"The Drums of Nsamankow"

Kumasi, 1831

I am old now.
My beard is white as cowrie shells. My hands shake when I lift my spear.
But I remember.

I remember Nsamankow.

I remember the smoke. The drums. The smell of white powder and red blood.

I remember the day the gods answered us.

Colonial Administration

• MacCarthy rose to prominence as a colonial governor in West Africa. He was appointed Governor of Sierra Leone and later oversaw British interests along the Gold Coast.

• His administration was marked by efforts to suppress the transatlantic slave trade and to stabilize relations with local communities.

The Anglo‑Asante Conflict

By the early 19th century, the Asante Empire had become the dominant power in the interior of modern Ghana. Their expansion and control of trade routes brought them into direct conflict with coastal Fante states allied to the British.

• In 1824, tensions escalated into open war. MacCarthy personally led a force of around 500 men, including British troops and African allies, against an Asante army numbering in the thousands.

• On 21 January 1824, at the Battle of Nsamankow (near Bonsaso), MacCarthy’s forces were overwhelmed. Ammunition ran out, and the Asante captured him. He was killed in battle, and his severed head was taken to Kumasi. His skull was later used by Asante nobles as a war trophy drinking vessel.

Legacy

• MacCarthy’s death shocked British authorities and underscored the strength of the Asante military.

• The defeat at Nsamankow was a turning point, leading to further Anglo‑Asante wars throughout the 19th century.

• Today, MacCarthy is remembered both as a colonial governor who sought to end the slave trade and as a symbol of Britain’s early struggles against the Asante Empire.

Key Facts for  Readers:

• Name: Sir Charles MacCarthy

• Born: 1764, County Cork, Ireland

• Died: 21 January 1824, Battle of Nsamankow, Gold Coast

• Role: British Governor of Sierra Leone, Brigadier‑General

• Significance: His death marked the first major Anglo‑Asante war; his skull became a war trophy in Kumasi. In 1826, MacCarthy got his memorial, above his grave at the 1824-1905 War cemetery, Cape Coast.

Other websites - Not shown within our main site-map:

1. Fort Teshie (Fort Augustaborg) - Teshie, Accra)
2. Fort Komenda - 2 Forts at Komenda (Central Region, near Elmina and Cape Coast, Central Region)
3. Forth Conraadsborg (Elmina, Central Region)
4. Fort Ussher (Accra, Ussher Town)
5. Fort Wiliam (Cape Coast, Central Region)
6. Fort Victoria (Cape Coast, Central Region)
7. Fort Batenstein (Butree, Western Region)
8. Fort Patience (Central Region)
9. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Museum (Accra)
10. Yaa Asantewaah Museum (Ashanti Region)
11. The W .E. B. Du Bois Centre for Pan African Culture (Accra)
12. Volta Regional Museum, Ho (Volta Region)
13. Kakum National Park (Central Region, near Cape Coast)
14. Aburi & Aburi Botanical Gardens (Aburi, Eastern region)
15. Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum Nkroful (Western Region, Nkroful)
16. Official website of Tetthe Quarshie Art market (Accra)