The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-08-20


which the world has ever seen. at the
time this mutiny began, the British armed
force in the country was only sixteen
thousand men, scattered over vast alien
territory, and encompasscd by a hundred
and twenty thousand disciplined soldiers,
fighting desperately for supremacy. So
entire was the confidence reposed by the
British Government in the Sepoys, that
It had guarded the capital city of India
with native troops only, and kept in one
Of the provinces, containing eight millions
of people, garrison Of only six hundred
English soldiers
Nor were the Sepoys the only enemies
whom the English heroes were forced, at
that critical juncture, to confront The
season seemed to conspire with the Sc
poys for the overthrow of British rule.
The mutineers had shrewdly chosen for
the period of their outbreak that terribly
hot culminstion of the torrid summer,
when the rays Of the sun are almost as
fatal to exposed Europeans as MIME bull
lets. Yet, in the face of these appalling
combinations, separated far from the
mother country and from each other, as
sailed not only by the vast Sepoy army,
but in the midst of an enormous hostile
population, sixteen thousand Englishmen
bore down, by the momentum of their
moral superiority and amazing courage,
the whole vast odds of this gigantic mu
tiny, and placed the ruling throne of
British dominion in India upon a foun-
dalton scarcely less stable than that OF
Victoria's own dominion in England.
The capture of Delhi alone will stand
to the end of time one of the most extraor-
binary achievements of British valor. "A
wondrous feat of arms indeed, as an
English historian has pronounced IT, ell
fected by less than four thousand Enghsh,
men against an army of thirty thousand
men. strongly entrenched, in possession
If an ;nexhaustible arsenal, and we'll
provided with everything necessary TO
defy assault. Yet, even this was sur
nassed by the siege and relief OF Luck
now. This famous spot was not strong
either by nature or art it was no walled
citv ike Saragossa and Londonderry,
manned by its own inhabitants. 1t is
doscribed % mere range Of fragile build
inrs. encircled by such entertainments as
could be hastily thrown up in few days,
surrounded at all points by an armed
enemy and hostile population. The
garrison is said to have consisted Of only
4 portion of one British regiment, with
seven hundred and fifty loyal natives,
anda motley gathering Of civilians, against
whom was arTayed vast armed host OF
not less than sixty thousand men, mostly
trained in the British school of arms.
Yet, for three long and fearful months
We quote the language of narrator OF
the siege-''did our devoted countrymen
maintain their hold, in hourly peril Of
death, exposed night and day to inces-
SAINT assaults, with twenty-five guns OF
large calibre playing on their frail de-
fences, some actually within Sfty yards
Of their posifion-under constant show
ef Of bullets from efthousand loop-holes,
with mines exploding every day beneath
th6r feet with privation and disease
within, and no certain hope Of relief from
any quarter" Here is a description oi
one Of the most desperate assaults sus
taihed by the garrison, from the pen Of
40 eyewitness, Capt. Anderson
AW0It0e36 u60 Dccu kuochca over tue
1eadan tried TO urge on their men. Again
and again they made the attempt, but back
thsy had to 60 by . steady fire. Their chiefs
came TO the front and shouted out Come
On, com9on-the place is ours-it is taken.
Ana the SepoSs would then rush forward,
teen hesitate, and finally get under cover Of
~ Mockndes, aud keep up fearful fire
Comc hundreds Of them got under the Gavin.
800 artery, but found the hand -grenades
1staet 0.agreeAhlc, and had to bolt rather
sharp foor Major Banks came M and
cneefes % during the hottest gre and we
were glad TO see him. Our shells NOW heoan
70 lA1 amongst the enemy. ana fhss ain fn-.
ther reused their indignation: Won conid
hear additional yelzs and horrid in,nracstsa,.
% the heads Of ali Christian. 10 less sbar
lure times were we assaulted By enormons
odd eRajnet ~, and each attack was thsrs
0od, saeeegsfhisy repulsed. There We were.
lHtle bo1y, probably not more tlsap eighty
80 = ~. That n, CAwnp0re battery. on,
DQ6k an6 Gap1ain Germans,) opposed d
se1yeial thcno6n4 Of nlerciless, blood -thlrsts
lns1tca Weroll knew Whist we had to cx
9oet q - were defeated and thersforc each
tn1ls51na1 4ooght = Il we're tor his very life
eoee ie0r 1T N1pl1yed steady dash o.
r. - k0uA have been certain
~ u dc garrieon. Had thu
z 6u ~ were IN such iWmensl
~ oo41d neger hnve turned
~ =. oQ4t - not mar, woman, OF
= q b1oa spasod. HWas, indeed,
Il ~ 81 > - nd them0seeO - Ne0id
~ 1f1D0 Noee peoGteoGfnEA
- Z - - &kns ~ hs6ea