1865: THE YEAR OF CAMPS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVIII, Issue 11333, 29 July 1897, Page 7

1865: THE YEAR OF CAMPS.

[Cy Jlajoti Hekrt Slater, Y.D., in " “ I’A.NTKKTiUIiY TIMES.”] (Concluded.) SECOND HILLSBOROUGH ENCAMPMENT. On Fridav, Dec. 3 5, the Kaiapoi Company • (No. 3). under Captain Fuller. Lieutenant Beswick and Ensign Black, and headed by it?, hand, arrived at Christchurch en rout a tor Hillsborough. The men were joined . at. 6 put. by •the Engineers’ Company, .under Lieutenants Lean and Crosbie; Ho. 1 Company, under Captain C. Ward, Lieutenant Coot and Ensign Tippetts; No. 2, under Lieutenant Harman and Ensign IT ytton, and No. 0, under Captain Steward. Tho whole force was under the command of Mjrjor White, ,on whose staff were Captain Armstrong, of tho Militia; Adjutant and Lieutenant Anderson, Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry, aide-de-camp. The men marched to the railway station, .preceded by the’flmm and fife band of No. 2 and the regimental hand. Under Bandmaster Kohler. On Teaching Hillsborough the companies marched to the camp, arriving at sunset. Already tho Lyttelton Company (No. 3), undOr Captain'Murray-Aynsloy, with its band, and "the Hillsborough Company (No. 8), 'also-with a band, had arrived-. The number of “big drums ” in camp must have been alarming.. A Quarter-master, Lieutenant Hilton, was. on the ground busy with the ditties of his department. The men .were given their quarters, and the bugle sounded to supper just as njght fell on the Camp, The supervision of the commissariat was given to Captain J. C. Wilson, C. 8., assisted by Captain Steward, The number victualled on Friday evening was 2tkS men and IS officers; on Saturday, at midday, th® numbers were 325 and 21 respectively. On Saturday the programme of the day was extremely diversified. It happened that the Heathcoto Regatta, with which the camp arrangements were somewhat complicated, took place this day below the bridge, about ten miles from the camp. Men who chose to. attend the regatta might do 50.." .This .left only a-small force in camp.- Major White gave prizes of £lO, £7 and .£3, to be shot for by officers and men. Nearly eighty competed. The Canterbury Yeomanry, Cavalry made their appearance in camp, under Captains .T. C. Wilson, C. 8., W. S. Moorhoiise and W. Thomson, Lieutenant Aikman, and Cornets Ollivier, Backer and Strouts, at an early hour, and went .through -„a . number of evolutions for about two hours. Reveille had sounded rat & a,rn., alid-at 6 a.m. the out under, their own officers for an hour and a half “of energetic drill.” The weather was , not a cloud in the sky, and hardly a breath stirred in the valley. “Every defence which could be improvised to protect the head from the sun . was "adopted by men, and encouraged, by the officers, in spite of the fact that the artificial shade seriously impaired the regularity of the uniform cap." The prize firing during the day was at 300, 400 and 500yds, five rounds at each range.. The three highest scores were: — Corporal Sandforcl 46 Private Craigie 4-4 Corporal Duncan 41 The following is the report from the Lyttelton Times of the “ night alarm—- “ The guard had been relieved at ten of clock, the canteen was closed, the picket had gone its rounds to see the lights put out, and the camp was buried in repose which follows a good hard day's work, when every man was aroused by the sudden sounding of the alarm bugle and the rushing into the heavens of an enormous rocket, followed by a second and a third at minute intervals. Every man jumped from his bed and into his clothes, armed and accoutred himself as quickly as he might, and hurried to th© rendezvous of his company.' Sergeants thronged the magazine for ammunition, and hastened to serve it out to the men, and the officers repaired to their posts and sent anxious messengers to ascertain the orders from headquarters. Meanwhile the enemy showed himself. The night was starlight, but there was no moon, and the hills on the opposite side of the valley showed but an indistinct .outline.- The dark mass at the base suddenly became illuminated by fitful flashes of flame as the bold assailant of the camp poured in his fire from the rising gronnd which commands the whole range of tents. But a few minutes elapsed when company after company dashed at the double past the slowly dying fire into the quadrangle of the camp, and emerged into the open space on the western side of the valley beyond the guard tent. Here “No. 6” was drawn up as a support, while No. 8 ” held the camp with the aid of the dismounted men of the Cavalry. Nos. “1,” “ 2 J ’ and “ 5 ” were then pushed forward in extended order, and replied to the enemy’s fire, even more hotly than it was received. Presently firing from the northward indicated a flank movement of the assailants. , From the further side of the road ho was approaching towards the entrance of the camp and outflanking the defending force. ’With the utmost promptitude and coolness the right division. Nos. “1” and “2,” changed front to the right, still in skirmishing order, and threw in a destructive fire on the enemy, making use of the cover afforded by the road banks, of which ho was evidently desirous to avail himself. The left division (No. 5) had now advanced towards the western range of hills with such success that (the enemy’s skirmishers were compelled to fall back on their main body, which had halted about half a mile off down the road in the direction of Christchurch. ■ Being united in this direction, and finding that the promptitude of the rifles in seizing the road had exposed the other part of his face to an insupportable fire, the attack was abandoned, and the defenders returned to camp in triumph. Tho whole affair was over a little before midnight, shortly, after which hour an unusual bustle in camp, land the discharge of a volley of small arms, indicated the arrival of the-'Engiueers (under Lieutenant Lean) who had played ( the part of. an enemy.” The “nighif attack” furnished conversation for the remainder of the camp; it was said the cavalry had been moved by the excellent prospect of a conflict to leave the post of safety for that of honour, and to come forth from the camp, in support of their comrades, and that though on foot they made a vigorous rush after their manner when mounted, that they became entangled in the rear of a friendly corps, and retired after the repulse bad been effected. Sergeant-major Morgan, whilst proceeding with a barrel of ammunition to the ‘ Engineers, was mistaken for the enemy and fired at; luckily his load did not ignite. A deep ditch traversed the ground over which the repellingparty was proceeding in the darkness, and several of the companies found their officers had suddenly disappeared, and the whereabouts of one was only discovered by his heels, which were visible on the bank. “ After the long, hot day came a night of sleep, and Sunday morning broke upon a quiet camp at 6 a.m.” There was no company drill; the men were merely inspected before breakfast, and afterwards, at 10.15 a.m., fell in for church parade. The Bishop of Christchurch arrived from town at 10.30 a.m. An open tent was pitched to protect his Lordship from the sun during tho service. The day was described as “broiling hot,” and there were cases of fainting in the ranks. Monday, Deo. 18, was the great field day, the event of the encampment and about which old volunteers still love to talk. In camp, enclosed as it was by steep hills, the wind was altogether wanting, and the sun during the morning shone down on the heads of the volunteers with an intensity even exceeding the fierce heat of the preceding days. At noon the wind changed, and a refreshing breeze came up from the sea. Great additional interest was imparted to the proceedings of the day by the anticipations, after all, that the “ celebrated" Lyttelton Artillery would really join the camp with the Armstrong gun. Tidings had come over that the vent piece, so long lost, “ or one very like it,” as a gunner cautiously expressed it, had come to light, and that not only would the Artillery and the gun he there, but that it. would be brought conspicuously into action. The morning passed as other mornings bad done. After breakfast there was _ a rifle match between the seven companies.

of Rifles and Engineers—four men from each company—five rounds at 300yds and 400yds. “No. 6 ” made the highest score

Unfortunately two of the rifles of the “No. 6" men would not stand the “ trigger test” after the firing, no the prize was awarded to No. 1 Company, ,who made the next highest score, namely—

At 10 a.m. news was passed through the camp that the Lyttelton Artillery Corps was approaching with the “ Armstrong gun, tumbrel, horses and all.” The party consisted of Lieutenant W. Hargreaves, three non-commissioned officers and-twenty-nine men, whose appearance in a most becoming uniform raised the envy of many a rifleman; “It will be remembered (so runs the report) an accident happened which ended in the surreptitious removal of the vent piece of the gun. When another vent piece, or the same, which ever it was, was found at last, we do not feel called upon to inquire, but certain it is that Saturday last the gun was complete in all its parts, or it had been on the morning of. May 24. The Artillery had mustered in Lyttelton at an exceedingly early hour, and while the gun party went round by the Sumer Road the remainder came oyer the hill, and the whole corps appeared in camp without an accident,” It should be noted that this was the first time a field gun bad been seen on the plains, hence the excitement on its arrival. The Engineers were now turned to throw up a work to protect the gun, which was taken high up on the western side of the Valley not far from the upper targets; (old volunteers will remember tho position). By 12.30 p.m. all was complete, and the whole force in camp mustered for dinner to the number of 368 men and 23 officers. This represents the force in camp at its best; it comprised Cavalry, Artillery, Engineers and Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5,6 and 8 Companies of Rifles. The actual effective strength of the volunteer force of the Province of all ranks was about 650 men and officers, so that not twothirds were present in camp. THE SHAM FIGHT. The meii fell in soon after Ip.m., the Cavalry in force on the right of the line under Captain Cracroft Wilson, C. 8., the remainder Under Major 'White. To continue from' the Lyttelton Times report: “ The business of the day then commenced in earnest. . The gun, it will be remembered was posted on the. high near the top. of the valley, about half a mile on the left rear of the camp. To protect tho gun and position, the Artillery received the assistance of the Engineers and No. 3 Company, Captain Murray-Aynsley being in command of the whole. The remainder were marched off to form tho attack, into the meadow below the road, rather more than a mile from the redoubt. After taking up' the position,, a troop of Cavalry were thrown forward as vedettes, and a steady advance was made by the main body. Presently the battery opened fire, under cover of which the Engineers in the detachments advanced down the hill, and throwing out skirmisher right and left. No. 1 detachment took possession of rifle pits in the centre. Several fences at different angles, but at wide intervals, intersected the ground, and the cover thus afforded to ’ the skirmishers was dexterously taken advantage of in every possible way. The cavalry now formed up in a * solid body,’ crossed the road to the upper side, continuing the advance, and No. 3, and the Engineers leaving a reserve and supports behind, gallantly advanced to meet them, and at first succeeded in throwing the cavalry into slight disorder, and compelling a temporary retreat. Nothing daunted, the cavalry wheeled about and led in a most dashing manner by tho officers, charged right up to and through the line of skirmishers who sought protection in rallying squares. Galled by- the incessant fire from the battery on the height, and not daring to charge upon the .swords of the riflemen in square, the cavalry now retired in good order, but as hastily as the very slippery grass on the slope would permit. Meanwhile the rifles of the attacking party had not been idle. Nos. 1 and 5 companies were extended to the right, and replied to the tire of the skirmishers of the enemy from every available position. No. 6 company, forming the centre, advanced to support the cavalry, but as soon as they had passed to the rear, pressed forward first in a compact body, and then in extended order. All three companies pressed forward, and the right wing found itself presently in a most advantageous position on the hill side commanding and enfilading tho battery. “At this time an attentive observer might have missed the green facings of ‘No. 2’ from the line advancing up the valley, but the absence of that favourite corps was presently accounted for in a most satisfactory manner. They appeared over the crest of the eastern spur of the hills, and, quickly descending, crept through the right and rear of the camp, and up to the dry watercourse which runs longitudinally down the centre of the valley. Rapidly, and with a rush of the true English sort, the gallant little hand dashed up the rise towards the battery, and very nearly succeeded in seizing the position. But superior numbers prevailed, and ‘No. 2’retired a little way down the hill again, from which position they continued to pour a most destructive fire upon the point of attack. The Engineers and ‘No. 3’ were now rapidly closed upon from all sides, and found themselves unable to withstand the superior force of the enemy. Gradually closing upon the supports, the skirmishers were withdrawn, yielding the ground foot by foot with evident reluctance. At last the lines of the battery being approached, the enemy, with a cheer, charged in, overwhelmed the defending force, captured the greater number, and compelled them to lay down their arms and spiked the gun. The prisoners were at once released on parole.”

Such was an outline of the business of the day, which, seen from the camp or from the pit of an amphitheatre, formed a surprisingly picturesque and exciting spectacle. “The charging, firing, bugle blowing, and cheering on both sides kept everyone’s attention awake, and the accidents which were visible, in the shape of falls over the slippery grass and rough ground, formed food for- continual merriment among the ladies and gentlemen looking en, by whom the camp was crowded all day.” The whole affair was over in an hour and a half, and after returning to tho lower parade ground, and executing some ordinary movements, the whole force returned to the camp at 4.30 p.m., and was dismissed with three cheers for the Queen, the Major commanding, and his personal staff.

“We regret (continues the report) to state that several casualties happened during the review. The men were so impetuous that nothing could restrain their ardour. The skirmishers were driven in by the cavalry as if it were a duty to ride over them; tho skirmishers in return poured in blank cartridge as if they were defending their lives with musket balls. The charges were made with the bayonet, as if the enemy were really to be mown down out of tbe way, and prisoners were captured by main force, and even resisted capture, as if it were not in orders they were to bo defeated. With all this a pretty list of casualties was soon run up. We can state the worst of them.

"Ensign Black, No. 5 sustained a severe contusion on the point of the right shoulder from a wad of a blank cartridge, which must have been fired at very close quarters. The wound is severe, and may be long healing, but is not otherwise bad. Private Lloyd, of the Engineers, received a very bad cut across the lips, which laid one open and knocked out some of his teeth. This is a serious wound, on account both of the actual damage done and of the disfigurement. Private Hunter, also of the Engineers, received a tolerably ugly hit on the chin from

a cartridge wad. Private Buxton, of the same company, had one of the same wads lodged hi die lloshy part of the lower arm. This is a rather severe wound, and will interfere with the use of the arm for some time. Private Mackenzie, of No. 2 Company, sustained a very peculiar accident; his lower lip was cut across just above the chin, with a wound about two inches long and three-quarters of an inch deep. From this was extracted a beut piece of sheet brass or copper about the same size as the cut. Lieutenant Berwick, of No. 5 Company, sustained a sprain of the ankle, and several officers and men were a good deal bruised and shaken by falls received in the excitement. It was a singular circumstance that not a single man among the hurt seemed to care the least about the injury, but professed a perfect willingness to do it all over again.” Drs Fisher, Ncdwill and Frankish attended to the different cases. “Wo have rather :dwelt upon these accidents, because they form a feature in a field day_ which the volunteers will do well to miss for the future. They will be wise to moderate .their ardour in pursuit and defence.” 1 It happened that the Glenmarlc, which arrived on the Sunday night in Lyttelton harbour, ‘brought Captain G. Packe, the cantain of No. 2 Company. He made his appearance in camp during the afternoon, and was received “ with the cheers of his company and the salutes of-all ranks of the volunteers of Christchurch.”

The camp broke up at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning. As the force marched off the gun was fired and the colours hauled down, and so ended a most successful encampment of the Canterbury volunteers. Tho many mysterious references to -the missing “ vent-piece ” of the Armstrong gun, which appeared in the papers before and during the Hillsborough encampment excited the curiosity of the collector of these notes, so application was made to Major Hargreaves (formerly captain of the Lyttelton Artillery) for information on the subject. It appears that on the morning of the Queen’s Birthday, 1865, the Lyttelton Artillery fired a royal salute (the first, by the way, fired in the Canterbury district by volunteers). The gun was then returned to the shed and the men dismissed. About 11 p.m. on the night of May 21 the inhabitants of Lyttelton were alarmed by a loud report, and it was discovered tho gun had had been- run out, loaded and fired, | the shot striking the barque Catherine on the port side, destroying the bulwarks; stanchions and running rigging, tho mau on the deck watch having a narrow j escape of his life. Inquiries resulted in ! the drill instructor to the Artillery | (Sergeant Hewston) being charged before j the -Resident Magistrate for ■ unlawfully I firing the gun. Hewston was convicted j and fined, and shortly after removed from I his post. ■ Prom the time the gun was fired | tho vent piece was missing,-and for several j months the Lyttelton Artillery were un- | able to use their gun. At last, in order to j take part in the Hillsborough encamp- | ment, the Battery had a vent piece made ! at Dunedin at a cost of over <£2o, and this arrived in time to enable the Artillery ,to ! put in an appearance on the last day of the camp. The Guueral Committee of Volunteers held a meeting on Dec. 21, at which the cases of the men who had sustained injuries at the sham fight on the previous Monday were considered, and the following resolution was adopted:—“ That when any volunteer on duty may have received bodily injury from no fault of his own, the case should be submitted to the General Government, with a view to remuneration being given for any pecuniary loss sustained by such volunteer, provided always that such volunteer produce a medical certificate from the Regimental Surgeon as to the nature of such injury.” The case of Private Lloyd, of the Engineers Company, was ordered to await the surgeon’s report. The last event of the volunteer year 1865 was a dinner, given at the Town Hall to Captain G. Packe, to celebrate his return to Canterbury. During 1865 rifle shooting in Canterbury made a rapid advance, the men practiced with assiduity, and at the close of the year there were some, very fair shots in the Province. The general volunteer committee was formed, with nb doubt the best intentions, but from the reports of its proceedings, the members at times interfered with matters which should have been left to the officer commanding the district, and subjects were, discussed in a manner which was not conducive to discipline. The year will long be remembered as tbe “ year of camps.” At the first Hillsborough encampment there was little drill, the time was principally taken ’up with rifle shooting, with the result that the companies were so broken up that there were not enough men left for drill purposes. At the second encampment this was altered, and the field day, with all its errors, was the beginning of better things ; it was the first attempt in . the Province to instruct officers in “ troop leading,” and so we may pardon the blunders of the day.

the men wlio iired being— Pnvate’Jaobson ... 27 Private Brass ... 26 Mergeaut Morton ... 27 Private Tree ... 26 106

Lieutenant C./ok 03 Sergeant Allison 26 Sergeant Whale 28 Private Barnes 27 104