Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1855-05-30

| scrbbling ass ,ssins will not venture to deny.
! that before the cominenc emeht Of the cam
ptign against Scindiah, the English general
formed a camp at Kanougc on the Jumma,
where he exercised that brilliant little army
which was speedily to perform such wonders
in the Dooab. 1t will he as well to give a
Slight account Of the causes of war which
was speedily to rage through some of he fair
est portions of the Inlian continent.
| Shah, Alum, the son of Shah Lollum, the
descendant by he female line of Nadir Shah
(thlt celebrated Toor.S onlaun adveDturer, who
hal well-nigh hurled B j ;zet and Selim the
Second from the throne of Bagd d;) Shah Al
lumsI say, although nonIinaily the Emperor
Of De!hi, was. in reality, the slave of the vari-
Gus w.rlike chieftians who lorled it, by turns,
oyer the country and the sovereign, until con-
quered and slain by some more successful reb-
ell. Chnwaer Loi Mlsolgee, Zubbredust Khaa,
Dowsunt Row Scintli Nh, and -thr celebrated
Btbb ,chy Jung b Blhlwder, h I'd held for a time
complete mastery in Delhi. The second Of
these tatales, Afsst,ua sollier, h III abrupt
~ entered the capital, nor was he elected from
it until i,e had seized upon the prlncipa! jew
els, and likewise put out the eyes OF the last
of the unfortunate family of Afrasiab. Scin-
dah came to the rescue of the sightless Shah
Alum, and though he destroyed his oppres
s"r, only increased his slavery, holding him
in as painful bond lge as he hal suffered un
der th. tyrannous Aighaun.
As long rs these heroes were battling among
themselves, or as long .,t!lcr as it appeared
that they had any strength to fight battle,
the British government, ever anxious to see its
enemies hy the ears, by no means iatcrfesl in
the contest. Bat the French Revolution
broke out, and host Of starving sanScullottes
appeared among the various Indian states,
seeking for military service, and inf imng the
minis Of the various native princes agAinst the
British East India Company. 4 number Of
these entered into Scindish,s ranks-one OF
them, PeFron, was commander of his army
and though thlt chief was as yet quite engag
Ell in his hereditary quarrel with ->.swunt Row
Holkar, AMI never thought Of an invasion of
the British territory, the, Company all Of a
sudden discovered that Shah Alum, his SOW
ereign, WIS Shamefuly ill-nscd, and determn-
ed to re-estA. iisa the ancient splendor of his
throne. .
OF course it was Sheer bencvolence for poor
Shah Alum thlt prompted our governors to
take these kinlly measures in his favor.
doa,t know how it happened that at the end of
the war, th1 poor Shah was not whit better
off than at the beginning; AMI that though
IIolSlr WAS beaten, and Scindiah annihilatcd,
Shth Alum was much s'Ieh puppet as before.
Somehow, in the hurry and confusion oi this
struggl1, the oyster remained with the British
government, who hli 50 kindly Off red to
dress it for the emperor, while his m j,sty
was obliged to be contented with the she'll.
The fore. enclmlgd it X kinougc bore thet-
tie of tn, Granl Army Of the Ganges and the
Junima; it consisted of eleven regirn ents of
cavalry and twelve hutdlions of infintry, and
was comm and 81 by G .ncrl II Lake in person.
q, Well on the lst of September We stormed
Perrons C mp at Ailyghui; on the ith.we took
that fortress by assault; and as my name
mentioned in general orlers, may rs we'll
quote the commander-in-chiefs words
glrling me-they will spare me the trouble
Of composing my euogium.
s'The commanae aer-in-chief is proud thus pub
licly to declare his high sense OF the gallantry
of Lieutenant Gahagin, of the ----- cavalry.
In the storming of the fortress, although I'M
provided with single lidler, and accompani-
ed but by 4 few brave men, Lieutenant G.,ha=
gan succeeded in escalading the inner and
fourteenth wall of the place. Fourteen ditch
es, lined with sword blIdes poisned chevauX-
de-frise, fourteen walls bristling with innumer-
able artillery, and as smooth as look-glisses,
were in turns triumphantly passed by thlt en-
tcrlr;sing officer. His course was TO be tr iced
by the heaps of slaughtered enemies lying
corpses Of most OF the ,ll.tnt men who follow
ed him when at length he affected his lodg-
ment, and the dastar;ilyz enemy. who dared
not to confront him with arms let loose upon
him The tigers and lions of Scindiah's menag-
erie this meritorious officer destroyed with
his owa hand, four of the largest and most fc
rocious amin lis, and the rest, awed by the in
domtable majesty of. BRIrIsH vALoR, shrunk
back to their dens. Thomas I!iggory, pri-
vate, and Runty Gos> HavildIr. We're the only
two who remained out of the aine hundred who
followed Lieutenant Gahagan. Honor to
them Honor and tears for the brave men
who perished on that awful day - :sui:5:~:::
g have copied this, word for word, from the
Bengal HurAaru of September 81, 1903; and
any body who has the slightest doubt as to the
statement, may refer to the paper itself.
And here L must pause to give thanks to
which SO mlrveilously preserved me,
Sergeant-Mdjor Higgory, and Runty Goss.
Were 10 say that any valor of our had carri-
ed US unhurt through this tremendous combat,