On Tuesday was published Colonel Willcocka's very striking telegram to
the Colonial Office describing his relief of Coomassie. The relief occurred on July 15th after a two days' running fight, and Colonel Willcocks is now back again at the coast. The principal stand of the enemy was made at a place about one mile from Coomassie, where four stockades were held with the greatest determination, the position being "perfectly selected and prepared on high land and completely hidden by almost impenetrable bush." The final attack was made with the bayonet in the most gallant style—it "could not have been beaten in élan by any soldiers "—and it was noted that the Yorabas, who formed the bulk of our force, behaved quite as well as the Haussas.—A very important fact, for it shows that we need not rely upon only one race for our West African Sepoys.—The relief came only just in time, as the garrison were almost exhausted, the native soldiers being almost too weak to stand. The condition of the ground round the fort, which was strewn with putrifying corpses, was terrible in the extreme. Colonel Willcooks is to be congratulated on a very gallant feat of arms, and one which could not have been accomplished had not he and the officers under him determined that, come what might, they would relieve Coomassie. But for this determination they could not have succeeded, for, from a strict military and technical point of view, the relief seemed impossible. A finer piece of work has never been recorded, and but for South Africa and China the whole Empire would be ringing with it.
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