Since the publication of the first edition of this work, the medal
granted for the “Second Burmese War, 1852–3,” and the war with Persia,
1856–7, has been designated the “Indian General Service Medal,” and is
now always given as a reward for the almost perpetual expeditions[137]
against the native tribes on the frontiers of India, and in adjoining
territories. The medal, designed by L. C. Wyon, was first issued in
1854, with a clasp “Pegu,” to commemorate the services against the
Burmese in 1852–3; and was also given for the Persian campaign, 1856–57,
with clasp “Persia.” By a general order, July 1, 1869, the medal with a
clasp inscribed “North West Frontier,” was granted for services on the
North West Frontier of India, dating from 1849 to 1863. On the obverse
of this medal is the diademed head of the Queen, with the legend
“Victoria Regina.” On the reverse is a figure of Victory crowning a
seated classic warrior with a laurel wreath. In the exergue is the lotus
flower, but neither legend nor date. Ribbon: alternate stripes of
crimson and blue. The name and regiment, or ship, are indented on the
edge of the medal.
[Illustration:
The Indian General Service Medal.
]
Generally, but not invariably, where the recipient had served in two
or more expeditions, and had previously gained the medal, a bar or
clasp only was added to those already worn, instead of giving another
medal; but subsequent to 1876 instances occur of men having two
medals, with bars for different campaigns. Since 1869, by a series of
general orders, twelve bars have been issued with this medal,
inscribed—“Umbeyla,”—“Bhootan,”—“Looshai,”—“Perak,”—“Jowaki,
1877–8”—“Naga,”—“Burma, 1885–7”—“Sikkim, 1888”—“Hazara, 1888”—“Burma,
1887–89”—“Chin-Lushai, 1889–90”—“Samana, 1891”—the medal in all cases
being the same.
SECOND BURMESE WAR.
1852–53.
The King of Ava having refused redress for injuries inflicted on British
subjects at Rangoon, in violation of the treaty of Yandaboo, concluded
at the termination of the first Burmese war, after an ineffectual
attempt at negociation, hostilities commenced. Troops were collected
from Bengal and Madras, and placed under the command of Major-General
Godwin, who had borne a prominent part in the first war with Ava. The
Queen’s regiments which formed part of the force were the 18th., 51st.,
and 80th.,[138] and a naval squadron, under the command of Commodore
Lambert, consisting of H.M.S. “Fox” (40), “Serpent” (16), “Rattler”
(11), “Hermes” (6), “Salamander” (6), and a gunboat, with thirteen
vessels of the East Indian Company and Uncovenanted Service, took a very
active part in the operations, afloat and ashore.
Major-General Godwin embarked with the force under his command on the
28th. of March, 1852, and three days afterwards the destruction of the
stockades on the banks of the river Irrawaddy was effected. The next
service was the attack and capture of Martaban, on the 5th. of April, in
which portions of the 18th. and 80th. shared. Captain Campbell commanded
the wing of the 18th., and Major Lockhart that of the 80th. Captain
Gillespie, in command of the grenadiers of the former regiment was first
on the walls, and the soldier following him received three wounds. About
seven o’clock in the morning the troops landed, and the storming party
was soon under the walls and over them, when Lieutenant-Colonel
Reignolds at once took possession, after some skirmishing, of the pagoda
on the height, and by eight o’clock a.m. Martaban was won. The storming
party from the 80th. was commanded by Captain Christie of that regiment.
At this period the Madras division (comprising the 51st. regiment) had
not arrived at Rangoon, but by the 7th. of April it reached the
rendezvous at the mouth of the Rangoon river, and on the 11th. (Sunday)
Rangoon was bombarded. The ships silenced and destroyed the stockades at
the mouth of the river, and Commander Tarleton of the “Fox” landed with
a party of seamen and marines, spiked the guns and destroyed their
ammunition. At daybreak on the following morning the troops commenced
landing. They had not proceeded far when some guns were opened on the
British, and shortly afterwards skirmishers showed themselves in the
jungle. This was a new mode of fighting with the Burmese, as no instance
occurred in the former war of their attacking the flanks or quitting
their stockades. Now they were not only good shots, but bold in their
operations, and clever in selecting their ground and covering
themselves. A strong outwork named the White House Redoubt was
assaulted; the storming party, of which four companies of the 51st.
Light Infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel St. Maur, formed part, carried
the stockade, but in consequence of the intense heat of the sun, which
occasioned the death of two officers, it was not until the 14th. of
April that the fortified town and pagoda of Rangoon were stormed and
captured. A Naval Brigade of one hundred and twenty men, under
Lieutenant Dorville of the “Fox,” served on shore with the troops, and
worked a battery of heavy guns.
The 80th. and 18th. formed the advance, and the 51st., under Major
Errington, Colonel St. Maur having been compelled to quit the field from
a stroke of the sun, were in reserve. After an advance for about a mile
the ground became very difficult, barely admitting of the 80th. and
18th. occupying it in close order. The troops also suffered from a heavy
fire, when an immediate assault was determined upon. The storming party
was formed of a wing of the 80th., under Major Lockhart, two companies
of the 18th., under Lieutenant Hewitt, and two companies of the 40th.
Bengal Native Infantry, under Lieutenant White, the whole commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Coote, of the Royal Irish; Captain Latter,
accompanying the party to show the road. Captain J. Wood, who was
specially mentioned, commanded the 18th. regiment. The golden pagoda—a
most sacred temple—was soon carried, and all the country fell with it,
the once strong post of Kemmendine having been abandoned and destroyed.
During the attack and storming of Rangoon, on the 11th., 12th., and
14th. of April, the British had two officers and fifteen men killed, and
fourteen officers and one hundred and eighteen men wounded. The
casualties in the fleet were seventeen.
General Godwin and Commodore Lambert in May planned an attack on
Bassein, one of the three chief ports of Burmah; and the two commanders,
with four steamers of the East India Company, having on board about
eight hundred men, proceeded to carry their design into execution. On
May 18th. the squadron anchored in front of the town, and the troops
landed under cover of the guns.
Major Errington with his force, of which four hundred of the 51st.
formed a portion, advanced on the chief pagoda and carried it in grand
style: the citadel, a strong mud fort, was next assaulted by a company
of the 51st. and two of the Madras Native Infantry, under Captains Rice
and Borthwick. Captain Rice, whilst gallantly leading his company, was
shot through the lower part of the neck, when his place was taken by
Lieutenant Carter, who, followed by his men, was the first on the
parapet; here he was struck down by a musket-ball, and rolled over the
exterior slope, but still insisted upon being carried into the work.
Although the defence was obstinate, yet in forty minutes after the
landing, the whole of the works were in possession of the British.
Eighty cannon and wall pieces were captured, and the stockades burnt.
This dashing operation occasioned the officers and men of Captain Rice’s
company to be specially thanked in orders. Major Errington, who
commanded the troops, was wounded. After leaving a garrison in Bassein
the remainder of the troops returned to Rangoon.
Martaban was attacked by a Burmese force of upwards of one thousand men
on the 26th. of May, but they were gallantly repulsed by the garrison,
consisting of the 49th. Madras Native Infantry, under Major Hall. The
51st. regiment, which had been sent to reinforce the garrison, assisted
in driving back the enemy from the stockade, and pursued him some
distance.
During the middle of September, the 18th. and 80th. regiments embarked
at Rangoon for Prome, and arrived there on the morning of the 9th. of
October. The troops were landed in the evening in a suburb to the north
of and beyond the town. As they advanced towards the position selected
for the night, a very smart fire of musketry and jingalls was
simultaneously opened from some jungle and houses on the British left,
and a small pagoda in the front. The grenadiers of the 80th. under
Captain Christie, and two companies of the same regiment under Captain
Welsh, accompanied by Brigadier Reignolds, Lieutenant-Colonel of the
18th. regiment, in a short time most gallantly drove the enemy from
their position. The remainder of the troops were landed on the following
morning, when the place was found evacuated by the Burmese. Thus the
important city of Prome was gained, with the small loss of one killed
and eight wounded.
Captain Loch, H.M.S. “Winchester,” subsequently destroyed several strong
fortifications in the neighbourhood of Prome. One at Akouktoung, armed
with five guns and garrisoned by four hundred men, completely commanded
the river, being situated on a hill three hundred feet high. Captain
Loch with eighty men scaled the hill overgrown with jungle, the enemy
fled, and the battery was taken and demolished.
On Sunday, the 21st. of November, Pegu was attacked by a force under
Brigadier Mc.Neill, of the Madras Army, composed of the 1st. Bengal
Fusiliers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Tudor, three hundred; 1st. Madras
Fusiliers, Major Hill, three hundred; 5th. Madras Native Infantry, Major
Shubrick, four hundred; seventy Sappers; and thirty-two Artillery. The
morning was foggy, and the Burmese were taken by surprise. They
retreated to the pagoda, but after some sharp fighting were driven out,
and the city captured. It had been taken by a handful of soldiers and
seamen under Commander Tarleton three months before, but the force being
too small to occupy the place returned to Rangoon.
When the news of the capture of this city was received at Calcutta, a
proclamation was issued annexing the whole province of Pegu to the
British territories.
On the 8th. of December the enemy attacked Prome in force, but were
repulsed with loss; the engagement lasted from midnight until four
o’clock in the morning of the 9th. The 51st. shared in this action.
The small garrison left in Pegu was constantly harassed by the attacks
of the Burmese army, encamped at a short distance, which were gallantly
repulsed by Major Hill, of the Madras Fusiliers. A reinforcement of
twelve hundred men left Rangoon on the 11th. of December, and arrived at
Pegu on the 14th; when, after a toilsome march through a close country
without a road, and an attack from a large body of skirmishers, the
relief was effected. A further advance into the country, with a view to
bring on a general action, was made on the 17th., and an attack
subsequently ensued, when the Burmese rapidly abandoned their entrenched
position and took to flight; after a further march of two days, the
enemy avoiding a general engagement, the state of the commissariat
forced the British general to return to Pegu, and subsequently to Prome.
An expedition proceeded under Brigadier-General Sir John Cheape, K.C.B.,
to the Donabew district of Pegu, in order to reduce the stronghold of
Myat-toon, a robber-chief. The force was actively engaged on the 17th.,
18th., and 19th. of March, 1853; after a severe struggle of four hours’
duration the place was stormed and destroyed. The left wing was
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sturt, of the 67th. Bengal Native
Infantry, and the right wing by Major Wigstone, of the 18th. Royal
Irish, who was severely wounded. The total loss amounted to twenty-two
killed, and one hundred and eight wounded, fourteen being officers. The
casualties sustained by the 18th., 51st., and 80th. regiments, amounted
to thirteen killed and sixty-five wounded.
A short time before, a combined naval and military force, commanded by
Captain Loch, of about five hundred men with three guns, had been
repulsed with loss, in an attempt to dislodge this freebooter. In this
affair, Lieutenant Kennedy, H.M.S. “Fox,” and Captain Price of the 67th.
Bengal Infantry were killed, and Captain Loch mortally wounded.
On the 30th. of June, 1853, the termination of the war was officially
announced, and although the king of Ava refused to sign a formal treaty
of peace, yet as all the concessions demanded were agreed to, the
Governor-General proclaimed that hostilities would not be resumed so
long as the British possession of Pegu remained undisputed. All the
captives in Ava were released, and the navigation of the Irrawaddy was
declared to be free for the purposes of trade between the two countries.
The British regiments that took part in this war were the 18th., 51st.,
and 80th. Foot, also the men of the Naval Brigade.
THE PERSIAN CAMPAIGN.
1856–1857.
A rupture occurred with Persia, in consequence of that power having
taken possession of Herat on the 25th. of October, and war was declared
on the 1st. November following. An expedition accordingly proceeded to
the Persian Gulf, under Major-General Stalker, C.B., and the Island of
Karrack was taken formal possession of on the 3rd. of December without
opposition. The troops landed on the 7th. at Ras Halala, about fifteen
miles below Bushire, and two days afterwards stormed the position at the
old Dutch fort of Reshire, which was taken, the place being carried at
the point of the bayonet.[139] The casualties were principally confined
to the officers, amongst whom was Brigadier James Stopford, C.B., of the
64th., killed.
On the morning of the 10th. the British marched on Bushire, a walled
town, which surrendered unconditionally, after a bombardment of upward
of four hours. No loss was sustained; sixty-five guns, with large
quantities of ammunition and warlike stores, were here captured. The
garrison, consisting of about two thousand, (a large number having
previously effected their escape, and several drowned in the attempt),
grounded their arms in front of the British line, and were on the
following morning escorted by the cavalry some distance into the
country, and then set at liberty. Her Majesty’s 64th., under Major
Stirling, shared in this success.
A stronger expedition subsequently proceeded from Bombay, commanded by
Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram; this was composed of two divisions,
one of which was under Brigadier-General Havelock, and the other under
Major-General Stalker; the 78th. Highlanders were added to this force.
On the evening of the 3rd. of February, 1857, Sir James Outram marched
against Sooja-ool-Moolk, strongly posted in an entrenched camp at
Borazgoon. Each man carried his great coat, blanket, and two days’
provisions, but without any tents or other equipage; the rain fell
heavily, and the nights were bitterly cold. The position was reached in
the afternoon of the 5th. of February, when the Persians rapidly
retreated, leaving their camp, ammunition and equipage in the hands of
the British.
On the return march during the night of the 7th., the rear-guard was
attacked by the Persians, who were kept in check until daybreak, when
the enemy, amounting to between six and seven thousand men, were
perceived drawn up near Koosh-ab. Two mounds in their centre, on which
they placed their guns, served as redoubts, and some deep nullahs on
their flank were lined with skirmishers. In the action that followed,
the enemy’s guns were silenced by the British artillery; the cavalry
drove his horse from the field; and on the advance of the infantry, the
Persians broke and fled, throwing away their arms and accoutrements in
their flight. By ten o’clock the defeat of the Persian troops was
complete.[140]
After this victory the British bivouacked for the day close to the
battle-field, and at night, by another route, accomplished a march of
twenty miles, over a country rendered almost impassable by the incessant
heavy rains. After a rest of six hours, the greater portion of the
infantry continued their march to Bushire, which was reached before
midnight, thus performing another most arduous march of forty-four miles
under incessant rain, besides fighting and defeating the enemy during
its progress, within the short period of fifty hours. On the morning of
the 10th. the cavalry and artillery arrived in camp.
The loss in the action of Koosh-ab on the 8th. of February was limited
to sixteen killed and sixty-two wounded. Lieutenant Frankland, of the
2nd. European regiment, was the only officer killed.[141] This officer,
together with Captain Forbes, commanding the 3rd. regiment of Light
Cavalry, and Lieutenant Doveton Downes Greentree, of the 64th. regiment,
both severely wounded (the latter losing his leg), received special
mention in the Governor-General’s Notification.
For some months the Persians had been engaged in fortifying their
position at Mohammerah, a place at the confluence of the Karun and
Euphrates rivers. Batteries had been erected of solid earth, twenty feet
thick, and eighteen feet high, with casemated embrasures, armed with
heavy guns, commanding both sides of the river, but Lieutenant-General
Outram resolved to attack them. Their army estimated at thirteen
thousand men, with thirty guns, was commanded by the Shazada, Prince
Khauler Mirza, in person; whilst the Anglo-Indian troops consisted of
about five thousand. This place was bombarded on the 26th. of March by
five steamers and two sloops of war of the Indian navy, under the
command of Commodore Young. The action commenced soon after daybreak,
and the Persians stood to their guns well till 10 a.m., when the
magazine in the north battery blew up. Three more explosions followed;
the enemy’s fire slackened, and by one o’clock was completely silenced.
A fire of musketry was then opened from the batteries, until storming
parties were landed from the ships, who drove out the Persians, and took
possession of their works and guns. Brigadier-General Havelock landed
the troops, but no portion of the military force was actively engaged,
except some European riflemen sent on board the war vessels, as the
Persians fled from their entrenched camp without waiting an attack.
Meanwhile a treaty of peace had been in progress, the ratifications of
which were exchanged at Bagdad on the 2nd. of May, whereby Herat was
agreed to be evacuated, and all interference with the internal affairs
of Afghanistan was to be avoided.
The regiments employed in this expedition, were the 14th. Light
Dragoons, the 64th. and 78th. regiments, 3rd. Bombay Cavalry, Poonah
Horse, 1st. Scinde Horse, 2nd. Bombay Europeans, Bombay and Madras
Sappers and Miners, and 2nd., 3rd., 4th., 5th., 8th., 11th., 15th.,
20th., 22nd., 23rd., 25th., 26th., 28th., and 29th. regiments of Bombay
Infantry.
NORTH WEST FRONTIER.
1849–1863.
The first of the principal of the expeditions during this period was
into the Eusufzye country, north of Peshawur, December, 1849. This
expedition, under the command of Brigadier Bradshaw, 60th. Rifles, was
despatched to chastise the Hill tribes on the Swat Border, and several
of their villages were captured and destroyed. The British troops
engaged in this affair were the 60th. Rifles and the 61st. Foot.
AGAINST THE AFRIDIS.
FEBRUARY, 1850.
The Afridis are a fierce and warlike tribe inhabiting a series of steep
and rugged hills lying between the Kohat and Peshawur districts. They
are good shots, and if combined, could muster 15,000 to 20,000 fighting
men. The Punjab Government paid them an annual subsidy of 5,700 rupees
in return for their protecting the pass from Peshawur to Kohat. But in
spite of this arrangement, on February 2nd, 1850, a body of Afridis
attacked a body of Sappers making a road in the Kohat pass, killed
twelve of them, and put the rest to flight. To punish them for their
treachery, a column, under the command of Sir Colin Campbell (afterwards
Lord Clyde), who was accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Charles
Napier, forced the pass, in spite of the efforts of the Afridis, routed
them, and burnt their villages. As usual in hill campaigns the heaviest
of the fighting fell on the rear of the retiring force in its march to
Peshawur.[142] The regiments that took part in this expedition were the
60th. Rifles, 61st., and 98th. Foot, besides Native troops. In the
latter part of the year 1851, the Mohmunds, a tribe inhabiting the
Khyber Pass, committed a series of depredations on villages under
British rule, and made an attack on a fort at Shubkuddur. To chastise
them, on October 25th, Sir Colin Campbell left Peshawur with a force of
about 2000 men, including two companies each of the 61st. and 98th.
Foot, and destroyed several of their villages with their stores of
grain. After some skirmishes Sir Colin, leaving garrisons at Shubkuddur
and Dubb, returned to Peshawur in February, 1852. In the same month the
Mohmunds made another inroad, and in March Sir Colin again took the
field against them, with a column of 2500 men, consisting of a troop of
Horse Artillery, the 32nd. Foot, and several Native regiments. On March
20th. the Mohmunds attacked him in force at Pung Rao, but after a hot
action of three hours were repulsed with considerable loss. Another
skirmish took place in April, near Shubkuddur, and on the retreat of the
Mohmunds, Sir Colin, with the Europeans, returned to Peshawur. But the
disturbances on the North West frontier were far from being over. The
Ootman Khail,[143] or tribe, of Afridis, began to make incursions into
British territory, and on the 7th. of May, Sir Colin, with the 32nd.
Foot, a wing of the 53rd. regiment, the Guide Corps, and some regiments
of Punjaubees and Goorkhas, marched against them, and after a few
skirmishes captured and destroyed, with small loss, the strongly
fortified hill village of Praunghur.
On May 17th Sir Colin attacked about 8000 of the enemy at a village
called Istakote, at the entrance of the Ranize Valley, and a smart
action followed, in which Sir Colin himself headed the cavalry of the
Guides in a charge, with the result that the hill men were driven back
in confusion. They suffered severely, but were not subdued, though
checked for a time.
AGAINST THE HUSSUNZIES AND BOREE AFRIDIS.
1852–53.
A party of Hussunzies having murdered two British officials, and the
tribe refusing to surrender the murderers, an expedition was dispatched
to chastise them. The Hussunzies occupied the western slopes of the
Black Mountains, a height of about 10,000 feet above the sea level, and
trusted to the inaccessibility of their stronghold, which had hitherto
defied every assailant. In December, 1852, two Brigades took up a
position at the foot of the Black Mountain, and three columns commanded
by Colonel Napier (afterwards Lord Napier of Magdala), Colonel Mackeson,
and Major Abbot, were formed for the assault. After an obstinate
resistance all three columns won their way up the steep ascent, and
bivouacked for three nights on the summit of the so-called impregnable
Black Mountain. The villages of the enemy were burnt in the sight of
their owners, and the columns, with little loss, descended the mountain
and were broken up. No British regiment seems to have been engaged in
this affair.
In the latter part of the year 1853, the Boree Afridis inhabiting the
country near the Kohat Pass, began to commit depredations, and refusing
any reparation or promise to abstain from similar acts in the future, a
force under the command of Colonel Boileau, with Colonel Napier, was
sent against them in November. The troops comprised the 22nd. Foot, the
Guides, 66th. Goorkhas, and Native Infantry. The expedition was ably
planned and successfully executed; the principal villages of the enemy
were destroyed, and the Afridis taught a lesson which they long
remembered.
AGAINST THE LURRUCKZAI MOHMUNDS AND MEERANZIES.
1854–55.
To punish the Mohmunds for their raids into British territory, in
August, 1854, an expedition commanded by Sir Sydney Cotton was
despatched against them. After an unimportant skirmish or two the
principal villages of the Mohmunds were taken and destroyed, and the
troops returned. The 22nd. Foot was the only British regiment which took
part in this affair. The Meeranzies, a Pathan tribe, occupying the hilly
country near Thull, for a long time had made incursions into British
territory, sacking the villages, and carrying off the inhabitants for
ransom. At length the Punjaub Government resolved to chastise them, and
in April, 1855, a strong force of 3500 men under the command of
Brigadier (afterwards Sir Neville) Chamberlain, marched towards
Meeranzie. On April 30th. he was attacked by the enemy in Upper
Meeranzie, but after a brief action drove them back in confusion. The
hill men were pursued, their villages and stores of grain destroyed, and
a severe retribution dealt them for their long continuous acts of
hostility against the defenceless inhabitants of the British border.
None but Native troops were employed in this expedition.