were fought, for which the clasp inscribed Central India was awarded.
The troops under Sir Hugh Rose (afterwards Lord Straithnairn) had
cannonaded the fort of Rathghur for a couple of days, and then on
January 28th, after a section of the mutineers had made an attack on
the rear of the British camp, took the place by storm. Three days
after they thrashed a force near Baroda, and then pressed on to the
relief of Saugor, where a number of Europeans with their wives and
families had been besieged for six months. Sir Hugh's force relieved
the fort on February 3rd, 1858. Major-General Whitlock, with the
Madras column, had started on the same errand, and in pushing his way
onward to the goal had cleared the Jubbulpore district. On March 17th
Brigadier Stuart took the fort of Chandairee with the 86th Queen's and
26th Bombay Native Infantry, and then with Sir Hugh Rose proceeded to
the investment of Jhansi, where the mutineers had shot down some of
their officers in cold blood, and treacherously murdered others. On
March 21st the army appeared before the place, but had hardly done so
when it was discovered that the remnants of the Gwalior contingent,
under Tantia Topi, which had retreated from Cawnpore, and had gathered
strength in its march, were advancing upon Jhansi from Kalpee. Sir Hugh
Rose gave the enemy no time to think, but turning his troops about
charged the rebel hordes with such vigour that it is estimated 2,000
of them were killed. The effect of this punishment so impressed the
Ranee, and the garrison of 12,000 men in Jhansi, that the bulk of them
fled during the night, and next day, after a considerable amount of
opposition, the British troops occupied the place. In the pursuit of
the rebels about 1,500 were killed, their guns, ammunition, and baggage
falling into the victors' hands. In this affair, in which Lieutenant
Leith won the V.C., were engaged the 14th Dragoons (who lost, out of
243, 5 killed and 24 wounded); 207 Native Cavalry; 208 of the 86th
Queen's; 226 3rd Bombay Fusiliers; 298 of the 14th, and 400 of the 25th
Bombay Native Infantry.
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR MATABELELAND, 1893, WITH BAR FOR RHODESIA,
1896.]
[Illustration: CAPE OF GOOD HOPE GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL, WITH BAR FOR
BECHUANALAND, 1896.]
[Illustration: (Reverse.)
QUEEN VICTORIA'S SUDAN MEDAL.]
[Illustration: (Obverse.)
KHEDIVE'S SUDAN MEDAL.]
=Kotah.=--General Roberts, in order to deal with the mutineers who had
murdered the Resident, Major Burton, and his two sons, pushed past all
opposition in Rajpootana, and in spite of great hardships advanced
against Kotah, and on March 30th, under the leadership of the 72nd the
troops poured through the Kittenpole Gate, which had been blown up by
the Engineers; and after terrific fighting, in which Lieutenant Cameron
of the 72nd gained his V.C., the mutineers gave way, and by the evening
Kotah, with its 70 guns, was denuded of mutineers. The force engaged
included 250 of the 72nd Highlanders; 500 of the 83rd; 250 of the 95th;
a like number of the 10th and 13th Bengal Native Infantry; a number of
Sappers, and a detachment of the 8th Hussars.
The Highland brigade, after the capture of Lucknow, was engaged in
assisting to stamp out the rebellion in the province of Rohilcund, and
to that end were employed in Brigadier Walpole's force, which marched
from Lucknow with the object of advancing upon the district from one
point while Brigadier John Jones advanced from Roorkee. In Walpole's
advance he called upon the Rajah in possession of the jungle fort
of Rhooyah to surrender the place, and on his refusal ordered four
companies of the "Black Watch" to advance without protection or cover
against the strongest face of the fort, from which, after gallantly
remaining in an exposed position for six hours, they ultimately
retired, but not before Brigadier Adrian Jones of the 93rd, Lieutenants
Douglas and Bramley of the 42nd, and Lieutenant Willoughby of the
Punjabis had been killed, also a sergeant and 6 privates of the 42nd,
a lieutenant, 3 sergeants, and 34 privates wounded, in an affair that,
but for the want of spirit on the part of the commander, might have
been settled in a few minutes by a bayonet charge into the mud fort!
Next day the place was found to be deserted, and after burying their
dead the British marched in pursuit of the mutineers, whom they caught
up and defeated at Allahgunge.
=Three V.C.'s won by 42nd.=--In this unfortunate affair
Quartermaster-Sergeant Simpson of the 42nd gained the V.C. for bravely
going back and rescuing an officer and a private who lay dangerously
wounded. Private Davis of the 42nd was also awarded the coveted
distinction for going up to the very walls of the fort and rescuing the
body of Lieutenant Bramley. Lance-Corporal Alex Thompson of the 42nd
also received the Cross for assisting Major-General W. M. Cafe to bear
away, under a heavy fire, the body of Lieutenant Willoughby, and going
to the rescue of Private Spence, who had been mortally wounded in the
same effort.
=The Occupation of Bareilly.=--The advance on Bareilly was begun on
April 28th, and on May 5th the army came up with the rebels on the
plains to the east of the fort, where after a fight lasting four hours,
the mutineers were compelled to retreat, and the city of Bareilly
was occupied with little opposition. In the contest on the plains
the "Black Watch" particularly distinguished itself when a body of
Ghazis, Mussulman fanatics, charging down with mad fury upon the column
forced the 4th Punjabis back on the 42nd. The charge of the Ghazis
was described by Sir Colin Campbell as "the most determined effort he
had seen during the war," but it was coolly met by the Scots, and in
the hand-to-hand fight which ensued between them and the Ghazis the
latter were speedily exterminated. During this bloody episode Sergeant
Gardiner of the 42nd gained the V.C. by killing two fanatics with his
bayonet, and saving Colonel Cameron, who was dragged from his horse by
four of them, and was in danger of being killed. In this struggle the
famous _Times_ correspondent, W. H. Russell, would have been killed but
for the timely intervention of Sergeant Forbes-Mitchell of the 93rd,
who shot the attacking rebel. The back of the mutiny being broken the
Highland brigade was ordered to encamp at Bareilly, where the last
serious fight had been made by the mutineers. Parties of them, however,
continued to give trouble for some time, and in a sharp encounter at
Maylah Ghaut, on the banks of the Sarda, where on January 15th, 1859,
Captain Lawson and 37 men of the "Black Watch" kept at bay 2,000 rebels
from sunrise to sunset, and still further added to the roll of honour
of the 42nd by Privates W. Cook and D. Millar earning the V.C. by going
to the front and directing their company when their officers had been
shot down.
The mutiny was now crushed, thanks to the bravery and endurance of
the European soldiers, and the staunch conduct of those Indian troops
who, with their Princes, remained true to Britain. The gallant Sir
Colin Campbell at last received something like due reward for his
services to his country by being raised to the peerage as Lord Clyde.
The Honourable East India Company ceasing to exist, the Government of
India was transferred to the Crown by the India Act of 1858, and the
government of the country vested in a Viceroy and Council, the last
Governor-General under the old order becoming the first Viceroy of our
Indian Empire.
The following British regiments took part in the war: 5th, 8th, 10th,
13th, 23rd, 32nd, 34th, 38th, 42nd, 52nd, 53rd, 60th, 61st, 64th, 71st,
72nd, 75th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, 86th, 88th, 90th,
93rd, 95th, 97th, 101st Royal Bengal Fusiliers (now 1st Royal Munster
Fusiliers), 102nd Royal Madras (now 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers), 104th
Bengal Fusiliers (now 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers), 108th Madras (now
2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers); Rifle Brigade; 7th, 8th, and 14th
Hussars; 9th and 12th Lancers.
The medal was also granted to a naval brigade from the "Pearl" and
"Shannon" (see Naval Section).
=The Mutiny Medal.=--This medal (1⅖ in. in diameter) was granted by a
General Order of the Indian Government to those in the service of Her
Majesty, and of the H.E.I. Co., the men who composed the naval brigade,
and to all persons not in the military service who were employed in the
suppression of the mutiny. By a General Order, May 19th, 1859, a clasp
for DELHI was granted to those employed in the operations against and
at the assault of Delhi from May 30th to September 14th, 1857. A clasp
for the DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW was granted to all the original garrison
under Major-General Sir John Inglis (who had succeeded to the command
after the death of Sir Henry Lawrence) and to those who succoured them
and continued the defence under Major-Generals Havelock and Outram,
until relieved by Sir Colin Campbell, from June 29th to September 25th,
1857. A clasp for the RELIEF OF LUCKNOW was awarded to those who,
under Havelock, had for nine weeks striven to succour the beleaguered
garrison. Outram joined him on September 16th, and on the 25th they
clambered through the battered gun embrasure beside the Baillie Guard
at Lucknow. The members of the force under Generals Havelock and Outram
were awarded this clasp. A clasp for LUCKNOW was granted to all the
troops engaged in the several operations against Lucknow under the
immediate command of Sir Colin Campbell in November 1857 and March
1858. A clasp for CENTRAL INDIA was granted to the troops of the column
under Major-General Sir Hugh Rose engaged in the operations against
Jhansi, Kalpee, and Gwalior, and also to the troops under the command
of Major-Generals Roberts and Whitlock. Subsequently, by a general
order, May 3rd, 1860, the troops employed at and prior to the battle of
Banda and siege of Kotah were held entitled to the clasp for Central
India, but those of either of the columns commanded by Major-Generals
Roberts and Whitlock, who were employed in the subsequent minor
engagements, were considered to have a claim to the medal only. On
August 21st, 1860, it was notified that the few officers and soldiers
who may have been present in the actions in which the Malwa Force was
engaged under Brigadier Stuart, but who, from the consequence of wounds
received in action or other causes, were prevented from accompanying
the force on its junction with Sir Hugh Rose, were entitled to receive
the bar for Central India. A General Order, dated January 10th, 1860,
stated "that a clasp for the Relief of Lucknow was granted to the
troops engaged in the operations against that city under the immediate
command of Lord Clyde in November, 1857."
[Illustration: KHEDIVE'S SUDAN MEDAL. (Reverse.)]
[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA'S SUDAN MEDAL. (Obverse.)]
[Illustration: QUEEN'S MEDAL FOR BOER WAR. (Obverse.)]
[Illustration: KING'S MEDAL FOR BOER WAR. (Reverse.)]
It is noteworthy that the infantry did not receive more than two bars,
and that it was impossible for any participant in the war to obtain
more than four, and very few received as many. This is a very striking
medal, a very dignified figure of Britannia being represented on the
reverse holding a wreath in the outstretched right hand, and an oval
shield with the Union Jack thereon on the left arm, which also holds
a laurel wreath; INDIA is arranged above following the line of the
medal, and ~1857-58~ in the exergue. The obverse bears the same head
of Queen Victoria as the Military General Service medal. The names
were impressed on the edge in capital Roman letters, and the suspender
and fishtail bars are of the same kind as those used with the China
medal of 1857. The ribbon, which is 1¼ in. wide, consists of scarlet
and white stripes arranged alternately, three of white and two of red.
This was the last medal issued by the H.E.I. Co., and it might be said
almost the last of the classic medals (L. C. Wyon modelled the reverse).
=Reissues of Earlier Medals.=--On January 21st, 1859, the Government
of India sanctioned the reissue of medals gratis to all officers and
men who had lost their decorations through the mutiny. This is an
important fact to remember when considering war medals issued prior to
the mutiny, as reissues are not generally considered as valuable as
originals.
SECOND CHINESE WAR
=Fatshan, 1857.=--The seizure by the Chinese of a small trading-vessel,
the "Arrow," led to the second Chinese War, the first stages of which
were confined to operations by seamen and marines under Admiral Sir
Michael Seymour, who, attacking the Chinese fleet in Fatshan Creek
with 11 gunboats and about 50 ships' boats from the fleet, defeated
the enemy's fleet of 80 junks armed with 800 guns, and manned by 6,000
seamen; only 3 of the junks escaped destruction.
=Canton, 1857.=--Having defeated the fleet, it was considered that
there was little chance of obtaining satisfaction without resort to
arms, and a force of 5,000 men was dispatched to the Far East, but the
mutiny breaking out they were diverted to India. The 59th Regiment,
however, was on the China station, and with a body of marines took part
in the bombardment and storm of Canton on December 29th, 1857, and the
blockade of the fort until some semblance of satisfaction had been
obtained. With the deportation of the late Imperial Commissioner Yeh to
India the possibility of a satisfactory treaty was imminent, and when
the treaty of Tientsin was signed, on June 26th, 1858, it was hoped
that peace was assured.
=Taku Forts, 1860.=--The signature of a treaty was one thing, the
ratification another; and when the British Envoy was proceeding up the
Peiho River, in order to obtain the ratification, the forts at the
mouth of the river opened fire upon the ships accompanying him, and
they had to retire. It was therefore determined to achieve by force
of arms what diplomacy had failed to do. An army of 10,000 British
troops, and a force of 7,000 French, were organised to take the
offensive against the Celestials. The British were under the command
of Lieutenant-General Sir Hope Grant, and the French under General
de Montaubon, a "beau sabreur." At the end of July 1860 the British
and French fleets were ready, and on August 1st the allied troops
were disembarked a couple of thousand yards from the Pehtang Forts in
the Gulf of Pecheli, and they marched towards Sin-ho, where a battle
was fought in which the new Armstrong guns were used in warfare for
the first time. In this battle the allies outnumbered the enemy by
two to one, and their steadfastness in the face of the most modern
artillery and seasoned troops called forth the praise of General Sir
Robert Napier, who stated that the enemy "had behaved with courageous
endurance." After another engagement on the following day, and the rout
of the enemy, the way was clear to attack the Taku Forts. The northern
forts were assailed on land and bombarded from the sea on August 21st;
the assault was made difficult by an arrangement of spiked bamboo
stakes that had been planted over a space 20 feet wide, and while the
allies were gingerly creeping over it missiles of all kinds were hurled
at them. Ultimately the walls were reached, and a daring French soldier
planted the tricolour on the parapet, only to fall dead with the cry of
victory on his lips. Lieutenant Rogers of the 44th and Ensign Chaplin
of the 67th were more fortunate, and the Queen's colours were firmly
fixed over the fort. In their retreat from the first northern fort the
unfortunate Chinamen had to cross the ground they had so ingeniously
staked out as an obstacle for their enemy, and were spitted on their
own stakes. The fall of the first fort advised the commander of the
second fort that opposition was useless, and he hoisted a white flag;
later the troops took possession of it, and then the southern forts
were likewise surrendered, and the capture of the Taku Forts effected
with the loss to the British force of 67 rank and file killed, and 22
officers and 161 men wounded; and to the French of 30 killed, and about
100 wounded. The Chinese are said to have had at least 2,000 killed.
=Pekin, 1860.=--The Buffs were left to garrison Taku, and the 44th
Shanghai, which was threatened by the Taiping rebels, while the army
marched on to Tientsin, from which on September 8th the 1st Division
and about half the French force set out on the advance to Pekin. At
Changdia-wan there was a sharp skirmish, and the enemy abandoned their
entrenchments with 74 guns, and offered to sign a convention. Mr.
(afterwards Sir Harry) Parkes, Lord Elgin's secretary, together with
four officers and an escort, set out to arrange preliminaries, but
were treacherously taken prisoners, and all the officials, with the
exception of Mr. Parkes, barbarously murdered. Sir Hope Grant then
prepared to meet the Chinese attack, and in the action which was fought
at Chow-ho the Chinese were put to rout, and a great number cut down
in the pursuit by the Dragoons and Probyn's Horse. The allies then
advanced on Pekin, and the French army occupied the Summer Palace of
Yuan-ming-Yuan. At the Bridge of Palichaio a last desperate effort was
made by the Chinese Imperial Guard, but the vigorous French attack
drove them back with the loss of 25 guns, and gained for General
Montauban the title of Comte de Paliko.
On October 7th the enemy was informed that unless the prisoners were
restored and one of the gates of the city given up to the allies, the
city would be stormed. The Chinese agreed to this, and the Au-ting
gate of the city was occupied without opposition by 200 British and
French troops on October 13th. It was found, however, that twenty of
Mr. Parkes' party had succumbed to the terrible treatment of their
Chinese captors, and Lord Elgin having given his word to spare the
city if it were surrendered, ordered the Summer Palace, where the
atrocities had been committed, to be razed to the ground. The Summer
Palace consisted of thirty buildings in grounds extending for about 6
miles, and although the troops set to work with a will to burn--and to
plunder--it took two days to destroy the buildings by fire. Of the loot
of the Summer Palace at Pekin many fabulous stories have been told, but
there can be no doubt that in this wilful destruction of the palace,
and the indiscriminate dispersal of its valued contents, gems of art
and wonderful pieces of jewellery and goldsmith's work were annexed by
men who had not the faintest notion of their exceeding value. It is
said that a French officer found a string of beautiful pearls, each
about the size of a small marble, and sold it for £3,000! The loot
taken by the British troops, such as was given up, was sold at public
auction by order of Sir Hope Grant, and it is recorded the share of
each private soldier was not less than £4 sterling. The city of Pekin
was then occupied by the allies, and, the Chinese having agreed to cede
the island of Kowloon, opposite Hong Kong, to Britain, to make Tientsin
an open port, and to pay an indemnity of £100,000 to the relatives of
the murdered men, the war was concluded.
[Illustration: BOER WAR MEDALS FOR COMPARISON. THE BARS ON CENTRE MEDAL
ARE UNOFFICIAL.]
The following regiments were engaged: 1st, 2nd, 1st Batt. 3rd, 31st,
44th, 59th, 60th, 67th, 99th; Royal Artillery; Sappers and Miners, and
two squadrons 1st Dragoon Guards; 11th and 19th Bengal Lancers; 20th
and 23rd Bengal Cavalry.
=The China Medal, 1857-60.=--This medal was granted on February 28th,
1861, to commemorate the successes of Her Majesty's British and Indian
forces, both naval and military, employed in the operations in China
which terminated in the capture of Canton on December 29th, 1857,
and in the operations which terminated in the capture of the city of
Pekin. The bars issued with the medal were, CHINA 1842 to those who
had been in the first war; CANTON 1857, TAKU FORTS 1858, TAKU FORTS
1860, PEKIN 1860, and FATSHAN 1857 to seamen and marines only. The
medal, which is the same size and design as that issued for 1842, but
with the date left out on the reverse, is affixed to an ornamental
clasp for suspension; the ribbon is also the same, and the names of
the recipients, their regiments and rank, are impressed on the edge
in Roman capitals. The medals given to the navy were mostly issued
unnamed, with the exception of those awarded to the Indian navy, and
sometimes those to the marines. The suspender and bars of this medal
are of the same pattern as those used with the "Mutiny Medal." A bar,
or bars only, was granted for the second China War, 1857-60, to be
affixed to the medal of those who had also served in the first China
War, 1842, but such specimens are of the greatest rarity.
The medal given with the two bars TAKU FORTS 1860 and PEKIN 1860 to the
1st Dragoon Guards is rare, as only two squadrons of the regiment were
present, no other British cavalry being engaged, and because of the
brilliant action of the men on September 21st in riding at "a very ugly
place," and scattering the Tartar cavalry. Lord Cheylesmore has in his
collection the only five-bar medal issued for the war; it was awarded
to a gunner in the Royal Marine Artillery, and has the bars for FATSHAN
1857, CANTON 1857, TAKU FORTS 1858, TAKU FORTS 1860, and PEKIN 1860.
NEW ZEALAND, 1860-6
War again broke out in New Zealand in 1860, and so serious did it
become that at one time as many as 10,000 regulars and 15,000 colonials
were under arms. At Taranaki, on June 13th, the Maoris were defeated,
and again at Mahoetaki on November 6th. In order to protect New
Plymouth, or the Taranaki district, a chain of redoubts was built, and
from one of these, on the Waitara River, a little party of men of the
40th Regiment moved out to locate the Maories known to be in the bush.
Directly they entered it a number were killed and wounded by the fire
of the hidden enemy, and in a very short time hardly a man was unhurt.
In this unfortunate affair, on March 18th, 1861, Sergeant Lucas gained
the V.C. for his heroic conduct in assisting Lieutenant Rees, who had
been wounded, into cover, and, although himself wounded, remaining at
his post under a galling fire. Next day the Maoris surrendered, and
for a short spell peace was restored.
In 1863 war again broke out. The Maoris in the North Island had
elected a young, characterless man as King, and established a capital
at Ngaruawahia, near the junction of the Waikoto and Waipa Rivers.
British law was defied, and when the supporters of the weak and pliant
"King" had interfered in a dispute affecting Europeans and Maoris, it
became necessary to take strong measures. Lieutenant-General Sir Duncan
A. Cameron, learning that the Waikoto tribe had planned to invade
Auckland, advanced into the wild country north of the Waikoto River,
where at Kohera, above the Mangatawari Creek, the rebels had taken
up a strongly fortified position. Attacking them on July 12th, 1863,
Cameron drove them out and into the swamps, but owing to difficulties
in transport was unable to follow up his success. An instance of the
chivalry which characterised the brave Maori warriors throughout the
war may here be mentioned; the Maoris at Meri-Meri, hearing a rumour
that Cameron and his men were short of food, sent a little fleet of
canoes under a flag of truce with potatoes and milch goats for their
enemy. When he was able to move, Cameron set out to attack Meri-Meri,
but on his arrival he discovered that the Maoris had retired southwards
across country, whither, owing to the condition of the land caused by
the heavy rains, they could not be followed. Cameron pushed on up the
river, and at Rangireri attacked the strongly fortified Pah on November
20th; but owing to the assault being made before the artillery had
completed its work, the troops, after their repeated assaults, were
only partially successful, and during which 6 officers were killed
and 9 wounded, and 120 men killed and wounded. At night a number of
the enemy escaped from the Pah, and the remnant of 183 surrendered at
daybreak.
=Four V.C.'s in 1863.=--In this fight about 50 artillerymen, armed with
swords and revolvers, led by Colonel Mercer, made a brave effort to
enter the Pah, but the Colonel was mortally wounded and the gunners
had to retire: brave efforts were made by some of his men to rescue
him, and Surgeon Temple of the artillery well earned his V.C. for
dressing the dying man's wound while the bullets showered around him.
Prior to this, Sergeant McKenna of the 65th had gained the V.C. for his
coolness and excellent handling of a small detachment of men after the
officers had been mortally wounded near Cameron Town on September 8th,
and Ensign Donn and Drummer Stagpoole of the 57th had won theirs by a
very gallant action in bringing in a wounded man under a heavy fire
at Pontoko, on October 2nd. On December 9th General Cameron occupied
Ngaruawahia and the Maori "King" surrendered.