at the head of his men was
shot down in the street of the village, and was obliged by severe loss
of blood to hand over the command to Captain Duncan, R.A.

"The enemy, as has been said, penetrated into all the southern side of
the village, which they set on fire; meanwhile the sick from the
hospital were removed to the stockade at the north end of the village,
which was cleared as rapidly as possible, the houses being pulled down
by the troops and labourers acting under Colonel Colley's order.[63]

"At half-past two, Colonel Colley reported as follows: 'We have now
cleared the greater part of the village, preserving the hospital and
store enclosure. Difficult to judge of numbers of the Ashantis; they
attack on all sides, and occasional ones creep boldly into the village,
but generally keep under cover of the thick bush, which in places comes
close to the houses.' The firing ceased about 1 p.m.; but on a party
going down for water an hour later, they were hotly fired upon. No
further attack was made upon the post.

"This attack on Fommanah seriously interfered with the transport
arrangements. Hitherto, though a few shots had been fired at different
convoys, the panics and difficulties had always been overcome by the
energy of the transport officers; but the vigour and strength of this
attack frightened the carriers so thoroughly that it was impossible to
move them for some days." In this affair the 1st West India Regiment
lost one sergeant and five privates wounded, and Russell's irregulars
three men wounded.

The Ashantis, although repulsed, still remained in the neighbourhood of
Fommanah, and on February 3rd, an escort over a convoy of carriers,
consisting of a sergeant and three men of the 1st West India Regiment,
was fired upon between Dompoassi and Fommanah, the sergeant and one
private being wounded.

The European Brigade pushed on to Coomassie, after several days' hard
fighting, entered the Ashanti capital on the evening of the 4th of
February, burned it and marched out on the 6th, and arrived at Insarfu
on the downward journey on the 9th. Lieutenant-Colonel Johnston,
commanding the head-quarters of the 1st West India Regiment at Insarfu,
was directed to break up his post, burn the town as soon as all the
troops had passed through, and then to follow to Fommanah, where Sir
Garnet Wolseley intended remaining a few days, in order to endeavour to
arrange a treaty with the Ashantis.

The head-quarter staff lef