Among the fighting men were Sir Garnet Wolseley, Colonel M'Neil, chief of his staff, Major T.D.Baker, 18th Regiment, Captain Huyshe, Rifle Brigade, Captain Buller, 60th Rifles, all of the staff; Captain Brackenbury, military secretary, and Lieutenant Maurice, R.A., private secretary, Major Home, R.E., Lieutenant Saunders, R.
A., and Lieutenant Wilmot, R.A..

Lieutenant Colonel Evelyn Wood, 90th Regiment, and Major B.C.Russell, 13th Hussars, were each to form and command a native regiment, having the remainder of the officers as their assistants.
The Ambriz had left England on the 12th of September, and had touched at Madeira and at the various towns on the coast on her way down, and at the former place had received the news of the disaster to the naval expedition up the Prah.
The English government had been loath to embark upon such an expedition, but a petition which had been sent home by the English and native traders at Sierra Leone and Elmina had shown how great was the peril which threatened the colony, and it had been felt that unless an effort was made the British would be driven altogether from their hold of the coast.

When the expedition was at last determined upon, the military authorities were flooded with recommendations and warnings of all kinds from persons who knew the coast.

Unfortunately these gentlemen differed so widely from each other, that but little good was gained from their counsels.

Some pronounced the climate to be deadly.