468 
APPENDIX. No. I. 
mouth and carried away four of his teeth, another ball passed through his left arm ; and 
nearly at the same time an officer and two men were wounded, and one man killed. 
Things assumed now a more serious and dangerous aspect than was apprehended, and 
gave the garrison a strong assurance of the disposition of the enemy, who, it was evident, 
intended to bend his utmost eflForts against the fort. The Ashantees were confident that 
by gaining possession of it, a large booty would be obtained. However, the small number 
which composed the garrison of Annamaboe at this period, consisting of Governor White, 
Messieurs Meredith, Swanzy, Smith, and Baines ; also four free mulattoes and twenty 
men, including soldiers, artificers, and servants, were confident of the severity of their 
situation. The walls being high, and accurately flanked, and the gates sound and well 
barricadoed ; the Governor, from the nature of his wounds, from great debility in con- 
sequence of much effusion of blood, being constrained to retire, and the command of the 
fort having devolved on the senior officer, who perceiving that the cannon in one quarter 
could not be used with effect, for the enemy fired with such precision as to cut off every 
man who was exposed at an embrasure, depended solely on the musket ; and another man 
having been killed about noon, and two more wounded : — the garrison was now reduced 
to the small number of eight, including officers, who could be depended upon, and the 
Ashantees were using every effort to force the western gate ; but were twice repulsed 
with no small loss. A third time they attempted it, and endeavoured to apply fire to the 
gate ; but the man who brought the materials for that purpose, extinguished the fire by 
falling a corpse upon it. In all their attempts they were defeated with musketry alone, 
and notwithstanding that their efforts to gain an entrance into the fort proved ineffectual, 
the contest was continued till six o'clock. After this cessation, and before total darkness 
came on, the garrison used all possible energy in repairing injuries, and preparing for the 
defensive, in case of hostilities being renewed in the night. 
On the following day a scene replete with the horrors of war exhibited itself: — heaps 
of dead and wounded around the walls, and for a mile along the eastern shore, tossed 
about by a violent surf : — houses unroofed, and others on fire : — the sorrowful counten- 
ances of the old men, who sought refuge in the fort ; the mournful lamentations of the 
women, and the pitiable cries of the children, presented a picture of exquisite feeling and 
of the greatest distress ! Of the number the town contained, and which we will calculate 
to have been at least fifteen thousand souls, we may suppose that two-thirds of that 
number perished. The fort afforded refuge to about two thousand of every description, 
and about two hundred escaped to a rock surrounded by the sea, and at pistol-shot from 
the beach, where they remained unmolested, and notwitstanding the vigilance of the 
Ashantees, we may suppose that two or three thousand effected their escape. Without 
going into further enquiry, we may venture to state that eight thousand Fantees were 
destroyed ; and although they were attacked by at least three times their number, yet if 
