On the same day his company came in as escort to the wounded, and on the 7th proceeded to Biposu, and on the 8th to Ahkankuassie. On that day he started from Aggemamu with the Naval Brigade; and leaving them at Amoaful, pressed on and joined his company at Ahkankuassie. This was a march of about eighteen miles, a long one in that climate.
On the 11th he crossed the Prah. And on the 12th reached Barracoo with his convoy, who were thence to proceed by forced marches to Cape Coast, while he was ordered to take his company down by the regular marches by which they had come up to this point. Accordingly he reached Cape Coast at about half-past eight on the morning of the 19th, and at once embarked in surf-boats, and got on board the ‘Himalaya’ at half-past nine, where his company awaited the arrival of the Battalion.
They had moved from the camp at the Ordah as I have stated on the 7th, and marched to Aggemamu; whence, after a few hours’ halt, Captain Somerset’s company was sent forward as an escort of sick to Amoaful. But the convoy being large, and the progress slow, night fell while they were still some miles from Amoaful. And the road being bad, and the night very dark, great difficulty was experienced in getting through the forest.[339]
On the 8th the Battalion left Aggemamu, and proceeding by daily marches, with the same halting or camping-stages as on going up the country, reached Cape Coast Castle at six in the morning of the 22nd, where they embarked immediately on board the ‘Himalaya.’ The whole Battalion, with its baggage, was on board by half-past seven. The total strength of the Battalion on embarkation (including Captain Cope’s company, which was already on board) was 22 officers, and 408 non-commissioned officers and private Riflemen, of whom only 16 officers and 277 of other ranks were reported as ‘fit for duty.’[340]
The casualties of the campaign may be thus summarised:
| Officers | Non-commissioned officers and privates. | |
| Landed at Cape Coast Castle, fit for duty | 33 | 652 |
| Wounded | 3 | 30 |
| Died of wounds | 2 | |
| Admitted in hospital while on the Coast | 22 | 298 |
| Invalided to England | 3 | 47 |
| Left sick on board the ‘Victor Emmanuel’ | 42 | |
| Left sick at Gibraltar | 48 | |
| Died on passage home | 3 | |
| Landed in England | 27 | 483[341] |
Nor is this statement by any means a perfect record of what the Battalion suffered from this deadly climate. After their return to England, and even after their arrival at Gibraltar, many officers and men suffered from the effects of their African campaign, and some men died.
On the 23rd the ‘Himalaya’ sailed for England at six in the morning.