The Sagrenti war: The sad story that brought not only sad memories to Asante Kingdom.
The story of the Sagrenti War does not only bring sad memories to the Asante Kingdom, it ignites sorrow moments to the people of Amoaful Paramountcy in the Ashanti region which is yet to recover from the impact of that famous civil war that wiped over 40 communities in the area.
These communities became battleground for the clash between the dreaded Ashanti Army and the British Army, the latter led by Major-General Charles Garnet Wosely, popularly referred to as Sargenti.
British soldiers, with reinforcement from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and others, crossed the Pra River to fight the Ashanti Army which had then pitched camp in the South Coast to conquer Cape Coast, a British colony in 1874.
Inside Amoaful territory, British gun power was countered by superior numbers of Ashanti soldiers who returned fire from their hideouts in the forest.
Unfortunately, this cost the life of Amoafulhene and the Bantamahene, commander of the Ashanti Army, as thousands of Ashanti troops paid the heavy price with their lives at the battlefield.
Over 40,000 Asante soldiers and prominent chiefs also died in the war at Amoaful. They included Asuowinhene Kwame Mprah; Toasehene, Nana Ampofo; Nana Atta Fosu, Kwasohene; who all fell at war in the thick forest of Amoaful near Asante Bekwai.
Now Amoaful paramountcy is left with a few communities after the devastating war.