It was now after eleven, and a halt was ordered, in order (it is said) that the baggage might be brought up to the village, and disposition made for its defence. But the enemy, who had been held or driven back until then, at once made a fresh and furious attack, rushing up as before to the very edge of the bush, shouting and yelling, and opening a very heavy fire. The Riflemen who were standing in the village or sheltering from the sun under the trees were at once extended, Dugdale’s company on the right, and Nicholl’s on the left of the village.
Sir Archibald Alison, considering that it would take too much time to withdraw the Riflemen from the bush round the village, and that as the enemy were making a vigorous attack it would be difficult to do so, brought up the 42nd to the front by the road the Riflemen had won, and were still guarding. The leading companies of the Riflemen, on seeing the 42nd advancing, sprang up, believing that a general advance was to be made, and were most anxious to push forward; but they were stopped by Colonel M’Leod, who advanced with his own regiment, the 42nd. But little more was done. The Ashantees had had enough of it; and though the 42nd received some fire by which a few men were wounded, the enemy made no further stand in the front.
Scott, with his company, followed the 42nd. And Lascelles and Sackville also advanced. And the firing about Ordahsu gradually ceased.
In these five hours’ fighting the Battalion had 17 men wounded. Four officers were also hit: Major Sotheby in the face, Sackville in the leg, Scott on the right breast, and Surgeon Wiles. Sergeant-Major Stretch was also slightly wounded. But these officers, not wishing to add up a great list of casualties or to parade their wounds, were not reported as wounded, but went on with their work. One Sergeant (Sumner) was missing. In the hard fighting between the river and Ordahsu he had sent two men to the rear with a wounded comrade; and probably in the gap thus formed in extended order the Ashantees had rushed in and killed him. He was never afterwards heard of.
Sir Archibald Alison, in a dispatch dated Ahkankuassie, February 9, 1874, thus speaks of the conduct of the Battalion at Ordahsu: ‘This was the first day upon which (with the exception of one company) I had the pleasure of seeing the Rifle Brigade in action under my orders. It is needless for me to speak of the steadiness and high discipline of the Rifle Brigade; but I must express my satisfaction at the way in which they were handled by Lieutenant-Colonel Warren, and under him by Major Stephens and Major Glyn.
‘On every occasion when I had an opportunity of seeing it, I had to remark on the excellent way in which the company officers commanded their companies.’
The Riflemen were much fatigued by their five or six hours’ hard and incessant fighting under an African sun, and hungry too; for only a little biscuit had been served out, and few of them had had a meat ration the day before. But Coomassie was to be reached, and they pressed on from Ordahsu. Two rivers were forded in the way, and at the entrance of the town the road was through a marsh, and was covered with filthy water. At last Coomassie was entered about half-past five. Many Ashantees were hanging about, watching the entrance of the English force, but they offered no resistance. Indeed, their courage did not then seem great. For the Battalion on marching in had formed quarter-distance column. When they were to wheel into line, of course they opened out to company-distance on the leading company. But this simple parade manœuvre struck terror into the surrounding Ashantees, who ran back as the rear companies retired.
When the line was formed, Sir Garnet Wolseley rode to the front, and three cheers were given for the Queen, which added wings to the flight of the gazing Ashantees. It was now nearly dark, and after the ceremony, the Riflemen were dismissed, and quarters told off to them, with orders not to leave their quarters, and to be ready to turn out at a moment’s warning. A meat ration was served out, but many of the Riflemen were too tired to cook it. Captain Cary’s company, made up to a hundred men by Riflemen of Captain Somerset’s company, formed a guard over the King’s palace. Captain Brackenbury was the staff officer appointed to accompany Captain Cary with orders for this guard. ‘Some idea,’ he says, ‘of the size of the building, and of its irregularity, may be gained from the fact that we posted thirteen sentries in such positions that they were only just able to protect all the inlets to the building. After having apparently been all round the building once, we again marched round to see whether a sentry could not be economised; and though in one place we were enabled to remove one, we found that the whole of a long gallery, evidently the women’s quarters, had been omitted, and we had to place another at the entrance of this. The guard of 100 men was placed in the great central court.’[335]
Captain Dugdale was the prize Commissioner on behalf of the European troops, and he and the other Commissioners worked all night in securing what articles of value they could find in the palace, or the carriers at their disposal enabled them to remove. Here were found, among other curious and costly articles, the gold masks, of which the 2nd Battalion subsequently purchased and possess one.
In the course of the night fires broke out in two or three places in Coomassie, which were kindled by the native followers, who were prowling about and plundering. Many of the Riflemen were turned out to assist in putting out these fires, and were engaged from two till four in the morning in assisting the Engineers to pull down houses and to extinguish the flames. This was hard work on the soldiers after their hard fight and march of the day before. One section of each company was ordered not to take their belts off, but to be ready to turn out instantly in case of an attack. In the course of the night the palace guard captured an Ashantee chief, who was endeavouring to escape with gold dust, nuggets, and jewels about him.