THE FIGHTING AT JHANSI, ROOHEA, AND BAREILLY.
1857-58.
One of the many black deeds of the mutiny was the inhuman atrocities
at Jhansi, in the province of Allahabad, and about a hundred miles
eastward of Serinje. In June, 1857, the 12th Native Infantry, which had
served with distinction at Ferozeshah, and the 14th Irregular Cavalry
had their headquarters at Nowgong, but the left wing of each regiment
was quartered at Jhansi, which had therefore a considerable force
to repel any attack, besides having the advantage of two forts for
defensive purposes.
The spirit of mutiny was in the air, and although the regiments named
had remained true to their salt, their officers could not put implicit
trust in them in face of the stories which were being circulated
regarding the success of the mutineers in various parts of India.
The officers and women and children took possession of the fort in
the city, it being preferred to the Star Fort, which was in the
cantonments. For a time the sepoys remained true, but on the 4th of
June a company of the 12th Native Infantry entered the Star Fort, and
took possession of the cannon and treasure which it contained. The fat
was now in the fire, and although the remainder of the men assured the
poor isolated officers that they would remain faithful, no trust could
be reposed in them.
In all the phases of the mutiny the crafty and cunning traits in
the Indians’ character were brought to the surface. They behaved
treacherously on every occasion, and broke vows which to them ought
to have been sacred. It was thus at Jhansi, and the officers found
that they were indeed in perilous straits. On the 5th of June, while
on parade, the men, who were still allowed to retain their rifles,
deliberately shot down Captain Dunlop and Ensign Taylor, and Lieutenant
Campbell was seriously wounded, but succeeded in escaping to the fort.
Lieutenant Turnbull took refuge in the branches of a tree, but was
brought down by a musket ball, and shared the same fate as Dunlop and
Taylor. The other officers who were in the fort at the time of the
outbreak, saw what was happening by the aid of field glasses. They at
once put themselves on the defensive, and after admitting Campbell to
the shelter of the fort, secured the gates and shot down a few of the
mutineers who had pursued the wounded officer. They barricaded the
gates with stones, and prepared to fight desperately for their lives.
There were only 55 Europeans in the place, including the women and
children, along with a number of native servants. The women as usual
showed admirable bravery and fortitude, cooking for the garrison,
carrying refreshments to them at great risk, and, when ammunition
became scarce, they cast bullets for the rifles.
The native servants were even not to be trusted, and two of them were
discovered attempting to open the gates of the fort. Captain Burgess
shot one of the rascals, but the other managed to cut down Lieutenant
Powys before he was shot by the captain. The mutineers gathered in
force around the little fort, and kept up a heavy fire upon the walls
with cannon and musket. Twice the brave defenders attempted to send
word of their peril to Gwalior or Nagode, but both failed. Captain
Gordon was shot in the head while looking over the parapet of the fort,
and as ammunition and provisions were almost exhausted, the little
garrison began to lose heart.
The rebels were most persistent in their attacks, and a further
disaster befel the brave defenders when two gates were battered in. The
rebels offered them their lives if they laid down their arms, and as
the days passed and no sign of relief came, the wearied officers were
compelled at last to throw themselves upon the mercy of the mutineers.
They accordingly came out of the fort and laid down their arms. The
mutinous troops at once threw themselves upon the now defenceless
men, and tied them in two rows. The men were the first victims of the
massacre, Captain Burgess taking the lead, his elbows tied behind
his back, and a prayer book in his hands. The women and children,
terrified at the murder of those near and dear to them, stood by and
calmly waited until the time came when they too would be despatched.
Not one escaped, but fortunately all were destroyed without the inhuman
indignities to which they were subjected elsewhere.
It was left to Sir Hugh Rose, latterly Lord Strathnairn, to avenge this
black deed. On the 21st March, 1858, he arrived before the walls of
the city with a large force, to find that it was held by a large rebel
army. He commenced the bombardment of the town, but was immediately
brought face to face with a new danger. The Gwalior contingent, which
had been shattered, and was thought to be dispersed, advanced from
Kalpee, a town on the right bank of the Jumna, and, becoming largely
augmented as it marched, the force when it drew up to give battle to
Sir Hugh Rose’s troops, must have numbered 25,000, while it was also
supported by eighteen large pieces of artillery. Still it was not a
disciplined force, and Sir Hugh was quick to avail himself of this
fact. Without giving the rebels time to form any preconcerted plan, he
dashed out to the attack.
So sudden was the onslaught and so daring in its conception, the huge
mass of rebels reeled and broke into a confused rout. The British,
with a ringing cheer, charged in amongst the now terrified rebels, and
the slaughter was great. The contingent was again dispersed, and fully
2000 were killed. All the guns, elephants, and ammunition fell into our
hands, and Sir Hugh was now able to resume his siege operations on the
town. The rebels in Jhansi must have been affected by the defeat of
the large force outside, for on the following day the town fell into
the hands of the British column, the garrison fleeing in the course
of the night. The pursuit was at once taken up, and before it ended
1500 of the rebels who had been concerned in the Jhansi revolt were
destroyed. This was one of the last acts in the mutiny, but the revolt
was not to be quelled without the spilling of more British blood in the
ill-planned attack on Roohea.
The Highland Brigade, after the final relief and capture of Lucknow,
had been engaged in pursuing the rebels in the district and stamping
out the rebellion in the province. The Highlanders were encamped at
the Dalkoosha, having been ordered to form part of the Rohilcund field
force under Brigadier Walpole. On the morning of the 8th of April,
the 42nd, 79th, and 93rd Highlanders marched from the camp to the
Moosha Bagh, a short distance from which the brigade encamped. Here
they remained until the 15th, when orders were issued to recommence
the march, as it had been learned that the enemy were active in the
vicinity. The advance guard consisted of three companies of the Black
Watch with cavalry and guns, under the command of Major Wilkinson,
while the main body followed with the remainder of the 42nd leading.
The Highland Brigade was under the command of Brigadier the Hon. Adrian
Hope, the whole being under Walpole.
Long before daylight on the 16th the force was under arms, and moved
cautiously a few miles across country, when a halt was called, the
baggage collected, and a strong guard set over it, consisting of two
guns and detachments of men from every regiment. About ten o’clock in
the morning the whole force advanced cautiously through some thick
wood, and came suddenly upon a native mud fort, the garrison of which
immediately opened fire with their heavy guns and musketry. The 42nd
was in advance, supported by the 93rd, the 79th being held in reserve.
The guns were quickly placed in position, and opened a heavy fire
upon the fort, while a movement was also made by the infantry, the
Highlanders advancing under a merciless shower of bullets close to
the walls of the fort. This mud erection, which did duty as a fort,
was called Roohea, and was hardly worth the attention of the British
troops. Walpole, however, was determined to clear out this nest of
rebels, and gave orders that the infantry were to approach as near the
enemy as they could, and skirmish without support.
The British plans were decidedly bad, for the rebels could easily
have been driven out by the fixed bayonet without the sacrifice of
life which a skirmishing attack entailed. Walpole evidently meant to
prevent the escape of the rebels by the main gate, for Major Wilkinson
made an attack on the weak side to drive the rebels out and into
contact with the main force. Captain Ross Grove, with No. 8 Company
of the Black Watch, advanced with fixed bayonets, and without having
the slightest protection or cover bravely marched on till they came
close to the counterscarp of the ditch, with only the breadth of the
ditch between the gallant Highlanders and the enemy. There they lay,
waiting patiently for orders to charge, losing men rapidly; in fact,
so precarious was their position that a company of the Punjaub Rifles
was sent to their assistance. The Punjaubees and Highlanders quickly
forming into line, rushed for the ditch, and attempted to get over the
parapet, but had to admit defeat, having to retire with heavy loss, two
officers and fifty men being killed and wounded. The impetuous assault
had failed, and the enemy had sustained but a trifling loss, while the
fort was as stoutly defended as ever. Captain Cope, of the Punjaub
Rifles, along with four men of the Black Watch, performed a daring deed
in going almost under the walls of the fort to bring in the dead body
of Lieutenant Willoughby. Creeping to where the lieutenant’s body lay,
the five men raised it and carried it back to the British lines under
a perfect storm of shot. Captain Cope had his left arm broken by a
bullet, and Private Spence, of the 42nd, was mortally wounded.
Brigadier Adrian Hope, angry at the heavy loss inflicted on his men,
went near the fort to reconnoitre and endeavour, if possible, to find a
better way by which it could be won. The fort was hexagonal in shape,
with two redoubts, two sides of the hexagon having no fortifications.
The bastions were circular, and the ditch deep and narrow, the escarp
and rampart being completely inaccessible at most parts without the
use of scaling ladders. The gallant leader of the Highlanders, in his
eagerness to learn the internal arrangements, ventured too near, and he
had barely been a minute in the zone of fire when he was seen to sway
and fall. The bullet had penetrated above the left collar-bone, and he
knew that it was mortal, for he exclaimed, “I am a dead man, lads. They
have done for me at last.” He then asked for a drink of water, which he
drank hurriedly, and then expired in the arms of one of his officers.
An officer, writing of the scene, says--“I cannot describe to you the
gloom--thick and palpable--which the sudden and untimely death of our
amiable and gallant Brigadier has cast over the minds of all. He was
the foremost and most promising of all the young Brigadiers; he was the
man in whom the commander-in-chief placed the most implicit confidence,
and whom all trusted and delighted to honour.”
He was the ninth son of the Earl of Hopetoun, and served with the 60th
Scottish Rifles in the Kaffir war, where he saw much service. No. 8
Company of the Black Watch were maddened by this loss, and retired
clamouring for orders to storm the fort, but appealed in vain, for
apparently Walpole had different plans in view. The same writer above
quoted states:--“Everybody asks what did the Brigadier intend to do?
Why did he send men to occupy the position which they did when nothing
was to be gained by their being there? Why, if he intended to take the
place, was it not stormed at once, and at the point of the bayonet?
Or rather--and this is the main query--why was it not shelled by the
mortars and smashed by the breaching cannon?”
For an hour or two the guns played on the fort, but after the death of
Hope nothing was done, and the force outside continued to get the worst
of it. All the regiments were losing heavily, but it was the Black
Watch and the Punjaubees who suffered most severely, the Black Watch
having alone forty-two casualties, including Lieutenants Douglas and
Bromley.
At sunset the force was withdrawn, and, to the amazement of all,
the camp was formed within a mile of the fort, the rebels firing
upon the force as it retired. Next morning, when the men moved up to
recommence the attack, it was found that the enemy had retired during
the night, leaving nothing behind but the ashes of their dead, and a
broken gun carriage. Quietly, thinking no doubt of their dead comrades
who had perished in making the assault upon such a paltry place, the
Highlanders took possession of the fort, and it was soon given over to
the flames. It was found that it was so open and unprotected behind
that a regiment of cavalry could have ridden in; and yet the brave
Highlanders, who were eager and willing to rush in with their trusty
bayonets, were held back, and became targets for a foe concealed behind
the brown walls. The garrison was only 400 strong, and the rebels could
not have lost many men. “A sad, sad scene it was,” says a writer, “the
burial of our dead on the evening of the following day.”
A short distance from the camp, in a cluster of mango trees, the graves
were dug, and the slain consigned to them. The Church of England
service was read by a chaplain of that church, and afterwards there was
a short service, consisting of the reading of a portion of Scripture, a
short address, and lastly prayers. Thus Adrian Hope was left to sleep
with the brave men who had fallen in such a miserable engagement as the
taking of the mud fort of Roohea.
The rebels had to be pursued, however, and throwing sentiment to the
winds, the force moved away on the 17th, and three days afterwards
came up to the enemy at the village of Allahgunge. They were in large
numbers, and, after the success at Roohea, they were prepared to
fight desperately. The British were just as eager to come to grips,
and although the rebels were strongly posted, the attack was too much
for them. Burning with a desire for revenge, the Highlanders threw
themselves upon the enemy, who stoutly met the onslaught. There was a
wavering in the ranks when the bayonets flashed, and almost without
having the opportunity of firing a shot, the enemy broke and dispersed
in all directions, leaving a large number of killed and wounded upon
the field.
The force stayed at Allahgunge for three days, occupied in
rebel-hunting, while reinforcements also arrived. The next point was an
extensive drive in the direction of Bareilly and Shahjehanpoor, and, on
5th May, after a fortnight’s marching, by which the district was almost
cleared, the force once more came into contact with an extensive band
of rebels on the plains to the east of Bareilly.
The engagement was a most trying one, the day being tremendously hot,
but the soldiers kept up wonderfully well, and after fighting for about
four hours, forced the enemy to retire with some loss. The city of
Bareilly was then taken possession of, the victorious troops meeting
with but slight opposition, although the 93rd lost several men in a
skirmish with a band of rebels who had taken refuge in one of the
buildings in the town. The mutineers were now thoroughly cowed, and the
Highlanders kept them continually on the move, dispersing several bands
who had attempted to rally. The 93rd marched to Shahjehanpoor, to form
a brigade with the 60th Rifles and 66th Ghorkas. Along with this force
were some guns, baggage, cavalry, and a few irregulars.
The rebels were first of all encountered at a village named Poosgawah,
in which they were strongly entrenched. From this position they were
quickly expelled, and the force breaking up into small parties started
in pursuit of the retreating mutineers. No sooner had the bulk of the
force passed through the village than a body of rebel cavalry appeared
in the rear and attacked the baggage as it was straggling through the
narrow entrance to the village. The main body of the baggage guard was
far in the rear, and the enemy was at first mistaken for the irregulars
of the force until they began to cut up the camp followers. At this
moment the sick of the 93rd, twelve in number, who, at Surgeon Munro’s
request, had been armed the night before, turned out of their dhoolies
and kept up a sharp fire, which held the enemy in check until the
arrival of the Mooltanee cavalry, which had been sent from the front,
and which dispersed the rebels at the second charge, the men wielding
their heavy cavalry swords with great dexterity, and doing considerable
execution amongst the mutineers.
The British force did not suffer much loss, chiefly camp followers, but
the bravery of the wounded Highlanders undoubtedly saved the situation.
The force remained in the vicinity of the village for a few days,
and then once more got into grips with the rebels, who were found in
position at a village called Russelpoor, on the opposite side of a deep
nullah, flanked on one side by a large village, and on the other by
some rising ground.
The guns and the 6th Rifles attacked, the main body of the 93rd being
held in reserve, one company, under Captain M‘Bean, supporting the
heavy guns. The rebels fought with grim determination, and doggedly
stuck to their posts, although they were losing heavily under the
accurate British fire, the big guns doing great damage to the houses
of the village. The attack was entirely successful, and the enemy
were eventually driven from their position and put to flight with
considerable loss to themselves. The battle of Bareilly, in which
the 42nd played so important a part, opened with a short cannonade
for about half an hour, the enemy who had gathered in large numbers,
latterly falling back from the bridge and nullah, and occupied the
clumps of trees and ruined houses in the cantonments.
In this position it was necessary to shell every clump and house
before advancing, which caused considerable delay. All the time the sun
was beating down fiercely upon the troops. About ten in the morning
the enemy made a bold attempt to turn the British left flank, and the
42nd were ordered forward in support of the 4th Punjaub Rifles, who had
been sent to occupy the old cavalry lines, but were there surprised
by the enemy in great numbers. Just as the 42nd reached the old lines
they were met by the Punjaubees in full flight, followed by a band of
Ghazees brandishing their tulwars and shields. These rushed furiously
on, and the men of the Black Watch were for a moment undecided whether
they should fire upon them or not, their friends the Punjaubees being
mixed up with them, when, as if by magic, the commander-in-chief
appeared behind the line, and his familiar voice, loud and clear, was
heard calling out, “Fire away, men! shoot them down, every man Jack of
them!”
Then the line opened fire, but so desperate were the Ghazees that
several of them had actually reached the line, and were about to engage
the Highlanders when they were swept aside by the volley which spurted
in one flame from the ranks. Four of the Ghazees seized Colonel Cameron
in the rear of the line, and would have dragged him off his horse, when
Colour-Sergeant Gardiner rushed from the ranks and bayoneted them, the
Colonel escaping with only a slight wound on the wrist. For this act
of bravery Gardiner was deservedly decorated with the Victoria Cross.
The enemy now fell back under the fire of the Highlanders, who were
at last given the order to advance with fixed bayonets. The rebels
had had enough, and broke and fled, leaving the 42nd and 79th to take
possession of the fort and post a line of pickets from the fort to the
extreme right of the commander-in-chief’s camp.
The rebels’ power was now completely broken, and they were harried
from place to place, receiving no quarter unless they voluntarily
surrendered. The famous Highland Brigade, comprising the Black Watch,
78th, and 93rd regiments, were ordered to stay at Bareilly, and during
a particularly hot month so far as weather was concerned, took part in
many expeditions against the rebels who made any show of resistance. A
private writing home at this time says:--“What a change has come over
the enemy. At Lucknow and Cawnpore they were as brave as lions, but
now I question if they have as much of that quality as the mouse. We
are engaged in ‘rebel-hunting,’ and find the constant knocking about
very trying. We have not had a really good brush with the enemy for
weeks. Whenever they see us they give a long-drawn howl, and flee in
all directions. We then start to ferret them out of the brush, and
poor specimens of humanity we find them. They are nothing like the
fierce sepoys we met at the commencement of this great campaign; but no
wonder, for any nation in the world would have had the spirits knocked
out of them had they received half the defeats that the rebels here
have had served to them. The most of them are glad to come into our
lines and get a decent meal, so you can have an idea of the present
state of affairs.”
It was ever so, and although it took time to completely stamp out the
insurrection, Bareilly was really the last engagement of any note
in the mutiny, and slowly but surely the British soldier, willing
and stern of purpose, traversed the land and subdued the rebellious
spirits. A few chiefs showed signs of resistance for a time, and the
troops were mostly engaged in expeditions against the foolish people
who were now espousing a forlorn cause. Thus, in little over a year,
the rebellion which boded so ill for British rule was practically
stamped out, and the massacres of the innocent avenged. Brave Sir Colin
Campbell was raised to the peerage, assuming the title of Lord Clyde,
and no man could grudge him the honour.