The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-16 00:00:00

opposition from the enemy, but they, had deserted
it, taking their guns with them. . We put .up in
another village that evening, even dirtier than the
former ; the roads 'ere ankle deep in mud and
filth, which we hat to wade through before we
could get to the mid huts where we slept. That
evening I dined off,: wing of a chicken, and most
thoroughly I erijoyet it after our hard day's work.
We fired a salute from that place, to warn our
People at Lucknow of our approach. We could
distinctly hear the filing at Lucknow, and felt more
than ever anxious Ice the safety of the garrison.
On Wednesday, tie 23d, we again set off at the
usual time (seven o'clock), under a cloudy sky ; the
sun shone at intervals during the day, and dried
our clothes somewhat and cheered our spirits. We
went on and on with little or nothii.g further than
an occasional search 3f some suspicious-looking vil-
lage till about two o'clock, when' eurrecomoitring
party came back with the news that the enemy was
in position some short distance in advance. The
halt" was sounded, and lasted till all the force
and baggage were well together, when we again ad-
vanced. We had not gone far before we saw the
enemy in position, their cavalry formed up in two
long lines on their right ; then came masses of in-
fintry, and skirmishers they had thrown out to their
front ; more Cavalry on the left and guns every-
Where. We halted again, and the guns were sent to
take up their ground on the open plain, and theregi-
ments ordered off the road to oppose the enemy's
infantry and protect our artillery. We were march:
ing first in the cohimn of sections preparatory to
leaving the road. fee the plain, when a round shot
came racoehet4g4eng the ditch on the left of the
road ; then came A secolid, whizzing close over our
heads, which killed a captain in the 90th, and
wounded others close behind us ; then another and
another,. in quick succession. We soon left the
road, and deployed into line on the plain, and ad-
vanced in skirmishing order over a swampy ground,
where the men sank deep at every step. We halted
for a short time, and the men were ordered to lie
down. Poor Haig was just in the act of ding so
when a round shot passed through his body. I was
close by at the time, heard the horrid crash, and saw
him knocked down. Ht s wa the first man I had seen
killed, and knowing him as I did, and haling spoken
to him recently, it grea,tly.shocked me. It is extra-
ordinary though how familiar one gets with scenes
like these in time of war. The other regiments were
hard at work on our left, opposed to the enemy's
right, taking guns and villages. A company of the
sth was ordered to take an enclosure on the right of
the road, which the enemy had possession of, and
where at the commencement of the engagement
they had guns in position, which they withdrew on
our advance. In this inclosure was a Rajah's pa-
lace, where they slept that night. After skirmishing
for a short distance, the men were again Allowed to
lie down, as affording a less prominent mark for the
enemy's guns. A shell burst close in front of us,
killing three and wounding four. I was, as usual,
on the right of our line, wit h the Major, and the dirt
was sent spattering about us when it burst. This
kind of fighting went on for some hours, until the
enemy was driven back from Alumbagh. The in-
fantry was drawn up—at least our brigade-7-iu con-
tiguous columns, and our artillery and cavalry
passed by in front of us, receiving cheers from us
all for the gallant way is which they had done their
duty in the fight. The cavalry only consisted of
some 120 volunteer English and a similar number of
Affghan Cavalry. We felt sadly the want of cavalry
in all our:engagements to follow up the enemy with.
The most unpleasant part of our day's business was
yet in store for us. The enemy, though driven back,
still kept up a harassing and heavy fire upon us
with their artillery and musketry, and some guns
were sent down the road.to. try and Bikinis them
and we were ordered to protect them: On the right
of the road was a low tuarshi ground, covered with high
grass and jungle, with two or the small villages beyond
it, occupied by the enemy. From this they opened a
heavy fire upon us with musketry and artillery, arid
annoyed us not a little. Our guns, I suppose from not
seeing them clearly, seemed ts do but little execution.
It was getting dark, and we could see nothing but the
white smoke from their guns and musketry—they had
opened another gun upon us, enfilading the road, and
their round shot and shell came ploughingup the ground
en all sides, tearing through the trees, and their shells
bursting close to us, but providentially doing but little
damage. At last it was getting so very hot that
Major Simmons seat sue back to ask General Neill for
orders, and to explain to him our position. The answer
was that we should receise orders almost immediately
tQ lea', the piacie,ltibd. taker-tip lodging for the night ;
so the Major moved-his men in the meantime off the
road on to a field onthe left, protected from the enemy's
gun on the road by a walled enclosure, and Irons their
musketry on the right by a bank. The enemy seem to
have noticed this move, for they sent frequent shells
near us, one burst a few yards behind me, after having
embedded itself deep
in a heap of mire and clay. How-
ever, at last the order came, and we retired into the
palace garden, and provided ourselves and men of the
sth with a handsome lodging in the
palace, formerly
occupied by some high native civilian of the King of
Oude, It must have been handsomely furnished at one
time, for we found large mirrors, chandeliers, and
pictures ; the ether things had been either carried away
or destroyed. Unfortunately, just before the order was
given to retire a tremendous rain came
sent us to bed for the third night drenched to the skis
—I and many others, whose baggage was behind or
down, which
straying, not being able to get a change of clothes. It
was melancholy that night, as A. C. and I were sitting
down to dinner, to think of the sudden death of our
former messmate, Haig. The poor fellow seemed to
sister.
ena prTehseentniensxe:sthootf,hils
think,
wasfor just before he
went into' battle he asked a brother officer by his side
to finish a letter, which he had - commenced, to his
the one which
killed him.
Thursday, the 24th, we halted ; the enemy shelled us,
and sent round shot amongst us, and occasioned a heavy
loss. We answered them with our artillery, but they
were so well sheltered that 1 doubt whether we did
much harm, We could see their infantry and cavalry
hovering about, but they took care to keep out of mus-
ket-shot, except on one occasion, when their cavalry
attacked our rear-guard and baggage, which was some
way down the bill,
and cut up some 120 of our men.
It was done in a most infamous, treacherous manner.
An officer in the 10th was with his men on rear-
guard duty, protecting ths baggage, when he saw
some cavalry advancing up the road. supposing them
to be our own Irregulars, ai,d seeing the No. 12 on
their
when of a suddeo some other
pouches, he :Hewed them to come close up
instead of firing upon them.
The commandant of the
cavalry ad vanced up the road, d converged a little
with the officer,
vhen
men
their earsa
shea
b upon, and
yr thee fired cut up several
ard sea camp followers. He, seeing the
treachery, and
drew his revolver, but all the
barrels missed fire, Sr he then drew his sword, but
it was too late, the an
of
cowardly traitors attacked and
soon killed him
however before they could decamp
several of them were shot down by our men, when
they saw the true State of things, and better precau-
tions were taken against the recurrence of such a
catastrophe. In the evening a party was sent out
reconnoitring, and to see whether the canal, which
we bad to cross the next day, was fordable. They
effected their object, but were immediately obliged to
retreat, owing to the very heavy fire they were ex-
posed to from the enemy. One
of our men got his
leg carried away by a round shot ; that was the only
casualty. We were watching them from the house
in the garden all the time, and it was a marvel
to us that no more sr, t:)t wounded or killed. We
buried Haig in the loom the g
ing in garden, and
the Major read the burial serviceover him. We
were roused and called to arms late in the evening,
with the impression that we were going is be
attacked a few shots were fired, but nothing
more ; and after an hour or two watching we were
Orders were given for two days' rations to be
allowed to return to quarters, and prepared for sleep.
issued to the troops before starting for Lucknow. No
officer was allowed to take any servant, and therefore no
baggage, with him—except mounted officers, who were
permitted to take their eyes, or grass-cut.
On the 25th (Friday), after having had our breakfasts
and completed our preparations, we took up
tive positions our pr
were to advance upon Lucknow.
eesopeeecd-
we halted to protect the guns, which had commenced
morning, and advanced up the road some distance,'where
We started then from Alumbagh
417w0 companies of the sth
, about eight in the
firingwere inin frontreply of the tthheegeunnesmoyn' *the road, and two behind.
The men were all ordered to lie down. Major Simmons
and I were at the head of the first two companies,
mounted, but the fire was Co hot, both artillery and
over err heads, smashing
musketry, from the right and in front, that Simmons's
horse reared and plunged in such a manner as to oblige
him to dismount. Our position then was frightful ; the
enemy were enfilading the road with grape, canister, and
the ground, tear-
waggons, knocking down poor fellows
right and left, white the men were frequently wounded
throughri tear-
ing ncl
downsh
artilleryo shot, which
nhei%hg came
of
trees ploughing
by the unseen enemy's sharpshooters on our right, who
were firing at them from behind the long grass, besides
another gun, which they had in position, in a small vil-
lage on our right. This went on for some time, when
General Outran', who was close by, gave the order,
" sth, charge the guns. Simmons immediately ordered
the men to rise and advance up the road. About 100
yards
further on was a loopholed house inside a walled
garden, the wall also loopholed, from which they had
' kept up a sharp fire of musketry the last day, and this
morning.o Whend passing this, volley after volley was
poured out, and
beforebefore we effected our entrance, the
other defence. It was a marvel to me how I escaped, as
enemy had deserted it, and moved on to meet us at some
I was on horseback.
Unfortunately for the sth, while they were engaged
in searching and clearing the house and grounds, and

On we went again, and our next halt was in fell sight
of the splendid palace of Lucknow, the mosques, and
other fine buildings. On the road we pissed the cavalry
stables, where hundreds of horses wef e picketed. I got
permission to provide myself with one to replace my own
killed : so, with Creagh, of the sth, I left the column for
a time, and went and selected one. It was a fine strong
artillery horse, but unfortunately without a bridle, so of
no present use to me. We saw some dismantled heavy
guns lying about there, and a company of ours sent there
to survey and clear the place of the enemy, if there hap-
pened to be any, reported that there was a quantity elf
treasure lying in different places ; but such was our
headlong speed that guns, horses, and treasure were all
left behind, for the subsequent use of the enemy. This
heltieg-place wrila very dangerous one, the shelter very
insufficient ; and we remained exposed to heavy artillery
and musketry Sre. The round shot came in numbers,
smashing through the walls close by us, and the frequent
creek of the musket from loop-holed walls and windows
of houses close by, and the whirr of the bullet, told us
too plainly that our position was not very tenable. To
our right there was a large house supposed to be occupied
by the enemy. We were ordered to take it and held
it. To get to it, it was necessary to cross a small open
space. This we did one by one at the double, every
man as he doubled feeling the danger to which he was
exposed. The bullets from a house opposite—the old
mess-house of her Majesty's 32d—whizzed over and
about us by hundreds, and it regularly running tits
gauntlet through a hailstorm of bullets. Several men
and horses were killed and wounded here, but there was
no hesitation on our side, and the brave fellows filled
through this as willingly as if they had been in their
then hungry state going to a sumptuous banqaet. We
took the house of course as ordered, and immediately
sent out skirmishing parties right, left, and front, to keep
off the enemy. The house was situate in the middle of a
garden, and at the end of which on one side was a canal
over which the enemy was firing. About three o'clock,
I suppose it must have been (my watch's mainspring was
broken, worn out, and so rendered useless), we left this
place, and after charging another gun under an immensely
heavy cross-fire across a small bridge, where again we
sustained a heavy loss, we found ourselves between rows
of houses with loopholed walls, being quietly picked off
by unseen hands. Here several gallant fellows were
killed and wounded, and it was melancholy work seeing
the place strewn with the dead and dying, with no
visible enemy to make answerable for our loss. This
street and house fighting went on till dusk, and it would
be tedious to narrate all that occurred. At one place,
in particular, just as we turned a corner into an open
square, surrounded by high walls, where the artillery
were drawn up, and the 84th was in the act of passing
through an archway in column (we wore close behind
them), a murderous ire was opened from these loop-
holed houses en our men, and poor Brigadier-General
Neill was shot dead eff his horse. The men seemed
seined with a fit of fury for the time ; they left 'their.,
ranks and fired a volley against those walls witla'..kie
forlorn hope that some stray bullet might enter the
loopholes and kill the cowards sheltered behind. When
order was restored, we commenced passing through.
It was a horrid business, and it was getting dark, which
made it worse. You could see the flashes from the
loop-holes just over your heads as you inoved on an d
felt powerless, for we were unable to stop their 'firing
or drive them from their stronghold. It was Irilte dark
before our work was over, and we slept thlit 'night
without food or drink (except the rations of grog and
rum), or covering of any kind in the road leading into
the garrison. We gave and received three cheers from
the people inside, and that was the only proof that
night we had of each other's existence. It was a
terrible day altogether, and one I shall not easily forget.,
We slept wall after our fatigues. We lost that day 600
odd men killed and wounded, and 48 officers—no small
proportion out of a force of 2,401, a loss in proportion
equal to that sustained in the Battle of Waterloo. An
unfortunate accident occurred in the road that evening.
Some faithful sepoys of the 13th, who had been fighting
in the trenches nearly all the siege with oar people,
were sent out with a European officer to assist in
some work further down the road. Some two or
three of them, in threading their way through the laby-
rinth of gun-carriages, bullocks, and men, got separated
from their officer, and the alarm was instantly raised
that some of the enemy's Sepoys were in our line, and
the order was given by the brigadier to stop them; how-
ever, they unsuspectingly went on, when the order to
shoot or bayonet them was passed. Thretiof these poor
fellows were instantly shot and bayoneted—one man I
saw with no less than three bayonet wounds and one
sword cut on the upper part of his body. The officer,
hearing some confusion, instantly returned, and saw the
unhappy mistake. It was a sickening sight. I saw the
man who was the worst wounded some days afterwards
in the hospital, and was glad to find he was doing well,
and in a fair way to recovery. It was imprudent in
the excited state of our troops, and at night, too, tosend
the Sepoys into our neighbourhood, when it was well
known that we were surrounded on all sides by the
enemy, who at that time were firing upon our ostpickets
and sentries. All that night there was only a wall be-
tween us and the rebels, and we did not feel safe against
a sudden attack.
On Saturday morning, the 26th, we were ordered out
again, and had to retrace our steps to the house I told
you we took yesterday afternoon, near which our artil-
lery and baggage, with some of the 90th, bad been left.
There were some places we had to pass much exposed
to the enemy's fire, and which it was necessary to double
over, to get as quickly as possible through the shower of
bullets. We had to ford a canal up to our micidle in the
water, and afforded a nice mark to the enemy's riflemen
during this tedious operation. Several men were wounded
before we reached the house, 'when we sent out some men
to reinforce the 90th, and held the house the whole of
the day. The enemy had brought two heavy guns to
bear upon the house from opposite directions, and as we
were sitting inside, 24 and 18 lb. shot Caine smashing
through the walls, knocking over men and making
our
position anything but enviable. Bullets, too, came w his.
zing about from all sides, and we had plenty to do from
the house to keep down the enemy's fire
th ifrom neigh-
bouring mosques and houses.
near the palace, not more than 700 or 800
yearrdgs lion; , wee
saw the men sponging it and loading, so knew when it

On Monday, the 28th, a party went out to attack
some of the enemy's guns, which were annoying the
garrison, but owing to mismanagement they, after hav-
ing spiked one or two, were obliged to retreat from the
enemy, who swarmed out of their houses and from be-
hind their walls' and retook them. They were mostly
our own guns. We lost some 12 men killed and wounded.
I was at the top of a house watching them, with some
others, keeping up a fire at the sep )ye during the attack.
They brought a gun or two to bear upon u. 4, but did Lo
further harm than knocking afew bricks and some mortar
about us. In the evening I went up to the camp to re_
lieve Mason from picket duty, and to guard some guns.
Officers of the sth were so scarce that Simmons asked
me to share the duty. That night and the nex: I had to
sleep on the road near the guns, and very bard I found
the ground, particularly as I had no bed to lie upon.
The next morning a large party, consisting of same men
of the 84th, 64th, and sth, went out before light to take
some more guns, and succeeded in blowing up some and
one 32-pouuder. I was standing by my guns, and saw
Major Simmons brought in dead. He had been shot
through the head and killed on the spot. I attended
his funeral that evening. A few days before only I
heard him read the burial service over poor Haig, and
the next time I beard it read was over himself. That
ia
idnaryielneb,renand kfagsetveed
mwyithreFtrioend.
who were delighted with it, I fancy.
On Wednesday, the Mb, 1 was relieved from picket
tßoirethhe
men
and
and returned to head-quarters of the regiment. I break
dined
o f
my with
ck p Mac-
farlane,
picket,
fasted again at Birch's and took a sleep at Macfarlane's,
on his mattress. How I enjoyed it—the only comfort-
able sleep I had had for days. At night there was great
firing on all sides, and all the men were called to arms,
but it ended in nothing.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, a party of the ith, with some
400 men from some other regiments, went out in the
direction of the Cawnpore-road, to blow up some houses
frequented by the 7ackii. They killed a lot of sepoye in
one place and another ; Scott, the then commanding
officer, and myself, and his staff, remaining behind at
headquarters. A reward of 10,000 rupees was offered
to this party if they succeeded in taking the enemy's
guns in a certain battery. All the batteries are narntd.
We have the Cawnpore, Redan, Malakoff, and others.
The next day the guns were taken and blown up with
several houses. It is no good spiking guns and leaving
them behind, for the enemy soon return and either wor k
out the spike or turn the gun Jver, and make a vent on
the other side. The only effectual plan is to blow them
up, and thoroughly destroy them. It seems a pity to
destroy our good guns, but it was unavoidable.
Nothing particular further than occa-iional alarms oc-
curred till Monday the sth, when the enemy sprang a
mine in one of our picket gardens, and charged the
breach made in the wall, but our men soon drove them
back, without even using the bayonet. A few shots
seemed to have the desired effect, and when a few of
them fell the remainder thought it more prudent to re.
treat. Another officer, Johnson, of the sth, died this
day from his wounds.
On Tuesday, the 6th, there was another mine sprung
by the enemy at a mosque near our quarter, and a
simultaneous and persevering attack upon us made from
many quarters. The enemy swarmed everywhere, and
l
you heard them yelling out defiance and abuse
the only officer at the time at the headquarte.rs tScwuatst
had gone away for a few minute.), and accompanied a
guard of 20 men ordered out to assist in repelling the
attack. I had a house to kt.A. or rather a good story
of a house, on a level with thell garden where these fel-
lows were swarming and horribly. I stationed
men at the war rating windows, concealing them as
much as possible, and kept others right and lett of some
small doors through whiCill
Welexpected the enemy would
try to effect an entrance.
shot several men as they
eamerushirg into the garden withdawnsword,,, muskets,
, r
and matchlocks, hallooing out, Maro, maro I chelo,
chelo !" ("kill, kill t come along !") They gave me very
much the idea of men intoxicated with bhan for they g,
seemed to come on without any definite design rushed
madly about apparently unconscious where they werego-
ing to. They came within a few yards of ns, andisoexcited
were my men that they missed many even at that dis-
tance. Some Sikhs who were in the house with me were
much cooler and more collected, and did not throw away
their fire near so much. After some time the enemy
managed to get into the rooms above us, and before our
men in another part of the garden, and in an exposed
position, were aware of it, opened a fire upon them,
wounding many men. Scott, who had joined another
party of his men, was wounded, and had gone to the
hospital. Now, therefore, I withdrew my men, havioll
irst seen that my part of the garden was cleared, and