Anonymous account of the 19th century "Ashanti" War
(British invasion of Asante Confederacy)

General Sir Garnet Wolseley led a hand-picked group of outstanding officers (thereafter known as the Ashanti Gang) and a mixed force of British Regulars, West India Regiment, Haussa troops and native scouts on an expedition to the interior of Ashanti-land. After some hard fought actions the British led force succeeded in occupying the Ashanti capital, Kumasi

For the advance into the jungle, Wolseley divided his army into mutually supporting columns;

The Front Column:
The 42^nd highlanders (The Black Watch)
Royal Artillery with 2 x 7 pounder guns

The Left Column:
Royal Naval Brigade - 100 Officers and men
Russell’s Native Regiment
Royal Artillery with 2 x Hale’s Rockets

The Right Column:
Royal Naval Brigade – 100 Officers and men
Royal Artillery with 2 x Hale’s Rockets

Reserve:
2^nd Battalion 23^rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers

The Rear Column:
2^nd Battalion Rifle Brigade


In addition Royal Engineers assisted by Sierra Leone labourers were placed at the front and flanks of the columns to clear a way through the bush.

The thick jungle blocked vision between units and made command and control difficult. To counter this, Native units were bolstered with extra NCO’s and Officers, 1 for every 10 men in the Haussa units, 1 British Officer to every 40 or 50 men in the native scout units. These units were drawn from different sub tribes and a company could not speak the language of the company next to it. A few individuals may have had a few words of English.

Large numbers of native porters supplied the British force, approximately 1 porter for every 2 troops. These carried everything including the dismantled artillery pieces.

Tactics
In the dense rain forest and swampland of Ashanti, actions were fought at close quarters and were characterised by sudden ambushes by Ashanti gunmen concealed in undergrowth or occupying stockades or trenches.

The Ashanti tactics were to attack suddenly with massed musketry seize whatever loot they could, then quickly melt away into the bush to strike again from another direction. The Ashanti were reluctant to engage in hand to hand combat and a British Bayonet charge often broke their resistance.

The British were initially shocked by the great volume of firepower directed at them, but quickly discovered much of the Ashanti fire was high and inaccurate.

A typical scenario would have a British force trying to reach an objective through unscouted country, with Ashanti units lying in ambush or trying to pass around the British flanks. A permanent trail is likely to be blocked at some point by an Ashanti stockade supported by troops in trenches and concealed off the track.

The British campaign objectives were to capture the Ashanti capital and destroy their powerful army.

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