India, its extent and resources--Its Population--Its
Invasion by Alexander--The beginning of the English Empire
in India--The East India Company and its Officers--How the
Empire was Extended--The Afghan Campaign of 1839-40-41--The
Sikh War--Battle of Ferozeshah--The Norfolk Regiment amongst
those who safeguarded England's honour--Battle of
Aliwal--The "Holy Boys" again leading the way--The Burmese
War--Our Sepoy Army and how it was treated--The Mutiny
Predicted--The Commencement of the Mutiny in
1857--Comparative Numbers of Native and British
Troops--Mungul Pandy, the first Mutineer--Fatal Indecision
of our Commanders--The Revolting Scenes at Delhi--List of
the people killed by the Rebels--The Force that first
encountered the Mutineers--Rapid spread of the Mutiny--Nana
Sahib's Proclamation--The Butchery of Women and
Children--Delhi Captured and the Mutineers put to the sword,
by a Norfolk man, Sir Archdale Wilson--The Delhi Field Force
and its killed and wounded--Vengeance exacted--Disarming
Mutinous Regiments--Description of the Scene--Blowing Rebels
from the Guns--The 10th (Lincolnshire) Regiment at Benares.
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Before proceeding to relate my experiences during nineteen years'
service in India, and in doing so to recall some of the incidents of the
terrible Mutiny of 1857-8, I desire to say a few words respecting that
great country and its people.
India is so enormous a country that our glorious little island--of which
Englishmen are so justly proud--might be put in one corner and be
scarcely noticed. In length, from the north of Cashmere to Cape
Comorin, it is about 2,000 miles; and in breadth, from the western
border of Scinde to the extremity of Assam, it is about 1850 miles;
while through this vast extent there are but two small states (Nepaul
and Bhutan) independent of British or European rule, and even they are
subjected, more or less, to our sway. This appendage of the crown of
Britain is divided into three presidencies, viz.: Bengal, Bombay, and
Madras, the former being much the largest and most thickly populated.
The area of our Indian Empire contains 1,687,803 square miles, with a
population speaking no fewer than twenty languages, and by far exceeding
that of the whole of Europe, numbering no less than 240,938,000. From
the most remote period the inhabitants of India have been a divided
people, split up into sections or castes; and frequently the more
warlike tribes from the north and north-west made inroads into the
country, carrying death and destruction all over its extensive plains.
Alexander the Great invaded India 327 years before the Christian era,
with an army of 135,000 men, horse and foot, and conquered it, battle
after battle being fought in that part of the country now known as the
Punjaub. The last tremendous conflict took place just outside the
present City of Lahore, and the determined resistance the conqueror here
met with so enraged him that the City was ordered to be levelled to the
ground, and the brave foe distributed as slaves among the victors. The
next invasion occurred in 664 A.D., when the Arabs overran many
provinces, and in 1024 Sultan Mahmoud, extended the Mahommedan conquests
from the Oxus to the Indian Ocean, and from Bagdad to the Ganges. But,
in addition to the Arabs, the Afghans often came down from the mountains
and carried all before them, the whole country being given up to
pillage. Nothing could escape the fury of the conquerors--neither age
nor sex--all had to fall beneath the merciless fury of these enraged
Barbarians; thus frequently the fertile plains and beautiful cities of
India ran with innocent blood.
The British Empire in the East had but a small beginning; but the
ability, indomitable perseverance, and resistless valor, which have ever
been British characteristics, resulted in securing as the appendage of
the English Crown, a territory the wealth and glory of which have
excited the envy and cupidity of more than one other European State.
During the reign of Henry VIII., some of our forefathers watched the
Portuguese intercourse with India with a jealous eye, and petitioned the
King for permission to fit out two ships for discovery and traffic. That
permission was granted, and the King, having an eye to business, sent
two on his own account to accompany them. These sailed from London in
1527, but one of the King's ships was lost, and the other returned
without effecting anything. But that did not damp or daunt our
forefathers' spirits. Money was forthcoming, and other attempts were
made shortly after, in the reigns of Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth;
but all ended in disappointment, until in 1591, one vessel out of a
small squadron despatched from London, succeeded in reaching the Island
of Sumatra, although the voyage was profitless. Again, in 1596, another
squadron was despatched with little result. But our merchants were not
disheartened by their repeated failures, and in September, 1599, another
Company was formed to carry on trade with India. The capital amounted to
£30,000, divided into shares. There was some difficulty in raising these
shares from the belief that it would be money thrown away; but shortly
after, another Company started, this time with funds amounting to nearly
£90,000, with which capital five ships were fitted out, a fifteen years'
charter having been obtained. These were placed under command of Capt.
J. Lancaster, and sailed from Torbay, on the 22nd of April, 1601. This
little fleet, after some fourteen months' tossing about, reached the
Isle of Sumatra in 1602. The Sovereign gave the strangers a cordial
reception, with permission to build storehouses, and to establish a
factory. This was the first actual possession of Great Britain in the
East Indies. The ships all returned in safety, and the profits ran so
high (138 per cent.) that little difficulty was experienced in raising
another Company. Accordingly, in 1609, another was started, and obtained
a royal charter from James I., with exclusive power of trading in the
East Indies. They now commenced to build more storehouses at Surat. This
was the first factory on the mainland of Hindostan. Shortly after, James
I. sent out an ambassador (Sir Thomas Roe) to the great Mogul Emperor.
About this time the Company was considerably augmented, and its capital
amounted to the sum of £1,629,000. The Dutch and Portuguese showed
hostility to this venture, and united to massacre all the English they
could lay their hands upon. The French also joined with them in the
attempt to exterminate the sons of Albion, but, notwithstanding all, our
forefathers were prosperous. In 1634, permission was granted to trade
with the whole of Bengal; and shortly after, a small tract of land, five
miles long and one mile broad, was granted, with permission to built a
fort thereon. Accordingly, a snug little fort soon sprung up, named Fort
St. George. This was the cradle of the present magnificent City of
Madras. Soon after this, another settlement was made, on the Hooghly,
close to where Calcutta--the city of palaces--now stands. A fort was
built to protect our interests, and named Fort William. The government
of the Company was now transferred to Calcutta. Bombay became an
independent settlement in 1687, and the first Governor of Bombay was Sir
John Child. As yet no British troops had been sent out. The Company had
a few men to act as police, assisted by natives in our pay; but it was
nothing more nor less than a Trading Company. The instructions to the
Governors were to look after the returns of calicoes and muslins, and to
remember not to trouble themselves about territory. In 1654, the Madras
Army was reduced by an order from home to ten soldiers; but it gradually
increased in numbers, to keep in check not only the Natives, but the
French, Dutch, and Portuguese, which countries kept up strong forces,
under pretence of watching their interests, until in 1744, Louis XV. of
France, declared war against us, which aroused all the energies of the
sons of Albion. Hostilities continued, we may say, almost until 1815 (a
period of 71 years), and ended in the glorious triumph of British arms
over all their antagonists, not only in India, but in all parts of the
globe. This terrible war between France and England caused a lavish
expenditure of both life and treasure; for it was a death struggle.
Spain threw in her lot against us. The American States claimed their
independence, and both sea and land was red with blood. All parts of the
globe witnessed this terrible strife.
As far as India was concerned, all our enemies were subdued, and our
proud old flag was carried triumphant across land and sea. Our army in
India alone was raised to the enormous number of 395,000 men, exclusive
of Europeans, which numbered about 50,000 more. During this long
struggle, some of the noblest men that ever served their country sprang
forward to defend the honour of the flag. A Clive laid his pen on one
side, and carved out an empire for us. Victory followed victory, triumph
followed triumph, and on the plains of Plassey he routed 75,000 men with
4,000. He was called by the Natives "the daring in war," and was looked
upon as a sort of demi-devil that no power could withstand. Following in
his wake, a Hastings (another clerk) pushed himself to the front, and
fastened victory after victory to our standard. He was a wonderful man,
endowed with a large mind, an iron will, but a cold heart, and the eye
of an eagle. In a short time he scattered Hyder Ali's vast armies;
though this prince brought into the field 70,000 Cavalry, and Infantry
without number. But Warren Hastings dashed at them, and scattered their
wild horsemen in all directions. They were terrified, and driven in
disorderly flight from field after field. Hyder Ali died in 1782,
leaving his hatred to his son, Tippoo Saib, who fought us until he lost
all, life and kingdom into the bargain, at Seringapatam. We were then
brought face to face with another powerful chief of warlike habits.
There was no such thing as retiring, 200,000 horsemen being in the
field. These fierce tribes had to be confronted. Wellesley--the future
hero of Waterloo--was sent against them; and on the fields of Assaye and
Arganon, with a force of 8,000 men, those vast hordes, backed up by
upwards of 100 cannon, were completely routed, leaving nearly all their
guns in the hands of the victor, who had still brighter laurels to win
from more worthy foes.
In tracing the crimsoned records and mighty triumphs of our arms, we
find that a terrible battle was fought by Lord Lake, just outside the
city of Delhi, on the 11th of September, 1803. The enemy was commanded
by French officers, and fought with desperation, but to no purpose; all
had to yield to our conquering arms, and the ancient city and capital of
Hindostan lay at the conqueror's feet. Our victorious General gave the
enemy no breathing time, but followed them up, taking fortress after
fortress. Ally Ghur was stormed, Agra fell, and the ever-victorious "thin
red line" carried the sphere of British rule still further forward. The
military genius of Lake and Wellesley baffled the haughty Mahratta
chief, who was compelled to sue for peace, which was granted at the
expense of an enormous slice of territory ceded to the Company for
ever. The Company's frontier now extended to the borders of the Punjaub,
a broad and rapid river (the Sutlej) separating us from the Sikhs, a
fierce and warlike nation, who were struck with awe at our victorious
march, and remained very civil neighbours for years.
The Company's officers had now time to turn their thoughts to the better
government of the territories which their triumphant sword had
conquered. The natives soon found that their conquerors, although
redoubtable in the field, were merciful, and ruled them with justice,
which, under Native chiefs, they had never known. A restraint was at
once put upon the cruel and soul-destroying rites of "Suttee," by which
poor women, irrespective of age or position, were burnt on the funeral
pile of their deceased husbands. This was abolished by the strong arm of
the law. Some of the high caste gentlemen did not like our interference,
but a strong rope soon taught them that our Government meant to be
masters, and that our laws must be obeyed. Restraint was also put upon
all kinds of tortures to which fanaticism had annually condemned
thousands. The sacrifices at their festivals to the idol Juggernaut were
strictly prohibited. This was a huge idol, weighing some twenty tons,
dragged about by elephants; and their fanatic priests made thousands of
poor wretches believe that if they wanted to reach Paradise quickly,
they must throw themselves in front of the wheels of the carriage of
this god, and posterity would regard them as saints. The strong arm of
the law put an end to that. Again, the unnatural practice of infanticide
had to be grappled with. This was the practice of destroying female
children. Our people gave them to understand that it was murder, and
that a murderer should die, whether Native or European. The law being
vigorously carried out, quickly stopped this. Again, the horrible
practice of "Thuggee" was attacked, but it took years to stamp that
out. Whilst this was tolerated no traveller was safe for a moment, for
he never knew at what corner he might have a rope thrown over his head
and be strangled, for no other crime than that of appearing respectable.
The poor Natives found out that under our flag the rich could not
oppress them; and, again, the rich and haughty found that money could
not save them if they broke the law--all must obey or take the
consequences. Accordingly, the country gradually settled down, and the
people became good law-abiding subjects. Although we had conquered some
of the strongest princes on the plains of India, yet there was more work
for us to do, and we had to be continually on the watch.
In 1826, the Rajah of Bhurtpore threw down the gauntlet at our feet,
depending upon his impregnable fortress. But a Combermere was close at
hand. He had routed the French Imperial Guards from the field of
Waterloo, and, under his Lordship's guidance, Bhurtpore was stormed and
taken, and the whole of the proud Rajah's territories were confiscated.
Our arms, however, received a check from the brave little Ghoorkas in
the Nepaul Hills. Our people fought them for years, but they have never
been subjugated; yet to this day many of them are our friends and
Allies. We have thousands of them in our army, and noble fellows they
are.
We did not gain much by our first Afghan Campaign, in 1839-40-41, though
the Afghans were eventually subdued. From 1841 to 1849, our army, or
armies, were continually in the field. Scinde was conquered by Sir
Charles Napier, and added to the Company's territory. The Rajah of
Gwalior began to show his teeth, but the battles of Maharajpore and
Punniar, both fought on the 29th December, 1843, brought him to the
conqueror's feet. The Mahratta Chief likewise lost his strong fortress,
Gwalior, which stands upon a rocky eminence, the sides of which are
almost perpendicular and appear impregnable. The disastrous Afghan
Campaign had brought discredit upon our arms, but our officers and men
made the enemy respect them. The fault rested with the head of that
army. Through favouritism, a feeble old man who could not walk, and
scarcely ride, was placed in command. He was an honourable gentleman,
kind-hearted, and his courage never could be questioned. He had once
been a good soldier, but was now completely broken down and crippled
with gout. This was the man that our red-tape gentlemen sent to command
our field forces in Afghanistan, and then they complained because one
disaster followed another! However, another army was soon formed, called
"the avenging army," to cut out the survivors that were holding on for
bare life at Jellalabad. A part of our army, by permission, marched
through the Punjaub. The Sikhs, a brave and warlike race of people, had
heard of the disorganized state of that army, and a disaster will not
lose anything in transit through India. Our mishap in the Boulan Pass
was magnified into the destruction of the whole of the Feringhee army.
But the Sikhs remained quiet until the end of 1845, when they crossed
the Sutlej and invaded our dominions, without any warning or declaration
of war. An army was got together as quickly as possible to confront
them, commanded by the hero of Barrosa, Sir Hugh Gough, K.C.B., &c.,
(afterwards Lord Gough). The Governor-General at the time was the hero
of Albuera, Lord Hardinge. With two such men as these the honour of the
British Empire in the East was safe. The enemy was first confronted on
the field of Moodkee, December 18th, 1845. The Sikhs fought well, but
came off second best, with the loss of seventeen guns. They retired in
good order, and took up a formidable position at the village of
Ferozeshah, and there set the conquerors of India at defiance. On the
21st December, 1845, Sir Hugh Gough's army attacked them in their
strong position. The resistance that our people met with was unexpected,
for guns were dismounted, ammunition waggons blown into the air, our
matchless Cavalry were checked in full charge, and battalion after
battalion of Infantry were hurled back, with their ranks shattered, the
enemy still holding their ground when darkness obscured the scene. Our
people were thrown into sad confusion by the bloody repulses they had
received--men of all regiments and arms being mixed together, officers
and men groping about in the dark trying to find their regiments. A
portion of the enemy's position had been captured, but their line was
still unbroken. Our men lay down that night cold, weary, and supperless,
and hardly masters of the ground they slept upon. Our Commanders
anxiously awaited the morning light, the undaunted heroes of Barrosa and
Albuera moving from regiment to regiment, saying a few kind words to
each, to encourage and animate the men to the performance of desperate
deeds. The supremacy of our power was in the keeping of the 9th
(Norfolk) regiment, 29th, 31st, 50th, 62nd, 80th, 101st, and a number of
Native regiments. But, reader, it was safe. Lord Hardinge, with the eye
of an eagle, could see that it would be "do or die" with these gallant
men. He voluntarily placed his sword at the disposal of the
Commander-in-chief, and served in a subordinate position under the flag
he loved so well. The morning of the 22nd arrived. Our men arose from
their cold bed, breakfastless, with nothing to comfort them, their foes
still frowning upon them. Sir Hugh Gough placed himself in front of the
right wing, and Lord Hardinge in front of the left. The whole army was
then ordered to advance; the queen of weapons was brought out, and then,
with a ringing cheer, and a headlong bayonet charge, the struggle was
brought to an end. Thus the enemy were routed, leaving all their guns in
the hands of the victors.
At the battle of Aliwal (28th January, 1846), the enemy were again
defeated in a masterly style by General Sir Harry Smith. But yet another
terrible battle had to be fought before the enemy were driven from our
side the river. They took up a strong entrenched position at Sobraon, on
the banks of the Sutlej. Our heavy siege guns opened upon their
entrenchments on the morning of the 10th of February, 1846, and for
hours they kept it up. The Sikhs stood to their guns unappalled, and
returned flash for flash, and shot for shot, nothing daunted. Our
matchless Infantry were then formed up and advanced to the attack, the
Norfolk regiment (9th, or holy boys) leading the way. The Sikhs fought
with determination, but recoiled in confusion from the desperate bayonet
charge. The enemy's supports and reserves coming up, they fought
fiercely, but to no purpose, for some thousands of them were charged
into the river, and drowned in its wide and rapid current. Our
victorious army now crossed the Sutlej, and marched on to Lahore, and
under its walls dictated terms of peace to the enemy. But the peace was
of short duration, for in 1848 these warlike tribes again defied us and
murdered our political agents. This war commenced with the siege of
Mooltan, which was taken after some hard fighting. It was here that the
valuable Koh-i-noor was captured and presented to Her Majesty. Sir Hugh
Gough then fought the doubtful field of Chillianwala, December 2nd,
1848. We had but a handful of men on the field, and it was "touch and
go" with us; but the enemy retired next day, and we claimed the victory.
It was on this field that the 61st immortalised themselves. They were
led by Brigadier-General Sir Colin Campbell, afterwards Lord Clyde.
Reinforcements were poured into the Punjaub, and the crowning battle of
Goojerat was fought on the 21st of January, 1849. This was principally
an Artillery and Cavalry fight. Some of the batteries had exhausted all
their ammunition, and charged the enemy with their guns. They brought
the right wheels of the guns to bear upon the front faces of the enemy's
squares, thereby smashing them and letting the Cavalry in, when the
whole army was routed. All their guns--160 in number--fell into our
hands, and their army at once laid down their arms at the feet of the
conquerors. The whole of the Punjaub was now annexed to the British
dominions. A good slice was likewise taken from the Afghans, as a
punishment for treachery, for they pretended to be our friends, yet
thousands of them had been found fighting against us in the late
battles; so, from the river Attock to the mouth of the Khyber Pass was
added to British India, Peshawur being our frontier station.
* * * * *
In 1852 the Burmese broke their treaty with us. A strong force was,
therefore, at once despatched to punish them, and it did not take long
to satisfy them, or knock the conceit of fighting out of the head of the
"King of Two Worlds," while another nice little slice was added to our
already overgrown dominions.
* * * * *
In all the fights--from Plassey (June 23rd, 1757,) to 1852--the Sepoys
had fought well by the side of our troops, and had frequently shown a
gallant spirit. At the storming of Bhurtpore our regiments were driven
back with frightful slaughter, when these noble fellows boldly stepped
forward to lead another assault, and actually walked over their own
comrades' dead bodies into the place! They were brave enough for
anything, and would go anywhere and do anything when led by British
officers; but they were afterwards (as the following pages will prove)
spoilt by injudicious though well-meant kindness, and their minds were
poisoned against us by fanatics.
OUTBREAK OF THE MUTINY.
This India--the brightest gem in Her Most Gracious Majesty's crown, was
shaken to its foundation in 1857. It was held by a few desperate
Britons, who could well lay claim to the motto of Napoleon's old guard:
"They might die, but not surrender."
The Mutiny had been predicted by a far-seeing man--Sir Charles
Napier--years before the Bengal army showed their teeth, for Sir Charles
wrote to the Government of India when he was Commander-in-chief, telling
them that some of these mornings the much-pampered Sepoys would find out
their strength, and that they would upset the King, the King would upset
the magazine, and the magazine would be ignited, and blow up both King
and country. Sir Charles was not liked by the directors of the East
India Company, and was sent home, but his every word came true. He told
them how to avoid it, but they laughed at him. Had that grand old
soldier's advice been taken, England would not have had to mourn over
the horrible tragedies of 1857-8-9, when her supremacy hung in the
balance, and for a time it was doubtful whether we should not have to
reconquer the whole of India.
* * * * *
I will now try and trace the Mutiny from its commencement, and describe
some of the most revolting scenes as far as it is prudent to mention
them; but there were many sights that no pen can or would dare to
describe. The blood runs cold to think of poor helpless
creatures--delicately nurtured ladies and children--in the hands of such
bloodthirsty fiends; but stern vengeance was inflicted before we had
done with them.
* * * * *
Our Commanders were now called upon to undertake a most trying military
operation, viz., to wage war against a fanatic enemy, formidable in
numbers and resources, with an inadequate force at their disposal. The
following table will show the strength of our several armies in India,
at the commencement of the Mutiny:--
Total.
Bengal Army {Europeans 22,698}
{Natives 118,663} 141,361.
Madras Army {Europeans 10,194}
{Natives 49,737} 59,931.
Bombay Army {Europeans 5,109}
{Natives 31,601} 36,710.
India therefore contained, in January, 1857, in the Company's service:--
European Troops 38,001
Natives, exclusive of Irregulars 200,001
-------
Grand Total 238,002
-------
It was the Bengal Native army that had been trained by us with so much
care, that now put their masters at defiance, and carried torture and
death throughout the land. It was just 100 years since the first
regiment of the Bengal army was raised by Lord Clive in 1757, and from
that date it had been gradually increasing until, in May, 1857, it
numbered no fewer than 350,000[15] well-armed and well-drilled men,
officered by some of the best blood of Britain. Some of the foremost of
our generals had fought in its ranks--Clive, Lake, Beard, Wellington,
Hastings, Hardinge, Gough, Evans, Brown, Campbell, Havelock, Outram,
Hudson, and others, had frequently led that deluded army on to victory.
With such men the Bengal army had carved out a name for themselves and
an empire for old England, but in 1857, through mismanagement, this army
was, with a few bright exceptions, in a state of insubordination or open
mutiny. From beginning to end the officers had had unbounded confidence
in their men. In many cases they doubted the faithfulness of other
regiments, but looked upon their own as thoroughly reliable, and blindly
kept with them until they were shot down by the very men whom they had
for years commanded or patted on the back and treated as children. The
fact is, our people had played with the cat until she found out she
could use her claws.
But the Government was determined to grapple with the Mutineers; and,
during the fifteen months ending April, 1858, 47,000 men from England
were landed in India to uphold the supremacy of our rule. All that was
wanted was a few men with clear heads, honest, upright, and fearless.
And we had them. The right man was soon put into the right place--Sir
Colin Campbell, afterwards Lord Clyde. This grand old hero quickly
collected around him men with heads as clear and hearts as fearless as
his own, to lead the troops on from victory to victory, until the last
spark of rebellion was well stamped out, and the murderers and would-be
murderers were cringing at our feet.
Many of the Natives were under the impression that nearly the whole of
the British army had been destroyed by the Russians in front of
Sebastopol, and that we had no more to send out. But they were speedily
undeceived, for, as I have said, no fewer than 47,000 British troops
were landed in India within little more than a year after the first
evidence of the outbreak.
THE FIRST MUTINEER.
The spirit of insubordination first showed itself in the 34th Native
Regiment, at Barrackpore, and the first victim was the Sergeant-Major
"Hewson." The Adjutant went at once to the rescue of his Sergeant-Major,
but his horse was shot, and before he could get disengaged from his
charger he was cut down; the wounded Sergeant-Major rushed to the
assistance of his officer, but was felled to the earth like a bullock
with the butt end of a rifle. A strong guard was looking on all the
time, but would not interfere. A Sepoy, named Mungul Pandy, was the
first mutineer. He was hung.
In the early part of January, 1857, placards were posted in various
places, calling upon all the faithful and true believers to rise against
the English infidels, and drive them from India, or destroy them root
and branch, and proclaiming a holy war against us (all those who fell in
such a war would be venerated as martyrs). The 34th Native Regiment, as
I before remarked, appear to have been the ringleaders in this bloody
revolt. The 19th Natives were _en route_ to Barrackpore, which is about
sixteen miles from Calcutta, and had arrived within eight miles, when a
deputation from the 34th met them, with the proposition that they should
unite, set fire to all the bungalows, surprise and massacre all
Europeans, old and young, rich and poor, secure the guns, and then march
into, sack, and destroy Calcutta. The 19th were hardly ripe enough for
that, but they kept all knowledge of the proposal to themselves. The
Government could not believe that the army would rise, but thought the
disturbance only began and ended in the plot of a few bad characters;
they were, however, suddenly awakened to a sense of danger.
On the 10th of May, 1857, the Mutiny burst forth in all its fury
at Meerut. It was Sunday, and the cowardly brutes waited until the
European troops were in church before moving. There were two splendid
regiments there, besides Artillery, and if they had only been let
loose, not a man of the three regiments that started the Mutiny would
have lived to tell the tale. The troops in the cantonment consisted of
the following:--6th Dragoon Guards, 60th Rifles, and two batteries of
Bengal Artillery (all Europeans); Natives, 11th and 20th Infantry, and
3rd Cavalry. Every man, woman, and child (Europeans) that fell in their
way was murdered. And, as an eye-witness of some of these scenes, I
can say that every horror, making war hideous, attended this dreadful
outbreak. The cry of murder from poor defenceless women and children
echoed throughout the land. Death in all modes was rampant--from the
sword, bayonet, water, flames, and starvation. The barbarity of these
fiends has never been equalled. The number who perished during that
unparalleled revolt will never be known.
The reader will ask, "What were our men doing?" Their hands were tied.
They had an "old woman" in command, and he was fearful that if he let
the Cavalry and Artillery loose some of the "bungalows" might get burnt.
There was the whole station in a blaze, and yet not a sword was drawn to
save a single life until the mutineers had thought fit to move off to
Delhi! One of the officer's wives might well exclaim, "Oh, agony! what a
night! Every house in sight was blazing; shots were fired at me; some of
our men at last dashed into our compound (garden). I saw the Cavalry
uniform. 'Come, come,' I shouted, 'and save me;' 'Fear nothing,' shouted
the first man, 'No one shall injure you.' Oh how I thanked them. If our
Artillery and Dragoons had been let loose, the Mutineers would never
have reached Delhi." The three regiments of rebels at once marched off
to Delhi--37 miles, and the Cavalry reached it next day at 8 a.m. The
three regiments of Native Infantry at Delhi--38th, 54th, and
74th--received the 3rd Cavalry with open arms, and allowed their
officers to be cut or shot down by them without attempting to defend
them.
THE SCENES AT DELHI.
In describing the revolting scenes at Delhi, I will quote the words of
those who had the misfortune to be there. The officers of all the
regiments, viz., 38th, 54th, and 74th, and the Artillery, had the
greatest confidence in their men, and at once marched them to attack the
Mutineers just arrived from Meerut. But, poor deluded men, they were
soon let into the terrible secret; their own men turned their arms upon
them and at once shot them, or allowed the Meerut contingent to ride up
to them and cut them down, exclaiming, "Feringhee! Ko! Maro,
Maro!"--kill the Englishmen; kill, kill. Then the carnage commenced.
What a scene! The Mutineers united to exterminate all that they could
lay their hands upon, without distinction of age or sex--all that those
bloody-thirsty wretches could reach were launched into eternity, for no
other crime than that they had a white face. No pen can describe the
awful deeds of these cowardly villains. Poor defenceless creatures were
cut and hacked to pieces, after being stripped and subjected to
brutality ten times worse than death. Poor women were hunted up by these
fiends, and, when found, were dragged from their hiding-places and
tortured. I will just give a few instances to show how they were
treated. After some of these poor creatures had been subjected to worse
than death, they were tied to trees in a state of nudity, old and young,
their children were then tortured before them, by being cut limb from
limb, one joint at a time, and the flesh was crammed down the parents'
throats; wives, and in many cases young maidens, were ravished before
the eyes of husbands and fathers; they were then mutilated in a manner
too horrible to relate, and burnt to death in one common pile. Others,
pretty, very pretty girls, were seized, stripped naked, tied to a cart,
and taken into the midst of these brutes to be violated; while many
died under the brutal treatment they received. Can the reader wonder,
after reading these details--which give only a very faint idea of the
horrors that attended this mutiny--that our men retaliated? They would
not have been human had they not, at the bare recital of such deeds,
been wrought up to a state bordering on madness. British soldiers could
not stand this. They crossed their bayonets and swore to give no
quarter, but that they would have a life for every hair that had been
dishonoured by these scoundrels! And they kept their word.
The public will never know a hundredth part of the sufferings of our
poor fellow-countrywomen in that hellish Mutiny of 1857-8. The
narratives of those who escaped the fiendish rage and brutality and lust
that characterised the proceedings of the Mutineers during that black
month of May, 1857, are enough to make one's blood curdle in the veins--
On horror's head horrors accumulate.
I am most happy, however, to be able to record that there were a few
Natives who, in the midst of those scenes of blood, proved to the world
that they still retained feelings of humanity, and who nobly stood
forward to defend the defenceless (although of the same creed and caste
as the bloodthirsty villains by whom those horrors were perpetrated),
and some of them proved faithful to the last, even unto death. The
escape of many of the fugitives was miraculous, and one can trace the
hand of Providence working through it all. In some few instances they
managed to cut their way through their would-be murderers with a good
sword and a strong arm. In one case, a gentleman, when he found that all
was lost, and that there was no mercy to be expected from the hands of
those whom he had previously commanded, compelled his syce (groom), with
a revolver at his head, to put his horses into his carriage, in which he
immediately placed his wife and family. Armed to the teeth, he drove
off along the road to Kurnaul. He had not gone far when he was summoned
by a small party of the Mutineers to stop, but, handing the reins to his
poor wife, he shot three of them dead and pushed on. Finding, however,
that he was pursued, he at once placed his children at the bottom of the
carriage, and prepared to sell his life, and the lives of those near and
dear to him, dearly. Being well armed, as fast as his would-be murderers
came near him he shot them dead. His wife was wounded by a shot from one
of the villains, but he still kept on his way--it was life or death. One
of his boys kept loading for his father, and thus this gentleman managed
to bring down upwards of fifteen of his pursuers in about 12 minutes. He
then thought that, as they had dropped to the rear, all might go well;
so he easied his horses a little and stopped to look at his poor wife,
when to his horror he found that she had been shot dead, with her babe
at her breast--one ball had launched them both into eternity. In twenty
miles he was six times stopped after that, but on each occasion he
responded to the call by rolling his assailants over. He lived to help
to storm Delhi, and there revenge his poor wife and child.
A SURVIVOR'S NARRATIVE.
But, reader, the scenes that were enacted in the interior of that guilty
city would baffle the imagination. I will try and describe a few of
them, though language would utterly fail me were I to attempt to
pourtray them in adequate terms. A number of gentlemen employed at the
various banks and public offices, the greater portion of whom lived in
the city, being burdened with large families, were unable to procure
means of escape. It was reported to Mr. ---- by one of his servants
that there was an uproar in the city, that the Cavalry from Meerut were
murdering all the Europeans they could lay their hands upon, and that
the Bud-mashes of the city (rogues or villains) had joined them. He did
not know what to do, and waited for a time to see what would turn up.
"In the mean time," he says, "we held a prayer meeting, and committed
ourselves into His keeping, whose arm I knew was not shortened. I then
took a walk down the street and found it empty. I was armed with a good
stick, and at a distance I could see a large crowd of men, all armed
with lattees (sticks shod with iron) or talwars (swords). I offered a
silent prayer for protection. I had promised my poor wife that I would
not be gone long. I at once turned back, for I could distinctly hear
them shouting and shrieking like madmen, 'Maro Feringhee!'--kill the
English. I had not got far when I found that there was another party in
front of me, so I did not know what to do, as they had got between me
and my house. I at once bolted down a narrow lane, and they after me,
shouting--'Maro, Maro Feringhee!' One man tried to stop me. He had a
talwar in his hand, but I managed to knock him down with my stick, while
I received a wound in my shoulder, and passed on. I continued to dodge
them, but could not get home, being hidden all day in a faithful
Hindoo's house. In the afternoon I succeeded in getting close up to my
own house, and called one of my servants, but could not make any one
hear. At last I made up my mind to go home at all hazards. I had not
gone many yards when I met some Natives whom I knew well, and they told
me to save myself. I got home as quickly as possible. I heard some one
crying in one of my outhouses, and soon found out that it was a faithful
servant of mine--an old man who had been in our service for upwards of
twenty years. I called him by name, and when he saw me he, poor old man,
burst out crying the louder, saying, 'Oh, Sahib, they have killed them
all, they have killed them all,' wringing his hands in agony. I felt
very faint, and requested him to give me a little water. It is
impossible for me to describe my feelings. I sat down and asked the dear
old creature to tell me all about it and how it happened. He again burst
out crying, but after a time collected himself. I repeated 'Now do tell
me.' 'Oh, Sahib,' he said, 'when you had gone, Mem Sahib (lady) and all
the children sat together, Mem Sahib was very frightened; we could hear
a great noise, and the guns firing, and another Sahib next door loaded
his gun, and shortly after a crowd came and went into the Sahib's house.
They were all armed with talwars and spears, and all went into the
Sahib's. The Sahib asked them what they wanted, when they commenced to
abuse him, and told him that all Feringhees had to die. The servants all
ran away--I only remained behind, and they told me if I did not go they
would kill me. The Sahib told them to take what they liked, but not to
kill us, or they would be hung. They abused him very much, and went up
to his Mem Sahib and began to pinch her. She called upon the Sahib to
protect her. The Sahib called out in a terrible voice, 'Thome sawur'
(you pig), and shot the would-be murderer dead, and with another barrel
shot another who had just killed one of his children, and then laid
about them with the butt-end of his rifle, and with two revolvers he
soon had a heap of dead all around him. But at last he was overpowered
and killed, and they then set to and murdered all in the house; and they
hit me, and told me again if I did not go they would kill me. I then ran
to my Mem Sahib to try and protect her, but they threw me out of the
house, and some of them said 'Kill him,' others said 'He is an old man,
let him go.' They then killed all, and took away what they liked. I
could listen to no more, but requested him to come into the house with
me. I first went into my neighbour's house, for I felt so bad that I
could not face my own. Oh, horror of horrors! the first sight that I
caught was that of a fine little fellow crucified to the wall; this
cruel death the poor mother had been compelled to witness. They had then
killed all the other children, and next stripped the poor mother naked
and dishonoured her (she, poor thing, being far advanced in pregnancy),
while her husband was lying dead beside her. What an end to come to! I
sat down, for I thought my heart would burst. I sat for some time, and
then went to my own door. I rapped at the door, but could not enter. I
thought my brain would have turned. I was determined, however, to see
all, if possible; but language fails to describe that horrible sight.
All that was near and dear to me in this world lay mutilated on the
ground. Oh, the intense agony I was in! I was now completely exhausted;
how long I remained there I could not say. At last a feeling of revenge
seemed to take hold of me. I jumped up, and went and found my revolvers
(for I had two good ones). I loaded them, and then sat down by the side
of my poor wife. I had not been there more than half-an-hour, when two
men came in and called out in a commanding voice 'Khon hy' (who are
you?) I remained quiet, and they came up to me and shouted, 'Feringhee,
Feringhee; Maro Feringhee Ko.' I at once brought my revolver into play,
and shot the fellow dead; he fell upon my poor wife, and before the
other had time to move one yard I had the pleasure of dropping him, and
finishing him off with his own sword, which, by the bye, was a good
English blade. They were hardly down when three others came rushing in.
It was then getting dusk, and they got a light; but I had my revenge,
and shot the whole of them--two of them dead on the spot, and the third
wounded; he tried to get away, but I caught him before he reached the
door, and put a ball through his head. I knew it would not do for me to
stop there, so I mustered all the strength I could, kissed my poor wife
and five children--all cold in death. I found another good revolver that
one of my would-be murderers had dropped, and some ball and powder. My
good old servant dressed me up, and I passed out of the city as a
Native. I started for Meerut next morning. I was joined by another
fugitive who had escaped with bare life. I armed him with a revolver and
sword, and we determined to sell our lives as dearly as possible. My
poor comrade's rashness nearly cost us our lives. A villain called us
Feringhees, and urged one that was with him to 'Mar Feringhee Ko!' My
comrade at once shot them both, and we took across the fields for it
then!"
The following is a list of people killed at Delhi, on that terrible 11th
of May, 1857:--Mr. S. Fraser, C.S., resident and governor-general's
agent; Capt. Douglas, 32nd native infantry, assistant and commandant of
palace guards; the Rev. M. A. Jennings, chaplain, and Miss Jennings;
Miss Clifford, Mr. Berresford, secretary, Delhi bank, Mrs. Berresford,
and five children; Mr. R. Nixon, assistant to resident, Mr. and Mrs.
Collins, and six children, Mrs. Fuller, Mr. and Mrs. Skinner and child,
Colonel Ripley, 54th native infantry, Captains Burrowes and Smith, 54th
native infantry, Dr. Dopping, Lieutenant Edwardes, Captain Gordon, 74th,
Lieutenant Hyslop, 74th, Lieutenant Reveley, 74th, Mrs. Staines and
family, and a large number of government and bank clerks, press
_employes_, sergeants, conductors, &c., with their wives and families;
also Mr. J. P. Macwhirter, C.S., of Kurnaul (on a visit), Mr.
Hutchinson, C.S., magistrate and collector Mr. A. Galloway, C.S.,
assistant to ditto, Mrs. Colonel Forster, Mr. F. Taylor, principal Delhi
college, Mr. S. G. T. Heatly, editor of the _Delhi Gazette_, Mrs.
Heatly, mother and child, the Rev. Hubbard, missionary, the Rev. Sandes,
ditto, Lieut. Raynor, commissary of ordnance, and family. The following
escaped, though many of them were subsequently killed or
wounded:--Brigadier H. M. Graves, Capt. Nicoll (major of brigade), Mr.
C. T. Le Bas, C.S., C. and S. Judge, Sir T. J. Metcalfe, joint
magistrate and deputy collector, Mrs. Fraser, Mrs. Tronson, Dr. Balfour,
Miss Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Wagentreiber, and infant, Miss Haldane, Lieut.
Forrest, Mrs. Forrest and two Miss Forrests, Dr. Stewart, garrison
surgeon, Dr. Batson, 74th native infantry, Mrs. Batson and Miss Batson,
Mrs. Major Abbott (74th) and family, Major Abbott, Major Paterson, 54th,
Colonel Knyvett, 38th, Capt. Tytler, 38th, Lieuts. Holland and Gambier,
38th, Dr. Wood, 38th, Mrs. Wood, Lieut. Peile, 38th, Mrs. Peile, Lieuts.
Taylor, Grant, Mew, and Drummond, 74th, Mr. L. Berkeley, principal
Sudder Ameen, Mrs. Berkeley and Infant, Capt. De Tessier, artillery,
Mrs. De Tessier, and Lieutenant Willoughby. In addition to the above, a
very great number fell under the murderous swords and rifles of the
Mutineers, on that terrible 11th of May, whose names were never known.
The above list was published in the _Delhi Gazette_. Five officers only
escaped that massacre. The scenes in that bloodthirsty city were beyond
all conception. Innocent babes were thrown up and caught on the bayonets
of these villains. Some of the poor defenceless women were spared for a
few days in order to be tortured, and then hacked to pieces, while their
dear babes were dashed on the pavement before them; and others were tied
to trees and shot. The Natives themselves stood a very poor chance, with
this lawless band of murderers around them; whatever they thought they
wanted they took, and if a shopkeeper said one word he was shot, under
pretence that he was favouring the Europeans.
The rebels were now in full possession of Delhi, and they commenced
strengthening the place, for they knew well that the dreaded Feringhees
would soon be after them; for the Government was now busy collecting
all the available troops that could be relied upon; and it was only upon
the Europeans troops that they could rely, for the whole of the Bengal
army was either in open arms against us, or were doubtful friends; and
it is far better to have an open enemy, then one knows how to deal with
him. So at all stations where there were Europeans, the Natives had
their teeth drawn (_i.e._ they were disarmed and dismissed).
THE GREASED CARTRIDGES.
I will now leave the rebels at Delhi for a time, and proceed to Umballah
to notice the steps taken by the Commander-in-chief. It was here that
the much-talked-of "cartridge difficulty" came to a head, but it is not
my province to enter into any lengthened explanation as to the origin of
the allegation as to greased cartridges having been issued--the matter
having been much discussed at the time both at home and in India.
However, the dissatisfaction of the Native troops now exhibited symptoms
of increasing strength, so that at length the European officers
suggested the expediency of discontinuing the issue of cartridges. With
this view the Commander-in-chief coincided, and he issued a general
order withdrawing the cartridges, and ordering ammunition to be made up
by each regiment for its own use. But though many of the Natives
professed to be satisfied by this step, it soon became evident that the
excitement was by no means allayed. Incendiary fires broke out in all
directions, and a vast amount of government and native property was
destroyed. About the middle of May (the date of the outbreak at Meerut)
many of the Native troops seized their arms, as if expecting a
simultaneous movement on the part of their comrades elsewhere, and an
outbreak appeared imminent, but the judicious interference and counsel
of some of the Native officers availed to calm them, though the conduct
of the Native troops was still far from satisfactory to the Europeans
near. The Commander-in-chief had gone to Simla for the season, and as
soon as the news reached there of the deeds of the Mutineers at Delhi,
all the available troops were ordered to march at once on Umballah. It
was now, as I have said, about the middle of May, and the heat was
something fearful. But the supremacy of Old England hung in the balance,
and heat or no heat these noble regiments marched forward to measure
their strength against bloodthirsty villains, and they went from victory
to victory. The cowardly brutes could murder poor defenceless women and
innocent children, but they soon found out, to their cost, that our arm
was not shortened, and before four months were over the cringing fiends
had paid with their lives for the unspeakably atrocious murders
perpetrated. The horrible scenes enacted were enough to make one's blood
run cold, and I dare not attempt to recount them.
THE AVENGING ARMY.
But the avenging army was now on the track, and although it was only a
small one, every man composing it was worth his weight in gold to the
Government. The head of the Mutiny must be crushed before it had time to
collect its forces. The 60th Rifles, 6th Carabineers, and Major Tombs'
battery of Horse Artillery from Meerut, had the honour of first opening
the ball. The old 60th gave it them in right good style; and the
gentlemen from Delhi got a taste of the Carabineers, but, not having an
appetite for any more of such treatment, bolted into the city, leaving
all their guns behind them. This force was afterwards joined by one
from Umballah, and then marched upon the doomed city, which they were
not strong enough to attack, so they pitched their camp on the parade
ground, telling the Mutineers plainly that a day of retribution was at
hand, that every English bayonet was destined to exact revenge--yea, a
fearful revenge--for their murdered countrymen and countrywomen, and the
poor helpless children.
AT BENARES AND ALLAHABAD.
A YOUTHFUL HERO.
The whole country was now up in arms, and that vast empire that had
taken us 100 years to build up, was shaken to its foundations. But it
was held with a tenacious grasp by men whose heads had been screwed on
right, backed by those who had been worked up to a state of madness or
desperation by the fiend-like deeds of the brutes whom previously we had
drilled, fought side by side with, and pampered, while they had looked
upon our kindness as a sign of weakness. The revolt was spreading with
rapidity. Cantonments all over the country were in flames. Benares, the
holy city, was in a blaze. But the Mutineers had a very short life of it
there. That noble, brave man, Colonel Neill, dropped in upon them with a
portion of his Madras Fusiliers--the present 103rd Fusiliers--and at
once put them to flight. The troops in Benares were the 37th N.
Infantry, a Sikh regiment, and the 13th Irregular Cavalry. The odds were
heavy against our men--1500 against 500--and they had just come in from
a long march. But the dreaded "Gorahs" (English soldiers) were too many
for them. Troops were now being fast pushed up the country. Although the
heat was something terrible--it was over 100 degrees in the shade--the
excitement kept our men up. The following regiments were moving up
country by road and water as fast as they could: 64th, 78th Highlanders,
and 84th--all shaping for Allahabad. But none of them arrived in time to
save the unfortunate officers of the 6th N. Infantry. The Mutineers had
been playing a double game, and had deceived all their officers, whom
they butchered without the slightest show of mercy. It was a
bloodthirsty act. All, or nearly all, the officers of that unfortunate
regiment were assembled at their mess-house on the 5th June, 1857, when
they were shot or bayoneted by the very men whom they had so lately
commanded. These officers had put implicit confidence in their men, they
having only a few days previously presented a petition to the Government
requesting that they might be led against the Mutineers at Delhi; but
they and the 3rd Oude Irregular Cavalry murdered all they could lay
their hands upon, and pillaged the city, shooting or cutting down all
who stood in their way. A noble young hero--a boy--here stood forth in
brightest colours. I will give the account as it appeared in the native
papers, as it is too good to be abridged. When the wretched 6th N.
Infantry and 3rd Oude Irregular Cavalry mutinied at Allahabad and
murdered their officers, an ensign only 16 years of age--a Mr. Arthur M.
H. Chuk--was left for dead amongst the rest. He escaped in the darkness
to a ravine, and, although desperately wounded, contrived to get up into
a tree; but on the fifth day he was discovered, and dragged by the
brutal sepoys before one of their leaders, to have what little life
there was left in him extinguished. There he found a Native Christian,
being tormented and tortured in order to induce him to renounce the
Christian faith. The firmness of the poor Native was giving way, under
the tortures that he, poor thing, was undergoing. The young officer,
after anxiously watching him for a short time, cried out with a loud
voice, "Oh, my friend, come what may, do not deny the Lord Jesus." Just
at that moment the gallant Colonel Neill, with his Madras Fusiliers,
dashed in among them, and thus saved the Native Christian. But the young
martyr had passed beyond the reach of human cruelty. He had entered into
rest--that rest that is prepared for all those who are faithful to the
end. Reader, what a glorious end for one so young!
Colonel Neill had come just in time to save the Fort of Allahabad, as
the only Europeans there were a few invalid Artillerymen. All the
non-military were at once armed, and formed up as militia, determined to
fight desperately for their lives. The gallant Colonel was resolved to
give the enemy no rest, and, with 200 of his Fusiliers and a few guns,
he made Allahabad a little too hot for them. Reinforcements were now
coming up the country as fast as possible. A column was quickly formed
to be pushed on to Cawnpore. In the meantime, horrible accounts kept
coming in from all parts of Bengal. Jhansie was lost; the men, women,
and children, had all been massacred. They made a noble stand in a
little fort, as long as they had any food; but at last had to give in
for the want of provisions. They evacuated the fort under a faithful
promise that their lives should be spared; but as soon as the rebels had
got their arms from them, they set to and tied them to trees, subjecting
both male and female, old and young, to treatment too horrible to
mention--deeds such as have no equal except at Cawnpore. I am sorry to
have to record that the "Ranee," Queen of Jhansie, was at the head of
this rising, and this fiend in the form of woman is believed to have
stood by and given the order to slaughter our poor defenceless women and
children, after they had suffered worse than death itself. Nowgong and
Saugor were gone, and all that could not escape were shot down. Some of
the officers managed to escape with their lives by riding night and day
to Agra.
[Illustration: THE SCENE OF THE MASSACRES AT CAWNPORE.
(MORNING OF 17TH JULY, 1857).
_Black spots on ground and pillars represents Blood._]
NANA SAHIB AT CAWNPORE.
All eyes were now directed to Cawnpore and Lucknow. Sir H. Wheeler was
at the former place with the 1st Light Cavalry, 53rd and 56th, two
batteries of Artillery, some Oude Irregular Cavalry, and some 500 or 600
of Nana Sahib's troops--this gentleman being supposed, up to the
present, to be loyal to our Government. All the reliable forces that
Gen. Sir H. Wheeler had consisted of a number of officers who had made
their way as Fugitives from other stations and the officers of the
above-named regiments, together with detachments from the following
regiments that had been pushed up country: a few of the Madras
Fusiliers, about 60 men of the 84th, and a company of the 32nd from
Lucknow. His whole force consisted of about 250 fighting men, including
officers, with whom he had to protect no fewer than 520 defenceless
women and children. Had it not been for these poor creatures he would
have cut his way through to Allahabad. Being compelled to retire to his
intrenchments, he defended himself against a host, although cut off from
all communications. The rebels first thought of marching off to Delhi,
to join with those who were trying to exterminate the Feringhees. But
the wily Nana Sahib persuaded them to return to Cawnpore first, and to
destroy all the English in that place--old and young, rich and poor, all
had to die. In order to induce them to do so, he promised double pay if
they would only fight for him. They at once marched back and summoned
the General to surrender or die. The Nana at once attacked the
intrenchments, but was driven back with terrible slaughter. They then
brought up heavy guns and opened a destructive fire upon them. Numbers
of the poor women and children were killed, but our men peppered them
pretty well. They came on repeatedly to try and take the works, but the
rifle, so much despised by them, threw death and destruction in their
ranks. The heat was something fearful, and as our poor women had no
shelter from the scorching rays of the sun, a number of them were
stricken down by it to rise no more. They were the most fortunate of the
whole. Many were cut to pieces with shot and shell. One poor woman sat
nursing her twin boys, but a few months' old, when a round shot from the
enemy took off both her arms, and killed her two dear little ones. The
agony of that poor mother, no pen can describe. At times the air was
full of shells bursting in all directions, but still this noble little
garrison held out, and repeatedly drove their assailants back. Our
people did not forget the bayonet, and all those rebels who were more
daring than the rest got it with a vengeance; they soon began to get
tired of it, and wanted to be off to Delhi.
All who fell into Nana Sahib's hands met with a horrible death. He was
told by more than one lady that their countrymen would avenge all this
useless slaughter, for none ever before were known to kill women and
children. But this brute was beneath all feeling. On the 12th of June,
some 126 fugitives from Futteghur--men, women, and children--were
dragged before this monster, and were ordered to be cruelly murdered in
cold blood. Day after day rolled on, and Gen. Wheeler nobly held out,
although the host around him was being daily augmented, and all were
panting for the blood of the Feringhees. Almost every day poor fugitives
from other stations, not knowing that Cawnpore was in the hands of the
rebels, came rushing into the very jaws of death; the men were at once
shot down, while the poor women were reserved for a fate worse than
death at the hands of a mob, who were now in a state of madness on
account of the noble stand that a mere handful of men were making. Some
of the poor defenceless women begged hard for the lives of their little
ones; but the order had gone forth that every man, woman, and child of
European blood had to die, and every device that could be thought of to
work upon the poor deluded natives to deceive and animate them to the
most fiend-like deeds, was carried out. The following is a copy of one
of the false proclamations that this arch-fiend--Nana Sahib--had posted
up all over the city of Cawnpore:--
A traveller just arrived in Cawnpore from Calcutta, states
that, in the first instance, a Council was held to take into
consideration the means to be adopted to do away with the
religion of Mohammedans and Hindoos by the distribution of
cartridges. The Council came to this resolution: that, as
this matter was one of religion, the services of seven or
eight thousand European soldiers would be necessary, as
50,000 Hindostanis Would have to be destroyed, and then the
whole of the people of Hindostan would become Christians. A
petition, with the substance of this resolution, was sent to
the Queen Victoria, and it was approved. A Council was then
held a second time, in which English merchants took a part,
and it was decided that, in order that no evil should arise
from mutiny, large reinforcements should be sent for. When
the despatch was received and read in England, thousands of
European soldiers were embarked in ships as speedily as
possible, and sent off to Hindostan. The news of their being
dispatched reached Calcutta. The English authorities there
ordered the issue of the cartridges; for the real intention
was to Christianise the army first; and this being effected,
the conversion of the people would speedily follow. Pigs'
and cows' fat was mixed up with the cartridges; this became
known through one of the Bengalese who was employed in the
cartridge-making establishment. Of those through whose means
this was divulged, one was killed and the rest imprisoned.
While in this country these counsels were being adopted, in
England the vakeel of the sultan of Roum sent news to the
sultan that thousands of European soldiers were being sent
for the purpose of making Christians of all the people of
Hindostan. Upon this the sultan issued a firman to the king
of Egypt to this effect:--'You must deceive the Queen
Victoria; for this is not a time for friendship, for my
vakeel writes that thousands of European soldiers have been
dispatched for the purpose of making Christians the army and
people of Hindostan. In this manner, then, this must be
checked. If I should be remiss, then how can I show my face
to God; and one day this may come upon me also; for if the
English make Christians of all in Hindostan, they will then
fix their designs upon my country.' When the firman reached
the king of Egypt, he prepared and arranged his troops,
before the arrival of the English army at Alexandria, for
this is the route to India. The instant the English army
arrived, the king of Egypt opened guns upon them from all
sides, and destroyed and sunk their ships, and not a single
soldier escaped. The English in Calcutta, after the issue of
the order for our cartridges, and when the mutiny had become
great, were in expectation of the arrival of the army from
London; but the great God, in his omnipotence, had
beforehand put an end to this. When the news of the
destruction of the army of London became known, then the
governor-general was much afflicted and grieved, and he
lamented. In the night, murder and robbery; in the morning,
neither head upon the body nor crown upon the head. The blue
sky makes one revolution; neither Nadir nor trace of him
remains.
Done by order of the Peishwa Bahadoor.--_13 Zekaida, 1273_
_Hijra_.
But this treacherous murderer of women and children soon began to find
out his mistake. He had a mere handful of men in front of him, but even
these he could not subdue. He moved about Cawnpore in great pomp, having
now under his command a strong force of disloyal troops that had been
well drilled by us, and often led on to victory.[16] And these poor
deluded creatures believed that our ray (or reign) in India was over,
and all that they had to do was to destroy us, root and branch, and "all
the yellow-faced, narrow-minded people would be sent to hell." But the
heroic defence that Gen. Wheeler was making in an old open intrenchment,
exposed to a burning sun in June, nearly drove this black-hearted coward
mad. This little band of heroes held out until the 26th of June,
repulsing with great slaughter all attempts to defeat them by force of
arms, when, having nothing to eat or drink, Gen. Wheeler accepted the
Nana's terms of peace, and laid down his arms, having received a
faithful promise that not a hair of their heads should be touched, but
that the General and his officers, all his men, the women and children,
should be sent on to Allahabad in boats, and they _were_ all taken down
to the boats, but here a crime was committed that stands unparalleled in
the annals of Indian history. The party arrived at the water's edge, and
embarked in large country boats, each sufficient to carry forty or fifty
people. Then a wholesale butchery commenced. As they put off, masked
guns opened upon them with grape, canister, shot and shell, together
with volley after volley of musketry. Some of the boats took fire, and
many of the women jumped into the water, in order to avoid being burnt
to death; then the Sowars (Cavalry soldiers) waded in and cut the poor
things down! There were fifteen boat loads, consisting mostly of
helpless wounded men, women, and children. About 115 women and children
escaped this massacre, to be tortured for a few days more, and then to
receive treatment worse than death.
THE MASSACRES.
The few men who escaped, including General Wheeler, were dragged ashore
and thrown into prison Some of the women could not, and would not, be
separated from their husbands, exclaiming "If my husband is to die, I
will die with him." That fiend Nana ordered his soldiers to separate
them, but it could not be done except by killing them. The minister or
chaplain requested permission of Nana to pray with them. It was granted;
his bonds were partially loosened, and, as soon as he had ended, the
whole were shot down, those who gave signs of any life remaining being
cut and hacked to pieces with swords. After this the women and children
were taken to Nana Sahib's house, which was afterwards the scene of a
fearful massacre. They were kept here until the defeat of Nana Sahib's
troops by the army under Sir Henry Havelock, and subsequent
investigation revealed the horrible fact that, immediately upon the
result of the action becoming known to Nana Sahib, the whole of the
women and children detained by him, with such other Europeans as could
be found secreted within the city, and several Bengalese residents who
had become obnoxious to the Mohammedans by their connection with the
Europeans, were put to death under circumstances of revolting barbarity.
The courtyard of the building in which the women and children had been
confined appeared to have been the principal scene of slaughter; and,
when entered by our men, it was covered, to the height of two inches,
with blood, and with the tattered remains of female apparel. The walls,
too, were covered with splashes of blood, and on one of the pillars the
victims of the fell deed had written in letters of blood--"Avenge us,
fellow-countrymen." But there was no need for this exhortation. Our men
were already fully aroused, and were determined to exact the utmost
vengeance. Of upwards of 200 innocent and helpless women and children
that had been confined in the Subada Kothee, not one remained alive at
the close of that day!
[Illustration:
THE WELL AT CAWNPORE.
SACRED TO THE PERPETUAL MEMORY OF
A GREAT COMPANY OF CHRISTIAN PEOPLE,
(TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHT), CHIEFLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN, WHO NEAR THIS SPOT
WERE CRUELLY MASSACRED BY THE FOLLOWERS, AND BY ORDER, OF THE REBEL NANA
DHUNDER-PANT, OF BYTHOOR, AND CAST (THE DYING WITH THE DEAD) INTO THE
WELL BELOW, ON THE 15TH JULY, 1857.]
The following description of the scene which met the horrified gaze of
our soldiers, when they entered the city, I take the liberty of
transcribing:--"Accustomed as those stern men had been to scenes of
blood and the devastating ravages of war, the sack of towns, and the
carnage of the battle-field, the spectacle that now met their gaze
unmanned the strongest in the ranks. Before them lay a paved court,
strewn with the wrecks of women's clothing and children's dresses, torn
and cut into ragged and bloody fragments, as if hacked from the persons
of the living wearers! Gory and dishevelled tresses of human hair lay
trampled among the blood that had yet scarcely congealed upon the
pavement! Exclamations of horror subsided into deathlike stillness, as
the men rushed across that slippery court into the building before them.
Traces of brutal violence, of savage and ferocious murder, told in each
apartment the fearful history of the preceding night; but not one living
being was there to disclose the awful secret yet to be revealed, or
indicate the spot in which the survivors (if any there were) of an
evident massacre had taken refuge. At length the fearful truth was
realised; a huge well in the rear of the building had been used by the
murderers as a fitting receptacle in which to hide their martyred
victims from human eyes; and here, yet reeking with blood, stripped of
clothing, dishonoured, mutilated, and massacred, lay the bodies of 208
females and children of all ages--the dying and the dead festering
together in that hideous well! There lay the hapless mother and her
innocent babe; the young wife and the aged matron; girlhood in its
teens, and infancy in its helplessness--all--all had fallen beneath the
dishonoured tulwars of the Mahratta destroyer, and his fierce and
cowardly accomplices in crime. Upon the walls and pillars of the rooms
in which this astounding act of pitiless barbarity had been perpetrated
were the marks of bullets, and of cuts made by sword-strokes--not high
up as if men had fought with men, but low down, and about the corners,
where the poor crouching victims had been cut to pieces! On those walls,
in some places nearly obliterated by the blood that yet clung congealed
in all directions, were discovered short scraps of pencil-writing, and
scratches upon the plaster. In one apartment was a row of women's shoes
and boots, with _bleeding amputated feet_ in them! On the opposite side
of the room, the devilish ingenuity of the mocking fiends was shown in a
row of children's shoes, filled in a similar way!"
One deed of heroism that has been recorded deserves mention here. A
daughter of General Wheeler's was taken off by a sowar and put into his
house along with his wife, near the church. This girl remained till
nightfall; and when he came home drunk and fell asleep, she took a sword
and cut off his head, his mother's head, two children's heads, and his
wife's head, and then walked out into the air; and when she saw other
sowars, she said, 'Go inside and see how nicely I have rubbed the
rissaldar's feet.' They went inside, and found them all dead. She then
jumped into a well and was killed.
THE RE-CAPTURE OF DELHI.
A noble band, in spite of the terrible heat, had marched down from the
hills, where they had been located to screen them from the intenser sun
of the burning plains, and Mr. Pandy soon found out his mistake. This
little force--but a mere handful of men--confronted them twice just
outside the city of Delhi, and gave them such a thrashing as they little
expected, which caused them to bolt into the city to get behind its
ramparts. At this time (May, 1857), the population of Delhi (without the
mutineers, who flocked there in thousands) amounted to 200,000. The
British Empire trembled on that ridge in front of Delhi in the early
part of June, 1857. The supremacy of Britain was held in the hands of
3,000 grim-faced men, who had made up their minds that if India was to
be torn from our grasp, _they_ would not live to tell the tale. All
honour to them! Night after night, day after day, week after week, and
month after month, they fought to uphold the honour of Old England; yea,
I say, they fought, as it were, with their shrouds around them, against
a host of murderers who were thirsting for their blood. It is but right
that this small force of heroes should be enumerated, for they were the
first to grapple with the enemy, so confident of victory and exulting in
their strength. They consisted of the 6th Dragoons or Carabineers, two
squadrons of the 9th Lancers, six companies of the 60th Rifles (the
75th), 1st Bengal Fusiliers (the present 101st Fusiliers), six companies
of the 2nd Bombay Fusiliers (the present 102nd Fusiliers), the Sirmoor
Battalion Ghoorkas--noble little fellows; and about 30 guns of various
batteries of Bengal Artillery. This little band was afterwards augmented
by the 8th, 52nd, 61st, and 104th Fusiliers, and a number of loyal
Native troops from the Punjaub.
THE DELHI FIELD FORCE.
The last man and gun had been sent by Sir John Lawrence from the
Punjaub. Not a sword or bayonet had as yet reached them from England,
although thousands were on the way. It was not the first time, however,
that our highest martial interests had been safely left in the hands of
a Norfolk man. Britons will for ages to come be justly proud of the name
of Wilson--the name of a respected Norfolk family. The whole force that
Sir Archdale Wilson had now under his command amounted to 8748. It was
do or die. If Delhi was not taken, and that at once, the whole of India
would have to be re-conquered. The Punjaub was tottering; and, unless we
could prove to Sikhs, Ghoorkas, Punjaubees, and Afghans, that we were
the descendants of their conquerors, they would turn their arms against
us. Thus it was time for Britons to "strike home." The enemy was gaining
strength and confidence every day, whilst our ranks were being rapidly
thinned by cholera, sunstroke, and the continual attacks of the
Mutineers. But on the morning of the 14th September, 1857, the storming
columns of attack were formed up, and our batteries thundered forth the
summons to the murderers of defenceless women, whilst the sword of
justice was just about to plunge itself into their cowardly hearts.
After a short address from their noble leader the columns dashed
forward--all being left to the bayonet, as it had often been before--and
in our men went, shoulder to shoulder. The enemy was ready, and fought
like demons, for they knew well that they were fighting with halters
around their necks. But the bloodthirsty brutes could not withstand
British pluck. In some cases, when they found that they had to confront
our men, they fought with desperation; in other cases they threw down
their arms, and had the audacity to beg for mercy! A thrust of the
bayonet was the immediate and only answer. But as a rule the enemy
fought with desperation from house to house, and had to be hunted out of
their hiding-places with cold steel. For seven days and nights this
unequal contest lasted--a handful of men against a host,--but on the
20th our proud old flag was once more floating over the whole of
Delhi--this guilty city was again in our hands. But what a scene
presented itself! We had lost some of the best blood of Britain. Poor
Nicholson was no more, and out of our small force we had lost, from the
14th to the 20th, 64 officers and 1680 non-commissioned officers and
men.
The following return will be of interest. It shows the
strength, with the number of the killed and wounded of the
Delhi field force up to the final capture of the city by Sir
Archdale Wilson, Bart., K.C.B. 20th September, 1857:--
=================++=========+=================++=================+======
|| | KILLED. || WOUNDED. |
||Strength,+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------
|| Sep. 14,| | | || | | |Grand
CORPS. || '57 |Off- |Men.|Total.||Off- |Men.|Total.|Total.
|| | irs.| | || irs.| | |
-----------------++---------+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------
STAFF. || 36 | 4 | ..| 4 || 9 | ..| 9 | 13
Artillery || | | | || | | |
(including || | | | || | | |
Natives)[17] || 1350 | 5 | 69| 74 || 24 | 245| 269 | 343
Engineers || | | | || | | |
ditto[17] || 722 | 5 | 38| 43 || 20 | 66| 86 | 129
6th Dragoons or || | | | || | | |
Carabineers[17]|| 223 | 1 | 18| 19 || 2 | 49| 51 | 70
9th Lancers[18] || 391 | 1 | 36| 37 || 3 | 94| 97 | 134
4th Irregulars || | | | || | | |
(disarmed)[18] || 178 | .. | ..| .. || .. | 3| 3 | 3
1st Punjaub || | | | || | | |
Cavalry[19] || 147 | .. | 4| 4 || 2 | 27| 29 | 33
2nd " " [19] || 114 | .. | 2| 2 || 1 | 14| 15 | 17
5th " " [19] || 107 | .. | 7| 7 || 1 | 16| 17 | 24
Hodson's || | | | || | | |
Horse[19] || 462 | 1 | 20| 21 || 4 | 87| 91 | 112
8th King's || | | | || | | |
Foot[19] || 322 | 3 | 24| 27 || 7 | 129| 136 | 163
52nd Light || | | | || | | |
Infantry[19] || 502 | 2 | 36| 38 || 5 | 79| 84 | 122
60th Rifles[17] || 590 | 4 | 109| 113 || 10 | 186| 196 | 309
61st Foot[19] || 402 | 2 | 30| 32 || 7 | 120| 127 | 159
75th " [18] || 459 | 5 | 79| 84 || 14 | 194| 208 | 292
1st Bengal || | | | || | | |
Fusiliers || | | | || | | |
(European)[18] || 427 | 3 | 95| 98 || 11 | 210| 221 | 319
2nd Bombay || | | | || | | |
ditto[18] || 470 | 4 | 79| 83 || 6 | 156| 162 | 245
Sirmoor || | | | || | | |
Battalion || | | | || | | |
Ghoorkas[17] || 612 | 1 | 118| 119 || 4 | 237| 241 | 360
Kumaon ditto[18] || 560 | 1 | 90| 91 || 5 | 183| 188 | 279
Guides Cavalry || | | | || | | |
and Infantry[19]|| 585 | 7 | 88| 95 || 16 | 235| 251 | 346
4th Sikh || | | | || | | |
Infantry[19] || 414 | 3 | 48| 51 || 10 | 116| 126 | 177
1st Punjaub || | | | || | | |
ditto[19] || 664 | 6 | 78| 84 || 11 | 189| 200 | 284
2nd " [19] || 650 | 2 | 51| 53 || 6 | 113| 119 | 172
4th " [19] || 641 | 1 | 19| 20 || 4 | 86| 90 | 110
1st. Belooch || | | | || | | |
Batt.[18] || 422 | 1 | 17| 18 || 4 | 75| 79 | 97
Pioneers || | | | || | | |
(unarmed)[18] || 320 | 1 | 36| 37 || 2 | 142| 144 | 181
-----------------++---------+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------
Grand Total || 11770 | 63 |1191| 1254 || 188 |3051| 3239 | 4493
-----------------++---------+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------
The head of the rebellion, though not severed, had now received its
death wound. Stern justice had overtaken many of the fiends. Gallows
were erected at every station, and were daily claiming some of those
much-pampered gentlemen, who had boasted that they would destroy us root
and branch. A terrible day of reckoning had dawned; reinforcements in
thousands, by the end of 1857, were landing in almost all the ports of
India; and Mr. Pandy soon found to his cost that the Russians had not
destroyed the whole of the British army. The first Crimean Infantry
regiment that had the honour of grappling with the murderers was one of
the noble regiments that had led the stormers at Sebastopol (the 90th).
But they were soon supported by others. The enemy appeared to be struck
with wonderment as to where all the men were coming from. The people
generally had not thrown in their lot with the Mutineers; but they, too,
were filled with surprise and awe.
DISARMING REGIMENTS AT PESHAWUR.
Retribution was fast setting in, and summary judgment had overtaken them
in a number of places. At Ferozepore and Peshawur an example that struck
terror into their inmost soul was made of some of the would-be
murderers. The 37th and 45th Native Infantry, with the 10th Native
Cavalry, were stationed at the former place, with our 61st regiment, the
latter being very weak. The three regiments fought the 61st for the
magazine, but got a good drubbing. They were confronted, and, with the
assistance of a battery of Artillery, were disarmed. The ringleaders
were then selected, tried by court-martial, and sentenced to death,
which sentence was carried out at once--some of them being hung, others
being blown from the guns; while their countrymen were marched up,
disarmed, and compelled to witness the awful scene.
At Peshawur there was a strong force kept, it being situated just at the
mouth of the Khyber Pass. The lawless hill-tribes are ever ready to
pounce upon and destroy any unfortunate Feringhee who happens to fall in
their way, and it was well to guard against any mischance here. In the
month of May, 1857, things had come to such a pass that the Natives
refused to supply our people stationed in the cantonment with the
necessaries of life (or, in other terms, we were boycotted), and it was
discovered by our authorities that every man, woman, and child, of
English extract, was sentenced to die on the 23rd of May. The Native
force in cantonments consisted of the 21st, 24th, 27th, 51st, and 64th
Bengal N. Infantry, with the 5th Light Cavalry, and six batteries of
Artillery--most of the guns being manned by Natives. Five other
regiments were stationed in forts close by, with swarms of Mohammedan
fanatics who were thirsting for the blood of the hated, but dreaded,
Feringhees. It was known that the chiefs of the hill-tribes were in
communication with our pretended friends, the Mutineers, for they
believed that all was ripe. The other regiments were to have come in to
help to exterminate every Christian in and around the station. In the
ranks were found a few who, in the midst of the general wreck, were
faithful--faithful unto death--and came out as bright and shining
lights, although of the same creed and caste as the bloodthirsty
Mutineers. These few were as true as steel, and loyal to the backbone;
some of them divulged the whole plan, and thus our people were ready for
the rebels. To confront this force we had two regiments of Infantry, and
two batteries of Bengal Horse Artillery, manned by Europeans. The
Infantry consisted of the 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers (or
Faugh-a-Ballaghs), and the 27th (or Inniskillen Fusiliers). Our people
were not going to wait to receive the first blow, but boldly went at
them. The cantonments of Peshawur are very much scattered. An order was
issued that all regiments--both European and Native--were to parade on
their respective private parade grounds at a certain time, for the
General's inspection. The 27th and 87th paraded accordingly, with their
rifles loaded with ball. One regiment took the right and the other the
left, and confronted the regiments of would-be murderers. An order was
then read to them that they had proved themselves traitors, and were no
longer fit to be entrusted with arms. The European officers with the
colours, and the Native Christians that were in their ranks, were then
ordered to fall out and join our people. The Mutineers were next ordered
to pile arms and take off their accoutrements; and, being marched away
from their arms, our people at once advanced and took possession. Thus
their teeth were drawn. They were all disarmed in the same manner, with
the exception of two regiments. The 51st were confronted by the 87th,
and refused to give up their arms. The 87th at once went at them, and
destroyed them to a man--it was all done in about twenty minutes. The
bodies were then cast into a well. The 50th Native Infantry[20] would
not yield, but boldly offered to fight it out. They at once got a volley
into them, and the bayonet did the rest. Some of them escaped for a few
days, having fled into the hills; but a reward of ten rupees (£1) per
head was offered, and we soon had them all. Thus the whole of the Native
force in the valley of Peshawur was disarmed in one day.
AN EXECUTION PARADE.
Sir Sidney Cotton was determined to make an example of some of these
would-be murderers, and for the information of the reader I here attempt
to describe an execution parade. It was truly an imposing scene: all
the troops in garrison, both European and Native, armed and disarmed,
loyal and disloyal, were drawn up on parade, and formed up carefully in
three sides of a square, but so arranged that any attempt on the part of
the disloyal to rescue the doomed ringleaders from the hands of justice
would be met with a terrible slaughter. The guns that were intended to
be used to execute the traitors were drawn up, with their muzzles
pointing towards the blank side of the square; thus:--
[Illustration: Execution Parade]
[Illustration: BLOWING THE MUTINEERS FROM THE GUNS]
The prisoners, under a strong European guard, after marching around the
inside of the square, were formed up in rear of the guns; their crimes
and sentences were read aloud to them, and at the head of each regiment;
the first batch of ten or twelve were then marched up to the guns and
their arms and legs tied--their arms being fastened to the wheels of the
gun, and their backs placed against the muzzle, so that they could not
move--and at a word or signal from an artillery officer the whole were
launched into eternity. A horrid sight it was: a complete shower of
human fragments--heads, arms, legs, and all parts of the body, being
hurled into the air--and when the smoke cleared away there they lay,
Hindoos and Mussulmen all mixed together. Ten or twelve more were then
marched up to the guns, and in about two minutes the same horrible scene
was repeated; and so it continued until all who had been sentenced met
their doom. It makes one's blood run cold to recall the scene, but the
horrible atrocities committed by these fiends left no room for pity in
our hearts. A look of grim satisfaction could be traced on the gunners'
faces after each salvo. But far different was the effect upon the Native
portion of the spectators; their black faces grew ghastly pale at each
salvo--as they gazed breathlessly upon the awful spectacle, they
trembled from head to foot like aspen leaves, while some of them turned
all kinds of unnatural hues. This is the only death that a Native
dreads. If he is hung, or shot by musketry, he can have the funeral
rites required by his religion; but by such a death as this he knows
well that he will be blown to a thousand pieces, and that as Mussulmen
and Hindoos are all mixed together there is no chance of his ever
reaching Paradise. It likewise had a wonderful effect upon the Peshawur
Natives and the Hill tribes that were looking on at a short distance;
they became very civil. All kinds of things were brought and offered for
sale to the Sahib-logs or Gora-logs (gentlemen, lords). Everything that
these cringing cowards could do was done in order to regain our good
opinion; for they suddenly found out that the Feringhee ray (English
reign) was not all over. We had turned the tables upon them. The news
flew across the mountains, and the Afghans flocked in thousands to offer
themselves to fight for us if the Sahib would only go with them. They
ranged themselves by the side of Hodson, Probyn, and Watson, and did
good service throughout the Mutiny, and afterwards in China, and have
proved themselves, under good guidance, first-rate soldiers.
The following will prove what can be done by determined
pluck:--Meean-Meer was occupied, in the early part of May, 1857, by
three strong regiments of Native Infantry, viz., the 16th Grenadiers,
the 26th and 40th, and the 8th Light Cavalry. A part of our 81st was
stationed there; they had two strong detachments out, one of three
companies at the Fort of Lahore, and one or two companies at Umritsa. In
1856 they had suffered heavily from cholera, and could barely muster 300
men under arms. There were two batteries of Artillery in the station,
and General Corbett, backed by Sir John Lawrence, was determined to
disarm the whole Native force, or die in the attempt. It had been
decided that all Europeans in and around the station had to die on the
evening of the 14th May. A ball had been announced to come off on the
night of the 13th, and all the _elite_ among the European residents,
both military and civil, attended. All was kept quiet, but our people
were on the alert. On the morning of the 14th, a grand field-day was to
take place, and every man out of hospital was to attend. In accordance
with orders, all ball ammunition was taken from the men and deposited in
a place of safety, and twenty rounds of blank cartridge issued to all
hands, except the 300 of H.M. 81st, and the two batteries of European
Artillery, who were served with plenty of ball ammunition, and the
Artillery with plenty of grape, and when the Native regiments arrived on
parade they found the 81st formed in line, with Artillery at intervals,
and as many artillerymen as possible, mounted to act as cavalry, formed
up on either flank. The guns were loaded to the muzzles with grape, and
the port fires lit. All was in readiness. There were about 490, all
told, against near 4,000, for the Natives were up to their full
strength. The 16th Grenadiers were the finest set of fellows I ever
looked at, and had the reputation of being the best fighting regiment in
the East India Company; but the determined front that was shown them by
that thin red line was too much for them. The order was read by the
Brigade-Major. They stood panic-stricken as the word "Ready" rang out
from the General. It was too much for them; their black hearts quailed.
In accordance with orders they piled their arms and took off their
accoutrements. The Cavalry next dismounted and took off their swords and
laid them down. They were then ordered to retire, and our thin red line
at once advanced and took possession, threw the arms into carts, and
sent them off to the Fort of Lahore. Our people could then go home to
breakfast, for they had earned it. Not a drop of blood had been shed,
although the crime committed by the Mutineers was of the deepest dye.
The letters they had written to their comrades at Delhi had been opened
at the post-office, and it was quite clear that they had intended to
murder every European, sack the treasury and the fort, and walk off with
the booty. One can fancy the dismay of their friends in the fort, for on
that very day they were to have been relieved by a wing of a Native
regiment from the cantonments; but to their utter dismay a strong party
of Europeans were marched in, the wing that was inside was ordered to
parade at once, and, being confronted, they were challenged to give up
their arms or take the consequences. As the word "Ready" sounded along
the line our people got their arms and at once kicked them out of the
fort and encamped them under the guns, that would have made short work
of them if they had not kept a civil tongue in their heads. Had the
gentlemen at Meerut been confronted in like manner, the Mutiny might
have been avoided, and hundreds of precious lives would have been
spared. But then our officers in the Punjaub knew their work, and were
not going to be caught napping; if they had to die they were going to
die as soldiers--sword in hand--and show the enemy a determined front to
the last. It was this evident resolution that made the Mutineers quail
before them.
GALLANTRY OF THE LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT.
Through all the annals of war there is nothing to surpass "Intrepidity
so superb" as that which gave occasion to the 10th Lincolnshire
Regiment, at Benares, for conduct that was exceptionally gallant. At the
breaking out of the Mutiny, the 10th Loyal Boys were stationed with the
37th Native Infantry, a Sikh Regiment, and an Irregular Cavalry
Regiment, with one battery of European Artillery belonging to the
Company's service, commanded by Captain (now General) Olpherts V.C. The
37th broke out into open mutiny and were ordered to give up their arms,
but instead of obeying the order they fired into the 10th, killing and
wounding several men. Our men immediately advanced against them, with
the Sikhs and Cavalry behind them as a support; when all at once our
pretended friends made up their minds to throw in their lot with the
37th, depending upon their numbers. The Sikhs then opened fire upon the
poor old 10th, and the Cavalry got ready to charge them. It is under
such circumstances that the British soldier comes out in his true
colours. Then was seen the boldness and bravery of the sons of Britain,
whom nothing could daunt or dismay. They instantly grappled with the
black-hearted villains. The front rank went at the 37th and routed them;
the rear rank turned about, and with a headlong charge routed the Sikhs
and Cavalry from the field, Captain Olpherts mowing them down with grape
from his guns, which they had not the heart to charge at and take. I am
happy, however, to record that in the midst of all there was a "silver
line" running through the darkness, for some of the Sikhs and Cavalry
boldly came out from the midst of their treacherous comrades and proved
their fidelity by ranging themselves under our banner and fighting
against their own deluded countrymen. Lincolnshire is justly proud of
the 10th, for no regiment was ever before placed in such a desperate
situation, or ever came out of an encounter with such glory. All honour
to the old 10th! The honour of England was in their keeping in this
instance, as much as it was in ours (the 7th Royal Fusiliers), on the
heights of Alma, and both regiments knew well how to hold it. It was
with them death or victory!
FREDERICK GUSTAVUS BURNABY.
(Killed at the Wells of Abou Klea, January 17, 1885.)
Facing the foe in the front of the battle,
Falling where all the fight's fiercest was fought,
Lulled to his slumber by musketry's rattle:
This was the sleeping that he would have sought!
Weep not for him in the hour of his glory!
Weep not for him: he has gone to his rest!
Weep not for him who has crowned his life's story;
Weep for ourselves who have lost of our best!
Heart of a lion and heart of a woman--
Tenderness passing all words to portray;
Bravery, boldness, and strength superhuman--
This is the hero we weep for to-day.
Thoughtful for others, himself never sparing,
Restless when resting, and eager to roam,
All the world over was field for his daring:
Asia and Africa--both were his home.
Deep 'neath the sand of the desert he's lying;
Proudly old England low over him bends;
While this the epitaph sad hearts are sighing--
"Bravest of soldiers and noblest of friends!"
Then weep not for him in the hour of his glory!
Weep not for him: he has gone to his rest!
Weep not for him who has crowned his life's story;
Weep for ourselves who have lost of our best!