VISIT TO PESHAWUR--SIR HUGH ROSE RETURNS TO ENGLAND--SIR WILLIAM
MANSFIELD APPOINTED COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
The good sense and judgment of Sir William Denison, with the cordial
co-operation and support of Sir Hugh Rose, had extricated the
Government of India from a somewhat dangerous military and political
crisis on the north-west border; and although the fierce passions of
the tribes had been considerably roused, the excitement gradually
cooled down when our troops returned to the plains. One hill chief,
however, had the temerity to come into the open, and make a dash
at one of our patrolling columns, but was speedily driven back. I
forget his exact name, but by the English soldiers he was commonly
called Sawdust Khan. In the unsettled condition of the frontier, the
Commander-in-Chief found it necessary to remain for some weeks at the
large and important station of Peshawur, which stands half encircled
by the Afghan mountains and only a few miles distant from the entrance
to the celebrated Kyber Pass. Peshawur, the central military position
at this part of our territory, has a large old-fashioned mud fort,
containing considerable reserves of armaments, munitions, and stores.
It is probably strong enough to resist the desultory attacks of Afghan
tribes; but in my opinion it would be more convenient, and more prudent
from a military point of view, were the chief reserves of the district
withdrawn to Attock, on the other side of the Indus.
The Afghan hill-men at the time of our visit were in a very lively
condition, and constantly robbing the station. The very first night
that the large camp of the Commander-in-Chief was pitched on the plain
outside, although guards and patrols were plentiful, they succeeded in
carrying off some bullocks and two camels, and the theft of horses was
not of rare occurrence. The frontier chiefs, however, were friendly to
a limited extent, and on one occasion accompanied a party of us for a
few miles within the rocky defiles of the Kyber, which at that time had
not been visited by any Englishman for years. They made it a condition,
however, that we should trust ourselves entirely to their protection,
and not take any military escort; and they loyally carried out the
compact. Our relations with them at the time, were, in fact, a curious
mixture of friendship by day, combined with occasional brigandage on
the part of their followers by night.
Towards the end of February the camp of Sir Hugh Rose and the staff
marched slowly southwards through the Punjab, crossing in succession
by bridges of boats, the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers to Lahore.
What with the elephants, camels, horses, bullocks, sheep, and goats
which, combined with hundreds of followers, form essential features
of military out-of-door life in India, the camp resembled an Oriental
fair and menagerie more than anything else; and, owing to the vast
impedimenta considered essential, the marches did not exceed twelve
miles a day.
We took the opportunity one day of visiting the sandy plain of
Chilianwallah, on which in 1849 the great battle had been fought
between the British army and the Seiks. The 24th Regiment specially
suffered great losses on that occasion, and an officer who had been
present, informed me that on the evening of the battle the bodies
of thirteen officers of that regiment were laid side by side in
the mess-tent, including the colonel (Pennycuick) and his son, the
adjutant. The obelisk erected on the plain in memory of the conflict
bears the following inscription: 'Around this tomb was fought the
sanguinary battle of Chilianwallah, 13th January, 1849, between the
British forces under Lord Gough, and the Seiks under Rajah Sher-Sing.
On both sides did innumerable warriors pass from this life dying in
mortal combat. Honoured be the graves of these heroic soldiers! In
memory of those who fell in the ranks of the Anglo-Indian Army, this
monument has been raised by their surviving comrades, at whose side
they perished, comrades who glory in their glory, and lament their
fate.'
Having served for six years and a half continuously in India, and
having obtained leave of absence, I left the camp on its arrival at
Lahore, hurried to Calcutta, and embarked for England in April. As,
however, many changes were still in progress, in respect both to the
_personnel_ and _matériel_ of artillery, and in the Ordnance Department
in India, it was deemed expedient that I should cut short my visit
home; and in October I accordingly returned to resume my duties and
landed in Bombay. As regards the Ordnance Department, the fact was
that, owing to the triplicate system of military administration,
which had prevailed in the days of the old East India Company, the
arrangements in each presidency varied; and the armaments, munitions,
and stores were not identical in pattern, whilst many were old and
obsolete. The depots were scattered about without much reference to
strategical considerations, and were too numerous. The system was
not only costly but inefficient; and, in view of the great advances
of artillery science, a general reorganisation had become necessary.
During my visit to England, I had been in communication with Sir
Charles Wood, the then Secretary of State for India, on these matters.
On arrival at Bombay I had an interesting conversation with the
Governor, Sir Bartle Frere, on military subjects; more especially as to
whether the native troops should be thoroughly trusted and armed with
the best modern weapons, or be relegated, as it were, to an inferior
position, and be looked on as more or less subordinate auxiliaries.
I gave my opinion that a policy of mistrust was not only a mistake,
but would in reality defeat itself; that the native regiments should
be armed and equipped like the English soldiers in every respect; the
numbers to be maintained, and their nationalities, resting of course
with the Government. It was a satisfaction to find that Sir Bartle
Frere entirely concurred in these views.
Leaving Bombay, and being anxious to rejoin Sir Hugh Rose quickly, I
travelled through Central India, first of all for about three hundred
miles on a partly finished railway, with occasional breaks; and then
for five hundred miles outside a mail-cart, passing hastily through
Indore, Gwalior, Agra, and Delhi to Meerut. Although I found time to
make a few hasty sketches, it has always been a matter of regret that
military exigencies rendered me unable to pay more than mere flying
visits to so many native cities of great historical and architectural
interest. Delhi and its neighbourhood especially is rich in picturesque
mosques, tombs, palaces, and forts of the former Mogul dynasties.
On arrival at Meerut I found that Sir Hugh Rose had seriously injured
himself, having broken several ribs by a fall out hunting, so that for
the time our movements were at a standstill. However, early in 1865, as
soon as he had recovered, the head quarters staff continued their tour,
and arrived at Lucknow, where a somewhat amusing incident occurred.
During the Mutiny, an officer had gained the Victoria Cross for gallant
conduct in the residency, but owing to some delay had not actually
received the decoration; and the Commander-in-Chief was therefore glad
of the opportunity of presenting it to him on the very spot where he
had gained it. A general parade was ordered, the troops to be formed
up round the ruins of the residency; and all the civilians and ladies
of Lucknow were invited to be present. On the morning, when the hour
of parade was at hand, the staff assembled in readiness in a bungalow,
and it was understood that the Commander-in-Chief was preparing an
appropriate speech for the occasion. Search was then made for the box
containing the Victoria Cross, but it was nowhere to be found, and
after an anxious hurried inquiry we discovered that by some mistake
it had been left behind at Simla in the Himalayas. This was awkward,
especially as Sir Hugh would naturally be annoyed at so unfortunate
an error. The suggestion was made that some officer of the garrison
should be asked to lend his for the occasion; but that also failed, no
officer nearer than Cawnpore (fifty miles off) having gained one. There
was no time to be lost, and at length Colonel Donald Stewart,[68] the
Deputy Adjutant General, volunteered to inform the Commander-in-Chief:
an offer which was at once accepted. Stewart on entering the room
found Sir Hugh engaged in considering his speech, and then cautiously
and gently announced that a slight mistake had occurred, and that
the Victoria Cross had been left behind. The Commander-in-Chief, as
anticipated, was angry, and complained that he had been treated with
neglect. However, after he had cooled down, Donald Stewart said that in
his opinion the difficulty could readily be got over; and, taking the
cross of the Companionship of the Bath from his breast, suggested that
it should be presented to the officer on parade, in lieu temporarily of
the other; pointing out that the troops and the assembled company would
not be near enough to distinguish the difference. Sir Hugh at once took
in the situation, accepted the compromise, and acted accordingly. The
decoration was presented, the Commander-in-Chief made an appropriate
speech, and the demonstration altogether was a success. My remark to
the officer afterwards was that as the Queen had given him the Victoria
Cross, and the Commander-in-Chief the Bath, I thought he was entitled
to wear both for the future. There was a ball in the evening in honour
of the occasion, and in default of a real cross he had to wear a
painted leather imitation one.
In March 1866 the term of office of Sir Hugh Rose came to a close. His
services in India had been of an eventful and distinguished character,
not only in the field, in his celebrated march through Central India
during the Mutiny, but also in military administration at a period
of important changes. The position of a Commander-in-Chief in India,
always a difficult one, was peculiarly so during his term of office.
The extinction of a great institution such as that of the old East
India Company could not be accomplished without considerable difficulty
and delay; prejudices had to be overcome, and vested interests to be
considered. All these circumstances must be borne in mind in judging
the career of Sir Hugh Rose from 1857 to 1865. The appointment of Sir
William Mansfield as his successor, an officer of long experience
in the country, and of great ability as an administrator, tended to
complete the work, and to produce unity of system, so essential
an element of military efficiency. As he acted in concert with the
Viceroy Sir John Lawrence, old prejudices and difficulties gradually
disappeared, to the great advantage of the army and to the security of
the Empire.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 68: Now Field-Marshal Sir Donald Stewart, G.C.B.]