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    ^o> 3^2 , Septehser 26^ 1857,] THE 1/ JE...

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    The. Indies Eevolt. General Ha.Velock Ha...

    we know-trot -what a : day may bring : forth : I had- several extraordinary' escapes ; One bullet went between my legs as I was walking and broke a man ' s lag in front of me ? another bullet hit me on the back : of the head , knocking me down twit hardly breaking the skin . Everything here is quiet « SHyet , bat people are in a great panne . I cannot say that 1 am . Gut of the four hundred fine fellows that started f or Arrah , nearly two hundred were killed , and of the remainder I do not think more than fifty to eighty were not wound * d ; oat of seven voluateers five were knocked over , four killed and one wounded . This lias been the most disastrous affair that lias happened out here ; , I hope , however , we may soon get some more troops again from Calcutta , and get back our name ; I cry to think of the way we were beaten and of th e number of poor felloTva who -were ; killed . " Further partieul ars of the appalling massacres at Cawnpore continue to pour in . The Bengal Hurkaru , of August 5 th , says : — 14 It appears from letters received in Calcutta that the victims of the Cawnpore massacre were confined in- tire Assembly Rooms up to- the 15 th , where they were comparatively well treated .. They were then taken to the little house where tbs unfortunate men who were taken from the boats had Tjeeii previously murdered , and where they could have had no doubt of their impending fate . A note was found , written in Hindeey containing the names of all the-ladies who died between the 7 th and 15 th . inst ., from what are described as natural causes . The list appears to liave been kept by a native doctor , and , deducting the names which it contains , it appears that one hundred and ninety-seven persons were massacred oa the evening of the loth . The building in which the massacre took place is described as looking , like a slaiighter-hou . se . According to the last accounts General Neill was compelling all the hi ^ h-caste Brahmins whom he could capture among the Sepoys to collect the bloody clothes of the victims , and wash up the blood from the iioor , a European soldier standing over each man with a ' , ' and administering it with vigour whenever he relajced his exertions . The ¦ wretches having been subjected to this degradation , which of course includes loss of caste , a-re then hanged , one after another . The . punishment is said to be General Neitt ' s own invention , and Its infliction has gained him great credit .

    "We are informed that the Governor-Generals Body Guard ( at Calcutta } , which have been disarmed , were subjected to the pvoces 3 entirely at their own request . They informed their commandant that , linding themselves objects of suspicion and aversion in Calcutta , they wished to resign their arms for a period . The request was , of course , comjilied with , and the transaction was effected -with the greatest politeness on both sides . " A gentleman volunteer , attached to Brigadier-General Neill's ca . mp at Cawnpore , writes , under date August 1 st : — " It is said thut the Nena s people have sworn to come and retake the place , or perish ; they had better not attempt it , for three hundred men with a commander like General Neill would give them something to do . I have not been able to glean much information regarding the noble Wheeler ' s gallant dofeuce of Cawnpore , but the enclosed little scraps of paper , which I found among the clothes of our murdered countrywomen , will tend to > throw some little light on the matter . I also found in the heap of blood-stained clothes three daguerreotype portraits , which I retain , and intend to advertise them hereafter . As soon as we reached Cawnpore after the battle , wo were met by a man who rushed towards us much excited—he had the appearance of a regimental cook—ho proved to boa clork of the Commissariat Department , lie had volunteered to leave the entrenchment , and endeavour to gain some information for yir IT . Wheeler as to the probability of relief being at hand or not ; the ^ rebeTs seized him , tried him as a spy , and condemned him to three years' haul labour in irons . Accordingly he was confined with' about three hundred natives ( most of them imprisoned for their inability to supply the Nona with funds ) , who , when they heard tho victorious shouts of our army , made a rush at their guards , overpowered them , and escaped . Poor fellow ! ( Mr . 3 . ) he had left all his family ( nine ) in the entrenchments , and they have , with the rest of our people , been cruelly butchered . It is a most affecting sight to aee the poor fellow searching about the place whoro tho bodies of our countrywomen were found , I supposo hoping to find some trace of his slaughtered family . Ho roaiti 3 listlessly about , no one speaking to him or offering to sympathize with him , for we all foal that i t would bo almost a mockery to oiler consolation . Blany people say that Wheeler should have gone into the magazine instead of entrenching himself where he did ; that he would then luwo prevented the rebels getting tho ammunition and guns . Tho Artillery Hospital-which Wheeler defended is fearfully battered ; the robela had gana bearing upon every inch of it , and nt iBB tlbeliovo brought a SM-poundor to bear upon the iveii , which waa the only ono they had , ; number were suot trying to get water from the well , and at hint it was lound impossible to got what was life itself— walor . " Hoino details of tho Azimprlnir rising are communicated by the Calcutta . Phanhe : — On the evening of tho mutiny , a parade had been OTdered for tho on tiro regiment . It appear * that the oepoya had resolved to mutiny on this occasion , which

    they" donbifossr eoarsidereti' «¦ vwyfavourable- oue for ; cutting- down or skootinff their officers . The hoar for parade arriv = edv and ail the - Sepoy * were on-the grrotrnd * comporting themse-ltre " s as ipsnetly asr it nothing- was intended . The men fell in by companies and took up their position ia line , in the most orderly an-d soldier-like manner . Up to thus time ; however , not a single European officer had come on the parade ground , neither bad the aergeant-majoT . The only European present was the quartermaster-sergeant of the regiment , named Lewis . The regiment continued -silent and in line for some time , expecting that the officer * would come on the ground . The lattery ho \ vever appear to have had intimation of wha * was > intended ,- and to have determined to remain away . Quartermaster-Sergeant Lewis , however , continued to stand his ground . At length one of the native officers , the Subahdar Major of the regiment ,-stepped forward , and , saluting the cfuartermastersergeant r asked if the officers were not comings oat to the paradiei Sergeant Lewis answered that he supposed they would come . The sergeant next broke the line in column of companies at quarter distance . The movement waa executed , with precision , and , without any display of bad feeling on the'part ' of the native soldier 3 . A pause ensued , andl the Sabahdar Major again stepped forward and asked a- second time if the Sahibs were not coming oa parade . The quartermaster-sergeant answered that they should have been out before , but he supposed something had delayed them . The Subahdar then suggested that he should order the ' ¦ officers " call' to be sounded . The quartermaster-sergeant refused , to do so , but after another interval , the Subahdar again urged that the call should be sounded . Sergeant Lewis , however , again declined to order the call , but he drew his sword , and as the only European present , assumed the command of the regiment . Some of the Sepoys on this began to leave the ranks , but on being ordered back again returned to their places . Sergeant Lewis tb _ en spoke to them , or rather to the company in front of the column , about the enormity of mutiny , telling them that they had better dismiss such thoughts from their heads , a 3 the result , of the mutiny would eventually be that they would be all hanged or transported . But by this time the entire corps bad set up a furious yelling , and the answer to the sergeant was : ' Well , if we are to be hansed , we'll have the

    satisfaction of shooting you first . ' The . Sepoys now closed round the solitary European , and several made a rusli at him . Two or three men fired at the same time , and one man shot Inm in the side . The sergeant fell , and lay bleeding om- the ground , expecting' to be hacked to pieces by the fiends around him . They , however , seemed resolved not to despatch him at once , but to regularly torture Iiim to death . One Sepoy proposed that his feet and hands should be cut off . Another wa 3 ib-r . soiiie more horrible specie 3 of mutilation , while there were not wanting others-who suggested nailing him hands and feet to a tree . Some species of horrid death would have assuredly been his lot , but for an old native officer who threw himself on his knees , and begged the Sepoys not to torture him , saying , ' He is wounded now , and , if left where ihe is , he will die there . Let him die where lie lies . ' Tbis advice was listened to , and the Quartermaster-Sergeant was allowed to remain where lie was . In this condition he lay all that night , and for the greater portion of the following day , when he was removed by ji European officer of the regiment , who took him up and , placing him in a bungalow , left him there . From the bungalow , however , he was subsequently removed by the natives as a prisoner to the quarter guard . " This brave man was subsequently rescued by Mr . Venables . A Mr . II . J . Shepherd , on July 18 th , writes to his brother at Bath s-orno particulars of the Cawnpore massacre , lie states : — " Every ofiicer and soldier , and every merchant , writer , or Christian drummer , < fcc , that had gone into the entrenchments here under General Wheeler on tho 1 th of June , has been killed . The cannonading of the enemy wan very , very severe . Twelve guns , taken from our magazine , were brought to play upon tss . Tlrey lmd « very large quantity of powder at their disposal , for tho magazine was not blown up , and thirty boats or ? am munition reached the enemy by the Ganges Canal ju . st in time for them to annoy ug . The artillery barracks , where wo were entrenched , have-been scattered to atoms by the 2-fc-pounder balls that were incessantly fired by the enemy , and many died under the walls . Day and niyht the guns wore kept playing upon us without eoaainK for a moment , and tho musketry of the enemy poured millions of balls upon us up to tho 25 th of June —that in for twenty days . Tho enemy made several attempts to cluirgQ ' iipon in ; tlireo times they surrounded ui on till sides under cover of the compound -walla of hungnlowd in our vicinity , ami sounded their buglea to charge , but were driven back by our artillery thing canister upon them . Wo had only six small gun * with us , and not a single howitzer . " Had we even had ono 2-t-pounder a groat deal could have been done , or had our general taken up bin position in tho magazine we might all hava escaped tho very Hcveru calamity that has befallen upon this station-, for without guns tho nuomy could not hayc dono Anything . On the 2-lth of . rune , I was Bont out ns a apy on certain conditions , u . nd , aa I was drosaod aa u common

    Chinaman * 1 was not killed ; for I was' taken / prisoner almost 39 ' soon aa I came out of the' entrenchment ^ particulars of which I shall give you in my next , btct keptia confinement until the day 08 my trial , -vriien fetters were put on . me . After I came out on the ; 24 th ,. it appears the rebel Rajah sant a letter to- our general the dayr after , offering to-let him and- all . his people go to Allafeabad , on condition that he would give up all his treasure ,, ammunition , & c , aad vacate Cawnpore -within three day 3 . This was accepted by the general , amid the usual ' oaths were iaken that no treachery would be used . The Rajah supp-lied twenty-four boats , and gave carriage to * the river side . On the morning' of the 27 th , our peoplewent on board the boats —( oh ! how I felt , -when , in confinement , I heard that the English were going in safety . I could not ieep my secret , and told the Subahdar » £ the prison guard that I was a Christian , and nearly lost my life by this exposure)—but had not time to let the boats go , Tvlien the enemy fired cannon upon them , and upset some ; others they set fire to . Only one boat , I am told , managed to get away , but wa 3 afterwards- picked up at a short distance and brought back . About one hundred and fifty women and children , and about one hundred European soldiers and officers and men of all classes , -were taken alive . The former were kept-as prisoners up to the 16 th of July ; butt tke men ( among whom was our poor Daniel } had their hands tied behind them , were killed with swords aad uittskets , and thrown into a ditch . The womea received parched grain for a few days , but afterwards theygot dall and chupatis in small quantities . The rascals had bad motives for sparing them so long . "At the time of their being- murdered ( oa the 16 th . inst . ) , I am told that a . number jumped alive' into tka well that w = i 3 intended to receive their corpses , rather than be butchered and insulted so unmercifully aa the hard-hearted brutes were using them . " A lively account of the disarmament of the native tToops at Beramporo is thus given in a letter from ' that city , dated August 2 nd , the day after the affair took place : — " The entire regiment of her Majesty ' s 90 th had disembarked , and were in full march towards the infantry lines by half-past four o ' clock under a very heavy shower of rain , which , however , did not appear to discomfort the men much , who were in great spirits at the prospect of

    a collision with thejei ! bhae 3 of the murderers of defenceless women and children . On approaching the lines , the Native Infantry were observed to have been arranged ! in a square , and her Majesty ' s 90 th divided off into three columns , so as to intercept any attempts at a retreat . After the reading of the Government order , the commancl to pile arms was given , and responded to without demur . Many of the muskets on inspection were discovered to be loaded . I nanst here mention that two brass light fieldpiece 3 had been sent out to the lines , manned by sailors from the Government steamer Jumna , which ha 3 been lying here for some four days . The muskets of the disarmed Sepoys having been taken possession of by a com » pany of the 30 th , were placed in possession of the guns > and the regi ment then inarched on to the direction of thecavalry lines , from "which the Irregulars -were seen toy advance . On approaching to within a distance of atoutthree hundred yards from , the European regiment ttoey dismounted , and , on a nearer approach , -were surrounded , by tho 90 th . Their commander , Captain Alexander ; then communicated the instructions from Government for their being disarmed , when there wa 9 a very apparent stir among them , and two attempts made tc remount their horses , a good number gaining their aea > t 8 j but a flank of the 90 th advancing towards them , and the rest being so arranged as to cut thoir retreat off , they wexe got into order again . Some of the-men were actually seen to load , but , whether from the want of unanimity or , more probably , tho dread of the splendid body of men confronting them , their intentions , whatever they may have been , wore not carried into otfect . " On the order being given to deliver up > their arms and accoutrements ^ many of the- men absolutely flung their pistols , belts , & c , into the air ; and , on the -whole , although they did deliver up their arms , they manifested the utmost disaffection . They had , however , to endui © a still greater surprise , and ono which they wer & evidently not prepared for , and that was the seizure of their horses , which being their own property they thought would not bo taken from them . The latter were tok «» olF to tho hospital yard-, round which and several other pucka buildings thcro is the enclosuro of n pucka wall . Tho two hundred men of her Majesty's 35 th , stationed here , all this time wore engaged int disarming tho guards at their diileront posts . Thus ended the amusements ot tu « evening . " A few more' Europeans ' , it appears , have escaped from Cawnpore . A letter from Captain II . Bruco , dated Cuwnnorc , July 31 st , saya ;—" Lieutenant Delufosso , Captain Mowbray Thomson , n . Trd Native Infantry , and two European soldiers , axe salb at Nisl . igurh ( twenty-four milus down river , on thw Lucknow aide ) , and all General Noill ' d great energies aro baing directed to their recovery . Tho latter part of this scntonc-e refers * not only to tho Miabgarh party , but nlso to sonia Europeans Haid to be atCalpee , aciroaai tho Jumntt . " Some fearfully painful entries found among the blood-stninod relics at Cuwnporo ar © published in tho J'ftamix , Calcutta newspaper . A correspondent of

    ^O> 3^2 , Septehser 26^ 1857,] The 1/ Je...

    ^ o > 3 ^ 2 , Septehser 26 ^ 1857 , ] THE 1 / JE , A P H K . ! gt § ' ¦

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 26, 1857, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_26091857/page/3/