63
OUDH DIVISION.
General, dated 26th September 1878, was subsequently received and acted upon. Soon after an
order was received by the Commanding Officer to the effect that if the regiment moved, it was to
take all its baggage as if in regular relief. On the 10th instant, Lieutenant Tait of the Buffs
was attached to the regiment. From this date until the 16th, all went on quietly and regularly,
when a telegram was received to proceed at once by special train to Lahore, and on Friday,
the 18th, at 3 P.M., the regiment left their lines for the railway station, accompanied by the
band of the Buffs. At 4-30 P.M. all were seated in the train, which was drawn up at the troop
-
siding, the baggage having been loaded up by 12 noon. At this time the sick numbered 27
(two bad cases were left at the station staff hospital, there being no native regiment in canton
-
ments). The train started at 5-15 P.M. for Saharunpore, where it was to halt some hours. On
the 19th arrived at Saharunpore, and halted until 10 P.M., when the troops were again put
into the train and proceeded to Meean Meer, which station was reached at 1 P.M. of the 20th,
and went under canvas. They were destined not to be left quiet long, as at 7 P.M. an order
was received to proceed at once to Lahore and encamp on the glacis outside the fort. At 3 A.M.
on the 21st the regiment was again on the move, and arrived at its ground at 6.A.M. the same day,
and was encamped on good ground to the east and about 500 yards from the fort. Here tents
were pitched for the night, but at 2 P.M. of the 22nd orders were again received to proceed
with the least practicable delay by "double marches" to Rawal Pindi, or by train, if carriage
was procurable at Jhelum; and further, that the Commander-in-Chief relied on our reaching
that station as soon as possible. Orders were solicited from General Rothney, Commanding,
for permission to proceed at once, but he declined until he had received a reply to a telegram
he had sent to Jhelum. Up to the 24th no reply was received, and it afterwards transpired
that the telegram had never been delivered. Accordingly the Commanding Officer begged to be
permitted to start at once; and on the 25th all necessary arrangements were made with most
creditable order, and we left Lahore for Shandera, a distance of three miles only, as the river had
to be crossed by bridge-of-boats, and we arrived at 7 P.M., but owing to the lateness of the
hour and the night being very dark, the troops were bivouacked under a tope of trees which
formed admirable shelter for the night, and the officers all passed the night without tents. No
sick accompanied the regiment, but seven men were left at Lahore in charge of the 9th Native
Infantry, and 13 sent on in charge of a hospital.assistant with medical comforts. This was
necessary
, as the regiment was going by double marches. At 3 A.M. of the 26th, the regiment
commenced its double march of 15 miles, and reached its destination (Moodki) at 8 A.M. We
were to have started again at 4 P.M. for the second march of 12 miles, but owing to the bad
state of carriage it was found impracticable; the men were therefore encamped on the ground
for the baggage, &c., to come up. At about 11 o'clock the 28th Native Infantry passed us pro
-
ceeding up by train, and it was galling to find ourselves left in the back-ground with a journey
of 190 miles to be accomplished by double marches with very indifferent carriage. At 3 A.M.
tents were struck, men and baggage off the ground at 4 A.M., and proceeded on the march
halting after the sixth mile for half an hour. We reached Kainorkie at 8-15 A.M., at an average
rate of three miles per hour. Here we halted to allow of the men bathing and cooking food
until 11 o'clock A.M., and started again for "Goojranwalla,"
a distance of 12 miles. Seven men fell out owing to the exces
-
sive heat and fatigue (the heat was most trying and oppres
-
sive), and had to be conveyed the remainder of the way in
doolies. We reached the above station at 3-30 P.M. that day,
and finished pitching the camp, which had been begun by an
advance party. Provisions were plentiful, and well-water very good; the camping ground clean,
but void of any trees. The tents were pitched close to the "tehsil" in the open maidan. The
men were rather done up by the long march, but more from the excessive heat than the
number of miles they had walked, clothed as they were with the red coats under their khakie
great-coats, horse collar shape, and 40 rounds of ammunition, besides their muskets. The
25 miles' march that day spoke very well for the men. At about 6 P.M. of the same day a
telegram was received from the Commanding Officer, Jhelum,
to say that a special train would draw up close to the camp,
and the regiment was to be despatched by it at once to
Jhelum, accordingly the tents had to be struck again; meantime the train arrived. We
were requested to start as soon as possible, as the engine had only a very limited supply of water,
probably not quite enough to take the train as far as the station. All was ready by 8-20 P.M.,
and the whole baggage and men were in the train, and started off at 9 o'clock P.M. that night.
No hitch or accident of any kind, and all conducted quietly and most satisfactorily. At this
time the number of sick was four,—chiefly fever. We slept all night in the train, and reached
our destination at 5-10 A.M. of the 28th, but all remained
in the train till daylight 6 A.M., when Colonel Thompson,
the Commanding Officer, came up and reported that plenty of
carriage was available in shape of camels, there being 500 already present. It was not long
before the troops were on the move to the camp ground, which is a large open space of ploughed
land, about half a mile from the railway line and one mile from the station alongside of the
"tehsil." Little or no shade is procurable on this site. Water from wells good and ample; pro
-
visions abundant and good; plenty of grapes and pomegranates to be had cheap, as also
vegetables. About two hours after the arrival of the troops on their ground, the baggage all
came up and was soon ready for their accommodation. The men bore the journey well, and did
not seem the least knocked up by the unusual fatigue, and marched off from the train as fresh
27th October.—March to Gujran
-walla, 25 miles.
From Kamorkie the Commanding
Officer started by train for "Jhe
-lum," to procure a train to convey the
regiment to Jhelum.
27th October 1878.—Special train
to Jhelum.
28th October 1878.—Camp ground
at Jhelum.