The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-12 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 12, 1858.

DESPATORES FROM INDIA.

A supplement to the London Gazette of March 9,
published last night, contains further despatches
which have been received at the East India House.
The whole of them are of remote date, and refer to
events which have been already described with
more or less minuteness in. the London papers. The
despatch subjoined, however, will be read with
interest :--
BRIGADIER STUART, COMMANDDIG RIALWA FIELD FORCE, TO THE
ADJUTANT-GENERAL OF TIIE ARMY, BOMBAY.
Camp, Mundisore, Nov. 30, 1857.
Sir,—With reference to my telegrams of the 23th and
26th inst., I have now the honour to forward the reports
and to communicate, for the inforination of his Excellency
the Commandersin-Chief, full particulars of the successful
operations in which the Malwa Field Force, and the Field
Force Hyderabad Contingent, under conamaud of Major
Orr, were engaged on the 21st, 22d, 23d, and 24th instant,
against the rebel enemy in the vicinity of Mundisore.
On the morning of the 21st November this force, accom-
a4 I have already
panied by the Field Force Hyderabad Contingent, which,
reported , is co-operating with me under
command of Major Orr, arrived within three miles and a
turf ot Mundisore, about 9 a.m., and as I had no good in-
formation as to the roads or the country in the immediate
'vicinity of the town, Loma to the fords of the river Sowna,
whicu it was necessary to cross before reaching the town,
I determined neon encamping until a good reconnoi-
sauce had been effected. The rebel enemy at Mundisore,
hearing of our approach, had poSted piques entirely
covering the country over which we were advancing,
and observing our piquets thrown out they mustered in
some force outside the walla of the town, and appeared
inclined to attack. I, however, contented myself with
reinforcing the piquets, and leaving the whole charge of
the front to Major Ronerts,n, 25th Regiment Native In-
fantry. The field officer of the dsy returned to camp about
3 o'clock p.m. I received intimation from him that the
enemy were advancing in force, and threatening both o'er
flanks and centre at the same time. I accordingly moved
out to meet them. They advidniril steadily, with banners
flying, and appeared in great numbers. On approaching
our right front, however, they were most gallantly charged
by Lieut. Dew, her Majesty's 14th Light Dragoons, who
with some of his men, occupied that ground as a piquet.
Captain Orr, commanding 3d Regiment, Cavalry Hydera-
bad Contingent, supported Lieut. Dew, and the enemy
were driven back with great loss; and before our guns,
which had quickly moved up, caul,' open upon them, the
attack on our centre was repulsed, whilst that on the left I
was successfully met by the field force under Major Orr.
The enemy, having been thus driven back at all points,
were pursued for some distance—in fact, until they nearly
reached the walls of the town; and nothing farther oc-
curred that day.
Having received intelligence from the Governor-Gene.
ral's agent that the portion of the rebel army before Nee-
much, amounting to about 5,000, would probably raise the
siege of that place and endeavour to effect a junition with
their head-quarters at Mundisore, I determined to frustrate
this by intercepting them. Accordingly, early' on the morn-
ing'of the 221 inst. I moved forward my force in order of
battle. Our advance was unopposed, and on my left flank
reaching the village of Kuljepora I made a flank movement
to the left, as previously determined on, leaving the ad-
vance guard to cover it and to reinforce the rear guard, as
we crossed the Bakri ford of the river Sowna, about
1,400 yards to the south-west of the town of Mundisore.
Thus secured, the movement was safely effected, opposed
only by a slight and ineffective fire from a gun on one of
the south-west bastions of the town. I then encamped,
facing the west of the town, my flanks well protected by
the two brandies of the river, and my line running at right
angles to the right of Sir Thomas Hislop's camp in 1817.
Just previous to the camp being marked out, it was re-
ported that cavalry were seen on the left, and Major Orr,
taking the let Cavalry Hyderabad Contingent, under
Capt. Abbott, and 4th Cavalry Hyderabad Contingent,
under Capt. Murray, saw about 300 horse, supposed to be
under Hera Sing, endeavouring to draw them off in a
north-westerly direction, but keeping at. too great a dis-
tance to allow of being attacked. Reinforcements of cavalry
were sent for, and whilst the left wing of her Majesty's
14th Light Dragoons under Capt. Gall, and 3d Cavalry
Hyderabad Contingent under Lieut. Clerk, were moving
up, intelligence was brought to Major Orr that Heera
Sing's baggage had jest left the village of Goratia,een the
Neemuch road. The object of Heera Sing's party to draw
our cavalry away from his baggage thus being apparent,
her Majesty's 14th Light Dragoons, the let Cavalry
Hyderabad Contingent, and the 4th Cavalry Hyderabad
Contingent, galloped off in pursuit, the 31 Cavalry Hydera-
bad remaining as a reserve. They caught .up the enemy
about two miles south of Peeplia, and, after cutting up
about 200 of them, halted at a nullah a mile to the south
of that village. On perceiving it strongly occupied by the
enemy's infantry, who showed many standards, they then
returned to camp.
Feeling assured that the infantry seen in Peeplia formed
the advance guard of the enemy, I moved at eight o'clock
a.m. on the 23d instant by my left, and crossed the northern
branch of the liver Sowna. I then halted my column,
and collected all my baggage on the reverse flank, then
moved on to my proposed camp on the Neemuch and
Mundisore road, ready to oppose the enemy either from one
or the other direction. On coming on to the ground, the
enemy appeared in great force to the north ; so, ordering
ley baggeeee to be collected on a strong moun I, I strongly
reinfor eet my 'ear-guard and proceeded to meet them.
After a short advance: I formed line to my front, facing
uonewarde, and found the enemy occupying a vary strong
position, with their, rigttc .in .and ',.beyond. the village di
Gorstria, their right centre covered by a date =dish and
lines ot date trees,
_their battery of six, guns on rising
ground, with a large mud hut protecting their gunners,
and their left stretched along the ridge running east from ,
the village. My line advanced, covered by skirmishers ;
the enemy's infantry, with banners flying (many of them
green), moved down to meet us through the immediate
field of high jowarree,• and their guns opened fire. I im-
mediately halted my line, and replied to the fire with Cap-
tains Hungerford and Weolcombe's batteries, at a rangeof
about 900 yards. After a few rounds I again advanced the
line, and permitted Capt. Hungerford to wove his half
battery to a position on our right front, from which he
could enfilade the enemy. After an advance of about 3,0
yards our line was again halted, and firing resumed, that
from both batteries being very effective. A most gallant
charge was then made on the enemy's guns by the escort
of her Majesty's 14th Light Dragoons attached to Captain
Hungerford, under Lieut. Martin, who found, however,
that the position was still very strongly held by
the
enemy's infantry, and was compelled to retire,
being very severely wounded. Capt. aungerford's half
battery was again advanced to within a hundred yards,
again charged and captured, the enemy flying in great
and, after a round or two of grape, the guns werehe
eh:mot:clef
numbers in the village to their right, The 3d Regiment
Cavalry Hyderabad Contingent, under Capt. S. Orr, was
, it swept down upon
just at this moment rapidly advanced by our right front,
and, having been wheeled to the left
them in their retreat, and killed greet numbers. Oar line
then changed front about the eigh th of a circle, right thrown
forward, and moved steadily on the village, which evidently
held great numbers of the enemy ; their skirmishers dis-
puted our advance, but were soon driven back. Having
halted within about 300 yards of the village, our artillery
opened upon it with shot and shell, after which I directed
the infantry to advance and carry it. The men of the 86th
and 25th Regiments dashed forward in the most
gallant
manner, and, having entered the village, commenced to
drive all before them. They soon met, however, with
very warm opposition, the enemy having taken possession
in great force of many houses, from which a most harassing
fire was kept up on our men. Under these circumstances,
and as, moreover, I could get no satisfactory accounts of
what was passing in my rear, which I knew, from the
firing I heard, as also from the pressing
applications I had
received for reinforcements, had been warmly
engaged, I
recalled the infantry, and posted strong piquets all round
the village, and ma ved. the remainder of rho men a short
distance off, to where the baggage had been passed up from
the rear. I then learnt that during the afternoon, when
we were hotly engaged in the front, a strong body of the
enemy from Mundisore attacked our rear, and endeavoured
to carry off the siege train, baggage, &c.; they were, how.
over, most gallantly repulsed on ever occasion, In ono of
these attacks I regret to say that Lieut. Redmayner H.M.
14th Light Dragoons, was killed while most bravely lead-
ing his men against the enemy. Notwithstanding the
many attempts made by the enemy to press upon and
harrass our rear, it gives me great satisfaction to be able
to state that not a particle of baggage was lost, nor a fol-
lower injured. On this occasion Lieut. Leith, commend-
ing a squadron 14th Light _Dragoons, appears to have done
good service ; as also Lieut. Fenveick 25th Regiment N. 1.,
in charge of the baggage. Gunner Maitland, of the Ben-
gal Artillery, and Gunner Thomson, of the Bombay Ars
tillery, also distinguished themselves by assisting to work
the heavy guns most effectively against the enemy.
On the 24th inst. I arranged with Captain Hungerfordi
commandant of artillery, that the village of Goraria, in
which the rebels had taken refuge, should be well shelled
up to it about neon, and found that the enemy were as I
had left them the preceding evening, excepting that a few
had attempted to escape, nearly all of whom were killed.
After a heavy fire of three hours' duration, the detach-
ment, H.M. 8 th Regiment, under command of Major
Keane, and the 25th Regiment Native Infantry, under
Major Robertson, again stormed the village, and carried
withdrew the troops,
enemy they themselves
intending to move against the fort of Mundisore the next
.berAs
tofnutnhsentl
day. Early, however, on the morning of the 25th inst. intl,R
nksi lnl
fri ndgr
nggr
in-
telligence reached me that the enemy had during the night
esaetv enrue
completely evacuated Mundisore, and were scattered in
flight throughout the country in various directions, having
lost, it is computed, about 1,500 of their number during
our operations aeainet them. I accordingly removed my
camp to Mundisore, and urn now eogagee in
dismantling
the fort, destroying the guns, &c., before leaving this
neighbourhood.
By the successful operations of the %live Field Force
and Field Force Hyderabad Contingent in the vicinity of
Mundisore, the Neemuch garrison has been relieved from
the assault with which it was terestened ; the insurgent
rebels have been dispersed from their stronghold, in which
for months past they have been daily collecting all those
disaffected to our rule, and peace and order will now, it is
to be hoped, be re-established in these districts.
I must now, in conclusion, place en record my grateful
acknowledgements to Col. Durand, Officiating Agent to the
Governor-General
for Central India, for his corniel assist-
ance to me on all occasions. He was present in the field
throughout the operations, and gave me the benefit of his
advice, which proved of great service to me. Major Orr,
Hyderabad Contingent,
Commanding Field Force most
ably co-operated with me on all occasions ;. and to him,
very much indebted. To
and all under his commend, antd h
Field Engineer, an his assistants, Lieu-
Major Boileau,
wounded) and Gordon -
tenant Prendergast (severely , to
Department •
Captain Mayne, IntelligenceLentenant, Captain
Coley, Major of Brigade; to Macdonald,
; to
Deputy-Assistant-Quartermaster-General.Gener 1 Lieutenant
Thain, Sub-Assistant-Commissary a ; and to Sur-
geon Mackenzie,
• Staff Surgeon, my warmest thanks are
due • the assistance rendered me by these officers left me
nothing to wish for. A perusal of the
wing her report
Majesty'smadel4
_ .t 1
by
Captain Gall, commanding
left
oe ency the Com-
mander-in-Chief some idea Light Dragoons, will convey to his Ex
of the good service performed
by all ranks under his command. I most fully concur in
commend to the co -4e TA•
Capt, Gall's report, 41114 beg to