Anglo-Asante Wars 1824-1921, ‘Hundred Years’ War’ for the Gold Coast, The Asante Empire & the British Army 1800-1900
Of the many scattered imperial, inter-state,
or civil conflicts which comprise the martial history of Africa, most certainly
the longest and drawn out conquests/military actions was that of the Gold
Coast, in what is now the Republic
of Ghana in West Africa .
Britain ’s long standing war with the Asante came about in the midst of the
great imperial age in which most of Europe brutally carved up Africa for colonial-economic interests. The Gold
Coast was no exception and the British were careful to appease the Asante
Empire with treaties of ‘friendship’ in 1817 and open trade into the
1860’s.
Well bred men-British officers of the
Victorian Age
Though their were many officers who were rather
blood thirsty martial sorts, many others were leisurely gentleman not suited to
the rigors of campaign, the stress, mortal danger, and responsibility that an
officer must endure in the field. Ironically aristocratic officers with no
battle experience still were preferable in the eyes of their generals and
officer peers as better than the “lower” class of officer who earned their
commission through promotion, perhaps by serving in India or the North-Western Frontier
(Pakistan-Afghanistan) from 1803-1857.
Of the most powerful tribes and
cultures, the Asante (alternatively Ashanti) Empire become arguably the
most powerful military power in all of Africa’s history, perhaps only challenged
by the Zulu of South Africa and maybe even the Mahdist warriors of Sudan, Egypt,
and Ethiopia.
Starting in the early 1700’s with King Osei Tutu and
continuing with his successor Opoku Ware, the Asante Empire with its capital at
Kumasi , were unquestionably the strongest
military presence in West Africa in the 1700’s
and 1800’s. Eventually they would only be rivaled by a modern British Army who
campaigned in 1873-1874.
One major factor in the Asante ’s dominance over their Empire was the amount of
muskets that they were able to trade for with their countries great wealth in
gold, which was used as a status symbol amongst the royalty and upper classes of
the Asante .
Trading with Europeans, Arabs, and Asians (Malaysians,
Indians, Chinese) who came to West Africa in search of slaves, gold, and plunder
beginning in the late 1400’s with the Portuguese and continuing with the Dutch
and the later the British, who established a protectorate in 1821 in part due to
the Act of Parliament which outlawed the Slave Trade in 1807 (outlawing slavery
in 1833).
To highlight the scale of the Gold Coast musket trade,
Britain alone sold over
52,000 guns plus 2 million pounds of gunpowder in just 1829, in the 1830’s the
Asante empire place orders for tens of
thousands of muskets to the Dutch to further their advantage against
their neighboring enemies in the Gold Coast. Together with the slave trade, and
the world’s appetite for gold, firearms sales were pivotal to the growing
conflict that developed between Queen Victoria ’s Empire and the Empire of the Asante Kings.
Militarily speaking the Asante
Though renowned for their discipline, and for their
fighting prowess & courage like the Zulu of 1879, the Asante of 1873-1874 like the Zulu
fives years later were dreadfully inaccurate with their firearms seeing as most
were outdated. Even worse they fired antique musket balls ignited by inferior
and sometimes volatile cheap gunpowder sold to them by opportunistic European
traders.
Fight in the Bush,
1874
Opposing force, British Army
1823-1874
Throughout the most critical and major uprisings of the
Anglo-Asante Wars 1823 to 1874, the British army as a case study of imperial
armies is nothing short of fascinating. Just as the Asante warriors are fascinating for
their unique cultural and social identities as they relate to warfare, the
British army was a product of its own diverse and somewhat close knit military
system that held the queen, the regiment, the officers, and then lastly the
enlisted man in highest esteem.
The British Army of the first Anglo-Asante War was
essentially a Napoleonic force under the governor general of Sierra Leone Sir
Charles McCarthy. Later in the Third Anglo-Asante War and into the Zulu War, the
British army, at least its land forces were markedly different institutions,
beginning to modernize and move away from the old way of military thinking.
Still however "old ways die hard" and the change was moderate, only changing
into middle of the Great War.
One very ironic commonality which can be found in the
history of the British Army throughout the imperial age when on is that very few
of the fighting men were indeed British by birth. Instead the majority were
Welsh, Scots, Irish, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand , Indian, West Indian, or any number of
differing cultural and ethnic backgrounds recruited as levies for service in Her
Majesties armed forces during the many campaigns of Queen Victoria ’s reign 1837-1901.
Sir Charles McCarthy (b.1764-1824), an Irishman, killed in
the first great Asante
victory over the British near the Pra River Leon .
Having supreme confidence that his numerically inferior
forces could defeat the Asante in the field,
Sir Charles divided his forces (the great equalizer in imperialist/colonialist
conflicts from 1800-1900) then blundered into an ambush trying to find his other
columns in a bloody assault which showcased the signature battle tactic of the
Asante Empire’s forces.
With few escaping the carnage Sir Charles shot himself
rather than be taken alive, the Asante apparently cutting out his heart and
eating it. As was the tradition in many African warrior cultures of the era, if
a slain enemy had fought bravely an organ was consumed from the courageous
warrior to imbibe the living with even more power.
Wolseley's campaign marked the change from the Napoleonic
style army of Sir Charles era, to a more professional and prepared force led by
younger more ambitious officers who had studied military tactics and strategy
scientifically as opposed to classically, reading histories of more modern
conflicts like the American Civil War 1861-1865 in
particular.
However the men and officers of the Imperial Age still looked down on the warriors of Africa during this era, known by imperialists at home in the years after as 'Dark' or 'Darkest' Africa for the imagery of savagery and violence conjured up the sometimes blatant racist attitudes taken towards African enemies and allies (native levies, trained volunteers) during the Imperial Age.
However the men and officers of the Imperial Age still looked down on the warriors of Africa during this era, known by imperialists at home in the years after as 'Dark' or 'Darkest' Africa for the imagery of savagery and violence conjured up the sometimes blatant racist attitudes taken towards African enemies and allies (native levies, trained volunteers) during the Imperial Age.
Officers of the imperial era were quintessentially upper
class Anglo’s of moderate to affluent background, many lords or of the gentry.
With very, very few exceptions the officers were gentleman, “well bred” men of
Anglo-Scot-Irish stock who had attended at least basic upper-level boarding
school and perhaps university later, studying some vague discipline of
warfare.
The oft repeated jape in reference to the British army as
“lions led by donkeys” is perhaps not hyperbole when reviewing the many errors
and serious blunders of British officers during the imperial age. The purchase
of commissions for wealthy officers was certainly a hindrance and its phasing
out into the 1880’s greatly improved the British military’s officer corps top to
bottom.
Officer of an Indian
cavalry regiment during the Third Anglo-Asante War
End of the Anglo-Asante Wars
The campaign of 1873-1874 under British imperial age legend
Sir Garnet Wolseley is today arguably the most famous of the Anglo-Asante
Wars. A foil to the “lions led by donkeys” remark, Wolseley was an officer of
great renown for his active service on campaign, wounds received in combat in
the Crimea and in India, and for his prowess as a commander of men.
He was at times cut throat and demanding of his soldiers and enemies alike, but respected nonetheless by his enemies & peers. Today he is a legend of the officer and general corps of the Imperial Age, rivaled by only a few contemporaries.
He was at times cut throat and demanding of his soldiers and enemies alike, but respected nonetheless by his enemies & peers. Today he is a legend of the officer and general corps of the Imperial Age, rivaled by only a few contemporaries.
Though war with the Asante would
continue, with the notable end to major conflict in 1900 during the poetically
named War of the Golden Stool, major conflict ceased after General Wolseley's
expedition in the Hundred Years' War for the Gold Coast, which creates the
colonial state of the United Kingdom which becomes later the modern day state of
Ghana, who proclaimed independence in 1957.
Anglo-Asante Wars
1824-1906
First Anglo-Asante War 1823-1824-
Sierra Leone ’s
governor Sir Charles McCarthy raises a combined force of British Redcoats and
African levies to meet the Asante threat to England ’s interests in the South as allies of the
Fante.
Second Anglo-Asante War
1863-1864
Third Anglo Asante
Fourth Anglo Asante
War of the Golden Stool 1900-Governor Frederick
Hodgson attempt to find and sit on the Golden Stool, therefore ending the
Asante dynasty's influence and power
Rebellion of 1921
Asante Empire's War 1698-1874
Scattered conflicts with the Arab Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, and Malay
traders
King Opoku Ware I d.1750 conquers many rival
tribes
Wars with Northern tribes, sweeping victory for the Asante Empire
Wars with Northern tribes, sweeping victory for the Asante Empire
Ashanti-Fante War 1806-1807-Instigated
over grave robbing, the Asante crush the Fante Confederacy annexing the land to
the coast of Ghana
First Anglo-Asante War 1823-1824-Sierra
Leone ’s governor Sir Charles McCarthy raises a combined force of
British Redcoats and African levies to meet the Asante threat to England ’s interests in the South as allies of
the Fante.
First Anglo-Asante War 1823-1824-
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