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>40 £HE . SEAIi gJ^ ¦ rg^jgg, October aq...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Indian Revolt. Anornsr Targe Mass Of...
Xlbambexlain-got a grape in the upper bone of-Ms-left arm £ isvdoiiig < well ) , and though we were only under fire for About an hour , sixtyfive . of our menout of five hundred were knocked over . It is madness taking our tioops down to the very -walls in this way , had we a fight like this daily our whole camp would be cut up in ti hreo weeks , and the enemy are . in such force that they caa give , ten for one . However , we never go beyond one pickets now . :- , ' "Qn the 18 th , the enemy came out again on our 3 $ g ht , the ojd place , wliere they have splendid cover fjroin . th | ck gardens and old buildings . We drove them
oat ,, . and only lost a few men , as we did not follow them like , idiots to the very walls . We lost two officers , J 4 euteriant C—— , her Majesty ' s 75 th—ball between eyes—shot dead ; and I deplore to say young W -, . " of , my regiment , was struck down by the sun , -was brought in on a dooly , and , apoplexy coming on , he , died in a few hours . He had joined us about six months . only , and was a fine lad and one of the most temperate in camp . He could not stand the sun and exposure , as he . had been so short a time in the country . He was buried next morning , and I grieve I could not leave my picket to follow the poor boy to his grave .
• f . We had another brush with the enemy on the 20 th . I waa out with my corps , and we swept the enemy from tfce sttbzieunuy in no time . We returned to camp , thank God , as I never was in such a hole in my life . The tench was really sickening , the sight , too , was disgusting;—dead horses , camels , & c . and heaps of dead jJepoys lying about , some half-eaten by the dogs , yulturea , & c , -who were gorging on the decayed flesh and entrails . . On the 23 rd , the enemy came out in great force on our left , when we were under arms again , and ¦ off ye went with the 61 st , 8 th Company ' s Rifles , 4 th Sikhs , and some guns ; down we went on them , and off they , went for the right , and we kept up a slarp fire on them , yfe had gone as far as we were allowedand had
, the order to retire . We did not lose many men , but the brutes picked out some officers . Captain L was jkilied ; he had just time to say , ' Take my T > ody off the geld ; don't let the Pandys get hold of it . ' The enemy have not been out since , so I fancy we gave them enough of . it . I hear large reinforcements are coming here , and t shall be glad when they come , when we hope to get a little rest . Fancy , beside picket work , our force here have had twenty-four hard fights with the enemy , already taken above twenty guns , and old officers heTe say , there never was such hard fighting as this in the CJxiihea . I doubt if a British force ever had such hard Trdik before . One-half of some of the regiments here have fallen one way or another . It was a £ ne sight on
the 23 rd . My regiment was the reserve . We went down the road in column till near the enemy , when the 61 st and 8 th . spread out in one grand skirmishing line to the right , the Sikhs and Cokes ' s to the left , our guns in the centre , and my regiment in a perfect line three hundred yards behind . As we neared the enemy , our girns opened on theirs and the infantry and cavalry ; the latter bolted off well to the Tear with the guns , and the infantry got under cover and commenced a sharp fire on our advancing line ; the gun 3 also halted and poured in grape , & c . On went the artillery , & c , sweeping the long grass like a broom , and knocking the niggers over like fun . It was for half a mile fine open country , and our men did therr work splendidly , going
along at a steady pace , loading , firing , and driving the niggers on . The balls were flying all r 6 und us , but most w « re too high and went a long way over lis ; however , every now and then you would see a poor dear fellow drop over and carried to the rear on the back of the man On his right , and the expression of the face was a sad 4 ight compared with the same just a moment before while loading and firing and sweeping everything before hjm . ' . At last we got our men with the long range rides in : good places , and sent the enemy away to Delhi sharp , after which we' fell in , like in parade , under our brave Major , and retired , having clone our work , though tagged and awfully done up by the heat and excitement . I had a good look . at the walls , & c , of Delhi
from the top of a house where we were . We were close to the walls ,. and I noticed the crest of the glacis protects about six feet of the base of the wall , aa I could only" tfee' Half-way down the gateway . I also noticed kowWeU the enemy fight in this way . They got into ' holes , behind 'stories , & c , and fir © away , and off they go % o another place as you make the 'last liolo'tod hot' for them ; they skirmish and can do bush fighting splendidly . I saw some of them quite close , working their firelocks perfectly . Then they wore the genuine Sepoy brutes who a few months before were licking my feet , and with the most exquisite acting expressing nil that one could wish to sec in those under one . Before I wont
to Cashmere last April , my hnvildar came up and said my company wished to come up and salaam to me and wish mo a safe journey and return , when they intended to express the delight they would have in seeing mo back , & c . I told him to give my salaam , and that 1 would not trouble them , ns \ t ia a bore to them putting on their uniform , See , but that ho was to thank them for me . These very beasts had plotted the mutiny , and intended the murder of all in Ferozeporo long before my two months' leave could oxftire . I fancy you will all blame uh follows for not knowing what wa ' a going on with theso men ; but romoin'bur this , thoy Iinvo gono on all right for onu hundred years . Hcad-quartera wore
informed ^ f the-greafc-di 8 affeetH > n--am <> ng-fche-S « poy 3- « ix months . back * and no European can fathom the dark black villany of th « natives . Your words of advice I have miter forgotten * Beware of the craft and treachery of tha Asiatic' To tell you the truth , I never could understand , the Se-poys ; they are queer fellows , but I never expected they were so bad . I have , however , long come , to the conclusion that a native of India is exactly contrary to an Englishman in every way , and in everything he does , or makes , or has anything to do with . This . is their true character ; judge of them accordingly , and mark these words of mine , and notice in what you ever knew of them if this is mot so , and if I had my -ivay I would treat tliem exactly different from
the way one manages Europeans , and all would be right .. ¦ ,: . "I suppose you are all astounded with the news from India . ; so you may be , but don ' t be alarmed ; we are all right , and , barring ; the mischief of sad murders , India is ours . now more than ever it was . We have held it by coaxing and sufferance up to this ; now we will hold it by right . We keep India at bay now , what shall we do when fifty thousand or more Europeans join from England , and the whole country is disarmed ? At present all the Bengal army , cavalry , infantry , some one hundred regiments of one thousand strong , and about half that of Irregulars have risen vainly in arms against us . It is hard work just now ; all the same , I never saw fellows more jolly than those in this camp . It is surprising what one can do when one must do it . We can't go at Delhi , I regret to say , till reinforced ; the
place is a maze . of narrow lanes , some dark from being so narrow , and thousands of them . We dare not let our brave , boys loose on . them ; in such a place five thousand men would be lost , and it ' s no use going in till we can scour it put propeily , and at present it is not bad policy keeping the brutes cooped up there by thousands instead of letting them ravage over the whole country . I expect the King finds hia palace rather uncomfortable . One of our large mortars is pitching 10-inch shells right into the place ., The enemy also tight worse and worse every time they , come out , and , now that they can ' t do anything , with us and hear of our strong reinforcements coming north and south , they are losing heart , and think they ha ^ e made » sad mistake in supposing the Company ' s / reign is over . I expect , however , Delhi will not fall for . a month yet ; slow and sure , hat down it comes for evei this time . "
A Mr . Glennie writes to the Times to say that lie is assured of tlie safety of Mrs . Buck and Miss Vaughan , who -were reported dead at Bareilly . We append some extracts from the letter of ari officer holding civil charge of the district of lyzabad , in the province of Oude , dated Allahabad , August 4 th : — " Soon after the beginning of our troubles , an order came from Lucknow to arrest Man Singh . G - was at Fyzabad , and he carried out the order in spite of my urgent remonstrance and written protest . I got permission to release him just in time , and started the ladies off to Shalgunj . Mra . Lennox , and her daughter , Mrs . Morgan , and Mrs . Mill ( she intended to go at
first ) , remained at Fyzabad . The very next night I think the troopa mutinied . The Irregulars ( 15 th Irregular Cavalry , one troop ) were very bad—wanted to murder every officer . The artillery and 6 th Oude Irregulars , were also bad ; the 22 nd Regiment Bengal Native Infantry the least bad of all . After a long altercation it was determined that the officers should be allowed to go . They went off in boats ; but just opposite Begumgunj they wore seen by the 17 th Regiment Native Infantry , mutineers from Aziroghur , who gave chase , and here- poor Goldney , Bright , and a sergeant appear tb ; have been shot ; Mill , Currio , and Parsons , drowned ^ " paving left the boata and attempted to escape inland . The rest of the party gob to , the
Tehsildaree of Kuptamgunj , , where they were well treated , . and received fifty rupees to prosecute their journey to Goruckpore . At a large bazaar , called Mahadewo , a largo body of armed men sallied forth , and , withptyt tho slightest provocation , cut the unfortunate felfcwa to pieces . Hore English , Lindesay , Cautley , Thomas , " an , d Ritchie , with two . sergeants , foil . One artipery . aOTgeant ( Busber ) alone escaped . Another party—O'Brion , G ' ordonj Collison , Anderson , and Porcival-rchanged tbeir boat and got a covered one at Ajooihia ; tftey , itLyjperdtts , and were not observed by tho 17 th Regiment $ ativo Infantry . Hiding in the daytime and travelling at night , they managed to reach Gopalpore in tho Goruckpore district , where a powerful
Rajah took tliem under his protection and forwarded thorn to Dinapore . A third party consisted of Morgan and his wifo , Fowlo , Ouaoley , and Daniell . They wore rtobbed , imprisoned , and suffered great hardshipa , almost starvation , but thoy , too , eventually escaped . I must now return to my own party . The troops mutinied on tho night of tlio 8 th , but did not como Sown to tho city till the morning of tho 9 th of June . Orr and Thurbum slept at my gntoway—Bradford , being obstinato , slept « t the DUkoosha , Wo had , nl > out one hundred armed invalids . Wo tried to raise levies , and , with Man Singh ' w co-operation , might have succeeded . Ah it was , wo failed . Wo collected four hundred or five hundred ' but tho greater portion were rather a Bourco of apprehension and I was obliged to got rid of them . '
- •^™ g-the-mgnt-of--the dth -the-gaol guard ftith Oude Irregulars ) and other ' s 'left their posts , and the mutineers stationed themselves so as to prevent all mm munication through the city : ' I was unable to ££ Bradford . They came down upon us in three divisions with two guns attached to each , and , having no mean ! of resistance , we bolted from my gateway towards th Akbnrpore-road . We at first intended to go to Shah gunj , but , fearing the sowars , who were most blood " i ^* * Urned ° , !™» ™ " ** out of sight and made for but finall
Rampore , y went to Gowrah I knew the Zemindars well in these parts . We changed quarters in the evening to a pundit ' s at no great distance -md thence went to Shahgunj . We had at that time ' the Azimghur mutineers coining on the Tanda-road and those from Benares on the Dostpore and Akburnore lines . Bradford managed to get away on foot I had lent him my Arab for the flight , but he could not find him . We were afterwards told that these brutes of sowars followed us aa far as Bhadursa , but we saw nothing of them .
"The day after we reached Shahgunj , Man Singh sent to say that the troops would not harm the ladies and children , but insisted upon our being given up , and were coming to search the fort ; that he would get boats and that we must be off at once . We were all night going across country to the Ghat , Jelalooden-nuggur , during which time we were robbed by Man Singh ' s men of almost all the few things we had managed to take with us . The ladies took some of their traps to Shahgunj — of course we had only the clothes on our backs however we got off first in two boats , but afterwards in
oneeight women , fourteen children , and seven men . We suffered great misery and discomfort . The heat , too , was terrific . We were plundered by Oodit Narain , one of the Birhur men , and when they took Orr and me into one of the forts , I fully expected to be polished off , and all the ladies got ready to throw their children into the river and jump after them . However , God willed it otherwise , and Madho Persad , the Birhur Baboo , came to the rescue—entertained us hospitably for five or six days , and then forwarded us to Gopalpore , where we were comparatively safe . Here we parted from Bradford . " Madho Persad has lately been making vicious attacks upon . Azimghur , and has got well beaten two or three times ; but , of course , the 65 th Regiment of Native Infantry ' will mutiny , when he will have it nil his own way .
"Orr has gone on to Cawnpore . Thurhurn i 3 to have charge of the bazaar here . Bradford " was employed at Benares , but volunteered to serve as local captain with the artillery , and his services have been accepted . I have been appointed temporarily to the Commissariat , and expect to move on shortly . We are decidedly in difficulties now , and , if regiments come not immediately overland , we must expect more disasters before this mutiny can be quelled . " Farrier Sergeant R Busher , of No . 13 Light Field Battery , referred to in the preceding extract , lias made a statement , in which he says : —
"On our reaching the village of Mohadubbah , we observed to our horror that the whole place was armed . However , we made no remark , but passed through it under tho guidance of the three Burkundages- On getting to the end , we had to cross a nullah , ot small stream , waist-deep in water . While crossing , the villagers rushed on us sword and matchlock in hand . Seeing that they were bent on our destruction , we pushed through the water aa quickly as possible , not , however , without leaving one of our number behind , who unfortunately was the lnst , and him ( Lieutenant Lindesay ) they cut to pieces . On reaching the opposite bank , the villagers made a furious nttack on us , literally butoherincf five of our party .
" I and Lieutenant Cautly then ran , and most of tho mob in full chose after us . Lieutenant Cautly , after running about throe hundred yards , declared ho could run no longer , and stopped , i On the mob reaching him , he also was cut to pieces . After despatching poor Lieutenant Cautly , they continued the chase after me , but after running a short distance , and finding that I was a long -way off , thoy desisted . "I was now the only one loft , not having oven Tog Ah ' , Khan with me . I proceeded on , and in a short time came to a village , and the . first : person I met was a Brahmin , < of whom I begged a drink of water , telling him I was exhausted . Ho asked me where I oavnc froint and what had happened to me . 1 told my tale as quickly as I could , and he appeared to compassi onate my case . Ho assured mo that no harm would come to
mo in his village , and that , as the villagers wore all Brahmins , others would not dnrc to untcr it to do me any hiirm . Ho then directed ino to be seated under a shady tree in tho village *; and left me . After ft short absence he returned , bringing with him n largo 1 m »\ v 1 <» sherbot . This I drank greedily , and was hardly done when ho Btarted up nnd bado mo run for my lifi ' i IIS Baboo ttully Singh was approaching the villntf <> . l ^ ° \ up and attempted to run , but found 1 could not , ami tried to get to soino hiding p 1 o . cn . In going through a lane , 1 rnet an old woman , and she pointed out an » impty hut , ami bade me run into It . I did ho , and limling '" it a quantity of straw , I lay down and thought to concoal myself in it . I was not long thoro wlum m >» ° Bully Singh ' s men entered and commenced a kciuvIi , ihk '
>40 £He . Seaii Gj^ ¦ Rg^Jgg, October Aq...
> 40 £ HE . SEAIi gJ ^ ¦ rg ^ jgg , October aqgsg .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 3, 1857, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_03101857/page/4/
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