The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

published - Chapter IV 'Detailed Report on the Naga Hills Expedition of 1878-80', Capt. P.J. Maitland

caption: reinforcements
medium: reports
person: Robertson/ Col.MacGregor/ Lt.Nuttall/ Col.Abbott/ Capt.SalojiEvans/ Maj.
location: Jotsoma Sachema (Sachima) Kohima Priphema (Piphima) Sephima
date: 20.12.1879-29.12.1879
production:
person: Maitland/ Capt. P.J.
date: 1880
acquirer:
person: India Office Library, London
refnum: IOR L/MIL/17/18/24
text: On the 20th December a detachment under Colonel Robertson, who was accompanied by Lieutenant Macgregor,Deputy Assistant Quarter Master General, visited the site of Jotsoma, which it was believed the enemy were trying to re-occupy. Some Nagas were found in a strong position above the Basoma spur, but they retired into the jungle without waiting to be attacked. A sangar was destroyed, and some dhan burnt.
text: On the 22nd December Field Force Head Quarters and the guns moved from Sachima to Kohima, where the General had meant to have established himself some time previously, but had been delayed by want of transport coolies. Colonel Nuttall was left in command at Sachima with the head quarters, and about two hundred and ninety rifles, 44th Sylhet Light Infantry.
text: The wing 42nd Assam Light Infantry under Captain Abbott, which the Brigadier General had first ordered up (telegram dated 24th November), reached Golaghat on the 9th December, and left on the 11th. They were ordered to take all the posts on the line of communication, ( Borpathar, Hariajan and Dimapur were already held by the 42nd.) the relieved detachments 43rd Assam Light Infantry and 44th Sylhet Light Infantry rejoining their respective head quarters. The remainder of Captain Abbott's wing, about two hundred rifles, reached Piphima on the 19th December, but transport coolies not being forthcoming they were unable to proceed further. On the 23rd a hundred rifles of this detachment were ordered to visit the site of Sephima, destroyed by Major Evans and the 43rd Assam Light Infantry on the 16th November, as the people of that place under a chief called Saloji " had been giving a good deal of trouble on the road." Captain Abbott found the Nagas trying to re-establish their village. Some resistance was attempted, but the enemy were speedily driven off, their temporary huts burnt, and a large quantity of grain destroyed. There were no casualties on our side.
text: On the 29th December Captain Abbott and his detachment, now reduced to about one hundred and thirty rifles, reached Kohima, and on the same day a detachment of the 44th Sylhet Light Infantry ( fifty rifles) under Colonel Robertson was brought in from Sachima. The relieved posts of the 43rd Assam Light Infantry and 44th Sylhet Light Infantry, aggregating about forty rifles, had all rejoined their head quarters by the 21st December. (46) The distribution of the Field Force on the 31st December was approximately as under:-
text: ___________________At_the_Front.
_Kohima-
__Head_Quarters_of_the_Field_Force,__Brigadier_General_Nation_and staff.
__34th_Native_Infantry_______...____________...____31_all_Native_ranks.
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry__...____________...___132__"_____"
__43rd_Assam_Light_Infantry__(Head_Quarters)...___230__"_____"
__2_Mountain_guns_(3_Europeans_and_38_men,_44th_S._L._I.)
________Total_393_Native_Infantry_and_2_mountain_guns.
text: _Sachima-
__44th_Sylhet_Light_Infantry_(Head_Quarters)...____290_all_Native ranks.
text: _Konoma-
__44th_Sylhet_Light_Infantry__...___________...____199__"_____"
___________________On_the_communications.
text: _Piphima-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________...____114_all_Native_ranks.
__44th_Sylhet_Light_Infantry__...___________...______5_(sick)___"
text: _Pherima-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____20__________"
text: _Zumha_Pani-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____21__________"
text: _Samaguting-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____11__________"
text: _Nichi_Guard-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____50__________"
text: _Dimapur-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____30__________"
text: _Hariajan-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____28__________"
text: _Borpathar-
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____20__________"
___________________Total_299_Native_Infantry
text: _________________At_Golaghat_(_the_base)
__34th_Native_Infantry________...___________...______2_all_Native_ranks.
__42nd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____4_(_sick)__"
__43rd_Assam_Light_Infantry___...___________..._____55_________"
__44th_Sylhet_Light_Infantry__...___________...____104_________"
________________Total_165_Native_Infantry.
text: _________________At_Woka.
__43rd_Assam_Light_Infantry__...___________..._____53_all__native_ranks.
text: Grand Total of 1,437 Native Infantry ( Including gun detachment.) and 2 mountain guns.
text: In addition to the above, the head quarter wing of the 42nd Assam Light Infantry was on its way to join the Field Force, and the move of the wing 10th Native Infantry to Shillong would liberate some small posts which would then join their head quarters. On the other hand, there were 19 sick and wounded at Kohima, 29 at Sachima, and 18 at Konoma, besides 48 at Golaghat, so that the whole force at the front only amounted to about eight hundred effective infantry.
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