Agra. Cawnpoor, when an urgent message from Mr. Reade at Agra met him at Hattras. Mr. Colvin, the lieutenant- Events at governor of the north-western provinces, had died on September 9, and for his successor, Colonel Fraser, Mr. Reade was officiating. While the English forces were occupied with Dehly, a considerable army of mutineers from Indoor, Gwalior, and other southern stations had assembled at Dhólpoor, on the Chumbul, hoping to be joined by the Gwalior contingent; but as yet it had not moved, for Sindia had been able to restrain it: the others could not remain inactive, and Agra, weakly defended, seemed an easy prey, and, could it be gained, would be a rallying point for all other bodies of mutineers now in the field. It was indeed fortunate the Dhólpoor rebels had not moved sooner; but Greathed, making a forced march, reached Agra on the morning of September 10, and as the men were resting, unaccoutred, a sharp fire was opened upon them from masked rebel guns. During the previous night, the rebel force, 7,000 strong, had marched from Dhólpoor with the intention of surprising the fort, Defeat of the but were happily forestalled. The action was short rebels at but decisive; and with the loss of their twelve guns, their camp, and 500 dead, the rebels were pursued by the cavalry and horse-artillery for five miles, when the weary troops could do no more, and the rebels, scattering themselves among the fields of tall maize, escaped. This essential service performed, the column marched on to Cawnpoor, which it reached on October 10. Agra. column. With a like success, another column from Dehly, under Brigadier Showers, took the forts of Kanoud and Jhájur, and showers's cleared the country of all rebel bands and plunderers that column. infested it, restoring order, and re-establishing the executive government. To the south, many spirited affairs had taken place, into the details of which it is needless to enter; but success had attended all, and the loyal Bombay troops had at last Stuart's struck in, beating a large body of rebels at Mundissoor Bombay in good style; and Brigadier Stuart, at Dhár, was doing good service with the Malwah field force, part of which was composed of the cavalry and infantry of the Hyderabad contingent. During July and August, Colonel Davidson, the Resident at Hyderabad, had, with excellent judgment, assembled Hyderabad a strong brigade of the contingent at Mulkapoor in contingent. Berar; and throughout the subsequent campaigns no force rendered more able or gallant service than the Nizam's contingent, which, composed as it was of the same elements in men as the Bengal army, and excited by the prevalent rumours and events, might, under inaction, have proved mutinous. The country now became, as it were, dotted with smaller events and actions, as everywhere that they could be discovered bands of rebels and mutineers were successively attacked. Near Azimgurh the Goorkhas of Jung Bahádoor combats. of Nipál, led by Captain Boileaux and Mr. Venables, defeated a large body of the enemy on September 20. On October 2, Major English, with a wing of the 53rd and a few Sikhs, attacked a large rebel force at Chuttra and routed them, taking four English six-pounder guns, ten elephants, and all their campequipage, with 50,000 rupees in cash. On November 1, with part of the Naval Brigade and some detachments of English regiments, Colonel Powell attacked the Dinapoor regiments at Kájwah, and though he lost his life, the victory was won by Captain Peel, whose seamen here had their first brush with the enemy. All these movements and actions were, however, of secondary importance before the great combinations of Sir Colin Campbell, which were now in progress. Varied minor events and CHAPTER VII. THE SECOND RELIEF OF LUKHNOW, AND FIELD OPERATIONS, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 1857. Native mines AFTER the first relief of the garrison of Lukhnow on September 25, Sir James Outram assumed the command. The rebel forces, so far from retiring from the city, now pressed the siege more closely, with augmented numbers, and for the succeeding two months the defence rivalled that of the preceding. The details form an instructive lesson in the art of war, from the manner in which advantage was taken of every building and cover, however slight, and the incessant mining and countermining against the native attack, which in this respect was peculiarly ingenious and persevering. and counter At the crisis at which the former relief took place, two mines had been carried under the very centre of the English position, which were fortunately discovered: and during the second defence General Outram records that shafts aggregating 200 feet in depth and 3,291 feet of ‘gallery,' were executed by his troops. It had been impossible either to send away the sick and wounded of the previous siege, or to retire from Lukhnow; and though in some peril from the duration of the attack and shortness of provision, it was a happy circumstance that the position was maintained without the necessity of attempting to retire. mines. Outram's defence of Lukhnow. Sir Colin advance. Meanwhile, reinforcements from England were arriving daily in Calcutta, and were forwarded consecutively to Cawn- Reinforce poor, which was the point of rendezvous for all de- ments. tachments and flying columns; and on November 9, Sir Colin Campbell advanced for the relief of General Outram to Buntara, on the Lukhnow road, where, on the 12th, and Campbell's afterwards on the 14th, he was joined by other troops and detachments, which brought up his force to about 5,000 men of all arms, with thirty guns. The daring feat of Mr. Kavanagh in carrying news from General Outram to Sir Colin through the rebel forces, is a well-known incident of the war, and met with a merited reward in the Victoria Cross and a handsome donation of 2,000l. Operations Lukhnow. On the 14th, the advance against the rebel positions began: and one after another they were carried at the point of the bayonet, the Sikhs and Punjâbees vying with the against English soldiers for pre-eminence in the varied combats. The Sikunder Bagh, a large enclosure, strongly garrisoned by the enemy, was breached and stormed by the Highlanders, the 53rd Foot, and 4th Punjâbees, when every soul found within it perished, and more than 2,000 of the enemy's dead were afterwards taken out and buried. The day's proceedings were wound up by the capture of the Shah Nujuf, a mosque, surrounded by a loopholed wall, where the Naval Brigade greatly distinguished themselves, bringing up their heavy guns, in the thick of the fire, close to the building. The capture of this position brought the assailants into communication with the garrison. The Mess-house, another fortified rebel post, was not carried till the afternoon of the 17th ; but the women, sick, and wounded, could not be removed till the 19th, when they all happily reached the Sikunder Bágh in safety. position. Sir Colin Next day the position, defended so nobly for six weary months, was evacuated under such admirable precautions that Evacuation the enemy, ignorant of the movement, continued firing of the British on it long after no one remained there. Sir Colin Campbell's dispatch forms an eloquent record of the services performed by all, which were liberally rewarded by Government, by honours, distinctions, and extra allowances. Considering Campbell's the severity of the fighting, the loss of the British force in the last movement was not heavy, in 122 killed and 414 wounded. That of the rebels could never be ascertained, but was believed to have been about 6,000: and it was mainly owing to Sir Colin's care in not employing his men in assaults till the powerful artillery had done its work, that the comparatively small loss may be attributed. It was no part of Sir Colin's Campbell's plan to attack the city dispatch. Havelock. itself on this occasion. With the small force at his disposal, it would have been impossible to have done so with effect, and any partial operation was out of the question. On the 23rd, the whole Death of of the troops were safe at Dilkoosha, near the city, where, on the 24th, the noble Sir Henry Havelock died from dysentery, and was buried at the Alumbágh. Here General Outram was left with 4,000 men, and on the 27th Sir Colin.commenced his return to Cawnpoor with a large convoy. He had only reached Bunnee, when sounds of a heavy cannonade in the direction of Cawnpoor induced him to push on, the more especially as he had not heard from General Windham, whom he had left with 2,000 men in charge of the entrenchment, for several days. contingent. The Gwalior contingent, heretofore neutral, and restrained by The Gwalior Sindia, though they had mutinied in June when several of their officers were shot by them, had at last marched to join the rebel forces under the Nána and his brother, Bala Sahib; and their united troops amounted to 20,000 men, with forty guns. The Gwalior contingent was one of the finest and most perfectly disciplined native levies in India, and among the rebel leaders, Tantia Tópee, a Mahratta Brahmin, but a soldier of singular ability, now appeared for the first time as a general. As the rebel forces advanced on Cawnpoor, General Windham went forth to meet them on the 26th, with about 1,200 men and twelve guns, and routed the first body he came up with, near the Pandoo river; but he had evidently no conception of their enCawnpoor. tire numbers, and next day, finding himself outflanked, retired on his entrenchment in some confusion, losing the campequipage, which had been collected for the army, and much stores. The enemy now closed upon the entrenchment, gaining possession of the city of Cawnpoor, and it was only by severe fighting on the 28th that the entrenchment itself was preserved from bombardment, while there was the utmost danger that the bridge of boats across the Ganges, by which alone Sir Colin Campbell's force could gain Cawnpoor, would be destroyed. His hurried march forward, therefore, was an able stroke of generalship and on the 29th and 30th the whole of the convoy and troops had safely reached their destination. Action at : There was no doubt that the English force at Cawnpoor had been handled unskilfully, while that of the rebels had been cleverly directed, and it was evident they must be driven from their position, which was every day becoming stronger; but till Sir Colin Campbell was free of all impediments and anxieties in regard to sick and wounded, he made no step in advance. All these were dispatched to Calcutta, with the garrison of Lukhnow, Cawnpoor. by December 5, and on the 6th the enemy was attacked with infinite spirit and resolution, the Naval Brigade winning The enemy fresh renown by the manner in which they moved and defeated at handled, as it was described, 'like playthings,' their heavy 24-pounder guns. All the troops, combined and admirably led, routed the right wing of the enemy, taking seventeen guns, twenty-five waggons, and all their stores; and the pursuit, taken up by General Little, was continued for fourteen miles. Meanwhile their left wing was attacked by General Mans- Mansfield's field in the rear, and totally routed; and on the 7th success. not a man of the great rebel army could be seen for miles around Cawnpoor. The British loss had been singularly small, in thirteen killed and eighty-six wounded. 1 Brigadier skirmish. Making sure of overtaking at least a portion of the rebels, who had made off to the ferry called Serái Ghát, twentyfive miles above Cawnpoor, Brigadier Hope Grant, after Hope Grant's discovering a large amount of treasure at Bithoor, pursued them with a brigade of 2,000 infantry and 500 cavalry. He found them on the 9th where he had expected, and combat of won a complete victory, taking fifteen guns, and their Serai Ghat. waggons, much ammunition, and some standards; while it is more surprising to relate that not one man of his force was even hurt: the rebels, on the contrary, sustaining heavy loss from a noble charge by the cavalry, the 9th Lancers and 5th Punjâbees. In two actions the Gwalior contingent had lost thirty-two guns, the arm in which they had most prided themselves. The opens. The commander-in-chief was now free to undertake a general campaign against the rebels in Oudh and Rohilkhund. It was ably planned and as ably executed. Separate campaign columns under himself, Hope Grant, Seaton from Dehly, and Walpole, cleared the country as far as Furrukabad, in the course of the month of December; and at Futtehgurh various a brilliant victory over the rebel Nawab of that place combats. was won by Colonel Kinleside, who took twelve guns and their waggons and stores from the enemy, who left 700 dead on the field and in their pursuit for seven miles. On the 27th, Colonel Seaton routed the enemy at Mynpooree, taking six guns: and in both these affairs the British loss was strangely small. Other opera At Lukhnow, Outram had not been idle. On December 22, he sallied out with two regiments at night, and routed a body of rebels who had taken up a position on the tions. Cawnpoor road; and on the 26th, Mahomed Hussein, a rebel leader, with 5,000 men, posted at Majowlee, was also defeated by Colonel Rowcroft. Jung Bahádoor of Nipál was advancing to co-operate with the British forces, with 10,000 Goorkhas from |