The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-27 00:00:00

Highlanders charged with great cheering, but the
Sepoys this time bolted.
"DEC. I.—The Gwalior troops opened fire on us
this morning. They having got the range of our
camp, created great confusion. Our troops are
. .

now attacking them. The Royal Artillery has
not been ordered out, but to be ready. The
city is catching it ; Peel is firing rockets and

shell into the place. To continue the journal
of events. On the 17th, the greater part of the

day, the artillery were driving away the enemy ;

in the afternoon the mess-house, which is a strong

place, and in which the Jacks were, was taken by
us without much loss. The Sepoys were chased

into Lucknow, and the road to the Residency

opened. Havelock attacked from the rear. When
it was known that the Residency people were re-

lieved and the ladies all right, three cheers were
given by the men. The 18th, 19th, and 20th we
were employed shelling the Palace of Lucknow ; a
deal of musketry firing was also taking place all
around ; whenever there was a cover the Sepoys
potted away from one of their guns, firing round
shot, proving very troublesome, and we could not
silence it—it lay in a hollow on the ground without
its carriage, behind a number of mud walls. 21st
and 22d, removing the ladies, sick, and wounded to
Dill Khoosa, and retired at dusk on the 22d silently
(and were not interrupted) to Dill Khoosa. 24th,
marched to ilumbagh,saw no enemy. 0 utram's force
came up on the 25th, and is to be left there. Have-
lock died of dysentry, and was buried at Alumbagh.
26th, halted; it is said we have more than 1,500 sick
and wounded to carry. 27th, marched to Bunnee,
14 miles ; passed over the whole ground. 28th,
. .

forced march of 30 miles to Cawnpore ; the chief
pushed on with artillery and cavalry. Ido not know
how far it is true, but some say had we not arrived
Cawnpore would have gone ; the bridge of boats

certainly broke that night, and all communication
would have been stopped."
A. letter from one who was with the army at
Lucknow, dated Cawnpore, Dec. 2, mentions that
they were engaged with the enemy day and night
from the 13th to the 23d ult. Another letter,

dated the 4th of December, says :
" Since the 27th ult. we have been in a state of
close siege, and under an almost uninterrupted fire
ot shot, shell, shrapnel, grape, jezail, balls and
bullets. A foolish mistake was made in attacking
the enemy on the 26th, before we were prepared
for active hostilities, and a much more foolish and
fatal error the day after in taking up the
straggling camp at Chickendee into the city on its
rear, and a dense cover between us and the enemy,
which enabled them to advance and take up all

the covers round our establishment, and pin
us in so that to this moment we have been unable
to drive them back ; their movements gave the
enemy double the advantage they had achieved by

their own desperate efforts.
•` Our loss in officers and men has been grew
In one charge, to take a couple of the enemy's big
guns on the 27th, her Majesty's 64th Regiment lost
their Colonel (General Wilson), Major Stirling,
Captains M'Crea, Morphy, and Macpherson, and
an attached officer, Mr. Gibbon, besides 70 men,
and all because, instead of being supported after
the charge was made, a retreat was ordered. . .
. The Commander-in-Chief arrived on the even-
ing of the 20th, since which we have felt more con-
fidence and security."
" CAWNPORE, Dec. 7.—From the rough sketch
I sent you you will have seen that from the in-
formation I had gleaned I expected we would be
attacked simultaneously from two, if not from
three sides—by the Nana and his brother Bhola
Sahib, via Shevrajpore and Shewlee ; by Koor
Singh, with a portion of the Gwalior and other
troops from Calpee, via Akbarpore, Runnea, and
Raipore ; and possibly by another column of the
same force, via Gholumpore, Sahr, and Sirsoul.
" On the morning of the 26th ult. General
Windham advanced from his camp near a place
called Dhubohlee, close to the canal, having heard
that the enemy was moving on him from Runes,
and met the advanced column at Bhowsee, near
Pandna Nuddee, where a very severe conflict took
place, which resulted in the repulse of the enemy,
with great loss to them of men as well as of two
howitzers and a brass gun (9-pounder). After
following up the enemy for some distance, their
Sowars turned round to charge, when a detach-
ment of H.M. 34th Regiment immediately formed
square, received the charge, and then poured in
a murderous fire that rolled over each horse and
rider, only one of the latter escaping out of some
sixty. During this engagement Captain Day, of
H.M. 88th Foot, while fighting with his men over
a well, received a mortal wound from a bullet and
fell into the well, from which his men failed to
recover his body. Our troops fell back towards
evening, and pitched their camp in the Jewle
Plain, with a thick cover of trees and brushwood
to the S.W. (the direction the enemy had retired
in, and might at any moment be expected sud-
denly to open fire from), and a brick-kiln on
the N.E., with the city to retreat through in case
of need. This unguardedly-taken and dangerous
position conducted to the disasters of the following
day. Early in the morning D. and I rode out to
this camp, and in conversation with some of the
officers of H.M. 88th Foot, suggested that abetter
position would be attained by moving the camp to
the old ground just behind the canal, so as to have
an open plain, with the canal Tor a barrier in front,
and an open plain likewise to the rear. Our
suggestion was at the time received with smiles,
but in the evening, when we again met some of the
said officers at the Hospital iu intrenchments, they
recalled our remarks of the morning to mind, and
said they had thought of us. No sooner had we
returned to cantonments than we heard the sounds
of fight, the enemy having opened from the above-
mentioned cover to the south-west of our camp. I
do not believe any one can accurately describe the
I fight and retreat of this forenoon. All I have been
able to learn is that some officer informed the Gene-
ral that these intrenchments had been attacked
and nearly taken by a body of the enemy. A
retreat was ordered, her Majesty's 34th Foet
being directed to fall behind the brick-kiln.
Neither officers nor men knew where to
find it I The news flew rapidly about the canton-
ments and oity that our force was worsted and on
the retreat, and an overwhelming rush was made
into the inner intrenchments, as resistless as the
volume of water at the Falls of Niagara. Soldiers
and Jacks, Europeans and natives, men, women,
and children, camels, horses, and oxen poured in,
in countless numbers, from 2 p.m. By nightfall
the intrenched camp, with its motley assemblage
of men and beasts, baggage, luggage, and 10,000
nondescript encumbrances, rivalled the chaos
that existed before the fiat of creation went
forth. As a matter of course, the entire of
our advanced camp, with the exception, I
believe, of a portion of H.M. 82d Regiment,
fell into the hands of the enemy I Early the
next morning, the 28th, the enemy (up to this
time consisting of the Gwalior and other troops
from Calpee, but now joined by the Nana Sahib,
from Sewrajpore and his brother the Bhola Sahib
from Sewlee, with their respective forces and guns,
numbering with the Calpee troops, some 21,000
men and 56 guns), commenced advancing under
the admirable covers they found in Le yet nude-
rnolished and half-destroyed bungalows and public
buildings, until they formed a complete cordon
around us, resting their right flank on the city and
their left on the burial ground to the east of Kirk and
Co.'s premises, and verging on the river. From their
left and centre they opened a murderous and well
supported fire of heavy and light guns, and kept
closing on us under such fire, and the protection
of the covers I have mentioned, until our out-pots
were gradually driven in to within a few hundred
yards of our own batteries. The Assembli.Rooms,
with all they contained, consisting of 11,000 rounds
of Enfield cartridges, the mess plate of some four
Queen's corps, paymasters' chests and baggage un-
told of, officers and men, fell into the hands of the
Philistines, who dislodged our men, but whom we
could noi, in return dislodge, though not more,
certainly, than 400 yards from our batteries.
Between the Assembly Rooms and church (which
they also occupied) the enemy placed severalguns
in position, that worried us for several successive
days. During the afternoon the 64th Queen's
immortalised themselves. Captain Wright, with
seine 30 men, held the Baptist Chapel on the road
that leads to Kirk and Co.'s premises, and the old
burial ground adjoining Duhan's Hotel. He saw
the enemy pressing on his outpost, and placing
his few men in skirmishing order, opened fire on
them. While thus engaged, a detachment of this

"-Not a building has Loth spared this tim,2.
"1U p.m.-1 have just returned from tue en-
trenchments, where I heard that the Commander-
in-Chief pursued the fugitives 14 miles down the
Calpee-road, and there pitchedhis camp. What his
further movements are likely to be, no one seems

corps, sent by the General to capture four guns able to say. Our force has made sad havoc of the
that were in position beyond Kirk and Co.'s pre- flying enemy, capturing 16 guns and 26 carts of
wises, on the turn of the road leading to Permit's ammunition. A great portion of the camp and
Ghat, and doing dreadful mischief, came in sight, baggage we lost on the 27th ultimo is said to be
consisting of about 200 or 250 men, commanded reco voted in state quo, as we left it ; but nothing
by Colonel Nt ilson. Captain McCrea
‘shouted to is said of the ammunition we abandoned.
Wright to go forward as an advanced guard which l "Of Sir J. Outrams's position and movements
he instantly did, pushing on until he reached we have no certain information. A rumour came
the raised platform on the north of Kirk's bun- in three days ago, that the small detachment at
galow, whence he distinctly saw the four guns in Bunnee-bridge, consisting of the Sappers and 27th
position, and played on them with his rifles. Madras N. 1., had been cut off, and that the force
at the Allumbagh was surrounded and besieged. It
Colonel Wilson's small force advanced by the
is difficult to pronounce an opinion of this report,
road, and as they rounded the turning came full
for it may be true, and yet I incline to think it one
OD these guns, which immediately opened on them
with heavy pours of musketry from the infantry of the not uncommon canards' set afloat by the
idle and timorous, since I cannot trace it to any-
supporting them, and numbering certainly not
less than 2,500. With one terrific shout our thing like an authentic source. General Showers'
column has not yet made its appearance, although ••
brave fellows flung themselves on the guns, and
three out of four were spiked in the twinkling of on the Ist it was reported to have arrived in our
immediate vicinity, and was yesterday affirmed to
an eye, two by Captain McCrea, who, while en-
deavouring to spike a third, was cut down by the have been attacking the left flank of the enemy
tulwars of the Golundazes. No support being sent from the direction of Newabgunge.
to this gallant and small band of heroes, it could " Our accounts to-day from Allahabad show that
not long hold the guns thus bravely and daringly
the good folks there do not entertain any very
captured 1 Colonel Wilson was mortally wounded
strong feeling of security, and it is not impossible
by a rifle bullet through the left breast ; he was
they may receive a visit from portions of the Cal-
brought into camp by some of his men and died
pee horde, since it has been recruiting extensively
within 20 minutes. Captains McCrea and Morphy
during the bygone week.
were cut down at the guns. Major Stirling was
"Dee. 9.—My letter of the 7th inst. (the only
shot. Captain McKinnon and Lieut. Gordon
one up to that date I could manage to write corn-
(attached) were left on the field wounded. The
posedly) will have given you full intelligence of
former is said, and is believed, to have been hanged
what transpired here from our first attack on the
lay the villains on the gallows on which we used to
enemy on the 26th ultimo to their incontinent re-
execute the rebels, and the latter to have been
treat on Sunday night and Monday morning, in
boundhands and feet to a cartwheel, and while thus
two divisions, one under the Nana Sahib, towards
helpless progged with bayonets, and otherwise
Bithoor, the other under Koor Sing, 'towards
ignominiously treated. Among the men the
slaughter was fearcul, and many a poor wounded Calpee. Beyond recovering a major portion
fellow was left to the tender mercies of the Pandies, of the camp and baggage we lost on the 27th,
their being no bearers in attendance to carry the on the Jewee Plain, capturing 19 guns, 26
carts of ammunition, a quantity of grain, land sen
decline to the front 1 The handful that did escape
psi-
indomitable I cannot ascertain we have done much
came in sad and sorrowful ! Though, through the immense herd of cattle, and taking some 15 pri
indomitable valour and bull-dog pluck of Britons,
damage to the mutineers who have effected a cun-
we that day resisted the enemy so as to keep him at
those who fled to Bithoor and Calpee have re-
and two mortars, yet without a doubt the enemy had hay some 400 yards from our ramparts, and though ning and clean escape. This morning I learn that
our Rifles and blue-jackets did take thre 18-pounders
spectively recrossed the Ganges and J umna.
the best of it in every way. I can assure you our At Calpee, it is said, the enemy have a strongly
intrenchment sheltered many a heart that pulsated entrenched cam, well supplied with ammunition
and russet. His Excellency •is in camp on the
with gloomy forebodings, until, towards evening,
his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief was seen to Jewee Plain, in front of the city. Brigadier
be approaching with his personal Staff. Grant, with one column, is after the Bithoor
fugitives, anc two columns have gone out on the
" The enemy opened at about 6.45 a.m. of the
Delhi road. The place is of necessity corn-
29th, with a heavy crossfire from each flank, as
pletely unsettled, the native city is in a state of
well as from the centre, of shot, shell, grape, Ca- the utmost confnsion, and is reported to have suf..
nister, &c., which was cordially returned from our
fered greatly at the hands of the enemy on this oc-
intrenchments, and the firing continued incessantly
casion, though it escaped with impunity on the last.
.
the entire day. About 10 a.m., the Commander-
It will, I apprehend, be very many days ere the
in-Chief's force commenced crossing, and during
natives return to their avocations, and business ie
the day H. M. 53d arid, 93d, the 2d Punjab In-
resumed.
fantry, Horse Battery of six guns, Foot Artillery, "Dec. 10.—I hasten to let you know that
with five guns, the 9th Lancers, Hodson's Horse,
news has just come in that Brigadier Grant's
Peel Battery of two 24-pounders, and an 8-inch ho-
column, that went from the Coromander-in-Chiere
witzer, came across. In the evening a detachment of camp the night before last, attacked the rebels at
the Madras Fusiliers and the sth Punjab Cavalry, Bithoor yesterday, committed great slaughter among
with some of the ladies, children, and sick from them, captuted the entire of the staff of the Nana,
Lucknow, came over. During the night a con-
and took all the guns, ammunition, provisions,
tinned file fire was kept up between our and the money, and property of every description that
enemy's outposts. At 7 a.m. of the 30th, the had been removed to Bithoor. It is said,
enemy's batteries again opened on us from the same many of the scoundrels have fled in terror into
positions as the day before, and a new one to their Oude. Yesterday some of Sir J. Outram's trea'
left flank which teazed us greatly, playing on the sure and camp came in, and he is said to be fol-
General Hospital, and the tents and quarters of the lowing with his force. May he come across these
Commissariat. The former was hit by several scoundrelly fugitives ! A Havildar of the rebel
force was executed last evening who stated, when round shot. We replied in right good earnest,
silencing the enemy's guns at times, but only for a examined, that the Nana was not here during all
while, since, shifting position, they invariably portion of the time we were besieged, but re'
opened on us again. During the day the residue malned at Bithoor—that his brother, the Bhalah
of the troops and refugees from Lucknow crossed Sahib, reached Calpee on the 18th ult., and WO
honoured with a salute of 21 guns on his arrival
the
over, and during the night major portion of the
—that he crossed his force there on the 21st a!
enormous baggage camp. On the Ist of December
By Chief, with Surdial Pandy as General-in-Chief, and
10 wear.emc e. i
thev e d
enemy'sreinforcements
batteries f
openedrom Allahabad.
fire
and
ours
Tothea Topah second in command—that the rebel
returned it. H.M. 93d Highlanders captured force consisted of little more than half of theGwalior
one and spiked two guns, which latter they were Contingent, some of Scindia's, Lloyd's own loyab
unable to bring in. About 10 p.m. the enemy from Dinapore, a large body of miscellaneon°
attacking the outposts of her Majesty's 93d and troops from Furrackabad, fonr regiments sent bin
53d, and were repulsed with great loss, and the the Nana, a number of men from Oude, and 4-‘.
file firing on both sides lasted nearly all night. guns from Calpee, besides some sent by the Nana;
At 6 a.m. of the 2d the enemy's batteries opened that the Rajah of Ghopalpore (in the Kutchvtest.
again, and we responded,but the former were very ghur district), and the Zemindar of Tongrah, with
soon quieted by 5 small mortars we got in position their men, were with the rebels ; and their tree"
at the Gunge Battery, under the direction of Capt. sure consisted of Rs. 5,56,012-12-6—rather.Pre-
Austin, whose fire was first-rate. Towards the cisely calculated, I should say, to define' the
afternoon an outer camp was formed, and the balance with such nicety.
telegraphic communication with Futtehpore and " Duo. 11.—We had no post from Calcutta yel?
Allahabad resumed. From this day to yesterday terday, and we have had none to-day, even from
the enemy's fire slackened considerably, and al- Allahabad. The cause, of course, we do not kriolf.
most ceased—occasional shells and round shot Communication by telegraph continues uninter;
coming in at long and irregular intervals. To- rupted, but the instrument is steadily monopolise
wards nightfall the ladies, children, and about for service messages. We hear this morning thil_
400 sick and wounded, left for Allahabad, with General Dupuis and his staff will leave to-morrow)
a good escort. On the 4th the enemy sent by dawk, for Calcutta, it being decided that the
a fire-boat to destroy our bridge, but the head-quarters of the Artillery are to be esta'aligl47l
set of the current turned it towards shore, there. His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief
and no mischief happened. At 9.10 a.m. march with a strong forceior Furrackabad to-01°r;
on the 6th the enemy fired one shell, and then row. A proper move in the right direction, sineeele
ceased. Just one hour after, every battery and is vitally essential we should open the road with the
gun from our entrenchment and the outer camp, utniost practicable speed, for the importation cs°,
as also the guns that had been sent out in diffe• grain from Bareilly and other adjoining distriett
rent directions to bear on the enemy, opened fire I saw a letter this morning from an officer of
g
simultaneously, and played briskly the livelong [Lave 78th Highlanders, statin Sir J. Out's"n
long day. The foe replied feebly enough, and did not purpose to vacate the Alumbagh
seemed paralysed. I have heard that several of diately,
as the enemy were gathering round hie
their outposts were closely engaged with ours position, and evidenced a decided inclination t°
during the day, but I have not been able to ob- give him, a meeting on the open field, which ie all
Lain particulars. Shortly after 10 p.m. the
the
enemy's extreme left flank advanced on our out- he wants, and then our follows will read
scoundrels a lesson."
posts, and opened a murderous fire of ginjalls,
rifles and grape, which our fellows replied to
con (more for nearly two hours, and as briskly
as they could load and 'fire. This was evidently
an attempt to get possession of the bridge of
boats, in which the rascals were thwarted. To-
day not a shot has been fired, but the enemy has
retreated ; the arch fiend, the Nanao, with
his bloodhounds, to Bithoor, via Sewrajpore,
and the Gwalior force to the Calpee, where
they have a strong entrenched camp, with a
large supply of ammurition and russut, and where
it is said strong reinforcements await them. His
Excellency is in sharp pursuit after the latter
body, and the general impression is he will over-
take and cut them off. I think this will
not be the case, and I fear if the Commander-in-
Chief should go too far in pursuit, a large body
of the rebels will double between his force and us,
and possibly occasion greater grief than the heavy
loss we have but now undergone. The disadvan-
tage under which we have laboured is the utter
ignorance of the surrounding country, and the
innumerable covers every inch, and each one of
which respectively are too well known to our ene-
mies, and right well have they advantaged by it, as
will appear too patently to be gainsaid when a
faithfu l account of our 11 days' close siege and a
true statement of our casualties is published. That
our officers and men of all arms of the service have
individually and collectively fully maintained the
character of British soldiers by the most deter-
mined pluck and self-sacrifice, is beyond the possi-
bility of being canvassed. None but those who have
been personally present at siege the second of Came-
pore, can rightly estimate the amount of daring and
valour shown, for they have vividly and momently
for 11 long days and nights ivitnessed it. You and
others will read in cold print what we have expe-
rienced. Yet there is one point on which our offi-
cers and men have, methinks, sadly erred, and it is
in an overweening degree of selkeliance and con-
temptuous undervaluation of the enemy, who have
indubitably shown us that they are by no means so
contemptible or despicable as they have been as-
sumed to be. This error would have been fatal
to us, judging from antecedents, had not his
Excellency come to our aid just at the
moment he did. We were in a sad dilemma, what-
ever may now be asserted to the country, and with
the enemy surrounding us on all sides within 400 to
600 yards of our defences, in very strong force,
gathering accessions daily much more rapidly than
we could knock them over, and with no lack of
artillery or men to serve their guns right well, I
fear we should have been driven to extremities in
48 hours.

CHINA.
Nothing has yet been done beyond the draw'li%
the blockade closer round Canton.

THE LAST MOMENTS OF THE QUE,BS

OF °UDE.

We take the following details from the Courier
of Paris of yesterday :
" Her Majesty the Queen of Oude died at °
o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday. hat
" She suffered much during the whole of t
th
morning. Her Majesty was iu fact attacked 11101
a very dangerous affection and a serious internho
malady. She was advised to come to Paris,
u
climate of France being much more favours
and the disease with which she was afflicted 1)0„d
such as could be very ably treated by our P
sicians.
Av
" Already the Queen had received the a`ial
of a woman of considerable ability, Mau3-e)
Lecharrier, the principal mid-wife (sago ferolifeci
of the.: 1-losince de la illaternite, who is call
upon for her advice in special and peculiar cas7l;#
After her Dr. Cabarras was admitted °, bet
presence of her Majesty, and he considered .off
situation so serious as to require a consulted
with the principal medical celebrities.
" During the most minute investigation, °-te
the most scrupulous calculations which they mete
to make, neither the midwife nor, the
physician were allowed to see the features 0' 11l
Queen, her Majesty keeping her face const3o
veiled.
Of
`'Tne Hotel Lafitte was besieged by a cloue'A tx
curious and interested persons—modellers, ph°oo
graphers, newsmongers, whose many efforts to
the Queen and the ladies of her suite were 0h
of
unsuccessful. • The artist of the Illustrated LOS
News was not more fortunate than others. eolr
" The Queen died in a few hours after the-40
sultation, in which M. Rayer, the chief phYo'°'
of the Emperor Napoleon, took part. rfee'
" Her Majesty departed with the most Pe toy
resignation. Her face was expressive of 01.011
ordinary placidity—so, at least, said the °eel
individual who had seen her features. The C 21.1
of Oude was 53 years of age. rOti
" It is impossible to give any idea of the outbtibip
of lamentation, of the cries and the sobbingpto
proceeded frencl tsie persors in the suite of her ro
Mai" y. The women especially wrung their gigtio
and hands, kneeling by turns around the bed wile,
deceased and uttering the most heart-rending c or
The spectators all were much affected at tbifs_or
rowful scene, so little in harmony with our l'ev
Hers and our customs, which are not quite s°

pansiTe. ;no"
g)
"Couriers and telegraphic messages were
diately dispatched to England, and we are 0,.,- (.6
ing here every moment General Mirza, the s°'
her late Majesty, fo'
"Madame Papy, tint mistress of the th
Lafitt-, is the c.niy person who had ago.' She
Queer' in one of her most painful moments. <jog
had placed her head upon the pillow atter 119'sbe
applied mustard poultices to the sufferer. too
thought that the Queen was sleeping up to the
of the commencement of her agony.