CHAPTER V. Arrival of Major-General Pratt and Staff...
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CHAPTER V.
Arrival of Major-General Pratt and Staff--Force at his disposal--Night attack on the Town anticipated--Compulsory removal of women and children -- Major Herbert marches a force to the Waireka--Natives drive the cattle northwards--Expedition to Burton's Hill--Waireka Camp broken up--Destruction of pas in the North--Puketakauere occupied--Huirangi expedition--First and second Kaihihi expeditions--Destruction of native plantations--Battle of Mahoetahi-- Murder of John Hawken.
SUCH was the aspect of affairs on the arrival of General Pratt and Staff from Melbourne, in the Victoria steam sloop; the whole country around being in an active state of siege. The Waitara, Bell Block, the town, Omata, and the camp at Waireka, were alike hemmed in by the treacherous and determined native; it being unsafe, without an armed escort, to leave the protection of the fortifications. To check these incursions light troops occasionally reconnoitred the Bell and Omata districts.
General Pratt, in assuming command, had at his disposal a force consisting of the 40th and 65th Regiments, a detachment of the 12th, a Naval Brigade, with about 600 Militia and Volunteers; with an adequate artillery and engineer force.
All and every one appeared of an opinion that a night attack on the town was meditated by the enemy; to be prepared for which, General Pratt organised the town division so that, in case of an alarm, every man would know his place at the trenches. At the same time, an order was issued for all women and children to leave for Nelson or elsewhere; and when affection was found stronger than
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fear, and they persisted in not leaving, force was threatened, without avail, many boldly refusing to quit their husbands and sons. They would sooner participate in the anxieties attendant on a residence in a besieged town, than suffer, under the circumstances, the misery of separation. Some even, in their desperation, threatened to meet force with force, having ready at hand a loaded revolver to repel the bayonet, should such as a threat implied be used.
Towards the middle of August the natives again made their appearance at Ratapihipihi, whence they formed a line of posts by Burton's Hill, round through the bush to the southern side of the Waireka camp; within a few hundred yard* of which, so as to command flanking positions, they had constructed no less than four different sets of earthern field works; and from which, on two sides, Major Hutchins' position, night and day, was exposed to an almost constant fire. Several parties of soldiers sallied forth to the attack; but the works had been so constructed as to enable the natives to effect a rapid retreat down the wooded gullies.
Perhaps no country could have been better chosen for a guerilla system of warfare than that on which the rebels had concentrated. In every direction wooded gullies and ravines intersect the country; and I am certain that, in no one spot, could a level piece of ground of one hundred acres in extent be met with.
The high hills in rear of the Stockade were occupied with the native sentinels, who, from their elevated position, could see and report all the movements of the English; so that no step was taken on our part without being met by a counter one of the enemy. They came between the Omata Stockade and Waireka camp, within only a few hundred yards of fortified positions, igniting in broad daylight the houses in the village.
So bold and glaring had their conduct now become that, after much hesitation, a force was sent out, under the command of Major Herbert, to attack, conjointly with Major Hutchins, and drive them from their positions in the neighbourhood of the Waireka. But, to the annoyance and surprise of many, the force was ordered back to town, without even an attempt being made towards effecting the desired object.
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About a week from this a skirmish took place between New Plymouth and the Omata Stockade. Whilst the attention of the troops was directed that way, another body of natives scoured the country, driving the settlers' cattle and horses northwards, towards King's strongholds.
The Southerns, having collected and driven to a place of safety all the stock in the neighbourhood, forsook their fortifications at the Waireka for Burton's hill; to dislodge them from which an expedition was organised, to march in the dead of the night, in three divisions, under the immediate command of the General. Unfortunately, ere the force arrived, the enemy had decamped, and escaped by a path through the bush to the strong-built pas at Tataraimaka. A few days after this the troops were withdrawn from the Waireka.
Almost simultaneous with these Southern movements, Major Nelson, with a party from the Waitara, wended his way towards the Bell Block, uprooting and burning the Ninia and Tima, with the other pas which had sheltered the many marauding parties that had committed such havoc amongst the settlers' stock and dwellings. The next day the indefatigable Major Nelson crossed to the North side of the Waitara, and destroyed two pas of King's--Korihi and Tikorangi. They were found empty, but bore evidence of having but a short period before been occupied, as fires were still burning, near which was a quantity of half-cooked food.
The Puketakauere pa appearing uninhabited was approached with caution and razed to the ground. It was of very strong construction, defended by two ditches, one nearly 20 feet deep; and with a sort of interior parapet, with a side of about 20 or 30 yards. The graves of some of the poor fellows that fell on the 27th of June were discovered and fenced in. To prevent this strong position from again being occupied by a hostile force a blockhouse was erected and garrisoned.
The work of destroying the enemy's strongholds having thus been commenced, the General determined to follow it up, and at once march on to King's territory with fire and sword; for which purpose, on Monday, Sept. 10th, a force, consisting of upwards of 1,400 men, was organised to march early on the next morning, in three divisions,
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each accompanied with artillery. No. 1, under the command of Major Nelson, was to continue by the road up the Waitara from the camp: Nos. 2 and 3 marching from town as far as Mahoetahi, where, after crossing the Mangoraka river, they were to encamp for the night.
Before dawn, at three o'clock in the morning, in perfect silence, the two divisions advanced by different roads; after crossing the Waiongana river, direct inland, reaching the Ngataiparirua and Kairau pas whilst it was yet dark, both of which being uninhabited were soon given to the flames.
Major Nelson's division having now come up, an advance was made towards the Huirangi peach groves, there being several pas in that neighbourhood. After the guns had been brought to the front and placed in position, under the protection of a skirmishing party supplied by the 40th, the work of demolition commenced; when, perfectly unexpected, volleys were poured forth from the bush and gullies, one man falling. The skirmishers immediately retired upon their supports.
After destroying all in the open ground the General ordered the "retire" to sound. As the rear-guard, on its return, again reached Kairau, three several volleys were fired by the natives in token of defiance. The whole force early in the afternoon reached the Waitara, where it encamped for the night. The next morning the town division returned to their quarters.
Our loss in this fruitless affair was one man shot, whose body was not recovered; and two others wounded.
In this expedition an opportunity was afforded of more fully witnessing the ingenuity of the New Zealander in adopting protective means against an enemy. His pas are so constructed that no shell or rockets of the ordinary kind can inflict serious injury upon them. The spot chosen for a pa is oftentimes the summit of a hill, protected by deep gullies on three sides, a dense bush on the fourth. The interior of the pa being filled with covered rifle-pits is as shell-proof as any fort the Russians ever built. The mere term rifle-pit does not in reality convey a true idea of these subterranean dwellings, some of which were lined with the toetoe, or New Zealand reed, and fitted with an aperture for fireplace and chimney. The peculiar volcanic
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soils of Taranaki are well adapted for the Maori system of fortification.
A few days after the return from the North another expedition for the South was set on foot, to attack the rebels and destroy their fortifications where and whenever they could be met with.
Early on Tuesday morning, September 18th, 600 men, including artillery, under the command of Major Hutchins, commenced their march towards Kaihihi. Passing on their way the stockade and village of the Omata, through the valley of the Waireka, and ascending the hill on the brow of which the military camp was formerly situated, the beautiful and picturesque lands of Tataraimaka appeared in the distance, with the pas to destroy which we were then on our way.
Early on the second day the Oakura was crossed, Tataraimaka reached, and the forsaken pas destroyed. As usual, they were of strong construction, and must have cost a considerable amount of labour, from the heavy timber having been necessarily brought from a long distance.
After continuing the march some two miles farther on to the rebels' country, and arriving at a beautiful plot of grass land known as Johnny's Flat, the baggage train was left with a guard, whilst a reconnoitring party advanced as far as Porikapa's old residence; near which three strong pas were reported as being occupied by a considerable native force. Having ascertained this, the expedition, after a few days' delay, returned to town. Scarcely had the reconnoitring party rejoined the baggage train ere the natives advanced within a few hundred yards, and fired volleys of defiance.
Of the homes that formerly appeared dotted about these beautiful districts, all that remained were the blackened chimneys, which stood forth as monuments of utter and complete ruin.
At Waitara all was quiet; the military camp having been strengthened by the head-quarters of the 40th, under the command of Colonel Leslie, who advanced with a party towards Kairau, for the purpose of filling in the rifle-pits of the pas that had been destroyed on the 11th of September. The party was fired on by the natives, when the soldiers retired, they having been forbidden, for some unknown reason, to answer the fire of the enemy.
Tuesday, October 11th, a large force, under the personal com-
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mand of General Pratt, accompanied by artillery, including the 8-inch guns from the Waitara, marched towards the South, with the intention of destroying the pas reported by Major Hutchins. After encamping for the night on the far end of the Tataraimaka block, an advance was made to Porikapa's old pa, near which an encampment was formed, and parties of observation sent out, between which and the enemy an exchange of shots ensued.
An advanced force having reached within a few hundred yards of the nearest pa, entrenchments were thrown up, and the 8-inch guns and other artillery placed in position. It was not until the guns were moving up that the enemy opened fire. They evidently imagined that the entrenchments were intended as a shelter for the supports of those who were to rush the pa; consequently, as in the case at Huirangi, the fire had been retained for a determined fusilade; but, finding themselves mistaken, and the artillery too hot for them, they made their escape during the night. The next morning the fortifications, under the hands of the attacking parties, soon ceased to exist.
No. 1 (Pukekakariki) in the distance appeared surrounded by bush, but, on approaching, clearings and potato plantations were found. No. 2 (Orongomaihangai) had evidently been built as their centre. It was situated in a commanding position on the precipitous cliff of the Kaihihi river, down the face of which was an ingeniously constructed path, protected by rifle-pits near the river's edge. The third (Mataiaio) was higher up the river, on the opposite bank.
After an absence of five days the troops returned to town. During the reduction of the pas we had five wounded, including Captain Pasley, of the Royal Engineers.
This being the season for cropping, an endeavour was now made, by sending out armed parties in various directions, to prevent the natives from planting; and, at the same time, complete the destruction of all that might yet remain of their dwellings or produce in the open country.
The success that the enemy had of late met with in out-manoeuvring the English had given him so great an amount of confidence as to induce something of carelessness on his part. The Waikatos who had lately joined King had been taught to believe that they only
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required to fire a few shots, when, if the military did not retire, all that remained for them to do, when over pressed, was to retreat rapidly; this, they made certain, from past events, could be effected without fear of being followed.
A party of Waikatos had temporarily taken up their quarters at Mahoetahi, on a hill partly surrounded by a swamp, situated about midway between the Bell Block and the Waitara. The General, on receiving intimation of this movement on the part of the enemy, completed arrangements for a combined attack, without giving them time to fortify their position.
On Tuesday, November 6th, he marched a force across the Mangoraka direct for Mahoetahi. The artillery, having quickly taken up position on the right, the military and civil forces, in extended order, with fixed bayonets, rushed the hill, driving the reputed unconquerable Waikatos with great slaughter before them.
In the meantime, Major Nelson arrived by the Waitara road, and sent in upon the now retreating enemy a heavy flanking fire. In less than two hours the battle was fought and won. Before returning to town the troops scoured the country from Ngataiparirua to Puketakauere.
The casualties in this decisive engagement were 4 killed and 16 wounded; including one officer wounded and two Volunteers killed, mere boys in years. The enemy leaving in our hands of prisoners, killed, and wounded, 45. On the Thursday following the funerals of those that had fallen took place in town, the soldiers bearing the Volunteers, and the Volunteers the soldiers, to their last resting place.
The day after the battle J. Hawken, contract butcher, imprudently rode from the Waitara towards Mahoetahi, when he was waylaid, shot, and tomahawked. An escort was sent out to seek the body. It was found lightly earthed over near Ngataiparirua.
