XV. BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN BURMAH, 1824-1887…

XV. BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN BURMAH, 1824-1887

Ava--Kemmendine--Arracan--Pegu--Burmah.[20]

AVA, 1824-1826.

This distinction is borne by the following regiments:

Royal Scots. South Staffords. Somerset Light Infantry. Essex. Welsh. North Lancashire. Sherwood Foresters. Royal Irish Fusiliers. Dorsets. Governor-General's Bodyguard. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners. 26th Light Cavalry. 61st Pioneers. 63rd Light Infantry. 67th Punjabis. 69th Punjabis. 72nd Punjabis. 76th Punjabis. 82nd Punjabis. 86th Carnatic Infantry. 88th Carnatic Infantry. 90th Punjabis. 92nd Punjabis.

It recognizes the services of these regiments in the long and harassing campaign in Lower Burmah, between the years 1824 and 1826.

Our relations with our Burmese neighbours had never been marked with cordiality. They had been in the habit of committing unprovoked raids across the Assam or Cachar borders, and had misconstrued our verbal remonstrances into a sign of weakness. So far back as the year 1784 they had annexed Arracan in the most unprovoked manner, and since that date on more than one occasion considerable bodies of Burmese troops had actually violated British territory in pursuit of what they were pleased to call fugitives from justice. In the year 1823 they committed a series of aggressions in Sylhet and Cachar, and finally occupied an island in the vicinity of Chittagong, which was undoubtedly British. To our remonstrances they retaliated with a threat to invade Bengal and drive us back to our island home. War was reluctantly decided upon, and it was resolved to invade Burmah with four separate columns:

I. A column composed entirely of Bengal troops under the command of Brigadier Richards, was to operate from the north, and, after capturing the old capital of Assam, was to threaten the kingdom from that direction.

II. A second Bengal column under Brigadier Shuldham, was to penetrate by way of Sylhet.

III. A mixed column of Bengal and Madras troops, under Brigadier-General W. Morrison, was to advance from Chittagong into Arracan, with the support of a flotilla of the Indian Marine.

IV. The main attack was entrusted to a joint Bengal and Madras army, under Major-General Archibald Campbell, of the 38th (South Stafford Regiment), an officer who had done good service in the Peninsula. The troops composing the main army comprised a Bengal brigade, which consisted of the 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), 38th (South Stafford), and the 20th Bengal Infantry. The 1st Madras Brigade comprised the 41st (Welsh Regiment), the Madras European Regiment (now the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers), and five battalions of Madras sepoys, with two companies of artillery.

The 2nd Madras Brigade consisted of the 89th (Royal Irish Fusiliers), five battalions of Madras sepoys, and two companies of artillery.

The Bengal and Madras troops assembled in Cornwallis Bay, in the Andaman Islands; thence the main army proceeded to Rangoon, whilst Colonel McCreagh, of the 13th (Somersets), was detached to seize the island of Cheduba. Rangoon was occupied after very feeble resistance, but in the month of December the Burmese, finding we were not disposed to advance farther into their country, made desperate attempts to retake the city. They found, however, that we were as good behind stockades as they were, and from that date the war resolved itself into a number of desultory expeditions, in which stockade after stockade was carried at the point of the bayonet, often with heavy loss. There was little glory to be gained in such a war, nor was there scope for any display of military talent; but the gallantry of the officers and the ready valour of our men was never better exemplified.

The determined attack on Rangoon by the Burmese in the month of December, 1824, gave the 26th Madras, now the 86th Carnatic, Infantry an opportunity of putting an additional battle honour on their colours.

KEMMENDINE, NOVEMBER 30 TO DECEMBER 9, 1824.

This battle honour is borne only by the 86th Carnatic Infantry, and was granted to that corps, then the 26th Madras Infantry, by the Governor of Madras, in recognition of the gallant defence of the Kemmendine stockade during the repeated attacks by the Burmese in the month of December, 1824. Kemmendine was the name given by the Burmese to one of the principal defences of Rangoon. We had captured it with some loss on the first occupation of the city. It was rightly looked upon as one of the most important works in the vicinity of Rangoon. In December, when the Burmese made their desperate attempts to retake Rangoon, the Kemmendine stockade was the object of their fiercest attacks. It was held by the 26th Madras Infantry, now the 86th Carnatics, a company of the Madras Europeans, and some gunners, the Honourable Company's cruiser Sophie being moored off its river face. The conduct of the Madras sepoys was beyond all praise, and even Havelock, ever chary of encomiums, except to his beloved 13th, wrote in the most eulogistic manner of the 26th. "The sepoys of the 26th acquired a lasting reputation for their firmness at Kemmendine," wrote that distinguished General in his "History of the War in Ava." "Major Yates, who commanded them, sent for, and received, frequent supplies of ammunition, but never talked or dreamt of reinforcements, surrender, or retreat. Hungry and watching, pent in, outnumbered, and wearied by night and day, they repelled their assailants with slaughter." Another contemporary writer says: "Worn out with fatigue, they successfully repulsed the successive attacks of the enemy, contenting themselves with dry rice, not even laying aside their arms for cooking food." The safety of the stockade was entirely due to the ceaseless watchfulness of the little garrison. The Burmese had no stomach for an assault on a foe who was ready for them, and so it was that the garrison of Kemmendine escaped with few casualties.

+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +---------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Dublin Fusiliers | - | 1 | 4 | 13 | |86th Carnatic Infantry (British) | - | 2 | - | - | |86th Carnatic Infantry (Natives) | - | 2 | 6 | 21 | +---------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

The battle honour was only conferred on the 26th Madras Native Infantry, which also was allowed to assume the honour "Ava." The 1st Madras European Regiment, a detachment of which was so closely associated with them in the defence, has been obliged to content itself with the one distinction "Ava."

On December 7 the Commander-in-Chief determined to teach the Burmese a fresh lesson, and, attacking the besieging force (for Rangoon at this time was virtually besieged) in four columns, he inflicted on them a most crushing defeat, capturing over 200 pieces of ordnance.

In the course of the next few months our troops suffered terribly from climate and the criminal neglect of the most elementary precautions as regards shelter and food. The British soldier fought in coatee, shako, and leather stock. Hundreds perished from sunstroke, more from scurvy and cholera. The 13th (Somersets), 38th (South Staffords), 41st (Welsh), 45th (Sherwood Foresters), 49th (Royal Berkshires), and 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) buried 3,586 men in eight months; whilst the two regiments sent to Arracan, the 44th (Essex) and 54th (Dorsets), lost 595 out of a strength of 1,004.

Not only were our troops suffering from the climate, but the resistance of the enemy was found to be far more formidable than was anticipated. It was found necessary to call for more reinforcements, and early in 1825 the Royal Scots, the 44th (Essex), the 45th Sherwood Foresters, and the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) joined Sir Archibald's army. The want of cavalry had been apparent, so the Governor-General's Bodyguard and a regiment of Madras cavalry were also despatched to Rangoon. In the course of the cold weather expeditionary columns had been sent to Tenasserim and Martaban, both of which provinces had been occupied with but little loss. A force despatched to Kykloo, however, met with a serious repulse, and the Commander-in-Chief felt that it would be necessary to carry the war still farther into Burmese territory. In February the main army advanced towards Prome, Brigadier Sale, of the 13th (Somersets), being detached to Bassein, which he occupied after a sharp fight. Sir Archibald Campbell met with a check at Donabew in the month of March, but towards the end of April Prome was occupied, and the summer was passed by the army with that city as its headquarters. Advances on our part, with a view to opening negotiations, were construed by the Burmese into an acknowledgment of our weakness, and as soon as the season permitted, fresh hostilities commenced. It was not until the month of February, 1826, that we were enabled to meet the enemy in the open. So little did they dread our attacks, and so little had they taken to heart the numerous defeats we had inflicted on them, that they actually withstood our attack in the open at Pagahm, not far from Prome. This was the lesson they needed. Hitherto the want of cavalry and the density of jungle had prevented our following up our successes, but at Pagahm the Governor-General's Bodyguard was able to reach the flying Burmese, cutting up a large number. The result of this was a renewal of peace negotiations; this time the advance was on their part.

The result of the war was a considerable extension of our territory to the east of Bengal. Tenasserim, Martaban, and Rangoon, all fell into our hands, and the King of Burmah renounced all sovereignty over Arracan and Assam.

ARRACAN, 1825.

This distinction was conferred by the Governor-General in Council on the Bengal native regiments which took part in the invasion of the ancient kingdom of Arracan during the operations in Burmah in the year 1825. The British and Madras regiments employed bear the same honour as that bestowed on the regiments which accompanied the main army under Sir Archibald Campbell. The only regiments now left with the distinction "Arracan" are the 2nd Gardner's Horse and the 5th Light Infantry.

The force destined for the invasion of Arracan was placed under the command of Brigadier-General W. Morrison, of the 54th (Dorsets), and acted in co-operation with a strong flotilla of the Indian Marine. It was composed of three brigades--two of Bengal, the third of Madras troops:

First Brigade--Lieutenant-Colonel W. Richards: 26th Bengal Infantry, 44th (Essex Regiment), 49th and 62nd Bengal Infantry.

Second Brigade--Lieutenant-Colonel Grant, C.B. (54th Foot): 54th (Dorsets), 42nd (now the 5th Light Infantry), and 61st Bengal Infantry.

Third Brigade--Lieutenant-Colonel Fair (10th Madras Infantry): 10th and 16th Madras Infantry (the latter now the 76th Punjabis).

A couple of companies of Bengal and one of Madras Artillery, as well as two squadrons of Gardner's Horse, accompanied the force.

CASUALTIES OF THE ARRACAN FIELD FORCE.

+--------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |44th Essex | - | - | - | 11 | |54th Dorsets | - | 2 | 3 | 25 | |2nd Gardner's Horse | - | - | - | 8 | |5th Light Infantry | - | 1 | 1 | 18 | |76th Punjabis | 1 | 3 | 10 | 30 | +--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

CASUALTIES IN ACTION DURING THE OPERATIONS IN BURMAH, 1824.

+---------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +---------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Royal Scots | - | 1 | 2 | 5 | |Somerset L.I. | 5 | 18 | 21 | 138 | |South Staffords | 2 | 6 | 25 | 130 | |41st Welsh | 2 | 2 | 12 | 98 | |44th Essex | 1 | 5 | 3 | 14 | |45th Sherwood Foresters | - | - | - | - | |47th N. Lancs | 1 | 5 | 10 | 80 | |54th Dorsets | - | 3 | 3 | 27 | |87th Roy. Irish Fusiliers | - | - | - | - | |89th Roy. Irish Fusiliers | 3 | 8 | 21 | 147 | |1st Roy. Dublin Fusiliers | 1 | 3 | 22 | 120 | |Governor-General's Bodygd. | - | 1 | 3 | 3 | |26th Light Cav. | - | - | - | - | |61st Pioneers | - | 3 | 6 | 24 | |63rd Light Infantry | 1 | 3 | 10 | 58 | |67th Punjabis | - | - | - | - | |69th Punjabis | - | 2 | 5 | 16 | |72nd Punjabis | - | 1 | 1 | 11 | |76th Punjabis | 1 | 3 | 10 | 30 | |82nd Punjabis | - | - | - | - | |86th Carnatic I. | - | 2 | 4 | 57 | |88th Carnatic I. | - | 3 | 2 | 22 | |90th Punjabis | - | 1 | 1 | 12 | |92nd Punjabis | - | - | - | - | +---------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

The force suffered much from sickness, owing to the unhealthy nature of the country traversed, and experienced many hardships. The resistance was not very serious, but on one or two occasions the Burmese fought well. The total casualties amounted to about 130 killed and wounded, the Dorsets and 76th Punjabis being the principal sufferers.

The casualties in action barely reached 3 per cent., those by disease exceeded 56 per cent., of the troops present!

PEGU.

This distinction was granted to the following regiments, in recognition of their services during the campaign in Burmah in the years 1852-53:

Royal Irish. South Staffords. King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners. 54th Sikhs. 61st Pioneers. 69th Punjabis. 79th Carnatic Infantry. 86th Carnatic Infantry.

The continual infractions of the Treaty of 1826 by the King of Burmah, his arbitrary seizure of the persons and property of British merchants, and his insolent reply to communications addressed to him by the Governor-General of India, rendered it necessary for us to take steps to uphold the dignity of our flag. Early in 1852 a force, furnished by the armies of Madras and Bengal, was placed under the command of General Godwin, an officer who had served in the war of 1834, and who prior to that had taken part in almost every engagement of note in the Peninsular War, under Wellington. At the outset of the operations it was thought that a brigade from each presidency would prove sufficient, but before the end of 1852 the army under General Godwin's command was organized into no less than five brigades, as under:

Madras Brigade--Brigadier-General W. H. Elliott: 51st King's Own Light Infantry, 1st, 9th, and 35th Regiments of Madras Infantry (now the 61st Pioneers, 69th and 72nd Punjabis).

First Bengal Brigade--Brigadier-General T. S. Reignolds: 18th (Royal Irish), the 40th and 67th Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

Second Bengal Brigade--Brigadier-General T. Dickenson: 80th (North Staffords), 10th Bengal Infantry, and the 54th Sikhs.

Third Bengal Brigade--Brigadier-General H. Huishe: 1st Battalion Munster Fusiliers, and the 37th Bengal Infantry.

Of these five Bengal regiments, the 54th Sikhs alone remains to bear the honour.

The campaign calls for little remark. The General, whilst waiting for the Madras Brigade, seized Martaban, and on April 19 Rangoon was captured, with a loss to us of 149 officers and men killed and wounded, our trophies amounting to no less than ninety-two guns, mostly of large calibre. In the month of August the 1st Madras Fusiliers (now the 1st Battalion of the Dublin Fusiliers) arrived from Madras, and in October Pegu was captured. The war now resolved itself into a succession of attacks on dacoits, or petty chieftains, and is noticeable for the fact that in one of these, when matters were looking very serious for us, a young officer--Ensign Garnet Wolseley, of the 80th--showed himself possessed of determined gallantry and ready resource. He was badly wounded on this occasion, but it is not every Ensign that is fortunate enough to be mentioned in despatches in his first action.

The result of the campaign was a considerable addition to our Indian Empire--or, rather, to the dominions then administered by the East India Company--and the annexation of the maritime provinces of the Burmese kingdom. The casualties show the serious nature of the fighting which took place:

+---------------------------+-----------------------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +---------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Royal Artillery | 4 | 3 | - | - | |18th Royal Irish | 2 | 5 | 12 | 71 | |51st K.O. Yorkshire L.I. | 2 | 4 | 5 | 31 | |80th North Staffords | 5 | 4 | 4 | 40 | |1st Bengal Fus. (Munsters) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | |1st Madras Fus. (Dublins) | - | 2 | 2 | 27 | |2nd Q.O. Sappers and Min. | - | 3 | 3 | 13 | |54th Sikhs | 1 | 3 | 6 | 20 | |61st Pioneers | - | 1 | 4 | 17 | |69th Punjabis | - | 2 | 3 | 18 | |79th Carnatic I. | - | - | - | - | |86th Carnatic I. | - | - | - | - | +---------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

BURMAH, 1885-1887.

This distinction was awarded to the regiments named below, who shared in the long and arduous operations in Burmah which led to the annexation of that province in the years 1885-1887:

The Queen's (R.W. Surrey). King's Liverpool. Somerset Light Infantry. Royal Scots Fusiliers. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. South Wales Borderers. Hampshire. King's Own Yorkshire L.I. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Rifle Brigade. 7th Hurriana Lancers. 26th P.W.O. Light Cavalry. 27th Light Cavalry. 31st Lancers. 2nd Q.O. Rajput Light Infantry. 1st P.W.O. Sappers and Miners. 2nd Q.O. Sappers and Miners. 3rd Sappers and Miners. 4th Rajputs. 1st Brahmins. 5th Light Infantry. 10th Jats. 11th Jats. 12th Pioneers. 16th Rajputs. 18th Infantry. 26th Punjabis. 27th Punjabis. 33rd Punjabis. 61st Pioneers. 63rd Light Infantry. 72nd Punjabis. 73rd Carnatic Infantry. 74th Punjabis. 75th Carnatic Infantry. 76th Punjabis. 81st Pioneers. 83rd Light Infantry. 86th Carnatic Infantry. 87th Punjabis. 90th Punjabis. 95th Russell's Infantry. 96th Berar Infantry. 101st Grenadiers. 105th Mahratta Light Infantry. 107th Pioneers. 123rd Outram's Rifles. 125th Napier's Rifles. 127th Baluch Light Infantry. 3rd Gurkhas. 8th Gurkhas.

The absurd pretensions of the Court of Burmah had led to a cessation of all diplomatic intercourse between the British and Burmese Governments since the year 1879. In 1884 King Thebaw gave cause for further remonstrances by the high-handed treatment accorded to an English company trading in his kingdom, and on October 22, 1885, a contemptuous reply to an ultimatum led to a war which placed the battle honour "Burmah, 1885-1887" on the colours of so many of our regiments. Our Intelligence Department was by no means well informed as to the nature of the interior of the kingdom, beyond the main facts that roads were non-existent, and that it consisted for the most part of thick jungle. In the operations of 1824-1826, and again during the campaign of 1882, no efforts had been made to reach the capital, but it was now determined that no durable peace was possible until the King himself had felt the power of our arms. Fortunately, the officials of the Bombay-Burmah Trading Company possessed a number of steamers, the officers of which were excellent pilots, knowing the upper reaches of the river well, and their knowledge enabled the naval authorities to carry the operations to a rapid and successful conclusion. The officer selected to command the expeditionary force was Sir Harry Prendergast, of the Madras Engineers. He had well won a Victoria Cross for an act of exceptional gallantry in the Mutiny, and he had the reputation, besides personal gallantry, of possessing high powers of organization. The force at his command numbered upwards of 9,000 men, with 67 guns, and it was accompanied by a flotilla of no less than 55 river steamers, with a naval brigade of 600 men and 26 guns. The land force was divided into three brigades, each composed of one British and two native regiments, commanded by Brigadiers Foord, F. B. Norman, and G. S. White respectively. There were, as divisional troops, a battalion of native pioneers and six batteries of artillery. On November 14, 1885, no answer having been received to the ultimatum of the Viceroy, the force advanced; on the following day the forts at Minhla, on the Irawadi River, were carried by General Norman's brigade, and on the following day we silenced the various forts between our frontier and the capital. On the 26th, as we neared the capital, envoys arrived announcing the unconditional surrender of King Thebaw, and on the 28th we entered Mandalay, and the official war was over, our losses having been comparatively very trifling. Unfortunately, although a certain number of the Burmese troops laid down their arms at Mandalay, a very large number escaped into the jungle, to commence a harassing campaign of dacoitry. A force of three brigades and 9,000 men had been considered sufficient for the subjugation of the country; now five brigades and 30,000 men were mobilized to restore order.

On January 1 the Viceroy published a proclamation, by the terms of which the sovereignty of Burmah passed into our hands: "By command of the Queen-Empress, it is hereby notified that the territories formerly governed by King Thebaw will no longer be under his rule, but have become part of Her Majesty's dominions, and will, during Her Majesty's pleasure, be administered by such officers as the Viceroy and Governor-General of India may from time to time appoint." With this simple announcement 88,000 square miles of territory passed into our possession.

CASUALTIES AT MANDALAY.

+-----------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |King's Liverpool Regt. | - | - | - | 4 | |Hampshires | - | - | - | - | |11th Rajputs | 1 | - | 3 | 15 | |83rd W.L.I. | 1 | - | 1 | 3 | |Roy. Welsh Fus. | - | 1 | 2 | 14 | |2nd Q.O.L.I. | 1 | - | 6 | 15 | |72nd Punjabis | - | 5 | 1 | 6 | +-----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

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XVI. BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR, 1839-1842

Afghanistan, 1839-1842--Ghuznee, 1839--Khelat, 1839--Kahun, 1840--Jelalabad--Khelat-i-Ghilzai--Candahar, 1842--Ghuznee, 1842--Cabool, 1842--Cutchee.

AFGHANISTAN.

This distinction is borne by the

4th Hussars. Somerset Light Infantry. The Queen's. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Leicesters. 31st D.C.O. Lancers. 3rd Skinner's Horse. 3rd Sappers and Miners. 34th Poona Horse. 2nd Q.O. Light Infantry. 5th Light Infantry. 6th Light Infantry. 16th Lancers. 119th Multan Regiment.

It commemorates their share in the ill-judged campaign which had for its object the forcible imposition of an unpopular Sovereign on an unwilling people. Many of the oldest and most experienced of our Indian statesmen foretold disaster from the outset. The Duke of Wellington expressed himself in no measured terms on the folly of endeavouring to overthrow the de facto ruler of Afghanistan, and to put on his throne a monarch who did not own an acre of land nor a rupee which he did not owe to our bounty. Unsuccessful negotiations were entered into with Runjeet Singh, the ruler of the Punjab, with a view to permitting our army to march through the Punjab. This favour was refused, and the Bengal troops, which mobilized at Ferozepore, were compelled to march down the left bank of the Sutlej, through Bhawulpore, and then, crossing the Indus by a bridge of boats thrown across that river at Bukkur, to traverse the desert of Scinde, and, ascending the Bolan Pass, to enter Afghanistan by way of Kandahar. The chief command it was intended should have been held by Sir Harry Fane, the Commander-in-Chief in India, but at the last moment--indeed, after the army had assembled at Ferozepore--its composition was considerably reduced, and Sir John Keane, the Commander-in-Chief in Bombay, assumed the command. The troops destined for the expedition consisted of some 27,000 men, including the reserve divisions at Ferozepore and in Scinde, and were brigaded as under:

Cavalry Division--Major-General E. Thackwell: Wing of the 4th Hussars, 16th Lancers, the 2nd and 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, a wing of the 1st Bombay Cavalry (now the 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers), the 34th Poona Horse, the 1st and 4th Local Horse (now the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers), and the 3rd Skinner's Horse.

This fine force of cavalry was formed in three brigades:

First Infantry Division--Major-General Sir W. Cotton.

First Brigade--Brigadier-General J. R. Sale, C.B.: 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), the 16th and 48th Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

Second Brigade--Major-General W. Nott, C.B.: 31st, 42nd, and 43rd Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

Third Brigade--Brigadier-General A. Roberts: 2nd Bengal European Regiment, 30th, 35th, and 37th Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

The 35th Bengal Infantry was left at Bukkur to hold the bridge over the Indus, and preparations were made to punish the Scinde Sirdars, who evinced a determination to oppose the passage of our troops through their country. Wiser counsels prevailed, possibly due to the fact that H.M.S. Wellesley had with a couple of broadsides knocked the forts at Kurrachee into pieces, and that the Bombay troops were advancing from the south. On reaching Quettah, the Bombay column, which was under Sir John Keane, the Commander-in-Chief, joined hands with the Bengal army. This force consisted of the 4th Hussars, the two Bombay cavalry regiments named above, the 2nd (Queen's), 17th (Leicesters), and the 19th (now the 119th) Bombay Infantry. Leaving the 43rd Bengal Infantry at Quettah, the army pushed on to Kandahar, losing an immense number of its baggage animals en route, and suffering much from marauding Baluchis, and still more from the terrible heat in the passes. It must be remembered that the men marched in leather stocks, in leather shakos, and red coatees! In June the army reached Kandahar, and thence a force was detached, under Brigadier Sale, to the Helmund River, meeting with a certain amount of opposition. Leaving a strong garrison under Colonel Herring in Kandahar, and entrusting the chief command in Southern Afghanistan to General Nott, the Commander-in-Chief advanced to the north towards the end of June, reaching the neighbourhood of Ghuznee on July 21, where the first serious opposition was encountered, the Afghans being signally worsted by our cavalry, who were well handled by General Thackwell, a Peninsular veteran, who had lost an arm at Waterloo.

GHUZNEE, 1839.

This battle honour was the first granted during the reign of Queen Victoria, and was awarded to the following regiments, who were present at the storming of the Afghan fortress by Sir John Keane on July 23, 1839:

4th Hussars. 16th Lancers. The Queen's (R.W. Surrey). 13th Somerset L.I. 17th Leicesters. 1st Bengal Fus. (Munsters). 3rd Skinner's Horse. 31st Duke of Connaught's Lancers. 34th Poona Horse. 3rd Sappers and Miners. 119th Multan Regiment.

All the regiments of the old Bengal army which participated in this feat of arms, or in the subsequent operations in Afghanistan, were swept away in the Mutiny of 1857.

Sir John Keane, against the advice of his artillery officers, had left his siege-train behind, owing to difficulties of carriage, and there was nothing to be done but to carry Ghuznee by storm. There were men present who had assisted at the storming of Bhurtpore in 1826, and all remembered the terrible losses incurred by Lord Lake's army at the unsuccessful assaults of that fortress in 1805. The prospect was not a pleasing one, but with the Oriental l'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace is the best policy in the long-run. On July 23 Keane carried the place by assault with but trifling loss, and so earned a peerage.

CASUALTIES AT THE STORMING OF GHUZNEE, JULY 28, 1839.

+-------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |4th Hussars | - | - | - | - | |16th Lancers | - | - | - | - | |2nd Queen's | - | 6 | 4 | 27 | |17th Leicester | - | - | - | - | |13th Somerset L.I. | - | 1 | 1 | 30 | |Munster Fus. | - | 9 | 1 | 51 | |Bengal Artillery | - | - | - | - | |Bombay Artlly. | - | - | - | - | |Bombay Engrs. | - | 1 | - | - | |3rd Skinner's H. | ? | ? | ? | ? | |31st Lancers | ? | ? | ? | ? | |34th Poona H. | - | - | - | - | |119th Mult. R. | - | - | - | - | +-------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

On August 8 the army reached Kabul, and the puppet Shah Sujah was installed on the throne, the brave Dost Mohammed flying before our arms, only to rally for a fresh desperate venture for the kingdom. The Bombay column was now ordered back by way of Ghuznee and Kandahar, and the Commander-in-Chief, with the 16th Lancers and some details of the 13th Light Infantry and of the Bengal regiments, returned to India by the Khyber.

KHELAT, NOVEMBER 13, 1839.

This battle honour is borne by the

Queen's (Royal West Surrey). Leicesters. 3rd Skinner's Horse. 3rd Sappers and Miners. 2nd Q.O. Rajput L.I.

It commemorates a scarcely remembered, but very successful, affair carried out by a column of the invading army of Afghanistan. On the capture of Ghuznee (p. 254) and the flight of Dost Mohammed, it was erroneously anticipated that the people of the country were willing to accept Shah Sujah as their Sovereign. Sir John Keane, misled by the political officers, determined to send back a large portion of his army to India, and whilst one column was to return by the Khyber Pass, in the north, another was told off to return by the Bolan, in the south. This column was placed under the command of Major-General Willshire, and comprised the regiments above named, with a company of Bombay Artillery and one of Sappers. All were much under their proper strength, and this I touch upon in passing, as it brings out into stronger relief the nature of the task achieved by General Willshire's force.

STRENGTH OF BRITISH TROOPS.

The Queen's 13 officers, 331 other ranks. Leicesters 24 " 374 " " Artillery 2 " 38 " "

STRENGTH OF NATIVE TROOPS.

2nd Q.O. Light Inf. 11 officers, 373 other ranks. Sappers 3 " 127 " "

The Baluch tribes had shown themselves uniformly hostile towards us during the whole course of the expedition to Afghanistan. They had attacked our convoys, murdered officers, and cut up camp followers with impunity, and apparently with the full approval of their chiefs. General Willshire, on the return march of the Bombay column, was instructed to inflict condign punishment on the Khans of Khelat. These, on the other hand, determined to make a sturdy resistance. On approaching Khelat the General found the Baluchis massed on the heights surrounding the city, and he at once took measures to attack them. Whilst the Bombay artillery shelled the heights, three columns of infantry, each consisting of but four weak companies, pushed up the three principal spurs, the remainder of the force, under the General's own personal command, being held in reserve. The Bombay artillery always held the reputation of being second to none, and the accuracy of their fire not only silenced the few Baluch guns which were posted on the heights, but compelled the enemy to seek shelter behind the walls of the fortress before the advancing columns had come to close quarters. The General, seeing the enemy streaming towards the walls, endeavoured to forestall them, and it became a race as to who should reach the open gateway first. Although in this we were beaten by a short head, yet we were so close in rear of the Baluchis that they were unable to make any very well-organized stand: our men were close at their heels. The gates were blown in, and British private, well supported by the Bengal sepoy, pressed into the place. If we compare the numbers present at Khelat with those which assisted at the storming of Ghuznee, and then study the two casualty lists, it will at once be seen that, although the name of Khelat may not be so familiar as that of Ghuznee, the feat of General Willshire's army is in no way inferior to that which gained for Sir John Keane the title of Baron Keane of Ghuznee.

CASUALTIES AT THE STORMING OF KHELAT.

+------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Royal Artillery | - | 1 | 1 | 3 | |The Queen's | 1 | 5 | 2 | 42 | |Leicesters | - | 1 | 6 | 32 | |2nd Q.O. L.I. | - | 2 | 2 | 17 | |Bombay Saps. and Miners | - | - | 2 | 6 | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

KAHUN, 1840.

105th Mahratta Light Infantry.

In the month of March, 1841, the Governor of Bombay issued the following Order in Council:

"In order to testify his admiration of the gallantry, prudence, and perseverance which distinguished Captain Brown in the defence of Kahun, and the fidelity and bravery of the officers and men under his command, the 5th Regiment of Native Infantry shall be permitted to have 'Kahun' inscribed on their colours and borne on their appointments."

Outside the ranks of the 105th Mahratta Light Infantry there are few who know of the gallant deed which this one word commemorates. On his return to India after the successful capture of Ghuznee, Sir John Keane deemed it advisable to occupy the forts of Quetta and Kahun, commanding as they did two passes between Afghanistan and the Lower Indus. Quetta is well known to the present generation of soldiers, but Kahun is still in the territory of the Murri tribe. It is situated in a valley some ten miles long by five broad, at the western extremity of an exceedingly difficult pass. The town in 1840 was surrounded by a lofty wall, 25 feet in height, with six bastions, but unprovided with a ditch. The force told off to hold the fort consisted of 300 men of the 105th Mahratta Light Infantry (then the 5th Bombay Infantry), under a Captain Lewis Brown, of that corps. He was instructed to move in with six months' supplies, as it was considered quite possible that the Baluchis would refuse to supply him with provisions. The 500 camels, with provisions, were to be escorted back to Sukkur, on the Indus, by a company of the 5th and a squadron of the Scinde Irregular Horse, under Lieutenant Clarke of the 5th, who were to march up to Kahun under Brown's orders. Two guns were at first told off for this force, but this order was afterwards countermanded. However, Brown, contrary to orders, did succeed in taking one gun with him. Leaving Sukkur late in April, Brown reached Kahun on May 12, his march having been vigorously opposed by the Baluchis. On the 15th he sent back the camels, adding a second company to the infantry escort, as he considered the attitude of the tribes very threatening. He thus reduced his force to 140 bayonets, 12 gunners, and 1 gun. On the return march Clarke's little force was attacked by a large body of Baluchis and totally annihilated. Brown now saw that he would have to fight for life. He at once commenced to strengthen the walls, levelled all houses in the immediate neighbourhood, cut down all trees within musketry range, and dug a ditch round the place. On August 31 an effort was made to relieve him. Major Clibborn, of the 101st Grenadiers, with 300 bayonets of his own regiment, 200 sabres of the Scinde Horse, with three guns, reached the foot of the pass, within sound of gunshot of the beleaguered garrison. There Clibborn was attacked by an overwhelming force of Baluchis, and after a stubborn fight was driven back, with the loss of all his guns, 5 officers and 190 men killed. The garrison had long since been deprived of all meat rations, and on September 5 Brown found that he had but six bags of flour left. On this day he received an official letter from the Brigade-Major at Sukkur, informing him of the defeat of the relieving force, and further adding that it would be impossible to make another attempt, as there were no more troops available. Brown was therefore told that he must act on his own resources, and either cut his way out or make arrangements with the Baluch chiefs for a safe conduct to Sukkur. On more than one occasion Dodah Khan, the head of the Murri tribe, had offered to allow Brown to march through his country if he would hand over the fort, but without superior orders Brown felt he was not entitled to treat. Now he had full power to act on his own responsibility, and on September 12, after a close siege of four months, the gallant Brown entered into an arrangement with the Baluch chief, and evacuated the fort which he had held so nobly. The Baluchis, unlike the Afghans at Kabul, held to their word. Brown's return march was unmolested, and early in October the remains of his own worn-out, half-starved garrison reached Quetta. Few battle honours have been more worthily earned than Kahun.

The forebodings of the prophets of evil came to pass. We had placed Shah Sujah on the throne of his fathers, but it was not in our power to enthrone him in the hearts of his people. Expedition after expedition was undertaken to punish tribes which refused to accept his rule, and who in doing so showed active hostility to ourselves. In 1841 it was determined to evacuate the country, but a rising of the tribes in the Khyber Pass effectually cut off all communication between Kabul and India. Sir Robert Sale was despatched with a brigade to open the pass, but he found that he was compelled to fight his way at every step, and finally threw himself into Jelalabad, a semi-fortified town midway between Kabul and Peshawur. Shortly after his arrival he learnt of the murder of the Envoy, Sir William Macnaghten, and of the attempt of the Kabul garrison to reach the shelter of Jelalabad. Of the army which left Kabul, but one man reached the shelter of Sale's defences, the 44th Foot being absolutely annihilated. Lady Butler's picture, "The Remnant of an Army," depicts Dr. Bryden riding, sorely wounded, into the snowed-in fortress.[21]

JELALABAD.

This battle honour, with a mural crown, is borne by the Somerset Light Infantry, and commemorates their gallant defence of Jelalabad in the winter of 1841-42. As a feat of arms the defence was not of any striking value. The garrison suffered from want of food, and they were exposed to attack on the part of the Afghan tribes; but as a matter of fact they were left pretty much undisturbed, their casualties during the six months' siege being but 4 men killed, 2 officers and 14 men wounded. On April 5 Sale made a sortie, driving off the besiegers, and so relieving himself before the arrival of the avenging army under Pollock. In this action the 13th lost their gallant Colonel Dennie, a soldier whose loss would have dimmed a far more glorious victory than that won under the walls of Jelalabad; the losses on this day were, in addition to the Colonel, 8 men killed, 2 officers and 31 men wounded. As the native infantry regiment which shared with the 13th the glories of the defence of Jelalabad no longer exists, I have not given the casualties incurred by any corps but the Somerset Light Infantry. The total casualties of the 13th throughout the campaign amounted to 4 officers and 62 men killed, 19 officers and 238 non-commissioned officers and men wounded.

KHELAT-I-GHILZAI.

This honour, with the word "Invicta," is borne by the 12th Pioneers (the Khelat-i-Ghilzai Regiment). During our occupation of Afghanistan certain strategic points had necessarily been held in order to maintain our communications with India. Amongst these were the forts of Ghuznee and Khelat-i-Ghilzai, between the capital and Kandahar. The former was entrusted to a Colonel Palmer, of the 27th Bengal Infantry; the latter to Captain Craigie, with a regiment of infantry raised in Hindustan for the army of the Shah Sujah. Unfortunately, the Ghuznee garrison was compelled to surrender, but Craigie and his men weathered the storm, and though besieged for four long months, and reduced to sore straits for food, they repelled more than one assault. For its gallant defence of Khelat-i-Ghilzai the Shah's regiment was brought on the establishment of the Bengal army, and now remains with us as the 12th Pioneers (the Khelat-i-Ghilzai Regiment). In addition to the name "Khelat-i-Ghilzai," the regiment is allowed to carry an honorary standard, and bears on its colours the proud motto "Invicta."

CANDAHAR, 1842.

This battle honour was conferred on the troops which, advancing from Kandahar under General Nott, aided in the release of the captives in Kabul, and in the punishment of the Afghans for the murder of our Envoy in 1841. The regiments still entitled to bear this honour are the

South Lancashire. Welsh. 1st Skinner's Horse. 34th Poona Horse. 5th Light Infantry. 6th Light Infantry. 12th Pioneers (Khelat-i-Ghilzai Regiment).

Throughout the winter of 1841-42 General Nott had been subject to considerable annoyance from the tribes of Southern Afghanistan. On two occasions he had been attacked at Kandahar, and he had experienced some difficulty in keeping open his communications with India by the Bolan Pass. It was not until he had heard that General Pollock was at Jelalabad that he was able to commence his advance towards Kabul. His force was divided into two brigades of infantry, with a small, but very efficient, force of cavalry, consisting of the 3rd Bombay Cavalry (now the 33rd Queen's Own Light Cavalry), and two regiments of irregular cavalry, one of which is still with us as Skinner's Horse. His artillery comprised two batteries of horse and two of field artillery. The First Infantry Brigade was under Brigadier Wymer, and consisted of the 40th (South Lancashire Regiment), the 16th and 38th Regiments of Bengal Infantry, and the 12th Khelat-i-Ghilzai Regiment, this last alone being with us.

The Second Brigade comprised the 41st (Welsh Regiment), the 42nd and 43rd Regiments of Bengal Infantry (now the 5th and 6th Regiments of Light Infantry).

On passing Khelat-i-Ghilzai, which all through the winter had been most gallantly defended by the 3rd Regiment of the Shah's infantry, under Captain Craigie, Nott, in obedience to instructions, destroyed the fortifications. At Ghuznee he met with his first opposition, and was able, with but little loss, to inflict a sharp defeat on the Afghans.

GHUZNEE, 1842.

This distinction was conferred on the regiments which marched up from Kandahar, under General Nott, and were present at the successful little skirmish outside the fortress of Ghuznee in August, 1842. The regiments authorized to bear this honour are the

South Lancashire. The Welsh. 33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry. 5th Light Infantry. 6th Jat Light Infantry. 12th Khelat-i-Ghilzais.

The losses were slight; indeed, when we examine the casualty returns of nearly all the engagements that have been inscribed on the colours of the British army for services in Afghanistan, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the honours have been very liberally bestowed.

CASUALTIES AT GHUZNEE, 1842.

+------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Royal Artillery | - | - | - | 3 | |40th S. Lancs. | - | 1 | - | 12 | |41st Welsh | - | - | - | 4 | |33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry | 2 | 2 | 15 | 7 | |Christie's Horse | - | 1 | 7 | 14 | |5th Light Inf. | - | - | - | - | |6th Jat. Lt. Inf. | - | - | - | - | |12th Khelat-i-Ghilzais | - | - | - | - | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

CABOOL, 1842.

This distinction was granted to all the regiments which participated in the operations in Afghanistan, having for their object the release of the captives in the hands of Akbar Khan, or of the relief of the garrisons at Jelalabad and Khelat-i-Ghilzai. The command of the army operating from Peshawur was entrusted to General George Pollock, of the Bengal Artillery, whilst the Southern army, which advanced from Kandahar, was, as we have seen, commanded by General Nott, a distinguished officer of the Indian army. The regiments authorized to bear this distinction are the

3rd Hussars. Norfolk. Somerset Light Infantry. East Surrey. South Lancashire. Welsh. 33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry. 4th Rajputs. 5th Light Infantry. 6th Light Infantry. 12th Khelat-i-Ghilzai.

Pollock's army was mobilized at Peshawur, in virtue of an arrangement with Runjeet Singh, the Sovereign of the Punjab, who had consented to send an army to act in conjunction with our own. It was not until the commencement of April that General Pollock had collected sufficient carriage for his advance. We were now under no delusions as to the feeling of the people of Afghanistan, and we also knew that the tribes in the Khyber Pass would oppose every step of our way. Sir Robert Sale had relieved himself before General Pollock started, and it was intended that his troops should join in the advance, and take their share in carrying out the punishment to be inflicted on the city of Kabul. Sale's brigade was numbered the First of Pollock's army, which was thus constituted:

Commanding the Forces: General George Pollock. Second in Command: Major-General John McCaskill.

First Brigade--Major-General Sir Robert Sale: 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), 35th Light Infantry, and tribal levies.

Second Brigade--Brigadier-General Tulloch: 9th (Norfolk Regiment), 26th and 60th Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

Third Brigade--Brigadier-General Wilde: 30th, 53rd, and 64th Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

Fourth Brigade--Brigadier-General Monteath: 31st (East Surrey), 6th and 33rd Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

The cavalry brigade was under Brigadier-General White, and consisted of the 3rd Hussars, the 1st and 10th Regiments of Bengal Light Cavalry, and two corps of Irregular Horse.

The artillery comprised two batteries of horse artillery, three of field, and one mountain battery, under Brigadier-General H. Delafosse.

Pollock determined to advance before the arrival of his Third Brigade, leaving that to join him at Jelalabad. He left Peshawur on April 5, and, after one or two sharp skirmishes, arrived at Jelalabad on the 16th of the same month. Here the army was reorganized, Sir Robert Sale being made a Divisional General, and placed in command of the second division, which was to consist of the 9th (Norfolks), the 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), the 16th and 26th Regiments of Bengal Infantry.

General McCaskill, in command of the first division, had under him the 31st (East Surrey), the 33rd and 60th Regiments of Bengal Infantry, and the Sikh army.

In the month of August the army continued its advance on Kabul. Some opposition was experienced in forcing the passes in which our troops in the preceding winter had met their doom, but by the end of September retribution had been exacted; the captives, amongst whom were Sir Robert Sale's wife and daughter, had been released; the Bala Hissar, or citadel, in Kabul had been destroyed, and Nott's army had joined hands with the Commander-in-Chief. The retirement to Peshawur was effected with comparatively little loss, and in the beginning of November the army was once more on the left bank of the Sutlej, in British territory.

Pollock's force met with opposition in the Khyber, both in going up to relieve the garrison of Jelalabad as well as in the return march from Kabul to Peshawur, the casualties of his and Nott's force being--

+-------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |3rd Hussars | - | - | - | 8 | |9th Norfolk | 1 | 5 | 26 | 90 | |13th Somerset L.I. | - | 1 | 2 | 19 | |31st E. Surrey | 1 | 2 | 5 | 40 | |40th South Lancs | 1 | 4 | 15 | 33 | |41st Welsh | 2 | 3 | 11 | 48 | |5th Light Inf. | - | 2 | 8 | 17 | |6th Light Inf. | - | 3 | 12 | 76 | +-------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

CUTCHEE, 1839-1842.[22]

This distinction, which is borne on the appointments of the 35th Scinde Horse and the 36th Jacob's Horse, was awarded to those regiments for their services in the province of Cutchee during the operations in Afghanistan in 1839-1842. Cutchee is a province of Southern Baluchistan, and the inhabitants had been enriching themselves at the cost of the East India Company by a very comprehensive system of attacks on our convoys. No general action was fought, and the actual losses incurred by the two regiments were trifling; but the work was none the less arduous for the absence of fighting, and Sir Charles Napier felt it would be an encouragement to the two newly-raised regiments if they received some outward token that the Sirkar appreciated their good and gallant conduct. On several occasions the regiments had shown considerable dash, and had never hesitated to follow their British officers against any number of Baluchis.

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Chapter XVII

BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN INDIA, 1843

Scinde--Meeanee--Hyderabad--Maharajpore--Punniar.

SCINDE, 1843.

This distinction was accorded to the Cheshire Regiment for its services in Scinde--services which brought to the regiment the two battle honours "Meeanee" and "Hyderabad." The distinction has not been conferred on the Bombay native regiments which fought side by side with the Cheshires in the brilliant and hardly-contested campaign on the banks of the Indus.

MEEANEE, FEBRUARY 17, 1843.

This battle honour, which commemorates the victory gained by the army commanded by General Sir Charles Napier over the Amirs of Scinde, is borne by the following regiments:

Cheshires. 34th Poona Horse. 35th Scinde Horse. 36th Jacob's Horse. 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners. 112th Infantry. 125th Outram's Rifles.

The hostilities with the Amirs of Scinde were the direct but inevitable result of the first Afghan War. With some difficulty we had succeeded in obtaining the consent of some of the Amirs to the passage of the Bombay column of the army of Afghanistan through their country; but the people themselves were very averse to this concession. It was laying them open to future annexation, as they wisely conjectured. The passage of our convoys through their territories was an irresistible attraction to Baluch marauders, and, not content with robbery, they cut up stragglers with impunity. Then we demanded satisfaction, and finally the Amirs undertook to enter into a treaty, by which they were compelled to pay the cost of a force which we maintained in Scinde for the purpose of safeguarding our lines of communication. Our reverses in Afghanistan, as well as the defeat they themselves inflicted on our troops in the neighbourhood of Kahun, and one or two other regrettable incidents, led the Amirs to underrate our strength. They not only neglected to keep up the payments for the army of occupation, but they consistently violated the treaty in every possible way. Frequent attacks were made on parties of troops, and it was evident either that the Amirs would not, or could not keep their people in order.

Sir Charles Napier was despatched to Hyderabad to compel respect to the treaty. The Amirs retaliated by attacking the Residency. Fortunately, a small vessel belonging to the Indian Marine was lying in the Indus, some few miles from the Residency, and Major (afterwards General) Sir James Outram was enabled to beat off his assailants, and to reach the steamer in safety. Napier was a man of action. Knowing that the Amirs were within a few miles of the city, he at once marched to attack them. He calculated their numbers at between 30,000 and 40,000 men, well armed with matchlock and sabres. His own force was just 2,600 men, with twelve guns. This included but one British battalion--the 22nd (Cheshires)--barely 600 men, all armed with the old flintlock Brown Bess--a weapon which, though a more rapid loader than the matchlock, was its inferior in range. The Amirs had taken up a strong position in a large wooded game-preserve, surrounded with a low mud wall. The one entrance Napier closed with a company of the 22nd, and then he assaulted the place, after he had thoroughly shaken the defenders with a searching fire from his twelve guns. The Baluchis fought well, but this happened to be one of the sepoys' fighting days, and, after three hours' hard firing, the Baluchis were driven off in confusion. Estimates vary as to their losses. Napier himself put it at 5,000 killed; others put it as low as 500.

If the General's estimate was a correct one, then we must put aside the old saying that it took a ton of lead to kill a man with Brown Bess. When we consider the strength of the position held by the Baluchis and their enormous superiority in numbers, the losses incurred in gaining such a decisive victory were by no means excessive.

CASUALTIES AT MEEANEE.

+----------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |22nd Cheshires | 1 | 5 | 23 | 52 | |Royal Artillery | - | - | 1 | 4 | |34th Poona H. | - | - | - | - | |35th Scinde H. | - | - | - | - | |36th Jacob's H. | - | - | - | - | |3rd Q.O. Sappers | - | - | - | 3 | |9th Bengal Cavalry | 1 | 5 | 3 | 29 | |101st Grenadiers | - | - | 1 | 4 | |112th Infantry | 3 | 2 | 12 | 45 | |125th Outram's Rifles | 1 | 2 | 16 | 27 | +----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

NOTE.--The 101st Grenadiers were present at Meeanee, were mentioned in Sir C. Napier's despatch and captured a Baluch standard, but they have not as yet been awarded the battle honour.

The 9th Bengal Cavalry, which behaved with the greatest gallantry at Meeanee, is, unfortunately, no longer represented in the Army List. The regiment was swept away in the Mutiny of 1857, and the present 9th Regiment of cavalry was raised by the immortal Hodson in 1857, whose name it bears.

HYDERABAD, MARCH 24, 1843.

This battle honour is borne by the

Cheshires. 34th Poona Horse. 35th Scinde Horse. 36th Jacob's Horse. 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners. 101st Grenadiers. 108th Infantry. 112th Infantry. 121st Pioneers. 125th Outram's Rifles.

It commemorates a second victory gained by Sir Charles Napier over the Amirs of Scinde, and was fought, as the name suggests, in the immediate neighbourhood of Hyderabad, on the Indus, just one month after Meeanee. That month had been spent in fruitless negotiations. Outram, the Political Officer, thought he could induce the Amirs to accept our terms without further bloodshed. The hot weather was drawing on apace, and Napier felt there was no time for further delay. He had been reinforced by a couple of sepoy battalions from Bombay and by two field batteries from Bengal, and already some regiments were on the march from the Sutlej to support him. On March 24 he attacked the Amirs, and, though the action was a severe one, it was never for one moment in doubt. The losses in the 22nd Cheshires were sensibly higher than at Meeanee, and the 34th Poona Horse, for the second time in their history, had a fair opportunity of showing of what material they were made. They emerged from the ordeal with a reputation they have maintained to this day.

CASUALTIES AT HYDERABAD.

+----------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |22nd Cheshires | - | 5 | 23 | 119 | |Royal Artillery | 1 | - | - | 5 | |34th Poona H. | - | 1 | 3 | 17 | |35th Scinde H. | - | - | - | - | |36th Jacob's H. | - | - | - | - | |2nd Q.O. Sappers | - | - | - | 2 | |101st Grenadiers | - | - | 2 | 1 | |108th Infantry | - | - | 1 | 1 | |112th Infantry | - | - | 2 | 1 | |121st Pioneers | - | 2 | 4 | 22 | |125th Outram's Rifles | - | - | 3 | 23 | +----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

The result of the campaign was the annexation of Scinde, and the perpetration of the canard that in announcing his second victory Napier telegraphed to the Governor of Bombay the one word "Peccavi."

The troops were well rewarded for their short campaign. Considerable booty was found in the Amirs' palaces, and Sir Charles at last, after nearly forty years of arduous service, found himself the richer by £68,000, which was his share of the prize-money.

THE GWALIOR CAMPAIGN.

MAHARAJPORE AND PUNNIAR, DECEMBER 29, 1843.

These two general actions, fought on the same day, recall one of the shortest campaigns on record--a campaign forced unwillingly on the Government of India by the truculent conduct of the military oligarchy in the Mahratta State of Gwalior. This spirit was no doubt intensified by the feeling--or, rather, by the hope--that, owing to our recent disasters in Afghanistan, the British would be unwilling to trust to the arbitrament of the sword.

"Maharajpore" is borne on the colours of the

16th Lancers. Dorsetshire. East Lancashires. Governor-General's Bodyguard. 3rd Skinner's Horse. 2nd Q.O. Rajput Light Infantry. 6th Jat Light Infantry. 12th Khelat-i-Ghilzai.

"Punniar" on the colours of the

9th Lancers. Buffs. Royal West Kent. 6th P.W.O. Cavalry.

On the refusal of the Gwalior Council of Regency to disband their army, which was a standing menace to the peace of our North-West Frontier, the Governor-General determined to undertake the task of that disbandment himself. A large camp of exercise was therefore formed at Agra, under the direct superintendence of Sir Hugh Gough, the Commander-in-Chief; and a second force was assembled at Jhansi, under General Sir George Grey. The former force is responsible for the victory of Maharajpore, the latter for that of Punniar.

Sir Hugh Gough's army was composed of one cavalry and three infantry divisions:

Cavalry Brigade--Major-General Sir Joseph Thackwell: 16th Lancers, the Bodyguard, and four native cavalry regiments.

First Infantry Brigade--Major-General Sir John Littler: 39th Regiment (Dorsets) and 56th Bengal Infantry.

Second Infantry Brigade--Major-General Valliant: 40th Regiment (South Lancashires), 2nd and 16th Bengal Infantry.

Third Infantry Brigade--Brigadier-General Stacey: 14th, 31st, and 45th Bengal Infantry.

The plan of attack was simple, and one which has been invariably successful against an Oriental foe. The Mahrattas were found holding a strong position around the village of Maharajpore. The Commander-in-Chief ordered Sir John Littler, with his own and the Second Cavalry Brigade, to make a direct attack on the enemy's position, covered by a heavy artillery fire, Stacey's brigade being held in reserve. At the same time Sir Joseph Thackwell, with the First Cavalry Brigade and Valliant's infantry, turned the enemy's left. The Gwalior troops made a very determined resistance, but if they thought that the disasters in Afghanistan were in any way due to deterioration on the part of the British army, they were woefully disillusioned. Littler found the Gwalior troops holding a series of entrenched positions, from which they were successively driven at the point of the bayonet, not without heavy loss, our total casualties being 36 officers and 750 men killed and wounded.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF MAHARAJPORE, DECEMBER 29, 1843.

+---------------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +---------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |16th Lancers | - | - | 2 | 7 | |39th Dorset | 1 | 10 | 29 | 174 | |40th S. Lancs | - | 8 | 23 | 151 | |Governor-General's Bodyguard | - | - | - | - | |2nd Q.O.L.I. | - | 1 | 3 | 16 | |Bengal Artillery | 1 | - | 6 | 36 | |Bengal Engrs. | - | - | - | - | |6th Jat Light Infantry | - | - | 1 | 4 | |12th Pioneers (Khelat-i-Ghilzai Regt.) | - | - | 2 | 7 | +---------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

On the same day General Grey found another division of the Gwalior army entrenched at Punniar. On this occasion our losses amounted to 35 killed and 182 wounded, our trophies to twenty-four guns. The result of the two engagements was the destruction of the military power of Gwalior.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF PUNNIAR.

+--------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +--------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |9th Lancers | - | - | - | - | |The Buffs | 1 | 3 | 10 | 56 | |Roy. W. Kent | 1 | 1 | 8 | 32 | |6th K.E. Cav. | - | - | 1 | 3 | +--------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

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XVIII. BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE CONQUEST OF THE PUNJAB

Moodkee--Ferozeshah--Aliwal--Sobraon--Chillianwallah--Multan --Goojerat--Punjab.

The British conquest of the Punjab embraces two distinct phases--the one represented by the Sutlej Campaign of 1845-46, the other better known as the Punjab War of 1849. The extension of our dominions to the North-West, the gradual break-up and absorption of the hitherto independent principalities in Southern and Central India, had brought our frontiers conterminous with those of the powerful Sikh monarchy of Runjeet Singh. That monarch was a well-wisher--outwardly, at any rate--of his neighbours, and during the Afghan War he proved his loyalty to us. On his death the sovereignty of the Sikhs fell into the hands of a group bitterly hostile to the English, and it was evident that there were members of the Sikh Regency who believed that the overthrow of the British was a matter of comparative ease. Into the merits of the quarrel it is not my province to enter. Suffice it to say that on December 11 the Sikh army crossed the Sutlej, the boundary river between the two kingdoms, and that the crossing constituted an act of war.

In those far-off days our frontier stations were Ferozepore and Ludhiana, with Umballa in support. Ferozepore was the headquarters of a division, commanded by a sterling soldier, who had done good service in the Gwalior Campaign--Sir John Littler. It consisted of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment, two batteries of horse, and two of field artillery, two regiments of native cavalry, and seven battalions of native infantry.

At Ludhiana, some eighty miles to the east, lay another division, under Brigadier Wheler, comprising the 50th (Royal West Kent), two batteries of horse artillery, three regiments of native cavalry, and five battalions of native infantry.

At Umballa, under Sir Walter Gilbert, a well-known soldier and equally well-known sportsman, were the 9th (Norfolks), 31st (East Surrey), and 80th (South Staffords), the 3rd Light Dragoons (now 3rd Hussars), two regiments of native cavalry, with the Governor-General's Bodyguard and five battalions of native infantry. At Kussowlie was the 29th (Worcesters), and at Subathoo the 1st Bengal Europeans (now the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers), both these battalions being at the disposal of Sir Walter Gilbert.

Thus, at the three frontier stations there was a total force of some 22,000 men ready to face the Sikh advance. At Meerut, which was the headquarters of the Bengal Artillery, there were three horse and three field batteries, the 9th and 16th Lancers, the 10th Foot (the Lincolns), and a considerable force of native infantry, with one regiment of native cavalry.

The Sikh army was known to be superior in every way to any army we had yet met in India, both in training and in material. There were a considerable number of foreign officers in the employ of the Sikhs, and the men had a high reputation, which they maintain to this day, of being equal to the best material of which any army, whether European or Asiatic, can boast. Of its numbers at that time we had no accurate estimate. The Chief Political Officer, Major Broadfoot, who fell gloriously at Ferozeshah, reported that it consisted of upwards of 100,000 men, and that the Sikh plan of campaign was to invade British India with two powerful armies of 50,000 each--with the one to overwhelm Littler at Ferozepore, with the other to attack Wheler at Ludhiana. Fortunately for us, at the moment when their services and their friendly co-operation were most needed, both the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief were on the spot. The Governor-General, Sir Henry Hardinge, was a soldier of renown. He had served with Moore at Corunna, had rallied the men at Albuera with the now historic saying, "Die hard, my men--die hard!" and had lost an arm at Ligny, when attached to Blücher's army, the day before Waterloo. The Commander-in-Chief was a well-known fighter, and the forerunner of a family of equally heroic men. Sir Hugh Gough was an old comrade of the Governor-General's. He, too, had fought throughout the Peninsular War, but he had won his spurs at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope in 1805. At Barrosa under Graham, at Tarifa under Skerret, and in many a hard tussle under Wellington, Gough and the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) had won imperishable renown. He had in more recent days shown himself as good a leader of an army as he had been commander of a regiment. In the China War of 1842 he had paved the way for the victory at Maharajpore. With two such soldiers in the field, the Khalsa army, despite its numbers, its organization, and the bravery of its men, was likely to meet its match.

Hard though the campaign was--and for some days the fate of our Indian Empire hung in the balance--no blame can be attached to the military authorities for any shortcomings that were disclosed during this campaign. On December 11 the Sikhs, crossing the Sutlej, cut in between Ferozepore and Umballa. On the following day the Commander-in-Chief moved out of Umballa to meet them. The din of battle was music in the ears of the war-worn Governor-General, and he blithely accompanied the army. On the 17th the Ludhiana division joined that of Umballa, and on the 18th the Sikhs and British met at Moodkee. Our troops had covered 150 miles in seven days, and, as Sir Charles Gough puts it in terse and soldier-like language, "wearied with long and incessant marching, the troops were enjoying a well-earned rest, when reports came in from the cavalry patrols that a large force of Sikhs was advancing upon them." Orders were at once given to fall in, and in a very few moments the force was formed in order of battle. The cavalry, with the horse artillery, immediately advanced, under Sir Hugh Gough's personal direction, and formed line in front of the Sikh position, the guns occupying the centre, with the cavalry on either flank. The infantry formed up in second line and moved forward. On the extreme right was Wheler's brigade, the next stood Bolton's, and then in succession a brigade of native regiments belonging to Gilbert's division, which had not yet been joined by the British battalions from Kussowlie; whilst to the left stretched Sir John McCaskill's division, which comprised the 9th (Norfolks) and the 80th (South Staffords), with three native battalions; and so commenced the opening scene in the drama which culminated at Goojerat two years later.

MOODKEE, DECEMBER 18, 1845.

This battle honour was conferred on the regiments present under Lord Gough at the stubbornly contested fight at Moodkee. It is now borne by the following regiments:

3rd Hussars. Norfolk. East Surrey. Royal West Kent. South Staffords. Gov.-General's Bodyguard. 3rd Skinner's Horse. 6th K.E.O. Cavalry. 5th Light Infantry. 7th Rajputs.

Moving forward with his cavalry and horse artillery, Sir Hugh Gough opened a heavy fire on the Sikh line, in order to give time for his infantry to deploy and his field batteries to come up into line. Then the cavalry opened out and threatened both flanks of the enemy. The infantry pushed resolutely forward. They were received with equal resolution on the part of our gallant foes. Night put an end to the conflict, but the success was ours. Seventeen guns remained in our hands. Our losses had been most severe, numbering 872 of all ranks killed and wounded.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF MOODKEE.

+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |General and Divnl. Staff | 5 | 11 | - | - | |3rd Hussars | 2 | 3 | 58 | 32 | |Royal Artillery | 2 | 4 | 18 | 23 | |9th Norfolk | - | 1 | 2 | 49 | |31st E. Surrey | 2 | 6 | 24 | 125 | |50th W. Kent | 1 | 5 | 11 | 92 | |80th S. Staffs | - | 1 | 4 | 19 | |Gov.-General's Bodyguard | 1 | 2 | 6 | 17 | |3rd Skinner's H. | - | - | 2 | 4 | |6th K.E.O. Cav. | - | - | 4 | 8 | |5th Light Inf. | 1 | 1 | 26 | 61 | |7th Rajputs | - | 1 | 6 | 8 | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

The casualties in the native regiments which have disappeared from the Army List are not given.

FEROZESHAH, DECEMBER 21, 1845.

This battle honour is inscribed on the colours of the

3rd Hussars. Norfolk. Worcesters. East Surrey. Royal West Kent. Wiltshire. South Staffords. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Governor-General's Bodyguard. 3rd (Skinner's Horse). 6th K.E.O. Cavalry. 1st P.W.O. Sappers and Miners. 4th Rajputs. 5th Rajputs. 7th Rajputs.

On the 20th, the day after Moodkee, the two battalions of British troops--the 29th (Worcesters) and 1st Europeans (Munster Fusiliers)--joined the army, and Gough at once advanced again to meet the Sikhs, and at the same time Sir John Littler moved out of Ferozepore to effect a junction with headquarters, leaving two native battalions to hold the cantonment. The force now at Sir Hugh Gough's disposal was as follows:

First Division: Sir Harry Smith.

First Brigade--Brigadier Hicks: 31st (East Surrey), 24th and 47th Bengal Infantry.

Second Brigade--Brigadier Ryan: 50th (Royal West Kent), 42nd and 48th Bengal Infantry.

Second Division: Major-General Sir Walter Gilbert.

Third Brigade--Brigadier Taylor (29th Foot): 29th (Worcesters), 80th (South Staffords), and 41st Bengal Infantry.

Fourth Brigade--Brigadier McClaren: 1st Europeans (1st Royal Munsters), 16th and 45th Bengal Infantry.

Third Division--Brigadier-General Wallace: 9th (Norfolks), 2nd and 73rd Bengal Infantry.

Fourth Division--Major-General Sir John Littler.

Seventh Brigade--Brigadier Reid: 62nd (Wiltshires), 12th and 14th Bengal Infantry.

Eighth Brigade--Brigadier-General the Hon. T. Ashburnham: 33rd, 44th, and 54th Bengal Infantry.

At 3 a.m. the force, under the Commander-in-Chief, struck its camp, and four hours later Littler also left his cantonments. It was the intention of the Commander-in-Chief to attack the enemy without waiting for the junction of Littler's force, but the Governor-General vetoed the plan, so that it was nearly dusk before the Sikh entrenchments were attacked. The Sikhs fought even more stubbornly than at Moodkee. Littler's attack on the left was checked, the 62nd (Wiltshires) losing 20 officers and 281 non-commissioned officers and men in twenty minutes. The fault was not theirs; they were not properly supported by the Bengal regiments. As one eyewitness put it: "Jack Sepoy fights well enough on occasions, but this was not one of his fighting-days." The 12th and 14th Bengal Infantry, however, did show much courage and determination. It was the purely native brigade, under Ashburnham, which hung back, and this was attributed to the fact that it contained no British battalion to stiffen the sepoy corps. Littler's check took place before the Commander-in-Chief had delivered his attack. The Sikhs, triumphant in having driven back one British column, fought with more than usual determination. The main assault took place by echelon from the right, Sir Hugh Gough leading that column in person, whilst the Governor-General cheered on the centre, he having placed his services at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief.

Night fell on a scene of great confusion. On the extreme right Gilbert's division had carried the Sikh entrenchments, on the left Littler had been repulsed, and in the centre Sir Harry Smith's division had borne away to the left, and was cut off from the main army. Men and officers were worn out with fatigue and chilled with the bitter cold of a Punjab night. It was impossible to light fires without drawing down the fire of the enemy, who were much elated at the result of the engagement, and who throughout the night kept up an incessant artillery fire on our bivouac. One heavy gun in particular caused especial annoyance, and Sir Henry Hardinge called upon the 80th to silence it. The men nobly responded to the call. In perfect silence they advanced to the edge of the Sikh entrenchments, and then, headed by their Colonel, Bunbury, and supported by the "Dirty Shirts" (Royal Munsters), they dashed over the parapet with a cheer, bayoneting the gunners, spiking the gun, and driving off all the Sikhs in the vicinity. This little episode showed the Sikhs that the fight was not yet won. The Commander-in-Chief determined to renew it on the morrow, and the Governor-General, who felt that the fate of India hung in the balance, was equally firm in his resolve to support the Chief. "Better that our bones should bleach honourably on the field of battle than retire," was the response to a suggestion to fall back.

When dawn broke on the 22nd it was found that Sir Harry Smith, who had clung to the village of Ferozeshah during the night, had effected a junction with the division under Littler, and that both divisions were now in front of the extreme right of the Sikh position. They were too distant to join in the final attack on the entrenchments, which was delivered in the early dawn, the Commander-in-Chief leading the division on the right, the Governor-General that on the left. The attack was preceded by a heavy artillery fire, and under its cover the infantry, forgetting fatigue, cold, and hunger, swept forward with unhesitating devotion, and carried the entrenchments at the point of the bayonet. Our losses in this battle were terribly severe--not merely in numbers. Whole regiments were decimated, but amongst the dead were men who had helped to build up our Indian Empire, and whose names are imperishably engraved on the military history of our country. The total casualties amounted to 2,415 killed and wounded, including 115 British officers.

No means existed of ascertaining the enemy's losses, but that they were most severe was undoubted. They abandoned their entrenched position, and recrossed the frontier, leaving seventy-three guns in our hands. But the campaign was not over. Reinforcements were called up from Meerut, Delhi, and Cawnpore, and on January 6 Sir John Grey arrived at headquarters with the 9th and 16th Lancers, the 10th Foot (Lincolns), two regiments of native cavalry and three of native infantry, whilst the 53rd (Shropshire Light Infantry) was within a few days' march.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF FEROZESHAH.

+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |3rd Hussars | 2 | 7 | 53 | 86 | |Royal Artillery | 2 | 4 | 39 | 84 | |9th Norfolk | 3 | 7 | 67 | 197 | |29th Worcesters | 3 | 3 | 52 | 192 | |31st E. Surrey | 2 | 6 | 59 | 96 | |50th Roy. West Kent | 2 | 6 | 24 | 89 | |62nd Wiltshire | 7 | 11 | 97 | 184 | |80th S. Stafford | 4 | 4 | 39 | 73 | |Royal Munster Fusiliers | 4 | 4 | 51 | 164 | |Staff | 6 | 12 | - | - | |Gov.-General's Bodyguard | - | - | - | 2 | |3rd Skinner's Horse | - | - | 9 | 8 | |6th K.E.O. Cav. | - | - | 4 | 9 | |4th Rajputs (Natives) | 1 | 3 | 7 | 37 | |5th Rajputs (British) | 1 | 2 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | 2 | - | 12 | 40 | |7th Rajputs (Natives) | - | - | 9 | 26 | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

The Sikhs, too, were by no means disheartened, and towards the middle of January a strong force crossed the Sutlej and threatened our line of communication at Ludhiana. Sir Harry Smith was detached to attack them, which he did at Aliwal, having fought a successful little action on January 20 at Buddiwal.

ALIWAL, JANUARY 28, 1868.

The following regiments have been awarded this battle honour:

16th Lancers. East Surrey. West Kent. Shropshire Light Infantry. Gov.-General's Bodyguard. 3rd Skinner's Horse. 7th Rajputs. 13th Shekhawati Regiment. 1st Gurkhas. 2nd Gurkhas.

Sir Harry Smith, the hero of Aliwal, was an officer who had seen considerable service in the Rifle Brigade, having been present at practically every engagement during the Peninsular War, either as Adjutant of the Rifle Brigade or on the staff of the Light Division. He at this time wore only the Waterloo medal, for a grateful country had not as yet recognized the services of the Peninsular veterans. His division constituted a very efficient fighting force. There were four batteries of horse and one of field artillery. His cavalry was in two brigades--

First Cavalry Brigade--Brigadier MacDowell: 16th Lancers, 3rd Light Cavalry, and 4th Irregulars.

Second Cavalry Brigade--Brigadier Stedman: Governor-General's Bodyguard, 1st and 5th Light Cavalry.

--the two brigades being under a distinguished officer, Brigadier-General Cureton, who was to fall two years later at the head of the cavalry brigade at Ramnuggur.

First Infantry Brigade--Brigadier Hicks: 31st (East Surrey), 24th and 36th Bengal Infantry.

Second Infantry Brigade--Brigadier Wheler: 50th (West Kent), 48th Bengal Infantry, and the 2nd Gurkhas.

Third Infantry Brigade--Brigadier Wilson: 53rd (Shropshire Light Infantry), 30th Bengal Infantry, and the Shekhawati Battalion (now the 13th Bengal Infantry).

Fourth Infantry Brigade--Brigadier Godby: 47th Bengal Infantry and the 1st Gurkhas.

The total strength was 3,000 cavalry and 7,100 infantry, with twenty-eight field-guns and two 8-inch howitzers. Covering his front with his cavalry and horse artillery, Sir Harry Smith, who was a consummate drill, advanced in true light division order against the Sikhs, who held a position with their rear resting on the River Sutlej, close by the village of Aliwal. On the extreme right was Stedman's cavalry brigade, then in succession Godby's and Hick's infantry, with three batteries and the howitzers in the centre; then came Wheler's and Wilson's brigades, with two batteries between them, and on the left the 16th Lancers, with the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF ALIWAL.

+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |16th Lancers | 2 | 6 | 56 | 77 | |31st E. Surrey | - | 1 | 1 | 14 | |50th West Kent | 1 | 10 | 9 | 59 | |53rd Shropshire L.I. | - | - | 3 | 8 | |Gov.-General's Bodyguard | - | - | - | - | |3rd Skinner's Horse | 1 | - | - | 2 | |7th Rajputs | - | - | 1 | 9 | |13th Shekhawati | - | - | 2 | 13 | |1st Gurkhas | - | - | 6 | 16 | |2nd Gurkhas | - | 1 | 9 | 3 | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

The village of Aliwal was carried at the point of the bayonet by the brigades of Godby and Hicks, whilst those of Wheler and Wilson attacked the Sikh entrenchment. Cureton, a born cavalry leader, was watching his opportunity, and as the infantry swarmed over the entrenchments, the 16th swept down on the Sikh infantry through an opening on the extreme right. The Sikhs hurriedly threw themselves into squares. The Red Lancers charged ere they had time to complete their formation, and, reforming on the far side, charged again in splendid style. The infantry brigade gave effective support to Cureton's cavalry, never allowing the Sikhs a moment to rally, but pressing them back step by step to the river, into which at last they were driven in utter rout, with the loss of sixty-seven guns and all their camp equipage. Our total losses in this engagement were 580 men killed and wounded, but the results were far-reaching, for the whole of the Cis-Sutlej provinces of the Sikh Raj made their submission to the British, and passed away for ever from the domination of the Khalsa.

SOBRAON, FEBRUARY 10, 1846.

This, the final defeat of the Sikhs on the banks of the Sutlej, is commemorated on the colours and appointments of the

3rd Hussars. 9th Lancers. 16th Lancers. Norfolks. Lincoln. Worcesters. East Surrey. Royal West Kent. Shropshire Light Infantry. Wiltshires. South Staffords. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Gov.-General's Bodyguard. 2nd (Gardner's Horse). 6th K.E.O. Cavalry. 4th Rajputs. 5th Light Infantry. 6th Jat Light Infantry. 1st P.W.O. Sappers and Miners. 7th Rajputs. 8th Rajputs. 1st Gurkhas. 2nd Gurkhas. 9th Gurkhas.

The undoubted success gained by Sir Harry Smith at Aliwal infused fresh spirit into our troops, and now every preparation was made for the final bout with the Sikhs. On February 7 the siege-train arrived in the Commander-in-Chief's camp, and on the following day Sir Harry Smith rejoined headquarters. The Sikhs had not been idle. They had thrown up most formidable entrenchments at Sobraon, on the banks of the Sutlej, covering the ford on the direct road to Lahore. To attack this was no easy task, for the Commander-in-Chief had to provide against a counter-attack on the part of our gallant foes, who in point of numbers, as in mobility, were far our superiors. To avoid this contingency, Sir John Littler, with his division, watched the fords in front of Ferozepore; Sir John Grey, with three battalions of sepoys and a regiment of native cavalry, watched those midway between that place and Sobraon; whilst Brigadier-General Wheler fronted the Sutlej near Ludhiana.

The cavalry was now under the command of Sir Joseph Thackwell, an officer of the highest distinction, who had served throughout the Peninsular War, lost an arm at Waterloo, and finally added to his reputation in Kabul and at Maharajpore. He, with the 16th Lancers and three regiments of native cavalry, was to threaten the Sikh left above Sobraon. Next to him came the division led by Sir Harry Smith, consisting of the 31st (East Surrey), the 50th (West Kent), and four sepoy battalions. Our centre was composed of Sir Walter Gilbert's division, which contained the 29th (Worcesters), 1st Bengal Europeans (1st Munsters), and four sepoy battalions. On our left was a division commanded by another Peninsular and Waterloo veteran--Sir Robert Dick. This, which was to lead the attack, comprised the 10th (Lincolns), 53rd (Shropshire Light Infantry), 80th (South Stafford), with three battalions of sepoys; and in Dick's second line were the 9th (Norfolks), 62nd (Wiltshire), with one sepoy battalion. The artillery, which numbered sixty guns, was distributed throughout the whole front.

The troops got under arms at 2 a.m., it being the intention of the Commander-in-Chief to attack at dawn; but such a dense fog hung over the river that the actual advance was delayed until nine o'clock, when the three horse batteries attached to Sir Robert Dick's division galloped to the front, and opened a very heavy fire on the Sikh entrenchments. Under cover of this, Stacey's brigade, which included the Lincolns and Shropshires, moved steadily forward. When within 300 yards of the entrenchments, they were threatened by a body of cavalry, and also came under the enfilading fire of a battery, which inflicted heavy loss on the 53rd. Then, cheering on his men, Dick carried the first line of trenches with a charge, the brave old General meeting his death-wound in the mêlée. On the extreme right Sir Harry Smith's attack had been no less successful, but in the centre Gilbert's advance had been checked, owing to the nature of the breastworks in the front, which were from 8 to 10 feet in height, the men having to mount on each other's shoulders before they could force their way in. On Dick's left the 3rd Hussars had also found an entrance to the entrenchments, and were charging down on the enemy, driving them in confusion towards the one bridge which was their one and only chance of safety.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF SOBRAON.

+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Genl. and Divl. Staff | 4 | 8 | - | - | |3rd Hussars | - | 4 | 5 | 22 | |9th Lancers | - | - | 1 | 1 | |16th Lancers | - | - | - | - | |Royal Artillery | 1 | 1 | 6 | 46 | |9th Norfolks | - | 1 | 5 | 28 | |Lincoln | 1 | 2 | 30 | 100 | |29th Worcesters | - | 12 | 32 | 129 | |31st E. Surrey | - | 7 | 35 | 112 | |50th West Kent | 1 | 11 | 41 | 186 | |53rd Shropshire L.I. | 1 | 8 | 7 | 105 | |62nd Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | 3 | 43 | |80th S. Staffs | - | 4 | 13 | 74 | |Royal Munster Fusiliers | 3 | 9 | 33 | 152 | |Gov.-General's Bodyguard | - | 4 | 6 | 38 | |2nd Gardner's Horse | - | - | 1 | 5 | |6th K.E.O. Cavalry | - | - | - | - | |4th Rajputs (British) | 1 | 1 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | 1 | 4 | 4 | 55 | |5th Light Inf. (British) | - | 2 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | - | 3 | 8 | 53 | |6th Jat L.I. (British) | - | 2 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | - | 4 | 7 | 90 | |7th Rajputs (British) | - | 4 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | 1 | 4 | 8 | 64 | |8th Rajputs (British) | - | 1 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | - | 1 | 4 | 59 | |1st Gurkhas (British) | - | 1 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | - | 2 | 6 | 74 | |2nd Gurkhas (British) | 1 | - | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | - | 4 | 13 | 126 | |9th Gurkhas (British) | - | 3 | - | - | |Do. (Natives) | - | 1 | 3 | 30 | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

By noon the day was ours, but our loss had been enormous. It is true that the Sikh army was in full retreat, and that sixty-seven guns, chiefly of large calibre, were in our hands, but our casualties amounted to close on 2,400 killed and wounded. The little graveyard at Ferozepore bears testimony to the severity of the fighting in the Sutlej Campaign. In no war in which Great Britain has been engaged have the Staff suffered so severely, and in none has the proportion of General Officers been so high, Generals Sir Robert Sale, Sir Robert Dick, and Sir John McCaskill, with Brigadier-Generals Taylor, Bolton, and Wallace, being killed, and no less than eight Brigadiers wounded, in the short campaign. The casualties amongst the British regiments were appalling. The Governor-General had spared neither himself nor his Staff, every single member of which was either killed or wounded.

PUNJAUB.

All regiments employed in the operations in the Punjab against the Sikhs in the year 1848-49 were awarded this distinction. Some bear it in addition to one of the three battle honours "Chillianwalla," "Mooltan," and "Goojerat," granted for this campaign. Others, which were not present at any of these general actions, but which were actually under fire, bear only the word "Punjaub." The following regiments carry this word on their colours and appointments:

3rd Hussars. 9th Lancers. 14th Hussars. Lincolns. South Wales Borderers. Gloucester. Worcester. Cornwall Light Infantry. Shropshire Light Infantry. King's Royal Rifles. North Staffords. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 2nd Gardner's Horse. 5th Cavalry. 31st Lancers. 35th Scinde Horse. 36th Jacob's Horse. Q.O. Corps of Guides. 1st P.W.O. Sap and Min. 2nd Sappers and Miners. 2nd Q.O. Light Infantry. 11th Rajputs. 51st Sikhs. 52nd Sikhs. 103rd Light Infantry. 104th Wellesley's Rifles. 109th Infantry. 119th Multan Regiment. 121st Pioneers.

The victory over the Sikhs at Sobraon had been complete. That battle had been fought on February 10; on the 20th of the month our troops entered Lahore, the capital of the Sikh kingdom. The conditions of peace were galling enough to a high-spirited and warlike race like the Sikhs, but they were indispensable for our security in India. Their army was reduced to reasonable dimensions, all the artillery was handed over to us, the whole of the territories on the left bank of the Sutlej were annexed by Great Britain, and a war indemnity of £1,500,000 was exacted. The conduct of the administration was placed in the hands of a Council of Regency, which was supposed to be favourable to our cause, and a British Resident was appointed at the Court of Lahore, in which city a strong British garrison was retained until all the terms had been complied with.

It was soon evident that the Council of Regency was unable to govern the country. Spasmodic outbursts of anti-British fanaticism culminated in the murder of two English officers at Multan, and in the early summer of 1848 it was clear that we must be prepared to conquer and to administer the Punjab. Multan was in the hands of men opposed, not only to the British, but also to the nominal rulers of the kingdom (the Council of Regency), and a British force, under General Whish, was despatched to retake the fortress. This was composed of two troops of horse artillery and a siege-train manned by four companies of English gunners. Five companies of sappers, under Major Robert Napier, later known as Field-Marshal Lord Napier of Magdala, the 10th (Lincoln) and 32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry), with four sepoy battalions, made up the regular forces. To these must be added some 15,000 native levies, who had flocked to the call of a subaltern--Lieutenant Herbert Edwardes--and some loyal Sikhs. A column was under orders from Bombay to assist Whish. This comprised the King's Royal Rifles, the 1st Bombay European Regiment (now the 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers), and four sepoy battalions. The task before Whish was more than his force, without the aid of the Bombay troops, could encompass, and the check to his operations had a disastrous effect throughout the Punjab. All the malcontents threw in their lot against us, and on December 16 Lord Gough crossed the Ravi River, and commenced the final conquest of the Land of the Five Rivers. His army was composed as under:

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ARMY OF THE PUNJAB, 1849.

Commander-in-Chief: General Lord Gough, G.C.B.

Cavalry Division: Lieutenant-General Sir Joseph Thackwell, K.C.B.

First Cavalry Brigade--Brigadier M. White: 3rd Hussars, 5th and 8th Light Cavalry.

Second Cavalry Brigade--Brigadier Pope: 9th Lancers, 14th Hussars, 1st and 6th Light Cavalry.

First Infantry Division: Major-General Whish, at Multan.

First Brigade--Brigadier Markham: 32nd Foot (Cornwall Regiment), 49th and 51st Bengal Infantry.

Second Brigade--Brigadier Hervey: 10th Foot (Lincolns), 8th and 72nd Bengal Infantry.

Second Infantry Division--Major-General Sir Walter Gilbert, K.C.B.

First Brigade--Brigadier Mountain: 29th Foot (Worcesters), 30th and 56th Bengal Infantry.

Second Brigade--Brigadier Godby: 2nd Bengal Europeans (2nd Munsters), 31st (now the 2nd Q.O. Light Infantry), and the 70th Bengal Infantry (now the 11th Rajputs).

Third Division: Brigadier-General Colin Campbell, C.B.

First Brigade--Brigadier Pennycuick: 24th Foot (South Wales Borderers), 25th and 45th Bengal Infantry.

Second Brigade--Brigadier Hoggan: 61st Foot (2nd Gloucesters), 15th, 36th, and 46th Bengal Infantry.

Third Brigade--Brigadier Penny: 15th, 20th, and 69th Regiments Bengal Infantry.

Artillery Division--Brigadier-General Tennant: Six batteries of horse artillery, three field and two heavy batteries.

Ever since the advance from Sobraon we had retained a strong force at Lahore, as well as at Ferozepore, but no success had attended our efforts to keep down the numbers of the Sikh army; in fact, at that time the Sikhs were a race of warriors, every man carrying arms, and every second man had undergone military training. Lahore, it is true, was no longer the headquarters of their army, but Lord Gough soon found that the Sikh forces drawn up on the far side of the Chenab were no whit inferior to those he had met and with difficulty overthrown on the banks of the Sutlej. On November 23 the opening action of the campaign took place at Ramnuggur,[23] where the 14th Hussars showed themselves worthy of the high reputation they had made in the Peninsula; and on the 30th of the month Sir Joseph Thackwell, in command of the cavalry, fought the successful action of Sadoolapore.[24]

CHILLIANWALLAH, JANUARY 13, 1849.

This battle honour, which commemorates one of the hardest fights ever waged in India, is borne by the following regiments:

3rd Hussars. 9th Lancers. 14th Hussars. South Wales Borderers. Gloucesters. Worcesters. Royal Munster Fusiliers. 2nd Q.O. Light Infantry. 11th Rajputs.

On January 10 Lord Gough received orders from the Governor-General to attack the Sikhs. Up to this date it had been the intention of the Commander-in-Chief to await the arrival of General Whish's division from Multan, the fall of which was daily expected. On January 13 Gough found the enemy in a strongly entrenched position at Chillianwallah, and attacked them in his usual formation, with his cavalry on the flanks, the advance being preceded by a heavy artillery fire. The Sikhs far outnumbered our forces, and their front, it is said, extended to a distance of no less than six miles, so that a turning movement with the small numbers at his disposal would have exposed Lord Gough to the piercing of his line by a counter-attack. The ground was much broken and covered with thick jungle, which rendered it exceedingly difficult for any General to exercise efficient control over even one brigade. Some confusion was the inevitable result, for it must be borne in mind that the only means of communication then known was by mounted orderlies, and I am afraid it must be admitted that this was not one of the Bengal sepoys' fighting-days. The Sikhs had abandoned their stereotyped plan, and had advanced from their entrenched position, and literally forced the hand of the Commander-in-Chief. They relied on the nature of the ground to hide their dispositions, and in this they were to a certain extent successful. The result of the day was by no means satisfactory. Our losses were abnormally heavy, amounting to 2,338 officers and men killed and wounded. The Sikhs, it is true, were driven from their position and fell back during the night, but they retired unmolested and carried off all their artillery.

The Commander-in-Chief was subjected to a great amount of harsh criticism for his conduct of the operations--criticism based on but a very partial knowledge of the real facts--and in deference to public opinion, too often the offspring of the fertile brains of armchair critics, Sir Charles Napier, the conqueror of Scinde, was sent out to India to relieve the brave Gough. It is but fair to state that the Commander-in-Chief had never lost the love or confidence of the officers and men under him, and the stars fought for the genial Irishman. Multan fell; Whish, with his own and the Bombay division, joined headquarters, and before the new Chief arrived Gough had inflicted a crushing defeat on the Sikhs at Goojerat, and the Punjab had passed into our hands for ever.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF CHILLIANWALLAH, JANUARY 13, 1849.

+-----------------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-----------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |3rd Hussars | - | 2 | 24 | 14 | |9th Lancers | - | - | 4 | 8 | |14th Hussars | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | |Bengal Artillery | 1 | 3 | 18 | 39 | |24th S. Wales Borderers | 11 | 10 | 237 | 266 | |2nd Q.O. L.I. | - | 1 | 3 | 14 | |29th Worcester | - | 4 | 34 | 203 | |61st Gloucester | - | 3 | 11 | 100 | |2nd Bengal Europeans (Munster Fusiliers) | - | 2 | 6 | 59 | |11th Rajputs | 2 | - | 3 | 20 | +-----------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

NOTE.--I have not given the casualties in the native regiments which no longer exist.

MOOLTAN, JANUARY, 1849.

This distinction was conferred on the troops engaged in the siege of Multan, under General Whish, during the Second Punjab Campaign. It is borne on the colours and appointments of the following regiments:

Lincolns. Cornwall Light Infantry. King's Royal Rifles. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 5th Cavalry. 31st Lancers. 35th Scinde Horse. 36th Jacob's Horse. Q.O. Corps of Guides. 1st P.W.O. Sappers and Miners. 3rd Sappers and Miners. 103rd Mahratta L.I. 104th Wellesley's Rifles. 109th Infantry. 119th Multan Regiment.

The siege of Multan was of necessity begun in the very height of the hottest season of the year--the month of July. In order to spare the men, the British troops dropped down the rivers by boat, whilst the native troops marched. I have already, on p. 288, given the composition of the force with which General Whish undertook the siege. Herbert Edwardes, a subaltern of that distinguished corps the 1st Bengal Fusiliers, was already on the spot with a large force of irregulars, who, owing to his personal magnetism, had flocked to our standard; but the Sikhs, aware of the approach of the British force, busied themselves steadily in strengthening the works at Multan. It was not until the commencement of September that the whole of the siege-train was present, and then Whish summoned the Sikhs to surrender. This was an empty form. It was well known that the Sikhs had no intention of submitting to our rule, and that ere our flag should be hoisted over the walls of Multan many a gallant soldier would have met his death.

On September 7 the siege commenced, with, it must be confessed, very inadequate means. The Pathan and Baluch levies, who had been won over by Edwardes, fought gallantly enough in the field, but they resolutely declined to undergo the fatigue of siege-work, all of which fell on the British and sepoy battalions. The siege dragged slowly on until December 12, when General Dundas arrived with two strong brigades, consisting of the 2nd Battalion King's Royal Rifles, the 1st Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, three regiments of native cavalry, and five of native infantry. Now the siege was pushed on with vigour, and on January 21 all preparations were made for an assault. The Sikhs, however, never waited for this, and on January 22 Mulraj, the Sikh commander, surrendered at discretion. Whish was now free to push on to the north, and afford much-needed aid to the Commander-in-Chief.

CASUALTIES AT THE SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF MULTAN, JANUARY 22, 1849.

+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |10th Lincoln | 1 | 4 | 13 | 113 | |32nd Cornwall L.I. | 2 | 11 | 17 | 104 | |60th K.R.R. | 1 | 2 | 10 | 28 | |Artillery | 1 | 6 | 21 | 94 | |Bengal Engrs. | - | 9 | 30 | 96 | |Roy. Dublin F. | 1 | 6 | 16 | 86 | |Indian Navy | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |5th Cavalry | - | - | 2 | 6 | |31st Lancers | - | - | - | - | |35th Scinde H. | - | - | - | - | |36th Jacob's H. | - | - | - | - | |Q.O. Corps of Guides | - | - | - | - | |103rd Mahratta L.I. | - | 2 | 1 | 20 | |104th Wellesley's Rifles | - | 2 | 29 | 72 | |109th Infantry | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |119th Multan | - | 2 | 6 | 42 | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

NOTE.--The four regiments of Bengal infantry which took part in the siege of Multan have ceased to exist. Their casualties, therefore, are not given.

GOOJERAT, FEBRUARY 21, 1849.

This distinction is borne on the colours and appointments of the

3rd Hussars. 9th Lancers. 14th Hussars. Lincolns. South Wales Borderers. Gloucesters. Worcesters. Cornwall Light Infantry. Shropshire Light Infantry. King's Royal Rifles. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 35th Scinde Horse. 36th Jacob's Horse. Q.O. Corps of Guides. 1st P.W.O. Sappers and Miners. 3rd Sappers and Miners. 2nd Q.O. Light Infantry. 11th Rajputs. 103rd Light Infantry. 119th Multan Regiment.

On February 21 General Whish, with the First Division strengthened by the Bombay troops, joined the Commander-in-Chief, so that, in addition to the force enumerated on p. 288, Lord Gough had with him for the final attack on the Sikh position two additional battalions of British soldiers (the 2nd Battalions of the King's Royal Rifles and Royal Dublin Fusiliers), two regiments of native cavalry, and two of native infantry. His artillery was brought up to the respectable total of ninety-six field-guns, which included three heavy batteries. The Sikhs occupied a strong position, their flanks resting on two villages, which they had fortified, and their whole front was covered by a series of entrenchments. Whish, with the Bombay troops, as I have said, joined the Commander-in-Chief on February 21 at dawn; on the morrow Lord Gough launched his attack. As the British army approached the broad sandy nullah which ran along the front of the Sikh line, the guns opened on us, disclosing their whole front. To this fire the ninety-six pieces at once replied, and for two hours a storm of shell was poured on the entrenchments; then, shortly before noon, Gough moved forward the whole line. The Sikhs fought, as is their wont, with consummate gallantry, and the Afghan Horse on our right made a gallant effort to retrieve the fortunes of the day. They were met in an equally gallant manner by the Scinde Horse, supported by the 9th Lancers, and on this flank being uncovered the horse artillery galloped up and enfiladed the Sikh entrenchments. "By half-past twelve," writes Sir Charles Gough, who, as a subaltern, took part in the campaign, "the whole Sikh army was in full flight. By one o'clock Goojerat itself, the Sikh camp, their baggage, and most of the guns, were in possession of the victors." Sir Walter Gilbert, at the head of 12,000 men, pressed the retreating Sikhs hard, never slackening his pursuit until he had driven their Afghan allies through the Khyber Pass and received the unconditional surrender of their leaders.

At Goojerat the victory was complete, and the Sikhs, recognizing the inevitable, acknowledged British rule. Heavy was the price we paid for the conquest of the Punjab, but the blood shed on the banks of the Sutlej was not shed in vain, for England has no more faithful subjects, no braver soldiers in her armies, than the Sikhs who stood so bravely before us in the campaigns of 1846-1849.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF GOOJERAT.

+------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |3rd Hussars | - | - | - | 1 | |9th Lancers | - | - | - | - | |14th Hussars | 1 | 2 | - | 4 | |10th Lincolns | - | 1 | 7 | 53 | |24th S. Wales Borderers | - | - | - | - | |29th Worcesters | - | - | 2 | 6 | |32nd Cornwall L.I. | - | 1 | 1 | 4 | |53rd Shropshire L.I. | - | - | - | - | |King's Royal R. | - | - | - | 1 | |61st Gloucesters | - | - | - | 9 | |Roy. Munster F. | 1 | 5 | 9 | 135 | |Roy. Dublin F. | - | - | - | - | |35th Scinde H. | - | 1 | 2 | 11 | |36th Jacob's H. | - | - | - | - | |Q.O. Corps of Guides | - | - | - | - | |2nd Q.O. Light Infantry | - | 5 | 11 | 127 | |11th Rajputs | - | 6 | 10 | 38 | |103rd Light Inf. | - | - | - | - | |119th Multan | - | - | - | - | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

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XIX. BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE CRIMEAN WAR, 1854-55

Alma--Balaclava--Inkerman--Sevastopol.

The perennial quarrel between Russia and Turkey entered on a new phase in the year 1854, when England and France, espousing the Ottoman cause, despatched their fleets into the Baltic and a combined naval and military expedition to the Crimea. The command of the British army was entrusted to General Lord Raglan--a veteran officer, who had served on the Duke of Wellington's Staff in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, where he lost an arm, and who for many years had held the important post of Military Secretary at the Horse Guards. He had never exercised the command of an independent body of troops, and his experience of war was not of recent date. The whole campaign was grievously mismanaged, but the chief blame rested with the authorities at the War Office, who neglected to provide the army with the thousand and one requisites for troops waging war in such a climate as a Crimean winter. It was retrieved by the bravery of our troops and their cheerful endurance of sufferings--sufferings that might have been avoided by the exercise of common forethought.

The army that landed in the Crimea on September 14, 1854, numbered some 27,000 men, with fifty-four guns, and was distributed as under:

Commander-in-Chief: Field-Marshal Lord Raglan.

Cavalry Division: General the Earl of Lucan.

Heavy Brigade--Brigadier-General J. Yorke Scarlett: The 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards, the Scots Greys, and the Inniskilling Dragoons.

Light Cavalry Brigade--Major-General the Earl of Cardigan: 4th, 8th, 11th, and 13th Hussars, and the 17th Lancers.

First Division: H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge.

Brigade of Guards: A battalion of the Grenadier, Coldstream, and Scots Guards.

Highland Brigade--Major-General Sir Colin Campbell: The 42nd (Royal), 79th (Cameron), and 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders).

Second Division: Lieutenant-General Sir de Lacy Evans.

Third Brigade--Brigadier-General Adams: 41st (Welsh), 47th (North Lancashire), and 49th (Royal Berkshires).

Fourth Brigade--Brigadier-General Pennefather: The 30th (East Lancashire), 55th (Border Regiment), and the 95th (Derbyshire).

Third Division: Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England.

Fifth Brigade--Brigadier-General Sir John Campbell: 4th (King's Own), 38th (South Staffords), and the 50th (Royal West Kent).

Sixth Brigade--Brigadier-General Eyre: The Royal Scots, 28th (Gloucesters), and 44th (Essex).

Fourth Division: Major-General Sir George Cathcart.

Seventh Brigade--Brigadier-General Torrens: 20th (Lancashire Fusiliers), 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers), and the 68th (Durham Light Infantry).

Eighth Brigade: 46th (Cornwall Light Infantry), and the 57th Middlesex (arrived after the landing of the troops on September 14, not in time to take part in the Battle of the Alma).

Light Division: Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown.

First Brigade--Major-General W. Codrington: 7th (Royal Fusiliers), 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers), and the 33rd (West Riding Regiment).

Second Brigade--Major-General G. Buller: The 19th (Yorkshires), 77th (Middlesex), and the 88th (Connaught Rangers).

In addition to the above, the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade was also present, but in the earlier stages of the campaign it acted as a divisional battalion.

Acting in co-operation with us was a strong French army, under Marshal St. Arnaud, a division of which was commanded by one of the Napoleon Princes, and a Turkish force of 8,000 men, under Omar Pasha.

In the spring of 1855 a division of the Sardinian army also arrived, and was sharply engaged with the Russians at the Battle of the Tchernaya.

The army was reinforced from time to time by regiments from home and from India, and when peace was declared in 1856 it was composed of close on 50,000 well-equipped men, capable of carrying on the Siege of Sevastopol to a satisfactory conclusion. The casualties during the campaign, apart from those incurred at the Battles of Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and the two assaults on the Redan, were not heavy, the losses in some regiments being remarkably small; but the losses from disease were regrettably severe--the more regrettable as, with proper forethought, many hundreds--nay, thousands--of valuable lives might have been saved. The campaign is memorable as the first in which the whole of our infantry were armed with a percussion arm, and also the first in which a body of lady nurses was organized for service in military hospitals. The honoured name of Florence Nightingale must for ever be associated with the war in the Crimea. It was also the first in which officers and men were authorized to accept and to wear foreign medals and decorations; and, lastly, it was to recognize the bravery of subordinate officers and men in the campaign that the decoration of the Victoria Cross was instituted.

ALMA, SEPTEMBER 20, 1854.

This battle honour is borne by the following regiments:

4th Hussars. 8th Hussars. 11th Hussars. 13th Hussars. 17th Lancers. Grenadier Guards. Coldstream Guards. Scots Guards. Royal Scots. King's Own (Lancasters). Royal Fusiliers. Yorkshire. Lancashire Fusiliers. Royal Scots Fusiliers. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Gloucesters. East Lancashires. West Riding. Border. South Staffords. Welsh. Royal Highlanders. Sherwood Foresters. North Lancashire. Royal Berkshire. West Kent. Middlesex. Manchester. Durham Light Infantry. Cameron Highlanders. Connaught Rangers. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Rifle Brigade.

At the Alma the Russians occupied a strong natural position, following the crest of a range of hills dominating the valley of the Alma River. Their front was covered by one or two redoubts, but no serious effort had been made to strengthen it. Had this been done, the disparity in numbers would have been compensated for. The actual strength of the combatants and casualties are as follows:

+----------------+--------+-------+-----------+---------------+ | | | |Officers.| Men. | |Troops Engaged| Men. |Guns.|-----+-----+-------+-------+ | | | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------------+--------+-------+-----+-----+-------+-------+ |British | 27,000 | 54 | 26 | 73 | 327 | 1,557 | |French | 23,000 | 72 | 3 | 54 | 253 | 1,033 | |Turks | 6,500 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |Russians | 37,500 | 96 | 45 | 100 | 1,762 | 2,720 | +----------------+--------+-------+-----+-----+-------+-------+

A good-sized library might be filled with the literature on the Crimean War. Most of the more valuable books, such as Hamley's, Kinglake's, Clarke's, and Sir William Russell's "Letters to the Times," are in every library, so that it is quite unnecessary to deal in any detail with the events of this campaign. At the Alma the French took the right, their right flank resting on the sea. We advanced, covered by the Rifle Brigade, with the Cavalry Division on our outer or left flank. The Second Division, on our right, kept touch with the French, and had in support the Third Division, under Sir Richard England. On our left the Light Division, under Sir George Brown, led, supported by the division under the Duke of Cambridge, who in this, his first engagement, showed the hereditary courage of our Royal Family. In the course of the advance through the vineyards at the foot of the hill, and before the final advance took place, the troops suffered much from the artillery fire of the Russians, and were thrown into some confusion. Few amongst the senior officers had seen any service since the Peninsular War, and the number of regimental officers who had heard the whistle of a bullet was infinitesimal; yet the behaviour of all was excellent, and after three and a half hours of hard fighting the Russians were in full retreat, leaving a couple of guns in our hands. Unfortunately, we were in no condition to follow up our advantage. The Russians were able to retire unmolested into Sevastopol, and we were compelled to embark on a siege of indefinite length, with totally inadequate means.

It was necessary to secure a harbour as a base of operations, and the allied armies carried out a flank march within striking distance of the Russians. No advantage was taken of this movement, and by the commencement of October our troops were in possession of the little land-locked harbour of Balaclava, and the labours of the long-drawn-out siege commenced.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA.

+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |11th Hussars | - | - | - | - | |13th Hussars | - | - | - | - | |17th Lancers | - | - | - | - | |Royal Artillery | 3 | - | 9 | 21 | |Grenadier Gds. | - | 3 | 11 | 116 | |Coldstream Gds. | - | 2 | - | 27 | |Scots Guards | - | 11 | 26 | 123 | |Royal Scots | - | - | - | - | |K.O. Lancaster | - | 2 | 3 | 8 | |Royal Fusiliers | 1 | 11 | 42 | 168 | |Yorkshire | 2 | 6 | 45 | 174 | |Lancashire Fus. | - | - | - | 1 | |R. Welsh Fus. | 8 | 5 | 45 | 152 | |Gloucester | - | - | - | - | |30th E. Lancs | 1 | 4 | 11 | 63 | |33rd W. Riding | 1 | 6 | 55 | 177 | |38th S. Stafford | - | - | - | - | |41st Welsh | - | - | 4 | 23 | |42nd R. High. | - | - | 7 | 32 | |44th Essex | - | - | 1 | 7 | |47th N. Lancs | - | 4 | 4 | 61 | |49th R. Berks | - | - | 2 | 13 | |50th West Kent | - | - | - | - | |55th Border | 2 | 6 | 11 | 96 | |63rd Manchester | - | - | - | - | |68th Durham L.I. | - | - | - | - | |77th Middlesex | - | - | 3 | 17 | |79th Cameron Highlanders | - | - | 2 | 7 | |88th Connaught Rangers | - | 1 | 5 | 16 | |93rd Sutherland Highl. | 1 | - | 7 | 44 | |95th Sherwood Foresters | 6 | 11 | 48 | 128 | |Rifle Brigade | - | 1 | 11 | 39 | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

BALACLAVA, OCTOBER 25, 1854.

This battle honour is borne by the

4th Dragoon Guards. 5th Dragoon Guards. Royal Dragoons. Royal Scots Greys. Inniskilling Dragoons. 4th Hussars. 8th Hussars. 11th Hussars. 13th Hussars. 17th Lancers. Sutherland Highlanders.

The defence of the country surrounding Balaclava had been entrusted to the Turks, who in a series of actions on the banks of the Danube had shown that they could fight well behind stone walls. Some redoubts had been thrown up on the neighbouring heights, and these were armed with ships' guns, lent by us to the Turks. In Balaclava itself was one battalion--the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders)--and the command of the place had been entrusted to one of the few veterans of the army who had seen modern war. Sir Colin Campbell had served under Wellington in the Peninsula, and had earned mention in more than one despatch when still a subaltern. For his conduct at Barrosa and at San Sebastian, at both of which actions he was wounded, he was promoted to a company in the 60th Rifles. In the China War he had commanded the 98th, and was made an Aide-de-Camp to the Queen. In the Punjab Campaign he had added to his reputation by his masterly handling of a brigade in the hard-fought battles of Chillianwallah and Goojerat, and he had earned still higher laurels when in command of the troops at Peshawur in the early days of our occupation of the Punjab frontier.

On the early morning of October 25 the Russians, who had no very great opinion of the Turkish troops, made a determined attack on Balaclava. The valley leading down to the sea is cut in two by a low range of hills, and down these two valleys they advanced. The Turks, after one or two rounds, incontinently abandoned the redoubts, and fled in haste to the refuge of the town. Sir Colin moved up the 93rd Highlanders, and awaited the advance of the Russian cavalry division. He had a firm faith in the new weapon with which his troops were armed, and a still firmer belief in his Highlanders. On swept the Russians, and, as they came within range, a volley from the 93rd at 600 yards emptied many saddles, but did not stop the advance; then, as the dense Russian columns neared the "thin red streak, tipped with steel," a second volley, at 150 yards, rang out, and as the smoke cleared away the Russians were seen moving to the rear. Now was the opportunity for our cavalry, and the Heavies were not slow in taking advantage of it. Scarlett moved forward his brigade in two lines, the Greys and Inniskillings leading, with the 5th and 4th Dragoon Guards on the right and left flanks respectively, and the Royal Dragoons in support, the total strength being some 750 men. As Russell graphically wrote, while the Russians fell back, Scarlett charged into them. "By sheer steel and courage the Inniskillings and Scots were winning their desperate way right through the enemy's squadrons, and already grey horse and red coat had disappeared right at the rear of the mass, when the Royals, 4th Dragoon Guards, and 5th Dragoon Guards rushed at the remnants of the first line of the enemy, and went through it like pasteboard. In less than five minutes after they met our Dragoons the Russians were flying at full speed from a foe not half their strength."

Lord Raglan had in the meantime moved down the First and Fourth Divisions to reinforce Balaclava, and, recognizing the military genius of the Brigade Commander, ordered the Duke of Cambridge to take his instructions from Sir Colin Campbell. The services of the infantry were not called into requisition, but, owing to some inconceivable blunder, never yet properly explained, the Light Brigade of cavalry, without any supports, were ordered to attack the Russian troops in the westernmost valley. Here there was a whole division of Russian cavalry, with a force of six battalions of infantry supporting thirty-six guns, and at this force the little cavalry brigade, just 636 strong, was let loose. "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre!" was the comment of a French General who witnessed the spectacle. The Earl of Cardigan was not wanting in personal courage, but he was totally inexperienced in war. He led his men straight at the guns, and escaped scathless himself, but he acted in defiance of all the canons of the art of war. The charge of the Light Brigade has been immortalized by Tennyson, but, alas! the men who participated in it were rewarded with the same decoration as the infantry soldiers who marched down from the camp to act as spectators of that gallant charge. The clasp "Balaclava" means nothing; the name on the colours is the battle honour.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA.

+-----------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Staff | 2 | 4 | - | - | |4th Drag. Gds. | - | - | 1 | 4 | |5th Drag. Gds. | - | 2 | 2 | 11 | |Roy. Dragoons | - | 4 | 2 | 7 | |R. Scots Greys | - | 4 | 2 | 53 | |Inniskilling Dragoons | - | - | 2 | 13 | |4th Hussars | 2 | 2 | 32 | 22 | |8th Hussars | 2 | 2 | 30 | 23 | |11th Hussars | - | 3 | 32 | 23 | |13th Hussars | 3 | - | 24 | 14 | |17th Lancers | 3 | 4 | 33 | 34 | |Sutherland Highlanders | - | - | - | - | +-----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

INKERMAN, NOVEMBER 5, 1854.

This battle honour is borne by the

4th Hussars. 8th Hussars. 11th Hussars. 13th Hussars. 17th Lancers. Grenadier Guards. Coldstream Guards. Scots Guards. Royal Scots. King's Own. Royal Fusiliers. Yorkshire. Lancashire Fusiliers. Royal Scots Fusiliers. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Gloucesters. East Lancashire. West Riding. Border. South Staffords. Welsh. Essex. Sherwood Foresters. North Lancashire. Royal Berkshires. West Kent. Middlesex. Manchesters. Durham Light Infantry. Connaught Rangers. Rifle Brigade.

This was indeed a soldiers' battle. In the early dawn of November 5 a large Russian force, taking advantage of a dense fog, issued from Sevastopol and surprised our troops in the trenches. Reinforcements were hurried up from the camp, and the men--the few men on duty in the trenches and in the advanced siege-works--behaved with unexampled heroism. As each fresh regiment came up it was hurried into action, without any regard to brigades or divisions, and, indeed, in many cases men were found fighting in groups under officers of different regiments. The Allies were not merely surprised: they were outnumbered, as the following table shows:

+----------+--------+-------+-----------+---------------+ | | | |Officers.| Men. | | _Troops | Men. |Guns.+-----+-----+-------+-------+ | Engaged_ | | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------+--------+-------+-----+-----+-------+-------+ | British | 8,500 | 38 | 44 | 102 | 616 | 1,878 | | French | 7,500 | 18 | 14 | 34 | 118 | 1,299 | | Russians | 42,000 | 106 | 2 | 47 | 4,976 |10,162 | +----------+--------+-------+-----+-----+-------+-------+

After an heroic struggle, in which the Russians displayed the greatest gallantry, they were driven back, with terrible slaughter, the fire of those of our regiments which were armed with the Minié rifle doing fearful execution in the dense columns of the enemy. It will hardly be believed that many regiments were still armed with the Brown Bess with which we fought in the Peninsula, although the Minié rifle had in the Kaffir War three years before proved itself a most formidable weapon.

The losses of the army during the winter of 1854-55 were appalling, but the men bore them without a murmur. With the spring active operations were renewed, and on June 18, the anniversary of Waterloo, an attempt was made to carry the fortress by storm. In this disastrous attack our losses were 22 officers and 247 men killed, 78 officers and 1,207 men wounded. Ten days later the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Raglan, died, and the command was given to his Chief of the Staff, another Peninsular veteran, Sir James Simpson, an officer who did not enjoy the confidence of the army, and who practically owned that he felt himself unfitted to exercise its command.

On September 8 a second attack was made on the Redan, the outwork which had defied our attempt on June 18. Again we were driven back, after our men had made good their footing in the place. This defeat was entirely due to the neglect to support the stormers, who had shown the habitual gallantry of the British soldier.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF INKERMAN.

+------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Staff | 5 | 12 | - | - | |8th Hussars | - | - | - | - | |11th Hussars | - | - | - | - | |13th Hussars | - | - | - | - | |17th Lancers | 1 | - | - | 1 | |Royal Artillery | 2 | 4 | 13 | 76 | |Grenadier Gds. | 3 | 6 | 101 | 124 | |Coldstream Gds. | 8 | 5 | 65 | 116 | |Scots Guards | 1 | 8 | 49 | 119 | |1st Royal Scots | - | - | 1 | - | |4th K.O. Lancs | - | - | - | - | |7th Royal Fus. | - | 5 | 13 | 49 | |19th Yorkshire | 1 | - | 1 | 3 | |20th Lancs Fus. | 1 | 8 | 40 | 122 | |21st R. Scots F. | 1 | 6 | 24 | 90 | |25th R. Welsh F. | 1 | 1 | 18 | 20 | |28th Gloucester | - | - | - | - | |30th E. Lancs | 2 | 5 | 29 | 101 | |33rd W. Riding | 1 | 2 | 6 | 55 | |38th S. Stafford | - | - | - | - | |41st Welsh | 5 | 6 | 55 | 101 | |44th Essex | - | - | - | - | |47th N. Lancs | - | 2 | 19 | 45 | |49th R. Berks | - | - | - | - | |50th West Kent | 1 | 1 | 8 | 21 | |55th Border | - | 5 | 18 | 58 | |57th Middlesex | 2 | 3 | 13 | 75 | |63rd M'chester | 3 | 7 | 12 | 93 | |68th Durham L.I. | 2 | 2 | 16 | 33 | |77th Middlesex | 1 | - | 20 | 37 | |88th Connaught Rangers | - | 2 | 22 | 80 | |95th Sherwood Foresters | - | 4 | 27 | 104 | |Rifle Brigade | 2 | 4 | 35 | 109 | +------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

On the following day the Redan was found to be evacuated, and our men entered unopposed. This was the last general action of the war. The Russians now abandoned the city, and retired to the far side of the harbour, and, though actual fighting was at an end, the winter was passed as if on active service. In the spring overtures of peace were made, and in the summer of 1856 the army returned to England, Sevastopol being restored to the Russians.

In writing of battle honours, I must not omit to mention that our allies, the French, Turks, and Sardinians, bestowed a certain number of decorations on our officers and men. The French distributed crosses of the Legion of Honour, which were, as a rule, given to officers. In some exceptional cases a cross was given to a non-commissioned officer, and in some very few cases to privates. The French war medal was bestowed on a certain number of men in each battalion, and one was given to H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. The Turks showered the Order of the Medjidieh with no niggardly hand, and the Sardinians gave a few crosses of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus to senior officers, and a few medals to each regiment. The distribution of these foreign decorations gave rise to considerable dissatisfaction. There were certain regiments which had fought throughout the campaign; there were others which had landed at the very close of the operations, and had not lost a man in action. All shared equally, like the labourers in the vineyard.

There were few officers on the Staff or in the Brigade of Guards who did not receive four decorations for this campaign, and, in truth, the Guards deserved all they received. They not only took their fair share of trench duty, but at the Alma and at Inkerman they suffered most severely. A party of Guardsmen who happened to be on fatigue duty at Balaclava the morning of the battle were collected by a young officer, and fell in on the left of the 93rd. That young officer afterwards acted as Brigade-Major to the heroic Nicholson at the Siege of Delhi, and as I write is, I believe, the only living officer who saw Sevastopol and Delhi fall. I allude to Lieutenant-General Sir Seymour Blane, who served as a subaltern of the Scots Guards in the Crimea. Afterwards exchanging into the 52nd, he marched down with Nicholson to Delhi, and was by his side when the hero of the siege was shot down inside the Cashmere Gate.

SEVASTOPOL.

This distinction was awarded to all regiments which landed in the Crimea prior to September 8, 1855, the date of the last storming of the Redan:

King's Dragoon Guards. 4th Dragoon Guards. 5th Dragoon Guards. Carabiniers. Royal Dragoons. Royal Scots Greys. 4th Hussars. Inniskilling Dragoons. 8th Hussars. 10th Hussars. 11th Hussars. 12th Lancers. 13th Hussars. 17th Lancers. Grenadier Guards. Coldstream Guards. Scots Guards. Royal Scots. Buffs. King's Own (Lancaster). Royal Fusiliers. Norfolks. Somerset Light Infantry. West Yorkshire. Leicester. Royal Irish. Yorkshire. Lancashire Fusiliers. Royal Scots Fusiliers. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Scottish Rifles. Gloucesters. East Lancashire. East Surrey. Cornwall Light Infantry. West Riding. Border. South Staffords. Dorsets. South Lancashire. Welsh. Royal Highlanders. Essex. Sherwood Foresters. North Lancashire. Northamptons. Royal Berkshires. West Kent. Middlesex. Wiltshire. Manchester. Durham Light Infantry. Highland Light Infantry. Seaforth Highlanders. Cameron Highlanders. Royal Irish Fusiliers. Connaught Rangers. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Rifle Brigade.

In addition to the following casualties in action, between the landing of the army in the Crimea on September 14, 1854, and the storming of the Redan on September 8, 1855, 11,375 non-commissioned officers and men were invalided and 16,037 died of disease!

CASUALTIES DURING THE CAMPAIGN IN THE CRIMEA (INCLUDING THE BATTLES OF ALMA, BALACLAVA, AND INKERMAN).

+----------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |K. Drag. Gds. | - | - | - | - | |4th Drag. Gds. | - | - | 2 | 12 | |5th Drag. Gds. | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | |Carabiniers | - | - | - | - | |Roy. Dragoons | - | 4 | 3 | 7 | |Scots Greys | - | 4 | 8 | 57 | |4th Hussars | 2 | 2 | 19 | 24 | |Inniskillings | - | - | 3 | 14 | |8th Hussars | 2 | 3 | 26 | 23 | |10th Hussars | - | - | - | 4 | |11th Hussars | 1 | 2 | 29 | 29 | |12th Lancers | - | - | - | - | |13th Hussars | 3 | - | 14 | 31 | |17th Lancers | 4 | 5 | 39 | 34 | |Royal Artillery | 12 | 30 | 173 | 632 | |Roy. Engineers | 15 | 13 | 55 | 86 | |Grenadier Gds. | 6 | 12 | 144 | 410 | |Coldstream Guards | 10 | 6 | 128 | 197 | |Scots Guards | 4 | 23 | 109 | 336 | |Royal Scots | 3 | 10 | 58 | 225 | |Buffs | 3 | 13 | 78 | 259 | |King's Own | 2 | 5 | 38 | 142 | |Royal Fusiliers | 8 | 23 | 174 | 381 | |Norfolks | 1 | 2 | 20 | 83 | |Somerset L.I. | - | - | - | 11 | |14th W. Yorks | - | - | 16 | 46 | |Leicesters | 1 | 5 | 34 | 134 | |Royal Irish | 3 | 10 | 87 | 267 | |Yorkshire | 4 | 20 | 138 | 502 | |20th Lancs F. | 3 | 10 | 83 | 81 | |R. Welsh Fus. | 16 | 15 | 193 | 495 | |28th Gloucesters | - | 9 | 42 | 89 | |30th E. Lancs | 10 | 19 | 144 | 364 | |31st E. Surrey | 2 | 1 | 25 | 84 | |33rd W. Riding | 8 | 21 | 116 | 293 | |34th Border | 7 | 18 | 118 | 375 | |38th S. Staffs. | 3 | 7 | 43 | 210 | |39th Dorsets | 1 | 1 | 9 | 46 | |41st Welsh | 9 | 13 | 145 | 426 | |42nd R. Highlanders | 1 | 2 | 39 | 119 | |44th Essex | 4 | 8 | 64 | 156 | |46th Cornwall L.I. | 1 | 2 | 32 | 71 | |47th N. Lancs | 2 | 9 | 120 | 216 | |48th N'ampton | - | 2 | 12 | 60 | |49th Berkshire | 7 | 10 | 204 | 325 | |50th West Kent | 2 | 4 | 56 | 67 | |55th Border | 6 | 18 | 145 | 412 | |56th Essex | - | 1 | 8 | 13 | |57th Middlesex | 8 | 11 | 81 | 237 | |62nd Wiltshire | 7 | 7 | 37 | 121 | |63rd Manchester | 6 | 8 | 65 | 127 | |68th Durham L.I. | 6 | 4 | 51 | 71 | |71st Highland L.I. | - | - | - | 1 | |72nd Seaforth Highlanders | 1 | - | 12 | 48 | |77th Middlesex | 5 | 11 | 411 | 606 | |79th Cameron Highlanders | - | 2 | 12 | 55 | |82nd S. Lancs | - | - | - | - | |88th Connaught Rangers | 7 | 16 | 159 | 400 | |89th R. Irish F. | - | 1 | 13 | 73 | |90th Scottish R. | 4 | 15 | 92 | 221 | |93rd Sutherland Highlanders | 2 | 2 | 19 | 95 | |95th Derbysh. | 7 | 21 | 184 | 360 | |97th West Kent | 8 | 9 | 108 | 198 | |Rifle Brigade (two batts.) | 9 | 20 | 245 | 781 | +----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

The Sultan of Turkey, in addition to the Order of the Medjidieh, bestowed a silver medal on every officer and man present in the Crimea, and Queen Victoria in like manner granted the Crimean Medal to every French, Sardinian, and Turkish soldier or sailor present in the campaign.

DECORATIONS BESTOWED BY OUR ALLIES DURING THE CRIMEAN WAR.

+---------------------------+-------+----------+---------+------+ | |Legion | | |French| | Regiments. | of | |Sardinian| War | | |Honour.|Medjidieh.| Medal. |Medal.| +---------------------------+-------+----------+---------+------+ |General officers | 22 | 16 | 8 | 1 | |Staff officers | 47 | 35 | 8 | - | |Med. officers | 31 | 85 | - | - | |1st Drag. Gds. | - | 3 | - | - | |4th Drag. Gds. | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | |5th Drag. Gds. | 3 | 6 | - | 4 | |6th Drag. Gds. | - | 2 | 2 | - | |Roy. Dragoons | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | |R. Scots Greys | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | |4th Hussars | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | |8th Hussars | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |10th Hussars | - | 7 | 1 | 1 | |11th Hussars | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | |12th Lancers | - | 4 | 2 | 1 | |13th Hussars | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | |17th Lancers | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | |Royal Artillery | 74 | 124 | 50 | 60 | |Roy. Engineers | 26 | 22 | 15 | 7 | |3rd Batt. Grenadier Guards | 6 | 31 | 7 | 9 | |1st Batt. Coldstream Gds. | 6 | 32 | 7 | 9 | |1st Batt. Scots Guards | 7 | 32 | 9 | 7 | |Royal Scots (two batts.) | 7 | 25 | 7 | 7 | |Buffs | 4 | 10 | 3 | 5 | |4th King's Own | 4 | 13 | 6 | 9 | |7th Roy. Fus. | 8 | 14 | 6 | 9 | |9th Norfolk | 4 | 10 | 3 | 7 | |13th Somer. L.I. | 2 | 10 | 5 | - | |14th W. Yorks | 2 | 10 | 5 | 6 | |17th Leicesters | 3 | 12 | 2 | 6 | |18th Roy. Scots | 3 | 11 | 4 | 7 | |19th Yorkshire | 7 | 11 | 6 | 9 | |20th Lancs F. | 5 | 13 | 6 | 9 | |21st R. Scots F. | 6 | 11 | 7 | 9 | |23rd R. Welsh Fusiliers | 7 | 10 | 6 | 10 | |28th Gloucester | 5 | 13 | 8 | 9 | |30th E. Lancs | 6 | 17 | 6 | 9 | |31st E. Surrey | 2 | 7 | 1 | 5 | |33rd W. Riding | 6 | 14 | 7 | 9 | |34th Border | 4 | 13 | 6 | 8 | |38th S. Staffs | 5 | 12 | 6 | 9 | |39th Dorsets | 4 | 10 | 3 | 6 | |41st Welsh | 7 | 12 | 6 | 9 | |42nd R. Highl. | 6 | 13 | 6 | 8 | |44th Essex | 6 | 13 | 8 | 8 | |46th Corn. L.I. | 5 | 16 | 6 | 7 | |47th N. Lancs | 6 | 17 | 9 | 7 | |48th N'amptons | 2 | 9 | 2 | 4 | |49th R. Berks | 6 | 12 | 7 | 9 | |50th R. W. Kent | 5 | 12 | 8 | 7 | |55th Border | 3 | 13 | 6 | 9 | |56th Essex | 1 | - | - | 4 | |57th Middlesex | 6 | 13 | 6 | 8 | |62nd Wiltshire | 5 | 13 | 6 | 8 | |63rd Manchester | 2 | 8 | 4 | 8 | |68th Durham L.I. | 7 | 11 | 6 | 9 | |71st Highland L.I. | 2 | 10 | 4 | 6 | |72nd Seaforth Highlanders | 2 | 8 | 1 | 4 | |77th Middlesex | 5 | 12 | 6 | 7 | |79th Cameron Highlanders | 5 | 12 | 7 | 8 | |88th Connaught Rangers | 6 | 14 | 9 | 10 | |89th R. Irish F. | 4 | 10 | 4 | 5 | |90th Scottish R. | 5 | 11 | 5 | 8 | |93rd Sutherland Highlanders| 4 | 14 | 6 | 9 | |95th Derbyshire | 6 | 11 | 6 | 8 | |97th West Kent | 5 | 11 | 5 | 8 | |Rifle Brigade (two batts.) | 11 | 33 | 13 | 18 | +---------------------------+-------+----------+---------+------+

THE VICTORIA CROSS.

This decoration dates from the Crimean War, and was instituted, as is well known, as a reward open to all ranks for conspicuous bravery in presence of the enemy. During the campaign the following regiments were able to add to their other honours the Victoria Cross:

Royal Scots Greys 2 4th Hussars 1 Inniskilling Dragoons 1 11th Hussars 1 13th Hussars 1 17th Lancers 3 Royal Artillery 9 Royal Engineers 7 Grenadier Guards 4 Coldstream Guards 3 Scots Guards 5 Royal Scots 1 The Buffs 2 4th (King's Own) 1 7th (Royal Fusiliers) 5 17th (Leicestershire) 1 18th (Royal Irish) 1 19th (Yorkshire) 2 23rd (Royal Welsh Fus.) 4 30th (East Lancashire) 1 34th (Border Regiment) 2 41st (Welsh) 2 44th (Essex) 1 47th (North Lancashire) 1 49th (Royal Berkshire) 3 55th (Border) 2 57th (Middlesex) 2 68th (Durham Light Infantry.) 1 77th (Middlesex) 2 90th (Scottish Rifles) 2 97th (West Kent) 2 1st Batt. Rifle Brigade 4 2nd Batt. Rifle Brigade 3

The following table is of interest, as showing the total losses incurred by the army in the Crimea in the different arms:

Legend: Of. = Officers. +----------+-------------+-------------+-------------+---------------+ | | CAVALRY. | ARTILLERY. | ENGINEERS. | INFANTRY. | | +-----+-------+-----+-------+-----+-------+------+--------+ | |Of.| Men.|Of.| Men.|Of.| Men.| Of.| Men. | +----------+-----+-------+-----+-------+-----+-------+------+--------+ |Killed in | | | | | | | | | | action | 9 | 114 | 11 | 121 | 9 | 32 | 125 | 2,331 | |Died of | | | | | | | | | | wounds | 4 | 26 | 1 | 52 | 6 | 23 | 73 | 1,832 | |Died of | | | | | | | | | | disease | 23 | 1,007 | 10 | 1,298 | 5 | 175 | 105 | 13,414 | | +-----+-------+-----+-------+-----+-------+------+--------+ | Total | 36 | 1,147 | 22 | 1,471 | 20 | 230 | 303 | 17,577 | | +-----+-------+-----+-------+-----+-------+------+--------+ |Wounded | | | | | | | | | | in action| 26 | 237 | 30 | 632 | 13 | 86 | 435 | 10,406 | | | | | | | | | | | +----------+-----+-------+-----+-------+-----+-------+------+--------+

From the above it will be seen that, whilst 2,769 officers and men were killed in action or died of their wounds, the losses by disease amounted to no less than 16,037! For every ten officers killed in action, six died from disease, whereas in the proportion of the men who fell the figures were reversed. For every ten who fell in action or as a result of their wounds no less than sixty died of disease.

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XX. BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE INDIAN MUTINY, 1857-1859

India--Delhi--Lucknow--Central India--Defence of Arrah--Behar.

INDIA, 1857-1859.

For some inscrutable reason, the colours of those regiments which were employed in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny bear no record of their services unless they happened to have been employed at the Siege of Delhi or in the operations at Lucknow or in Central India. There is, indeed, one notable exception. A group of Sikhs, but fifty in number, aided Mr. Wake in his determined defence of Arrah, and subsequently the regiment was engaged in maintaining peace in the province of Behar. For these services the 45th Rattray's Sikhs are authorized to bear the words "Defence of Arrah" and "Behar" on their colours and appointments. Yet British and native troops--aye, civilians and delicately-nurtured women--were engaged for many weary months in a daily contest with battle and with wounds, with plague, pestilence, and famine. Throughout the length and breadth of the northern portion of Hindustan we were waging a life-and-death struggle for the maintenance of British supremacy in India. The details of many incidents in that struggle we never shall know. Our Indian graveyards are filled with tombs recording the losses of those days, from Generals who, like Nicholson, fell in the hour of victory, to wee bairnies who perished from want of the bare necessaries of life, and, alas! also from the sword and bullet of our foes. The whole peninsula is hallowed with the unknown graves of our gallant dead.

The history of the Siege of Delhi, where a force of less than 10,000 men besieged a city defended by four times their number of disciplined troops for a period of twelve long weeks in the hottest season of the year, is only equalled by the dauntless bravery with which Lucknow was defended against incalculable odds. Loyal native vied with his British comrade in upholding the honour of our flag, whilst the cheerful heroism and self-abnegation of the women who bore such a noble part in the struggle is deserving of more than a passing tribute of homage. The romantic interest that centred round Havelock's relief of Lucknow has dwarfed the marvellous achievements of the Delhi force--an achievement never surpassed in the military annals of our own or any other country.

The losses suffered by the troops at the siege of that fortress exceeded in number the total casualties incurred by the rest of the army in the suppression of the rebellion. The "morning states" of September 13--the day before the storm of the city--showed a total strength of 9,366 effectives; on the evening of the 20th, when the entire city was in our hands, there were but 5,520. No less than 3,846 officers and men had been killed and wounded; yet four days afterwards General Wilson was enabled to despatch a little column to aid in the relief of Lucknow. It consisted of three batteries of Bengal Artillery, 300 men of the 9th Lancers, the headquarters of the 8th and 75th Regiments, totalling only 450 men, so grievously had these battalions suffered in the siege. Four squadrons of native cavalry and two battalions of Punjab troops brought the total strength of the brigade to just under 2,000 men.

DELHI, MAY TO SEPTEMBER, 1857.

The regiments authorized to bear the battle honour "Delhi" on their colours and appointments are the

Carabiniers. 9th Lancers. King's (Liverpool). Gloucesters. Oxford Light Infantry. King's Royal Rifles. Gordon Highlanders. Royal Munster Fusiliers. 9th Hodson's Horse. 10th Lancers. 21st Daly's Horse. 22nd Sam Browne's Horse. 25th Cavalry. Q.O. Corps of Guides, 1st P.W.O. Sappers and Miners. 54th Sikhs. 55th Coke's Rifles. 56th Punjab Rifles. 57th Wilde's Rifles. 127th Baluch Light Infantry. 2nd Gurkhas. 3rd Gurkhas.

It will be noted that the Carabiniers is the only corps which bears the two honours "Delhi" and "Sevastopol."

On the first news of the mutiny at Meerut reaching the Commander-in-Chief at Simla on May 12, he at once moved down with the Headquarters Staff to Umballa, where the regiments at Kussowlie, Dugshai, and Subathoo, had been ordered to assemble. The 9th Lancers and two troops of Bengal Artillery were quartered at that station, and at Meerut were the Carabiniers, the 60th Rifles, and the headquarters of the Bengal Artillery.

Much unavoidable delay occurred in procuring carriage for the troops, and, of course, it was necessary to provide for the safety of the Punjab. It was not until May 24 that the Commander-in-Chief was able to move. Two days afterwards he died of cholera at Kurnal, and the command devolved upon General Barnard--a gallant officer who had been Chief of the Staff during the latter part of the Crimean War, but who was new to India. The force moving down from Umballa consisted of two brigades, and was to be joined before reaching Delhi by the Meerut garrison. This junction took place on June 7. The Meerut force had fought a successful action with the mutineers a week previously, capturing five guns.

On the 7th General Barnard found the mutineers drawn up in a strong position at Budli-ka-Serai to dispute his advance. They had thrown up some works, in which heavy guns were placed. After a sharp fight, in which we lost 51 killed and 131 wounded, the rebels were driven out of their vantage-ground, with the loss of thirteen guns, and from this day the siege may be said to have commenced. Just one month later General Barnard died of cholera, which was daily claiming victims from all ranks. Indeed, until the close of the siege, this scourge was never absent. From time to time, as circumstances permitted, reinforcements of both British and native troops were pushed down from the Punjab, and the loyal Sikh chiefs also sent contingents, which, though not of great fighting value, served to keep open our communications with Lahore, and to a certain extent, no doubt, did aid in the work of the siege.

Between June 7 and September 14--the day of the assault--the besieging force fought no fewer than thirty-two engagements, and so heavy were the duties thrown on officers and men that it was impossible to relieve the guards, men remaining for days at a time on duty, whilst staff officers took their turn in the batteries and trenches. On the morning of September 13 the decision was taken to carry the city by storm. Two breaches were declared practicable on the northern side of the walls at the Water and Kashmir bastions. Practically the whole available force was detailed for the assault. The first, second, and third columns, under the command of General John Nicholson, were to act on the left; the fourth, under Major Reid, of the 2nd Gurkhas, on the right. It consisted of Major Reid's own gallant regiment (now well known to all soldiers as the 2nd Gurkhas), the infantry of the Guides, and such men as could be spared from the picquets of the British regiments on the ridge. No. 1 column of the force, under Nicholson, was composed of the 75th (now the Gordon Highlanders), the 1st Bengal Fusiliers (now the 1st Munsters), and the 2nd Punjab Infantry (now the 56th Rifles). This stormed the breach at the Kashmir bastion. No. 2 column, under Colonel Jones, of the 61st, consisted of the 8th (Liverpool) Regiment, the 2nd Bengal Fusiliers (now the 2nd Munsters), and the 4th (now the 54th Sikhs). The third column, under Colonel Campbell, of the 52nd, was composed of the 52nd (Oxford Light Infantry), the 3rd Gurkhas, and Coke's Rifles. The total strength of the three columns amounted to 2,800 men, whilst the fourth, under Major Reid, was 680 strong, but it had in support 1,200 men of the Kashmir contingent. The reserve was under Colonel Longfield, of the 8th, and comprised the 61st Foot (2nd Gloucesters), the 4th Punjab Infantry (now the 57th), Wilde's Rifles, and the Baluch battalion (now the 127th Baluch Light Infantry).

CASUALTIES AT THE SIEGE AND ASSAULT OF DELHI, MAY TO SEPTEMBER, 1857.

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | | BRITISH TROOPS. | NATIVE TROOPS. | | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | Regiments. |Officers.| Men. |Officers.| Men. | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |General Staff | 4 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |Royal Artillery | 4 | 24 | 43 | 216 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 49 | |Royal Engineers | 3 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 60 | |6th Carabiniers | 1 | 2 | 18 | 9 | - | - | - | - | |9th Lancers | 1 | 2 | 26 | 64 | - | - | - | - | |8th (King's Liverpool)| 3 | 7 | 41 | 129 | - | - | - | - | |52nd (Oxford L.I.) | 1 | 4 | 28 | 75 | - | - | - | - | |60th (King's Roy. | | | | | | | | | | Rifles) | 4 | 10 | 109 | 266 | - | - | - | - | |61st (Gloucestershire)| 2 | 7 | 30 | 112 | - | - | - | - | |75th (Gordon Highl.) | 5 | 14 | 79 | 184 | - | - | - | - | |1st Roy. Munster Fus. | 3 | 11 | 95 | 210 | - | - | - | - | |2nd Roy. Munster Fus. | 4 | 6 | 79 | 156 | - | - | - | - | |Hodson's Horse | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |21st Daly's Horse | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |22nd Sam Browne's H. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |25th Cavalry | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |Q.O. Corps of Guides | 2 | 6 | - | - | 5 | 10 | 65 | 215 | |54th Sikhs | 1 | 3 | - | - | 2 | 7 | 43 | 116 | |55th Coke's Rifles | 3 | 5 | - | - | 3 | 5 | 71 | 141 | |56th Rifles | 1 | 2 | - | - | 2 | 4 | 41 | 103 | |57th Wilde's Rifles | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | 9 | 59 | |127th Baluchis | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 7 | 48 | |2nd Gurkhas (Sirmoor | | | | | | | | | | Rifles) | 1 | 6 | - | - | 2 | 8 | 80 | 219 | |3rd Gurkhas | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | 3 | 20 | 33 | +----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+

NOTE.--I regret that I have been unable to trace the losses in those three fine regiments, now the 21st, 22nd, and 25th Cavalry.

The story of the siege and the assault is an epic which will remain a monument of the heroism of our troops, British and native, to all time. Those who stand on that famous ridge and gaze at the stupendous walls before them, must wonder, as I have wondered, at the audacity which conceived and the gallantry which achieved such a feat of arms. As I have said, by September 20 the city, with its arsenal, was in our hands, and on the following day a small brigade of all arms was at once despatched to open up communications with the North-West Provinces, and to aid in the tranquillization of the country. Our losses during the siege were grievously heavy. Out of a total strength of 640, the 60th Rifles lost 389 of all ranks; the 2nd Gurkhas lost 310 out of 540; the Guides 303 out of 550. Coke's Rifles had all its officers killed or wounded, and more than half the men. The 52nd had arrived from Sialkot just a month prior to the assault. It marched into camp 640 strong; on the morning of September 14 it paraded 240 rank and file, having lost 74 men from cholera and sunstroke in one short month! The table on p. 315 tells its own tale.

LUCKNOW.

The following regiments are authorized to bear this battle honour on their colours and appointments:

Queen's Bays. 7th Hussars. 9th Lancers. Northumberland Fusiliers. King's Liverpools. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Lincolns. Lancashire Fusiliers. Border. Scottish Rifles. Cornwall Light Infantry. South Staffords. South Lancashire. Black Watch. Royal West Kent. Shropshire Light Infantry. North Staffords. York and Lancaster. Seaforth Highlanders. Gordon Highlanders. Cameron Highlanders. Sutherland Highlanders. Royal Munster Fusiliers. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Rifle Brigade. 9th Hodson's Horse. 10th Hodson's Horse. 11th Probyn's Lancers. 21st Daly's Horse. 22nd Sam Browne's Horse. 25th Cavalry. 1st P.W.O. Sappers and Miners. 2nd Q.O. Sappers and Miners. 14th Sikhs. 16th Lucknow. 32nd Pioneers. 56th Punjabi Rifles. 57th Wilde's Rifles.

This one battle honour, "Lucknow," covers four distinct military operations--the memorable defence of the Residency under Sir Henry Lawrence; the first relief, or rather reinforcement, of the beleaguered garrison by Sir Henry Havelock; the final relief and withdrawal of the women and children by Sir Colin Campbell; and, lastly, the siege and capture of the city in March, 1858. With the medal granted for the Indian Mutiny clasps were issued for the Relief, the Defence, and one simply superscribed "Lucknow," which covered the final operations only. Wearers of the medal are enabled to show the distinctive part they played in the grand struggle in and around Lucknow, but survivors are now few and far between. In a very few short years there will be no wearers of the Mutiny Medal left. Whilst the men by their clasps showed the share they took in the operations, the regiments bear no distinctive mark showing the part they played. The Somerset Light Infantry and the 12th Khelat-i-Ghilzai Regiment are authorized to bear a mural crown as a distinctive honour for their defence of Jelalabad and Khelat-i-Ghilzai; the 16th Lucknow Regiment wears a battlemented gateway, to connect it with the memorable defence of the Residency; the 45th Sikhs bear the words "Defence of Arrah"; and the regiments which formed the garrison, under Sir George White, were granted the honour "Defence of Ladysmith," to differentiate them from their comrades who, under Sir Redvers Buller, effected their relief. It is true that the 32nd were made light infantry as a recognition of their conduct at Lucknow, but so little is this fact remembered that in the month of January, 1910, a leading service paper gravely asserted that the Cornwalls were given their bugles in the year 1832! Sic transit gloria mundi.

Defence of Lucknow.

Lucknow, the capital of the newly-annexed kingdom of Oude, was in 1857 a city of some 150,000 inhabitants, known to be fanatically hostile to our rule. Only the year before the Mutiny the King had been deposed, and with good cause. Misgovernment and tyranny were rampant throughout his kingdom, and we were performing a mere act of justice towards his people in removing him from power. We have not yet learnt the lesson that a nation prefers bad government under its own rulers to the best form of government under an alien administration. The unpopularity of the annexation was felt beyond the confines of Oude. A very large proportion of the sepoys of the Bengal army were recruited from this very country, and their sympathies were naturally with their fallen King.

Fortunately, Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General responsible for the annexation, had selected one of the very best soldier-statesmen in India for the post of Chief Commissioner--Sir James Outram, a tried soldier of the Bombay army. At this moment he was absent from his post, having been selected to command the troops in the Persian Expeditionary Force. His successor, Sir Henry Lawrence, was, like Outram, a soldier--one of that gallant band of brothers whose names will last so long as does our Indian Empire. He commenced his career in the Bengal Artillery, had seen a great deal of service as a gunner, and had earned a still higher reputation in the early days of the administration of the Punjab. Fortunate it was for England that she had such a man in Lucknow. The Mutiny caused no surprise to Henry Lawrence. Fifteen years previously, in the pages of the Calcutta Review, he had predicted an attempt on the part of the pampered sepoy to gain the upper hand, but his warnings had fallen on deaf ears. Now he was ready for the emergency--ready so far as his means permitted. The garrison of Lucknow consisted of one British battalion--the 32nd (Cornwall Regiment), numbering 19 officers and 517 other ranks--one weak company of the 84th--one officer and 48 men. There were, in addition, six regiments of native infantry, two of native cavalry, and two batteries of native artillery.

The news of the mutiny at Meerut and of the capture of Delhi by the adherents of the old Mogul Emperor was known in Lucknow on May 12, and then Lawrence commenced to take steps to meet the coming storm. Measures were adopted to render the Residency defensible--no easy task. It was in the heart of the city, surrounded by a few buildings erected for the convenience of the staff of the Resident. These were in plots of ground, separated by low mud walls. Within easy range were several masonry palaces, which afforded good shelter to an enemy. It was impossible to include all of the staff houses in the scheme of defence, owing to the smallness of the garrison. All that could be done was to connect the various buildings by a breastwork, and to excavate a ditch all round. Provisions and ammunition were brought in, and all the civilians, as well as the British troops, were concentrated as near the Residency as possible.

On May 29 the native garrison threw off all semblance of loyalty, murdered their officers, including the Brigadier (Handscomb), and moved out of their lines, which they fired. They were from time to time joined by other mutineers, who had committed grievous outrages in other stations in Oude. No attack, however, was made on the Residency.

On June 29 Lawrence determined to undertake the offensive, and he moved out to Chinhut, where the mutineers were massed, to attack them. He met with a sharp reverse, losing some of his guns, whilst the wing of the 32nd, who were with him, lost 115 killed out of 300 men engaged. The following morning Lawrence blew up the magazine, containing 249 barrels of powder and 594,000 rounds of ammunition, which it was found impossible to carry into the Residency, and made final preparations for the siege. His garrison consisted of under 2,000 men, of whom 100 were civilians and 765 loyal natives--men of the mutinied regiments who had determined to throw in their lot with the Sirkar. With them were nearly 200 pensioners--men mostly past work.

It is not within the scope of this work to deal with the details of that heroic defence, where civilian vied with soldier, native with Englishman, to uphold the honour of our name; where delicately-nurtured women and the no less devoted wives of the privates shared all the dangers, all the privations, of the humblest sepoy. Many women and children died from want of the bare necessaries of life; more than one babe was shot in its mother's arms, and more than one woman fell a victim to the bullets of our foes. For a long eighty-seven days did the siege last, and then the little band under Havelock forced its way through the many thousands of the besieging force, and brought the welcome reinforcement of British bayonets to the beleaguered garrison. The figures below tell the sad tale of the severe losses which were endured by the heroic garrison of Lucknow:

CASUALTIES IN THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW.

+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |32nd Corn. L.I. | 7 | 8 | 192 | 171 | |Royal Bengal Artillery | 1 | 2 | 52 | 18 | |84th York and Lancs (one company) | - | 1 | 12 | 8 | +----------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

No fewer than eighty-nine women and children also perished.

Relief of Lucknow by General Sir Henry Havelock.

The most serious problem that faced the Governor-General in India, as soon as the real gravity of the Mutiny was realized, was to effect the relief of the beleaguered garrisons of Lucknow and Cawnpore, where large numbers of women and children were hemmed in by the mutineers, and were in daily peril of their lives. It was well known that at both places the defences were utterly inadequate, and that the garrisons were all too small. By a fortunate coincidence, a strong force was on its way to China for the purpose of compelling a respect for treaty rights, and the regiments composing that force were stopped at Singapore and diverted to Calcutta. At the same time, the regiment at the Mauritius was despatched with all haste to India, and the return of the two battalions--the 64th (North Staffords) and the 78th (Ross-shire Buffs)--from the Persian Campaign enabled Lord Canning, the Governor-General, to send these up to Allahabad, and so to form the nucleus of a relieving army.

The officer selected for the command of the relieving force was Colonel Henry Havelock, an officer who had recently commanded a brigade in the Persian War. Havelock had seen an immensity of service in India, mostly on the Staff. He had been Adjutant of the 13th Light Infantry, and had served with that distinguished regiment throughout the Burmese War of 1824. In Afghanistan he had earned a Brevet and a C.B. for his exceptional services at the defence of Jelalabad. He had been present at Maharajpore, where he had earned a second Brevet. But he was a disappointed man. Success had come to him late in life, for he had been twenty-three years a subaltern, and had been purchased over times without number.

Immediately on his arrival in Calcutta Havelock learned of his new command, and he at once pushed up to Allahabad to take over charge from Colonel Neill, of the Madras Fusiliers, already at that station. The force was all too weak for the task imposed upon it. It barely numbered 1,350 bayonets, including 500 Sikhs. Its cavalry numbered just twenty sabres, composed of officers of regiments which had disappeared in the storm and a few brave planters. The following are the details of the brigade with which Havelock essayed the relief of Lucknow:

Royal Artillery 76 men. 64th (North Staffords) 435 " 78th (Ross-shire Buffs) 284 " 84th (York and Lancaster) 191 " Madras Fusiliers 376 " Ferozepore Sikhs 448 " Volunteer cavalry 20 sabres.

Arriving at Allahabad on June 30, Havelock immediately moved forward; but the weather was terrific, and his men suffered much--not only from heat, but also from cholera. Not a day passed without some victim being claimed by one or other of these deadly foes. To-day it was a drummer of the Highlanders, to-morrow the senior Staff Officer of the army. Still, no heart quailed. The danger that faced their countrywomen nerved all, but, alas! their gallant efforts were doomed to failure. When the Nana saw the net closing round him, he gave the order for the murder of the women and children who, trusting to his honour, had surrendered to him at Cawnpore; and when Havelock's force entered the place, they were met with the most ghastly evidence of cruelties which had been perpetrated by the man who for many years professed himself a loyal ally of the English.

Weakened by losses in action, as well as by disease, Havelock was compelled to halt at Cawnpore for reinforcements. These reached him in the shape of the 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers)--the Fighting Fifth--from the Mauritius, and six companies of the 90th (Scottish Rifles)--a regiment which, under its Colonel, Campbell, had earned a great reputation for dash in the Crimea. With the reinforcements came the unwelcome news that he had been superseded by Sir James Outram, who was reappointed to his old post of Chief Commissioner of Oude, with the supreme command of all the troops in that province. Sir James, however, with rare self-denial, refused to deprive Havelock of the honour of carrying out the relief, and published an order announcing his intention to act in the ranks of the volunteer cavalry until Lucknow was entered.

It was not until the middle of September that Havelock was enabled to continue his onward march. He was opposed at every step, but the troops would not be denied; and on the 25th of that month a welcome reinforcement of nearly 2,000 fighting men was thrown into Lucknow, and the lives of the sorely-pressed garrison assured.

Havelock lived just long enough to know that his services had been appreciated at last, and that he had been gazetted a Major-General for distinguished service in the field, and raised to the dignity of a K.C.B. The baronetcy conferred upon him was not gazetted until after his death. The final relief I deal with on p. 326. A dark shadow was cast over that glorious achievement. Havelock was able to drag his sorely stricken frame across the breastwork to welcome Sir Colin Campbell and the relieving army, and then, worn out by toil and anxiety, he sank into his grave. In a shady grove of trees hard by the Alumbagh they made his humble tomb, and Campbell, Outram, Inglis, Peel, and many a stout soldier who had followed him in that stern march from Cawnpore, now followed his remains to their last resting-place. So long as gallant deeds and noble aspirations and spotless self-devotion are cherished in our midst, so long will Havelock's lonely tomb, hard by the scenes of his triumphs and of his death, be regarded as one of the most sacred spots where England's soldiers lie.

RELIEF OF LUCKNOW BY SIR COLIN CAMPBELL, NOVEMBER, 1857.

No sooner was Delhi in our hands than General Wilson, as I have shown on p. 312, despatched a small force towards Agra, where, unfortunately, the civil and military authorities had not shown themselves possessed of those qualities which have built up our Indian Empire. Few indeed were the men that Wilson could spare, but on the morning of September 21 Brigadier Greathed, Colonel of the 8th (King's), now the Liverpool Regiment, marched towards Agra at the head of the little movable column. His force consisted of two troops of horse and one battery of field artillery; the 9th Lancers (300 strong); the 8th and 73rd Regiments, which, in consequence of their heavy losses, only numbered 450 men; four squadrons of the 21st, 22nd, and 25th Cavalry and of Hodson's Horse, the four squadrons some 500 strong; and the 2nd and 4th Punjab Infantry (now the 56th and 57th Rifles). All told, the brigade numbered 800 cavalry, 1,650 infantry, 200 sappers, and 18 guns.

On the 10th of the following month Greathed reached Agra, where he was attacked by the rebels. To their astonishment, these gentry found they had a totally different stamp of men to deal with than the Agra garrison, and Greathed, with the loss of but 13 killed and 54 wounded, drove them off, capturing thirteen guns. During the short halt at Agra, General Hope Grant, Colonel of the 9th Lancers, arrived in camp with some 300 British soldiers, convalescents of the regiments at Delhi, and took over command. Pushing on to Cawnpore, he found a wing of the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) and some men of the regiments which had gone into Lucknow with Havelock.

The relief of Lucknow was now the principal objective, and Hope Grant, in obedience to orders received from Calcutta, moved towards that city, halting at Bhantira until the arrival of Sir Colin Campbell, who, on the first news of the Mutiny reaching England, had been sent out to assume the post of Commander-in-Chief in India. The new Chief possessed the confidence not only of the Ministry in England, but of every man in the army. Probably he was the most deservedly popular General who had up till then ever commanded an army in the field. He had a wide experience of war. As a subaltern he had served in the Peninsula, been repeatedly mentioned in despatches for gallantry--a rare thing to happen to a subaltern in Wellington's days. He commanded a regiment in China in the war of 1842, a brigade in the Punjab Campaign of 1849, was in chief command in many of the early expeditions on the Punjab frontier, and was one of the very few General Officers who emerged from the Crimean War with enhanced credit. The vast majority of the reinforcements despatched from England for the suppression of the Mutiny had served in the Crimea, and to them the name of Colin Campbell was that of a man who could lead and whom they were proud to follow.

On November 9 Sir Colin arrived at Bhantira, and assumed the command of the army. Sir Colin was fully alive to the imperative necessity of withdrawing the beleaguered garrison from its perilous position at Lucknow. Sir James Outram, who, as I have shown, assumed command on reaching the Residency, was besieged by a disciplined army numbering 60,000 men. He was encumbered with 1,500 sick men, women, and children, and the Residency, over which our flag had been kept flying for thirteen weary weeks, was but an ordinary Indian building, commanded on all sides by masonry palaces, which had been converted into siege-batteries. To carry through this formidable task Sir Colin had but 4,500 men, distributed as under:

Cavalry Brigade--Brigadier Little (9th Lancers): Two squadrons 9th Lancers, one squadron 21st Daly's Horse, one squadron 22nd Sam Browne's Horse, one squadron 25th Cavalry, one squadron Hodson's Horse.

These native troops were under Lieutenants Watson, Probyn, Younghusband, and Hugh Gough respectively, and it is worthy of note that of these four subalterns one (Younghusband) was killed; the other three were all wounded in action, and all three lived to wear the Victoria Cross and the Grand Cross of the Bath.

Artillery Brigade--Brigadier Crawford, R.A.: Two troops of Bengal Horse Artillery, two batteries of Field Artillery, two companies of Royal Artillery, eight guns of the Naval Brigade under the gallant Sir William Peel, with 250 seamen and Marines.

First Brigade--Brigadier Adrian Hope: 93rd Highlanders, a wing of the 53rd (Shropshires), and the 57th Wilde's Rifles.

Second Brigade--Brigadier Greathed: 8th (King's Liverpool Regiment), a battalion made up of detachments of British regiments in Lucknow, and the 56th Punjab Rifles.

Third Brigade--Brigadier Russell: 84th Regiment, 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers), and two companies of the 82nd (South Lancashires).

To keep open communication with Allahabad and Calcutta, Sir Colin had left General Wyndham at Cawnpore with a force of British troops. Wyndham had earned a great reputation for coolness under fire at the storming of the Redan, but he had no experience of Indian warfare, and had never exercised an independent command in his life. At Cawnpore he did not show to advantage as a commander.

During Sir Hope Grant's halt prior to Sir Colin's arrival the most energetic measures had been adopted to obtain the necessary carriage to enable the Commander-in-Chief to carry out his design of withdrawing the garrison, so that, on his assuming command, all was ready for an immediate advance; and on November 17, after some hard fighting, which entailed a loss of 45 officers and 496 men killed and wounded, the relieving force entered the Residency, and the garrison was saved. Ten days subsequently the evacuation of the Residency had been successfully accomplished, and the whole force was en route for Cawnpore, where Wyndham had suffered a sharp reverse at the hands of the mutinous Gwalior contingent.

SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF LUCKNOW.

When Sir Colin Campbell withdrew the garrison from the Residency, he felt that but half of his task was done. His force was not strong enough to warrant his attacking the mutineers, and so crushing the rebellion in Oude. This must be left until the arrival of the reinforcements from England, and undertaken when he was not hampered with a large convoy of sick and wounded, women and children. In order to maintain a certain hold on the country around Lucknow, Sir Colin left Sir James Outram with a considerable force to occupy the Alumbagh--an old shooting-lodge of the Kings of Oude, situated in a park about three miles from the suburbs of Lucknow. Outram's force numbered over 4,000 men, and comprised the 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers), 75th (Gordon Highlanders), 78th (Seaforths), 90th (now the Scottish Rifles), and the 2nd Bengal Fusiliers (now the 2nd Munsters), with 450 gunners of the Bengal Artillery and 150 sabres. Opposed to Outram were, according to his report, no less than 96,000 armed men; and from the end of November, when the Residency was evacuated, until March 21, when Sir Colin finally defeated the mutineers and retook Lucknow, Outram's force was practically besieged in the Alumbagh.

The months of December, 1857, January, February, and March, 1858, were occupied in preparing for the final advance on Lucknow and the break-up of the many bodies of mutineers scattered over Oude, Bundulcund, and the North-West Provinces. Reinforcements were daily arriving from England, but it was not until the beginning of March that Sir Colin was able to commence his advance on Lucknow. His army now numbered upwards of 20,000 men, with 180 guns. Never in the history of India had such a large number of British troops taken the field.

The Cavalry Division, under Sir Hope Grant, included the Queen's Bays, 7th Hussars, 9th Lancers, Hodson's Horse, Daly's Horse, Sam Browne's Horse, and the 25th Cavalry, in addition to the division under Outram.

The Second Division, under Sir Edward Lugard, was composed of the Third Brigade (Brigadier Guy)--34th, 38th, and 53rd Regiments; Fourth Brigade (Adrian Hope)--42nd, 93rd, and 57th Wilde's Rifles.

The Third Division, under General Walpole, comprised the Fifth Brigade (Brigadier Douglas)--23rd, 79th, and 1st Munster Fusiliers; Sixth Brigade (Horsford)--2nd and 3rd Battalions Rifle Brigade and 56th Rifles.

The artillery was under the command of Sir Archdale Wilson, who had been made a K.C.B. for the capture of Delhi.

CASUALTIES AT THE RELIEF OF LUCKNOW BY HAVELOCK.

+--------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |5th Northumberland Fus. | 1 | 2 | 23 | 29 | |64th N. Staffs. | 1 | 3 | 7 | 81 | |78th Ross. Buffs | 2 | 6 | 47 | 85 | |84th York and Lancaster | 2 | 4 | 25 | 55 | |90th Scottish Rifles | 4 | 7 | 39 | 62 | |102nd R. Dublin Fusiliers | 1 | 4 | 33 | 83 | |14th Ferozepore Sikhs | - | 1 | 7 | 37 | +--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

CASUALTIES AT THE RELIEF OF LUCKNOW BY SIR COLIN CAMPBELL, NOVEMBER, 1857.

+--------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Staff | 2 | 6 | - | - | |Naval Brigade | 1 | 3 | 4 | 17 | |9th Lancers | - | - | - | - | |Royal Artillery | 1 | 6 | 14 | 59 | |Roy. Engineers | - | 1 | 3 | 17 | |5th Fusiliers | - | - | 5 | 3 | |8th King's | - | - | - | 1 | |23rd R. Welsh Fusiliers | - | 1 | 3 | 18 | |53rd Shropshire L.I. | - | 3 | 10 | 63 | |64th Regiment | - | - | 4 | 7 | |82nd Regiment | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |84th Regiment | - | - | 1 | 8 | |90th Light Inf. | 1 | 3 | 6 | 22 | |93rd H'landers | 2 | 7 | 33 | 62 | |102nd R. Dublin Fusiliers | 1 | - | 3 | 12 | |21st Cavalry | - | - | 2 | 3 | |22nd Sam Browne's H. | - | - | 1 | 2 | |25th Cavalry | - | - | - | 3 | |56th Punjab R. | 1 | 1 | 5 | 18 | |57th Wilde's R. | 1 | 2 | 13 | 50 | +--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

CASUALTIES AT THE SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF LUCKNOW, MARCH, 1858.

+----------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Force employed. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Naval Brigade | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |The Bays | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |7th Hussars | - | 3 | - | 3 | |9th Lancers | - | 1 | 1 | 4 | |Royal Artillery | 1 | 3 | 6 | 33 | |Roy. Engineers | 3 | 3 | 19 | 34 | |5th Fusiliers | - | 1 | - | 3 | |10th Lincolns | - | 1 | 4 | 23 | |20th Lancs F. | - | 2 | 7 | 28 | |23rd R. Welsh Fusiliers | - | 3 | 4 | 25 | |34th Border | - | - | - | 4 | |38th S. Staffs | - | 3 | 1 | 22 | |42nd Royal Highlanders | - | 1 | 5 | 39 | |53rd Shropshire L.I. | - | 2 | 1 | 27 | |78th Seaforth Highlanders | - | - | - | 1 | |79th Cameron Highlanders | - | 2 | 7 | 21 | |90th Scottish Rifles | - | 1 | 5 | 28 | |93rd Sutherland Highlanders | 2 | 2 | 12 | 59 | |97th Royal W. Kent | 1 | - | 2 | 21 | |Rifle Brigade (two batts.) | 1 | 2 | - | 19 | |22nd Sam Browne's Cav. | - | 1 | 1 | 9 | |25th Cavalry | - | 1 | - | 6 | |56th Punjab R. | 1 | 1 | 8 | 32 | |57th Wilde's R. | 1 | 3 | 9 | 30 | +----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

CENTRAL INDIA, 1857-58.

The regiments authorized to bear this distinction are the

8th Hussars. 12th Lancers. 14th Hussars. 17th Lancers. Inniskilling Fusiliers. South Staffords. Sherwood Foresters. Highland Light Infantry. Seaforth Highlanders. Royal Irish Rifles. Connaught Rangers. Leinster. 30th Gordon's Horse. 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers. 32nd Lancers. 33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry. 2nd Q.O. Sappers and Miners. 3rd Sappers and Miners. 2nd Q.O. Light Infantry. 44th Merwara Infantry. 61st Pioneers. 79th Carnatic Infantry. 96th Berar Infantry. 98th Infantry. 104th Wellesley's Rifles. 110th Mahratta L.I. 112th Infantry. 113th Infantry. 124th Baluchis. 125th Napier's Rifles.

Although as a whole the Princes of Central India remained loyal to our rule, their armies threw in their lot with the mutineers, and the honour "Central India" was conferred on the regiments which were employed in stamping out rebellion in those provinces during the winter of 1857-58 and in the ensuing hot weather. A number of independent columns were so engaged, but the brunt of the fighting fell on the troops under that dashing leader Sir Hugh Rose, afterwards Lord Strathnairn. The capture of Kotah, Jhansi, Calpee, and Gwalior all bear witness to the heroism of our troops and to the sufferings they endured during that terrible hot-weather campaign of 1858, when men died of cholera and of sunstroke by hundreds, and when the survivors struggled on manfully to retain our hold on Hindustan.

The rapidity of the movements of Sir Hugh Rose has often been held up as a contrast to the slowness of those of Sir Colin Campbell, but it must be borne in mind that when Sir Hugh took the field the back of the Mutiny had been broken. His duty was to hunt down and to destroy all bodies of armed rebels in the field, and right nobly did he perform his task. Sir Colin had to organize a force for the relief of Lucknow (where close on 300 women and children were besieged), to break the power of the rebel army in Oude, and to maintain peace in Bengal. His one line of communications was a narrow strip of railway open to destruction at many points, and he had in the field against him over 100,000 trained troops, possessed of large stores of arms and munitions. The tasks before the two Generals were entirely different. Whether, had Sir Colin been in command in Central India, he would have acted with the rapidity that Sir Hugh showed is a mere matter of opinion. This much is certain--that Sir Hugh never could have achieved success had not Northern India been in our hands, and that it was in our hands was due first to the gallantry of the Delhi Field Force, and secondly to the well-organized, if slowly carried out, campaign by which Sir Colin swept the rebels out of Oude.

The Central India Campaign divides itself into a number of well-executed operations in different parts of the country. First we may take the Malwa Field Force, under Brigadier C. S. Stuart, which consisted of the 14th Hussars, 86th (Royal Irish Rifles), 3rd Hyderabad Cavalry, and 125th Napier's Rifles, which was in the field from July to December, 1857.

CASUALTIES IN CENTRAL INDIA.

+--------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +--------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |8th Hussars | - | 9 | 18 | 34 | |12th Lancers | - | 1 | 2 | 16 | |14th Hussars | 1 | 4 | 15 | 73 | |17th Lancers | - | 1 | 2 | 11 | |Royal Artillery | 2 | 6 | 11 | 37 | |Roy. Engineers | - | - | - | - | |71st High. L.I. | 1 | 1 | 9 | 15 | |72nd Seaforth Highlanders | - | 1 | 3 | 14 | |83rd R. Irish Rifles | 2 | 1 | 7 | 28 | |86th R. Irish Rifles | 1 | 10 | 26 | 109 | |88th Connaught Rangers | - | 2 | 7 | 54 | |95th Derbys | 2 | 7 | 4 | 37 | |3rd Madras Eur. (2nd Innis. F.) | - | - | 3 | 12 | |3rd Bomb. Eur. (2nd Leinst.) | - | 6 | 17 | 92 | |30th Gordon's Horse | - | 1 | 7 | 18 | |31st Lancers | 1 | 4 | 6 | 19 | |32nd Lancers | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | |33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry | - | 2 | 4 | 15 | |2nd Q.O. Sap. and Miners | 1 | 4 | 6 | 29 | |3rd Sappers and Miners | - | 1 | 2 | 11 | |44th Merwara Infantry | - | - | - | - | |61st Pioneers | - | - | 2 | 5 | |79th Carnatic Infantry | - | 4 | 3 | 27 | |96th Berar Inf. | 2 | 1 | 14 | 22 | |98th Infantry | - | 1 | 7 | 32 | |104th Wellesley's Rifles | - | 1 | 5 | 13 | |110th Mahratta L.I. | - | 1 | 2 | 22 | |112th Infantry | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |113th Infantry | - | - | 2 | 14 | |124th Baluchis | - | 1 | 12 | 20 | |125th Napier's Rifles | 2 | 6 | 11 | 37 | +--------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

Then we have Sir Hugh Rose commanding two brigades, the one under the same Brigadier C. S. Stuart, the other under Colonel Stewart, of the 14th Hussars. His first act was to relieve Saugor, then defended by the 2nd Queen's Own Rajput Light Infantry. A Madras column had been toiling up to effect this, but General Whitlock was impeded by many obstacles. In April Sir Hugh carried Jhansi by storm; in May Calpee was taken; and then the General was reinforced by a column from the north, commanded by Brigadier-General Sir Robert Napier (afterwards Lord Napier of Magdala). In June Gwalior was recaptured, and with this the real operations of the Central India Field Force came to an end, though the appearance in the field of a rebel General, Tantia Topee, and the assumption of the title of Peishwa by the notorious Nana Sahib compelled the Commander-in-Chief once more to organize a number of flying columns, whose work procured for the regiments which composed them the battle honour "Central India."

I have found it an impossible task to ascertain the losses suffered by some of the regiments. The casualties given in the table on p. 331 show, however, that the distinction "Central India" was not earned without hard fighting.

DEFENCE OF ARRAH--BEHAR, 1857.

These two distinctions are the peculiar property of the 45th Rattray's Sikhs, and demand a passing notice.

When the Mutiny broke out, there was but one British regiment in the long stretch of nearly a thousand miles between Calcutta and Lucknow--the 10th Foot, at Dinapore. Here, too, was a large native garrison--the 7th, 8th, and 40th Regiments of Bengal Infantry. Dinapore is the military cantonment of the city of Patna, the hot-bed then of Wahabiism, with a population of 150,000, of whom some 38,000 were Mussulmen. It is the capital, too, of the province of Behar, the centre then of the indigo trade, and the home of a number of English planters--gentlemen and sportsmen, whose sporting instincts stood England in good stead in that hour of trial.

The General at Dinapore had plenty of warning as to the temper of his troops and of the neighbouring population, but no measures were taken to deal with the crisis; and when the sepoy garrison mutinied, the men were allowed to leave the station unmolested. A few hours later a feeble attempt was made to follow them up, but the detachment of the 10th (Lincolns) returned to Dinapore, having failed to overtake the mutineers. These marched at once on Arrah, a civil station, the head of the railway engineers, some twenty-five miles distant. There, fortunately, were a handful of Englishmen unfettered by red tape. Herewald Wake, the Commissioner, and Vicars Boyle, the railway engineer, had foreseen the coming storm, and, to meet it, had converted the billiard-room in Boyle's garden into a little fort, in which ammunition and provisions had been stored. Its garrison consisted of sixteen Englishmen, one Moslem gentleman, and fifty men of Rattray's newly-raised regiment of Sikhs.

On the 27th the Dinapore garrison--three regiments of sepoys, reinforced by a disaffected Rajput, Rajah Kunwar Singh, who possessed two pieces of artillery--appeared on the scene, and demanded the surrender of the treasure. On that day the siege commenced in earnest.

Two days afterwards the Brigadier at Dinapore sent out a force, consisting of some men of the 10th (Lincolns) and 37th (Hampshires), to relieve Arrah. The affair was mismanaged from the outset, and the column was driven back with heavy loss. Fortunately, there was a man at hand capable of dealing with the situation. Major Vincent Eyre, of the Bengal Artillery, was bringing up his battery to the aid of Havelock, and, hearing of the distress of the little garrison in Arrah, he undertook its relief. With but 150 men of the Northumberland Fusiliers, 40 of his own battery, and 18 gallant planters, who for the nonce converted themselves into a corps of cavalry, he attacked the besieging force, and after a sharp fight was enabled to bring off the garrison without loss. The siege lasted but five days, but the devotion of the 45th Sikhs and the gallantry of Vicars Boyle and Herewald Wake stand out in striking contrast to the supineness of the military authorities at Dinapore.

For many months subsequently the 45th were employed in hunting down rebels in the province of Behar, unsupported by any British troops, and for these services, in which the men were exposed to many attempts on their fidelity, the 45th bear the word "Behar" on their colours and appointments. Their losses during these operations were unusually severe, 2 British officers and 43 of all ranks having been killed or died of wounds, and 1 native officer and 75 other ranks having been wounded.

It is impossible to close this chapter without adverting to the injustice meted out in the distribution of the battle honours for the Indian Mutiny. Every regiment that served on the line of communications in Afghanistan or in South Africa has been granted a battle honour. The regiments which maintained peace in the Punjab, which disarmed mutinous soldiery, which hunted down rebels in Lower India, have been denied all share in the distinctions granted for the Mutiny. The Inniskilling Fusiliers at Peshawar, the 24th (South Wales Borderers) at Jhelum, the 81st (Loyal North Lancashire) at Lahore, the 13th (Somerset Light Infantry) at Azimghur, all contributed to the maintenance of our hold on India, and many of these regiments suffered severely in action.[25] It is not too much to say that, had it not been for the 81st at Lahore, we should never have held the Punjab. The conduct of this regiment at the disarming of the native garrison at Meean Meer was one of the finest feats in those dark days. Again, what are we to think of the failure to recognize the conduct of the 31st (now the 2nd Queen's Own Rajput Light Infantry) at Saugor, where they defended a large number of Englishwomen and children? There was no stiffening of British bayonets, as at Lucknow or at Cawnpore, but there were a number of British officers who had earned the confidence of their men; and when the mutinous 42nd Bengal Infantry endeavoured to seduce the then 31st Bengal Infantry from their duty, the answer was not merely a refusal, but the regiment, under its own native officers, sallied out from the fort at Saugor, attacked their mutinous bhaibunds, drove them off in confusion, and captured a couple of guns. For the defence of Arrah by one weak company, the 45th Sikhs bear on their colours the honour "Defence of Arrah." Was the defence of Saugor one whit less deserving of reward?

VICTORIA CROSSES FOR THE MUTINY.

Queen's Bays 2 7th Hussars 2 8th Hussars 5 9th Lancers 12 14th Hussars 1 17th Lancers 1 Royal Artillery 19 Royal Engineers 8 Northumberland Fusiliers 3 10th (Lincolns) 3 13th (Somerset L.I.) 2 23rd (Royal Welsh Fus.) 2 32nd (Cornwall L.I.) 4 34th (Border Regiment) 1 42nd (Royal Highlanders) 8 43rd Light Infantry 1 52nd (Oxford L.I.) 2 53rd (Shropshires) 5 60th (King's Royal Rifles) 8 61st (Gloucesters) 1 64th (North Staffords) 1 71st (Highland L.I.) 1 72nd (Seaforth H'landers) 1 75th (Gordons) 3 78th (Ross-shire Buffs) 8 84th (York and Lancaster) 6 86th (Royal Irish Rifles) 4 90th Light Infantry 6 93rd (Highlanders) 7 95th (Derbyshires) 1 101st (Royal Munsters) 4 102nd (Royal Dublin Fus.) 4 103rd (Royal Munster Fus.) 1 109th (Royal Leinster) 1 Rifle Brigade 3

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