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Untitled Article
Chsiriberlain got a grape in tha upper bone of his left Hrnvfir dotfig ' -vrett }; aniithongTr ^ e ' Wei ^ tfnly unicter lire ¦ f&F -abottt an . hour , ¦ sixty-five of our nieti * out of five irundred -were knocked over . It is madness taking onr ? fefbops ^ own to the very walls in thi s / way had -we a flghtilike this daily our whole camp would be cut up in three weeks , and the enemy are in such foice that they t ^ n give ten for one . However , we never go beyond " ( Jar pickets now . r > ' <* 0 a the 18 th , the enemy came Out again on our 'tfg&t ; the old place , where they have splendid cover from thick gardens and old buildings . We drove them 2 4 fct , - ' aotd only lost a few men , as we did not follow them Bke idiots to the very walls . We lost two officers ,
lieutenant G—— . her Maiestv * * 7 Ji *} i Vili Kofnraa-n lieutenant U—— , her Majesty ' s 75 th—hall between ^ yes—shot dead ; and I deplore to say young W—— , id £ . iny regiment , was struct down by the sun , -was I&onj ^ it in on a dooly , and , apoplexy coming on , he died in a few hours . He had joined ns about six months only , and was a fine lad and one of the most temperate in / teatnp . ¦ He could not stand the sun and exposure , as he had been- -so abort a time in the country . He -was Buried next morning , and I grieve' I could not leave my pSeketto follow the poor boy to his grave , i- **' We had another brush with the enefiiy on the 20 th . J- ' waaout with my / corps , and we swept the enemy from 'the subzieondy in no time . We returned to camp , thank © 63 ; as I never-was in such , a hole im my life . The
'• tew * was really sickening , the sight , to *> , was disgust-- ing- —dead -horses , camels , &c , and heaps of dead Sepo ^ a lying about , some half-eaten by- the dogs , yul'tttres , &C , who were gorging on the decayed flesh and 'entrails . Gn the 23 rd , the enemy carne out in great few&bn our left , -when we were under arms again , and ' "irt ^ fre ^ went " trith the tflst , 8 th Company ' s Rifles , 4 th fitkhs , and some guns ; down we went on them , and off they -went for the right , and we kept up a sharp fire on Utetau We had gone ' as far as we were allowed , and had ¦^ b e-order to retire . We did not lose many men , but the
brutes picked out some officers . Captain L—— - was 'killed ; he had just time to sayj 'Take my body off the fltfcl ; don't l et the Pandys get hold of it . ' The enemy hav « not been oat since , so I fancy we gave them enough of it . I hear large reinforcements are coming here , and 1 shall be glad Trhen they come , when we hope to get a little rest . - Fancy , beside picket worl , our force here kftve had twenty-four hard fights with the enemy , already taken above twenty guns , and old officers here aay there never was such hard fighting as this in the Crimea . I doubt if a British force ever had such hard
work before . One-half of some of the regiments here have fallen one -way or another . It was a fine 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 l eft , our gnns ia- the centre , and my regiment in a perfect line three hundred yards behind . As we neared the enemy , our gans opened on theirs and the infantry and cavalry ; ttte latter bolted off well to the rear with the guns , arid 4 he infantry got under cover and commenced a sharp
fire on our advancing line ; the guns 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 their work spl endidly , going along at a steady pace , loading , firing , and driving the niggers on . The balls were flying all round us , but most vrere too high and went a long way over us ; however , every now and then you would s ee a poor dear fellow drop over and carried to the rear on "the back of the man on his ri ght , and the expression of the face was a sad
eight compared with the same just a moment before 'while loading and firing and sweeping everything before him . ; At last we got ovr men with the long range rifles 2 a good places , and sent the enemy o-way to Delhi sharp ; after which we fell in , like in parable , under our brave Major , and retired , having done our work , tliough fagged and awfully dene up by the heot and excitement . I had a good look at the walls , &c of Delhi from the top of a house whore we wore . We were close to the walla , and I noticed the crest of the glacis protects about six feet of the base of the wall , as I could only aee half-way dovn the gate-way . I also noticed how well the enemy fight in this way . They get into holes , behind stones , &c , and flro away , and off they go to another place aB you make the / last'hole too-hot for them ; they skirmish andean do bush fighting splendidly . I saw somo o > f them quito cJobc , working t heir
firelocks perfectly . Tben they wore the genuine Sepoy brutes-who a few months beforo were licking my feet , a . nd with the most exquisite acting expressing all that one could wish to see : in those under one . Before I went to Cashmere last April , my havildar 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 hack , 4 c . I told him to give my salaam , and that 1 would not trouble them , as it is a bore to them putting on their uniform , &c , but that ho was to thank them tor nip . Those very beasts had plotted tho mutiny , and intended the murder of all in Forazeporo long before my two months' leavo could expire I fancy you will oil blame us fellows for not knowing what waa going on wltb . tliQao men ; but romombor this , they hnve gono on aU right for one hundred yeara . Head-quartera wore
informed of the great disaffection among the Sepoys six months [ back , " and no European can . fathom the , darjT black viilany of the natives . " ' Tour . words of advice , I have never'fofgotten ^ ' Beware of the craft ; and treachery of the Asiatic . ' To tell you the ^ tr uth , 1 never could understand the Sepoys ; 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 " qf them , accordingly , arid mark these words' of mine , and notice in what you ever knew of them if this is not so , and if I had my way I would treat them 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 noyr , 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 I rregulars have risen vainly in arras 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 \ rould be lost , and it ' s no use going in till we can scour i t out properly , and at present i t 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 his palace rather uncomfortable . One of our large mortars i s pitching 10-inch shells right into the place . The enemy also fight 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 have made a sad mistake in supposing the Company ' s reign is over . I expect , however , Delhi will not fall for a month yet ; slow and sure , bat down i t comes for ever this time . "
A Mr . Glennie writes to the Times to say that he is assured of the safety of Mrs . Buck , and Miss Vawghan , who were reported dead at Bareilly . We append some extracts from the letter of an officer holding civil charge of the district of Fyzabad , 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 spi te of my urgent remonstrance and written protest . I got permission to release him just in time , and started the ladies off to Shahgunj . Mrs . 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 troops 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 Benga N " ative 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 were seen by the 17 th Regiment Native Infantry , mutineers from Azimghur , -who gave chase , and here poor Goldney , Bright , and a sergeant appear to have been shot ; Mill , Currie , and Parsons , drowned , having left the boats and attempted to
escape inland . The rest of the party got to the Tehsildareo of Kuptanagunj , where they were wel l treated , and received fifty rupees , to prosecute their journey to Goruckpore . At a large bazaar , ca lled Mahadewa , a large body of armed men sallied forth , and , without the slightest provocation , ' cut the unfortunate fellows tb pieces . Here English , Lindesay , Cautl e y , Thomas / and Ritchie , with two sergeants , foil . One artillery sergeant ( liusher ) al 6 ne escaped . Another party—O'Brien , Gordon , Colliso ' n , Ahderedn , and ^ Porciyal—charged their boat and got a covered one at Ajbodhia ; they lay jierdua , ahd were not observed by the 17 th Kegiment Native . ' Infantry . ' Hiding in the daytime and travelling at night , they managed to reach
uopalporo In the Goruckjpor ' o district , ' where a powerful Rajah took them under hia " protection' and f orwarded them to DinaporoJ A'third party consisted of Morgan and his wife , Fowle , Ouseley , and Danlcll . They were robbed , imprisoned , and suffered great hardships , almost starvation , but they , too , eventually " escaped . I must now return to my own party . The " troops mutinied on the night of the 8 th , but did not come down to the city till the morning of the 9 th of June . Orr and Thurbiirii a ept at my gateway—Bradford , l ) eing obstinate , slept at the Dilkoosha . We had about one hundred armed i , ivahds . We tried to raise levies ; and , xvith Man Singh ' s co-operation , might havo succeeded . As it waa , wo failed . Wo collected four hundred or five Hundred but the greater portion were rather a source of apprehension , « nd I was obliged to got rid of them . ' '
the Zemindars well in these parts . We changed quarters in the evening to a pundit ' a at no great distance , and 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 Akburpore lines . Bradford managed to get away on foot . I had lent him my Arab for the flight , but he could n ot find him . We were afterwards told that these brutes of sowars followed us « 3 far as Bhaduxsa , but we saw nothing of them . .
. _ lB . m ? 2 £ the . night _ QfJk ^§ tb Ktlie gaol guard , ( 6 th Oude Irregulars ) and others .. left ; tneir . posts , and the mutineers stationed themselves so as to prevent all communication through the cijty ., I was unable to warn Bradford . They came down upon us in three divisions with two guns attached to each , and , having no means of resistance , we bolted from my gateway towards the Akburpore-road . We at fi . rat intended to go to Shahgunj , but , fearing the sowars , who were most bloodthirsty , I turned off as soon as we got out of sight and made for Rampore , but fina ll y went to Gowrah . I knew
"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 boata , and that we must be off at once . We were all night going acro 33 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 one
eight 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 fu ll y 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 all his own way . . " Orr has gone on to Cawnpore . Thurbum is to have charge of the bazaar here . Bradford was emploj ' ed at Benares , but volunteered to serve as local captain ^ Yith 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 , ia 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 the guidance of the three Burkundages . On getting to the end , we had to cross a nullah , or small stream , waist-deep in water . While crossing , the villagers rushed on us sword and mutchlock in hand . Seeing that they were bent on our destruction , we pushed through the water as quickly as possible , not , however , without leaving one of our number behind , who unfortunately was the last , and him ( Lieutenant Liudesay } they cut to pieces . On reaching the opposite bank , the villagers made a furious attack on us , literally butchering five of our party .
" I and Lieutenant Cautly then ran , and most of the mob in full chase after us . Lieutenant Cautly , after running about three hundred yards , declared lie could run no longer , and stopped . 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 1 was a long way off , they desisted . * ' I * wna now the only one left , not having even Teg Ali K , han 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 xtaUh ; telling him I was exhausted , Ho asked me whore I came from , and what had happened to me . 1 tokl my tnlti aa quickly as I could , and ho appeared to compftssi <) llflt 0
my case . He assured mo that . no harm wuuld come to mo in liia village , and that , us tho villugern w <; ro all Brahmins , others would not date to outer iL to do mo any hurm . Ho then directed mo to I > o swilccl tinder a shady tree in . tho village , ( afld left mo . Aftur a flhorl absence ho returnod , bringing with lain a luigo bowl of sherbet . This I drunk greedily , and wna hardly done when ho started up and bade mo run for my lifo , »*» Baboo Bully Singh was approaching thn -village . I «() t up and attempted to run , but found 1 could not , imd tried to got to some hiding placo . In going through a lano , T mot an old woman , and she pointed out an empty hut , and bade me run into it . I did so , and lindiiiff in it a quantity of atmw , I lay down and thoug ht to concoal myself in it . I waa not long there wlion boiho of Bully Sing h ' s men entered and commenced a sourch , «» i < l
Untitled Article
940 THE LE APE R . [ No . 393 , October 3 , 1867 . ^— ' . J ., ¦ ' — ¦¦¦ ' ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ r T' I ¦ >¦» ' -J ¦ ¦ ' « ' ' ¦ ., . - ¦»« -. . > > -i-J •¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ - .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 3, 1857, page 940, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2212/page/4/
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