
Date |
Event |
|
NOTE - The Rear Column and Advance Column split at Yambuya on 22 June 1887, so the events of the Advance Column incidents are marked "A" |
1881 |
(1299 in Islamic calendar) The Mahdi announces himself |
Nov |
Henry Morton Stanley (HMS) founds Leopoldville, Congo |
1883 |
|
Mar - Apr |
Last steamer from Khartoum reaches Emin Pasha’s (EP) outpost at Lado where he has been governing for many years |
Dec |
Gladstone orders the British withdrawal from Sudan |
1884 |
|
1 Jan |
German explorer Junker visits EP in Lado and Wadelai, staying with him until 1885 |
|
In Uganda the Kabaka Mtesa dies and is succeeded by Mwanga |
18 Mar |
the Mahdi begins his siege of Khartoum |
Nov |
European Conference on the future of Africa held in Berlin |
Nov |
EP’s daughter Ferida born. Her mother Sarafan, was an Ethiopian slave and died after giving birth |
14 Dec |
Last entry in Gordon’s diary before he is killed by the Mahdi’s troops in Khartoum (in early January 1885) |
1885 |
|
13 Feb |
P L Sclater (a well known scientist) advocates the rescue of EP via one of the East African routes |
29 Oct |
Bishop Hannington (a British missionary to Uganda) murdered on Mwanga’s orders |
|
The Berlin Treaty cedes 1 million square miles in central Africa to King Leopold |
31 Dec |
EP writes to Felkin from Wadelei. His letters are published in the Times 10 months later and create a surge of public interest in his plight |
1886 |
|
Feb |
Tippu Tib’s half-brother and nephew force the Belgians out of Stanley Falls (modern Kisangagi) |
|
Sudan is abandoned by the Egyptian Government |
mid Nov |
Mackinnon approaches HMS to see if he is willing to lead the EPRE |
15 Nov |
HMS advises Mackinnon that the costs of an expedition will be no more than £20,000 |
11 Dec |
Mackinnon sends a telegram to HMS urging his return from the US lecture tour |
24 Dec |
Barttelot applies to join the expedition |
24 Dec |
HMS arrives back from America and informs the Government that his preferred route to reach EP is via the Congo, but wants his plan kept secret for the time being |
28 Dec |
British Government tell Baring (the British representative in Egypt) confidentially that HMS is strongly in favour of the Congo route |
29 Dec |
First meeting of the EPRE Committee. The East African route is agreed, despite HMS’s advocacy for the Congo route |
30 Dec |
HMS meets King Leopold and persuades him to support the Congo route |
31 Dec |
Mackinnon gives HMS permission to start preparations for the expedition. Note - at this stage, MacKinnon is unaware of Stanley's meeting with King Leopold the previous day and assumes that the expedition will be travelling through East Africa |
1887 |
|
Jan |
As many as 4000 applications are received for the expedition |
9 Jan |
EPRE Committee meets to consider a letter received from King Leopold refusing to release HMS from his contract unless the expedition route is changed |
12 Jan |
Meeting of the EPRE Committee which reluctantly agrees to a change of route |
14 Jan |
Barttelot is sent to Africa ahead of the rest of the expedition to recruit Sudanese soldiers in Egypt |
20 Jan |
Barttelot meets up with Dr Parke in Alexandria and persuades him to apply to join the expedition |
21 Jan |
Bonny told to join the ship with Baruti (a young African Stanley had brought back to England and who wanted to return home) but there is a confusion and the ship had already sailed |
21 Jan |
HMS leaves London for Egypt |
27 Jan |
HMS arrives in Alexandria and meets Dr Parke, who is signed up on 29 January |
12 Feb |
All the officers leave for Zanzibar on the SS Oriental. Barttelot is given command of the fighting force of Sudanese soldiers |
13 Feb |
Smallpox breaks out on board the ship. Parke vaccinates all the men except Jephson, who is a vaccine sceptic |
22 Feb |
EPRE arrives in Zanzibar |
25 Feb |
SS Madura sets sail from Zanzibar with 799 people (including the nine Europeans). A fight breaks out between Zanzibaris and Sudanese |
9 Mar |
The expedition arrives at Cape Town and some 2000 visitors come aboard to see Tippu Tib and the members of the expedition |
18 Mar |
The expedition arrives at Banana point in the Congo State and proceeds up river to Matadi |
23 Mar |
Dr Parke weighs the men – HMS 168lbs, Jephson 168, Stairs 164, Nelson 176, Parke 162, Barttelot 144, Jameson 144 |
25 Mar |
The expedition sets out on the march from Matadi to Stanley Pool (Leopoldville) 14 sick men left with Lt Baert |
21 April |
EPRE arrives at Stanley Pool (Leopoldville) |
30 April |
Troup and Ward separately arrive at Stanley Pool |
April |
EP learns that an expedition is on its way to rescue him and writes to Dr Felkin, sneding the letter vai East Africa |
14 May |
Barttelot reaches Bolobo ahead of the main body of the expedition |
15 May |
Bonny and Ward told to remain behind at Bolobo with the bulk of the expedition's supplies as HMS takes the reast of the expedition forward |
20 May |
HMS has a huge row with Jephson and Stairs after they try to prevent looting from local natives |
12 June |
EPRE arrives at the confluence of Congo/Aruwimi rivers. |
15 June |
EPRE reaches Yambuya in Stanley and Peace and drive the locals from their village The main body of the expedition is split in two:
|
22 June |
Barttelot arrives at Yambuya camp to join up with the main body of the expedition. |
28 June |
A - The Advance Column led by HMS leaves Yambuya A - HMS gets into a fight with a local village and kills at least 30 men |
4 July |
A - according to Stairs, the Advance Column kills a further 2 natives A - HMS fires on some canoes to prevent the natives escaping with their own food. The advance column is still only 15 miles from Yambuya |
5 July |
A - MJ reports that his men gartuitously shoot 2 natives |
15 July |
A - HMS gives a Soudanese soldier 100 lashes for forgetting his rifle |
30 July |
In Bolobo, Ward has a row with a man and flogs him “until the all the flesh left his seat” (separately attested by both Bonny and Ward) |
30 July |
A - HMS captures some natives – 5 or 6 are disabled and 3 killed |
3 Aug |
A - Stairs is sent out to loot for food. 2 of Jephson’s men get 180 lashes for “straying” |
9 Aug |
A - HMS gives 3 men a “heavy dose of the rod” for stealing a goat. Stairs goes out on another looting party and kills a native |
11 Aug |
A - The Advance Column is slowly starving to death. A native is shot |
13 Aug |
A - Stairs is hit by an arrow and treated by Dr Parke. Stairs kills a native |
14 Aug |
Steamer arrives at Yambuya with Troup, Ward and Bonny, plus 125 Zanzibaris and 3 boys, bringing letters for the camp A - 14 Natives are killed by the Advance Column in a fight |
17 Aug |
A - Advance column kill 8 natives |
13 Sept |
A - HMS and Stairs in a skirmish, killing at least 2 natives and wound others |
20 Sept |
Barttelot orders floggings inc Uledi for stealing meat. A - HMS hangs a man (Mabruki) for desertion. He is one of 3 sentenced to death. |
21 Sept |
Barttelot orders floggings for the theft of a tortoise |
27 Sept |
Barttelot flogs Bartholomew and Mswa for stealing from Jameson |
28 Sept |
A - HMS and Stairs attack a village and several nartives are killed over 2 days of fighting. Parke personally shoots 2 natives |
6 Oct |
A - Nelson’s feet are very bad so HMS leaves him behind with 60 men, 81 loads but without food, while he marches forward |
8 Oct |
A - HMS takes a village and kills 2 natives |
9 Oct |
Jameson in charge of Yambuya camp but choses not to punish a man for stealing ammunition |
18 Oct |
A - The Advance Column reaches the village of Ipoto |
20 Oct |
A - HMS hangs a man for selling his rifle to Arabs for food |
24 Oct |
A - HMS decides to leave Parke at Ipoto, sends MJ back to pick up Nelson and goes forward himself with Stairs and to Lake Albert |
26 Oct |
A - Stairs and HMS take 145 men forward and MJ takes 40 men back to find Nelson |
28 Oct |
A - MJ reaches Nelson who is barely alive. Of the 56 men who remained with him, only 6 are left |
2 Nov |
Uledi flogged for theft A - MJ gets back to Ipoto and finds Parke struggling for food. |
7 Nov |
Bartholomew (75 strokes) and Mswa (150strokes) are flogged for stealing |
30 Nov |
Bonny tells Barttelot that Tippu Tib’s men hated him for refusing to fire on natives on 10 June A - The Advance Column emerges from the jungle into an area of plentiful food but they find themselves constantly fighting natives |
3 Dec |
Bugari is discovered stealing a piece of meat |
4 Dec |
Uledi banished from camp and Burgari flogged for the theft of the meat |
5 Dec |
Barttelot flogs 5 men at the instigation of Bonny |
9 Dec |
Ward draws a cartoon of Bonny to which he takes offence. Next day Ward offends Bonny again A - HMS says he is determined not to move forward until either the natives made friends or “we give them a good licking” |
10 Dec |
A - One man shot. HMS orders the burn of all villages in the surrounding area |
11 Dec |
A - Stairs devastates the country and burns more villages and crops as "retribution" |
12 Dec |
A - “ we burn our camp on leaving it and the village we occupied below and left the head of one of the natives we had killed suspended from a tree close to the camp as a warning to the natives to behave themselves when we returned this way. Stanley did not care to waste any more time in making friends with them…They were afraid of our guns especially as Stanley killed a man at a distance of full 600 yards” |
13 Dec |
A - HMS reaches the heights above Lake Albert with only 169 of the 389 men (426 according to Parke) that set out from Yambuya |
17 Dec |
A - HMS shoots a native at 550 yards and then has the body “...cut up, the Zanzibaris mutilated the body in a horrible way” |
19 Dec |
A - HMS shoots 2 natives and puts the head of one on a pole close to the camp as a warning. |
25, 26 Dec |
Christmas Day – JJ draws cards for everybody. A - HMS decides to punish a village |
1888 |
|
4 Feb |
JJ is presented with a human head of a native killed by the Arabs. Burgari deserts |
8 Feb |
A - Parke and Nelson turn up at Bodo |
9 Feb |
Bugari found and sentenced to death for desertion. Troup and JJ say he should be treated mercifully. Bonny is in favour of shooting him |
10 Feb |
Bugari executed. A - Mounteney Jephson sent out on a 5 day forage, attacks villages and kills a native |
14 Feb |
JJ and EMB set off for Stanley Falls |
14 Mar |
A - Stairs reaches Ugarrowa and finds 29 out of the 56 men left there have died. He sends 19 men down to search for Barttelot, carrying letters. |
18 Mar |
JJ heads off towards Kassongo leaving EMB (who is ill) behind in Singatini |
1 April |
A - HMS heads off for EP with Parke and Mounteney Jephson for the second time |
10 April |
A - HMS kills a native and injures another with a single bullet |
11 April |
JJ arrives at Kassongo and meets Tippu Tib. |
12 April |
A - A blind woman is shot and her head is brought to HMS. |
18 April |
A - HMS at Lake Albert Nyanza for the second time |
21 April |
Barttelot has a row with Troup. John Henry is caught after stealing EMB’s gun and told he will be executed in 2 days’ time |
22 April |
The officers have a discussion about what to do with John Henry. Bonny wants to give him 150 stokes |
23 April |
John Henry reprieved from execution but gets 300 strokes |
25 April |
John Henry dies at midday from the beating he received |
29 April |
A - HMS meets EP Pasha at Nsabe |
11 May |
Jameson gets involved in the cannibalism incident at Riba Riba |
14 May |
Barttelot heads over to Stanley Falls. It takes him 4 days |
23 May |
Barttelot has a long interview with Tippu Tib offers to provide 400 carriers |
26 May |
Barttelot and Jameson leave Stanley Falls for Yangambi with 400 men (Barttelot says 320) procured by Tippu Tib |
28 May |
At Yambuya, Bonny flogs 4 men for insubordination |
5 June |
SS AIA arrives at Yambuya with Tippu Tib who agrees to give Barttelot more men |
6 June |
Barttelot swaps his rifle for 15 slaves |
7 June |
Werner starts to prepare to take the SS AIA back down river. Barttelot opens HMS’s cases to discard what he cannot carry |
8 June |
The Rear column comprises 560 men inc 132 left from the 255 who remained at Yambuya |
11 June |
Barttelot and the Rear Column finally leave Yambuya amid much looting. |
12 June |
Jameson and Barttelot separately reach Sala Sala’s camp at sunset. |
16/17 June |
A - HMS decides to go back to find out what has happened to the Rear Column. Parke goes with him as far as Ipoto |
30 June |
Jameson and Bonny meet up again at Eyella where they have to leave behind 5 loads |
1 July |
Bonny reports that the Manyema carriers are opening loads and have started to take cloth. He has to leave 5 double loads behind |
4 July |
Barttelot at Stanley Falls and is told of Assad Farran accusation against Jameson |
5 July |
Last entry in Barttelot diary –“ July 5 Thursday. Wrote to (Mary), Father, Harry and Mackinnon” |
7 July |
Jameson sends Bonny up to Banalya. Bonny flogs the man who broke into his chop box, giving him 95 lashes and putting him in chains |
8 July |
Barttelot still at Singatini (Stanley Falls). Baert gives him a photo remembrance |
15 July |
Bonny arrives at Banalya, which is under the headman Abdullah. He is two days ahead of Barttelot |
16 July |
Bonny sends some men over to Jameson |
17 July |
Barttelot arrives at Banalya and thrashes a man. He talks to Bonny about Jameson and the cannibals |
19 July |
Death of Barttelot at Banalya. He is buried within a couple of hours of his death |
19 July |
A - Parke goes on Ruga Ruga (raiding party) with 7 men and to shoot natives and scare them from stealing their crops |
21 July |
Jameson learns of the death of Barttelot and heads immediately over to Banalya |
22 July |
Jameson arrives at Banalya an hour before nightfall and Bonny tells him about the shooting of Barttelot |
23 July |
Jameson learns that the person accused of killing Major Bartleot is called Sanga. He makes an inventory of Barttelot’s effects |
25 July |
Jameson heads back to Stanley Falls |
6 Aug |
Sanga tried and executed at Stanley Falls for killing Barttelot |
9 Aug |
Jameson heads down river from Stanley Falls by canoe |
15 Aug |
Bonny writes a letter to Governor General Janssens at Boma “…by written order left by Major Barttelot I am now in command…” |
16 Aug |
The dying Jameson arrives at Bangala station and is met by Ward |
17 Aug |
Death of Jameson at Bangala A - HMS arrives at Banalya and is angry about a letter Stairs wrote to Barttelot which he intercepted |
19 Aug |
A - HMS assumes command of the camp at Banalya |
20 Aug |
A - The Zanzibaris all complain to HMS about Bonny’s beatings and says he broke into one of Stanley’s boxes |
28 Aug |
A - HMS writes his report to the Chairman of the EPRE condemning the actions of the Rear Column. |
30 Aug |
A - Dr Parke is given a very handsome little native girl named Soufaris, who is about 7-10 years old |
6 Sept |
A - Zanzibaris capture native women and Bonny tries to buy one but told they belong to HMS |
7 Sept |
A - Parke reports that 99% of the Zanzibaris have ulcers. He mentions “last night a little native girl was hanged up by the arms until she died…” |
13 Sept |
News of the death of Barttelot reaches England by telegram |
16 Sept |
A - Parke’s slave girl Soufaris runs away. he is annoyed as he planned to take her back to England and give her to his sister |
14 Sept |
The news of Barttelot’s death is carried in The Times and other papers |
22 Sept |
The Times newspaper publishes Ward's telegram announcing the death of Jameson |
9 Oct |
HMS has a row with Bonny about Barttelot’s effects – “who made you heir to the Major's effects?” |
23/24 Dec |
Fort Bodo is evacuated. |
1889 |
|
18 Feb |
The Advance and Rear Columns are re-united at Kavalli and Jephson meets up with Stairs, Nelson and Parke. |
10 April |
The EPRE together with EP, Casati and EP's "people" leave Kavalli’s camp but 3 days later HMS is dangerously ill and the caravan, 1330 strong, halts for a month |
5 May |
Trial of a mutineer Ruhan who is hanged by HMS |
13 May |
HMS sends out 120 rifles under Stairs to forage for food in the morning and 120 men under Bonny and Nelson in the afternoon |
14 May |
HMS executes a spy |
20 Sept |
A row over Hongo disintegrates into a row and 17 natives are killed |
22–24 Sept |
EPRE harassed by Wasukuma tribe and HMS uses the Maxim gun in combat for the first time, killing a man |
29 Nov |
Caravan mets up with 2 US journalists – Vizetelly (NY Herald) and Stevens (NY World) |
4 Dec |
EPRE arrives at Bagamoyo and EP falls from a first floor window after a welcome dinner in his honour |
19 Dec |
HMS brings a legal case against Tippu Tib which drifts on until 1893 |
1890 |
|
28 June |
In Darkest Africa published |
23 Oct |
Publication of the Barttelot book |
23 Dec |
Jameson’s diaries are published |
1891 |
|
Feb |
Jameson’s wife, brother and sister-in-law arrive in Zanzibar to find out more about his death and the events at Riba Riba. Tippu Tib is hundreds of miles inland and never meets them. |
1892 |
|
?28 Oct |
EP murdered by Ismailia and Mamba, slaves of Said ben Abedi. They were found and executed some time later. |