As usual during a halt, sickness again appeared. Captain Slade was sent down to the coast on the 28th, seriously ill from dysentery, and Lieutenant the Honourable Thomas Scott took command of his company.
On the 29th the Battalion paraded at half-past five, and marched to Ahkankuassie, a distance of about ten miles. Here the men built huts for themselves; while the officers, or some of them, found houses in the village. But these were filthy places, and overrun with lizards. The Battalion furnished an outlying picquet, Major Sotheby’s company, at Adadwassie, about a mile and a half in advance of Ahkankuassie. Rations were served out for the following day, which the men were to carry on the march.
On the 30th the Battalion moved forward to Insarfu, passing through Adadwassie, where the picquet joined them. The distance to Insarfu was only about four miles, and the Riflemen reached it about ten o’clock, having formed the rear-guard of the European brigade.
It being generally expected that the Ashantees would make a stand on the next day, and that there would be a fight, the Captains of the Battalion were assembled at the Commanding Officer’s quarters, to receive instructions for the operations of the morrow. It was explained to them that they were to form the rear face of a hollow square, in which formation the Commanding General intended to advance. Nor was this, they were informed, to be considered less the point of honour than the front, as the tactics of the Ashantees were to envelop the flanks and fall upon the rear. At evening parade these orders were explained by the Captains to the Riflemen, who listened with interest and eagerness to the information. Rations for the next day were issued. The men were camped under tentes d’abri in quarter-distance column in a plaintain ground; the officers, some of them, built huts near their men; some found shelter in the houses in the village, which, if less filthy than those at Ahkankuassie, were only a fraction of a degree nearer cleanliness.
On the 31st the Battalion paraded at twenty minutes after six, and about half-an-hour afterwards marched from Insarfu. The 42nd led, the Rifle Brigade forming the rear of the hollow square or order of battle, which was thus disposed:—
After advancing about a mile and a half, firing was heard in front, the 42nd having engaged the Ashantees, who were posted on ground rising from a muddy stream, which flowed through a swampy ravine. The action commenced about eight; but it was not till more than an hour and a half later that the Riflemen became engaged. Then Major Nicholl’s company was sent to the right column, under Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, and Major Sotheby’s and Captain Cope’s companies were extended on the east and south-east of Egginassie, fire having been opened by the enemy from the bush in that direction. The bush was dense and thick; consisting of great cotton trees, with a high undergrowth, and interlaced everywhere with creepers, so that the men could not see more than fifteen or twenty yards before them, and had often to cut a way with their swords. Sotheby’s left touched the Bonnymen of the right column, while the connection between his right and the road or path was kept up by Cope’s company, who entered the bush, and threw his right back to the road. These companies were exposed to a heavy fire; and Lieutenant Sherston, one of Sotheby’s subalterns, was very severely wounded through the right shoulder. Captain Cary was sent up to support a native company of the left wing on the left of Egginassie; but on Major Stephens reporting to Sir Garnet Wolseley that there was a gap between the left and centre columns, which ought to be filled, Lieutenant Taylor, with part of Cary’s company, was sent to fill it up; while Captain Cary himself with the remainder moved towards the left flank, to support the native troops, which were hard pressed. Captain Lascelles was directed by Sir Garnet Wolseley to take his company to occupy some heights to the north of Egginassie, and so to connect Wood’s natives with the path. He passed through the bush, which had been partially cleared round the village by the Engineer labourers, and took up this position, extending three sections, and keeping the fourth in support under Lieutenant the Honourable E. Noel.[329]
