The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-01 00:00:00

r SiJN LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, FEBR UARY 1, 1858

with the one we had promised ourselves 1 We ex-
pected to march in with colours flying and bands
Playing, and to be met by a starving garrison, cry-
ing with joy ; ladies waving handk-rchiets on all
sides, and every expression of happiness ; but, in-
stead of that we entered as a disorganized army,
like so many sheep, finding the whole of the
garrison at their posts, as they always remained,
and a few officers and men only at the gate
to meet us. The next morning we began to con-
sider the state of affairs, and to our dismay we found
that the scoundrels had not bolted, as we expected,
and that we in our turn were besieged. While the
greater part of the infantry west ahead it was
found impossible to bring on the heavy guns, and
they remained out with a portion of the force till
the. morning, when a strong party was sent out
from the Residency, which took possession of the
Old Palace, a long row of palaces and gardens, in-
cluding buildings known as the Terah Kotee, the
Terah Buk, and the Chuttur Manzi'. These build-
ings extended along the bank of the Goomtee river

upon which one side of our position rested, for
nearly a quarter of a mile, and the commtinication
being then open our guns were brought up. We

were then blocked off from all communication with

Adumbagh and the world in general. We then
learnt that the supplies were so numerous that with
care the entire united force could hold out till the
middle of December ! good news for us, for if we
had been then forced to evacuate the place but few
would have escaped, with such a number of help-
kss women and children to escort. For some days
tfter we entered the confusion was most frightful ;
not an officer or soldier had carried with him any
clothes but those we wore, and not a servant ac-
companied his master, the cooks of the regiment
being allowed to go ; so without clothes, means of
cooking, and the crowded state of the garrison and
hospitals, we were in a sad state of discomfort. I
had been chumming with G—, who was then doing
duty with the sth Fusileers, and put up with him in
their post in a portion of the Palace we had taken pos-
session of, but after a few days I got posted to the
" Brigade Mess Square," and there did duty, W—
administering to my wants. 'I was in great luck,
for W— had saved most of his clothes, and be

most kindly placed them at my disposal until I was
able to procure others at the different auctions of
deceased officers' property. I then began to settle
down and be pretty comfortable. Before I was in
a wretched state ; I had been unable to wash for
three days or change myclothes. I had not passed
a brush or comb through my hair, and was, in
short, feeling very dirty and nasty. In a few days
we extended our lines, driving the enemy front
square to square out of the Old Palace, the reliev-
ing force was told :off to different posts and order
was established. The Sepoys who had bolted on
our entry to the city returned, and the siege recom-
menced in the most refreshing manner. An
attempt was made by Outram to send out our
small body of cavalry to Alumbagh, but they were
forced to fall back, finding the roads blockaded,
and the enemy so thick about them. We then
regularly, settled down to the siege, and had to
make the best of it. The first operations were to
sally out and take some of the enemy's guns which
had been annoying the garrison, and blow up se-
veral houses which had given shelter to the Sepoys
and matchlock men, who kept up a most annoying
fire from the loopholes. This done, the garrison
was much relieved. We also extended our position
towards the iron bridge, and also towards the new
palace, the Keisah Bagh, threw up fresh batteries
and strengthened the old position very much. The
garrison was a very different place from what I ex.
pected to find it. From hearing it spoken of as the
Residency I expected to find the intrenchments con-
fined to the house itself, but the position of the ad-
jacent buildings enabled Sir .11.Lawrenee to connect
them and erect batteries between them. The position
extended (the old position) from the entrance gate
to the Residency to the church one way, and from
the river to buildings running a straight line with
Gubbins' and Ommaney's houses. This will give
to any one who has been in Lncknow an idea of
the space covered by the intrenchments. The
buildings on all aides had been so battered and
damaged by the enemy's fire that there was little or
no cover for our men as they stood to their posts,
while the enemy were enabled to hide themselves
in the houses all around us, and keep up a conti-
nual fire of musketry, which did great execution,
while their guns poured in round shot day and
night, being placed in such dodgy positions that
our batteries could not make no impression upon
them. The engineers had so little time to run
them up that most of them were in a militzry point
of view quite useless, being exposed to the fire of
guns from positions which they had no power of
commanding. The siege then resolved itself into a
mere blockade. The round shot and shell rattled
in on all sides ; but our firing was a farce compared
to theirs. When I say we were simply blockaded,
I mean that the enemy's fire was nothing to what
it was in the earlier stage. The cannonading was
as fierce, but the fire of musketry, which did so
much execution, was much reduced in consequence
of the destruction of the adjacent houses. Men
continued to be knocked over daily. The natives,
of whom there were swarms, were killed hourly,
for we had nearly a thousand dooly bearers.
Our Euporean loss was on the average about three
a day. The troops stationed in the new positiitis
were continually under a very hot fire from the
neighbouring house, and from round shot from bat-
teries from the other side of the river. The enemy
had run short of ammunition, but were able
to supply themselves with as much of their own
making as they pleased, and which did very well
for their purpose. Their bullets were mostly com-
posed of telegraphic wire, which inflicted most hor-
' rid wounds. The confinement also told much on
the system, and men with wounds which under
ordinary circumstances would have soon healed,
were carried off in the most lamentable manner.
We were all placed on half rations on entry, which
consisted of sufficient ottah (meal) to make four
"chupaties" a day, a little dhal (peas), and six
ounces of gun-bullock beef. We had no grog (the
relieving force) ; the old had some which soon ran
out, and we had to wash down our breakfasts and
dinners with copious draughts of the limpid stream.
It was fortunately, beautiful water, and I soon for-
got the gin and water I tippled on the march, for
we could get no good beer at Cawnpore ; but the
thing we all missed was tobacco. It is at all times
a luxury, but when one has to pass day after clay,
with nothing to do but 2 or 3 hours' duty day and
night, with few books to read, it becomes as neces-
sary as meat and drink. Necessity is the mother of
invention, and as a substitute for tobacco neem tree
leaves were smoked by officers and man, while I
imbibed the fume of the leaf of a guava tree which
grew hard by. It was certainly at first rather us.
palatable, but after a time I began to think it very
pleasant. The soldiers could not do without their
bit of smoke, and many wade themselves ill with
smoking neem tree leaves, which are very strong
and pungent. I soon found my health much af-
fected by confinement. I got thin and weak, and
was much pulled down by a sharp attack of dysen-
tery, which stuck to me till I got to Cawnpore.
We all kept up our spirits wonderfully, and
were very jolly considering the circumstances under
which we were placed, but it was sad to see our
Companions knocked over by chance shot daily.
The brigade square was terminated by a large build-
ing in which we (the officers) lived, a large double-
storied Lome, the upper part of which was partly
battered down by the enemy's guns, which had
been seized and blown up by the sortie made after
our arrival, and we bad a
us, and little of doors
(Ito drossedaoduunutndeydlsorleownlgsetsrhsi top with
thrown-up defences
scarcely bullet-proof.
from the loopholes. 70 yards behind The scoundrels we o were
keptre wood,
onlyup
can exceed their cowardice. The s•
all day by each party
essq.uare (held
loyal by Hardinge's Sikhs and others fromll4ll- Nothing
regi-
ments) had had one side of it blown in byildian mine
ngdbby yt
the
ee
efinreemfyr o, ma utdh et had adjacent building - ground being corn
ra
fellows were unable to repair the breach sufficiently, °111;
l"
' and the only cltfence against the entry of the '
devils
was a small wall of earth not four feet high; and not
once after an unsuccessful assault made after the
breach did these villains come on. I have not time
to describe the scene inside, and the principal point