that the Sikhs were to give battle. The fatigued and famished soldiers
abandoned the meal they were preparing, and, many coatless, rushed to
their arms and to meet the Sikh army, the strength of which was so
great that it outflanked the British, which practically only formed a
single line to oppose it. The infantry meeting them in front gave a
brilliant account of itself with the bayonet. The second brigade of
cavalry, with the 3rd Light Dragoons, swept the enemy's left, while
the rest of the British cavalry turned their right, but the fight
continued until darkness, aided by the great clouds of dust from the
sandy desert, came to the aid of the Sikhs, who sullenly retired to
their camp at Ferozeshuhur after the loss of 17 guns, while the British
rested on the battlefield for a few hours and then returned to their
camp. In this battle, Colonel James Robertson, C.B., relates, Captain
(afterwards Lord) Napier had a remarkable escape with his life; when
riding armed merely with a walking-stick several of the enemy rushed
at him, but he escaped unscathed. He had ridden from Umballa alone and
straight into the battle when it was at its height! In this battle,
Colonel Robertson states, the Sikh gunners "were conspicuous for their
reckless bravery and devotion to their guns." They "died rather than
yield; and there were no white flags, and no quarter asked or given on
either side, so we had just to fight it out," and these were the men
with whom we had fought side by side in the advance on Cabul but three
years before! In this encounter 84 officers and 800 men were placed
_hors de combat_, and the hero of Jellalabad, Major-General Sir Robert
Sale, mortally wounded, Sir John McGaskill killed, and 4 brigadiers
wounded.
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR SUTLEJ, 1845.]
[Illustration: BRONZE STAR FOR PUNNIAR, 1843.]
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR PUNJAB, 1849.]
At Moodkee H.M.'s 9th, 31st, 50th, and 80th Regiments and the 3rd
Light Dragoons were present, also the 2nd, 16th, 24th, 26th, 42nd,
45th, 47th, 48th, and 73rd Bengal Native Infantry; 4th and 5th Bengal
Light Cavalry, 9th Irregular Cavalry; 4 troops of Horse Artillery and
2 companies of Foot Artillery. On the day following the battle H.M.'s
26th Foot, the 1st Bengal European Regiment, 11th and 41st Bengal
Native Infantry, and 2 companies of Bengal Artillery joined the force.
=Ferozeshuhur.=--The Sikhs strengthened their position at "Ferushahr"
and entrenched themselves with 120 guns; meanwhile the British army
had been reinforced with heavy guns and a number of troops, while
Major-General Sir John Littler had brought his division of 5,000 men
from Ferozepore, making a total of about 5,674 Europeans and 12,053
native troops, with 65 guns, to be ranged against 25,000 Regulars and
10,000 Irregular Sikhs, with 83 guns, strengthened by an army of about
23,000, with 67 guns, under Tej Singh, encamped only ten miles away.
The battle of Ferushahr, or Ferozeshuhur, as it is officially spelt,
opened on December 21st, with a terrific cannonade by the Sikhs, under
which the British infantry advanced, stormed the entrenchments, and
took a number of the enemy's guns. So hardly did the Sikhs fight that
they could not be forced from the whole of their entrenchments; indeed,
so stubborn was the battle of Ferozeshuhur that it lasted for two days,
while the intervening night was also kept lively by the Sikh artillery
playing on to the ground gained by the British. The 80th Regiment was
sent with the 1st European Light Infantry to silence the guns, and the
80th was successful in capturing three. "A more wonderful battle never
was. Within 150 yards of one another were 8,000 British troops against
an unknown number of enemies yet unbroken." All the Governor-General's
staff were killed or wounded before the day of retribution arrived.
The Commander-in-Chief and the Governor-General of India, Sir Henry
Hardinge, placed themselves in front of the two wings of the army
"to prevent the troops from firing" until they closed! Unchecked by
the enemy's fire, the line advanced, dislodged the enemy and swept
everything before it. Halting, as on the parade ground, the army
vociferously cheered its leaders, for they were masters of the field.
Sirdar Tej Singh, however, brought up his army of over 30,000 men, with
a large field of artillery, and endeavoured to retrieve the day; but
despite the fact that the British artillery had already expended its
ammunition, he was compelled to retire, and the day was won. On the
field, however, were 2,415 dead or wounded soldiers, and 115 officers,
which the victorious army had lost. The men who fought and won this
protracted and sanguinary battle had mostly been without food or water
for forty-eight hours.
The Queen's Regiments present at Ferozeshuhur were the 9th, 29th, 31st,
50th, 62nd, and 80th; 3rd Light Dragoons; 1st and 3rd Brigades Bengal
Horse Artillery, and the 4th, 6th, and 7th Batteries of Artillery; the
2nd, 12th, 14th, 16th, 24th, 26th, 33rd, 42nd, 44th, 45th, 47th, 48th,
54th, and 73rd Native Infantry; Royal Bengal Fusiliers; No. 6 Company
Bengal Sappers and Miners; 4th, 5th, and 8th Bengal Light Cavalry;
3rd and 9th Bengal Irregular Cavalry; 2nd Skinner's Horse, and the
Governor-General's Bodyguard. The 11th and 41st Bengal Native Infantry
guarding the wounded at Moodkee and the men of the 27th and 63rd
Bengal Native Infantry, Bengal Artillery, and Sappers who garrisoned
Ferozepore were also granted the medal or the bar for Ferozeshuhur.
=Aliwal.=--Within a month the battle of Aliwal was fought. The Sikh
Sirdars having effected a passage of the Sutlej near Loodiana, likewise
at Ferozeshuhur near Sobraon, and threatened the garrison at the former
place, the first brigade under Sir Harry Smith--a Peninsular veteran
who bore twelve clasps to his medal--was ordered to make a forced march
to relieve it. At Budiwal the enemy had prepared to intercept the
British force by strongly entrenching the range of sand-hills and the
villages. Sir Harry Smith, however, refusing to take any risks with his
army of footsore and fatigued men, decided to make a flank movement
by the right, although it would mean running the gauntlet of a heavy
fire from the forty guns which was opened upon his columns. The British
troops passed through the ordeal with remarkable discipline, but with
a loss (this was on January 21st, 1846) far greater than was sustained
later at Aliwal.
Colonel Godby, who commanded the garrison, on observing the approach
of the British force, moved out from Loodiana and joined the relieving
force. General Wheeler's brigade also arrived, and on January 28th
the battle of Aliwal was fought. About 10,000 men against 20,000
with 68 guns, Sir Harry Smith boldly advanced upon the Sikh position
held by the flower of that fine army. The British cavalry drove the
Sikh horsemen on their own infantry, and captured several guns,
while the British infantry made terrible havoc with the bayonet.
The battle commenced at 10 a.m., and by 1 o'clock the Sikh army
was flying in disorder, the whole of their artillery being left in
possession of the victors. In this action the British losses were
151 killed, 413 wounded, and 25 missing. The 16th Lancers, who had
greatly distinguished themselves, lost 8 officers and 100 men. Colonel
Robertson, who was present with the 31st, records a "magnificent
charge of the 16th Lancers, who rode right through one of the enemy's
squares. As they (the Lancers) came round our right flank a regiment
of sepoys, our own men, opened fire upon them!" The gallant Colonel,
however, at the risk of his life, ran along the line knocking up their
muskets with his sword as he shouted in Hindustani, "Our men, our own
men!"
The following regiments were engaged at Aliwal: H.M.'s 31st, 50th, and
53rd Foot and 16th Lancers. The H.E.I. Co.'s troops were the 1st and
2nd Goorkas, 30th, 36th, 47th, and 48th Bengal Native Infantry and a
wing of the 24th; 1st, 3rd, and 5th Bengal Light Cavalry; 4th Irregular
Cavalry and the Bodyguard; Bengal Horse and Foot Artillery; Bengal
Sappers and Miners.
=Sobraon.=--The completeness of the victory at Aliwal did not utterly
dispirit the Sikhs, for they made a bold stand at Sobraon, where, on
February 10th, they desperately disputed the day with the army composed
of the combined forces of Sir Hugh Gough and Sir Harry Smith. The Sikhs
held their 3,500 yards of entrenchments, shielding 70 guns, with 34,000
men, while on the other bank of the Sutlej 20,000 more were ready
for battle. Sir Hugh Gough's army of 16,224 men--6,533 Europeans and
9,691 native troops--prepared for battle at sunrise, when the British
batteries opened fire, but with little effect upon the enemy's guns in
the strong redoubts. At 9 o'clock the European infantry advanced to
attack, and then, without firing a shot, under a galling fire rushed
upon the Sikhs, while the cavalry, passing in single files through the
gaps in the entrenchments made by the sappers, re-formed and sabred the
stubborn Sikh artillerymen at their posts. Those who fled were drowned
in thousands in the waters of the Sutlej, which was red in places with
the blood of men and horses, and the fine army of Sikhs (Khalsas)
melted away, after leaving about 8,000 on the field of battle. No
longer was there any doubt as to the determination of the British to
maintain their prestige and possessions, and the haughty chieftains
sought peace from their conquerors. The youthful Maharajah Dhuleep
Singh was, however, compelled to treat in person. As a result the
victors occupied the rich district between the Sutlej and the Beeas,
and he was allowed to nominally rule the Punjab until the war indemnity
of £1,500,000 was paid. It was a dear victory for the British: the 10th
lost 3 officers and 130 men; the 29th Regiment lost 13 officers and
135 men; the 31st, 7 officers and 147 men, two of the officers--Ensign
Tritton and Jones--being killed while bearing the regimental colours,
which were ultimately planted on the highest point of the enemy's
entrenchments by Sergeant Bernard McCabe, who as Captain McCabe was
mortally wounded when leading a fourth sortie from Lucknow on October
1st, 1857. The 50th lost 12 officers and 227 men. Generals McLaren and
Cyril Taylor were among the dead, also Major-General Sir Robert Dick,
who gained considerable fame as leader of the 42nd Highlanders during
the Peninsular War and at Waterloo, and who fell at the moment of
victory.
The regiments engaged at Sobraon were: H.M.'s 9th, 10th, 29th, 31st,
50th, 53rd, and 62nd Infantry Regiments; 3rd Light Dragoons; 9th and
16th Lancers; 1st Bengal Europeans; 1st and 2nd Goorkas; 1 company
12th, 16th, wing of 24th, 26th, 33rd, some of the 38th, 41st, 42nd,
43rd, 47th, 59th, 63rd, and 68th Bengal Native Infantry; with the 45th
and 59th in reserve; 3rd, 4th, and 5th Bengal Light Cavalry; 2nd, 8th,
and 9th Irregular Cavalry; 10 troops of Horse Artillery; 11 companies
Foot Artillery. The 73rd Bengal Native Infantry stationed at Rhodawalla
also received the medal. It should be noted that the record of
regiments engaged does not necessarily represent all the units taking
part. Details and drafts from various corps were often present through
one cause or another, or by accident. This should be borne in mind
whenever a medal comes under notice. The medal rolls will generally
assist, but there have been instances, and very serious ones for the
collector, where the want of accuracy in a medal roll has cost him
very dearly. Dr. Payne gives an instance of this on page 74 of "British
and Foreign Orders, War Medals and Decorations," a bar for Corygaum
being on a medal awarded to a man of the 65th Foot, as well as the bar
for Poona. The first-named bar made the medal one of the rarest of the
series issued to a British soldier, but the medal roll led Dr. Payne to
think it a fraud, which later evidence demonstrated was not the case.
=The Sutlej Medal.=--The first, or Sutlej medal, 1¼ in. in diameter,
bearing the legend "ARMY OF THE SUTLEJ," was given with three bars
for four battles; that is to say, that those who fought through all
the battles had their record on the medal and three bars. A soldier
taking part in the battle of MOODKEE would have the name impressed
in raised letters, with the date, 1845, in the exergue of the medal,
and the succeeding battles on the bars, as in the illustration facing
page 112, of a medal awarded to a man of the 31st Royal East Surrey
Regiment--this and the 50th Royal West Kent Regiment being the only two
British regiments to receive the three bars, for FEROZESHUHUR, ALIWAL,
and for SOBRAON, the battle which determined the first campaign.
This was the first Indian medal issued with bars. The ribbon is dark
blue, edged with dark crimson. The medal, with W. WYON, R.A., on the
truncation of the Queen's head and W.W. above the left-hand corner of
the exergue, is generally considered a good one, and certainly it does
stand out among the many issued during the reign of Queen Victoria as
symbolic and suited for its purpose. The names of the recipients are
impressed in Roman capitals on the edges. The medal is attached to
the ribbon by means of a scroll bar fixed to the medal by a claw clip
acting on a swivel, so that the medal may be turned about when fixed on
the breast.
SECOND PUNJAB CAMPAIGN
This originated in a murderous assault made upon the British officials
accompanying the Sirdar Khan Singh, who was deputed to take over the
charge of the fortress of Mooltan (Multan) and province from the native
Governor Dewan Moolraj, who had resigned. On arriving at the gate of
the fortress the officers and their escort were attacked and killed
by some of the Governor's men. A punitive force, including a body of
1,400 Sikhs, was consequently sent to punish the city, but the Sikhs
went over to the rebels, and it was found necessary to send a strong
force to reduce the mutineers who had been excited by Moolraj. Mooltan,
a city three miles in circumference, is of considerable antiquity;
it was taken by Alexander the Great, and at the beginning of the
eleventh century by Mahmud of Ghazni, and by Tamerlane at the end of
the fourteenth century; besieged by Ranjit Singh in 1810, he was bought
off by the Afghan Governor, but it fell in 1818, and was annexed to the
Punjab.
General Whish marched upon the city from Lahore with a force which
included H.M.'s 10th and 32nd Regiments, and concentrated at Mooltan in
the middle of August; but he had realised, after the desertion of 5,000
Sikhs under Sheer Ali, that it was fruitless to maintain the siege, and
therefore raised it on September 15th. Lieutenant Edwardes, however,
had by superhuman energy and indomitable pluck raised a force of Sikhs
and Mahommedans, which was of the greatest possible assistance in
holding Moolraj and his army of about 8,800 infantry and 1,200 cavalry,
with 54 guns, in check, twice defeating him in battle at Kineyree and
Suddoosam.
=Edwardes's Medal.=--For his splendid services the H.E.I. Co. presented
him with a gold medal designed by W. Wyon, R.A., bearing on the obverse
the bust of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and on the reverse, resting
upon a lotus flower, the figures of Valour and Victory, crowning the
arms of Major (afterwards Sir Herbert) Edwardes; beneath, in allusion
to the youthfulness of the hero, the infant Hercules strangling
serpents. Within the border is the inscription, FROM THE EAST INDIA
COMPANY TO LIEUTENANT AND BREVET-MAJOR H. B. EDWARDES, C.B., FOR HIS
SERVICES IN THE PUNJAB A.D. MDCCCXLVIII.
=Where "El Chico Blanco" fell.=--While Whish and Edwardes had been
holding the ground, Lord Gough assembled an army at Ferozepore, and
marching into the Punjab met the rebels at Ramnuggur on the banks of
the Chenab on November 28th, 1848, where after a determined battle the
enemy drew off beaten. It was here Lieutenant-Colonel William Havelock,
K.H., "El Chico Blanco," the fair-haired and gallant boy-leader of
the Peninsular War, was killed while leading the 14th Dragoons in the
cavalry charge. Colonel Havelock was brother to Sir Henry Havelock, and
his six-bar Peninsular medal is in the great collection of my friend
Dr. A. A. Payne, of Sheffield. Brigadier-General Cureton, C.B., the
commander of the cavalry division, also fell. The brilliant charges
made by the 13th and 14th Light Dragoons, and the 5th and 8th Light
Cavalry, against the great bodies of hostile horsemen numbering nearly
4,000, called forth special mention in general orders. Various minor
engagements were fought while Major-General Whish renewed the siege of
Mooltan, which lasted twenty-five days, during which time a shell from
one of the British mortar batteries struck the "Jumma Musjid," or Great
Mosque, while another blew up a powder-magazine with 400,000 lb. of
powder, when, states Colonel Maude, "as if by mutual consent the firing
on both sides ceased a while, every one gazing upwards with silent awe
and wonder! Then from the British camp arose one long burst of triumph,
which was speedily answered by a furious cannonade from our courageous
and still unsubdued enemy." Two breaches had been made in the walls
by January 1st, 1849, one at the Delhi Gate and one near the "Khonee
Boorj," or Bloody Bastion; this the Bombay European Fusiliers, the 4th
Rifles, and the 19th Native Infantry were told off to storm, but the
"Old Toughs," as the Fusiliers were called, had to make three desperate
attempts before they and their comrades could gain the summit.
Meanwhile the 32nd, with two Bengal regiments in support, had been
ordered to storm the Delhi Gate; but their efforts were unsuccessful
owing to the imperfect breaching, and they entered the city by the
"Khonee Boorj." So Mooltan was won, but no rest was obtained until the
troops reached the Soharee Gate, after fighting through the streets of
the blood-stained city, in the siege of which the British force lost
1,200 in killed and wounded.
[Illustration: FIRST INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL.
Issued for Second Burmese War, 1854.]
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR SOUTH AFRICA, 1853.
Awarded to Lieutenant-General A. C. Cavendish Bentinck.]
[Illustration: (Obverse.)
INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL.
With bar for Persia, 1856-7.]
The British regiments which took part in the siege were the 10th, 32nd,
and 1st Batt. 60th Rifles (only 100 of this regiment received the
single bar for Mooltan, and fakers frequently remove the Goojerat bar
from a medal in order to enhance its value); likewise a Naval Brigade
(Indus Flotilla) of about 100 men; 1st (Royal) Bombay Fusiliers; 3rd,
4th, 9th, and 19th Bombay Native Infantry; 8th, 49th, 51st, 52nd, and
72nd Native Infantry; Bengal and Bombay Sappers and Miners; 1st and
2nd Scinde; Irregular Horse and 1st and 11th Bengal Light Cavalry; and
7th, 11th Irregular Cavalry with a detachment of the 14th. Likewise a
detachment of Guides and Horse and Foot Artillery.
=Chilianwala.=--After the fall of Mooltan, Major-General Whish, with
the 10th, 32nd, and the 60th Rifles, proceeded to join Gough's army,
and was in time to take part in the final battle of Goojerat. The
sanguinary battle of Chilianwala was fought on January 13th, 1849, and
although described by Sir Henry Havelock as "the most sanguinary, and
the nearest approximation to a defeat," it was not at first decided to
issue a bar for the engagement. It was not an officers' battle; all the
more reason, therefore, that the bar should be given to the soldiers
"whose dauntless valour rectifies the errors of its commanders," for,
as the _Calcutta Review_ rightly affirmed, the soldiery "redeemed their
errors with its blood," the unfortunate 24th, which advanced on the
Sikh guns with unloaded muskets, losing no less than 14 officers and
241 men killed in the action, and 10 officers and 253 men wounded,
besides losing one of their colours which was left on the field, but
four others shared the same fate when after this confused battle Lord
Gough drew his men off a mile in order to find water. The total loss of
the British was 38 officers and 564 men killed, 94 officers and 1,557
men wounded, and 104 missing. The Sikhs, who "fought like devils," lost
about 3,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.
The following British regiments took part: 24th, 29th (whose "undaunted
bravery" was placed on record), 61st Foot; 3rd, 9th, and 14th Light
Dragoons; Bengal Horse and Foot Artillery; the 2nd Bengal Fusiliers;
15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 31st, 36th, 45th, 46th, 56th, and 69th Bengal
Native Infantry; 1st, 5th, 6th, and 8th Bengal Light Cavalry; 3rd and
9th Irregular Cavalry and Bengal Pioneers.
=Goojerat.=--The last battle of the campaign was fought at Goojerat
(Gujerat) on February 21st, 1849. Hitherto the Sikhs had proudly
attacked; in this instance they acted upon the defensive under Sheer
Singh, who commanded a force of 34,000 Sikhs, with 59 guns, and about
1,500 Afghans under the command of a son of the Ameer. In this battle
the British General was superior in artillery, having 97 guns, but
only 24,000 men. In advancing upon the Sikh position, Gough, as usual,
intended sending his infantry forward before the artillery had done
its work. Colonel Robertson alleges that, "Sir Hugh Gough's simple
strategy was to put the strongest regiment into the hottest place, and
no attempt was made to outflank or turn a position, which must account
for the heavy list of casualties." However, on this occasion, Malleson
states his staff induced the veteran to mount the top story of an
isolated building which commanded a complete view of the battlefield,
and then quietly removed the ladder, and only replaced it when the
artillery had done its work. Then this indomitable army went for the
well-served Sikh guns, and put the enemy to rout, leaving the cavalry
to pursue them for twelve miles. The power of the Sikhs was broken,
the Punjab became a possession of the British Crown, and the Maharajah
Dhuleep Singh granted a pension. The Sikh losses were terrific, but
only 29 officers and 671 men of the British force were placed _hors de
combat_.
The following regiments were represented at Goojerat: 10th, 24th,
29th, 32nd, 53rd (which arrived in the evening), 60th, and 1st Batt.
61st Foot; 3rd Light Dragoons, 9th Lancers, and 14th Light Dragoons;
1st Bombay Europeans; 1st and 2nd Bengal Europeans; 3rd, 8th, 13th,
15th, 19th, 20th, 25th, 31st, 36th, 45th, 46th, 51st, 52nd, 56th, 69th,
70th, 72nd Bengal Native Infantry; 19th Bombay Infantry; 1st, 5th,
6th, and 8th Bengal Light Cavalry; 3rd, 9th, 11th, and 14th Irregular
Cavalry, and Scinde Horse; 4 field batteries of Bombay Artillery, and
9 troops of Horse Artillery; 2 companies of Bengal Sappers and Miners,
6 companies of Bengal Pioneers, and 1st Company of Bombay Pioneers. A
Brigade of Seamen from the Indian Navy which accompanied the Bombay
column were awarded the medal.
=The Punjab Medal.=--The obverse bears the diademed head of Queen
Victoria by Wyon, and the legend VICTORIA REGINA, and the reverse Sikh
chiefs laying down their arms before a victorious British General
seated on horseback in the front of his troops, who are drawn up in
line with colours flying. In the background are palm trees, and above
TO THE ARMY OF THE PUNJAB. In the exergue is the date MDCCCXLIX. The
medal is 1⅖ in. in diameter, and has the names of the recipients
impressed on the edge in Roman capital letters. The clasps for
suspension, and the bars, are similar to those on the Sutlej medal; the
ribbon is 1¾ in. wide, and of dark blue with bright-yellow stripes at
the side.
FIRST NEW ZEALAND WAR