The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-04-06
EXTRACTS FROM NEW BOOKS.


From personal narratives recently published in
London, and from narrative written by Lady In
glis for private circulation, we obtain the following
graphic details of the progress of this famous
siege:
The details of the seige had ghastly monotony.
1t was relieved by three principal events-the as
saut of the 10th of Juv the practicable breach OF
the 18th of August, and the attempt at escaade of
the 9TH September, in every of which the heroic
Valor of the defenders repelled the cowardly Sc
poys in a hand to hand conflict. The whole of the
siege, In scientific aspect, carried on by Capt.
Fulton, the Engineer officer, who, the death of
| Major Anderson succeeded to the command of that
of the force and whose successful operations in
countermining saved the place. Mr.. Rees was reg
ularly attached to one of the out-posts and in an
interesting passage describes gracefully enough his
feelings as an involuntary soldier. Here is his ex-
perience of the grand assault of 2sth of July:
81 had scarcely reached halfway when the most
helsh fire ever heard began in right good earnest
The enemy resolved to take Baily Guard by storm,
| and displayed in the attempt more courage than we
had given them credit for. They assailed us from
every point, and volley after voley of musketry
was poured into us, shell after shell burst within
our intrenchments, and their roared unceas-
| ingly. The enemy's artillery was still evidently
commanded by practised officer, most probably
European, for we could clearly discern several in
| their ranks.
"Ths tremendous fire ofmusketry and cannon both
| from out and in, rendered our position mass of
sulphurous smoke, so that we could scarcely see
must confess that for minutes felt the fear of
! death predominant within was certain, and
think most of our little handful of men too, that
! this our last day upon earth. | accordingly
said short prayer, committed myself to Gods care
mentally bade adieu to those loved best in this
world, fired my musket, and with the firm resolu-
tlon to die like Soldier prepared to meet the
combat.
"My selfish fear wore off. As the fire became
more and more Internal, and we saw their men
boldly advancing, my fear gave place to nervous
al tO to ha
revenged predominated over every other feeling.
did not stay long at DR.. Fayrers battery, for my
anxiety to know more of the injury the mine had
done us made me desirous of proceeding towards
the Redan. accordingly left, showers OF balls fall
ing around me, none fortunately, however, touching
me. | arrived at the Water Gate battery, where
saw the men still advancing, but evidently not so
boldly as before. picked off few of them, and
then a strange feeling of JOY came over me. | no
longer thought of myself but only of the number
could kill. The fire now slackened, and could talk
to my companions in arms.
% All of us determined to sell our lives as
dearly as possible. Even of the wounded and the
sick many had left their couches, seized any musket
they could lay hold of, and fired as often as their
strength enabled them to do So 1t was indeed
heart-rending to see these poor fellows staggering
along to the of action, PALE trembling with
weakness, and several of them bleeding from their
wounds which re-opened by the exertions they
made. One unfortunate wretch, with only one arm,
was seen hanging to the parapet of the Hospital
trenchments with his musket, but the momentary
strength which the fear of being butchered in his
bed and the desire of revenge had given him, was
too much for him. He died in the course of the
day. Every garrison separate field of battle"
This Is true to nature, as we have no doubt is
another incident in the same assault which brings
out equally natural cast of character:
'Meanwhile another part of the outpost was stout
ly held by little fellow of the name of Bailey,
volunteer, the son of native Christian captain for
merly Of the kings service, and couple of Sepoys
The Young man spoke Hindostanee so we'll that the
ba-
hind the palisade that sheltered him, fancied him
Mohammedan or Hindoo Sepoy, and offered to spare
his life, if he would throw down his and assist
them. A very interesting and animated conversa-
ton took place. Come, cried one of the rebels,
who had found shelter in one of large number of
huts, not five yards away from the pasade
which Bailey defended, come over to us, and
leave those cursed Feringhess whose mothers
and sisters we have defled, and whom we
shall kill this day. Come over to us; what have
you to do with them? viii you be made Chris
an o0' &Gp POP or have Sy already lost
do you think that have eaten pigs flesh like your
selves. Do you think that too shall disgrace my
self, by proving unfaithful to my salt? Take that,
er's grave have dishonoredP (pop) wait, you
offspring of dishonored MOTHER cried another
I'VE are coming. | shall just be with you and Jump
over your wall. My sword is sharp is t?' cried
Bailey but thy heart is craven Come along, then,
boaster. My bayonet is ready, scale the wall. We
are all prepared, and as for you, shall catch you
on the point of my bayonet. But first, here's for
you
"Off went dozen of our muskets that had mean
while been loaded by two Sepoys, who now
joined in abusing the enemy"
Post nubaa Phce5us. The battle began at 9, A. NJ,
and the firing did not cease until A. 2. NJ, and here
is our civilian, after his days work:
81 had not eaten anything the whole day, and
when the combat was over, and | found myself
alive and with whole skin i mentally thanked Heav-
en-, and then enjoyed my chupattees and glass of
brandy and water, which Deprat gave me, with a
relish which is ineXpressibe in words. | was filthy
and black with dust and gunpowder; and a wash,
little repose, my poor dinner, and a cigar after it,
put me in the most enviable frame of mind. | had
not been so happy for long time-not even before
had been imprisoned by these cursed insurgents"
Not only dav after day, but hour after hour, the
iron storm rolled on the devoted band. From one
outpost alone 436 cannon shot were counted; while
not less than TO- 900 balls struck the building
of the Residency, and the bullets poured into the
garrison reckoned by mvriads. But the very
presence of danger has happily benumbing effect,
| or the mind could never bear up against it. One
poor fellow, Lieutenant Graham, fell under the ten
sion and-not the least distressing incident of the
! siege-died by his own hand. 1t is, however, the
| rule as the Crimean war showed to blunt the sus-
| ceptibility
GAS for death it stares constantly in the face
| Not daily, not hourly, but minute after minute,
second after second, my life, and every others, is
in jeopardy. Balls fall at our feet, and we continue
| the conversation without remarks bullets Craze
|
| row escapes are very common that women
and children cease to notice them. They are the
| rule, not the exception. At one time bullet pass
| ed through my hat at another l escaped being
shot dead by one of the enemy's best rifemen,
| by an unfortunate soldier passing unexpected
| ly before me, and receiving the wound through the
temples instead; at another moved off from place
where in less than the twinkling of an eve after
| wards musket-ball stuck in the wall. At another
again. was covered with dust and pieces of brick
| by round-shot that struck the wall not two in
ches away from me; at another, again, shell burst
couple of yards away from me, killing an old wo-
| man, and wounding a native boy and native cook,
one dangerously, the other slightly; at another,
| again, but no; must stop, for could never
haust the catalogue of hairbreadth escapes which
every man in the garrison can speak of as we'll as
myself. The wonder is not that we lose so many
| men, but that so few of are hit amidst the con-
stant dangers we are exposed to-;
ain my numerous walks round our old entrench-
ments and into our new positions, / never could
withhold my admiration at the enormous labor the
insurgents had undergone, not only in their often
sive but in defensive operations. Before their bat
teries, deep trenches, some twenty feet deep and
| three feet wide, were excavated. Ladders were
placed at intervals for sentries to go down and see
that our mines did not go under their batteries.
Deep trenches intersected another all round US,
| along which the rebels could crawl unperceived to
the very edge of our entrenchment. Some of the
batteries within forty yards of US, and all
were well and stoutly made How we resisted all
| these is truly a wonder The right hand of the
Lord is manifest in all this plainly enough, for in
spite of all our courage, we could never have kept
| them out"
An available measure of the severity of a siege is
the price of articles of general consumption Luck
now is not behind the scarcity of the gate of Sa-
| maria:
"tAttah' (coarse four) one rupee per seer; 'ghee'
(melted butter) very rancid, ten rupees per seer;
sugar. sixteen rupees per seer; country leaftobacco
! two rupees leaf; dozen of brandy, $50 rupees to
$50; dozen of beer, seventy rupees; ham, ninety
rupees; bottle of pickles, twenty rupees; and all
other things in proportion" A rupee is half
dollar
Besides the horrors of daily assault the garrison
suffered from the mpossibility of disposing of the
| ofal and dead animals, and some of their severes
| dutins eopsisted not nplv in hurv;por +ha;r o,,,