The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-03 00:00:00

BATTLE OF MOODKEE.

The following is an extract from a letter from an
officer in the 3d Brigade Horse Artillery, who was en-
gaged in the battle of kfoodkee:—
" Feroaepore, Jan. 28, 1846.
" Dear Sister,—l had the pleasure of receiving your
note about a month ago, but had not the opportunity of
answering it till now, on account of the post being
stopped; but, as it is now open, I take the opportunity
of sending you a few lines, which you must be content
with for the present, and I will write to you again in
the course of a short time. My dear girl, we were
engaged with the Seikh army on the 21st and 22d of
December. Our army was about twenty thousand
strong, and that of the Seikhs about sixty thousand.
We commenced the fight about one o'clock on the 21st,
and kept it up till after dark, when we retired, and took
up our lodgings for the night on the cold sand—and a
cold, bitter night it was; nothing to eat or drink—not
even a drop of water—for the space of forty-eight
hours. We renewed the attack on the morn-
ing of the 22d, and stormed the Seikh camp about
one o'clock, and took about 100 pieces of cannon : this
is the second battle I have, been in, and to tell the
truth, I never wish to see another ; but I expect to see
many more yet. We are going to cross the river in a
few days, towards Lahore, about the 10th of February.
The enemy is lying just over the river, opposite our
camp, and I have no doubt there will be many a hard
fight with them yet ; they are very numerous ; they
can bring three men on the field to our one. We lost
about 3,000 men, killed and wounded. The field' was
literally strewed with dead and wounded. My old
troop had twelve killed and sixteen wounded. Thank
God, I have escaped all at present, but it is my opinion
there will be thousands more share the same fate yet,
for the Seikhs will not give in easy."

THE BATTLES OF ALIWAL AND
SOBR AON.
(rßom A PRIVATE LETTER.)
CALCUTTA, FEB. 18.—Since the dispatch of my last the
official report of the battle of Aliwal has been received,
and a
and will be forwarded with this; but I fear it w 1
wje.c
_-told tale, for you must have received it by the fund
ivnic MIL ..rLa viav .1,611. elutill
from giving an abstract of it here. But I have received an
acceuat of the battle from a young friend who was engaged
in mortal combat for the first time, which I send you, and I
think you will find it of sufficient interest to give it a place
in your columns. The loss of the enemy has been variously
estimated. The number left dead on the field is only stated
to be about 700, while the casualties in their headlong flight
across the river are estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000—
some letters say 10,000—drowned in attempting to ford the
river; their confusion, while attempting to cross, being
greatly increased by the destructive fire of our Horse Artil-
lery 'guns, which galloping to the very brink, scattered
death among the multitude. My friend's letter is as follows :
"At five o'clock, A. x., of the 28th, we were all ready ;
and as all had received every order and instruction the pre-
vious night, we marched off without having occasion to sound
a bugle, and without the least noise. The Ist troop, Ist bri-
gade, which had come from Ferozepore with Colonel Wheeler,
and two other Horse Artillery guns, were attached to our
r
troop, making a total of ten Horse Artillery guns, his four
all under
Lane's command. Mill, of our corps, commanded
de
o
guns of the Ist troop, Ist brigade, and I
h ueen's young officer.
eim emr id
ur four
guns, and the two others were under a n
We were brigaded with some Idy,tohe Q 53d, the
30th Native Infantry, and thceavuor_oriElts. We left all our
baggage at Budhowal, under guards from corps, and went
down to attack the Seikha in their position in regular fighting
order. We marched in three divisions, and after proceeding
got to the top of a rising spot,
about nine miles,and we
a most splendid plain before us, stretching
theredt was
to the
the banks of the Sutlej and the Seikh army,
amounting unting to 24,000 men and 70 guns, all ready on the look
out for us. It was about half-past 9in the morning, the sun
clearly shining, but not too hot, and our force, amounting to
about 10,000 men, on the hill, just going down quietly into
the midan (plain), and the Seikhs standing in dense masses
of cavalry, infantry, and guns, watching our movements.
When we got down fairly, the order was given to halt.
Our formation was then made ; and it was indeed a most
splendid, glorious sight to see our fine fellows taking up their
position, not 1,200 yards from the enemy's guns, quietly and
just as steady as on any review day I ever witnessed, and
knowing that ere many minutes had passed by we should be
engaged in mortal fight with the Seiks. Without exception
the whole panorama was the most splendid thing I ever wit-
nessed—at least 84,000 men on the field, ours and the Seikhs.
The word was given to advance ; but I ought to have told you
that our line was formed in this way :—cavelry on the extreme
right—the infantry—then 9-poun derbattery—then infantry—
then our guns, two Queen's corps—then native infantry—then
horse artillery—then 31st Queen's—then infantry and
Queen's and native cavalry. Every corps moved down on
the Seikhs at a steady walk. The Seikhs did not stir a pace,
but steadily watched our movements, and this was an anxi-
ous moment to all. After we had advanced about 300 or
400 yards, an immense burst of smoke appeared all along the
enemy's front, and long before we heard the report of their

guns down came their shot in a storm along our whole line. '
It was indeed a beautiful sight, shot and shell plunging and
tearing up the ground round us. Nothing could surpass the
steady way in which our fine fellows advanced-; not a step
was quickened, not a turn right or left, but all pressing
onwards. At last the order was given—" Open your fire,
Artillery," and the word was " Trot—gallop," and away we
went iu advance of all, till we got within about 300 yards of
them. Then " left about" and our whole artillery opened
with a most tremendous roar. In the mean while all the in•
fantry, according to orders, lay flat down on the ground, so
we had it all to ourselves. It was at this time the shot
came the best, and it was at this time that whilst laying the
howitzer I had a narrow escape. We poured round shot and
shrapnel' into them incessantly, and for three-quarters of
an hour this artillery fight lasted ; but then the Seikhs had
had enough of it, and we found their fire had almost ceased,
so up got the infantry, and then we limbered up, and at a
gallop advanced to the front of all. Here we came upon
some of their guns (about 20, chiefly 9 and 6-pounders), some
dismounted, others knocked over, waggons blown up, and
their artillerymen lying round them : some of the poor
horses were dragging about the field the dead horses at-
tached to guns and waggons, showing how tremendous must
have been the effects of our shrapnel! amongst them. We,
of course, did not wait to spike the guns, but galloped on,
with a squadron of Lancers, and the body guard as our pro-
tection, after the enemy, who were now in full retreat
to the river. Poor creatures, they kept looking round,
especially the infantry, and, seeing no escape, they deter-
mined to stand to the last. One very fine fellow came down
at me whilst I was leading the troop on. I shouted to him
to lay down his arms, and ho should not be killed, but
he waved his sword over his head, and with great courage
came right at me. He tried to get on the near side of my
little horse, when, I suppose, he thought he could do
as he liked ; but this, of course, I would not allow, and
kept him on my sword hand. All the sergeants of the
troop were shouting out to me to take care—" Take care, sir,
for God's sake,take care, Sir, he will be using his matchlock !"
But he Contented himselt with his sword, and whilst he was
trying to cut at me one of the men rode at him and gave him
a fearful blow over his head, and the poor wretch was
killed. It was whilst I was laying the howitzer at a mass of
their cavalry. a 9-pounder shot of theirs passed between my
legs, as they were bent in the act of stooping down to bring
my eye on a level with the tangent scale of the gun and the
muzzle. The sergeant of the gun said to me, " For God's
sake, take care, Sir, here eomes a round shot 1." but before I
could move it had passed through my legs, and bounded
right over the limber waggon, horses and all, flying a long
way to the rear, doing no harm. I could not help looking
down to my legs to see if both were there and all right, for I
did think one of them must have been knocked to atoms,
but, through God's mercy, it passed me without a scratch.
" A few prisoners had been taken, amongst them a Euro-
pean deserter, formerly belonging to the Horse Artillery,
from which he deserted eighteen years ago, and has been
ever since in the Seikh service. He says they have been
most handsomely beaten, but at the first fully expected to
beat ns.

" Our loss is 151 killed, 814 wounded, and 18 missing; and
we have taken 52 guns."
And so ends my young friend's account. The battle took
place a considerable distance above the bridge of boats
thrown across near Hureekee, where the Commander-in-
Chief s army is encamped, and many bodies must have been
deposited en the margins of the river, and on mud-banks in
the centre; notwithstanding which, the number which
reached the bridge is stated to have created the greatest
consternation in the minds of the Seikhs, in this their grand
army ; but it is to be hoped that the arrival of Gholab
Singh, who is stated to have brought 12,000 troops with
him, to be followed by about 15,000 more, with vast stores,
will induce them to make a stand where they are, and thus
enable us to route them without having far to go, so that if
successful, NI hich there can be little doubt of, we may gain
possession of supplies sufficient to find our army for a long
time, and of the 300,000 bullocks which have brought those
supplies, which would enable us to follow up the enemy and
attack him again, if he should rally to make a second stand.
Letters from camp describe the enemy's position as very
strong. The the de pont is well constructed, and connects
the bank of the river above and below the bridge, the
enemy's batteries on the opposite bank protecting the bridge,
and giving a cross fire to their guns in the tete de pont. The
right bank of the river is also about 40 feet high, while the
left bank, where our guns must be placed, is almost on a
level with the river. The heavy guns for our army arrived
on the 3d; but it is said that there is a deficiency of heavy
howitzers and mortars, and some say that a further delay
will take place to allow another seige train, on its way
from Agra, to arrive, when the attack 'will take place.
It is greatly to be regretted that these delays should
be necessary; for, although our troops are in the highest
spirits, and there can be no doubt as to the result
of any future encounters with the enemy in the minds
of our men and those who are in the possession of the means
of judging correctly, yet this abstaining from taking advan-
tage of our several successes, by advancing into the enemy's
country, appears so strange to the ignorant mass of the peo-
ple, that it is not possible to make them believe that the ac-
counts of victories which have for some time been promul-
gated by Government orders and our newspapers are true;
the question being ever ready, " If our army has been victo-
rious, why does it not advance? The English generals must
be afraid to cross the Sutlej. And though they have,
perhaps, beaten some of the Seikh detachments, they are
afraid to go across and attack the grand army, which. reaches
from Hurreekee to Lahore." Such is the way in which many
intelligent natives reason, and add that this was not the cus-
tom in Lord Lake's time.

FEBRUARY 20.

Again I am happy to communicate another victory
gained over the Seikhs on the 10th instant. The offieial
announcement is merely that we have gained a victory and
taken 66 large guns, and 100 camel swivels. From private
sources I am enabled to give you the following parti-
culars :
At 7 a.m. of the 10th, our army, under the command of
the Commander• in-Chief, approached the enemy's intrenched
position on this side—in fact, the the de pont in which
they had upwards of 30,000 men, and between 70 and 80
guns, most of them of large calibre, defended by a deep
ditch of six feet, and wide in proportion, with a breastwork so
contrived that six ranks could tire at the same time on an
advancing enemy !
As our force advanced, it was furiously cannonaded by the
Seikh artillery, which did considerable mischief among our
ranks. But our howitzers and heavy guns soon told among the
enemy's guns, and succeeded ere long in blowing up the
bridge of boats, and thus destroyed the communication be-
tweea the beleaguered foe and his friends on the right bank.
Anticipating defeat, and that we should pursue them across
the bridge, the enemy had covered it with combustibles and
large quantities of gunpowder, in order to blow it up after
their own safe arrival on the right bank; but they reckoned
without their hosts. By the fire of our howitzers or mortars
the bridge was blown up so as to destroy it sufficiently to dis-
connect the Seikh force on this side from the right bank and
their friends there, and deprive them of all succour; but in-
stead of being moved by this to make greater and more glo-
rious efforts to conquer, the being caught in their own trap
seems to have paralysed them.
They appear, however, to have stood so long as their guns
remained in their possession. About ten o'clock our infantry
advanced to the storm, and by some accounts it is stated that
they moved on sooner than was intended. The leading bri-
gade, commanded by Brigadier Stacy, in which were her
Majesty's 10th and 53d Regiments, was momentarily checked
by a tremendous shower of round, grape, and shrapnel!,
from the Seikh batteries, when the divisions under
Generals Smith and Gilbert were pushed forward, but, from
the same cease, did not make much progress, till the horse
artillery galloped to the front, and by their animated fire
checked that of the enemy ; and the whole line were not
long in penetrating the enemy's intrenchmeats on all sides,
and driving them from their guns at the point of the
bayonet ! As I have mentioned before, the bridge had
been destroyed previous to this time, but the Seikhs at-
tempted to retreat by the ford breast deep, when three
horse artillery batteries were brought up, and, as emphati-
cally stated in the account, " destroyed them all ;" and the
river is said to have been choked up with their dead bodies,
scarcely any of those who belonged to the force in the the
de pont having been so fortunate as to escape to the other
side. An account which I have just seen says, the Seikh
intrenchments were as strong as it was possible to make
them, consisting of three consecutive ramparts, with a ditch
outside of each, which explains how six ranks could fire
upon their assailants at once. It is to be presumed that the
outer rampart was the lowest, the second a little higher,
and the inner one the highest of all. The whole of our
troops, European and native, bore themselves in the most
noble and gallant style ; and the little Goorkhas (theN
ousf
seree and Sirmoor rifl corps) were the admiration
both Europeans and our native regular
battalions, and
are
tor
conceivesai .‘ to have
that
men fought
cocould
d like
have
d e
e v
e v ls
evinced. '' lt
gr
greater
t dearurreiimpossiblensgh c twhbraveryne
lt
al
taen r
awoa
esnh
to
owu
sn bsyt reu very branch
enemy o the array,
defences
to have been wonderfully strong—a triple rampart, with
ditch, defended by about 20,000 men and eighty guns !—and
they made a most resolute resistance from seven till past
ten o'clock, pouring into our troops an incessant fire of
great guns and musketry ; and whilst our men were exposed,
without any shelter, to their murderous diseharges, their
opponents were protected by their breastworks. At half-
past ten our gallant fellows got into their intrenchments,
and then began the retaliation on our part, and before noon
all the enemy's guns were in our possession, and in a brief
space afterwards not a living Seikh was to be found. The
enemy's load is estimated at from 15,000 to 20,000 men,
the latter number being understood to constitute their
force at the the de pont, of whom scarcely any are sup-
posed to have escaped. General Grey's division is said
to have crossed the Sutlej on the 10th, and the main
ueuy or our army was expected to cross forthwith
at Khoonda Ghaut, which is the next to Ferozepore,
and the one at which General Grey's division crossed. The
rumours in camp were various, some stating that Raja
Ghoolab Singh had declared for us, and that the Governor-
Generalat
was inclined to accept ,the terms offered,
.anodtitlehre
there would in consequence be no more fighting
tandhe 211 fie
tm(
(this
et hdeeiyr painndi o Lahoreatpo
e about
the
),
opposed to the o c iefs. The game
treaty with Ghoolab Singh or any
estayitweieoushidalblebase
pinion of Sir Heonfrtyh,etsoceilanterhm. to any sort of
which Ghoolab been playing has been a deep one.
refusedHe
timeb to join the Ranee, or take part in
for
a Singh
long as
the outrage against us. He has evaded all the entreaties of
his mistress and the soldiery to come and take the manage-
ment of the war. He thought it most prudent to allow things
to take their course, while he prepared to take those mea-
sures which the march of circumstances rendered most advis-
able. In pursuance of such considerations, he got together
a large quantity of provisions, and came slowly on towards
the capital. Just as he approached it, our victory occurred
at Aliwal, where he affected to have disapproved of all the
hostile proceedings against us; and, it is said, immediately
made overtures to the Governor-General, who will not, I sin-
cerely trust, be duped by Ghoolab Singh, but proceed to take
advantage of our brilliant successes, and annex for ever the
Punjaub to our empire in the east.