COMPLIMENTS TO THE NAVAL BRIGADE
It was a pretty sight when we marched away. All our old comrades
cheered us; the Ghoorkas, the Bengal Yeomanry Cavalry, and the 13th
Foot, who had been our companions during the greater part of the
eighteen months we were landed, followed us out of camp; and the
bands played for a goodly distance along the road. Hand-shaking and
leave-taking followed, and Brigadier-General Rowcroft made us a most
complimentary speech. He was very much cut up (no wonder, considering
all we had gone through together); he was proud of his Naval Brigade;
and to me personally he was the best of Chiefs, considerate and kind
on all occasions--I do not remember his ever having allowed an angry
word to pass his lips. I had acted as his Aide-de-Camp the whole time,
excepting on one occasion when I was sent with a detachment from Bustee
and acted as Aide-de-Camp to Lord Mark Kerr.
Starting from near Intwa on the 4th of January, we marched incessantly
(with the exception of one day’s halt) to Alahabad. We arrived there on
the 15th, so that with the exception of one day’s rest (on a Sunday)
we had a consecutive ten days’ marching; doing 26 miles on one day
and 18 on another. What was the reason for this hurry I could never
understand. I suppose we were in fine condition, and not hampered with
much baggage. We left our tent-stores and ammunition behind, and our
guns were left with Sir Hope Grant. Lord Canning, I was pleased to
find, was at Alahabad. He kindly allowed me to visit him, and I dined
with him one evening during our stay. On the morning of the day of our
departure His Excellency caused the following general orders to be read
out to the Brigade:--
ALAHABAD, _the 17th January 1859_.
His Excellency the Viceroy and Governor-General cannot allow the
officers and men forming the Naval Brigade of Her Majesty’s ship
_Pearl_ to pass through Alahabad on their return to their ship
without expressing his acknowledgments of the excellent service
they have rendered to the State.
Disembarked on the 12th of September 1857, they have for fifteen
months formed a main part of the small force to which the security
of the wide district of Gorruckpore, and of the country adjoining
it, has been entrusted, and which has held during that time
important advanced posts exposed to constant attack from the
strongholds of the rebels.
The duty has been arduous and harassing; but it has been cheerfully
and thoroughly performed, and the discipline of the _Pearl’s_
brigade has been admirable. The _Gazettes_ of the 9th and 23rd
March, 27th April, 11th May, 22nd June, 6th and 13th July, 13th
August, 12th and 19th October, 23rd and 26th November 1858, and
11th January 1859, have shown that when the Gorruckpore field force
has been engaged the Brigade has signally distinguished itself.
The Governor-General cordially thanks Captain Sotheby, C.B., and
his brave officers and men for the valuable assistance they have
given to the army in Bengal, and he is glad to think that they
do not quit the scene of their services without the satisfaction
of seeing peace restored to the rich districts which they have
protected.
R. J. H. BIRCH, _Major General_,
_Secretary to the Government of India_
_with the Governor-General_.
After this was read out a ringing cheer was sent up, and renewed again
and again; knots of soldiers and civilians standing by joined in the
general rejoicings. The bands played us down to our steamer, the
_Benares_, and we left shortly afterwards on our way down the river.
Here was a pleasant ending to all our work. The Governor-General was
right in stating that “we left with the satisfaction of seeing peace
restored.” It was indeed a proud moment to be told that: a reward
to us to see that accomplished which we had done our best to bring
about. I hope I may be excused for writing thus much. We had had very
arduous work, fighting with a small force against vastly superior
numbers, whatever they were made of. We never knew, especially in the
early days of the Mutiny, what a day might bring forth: we might even
find our whole force annihilated. We had very scanty information about
the rebels, and often our spies were not to be trusted. The whole
country was up in arms; villages were forsaken, either for fear of
us or because they had joined the rebels; the incessant marching and
countermarching, and entrenching our camp after a long day’s march
in a hot climate, were no joke; and I felt very proud of our force,
especially of the Brigade, so well commanded by Captain Sotheby.
The action of Amorrah had great effect on the mutineers in that part of
India. It broke their spirit: so much so, that they never were able to
mass in any large force afterwards, with the exception of that final
stand at Toolsepore. The rebels as a rule fought badly; but there
were occasions when we were hard put to it--not so much by the actual
fighting as by the constant state of unrest into which they put us.
Then, there was always the feeling that if retreat had been forced
on us we should have nothing to fall back upon: neither position nor
reinforcements. To me, a boy, it was naturally a most exciting and
interesting period. Between sixteen and eighteen troubles and work do
not seem to weigh heavily.
The Brigade had altogether twenty-six engagements with the rebels.
I saw seventeen of them. The others I missed because of severe
fever, or because I was left behind on camp guard. On one occasion
during my illness, while we were on the line of march at night, our
doolie-bearers and the spare horses endeavoured to make a short-cut to
avoid the dust of the road on which the column was marching. As bad
luck would have it, some rebels swooped down on us and stole several
horses. Luckily, my doolie-bearers did not skiddaddle with the rest. A
horse which was being led just in front of my doolie was captured; but
I escaped, doolie and all. I was so ill that it would not have taken
much to kill me.
It took from the 19th of January to the 2nd of February to make the
trip back to the ship at Calcutta, where, on our arrival, they gave us
a salute. Here we were _fêted_ for a few days. Dinners and receptions
were given in our honour, and the petty officers and men were
entertained at the public expense.
Of my passage home in the _Pearl_ there is nothing of much interest to
relate. We touched at Madras; and at the Cape, and there I met with the
heart-breaking news of my beloved mother’s death. Those who have known
the depths of a mother’s love will be able to measure the terrible blow
that then fell on me. She, the one in the world I longed to see again,
to talk over with her the many adventures I had had since last we
parted--she was gone.