and as soon as they did so the blankets were taken down, rolled up, and
strapped behind the saddles. The picket pegs were pulled up, and
leading their horses they moved off, skirting for a time the line of the
camp, but gradually increasing their distance until two hundred yards
away from it, when they thought it quite safe to mount and ride off in
the darkness. They had some trouble in striking the road again; when
they did so they halted for a consultation. It was decided to turn off
and encamp again for three or four hours in order to rest the horses,
and then to make for the river bank and wait there until the first light
of morning showed them a point where they could swim their horses
across, for the presence of the guard at the ford rendered it impossible
for them to use that passage again. This plan was carried out, and they
arrived at the bank, some three or four miles below the ford, just as
daylight began to appear. The bed of the river was wide, and the
stream, broken by sand-banks, flowed in several channels.
"There will be no great difficulty in crossing anywhere here," Percy
said; "the channels are nowhere very wide, and even if we are swept down
the stream it will not matter, as we can rest after each swim. We had
better start at once. Should there be any Sikhs about they will hardly
make us out till it gets lighter, and we may hope to be pretty well
beyond musket-shot before they can come down to the water's edge. They
will not be likely to try to follow us across, and if they do so, with
the start of a quarter of an hour we ought to be able to throw them off
our track."
They were not disturbed while making the passage. This was, however,
more difficult than Percy had anticipated, for the current in two of the
channels was very strong and swept them down some distance before they
could obtain a footing on the sand-bank. Apparently no watch whatever
was kept by the Sikhs excepting at the fords, and nothing was seen of
the enemy. On reaching the opposite bank they gave the horses a short
rest to recover their breath, and then rode on to Basseean.
"What! are you back already?" Major Broadfoot said when Percy was shown
into his tent. "I did not expect you back until to-morrow at the
earliest. Have you really been in the Sikh camp?"
"Yes, sir; we were there about three hours, which was quite sufficient
to learn everything that we required;" and he then gave the officer the
news that they had gathered.
"This is most important," Major Broadfoot said. "Sir Henry returned
half an hour ago from Loodiana. I will take you with me to his tent.
He may want to ask you further questions."
The commander-in-chief after hearing Percy's report asked him several
questions in order to find out whether the statements had been made by
one native only; but Percy replied that they had spoken to a score of
soldiers, and that all were in perfect agreement as to the force that
would cross the river, and the division that would be made of the forces
and their object in so doing.
"I thank you, sir," Sir Henry said when he had finished. "Your
information is most important, and you have carried out your mission
with great ability and intelligence. Major Broadfoot will take notice
and bring it to my attention later on."
[Illustration: THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF THANKS PERCY FOR HIS REPORT]
Half an hour later despatches were sent off to the commander-in-chief at
Umballa, ordering him to move forward at once with his whole force; and
to Loodiana, ordering General Wheeler to carry out the measures that had
been agreed on between him and the governor-general on the preceding
day, namely, to abandon the cantonments, to place all stores in the
fort, to move there all the sick and others unfit to take the field,
with a force sufficient to hold the place for a time against any attack
that might be made upon it, and to march with his main body to Basseean
so as to protect the vast amount of stores accumulated there, from any
sudden dash by the enemy. In the evening a messenger came in from
Ferozepore, saying that a large body of Sikhs had during the day crossed
the river.
The next morning, the 13th of December, the governor-general issued a
proclamation to the chiefs and people of the protected states, pointing
out that since 1809 the British government had scrupulously fulfilled
the terms made with Runjeet Singh, and that notwithstanding the
disorganized state of the Lahore government during the last two years,
and several most unfriendly proceedings on the part of the durbar, the
governor-general had continued to evince his desire to maintain the
relations of amity and concord which had so long existed between the two
states.
The attitude of the Sikhs, however, had continued to be more and more
unfriendly, and the army had now, without a shadow of provocation,
invaded British territory. The governor-general therefore declared the
possessions of Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, on the left or British bank of
the Sutlej, confiscated and annexed to the British territory. The ranks
of all sirdars, zemindars, and tenants in the said possessions who
should evince their fidelity to the British government should be
respected. The governor-general called upon all chiefs and sirdars to
co-operate cordially with the British government. Those who did so would
find their interest promoted thereby, while those who took the opposite
course would be considered as enemies and treated accordingly. The
inhabitants of all the territories on the left bank of the Sutlej were
requested to abide peacefully in their respective villages, and all
parties of men found in arms would be treated as disturbers of the
public peace.
Fortunately the Sikhs after crossing on the 12th, instead of marching at
once upon Basseean, halted until their heavy guns were taken across on
the 16th. On the afternoon of the 14th General Wheeler, who had marched
at daybreak, arrived in front of Basseean; and on the 16th General
Gough, the commander-in-chief, arrived there, with the force from
Umballa. Had the Sikhs pushed forward at once after crossing, Basseean
with its great stores of provisions must have fallen into their hands,
and a week or ten days must have elapsed before arrangements for
provisioning the Umballa force could have been made. In that case the
whole Sikh army would have been able to concentrate its efforts upon the
capture of Ferozepore, which, in the absence of any fortifications
capable of withstanding powerful artillery, could scarcely have been
defended successfully.
Percy had been kept actively employed during the three days that
intervened between his return to Basseean and the arrival of the column
from Umballa, in the work of carrying copies of the general's
proclamation over the country, and delivering them to the head men of
the villages. He acted as interpreter to the officers who, attended by
small escorts of cavalry, performed this work, and was on horseback from
daylight to dark each day. After the arrival of General Wheeler's
division he spent his evenings with his acquaintances there. The troops
were all in high spirits because the long uncertainty was at an end, and
that at last they were to meet the men who had so insolently been
threatening an invasion. The fact that the odds would be enormously
against them was considered a matter of no importance whatever, for the
British troops had so long been accustomed to victory in India that the
idea of a reverse was not entertained for a moment among the soldiers,
although among the officers, who were aware of the bravery and fighting
power of the Sikhs, the prospect was regarded with a good deal of
anxiety.
All the accounts received bore out the correctness of the information
that Percy had obtained. Twenty-five thousand Sikhs, all regular
soldiers, had taken possession of the wells round the village of
Ferozeshah, half-way between Basseean and Ferozepore, and entirely cut
the communication between the two places; for owing to scarcity of water
no other road could be used for the advance of an army except that
passing through Ferozeshah. The Sikhs were well aware of this fact, and
on their arrival they had at once begun to throw up strong
intrenchments. Another Sikh army of twenty-three thousand, and
sixty-seven guns, under Tej Singh, remained watching the British force
at Ferozepore.
The British force at Basseean consisted of three thousand eight hundred
and fifty Europeans and eight thousand natives, with forty-two guns, and
on the morning of the 18th of December marched for Ferozepore. They
reached their camping ground round the village of Moodkee at one o'clock
in the day, and as soon as arms were piled began to cook their dinner. A
few Sikh horsemen had retired from the village on their approach, and
some scouts were sent out to ascertain if there was any considerable
body of the enemy near at hand; these returned in a short time, saying
that a large force had taken up a position three miles away. There
were, indeed, twelve thousand of them, principally cavalry, with twenty
guns. From friends at Basseean they had learnt that an advance was to
be made by the British, and thinking that it would be but an
advance-guard, Lal Singh had with this body of troops left the camp at
Ferozeshah early in the morning and had taken up his position before the
arrival of the British army at Moodkee. As soon as the news was
received the troops got under arms and moved forward, the artillery and
cavalry leading the way and the infantry following in support. When
they had gone two miles the enemy was seen ahead of them.
The country was a dead flat, covered at short intervals with a low thick
jungle and dotted with sandy hillocks. It was difficult to judge of the
strength of the Sikh force, but in order to oblige them to display it,
the cavalry, with five troops of horse-artillery, moved forward, and as
the infantry formed into line opened fire. This was answered by a very
heavy cannonade on the part of the enemy; but in a very short time the
rapid fire of the horse-artillery, aided by two field batteries, so
discomfited the enemy's gunners that their fire gradually subsided.
In order to allow the infantry to advance without the artillery in front
of them being pushed forward too closely to the jungle, Sir Hugh Gough
ordered a portion of the cavalry to make a movement on the enemy's
flanks. The 3d Light Dragoons, the Governor-general's Body-guard, the
5th Light Cavalry, and a portion of the 4th Lancers dashed round the
left of the Sikh army, and sweeping along the whole of its rear, forced
the artillerymen to leave their guns, and put their cavalry to flight.
At the same time the remainder of the 4th Lancers and the 9th Irregular
Cavalry, with the Light Field Battery, performed a brilliant charge
round the enemy's right. Successful as these operations were, they would
have been much more so had not the enemy been so hidden in the jungle
that their position could scarcely be made out.
The British guns again opened fire and the infantry advanced. Evening
was now falling, and the increasing darkness added to the difficulty of
the attack through the thick jungle.
The Sikhs fought stoutly, and several times clung to their positions
until driven from them at the point of the bayonet; but they were not
able to withstand the steady pressure of the British advance, and,
astounded and discomfited at the unexpected valour of a foe whom they
professed to despise, they fell back from point to point, and finally
made off in the darkness. Had the battle commenced at an early hour the
cavalry would have converted the defeat of the enemy into a rout. As it
was, seventeen of their twenty guns were captured, and their losses in
killed and wounded were very severe. Lal Singh himself was wounded, and
had a narrow escape of being taken prisoner.
The British loss was sixteen officers and two hundred men killed, and
forty-eight officers and six hundred and nine men wounded. Sir Robert
Sale, the hero of Jellalabad, was among those mortally wounded. The
defeated Sikhs made their way back to Ferozeshah, while the British
returned to Moodkee, which they reached at midnight. The next morning
two heavy guns, escorted by the 6th Light Infantry, and the 41st,
reached Moodkee. Their march had been a long and fatiguing one, as they
had made twenty-seven miles through an arid desert, and were overcome
with thirst and fatigue, when some elephants sent out with water to meet
them brought them relief. It was late in the evening before the column
came in, and in order to give the men time to recover from their fatigue
it was decided to halt for another day.
It was settled that the sick, wounded, and baggage should be left in the
little fort at Moodkee, with a regiment and a half of infantry to
protect them should the enemy's cavalry work round to the rear of the
army. Messengers were sent off to Ferozepore to inform Sir John
Littler, who commanded there, of the victory at Moodkee, and to order
him to leave five thousand men to hold the town and watch Tej Singh, and
to march with his five thousand remaining men and twenty-one guns to
join the commander-in-chief, both forces to march at three o'clock on
the morning of the 21st. Sir Henry Hardinge offered to serve as a
military man under Sir Hugh Gough, and was appointed second in command
of the army.
The marches were well timed, and the junction with Sir John Littler's
force was effected at the village of Misriwala, within sight of the Sikh
camp, at one o'clock.
The British force after the junction had been effected consisted of five
thousand six hundred and seventy-four Europeans and twelve thousand and
fifty-three natives, with sixty-five guns; the Sikhs numbered
twenty-five thousand regular troops and ten thousand irregulars, with
eighty-eight guns; while Tej Singh with his twenty-three thousand
regulars and twenty-seven guns was only ten miles distant. The country
was a dead flat studded with trees and jungle, and the clouds of dust
that rose beneath the feet of the troops rendered it extremely difficult
to direct their movements in such a country. Skirmishers were sent
forward to ascertain the exact position of the enemy, but the troops
were allowed to rest for some time after their hot and dusty march. The
commander-in-chief would gladly have waited until next morning before
calling upon them for the efforts that would be necessary to carry a
position so strong as that occupied by the Sikhs. It was, however,
impossible to wait, for there was no water, and moreover Tej Singh with
his army would certainly be up before morning.
At Moodkee Percy had seen but little of the fighting, although for some
hours he had been under fire. His place was behind Major Broadfoot, who
was with the commander-in-chief's staff. The jungle at first and the
darkness afterwards shut out the absolute conflict from view; and as the
enemy's cannon-balls flew overhead or ploughed up the sand, and the air
resounded with the sharp short ping of their musket-balls, his feeling
as he sat inactive on horseback was one of far greater discomfort than
he had felt when exposed to an even heavier fire at the attack on his
uncle's fortress. That the British were winning he knew by the advance
that was from time to time made by the party, and by the fact that the
firing gradually receded.
"You have been under fire before, Groves," Major Broadfoot said to him,
"so I suppose you don't mind it."
"I certainly don't like it, sir. Before, I had something to do and did
not think much of the danger, and I should not at all mind if you were
to send me with a message into the thick of it, but to sit here doing
nothing with balls buzzing about is certainly very unpleasant."
"It is unpleasant; I find it so myself," the major said; "but as my post
is here with the commander-in-chief, and there is no errand on which I
can send you, we must sit it out. If the general wants to send a
message and his aides-de-camp are all away, I will tell him that you
will carry it for him."
There was, however, no message to be sent. Beyond the fact that the
troops were steadily advancing, the commander-in-chief himself knew but
little of what was going on. It was a soldiers' battle. Except for the
flank movements of the cavalry there was no manoeuvring. Each regiment
pressed straight forward, pushing the enemy back wherever it found him.
"We shall see more of it to-day, Groves," the major said as they were
waiting for the orders for the troops to advance against the Sikh
intrenchments. "There is daylight, and as the task of carrying that
position will certainly be a severe one, Sir Hugh will move forward with
the men, and is likely to be in the thick of it."
The Sikh intrenchment was about a mile in length and half a mile in
breadth, including within its area the strong village of Ferozeshah.
The Sikhs had the advantage of being thoroughly acquainted with the
country, and as they were prepared for an attack upon either side of
their position, it was decided that the effort should be made against
the long front. The British were formed in three divisions, commanded
respectively by Major-general Gilbert, Sir John Littler, and and
Brigadier-general Wallace. They were formed in line, with the whole of
the artillery in the centre, with the exception of a troop of
horse-artillery on each flank and one in support. The second line was
composed of the cavalry and the reserve under Sir Harry Smith. The
artillery were first moved to the front, and the battle began by a
discharge from a mortar battery. The Sikhs did not reply, and the whole
of the artillery then opened fire to ascertain the position of the
enemy's batteries, when the Sikhs at once responded.
The whole line then advanced and again the artillery opened fire. This
movement was repeated until the guns were within three hundred yards of
the enemy's intrenchments. In spite of the much more rapid fire of
their guns, our artillery were unable to silence that of the enemy,
whose pieces were protected to a great extent by the earthworks. Seeing
this, the general gave the order for the infantry to advance to storm
the intrenchments. General Littler's division directed its march
against the village, and by so doing caused an opening in the line
between it and Brigadier Wallace's division.
In spite of the terrible storm of grape from the enemy's batteries and
the heavy Sikh musketry fire, Littler's men held on their way until
close up to the works. Then they were unable longer to withstand the
storm of fire, and fell back.
The left brigade of the reserve under Sir Harry Smith was at once
ordered forward to fill up the opening left in the line, and advanced
against the village with splendid bravery. Wallace's and Gilbert's
divisions on the right and centre were more successful than that of
Littler, and gallantly stormed the intrenchments in front of them in
spite of the desperate bravery of the Sikhs; but just as they had
achieved this feat night fell suddenly, as it does in India. The air
was obscured by dust and smoke; none knew the position of the troops to
the right or left of them. Great piles of dry forage were alight in the
Sikh camp, and frequent explosions of loose powder took place.
Sir Harry Smith's brigade had stormed the village and held it, but were
in complete ignorance of what was taking place elsewhere; while
Littler's division, which had suffered terribly in its advance, had
retired, but no one knew in which direction. Just before dark the 3d
Dragoons, on the extreme right, were ordered to charge, and dashed
headlong into the Sikh camp, adding to the utter confusion that
prevailed there, and cutting down numbers of the enemy, but losing
themselves ten officers and a hundred and twenty men out of four
hundred.
To advance further was hopeless. There was no saying what obstacles
might be encountered in the darkness--friends might fire into each
other, regiments lose their way and be destroyed, and all order and
regularity be lost. Consequently Sir Hugh Gough, fearing to keep his
men in a position in which they would be exposed to be overthrown
piecemeal by rushes of the enemy, told the officers about him to ride
off and order all the troops to abandon the positions they had won, and
retire outside the intrenchments, and there to lie down in readiness for
a renewed attack in the early morning. Wallace and Gilbert's divisions
obeyed the orders, Sir Harry Smith's received none, but after holding
the village until about ten o'clock at night, and knowing nothing of the
position of the troops on his right, he abandoned it and also fell back.
The position of the British was most serious; the whereabouts of the
divisions of Sir Harry Smith and General Littler could not be
discovered, and the other two divisions, thinned by their losses, might
be attacked in the morning by a vastly superior force, for it was
probable that Tej Singh with his army would arrive during the night.
The Sikhs had withdrawn their guns as the British rushed forward to the
assault, so that their artillery was still intact, and as soon as they
found that their intrenchments were evacuated they advanced and kept up
a continuous fire of cannon and musketry at the unseen foe, who were
lying but a hundred and fifty yards away. The fire of one of the
batteries was so destructive that Sir Henry Hardinge mounted his horse
and called to the 80th Regiment:
"My lads, we shall have no sleep until we take those guns." The
regiment leapt to its feet and at once advanced, and, supported by the
1st Bengal Europeans, again stormed the intrenchments, drove the Sikhs
from their guns, spiked them, and retired.
Percy had had nothing to do during the advance, but when the orders were
given for the troops to retire he had assisted to carry them to the
different regiments, as the whole of Sir Henry Hardinge's staff, with
the exception of his son, had been killed or wounded, as had most of
those of Sir Hugh Gough. Major Broadfoot had fallen. Captain
Nicholson, assistant political agent, was also killed, and indeed all
the political agents with one exception were either killed or wounded.
Percy had felt almost bewildered with the roar and din of the battle;
but the feeling of excitement was so great, that although officer after
officer fell round him the thought of danger to himself scarcely entered
his mind. He mechanically followed with the rest of the staff as the
general had ridden hither and thither along the line, but he felt almost
as one in a dream until he was called upon with all the rest of the
officers round the general to carry orders to the troops to retire.
On his return from this duty, Sir Henry Hardinge begged of him to ride
off and to try and discover the whereabouts of the missing divisions;
and, accompanied by his two men, who had kept a short distance behind
him during the fight, and had both escaped unwounded, he rode about for
some hours in the jungle, but without success. He was, indeed, himself
lost, and at last threw himself off his horse to wait till morning
should show him the bearings of the enemy's camp. But few words had
been exchanged between him and his followers during the ride, for he was
still dazed by the battle, and was parched with thirst and exhausted by
fatigue and emotion.
"It has been a terrible day," he said, as he threw himself down on the
ground after flinging the bridle over a bough of a low tree to prevent
the horse from straying.
"It has, indeed, sahib," Akram Chunder replied. "Never did I hear so
terrible a roar of fire. I thought that my time had come, for it seemed
as if every man must be swept away. It looked like madness to attack
such a position. I did not think that men could do it."
"It was wonderful," Bhop Lal joined in; "truly the British are
marvellous fighters. The Sikhs are no cowards, and yet though they must
have been two to one, and had strong intrenchments behind which their
guns were sheltered, they could not withstand them. I have wondered
often how it was that so many kingdoms have been conquered, so many
armies defeated, by your countrymen. Now I wonder no longer. When you
said that the English would certainly beat the Sikhs I thought you were
wrong, though it was not for me to contradict you. Now I see that you
were right. The Sikhs have found their masters, and after all their
boasting have been defeated on their own ground, and with numbers,
position, and everything in their favour."
"They are not defeated yet," Percy said; "they have again entered their
intrenchments, and if Tej Singh comes up during the night their numbers
will be overwhelming."
"The English will win," Bhop Lal said carelessly; "they are not to be
conquered. Besides, the Sikhs move slowly, and Tej Singh will not be up
till morning."
They had some bread and cold meat in their valises, Percy had a flask of
brandy and water, and his two followers waterskins hung from their
horses' saddles. Percy was only able to eat a few mouthfuls, and then
fell asleep; but his followers ate a hearty meal, and remained smoking
and talking until, when day began to break, they aroused their master.
Bhop Lal climbed up into the highest tree he could find, and exclaimed: