INCIDENTS OF THE MAORI WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2240, 4 February 1897, Page 47

INCIDENTS OF THE MAORI WAR.

(Bbpbinted Afteh O vbb Thkee Decades.) THE HEROES OF THE VICTOBIA OBOSS IN NEW ZEALAND. We have already described some of these heroes and the gallant deeds by which they earned the Cross of Valour. We have shown how Sergeant Luca3, of the 40th, defended two of bis wounded comrades from the attacks of tbe Maoris till a party was sent to his relief; how M'Kenna, of the 65th, stood by "his dying officer to the last, and proved himself worthy of the command that bad devolved upon him by his comrades through the fire of the enemy and the intracacies of the bush to tbe redoubt whioh they had left ; how Samuel Mitchell, that true-hearted sailor, stood by Commander Hay, of the E?k, in the Gate Pa at Tauranga, and refused to leave him till all wss over. Sinoe that time we learn from the London Gazette that the Victoria Cross has been awarded to Lieutenant-colonel M'Neill, of the 107 th Regiment; to Assistant-surgeons Temple and Manley and Lieutenant Plcquard, of the Boyal Artillery ; and to Ensign Down and Drummer Stagpoole, of the 57th Begiment, in recognition of - gallant deeds done in New Zealand. The bestowal of the. Cross .on Assistant-surgeon Temple, 8. A., was a tardy act of jastice. It was awarded to him by the unanimous voice of the army for humanely exposing bis life to almost certain destruction in hmrying to the assistance of Captain Mercer, 8.A., who was mortally wounded. This occurred during the attack on Bangiriri, the great pa or stronghold of the Maoris on tbe banks of tbe Waikato Biver, about 60 miles from Auckland. The Taranaki war begun in 1860, arid was carried on with various success till 1862, when it was supposed to be over. There was no truce or peace concluded with the enemy, but the settlers indulged the hope that they might now live in peace. On May 4, 1863, they were roused from this state of false security by tbe report that two officers and eight men bad been fired upon by an ambuscade, and all, with one exception, killed. This aot was denounced as murder, but we must remember that they were marching through the enemy's country with arms in their hands, and were thus almost inviting their fate. General Cameron wished to take precautions against such attacks, but the Governor assured him that there was no danger, as the war was over. Then came the abandonment of the Waiturs, the disputed territory, and 4 month later the battle of Kuitikara, in whioh 25 Maoris were slain. After this the province of Auckland became the seat of war. The Governor issued a proclamation denouncing all the natives as rebels who would not surrender iheir arms and take the oath ■of allegiance within a week. The result was j such ' as might have been expected — the Maoris oleared out with all their valuables and fell back into the interior. Tbeir forces were concentrated at Pokeno, or tbe Queen's Bedonbt, a place 35 miles south of Auckland, close to the Waikato Biver. Our troops advanced against them, and a battle was fought at Roheroa, a mountainous ridge two miles south of Pokeno, where the insurgents bad encamped and fortified tbeir position with a series of rifle pits, from whioh they opened a heavy fire on their assailants as they asennded tbe steep declivity. The regiment opposed \o them consisted of young recruits who bad never been under fire before. For a moment they hesitated, and all might have been lost if General Cameron had not rushed forward in front, waving his riding whip and cheering them on to victory. He thus saved the character of a young battalion. The Maoris dispersed and found refuge in tbe neighbouring swamps, leaving 22 killed .on tbe field of battle. Their loss was not great, considering that the force opposed to them was as three to one. On the same day a Maori ambuscade attacked an escort under the command of ' Captain King, of the 18th Boyal Irish, in the neighbourhood of the Queen's Bedoubt. Our men, who were straggling along the road smoking and chatting, with their rifles uncapped, resistad as much as they could, and escaped with the loss of four men, 12 rifles, and the carts and horses left on tbe field. If any of the Maoris fell their bodies were removed ; no traces of them were to be found the following day.

Bedoubts were then erected for the protection of Auckland j the bush was cut down for hundreds of yards on either side of the Great South read ; a commissariat transport cere" of neatly 1000 men was raised i tout

regiments of militia were recruited, chltfly j in Australia and the south ; the strength of the Imperial forces was raised to 10,000 men. Including local corps, we had about 25,000 men under arms to cope with the enemy, who have never been able' to bring more than 600 men into ths field. If the country had been open the war would soon have been brought to a olose, but our men had to pass unfordable screams and to foroa their way through the bush. Tho enemy fell • back to a place called Mere Mere, situated on a rising ground on the Waikato, about nine miles from the Queen's Bedoubt. The , enemy's only artillery consisted of two old j ship's guns loaded with tenpenny nails ; but the place was believed to be impregnable, and our men remained in camp there for three months. It was the old story of Sir Bichard Strahan and the Earl of Chatham. General Cameron was longing to be at them, but he had to wait for Sir George Grey, and Sir George Grey was waiting for sobody knows what. The expense of supporting Bach an army in the field is enormoui ; three millions of money have alraady been expended. At length our troops advanced to attack the Maori stronghold. The preparations were as elaborate as Uncle Toby's for the siege of Dunkirk, and something brilliant would doubtless have occurred if the Maoris had been a little leso impatient. They evacuated Mere Mere and fell back to RangirlrJ, where they had a strong pa on the summit of ci rising ground situated midway between the Waikato and -an inland lake. If we were too slow at Mere Mere, we wore a little too fast at Bangiriri ; because the former was a place of no great strength it was inferred th&t the latter was the same. A rush was made ; the outer works were carried ; but the attacking party fell back on finding themselves confronted by other works of still greater strength. To retreat was to lose the prestige of our arms and te invite the neutral tribes to rebellion. The place must be taken at all hazards. A second rush was attempted; the officers advanced in front and cheered on the men, but the men refused to stir. The general then turned to the 50 artillerymen who accompanied him, and, aimed, with swords and revolvers, they rushed forward, stopped to breathe for a moment in a gully, and reached the parapet, whioh some of them mounted. They ware led by Captain Mercer, 8.A., one of those brave, gallant, Gad-fearing men who are an honour to tbe eervlce and to humanity itself. He bad a presentiment that he would fall, but he was prepared to die ; like Havelock, he had been preparing for death for years, and it did not take him by surprise. A Maori bullet struck him in the jaw, carryicg away the lower part of the face ; he rolled backwards on the ground mortally wounded. His party wae repulsed. Was there a man there brave ' enough to advance to his assistance ? He must bold his life ohesp ; he will have to pass through j the double fire of the enemy. But what sacrifice will our Boldiere not make for an officer they love ? First one soldier advance*, and then another and another, but it was only to meet with speedy death. It was at this moment that William Temple, an assis-tant-surgeon of the Royal Artillery, learned that his friend Mercer stood in need of his aid. Without balancing chances or hesitating for a moment- he went where duty called — it might be to death, it could not be to dishonour. He reached the spot so fatal to the others ; the most sanguine could scarcely indulge the hope that he could escape. For a moment he was enveloped in smoke ; every eye was strained till it cleared away. A sort of sigh of relief rose from many a breast as he was seen by Mercer's side, doing all that could be done to allsviate his sufferings. From inatinct more than from intention be stooped when exposed to the fire of the enemy, and thus their bullets passed harmlessly over his head. General Cameron, who had witnessed his devotion to duty, only expressed the desire of the whole army in recommending him for the Cross of Honour, which was awarded to him in the Gazette of September 23, 1864. Lieutenant Ficquard, 8.A., obtained the same honour for carrying water to ttie wounded at the risk of his own life. The artillery having failed, the general sent for the bluejackets, told them his only hope was in their oourage, and pointed to the Da. "Go on, my ■ lads," said their leader ; I'll not be far behind you." It would have been better, perhaps, if he had been a little before them. As it was, they advanced to within 50yds of the pa, and then retired below tbe crest of the hill. One poor little middy of 14 was shot through the head while in advance of the others. What could be done ? The general was read; to receive any suggestion. The officer commanding the Engineers proposed mining, which was attempted] but the fuse was damp and refused to explode. The Engineers then advanced under cover and effeatftd a breach

in the wall. On perceiving that their position was no longer tenable, the Maoris hoisted a white flag, and surrendered at da<vn. Wiremu Thotnpson, the great chief of the rebellion, had ««caped, with most of his followers. Only 183 prisoners fell into our bands. They could easily have escaped if they had chosen, but they had waited on in the hope of being reinforced. The loss of the Maoris was about 45 killed, while ours amounted to six officers killed or died .of wounds and nine wounded, 40 men killed and 80 woundod. The attacking force amounted to 1000 men ; about one-seventh of them were killed or wounded. The defenders of the pa could not have amounted to more than 400 or 500 men. Forty-five were killed on the spot ; the wounded were carried off.

One or two steamers were placed on the Waikato Blver, and our troops Advanced to Ngaruawahia, tbe royal residence of Potatau 11, whose palace of reeds may still be seen there. This town is situated about 26 miles to the south of Rangiriri, at tbe confidence of the Waipa and the Horatlu, whose united waters form the Waikato Blver. The governor had promised to meet Wiremu Thompson, the Maori king-maker, here, and to settle the conditions of peace; bat for reasons unknown to us he failed to appear, and our troops pushed on till they reached Piko Piko, a strong pa on the summit of a hill overlooking tbe Waipa, about 30 miles to the south of Ngaruaw&hia, We remained encamped opposite this stronghold for three weeks without attempting an assault; our experience at Bangiriri had taught us to be oautiouß. We had 3900 men under canvas ; the defenders of the pa could not bavo exceeded one-fourth of that cumber; but, notwithstanding this disproportion, no attempt was made to dislodge the enemy. At the end of three weeks we turned their position, and advanced to the villages of Awamutu and Kilu KIIu, from which they derived their supplies; on this they wore obliged to evaouate their stronghold and ratroat Into the interior. A skirraish took place at Bangiawahia, a native village three miles from Awamutu, during which a venerable Maori lady distinguished berielf by coolly occupying a obair in her verandah and firing deliberately on our men, who retaliated by "burning down a native whare, or hut, whioh contained some warriors who refused to surrender, and who were oouisviinad in the flames. We thei» constructed a lioe of redoubts extending from Maugautautari, a stronghold . on the Hcratiu, which Wiremu Thompson had evacuated, to Te Burl on tha Waipa for the purpose of keeping the enemy in check. This was not so easily done as wo imagined. In March some 300 native* advanced to ' Ohapau, a village fivn miles from Awamutu, and began to construct a pa in the midst of a grove cf peach trees. It was captured on the 2nd of April, but Rewi, the ringleader, escaped.

On the 30th of March the incident occurred which procured for Lieutrnt-oolouel M'Noill the honour oi the Victoria Oro?s. H« holds the appointment of aide-de-camp to General Cameron, who was then at Pukenmu, and had occasion to communicate with Brigadier Oarey, who was la command at Awamutu. The distance from Pakerimu to Awamutu is 18 miles ; midway between these cwo stations btandb the redoubt of Ohapau, occupied by a detachment of the 10th Regimeqfc. Bough bridges have been ereoted at the different crocks, but there is no regular road— merely a native path leading through the bush. . Nsar Ohapau is a clump of trees admirably adapted for an ambuscade. Lieutenar.ficolonel M'Neill had no other escort than a private of the Defence Foroe (a colonial corps consisting of 250 troopers) of the name of Vosper, who acted as his orderly. Nothing remarkable occurred during the journey till they had occasion to p*s* the clump of trees near Ohapau, when a party of insurgents opened -fire upon them. Private Vosper was thrown from his horse, and Lieutenant-colonel M'Neill succeeded in catching him. Vosper then remounted, and both rode off. The fire of tbe tfaoris is said to ha*e been very dose and very severe ; under such circumstances the escape of the horses and riders without being grazed by a single bullet is little short of miraculous. It is unfortunate, perhaps, that there were no other spectators of the sceue-tnaa the immediate actors. Private Vogper has to vouch for the gallantry of Lieutenant. - colonel M'Neill, and Lieutenant-colonel M'Neill for the danger incurred by Private- Vosper. When the affair was reported, to General Cameron he recommended his aide-de-camp for the decoration of the Cross of Valour; and he was duly invested with it on rhe 6th of December, Jn the presence of all the troops that could be assembled to witness thi« interesting ceremony.

Lieutenant-colonel M'Neill is a good and j gallant soldier ; be proved himself to be so : daring the Indian campaign, when he served | on the staff of Sir Edward Lugard, and was honourably mentioned in public despatches. It is right that these services should be know to the publio, as they have contributed to procure for him the honour of the Victoria Cross, the wearer of which, like Caeiar's wife, should be beyond suspicion. We should be ' glad to see some public recognition of the : bravery 1 displayed by a sergeant of one of the colonial corps near the same zpot, fivs days before Lieutenant-colonel M'Neill and his orderly wore attaoked. On March 25 this sergeant had left Pukerimu in company with a civilian who had been visiting his brother there, and was now on his way to Awamutu. Both were well mounted, and nothing remarkable occurred till they were within four miles of the camp, where the road passes near the first of the lakes lying between Ohapau- and Te Roil. The two horsemen werß riding quietly along, thoughtless of danger, when an ambuscade of some 30 or 40 Maories opened fire upon them from the bush ; the sergeant felt that his horse was hit, and spurred him on with all his might, in the hope that he might still be able to carry him beyond the reach of danger. . On the first impulse of the moment he had thought only of his own safety; but he had only proceeded a short distance when he became anxious for the fate of his companion. On turning round, he saw his horse lying dead on the road : in another minute the civilian would have been lif eleßs Beside him. He was r ashing along with all bis might, pursued by a Maori, who was rapidly gaining upon him, and had already poised bis spear ;to strike. The sergeant wheeled bis horsa

round, and with the rapidity of thought rushed to the rescue. One shot from his revolver laid the Maori prostrate ; in another minute tbe oivilian was mounted behind him, and then away for their lives. The noble horse seemed to know what results depended on his speed, for, though wounded and weak from the loss of blood, he never halted till he reached the rising ground that overlooks Awamutu, when he fell dead. He had carried them tbrae miles with seven bullets In hie body, till they were beyond the reach of the Maori rifles. When the /danger was past be laid down and died. The incident created much sensation at the moment. The sergeant'ti coolness and courage excited the admiration of tbe whole oamp ; but many months have passed away without bringing with them any publio recognition of -his heroism. This, doubtless, has arisen from oversight. We shall be much gratified if our present remarks lead to farther inquiries being made. Civilian* have obtained the Victoria Cross in India : there is no reason why it chould not be bestowed on those who are equally worthy in New Zealand.

j Our readers are already familiar with tbe < attaokon the Gate Pa at Tanranga, on April 29, when our soldiers and sailors, after effeot- ; ing an entrance into the Maori stronghold, ; were seized with a sudden panio and retreated la the greatest disorder. It is rare indeed for our soldiers or sailors to desert their i officers in the hour of danger ; but on this occasion terror was more powerful than the sense of duty. , It was not so with all, how- | ever; 'there were one or two honourable exceptions. When Commander Hay fell mortally wounded inside the pa, one gallant ■tailor stood by him and refused to leave him, though frequently arged to do so. It was light that tuoh an act of distinguished deration to duty should be recognised as au encouragement to others to imitate h?B example, and Samuel Mitohell now oarrles on his bieast the Cross of Valour as a memorial of the humanity and oourage he displayed at the Gr-tt Pa. On the same occasion, Assistantsurgeon Manley, of the Boyal Artillery, distinguished himself by exposing his life to great danger in entering che pa with the generous intention of offering assistance to Commander Hay. That unfortunate officer was beyond the reach of human aid, but this detracts nothing from the praise due to Aisistant-3urgcon Manley, who remained with him to tbe last, and did all that human skill could suggest to alleviate his sufferings. Nor was this all ; on learning, after his return to the camp, that there were other wounded offioers in the pa who might require his aid, he offered to prooeed to their assistance. To have done so would have been to expose his Hfe to oertain destruction, as the insurgents had now resumed possession of their stronghold ; the service oannot afford to lose such men as Assistant-surgeon /Manley. While this generous offer was refused, it was felt that he had already made good his title to the distinction of the Victoria Cross, whioh has now been conferred upon him. Assistant-surgeons Temple and Maaley belong to the same branoh of the service, and it I* honous%ble to the medical profession that two of its niambors should have attained to the same distinction in the course of one year. While the province of Auokland has been the principal seat of tbe present campaign, a nors of "desultory warfare has been carried on at the same time in the district of Taranaki, wheie the 57th Rfglmeut- is stationed. This dlßtriot, which his baen often described as the garden of New Zealand, extends along the western coast of the North Island. Its capital, New Plymouth, is situated at the oase of Mount Sgmout, a solitary, snow-capped mountain about 10,000 ft high, rising out of » denselywooded plain. There is no harbour, and the loud roar of the waves breaking on the inhospitable shore is constantly to be hoard. An English settlement was formed there In 1841, but at this time there were only 90 natives, living for security in the cliffs wound Mount Egooont or in holes among the sugarloaf rocks ; the rest had fled to Cook's Straits or been carried off iuto captivity. Tbe whole district was a watte, and Goveroor Hobson bought for £400 the right whioh T<t Whero Whero, a native ohief, had acquired over it by 7irtue of conquest ; after it had passed into our hands the fugitives began to return, and nothing could equal their surprise on ficding their lands parcelled out; among stranger*. Twisting their long arms round the gigaatfc urees, whiob had long been' tapu or sacred, they besought tbe woodman to spare them ; tbeir Bpirifc was broken by conquest;- aa yet they offered no open resistance.' It was only when our arms had buffeted reverses in other partt of the island that tbe natives of Taranaki began to shew a more independent spirit 'and to roolsim the lands which had now paesed from their, hands. The matter was referred to Governor Fitzroy, who decided that the settlers were only entitled to 3500 of the 60,000 acres to which they laid claim ; the natives resumed possession of the rest. Ttis deoision increased the bitterness of feeling which had already sprung up between the two races and has bban the cause of all the subsequent disturbances at Taranaki. The settlers are anxious to purchase, but the' natives refuse to part with their lands. " Money," they say, " soon melts away, but the land remains." In order to preserve and sustain this conservative feeling, they formed themselves into the Anti-land-selling League, the nature of whioh may be learned from its title, and absolutely refused to part with a single aore. The war of 1860-62 and 1863-64, which is not yet over, originated I from an attempt on the part of tbe Colonial Government to suppress this league by purI ohasing lands from any of the natives who were disposed to part with them. If these purchases had been confined to the actual possessors of the soil' no objection could have been made to them, every [man having a right to do what he likes with his own; but no man has a right to sell what belongs to his neighbours. This was actually done at Taranaki, and unfortunately the Government, in order to assert a principle, took possession by force of the laud thus purchased. This brought the two races into immediate collision, and the war has been lingering on for years. It would be foreign to oar purpose to describe its leading events ; it is, sufficient to remark that it has been carried on with various success, and that the 57th Begiment, under the command' of Colonel Wane, 0.8., h*a taken an actiYa cart in the Taxanakl

campaign. An engagement took place afc Foutoko on October 2, 1863, daring which Ensign Down and Drummer Stagpoole, of tho 57th Begiment, distinguished themselves by carrying off two wounded men who would 1 otherwise have fallen into tbe hands of the enemy. Stagpoole- had already attraoted tho notioe of his commanding officer by voiun- ' teering to resoue a wounded soldier on a pre» vious occasion, and the announcement in tha London Gazette that .he and Ensign Down have had the Cross of Valour awarded to them has given general satisfaction in New Zealand. Oourage is not the exolusive property of any one class; it is to be found ! among all ranks in our army and navy ; it is right, therefore, that that cross which is intended expressly to be the reward of oourage should be bestowed Impartially npon every one who has made good his claim, whether he bear her Majesty's commission or be merely a drummer boy. Chivalry admitted none to its ranks save those who were of .noble birth, but many of the most chivalrous deeds of modern times have been done by men who have no claim to Illustrious desoenc and owe everything to themselves. The Cross of Valour Is a standing recognition of thlrf aot ; it is far more precious than garters and ribbons or the other gewgaws of -' rank ; it is the spebial reward of the brave, and nona but the brave deserve to wear-it.

Peace will never be established on a solid ■ basis in New Zealand till the settlers and Aborigines have leaned to treat one another with more respect. At present they regard one another with mingled feeling* of hatred and oontempt. The Englishman thinks that he has a right to dispise brown-skinned men' whorwere onoa cannibals, who know nothing about title deods, live in dog kennels, feed on fern roots and putrid fish, and render their faces hideous by tattooing. He hates them aa the only obataole between himself and those valuable lands with whioh they ref use to part ; he is tempted to believe that the only way to, pacify New Zealand is not to leave a single Maori alive. " The black fellows " or " niggers/ as they are oontemptuonsly called,- oonsolous of the existence of these feelings, are ready enough to retaliate. They have the firmest belief in their own superior courage. " Ton white people," said a native ohief, "are very good for building houses and ships, for buylug and selling, for making cattle fat, and for growing beans and cabbages.; you are like . the rats, always at work ; but as to fighting,- ' you are like them alio — yon only know how to run." .

Daring this war they have had occasion to revise their opinion regarding our courage ; - they have also taught us " to r6speot their heroic powers of endurance, and to believe that many virtues may be found beneath a brown akin. If the experience of che past: prevents us frcm "looking forward with too muoh confidence to the future destiny of this; noble race, who have decreased, to one-half . of their number sino* they welcomed the Anglo-Saxon raofc to their shores, we have at least a right to expend that they shall be treated with juscioe.'and nothing be done to hasten on that fate which seams already to ba impending over them. England will thus be saved the remorse of wilfully negleoting to take any measures to avoid those calamities to which the contact of oiviliied with semibarbaroua races has hitherto given rise, and th«i Maori may >et become a sharer in those blessing* whicii civilisation and Christianity oau alone bestow. ' /

old Medals at the World's Chief

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