Part 10 (1/2)
This little incident was never forgotten in the regiment so long as Hera Lall remained the commissariat _gomashta_ of the Ninety-Third. He was then a young man, certainly not more than twenty. Although thirty-five more years of rough-and-tumble life have now considerably grizzled his appearance, he must often look back with pride to that stormy April evening in 1858, when he risked his life in the Ramgunga to carry a tin-pot of tea to the British soldiers.
Among the enemy killed that day were several wearing the uniforms stripped from the dead of the Forty-Second in the ditch of Rooyah; so, of course, we concluded that this was Nirput Singh's force, and the defeat and capture of its guns in some measure, I have no doubt, re-established General Walpole in the good opinion of the authorities, but not much in that of the force under his command.
Nothing else of consequence occurred till about the 27th of April, when our force rejoined the Commander-in-Chief's column, which had advanced _via_ Futtehghur, and we heard that Sir William Peel had died of smallpox at Cawnpore on his way to Calcutta. The news went through the camp from regiment to regiment, and caused almost as much sorrow in the Ninety-Third as the death of poor Adrian Hope.
FOOTNOTES:
[43] See Appendix B.
[44] Native a.s.sistant in charge of stores.
[45] A wrapper worn by Bengalee men and up-country women.
CHAPTER XV
BATTLE OF BAREILLY--GHaZIS--A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT--HALT AT BAREILLY --ACTIONS OF POSGAON, RUSSOOLPORE, AND NOWRUNGABAD--REST AT LAST!
The heat was now very oppressive, and we had many men struck down by the sun every day. We reached Shahjehanpore on the 30th of April, and found that every building in the cantonments fit for sheltering European troops had been destroyed by order of the Nana Sahib, who, however, did not himself wait for our arrival. Strange to say, the bridge of boats across the Ramgunga was not destroyed, and some of the buildings in the jail, and the wall round it, were still standing. Colonel Hale and a wing of the Eighty-Second were left here with some guns, to make the best of their position in the jail, which partly dominated the city. The Shahjehanpore distillery was mostly destroyed, but the native distillers had been working it, and there was a large quant.i.ty of rum still in the vats, which was found to be good and was consequently annexed by the commissariat.
On the 2nd of May we left Shahjehanpore _en route_ for Bareilly, and on the next day reached Futtehgunge Every village was totally deserted, but no plundering was allowed, and any camp-followers found marauding were soon tied up by the provost-marshal's staff. Proclamations were sent everywhere for the people to remain in their villages, but without any effect. Two days later we reached Furreedpore, which we also found deserted, but with evident signs that the enemy were near; and our bazaars were full of reports of the great strength of the army of Khan Bahadoor Khan and Feroze Shah. The usual estimate was thirty thousand infantry, twenty-five thousand cavalry, and about three hundred guns, among which was said to be a famous black battery that had beaten the European artillery at ball-practice a few months before they mutinied at Meerut. The left wing of the Ninety-Third was thrown out, with a squadron of the Lancers and Tombs' battery, as the advance piquet. As darkness set in we could see the fires of the enemy's outposts, their patrol advancing quite close to our sentries during the night, but making no attack.
About 2 A.M. on the 5th of May, according to Sir Colin's usual plan, three days' rations were served out, and the whole force was under arms and slowly advancing before daylight. By sunrise we could see the enemy drawn up on the plain some five miles from Bareilly, in front of what had been the native lines; but as we advanced, they retired. By noon we had crossed the nullah in front of the old cantonments, and, except by sending round-shot among us at long distances, which did not do much harm, the enemy did not dispute our advance. We were halted in the middle of a bare, sandy plain, and we of the rank and file then got to understand why the enemy were apparently in some confusion; we could hear the guns of Brigadier Jones (”Jones the Avenger” as he was called) hammering at them on the other side. The Ninety-Third formed the extreme right of the front line of infantry with a squadron of the Lancers and Tombs' battery of horse-artillery. The heat was intense, and when about two o'clock a movement in the mango _topes_ in our front caused the order to stand to our arms, it attained such a pitch that the barrels of our rifles could not be touched by our bare hands!
The Sikhs and our light company advanced in skirmis.h.i.+ng order, when some seven to eight hundred matchlock-men opened fire on them, and all at once a most furious charge was made by a body of about three hundred and sixty Rohilla Ghazis, who rushed out, shouting ”_Bismillah! Allah!
Allah! Deen! Deen!_” Sir Colin was close by, and called out, ”Ghazis, Ghazis! Close up the ranks! Bayonet them as they come on.” However, they inclined to our left, and only a few came on to the Ninety-Third, and these were mostly bayoneted by the light company which was extended in front of the line. The main body rushed on the centre of the Forty-Second; but as soon as he saw them change their direction Sir Colin galloped on, shouting out, ”Close up, Forty-Second! Bayonet them as they come on!” But that was not so easily done; the Ghazis charged in blind fury, with their round s.h.i.+elds on their left arms, their bodies bent low, waving their _tulwars_ over their heads, throwing themselves under the bayonets, and cutting at the men's legs. Colonel Cameron, of the Forty-Second, was pulled from his horse by a Ghazi, who leaped up and seized him by the collar while he was engaged with another on the opposite side; but his life was saved by Colour-Sergeant Gardener, who seized one of the enemy's _tulwars_, and rus.h.i.+ng to the colonel's a.s.sistance cut off the Ghazi's head. General Walpole was also pulled off his horse and received two sword-cuts, but was rescued by the bayonets of the Forty-Second. The struggle was short, but every one of the Ghazis was killed. None attempted to escape; they had evidently come on to kill or be killed, and a hundred and thirty-three lay in one circle right in front of the colours of the Forty-Second.
The Commander-in-Chief himself saw one of the Ghazis, who had broken through the line, lying down, shamming dead. Sir Colin caught the glance of his eye, saw through the ruse, and called to one of the Forty-Second, ”Bayonet that man!” But the Ghazi was enveloped in a thick quilted tunic of green silk, through which the blunt Enfield bayonet would not pa.s.s, and the Highlander was in danger of being cut down, when a Sikh _sirdar_[46] of the Fourth Punjabis rushed to his a.s.sistance, and took the Ghazi's head clean off with one sweep of his keen _tulwar_. These Ghazis, with a very few exceptions, were gray-bearded men of the Rohilla race, clad in green, with green turbans and _k.u.mmerbunds_,[47] round s.h.i.+elds on the left arm, and curved _tulwars_ that would split a hair.
They only succeeded in wounding about twenty men--they threw themselves so wildly on the bayonets of the Forty-Second! One of them, an exception to the majority, was quite a youth, and having got separated from the rest challenged the whole of the line to come out and fight him. He then rushed at Mr. Joiner, the quartermaster of the Ninety-Third, firing his carbine, but missing. Mr. Joiner returned the fire with his revolver, and the Ghazi then threw away his carbine and rushed at Joiner with his _tulwar_. Some of the light company tried to take the youngster prisoner, but it was no use; he cut at every one so madly, that they had to bayonet him.
The commotion caused by this attack was barely over, when word was pa.s.sed that the enemy were concentrating in front for another rush, and the order was given for the spare ammunition to be brought to the front.
I was detached with about a dozen men of No. 7 company to find the ammunition-guard, and bring our ammunition in rear of the line. Just as I reached the ammunition-camels, a large force of the rebel cavalry, led by Feroze Shah in person, swept round the flank and among the baggage, cutting down camels, camel-drivers, and camp-followers in all directions. My detachment united with the ammunition-guard and defended ourselves, shooting down a number of the enemy's _sowars_. I remember the Rev. Mr. Ross, chaplain of the Forty-Second, running for his life, dodging round camels and bullocks with a rebel _sowar_ after him, till, seeing our detachment, he rushed to us for protection, calling out, ”Ninety-Third, shoot that impertinent fellow!” Bob Johnston, of my company, shot the _sowar_ down. Mr. Ross had no sword nor revolver, and not even a stick with which to defend himself. Moral--When in the field, _padres_, carry a good revolver! About the same time as Mr. Ross gained our protection, we saw Mr. Russell, of _The Times_, who was ill and unable to walk from the kick of a horse, trying to escape on horseback.
He had got out of his _dooly_, undressed and bareheaded as he was, and leaped into the saddle, as the _syce_ had been leading his horse near him. Several of the enemy's _sowars_ were dodging through the camels to get at him. We turned our rifles on them, and I shot down the one nearest to Mr. Russell, just as he had cut down an intervening camel-driver and was making for ”Our Special”; in fact, his _tulwar_ was actually lifted to swoop down on Mr. Russell's bare head when my bullet put a stop to his proceedings. I saw Mr. Russell tumble from his saddle at the same instant as the _sowar_ fell, and I got a rare fright, for I thought my bullet must have struck both. However, I rushed to where Mr.
Russell had fallen, and I then saw from the position of the slain _sowar_ that my bullet had found its proper billet, and that Mr. Russell was down with sunstroke, the blood flowing freely from his nose. There was no time to lose. Our Mooltanee Irregulars were after the enemy, and I had to hasten to the line with the spare ammunition; but before I left Mr. Russell to his fate, I called some of the Forty-Second baggage-guards to put him into his _dooly_ and take him to their doctor, while I hastened back to the line and reported the occurrence to Captain Dawson. Next morning I was glad to hear that Mr. Russell was still alive, and likely to get over his stroke.
After this charge of the rebel cavalry we were advanced; but the thunder of Jones' attack on the other side of the city evidently disconcerted the enemy, and they made off to the right of our line, while large numbers of Ghazis concentrated themselves in the main buildings of the city. We suffered more from the sun than from the enemy; and after we advanced into the shelter of a large mango _tope_ we were nearly eaten alive by swarms of small green insects, which invaded our bare legs in thousands, till we were glad to leave the shelter of the mango trees and take to the open plain again. As night drew on the cantonments were secured, the baggage was collected, and we bivouacked on the plain, strong piquets being thrown out. My company was posted in a small field of onions near a _pucca_[48] well with a Persian wheel for lifting the water. We supped off the biscuits in our haversacks, raw onions, and the cool water drawn from well, and then went off to sleep. I wish I might always sleep as soundly as I did that night after my supper of raw onions and dry biscuits!
On the 6th of May the troops were under arms, and advanced on the city of Bareilly. But little opposition was offered, except from one large house on the outskirts of the town, in which a body of about fifty Rohilla Ghazis had barricaded themselves, and a company (I think it was No. 6 of the Ninety-Third) was sent to storm the house, after several sh.e.l.ls had been pitched into it. This was done without much loss, except that of one man; I now forget his name, but think it was William MacDonald. He rushed into a room full of Ghazis, who, before his comrades could get to his a.s.sistance, had cut him into sixteen pieces with their sharp _tulwars_! As the natives said, he was cut into annas.[49] But the house was taken, and the whole of the Ghazis slain, with only the loss of this one man killed and about half a dozen wounded.
While this house was being stormed the townspeople sent a deputation of submission to the Commander-in-Chief, and by ten o'clock we had pitched our camp near the ruins of the church which had been destroyed twelve months before. Khan Bahadoor Khan and the Nana Sahib were reported to have fled in the direction of the Nepal Terai, while Feroze Shah, with a force of cavalry and guns, had gone back to attack Shahjehanpore.
About mid-day on the 6th a frightful accident happened, by which a large number of camp-followers and cattle belonging to the ordnance-park were killed. Whether for concealment or by design (it was never known which) the enemy had left a very large quant.i.ty of gunpowder and loaded sh.e.l.ls in a dry well under a huge tree in the centre of the old cantonment. The well had been filled to the very mouth with powder and sh.e.l.ls, and then covered with a thin layer of dry sand. A large number of ordnance _khalasies_,[50] bullock-drivers, and _dooly_-bearers had congregated under the tree to cook their mid-day meal, lighting their fires right on the top of this powder-magazine, when it suddenly exploded with a most terrific report, shaking the ground for miles, making the tent-pegs fly out of the hard earth, and throwing down tents more than a mile from the spot. I was lying down in a tent at the time, and the concussion was so great that I felt as if lifted clear off the ground. The tent-pegs flew out all round, and down came the tents, before the men, many of whom were asleep, had time to get clear of the canvas. By the time we got our arms free of the tents, bugles were sounding the a.s.sembly in all directions, and staff-officers galloping over the plain to ascertain what had happened. The spot where the accident had occurred was easily found. The powder having been in a deep well, it acted like a huge mortar, fired perpendicularly; an immense cloud of black smoke was sent up in a vertical column at least a thousand yards high, and thousands of sh.e.l.ls were bursting in it, the fragments flying all round in a circle of several hundred yards. As the place was not far from the ammunition-park, the first idea was that the enemy had succeeded in blowing up the ammunition; but those who had ever witnessed a similar accident could see that, whatever had happened, the concussion was too great to be caused by only one or two waggon-loads of powder. From the appearance of the column of smoke and the sh.e.l.ls bursting in it, as if shot out of a huge mortar, it was evident that the accident was confined to one small spot, and the belief became general that the enemy had exploded an enormous mine. But after some time the truth became known, the troops were dispersed, and the tents repitched. This explosion was followed in the afternoon by a most terrific thunderstorm and heavy rain, which nearly washed away the camp. The storm came on as the non-commissioned officers of the Ninety-Third and No. 2 company were falling in to bury Colour-Sergeant Mackie, who had been knocked down by the sun the day before and had died that forenoon. Just when we were lowering the body into the grave, there was a crash of thunder almost as loud as the explosion of the powder-mine. The ground becoming soaked with rain, the tent-pegs drew and many tents were again thrown down by the force of the hurricane; and as everything we had became soaked, we pa.s.sed a most uncomfortable night.
On the morning of the 7th of May we heard that Colonel Hale and the wing of the Eighty-Second left in the jail at Shahjehanpore had been attacked by Feroze Shah and the Nana Sahib, and were sore pushed to defend themselves. A brigade, consisting of the Sixtieth Rifles, Seventy-Ninth Highlanders, several native regiments, the Ninth Lancers, and some batteries of artillery, under Brigadier John Jones (”the Avenger”) was at once started back for the relief of Shahjehanpore--rather a gloomy outlook for the hot weather of 1858! While this brigade was starting, the remainder of the force which was to hold Bareilly for the hot season, consisting of the Forty-Second, Seventy-Eighth, and Ninety-Third, s.h.i.+fted camp to the sandy plain near where Bareilly railway station now stands, hard by the little fort in the centre of the plain. There we remained in tents during the whole of May, large working parties being formed every morning to a.s.sist the engineers to get what shelter was possible ready for the hottest months. The district jail was arranged as barracks for the Ninety-Third, and we moved into them on the 1st of June. The Forty-Second got the old _cutchery_[51] buildings with a new thatch roof; and the Seventy-Eighth had the Bareilly College.
There we remained till October, 1858.