386

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Queen's Redoubt,
4th September 1863.

SIR,—I have the honor to report for the
information of the Lieutenant General Com-
manding, that at about past seven o'clock,
on the morning of the 2nd, I was ordered to
march the Inlying Picquet to the support of
the Patrol at Pokeno village; when within
about $\frac{1}{2}$ a mile from the village I found the
Patrol under the command of Ensign Dawson,
2nd batt. 18th Regiment, engaged with a
body of Maories who, at that time, occupied
the bush on the right of the village and the
clearing on the side of it, which is covered
with fallen timber. I immediately reinforced
the skirmishers who advanced, driving the
Maories from the clearing and out of the village
into the bush. After scouring the bush on the
right of the village, the enemy having made
their retreat in that direction, and deeming
that further pursuit was useless, I returned
to the Queen's Redoubt; in the meantime the
Force under my command had been augmented
by the arrival of the escort under the com-
mand of Captain Noblett, 2nd batt. 18th. I
am happy to be able to state that there were
no casualties on our side, and that both officers
and men behaved with the greatest steadiness.
I am unable to compute the loss on the part
the Maories. Two Flint guns and some
ammunition fell into our hands.

I beg to bring to the notice of the Lieut.
General Commanding, the services of Ensign
Spiller, 65th Regiment, Ensign Gomez, 40th
Regiment, Lieutenant Croft, 2nd batt. 18th
Regiment, who accompanied the Inlying
Picquet, and more especially the conduct of
Ensign Dawson, 2nd batt. 18th, who had to
contend against a force of Maories far superior
in numbers to the Patrol under his command.

I have &c.,

F. L. P. TRENCH, Captain
40th Regiment.

The Asst. Military Secretary,
&c., &c., &c.
Head Quarters.

Lieut.-General Cameron to the Governor.

Head Quarters,
Queen's Redoubt,
11th September, 1863.

SIR,—With reference to my letter of the 9th
instant, relative to the engagement which took
place in the bush near Cameron, between a
party of the 65th Regiment under the com-
mand of Captain Swift, and a body of rebel
natives, on the 7th instant, I have now the
honor to forward the Report of Color Sergeant
McKenna, which has been transmitted to me
by Colonel Wyatt, commanding 65th Regi-
ment, a copy of whose letter I enclose.

This interesting Report fully bears out the
opinion I expressed in the letter alluded to
above, of the conduct of the officers and men of
this detachment.

It is difficult to conceive a more trying
position than that in which this detachment
was placed, when, deprived of both its officers,
it found its way in the midst of a dense bush,
surrounded on all sides by a savage enemy, and

o o distant from the nearest post to entertain
any hope of support.

The courage, intelligence, and self-reliance
for which the soldiers of the 65th Regiment
are so distingnished, were never more con-
spicuously displayed than on this critical oe-
casion. Fortunately, in Color Sergeant
McKenna, the detachment found a commander
whose coolness, intrepidity, and judgment,
justified the confidence placed in him by the
soldiers brought so suddenly under his com-
mand.

I need scarcely assure your Excellency that
it will give me great pleasure to report the
meritorious conduct of this detachment to His
Royal Highness the Field Marshall command-
ing in Chief, and to the Right Honorable the
Secretary of State for War, and to recommend
to special notice the names of Lieutenant
Butler, Color Sergeant McKenna, and the
other non-commissioned officers and soldiers so
honorably mentioned by Colonel Wyatt.

I have, &c.,

D. A. CAMERON,
Lieut.-General.

Camp, Queen's Redoubt,
11th September, 1863.

Sir,—In accordance with the wishes of the
Lieut.-General, I have called upon Color-
Sergeant E. McKenna to furnish me with a
report of the action, at "Cameron" on the 7th
instant.

From the corroborative statements made to
me by Lieut. Warren, who had ample oppor-
tunities of acquiring full information of the
various events and places, while in command
of the detachment 65th regt., that proceeded
from the "Alexandra Redoubt" in search of
the missing, on the 8th (underColonel Murray)
and subsequently on the 9th, I am perfectly
satisfied with the truthfulness of the appen-
ded letter.

As acts of daring and gallantry are sure to
be appreciated, I trust the Lieut.-General
will be pleased to bring this instance to the
notice of his Royal Highness the Field
Marshall Commanding in Chief, for some
special mark of approval on the part of Her
Majesty, for his gallant conduct, after both
his Officers had been shot, in charging through
the position of an enemy heavily outnumber-
ing him, and drawing off his small force
through a broken and rugged country, with
the loss of but one man killed and another
missing.

As soon as I can obtain the necessary docu-
ments from the Officer Commanding at
Tuakau, I will not fail to bring to the notice
of the Lieut.-General the gallant conduct of
Lance Corporal Ryan and Privates William
Bulford and John Talbot, who removed the
body of their Captain from the field of action,
and remained with it all night in a bush sur-
rounded by the enemy, and also that of Privates
Benjamin Thomas and John Cole, who after
remaining all night in the fern with Lieut.
Butler, who was badly wounded, in the
morning carried him several miles towards