RETURN TO CAWNPORE
Slow recovery from my wound—Painful journey by palanquin to Cawnpore—Am
created a C.B.—Other honours and promotions
THE weather still continued bitterly cold, and about daylight on one of
these mornings a tall figure, more than usually wrapped, entered my
tent, stood in the door, and asked kindly, “How are you getting on,
colonel?” I must have been in pain or bad humour, for I bluntly said,
“Who are you—what do you want?” He quietly answered, “Lord
Ellenborough,” so I at once asked a thousand pardons and begged he would
walk in and sit down. He continued his inquiries most kindly, and took a
chair and sat down by my bedside. He remained some time with me, and
paid me many more visits afterwards. He was also in the habit of
visiting all the other wounded officers and men daily, and to the latter
(in bad cases) he used to give gold mohurs to comfort them for their
sufferings, and these our men prized very much and made into rings in
remembrance of our good and popular Governor-General, Lord Ellenborough.
After these battles the Mahratta army submitted to our Government, and
in about a fortnight afterwards six or eight thousand of them actually
volunteered to enter our service, and were at once formed into ten
regiments under British officers selected from the Bengal native forces,
and styled from that day “The Gwalior Contingent.” They remained
faithful to our service until the general mutiny of the native Bengal
army, and then I believe they joined the revolt to a man.
About this time I had the happiness of receiving more than one letter
from my dear wife, and I made many efforts on my back and in my bed to
write to her. My first letter was written a few days after I was
wounded, and I managed to get my sash across my back under my arms, and
tied to that a piece of rope, secured and tightened to the top of the
pole of my tent, so as to raise and support my head and upper part of my
body, and so enable me to write pretty comfortably. I was in high
spirits, and I gave her a cheering account of my sufferings and a
glowing report of my success.
Our encampment was outside the town and fort of Gwalior, and our
officers made frequent visits to both, and especially to the fort, which
was very extensive and well worth seeing. It is built upon a long and
very high range of rocks, and only accessible by one entrance over a
drawbridge, the road to which is a long and narrow one, over a minor
spur of the same chain of rocks. I was curious to see this formidable
fortification, and on one fine morning I was raised from my bed and put
into a doolie, well propped up with pillows by my good and trusty friend
Captain Dodd. He and a few more of the officers accompanied me on my
excursion. The change and fresh air did me great good, and I was much
pleased with all I saw, and with the marked and courteous civilities we
received from the Mahratta officers and soldiers who garrisoned the
fort, for at this time all enmity between us had passed away, and our
officers and men were in the habit of meeting them daily and constantly.
I do not remember anything more of any particular note taking place
while our army remained before Gwalior. About the last week in January,
General Orders were issued for the whole of our forces to return to
their former respective quarters, and my regiment commenced its march
soon after for Cawnpore. After I was wounded I gave up the immediate
command of my regiment to Major Petit, leaving all the daily details to
him; but he consulted me in all important matters, and always fixed the
hours of marching in the mornings at the time most convenient to me. I
was carried in my doolie at the head of my regiment every day, and on
halting found my tent all ready pitched in proper position, with my bed
and all my comforts prepared for me; for in returning to Cawnpore
through a free country our baggage, commissariat, and stores always took
the advance of our column of march, and arrived on our camping-ground
each morning some time before us. Such was the efficiency of our native
servants that everything, even to our breakfasts, was ready on our
arrival. Our march seldom exceeded from ten to fifteen miles daily, so
that we were comfortably camped and settled before the heat became
oppressive, and the remainder of each day was spent by the officers and
men as they best could. I continued to get on as well as could be
expected, but as I could only lie in one position (on my right side), my
arm, shoulder, and hip became sore and chafed, and this and the jolting
of my doolie, and latterly of my palanquin, left me much fatigued each
day before our march was over. In this way our daily journey was
continued for three weeks, a distance of two hundred and twenty miles to
Cawnpore, and there we arrived at last in safety, about the middle of
February. I marched in, or rather was carried in, at the head of my
regiment, in my palanquin, with our band playing “See the Conquering
Hero comes.” All the women and children and the few troops and invalids
who remained in garrison turned out to receive and welcome us, and the
cheering and shouting which followed, and the welcomes, and “God save
the Colonel!” from one and all, were, I confess, most gratifying to me.
We were soon comfortably settled in our old quarters. I was obliged to
keep my bed for some months afterwards, but continued otherwise in good
health and spirits, and my medical friends assured me I was progressing
as well as they could wish. My greatest sufferings were from the
constant and unchanged position on my right side to which I was obliged
to keep, and from the still continued extraction of threads and small
particles of clothing which had been carried into my wound. But at last
this painful annoyance ceased, and from that time healing followed
rapidly.
In March we received official acknowledgment of our services from the
Home authorities, with notices of various honours and promotions
conferred in consequence. I had the proud satisfaction of seeing my name
amongst the few who were appointed by her Majesty to be Companions of
the Bath. My friends Majors Ryan and Petit were made brevet
lieut.-colonels, and Major-General Gray a K.C.B., and his A.D.C.,
Captain Tudor (the chief butler), a brevet major. All other officers of
both divisions of our army who had similar claims were either decorated
or promoted. I had also the satisfaction of receiving a letter from our
agents, Messrs. Cox & Co., informing me that the Secretary of War had
been pleased to grant me eighteen months’ additional pay for my wounds
(commonly called “blood money”), and authorizing me to draw for the
same. We were further informed that her Majesty the Queen was graciously
pleased to order that the regiments engaged at Maharajpore should bear
the name on their colours and appointments, and the regiments engaged at
Punniar, that name in like manner on their colours and appointments. All
this good news was very cheering and gratifying to us, and all expressed
their readiness to fight and to conquer again. Then followed an order
from the Governor-General of India granting to each officer and soldier
who served in either of these battles a decoration, a bronze star to be
worn on the left breast, suspended from the ribbon of India, and to be
made from the cannon captured in these actions, with the words
“Maharajpore, 29th December, 1843,” on a silver medallion on the centre
of the star, for the troops who served there; the word “Punniar,” with
the same date, for those who fought and conquered at that place; and
soon after this I had the honour of receiving mine (one of the first
cast), with a kind and flattering letter from Lord Ellenborough.
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