The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-18 00:00:00

We have been honoured with the following pri-
vate let ter
"About the Ist of this month Brigadier Nichol-
son went out with a force and completely routed a
large force of the enemy, taking 13 guns. About
this time the siege-traia of heavy guns arrived from
the Punjaub. Up to this time we were acting en-
tirely on the defensive. We had not sufficient
means with us to commence the siege, and it was
all we could do with our small force to repel the
numerous attacks of the enemy. That time was, I
think, the worst part of the whole. We were often
on duty three nights of every week, making defen-
sive works. When once we began the siege we knew
we should soon take the place, which kept us up to
any work. On the Bth of Sept. large working par-
ties from all the regiments in camp paraded at the
Engineer-park, taking tools with them. We
marched down to within 300 yards of the walls and
bastions of the city. The men were employed in
filling sandbags, and making the ground ready for
the batteries. Previous to this for about a fort-
night we had to go out at night with large work-
ing and covering parties, and cut all the trees where
the works were intended to be. That was the
worst part of all, stumbling about all night in the
long rank jungle, sometimes five feet high, wet
through with the dew, and frequently attacked by
the enemy. On the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th
the batteries were completed. They were
immensely large, built up to the bottom of the
embrasures of solid fascines, 1,500 camels were
employed nightly in carrying down the
fascines. Strange to say, the enemy did not fire
on us much while building the batteries. We were
almost all of us on duty three nights running. On
the 12th the batteries opened fire, when, after see-
ing the first salvo knock down large portions of the
Cashmere bastion, I was so tired that I lay downand
slept during the roar of the guns for three or four
hours. There were four batteries, one of them
having 20 heavy guns and howitzers. The walls
seemed to crumble before the weight of metal, after
two days' firing two breaches were made and a great
part of the parapet stripped off the wall. One
sanding battery was within 200 yard of then Water
Bastion. The fire of musketry from the walls of
the town at this bastion was tremendous. The
guns were obliged to have iron mantlets fixed on
them to pretect the men while working the guns.
I was in the battery when poor Captain Fagan, of
the Artillery, was shot through the head with a
musket ball. He would expose himself, though
frequently warned. He used to get up and look
over the mantlets to lay his guns better. Captain
Taylor, Engineers, managed the attack admirably.
He was the director of the attack. On the night of I
the 13th he and Lieutenants Medley and Lang,
Engineers, with two or three riflemen, crept up to
the ditch and ascertained that the breaches were
practicable, and got back again witbout being
seen. Captain Taylor instantly determined on
the assault for the following morning. There
were five columns of attack. Two or three En-
gineer officers were told off to each by seniority.
The seniors went with the first column, the next
with the second ; so Ward and myself, the unfor-
tunate juniors (Carnegie and Forbes being sick), had
to go with the fifth column or reserve ; so I do
not consider that we had so much danger, though
the fire was rather sharp when we went in. All
the Engineer officers in the other columns, except
Home, Lang, and Thomason, were wounded. We
paraded about 3 o'clock in the morning of the 4th
with our separate columns, with Sappers, with
powder-bags, dec. and marched down to the attack.
It was just daylight when the first column halted at
a turn in the road which concealed them from view
of the walls, but close to the Cashmere-gates. Lieu-
tenants Salkeld and Home, Sergeants Carmichael,
Burgess, Smith, and four Sappers and a bugler of
her Majesty's 52d Regiment advanced from the
column up to the Cashmere-gate. It was an im-
mensely heavy wooden gate, flanked on all sides by
the walls. Hume laid the powder at the foot of the
gate. They were instantly discovered, and a heavy
fire opened on them from all sides. Sergeant Car-
michael took the fuse and was on the point of firing
it, when he was shot dead by a sepoy, who placed his
musket through a hole in the wall. Sergeant Burgess
took the fuse from his hand, and was likewise shot
dead. Lieutenant Salkeld then took the fuse, and was
shot through the arm and fell into the ditch, break-
ing his leg by the fall. As he fell he threw up the
fuse, which Sergeant Smith seized, and fired the
charge. At the same time the bugler sounded the
advance, and on rushed the column. The chargeblew
in the gate, and about 17 of the enemy who were close
to it. Our troops rushed in, up the bastions and
along the walls. At the same time the second and
fourth columns attacked by the breaches, and the
walls were cleared of all the defenders. The
Cashmere-gate presented a horrible sight ; 30 or 40
Sepoys, some blown up and others bayonetted and
shot down, were lying all about. It was the same
all along the walls. No quarter was given ; but
they made very little defence, and retired into the
city, where they again made a stand. I went into
the bastion. Such a scene of ruin you. Lever saw.
Almost every gun was dismounted, or bad a treat
piece of iron knocked out of it, and dead Sepoys all
around. The troops took up their quarters in the
college and church, but the enemy fired on us all
night. We made a battery by the college, and
commenced shelling the town and paittee. We lost
moat of our men in the town. They advanced too
far without support, and were fired at from the
walls and houses. Our losses from the 14th to the
20th were 64 officers and 1,380 men hilted and
wounded. On the 16th we attacked and took the
magazine. I went with the column. We took them
by surprise, and they offered very little resistance ;
but in the afternoon they returned and attacked
the magazine, and set the roof on fire. We had to
get up on the roof with leathern bags of water and
put it out, while they threw large stones at us.
They were fanatics, I afterwards heard. I think
that day I had the narrowest escape of any. After
putting out part of the fire I was just jumping
down, when three of them put their heads over the
wall and took three deliberate shots at me, all of
which missed me. They could not have been above
ten yards off; I fired my revolver at one, but don't
know whether it hit him or not. A sergeant of Ar-
tillery then got on the top of the Artillery magazine
with 10 inch shells in his hand ; he lighted the
fuse and dropped them on their heads ; five or
six he let off in this way. It must have killed
a great many, for they fled almost directly. On
the 20th, atter our pouring into it a tremendous
fire of shell, we attacked the Palace. There were
very few Sepoys found in it. They had all fled
during the eight.
" Thank God it is all over ; I am sick of blood-
shed and seeing men killed. 1 never felt so
much seeing an European killed as a poor pri
vate of her Majesty's 61st. I was in the maga-
zine with him, making some loopholes of sand-
He asked me to take a shot at the Sepoys
outside with his rifle, and he was looking through
the loophole to see the shot when a bullet came
through and killed him by my side. Lieut. Hod-
son took the King of Delhi prisoner about four
miles from here. He is very old, but if it is
proved that he aided in the murder of Europeans
he will not be spared. Fancy, a European was
taken who had been fighting on their side all
along. He was a sergeant-major in a native in-
fantry regiment, and had turned Mussulman.
Be will doubtless be hung. Three or four hun-
dred of the inhabitants who are suspected to be
guilty of the murder of Europeans were shot,
but 1 am glad to say not a woman or child was
touched, for, although they murdered all our
ladies, it is not in the nature of Europeans to kill
women. The two sons and grandsons of the King
were killed ; his son, the he'rto the throne, was the
man who killed some of the Europeans with his
own hand. A good deal of plunder, but not so
much as was expected, has been found. There are
prize agents, who are supposed to stop plundering,
but I don't think they do much. All of it should
be divided among the army. I trust we shall
get a modal for Delhi, I am sure we have
had as hard fighting as we well could, though
against mutineers. They say we shall get months'
or a year's batta, but I don't care much about that
if we get a medal. A column is gone out in pur-
suit of the fugitives. We get very little news from
down country. All the Bengal side and the North
West Provinces are still in a very disturbed state.
We want many European troops out here. Our
corps has distinguished
Crossesitsel f
four ITiptoria
are on
given, and three
are totbe Eagineers—Lieut
Home and Sergeant Smith ; thElia.casttoBh is the bug-
ler—and well they deserve it.
Salkeld will recover to wear it, but hneYis ittP: pooriri
stay dangerous state. 1 believe we are going
here two or three months. It has been forwarded
to the Governor-General to know what is to be
done with the city. Many of our sick and wounded
are going off to the hills. This is a most unhealthy
place ; whenever I go out in the town I come back
very feverish. Most of us are a good deal knocked
up by this campaign. I don't know when we shall
go back, but I shall not be very sorry to get away
from here. I think the best regiments here are
Her Majesty's 60th Rifles and the Goorkhas ; 1
don't like the Sikhs much. I was very much dis-
appointed by a speech of Lord Melville's about
some officers of our corps at Mooltan taking away
treasure. I have heard from Maunsell, who was
there, that it is entirely untrue. Some officer
found some treasure, and was taking it to the prize