Sir Henry Lawrence, with a small body of troops, was stationed at
Lucknow, when, on the 29th of June, hearing that a large body of rebels
was approaching, he marched out to make a reconnaissance.
The force fell into an ambuscade, and some of the native artillerymen
proving traitors, it was compelled to retire with a very heavy loss of
officers and men, and three pieces of artillery.
Immediately on his return, Sir Henry prepared for the defence. The
whole garrison amounted only to 1616 officers and men fit for duty, and
with 80 officers and men sick and wounded. Sir Henry's first care was
to withdraw the garrison from the old fort of Muchee Bowen; and in the
course of the night of the 1st July, such provision as could be removed
having been carried off, it was blown up with vast quantities of
gunpowder and ball cartridges. An intrenched position had been
commenced round the British Residency, and to complete this all the
energies of the garrison were first devoted. Long, however, before all
the proposed batteries were thrown up, the rebels, assembling in vast
numbers, began the blockade of the place. Unhappily, Sir Henry Lawrence
was mortally wounded by a shell on the 2nd of July, and closed a
distinguished career on the 4th. Brigadier Inglis then succeeded to the
command. At this time only two batteries were finished. No spot was
safe: the sick and wounded were killed in the hospital, and women and
children in private houses suffered the same fate. On the 20th of July,
the enemy, after exploding a mine, attempted to storm the defences, but
were driven back, after a desperate struggle which lasted four hours.
Day and night a murderous fire was kept up on the garrison, who were
already suffering dreadfully from sickness, while famine stared them in
the face. On the 10th of August, the enemy attempted another assault,
after, as before, springing a mine. On the 18th, a similar attempt was
made. On this occasion three officers were blown up, though without
injury, and the enemy established themselves in one of the houses of the
British position; they were, however, driven out in the evening by a
gallant charge of the 32nd and 48th Regiments. No men could have
behaved more splendidly than did those of these two regiments. The 32nd
was reduced to less than 300 men. The artillery behaved admirably, and
suffered so much, that at length there were only 24 European gunners to
work guns, including mortars in position; so that, although ably
assisted by the men of the 32nd and by civilian volunteers, they had to
run from gun to gun to defend the points most threatened by the enemy.
Five sorties were made during the siege by the British, for the purpose
of destroying buildings which commanded the intrenchments, and of
spiking guns. On all these occasions, both officers and men of the 32nd
Regiment particularly distinguished themselves. In a sortie made on the
7th July, for the purpose of examining a house strongly held by the
enemy, to ascertain whether or not a mine was being driven from it,
Lieutenant Lawrence, 32nd Regiment, was the first to mount the ladder
and to enter the window of the house, in effecting which he had his
pistol knocked out of his hand by one of the enemy. On the 26th of
September, he charged with two of his men in advance of his company, and
captured a 9-pounder gun. A verandah having fallen on the 30th June,
Mr Capper, of the Bengal Civil Service, being entangled among the
ruins, Corporal Oxenham rushed forward amid a shower of bullets, to
which he was exposed for ten minutes while extricating him from his
dangerous situation. Private Dowling on three several occasions rushed
out and spiked the enemy's guns; on one, killing a subadar, who
attempted to defend his gun. Captain Henry George Browne, 32nd
Regiment, later of the 100th Regiment, performed a similar conspicuous
act of bravery, having, on the 21st August 1857, gallantly led a sortie
at great personal risk, for the purpose of spiking two heavy guns, which
were doing considerable damage to the defences. Captain Browne was the
first person who entered the battery, which consisted of the two guns in
question, protected by high palisades, the embrasures being closed with
sliding shutters. On reaching the battery, Captain Browne removed the
shutters, and jumped into the battery. The result was, that the guns
were spiked, and it is supposed that about 100 of the enemy were killed.