The Press.
London, England, 1858-01-23 00:00:00

THE PictESS, JARUARY 23, 1858.

guns, in which we drove them back five miles and cap-
tured, three guns, and left numbers of them dead on the
field. The particulars are as followa :—We were encamped
five miles from here, in the direction of the rebels ; and
General Windham, knowing that they had taken up a posi-
tion which they meant further to strengthen, determined
(small though his force was) to eject them. We were
therefore ordered the night before last to be under arms
and to have our tents struck an hour before daybreak yes-
terday morning, and be ready for action. Everything was
ready by half-past seven, when we marched off the en-
camping-ground, the 34th, 82nd, and Rifle Brigade in front,
and we bringing up the rear. Just as we were marchirg
off, an order came that a strong guard, under the com-
mand of an officer from each regiment, was to reitifome
the original guard iu charge of the tents and commissariat,
there being great likelihood of the rebels attacking them.
I being first for iltuaril was detained for this duty. I was,
therefore, out of range of fire all day. When we got near
the ground where we expected the enemy, General Wind-
ham paid us as great a compliment as could be ; he halted
the column, and said that he must have the 88th in front;
he knew they were the men to take the position. The
other regiments wheeled back, and our detachment, 300 in
all, went to the front, and on the order being given,
away they went, some Rifles in skirmishing order before
them, the 34th supporting, and the 82nd in reserve. We
were received by a tremendous fire of grape and shell, and
well-directed artillery, which, however, was not long sus-
tained, as our men drove them back although at great
disadvantage, the men being for the most part under
cover. We finally succeeded in capturing three guns out
of the four we came up with, and as the enemy were in
flight, and we had no cavalry to pursue them, we returned
with the guns and came back to camp. The 34th claim a
share in the honour of taking the guns. Our men were
dead beat, coming so far and having all the fighting to
themselves; the 34th came up fresh, and when they saw
the guns were to be taken they made a rash for it and got
up to the battery alongside the 88th. The loss of the
force on the whole is not very severe. The 34th lost six
killed and wounded ; the 82nd, four; the Rifles, about
ten; the 88th, forty, and five officers. One of our captains,
Day, was hit with grapeshot in the head and fell into a
very deep well, where be was searched for in vain for
a long time and could not be found. Poor fellow, be
went through the Crimean campaign without a scratch,
and he was killed by almost the first shot fired yesterday.
Ensign Mitchel was struck by a round shot on the thigh
and very dangerously wounded. The alarm has just
sounded, so I must stop this letter for the present.
The battle was abort, sharp, and decisive. It began
at ten a.m. and was over by half past eleven a.m.
Not deeming it wise to pursue the enemy further,
General Windham fell back to his old camping-
ground the same evening. The rebels, although
beaten, took heart npoh the advance of their main
body, and followed our troops to their camping.
ground. Early the next morning the rebels, strongly
reinforced during the night, came down in force
upon our encampment. They attacked Windham
at noon in front and flank, and, after ten hours'
hard fighting, forced him to retreat, leaving his
camp and baggage in their hands. " I bad hardly,"
writes an officer, "got through my morning's work
when a number of natives reported to me that the
mutineers were down upon us, and advised, indeed
urged me, to rush into the intrenchment ":
I delayed, to have my breakfast, to fortify myself for
the day; and afterwards went to see the authorities, all of
whom laughed at any idea of danger, although we heard
the fighting going on distinctly about half a mile from my
house. It was So near that Captain Sankey, of the Madras
Engineers, and myself went to see the fun. I could not
resist tik temptation of witnessing an engagement so
near. Our force must have been nearly 2,000 strong; but
the strength of the enemy was unknown, I may say de-
spised, until they completety outflanked us. About this
time one of the aides-de-oamp came up with a report to
General Windham that the rebels were attacking the fort,
when the order for a retreat was given. Soon after this,
however, they found out that it was a false alarm, and an
attempt was made to recover our position. But it was
too late, and our ground was lost, the enemy having taken
advantage immediately of our move. A general panic
followed, and every one who could rushed into the in-
trenchtuents on the 27th, about four p.m.
An eyewitness, who reached Cawnpore from
Futtehpore on the afternoon of the 27th, describes
the retreat of our troops to have been a regular pelt-
rata rout
On arriving at the gate of the fort I found that the
people, civil and military, were rushing from their houses
and tents with whatever clothes sod turniture they could
snatch up. I ordered my garry-waggon into the fort.
The driver went away with the horse, and I saw him no
more. He left the vehicle in a most exposed place; but
I could not get it moved afterwards, as it was heavy.
3.20 p.m.—Saw oar troops retreating into the outer
intrenchment. A regular panic followed. Trains of
elephants, camels, horses, bullock-waggons, and coolies,
came in at the principal gate, laden with stuff. 'The
principal buildings in the fort are the general hospital, the
sailors' hospital, the post-office, and the commissariat-
cellars. Around these houses, which are scattered, crowds
of camels, bullocks, and horses were collected, fastened
by ropes to stakes in the ground, and among the animals
piles of trunks, beds, chairs, and miscellaneous furniture
and baggage. There was scarcely room to move. The
fort may cover three or four acres, I shnald say. Met one
of the chaplains, hastening into the intrenchment. He
had left everything in his tent outside. The servants
almost everywhere abandoned their masters when they
heard the gm& ldomited aims ware galloping across

the rough ground between the inner and outer intrench-
ments, and dhoolie after dhoolie, with its red curtains down,
concealing some poor victim, passed on to the hospitals.
The poor fellows were brought in, shot, cut, shattered,
and wounded in every imaginable way; and as they went
by, raw stumps might be seen hanging over the sides of
the ilhooltes, literally like torn butcher meat. The
agonies which 1 saw some of them endure during the
surgical operations were such as no tongue or pen can
describe. The surgeons, who did their utmost, were so
overworked that many sufferers lay bleeding for hours
before it was possible to attend to them. Here and there,
both outside the hospitals and within them, a man lay
on his bloody litter breathing out his life. The groans
and cries were heartrending. 1 saw one sailor carried In a
litter on the shoulders of four men; he was severely
wounded but kept up his spirits amazingly, and spoke to
his comrades as he passed quite jocularly.
But I must be brief, else I shall lose the mail. The
retreat is thus explained. General Windham, who re•
pulsed the enemy yesterday, went out to-day about noon to
attack the three divisions of the Gwalior rebels under
Nana Sahib. Windham was routed, I regret to say, and
lost his camp with 500 tents, the mess-plate of six regi-
ments, no end of tents, saddlery, and Witness in an un-
finished state, and private property valued at 50,0001. So
it is said. He left his flank exposed, and made no pro-
vision for the safety of his camp. This has been a most
disastrous affair. Felt the want of something to sat in the
evening, but could procure only some biscuits from the
commissariat. Slept in my waggon.
Other writers declare that the number of tents
captured by the rebels exceeded 3,000, while the best
part of our baggage, winter clothing, and other stores fell
into their hands. Another writer gives 5,000 as the
number of tents burned, and adds that they were on
their way to the upper provinces :
Now, we cannot replace these tents; there is not a suffi-
cient shelter for our troops left standing, as the regiments
who have mutinied never failed to destroy barraeks and
public buildings, and in the hot weather and rains when
and how are our men to be covered ?
Our troops suffered severely, and the resull'of the
day's fighting was that we were driven into the
intrenchment thrown up beyond Cawnpore, while the
rebels reoccupied the town in force, placing their guns
on the Nunkey Nawab's llnveylee, and the church.
On the 28th, at noon, the rebels attacked us on both
flanks. On the left Colonel Walpole, after a steady
defence, made a sortie and captured two 18-pounders.
On the right the attack of the rebels was pressed with
great fury, so much so that Colonel Carthew, brigadier
in command, sent for reinforcements, when Colonel
Wilson, arriving with her Majesty's 64th, made one of
the bravest charges that could be, having with only 170
men charged and taken four guns, which, for want of
support, they lost again, the cavalry having come down
upon them and killed six officers, and some sixty-
three men killed and wounded. The officers' names
are Colonel Wilson, brigadier, wounded through the
left cheek severely—he died a few hours afterwards ;
Major Stirling, killed, cut down at the guns; Captain
Morphy, brigade major; Captain or Major Macrae,
quartermaster-general, also killed at the guns; two
officers missing, Lieutenant Mackinnon and Lieu-
tenant Gibbon. It is said that they were taken
prisoners, one of them hung on our own gallows, the
other tied to a waggon-wheel and long tortured, being
beaten with shoes upon the face, Sm.
The Futtehcore correspondent quoted above thus
writes :
Saturday, Nov. 28.
9.40 a.m.—Heavy firing on our right.
9.50 a.m.—Heavy firing on our left.
11.15 a.m.—Brigadier Wilson has been carried into his
tent mortally wounded, shot through the back and left lung.
He lived for two hours, and then calmly sunk to his rest.
His last moments proved him to be a hero and a Christian.
The chaplain remained with him till be died.
The conduct of the filth Regiment this morning hes
justly excited admiration. Brigadier Wilson asked General
Windham to allow him to charge the enemy with the 04th,
of which he was colonel. Permission was granted. The
regiment advanced in the face of the enemy, and under a
murderous fire, for more than half a mile, up a ravine com-
manded by high ground in front as well as on the right and
left. From the ridge in front four 9-pounders played
upon them as they went forward. The left flank of the
Gwalior rebels rested on the Ganges, and their guns were
protected by dense columns of troops who lay under cover,
it id were strongly supported by cavalry on their left. After
disputing every inch of the ground their front line was
driven back by the steady and determined fire of the 64th.
It then appeared that overwhelming numbers of the hostile
force lay concealed in three or four parallels behind. These
rose and met the 04th as soon as the foremost officers,
Major Stirling, Captain Saunders, Captain Morphy, Captain
Macrae, Lieutenant Parsons, Lieutenant O'Grady, and
others, reached the crest of the ridge, and charged upon
the guns, followed by the column. Major Stirling fell
gloriously in front of the battery, fighting hand to hand
with the enemy, t.f whom he killed several. Captain
Morphy was shot through the heart, and seemed to bound
from his saddle, falling heavily upon his head. Captain
Macrae also met his LW like a soldier with his face to the
foe. Captain Saunders, commanding the leading division,
dashed forward followed by Parsons and O'Grady. Par-
sons instantly received a severe wound in his sword arm.
O'Grady cheered the men on, waving his cap in the air,
until he had the honour of laying his hand on one of the
guns. The regiment took up the cheer, and hurried on to
the support of Saur ders anti O'Grady, now fiercely engaged
$ in personal conflict with the Gwaliors. The tine old