medal, with bar for Egypt, was not issued to the survivors of the
series of strenuous fights which concluded with the capitulation
of Alexandria, until February 11th, 1850, almost forty-nine years
after. Meanwhile a large number of the army of about 5,000 men, which
sailed from India under the command of Sir David Baird, had received
a special medal from the Honourable East India Company, which, by a
General Order, was granted on July 31st, 1802. The promptitude of the
Company in rewarding soldiers stands out in pleasant relief against the
thoughtlessness or procrastination of the home Government. This army
of 2,000 Europeans, 2,000 sepoys, and 400 artillerymen, marched across
the Nubian Desert to Keneh, and after descending the Nile encamped at
Rosetta, but saw no fighting. The British regiments which formed part
of the army to cross the desert were the 10th and 61st Regiments of
foot, and detachments of the 80th, 86th, and 88th.
[Illustration: PENINSULAR GOLD MEDAL.
Awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel Alex. Gordon, 83rd Foot, who was killed
at Talavera.]
Silver medals, 1⅑ in. in diameter, were struck for about half the
force, and sixteen gold ones. The medal, illustrated facing page 12,
bears on the obverse an energetic figure of a sepoy, carrying the Union
Jack, with a background suggesting a camp. In the exergue is a Persian
inscription to the effect that the medal is presented to commemorate
the defeat of the French armies in Egypt by the bravery and ability
of the victorious army of England. On the reverse, suggestive of the
transportation of troops, is a ship in full sail, and on the land which
forms the background the Pyramids and an obelisk indicative of Egypt.
In the exergue is the date MDCCCI.
=Order of the Crescent.=--Selim III presented a series of gold medals
to the officers who took part in the operations. These varied in
weight and size, some being set with diamonds, while a few of the
larger ones were enamelled crimson in the centre. The medals, being
struck from different dies, have the crescent either on the right or
left of the star. The principal naval and military officers received
medals measuring 2⅒ in. in diameter; those ranking next received a
lighter and smaller medal, 1⁹⁄₁₀ in. in diameter; while a third medal,
given to captains, was still lighter and only 1⅞ in. in diameter.
The non-commissioned officers received a silver medal 1⁴⁄₁₀ in. in
diameter, so that one may gauge by the size the rank of the officer who
received it. The medals were suspended from an orange-coloured ribbon
by means of a hook and chain. I have seen specimens without attachment
for suspension.
The army which landed under Abercromby included the 1st Battalion
of the Coldstreams and the Scots Guards; the 1st Royal Scots; 2nd
Queen's Royal; 8th King's; 13th, 18th Royal Irish; 19th, 28th; 23rd
Welsh Fusiliers; 28th, 30th, 40th (flank companies), 42nd Black
Watch; 44th, 50th, 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 54th, 58th; 79th
Cameron Highlanders; 89th, 90th Perthshire Light Infantry; 92nd Gordon
Highlanders; one squadron of the 11th Light Dragoons; the 12th and 26th
Light Dragoons (unmounted); Artillery and Engineers; also Dillon's
and De Rolle's Regiments; a detachment of Baron Hompesch's mounted
riflemen, and the Corsican Rangers. The army was further strengthened
by a squadron of the 8th Light Dragoons; the 10th and 27th Foot; 1st
and 2nd Battalions of the 89th, and the Queen's German Regiment.
The 22nd Light Dragoons; two battalions of the 20th Regiment; the 24th,
25th, and 26th Regiments; as well as the Ancient Irish Fencibles, the
Chasseurs Britanniques, and De Watteville's Regiment, did not reach
Egypt until July 1801. The medals of men attached to the regiments
which first landed and drove the French off to Alexandria, following up
their retreat, and particularly those who took part in the most furious
fighting, are the most sought after; those of the Black Watch and
Gloucesters being especially and rightly valued, likewise those of the
8th and 13th Foot.
=The Red Heckle.=--There is even now a common notion that the Black
Watch (which lost 54 officers and men killed, and 262 wounded) had
its white heckle changed to red because of its prowess against the
French "Invincible Legion" in the historic ruins outside Alexandria,
where, it is alleged, the heckles in the fallen bonnets became dyed
with the blood of the slain, and in honour of their part in the battle
of Alexandria they were granted this signal favour. Such, however, is
not the correct story, for it is now generally conceded that the red
heckle was granted for their courageous conduct in retaking some guns,
at Gildermaslen on January 4th, 1795, which the 11th Light Dragoons had
abandoned. The Dragoons wore a red feather in their helmets, and this
was passed on, so to speak, to the Black Watch, and the "red heckle"
has distinguished the gallant regiment ever since.
=Highland Society's Medal.=--For the "distinguished and brilliant
manner in which the 42nd acted at Alexandria," the Highland Society
of London had a medal struck to commemorate the capture of the
"Invincibles'" standard, and one was presented to each officer and
private, and to the relatives of the dead men. The medal is 2 in. in
diameter, and bears on the obverse the bust of Sir Ralph Abercromby
and the inscription ABERCROMBIUS DUX IN EGYPTO CECIDIT VICTOR 28 MAR
1801, and on the reverse a Highlander capturing a French standard, with
the inscription in Gaelic NA FIR A CHOISIN BUAIDH' SAN EPHAIT 21 MAR
1801, which being interpreted means "These are the heroes who achieved
victory in Egypt." On the edge of the medal is engraved in Gaelic O'N
CHOMUN GHAELEACH D'ON FHREICEADAN DUBH NA XLII RT ("From the London
Highland Society to the Black Watch 42nd Regiment"). In this battle the
28th (the 1st Gloucester Regiment) gained the distinction of wearing
their badge at the back and front of their helmets, they having--while
in line--turned about to meet an attack in the rear by cavalry while
repelling an attack on their front by infantry.
THE MAHRATTA WAR
Dowlat Rao Scindiah, aspiring to the conquest of Hindustan, entered
into negotiations with other Mahratta (Máráthá) leaders to attack the
British and the Peishwah, who having allied himself to the British had
been restored to his ancient position. The treaty of Bassein, in which
the British agreed to restore him, has been described as "the greatest
diplomatic triumph the world has ever witnessed." The war did not last
long.
=Allighur.=--The first serious engagement was the storming of Allighur,
"a bloody struggle, an hour in duration," on September 4th, 1803. The
place was defended by General Perron, who had risen from the rank of a
non-commissioned officer of the French Marine to be Commander in Chief
of the Scindiah's army. General Lake, the British Commander-in-Chief,
was his opponent, and he took the fortress by blowing in the gate,
an operation described in the Wellington dispatch as "one of the
most extraordinary feats I have heard of in this country." The 76th
Regiment, led by Colonel Monson, was mainly instrumental in this daring
feat; 2,000 of the defenders fell, and 17 officers and 261 men of the
British army were killed and wounded. The 27th and 29th Dragoons were
the only other European regiments present.
=Delhi.=--Within a few days the battle of Delhi was fought and won. A
portion of the force was dispatched, and on the 11th day of September,
1803, encamped near the Jehna Nullah within 6 miles of Delhi. Here Lake
was, with 4,500 fighting men, confronted by an army of 13,000 infantry
and 6,000 horsemen, with 79 pieces of artillery, under the command of a
French officer, Louis Bourquien. Lake, despite the fatigued condition
of his men, decided to give battle, and the result was a crowning
victory for the British General, who with a native army--he had only
two of the King's regiments with him, the 76th Foot and 27th Dragoons
(since disbanded), to stiffen it--utterly routed the Mahrattas, who
lost 3,000 men. The British losses were severe, for 585 men, including
17 European officers, fell ere the victorious army bivouacked on the
field of battle, after being seventeen hours under arms. On September
13th the gallant Lake and his men entered Delhi. The result of this
victory was the restoration of the Great Mogul, the blind Shah Alum,
who had been a prisoner of the Scindiah's for years.
[Illustration: GOLD MEDAL FOR MAIDA, 1806.
Awarded to Sir Henry Edward Bunbury, Bart., K.C.B.]
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR AVA, 1824-6.]
=Assaye.=[3]--Meanwhile Major-General the Hon. Arthur Wellesley had
besieged and taken Ahmednuggur, possibly at the time the strongest
stone fort in India. This he made his base of operations, and hastened
to get into touch with Colonel Stevenson in order to make a combined
attack on the enemy on September 24th, but while Wellesley was on the
march he discovered, when at Naulmah on the 23rd, that he was within
6 miles of the Mahratta army; he decided, therefore, to take what
he afterwards termed "a desperate expedient." With a force of 6,400
infantry and 1,600 cavalry (of these only 1,500 were British) and only
17 guns, the man who was to become the hero of Waterloo offered battle
to the armies of the confederate chiefs, which included 30,000 horse
and 128 cannon in position behind the steep banks of the River Kaitna.
The result of the battle was as brilliant as the commander's resolve
was daring, for the Mahratta army was routed by one only a fifth its
size, and left 2,000 dead on the field; but the cost to the British
was a third of the army killed or wounded, including 170 officers.
Wellesley had one horse killed under him by a cannon shot, and another
by a bayonet wound in the breast--sufficient evidence of the part the
General took in the attack. The battle of Assaye, Wellington's first
victory, is excellent evidence that he was as bold in attack as he was
brilliant in defence. The 19th Light Dragoons (since disbanded), the
74th and 78th Foot were the British regiments engaged in the battle,
and while the latter bore the brunt of the conflict, the Dragoons
largely contributed to it by their brilliant charge.
[3] Spelt ASSYE on bar of Army of India Medal.
=Siege of Agra.=--The Mahrattas, who had evacuated Delhi after the
surrender of their European officers, fell back on Agra, where the
garrison, desirous of keeping the great treasure the city held, had
shut the gates to their Mahratta countrymen. General Lake, having
ordered his army in pursuit, had therefore to deal with these before
laying siege to Agra. After a stiff fight, a charge of sepoys was all
that was necessary before proceeding to take the city, which when it
fell, on October 18th, was found to contain treasure worth £280,000.
For this battle no recognition was given, as we shall see when listing
the bars for the medals granted for the wars and battles in India
between September 4th, 1803, and January 1826.
=Asseerghur.=--At the battle of Asseerghur (October 21st, 1803)
there was only one British regiment present, the 94th Foot (the
Scotch Brigade). On October 16th Colonel Stevenson took possession of
Burhampoor, and then proceeded to Asseerghur, where he assaulted the
Pettah, or Citadel, on the 17th, and on the 21st, after cannonading
the fort, received the surrender of the place. The battle practically
cleared the Scindiah out of the Deccan, but did not humiliate him.
=Laswarree.=--The decisive defeat of the Scindiah's army at Laswarree
on November 1st, 1803, might be called the crowning glory of Lake's
life, for the battle was a particularly desperate one, fought
against great odds, and with a tenacity which had not characterised
any previous battles, hard-fought though they had been, the enemy
contesting the ground inch by inch. The Mahratta force comprised 9,000
infantry, 4,000 cavalry, with 72 guns, and of this fine army 7,000 were
left dead on the field of battle, while 2,000 were taken prisoners; the
British force, numbering only 4,000, had 172 killed and 652 wounded.
The British regiments present were the Royal Irish Hussars (8th); the
27th and 29th Light Dragoons; and the 76th Regiment, which lost heavily
in the battle, but covered itself with glory after a night march of
nearly 25 miles; indeed, the whole of the British army had been under
arms for sixteen hours. General Lake, who it was said had "carried
bravery to the very verge of rashness," was created Baron Lake of Delhi
and Laswarree.
=Argaum.=--The battle of Argaum, fought on November 29th, 1803, broke
the Mahratta power, Wellesley routing the enemy, who abandoned 38
pieces of cannon and all their ammunition. In this battle the 74th and
78th Highlanders were particularly praised by Major-General Wellesley
for repulsing and practically destroying a body of Persian or Arab
cavalry. The other infantry regiment present was the 94th, and the only
British cavalry regiment the 19th Light Dragoons.
=Gawilghur.=--Pressing on, Wellesley arranged with Colonel Stevenson
to besiege the fort of Gawilghur, the event taking place on December
15th, 1803. This was only possible after considerable hardships and
endurance on the part of the army, which had to make roads along which
it could drag its guns by hand. Their labours, however, were rewarded
by a comparatively bloodless victory for themselves, in which the
enemy lost a large number of men during the storming, among them being
Killadar and Bery Sing. Two days later the treaty of peace between the
Rajah of Berar and the Honourable East India Company was ratified,
and the Scindiah also ratified a treaty of peace on January 5th,
1804, and thus a campaign of five months' duration was brought to an
end by the astuteness and daring of Lake and Wellesley. The 74th and
78th Highlanders, and the 94th Foot (then the Scotch Brigade, now 2nd
Battalion Connaught Rangers) were the only British regiments present at
Gawilghur.
=Defence of Delhi.=--Holkar yet remained to be dealt with, and a series
of unfortunate circumstances made him somewhat bold, so he set about
besieging Delhi, which was held by Indian troops and four companies
of Europeans under British officers, who, numbering only 2,500, had to
defend a city 10 miles in circumference from the attacks of an army
of 70,000 men with 130 guns. Meanwhile General Lake, learning of the
trouble, marched rapidly up from Agra, and reached the city on October
18th, 1804. Holkar thereupon raised the siege, crossed the Jumna, and
proceeded to lay waste the land.
=Battle of Deig.=--Lake, however, with his usual daring, made after
him with his European cavalry and artillery, accompanied by the Delhi
garrison. General Frazer was detached to march on Deig, where in the
battle outside he was mortally wounded. In this battle the 76th (the
only British regiment present) again distinguished itself, and drove
the left flank of the enemy into the morass, where many were drowned.
Besides the 76th the H.E.I. Co.'s 101st (Bengal Fusiliers) and the
Bengal Native Infantry took part. During this action, in which the
Mahrattas lost about 2,000 men, Holkar was closely pursued by General
Lake, and was ultimately compelled to fly with a few adherents before
the surprising onslaught of Lake, who, finding that the Bajah of
Bhurtpoor had assisted with his cavalry in the battle of Deig, and
not only sheltered Holkar's retreating troops but had fired on their
pursuers, determined to act promptly and firmly.
=Capture of Deig.=--On December 13th he invested the fortress, but not
until the night of the 23rd was the assault made--ten days having been
occupied in making a breach--and then within one hour the place was
taken after a short but desperate resistance; the citadel, however,
still remained in the hands of the enemy, who evacuated the town and
citadel on Christmas Eve 1804, and fled to Bhurtpoor, whither Lake
resolved to pursue their army. The British regiments present at the
capture were the 8th and 29th Light Dragoons, and portions of the
22nd (the Cheshire Regiment) and the 76th Foot. The H.E.I. Co.'s 1st
European Regiment, 6th Light Cavalry, and 8th Native Infantry were also
present.
Lord Lake made the one mistake in his Indian warfare when he sat down
before Bhurtpoor, because _matériel_ necessary to a successful issue
was lacking. After several unsuccessful assaults, Lake deemed it
advisable to withdraw, and on the 24th took up a position 6 miles off,
there to await fresh supplies of stores and ammunition. On April 9th
he renewed operations, and by the 21st had settled accounts with the
Rajah. The Scindiah, having joined Holkar, was pursued by Lake, and on
November 23rd, 1805, a treaty was ratified with him; later Holkar was
also glad to sign a treaty, whereby the peace of Hindustan was secured
for twelve years, and here we must leave for a period the tale of
Indian wars, which went unrewarded until April 1851--forty-eight years
after the battle of Allighur--and take up the thread with the war in
Nepaul.
=Maida, 1806.=--The first official war medal for military service
was awarded to the seventeen superior officers who were engaged
in the decisive and brilliant victory of Sir John Stuart--then
Major-General--at Maida in Calabria, on July 4th, 1806, when the French
were defeated, leaving about 700 dead on the field. The order for
striking the medals was issued in 1808. On the obverse is a laureated
head of King George with the legend GEORGIVS TERTIVS REX, and on the
reverse the figure of Britannia hurling a spear with the right hand,
while guarding herself with a circular shield whereon the Union Jack
is delineated, and just underneath this the inscription ~MAI DA IVL.
IV MDCCCVI.~ Above is a small flying figure of Victory, crowning her
with a wreath of laurel, and behind, the ancient symbol of Sicily--the
triguetra, or triple leg--like the Manx arms; in the exergue are two
crossed darts tied with a knot. This medal, 1½ in. in diameter, framed
and glazed, was worn from the button-hole of the uniform, suspended
by a claret-coloured blue-edged ribbon from a gold swivel and loop.
The names and rank of recipients are inscribed on the edge; it was
cut by Pidgeon. The medal illustrated facing page 20 was awarded
to Lieut.-Gen. Henry Edward Bunbury, Bart., K.C.B., who was Under
Secretary of State for War, 1809-16. It was kindly photographed for use
in this book by his grandson, Sir Henry Bunbury, Bart.
THE PENINSULAR WAR
Napoleon, having by a series of brilliant battles gained supremacy over
Central Europe, issued a decree against all commercial intercourse with
Great Britain, but having lost any semblance of maritime power by the
crushing defeat of Trafalgar (October 21st, 1805), this was a somewhat
idle procedure. Portugal declining to carry out his Imperial decrees,
Napoleon alleged that the house of Braganza no longer held power, and
by cajoling the Spaniards into a false security led them to believe
that they would participate in the spoils of Portugal; consequently
they permitted an army under Marshal Junot to over-run Portugal, but
Napoleon's ulterior object was to place his brother Joseph, King of
Naples, on the throne of Spain, and in order to effect this purpose
the weak-minded Charles IV and his son Ferdinand were induced to go
to Bayonne, where Napoleon extracted from them the renunciation of
the throne of Spain; meanwhile the Royal family of Portugal had fled
to Brazil. On July 20th, 1808, Joseph Bonaparte entered Madrid, but
the high-spirited Spaniards refused to accept him, and established a
"junta" at Seville, declared Ferdinand VII king, and drove Joseph out
of Madrid within a fortnight. The Spaniards, however, felt unequal to
dealing with the usurper, and appealed to England, and not in vain--for
an army of 10,000 men was speedily dispatched, under Sir Arthur
Wellesley, who fought his first successful battle against the French in
Spain on August 17th, 1808.
=Roleria.=--This was the battle of Roliça, erroneously called Roleria
through a mistake in dispatches, and maintained on the colours ever
since, when General Laborde was driven from the position he held. The
following regiments took part in the battle--5th, 6th, 9th, 29th,
32nd, 36th, 38th, 40th, 45th, 60th, 71st (known with the 43rd as the
"Glasgow Light Infantry," owing to the number of Lowland Scots in the
regiments), 82nd, 91st, and the Rifle Brigade, which, as Wellesley
stated in his dispatch, had just been formed, but the brunt of the
fighting fell on the 5th, 9th, 29th, Riflemen of the 60th and the 95th,
and also the flank companies of Major-General Rowland (afterwards
Viscount) Hill's Brigade. Meanwhile Marshal Junot, the French
Commander-in-Chief, decided to brook no delay, and advanced to attack
Wellesley, who was at this time at the Vimiera heights near the Maceria
River.
=Vimiera.=--In this battle (August 21st, 1808) Wellesley gave some
indication of that power in organising defence which was to prove so
valuable at Waterloo. The French attacked with considerable spirit, but
the British retaliated with equal vigour and drove them off. In this
battle the 50th, known as the "Blind Half Hundred" owing to ophthalmia
having attacked the men, and as the "Dirty Half Hundred" owing to the
black coming off their cuffs when rubbing their faces, made brilliant
and determined charges, which, with those made by the 43rd and the
71st, compelled the French to retreat. In this battle a piper of the
71st, being wounded in the leg, sat upon his knapsack, and declared as
he placed his pipes to his lips, "Diel hae me, lads, if ye shall want
for music." There were no Victoria Crosses in those days, or George
Clark would have had one. Wellesley, who had been superseded in the
command by Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple and Sir Harry Buzzard,
now returned to England, disgusted, it is said, with the Convention of
Cintra, by which the French army was permitted to evacuate Portugal and
leave Lisbon in September for Brittany, from whence it soon proceeded
to re-enter the Peninsula by way of the Pyrenees. Lieutenant-General
Sir John Moore, who arrived in Spain after the battle of Vimiera, was
placed in command of the troops, consequent upon the recall of Sir Hew
Dalrymple and the resignation of Sir Harry Buzzard. His glorious death
at Coruña, after a brilliant retreat, is an imperishable memory.
=Sahagun.=--The story of the advance against Marshal Soult is marked
by many brilliant episodes, among them the daring charge of the 15th
Hussars on December 20th, 1808, at Sahagun, where, unexpectedly finding
a broad ditch to pass, they leapt it in "a true fox-hunting spirit,"
and put the enemy to flight, with the loss of ten colonels and 160 men
prisoners. As a result of this action, Sir John Moore established his
headquarters at Sahagun. Though the 10th Hussars also took part in the
affair, the 15th is the only cavalry regiment which won the right to
carry the name on its battle-roll; the 7th, 18th Hussars, and the 3rd
Hussars of the King's German Legion, were also present, and were later
deemed worthy of the bar, likewise two batteries of Horse Artillery. It
is noteworthy that only fifteen bars for Sahagun were issued, those who
took part in the battle of Benevente as well, receiving a single bar
inscribed with the two names.
=Benevente.=--On December 24th Sir John Moore thought it advisable
to retire from Sahagun, and on the 28th reached Benevente in very
inclement, snowy weather, where another brilliant cavalry affair took
place on the 29th, when the 10th Hussars, under General Lord Paget,
made a most dashing charge against the cavalry of the Imperial Guard,
led by General Lefebvre-Desnouettes, who, together with 70 cavalrymen,
were made prisoners. The English cavalry lost 50 killed and wounded,
and the French 150 killed. Dr. Payne points out that the single bars
for this and the previous battle, as well as the bar SAHAGUN-BENEVENTE,
were issued so indiscriminately that it is difficult to distinguish to
which bar the recipient was entitled. There is a medal with the single
bar BENEVENTE in the Chelsea Hospital.
[Illustration: PORTUGUESE PENINSULAR GOLD CROSS FOR COMMANDERS.
Awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Brunton.]