The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-23 00:00:00

jug all their guns they had brought with them in our pos-
session. It was thought they would have renewed the con-
flict on the next morning ; but though it is evident lay our
Lahore letter that the,- meant to do co, at leapt Uaja Lall
biogb, who hazi shown hitnself a man of great bravery, as
well as of considerable talent, they contented themselves, ac-
cording to that letter, with carrying off two of their guns,
thus leaving 17 (the number mentioned in our " Extra" of
the 28th) in our possession, or in collecting their dead by
means of small parties, who were suffered by our troops to
do so. It is a most extraordinary circumstance that,
although Moodkee is certainly not more than 75 miles
from Loodiana, and about 135 from Umballah, the intel-
ligence of this battle was five days in getting to the former
place, and eight in reaching the latter, and that through
the territory of our ally, the Raja of Patteealla, a circum-
stance affording indubitable proof of the public communi
cation being interrupted in a most effectual way by the
enemy. Of the exact amount of our loss we are as yet
(twelve days after the engagement) almost totally ignorant,
and indebted to little else than rumour for what we know,
which is to the effect that ,Lieutenant Hart, of the 31st Foot,
was killed, and that the following officers were wounded :
Lieutenant-Colonel (Brigadier) Mactier, of the 4th Lancers
(at first reported dead); Captain Jasper Trower, or the Horse
Artillery (dangerously shot in the back by a man from behind
a bush); Lieutenant-Colonel Bolton, her Majesty's 31st Foot
(who is said to have lost his leg); Lieutenant Pollock, Ar-
tillery (who suffered a similar loss, and whose life is reported
in great danger); Major-General Sir Robert Sale, Quarter-
master-General of her Majesty's Forces (wounded in the
foot, and we grieve to say since dead, but whether in conse-
quence of this wound, or from one in a subsequent engage-
ment we do not know?,; Captain Dashwood (commanding
Ist troop let brigade orse Artillery, which seems to have
suffered greatly) severely—(this gallant officer is also said
to have since died of his wounds); and Lieutenant Wheel-
right, Horse Artillery. It is also asserted that Lieutenant-
Colonel Brooke, of the Artillery, is either missing altogether,
or has been wounded severely in the leg. It is surmised
from this list, to which we regret to learn several additions
have to be made, that the Umballah division was alone
engaged, but this must be left to future explanation.
Whether the troops halted at Moodkee on the 19th or 20th
we cannot exactly tell, but we believe they did, and that
leaving the camp standing, they marched forwards on the
21st, and were joined by Major-General Littler, with 5,000
men from Ferozepore, which junction appears to have been
effected south of, and between Sultan Khanwallah and
Ferozepore, some 16 or 17 miles from the camp, the troops
being nearly all the time without refreshment. When thus
reinforced, the whole body formed into four divisions, that
on the right apparently under the command of General
Sir 11. Gough, the centre commanded by Major-General
W. R. Gilbert, the left by Sir J. Littler, and the rear by Sir
Harry Smith, marched to the attack of the entire Seikh army
under the command of Raja Lall Singh and Sirdar Tej
Singh, which had entrenched itself in several strong positions
in a country rendered difficult for the march of infantry by
the large quantity of brushwood and high jungle. The con-
sequence was, that the enemy's guns told most severely as
they approached the intrenchments. That Sir J. Littler
failed in his attack from the left there is no doubt, but how
or from what cause is as yet unexplained, but will, we trust,
not remain so long. The centre, under General Gilbert, was
more successful, and carried some of the positions of the
enemy, but even he was obliged to desist on account of the
darkness of the night, and the scattered state of our troops,
many of whom were blown up by mines dug in the ground in
front of the Seikhs guns. The men had little and some of them no
food, and were obliged to take up their quarters on the bare
ground, the Governor-General and Commander-in- Chief
sharing in their privations. Thi enemy, resolute on doing
all the mischief in their power, were not long in finding out
the spot where Sir Henry Hardinge and Sir Hugh Gough
had arranged their bivouac for the night, and having
brought some guns to bear on the same, opened a most de-
structive fire, by which it is supposed the severe loss ex-
perienced amongst the members of the army and personal
staff of the Governor-General was caused. It having become
necessary to remove this battery of the enemy, our gallant
soldiers rose from their hard bed, and were, in the middle of
the night, led to the attack, and beat the Seikhs from their
guns. After a few hours further rest, the weary men were
led by General Gilbert at daybreak, of the 22d, to the storm-
ing of such parts of the enemy's positions as had not been
taken on the previous evening, and carried everything before
them, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts which had been
made by the enemy to strengthen their works
(luring the night, and a large number of guns,
thirty of which were of large size, came into
their possession. While our men were engaged in collecting
their dead and wounded comrades, whose number was grfat
in proportion to the resistance made by the Seikhs, great
bodies of the latter, especially cavalry and camel swivel-utera,
poured down upon, and compelled them to take up their
arms, and were only beaten off after a severe struggle, ren-
dered much more so by the absence of artillery and cavalry,
who had, through some misunderstanding, retired upon Fe-
rozepore when the brunt of the battle was over, and were
not, as we supposed in our Sunday's " extra," absent alto.
gether ; at least such is our impression from what we have
heard since that " extra" was issued. Three times did they
renew the battle in this manner, and three times were they
beaten back at the point of the bayonet. The whole of the
contest on the morning of the 22d appears to have been car-
ried on by the centre divisior, the left and the rear having
failed to communicate during the night, and being, there-
fore, we presume, without orders.

In these battles of the 21st and 22d, the following officers
appear to have been killed. In the foremost list are the
names of Major-General Sir J. M'Caskill, Lieutenant-Colonel
N. Wallace, of the 73d Native Infantry ; Captain Hunter, of
the same regiment ; Major George Broadfoot, agent to the
Governor-General N. W. Frontier ; Captain P. Nicolson,
28th Bengal Infantry, assistant to the agent ; Captains
Codd and Newton, and Lieutenants Wooley and Bruce, of her
Majesty's 3d Dragoons ; Captain Hillier (not Herricf), Aide-
de-camp to the Governor-General, and Captain Becher,
commandant of the Bth Irregulars. In the list of wounded
we find the names of Col. Gough, military secretary to the Com-
mander-in Chief; Major Grant, Deputy Adjutant. General ;
Major Somerset, military secretary to the Governor. General ;
Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, principal aide-de-camp to the
Governor-General, and Captain Munroe, another aide-de-
camp to his Excellency Sir Hugh Gough, is reported-also
to have had a narrow escape, a horse having been shot under
him during one of the engagements. Of the loss in the ranks
we have no idea, but presume it must be very great, from the
fact that her Majesty's 3d Light Dragoons are reported to
have lost upwards of 300 men in killed and wounded, other
European corps suffering in proportion.
This morning the following additional deaths were com-
municated to us, and it is with unfeigned grief we have to add
that the number is not yet complete. It is estimated at 50
killed, and the number of wounded officers is stated to be 150.
The number of wounded soldiers, European and Native, at
Ferozepore, was estimated at 2,000, and the loss in killed is
said to average 150 men per regiment of the Europeans.
But to our long and melancholy list of killed :—Colonel
Taylor, 9th Foot; Major Hull, 16th Bengal Grenadiers;
Captain Dunne, 9th Foot; Captain Field, 9th Foot; Lieut.
Gaynor, 9th Foot; Major Griffin, 24th Native Infantry;
Captain Burnett, 16th Grenadiers; Captains Clarke and
Wells, of the 62d Font; Lieutenants Scott, M'Nair, Sims,
Gubbins, and Kelly, of the same corps ; Doctors Grant, of
the 41st Bengal Infantry, and Gahan, her Majesty's 31st;
Captain Slieberas, her Mesty's 80th Foot; Captain Van
Homrigh, 48th Bengal Infantry; Lieutenant Fisher, Adju
tant of the body guard ; Lieutenant P. Lambert, of the Horse
Artillery ; Captain W. 'lore, reported yesterday missing, now
said to be killed ; Captain lox, Ist European Light Infantry,
and Lieutenant Harvey, of her Majesty's 39th Foot.
We shall doubtless receive full details of all that remains
unexplained, and trust the Government dispatches may not
be delayed very long. It appears, however, certain that
instead of standing to wait the result of another action on
the new ground the enemy had taken up, and which had
been arranged to come off on the 25th, they fled across the
Sutlej, and thus rid the position of Ferozepore of their pre-
sence, after being eight days encamped on British ground,
with an army of from 50,000 to 60,000 men, and fighting
three battles with a spirit and determination worthy of a
better cause.

Certainly the-severest loss, in the present state of affairs,
is that sustained in the person of Major Broadfoot, though
we were not amongst those who considered him so eminently
fitted for the situation, in which he was placed by Lord Ellen-
borough, as others did. He fell on the evening of the 21st.
He was last seen near the intrenched position thrown up by
the Seikhs, about 7 o'clock. He attempted to take his horse
over the ditch ; the animal fell, and three Seikhs rushed on
and speared the gallant Major to death. His remains were
not found till the 25th, when they were interred at Feroze-
pore, followed by the Governor-General and staff. He was
buried as he was found. Major Broadfoot was decidedly a
man of talent, and one who could accommodate himself to
circumstances, and who mnst, during his late incumbency on
the north-west frontier have obtained an experience which
gave his services a peculiar value in the eyes of Government.
For details of the affairs at Ferozepore, from the time the
communication was cut off on the 13th, the day it was defi-
nitely re-opened on the 22d, at least with the head-quarters'
army, we have as yet only two letters, of the 15th and 16th,
and from them we gather that on the former day the Seikhs
advanced their camp closer to the town, plundered six of
their own villages and three of ours (scarcely even-handed
justice), and that about 11 A. at. an alarm gun being fired,
the whole of the British troops moved off their ground, taking
position towards the enemy's camp, along the eastern wall of the
town. The Seikhs then Brad three shots from heavy guns
on a reconnoitring party, and having withdrawn, our men
returned to their lines. It was on the 14th that Sir J.
Littler ordered the 27th Regiment and the company of Sap-
pers and Miners in from the Ghaut, sinking the bridge of
boats with their guns. The 27th, and three guns were posted
at the north-east of the town, outside the wall. The let
company of Sappers occupied the fort; two regiments occu-
pied advanced positions towards the enemy's camp. On the
16th the Seikhs made another movement, which brought them
so near the place that their camp could be distinctly seen
forming an immense crescent around the British lines. On
that day it was arranged, that there appearing no chance of a
communication to the east, a post-office packet should be de-
spatched southward towards Seem, a plan which appears to
have succeeded better than could have been expected with
such an immense body of enemies in the field.
At Umballah the utmost anxiety prevailed during the days
which followed the first rumours of the affair at Moodkee, on
the 25th, 26th, and 27th, greatly heightened by the surmise,
to which we have already alluded, that the communication
had been purposely kept closed.
We are glad to learn that the party under Captain Cole-
brooke, accompanied by Captain E. I. Robinson, and which
numbered a Ressala of the Bth Irregular Cavalry, in addition
to the Hurreeanah Light Infantry Company, and the Res-
sale of the Shekawatee Brigade, mentioned in our last, have
been successful. They came upon the Seikh plunderers (the
commander of whom had merely assumed the name of Nao
Nehal Singh, in order to pass himself off as the grandson of
Runjeet Singh redivitna)., about 1,000 strong at Asoofwallah,
and notwithstanding their rapid flight, succeeded in killing
40, the chief among the rest (cut w
a great_many more, and in taking
3' a Shekawatee
horseman), in woundial
50 of them prisoners. r. Vans Agnew, as., was present at
this miniature battle. We are also happy to say, that the in-
formation regarding the death of Mr. sillier, the Customs'
officer, is incorrect.
He is announoed to be alive, to have
been released from his temporary captivity, and to be in
fair way of recovery from his wound. His conduct, and that
of his subordinates, when attacked on the evening of the 20th,
is well spoken of. Four of the latter were killed.
Since the above was; in type we have been favoured with
the following most interesting letter from one of those en-
gaged, and which confirms, in a great degree, much of what
we have given above, and corrects some errors :
" Thank God, I am safe and well. We had dreadful
marches of 30 odd miles a-day, and after one of such the
enemy came down to offer battle on the 18th, about 3. P.M.,
just as we reached our ground. The troops of all arms
turned out as fresh as if they had been in their lines for a
month. We marched out a couple of
miles, met 20,000 of
infantry, 12,000 cavalry, and their horse artillery. The
horse artillery and cavalry set to work, and the infantry
came up in echellon and set at them. The fire was just as
hot as man could wish, and the 16th amongst others came
on part of the enemv's guns with the bayonet, and did the
needful in good style. The only fault found was that the
men were too fresh, and could not be kept from running at
the enemy. We took 17 beautiful guns, and thousands of
the enemy were slain. The cavalry got in amongst
them, and carried destruction till night put an
end to it. We got back to camp at half-past 1
next morning. We halted on the 19th an 20th, and the