A Narrative of the Siege of Delhi / With an Account of the Mutiny at Ferozepore in 1857

ed from Lahore, the headquarters of the Executive Government of the Punjab. He brought instructions and orders from Sir John Lawrence to the Brigadier commanding at Fe

teen guns. The siege of the Mohammedan stronghold had begun on the next day, but the small band of English, Sikhs, and Goorkhas which composed the force was quite inad

en of my regiment. We had at length a prospect of entering upon a regular campaign, and t

a wing of the corps to march to Delhi. All, of course, were eager to go, an

h the fewest men in hospital, so that it could not be said that any favouritism in selection was shown by the Colonel. The wing numbered, all told, including officers an

t hand, a sufficient number of elephants, camels, and oxen were easily procured from

more than the regiment itself, so that transport was required for fully 2,000 souls, and often when moving along the road the baggage-train extended a mile in length.

sonal effects. Our native servants accompanied us on the line of march, and I must here mention that during the long campai

during the day-time. Moreover, it was necessary to preserve the health of the soldiers at this critical period, when every European in India was required to make head agai

t souls assembled) to the comrades we were leaving behind; the band struck up, an

n song, the chorus of which was joined in by the men in the rear. We marched slowly, for it was necessary every now and then to halt so as to allow the long train of baggage to

as taken to prevent surprise, as we were marching, to all intents and purposes, through an

rtunate enough to find more comfortable quarters, the men moving into some of the buildings whic

ival in the station that terrible scourge cholera broke out in our ranks, and in a few hours six men succumbed to this frightful m

to the destroyer; nor were we entirely free from it till the end of the year. Many more were attacked, who

join the Delhi force. The church had been placed in a state of defence, all its walls loopholed, and around it had been cons

e were joined by four officers of the (late) 57th Native Infantry, who had received orders to join our wing, eventually to fill up vacancies in the

with want of rest that many of us actually fell fast asleep along the road, and would be rudely awakened by falling against others who were in the same plight as ourselves. At midnight we rested, when coffee and refreshment were se

the men part of the way in hackeries; the arrangement being that they should march halfway

s a lad at Kussowlie. A man of great intellectual attainments and sound judgment, he was an honour to the Bengal Civil Service. There was no officer at that momentous period in whom Sir John Lawrence placed more confidence. His familiarity with the native character, and the friendship borne towards him by the Sikh chieftains, enabled him thro

different ages, each deciding the fate of Hindostan for the time being. More than 100,000 men had been slain in these a

our ears by the stillness of the night-a sound which told us that our c

of trees on to the plain over which the army under Sir Henry Barnard had mo

in our hearts thought of that gallant little force which had advanced across

dy bleached to whiteness from the effects of the burning sun. Dead bodies of camels and oxen were also strewn about, and the stench was sickening. We were now about four miles from Delhi, and were met

own on the ridge overlooking the city, that sorties by the rebels were of almos

he besieging force appearing in sight about eight o'clock. Then the band struck

our arrival, the road on each side being lined with swarthy, sun-burnt, and already war-worn men. They ch

DELHI, FROM THE

ven under such cover wa

hr