The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-23 00:00:00

THE MUTINY AT NIISSEERABAD.

The following is an extract of a letter from an
officer in the 15th Bengal Native Infantry. It is
dated Beaur, May 3J.:—

" The day after my return reports began to be
circulated about the disaffection of our regiment
and the 30th Native Infantry, most of them beiug
to the effect that our mon were the instigators.
We fancied these reports much exaggerated, and
imagined that, though our men might follow in
a move of the kind, they would not be the
first to lead the way. The result shows hose n .!over
were mistaken. Every precaution was taken
the safety of the station. The Cavalry (Ist
arms very
Lancers) were nearly all of them
night, and strong bodies of them pul;ildrbeorlelreaedrditluiepeaanli
tonment. The guns were kept a detachment of
night and loaded with grape,
250 Europeans of her
m Deesa, about 200
Majesty's and
83d and some Euro-
pean artillery were sent for from I ,
miles south-west of NUSSeera a, . used to sleep
with a loaded revolver and my sword by my bed-
side, and should not have been in the least surprised
if I had been awoke any night and told that the
Sepoys were firing the bungalows, which in other
places seems to have been a preliminary step. The
excitement seemed to calm down, or at any rate we
got easier in our minds, and fancied that the crisis
had past. On the night of the 27th I happened to
be on duty, and on going round the station at mid-
night found everything remarkably quiet. Next
day, when I was eating my tiffin in my own house,
about half-past 3 in the afternoon, my servants
rushed in saying that the men had risen. I: called
fur my pony and armed myself, and then went over
with W— to the Colonel's. When he was ready
we started for the parade ground through ono of
the streets running between the Sepoys' huts and
their lines. The men were coming out of their huts
and loading theirmuskets, and I expected th ey would
have popped at us as we passed. On reaching the
quarter-guard some of the men had already turned
out, and by degreesthe men of the different companies
fell in in front of their respective lines, and were
brought up and formed into open column. Soon
after we came down and the men fell in, the Colo-
nel sent mislwith a message to the officer in charge

of the guns. He did of know they were in the
bands of the rebels. We bad heard firing in that
direction before, but did not know that the first
thing which t-ok place was that a few of the worst
men, having induced the native gua 41`,3 join them
(there were no European attillerymen, but the na-
tive ones were considered quite faithful), had pos-
sessed themselves of the guns, six in number. I

galloped off towards them, and mutt have been
withal from 70 to 100 yarde, when I began to ex-
perience the unpleasant sensation of bullets whiz-
zing past my be td, and saw a lot of Sepoys taking
potshots at me as I came along. One man put up
his hands and warned me off, and I did not require
any further hint—the neghbourhood was not the
safest. I immediately turned my pony's head, and
endeavoured to retreat under cover of a wall which
ran in front of the artillery lines. Here I saw more
men running up with the kind intention of having
a crack at me, s 3 I had to keep along the parade
ground right in the line offire, and had one or two
men popping at me from over the wall on my right.
My tat (pony) went as fast as over be could go,
and, thanks be to God, carried me back in perfect
safety, much to the astonishment of all who saw it.
The Colonel then ordered the Grenadiers and Light
Company to m3ve off under cover of the bells of
arms, and at ack the guns, but when they had gone
a little way they refused to move further, and man
after man destr el and joined the mutineers. At
the same time the Clone' told me to take out an-
other company, and extended them in skirmishing
order in front of the guns, and to pick off the men
at the guns, and, if possible, charge. Fortunately
the men would not move ; if they had, they
would have obeyed orders till told to begin
firing, when I should have had a bullet
through me and the men would have deserted in a
lady. As nothing was to be got from them, the
companies were recared. I had forgotten to tell
you that the regiment previous to this was draws
up in line facing the guns, the guns being about
600 or 700 yards to the left of our lines. In this
position we rema'ned upwards of an hour, when,
finding the men would do nothing, the Colonel
formed open column. The guns, of course, would
not open on us, as they knew all the men were
going to jo n them when things were ripe. It was
only in active movements the men refused to obey
orders ; in everything else they were quite subor-
dinate. At one t'me, when the officers were
grouped together somewhat in front of the men,
some men trine out from the guns and tried to bit
us with their muskets, which they could do with-
out injuring she Sepoys. At last sunset began to
some on, and it was evident we could not remain

much looger, so an adjutant was sent off to the
Br.gadier for orders, who toll us to retire. The
C.,lonel was determined, if possible, to carry off the
colour4, which were accordingly brought out of',
the quarter-guard. When the Colonel gave the
order to m3/4rch the men refused to go. He then
asked who would join in bringing off the colours,
and the Grenadiers, almost to a man, came for-
ward. The colours were brought to the front, and
put under charge of tae Grenadiers; very few
others came forward, and when the word "march"
was given a jeer was raised, and a shout, " You
shan't take away the colours." The men cocked
their pieees.l I turned round and saw that two men
had got the colour.,, and were ruuning away to-
wards the enemy. The first gun that was fired at
us was the signal for the officers to be off. Pro-
videntially we were all mounted at the time, so
.off we started amid showers of bullets towards the
cavalry lines. I dodged round the first bell of
arms (a small square
.building de'aehed from all
others, in which the arms were kept), and as I
pass d each b-11 saw thr4e or four men behind
eaeb, who deliberately shot at us as we passed.
Ether my tat swerved be`bre I came to the ser-
gean:-m-ijor's bungalow, or else I saw more men
in the road ; I don't know which. At all events,
I Ind t steer with great difficulty round the out-
side of the Louse, which brought me again on
the open p :rade gipund. Round the corner, and
I was comparatively safe. A moment or two
more and I war; We among the cavalry, who were
drawn up in re3r of their own lines. Every one
of us came in safe by God's mercy. P—'s
charger, a very fine animal, dropped dead directly
he had brought his master into safety. The Colonel
had an awfully narrow escape; his horse swerved
right round at the start, and we thought it was all
over with him. The horse received ono ball in the
forehe-id, another in the neck, and his knee IV4s
grazed by a third, but he brought the Colonel in
safe, and is stilt alive. We now had the explana-
tion of all the firing we had beard going on at the
artillery while we ware standing under arms. The
cavalry kid come up and been fired on with grape
by the mutineers, and had made several attempts
to charge, but could not capture the guns. New-
bury, quite a young fellow, charged by himself, was
riddled with balls, and then hacked to pieces. Cap-
tain Spottiswood was also killed, and two other
. officers slightiy wounded. J— had his jacket
ripped open at the shoulder by a bullet. 111---,
who cut down a man, had a very narrow escape,
and so had several other officers., When we came .
up they determined to retreat at once. ft
was just sunset when we IPft the station. The
ladies had Leen sent on in buggies previously
in ease we should have to " bolt," so we fell in
with them just outside the cantonment. We left
by the Ajmeer road, and when we had gone a mile
or two struck off to the left, under the hills, making
a detour towards Beaur, where it was determined
to retire. We went light across country, over fields
and rocky hills, for about 10 miles, el we came to
the Beaur-road, leaving the blazing bungalows of
the station behind us. About 2 o'clock we fell in
with most of the officers of the 30th who had
escaped, and arrived at a bungalow. Here Colonel
Penny, commanding the Lancers, who was taken
ill on the way from the effects of a fall and over-
excitement, died. We could get nothing to eat or
drink, and started agairl at daybreak and reached
th's about 11. The journey by road is 32 miles,
and our detour must have made it at least 10 miles
longer, so you may fancy how tired our horses were.
Not a thing has any one saved—l have not even
my watch, and my pistol was jerked. out of my
holster in the flight."