In 1824, a British colonial governor marched into Asante territory, confident that military strength and imperial authority would secure him victory. Instead, he met a crushing defeat at the hands of the Asante army, and his death became one of the most striking episodes in the history of British-Asante relations.

His name was Sir Charles MacCarthy, the British Governor of the Gold Coast and Governor of Sierra Leone, whose ill-fated expedition against the Asante Empire ended in disaster.

MacCarthy reportedly believed that the Asante forces could be weakened by persuading some of their chiefs to abandon their king and join the British. In a display of confidence, he ordered his military band to play God Save the King, Britain’s national anthem, apparently hoping to impress or win over the opposing forces.

But the Asante response was not surrender. It was the sound of war drums.

The encounter soon exposed the weaknesses of the British expedition. Despite their weapons and military preparations, MacCarthy’s troops faced fierce resistance from the Asante army. As the fighting intensified, British soldiers began running dangerously low on ammunition and waited desperately for fresh supplies.

When the supply boxes finally arrived, the situation took an almost unbelievable turn. According to accounts of the campaign, three of the boxes contained macaroni instead of the ammunition the troops urgently needed.

For an army fighting for survival, the discovery was disastrous. The shortage of ammunition left the British forces at a severe disadvantage against their opponents.

The campaign ended in defeat. MacCarthy was mortally wounded during the Battle of Nsamankow, fought on January 21, 1824. Historical accounts commonly state that he shot himself to avoid being captured, although details of his final moments vary across accounts.

The Asante victory carried enormous symbolic significance. MacCarthy’s death demonstrated that British imperial power was not invincible and that the Asante Empire possessed the military strength and political will to defend its sovereignty.

Traditions surrounding the aftermath of the battle recount that MacCarthy’s skull was taken to Kumasi and fashioned into a gold-rimmed drinking cup for Asante rulers. The precise details of the cup’s use and subsequent history are matters of historical tradition and should be distinguished from the better-documented circumstances of his death.

More than two centuries later, the story remains a powerful reminder of the resistance African kingdoms mounted against European expansion.

MacCarthy arrived with an army, weapons and a military band, expecting to assert British authority. He encountered an Asante force determined to defend its territory, a desperate shortage of ammunition and a campaign that ended in his death.

He came with an army and a band. The Asante answered with war drums. And the British expedition ended in a defeat that history would not forget.