Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-05-28
THE WAR IN INDlA-THE RELIEF OF
LUCKNOW

We have said again and again, if we conquer in
this war; our soldiers must be allowed to fight
We must have terrible, ,mpetuous fighting. We
talk of our cause, but when have our soldiers been
allowed to fight as the British fought in India?-
Read the following:
The story of the relief of Lucknow will form one
of the brightest pages in the annals of British hero
ism. Haveock had to fight his way from the from
tier of Dude, with only 800 men, through coun-
try in which every man was in arms against him,
and every town. village and house had been convert
ed into fortress There was but one practicable
road along which he could advance; on either side
of it there was nothing but a succession of qnag-
mires The bridges over the intervening rivers
swollen at this season to their utmost magnitude
had been blown up; and on the further banks were
inrenched disciplined regiments, far outnumbering
his small band of Englishmen with an ample supply
of heavy artillery in position. These means OF OBJ
structior-natural and artificial-must have turned
to account with will; for the relieving party took
sixty days to advance the fifiy-three miles of dis
lance from the bank of the Ganges opposite Gavin
pore to Lucknow. The enduring valor of the be-
sieged is equally admirable with that displayed by
their liberators. Through three weary months they
had resolutely repealed all assaults from overwhelm
ing odds in improvised ntrenchuens, with very in
adequate supplies of everything that was necessary
Tor defence anu the support Oh EXISTENCE LET,
borne up by their own high hearts, and by their
faith in the anxiety Of their countrymen for their
relief, no feeble wang was heard, though the .wo-
men and children outnumbered the fighting men
while the counter attacks Of the garrison repeatedly
made the assailants reel backward in dismay, and
afforded opportunity to drive into the Residency
the herds and other stores of provisions collected by
the mutneers. Every nerve has been strained to
the utmost Soth by our beleaguered countrymen
and by those who have fought their way through
hostile myriads to relieve them. One day-perhaps
few hours-longer, and most probably the unsur-
passed passive and active heroism displayed on both
sides would have proved unavaing. The mines of
the assailing force had been advanced beyond the
lines of defence and short time would have seen
the extemporizcd bulwarks of the Rcsidency blown
into the air. and the iniuriated Sepoys, and their
yet more brutal abettors from the bazaars pouring
over the ruins to overwhem the defenceless inmates
We read this denoumcnt and draw a long breath Of
relief at the close, if ourselves had just made
some hair-breadth escape. But not moment is
left us to pause on this reflection. We are imme
diately hurried on by the tale which tells how Eng
lish promptitude and resolution forthwith assumed
the aggressive, and put the assaiants on their own
defence On the 25th Of September the Residency
was entered by the succoring force; ON the 26th
the intrenchments of the belcaguering army were
stormed, ard during the next three days the foe
was driven from one post after another through the
narrow and tortuous streets Of Lucknow. Further
we know not At the last moment to which our
information is brought down, the greater part of the
city had fallen into the possession of our troops,
and doubtless the rest would soon follow.-London
Mems