Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-12-14

The Siege OF Cawnpur.

| intrenchment where the Cnrlsuans Oh
Cawnpur took refuge" 1t is the remains
of wall which at the time Of the mu-
tiny was only four feet high, behind
which, with no shelter from the sun,
the heat at 1870 degrees, 440 men and $50
women and children dwelt nearly a
month. A handful Of -four and split
peas was the daily ration. and only two
wells near BY, the one in which they
buried their dead, because they had no
time to bury them n the earth, and the
other we'll the focus on which the artil-
lery Of the enemy played, SO that it was
a choice between dea b by thirst and
death by bullet or shell. Ten thousand
yelling Hindoos outside this frail wall
and /, 600 suffering, dying people inside.
In addition to the army OF the Hindoos
and Moslems, an invisible army Of sick
nesses swooped upon them. Some went
raving mad under exposure. Others
dropped under apoplexy. A starving,
mutilated, fevered, sunstruck, ghastly
group waiting to diel Why did not the
heathen dash down those mud walls and
the 10, 900 annihilate the now less than
/, ,000l 1t was because they seemed su-
pernaturally defended.
Mana Sahib resolved to celebrate al
anniversary. The 23d Of June, 1857,
would,be 100 years since the battle Of
Plassy, when, under Lord Give, India
surrendered to England. That day the
last European in Cawnpur was to be
slaughtered. Other anniversaries have
been celebrated with wine. This was TO
| be celebrated with blood. Other ami
versaries have been adorned with gar
lands. This with drawn swords Others
have been kept with songs. This with
execrations. Others with the dance Of
the gay. This with the dance Of death.
| The infantry and cavalry and artillery
| Of Mana Sahib made on that day ono
grand assault, but the few guns Of the
English and Scotch put to flight these
Hindoo tigers. The courage Of the fiends
broke against that mud wall as the
waves Of the sea against lighthouse.
| The cavalry horses returned full run
without their riders. The Lord looked
out from the heavens, and on that ami
versary day gave the victory to his peo- .
pie.
Therefore Mana Sahib must try some
other plan. Standing in field not far
| from the intrenchment Of the English
was q native Christian woman, Jacobec
by name, holding high up in her hand
letter. 1t was evidently communi-
cation from the enemy, and General
Wheeler ordered the woman brought in.
She handed him a proposed treaty. If
| General Wheeler and his men would
give up their weapons, Mana Sahib
would conduct them into safety. They
could march out unmolested, the men,
women and children They could 60
down tomorrow to the Ganges, where
they would find boats to take them IN
| peace to Allahabad.
The Treaty Signed.
There was some opposition to signing
this treaty, but General Wheeler's wife
told him he could trust the natives, and
so he signed the treaty. There was great
ioy in the intrenchment that night.
without molestation they went out ana D
got plenty Of water to drink and water
for a good wash. The hunger and thirst
and exposure from the consuming sun,
with the thermometer from 1870 to lao,
would cease. Mothers rejoiced at the
prospect Of saving their children. The
young ladies Of the intrenchment would
escape the wild beasts in human form.
On the morrow, true to the promise,
carts were ready to transport those who
were too much exhausted to walk.
"Get in the carriage, " said Mr.. Lee,
land we will ride to the banks Of the
Ganges, for which the liberated COM
batants and noncombatants started from
this place" On our way Mr.. Lee point.
ed out a monument over the burial
place which was opened for General
Wheeler's intrenchment the well into
which every night the dead had been
dropped. Around it is curious memo
rial There are five crosses one at each
corner of the garden and one at the cen
ter, from which inscription today read
NV text. Riding on, we came TO tho
Memorial church built to the memory OF
those fallen in Cawnpur. The walls are
covered with tablets and epitaphs.
copied two or three Of the inscriptions;
"These are they who come out OF great
tribulation;" also, 1.-THE dead shall be
raised incorruptible;" also; In the
world We shall have tribulation, but be
Of good cheer. / have overcome the
world" also: 1.-THE Lord gave. The
| Lord hath taken away" also, Come
unto me, all ye that labol and are heavy
laden.
sect into the carriage, " said Nh
Lee. and we rode on to the Ganges and
cot out at a Hindoo temple standing ON
the banks "Now," ," said Mr.. Lee, here
is the place to which General Wheeler
and his people came under the escort OF
Mana Sahib." went down the steps to
the margin Of the river. Down these
stems went General Wheeler and the
men. women and children under his
care. They stood on one side OF tho
stems. and Mana Sahib and his stall
stood on the other side AS the women
were getting into the boats Mana Sahio
objected that only the aged aud inhrm
women and children should go on board
the boats. The young and attractive
women were kept out Twenty-eighi
, boats were filled with men, women and
children and floated out into the river.
, Each boat contained ten armed natives
Then three boats fastened together were
, brought up. and General Wheeler and
, his staff got in. Although orders were
. given to start, the three boats were some.
how detained. At this juncture a boy OF
i2 years Of age hoisted on the top OF tho
= Hindoo temple on the banks two flags,
G Hindoo and Mohammedan nag, at
which signal the boatmen and armed
natives jumped from the boats and swan
4 for the shore, and from innumerable
a guns the natives on the bank fred on
n the boats, and masked batteries above
e and below roared with destruction, and
= the boats sank with their precious car
20. and all went down save three strong