Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-02-09
TIE DEFENCE OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
nr nplc ADLER INGLlS.

4
OF BROADER lNGLlS.
rho c,,ov;r,, commemorative narrative Of iht
whole defence Of Lucknow, which we ou' sheu'''
sbrdcs from the official copy, will be read with III
| tenee interest:
From Brigadar Inglis, Commanding Garrison 9
I,1cknow 10 The Secretary TO Gorernm.Rt. M'Hnr!
Ds,,rJ,neut Calcutta Dated Lucknow, Septem5c
~, 1853.
S,K:-Iu consequence of the very deeply.to bella
men,ed death Of Brigadier General Sir II. NJ. Law ~,
rance X. e.. b., late in command OF the ouue ris.'
Force the duty of narraiiDg the military e svs'l
| which have occurred at Lucknow since tne '''h
june last has devolved upon myself.
On the evening of that day several reports reached
Sir Henry Lawrence that the rebel army, IN no VERY
considerable force, would march from Chiiilut "
| small village about miles distant on the roaa u
Fyzabad) on Lucknow OIL the following morning; ane
the late Brigader General therefore Determined u
make strong reconnaissance in that oirection wiz
the visw if possible of meeting the force az osau
vantage, either at Its entrance into me 81
city, or at the bridge across the Gokrai, whien 10
small stream intersecting the Fyzabad ROAD, aoou
half way between Lucknow and Chinhut'
| The force destined for this service, and which was
composed as follows, moved out at b A. NJ OIL Tue
morning Of the 3Dth June:
Artlery-4 guns Of No - Horse Light Field Bat
terry, ditto of No. Dude Field Battery otto o'
No. 3 ditto, aud an 8inch how'izer. ,or
Cavalry-Troops of Volunteer Cavalry, ana ia ~
/ troopers OF det6cnmeDts Ueioukuk :" A'''
| regiments of Dude Irregular cavalry. =,
iufantry-3OO of Her Majesty's Sd l5O 18th Native
Infantry, 60 4sh Native Infantry, 90 7lst Native In
fautry tSikhs
The troops, misled by the reports of wayfarers-
who stated that there were few or no men between
Lucknow and Chinhut- proceeded somewhat further
than had besn originally intended, and suddenly ,e
in with the enemy, who had up to that Time eiudeu
the vigilance of the advanced guard oy cohceai,ng
themselves behind long line OF trees, 10 oVef~nen
faro and
with the Naive Infantry, held the foe in check Tor
some time, aud had the six gunners OF the Ouoe Ar
tillery been faithful, aud the Sikh Cavalry SHOWN
better 'front.' the day would have been won IN spite OF
AL immense disparity in numbers.
ors They overturned the guns into bitches, cut inc
traces of the HORSES and abandoned Them regardless
of the remonstrances and exertions Of tnoir own ON
GERS and those of Sir Henry Lawrence's staf headed
by the Brgadier. General in person who himself
drew his sword upon these rebels. Every effort to
induce them TO stand having proved inenectua tne
force exposed to vastly superior IRE OF artilery'
and completely outfanked on both sides by an over
towering body of infantry aud cavalry, Whch ac!u
ally got into our rear, was compelled TO retire with
the loss of three pieces of artillery which foil into the
hands of the enemy in consequence OF the rank
treachery of the Dude gunners. and With very
grievous list of killed and wounded. The neat was
dreadful the gun ammunition was expended, and the
almost total want of cavalry to protect our rear made
our retreat most disastrous.
All the officers behaved we'll, and the eIertlons OF
the small body of volunteer cavalry only ~ IN num-
ber under Captain Radcliffe, 7th Light cavalry, were
most praisewOrthy.
IL remains to report the siege operations.
1t will bs in the recollection of his ordsbp in coun'
Gil that it was the original intention of Sir Henry
Lawrence TO occupy not only the Residency, but also
the fort called Muchhe Bhewun, an old dlapidated
edi6ce, which bad been hastily repaired for the occa'
sion though the defences were even at the last mo-
ment very far from complete, aud we're, moreover,
commanded by many houees In the city.
The untoward event of the 3Oth OF June go far d.
minshed the whole available force, that we had not
sufficient number of men remaining to occupy both
positions. The Brgsdier General, therefore, on the
evening of the Let Of July, signaed to the garrison
at the Muchhs Bhewun 10 evacuate aud blow up that
fortress in The Of the night The orders were
ably carried out, aud at l2 p NJ, the force marched
into the Resdency with their gHns and treasure with
ont the loss of mau and shortly afterwards the e1,
plosion of 2iU barrels Of guppowder and 6,OOO,O0
ball cartridge, which were lying in the magazine, an
nounced to Sir Henry Lawrence and his ofhcers, VINO
struction of that post aud all that it contained. If it
had not been for this wise and strategic measure no
member of the Lucknow garrison in all probability,
would have survived to tell the tale.
II is my very painful duty to relate the caiaml'
ty which befe us at the commencement Of the siege.
On the Let of July an inch shell burst in the room
in the Residency 10 which Sir II. Lawrence was sit
ting. The missile burst between him and Mr. Couper,
close to both; but without injury to either The whole
of his staff mplored Sir Henry TO take up other quar-
ters az the Residency had then become the special
target for the round shot and shell ofthe enemy This
however he jestiugly declined to do, observing that
another shell would certainly never be pitched into
that email room. But Providence had ordained other
wise for on the very next day he was MORALLY wound
ed by the fragment Of another shell which burst in
the same room, exactly at the same spot Captain
Wilson, Deputy Assistant Atjutan General, received
confusion at the same time.
The late lamented Sir II. Lawrence, knowing that
his last hour was rapidly approaching directed me TO
assume command OF the troops and appointed Major
Banks to succeed him in the Office OF chief commits
sioner. He fingered in great agony till the morning
of the 4th of July, when he expired, aud the Govern
ment was thereby deprived, if ! may venture to say
So of the services OF distinguished statesman aud
most gallant soldier. Few men have ever possessed
to the same extent, the power which no enjoyed oil
winning the hearts of all thoss with whom he came in
contact and thus usurng the warmest and most zeal
Gus devotion for himself and the Government which
he served The successful defence Of the position has
been, under Providence, solely attributable to the
foresight he evinced in the timely commencement OF
the necessary operations and the great ski and un-
firing personal activity, which he exhibited in carry
ing them into effect.
The garrison had scarcely recovered the shock
which it had sustained in the oss of srevered and
beloved General, when it had to mourn the death OF
that able and respected officer Major Banks, the Of
fciating chief commissioner. who received bullet
through his head while examining critical outpost
on the 2lst o. July, and died without groan
When the blockade was commenced only two Of
our batteries were completed, part OF the deiences
were yet in unfinished condition, and the buildings
in the immediate vicinity, which gave cover to the
enemy were only partially cleared away. Indeed,
our heaviest losses must have been caused by the hre
from the eDemy's sharpshoosers stationed 10 the
adjoining mosques and houses Of the nstlve nobility,
the necessity of destroying which had been repeatedly
drawn to the attention Of Sir Henry by the staff OF
engineers; but his invariabe reply wal, "Spare tie
holy places, and private property too, as far as posi-
bla;" and We have consequently suffered severely
from very tenderness TO the religious prejudices
and respect 10 the right Of rebeou citizens and
soldiery.
As soon as the enemy had thoroughly completed
the investment of the Resdency they occupied these
houses, some of which within easT pistol shot Of
our barbados, in immense force, and rapidly made
oophoes those sides which bore on our post from
which they kept up terrific and incsssent IRE day
and night, which caused many daily casualties, as
there could not have been less than OOO men firing
at one time into position. Moreover, there was no
place IN the whole Of our works that coad be consld
cred safe, for several of the sick and wounded who
were lying in the Banqueting hall, which had been
turned into hospital, were killed in the very centre
of the building, and the widow of Lieut. Doriu and
into which it had not been previously desmed poss
BILE that bullet could penetrate. Neither were the
enemy idle in erecting batteries.
They soon had from 90 to IS guns in position, some
of them of very large caibre. These were planted
all around post at small distances some being &C.
tualy within So yards of deiences, but in places
where our own heavy gums could not reply 10 them;
while the perseverance, and ingenuity OF the enemy
in erecting barbados in front Of and around their
guns in very short time rendered all attempts TO 81
lence them by musketry entirely unavaing. Neither
could they be eectualy senced by shells bv reason
of their extreme proximity to our position. and be
cause, moreover, the enemy had recourse to digging
very trenches about eight feet in depth in rear
Of each gun, in which the men lay while our thells
were flying, and which edsctually concealed them
even while working the gun, that our bafhed sharp.
shooters could only their hands while in the got of
loading.
The enemy oontented themselves with keeping up
this incsssant FIRE Of and musketry until the
Goth of July, on which day. at III A. NJ, they assem-.
bled in very great force all around our position, and
exploded heavy mine inside outer line Of de-
fence at the Water-gate The mine however, which