Thread by @DiariesEmpire

An original Empire Scrapbook production -

Trouble on the Gold coast!

1806 - A very destructive war has broken out in Africa.
A mighty King has been dishonoured.
Tribes fight their neighbours and themselves. Empires play and get played.

Main Protagonists:
The Ashanti - The King,
The Assin - Cheboo, Apoutay, Amon
The Fante
The British - Gov. White, Gov. Torraine
The Dutch

It started in Assin. Two Chiefs of an Assin district (Cheboo and Apoutay) had been accused of robbing the grave of a rich Assin elder of a neighbouring district. He had been buried with his treasure and his tomb was stripped of its loot.

The leader of the neighbouring district was called Amon. Outraged he took his injury to the highest authority. The authority being the King of the Ashanti. Overlord of them all.

The Ashanti King summoned all the parties and heard all stories and protests. He awarded in favour of Amon.
Apoutay was arrested and made hostage until restitution was made.

Cheboo and Apoutay (C&A) had no intention of honouring the verdict. Apoutay escaped capture and the pair ignored all summonses and threats. As a result Amon gathered his forces and went to war. He put his enemies to flight and sacked the C&A's town.

Once more the King of the Ashanti tried to settle the issue with a new meeting. C&A arrived with an armed force and the meeting turned into a battle. Unfortunately for C&A they lost once more and had to flee the victorious Amon.

The Ashanti King. Ever peaceful. Now tried bribery to keep the peace. Amon took the bribe and kept the peace. C&A took the bribe and went back to war!

Ashanti money

This time Amon was forced to flee as his town was sacked. The King was still unwilling to become militarily engaged so sent Amon golden gifts as compensation.
Soon afterwards Amon was attacked again by C&A. This time Amon was completely defeated. He lost his town and the gold.

C&A had crossed a line though. Not only had they ravaged Amon's lands they also killed the Kings messengers.

The King of the Ashanti declared eternal war!

On hearing this C&A fled South to the Fanti lands on the Gold coast.

The King of the Ashanti raised his forces and prepared to move south. He asked the Fanti leader for permission to enter Fanti lands to capture C&A and offered 20 oz of Gold as compensation.
The Fanti replied they didn't want to be involved and denied the King access.

The King gained access following a two day battle. Many Fanti and Assin notables were killed and the larger Ashanti army claimed the victory.
C&A fled into hiding.

The Ashanti carried on a campaign of destruction in the Fanti lands. They conquered towns, fought militias and at one point almost destroyed a large criminal gang.
However Fanti coastal lands bought a new element into play. The Europeans.

The British and Dutch held a string of Forts and trading centres along the Gold coast. It was to these fortifications C&A now looked to for protection.

The British Cape coast castle and the Dutch Fort Amsterdam.

British (E) and Dutch (D) settlements along the coast.

The British were alarmed at the turn of events. They had good relations with the Fanti but weren't as close to the Ashanti. The Dutch held the upper hand in Ashanti diplomacy.

So when C&A and 500 of their men arrived in the Fanti town surrounding Cape coast castle asking for protection the British governor of the castle Col. George Torraine strongly advised against it.

The Fanti town was between a rock and a hard place. Denying 500 desperate armed men shelter was a difficult thing to refuse. The danger was more immediate than a two day distant war machine rumbling up the coast.

Some background intelligence on the Ashanti. As can be seen they have octupled their sphere of influence over the last century.

I can't tell you much about Governor Col. George Torraine other than what is recorded in the British press of 1807. However the reporting shows him to be a insightful and decisive man. As will be seen.

As the Ashanti approached Torraine opened the Castle to the towns women and children.
Then along with the castle surgeon Fitzgerald he went looking for Cheeboo. He soon found him in the town with a small entourage.

Without warning Torraine grabbed Cheeboo and with the surgeon and three soldiers dragged him back to the Castle.

Then he went looking for Apoutay

With Apoutay on the lam Cheboo would have to remain the only peace offering. A flag of truce was immediately sent to the Ashanti. There was no time to lose as the Ashanti had arrived at Fort William. A British stronghold 8 miles distant.

A quick look at Cape Coast Castle. Originally built by the Swedish Africa Company in 1653 to support the gold and slave trade.

It has had many owners:
1657 taken by the Danish
1659 taken by the Dutch in a scam
1660 Sold to the Swedes (fell through)
1663 Retaken by the Dutch
1664 Captured by the English and re-fortified.
1957 Transferred to Ghana following independence

The Castle is still in good condition and is a monument to its part in the slave trade.

This is from Google maps. Note all those spare cannon barrels!

Tripadvisor pictures and reviews

tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Rev…

The Situation at Fort William

Fort William was a sturdy emplacement under the command of Governor White.

Governor White took in what townspeople he could and then gave the Ashanti a demonstration of the 'occular effects' of the great guns!

This proved to be a red rag to a bull!

On the 15th June the Ashanti rushed the town. Fort Wiliam opened fire.

The Forts garrison consisted of Governor White, four company men, twenty four soldiers and a number of company slaves.

There was slaughter in the streets surrounding as the great guns cut into the Ashanti as they made for the walls.
Despite their losses and under heavy fire they attempted to force the main doors.

Other Ashanti took cover and started firing on the gunners. The fire being so accurate that the defenders were kept from the embrasures. The defenders were reduced to musketry.
Governor White was hit twice. Three of the company men were wounded. Things looked grim.

Luckily for the plucky garrison two merchant ships the Minerva and Colpoys arrived. They started firing at the Ashanti with the ships guns and started landing troops. Torraine had sent reinforcements!

The troops and garrison combined and drove the Ashanti from the town. Saving all from destruction. There was said to be a great deal of dead Ashanti around the Fort walls and on the beach.

Torranes flag of truce along with Cheebos capture reached the Ashanti King. Torraine proposed that as long as the dead were removed he would meet the King in a neutral place and discuss peace.

The pair met two weeks later. Gifts were exchanged and the losses on both sides lamented.
It was verbally agreed that the Ashanti would only enter an English settlement again if the population were actively hostile to him.

The King said to Torrane that it was lucky his reinforcements arrived when they did as his troops were busy gathering gunpowder with which to blow a hole in the Forts wall.

Later during the meeting it transpired that the Ashanti King had asked the Dutch to mediate with the British but the scoundrels withheld the information and played a very unsavoury game. However we may have been at war with them at the time.

The meeting concluded with best hopes for the future and the blame for the fracas placed thoroughly at the Dutch and Fanti feet.

Peace was to last four years.

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END
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