Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-25 00:00:00

THE INDIAN MUTINIES.

[Letters of a very interesting description continue to
pour on us. The following one from an officer in the
besieging force, will be read with much interest.]
BEFOILE DELHI, from the 11th to 19th and 24th June.
" Since my last we have had various scrimmages:with
tt e mutineers. In fact, from the 9th to the 13th we were out
every day once or twice, the enemy coming out about
3,000 strong, each time with infantry, cavalry, and two or
three light field-guns. They joined themselves into two
parties, and came up on both sides of Hiado Rao's house.
Oar movements were to send infantry, composed of the
Guides, Simoor Battalion, and a few of the 80th Rifles,
down the hill towards the city, over the rocky ground,
and our cavalryaand artillery down the two roads on
the right and left of the broken ground. We always
drove the enemy back, I dont believe many of them were
killed till the 13th. On that day an immense number met
with the fate they; so richly deserve. We were on the
right of Hindoo Rao's that day, and, after skirmishing
down the rocky ground, got into the Subramundi and a
serai and village at the right. la the serai (caravansers)
we came across about 100 of the mutineers who had got
themselves into a nice scrape, for having got into the halls
of the Sarai they found they could not scale the walls and
run for it, so were shot down and bayoneted, every one of
them. The Rifles got into the village and garden and did
their work too. We learnt from our city spies next day '
that of 4,000 who cam- out 500 were left dead and 500
were carried back so badly wounded that they died by
twenties and thirties, having no doctors. This day's work
so disgusted them that I don't think they could have
bothered ns again, but that evening they were joined by
our 60th Native Infantry, a native troop of Horse Artil-
lery, and one more native corps, the two native corps
arrived unarmed and encamped outside the city walls.
The gentlemen from inside therefore promised to feed and
arm them on condition that they would come out and fight
us next day ; this they accordingly did, and got such a
lesson that they retired in disgust, and have since left us
alone. On the 16th and 17th they determined to bother us
with their big guns, and so commenced building a battery on
the right of the city, about three-quarters of a mile beyond
the walls (when I say the right and left of the city I mean
our right and left looking from Ilindoo Rao's house.) As
this battery would have sent shot and shell flying into
every part of our camp and would have made this house
perfectly untenable for us, we quietly waited until the
afternoon of the 17th, when, the battery being just finished
and one gun already brought down to it, we sallied out,
knocked the whole,thing about their ears, bayoneted and
shot down a number of those who positively tried to hold
their ground, captured their gun and burnt two or three
villages in the vicinity. The loss on our side was miracu-
lously small, for had they tired their guns, and had the
large force they had with them concealed in the villages
fired well on us, we should have suffered fearfully ; this
bold sally of ours has so astonished them that they have
not come out of their walls since. At present they con.
fine themselves to their guns. Tney have a large battery
on the left of the Cashmere-gate, one at the gate itself,
oue at the Moree-gate, one at the Ajmere-gate, and one
at a place name unknown, but in the city walls, and in a
direct line between llindoo Rao's house and the Jumma
Musjid. Three of these play on the house, one on the high
observatory close to us, and one on the Musjid to the left of
observatory. Oa our side we have three batteries—one
at the house, one at the observatory, and one at the
Musjid, so that whichever battery of ours they fire at,
they will get an answer in return. This house is fearfully
shattered, our engineer and artillery officers say they
work their guns beautifully, and fully equal us in good
shots. We w.ho. are on outpost duty here, some 20 of us,
(officers and men) all live in the gateway of this house.
The day before yesterday (the 17th), while quietly sitting
and chatting together, a round shot came humming and
whisking right into the mouth of the gateway, struck the
wall when it had gone about three yards, and burst into a
thousand pieces. Poor young Wheatley, of the late h4th
(one of the few who had escaped the massacre), was
taken from the middle of us, a large piece of the shell
striking him in the shoulder, and nearly cutting him in
two. He dropped down dead, poor young fellow ! Five
of us who were sitting within a circle of ten yards of him,
were more or less struck, but none seriously. I got an
admonitory I hump on the shoulder from a large piece of a
stone that was sent whizzing by my ear; thank God, a stiff
shoulder is the only damage done. Two splinters then
left us alone in a most curious way and went about six
yards, I expect with a large piece of the round shot,
which must have struck the wall at the other end of the
gateway and burst again, for it killed two men of the 6th
Carabineers who were sitting at the mouth of the gateway,
smashing their massive brass helmets and thick turban
covers, as if they had been made of thin glass, and at the
same time five or six G )orkas of the Sirmoor Battalion
were killed dead on the spot, also a poor syce. It was a
most wonderful thing we were not all killed, but a merci-
ful Providence was watching over us. We have now some
sandbags as a wall in front of the gateway, and are pretty
safe from shot and shell.
" The weather is fearfully hot, though I really think
much cooler than it generally is at this time of year. The
heat is not so uncomfortable, though, as the dust, which
comes flying through the gateway, and is enough to choke
one. In addition to this we have the horrors of a hospital
in a part of the house, and every hour of the day poor
fellows are being brought in with shattered arms, legs,
and the most frightful looking wounds, inflicted by round
shot and shell; and, what with the screams of the poor
unfortunates, the dust, flies, smell of rum, smoke, and
1,000 et referee too numerous to mention, with the banging
of the shot, shell, &c., it is hardly possible to do anything.
With all this it is a great satisfaction certainly to be here
to pay these__ scoundrels back a part of what they have
done to us.

" Juile 24th.—Still before the walls of this horrible city_
We have had no reinforcements yet, beyond a few Sikhs
belonging to the 4th Sikh Regiment ; consequently we
have been able to do nothing except hold our own. On
the 19th they came out again, having received reinforce-
ments, which they immediately sent out to fight us. At
the same time a very large force went out a long way and
tried to get round into the rear of our camp. A large
force of ours consequently went out to meet those gentle-
men, and a tre nendous fight was the consequence. Our
arrangements were very bad in this fight—the cavalry,
infantry, and artillery all mixed up together in sad con-
fusion ; many of our men, I fear, killed by our side. The
mutineers held a capital position, and their big guns did
terrible execution, loaded as they were with grapeshot ;
unfortunately, too, evening closed in on the fight, and,
instead of quietly retiring so as to protect our
camp, we were ordered to fight on, and the oon
fusion became terrible; at last, however, the order
game to retire ; many of our guns were left on the ground
till morning, as also our killed and wounded, but were
luckily all safely brought back into camp next day. I
fear our loss was nearly equal to the enemy's that day ;
several officers were killed and wounded, among the latter
our commandant, Daly, shot through the shoulder. He is
doing well, however. Kennedy, of our cavalry, too, has
since been shot through the leg and stomach ; he is also
doing well, but he had a narrow escape. On the morning
after the last fight the mutineers again came out to try the
same plan as the evening before, but the lesson we had had
made us wiser, and we marched out in capital order. The
enemy, seeing this, immediately began to retire, and tried
to draw us into some broken ground. This, however, they
did not succeed in, and, as they kept retiring from place to
place, our Horse Artillery punished them a good deal. Find-
ing they could do no good that day, they wisely retired,
and we returned to camp. No loss on our side. Since
then (the 20th), beyond a few skirmishes, nothing was
attempted on either side, except our blowing up two
bridges, which prevents the enemy's artillery from coming
out, except by a long round of some three miles to the left
and right, but yesterday, the 23rd, we heard that every
man in the city capable of bearing arms was coming out
to make an end of us or die in the attempt. Our infer-
matt m was correct; at sunrise yesterday morning the
whole city apparently turned out and attacked us on all
sides. I was with the Guides on;the right, and from sun-
rise to past sunset we fought altogether 15 hours, without
anything to eat and only water to drink. We managed to
hold our own well, nevertheless, till about 1 o'clock, and
killed an immense number of the mutineers ; but at 1
o'clock an immense reinforcement came to the assistance
of the opposite party, and we had enough to do to hold our
own. 1 twice fired away every shot we had, nearly 100
rounds per man, and had sent back for more ammunition.
The men I sent came back with the fearful news
there was no more ; to leave the position was contrary
to all orders, so we had to do our best by pretending to
fire and keeping the post with the bayonet. All this time
we were under a perfect hailstorm of bullets, round shot,
and shell, for the enemy had brought some of their light
field guns round, and were playing with great effect on
our reduced numbers. I certainly thought we should all
be done for, when, by the greatest good luck, a part-Of the
regiment of Sikhs that had that very morning marched
into camp came up with a yell to our assistance ; they
were fresh men, and had lots of ammunition, so we rushed
on and drove the enemy back. At the same time we were
ordered to advance as far as we could; this we did, and
drove the enemy back into the city, after which, as they
did not seem inclined to come out again, we retired, it
being past sunset. Just at this time my legs, stout as
they are, fairly, and for the first time, refused to carry
me; after a little coaxing and rest, however, they
condescended to carry ma on a little further, and
I reached our picket dead beaten. I certainly never
was so fearfully and painfully tired in my life. A
man named Shebbeare, who is doing the second in
command's work in p •or Rattyeas place, c, great, big,
and very powerfully-built giant, was also so fearfully
knocked up that he was obltged to be carried up; two of
our poor men also were eo fatigued that they died from
exhaustion. Luckily oU arrival at picket we found some-
thing to eat and drink. After a few mouthfuls I fell back
on my bed fast asleep. Luckily, too, there was no alarm
or attack in the night, for I feel perfectly certai that had
my commission depended on it I could not have got up.
A good night's sleep has set me up wonderfully, and I feel
The mutineers have been quiet to-day also ;
quitet yil
lost fearfully yesterday. No more for to-day, or I
"'shall be too tale for the mail."