WOLSELEY AS A BACKWOODSMAN. 209
new portage, 440 yards long, and very steep and rocky.
Colonel Wolseley sent his canoe by the stream, which from
the portage to the ' French Lake ' is quite twelve miles in
length, and walked two miles over the old path.
On the following day, they passed down a winding river,
about two mUes in length, thick with reeds and water-lilies,
which led into Kaogassikok, or Pickerel Lake, some thirteen
mUes long by two to four broad, at the western extremity of
which is the ' Pine ' portage, where they encamped. As
the portage was difficult to find. Colonel Wolseley, on the
following morning, returned in the canoe a considerable
distance to ' blaze ' the trees at every point, in order to
show the way to the brigades in rear; and we have been
informed by a companion that the gallant Commander was
noted for the judgment he displayed, whUe passing the
islands, in selecting the trees to be blazed, and the dexterity
with which he would spring out of the canoe and wield his
hand-hatchet, leaving a mark in a prominent place that was
diacernible a long way astern.
After crossing the Pine portage, 550 yards long, Wolseley
saUed over Dord Lake, about a mile across, to the ' Deux
Riviferes ' portage, where they found at work the three
leading brigades under Colonel FeUden. This was a very
stiff portage, some 750 yards long, but Ignace — the 'boss,'
or leader, of the Irroquois, a splendid specimen of the Red
Indian, who had accompanied Sir George Simpson and Dr.
Rae in their Arctic explorations, and whose services through
out the Expedition were beyond all praise — with ten of his
men, by five p.m., had made an excellent road, in one place
crossing a ravine, by cutting down and laying lengthwise
some huge pines, over which skids were placed on notches,
thus enabling the boats to be transported with ease.*
* ' In the centre of the portage,' says Lieutenant Riddell, ' was a high
rock up which a ladder of felled trees had been constructed, and at the
sides steps were cut for the men to carry their loads up. Had one of the
14

210 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Wolseley proceeded ahead some distance, and then returned
and blazed the way, which was very tortuous and not easy
to find, being in one part rocky and shallow, and in
another, passing through a marshy creek, overgrown with
rushes and lilies.
The route, on the following day, was very intricate, owing
to the numerous long bays, but Colonel Wolseley blazed
trees at every point and turn. They sailed through Stur
geon Lake, which is about sixteen miles long, and, passing
through Tanner's Lake — which empties itself into Lake La
Croix, through Sturgeon River, about eighteen miles in
length — soon reached the four heavy rapids, ' about which,'
says Colonel Wolseley, ' we had heard such a gloomy
account at Ottawa from those who professed to know them
well. At the first we disembarked the men, when the boats
were taken down by the Irroquois. At the second rapid,
cargoes as well as men had to be taken out and portaged
over a distance of loo yards, the boats being then run safely
down by the Irroquois. The third and fourth rapids were
run with men and cargoes in the boats, the Irroquois steer
ing the boats.' Colonel Wolseley "left these men at the
rapids to navigate the boats of the succeeding brigades, and
nailed up a notice at the first rapid, directing aU com
manding officers to halt until Ignace arrived, and to act
precisely as he should direct them.* At six o'clock the
ropes snapped when hauling the boats up this ladder, the men at work
would, doubtless, have received very severe injuries, and the boat been
broken to a certainty.*
* In going over these rapids, four Indians generaUy rowed or paddled,
-while two others, with large-sized paddles, steered, one in the bow, the post
of honour, and the other in the stern. ' With a rush,' says RiddeU, ' and
puUed as hard as the strong arms at work were capable of, the boats entered
the rapids. The sUghtest mistake on the part of the steersman, and they
would have been smashed to pieces on the huge rocks that we passed nearer
than was pleasant. Everyone worked as for his life ; and the wild cries of
the Indians as they shouted directions to each other made those looking on
from the shore feel certain some accident was going to happen ; but the
cheers and laughter of the crews, as the boats were pulled into smooth water
at the foot of the rapids, soon dispelled the iUusion.'

THE ROUTE TO FORT FRANCES. 211
headquarters encamped below Portage de I'Isle, the last of
the rapids.
The following day they crossed Tanner's Lake, at the
outlet of which are Tanner's Rapids, where everything had
to be portaged a distance of 175 yards, and reached Island
portage, which is about eighty yards across. As the party
was strong in Indians, all hands set to work and soon made
the road and laid down the skids for the succeeding brigades
of boats.
On the 31st of July they followed the course from the
south-west extremity of Lac-la-Croix in a southerly direction
for six mUes, into Lake Loon, then west, and then north
into Lake Namekan, where it joined the old canoe route
again, thus avoiding all the dangerous rapids; there were,
however, three portages, aggregating 634 yards. After the
gig and canoe were passed over the rapids, the party
encamped for the night On the following day Colonel
Wolseley reached Bare portage, which consists reaUy of
two portages, divided by a small pond, and all hands set to
work to make the road over them. On the arrival of the
leading brigades of boats, Wolseley started on his voyage up
the ' Rainy ' Lake, a fair stretch of water, fifty miles in
length, by about thirty to forty mUes in breadth, and
encamped at eight p.m. The following day, owing to a
gale, they were compeUed to encamp on an island at the
head of Rainy Lake, but the whole flotiUa was under weigh
at four on the morning of the 4th of August, and descending
the Rainy River* for three mUes, soon reached Fort Frances,
* At the entrance to Rainy River Wolseley was hailed by a canoe, in
which was Lieutenant (now Lieut. -Colonel) Butler, 69th Regiment, who had
arrived at Fort Frances that morning from Fort Garry. He had been sent
on a special mission from Canada by General Lindsay ; and, after visiting
the towns on the south shore of Lake Superior, to learn what prospect there
was of the threateaed Fenian irruption on the communications of the ex
pedition, and passing through St. Paul's in Minnesota, he proceeded to the
lower fort, near Fort Garry, where he received a visit from Riel. On quitting
the Settlement, on the 24111 of July, he went up the Winnipeg River, and
14 — 2

212 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
' the half-way house ' to Fort Garry, the sight of which was
hailed with joy by every man in the force. During the
nineteen days that had elapsed since the first detachment
quitted McNeill's Bay, they had traversed 200 miles, having
taken their boats and stores over seventeen portages, at all
of which they had made good, practicable roads.
Fort Frances is not a military work, as its name would
imply, but a collection of wooden one-storied houses,
standing on the right bank of the Rainy River, immedi
ately below the falls, which are twenty-two feet high.
Two days after his arrival Colonel Wolseley gave a formal
interview, or ' pow-wow,' to ' Crooked Neck,' the principal
chief of a large body of Chippewa Indians, who had as
sembled to see what they could get out of the 'pale
faces,' and about a dozen of his principal followers.
' Crooked Neck ' made a very long speech, to which
Wolseley replied in brief terms to the effect that he was
sorry he had no provisions to give away, as he had only
sufficient for his own men, but that next year Government
would send him presents for helping them through. The
ceremony concluded, as it had begun, with hand-shaking
all round, and they were dismissed with a small present of
flour and pork. Colonel Wolseley also gave an interview to
another great chief, who presented a grotesque appearance,
with his painted face and parti-coloured raiment somewhat
simUar to those worn by negro melodists.
While at Fort Frances, Wolseley received letters from
Henry Price, the chief of the Salteux, or ' Swampy,' Indians,
full of loyalty, and breathing hatred towards Riel and his
party ; and from the Protestant bishop, and others, ex
pressing ardent longings for his arrival, as affairs at the
brought much valuable information concerning the position of affairs at
Fort Garry, which Riel openly declared the Expeditionary Force would
never reach.

THE START FROM FORT FRANCES. 213
Settlement were ' in a serious and threatening state.' Dur
ing his stay at Fort Frances, he took advantage of the
arrival of the brigades to weed out the many useless
voyageurs, who were sent back to Canada.
At daylight, on the loth of August, Colonel Wolseley,
after despatching the brigades, as they arrived in succession,
up to K Brigade, including the whole of the 6oth Rifles
(the I Brigade of the Ontario MiUtia being left to garrison
Fort Frances), started in his birch canoe, carrying fourteen
days' provisions, for Fort Alexander, the route to which lay
through Rainy River, seventy-five miles long ; Lake of the
AA^oods, seventy-two miles; and the River Winnipeg, a further
distance of 163 miles.
He was accompanied, as before, by Mr. Irvine and his
servant, with eight Indians, the gig keeping company, with
his two orderly officers and a crew of four soldiers and two
Indians. As they pushed off below the falls, near Fort
Frances, ' we were,' says Wolseley, ' twisted round for some
time in every direction, by the numerous whirlpools formed
by the falling of such a great body of water into a circular
basin, where it acquired a rotary motion. At one moment
the boat was going at the rate of about nine miles an hour,
the next it was perfectly stationary, having stopped without
any shock, but as suddenly as if it had struck a rock. In
some instances minutes elapsed ere the utmost exertion at
the oar, the whole crew pulling their best, could impart the
least motion to the boat Then after some moments of
hard pulling, every muscle being strained to the utmost, the
boat was released so suddenly that it bounded forward as a
spring would which had been kept back by a rope that had
suddenly snapped.' The Rainy River, which forms the
frontier between British North America and the United
States, runs a distance of seventy mUes from Fort Frances
to its embouchure into the Lake of the Woods, its breadth

214 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
varying from 300 to 400 yards. The navigation is unbroken
except at two rapids, the ' Manitou ' and ' Longsault,' thirty-
two and thirty-nine miles from Fort Frances ; and its banks
are well-wooded, with vistas of glade and forest.
The evening being fine and the moon nearly full. Colonel
Wolseley, instead of camping at night, determined to try the
plan adopted by the e7nploy'es of the Hudson's Bay Company,
of lashing the canoe and gig together, and drifting down the
river, all hands turning in, except one man in each boat to
steer and keep watch. It was pleasant enough, though the
limited space cramped the legs, until the rain began to fall,
accompanied by a strong westerly wind, and as the boats
could make no progress and the night was dark ' as a wolfs
mouth,' he decided to run them ashore. A miserable and
sleepless night was passed by the occupants of the canoe,
who cowered, as best they could, under their waterproofs ;
and at dawn, dripping with wet and stiff with cold, they were
glad to get out of their boat. After some hot tea the party
were under weigh, and made a stop for breakfast about two
miles from the mouth of Rainy River, at a small trading-post
of the Hudson's Bay Company, called ' Hungry HaU,' from
the number of men who had, from time to time, nearly died
from starvation while quartered there, though it has since
received the less ill-omened name of Fort Louisa.
Just before his arrival here. Colonel AVolseley met a
small canoe, containing three Indians, who brought letters
from Rat portage, announcing the arrival there of six boats
purchased by the loyal Protestant laity and clergy of the
Red River Settlement of all sects, to help the expedition
down the Winnipeg River. The bearers of the letters were
at once utUized as guides, and handed over to the K Brigade
which came up at that moment. Favoured by a fair breeze,
which filled their sails, the canoe and gig soon passed along
the marshy banks on both sides of the mouth of the Rainy

A LOST DAY. 215

River, from which the wild duck rose in numbers, into the
Lake of the Woods,* from the north-west angle of which lay
the direct road to Fort Garry, 115 miles ' as the crow flies,'
but only eighty of which was passable for carts, the re
mainder of the road lying through swamps. Soon they
encountered the full force of the gale that was blowing,
and some heavy seas that broke over the boats drove them,
soon after midday, to take shelter on an island, which
they named ' Detention Island.'
The gale continued all that night and the following day ;
but at eight p.m., the wind having lulled, the K Brigade
started, and soon after a canoe arrived bringing mails with
Toronto papers to the 29th of July, and London papers of
the 15th July, containing the startling intelligence of the
outbreak of war between France and Prussia. During the
evening two of the large Red River boats arrived under Mr.
Sinclair, bringing letters from Colonel Feilden from Rat port
age, at the entrance to the Winnipeg River, and from Bishop
Macrae, urging the necessity of at once despatching two
guns and 100 men to Red River. Colonel Wolseley had
been chafing all day at his enforced idleness, but to every
proposal to proceed the Indians had assured him that the
high sea on the lake would inevitably break the frail bark
canoe to pieces. He could, however, brook delay no longer,
so started in the gig in company with Captain Huyshe.
Having no guide, they steered by the stars, and after three
hours' hard pulling, made an island at one a.m., on which
they bivouacked for the night. Only four hours was aUowed
for repose, and the gig was then under weigh steering N. N.W.
To the eastward lay a group of islands, through which an
opening to escape the rough sea was looked for in vain ;
and to the westward stretched an unbroken expanse of water,
* Lake of the Woods is about seventy-two mUes long and nearly as many
broad, and is divided by clusters of islands into three distinct lakes.

2i6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
with no land in sight. The whole of that day was passed
in threading an interminable labyrinth of islands. Colonel
Wolseley taking up his station in the bows of the boat, and
steering by compass, with the aid of Mr. Dawson's very in
accurate chart. The usual halts were made for breakfast
and dinner, and when it was too dark to see, the party
bivouacked on an island. At four o'clock on the following
morning Colonel Wolseley was afloat again, hoping soon to
reach the Rat portage, which he calculated was only about
ten miles distant. He steered north, but found himself in a
cul de sac; then east, then west, trying every opening amongst
the innumerable islands, in the vain hope of making the
mouth of the AVinnipeg River. It certainly was a very
awkward position for the Commander of the Expedition ;
but at length, after wandering about hopelessly in the laby
rinth of islets and passages, at half-past three an Indian
encampment was sighted.
A present of a little tea and biscuit induced the father of
the family to embark in his canoe and act as guide, and at
eight p.m. on the 14th of August, after only one halt for
breakfast, the party in the gig arrived at Rat portage, faint
with hunger and fatigue. Here they learned that the canoe
and two Red River boats had arrived from Detention Island
early that morning, and that the four remaining Red River
boats, in charge of the Rev. Mr. Gardiner, Presbyterian
minister, had gone on with the leading brigades, to help
them down the dangerous rapids of the Winnipeg River,
which could not have been traversed without accident but
for these boats and their skilled crews.
Rat portage, at the head of the Lake of the Woods, where
there is a Hudson's Bay Company's post, consists of three
portages, the Winnipeg River, which is here some three mUes
broad, finding its way down to the lower level by three dis
tinct waterfaUs. The first is not much used. The second,

THE DESCENT OF THE WINNIPEG. 217
close to it, is 300 yards long, and, as it is chiefly used for
canoes. Colonel Wolseley passed over it. The third and
regular portage, which is three miles to the south of the
post, is 130 yards long, and as it is generaUy used for the
Company's boats, the brigades passed over it.
Colonel Wolseley remained at Rat portage during the 15th
of August, arranging for guides to be sent back to Fort
Frances to conduct the remaining brigades across the Lake
of the Woods, and also sent Lieutenant Butler, in a light
canoe, to Fort Alexander, at the mouth of the Winnipeg
River, to engage guides and send them up to Islington
Mission, where the most dangerous part of the river begins.
At sunset Colonel McNeUl arrived in a canoe, having been
only twelve days coming from Shebandowan Lake, and re
ported aU well with the brigades in the rear, which he
had passed in succession, having quitted McNeill's Bay
two days after the despatch of the X Brigade. The mails
for Canada being made up and despatched on the i6th
of August, Colonel AVolseley, accompanied by Colonel
McNeill's canoe, and the gig with the two orderly officers,
quitted Rat portage to make the descent of the Winnipeg
River.* Favoured by a fair breeze, the first ten miles, including
' Les Dalles ' Rapids, were run without any difficulty, and
tents were pitched for the night about twenty miles from the
Rat portage. The fine weather they had enjoyed since
their departure from Lake Shebandowan here deserted
them ; the night was rainy, with a cold raw fog, and the
start on the following morning was made amid rain and a
blustering head-wind, but, by dint of hard work at the oars,
¦* During its tortuous course of r63 miles, the Winnipeg River descends
350 feet by a succession of noble cataracts and rapids, which present scenery
of a singularly wild and picturesque character, and, at places, the river ex
pands into large lakes, fuU of rocky islands, and bounded by precipitous
cliffs.

2i8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
they quickly ran the intervening distance until the rapids,
called 'Grand D^charge,' were reached. Here the stores
were portaged, and the boats run down the rapids, with four
men rowing and the two Indians steering.
They now passed, in succession, Yellow Mud portage,
no yards long; a fall of six feet, which was run; Pine
portage, 240 yards long, very steep and slippery, which
took them an hour to cross ; and, a little farther on. Cave
Rapids, which were run. At three they passed IsUngton
Mission, an oasis in the sterile rocky scenery around, with
its fields of yellow corn and green pasturage, and, at 6.35,
the little flotilla reached De I'Isle Rapids, which were shot
with full cargoes, though great excitement was caused as the
plunge was taken, the dexterous Indians guiding the canoe
with consummate skill amid the surging waters and boiling
eddies that appeared as if they would engulf the fraU craft.
The party ^halted at the foot of the rapids for the night,
during which the rain came down with steady persistency,
and they were all glad to be off before five a.m., with rain
and a bleak cold wind as travelling companions. At noon
they reached the 'Chute k Jacquot,' about twenty mUes
below IsUngton Mission, a very pretty fall in a series of ter
races, where they met two Hudson's Bay boats, carrying
supplies for the Company — enormous craft so strongly buUt
that when shooting rapids they are proof against the effects
of a bump on a rock. The halfbreeds working them had
their famUies with them, and lived chiefly on ' pemican,' or
buffalo meat and fat, dried and then beaten together into a
mass, and pressed into bags made of buffalo-skin.
Having portaged the canoes and gig, with their cargoes,
the party had dinner at the far end of the portage, which is
150 yards across, and made their next halt at ' Trois Pointes
des Bois,' which consists of three portages close together,
round three very picturesque falls ; the portages were 306,

A CRITICAL MOMENT. 219
no, and sixty yards long respectively. Eight miles further
on lie ' Slave FaUs,' and in a bay, 400 yards to the right, is
the portage, 750 yards across, where the skids were laid for
the boats. The canoe portage is round a jutting ledge of
rock quite close to the faUs, and very dangerous except for
skilled boatmen well acquainted with the locality. Colonel
Wolseley's Irroquois took his canoe by this portage, though
Colonel McNeUl's Chippewas, more fearful or prudent, as
also the gig and all the boats, proceeded to the regular
portage, some 500 yards above.
AVolseley narrates in graphic terms his sensations on an
occasion when his coolness in the presence of danger was
put to almost as severe a test as any he encountered during
his adventurous career. He says : ' No length of time, nor
any amount of future adventures, can erase from my mind
the arrival at the Slave FaUs. I was in a birch canoe manned
by Irroquois, one of whom acted as guide. The regular
portage for boats was several hundred yards from the faUs,
and lay in a slack-water bay, reached without any danger as
long as the boats kept tolerably well in towards the bank on
that side. Our astonishment was great at finding the guide
take the canoe out into mid-stream, where the current ran
at an exciting pace, becoming swifter at every yard, until at
last, as we approached the vicinity of the faUs, it was palpably
evident we were descending a steeply inclined plane. Con
soling ourselves at first with the reflection that the guide
knew best what he was about, we sat motionless, but, let us
confess it, awe-stricken, as we swept into the narrow gully at
the end of which the great noisy roar of falling waters, and
the columns of spray that curled up like clouds into the air,
announced the position of the fall. We were close to the
brink. We appeared to have reached that point which exists
in most falls, whence the water seems to begin its run prepa
ratory to a good jump over into the abyss below; and we

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

knew, from having watched many great cataracts for hours,
that it was a bourne from whence there was no return.
Quick as lightning the idea flashed across us that the Indians
had made a mistake, and that everything was over for us in
this world. In that infinitesimal fraction of time a glimpse
of the countenance of the sturdy bowman rather confirmed
this idea, his teeth appeared set, and there was an unusual
look in his eye. All creations of our own heated fancy ; for
in another second the canoe's head swept in towards the
rocks, and was turned nose up stream in tolerably slack
water, two of the paddlers jumping out and holding it firmly
there. All our poetical fancies were rudely dispersed by a
cheer and chorus of laughter from the Irroquois crew. The
breaking of a paddle in the hands of either bowman or steers
man would have been fatal at that critical moment when we
turned sharply into the bank, the stern being allowed to
swing round in the heavy stream, and by so doing aid in
driving the bow inwards. Nothing could have saved us if
such an accident had occurred ; yet there were these Indians
chuckling over the danger they had just escaped by the exer
tion of their greatest skill and of their utmost muscular
power. They had needlessly and wiUingly encountered it,
for they could have gained the shore about loo yards higher
up with comparative ease, and then lowered their canoes
through the slack-water pools in the rocks along the side, to
the place they had only reached with extreme danger. There
was no use in arguing with them on the subject ; they had
confidence in themselves, and gloried in any danger which
they felt certain of overcoming.' It is not at all improbable,
however, that the Indians had a purpose in paddling so
perilously near the brink of these dangerous falls, and that
it was done to test the courage of the young Commander,
whom every man among the ' pale-faces ' obeyed and trusted
so implicitly ; and truly the ingenuity of man could not have

ARRIVAL AT FORT ALEXANDER. 221
devised a more crucial test. To sit calmly in the stern-
sheets of a canoe, which, carried away in the mighty vortex
of a current running like a sluice, was hurrying over a chasm
to, apparently, certain and immediate destruction, and
neither by word nor gesture to express a sign of fear, was an
ordeal ofthe most trying character. But it was triumphantly
endured, and if the Irroquois watched the countenance of
the British leader in order to note a change in its habitual
expression, they looked in vain, and he preserved the
stoicism of a Red Indian at the stake.
That nigjit they encamped below the falls, and on the
following day the gig and canoes passed the Barriere portage,
the Otter Falls, and the Sept portages. These last are a
succession of seven hea-vy falls, and rapids, with sunken
rocks and whirlpools, nearly three miles long, at each of
which they had to go through the task of unloading, por
taging, and reloading, thus causing excessive labour to the
soldiers with the heavy boats.
Colonel Wolseley was astir soon after three on the
following morning, raising the camp, as was his wont
throughout the expedition, by the cry of ' Fort Garry !'
shouted in cheery tones at the top of his voice. When
they started, an hour later, the prospect before them was
of a StUl more arduous day's work, as Colonel Wolseley
expressed his determination to reach Fort Alexander on the
2oth of August, and it was known that nothing would turn
him from his purpose, when, as President Lincoln used to
say, he ' put his foot down.' Crossing Lac de Bonnet, they
passed Calais du Bonnet portage, 145 yards long ; the
Second Bonnet, 100 yards long ; the Grand Bonnet, one of
the largest portages on the route, upwards of 1,300 yards in
length, and the Petit Bonnet. At one o'clock they were at
White Mud portage, 280 yards long; and an hour later
reached the two Silver FaUs portage, respectively 200 and

222 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
thirty yards in length. The falls are described as most
magnificent, the volume of water over the cascades being
enormous, and the scenery being, according to Wolseley,
' the finest on the river.' Embarking again, a further pull
of five miles, with two or three difficult rapids, brought them
to Pine portage, the last on the route to Fort Garry, which
is about 350 yards across. For the last time they embarked;
and, pulling over the reach of eight miles, broken by two
easily-run rapids, arrived, at 6.35 on the 20th of August, at
Fort Alexander, situated about two miles from the mouth
of the Winnipeg, whose rapids they had run and portages
surmounted without the loss of a single boat — a feat,
having regard to the dangers of its falls, eddies, currents,
and sunken rocks, which cannot be contemplated without
admiration at the skUful management of the crews and fore
thought of the leader.
When expatiating on the dangers of the Winnipeg River,
the experienced crews of the Hudson's Bay boats had stated
that it would take twenty days to get to Fort Alexander,
but the distance was accomplished by British soldiers in
exactly half that time. Whereas before the expedition, says
Wolseley, 'we found a general conviction stamped upon
the mjnds of every one of every class that we met, that the
British soldier was a fine brave fellow, who, as a fighting-
man, was equal to two of any other nation, but utterly
useless for any other purpose, such as carrying loads,
performing heavy bodily labour, or enduring great physical
fatigue, we now bear a very different reputation in those
parts, and have left behind us a character for every manly
virtue.' Colonel Wolseley was received at Fort Alexander by Mr.
Donald Smith, the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company,
and the soldiers who had preceded him gathered round the
top of the steps leading to the fort, and gave their leader

THE RUN ACROSS LAKE WINNIPEG. 223
three ringing cheers. ' There was not a sick man,' he says,
' amongst those collected at Fort Alexander ; all looked
the picture of health and of soldier-like bearing. Up to the
2oth of August it had rained upon thirteen days in that
month. The work had .been incessant from daylight until
dark, but no murmur was heard.'
Sunday was a day of well-earned rest Divine service
was held, at which the troops attended, though the
beneficial effect was rather marred by an unconscionably
long sermon, which drew from one of the men, who were
assembled under arms in the open air and greatly felt the
heat, the irreverent remark, that ' it was worse than a long
portage.' At three p.m. on the following day the advance
was sounded, and away down the Winnipeg River, with a
fair wind, sailed the flotilla of about fifty boats. Colonel
Wolseley now quitted the canoe in which he had journeyed
from Shebandowan Lake, and led the van, accompanied by
Mr. Donald Smith, in one of the large Red River boats.
On arrival at the mouth of the Winnipeg River, the
flotiUa stood out into Lake Winnipeg,* and proceeded to
Elk Island, twenty miles from Fort Alexander, where the
boats were drawn up on a fine sandy beach. ' Fort Garry '
was sounded at 3.30 on the foUowing morning, and, thanks
to a favouring breeze and fine weather, the flotiUa set sail,
presenting an imposing appearance as they sped —
' Through seas where sail was never spread before. '
A quick run was made across the southern portion of
Lake Winnipeg, to the mouth ofthe Red River; and, before
three, the flotiUa was sailing up the centre of the three
channels by which it flows into Lake Winnipeg. Colonel
Wolseley sent his canoe ahead, with orders to keep a sharp
* Lake Winnipeg has an area of 9,000 square miles, and measures 264
miles, by an average width of 35. The name signifies, in the Chippewa
tongue, ' dirty water."

224 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
look-out, and report anything unusual or suspicious ; and he
himself led the boats, which followed in two lines imme
diately astern of Colonel FeUden. At sunset the force
encamped on the right bank of the river, about eleven miles
below the Stone Fort (or Lower Fort Garry), and just
opposite the lodges of the Swampy Indians, whose chief,
Henry Prince, and a few of the tribe, in their full dress of
feathers and paint, paid a visit of ceremony to the British
Commander. After the usual compliments they were
dismissed with Colonel Wolseley's hearty thanks for their
loyalty, accompanied by a substantial present of pork and
flour, and every precaution was adopted to prevent the news
of the arrival of the flotilla from spreading.
It rained all that night, and the reveille sounded at 3.30,
when the men started after the usual cup of hot tea. The
flotilla continued its course up the river in the same order
as on the preceding day, and received a welcome from all
classes, the men cheering, the women waving their hand
kerchiefs, and the bells of the churches, which are Protestant
below Fort Garry, ringing out a merry peal, whUe the
Indians turned out of their camps, and gave vent to their
joy by discharging their firearms. At eight o'clock the
flotUla reached Stone Fort, a square enclosure with large
circular bastions at each angle. No reliable information
could be obtained of Riel, though it was anticipated that he
would resist if he could get his followers to fight. The
boats were lightened of all superfluous stores ; and as
Colonel AVolseley was anxious to get to Fort Garry, if
possible, before dark, only a day's rations were taken. It
was necessary to advance with caution, and Captain
WaUace's company ofthe 6oth was detached as an advance-
guard and flanking-party on the left bank of the river, which
is here sprinkled with white houses and neat farms. That
officer received orders to keep his main body on the

THE ADVANCE ON FORT GARRY. 225
road about a quarter of a mile in front of the boats, with
connecting files to the river's bank, and an advance-party of
one section of his company about 500 yards further ahead ;
two signal-men, with flags, to facilitate communication with
the boats, were also furnished to him. The distance
between the two forts being twenty-two miles by road, the
company v/as mounted on ponies and in country carts, and
had orders to stop all persons on their way up the river,
but not to interfere with those going down the stream.
Lieutenant Butler was also detached on horseback up the
right bank, which is mostly covered with wUlows, with
orders to patrol along the road a Uttle ahead of the boats,
and to show himself at intervals. The adoption of these
precautions was attended with perfect success, as it was
found that, as the troops advanced, the actual appearance
of the boats was the first intimation the people had of the
arrival of the expedition ; and it was afterwards ascertained
that Riel was kept so completely in the dark as to the
proximity of the British force, that though he, in company
with O'Donoghue, rode out late that night towards the
British pickets, for the purpose of verifying the rumours
that had come to his ears, he returned without having
ascertained any certain information.
Colonel Wolseley, embarking in the gig, led the flotiUa ;
the boats, with the 2 seven-pounders mounted in the bows,
proceeded in the same order as before, and everything and
everybody was in readiness to give Riel a warm reception
in the event of his disputing the passage of the river. The
flotilla, without much difficulty, poled and tracked up the
Grand Rapids, which were child's play after those of the
Winnipeg River ; but as it was found impossible to reach
Fort Garry that night, the camp was pitched on the left
bank, about six miles below the fort by road, and eight
or nine by the river. Outlying pickets were thrown out on
IS

226 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
both sides of the river, and a chain of sentries posted, to
cut off aU communication between the fort and the settle
ments in rear of the force. It rained hard all night, with a
strong breeze from the north-west, and it was wretched work
turning out on the foUowing morning. ' As we bent over
our fires at daybreak,' says Wolseley, ' trying to get warmth
for our bodies, and sufficient heat to boU the kettles,
a more miserable-looking lot of objects it would be im
possible to imagine. Everyone was wet through ; we were
cold and hungry ; our very enemies would have pitied our
plight.' The heavy rain having rendered the road ankle-deep in
black mud. Colonel Wolseley was obUged to abandon his
intention of marching on the fort, and before six a.m.,
amid a torrent of rain, the troops, having struck their tents
and breakfasted, embarked in their boats. Captain Wallace's
company, which had been on picket all night, again con
tinued its march along the road on the flank, which in
places was a sheet of water, through which the men had to
wade. About eight o'clock the troops were disembarked at
Point Douglas, about two mUes from the fort by land. The
soldiers, forming up in open column of companies, plodded
on cheerfully through the sea of mud, with the rain beating
in their faces. Colonel Wolseley and his staff mounted
some ponies brought by the country people. The 6oth
Rifles led, throwing out skirmishers about 400 yards in
advance of the column ; then came the artiUery, with the
2 guns limbered on to carts, followed by the Engineers, with
a company of Rifles as rear-guard. In this formation the
column, led by Wolseley and accompanied by a few loyal
inhabitants on horseback, who were useful as scouts and
guides, marched over the prairie in rear of the viUage of
Winnipeg, and advanced on the fort At this point,
messengers who had been sent the previous night to

OCCUR A TION OF FORT GARR Y. 227
Winnipeg, arrived with the assurance that Riel and his
gang were still inside the fort, and meant to fight. The
spirits of the men immediately rose at this announcement,
and, as they briskly approached the fort, all the appearances
pointed to the same conclusion : no flag was flying from the
flag-staff, the gate commanding the village and prairie was
closed, and there was a gun in position over the gateway,
and others in the embrasures bearing upon them. Not a
soul appeared to be stirring, and everything looked as if a
surprise was intended. The excitement increased momen
tarily as the skirmishers quickened their pace.
Colonel Wolseley now sent Colonel McNeUl and Lieu
tenant Denison round the fort to ascertain the state of
affairs, and presently they returned with the intelligence
that the southern gate was wide open, and the fort appeared
to be evacuated. The disappointment among all ranks was
keen and outspoken, for they had given Riel credit, after all
his bravado, for sufficient courage to try a passage of arms
with them, and to be thus deprived of the opportunity of
gaining a little honour at his expense was ' very hard lines '
on men who, since the 21st of May, when Colonel Wolseley
and the advanced guard of the expedition quitted Toronto,
had saUed, and marched, and tugged at the oars, and
laboured over forty-seven portages, for a distance of 1,200
miles. However, the klat that would have surrounded the
expedition had Riel caused the expenditure of some powder,
with its concomitant of death and wounds, was denied to the
troops, and so thus was won a bloodless victory, but one
which, nevertheless, having regard to the difficulties over
come, must ever be regarded as shedding an additional
lustre on the name of the British soldier.
Amid a continual downpour, the troops entered by the
southern gate, when the fort was found to be empty of its
late defenders — Riel, Lepine, and O'Donoghue having
IS— 2

228 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
ridden off only a quarter of an hour before.* Some field-
guns, mounted on the bastions and over the gateway in the
fort, were now taken outside, the troops formed up in line
near them, the Union Jack was hoisted under a royal salute,
and three hearty cheers were given for the Queen, caught
up by the people who flocked to the spot, the soldiers
finishing by ' one cheer more ' for their Commander, under
whose leadership this great success had been achieved.
Thus, on Wednesday, the 24th of August, the British
flag once move waved over Fort Garry, within twenty-four
hours of the time specified by Colonel Wolseley when he under
took the conduct of the expedition. Four years later he
displayed simUar military punctuality in keeping his engage
ments, when, to the day he designated before leaving Cape
Coast, his victorious army formed up in the main street of
Coomassie, to give three cheers for Her Majesty. It certainly
is a novel feature in warfare, and one that deserves to be
speciaUy recorded, that in two expeditions, undertaken
under circumstances that seemed, in a peculiar degree, to
defy the exigencies of time, a General should months before
hand point to the day in the almanack on which he would
be at his goal, and fulfil his engagement in spite of all the
difficulties of time, transport, weather, the accidents that
await all human undertakings, and the physical obstacles
* These three ringleaders made their escape to Pembina, in United
States territory. In 1873 Riel was elected by acclamation a Member for
Provencher in the Dominion House of Commons, and at the General Elec
tion was re-elected by a majority of three to one. There was great excite
ment at Ottawa when, on the 30th of March, 1874, he went to the clerk's
office, took the oath, and signed the Parhamentary roU, but then disap
peared. A true biU was found against him on the charge of murder, and a
warrant of outlawry was issued by the Queen's Bench, Manitoba, on the
15th of October, 1874, and the Government of Ontario offered a reward of
S,ooo doUars for his apprehension. His ' Adjutant-General,' Lepine, who
presided over the mock court-martial that tried and sentenced to death the
loyal Canadian, Thomas Scott, and commanded the shooting-party, was
brought to trial at Winnipeg, and condemned to death on the loth of Oc
tober, 1874, but the capital sentence was commuted by Lord Dufferin.

ESCAPE OF RIEL. 229
encountered in traversing regions untrod before by any but
travellers.* As the men were in a miserable plight from the drenching
rain, accommodation was found for all in the buUdings inside
the fort So hurried had been the flight of 'President'
Riel, who refused to credit the approach of the troops until
he actually saw them marching round the vUlage, that the
breakfast-table was laid, and the late Dictator of the Red
River and his Ministers had only half partaken of the viands
that more honest men were destined to enjoy.
Colonel Wolseley was only too glad that Riel had fled, as
his capture would have complicated matters in the state of
Canadian Parliamentary parties ; no attempt was, therefore,
made to pursue and arrest the fugitives, though they might
easUy have been captured. Indeed many of the inhabitants
offered voluntarily to capture Riel and his associates, if he
would only authorize them to do so; but to all these
applicants the same answer was made, ' Go to a magistrate
for a warrant, and when obtained, Mr. Smith will provide
the means for execution.' Wolseley had not been invested
by the Canadian Government with civil authority, and
though the most influential of the inhabitants requested
him to assume the reins of power, with equal good sense
and moderation he declined to do so ; but, pending the
arrival of the new Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. Archibald,
handed over the conduct of civil affairs to Mr. Donald
Smith, who, as Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, was
the legal representative of the Government until the advent
of his successor. No arrests were made by the military,
and the three or four prisoners who were detained when the
troops marched into the fort, were released during the day,
there being no warrant out against them, and no sworn
* Since the above was written, as will appear further on in this narrative,
the subject of this memoir was equally punctual in his engagements in the
campaigns against Secocoeni and Arabi.

230 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
information. In fact no proper constables could be pro
cured to execute warrants, and Colonel Wolseley, who
acted throughout these somewhat difficult and unfamiUar
circumstances with marked good sense and discretion,
positively refused to allow his soldiers to be converted into
policemen. The position of affairs in the interval between the 22nd
of August, and the arrival of Mr. Archibald on the 2nd
of September, was one requiring delicate management, as
the reaction from the state of fear in which the settlers had
lived for the preceding ten months, to one of perfect
security, turned the heads of many of them, and there was
some trouble in keeping them in proper restraint ; also,
though the rebel leaders had disappeared, many of their
adherents had merely retired to their homes, and loud
dissatisfaction was expressed by the loyally disposed at
these rebels being allowed to remain at large. Colonel
Wolseley took every precaution to keep the peace, by
patrolling Winnipeg and the neighbourhood of the fort
with armed parties of his soldiers, but though he could
have easUy maintained order by proclaiming mUitary law,
he considered it essential, for political reasons, to keep the
mUitary element in the background, and make it appear
that law and order were maintained as in other Canadian
provinces. The difficulty of this task may be appreciated,
when it is remembered that all the former machinery of
government had disappeared, and even the few magistrates
who remained were either afraid or disinclined to act.
There was no law officer of any description, so that in
reality the revival of public confidence was due to the moral
effect produced by the presence of the troops, and by the
consciousness that they would be used at any moment, if
necessary, for the suppression of disturbance and the -main
tenance of order.

WOLSELEY'S ABSTEMIOUSNESS. 231
Mr. Smith entertained Colonel Wolseley and the head
quarter staff during their stay in Fort Garry right hospitably,
and, after their long abstinence, they all thoroughly enjoyed
the fine old port provided by the Hudson's Bay Company
for their Governor, with the exception of the Commander,
who touched not one drop. When starting on this expedi
tion, Wolseley had laid it down as his rule of conduct to
set an example of abstinence to his men : acting upon views
he had for years strongly entertained, as to the positive
injury to health caused by dram-drinking, even in modera
tion, he would permit no liquor of any sort — except a small
quantity of brandy in each brigade of boats, as 'medical
comforts,' under the charge of the commanding officer — to
form part of the commissariat department. But he sanc
tioned a liberal allowance of tea, which was freely taken by
officers and men twice and thrice a day, and though they
were constantly wet to the skin, and had to perform the
hardest work in damp clothes, the medical returns were
almost blank, and crime and any serious cases of sickness
were alike unknown in the force. So scrupulously did
Colonel Wolseley set the example of abstemiousness to his
men, that when, on the return journey from Fort Garry, it
was proposed to him that a bottle of whisky he had taken
in his canoe as 'medical comforts,' should be broached
when starting on Lake Shebandowan, he replied, ' No, I
have promised it to Kane ' — his soldier servant of the 6oth
Rifles — and to Kane it was ultimately handed over unopened,
after performing a journey of 2,400 miles.
On his arrival at Fort Garry,* the newly instaUed Governor
* Fort Garry, called also ' the Upper Fort,' is a rectangular edifice,
crowded with buildings, having an area of 200 by 85 yards. The original
fort, which was built about the year 1840, and was 100 yards in length, is
surrounded by a stone wall 10 feet high, with circular bastions pierced for
guns, t Ten years later, when a detachment of the 6th Regiment was quar
tered here, it was doubled in size, and surrounded by a wooden palisading
on a stone foundation. The fort stands at the angle formed by the junction

232 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
placed at Colonel Wolseley's disposal the best and most
roomy apartment as a sleeping chamber; and when Mr.
Irvine, his companion in the tent during the hard times of
the long march, was proceeding to put up for the night as
usual, Wolseley, with the feeUngs of comradeship of a true
soldier, would not listen to this, but made his compagnon de
voyage share his good luck, and place his mattress in a corner
of the room. Such small traits give the clue to the character
of a man, and, in our opinion, are not too trivial to be chro
nicled by a biographer.
On the 28th of August, Colonel Wolseley issued an order*
recounting the labours imposed on the troops, and thanking
them for their ' unparalleled exertions' in surmounting them.
What these were, were recognised by a competent judge —
Mr. Archibald, the new Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba,
who wrote to Colonel Wolseley : ' I can judge of the work

of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, and is 100 yards distant from the former.
The village of Winnipeg, about half a mile distant, was, in 1870, a collec
tion of some fifty houses, forming one wide street.
* In this order he said : ' You have endured excessive fatigue in the
performance of a service that, for its arduous nature, can bear comparison
with any previous military expedition. In coming here from Prince Arthur's
Landing you have traversed a distance of upwards of 600 miles. Your
labours began with road-making and the construction of defensive works ;
then followed the arduous duty of taking the boats up a height of 800 feet,
along 50 miles of river fuU of rapids, and where portages were numerous.
From the time you left Shebandowan Lake until Fort Garry was reached,
your labour at the oar has been incessant from daybreak to dark every day.
Forty-seven portages were got over, entailing the unparalleled exertion of
carrying the boats, guns, ammunition, stores, and provisions over a total
distance of upwards of seven miles. It may be said that the whole journey
has been made through a wilderness, where, as there were no supplies of
any sort whatever to be had, everything had to be taken with you in the
boats. I have throughout viewed with pleasure the manner in which officers
have vied with their men in carrying heavy loads. It has rained upon forty-
five days out of ninety-four that have passed since we landed at Thunder
Bay, and upon many occasions every man has been wet through for days
together, there has not been the slightest murmur of discontent heard
from anyone. It may be confidently asserted that no force has ever had to
endure more continuous labour, and it may be as truthfully said that no men
on service have ever been better behaved, or more cheerful under the trials
arising from exposure to inclement weather, excessive fatigue, and to the
annoyance caused by ffies.'

THE RETURN TO CANADA. 233
you have had to do all the better from having seen for myself
the physical obstacles that had to be met and overcome
— obstacles which, I assure you, exceed anything I could
have imagined. It is impossible not to feel that the men
who have triumphed over such difficulties must not only
have themselves worked well, but also have been well led ;
and I should not be doing justice to my own feelings if I
were not, on my arrival here, to repeat the expressions of
admiration extorted from me as I passed along in view of
the difficulties you had to meet, and which you have so
triumphantly surmounted'
On the following day, the Regular troops, being relieved
bythe Ontario MiUtia, commenced to leave forCanada by the
Winnipeg River, Captain Bailer's* company of the 60th Rifles,
guided by Mr. Monkman, proceeding by the road to the
north-west angle of Lake of the Woods, where they were to
exchange for boats the pack-horses that had formed their
means of transport. By the 3rd of September all the Regu
lars had left Fort Garry on their return to Canada.
Mr. Archibald was duly instaUed as Lieutenant-Governor
of Manitoba on the 6th of September, and on the loth
Colonel Wolseley started by the road between Fort Garry
and Lake of the Woods. The Militia regiments remained
in the territory ; the Ontario Rifles in Fort Garry, where
the two guns were also left ; and the Quebec Rifles at the
Stone Fort.
The troops performed in safety the return journey to
Prince Arthur's Landing, which was very arduous, as the
rapids of the Winnipeg had to be laboriously ' poled ' and
'tracked,' instead of 'run.' As they arrived at Thunder
* Now Sir Redvers BuUer, V.C, K.C.M.G., C.B., who served under his
old chief in Ashantee and Egypt, and is acknowledged to be one of the best
officers in the army. During the Zulu War he and Sir Evelyn Wood,
another of those so unworthily stigmatized as the ' Ashantee Ring,' con
fessedly came out as the heroes in a war that was the grave of so many
reputations.

234 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Bay, they embarked for ColUngwood, whence they pro
ceeded by train to Toronto and Montreal, where the last
detachment arrived on the 14th of October. General
Lindsay was enabled to report to the War Office, that
' with the exception of one man left at Fort Garry, with
inflammation of the lungs, the Regular force returned to
Canada with no sick, and with no casualty by drowning, or
of any other description.' Truly a marvellous and unprece
dented result in an arduous expedition, in which over 1,200
soldiers and 500 non-combatants were engaged.
On Wolseley's arrival at the north-west angle of Lake
of the Woods, he found a note from General Lindsay, say
ing that he intended to embark for England on the ist of
October, and would be glad of his company. Wolseley
immediately pushed on for Prince Arthur's Landing in his
canoe, and on his arrival took ship to CoUingwood. Hurry
ing through Toronto, he proceeded to Montreal, where the
citizens entertained him at a banquet, and presented him
with an address of welcome and congratulation.*
The citizens of Montreal, whose sentiments were echoed
by the inhabitants of Canada, were capable of forming a just
estimate of the arduous nature of the expedition brought
* In this address they said : ' In common -with the , entire people of
Canada, we hailed your appointment to the command of the expedition
with pleasure, and looked forward to your conduct of it with the most implicit
confidence — a confidence which has been more than justified by the result.
The difficulties of leading a considerable body of troops through an unin.
habited territory without roads, and removed from any sources of supply,
Uke that between Fort WiUiam and Fort Garry, were such as to tax the
utmost skill ; and that you have succeeded in overcoming them so success
fully, without the loss of a single man, or any serious casualty; is the highest
tribute that could be paid to your character and abihties as a soldier. The
citizens of Montreal, who watched the progress of the expedition with the
most anxious concern, will ever remember your admirable management of
it with feelings of the warmest gratitude. We regret your departure from
Canada, where your conduct as a soldier, and your character as a citizen,
have won for you so many warm friends ; and, in bidding you fareweU, we
can assure you that the citizens of Montreal will feel the deepest interest in
your future career, and will leam with the greatest gratification of your future
happiness and prosperity.'

COST OF THE EXPEDITION. 235
to so successful a conclusion, as well as the advantages
accruing to the Dominion ; but it was otherwise with the
people of this country. During the entire time occupied
by the expedition, the attention of England, as of the whole
civilized world, was riveted upon the tremendous drama
then enacting on the banks of the Rhine, and so it hap
pened that the labours and endurance of the soldiers, and
the capacity and triumphant success of the leader of the
Expedition to the Red River, were passed over with scarce
one word of comment and eulogium on the part of the
Press. A point that always tells with the British taxpayer should
not be omitted in summing up the successful features of
this expedition, and it was one that tended in no small
measure to consign it to oblivion. It has been generaUy
stated — and Captain Huyshe himself, in his pubUshed work,
repeats the error — that the cost of the expedition was about
_;^4oo,ooo. We have it from the authority ofthe commander,
however, that the entire sum expended was only ;^8o,ooo,
and as, according to the original agreement, the mother
country was to defray one quarter of the amount, it foUows
that John Bull was only mulcted to the extent of ^£'20,000.
We know what a commotion was made over the Abyssinian
bill of _;^9,ooo,ooo, and for years after a committee of the
House, of Commons was engaged inquiring into the items of
expenditure. Doubtless, therefore, John Bull, in the case
under consideration, somewhat illogically considered that
his rewards and approval should be meted out in propor
tion to the expenditure and to the disturbance of his peace
of mind on the score of his contribution.
Colonel and Mrs. Wolseley proceeded to England in the
Scandinavian, and on their arrival in London, in October,
1870, his appointment of Deputy Quartermaster-General
in Canada having been abolished with the withdrawal of all

236 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
British troops from the Dominion, he was placed upon the
half-pay Ust of his rank.
AVolseley was not backward in expressing his sense of the
conduct of the troops committed to his charge, and, in his
final despatch of the 26th of September, after enumerating
the difficulties overcome, adds : ' We were launched out into
a desert of trees and water, carrying everything we required
with us, unable even to avail ourselves of the assistance
of horses or other draught cattle. Once cut adrift from
our base at Prince Arthur's Landing, untU we had forced
our way through the 600 mUes of forests that separated
us from the inhabited country at the Red River, we were
beyond the reach of all assistance from the outside world,
and had to rely upon our own exertions solely to carry us
through. Except that we were armed with superior weapons,
the expedition might have been one of classic times, so
primitive was our mode of progression, and so little assisted
were we by modern appliances.'*
The success of the expedition was chiefly due to the
master-mind, who infused into his subordinates some of
his indomitable resolution and wUl, and who only encoun
tered unforeseen difficulties to overcome them. A striking
instance of this fertility of resource was afforded by him
when, on finding the impossibility of utilizing the road to
Lake Shebandowan for the transport of boats, he sent them
up the Kaministiquia River — a route that had been pro
nounced impracticable. ' Had not this step been taken,'
* His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, in a general order to
the officers and men of the Red River force, expressed ' his entire satisfac
tion at the manner in which they have performed the arduous duties which
were entailed upon them, by a journey of above 600 miles through a country
destitute of suppUes, and which necessitated the heavy labour of carrying
boats, guns, ammunition, stores, and provisions over no less than forty-
seven portages. Seldom have troops been caUed upon to endure more
continuous labour and fatigue, and never have officers and men behaved
better or worked more cheerfully, during inclement weather and its conse
quent hardships, and the successful result of the expedition shows the perfect
disciphne and spirit of all engaged in it.'

GEN. LINDSA Y'S ESTIMA TE OF WOLSELE Y. 237
writes General Lindsay, ' the Regulars certainly would not
have returned this season.' No one outside the expe
ditionary force knew better than the Lieutenant-General
commanding the troops in Canada, the nature and extent of
the obstacles so triumphantly overcome, and he says, in his
final despatch of the i ith of October : ' The mainspring of
the whole movement was the Commander, Colonel Wolse
ley, who has shown throughout great professional abUity.
He has the faculty of organization and resource in difficulty.
He has served in many campaigns with distinction, and in
this expedition he has shown great aptitude for command.
His advance upon Fort Garry itself was conducted with skill
and prudence, and his proceedings there in abstaining from
all interference with civil affairs himself, seem to me to have
been eminently judicious. I hardly think it possible to over
rate the advantage Her Majesty's Government and Canada
have derived from the employment upon this deUcate as
well as arduous service, of an officer of Colonel Wolseley's
attainments, character, and discretion. I have esteemed
myself fortunate in having such an instrument in my hand
to carry out your orders with respect to the Red River
Expedition. I therefore confidently recommend Colonel
Wolseley to the gracious favour of Her Majesty.' Wolseley,
while at Fort Garry, had learned in a letter from his old
chief and friend, the late Sir Hope Grant, that his name
would be included among the Companions of the Bath
in the next Gazette, a tardy acknowledgment for his many
and eminent services in four great wars ; and now, at the
bidding of his Sovereign, he ' rose up ' Sir Garnet Joseph
Wolseley, K.C.M.G.
On the ist of May, 1871, after having been six months
on the half-pay list. Sir Garnet Wolseley was appointed
Assistant Adjutant-General, Discipline Branch, at the
Horse Guards. His staff-service hitherto had been all

238 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
passed in the Quartermaster-General's Department, which,
deaUng with the movement and supply of troops, as weU as
with other multifarious staff duties, was, according to the old
r'egii7ie, the most important of the administrative branches of
the service.
In the following August the Duke of WeUington invited
officers to compete for a prize of ;^roo, for the best Essay
on 'The System of Field Manoeuvres best adapted for
enabling our troops to meet a continental army.' The
competitors were required to send in their Essays before
the ist of March in the following year, and Colonel
E. B. Hamley, C.B., Commandant of the Staff CoUege, and
the distinguished author of the ' Operations of War,' con
sented to act as judge. Under the signature of ' Ubique,'
Sir Garnet Wolseley competed for this prize ; but he was not
sanguine of success, as, owing to his onerous office-work at
the Horse Guards, he was only able to give to the composi
tion of the Essay such intervals of time as were snatched
from his official duties. But though this hastily-written
production of his pen did not carry off the prize, it was
regarded with so much favour by the judge, that it was
published by the desire of the Duke of Wellington.
It spea.ks not a little for Sir Garnet Wolseley's energy
and love of his profession that he, who had made his name
as a practical and successful soldier, should care to com
pete with Staff College students and other officers who had
abundance of leisure.* This competition also affords an
instance ofhis generosity; for when selecting his staff for the
* At the request of the late Sir Hope Grant, commanding the Division at
Aldershot, he delivered a lecture at the Camp on the Red River Expedition,
which was never published, and the MS. was burnt at the Pantechnicon.
Again overcoming his rooted dislike to lecturing, at the request of his old
commander and friend, in January, 1873, he read a paper before a large
military audience at Aldershot on ' Railways in time of War.' As this im
portant subject could not be treated exhaustively in one lecture, it was his
intention to have delivered a second, but this resolve he was unable to carry
out, and the brochure has been printed in its incomplete form.

WOLSELEY AT THE AUTUMN MANOEUVRES. 239
Ashantee War, he offered the appointment of MUitary
Secretary to his successful rival. Lieutenant J. F. Maurice,*
R.A. (Instructor of Tactics and Organization at the Royal
Military College, Sandhurst) ; and on learning that, according
to ' the rules of the service,' the officer filling this position
on a General's staff must not be under the rank of a
captain, he appointed him his private secretary, and in that
capacity the successful essayist conducted his chiefs official
correspondence with the Colonial Office in Ashantee.
During the autumn manoeuvres of 187 1, in the neighbour
hood of Aldershot and Woolmer Forest, Sir Garnet
Wolseley held the post of Chief of the Staff to Sir Charles
Staveley ; and, in the following year, he served as Assistant
Adjutant-General on the staff of the Southern army,
commanded by Sir John Michel, who, remembering the
capacity Wolseley displayed in the China War and in
Canada, requested him to conduct the duties of that
department Sir Garnet was a member of the Committee
for the Reorganization of the Army, presided over by
General McDougall, and also frequently wrote minutes on
various military questions at the request of the Duke of
Cambridge and Mr. Cardwell, then Secretary of State for
War. But the name and services of Sir Garnet Wolseley would
have remained in comparative obscurity had not one of
those crises arisen which this country, with her vast colonies
and dependencies, has so frequently been called upon to
meet, and once again ' the hour brought forth the man.'
When we survey the situation of affairs on the Gold Coast
in the autumn of 1873, and the difficulties that appeared to
militate against a successful invasion of Ashantee, difficulties
as to climate, transport, and the limited time disposable for
-* This able and gallant officer is closely identified with the fortunes of
Lord Wolseley, under whom he served in Ashantee, Cyprus, South Africa,
and Egypt.

240 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
military operations, we may recall the anxiety with which
every patriotic heart regarded the success of the expedition
at the time it was despatched from these shores. We may
bring to mind the telegrams and despatches in which was
recounted the story of how these obstacles were manfully
met and overcome, how the invading host of savages was
rolled back across the stream over which the foot of a
white conqueror had never yet been set, and then how the
final advance on Coomassie was made with a handful of
men, battling ten to one against a fierce and cruel enemy,
who knew every tree and track of the forests surrounding
their capital. When we recall these achievements of that
small and daUy diminishing band, achievements which equal
in disciplined valour the deeds of Pizarro and Cortez, who
fought in open country against an effeminate foe, and in a
comparatively healthy climate, we may congratulate our
selves on possessing such soldiers, and 'lay the flattering
unction to our souls ' that whUe British officers volunteer in
hundreds to encounter the perUs of battle and disease, and
the army can provide such a General to lead them to
victory, the country has no cause to lament the decay of the
spirit that led our fathers to conquer India and colonize so
large a portion of the globe.

CHAPTER vn.
THE ASHANTEE WAR.
Preparations for the War. — Arrival at Cape Coast. — Operations South of
the Prah. — The Action at Essaman. — Defence of Abrakrampa, and Re
treat of the Ashantees, — IUness of Sir Garnet Wolseley. — Preparations for
crossing the Prah. — The Advance into Ashantee. — Battle of Amoaful. —
Action at Ordahsu. — Capture of Coomassie, — Return to Cape Coast. —
The Treaty of Fommanah. — Sir Garnet Wolseley returns to England. —
The Welcome Home.
The Government of Mr. Gladstone, like others that had
preceded it, was averse from entering upon an Ashantee
War,* owing to the unpopularity attaching to such ex
peditions in England, and the knowledge that, in the event
of failure, it was morally certain an adverse vote in
Parliament would place them on the Opposition benches.
But, though long-suffering, it was impossible that any
Government not utterly destitute of public spirit could
tolerate the continued occupation of the Fantee Protectorate
and the practical blockade of the British forts by the
savage hordes of Koffee Kalkalli ; and, at length, the
receipt of the news of the action at Elmina on the 13th of
June, when Colonel Festing repeUed the enemy, induced
the Ministry to resolve upon undertaking military operations.
Sir Garnet Wolseley was named for the command, and the
Government wisely resolved to centre in his hands the
supreme direction of civil as well as mUitary affairs. In
* A detailed account of the events preceding the war may be found in
' Fantee and Ashantee,' by Captains Huyshe and Henry Brackenbury,
R.A., and in the ' History of the Ashantee War,' bythe latter officer, to
which we are greatly indebted in the preparation of the following pages.
16

242 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
accepting the honourable and arduous task of pacifying the
Gold- Coast, Sir Garnet stipulated that he should not be
required to remain as Civil Governor after the close of
military operations ; but his only other request, that he
should be given an adequate force of Europeans, was not
then complied with.
The Colonial Office, having also decided upon organizing
a subsidiary expedition to Coomassie from the Volta, under
the general control of Sir Garnet Wolseley, Commander
Glover, R.N.,* formerly Administrator at Lagos, was
appointed to the command. The chief object sought to
be attained was to cause a diversion in the rear of the
Ashantee army, and thereby to draw them from the
Protectorate ; and sanguine people, who -were ignorant of
the resources of the Ashantee King, even hoped that it
might obviate the necessity of the despatch of any European
troops. When it was known that the Government had resolved
upon an expedition to Coomassie, the Press was filled, as
at the time of the Abyssinian War, with dismal prognostica
tions, and one ' experienced ' gentleman, in answer to a
letter from Sir Garnet Wolseley as to necessary articles of
outfit, repUed that he would 'strongly recommend that
every officer should take out his coffin.' ' One who was
there,' as usual at such times, also made his appearance in
print, and advocated a certain course, which others, who
had likewise passed 'half their Uves on the Coast,' laughed
to scorn; indeed, had the proposals suggested by this
multiplicity of counsellors been followed, anything but
wisdom would have been exhibited by the authorities, and
* It is a singular circumstance that this able and gallant officer, who was
thus thrown into such close relations with Sir Garnet Wolseley, received a
severe wound near Donabew, on the Irrawaddy, in the disastrous attack on
Myat-toon's position by Captain Loch, R. N. , which led to Sir John Cheape's
successful expedition, when Ensign Wolseley was severely wounded leading
the storming-party, as already detailed.

SIR GARNET WOLSELEY'S INFORMANTS. 243
one of the few follies in the mUitary preparations, under
taken on the advice of old habitues of the Coast, was the
supply of rails to be laid from Cape Coast to the Prah.
Among other doleful prophecies, Sir Garnet was assured by
an officer who professed himself intimate with the country,
that 'every soldier would require a hammock, and every
hammock would require six men to carry it ;' and he was
even given to understand that after crossing the Prah, he
would find a fine open country, though, as a matter of fact,
the whole route to Coomassie north of that river lies through
a dense forest
The intelligence of the appointment of Sir Garnet Wolseley
to the command of the projected expedition was received
by the country with approval, and he speedily gave tokens
of the wisdom of the selection in the infinite care and
patience he took in organizing the detaUs of the under
taking, as far as was possible at this early stage, and in
gaining information on all points from anyone who had it
to impart. He listened to all the gloomy vaticinations of
his numberless correspondents and visitors, and answered
the former with courteous rejoinders of thanks, or dismissed
the latter with the assured smUe of one who had visited
many climes and encountered too many difficulties to be
overcome with the terrors of travellers' stories. Though
fully alive to the extreme difficulties of the undertaking
upon which he was embarked, his confidence in his own
resources and in his abUity to triumph over them never
deserted him. Before leaving this country, he informed his
friends that he would be back in England, if he returned
at all, by the ist of April, and he was even more than
usually punctual, for he landed at Portsmouth on the 21st
of March.
Sir Garnet Wolseley was inundated with hundreds of
applications from officers desirous of serving on the pesti-
16 — 2

244 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
lential West Coast, and many distinguished by their scientific
attainments resigned important and lucrative staff appoint
ments to accompany him. In these days of competitive
examinations, when an officer cannot be promoted from the
junior regimental grades without ' passing,' the language of
Ensign North erton, or the Captain, in Swift's 'Hamilton
Bawn,' does not represent the views of the profession :
' A scholard, when just from his college broke loose.
Can hardly tell how to cry ho to a goose ;
Your Noveds, and Blutarchs, and Omers, and stuff,
'Fore George, they don't signify this pinch of snuff.
' To give a young gentleman right education.
The army's the only good school in the nation ;
My schoolmaster called me a dunce and a fool.
But at cuffs I was always the cock of the school.'
The difficulty with Sir Garnet Wolseley was to select
from so many suitable candidates; but he quickly succeeded
in gathering round him an efficient staff of young, active,
and able officers.*
Having digested all the information he could gather — the
most reliable being that culled from the pages of Bowdich
and Dupuis, who had visited Coomassie half a century
before, and from whose itineraries a map was prepared at
the Topographical Department of the War Office, which
was afterwards found to be curiously inaccurate — Sir Garnet
Wolseley laid before Her Majesty's Ministers a memorandum
embodying his views of the objects to be attained, and the
means necessary for their accomplishment. In this memo
randum he proposed that two battalions of European troops,
• These were : Colonel J. C. McNeiU, V.C, C.M.G., Chief of the Staff;
Major T. D. Baker, i8th Royal Irish, Assistant Adjutant-General ; Captain
G. L. Huyshe, Rifle Brigade, Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General ;
Captain R. H. BuUer, 6oth Rifles, Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General ;
Deputy Controller M. B. Irvine, CM.G. , in charge of the Control Depart
ment ; Captain H. Brackenbury, R.A. , Assistant MUitary Secretary; Cap
tain Hugh McCalmont, 7th Hussars, and Lieutenant Hon. A. Chatteris,
Coldstream Guards, Aides-de-Camp ; Lieutenant J. F. Maurice, R.A.,
Private Secretary. Of the preceding. Colonel McNeiU, Captains Huyshe,
BuUer, and McCalmont, and Mr. Irvine, had served in the Red River
Expedition.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE EXPEDITION. 245
numbering each 29 officers and 654 men, with detachments
of other branches of the service, all specially selected for
the duty, should be despatched to Cape Coast in time to
commence operations on the ist of December. The
Government, however, influenced by the condition of the
Marines, who had already been despatched to the Coast,
and by the statements of the sickness that would decimate
European troops taking the field, decided that the troops
should be held in readiness for service, but that the question
of their despatch should be reserved until Sir Garnet had
reported to the Government, after investigating the condition
of affairs on the spot.
From this date until his departure. Sir Garnet was fully
occupied in the personal supervision of the details connected
with the organization, transport, and fitting out of the force,
the first portion of which was to consist only of Native allies
and West India troops. He drew up memoranda and
indents for the supply of stores and materiel of war, and
decided upon the uniform and equipments of the Special
Service officers, and of the men of the European regiments
warned for duty, the important considerations of utUity and
comfort being only considered. *
The time having arrived for his departure. Sir Garnet
Wolseley was invested with the local rank of Major-General,
and appointed Administrator of the Government of the
Gold Coast, with instructions as to his mission in the double
capacity from the Earl of Kimberley, Secretary of State for
the Colonies, and Mr. Cardwell, Secretary of State for War.
The latter read much like the injunction addressed of old
by the Egyptian task-masters to the Israelites, to 'make
* Officers' kit was limited to fifty pounds, and their uniform, which was
made of grey homespun, consisted of the Norfolk jacket, with pantaloons,
gaiters, shooting-boots, and cork helmet with the Indian puggree ; their
arms were the Elcho sword-bayonet and revolver. The rank and file were
dressed in smock-frocks, trousers, long boots and helmets, and were armed
with short rifles and the Elcho sword-bayonet.

346 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
bricks without straw,' as beyond a handful of Marines,
Wolseley was given no European troops to enforce the
'lasting treaty' insisted upon by Lord Kimberley. The
remainder of his troops consisted of a detachment of
Houssas, and a West India regiment ; and as for the
' allies,' so pompously paraded by his lordship, they were a
mere rabble, whose cowardice had already been proved.
Moreover, the whole, responsibility of ultimately employing
European troops, which ' nothing but a conviction of
necessity would induce Her Majesty's Government to
sanction,' was cast upon the Commander, who, nevertheless,
cheerfully took up the burden, confident in his own
resources, and animated by a single-minded determination
to do his duty to the best of his ability.
On the 1 2th of September Sir Garnet Wolseley sailed
from Liverpool for the Gold Coast, on board the West
African steamship Ambriz, which also carried 27 Special
Service officers. He had always been singularly unfortunate
in the ships that had carried him to the scenes of his
labours, and the Ambriz was to be no exception. She had
been hastUy prepared for sea, was badly found, had
insufficient accommodation, and moreover, reeked with foul
smells arising from bUge-water. The ship touched at
Madeira and Sierra Leone, where Sir Garnet Wolseley
landed on the 27th of September, and assumed the command
of the land forces in the West African Settlements. As Sir
Garnet had decided to raise two regiments of natives, who
were to be placed under the command, respectively, of
Colonel Evelyn Wood, V.C, 90th Regiment, and Major
Baker RusseU,* 13th Hussars, he despatched Captain
Furze and Lieutenant Saunders to enlist men at Bathurst,
on the Gambia, and Lieutenant Gordon was also left behind
* These two Special Service officers, who are so identified with Sir Garnet
Wolseley, were now associated with him for the first time.

ARRIVAL AT CAPE COAST. 47
at Sierra Leone. The Ambriz touched at Monrovia, in the
Republic of Liberia, and landing Commissary O'Connor at
Cape Palmas with instructions to enlist Kroomen as carriers,
cast anchor, on the 2nd of October, off Cape Coast, with its
never-ending sound of :
' The league-long roller thundering on the reef.'
On the following day Sir Garnet landed under the usual
salutes, the paucity of troops being manifested by the fact
that the guard of honour of AVest India soldiers, after pre
senting arms at the landing-place, proceeded at the double,
Uke stage ' supers,' to perform the same duty at Govern
ment House. On his arrival took place the ceremony of
investiture, which simply consisted of the reading of his
letter of appointment, followed by the usual swearing-in in
the presence of the Chief Justice. On making inquiries. Sir
Garnet found that the settlement was even more denuded
of troops than he had expected, as Captain Glover, on his
way to Accra, had taken with him the trained Houssa
police. Thus the entire force of disciplined troops at his
disposal, scattered between Cape Coast, Elmina, Secondee,
Dixcove, Axim, Napoleon, Abbaye and Accroful, consisted
of 700 men of the 2nd West India Regiment, of whom
only 400 were available for service in the field, and scarcely
100 for the defence of Cape Coast itself Besides these,
Captain Thompson, of the Queen's Bays, who had been
organizing the Fantee police, reported 10 men as the number
really available for general duty 1 There, were, also, only
13 officers on duty with the 2nd West India Regiment, and
Sir Garnet Wolseley, who, while at Sierra Leone, had
written requesting the Government to send him 1 2 additional
Special Service officers, now urgently repeated his demand.
Notwithstanding this paucity of officers and men, he took
an encouraging view of affairs, and wrote to the Home
Government on the loth of October, that, with the fleet at

248 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
his back, from which to draw in the event of an emergency,
he was confident he could repulse any attack of the enemy.
That such might be made at any moment, appeared no
unlikely contingency, for the Ashantee army, nearly 40,000
strong, under their most redoubtable General, Amanquatia,
was known to be encamped at Mampon and Jooquah,
distant only a few hours' march, while well authenticated
reports stated that large reinforcements had marched from
Coomassie on their way to the Fantee territory. It is not
surprising, therefore, that, though Sir Garnet Wolseley
preserved his equanimity and spoke confidently to all
around him. Cape Coast was in a state of panic, and the
advent of a ' fighting' Governor was hailed with joy by the
population. In order to inspire confidence, and induce the Fantees to
exert themselves, the General, on the day succeeding his
landing, held a ' palaver ' or durbar of the ' kings ' of the
Protectorate (as the petty chiefs of the West Coast are
called), which took place in a large marquee pitched in front
of Government House. The ' kings ' began to arrive soon
after three o'clock, and with the gravity becoming their
exalted station, and the solemnity of the occasion, seated
themselves on stools, carried by their attendants, some of
whom also bore huge umbrellas, which denote the regal
state among these African communities, whUe others
carried swords and canes, and beat tomtoms to herald the
approach of their potent masters.
On his arrival in the tent, he took his station upon a
small raised dais at one end, the British officers standing
behind and around him. The kings and chiefs were now
ushered in, and came crowding and jostling along Uke a
crowd of schoolboys, or the members of the House of
Commons when called to the bar of the Lords to hear the
speech from the throne. Sir Garnet stood, while the kings

WOLSELEY HOLDS A PALAVER. 249
in succession were introduced to him, and received the
conventional shake of the hand from the Queen's Repre
sentative. The presentations over. Sir Garnet, stUl standing,
proceeded to address the crowded throng in an inspiriting
address ; each sentence, as it fell from his lips, being
translated into Fantee by a German interpreter.
At the termination of his speech, which was received with
respectful and eager attention, the present of gin, customary
on these occasions, was made to each of the princes and
chiefs, and, after a second hand-shaking, they retired to
consult together, with instructions to return on the 6th. At
this second meeting, which was conducted under the same
formalities, they expressed their willingness to comply with
the terms offered, and their readiness to collect their men,
but with the indolence and cowardice that characterized
their conduct throughout the ensuing operations, they
delayed, from day to day, their departure from Cape Coast.
These indolent Fantees viewed life like Tennyson's ' mUd-
eyed melancholy Lotos-eaters,' who said :
' Let us alone ; Time driveth onward fast.
And in a little while our hps are dumb.
I^et us alone. What is that will last?'
At the request of the kings, the General appointed officers
as Special Commissioners, with detailed instructions, to
assist them in collecting their men. Several kings not
having presented themselves. Sir Garnet wrote, requesting
them to assemble their men at Dunquah.
Almost daily interviews took place between Sir Garnet
and some of these chiefs, whom he strove to influence by
considerations of profit, as ' honour ' and ' patriotism ' were
unknown words in their vocabulary, to collect their men
and fight the Ashantees. Bethinking him of the prevaiUng
custom in this strange land, where the weaker sex belabour
any men who remain behind when the tribes turn out for

250 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
war, the General held a palaver of the ladies of Cape Coast
at Government House. They attended the unusual
summons in great numbers, all with elaborate coiffures, and
decked out in gold rings and fastenings for the ample
shawl which formed the sole covering of most of them; and
the interview ended in their agreeing to take solemn
vengeance against any faint-hearted males who faUed to
respond with alacrity to Sir Garnet's summons.
Nothing whatever had been done to prepare for the
expedition, but the General and his staff soon supplied all
deficiencies by their energy. The landing and storage of
supplies first engaged the attention of Sir Garnet ; and
Cape Coast and Elmina, respectively under the command
of Colonels F. Festing, of the Royal Marines, and Evelyn
Wood, V.C, were placed in a position to resist any attacks
of the enemy. Suitable sanitary arrangements were set on
foot in Cape Coast, and a survey department was organized,
under Captain Huyshe, who left headquarters for the
advanced post, and made sketches of the road and of
the positions of Accroful and Dunquah. His assistant.
Lieutenant Hart, was engaged on the survey of the
country about Cape Coast, and other officers surveyed the
country between Elmina, Abbaye, and the Sweet River in
the direction of Cape Coast. Within a few days of
AVolseley's arrival, the entrenched outposts established at
Napoleon, Abbaye, and Accroful (about fifteen mUes north
east of Cape Coast), which were garrisoned by detachments
of the West India troops, and those at Yancoomassie and
Dunquah, held by Lieutenant Gordon and his armed
police and volunteers, were all placed in postal communi
cation with each other, and furnished with a week's sup
plies. As, in order to inspire confidence, it was above all things
necessary to act on the offensive, the preparations hitherto

WOLSELEY TAKES THE OFFENSIVE. 251
made only having for their object the defence of the]^British
posts, the General instructed Captain R. H. BuUer, 6oth
Rifles, in charge of the Intelligence Department, to gather
all the information attainable regarding the positions and
strength of the enemy. It had been Sir Garnet's earnest
desire, since he landed on the Gold Coast, to prove to the
people that the Ashantees were not invincible in the bush, a
proposition which had come to be regarded as an article of
faith in AVest Africa, and was even held by some people
in England, who, whUe they allowed the superiority of
European soldiers in the open, and were not prepared to deny
that our qfficers could, under the same conditions, success
fully lead native auxUiaries, yet would shake their heads
when anyone argued that even British soldiers could fight
and overcome, in the recesses of their own forests, the most
dreaded of all the tribes of African warriors. Sir Garnet
Wolseley resolved to take advantage of the first opportunity
of showing what even Native troops could do in the bush,
when properly handled and led, nor was this opportunity long
in offering itself
Learning that the Ashantees were drawing most of their
supplies of food from Elmina, and the neighbouring sea-
coast viUages of Amquana, Akimfoo, and Ampenee, whence
the supplies were conveyed inland through the village of
Essaman, about four miles to the north-west of Elmina, the
General directed Colonel AVood to write to the chiefs of
these places, summoning them before him to appear at
Elmina. The chiefs immediately sent off a messenger to
the Ashantee camp at Mampon, asking for instructions, and
were told to refuse compliance, as the Ashantees would
protect them, and the white men, though brave in the open,
dared not venture into the bush. Accordingly the Akimfoo
chief alone came into Elmina. No answer was vouchsafed
from Ampenee, and the Amquana chief sent word, ' I have

252 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
small-pox to-day, but will come to-morrow,' though, instead
of appearing, he betook himself to Mampon. Finally the
chief of Essaman replied insolently, ' Come and fetch me ;
white man no dare go bush.' Sir Garnet resolved to un
deceive these people, and as, to insure success, secrecy was
essential, he only took into his confidence Colonels McNeill
and Wood, Dr. Home, principal medical officer, and Mr.
Irvine. Much, indeed everything, depended on a first success,
which would instil confidence into Europeans and Natives
alike, and he now made use of a ruse, mention of which
may be found in his ' Soldier's Pocket Book.' In that little
work, speaking of newspaper correspondents, whom he
stigmatizes as ' those newly invented curses to armies, who
eat the rations of fighting men, and do no work at all,' he
propounds a method by which they may be made of great
utiUty in forwarding the plans of a General in the field.
'These gentlemen,' he says (p. 225), 'pandering to the
public craze for news, render concealment most difficult;
but this very ardour for information a General can turn to
account, by spreading false news among the gentlemen of
the Press, and thus use them as a medium by which to
deceive the enemy.' Sir Garnet now proceeded to put into
practice this ruse, and announced at breakfast on the 12th
of October that he had received bad news from Addah on
the Volta, where Captain Glover was in danger of being
surrounded, and that he intended to proceed to his aid;
and immediately proceeded to Elmina in the Bittern, with
140 Houssas, who had just been recruited at Lagos, a
report having been allowed to spread that Colonel Wood
expected to be attacked. The Houssas were drUled in the
use of the Enfield during the two hours' voyage, and were
landed at Elmina, where Sir Garnet had a conference with
Colonel Wood, and, having imparted his plans to him

THE ACTION AT ESSAMAN. 253
under the seal of secrecy, returned to Cape Coast the same
evening. But as he could not take the field with the limited force
at his disposal, he determined to solicit the assistance of
Captain Fremantle, the senior naval officer, and, on the
1 2th of October, proceeded on board the Barracouta,
ostensibly to return that officer's official visit. Captain
Fremantle, having received instructions from the Admiralty
which partiaUy freed him from the restrictions as to the
employment of his saUors and Marines, imposed by Com
modore CommereU before his departure for the Cape,
promised the General his hearty co-operation. The same
day 250 labourers and the necessary stores and cots pro
ceeded to Elmina, and Captain PeUe, of the Simoom, landed
with 40 seamen as a guard for Cape Coast. All the arrange
ments being made ostensibly to proceed to the aid of
Captain Glover, on the evening of Monday, the 13th of
October, the detachment of the 2nd West India Regiment
at Cape Coast was embarked on board the Decoy (an
appropriate name), expecting to sail for Accra; and at
ten p.m. Sir Garnet and his staff embarked on board the
Barracouta, in which were also 150 men of the Royal
Marines. The two ships started about one a.m. on the
following morning, and, two hours later, the General and
Captain Fremantle landed at Elmina in the Barracouta's
gig, and by half-past four the advanced guard moved off,
the main body following soon after five. On their arrival
at Elmina, Colonel Wood, who had posted a cordon of
police round the town so as to prevent all egress, was
placed in command of the - column, the General accom
panying it in order to show the Natives that, unlike pre
ceding Governors, he held also the military command.
The force, accompanied by two chiefs and 20 guides,
consisted of 20 Marine ArtiUerymen, with i 7-pounder gun

254 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and a rocket tube, 129 Marines, 29 seamen, 205 of the 2nd
West India Regiment, and 126 Houssas, besides 300
labourers. The track from Elmina led through a swamp, knee-deep
for almost eighty yards, and, later, through a very narrow
bush-path, with high thick jungle on each side. After a
halt, about 2,000 yards from a hill behind which Essaman
was said to be, the Houssas were met by the enemy's
scouts, and when Sir Garnet arrived at the front, he found
them firing wildly into the bush, which was very dense.
MeanwhUe, Captain BuUer passed down the path leading
to Essaman, and advanced into the village, where a number
of armed men were collected. Captain Fremantle brought
the gun and rockets up to the path and opened fire, and
Colonel McNeUl took some men into the bush to the left,
and began working round the flank of the viUage. A heavy
fire was opened by the enemy, and Captain Fremantle was
shot through the arm, a slug penetrated the leather case of
Captain BuUer's prismatic compass, breaking the vane, and
Colonel McNeill* was badly wounded in the arm. In order
to clear the dense bush on the right, the General sent
Captain Crease with some Marines into the bush, and whUe
that officer cleared the hUl on the right and protected the
flank with some of his men. Captain Brackenbury and
Lieutenant Charteris took the remainder into the viUage,
and pushing on to the far end, posted a guard. Mean
while the Ashantees employed their usual flanking tactics,
and tried to turn the left of the West India Regiment, stiU
on the brow of the hill ; but the attack was repulsed, and
the troops advanced on the vUlage by a road cut by the
axemen on the left.
At halfpast eight the assembly was sounded, and the
* Colonel (now Major-General Sir J. C ) McNeiU's wound was very severe,
and necessitated his return to England. His loss was keenly felt by
Wolseley, who applied for the services, as Chief of the Staff, of Colonel
(now Major-General Sir G. R.) Greaves.

MORAL EFFECT OF THE SUCCESS. 255
troops having breakfasted, marched off for Amquana, the
heat being terrific. Amquana, like Essaman, was fired, and
the column halted on the beach, the wounded being sent
back to Elmina under an escort. At two o'clock a detach
ment of 150 West Indians, the Houssas, 12 blue jackets,
with rockets, and 20 Marines, marched for Akimfoo along
the beach, and met, half-way, the men of H.M. ships Argus
and Decoy. Akimfoo was reached at 3.30, and burnt, and
also Ampenee, half a mile further on.
The enemy opened fire from the bush behind the viUage,
to which the Marines and blue jackets replied ; but as it
was too late to attack. Sir Garnet ordered the assembly to
be sounded, and embarked on board H.M.S. Decoy, which
steamed for Cape Coast Castle. The troops remained to
cover the embarkation of the men of the Argus and Decoy,
and then marched off, and picking up the Marines at Am
quana, reached Elmina at eight p.m.
A more arduous day's work officers and men have seldom
performed. The General, with his staff and the white
troops, had been up all night, and had marched over
twenty-one miles under a tropical sun, through a dense
bush which prevented the circulation of a breath of air,
while there were no forest trees to give shade. Yet, strange
to say, there were only two cases of sunstroke ; and Dr.
Home reported : ' The occasion has shown that Europeans
are quite equal to one very hard day's work in the bush, and
that marches of half the distance could be easily borne by
them.' The moral effect created by this success was immense,
and, in Sir Garnet's opinion, it was the turning-point of the
war. It broke the spell regarding the invincibility of the
Ashantees in the bush, which had not only enchained the
cowardly inhabitants of the Protectorate, but was even
tacitly acknowledged by those pessimists who are to be

2s6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
found among aU communities : and, whUe it instilled con
fidence into every class, and taught officers and men that,
when properly commanded and led, European troops could
successfuUy compete with superior numbers in the densest
bush, it also struck a terror into the hearts of our enemies,
and shook the confidence of the Elmina people in their
boastful allies from Coomassie.
The practical effect of this victory was apparent. On the
following day, Amanquatia, the Commander-in-Chief, then
at Mampon, called a meeting of chiefs, who resolved on
retreat, though shortly before they had declared they would
never return to Ashantee until they had driven away the
Europeans.* On the day Sir Garnet Wolseley started on his expedition
to Essaman, he had penned two most important missives.
One was a summons to Koffee Kalkalli, in which he required
that potentate to withdraw all his troops into his own terri
tory north of the Prah, by the 12 th of November, to sur
render all British subjects in his hands, and give guarantees
for the payment of compensation for losses, failing which he
was 'to expect the full punishment his deeds have merited.'
To this Amanquatia replied, by claiming the people of
Assin, Denkera, Akim, and Wassaw, as vassals of his master
(though forty years before the then King of Ashantee had,
by treaty, renounced all claim to their allegiance), ending
* The experience gained by this hard day's fighting taught a valuable
lesson to Sir Garnet Wolseley, and he says in his Report to the War Office :
' I have been shown how little reliance can be placed on even the best Native
troops in this bush-fighting, where it is impossible to keep them under the
immediate control of European officers. One point stands prominently
from the experience of this day, viz. , that for fighting in the African bush
a very exceptionally large proportion of officers is required. Owing to the
dense cover, an officer can only exercise control over the men close to him,
and for this kind of work there should be, at least, one officer to every
twenty men. A small body of very highly disciplined troops, weU supplied
with selected officers, would be of far greater service for warfare in this
country than a much larger number detailed for service in the ordinary tour
of duty.'

DEMAND FOR EUROPEAN TROOPS. 257
with the amiable asseveration, ' There is no quarrel with you.
I send my love to you.'
The second letter Sir Garnet wrote, was to the Secretary
of State for War, calling for the immediate despatch to the
Gold Coast of the European troops,* whom, before his de
parture, he had requested might be held in readiness to
join him. In this lengthy and able letter he gave an exhaus
tive exposition of the reasons that influenced him in taking
a step deprecated by the War Office and Ministry ; and, after
adducing the experiences of his predecessors, and the
reasons that militated against success on their part, he in
sisted on the ' possibility of undertaking a march of limited
duration into the interior,' under such conditions as he pro
posed, and expressed his belief that ' the existing conditions
of health of the troops on the station, show that such an
expedition does not involve great risk.' He then, after
adducing statistical proof that ' while sickness is diminish
ing throughout the whole Coast, it is far less in the camps
inland than in the barracks on the Coast,' concluded with
the opinions expressed in the report of Dr. Home, his
responsible adviser on sanitary questions.
Though this letter was written the day before the action at
Essaman, owing to no homeward-bound steamer caUing at
Cape Coast between the 9th and 27th of October, it was not
forwarded to England until the latter date ; by the same mail
Sir Garnet despatched a second letter, dated 24th of October,
applying for an additional battalion of European troops.
Meanwhile, small detachments of recruits for Russell's
and Wood's Native regiments continued to arrive, and ulti
mately the former was composed of six companies, con
sisting respectively of Houssas, Sierra Leones, Mumfords,
Winnebahs, Opobos, and Annamaboes ; and Wood's Regi-
* Two battaUons of Infantry, 650 men each ; detachment Royal Artillery,
60 ; detachment Royal Engineers, 40 ; Administrative Services, 5° I total,
1,450 men. 17

2S8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
ment, of four companies, viz.. Cape Coast Volunteers,
Elminas, Kossoos, and Bonnys. The raw material thus
assembled seemed as unpromising as any ever raised for
active service; but by dint of hard and unceasing toil,
Russell and his officers at Cape Coast, and Wood and his
coadjutors at Elmina, succeeded in instUling into the
puzzled heads of their recruits a knowledge of the elements
of drUl, and eventually they proved serviceable and reliable
auxUiaries. Captain Rait, R.A., assisted by Lieutenant
Eardley Wilmot, had almost a harder task in making good
gunners of the Houssas ; but this difficulty also was sur
mounted by a combination of energy, tact, and hard work.
Very unsatisfactory were the results as regards the
assembly at Dunquah, by the 20th of October, of the
contingents from the Fantee and allied kings. If zeal and
energy on the part of the officers accredited to these chiefs,
or the employment of every argument addressed to their
patriotism, an unknown sentiment in the Fantee breast, or
their cupidity, which found a ready echo in every heart, could
have moved these cowardly chiefs and people — whom it
would seem as if the economy of nature had intended to
be slaves, so dead are they to every manly sentiment — then
some 50,000 fighting men, drawn from the entire confede
racy, would have rallied round the standard of the British
General to expel the invader from their soil. Far different
was the result. The kings sent their men in driblets to
Dunquah, where the entire number only consisted of 5oomen
and about 350 at Mansu, Napoleon, and Abrakrampa ; the
King of Annamaboe, the only one who displayed courage in
the field, after much pressure fropi Captain Godwin, sent 287
men to Dunquah by the last week in October. Such were 'our
aUies,' and such the burlesque soldiers with whom Sir Garnet
Wolseley, in conjunction with a few hundred Native levies,
was expected to engage the disciplined and homogeneous

THE MARCH TO ASSA YBOO. 259
Ashantee hosts, and advance upon the capital of Koffee
Kalkalli. WhUe the Control Department were busy landing stores,
and sending them to the front, the Engineers were engaged
making the road to Mansu. The outposts at Napoleon and
Abbaye, and at Mansu, Dunquah and Accroful, on the main
road, were fortified and garrisoned, and Abrakrampa, a town
of 300 houses, was placed in a condition of defence.
On the 25th of October, in consequence of reliable infor
mation that Amanquatia had broken up his camp at Mampon,
and intended retreating across the Prah in the direction of
Dunquah, Sir Garnet Wolseley took immediate steps to
harass the retreating army, and strengthen the force on the
road, while the officers commanding the outposts on the main
road and at Abrakrampa, were warned of the new turn
affairs had taken. On the following day. Colonel Wood
made a reconnoissance from Elmina, and the General marched
to Assayboo, ten miles from Cape Coast, at the junction of
the roads to Abrakrampa and Dunquah, with a force of 250
Marines and blue-jackets, under Captain Fremantle, preceded
by 1 00 of Russell's Regiment, under their Commander, who
was directed to select a site for their encampment. After a
fearfully hot march, Assayboo was reached about nine p.m.,
and the men bivouacked for the night ; the two small tents
with the force being occupied, one by Captain Fremantle
and some of his officers, and the other by the General and
his staff— Charteris, Brackenbury, Baker, and Irvine.
In this connection, as the Americans would say, an
amusing anecdote was told us, Ulustrative of Wolseley's
bonhomie and kind thought for his officers. During his
temporary absence one night on board the ship at Cape
Coast, two gentlemen, holding high positions on his staff,
slept in his room, and one of the General's servants, de
sirous of currying favour with his master, went off to the
17 — 2

26o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
ship and reported the circumstance, adding that the matu
tinal tubs had been left unemptied and the beds unmade.
' Of course you cleared up my room ?' asked the General.
' No, sir,' was the reply. ' Then,' added the former to the
crestfallen domestic, in a tone which caused him to beat a
hasty retreat, ' go ashore, and do so at once.' But revenons
& nos moutons.
On receipt of reports that the Ashantees were moving
past Abrakrampa, Sir Garnet sent orders to Colonel Festing
at Dunquah to march in the direction of Iscabio, while he
himself decided on moving on Abrakrampa, where he hoped
to be able to attack the flank of some one of the bodies of
Ashantees moving from Mampon towards Dunquah.
Colonel Festing, accordingly, marched early on the 27th
of October, with 12 officers and 700 men, and surprised the
enemy, who, to the number of about 5,000, were encamped
about a mile from the vUlage of Iscabio, and, having de
stroyed their camp, returned to Dunquah, his casualties
being 5 men kUled, and 5 officers, including himself and
Captain Godwin, and 42 men wounded. The General
proceeded on the same day to Abrakrampa, but the fatigued
condition of the men prevented his attempting the march
to Assanchi, 6 miles distant ; on the following day he ad
vanced with his whole force on that point, hoping that
Colonel Festing, of whose success he was ignorant, would
co-operate from Dunquah. But on his arrival at Assanchi,
after a fatiguing march through a dense forest, or along a
road nearly knee-deep in water, the enemy were found to
have evacuated their camp ; and, as there was no sign of
Colonel Festing's column, the General returned to Abra
krampa, officers and men being thoroughly exhausted with
the intense heat As the path, owing to the overhanging
creepers and branches, prevented the use of a hammock.
Sir Garnet was obliged to walk almost the entire distance

OPERATIONS AGAINST THE ENEMY. 261
of twelve miles, and suffered much from his wounded leg,
which StiU continued to trouble him if over-exerted. The
Marines, after this march, had 29 men on the sick-list,
suffering chiefly from foot-sores and weakness, due to ex
posure to the sun.
Sir Garnet returned to Cape Coast on the 29th of Oc
tober, with the Marines, and blue-jackets, and issued a
Proclamation to the native chiefs and people, apprising
them of recent events, and urging them to exert themselves
and strike the retreating enemy. But the call to arms fell
upon dulled ears and slavish hearts, and there was no re
sponse to its stirring appeals. There can be no doubt that,
owing to the want of one or two European regiments during
this critical period of the campaign, a splendid opportunity
was lost for striking a decisive blow and putting an end to
the war.
As the only course the General could adopt, in view of
his weakness, was to harass the retreating columns of the
enemy, the garrisons at Abrakrampa and Dunquah were
strengthened. At this date Colonel Festing had under his
orders at Dunquah 100 of the 2nd West India Regiment,
2 guns, and 1,400 Native allies; and Major Russell, at
Abrakrampa, 8 officers and 890 men, of whom 60 were
sailors and Marines, and 100 Houssas. The headquarters
of the 2nd West, under Colonel Webber, left Cape Coast
for Mansu, thus denuding the seat of Government of troops,
the military duties being performed by the armed police.
On the same day (3rd of November) under orders from the
General, reconnoissances in force were made from Beulah,
Dunquah, and Abrakrampa, when the Native levies exhi
bited their wonted cowardice, and the army sustained a sad
loss in the death of a gallant young officer. Lieutenant
Eardley WUmot, R.A
On the 4th of November the Ashantees made their long-

262 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
threatened attack upon Abrakrampa, and it was of a very
determined character. On receipt of a despatch from
Major Russell, Sir Garnet made the necessary dispositions
for marching to his assistance, and sent orders by special
runners to the officers commanding at Beulah, Assayboo,
Accroful, and Dunquah, requesting them to act in co-opera
tion. By nine a.m. on the 6th he was on his way with 22
officers and 303 seamen and Marines, and some rockets,
under Captain Rait, R.A.
The march was a most distressing one to the men, the
entire road between Cape Coast and Assayboo, a distance
of ten miles, being almost destitute of shade, and more
than 100 men fell out during the march, though only 32 were
unable to rejoin during the four hours' halt at Assayboo.
The General was eager to proceed, as he received here
a despatch from Russell of that morning's date, reporting
that the enemy were said to be advancing, and, about four
o'clock, the march was continued by w^y of Butteyan
instead of the main road, the garrison of Assayboo, con
sisting of 50 Marines, heading the column, which now num
bered only 141 of the detachment landed in the morning.
On the way they were joined by a party of the 2nd West
Indians, and some Abrahs, under their king, by whom they
were guided into Abrakrampa. On their arrival at the
clearing in front of the position. Major Russell and other
officers came out to receive the General, and the place was
entered without any opposition from the enemy. Desultory
firing continued during the night, but no further attack was
made by the Ashantees, who were employed cutting the
bush close to the Assayboo road. Had the enemy exhibited
any enterprise they might easily have stormed the position,
as the cover under which the garrison had lain for forty-
eight hours was of the slightest description, but they feared
to cross the cleared ground, some 40 to 100 yards in width.

RETURN TO CAPE COAST. ' 263
On the 7th, Colonel Wood marched from Beulah with
the Fantee levies, and Sir Garnet sent about 1,000 of them
into the bush, when they exhibited a ludicrous spectacle of
poltroonery. A crowd of officers assembled to watch these
warriors creeping out Uke whipped hounds under the leader
ship of their chief, Attah, himself a despicable coward
Sir Garnet had addressed the Fantees when starting, to
the effect that their conduct on the previous day had filled,
him with displeasure, and that he would give them this last
chance of showing themselves fit to bear arms. To this they
repUed in their usual vein of bravado ; but when it came to
the point, hundreds of them lay down at the edge of the
bush, which no persuasion or threat could induce them to
enter. The General would not allow his officers to enter
the forest with such curs, and this burlesque on the opera
tions of war was brought to a conclusion by their charging
them with sticks and umbrellas.
Sir Garnet sent in pursuit of the retreating Ashantees
those of the Native levies that could be collected together ;
but, on approaching the Ashantee rear, they showed the
usual cowardice, and fled in panic flight when there was no
pursuit* On the same day (Sth of November), the General
returned to Cape Coast, which he entered in a sort of
impromptu triumphal procession, the state chair of Aman-
* In his despatch to Mr. Cardwell, Sir Garnet says of these levies, who
were reported to him as being ' infinitely worse than useless ' : ' You will thus
see that even the enemy's retreat cannot instil courage into these faint
hearted Natives, and that they can neither be counted on to insure a victory
nor to complete a defeat. Tliey were ordered to*pursue the enemy, remain
in the field, and harass him in his retreat. The road was strewn with the
dihris of the retreating army ; bodies of murdered slaves lay along the route ;
many prisoners were captured, the enemy's fire was silenced, and yet, such
is the cowardice of these people, that they had to be driven into action, and
after a success they became a panic-stricken and disorderly rabble. StiU,
hopeless as the task appears of stirring these tribes to any exertions, I shall
not give up my efforts. Orders have been issued for the renewal of the
offensive movement, and for the use of every possible method to keep the
men at the front.'

264 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
quatia, together with a sacred cock, war-drums,* and other
spolia opima, being carried in front of him, in order to
impress the Natives and inflame their minds with a proper
sense of patriotic ardour. Before leaving Abrakrampa, the
General issued orders to Major Russell as well as to Colonels
Festing and Webber, at Dunquah and Mansu, to harass the
retreating columns of the enemy.
A lull now occurred in the operations, and it was fortunate
indeed it happened just at this time, for the Director of the
complicated engine of war and politics on the Gold Coast
was stricken to the earth powerless as an infant. The ally
that had suddenly arisen to fight on the side of the Ashantees
was more potent for evU than even the cowardly Natives
with whom the General was expected to effect their ex
pulsion, and his plans, so far as he himself could have
carried them out, came perilously near being frustrated.
On the morning Sir Garnet quitted Abrakrampa, he felt
the heavy hand of the African fever — induced chiefly by
the trying exposure to the sun during the march up country
— weighing him down with a feeUng of lassitude and feeble
ness he in vain struggled to combat, and, on his arrival at
Cape Coast, the fever took a turn that alarmed his medical
advisers. He was first removed to the hospital hut at
Connor's HiU, but the heat there was so intense that Dr.
Home removed him to the hospital ship Simoom. The
fever ran very high and caused great anxiety to Dr. Home,t
who, though ill himself, came off to the Simoom three times
* These Ashantee war'-drums were presented by the Headquarter Staff
to the Royal United Service Institution, and have been deposited in the
Museum, where they may be seen by visitors.
+ Dr. Home wrote to us of this attack : ' Sir Garnet's illness was an attack
of "ardent fever," caused by exposure to the sun on the march to the rehef
of the beleaguered village of Abrakrampa, on the 6th of November, and in
the subsequent operations in connection with the affair. He had suffered
from a degree of sunstroke, or insolation, in Burmah, and, as you probably
know, a person who has once so suffered is ever after very susceptible of the
sun. Sir Garnet's iUness was very severe— dangerous — and Cape Coast was
very anxious and troubled indeed until his symptoms mitigated.'

ILLNESS OF SIR GARNET WOLSELEY. 265
in the twenty-four hours to visit his patient, for whom he
entertained the feelings of an old brother officer and friend.
Not less devoted was Lieutenant Maurice, who nursed his
chief day and night, and never quitted his side or took off
his clothes for nearly a fortnight.
For two or three days a successful termination to the
expedition appeared to be imperUled, as the British General
lay sick of this fever, which has proved fatal to so many of
our best and bravest before and since this war; and an
Ashantee Cassius might have said of him, as did his Roman
namesake of Caesar :
' When the fever fit was on him I did mark
How he did shake ; 'tis true, this god did shake ;
And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world.
Did lose its lustre ; I did hear him groan ;
"Aye," and that tongue ofhis, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,
"Alas 1" it cried : " Give me some drink, Titinius." '
On the 2 ist of November, Sir Garnet was sufficiently
recovered to return to Government House, and his advent
was hailed with joy by all classes, over whom a gloom had
been cast by his enforced withdrawal.
At this time sickness had wrought considerable havoc
among the Special Service officers who had come out in
the Ambriz. On the 15th of November, within six weeks
of their arrival in this country, of the staff of 10, 7 had
been rendered ineffective by sickness ; and, six days later,
out of 64 officers 29 had suffered, of whom 7 were in
valided and I died. The proportion among the seamen
and Marines serving on shore was considerably less, only
18 per cent, being on the sick-list. The hospital-ship
Simoom had become so saturated with malarious fever,
owing to overcrowding and her unsuitability for the purpose,
that she was little better than a plague-ship. She was,
therefore, sent to St. Helena with 8 invalid officers.
Colonel Wood proceeded on the 22 nd of November to

266 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Mansu, to assume command of the advanced guard in the
operations south ofthe Prah; and, on the 27th, pushed on
to Faysowah with a small Native force, and came into
collision with the Ashantees, but was forced to retreat, as
the, levies showed their usual unsteadiness. On the 5th of
December the Ashantees crossed the Prah; and, on his
scouts pushing on, the main Prahsu road was found
strewed with their dead and dying, disease and starvation
having decimated their ranks more than the sword. It is
estimated that, of the 40,000 warriors who originally invaded
the Protectorate, at least one-half perished. The remainder
of Amanquatia's army was disbanded at Coomassie on the
22nd of December, and thus disastrously ended what we
hope may be regarded in history as ' the last Ashantee
invasion.'* Renewed vigour was now displayed by all branches of the
force, and while the transport of supplies and ammunition
to the front engaged the attention of the Control, the
medical department were busy establishing hospitals at
Prahsu, Mansu, and Cape Coast, and the Engineers were
engaged making the road to the Prah, and bridging the
intervening streams. Owing to the exertions of Major
Home, Lieutenant Bell, and their Sappers, the whole road
from Cape Coast to Prahsu was in good order by Christmas
-* In reporting to the Secretary for War the retreat across the Prah of the
Ashantee Army, Sir Garnet Wolseley wrote on the isth of December : ' The
first phase of this war has thus been brought to a most satisfactory conclu
sion, without the assistance of any English troops, except the few Marines
and the few available blue-jackets whom I found here on my arrival on the
and of October last. I submit that the happy change which has been since
that time effected has been accomplished by the untiring exertions of the
few carefully selected staff and Special Service officers who landed with me
here at the beginning of October. In the second phase of this war, when
the campaign is opened in Ashantee territory beyond the Prah, by a brigade
of English troops, the operations may be more briUiant than those which
have resulted in forcing the enemy to retreat into their own country ; but I
feel assured that they cannot entail upon those engaged in them the hard
work, exposure, and privations that have been so cheerfully endured for the
last two and a half months by the small band of officers of whom I speak.'

TRANSPORT DIFFICULTIES. 267
Day, when no less than 237 bridges of various sorts had
been constructed. The difficulty of constructing bridges for
crossing these small rivers and canals, and, indeed, of felling
the timber across the tracks, was greatly increased by the
size and hardness of the wood. Some of the trunks were
four or five feet in diameter, and being of mahogany and
iron-wood, the work of removing them was very heavy.
The Engineers also cleared the camping-grounds,* in each
of which hutst were constructed to contain 400 European
soldiers, besides the huts of the garrison and of the Control
and Hospital Departments.
No means were overlooked to insure the health and
comfort of the European troops ; and the General himself
inquired into every detail of the ReportJ made to him on
these vital questions by the principal sanitary officer,
Surgeon-Major Gore, who, as well as Dr. Home, was
invalided before the march commenced.
As the question of transport was likely to prove the chief
difficulty in this expedition, the General, as soon as he
landed from the Simoom, after his severe illness, turned his
attention to it, and sought to grapple with the obstacles that
lay in the way of organizing an efficient body of carriers. It
may safely be said that these were greater than perhaps any
Commander had before encountered, for here there was no
* These were : Inquabim, 7 miles from Cape Coast ; Accroful, 13I miles ;
Yancoomassie Fanti, 24^ miles ; Mansu, 35I miles ; Sutah, 46 miles ; Yan
coomassie Assin, 58! miles ; Barraco, 67J miles ; and Prahsu, 73! miles.
f The huts each held 50 men, and^ were built with wattled sides and
thatched with palm-leaves ; they were sixty by seventeen feet, with a height
of five feet to the eaves. On each side was a raised guard-bed, made either
of split bamboos or palm-stalks, for the men to sleep upon.
+ The supply of rations was most liberal, and at daybreak, before starting
on the march {the pace of which was even regulated), the troops partook of
cocoa, biscuit, and quinine, and frequent halts were ordered, so as not to
cause undue fatigue. Detailed arrangements were also made for the trans
port of the sick, who were carried by six bearers in the ordinary travelling
hammock of the country, slung on a bamboo. At each of the six stations
were thirty-five hammock's or cots, an average of thirteen miles being fixed
as a day's journey, and with the column, in addition, were eighty-five cots,
with a suitable retinue of bearers.

.r'"

268 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
beast of burden of the size even of a goat, and everything
had to be transported on the backs of the most indolent race
in the world. However, the man who had conducted to a
successful conclusion the Red River Expedition, with its
manifold difficulties of transport by land and water, was not
likely to be foiled by the still more arduous problem now
presented for solution ; and though, at one time, the success
of the expedition was seriously imperilled, the task was
achieved. Though a very large number of carriers was engaged by
the exertions of the staff and Special Service officers —
including a strong and wUling brigade of women, and the
' picaninni ' brigade of 400 boys and girls, who each carried
a half-load of twenty-five pounds — they melted away ; and
' handing carriers over to the Control Department,' wrote
the General, ' is like pouring water into a sieve ; they run
away after making a single journey.' Sir Garnet Wolseley,
recognising the extreme urgency of the question, ordered
that 3,000 of the native auxiliaries should be disarmed and
handed over to the Control for service as carriers, and, on
the I oth of December, he informed the kings and chiefs at
Dunquah, that unless 5,000 carriers were raised by the end
of the month, he would not land the European troops who
were daUy expected He also despatched Dr. O'Reilly to
Elmina, where 700 men were raised in ten days, and Dr.
Gouldsbury recruited with success in the windward ports ;
thus, by supplementing the transport with the disarmed
levies at Beulah, the unarmed men of the Abrah contingent,
and the women carriers, there were, on the 22nd of
December, when the department was placed in the hands of
the late Colonel G. P. CoUey, 6,000 carriers working
between Cape Coast and the Prah.
Colonel CoUey arrived at Cape Coast on the 17th of
December, and immediately placed his services at the

ARRIVAL OF THE EUROPEAN TROOPS. 269
disposal of the General in any department they might be
most conducive to the public advantage. From his special
knowledge of army organization and administration Colonel
CoUey was peculiarly fitted to grapple with the transport
difficulty, and the General appointed him Director of
Transport, with 3 officers as assistants. Colonel CoUey
proceeded to Mansu on the 19th of December, and drew
up a memorandum which showed that he had thoroughly
mastered the question.
Between the 9th and 17th December the Himalaya,
Tamar, and Sarmatian arrived with the troops requisitioned
by Sir Garnet Wolseley ; also Brigadier-General Sir Archi
bald Alison, Colonel G. R. Greaves, Chief of the Staff, 41
medical officers, and 10 Special Service officers.* The
arrival of the Himalaya, on the 9th December, was the first
intimation received by Sir Garnet Wolseley that his demand
for the immediate despatch of European troops would be
complied with by the Government. In Lord Kimberley's
despatch of the 6th of October, he was informed of the
desire of Her Majesty's Government 'to impress upon you
that they would be most reluctant to sanction any expedition
which would require that European troops should be sent
from this country to the Gold Coast. A satisfactory state
of things will be attained if you can procure an honourable
peace, or can inflict, in default of such peace, an effectual
chastisement on the Ashantee force.' Most officers, on
receipt of this half-hearted despatch, would have considered
that they had done enough in clearing the Protectorate, and
inflicting an ' effectual chastisement ' on the Ashantees.
But if any doubts were entertained by Ministers as to the
* The foUowing was the strength of the force : 2 batt. Rifle Brigade ;
2 batt. 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers and 42nd Highlanders, each 30 officers
and 450 men ; No. i Battery, 17th Brigade, Royal Artillery, 3 officers and
61 men ; 28th Company, Royal Engineers, 4 officers and 68 men ; Army
Service Corps, i officer and 12 men ; and Army Hospital Corps, 2 officers
and 54 men. On the 29th December the ist West India Regiment arrived
at Cape Coast from Jamaica with a strength of 24 officers and 554 men.

270 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
desirability of loyally carrying out their agreement with
Wolseley regarding the despatch of the European troops,
on his responsibility, it was removed by the General's
exhaustive letter of the 13th of October, demanding their
instant embarkation. A Cabinet Council was held on the
17th of November, within a few hours of the receipt of the
despatch in Downing Street, and, on the 19th, two regiments
saUed from Portsmouth for the scene of hostilities, and the
42nd Highlanders followed on the 4th December in com
pliance with Sir Garnet's letter written after the fight at
Essaman. The Santiatian brought a despatch from Lord Kimberley,
dated 24th of November, limiting the time of employment
of the European troops, at the very latest, to the end of
March, before which it would be ' absolutely necessary ' to
withdraw them. This limit as to time would impose ' a
corresponding limit upon the operations which it would be
prudent or possible for him to attempt.' The decision on
this point was left to Sir Garnet's own judgment to determine,
but he was informed of the wishes of Her Majesty's Govern
ment. These were : ' That you should conclude a satis
factory peace as soon as it can be obtained ; that you should
advance no further into the interior than may be indispens
able for the attainment of such a peace; and that after
concluding, if possible, a treaty with the King of Ashantee,
you should return with the least practicable delay to the
sea-coast, and send home the European troops.' With
respect to the relations of England with the Protectorate
after the war, the Government, considering the cowardly
conduct of the Fantee chiefs and people, held themselves
entirely free ' to place them on such a footing as the interests
of this country may seem to them to require.'
The European troops arrived rather inopportunely, for
they were too late to strike a decisive blow — which lay in

WOLSELEY'S FORECAST OF THE CAMPAIGN. 271
the General's power whUe the enemy were at Mampon, and
he held Mansu on their main Une of retreat — and they were
too early for the march on Coomassie, the arrangements for
which were not yet completed. In a letter to the Secretary
for War, of the 15th of December, Sir Garnet said that it
would be impossible to have the several halting-stages,
including the depot at Prahsu, completed, and a sufficient
quantity of food and ammunition in the magazines at Prahsu,
before the 15 th of January, when he expressed his intention
of crossing the Prah with the three European regiments,
and a force of Native troops ; and he concluded his letter
by the assurance of his ' strong hope, bordering upon con
viction,' that in about six weeks from the date of our crossing
the Prah, I shall be able to embark the European troops,
having suffered but little loss from the effects of the climate.'
As the arrangements for the advance were incomplete.
Sir Garnet, after landing the Army Service Corps, and a
portion of the Royal Engineers, together with all the Staff
and Special Service officers, sent the steamers, with the
European troops, on a cruise. At this time he drew up a
memorandum for the information and guidance of the
soldiers and sailors about to take part in the operations
north of the Prah, of which 100 copies were printed for
distribution among the regiments. Nothing can be more
concise and complete than these orders, which were found
to meet every requirement and obviate every difficulty as
they arose during the advance upon Coomassie. One
innovation in the ordinary method of fighting was found
of especial service, that by which the ' tactical unit ' was
changed, and it was enacted that ' every company will be
at once divided into four sections, and each section will be
placed under the command of an officer or non-commissioned
officer. These sections once told off are not on any account
to be broken up during the war.' As to the mode of

272 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
fighting to be adopted by these sections. Sir Garnet directed
that ' in action, as a general rule, three sections only of
each company will be extended, the fourth wiU form a
support in rear of the centre of the company's skirmishing
line, and at forty to eighty yards from it.' At the most
critical point in the action of Amoaful, on the 31st of
January, these arrangements were found of the utmost vital
UtUity ; and Sir Archibald Alison, who commanded the
advance, under ' one of the heaviest fires he ever saw,'
declared that, notwithstanding the discipline and stubborn
valour of the Black Watch, ' without the admirable sectional
organization introduced by His Excellency, and thoroughly
carried out by the company officers, it would have been
impossible to prevent the men getting out of hand.' These
' Notes,' as forming the best code of instructions for bush-
fighting, will be of value to any commander who may have
hereafter to encounter a barbarous enemy under similar
conditions. Sir Garnet Wolseley's plan for the invasion of Ashantee,
on the 15th of January, by several columns converging on
Coomassie, was, briefly stated, as follows : On the extreme
right. Captain Glover's force was to cross the Prah near
Assim, and to move upon Juabin. The main body, con
sisting of the European troops and Native levies, was to
advance from Prahsu by the main Coomassie road. As a
connecting link between these columns, a column composed
of Western Akims, under the command of Captain Butler,
was to cross at Prahsu Akim ; while, on the extreme left, a
force of Wassaws, Denkeras, and Commendahs, under the
command of Captains Dalrymple and Moore, 88th Regi
ment, would advance on Coomassie by the Wassaw road.
Theorists on the art of war might object that Wolseley, by
this plan of dividing his force, violated the first strategical
principles ; but the sequel showed that he was right, and

SIR GARNET AND CAPTAIN GLOVER. 273
that he possessed one of the chief attributes of a general,
the power of estimating the strength of his adversary.
Had the General's movements on Coomassie been
dependent on those of the three other converging columns,
it is certain that the invasion of Ashantee would never
have taken place, or that the attempt, if made, must have
ended in faUure. Captains Dalrymple and Butler failed to
move the chiefs and people to whom they were accredited,
and the latter gallant and able officer, who would have
succeeded in his task if success was possible, after number
less delays, eventually persuaded 500 of the Western Akims
— whom Captain Glover described as 'the best fighting
men in the Protectorate' — to follow him a day's march
through a deserted and devastated country, but at night
their courage failed them, and they fled back across the
Prah. Glover, by his conduct, showed himself to be a man
of resource and capacity ; but the people he had to deal with
would have baffled the capacity of Caesar himself, either to
make them march or fight The native kings and chiefs
assembled at Accra on the 13th of October, promised to
raUy to Glover's standard with thousands of retainers within
a stipulated time ; but having ratified their oaths by accept
ing the usual presents of gin and large subsidies in money,
they appeared to think they had fulfilled their share of the
engagement. The arrangements for the invasion of Ashantee were
all planned, when, on Christmas Eve, to the dismay of Sir
Garnet Wolseley, a despatch, dated the 22nd of December,
was received from Captain Glover — who had written on the
14th, saying that he would cross the Prah on the 15th of
January, with, 'at the lowest estimate, 16,000 effectives,
possibly 30,000 men, all told ' — in which he said : ' I
should be misleading your ExceUency if I stated that I saw
any possibUity of reaching the Prah before forty days, but I
18

274 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
beg to assure you that no effort shall be left untried to carry
a force to the point indicated.' Upon receipt of this
despatch Sir Garnet Wolseley determined to take upon
himself the responsibility of ordering Glover to cross the
Prah on the 15th of January, and march on Coomassie with
the Houssas and Yorubas, some 700 men ; and, accordingly,
the Chief of the Staff wrote, on Christmas Eve, to Captain
Glover to this effect That officer, in his reply of 28th
December, promised compliance, but declined responsibUity
for the result.
In meting out the praise so justly due to Captain
Glover for the energy and military skill he displayed
throughout those eventful months in West Africa, it should
be borne in mind that he thus formaUy declined to accept
the responsibility for the course he adopted, and that
Wolseley as formally accepted it. Had it not been for Sir
Garnet's positive orders to Captain Glover to cross the
Prah on the 15th of January, it is certain he would not
have been on the northern bank of that river before the
date of the capture of Coomassie ; and then, as the General
plainly informed him, he might, as far as being of any
service in the prosecution of this Ashantee War was con
cerned, have been 'operating on the Zanzibar coast of
Africa.' Wolseley started for Prahsu on the 27th of December,
and inspected the various camping stations on the road, and
saw that aU was prepared for the small army that was soon
to follow. As far as Mansu, the fourth station, and thirty-
two miles distant from Cape Coast, the road passed through
low bush with little or no shelter from the blazing sun, but
from thence to the Prah the pathway lay through the forest,
the gigantic trees of which, festooned and encircled with
creepers, rose more than 200 feet above the head of the
passer-by, with a girth at the roots of between fifty and

-WOLSELEY'S ARRIVAL A T PRAHSU. 275
ninety feet. No colour lit up the infinite gradations of end
less green which palled upon the jaded sight, the shades of
the primeval forest were never penetrated by the sun's rays,
and the silence was unbroken save by
¦ The moving whisper of huge trees, that branch'd
And blossom'd in the zenith.'
Sir Garnet's old wound in the leg, received in the Crimea,
had troubled him much since the march on the 28th of
October, from Abrakrampa to Assanchi, and he was com
pelled to perform the journey to the Prah in a light
American buggy, which was found at Cape Coast This
vehicle was left at Prahsu, and for the remainder of the
march between the river and Coomassie, except at those
frequent intervals when the nature of the road, or the
proximity of the enemy, required that he should walk. Sir
Garnet was borne by natives, seated in a wicker Madeira
chair, fixed between two bamboos, and carried by relays of
four bearers. On New Year's Day he arrived at Barraco —
the last station from Cape Coast, from which it is sixty-three
mUes distant — where was stationed a detachment of the Naval
Brigade. That night, over the huge camp fire, replenished
by two or three entire trunks of trees, the sailors sang their
forecastle songs and made the forest ring with choruses
bawled out with stentorian lungs. There gathered on one
side of the fire the General with his staff and the officers of
the detachment, and, on the other, the sailors, who stepped
out in succession and gave a selection of songs, sentimental
and comic.
On his arrival at Prahsu on the 2nd of January, 1874,
he found in garrison, 50 of Rait's Houssa ArtUlery (with
7 three-pounders, 2 howitzers, a Gatling gun, and 6 rocket-
troughs), 70 men of the 2nd West, and Wood's and
Russell's Native regiments, numbering 450 and 500 men
respectively, who had been engaged making a clearing and
18—2

276 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
cutting down acres of palm-leaves for thatching, and
thousands of poles for uprights for the huts. By the 15th
of January the camp at Prahsu was ready for the reception
of the European troops, with the necessary accommodation
for the stores and for thirty days' provisions for 3,520 fight
ing men and 3,000 carriers.
During Sir Garnet's stay at Prahsu, a correspondence
took place between himself and the King of Ashantee.
Scarcely had he arrived at the camp than two messengers
from Coomassie made their appearance at Prahsu with two
letters* from their master, dated the 25th of November and
26th of December, which, like those that followed, were
signed by ' the mark ' of Koffee Kalkalli and some of his
ministers. As it was evident by the second epistle that the
insignificant affair at Faysowah had been magnified into a
great victory, the General wrote him a long letter, opening
his eyes as to the true state of affairs, and stating the terms
upon which a lasting peace could alone be concluded. The
Naval Brigade, 22 officers and 250 seamen and Marines,
which marched in on the 3rd of January, having left Cape
Coast on the 27th of December, was paraded before the
envoys, who were sent back to their master on the morning
of the 6th of January with Sir Garnet's letter. On the
1 2th, an Ashantee envoy, with a suite of 15 persons and
accompanied by Mr. Kuhne, a German missionary, arrived
near the Prah with a letter from the King,t dated 9th of
January, but Sir Garnet refused to see him, and reiterated
his ultimatum to the King.
* These letters were written in English, at the dictation of King Koffee,
by Dawson, a Fantee, who had been detained at Coomassie.
f From Mr. Kuhne it was gleaned that Amanquatia's army had reached
Coomassie on the 22nd of December, and had been disbanded after defiling
past the King in the great square with wild shouts and gesticulations, each
chief dancing before the King as described by Bowdich in 1817. The King
had sent for the missionaries, in whose presence Sir Garnet Wolseley's letter
had been correctly interpreted to him by Dawson ; and, when despatching
Mr. Kuhne with his reply, he desired him to teU the British General of his
earnest wish for peace.

DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSPORT. 277
The 2nd West India Regiment marched into camp a
Prahsu, on the 4th of January, when the difficulties of
transport, owing to the desertion of the carriers, which had
been daily increasing, assumed such alarming proportions
that the success of the expedition was imperilled. The
number of troops fixed by Sir Garnet Wolseley, for whom
transport was imperatively required, was 2,504 Europeans of
all ranks, and 1,050 Native levies, including 200 of the 2nd
West India Regiment.*
The ships, with the European troops, having returned to
Cape Coast, as directed, the Rifle Brigade was disembarked
on New Year's Day, and marched direct from the beach to
Inquabim, which was reached in three hours. They were
followed by the 42nd Highlanders and a half-battalion of
the Fusiliers.
Colonel CoUey expected a sufficient number of carriers to
provide transport for the three battalions of Europeans,
but, between the 31st of December and the 3rd of January,
the Natives deserted by hundreds, and Sir Archibald Alison
suspended the disembarkation of the second half-battalion
of the FusUiers and the Royal ArtiUery, which was in pro
gress. On learning the position of affairs. Sir Garnet
directed the re-embarkation of the Fusiliers, which had
proceeded as far as Accroful, though, to soften the disap
pointment to many gallant men, the General arranged that
the headquarters and 100 men should accompany him into
¦* For these troops the number of carriers required, on the lowest scale,
was 3,500, being one carrier to every 3 European soldiers, and one to each
officer, besides 240 for the cots, and others for the ammunition and camp
equipment, which brought up the total for one battahon to 654. It was
roughly calculated that to supply one European battalion daily with pro
visions 60 additional carriers were required for every day's march, and be
tween 400 and 500 to keep up the daily supply at Prahsu from Cape Coast.
206 carriers were only required for each of the Native regiments, as the rank
and file were their own carriers. In addition to this total. Colonel CoUey
estimated that he would require for the transport of the supplies and am
munition, and to carry back the sick and wounded, 5,000 local carriers,
divided equally between the north and south banks of the Prah.

278 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Ashantee, an equal number of the 42nd being re-embarked.
Arrangements were made to employ Wood's Regiment as
carriers, as a temporary measure ; the Kroomen of the
Naval Brigade were also sent back to Mansu for loads,
and Russell's Regiment alone marched to the Prah to lead
the advance. The Highlanders and Rifle Brigade were
halted in their march up country, and Sir Garnet requested
the chief magistrate of Cape Coast to put in force the law
compelling the Natives to work. Only forty men were ob
tained by these means; but 270 men, in the pay of the
merchants, were pressed by permission of their masters.
Sir Archibald Alison at Cape Coast continued his efforts by
doubling the allowance for rations, offering ;^5o to the
chiefs for every 500 able-bodied men they raised, and
' driving ' for carriers in the Elmina and the surrounding
villages ; while Sir Garnet issued a proclamation, that unless
the native kings assisted the army in this matter of transport,
he would re-embark his whole force, and leave them to the
mercy of their enemies. Large additions were thus made
by these means to the number of carriers, and, at length.
Colonel CoUey was enabled, on the 15th of January, to
report that the transport difficulty had been surmounted.
At that date he had collected 4,200 men and 1,250
women, ' local ' carriers, exclusive of the regimental carriers,
being 2,000 in excess of the numbers estimated as necessary
to maintain communication with Prahsu. Under these cir
cumstances. Sir Garnet Wolseley decided that the passage
of the Prah, by European troops, should commence on the
2 oth of January, which was five days later than he originally
projected. The monotony and inaction of camp life at the Prah were
beginning to tell on both European officers and men : twenty-
two of the Naval Brigade were on the sick-list, and of the
Staff, Major Baker, Mr. Irvine, Lieutenant Maurice, and the

WOLSELEY CROSSES THE PRAH. 279
two aides-de-camp. Captain Lanyon and Lieutenant Hon.
H. L. Wood, were seized with fever, which carried off
Captain Huyshe. This accomplished and energetic officer
had been engaged up to the end of the year in surveying,
and had just rejoined headquarters.
The first entry into the enemy's country was made on the
Sth of January, by Russell's Regiment, 500 strong, and the
scouts, which the General had placed under the command
of Lieutenant Lord Gifford, 24th Regiment, Adjutant of
Russell's Regiment This young officer pushed on with
170 scouts to Ansah, and thence to the Foomoosu River,
meeting with no opposition. On the 12th of January he
occupied Accrofoomu, where he was joined by Russell's
Regiment and the rocket-party, together with Major Home
and the 28th Company ofthe Royal Engineers. The 2nd
West India and Wood's Regiments, and Rait's ArtiUery
followed on successive days; and on the i6th Lord
Gifford reached the foot of the Moinsey HUl, the crest
of which Major RusseU occupied and fortified. On the
1 8th, Lord Gifford advanced to Quisah, the frontier town
in Ashantee proper, which was occupied by Russell's Regi
ment. In consequence of the enemy having thus evacuated the
entire country to the south of the Adansi HiUs, Sir Garnet
Wolseley was gratified to find that the date he had origi
naUy fixed for reaching that point would not be departed
from. Early the same morning, the General with his Staff,
and the Naval Brigade under Captain Luxmoore,* crossed
the Prah, and Colonel McLeod, 42nd Highlanders, pushed
on to Quisah to take command of the advanced guard, now
consisting of Wood's and Russell's Regiments, Rait's Artil
lery, and the headquarters of the 2nd West India Regiment,
¦* Captain Blake, of the Druid, who hitherto commanded the Naval
Brigade with such credit to himself, died of dysentery.

28o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the whole forming what was generaUy known as the ' Black
Brigade.' The General took up his quarters on the night of the 20th
of January, at Essiaman in the old Assin viUage, situated on
a hill surrounded by a small clearing. On the morning of
the 2 ist he proceeded, by an admirable road, to Accrofoomu,
where Major Home had constructed a work of the type of the
New Zealand pah. Here he rested for the night in the store-
shed, thatched with palm-leaves, a portion of the Naval
Brigade encamping outside in their tents, where they made
wattle-beds, well off the ground, of sticks gathered in the
adjoining forest
Commodore W. N. W. Hewett, V.C, C.B., commanding
the squadron on the West Coast of Africa, arrived at Accro
foomu late in the day, accompanied by his flag-lieutenant.
Lieutenant Rolfe, R.N., who, as his chief was present with
the force en amateur, was placed on Sir Garnet's Staff, as
Naval aide-de-camp. Captain Hunt Grubbe, commanding
H.M.S. Tamar, now assumed command of the Naval
Brigade. During the night, the Kroomen of the Naval
Brigade, who, though of Herculean buUd, are abject
cowards, fancying that the Ashantees were upon them, fled
panic-stricken into the sleeping camp ; the saUors stood to
their arms with great promptness and presence of mind, but
some time elapsed before the General and the officers, who
all turned out, were able to restore order.
On the 22nd, headquarters marched to Moinsey, and the
General proceeded to the summit of the steep Adansi Hill,
whence a fine view was had of the surrounding country. It
was with eager interest that every eye was turned northwards
to the promised land of conquest, which stretched in the
direction of Coomassie — a vista of hills, ridge upon ridge, aU
covered with the dense African forest, and partiaUy shrouded
by the mist which is never wholly dispelled by the sun. During

NEGOTIATIONS WITH KING KOFFEE. 281
the 23rd, the Rifle Brigade marched in, and envoys arrived
from King Koffee, with the remainder of the white pri
soners,* and a letter, dated 21st of January, in which, after
promising acceptance of the British terms, he said : ' I beg
also you would stop the progress of the forces, and let us
go on with peaceful negotiation. I will make Amankwatia,
who has acted contrary to my instructions, pay the amount
your Excellency ask, if you can only keep patience and stop
the advancement of the forces.' But the wily savage made
a mistake when he calculated that Wolseley was to be taken
in by specious promises, even though he had given, as an
unwary general might have considered, a proof of his good
faith in releasing the European captives. The Fantee prisoners
were still retained, and Wolseley knew that these earnest and
repeated supplications for delay were only made by the King
to enable him to gather together his disbanded army for one
final effort to save his crown and carry in triumph to his
capital the soldier who, by defeating his armies and cross
ing the Prah, hitherto held inviolate from the foot of a white
conqueror, had confuted the tradition which, for two centu
ries, had enchained the popular imagination. StiU a con
siderable instalment of his original demand had been ob
tained by the release of the white prisoners ; and the
General, while not abating one jot of his determination
to push on until his terms were satisfied in their entirety,
despatched to Her Majesty's Government the foUowing
telegram :t ' King will pay indemnity I have demanded,
* These were M. Bonnet, a French merchant, and Mr. and Mrs. Ram-
seyer and their two chUdren.
f This telegram was sent from Moinsey, at about six p.m. on the 23rd,
by the hands of a pohce-ninner, who reached Prahsu, thirty-two and a half
miles distant, at daybreak next moming. Thence an officer was sent by
Colonel Festing to Barraco, the nearest telegraph station, with orders to
repeat the despatch, which was in two ciphers, to the Colonial and War
Offices. By ro,30 the despatch had been repeated from Cape Coast ; and
the same evening the Sarmatian sailed for Gibraltar, making the passage in
nine days. Thence it was telegraphed to London, so that news from the

282 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
amounting to ;^2 00,000. He accepts the terms offered.
The white prisoners are all now with us. ShaU halt a few
days at Fommanah, which is about thirty mUes from Coo
massie. Everything goes on well.'
Owing to the rapid advance of the troops, who had out
stripped the transport, the halt at Fommanah was absolutely
essential for the formation of a depot of supplies by
Colonel CoUey, now in charge of the line of communication
between the front and Cape Coast, and of all the posts on
the road.
The delay also effected a double purpose, ' as it gave the
appearance to the King of Ashantee of his halting in com
pliance with his request, so that every chance would be
given him for carrying out his promises.' That Sir Garnet
was not deceived by these promises, appears from the letter
he despatched on the 24th, in which he said : ' I intend to
go to Coomassie. It is for your Majesty to decide whether
I go there as your friend or as your enemy.' If in the
former capacity, he demanded certain hostages, the Fantee
prisoners, and a portion of the indemnity. He then added :
' I shall then proceed to Coomassie with an escort of only
about 500 English soldiers, in order to make a treaty of
peace with your Majesty. The sooner I receive these
guarantees, the sooner will my armies halt ; and in order
to allow your Majesty to fulfil my demands without trouble,
I shall only advance very slowly with this army during the
next few days. An officer of rank has conferred with your
messengers, and I shall have much pleasure in conferring
with your Majesty personally when I arrive at Coomassie.'
On the 24th, headquarters, with the Rifle Brigade,

Adansi Hills was pubUshed in the metropoUs in less than ten days. When
the telegram appeared in the daily papers on the morning of the 5th of
February it was pretty generaUy pronounced to be an electioneering hoax to
influence the fate of the Gladstone Ministry, then wavering in the balance.

SICKNESS IN THE FORCE. 283
foUowed Russell's Regiment to Fommanah, where Sir
Garnet and Staff occupied the palace of Cobbina Obbin,
the King of Adansi, ' a large building, consisting of several
open courts communicating with each other, and each
surrounded by rooms closed on three sides, but open on
the fourth into the court'
Sir Garnet inspected the Rifles on the 25th of January,
when there appeared on parade 591 officers and men, out
of a total strength of 784, 77 having been left behind sick,
and 9 being in hospital at Fommanah. On the same day,
the returns showed that in the Naval Brigade, 48 were sick
out of a total of 250; 38 were sick in the 23rd Fusiliers,
and 51 in the 42nd' Highlanders. In consequence of this
serious diminution in his fighting force, which included only
1,800 Europeans on shore, the General ordered that 10
officers and 200 rank and file of the Fusiliers should be
landed and proceed forthwith to Prahsu, and this reinforce
ment was of the utmost service in keeping open the com
munications when the force pushed on to Coomassie.
Meanwhile Lord Gifford had scouted as far as Insarfu,
and on receipt of information that the King of Adansi was
at Borborassie with 1,000 men, Colonel McLeod, having
received the General's permission to make a reconnoissance,
started on the 29th of January, with a small force, which
included the Naval Brigade. After a march of three hours
from Kiang Boassu, the column reached the viUage, out of
which the Ashantees were driven, though not without the
loss on our side of Captain NicoU,* who was shot dead
while gallantly leading the advance of Russell's Regiment.
On this day headquarters arrived at Detchiasu, where
-* On receipt of the news of the death of Captain NicoU, who left a
wife and family, a sum of ,^80 was subscribed at Sir Garnet Wolseley's
table, the General himself heading the subscription list with ;^2o ; and
when, some months later, the Company of Grocers in London placed at his
disposal a sum of ;^25o for the benefit of the sufferers by this war, he pre
sented Captain Nicoll's widow with half the amount.

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

Sir Garnet received two letters from King Koffee, reiterating
his request that the British forces should stay their advance
on his capital, to which he replied by repeating his demands
and concluded as follows : ' I halted four days at Fommanah
to please your Majesty. I cannot halt again until you have
complied with my terms.'
On the 30th of January the advanced guard, consisting
of Wood's and Russell's Regiments, moved from Insarfu to
Quarman, holding the passage of the Dansaboo stream, and
strongly intrenching themselves ; also headquarters, with
the Rifle Brigade, 42nd Highlanders, and Rait's ArtiUery,
moved to Insarfu ; and the Naval Brigade, 23rd Fusiliers,
with field hospitals and ammunition reserve, to Ahkan-
kuassie, three mUes in the rear. The 2nd West India
Regiment also advanced a stage, and the ist West India
were ordered to the front from Essiaman.
The last day of January is memorable in the annals of the
Ashantee War, as that on which the treacherous African
monarch threw off the mask, and boldly staked his crown
and prestige for invincibUity on the arbitrament of battie.
On that day the following was the position of the three
other columns, which, as Sir Garnet Wolseley so candidly
informed the King, would simultaneously invade his terri
tories and converge upon his capital of Coomassie. Captain
Butler proceeded in November, 1873, on a special
mission to the Kings of Western Akim, to induce them to
march with all their fighting men upon the flank and rear of
the Ashantee army ; but though they crossed the Prah with
him and Captain Brabazon, on the 20th of January, the
entire force, 1,400 strong, bolted panic-struck, on the 30th,
when, as he said, his junction with the main body at
Amoaful 'was only a question of some hours.' Captain
Butler joined headquarters at Agemmanu on the 7th of
February, during the return march from Coomassie; but

MOVEMENTS OF THE SUPPORTING COLUMNS. 285
though he faUed in the main object of his mission, he
created a valuable diversion by drawing away from the
enemy's main army at Amoaful, the whole fighting force
of Kokofoo, which assembled to bar his progress.
Even less was the measure of success that rewarded the
efforts of Captains Dalrymple and Moore, of the 88th Regi
ment, who had been despatched on a mission to induce the
Kings of Wassaw and Denkera to invade Ashantee by the
Wassaw path, thus acting on the left flank of the main line
of advance. On the 24th of January, when the British
advance guard was at Fommanah, Captain Dalrymple had
succeeded, in three weeks, in assembling at Kotakee only
50 men, and was compelled to give up the attempt in despair
on the 30th of January. Though his mission collapsed even
more signally than Captain Butler's, it was not wholly barren
of results, for the King of Becquah, one of the tributaries of
Koffee Kalkalli, assembled his men on the left flank of the
invading army to oppose an advance.
But most important and successful, in every sense, was
the diversion created by Captain Glover, who, in accordance
with Sir Garnet Wolseley's orders, crossed the Prah on the
15th of January, with 740 Houssas and Yorubas. To do so —
as he said in his lecture at the United Service Institution on
the 17th of May, 1874 — 'he sacriflced clothes, provisions,
and everything, to get up the ammunition.' On the i6th of
January, the town of Abogoo was captured, and, on the
23rd, Lieutenant Barnard took Prahsu, and, on the 26th,
Odumassie — which commands the road in the rear from
Connomo to Juabin, and also that to Coomassie, from which
it is some 25 or 30 miles distant. Captain Glover joined
Barnard here, and, on the ist of February, despatched
Captain Sartorius across the Anoom river, to open com
munication with Captain Butler's force, which he supposed
was operating between his own and the main army ; and

286 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
this gaUant officer, with only 130 men, advanced through
two large Ashantee camps, but, finding his rear cut off,
despatched 40 Houssas back to Captain Glover, who sent
Lieutenant Barnard to reinforce him with 150 men, when
the combined force routed the enemy, and rejoined Captain
Glover at Odumassie. To return to the movements of the
main army under Sir Garnet Wolseley.
Lord Gifford reconnoitred the Ashantee position beyond
Egginassie during the night of the 29th of January, and
Major Home continued cutting the road up to within 100
yards of that village. As Colonel McLeod reported that the
enemy in front were in great force, and it became evident
that a general action was imminent. Sir Garnet Wolseley, on
the 30th of January, issued his instructions* to the troops,
who were formed into four columns facing outwards, similar
to the four sides of a square. His design in adopting this
formation is thus expressed by himself when reporting the
successful result of his strategy : ' As the leading column
advanced northward the left column, according to orders
previously issued, cut a path diagonally to the left front, with
a view of protecting the left flank of the front column ; and
* ' The troops will advance to-morrow, at an hour which -wiU be hereafter
decided, in the following order : 42nd Highlanders ; Rait's guns ; Naval
Brigade ; Rait's rockets ; 23rd Royal Welsh Fusihers ; Rifle Brigade.
Wood's and Russell's Regiments, which are now in advance, wiU be drawn
up on the side of the road, and will, on the above column reaching them,
strike in between the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers and Rifle Brigade. On
approaching the enemy, the troops will be formed, the front hne being
commanded by Brigadier-General Sir A. Alison, the left flank by Colonel
McLeod, the right flank by Lieut.-Colonel Wood, V.C, and the rear by
Lieut. -Colonel Warren, Rifle Brigade. The regimental reserve ammuni-
" tion will be inside the square on the road, that of the Rifle Brigade being in
front of the battahon. Regiments must furnish a guard on their ammuni
tion, and arrange for keeping their men suppUed. The hammocks and
bearers will also be inside the square. Evei-y man of the force will carry
one day's full ration of sausage and cheese. A reserve of supplies will be
formed at Insarfu, The main road will be cleared as far as possible with
the troops, by the Royal Engineers, who will cut roads on each side of, and
300 yards from, the main road. The 42nd Highlanders must be careful in
their advance to lean in upon the guns, so as not to leave them without
support.'

WOLSELEY'S PLAN OF BATTLE. 287
as it moved along this path, the right column, closing up, cut
a path diagonally to the right to protect the right flank,
whUe the rear column extended, so as to gain touch of the
right and left columns, which were designed to follow the
flanks of the front column, and, should it be outflanked, to
face east and west outwards. My intention was to fight in
the form of a square,* and so oppose the invariable flanking
tactics of the enemy, which their superior numbers would
probably allow them to carry out against any line which I
could form.' The total force of all ranks and arms, num
bered 134 officers, 1,375 European soldiers, and 780
Natives. At daybreak, on the 31st of January, the advance column,
commanded by Sir Archibald Alison, marched from the
camp at Insarfu, and at 7.30, Sir Garnet Wolseley moved
off with the detachment of the 23rd FusUiers. Soon after
eight. Lord Gifford's scouts received the first shot from the
enemy, when they took the viUage of Egginassie with a rush.
The two advance companies of the Highlanders, under
Major Macpherson, now proceeded up the main road, and
the heavy fire they quickly drew upon themselves showed
that the Ashantees were in force ; whereupon they were re
inforced by a third company. As the enemy began thus
early to resort to their favourite movement of turning his
flank. Sir Archibald ordered two companies of the High
landers, under Major Baird, to proceed along a path to the
left, keeping three companies in reserve. On reaching a rise
in the ground, he saw that the enemy had taken up a strong
position in considerable force on a ridge beyond a low
swampy hollow, through which a sluggish stream flowed.
Major Baird at once attacked the ridge, which projected
* This formation of a square, with the sides facing outwards, is enjoined
by Vegetius, in his 'Maxims,' 1,500 years ago, as the best, where your
troops are superior in quality and morale to those of the enemy. It was the
formation adopted by Lord Chelmsford at Ulundi.

288 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
forward in the shape of a semicircle, on the left completely
enveloping the flank, and sweeping with its fire not only the
path descending into the swamp, along which Major
Macpherson was endeavouring to force his way, but the
swamp itself, and the path on the other side. The fire at
this time was tremendous, and it was fortunate indeed that
the Ashantee arms and ammunition were of a wretched
description. Major Scott was now directed to advance with
two companies of the reserve, but stUl the enemy's fire could
not be reduced. The Brigadier-General reported at nine
o'clock to Sir Garnet Wolseley that he was ' heavUy engaged
with a large force in his front and left flank ;' that six com
panies were in action, leaving only two in reserve, and that
he would 'like some support' A little later he asked for
more surgeons at the front Writing of this period of the
action. Sir Archibald says in his despatch: 'The peculiarities
of Ashantee warfare were now strongly developed. We
were in the midst of a semicircle of hostile fire, and we
hardly ever caught sight of a man. As company after
company of the 42nd descended, with their pipes, into the
ravine, they were almost immediately lost sight of in the
bush, and their position could only be judged of from the
sharp crack of their rifles, in contradistinction to the loud,
dull roar of the Ashantee musketry.'
After describing some of the difficulties incidental to
fighting with an unseen and numerous enemy in a dense
bush, he continues : ' AU these difficulties were, however,
overcome by the wonderful coolness and discipline of the
men, and the admirable way in which they were handled by
the company officers. The orders to all were to regard the
road as if the colours of the regiment were on it, and never
to lose their connection with it ; but without the admirable
sectional organization introduced by his Excellency, and
thoroughly carried out by the company officers, it would

THE ACTION OF AMOAFUL. 289
have been impossible to prevent the men getting out of
hand. The Ashantees stood admirably, and kept up one
of the heaviest fires I ever was under. While opposing our
front attack with immensely superior numbers, they kept
enveloping our left with a constant series of well-directed
flank attacks.'
At this time Major Baird, Major Home, and a great
number of men were wounded, and the Brigadier-General,
who had applied to Sir Garnet for support, owns that he
' was getting very anxious as to the result,' when the two left
detached flank companies, which had themselves been
heavily engaged, most opportunely came in and joined the
reserve, having been unable to force their way through the
bush sufficiently quick to accompany the advance of the
main column. Sir Archibald at once pushed the remaining
reserve company into action, and, very shortly after, sent
one of the flank companies, which had just returned, also to
the front, and thus the 42nd had, at this time, seven
companies engaged, and one in reserve. But as the enemy
StiU ' held his ground stoutly in the front and left flank,' the
Brigadier-General applied to Sir Garnet for some of the
Rifle Brigade, as his men 'were getting tired from continuous
fighting,' and his 'loss in wounded was pretty severe.' Half
an hour later Sir Garnet received from him a second de
spatch, dated ' ten a.m., in front of Amoaful,' to the effect
that the enemy held their ground steadily, and he had not
yet been able to carry the village ; and asking for a rein
forcement of half a battalion of Rifles.
Sir Garnet immediately sent one company, but the
enemy could not have been driven out of their strong
position without very considerable loss, had it not been for
Major Rait, who brought his guns into action with equal
gallantry and judiciousness. Crossing the swamp and pro
ceeding up the path under a hot fire, he quickly got one
19

290 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
gun into action and fired fifteen rounds of case into the
dense masses of the Ashantees. The Highlanders now
carried the position with a rush ; and, after Rait had weU
dosed the enemy, who had taken up a second position on a
ridge behind it, the gallant 42 nd again advanced, and this
position also was carried. ' This,' said the Brigadier-
General, 'was the last serious stand of the enemy. The
breaking of their centre immediately diminished the severity
of their flank attacks, which soon died away.'
Meanwhile, the flanking columns were not idle. Colonel
McLeod, on the left, with the right wing of the Naval
Brigade, under Captain Grubbe, R.N., and Russell's
Regiment, had been busy cutting a path into the bush in a
north-westerly direction and then north, according to the
plan laid down by the General. Captain Buckle, R.E.,
encouraged his labourers both by word and example ; but
the fire they encountered whUe endeavouring to keep pace
with the rapid advance of the 42nd to the hoUow on the
right, was very heavy, and that gallant officer feU mortally
wounded. At length a path was cut to the crest of the hill,
whence the rockets opened a destructive fire, and two
companies of Russell's Regiment advanced and drove the
Ashantees out of their camp. Colonel McLeod had cleared
his front, but, having lost touch of the left of the front
column, now cut his way in a north-easterly direction and
came into the main road in rear of the Highlanders, about
the same hour that the advance occupied Amoaful. 'I
protected his left rear,' says Sir Garnet, ' by a detachment
of the Rifle Brigade ; our left flank was now apparently
clear ofthe enemy.'
Colonel Wood, on the right, also advanced from Eggi
nassie with the left wing of the Naval Brigade, under
Commander Luxmoore, R.N., and his own regiment, and
commenced cutting a path in a north-easterly direction;

A CRITICAL MOMENT. 291
but he encountered so heavy a fire that he directed his men
to lie down, when they engaged in a musketry duel with the
enemy. The two companies of Wood's Regiment, which had
been left behind to hold Egginassie, having pushed on into
the surrounding bush, were also engaged with the enemy,
who kept up a heavy fire at this point, among those
wounded being Colonel Wood himself
When Sir Garnet arrived at Egginassie a Uttle before 9. 30,
matters looked very serious, for the enemy had not given
way at any point, whUe they were making persistent attacks
with overwhelming numbers on both flanks of the village
itself But the General was calm and confident, and would
not even allow the men he had with him to loophole the
houses, ' lest the mere fact of this being done should make
the troops consider that he thought it possible we might
have to fall back upon the village, and act upon the
defensive.' Urgent requests for reinforcements were received
from all sides, and the General, who stood in the viUage
personally superintending the movements, sent company
after company to support the hardly-pressed advance
column, and keep up the communication with the vUlage.
At length the tide turned when the Highlanders had
passed the swamp, and though Colonel McLeod's column
was but Uttle advanced beyond the hill to the west of Eggi
nassie, and Colonel Wood's column was still scarcely 200
yards east from the village, the fire of the enemy began to
slacken. But so vastly superior in numbers were the enemy
that they were enabled to break in upon the main road in
rear of the 42nd, while they engaged the British front and
flanks. Sir Archibald Alison, having driven the enemy from their
great camp, advanced upon the vUlage of Amoaful, which was
' rushed ' by the 42nd, after Rait's guns had searched it with
a few rounds ; and, soon after twelve, he reported to the
19 — 2

292 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
General that all was quiet on his right and left. Colonel
McLeod's column now pushed across the swamp, but still
no advance was made on the right. Colonel Wood being
hotly engaged with the enemy ; and it was not untU 1.45
that the Ashantees were driven off and all firing ceased in
the front, though they made heavy attacks in the rear.*
The- action that was thus brought to a successful con
clusion was hard fought, and the resistance encountered
from the enemy much greater than was anticipated. Until the
vUlage of Amoaful was carried, says the Brigadier-General,
' the fighting was incessant ; indeed it is impossible to con
ceive a more severe action than went on. The heavy loss
suffered by the 42nd is the best proof of this, nearly every
fourth man having been hit' The loss ofthe enemy, he com
puted at not less than between 2,000 and 3,000 in killed and
wounded. He adds, ' They stood admirably, came close up
to our men, and evidently fought to win ; but their final rout
was complete.' The great Chief Amanquatia was among
the killed, and the King of Mampon was wounded, while
many other chiefs bit the dust. Admirable skiU was shown
in the position selected by Amanquatia, and the determina
tion and generalship he displayed in the defence, fuUy bore
out his reputation as an able tactician and gallant soldier.
The brunt of the fighting was borne by the 42nd High
landers, of whom the Brigadier-General says, ' Their steadi-
* The Ashantees showed remarkable enterprise on this eventful day, for
at 2.30 they attacked Colonel CoUey while on his retum to Insarfu, to bring
up the regimental baggage, and escort the wounded to that post, and, at
three o'clock, he reported that Quarman was ' warmly attacked.' On his
arrival with reinforcements the enemy were repulsed, when he passed on to
Insariu, and, having collected the baggage and ammunition, which extended
nearly five miles in length, started on his return to Quarman, which the
Ashantees had again attacked, and fighting was continued on the road until
late in the evening. Colonel CoUey, having brought the baggage into
Insarfu during the night, marched back to Quarman, and arrived at mid
night at Amoaful, whither Sir Garnet had proceeded. At ten o'clock all the
companies on the road between it and Egginassie were called into Amoaful,
and Colonel Warren was left in command at Egginassie with four companies
of the Rifle Brigade.

BRITISH LOSS AT AMOAFUL. 293
ness and discipline, the admirable way in which they were
kept in hand by their officers, and the enthusiastic gallantry
with which every charge was executed, exceed all praise.'
Especial praise was due to Major Macpherson,* who, though
wounded three times, refused to quit the field until Amoaful
was carried ; and to Major Scott, who succeeded in com
mand, and Major Baird, who died of his wounds at Sierra
Leone on his passage home. Others who distinguished
themselves were Major Home, R. E., and Captain Buckle, R.E.,
who was kiUed ; Lord Gifford, Colonel McLeod, Captain
Rait, R.A., Captain Grubbe, R.N., and Colonel Wood, both
of whom were wounded. Of the total force engaged, i
officer, 2 privates of the 42nd Highlanders, and one native
were killed, and 21 officers and 173 men were wounded;
of these, 9 officers and 104 men belonged to the Highlanders,
and 6 officers and 26 men to the Naval Brigade.
At daybreak on the ist of February, the road between
Insarfu and Amoaful was Uned by the 42nd and Rifle
Brigade, and the convoy of ammunition and baggage was
brought to headquarters without opposition. At one o'clock
the town of Becquah was carried by Lord Gifford, who re
ceived the Victoria Cross for his gallantry on this occasion
and throughout the operations north of the Prah, when ' he
daily carried his life in his hand.'
Sir Garnet having received the necessary supplies, deter
mined to push on and give the enemy no time to rally.
Accordingly, at daybreak on the 2nd of February, the
whole force advanced from Amoaful, the advance guard,
under Colonel McLeod, consisting of Lord Gifford's
scouts, Russell's Regiment, detachments of Engineers and
Artillery, and one company of the Rifle Brigade. Two
days' rations were carried by the troops in their haver
sacks, the regimental transports accompanying with a similar
* This gallant officer again commanded the 42th Regiment at Tel-el-Kebir.

294 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
supply. The advance guard reached Aggemmamu at 12.40,
without any serious opposition, and, soon after, the main
body arrived, and halted. The General now pushed his
pickets down the road towards Coomassie, and sent Colonel
McLeod to scout Adwabin, which that officer occupied. In
the meantime. Colonel CoUey, who had proceeded back to
Fommanah, found the small garrison hotly engaged with
the enemy, who succeeded in penetrating the southern side
of the viUage, but were repulsed with loss. During the
attack. Captain North, 47th Regiment, in command of the
post, was severely wounded.
The British force was now concentrated at Aggemmamu,
with four days' supplies, and as Colonel CoUey undertook
that in five days' time a fresh convoy of provisions should
arrive at that place. Sir Garnet Wolseley determined to ad
vance forthwith upon Coomassie, some fifteen mUes distant
It was a bold decision, as the enemy were known to be in
force in the front ; there was a river to be crossed, and his
little army had been greatly reduced by casualties and sick
ness. ' Most generals,' says Colonel Wood, ' would have
hesitated in such a conjuncture ; but, with a happy audacity.
Sir Garnet pressed on, and the result proved the wisdom of
his decision.' As he determined, should he succeed in
fighting his way into Coomassie, to quit the town within
four or five days, whether he succeeded in making a treaty
with King Koffee or not, he appealed to the men of the
European Brigade to make their four days' rations* last, if
necessary, for six days, and, as might be expected, they aU
responded most willingly in the affirmative. Accordingly,
he issued orders to the force to march at daybreak on the
foUowing morning, each man carrying his greatcoat and a
day's biscuit in his haversack.
-* Colonel CoUey, who joined headquarters during the forenoon on the
line of march, brought 150 loads of provisions, thus completing the amount
to between five and six days' suppUes for the whole force.

THE ADVANCE ON COOMASSIE. 295
Leaving his tents and baggage at Aggemmamu, which
had been strongly intrenched. Sir Garnet marched early on
the 3rd of February. On the arrival of the head of the
column at Adwabin, Colonel McLeod, with Lord Gifford's
scouts in front, moved with the advanced guard on the path
to the right of the main road to Coomassie. He soon
encountered the enemy, when a detachment of the Rifle
Brigade and RusseU's Regiment drove them from the hill
on which they were posted. In this affair the Rifle Brigade
had six men placed hors de combat, Russell's Regiment ten,
and the scouts eight.
Shortly before noon, two messengers, one bearing a white
flag, and the other a golden plate on his breast, the symbol
of his office, arrived with a letter from the King. The
column was on the Une of march, and the messengers were
detained while Sir Garnet perused and replied to a letter
from King Koffee, in the handwriting of Dawson, express
ing his wUlingness ' to meet your Excellency's demands, but
only your Excellency's very rapid movements puts me into
confusion.' There was also a private letter from Dawson,
petitioning him to halt, ' as no doubt we wiU all be kiUed,
if your ExceUency do not stay.' But nothing could change
Sir Garnet's fixed determination to proceed to Coomassie.
As, however, the Ordah, a deep and wide river, was still a
considerable distance off, and it was evident that his troops
could not reach Coomassie that night, he wrote the follow
ing brief reply to the King :
' 12.10 a.m. , February 3rd, 1874. On the march.
' You have deceived me so before, that I cannot halt
until the hostages are in my possession. If you send
them to me this evening, I wUl halt my army this side of
the river Ordah. As time presses, I will consent to accept
for to-day your mother and Prince Mensah. Both shall be

296 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
well treated by me. You can trust my word. Unless you
send them at once, my army shall march upon Coomassie'
Sir Garnet continued his advance, and at three p.m.
reached the banks of the Ordah, where he halted. Rus
sell's Regiment crossed the stream, which was fifty feet
wide and waist-deep, to act as a covering-party to the En
gineers, who commenced to throw over a bridge. On a
clearing being made on the north bank, the remainder of
the advance-guard crossed the stream, the main body
bivouacking on the south bank, or cowering beneath the
meagre shelter afforded by hastUy constructed huts of palm-
stems and plantain-leaves, from a deluge of rain which
never ceased throughout the night Major Home and his
Engineers continued to work during the pitUess storm,
and by daybreak this indefatigable officer had completed
an excellent bridge. The night before the capture of
Coomassie must have reminded Sir Garnet Wolseley of
that preceding the occupation of Fort Garry, and his mind
was equally at ease as to the result of the operations of the
morrow. As the prisoners had not arrived. Sir Garnet
crossed the river with the main body of his little army.
Hardly had the advance commenced their march than
the enemy opened fire, and Colonel McLeod pushed some
of the Rifle Brigade and a 7-pounder, under Lieutenant
Saunders, R.A, to the front. Lieutenant Bell, R.E.,* being
engaged in clearing the bush on the left with his workmen.
The attack gradually developed itself into a general action,
and Sir Archibald Alison, who was engaged heavily on the
right with the remainder of the Rifle Brigade and Rait's
* This gallant officer was awarded the Victoria Cross 'for his distin
guished bravery and zealous, resolute, and self-devoted conduct at the
battle of Ordahsu. By his example he made these men, his unarmed work
ing-party of Fantee labourers, do what no European party was ever required
to do in warfare — namely, to work under fire in the face of the enemy with
out a covering-party.'

THE ACTION OF ORDAHSU. 297
Houssa ArtUlery, reported that his ' whole right flank and
rear were enveloped.' It was evident that the enemy were
in great force, and were attempting their favourite tactics of
surrounding their foe. Colonel McLeod, under cover of
a gun, steadily continued his advance along the main road
leading to Ordahsu, and at nine the village was carried
by the Rifles. But it was not without serious loss, 7 of
the II Houssas of Saunders' detachment being wounded,
also Lieutenant Wauchope (severely), and Lieutenant Eyre
(mortaUy), while urging on the Opobo Company of Wood's
Regiment, of which he had been Adjutant throughout the
campaign. The Ashantees, quickly recovering themselves, now attacked
the village of Ordahsu on both sides, and also made flank
attacks down the road, where Wood's and Pvussell's Regi
ments, being unsteady, had been placed to guard commu
nications. Sir Archibald, having pushed on the -remainder
of the Rifles to support Colonel McLeod, soon after joined
him at Ordahsu, where the Rifles, Rait's guns, and the
detachment 23rd, were concentrated. According to the
Brigadier-General's request. Sir Garnet directed him to
move on, and proposed to take his place at Ordahsu with
the 42nd ; but, before the Highlanders had time to occupy
the viUage and relieve the advance-guard, the enemy attacked
in force in front, on both flanks, and in the right rear. The
General entered the viUage with the rear of the Highlanders,
and immediately made his dispositions to bring all the baggage
into the viUage, when he proposed, after leaving a strong
guard for its protection, to push on for Coomassie, with all
his avaUable force, disregarding all flank and rear attacks.
At this time Ordahsu was encircled with a sheet of fire,
and the enemy advanced to the attack with astonishing
pertinacity and disregard of danger. They pushed boldly
into the heart of the viUage, and the revolvers of the Staff-

298 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
officers were called into requisition. Had the weapons and
ammunition of the Ashantees been of a better description,
many officers, who are the ornaments of the British army,
would have fallen beneath the heavy fire, including the
Commander of the Expedition, who narrowly escaped with
his life. Sir Garnet Wolseley was sitting on a small native
stool, and all the Headquarter Staff were seated round him
on the ground ; the noise of the firing was at its height,
and Major Russell was in the act of leaning forward to say
something in his ear, when a slug struck him, and passing ob
liquely through the puggree of his felt helmet, lodged between
it and the hatband. The General was knocked off his chair,
and both he and it rolled in the dust to the consternation
of the Staff. But quick as thought he was on his feet again,
and laughingly suggested that they should move into a
somewhat less exposed place. On examination, this slug —
which has been kept as an interesting memorial of a warm
day's work — was found to be a square piece of tin, about
the size of a dice, cut off from a bar. Had this projectile
struck him on a vital part, or even on any portion of his
helmet unprotected by the thick folds of an Indian pug
gree, it is probable that England might have had cause to
mourn the death of a briUiant and successful soldier, who,
like Wolfe and Abercrombie, fell at the moment when
victory was about to reward his protracted efforts. For
tunately he escaped with no more serious injury than a
severe headache for the remainder of the day.
Having completed his dispositions, about noon. Sir Garnet
issued the order for the advance. The 42nd, as being
fresher than the Rifle Brigade, who had been engaged in
the van since daybreak, were to lead the advance, under
cover of Rait's guns, and Colonel McLeod, who now took
command of his own regiment, was directed to disregard all
flank attacks and push on straight for Coomassie ; while

SIR GARNET IS WOUNDED. 299
the Rifle Brigade were to follow in support as soon as the
enemy were driven off from the village. Sir Archibald Alison
describes in telling language the advance of the Highlanders,
as Colonel McLeod rapidly passed the skirmishing com
panies through each other at intervals of fifty paces : ' On
first debouching from the viUage, a tremendous fire was
opened on the head of the column from a well-planned and
strong ambuscade, six men being knocked over in an instant.
But the flank companies worked steadily through the bush ;
the leading company in the path sprang forward with a
cheer ; the pipes struck up, and the ambuscade was at once
carried. Then followed one of the finest spectacles ever
seen in war. Without stop or stay the 42nd rushed on
cheering, their pipes playing, their officers to the front ;
ambuscade after ambuscade was successfully carried, village
after village won in succession, till the whole Ashantees
broke, and fled in the wildest disorder down the pathway
on their front to Coomassie. The ground was covered with
traces of their flight, umbrellas, and war-chairs of their chiefs,
drums, muskets, killed and wounded, covered the whole
way, and the bush on each side was trampled as if a torrent
had flowed through it. No pause took place until a vUlage
about four miles from Coomassie was reached, when the
absolute exhaustion of the men rendered a short halt
necessary. So swift and unbroken was the advance of the
42nd, that neither Rait's guns nor the Rifle Brigade in
support were ever brought into action.'
Up to this time, the enemy, encouraged by the presence
of King Koffee, who was carried in his litter in rear, where
no bullets could reach his royal person, had been making
repeated attacks upon Ordahsu ; but, shortly before two, on
the General communicating to his soldiers a despatch from
Sir Archibald, reporting his capture of Karsi, a viUage four
miles from Coomassie, the loud cheers, raised by Europeans

300 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and Natives alike, struck a terror into the hearts of the
enemy, and they suddenly ceased firing.
The whole of the baggage having been now brought into
the village, after some severe skirmishing with the enemy,
who tried to cut the convoy off, our troops were drawn in
and all communications severed with the rear,* a step ren
dered absolutely necessary owing to the avaUable force
being diminished by losses to i,ooo Europeans and 400
Natives, who, being supplied with five days' rations, were
in a position to exist without connection with their base of
supplies. Sir Garnet attended the funeral of the gaUant young Eyre,
whose body was placed in a hastily dug grave, and, about
3.30, commenced his march on Coomassie with the whole
of his force. Crossing two streams, and a pestilential swamp
which surrounds the city, the General, mounted on a mule,
and escorted by Captain Somerset's t company of the Rifles,
at 6.15 arrived in the market-place, where he found the
42nd, and leading companies of the Rifle Brigade, which
had entered the city three-quarters of an hour before, drawn
up as on parade. Taking off his hat, he called for ' three
cheers for the Queen,' which were given with such true
British heartiness that the Natives fled in aU directions; and
thus was brought to a close one of the most singular and
exciting episodes in the history of war.
Not less strange was the scene presented in the streets of
* Between this point and the Prah Sir Garnet Wolseley had estabUshed
eleven posts, each of which was garrisoned with between 60 and 100 men ;
Fommanah, which was the largest post north of the Prah, having a garrison
of 200 men. Thus at every advance his small force was weakened by
estabhshing these posts, while his sick and wounded had increased daily,
the carriers taking them back in one constant stream. Each post was for
tified, the houses being loopholed, the ground cleared, and a parapet
thrown up, and the garrisons daily patroUed half-way on either side until
the patrols met.
t Captain Aylmer Somerset, an amiable and excellent man, died in the
summer of 1882, much lamented by his brother officers and numerous
friends.

ARRIVAL AT COOMASSIE. 301
Coomassie, where the old motto, ' Vse victis,' received the
most singular of commentaries. With the coolest effrontery,
the very men, with whom our soldiers had been engaged
during the past four days in a fierce life-and-death struggle,
on meeting the advance-guard, sauntered up to them with
arms in their hands, and offered them water, with the
remark, ' Thank you, thank you,' as if the whole thing had
been a theatrical performance, in which all had equally well
played their parts. The great main street of Coomassie,*
which was fuU of King Koffee's warriors, who passed in
front of the troops, carrying their arms and ammunition into
the bush, commands both the town and the palace, and the
Brigadier-General, on arrival, had thrown out pickets and
placed the artiUery so that it could sweep the streets
ascending to the market-place. A party was at once sent
down to the palace, but the King and all other personages
of distinction had disappeared.
In the action of Ordahsu there were engaged 118 officers,
1,044 European soldiers and seamen, and 449 Natives ; of
this number Lieutenant Eyre and one man were kiUed, and
6 officers and 60 men wounded. The troops displayed,
during the twelve hours' arduous marching and fighting,
courage and endurance of a high order; though fainting
with thirst, water being scarce on the route, and having no
time to eat food, few if any of the force fell out, but all
pressed on in emulous eagerness for the goal of their exer
tions. The enemy did not suffer so heavily as at Amoaful,
which was owing to their resistance not being of so obstinate
a character ; and, after the capture of Ordahsu, they chiefly
directed their energies to making fruitless flank attacks on
the troops defending the vUlage.
¦' Coomassie means ' the town under the tree ;' so called because its
founder sat under a broad tree, surrounded by his warriors, while he laid
out the plan for the future town. This great fetish tree, singularly enough,
fell down on the day Sir Garnet Wolseley sent his ultimatum of the 2nd of
January to the King — an event which created a prodigious sensation among
the townspeople.

302 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
It was almost dark before steps could be taken to quarter
the troops, and Sir Garnet immediately issued stringent
orders for the protection of the inhabitants and the safety of
the town. The scene presented in the streets of the Ashantee
capital was picturesque in the highest degree. The twilight
quickly faded into night, which was Ut up by camp-fires and
torches, which threw a weird light on the crowds of Natives,
while the sky was reddened by conflagration, the acts of in
cendiaries, principally Fantee prisoners, who took advantage
of the confusion to piUage the houses. Captain Baker,
Inspector-General of Police, and other officers, were engaged
all night in extinguishing the fires, and restraining the plun
derers, one of whom, caught red-handed, was summarily
hanged, and several were flogged, which had the required
deterrent effect. After seeing that strong outlying pickets
were placed at all the main thoroughfares. Sir Garnet, with
some of his Staff, took up his quarters for the night in a
raised open recess, destitute alike of roof and front, which
opened into the market-place.
A signal military success had been achieved; but, as
political Chief of the Expedition, the laurels of the blood
less campaign of diplomacy remained still unplucked. Sir
Garnet's chief anxiety now was to conclude a treaty of peace
with the King : so before retiring to rest that night, he
addressed to him a letter, offering the original terms, and
expressing his readiness to accept hostages of rank in place
of the queen-mother and heir. After an almost sleepless
night. Sir Garnet rose early, and issued to the troops a
' Special General Order ' of thanks,* and wrote his despatch
* ' Coomassie, February sth, 1874.
' Soldiers, Seamen, and Marines of this Expeditionary Force,
' After five days' very hard fighting, under trying conditions, your courage
and devotion have been rewarded with complete success. I thank you in
Her Majesty's name for your gallantry and good conduct throughout these
operations. ' In the first phase of this war the Ashantee army was driven back from

THE KING'S PALACE. 303
to the Secretary for War, on the operations since the action
of February 2nd.
Accompanied by his Staff, the General proceeded to the
King's palace, a huge buUding of irregular shape, in which
1,000 men might have been quartered. In one court was
found a quantity of enormous umbrellas of various materials,
including the state umbrella sent home to Her Majesty, and
numerous litters, covered with sUks and velvets or the skins
of animals,' in which the King was wont to be carried. In
rooms upstairs were numberless boxes filled with articles of
value and silks. As Sir Garnet Wolseley walked through
these courts and apartments, containing a museum of articles
from all countries, he must have been reminded of the scene
at the Summer Palace, near Pekin, though the abode of the
barbarous African monarch was a poor imitation of that
edifice with its priceless contents. There were other articles
in this palace that aroused feelings only of disgust and
horror, such as the great death-drum, surrounded with
human skulls and thigh-bones, and several stools ' covered
with clotted blood, standing out from them in huge thick
lumps, the blood of hundreds of victims.' As the flies rose
in dense crowds from their foul repast. Sir Garnet beat a
hasty retreat, and, after a brief survey of the King's bed
chamber, with its heavy door, having many stamped plaques

the Fantee country into its own territory. Since then you have penetrated
far through a dense forest, defended at many points with the greatest obsti
nacy. You have repeatedly defeated a very numerous and most courageous
enemy, fighting on his own ground, in well-selected positions. British
pluck and the discipline common to Her Majesty's land and sea forces have
enabled you thus to overcome all difficulties and to seize upon the enemy's
capital, which now Ues at our mercy. All the people, both European and
Native, unjustly held captive by the King of Ashantee, are now at Uberty,
and you have proved to this cruel and barbarous people that England is
able to punish her enemies, no matter what their strength in numbers or
position. ' Maintain on your retum march to the coast the same admirable conduct
you have hitherto evinced, and England may be as justly proud of having
such soldiers, sailors, and marines as I am of having had the honour of
commanding you throughout this campaign.'

304 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
of gold, and the gorgeous four-post bedstead, quitted the
palace, over which he directed that a strong European guard
should be placed.
Another of the ' lions ' of Coomassie will not soon be
forgotten by those who paid it a visit. Not far from the
market-place, and hidden from the road by a fringe of
rushes, was an open space, over an acre in extent, forming
a receptacle for decaying corpses. The whole town was
impregnated with the odour arising from the contents of
this charnel-house, in which were lying, in all the hideous
stages of decomposition, thousands of human bodies and
skeletons. It was said that daily fresh victims were added
to this Golgotha, and it must be a source of gratification to
the victorious General to reflect that by the blows he in
flicted in this short and sharp campaign, humanity has been
the gainer in the abrogation in Ashantee-land of many of
the so-caUed ' customs,' founded on the denial of the first
principles that regulate society even among the most un
enlightened communities.
During the day Sir Garnet received messengers professing
to be sent by the King, with promises that he would come
in immediately, and the General despatched emissaries
urging him to meet him, when his palace would be placed
at his disposal ; but still there were no signs of his appear
ance, and, as it was evident that he was only carrying on his
policy of dissimulation, the messengers, who were found
collecting arms and ammunition, were arrested.
During the afternoon a terrible storm of wind and rain
swept over the city, and in the night, a second tornado
raged with fearful violence, converting the market-place
into a pond. Major Russell reported that the bridge on
the Ordah river was about eighteen inches under water, and,
as it appeared that the rainy season was about to set in, the
General determined to evacuate Coomassie and retrace his

EVACUATION OF COOMASSIE. 305
steps before the roads were rendered impassable. This de
termination was adversely criticized at the time, but there
can be no doubt of its wisdom, for had he marched out and
burnt the royal mausoleum at Bantama, and fought an action
with his handful of men, his wounded might have been so
greatly increased as to have placed it beyond his power to
remove them back to Aggemmamu, there being no carriers
or hammocks sufficient for the purpose. He knew also that
the British soldier could battle against the insidious attacks
of fevers while under the excitement of battle or anticipated
conflict, but that when these influences had ceased he would
become in that African forest an easy prey to disease.
Acting under a sense of responsibUity, from which his critics
were relieved, and remembering the earnest injunctions of
the Secretary for War, to avoid all unnecessary exposure of
the white troops, he decided in the afternoon of the 5th of
February on the course he should adopt. A report was
circulated that, as the King had broken his promise, and
failed to come in to treat for peace, the army would ad
vance in pursuit of him, and it was given out that all Ashan
tees found in the town after six am. on the 6th of February,
would be shot, an announcement which effectually cleared
the town. Prize agents at once set to work to collect all
they could before the morning, when the return march was
to commence ; but unfortunately, as the number of carriers
placed at their disposal was but thirty, only a small propor
tion of the valuables was removed.* MeanwhUe, through

* ' By the Ught of two candles,' says an officer, ' the search began. In
one room were found those gold masks, whose object it is so difficult to
divine, made of pure gold hammered into shape. One of these, weighing
more than forty-one ounces, represents a ram's head, and the others the
faces of savage men, about half the size of life. Box after box was opened,
and its contents hastily examined, the more valuable ones being kept, and the
others left. Necklaces and bracelets of gold, Aggery beads, and coral orna
ments of various descriptions, were heaped together in boxes and calabashes.
Silver plate, swords, gorgeous ammunition-belts, caps mounted in sohd

3o6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
the drenching downpour, the Engineers were hard at work
making preparations for destroying the palace and firing the
town, acts of retribution which the General determined to
adopt in order that he might leave behind, as he says, ' such
a mark of our power to punish as should deter from future
aggression a nation whom treaties do not bind.'
Soon after six a.m. the troops, headed by the Naval
Brigade, with the 42nd as the rearguard, marched off on
their return, and the great rise in the Soubang swamp, at
the entrance of the town, showed what might be expected
at the rivers. The preparation of the eight mines at the
palace took longer than had been expected, and the rear of
the main body had moved off from Coomassie a fuU hour
before they were ready ; but at length the mines were ex
ploded, and the palace was left in ruins. At the same time
the town was fired, and soon the thick thatched roofs of the
houses were burning furiously. As the dense masses of
smoke formed a funereal canopy over his capital, and the
fiames leapt high into mid-air. King Koffee learned the full
extent of the defeat and humUiation that had befaUen his
dynasty, and suffered at the hands of the British General an
adequate punishment for the manifold -wrongs inflicted for
so many years on the subject-races of his Sovereign.
So quickly had the waters risen, that in one place that
was knee-deep, there was now a reach of 200 yards of water,
and the troops had to cross the deepest part by means of a
felled tree. The Brigadier-General, who was riding a mule,
was nearly drowned, the animal rolling over him. The.
river Ordah was two feet above the bridge, and was still

gold, knives set in gold and silver, bags of gold-dust and nuggets, carved
stools mounted in silver, calabashes worked in silver and gold, siUiS em
broidered and woven, were all passed in re-view. The sword presented by
Her Majesty to the King was found and carried off, and thousands of things
were left behind that would be worth fabulous sums in cabinets at home.'

THE RETURN MARCH. 307
rising. The carriers crossed with their bundles on their
heads, and the greater portion of the European troops pro
ceeded by the bridge, which, however, gave way in the
evening, when the 42nd had to strip and ford, or swim
across, their clothes being carried by Natives. By dint of
great exertions the whole force, during the night, reached
Aggemmamu, where the General halted on the foUowing
day with the 42nd, Rifle Brigade, and Rait's ArtUlery. The
remainder of the column continued the march for Cape
Coast, which they reached, on the 20th, without any note
worthy incident, when the 23rd Regiment embarked for
England, and the Naval Brigade proceeded on board their
respective ships.
While at Aggemmamu Sir Garnet Wolseley wrote de
spatches to the Secretaries for War and the Colonies, which
were forwarded by special steamer to England, together
with the previously written despatch announcing the fall of
Coomassie. The bearer, his aide de-camp, Lieut. Hon. H.
J. L. Wood, who received promotion and the customary
grant of ;£^5oo, also conveyed the state umbrella of the
King of Ashantee, as a present from the troops to Her
Majesty, and a carved stool, from the King's palace, to the
Prince of Wales.
On the 8th of February Sir Garnet proceeded to Amoaful,
and on the loth arrived at Fommanah. The 42nd and
Rifle Brigade continued their march for the coast, the latter
embarking on the 21st of February, and the Highlanders a
few days later. Sir Garnet halted at Fommanah with the
Native troops, with the double object of seeing the last
convoy of sick and wounded across the Adansi HiUs, and
of negotiating wtth King Koffee, who had sent a messenger
to express his desire for peace, and his wUlingness to accede
to all the terms of the British Commander, coupled with a
20 — 2

3o8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
request that he would order Captain Glover* to halt his
forces. Sir Garnet agreed to waive the question of hostages, ' as
the Ashantee kingdom had been already so severely pun
ished,' but required before arranging the terms of a treaty
of peace, that 5,000 ounces of gold-dust should be sent 'as
an earnest of his sincerity and as a first instalment of the
indemnity.' Cobbina Obbin, King of Adansi, sent mes
sengers expressing his desire to migrate, with his whole
tribe, into British territory south of the Prah, and, at Sir
Garnet's invitation, arrived, on the nth of February, at
Fommanah, where he was quartered in his own palace, the
only buUding left standing in the town.
On the morning of the 13th, messengers arrived from
King Koffee, bringing 1,040 ounces of gold, consisting of
gold-dust, large plaques with bosses in the centre, nuggets,
naUs, bracelets, knobs, masks, beUs, and ornaments of every
description, some entire and others broken up. They
declared that the King could not at the moment produce
* Captain Glover had been detained at Odumassie, only two marches
from Coomassie, for want of spare ammunition and reinforcements, his
total efficient force on the 4th of February numbering only 262 Houssas
and an equal number of Yorubas, while he was encumbered vrith 60 sick
and wounded. On the 6th of February he was joined by Lieutenant Moore,
R.N., with 2,000 Aquapims and Croboes, 3 guns, and some rockets; and
on the Sth, having heard, meanwhile, rumours of the fall of Coomassie, he
started to join Sir Garnet Wolseley at the capital. On the same day the
King of Juabin sent in his submission to Captain Glover, who ordered him
to present himself to the British General at Coomassie. His halt at Odu
massie had been of essential service to the main army, for, while they were
fighting on the Ordah, he had held in check on the river Anoom the contingent
of the King of Juabin. On the loth he halted, agreeably to his instructions
that he was ' not to cross the Dah, nor to approach nearer Coomassie than
ten miles without orders from the General ;' and Captain Sartorius, who
volunteered to take a letter to Sir Garnet Wolseley, proceeded, with 20
picked Houssas, from Akina to Coomassie, a distance of eighteen miles.
Passing through Coomassie, which he found deserted and smouldering, he
bivouacked at Amoaful, and rode into the British camp at Fommanah on
the i2th of February. Glover, finding that Captain Sartorius neither came
back to him nor wrote, crossed, the Ordah on the nth, and entered Coo
massie on the following day, when he learned that the King had accepted
Sir Garnet's terms. Proceeding on his return march, he arrived at Quarman
on the 14th.

THE TREATY OF FOMMANAH. 309
more, and as the General considered that the main point was
to obtain the treaty of peace, and that the money was
important chiefly as a proof of complete submission, he
accepted the gold, which was weighed out in the presence
of European officers and Natives, who recognised in the
scene an unqualified admission of defeat on the part of the
African potentate. This concluded. Sir Garnet placed in
the hands of the envoys the draft of the instrument known
as the ' Treaty of Fommanah,'* to the provisions of which
they agreed after some demur.
The envoys returned to Coomassie with the draft treaty,
which was brought back to Cape Coast on the 13th of
March, duly ratified by the King. Sir Garnet, having
written to Captain Glovert desiring him to cross the Prah,
quitted Fommanah on the 14th of February, and arrived at
Cape Coast on the 19th.
The loot brought from Coomassie was sold by auction at
* By this treaty King Koffee agreed to the foUowing summarized con
ditions ;
' To pay the sum of 50,000 ounces of approved gold as indemnity. To
renounce all right or title to any tribute or homage from the Kings of Den
kera, Assin, Akim, Adansi, and all pretensions of supremacy over Elmina.
To guarantee freedom of trade between Ashantee and Her Majesty's forts
on the coast, and to keep the road from Coomassie to the river Prah open
and free from bush to a width of fifteen feet. To use his best endeavours
to check the practice of human sacrifice, with a view to hereafter putting an
end to it altogether.'
Sir Garnet wrote to Lord Kimberley that it was very doubtful whether
the balance of the indemnity would ever be obtained from the King ; ' but,'
he adds, ' as the payment of a few thousand pounds cannot be a matter of
relatively so great importance as the maintenance of peace, I have caused
the wording of this clause to be carefuUy so framed as to make it clear that
the money is only to be paid in such instalments and at such dmes as Her
Majesty may direct. The whole question of the money will thus be open
for solution in any way Her Majesty's Govemment may think fit,' He had
before, when forwarding to Lord Kimberley, from Prahsu, a copy of his letter
to the King, said, referring to the amount of his demand of 50,000 ounces :
' Owing to the limited information at my command as to the amount of gold
at his disposal, it is possible that during negotiations I may feel it necessary
to reduce it.'
t Captain Glover received this letter at Quarman, on the 14th of February,
and marched to the sea-coast with his force of 4,450 men, of whom 715
were discipUned troops, reaching Prahsu on the 17th, when the column was
broken up.

3IO LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Cape Coast, and realized nearly ;^6,ooo, exclusive of the
gold ornaments received at Fommanah as part of the
indemnity, which were brought over to London, where they
were exhibited and re-sold by the purchasers, Messrs.
Garrard. The loot sold at Cape Coast consisted chiefly of
the gold ornaments of the King's wives, and included two
of His Majesty's solid gold pipes, a curious silver coffee-pot
of George L's time, which Sir Garnet purchased, and an
ivory-hUted sword, bearing on one side of the blade the
following inscription : ' From Her Majesty Queen Victoria
to the King of Ashantee.' This weapon, which was left by
King Koffee in his bed-chamber when he made his hurried
exit from Coomassie, was purchased by the officers of the
Staff, and presented by them to their gaUant Commander,
with the following inscription on the reverse of the blade :
'Major-General Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley, G.C.M.G.,
K.C.B., from the officers of his Staff. Coomassie, 4th Feb
ruary, 1874.' Doubtless the victor of Amoaful and Ordahsu
possesses no more valued souvenir of his distinguished
military career than this sword, to which a peculiar interest
must attach from the names of the original donor and reci
pient, and the circumstances under which it changed hands.
On his arrival at Cape Coast, Sir Garnet occupied the
interval before his departure for England in a great variety
of matters that pressed for solution. Among important
papers he drew up a valuable Minute* in regard to the future
defence of the Gold Coast, upon which Her Majesty's
Government have since acted.
* In this paper he proposed that miUtary posts, garrisoned by Houssa
police, should be maintained at Prahsu and Mansu, in order to protect
Ashantee traders from the insults and exactions of the Fantees ; also that
a garrison of 300 armed pohce, 12 to be trained as gunners, under 4 Euro
pean officers, should be maintained at Cape Coast. Addah, Quettah, and
Elmina should each be held by a garrison of 100 armed pohce, and Secondee,
Dixcove, and Akim, by 50 men at each post. These posts to be pro-visioned
for three months, and the total strength of the garrisons, including 25 men
at Annamaboe, to amount to 975 armed police, who might ultimately be
reduced to Soo.

LOSSES DURING THE CAMPAIGN. 311
The troops rapidly left the country during the latter part
of February, and Wood's and Russell's Regiments and
Rait's Houssa ArtUlery were disbanded.
Sir Garnet Wolseley proceeded to Accra in H.M.S.
Active, and making over the temporary charge of affairs to
Colonel Maxwell,* C.B., commanding the ist West India
Regiment, sailed on the 4th of March in the Manitobah, a
name of happy augury, and arrived at Portsmouth on the
2oth. Though the campaign, now so successfully closed,
had been short, some valuable lives had been sacrificed. Of
the original party of 30 Special Service officers, who had
accompanied Sir Garnet to Cape Coast, up to the date of
the entry into Coomassie, four — Captains Buckle, R.E.,and
Nicol, Hants MUitia, and Lieutenants Eyre, 90th Regiment,
and Wilmot, R.A. — had been killed: three — Captain
Huyshe, Rifle Brigade, and Lieutenants Hon. A. Charteris,
Coldstream Guards, and Townshend, i6th Regiment — had
died from the effects of climate ; and seven had been
wounded, while nearly all, including the General himself,
had been hit by slugs and had suffered more or less severely
from fever. The total of deaths among officers in this brief
war was 43 ;t while, in less than two months, no less than
71 per cent, ofthe European force suffered from sickness.
'* Colonel Maxwell soon died from the effects of chmate, and under the
new arrangements, by which the colony was made independent of the
Governor-in-Chief of Sierra Leone, Captain (now Sir George) Strahan, R.A. ,
was nominated Governor, on the recommendation of Sir Garnet Wolseley,
whom he had accompanied out to the West Coast in the Ambriz.
f The foUowing died of wounds or disease in Ashantee, or soon after
their return to England : Colonel MaxweU, Majors Baird and Farquharson,
42nd Regiment, and Saunders, R.A. Captains Thompson, Queen's Bays;
Butler, ist West India Regiment, and Hopkins, 2nd VV'est India Regiment.
Lieutenants Dalgleish, Warner, and Cox, 2nd West India Regiment ;
Roper, Clough, Burke, Elderton, Huntingford, and Williams, ist West
India Regiment ; Gray, Royal Marines ; Johnstone, 23rd Regiment. Cap
tain Blalte, R.N. , Staff-Commander Prickett, Lieutenants WeUs and
Hirtzel, and Sub-Lieutenants Mundy, Bradshaw, and Ficklin, Naval
Brigade. Commissaries Marsh and Marsden ; Assistant-Commissaries
Reid, Harrymount, and Burke. Surgeons-Major Burrows and Kelly ;
Surgeons Clarke, Bale, and M 'Carthy. Lieutenant Dillon, Army Hospital
Corps.

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

Several histories of the Ashantee War have been given to
the world, some being little more than the repubUcation of
the letters of special correspondents, and of one it may be
said that the writer displays great presumption in laying
down what ' ought ' to have been done. It is amusing to
read the dogmatic assertions of men, who
' Never set a squadron in the field.
Nor the division of a battle know.
More than a spinster,'
but who criticize the movements of one of the most accom
plished and experienced soldiers of the age, and, filled with
the sense of their own heaven-born aptitude for the science
of war — a knowledge which the General acquired by laborious
study and hard service in many climes — -lay down the law
on the art military with all the assurance of ignorant pre
sumption. Such men think they have displayed great
critical acumen by inveighing against the General for show
ing a want of prescience in not providing against the possi
bility of such an unforeseen incident as the desertion of the
carriers, or for the hurried retreat from Coomassie, when the
heavy rains warned the Commander that the return might
be a matter of difficulty were it delayed for the purpose of
accomplishing such an utterly useless measure, either from
a political or mUitary point of view, as the destruction of
Bantama Those sage critics who, before the campaign,
went about town with long faces and shaking heads, giving
vent to the gloomiest prognostications — ^just as occurred
when Lord Napier was organizing his Abyssinian Expedition
— were the same gentlemen who, after the first burst of
public exultation at the brilliant success achieved by Sir
Garnet Wolseley, began, in the press, in society, and at the
clubs, to pooh-pooh the difficulties that had been overcome,
and to decry any great merit in the General who had re
turned after carrying out to the letter the programme he had
originally announced.

RESULTS OF THE CAMPAIGN. 313
A passage in Wolseley's ' Narrative of the War in China
in i860 ' (Chapter VII.), bears with singular force on this
habit of non-mUitary critics, of seeking to lessen the public
estimation of the services of a General if his successes have
been achieved without incurring ' a heavy butcher's bill.'
' Non-combatants,' he says, ' are at all times anxious to push
on and make light of military precautions. After any suc
cessful operation, it is easy to speak of the facility with which
it is accomplished, and, adducing the smallness of your
losses in proof thereof, to remark, ' Oh, you might have
done it with half the number,' forgetting or ignoring the fact
that the rapid success was very much to be attributed to the
display of force, which ever carries with it great moral power
in war, and that the precautions taken were the means of
saving your soldiers' lives.'
Great permanent results may be expected to flow from
Sir Garnet Wolseley's mUitary achievement on the Gold
Coast, and peace, which our Fantee Protectorate has not
known for fifty years, will no doubt be enjoyed by that dis
tracted land. As time goes on it will be found that the
revolution, social and political, that has been wrought by the
destruction of the ascendency of the Ashantee monarchy,
will be far-reaching in its consequences ; and Fantee and
Ashantee alike will require no monument to remind them
of the debt of gratitude they owe to their liberator from
the deadliest and most debasing tyranny the world has
seen. The Ashantee Campaign has been frequently likened to
the Abyssinian War, and the comparison obviously presents
itself to the mind, though the conditions under which such
striking successes have been achieved by two British Com
manders, are as dissimUar as can well be. Though Lord
Napier had to march 400 miles before he could strike at his
savage enemy, and Sir Garnet Wolseley considerably less

314 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
than 200 miles, and though the engineering difficulties that
beset every mile of the advance were in both cases well-
nigh insuperable, yet the climatic conditions were greatly in
favour of the Indian General. Lord Napier's soldiers,
numbering 12,000 men, after passing the narrow belt of
low land near Massowah, marched over a succession of
stupendous passes and gorges, with grand scenery to enliven
the march, and the most bracing climate in the world to
strengthen the frame, so that every breath of mountain air
drunk in by the soldiers as they mounted higher and still
higher up the chain of hills, until they attained the plateau
in which was placed the stronghold of Theodore, was ex
hilarating, and every step of the long and toUsome march
only invigorated their constitutions.
Far different was it with the small band— less than one-
quarter the strength of Lord Napier's army, of whom only
2,000, owing to the want of transport, crossed the Prah into
the enemy's territory — which, under the leadership of Sir
Garnet Wolseley, assayed the task of restoring peace to the
British Protectorate, and curbing the ' pretensions of the
Ashantee monarch. The duty had to be performed in three
months, or not at all ; the transport with which the expedi
tion would have to be conducted was limited to human
agency, for the first time, perhaps, in the history of war ;
and, lastly, all this had to be effected in the most deadly
climate in the world. European life on the Gold Coast,
under the most favourable conditions as to diet, housing,
and freedom from exposure, is held on so precarious a lease
that insurance offices refuse risks, or charge exorbitant rates;
but in this case, a mUitary expedition had to march through
a dense forest, the miasma arising from whose fever-laden
glades and paths was even more fatal to health than the
tropical heat that struck the men to the earth in scores when
they made forced marches in the more open country south

THE AB YSSINIAN AND ASHANTEE WARS. 315
of the Prah, and the troops groped their way through the
dense forest and brushwood, in which, at times, they had to
march in Indian file, whUe the superiority of breech-loading
arms was reduced to a minimum. As we have seen, the
loss in officers was exceptionaUy heavy, for they exposed
themselves freely, and suffered accordingly ; indeed, that
more officers did not succumb to the climate, was due to
the precautions taken by the medical staff, and to the strategic
skUl of the General, by which, though the early part of the
war was conducted by small columns acting from outposts,
there were always supports ready to prevent the enemy from
cutting off detached parties.
The fighting at Ordahsu and, particularly, at Amoaful,
was very severe, and it is the opinion of those best qualified
to judge, that had the Ashantees been armed with tolerable
muskets and seiviceable ammunition, the British force must
have been forced to retreat, when their numerical inferiority
might have precipitated a terrible disaster.
Critics describe the Ashantees depreciatingly as ' naked
savages ;' but that they were destitute of clothes was certainly
no disadvantage in a climate where the frame of the European
loses its elasticity so that any clothing is an aggravation of
suffering and a listless apathy steals over the mind even
of the most resolute and energetic. Again, -writers have
spoken slightingly of the discipline of the Ashantees, but
the facts point to a different conclusion. Sir Garnet Wolse
ley is of opinion that the discipline of the Ashantee army
that opposed him at Amoaful was ' perfect, death being the
punishment of any infraction.' A Staff officer, who watched
the march of a party of 150 Ashantees at Ordahsu, mistook
them for men of Wood's Regiment. He says : ' Their arms
were all sloped ; every man was closed up to what we call
fronting distance ; the pace was quite regular, though much
slower than our quick march, and except for that, and the

3i6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
fact that they were all talking, they moved as do our best
drUled soldiers.'
As regards cost, a comparison of the Expeditions of 1868
and 1873-4 is in favour ofthe latter. The British tax-payer
is not likely soon to forget the Abyssinian bill of nine miUions
he was called upon to pay ; but, as gratitude is one of the
least common of virtues, he has probably not sufficiently
considered how greatly he is indebted to Sir Garnet Wolse
ley who, when successive Governors and Ministries had
' muddled ' the country into an Ashantee War, brought us out
of our difficulties at the very moderate charge of ;^9oo,ooo
— a large portion of which was swallowed up by Captain
Glover's subsidiary expedition — being one-tenth the cost of
the Abyssinian War. Yet, though drawing this comparison,
we hope fairly, to Lord Napier's disadvantage, we would be
the last to deny, in the latter case, the great risk incurred,
where faUure would have been fatal to our interests and
prestige in the East, and the striking merit of the march to
Magdala, achieved by as high-minded, brave, and accom
plished a soldier as any wearing Her Majesty's uniform.
The Nemesis that overtook King Koffee KalkaUi, and
wrought the destruction of the seat of his power, though its
visitation was of a less dramatic character than that which
induced the tyrant Theodore, in an access of frenzied despair,
to take his own life, forms a striking episode of our Colonial
history. The result, in both cases alike, was complete and
crushing, and the flames that lit up the blackened rock of
Magdala and the sombre forests of Ashantee, read a lesson
to the savage tribes of East and West Africa, which they are
not soon likely to forget ; at the same time, also, the prowess
of our soldiers and the skiU of their leaders testified to the
world that England was not so effete as her detractors,
domestic and foreign, chose to imagine, but that British
Generals and British soldiers, like their sires, could iUustrate

WOLSELEY'S ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. 317
the art of war under conditions as novel as they were
difficult. Sir Garnet Wolseley, in his final despatch to Lord
Kimberley, says of the Ashantee Power, ' that no more
utterly atrocious Government has ever existed on the face
of the earth. Their capital was a charnel-house ; their re
ligion a combination of cruelty and treachery ; their policy
the natural outcome of their religion.' And of the results
of the war he says : ' I believe that the main object of my
expedition has been perfectly secured. The territories of
the Gold Coast wUl not again be troubled with the warlike
ambition of this restless Power. I may add that the flag of
England from this moment will be received throughout
Western Africa with respectful awe, a treatment which has
been of late years by no means its invariable fate among the
savage tribes of this region.' That this end has been accom
plished there can be no doubt, and that it has been effected
at so small a cost in life and treasure, is due to the energy
and skill of Sir Garnet Wolseley, who has added a page to
our annals that may be read with pride by his countrymen,
and studied with advantage by the student of mUitary
history. The 23rd Royal Welsh FusiUers, which saUed from England
with a strength of 650 officers and men, landed at Ports
mouth on the 2oth of March, 503 strong, the difference re
presenting the loss by death and sickness while on service
on the Gold Coast for three months. The 42nd Highlanders,
which saUed 687 strong, had, during their brief absence,
besides losses in action, upwards of six-tenths of their strength
in hospital, and landed from the Sar7natian on the 23rd of
March, to the number of 570 of all ranks. The last to
arrive at Portsmouth was the Rifle Brigade, who received
simUar honours to those accorded to their brethren in arms.
The Rifles had landed at Cape Coast with a strength of 33

3i8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
officers and 652 men, of whom no less than 22 officers and
298 men had been admitted into hospital. On their re-
embarkation at Cape Coast, only 16 officers and 277 men
were returned fit for duty, owing to the marching being con
tinuous since leaving Fommanah for Coomassie, on the 29th
of January, and they landed on the 26th of March with a
strength of 27 officers and 483 men. All three regiments
were inspected within a few days of their arrival, by H.RH.
the Duke of Cambridge, who paid them a well-deserved
compliment on the state of efficiency in which they had
returned from active service.*
The Manitobah arrived at Portsmouth on the 20th of
March, and, on the following morning. Sir Garnet Wolseley
landed, accompanied by his Staff and most of the Special
Service officers who had sailed with him in the Ambriz. At
his request, his arrival and time of landing had been kept
secret, so that, being in mufti, he was able to proceed by
the first train to London without having to pass through the
ordeal of a public reception or popular ovation.
On the following day, the General, having received the
commands of Her Majesty, who had already telegraphed
her congratulations to him at Madeira, proceeded to Wind
sor. On the 30th of March, the General and his litUe
army received a double honour — the public approval of
Her Majesty, as expressed by her reviewing the troops at
Windsor, in the presence of the Legislature, and a vote of
thanks from both Houses of Parliament, in which the two
leading statesmen of the age vied with each other in praising
the successful soldier.
¦"¦ Lady Wolseley, as soon as intelhgence arrived in London of the losses
incurred during the three days' fighting before Coomassie, wrote a letter to
the Times, on the 7th of March, initiating a subscription in aid ' of the
widows, children, and families, generally dependent on the brave soldiers
and sailors who have fallen in battle, or been victims to the chmate in West
Africa ;' and headed the hst by a subscription of fifty guineas from herself,
and a like sum from Sir Garnet Wolseley.

RE VIE W AT WINDSOR. 3 1 9
The review was held in the large open space between
Queen Anne's Ride and the Long Walk, and after the in
spection was over, the troops were formed into a hollow
square, when Sir Garnet, having dismounted, was invested
by the Queen with the insignia of the Grand Cross of the
Order of St. Michael and St George, and of a Knight Com
mander of the Bath. Sir Archibald Alison was then pre
sented to Her Majesty, and also Lord Gifford, who was
decorated with the Victoria Cross. The Duke of Cambridge,
by command of the Queen, then expressed Her Majesty's
thanks to the assembled troops, for their gaUant services
during the campaign ; after which the Queen took her
station beneath the royal standard, while her gaUant soldiers
marched past, headed by their Commander.
The march-past over, the troops were formed in line,
with Sir Garnet Wolesley at their head. Slowly the long
line advanced to within about fifty yards of the royal car
riage, when the troops were halted, and Sir Garnet repeated
the ceremony he so recently performed within the market
place of Coomassie. Under far different surroundings, in the
presence of an assemblage as dissimUar as it is possible to
imagine, the successful General raised his hat in the air, and
calling for ' three cheers for the Queen,' received a response
given with true soldier-like heartiness and precision, the mul
titude of spectators echoing this spontaneous ebullition of
loyalty. As the Queen drove away, once more the strains
ofthe 'National Anthem' burst forth, and the troops saluted.
And so ended one of the most interesting of the many
reviews that have been held in the Royal Park of Wind
sor.* * Shortly after Her Majesty held a review at Gosport of the sailors and
marines who had returned to this country ; and, as a special marlc of her
approval of their conduct, the Queen, at Windsor Castle, conferred with
her own hand upon nine men of the Naval Brigade the medal for conspicuous
gallantry in the Ashantee War.

320 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
In the evening of the 30th of March, the benches and
galleries of the Houses of Parliament were crowded, while
the leaders of the Government proposed, in fitting terms,
the vote of thanks to the gaUant Ashantee army and its
skUful leader, for the ' exemplary skUl with which he planned,
and the distinguished courage, energy, and perseverance with
which he conducted, the recent expedition into Ashantee, re
sulting in the expulsion of the enemy's army from the British
Protectorate, the defeat, by Her Majesty's forces, of the army
of the King of Ashantee, and the capture and destruction of
Coomassie.' The Duke of Richmond and Lord Granville
having moved the vote of thanks in the Lords, the Duke of
Cambridge addressed the House, in his capacity of Com
mander-in-Chief, and spoke of Wolseley as having always
displayed ' the true instincts of a soldier.' Very happily
conceived were the speeches in which Mr. Disraeli and Mr.
Gladstone moved the thanks in the House of Commons.
The important question of rewards and honours to the
officers and men of the expedition now came up for con
sideration, and it cannot be said that the Government erred
on the side of illiberality. Five officers received the Rib
bon of the Bath, twenty-five the C.B., and five the CM.G.
All field-officers and captains who had distinguished them
selves received brevet promotion. As the amount realized
by the sale of loot was inconsiderable, the troops and sea
men received a gratuity of thirty days' pay, in lieu of prize-
money. A medal was instituted for the Ashantee War, and
Her Majesty testified the great personal interest she takes
in all that concerns the interests of her soldiers, by making
certain suggestions in the design.*
* On one side is the head of the Queen, with the legend ' Victoria Re
gina.' On the reverse side is a representation of a struggle in the Ashantee
forest between some Native warriors in the foreground and a few British
soldiers, clad in the uniform adopted for the Ashantee Expedition, in the
background. There is a bar for ' Coomassie,' and another for 'Amoaful.'
The ribbon is black and yellow, colours selected in honour of the Duchess
of Edinburgh, as being those ofthe Russian national flag.

HONOURS AND REWARDS. 321
Sir Garnet Wolseley was offered the Grand Cross of the
Order of the Bath, which, however, he declined, but accepted
the second grade. Though he held the local rank of Major-
General whUe employed on the Gold Coast, he was stUl
only a Brevet-Colonel in the army, his substantive rank being
' Major half-pay, late 90th Regiment' ; he was now promoted
by Special General Order to the rank of Major-General,*
' for distinguished service in the field.' The Government,
interpreting the wishes of the country, and the precedent
usually followed in such cases, rewarded the successful
soldier, who had extricated them from a serious and most
perplexing difficulty, by the bestowal of something more
substantial than ribbons and crosses, and, on the 20th of
AprU, a motion was made in the House of Commons for the
bestowal of a grant of;^2 5,ooo. Mr. Disraeli also offered
him a baronetcy, which was respectfuUy declined.
Perhaps the value of the offer was lessened by the con
sideration that at the time the Premier proposed an here
ditary distinction to the victorious General, whose achieve
ments he had described in picturesque terms, and of whose
skill in the conception and execution of his plan of cam
paign Mr. Gladstone declared that history afforded no more
striking example— at this very time the cynical author of
' Coningsby ' conferred baronetcies broadcast among his
foUowers and others, who had ' spent laborious days ' in
amassing large fortunes, which they expended in ' living at
home at ease,' reserving a portion, mayhap, for profuse ex-
* The following are the dates of Sir Garnet Wolseley's various commis
sions in the army : Ensign 12th Foot, 12th of March, 1852 ; Ensign Soth
Foot, 13th of April, 1852 ; Lieutenant Soth Foot, i6th of May, 1853 ;
Lieutenant 84th Foot, 27th of January, 1854 ; Lieutenant goth Foot, 24th
of February, 1854 ; Captain 90th Foot, 26th of January, 1855 ; Brevet-
Major, 24th of March, 1858 ; Major (half-pay), 15th of February, 1861 ;
Major 90th Foot, 6th of August, 1861 ; Major (half-pay), 14th of January,
1S62 : Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, 26th of April, 1859 ; Brevet-Colonel,
Sth of June, 1865; Major-General (local), 6th of September, 1873 ; Major-
General, March, 1874, ante-dated to 6th of March, 1868 ; Lieutenant-General,
2Sth of March, 1878 ; and General, i8th of November, 1882. 21

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

penditure in contesting a seat when the Conservative party
sat on the left hand of the Speaker. Such public spirit, or
that other form, which induces a Lord Mayor to la-vish vast
sums in entertaining a foreign sovereign, may only receive
an adequate recognition in a baronetcy ; but if so, there is
nothing astonishing in the fact of a soldier, who had served
his country in all quarters of the globe, respectfully decUning
the honour.
Not that there was any choice between the Conservative
and Liberal Governments, the ' ins ' and the ' outs,' in this
question of hereditary rewards; for the latter, shortly before,
rendered desperate by their sudden exodus from office, had
signalized their exit by a perfect shower of baronetcies,
conferred on political supporters with a haste that had its
ludicrous, no less than its reprehensible, side. In the same
qui peut which followed their retreat from the Treasury
benches, a chosen few happUy managed to find shelter from
the wreck of the Liberal cause within the portals of the
House of Lords, in the ' serene atmosphere ' of which they
wiU, doubtless, 'rest and be thankful.' But others were
made peers and baronets, such as drawing-room soldiers,
country gentlemen having the qualification of broad acres,
or political supporters who had contested successfully— or
unsuccessfully, as the case might be — vacant seats, and
whose large expenditure of private means, and admirable con
sistency in voting according to the behests of the party ' whip,'
called for some reward from their masters. But what ser
vices had these honourable and right honourable gentlemen
rendered their country that they should be pitchforked into
peerages and baronetcies ? Has England so greatly bene
fited by the contentions of party and the haste of private
persons to amass fortunes that hereditary distinctions should
be lavished on political mediocrities and city mayors, while
soldiers like Sir Charles Napier, the conqueror of Scinde ;

THE QUESTION OF HEREDITARY HONOURS. 323
Sir Henry Godwin, who gained the province of Pegu for
the British crown ; or Sir Hope Grant, who extorted an ad
vantageous treaty for his country, should be suffered to pass
away without such acknowledgments ?
Sir Garnet Wolseley had no ambition other than to attain
eminence in his profession ; he was, before all things, a
soldier, and to the miUtary art he was devoted, not for the
sake of the emoluments and honours usually attaching to
success, but from a sense of duty. Hence he was able to
refuse without a pang a baronetcy and the highest honours
of the Bath, and, by adopting this course, he showed his
wisdom in avoiding the acceptance of too many honours,
which would only tend to excite feelings of jealousy among
the less successful of his brothers-in-arms.
Sir Garnet Wolseley was not suffered to be any length of
time in England before he was subjected to a very severe
course of those public dinners, with the concomitant evil of
speech-making, to which all eminent naval and mUitary
commanders are doomed on their return fresh from the
field of their glory. The first public banquet was given at
the Mansion House on the 31st of March, when he was
accompanied by his Staff, and by a large number of the
officers of the Ashantee army. It was the first occasion
since his return from the scene of his successes that Sir
Garnet had been afforded an opportunity of laying before
the nation his own views on some of the matters that
had engrossed the public attention during the past few
months. He spoke with a fluency of diction and an ease
of manner not frequently met with among officers of the
service, who are usually more at home wielding the sword
than when exhibiting their oratorical powers in the presence
of a critical audience.
Two City Companies, the Clothworkers and Grocers,
conferred their honorary freedom on Sir Garnet Wolseley,

324 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and entertained him at dinner, and the members of the
United Service Club gave him a banquet, at which were
present the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and
about 140 noblemen and gentlemen, including the Secre
taries for War and First Lords of the Admiralty of Mr.
Gladstone's and Lord Beaconsfield's Administrations. The
Duke of Cambridge having proposed the health of the guest
of the evening. Sir Garnet made a speech, in which (not
having the fear of the reporters before his eyes) he detailed
the considerations that had guided him in quitting Coo
massie so hurriedly, and which have been already placed
before the reader when treating of that event. Sir Garnet
Wolseley was a guest at the annual banquet of the Royal
Academy, when he was honoured by having his health
proposed in the most flattering terms by the heir to the
throne. He was also feted by his countrymen at Dublin,
and received honorary degrees from the Universities on two
successive days, the i6th and 17th of June, the occasions
being those known as 'Commemoration' at Oxford, and
' Commencement ' at Cambridge. The undergraduates of
Cambridge cheered vociferously when Sir Garnet Wolseley
was introduced to the Chancellor (the Duke of Devon
shire) ; and his reception was not less enthusiastic at Oxford.
The Corporation of the City of London, having shortly
after his return from Ashantee voted Sir Garnet Wolseley
the freedom, accompanied by a sword of honour,* the pre-
'* This sword is a beautiful specimen of the goldsmith's art, irrespective
of its intrinsic value. The handle, of massive and handsome design, is
formed of figures representing Wisdom and Truth, while recumbent figures
of Fame and Victory form the guard. The scabbard is enriched with the
arms and monogram of Sir Garnet Wolseley and of the city, with several
groups of figures, representing the triumph of Valour over Tyranny, Brit
annia encouraging the Natives to energy and resistance, and trophies of
Ashantee instruments of warfare. The blade bears the foUowing inscription,
surrounded by an ornamental border : ' Presented by the Corporation of
London to Major-General Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley, K.C.B., G.C.M.G.,
in recognition of his gallant services in the British army, and especially in
jeference to the distinguished, abiUty and gallantry displayed by him in his

THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY. V-l

sentation took place, on the 22nd of October, at the GuUd-
haU, and was conducted with aU the ceremony usual on
the rare occasions when potent sovereigns and successful
generals have been simUarly honoured. The list of the
latter includes some of the greatest soldiers this country
has produced — for the city authorities have ever jealously
guarded the admission into their ValhaUa of heroes — and
reads almost Uke an epitome of our mUitary history. The
roU commences before the time of Monk and Marlborough,
and, beginning with the first year of this century, includes
the following names : Sir Ralph Abercrombie, fresh from
his achievements in the West Indies, and just before he
embarked for that expedition to Egypt, destined to be fatal
to himself, but glorious to his country. Sir David Baird,
who, with General Harris and Colonel WeUesley, beat down
the power of Tippoo Sultan at Seringapatam, and wrested
Cape Colony from the Dutch. The Iron Duke and his
Lieutenants, Graham and Beresford, and others; the bluff
old Bliicher, called by his soldiers 'Marshal Forward;'
Barclay de Tolly, and Platoff, the bold and remorseless
leader of the Don Cossacks ; and the Austrian General
Swartzenburg, the victor of Leipsic — a remarkable group,
the mUitary representatives of the allied nations, whose
sovereigns visited the Prince Regent in 18 14.
Our Indian triumphs supplied some of the most noted re
cipients of civic swords of honour. Among these were Nott,
Sale, and Pollock, the three veterans who upheld our honour
in Afghanistan after it had been dragged in the mire through
the incompetence of other commanders. Sir Charles Napier,
a year later, earned his sword for his marvellous campaign
in Scinde ; and then came Lord Gough, who retrieved his
command of the Expedition to the Gold Coast, by which he obtained
results conducive to peace, commerce, and ci-viUzation on the Continent of
Africa.' The whole of the work, executed in silver-gilt, enriched -vrith fine
gold and enamel, is richly chased.

326 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
laurels at Goojerat, and Lord Hardinge, the hero of Albuera
and Ferozeshur, where the sceptre of empire was nearly
wrested from our hands by the soldiers of the Khalsa ; and
Sir Harry Smith, the victor of Aliwal. Sir WilUam WilUams
was the next recipient for his defence of Kars, aided by
Lake and Teesdale; and then there appeared upon the
scene, to receive a reward he had earned by fifty years'
hard service in Spain, America, China, India, and the
Crimea, that fine veteran. Lord Clyde, who was quickly
succeeded by his brother-in-arms and equal in fame, that
Bayard of the Indian army, sans peur et sans reproche. Sir
James Outram, both so soon to Ue in the Abbey. Last on
this roll of glorious names was Lord Napier of Magdala,
the conqueror 'of Theodore, and the friend of Outram,
whose high opinion of his miUtary talents has been fully
justified. And now there came into the city, to receive the
civic honours, a General, young in years when compared
with any of those who preceded him, but not unworthy to
enroll his name among theirs as that of a soldier who had
done the state some service on many fields and in varied
climes.* Soon after Sir Garnet Wolseley's return from Ashantee,
he was appointed Inspector-General of the AuxUiary Forces,
in succession to his friend Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir
James Lindsay. In February, 1875, he was caUed upon by
the Government to proceed to Natal, and assume temporarily
the direction of mUitary and civil affairs. The colonists of
Natal were much excited by the outbreak of Langalibalele'st
tribe — a vexed question, the merits of which we would not
* During the present century 68 individuals have received the Freedom
of the City of London, of whom 26 were distinguished soldiers and sailors,
12 representatives of royalty, the remaining 30 being eminent statesmen,
travellers, judges, scholars, and merchants.
+ Langalibalele was brought from Natal to Robben Island in August,
1874, and was soon after removed to the place on the mainland in the Cape
Colony, where he has been since detained.

THE NATAL DIFFICULTY. 327
presume to discuss — and were irate at the efforts made by
Bishop Colenso* to obtain from the Colonial Office a re
versal of the sentence of banishment passed on that chiel,
who was accused of rebelUon. Hence there was much sore
ness towards the governing powers in this country, and con
siderable tact and discretion were required to manage the
colonists and remodel their institutions. Another object of
his mission, not inferior in importance to the political problem,
was to inquire into and report upon the question of mUitary
defence. The Zulu King, Cetewayo, was said to be restless
and ambitious, while his army of 40,000 men, well disciplined
and fairly well armed, were spoken of as the bravest and
most athletic warriors in South Africa, and as desirous of
' washing their spears ' in the blood of the English colonists
across the Tugela.
* Bishop Colenso received as much abuse for his action in defending
Langalibalele as for his famous work on the Pentateuch. Mr. Walter
Macfarlane, Speaker of the Legislative CouncU, addressing his constituents,
said of the Bishop : ' He runs amuck, hke a drunken Malay, against every
thing Colonial ; pubUshes a book in England, criticizing the Govemment
and its acts ; through his access to the public press, he gets his incorrect,
one-sided views impressed on the people ; converts, it is said. Lord Carnar
von to his -views ; upsets the Govemor on charges which are not first sub
mitted to that officer by the authorities in Downing Street for explanation
or refutation ; gets our whole Kafir policy altered, and takes or gets credit
to himself among the ignorant and unreflecting for being the only EngUsh
friend in South Africa of the much-injured Kafir.'

CHAPTER VIII.
THE NATAL MISSION.
Sir Garnet Wolseley proceeds on a Special Mission to Natal. — Reception at
Durban and Maritzburg. — Natal Pohtics and Parties. — The Constitution
Amendment BUl. — Triumph of Sir Garnet Wolseley's Policy. — His Pro
gress through Natal. — Returns to England. — Is appointed High Commis
sioner and Commander-in-Chief of Cypras.
Sir Garnet Wolseley was personally disinclined to accept
the honourable, but not very grateful, task of reforming the
administration of Natal ; but in this instance, as throughout
his career, he never suffered his private wishes to stand in
the way of a manifest duty, and he left England at four days'
notice. He could ill be spared from his important office at
the head of the AuxUiary Forces, with the position and re
quirements of which he had become famUiar, and it was
rather singular that the Government could not find a
Colonial ex-Governor, or a civUian of experience, to set
Natal affairs in order ; it was, however, considered desirable
that the Colony should be placed in a state of defence, so
that there might be no excuse for a repetition of the panic
into which the white colonists — who only numbered 1 7,000
as against 350,000 Natives — had been thrown by the recent
rebellion of Langalibalele, and Lord Carnarvon, instead of
applying for the services of a mUitary officer for this special
duty, decided upon placing the supreme direction of civU
and military affairs in the hands of a man who had recently
been so successful in the dual capacity.

SIR GARNET SAILS FOR NATAL. 329
Sir Garnet Wolseley saUed in the Windsor Castle, in the
latter part of February, accompanied by Mr. Napier Broome
as Colonial Secretary, and the following Staff: Colonel
G. P. CoUey, C.B., who had special experience of Natal
affairs between 1859-61 ; Major Butler, C.B. ; Major H.
Brackenbury, R. A., Military Secretary; and Lord Gifford, V.C,
aide-de-camp — aU of whom had been tried in the hard
Ashantee school, and had certainly not been found wanting.
The Windsor Castle made the passage to Cape Town in
twenty-four and a half days, during which Sir Garnet and
his Staff were very comfortable, the ship being well found by
her owners, the Messrs. Donald Currie, differing greatly
from his experiences in his voyages to China, Canada, and
the Gold Coast At Madeira Sir Garnet met the Channel
Squadron, under Rear-Admiral Beauchamp Seymour, when
the Agincourt saluted him with 17 guns. At the Cape,
Wolseley and his Staff were hospitably entertained by Sir
Henry and Lady Barkly, and drove to Constantia, which all
visitors to the Cape know so well, with its beautiful prospect
and delicious grapes, and rode ' round the Kloof,' not less
celebrated for its fine mountain and sea views. A few days
before Sir Garnet reached the Cape, the flying squadron
had arrived from Monte Video, under the command of
Admiral Randolph, who had received instructions from the
Admiralty to conform to Wolseley's requirements, in the
event of the outbreak of a Kaflr war, which was anticipated,
owing to the excited feelings of the Natives. In order to
give due effect to the importance of the Natal Mission, the
Admiral placed at the disposal of Sir Garnet H.M.S. Raleigh,
oi 22 guns. Captain G. Tyron, C.B.,who had superintended
the naval transport department in the Ashantee Expedition.
The Raleigh arrived at Durban on the 29th of March
(Easter Monday), and, on the following morning, Wolseley
landed, under the usual honours, while the inhabitants,

330 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
official and non-official, gave him a most enthusiastic recep
tion. It was only a few days before his arrival, that the
colonists learned that the hero of Coomassie was coming to
them as Administrator, and the prospect threw all classes
into a fever of excitement. Sir Garnet Wolseley, in reply
to a highly encomiastic address of the mayor, declared that
his mission was to establish ' a firm Government that shall
guarantee perfect security to the white settler, both in Ufe
and property, whilst the great Native population within your
province shall feel that their interests are not forgotten.'
During his stay of two days at Durban, he entertained the
chief Colonial officials, and took advantage of his visit to
make the acquaintance of the principal inhabitants, and
discuss with them the political difficulties of the Colony.
Sir Garnet's position was all the more difficult as he was
superseding Sir Benjamin Pine, a Governor of considerable
experience and great popularity among the colonists, to
judge by the many addresses expressing regret at his
departure and approval of his policy.* But the Langali
balele difficulty, about which public opinion was so greaUy
excited, was soon placed in the fair way of settlement by the
course adopted by Mr. Molteno, Premier of the Cape
Ministry, who, in accordance with Lord Carnavon's desire,
agreed to introduce into Parliament a BiU for the release
from gaol of the chief, and his location at Robben Island,
so that he would cease to trouble Natal by his presence or
the intrigues of his foUowers.
* Pubhc opinion in England, however, was almost unanimous against
the course of the Governor in the Langahbalele affair, and this notvrith-
standing that Mr. (now Sir Theophilus) Shepstone, an able and dishn-
guished statesman — who had unequalled Colonial experience as guardian of
Native interests for a quarter of a century — came to England to lay, before
Lord Carnarvon his view of the official case, in opposition to that of Bishop
Colenso. ' There was,' said the Times, ' practicaUy only one conclusion.
Every one who considered the question, no matter what his prepossessions,
ended by confessing that the colonists and their Government had^been
painfully misled.'

THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMME. 331
On the ist of AprU, Sir Garnet Wolseley, with his Staff
and Messrs. Napier Broome and Theophilus Shepstone,
Secretary for Native Affairs, proceeded from Durban to the
capital, Pieter-Maritzburg, in a four-in-hand break, doing the
distance of fifty-four miles in a little over six hours, con
sidered quite a feat, as the road was bad in places.
Sir Garnet was sworn in on the day of his arrival at
Maritzburg, and, on the foUowing day, held an Executive
Council, when Mr. Napier Broome was appointed Colonial
Secretary, and Major Brackenbury, Clerk of the Council.
Colonel CoUey was also nominated Acting-Treasurer and
Postmaster-General, and Major Butler, Acting Protector of
Immigrants, both without salary, the holders of these offices
being given leave on fuU pay. To Lord Gifford were relegated
the duties of Master of the Household, a post of no small
importance in a mission where the exercise of tact and the
influence of social amenities were almost as necessary in
successfully carrying through the delicate work on hand, as
talent and firmness. Soon after, another aristocratic addition
was made to Sir Garnet's Staff in Lord MandeviUe, eldest
son of the Duke of Manchester.
The points upon which new legislation was required, were
briefly : A sounder and fairer Native policy than that in
operation ; the security of life and property ; the promotion
of public works and immigration ; and, lastly, the amendment
of a Constitution which the elected members of the Legis
lative Council themselves declared to be unworkable. This
was the crux of Sir Garnet Wolseley's Mission, and it was
one that perhaps few men would have cared to undertake ;
failure, with which no man likes to have his name associated,
was almost assu7-ed, and such an incident in a distinguished
career would be peculiarly galling to an ambitious man like
Wolseley, who could say of his diplomatic missions to
Manitoba and Ashantee, no less than of his campaigns,

332 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Veni, Vidi, Vici. He was stUl young, with a great future
before him, and yet, without a thought of self-interest, he
undertook a mission in which non-success was anticipated
even by the Secretary of State, Lord Carnarvon, who was
prepared, if need be, to adopt the extreme course of pre
senting a BUI to the House of Commons for forcing a new
Constitution upon the recalcitrant Council.
The Legislative Council — as inaugurated on the 24th of
March, 1857, since which seven Councils had been elected
— consisted of 20 members, 15 elected and 5 nominated,
the latter being the Colonial Secretary, the Secretary for
Native Affairs, the Attorney-General, the Treasurer, and the
Protector of Immigrants. These 5, with the Chief Justice
and the Commandant of the troops, form the Executive
Council, which sits under the Presidency of the Governor.
The 15 elected members of the Legislative CouncU repre
sented, at this time, an electoral body of only 4,000 electors,
of whom less than half voted at a General Election — indeed,
at the last, for a contested election for the return of 2
members for the county of KUf-river, there were only 124
votes recorded. The elected members easUy preponderated
in all divisions of the Council, and, in the previous Session,
they had gone so far as to reject the votes of the nominated
members, upon the passing of a BiU to amend and declare
the Constitution of the Colony, upon the ground that their
interest was remote and contingent.
But the chief obstacle to the system of responsible Govern
ment, sought for by the colonists, lay in the existence of the
vast Native population, who wouM be governed and taxed
by a CouncU, chosen by 4,000 electors, whose interests were
diametrically opposed to those of the Kafirs. What the
Council was capable of was shown in previous years, by the
passing of a Protection Bill and a Census BUl, measures
which would doubtless have brought on a Kafir War, had

DIFFICULTIES OF LEGISLATION. 333
not the Colonial Office disallowed them. On the other
hand, it was only just that the Imperial Government should
have a voice in the Ul-considered legislation of these Coun
cillors, as, in the event pf an outbreak, the colonists would
call for British troops to repress a disturbance caused by such
measures as, for instance, that for 'utUizing Native locations.'
It is always a matter of difficulty to obtain a surrender of
power from those who possess it, and this was the task Sir
Garnet Wolseley undertook to accomplish. The European
colonists were divided into several separate interests.* There
was the sugar and coffee-growing interest on the coast, who
required a cheap and constant supply of Coolie labour, and
appealed to the Legislative Council for funds to introduce
Natives from India. Then there was the up-country sheep-
farming interest, which objected to the application of funds
for the importation of Coolies, but clamoured for the intro
duction of white immigrants, and the breaking-up of the
Native locations. There was also the trading interests of
the towns, who approved the promotion of railways ; and,
finaUy, what may be caUed the ' vested interests ' of the
Legislative CouncUlors themselves, who received 17s. 6d.
per day during the Session. Added to this, the Colony was
torn by discordant opinions — literally, '¦ quot homines, tot
sentential' — on the Native Question, Responsible Govern
ment Question, the CooUe Question, the WhUe Immigration
Question, the Railway Question, the Land Question, and
last, but not least, the Church Question, with Us rival Bishops
of Maritzburg and Natal.
To concede responsible government to a Colony thus cir
cumstanced, would have been unwise ; and Lord Carnarvon,
* There were four papers in the Colony, one of which— the Natal Wit
ness, edited by a clever but violent councillor — went so far as to caU upon
the colonists to take up arms and fight for their liberties. The other papers
were the Natal Mercury, a moderate and weU-written organ, the Natal
Colonist, and Times of Natal.

334 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
so far from doing so, had resolved to increase the number
of nominated members in the Council, so as to secure the
balance of power in the hands of the Crown, as the ex-officio
members being united and permanent in their position,
would be able to control the acts of their colleagues. The
history of the past few years amply justified this course.
The Government, thwarted by the Council, were compelled
to enter into an alliance with the Coast members, the con
sideration being the supply of Coolies, and so matters went
on in a discreditable, halting fashion. There were continual
dead-locks, supplies were withheld, and the CounciUors
refused to argue questions, but ' decided in a caucus and
voted in sUence.' The CouncU, in the previous Session,
themselves denounced the system as one which had faUed
to meet the requirements of the Colony, or to secure its
good government, but whereas a minority clamoured for
responsible Government, the mission of Sir Garnet Wolseley
was in a contrary sense, namely, to strengthen the Executive,
and institute a new Native Policy, by which gradually the
influence of European magistrates would be substituted for
the power of the chiefs.
During the month of AprU, Sir Garnet went on a tour of
inspection to the coast, when Colonel CoUey and Mr. Broome
managed affairs during his absence. He visited some of the
chief plantations, and while at Durban, besides transacting
business, held levees, and attended regattas, inspections, and
banquets, or gave balls and dinners in return. On the 23rd
of AprU, he returned to Maritzburg to prepare for the
Session, when a round of gaiety was instituted at Govern
ment House, and one of the opposition papers stated that
the popular Governor was ' drowning the independence of
the country in sherry and champagne.'
On the 5th of May, Sir Garnet Wolseley opened the Session
of the Legislative Council, in a speech wherein he stated that

SIR GARNET AND THE OPPOSITION. 335
a modification of the Council was necessary, in the sense of
'increasing and assuring the power of the Executive,' which
was ' essential to the present safety and future progress of
the Colony' When the Governor had left the Chamber,
one of the Councillors rose and called the speech an insult
to the Colony, and declared that it merited no reply at all.
A writer in the chief Maritzburg paper spoke of Lord Car
narvon, Sir Garnet Wolseley, and Mr. Broome, as three
'howling humanitarian fanatics,' and at a large public
meeting it was resolved unanimously, that it was the duty of
the Government to turn every Kafir out of Natal. Such
were the amenities of the conflict upon which the new
Governor had entered, and such the views of the Opposition
in this Council and Colony.
In the following week the Constitution Amendment BiU,
for increasing the nominated members of the Council from
5 to 15, was brought in, and the debate on the second
reading, which lasted for three nights, was heated and acri
monious, though conducted with considerable ability on both
sides. When passing through committee, the Government
had to submit to a compromise — which was only carried by
a majority of one, and that member was in such precarious
health that he had to be carried into the House — by which
the 10 aditional nominees were reduced to 8, who were
to be chosen from colonists of two years' standing, with a
;^i,ooo property qualification. A few days later the third
reading was carried, and then the measure was sent home
for the Queen's signature before becoming law. At one
time, however, faUure appeared so assured that Sir Garnet
prepared his despatch to the Secretary of State, announcing
his want of success. Much was due to the ability* of the
* The -views of the Govemor on the questions under consideration were
represented in one of the Natal papers, which was purchased for six
months, the leading articles being written by his staff, among whom were
writers of commanding literary attainments, such as Brackenbury, Butler,
and CoUey.

336 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Government advocates, Messrs. Broome and Gallwey (At
torney-General), Colonel CoUey, and Major Butler, who was
specially ready and amusing in debate ; also to the high
prestige attaching to the name of Sir Garnet, whose un
bounded hospitality in entertaining the leading men and
legislators of both political parties was the theme of praise,
while his geniality and fascination of manner won all hearts.
During the Queen's birthday-week were held the Maritzburg
Races and Agricultural Show, to which Sir Garnet Wolseley
gave prizes, as he had done at Durban for the Regatta, and
also for essays on Colonial products. Altogether, what with
the round of balls, banquets, and garden-parties at Govern
ment House, the ladies of the Colony wUl long remember
the brief administration of Sir Garnet Wolseley, with his
gay entourage, as the most brUliant in Colonial annals.
The BiU settled, the Governor, accompanied by Mr.
Shepstone, Major Brackenbury, and Lord Gifford, went on
an extended tour round the up-country districts and Native
locations, while Colonel CoUey and Major Butler proceeded
on semi-official missions to the neighbouring states, the
former visiting the Transvaal Republic and the Portuguese
Settlement at Delagoa Bay, and Major Butler, the Orange
Free State, returning via the Diamond Fields and Basuto
Land. According to the Natal mode of traveUing, Sir Garnet
journeyed in a ' buck-waggon,' drawn by eighteen oxen ;
this vehicle, which carries the suppUes and impedimenta,
goes creaking along between ten or twelve miles a day ; but
it is the only mode of conveyance practicable in this country,
as those who have tried horses have found out to their cost
The ' buck-waggon ' is large and roomy, and, if the traveller
possesses sufficient patience to bear the slowness of the rate
of progression, he can make himself comfortable at each
' out-span.' Sir Garnet took ponies with him, so that he was

A TOUR THROUGH THE COLONY. 337
able to ride about the country whUe the waggon was wending
its way, and, the weather being perfect, the trip was most
enjoyable. Only one accident happened on the road, at the
Tugela River, where the huge vehicle slid down the bank
and turned completely over, smashing the wine-cases and
crockery, but luckily breaking no bones.
The first part of the journey lay along the base of the
Drakensberg Mountains, and Sir Garnet proceeded to the
location of Langalibalele, the famous chief and rain-doctor,
the teterrima causa belli, whose tribe had been broken up in
accordance with Lord Carnarvon's instructions, and person
ally inquired into their condition and that of the neighbour
ing Putili tribe, who had also been ' eaten-up ' — that is, de
prived of their cattle — for alleged complicity in the rebel
lion. Sir Garnet resolved to restore to them the value of
their property in ploughs and seed, as well as cattle and
sheep, and also decided to place in each location an Euro
pean magistrate to whom the Kafirs could look for guidance,
advice, and protection, thus superseding the influence of
their chiefs, under whom progress was impossible. By
bringing the Natives into contact with civUizing agencies,
and by the construction of roads, the aUotment of lands to
settlers, and the formation of townships, the Kafirs, it was
hoped, would be gradually reclaimed, while they would
experience new wants, which could only be satisfied by the
earnings of labour. But these changes had to be intro
duced with tact, or a Native war would result ; and this was
the problem which required solution at the hand of Sir
Garnet Wolseley, who applied to the Home Government to
station in the Colony an entire regiment, instead of a wing,
with a battery of light mountain guns, and an increased
force of mounted police. The Ministry were fully alive
to the danger of the innovations about to be introduced,
and directed the Adventure troop-ship, returning from

338 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Japan, with a battalion of Marines, to call for orders at
Durban. One of the most interesting sights witnessed during his
tour by the Governor was a Kafir war-dance performed, on
the 3rd of July, at OUivier Hoek, by 550 warriors of the
Amangurana tribe, whose location lies between that of the
PutUi and the Tugela River. The Kafirs, who were dressed
in wild and picturesque garb, were formed into seven com
panies, and on the completion of the dance, with its accom
paniment of singing, Mr. Shepstone addressed them in an
eloquent speech, which was greatly applauded, pointing out
the special honour paid them by the Queen in selecting as
her representative, one of her most redoubtable warriors.
On the conclusion of the address, writes an eye-witness, 'a
salute was given to the Supreme Chief, grand in its intensity
and effect.'
After six weeks of ' trekking ' and camping out, Sir Garnet
returned to Maritzburg, and immediately commenced pre
paring for the Session of Council. About twenty-five Bills
were draughted, dealing with almost every question affecting
the welfare of the Colony. The principal measure was that
relating to the construction of a railway, for which fresh
taxes were raised, the Natives contributing ^56,000 per
annum, instead of ^41,000, by the raising of the hut-tax
from 7s. to 14s., the marriage-tax being remitted. There
were also other measures dealing with the Natives; the
Colonial estimates were prepared in a different and clearer
form; a Committee on Public Departments, consisting of
Mr. Broome, Colonel CoUey, and Major Brackenbury, drew
up a report full of practical recommendations for the facili
tation of business ; and Major Butler prepared an able
report on European Immigration, by which the farms of
absentee and do-nothing proprietors were dealt with. Thus,
what with Committees and Commissions, added to the con-

SIR GARNET RETURNS TO ENGLAND. 339
duct of the ordinary business of the Colony, Sir Garnet and
his ' briUiant Staff,' as the papers always caUed his officers,
were hard at work from seven in the morning till late in the
evening, and even the opponents of the recent reforms
recognised the devotion and energy of this talented band of
soldiers. At length, just five months from the date of his
arrival, the task was completed, and Sir Garnet Wolseley
handed over the conduct of affairs to Sir Henry Bulwer.
, The Mayor of Durban gave a banquet in his honour on the
ist September, at which he made his farewell speech, con
cluding with an eloquent peroration on the future of Natal.
Two days later, amid the regrets of the colonists,* Sir
Garnet sailed for England, accompanied by his Staff, ex
cept Mn Broome, the Colonial Secretary, and Colonel
CoUey, who proceeded to India to join his regiment. At
Cape Town a public ball was given in his honour. Admiral
Lambert and the officers of the Flying Squadron, which
had arrived the day before, being present. On the 4th of
October, the Windsor Castle, decked from stem to stern
with flags, arrived at Plymouth, where Sir Garnet was re
ceived with hearty cheers on landing.
He now resumed his duties at the War Office, but, in
November, 1876, was offered by Lord Salisbury, and ac
cepted, a seat at the Council of India, where (as we were
informed by a coUeague) his varied miUtary experience was
of eminent service. During the past few years Sir Garnet
frequently presided at lectures on professional subjects,
delivered in the theatre of the Royal United Service Insti
tution, when his remarks commanded the assent of the
* The standard and Mail wrote ; ' After all the bitter party-fights. Sir
Garnet leaves the Colony with the high personal reputation with which he
came, enhanced, and anything higher than this, in the way of praise, cannot
be advanced.' The Mercury said he had ' gained the admiration, as well
as the affection, of the whole body of colonists. ' On the day, of his depar
ture he was overwhelmed with addresses and deputations, and the scene at
the banquet in his honour, at Durban, wiU long be remembered by those
present. 22 — 2

340 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
majority of his auditors, owing to the strong common-sense
with which they were tinged. This was displayed, to take
two instances, in the discussion on Lieutenant Graves's paper
on ' Military Equipment,' when he spoke strongly against
the present dress and appointments of the British soldier ;
and at a lecture delivered by Colonel Clive, when he argued
against the proposed adoption of the Prussian system of
200 men to a company. Wolseley also wrote two articles
in the Nineteenth Centur^y, which received much attention.
The first, a comparison of the French army in 1870 and
1877, was an exhaustive and detaUed survey of the mUitary
condition of our neighbours ; and the second, on the British
army in 1854 and 1878, was an able and authoritative exposi
tion of our resources and readiness to embark on a war in that
year, as compared with our position at the time ofthe Crimean
War. While taking a sanguine view of our mUitary strength,
he warned the nation of the ' terrible risks it runs under the
present system of boy recruits,' which, he adds, ' is a ques
tion for the consideration of Ministers and Members of Par
liament ; our soldiers are helpless in the matter.'
It is a mistake to suppose that Sir Garnet is an advocate for
battalions of 'boy' soldiers, though he prefers young soldiers,
when properly trained, to older men. After the Secocoeni
campaign in 1879, he wrote admiringly of the dash and gal
lantry of his ' young soldiers,' and again in the same terms
in his Tel-el-Kebir despatch ; but in both cases, though the
bulk of his men were young soldiers, there was a leaven of
veterans, and in his Egyptian victory the average service of
the infantry was five years. The essence of the short-service
system advocated by Sir Garnet Wolseley and others of his
school, is the production of a reserve, and the full battalions
first on the roster for foreign service are composed of what
may be considered in these days seasoned soldiers. When
the new system is fully inaugurated these latter wiU be ample

SIR GARNET SAILS FOR CYPRUS. 341
to provide for our little wars, while in a great war the reserves
will bring up seventy battalions to a strength of 1,000 men
each, a result unattainable by the old method, by which we
had no reserve.
When war between this country and Russia appeared im
minent. Sir Garnet Wolseley was nominated Chief of the
Staff to Lord Napier of Magdala, Commander of the Expe
ditionary Army, and, on the 28th of February, 1878, the
Press, in announcing the appointment, was unanimous in
expressions of approval. But the war-cloud, which, at one
time, looked so threatening, was finally dispelled by the
labours of the Congress at Berlin ; and when, on the 8th of
July, the British public and the world were amazed by Lord
Beaconsfield's great coup — the Protectorate of the Turkish
Asiatic Empire, and the quasi annexation of Cyprus — the
announcement in both Houses of Parliament was coupled
with the intimation of Sir Garnet Wolseley's appointment as
'Her Majesty's High Commissioner and Commander-in-
Chief of this, the newest appanage to the British Crown.
On the following Saturday, the 15th of July, Sir Garnet*
left England for Cyprus, via Brindisi and Malta, accom
panied by Colonels Brackenbury, Baker Russell, and Greaves,
who had all served under him in Ashantee ; also Colonels
Dormer and Maquay, RE, and Captain McCalmont, 7th
Hussars (who had served as a volunteer in the Red River
Expedition); his second aide-de-camp being Lord Gifford,
who joined him from Ceylon.
* Sir Garnet's Staff consisted of the following officers : Colonel G. R.
Greaves, C. B. , Chief of the Staff; Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Baker RusseU,
C.B. , 13th Hussars, Military Secretary; Captains H. McCalmont, 7th
Hussars, and Lord Gifford, V.C, 57th Regiment, Aides-de-Camp ; Colonel
Hon. J. C. Dormer, and Lieut. -Colonel H. Brackenbury, R.A. , Assistant-
Adjutant and Quartermaster-Generals, with Brevet-Major Hon. H. J. L,
Wood, I2th Lancers, and Captain R. C. Hare, 22nd Regiment, their
deputies; Colonel R. Biddulph, C.B., R.A., to command Royal Artillery ;
Captain J. F. Maurice, R.A., Brigade-Major R.A. ; Deputy Commissary-
General A. W. Downes, C. B. , Principal Commissariat Officer ; Deputy
Surgeon-General Sir A. D. Home, V.C, K.C.B., Principal Medical Officer;
and Mr, Herbert, Colonial Office, Private Secretary.

342 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
The task before him was great indeed, as government of
any sort, in our acceptation of the term, it may be said there
was none. Cyprus, like other dependencies of the Porte,
was only valued for what could be squeezed out of it, and
the most elementary requirements of a state had been
denied to it, so that the new Governor would have to begin
ab i7iitio. But these conditions were just such as to caU
forth the powers of a man of Wolseley's temperament and
boundless energy, and he was invested, by his instructions,
with plenary powers on all matters, civil and military. Look
ing to his antecedents, great expectations were raised that
if allowed time and afforded fuU powers and sufficient means,
he would transform this fair island of the Levant — which in
turn has been possessed by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans,
Saracens, Venetians, and Turks — into what the mightiest
warrior of antiquity anticipated it would become in his
hands. In a remarkable passage of Arrian (vol. i. p. 99)
Alexander the Great says : 'And Cyprus, being in our hands,
we shall reign absolute sovereigns at sea, and an easy way
will be laid open for making a descent on Egypt.'
Sir Garnet Wolseley may, without flattery, be said to be
indispensable to his country, for whenever the War or
Colonial Offices have on hand some task of more than
ordinary difficulty or delicacy, he is called from the post he
may be filling, and despatched at a few days' notice to set
matters right. Whether it is to conduct a military expedi
tion through the untrodden prairies and lonely Jakes of
North America, or the gloomy forests of Ashantee, or
whether it is to undertake a difficult task of practical states
manship in Natal or Cyprus, the Government of the day, be
it Liberal or Conservative, call upon this veteran soldier,
who, mindful only of his country's weal, responds to the
appeal without a moment's hesitation or thought of self-
seeking. Though his career of unbroken, and almost un-

LUCK AND CAPACITY. 343
paralleled success has drawn upon him the usual amount of
detraction from those who lack the qualities by which great
ness is achieved, yet his countrymen appreciate his patriotism
and talents, Uke the Romans, who, says Cicero, after a time
ceased to applaud Caesar, for ' obstupefactis hominibus ipsa
admiratione compressus erat, et eo prsetermissus, quia nihil
vulgare dignum Csesare videri poterat.'
Critics who cannot gainsay Sir Garnet Wolseley's capacity,
and rivals who view his success with an unworthy feeUng of
jealousy, speak of him as ' a very lucky man.' But truth
should compel them to own that he has forced his way to
the forefront of his profession by sheer hard work and good
service, without adventitious aid, or the exercise on his be
half of interest or favouritism, and that he has chained
Fortune to his chariot-wheels by seizing every opportunity
to win her favours. It was no ' luck ' that induced him,
when all appeared lost, to volunteer to lead two storming-
parties in one day, in Burmah, or that led him, after storm
ing the Mess-house, according to Lord Clyde's orders, to
break through the Motee Mahul, and be the first to make
an entrance into the Lucknow Residency. These deeds
were the result of courage and enterprise. Again, it was no
' luck ' that induced him, when suffering from wounds and
ill-health, to remain throughout that dreary winter in the
trenches at Sebastopol, where, as an officer writes to us, ' he
showed the highest capacity as a military engineer in the
siege operations.'
Again, ' in China,' writes one who served with him there,
' he was one of the eyes of the expedition in the Quarter
master-General's Department. This was his metier, but it
is one thing to fill an appointment, and another to fill it so
evidently well, that, young as he was, people ranked him
with the chiefs of the army.'
It was the reputation that is achieved by good service, and

344 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
not luck, that led to his selection for the command of the
Red River and Ashantee Expeditions, and all the success
was due to sheer capacity. When the former expedition, in
its earlier stage, was on the verge of failure, which, indeed,
was predicted even by the most sanguine, what was the
quality that urged Wolseley to persevere ? And was it luck,
or soldierly intuition, that induced him, in spite of the ad
verse opinions of those best qualified to judge, ' to take his
boats up the Kaministiquia River, and thereby,' as General
Lindsay officially wrote, ' insured the success of the expe
dition.' Again, when in the Ashantee Campaign, with the
aid of ' our allies ' and a handful of saUors and Marines, he
forced the enemy to cross the Prah, were his movements
guided by the genius of luck or of daring strategy ? When,
later on, owing to the wholesale desertion of the carriers, he
found his forward movements paralyzed, and the success of
the expedition jeopardized, when he was forced to reduce
his already small force, and leave behind a battalion of white
troops and the detachment of European artillery, was it good
fortune, or was it by the exercise of energy and resolution,
that he overcame all difficulties and entered into Coomassie
in triumph, within twenty- four hours of the stipulated time ?
We submit that no amount of luck — which indeed is another
word for capacity — unless it were accompanied by judg
ment, readiness of resource, and able generalship, would have
insured anything but a complete and ignominious failure.
The petty habit of depreciating a great success, which is
repellent to every generous mind, is due to that frame of
mind stigmatized by Thomas Carlyle, who says, ' Show your
critics a great, and they begin to, what they call, account for
him, and bring him out to be a little, man.'
In this record of Sir Garnet Wolseley's mUitary career,
enough has appeared to enable the reader to form an opinion
ofhis character and professional qualifications; but we cannot

SIR EVELYN WOOD ON WOLSELEY. 345
forbear quoting the eloquent words of a distinguished officer,
who has had the best opportunUies of forming a judgment.
Colonel Evelyn Wood* said of him, at a lecture delivered before
a briUiant audience at the Royal United Service Institution :
' That the Ashantee Campaign did not end in failure, must
be in part attributed to the spirit which animated the forces,
and rendered them, Uke red-hot iron, fervent but pliable in
the hands of the master-workman, and in part to the direct
ing power of the master-workman, of whom may be said, as
was said by Scott of Napoleon, " He was a sovereign among
soldiers." His means were limited by time and circum
stances ; with a handful of men he was required to accom
plish a hitherto unattainable feat. In six months he had to
re-establish our reputation, lowered by successive humilia
tions and failures, and to read a lesson in letters of fire to
the arrogant and bloodthirsty race who had defied us so long
by their weapons of distance, disease, and treachery. It is
true of Sir Garnet Wolseley, as was written of Pitt, " Few
men made fewer mistakes, nor left so few advantages unim
proved." To all his other great qualities he joined that fire,
that spirit, that courage, which, giving vigour and direction to
his soldiers, bore down all resistance. In fine, our success
was due to the leader and his choice of able subordinates,
who aU acknowledged their chief's superior military genius,
as they loyally supported him in everything ; and he im
pressed on all his iron will and steadfast determination to
take Coomassie.'
All who have once been on his Staff again offer their ser
vices when an opportunity presents itself, as witness the
names of Butler, Brackenbury, Gifford, Greaves, CoUey, Wood,
Butler, Swaine, Stewart, Maurice, and Dormer. It must be
no ordinary man who can thus bind to him some of the
most distinguished officers of the service. One who knows
him well, and has served with him in the field, an officer of
* Now Major-General Sir Evelyn Wood, V.C, G.C.B.

346 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
high rank, and a Knight of the Bath, writes to us thus : ' I
have had the best opportunities of judging of the man, and
I say he is the most perfect character I have ever met ; no
one can see much of him without having for him a regard
which becomes perfect affection ; no one could be more
unspoilt by his rise ; I know no difference in him now from
the time when he was a very young captain — no franker,
more magnanimous, fearless man, morally and physically, I
think, ever lived.'
Other letters we have received from his old comrades in
arms, breathe the same feeling of affection and admiration.
Of one trait of character, his generous recognition of merit
in others, a brother officer of the 90th Regiment gives an
instance of which he was a witness. ' On entering Lucknow,'
he writes, ' I well remember everyone saying, " Wolseley has
got the Victoria Cross ! " They heard he had gained it by
storming the Mess-house. He said, " No, I was not the
first man in ; Bugler  was !" The poor wounded bugler
was forgotten by others, but not by his own Captain.'
In the prime of life, yet ripe with a military experience
almost unrivalled in the British army ; blessed -with an
equable temperament, and an iron constitution that seems
proof alike against the assaults of a Crimean winter, or the
torrid heats ofthe Gold Coast; gifted with sound judgment
and a thorough mastery of the art of war, theoretically as
culled from books, and practically as studied and iUustrated
in all climes and under varied conditions; possessing a
chivalric courage that has extorted the admiration of wit
nesses, and a calm self-reliance, combined with that
attribute which is an unerring indication of the presence of
genius, a faculty for inspiring confidence in others — Sir
Garnet Wolseley seems to be speciaUy fitted to lead the
armies of his country in a great national crisis, should any
such unhappUy arise.*
* This work, completed to this point in 1878, was pubUshed in that year.

CHAPTER IX.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF CYPRUS.
Occupation of Cyprus by the British Troops. — Condition of the Island and
its Inhabitants. — The Reforms introduced by Sir Garnet Wolseley. — His
Opinion of the Healthiness of Cyprus. — Sir Garnet Wolseley recasts the
Administration of the Island. — Visit of some Members of the British
Government to Cyprus. — Sir Garnet Wolseley and the War in Afghan
istan. — Condition and prospects of Cyprus. — Sir Garnet Wolseley returns
to England in May, 1879.
Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived in Cyprus in H. M. S.
Himalaya, on the 22nd July, 1879, and took over charge
of the island from Rear-Admiral Lord John Hay, who had
received possession from the acting Turkish Mutasserif, or
Governor, Bessim Pasha, and Samih Pasha, the bearer of
the Sultan's firman, the Governor, Achmed Pasha, being
under suspension for embezzlement. A force of some
10,000 men, including the Indian contingent brought to
Malta by Lord Beaconsfield, as a warning to Russia, under
Major-General Ross and Brigadier-Generals Macpherson,
V.C, and Watson, V.C, was landed at the island under the
superintendence of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, who
officiated as Beachmaster.
Sir Garnet Wolseley, who took up his residence at Nicosia
on the 30th July, held the supreme military as weU as civil
control. The mUitary duties were never very arduous, and
by the end of August the Indian troops had quitted the
island for Bombay ; but the civil and poUtical work was
responsible and pressing, for the condition of the island

348 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
disclosed a state of corruption and misrule only to be found
in other provinces under the rule of the Sultan of Turkey.
In undertaking the practical annexation of Cyprus,* and
wresting it from Turkish misgovernment. Lord Beaconsfield
was inspired by no Quixotic motives of benevolence. The
prime object was a mUitary one. It was designed as a
' place of arms,' and to complete the chain in our Mediter
ranean fortresses, though to attain this object a vast sum
would have to be expended in fortifications and harbours.
The occupation of the island by the British was received
with very different feelings by the nationalities comprising its
population. WhUe the official Turks, as the ruling class,
were discontented at the cessation of their privUeges and
power to oppress, the lower order of Turks were gratified
that they would in future be exempted from the conscription,
and that there would be no more doubling of taxes on the
outbreak of war on the Continent .The Greeks, forming two-
thirds ofthe population, about 100,000 out of 144,000, hailed
Sir Garnet Wolseley as a deliverer from the oppression of
the Turks ; and the British flag, after consecration at the
convent of Nicosia, was hoisted in the presence of Sir Garnet
Wolseley and of the Christian classes of the community with
imposing ceremonial and amid hearty acclamations. But,
with the greed of their race, the Greeks sought to make all
the pecuniary gain possible out of their deliverers ; and so
exorbitant were the rents demanded for suitable residences
* Richard I. conquered Cyprus at the time of his expedition to Palestine,
and when the Turks dispossessed the Venetians of the island in the war of
1570-73. Queen Elizabeth contested the usurpation, though her government
took no military measures. It is also a curious circumstance that in the
central shield on the frieze at the west end of Queen Ehzabeth's tomb, in
the north aisle of Henry VII.'s chapel in Westminster Abbey, is the
quartering of the arms of Cyprus, heraldically described as ' barry of ten,
argent and azure, over all a lion rampant gules, crowned or. ' In the draw
ings of the funeral procession of Ehzabeth in the British Museum, made by
WilUam Camden, Clarencieux King-at-Arms, may be seen an heraldic
banner containing the blazon of the arms of Cypras, of which Ehzabeth
was titular Queen.

THE CONDITION OF CYPRUS. 349
for the headquarters staff, that the Chief Commissioner
established his camp at the convent, about two miles distant
from Nicosia.
The Turkish law-makers profess to be guided by that fine
axiom enunciated in Aristotle's ' Politics,' that ' he who bids
the law to rule, bids God and the mind to rule ; but he who
bids a man to rule, sets up a beast, for desires and passion
turn the best men viTong, whUe law is mind purified of appe
tite' But these fine professions, whUe loudly proclaimed,
have no existence in the Sultan's dominions ; and though,
theoretically, the law is no respecter of persons, the evidence
of a Christian has no weight as against the statement of a
Mussulman. To remedy this cardinal defect, and make
equally admissible the evidence of any credible witness and
the establishment of proof on the evidence of one witness,
and to make other necessary enactments. Sir Garnet Wolseley
issued a proclamation, in thirty articles, defining the vast
changes to be introduced in the laws of Cyprus.
To each of the six districts into which Cyprus is divided.
Sir Garnet appointed a Commissioner and Assistant-Com
missioner. The central district, which contains the capital
Nicosia, was placed under Colonel R. Biddulph, R.A, now
Chief Commissioner of the island ; and Captain L. V. Swaine,
Rifle Brigade, now MUitary Attache at Berlin, was appointed
Commissioner of the Famagousta district.
The natural resources of the island are great, and, in
ancient times, the great desert-like plain of Messaria, forming
two-thirds of Cyprus, in which Nicosia and Famagousta
are situated, was the chief cereal-producing portion of the
island. Water is to be had in abundance within a few feet
of the surface, and the one thing required to make this arid
plain renew its pristine fertility, is that the cattle-wheel and
other means of raising water should be appUed, as in the
delta of Egypt. But three centuries of Turkish misrule

3SO LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and oppression have crushed all enterprise out of the
people. At the time of our occupation the ruling Pasha extracted
all the money he could out of the poor islanders, and sent it
to Constantinople to minister to the luxuries of a dissolute
court, whUe nothing was expended on public works.
Most exaggerated ideas were prevalent in England of the
wealth and condition of Cyprus. But the country sacred
to the worship of the Paphian goddess was found to be
poverty-stricken; the groves in which Adonis hunted, and
the bright waters by which he disported himself, had no
existence. Its mythical and historic fame, the legends of
its Assyrian settlers, Phoenician traders, and Crusading
visitors, combined to dazzle the judgment of the English
people, and the disenchantment was complete when the
army of occupation found, on landing, that the island was
denuded of trees except in places on the hills, and was bare
of verdure save where a few fertUe spots were watered with
perennial springs.
In September Sir Garnet Wolseley made a tour of the
island in H.M.S. Raleigh, with the object of visiting the
principal towns on the coast Having elaborated his plans,
he announced, on the 27th September, at the public recep
tion held on the first day of the Feast of Bairam, the ap
pointment of a Legislative Council under his presidency.
He also nominated an Executive Council, which held its
first meeting on the loth October. These important steps
were taken in accordance with the Royal Order of Council
of the 14th September, which constituted Cyprus a Crown
colony, and defined the form of government and powers of
the Chief Commissioner, who was empowered, at his dis
cretion, to act in opposition to the advice of the Executive
Council. Sir Garnet Wolseley appointed as members of the Legis-

THE REFORMS INSTITUTED BY WOLSELEY. 351
lative Council three official members and three members
chosen by himself from the inhabitants of the island : the
first thus selected being a Turk, Mustapha Faid Effendi ; a
Greek merchant, Mr. Glykys; and an Italian, Mr. Mattel.
The work before the Legislative Council was sufficiently
arduous, and embraced a conversion of tithes, a customs
tariff, the reorganization of the judicial system, including
the appointment of a Chief Justice and Puisne Judge ; also
questions connected with the stamp duties, game licenses,
and other matters of administration and social order.
At the time of the British occupation of Cyprus there
was only one road, and that a bad one, between Larnaca
and Nicosia. Such bridges as had been carried away by
storm were suffered to remain in ruins ; and what with
the extortion of their rulers, the ravages of the locusts, and
the uncertainty of the seasons, the Cypriotes were steeped
in poverty. Unhappily the means for improving the condi
tion ofthe people were limited, as the British Parliament was
averse from affording pecuniary assistance to an island still
under the sovereignty of the Sultan, to whom, by the terms
of the Anglo-Turkish Convention, an annual subsidy was
due, based upon the average surplus revenue of the past
five years, which was only arrived at by the utter neglect of
expenditure on public works.
At the time of the occupation it was anticipated that
the exchange of the rule of the Englishman for that of the
Turk would bear fruit in the greater prosperity of the
people, and that the spectacle of a Turkish province
thriving under wise government would be an example to the
rulers of Turkey. On the whole this expectation has been
achieved ; but the great obstacle to its complete realization
is the fiscal stipulations, under which, out of a net revenue
of about ^^172,000, over ;^ioo,ooo annually has to be
paid to the creditors of the Porte. Notwithstanding strict

352 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
economy, a bare sufficiency remains for the ordinary ex
penses of government.
The omission of any reference to the necessary expendi
ture on public works was a great flaw in the Anglo-Turkish
Convention ; but another point was not taken into considera
tion when regulating the amount of the tribute to the Sultan.
The pubUshed cost of government of a Turkish province
does not give an accurate account of the sum actually ex
pended, or of what is necessary, because bribery and pecu
lation in all departments of Turkish administration form, by
unwritten custom, a supplementary fund for the maintenance
of the cost of government. Thus the Justices of the Court
at Larnaca received salaries of ^24 a year, and as such a
sum was inadequate to maintain them in respectability and
independence, fees from suitors were openly accepted. Not
only judicial officers, but all Government officials — officers of
the Customs, Excise, and Police, as well as their subordi
nates — received through bribes the necessary complement to
their fixed salary. It was, of course, the first duty of a
British Governor to end such an evU. The salaries of all
officials were raised, and in the courts of justice British
assessors were appointed, who took care that no fees were
received by the Cadi and his coadjutors. Hence the cost of
the administration of Cyprus largely exceeded the sum set
apart by the Convention with Turkey.
The revenue of the first year of the occupation of the
island compared unfavourably with that of the previous year.
Thanks to a bountiful harvest, the tithes of 1878 had been
sold for over _;^7 0,000; whereas in 1879, owing to the
scarcity of rain, they did not reach ^^5 0,000, and Sir
Garnet Wolseley was constrained to sanction the expendi
ture of over ;^6,ooo in the distribution of seed-corn to the
people. Soon after taking possession of the island the Indian

ENGLISH OFFICERS AND TURKISH LA W. 353
troops were withdrawn, and by the end of November the
island was garrisoned by the 71st Regiment and two com
panies of Sappers, who were all accommodated in huts.
One of Sir Garnet's first steps was to organize a police force,
at first numbering 500 men, under Major Grant, who, on his
returning to England in August, was succeeded by Colonel
Brackenbury, R.A., who completed the organization of the
corps. Though the Porte, in the Convention with England,
signed on the 4th June, 1878, divested itself of legislative
functions in Cyprus, Sir Garnet Wolseley — having, as law
adviser, first Sir Adrian Dingli, from Malta, then Mr. Cookson,
Consular Judge at Alexandria, and afterwards Sir L. PhiUips
— and his officers, acting as assessors to the native courts,
were called on to administer Turkish laws, and the industry
and patience they displayed in acquiring and dispensing
justice under such novel conditions were beyond all praise.
The establishment of a judiciary and of municipal govern
ment throughout the island occupied the Chief Commis
sioner's thoughts, and engrossed his time equaUy with
the question of the destruction of the locusts'* and the
planting of the island with trees to increase the rainfall, the
absence of which was, in a large measure, due to the im
provident conduct of the Turkish rulers in cutting down the
forests. One of his first acts was to establish district dis.
pensaries throughout the island, where the poor could obtain
medical advice free of charge, and drugs at a cheap rate.
The work of the revenue survey of the island was put in
hand by November, and a reform was instituted in the col
lection of tithes, formerly a source of great abuse, but which,
under the guidance of British District Commissioners, was
now effected without complaint or disturbance of orden
* These locusts are an annual plague, and since our occupation of the
island as much as ;^28,ooo has been expended in one year in exterminating
them. 23

354 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Under Turkish rule tithes were either sold to rich farmers,
whose influence allowed them unlimited means of exaction,
or were collected in kind by Government officials equaUy
extortionate. The assessment upon the crops was now
made at a convenient time for the peasants, who were
permitted to pay the tithes later in the year, which was
found to work well, as the crops were not exposed to
damage while awaiting the call of the coUector or the
farmer for the tithe, and the peasant was free to harvest his
fields at his own time. Under the hand of the new
Governor the police, or zaptiehs, who formerly ground down
the poor peasants, became only an object of fear to evil
doers, and the viUagers actually requested their presence.
By properly paying the native judges, and rigorously punish
ing peculation or bribery, these evils were banished from the
judgment-seat, and justice was impartiaUy and promptly ad
ministered. Also by his measures on the currency question
Sir Garnet Wolseley succeeded, during his year of office, in
introducing the English pounds and shiUings, with the
Turkish piastre, thus placing, as he wrote, ' the currency of
Cyprus on a footing nearly equal to that of Great Britain.'
Finally, there was the land question.
One of his first steps was to appoint a Land Commission,
under the Presidency of Mr. W. Baring, brother of the
present Finance Minister in India, whose functions were,
briefly, to ascertain the law, as practically applied in the
island, relating to the different tenures of land, and to
determine the extent of the various classes of land held
under those tenures— a most complicated task, as, accord
ing to Turkish laws, land is divided mainly into five kinds,
some of which— as wacouf, applied for religious uses, and
mulk, land held in fee-simple— comprise many subordinate
divisions. The duties of the Chief Commissioner were thus multi-

REFORMS INSTITUTED BY WOLSELEY. 355
farious and novel, and would have tested the capacity of a
civUian administrator of the highest stamp. He had to work
with native officials brought up in the worst school of cor
ruption and tyranny. A new administration had to be estab
Ushed ; radical changes of a more or less experimental cha
racter to be initiated. And he had to consider many con
tending interests the treatment of which required tact and
consideration. Of course, where abuses and intrigue had
flourished from time immemorial, there were complaints, but
these were due either to disappointed adventurers who, at the
time of the British occupation, descended upon the island
like a cloud of its indigenous locusts ;* or to those inhabitants
having Hellenic aspirations, who thought that by vUUfying
British administration they would promote the annexation of
the island to Greece, as was done in the case of the Ionian
Islands. But the people could not be brought to abet these
intriguers, and the obvious reply to those who wished to sub
stitute the rule of the King of the Hellenes for that of the
Queen of England was to point to the reforms carried into
effect with such striking results for their well-being. Such
were the reductions in the taxation, and the abolition of all
export duties ; the removal of the onerous restrictions on the
wine trade, and the equalization and reduction of the tax for
military exemption. True, the expenditure was greater than
under the Turkish regime, the total, exclusive of that on
public works and prisons, being ^72,731 against ;£'29,093 ;
* One example of the speculation mania will suffice. The morning after the
signature of the Anglo-Turkish Convention for the cession of Cypras to Eng
land, Mr. Zarify, the Sultan's private banker at Constantinople, despatched
to Larnaca by the Austrian Lloyd's packet one of his employes with sealed
instractions, which he was .not to open untU he arrived in Cypras. The
instructions proved to be an unlimited credit and authority to purchase every
where all the agent could get hold of, whether houses, lands, or cattle. The
agent, with assistants, succeeded in buying property to the extent of
£40,000, consisting of houses, shops, lands in town and country, cultivated
fields, cattle, etc., aU of which were obtained at very low rates, owing to the
prevaUing misery. Within four months this property was worth more than
,^300,000, though there was soon a great and disastrous depreciation, due
to the greed ofthe sharp-witted financiers.
23—2

356 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
but, as we have shown, the Turkish officials were underpaid
and corrupt, and did Uttle and defective work in return for
their salaries. The revenues and expenditure balanced,
however, during the one year of Sir Garnet's administration.
The Home Government appreciated the abUity and devo
tion displayed by the Chief Commissioner and his sub
ordinates. Speaking in the House of Commons in May,
1879, Sir Stafford Northcote, the Chancellor of the Ex
chequer, expressed his opinion that ' those who had been
administering the island during the last twelve months had
done a work which would bear comparison with the achieve
ments of many founders of states and legislators in bringing
about great reforms.'
Many visitors of note, including Sir Samuel Baker, Mr.
and Mrs. Brassey, Sir George Elliott, M.P., Sir Henry Hol
land, M.P., and Lord Colville, came to Cyprus and received
a hospitable welcome at Government House. Much interest
was displayed by the people and Press of England in the
condition and prospects of our new dependency, the acqui
sition of which was the subject of numberless questions in
Parliament and speeches out of it on the part of the Oppo
sition in the House of Commons, from Mr. Gladstone
downwards, and specially afforded a fertile theme for the wit
and invective — that ' ornament of debate,' as Lord Beacons
field once called it — of Sir William Harcourt. During the
recess, Mr. Smith, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and his
coadjutors, and Colonel Stanley, the Secretary of State for
War, paid Cyprus a visit, to see for themselves the condition
of the island, and the advance it had made during the few
months it had been under the new administration.
They visited the monastery camp near Nicosia, where Sir
Garnet Wolseley had established his seat of government,
owing to the exorbitant rents asked by the speculators, who
had bought up all the valuable house property in the island;

THE CLIMATE OF CYPRUS. 357
and thence proceeded to the military camp at Mathiati,
seventeen miles distant, situated among the slopes of the
southern hUls, and, returning to Larnaca, proceeded round
the island, visiting Famagousta, Kyrenia, Papho, and Limas-
sol. The inspection much gratified them, and Sir Garnet
Wolseley, writing to us on the 6th November, 1878, from
Larnaca, says : ' I have just returned from a trip round the
island, in H.M.S. Himalaya, with the Secretary of State for
War and the First Lord of the Admiralty, both of whom are
very much pleased with all they saw.'
Much was said in the Press and Parliament, at the time
of our occupation of Cyprus, of its unhealthiness and the
sickness among our troops. The island had, from the earliest
times, an unenviable notoriety for its heat; and Martial
writes : ' Infamem nimio calore Cyprum.' But the fever pre
vaiUng in 1878, an unusually unhealthy year, was due to two
causes — one temporary, and the other preventible by more
care. The soldiers were kept in the plains and exposed to
the heat of the sun, and, owing to the hasty manner in
which they were despatched from England, were quartered
in ' bell-tents,' which were of limited capacity and afforded
no protection from the sun. The Indian troops were pro
vided with pal-tents, which are of much thicker texture, and
every way more suited for a torrid climate than the bell-
tents, which were found adequate for autumn manceuvres on
Salisbury Plain. By the 24th August all the Indian troops,
except some Bombay and Madras Sappers, had left the
island on their return to India, and Sir Garnet Wolseley
retained a sufficient number of pal-tents to accommodate
their European brethren-in-arms until huts were erected in
healthy sites. That the island does not deserve all the
opprobrium that has been heaped upon it, is shown by the
medical returns of the troops stationed there the first year
of our occupation, and from the fact of the authorities

3S8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
having selected it as a sanitarium for the sick troops during
the recent operations in Egypt For the last two years, of aU
the numerous stations where we have garrisons, Cyprus has
been the healthiest for our men. The army annual returns
prove this conclusively. The following was the opinion ex
pressed to us by Sir Garnet Wolseley, writing from Cyprus
during the winter of 1878 : ' We are now enjoying delightful
weather, so much so that anyone arriving here now for the
first time would be astonished to learn that the island had
ever at any season proved unhealthy. All round the Medi
terranean sea, fever at certain seasons is prevalent, especially
in the eastern portions. We had a bad type of fever at Malta,
and why anyone should wonder that our men, living in bell-
tents under the piercingly scorching sun of summer in
Cyprus, should have suffered, seems strange to me.' Early
in the following year he wrote : ' The fever of Cyprus, of a
malarious type, is not to be met with at any elevation above
5,000 feet over sea-level ; and before the hot weather sets in
this summer, I shall have the huts erected in the mountains,
about 5,500 feet above the sea. If I had known of this
place in July last, we should, I feel convinced, have avoided
all the sickness we had in the summer and autumn. There
are now in the island 944 of all ranks, of whom only 32 are
on the sick-list, which is under 3J per cent., a rate lower
than we have even in England.'
Of the good results of his administration he wrote : ' In
some districts there was a considerable amount of crime
before our occupation ; now I do not beUeve we have a pos
session where there is less crime than in Cyprus. I feel and
know that our administration of justice suits the people, and
gives general satisfaction. Technically, from a lawyer's point
of view, it may not be everything it might be, but I assert
that the people have had substantial justice administered to
them ; and this has been effected without any caU upon the

WOLSELEY ON THE AFGHAN WAR. 359
Imperial treasury. Everything promises a good, fair average
harvest this year. We shall have no more tithe-farming, and
I hope to collect all the taxes in future in money, instead of
in kind, and to do so in a manner that wUl be agreeable to
the people. I am now planting 20,000 eucalyptus trees of
one and two years old each. Even supposing half of them
die, I shall have made a good start towards replenishing the
island with timber. It is a mistake, however, to imagine
that no forests still exist ; we have a good deal of timber in
the mountains, and I have stopped the cutting of trees
everywhere. I am giving employment on the roads to all
those who formerly earned a livelihood by forest-work ; and
as I have taken off all import-duty on wood and timber, I
hope to give our forests some years of rest The people are
easUy governed, and are a quiet and orderly lot Turks and
Christians live together on amicable terms.'
Sir Garnet Wolseley had been highly gratified by his
appointment to the government of Cyprus, and the task of
carving order and good government out of chaos and mal
administration was one suited to an energetic temperament,
to whom difficulties only acted as an incentive to fresh
exertion. Had his country remained at peace he would
have been content to have continued the task until perfect
success had crowned his efforts, and Cyprus was as well
governed as Mauritius, or Ceylon, or any other Crown
Colony. But in the latter part of 1878, a few months after
his arrival, the Indian Government was embroiled in a war
with Shere Ali, Ameer of Afghanistan, and, by the ist No
vember, our armies were in motion for the invasion of that
country from three different points. The soldier-diplomatist
ruling in Cyprus at this time was ' a statesman if you
wUl, but a soldier above all,' and was anxious to be in the
thick of the fray ; his eager, heroic nature, to whom war,
with aU its turmoil and excitement and soul-stirring inci-

36o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
dents, was as a second nature, panted to exchange the
labours of the administrator for the risks and responsi
bilities of the General. He wrote to us on the 6th No
vember with characteristic enthusiasm : ' All our thoughts
here are now turned to the Afghan frontier, and I long to
be in the saddle leading our men through these passes
which former wars have made so famUiar to us in history.
I like being the Governor of a new place like Cyprus during
peace, but when " the blast of war blows in our ears,'' I
long to run to the sound, and take my fair share of its
dangers and excitements.' But he was denied the oppor
tunity, and for nearly two years the war continued in
Afghanistan without his participating in its chequered
history of victory and defeat, though another sphere of
activity opened to him before Sir Frederick Roberts's crown
ing achievement — the march from Cabul to Candahar and
the victory of the ist September, 1880 — ended the war.
Then once again Sir Garnet Wolseley was in the saddle,
cheering on British troops- to victory.
The Eastern proverb has it, ' Everything -will come to him
who waits ;' and though Sir Garnet Wolseley fretted at his
enforced inaction whUe the Afghan War was in progress, the
disaster of Isandlwhana gave him the required opportunity,
and the demand made in the Press for the appointment of
Sir Garnet Wolseley to the supreme miUtary command in
South Africa was at length favourably responded to by the
Government As usual, there were some unworthy comments
on the appointment of ' our only General,' as his detractors
sneeringly styled one whose uniform success in war they
attributed to ' luck ;' but Sir Garnet Wolseley had the wisdom
to treat such remarks with contempt, agreeing with Hudibras,
who says : '  that man is sure to Idse
That fouls his hand with dirty foes ;
For where no honour's to be gain'd.
It's thrown away in being maintain' d.'

CHAPTER X.
SERVICES IN ZULULAND AND THE TRANSVAAL.
Sir Garnet Wolseley is appointed to the Chief Political and Mihtary Com
mand in Natal and the Transvaal. — Arrival in Zululand. — Pursuit and
Capture of Cetewayo. — The Settlement of Zululand. — Departure of Sir
Garnet Wolseley for the Transvaal. — His Reception at Pretoria and
the other Towns of the Transvaal. — Declaration of British Policy with
respect to the Country and its Effect on the Boers. — The Campaign
against Secocoeni. — Capture of the Chief's Stronghold on the 28th
November, 1879. — Sir Garnet Wolseley and the Boers. — His opinion on
the Basuto question. — Retum to England of Sir Garnet Wolseley.
On the 21st May, 1879, Sir Garnet Wolseley landed in
England, having been summoned from Cyprus by the Govern
ment to proceed to South Africa, to undertake the conduct
of mUitary operations from the hands of Lord Chelmsford.
The war with the Zulu King was still dragging its slow length
along, and the unsepultured bones of our brave officers and
men yet whitened the plain under the fatal hill of Isan
dlwhana. That disastrous encounter was fought on the 22nd
January. By the end of May there were at the seat of war
in South Africa, as appears by a Ministerial statement in
ParUament, 19,959 British troops, and 4,453 colonial troops,
in addition to 850 seamen and marines — over 25,000 men in
aU, being a larger army than Lord Clyde undertook to capture
Lucknow and reconquer Oude.
Sir Bartle Frere, in vindicating his conduct in sending an
ultimatum to Cetewayo involving this country in war with
the Zulu monarch, invoked the opinion of Sir Garnet
Wolseley on the military danger to Natal by the Zulu
despotism on its borders, while on the poUtical question he

362 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
quoted the sanction given to his measures by Sir Henry
Bulwer, Sir TheophUus Shepstone, and Mr. Brownlee, Com
missioner for Native Affairs to the Cape Colony. It was quite
true that Sir Garnet Wolseley declared that the Zulus were
' a great danger to our colony, and fo all South Africa ;' but
he was of this opinion three years before, and while warning
the Government to be prepared, did not advise that we should
go to war and precipitate the very danger we were anxious
to guard against, being satisfied that a policy of firmness and
preparedness would ward off hostilities. The Government
had been in fault in neglecting to take the military measures
of defence recommended by Sir Garnet Wolseley when in
Natal, and then in going to war with an insufficient force ;
Sir Garnet having, in a memorandum on the invasion of
Zululand, expressed an opinion that 20,000 men would be
necessary to subjugate Cetewayo's forces, an estimate that
was borne out by the result.
Sir Garnet Wolseley was appointed ' Commander-in-Chief
of the forces in South Africa, and High Commissioner for
Natal, the Transvaal, and the neighbouring countries,' Sir
Henry Bulwer and Sir Owen Lanyon being placed under
his orders, and Sir Bartle Frere remaining Governor of the
Cape Colony. On the 21st May, Sir Garnet arrived from
Cyprus, having travelled via Paris and Brindisi; and on Mon
day, the 26th May, statements were made in both Houses of
ParUament, in his presence, announcing his appointment;
that in the Upper House being made by Lord Beaconsfield.
A sense of relief was felt by aU classes of his countrymen
when the appointment was made known, and Punch gave
expression to this feeling in some verses on the similarity be
tween his name and that ofthe great Duke of Wellington:
' When Wolseley's mentioned, Wellesley's brought to mind ;
Two men, two names, of answerable kind :
Called to the front, Uke Wellesley, good at need,
Go, Wolseley, and Uke WeUesley, greatly speed.'

ARRIVAL IN NATAL. 363
On the 29th May Sir Garnet, accompanied by his staff,
left London to assume his important functions. At Pad-
dington numerous friends assembled to bid him fareweU;
and he was accompanied as far as Didcot Junction by Sir
Michael Hicks-Beach, the Colonial Secretary. TraveUing
all night, he arrived at Dartmouth at four a.m., and, on the
foUowing morning, embarked on board Donald Currie and
Co.'s ship Edinburgh Castle, which arrived at Cape Town
on the 23rd June, after a pleasant voyage. The first news
that greeted Sir Garnet and his feUow-passengers as the
ship cast anchor was the death of the Prince Imperial,
which, with the attendant circumstances, created a painful
impression on all on board. Sir Garnet landed at Cape
Town, where he was the guest of Sir Bartle Frere ; and on
the foUowing day, Tuesday, 24th June, sailed in the Dun-
keld for Durban, putting in at Port Elizabeth for news.
To a man of the eager temperament of Sir Garnet the
days and hours occupied on the voyage from England had
appeared interminably long, and it was an inexpressible
relief when he found himself nearing the goal of his antici
pated triumphs ; for the possibility of failure never entered
into his phUosophy. But he was destined to suffer the dis
appointments that had awaited all connected with this
lamentable South African War, though in his case, at least,
they were none of his making.
Amid the hearty cheers of his fellow-passengers and a
display of bunting from all the ships in harbour, he landed
at Durban at six a.m. on the 28th June, and after greeting
many familiar faces among the crowd awaiting him, and
receiving and replying to an address from the mayor and
corporation, started at nine o'clock, by special train, for
Maritzburg, where he was obUged to proceed in order to be
sworn in according to the terms of his patent. There was
a break in the line, and the remaining distance of 35 miles,

364 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.]
over a break-neck road, was traversed in carriages at a hand-
gallop, so that Sir Garnet arrived an hour before he was
expected. At Maritzburg he was received by the Lieu
tenant-Governor, Sir Henry Bulwer, Major-General Clifford,
commanding the line of communications, and other officers,
and duly installed as Governor^the first the colony had
received. Sir Garnet would have at once struck across
country by Rorke's Drift and joined the army in the field
near Ulundi, but his horses, purchased at the Cape, had not
arrived, and he came to the resolution to return to Durban
and proceed by ship to Port Durnford,' on the coast of
Zululand, near which were the headquarters of the First,
or General Crealock's, Division.
After a visit to the hospital, where he spoke a kind word
to the wounded — among whom was Major Hackett, of the
goth Regiment, who lost the sight of both eyes at Kambula
— and making arrangements for raising a corps of 4000
carriers for General Crealock's column, and to assist in
landing stores, forage, and ammunition at Port Durnford,
he instaUed Sir Henry Bulwer as his locum tenens, and at
six a.m., on the ist July, left for Durban. The driver of
the train, who bet he would do the distance of 37 mUes in
one hour and 20 minutes, won his wager by three minutes;
a feat, owing to the curves and ascents, described by one
who was present, and had seen war in many climes, as so
perilous that ' he did not think anyone alive was ever in
greater danger.'
Sir Garnet at once embarked on. board H.M.S. Shah
Captain Bradshaw, which arrived off Port Durnford on the
following morning. Captain Bradshaw considered that the
surf was too high to render a landing possible, and Sir
Garnet was constrained to put off the attempt On the
foUowing morning matters had scarcely improved ; but the
Commander-in-Chief would brook no further delay, and

END OF THE ZULU WAR. 365
made the attempt in a surf-boat. But it was impracticable,
and after running considerable danger, the party had to
return to the Shah, which proceeded back to Durban, where
she arrived at 2.30 p.m., on the 4th July, the day Lord
Chelmsford fought his decisive action at Ulundi. On the
following morning Sir Garnet proceeded by train and on
horseback to Fort Pearson, on the Lower Tugela, where he
remained for the night. Here he received intelligence of
Lord Chelmsford's victory. On the foUowing day he rode
to Fort Chelmsford, halting by the way at Fort Crealock,
and on the afternoon of the 7 th reached the camp of the
First Division at Port Durnford.
On his arrival Sir Garnet Wolseley telegraphed to the
Home Government that ' the war was over,' and directed
the return to England of the reinforcements on their way,
and a large portion of the troops in the field. For this
action he was taken to task by critics, who called it ' preci
pitate;' but, as has happened throughout his career, his
military intuition was not at fault, and he took a juster
measure of the requirements of the situation than his
censors. Sir Garnet issued a final order, dated i8th July,
cordiaUy acknowledging the success achieved by his prede
cessor ; and thus the more active phase of the Zulu diffi
culty was terminated. MeanwhUe Lord Chelmsford, imme
diately after the battle of Ulundi, instead of following up
the beaten Zulu army, and effecting the capture of the King,
feU back with the Second Division to Entonjanini, 10 mUes
from Ulundi, where wood and grass were abundant On
the 15th his lordship arrived with the Flying Column at St.
Paul's Mission Station, where he was met by Sir Garnet
Wolseley, who reviewed the Division under Us gallant leader,
Sir Evelyn Wood, and conferred the Victoria Cross on
Major Chard, R.E, the hero of Rorke's Drift.
On the 19th July Sir Garnet Wolseley held a great meet-

366 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
ing of Zulu chiefs, 20 of whom attended, including Dabule-
manzi, who commanded at Rorke's Drift ; Somapo, the King's
father-in-law ; Magwende, and other influential leaders, whom
he addressed at length on the settlement of the country,
inviting their opinions, which were given, and the important
question of the reorganization of the country discussed.
After inspecting, on the 21st July, the Naval Brigade, under
Captain Campbell and Commander Brackenbury, which re-
embarked on board ship. Sir Garnet Wolseley, accompanied
by his staff, including Brigadier-General Pomeroy CoUey, who
had joined him from Simla, where he was military secretary
to Lord Lytton, Viceroy of India, left the 1st Division,
encamped at Fort Durnford, for Maritzburg. During the
next few days all the senior officers of the army proceeded
on leave to England, including Lord Chelmsford, Major-
Generals Newdigate, Crealock, Marshall, and Sir Evelyn
Wood, and Colonels BuUer and Drury-Lowe. At Maritzburg
Sir Garnet Wolseley remained tUl the 30th July, transacting
important business as Governor, and then returned, vit
Rorke's Drift, into Zululand, having elaborated his measures
for effecting the capture of Cetewayo, as no confidence could
be felt among either Europeans or natives untU he was a
prisoner. With this object he organized two small columns,
under Brigadier-General Clarke, 5 7th Regiment, and Colonel
Baker RusseU,* 13th Hussars, an officer of whom Sir Garnet
entertained a high opinion, which was justified by subsequent
events. Escorted by a troop of the ist Dragoon Guards, Sir Garnet
Wolseley, after crossing the Tugela at Rorke's Drift, visited
the battle-field of Isandlwhana, where so many of England's
sons fell a victim to their gallantry and the incapacity of
the General who left them in small force and unlaagered
* This officer had served with him in Ashantee and Cypras, as had also
other members of his staff— Colonel Brackenbury, R.A., Majors Wood and
McCalmont, Lord Gifford, and Captain Maurice, R.A.

THE PURSUIT OF CETEWAYO. 367
to defend a vast camp, and bear the brunt of the attack
of the whole Zulu army while he was decoyed away by
a wily foe. All the bodies of our dead had been buried,
but some native corpses stUl lay festering where they fell ;
other memorials ofthe fatal 22nd January were plentiful in
the books, soldiers' pocket-ledgers, and Bibles lying about,
with ammunition-boxes, boot and horse brushes, the latter
numerous on the site occupied by the Artillery camp.
On the I oth August Sir Garnet reached Ulundi, where
he was joined on the afternoon of the following day by the
column under Brigadier-General Clarke.* In his plan for
capturing the Zulu King, and completing the work only
partially achieved at Ulundi, Sir Garnet provided for the
safety of the western and southern borders of Natal and the
Transvaal by stationing the 21st, 24th, and 58th Regiments
at Landsmann's Drift, Utrecht, and Koppie Allen respec
tively, whUe Brigadier-General Clarke reoccupied Ulundi, a
strong entrenched camp being thrown up at Entonjanini, ten
taUes distant, with a garrison of 400 men, and Colonel Baker
Russell, with a flying column, entered the Intabankulu
vaUey, in order to prevent Cetewayo from breaking away
into the difficult country between Ulundi and Luneburg.
In co-operation the Swazies were to descend from the north,
under Captain McLeod, and Burghers from Utrecht, and
Oham's friendly Zulus, under Colonel George ViUiers, from
the west, so that the escape of the Zulu King would be
impossible. At Ulundi Sir Garnet received messengers from
Cetewayo, who offered to submit and pay taxes, provided his
* Clarke's column consisted of 2 nine-pounders, a battery of Catlings,
2 troops of Lonsdale's Horse, Barrow's Mounted Infantry, S7th Regi
ment, 3rd Battahon Soth Rifles, 5 companies 8oth Regiment, and the
4th Native Contingent. The communication between Ulundi and the sea
was maintained by smaU posts at St. Paul's and Kwamagwasa, the goth
Light Infantry and a body of ArtiUery holding Port Durnford. Baker
Russell's flying column consisted of a squadron ist Dragoon Guards, a
battery of ArtiUery, 6 companies of 94th Regiment, 400 irregular cavalry,
and 200 Native Horse.

368 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
position was recognised ; but they were told that uncon
ditional submission would be exacted.
On the 1 2th August, the cavalry captured, in a donga
eight mUes beyond Ulundi, the two seven-pounder guns lost
at Isandlwhana. Stores of gunpowder and arms were also
found by reconnoitring parties, and the effect of these
vigorous movements was soon apparent in the submission of
Umnyana, the Prime Minister ; Tyingwayo, who commanded
the Zulu army engaged with SU Evelyn Wood at Kambula;
Sirayo, whose raid into Natal was the ostensible cause of
the war, and other important chiefs.
The pursuit of Cetewayo was now taken up under Sir
Garnet Wolseley's orders, and there was no rest for the King
or the flying columns. For sixteen days these detachments
of cavalry and natives followed closely in his footsteps, until,
on the 28th August, he was captured on the conflnes of the
Ngome Forest. In this pursuit Major Barrow, and his
second in command. Lord Gifford, aide-de-camp of Sir
Garnet Wolseley, were specially prominent. Captains Her
bert Stewart and Barton also commanded small columns ; but
the capture of the Zulu King was actually accomplished by
Major Marter, of the King's Dragoon Guards.
On the morning of the 14th, Major Barrow reached the
kraal which Cetewayo had left the previous afternoon, and
continued the pursuit the same day with 120 picked men,
arriving at the kraal where the King had slept on the previous
night On the following morning, as soon as the moon rose,
he reached the kraal where the fugitive monarch had been
during that night, and searched the neighbourhood, sending
Lord Gifford, with the mounted natives and Natal Police, to
seek for the tracks of the King. The people were friendly,
furnishing guides and supplies, but no reward could induce
his immediate attendants to deliver him up, his prestige
being great, notwithstanding that he was defeated and a

THE CAPTURE OF CETEWAYO. 369
fugitive. From the 15 th, Lord Gifford, with Jantze, the
Natal chief, and his 25 Caffres, 6 Mounted Infantry,
and 7 Colonial Volunteers, was never quite off the track,
more than once passing close to Cetewayo's hiding-place ;
but on the 27th he obtained certain information which
enabled him to proceed to the very kraal in which Cetewayo
proposed sleeping on the following night. To obtain this
information he had recourse to a ruse. Two of Umnyana's
men who had been taken by Lord Gifford, being blind
folded, were led some distance apart, and a voUey fired
between them. Each man thought the other had been shot,
and told all he knew about the King. On this information a
rapid march was made by Lord Gifford, who, on the night of
the 2 7th, travelled over, as he said, the most difficult country
he had ever seen. At times it appeared an impossible task for
the horses to keep their feet; but at daybreak he arrived within
sight of the King's kraal. Lord Gifford now unsaddled, and
sending the horses back a short distance, kept well out of
sight behind a ridge, while he sent two Caffres to recon
noitre the kraal. Having ascertained that it was occupied,
Lord Gifford determined to remain quietly on the watch till
nightfall, when he intended surrounding the kraal and
securing the King. MeanwhUe a party ofthe King's Dragoon
Guards, under Major Marter, and eight men of Lonsdale's
Horse, under Lieutenant Werge, arrived on the hill over
looking the kraal on the opposite side. Without loss of time
Major Marter descended to effect the capture of the King.
The kraal, along its north side, by which Major Marter ap
proached, is bordered by steep and rocky ground, rising in
one place to a sheer precipice. All the ground is thickly
wooded and rugged, and the descent from the summit ofthe
hill to the level of the kraal occupied an hour and a quarter,
during which two horses were kiUed and one of the troopers
broke his arm. Cetewayo's scouts, on seeing the movement, 24

370 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
rushed back to warn the King ; but some of Barton's Native
Contingent, accompanying the Dragoons, foUowed so quickly
on their heels, that the kraal was surrounded before the
occupants could escape. On the arrival of the Dragoons,
Cetewayo came out of his hut and surrendered to Major
Marter, conducting himself with great dignity and compo
sure, as, indeed, he has done during the whole time he has
been a captive.
Fortune was hard upon Lord Gifford, who had foUowed
up the King with unwavering pertinacity; but the gallant
officer received the encomiums of his chief, who sent him to
England with his despatches announcing the conclusion of
the war.* Cetewayo was removed to the camp at Ulundi,
where he arrived under escort on the morning of the 31st
August On the same day Sir Garnet Wolseley, without
seeing the ex-King, sent him off to Port Durnford, whence
the steamship Natal conveyed him to Cape Town. The
capture of the dreaded Zulu monarch created a great im
pression among the native races of South Africa. Usibebe,
the most important chief still holding out, and all others of
note, gave in their submission to the authority of the Queen,
and EngUsh prestige was raised immensely until the humili
ating events in the Transvaal lost all the ground that was
gained. On Monday, the ist September, the anniversary of the day
in 1873 when Cetewayo was crowned King by Sir Theophilus
Shepstone, and on the same spot. Sir Garnet Wolseley held
a great meeting of chiefs, when he announced the dismem
berment of the kingdom and his arrangements for its future
government.! Of the thirteen chiefs selected by him to rule
• In accordance with custom. Lord Gifford received the reduced sum of
,^300 for bringing home the despatches, and Major Marter was promoted
to the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
\ These, briefly, included the appointment of a Resident in Zululand, the
abohtion of the practice of witchcraft, the taking of life except after fair
trial, the maintenance of a standing army, and the purchase of rifles.

THE SETTLEMENT OF ZULULAND. 371
the territories into which Zululand was to be divided, there
were present seven, including John Dunn, Cetewayo's EngUsh
friend and adviser, who had rendered good service to the
British cause throughout the war, the other six having mis
taken the way, or, owing to bodUy infirmity, were represented
by their counciUors. Before procuring the signature to the
terms, which were signed by Sir Garnet Wolesley and by
each chief concerned, in dupUcate, all but John Dunn sign
ing with a cross, his Excellency described briefly the nature
and grounds of the settlement he had determined upon.
He warned them not to stir up trouble, and said that as sales
or pretended sales of land had been in the past a fertUe
source of dispute, in future no land must be parted with to
white people. The only chief who refused to sign the agree
ment, on the ground that the extent of the territory assigned
to him was too limited, was Umnyana, the late Prime
Minister, and accordingly Sir Garnet informed him that the
district should be given to another, which was done. On
the foUowing day the two chiefs who had mistaken the day
of meeting signed the terms ; and a few days later, on the
march from Ulundi, Seketwayo signed ; and at Conference
Hill, on the 8th and 9th, Oham, the King's brother, and
Taku, attested in due form, as did also Ulube, the Basuto
chief, to whom was aUotted Sirayo's territory.
As the Home Government would not permit annexation,
and the restoration of Cetewayo was at this time out of the
question, the setdement effected by Sir Garnet Wolseley was
probably the best that could be made ; and when we con
sider the state of anarchy to which the country was reduced
by the war and the deportation of the King, the wonder is
not that there has been occasional fighting and bloodshed,
but that the settlement has worked fairly well.
Having arranged for the appointment of a Resident and
three Commissioners, under the presidency of Colonel Hon.
24 — 2

372 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
George ViUiers, to settle the boundaries of the thirteen inde
pendent chiefs. Sir Garnet Wolseley marched from Ulundi
on the 4th September, Brigadier- General Clarke's column
moving into Natal, and Colonel Baker RusseU proceeding to
compel the submission of the semi-independent tribes in
habiting the north-west corner of Zululand and the disputed
territory there bordering on the Transvaal. This was com
pleted without fighting, and by the end of the month all the
British troops had quitted Zululand, Colonel Baker RusseU
proceeding to Leydenburg, in the Transvaal, the Natal native
levies and irregular bodies of European horse enUsted during
the protracted operations against the Zulu King being dis
banded. With a general order to the troops on the capture
of Cetewayo, and the surrender of Manyanyoba, who had
caused some trouble on the Zulu border of the Transvaal,
the Zulu War was at an end.
On his arrival at Utrecht, in the Transvaal, on the loth
September, Sir Garnet Wolseley received an address of
welcome from the inhabitants, to whom he made a concilia
tory reply, and inspected the 24th Regiment, conferring the
V.C. on Major Bromhead, of Rorke's Drift fame. On the
13th he was at Wakkerstroom, and he also visited Standerton
and Heidelberg, and on the 27th arrived at Pretoria Here
and elsewhere on the road, when addressing gatherings of
Boers, he stated to them that the act of annexation was
irrevocable ; and at Standerton, on the Vaal river, he told
the people that the sun would cease to shine, and the Vaal
would flow backwards through the Drakenburg, before the
British would withdraw from their country. He promised
that everything should be done to satisfy their just require
ments, short of independence; but the Boer Committee,
numbering seventy members, who assembled near Heidel-
burg, under the chairmanship of Mr. Pretorius,* replied by
* Mr. Pretorius wrote in temperate terms to Sir Garnet Wolseley, calUng
attention to the fact that these representatives of the people had been

WOLSELEY IN THE TRANSVAAL. 373
a resolution declaring that nothing could satisfy them but the
retrocession of their country, and a mass meeting was caUed
for the 9th November. Mr. Joubert, one of the Boer dele
gates to England, a man of great influence and wealth, who
later on .played so important a part, visited Sir Garnet
Wolseley, by invitation, at Standerton, and reiterated that
nothing short of independence would satisfy the people, and
that compromise or conciliation was out of the question ; to
which Sir Garnet replied that he was prepared to listen to
the wishes and aspirations of the Boers, but he declined to
enter upon the question of annexation.
At this time there were in the Transvaal 5 battalions of
infantry, 2 batteries of artUlery, and the ist Dragoon
Guards ; but 2 battalions of foot and a battery were under
orders to leave the country later in the year, and the remain
ing battery of artiUery was to be divided between the Trans
vaal and Natal. On the 29th September Sir Garnet Wolseley
was sworn in as Governor of the Transvaal, the Government
of which had been administered under his orders by Colonel
Sir Owen Lanyon, who, in the latter part of 1878, had suc
ceeded Sir Theophilus Shepstone. Sir Owen Lanyon had
been very successful as administrator of Griqualand West ;
but from various causes, chief of which was his having to
carry out the odious task of enforcing the collection of taxes
in arrears, he became very unpopular with the Boers.
On the 29th September* Sir Garnet Wolseley issued a
recognised by her Majesty's Govemment upon occasions when delegates
were sent home by the Boers, and had ofScial dealings with Sir Bartle
Frere. He begged, therefore, that Sir Garnet Wolseley would favour him
with a signification of the British Government's intentions in regard to the
unanswered memorial praying for the restoration of the country to the
Dutch. He added that the people's committee was stated by Sir Bartle
Frere to comprise gentlemen of the highest repute in the country, and their
memorial was forwarded by his Excellency as ' deserving the earnest con
sideration of her Majesty's Government.' This consideration the com
mittee understood the memorial had been receiving, and the decision had
now been long anxiously awaited.
* On the same day, in consequence of the massacre of the Cavagnari
Mission and the renewal of the war in Afghanistan, his Chief of the Staff,

374 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
proclamation to the people, which was pubUshed in the
Transvaal Gazette, announcing ' that it is the will and deter
mination of her Majesty's Government that the Transvaal
territory shall be, and shall continue to be, for ever an
integral part of her Majesty's dominions in South Africa.'
On the 3rd October Sir Garnet Wolseley. issued a procla
mation constituting an Executive Council for the Transvaal,
to consist of five official and three non-official members, to
be appointed by the Governor or Administrator, whose duty
it would be to advise the Government ; and one of the first
matters the Government intended to submit to them was a
scheme for the constitution of a Legislative councU. But
other matters of more immediate moment engrossed the
attention of Sir Garnet Wolseley.
A chief of Basuto origin, Secocoeni by name, — inhabiting
a district about 120 miles north of Pretoria as the crow flies,
and 200 by the road, through Middelburg, lying between the
Olifant and Steel Poort rivers, — was in arms, and refused to
acknowledge British authority, being satisfied of his abUity
to defy any force sent against him in his stronghold situated
in the Lulu Mountains. And he had good cause for his
opinion, as he had not only defeated a Zulu army, but in
1878 compeUed 3,000 Boers, under President Burgess,
assisted by Swazies, to retire from his country ; and, finally,
in November, 1878, Colonel Rowlands, V.C, with a
British force, consisting of 6 guns, 450 men of the 13th
Regiment, 430 cavalry, under such leaders as Carrington
and Redvers BuUer, failed to compel the submission of
Secocoeni, owing to the drought and want of forage, and
retired harassed by the victorious chief, who had 5,000
fighting men under his command, besides levies from the
Sir George CoUey, left for India to resume his duties on the Viceroy's staff;
whence he returned to South Africa as Sir Garnet's successor, and lost his
Ufe in seeking to coerce the Boers, whose powers of resistance, Uke so many
others, he underrated.

THE EXPEDITION AGAINST SECOCOENI 375
neighbouring chiefs. Sir Owen Lanyon, a few months
before, had assembled a force of 2,000 men, including 700
Mounted Volunteers, to compel the submission of the Basuto
Chief; but Sir Garnet Wolseley, considering the force too
weak, and desirous of settling one difficulty at a time,
directed him to refrain from undertaking hostilities. To
this redoubtable warrior Sir Garnet now turned his attention ;
and before commencing military operations which, owing to
the difficult nature of the country and the strength of the
mountain fastness to be attacked, promised to be hazardous,
despatched Major Clarke, R.A., who had been Commissioner
of the northern portion of the Transvaal since our acquisi
tion in AprU, 1877, with an ultimatum demanding his sub
mission, also the payment of a fine of 2,500 head of cattle,
and consent on his part to receive a mUitary force in his
territory, warning him that Cetewayo's fate would be his
unless he recognised the authority of the Queen, and paid
taxes to her representatives.
Meantime the Boers, finding their demands unheeded,
began to give trouble ; and in October a large body made a
threatening demonstration against British rule at Middel
burg, and being refused permission to purchase ammunition
seized it, leaving payment on the counter with the Store
keeper. According to the local law of the Transvaal, which Sir
Theophilus Shepstone's proclamation of 12th AprU, 1877,
expressly maintained unimpaired, no person was aUowed to
purchase ammunition wUhout a permit signed by a justice
of the peace. This provision was originaUy dUected against
the natives, whom the BoerS were unwilling to supply with
the means of waging war upon the small European minority.
But since the BrUish occupation of the country U was turned
against the malcontent Boers themselves. Sir Garnet
Wolseley, after his proclamation of the 29th September,

376 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
found that one of the principal difficulties with which the
British administrative authorities had to deal was the refusal
of the Boers to pay taxes, which were difficult to enforce
over a wide and sparsely peopled tract of country. He
accordingly gave orders that no permit for the purchase of
ammunition should be granted to any applicant who was
unable to produce his receipt for taxes. As the Boers who
assembled at Middelburg to make a threatening demonstra
tion against the jurisdiction of the British courts, were
banded together by a resolution not to pay anything to the
' usurping ' Government, nor in any other way to recognise
its rights, they held no permits and were accordingly refused
ammunition by the storekeepers. Thereupon they proceeded
to seize it, and committed other riotous acts, but dispersed
on the arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley, though similar acts of
violence were repeated at Potchefstroom.
Negotiations having failed with Secocoeni, who relied on
the strength of his mountain fastness. Sir Garnet, having
completed his preparations for attacking that chief, and
received the report of Colonel Harrison, R.E., who had
made a close reconnoissance of the Basuto stronghold,
resolved at once to take the field. The troops, numbering
about 1,400 British infantry, 400 Colonial Horse, and 10,000
natives, were placed under the immediate command of
Colonel Baker RusseU. The attacking force, styled the
Transvaal Field Force, was divided into two columns — the
Eastern, under Major Bushman, 9th Lancers ; and the
Western, which the General accompanied, under Colonel
Baker Russell.* Sir Garnet Wolseley, leaving Sir Owen
* The Western Column consisted of 2'seven-pounder guns, manned by men
of the Soth Regiment, and 2 Krapp guns, manned by Colonial Volunteers,
under Captain Knox, R.A., who had organized the artillery ; Ferreira's
Horse, 100 strong; "Transvaal Mounted Rifles, 116 men; Border Horse,
100 ; and 34 Mounted Infantry : the whole under Major Carrington, 24th
Regiment, an officer of approved gallantry, who had been carrying on suc
cessful border warfare with Secocoeni, harrying his country and carrying off
1 his cattle. The infantry was 6 companies of the 2nd battalion 21st Regi-

SIR GARNET WOLSELEY AND SECOCOENI 377
Lanyon in charge at Pretoria, took his departure for the
front, and encamped at Fort Weber on the 28th October.
Before starting for the campaign from Pretoria, he had
written to the Secretary of State for War, to the Duke of
Cambridge, and to many others, giving in detail the whole
of his plans for bringing it to a rapid conclusion. In each
and aU of his letters, he fixed the dates when his troops
would be at certain places and in named positions, winding
up, to each of his correspondents, with the assurance that
he would take his afternoon tea in Secocoeni's house on the
28th November. These arrangements were literally fulfilled,
and the afternoon of the 28th November saw him in Seco
coeni's mansion.
At Fort Weber Sir Garnet Wolseley found that the
supplies he had ordered had not been collected, thus
disarranging his plans. He accordingly changed his base
from Fort Weber to Fort Olifant, on the river of the
same name, distant about twenty- four miles from Seco
coeni's town. The line of supply, therefore, had to be
taken by the bush veldt road from Pretoria In this bri«f
campaign — as before, in the Red River, and Ashantee, and
later in Egypt — the supply departments, whether commis
sariat or transport, were the weak points of military organiza
tion, as it ever has been in our defective system. The plan
ment and 6 companies of the 94th Regiment ; also 21 men of the Royal
Engineers. The natives with the column were the Rustenburg levies, 500
men; Mapoch's Caffres, 600; and 700 men from Zoutspanberg. The
Eastern or Leydenburg Column, which was ordered to concentrate at Fort
Burgers, was commanded by Major Bushman, 9th Lancers (Major Creagh,
Soth Regiment, having faUen ill), with Captain Yeatman Biggs, R.A,, as
staff officer. It consisted of 94 men of the Soth Regiment ; 170 men of the
94th Regiment ; the Leydenburg Mounted Rifles, 40 men ; Captain Eckers-
ley's natives, 250 strong, and about 10,000 Swazies. The Headquarter Staff
consisted of Colonel Brackenbury, R.A., Chief of the Staff since the depar
ture of Brigadier-General CoUey ; Mr. Herbert, Private Secretary ; Major
McCalmont, 7th Hussars, and Lieutenant Creagh, R.A. , aides-de-camp ;
Surgeon-Major Jackson ; and Captain Maurice, R.A. , Camp Commandant.
Captain Stewart, 3rd Dragoon Guards, was staff officer to Colonel Baker
RusseU, and Captain Fraser, 60th Rifles, orderly officer.

378 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
of operations was for the cavalry, under Major Carrington,
to push forward on the night of the 23rd and seize a small
hill commanding Secocoeni's water supply, about three miles
from the town. This position, called the Water Koppie,
was to be strongly entrenched. Two days later the main
body of infantry from Fort Albert Edward, by Mapeshlela's
Drift, on the Olifant river, were to advance to support the
force holding the Water Koppie. The Eastern Column,
marching from Leydenburg, and due at Fort Burgers on the
23rd November, was directed to advance simultaneously
along the south-eastern base of the Lulu Mountains, halting
about five miles from the mountain spur at the rear of
Secocoeni's town, upon which, and his stronghold, caUed
the Fighting Koppie, a combined attack was then to be
made. When all was ready Sir Garnet marched, on the 21st
November, from Fort Weber, reaching Fort Olifant on
the foUowing day. On the 23rd he crossed the Olifant
river, and recrossing it at Fort Albert Edward, established
his headquarters there. The same day an advance column
captured and burnt the kraal of Umgirane, one of Seco
coeni's chiefs, and a post was established near there, called,
from its distance south of Fort Albert Edward, the ' Seven-
mile Post' Thence a reconnoissance was made up the
valley towards Secocoeni's town and the Fighting Koppie, or
citadel, 600 yards distant from it. This natural fortress is of
singular formdtion and strength. Formed of huge boulders
and rocks, covered with trees and brushwood, and honey
combed with galleries and caves and passages, it rose out
of the plain to a height of about 150 feet ; and if garrisoned
by a handful of well-armed and determined men could
have defied an army unprovided with siege artillery as long
as food and water held out.
The force garrisoning the ' Seven-mile Post ' — now the ad-

THE START FOR THE FRONT. 379
vanced position — numbering 1,140 Europeans and natives,*
was further strengthened on the 24th ; and the same night
150 men of the 21st and 94th Regiments, conveyed in
mule-waggons, one company from each of these regiments
on foot, 20 men of the Royal Engineers, and 300 Colonial
Cavalry and Mounted Infantry, the whole under Major
Carrington, started from the ' Seven-mile Post,' and seized
the Water Koppie, some seventeen miles up the valley, and
within three mUes of the town and citadel of the Basuto
chieftain, who, seemingly confident of repelling an assault
on his virgin fortress, made no effort to take the offensive.
Here a fortified post was established, which was named
Fort Alexandra.
On the 26th Sir Garnet Wolseley set out from Fort
Albert Edward with the main body of his force and a
convoy ; and, after a short halt at the ' Seven-mUe Post ' to
make inquiries, pushed on to the front. The road, or
track, was very bad, being partly covered with dense bush,
and very narrow, and commanded by rocky and wooded
hills. During the night a heavy storm of rain broke upon
the weary column, which continued doggedly to plod on
across swollen rivers and heavy mealie fields, where they
bivouacked as best they could, f If the night was wet and
¦*¦ It was from this koppie, or hiU, that Colonel Rowlands was compeUed
to retire in his unsuccessful expedition in the previous year.
+ Dr. W. H. RusseU, the correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, says :
' The wind howled, the hghtning flashed, the thunder rolled incessantly,
the rain poured down in torrents, and at each side of us there was a dense
forest of bush, wherein a concealed enemy could hide and start out, or pour
in a volley at any moment, and get away to the hills before any attempt
could be made to punish them. It was impossible to throw out flankers or
cover the advance ; and such a march could and would only have been
made in face of such an enemy as the Caffre. About midnight Sir Garnet
came to the spot where Colonel RusseU was enjoying his bivouac without a
fire ; and all that night and the foUowing morning and the whole of the day
up to 3.30 the march went on, fuU of delays and ups and downs— waggons
sticking, oxen falling, mules dropping, and the cries of the drivers and the
crack of the cruel whips rang for ever through the valley. The oxen were
sixteen hours in yoke without food or water. The men of the 21st must
have been under arms for twenty-four hours continuously, and those of the
94th nearly as long, and the rearguard were especially harassed by frequent

38o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
miserable, the day was equally trying, for the heat was ex
cessive, as it was the height of summer. Sir Garnet Wol
seley pushed on in advance of the main column, and, on
the morning ofthe 27 th, arrived at Fort Alexandra, twenty-
four mUes distant from Fort Albert Edward. Here a small
force of natives was left in garrison, and the whole force
advanced up the valley in order to take up their positions
for the capture of Secocoeni's town, which extended a mUe
and a half in length, and the assault on the Fighting Koppie
at its base.
As soon as the main column had arrived Sir Garnet
Wolseley, accompanied by Baker Russell and his staff, rode
over to the Eastern Column, commanded by Major Bush
man, occupying a position some miles on the further side
of the Lulu range of mountains. This column consisted of
260 men of the 8oth and 94th Regiments, 40 Colonial
Horsemen, 250 natives of Eckersley's contingent, and some
io,ooc Swazies — fine, athletic warriors, who presented a very
picturesque appearance with their head-dress of glossy
plumes, their heavy kirtles of leopard and wUd-cat skin,
and the roll of leopard or other fur around their foreheads.
By the plan of attack elaborated by Sir Garnet Wolseley
Major Bushman was directed to lead his force up the
eastern slope of Secocoeni's mountain during the night of

halts ; in fact, the storm nearly frustrated the whole movement for twenty-
four hours, and tested the endurance of the troops to the uttermost. Tlie
test was bravely encountered, and I am bound to say, after all I have
written in a sense which might be taken as adverse to the efficiency of the
army out here, that the 21st and 94th behaved in the most creditable
manner, and marched with the utmost spirit, cheerfulness, and steadiness,
notwithstanding the evident exhaustion and fatigue of many of them before
they came into camp. If their clothes were in rags and of many colours,
their rifles were clean : but I confess that I felt some uneasiness as to their
fitness for action the following day, as I saw them late on the 27th straggling
on towards their camping ground. Sir Garnet Wolseley, however, had no
fears on the subject ; he is all for young soldiers, as the world knows, and
he certainly can show reasons for the faith that is in him as far as the troops
of RusseU's Uttle force went.'

THE PLAN OF ATTACK. 381

the 27th, in readiness to attack by four a.m. on the foUowing
morning. The main body was divided into three separate
columns. Major Carrington, with the Border Horse and
the Transvaal Mounted Rifles, 161 strong; the Mounted
Infantry, 34 strong ; and the Zoutspanberg natives, under
Captain Dahl, was entrusted with the left, or northern
attack; Colonel Murray, 94th Regiment, with the 2 ist and
94th Regiments, and the artUlery, commanded the centre
attack: and Commandant Ferreira, with his two troops of
horse, Mapoch's natives, and a company of Rustenberg
natives, was to make the right, or southern attack. The
three attacking columns were to be in position at four a.m.
By the night of the 27th Sir Garnet Wolseley was in
readiness to carry out, and did carry out, the programme
he had marked out for himself when planning the campaign
at Pretoria ; displaying, as in his Ashantee and Egyptian
combinations, a mathematical exactitude in carrying into
effect the complicated operations of war.* Here, as on a
larger scale in Egypt, he had changed his base of operations
from Fort Weber to Fort Albert Edward on the Olifant,
requiring a change of the line of supply from Pretoria.
Though the column had performed an arduous march
from the night of the 26th to the afternoon of the 27th, and
had suffered considerably from the inclement weather and
fatigue duties ofthe previous days, nevertheless by 2.30 a.m.
on the 28th November not a tent was standing, and half an
* On this point Dr. Russell says : ' On the evening of November 27th
Colonel RusseU's force was massed on the plain, within a mile and a half of
the enemy's towms, which was to be attacked on the day indicated by Sir
Garnet some time previously. Now that was by no means so easily
accomphshed as one might suppose who knows what money has been
spent on the war. When Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived at Fort Weber on
the 28th October he found, to his disgust, that, instead of two months'
supplies for 1,900 Europeans, 1,200 natives, and 475 horses being stored
there, as he had been led to believe by Assistant Commissary-General
Philips, there were only 5 slaughter oxen, 5200 lb. preserved meat, 21
days' rations of bread, and 3 days' rations for horses. He had to buy
slaughter cattle, send to Marabastad, seventy miles off, for Indian corn, and
to order the forage ration to be reduced. '

382 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
hour later everyone was at his post ready for an attack that
promised some desperate fighting. The moon was visible at
intervals in a cloudy sky when the whole force was put in
motion, and Sir Garnet Wolseley accompanied the troops
out of the laager to a level piece of ground in front of the
Fighting Koppie, where he and his staff dismounted. Before
four the entire force had taken up its several positions, and
were waiting in sUence and darkness for the signal to begin.
This was given, at 4.15, by the discharge of a shell at the
Fighting Koppie, when the scene was Ut up, as if by magic,
by musketry-fire from the enemy, who yelled and blew their
war-horns, as though to evoke their courage and strike terror
into their foes. The bullets whistled round the battery and
over the head of Sir Garnet, who, with his staff, had taken
up his station within 800 yards of the citadel. The 21st and
94th Regiments were directed to make no reply, as, before
attacking the Fighting Koppie the plan of operations re
quired that the town at the base of the hills should be cap
tured. To effect this. Major Carrington and Commandant
Ferreira led their men into action from two opposite points.
The latter fired his first shot at 4.25, when, having waited
in vain for Mapoch's men, who never joined him throughout
the day, he charged the schanzes, or stone breastworks, with
his handful of 80 dismounted troopers, and fought his
way graduaUy from rock to rock and bush to bush, upward
and forward, to a point commanding Secocoeni's town, which
occupied the base and upper steeps of the mountain-side.
Having reached this point at 6.20, he commenced a brisk
fire on the masses of the enemy, and, at 7,30, when dense
bodies of Swazies showing above on the sky-line an
nounced to him that aid was at hand, his men descended
and burnt a part of the town. These martial alUes, who
had declined Major Bushman's invitation to march from the
rendezvous at the time agreed on, and were one and a half

THE ATTACK ON THE KRAAL. 383
hours behind time, did good service when their leaders.
Captains Macleod and Randolph CampbeU induced them to
move. Through some misunderstanding. Major Bushman
did not bring the detachments of the Soth and 94th Regi
ments into action, but kept them on the top of the ridge,
spectators of the fighting. The Swazies now swarmed down
on the enemy, and a terrible hand-to-hand fight ensued, in
which the assegai and musket-stock did its sanguinary but
silent work. Hundreds died here struggling on the narrow
ledges, and dragging one another over the precipices ; among
those who were killed being Captain CampbeU, a soldier of
fortune, and described by Sir Garnet, as ' one of the bravest
and most recklessly daring men that ever lived.'
In the meantime Major Carrington did equaUy good work
with his column, consisting of the Border Horse, Mounted
Infantry, under Lieutenant O'Grady (94th Regiment), and
Transvaal Mounted Rifles, under Captain Macaulay, formerly
an officer of the 9th Lancers — in all 200 men, with 300
Rustenburg natives. As usual, the latter left the fighting
mostly to their white allies, who, advancing from the north
along the ridge near Secocoeni's town, were hard pressed by
superior forces until the timely arrival, about 6.20, of the
Swazi left wing enabled them, after some severe fighting, to
descend towards the central part of the town, to which they
set fire. The losses were considerable, and the few officers
of the column freely exposed themselves, as is essential
when leading irregular troops into action. Captain Macaulay
was kUled, and Captain Maurice, Camp Commandant, who
had volunteered his services, and Lieutenant O'Grady were
wounded. By eight o'clock the enemy had been driven by
Ferreira out of their posts on the south of the town, and
by Carrington on the north, and the Swazies were at work
about the higher ridges of the mountain.
The time had now arrived for attacking the citadel, the

384 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Fighting Koppie, hitherto impregnable to black and white
foes alike. Sir Garnet Wolseley determined to trust to the
bayonet to effect this object, and, accordingly, the British
infantry was called into requisition. The centre column,
commanded by Colonel Murray (94th Regiment), consisting
of the 2 ist and 94th Regiments, was to be supported by
Carrington and Ferreira, who had led their men into the
valley after the arrival of the Swazies. The attack was made
on the centre by the regular troops, on the south-east by
Carrington's dismounted men, and on the west by Ferreira's
irregulars, who were supported by a company of the 94th.
The guns had been shelling the Koppie for nearly four
hours, and whenever a puff of smoke appeared, a dozen
bullets were fired in response from the infantry, the range
being little more than 600 yards, at which Colonel Baker
RusseU's horse was killed under him. But it was uncon
genial work for Sir Garnet Wolseley, and a feeling of relief
pervaded every officer and man of the little army when the
order was given that the Fighting Koppie must be carried by
assault. The signal was to be two rockets, the first to pre
pare, the second to advance.
The scene at this time, with mountain, valley, and forest
lit up by the sun's rays, was picturesque, and formed a
panorama of extraordinary beauty and interest — the town,
having a frontage of one and a half mile, in flames, the yeUs
and blowing of horns on the hills as the murderous conflict
still raged, the sheUs hurtUng overhead, and the sharp
crackle of musketry from the orderly lines encircling the
grim-looking Koppie, red-coats, dismounted horsemen, and
dense masses of Swazies, all waiting to rush upon the works,
swarming with men, and spitting forth fire from every cave
and cranny.
The first rocket was fired, and then the second, and as
the thin column of smoke ascended into the serene sky. Sir

STORM OF THE FIGHTING KOPPIE. 385
Garnet Wolseley's eye flashed with the light of battie, while,
in a voice calm as if making an ordinary observation, he
exclaimed : ' Mark the time. I make it 9.45.' In an instant
the quick rattle of musketry was stilled, and a ringing cheer
rent the air as the British infantry started to its feet and
made straight for the hitherto impregnable fortress of
boulders and rocks and caves, within whose confines many
hundreds of desperate men awaited their onset It was a
thrUling moment, and the inspiriting sight held as if spell
bound the Swazies, who had begun to regard with contempt
their red-coated allies, who had done nothing as yet but fire
on the Koppie at long range, or line the crest of the ridge
while they descended and engaged in close conflict
Seeing them standing and making no sign. Sir Garnet
Wolseley rode up to them, and, pointing towards the
Koppie, exclaimed in ringing tones : ' Come on, you fellows ;
come on. Is there no one to make them understand ?'
But though they did not understand the homely English, no
interpreter was required to explain ' the eloquent gesture of
the outstretched hand and the language of the kindling eye ;'
and in an instant the dense mass, brandishing their assegais,
gave the required response. Like Hector,
' Through all his host, inspiring force, he ffies.
And bids anew the martial thunder rise !'
Littie wonder the savages displayed such enthusiasm
when the British Commander-in-Chief and Governor of
Natal and the Transvaal himself led them in the deadly
charge, right up to the base of the rocks. Then ensued
the race between Briton and native for the goal which
was to bring death or glory to the competkors. Led
by Baker RusseU, Anstruther and Hazelrigg, by Carrington
and Ferreira, by Brackenbury, McCalmont, Stewart and other
members ofthe Staff, and by their own officers, the 21st and
94th Regiments, volunteers and Swazies, all ran with eyes
25

386 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
fixed on the beetling crags of the Koppie, only eager to be
first at the death. Opinions differed as to whether it was a
white or a black man who first set foot on the goal that
formed their honourable emulation. The Swazies, in their
costume of feathers and skins, and armed only with the
stabbing assegai, had the advantage of the British soldier,
and ran like greyhounds slipped from the leash ; but, never
theless. Sir Garnet Wolseley, who intently watched the scene,
was of opinion that the latter was first on the rocks.
Having regard to the picturesqueness of the surroundings,
the diversity in the actors, and the attendant circumstances,
the scene was one that never could be effaced from the
memory of the spectators. The encircling hiUs, the burning
town, the rush of the stormers, the wUd cheer and the skirl
of the pipes of the Scots FusUiers, answered by the blare of
the war-horn, and the defiant yell of the Basutos in the brief
interval ere the whole array of regulars, volunteers and
Caffres were in their midst, must have formed a picture such
as a De Neuville or Gerome would have longed to paint.*
The Basutos were quickly driven into the caves and clefts,
whence they kept up a biting fire which caused some loss.
The light spare savages excelled with the rifle, but had no
chance at close quarters with the powerful Swazies.
* In a speech made by Sir Garnet Wolseley, at a pubUc banquet given in
his honour by the inhabitants of Pretoria, he said : ' In the action we lost
heavily ; but the number of dead is far less than I had contemplated or
anticipated. I am glad to say the Basutos were very bad shots — nearly as
bad as the Zulus. "There was one pecuhar feature in the engagement. For
some time past we have fought in South Africa only on the defensive,
especially in Zululand. We waited behind our slight intrenchments or
waggon-laagers, for the rush of the enemy — they the assaiUng, we the de
fending party. Attacking parties are naturally expected to lose much more
than those who act on the defensive, and accordingly I made arrangements
for a considerable number of wounded. My arrangements were, I am glad
to say, not waiited so much as I expected they would be. Sixty white men
killed and wounded, and about 500 natives, constituted our loss. In the
operations the white men were greatly assisted by the natives. The large
force of Swazies discharged the duties for which they were employed to my
entire satisfaction.' Sir Garnet Wolseley has since informed us that the loss
of the Swazies in killed and wounded was subsequently ascertained to bO"
1,000 men.

BRITISH LOSSES. 387

Our loss during the day was 3 officers and 7 European
non-commissioned officers and men killed, and 6 officers
and 43 non-commissioned officers and men wounded. The
officers killed were Captain LawreU, 4th Hussars, Staff
officer to Colonel Baker RusseU ; Captain Macaulay,* late
1 2th Lancers, commanding the Transvaal Mounted Rifles,
and Captain Randolph Campbell. The officers wounded
were Captains WUloughby and Gordon, 21st Regiment;
Captain Beeton, Rustenburg Native Contingent (severely) ;
Lieutenants O'Grady, 94th Regiment, commanding Mounted
Infantry, and Dewar, King's Dragoons, attached to Mounted
Infantry (both severely); and Captain Maurice, R.A., acting
^ ' Captain Macaulay, ' writes one who knew him weU, ' had aU the pluck
and adventure which spread the fame of England across the world. He
was singularly cool and daring in fight, and no body of irregular horse were
better in hand than his motley corps of half-breeds. He was some time at
the gold-fields before the annexation, and was returned by that constituency
as a member of the Volksraad of the South African Republic. He wiU be
mourned, not only in South Africa, but in many parts of AustraUa, especially
in Queensland, where he lived some years and had many friends.' There
were many narrow escapes vfhen storming the Koppie. The enemy stood
their ground among the rocks and schanzes until our men were very close
upon them. One Basuto crouched behind a tree until Mr. Herbert, of the
Colonial Office, Sir Garnet's private secretary, who was storming vrith Fer
reira's men, was within 12 yards of him, when he then threw his assegai,
which passed over Herbert's shoulder and bent itself in the ground. The
following was the manner of Captain LawreU's death. -When Colonel
Baker Russell, leading the infantry charge, went straight up the Koppie, he
was accompanied by Captain Brackenbury, R.A., Captain LawreU, and a
number of his staff. As Captain LawreU mounted the rocks, a shot from a
cave strack him in the throat and killed him. He toppled over backwards,
and fell down the rocks some twenty feet. Upon the other side, an almost
similar shot struck a troop-sergeant-major of Ferreira's Horse. The ball
passed in at the throat and out at the back of the head. Two men of the
94th Regiment, serving with the Mounted Infantry, Privates Fitzpatrick
and Flawn, received the V.C. for their gallant conduct in assisting Lieu
tenant Dewar, who was wounded in the groin and lay helpless, during the
fighting at Secocoeni's town. ' Some of our natives were helping him down
the mountain, when, seeing about 40 of the enemy approaching, they de
serted the officer and ran. Fitzpatrick and Flawn were near, and rushed to
his assistance, barely saving him from the assegais of the enemy. They
drove the enemy back by the fire, from their rifles, and then took turns to
support the wounded officer and to hold the hovering enemy in check
with a rifle. When one was exhausted with the fatigue of bearing the help
less body, the other took his place, releasing his comrade to maintain the
fire upon the enemy. Thus step by step Lieutenant Dewar was rescued by
the gaUantry of two men from an overwhelming force. '
25—2

388 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Staff officer to Major Carrington, who was in the thick of
the fighting with his commanding officer, and received a
bullet-wound through the shoulder. The loss of the Swazies,
as subsequently ascertained was i,ooo, most of them being
kiUed. But they considered themselves repaid by being
permitted to retain the cattle they had captured, which
forms the chief source of wealth among the natives of South
Africa. As to the Basutos, the tribe was almost exterminated,
and Secocoeni, as he looked around him, found that all his
chief warriors had fallen in obeying his behests.
' Round the battlements and round the plain.
For many a chief he look'd, but look'd in vain.'
The spolia opima that fell to the victorious Swazies was
not limited to the cattle, of which thousands were captured,
but they took possession of the Basuto women. Sir Garnet
Wolseley, however, sternly ordered that these should be set
free, and that, if necessary, force should be used to prevent
this cruel appropriation of the spoils of victory.
Within fifteen minutes — a 7nauvais quart d'heure for
the Basutos — of the time Sir Garnet Wolseley gave the
signal for the charge, the Fighting Koppie had changed
hands, thus foreshadowing in its fate, mode of capture,
and time occupied in the assault, the storming of the
lines of Tel-el-Kebir. But though the position was prac
tically won, within its cavernous bowels a large body of
Basutos had taken refuge with several hundred of their
women and children. Hence they kept up a desultory fire
on our men, stationed on the rocks above them and forming
a cordon at the base, and only surrendered on the ist De
cember, impeUed by the pangs of hunger and thirst, and the
intolerable stench arising from the dead bodies in the caves.
Meanwhile, at four a.m. on the 30th November, Ferreira
proceeded with his men up the mountain to effect the cap
ture of Secocoeni, who had taken refuge in a cave some

SURRENDER OF SECOCOENL 389
distance up the ravine beyond his town. Sir Garnet
Wolseley essayed to accompany the force, but the old wound
in the leg he had received in the Crimea prevented him
from ascending precipitous paths, and he had to return to
the plain. Ferreira was joined higher up the mountain by
two companies of the 21st and 94th Regiments and some
natives; and after a tiresome ascent under a scorching
sun, at eleven o'clock the party reached the mountain-top
and burnt a kraal. The cave, in which the chief lay hid
with some 600 followers, was discovered and blockaded ;
and ultimately, on the morning of the 2nd December, Seco
coeni, ill and with his foUowers suffering from want of food
and water, surrendered to Major Clarke, R.A.
The conduct of officers and men throughout the day was
most exemplary, and there was no failure anywhere, all
ranks being animated by the example of their leader and his
able lieutenant, Colonel Baker Russell. A word of special
praise is due to the services rendered by Colonel Bracken
bury, R. A., Chief of the Staff, and Captain Herbert Stewart,*
^ An officer who was present throughout the campaign, says ; ' After the
Water Koppie had been occupied on the 25th, Captain Stewart, having ac
companied the advanced guard, started in quest of the eastern column ,
taking with him an escort of Ferreira's Horse. The eastern column had
orders to advance from Fort Burgers, and occupy a position some five or
seven mUes on the eastern side ofthe mountain, accordingly as water might
be found. This column arrived in position the same moming, and
made a fort, called Fort George, at a distance of five miles from the
eastem base of Secocoeni's mountain, and at about the same distance from
Fort Alexandra. Captain Stewart, having ridden round the northem spur of
the mountains bounding Secocoeni's valley on the east, on his way to this
column, passed its patrol, though the two bodies thus crossing were unseen
one by the other, owing to the wooded and hilly nature of the ground. Thus
the movements of the two columns advancing against Secocoeni, though they
had been without the means of exchanging communications for eight
days, had so precisely conformed to calculation that they occupied their re
spective bases of attack within a few hours of each other.' On the 27th,
Captain J. C. MacGregor, R.E. (who was killed in the campaign with the
Boers), with a signalling party of the Royal Engineers and 94th Regiment,
supported by 100 of the Zoutspanberg levies, estabhshed a hehograph
station upon a neck or ridge to the east of Fort Alexandra, near the Water
Koppie, and secured communications hiy flashing signals with Major Bush
man's column at Fort George.

390 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
3rd Dragoon Guards, Staff officer to Colonel Russell. This
officer displayed untiring energy and a singular tact in deal
ing with men such as formed the component parts of this
heterogeneous force, which marked him out as a capable
soldier. These qualities received even more conspicuous
illustration in the Egyptian campaign.
On the 4th December Sir Garnet Wolseley, accompanied
by an escort of Border Horse, and taking Secocoeni with
him, set out for Pretoria, where his presence was urgently re
quired to deal with the Boers. The 94th Regiment remained
in the valley, garrisoning a post on the Lulu Mountains,
until the submission of the remaining chiefs and adherents
of the Basuto chief. Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived at Pre
toria* on the 9th December, with his captive, who was the
second great African potentate that he had captured within
six months. The rival of Cetewayo and his companion in
misfortune, the fate of Secocoeni was more tragic than that
of the Zulu King. Released, like the latter, he returned
to his native country and sought to revive his influence.
But though he could rebuild his desolated kraal, his prestige
had vanished, and he was murdered by Mampoer, an in
fluential rival chief, who has since found an asylum with
Mapoch, the chief who co-operated with us in the attack
on Secocoeni's stronghold.
On his arrival at Pretoria, Sir Garnet ^\^olseley found that
the Boers, though much impressed by the striking success
* A more pleasant event in Sir Garnet Wolseley's administration of
affairs in Natal and the Transvaal than wars and political troubles was the
opening of telegraphic communication between England and South Africa
by the completion of the line between Aden and Zanzibar. On the 25th
December, 1879, the Queen telegraphed to him from Windsor Castle, con
gratulating him and the Colonies under his government ' on this happy
event ;' and two days later he replied from Pretoria, expressing his ' sincere
thanks to her Majesty for her gracious telegram of the 25th, received that
afternoon.' Another incident that occurred during Sir Garnet Wolseley's
administration was the visit of the ex-Empress Eugenie to South Africa for
the purpose of making a mournful inspection of the scene of the death of
her son. Sir Garnet Wolseley received the unhappy consort of Napoleon
III. on her landing at Durban on the 23rd April.

WOLSELEY'S DEALINGS WITH THE BOERS. 391
achieved against the powerful chief who had so long defied
their armies, were as irreconcilable as ever. For many
reasons, they had hoped and anticipated that success would
reward their efforts to obtain independence without having
recourse to arms. Besides the encouragement given to
them to persevere in passive resistance, by their friends
in the British Parliament and Press, they had hopes of a
reversal of the policy of annexation from the words of a
covering despatch to the British Colonial Secretary of State,
addressed by Sir Bartle Frere in the preceding April, when
he received the Boer committee.* Sir Bartle Frere showed
this covering despatch to five members of the Committee,
who drew encouragement from the passage in which he said
that in his opinion, ' their representations are worthy of our
earnest consideration.' Whatever Sir Bartle Frere meant by
these words, they were interpreted by the recalcitrant Boers
to recommend the restitution of their independence, and
greatly increased the difficulties under which Sir Garnet
Wolseley now laboured, as showing that the annexation was
not irreversible. Thus the people were in a state of passive
rebeUion already, and in June Mr. Piet Joubert, afterwards
Commander-in-Chief at Laing's Nek, refused to take the
-* This was after the third mass meeting held by the Boer leaders to lay
their grievances before their rulers. On a previous occasion — in March and
April, 1879, at the time Colonel Lanyon became Administrator — some
5,000 or 6,000 Boers assembled to receive and consider the answer brought
by Krager and Joubert, the delegates composing the two deputations to
England. Colonel Lanyon's reply to the deputation was not conciUatory
in form or substance. It was then proposed that they should take up arms ;
but as Sir Bartle Frere was coming to the Transvaal, it was decided to
await his arrival. Sir Bartle was at first, and until his visit to the Transvaal,
Under the belief that the Boer agitation was partial, and thought to allay it
by argument and the offer of a constitution similar to that at the Cape ;
but the Boer Committee would Usten to no compromise, and finally, finding
that the malcontents represented ' the very great majority of the Boer popu
lation ofthe Transvaal,' he consented to forward a memorial, and support
it with a letter to Lord Carnarvon, giving it as his opinion that it ' demanded
the most serious attention of her Majesty's Government." Then followed
the luU which Sir Gamet Wolseley, acting under instractions from the Home
Government, dispelled by his uncompromising language.

392 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
oath of allegiance and pay arrears of taxes due from him ;
and other Boers of wealth and position followed his lead.
Sir Garnet Wolseley clearly perceived the storm that was
brewing, and, on the 29th October, addressed the foUowing
words to Sir Michael Hicks,-Beach, the Colonial Secretary :
' I am compelled to recognise the continuance of grave dis
content I am informed on all sides that it is the intention
of the Boers to fight for independence. . . . There is no
doubt, I think, that the people are incited to discontent and
rebellion by ambitious agitators ; but I am compeUed also
to allow that the timid and wavering, who are awed into
taking sides against us, are comparatively a small party, and
that the main body of the Dutch population are disaffected
to our rule. ' The result amply vindicated Sir Garnet Wolse
ley's judgment, but his views were not shared by experienced
politicians and Press writers,* who were of opinion that the
protests and threats of the Boers would end in their doing
nothing. On the I oth December, the day after Sir Garnet Wolseley's
return to Pretoria, the Boers, openly displaying the flag of
the South African RepubUc, assembled in camp at Dorn-
fontein, a place on the main road from Pretoria to Potchef
stroom, and about equidistant between those places and
Heidelberg. Here were gathered 3,000 men, and 510
waggons — theadultmale population of the country being about
8,000 — and resolutions were adopted, demanding that the
Vice-President, Mr. Paul Kruger, should, in the absence of
Mr. Burgers, the President at the time of the annexation in
1877, convoke the Volksraad, asserting their independence
and their determination to ' sacrifice their lives and shed
their blood for it ;' and requiring the National Committee,
* The Times correspondent at Pretoria, writing on the isth December,
after the great Boer demonstration held in that month at Heidelberg, says :
' The party which professes to desire fighting is very smaU, and if any fight
ing was probable, would gi-ow smaller stiU. '

WOLSELEY'S DEALINGS WITH THE BOERS. 393
as soon as possible, to take the necessary steps for the
recovery of independence. Mr. Pretorius, an ex-president
and chairman of the meeting, sent a copy of these resolu
tions under his own signature to Sir Garnet Wolseley, with a
request that they might be communicated to the Home
Government To this demand Sir Garnet made reply by
causing the arrest of Pretorius and Bok, the secretary, on a
charge of high treason. The former was brought to trial,
but the proceedings were discontinued after lasting three
days. Sir Garnet had taken ample miUtary precaution to guard
against a rising. As early as the middle of November he
had constructed redoubts at Wakkerstroom and Standerton,
each for defence by two companies ; and at Heidelberg and
Middelburg for one company ; three months' suppUes of
everything for their garrisons being kept in each fort In
readiness for the Boers resorting to arms, after their meet
ing on the I oth December, he concentrated at Pretoria a
force, consisting of the Soth Regiment, seven companies of
the 4th Regiment, six companies of the 5 Sth Regiment, and
a squadron of the King's Dragoon Guards. Thus overawed,
the Volkstein, the Boer organ in Pretoria, strongly urged
on the farmers not to give Sir Garnet Wolseley any excuse
to attack them, but quietiy to disperse and await the de
parture of his Excellency and the troops, meanwhile per
sisting in the attitude of passive resistance and refusal to
pay taxes. This advice the Boers followed, with what success
is well known.
Early in 1S80 Sir Garnet AVolseley promulgated the new
constitution, which had been promised three years before.
By it, besides the Executive Council he had already
announced, — which was to consist of the Governor, or
Administrator, and four leading members of the Government,
with three non-official members nominated by the Governor,

394 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
— the Legislative CouncU was constituted, to consist of the
Executive CouncU, the Chief Justice, and six nominated
members. This constitution, which was framed by Sir
Michael Hicks-Beach upon Unes recommended by Sir Bartle
Frere, was a sham ; as not only were the members of both
the Executive and Legislative Councils removable at the
Governor's pleasure, but power was reserved to the
Governor to act without consulting, or in opposition to,
the Council, if he judged it expedient ; and questions
affecting the revenue could only be proposed in the Legisla
tive Assembly with the Governor's permission. Moreover,
any legislation the Council might pass could always be
disallowed or repealed by the Queen's authority. The only
apology for this constitution is that it was temporary ; but
much of the odium attaching to it fell upon Sir Garnet
Wolseley, though it will be seen he was not responsible for
its conditions.
At this time Mr. Pretorius v?as in frequent correspondence
with Sir Garne^, and promised to join his Government a
little later on, when the country had quieted down, as Mr.
Pretorius then thought it would in a short time.
That the hostilities which broke out in December,
1880, did not occur at this time, was due to the fact of
the presence of Sir Garnet Wolseley and the large force
of troops still remaining in the country, and also to the ap
prehended change of Ministry in England, which actuaUy
took place in the following spring. The Boers had sym
pathizers in the Radical Press and Parliament, among the
most able and consistent being Mr. Leonard Courtney, now
Under-Secretary for the Colonies. Mr. Gladstone also, in
his Midlothian addresses, expressed his disapproval of the
policy of annexation, thereby encouraging the Boers to
hope, if he came into power, that the question of their
independence might be reconsidered. In this hope it was

WOLSELEY ON THE BASUTO QUESTION.

395

determined to wait and endeavour to influence the Cape
Parliament against agreeing to any step in furtherance
of South African Confederation. Kruger and Joubert
proceeded to Cape Town on this errand in the spring of
1880. In the meantime the elections took place at home,
and the Liberals came into office. Advantage of the
change of Ministry was immediately taken by the delegates
to memoralize Mr. Gladstone; but the answer ofthe Liberal
Government, dated June Sth, gave the final blow to the
hopes which alone had induced the Boers to refrain so long
from open rebeUion. It was in these terms — ' Our judgment
is that the Queen cannot be advised to relinquish the
Transvaal.' Doubtless, in time, the whole question would
have been examined, and the wishes of the people conceded;
but the Afghan, Irish, and other questions of domestic interest,
were considered more pressing, and the Boers, finding their
aspirations unsatisfied, took up arms. The unwisdom of
reducing the garrisons of the Transvaal, a country as large
as France, to two weak regiments of infantry, the 58th and
94th, without any cavalry, while matters still remained un-
settied, bore its legitimate fruits ; and when the troops were
handled in a manner that betrayed extraordinary mUitary
incompetence, a succession of disasters ensued, happUy
without paraUel in our recent military history.
Before leaving South African questions, we may refer to
one in which Sir Garnet Wolseley offered advice equally
creditable to his sagacity and sense of justice. We refer to
the Basuto question, which was so unwisely raised by the
Cape Government during the time he was administering the
affairs of the Transvaal, and which appears to be stUl un-
settied after the expenditure of much money and many
valuable lives. The Basutos, who became British subjects in
1869, had enlisted under our banners in the hostilities against
the Baphuti chief, Moirosi — whose mountain was carried by

396 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
assault on the 20th November, 1879 — and during the Zulu
War, when, specfally at Isandlwhana, they served with great
gallantry. But when hostilities were over, Mr. Sprigg, the
Prime Minister of the Cape Government, who had borne
testimony to the loyalty of the paramount chief, Letsea,
brought in a measure, called the Peace Preservation Act,
enforcing their disarmament ; and in a speech in the House
of Assembly, on the ist June, gave as his reason for its
introduction, his fear that these arms would be used to make
war against the colony.* Sir Garnet Wolseley indignantly
protested against this treatment of loyal allies after the
danger that had called for their services had passed away.
On the loth March he wrote to the Secretary of State for
the Colonies : ' That the Cape Colony is endeavouring to
take the arms from its natives, regardless of whether they
had or had not been previously loyal, is a species of news
that soon spreads far and wide beyond our frontiers, and is
calculated to raise the bitterest of feelings against our rule.
. . . This disarmament policy will array against us the
native sentiment in every part of South Africa ; and should
it result in a Basuto war, every native, from the Zambesi to
Cape Agulhas, will feel that every shot fired in it against us
has been fired in his interests.'
Two and a half years have passed since Sir Garnet
Wolseley wrote this warning, during which the Cape Ministry
have failed to enforce their policy, though large armed forces
have been in the field, and much blood and treasure have
been expended. By the last news. General Gordon —
* Of course there was some question of annexation concerned, and the
Quothing district of Basutoland, occupied by Moirosi's tribe, was to be
annexed, notwithstanding the strong protest of Mr. Griffith, the Govern
ment Agent, who said that ' to cut it off and dispose of it in any other way
would, in my opinion, be acting most unjustly to the Basutos, and would
entirely shake their confidence in the British Government. . I fail to see
why the Basutos, who have staunchly supported us, should be punished for
the acts of the rebel chief Moirosi and his foUowers, who have paid the
penalty of their crimes with their lives. '

WOLSELEY RETURNS TO ENGLAND. 397
' Chinese Gordon,' the friend of subject races and a man of
chivalric honour — who had been called' in to settle the
Basuto difficulty, has resigned, as he does not approve the
course pursued towards Masupha, the chief who has success
fully resisted the disarming policy of the Colonial Govern
ment Early in April Sir Garnet Wolseley quitted Pretoria on
his return to England, Colonel BeUairs being left in com
mand of the troops on the departure of General Clifford,
and Sir Owen Lanyon, Administrator, under the orders of
Sir George CoUey, the new Governor of Natal, who had
resigned his position on the Indian Viceroy's staff, and
came out from England with instructions that the Transvaal
was to be retained.
Sir Garnet Wolseley rode the distance of 350 miles from
Pretoria to Maritzburg in three days, accompanied by Major
Herbert Stewart, now his Chief of the Staff. -He arrived at
Maritzburg on the Sth April, and on the following day he
and Sir Henry Bulwer, the retiring Lieutenant-Governor of
Natal, were entertained at dinner, when he expressed a hope
that the colony would soon be confederated with the Cape.
Sir Garnet proceeded to Grahamstown, where he received a
hearty reception, and, after a brief stay at Cape Town, saUed
thence for England on the 4th May, accompanied by his
staff, in the Royal Mail steamer Conway Castle. On the
25th May, 1880, the ship cast anchor in Plymouth Sound,
and receiving the inevitable address from the mayor, he
proceeded to I^ondon the same day, having successfuUy
accomplished the mission with which he had been entrusted.
Sir Garnet Wolseley received no reward for his services,
and surely the pacification of Zululand and the restora
tion of the prestige of our arms in South Africa by his
victory over Secocoeni may be regarded as such. True, he
was gazetted a G.C.B., in common with Lord Chelmsford;

398 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
but this honour he had declined on his return from
Ashantee, and he might well have anticipated that the local
rank of General, conferred on him on leaving for South
Africa, should be made substantive ; but this was denied,
from motives that do not bear consideration.* Sir Garnet,
however, did not look for reward as an incentive to serve
his country, and bore this treatment in dignified silence;
but he had friends who were more outspoken.
* Sir Garnet Wolseley was too plain-spoken to please the Horse Guards,
who resent anything \&s independence ; but his position was too assured,
and the opinion held of his services by his countrymen too high, for those in
authority to do more than retard the advancement which he ultimately
wrung from them. At the Newspaper Press Fund Dinner in June, 1880,
he spoke his mind in a way that gave great offence at the Horse Guards.
He said : ' To the Press generally the British ai-my now looks with the
greatest anxiety and the greatest interest ; for the rising men of the army
feel that it is only the power of the Press which can bring useful Ught to bear
upon the dark parts of our mUitary system, which they beUeve not to be in
unison with the spirit of the age or with modern mihtary science. You
alone have sufficient power to enable us to correct and reform what we
believe to be wrong, and to remove from the i>ath of progress those great
boulders of prejudice and superstition which now impede the way. You
alone can enable us to put new wheels to the military coach, which by its
creaking teUs us of its present dangerous condition, and which is only with
difficulty maintained in an upright position at all.' Again, at a banquet at
the Mansion House he said ; ' He was surprised when the shortcomings of
the army were attributed to the short-service system by those who remem
bered how an army raised under the long-service system totally disappeared
in a few months under the waUs of Sebastopol. He contended that the
short-service system had made the army popular, and in consequence of it
we were now in a position to obtain any number of recruits we might re
quire. If the system were intelligently carried out it would create a reserve
which would prevent such catastrophes as occurred in 1855. At the same
time he believed, with many rising soldiers, that the army needed many
reforms ; and he trasted that the required changes might be effected within
no distant time, so that the army might be brought to such a state of effi
ciency as would make it worthy of the Queen whom it served, and the nation
for whose protection it existed. '

CHAPTER XI.
THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN.
Sir Garnet Wolseley as Quartermaster-General. — Attends the German
Autumn Mihtary Manceuvres. — Is appointed Adjutant-General — Nomi
nation of Sir Garnet Wolseley to the Command of the Expedition to
Egypt. — He proceeds to Alexandria. — Change of the Base of Operations
to IsmaiUa. — Transport Difficulties.-— Advance of Sir Garnet from
Ismailia. — The Action at Tel-el-Mahuta. — Capture of Mahsameh. — The
Action at Kassassin on the 28th August. — Preparations for the final
, Advance. The Action of the 9th September. — "The Night March on the
I2th September. — The Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. — The Surrender of Cairo.
— Operations of the Cavalry. — Sir Garnet Wolseley in Cairo. — Return to
England.— Conclusion.
On his return from South Africa, Sir Garnet Wolseley was
nominated Quartermaster-General, and assumed the duties
of his office on the ist July, 1880. He had not long been
instaUed when, on the 28th July, news arrived in England
of the disaster at Maiwand, involving a recommencement of
hostUUies in Afghanistan. Sir Garnet was at Freshwater, in
the Isle of Wight, and posted up to London on the foUowing
day. Public opinion in England pointed to him as the best
man to retrieve the disaster, and even in India the Ti7nes
correspondent at Calcutta telegraphed that the news of his
appointment ' would be hailed with delight by soldiers and
civUians alike from one end of the country to the other.'
But his time had not yet come, and indeed, as the event
proved, there was no occasion for his services, as the Indian
Government had at their disposal, in Sir Frederick Roberts,
a General competent to deal with the crisis and rehabUitate
the tarnished honour of his country.

400 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Instead of the stern realities of war. Sir Garnet Wolseley
found himself nominated for the duty of attending the Ger
man Autumn Military Manoeuvres. It was a high honour
to represent the British army at the great school of modern
war; though at a time when his country was engaged in active
hostilities, to be a spectator of mimic warfare, even though
some of the most accomplished soldiers of the age were the
exponents, was a duty scarcely congenial to one who was
conscious of his own capacity for demonstrating the teach
ings of war. The manceuvres commenced, on the loth
September, with the parade of the 3rd, or Brandenburg
Army Corps, before the Emperor WUliam, and were con
tinued with the manoeuvring of this and the Guard Corps.
Sir Garnet was treated with special honour by the German
Emperor and Crown Prince, and attracted much interest
among the Generals, including Count von Moltke and Prince
Frederick Charles, -v^ho commanded the Brandenburg Corps
in the terrible battle of ThionviUe, after Bazaine's retreat
from Metz, when 62,000 Prussian soldiers repulsed the whole
army of the Rhine, mustering 125,000 men, losing one-fourth
of their number.
Early in the present year Sir Garnet Wolseley was appointed
Adjutant-General in succession to Sir Charles ElUce. With
the causes or with the results of the war in Egypt we wUl
not deal in this work, as Sir Garnet Wolseley's mission to
that country was purely miUtary. His task was to . defeat
and disperse the forces under Arabi Pasha in rebeUion
against the authority of the Khedive Tewfik, and to restore
that prince to the throne. It was a task, having regard to
the climate, time of the year, and difficult nature of the
country in which operations would be conducted, that was
calculated to test his claims to be regarded as a great
General. It was so recognised at the time of his appoint
ment ; and when a delay occurred before the final advance

BONAPARTE AND WOLSELEY IN EGYPT. 401
from Kassassin, hostile and ignorant critics who had pre
dicted a lengthened campaign, or even failure, pointed to
the approaching verification of their prophecies. It is, there
fore, only just that when success crowned Wolseley's strategy,
a fuU and unstinted measure of credit should be accorded
to him.
These croakers, whose wish in some instances was father
to the thought, had some grounds for their vaticinations in
the previous history of the Egyptian army. They might
have drawn attention to the prowess of the Egyptian con
tingent engaged in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828, when
they were decimated in the gallant resistance they offered to
the passage of the Danube by the army of General Paskie-
vitch ; and again when the Soudanee regiments displayed
heroic devotion when fighting against enormous odds during
the Abyssinian War, as related in a recent work written by
an American officer in the Khedive's service. The readers
of Palgrave's ' Travels in Central Arabia ' know what deeds
were performed by Ibrahim Pasha's Egyptian soldiers against
the Wahabees of Derryah, who overran the countries of
Asia from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, and conquered
even the sacred places of Mecca and Medina ; and but for
the EngUsh at Acre, in 1840, Mehemet Ali, the father of the
same great General, would have dictated terms to the Sultan
himself at Stamboul. Let, then, our English General and
his brave soldiers wear the laurels they have well earned, and
if foreign critics, envious of their glory, chose to impute to
British gold the victories achieved by British valour and the
genius of a British General, it were a disgrace to any of our
countrymen to write or say aught to give them encourage
ment in such an unworthy course. History tells a different
tale. .
Bonaparte himself, though assisted by such soldiers as
Kleber, Lannes, Berthier, Dessaix, Davoust, Marmont, and
26

402 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Murat, did not achieve a more rapid and striking success in
his memorable expedition in 1798 than did Wolseley in
1882, and the difficulties encountered by the latter were far
greater. Bonaparte was opposed by an army of Arabs and
Mamelukes, armed with scimitars and 'large pistols from
London,' as he wrote to the Directory ; whereas the British
General was required to combat a vastly superior force of
disciplined troops, probably not less than 60,000, armed with
Remington rifles and Krupp guns. The hardships endured
by Wolseley's soldiers in the march across the desert from
Ismailia to Cairo were much greater than those suffered by
Napoleon's army of 25,000 men in their march between the
6th and 23rd July through the fertile Delta from Alexandria
to Cairo. By any test that may be applied the campaign of
1882 exceeds in brilliancy that of 1798. Wolseley's losses,
reduced to a minimum by his able strategy and rapid advance,
were greater than those incurred by Bonaparte, and the ac
tions of Tel-el-Mahuta, Kassassin, and Tel-el-Kebir were
more sanguinary than those of El-Rahmanyeh, Chobra Kelt,
and the Pyramids, in the last of which Bonaparte lost 30 killed
and 1 20 wounded to Wolseley's 60 and 400 respectively.
,The political results of the campaign of 1882, which
have given us the command of the road to India and pre
dominance in Egypt, exceed those attained by the French in
1798, which were of a transitory character, unless the future
has in store for us such defeats as Nelson and Abercromby
inflicted on the invaders of Egypt at the NUe and Alexandria,
and expulsion from that country. As for the financial results,
Europe had no business relations with Egypt in 1798, while
now she is Egypt's creditor for one hundred mUlions of debt,
besides all the vast amount of capital invested in commercial
undertakings, rescued by the British General's victories from
total loss. The lapse of years and the halo surrounding a
mighty name should not prevent us from instituting a just

WOLSELEY'S DEPARTURE FOR EGYPT. 403
comparison between the deeds of a countryman and those
even of the greatest master of the art of war.
On the I Ith June took place the massacres at Alexandria,
followed by others scarcely less sanguinary at Tantah and
elsewhere ; and, in that month. Admiral Sir Beauchamp Sey
mour, having in vain warned Arabi Pasha and the Govern
ment of which, though only Minister at War, he was virtually
the head, that further strengthening the defences of Alex
andria would involve the bombardment of the forts, effectuaUy
carried his threat into execution. This was foUowed, two
days later, by the landing of some seamen and marines from
the fleet, who were reinforced on the i8th July by the ist
South Staffordshire (38th Regiment), and 3rd King's Royal
Rifles (6oth Rifles) from Malta, and on the 24th by a battery
of Garrison ArtUlery and half battalion of the ist Sussex
(35th Regiment) from Malta, and the 2nd Cornwall (46th
Regiment) from Gibraltar, their places being taken by other
troops from England. Sir Archibald Alison assumed com
mand of all the land forces at Alexandria, which he retained
untU the arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley. It was not until
the 25th July, when a vote of credit was taken by the
Government, that this country was committed to a war with
Egypt. On the foUowing day the reserves were called out
by proclamation, and on the 29th the French Chamber of
Deputies refused the vote of credit proposed by M. Freycinet
to enable his Government to take part in the expedition to
which England was now irrevocably committed. No one
experienced a greater sense of relief on hearing of this step
than the British Commander-in-Chief, who witnessed in
China the disastrous results of co-operating with a French
army commanded by the incompetent Count Montauban de
Palikao. His hands would now be free to act as he thought
proper, without consulting with allied generals, or being
hampered with considerations for the susceptibUities of a
26 — 2

404 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
proud nation. The dangers of co-operation were not, how
ever, finaUy dispelled untU Italy declined the offer of our
Government, and the Sultan, after an extraordinary display
of vacillation and mendacity, first declined the proposal to
send his troops to Egypt to coerce Arabi as the mandatory
of Europe, and when the war was practically over accepted
the offer of our Government to despatch a division to act in
virtual subordination to the British General.
Before leaving England Sir Garnet Wolseley himself saw
to the proper appointment, in all its branches, of the army
entrusted to his command, and the arrangements for their
embarkation and disposition. Not only this, but he pre
pared his plan of campaign, from which he deviated in no
particular, but carried it out to the letter, and even to the
day he fixed before his departure, thus reducing the con
duct of military operations in a country 3,000 miles distant,
to the precision of a mathematical problem. The troops
despatched to Egypt from this country and the Mediter
ranean before his departure from England numbered 1,010
officers and 21,200 non-commissioned officers and men,
with 54 guns and 5,600 horses; and reinforcements, including
depots and drafts to Cyprus, were subsequently sent out or
prepared for despatch to the number of 280 officers and
10,800 men. To carry this large army, including all the
stores, provisions and material (about 41,000 tons up to
30th September), a fleet of transports was employed having
an aggregate burthen of 147,000 tons. Besides these troops,
the Indian contingent, including the reserve at Aden, con
sisted of 7,270* officers and men, which included two
British regiments, the ist Seaforth Highlanders and ist
Manchester, and two batteries of artUlery. The three native
cavalry regiments had each a strength of 550 of aU ranks,
» This was exclusive of camp followers, 3,500 men. Also 1,700 horses,
840 ponies, and nearly 5,000 mules for the guns and transport.

THE BRITISH EXPEDITION TO EGYPT. 405

and the native infantry of 822. The grand total of the
Egyptian expedition was 40,560 officers and men, being the
largest, as it was certainly the best equipped, army ever
despatched by this country.
The one department in which the expedition was de
fective, as so often happens in our wars, great or littie,
was the land transport; only 500 pack animals being sent
from England. The defect, due to the system by which the
land transport service is not maintained at a serviceable
strength, was sought to be remedied during the campaign,
and thousands of mules from Spain, America, and else
where, were purchased, but they arrived when the war was
over. From IsmaiUa, whence Sir Garnet intended to
advance on Cairo, there is a railway* to the capital; but the
enemy succeeded in removing most of the railway plant and
all the engines, except one that was broken-down, so that until
this defect was remedied by the arrival of four engines from
England and some inferior ones from Alexandria, he had to
fall back on the few pack animals in his possession and the
Sweet Water Canal ; the Indian contingent alone being sup
pUed with sufficient transport, due to the system in force in
that service.
When all was ready and the Commander-in-Chief was
about to sail from England, the success of the expedition
* The railway from Ismailia, which Sir Garnet Wolseley adopted as his
base, proceeds in one direction to Suez, 55 miles distant, with the Fresh
Water Canal running parallel and close to it the whole way ; and in the
other to Cairo, 85 miles. The first station from Ismailia is Nefiche, 2^ miles,
where the Fresh Water Canal bifurcates, one branch to Ismailia, and the other,
passing through two locks, follows the line of the Maritime Canal, to Suez.
After leaving Nefiche, the first station on the line (which runs parallel to the
Sweet Water Canal), after passing Magfar, is Mahsameh, 14 miles, where are
irrigating sluices, and at Kassassin, the next station, is a lock. Then follow
in succession the stations of Tel-el-Kebir, Abd-el-Hamed, and Zagazig, an
important place with a population of 35,000 souls. Here the Fresh Water
Canal, which divides 8 miles from Tel-el-Kebir, is met again, the other
branch going off to Belbeis, and thence to Cairo. The railway station after
Zagazig is Burden, 7 miles distant, and then comes Belbeis, 6 miles, Shebeen-
el-Kanater, 17^ miles ; Kalioob, 12 miles ; and Cairo, 10 miles.

4o6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
was jeopardized by his illness. In Ashantee Sir Garnet
Wolseley suffered from the fever so prevalent on the West
Coast of Africa ; and now, at this critical time, he was again
prostrated with this fever, which recurred at a later period
when he was at Cairo. Sir Garnet, accompanied by Sir
John Adye, chief of the staff, and his divisional and brigade
generals, proceeded, on the 28th July, to Osborne, to take
leave of the Queen, and on the following day he was seized
with illness, which temporarily incapacitated him from work
at the War Office. On the evening ofthe 31st July, feeling
slightly better, he insisted on transacting business of import
ance at his own house in connection with his command.
On the following day the Prince of Wales called on him to
inquire after his health and take leave.
Sir Garnet had intended proceeding to Alexandria, vict
Brindisi and Cyprus, there to inspect the depots, but his
state of health debarred him from undertaking so fatiguing a
journey. He resolved, therefore, to proceed to his destina
tion by sea, and embarked in the Calabria, which conveyed
two squadrons of the 2nd Life Guards and Horse Guards.
Sir Garnet drove to the Albert Docks in a brougham, and
his appearance as he walked on board, muffled up as though
it was the depth of winter, indicated at once his weak state
of health and the strength of the patriotic resolution that
animated him. On the ship arriving at Gibraltar, Lord
Napier of Magdala went on board to visit Sir Garnet, with
whom he had campaigned at the relief and capture of
Lucknow, under Sir James Outram at the defence of the
Alumbagh position, and in China By this time Sir Garnet
had quite recovered from the fever, and was daily gaining
strength, so that when the Calabria cast anchor at Alexan
dria, on the night of the 15 th August, he was restored to
his ordinary health.
On the following morning he held a conference with

SIR GARNETS PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. 407
Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour, Sir John Adye, who had
preceded him on the loth August, and the other generals.
He then landed, and, in company with Sir E. Malet, visited
the Khedive, and in the afternoon accompanied by the
Duke of Connaught and Generals Sir Archibald AUson and
Graham and a large staff,* inspected the British Unes at
Ramleh, and made a more lengthened examination of the
positions of the enemy. He was dressed in the blue tunic
he wore throughout the campaign, with brown boots,
gauntlets, large black goggles, and the solar topee of India.
On the following day, the 17th August, the Khedive re
turned the visit of the British Commander-in-Chief on board
H. M. despatch-vessel Salamis, which he had made his head
quarters. Sir Garnet issued a proclamation in Arabic to the inhabi
tants, declaring it to be the mission of the British army
to re-establish the authority of the Khedive, inviting the
people to furnish supplies, which would be paid for, and
promising that the persons and property of those peaceably
disposed would be respected
Before leaving England, Sir Garnet had arranged his plan
of campaign, the chief feature of which was the removal of
the base of operations from Alexandria to Ismailia; but
beyond apprizing H.R.H. the Commander-in-Chief, the
Secretary for War, and the First Lord of the Admiralty, he
* Sir Garnet Wolseley's personal staff consisted of : MUitary Secretary,
Major L. V. Swaine, Rifle Brigade ; Private Secretary, Major A. C F. Fitz-
george, nth Hussars ; Aides-de-Camp, Lieutenant Wyatt Rawson, R.N.,
Captain F. M. Wardrop, 3rd Dragoon Guards, and Lieutenants E. S. E.
Childers, R.E., A. G. Creagh, R.H. A., and J. Adye, R.A. ; Medical Officer,
Brigade-Surgeon R. W. Jackson, C. B. Of these officers. Major Swaine had
served under him in Cyprus as Commissioner; Lieutenant Rawson in
Ashantee, and was wounded at Amoaful ; and Lieutenant Creagh, and Dr.
Jackson in South Africa, on his personal staff. It has been asserted that
Sir Garnet gave little opportunity for the exercise of new talent, but as a
matter of fact, in the Egyptian campaign, out of 140 staff appointments,
including those of the Indian Contingent, only 17 officers had been with
him in Ashantee.

4o8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
kept his plans to himself: and when, on the 17th August, he
issued instructions for the embarkation of the ist, or General
Willis's, Division,* giving out that the forts at Aboukir were
his destination, no one was in his confidence except Sir John
Adye, even the divisional and brigade commanders being in
the dark. Alexandria was full of Arabi's spies, and, in making
the newspaper correspondents the medium for misleading
the enemy. Sir Garnet only repeated the stratagem he had
adopted in Ashantee with such success, and which is recom
mended in the following passage in his ' Soldiers' Pocket-
book,' written in 1871 : 'Without saying so directly, you can
lead your army to believe anything ; and, as a rule, in all
civilized nations, what is believed by the army will very soon
be credited by the enemy, having reached him by means of
spies, or through the medium of those newly-invented curses
to armies — I mean newspaper correspondents.' Sir Garnet
was very severe on ' travelling gentlemen, newspaper corre
spondents, and all that race of drones who,' he declared,
' are an encumbrance to an army ; they eat up the rations of
fighting men, and do no work at all.' Further on he writes,
' An English general of the present day is in the most un
fortunate position in this respect, being surrounded by news
paper correspondents, who, pandering to the public craze
for "news," render concealment most difficult.' But Sir
Garnet throughout his career has made excellent use of
these ' drones ;' and in the present campaign he established
a press-censorship, under Colonel Hon. Paul Methuen, which
* The ist Brigade of the ist Division was commanded by H.R.H. the
Duke of Connaught, and consisted of 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards, 2nd
Battalion Coldstream Guards, and 1st Battalion Scots Guards. The 2nd
Brigade, commanded by Major-General G. Graham, V.C, C.B., consisted
of 2nd Battalion Royal Irish (late 18th Regiment), ist Battahon West Kent
(late soth Regiment), 2nd Battalion York and Lancaster (late 84th Regiment),
and ist Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (late 87th Regiment). The divisional
troops were two squadrons 19th Hussars, 2nd Battalion Duke of Cornwall's
Light Infantry (late 46th Regiment), A and D Batteries ist Brigade Royal
Artillery, and 24th Company Royal Engineers.

SEIZURE OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 409
worked remarkably well, and suppUed the English public
with news without enlightening the enemy on material points
such as the numbers and disposition of his troops.
On the I Sth July, the 1st Division embarked and sailed
on the evening of the following day, the transport agents
being supplied with sealed orders, which were only opened
after the ships were under weigh. The whole armada, consist
ing of twenty-six ships of war and transports, with Sir Garnet
Wolseley in the despatch-vessel Sala77iis, anchored off the
Aboukir forts at 3.30 p.m. ; the ships of war had their top
masts struck in readiness for action, but at about 10.30, in
the darkness of night, the fleet silently got under weigh, and
steamed full speed for Port Said. On the following morn
ing, Rear-Admiral Hoskins at Port Said, acting under orders
from Sir Beauchamp Seymour, effected the seizure of the
Maritime Canal. Commander Edwards with boats of the
squadron seized the portion between Port Said and Ismailia,
Captains Fairfax and Fitzroy occupying these places with
seamen and marines ; and, at the same time, Rear-Admiral
Sir WUUam Hewett, commanding at Suez, sent H.M.S.
Seagull and Mosquito, under Captain Hastings, with 200 of
the Seaforth Highlanders under Major Kelsey, into the lower
portion of the canal, and, after a skirmish, in which the
enemy suffered great slaughter from the shell-fire of the
ships, Shalouf was occupied, which gave the British the
command of the Fresh Water Canal. The important
operation of seizing the canal throughout its length of
99 mUes was completed by the British navy between
three and eight a.m. of Sunday, the 20th August, when Sir
Garnet arrived at Port Said with the ist Division.
No operation could have been more rapidly and effectively
performed, and the greatest credit was due to Admirals
Hoskins and Hewett, and their subordinates. Captain
Hastings, at Shalouf ; Captain Fairfax, who occupied Port

410 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Said, and disarmed the garrison ; Commander Edwards, who
seized the upper portion of the canal and the telegraph
station at Kantara; and Captain Fitzroy at IsmaiUa.
This latter officer had a specially difficult and delicate
task to perform. Landing with 565 seamen and marines
from the Orion, Coquette, and Carysfort, he seized the
town of Ismailia, the proposed base of operations, being
ably seconded by Captain Stephenson, of the Carysfort,
Commanders Moore and Kane (who was wounded when
seizing the railway and locks), and Major Fraser, R.E.,
whose professional assistance in entrenching the advanced
position was of great service. Arabi had strong guards
in Ismailia and the Arab town, as well as 2,000 men,
with 6 guns, in camp at Nefiche, and during the day he
sent 3,000 more men towards Nefiche from Tel-el-Kebir
to re-occupy the town, upon which the ships bombarded the
railway station, destroying the camp and wrecking two of
the trains, and compelled the enemy to withdraw. At
10.30 p.m. the same nighf. General Graham, commanding
the 2nd Brigade, arrived with the advanced guard of the
army, and, assuming command, reinforced the different
positions in the town; and, at eight a.m. on the foUowing
morning, the 21st August, he occupied Nefiche with two
battalions. MeanwhUe the canal was closed against the
admission of all vessels, except British ships of war and
transports, which proceeded as rapidly as possible to IsmaUia,
where the troops were quickly landed.
On the 2 ist August Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived at
IsmaUia. He soon found that he would be compelled to
advance beyond Nefiche before his preparations were com
plete, owing to the gradual, but continuous, fall of water in the
Sweet Water Canal, which denoted that it had been dammed
It was, as he wrote, of ' paramount importance ' that he
should ' secure possession of that part of the water-supply

THE A CTION A T EL-MA GFA R. 411
of the desert lying between Ismailia and the first cultivated
portion of the Delta;' and accordingly, although his cavalry
and artUlery horses had been less than two days ashore after
a long voyage, and he was averse from ' placing the strain
of a forward movement upon the recent and partially organ
ized supply service,' he determined to push forward with
such of his available cavalry and artillery as had been
landed, to a point in the neighbourhood of Tel-el-Mahuta,
about nine miles west from IsmaUia.
At four a.m. on the 24th August, Sir Garnet Wolseley
marched from IsmaUia with the Household Cavalry, under
General Drury-Lowe, and accompanied by Colonel Harrison,
R.E, assistant to General Earle, commanding the lines of
communication; Colonel W. F. Butler, C.B., and Major
J. F. Maurice, R.A., respectively Assistant and Deputy-
Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster -General ; Major
L. V. Swaine, Military Secretary, and his four aides-
de-camp. At daybreak the Commander-in-Chief arrived
at Nefiche, whence General Graham marched in support
with his infantry, consisting of the Royal Marines and
York and Lancaster Regiment, and the Mounted Infantry.
FoUowing the general line of the railway. Sir Garnet arrived
at 7.30 a.m., on the north side of the canal, at a point mid
way between El-Magfar and the vUlage of Tel-el-Mahuta,
where the enemy had constructed his first dam across
the canal. A little skirmish took place, the Household
Cavalry delivering their first charge in the campaign, and
from this point the enemy could be observed in force, about
one and a half mile farther ahead, his vedettes holding a
Une, about 2,000 yards in front, extending across the canal
and lining the crest of a ridge which curved round to the
British right flank. The canal and railway, which are carried
through deep cuttings at Tel-el-Mahuta, were strongly
entrenched and held in force, and communication was kept

412 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
across the canal by a dam, and across the railway by an em
bankment, but in rear the latter was at work bringing up
reinforcements from Tel-el-Kebir.
The enemy was in great force, consisting, as afterwards
ascertained, of a regiment of cavalry, nine battalions of infantry
(7,000 men) and 12 guns, with a large body of Bedouins;
while the British General had with him only three squadrons of
cavalry, less than 1,000 infantry, 34 Mounted Infantry, and
2 guns of N Battery A Brigade R.H.A., which only arrived
at nine o'clock, the men and horses being much exhausted
with bringing the guns through the heavy sand. Sir Garnet
sent Lieutenant Adye to bring up the Duke of Cornwall's
Light Infantry from Nefiche, and the brigade of Guards, and
the remainder of the N Battery, and A Battery of ist
Brigade, as soon as they could be pushed on from Ismailia,
and Colonel Harrison went back to organize the supply
arrangements. The enemy opened a heavy artillery fire, and
his infantry advanced in regular attack formation, halting
and forming a line of shelter trenches, about 1,000 yards
from the British position, and within 900 yards of the dam
on the left, held by the York and Lancaster Regiment.
But this gaUant corps and the Marines maintained their
ground with great spirit, whUe nothing could exceed the
stubborn determination with which the detachment of Horse
ArtiUery, under Lieutenant Hickman, posted on a line of
sand-hillocks, replied to the overwhelming fire of the
Egyptian gunners.
' The enemy's guns,' writes the General, ' were served with
considerable skill, the sheUs bursting well among us.' The
first sheU went a few yards over the head of Sir Garnet, who
had dismounted, breaking the leg of a horse, on which he
ordered aU the horses to be led behind the hiU. The sheUs
fell thickly around, but fortunately they were fitted with
percussion-fuzes, and sank deep in the soft sand before

THE EN EM Y DRIVEN BA CK. 413
exploding, so that few splinters flew about; and the shrapnel
were equaUy harmless, owing to the time-fuzes being badly
cut. WhUe the guns and infantry were actively engaged, the
Household Cavalry and Mounted Infantry moved forward
at right angles on the extreme right to check the enemy's
advance on that side, but the horses were in no condition
to charge. The latter most useful corps particularly dis
tinguished itself, under the command of Captain Hallam
Parr (who, as also Lord Melgund, was wounded), and again
demonstrated its great utUity in war. *
The heat was excessive and told especially on the gunners,
who had to run up the guns each time they recoiled through
the heavy sands ; but nerved by the encouraging messages
sent to them by Sir Garnet Wolseley, and later in the day
assisted by some of the Marine ArtiUery, they nobly stuck
to their work. The position at this time was undoubtedly
such as to cause anxiety, but the Commander had perfect
confidence in his men, and they justified his good opinion.
Most, if not all, of them had never before been under fire,
but the calm cheerfulness of their General never more self-
possessed than amid the turmoil of battle, reassured them
that all was right.
At noon a serious danger arose, the enemy having placed
4 guns completely taking the front of the position in flank,
» Sir Garnet Wolseley has always been an advocate for the employment of
Mounted Infantry. In the last edition of his 'Soldiers' Pocket-book,' com
pleted just before his departure for Egypt, he expresses an opinion that they
ought to form a component part of an army. Regarding his views as to artil
lery. Sir Garnet, whose experience of sheU-fire is only equalled by those who
like him had served in the trenches of Sebastopol throughout the siege, has
always been of opinion that their effect is more moral than material. He
says : * An immoderate number of guns with any force is most embarrassing,
for any guns that cannot be brought into action are most injurious in their
effects upon the result, as they block up the roads and hamper every move
ment. ' At Gravelotte, out of every hundred casualities, only six were caused
by artillery. ' Campaigns,' he says, ' can be carried out without cavalry or
artillery, but nothing serious can be effected without tha aid of men fighting
on foot. '

414 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and exposing the force to a cross fire ; but at this time a
party Of saUors from H.M.S. Orion, under Lieutenant King-
Harman, opportunely arrived with 2 Catlings, and aided by
one of the 2 guns met this new attack.
At one p.m. the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry arrived
from Nefiche, and at 3.30 the Household Cavalry andMounted
Infantry, under General Lowe, again moved forward on the
extreme right, forcing the enemy to partially withdraw his
attack on that flank. Soon after five, the enemy again ad
vanced his left, pushing 4 guns over the ridge, but at this
time Sir Baker Russell arrived with 350 men of the 4th and
7th Dragoon Guards, and the remaining guns of N Battery,
and 2 guns of N Battery 2nd Brigade R. A. ; at six, the Duke
of Connaught appeared on the scene with the Brigade of
Guards, which, leaving Ismailia at 1.30 p.m., suffered severely
from the great heat of the desert march. It was too late to
make an offensive movement, which Sir Garnet resolved to
defer till the morrow, but he spent the last two hours of day-
Ught by riding round all the positions and thanking the
troops of all arms for their exertions.
The army bivouacked on the ground, and Sir Garnet rode
back to Ismailia, which he quitted at 3 a.m. on the following,
morning, the 25th August, accompanied by Sir John Adye
and the headquarter staff, and the remaining squadron of
the Household Cavalry, which had just been landed. The
Commander-in-Chief had given orders to General WiUis for
a general advance at daybreak, and on his arrival at 5.30,
found that the whole of the ist Division, with the cavalry,
8 guns, and the 3rd Battalion King's Royal Rifles, had
quitted their bivouac and were advancing on the enemy's
position. Pushing on he joined them, when the advance was con
tinued in the following order : The cavalry and Mounted
Infantry on the extreme right on the sand-hiUocks, then the

SIR GARNET WOLSELEY AT MAHSAMEH. 415
artiUery towards the high ground between Ramses and
Mahsameh Stations, and the infantry on the left in kchelon
from the right upon Mahuta, the Guards leading. Sir Gar
net's plan was to pivot on his left at the dam captured the
day before, about half-way between Magfar and Mahuta, and
swing round his right so as to take the enemy's position in
flank and drive him into the canal, sending the cavalry com
pletely round his position to occupy the railway. The enemy,
however, did not await the onset, but abandoned his earth
works at Mahuta, and retired along the canal-bank and the
raUway line towards Mahsameh, using also the trains for
assisting the movement.
At 6.25 the guns came into action, and as it was of the
utmost importance to secure some engines. Sir Garnet di
rected the cavahy to push forward with that object. But
the horses were in bad condition after their long voyage and
rapid and fatiguing march of the previous day, and as Sir
Garnet observed, ' there was not at this time in the whole
cavalry brigade a troop that could gallop.' They, however
succeeded, notwithstanding considerable resistance, in getting
into the rear of the enemy, and capturing Mahsameh with
its extensive camp, 7 Krupp guns, vast quantities of ammuni
tion and supplies, and seventy-five railway carriages laden with
provisions. The enemy, who were commanded by Rashid
Pasha, fled along the railway and canal banks, throwing
away their arms with every appearance of demoralization,
and among those captured was Mahmoud Fehmy Pasha,
Arabi's chief engineer.
The results of the two days' operations were such as to
satisfy the Commander-in-Chief, being the capture of the
strong entrenched posUion on which 7,000 peasants had
been compeUed to labour, the clearance of the canal for more
than half the distance between IsmaUia and the Delta, thus
securing the water-supply, the capture of the railway line for

4l6 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
a distance of 20 miles from the base, and the seizure of an
important strategic position. All this was accomplished by
troops most of whom had never before been in action, march
ing over a desert without roads and under a blazing sun.
Owing to the advance being made before the railway or
telegraph lines had been repaired, or the canal cleared of its
obstruction, or any regular system of transport organized,
the men were without tents and suffered severe privations
as regards food, which they bore with cheerfulness. The
British loss was slight, 5 killed and 25 wounded, among the
latter. Major Bibby, 7th Dragoon Guards, and Captain Parr
and Lord Melgund of the Mounted Infantry, and there were
forty-eight sunstrokes in the ranks.
On the foUowing day Sir Garnet occupied Kassassin Lock,
two and a half miles west of Mahsameh ; and having placed
in command of this advanced post General Graham, an
officer in whom he had every confidence, which later events
fully justified, he returned to Ismailia, to push on, with all
the energy and administrative ability of which he was pos
sessed, the organization of the transport department, which
offered no ordinary difficulties. But with his experience in
the Red River and Ashantee Expeditions, his energy, and
power of infusing his spirit into his own subordinates, these
difficulties were vigorously combated until success rewarded
his efforts. When the removal of the locomotive engines by
the enemy threw difficulties not wholly unexpected in his
path, the Navy — under the leadership of his two old friends
and comrades in arms. Sir Beauchamp Seymour, who served
with him in the second Burmese War, and Sir William Hewett,
in the Crimea and Ashantee — zealously co-operated with the
sister service. Captain Rawson, R.N., the naval officer in
charge of the disembarkation, assisted by Captain Bracken
bury, R.N., worked with untiring energy in co-operation with
Sir Owen Lanyon, commandant of the base of operations,

PREPARATIONS AT THE BASE. 417
under Major-General Earle, in supreme charge of the Unes
of communication, his assistants being Majors Sartorius
and McGregor, who distributed and forwarded from Ismailia
the stores as they were landed from the ships. From Ismailia
there was a service of mules towing pontoons filled with
stores ; and the Navy organized in the Fresh Water Canal
a service of steam-launches towing ships' boats, which were of
assistance also in bringing back from the front the sick and
wounded. A tramway was constructed from the beach to
the railway station, but there was a deficiency of labourers,
and for a considerable time over 1,800 soldiers, chiefly
Guardsmen, were engaged in the irksome and uncongenial
work of common navvies, while their more fortunate com
rades were fighting at the front No blame for this deficiency
of transport was attributable to Commissary-General Morris,
but it was due to political causes, as the Government wished
to avoid any expenditure requiring a Parliamentary vote, in
order to obviate the necessity of entering into inconvenient
explanations of policy.
When the press and public at home grumbled at the so-
caUed delay at Ismailia, it was not known that it was expected
by the sagacious Commander-in-Chief before he left England.
The prime object was to seize the canal and railway with the
rolling-stock. This was accomplished by the actions of the
24th and 25th August, and between that date and the 29th,
the advantages gained by those successes were in course of
development, so that events followed their normal and
anticipated course.
Much delay and inconvenience was caused untU the
arrival of the railway plant from Alexandria and England,
the former being old, and in bad repair; but by the first week
in September there were in use seven engines, including four
sent from England in the Canadian, and abundance of rolling-
stock, including the seventy-five carriages captured at Mah-
27

4i8 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
sameh on the 25th August The tonnage of the railway plant
sent from England was 15,500, the administrative staff consist
ing of the Sth company of Sappers and Major WaUace, R.E.,
and Captain Scott, R.E. (both of whom had great experience
in this department in India and served under Sir Frederick
Roberts in Afghanistan), and Lieutenant WiUcock, R.E, aU
of whom did special good service.
After the successful action of the 25th August had placed
Kassassin Lock in the hands of Sir Garnet Wolseley, he re
turned to IsmaUia, leaving General Graham ,in command
with a force* of 1,728 infantry, 127 cavalry and Mounted
Infantry, and 2 guns. In rear, at Mahsameh, four and three-
quarter miles distant. General Drury-Lowe was stationed
with the Household Cavalry, 7th Dragoon Guards, the four
remaining guns of N Battery, and a battalion of the Royal
Marines. The brigade of Guards, under the Duke of Con
naught, was stationed at Tel-el-Mahuta, where General
Willis had his headquarters.
About 9.30 on the morning of the 2Sth August, the
enemy's cavalry appeared in force on the left of General
Graham's position, when he turned his troops out and helio-
graphed to General Drury-Lowe, who brought his cavalry
within two or three miles of the camp, but as the enemy,
about 3 p.m., appeared to be retiring, and the men were
suffering much from the heat, the cavalry and other troops re
turned to their camps. An hour and a half later, however, the
enemy advanced in great force, estimated at 1,000 cavalry and
8,000 infantry, supporting the attack with a heavy fire from
1 2 guns. General Graham's position astride the canal, with a
ridge within range which he was too weak to occupy, was not
easUy defensible, but it was determined by the necessity for
* This force consisted of N Battery A Brigade R.H.A., 40 officers and
men and 2 guns ; 4th Dragoon Guards, 15 of all ranks ; 7th Dragoon Guards,
42 ; Mounted Infantry, 70 ; 2nd Battahon Duke of CornwaU's Light Infantry,
611 ; 2nd Battalion York and Lancaster, 690 ; Marine Artillery, 427.

THE CAVALRY CHARGE AT KASSASSIN. 419
holding the lock. That veteran soldier made his dispositions
with skill, placing his infantry in irregular echelon, right thrown
back, the Marine ArtiUery on the south of the canal, the Duke
of Cornwall's in the centre, and the York and Lancaster on the
right The troop of 7th Dragoon Guards were on the flank and
the 2 guns under Lieutenant Parsons on the ridge. Owing,
however, to the latter being only supplied with the ammuni
tion in their limbers, they had soon to cease firing ; but the
fire was gaUantly taken up by a captured Krupp gun, manned
by Marine ArtUlery under Captain Tucker, who maintained
an unequal duel with the enemy's artUlery throughout the
action. The Mounted Infantry and detachment of 4th
Dragoon Guards acted as infantry, and did gaUant service.
Lieutenants Pigott and Edwards of the Mounted Infantry
being wounded. General Graham again heliographed to
General Lowe for assistance, and despatched Lieutenant
Pirie, 4th Dragoon Guards, with a request to send forward
the Royal Marines, and 'bring round his cavalry under
cover of the hUl and faU upon the left flank of the enemy's
skirmishers and roU up his line.' How brilliantly this order
was executed is well known. General Graham gave the
order to his whole line to advance on the enemy at, 6.45,
about the time of the expected cavalry charge, which was
executed about an hour later by the fitful Ught of the moon.
After a few rounds from the guns, the Household Cavalry,
under Colonel Ewart, and 7 th Dragoon Guards— the whole
gaUantly led by the Brigadier, Sir Baker Russell, who gave
the order, ' Now we have them— charge !'— guided by the
flash of the rifles of the hostUe infantry, which continued
to advance, charged through and utterly scattered the
enemy, capturing 7 or 9 guns, which they were unable to
secure, owing to the darkness. General Graham had already,
unaided, compelled the retirement of the enemy, but this
brilliant charge completed then discomfiture. On hearing
27 — 2

420 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
of it at 8.15, he ordered his infantry to faU back, and all the
troops returned to camp, where the Marines had arrived
an hour before. The loss sustained by Graham's Brigade
was one officer, Surgeon-Major Shaw, and 7 men kiUed;
5 officers and 66 men wounded. The Cavalry Brigade
had one officer — Lieutenant Gribble, 3rd Dragoon Guards,
orderly officer to Sir Baker Russell — and 6 men kiUed, and
one officer. Major Townshend, 2nd Life Guards, and 18 men
wounded. Thirty horses were killed and wounded, and
Sir Baker Russell had his charger shot under him. The
enemy fought with great determination, probably inspired
by the presence of Arabi, who was present on the field,
and brought up reinforcements about 8 p.m., evidently in
the expectation of overwhelming the British.
Generals Drury-Lowe and Graham are somewhat at vari
ance in their accounts as to the enemy being in retreat
before the cavalry-charge was made, but as one conversant
with the incidents remarked to us, both were right, for the
main portion of the enemy opposed to Graham were actually
in retreat ; but there was another portion detached to the
flank, which were unbroken at the time of the cavalry- charge,
by which they were effectually dispersed.
On the foUowing day, the 29th August, Brigadier-General
Wilkinson marched in with a portion of the cavalry of the
Indian Contingent, which had made the distance of eighty-
three miles from Suez in four days.'* Reconnoissances were
* The cavalry consisted of two troops of the 2nd Bengal Cavalry, under
Captain Martin, two of the 6th Bengal Cavalry, under Colonel Upperton,
and three of the 13th Bengal Lancers, under Colonel Macnaghten. The
Indian Brigade, completely equipped, with transport, supplies for five days,
and ambulance corps, left Suez at 2 a.m. on the morning of Thursday,
28th August. On arriving at the edge of the desert an unavoidable delay
occurred, as Admiral Hewett, at the last moment, thought it unadvisable that
Suez should be protected only by the small force of cavalry told off for
the purpose. But overnight the Tenasserim arrived with the 2nd Bengal
Cavalry, and the column struck camp at i a.m. on the 25th and marched
without incident to Shalouf, eleven miles distant. On Saturday the column
was again on the march by 5 a.m., and Gennafeh, seventeen miles distant,

CONCENTRA TION A T THE FRONT. 42 1
almost daUy undertaken by these fine troops in the direction
of Tel-el-Kebir, where Arabi had thrown up strong defensive
works. The troops at Kassassin now consisted of the whole
of the ist Brigade of cavalry, seven troops of Indian cavalry,
five battalions of infantry, and five batteries of artUlery.
The Highland Brigade,'*' consisting of four battaUons, under
Sir Archibald AUson, with Sir Edward Hamley command
ing the 2nd Division, arrived from Alexandria at IsmaUia
on the ist September, but were kept on board ship until
their services were required at the front. On the same
day Colonel Redvers BuUer arrived from England to take
charge of the Intelligence Department,t of which Lieuten
ant-Colonel Tulloch had been so efficient a head, and con
ducted reconnoissances of the enemy's lines at Tel-el-Kebir.
On the morning of the 2nd September, Sir Garnet Wolseley,
accompanied by Sir Beauchamp Seymour, Admiral Hoskins,
the Duke of Teck, and other officers, started from IsmaUia
for the front, proceeding as far as Tel-el-Mahuta in a steam-
launch, and the remainder of the journey in a train. The

was reached early in the day. Next day the distance covered was thirty
miles, the march being unbroken at Serapeum, and the troops reached
Ismailia at i p.m. in perfect condition, and on Tuesday arrived at
Kassassin. ¦* ist Battalion Royal Highlanders (late 42nd), 2nd Battalion Highland
Light Infantry (late 74th), ist Battalion Gordon Highlanders (late 75th), and
1st Battalion Cameron Highlanders (late 79^h).
f The officers of the Intelligence Department were among the most capable
in the army. Colonel (now Sir Redvers) BuUer's name is a household word,
not only in England, but in South Africa, where he and Sir Evelyn Wood were
confessedly the heroes of the Zulu War. ' In this campaign,' says Sir Garnet,
'he displayed his usual and thorough-going soldier-Uke qualities.' Of Colonel
Tulloch, 69th Regiment, he says : ' No man could evince more untiring zeal
for the public service than he has done since his arrival in Egypt some months
ago.' Of Major Ardagh, R.E., who also did good service at Alexandria, he
says : ' In addition to his regular duties he rendered valuable assistance in the
organization of our railway system from Ismailia to Kassassin. Always will
ing to undertake any service, no matter how difficult or trying, he had proved
himself to be a most excellent officer in the field.' Major Hart, East Surrey
Regiment, the other officer of the Intelligence Department, assisted in
pioneering General Granam's brigade on the eventful night of the 12th
September.

422 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
party reached Kassassin at 1.30, and Sir Garnet, after a
hasty inspection, left again at three, taking in the train
some wounded prisoners. The engine, one of those from
Alexandria, was in a wretched condition, and, after many
halts, finally broke down within two miles of the camp at
Mahuta. All the generals, admirals, and their staffs had
to trudge on foot through the desert until horses arrived
from the Guards' camp, and would have afforded a fine haul to
any roving body of Bedouins, parties of whom had been seen
prowling about, and had killed a European soldier. The
remainder of the distance to IsmaUia was performed in a
steam-launch. Beyond an expedition on the 6th, by General Graham,
along the south bank of the canal in the direction of Mah
sameh, against these bands of marauding Bedouins, and
reconnoissances towards Tel-el-Kebir, no military operations
were undertaken at Kassassin until Saturday, the 9th Sep
tember, when the enemy tried to force the Commander-in-
Chiefs hand by taking the offensive.
On the morning of the previous day a reconnoissance was
made by the three arms towards Tel-el-Kebir, when the
Mounted Infantry* bore the brunt of the skirmishing.
Arabi replied by a reconnoissance in force on the 9th,
and the affair almost assumed the proportions of a general
action. Lieutenant-General Willis was now in command of
the troops at Kassassin, and his dispositions for preventing
a surprise were certainly not such as might have been
expected from an officer of his experience and reputation as
an Aldershot strategist
At 4 am. that morning Lieutenant-Colonel Penning-
* The Mounted Infantry was now commanded by Captain R. C.
Lawrence, 5th Dragoon Guards, son of General R. C Lawrence, C B. , of
the Indian army, and nephew of the late Lord Lawrence and Sir Henry
Lawrence. The gallant officer was a worthy successor of Captain Hallam
Parr and Lieutenant Pigott, who had both been wounded, and, like them,
he received the high approval of his commander.

ACTION OF THE ^th SEPTEMBER. 423
ton left camp with two pickets, about 60 men, of the
13th Bengal Lancers, and found himself in presence of a
force of three squadrons of cavalry and some infantry.
Pennington first dismounted his men to keep the enemy in
check while Colonel Macnaghten, commanding the regi
ment, galloped back to camp to bring up the rest of his
men, and then, finding that they stiU advanced, made a
gaUant charge on the cavalry, killing 10 of them.
- Meantime the enemy, commanded by AU Fehmi Pasha,
Arabi being present on the field, advanced in great force
from Tel-el-Kebir, a detachment from Salahieh co-operating
on the flank. The enemy's force was seventeen battalions
of infantry, several squadrons of cavalry, and a few thousand
of Bedouins, with about 30 guns, and an easy victory was
anticipated, as Arabi thought General Willis had only a weak
advanced guard. The British camp was soon astir, and all
arms had a hot day's work. The Household Cavalry charged
the detachment from Salahieh and captured a gun ; and two
companies of the Marines, under Captains Wardell and
Coffin, captured 2 guns in gaUant style. The battalion had
25 men wounded, of whom several died. Other regiments
that distinguished themselves were the York and Lancaster,
the King's Rifles, which had 2 kiUed and 28 wounded, and
the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. The Naval Brigade
worked a forty-pounder in a railway truck, and Lieutenant
Purvis, R.N., in command, was wounded in the foot, which
had to be amputated. Major Hart, East Surrey Regiment,
of the Staff— brother of Major Hart, V.C, R.E, aide-de
camp to General Graham — did excellent service on this day,
and was wounded in the arm.
The enemy could effect nothing, though their sheUs at
one time fell within the camp, and at length the steady fire
of the infantry and two batteries of artUlery compelled them
to give ground, and they retreated in some confusion towards

424 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Tel-el-Kebir. General Graham followed until Arabi, having
arrived within one and three-quarter miles of his works, drew
up, and our army also halted, when the two remained sur
veying each other, the artillery only exchanging an occasional
shell. About 10.45 Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived from
Ismailia, and, having carefully surveyed the position, de
cided to withdraw his troops into camp.
Much disappointment was felt among the eager young
spirits in the camp, and even among those more experienced
in war, at this step of the Commander-in-Chief. The Times
correspondent wrote : ' It is understood that more than one
distinguished officer in the field on Saturday was anxious to
push right into the works with the rebel troops ;' adding that
' if an advance had then been ordered, it seems to be gener
aUy believed that Arabi's troops would have made no stand.'
But this was what Sir Garnet Wolseley wished that they
should do. As he says, ' My desire was to fight him de
cisively where he was in the open desert, before he could
retire to take up fresh positions more difficult of access in
the cultivated country in his rear, which is practicaUy im
passable to a regular army, being irrigated and cut up in
every direction by deep canals.' It was because this object
could only be effected by a surprise that the Commander-in-
Chief held his hand, and decided not to strike the blow
until it could be made crushing and decisive. Many of the
newspaper correspondents, and a section of the London and
foreign press, inveighed against Sir Garnet Wolseley for
want of enterprise and judgment in not following up the
success of the 9th September ; but looking at the results of
abstention from pushing his advantage, probably in no
action of his military career did he display in so remarkable a
manner the self-restraint and judgment which are among the
chief attributes of a really great commander. It was true
mUitary genius that showed him, after a rapid glance at the

THE EVE OF THE BATTLE. 425
situation, that the time had not yet come for the final
advance. His carefuUy elaborated plans for following up
the victory on which he surely counted, could not be put
into execution so certainly and effectually as if he waited
for all his reinforcements, including the Highland Brigade,
and struck his blow at such an early hour of the day that
time would be given for the pursuit, and for foUowing up
the advantages of the victory, chief among which were the
seizure of Zagazig and the rescue of Cairo from the fate of
Alexandria.* The troops in the rear were now moved up to the front.
The Guards arrived from Mahuta, and the Highland Brigade,
under Sir Archibald Alison, from IsmaiUa ; also the re
mainder of the Indian Contingent, commanded by Sir
Herbert Macpherson, consisting of a battery of seven-
pounders (screw guns), the ist Battalion Seaforth High
landers (72nd Regiment), and detachments of the 7th Native
Infantry, 28th Punjaubees, and 29th Belooches.f The first
day's march of the troops from Ismailia was eight mUes ; the
second, after a bivouac in the desert under a blistering sun
untU 4 p.m., nine mUes; and on the third day eight mUes,
which brought the column to the camp at Kassassin. The
troops left in garrison at IsmaiUa were the Sussex and Man
chester Regiments, and some Native Infantry.
All was now ready for the great blow which was to make
or mar the success of the Egyptian Expedition, and on which
the reputation of Sir Garnet Wolseley was staked. Were he
* On this point General Drury-Lowe said, in reply to an address in
England : ' Before I left the ship in which I sailed from England, I knew
that my duty with the cavalry was to get to Cairo ; that was all planned by
Sir Garnet Wolseley before we left England.' .
t The infantry of the Indian Contingent was commanded by Brigadier-
General O. V. Tanner, Bombay Staff Corps, who did such good service at
Khelat-i-Ghilzye, during the recent Afghan War. The officer commanding
the cavalry, Brigadier-General Wilkinson, also held a command in the
Candahar division ; and the services of Sir Herbert Macpherson at Cabul
and in the march thence to Candahar are historical.

426 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
to fail, the wiseacres who always say, ' I told you !' the arm
chair critics who censured his strategy, and the numerous
mediocrities who, after the manner of their kind, view with
jealousy the success of one they could not hope to rival,
would join in a chorus of condemnation ; and the fickle
public, who only judge by results, would hurl from his pedes
tal the commander generally acknowledged to be the most
enterprising and able in the army. All this was staked on
the hazard of the die ; but nevertheless Sir Garnet, having,
with characteristic self-reliance, matured his plans un
aided, awaited with perfect confidence the result While
anxiety was depicted on the faces of those in high command,
and it was generally agreed that the formidable works, behind
which was entrenched a numerically superior army with a
powerful artUlery, could only be carried after desperate
fighting and heavy loss, the leader, on whom would fall the
responsibUity for the loss of every life sacrificed by false
strategy or defective arrangements, was never more calm.
His face was the best augury of success, for no one who
doubted the result of the impending movement could feign
the cheerfulness which was apparent to every eye.
On Monday,the nth September, Sir Garnet Wolseley recon
noitred the ground in front of the enemy's works, and at day
light of the following day, accompanied by all the Generals
and Brigadiers, rode out of camp, and having inspected
the enemy's position, explained to them his intended mode
of attack, and gave to each one a sketch showing the forma
tion in which it was to be effected. The enemy's position
was a strong one, and extended from a point on the canal
one and a half mUes east of the railway-station of Tel-el-
Kebir, a distance, almost due north, of three and a half
miles. Between the camp at Kassassin and the enemy's
Unes extended the desert, affording no cover of any kind.
The general character of the ground over which the army

THE PLACE OF ATTACK. 427
had to advance was that of gently undulating and rounded
slopes, rising graduaUy to an open plateau about ninety feet
above the vaUey through which runs the railway and canal.
' To have marched over the plateau,' says Sir Garnet, ' upon
the enemy's position by daylight, our troops would have had
to advance over a glacis-like slope in full view of the enemy,
and under the fire of his well-served artiUery, for about five
mUes. Such an operation would have entailed enormous
losses from an enemy with men and guns well protected by
entrenchments from any artillery fire we could have brought
to bear upon them. To have turned the enemy's position
either by the right or left was an operation that would have
entailed a very wide turning movement, and therefore a
long, difficult, and fatiguing march ; and, what is of more
importance, it would not have accomplished the object I had
in view, namely, to grapple with the enemy at such close
quarters that he should not be able to shake himself free
from our clutches except by a general fight of all his army.'
The General's plan was, briefly, to make a night march
and carry the position at dawn at the point of the bayonet.
A plan apparently so full of difficulty and danger could
never have been entertained save by an original mind ;
nevertheless, it was the least hazardous, if it could be done
as a surprise. An assault after a bombardment afforded a
doubtful chance of success, and would be accompanied by
heavy loss, while a flank attack would be fatiguing in such
a climate ; moreover, both these methods afforded the great
disadvantage of prolonging the war, which, as we have seen.
Sir Garnet wished to finish at one blow.
Though a close and ardent student of the art of war, he
was not a slavish adherent of precedent. Such men never
can attain to the position of the real masters of the art, that
bright and gifted band whose names illustrate the history
of the world by achievements which less original minds

428 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
can neither conceive nor carry out. Sir Garnet Wolseley,
in maturing his plans for a great coup like the battle of
the 13th September, brought to his aid the resources of a
daring mind, vast experience, and a nice adaptation of
means to end. Only a highly disciplined enemy could
have withstood a bayonet-charge at early morning, when
suddenly waked out of sleep, and having made the dis
covery that Arabi withdrew his pickets and outposts after
midnight, he turned his knowledge to account A surprise
was, on the whole, the best way of capturing his formid
able works, which ¦ extended line behind line, and would
have required an enormous expenditure of life to attack
by any other method. That there was a surprise has been
denied by some, but Arabi himself acknowledged to his
conqueror that the first he knew of an attack was the
firing, and that the surprise was complete and absolute.
To conduct to a successful issue such a difficult opera
tion as that on which he had embarked, required a rare
combination of fortune and good management. Sir Garnet's
star was in the ascendant when Arabi, having (it is said)
received information from his spies that an attack was
intended on the night of the 12th, actuaUy sent out his
vedettes to reconnoitre shortly before midnight, ¦ when they
returned with the intelligence that the British army had not
quitted its encampment, the fires in which were brightly
burning. Lulled into a sense of false security by this report,
which was true at that hour, Arabi suffered his troops, who
were fatigued, having been on the qui vive, to turn in
shortly after midnight, at the very time that his skilful op
ponent had begun the march that was to shatter his army
and bring irremediable ruin on his cause.
The force at the disposal of Arabi consisted of 59
guns, distributed along the line of works, twenty-four
battalions of infantry (about 20,000 men), and three regi-

DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS. 429
ments of cavalry, together with about 6,000 Bedouins,
besides a force of about 5,000 men, with 24 guns, at
Salahieh. To defeat this large army and storm a double
line of intrenchments, with redoubts, the British General
could only place in line about 11,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry,
and 60 guns.* This force was disposed in the foUowing order :
on the extreme right marched the Cavalry Brigade, under
General Drury-Lowe, consisting of the Household Cavalry,
4th and 7th Dragoon Guards, Mounted Infantry, 2nd and 6th
Regiments of Bengal Cavalry, and 13th Bengal Lancers, with
two batteries of Horse Artillery. General Drury-Lowe's
orders were to sweep round the northern extremity of the
enemy's works after they had been captured, and charge the
broken masses as they attempted to escape.
Next to the cavalry, and forming the right of the
infantry, which was directed to move in line of columns
of half battalions, was the ist, or General WiUis's, Division,
of which the 2nd, or Graham's, Brigade, was in the front
line. The regiments of this brigade were in the following
order from the right: ist Royal Irish (iSth Regiment),
2nd York and Lancaster (S4th Regiment), ist Royal Irish
FusUiers (87th Regiment), and Royal Marine Light Infantry.
In support was the Brigade of Guards, under the Duke
of Connaught. Next in line to Graham's Brigade, and
covering a front of 1,200 yards, were massed seven
batteries of artiUery, 42 guns, under Brigadier-General
Goodenough. Then came the 2nd, or Sir Edward Hamley's,
Division, with the magnificent Highland Brigade leading,
under Sir Archibald Alison. The Brigade consisted, in the
order named, from the right, of the ist Royal Highlanders
(42nd Regiment), ist Gordon Highlanders (7Sth Regiment),
ist Cameron Highlanders (79th Regiment), and 2nd High-
* The official returns show that the entire force at Sir Garnet Wolseley's
disposal on the 13th September was 12,277 infantry, 2,785 cavalry, 60
guns, and 214 men of the Naval Brigade with 6 Catlings.

430 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
land Light Infantry (74th Regiment). In support of the
Highlanders were the Duke of CornwaU's Light Infantry
(46th Regim.ent) and the 3rd Royal Rifles, brigaded under
Colonel Ashburnham.
Across the canal — along which moved the Naval Brigade,
214 men, with 6 Catlings, under Captain Fitzroy — marched
the Indian Contingent, consisting of a Mountain Battery,
a squadron of the 13th Bengal Lancers, ist Battalion Sea
forth Highlanders (72nd Regiment) and 2 companies of
the 2nd Battalion (78th Regiment), detachments of the
7th Bengal Native Infantry, 20th Punjaubees, and 29th
Beloochees, under Major-General Sir Herbert Macpherson,
who received orders to march one hour after the leading
brigades, as an earlier advance would have given the alarm
to the enemy, owing to the number of vUlages in the culti
vated land south of the canal. Sir Garnet AVolseley, whose
escort throughout the campaign was a company of Royal
Marines, under Captain Heathcote, himself marched in
rear of the 2nd Division, with the Royal Marine ArtiUery
and a squadron of the 19th Hussars, forming the reserve,
and maintained telegraphic communication with the Indian
Contingent throughout the night by means of an insulated
wire through Kassassin.
To pilot the two leading brigades, officers of great and
acknowledged capacity were told off. Brigadier-General
Goodenough performed this duty for the Artillery Division
under his command. Colonel BuUer — so well known as
a leader of irregular horse, or chief of the Intelligence
Department of an army in the field — Major Hart, and
Captain W. H. Holbech, Brigade-Major, directed the march
of Graham's Brigade; and Lieutenant Wyatt Rawson,
R.N., Naval aide-de-camp to the Commander-in-Chief,
whose knowledge of the stars had been called into requisi
tion during the Arctic expedition under Sir George Nares,

THE START FROM KASSASSIN: 431
pUoted the Highlanders. This noble young seaman, not
satisfied with this duty, was among the first in the enemy's
works, and sacrificed his Ufe for his country, in whose cause
he had already bled in Ashantee.
The operation on which Sir Garnet Wolseley had now
embarked was difficult and hazardous as any in the range of
warfare. To conduct, in the darkness of night, the simul
taneous advance of an army whose front covered nearly four
miles of ground, was no easy feat of administrative and
tactical skUl. The distance to be traversed from the camp
at Kassassin was about seven and a half mUes, and no tree
or landmark of any description — beyond a line of telegraph
poles placed by the Engineers along the first portion of the
route — pointed out the way over the trackless desert and
low sandy hillocks which intervened between the British
camp and the Egyptian lines. To regulate the march of
the extended lines of the three arms so that at a given
moment — for a delay of even five minutes might be fatal to
success — the combined assault of the Infantry Brigades
could be made, was a task that offered a crucial test of
the capacity of the Commander who elaborated the plan to
its minutest detail.
At 6.15 on the evening of the 12th September, all tents
were struck, and, with the regimental baggage, were coUected
along the line of raUway for transmission after the antici
pated victory. All bugle and trumpet calls were forbidden,
and, an hour later, when darkness had fallen on the busy
scene, the corps and batteries marched out of Kassassin in
perfect order, and took up their regulated positions on a
range of sand-hiUs, about two mUes from the camp, in
which the fires were left burning. Brigadier-General
Nugent, R.E., with the ist West Kent (50th Regiment)
and 19th Hussars, was left in command of the camp,
to cover the rear of the army and protect that position

432 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
with all its stores and depots from the enemy's force at
Salahieh, which, as mentioned, numbered 5,000 men and
24 guns.
On arriving at the regulated positions, a halt was called,
and the men lay down on the bare sand and snatched what
sleep they could. It was a weird and solemn scene, without
even the moon's silvery light to cheer the ranks of the
soldiery. No fires were permitted ; even smoking was pro
hibited ; and silence was enjoined in the ranks stretching in
endless line along the star-lit desert Under such circum
stances a man's reflections would be turned inward, and
thoughts of home must have fiUed the hearts of the gallant
array awaiting the signal which was to change this scene of
ghostly silence and grim darkness for the stirring incidents
of the battle and the garish light of day.
' AU heaven and earth are still — though not in sleep.
But breathless, as we grow when feeling most ;
And silent, as we stand in thoughts too deep.'
So passed the night, and at 1.30 the army rose from the
ground and started for the march that was to place them in
position to storm the enemy's works at daylight
The formation of the Highland Brigade, which numbered
3,000 bayonets, was in half-battalions, formed with two
companies in front and two in rear, at deploying intervals,
the lines being about fifty yards behind each other. The
supporting brigade, 1,500 yards in rear, was formed in
line of quarter-columns ; and in order to maintain touch
with the Highlanders, a company of the Rifles was extended
between in files about fifteen yards apart. The formation of
General WiUis's Division, which was about three-quarters of
a mUe to the right of the 2nd Division, was somewhat
different, each half-battalion of the leading brigade being
formed in a column of companies, thus presenting the
appearance of a line of eight columns, each four companies

DIFFICULTIES OF THE NIGHT MARCH. 433
deep. Before the march was begun connecting files were
put between the battalions and brigades, and between the
first and second lines.
The difficulty of so large a body of men, marching with
such an extended front, keeping touch, now became apparent,
but the arrangements of the Commander-in-Chief met all
obstacles, and his staff officers, as able a body of men as
ever served any leader, inteUigently carried out the instruc
tions of their chief. At one time one of the brigades was
diverging from the line, but at the critical moment Sir
Garnet appeared through the darkness, and the difficulty was
overcome and touch was maintained. As the night advanced
the men were occasionally halted, when some lay down and
rested, though all were glad to be on the move again, as the
cold night air chiUed to the bone, and the condition of
expectancy was not conducive to rest The final halt
before the rush at the enemy was made at four o'clock.
Meanwhile, at midnight of the 12th, the Cavalry Division,
under General Drury-Lowe, commenced its march so as to
get on the left flank and rear of the enemy's lines at the
moment of the assault, the 2nd Brigade, consisting of the
three Indian cavalry regiments, leading, foUowed by the
ist Brigade, formed of the Household Cavalry, the 4th
and 7 th Dragoon Guards, and Mounted Infantry. The
march was first to the north, and then they bore to the
west, and at two a.m. the Cavalry Division halted about
three mUes short of the enemy's extreme left flank. After
a rest of two hours, during which the men lay on the sand
holding their horses by the bridle, they advanced in
squadron columns until the time for action arrived.
To return to the movements ofthe main column.
The great difficulties of a night march by an army
covering so large a front was strikingly iUustrated by an
incident mentioned by Sir Edward Hamley, in an article
28

434 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
in the Nineteenth Century. Soon after the Highland Brigade,
after a brief halt, resumed the march, there was a rumour
that horsemen were in front. The centre battalions halted,
while the wings moved on until they faced each other at a
distance of fifty yards, and the companies of the wings were
thrown into disorder. Fortunately, it was discovered before
a fatal collision took place, as there was no telling in the
darkness whether they were friends or foes.
Sir Garnet, in his plan of attack, determined to assault
about five a.m., just when the first streaks of dawn began to
appear. But three-quarters of an hour before this, occurred
a circumstance that, on after-consideration, must have
exercised a powerful influence on the minds of the supersti
tious Orientals slumbering behind the earthworks of Tel-el-
Kebir, who were about to experience so fearful an awaken
ing, and which nearly had a disastrous effect on the fortunes
of this war, so full of dramatic incidents and teUing situa
tions. Frequently through the night the General consulted his
watch, and at 4.15, to his surprise, saw what appeared faint
streaks of dawn in the east behind the backs of the ad
vancing army. By observation it had been ascertained that
five was the hour the ' rosy-fingered ' Goddess of Day first
showed above the horizon ; so if this was daybreak, his
chances of success in assaulting the enemy's works, which
were yet some distance ahead, would be materiaUy lessened
by the miscalculation. But as this phenomenal light con
tinued at the same intensity it soon became apparent that
there was no real cause for anxiety at its appearance, which
was due to the presence of the great comet, which appeared
for the first time this night, as though to denote (so might
the superstitious read it) that the stars in their courses
fought for the favourite of Fortune who led the white
soldiers from over the sea. As Byron apostrophized the

THE FINAL HALT. 435

stars on the banks of Lake Leman, so might Arabi and his
fellow-conspirators or patriots (as we, according to oui
divergent views of the justice or wickedness of the cause
he championed, choose to dub the leaders of this national
movement) address these heavenly lights on this night, so
big with the fate of their country : —
' If in your bright leaves we would read the fate
Of men and empires — 'tis to be forgiven
That in our aspirations to be great,
Our destinies o'erleap their mortal state
And claim a kindred with you. '
The Commander-in-Chief was reassured, and the great
array of men, and horses, and guns continued its march
with mechanical precision ; and as the hand of his watch
pointed to the hour of five, and the dawn began to break,
every man and gun was in its allotted place, and the
leading brigades of each division came under the enemy's
fire within a few minutes of one another.'*
* An officer, speaking with authority, thus explains the cause of this
difference, which lay in the movements preceding the attack: 'Neither
brigade had precisely carried out the original conception of Sir Garnet. His
intention had been to attack in a series of short lines, with a series of sup
porting short lines behind them. But he had not the opportunity of train
ing his army according to his own ideas. The only form of attack which
had been known and practised beforehand was either what is called the
Aldershot formation for attack, or the old English continuous line. Accord
ingly, one brigade took for granted that its business was to form hne and so
attack; and the other, after an impossible attempt to advance in a continuous
line and an inevitable relapse into company columns of fours, had under fire
adopted as the one formation the "Aldershot formation of attack." The
successive changes had delayed the advance of the right brigade, and hence
a disparity of time io the actual moment of attack, which gave opportunity to
the intervening batteries to bring an effective and close fire upon the lines of
the enemy at the moment of the attack of General Graham's Brigade. We
have now the clear evidence of independent observers who have recently
crossed the ground, that the shells of as many as thirty cartridges are to be
seen in heaps where the Egyptians stood to fire against General Graham's
Brigade, while not more than five or six mark the rounds that were fired
against the Highland Brigade. Moreover, the tracks of the artillery-wheels
sliow clearly where the several batteries came into action, and it is evident
that Colonel Schreiber's two batteries were directing their fire in the first
instance precisely upon the part of the line which the 2nd Brigade attacked.
But though men now know that at the actual moment when tlie assault com
menced the Highland Brigade was considerably nearer than the 2nd Brigade,
it is pretty clear that the whole of the 2nd Brigade had crossed the enemy's
lines and commenced to advance before the whole of the Highland Brigade
had done so.'

436 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
One who was present, describing the wonderful precision
with which this difficult movement was effected, says : ' The
evidence of Sir Archibald Alison, and of the officers who
were with him, is clear that the attack was delivered at the
most happy moment that could have been chosen ; for, as
they say, had the attack been any earlier, there would not
have been light enough to follow it up within the works,
and had it been later, the troops would have been exposed
to severe fire before attacking.' But to effect this precision
of movement required a very nice calculation of the time
required for the march across the desert, and pre-supposed
high intelligence on the part of the staff and regimental
officers concerned.
The orders were that the leading brigades were not to fire
a shot, but were to carry the entrenchments by the bayonet.
Nothing finer than the tlan with which these orders were
executed is to be found in the history of war. Like the
contending hosts before Troy : —
' Rank on rank the thick battaUons throng.
Chief urg'd on chief, and man drove man along.
Far o'er the plains in dreadful order bright.
The steely arms reflect a beamy light.'
Just when the stars began to pale, but before daylight
had broken, a few shots were heard, followed by a bugle
sounded in the enemy's lines. ' In a minute or two,'
says the commander of the 2nd Division, ' the whole
extent of entrenchments in our front, hitherto unseen
and unknown of, poured forth a stream of rifle-fire.' The
Highland Brigade, who had not even loaded their rifles,
instantiy advanced to the charge with leveUed beyonets, and
so murderous was the fire with which they were met, that,
though they had only a narrow strip of 150 yards to cross,
200 men were shot down, the Highland Light Infantry alone
losing 5 officers and 60 men before gaining the ditch, six

STORM OF THE ENEMY'S LINES. 437
feet wide and four feet deep, beyond which rose the parapet,
four feet high. The first line was quickly into the ditch,
and engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle with the enemy on
the parapet, ' behind which, on either flank, was an elevated
battery armed with guns, enclosed throughout by its own
separate parapet, and a ditch ten feet deep.' The Highland
Light Infantry found themselves opposed to a 4-gun battery,
and the Royal Highlanders to one mounted with 6 guns,
almost enclosed by an entrenchment, and forming the highest
point of the position. The centre battaUons, meanwhile,
pushed on through the outer entrenchments, a distance of
200 or 300 yards, into the centre of the works.
The Highland Light Infantry were at one time compeUed
to recoil from the battery on the left flank opposed to
them ; but soon Colonel Ashburnham's Brigade came up,
and the whole carried the work with a rush, and joined
their comrades of the centre, who were assembled on a low
hUl 300 yards within the outer line. The division now ad
vanced against the second or inner Une, and, entering by a
gap in the entrenchment, took the defenders in reverse at
all points. The Egyptians were shot down in hundreds as
they fled, and a battery of artillery coming up opportunely,
assisted in cutting up the fleeing foe. Pushing on, Arabi's
camp was captured by a party led by Sir Archibald Alison
on foot, and also the railway station with 100 carriages; and
by 6.30 the last shot was fired by the Highlanders — one
hour and twenty-five minutes after the first.
In that time, says Sir E. Hamley, ' The Highland Brigade
had captured two miles of works and batteries, piercing the
enemy's centre, and loosening their whole system of defence,
and finished by taking the camp and railway station.' The
division lost 258 men kiUed and wounded,* of whom 23
* The foUowing were the casualties in the Highland Brigade : Royal
Highlanders, 2 officers— Lieutenant Graham-Slirhng and J. C McNeiU —
and 7 men killed, 6 officers (including Lieutenant Park who died) and 37

438 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
were officers, and their leader claims for them that they bore
the brunt of the fighting, as evidenced by their losses.
Meanwhile, equaUy gaUant and successful was the 2nd
Brigade of the ist Division, which advanced, says General
Graham, ' under what appeared to be an utterly over
whelming fire of musketry and artillery.' The brigade
came under fire when distant between 800 and 1,200
yards. Its formation was in echelon of half battalions -from
the right, which placed the Royal Irish (iSth Regiment)
in advance. Thus 'they were,' says an officer ofthe regi
ment, who was wounded, ' the first corps over the trenches,'
and received the honour of a special mention from Sir
Garnet Wolseley in his official telegram announcing the
victory. ' About fifty yards in rear of these trenches,' says
the same officer, 'between the front of the iSth and 84th
(York and Lancaster Regiments) stood an elevated redoubt,
which was taken conjointly by these two corps.' Not less
dashing was the advance of the Irish FusiUers (S7th Regi
ment) and the Royal Marines.* This latter corps, which
had taken a prominent part in every action of the war,
advanced, says Colonel Howard S. Jones, in attack forma
tion at the ' double,' taking up the ' quick ' once or twice
to let the men get their breath, and it was not until the
fighting line was within some 150 yards of the enemy that
he ordered the battalion to halt, fix bayonets, and open

men wounded, and 4 missing. Gordon Highlanders, i officer — Lieutenant
H. G. Brooks — and 5 men killed, and i officer and 29 men wounded, and
4 missing. Highland Light Infantry, 3 officers — Major Colville and Lieu
tenants D. S. Kays and L. Somervell — and 14 men killed, and 5 officers and
52 men wounded, and 11 missing. Cameron Highlanders, 13 men killed,
and 3 officers and 46 men wounded.
* The following were the losses of this brigade : Royal Irish Fusiliers,
2 men killed, 34 wounded, and 3 missing. York and Lancaster, 12 men
wounded. The Royal Irish, i officer, Captain C. N.Jones, and i man killed
and 2 officers and 17 men wounded. Royal Marines, 2 officers — Major
H. H. Strong and Captain J. C. Wardell — and 3 men kUled, i officer and
53 men wounded.

SERVICES OF THE ARTILLERY. 439
fire, the supports to reinforce it, and the whole to advance
by rushes. By thus keeping the line in movement the fire
of the enemy was to a great extent diverted.
The Guards, who supported the 2nd Brigade, were sub
jected to a heavy sheU-fire, and had they been only five
minutes later in passing over a slight elevation on which
the enemy's guns were trained, at a range of 2,000 yards,
their loss would have been very considerable. As it was,
they escaped with the loss of only i man killed and 20
wounded, besides 3 officers, of whom one, Lieutenant-
Colonel Balfour, died of his wounds after his arrival in
England. The nature of the attack left little for the artiUery to
effect. The division of seven batteries, under Brigadier-'
General Goodenough, stationed between Alison's and
Graham's Brigades, deployed into one line, and after the
entrenchments had been penetrated, some of the batteries
inflicted heavy loss upon the enemy. N. Battery 2nd
Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Brancker,
did special good service. Assisted by the Royal High
landers, the artillerymen levelled the parapet in one spot
and the guns were brought within the enemy's lines, opening
fire on the retreating Egyptians with shrapnel and canister ;
they limbered up and came into action every 300 or 400
yards, and enfilading the line of entrenchments, drove the
enemy out of some redoubts. Pushing on to the top of
a hillock. Colonel Brancker again brought his guns into
action, and opened fire on the railway station in which
three trains were standing, with engines, attached. As the
first was starting off, a shell from the battery, fired at a
range of about 1,400 yards, blew up the fore portion of the
train, which apparently contained ammunition. Soon after,
the 13th Bengal Lancers, under Colonel Macnaghten, entered
the station and seized the remaining trains, the enemy fleeing

440 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
along the railway and canal. * The Infantry Brigades, sup
ported by the Guards and Ashburnham's Brigade, advanced
rapidly through the enemy's works, and took possession of
the vast camp, the Highlanders, following the 13th Bengal
Lancers, occupying the railway station, which contained
much stores and ammunition.
On the extreme left, the Indian Contingent, numbering,
with a squadron of cavalry and a company of Madras
Sappers, about 1,500 men, with 6 seven-pounder screw-
guns, conduced to the success of the day by its steadiness
and admirable marching-powers. Their advance along the
south side of the canal was held back so as to ensure the
success of the intended surprise by the main column.
Crossing the Fresh Water Canal by pontoon bridges, they
took up their prescribed position on the south bank, and
soon after three a.m. the troops and long train of mules,
carrying ammunition and stores, commenced the march in
perfect order. Heading the column were two companies of
the Highlanders, while the Naval Brigade, under Macpher-
son's orders, acted in support on the northern bank of the
canal. As dawn broke, the enemy opened fire from his
* The foUowing is an account given by an officer of Arabi's army of
the battle of Tel-el-Kebir : ' On the 12th we were informed that a general
attack would be made that night. We were all under arms and at
our posts shortly after sunset. During the night scouts were sent out
with orders to fire in the air as a signal if any body of troops were ap
proaching. They three times reported all quiet. We had given up all
expectations of attack ; we were tired, and the officers were beginning to
lie down, when three scouts were sent out as a last reconnoissance. We
had expected that the attack would begin at about 2,000 yards. Our guns
were sighted for this range. Arabi exhorted his officers to wait ten
minutes for the result of tiiis last reconnoissance ; but hardly had he left
fhe 'camp when they heard the signal. Instead of 2,000 yards, they must
have been 200 yards off. We fired, but most of our shots must have gone
over their heads. Almost at the same moment, it seemed so quick, they
were scrambling over us — first over our right, then roUing over all down
the hne like a wave. We never expected war like this. Our soldiers
stood fire at a distance very well. On the sth August many were killed,
and they were not afraid of shells ; but these men came close up to us,
and the only way to save life was to run away. The native soldier ha,s
never exercised this close way of fighting. No soldiers but the EngUsh
could fight like that.'

THE INDIAN CONTINGENT IN ACTION- 441
redoubts, and a sheU exploded in the midst of the General's
staff, hurling Captain Melliss to the ground. At this time
the infantry, with the Highlanders extended in Une leading,
was advancing along an excavated roadway lying along
the base of the causeway by the side of the canal. On
the left the mountain battery shelled a native village,
occupied by Arabs, who were driven out ; and the Naval
Brigade poured a hot fire into some of the enemy's works
near the canal. Soon the column reached a battery con
sisting of 4 seven-pounders, outside the causeway, and the
General directed the Seaforth Highlanders to storm the
work. This was gallantly done. Lieutenant Burn-Mur
doch, R.E., being the first man in. Pushing on, the
Highlanders, supported by the Native Infantry, captured
a second battery of 8 Krupp guns, which was abandoned.
Two redoubts or batteries on the north side of the canal,
apparently covered from the main attack by the intervening
hill, were shelled, also the retreating Egyptians on the same
side of the canal, the Naval Brigade affording valuable
assistance with their Catlings. The contingent then con
tinued its advance, and cleared the fields on the left of the
causeway ; and Arabi's camp was shelled at a range of
about i,2oo yards, as also by artiUery from the main attack
which carne over the hill, until the infantry marched down
and took possession of the camp. The squadron of
6th Bengal Cavalry did good service at this time in pur
suing the enemy through the viUage of Tel-el-Kebir.
Sir Herbert Macpherson's dispositions were completely
successful, and the Commander-in-Chief attributed the small
loss sustained by the contingent — i man kUled and 3 wounded
in the Highlanders — to his ' excellent arrangements.'
These might have been anticipated from an officer having
the vast and varied experience of General Macpherson,
who served as Adjutant ofthe 78th Highlanders, under

442 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
General Havelock, at the Relief of Lucknow, and was the
right hand of Sir Frederick Roberts from the time of his
advance on Cabul to the battle of Candahar. As Sir
Garnet said of him at the conclusion of the war : ' He is a
pillar of strength in any army with which he serves. His
varied experience of war, and the confidence he inspires
in all under his command, mark him out as a divisional
leader to whom the honour of our arms and the lives of her
Majesty's soldiers can at all times be safely entrusted'
Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived on the bridge over the canal
at Tel-el-Kebir almost at the same time as Sir Herbert Mac
pherson, to whom he gave instructions to proceed with the
Indian Contingent to Zagazig, twenty-five miles distant from
the camp at Kassassin. Accompanied only by his staff and
about 30 men of the 6th Bengal Cavalry, about four p.m.
he rode into this large and important town, the principal
cotton centre of the Delta. No resistance was offered, and
the small party pushed on to the railway station, and their
temerity was rewarded by the capture of five trains filled
with soldiers, which were on the point of steaming out of
the station — one was actually leaving, but Lieutenant Burn-
Murdoch, R,E.,* threatened the driver with his revolver.
The soldiers leaped from the trains, and throwing away their
arms, made good their escape.
The telegraph was now put into action and communica
tions opened with Cairo, announcing the capture of Tel-
el-Kebir, the total defeat of the army, and the occupation of
Zagazig by her Majesty's troops in force en route for Cairo.
Within an hour a telegram was received from Ali Rouby Pasha
and his colleagues, announcing, in the name ofthe nation, the
* This young officer affords a proof of the trath of the saying that
' adventures are to the adventurous.' He served with distinction in the
Afghan War, under Sir Frederick Roberts, and was wounded in action at
Cabul, in December, 1879, on which occasion his conduct was mentioned
in despatches as ' most gallant.'

CAPTURE OF ZAGAZIG. 443
entire submission of the army to the will of the Khedive, and
entreating that further hostUities might cease. The remainder
of the squadron of cavalry, with the infantry and mule
battery, arrived at Zagazig by six p.m., having no supplies-*- but
what they carried in their haversacks, the Highlanders and
artillerymen having made a march which, considering the
distance traversed and the climate, and that they fought a
battle on the way, has seldom been equalled by British
troops. The feat was even greater than any performed by
the Seaforth Highlanders during the memorable march they
made, under Sir Frederick Roberts's command, from Cabul
to Candahar, two years before. In his report. General
Macpherson drew special attention to the fact that not a
man of the infantry fell out or had to be carried during the
day, probably an unprecedented circumstance in a forced
march of over twenty-five miles under a tropical sun.
The advance on Zagazig was a bold stroke, and equalled
in dash anything of the sort chronicled of the famous
Prussian Uhlans in the Franco-German War. But the action
of the Cavalry Division was another instance in this brief but
memorable campaign equalling if not surpassing it in daring,
and the inception of both alike was due to the master-mind
who infused into his subordinates the eager spirit that
animated him. But we must follow the course of events
in their proper sequence.
As Sir Garnet Wolseley rode through the conquered
position, a redoubt on the extreme left, near the canal, which
had not yet been captured, continued its fire, enfilading the
works. Colonel Schreiber, R. A., ordered up a battery and soon
sUenced the work and blew up the magazine. The Cavalry
* A great impression was created among the natives of Zagazig by the
punctUious honesty of Sir H. Macpherson and his staff. At the railway station
they came upon a great find in the shape of wine, beer and provisions, and the
General directed every officer who partook of those luxuries to inscribe in a
book his name and the amount appropriated, with the view of future pay
ment.

444 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Division on the extreme right swept round the northern
extremity of the enemy's lines and charged them as
they endeavoured to escape. With praiseworthy humanity
General Drury-Lowe ordered that those of the fugitives who
threw down their arms and begged for mercy should be un
molested, and suffered to go free, as to make them prisoners
would have prevented him from pushing on to Cairo. But
no less than 1,500 of Arabi's soldiers died for the faith,
the free exercise of which, they were given to understand,
was menaced, and ha-ving fought the good fight,
' In Elysian vaUeys dwell.
Resting weary hmbs at last on beds of Asphodel.'
Within thirty-five minutes of the first shot being fired, the
British flag flew over the entrenchments of Tel-el-Kebir, and
the victorious Commander, riding through the enemy's camp
and works, which lay line within line, met his Generals on the
bridge over the canal and concerted measures for making the
victory decisive. WhUe Sir Herbert Macpherson was directed
to push on to Zagazig, whither the Highland Brigade followed
him on the following day. General Drury-Lowe received
instructions to make a forced march to Belbeis and thence
to Cairo, to save the city from experiencing the fate of
Alexandria. In the very hour of his triumph, and amid the hurry of
giving the necessary orders for pushing his great success,
Sir Garnet Wolseley did not forget one who was dying in
faithfully carrying out his instructions. Lieutenant Wyatt
Rawson, R.N., his Naval aide-de-camp, who had pioneered
the Highland Brigade during the night march, with ' mar
veUous accuracy,' as Sir Edward Hamley said, was shot
through the body while scaling the entrenchments among
the foremost, and Sir Garnet rode back some mUes to see
his faithful friend and foUower for the last time. Entering
the tent where the wounded young officer lay, he knelt by

WOLSELEY AND WYATT RAWSON. 445
his side, and taking his hand, strove to cheer him, though
he himself was much affected, for he knew there was no hope.
The dying man asked, with a proud satisfaction lighting up
his features, racked wUh pain : ' General, did I not lead
them straight ?' It was the old spirit that flamed up in the
dying Nelson when, amid the throes of dissolution, he
summoned up sufficient strength to thank God he had done
his duty. ' Yes,' was the reply — as the leader pressed the
hand of the subordinate who had sacrificed his life, with
aU its hopes of distinction, just as they were on the point
of realization, and even the happiness of those nearest and
dearest to him, in fulfiUing his orders — ' I knew you were
well to the front all the time, old fellow.' He spoke these
words cheerfully, but he knew his friend was mortally
wounded,-* and before leaving promised to telegraph to his
wife. WhUe the Indian Contingent and cavalry pushed on to
Zagazig and Cairo respectively, Sir Garnet Wolseley oc
cupied the camp with the rest of the army. There was
ample accommodation, and Arabi's tent was speciaUy
luxurious ; and it may be mentioned as an interesting cir
cumstance, that one of the carpets found therein, and
appropriated by the Duke of Connaught, was used by Her
Majesty the Queen, who stood upon it when decorating the
officers and men at Windsor Castle on their return from Egypt.
* Lieutenant Wyatt Rawson died on the morning of the 21st September,
on board the Carthage, hospital ship, as she was entering Malta harbour.
He did not live to know that the Admiralty, with commendable promptitude,
had promoted him to Commander. The Queen wrote a letter to the widow,
expressing her sympathy, and Sir Garnet spoke in the foUowing terms of his
late Naval aide-de-camp : ' During the many journeys I made by night, I
found him of great use in directing our march correctly, through his know
ledge of the stars. On the 13th instant I consequently selected him to con
duct the Highland Brigade during the night to the portion of fhe enemy's
works where I explained to him I wished them to storm. This duty he
performed with the utmost coolness and success, but lost his life in its
execution.' Sir Gamet keenly felt the death of Lieutenant Rawson, for
whose services he had specially applied to Ihe Admiralty, and wrote of him :
' No man more gallant fell on that occasion.'

446 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Early on the foUowing morning telegraphic communication
was established with Zagazig, and Sir Garnet, on ascertaining
that the Une was open to Cairo, resolved to proceed thither
without delay. Accompanied by the Duke of Connaught,
and escorted by a company of Guards and one of Marines,
he was on the platform ready to start at noon, but owing to
a slight accident on the line, did not leave the station of
Tel-el-Kebir until five p.m. In consequence of the line being
blocked by artillery, infantry, and stores, Zagazig was only
reached at 9.30, and as it was not deemed advisable to go
any further in the dark, the Commander-in-Chief and the Duke
of Connaught, with their staffs, passed the night in great
discomfort at the deserted raUway station. At 5.30 on the
following morning (the 15th of September) the journey was
resumed, and at seven, on reaching the important junction
at Benha, a deputation was found awaiting the Commander-
in-Chief from Cairo, announcing that Arabi had surrendered,
and that the notables of the capital were expecting his advent
with eagerness. After partaking of some refreshment, which
was freely brought by the inhabitants, who took care to
make their deliverers pay handsomely for the same. Sir
Garnet proceeded to Cairo, where he arrived at ten a.m.,
and was received by a great crowd, who thronged to see
the General who had defeated their hero and scattered his
boasted battalions to the winds with an ease and rapidity
that savoured of magic.
On the previous day the cavalry had secured the surrender
of the capital and some 8,000 troops in garrison. General
Drury-Lowe, without drawing bridle, marched rapidly with
the whole of his cavalry and Mounted Infantry, and Lieu
tenant-Colonel Borradaile's battery of Horse ArtUlery, and
pushing the pursuit along the canal, by the side of which
arms and munitions of war were thickly strewed, arrived that
evening at Belbeis, twenty-five miles distant from Kassassin.

THE MARCH OF THE CAVALRY. 447
After exchanging a few shots, the railway station here was
occupied, and it was found that Arabi had only passed
through a quarter of an hour before ; and indeed, soon after
their arrival, a telegraphic message was received from him
from the next station, asking what troops had reached
Belbeis. The town was requisitioned for food, but Uttle
was obtained, and on the morning of the 14th, after a
cheerless bivouac, the division was again on the march by
the south bank of the canal. A halt of two hours was
made at Syriakus, and General Drury-Lowe then pushed on
for Cairo, which he desired to approach by the desert near
the barracks of Abbassyeh.
On nearing Cairo he formed his small division into two
lines, as its strength was reduced to a portion of the
Indian Cavalry, 4th Dragoon Guards, and Mounted Infantry,
the Household Cavalry, 7th Dragoon Guards, and guns
being in the rear, unable to keep up through the heavy sand.
The advance was made in two lines, echelloned from the right,
and each line itself in echellon of regiments from the right.
The Mounted Infantry led, being thus the right corps of the
first line. In order to make the force look stronger, the
rear rank was put into the same line as the front rank —
a formation called 'rank entire' — and at 4.45 the cavalry
halted about a mile from the great barracks of Abbassyeh,
when General Lowe sent in a flag of truce, under Colonel
Herbert Stewart,* 3rd Dragoon Guards, demanding the
surrender of the barracks and citadel with its garrison. The
view of Cairo from the point presented to the troops, who,
by their rapid march, had saved it from fire and rapine, was
one of extraordinary beauty. The city, with its palaces and
mosques interspersed among gardens, the graceful minarets
* Colonel Stewart was one of those officers whose selection displayed Sir
Garnet Wolseley's remarkable discrimination. He had served under him in
South Africa, and his services during the present war at Kassassin and
Cairo, as Assistant Adjutant-General to the Cavalry Division, fully justified
the good opinion formed of him by Sir Garnet.

448 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELE Y.
soaring into the bright cloudless sky, and the heavy battle
ments of the citadel frowning on the fair landscape at its feet,
is unsurpassed in the East. Titus's address to his soldiers
before Jerusalem, in Milman's noble poem, rise to the mind
as descriptive of the scene on this evening, so fateful for
Cairo. ' There bright and sumptuous palaces,
With cool and verdant gardens interspersed ;
There towers of war, that frown massy strength —
While over all hangs the rich purple eve. '
While Colonel Stewart was occupied settling the terms
with some representatives of the enemy, the sun set, and the
cavalry soldiers lay down, bridle in hand, quite exhausted
with the great heat, and half famished, having had nothing
to eat the whole day. Terms of surrender were at length
arranged with the Egyptian generals, and, soon after, the
Prefect of Cairo arrived and surrendered the citadel and
town. About 10.30 Arabi Pasha and Toulba, who com
manded the Egyptian troops garrisoning Alexandria at the
time of its bombardment, were brought by the Prefect, and
gave up their swords to General Drury-Lowe, who, through
out the difficult negotiations, had displayed equal tact
and firmness. That night the extraordinary spectacle was
witnessed of a strong garrison of horse, foot, and artillery
laying down their arms to a handful of exhausted troopers,
and surrendering a citadel of great strength, mounted with
hea-vy guns.
At 9 p.m., a detachment of 150 troopers of the 4th
Dragoon Guards and Mounted Infantry, under Captains
Lawrence (commanding the latter) and Darley (4th Dragoon
Guards), pUoted by Captain Watson, R.E., of the Intel
ligence Department, the only British officer with the cavalry
who spoke Arabic, quitted Abbassyeh, and, threading
their way past the tombs of the Caliphs, drew up before
the citadel, without passing through the city or attracting
the notice of the people. On arriving at a point opposite the

THE SURRENDER OF THE CITADEL. 449
great gate of Sultan Hussein's mosque, the Uttle band tran
quilly awaited the surrender of the garrison of 6,000 men,
and of the vast citadel whose battlements, bristiing with
guns, frowned defiance upon them. Presently the com
mandant, Yusuf Ali Bey, presented himself, and after a few
words exchanged with the British officer, gave directions for
the evacuation of the fortress. Then took place the astonish
ing spectacle — not the first of the kind in our island story —
of an army surrendering to a handful of Englishmen, around
whose brows shone the reflected might of the resistless array
that won the entrenchments of Tel-el-Kebir. For two hours
the long line of disciplined troops, sullen and silent, defiled
out of the fortress before the conquerors ; and at 12.30 the
last scene in the surrender of the Egyptian capital was
consummated by the British troops, weary and famished
after forty-eight hours passed in the saddle, marching in
through the gate, and taking possession of the citadel.
Before midnight, the rebeUion had collapsed by the surrender
of Arabi Pasha, that famous subject of the Khedive, \he.fons
et origo of the war. A more detailed account of the services
of the several Brigades of the Cavalry Division will be not
inappropriate at this point of the narrative.
At the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, the Cavalry Division, com
manded by General Drury-Lowe, was divided into two
Brigades. The Indian Cavalry Brigade, under Brigadier-
General Wilkinson, forming the first line, consisted of the
2nd and 6th Bengal Cavalry and 13th Bengal Lancers ; and
the second line, composed of the Heavy Brigade, under Sir
Baker Russell, consisted of the three squadrons Household
Cavalry and the 4th and 7th Dragoon Guards. Immediately
after the result of the action was made known to General
Drury-Lowe, he pushed forward the Indian Brigade and the
Mounted Infantry, which seized the lock a few miles above
Tel-el-Kebir; and after a halt of half an hour. General Wilkin-
29

450 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
son started for Belbeis, sixteen miles distant, by the north bank
of the Sweet Water Canal. Crowds of fugitives were passed,
who offered no resistance, but threw away their arms ; and
it was not until within about six miles of Belbeis that shots
were exchanged with a body consisting of some hundreds
of infantry and cavalry, who were dispersed after a smart
skirmish. About noon the Indian Cavalry and Mounted
Infantry entered Belbeis, distant twenty-five mUes from
Kassassin by the route north of Tel-el-Kebir. On his
arrival General WUkinson opened the lock-gates, and let
the water into the lower part of the canal. About five p.m.
General Lowe arrived with the 4th Dragoon Guards, and
at 4.30 on the foUowing morning, he marched with that
regiment and the Mounted Infantry ; the 2nd Bengal Cavalry
and five troops of the 13th Bengal Lancers taking the route
by the south, or desert, bank of the canal. On reaching
Syriakus Lock, about twelve miles from Cairo, General Lowe
halted for two hours, when Brigadier-General Wilkinson not
having arrived, he set out on his march -with the 4th Dragoon
Guards and Mounted Infantry, and diverging to his left,
reached Abbassyeh Barracks, about three and a half mUes
from Cairo, at 4.30 p.m.
Meanwhile, shortly after General Lowe left Belbeis, General
Wilkinson marched with the 6th Bengal Cavalry, one troop
13th Bengal Lancers, and some Mounted Infantry, and
keeping straight along the Sweet Water Canal, arrived during
the night of the 14th at the raUway bridge, some few miles
short of the station. At daybreak on the 15th, under in
structions from General Drury-Lowe, who had arranged for
their surrender, he occupied the railway station and telegraph
office, and remained in possession until ordered by General
Lowe to move out to the Abbassyeh Barracks, a detachment
of the 4th Dragoon Guards afterwards re-occupying the rail
way station. The Heavy Cavalry Brigade, with the guns,

THE SERVICES OF THE CAVALRY. 451
did not arrive at Abbassyeh untU the 15th, marching in the
desert sand being very trying for the stalwart troopers and
their heavy horses.
The gallant services rendered by the Household Cavalry
at the ever-memorable charge of Kassassin on the 28th
August have been the theme of many pens, and with their
dramatic surroundings will form a brilliant page in con
temporaneous miUtary history. The 4th Dragoon Guards
rendered not less distinguished service, and, as we have
seen, was the only regiment of British Cavalry (excluding
the Mounted Infantry) that possessed the staying power to
hold its own with the Indian Cavalry, which was quite at
home in the heated sand ofthe Egyptian desert. The 19th
Hussars, as Divisional Cavalry, were split up throughout
the campaign, providing escorts and holding the line of
communications. On the 13th September a portion of the
regiment was placed, under Brigadier-General Nugent, R.E.,
in charge of the camp, and a squadron, under Major Taylor,
formed, with the battalion of Royal Marine Artillery, the
Reserve, under Sir Garnet Wolseley's personal command.
The services of the 7 th Dragoon Guards were of a more
active description, but nevertheless, this gallant regiment
did not play so conspicuous a part as some of its officers
could have wished.*
* Every regiment of the Cavalry Division, British and Native, has re
ceived a meed of praise except the 7th Dragoon Guards. The Household
Cavalry has been belauded for the briUiant charge at Kassassin, in which
the 7th participated ; and the 4th Dragoon Guards, led by that popular
officer. Major Denne, has received the equally well-merited praises of the
Duke of Cambridge, as the first cavalry regiment to enter Cairo, an honour
it shared with the Mounted Infantry. Nevertheless this gallant regiment
(the old ' Black Horse' ) did well, as the following brief record of its services,
supplied to us by the able and indefatigable Adjutant, Captain de Burgh, wiU
show : ' On the 2Bth August, on the third occasion of our turning out from
our camp at Mahsameh, judging, from the heavy artiUery-fire over the camp
at Kassassin, that the small force there was heavily attacked, about half an
hour before sunset we left the camp in the following order ; First line, four
squadrons 7th Dragoon Guards, followed by N Battery A Brigade Royal
Horse Artillery, and with three squadrons Household Cavalry in support.
On attaining the crest of the ridge over Kassassin, the sun went down ; and
29 — 2

452 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
Captain (now Brevet-Major) R. C Lawrence (5th
Dragoon Guards), who commanded the Mounted Infantry
from the ist of September, gives us the following account of
the movements of this force, which formed the advanced
guard of the Cavalry Division, and, with a detachment of
the 4th Dragoon Guards, received the surrender of the
citadel. 'At the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, the Mounted
Infantry, under my command, consisted of 6 officers, besides
myself, and 130 non-commissioned officers and men, divided
into four troops. At one a.m. on the 13th September, the
Cavalry and Mounted Infantry, with a battery of Royal
Horse Artillery, left Kassassin. Striking off into the desert
at once, and making a considerable detour, we halted about
two miles from, and opposite, the left flank of the enemy's
position at Tel-el-Kebir. Dismounting, we lay down, and
tried to rest beside our horses. We must have been here
for at least an hour and a half At daybreak we mounted
and moved on rapidly, and the Horse ArtiUery, taking up a
shortly the enemy perceived the cavalry in the moonlight advancing, and
turned their guns on us at once. An order was sent to the 7th to open out
from both flanks to enable the Royal Horse Artillery to come into
action ; this they did, supported on the left by the fire of a dismounted
troop of the 7th. When General Lowe sent an order to charge the guns,
the Ilousehold Cavalry came up in the interval made by the 7th for the
Royal Horse Artillery to come into action. Thus the enemy was attacked
with a Une formed by the Household Cavalry in the centre, one squadron
7th on their right, two squadrons 7th on their left, while the fourth squadron
remained as escort to the Royal Horse Artillery. From their central posi
tion, the Household Cavalry got among the enemy's guns. The casualties
of the 7th were Lieutenant Gribble (3rd Dragoon Guards), attnched to the
7th, killed (his body was found on the gth September), 3 men wounded, and
3 horses killed.
' At Tel-el-Kebir, on the 13th, the 7th were engaged in the pursuit of the
enemy, and pushed on to Cairo, viA Belbeis, with the Household Cavalry
and N Battery A Brigade Royal Horse Artillery. We bivouacked in the
desert, nine miles east of Belbeis, on the night of the 13th, and about four
teen miles east of Cairo on that of the 14th, where two squadrons were left
in escort to the battery on the morning of the 15th. The remaining two
squadrons with the Household Cavalry (three squadrons), commanded by
Sir Baker Russell, marched into Cairo at nine a.m. on tlie 15th, the two
other squadrons marching in about two hours later, having been delayed
by a portion of the road having to be repaired to enable the guns to
traverse it.'

SERVICES OF THE MOUNTED INFANTRY. 453

position on some rising ground to our left front, came into
action. During this time we heard the incessant rattle of
musketry, and owing to the partial darkness, could see the
flashes of shells bursting in the air. We now passed in front
of a work on the enemy's extreme left, out of which they ran
on seeing us approaching, and soon came upon hundreds of
Egyptians, many badly wounded, who were walking slowly
across the desert away from us, or in the direction of El
Menair. Those we overtook threw down their arms, but
many of those in the distance turned round and fired shots
at us. General Lowe sent me off to look after these latter,
and I dismounted a couple of troops, who fired two or
three voUeys, and thus stopped this firing on the part of
fugitives. ' General Lowe now moved with the British Cavalry, under
Sir Baker Russell, close up to the rear of Tel-el-Kebir, taking
away one troop of my Mounted Infantry. I went on vfith
the rest, and together with the advanced parties of the
2nd and 13th Bengal Cavalry, the whole under General
Wilkinson, seized the first work (Abu Hamed, I think).
We then pushed on along the north-west side of the canal,
as it branches towards Cairo, riding sometimes in sections
along the bank, sometimes in column of troops along the
open ground between the canal and cultivation. We could
see numbers of fugitives retreating along through the high
growth of millet and cotton covering this irrigated land.
About one and a half mile short of Belbeis about 150 of the
enemy made a short stand behind some heaps of sand on
the desert, or opposite, side of the canal, and opened a sharp
fire on the advanced parties. These dismounted under cover
of our bank (both sides of the canal had a high bank here,
with a path between it and the water-side), and I pushed the
Mounted Infantry under this cover. We replied briskly to
their fire, knocking over a lot of them, and in about ten

454 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
minutes the rest bolted. About 1.30 p.m. we reached
Belbeis, and the Mounted Infantry were established in and
about the lock-keeper's house.
' About five or six p.m.. General Lowe joined us with the
4th Dragoon Guards. I sent a picket to take charge of the
raUway station, and about one a.rn. (14th) was awakened
by Colonel Herbert Stewart, with orders to send back three
trustworthy men with a message to Colonel Ewart to bring
up some guns to join us. At five a.m. we all crossed at the
lock to the desert side of the canal, and advanced on Cairo,
delivering the Khedive's proclamation at the villages on the
way. After going about fifteen miles, we halted for about
fifteen minutes, and then continued our march. At Syriakus
General Lowe bought large supplies of bread and coarse
forage for the troops from the villagers, and we halted in the
shade for an hour. We then turned sharp to our left across
the irrigated land — here about a mile broad — and skirting
outside Birket-el-Hadj (I think), we advanced on Abbassyeh.
About five miles from Cairo, near the ruins of Heliopolis, a
flag of truce was sent in, demanding the surrender of the
city, under Colonel Stewart, whose escort was a detachment
of the Mounted Infantry and 4th Dragoon Guards (I think),
the two Egyptian officers who had accompanied us the whole
way going with us. We then moved slowly on till within
one mile of Abbassyeh.'
Captain Lawrence, the senior cavalry officer of the party
that took possession of the citadel, fully recognised the
dangers of the situation, and is of opinion that had a single
shot been fired on either side, the whole of his small detach
ment must have been massacred. Indeed, it is manifest that
nothing but good management and the bold face he and
Captains Watson and Darley put on matters, averted a
catastrophe. He writes to us as follows of the events of
that night : ' At nine p.m. we left Abbassyeh, and making a

SERVICES OF THE MOUNTED INFANTRY. 455
circuit by the desert road, arrived before the citadel at 10.30,
under the guidance of Captain Watson and an Egyptian
officer, Hussein Bey, who was sent to communicate to the
Governor the order to march out. My men were so utterly
exhausted that they lay down at the heads of their horses,
and when the time came to take possession of the citadel,
some of them had to be kicked up before they could be
aroused. We formed in an open space (between the main
gate and archway, leading through an interior line of wall)
facing inwards, the 4th Dragoon Guards, two squadrons (in
single rank), under Captain Darley, and the Mounted
Infantry (81 men).
' The Egyptian troops (about 6,000 or 7,000) formed by
battalions in the inner barrack-yard, and were marched out
by a smaUer gate in the lower part of the citadel near the
mosque of Sultan Hassan, and leading more directly into
the native town. This was done to avoid any confusion or
possible danger that might have arisen from their passing
our men, it being improbable that they would have quietly
submitted to be turned out had they known our numbers.
On the completion of the evacuation, we proceeded to lock
the gates and place guards over them, two from the Mounted
Infantry and one from the 4th Dragoon Guards. I now
found that the prisoners had been let loose by the departing
Egyptians. Having broken into an armourer's workshop,
they had seized a number of tools and began knocking off
their shackles, they being mostly fastened in couples by long
fetters. With the assistance of two dragoons I drove them
back into then prison, and Captain Watson told them that
anyone attempting to escape would be shot. I considered
this necessary, as some of them had gained possession of
arms which the troops had left lying about. Having got as
many of them as I could see into the two prisons, I placed
a guard of the 4th Dragoon Guards on each, and the prisoners

456 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
gave no further trouble, though they appeared to continue
knocking off their shackles all night.* Watson and the
Egyptian officer now left for Abbassyeh, and I locked the
last gate.
' It was quite dark when we arrived, so that there were
many nooks and corners that had to be explored, I therefore
got a lantern, and went round and about the whole place.
In some places I found stragglers from the Egyptian regi
ments, whom I turned out by the nearest gate ; in others, a
few prisoners whom I confined with the rest. None of these
made any show of opposition, but all were ready to go in
any direction I pointed out to them (with a revolver). As
soon as the Egyptian troops had moved out, the Mounted
Infantry picketed their horses in the open way before referred
to, just inside the main gate, and I sent the 4th Dragoon
Guards into the inner yard. We found a large airty room with
divans round it, apparently some officer's quarters, inside the
inner yard, and here the officers lay down. About three am.
I woke up Lieutenant Hore, ist Stafford Regiment (38th),
one of my officers, who relieved me in patrolling for one
hour. I then called Lieutenant Harrison, nth Hussars
(attached to 4th Dragoon Guards), to do the same for one
hour, and got up again myself at five a.m. At six I saw Ali
Bey about rations for the troops, and he sent for an Egyptian
police official (zaptieh), who got me rations on requisition.
This man told me he knew of Midshipman de Chair's where
abouts in the town, so I sent him off at once to bring him
in, thinking it would be safer to do so. About eight or
nine a.m. young De Chair arrived, looking well and glad to
get back to friends and countrymen. About half-past nine
* ' During the night,' says Captain Lawrence, ' one of the prisoners tried
to escape, but was shot, and, I believe, mortally wounded, by one of my
sentries. I handed him over to a Guards' doctor next morning. Two
other prisoners shackled together were, I believe, injured in trying to escape
by jumping a wall, but neither was killed. Some of the prisoners appeared
to be of the cut-throat class, and others were harmless political offenders.'

DECISIVENESS OF THE VICTORY. 457
or ten a.m. on the foUowing morning (the 15th September),
the Duke of Connaught arrived with the Scots Guards and
relieved me at the citadel, and I marched out to the Kasr-
el-Nil Barracks.'
During the succeeding few days, the Guards arrived from
Benha; also the Highlanders, who had been halted at
Belbeis after quitting Zagazig, and the ArtiUery, General
Graham's Brigade and the Indian Contingent.
If the capture of the Unes of Tel-el-Kebir was a re
markable feat of war, even more extraordinary was the
manner in which the fruits of that victory were reaped by
the successful General, to whom, in his capacity for correctly
estimating the real strength of an enemy, might be applied
the words pronounced by the Roman historian on Hannibal :
'Bene ausus va7ia C07item7iere.'
The cavalry had fought an action and made the distance
of sixty-five mUes in two days,* and if the credit of storming
the entrenchments of Tel-el-Kebir, and capturing 59 guns
and vast quantities of military stores and supplies of all
sorts, belongs almost exclusively to the infantry, to the
mounted branch of the service is due the honour of a
forced march rarely equalled, whether we regard the place
and circumstances under which it was made, or the vast
interests subserved by its accomplishment. The events of
the past forty-eight hours were indeed startling in the
rapidity of the incidents and the dramatic character of the
denouement. Whether we regard the skill of the General,
who placed his men in front of the Unes of the enemy at
the exact moment of time, neither sooner nor later, that
was essential for success, or the gallantry of the troops,
we, as a nation, may echo the words of their leader : ' I
¦*- One troop of the 6th Bengal Cavalry, which only left Ismailia on the
evening of the 12th, were present at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir on the 13th,
and were at Cairo on the following day, eighty-five miles from Ismailia,
not a horse or man having fallen out.

458 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
do not believe that at any previous period of our military
history has the British infantry distinguished itself more
than upon this occasion. I have heard it said of our
present infantry regiments that the men are too young,
and their training for manoeuvring and for fighting and
their powers of endurance are not sufficient for the
requirements of modern war. After a trial of an ex
ceptionally severe kind, both in movement and attack, I
can say emphatically that I never wish to have under my
orders better infantry battalions than those whom I am
proud to have commanded at Tel-el-Kebir.'
The critics who disagree with Sir Garnet Wolseley in his
estimate of the young soldiers who now compose the major
portion of the British army, and contemptuously dub them
' immature boys,' forget that the average service of the victors
of Tel-el-Kebir was five years, while that of the vanquished
at Majuba HUl was seven years. With the Reserve, that
essential and integral part of the short-service system, it
will always be possible in war-time to place any battalion
in an efficient condition by adding as many reserve men as
are necessary to take the places of the recruits. It must be
considered a good test of the efficiency of the new system,
of which Sir Garnet has been so warm an advocate, that,
including the troops on their way to Egypt, 41,000 men
were equipped for service without embodying a single
battalion of MUitia, and with the aid of less than one-
fifth of the Reserves, and Mr. Childers has stated that
' twice that number of efficient soldiers could be des
patched, from this country, leaving an ample force at home,
within a month of the expedition being approved by
ParUament; and this without its being necessary to
embody more than half the Militia, or to obtain any aid
from India' This is certainly a gratifying state of things,
and compares favourably with the condition of the army

RETROSPECT OF THE CAMPAIGN, 459
at the time of the Crimean War, or even ten years
ago. To achieve this great victory,* the losses, though con-
* The following are chief among the officers who conduced to this great
success, with the terms in which they are spoken of by the Commander-in-
Chief :— Sir John Adye, to whom , he says, ' I was indebted, from the beginning
to the termination of this war, for the cordialj loyal, and efficient assistance I
have at all times received from him. His ability as an administrator is well
known to you, and the highest praise I can give him is to say that his soldier
like qualities are fully on a par with his administrative capacity.' Sir Archi
bald Ahson, ' whose services rendered at Alexandria previous to my arrival
are already well known to you. No one could have led his brigade more
gallantly or with greater skill than he did. on the 13th inst., when he showed
it the way into the enemy's intrenchments. Heisboth zealous and capable. '
General Graham, * to whose lot fell the brunt of the fighting throughout the
campaign, and it could not have been in better hands, To that coolness
and gallantry in action for which he has always been well known, he adds
the power of leading and commanding others.' General Drury-Lowe, ' who
commanded the Cavalry Division with great skill and success throughout
the campaign, and I have great pleasure in strongly recommending him to
your favourable consideration. His pursuit ofthe enemy and occupation of
Cairo the day after the battle of Tel-el-Kebir is worthy of every praise. I
believe the preservation of the city is owing to the splendid forced march
made by the cavalry on that occasion.' Brigadier-General Dormer, the
officer second in rank belonging to the Head-Quarter Staff, ' He has had
long and varied experience on the Staffi He thoroughly understands our
army system in all its phases, and adds great tact and judgment to his other
many high military qualities.' Sir Baker Russell, 'whose soldier-like
qualities are so well known that it is unnecessary for me to enlarge upon
them. He is a born cavalry leader. ' Colonel Rollo Gillespie, 'who is a
first-rate Staff-officer.' Colonel Herbert Stewart, 'one of the best Staff-
officers I have ever known, and one whom I feel it will be in the interest of
the army to promote.' Colonel H. S. Jones, commanding the Marines, who
did his duty at all times with zeal and ability.' Brigadier-Generals Wilkinson
and Tanner and Colonels Gerard and Pennington, of the Indian Contingent,
also rendered good services, and were strongly recommended by Sir Herbert
Macpherson. Other excellent officers, favourably mentioned in the despatches
were Colonels Stockwell, Maurice, Swaine, Ewart, Richardson, Wilson,
Stevenson, Macpherson (who led his regiment, the 42nd, at Amoaful as
well as at Tel-el-Kebir), Gregorie, Tuson, and Graham, and Major Denne,
who commanded the 4th Dragoon Guards at Tel-el-Kebir and on the march
to Cairo.
The Railway and Intelligence Departments have already been referred to
in the preceding pages ; and we have also spoken of the services rendered
by Sir Herbert Macpherson, General Earle, Colonels BuUer and Butler, Sir
Owen Lanyon, and the naval officers engaged in the occupation of the Suez
Canal, and the services they and the nav)'^ generally rendered to the army, of
which Sir Garnet Wolseley spoke in no stinted terms. Finally, of the rank
and file the Commander-in-Chief wrote : * It only remains for me to add
how much I feel indebted to the non-commissioned officers and rank and
file, who have borne the trying hardships of this desert campaign without a
murmur, and in the most uncomplaining spirit. Their valour in action and

46o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
siderable, were not near so numerous as Sir Garnet Wolseley
anticipated. The casualties were 9 officers and 48 men
killed, 27 officers (of whom 3 died) and 353 men wounded,
and 22 men missing — giving a grand total of 459 of all
ranks. To his despatch of the 24th September, eulogizing those
officers who had done good work during the campaign,
objection has been taken that every officer holding a pro
minent position, or commanding a corps or battalion, has
been praised ; but in pursuing this course the Commander-
in-Chief only followed precedent. All had done well, and
therefore all received the meed of approval. But whUe
none had fallen below what was expected of them, it is not
difficult to read between the lines of the despatch, and
detect the names of those officers who displayed singular
capacity, or seized opportunities of distinction as they arose.
These are the men to whom the country vyill look in future
emergencies, and hence this despatch possesses a national
interest. Such are, in an exceptional degree. Generals Sir
John Adye, Sir Archibald Alison, Sir Gerald Graham, Sir
D. Drury-Lowe, Sir Evelyn Wood, and Sir Herbert Mac
pherson ; and Colonels Sir Baker Russell, Stewart, BuUer,
GiUespie, Butler, Maurice, and others. The war did not afford
much opportunity for the display of exceptional talent, for the
reason that so perfectly were its contingencies provided for
by the Commander-in-Chief, that the ultimate issues were
not left to chance, or to the interposition of a deus ex machina
in the shape of a general or staff-officer.
Sir Garnet Wolseley has always recommended himself to
the favour of the EngUsh public by the economy with which
he has conducted the expeditions under his command, un
like some distinguished commanders, who have displayed a
discipline in quarters have shown them to be worthy successors of those
gallant soldiers who, in former days, raised the reputation of England to a
very high position among nations.'

THE EGYPTIAN WAR BILL. 461
lordly indifference to financial considerations. As we have
seen, the entire charge for the Red River Expedition was
;^8o,ooo, and of this John Bull only paid out of his pocket
one-fourth. The Ashantee War was conducted at a cost of
;^9oo,ooo. Even more remarkable is the economy dis
played in the conduct of the Egyptian Campaign. AVhen we
consider that 33,000 men proceeded to the seat of war
up to the 14th September, and that 41,000 were despatched
from this country and India, the English taxpayer must
have regarded with feeUngs of dismay the fiscal prospects
before him. But having regard to the vast European
and Asiatic interests that have been safe-guarded — -on the
one hand our road to India and the far East, and on the
other the re-establishment of the prestige of this country
throughout the world as a power that will do more than
bluster and talk when its vital interests are concerned — the
actual cost to the nation of the expedition down to the
ist of October, when the state of war was succeeded by an
armed occupation, has been only ^3,360,000.* This is
exclusive of the charge for the Indian Contingent, which
was estimated at ;^ 1,880,000, but has only reached
;!£"i, 140,000. Thus the total cost of the war has been
^^4,500,000, exactly half of that of the Abyssinian Expedi
tion, though the number of troops landed in one case was
only 12,000, and in the other 33,000. This economy in
expenditure, which forms so striking a feature in the expe
ditions conducted by the subject of this memoir, is, of
course, chiefly due to the rapidity with which he has con-
* The vote of credit taken on 25th July was for _i^2,3oo,ooo : War Office,
^^900,000; Admiralty, including Transport, ^r, 400. 000. This vote on
account is thus increased by only /'r,o6o,ooo, made up by War Office
charges ,^750,000, and Admiralty ^3ro,ooo. The charge for the Indian
Contingent, borne in the first instance iDy the Indian Government, will be
adjusted at a later date between it and the Home Government.
From the ist October the extra charge for the pay and maintenance of
the Army of Occupation — in the above account are included only the special
allowances, and the whole extra charge connected with the war — will be
borne entirely, or chiefly, by the Egyptian Exchequer.

462 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
ducted the military operations — seven weeks from the date
of the vote of credit, and four weeks to the day from his
landing at Alexandria ; but it is also owing to the intimate
knowledge he possesses of the requirements of war as waged
in the four quarters of the globe, and his unequalled mastery
of the administrative detaUs of the several departments of
the complicated miUtary machine in Pall Mall.
The British Government instituted a medal in honour of
the Egyptian War, to be granted to all troops who served in
that country between July i6th and September 14th, with
clasps for Alexandria and Tel-el-Kebir. The decorations
and rewards to officers were conferred in accordance with
Sir Garnet Wolseley's recommendations, and it cannot be
said that they were given on an illiberal scale. The officers
of the army received one G.C.B., ten K.C. B.'s, and fifty-six
CB.'s ; also one KCSL, one K.C.M.G., and two C.M.G.'s.
Sir Garnet Wolseley was created a peer, with the title of
Lord Wolseley of Cairo, and a pension, and was promoted to
the rank of General, ' for distinguished service in the field /
Sir Archibald Alison was made a Lieutenant-General, and
Brigadier-General Hon. J. Dormer, Deputy-Adjutant-General,
a Major-General. In the combatant branch sixty-two Majors
were promoted to Brevet Lieutenant-Colonels, and forty-three
Captains to Brevet-Majorities. Eighteen officers in the
non-combatant branches received promotion ; and Brigade-
Surgeon R. W. Jackson, C.B., who served on Sir Garnet's
Staff as medical attendant in South Africa as well as in
Egypt, was knighted. Seven officers were made Aides-de-
Camp to the Queen, with the rank of Colonel ; and three
— Brigadier-General Goodenough, R.A., Colonel StockweU,
C.B., Seaforth Highlanders (who had served with his regi.
ment in Afghanistan, under Sir Frederick Roberts, and com
manded it, on the death of Colonel Brownlow, at the battle
of Candahar), and Colonel D. Macpherson, C.B., Royal

REWARDS TO THE ARMY. 463
Highlanders (who had commanded the regiment at Amoa
ful) — were awarded a distinguished-service pension. The
prodigality with which rewards were given in this and recent
campaigns affords a contrast to the niggardliness of a
previous generation. Lord Wolseley's early career offers a
case in point. After serving in the Burmese War, where he
headed a storming party and was severely wounded; and
throughout the siege of Sebastopol, where he was again
severely wounded, and was as often under fire in the trenches
as any officer in the British army, and was specially men
tioned in despatches by Lord Raglan — for these services
he received neither promotion, nor brevet, nor any other
reward. Sir Garnet Wolseley * received at the hands of the Khedive
the Grand Cross of the Turkish Order of the Osmanieh ;
and a distribution was made of the five different grades of
this Order and of the Medjidie to every officer of rank, and
to one field-officer, one captain, and one subaltern of each
corps and battery. His Highness also followed the example
of the British Government, and instituted a medal for the
Egyptian Campaign, in silver for the officers, and copper for
the men.
Sir Garnet Wolseley, on his arrival at Cairo on the 15 th
September, in company with the Duke of Connaught, took
up his quarters, with his Staff, in the Abdeen Palace, which
was placed at his disposal by the Khedive. One of his
first acts was to issue a general order to his troops in the
following terms : ' The General Commanding-in-Chief con
gratulates the army upon the briUiant success which has
crowned its efforts in the campaign terminated on the 14th
* The notables of Cairo have recently presented Lords Wolseley and
Alcester vrith magnificent swords, subscribed by, and presented in the name
of, the nation. The value of these weapons, which are of ancient manu
facture, and were worn by famous Sultans of Turkey, is stated to be ;,f 3,500.
The notables have also presented General Drury-Lowe with a costly pair of
pistols.

464 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
inst. by the surrender of the citadel of Cairo and of Arabi
Pasha, the chief rebel against the authority of his Highness
the Khedive. In twenty-five days the army has effected a
disembarkation at IsmaUia ; has traversed the desert to
Zagazig ; has occupied the capital of Egypt ; and has for
tunately defeated the enemy four times — on August 24th, at
Magfar ; on the 25th, at Tel-el-Mahouta ; on September 9th,
at Kassassin; and, finally, on September 13th, at Tel-el-
Kebir — where, after an arduous night-march, it inflicted
upon him an overwhelming defeat, storming a strongly en
trenched position at the point of the bayonet, and capturing
all his guns, about sixty in number. In recapitulating the
events which have marked this short and decisive campaign,
the General Commanding in-Chief feels proud to place upon
record the fact that these miUtary achievements are to be
attributed to the high military courage and noble devotion
to duty which have animated all ranks under his command.
Called upon to show discipline under exceptional privations,
to give proof of fortitude in extreme toil, and to show con
tempt of danger in battle, general officers, officers, non-com
missioned officers, and men of the army, have responded
with alacrity, adding another chapter to the long roll of
British victories.'
In spite of the complete overthrow of Arabi and the cause
he represented, the lower orders of Cairo were insolent in
their bearing, and, on the 23rd, Sir Garnet directed the whole
Cavalry Division* to march through the city to impress on
the people the reality of the change of masters. Mean
whUe the effects of the great victory achieved at Tel-el-
Kebir were becoming apparent in the surrender of the
fortified places on the coast, and the submission of the
* The loss of troop-horses during the Egyptian Campaign was excep
tionally heavy, considering its brief duration. The Household Cavalry lost
90 horses, being 30 per squadron ; the 7th Dragoon Guards lost 72 ; the
19th Hussars, 50 ; the Horse Artillery, 96 ; and the 4th Dragoon Guards,
which marched over 70 miles in 48 hours, without unsaddling , 267 horses.

COMPLETE SUBMISSION OF EGYPT. 465
rebel chiefs who, lately the servUe tools of Arabi, now
cringed at the feet of the Khedive. The conduct of the
notables and priests was as subservient to the triumphant
Khedive as it had lately been to the . Colonel of Infantry
who had usurped his functions, and of whom they now pro
fessed, in words applied by his quondam sycophants to
Sejanus, commander of the Prjetorian Guard of Tiberius,
' Nmiquaiti, mihi credis, amavi hutic hominetn.'
The forts at Aboukir were evacuated and occupied, but
Abdelal, the coinmander in Arabi's interest at Damietta, re
fused to surrender, and Sir Evelyn Wood proceeded with
some troops to attack the forts, which the fleet was directed
to bombard. However, Abdelal discovered the hopeless
ness of resistance when his men refused to obey him and
deserted in great numbers, and, on the 23rd September, he
surrendered himself to the British General at Kafr-el-Battikh,
a station five miles from Damietta, and by noon the forts
and city were occupied by British troops. The services of
Sir Evelyn Wood and the 4th Brigade should not be over
looked in this brief retrospect of the Egyptian War, for not
only did they receive the surrender of Damietta and the
large force entrenched behind the lines at Kafr-Dowar, but
they kept at bay, and prevented from swelling the ranks of
Arabi, probably not less than 30,000 of his best troops.
On the 25th September the Khedive, accompanied by Sir
E. Malet and his ministers, arrived at Cairo from Alexandria
Preparations were made on a grand scale for his reception.
The streets, which were densely crowded, were lined with
troops, and, on his alighting at the station, a salute was fired,
and the band of the Grenadier Guards played ' God save
the Queen.' Sir Garnet Wolseley and the Duke of Con
naught received his Highness, who, having warmly expressed
his thanks to the General who had restored him to the throne,
entered his carriage in company with the Prince, Sir Garnet
30

466 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
and Sir E. Malet, and drove to the IsmaUia Palace, where he
decorated Sir Garnet with the Grand Cross of the Osmanieh.
How different were the circumstances under which, on the
1 2th of July, he quitted his capital, with Arabi sitting in the
carriage by his side to protect him from the very people
who now cheered and iUuminated in his honour !
On the following day the Khedive held a reception of
British officers, the Diplomatic body, and natives — the latter
crowding in numbers greater than was ever known before, some
4,000 being present. Sir Garnet was unable to be present
owing to his being laid up with iUness, caused by catching
cold when visiting the Pyramids ; but, under the watchful
care of his friend and medical attendant. Dr. Jackson, he
was able to resume his duties in a few days, and, on ist
October, reviewed his magnificent army of 18,000 men and
60 guns, in presence of the Khedive. The Abdeen Square,
in which the review was held, had been the arena of a far
different scene when, on the 9th October in the preceding
year, Arabi — who now witnessed the stirring mUitary spectacle
from a window in his prison-house in the square — with 4,000
men, enforced his own terms on Tewfik, besieged in the
palace whence his wife and family were now watching the
march of the soldiers who had replaced him on the throne.
The troops, now that they were no longer kept up by the
excitement of active service, began to suffer from the effects
of the hardships they had undergone, and the unhealthy
climate.* The greater portion of the force was necessarily
* The entries into hospital from the time of the landing at Ismailia to the
25th October, a few days after Sir Garnet quitted Cairo, were, out of a
total of 25,092 officers and men, 462 wounded and 7,038 sick. The follow
ing is a hst of the military ofiicers kiUed and died from wounds and the
climate in the Egyptian Expedition : Colonel Beasley, 87th ; Lieutenant-
Colonel Balfour, Grenadier Guards ; Major Strong, Captain Wardell, and
Lieutenants Coke, Hickman, Colvin, IVtarshah, and Parkinson, Royal
Marines ; Major Colville and Lieutenants Kays and Somervell, 74th ;
Captain Baynes and Lieutenant Brooks, 75th ; Lieutenant Bayly, and
Dragoon Guards (attached to 7th Dragoon Guards) ; Lieutenant Gribble,
3rd Dragoon Guards ; Lieutenant Weyland, ist Life Guards ; Captain Jones,

GENERAL ORDER BY SIR GARNET. 467
encamped around Cairo, on sandy soil, with dust-storms all
day, and fogs from the river at night. The Abbassyeh and
Abdeen Barracks were found in such a condition of inde
scribable filth that, until they were cleansed, a process which
took some weeks, they could not be occupied. With the
exception of the Guards, which encamped in front of the
Abdeen Barracks, and occupied the citadel, the infantry
were stationed in the Island of Boolak, and the cavalry and
artillery at Abbassyeh.
As Her Majesty's Government decided to reduce the
army of occupation to 12,000 men, the expeditionary force
was broken up ; and on the 4th of October, Sir Garnet
issued the following general order to the troops : ' The
army in Egypt being broken up, and about to separate, the
Commander-in-Chief wishes to thank all ranks for the
manner in which they have done their duty during the
war. After the crowning success of Tel-el-Kebir, he
had the pleasure of thanking them for their endurance,
courage, and gallantry in the field. To these high military
virtues the troops have since added steadiness of conduct in
garrison, have maintained the character of the distinguished
regiments to which they belong, and shown the people of
Cairo that Her Majesty's soldiers, British and Indian, are
as conspicuous for their good behaviour in camp and quar
ters as they had already proved themselves gaUant troops
before the enemy. Her Majesty has every reason to be
proud of the soldiers who have served in Egypt, and in her
name and on her behalf he thanks them for their valour and
discipline. For himself. Sir Garnet Wolseley begs to assure
them that he will ever remember and prize to the utmost the
88th ; Lieutenant Howard-Vyse, 6oth Rifles ; Lieutenants McNeiU, Graham-
Stirling, and Park, 42nd ; Lieutenant Pirie, 92nd ; Captain Doyle, 2nd
Dragoon Guards (A.D.C. to Sir H. Macpherson) ; Lieutenant Peters, nth ;
and Surgeon-Major Shaw, Army Medical Department.
30—2

468 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
fact that he had the honour and good fortune to command
them in this short campaign.' With reference to the disci
pline, steadiness and good conduct of the army under his
command, it should be noted that this was the first occasion
in which a British general was called upon to maintain
discipline in an army in the field without recourse to the
lash. As regards their good conduct in quarters, Sir Garnet
has since stated that, during his stay in Cairo, which ex
tended over six weeks, he did not see a single drunken
soldier — truly a remarkable testimony to the sobriety and
discipline of the army under his control.
The Commander-in-Chief, during his stay, was busy review
ing brigades and regiments, inspecting hospitals, visiting the
unequaUed mosques and edifices of this famous Oriental city,
and attending fetes and banquets in his honour. Of these, the
entertainment given on the 17th of October, by the Sheikh-i-
Bikri, carried off the palm for interest, and the scene re
sembled the descriptions we read of the fetes that rendered
memorable the reign over Baghdad of ' the good Caliph
Haroun-al-Raschid.' The narrow lanes leading to the
Sheikh's palace, which those who have visited this most
picturesque of Eastern cities will remember, were converted
into long arcades, ablaze with lights, and spanned by tri
umphal arches, and the old palace, with its courtyard and
gardens, was illuminated with Oriental taste and profusion.
The only contretemps that happened during Sir Garnet's
stay in Cairo was the great fire at the railway station, sup
posed to be the work of incendiaries, when a vast amount
of ammunition and stores was destroyed.
One other occurrence is worthy of chronicle, and that was
the grand parade, on the 5th of October, ofthe British troops,
in honour of the ' holy carpet,' annually sent to decorate the
Kaaba at Mecca, held in the presence of the Khedive and
the principal British officers. Much discussion arose in the

SIR GARNET QUITS EGYPT. 469
Press, and questions were asked in the House of Commons,
regarding the salute given by British troops on that oc
casion ; but, as explained in a memorandum by Sir Garnet
Wolseley, the honour had not been paid to the carpet, but
to the howdah, or litter, which is supposed to represent the
Sultan, and received the same salute as is paid to the
Queen's colours.
On the I oth of October, Sir Garnet Wolseley reviewed
the Guards' Brigade, now reduced to 1,400 bayonets ; after
which he addressed a few words to the Duke of Connaught
and the Colonels of the three battaUons. On the following
day, he received a farewell visit from the Khedive, who reite
rated his unbounded thanks; and at eleven p.m. the same
night, left for Alexandria, on his return to England. AU
the Egyptian ministers, the Duke of Connaught, and the
British Generals and Staff were present at the station to
see him off, and as the train moved out, the august assemblage
gave ' Three cheers for Sir Garnet. '
On arriving near the lines of Kafr-Dowar, on the foUowing
morning, the Commander-in-Chief got out of the raUway
carriage and examined the formidable works constructed
with such labour by Arabi. On the following day he in
spected the four regiments composing the garrison of Alex
andria, and, on the 2 ist of October, saUed in H.M.'s despatch
vessel. Iris, for Trieste, nine weeks and two days after landing
at that port with the arduous Egyptian military problem to
solve. It was truly a wonderful retrospect, to look back at the
relative positions of Arabi and the Khedive then and now,
and to consider the vast change that had come over the
poUtical world, not only of Cairo and Constantinople, but of
London and Paris, and of every Court in Europe ; for it is
certain that the consequences of the victory of Tel-el-Kebir
will exercise a momentous, and perhaps permanent, change

470 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
in the relations of the Great Powers as regards the Eastern
Question, no less than on the well-being of the Egyptian
people. Sir Garnet Wolseley was received with special honour by
the Austrian military authorities at Trieste, and a large crowd
assembled to see him depart, a special carriage being placed
at his disposal by the railway company. Travelling direct
to Paris, he landed in England on Saturday, the 28th of
October. He received an enthusiastic reception at Dover,
where he was met by Lady Wolseley and his daughter, and
was presented with an address by the Mayor and Corpora
tion. In his reply he expressed his pleasure on being thus
greeted on his return home, and added, ' I hope the time
may never come when I shall have the vanity and self-
conceU to make me bUnd to the fact that for this honour I
am indebted to the valour, the endurance, and the high
state of discipline of that army of which I have recently had
the command in Egypt.' On alighting at Charing Cross
RaUway Station, the successful soldier received the con
gratulations of numerous friends, including the Duke of
Cambridge and Mr. Gladstone, and great crowds of his
countrymen assembled to welcome him. In obedience to
the Queen's command, SU Garnet left London on the foUow
ing day for Balmoral, and, after a most gratifying reception
by Her Majesty, returned to town, receiving both going and
coming a popular ovation at Perth, Aberdeen, and other
places where he was recognised. Immediately on arriving in
town, on the ist November, he proceeded to the War Office
and resumed his duties as Adjutant-General of the forces
from that date.
The thanks of the Legislature have always been regarded
as among the most coveted distinctions conferred on a suc
cessful Commander, and Sir Garnet Wolseley and his brave
army had no cause to complain of the terms in which, on the

THE THANKS OF PARLIAMENT. 47 r
26th of October, the leaders of the great parties in the State
conveyed their appreciation of their services to him and his
army. Lord Granville gave a concise sketch of the cam
paign, and Lord Salisbury enlarged on Sir Garnet's 'peculiar
and characteristic genius — namely, a vast and most accurate
knowledge of detaU' — while the Duke of Cambridge exposed
the fallacy, if it required exposing, that attributed delay to
him in advancing from IsmaiUa after seizing the Sweet Water
Canal. But Mr. Gladstone's speech in the Lower House was, as
might be anticipated, the most complete exposition of the
war, and the most eloquent panegyric of the Commander.
In describing the change of base, he spoke of his possessing
the virtue ' of keeping his own counsel, thus throwing off
the scent the prying eyes which do so much to entertain the
public, and sometimes to perplex or even disturb the action
of a General.' In speaking of his wise determination to
delay his final attack when, on the 9th September, he could
have made it ' with a moral assurance of victory,' the Prime
Minister said : ' There are some victories which are nothing
more than the commencement and the inauguration of pro
longed struggles. There are other victories which in them
selves at once assure the consummation of the great work
which the General has in hand ; and it was the wise delay
of Sir Garnet Wolseley, and his determination, whatever
storm of criticism might come upon him, not to stir and not
to touch the enemy till he could effectually crush him, and
attain at once the objects of the war, — it was that quality
which caused Sir Garnet Wolseley to wait until he had such
a force at his command, untU he was able to throw forward
right and left such a strength of cavalry for the purpose of
surrounding the defeated enemy that he might perform that
great operation I will describe in the single phrase of con
verting a victory into a conquest.' That phrase, ' converting

472 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
a victory into a conquest,' conveys with epigrammatic terse
ness the feature that places this campaign among the most
remarkable in modern times. Finally, Mr. Gladstone dwelt
on the great characteristic of the assault on Tel-el Kebir, —
that it was effected with a smaller loss of life than could
have been anticipated, considering the strength of the works
and the numerical superiority of the enemy. In the words
of Shakespeare, from whom an apt quotation can be drawn
for any and every contingency of thought and action, ' A
victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full
numbers.' Dwelling on this happy circumstance, one for
which many households in the United Kingdom wUl bless
'the achiever' with more heartiness than for any of the other
military qualities he displayed, the orator added : ' Sir
Garnet Wolseley will feel the consolation in his life and in
his death that the fulness of those numbers was not owing to
accident or to the weakness of the enemy, but to a deUberate
and well-laid combination — a skilful comparison of means to
ends, a judicious arrangement of every step of his measures,
and the realization in actual experience of all that he had
planned.'* A sword of honour was voted to Sir Garnet Wolseley by the
* A noteworthy feature in this campaign — to which we drew attention in
a professional journal on the formation of the Staff of the Expeditionary
Army, and to which reference has been made by Lord Wolseley in a speech
since his return to this country — was the selection of officers of the Royal
Artillery and Royal Engineers for high commands and important posts on
the Staff. It has never been the custom in the British army, though it is
common enough in India and in all Continental armies, for officers of these
branches of the service to command divisions and brigades ; but in the ex
pedition to Egypt Sir John Adye, the second in command, and Sir E.
Hamley, commanding a division, were artillerymen, and General Graham,
who commanded what Lord Wolseley termed ' the fighting brigade,' as it
bore the brunt of the work, belonged to the corps of Engineers. Moreover,
of 25 officers on the Headquarter Staff, 12 were in the Artillery or Engineers.
In India some of the most successful commanders of armies belonged to
the ' scientific ' corps, including Sir George Pollock, Sir John Whish, Sir
Archdale Wilson, Lord Napier of Magdala, and Sir Frederick Roberts ;
and had the rule that obtained until lately in the British service regulated
that of France, the great Napoleon himself would never have risen beyond
the grade of Divisional General of Artillery.

WOLSELEY AND REGIMENTAL OFFICERS. 473
Corporation of London — the second he had received from
the same body; and dinners and receptions were given in his
honour by the Duke of Cambridge, the Prime Minister, and
the Secretaries for War and India. He was also entertained
at a banquet by the members of the United Service Club,
at which were present the Prince of Wales and the Dukes
of Edinburgh, Connaught, and Cambridge. When replying
to the toast of his health, he took the opportunity to explain
that he had been misunderstood in the views attributed to
him regarding our regimental system, since the pubUcation
of his article in the Nineteetith Century ; and added, ' that
but for the regimental officers, and the way the men were
led by them, the success of Tel-el-Kebir could never have
been achieved, and that it was his knowledge of and faith in
the regimental officers and their men that induced him to
plan such an attack.' That an opinion should have been
generaUy entertained that one who gained his first steps on
the ladder of fame in Burmah and India by his services as
a regimental officer, could have been capable of maligning
the class, was due to the malevolence of his detractors ; for
his published ' Soldier's Pocket-Book ' is witness that it had
no claim to credence. In this work he writes : ' The issue
of every fight depends upon the infantry, and their conduct
depends upon the company officers, who, of all others, are
the most important men in any army. At that final mo
ment of actual conflict the result is in their hands. Drawn
from the gentry of England, their courage has never been
impugned, even by the most Radical of newspapers. Hence,
in a great measure, our unvarying success in infantry and
cavalry charges.' That under the old system of purchase
there were officers who bought a commission in the army
without any intention of remaining in it as a profession, but
merely as a passport to society, or a gentlemanly way of passing
a few years until coming into the family estate, and that some

474 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
such even yet exist, especially in the Household troops, we
fancy few will have the temerity to deny.
A fitting sequel to the Egyptian campaign was the review^
on the I Sth November, of the troops who had returned
from the seat of war. Londoners wUl not soon forget the
briUiant spectacle, and, indeed, no miUtary pageant at once
so interesting and splendid as the triumphal procession
through the streets of 8,000 men of all arms and branches
of the service, and 36 guns, has been seen in the metropo
lis in this generation, if ever.* The scene — as Her Majesty,
accompanied by the Princes of her house and the Com
mander who had illustrated her reign by his martial deeds,
and now for the last time commanded the soldiers who had
so faithfuUy obeyed his behests, arrived on the parade-ground
at the Horse Guards, when the fog Ufted as though by magic,
like the curtain at a theatrical performance — was one never to
be forgotten ; but in interest it was eclipsed by the procession
through the crowded streets of the soldiers who had swarmed
over the ramparts of Tel-el-Kebir, and compeUed the sur
render of Cairo.t So much has been said ofthe immaturity
* The only scene of a similar character witnessed in this century was in
1814, when the Prince Regent, accompanied by the allied Sovereigns,
reviewed, in Hyde Park, a portion of the troops who had served at Water
loo, including the Household Cavalry, who formed so conspicuous a
feature of the display of 1882.
t The fohowing general order to the troops was issued by command of
the Queen after the review : ' His Royal Highness the Field-Marshal
Commanding-in-Chief has received the Queen's command to convey to
General Sir Garnet Wolseley, G.C.B. , G.C.M.G., and the officers, non
commissioned officers, and men of all branches of the expeditionary force.
Her Majesty's admiration of their conduct during the recent campaign, in
which she has great satisfaction in feeling that her son, Major-General his
Royal Highness, the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, took an active
part. The gallantry displayed by the well-organized contingent of her
Indian army and by the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery, as well as by her
sailors and Marines, has not failed to attract Her Majesty's attention. The
troops of all ranks, in the face of obstacles of no ordinary character, have
shown a marked devotion to duty. For a time without shelter in the desert,
under a burning sun , in a climate proverbially adverse to Europeans, their
courage and discipline were nobly maintained throughout, and to this,
under brave and experienced leaders, may be attributed the success which
has distinguished this campaign. IThe defeat of the enemy in every en
gagement, including the brilliant cavalry charge at Kassassin, culminated

SIR GARNET RAISED TO THE PEERAGE. 475
of our soldiers, that no little surprise was evinced by the
spectators of the stately show at the stalwart appear
ance of the men whose years apparently averaged from
twenty-one to twenty-seven — an age than which Count von
Moltke wrote, ' I could not desire anything better,' for
such a battalion ' has sufficient age for stamina.' The crowd
who came to see what manner of men were they who had
overrun the land of the Pharaohs in a few weeks, went
away satisfied that the soldiers for whose maintenance
they paid taxes had not deteriorated in physique from the
standard of those who, twenty-six years before, received an
equally enthusiastic welcome from their countrymen on their
return from the Crimea. The campaign served the useful
purpose of testing the efficiency of the army under the new
system of short-service soldiers, and it must be allowed by
all candid critics that, on the whole, it came well out of the
ordeal. On the 20th of November, Sir Garnet Wolseley was
^ created a Peer of the United Kingdom, by the title of
' Lord Wolseley of Cairo, and of Wolseley in the county of
Stafford,' the ancestral seat of the family; thus, though the
surname, so well known to his countrymen, has not been
merged in the title — the familiar prefix, ' Sir Garnet,' has
ceased to be borne by him. On the 22nd, his lordship
proceeded to Windsor, ' kissed hands ' on being raised to
the peerage, and, in company with about 350 officers and
men of all ranks of the army and navy, who had served in
Egypt, including the detachment of the Indian Contingent,
in the action of Tel-el-Kebir, in which, after an arduous night-march, his
position was carried at the point of the bayonet, his guns were captured,
and his whole army, notwithstanding its great numerical superiority, was
completely dispersed. It is, therefore, with the greatest gratification that
His Royal Highness conveys Her Majesty's welcome to the troops whom
it washer pleasure to review on the i8th instant, and His Royal Highness,
at the same time, has to express Her Majesty's thanks to the entire force
for the brave and exemplary conduct displayed by all, individually and
collectively, during the campaign. '

476 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
received, at the hands of Her Majesty, the Egyptian War
Medal, the massed bands of the 2nd Life Guards and
Coldstreams playing ' See the conquering Hero comes,'
as the Sovereign pinned the medal on his breast. On this
occasion the Queen addressed the recipients of the medals
in the following terms : ' I have summoned you here to-day,
to confer upon you the well-earned medals commemorative
of the short and brilliant, although arduous, campaign, in
which all have done their duty with courageous and un
daunted devotion. Tell your comrades that I thank them
heartUy for the gallant services they have rendered to their
Queen and country, and that I am proud of my soldiers
and sailors, who have added fresh glories to the victories
won by their predecessors.'
A distinguished officer who has served on his Staff, writes
to us of the characteristics of Lord Wolseley : " What I ob
served chiefly was his extraordinary power of imparting con
fidence to all around him, and also the influence that he
can exercise to win over the most cantankerous of mortals. I
have known old colonels more than once, who had never before
seen him, who were jealous of his success, and whose bristles
were all up, come out after an interview with their prejudices
shaken, and added to his devoted admirers. His power and
rapidity of doing business is also, as you no doubt know well,
one of his greatest traits. When another man would be
fussy and solemn, he will be chatty and amusing, and even
renders the most dry of official details interesting by his re
marks. Official document after official document may come
under his notice with a ' Yes,' or a ' No,' or an ' AU
right ' for an answer ; but no sooner is a knotty point
raised than he seems to grasp at once the bearings of the
case without an effort. His freedom from any sort of pre
judice is also remarkable in a profession which is full of it.
' In South Africa, taken generally, what I noticed chiefly

REMINISCENCES OF LORD WOLSELEY. ^77
was the change that came over the soldiers after his arrival.
It is not too much to say, that in the Zulu War great portions
of the army were really almost demoralized, and the very
name of a Zulu was enough to make them rush behind the
nearest waggon. The same men, but a month or two after
wards, thought themselves individually equal to 50 natives,
and in the operations against Secocoeni exhibited this in a
marked degree. Lord Wolseley's determination was also
very great. Upon one occasion he determined to ride to
Newcastle from Prastoria ; he used troopers only. He left
Prsetoria at seven a.m., and reached Heidelburg, fifty-six miles,
a little before one p.m. Pushing on from here, he was caught
in aviolent thunderstorm, arriving at the next stage, McHatty's,
eighteen miles, drenched through and through. Although the
storm had not ceased, he endeavoured to push on from here,
with a result that he lost his way in the veldt, and was
wandering in rain and darkness until two a.m. the following
day. At six a.m. he was away again with a very simUar day to
follow, determined to arrive at Newcastle as he had arranged.
I attribute the rising ofthe Boers, in the winter of 1880, very
much to the influence of his absence. During the whole
time he was at Praetoria he held them comfortably in check.
Their chances of success were great, and the position would
have been awkward had they risen when Sir Garnet was en
route to Secocoeni, but his influence was quite sufficient to
restrain them.
' In Egypt, the day that struck me most, or rather where
his individuality had the greatest play, apart from Tel-el-
Kebir, was the 24th August. Starting in the morning to
make a small reconnoissance, he came upon the Egyptians
in considerable strength. As their numbers developed and
their guns came into play, as their irregulars threatened our
flank, and their main body formed up, apparently to come on,
I believe that nine men out of ten would have thought how

478 LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
to retire judiciously. I remember so well his expression at
the time when things looked worst : "I shall turn their left
flank and roll them into the canal." The late arrival of rein
forcements, owing to the heat of the march, prevented his
doing this on that day eventually ; but I shall never forget the
sublime confidence of the man under the circumstances, a
confidence that had a great influence — in my opinion, the
very greatest — on the course of the campaign.'
As has been said of him, the three chief characteristics of
Lord Wolseley are — ' dash, discretion, and foresight.' A
singular similarity may be traced in the successes he has
achieved — the same careful elaboration of plan, with a rapid
execution that gives no time for rallying or a prolonged resist
ance. Thus it was in the brief campaign against Secocoeni,
when the night-march preceded the attack at daybreak. The
advance on Coomassie affords an even more striking instance,
and a passage in his despatch of the 13th of February, 1874,
summing up the results of the war, might almost have been
written of the recent campaign. ' Our success,' he writes,
' does not lie merely in our having defeated the enemy's
army and occupied his capital, but in our having thoroughly
established in this kingdom a wholesome fear of the British
power, and a knowledge of the advantages of an alliance
with Her Majesty.'
Remarkable as have been the achievements of Lord Wol
seley's career, his last was the most striking of all. MUitary
opinion is unanimous that the conception and execution of
the plan for the capture of the lines of Tel-el-Kebir stamp
the originator as a soldier of genius. Such competent critics
as Baker Pasha and Colonel von Hagenau, the German
officer attached to the Headquarters of the British Army in
Egypt, who have studied the ground marched and fought
over, have expressed an opinion that the method of attack
adopted was at once the most bloodless for the assailants.

MERITS OF WOLSELEY'S STRATEGY. 479
and the most certain to be decisive that could have been
delivered.* The plan was not less unique than daring, and
the abiUty with which it was carried into execution proclaimed
the hand of the master-workman skilled in the use of the
tools placed at his disposal. The very completeness of the
success has tended to lessen the credit due to the Com
mander, and the writers who spoke despondingly of the
difficulties of the campaign are the same men who later
wrote disparagingly of its merits.
Had Lord Wolseley carried the lines of Tel-el-Kebir after a
sanguinary struggle, the measure of his success and the great
ness of the victory would, in the eyes of such critics, have
been guaged by the extent of his losses. But in this instance,
as throughout his career, his object was to effect his purpose
with as Uttle effusion of blood as possible, and he was suc
cessful where a general of inferior skill would have suffered
heavy loss. Had the surprise not been complete, and the
arrangements perfect, the intrenchments could not have
been carried without great slaughter ; and indeed the issue
was doubtful in the opinion of many experienced officers,
and no one anticipated success without a heavy casualty-
roll. The selection of the plan of attack was only deter
mined after much careful consideration, and on observing
several days in succession that the enemy's outposts
were withdrawn during the night, and only posted after
* An officer who traversed the field writes : ' I think the more we inquire
into the conditions under which Sir Garnet Wolseley was obliged to act,
the more his admirable tactical foresight will strike us, and the greater will
be our admiration for his exceeding sidll, both as a cautious, careful leader,
and a bold and rapid strategist, What he wanted, above aU things, to
effect was the complete destruction of Arabi's army, involving the safety
of Cairo, and the utter collapse of all defensive schemes at Kafr Dowar,
Aboukir, and Damietta. I declare to you, as I rode over the desert, and
tried to conjure up the night-march, the silent, fireless bivouac, the advance
in the early hours ere dawn, and then the terrible rush on the startled
enemy, I was filled with a, sort of awe at the audacity and wonder at the
success of the enterprise. Did any General before this, in all your reading,
think of directing the march of his army on the enemy by the stars of
heaven ?'

48o LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.
daybreak. From his great experience of warfare with
many and varied nationalities, he knew that a sudden
attack at night on an unprepared army, even if made by
a small body of men, offered a favourable opportunity for
delivering a blow. But this blow, to be decisive, must
be struck at dawn ; and his familiarity with the difficulties
attending a night-march, taught him that even the best
troops are liable to fall into confusion or suffer from a
sudden panic. Leaving nothing to chance, he therefore
decided to assault with two columns, so that in the event of
faUure on the part of one, the other should not be thrown
into confusion. Hence Graham's and Alison's Brigades
made disti7ict attacks, and the Artillery force of 42 guns
planted between them afforded yet another chance of suc
cess, a third string to his bow, as in the event of both
columns being driven back, with their supports and reserves,
the fire of the massed guns, concentrated on a single spot,
might give time for the infantry to rally and clear a way for
a fresh advance. His plans were, in fact, based on the
assumption that if even a small force made its way within
the intrenchments, the blow could be followed up and suc
cess achieved. The flanks of the main attack were well
watched by the Indian Contingent on the left, to complete
the security of the movement, and, being fresher than their
comrades, to march on Zagazig ; and by the Cavalry Divi
sion on the right, which was kept well in hand, to pursue
the flying columns, or, in the event of defeat, to cover the
retreat or threaten the enemy's rear. Every eventuality
was, in short, provided for, and nothing was left to chance.
Like the great Trojan chief,
' His piercing eyes through all the battle stray. '
And, finally, when victory rewarded the skilful tactician, its
fruits were fuUy reaped.

CONCLUSION.

The Press of Europe presented the most astonishing
spectacle of perplexity after the victory, which, indeed, they
had prophesied would be a failure, or, at least, that it would
not be achieved without great losses and a prolonged cam
paign. The majority of the Press — German, French, Russian,
Italian, and Spanish — had indulged in diatribes at what they
considered the supineness and faulty strategy of the Com
mander ; and great was their surprise when it resulted in a
briUiant victory, and still more when the blow was followed
up with a vigour unsurpassed in the annals of war. Their
endeavours to account for this surprising success did credit
to their ingenuity, if not to their inteUigence or ingenuous
ness ; and their inventive faculty was displayed in the French
story of Arabi having been bribed, and in the canard of
the importation of 2,000 bloodhounds, gravely set afloat by
the Italian Press.
The Egyptian campaign was replete with startling incidents
and telling situations. What could be more picturesque than
the moonlight charge ofthe ponderous Household Cavalry?
It wUl ever be a proud memory in the history of that corps
d'elite, how they burst like an avalanche on the astonished
Egyptians, sweeping all before them, and converting a retreat
into a rout. Then the midnight march of the army, guided
alone by the stars. Can any episode recorded in war appeal
more powerfuUy to the imagination? The vast mass of 14,000
men, with 60 gun.s, covering a front of four miles, moved
across the desert, silent and resolute, straight upon the in
trenchments behind which lay an army double their strength,
and their spring was like that of the tiger on its prey, so close
and deadly was it. Finally, could anything be more dramatic
than the scene presented at Cairo on the night of the 14th
September, when 6,000 men, the garrison of a strong citadel,
defiled out of its gates by torchlight before a handful of
hungry and weary British Dragoons? As General Drury-
31

LIFE OF LORD WOLSELEY.

Lowe said, the forced march of his cavalry — of which the
consequences were this event, and the surrender of Arabi,
with the attendant results of finishing the war, and perform
ing for civilization the priceless service of saving a city whose
architectural beauties are among the most valued possessions
of art — was planned before the army embarked for Egypt
by the master-mind who directed the operations of one of
the most rapid and briUiant of modern wars.
The eulogium passed on Cinna, the conqueror of SyUa,
may be applied with equal justice to Wolseley, ' Perfecisse
qucB a nullo 7iisi fortissimo, perfici posse7it.' Only an accom
plished master of the art of war could have gained the
victories over man and the forces of Nature, achieved by
Lord Wolseley in his campaigns in the Red River, Ashantee,
South Africa and Egypt.

THE END.

IILI.ING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORU AND LONDON. C. C. &= Co.

YALE

ytnolTY LIBRARY