THE WAR AT PATEA. REPULSE OF OUR FORCES. MAJOR VON TEMPSKY AND FOUR OTHER OFFICERS KILLED. (FOURTEEN MEN KILLED AND TWENTY-FOUR WOUNDED.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3483, 14 September 1868, Page 5

THE WAR AT PATEA. REPULSE OF OUR FORCES. M A JOR YON TEMPSKY AND FOUR OTHER OFFICERS KILLED. (FOURTEEN MEN KILLED AND TWENTY-FOUR WOUNDED.

The news that the Colonial forces had been disastrously repulsed from a village in the Patea, district' arrived in 'Auckland on Saturday inorning, by the ' Eangatira.' ¥c give all the particulars that have come to hand : ; — The engagement which has been expected for the past week, has taken place,- ancl' bhe ! result is a reverse to our troops. j Colonel McD onnell started from Waihi on • Mondiay morning at 4 o'clock a.m., with how many men is not stated, with the object of penetrating to the supposed pa, to which we alluded in our issue a few weeks back, situated about three miles beyond Te Ngutu-o-te-fManu'. The forces arrived at the latter place jabout 2 p.m., and found the rifle-pits manned,' which, on the occasion of the first attach, had only just been vacated. The (track at this place is so narrow, that 1 (only two men can walk abreast. The. Maoris poured a volley into them when ' they had got fairly parallel 'with the pits, and Hauhaus perched on the tops of the surrounding Tees, picked off officers and men, with 21, precision of, which, the proportion of killed] and,woundpd speaks far too surely. Major. ,Y on jTempsky fell fighting gloriouslyj His loss is irreparable. Captain }Bucki Captain Palmer, Lieutenant Hunter, and L I /ieutenant Hastings -were killed whilst nobly doing their duty. Leutenant Rowan is dangerously wounded. Fourteen men were killed and twenty-four wounded. It was found impossible to dislodge the Maoj is from their position, and the forces retire d leaving the dead in the hands of the enemy. It is reported » that twentysever Hauhaus were killed. The Maoris consilered Te Ngutu -o- te - Manu their strongest position, and occupied the p lace from which they were forced by a surp] ise, as their strongest line of defence. Cclonel, McDonnell sent in a despatch last night, in which he stated that he was preparii g'for another attack. . Pr ivate accounts state that our men got confi sed, and did not respond to the call of their officers, who behaved splendidly. Tl c loyalty of several hapus on the other side *)f Patea is wavering. Tl c women and children have been ordered awaj from Patea. Tie friendly natives were not in the engage: nent.