The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-11-21

enemies advancing across the open ground
in front of the fort. The assailants did not
advance, but kept up steady fire of bull
let's that were buried in the mud walls or
few harmlessly over. Thus passed the
days until April Z. Then some Burmese
scouts brought news of large army COM
ing to the rescue. Next day flag of truce
appeared on the Manipuri outposts and a
letter was sent in from the commandant of
a relief expedition telling Grant to retire
at once, as he would not be supported in
his fight. The orders were peremptory and
had to be obeyed.
The retreat was made on dark, stormy
night, when lightning flashes were all the
light the marching soldiers had. With
each flash the column made few PAGES
forward and then waited for the next. The
soldiers were drenched to the skin, and
sometimes the darkness compelled them to
stand half an hour exposed to attack from
the hostiles along the way.
The march was slow, of course. Grant
clung to the coat of an owl eyed Sepoy, for
he could see nothing himself. About 2
o'clock in the morning one of the sol
diers passed the word back from the
front of the column sleepily, "The party
has come" and the next moment Grant
was grasping the hand of Capt. Presgrave,
commanding the relief. The meeting was
a surprise to Presgrave, for the Manipuri
natives had told him at two different places
that Grants band had met the fate of the
official party.
Capt. Presgrave had brought up $50
men and supply of ammunition, and
this was fortunate, because at the village
of Palel, at the foot of the Manipur hill,
where Grant had had q sharp fight on his
march out, the retiring column was met
by about 400 Manipuri soldiers. In spirit
of revenge rather than of self defense Grant
led a party of mounted men forward and
charged, surprising and routing the Mani
puri Grants horse was killed under him
and he fought on foot, emptying his re-
volver again and again in the melee. In
this attack 40 Manipuri were slain and
Grants loss was only his horse and pony.
At their last battle ground, Palel, the
column halted for further re-enforcementS
and the danger was over. The first tele-
graphic dispatches that went through after
the news from Thobal had been discussed
st British headquarters in India were con-
gratulations and other good words for
Grant, the new hero of the British army
In time there followed substantial honors
from England in the shape of the Victoria
Cross, bearing the inscription For Val
our" and awarded only for conspicuous
daring in the face of the enemy; also a
commission as major.
AS often happens, Grants courage had
no substantial fruit The survivors of the
massacre at the Manipur capital, Mrs.
Grimwood and others, escaped in q differ
ent direction, without aid from Grant.
But his deed was heroic in the extreme
and was worth to the army all that has
been claimed for it. The Manipuri are not
rude savages, fighting with the spear and
bow against long range weapons They
confronted Grant with superior numbers
some accounts say as many as 4,oo0-of or
ganized and uniformed troops, armed with
modern rifles. The only point in which
they were overmatcbed was in the pluck,
sagacity, and daring of the gallant Scot
who led the Sepoys against them.
GEORGE L KILMER