Having abundance of spare time while preparations were making for a
second attack on the fort, Lord Lake determined to disturb Holkar in his
hiding-place; for which purpose a party of infantry was dispatched with
about four six-pounders. We soon came within sight of him, sheltered a
good deal from his view by high trees and jungle. The fort, observing
our manoeuvres, commenced a heavy cannonade. Holkar, alarmed, got on the
move and made towards Futtypore Seccrah, one of his old haunts. Once
from under the walls of the fort, our cavalry soon put his troops to
flight; immense numbers were killed, and elephants, horses, camels,
spears, matchlocks, colours, &c., were brought into camp. Holkar's best
elephant was that day taken, and some little treasure was found on
camels. Notwithstanding this routing, however, they took up their old
ground, and we returned to camp, with some few men killed and wounded.
This skirmish, instead of decreasing their impudence, seemed only to
increase it; for they were day and night hovering round our piquets, the
object of which was to take our attention from their main body, who had
been dispatched to intercept a small detachment that was on the way to
join us, from Muttra. Our spies soon brought intelligence of this, and,
in little more than ten minutes after, three regiments of dragoons were
on the move to rescue them, and arrived just in time to save our stores
and the lives of the little party. Holkar commanded in person on this
occasion; and it was reported that he was killed, though this proved
afterwards to be false. A reward was offered for his head, and a great
number were tendered, but none belonged to one-eyed Holkar. It is true,
heads were produced without an eye, but the phiz of that notorious Pin
was too well known to Chiggram (our best spy) to admit of our being
imposed on.
My wounds at this time were nearly well; and, having been unsuccessful
in the first forlorn hope which I led, I volunteered to lead the second.
One night, previous to the time appointed for the second attack, I
sauntered to a retired spot, far from the observation of my comrades, to
muse over the prospect then immediately before me, and to ask His aid
who alone has the power to protect us. Scarcely had I entered a wood
about one hundred yards from the trenches, when my attention was
arrested by a soldier on his knees, fervently supplicating the aid of
Almighty God in the coming storm. The moment he heard my footstep, he
suddenly arose, and, seeming ashamed of the way in which he was engaged,
he said, "Who's that?" I answered, "Sergeant Shipp; who are you?" He
replied, "Private Murphy."--"Murphy!" I repeated; "is it possible that
such a blasphemer as you, who, day after day, and hour after hour, boast
your own infamy in a wanton disbelief and contempt of every quality that
can constitute the man and the Christian, and who, no later than
yesternight, solemnly protested before your comrades, that you firmly
believed there was no place of punishment save a man's own conscience,
and that hell was merely a name to frighten and intimidate
schoolboys--can it be possible," continued I, "that you have at this
late hour retired to this lonely place, and are found in the act of
prayer?"--"Shipp," he replied, in a softer tone, and in nearly the
following words, "whatever men may boast or say in their deluded and
more irrational moments, there is a period when all those blasphemous
expressions rush across the human mind, and the recollection of having
uttered them leaves an inconceivable pressure on the humbled heart; but
I pray you, do not expose me to my comrades, or I shall become their
jeer and ridicule. I beg this as a favour."--"What!" said I, "more
afraid of the derision of men, than the wrath of an offended God?"--"No,
no," replied he; "but you know how religious soldiers are held in
derision by some of our comrades."--"Well," I said, "I shall keep your
secret, and you may confidently trust me on this subject; I will promise
you most solemnly that I will never join in the laugh against you, and,
if you have not finished, I shall be gratified in joining you in prayer,
as I have rebuked you for your profligacy." He affectionately seized my
hand, and pulled me toward the earth.
On the following day this poor fellow was summoned to his last account;
and who knows but this single act of faith and devotion might have saved
his immortal soul?
Two o'clock in the afternoon of the 20th of January, 1805, was arranged
for the second storming of Bhurtpore. To prevent any obstruction by the
trench, which was supposed to be at this part deep and wide, a bridge of
bamboos was made, that would admit of three file a-breast. This bridge
could be thrown a considerable distance by a hundred men, and was
supported by ghee dubbahs (skins) in which the natives keep oil and
butter for exportation; which, when dried, are light, and will bear a
considerable weight before you can sink them. Elephants and camels were
also laden with tents, and hackeries, or carts drawn by bullocks, with
bales of cotton, all to fill up the ditch, to enable us to cross to the
breach.
I once more took my station with my twelve volunteers, supported by my
two companies as before. A shell from one of the howitzers was a signal
to move. On this signal being given, the shell, bursting in the muzzle
of the gun or mortar, killed two of our grenadiers--a sad beginning. The
bridge followed the forlorn hope, carried on men's shoulders, and must
have appeared some extraordinary monster to those who were not
acquainted with its intended use. We moved on; and, before I got half
way down to the fort, six of my men were killed or wounded. The enemy,
no doubt encouraged by our late defeat, had redoubled their fire, both
in guns and men; and on the right side of the breach they had thrown out
an underwork, which was filled with matchlock-men, and in which they had
several guns. My men kept falling off one by one; and when I arrived at
the edge of the ditch, which appeared wide and deep, and was assisting
the men with the bridge, I received a matchlock ball, which entered over
the right eye, and passed out over the left. This tumbled me, my
forehead literally hanging over my nose, and the wound bleeding
profusely. I was at this time close to our gallant Captain Lindsay, who,
at the same moment, received a ginjall ball[10] in the right knee, which
shattered the bone to pieces. I recovered a little from the stun of my
wound, when, the first thing that met my eye--for I could only see with
one--was the bamboo bridge quietly gliding down the stream, being some
yards too short. Nothing but killed and wounded could be seen, and there
was not the most distant chance of getting in. To have attempted
crossing the ditch would have been an act of madness. In descending we
must have plunged over our heads in water; and they had two small guns
bearing on the spot. At last a retreat was ordered. Previous to this,
our poor fellows stood like sheep to be shot at, without the remotest
hope of success. The camels and elephants, alarmed by the tremendous
firing and shouting, could not be induced to approach the fort, many of
them throwing their loads and running back to camp, and wild into the
woods. Seven hundred men were killed and wounded on this occasion. Our
brave Captain Lindsay's wound was so bad that his leg was amputated in
the battery. My wound was a dangerous one, having touched the bone. I
was immediately sent home to camp, where I lay completely blind for
several days. This, added to our disastrous defeat, threw me into a
fever, and nearly cost me my life; but, with the aid of a kind
Providence, and the advantage of a strong and unimpaired constitution, I
soon recovered.
Our engineer now gave up this side of the fort as perfectly hopeless,
and we went more to the eastward, breaching a prominent bastion; but the
whole fort was so constructed that one part protected the others; and
therefore, wherever we breached we were sure of a destructive
cross-fire. From our melancholy failures, our poor fellows became
disheartened; scarcely a man had escaped without being wounded, and the
sad recollection of their poor comrades that were left behind in a
mutilated state, was the constant topic of conversation. Our
mortification was greatly increased by seeing our men's clothing paraded
on the ramparts, and worn by the miscreants in the fort. However, we
still lived in the fond hope that our next effort would prove more
successful.
I could again go abroad, although my wound was by no means healed. It
was now truly distressing to enter our men's tents, where, but a month
before, the merry joke went round, and mirth and hilarity prevailed.
Naught but gloomy faces, and even them but few, were to be seen: some
had lost brothers; others, dear comrades; Captain Lindsay had lost his
leg; Lieutenant Creswell had been cut to pieces; and every other officer
was wounded. Our loss in killed and wounded in the two assaults, in our
two companies alone, was nearly the one half of the total number.
After the storm, our breaching-guns were again sent to the park to be
re-bushed. This was a seasonable pause to enable us to recruit our
shattered frames and spirits; but it also gave the enemy an opportunity
of repairing and reinforcing every point of attack.
On the 18th of February things began to wear a more enlivening
appearance. The breached bastion seemed to bow its haughty head to our
roaring guns, and the 20th was talked of as the day for storming it. Our
last disastrous repulse was scarcely eradicated from our minds; the
massacre of our brave comrades was still alive in our memories; but the
fond hope of retaliation--I do not mean in cutting up a poor defenceless
creature, not a single instance of which can, in the long course of our
wars, be brought against the Company's army--spirited us up, and we
looked forward to the time when we might drag the garments of our
murdered comrades from the backs of the vaunting foe. They were now
daily and hourly exhibiting to our view the number of muskets they had
taken; our ammunition which had fallen into their hands was now turned
against ourselves; as also our cannon-shot, which they had picked out of
the two old breaches. We again possessed our wonted spirits and
cheerfulness, and made preparation to retrieve the British character.
The patient conduct and intrepid gallantry of our officers and soldiers
when in the hour of their utmost distress, from repeated defeats, did
not pass unnoticed by the enemy; and it is not improbable that the
resolution and heroism then displayed by the troops were the means of
facilitating that long friendship which afterwards subsisted between the
rajah of Bhurtpore and the Company.
The day appointed (20th of February) arrived, and was ushered in with a
new and unexpected scene. About four hundred men from the fort,
emboldened, no doubt, by our tardiness, and the repeated defeats which
our troops had experienced, rushed out upon us just as we were relieving
trenches, and actually reached and had possession of our batteries and
trenches before we could return. Every one of these men was in a state
of intoxication, and fought desperately; but we soon drove them from the
batteries; then, turning our guns against them, dreadful was the
carnage. The fort fired indiscriminately at the whole party. These
fellows were, no doubt, a set of vagabonds they wished to get rid of;
and, if this was the case, their wish was fully realized, for a very
few returned to tell the tale. This was the kind of retaliation we
sighed for; but we lost a considerable number of men, killed and
wounded, in this affray; but these they had not the barbarous
gratification of cutting up. Their wounded men left within our reach
were sent to the native hospitals, and every comfort administered to
them. They were in the same wards with our wounded men, where friendship
presided instead of murder. Had the war been between native and native,
the cruelties would have been equal on both sides.
When this strange rencounter had subsided, the storming party was
ordered for twelve o'clock. Reader, imagine my disappointment when my
doctor most positively forbade my being employed on this occasion, as my
wound in the forehead was still in such a state that, should I get
heated or catch cold, he feared an inflammation of the brain would take
place. I could have thrown what few brains I had in his face; but I was
obliged to obey. The forlorn hope was led by Lieutenant Templer, of the
76th regiment, as brave a little fellow as ever wore a red coat. I
looked on at a short distance from the scene of action, and a desperate
hard struggle it was. No sooner did our brave boys gain the top of the
breach, than the well-directed fire from the fort swept them off.
Footing they had none; they literally hung on the bosom of the bastion.
A third retreat was the result; leaving behind them upwards of five
hundred dead and wounded: indeed, they might all be said to be dead, for
death was inevitable. The enemy again manned the breach in swarms,
shouting victory! It would have been better for me had I been there, for
I am sure I fought and struggled as hard as any one engaged. I cannot
describe my feelings and those of the other spectators of this dreadful
scene; but what can eight or ten men a-breast do against a legion,
posted aloft, and protected by walls, bastions, &c., and where every
possible engine is in requisition for their destruction? Thus exposed,
there was never any real chance of success. The whole circumference of
the bastion, if lined with men, would not have contained more than
fifteen or twenty men a-breast; and the whole means of the fort were
levelled on this small space, to their certain defeat and destruction.
All that was in the power of mortal man to do was done, but all our
efforts were in vain.
The storming party was again ordered for the following day. I suffered
an excruciating headache, but said nothing of the badness of my wound,
which at that time bore a most frightful appearance, resolved to die
rather than give up my past honour. I assured my doctors that I was
well, and felt quite adequate to take my station, and entreated that
they would not stand between me and glory. At last they consented, and I
made the most of the short period between that and the storm, in
supplicating the Divine protection, and in penning a letter to my only
relation, on account of arranging my little affairs. I had made up my
mind that I could not, in all human probability, escape a third time;
but He alone who created life can destroy it. In the evening I left my
tent, to seek in solitude that consolation for my troubled bosom which
the drunken and tumultuous riot of a camp could but ill afford. The
captain of our company, under whose care I had been brought up, was one
of the best and most pious of men. In gratitude I mention the name of
Captain Effingham Lindsay, now colonel on the half-pay of the 22nd
regiment of Foot. To this beloved individual I am indebted for having
implanted in my bosom, in early youth, those religious principles and
feelings by which I have ever since endeavoured to direct my conduct,
and from which, in the hour of affliction and of peril, I have ever
derived inexpressible comfort. It was with the view of gaining
consolation and support from private meditation and prayer, that I now
retired from the riotous company of my companions in arms, the evening
previous to my leading, for the third time, the forlorn hope at
Bhurtpore. Scarcely had I gone beyond the discordant sound of revelry,
and begun to muse upon the subjects that were ever uppermost in my
mind, viz., the possibility of my ever returning to my native village,
or ever seeing my poor father, when an object presented itself to my
sight, that for a moment startled, and, I must confess, a little alarmed
me. The moon was just peeping from behind the high towers of the fort,
and shedding her bright rays through the tree near which I stood, when
by her light I perceived that the object which arrested my attention was
a European soldier, prostrated on the ground--as I supposed, dead. I
approached him, but could not hear him breathe. I laid my hand on his
cheek; it was cold and chilly; which confirmed me in my first opinion,
that he was dead. At last, I ventured to grasp his icy hand, which
roused him, and he rose up and said, "Why did you disturb me? I have had
a sweet sleep." Then, looking at and suddenly recognizing me, he said,
"Is that you, Shipp?" I replied, "Yes; what brought you to this dreary
spot?" He replied, "The same, in all probability, that guided you here."
"What," said I, "do you suppose that to be?" He replied, "To reflect on
the scene before us to-morrow. Yes, sergeant," he continued, "I have
this night stolen like a thief from the riotous parties I have too long
joined, to spend an hour or two alone; and, if I must confess it, in
prayer. Having offered up my prayers, I felt my poor heart relieved of a
burden I cannot describe, and thus I fell asleep, and am now glad to
meet a friend in this lonely spot." We then, together, made the earth
our communion-table, and offered up our poor but fervent devotions to
the throne of mercy. It was the will of the Almighty to call my
companion in prayer the next day from the world, and to spare me, but
with a wound in the head, to show my dependence upon His mercy.
Two o'clock in the afternoon of the next day was ordered for the
assault. I forgot my aches and wounds, and was at my old post.
Lieutenant Templer, of his majesty's 76th regiment (he was a little man,
but he possessed the heart of a lion) accompanied me on this occasion,
with a small union jack, to plant on the enemy's bastion. He gave me his
hand, and smilingly said, "Shipp, I am come to rob you of part of your
glory; you are a regular monopolist of that commodity." He continued, "I
will place Old England's banner on their haughty bastion, or die in the
attempt!" He fell a victim to his zeal, having first planted his colour
on the bastion.
On the way down from the camp, we met his excellency the
commander-in-chief, and suite. His lordship addressed me and my forlorn
hope: "Sergeant, it is with sincere regret I again see you wounded, and
again at the head of your little band of heroes. I will not check your
praiseworthy spirit; go into glory, my lads, and may Heaven prosper your
zeal, and crown you with triumph!" His lordship addressed every corps
that passed him; but when the remnant of the two companies of the 22nd
regiment marched by, he was seen to turn from them, and the tear fell
down his cheek; but, fearful it might be observed, he took off his hat
and cheered them. This was not the tear of Judas, for his lordship often
shed tears of sorrow for our great loss at this place. He was a true
soldier's friend, and valued their lives as much as he did his own.
The storming party marched out in the usual steady order; yet, from our
recent calamitous defeats, there was not that spirit amongst the men
which I had witnessed on former occasions. We had already experienced
three disastrous repulses from this fort, and there now seemed a cloud
on every brow, which proceeded, I have no hesitation, in asserting, from
a well-grounded apprehension that this, our fourth assault, would be
concluded by another retreat. If any sight could be exhibited to the
human eye that was calculated to work upon the feelings of men already
disappointed and dispirited, it was the scene that was exposed to our
view on approaching to this breach; for there lay our poor comrades who
had fallen in previous attempts, many of them in a state of nudity,
some without heads, some without arms or legs, and others whose bodies
exhibited the most barbarous cruelties, for they were literally cut to
pieces. The sight was truly awful and appalling, and the eye of pity
closed instinctively on such a spectacle of woe. Those who attempted to
extend the hand of relief were added to the number of the slain, as the
spot was much exposed to a cross-fire from the fort. Could any sight be
more distressing for affectionate comrades to look on? I say
affectionate, for, among men living together in one barrack, and,
perhaps under one tent, in familiar intercourse, there must be a greater
regard for each other than is found to subsist among those who meet
casually, once a day or once a week. In a soldier's barrack, the
peculiarities, good or bad, of every individual are known; added to
which, arduous services will always link men together in the bond of
union and affection. Many of these mutilated objects still breathed, and
could be seen to heave the agonized bosom; some raised their heads
clotted with blood; others their legs and arms; and, in this manner,
either made signs to us or faintly cried for help and pity. It was a
sight to turn nature's current, and to melt a heart of stone. Such was
its effect upon our lines, that, after a short conflict of the softer
feelings, the eye of every man flashed the vivid spark of vengeance
against the cruel race who had committed such wanton barbarities; and,
if mortal effort could have surmounted the obstacles in our path, those
who witnessed the horrid scene I have just described must infallibly
have succeeded. But the effort was beyond mortal power. Braver hearts,
or more loyal, never left the isle of Albion, than those who fell like
withered leaves, and found a soldier's grave at Bhurtpore.
Our ascent was found, for the fourth time, to be quite impossible: every
man who showed himself was sure of death. The soldiers in the fort were
in chain armour. I speak this from positive conviction, for I myself
fired at one man three times in the bastion, who was not six yards from
me, and he did not even bob his head. We were told afterwards, that
every man defending the breach was in full armour, which was a coat,
breast-plate, shoulder-plates, and armlets, with a helmet and chain
face-guard; so that our shots could avail but little. I had not been on
the breach more than five minutes, when I was struck with a large shot
on my back, thrown down from the top of the bastion, which made me lose
my footing, and I was rolling down sideways, when I was brought up by a
bayonet of one of our grenadiers passing through the shoe, into the
fleshy part of the foot, and under the great toe. My fall carried
everything down that was under me. The man who assisted me in getting
up, was at that moment shot dead: his name was Courtenay, of the 22nd
light company. I regained my place in time enough to see poor Lieutenant
Templer, who had planted the colour on the top, cut to pieces, by one of
the enemy rushing out, and cutting him almost in two, as he lay flat
upon his face on the top of the breach. The man was immediately shot
dead, and trotted to the bottom of the ditch. I had not been in my new
place long, when a stink-pot, or other earthen pot, containing
combustible matter, fell on my pouch, in which were about fifty rounds
of ball cartridges. The whole exploded; my pouch I never saw more, and I
was precipitated from the top to the bottom of the bastion. How I got
there in safety, I know not; but, when I came to myself, I found I was
lying under the breach, with my legs in the water. I was much hurt from
the fall, my face was severely scorched, my clothes much burnt, and all
the hair on the back of my head burnt off. I for a time could not tell
where I was. I crawled to the opposite side of the bank, and seated
myself by a soldier of the same company, who did not know me. I sat
here, quite unable to move, for some little time, till a cannon-ball
struck in the ditch, which knocked the mud all over me. This added
greatly to the elegance of my appearance; and in this state I contrived,
somehow or other, to crawl out of the ditch. At this moment the retreat
was sounded, after every mortal effort had been made in vain.
The case was now deemed completely hopeless, and we were obliged to give
up the contest, having lost, in killed and wounded, upwards of three
thousand men--braver, or more zealous, never lived--against this fort.
Of the twelve gallant fellows who composed the third forlorn hope led by
me, not one returned to reap the proffered reward of the
commander-in-chief: add to this, the loss of one of the best officers in
our army, Captain Menzies, of the 22nd grenadier company, aid-de-camp to
Lord Lake. He fell endeavouring to rally some native troops that were
exposed to a galling fire, and began to give way. In this heroic attempt
he lost his life, regretted by the whole army. Of our two companies,
scarce a soul escaped uninjured. Near the breach, the dead, dying, and
wounded would have melted the heart of the most callous wretch; and, had
not the little party who stormed the eleven-gun battery proved
successful, few, if any, would have escaped the dreadful carnage. You
must permit me to draw the gloomy shroud of mourning over this scene of
misery and terror. The sad details of this siege have years ago been
before the public; and here my personal services at Bhurtpore ended,
leaving impressions, both on mind and body, that can never be
obliterated.
In the course of the siege, frequent overtures were made from the fort,
but of what nature I do not pretend to know. They were at last, however,
obliged to come to our terms, which compelled them to pay all the
expenses of the siege, &c.; after which we raised the siege, and
returned to camp. The loss of the enemy must have been immense: report
said, five thousand men, women, and children; and, from the immense
concourse of inhabitants in the town, with their families, that number
does not appear to be at all improbable. Certain it is, that they must
have been as heartily tired of it as we were.
Our sad failures, on the occasion of this memorable siege, may
unquestionably, in my opinion, fairly be attributed to our total want of
means. What were four breaching-guns against such a fort as that of
Bhurtpore? Forty would not have been too many: as a proof of which, if
we contrast the means of attack at our disposal, with those possessed by
Lord Combermere, in his successful siege of the same fort, it will be
found, that the number of guns employed on the latter occasion, compared
with the former, was at least ten to one. With the original force of
Bhurtpore--calculated at not less than a hundred thousand men--it was
scarcely possible that, with a less number of guns, the place could be
taken by assault. It should be recollected, also, that, with the means
we had, the ditch which surrounds the fort made it quite inaccessible to
us. Sapping and mining, the only way by which Bhurtpore could have
fallen, was, at the period of the first siege of that place, scarcely
known in India; and shelling was then only in its infancy. The former of
these methods was resorted to by the present commander-in-chief, with
great success; and the latter, from the improvements which, since 1805,
have been made in this destructive system of warfare, with at least ten
times the vigour and effect that it was possible for us to impart to it.
After our last failure, conciliatory orders were published to our
disheartened troops; everything was done to console and comfort them;
and, with these judicious measures, though the men could scarcely bear
the stigma of being defeated, yet, after a few days' reflection, their
features began to brighten up, and they began to weigh things in a
proper light; when an unexpected and untoward event happened, that was
likely to have been attended with the most frightful consequences. The
peace having been ratified, the garrison had permission to visit our
camp. Imagine our mortification and surprise, when many of them had the
presumption to appear, under our very noses, with the coats, sashes, and
arms they had torn from the dead bodies of our poor comrades. This news
flew through the camp in a moment; the whole army was out; every eye
flashed vengeance: but, by the timely interference of the
commander-in-chief, and the officers in general, the men were calmed,
and the mischief stopped. In the next general orders my name appeared as
Ensign in his majesty's 65th regiment, with many flattering encomiums by
the commander-in-chief. From the whole of this regiment, during the
short time I remained with them, I received the most marked attentions;
and whenever I served with, or met them afterwards, I experienced from
them the most disinterested friendship.
On the day of my appointment, I was metamorphosed into a gentleman; hair
cut and curled; new coat, &c., &c.; had an invitation to dine with the
commander-in-chief; but, of course, kept myself in the background. The
gentleman did not seem to sit easy on me; for, you must know, I was then
a blushing modest youth: but the extremely kind inquiries of his
lordship, and of his equally kind son, if I was there, tended greatly to
dissipate my shyness. His lordship, on hearing I had arrived, approached
me with extended hand, and shook mine cordially, saying, "I congratulate
you as a brave young fellow, and I shall not lose sight of your merit."
He requested I would sit next to him at dinner. I did so; and, after the
cloth was removed, he made me fight the forlorn hopes over again; at the
recital of which his lordship was much affected. The next day his
lordship again sent for me, when he addressed me in these words, "Shipp,
I have been thinking a good deal about your case. You, of course, have
not much money. I know your generous Lindsay will do anything to serve
you, but he must really leave a little for me to do. You may therefore
draw on me, through the field paymaster, for what you want." His
lordship afterwards sent me a tent, two camels, and a horse, as
presents. The rest of my fitting-out my excellent friend, Captain
Lindsay, generously gave me.
Lord Lake was truly my friend, as he was that of every soldier in the
army. He was munificent in his charities, being ever the first in
subscribing large sums to whatever cases of distress appeared. I will
relate one instance of his benevolence and generosity. A very old
lieutenant could not purchase a company then vacant; indeed, knowing he
could not purchase, he had thought nothing of the vacancy. In the
evening I was standing with this officer, when the orderly-book,
publishing his promotion by purchase, was put into his hands. He said,
"There must be some mistake, for he had not a rupee he could call his
own." At that moment Colonel Lake, his lordship's son, came up, and
wished him joy of his promotion. The other said, "Colonel, there must be
some mistake in this; I cannot purchase." Colonel Lake said, "My father
knows you cannot, and has therefore lent you the money, which he never
intends to take back." These were the sort of acts in which his lordship
delighted; and, in consequence, he was loved by his army, and admired by
the people wherever he came.
In about three weeks after, having been appointed ensign in the 65th
regiment, his lordship promoted me to the rank of lieutenant in his
Majesty's 76th regiment, thus faithfully keeping his promise of not
losing an opportunity of serving me. In this regiment I became a great
favourite with my colonel, the Honourable William Monson, then
brigadier-general of the army.
One of the articles of treaty was, that Holkar should be driven from
under the walls of the fort of Bhurtpore. This had been done; but he
still hovered about camp, annoying our foraging-parties and small
escorts coming into camp with supplies. A few days after having joined
the 76th regiment, I was appointed an extra aid-de-camp to the
brigadier, to proceed on a foraging-party, consisting of one regiment of
native cavalry and four six-pounders, with five hundred of irregular or
local horse. We had not proceeded many miles from camp, when we saw
Holkar's troops in immense force, posted on an eminence. They showed
symptoms of fight. We collected our elephants, camels, and bullocks,
and left them in charge of the five hundred irregular horse; then,
placing two of the six-pounders behind the regiment of native cavalry,
we moved slowly on till within two or three hundred yards of the enemy,
when we gave them about twenty rounds of grape, killing great numbers.
We then charged them, and cut up a great number more. I had a narrow
escape; my horse was killed by a spear-wound in the chest, which entered
his heart, and I fell under him. The horseman was about to give me a few
inches of the same spear, when the honourable brigadier cut him down,
and thus I escaped, taking the liberty of riding my well-meaning
adversary's horse to camp. I was a good deal hurt by the fall, but this,
with one or two men wounded, and some few horses killed, were the only
casualties of the day.
Holkar, finding that our hands were so unoccupied that we had more
leisure than suited his purposes, made towards Jeypore. We crossed the
river Chumlah, near Daulpore, in pursuit; but he retired to his old
haunts, with his colleague Ameer-Khan, and we to quarters in Futtypore
Seccrah.
The following year, everything wearing the pacific garb, and the gallant
regiment to which I belonged being literally cut to pieces--so much so,
that we had scarcely a sound man left in the regiment--it was considered
to be time that the corps had some cessation from war. Twenty-five years
had they been in India, and stood the brunt of all Lord Lake's
conquests, and those on the coast. When I was in the regiment (1805) I
believe there were only two men of the original corps--Lieutenant
Montgomery, and Quarter-Master Hopkins.
The regiment now embarked for Calcutta. I preceded them in charge of
invalids. Many of these poor fellows were without arms and legs; and
some of them so dreadfully cut up, that scarcely a human feature could
be traced. Many died from their wounds. Mine, by the blessing of Divine
Providence, continued to do well; but I was visited with the most
excruciating headaches and dizziness from the wound in my head; and the
terrific spectacle of the last scene at Bhurtpore so affected my mind,
that scarcely a night passed in which I did not dream of "hair-breadth
'scapes i' th' imminent deadly breach," and fancy I was fighting my
battles over again. My head was so much injured, that the report of a
gun would startle me dreadfully; but, with an excellent constitution,
care, and avoiding drink, I soon recovered, though the wound across my
forehead has considerably impaired my sight. Twelve pieces, or splints,
came away from the upper part of the wound; and when you put your finger
upon it, the skull was so thin that you could feel the pulsation, like
the pendulum of a clock. My wounds are still a certain and sure
weather-glass. That on my forehead will, to this day, swell and expand
on any change of the weather, or variation in the atmosphere.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTES:
[10] This is a long matchlock, which moves on a pivot, and carries about
a two-pound ball.