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    Q £ ^ tj ^^^^ m ^— — ?•«« , He is now in the position in which he is most S hS 2-2 the hid of an army of which he is the ¦? rasf sryffi ssrsspwi d «*« *> retreat from Lucknow is mentioned by a correspondent of the Calcutta Phamix : — " He made an advance with a portion of his force close up to the position of the enemy , who could be observed in swarms in the houses with which the place was crowded , when suddenly a retreat was ordered , Ae no smaU dissatisfaction of the men , the Europeans £ particular . Seeing the Commander-in-Chief and b , s party retiring as fast as they could , the enemy took hSirt of grace , and , emerging from behind tackwaj , gave chase , though at rather a respectful distance . Sir Colin Campbell and his men , however , seemed to show no iinatfon for a contest , but pursued their retrograde career for about three miles , the rebels still after them , when the apparently retiring force halted , quickly turned round , and , to use the words of the narrator , in a twinkling the men went like bull-dogs at the enemy- The unexpected attack commenced with three volley * fired in quick succession , which being done , the cavalry outf lanked the rebels , and the infantry charged . The result of this simple but admirable strategic movement may be easUy conceived . The Lancers , it is stated , drove their lances through three at a time , the rebels were so thick together ; and in one place only , fifteen hundred of tliero . -were found killed . " The Commander-in-Chief is said to be so jealous of any news reaching Calcutta from the camp that he even intercepts private letters , to say nothing ol the communications of newspaper correspondents . It is obvious , therefore , that we can only have a very imperfect knowledge of what is passing m

    Oude-THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW . The deeply interesting narrative written by Brigadier Inglis of the defence of Lucknow , which the telegrams last week led us to expect by the next mail , has been published . It is dated Lucknow , September 26 th , and is addressed to the Military Secretary of the Calcutta Government . The Brigadier succeeded to the command after the death of Sir Henry Lawrence . Having related the disaster which overtook the party sent out on the 30 th of June to make a reconnoissance , and who fell into an ambush , and were compelled to retreat with a grievous loss in killed and wounded and in guns—a defeat which appears to be attributable to the treachery of the dude artillerymen and drivers who accompanied our men—Brigadier Inglis continues the history of the defence . The numbers of the besieged being greatly reduced by the lamentable result of the reconnoissance , Sir Henry Lawrence , on the 1 st of July , signalled to the garrison of the Muchee Bhowun—an old dilapidated edifice in a position of danger—to evacuate and blow up that fortress in the course of the night . This was accomplished without the loss of a man . On that saiiic day , Sir Henry Lawrence was mortally wounded bj a fragment of shell which burst into the roorr where he was sitting . Before he died , he appointee Brigadier Inglis as his successor in the command of th < troops , and Major Banks to the office of Chief Com missioner . Sir Henry Lawrence died on the 4 th ol July ; on the 21 et of the same month , Major Banki was killed . We must reproduce the Brigadier ' s owr account of the ensuing events , to which no conden sation could do justice : — " Whan the blockade was commenced , only two o our batteries were completed ; part of the defences wen yet in an unfinished condition , and the buildings in thi immediate vicinity , which gave cover to the enemy , wen only very partially cleared away . Indeed , our heavies losses have been caused by the fire from the enemy'i sharpshooters , stationed in the adjoining mosques one houses of the native nobility , the necessity of destroying which had been repeatedly drawn to the attention , « Sit Henry by the staff of engineers . But his invariabl reply was— Spare the holy places , and private proport too , aa far as possible : ' and we have consequently uuf fered severely from our very tenderness to the religion prejudices , and respect to the right of our rebellion citizens and soldiery . As soon as the enemy ha thoroughly completed the investment of the Reaidencj they occupied these houses , some of which were wltht easy pistol ahot of our barricades , in immense force , an rapidly made loopholes on those sides which bore o our post , from which they kept up a terrific and in ccssant fire day and night , which caused many duil casualties , as there could not have been loss than 800 men firing at one time into our position . Moreovo " — 'tn ^ rFwaa ~ h ^ pl » oe"in % he -whole ~ of * Qur-worfc 8-that * "coul be considered safe , for several of the sick and woundc who woro lying in the banqueting hall , which had bee turned into an hospital , were killed in the very centre i the building , and the widow of Lieutenant Dorin an other women and children woro shot dead in a room inl which it had not been previously doomed possible that bullet could penetrate . Neitlior woro tho enemy Idle I erecting battories . They soon had from twenty i twenty-five guns in position , somo of thorn of very larf calibre . These were planted all round our post at em « distances , some being actually within fifty yards of oi '

    defences ; but in places w here our own heavy guns could not reply tp them , while the perseverance and ingenuity of thTenemy in erecting barricades in front of ^ daro ^ nd their guns in a very short time , rendered all attempts to silence them by musketry entirely unavailing . Neither could they be effectually silenced by shells , by reason of their extreme proximity to our position , and because , moreover , the enemy had recourse to digging very narrow trenches , about eight feet in depth , in rear of each £ Jn to which the men lay while our shells were fly . ns , fnd which so effectually concealed them , even while working the gun , that our b iff led sharpshooters could only see their heads while in the act of loading . " The enemy contented themselves with keeping up this incessant fire of cannon and musketry until the 20 th July , on w hich day , at ten a . m ., they assembled m very great force all around our position , and exploded a heavy mine inside our outer line of defences at the Water Gate . The mine , however , which was close to the redan , and apparently sprung with the intention of destroying that battery , did no harm . But as soon as the smoke had cleared away , the enemy boldly advanced under cover of a tremendous fire of cannon and musketry , with the object of storming the redan . But they were received with such a heavy fire , that after a short struggle they fell back with much loss . A strong column advanced at the same time to attack Innes ' s post , and came on to within ten vards of the palisades , affording to Lieutenant Loughnan , * 13 th N . I ., who commanded the position , and his brave garrison , composed of gentlemen of the uncovenanted service , a few of her Majesty ' s 32 nd Foot , and of the 13 th N . I ., an opportunity of distinguishing themselves , which they were not slow to ^ vail themselves of , and the enemy were driven back with great slaughter . The insurgents made minor attacks at almost every outpost , but were invariably defeated , and at two p . m . they ceased their attempts to storm the place , although their musketry fire and cannodading continued to harass us unceasingly as usual . Matters proceeded in this manner until the 10 th August , when the enemy made another assault , having previously sprung a mine close to the brigade mess , which entirely destroyed our defences for the space of twenty feet , and blew m a great portion of the outside wall of the house occupied by Mr . Schilling ' s garrison . On the dust clearing away , a breach appeared , through which a regiment could have advanced in perfect order , and a few of the enemy came on with the utmost determination , but were met with such a withering flank fire of musketry from the officers and men holding the top of the brigade ' mess , that they beat a speedy retreat , leaving the more adventurous of their numbers lying on the crest of the breach . While this operation was going on , another large body advanced on the Cawnpore battery , and succeeded in locating themselves for a few minutes in the ditch . They were , however , dislodged by hand grenades . At Captain Anderson ' s post , they also came boldly forward with scaling-ladders , which they planted against the wall ; b ut here , as elsewhere , they were met with the most indomitable resolution , and , the lea' ¦ ders being slain , the rest fled , leaving the ladders , and retreated to their batteries and loopholed defences , from 1 whence they kept up , for the rest of the day , an un-1 usually heavy cannonade and musketry fire . On the 2 18 th of August , the enemy sprang another mine in front ' of the Sikh lines with very fatal effect . Captain Orr F ( unattached ) , Lieutenants Mecham and Soppitt , who 3 commanded the small body of drummers composing tho 1 garrison , were blown into tho air ; but providentially - returned to earth with no further injury than a severe shaking . The garrison , however , were not so fortunate . f No leas than eleven men were buried alive under the a ruins , from whence it was impossible to extricate them , a owing to the tremendous fire kept up by the enemy from a houses situated not ten yards in front of the breach . Tho t explosion was followed by a general assault of a less s determined nature than the two former efforts , and the I enemy were consequently' repulsed without much dif-5 flculty . But they succeeded , under cover of the broach , f in establishing themselves in one of tho houses in our o position , from which they were driven in the evening by Y tho bayonets of her Majesty ' s 82 nd and 84 th Foot . On - tho 6 th of September , tho enemy made their last serious s assault . Having exploded a largo mine , a few feet short s of tho bastion of the 18-pounder gun in Major Apthorp s d post , they advanced with largo heavy scaling-ladders , r , which they planted against tho wall , and mounted , theren . by gaining for an instant tho embrasure of a gun . They d were , however , driven back with loss by hand grenades n and musketry . A fow minutes subsequently , they sprang i- another mine close to the brigade mess , and advanced y boldly ; but soon tho corpses strewed in the garden in 0 front of tho post bore testimony to the fatal accuracy of r , tho rifle and musketry fire of the gallant members of Id ' that-garriBonrand-the-enomy-fled-ignominiousl yy-leaving id thoir leader—a fine-looking old native ofllcor—among in tho slain . At other posts they made similar attacks , rf but with less resolution , and everywhere with tho same id want of success . Thoir loss upon this day must have to been very , heavy , ' as they came on with much dotormlnaa tlon , and at night they were Boon bearing largo numbora In of their Wiled and wounded over tho bridges in the to direction of cantonments . . . . jo " By countermining in all directions , wo succeeded in , 11 detecting and destroying no less than four of tho enemy's , u subterraneous advances towards important positions , two

    of which operations were eminently successful , aa on one occasion not less thaii eighty of them were blown into the air , and twenty suffered a similar fate on the second explosion . The labour , however , which devolved upon us in making these countsrmines , in the absence of a body of skilled miners , was very heavy . . .. .. In addition to having had to repel real attacks , they [ our men ] have been exposed night and day to the hardly less harassing false alarms which the enemy have been constantly raising . The insurgents have frequently fired very heavily , sounded the advance , and shouted for several hours together , though not a man could be seen , with the view , of course , of harassing our small and exhausted force , in which object they succeeded , for no part has been strong enough to allow of a portion only of the garrison being prepared in the event of a false attack being turned into a real one . All therefore had to stand to their arms and to remain at their posts until the demonstration had ceased ; and such attacks were of almost nightly occurrence . The whole of the officers and men have been on duty night and day during the eighty-seven days which the siege had lasted , up to the arrival of Sir J . Outram , G . C . B . In addition to this incessant military duty , the force has been nightly employed in repairing defences , in moving guns , in burying dead animals , in conveying ammunition and commissariat stores from one place to another , and in other fatigue duties too numerous and too trivial to enumerate here . .... All have together descended into the mine , all have together handled the shovel for the interment of the putrid bullock , and all , accoutred with musket and bayonet , have relieved each other on sentry , without regard to the distinctions of rank , civil or military . Notwithstanding all these hardships , the garrison has made no less than five sorties , in which they spiked two of the enemy ' s heaviest guns , and blew up several of the houses from which they had kept up their most harassing fire . " On the 26 th day of the siege , a letter was brought from General Havelock ' s camp , saying the relieving force would be with the garrison in five or six days . A messenger was despatched , requesting that , on the force approaching , they would send up two rockets , in order that the garrison might dp the best they could to aid Havelock's men . Day after day after the expiration of the six days did the officers in the beleaguered fort ? watch for the ascension of the expected rockets , with hopes such as make the heart sick . ' The relieving army had been compelled to fall back for reinforcements . " Besides heavy visitations of cholera and small-pox , we have also had to contend against a sickness which has almost universally pervaded the garrison . Commencing with a very painful eruption , it has merged into a low fever , combined with diarrhoea ; and although few or no men have actually died from its effects , it leaves behind a weakness and lassitude which , in the absence of all material sustenance , save coarse beef and still coarser flour , none have been able entirely to get over . The mortality among the women and children , and especially among the latter , from these diseases and from other causes , has been perhaps the most painful characteristic of the siege . The want of native servants has also been a source of mjach privation . Owing to the suddenness with which we were besieged , many of these people , who might perhaps have otherwise proved faithful to their employers , but who were outside the defences at the time , were altogether excluded . Very many more deserted , and several families were consequently left without the services of a single domestic . Several ladies have had to tend thoir children , and even to wash their own clothes , as well as to cook their own scanty meals entirely unaided . Combined with tho absence of sorvants , the want of proper accommodation has probably been the cause of much of the disease with which wo have beon afflicted . I cannot refrain from bringing to tho prominent notice of his Lordship in Council tho patient endurance and tho Christian resignation whicU have been evinced by the women of this garriaon . I hoy have animated us by their example . Many , alas ! havo been made widows and thoir children fatherless in tula cruel struggle . But all such seemed resigned to tho will of Providence , and many , among whom may bo montioned the honoured names of Birch , of Poleuamnton , oi Barbor , and of Gall , havo , after tho example of Mws Nightingale , constituted themselves the tender and soiicitous nurses of the wounded and dying soldiers m tno hospital . " , „ Brigadier Inglis concludes by honourably mentioning the names of several officers and others who specially distinguished themselves . . A general order of the Governor-General " Council announces tho following recognition ol «¦»« ¦ services of the Luoknow garrison : — . »_ . lLl .-Ev-ory ^ fficor ^ and , soWior , ^ EuropcftW ^ flmt . ' ^! l " . who has formed part of tho garriaon of tho KoflHlonoy , botween tho 29 th of June and the 25 th of Soptomoor last , shall receive six months' batta . , i " 2 . Every civilian in the oovonuntod Horvico or i »» East India Company who has taken part in tho doionw i of tho Residency , within tho above-named dutoa , » «" i receive six months' batta , at a rate calculated accoruiu » to tho military rank with which hia standing corroi sponds . , 11 " 0 . Every uncovonantod civil ofllcor or volunteor > vu « 11 has taken a like part shall receive hIx months' butta , «

    Untitled Article

    THE LEADER . [ No . 408 , Jantjauy 16 , 1858 .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 16, 1858, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2226/page/4/