THE WAR IN THE NORTH.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume I, Issue 51, 24 October 1863, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE WAR IN THE NORTH.

ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REBELS,

From the Taranaki Correspondent of the Daily

Times.

Friday, October 2nd.

Was fine and beautiful, and appears to have been set apart both by natives and Europeans for mutual attack by surprise. The tactics of the rebels, as will presently appear were excellent, and upon a more extended scale than usual; and had their skilfully managed manoeuvres not been met by the prompt action and admirably managed disposition of the small English force at the command of Colonel Warre, a very severe loss must have resulted.

Before proceeding to describe the contest, I will endeavour to explain the apparent intentions of the enemy. To fully appreciate their bold endeavour at entrapping and cutting off the garrison of the Poutoko redoubts, it will be requisite again to take a cursory glance at positions and structure of country. The whereabouts of the Omata stockade is generally so well understood, we will take our departure from thence, continuing for about 1000 yards southward, until reaching the spot where once stood the village town, near which, in 1860, the first murdered bodies were found; here a road strikes off from the main line, which, as it forms an important point in our description, we will designate as No. 2, a little further on No. 1 or the main road, is still standing, the Omata church, on the left, near the brink of a thickly wooded gully. A picquet from the stockade is stationed here from sunrise to sunset. On the present occasion the men were drawn out so as to command the bush. We next descend into the ever memorable Waireka valley, with its dense scrub on either side, when on ascending the opposite hill and passing the site of the old Cracroft Pa, we meet another road that strikes off at right angles direct inland. This shall be No. 3. The Poutoko redoubt is situated some few hundred yards southward. Beyond this junction the distance included from No. 2 to No. 3 by No. 1 is about one mile, whilst No. 3 continues for threequarters of a mile before meeting No. 2. So we have thus formed a block of country enclosed in a triangle. No. 2 has been constructed with the purpose of heading the gully, so as to avoid the Waireka valley. Beyond the southern boundary of our triangle, nearly a mile to the right front of the redoubt, on a hill closely adjoining the cliffs that beetle over the sea beach, stands a Pa, Rangiuru, which has been occupied by the English under the name of Fort Robert. Since the withdrawal of the Oakura garrison it has been held by a daily picquet of nine men and a corporal. On towards the Oakura we pass the honeysuckle hill and Mr Carrington's house, the Tapuc and then the Oakura river. The country included in this description is so broken that 100 acres of level land could in no one block be obtained. To the left of the Poutoko redoubt, the country is chiefly timbered, dotted here and there with a settler's clearing. The way that the structure of country has been taken advantage of evince that the Maoris have evidently improved under the generalship of Mamuka, for never before have they shown, in this part at least, such system in an attack. Their object as it appears was first by throwing down the parapets of the old redoubt, to have induced Captain Wright to send out a detachment from the Poutoko to check them. In all probability the party would have been allowed to have crossed the Tapue river, when the natives that had crept to the right down the beach, with those inland to No. 3 road, would have surrounded the small party, whilst anothor division might have rushed the redoubt with its diminished numbers, and a third have crossed the No. 3 road continuing down No. 2, from thence through the wooded £ully of the Waireka,. so as to cut off all communication with the redoubt.

At three o'clock in the morning Lieutenant Mills, with a small complement of men, started from the Poutoko redoubt, with the intention of planting an ambuscade some distance on the No. 3or Hurford road. He passed No. 2 some half mile, and was preparing to take up a position, when he saw an out-picquet of the enemy, which he at once charged, killing two. Hearing a great many voices proceeding from the forest and the valley of the river, he deemed it prudent to retire on the redoubt, bringing with him some mats, tomahawks, &c. About daylight, the natives began to show in great force, their line extending from Fort Robert, near the beach to Touet's shed, situate at the junction of No. 2 and 3 roads. There in the immediate vicinity of the redoubt pouring in an annoying fire.

Captain Wright, of the 70th, who was in command, dispatched a mounted orderly to inform Colonel Warre of the state of affairs. On the reception of the news in town, Major Butler, who is now in command of the 67th, without waiting for the troops, rode out immediately to the scene of action, when as quickly as possible Captain Short, 94 men of the 59th, and the two bush companies of volunteers, accompanied by Colonel Warre, and his staff followed. In the meantime Captain Armstren, from the Omata, reached the Poutoko with 30 militiamen. Captain Short, with the 59th, struck off by No. 2 road, the volunteers continuing straight by the Waireka valley for the redoubt. Major Butler on his arrival, at once saw through the intended plans of the natives, and determined in place of advancing to attack those in his front, to proceed with his small force of 100 men to feel the left. For this purpose he continued up the No. 3 road. Know that we have now two parties marching towards the same

spot from different directions. Mnjor Butler' 8 division spread to the right of the road, and as his advanced guard, in charge of Ensign Powys, was passing near Mr Gilbert's clearing, a sharp volley was poured in from behind the trees and garden fence, wounding Mr Powys and two soldiers. We will now leave the Mtijor and his party hotly engaged with the enemy, and look to the approaching reinforcements from town. Captain Short and his 94 men had nearly reached the head of the Waireka gully, on the No. 2 road, when he heard heavy firing, consequently the pace, before rapid, was now increased, and just as Touet's shed was sighted, the little party was met by a sharp fusilade from the natives, hidden as they were behind logs and trees, scattered on all sides. Captain Short, after placing a reserve on Allen's Hill, which is situated near the angle of the junction between 2 and 3, fixed bayonets and charged across the road into the adjoining clearing to the edge of the bush ; here he had two men wounded. Seeing it impossible without a larger force to follow the enemy j through the tangled and broken country, he placed his men under cover as quickly as possible, continuing at the same time his fire towards the j enemy's position. From the perfect obedience | and discipline of his men, he was enabled to ! effect this without a heavier loss.

The Volunteers coming up the main road, struck across the clearings direct to the scene of action, so as to take off some of the galling fire to which Captain Short and his party were exposed. No. 2 Volunteers afterwards extended towards a hill on the opposite side of the road, that commanded a tongue of bush land running at the back of Mr. Gilbert's house towards the Poutoko, whilst No. 1 occupied another not far from Mr. Browne's former residence.

The engagement lasted several hours; so heavy and continuous was the firing, that even the Crimean men spoke of it as something tremendous. From this, the enemy must have been in great force. The natives finding all their attempts to inveigle the English into a trap futile, fired upon the picket at Fort Robert, which in consequence retired, when the Maoris descended the gullies leading towards the redoubt; and at the same time set lire to Mr. Carrington's house, the only one in the neighborhood. The natives at Fort Robert received a quietus from the 12-pounder howitzer, in the shape of a shell, thrown with excellent precision. This gun formed our only available piece of artillery. The retire now sounded but Captain Short could not remove, tor one of his men was lying wounded in a gully commanded by the enemy's fire. Ensign Downes directly volunteered to fetch him, when he was joined by Drummer Stagpole (who was at the time wounded), and three other men; they drew their bayonets, and rushed forward, whilst a mounted orderly took the man upon his horse to the van. The mounted men rendered assistapce in every part of the field. Near the edge of the bush one of Major Butler's division fell wounded ; a mounted dismounted, rushtd forward, and carried him off on his back. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon the troops returned again to town. There is every reason to believe that the loss inflicted on the enemy has been great. I am induced to come to this conclusion from the fact that never before this time were we suffered to have the last shot; they have invariably fired a volley of derision as the troops withdrew; in this instance when the English ceased firing all was silent; the call of " kia mau kia mau," (stand firm), was no longer heard ; another tiling, no attempt was made to cut off the return to town by occupying the Waireka gully, which could so easily have been effected by those natives in the bush on the opposite side of No. 2 road. Colonel Warre, who invariably commands the expedition, at the conclusion of the affair thanked the military and volunteers for their conduct, regretting that the small force under his command would not enable him to follow the enemy at once to their stronghold. A rash act at the present time might placo the non-combatants of this unfortunate Province in a very sad position, as there cannot be less than from 500 to 600 natives on either side of the town.

There are many reports abroad relative to the number of the enemy killed and wounded, but none are sufficiently reliable for publication; wo are more likely to obtain a correct statement by way of Wanganui.