The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-22 00:00:00

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try, and the latter regulated the
and u
pace.
sTh,etrmamopv:
mov-
ing lighthouse guided the officers,
tramp, squash, squash, thud, thud,-away they pro-
ceeded. A northerly wind came down sharply
from the Himalayas, and soon the cold cut through
the warmest Indian clothing. The column made
such good progress that if it had pushed on, it
would have reached Bankee long ere daybreak.
A long halt was called, therefore, near a tope of
trees and a small hamlet. Wrapped up in cloaks
and resais officers and men enjoyed an hour's re-
freshing sleep. The march commenced again so
timed as to bring the force to Bankee soon after
sunrise. It has transpired since that in the night
the column passed a large party of the enemy on
the left. Lieutenant-Colonel Crealock and some
others observed fires on the left, which were the
watches of the enemy, but it was supposed they
proceeded from villagers engaged in some festival
or agriculture. pursuits. The enemy remained
quite still, and made off towards the west as soon
as it was morning. As daylight broke, the flankers
and videttes were thrown well out; The country
was exactly like that I have previously attempted to
describe, the villages being very clean and the
houses better than in most parts of Oude. The
villagers generally ran away as we approached, and
large herds of cattle were visible in the distance,
which the proprietors drove from the line of our
march as fast as they could. The old men left in
the villages professed entire ignorance of the ex-
istence of the enemy. About seven o'clock, how-
ever, when the force had got within a few miles of
Bankee, a white clump was observed by our videttes
at the base of a thick tope of trees. It wavered to
and fro, extended, and broke, resolving itself into a
strong picket of sowers, who rode away towards
our right front. They were the enemy. Lord
Clyde was right. The whole column was at once
pressed forward towards Pooreniee, a hamlet on the
right and in the rear of Bankee, close to the edge of
a broad belt of an outlying strip of the terai. About
8 o'clock the enemy, mostly cavalry, were visible
in our front ; as we approached, it was ascertained
that a long deep 'swamp lay in their front, which
was covered on each flank by a small village. Be-
hind them and on their left, as far as the eye could
reach, extended the jungle, a dense high wall of
green, apparently of immense thickness. The
Commander-in-Chief, who was now mounted on an
elephant, attended by Colonel Metcalfe, recon-
noitred their position. General Mansfield was
intrusted with the general direction of the attack.
A very few moments sufficed for the dispositions.
The Cavalry formed in line, a part of the Punjab
Horse on the right, the Carabineers, under Colonel
Bickerstaff, next ; then the six guns ; next the
7th Hussars in columns of squadrons, and on their
left the rest of the Punjabees, the infantry dis-
mounted being on the left rear. On our left front
there was a tope occupied by the enemy, behind
which the line of the jungle, parallel with their
rear, formed a right angle with the jungle on our
right flank. The 7th Hussars at once went to the
left, round the swamp, and advanced rapidly
towards the tope, while the Carabineers and Pun-
jabees proceeded towards the right. The enemy
were already retreating rapidly and in confusion,
having only just received warning from their
picket of our approach. The bulk of their infantry
seemed to go off towards their right, making for the
jungle; those who were in the tope fled towards
the right. The Hussars slipped after the infantry
towards our left, the guns, Carabineers, and
Punjabees on the right were received by the
fire of three guns—one in the tope, and two
from the village, noar the angle of the two lines of
hangle. They pushed on, the shot flying over their
eads, the enemy flying into the jungle, and in a
few moments the three guns were ours. But here
occurred one of those accidents which show the un-
certainty of any military operations not conducted
in the most perfect accordance with the established
rules of war. Cavalry and horse artillery can do
much, but they cannot charge jungle. The in-
fantry were far behind. The moment the enemy's
infantry got within the jungle they faced round and
opened a sharp musketry fire on the cavalry and
guns, while two guns, quite concealed from view,
served by steady gunners with shot, shell, grape,
eannister, and shrapnel, opened on our men.
Frazer's guns in vain tried to search out the jungle
and to silence the enemy's fire. The Rifles were
advancing at the double, and as it was quite useless
to expose men to a fire, already very heavy, which
a few seconds might render fatal, the artillery were
retired by alternate guns, firing as they fell back,
and covered by the cavalry. The Rifles advanced
splendidly, and as their Enfields began to whistle
through the trees the enemy's guns shut up and their
infantry disappeared. The advance again was
ordered, and on examination a path was perceived
in the jungle at the angle of the two lines of wood
already mentioned. At this moment it was re-
ported that the enemy on the left were in force, and
soon afterwards that a party of Sowars were
threatening our left flank. The Carabineers and two
guns were detached to meet the latter movement,
and the 20th Regiment were placed to cover the
rear, while the Rifles advanced through the jungle
in front of the left flank of the Hussars and the
Punjabees, who with five guns filed through it by
the road. The sowars proved to be a detachment
of Punjabees who had been left with the Beloochees
at Mejiddiah, and were led out by. Mr. Ross when
he heard the firing. The enemy's infantry did not
make any attempt on our left, but seem to have got
away through the jungle on their right from the
line of rifle skirmishers. It was about 8.30 when
the enemy opened fire on us. The belt of jungle
was about half a mile broad. By 10.30 our cavalry
and part of the guns suddenly emerged on a wide
plain with an undulating surface, in front of which
rose the Nepaulese hills, with their base covered
by the Tenn. On the left of the cavalry the belt
of jungle ran on in a line down to a dip in the
ground, where it abruptly ceased. In the plain
appeared the enemy, flying in two disorderly bodies
—one towards the left, where the jungle ceased, as
I have described, the other towards a village on our
right. Detaching a squadron of the 7th Hussars
to the left, Sir William Russell led the remainder
of his regiment and the Punjabees towards the
large mass of the fugitives on the right. As they
dashed onwards their course was unfortunately in-
terrupted by a deep nullah filled with water, which
stopped Fraser's guns and detained the cavalry
in their pursuit. The moment they were freed
from this obstacle they charged on to the
right, but the enemy had got a good start and
were close to the village, which was situated on a
ford of the river Raptee. Here they rushed across
in wild confusion. But the Hussars pressed close
upon them. The Punjabees captured a gun on the
brink of the river. Suddenly a heavy
batte of
six guns from the other side of the river opened On
ry
our cavalry, covering the ford, and piliouad gbhieengseupt
the opposite bank. The Begum's g
up and Mehundie Hoosein was doiligesheinsebmy best foonr
thhi
es
friends. Our guns were not up.
right had got over, and were collecting n the
side of the rapid river under cover of their guns.
had Fraser onn tt the left,su
onother
havingMeanw hailgerethate squadron
spaceu
close to the river at the point where the jungle
qai.ento under
go over,
joined its course. The enemy, headed by the Rifles
through the jungle and cut off on the right, were
all crowding in dismay towards the narrow point
where there was a ford on the left. The Hussars
and Punjabees on the right were at once wheeled
round,
and, running the gauntlet of the enemy's
guns all along the bank of the river, galloped as
hard as they could to assist the squadron on
the left. As Fraser's men saw they were gaining
on the enemy, and that a river ran before them,
they gave one ringing cheer, sat down in their
saddles, and rushed along as fast, fierce, and strong
as the Raptee itself. " Steady, men, steady'!"—it
is in vain, the thunder of horses' hoofs, the lightning
of battle, roll and flash along. Sir William Russell,
galloping as hard as he can, tries to come up on
their right; but even his longlegged horse cannot
catch the troopers up.
The Raptee, now at its lowest, is a very clear,
rapid, mountain river, with low banks, between
which are beds of sand deposited by the torrents
which descend from the hills during the rains. Its
course is exceedingly tortuous, and we know little
or nothing of its direction, or of the fords. The
pace quickens as we close upon the enemy, but the
sowars are well mounted, and ride well. The mass
of the enemy dash over the bank, over the sands
and boulders, and right into the current.
In a cascade of white the sowers precipitate them- '
selves into the waters of the Raptee. A
Ty and in an
At the
sight
our Hussars give one more
wild
ent
Not a man could be held,
instant they are engaged withthemc in the river.
each'w straight at an
They cut down the
sowars as they are strugg
the Hussars hold their own.. .
enemy. Their horses flounder amid the rocks, but
stream,' and charge them in the ford. It was one
ling inthe whirling
of those wonderful spectacles only to be seen in
actual war, and of which peace has no counterpart
here men and horses swimming for their lives,
there fierce hand-to-hand conflicts between sowars
and Hussars in the foaming water ; but the river
was our most formidable foe. Poor Major Horne,
a most kind-hearted, excellent old soldier, over-
turned with his horse in the river, was rolled over,