British Expedition Force start to make themselves at home in Benin. Looting and burning down of high ranking officials’ houses begin.
Extract from A DIARY OF A SURGEON WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'
By FELIX N. ROTH, M.R.C.S., and L.R.C.P.
Benin City, February 19th.—We are now settled down in the above place. It is a misnomer to call it a city; it is a charnel-house.
I must mention that both black troops (who led all the way, by the by) and all the white men behaved splendidly. All of you at home can be proud of them. Fancy the state of our nerves, for eight hours walking through dense bush, where one cannot see more than ten feet away what is happening on the flanks, and to be potted at again and again by hidden natives, and to see men hit and fall close to one. Of course our great enemy was the want of water, and this was a great trial to the men, in the hot and blazing sun. This morning half our column, with 300 carriers, scouted about for water, which we rather expected to find three miles off. Luckily we found it. There are many bullocks and goats about the place, so for the next few days we shall have plenty of rations. It is quite possible, while getting our water, we may be attacked, as the path which leads down to it enters a very narrow gorge. But, being well armed, I think we shall be all right. I must not forget to mention that when leaving Awako yesterday morning the natives attacked the rear part of our column, the casualties being (for the eight hours till we took the city) four white men killed, one being Surgeon Fyfe, R.N., and sixteen white men wounded. Captain Byrne being one of them, three N.C.P. black men and three carriers killed, one court messenger and one guide wounded. This was rather a heavy loss for such a small force.
In the king's compound, on a raised platform or altar, running the whole breadth of each, beautiful idols were found. All of them were caked over with human blood, and by giving them a slight tap, crusts of blood would, as it were, fly off. Lying about were big bronze heads, dozens in a row, with holes at the top, in which immense carved ivory tusks were fixed. One can form no idea of the impression it made on us.
The whole place reeked of blood. Fresh blood was dripping off the figures and altars (months afterwards, when we broke up these long altars, we found that they contained human bones). Most of the men are in good health, but these awful sights rather shattered their nerves.
We have been getting the place into ship-shape to-day, February 19th, and trying our best to make it defensible. We are also collecting food and water, and sending down an escort to the Cross-Road Camp for all we may require. I hope our men will get through. We are all right for ammunition, and can hold the place, if we get enough water, till the second division comes up. A party have gone out this afternoon to find and see the king's place ; they went down the main thoroughfare, and have just returned. The whole road is strewn with dead, crucified and beheaded bodies in all states of decomposition, most of them blown out to double their size by the strong rays of the sun. Ajuma's house (a big chief), near here, was burnt, the natives only firing a few shots at us. The ju-ju houses were also destroyed. We buried our dead to-day. Captain Byrne is better, but there seems very little hope for him. Three hundred yards past the king's compound the broad road which passes through Benin City is covered with bodies, skulls, bones, etc., most of the bodies being headless.
The king's house is rather a marvel—the doors are lined with embossed brass, representing figures, etc., etc., while the roof is formed of sheets of muntz metal, and the rafters to support the same artistically carved.
References
1) Bacon, R. H. Benin City of Blood, 1897
2) Bacon, R. Admiral Sir, Benin Expedition, A Naval Scrap-Book, First Part, 1877 – 1900:
197 – 207
3) Boisragon, A. The Benin Massacre,1897
4) Roth, H. L. 1903 appendix 11 cited Roth N. F. A DIARY OF A SURGEON
WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'
Extract from A DIARY OF A SURGEON WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'
By FELIX N. ROTH, M.R.C.S., and L.R.C.P.
Benin City, February 19th.—We are now settled down in the above place. It is a misnomer to call it a city; it is a charnel-house.
I must mention that both black troops (who led all the way, by the by) and all the white men behaved splendidly. All of you at home can be proud of them. Fancy the state of our nerves, for eight hours walking through dense bush, where one cannot see more than ten feet away what is happening on the flanks, and to be potted at again and again by hidden natives, and to see men hit and fall close to one. Of course our great enemy was the want of water, and this was a great trial to the men, in the hot and blazing sun. This morning half our column, with 300 carriers, scouted about for water, which we rather expected to find three miles off. Luckily we found it. There are many bullocks and goats about the place, so for the next few days we shall have plenty of rations. It is quite possible, while getting our water, we may be attacked, as the path which leads down to it enters a very narrow gorge. But, being well armed, I think we shall be all right. I must not forget to mention that when leaving Awako yesterday morning the natives attacked the rear part of our column, the casualties being (for the eight hours till we took the city) four white men killed, one being Surgeon Fyfe, R.N., and sixteen white men wounded. Captain Byrne being one of them, three N.C.P. black men and three carriers killed, one court messenger and one guide wounded. This was rather a heavy loss for such a small force.
In the king's compound, on a raised platform or altar, running the whole breadth of each, beautiful idols were found. All of them were caked over with human blood, and by giving them a slight tap, crusts of blood would, as it were, fly off. Lying about were big bronze heads, dozens in a row, with holes at the top, in which immense carved ivory tusks were fixed. One can form no idea of the impression it made on us.
The whole place reeked of blood. Fresh blood was dripping off the figures and altars (months afterwards, when we broke up these long altars, we found that they contained human bones). Most of the men are in good health, but these awful sights rather shattered their nerves.
We have been getting the place into ship-shape to-day, February 19th, and trying our best to make it defensible. We are also collecting food and water, and sending down an escort to the Cross-Road Camp for all we may require. I hope our men will get through. We are all right for ammunition, and can hold the place, if we get enough water, till the second division comes up. A party have gone out this afternoon to find and see the king's place ; they went down the main thoroughfare, and have just returned. The whole road is strewn with dead, crucified and beheaded bodies in all states of decomposition, most of them blown out to double their size by the strong rays of the sun. Ajuma's house (a big chief), near here, was burnt, the natives only firing a few shots at us. The ju-ju houses were also destroyed. We buried our dead to-day. Captain Byrne is better, but there seems very little hope for him. Three hundred yards past the king's compound the broad road which passes through Benin City is covered with bodies, skulls, bones, etc., most of the bodies being headless.
The king's house is rather a marvel—the doors are lined with embossed brass, representing figures, etc., etc., while the roof is formed of sheets of muntz metal, and the rafters to support the same artistically carved.
References
1) Bacon, R. H. Benin City of Blood, 1897
2) Bacon, R. Admiral Sir, Benin Expedition, A Naval Scrap-Book, First Part, 1877 – 1900:
197 – 207
3) Boisragon, A. The Benin Massacre,1897
4) Roth, H. L. 1903 appendix 11 cited Roth N. F. A DIARY OF A SURGEON
WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'