The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-10-17


his aid at the outset, and undoubtedly saw
ed the lives Of the officers and women. Hol
Nar continues steadfast, aud bids fai both
10 restore order in his dominiops and re.
| sta'n tne smaller states. The lately annex
eu kingdoin oi Dude, as might be expected
is all in flame. Sir Henry Lawrence after
! performing prOdigies Of valor with his hand.
full of Europeans, and for a time arre,tinc
| the rebellion is now in state OF seicc M
Lucknow. Sir Hugh Wheeler jus, main.
tains himsel at Cawnpore, with several thou.
sands rebels encompassng the station, and
bold enough to sustain successive sorti,s
from the garrison. General Reed in the
Punjaub, has succeeded in disarmng the
the Sepoys without mischief and manages
to keep those districts quiet. Mr.. Colvin,
the Lieut. Governor of the North western
provinces, supports some show of authority
at Agra, while confidence is restored at Cal
cutta, and the lower provinces generally are
In tranquility.
Thus much from the article in Back wood.
We give. as next in order Of events. from
the London Times, the following interesting
account Of the march Of Gen. Havelocll for
the relief Of Lucknow:
The temporary reverse which has bcfallen
General Havelock, and his army detracts
nothing from a series Of exploits which form
one Of the glorious episodes that even the
history of British India contains The in
tcrest attaching to this remarkable march
and the brilliant victories by which almost
every days progress was sgna'ized, is now
heightened by the sad reflection, that many
Of that little band; which could not spare
even one from its heroic ranks, have escaped
the enemy, whom they SO often put to rout
only to succumb to the deadest form.of
pesti,ence
twas on Wednesday, the 9Th day of july,
that Gen. IIavelock reach d AIlahabad, from
which point we may date the commencement
OF his more active operations. The main
body OF the relieving force under his com.
mand was composed Of the two European
regiments recently withdrawn from Persia
the Gath and the 18th, mastering together
about 81 100 or 1900 bavone.s. As he
NOV upwards, however, from Alahsbad,
ne was Joined by a >ma detachment Of the
Madras Fusi'eers, which had been rushed on
in advance by General Mil, and wh ell
raised his whole force TO some 800 El,ope.
an soldiers.
With these, aided only by 500 Skins. he
had to traverse country swarming with in
surgeHt Sepoys and TO encounter inlia -date-
iy an army OF exactly ten times his strength,
which, in the full confidence of its sup riori-
ty, had descended from Cawnpore to meet
him. This vas the force under the orders
of Nena Sahib, and it is not to be forgotten
that the mutineers OF whom it was ,nginlv
made up, were troops trained in our own
tactics, equipped from our own arscnals, and
man9vering in all respects like ourselves.
Nothing, indeed, in this whole unnatural
contest is more remarkable than the cOun-
terpart spectacles which the antagonist forces
exhibit, and which recall the descriptions
given by the Roman poet of those civil wars,
where similar Standards, similar eagles, and
similar bodies of spearman were arravcd on
each side of the field. The very bugle
sounds Of a British regiment are rccocnized
and acted upon by an insurgent battalion,
the words Of command on one side are heard
and understood on the other, and on a par
tcuiar occasion our enemies actually march,
ed against us With English drums and Eng
lish trumpets playing Cheer, boys. cheer"
Such were the forces against which Gen.
HaTelock and his troops were to advance.
under a July sun. and in the very heart Of
Hindostan. On the 18th of Juy-after ex-
traordinary eXertions had been made to over.
take The Fusileers ahead-the whole column
came up with the enemy at Fureypore-a
town about half way between Allahaba and
Cawhpore, where the rebels presented them
selves in good position with twelve guns
In aboIt three hours the entire force was
driven in headlong route from the fled. and
every gun taken. This success enabled the
British commander T. augment the efficiency
Of his own artillery. He had left Allahabad
with light siy-pounders only, but he now
ayailed himself Of the captured cannon, and
after half of single day he followed on
the tr ok of Eena Sahib with his own nine
Founders. That morning-the l4th-the
column marched sixteen miles. On the next
day it renewed its advance, and after five
miles af its march had been accomplished,
found the enemy again in sight strongly
posted. and protected by second position
against the risks of first defsat. At each
of these points they were attacked in sue
cession, and from each they were driven
with the bayonet, the whole Of their artille-
ry being again left on the field On the day
l6,h-without any repo,e,
our troops continued their advance, and now
deserted their antagonists collected for final
stand in front of Cawnpore. Their re-
sources had enabled them once more to re-
place their lost guns by others and two bat
teries, well served, presented formidable
appearance to the advancing column. So
strong indeed was their position that it was
deemed advisable to turn it, and short but
painful movement was executed for the pur-
pose Hitherto the march Of the force had
lain along the Great Trunk road leading
from Calcutta to Delhi, but this causeway
was now quilted by a detachment of the
column. which, in the very heat Of the day
it was 1:30 p. M,-toi!ed thr"ugn heavy
march to get on the enemy's flank. Many
men, we are told, dropped from the effects
of the sun, but the task was at length ac.
and then came the battle and the
victory.
1t was stubborn fight, for the Sepoys
occupied succession Of villages, supplying
them with exactly such positions as they
hold best, but no resistance was OF any avail
against the little army pressing on to ven-
geance. Some of the expressions used by
eye witnesses recall exactly the descriptions
given of the British at the Alma, and the
French at the Mamelon Al never" says
one writer, "saw anything so fine The
men of the 18th went on with soped arms
like d wall; till within 100 yards not shot
was fired. At the word 'Chargc!' they
broke just like an eager pack Of hounds. aud
the village was taken in an instant" This
making the fourth fought in
five days, opened the road TO Cawnpore,
which was promptly occupied, though too
late, alas, for the rescue of its unhappy gar
rison.
In little more than a week, therefore,
thest 1900 British soldiers, with their 500
Sikh comrades, had marched 30 miles along
the valley Of the Ganges during the heats of
July, had fought four fierce actions, had
driven l3, 900 men from position to position,
and had found themselves on the ighth day
masters of Cawpore, the first object Of the
expedtion. Yet even after these exertions
the interval allowed for repose was but tri-
fling. On the 10Th the troops had reached
Brthoor-Nena Sahib's ronghold-resoived
that British vengeance should reach the viii
I.;n fhrouph all the defenccs be could de-