FURTHER PARTICULARS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 3, Issue 134, 14 April 1860, Page 1

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

(Prom the Taranaki 2Fetos, April 5.) We gave in our last issue some account of the action which we believe is called now by common consent the Battle of Waireka ; it was necessarily imperfect, and we now give a fuller account for the information of our readers.

When the authorities became aware that several families, numbering upwards of 30 souls, were at the mercy of the native war party that murdered our unarmed settlers and boys last week, a lively interest was manifested in their behalf, and a hundred Volunteer Rifles and fifty of the Militia immediately volunteered to attempt their their rescue. These were strengthened by the Light Company of the 65th, under Col. Murray, and part of the Naval Brigade under Lieut. Blake, R. N., with a rocket tube in charge of a party of Artillery, under Lieut. McNaughten. The plan of operation was, that while Col. Murray with his men, the Naval Brigade, and the Artillery, marched straight to the enemy's front by the road, the Militia and Volunteers should reach the flank of the enemy by the beach, and, turning their position, remove- the beleaguered families. After marching about 6 miles, the Militia and Volunteers reached the Waireka stream on the beach at about 3 o'clock p.m. : they had been de>cried a short time before by the natives from their fortified pah on the Waireka hill, about three quarters of a mile inland from the sea, on a commanding position j and while the force was placed in position by Captain and Adjutant Stapp on the high ground on both sides ojjthe stream Waireka, the natives spread over the open country towards us with great boldness and celerity. Captain Atkinson and No. 2 Company of the Volunteers first came into action on the south side of the Waireka, until the natives occupying the light bush in the upper part of the Waireka gully made it advisable to secure some rove?.

For this purpose, Jury's house, stacks, and furze fences were selected by Captain Stapp, the house t,being converted into an hospital for the wounded. Lieut. Hirst led the advance with No. 1 Company of Volunteers, supported by Captain Brown and the reserve, on the high ground between two gullies, on Captain Atkinson's left flank, to drive the natives out of the bush from whence they were annoying him. At this moment Lieut. Blake, with his Naval Brigade, appeared some distance in advance of Lieut. Hirst by the other and parallel line of march, and it was here that Lieut. Blake was shot in the chest. Lieut. Hirst was therefore withdrawn by Captain Brown to the edge of the open part of the gully, from which some scattered natives, in clumps of fern and flax, were firing at the positions on. either side of them. Lieut. Hirst then joined Captain Stapp at Jury's house. The natives now finding Captain Brown's position with the reserve of Militia, onl) r armed with muskets, our weakest point of defence, directed a strong fire on it from rifles and fowling pieces. At this time, Captain Stapp sent Captain Atkinson with his rifles to protect the communication between the two positions, and Col. Murray detached a section of the Light Company to the assistance of Captain Brown's position ; here they gallantly did good service, being led by Lieut. Urquhart into the thick of it. The natives, however, endeavoured to meet this by trying to creep through the gully and cutting off the communication with Colonel Murray and the Omata stockade, to prevent which, it was deemed advisable for Lieut. Urquhart to take up a position with most of his men that would place the gully between two fires, and keep the line of communication open ; this had hardly been done, when 'Hhe recall was sounded by Col. Murray, and Lieut. Urquhart retired. Some of the reserve, under Captain Brown, who heard the recall, started to follow likewise, but were called back to their position. The natives, perceiving the slight confusion which had taken place, made a rush to cut off the retreat of the party, and, unaware that Captain Atkinson was in cover commanding the open ground they were traversing, they were brought down at point blank range in great numbers before they could get into cover. The reserve being now in a position that the natives were not likely to occupy from its exposed situation, and being encumbered with 5 severely wounded men ( one a marine who was one of four of the Naval Brigade who gallantly joined the Volunteers and Militia during the fight, ) the wounded were passed to Capt. Stapp's position, and were followed by Capt. Brown and the Militia, eight men of the 65th, under Corporal Kelly, joining Capt. Atkinson where the fire was then the hottest.

Capt. Brown and Capt. Stap's parties then proceeded to throw up breastworks of the stacks and fences at hand, and it was while engaged in this, not long before sunset, that Captain Cracroft with the Naval Brigade gallantly attacked and took the Waireka pah. The only part of the pah visible from Jury's house was the flagstaff, and as the flag was just seen to disappear, it was concluded that the Naval Brigade had taken it ; but, as there was no certainty that it was held, and the ammunition was nearly exhausted, it was determined that if a retreat could not be effected with the wounded after dark, the position must be maintained. After the moon set, the whole force retreated to the Omata stockade, where they left the two most severely wounded, one of whom, Millard, marine, is since dead, and then came on to town, which they reached a little after midnight on the morning of our last issue.

The storming of the Waireka Pah by Captain Cracroft, which relieved the Militia and- Volunteers from the brunt of the attack was undertaken by Captain Cracroft as soon as he was informed that a detachment of the 65th Regt. arid a party of Militia and Volunteers, under Colonel Murray, had proceeded to Omata, and were hotly engaged with the enemy, and short of aramu-

nition. He was requested to furnish a naval brigade to accompany a Lieutenant and a few men of the 65th Regiment, in charge of the ammunition to Omata. At 3 he landed 60 men and officers, and guided by Messrs. F. Mace and C. and E. Messenger, used such despatch that he reached the scene of strife at half- past 5, having searched every empty house on the line of march. " Being relieved of the ammunition, the rocket party was advantageously posted, and the remainder of the party proceeded to attack the enemy. By taking advantage of a thickly wooded gully Captain Cracroft came unexpectedly upon the enemy, opened fire, drove them back, and charging the fugitives, entered the pah simultaneously with them, and the cutlasses did the rest. A promised reward of £10 to the capturer of the enemy's flags had caused the palisades to be surmounted and William Ogden was the first man in. This gallant affair scarcely occupied more time than its narration. The sailors alone took the pah, held it, and only left it to return on board and provide for the creature comforts and safety of their craft. The devices on the principal flag are the mountains Tongariro, Ruapehu, and Taranaki, with the M.N., Maori Nation, and on the second a bloody heart and a single star on a red ground.

Of the forces engaged, the natives are known to have amounted to 500 men with reinforcements in their rear that would have brought them up to about 1000 men on the following day. The forces on our side were —

65th Regiment. — Lieutenant-Col. Murray, Lieut. Urquhart, Lieut. Whitbread, 100 rank and file. Royal Artillery. — Lieut McNaugliten, 10 men. Naval Brigade. — Lieut. Blake, Dr. Lawrenson, Mr. Theobald, 25 blue jackets Naval Brigade. — Captain Cracroft, Lieut. Villiers, Dr. Patrick, Mr. Smith, Mr. Gassiot, Mr. Karslake, 54 blue jackets and marines. Militia. — Senior Captain C. Brown, Capt. and Adjutant Stapp, Lieut. M'Kechney, Lieut. MeKellar, Lieut. Armstrong, Ensign Messenger, 50 men. Volunteer Rifles. — No. 1 Company — First Lieutenant Hirst, Second Lieutenant Webster, 50 men. No. 2 Company Captain H. A. Atkinson, First Lieut. C. Hammerton, Second Lieut. Jonas, 50 men. The casualties were — Naval Brigade. — Lieut. Blake, wounded severely 1 corporal of Marines killed. 3 blue jackets wounded. 65th Regt. — 2 soldiers wounded. Taranaki Rifles. — Lieutenant Hammerton, wounded, Privates F. Rawson, ditto, J. Hawken, ditto, W. Messenger, do., P. Inch, ditto. Militia. — Sgt. Fahey, killed, W. Oliver, wounded, J. Climo, do., W. Baylay, do. From all we can learn the natives must have lost some thirty killed in the field, besides wounded, as well as some twenty killed, besides wounded, in the storming of the pa by Capt. Cracroft.

A deputation of tho settlers, headed by the Superintendent, waited upon the Governor yesterday, to invite him to a public dinner. His Excellency not being within, bis Honor addressed him by letter, and received the following reply : — *

My dear Sir,-— I am grateful to you and to the. deputation for the honor you have done me in inviting me to a public dinner. I should rejoice in accepting your hospitality exceedingly, but I find my presence is required in Auckland without delay, and I am inclined to think it may be useful to you that I should go at once. I have therefore made arrangements to go in the Niger to-morrow.

I am sure that you ■will not attribute my declining your flattering invitation either to want of respect or want of inclination, but will believe that I am actuated by a sense of duty. Believe me, my dear Sir, Yours very sincerely, T. Gobe Biiowms.' .

Friday, March 30,