THE 40th REGIMENT AT ORAKAU.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1233, 10 May 1864, Page 4

THE 40th REGIMENT AT ORAKAU.

As the narrative of the capture of Orakau which appeared in the Lyttelton Times reflected discredit upon the officers and men of the 40th Regiment, imputing to them a want of readiness to do their duty in stopping the runaway natives, it is only justice to that regiment to give the following extracts from letters which have appeared in the Southern Cross in reply to a similar charge made in that journal. One writer says:— " Since these remarks have been brought before the notice of the public of Auckland (to arouse their indignation at the fact that a British regiment should have so disgraced itself in letting an enemy through its ranks), both General Cameron's and Carey's dispatches have appeared, in which the Brigadier states that he withdrew the troops from the position where the Maoris fled from, in order for the guns to play on them." Another correspondent gives the following fuller details :— " The men had been withdrawn, and 23 sentries of the 40th and two of the 18th had been posted at intervals over about one hundred yards of grouud; and further, owing to the numerous casualties occurring from the cross fire, these sentries were ordei'ed to retire under cover beneath the brow of a slight precipice about seven feet high, over which they were unable to look, and so could not see any one approaching from the rebel position. And I will ask you how this scattered handful of men were to debar the Maoris from escaping?—for you state that if they had been on the watch not a man could have escaped. In a compact body, almost to the edge of the embankment, came the Maoris, unseen by the sentries ; then they rushed over it, with about four or five of the 40th to oppose 200 rebels ; and this is the act of cowardice so truthfully described in your article of the 6th. The few men over whose heads the Maoris did jump, at all events did their duty, as their wounds testify. When the Maoris rushed past, the whole force opened up a tremendous fire on the rebels which, as in the tall scrub, the soldiers were not to be distinguished from the Maori, deterred the 40th from effectually following up the pursuit until the other troops ceased firing."