THE RELIEF OF LUCKNOW
(_continued_).
1857.
Cooped up in the beleagured city of Lucknow, the brave Havelock
received but scanty news of what was transpiring in other parts of
India. He certainly felt assured that the British Government would
never leave him in that hopeless position, so he settled down to make
the best of his situation and keep the rebels in check. It was a trying
time for Outram and Havelock, for almost daily the death-roll was
increased through wounds or disease.
Meanwhile Brigadier Greathed had been marching through the country,
inflicting severe punishment on the mutineers who had fled from
Delhi, where the British had won a great victory. The Mhow and Indore
rebels were crushed at Agra, and the column which latterly moved from
Mynpooree under command of Sir James Hope Grant, arrived at Cawnpore
to hear of the precarious position of the British garrison at Lucknow.
After one or two minor engagements, in which he inflicted some loss
upon the rebels, Sir James determined to proceed to Lucknow, and
attempt with his small force to relieve the city.
On 8th November, 1857, he arrived at the famous Alum Bagh, where
Havelock had left his sick and wounded under the protection of the
64th regiment. Between this strong position and Lucknow there lay a
large undulating plain, intersected by the canal which encircles the
city. Yet that plain could not be traversed, for it was given over
to the camping ground of a huge company of rebels. The mutinous force
before Lucknow must have numbered almost 50,000, so that the task of
relief was rendered impossible to the small British force. It seemed
galling that relief could not be given, with the Residency such a short
distance away, but it would only have been courting annihilation to
attempt to pierce the serried rebel ranks. Therefore Hope Grant took
up his position at the Alum Bagh to wait for reinforcements, and to
be at hand should Havelock require aid. The two British forces were
vastly outnumbered by the enemy, and it has never been satisfactorily
explained why the rebels did not attack the Alum Bagh. The position
was certainly a strong one, but the mutineers could with ease have
invested it from all quarters, and at the same time maintained their
pressure upon Lucknow. Possibly they had grown tired of fruitless
besieging, and, confident in their numerical superiority, preferred to
lie passively on the plain and wait for the attack.
Hope Grant knew that he would not have long to wait, for before leaving
Cawnpore he was informed that the dashing and fiery Sir Colin Campbell
was on the warpath, and was hastening as fast as he possibly could to
form a junction with the troops in Oude, which now comprised Outram
and Havelock’s pent-up force in Lucknow and Sir Hope Grant’s column
at the Alum Bagh. Sir Colin, while travelling post haste to Cawnpore,
ran a very narrow escape. He was impatient to get at the rebels, and,
disregarding an escort, hurried on. He came across a detachment of
the rebellious 32nd regiment, and was all but captured, having to
take refuge in a post bungalow, where luckily he found some of our
soldiers, who were resting after a heavy march. Ultimately he reached
Cawnpore, and without further delay marched to Lucknow, where he now
knew he should join Hope Grant. This desired junction was effected on
11th November, and Sir Colin immediately assumed command of the Lucknow
relief force.
This relieving army was now considerably strengthened, and Sir
Colin, trusting to active conjunction by Outram and Havelock from
the Residency, determined to make the attack. His force consisted
of the 9th Lancers, Captain Peel’s naval brigade, Sikh cavalry,
Hodson’s Horse, 8th, 53rd, 75th, and 93rd regiments of infantry, two
battalions of Punjaub foot, native sappers and miners, 10 guns of
the horse artillery, 6 light field guns, and the heavy field battery
of the Royal Artillery. Sir Colin left his baggage at the Alum Bagh
in charge of the 75th, and was further reinforced by 700 men drawn
from the Welsh Fusiliers and the 82nd Foot, two guns of the Madras
artillery, along with a body of the Royal Artillery and Engineers.
The commander-in-chief advanced from the Alum Bagh in the direction
of Dilkhoosha Park (“Heart’s Delight”), a former hunting seat of the
kings of Oude, with a castle situated on a beautiful eminence in the
park. The advanced guard, which had been further strengthened by
some companies of the 5th, 64th, and 78th Highlanders under Colonel
Hamilton of the 78th, was soon brought into contact with the enemy,
and, steadily advancing, was subjected to a heavy musketry fire from
the rebels. The vanguard, however, cleared away this opposition, and
drove the mutineers over the canal which runs through the park. The
rebels fell back upon the Martinière College, but were unable to
withstand the fire from our guns. This building was splendidly adapted
for defence, standing secure and firm in the centre of a large thicket
of mango trees. The enemy seemed to be terrorised by the steadiness of
our advance, and abandoned the College after a short conflict, in which
they lost heavily. The mutineers seemed to have a wholesome dread of
the Highlanders with their kilts and terrible bayonets. Many of them
had never seen such men before, and were terrified by their appearance.
They called them “petticoated devils,” and many firmly believed that
they were women sent over to avenge Cawnpore. At all events, the
Highlanders were there, and they did much to strike terror into the
hearts of the cowardly rebels.
The College having been so easily won, Sir Colin made the park his
headquarters. Sir James Outram and Sir Henry Havelock were not idle
inside the city, the force being busily employed in digging trenches
and erecting batteries in a large garden held by the 90th regiment.
These were concealed by a lofty wall, under which several mines were
driven for the purpose of blowing it down when the moment for action
should arise. It was determined by the Generals that as soon as Sir
Colin and his force should reach the Secunder Bagh, this wall should be
blown down, and that the batteries should open fire upon the insurgent
defences in front, when the troops would storm the Hera Khanah, the
steam-engine house, and the king’s stables.
Sir Colin had meanwhile arranged his force in the gardens to the best
possible advantage as far as safeguarding against any attack, and being
in readiness to make a dash for Lucknow at any time. On the 12th an
attack was made upon his advance guard by a determined band of rebels.
The field battery and Captain Peel’s heavy guns came into action, and
did great execution amongst the enemy. After the artillery had done its
work, the 53rd and 93rd Highlanders, along with the 4th Sikhs, charged
the enemy in daring style, causing them to break rank and fly. The 9th
Lancers kept up the pursuit, and almost for the first time the rebels
received a taste of the deadly lance. The rear guard now moved up,
and a junction was formed nearer and ever nearer the city. At last Sir
Colin determined to advance, and, as per arrangement his route was by
way of the Secunder Bagh.
This is a strongly-fortified building, surrounded by a wall which was
loopholed in every direction, fairly bristling with rifle muzzles.
Brigadier Adrian Hope led the troops forward in skirmishing order,
and this was the signal for a heavy fire from the enemy’s guns. The
British guns were quickly brought up by Captains Blunt and Travers,
and replied vigorously to the enemy’s fire. While this artillery duel
was in progress, Hope made a dash at the head of his infantry, and
drove the enemy from the boundary walls of the Secunder Bagh into
the main fortified building. It was here that the last stand was to
be made, and the rebels knew that if they had to surrender there
was no hope of mercy, for they were caught like rats in a trap. To
the left of the Secunder Bagh the enemy held a line of barracks,
which, in the possession of a trained force, might have offered great
resistance. The Sutherland Highlanders, supported by a company of the
53rd, rushed the building, and at the point of the bayonet drove the
enemy helter-skelter from the position to the plain beyond, where the
majority of them were killed. All had been success to Sir Colin’s brave
army up to now, and it was with a cheer that the men rushed to storm
the Secunder Bagh, which was teeming with well-armed and desperate
rebels.
Havelock had in the meantime exploded his mine, and through the
breach his battery opened a withering fire upon the enemy’s defences.
Volley after volley was poured in, and this gave Sir Colin’s troops
the opportunity to make a great attack from his point of vantage. The
4th Sikhs, led by Lieutenant Paul, who fell while gallantly rushing
forward, had the honour of opening the assault, while the 93rd and
53rd acted as supports. The Highlanders and Sikhs are staunch friends,
and might be seen during this campaign going about camp arm-in-arm,
the Sikh with the Scotchman’s feather bonnet, and the Scot with his
dusky comrade’s turban. It is even related that they petitioned their
captains to procure the Highland dress for them. It was but fitting
then that the Sikhs and Highlanders should share the honours of this
glorious attack.
Forward the Sikhs rushed, amid a hail of bullets, with the Highlanders
close behind. The rebel fire was terrible, for they knew this was
their last chance, and they could not expect mercy from our revengeful
troops. A small breach had been made in the wall, but it was so narrow
that only a handful of men could enter at a time. This did not deter
our men, and the Highlanders, just a little bit jealous of the Sikhs
that they should be the first to enter, ran a neck-and-neck race to
the breach through the hail of bullets. They dashed up to the very
loopholes, and from the gaining of this position the fate of the rebels
may be said to have been sealed. The Sikhs, 93rd, 53rd, and the 90th
Highlanders clustered round the doomed building.
The well-known author, Rees, gives a graphic account of the situation.
“Our men,” he writes, “dashed in as quickly as the narrow breach
permitted. They went under the very loopholes of the enemy, and,
cunningly lying down while the enemy let fly a volley at the caps
placed on their bayonets, and which our men put up as a target for
the time being, they as soon as the enemy’s fire was exhausted, and
before they could load again, tore down the iron bars, broke up the
barricades, and jumped down from the windows in the walls.”
Then followed a terrible slaughter, for the rebels were so thoroughly
cowed that they offered but little resistance. Here and there one more
brave than his fellows would fire his rifle or attack with his tulwar.
A bullet in his brain, or the terrible bayonet through his breast soon
silenced him. The Highlanders were reeking in blood. Their faces were
bespattered by drawing their gory hands over their perspiring foreheads
as they momentarily paused in the conflict.
“This is awful!” exclaimed one soldier of the 93rd to his neighbour.
“G’wa, man! this is grand!” and he plunged his bayonet into a cringing
wretch who begged for mercy. “Cawnpore, ye deevil!” he hissed, and
turned to renew his work of slaughter.
It was the memory of Cawnpore that roused the Highlanders, and the
Sikhs were every bit as bloodthirsty. The gateway, the large principal
room, and a side room were deluged in blood, and littered with reeking
corpses. The green tartan of the 93rd was of scarlet hue ere many hours
had passed. The full extent of the silent slaughter with the bayonet
may be judged when it is stated that nearly 3000 bodies were dragged
from the building on the following day. Cawnpore was avenged with
interest.
The troops of the garrison had also been doing brave deeds. Fully 800
of the garrison had attacked other parts of the defences. Men like the
78th Highlanders were spoiling for a charge, and how they rushed upon
their foes! The rebels reeled before the shock, and fled, leaving the
buildings in our hands. Guns were mounted on the position thus gained,
and on the following day opened fire on the observatory (Tara Kotee)
and the mess house. Captain Peel’s naval siege train went to the front,
and drew up within a few yards of the loopholed wall of the Shah
Nujuf, where a heavy and merciless fire was kept up upon the rebel
defenders. After the mess house had been battered by our heavy guns,
recourse was once more had to the bayonet, which was never known to
fail. Nor did it on this occasion, for the position was soon gained and
the enemy put to flight.
The task of relief was nearly completed, and madly our men rushed into
the enclosure round the Motee Mahal (Pearl Palace), where the rebels
made their last despairing stand. It was futile on their part to
attempt to stem the rushes of the victorious British troops. They went
down like grain before the sickle, and those who steered clear of the
bayonet gave vent to yells of terror and fled to the plains, which were
already dotted with bands of fugitives. The slaughter of the rebels had
been enormous, but yet the killing of a few thousands did not diminish
to any great extent the rebel horde which had ignominiously retreated
to a place of shelter. The killed and wounded were but as a drop in the
bucket, and although Lucknow was for the moment relieved, trouble was
yet to be expected from the mutineers who clustered round the city.
Proudly Sir Colin met and grasped the hands of the fearless Outram and
the gallant Havelock. With flashing eyes Havelock praised and thanked
the relieving and defending troops. It was pointed out to him that
his son was lying wounded, but the old warrior continued his address,
although his heart must have been rent with anxiety about his son.
Fortunately it was only a slight wound, and the lad soon recovered, but
the incident shows Havelock as the soldier, who thought it his duty
to thank his soldiers before attending to his wounded son. Our great
success had not been attended without loss, for we had 122 officers
and men killed, and 345 wounded. Sir Colin’s first care was for his
wounded, and after consultation with Havelock and Outram, he decided
to remove the toil-worn garrison to a place of safety. It was evident
that it was not worth while to hold the position against such a large
investing army.
The tactics which he employed in carrying out a safe retreat show the
wily old Sir Colin in his best colours. He was not afraid to meet the
enemy again at the head of his brave troops, but, burdened with women,
children, wounded and stores, he sought to avoid a conflict, and this
is how he managed it.
On the 20th and 21st, he ordered Captain Peel’s battery to open a heavy
fire upon the Kaiser Bagh, and at the same time Havelock’s battery in
the palaces opened a tremendous fire upon the same position. Naturally
the enemy expected an attack upon this point, and consequently
concentrated there. The strategic old General bargained for this,
and he silently withdrew the whole garrison. The retreat was managed
without a hitch, and the force marched on with Sir Colin in the
rear to direct any attack upon the force. The enemy at last learned
of the move, and tried to turn the rear at the Alum Bagh but failed.
On arriving at that place, Sir Colin pushed on with his charges to
Cawnpore, where he fought a decisive battle, which is described in the
chapter dealing with Cawnpore. He left Sir James Outram behind with a
strong force to check any movement on the part of the rebels.
The British camp was unexpectedly thrown into mourning through the
death of Sir Henry Havelock. This brave and Christian General was worn
out with the hardships and anxiety of the campaign and siege, and
was stricken down with dysentry, to which he succumbed on the 24th
November. Safe to say, there was no British officer so genuinely loved
and respected by the rank and file. They adored him, and gladly would
have died for him, and now that he was gone, they mourned him as only
true friends can mourn.
Lucknow had now become the focus of the rebels, who were flying
aimlessly about the country, avoiding actual conflict with British
troops. Sir James Outram’s division numbered almost 4000 men of all
arms, and he took up a strong position, being fortified at all points,
the circuit of his entire position being nearly ten miles. Here
the force remained for nearly three months, while Sir Colin, after
retaking Cawnpore, was engaged recovering the Doab and making his final
preparations for a final assault upon Lucknow.
These months were full of anxiety for Outram and his men, for they
had to be continually on the alert against a mammoth army, which must
have numbered close upon 100,000. Against less skilfully prepared
fortifications they might have, by sheer force of numbers, overwhelmed
the British, but, like whipped curs, they preferred to keep at a safe
distance, and harry the British when opportunity came their way. They
made one feint bolder than their usual, which had for its object the
surrounding of the force and the cutting off of supplies. Outram got to
know of the scheme, and checkmated them at every point. Although vastly
outnumbered, our force repelled every attack, and inflicted heavy loss
upon the mutineers, besides capturing four guns and twelve ammunition
waggons.
News came that Sir Colin was once again upon the march, and although
the troops under Outram were confident that they could hold back the
rebels for ever, they were glad at the prospect of being reinforced
and led into the field by the great Sir Colin. He matured his plans
carefully, and adopted a line of action which he thought would entail
as little loss upon his army as was possible. With this end in view,
he sent out strong detachments to all parts, with instructions to meet
him at all costs at Lucknow on a certain date. Thus Sir Hugh Rose,
General Hope Grant, and Colonel McCausland scoured the country and
achieved several notable victories.
But perhaps the most glorious and decisive victory was gained by
Brigadier Franks at the head of a force of 4000 troops. He contrived
to prevent a junction with two noted rebel leaders, Bund Hossein and
Mhendee Hossein, by attacking the former at Chanda, in the Nagpore
territory. The enemy, consisting of 8500 sepoys and a large number of
mercenaries, occupied the fort and villages in front of the place. They
were driven from this place, leaving behind 300 killed, along with six
pieces of cannon. Franks prepared to encamp in this position, when he
was surprised to hear the discharge of artillery, and a volley of grape
shot crashed into his lines.
The other Hossein, unaware of his relative’s defeat, had come up with
10,000 men and eight guns. Franks gave him battle, and in a very short
time the rebel had to seek safety in flight. Later, he fought another
battle with 25,000 desperadoes, including 5000 trained sepoys, his
force being 2500 Europeans supported by 3000 Nepaulese. He totally
defeated them, and the enemy fled, leaving a rajah and 1800 dead on the
field. Twenty guns, the standing camp, baggage, ammunition, and all
material of war were captured. It was almost a bloodless battle as far
as Franks was concerned, for, incredible as it may appear, he only lost
two men killed and three wounded.
Sir Colin marched from Cawnpore on the 28th February, 1858, at the
head of almost 30,000 troops, including about 20,000 Europeans. He
had 60 heavy guns and 40 field pieces, while his cavalry consisted of
1500 Europeans and 3000 native troopers. This imposing force was still
further augmented by the infusion of 4500 men under the redoubtable
Franks, and fully 10,000 fierce and wiry Ghoorka warriors under the
loyal Jung Bahadoor. The savage rebels knew that a big force was to
be set against them, and they realised that every man would die if he
fell into the hands of the British. Rumours spread in their ranks that
great, red-haired men who were giants, with bare knees, were coming to
kill them, and the chiefs had great difficulty in preventing them from
fleeing.
Campbell appeared with the 2nd Division of infantry, cavalry, and a
section of artillery at a position east of the Alum Bagh on 2nd March,
and on the following day the attack on Lucknow commenced, the enemy
abandoning Dilkhoosha, and falling back on the Martinière College.
The Dilkhoosha was instantly occupied by the 42nd Highlanders (Black
Watch), and a battery was soon at work from this position on the
Secunder Bagh. Sir Colin, gratified at the arrival of Franks and the
Ghoorkas, resolved to make attacks from the river Goomtee, which flows
past the city. A pontoon bridge was thrown across, and 6000 men and 30
pieces of cannon, under Sir James Outram, passed over. The enemy, as
was expected, came out of the city in large numbers to check this force.
A heavy artillery fire and a dashing charge of the Queen’s Bays sent
the rebels back, and Outram was able to strengthen his position. It was
an artillery duel during the next two days, the enemy’s stronghold, the
Martinière College, suffering severely from our shells. Outram had made
good his position, however, for he advanced along the Fyzabad road,
and, although meeting with stout and desperate resistance, he gained
his end, which was the Badshah Bagh, or King’s Great Garden, from which
his guns had free play upon the whole line of entrenchments formed by
the rebels at the canal, rendering them practically useless, besides
turning the rebels’ entire position.
Sir Colin now had up the naval brigade to deal with the buildings
within the enclosure, from the windows of which the rebels kept up a
harassing and deadly rifle fire. The mortars, howitzers, and battery
guns had little effect, as the rebels, now fighting for dear life,
remained wonderfully steady in the trenches.
“A taste of the steel, my men!” grimly exclaimed Sir Colin, as he
turned to the Highlanders and Sikhs.
They steadied, and then, at the word, went forward in one silent,
death-dealing line of steel. This was too much for the rebels, who
fired a few random shots and fled, with the swift-footed Sikhs stabbing
them as they ran. The Martinière was won by the bayonet, and with the
chief rebel position there also fell the Residency, the Secunder Bagh
and Bank House. The Highlanders were once again conspicuous at the
Secunder Bagh, which had withstood the thunders of the naval brigade
guns. Two companies of Highlanders reached a platform, and were brought
to a stop by the dead wall.
“Tear off the tiles! in at the roof, Highlanders!” cried Sir Colin.
This was enough for the brave fellows, and in a minute they had
vanished through the tiles and bamboo, and thus the Secunder Bagh was
taken.
The enemy by this time were in almost total rout, and Hope Grant
swept the surrounding country, cutting up the fleeing bands, while
the artillery continued to blaze away at the buildings still infested
by the desperate robbers and rebels. The Sutherland Highlanders, with
dauntless courage, stormed the Begum’s Palace, and swept aside the
defenders with their trusty bayonets, which reeked with blood. The
gallant Outram held the Goomtee Bridge, and cut up the flying enemy
unmercifully, while the Kaiser Bagh, which was almost an impregnable
position in capable hands, fell easily, the rebels fleeing out of the
city on the opposite side, only to be ruthlessly cut down by Sir Hope
Grant’s thousand sabres. The gallant little Ghoorkas won their spurs by
the capture of the whole line of trenches which menaced the Alum Bagh,
where our sick and wounded had been left.
“It was terrible,” writes an eye-witness, “to see the ferocity of the
Ghoorkas as they sprang at their foes. They inflicted horrible wounds,
but so strong are their arms, it was death every blow.”
On the 19th of March, the Moosa Bagh, the last stronghold of the
rebels, fell, and Lucknow was completely in our hands. Fighting still
took place with large bands of rebels on the outskirts, but they were
generally so demoralised that they fell an easy prey.
We cannot close this eventful chapter without detailing a gallant stand
made by a slender detachment of that grand old regiment, the 42nd Black
Watch. Forty-eight men of the regiment were watching a ford on the
river Sardaar, which separates Oude from Rohileund. The notorious rebel
Kirput Sing of Rooyat crossed at the head of 2000 men, with two guns,
and at once opened fire on the little band. They did not flinch, but
stood at their post from sunrise to sunset, when two more companies
came to their rescue and made their victory complete. The enemy left
400 dead on the field, including Kirput Sing, his son and brother,
along with two guns. Of the 48, five were killed and eleven wounded,
including the gallant Captain Lawson.
By deeds such as these Lucknow was won, and the rebels dispersed and
driven from Oude. By deeds such as these has the Empire been made, and
such deeds of valour are never forgotten, but written in letters of
gold on Britain’s scroll of fame.