Cavalry. Artillery and Infantry.
Sappers & Miners.
Under arms 1,086 2,971 17,050
Bâtmen, & otherwise employed 306 100 3,040
On command 242 206 2,029
Sick { Present 193 564 4,821
Sick { Absent 576 673 9,174
————— ————— ——————
2,403 4,514 36,114
Officers 111 161 832
Total officers and men, 11th. January, 1855 44,135.
Footnote 168:
“Would you tell Mrs. Herbert that I begged she would let me see
frequently the accounts she receives from Miss Nightingale or Mrs.
Bracebridge, as I hear no details of the wounded, though I see so many
from officers, etc., about the battle-field, and naturally the former
must interest me more than anyone. Let Mrs. Herbert also know that I
wish Miss Nightingale and the ladies would tell these poor noble
wounded and sick men that no one takes a warmer interest, or feels
more for their sufferings, or admires their courage and heroism more
than their Queen. Day and night she thinks of her beloved troops; so
does the Prince. Beg Mrs. Herbert to communicate these my words to
those ladies, as I know that our sympathy is much valued by these
noble fellows.—VICTORIA.”
Footnote 169:
“The covering party for the entire right attack (upwards of a mile in
extent) never had exceeded, at this period of the siege, three hundred
and fifty men, and on the night of the 21st. of January it numbered
only two hundred and ninety men. The guards for the other attacks were
equally small.”—_Major Elphinstone’s “Journal of Operations conducted
by the Royal Engineers.”_
Footnote 170:
“The gallant old 7th. Fusiliers had to run the gauntlet of a large
body of the enemy, whom they drove back _à la fourchette_. The 34th.
regiment had an enormous force to contend against, and their Colonel,
Kelly, was carried off by the enemy. In the midst of the fight, Major
Gordon, of the Royal Engineers, displayed that cool courage and
presence of mind which never forsook him. With a little switch in his
hand, he encouraged the men to defend the trenches, and standing up on
the top of the parapet, unarmed as he was, hurled down stones upon the
Russians. He was struck by a ball, which passed through the lower part
of his arm, and at the same time received a bullet through the
shoulder. All rejoiced that he was not dangerously wounded.”—_The
British Expedition to the Crimea, by W. H. Russell, L.L.D._
Footnote 171:
The British ships employed in this expedition were the “Royal Albert,”
“Agamemnon,” “Hannibal,” “Algiers,” “St. Jean d’Acre,” “Princess
Royal,” ships of the line; and twenty-seven frigates and gunboats. The
land forces amounted to nearly 16,000 men, with six batteries of
artillery.
Footnote 172:
“From the 13th. to the 19th. of August, inclusive, the expenditure of
ammunition amounted to twenty-six thousand two hundred and seventy
rounds, and that of powder to about eighty-one tons.”—_Artillery
Operations, compiled by Captain and Brevet-Major W. E. M. Reilly,
C.B., Royal Artillery._
Footnote 173:
Number killed, wounded, etc., of the British army in the Crimea, from
the date of embarkation for the East, to the 30th. April, 1856.
┌────────────────────┬───────────┬───────────┬───────────┬────────────┐
│ │ Cavalry. │Artillery. │Engineers. │ Infantry. │
├────────────────────┼─────┬─────┼─────┬─────┼─────┬─────┼─────┬──────┤
│ │Offi-│N.-C.│Offi-│N.-C.│Offi-│N.-C.│Offi-│N.-C. │
│ „ │cers.│O. & │cers.│O. & │cers.│O. & │cers.│ O. & │
│ │ │Men. │ │Men. │ │Men. │ │ Men. │
├────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────┤
│Killed in action │ 9│ 114│ 11│ 121│ 9│ 32│ 125│ 2331│
│Died of wounds │ 4│ 26│ 1│ 52│ 6│ 23│ 73│ 1832│
│Died of disease, │ 23│ 1007│ 10│ 1298│ 5│ 175│ 105│13,414│
│ etc. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
├────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────┤
│ Total deaths │ 36│ 1147│ 22│ 1471│ 20│ 230│ 303│17,577│
├────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────┤
│Wounded { severely │ 12│ 113│ 6│ 632│ 7│ 31│ 254│ 5186│
│Wounded { slightly │ 14│ 124│ 24│ „ │ 6│ 55│ 181│ 5220│
├────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────┤
│ Total wounded │ 26│ 237│ 30│ 632│ 13│ 86│ 435│10,406│
├────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────┤
│Number who suffered │ 1│ 22│ 1│ 32│ 2│ 7│ 34│ 810│
│ amputation │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
└────────────────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴──────┘
Footnote 174:
The “Turkish General Service Medal,” instituted by Mahomet II., in
1831, was given by the Sultan, to Colonel (afterwards General Sir J.
Lintorn) Simmons, two officers, and sixteen men of the tenth company
Royal Engineers, and to two officers, and thirty men forming the crew
of a gunboat, for services in the Danube in 1854. The medals given to
Colonel Simmons and Commander Carr-Glyn, were in gold, the others in
silver. On the obverse is the Sultan’s cypher, within a circle,
surmounted by the crescent and star, on the sides are flags and laurel
branches. The reverse has a large elliptical star, surmounted by
another of six points, below is a scroll with a Turkish inscription,
signifying Medal, or Mark of Honour. Ribbon: red, with green edges.
Medals—one in gold, and the others in silver—were also given to seven
British officers in command of Turkish troops at the successful
defence of Silistria, in 1854; and a silver medal was given to General
Sir F. Williams and the officers under him for the defence of Kars,
1855.
Footnote 175:
The first act of bravery for which the Cross was given.
Footnote 176:
Queen’s Regiments in India on the 1st. of May, 1857:—6th. Dragoon
Guards, 9th. and 12th. Lancers, and 14th. Light Dragoons, 8th. Foot,
10th. (first battalions), 24th., 27th., 29th., 32nd., 35th., 43rd.,
52nd., 53rd., 60th. (first battalion), 61st., 64th., 70th., 74th.,
75th., 78th., 81st., 83rd., 84th., 86th., and 87th. Regiments.
Strength:—seven hundred and fifty-seven officers and twenty-two
thousand four hundred and seventy-one men. The East India Company’s
troops raised this force to two hundred and seventy-seven thousand
seven hundred and forty-six; the Native Troops included therein
amounting to two hundred and thirty-two thousand two hundred and
twenty-four, and the Europeans to forty-five thousand five hundred and
twenty-two.
Footnote 177:
The following fact is significant of the scarcity of this kind of
ammunition:—In one of the field force orders it was notified that two
annas would be given for each of the enemy’s twenty-four pounder round
shot that might be brought into camp, to be again used up. Similar
instances occurred during the siege of Sebastopol, and in the
Peninsula, as noticed in the account of the War in the Crimea, at page
417 of this work.
Footnote 178:
Sir John Lawrence, the able chief commissioner of the Punjab, by his
wise and prompt measures secured the tranquility of that portion of
India. The necessary steps to disarm the Native Regiments were ably
carried into effect by the 81st., the only Queen’s regiment at Lahore.
Putteeala, a powerful Sikh chieftain, also gave zealous aid, not only
by sending troops to replace those who had marched from Umballa to
join their comrades before Delhi, but also by affording protection to
fugitives, and exercising his influence to keep his countrymen
faithful to the British; his relative, the Jheend Rajah also proceeded
to Delhi with a body of his own troops, and bore an active share in
the subsequent operations. The authorities at Peshawur, where fourteen
thousand men were stationed, only about one-fourth being Europeans,
were on the alert; the fort of Attock was at once provisioned for a
siege, the 57th. Queen’s regiment forming the garrison, and the 64th.
Native Infantry were distributed in the frontier forts, the treasure
being deposited at Peshawur. The Guides were sent to join the army
before Delhi, where they arrived in June, after a march of about six
hundred miles, pronounced by Sir Henry Barnard to be without a
parallel. Colonel Edwards, of Punjab fame, also by his appeals caused
several bodies of Sikh troops to uphold British rule, and they were
found most welcome at Delhi, above all, the great object of disarming
the suspicious regiments was carried out. Colonel Ellice with three
companies of the 24th. regiment, had an affair with the 14th. Native
Infantry, at Jhelum on the 7th. of July; in which he himself was
dangerously wounded; and a flying column, under Brigadier-General
Nicholson, encountered the mutineers about noon on the 12th. of July,
as they were crossing the Ravee; in this action the 52nd. Light
Infantry, under Colonel Campbell, maintained their high character.
After another attack on the 16th. of that month, the Brigadier
proceeded to several disturbed parts of the country, and eventually
joined the troops before Delhi on the 14th. of August. The column from
the Punjab comprised the 52nd. Light Infantry, a wing of the 61st.,
No. 17 Light Field Battery, 2nd. regiment of Punjab Infantry, a wing
of the 7th. Punjab Police Battalion, 4th. Sikh Infantry, two hundred
and fifty Mooltanee Horse, with siege guns and ordnance stores. The
52nd. were six hundred and eighty strong, with six sick, but on the
14th. of September, owing to the ravages of fever and cholera, they
only mustered two hundred and forty effectives of all ranks.
Footnote 179:
In addition to these two officers there were Sergeants John Smith and
A. B. Carmichael, and Corporal F. Burgess, _alias_ Joshua Burgess
Grierson, of the Sappers and Miners; Bugler Hawthorne, of the 52nd.
Light Infantry, and twenty-four Sappers and Miners, viz.:—fourteen
Native and ten Punjabees. Covered by the fire of the 60th. Rifles,
this party advanced at the double towards the Cashmere Gate;
Lieutenant Home, with Sergeants John Smith and Carmichael, and
Havildar Madhoo, all of the Sappers, leading and carrying the
powder-bags, followed by Lieutenant Salkeld, Corporal Burgess, and a
section of the remainder of the party. Sergeant Carmichael was killed
whilst laying his powder, and Havildar Madhoo was wounded. Whilst
endeavouring to fire the charge Lieutenant Salkeld was shot through
the leg and arm, and handed over the slow match to Corporal Burgess,
who fell mortally wounded just as he had successfully performed his
duty. Havildar Tiluk Singh, of the Sappers and Miners was wounded, and
Ram Heth, Sepoy, of the same corps, was killed during this part of the
operation. The demolition having been most successful, Lieutenant Home
then caused the bugle to sound the regimental call of the 52nd. as the
signal for the advance of the column; this was repeated three times,
as it was feared that amidst the noise of the assault the sound might
not be heard. The bugler, Robert Hawthorne, after performing his own
dangerous duty, humanely attached himself to Lieutenant Salkeld, and
after binding up that officer’s wounds under a heavy musketry fire,
had him removed without further injury. For this deed, pronounced to
be “as noble as any that has ever graced the annals of war,” he
received the Victoria Cross.
Footnote 180:
Well might the Governor-General, in his “Notification,” remark, that
“Before a single soldier, of the many thousands who are hastening from
England to uphold the supremacy of the British power, has set foot on
these shores, the rebel force, where it was strongest and most united,
and where it had the command of unbounded military appliances, has
been destroyed or scattered by an army collected within the limits of
the North-western Provinces and the Punjab alone.”
Footnote 181:
At one time there were three brothers of this name before Delhi, the
8th. Foot being in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Greathed at the
assault on that city; this was the elder; the other, H. H. Greathed,
Esq., Commissioner and Political Agent of the Bengal Civil Service,
died of cholera on the 19th. of September, the day previous to its
capture; and the youngest, Brevet-Major William Wilberforce Harris
Greathed, C.B., of the Bengal Engineers, was severely wounded in the
storming of Delhi.
Footnote 182:
Afterwards General Sir Hope Grant, G.C.B.
Footnote 183:
The strength of the Lucknow garrison on the 1st. of July, 1857,
consisted of one thousand six hundred and eighteen officers and men,
“effective, fit for duty”; the sick and wounded amounted to eighty
officers and men.
Footnote 184:
One of the most remarkable relics of the siege that I have seen was
the mess plate of the 32nd. regiment. The spoons were twisted by the
effect of the enemy’s shot, and the soup tureen presented a singular
appearance, the handles being nearly wrenched off. These battered
articles were sent to Windsor Castle for the inspection of Her
Majesty.
Footnote 185:
The native non-commissioned officers and men who formed part of the
garrison, received the Indian Order of Merit, and were permitted to
count three years of additional service. The 13th., 48th., and 71st.
regiments of Native Infantry were afterwards formed into one corps,
designated the “Regiment of Lucknow.”
Footnote 186:
The garrison of Lucknow, from the 30th. of June to the 26th. of
September, 1857, had one hundred and forty officers and men,
Europeans, killed, and one hundred and ninety wounded; Natives,
seventy-two killed and one hundred and thirty-one wounded.
Footnote 187:
Cawnpore unfortunately occupies a prominent place in the history of
the mutiny. General Sir Hugh Wheeler, seeing the state of the native
troops, which composed part of the garrison, formed an entrenched camp
round the hospital barracks, and collected a supply of provisions.
Owing to the defection of the native corps, some of which at first
appeared faithful, the force ultimately consisted of the first company
sixth battalion of artillery, sixty-one; 32nd. regiment, eighty-four;
1st. European Fusiliers, fifteen; 84th. regiment, fifty; in all, two
hundred and ten. To these may be added the officers of the three
native infantry regiments, and others, amounting to about one hundred.
The non-combatants amounted to five hundred and ninety, one hundred
and sixty women and children being included in the latter number, in
all nine hundred. Considering the defenceless state of the camp, it
was wonderful that the garrison could withstand the enemy for a single
day. The Sepoys commenced their attack on the 7th. of June, and
continued an almost constant fire on the camp until the 24th. The
garrison had only eight guns, while some opposed to them were
twenty-four pounders. Frequent attempts were made to carry the
enclosure by storm, but they were unsuccessful, the Sepoys being
driven back each time. The sufferings of the garrison were so extreme,
that on the 25th. of June, arrangements were entered into with Nena
Sahib for the evacuation of the place. The result is but too well
known. While the unfortunate people were proceeding towards Allahabad,
the treacherous mutineers fired upon all in the boats; the one in
which General Wheeler (who had been severely wounded) was in they
brought back to Cawnpore. Only a few escaped, one of whom, Lieutenant
Delafosse, has given a narrative of what he witnessed. All who were
not killed in the boats were carried back to Cawnpore; the men being
shot, and the females detained prisoners.
Footnote 188:
This miscreant’s real name was Doondoo Punt, and he was the adopted
son of Bajee Kao, the ex-Peishwah of Poona. After the death of the
latter, in 1852, he made claim to the pension which had been allowed
to that chief by the treaty of 1818, when he gave himself up to Sir
John Malcolm. The refusal of the Indian authorities to recognise his
right made him commence his vindictive course. He had been permitted
to keep up a retinue of two hundred soldiers, and had a fortified
place of residence at Bithoor, ten miles from Cawnpore.
Footnote 189:
Promoted to the rank of Major-General on the 30th. of July, 1857, and
was afterwards appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath; also created
a baronet, but dying before the patent was sealed, the dignity was
conferred upon his son, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry M. Havelock,
Bart., of the 18th. Royal Irish regiment.
Footnote 190:
Captain William Robert Moorsom, of the 52nd. Light Infantry, rendered
most important service in guiding Havelock’s second column. This young
officer had been selected in 1856 to conduct a scientific survey of
Lucknow, and having preserved rough copies of it, his knowledge of the
city proved of the highest importance, not only on this, but
subsequent occasions, his gallantry being repeatedly mentioned in the
despatches. Captain Moorsom met a soldier’s death at the early age of
twenty-four, at the head of a column of attack on the rebel parts of
the city of Lucknow, on the 11th. of March, 1858, and the 52nd.,
feeling that the career of this young officer, who had been engaged in
nine pitched battles and numerous skirmishes, having been twice
wounded, was an honour to the regiment, erected a monumental tablet to
his memory in the cathedral of Rochester. The Division of Sir James
Outram also erected in Westminster Abbey a memorial window to their
youthful Quartermaster-General.
Footnote 191:
Captain Oliver J. Jones, R.N., in his “Recollections of a Winter
Campaign in India, 1857–8,” gives the following amusing anecdote of
his first peep at the Commander-in-Chief. The author was wandering
through the rooms of a “strongish place” taken from a Rajah.—“In one
of them I found a couple of glass candlesticks, not worth sixpence a
piece; but as my establishment only sported an empty porter bottle, I
thought they would make a handsome addition, and took them. Coming
down stairs, I met Forster—poor fellow! he is now dead—one of the
Chief’s aide-de-camps, who said,—‘By Jove, old fellow, you’d better
not let Sir Colin catch you looting—here he comes!’ upon which I
dropped them, as Paddy says, like a hot murphy; and in a couple of
minutes after saw a Sikh walking off with my elegant candlesticks.
Soon afterwards I saw the Chief serving out _bamboo backsheesh_ to
some Sikhs who had passed him with loot, with a big stick, and I
rejoiced at the warning my friend Foster had given me, else, perhaps,
in his wrath, he might have broken my head too.”
The promising young officer above referred to, namely Captain W. F.
Godolphin Forster, of the 18th. Royal Irish Regiment, son of
Major-General W. F. Foster, K.H., Military Secretary at Head Quarters,
died at Lucknow on the 14th. of May, 1858, and up to that date had
accompanied Sir Colin Campbell in all his battles and operations
against the mutineers.
Footnote 192:
Mr. Thomas Henry Kavanagh, Assistant Commissioner in Oude, when
serving under the orders of Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram, in
Lucknow, on the 8th. of November, 1857, volunteered on the dangerous
duty of proceeding through the city to the camp of the
Commander-in-Chief, for the purpose of guiding the relieving force to
the beleaguered garrison in the Residency,—a task which he performed
with chivalrous gallantry and devotion.
A highly interesting work has been written by this gentleman, showing
how he won the Victoria Cross, which was conferred upon him under the
Royal Warrant of the 13th. of December, 1858; by which this high
distinction was accorded to certain non-military persons, who, as
Volunteers, had borne arms against the mutineers in India.
Footnote 193:
“There never was a bolder feat of arms, and the loss inflicted on the
enemy, after the entrance of the Secundra Bagh was effected, was
immense,—more than two thousand of the enemy were afterwards carried
out. The officers who led the regiments were Lieutenant-Colonel L.
Hay, H.M.’s 93rd. Highlanders, Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, H.M.’s 93rd.
Highlanders; Captain Walton, H.M.’s 53rd. Foot; Lieutenant Paul, 4th.
Punjaub Infantry (since dead); and Major Barnston, H.M.’s 90th.
Foot.”—_Sir Colin Campbell’s despatch._
Footnote 194:
“The fighting on the 28th. was very severe. On the left advance,
Colonel Walpole with the Rifles, supported by Captain Greene’s
battery, and part of the 82nd. regiment, achieved a complete victory
over the enemy, and captured two eighteen-pounder guns. The glory of
this well-contested fight belongs entirely to the above-named
companies and artillery.”—_Major-General Windham’s Despatch._
Footnote 195:
Force employed on the 6th. of December:—Brigadier Greathed’s
Brigade—8th., 64th., and 2nd. Punjaub Infantry. Artillery Brigade—two
troops Horse Artillery; three light field Batteries; guns of the Naval
Brigade; heavy field Battery Royal Artillery. Cavalry Brigade—9th.
Lancers; detachments 1st., 2nd., and 5th. Punjaub Cavalry and Hodson’s
Horse. 4th. Brigade—53rd. Foot; 42nd. and 93rd. Highlanders; 4th.
Punjaub Rifles. 5th. Infantry Brigade—23rd. Royal Welsh Fusiliers;
32nd. and 82nd. Regiments. 6th. Brigade—second and third battalions
Rifle Brigade; detachment 38th. Foot. Engineer Brigade—Royal
Engineers, and detachments Bengal and Punjaub Sappers and Miners
attached to the various brigades of Infantry.
Footnote 196:
Troops employed:—Head-quarters of the division of Artillery and of the
Field Artillery brigade under Major-General Sir A. Wilson, K.C.B., and
Colonel D. Wood, C.B. Royal Horse Artillery: Lieutenant-Colonel
D’Aguilar’s troop, Royal Horse Artillery; Lieutenant-Colonel Toombs,
C.B., and Lieutenant Bishop’s troops; Bengal Horse Artillery, under
Lieutenant-Colonel Turner; two twenty-four pounders and two eight-inch
howitzers of the “Shannon’s” Naval Brigade; two companies Punjaub
Sappers and Miners. Head-quarters of the Cavalry division and the 1st.
Cavalry Brigade, under Brigadier-General Sir J. H. Grant, K.C.B., and
Brigadier Little. 9th. Lancers; 2nd. Punjaub Irregular Cavalry;
detachment of 5th. Punjaub ditto; 1st. Sikh Irregular Cavalry. Second
division of Infantry, under Brigadier-General Sir E. Lugard, K.C.B.,
consisting of third brigade, Brigadier P. M. M. Guy, 34th., 38th., and
53rd. Foot; fourth brigade, Brigadier the Honourable Adrian Hope,
42nd. and 93rd. Highlanders and 4th. Punjaub Rifles.
Footnote 197:
The force under Brigadier-General Franks consisted of one hundred and
forty European and one hundred and seven Native officers, and five
thousand six hundred and forty-six men, and was composed of two
companies of Royal, one of Bengal, and one of Madras Artillery;
detachments of Benares Horse; Lahore Light Horse, Pathan Horse, and
third Sikh Irregular Cavalry; Her Majesty’s 10th., 20th., and 97th.
regiments, and six battalions of Ghoorkha infantry and artillery. A
dashing cavalry combat occurred at Nyapoorwa, on the 1st. March, in
which Captain Aikman, commanding the 3rd. Sikh cavalry, was greatly
distinguished; and on the 4th. of that month, the fort of Dhowrara was
captured.
Footnote 198:
Force sent across the Goomtee under Sir James
Outram:—Lieutenant-Colonel D’Aguilar’s troop Royal Horse Artillery;
Major Remmington’s and Captain McKinnon’s troops Royal Horse
Artillery, under Lieutenant-Colonel F. Turner; Captains Gibbons’ and
Middleton’s Light Field Batteries; Royal Artillery and head-quarters
Field Artillery Brigade; head-quarters Cavalry Division and of first
Cavalry Brigade; 2nd. Dragoon Guards; 9th. Lancers; 2nd. Punjaub
Cavalry, detachments 1st. and 5th. Punjaub Cavalry, under Captains
Watson and Sanford; third Infantry Division under Brigadier-General R.
Walpole; fifth Brigade, Brigadier Douglas, C.B., 23rd. Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, 97th. Highlanders, and 1st. Bengal Fusiliers; sixth
Brigade, Brigadier Alfred Horsford, C.B., second and third battalions
Rifle Brigade, and 2nd. Punjaub Infantry.
Footnote 199:
Promoted Major-General for his services on this occasion, and also
when in command of the force employed at the relief of Azimghur, in
April, 1858.
Footnote 200:
From the 2nd. to the 25th. of March, 1858, the British had one hundred
and twenty-seven officers and men killed, and five hundred and
ninety-five wounded.
Footnote 201:
Force employed at the Betwa.—Artillery, three siege guns, sixteen
light field guns; 14th. Light Dragoons, two hundred and forty-three
rank and file; Hyderabad Cavalry, two hundred and seven sabres; 86th.
Regiment, two hundred and eight rank and file; 3rd. Bombay European
Regiment, two hundred and twenty-six rank and file; 24th. Bombay
Native Infantry, two hundred and ninety-eight rank and file; and 25th.
Bombay Native Infantry, four hundred rank and file.
Footnote 202:
Several standards were captured, together with a silk Union Jack which
had been given by Lord William Bentinck to the grandfather of the
Ranee’s husband, with permission to have it carried before him as a
reward for his fidelity, a privilege accorded to no other Indian
Prince. The soldiers who had so bravely won this flag of their
country, asked permission to hoist it on the place,—a request to which
Sir Hugh Rose at once acceded.
Footnote 203:
See Recipients of the Victoria Cross.
Footnote 204:
Lieutenant Cameron, of the 72nd., received the Victoria Cross for
conspicuous bravery on this day, in having headed a small party of
men, and attacked a body of armed fanatic rebels, strongly posted in a
loopholed house, with one narrow entrance. He stormed the house, and
killed three rebels in single combat. This officer was severely
wounded, having lost the half of one hand, by a stroke from a tulwar.
Footnote 205:
In addition to four killed and fourteen wounded, the 14th. Light
Dragoons had eighteen cases of sunstroke, two proving fatal. The 71st.
Highland Light Infantry suffered from the same cause, eight out of the
nineteen cases dying from the intense heat, one day in the shade it
rose to 130 degrees. Sir Hugh Rose stated in his despatch, that when a
wing of the 71st. was prostrated by sun-sickness, the only complaint
he heard in the field hospitals from these gallant fellows, was that
they could not rise and fight.
Footnote 206:
Troops employed in the action at Banda:—Horse Artillery, European and
Native; 12th. Lancers (left wing); one squadron Hyderabad Cavalry, one
hundred and thirty-six; detachments Royal Artillery; Madras Artillery;
Sappers and Miners; 3rd. Madras European Regiment; 1st. Regiment of
Native Infantry; Detachment 50th. Native Infantry.
Footnote 207:
One of these, the defence of Arrah, is most remarkable. Sixteen
Europeans and fifty Sikh soldiers, made a noble stand against three
thousand mutineers. The Europeans were Mr. Littledale, judge; Mr.
Bombe, collector; Mr. Wake, magistrate; and Mr. Boyle, railway
engineer—all civilians. The first attempt to relieve them failed; on
the 27th. of July portions of the 10th. and 37th. regiments, and some
Sikhs, about four hundred in all, were sent up the river from Dynapore
in two steamers, one of which grounded: this caused a delay, but in
the evening of the 29th. the troops were disembarked. Captain Dunbar
pushed on until he reached the outskirts of the town, when the Sepoys
suddenly opened a destructive fire of musketry from the wood, a great
number, including himself, being killed, the survivors being hotly
pursued to the steamer. Major Vincent Eyre, of the Bengal Horse
Artillery (author of the well-known work on the disasters at Cabool),
who was in command of a flying force, on hearing of this event
advanced from Shawpore, a distance of twenty-eight miles, and on the
2nd. of August encountered the rebels near Goojerajunge; and although
the odds were twenty to one, gallantly defeated them. Mr. Ross Lowis
Mangles, Assistant-Magistrate at Patna, and Mr. William Fraser
M‘Donell, Magistrate of Sarun, both of the Bengal Civil Service,
received the Victoria Cross for their services; the former for
volunteering to serve with the above, having, on the morning of the
30th. of July, after Captain Dunbar’s death, during the retreat, with
signal gallantry and generous self-devotion, and notwithstanding that
he had himself been previously wounded, carried for several miles, out
of action, a wounded soldier of the 37th. regiment, bore him in safety
to the boats, after binding up his wounds under a murderous fire,
which killed or wounded almost the whole detachment; and the latter
for great coolness and bravery on the same day and occasion, in having
climbed, under an incessant fire outside the boat in which he and
several soldiers were, up to the rudder, and with considerable
difficulty cut through the lashing which secured it to the side of the
boat; on this being cut the boat obeyed the helm, and thus thirty-five
European soldiers escaped certain death. In this feat of arms, by
which the gallant garrison was relieved, one hundred and fifty-four
men of the 5th. Fusiliers, under Captain L’Estrange, maintained the
ancient fame of their regiment, and shared with the first company of
the 5th. battalion of the Bengal Artillery, and the Buxar Gentlemen
Volunteers, in this important result; so honourable to them and to
their daring commander. Captain Scott, Ensigns Lewis Oldfield
(wounded), and Mason, and Assistant-Surgeon Thornton, were the other
officers of the detachment of the 5th. Fusiliers.
Footnote 208:
The First Brigade, with whom was Sir Robert Napier, consisted of the
third Scinde Horse; head-quarters 12th. Bengal Cavalry; a battery
21st. Brigade Royal Artillery, with steel 7-pounder guns;
head-quarters 10th. Company Royal Engineers; 4th. King’s Own; 23rd.
Punjaubees, and wing of 27th Beloochees, also a Naval Brigade of
eighty-three men under Commander Fellowes, H.M.S. “Dryad,” with twelve
12-pounder rocket tubes, divided into two batteries. The Second
Brigade comprised four troops 3rd. Bombay Cavalry; a battery of the
14th. Brigade Royal Artillery, with four 12-pounder Armstrong guns;
detachment 5th. battery 25th. Brigade R.A., with two 8-inch mortars;
battery 21st. Brigade, with steel 7-pounders; company of Sappers and
Miners; 2nd., 3rd., and 4th. Companies of Bombay Sappers and Miners;
the 33rd. Regiment, and wing of the 10th. Bombay Native Infantry. The
reinforcement consisted of six companies of 45th. Regiment; wing of
3rd. Native Infantry; wing of the 27th. Native Infantry; one troop
3rd. Cavalry; wing of 3rd. Dragoon Guards; and a squadron of 10th.
Bengal Cavalry.
Footnote 209:
“The body of Fitaurari Gabri could be distinguished from the remainder
of the fallen by its gorgeous attire. He had been one of the first to
fall, and seven chiefs who had attempted to bear away his body were
laid in a heap around him. On the left, where the pioneers and baggage
guard had been engaged, the dead lay thickest. Along the ravine where
the bayonet charge was made men and horses were heaped in tens and
twenties. In addition to those that lay there, hundreds had been
carried into the fortress during the night.”—(LIEUT. SHEPHERD,
correspondent of the _Daily News_).
Footnote 210:
“Nothing was left us but to leave marks of our power or vengeance,
which would long be remembered. No more utterly atrocious Government
than that which has thus, perhaps fallen, ever existed on the face of
the earth. Their capital was a charnel-house, their religion a
combination of cruelty and treachery, their policy the natural outcome
of their religion.”—_Despatch of Sir G. Wolseley to Lord Kimberley._
Footnote 211:
Among the small body of British officers with Captain Glover, besides
Captain Sartorius, were Lieutenants Cameron and Barnard, 19th.
regiment; Commander Larcom, Lieutenant Moore, Dr. Rowe, and Dr.
Bailey, R.N., and three master gunners of the Royal Artillery.
Footnote 212:
The plunder captured at Coomassie, consisting chiefly of the gold
ornaments of the King’s wives, was sold at Cape Coast Castle, and
realised nearly £6,000. Among it was an ivory-hilted sword, having on
one side of the blade the following inscription, “From Her Majesty
Queen Victoria to the King of Ashantee.” This sword which was found in
the King’s bedchamber, was purchased by the Officers of the Staff, and
presented by them to Sir Garnet Wolseley. On the reverse of the blade
is another inscription, “Major-General Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley,
K.C.B., from the Officers of his Staff. Coomassie, 4th. February,
1874.”
Footnote 213:
Only one military officer, Colonel A. B. Tulloch, C.B., Chief of the
Intelligence Department, who was present at the bombardment, received
this clasp.
Footnote 214:
The greatest number of bars given with any single medal was six, and
but four were issued with this number, to four men of the 19th.
Hussars. The medals were supplied by the Mint, but a Birmingham firm
assisted in their production. All the officers above the rank of
captain, who served in the campaign of 1882, received the Order of the
Medjidie from the Khedive.
Footnote 215:
The Naval Brigade held Alexandria till the end of July, by which time
so many troops had arrived, that the services of the seamen on shore
were no longer required, with the exception of those serving in
Captain Fisher’s moveable armoured battery. The marines remained on
shore, and took the chief part in a smart engagement near Ramleh, on
August 5th.
Footnote 216:
Port Said was seized by Captain Fairfax, R.N., and Ismailia occupied
by Captain Fitzroy, R.N. On August 20th. the seamen and marines of the
“Seagull” and “Mosquito,” with two hundred of the 72nd. Highlanders,
attacked and carried an entrenched position at Chalouf.
Footnote 217:
The troops from India consisted of 1st. Battalion 72nd. Highlanders;
7th. Native Infantry; 29th. Punjaubees; 29th. Beloochees; a battery of
seven-pounder screw guns; and the 2nd., 6th., and 13th. Bengal
Cavalry.
Footnote 218:
The Highland Brigade, on entering Cairo, was first quartered in the
Citadel, but removed and occupied a camp without the walls during the
months of October and November. One night in October a curious
incident happened. A large number of Bedouins were prowling around the
city and encampment, into which they now and then fired. The dress of
the Highlanders completely puzzled the Arabs, and imagining them to be
the wives of the Infidel soldiers in Cairo, they made a dash at the
tents, hoping to capture some of the damsels to enliven their homes in
the desert. They were undeceived by being saluted with a volley that
stretched forty of them on the ground, and the survivors sought safety
in flight.
Footnote 219:
Among the officers killed was the gallant Lieutenant Wyatt-Rawson,
R.N., who had guided the Highland Brigade by the stars, throughout the
night, and was among the first to enter the Egyptian works. He was
Naval _aide-de-camp_ to Sir G. Wolseley, to whom his last words were
“Didn’t I lead them straight, General!” Major Strong and Captain
Wardell, of the Royal Marines, were both shot dead while leading and
cheering on their men up the glacis, within twenty yards of the enemy.
Footnote 220:
When the order to charge was given, the 42nd. charged instantly, and
the 65th. after a short interval, and more quickly than the flank half
battalion. This inequality of movement left the right corner and part
of the right flank of the square open. Worse still, the charge was
made, to quote the common expression in the camp “at nothing.” The
line stopped short, and in a few moments came the Arab rush, and the
Highlanders and 65th. were so closely jammed together that they had
hardly elbow room to use their weapons. Only three or four of the
enemy got inside the square, and they were killed as soon as they
entered.
Footnote 221:
“The formation of the Arabs, which was like a half moon, overlapped
the front and right face of the 1st. Brigade. Buller had his men well
in hand, just as if they were at a review. He commenced firing volleys
at them. The Arabs, who were in irregular formation, and from three to
ten deep, came along at a run, and it was just like a big black wave
running up a beach. It began to break on the crest, the white foam
being represented by the men that fell simultaneously with every
volley, and the wave began to grow less and less the more it neared
the square. Within two hundred and fifty yards it nearly ceased, and
not one man could get near enough to use his spear.”—_Wylde’s—In the
Soudan._
Footnote 222:
With Lord Wolseley were Major-General Sir Redvers Buller, V.C., Chief
of the Staff; Colonel W. F. Butler, C.B., Assistant Adjutant-General;
Colonel Sir C. W. Wilson, R.E., Chief of Intelligence Department; and
Colonel Sir H. Stewart, K.C.B. Colonel H. Brackenbury, R.A.; Colonel
R. Harrison, R.E.; Colonel Webber, R.E.; and others, for special
service.
Footnote 223:
The advance of the troops up the Nile was difficult and onerous in the
extreme. Some of the cataracts extended for two and three miles, and
all the stores had to be taken out of the boats and carried miles
round, over broken and rocky ground, and then shipped again beyond the
obstruction. It often took seventy men to haul one boat through the
rapids, and some days the whole progress made was under a mile. Many
of the boats were capsized and wrecked, and fifty men of the
expedition, including ten Canadians, were drowned before reaching
Dongola.
Footnote 224:
The troops which proceeded up the Nile were detachments of the 1st.
and 2nd. Life Guards; the Horse Guards; 2nd., 4th., and 5th. Dragoon
Guards; 1st. and 2nd. Dragoons; 5th. and 16th. Lancers; and 3rd.,
4th., 7th., 10th., 11th., 15th., 18th., 19th., 20th., and 21st.
Hussars. Most of them served as mounted infantry, or in the camel
corps. Detachments of Grenadier, Coldstream, and Scots Guards; 13th.,
21st., and 94th. Foot, 60th. Rifles and Rifle Brigade, and the 18th.,
35th., 38th., 42nd., 46th., 50th., 56th., 75th., 79th. Foot; Royal
Marines; and Naval Brigade. The 18th. Foot were the winners of Lord
Wolseley’s prize of £100 in the race up the Nile to Debbah.
Footnote 225:
“Immediately I perceived the enemy coming down, I ran the gun to a
position in the centre of the left flank, and commenced firing. After
about thirty rounds the gun jammed. The enemy then were about two
hundred yards from the muzzle of it. The captain of it, Will Rhoods,
and myself, unscrewed the plate to clean the barrel, when the enemy
were upon us. Rhoods was killed by a spear; Miller, drummer, I also
saw killed at the same moment. I was knocked down in rear of gun, but
uninjured, except a spear scratch on left hand. As I struggled up I
was carried against the face of the square, which was literally
pressed back by sheer weight of numbers. The crush was so great, that
at the moment few on either side were killed, but fortunately this
flank of the square was forced up a very steep little mound, which
enabled the rear rank to open a tremendous fire over the heads of the
front rank men. This relieved the pressure, and enabled the front rank
to bayonet or shoot those of the enemy nearest them. The enemy then
turned to the right and streamed away along the rear face of the
square, where, I afterwards heard they effected an entrance. None of
them got into the square at the place I indicated, where the crush
was, which was held by the Mounted Infantry.”—_Despatch of Lord
Charles Beresford, R.N._
Footnote 226:
All the Arabs killed belonged to the Hadendowa tribe, and among them
were several women, clad as men. Their fanaticism was amazing. As an
eye-witness wrote—“When our men went out to bring in the wounded
rebels lying in the bush, these latter crept bleeding on all fours,
with the spears in their mouths to stab them, and even hobbled on
broken legs to attack them.”
Footnote 227:
One of the standards had this inscription—“From the Mahdi, the true
Prophet of God. Whoever fights under this banner shall be victorious.”
Footnote 228:
The Soudan Medal, with the clasp “Gemaizah, 1888,” was given to the
officers, seamen, and marines of H.M.S. “Racer” and “Starling” who
belonged to those vessels on December 20th., 1888, the date of the
action.
Footnote 229:
Medals granted for service in the field, as well as medals and
gratuities, and medals and annuities, for good conduct, are forfeited
by soldiers on conviction of desertion or felony, or being sentenced
to penal servitude, or on discharge with ignominy. They are also
liable to forfeiture by sentence of court-martial, on conviction of
disgraceful conduct; or, in case of sergeants, on reduction to the
ranks. Medals thus forfeited are transmitted to the Horse Guards, in
order to their being returned to the Mint. Under certain regulations
lost medals are replaced; if the loss be proved to have occurred from
carelessness or neglect, the loser may be recommended to the
Commander-in-Chief for a new medal, at his own expense, after two
years’ absence from the regimental defaulters’ book. In order to
justify the replacement of a medal at the public expense, the loss
must be shewn to have occurred while on duty, or by some accident
entirely beyond the control of the loser; in all other cases, such as
the loss of a medal cut from a tunic, or stolen from the person, the
soldier has to pay for it himself. In cases wherein the clasps are not
lost, they are forwarded to the Adjutant-General to be attached to the
new medal. When medals are designedly made away with, or pawned, the
soldier is to be tried by court-martial, and, if convicted, put under
stoppages, the amount being credited to the public. After five years’
absence from the regimental defaulters’ book, the offender may be
recommended for a new medal, on again paying the value thereof.
Footnote 230:
A somewhat similar medal was given to the Indian chiefs who had
distinguished themselves by their loyalty, at the close of the war
between America and England, in 1814. On the obverse is a laureated
bust of George III., in the mantle and collar of the garter, with the
legend “Georgius III. Dei Gratia, Britannarum Rex. F. D.”; and on the
reverse, the Royal Arms, with the date 1814 in the exergue. All these
medals are of extreme rarity.
Footnote 231:
Two years afterwards, in November, 1800, the Emperor further rewarded
the eight officers of the 15th., by conferring on each of them the
Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa, permission to accept and wear the
insignia being granted by George III. At the Greg sale, May 16, 1887,
the medal and chain, with the cross of Maria Theresa, given to Cornet
E. G. Butler, were sold for £240.
Footnote 232:
This “Order of Merit” having attracted the attention of the local
military authorities, the commanding officer was called upon by Lord
Hill, to explain under what regulations and arrangements it was
conferred. The explanation produced the following letter:—
Horse Guards, 20th June, 1832.
Sir,—I have had the honour to submit to the General Commanding in
Chief your letter of the 4th. instant, with its enclosure, on the
subject of the “Order of Merit” existing in the 5th. Foot, and am
directed to acquaint you, that the explanation afforded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Sutherland, shews that the order in question is
dispensed under the most laudable regulations, and has been
productive of the best effects, during the long period since its
original establishment in the regiment.
It is considered highly desirable, however, that both officer and
soldier should, under all circumstances, be taught to expect
professional honours from the Sovereign alone; and under this
impression, Lord Hill has been induced to recommend to the King to
give the royal authority for the confirmation and continuance of
this regimental badge of distinction, an arrangement which, while it
bestows upon it legitimate existence, will, at the same time, no
doubt enhance its value in the estimation of those on whom it is
conferred.
You will, therefore, be pleased to communicate this decision to
Lieutenant-Colonel Sutherland, and acquaint him that he is at
liberty to proceed in the distribution of the medals and badges as
heretofore.
I have, etc.,
JOHN MACDONALD,
Adjutant-General.
Lieutenant-General
Sir Wm. Houstoun, G.C.B. and G.C.H.,
Commanding at Gibraltar.
Footnote 233:
This medal was struck in Dublin, and issued to those entitled to wear
it, at their own expense.
Footnote 234:
In the year 1818, the 73rd. were engaged in suppressing a rebellion of
the Candians in Ceylon. A small party of the regiment, in charge of
Lance-Corporal R. McLoughlin, while on a march, was attacked by a
numerous body of the enemy, and two men were killed. As the Candians
generally mutilated the remains of British soldiers, the little party
of the 73rd. divided; part remaining to guard the bodies, and the
other part, at an equal risk, forcing their way to Badulah, a few
miles distant. From this place they returned with a reinforcement,
drove back the enemy, and carried off the bodies of their slain
comrades. To reward this gallant conduct, a medal was struck by the
Ceylon government for presentation to Corporal McLoughlin, and three
privates, but they all died of fever before it was issued.
Footnote 235:
The following account of the presentation of medals to a body of
Volunteers, on their disbanding, appeared in the _Morning Chronicle_
of April, 1802, just after the signing of the Treaty of Amiens:—
“Yesterday the Hon. John Henniker Major met his respectable corps of
Suffolk Volunteers, in that county; and, after thanking them, in an
elegant and appropriate speech, for the zeal and activity that they
had manifested in the defence of their country, delivered to each of
them a silver medal, decorated with military devices, as a mark of the
high sense he entertained of their services; after which, Mr. Major
informed them they were now disbanded, conformably to the regulation
of the Government, with a reward the most gratifying, viz., their
Sovereign’s approbation of their conduct.”
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