3-065-644 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Ashantee War: the battle-field of Abrakrampa - from a sketch by our special artist, 1874. The scene after a battle between the British and the Ashanti - trees have been chopped down. 'There has been some doubt concerning the genuineness of a despatch, published yesterday week, bearing date the 24th January, and purporting to come from Sir Garnet Wolseley, who was said to be then encamped on the Adansi hills, half-way between the river Prah and the Ashantee capital city of Coomassie. But the drift of its news has obtained confirmation from its agreement with letters of the 15th from Prah-su, which were published last Thursday. A German missionary, Mr. Kuhne, had been sent down from Coomassie by the King of Ashantee to offer or invite terms of peace. More than half the Ashantee army which invaded the Gold Coast country a twelvemonth ago had perished; about 20,000 had returned, and there was great lamentation at Coomassie. Mr. Kuhne had seen 300 dead bodies of Ashantee chiefs. The chief causes of this great mortality were famine, smallpox, and dysentery, but the Ashantees had many killed in the fight at Abrakrampa'. From "Illustrated London News", 1874.