The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-11 00:00:00

THE BATTLE AT OATVINPORE.

The following is an extract of a letter from an
officer of the Naval Brigade who had been sta-
tioned with a small detachment at Cawnpore :
" Commander-in-Chief's Camp, Three Miles
from Cawnpore, Dec. 17, 1857.
g 4 On the 25th of Nov. I was ordered with 30
men across the river on outlying picket. We had,
not been out more than an hour when we were re-
lieved by a party of the 64th, and ordered to be
ready to go out at 3 a.m. next day with two 24-
pounders to the camp on the Calpee-road, where
Gem. Windham had assembled about 1,500 men, as
he had information that the Gwalier Contingent,
of about some 20,000 men and 40 guns, were ad-
vancing on Cawnpore. So, on the 26th, at 2.30
a.m., we roused out, and after loading camels, ele-
phants, &-c., we started for the camp, but, owing to
our heavy guns and a very bad road, we did not
reach the camp till 8 a.m., when we found all the
troops under arms, the camp struck, and ordered
about five rdles to the rear, as the enemy had ad-
vanced in great numbers to about one mile and a
half of where the troops were. When we arrived
Gen. Windham and Brigadier Carthew were out
reconnoitring. He soon came in and ordered the
force to advance, but gave us no orders. We saw
the Light Artillery advance, and we followed, but
our heavy guns and the bad roads kept us in the
rear, notwithstanding all our efforts, and the Ge-
neral seeing that ordered us to go back. So we
'bout ship,' and were not more than 10 minutes
turned round when we heard the troops commence
hard at it, and in about an hour the firing ceased,
and an aide-decamp galloping down to telegraph
to Calcutta that we had licked the enemy and taken
four guns. We re-established ourselves in the en-
trenched camp, and had hardly done so when we re-
ceived orders to go out again next morning, with-
out tents or baggage. So on the 27th we started at
5 a.m., and joined the troops at abut 8, who were
all under arms. We drew up our guns on the road,
and General Windham went to reconnoitre. When
he came back we were ordered to get our tents
out ; so I got on my horse, rode in, and saw
our tents and baggage started, and galloped back
again as hard as I could. I had just got off, and
walked from the road to the end of the Artillery
park and back, and was cormiltiniz with L'ent.
Hay, our coma] , N, tu where uur WIALS
should be pitched, when the general assembly
sounded, and you never saw such a race and scram-
ble, soldiers rushing for their arms and belts, sai-
lors running to their guns, cavalry saddling horses,
and the deuce's own hubbub. We were the first
ready, loaded our guns, and limbered up for ad-
vancing. Just as we were all ready the noon gun
fired in the intrenched camp in the town, and it
was answered all around us in every direction by a
volley of artillery from the enemy, not very far off.
Never were any fellows more surprised. The order
was then given, to advance under the command of
General Dupuis, Royal Artillery. We had not
done so more than a u.ile when the shot, shell, grape
and case begantoplay among us mot uncomnioaly
close. We were ordered, with our 24-pounders, to
take up a position at a four roads' cross. We ad-
vanced stesdily up, under a very heavy fire, not re-
turning a shot. When we got up to the cross-roads
we could see a gun, which we opened fire on and
soon silenced, but they took it to an unseen position
and kept up a very heavy fire from it and all their
o'her guns on ours; but Providence watched over
us, and nearly all their shuts went over our heaths.
We fired so fast that our ammunition was getting ,

short, which I mentioned to the artillery officer
commanding, but he only told me to keep up a
warmer fire on the enemy. Our ammunition was all
gone except a few rounds, and the order was given
to ' limber up,' as the enemy were advancing onus
in great farce ; the Light Artillery had gone to the
r.a,r, and the skirmishers were behind our guns and
all the infantry. We were executing this last order
when a shrapnell burst close over our guns and gave
us a pretty sprinkling, and started off our bill-
leeks ; when once frightened there is no stopping
these bullocks, so we were left at our guns with-
out ammunition, supports, or limbers. The in-
f entry in the rear, who could cee up a road to
our right better than we could, sung out to
us that the enemy's cavalry were charging. We
then got orders to spike and leave the guns ; we did
so, and retreated to where the infantry were. Not
seeing the cavalry advancing, and having rallied
the bullocks and got back th limbers, we charged
up to the guns again under a most tremendous fire
from the enemy's infantry ' they ran, and we re-
captured our guns and had to retreat with them
into our intrenehments. I came in with the rear
gun, as Hay was wounded, and I kept all my men
with me to fight the gun at the entrance of the
town, to cover the retreat of the troop, who were
obliged to retreat before ten times their number.
The other gun went in under an escort of the 88th
Regiment, but in going through the town the gun
was crpsized in a narrow street and left there ; this
I did not learn till evening. The gun I was with
remained a short time at the entrance of the town,
and then we came in through it. it is a most dial-
cult place to get through, as the streets are narrow
and houses entirely native, but I had been through
it twice that morning, and I generally manage to
remember a road I have once been alone, and I
luckily, thank God, brought my men and gun
through in safety, though as we were coming through
the churchpril on to the main road we had a heavy
pre,ent of grape from one of the guns the enemy
had brought d ,wn on the opposite side of the town
to cut off our retreat, but luckily it did us no harm.
"I got into the intrenched camp all right about
5 p.m., when I was ordered to te!l my men off to
the guns all round, and I did so. The enemy had
followed us up so quickly that they were then in
pcsse,sioti of the town, and were firing their guns
in every direction all round us. At dark the ft, ing
ceased, except from the pickets, who kept up. an
occasional quiet pop with each ot':or. Just as I
had lain down, after having had. Hay dressed and
put to rights, Gener.d. Wiedham sent for me and
told me we must get back the gun which had been
left in the. town by the 831 h escort, and that my
men must mount it ; that it would be an ugly job,
but that. we should have good supports of soldiers to
hold and defend the streetswhile we worked, and that
at 11 p.m. I was to be in readiness. The men and
I slept at our guns, as we were all very much done
up after such a-day's work, until the time above

steed, when I got up and assembled my men, and
reported 'all ready' to Colonel Adye, RA. We

m:trehed off with 1-00 men of the 6itt;, unier the

guidance of a native, who said he would take us to
the not where the gun lay. We teld him he

shoal be well rewariled if he brought us to the
gun, but if he brought us into a trap we had a
soldier by him 'at full coeY ready to blow his
brains out. We passed our outside pickets, and
entered the t awn through very narrow sere: is with-
out a single nit ger being seen or a shot fired on
either side. We crept along, not a soul spoke a
word, all was as still as death, and after marching
in this way into the very heart of the town our
guide brought us to the very shop into which the
gun was capsized. The soldiers were posted on
each road, and then we went to work. Not a man
. spoke above his breath, and each stone was laid
down quietly. When we thought we had clear, a 1
enough, .I ordered the men to put their shoulders
to the wheel and gun, and when all was ready, and
every man had his pound before him, I sail
'Heave and up she righted. We then limbered
up, called the soldiers to fo'low, and we marched
into the intrenchmen is with our gun without a shot
being fired; when we got in the Colonel returned
us his best thanks, and gave us all an extra ration
of grog ; we then returned to our guns in the
battery, and I can answer for my own part that,
though we had no tents, I slept as soundly as if I
had been in the best feather-bed in the world until
next morning. On the 28. h the rebels made a sort
of attack about daylight, and we were up at our
guns. At 8 a.m. we opened fire on them in the
direction
where our spies told us they were getting
their guns into position. They returnedAtlo it: about
an hour aft,:rwards very smartly. th Rifles and 82d advanced on ther
Ileft and a.m. the
and 88th on the 6-Jilt ;
_Lraig it Attilery and
One battery of 4.1 e
ins
tg.unn.ers went
out with the Rifles.
a hot fire one tihnetrcenenehed
camp battery, kept up
uns Weorfe
At intervals, while onr
leaden
we heard a great deal of" tiring
and cheering on the right, but the force there eaviZ
obliged to retreat finally, having captured and re-
captured the enemy's guns, six in number, three
times before they did so, spiked them, and would
have brought them in if they had had supports to
withstand the enemy's cavalry, and whose infantry
were six to one. The 64th, noble soldiers! suffered
very much, and lost their colonel (Wilson), a ti ,as
91d fellow, who led far ahead of his men in every
charge. He was Brigadier at Cawnpore f(.r a long
time, and I always found him kind-I.earted, thong!'
strict on duty and a good auldier. The other oftie,ra
who fell were Major Stilling, Captains Were% and
Morpby ; the former was AsA..tatit-Qnartermaster-
Gneral at Cawnpore. I had a great d 'al to do with
him, and always found him most kind ; he was in
the act of spiking the enemy's fourth gun, when
their cavalry came on him before he could retire
rri crit him t-. 'i's L'eli'q.

Gibbon and M
1:111,V
.WOl.O all 11110 lellOri

I shall not go on any more with our misfortunes
on the right, but we will go to the left, where the
R flea were very successful, but suffered a Great
deal. They captured two 18-pounders, and drove
the enemy completely back with great slaughter.
As soon as the guns were taken our area were sent
for to bring them in. I went out with them and
60bullo?.ks, and brought in the gun 3 in grod styl-.
Nothing more was done that day, as the m n were
very much fatigued. I rein:lined in the battery.

The niggers were "quiet, too, so we had a quiet
night. The 29th passed quietly, considering there
were more than 20,000 savage enemies before our
2,000 Europeans in the fort. The Rifles made a
sortie on some houses that the enemy came into,
and were firing from, very unpleasantly close to our
guns, which were raised above the parapet, and we
gave them some grape, so they soon left. That
night Sir C. Campbell, to every one's surprise,
rode in, and was soon after followed by Capt. Peel,
who came in to see what was going on. He told us
the force would be in in the morning, and you may
be sure every one was very glad to bear it. At
about 8 a.m. on the 30th Nov. the 9th Lancers
advanced guard passed our intrenchments, then the
Horse Artillery, then one regiment after another,
and the Naval Brigade, with their long 24-poun-
ders. You can have no idea what a wonderful thing
the movement of an army in India is. The Com-
mander-in-Chief brought 6,000 or 7,000 men with
him from Lucknow. The advanced guard crossed
the bridge on the morning of Nov. 30, and the rear
guard only passed on the evening of Dec. 3. Dur-
ing Uwe 3 days we did nothing but watch the train
pass; it never stopped day or night. On the evening
of the 3d they were all across, and we again opened
fire on the enemy, but they did not return it. On
the morning of the 4th we commenced from the
fort and from two batteries which Captain Peel got
to bear from the right, and we kept it up pretty
hot on them. The ladies and wounded were all sent
away with an escort to Allahabad. When they
were clear of us we kept firing on the enemy until
the sth, when we gave them a quiet day, and they
imagined we were done, for they kept up good fire
o n us, we not returning a shot. Every ono thought
it very strange that they should be allowed to fire
on us without returning it, but at daylight on the
6th we got six more guns and howitzers into posi-
tion, and at 7 the Commander-in-Chief's camp was
struck, which the enemy seeing made very imper-
tinent advances, but were quietly repulsed. At 10
a.m. an order came from Sir Colin to blaze away
from every gun and keep it up. We took our time
from the right, and such a crash of artillery you
never heard, houses fell, trees disappeared, and the
air rang again with the whistling of shot, firing of
shells, dec. It was noble fun. In little more than an
hour I fired 75 rounds from each gun in my bat-
tery. The enemy, when we commenced, returned
eloeu. 3 luitud:, ,64,1 LLeil tli.ir fulig ceabei. The
troops encircled the town, and Capt. Peel's six 24-
pounders worked round clearing each street with
showers of grape as they could sce up them. When
the rebels saw themselves nearly surrounded and
only one chance of retreat left they made a short
stand, but wire driven back, and they started out of
the town. When once out in the open ground our
Enfield rifles p'cked them off nicely, and the cavalry
chased them in style. When they were once routed
they never rallied, and that night the Commander-
in-Chief chased 16 miles, captured 15 guns and five
mortars, and a quantity of arms and ammunition.
Their loss was severe, while ours was trifling. The
next day (the 7th) was mostly employed in hang-
ing those who had disguised themselves as natives,
and hid in the town. We soon found them out,
and it did not take even a mag.strate to hang them.
On the Bth I left the intrenchments with my de-
tachment, and joined head-quarters camp. Capt.
Peel inspected my men, and expressed himself well
pleased with them and me.
" Poor Hay is gone to Allahabad with Salmon
and others, wounded.
I have met Bernard Illckett, of the 23d Regi-
ment, here. He distinguished himself very much
before Lucknow by calling for volunteers to go out
with him and bring in a wounded man under a
heavy fire from the mutineers, which they succeeded
in doing. It is generally thought he will get the
Victoria Cross.