Ashantee Medal

 

The Third Anglo-Ashanti War 1873 - 1874.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The Ashantee Medal was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service during the Third Anglo-Ashanti War. The medal was instituted in 1874 and was awarded to British, Colonial and allied native forces deployed against the army of the Ashanti King Koffee Kalkalli.

 

A number of minor actions took place in the latter half of 1873 against the Ashanti that had crossed the Prah river into British controlled territory. In early 1874 after a build-up of forces a campaign was launched to drive back and punish the Ashanti. The final encounter was on 31 January at the Battle of Amoaful - in which the Black Watch (42nd Regiment) undertook a significant role.

 

Immediately after this, the capital Coomassie was occupied, and an (intentionally unacceptable) ultimatum was put before the Ashanti King - to surrender his mother and brother as hostages to the British or see his capital Coomassie destroyed.

 

Consequently, on 6 February 1874, Coomassie was razed to the ground. Peace was agreed on the 13 February via the Treaty of Fommanah which included amongst other things the condition of the Ashanti king paying the British 50,000 ounces of gold and halting the practice of human sacrifice.

 

 

The medal is circular, struck in silver and was 36mm in diameter. The obverse bears the head of Queen Victoria and the inscription; VICTORIA REGINA.

 

The reverse is a scene of bush fighting between British and Ashanti, as inspired by the campaign - this reverse was also used on other medals.

 

The ribbon suspender is of a plain, straight and swivelling style, attached to the medal by a claw mount.

 

The recipient's details are found on the medal's rim engraved in neat square looking serif capitals, character height about half the rim width.

 

The vertical parts of the letters are quite thick in appearance. Lettering was originally blackened in, but frequently this does not survive the passage of time.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and is yellow in colour with a narrow black stripe along either edge and two narrow black central stripes.

 

 

This medal was issued with the following bars:-

 

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

** The individual medal value will vary considerably based on the recipient’s details.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The Third Anglo-Ashanti War.

- The Siege Of Kumassi.

- The Battle Of Amoaful.

- The Treaty of Fommanah.

 

The Third Anglo-Ashanti War - The Third Anglo-Ashanti War lasted from 1873 to 1874. In 1869, a German missionary family and a Swiss missionary had been taken to Kumasi. They were hospitably treated, but a ransom was required for them. In 1871, Britain purchased the Dutch Gold Coast from the Dutch, including Elmina which was claimed by the Ashanti. The Ashanti invaded the new British protectorate.

 

General Garnet Wolseley with 2,500 British troops and several thousand West Indian and African troops (including some Fante) was sent against the Ashanti, and subsequently became a household name in Britain.

 

The war was covered by war correspondents, including Henry Morton Stanley and G. A. Henty. Military and medical instructions were printed for the troops. The British government refused appeals to interfere with British armaments manufacturers who sold to both sides.

 

Wolseley went to the Gold Coast in 1873 and made his plans before the arrival of his troops in January 1874. He fought the Battle of Amoaful on January 31 of that year, and, after five days' fighting, ended with the Battle of Ordashu. The capital, Kumasi, was abandoned by the Ashanti and was briefly occupied by the British and burned.

 

The British were impressed by the size of the palace and the scope of its contents, including 'rows of books in many languages'. The Asantahene, the ruler of the Ashanti signed a harsh British treaty, the Treaty of Fomena in July 1874, to end the war. Among articles of the treaty between H.M. Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and H.M. Kofi Karikari, King of Ashanti were that 'The King of Ashanti promises to pay the sum of 50,000 ounces of approved gold as indemnity for the expenses he has occasioned to Her Majesty the Queen of England by the late war...'

 

The treaty also stated that 'There shall be freedom of trade between Ashanti and Her Majesty's forts on the (Gold) Coast, all persons being at liberty to carry their merchandise from the Coast to Kumasi, or from that place to any of Her Majesty's possessions on the Coast. 'Furthermore, the treaty stated that, 'The King of Ashanti guarantees that the road from Kumasi to the River Pra shall always be kept open...'

 

Wolseley completed the campaign in two months, and re-embarked then for home before the unhealthy season began. There were 300 British casualties.

 

Some British accounts pay tribute to the hard fighting of the Ashanti at Amoaful, particularly the tactical insight of their commander, Amanquatia: 'The great Chief Amanquatia was among the killed…Admirable skill was shown in the position selected by Amanquatia, and the determination and generalship he displayed in the defence fully bore out his great reputation as an able tactician and gallant soldier'.

 

The campaign is also notable for the first recorded instance of a traction engine being employed on active service. Steam sapper number 8 (made by Aveling and Porter) was shipped out and assembled at Cape Coast Castle. As a traction engine it had limited success but gave good service when employed as a stationary engine driving a large circular saw.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Siege Of Kumassi - The city rose to prominence in 1695 when it became capital of the Ashanti Confederacy due to the activities of its ruler Osei Tutu. The ruler of Kumasi, known as the Asantehene, also served as ruler of the Confederacy.

 

With their 1701 victory over Denkyira the Asante confederacy became the primary state among the Akans. Parts of the city, including the Royal Palace, were destroyed by British troops in the Third Anglo-Ashanti War of 1874.

 

Lady Mary Alice Hodgson, the first English lady to visit Ashanti, wrote 'The Siege of Kumassi', an account of the siege of the fort by the nationals of Ashanti Confederation and of the subsequent march to the coast.

 

She was the daughter of Hon. W. A. G. Young, C.M.G., former Governor of the Gold Coast, and the wife of Sir Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, K.C.M.G., the Governor of the Gold Coast (1900).

 

Kumasi remains a royal city, in 1926 the Ashanti was restored ceremonial control over Kumasi, the full role of king was restored in 1935.

 

The city holds an important place in the history of the Ashanti people, as legend claims that it was here Okomfo Anokye received the Golden stool, an embodiment of the soul of the Ashanti nation.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Amoaful - The Battle of Amoaful was a battle fought on 31 January 1874 during the Third Anglo-Ashanti War when Sir Garnet Wolseley defeated the Ashantis after strong resistance. The attack was led by the 42nd Regiment of Foot.

 

At Amoaful, one combat post-mortem pays tribute to the Ashanti commander: 'The great Chief Amanquatia was among the killed. Admirable skill was shown in the position selected by Amanquatia, and the determination and generalship he displayed in the defence fully bore out his great reputation as an able tactician and gallant soldier….'

 

At this engagement, Lance-Sergeant Samuel McGaw won the Victoria Cross.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Treaty of Fommanah - The following is the treaty of peace between Sir Garnet Wolseley, acting on behalf of Her Majesty, and Saibee Enquie, acting on behalf of His Majesty Coffee Calcalli, King of Ashantee:-

 

Article 1. There shall be perpetual peace between the Queen of England and her allies on the coast on one part, and the King of Ashantee and all his people on the other part.

 

Article 2. The King of Ashantee promises to pay the sum of 80,000 ounces of approved gold as indemnity for the expenses be has occasioned to Her Majesty the Queen of England by the late war; and undertakes to pay 1000 ounces of gold forthwith, and the remainder by such instalments as Her Majesty's Government may from time to time demand.

 

Article 3. The King of Ashantee, on the part of himself and his successors, renounces all right or title to any tribute or homage from the Kings of Denkera, Assin, Akim, Adansi, and tho other allies of Her Majesty formerly subject to the kingdom of Ashantee.

 

Article 4. The King, on the part of himself and of his heirs and successors, does hereby further renounce for ever all pretensions of supremacy over Elmina, or over any of the tribes formerly connected with the Dutch Government, and to any tribute or homage from such tribes, as well as to any payment or acknowledgment of any kind by the British forts or possessions on the coast.

 

Article 5. The King will at once withdraw all his troops from Appolonia and its vicinity, and from the neighbourhood of Dixcove, Secondée, and the adjoining coast line.

 

Article 6. There shall be freedom of trade between Ashantee and Her Majesty's forts on the coast, all persons being at liberty to carry their merchandise from the coast to Coomassie, or from that place to any of Her Majesty's possessions on the coast.

 

Article 7. The King of Ashantee guarantees that the road from Coomassie to the river Prah shall always be kept open and free from bush to a width of fifteen feet.

 

Article 8. As Her Majesty's subjects the people of Ashantee and the King, in order to prove the sincerity of his friendship for Queen Victoria, promises to use his best endeavours to check the practice of human sacrifice, with a view to hereafter putting an end to it altogether, as the practice is repugnant to the feelings of all Christian nations.

 

Article 9. One copy of this treaty shall be signed by the King of Ashantee and sent to the administrator of her Majesty's Government at Cane Coast Castle within fourteen days from this date.

 

Article 10. This Treaty shall be known as the Treaty of Fommanah.

 

Dated at Fommanah this 13th day of February, 1874