3-016-762 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The War in New Zealand: stronghold of the Maoris at Rangariri, 1864. Engraving from a photograph, of the scene of '...General Cameron's victory on the 20th of November...The British troops...first stormed the rifle-pits facing the Waikato River, and drove the enemy from those rifle-pits into the central redoubt...[The Maoris in] the garrison of the "Keep" [maintained] a heavy fire upon our troops [preventing] their further advance. General Cameron, therefore, ordered an attempt to take this stronghold by assault...these attacks, however, were baffled by the overwhelming fire of the Maoris, and by the difficulty of approaching their position - the only access being through a narrow opening, which but one person could ascend at a time. Every officer who took the lead here was either killed or dangerously wounded. By daylight next morning the Maoris had hoisted the white flag of surrender...Our loss in this conflict was two officers, Colonel Austin (14th Regt.) and Lieut. Murphy (12th. Regt.), Mr. Watkins (R.N.), and thirty-five men killed and thirteen officers and eighty men wounded of both services. The fortress thus cost a large expenditure of English blood'. From "Illustrated London News", 1864.