Stories and facts

The Battle of Nsamankow in 1824 was one of the most dramatic moments of the First Anglo-Ashanti War.

Governor Charles MacCarthy led a small British force of soldiers, militia, and Fante allies into the interior, hoping to unite with other columns before facing the Ashanti. Instead, his men found themselves outnumbered by nearly 10,000 Ashanti warriors.

Confident that some Ashanti chiefs might defect, MacCarthy boldly ordered his band to play God Save the King. The Ashanti replied with the thunder of war drums, showing they were united and ready to fight.

At first the British held their ground, firing across a river as the Ashanti tried to cross on felled trees. But disaster struck when supplies failed to arrive. The few crates that reached the camp contained nothing useful; three of them filled only with macaroni.

As ammunition ran out, the Ashanti surged across the river. The Fante militia fled, leaving the remaining troops overwhelmed in brutal hand-to-hand combat. MacCarthy was mortally wounded and chose death over capture.

His skull was later kept by the Ashanti as a war trophy. His secretary, J. T. Williams, was captured but spared by a chief who remembered a past favor, though he endured months of captivity.

The defeat was devastating: 176 men were killed and hundreds more wounded. The surviving British forces withdrew to the coast, leaving the Ashanti with one of their most famous victories.

Take a look at some of Ghana’s key historical conflicts below.