The Waikato War, 1863-4

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 5, 31 January 1912, Page 51

The Waikato War, 1863-4

By

JOHN FEATON.

CHAPTER XIX. Pukekohe Stockade, an isolated post, situated in the heart of the dense bush some two miles from Martin’s Form, on the west side of the road, over the Pokeno Ranges, was attacked by a strong force of natives on Mondays September 14th. The stockade, in charge of Sergeant Perry, was held by a small party of Militia from Auckland, and Volunteers belonging to the'district, who in preference to deserting their homesteads, had decided to remain in the vicinity and guard their property. Although the garrison of the stockade did not number more than 30 men, Sergeant Perry, who arrived at Pukekohe three or four weeks before the attack, decided to utilise the church, and having collected the few Volunteers in the district, took possession of the sacred edifice. The church was a small building, measuring only 30ft. by 20ft., situated in the centre of a 10-acre paddock, which had but a short time before been cleared, and the stumps of the trees were still standing. Heacy bush surrounded it on all sides. Finding that the walls of the church, composed of J-inch weather boards, and unlined, would not protect his men from the enemy’s bullets if they were attacked. Sergeant Perry determined to build a bullet-proof wall, 7ft. high, all round the church, at about 10ft. from the building. The wall was pierced for rifles, and outside there was. a ditch. To complete this the men went early and late vigorously to work. The wall was composed of young trees about a foot in diameter and 20ft. long, placed one on top of the other, and fastened with wooden treenails to stout posts on the inside. Whilst hauling the logs out of the bush, the men were more than once fired upon by the natives, who, for some reason, deferred their attack on the stockade until it was nearly completed. On the evening of the 13th (Sunday) Major-General Galloway and staff visited the post, and advised the men to be on the alert, as there was a large force of natives in the vicinity: and promising to send them a reinforcement, the General returned to Drury. Sergeant Perry and his little garrison passed the night in anxious suspense, the men ly'ing down with their arms loaded and capped. The sentries, peering through the loop-holes in the stockade wall across the clearing, could scarcely tell whether the objects they saw in the gloom were Maoris or stumps, and each ear was strained to catch the faintest sound. Occasionally during the night a kaka would scream, or a decayed branch fall in the bush, and startle the garrison; and so the long night passed away, and when morning dawned there was no sign of the enemy, but the stumps in the clearing stood up sharp and distinct in the morning light. At about 9 a.m. on the Monday morning some of the men were at breakfast inside the church, and others were in the cook-house which was built outside the stockade. The sudden report of firearms caused the men who were in the cook-house to beat a hasty retreat inside the stockade and to close the gate.

Several bullets striking the shingle root of the church dropped through. Quickly manning the stockade wall, the garrison returned the fire of the natives, who were seen issuing from the bush in large numbers, taking cover behind the stumps in the clearing, and gradually advancing nearer to the stockade. At the time of the attack a horse and cart was standing outside, as one of the men intended to start that morning to Drury, a distance of some seven miles, for provisions. The poor beast soon fell pierced with bullets, and the natives, making a dash, got good cover behing the cart, close up to the stockade. The enemy, who were estimated at considerably over 200, kept up a rapid fire—the bullets, however, striking harmlessly against the wooden wall of the stockade. Each stump in the clearing concealed one of the enemy, and a thick cloud of smoke hung over the stockade and 10-acre paddock. When the natives made a forward movement from one stump to another the garrison poured a volley into them, frequently sending some of them, with a loud yell, to the ground. At 11 o'clock the enemy had advanced to within 30 or 40 yards of the stockade, and- although they were evidently aware of the small number of men defending the church, they had not the soul to storm the position, which the garrison expected every minute they would do. Instead of attempting to carry the position by assault, the natives fired for a few seconds as fast as they could, and then retreated into the bush, where they could be heard shouting to one another. The garrison still keeping to their posts—although some of the men desired to go out into the clearing and search for any dead or wounded that might have been left —waited to see what would be the next move on the part of the enemy. They had not long to wait, for in a short time the natives reappeared, again took cover behind the stumps, and poured volley after volley at the stockade—the thick wall, as before, stopping the bullets from doing any harm. One of the Maoris shouted out, in good English, for those inside the stockade to come outside and fight—an invitation declined by the garrison. Finding their fire had no effect, some of the natives commenced throwing stones over the stockade wall. At about 1 o’clock a detachment of 1 officer and 20 men arrived to reinforce the garrison. They came out of the bush on the opposite side to where the natives were, and making a dash across the clearing, managed to join the defenders of the stockade without losing a man. With 50 men inside the stockade the garrison felt themselves able to cope witli the natives, and a flame of fire leapt out from each loop-hole of the stockade wall, sending a shower of bullets across the clearing, and keeping the natives well down in their cover. In about half an hour after the arrival of the first relief bugles were heard sounding in the bush, and the garrison knew that substantial aid was at hand; and very soon a number of soldiers issued from the forest into the clearing in skirmishing order. The force that had arrived consisted of 150 men belonging to the 65th and 18th Regiments, under Majors Saltmarsh and Inman, Having advanced into the clearing at the back of the stockade, they could not see the gate, and called out to be shown the way. Sergeant Perry ran out to one end of the stockade, and pointed the road in, and as he was returning to the gate the natives crouching behind the stumps fired a volley after him, but without effect. At the same time a heavy fire was opened on the advancing soldiers, killing 3 and wounding 8, amongst whom was Major Saltmarsh. The troops at once charged the enemy, who fled precipitately into the bush, two, in their flight, stumbling over the logs that covered the ground, were bayoneted. The Maori bodies, with three other natives who were found in the clearing with

supplejack tied to their heels for the purpose of dragging them away, were mortally wounded, and dying the same evening were buried the next day. The natives lost on this occasion more than 14 men, killed and wounded. So late as a year and a-halt ago, two skeletons of natives were discovered in the bush, not very far from the scene of the attack, who were supposed to have been killed in the fight, and after being dragged some distance no doubt were left by the enemy in their hasty retreat- The next day a force of Militia arrived, under Captain Moir, who relieved the garrison, which returned to Auckland, where Sergeant Perry, in consideration of the stubborn defence that he had made, received a commission as ensign in the 2nd Regiment Waikato Militia. CHAPTER XX. On Monday, September 14th. a large detachment of Military Settlers disembarked from the ship Star of India, which had arrived from Melbourne in Auckland harbour on the 12th. The force consisted of 407 officers and men under Captain Goldsmith, Lieutenants Lomax, Minnington, and Smith. The men raised in Victoria were called Pitt’s Militia, on account of Colonel Pitt having superintended the enrolment of Volunteers in Melbourne for service and settlement in the Waikato. The Military Settlers as they arrived were clothed in the Militia uniform, drilled and drafted into Regiments—known as the Ist, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Waikatos, the latter being mostly married men. As soon as possible, these regiments were moved forward to the posts held by the Auckland Militia and Volunteers, who, being relieved, returned to Auckland. Many of them, however, having acquired a taste for military service, to which Was added the prospect of 50 acres of land, joined the Military Settlers or Waikato Militia. Several companies were raised in Auckland, and tempting advertisements, like the following, which appeared in the newspapers, soon filled their ranks with smart young men.

(12) After taking possession lie will be entitled to receive rations free of cost for twelve months, upon the same scale as supplied to Her Majesty’* troops He will be allowed to retain possession as a Militiaman, of his arms and accoutrements, and he will be supplied with ammunition for use, according to Militia regulations. (13) No settler, after taking possession, will be permitted during the first three years after his enrolment in the Militia, to absent himself from his settlement for more than one calendar month in any one year without the leave of the Governor being first obtained. (14) During such three years he will be liable to be trained and exercised as other Militiamen; and whenever a portion only of the Militia shall be called out for actual service, each settler will be deemed a Volunteer Militiaman, and will be required to serve as such anywhere that may be required in the Northern Island of the colony. During such service he will be entitled to the same pay, rations, and allowances as other Militiamen. (15) On the expiration of three years from his enrolment, each settler having fulfilled the conditions, but not otherwise, will be entitled to a Crown grant of the town allotment and farm section allotted to him, and will thenceforth be subject only to the same' Militia service as other colonists. (iG) Any settler will be permitted to dispose of his land to any person approved of by the Government, and such person undertaking to be subject to the same liabilities will be entitled to the same privileges as the settler whose place he takes. (17) In case of death of any settler before he shall have become entitled to his Crown grant, the land to which he is entitled will be granted to his wife or children, or to such other person as he shall by writing appoint—or it may be taken for the location of another settler under these conditions, or for any other purpose; but the value thereof, in such latter case, will be determined by valuation, and the amount paid by the Government to the settler's widow or children, or other person appointed as aforesaid. The pay of the Militia and Volunteers serving in New Zealand, with rations and other allowances, is as follows:— Captains ns 7d per diem Lieutenants 6s 6d „ Ensigns 5s 3d „ Sergeants 3s 6d „ Corporals 3s od „ Privates 2s 6d „ CHAPTER XXI. The natives, on the 16th of September, appeared in the Wairoa district in force, and commenced ransacking the settlers’ homesteads. The Wairoa (Lower) is on the river of the same name, which discharges its waters into the Auckland Harbour, some 28 miles south of the city. The river runs through the centre of a valley formed by rich alluvial flats, and-surrounded by high wooded hills. Major Lyon commanded the district, the defence of which consisted of a redoubt (the Galloway) overlooking the river on the north, and a stockade on the south bank. Their position was about 8 miles from the mouth of the river, and in the heart of the valley settlement, and was defended mainly by a force composed of Wairoa Riffes, and of men from the different' companies of the Auckland Rifle Volunteers, under the command of Captain J. McCosh Clark, No. 6 Company, with Lieutenant Tabuteau and Ensign D. A. Tole; this company, some time afterwards, had a uniform of green cloth, and were dubbed the “Grasshoppers.” To.strengthen their defences two detachments of the Volunteers, under Sergeants Gatland and Phillips, were detailed to cut slabs in the bush. Whilst so engaged they were suddenly fired upon by a party of natives, and returning the fire, fell back upon the redoubt, when the Maoris retired. Major Lyon desiring to prevent the enemy, who Were plundering the settlers’ houses, from returning to their settlement at Otau, pushed forward with a small party to intercept them. This force consisted of a detachment of the Auckland Volunteers and 20 men of the Wairoa Rifles, with Lieutenant Steele. Coming upon the natives, the Volunteers at once, with the steadiness of regular troops, opened fire—killing two Maoris. The enemy returned the fire, and hastily retreating, made good their escape. From the body of one of the natives shot, Private Elley, of the Auckland Volunteers, obtained a gold watch, which was supposed to have been stolen from one of the settlers. Night at this time setting in, the force returned to camp; on the road they were met by a party under Captain Clark, A.R.V., and Lieutenant Russell, rBth Regiment, which was hastening to their support.

(To be continued.|