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Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..33a3e4e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65654 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65654) diff --git a/old/65654-0.txt b/old/65654-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7a8857f..0000000 --- a/old/65654-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14770 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Brave British soldiers and the Victoria -Cross, by Samuel Beeton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Brave British soldiers and the Victoria Cross - a general account of the regiments and men of the British Army, - and stories of the brave deeds which won the prize "for valour" - -Editor: Samuel Beeton - -Release Date: June 20, 2021 [eBook #65654] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Brian Coe and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS AND THE -VICTORIA CROSS *** - - - - - -BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: Corporal Robert Shields, 23rd Regiment (Royal Welsh -Fusiliers), finding the Body of his wounded Adjutant, Lieut. Dyneley.] - - - - - BEETON’S BOY’S OWN LIBRARY. - - BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS - AND - THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - A GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE REGIMENTS AND MEN - OF THE BRITISH ARMY. - - AND STORIES OF THE BRAVE DEEDS WHICH WON THE PRIZE - “for Valour.” - - EDITED BY S. O. BEETON. - - [Illustration] - - _With Sixteen Full-Page Engravings and Illustrations - in the Text._ - - LONDON: - WARD, LOCK AND TYLER, - WARWICK HOUSE, PATERNOSTER ROW. - - - - -BEETON’S BOY’S OWN LIBRARY, COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS. - - -_Handsomely-finished bindings in cloth, plain edges, 5s.; gilt edges, 6s._ - - 1. STORIES OF THE WARS. - 2. HOW I WON MY SPURS. EDGAR. - 3. CRESSY AND POICTIERS. Ditto. - 4. RUNNYMEDE AND LINCOLN FAIR. Ditto. - 5. WILD SPORTS OF THE WORLD. - 6. CURIOSITIES OF SAVAGE LIFE. - 7. HUBERT ELLIS. - 8. DON QUIXOTE. 300 Illustrations. - 9. GULLIVER’S TRAVELS. - 10. ROBINSON CRUSOE. - 11. SILAS THE CONJURER. - 12. SAVAGE HABITS AND CUSTOMS. - 13. REUBEN DAVIDGER. - 14. BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - 15. ZOOLOGICAL RECREATIONS. By W. J. BRODERIP, F.R.S. - 16. WILD ANIMALS IN FREEDOM AND CAPTIVITY. - 17. THE MAN AMONG THE MONKEYS. - 18. THE WORLD’S EXPLORERS. - -The best set of Volumes for Prizes, Rewards, or Gifts to English Lads. -They have all been prepared by Mr. Beeton with a view to their fitness in -manly tone and handsome appearance for presents for Youth, amongst whom -they enjoy an unrivalled degree of popularity, which never flags. - -LONDON: WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -TO THE READER. - - -This book is written for Boys. The majority of the articles were -expressly prepared for the “Boys’ Own Magazine,” and the interest which -their appearance excited, coupled with the favourable notices they won, -encouraged the Editor to publish them in a connected form. - -Boys—worthy to be called Boys—are naturally brave. There is not, so far -as we are aware, any etymological connexion between the words _boy_ and -_brave_; but there _is_ an association of ideas, which if it does not -make the terms interchangeable, is still strongly suggestive of their -being one and the same. The expression _brave_ man is easily understood, -but to us, _brave_ BOY looks like a pleonasm. A man has experience. He -has tested—if there be any good thing in him—his courage in the rough -exploits of the world’s campaign. He has tilted, mayhap, with Quixotic -chivalry against windmills, and in the encounter has been discomfited; he -has awakened from his bright dream to a sad reality; he has been tempted -to turn prosaic—inclined sometimes to beat his sword into a sickle, to -gather in for his own special use the golden wheat from _anybody’s_ -cornfield, and to make those late foes of his—the windmills—grind up the -corn to make _his_ bread. Now he is no longer brave. His views of life -are taken from a new point of sight. He smiles at the _boy’s_ enthusiasm, -and counts himself wise in his _man’s_ selfishness. But a man who has -done battle, who has been thrown in the lists, who has been ready to -mount and splinter lance again, who in the gaining of experience has lost -nothing of the Boy’s boldness—such a man is _brave_. - -The drift of these remarks is that experience may ruin a Boy’s -“pluck”—may give him the vulpine sagacity of Reynard in place of the -courage of Leo Africanus. - -But a Boy is brave. Youth is the season of confidence. “Your _young_ -men shall _see visions_” while our “_old_ men shall dream dreams.” -What visions are those which rise up before the young—what brave words -to speak, what brave actions to do—how bravely—if need be—to suffer! -“The young fellows,” said an old soldier to the writer, “are always -pushing forward in a battle charge—they are in a mighty hurry to smell -powder—_the veterans fall into the rear_!” Do they?—ah, well, ’tis the -lesson, perhaps of experience! But is it better than the Boy’s eagerness -to be foremost?—is it not—answer brave hearts—better to die planting the -colours on the wall, than to share the spoil which others have won? - -This is the leading thought in this book about Soldiers—it is meant to -keep alive the bravery of youth in the experience of manhood. The editor -of the book is very sensible of the incompleteness of the work. He knows -that it is defective in many places, but it is honest. A good many of the -papers were written by one who was then far away on a foreign station -doing brave service; some of the papers are the work of dead hands. The -articles have been put together as carefully as circumstances would -allow, but there has been an anxious care on the Editor’s part to retouch -as little as possible the work of absent contributors. He offers the book -to the Boys of England—not as the best piece of work that can be done—but -as a volume they will read with delight and keep as a _souvenir_ of -pleasant hours. He is of opinion that anything which helps to make Boys -more in love with true courage is good work done—he believes that bravery -excites bravery, just as iron sharpeneth iron; and so he has confidence -in this book being useful—a record of brave deeds that shall make its -readers echo the words of King Harry— - - “If it be a sin to covet honour - I am the most offending soul alive.” - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. OUR SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS 1 - - II. THE GUARDS, OR HOUSEHOLD TROOPS OF ENGLAND 14 - - III. THE ENGINEERS 24 - - IV. THE ROYAL WELSH 40 - - V. OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS 54 - - VI. OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(_continued_) 64 - - VII. OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(_continued_) 84 - - VIII. OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(_continued_) 93 - - IX. OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(_continued_) 107 - - X. THE PIPERS OF OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS 123 - - XI. COLONEL BELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS 139 - - XII. COMMANDER (NOW CAPTAIN) FIOTT DAY, R.N., AND THE - VICTORIA CROSS 149 - - XIII. LIEUTENANTS MOORE AND MALCOLMSON AND THE VICTORIA CROSS 158 - - XIV. CAPTAIN W. A. KERR, SOUTH MAHRATTA HORSE, AND THE VICTORIA - CROSS 168 - - XV. PRIVATE HENRY WARD, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS 176 - - XVI. LIEUTENANT ANDREW CATHCART BOGLE, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS - (NOW CAPTAIN 10TH FOOT) 193 - - XVII. DR. J. JEE, C.B., V.C., SURGEON; ASSISTANT-SURGEON V.M. - M’MASTER, V.C.; AND LIEUTENANT AND ADJUTANT HERBERT - J. MACPHERSON, V.C. 207 - - XVIII. “LUCKNOW” KAVANAGH AND THE VICTORIA CROSS 221 - - XIX. LIEUTENANT BUTLER AND THE VICTORIA CROSS 236 - - XX. DR. HOME AND DR. BRADSHAW AND THE VICTORIA CROSS 244 - - XXI. ROSS L. MANGLES, ESQ., V.C., BENGAL CIVIL SERVICE - ASSISTANT-MAGISTRATE AT PATNA 257 - - XXII. CAPTAIN HENRY EVELYN WOOD, 17TH LANCERS 272 - - XXIII. SAMUEL MITCHELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS; OR THE GATE PA - AT TAURANGA 285 - - XXIV. ENSIGN M’KENNA AND THE VICTORIA CROSS 299 - - XXV. SERGEANT MAJOR LUCAS, OF THE 40TH REGIMENT, AND THE - VICTORIA CROSS 313 - - XXVI. THE HEROES OF THE VICTORIA CROSS IN NEW ZEALAND 322 - - XXVII. THE NAVAL BRIGADE IN INDIA 334 - - XXVIII. THE VARIOUS RANKS IN THE BRITISH ARMY, AND HOW TO - DISTINGUISH THEM 347 - - XXIX. A GRAND REVIEW 362 - - XXX. A SOLDIER’S FUNERAL 376 - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. - - - PAGE - - BUSHIRE 167 - - FINIAL, DEATH DEFENDING THE RAMPARTS 53 - - GIBRALTAR 24 - - GLENCOE 113 - - GRENADIER, COLDSTREAM, AND SCOTS FUSILIER GUARDS 23 - - NEW ZEALAND ARMS 285 - - OFFICERS, EMBROIDERY ON UNIFORM OF 349, 350 - - ROYAL ARTILLERY, BADGES OF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS - OF THE 356, 357 - - ROYAL WELSH, INITIAL LETTER TO THE CHAPTER ON THE 40 - - VICTORIA CROSS, THE 1 - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -OUR SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -OUR SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -[Illustration] - -It has been our lot in life to live very much among soldiers, and we -like to write and talk about them. We hope that our readers will not be -averse from hearing something of a class in whom we have all a common -interest. It is true that English boys are not quite so warlike in their -tendencies as French; they neither worship _la gloire_ nor dress like -manikin _soldats_. Swords and guns are not their only playthings, nor are -feeble imitations of sanguinary contests their only pastimes. We here -delight in all manly games and sports, for which French men and boys have -little taste, and we thus acquire a muscular development and hardiness of -frame which enable us to bear any amount of fatigue. It was a saying of -the grand old Iron Duke that all his battles were won on the playground -at Eton; by which we suppose he meant that his officers, most of whom -were Eton boys, received there such a physical training as fitted them to -be heroes in the strife. Still, it is one of those epigrammatic sayings -in which truth is sacrificed for effect; for what could the duke, with -all his officers, have done without the brave privates who composed his -forces, and to whom he rendered justice on another occasion by saying -that with such an army he could go anywhere and do anything? - -A chaplain belongs, of course, to the non-combatant class in the army. -It is not his duty to appear in the field, or to take part in battles. -He has to remain at the hospital, and to administer the consolations -of religion to the wounded and the dying; but he is precluded by his -profession from being present at, or taking part in, any battle. - -It is for this reason, perhaps, that we have always had a certain -pleasure in listening to soldiers as they fought their battles over in -hospital, and recounted their experience to one another. It was all -strange and new to us, as, we dare say, it will be to most of those who -read this book. - -The soldiers of whom we speak all took part in and survived the Crimean -war. Their manly breasts are all adorned with the different medals -awarded to them; two of them wear the Victoria Cross. One early object -of our curiosity was to ascertain what are the sensations or feelings -of a soldier on entering battle, or being exposed to fire for the first -time. Now, the answer we invariably received will, perhaps, take some of -our readers by surprise. They felt nothing of that warlike intoxication -ascribed to the old Vikings on the eve of the combat; they had none of -that strange joy ascribed by the patriarch to the war-horse at the sound -of the trumpet, nor were they exactly afraid; but there was a certain -uneasy sensation experienced by all as the bullet whizzed past the ear, -and comrade after comrade dropped, sometimes with a sharp cry of pain, -sometimes giving no sign. - -This feeling some of them graphically described as similar to that -which a bather experiences before plunging into the water; _ce n’est -que le premier pas qui coûte_; after the first dip Richard is himself -again. But our readers are not to suppose that the soldier shows the -same hesitation in advancing to charge as the bather on the brink of -the stream. If he did he would be a coward, and be scorned by all his -comrades. To make the two cases parallel, we must suppose a thousand -bathers rushing forward to the stream at once. Now, though an individual -bather standing alone might stop short on reaching the water, and pause -before taking a header, a thousand bathers rushing forward at once, -would plunge into the water without hesitation. The dread of shame, of -exposure, of ridicule, would nerve the least courageous for the final -leap. There is, moreover, such a strong feeling of sympathy diffused -among large bodies of men acting in concert that the strength of the -stronger is imparted to the weaker. Now, it is the same with soldiers -advancing to the charge. All of them feel the cold shiver like that of -the bather approaching the water, but they march shoulder to shoulder, -and with them are some old soldiers who have been under fire before. The -younger ones are encouraged by their example, and many a lad who has -trembled on first smelling powder has proved himself a hero in the fight. - -We have read in books that soldiers sometimes weep while fighting hand -to hand and sorely pressed—not tears of cowardly terror by any means, -but such tears as the strongest of men will shed in hours of fierce -excitement. Wellington wept as he embraced Blucher after the Battle of -Waterloo. This, indeed, has been denied, but it is not difficult to -believe it true. There are moments in the lives of all men, even the -most reserved and self-contained, when the hidden fountains of feeling -well over and find an outlet through the eyes, and we should not think -a whit less highly of our soldiers did they shed a few tears of valiant -rage while victory was still doubtful. But these tears, we suspect, are -purely imaginary. For ourselves, we never met with a single soldier who -confessed that he had shed tears himself, or seen others weep. We are -sure that they would not have denied it if they had yielded to any such -weakness, for, as a class, soldiers are the most truthful of men. All -with whom we conversed agreed in affirming that our men were very quiet -while fighting hand to hand with the enemy. There would be occasionally a -shrill cry of pain from the wounded, or a short cry of triumph from the -man who struck down his opponent, but generally, all the dread work of -the battle-field was done in silence. All admitted that the most fearful -sound during a battle was the cry of a wounded horse; it was so like that -of a human being in his death agony—shrill, piercing, heartrending. The -horses seem to become almost human in the hour of battle, to share in all -the wild passions of the combatants, and to exult equally in the hour of -victory. - -But while our men fought in silence, the Russians were very noisy both -in advancing and in fighting. They uttered the most savage yells, as -if they thought to inspire our men with terror by the mere noise they -made. They soon discovered that Englishmen are not so easily frightened; -but they still continued to shout from mere habit. Their officers also -encouraged them in this custom, giving them, moreover, drink to make them -pot-valiant. Notwithstanding this, we have always heard our soldiers -frankly speak of the Russians as “foemen worthy of their steel.” Brave -men, we know, learn to respect one another even in the field, and the -Russians are certainly one of the bravest nations in Europe. They still -retain, however, many of the characteristics of savage life; they have -not yet learned to act on the old Roman maxim, “_Debellare superbos, -parcere victis._” They often bayoneted our men when left defenceless and -wounded. It is but just to add that they expected no mercy when left in -the same condition, and seemed overwhelmed with surprise when our men -treated them with the same generous tenderness as though they had been -comrades instead of foes. - -There are sometimes strange traits of character exhibited during the -excitement of battle. Men may have been living under restraint for years, -and come to believe themselves to be very different from what they are. -Xenophon relates a story of a Greek soldier who, in consequence of a -wound which had affected his brain, forgot the language he had spoken for -many years, and began to express himself in his native tongue, which, -before this accident, seemed to have entirely faded from his memory. -Something analogous to this occurred at the Battle of the Alma, in the -case of a sergeant of the Guards. He had once been much addicted to -swearing, but had been enabled to vanquish this and other evil habits, -and for many years had been looked up to by his comrades as a man of -exemplary character. His company, while charging up the heights of the -Alma, was surrounded by the enemy, and, after suffering severe loss, -was obliged to retreat. In vain the poor sergeant endeavoured to rally -them. He was borne along with the current. Overpowered with shame and -rage, he gave way to a sort of madness, and swore such fearful oaths that -we have often heard the men of his company say that it was something -awful to hear him. Those who occupied the same tent with him relate that -he spent most of the night after the battle in prayer, and was often -heard sobbing like a child. He never spoke of the strange outburst of -that day to any of his comrades, and they had the delicacy to avoid all -allusion to the subject; but it was observed that he was more humble, -kind, and considerate in his bearing towards them than he had ever been -before. He survived the war and returned to England, where he enjoyed -the respect of all who knew him, and was never known to indulge in the -habit which gained the mastery over him at the Alma. He is now dead, but -his surviving comrades speak with a sort of awe of the incident we have -related. - -One soldier of the Guards became raving mad at the Alma. It happened in -this way:—The Russian fire struck down several of the men as they were -advancing. The soldier of whom we speak was a young lad who had never -smelt powder before. By his side was a comrade who belonged to the same -district, and had enlisted at the same time. The latter was hit by a -cannon-ball, and his brains were bespattered over the face of his friend, -who became frantic, roaring and shouting like a madman. He imagined that -his comrades were the enemy, and that he was fighting hand to hand with -them. The whole company was thrown into confusion, and he wounded some of -his comrades before he could be disarmed. He was conducted to the rear, -fighting and struggling the whole way. The surgeons pronounced him to be -a dangerous lunatic, and he was strapped down upon one of the beds in -the hospital, with a sentinel to watch over him. That sentinel told us -that he was never entrusted before or since with such an unpleasant duty. -Owing to the shock which the brain had received, the poor madman could -not rest for a moment. He fancied himself in the thickest of the combat, -fighting with all the energy of despair, and swearing that his comrades -should be avenged. He continued in this raving condition for about -twenty-four hours, when, with the exultant cry of “Victory!” he expired. -A similar incident occurred at Inkermann: in this case, also, the soldier -survived only twenty-four hours. - -Soldiers rarely feel much pain at the moment they receive their wounds, -unless these be very severe, in which case they suffer much from thirst. -There is one very gallant friend of ours—a non-commissioned officer—who -was shot through the ankle in crossing the stream at the Alma. He knew -not that he was wounded till the battle was over, but thought that his -foot had got entangled among the vines in crossing the valley, and that -he had sprained the joint. A good soldier never likes to go to hospital -when there is any hard fighting, and our friend kept “a quiet sough,” as -they say in the North, about his wound, and marched at the head of his -company as if nothing had happened to him. His courage and endurance were -rewarded: he was present at, and took part in, the Battle of Inkermann, -where his gallantry attracted the notice of the commanding officer, on -whose recommendation he obtained the medal and pension for distinguished -conduct in the field. He was wounded also on this occasion, but his hurt -was of a far more serious character. He was shot through the head: the -bullet literally entered at one side, and came out at the other. He felt -a sharp, stinging pain, and remembered nothing more till he regained -his consciousness in hospital, and was surprised to learn that he had -been some weeks under the doctor’s hands. He suffers no inconvenience -from his wound now, except occasional dizziness and half-blindness after -any excitement or exposure to the sun. Such a man in the French service -might have risen to the rank of field-marshal, and obtained a name in -the page of history. Well, after all, the great thing is to do our duty -well in the position we occupy; and our friend, as sergeant-major of -his distinguished regiment, is happier, probably, than if he had had -greatness thrust upon him. - -Though soldiers recover from their wounds at the moment, they are often -very dangerous afterwards. The brain is often injured, and the disease -goes on till the man loses his reason, or drops down dead. A poor fellow -was hit on the crown of the head by a piece of shell in one of the -trenches before Sebastopol. He was stunned at the moment, but thought -so little of it that he did not even report himself wounded. For eight -years he felt no pain, but one day, while on guard, he was seized with a -sudden giddiness, and became insensible. He was conveyed to hospital in a -cab, and on recovering his consciousness he found that he was suffering -the most intense pain on the crown of his head. His sufferings were very -great; the only relief he could obtain was through the application of -chloroform. - -We write all this knowing that English boys feel deep sympathy with, and -profound admiration for, our soldiers, and to show that their powers of -endurance, when disabled, equal in heroic worth their gallantry upon the -field. - -Not all our readers, perhaps, have seen the Victoria Cross. It is not -very beautiful nor very valuable in itself. A fac-simile of it appears -at the commencement of this chapter. It is a simple piece of bronze, -shaped like a cross, and its intrinsic value may be about threepence. -Its intrinsic value! but who can tell the price a soldier puts upon it? -He had rather have that piece of bronze on his breast than be made a -Knight of the Garter, and have his banner hung up with those of the other -K.G.’s in the Chapel of St. George at Windsor. To obtain that small piece -of bronze of the value of threepence he will lead the forlorn hope, be -the first to storm the breach, and ever ready to expose his life to any -danger. The Victoria Cross is as much to a soldier as the _gage d’amour_ -the knight-errant in the days of chivalry received from his lady-love, -and swore never to part with. The pledge of her affection might be a -soiled and tattered glove, worth even less than the cross “For Valour,” -but it was dearer to her lover than life itself. O that the day may never -come in this country when we shall judge of things by the Hudibrastic -principle— - - “The price of anything - Is just as much as it will bring!” - -for badly then will it fare with Old England. When our soldiers come to -value their crosses at threepence each, the price they will fetch at a -marine store, we shall not long survive as a nation. But there is little -danger of such an eventuality. There are things—God be thanked—which we -_do_ love and value more than life itself—things which gold can _not_ -purchase. The Victoria Cross is one of them; and we are about to relate -how three gallant officers of one of our most distinguished regiments -came to be decorated with the priceless meed “FOR VALOUR.” One was a -commissioned officer; the other two were sergeants. Though different in -rank, they were equal in bravery; their bravery was equally rewarded. -Most people—thanks to Mr. Kinglake’s history, and other sources of -information—are now tolerably familiar with all the details of the Battle -of the Alma. They know how the gallant Welsh Fusiliers, after forcing -their way to the heights, and seizing the colours on the Russian battery, -were so cut up by the enemy that they were forced to retire. They fell -back in obedience to orders. It so happened, however, that as the word, -“Fusiliers, retire!” was given, the Scots Fusilier Guards were charging -up the heights, and the officer in command of them, hearing the order, -thought that it was intended for his own men, and commanded them to fall -back. This fact is not mentioned by Mr. Kinglake, but there are many -witnesses still alive who heard this second order given, and acted upon -it. Now, it is very difficult to retire before an enemy without falling -into confusion; and it so happened that the Welsh Fusiliers came rushing -down like a torrent. One gallant regiment opened their ranks, allowed -them to pass through, and then closed again; but the Scots Fusiliers were -not so fortunate. They did not open their ranks, because they received no -order to do so, and were already falling back, when the crowd of Welsh -Fusiliers came rushing upon them, broke through their ranks, and threw -them into disorder; and, in the midst of this, the Russians made a dash -at the colours of the regiment. - -[Illustration: Captain Lloyd Lindsay, Scots Fusilier Guards, saving the -regimental colours at the Alma.] - -Now, it is not needful to dwell on the fact that it would be as -disgraceful for an English regiment to lose its colours as it would have -been for an old Roman centurion to have lost his shield. The colours are -usually intrusted to one or two subalterns and several sergeants, who -form a sort of guard of honour over them, and are held responsible for -their safety. When they are in danger the bravest men in the regiment -rally round them, and it is held unworthy not to follow them wherever -they are seen. They are the same to our soldiers as the white plume of -Henry of Navarre was to his men, or the bronze eagles to Rome’s Tenth -Legion. Knowing this, officers have sometimes thrown the colours into -the very midst of the enemy, sure that their men would die rather than -lose them. No sooner, therefore, was it known that the colours were in -danger than the bravest men of the regiment tried to reach them, but only -a few succeeded. They did not come too soon; the men intrusted with the -colours fought like lions, but one officer was struck down, and only two -sergeants survived the fearful contest. But the colours were safe, and -the men might proudly say, with Francis I. after disastrous Pavia, “_Tout -est perdu, hors l’honneur._” The regiment wiped out the memory of the -misfortune at the Alma (it was no disgrace to obey orders) on the bloody -field of Inkermann, and a grateful country did not forget the men who -loved their colours better than their lives. The officer who was struck -down died of his wounds on the voyage home; Death was envious of the -honours that awaited him. The other officer still survives, and wears on -his breast the cross his sovereign bestowed upon him. He is, or will be, -one of the wealthiest men in England, but we are sure that he values that -small piece of bronze of the value of threepence more than all the money -he has at his banker’s. - - “Money is round, and rolls away,” - -but the memory of a brave action has never perished. - -But gallant deeds are the same whether they be done by officers or by -men; and the two sergeants demand notice who were also, for the part -they took in this affair, decorated with the Victoria Cross. We should -not dwell upon their history if it were not that it points a moral, -though it does not adorn our tale. Both of these sergeants were fine, -handsome fellows; one of them is six feet two inches in height. When they -returned to London, and walked forth in the streets, decorated with the -memorials of their bravery, their appearance naturally attracted much -attention. Foolish people stopped them in the street, and invited them -to drink. Now, no man of sense or good-breeding will drink in this way -with soldiers, and no man of good feeling will tempt soldiers to drink. -Those who thus invited our sergeants, we believe, meant no harm, but only -wished to give the sergeants a cheerful glass, and to make them light -their battles o’er again. But soldiers who know how to resist the enemy -in war are not always proof against temptation in times of peace. These -two Victoria Cross men fell into irregular habits, such as could not be -tolerated in the case of non-commissioned officers; every effort was made -to save them, but in vain; their irregularities became so glaring that -they were reduced to, and have ever since remained in, the ranks. They -are steady enough now, but it is felt that they cannot be trusted, and -they are not likely ever to regain their former rank. It seems very hard -that brave men should lose their position through the mistaken kindness -and thoughtlessness of their admirers, and we hope that those who feel -sympathy with soldiers will find some better way of expressing it than -by giving them drink. These two men, though serving in the ranks, have -still much influence over their comrades, and that influence, we are glad -to say, is generally exercised for good. The possession of the Victoria -Cross carries with it a pension of 10_l._, which cannot be forfeited -through misconduct; the pension for distinguished conduct in the field is -15_l._ per annum. - -Many small pledges of affection were found on the persons of our soldiers -who fell on the battle-fields of the Crimea. Sometimes a lock of hair, or -a photograph, or a last letter from home, or a small Bible or Testament, -was found concealed beneath the tunic of a dead soldier. Many of them -carried their Bibles with them to the field as a sort of talisman to -protect them from danger; and there is a well-authenticated case of one -soldier having had his life saved from the bullet, which would otherwise -have reached his heart, having lodged in his Bible. We should think that -book would become a precious relic in his family, ever to be prized, -never to be parted with, for it was literally the Word of Life to him. -Another was found with his right hand so firmly clenched that it was -difficult to open it. He had allowed the blood from his wound to flow -upon his hand, so that, on closing it, his fingers became, as it were, -cemented together. Inside the hand were found several sovereigns he had -saved from his pay with the intention of remitting them to his wife at -home. His last thought was, probably, of her, and her heart must have -been touched when she received the money he had saved for her with his -heart’s blood. Another man, who died of his wounds in hospital, had -recourse to a singular expedient to save his watch, which he wished to -be sent to his father in some remote country village. It was known that -he was possessed of a watch, and there was no small uneasiness among the -hospital orderlies when it could not be found after his death. Search -was made for it in vain, and suspicion naturally fell upon the orderly -who had been with him when he died. As this man, however, had always -borne a good character, and there was no direct evidence against him, -he was allowed to retain his situation, which must have been anything -but a comfortable one. About ten days after the death of the soldier the -mystery was cleared up. The effects of a dead soldier are usually sold -by auction, and the proceeds, after paying all demands, remitted to his -relations at home. It so happened that this man was possessed of a pair -of good boots (a rare piece of good fortune in the Crimea), and these -were purchased by a comrade for a few shillings. The purchaser, in trying -on the right boot, found some obstacle in the toe which he imagined to be -a pebble; on shaking it out he discovered the missing watch. The dying -man, in the delirium of his last struggle, had contrived to secrete it -in the place where it was found. It would be difficult to assign any -reasonable motive for such an act; it was probably done in a moment of -unconsciousness. - -Commodore Wilmot has told us a good deal in his book about the King of -Dahomey’s Amazons. These female warriors form his body-guard, and are -three times as numerous as the men, whom they surpass in strength and -bravery. They are very skilful in the use of firearms, and carry gigantic -razors for shaving off heads—a very unladylike amusement, as all will -allow. Now, in this country we have no regularly organized army of -Amazons, though there is no saying what we may soon have in these days, -when there are so many suggestions for the employment of female labour. -It may be a prejudice on our part, but we confess we should not like to -see nice young ladies firing off blunderbusses, or shaving off people’s -heads. Still, women have been found serving in the ranks, both in France -and in England, without their sex being discovered, and a good many -soldiers’ wives accompanied our forces to the East. It is painful, but -truthful, to add that most of these adventurous females had to be sent -home, for reasons which we had rather not specify; four only were allowed -to remain. These well-conducted Amazons weathered all the dangers of the -campaign, watched over their husbands in the field and the hospital, did -all the marketing, without knowing a word of “the foreign lingo” spoken -by the natives, passed through many perils, and returned to relate their -“accidents by flood and field” to their admiring friends. - -Soldiers, as we have said, are very patient while enduring physical pain. -A hospital presents a fearful scene on the day after a battle. It is -surprising that no artist has selected such a subject to illustrate the -horrors of war. Our army surgeons are brave men, or they would lose their -presence of mind amid such scenes, for it requires less courage to kill -than to heal. Every form of physical suffering is to be seen there; but a -groan is rarely to be heard. It is only during the amputation of a limb, -or the probing of a wound, that a sharp cry of pain is sometimes wrung -from the sufferer, who generally turns aside his head, as if ashamed of -such unsoldierly weakness. Wounded and dying soldiers like to be visited -by their chaplains; they often say, “We have led a bad life; can there -be any hope for us now?” They may have been bad men, but they are always -truthful: they never try to make themselves out to be better than they -really are. Their last thought is generally of home. Often in India and -the Crimea a dying soldier has said to his chaplain, “You will write -and tell them all about it. I hope I have done my duty, and nothing -to disgrace my name.” If our chaplains did nothing but soothe the last -hours of our soldiers, their mission would not be altogether in vain; -and no class of men are more grateful for kindness, as our nurses in the -East will testify. And here we detract not from the excellent intentions -of those ladies in saying that, from want of previous training, they -were, as a class, disqualified for the work they undertook; yet we have -always heard them spoken of by the men with the deepest respect. We have -baptized many a Florence Nightingale, and the feeling cherished towards -this lady in the army is almost analogous to the Mariolatry of the -Italian peasantry: it borders on idolatry. “Shure she is not a woman, -but an angel of mercy,” said a poor Irishman whom she had nursed. “I -could kiss the very earth she threads.” There are many others equally -grateful, though less demonstrative and poetical in the expression of -their gratitude. Florence Nightingale and the Queen are the two patron -saints of the British Army. Our soldiers have not yet forgotten how her -Majesty visited them in hospital on their return from the Crimea, and -showed her sorrow and her sympathy as a woman best can show it—by her -tears. And, after all, be we queen or soldier’s wife, drummer-boy or -commander-in-chief, we are all members of the same family, with the same -great heart beating within our breasts. One touch of nature makes the -whole world kin. Our Queen wept for her wounded soldiers, and there was -many a soldier wept for our Queen when the great sorrow overtook her. -Such tears are not lost; they bind us all together, and give us a deeper -insight into that great law of love taught by Him who did not esteem it a -weakness to weep at the grave of a friend. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE GUARDS, OR HOUSEHOLD TROOPS OF ENGLAND. - - -From the earliest times, when standing armies were needless, inasmuch -as every human unit that made part of a nation’s total was more or less -a soldier, and was ready and willing to buckle on his harness and fight -at the beck of the ruler to whom he owed allegiance, to the present day -when the army and navy estimates are the _bêtes noirs_ of every would-be -politician who prefers money-grubbing to national honour, the chosen -head or chief magistrate of every nation—no matter what his style and -title may have been, or may be—has always had a select body-guard at his -command, partly as a mark of distinction and honour, and partly for the -special defence of his person against malcontents at home and enemies -abroad. - -To this rule Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom -of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of Hindostan, is no exception, -and could our eyes be gratified with a review in which the “household -troops” of all nations took part, from the _Cent Gardes_ of Napoleon III. -to the Amazons of His Brutality of Dahomey, it would be seen that there -are none superior to the British Guards. - -The Guards, or Household Troops of England, consist of six regiments, -three of cavalry and three of infantry. The three regiments of cavalry -are styled respectively, the First Life Guards, the Second Life Guards, -and the Horse Guards, or Oxford Blues; while the three regiments of -Foot Guards are known as the First, or Grenadier Guards, the Second, -or Coldstream Guards, and the Third, or Scots Fusilier Guards. These -six magnificent regiments of cavalry and infantry are—and it is -just and right to say so, though it be said with the pride of an -Englishman—unequalled in the world, whether it be in appointments or -soldierly bearing, in physical strength or majesty of stature, in dash -or discipline, unflinching endurance of hardships or superb indifference -to death—which last, by the way, are qualities common to all British -soldiers and sailors at all times and under all circumstances. - -The First and Second Life Guards owe their origin to a troop of eighty -Cavalier gentlemen who were enrolled in Holland, on May 17, 1660, as -a body of Life Guards for the protection of the person of Charles II. -against the conspiracies that were said to be forming in England to -assassinate him as soon as he set foot once more on English soil. The -number of this body-guard was raised to six hundred before the king -quitted Holland; but after the Restoration had been effected, several -gentlemen retired from the service to return to their homes in the -country, and it dwindled down to two troops—one of which remained with -the king in London, while the other went into garrison under the Duke of -York at Dunkirk. The attempt, however, of the “Fifth Monarchy Men” to -overthrow the king’s authority in 1661 led to the recall of the Duke of -York and his troopers, when the corps of Life Guards was raised to five -hundred men, and divided into three troops—the first being called His -Majesty’s Own; the second, the Duke of York’s, as before; and the third -the Duke of Albemarle’s. - -No change was made in the constitution of the Life Guards, with the -exception of the addition of a fourth troop after the Duke of Monmouth’s -rebellion in 1685, until October, 1693, when the Horse Grenadiers, who -had hitherto been attached to each troop of Life Guards—just as a company -of grenadiers formed part of almost every infantry regiment in the -British service until a few years ago—were embodied and formed into a -separate troop, distinguished by the title of the Horse Grenadier Guards. -It should also be stated that the Scots Life Guards and Horse Grenadier -Guards, which had been raised after the Restoration to act as a guard of -honour to the Lord High Commissioner and the Scottish Parliament, were -marched to London, and incorporated with the English Life Guards shortly -after the union of the two kingdoms. - -In 1745, after the defeat of Prince Charles Edward—otherwise styled -the Pretender—at Culloden, the four troops of Life Guards were reduced -to two; but the establishment of the Horse Grenadier Guards, which now -consisted of two troops, remained on the same footing. This continued -until June 25, 1788, when the two troops of Life Guards and the two -troops of Horse Grenadier Guards were embodied into two regiments, the -former bearing the title of the First Regiment of Life Guards, and -the latter that of the Second Regiment of Life Guards; and no further -alteration has been made to the present day, except in the number of -companies in each regiment, and the numerical strength of the companies. - -The third cavalry regiment of the Household Troops—the Royal Regiment of -Horse Guards, or Oxford Blues, as it is familiarly called—was originally -a body of horse that had been raised by Cromwell as a body-guard, and -had been retained after his death to act as a guard of honour to the -Parliament and General Monk, who then bore the title of the Lord General. -After the Restoration the whole of the troops that had been in the -service of the Parliament were disembodied; but the officers and men of -the Lord General’s troop of horse were immediately formed into a new -regiment, which received the title it now bears, and was placed under -the command of the Earl of Oxford. With the exception of alterations at -various periods in its numerical strength, no change has taken place in -the constitution of this regiment from the time of its enrolment for the -service of Charles II. until the present time. - -Of the three infantry regiments of the Household Troops, the First, -or Grenadier Guards, although it takes precedence of the other two -regiments in point of rank, yields to the Coldstream Guards in priority -of enrolment. This regiment was incorporated at Brussels in 1657, having -been raised at that time by the Duke of York for the service of the -Spanish crown in the Netherlands. It consisted of about four hundred -men of all ranks, the majority of whom were gallant, reckless, royalist -gentlemen, who had fought and bled for Charles I. and his son Charles -II. in the Civil War, and had followed the fortunes of the latter and -his brother, the Duke of York, when they were driven from England, and -obliged to take refuge in France, from which country they were also -expelled when peace was made between Louis XIV. and Oliver Cromwell in -1655. The regiment was cut to pieces before Dunkirk in 1658, when that -town was taken from the Spaniards by the French troops and the soldiers -of the Commonwealth; but it was reorganised two years subsequently by -Lord Wentworth, who then assumed the command. In 1662 it was ordered to -repair to England, where it was incorporated with a regiment known as -the “King’s Regiment,” commanded by Colonel Russell, under the title -of the “First Regiment of Foot Guards.” It did not receive its present -appellation of the “Grenadier Guards” until after the battle of Waterloo, -when it was thus distinguished in commemoration of the glorious charge -in which its officers and men broke and routed the veteran Grenadiers of -the far-famed French Imperial Guard—the last charge of the British line -on June 18, 1815, which decided the terrible struggle of that eventful -day in favour of the English arms, and crushed for ever the power and -_prestige_ of Napoleon I. - -The regiment known as the Coldstream Guards derives its origin from a -regiment of the Commonwealth that served against the king in the Civil -War under the command of General Monk. It takes its name from Coldstream, -a small border town in the south of Berwickshire on the left bank of the -Tweed. This town formed the head-quarters of General Monk for some time -before he set out on his march for London with the view of effecting the -restoration of Charles II., and it was here, indeed, that this movement -was projected and matured. During his sojourn in this town in 1659, Monk -may rather be said to have reorganised and recruited his old corps, -originally called “Monk’s Regiment,” than to have raised a new one, as -it is commonly stated, and, having surrounded himself with a body of -troops on whose fidelity he could rely, he commenced his march towards -London on January 1, 1660. On his arrival his soldiers were employed -in repressing the tendency which was evinced by the citizens of London -to dispute the authority of the Parliament then sitting. Immediately -after the Restoration the forces of the Commonwealth were disbanded by -Act of Parliament, but Charles had resolved to add “Monk’s Regiment” -to the Household Troops that were then forming for the defence of his -person against the attempts of the more desperate republicans who still -cherished a bitter hatred to the monarchical form of government, and -the soldiers, having laid down their arms on Tower Hill as a mark of -obedience to the king’s authority, and in token of their dissolution as -a regiment of the Commonwealth, immediately took the oath of allegiance, -and sprung into existence anew as an English regiment, under the name of -“The Duke of Albemarle’s, or Lord General’s Regiment,” which appellation -was changed to that of the “Coldstream Guards” about 1670, after the -death of Monk, in remembrance of the place where he had prepared for the -enterprise which it was his good fortune to bring to such a happy issue. - -The precedence of the Grenadier Guards over the Coldstream Guards was -established by a general order, dated September 12, 1666, in which it was -directed “that the regiment of Guards (composed of the two regiments of -Foot Guards, commanded by Colonel Russell and Lord Wentworth) take place -of all other regiments, and the colonell take place as the first foot -colonell; the General’s Regiment (the Duke of Albemarle’s, or Coldstream -Guards) to take place next.” - -The Scots Fusilier Guards were placed on the roll of the English army, -and first shared the duties and privileges of the Household Troops, -shortly after the union had been effected between England and Scotland, -in 1707, and it was found unnecessary to retain them any longer in -Edinburgh, where, in conjunction with the Scots Life Guards, they -had acted as a guard of honour to the Lord High Commissioner and the -Scottish Parliament, besides rendering efficient service in the various -continental wars in which England had been involved during the latter -part of the seventeenth century. - -The Scots Life Guards were established in Edinburgh in 1661, a single -troop having been enrolled in that year, to which a second was added -about two years after, to assist in the maintenance of order and the -enforcement of the Episcopalian form of worship, which the covenanting -Scotch, especially the Lowlanders, cordially hated. It is probable that -the Scots Foot Guards were enrolled at the same time, as it appears that -after the suppression of the risings in Scotland in 1667, and the peace -that was concluded in that year with Holland, all the regular Scottish -forces were disbanded, with the exception of the two troops of Scots Life -Guards above mentioned and the regiment of Scots Foot Guards. - -Space would fail us entirely if we attempted to notice even a tithe -of the thousand and one battles and exploits in which our Household -Troops have signalized themselves. We can, indeed, only mention the -few hard-fought fights, the names of which are blazoned in scrolls of -glowing gold on the regimental colours of these regiments, in memory of -the battle-fields in which they have won such a glorious meed of honour -and renown at the priceless cost of life and limb and liberty; and we -must abstain from making more than the briefest mention of the services -rendered by detachments of the Life Guards and Coldstream Guards, who -acted as Marines on board the English fleet in 1665 and 1666, under -Prince Rupert and the Dukes of York and Albemarle (some fifty years prior -to the addition of the splendid and distinguished corps that is now known -as the “Royal Marines” to the British army), and at the battle of Solebay -in 1672; the gallant deeds of the same regiments before Maestricht in -1673, under the Duke of Monmouth and John Churchill, afterwards Duke -of Marlborough, the services of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards -in Flanders, in 1678, under the same generals; the share that these -regiments had in the occupation of Tangiers in 1680, in conjunction with -the Spanish troops, and the subsequent battles with the Moors; the battle -of Bothwell Bridge, in Scotland, with the rebel covenanters, in which -the Scots Life Guards and Foot Guards bore a conspicuous part under the -Duke of Monmouth; the frustration of the attempt of the same nobleman to -wrest the crown from James II., by the untoward battle of Sedgemoor, in -which all the regiments of English Life and Foot Guards were engaged; the -campaigns against France in the Netherlands, in 1689 and 1691, the last -of which was followed by the loss of Namur; and the long list of battles -and sieges in which these regiments took part during the latter part of -the reign of William III. and Mary, those of Queen Anne, George I., and -George II., and the early part of the reign of George III., including -the battles of Steenkirk, Landen, Blenheim, Ramilies, Almanza, Oudenarde, -Malplaquet, Dettingen, Fontenoy, Minden, Warburg, the American campaigns, -and the battle of Valenciennes in 1793. - -The First and Second Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards all bear -the words “Peninsula” and “Waterloo” on their guidons. The Grenadier -Guards bear the memorable names of “Lincelles,” “Corunna,” “Barossa,” -“Peninsula,” “Waterloo,” “Alma,” “Inkerman,” and “Sevastopol” on their -colours; and in addition to these, Corunna only being excepted, the -Coldstream Guards and Scots Fusiliers have the words “Sphinx,” “Egypt,” -and “Talavera.” - -To speak further of the achievements of the Household Troops in Belgium, -Egypt, Spain, and Portugal, would be to write a military history of the -reign of George III., or to tell again the oft-told but never tiring tale -of the Peninsular War, the disastrous retreat on Corunna, the battle -fought there on the eve of embarkation, the death and burial of Sir -John Moore, the triumphs of Talavera, Vittoria, Salamanca, and Barossa, -and the “crowning mercy” of Waterloo, in which battle the Household -Cavalry and the First Dragoon Guards broke and utterly routed Napoleon’s -magnificent Cuirassiers, and won the right to bear the word “Waterloo” on -their standards and appointments for ever. - -From 1815 a long rest from war’s alarm fell to the lot of the Household -Troops until the outbreak of the Crimean War, in the hardships and -glories of which the three regiments of Foot Guards participated. As -the honour of the battle of Balaclava belongs peculiarly to the “six -hundred,” who were set face to face with sure and sudden death when they -were launched against the Russian batteries, and rode, like heroes as -they were, into the graves that yawned to receive them, so the glory of -Inkerman adds especial lustre to the laurels of the British Foot Guards. - -Amid the cold grey mists of that dark November morning they bore the -brunt of an almost hopeless struggle, as line after line of Russian -soldiers, maddened with drink, swarmed up the hill from the valley of -the Tchernaya to recoil with broken ranks from the base of the little -battery that the Guards held with desperate courage. It was the key of -the position: to have been forced from it would have brought destruction -on the entire British camp. They knew this, and officers and men would -all have died there gladly, like Leonidas and his three hundred at the -pass of Thermopylæ, rather than have quitted the earthwork alive, though -not dishonoured. Tears trickled down the cheeks of their royal leader -as he saw his men falling, like autumn leaves, before the fire of the -infuriated foe. With bleeding heart he gasped, “My poor Guards! What will -they say in England?” Ay! what, indeed? What, but honour to the men who -esteemed life as nothing in comparison with England’s reputation? What, -but honour to the Duke who dared to sigh for his maimed and slaughtered -men as a father would sorrow for his dying son? Even when ammunition -failed them they did not abandon the post they had held so long, and at -so great a cost. No! if they could no longer pour a shower of lead into -the advancing masses of the Russians, they could at least rain stones -upon them, and many a Russian soldier fell to the rear that day with -loosened teeth and shattered jaws, smarting under the blows of the rough -missiles that the Guards tore from the banks and mould around them. But -succour was at hand: the red-breeched Zouaves of France came leaping to -the rescue at the _pas de charge_; and, as they advanced, the Guards -sprang, with a cheer, over the parapet of the earthwork, and drove the -blades of Bayonne to the very muzzles of their muskets into the backs of -the running foe, who left behind them more killed and wounded than the -British numbered at the commencement of the battle. - -It may have been noticed that all officers in the Guards are entitled -to hold that rank in the army which is immediately above the rank which -they hold in their own regiments: an ensign in the Guards being styled -“ensign and lieutenant” in his commission, and so on. The privilege of -holding the rank of lieutenant-colonels and captains in the army was -granted to captains and lieutenants in the Guards in 1691, when the -allied armies, under the command of William III., were encamped on the -plain of Gerpynes, in the Netherlands, near the French frontier, a few -weeks before the battle fought between the Allies and the French on the -banks of the little rivulet near Catoir; but the rank of lieutenant in -the army was not held by ensigns in the Guards until after the battle of -Waterloo, when this privilege was conceded to them by the Prince Regent, -in an order from the War Office, dated July 29, 1815. - -[Illustration] - -The illustration that accompanies this chapter gives the present costume -of the three regiments of Foot Guards—a scarlet tunic, lately introduced, -with blue facings, white cross-belt and waist-belt, and black trousers, -with a scarlet cord down the seams in winter, and white in summer. When -in full dress, the whole wear bearskin caps, but each regiment has -distinctive ornaments on the collar of the tunic, etc.; and when in -undress, the men belonging to each may be distinguished by the band round -the cap—the Grenadier Guards wearing a red band, the Coldstream Guards a -white band, and the Scots Fusiliers a band chequered with red and white. - -The two regiments of Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards all wear -corselets—consisting of a breast-plate and back-piece—and helmets of -polished steel, with breeches, sword-belts, cross-belts, and gauntlets -of white leather. They are, however, to be distinguished by the colour -of their coats, and the plume that they wear in their helmets—the Life -Guards being clad in scarlet coats, and having white plumes, while the -Horse Guards wear blue coats, and scarlet plumes. They are all armed -alike, with sword and rifled carbine, and carry pistols in the holsters -of their saddles, which are covered with white sheep-skin for the Life -Guards, and black sheep-skin for the Horse Guards Blue. In undress the -former wear a scarlet shell-jacket with blue facings, while the latter -wear a blue shell-jacket with scarlet facings. The cap—black, with a -scarlet band—is the same for each regiment. - -_Apropos_ of this subject, it may not be generally known that the First -Royals, or First (Royal) Regiment of Foot, are a corps of Foot Guards by -regimental tradition, if not by authority from the Horse Guards. - -The writer of this chapter once knew an old Devonshire pensioner, John -Sculley by name, who belonged to the “Fust Ry-uls,” as he used to style -his old regiment, who had fought in almost every one of the principal -battles of the Peninsular war, and had escaped without a scratch. - -“John,” I would sometimes say to the old fellow, as he stood leaning on -his spade, “what regiment did you belong to?” - -“Why, Sponshus Pilut’s Guards, to be sure,” he would curtly reply. “I’ve -told ’ee so often enough, I reckon.” - -“No, I think not. But Pontius Pilate’s Guards—what a queer title! Why in -the world were you called so?” - -“Why, you see, the ridg’ment was raised in Sponshus Pilut’s time, and -that’s how us got the name.” - -And this he implicitly believed. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE ENGINEERS. - - -Gibraltar is well named the Key of the Mediterranean. In peace it -protects our commerce and our fleets, in war it affords equal facility -for harassing our foes; by its position and its strength its possession -is of the utmost importance to the English, and it has excited for the -last century and a half the suspicion and the jealousy of other nations. -The rock of Gibraltar projects into the sea about three miles. Its -northern extremity, owing to its perpendicular altitude, is inaccessible; -its southern extremity is known as Europa Point; and the southern -and eastern sides are rugged and steep, affording natural defences of -a very formidable character. It is only on the western side fronting -the bay that the rock gradually declines to the sea; but the town of -Gibraltar is so built that an attack upon it, however well planned, -however strong or long continued, is almost certain of failure. The bay -formed by the two points already named is more than four miles across. -The depth of its waters, and the protection afforded by the headland, -render the harbour remarkably secure, and it is well adapted for vessels -of every description. The extreme depth of the water within the bay is -a hundred and ten fathoms. The security of the harbour has been still -further increased by two moles, one extending eleven hundred feet, and -the other seven hundred feet into the bay. The bold outline of the -rock is conspicuous and striking, as it lifts its colossal proportions -into the sky, and against the intense blue of that sky every crag is -sharply defined. From the water to the summit, from the land forts to -Europa Point, the whole rock is lined with formidable batteries. Like -a crouching lion it looks out to sea, and every foe is daunted by its -aspect. - -Gibraltar is essentially military. Sentinels, gateways, drawbridges, -fortifications, guns pointing this way, that way, and the other, looking -as if—supposing them to be fired—they would inevitably blow up one -another; narrow streets of stairs which it is hard work in the hot -sunshine to ascend; nothing to see when you reach the top but a line of -ramparts, and another street of stairs in perspective. Excavated passages -in the rock lead from point to point; every new position seems more -impregnable than the last; awful heights rise above, terrific depths -yawn below; guns peer—at the most unexpected points—from the sides of -the rock, as if they were natural productions; tunnelled galleries open -to the right and to the left, inviting or deterring the visitor. There -is one huge chamber cut out of the solid rock, and serving as a battery -or a banquet room as occasion may require; it is called St. George’s -Hall, and is the most formidable and singular cutting of Gibraltar. There -is another excavation of the same character christened by the name of -Cornwallis, but it is neither so spacious nor so elegant as that of St. -George. - -The people one meets in Gibraltar are a mixed multitude—the familiar -English uniform is of course conspicuous, but for the rest it is only -what we have read of, or heard of, or dreamed of in connexion with Gil -Blas and Don Quixote. There is so much that is Spanish that you might -fancy yourself in Barcelona; so much that is Moorish that you might fancy -yourself in Morocco; so much that is English, Italian, Greek, Polish, -Jewish, African, and Portuguese, that you might conceive yourself to be -in the midst of an animated Ethnological museum on a large scale, opened -at Gibraltar, regardless of expense. - -The rock of Gibraltar, forming with Abyla in ancient times the far-famed -pillars of Hercules, was captured from the Spaniards by Sir George Rooke -in 1704. During the nine following years the Spaniards in vain tried to -recover it, and in 1713 its possession was secured to the English by the -treaty of the peace of Utrecht. But treaties are liable to be broken. -When the men of the pen have finished their work the men of the sword -may undo it. To hold the rock of Gibraltar by treaty was one thing, to -hold it by strength was another. The fortifications required for its -defence were necessarily on a gigantic scale, and the men of the pick and -the shovel were in request. When we glance at the subterranean passages -cut in the rock, the huge caverns scooped out of it, the long lines of -rampart making the place impregnable, even though attacked by an enemy -having the command of the sea, we may readily understand how important -was the service rendered by the engineer and labourer. So important -indeed was their work, that it added a new division to the British army—a -division, that wherever our flag waves has done good service—namely, that -of the Engineers. - -Previous to the year 1772 all our great engineering works in connexion -with military operations were mainly executed by civilians. The works at -Gibraltar were entrusted to ordinary mechanics obtained from England and -the Continent. These operatives were not engaged for any term of years, -neither were they amenable to military discipline; they worked when they -pleased, they idled when they pleased; they were wholly regardless of -authority; received good wages; and their dismissal was in all instances -more injurious to the Government than it was to the men. - -The hindrance and inconvenience of this system led to the formation -of a corps of _military artificers_. The idea was suggested to -Lieutenant-Colonel Green by the useful result of the occasional -occupation of soldiers who had learned mechanical trades previous to -enlistment. He thought it possible that a sufficient number of these men -might be banded together for the carrying on of all necessary engineering -works, and that their employment would lessen the cost while it secured -the completion of any engineering operation, and at the same time, that -the men so employed would at any period be ready to participate in the -defence of the place. - -Lieutenant-Colonel Green submitted his suggestion to the Governor of -Gibraltar. The governor approving the plan, it was recommended to the -attention of the Secretary of State, and royal consent was given to the -measure in a warrant dated March 6th, 1772: thus originated the corps of -Royal Sappers and Miners. - -The warrant authorised the raising and forming of a company of -artificers, to consist of a sergeant-major, as adjutant, who was to -receive 3_s._ a day; three sergeants, each of whom was to receive 1_s._ -6_d._ a day; three corporals, whose pay was 1_s._ 2_d._ a day; and sixty -privates, and one drummer, each of whom was to receive 10_d._ a day. - -The rank of adjutant attached to that of sergeant-major was not adopted, -but it appears to have been taken by Thomas Bridger, who so describes -himself on his wife’s tombstone at Gibraltar, adding thereto a touching -tribute to her charity, and a sneer at the end—like the sting in the tail -of the serpent—at the parsimony of the Government. - - “A more loving wife or friend sincere - Never will be buried here; - Charitable she was to all, - _Altho’ her income it was small_.” - -Recruiting for this company was a service of but little difficulty, as -permission was granted to fill it with men from the regiment then serving -in the garrison. The whole of the civil mechanics were not discharged -from the department on account of this measure; a few, on the score -of their merit, were retained in the fortress; the foreign artificers -were dismissed; most of the English “contracted artificers” sent home; -permission, however, was given to any “good men” who chose to enlist; but -not one availed himself of the privilege. - -Before the close of the year 1772, the ranks of the company were -almost full, and the system was found to work so well, that on the -recommendation of the lieutenant-governor a fresh warrant was issued -for the increase of the corps, and no sooner was it completed than the -engineers proceeded with great spirit in the execution of the King’s -Bastion. On laying the foundation of this work, General Boyd, in his -speech, desired that the bastion might be as gallantly defended as he -knew it would be ably executed, and that he might live to see it resist -the united efforts of France and Spain. His desire was fully realised. -He not only lived to see what he wished, but materially to assist in the -operations of the siege.[1] - -In October, 1775, the company of Soldier Artificers was still further -augmented, and consisted of one hundred and sixteen non-commissioned -officers and men. - -Gibraltar, ever since its capture by the English in 1704, had been -a source of jealousy and uneasiness to Spain; as soon as ever an -opportunity offered for the commencement of hostilities, Spain assumed -an aggressive attitude, and in 1779 sat down before the place at St. -Roque with a powerful camp, and sent out a fleet to cut off supplies. -The gallant old General Elliot, and the no less gallant veteran Boyd, -defended the rock nobly, and found their best help in the Soldier -Artificers. The sufferings of the undaunted garrison were great—the -price of mutton or beef being 3_s._ 6_d._ a pound, eggs sixpence each, -and mouldy biscuit crumbs 1_s._ a pound; but the indomitable energy -of the men never slackened; they laboured night and day, piercing the -rock with subterranean passages, and forming vast receptacles for -stores and ammunition in the solid stone. Failing in their efforts to -reduce the garrison by famine, the French and Spaniards, after three -years’ beleaguering, began a terrific bombardment. Fire was opened with -unexampled fury, and continued incessantly for days and weeks. The -battering flotilla was warmly received by the “dwellers in the rock.” -But for a long period the battering ships seemed invulnerable. At length -red-hot shot was employed by the garrison, and sheets of resistless flame -burst in all directions from the flotilla: the whole of the batteries -were burnt; the magazines blew up, one after another; and it was a -miracle that the loss of the enemy by drowning did not exceed the number -saved by the merciful efforts of the garrison. - -The contest was still prolonged: the enemy were bent on reducing their -invincible opponents at all cost. The British were in no mood to yield; -red-hot shot was their grand specific; the Artificers were instantly -employed in erecting kilns in various parts of the fortress, each kiln -capable of heating a hundred shot in an hour. - -The struggle continued for some time; from one thousand to two thousand -rounds were poured into the garrison in the twenty-four hours, and this -was kept up for months. During the cannonade, the Artificers under -the engineers were constantly engaged in the diversified works of the -fortress, and they began to rebuild the fortification known as the Orange -Bastion, on the sea line, and in the face of a galling fire completed -their work in three months. The number of the Artificers had been -augmented by the arrival of one hundred and forty-one mechanics, under -Lord Howe; but, even taking this into account, the erection of such a -work in solid masonry, and under such circumstances, is unprecedented in -any siege. - -Failing to obtain the submission of the garrison either by famine or -bombardment, the enemy attempted to mine a cave in the rock, by which to -blow up the north front, and thus make a breach for their easy entrance -into the fortress. The secret was revealed by a deserter; but very little -attention was paid to his statement, until the discovery of the enemy’s -proceedings was made by Sergeant Thomas Jackson, who, making a perilous -descent of the rock by the help of ropes and ladders, ascertained beyond -all doubt the work in which the Spaniards were engaged. The ratification -of peace put an end to all military operations, and terminated a siege -which extended—with circumstances of unparalleled difficulty and -danger—over a period of four years. - -During the whole of this memorable defence, the Company of Artificers -proved themselves to be good and brave soldiers, and no less conspicuous -for their skill, usefulness, and zeal in the works—works, as the -commander of the hostile forces [Duc de Crillon] remarked, “worthy of the -Romans.” - -At the close of the siege, there were twenty-nine rank and file wanting -to complete the number of Soldier Artificers. The deficiency was -speedily supplied, and the company was never allowed to sink beneath -its established number. A force of more than two hundred and twenty -non-commissioned officers and artificers were employed in restoring the -work which had suffered during the bombardment; and to expedite the -labour, the Soldier Artisans were excused from all garrison routine, -as well as from their own regimental guard and routine, and freed from -all interference likely to interrupt them in the performance of their -working duties. Still, to impress them with the recollection that their -civil employments and privileges did not make them any the less soldiers, -they were paraded, generally under arms, on Sundays; and to heighten -the effect of their military appearance, wore accoutrements which had -belonged to a disbanded Newfoundland regiment, purchased for them at -the economical outlay of seven shillings a set. Perhaps no body of men -subject to the articles of war were ever permitted to live and work under -a milder surveillance; and it may be added, that none could have rendered -service more in keeping with the indulgences bestowed. - -In the summer of 1786 the company was divided into two, the chief -engineer still continuing in command of both companies. About the same -time, those men who were disqualified in any way for service were removed -from the corps, and the enlistment of _labourers_, in addition to skilled -hands, was authorized by the Government. Five batches of recruits were -sent to the Rock in rapid succession. The second party of recruits, -comprising fifty-eight men, twenty-eight women, and twelve children, were -destroyed in a storm off Dunkirk. Only three persons escaped. - -The valuable services rendered by the corps, and the hearty good-will -with which they invariably laboured, led to a still further extension -of their privileges. They were allowed to pass in and out of garrison -on Sundays and holidays without a written pass, and to wear at pleasure -whatever dress suited their inclination. It was not uncommon, therefore, -for the non-commissioned officers and the respectable portion of the -privates to stroll about garrison or ramble into Spain, dressed in black -silk and satin breeches, white silk stockings, and silver knee or shoe -buckles, drab beaver hats and scarlet jackets, tastefully trimmed with -white kerseymere. - -In 1787 the king’s authority was granted “for establishing a corps of -Royal Military Artificers.” It was to consist of six companies, of a -hundred men each. Officers of the Royal Engineers were appointed to -command the corps; and when required to parade with other regiments the -corps was directed to take post next on the left of the Royal Artillery. -The companies were ordered to serve at Woolwich, Chatham, Portsmouth, -Gosport, Plymouth, and one company was divided between Jersey and -Guernsey. The companies at Gibraltar, although similarly constituted, -remained a distinct and separate body until their incorporation with -the corps in 1797. The recruiting was carried on by the captains of -companies; there was no standard as to height fixed, but labourers were -not enlisted over twenty-five years of age nor any artificer over thirty, -unless he had been employed in the Ordnance Department and was known to -be an expert workman of good character. The bounty given at first to -each recruit was five guineas, but during time of peace it was reduced -to three. Labourers promoted to the rank of artificers received a bonus -of two guineas, an additional 3_d._ a day, and were privileged to wear a -gold-laced hat. - -By the operative classes some opposition was offered to the enrolment of -the Royal Artificers, and on more than one occasion a serious outbreak -took place between the civilians and the military; the jealousy, -however, at last died out, and the old animosity was forgotten. - -In 1791, a vessel bearing several recruits to Gibraltar encountered a -terrific storm in the Bay of Biscay. The wreck and its circumstances gave -rise to a song called “The Bay of Biscay O!” - -The declaration of war with France, 1793, put an end to the comfortable -and easy life which the Royal Artificers had been leading. They were, as -soldiers, liable to be sent to any part of the world where the British -Government might require their services. The idea of this liability -ever being insisted upon seems to have been foreign to the minds of -the corps. When it was known that their services would be required in -the Low Countries and in the West Indies, many of them eluded service -by providing substitutes, and some resorted to the very dishonourable -alternative of desertion. Of the finest company sent out to the West -Indies, not a man escaped the ravages of “yellow Jack.” Those who served -in Holland distinguished themselves by their bravery, especially at the -famous siege of Valenciennes. The continuance of the war rendering it -essential that the artizan companies should be kept in foreign stations, -while the necessity for increased vigilance at home was each day becoming -more urgent, led to the extension of the corps, and four new companies -were enrolled—two to serve in Flanders, one in the West Indies, and one -in Upper Canada. - -The special company destined for service in the West Indies sailed from -Spithead, November, 1793, and arrived at Barbadoes early in the following -year. From thence they proceeded to Martinique, where their spirited -conduct in the field commanded the admiration of the whole army. The -companies which were sent both to Toulon and Flanders behaved also with -much gallantry, proving that the Royal Artificers were not only skilled -workmen but efficient soldiers. - -In June, 1797, the Soldier Artificers Corps at Gibraltar were -incorporated with the Royal Military Artificers; by this incorporation -the latter corps were increased from 801 to 1075, of all ranks; but its -numerical strength only reached 759 men. Detachments of the corps served -with credit under Sir Ralph Abercrombie at Trinidad, and also in the -unsuccessful attack on Porto Rico. - -Among the measures suggested for reducing Porto Rico was one for taking -the town by forcing the troops through the lagoon bounding the east side -of the island. In order to ascertain whether the lagoon was fordable, -David Sinclair, one of the Military Artificers, picked his way across -at dead of night, reached the opposite shore in safety, and picked his -way back again to report. He was rewarded for this daring act, but the -fording of the lagoon presented so many difficulties as to be given up. - -The memorable mutiny of the Fleet at Spithead was followed by the rising -of some unprincipled men, who by every means endeavoured to shake the -allegiance of the soldiery. The Plymouth Company of Artificers in an -especial manner distinguished itself by its open and soldier-like -activity against these disloyal exertions; in a printed document, bearing -date May, 1797, they avowed at that momentous crisis their “firm loyalty, -attachment, and fidelity to their most Gracious _Sovereign_ and to their -_Country_.” The declaration was well timed, and had the desired effect. - -Throughout the war in the Low Countries the Corps of Artificers rendered -eminent service. One of their most important achievements was that of the -total destruction of the Bruges canal. - -About the same time a company of Artificers was sent to Turkey to operate -with the troops of the Sultan against Napoleon, in Egypt. There also they -distinguished themselves alike by their active service and good conduct. -A Turk having attempted to stab one of the men, was sentenced by the -Turkish governor to death; this punishment, at the earnest entreaty of -the commanding officer, was mitigated, the culprit being sentenced to -receive fifty strokes of the bastinado, to be imprisoned twenty years, -and to _learn the Arabic language_. - -In the West Indies the Artificers were exposed to worse than human foe. -There the yellow fever decimated their ranks, but the conduct of the men -throughout was both intrepid and humane, and in the despatches reference -is frequently made to their exemplary conduct. When the mortality was at -its height, three privates voluntarily devoted themselves to the burial -of the dead, and worked on with unflinching ardour; surrounded by the -pest in its worst form, inhaling the worst effluvia, never for a moment -forsaking their frightful service, they laboured on inspiriting those -about them by their example, until the necessity for their exertions no -longer existed. - -In 1806 a company of Military Artificers was established at Malta, and -remained a distinct and separate body. - -The necessity for an efficient body of trained artizan soldiers became, -indeed, every day more obvious; and no expedition of any consequence was -undertaken without a body of these men being included in the forces sent -out. In America, in the Indies, East and West, on Mediterranean service, -in the Peninsula, in the Low Countries, they were alike needed, and -rendered excellent service. At home, also, they were continually employed -in erecting new and strengthening the old fortifications, for it was -anticipated that Bonaparte would visit our shores, and that stone walls -as well as wooden walls would be required for our defence. - -Throughout the Peninsular war the services of the corps were invaluable; -in sap, battery, and trench work, in the making of fascines and gabions, -in repairing broken batteries and damaged embrasures, in constructing -flying bridges over the Guadiana, the Artificer vied with the regular -engineers. Major Pasley, R.E., on his appointment to the Plymouth -station, began regularly to practise his men in sapping and mining. -He was one of those officers who took pains to improve the military -appearance and efficiency of his men, and to make them useful, either -for home or foreign employments. He is believed to have been the first -officer who represented the advantage of training the corps in the -construction of military field-work. After the failure at Badajoz (1811) -the necessity of this measure was strongly advocated by the war officers. -Then it was recommended to form a corps under the title of Royal Sappers -and Miners, to be composed of six companies, chosen from the Royal -Military Artificers, which, after receiving some instruction in the art, -was to be sent to the Peninsula to aid the troops in their future siege -operations. - -In April, 1812, a warrant was issued for the formation of an -establishment for instructing the corps in military field-work. Chatham -was selected as the most suitable place for carrying out the royal -orders, and Major Pasley was appointed director of the establishment. -Uniting great zeal and unwearied perseverance with good talents and -judgment, Major Pasley succeeded in extending the course of instructions -far beyond the limits originally assigned, and he not only filled -the ranks of the corps with good scholars, good surveyors, and good -draughtsmen, but enabled many, after quitting this service, to occupy, -with ability and credit, situations of considerable importance in civil -life. - -At Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, and other places made famous in the -Peninsular war, the Military Artificers won the praise of Wellington, -conducting themselves with the greatest gallantry and coolness. - -On the 5th of March, 1813, the title of the corps was changed from -that of Royal Military Artificers to that of Royal Sappers and Miners. -A change of equipment was also introduced. In this respect many -irregularities had crept in, the members of the corps in various parts of -the world being variously armed, rather to suit their own fancy than to -meet the exigencies of the work. Uniformity in the matter was of great -importance, and this was gradually and effectually introduced. - -When Napoleon, escaping from captivity in Elba, re-appeared in France, -and the armies of the allies were again summoned to the field, at the -instance of the Duke of Wellington the whole corps of Sappers and Miners -was sent to Brussels to join his Grace’s force, and were employed in -constructing indispensable field-works, or improving the fortifications -at Ostend, Ghent, Tournay, Oudenarde, Boom, Antwerp, Lille, Liepkenshock, -and Hae. At the battle of Waterloo the Royal Sappers and Miners were -not engaged, but three companies were brought conveniently near, to act -in the event of their services being needed. After the battle, all the -companies of the corps moved with the army towards Paris, and rendered -valuable service in the construction of pontoon bridges. After the -capitulation the men were encamped in the vicinity of Paris, until they -could be removed to other stations or sent home. Two companies remained -with the army of occupation; and in the naval victory of Algiers three of -the companies worked at the guns with the seamen of the fleet, and gained -equal credit with the navy and marines for their noble support. - -In the Canadas the Sappers and Miners rendered themselves very useful, -especially in the formation of a new citadel at Quebec; their efficiency -also in pontoon work was universally acknowledged; of all the soldiers in -the army no men more deserved well of their country—useful as they were -alike in time of war and peace. “Indeed,” says Sir John Jones, “justice -requires it to be said, that these men, whether employed on brilliant -martial services or engaged in the more humble duties of their calling, -either under the vertical sun of the tropics or in the frozen regions of -the north, invariably conducted themselves as good soldiers; and by their -bravery, their industry, or their acquirements, amply repay the trouble -and expense of their formation and instruction.” In taking a bird’s-eye -view of the formation and growth of some of our military institutions, -the Rev. G. R. Gleig thus speaks of the corps: “Besides the infantry, -cavalry, and artillery, of which the army was composed, and the Corps of -Engineers, coeval with the latter there sprang up during the period of -the French Revolution other descriptions of force which proved eminently -useful, each in its own department, and of the composition of which a few -words will suffice to give an account. First, the Artificers, as they -were called, that is to say, the body of men trained to the exercises of -mechanical arts, such as carpentry, bricklaying, bridge-making, and so -forth, which in all ages seem to have attended on a British army in the -field, became the Royal Sappers and Miners, whose services on many trying -occasions proved eminently useful, and who still do their duty cheerfully -and satisfactorily in every quarter of the globe. During the late war -they were commanded, under the officers of engineers, by a body of -officers who took no higher rank than that of lieutenant, and consisted -entirely of good men, for whom their merits had earned commissions. Their -education, carried on at Woolwich and Chatham, trained them to act in -the field as guides and directors to all working parties, whether the -business in hand might be the construction of a bridge, the throwing up -of field works, or the conduct of a siege. Whatever the engineer officers -required the troops to do was explained to a party of Sappers, who, -taking each his separate charge, showed the soldiers of the Line both the -sort of work that was required of them and the best and readiest method -of performing it. The regiment of Sappers was the growth of the latter -years of the contest, after the British army had fairly thrown itself -into the great arena of Continental warfare, and proved so useful, that -while men wondered how an army could ever have been accounted complete -without this appendage, the idea of dispensing with it in any time to -come, seems never to have arisen in the minds of the most economical.” - -In the erection of the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851 the Sappers -and Miners afforded very valuable assistance, and won for themselves a -warm eulogium from the Prince Consort. In the formation of the Camp at -Chobham they were also very useful, and they were especially complimented -for their exertions by Colonel Vicars and Lord Seaton; but it was during -the war with Russia that they again figured most prominently before the -public. - -On the outbreak with Russia a detachment of the Sappers and Miners was -sent out with the Baltic fleet, and a second company was despatched to -the Aland Islands. They played an important part in the destruction of -the forts and the capture of Bomarsund. Other detachments were sent to -Turkey, and did good service at Gallipoli, Boulair, and Ibridgi, winning -the “entire approbation” of Sir George Brown. At Scutari, Varna, Derno, -and Rustchuk they were still further distinguished. Before Sebastopol, -when shot and shell swept furiously into the trenches, the conduct of -the men was everything that could be desired. “The country,” wrote Lord -Raglan, “was covered with water; the trenches extremely muddy, their -condition adding greatly to the labours of the men employed in the -batteries, chiefly sailors, artillerymen, and sappers. _They conducted -their duties admirably._” Everywhere in posts of danger were the Sappers; -here piling up hides and fixing gabions; there fixing platforms, renewing -sleepers, and fastening bolts; here crawling on the earth, more like a -gnome than a man, but busy with pick and shovel, under a shower of rifle -bullets; there black with gunpowder, blasting the rock to widen the -trench; there the bright hammer of the Sapper plies on the newly-reared -parapet, and affords a mark for the enemy; here the horn lantern of the -Sapper gives feeble light to the busy workman, but a sure target to the -foe; everywhere, in battery, trench, and mine, the Sapper is the centre -of each party, toiling at his hazardous avocation through the long dark -night. - -While the French amused their leisure with private theatricals, getting -up an impromptu theatre, the English Sappers built a church—built it -entirely of siege apparatus, the materials so arranged that they were -only in store, ready for use at a moment’s notice: scaling ladders, -gabions, fascines, timbers ready cut and shaped for gun platforms, a few -planks and pieces of rope. Two scaling ladders locked into each other -at the top, formed at certain intervals the columns which separated the -aisles from the body of the church and bore up the roof. The framework -of the outer wall was made of long upright timbers which leant against -the summits of each set of ladders respectively, and were secured by -cords. Across these a few joist beams were lashed, and the outer wall of -gabions in a great degree rested on these horizontal supports. The roof -was made by the platform timbers laid between the tops of the ladders on -each side, and at right angles to these, fascines were laid in regular -rows until a complete covering—but one admitting of free ventilation—was -formed. There solemn service was often held, and good words spoken by -good and brave men—with the Union Jack for a pulpit cloth. - -Through the freezing winter and the wasting summer, for 337 days the -Sappers carried on their work before Sebastopol. The trenches they made -were nine miles long; twenty-two batteries were on the right, and twenty -batteries on the left; in the formation of the works there were no less -than 20,000 gabions, 4000 fascines, 340,000 sand bags, 7413 bread bags, -and a hundred different extemporaneous expedients to give shape and -solidity to the works. - -They witnessed the triumphant end of their work; and they received -no small share of honour and reward, for the work they had done was -unsurpassed in ancient or in modern history. - -During the Indian mutiny the services of the Engineers were of great -advantage, and the bravery and determination of the men both in defence -and attack were worthy of the highest commendation. In India there are, -we believe, still employed in the engineering arm of our service no less -than twelve companies of native Sappers and Miners. - -We are all justly proud of our army, proud of its station among the -armies of Europe; its appearance, discipline, drill; proud of the history -of its achievements - - ⸺“of most disastrous chances; - Of moving accidents by flood and field; - Of hair-breadth ’scapes i’ th’ imminent deadly breach;”— - -but there is no division of our army of which we should be more justly -proud than of the Sappers and Miners. It toils for us wherever our flag -is unfurled to the winds; it explores unknown regions; surveys and maps -new and old regions; it makes roads where no roads were, and iron roads -in place of common roads; it blasts rocks; heaves up drowned treasures -from the deep; it serves as the pioneer of civilization abroad, and -extends and consolidates civilization at home; it labours as hard in -peace as in war—labour often unseen and unsuspected, but none the less -worthy of the respect, honour, and admiration due to the brave sons of a -brave people. - -The Engineer corps of officers now consists of about four hundred of all -grades, partly employed in building and repairing our defences, while -the rest are more immediately attached to the Sappers and Miners, a body -of some three or four thousand men, which now forms a constituent part -of the Royal Engineers; indeed, the Sappers and Miners are now to be -regarded as the main body of this arm of our service. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE ROYAL WELSH. - - -[Illustration] - -England possesses many regiments that have a traditional as well as an -individual existence. The memory of deeds of valour wrought by their -predecessors is transmitted from generation to generation, and inspires -the young soldier with the desire of equalling, if not surpassing, the -heroism of those who have gone before. His regiment is the warrior’s -family, and each man feels, as the inheritor of a noble fame ought to -feel, that he must do nothing unworthy of the past renown gained in -older days. Thus it happens that there are certain regiments which may -always be counted on in the hour of danger, and one of these is the -23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The Prince of Wales’s plume, with the motto -“_Ich Dien_,” betokens their nationality; and their claim to the proud -words, “_Nec aspera terrent_,” which they bear on their colours, has been -justified by their gallant conduct in Egypt, and at Corunna, Martinique, -Albuera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthès, -Toulouse, Waterloo, Alma, Inkermann, and Sebastopol. All these names are -emblazoned on their colours, and the successors of the heroes of the -Peninsula and Waterloo proved in the Crimea that the regiment had not -fallen from its high estate of honourable glory. - -It will be interesting to our readers to glance briefly at the different -engagements in which the Welsh Fusiliers distinguished themselves about -the beginning of this century. They formed part of the expedition which -sailed for Egypt in 1801, under the command of Sir Ralph Abercrombie, for -the purpose of expelling the French from that country. The authorities -at home knew as little about Egypt and the French forces there as the -members of Lord Aberdeen’s cabinet did about the Crimea and the strength -of the Russian army. Our men had no other guide than an old map, which -proved to be very incorrect, and Sir Sidney Smith, a gallant sailor -but an indifferent geographer, who knew nothing of the interior of the -country. Moreover, it was supposed that the enemy amounted to only -15,000 men, whereas they really numbered 35,000 veteran troops. The idea -of sending 12,000 men, chiefly young soldiers, to expel such a body of -veterans from a country where they were strongly intrenched, may excite -some surprise, but British soldiers may do anything when properly led. On -the 8th of March our men landed with such regularity and order that every -brigade, every regiment, and even every company, drew up on the exact -spot they were intended to occupy. The sea was as smooth as glass, and -the bullets of the enemy fell as thick as hailstones around the boats, -but the landing force advanced and fell into their places with as much -coolness as if they had been dressing for a review. The Welsh Fusiliers -and three other regiments, including the gallant 42nd, landed in boats -on the right, and were exposed to showers of grape and shell from the -enemy’s batteries; but, nothing daunted, they quietly disembarked, -formed in line, and, without even stopping to load, rushed up the hill -to charge the enemy with the bayonet. Half way up they were met with a -volley from the enemy, but, pushing on, they reached the summit before -they could reload, rushed furiously upon them, and drove them from their -position. The general was proud of this first success, and thanked his -men for having displayed “an intrepidity scarcely to be paralleled.” -On the 13th of March he was about to attack the right flank of the -enemy, who anticipated his design, and descended from the heights to -meet him; after considerable loss our men had to retire to their former -position, where they remained till the 20th. On the evening of this day -Sir Sidney Smith (the heroic defender of Acre) received a letter from -an Arab chief, apprising him of the enemy’s intention to fall upon the -English with all their forces the following morning, but unfortunately -the commander-in-chief paid no attention to this warning. Next morning -he discovered his mistake; the French commenced the action by a feigned -attack on the British left, but concentrated their most vigorous efforts -against the right, where the Welsh Fusiliers were stationed. Their -superiority in numbers procured them a temporary success. Our right -flank was turned, and the 28th Regiment, who were most exposed to their -impetuous attack, could with difficulty retain their position, though -supported by the 58th and the Welsh Fusiliers, when the 42nd advanced to -their aid, and proved that France’s Invincibles were unworthy of their -name by wrenching - - ⸺“the banner from her bravest host, - Baptised Invincible in Austria’s gore.” - -Notwithstanding their superiority in numbers, the French were repulsed at -every point; the English remained masters of the field; and this was the -first of a series of successes which led to the evacuation of Egypt and -the overthrow of all Napoleon’s hopes of Eastern conquest. - -In 1809 we find the Welsh Fusiliers at Corunna, in Spain. It would be -foreign to our purpose to relate the events which preceded that battle; -suffice it to say, that Sir John Moore, after a series of brilliant -encounters with the enemy, was obliged to retreat. The Spaniards afforded -no assistance to the retreating army, which was reduced to the greatest -privations; officers and men suffered alike from hunger and fatigue; -it was not unusual for the soldiers to point to some young aristocrat -marching at the head of his company without shoes or stockings, and to -say, with grim humour, “There goes ten thousand a year.” On this, as -almost every occasion, the officers bore up better than the men, so great -is the influence which the mind has over the body. On reaching Corunna, -where they were about to embark for England, our men were attacked by -the French. Sir John Moore was prepared to receive them; the sick, the -cavalry, and part of the artillery were already embarked; the remaining -part of his forces were drawn up to meet the attack of the enemy. The -Welsh Fusiliers formed part of General Fraser’s division, which was -stationed in the rear at a short distance from Corunna. The enemy charged -again and again, but our men not only kept their ground and remained -unbroken, but actually forced them to retire at the point of the bayonet. -The battle began at mid-day, and at five o’clock in the afternoon the -enemy were foiled at every point, and our army occupied a more advanced -position than at first. The loss of the British was 800 killed and -wounded, including their gallant leader, who was struck to the ground -by a cannon-ball, and died in the hour of victory. His death has been -commemorated in lines familiar to all our readers, and it is satisfactory -to know that Soult, instead of insulting his ashes, caused a monument to -be erected to his memory. It is by such generous acts that nations prove -their manhood amid the fierce passions evoked by war. - -The Welsh Fusiliers also took part in the reduction of Martinique, one of -the French West Indian islands, which was compelled to surrender after a -gallant resistance. In those stirring times a regiment seldom remained -long in one place, and in 1812 we find them in Spain, where they were -present at the battle of Albuera and the siege of Badajoz, which was -defended by the French with obstinate valour. Many of our men perished -in the breaches, and every species of missile was hurled upon them as -they attempted to scale the walls. “Never, probably, since the invention -of gunpowder,” says Colonel Jones, “were men more exposed to its action -than those assembled to assault the breaches.” For two hours, shells, -hand-grenades, and bags of gunpowder were hurled upon our men as they -crowded into the ditch; when they rushed up the breach their passage -was arrested by ponderous beams bristling with sword-blades, and loose -planks studded with sharp iron points, which tilted up the moment they -were trodden on, and precipitated the assailants into the ditch below. -Again and again our men rushed against the glittering sword-blades and -were shot down by the enemy from the walls above; the rear pressed on, -and tried to make a bridge of the writhing bodies of their slaughtered -comrades. About midnight 2000 men had fallen, and Wellington was about -to give orders to retire, when he received notice that Picton had -taken the castle by escalade. “Then the place is ours,” he exultingly -exclaimed, and sent word to Picton to retain the castle at all hazards. -The attack was continued, and next morning Philippon, the French general, -surrendered to Lord Fitzroy Somerset, better known to this generation -as Lord Raglan. We must draw the veil of sorrow over the fearful scenes -which were enacted by an infuriated soldiery when the devoted city fell -into their hands; for three days all discipline was at an end, and the -tumult only subsided when the rioters were exhausted with their excesses. -We cannot give the exact loss of the Welsh Fusiliers, but, in common with -all the other British regiments engaged in this siege, they suffered -severely. - -The next memorable event in the Peninsular War was the battle of -Salamanca, which was fought on the 22nd of July, 1812. On the 16th of -June, Wellington overtook the French near the right bank of the Tormes, -the enemy retreating across the river. For several days both armies -remained encamped on the opposite banks without molesting one another, -and the most friendly intercourse sprang up between them. They were -in the habit of conversing together and exchanging provisions, as if -they had been on the best of terms. When the warfare was resumed, the -French officers said, on parting, “We have met and been for some time -friends; we are about to separate and may meet as enemies; as friends -we have received each other warmly; as enemies we shall do the same.” -Warm indeed was the reception which they gave to one another on the -blood-stained field of Salamanca. At first the French had the advantage, -but an unguarded movement on the part of Marmont, their general, having -caught the eagle eye of Wellington, he joyfully exclaimed, “At last I -have them,” and gave orders for a general charge. The French, remembering -their former promise, presented a bold front to their assailants, who, -pouring a destructive volley into the opposing columns, rushed upon them -with the bayonet. Such was the impetus of the English attack that the -close phalanx bent before it, swayed backward and forward like a ship -struck upon a heavy sea, then broke and scattered over the plain. The -French were completely routed, with the loss of 14,000 men. The victors -behaved with great humanity to the vanquished; many of the fugitives, -pursued by the cavalry, fled to the British lines for protection, which -was readily granted. The infantry covered their retreat, and protected -them from the sabres of the horsemen; once within their lines, they were -safe from injury and insult; not a single man was bayoneted, plundered, -or molested. It is pleasing to record such instances of humanity; it -shows that the exchange of hospitalities on the banks of the Tonnes -was not forgotten in the hour of battle. The Royal Welsh and the other -British regiments engaged in this battle were permitted to inscribe -Salamanca on their colours in memory of their victory. - -The next year, on the 20th of June, the 23rd saw the Peninsular campaign -brought to a close by the battle of Vittoria. The French were commanded -by Jourdan, and the English by Wellington. Our troops were completely -victorious, and the expulsion of the French from Spain was one of the -fruits of their victory. The French fought resolutely till Picton gave -the word to charge, when our men bore down all opposition before them, -and spread death and consternation through the ranks of the enemy, who -fled with such precipitancy that they left all their artillery and -baggage behind. Joseph Bonaparte, placed by his brother Napoleon on the -throne of Spain, was present at the battle; he only escaped by leaving -his carriage and mounting a swift horse. The royal calash fell into the -hands of the 10th Hussars, who found in it all the portable valuables -of his regalia. The whole of his equipage and treasures fell into the -hands of the British. The booty was enormous; it comprised all that -could minister to the appetites or pleasures of a sensual monarch. The -most delicate wines and the rarest luxuries fell into the hands of our -soldiers, who exchanged many a joke at the expense of the luxurious -monarch as they regaled themselves with them; poodles, parrots, and -monkeys were among the captives of war. Grim old Peninsulars amused -themselves after the battle in getting up a sort of masquerade, in which -they appeared in the uniforms of French generals, or displayed the -most recent inventions of the Parisian mode on their somewhat ungainly -persons, and Wellington allowed them to indulge their grotesque humour. -And when it was reported to him that some of them had seized the French -military chest and were loading themselves with money, “Let them have -it,” he said; “they deserve it, though it were ten times more.” Among -the other spoil was the bâton of Marshal Jourdan, which Wellington sent -with his despatches to the Prince Regent: soon after this he received -the bâton of an English field-marshal along with a very handsome letter. -“The British army,” said the prince, “will hail it with enthusiasm, -while the whole universe will acknowledge those valorous efforts which -have so imperiously called for it.” While this victory made Wellington a -field-marshal, it procured for the Welsh Fusiliers the honour of adding -Vittoria to the other glorious names inscribed on their colours. - -The battle of Vittoria was attended with the most important results. -The scattered remains of the French army were driven through the rugged -passes of the Pyrenees, and the British army advanced rapidly in the -direction of France. The enemy sometimes endeavoured to rally in their -retreat, but were successfully driven from the positions they occupied -by the impetuosity of the Welshmen and Highlanders, whose early training -specially fitted them to excel in this mountain warfare. The constant -success of the British army led many to expect that France would yield, -and allow Wellington to cross the frontier without further resistance; -but Napoleon, elated with his recent successes in Germany, appointed -Soult to the command of the army of the Pyrenees, and that able general -displayed such vigour and skill that there was some danger at first of -the British losing all the fruits of the great victory of the 20th of -June. On the 25th of July, 15,000 French troops attacked the British, -about 3000 in number, at the pass of Maya, and for ten hours our men -maintained the conflict, notwithstanding their inferiority in numbers. -When their ammunition was exhausted they hurled stones at their -assailants, who were arrested by the mass of dead and dying by which -the pass was blocked, and were at length repulsed by the aid of some -reinforcements. The pass of Maya will long be remembered in the annals of -the British army; our soldiers fought as bravely there as the Greeks did -at Thermopylæ. - -We must omit the other stirring events of the Pyrenees, in all of -which the Royal Welsh acted a distinguished part, and enjoyed many -advantages over others unaccustomed to a mountainous country. They had -many extraordinary adventures, being sometimes enveloped in the mists -that shrouded the summits of the mountains, and brought into fierce -collision with the enemy, who were ignorant of their approach. After -the two battles of Lauroren, the tide of success turned against Soult, -who was almost taken prisoner at St. Estenau. Such were the skilful -arrangements of the English general here, that the French army would -have had to surrender had not three marauding British soldiers crossed -the ridge which concealed their comrades, and thus warned the enemy of -their danger. On such small causes do great events hinge! The cupidity of -three Englishmen saved the whole French army. On the 1st of August Soult -abandoned the Spanish territory, with the loss of 15,000 men; and on the -7th of September Wellington planted the victorious standard of Britain on -the soil of France. Seven thousand of the allies were buried among the -mountain passes of the Pyrenees, and the different regiments engaged were -allowed to preserve the remembrance of this campaign on their colours. - -The Royal Welsh next appear at the battle of the Nivelle, where the -French, after obstinate resistance, were driven back, and the allies, -profiting by this success, crossed the river, and established -themselves between it and the sea. A succession of heavy rains rendered -all movements impracticable for a time, and Soult did all he could to -strengthen his position. Frost having set in, Wellington moved his forces -on the 14th of February, 1814, and, in the course of sixteen days, -constructed a bridge across the Adour, passed five large and several -small rivers, traversed eighty miles of ground, drove the enemy from -their strongest positions, was successful in one great battle and two -combats, took many prisoners, and forced Soult to evacuate Bayonne. We -can only enumerate his successes, and refer our readers to the history of -those times for minuter details. The great battle was fought at Orthès -on the 27th of February. At first, victory seemed to declare in favour -of the French, but the English general bided his time with imperturbable -calmness till a movement of the enemy placed them in his power. Every -point was carried; the French retired at first in an orderly manner, -till their left wing was attacked, when they were thrown into confusion, -and ran off at full speed. The English pursued them for three miles till -they reached Sault de Navailles, where scarcely any remains of Soult’s -army were to be seen. The loss of the enemy was estimated at 8000 men in -killed, wounded, and prisoners, while that of the allies did not exceed -1600. Here, as usual, the Welsh Fusiliers were foremost in the fray, and -their bravery was rewarded by the addition of Nivelle and Orthès to the -other historic names on their colours. - -Then followed the bloody and needless battle of Toulouse. We need not -here stop to inquire who was the cause of that fearful carnage, or to -refute the foolish assertion that the French gained a victory. Such -a statement is inconsistent with the fact that Soult had to abandon -Toulouse and all his lines of defence, while Wellington attained the -object he had in view. It is said that Soult knew before the battle that -Napoleon had abdicated, and that his only motive for fighting was a -desire to retrieve his fame as a general; but we think no brave man—and -Soult was brave—would sacrifice the lives of thousands for so unworthy a -motive. After a furious contest the enemy were driven from the heights; -again and again they returned to the attack with a gallantry which -nothing but British valour could resist. At length they desisted from the -attempt, and the field of battle remained in possession of the allies. -That same evening Soult evacuated the city, and the following morning -the allies took possession of it. In the course of the day they received -official notice that Napoleon had abdicated. Then our soldiers began to -think of home and all its endearments; they had done enough for fame, and -a grateful country was waiting to welcome them to their native shores. -The soft peace march, “Home, brothers, home,” must have sounded sweetly -in the ears of the Royal Welsh and the other veterans, who, under the -command of their able leader, had liberated two kingdoms, fought eight -pitched battles against the bravest soldiers and most skilful generals -of France, reduced many fortresses by assault, and at length established -themselves in the two principal cities in the South of France. Britain -had issued from all her trials the most triumphant nation in the world, -and had welcomed back with acclamation the wearied soldiers who had done -so much to sustain her honour. Such men had a right to rest on their -laurels. Their rest was brief. The caged eagle escaped from Elba. The -veterans of the Peninsula had to buckle on their armour again. The Royal -Welsh took part in that brief but glorious campaign which was brought -to a close at Waterloo. Then for a period of forty years they had no -opportunity of displaying their courage. Now followed the Crimean war, -and deeds equalling “Greek and Roman fame,” which earned for some of them -the proud distinction of the Victoria Cross. - -The gallant Welshmen gained their first Victoria Cross at the battle of -the Alma. Russell’s picturesque letters and Kinglake’s bewitching pages -have rendered many readers familiar with the chief incidents of that -engagement; and it is here unnecessary for us to dwell upon them, for -in future pages we shall relate the circumstances under which Colonel -(then Captain) Bell gained at that first Crimean fight the honourable -distinction of the reward “For Valour.” - -But the roll of brave men in the Royal Welsh is not exhausted by the -mention of a single name. We are about to narrate the incident which -forms the subject of the accompanying engraving, copied with no mean -fidelity from that admirable collection of Mr. Desanges lately, in the -Crystal Palace, known as the Victoria Cross Gallery. The incident here -depicted occurred at the storming of the Redan on the 8th of September, -1855. Two hundred men of the Royal Welsh took part in that attack, and -their loss in killed and wounded was very great. After the men of the -23rd had retired, it was found that Lieutenant and Adjutant Dyneley, an -excellent young officer and a general favourite, was missing. It was -reported that he had been struck down in the heat of the engagement, and -some of the men described the spot where they had seen him fall. They -would gladly have assisted him if they could have done so, but soldiers, -while engaged, are expressly forbidden to leave their ranks for the -purpose of carrying the wounded off the field. - -The Highlanders, when first raised, were constantly in the habit of -doing this; they could not stand by and see the sons of their chiefs -dying on the field of battle without attempting to assist them. No man -knew their character or habits better than the late Lord Clyde, and it -was in allusion to this practice that he spoke these simple words while -his men were still in column at the Alma with the enemy in front:—“Now, -men, you are going into action. Remember this: whoever is wounded—I -don’t care what his rank is—whoever is wounded must lie where he falls -till the bandsmen come to attend to him. No soldiers must go carrying -off wounded men. If any soldier does such a thing, his name shall be -stuck up in his parish church.”[2] The perfection of discipline is to -make every unit in a regiment or an army act in unison with the whole -like a piece of machinery, and it is evident that if every soldier were -to follow out his own will the result would be inextricable confusion. -It is hard for a man to see officer or comrade struck down by his side -on the field of battle without being allowed to assist him; but on -such an occasion he has no choice—the pleadings of humanity must yield -to the voice of duty; he may turn aside his head in sorrow, but he must -still advance. It was so with the Royal Welsh as they advanced against -the Redan; they saw their gallant young adjutant fall, but there was -the dark parapet in front, and their first duty was to gain that. And -when our men were hurled from the ramparts into the ditch, where they -were slaughtered without being able to offer any resistance, it was only -natural that all their thoughts should be concentrated on themselves, and -that the fate of young Dyneley should be forgotten. But it was different -when the attack was over: there was a general feeling of regret for one -whom all had loved. While they were lamenting his fate, it occurred to -some of the officers that he might not yet be dead, and, while they were -deliberating what should be done, Corporal Robert Shields volunteered to -go out to the front from the fifth parallel and bring the body in. It was -a daring act of courage, all the more deserving of admiration that it -was dictated solely by a feeling of humanity without any expectation of -reward. The difference of rank does not always prevent friendships from -springing up between officers and men, and young Dyneley had found the -way to the hearts of all who knew him. Corporal Shields was not blind to -the danger he incurred; he knew that he carried his life, as it were, in -his hand, but he was prepared to risk everything to save his officer. -In the Homeric age it would have been said that some invisible goddess -watched over him and turned aside every hostile blow. He groped his way -over the field, covered with the slain, till he reached the spot where -poor Dyneley lay. Our engraving represents the discovery of the body. -The poor lieutenant is lying on his back, still alive, but with the -tide of life ebbing fast away; the corporal, with sorrow and sympathy -depicted in every feature of his manly, bearded face, is bending over -him, with one hand outstretched and the other grasping his rifle. He -would willingly have raised the boyish figure in his arms and borne him -back to his comrades, but it was too late; all that he could do was to -hurry back in search of medical assistance. He passed through a heavy -fire of musketry unhurt, and reached the trenches, where he found Dr. -Sylvester, the assistant-surgeon of the regiment, who at once consented -to return to the spot where Dyneley lay. He was still alive, but human -skill could avail him nothing; all that the tenderest friendship could -do was done by Sylvester, who dressed his wounds and supported him with -stimulants. Shields returned to the trenches and persuaded some of his -comrades to accompany him and to assist in carrying off the body of the -dying adjutant. The Emperor of the French, on hearing of this heroic -action, conferred on Corporal Shields the Cross of the Legion of Honour, -and our Queen bestowed on him the Cross which bears her own name. No -one will grudge it to him or to Dr. Sylvester. Mere bravery may often -border on bloodthirstiness; but valour combined with humanity is the most -godlike of all virtues. Such a man as Corporal Shields is an honour to -the British army, and he deserves to receive honourable mention amongst -the most fearless of England’s soldiery. - -An officer who is just, kind, and considerate will never find his men -ungrateful. Instances are on record where soldiers have laid down their -own lives to save those of officers they loved, and have thus sealed -their affection with their blood. On one occasion, when Lord Cornwallis -was giving orders to charge the French in Canada, a Highland soldier -rushed forward and placed himself in front of his officer, who asked him -what he meant. “You know,” said the Highlander, “that when I enlisted -to be a soldier, I promised to be faithful to the king and to you. The -French are coming, and while I stand here neither bullet nor bayonet -shall touch you, except through my body.” It was with difficulty that he -could be persuaded to resume his place in the ranks. An equally striking -proof of faithful attachment was exhibited at the siege of Bergen-op-Zoom -by the servant of an officer of the name of Fraser. The latter had -directed his servant to remain in the garrison while he conducted his men -to attack a battery belonging to the enemy. The night was pitch dark, -and the party had such difficulty in proceeding that they were obliged -to halt for a time. As they moved forward, Captain Fraser felt his path -impeded, and putting down his hand, seized hold of a plaid, the wearer of -which was grovelling at his feet. Imagining that it was one of his own -men trying to escape, he drew his dirk and tightened his grasp, when he -heard the voice of his servant imploring for mercy. “Why, what brought -you here?” “It was just my love for you,” said poor Donald. “But why -encumber yourself with a plaid?” “Alas! how could I ever show my face -to my mother,” she was Fraser’s foster-mother, “had you been killed or -wounded, and I not there to carry you to the surgeon or to Christian -burial? And how could I do either without a plaid to wrap you in?” - -Our soldiers have not degenerated, and there are still in the ranks -of the British army men who want only an opportunity to show the same -courage which has already entitled their comrades to wear Victoria’s -Cross. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS. - - -About a century ago the Highlanders were regarded as little better than -a race of savages. Their dress, their language, and their manners were -the subject of ridicule among their Southern neighbours, and their -well-known attachment to the house of Stuart excited the suspicion and -the distrust of the government of the day. “When the English thought of -the Highlander at all,” says Macaulay—“and it was seldom that they did -so—they considered him as a filthy, abject savage, a slave, a papist, -a cut-throat, and a thief.” The great historian then proceeds to show -that this estimate bordered very closely on the truth, and that the -Highlanders were little better than they were represented to be. He seems -to feel a cruel pleasure in exposing the weaknesses of those whose blood -flowed in his own veins, and he, doubtless, meant to display in his -picture of Highland manners a proof of his own impartiality. He gives -implicit credence to all that he finds in “Burt’s Letters,” without -reflecting that the author, from his very position, must have felt and -written like a partisan. Burt was an officer of Engineers employed under -General Wade in constructing those roads which opened up the Highlands -to the advance of the English forces. He remained in the North from -1726 to 1737, and amused his friends in the South with those letters, -in which he professed to describe the manners of the alien race among -whom he was placed. There is no reason to believe that he was wilfully -untruthful, but the work in which he was engaged rendered him hateful to -the Highlanders, and he hated them cordially in return. He was probably -unconscious of this feeling himself, but it is perceptible in almost -every line he wrote. Johnson carried with him to the Highlands all the -prejudices of his countrymen, and a good many others peculiar to himself; -but his rugged nature was softened by the hospitality he everywhere met -with, and he occasionally gives forth a grunt of approval. The reaction -produced by the publication of his “Tour to the Hebrides” was increased -by the appearance of the poems and novels of Scott, which created a sort -of _furore_ in favour of everything Highland, and rendered the land of -the mountain and the flood almost classical. Royalty itself condescended -to listen to the songs which it would once have been treason to sing -aloud; the garb of old Gaul was assumed by many who had no right to wear -it; the tartan became a favourite article of dress with both sexes; every -nook and corner of the North was explored; the land of Ossian became the -land of romance, and its inhabitants were invested with every possible -virtue. - -The gallant deeds of the Highland regiments in every quarter of the -globe added to the general enthusiasm for Caledonians. It was long, -indeed, before the English government would believe that they could be -trusted. To have armed the Highlanders about the beginning of the last -century, would have been deemed as much an act of insanity as to arm at -the present hour the New Zealand Maoris. Scottish men were known to be -under the control of their chiefs, and their chiefs, almost to a man, -were devoted to the Pretender. No wonder, then, that the government -hesitated before accepting their services; it was not till 1730—only one -hundred and thirty years ago—that the first experiment was made. Six -companies of Highlanders were then raised, each company being independent -of the other. They were known as the _Il Reicudan Dhu_, or Black Watch, -to distinguish them from the _Seideran Dearag_, or Red Soldiers. They -derived their names from the colour of their clothes; the regular -soldiers wore scarlet, as they do now, while the Highland companies -retained their sombre tartan. There was no lack of men: gentlemen of -good family were proud to serve as privates under their native officers; -for the whole country had been disarmed, and this indignity was deeply -felt by a race who, even in times of peace, never went forth without dirk -or claymore. The cadets of good families were proud to serve, if only in -the ranks, because they were thus entitled to bear arms; and to carry a -weapon was regarded as a proof that the bearer was a gentleman. The pay -privates received was small to a degree, yet poverty was so universal -that the pittance they took from government was not to be despised. -They were stationed in small parties over the country, and seem to have -discharged the same duties as are intrusted to the rural police at the -present day. In 1739 four additional companies were raised, and the whole -were formed into a regiment of the line. Such was the origin of the first -Highland regiment in the service—the gallant 42nd, still known as the -Black Watch. - -It would be foreign to our purpose to trace the origin and history of -all the Highland regiments. That task has already been ably performed -by General Stewart, of Garth, who served for many years in the 78th -Highlanders, and was appointed governor of the island of Tobago, in the -West Indies, where he died. It is somewhat singular that Macaulay appears -to have been ignorant of this work, which contains far more valuable -information regarding the Highlands than is to be found in “Burt’s -Letters.” General Stewart’s book is now almost forgotten; it is rarely -to be met with, save in the libraries of country gentlemen in the North, -whose forefathers figure in its pages. But it deserves a better fate. No -writer has ever possessed a keener insight into the manners and customs -of the warlike race whom he was proud to hail as his countrymen, or has -described them in peace and in war with a more graphic pen. By birth a -Highlander, by profession a soldier, he mingled freely with his clansmen, -spoke their language, and had ample opportunities of witnessing their -courage in every quarter of the globe. His “Military Annals” read like a -romance; they have all the charm of novelty, because they present us with -a picture of manners and feelings that have now died out. - - “The simple system of primeval life— - Simple but stately—hath been broken down; - The clans are scattered, and the chieftain power - Is dead.” - -It may be said with equal truth that our Highland regiments are dead; -they live only in name. We have regiments composed chiefly of Scotchmen, -but there are few Highland soldiers of pure Celtic origin. The Highlands -must have been far more populous than they now are, or they never could -have raised eighty-six regiments, including local corps, in the course -of the four wars in which this country was engaged after 1740. Most of -these regiments were formed between 1778 and 1809, and altogether they -must have included in their ranks, from first to last, as many as 70,000 -or 80,000 men. Some of them were raised before the American rebellion, -and Lord Chatham takes credit to himself for having been the first to -recognise their invaluable qualities in war.—“I sought for merit wherever -it was to be found. It is my boast that I was the first minister who -looked for it and found it in the mountains of the North. I called it -forth, and drew into your service a hardy and intrepid race of men, -who, when left by your jealousy, became a prey to the artifice of your -enemies, and had gone nigh to have overturned the state in the war before -the last. These men in the last war were brought to combat on your side; -they served with fidelity, and they fought with valour, and conquered for -you in every part of the world.” - -There is no exaggeration in this, and the minister is entitled to all -the credit he claims. He knew that a race so warlike and restless would -prove a source of constant danger, unless those qualities were turned to -some profitable account, and it was a wise and liberal policy to employ -them in defence of that throne which they had recently almost overturned. -The old feeling of clanship was retained; the chiefs and their kinsmen -received commissions, and their clansmen were proud to rally around -them. Every gentleman of good birth who could raise a hundred men was -appointed captain; those who could bring only twenty or thirty ranked -as subalterns. Sometimes a little pressure was used by the chiefs, but -generally the men were ready to serve. The regiments thus raised were -composed almost exclusively of Highlanders. Gaelic was spoken alike by -officers and men, and chaplains familiar with the mountain tongue were -appointed to every regiment. Gentlemen who could not obtain commissions -at once were content to serve in the ranks till vacancies occurred. Two -men of gentle birth, privates in the Black Watch, were presented to -George II. in 1743. “They performed,” says the _Westminster Journal_, -“the broadsword exercise, and that of the Lochaber axe or lance, before -his Majesty, the Duke of Cumberland, Marshal Wade, and a number of -general officers assembled for the purpose in the great gallery of St. -James’s. They displayed so much dexterity and skill in the management of -their weapons as to give perfect satisfaction to his Majesty. Each got -a gratuity of one guinea, which they gave to the porter at the palace -gate as they went out,” and this, not that they were dissatisfied with -the gift, or that their purses were over-well plenished, but they could -not have accepted money without forfeiting their own respect and their -position as gentlemen. - -Now it did sometimes happen that men not of the Highland race were -smuggled into these Highland regiments. For example, two gentlemen, -anxious to obtain commissions in the Black Watch, and unable to find the -requisite number of men among their own countrymen, enlisted eighteen -Irishmen at Glasgow. Some of them were O’Donnels, O’Lachlans, and -O’Briens, and as such would have been at once rejected by Lord John -Murray, the colonel, who would accept none but Highland recruits. The -two ingenious gentlemen got over the difficulty by changing Patrick -O’Donnel, O’Lachlan, and O’Brien into Donald Macdonnel, Maclachlan, and -Macbriar, under which names they were enrolled in the regiment without -any suspicion of their nationality. The Lowland Scotch seldom thought -of entering these regiments. When the battle of Fontenoy was fought, -there was not a soldier in the Black Watch born south of the Grampians, -and only two of the Milesian Highlanders were alive. So high was the -reputation of the regiment that it could always obtain more Highland -recruits than were required. The bounty was a guinea and a crown; but -not gold attracted the young mountaineers: they were led to enlist by -the thirst of glory and the honour of belonging to a regiment which had -already covered itself with fame on many a hard-fought field. So late -as 1776, when the Black Watch embarked for service in America, it still -retained its strictly national character: all the officers but two were -Highlanders, while among the privates we find 931 Highlanders, 74 Lowland -Scotch, 5 Englishmen (in the band), 1 Welshman, and 2 Irishmen. This -distinctive formation held till 1779, when an attempt was made to destroy -the exclusively Highland character of the regiment by drafting into it a -body of 150 recruits, the sweepings of the gaols of London and Dublin. -The 42nd had hitherto borne a high reputation; the conduct of the men -had been exemplary; corporal punishment almost unknown. The commanding -officer remonstrated against the admission of these recruits, of whom -16 died during the voyage to America, and 75 others found their way to -hospital on landing. The government yielded to his remonstrances: the -recruits were drafted into the 26th Regiment in exchange for the same -number of Scotchmen. The introduction of the representatives of Richard -Cameron into the Black Watch was attended with the worst consequences: -flogging and like punishments became more frequent; and the men, -accustomed to these degrading spectacles, lost that fine sense of honour -which had hitherto distinguished them. - -When, in 1793, the 78th Regiment was raised, we find that the strength of -the corps was 1113 men, of whom 970 were Highlanders, 129 Lowland Scotch, -and 14 English and Irish. Several of the officers belonged to Lowland -families, and brought a certain number of their retainers with them: the -Englishmen probably belonged to the band, as in the case of the 42nd. -In 1805 the proportion of men in the regiment, which was now stationed -in India, was pretty much the same: it contained 835 Highlanders, 184 -Lowlanders, 8 English, and 9 Irish. The Highlanders must have been taller -then than they are now. After the tallest men were selected for the -Grenadier company, there still remained a hundred considerably above the -standard of height in light infantry regiments. - -The Celtic element predominated equally in the 93rd, or Sutherland -Highlanders, which was raised in 1800, and consisted of 631 Highlanders, -460 of whom belonged to the county of Sutherland. Eleven years later the -numerical strength of the regiment was 1049: with the exception of 17 -Irish and 18 English, all of these men belonged to Scotland. - -The 92nd, or Gordon Highlanders, was raised in 1794 by the last Duke of -Gordon, then Marquis of Huntly, and by his mother, the beautiful and -witty Duchess Jane. The duchess used to frequent the country fairs, and -when she saw a likely youth she would try every persuasion to induce him -to enlist. When all other arguments failed, she would place a guinea -between her lips, and no young Highlander, however pacific, could refuse -the bounty thus proffered. One kiss of that beautiful mouth was worth -dying for. - -Three-fourths of Duchess Jane’s regiment were Highlanders; all the rest -were Lowlanders, except 35 Irishmen, whom one of the officers was obliged -to accept, _faute de mieux_, to make up his complement. In 1825 the -numbers were 716 Scots, 51 English, and 111 Irish; in 1857, 1043 Scots, 7 -English, and 40 Irish. - -The only other regiment which retains the garb of old Gaul is the 79th, -or Cameron Highlanders, raised in 1793 by Allan Cameron, of Errach, in -the northern counties. About four-fifths of the men were Highlanders; the -rest were English or Irish. In 1857 the regiment consisted of 895 Scots, -37 English, and 39 Irish. - -The 71st, 72nd, and the 74th are also ranked as Highland regiments, and -recruit chiefly in the North; but for many years they have substituted -the trews for the kilt, and are composed chiefly of Lowland Scotch. The -same may be said of the regiments that retain the kilt; most of the men -are Lowland Scotch, natives chiefly of the large manufacturing towns. The -Highlands at present scarcely supply sufficient recruits to keep up the -strength of two regiments; whereas we find that during the first forty -years of this century the Isle of Skye, only 45 miles long and 15 broad, -gave us 21 lieutenant and major-generals, 45 lieutenant-colonels, 600 -majors, captains, and subalterns, 10,000 privates, and 120 pipers. The -recruiting parties stationed in that island meet now with indifferent -success; but it is the same everywhere in the Highlands. - -[Illustration: Bounty offered to the Highlanders by Jane, Duchess of -Gordon.] - -Many of the men in these old Highland regiments bore the same name. We -find, for example, in one regiment of 800 men no less than 700 who have -the word Mac prefixed to their names. In another we find no less than -nine John Roses; and as for Donald Macdonalds, their name was legion. The -drill-sergeant showed his ingenuity in distinguishing the bearers of the -same cognomen by jocular allusions to their personal appearance, which -must occasionally have been not altogether gratifying to the nick-named. -In the same company there would be Donald Macdonald with the red hair, -Donald with the big feet, Donald with the long legs, Donald of Skye, -Donald of Harris, and so forth. When all other means of distinguishing -his recruits failed him, the drill-sergeant had recourse to figures, -and ranked them as Donald Macdonald No. 1, No. 2, No. 3. No wonder he -occasionally got confused amongst so many Donalds, and lost his temper. - -About the close of the last century the citizens of Edinburgh found -much amusement in listening to the calling of the muster-rolls of one -of the newly-raised Highland regiments stationed there, and studying -the ingenuity of the sergeants in distinguishing the countless Macs -and Donalds in their different companies. The ludicrous effect of such -scenes was enhanced by the guttural accent and imperfect English of -the speakers, who, if we may judge by the following specimen, seem -occasionally to have had peculiar ideas of military duty:— - -“Tonald Mactonald No. 5,” cried the sergeant, going over the muster-roll -of his company. - -“Here!” cried a voice so shrill and abrupt that it excited a general -titter in the ranks, and the unbounded indignation of the sergeant. - -“Here, ye tamm’d rogue! Is that the way she speaks to a shentleman? But -we a’ ken Tonald’s a liar, sae pit her down absent, and tak’ her to the -guard-room.” - -“Tonald Mactonald No. 6,” continued the sergeant. - -There was no answer. The sergeant broke forth into a sort of soliloquy— - -“Tonald Mactonald No. 6; that’s my sister’s son frae Achallatus. Ay, ay, -Tonald; she was aye a modest lad, that never spak’ till she was spoken -to, so we’ll put her down present.” - -And thus the sergeant went over the whole roll, accompanying each name -with some remark which showed the estimation in which he held the bearer. - -The soldiers of all these regiments wore the scarlet jacket and -waistcoat, with a tartan plaid, the lower part of which was wrapped round -the body, and the upper thrown loosely over the left shoulder. The plaid -served a double purpose: it guarded the soldier’s shoulders and firelock -from rain by day, and was used as a blanket by night. It was attached to -his middle by a belt, from which his pistol and dirk, or small dagger, -were suspended. On his head was worn the blue bonnet with a border of -tartan as at the present day, and a small tuft of feathers or a piece of -bearskin; the kilt was of different colours to distinguish the regiments. -The arms were supplied by government, and consisted of a musket, a -bayonet, and a large basket-hilted broadsword. In 1769 some alteration -was made in the dress of the 42nd; the men were provided with white cloth -waistcoats, and goatskin and buff leather purses; the officers began to -wear light hangers instead of the heavy broadsword, which was used only -in full dress; and the sergeants were provided with carbines, and laid -aside the ponderous Lochaber axes they had hitherto carried. In 1776 the -broadswords and pistols were laid aside. The regiment was then serving in -America, and it was objected that the broadswords impeded their movements -by getting entangled in the brushwood. An attempt was subsequently made -to induce them to dispense with the kilt, and to adopt the garb of the -Saxon. It was objected to it then, as now, that it was too hot in summer -and too cold in winter; but the Highlanders stood out stoutly against the -proposed innovation, and the notion of changing the kilt was abandoned. -“We were allowed,” writes a veteran son of the Gael, “to wear the garb of -our fathers, and, in the course of six winters, showed the doctors that -they did not understand our constitution; for in the coldest winters our -men were more healthy than those regiments who wore breeches and warm -clothing.” But now that the kilt is no longer worn in the Highlands, and -few Highlanders enlist in the kilted regiments, it seems an anomaly to -retain an article of dress which, we venture to say, was never worn by -nineteen-twentieths of our present soldiers till they entered the army. -A large proportion of the officers are English, and it is rather hard -that they should have to adopt a dress which must strike them at first -as barbarous, if not indecent. It is singular, however, that Englishmen -serving in Highland regiments are usually as fond of the kilt as the -Highlanders themselves, and would be quite as ready to protest against -the adoption of a less peculiar costume. - -As to the Highlander’s mode of fighting, it was the simplest thing in -the world. He discharged his musket, threw it aside, drew his bonnet -over his brow, and rushed upon the foe, leaving all the rest to God and -his own good broadsword. It was so that he conquered at Prestonpans and -elsewhere, but it would be difficult to assert that his undisciplined -valour rendered him superior to troops thoroughly drilled, or that -the broadsword is more formidable than the bayonet. General Stewart, -nevertheless, is of a different opinion:—“From the battle of Culloden, -where a body of undisciplined Highlanders, shepherds and herdsmen, with -their broadswords cut their way through some of the best disciplined and -most approved regiments in the British army (drawn up, too, on a field -extremely favourable for regular troops), down to the time when the -swords were taken from the Highlanders, the bayonet was in every instance -overcome by the sword.” - -In one of the skirmishes with the French in Egypt, a young sergeant of -the 78th killed six of the enemy with the broadsword; the weapon was -the same as that still used by sergeants in Highland regiments. The -half-dozen Frenchmen were not cut down while retreating, but in fighting -with the bayonet, hand to hand, against the broadsword. The gallant -sergeant met his death-blow from a sabre-stroke from behind as he was -returning to his company, after cutting down the last of his six foes. -Many other proofs of the efficacy of the basket-hilted weapon might be -given, but we question whether its warmest admirers would prefer it to -the bayonet in a close attack. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—_continued_. - - -The Highlanders possessed naturally a great aptitude for war. It has -been said that hunting is the nearest approach to war in times of peace; -and the Highlander, when not engaged in war, devoted himself to hunting, -fishing, and the practice of athletic sports and manly exercises. He was -a deer-stalker before deer-parks were invented, when deer-stalking was -something different from the easy slaughter now known by that name; he -was accustomed to bear hunger, thirst, and fatigue without complaint; to -sleep in the snow with no other covering than his plaid; to encounter -the members of a hostile clan with no other weapon than his broadsword. -He possessed the virtues and physical qualities that fit men for war. -He was impetuous in attack and cool under fire. In the hour of danger -he exhibited such courage and presence of mind as nothing could daunt. -At Fontenoy and elsewhere he has thrown himself on the ground as the -enemy began their fire; when their bullets had whistled harmlessly over -his head, he would rush forward till his musket almost touched their -breasts, and pour in the deadly discharge; he would then retreat, receive -their fire as before, and advance in the same manner. If he had not been -possessed of the greatest coolness and self-possession, such a mode of -fighting could only have led to inextricable confusion. - -From an old pamphlet, published in 1745, we learn that a Highlander of -the 42nd Regiment killed nine Frenchmen with his broadsword at Fontenoy, -and would probably have added to the number of the slain if he had not -lost his arm. In a skirmish with the Americans in 1776, Major Murray, of -the same regiment, being separated from his men, was attacked by three -of the enemy. His dirk had slipped behind his back, and, being very -corpulent, he could not reach it: he defended himself as well as he could -with his fusil, and, watching his opportunity, seized the sword of one -of his assailants, and put the three to flight. It was natural that he -should ever retain that sword as a trophy of victory. In another skirmish -during the same war, a young recruit belonging to Fraser’s Highlanders -slew seven of the enemy with his own hand. At the close of the engagement -his bayonet, once perfectly straight, was twisted like a corkscrew. -At the affair of Castlebar, in Ireland, when men of other regiments -retreated, a Highland sentinel refused to leave his post without orders. -It was in vain that they tried to persuade him to retire—he stood there -alone against a host. Five times he loaded and fired; a Frenchman fell at -every shot. Before he could put his musket to his shoulder a sixth time -the enemy were upon him, and many a bayonet passed through his body. The -power of discipline could scarcely carry a man farther than this. The -soldier who could meet a host without flinching must have had the soul -of a hero. Highlanders have been equally patient and enduring in meeting -the onsets of hunger and famine. The 1st Battalion of the 78th Regiment -was wrecked during the passage from Java to Calcutta in 1816. The days -and nights from the 9th of November to the 6th of December were spent -on the rocky isle of Preparis, without shelter and almost without food. -One ounce of bread and half a glassful of rice was the daily allowance -of each person for nearly a month. At length even this miserable supply -failed, and the shell-fish picked up at low water became their only means -of support. At such a juncture the most generous of men might have become -selfish; but such was the effect of discipline among these half-famished -Highlanders, that with death staring them in the face they could resist -the cravings of hunger, and bring all their gatherings to one common -stock, which was equally divided among them all. Their fortitude was -rewarded by the arrival of a ship which carried them in safely to -Calcutta. - -Numerous proofs of their cunning and address in war might be cited. On -the day before the battle of Fontenoy the Earl of Craufurd advanced -with the Highlanders to examine the enemy’s outposts. A Highland -soldier, stationed in dangerous proximity to the enemy, was annoyed by -one of their sharpshooters firing at his post, and had recourse to an -ingenious expedient to rid himself of this annoyance. He crept stealthily -forward and placed his bonnet on the top of a stick near the verge of a -hollow road. While the Frenchman’s attention was fixed on his supposed -antagonist, Donald advanced unperceived to a spot where he could take -sure aim, and brought down the unfortunate marksman. In a skirmish -with the American rebels in 1777, Sergeant Macgregor, of the 42nd, was -severely wounded, and remained insensible on the ground. Unlike Captain -Crawley, who put on his old uniform before Waterloo, the sergeant, who -seems to have been something of a dandy, had attired himself in his -best, as if he had been going to a ball, and not to a battle. He wore a -new jacket with silver lace, large silver buckles in his shoes, and a -watch of some value. This display of wealth attracted the notice of an -American soldier, who, actuated by no feeling of humanity, but by the -sordid desire of stripping the sergeant at leisure, took him on his back -and began to carry him off the field. It is probable that the American -did not handle him very tenderly, and the motion soon restored him to -consciousness. He saw at once the state of matters, and proved himself -master of the occasion. With one hand he drew his dirk, and, grasping the -American’s throat with the other, he swore that he would stab him to the -heart if he did not retrace his steps, and bear him back in safety to the -British camp. The _argumentum ad hominem_ in the shape of a glittering -dagger before his eyes was too much for the American. On the way to the -camp he met Lord Cornwallis, who thanked him for his humanity, but he -had the candour to admit the truth. His lordship, who was much amused at -the incident, gave the American his liberty, and, on Macgregor retiring -from the service, procured for him a situation in the Customs at Leith. -He probably thought that the man who could entrap a Yankee would be more -than a match for any smuggler. In a war with the Cherokees in 1760, -Allen Macpherson, a private in Montgomery’s Highlanders, fell into the -hands of the enemy. Anxious to escape from the cruel torture that awaited -him, he signified that he had something of importance to communicate. An -interpreter was introduced, and the Indians stood by in solemn silence. -He informed them that he was a medicine-man, and knew of certain herbs, -which, if applied to the skin, would enable it to resist the sword or the -tomahawk, though wielded by the strongest arm; if they would conduct him -to the woods, and allow him to collect these herbs, he would use them so -as that their bravest warrior might strike at his neck without injuring -him. Such an assertion found ready credence with superstitious Indians, -and they complied with his request. Macpherson was as cool and confident -in his bearing as if he had nothing to dread: he rubbed his neck with -the juice of the first herbs he had picked up, laid his head calmly on -a block of wood, and invited the ordeal. An Indian raised his tomahawk -and struck at his neck with such force that his head flew several yards -from his body. The Cherokees, far from resenting the trick which had been -played upon their credulity, expressed their admiration of his address -and courage by refraining from torturing the other captives. We could -give many proofs of the Highlander’s ingenuity in attacking others or -defending himself, but we confine ourselves to a single incident which -tends to prove his dexterity in imposing on the enemy. During the siege -of Quebec, the French had planted sentries along the river to challenge -all who approached. During the night attack which ended in the capture of -the town, the first boat with English troops was observed and challenged. -“_Qui vive?_” A moment’s hesitation, and all would have been lost. An -officer of Fraser’s Highlanders who had served in Holland, and knew -the watchword, at once replied, “_La France._” The second part of the -challenge was given and satisfactorily answered. The sentinel became -troublesomely inquisitive. “_A quel régiment appartenez-vous?_” “_Au -régiment de la Reine._” It was fortunate that the captain knew that a -regiment of that name was serving in Quebec. The soldier, satisfied with -these replies, allowed all the boats to pass without further challenge: -he thought it was an expected convoy with provisions, and no time was -lost when the magic word “_passe_” was heard. The other sentries took -it for granted that all was right; there was only one who had some -suspicion. Struck with the silence on board the boats, he rushed down -to the water’s edge, and called, “_Pourquoi est-ce que vous ne parlez -pas haut?_” The suspicion implied in this question was at once disarmed -by the officer replying in a subdued tone, “_Tais-tois, ou nous serons -entendus._” That cunning Highlander had not studied French for nothing—it -gained for the British: Quebec. - -A striking trait in the character of the Highlanders was their devoted -attachment to their own regiments and officers. When clanship had all -but died out in the North, it was found lingering among the Highland -soldiers. The Highlander’s regiment was his clan, and his colonel his -chief; and to his corps and commander he did the same fealty as in the -days of yore to clansmen and their head. This feeling was peculiarly -prominent in those regiments which were under the command of cadets of -ancient Northern families, who felt in themselves and tried to revive in -their men the old ties of clanship. Cameron, of the 92nd, who fought and -fell at Quatre Bras, was less the colonel than the chief of that gallant -regiment, which was raised partly in Lochaber, his native district. He -knew every man in his regiment, and watched over their interests as if -they had been his brothers or his sons. An angry look or a stern word -from him was dreaded more than the lash. He was their father, and when he -fell there rose from his mountain children that wild wail of sorrow which -once heard can never be forgotten. Brave, impetuous, and headstrong, -jealous of his own honour and that of his regiment, Cameron has always -struck us as the _beau idéal_ of a Highland officer of the better class; -while Captain MacTurk, that admirable creation of Scott, may be safely -accepted as the faithful representative of a once numerous class, the all -but countless subalterns who had risen from the ranks, and who puzzled -the post-office and confused the directory by the similarity of their -names. The old clannish feeling is perceptible in the language used by -Highland veterans in alluding to their past services. They do not say -that they served in the 42nd, the 78th, the 79th, the 92nd, or the 93rd -regiment; but, when inspired by usquebaugh or ancient reminiscences, they -begin to fight their battles o’er, they preface their narrative with, -“When I was in the Black Watch, the Ross, the Cameron, the Gordon, or -the Sutherland regiment.” The name to them is everything: the number by -which the regiment is known at the Horse Guards is a number, and nothing -more. This attachment of the Highlanders to their own regiments was so -well-known during the last century that it was sometimes taken advantage -of by the recruiting sergeants, who assumed the Highland dress, and -persuaded the recruits they were about to join a Highland regiment. When -such was not the case, the rage of the Highlanders on discovering the -imposture was unbounded; they appealed to the military authorities, and -on their obtaining their discharge re-enlisted at once in one of their -own regiments. These regiments, when first raised, could always command -a larger number of men than they actually required. When the Fraser -Highlanders embarked for foreign service in 1776, it was found that more -men had joined than the strength of the different companies admitted, -and several were dismissed. Such, however, was their anxiety to serve, -that they concealed themselves in the ship, and were not discovered -till the fleet was at sea. An incident occurred on this occasion which -proves that the _esprit de clan_, if we may so speak, was even stronger -than the _esprit de corps_. A hundred and twenty men had been raised -on the forfeited estate of Cameron of Lochiel, so as to entitle him to -a company: detained by sickness in London, he was unable to join his -regiment in Glasgow. The Camerons, unwilling to serve any one but their -chief, hesitated to embark, till young Fassiefern, one of their clansmen, -and a near relative of Lochiel, was appointed to the command of the -company, when all their scruples were removed. Lochiel, on hearing of -the conduct of his men, hurried down from London; but the fatigue of the -journey brought on a fresh attack of disease, to which he fell a victim -in a few weeks. The regiment was under the command of General Fraser, a -son of Lord Lovat. He addressed the Camerons in Gaelic, and his eloquence -had much effect in winning them back to obedience. While he was speaking, -a venerable Highlander was seen leaning on his staff and listening with -rapt attention. When he had finished, the old man stepped up to him, and -seizing his hand with an easy familiarity which marked the intercourse -of all classes in the North, said, “Simon, you are a good soldier, and -speak like a man; as long as you live, Simon of Lovat will never die.” -The general, doubtless, appreciated this double compliment; his father -was a favourite among the Highlanders, and it was implied that the son -was worthy of the sire. The young recruits always wished to serve under -officers of their own clan, and felt it a hardship to be separated from -them. It was not enough that they served in the same regiment; they -wished to belong to the same company. Young Fassiefern brought a hundred -Lochaber men to join the 92nd at Aberdeen. When it was proposed to draft -them into different companies, they refused to be separated, or to serve -under any officer save their young chief. It was only by pledging his -honour that he would watch equally over the interests of all that he -could persuade them to submit; his letters to his father prove that he -never forgot his promise. They were true to one another to the end; when -a Lochaber man died, Cameron followed him to the grave, reminded his -sorrowing comrades of his soldierly virtues, and told them to “give him -the smoothest bed, and to cover him with the greenest sod.” To understand -the delicacy of this order, one must have witnessed a Highland funeral, -or seen the smooth, level, turf-covered graves in a Highland churchyard. -There was no sacrifice which they were not prepared to make for officers -who thus studied their interests and feelings. They were as jealous of -their honour as of their own; cowardice in the chief brought disgrace -on his clan. There was a singular display of this feeling in one of the -Crimean battles: a young Highland officer left his place in front of his -company and began to retreat, when a sergeant seized him by the throat, -and swore he would run him through the body if he did not turn. He chose -rather to meet the fire of the Russians than the glare of the sergeant’s -angry eye. This jealousy of their officers’ honour gave rise to an -amusing incident during the attack on Fort Washington in 1777. The hill -on which the fort stood was almost perpendicular, but the Highlanders -rushed up the steep ascent like mountain cats. When half-way up the -heights they heard a melancholy voice exclaim, “Oh, soldiers, will you -leave me?” On looking down, they saw Major Murray, their commanding -officer, at the foot of the precipice; his extreme obesity prevented him -from following them. They were not deaf to this appeal: it would never do -to leave their corpulent commander behind. A party leaped down at once, -seized him in their arms, and bore him from ledge to ledge of the rock -till they reached the summit, where they drove the enemy before them -and made two hundred prisoners. Major Murray was not the only corpulent -warrior among those Highland soldiers. Sir Robert Munroe of Fowlis, who -commanded them at Fontenoy, was so fat that his own men had to haul him -from the trenches by the legs and arms; he advised them to fall flat on -the ground when the enemy fired, but remained erect himself, remarking -that it was easy for a man of his weight to lie down, but not so easy -to rise. Some of the men seem to have been as remarkable for height as -their officers were for breadth. Thus we read of Samuel Macdonald, or -“Big Sam,” of the Sutherland Fencibles, who was seven feet four inches -in height, and stout in proportion. As the other men would have looked -like pigmies beside such a giant, he stood on the right of the regiment -when in line, and marched at its head when in column, followed by an -immense mountain deer, between which and him there were certain physical, -if not spiritual, affinities. He was an excellent drill, and, like most -giants, extremely good-natured. Ordinary rations would not have sufficed -to sustain such a corpus; he was therefore allowed half-a-crown a day of -extra pay. Attracting the attention of the Prince of Wales, he made him -one of the porters at Carlton House. But Macdonald soon tired of this -inactive life, and longed to be with his old comrades of the 93rd. He -rejoined the regiment, and died at Guernsey in 1802. Sam’s regiment seems -to have been remarkable for the size and muscular strength of the men. It -had no light company, and as more than 200 men were upwards of five feet -eleven inches in height, they were formed into two grenadier companies, -one on each flank of the battalion. - -The retirement or the removal of one of their favourite officers to -another regiment called forth the strongest feelings of sorrow, and -sometimes almost led to open resistance. It occasionally happened that -these officers were Englishmen, who with the garb of the mountains had -adopted all the feelings of the mountaineers. Cadogan, who commanded the -71st in the Peninsula, was a Saxon, and yet no Celt was ever dearer to -his men. The Pretender would never have been so popular in the North if -he had not worn the tartan; the same may be said of Montrose and Dundee, -neither of whom was a Highlander by birth. If English officers failed to -gain the affections and respect of their men, it was because they failed -to make themselves acquainted with their character, and inadvertently -wounded their feelings. Such cases, however, were rare. English officers -serving in Highland regiments possessed the _esprit de corps_ as much as -the Highlanders themselves. At first, as we have shown, all the officers -belonged to the North, and it was a point of honour with the men either -to protect them in battle or to avenge them if slain. We might cite many -cases where Highland soldiers sacrificed their own lives to save those of -their officers, stepping before them and receiving in their own bodies -the bullet or the bayonet-thrust aimed at their officers’ breasts. When a -favourite fell, woe betide the enemy at the next charge: every Highlander -fought as if his arm alone were the instrument of vengeance. When Cameron -fell at Quatre Bras, by a shot fired from the upper storey of the -farm-house, his men rushed with a wild shout on the building, burst their -way in, and avenged by the slaughter of all its occupants, the death of -their leader. - -[Illustration: Major Murray and the Highlanders at Fort Washington.] - -While the duty of avenging the death of a beloved officer was incumbent -upon all, it devolved with peculiar stringency on his foster-brother, -who always kept near his person in battle. This duty is frequently -alluded to in the proverbial expressions of the North. “Kindred to twenty -(degrees), fosterage to a hundred,” was a received maxim in the code of -Celtic ethics. “Woe to the father of the foster-son who is unfaithful -to his trust,” is another old saying which proves that this tie was -regarded as sacred. Scott has described this singular relationship -among the Highlanders in “Waverley,” and many illustrations might be -given of the deeds of unselfish devotion to which it gave rise. Often -the foster-brother thrust himself before his officer, and shielded him -from danger by the sacrifice of his own life. If he had failed to do -so, his own mother would have been the first to reproach him for his -cowardice—ay, and to disown him as her son. There was much of the old -Spartan feeling among these Celtic mothers. The wives of those Northern -chiefs seem to have had no great liking for the primary duties of -domestic life; instead of rearing their own children, they distributed -them among their tenantry, who considered themselves honoured by the -confidence thus reposed in them. This singular custom tended to render -the tie between the chief and his clan closely intimate: they felt -themselves to be members of one great family. Cameron of Fassiefern, -with whose portrait our readers are familiar, was followed wherever he -went by his faithful henchman and foster-brother, Ewen M’Millan. His -devotion to his chief was unbounded; it absorbed every other feeling, -and became the master-passion of his life. At the battle of St. Pierre, -Ewen gave an amusing proof of his regard, not only for his master, but -also for his master’s property. Cameron’s horse, being wounded, fell, and -nearly crushed him. A Frenchman rushed forward to bayonet him while thus -disabled; but, before the blow had reached, Ewen came up and pierced the -Frenchman to the heart. Ewen then raised his master from his dangerous -position and conducted him to a place of safety, after which he returned -and carried off the saddle on which Cameron had sat. All this was done -with the greatest coolness, though the battle was at its height, and -the bullets of the enemy were flying on every side. When Ewen rejoined -his company, he displayed his trophy to his comrades, and exultingly -exclaimed, “We must leave them the carcass, but they sha’n’t get the -saddle where Fassiefern sat.” It was evidently a seat of honour, and too -sacred an object in Ewen’s eyes to be left in possession of the French; -and to save the saddle the disgrace of receiving part of another’s -person, he was ready to risk his life. When Cameron fell at Quatre Bras, -his devoted foster-brother was in a moment at his side, and, raising -him in his arms, he bore him from the field of battle till he found a -cart, on which he laid him. Seating himself by his side, he propped the -head of his dying chief on his own faithful breast, and tried in vain to -stanch the life-blood fast ebbing away. It was all in vain: the bullet -had done its deadly work, and Ewen could only weep over the grave of one -for whom he would have gladly died. Such faithful attachment deserved to -be rewarded, and Cameron’s father provided Ewen with a farm on his own -estate when he obtained his discharge after the battle of Waterloo. - -It may amuse our readers to learn the opinion of the Highlanders formed -by those who have encountered them in the field of battle. Their strange -dress, their lofty stature, their unknown tongue, and their singular mode -of fighting, all naturally produced a deep impression on the minds of -their enemies, who regarded them almost with a feeling of superstition. -A French writer, alluding to the battle of Fontenoy, says, “The British -behaved well, and could be exceeded in ardour by none but our officers, -who animated the troops by their example, _when the Highland furies -rushed in upon us with more violence than ever did a sea driven by a -tempest_.” The Highlanders took part in the capture of Guadaloupe; and it -appears from letters written from that island that the French had formed -the wildest notions regarding the _sauvages d’Ecosse_ (Scotch savages), -as they were pleased to term them. They believed that they would neither -take nor give quarter, and that they were so nimble that, as no one could -catch them, nobody could escape them; that no man had a chance against -their broadswords; and that, with a ferocity natural to savages, they -made no prisoners, and spared neither man, woman, nor child. As the -Highlanders were always in the front during the attack on the island, -we need not be surprised that the good people of Guadaloupe quailed at -the sight of such a redoubtable foe, and offered but little resistance. -Such was the activity of the Highlanders in attacking them at different -points, that they believed that they amounted to several thousands, -whereas their real strength was only 800. A French general, in reference -to the gallantry of the Highlanders at Toulouse, said, “Ah, these are -brave soldiers. If they had good officers, I should not like to meet them -unless I were well supported.” As their officers had never received much -training for war, their bravery was often more conspicuous than their -knowledge of the military art. - -Keith’s Highlanders particularly distinguished themselves in the German -wars which were carried on about the middle of the eighteenth century. -Macaulay has shown that the English at one time did not hold their -Northern neighbours in high estimation; but it appears that the Germans -entertained still more erroneous ideas regarding them. “The Scotch -Highlanders,” says a writer in the _Vienna Gazette_ of 1762, “are a -people totally different in their dress, manners, and temper from the -other inhabitants of Britain. _They are caught in the mountains when -young_, and still run with a surprising degree of swiftness. As they -are strangers to fear, they make very good soldiers when disciplined.” -The writer proceeds to admit that they are not without some amiable -qualities, and charitably concludes his article by expressing a hope -“that their king’s laudable, though late, endeavours to civilize and -instruct them in the principles of Christianity will meet with success.” -The French and Germans, along with Englishmen, have during the last -hundred years learned to know the Highlanders better. - -We happened the other day to find ourselves in the society of a number -of officers, some of whom had seen service in every quarter of the -globe. Allusion was made to Highland soldiers, when an English colonel -exclaimed, “They are the most troublesome fellows in the service. I have -seven of them in my regiment, and they have given me more annoyance about -their rights and grievances than all my other men.” - -“The reason is very simple,” rejoined an officer, who hailed from the -land of the Gael; “you don’t know how to manage them.” - -In these simple words may be found the secret cause of the mutinies -which so frequently broke out among the Highland regiments when first -organized. The government of the day did not know how to manage them: -hence insubordination, discontent, and frequent mutiny. The 42nd, or -Old Black Watch, was, as we have shown, the first body of Highlanders -formed into a regular regiment. Many of the privates were men of good -family and liberal education, who were drawn into the service by their -natural love of arms. It was distinctly understood that the sphere of -their services was not to extend beyond their native country, to which -they were warmly attached; and when in March, 1743, they were ordered -to proceed to England, many of the leading men of the North, including -Lord President Forbes, ventured to remonstrate. Their remonstrances were -vain; the government persisted in their resolution, but the suspicions -of the Highlanders were disarmed by appealing to their vanity. They were -assured that the king was anxious to see so gallant a regiment, and that -after being reviewed by royalty they would be allowed to return to their -native land. The men were treated with the greatest kindness in the -different English towns through which they passed; their warlike bearing -and correctness of conduct secured for them the admiration and esteem of -all with whom they were brought into contact. On the 14th of May they -were reviewed on Finchley Common by Marshal Wade, in the presence of vast -crowds who had hurried from London to see _les sauvages Ecossais_. It was -unfortunate the king was not present at this review; his absence induced -the Highlanders to lend a ready ear to the insidious report circulated -among them by the adherents of the Stuarts that they were about to be -transported to the American plantations. The Highlanders were stung to -madness by the supposed treachery; but, with characteristic caution, they -concealed their intentions till their plans were matured. They whispered -to one another that, “after being used as rods to scourge their own -countrymen, they were now to be thrown into the fire.” They resolved to -die rather than submit to such a fate. - -On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday after the review they -assembled on a common near Highgate, and commenced their march to the -land of their birth. They had friends and sympathisers in the city who -supplied them with provisions. Their march was conducted with such -secrecy that for a week nothing was known of their route. They had -reached Lady Wood, between Brigstock and Deanthorp, about four miles -from Oundle, when Captain Ball, an officer of Wade’s regiment of horse, -was sent to treat with them. He requested them to lay down their arms -and surrender at discretion, but they declared with one voice that they -would be cut to pieces rather than submit, unless they were allowed to -retain their arms and received a free pardon. All that Captain Ball could -promise was to recommend them to mercy; but the pride of the Highlanders -revolted at such a proposal. - -“Hitherto,” then exclaimed the captain, “I have been your friend; but -if you continue obstinate an hour longer not a man of you shall be left -alive; and for my part, I assure you, I shall give quarter to none.” - -The Highlanders, who had too much generosity to resent this bold -language, sent two of their number to escort him out of the wood. The -guides were won over by his eloquence: one of them remained with him, -while the other returned and tried to persuade his comrades to submit. -Surrounded as they were by superior numbers, they were, after some -negotiation, induced to surrender. They received a free pardon, and soon -after embarked for Flanders, where their deeds of bravery atoned for -their temporary disaffection. - -A similar incident occurred in the case of a Highland regiment in the -service of William III. It was the ardent love of country that led them -to refuse to embark for Holland, and their devotion to King James that -led them to drink his health while there in preference to that of their -own prince. Some one reported this to William. - -“Do they fight well, these Highlanders?” asked the king. - -“None better,” was the reply. - -“Then,” said the king, “if they fight so well for me, let them drink my -father’s health as often as they choose.” - -There was much magnanimity in these words. The Highlanders soon -learned to drink William’s health as heartily as they had done his -father-in-law’s. - -In the year 1779 a circumstance occurred which proves in the most -striking manner the attachment which the Highlanders have ever cherished -for their own regiments. In the month of April two strong detachments -belonging to the 42nd and 71st regiments arrived at Leith from Stirling -Castle, _en route_ to North America to join their respective regiments. -On learning that they were about to be drafted into the 80th and 82nd, -both Lowland regiments, the men firmly refused to obey this order, or -to serve in any regiments save those for which they had been enlisted. -A little friendly remonstrance might have won them over, but the -authorities unfortunately adopted the idea of reducing them by force, -and troops were sent to Leith for the purpose of subduing the mutineers -and conveying them to Edinburgh Castle. This was no easy task, as the -event proved. The Highlanders offered an obstinate resistance, and in the -conflict which ensued, Captain Mansfield, of the South Fencible regiment, -and nine men were killed, and thirty-one soldiers wounded. At length, -overpowered by numbers, the Highlanders were compelled to surrender, -and were shut up in Edinburgh Castle. In the month of May three of the -prisoners, Charles Williamson and Archibald Mac Ivor, of the 42nd, and -Robert Budge, of the 71st, were tried by court-martial for having been -guilty of mutiny and inciting others to the same crime. The line of -defence they adopted gives us considerable insight into the state of the -Highlanders at this period. Mac Ivor and Williamson stated that they -enlisted in the 42nd, a regiment composed exclusively of Highlanders, and -wearing the Highland dress. Their native tongue was Gaelic, and they knew -no other, having been born in counties where English was almost unknown. -They had never worn breeches in their lives, and the only garb they -could wear with comfort was the garb of old Gael. This dress had indeed -been prohibited by Act of Parliament; but the government had connived -at the use of it, provided that it was made of plain cloth and not of -tartan. For these reasons they could neither understand the language -nor use the arms, or march in the dress of any other than a Highland -regiment. Budge’s defence was substantially the same. They submitted to -the court that, on reaching Leith, the officer who had conducted them -there informed them that they were now to consider themselves soldiers of -the 82nd, a regiment wearing the Lowland dress and speaking the English -tongue. No order from the commander-in-chief was shown to them, nor had -they any opportunity of submitting their grievances to him. They had no -intention to resist lawful authority; they only wished to remonstrate -against an act of flagrant injustice. They would have gone willingly to -the castle if the order had been explained to them; but the officer sent -for that purpose told them that they were to join the Hamilton regiment -immediately, and they considered themselves justified in repelling force -by force. Every reader will feel his blood boil with indignation on -learning that these three poor Highlanders were all found guilty and -sentenced to be shot. The spirit of clanship, however, was too strong -in the Highland regiments to admit of this sentence being carried into -effect, and the king was pleased to grant them a free pardon, “in full -confidence that they would endeavour, by a prompt obedience and orderly -behaviour, to atone for their atrocious offence.” Without passing an -opinion on the atrocity of the offence, we have much pleasure in adding -that all the prisoners proved themselves worthy of the royal clemency. -They were drafted into the second battalion of the 42nd, and were -uniformly distinguished for their steadiness and good conduct. - -[Illustration: The Mutiny of the Black Watch.] - -It may be safely affirmed that the Highland regiments never displayed a -spirit of insubordination, except on those occasions when the government -of the day attempted to treat them with injustice by transferring them -to Lowland regiments, or ordering them to embark for foreign service -when they had enlisted to serve for a limited period at home. The 77th -regiment, or Athole Highlanders, was raised in 1778 by the young Duke -of Athole. The Murrays have always been a warlike race, and their young -chief, the present Duke of Athole, the possessor of princely estates, is -serving in Canada with the 2nd battalion of the Scots Fusilier Guards. -The Athole Highlanders embarked for Ireland in June, 1778, and did -garrison duty there till the war was over. The part they had to play was -somewhat difficult; the Irish were disaffected, and hated the troops sent -to control them; but the conduct of the Highlanders was so exemplary as -to secure for them the respect of their enemies. Mr. Eden, afterwards -Lord Auckland, Secretary for Ireland, bears honourable testimony to this -fact. After alluding to the gentlemanly bearing of the officers, and the -excellent conduct of the men, he says—“Once, upon the sudden alarm of -invasion, I sent an order for the immediate march of this regiment to -Cork, when they showed their alacrity by marching at an hour’s notice, -and completed their march with a despatch beyond any instance in modern -times, and this, too, without leaving a single soldier behind.” - -There are few regiments at the present day that could undertake the same -march at an hour’s notice, and complete it without leaving a single man -behind; such a fact says much for the discipline, strength, and pluck -of the Athole Highlanders. The government showed their appreciation of -these services by attempting to break faith with them. The Highlanders -had enlisted for three years. Their period of service had now expired, -and they naturally expected to be disbanded. Instead of this, they were -sent to Portsmouth to embark for foreign service. At first they offered -no resistance; when they caught the first view of the fleet at Spithead -as they crossed Portsdown Hill, they pulled off their bonnets and gave -three cheers at the prospect of a brush with Hyder Ali. If the government -had been wise enough to tempt them to re-enlist by the offer of a fresh -bounty, a gallant regiment might have been preserved to the British -army; but, unfortunately, they had no sooner reached Portsmouth than -emissaries from London began to poison their minds by pointing out to -them the injustice of the authorities in sending them abroad when they -ought to have been disbanded. It was even insinuated that they had been -sold to the East India Company at so much a head, and that their officers -had shared in the purchase-money. These representations had the desired -effect. The Highlanders, suspicious of their officers, and brooding over -their wrongs, refused to embark. For several days they remained in a -state of mutiny, during which they attempted to gain possession of the -main guard and garrison parade, when one of the invalids who opposed -them was accidentally killed. No sooner was it known that the poor man -had left a widow than the Highlanders expressed the deepest regret, and -raised a considerable sum for her relief. - -The greatest anxiety was caused at Portsmouth by the presence of a -thousand men free from all restraint; but the lives and property of -the citizens were respected, and no complaints were ever made against -the Highlanders. Though they had reason to suspect their officers of -treachery, they almost invariably continued to treat them with deference -and respect. On hearing, however, that two or three regiments were -approaching to force them on board, they flew to arms and marched out to -offer them battle. On finding that it was a false report, they quietly -returned to their quarters. The Duke of Athole, his uncle, Major-General -Murray, and Lord George Lennox, hurried down to Portsmouth in the hope -that their presence and influence would induce the men to embark; but the -minds of the latter were too much embittered by a sense of injustice to -be swayed by the counsels of their hereditary chiefs. The discipline of -the regiment was as strict as if they had been still under the command -of their officers. Their arms and ammunition were placed in one of the -magazines, and a strong guard placed over them while the rest of the -regiment slept or partook of their meals. Twice a day they appeared -at the grand parade, along with the adjutant and other officers. They -were as careful of their dress and personal appearance as before. The -government were at a loss what to do with the dreaded Highlanders. One -day it was proposed to turn the great guns on the ramparts against them; -but, fortunately, this proposal was overruled; the bloodshed would have -been great, the result doubtful. At other times it was suggested to send -some regiments stationed in the neighbourhood against them. On hearing -this the Highlanders flew to arms, drew up the drawbridges, placed -sentinels on them, and prepared to offer an obstinate resistance. - -At length the question of the mutiny was brought under the consideration -of Parliament, and the just claims of the Highlanders were admitted. -The regiment was disbanded, and the men spread through the Highlands -the report of the injustice with which they had been treated, and thus -prevented many of their countrymen from entering the army. When treating -of this affair, General Stewart observed that “If government had offered -a small bounty when the Athole Highlanders were required to embark, -there can be little doubt they would have obeyed their orders, and -embarked as cheerfully as they marched into Portsmouth.” This untoward -event will remind our readers of what occurred in India when the attempt -was recently made to transfer the European troops from the service of -the East India Company to that of the imperial government. Through the -niggardly policy then adopted, thousands of men inured to service in that -trying climate were roused into a state of mutiny, and compelled the -authorities to grant them their discharge. In this case, as in that of -the Athole Highlanders, a small bounty would have settled the difficulty -and satisfied every claim. - -There are old people still alive in Scotland who remember the sensation -created in the days of their boyhood among all classes by “the affair of -the wild Macraes.” The Macraes never rose to the dignity of a clan; they -were a small sept that lived under the protection of the Mackenzies of -Seaforth. The Earl of Seaforth had forfeited his title and estates in -consequence of the part he took in the rebellion of 1715, when many of -the Northern gentry rose in favour of the Pretender. Kenneth Mackenzie, -the grandson of this earl, bought the family property from the crown, -and was created Viscount Portrose in the Irish peerage. In 1771 the -family title was restored to him, and the Earl of Seaforth, anxious to -prove his gratitude to the government of the day for the favours he had -received, offered in 1778 to raise a regiment among his own clan for -general service. The Highlanders had already acquired a distinguished -name on many a battle-field, and his offer was at once accepted. All the -gentlemen of the clan Mackenzie came to the aid of their chief, and a -corps of 1130 men was soon raised: 500 Highlanders belonged to Seaforth’s -estates; 400 to the Mackenzies of Scatwell, Kilcoy, Applecross, and -Redcastle; about 200 were Lowland Scotch; 43 were English and Irish. It -is interesting to mark the constitutional elements of this and other -Highland regiments. The fact is undeniable that the Highlands of Scotland -were far more populous a century ago than they are now. The poorer -inhabitants have been driven to Canada and other colonies; their small -farms have been changed into deer-parks or sheep-walks; the landlords -have increased their rentals, but the country has lost an important -class and reaped no adequate advantage in return. The regiment thus -embodied was known as the 78th, or Seaforth Highlanders. It is not to -be confounded, however, with the present 78th, or Ross-shire Buffs; it -is now represented by the 72nd, or Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders. -Almost all the officers were Mackenzies, and the sons and brothers of the -different lairds vied with one another in selecting the best men that -could be found on their estates. The results of this care on their part -were apparent when the regiment was inspected at Elgin in May, 1778: of -those 1130 men not one was rejected—an astounding fact when we consider -that nearly one-fourth of our recruits are now pronounced unfit for -service in consequence of some physical defect. In the month of August -they embarked for Leith, where “the affair of the wild Macraes” occurred. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—_continued_. - - -The Macraes, as we have already said, had never attained to the dignity -of a clan; they were a sort of _caterans_ or pilfering tinkers, who had -found it convenient to place themselves under the protection of the chief -of the Mackenzies. It appears that Seaforth had no particular liking -for his pilfering _protégés_, and deemed this a favourable opportunity -for getting quit of them. It is a fact not generally known that our -Highland regiments have often obtained their best recruits from the -fraternity of _cairds_ or _caterans_. About half a century ago the whole -of the North of Scotland was infested with these marauders, who, under -the guise of mendicancy, levied contributions on the inhabitants of the -rural districts, and lived a jovial, careless life. They were present -at every marriage feast and merry-making, where the broken meat became -their perquisite; sometimes they devoured the feast itself, and left the -guests to shift for themselves. There was no rural constabulary in those -days to keep them in check, and these Ishmaelites did very much whatever -they chose. They were unrivalled in wrestling, single-stick, and every -athletic sport; they were the best dancers on the village green; they -could do everything but work or settle down to any fixed employment. -They were essentially a nomadic race, ever on the move, sleeping by -night in country barns, starting with the earliest dawn, and levying -their contributions from door to door. We remember a gang of _caterans_ -or _cairds_ who frequented the county of Aberdeen more years ago than -we should like to tell. They all bore the family name of Young, and -belonged to the same sept. One of them—Peter Young—was a great thief, -and made himself almost as notorious as Jack Sheppard by breaking out -of every gaol in Scotland. These _caterans_ came to a singular end, and -disappeared from the country. This is how it happened. - -The 92nd or Gordon Highlanders had suffered much in the Peninsular -War, so that constant drafts had to be sent out from home to recruit -their strength. When all other resources failed, the country gentlemen -bethought themselves of an ingenious plan by which they could at once -fill up the vacant ranks in the 92nd, and get quit of some unpleasant -neighbours. They caused all the able-bodied _cairds_ to be seized and -conveyed to the neighbouring seaport, where they were shipped off to join -the 92nd. Such a thing, of course, could not be done at the present day, -but strange things were done half a century ago in Scotland as elsewhere. -Many a man who had no desire to be a sailor or a soldier was impressed or -forced to serve in the army or navy against his will. This impressment -of the Youngs proved the death-blow of the race. Not one of them ever -returned from the Peninsula, but we have heard old pensioners of the 92nd -declare that they were at once the greatest thieves and the smartest -soldiers in the regiment. - -The wild Macraes seem to have been men of much the same stamp as the -Youngs, and Seaforth doubtless had his own reasons for wishing to get -quit of them. These _caterans_ were as much attached to their native -land as if they had been the possessors of countless acres; they were -their own masters, and had tasted the sweets of liberty. Seaforth knew -that he could never persuade such men to enlist for foreign service, -but he had sufficient influence to induce them to serve for a limited -period at home, or rather to join the 78th on that understanding. It was -only on reaching Leith that they discovered that they were intended for -service in the East Indies, when symptoms of disaffection appeared among -them. The report spread that Seaforth had sold them to the government. -Loud complaints were heard that they had been cheated of their pay -and bounty money. The wild Macraes were not the men tamely to submit -to such injuries, and the stinging sense of wrong was intensified -by the representations of certain parties hostile to the government -of the day. Their slumbering discontent broke forth into open mutiny -on receiving orders to embark; they absolutely refused to do so, and -marched out of Leith with pipes playing, and two plaids fixed on poles -instead of colours. On reaching Arthur’s Seat—the beautiful hill which -overlooks Edinburgh, and is familiar to every tourist who has visited -the North—they encamped on its summit, and remained there for several -days. Though in a state of open mutiny, they respected the property -of the citizens, and conducted themselves with so much propriety that -public sympathy was excited in their favour, especially among the lower -classes, who supplied them abundantly with provisions. The authorities -deemed it more prudent to inquire into their grievances than to attempt -to reduce them by force. After much negotiation they professed themselves -satisfied, and marched back to their quarters at Leith with pipes playing -and Seaforth at their head. - -After serving for some time in the Channel Islands, they embarked in -March, 1781, for the East Indies. Seaforth died during the voyage, before -he reached St. Helena, and his death had such a depressing effect upon -the men, that no less than 230 of them died before they reached India. -They took part in all the different battles which were fought till the -conclusion of peace in 1783, when, in terms of their agreement with -government, they had a right to return home. Few of the Macraes lived to -revisit their native land; most of them had died during the voyage, or -succumbed to the fatal effects of the enervating climate. Only 300 of the -men remained in India; but these, reinforced by volunteers from other -regiments returning home, and by a detachment of 200 recruits from the -North, were formed into a new regiment, which has ever since been known -as the 72nd, or Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders. - -[Illustration: The March of the Wild Macraes to Arthur’s Seat.] - -A similar mutiny, proceeding from the same causes, broke out in the 81st, -or Aberdeenshire Highland Regiment, in 1783. This regiment was raised in -1778 by the Hon. Colonel William Gordon, of Fyvie, a son of the Earl of -Aberdeen by his third wife, a daughter of the Duke of Gordon. She was a -sister of that Lord Lewis Gordon who took part in the rebellion of 1745, -and whose absence from home is lamented in a charming Jacobite song which -is still popular in the North. It is related of her that she took her -stand close to the road by which the Duke of Cumberland and his army were -marching south after the victory of Culloden, holding her infant son in -her arms. Judging by her portrait, which we have seen, she must have been -a very beautiful woman; and the duke, struck by her appearance, said, -with his usual coarse bluntness, “Who are you?” The countess drew herself -up to her full height, and looking him steadily in the face, boldly -answered, “I am the sister of Lord Lewis Gordon.” Cumberland turned -aside his head and passed on. The Earl of Aberdeen was well advanced in -years when he married her, and it was agreed that the property of Fyvie -should be settled on her or her offspring after his death. The Hon. -William Gordon, who was the eldest son by this marriage, succeeded to -the property, and rose to the rank of colonel in the service. In March, -1777, he received letters of service to raise a Highland regiment in -his native county, and it was embodied in 1778 under the name of the -81st, or Aberdeenshire Highland Regiment. Its strength when first raised -was 980 men, 650 of whom belonged to the Highlands of Aberdeenshire; a -very large proportion were members of the clan Ross, the chief of which -is James Ross Farquharson of Invercauld, a lieutenant-colonel in the -Scots Fusilier Guards. The regiment marched to Stirling, and soon after -embarked for Ireland, where it spent three years. In 1782 it was removed -to Portsmouth, and received orders to embark for the East Indies. These -orders were in direct violation of their terms of enlistment, which were -the same as those of the Athole Highlanders, and the men, having agreed -to serve till the conclusion of peace, the preliminaries of which were -now settled, refused to embark, and claimed their discharge. They were, -doubtless, encouraged to take this step by the example of the Athole -Highlanders, and the success which had attended their assertion of their -rights. The government, deeming it useless to attempt to reduce them by -force, yielded to their demands, and sent them to Edinburgh, where they -were disbanded in 1783. There is a tradition in the county that this -mutiny was owing more to the cruelty of their colonel than the injustice -of government. Few of them belonged to his own clan, and he treated them -with a harshness to which the proud spirit of the Highlanders would not -tamely submit. We have met with old veterans who could tell many stories -of “Whipping Willie Gordon,” the sobriquet he obtained in the regiment -through his fondness for the lash. He left the service with the rank of -general, and spent his latter days at Fyvie Castle, where he professed -himself a misogynist, and ended by marrying his cook. - -An insurrection, attended with still more disastrous results, occurred -in the Grant or Strathspey Fencibles in 1795. This regiment was raised -by Sir James Grant of Grant in 1793, and about two months after the -declaration of war by France, and, with the exception of three Englishmen -and two Irishmen, was composed entirely of natives of the North. After -being embodied at Forres, and inspected by General Leslie, the Grant -Fencibles were stationed in most of the towns in the South of Scotland -till 1795, when we find them at Dumfries. As a general rule, the best -understanding has always subsisted between the Highlanders and their -officers, and there is no sacrifice they are not prepared to make for -those who have secured their confidence; but their proud, unbending -spirit rebels at once against treachery or injustice. Enough has been -already written to justify this assertion, and what we are about to -relate tends only to confirm it. In 1794, when the regiment was stationed -at Linlithgow, an attempt was made by the officers to persuade the men to -extend their service, which, in terms of their enlistment, was confined -to Scotland. It is probable that this attempt on the part of the officers -originated merely from a desire to secure their own position in the army -for a longer period, and it would probably have succeeded if they had won -the confidence of the men by a frank avowal of their motives. As it was, -they disclosed only enough to excite their suspicions, and the report -spread that they had been sold to government. Nothing further was done in -the matter at the time, but the officers were eyed with distrust, and a -bad spirit sprang up in the regiment. An incident occurred at Dumfries -the following year which brought matters to a crisis, and caused an -open mutiny. The greatest freedom of intercourse was permitted between -officers and men when both belonged to the same clan. This familiarity -did not interfere with the strictness of discipline any more than it -does in the French army, in which it has survived till the present -day. An amusing illustration of this familiarity occurred in the 93rd -Highlanders when they were stationed in Canada. There belonged to the -regiment a young lieutenant—who, in virtue of his being the inheritor of -an illustrious Scottish name and twenty thousand a year, deemed it the -correct thing to remain ignorant of even the simplest military duty—and -a private named Jock Muir, an excellent soldier, but an inveterate -drunkard. There was a mutual understanding between the lieutenant and -Jock that they should stand by one another in every emergency, or, in -other words, that Jock should stand by the lieutenant when on duty, -and whisper into his ear the word of command, and that the lieutenant -should screen Jock when he got drunk. This system of reciprocity answered -admirably for a time, but at length the lieutenant, from inadvertency -or some other cause, allowed Jock to be punished, and Jock determined -to have his revenge. An opportunity soon offered. The regiment was on -parade, and the lieutenant, as the officer of the day, had to give the -word of command. Turning to Jock, he said, “What is it? What must I say?” -But Jock remained stiff and erect—no answer proceeded from his lips. -“What am I to do, you fool?” said the poor lieutenant, losing his temper. -“Run hame, mon! run hame!” roared Jock, in a stentorian voice which was -heard over all the lines, and caused a general titter in the ranks. The -lieutenant, acting on Jock’s advice, sold out and returned home, where he -was much respected as a kind-hearted country gentleman. - -Now it was a somewhat similar incident that rekindled the flame of -discontent and caused an open mutiny among the Strathspey Fencibles at -Dumfries in 1795. Militia officers are doubtless a highly-respectable -class of men, and deserve well of their country in every respect, but -they cannot be expected to possess the efficiency and skill of those -who have devoted themselves to the profession of arms. The officers of -the Strathspey Fencibles were men of good family, but as they had never -seen any service they knew little about the management of troops, and -sometimes exposed their ignorance in the presence of their own soldiers. -On one occasion a contradictory order given by an officer called forth -a jocular remark from one of the men, which was evidently much relished -by his comrades. The officer lost his temper, put the offending parties -in the guard-room, and threatened them with punishment—an indignity -to which the proud spirit of the Highlanders refused to submit. They -considered themselves disgraced by the threat, rushed to arms, and -released their comrades by force. Soon after this the regiment was -marched to Musselburgh, where Corporal James Macdonald and Privates -Charles and Alexander Macintosh, Alexander Fraser, and Duncan Macdougall -were tried for mutiny, found guilty, and condemned to be shot. In the -case of Macdonald the sentence was commuted to corporal punishment—one -of the first instances of a Highland soldier having been flogged. They -were marched out to Gullane Links, East Lothian, on the 16th of July, and -on reaching the ground were informed that only two would have to suffer -the penalty of death. The two Macintoshes were called upon to draw lots, -and the fatal one fell upon Charles. He and Fraser were immediately shot -in the presence of the Scotch Brigade and other regiments assembled to -witness this melancholy spectacle. The other men who had taken part -in the mutiny were drafted into regiments serving abroad, and nothing -further is known of their fate. No subsequent act of insubordination -is recorded against this regiment, which was disbanded in 1798. It is -singular to learn that less than seventy years ago in this civilised -country the life or death of a human being depended on his drawing a -lucky or unlucky number. - -About the same period a mutiny broke out in the Breadalbane regiment, -which gave rise to an incident that will remind our readers of the -classical story of Damon and Pythias, and serve to illustrate the high -spirit of honour which then prevailed among the Highlanders. This -regiment was raised by the Earl of Breadalbane in 1793, and consisted of -three battalions, whose united strength amounted to 2300 men. Some idea -may be formed of the population of the Highlands at this period from the -fact that 1600 men were obtained from the Breadalbane estates alone. We -question whether one-fourth of that number could be raised there at the -present day. Soon after the regiment had embodied it removed to Glasgow, -and remained there till 1795, when a mutiny, similar in character and -results to the one mentioned above, broke out among the men, who accused -their officers of having sold them to the government for foreign service. -The mutiny was soon suppressed, but when orders were given to apprehend -the ringleaders it was found that so many of the men were equally -implicated in the affair as to render it difficult to make a distinction. -This difficulty was obviated by some of the men coming forward, taking -all the blame upon themselves, and offering to suffer in the place of -their less guilty comrades. Such an instance of generous self-sacrifice -is unparalleled in the history of the British army, if not of the whole -human race. The prisoners were sent to Edinburgh Castle to await their -trial, and a singular incident occurred soon after they left Glasgow. -The party was under command of Major Colin Campbell, one of their own -officers, and one of the prisoners expressed a wish to speak to him in -private. This man, Macmartin, belonged to the same part of the country as -Major Campbell, and had always borne an excellent character, so that he -had no difficulty in obtaining the desired interview. He stated frankly -that he had given up all hope of escape, and was prepared to meet death. -There was only one matter which weighed on his conscience and caused him -much trouble: he had had some dealings with a friend in Glasgow which -could only be settled by a personal interview; if this were denied, his -friend would suffer much loss and inconvenience. If he were permitted to -return to Glasgow he gave his solemn promise to rejoin the party before -they reached Edinburgh. - -“Major Campbell,” he added, “you have known me since I was a child; you -know my country and kindred, and you believe I shall never bring you to -any blame by a breach of the promise I now make to be with you in full -time to be delivered up in the castle.” - -At the present day a soldier would no more think of making such a -proposal than an officer would dream of entertaining it. But Major -Campbell was a kind-hearted man. He had known the prisoner from -childhood, and had the fullest confidence in his honesty and good faith. -Though aware that the non-appearance of the prisoner would entail the -most serious consequences to himself, he unhesitatingly complied with -his request, and Macmartin returned to Glasgow, had an interview with -his friend, transacted his business, and started before daylight for -Edinburgh to redeem his pledge. Being dressed in the uniform of his -regiment, he was afraid to travel by the main road lest he should be -apprehended as a deserter, and took a circuitous route through the woods; -the result was that, though he escaped detection, he failed to reach -Edinburgh at the appointed hour. - -As Major Campbell approached the city his anxiety increased. He caused -the party to march slowly, in the hope that he might still appear; but, -finding no pretext for further delay, he was at length obliged to march -the remaining prisoners to the Castle. Just as he was in the act of -handing them over to the governor of the prison, and before the latter -had time to examine whether the number of prisoners tallied with the -report, poor Macmartin rushed up, pale with anxiety and fatigue, and -trembling with apprehension lest his generous benefactor should suffer -through his absence. A few moments later, and all would have been -discovered; as it was, he was able to join his fellow-prisoners without -attracting the notice of the governor, and to explain the cause of his -temporary absence to Major Campbell, who used often to allude to the -incident in after-life as a proof of the high spirit of honour which -prevailed among his men. - -It is satisfactory to add that Macmartin’s life was spared. All the -prisoners were tried, and four of their number condemned to be shot; but -only one of them underwent this punishment. From the narrative of these -mutinies the inference is undeniable that they were caused not so much -by the insubordinate spirit of the Highlanders as by the injustice with -which they were treated by the military authorities. During the present -century our Highland regiments have served in every quarter of the globe, -and have been as distinguished for their subjection to discipline as for -their valour in the field. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—_continued_. - - -The Highland regiments have always been distinguished for their -attachment to their native land. This feeling prevails more or less -among the inhabitants of all mountainous countries, where the grand and -the sublime in nature is so deeply imprinted on the mind in childhood -as, in all after years, to exercise a powerful influence upon the -imagination. It was for this reason that the national air of the Swiss, -the “_Ranz des vaches_,” was prohibited in armies composed partly of -natives of Switzerland, its familiar notes bringing back their snow-clad -mountains and deep glens so vividly to their remembrance that they -could no longer resist the temptation to desert in order to revisit the -scenes of their infancy. The same deeply-rooted feeling, as we have -seen, led the Highlanders at first to confine their services to the land -of their birth, and to break forth into mutiny when an unscrupulous -government attempted to break faith with them. Once embarked, however, -for foreign service, much as they longed for “the land of the mountain -and the flood,” a high principle of honour prevented them from deserting -their colours. Patiently they waited till permitted to return, when the -love of country sometimes displayed itself in a way that reminds the -classical reader of Ulysses’ return to his beloved Ithaca. Thus, when -the 42nd Highlanders landed at Port Patrick in 1775, after an absence -from Scotland of thirty-two years, many of the old soldiers leaped -on shore with enthusiasm and kissed the earth, which they grasped in -handfuls. This occurrence would be appreciated by the writers of _Punch_, -who, among other quips at the expense of the Scotch and their erratic -tendencies, inform us that the North British railway is the only one -which yields no returns. As a matter of fact, the exodus from the North -is only temporary, and side by side with the love of adventure and gain, -an ardent feeling of patriotism is to be found in the heart of every -Scotchman. This feeling it is that induces him to toil beneath the -burning sun of the tropics, and to visit the most distant parts of the -globe in search of that wealth which, once acquired, enables him to “go -back” to his native land and enjoy the fruits of his industry. - -The warm desire to revisit the land of his birth enables the Highlander -to submit to the most trying privations without a murmur, and to resist -the strongest temptations to desert to the enemy. During the war carried -on by the English against Hyder Ali in India, more than a hundred men of -Macleod’s Highlanders fell into the hands of that bloodthirsty despot, -who tried in every way to induce them to enter his service. Finding that -his most liberal offers had no effect, he tried to break their spirit by -acts of cruelty. They were treated with every indignity; their only food -was unwholesome rice, doled out to them in quantities barely sufficient -to sustain life. They were exposed to the burning heat of the sun by day, -and to the unhealthy dews that descend by night. Daily their numbers -were reduced by disease; death stared them in the face. They had but to -renounce their religion and their country to obtain the amplest rewards -from the tyrant into whose hands they had fallen, but they preferred -death to dishonour. Such a fact is creditable to the Highlanders; more—it -is honourable to humanity itself. There is no spectacle so noble, says an -ancient writer, as that of a good man struggling against adversity; these -Highland prisoners had to engage in that struggle with little or no hope -of deliverance in their time of trouble. - -This same regiment took part in the unfortunate expedition under General -Whitelock, which, in 1806, attempted to seize Buenos Ayres. It was owing -to no lack of bravery on the part of our soldiers that their efforts were -not crowned with success, but no amount of courage could compensate -for the incapacity or treachery of the officer in command. Our army had -to capitulate to the Spaniards, and remained in their power till peace -was concluded. During this interval the Spaniards began to tamper with -the Highlanders, and to hold out inducements to them to desert. These -allurements were not without their effect upon those of them who happened -to belong to the same religion. No less than thirty-five were induced -to go over to the enemy. An incident occurred on this occasion which -proves in the most striking manner the influence that home associations -still continue to exercise over the minds of the Highlanders. A soldier -named Donald Macdonald had almost yielded to the solicitations of the -Spaniards to remain at Buenos Ayres, and while he was still wavering a -comrade attempted to dissuade him from his purpose. Using no argument, he -appealed to his heart by singing that touching Highland melody, “Lochaber -no more.” The song awoke a thousand memories of home and country. The -tears started into poor Donald’s eyes, and as he wiped them away he -exclaimed, “Na, na! I canna stay! I’d maybe return to Lochaber nae mair.” - -We know that a considerable mind has given forth his decision that if he -had the making of a people’s songs, he cared not who made their laws; and -the case of this Highlander, brought back to a sense of duty by one of -the songs of his infancy, proves that in certain natures an appeal to the -feelings is far more powerful than any appeal to the intellect. Nor has -“Lochaber no more” lost its magic power over the Highland heart. We have -seen many proofs of the contrary, one of which may be given. There is—or -at least there was recently—in the Scots Fusilier Guards a soldier of -the name of Roderick Ross, a native of Inverness-shire. Roderick had the -build of a giant, but the heart of a child; he stood six feet four inches -in his stockings, but was as soft and tender-hearted as a young maiden. -He was respected as a brave soldier who had done his duty well all -through the Crimea, but his friends the pipers of the regiment could not -always resist the temptation to amuse themselves by reviving, or rather -eliciting, his ardent love of country. The bagpipes begin to utter the -wailing notes of “Lochaber no more,” Roderick’s huge frame is agitated -like a mountain ash in a storm; tears spring to his eyes, and, unable to -control his emotion, he rushes from the room exclaiming, “I canna stand -‘Lochaber no more;’ it aye gars (makes) me think o’ deserting.” - -To get back to Macleod’s Highlanders at Buenos Ayres. While a few went -over to the Spaniards, the regiment as a whole remained faithful to -their colours, and their fidelity called forth the warm approval of the -authorities. On their return home they were stationed at Cork, where -General Floyd, a veteran officer who had often witnessed their gallantry -in India, presented them with new colours, and referred in his address -to the temptations they had overcome. “You now stand on this parade,” he -said, “in defiance of the allurements held out to base desertion. You -are endeared to the army and to your country. You insure the esteem of -all true soldiers and good men.” The 42nd Highlanders were still more -distinguished for their attachment to their colours. Many of the privates -were gentlemen of birth and education, who preferred the profession of -arms to every other, and were possessed of as fine a sense of honour as -the officers under whom they served. In the war of American Independence -they were brought frequently into contact with the insurgents, and -exposed to those temptations to desert which many of our soldiers -formerly belonging to regiments now stationed in Canada have not been -able to resist. The 42nd passed through five campaigns with their honour -pure and unsullied; they had to endure many privations; their ranks were -thinned by the bullets of the enemy; they had no prospect of promotion in -the British service; they might have risen to the highest rank in that of -the insurgents. And yet not one of their number deserted; the regiment -remained free from this stain till it received a draft of an inferior -class of men from the 26th Regiment, a few of whom went over to the -enemy. These men, however, did not strictly belong to the 42nd, and never -possessed that _esprit de corps_ by which the Highlanders were animated. -We question whether it can be said of any other regiment at the present -day that it has passed through five campaigns without losing a single man -by desertion. Macdonald’s Highlanders, then known as the 76th Regiment, -could lay claim to the same honourable distinction; they passed through -the whole of the American campaign, and, though often tempted by the -insurgents to renounce their allegiance, they all remained true to their -colours. The same might be said of the Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment, -which was raised among the sons of the Gael in Canada in 1778, and took -an active part in the defence of Quebec against General Arnold. Even in -cases where a Highlander was tempted to desert his colours there seems -often to have remained a feeling of remorse which we should look for -in vain at the present day among those _bounty-lifters_ who live by -defrauding their country, and esteem perjury to be the most venial of -offences. This feeling of remorse manifested its presence and its power -in an effort to atone for the past offence such as can leave no doubt -regarding its sincerity, for their worst enemies will admit that when a -Highlander consents to part with his money, it may be taken for granted -that he is thoroughly in earnest. A soldier of the 91st or Argyleshire -Highlanders was tempted to desert. He embarked for America, and became -a settler there. Fortune smiled upon him in the land of his adoption, -but there was a weight upon his conscience he could not shake off. In -the midst of all his prosperity he never ceased to remember that he was -a perjured man, a deserter from the British army. He had not the moral -courage to return to his duty, and to submit to the punishment which his -offence merited, but some years after his desertion he sent home a letter -with a considerable sum of money to procure one or two men to enlist in -his former regiment, “as the only recompense he could make for breaking -his oath to his God and his allegiance to his king, which preyed on his -conscience in such a way that he had no rest night nor day.” - -This anecdote leads us to notice another trait in the character of -our Highland soldiers; they were emphatically religious men, and they -were prepared to make any sacrifice for their faith. They were little -versed in theology, but, like Cromwell’s Ironsides at Dunbar, they put -their trust in God and kept their powder dry. The great mass of them -were Presbyterians, and in foreign and far-distant lands they continued -to worship as their fathers had worshipped. Soldiers at that period -were the most irreligious of men; they “swore terribly in Flanders” -and elsewhere. We may form some idea of their morals from Hogarth’s -well-known “March to Finchley.” Any display of religious feeling on the -part of a soldier excited such surprise as to prove its extreme rarity, -especially in the case of the Highlanders, who were esteemed at first to -be little better than savages. When the 42nd Regiment first visited the -metropolis, the Londoners were surprised to observe that officers and men -never sat down to table without first saying grace—a religious observance -which should be honoured, but which has become obsolete in our mess-rooms -at the present day. An English historian shows how surprised his -countrymen were “to see these savages, from the officer to the commonest -man, first stand up and pull off their bonnets, and then lift up their -eyes in the most solemn and devout manner, and mutter something in their -own gibberish, by way, I suppose, of saying grace, as if they had been -so many Christians.” Of course, in the eyes of this wiseacre, they could -not have been Christians, because they expressed their devotion in a -gibberish which, as he charitably implies, was as unintelligible to the -Deity as it was to himself; but we know how to judge these things by a -different standard, and we condemn the man who could write so narrowly. -At first a chaplain was attached to every regiment, and Dr. Carlisle, -of Inveresk, mentions in his memoirs, that one of these chaplains, -during an engagement in America, freely exposed himself to the fire of -the enemy, in order to encourage the young soldiers by his example. We -question whether such a display of clerical courage would meet with the -approval of the authorities at the War Office at the present day; certain -facts have come under our notice that would tend rather to an opposite -conclusion. These regimental chaplains had to mess with the officers, and -it was imagined that the presence of a clergyman would have an elevating -influence upon the latter; experience, however, soon proved that the -chaplains, instead of elevating the officers, were, through daily -contact, brought down to the same moral level, and it is a significant -fact that Burns, although his national spirit was great, considered them -fair game for his satire. About the commencement of the present century -chaplains were attached to brigades and not to regiments, and this -continued to be the case during the Peninsular war. It thus occasionally -happened that certain of our Highland regiments, when serving at remote -stations, had no provision made for their religious wants, and were left -entirely to their own resources. Some idea of their attachment to their -faith may be formed from the efforts they made to secure the services of -ministers of their own creed. “The Sutherland men, or 93rd Highlanders,” -says General Stewart, “were so well grounded in moral duties and -religious principles, that, when stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, and -anxious to enjoy the advantages of religious instruction agreeably to the -tenets of their national Church, and there being no religious service in -the garrison, except the customary one of reading prayers to the soldiers -on parade, the men of the 93rd formed themselves into a congregation, -engaged and paid a stipend (collected from the soldiers) to a clergyman -of the Church of Scotland (who had gone out with the intention of -teaching and preaching to the Caffres), and had divine service performed -conformably to the ritual of the Established Church. Their expenses -were so well regulated that, while contributing to the support of their -clergyman from the savings of their pay, they were enabled to promote -that social cheerfulness which is the true attribute of pure religion -and of a well-spent life.” There are few regiments in the service now -that would be prepared to make the same sacrifice, and if our chaplains -were dependent entirely on voluntary contributions they would soon be -reduced to a state of starvation, as church parade is usually the most -distasteful of all duties to a soldier. It deserves to be mentioned to -the honour of the 93rd Highlanders that they have always displayed the -same religious fervour and readiness to contribute to the support of a -clergyman of their own church. About twenty years ago the regiment was -stationed in a remote part of Canada, where they had no opportunity of -enjoying the instruction of one of their own ministers. To meet this -want they formed themselves into a congregation, and contributed a -sum sufficient for the support of a minister, who continued to labour -among them till they were ordered home. Many of our Highland regiments -are at present stationed in India, and it is satisfactory to add that -acting-chaplains, who are liberally paid by the Indian government, are -attached to each of them. - -The advantages of religious instruction were manifest in the absence of -crime and of most of those vices which have now become deeply rooted -in the British army. These gallant veterans devoted to religious -purposes the money which is now too often spent in dissipation, and -the advantages of the course were evident in the high moral tone which -existed among them. They knew the value of money, but they would not -retain a sixpence they did not consider to be their own. We find, for -example, in the case of a Highland regiment, that on landing in Ireland -they marched to Waterford the same day, where they received billet-money -on their entrance into the town. The same evening they received orders -to proceed at once to New Ross. Any other soldiers would have retained -their billet-money as their perquisite, but the Highlanders, with a -simple honesty which most men would be more disposed to admire than to -imitate, returned it to the billet-master. So correct was the conduct of -the men that in some regiments corporal punishment was almost unknown. -In the Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment only one man was brought to the -halberts during the time they were embodied. For the lengthened period -of forty years there were few courts-martial and no cases of flogging -in the 42nd Regiment. The value of this fact will be appreciated by -all who are familiar with the statistics of punishment in the British -army during the prevalence of war. It was only when a foreign element -was introduced in the shape of a draft from another regiment that crime -and its consequences became more frequent. The old soldiers refused to -associate with those who had been brought to the halberts; they looked -upon the latter as disgraced, whereas at the present day a soldier -suffers nothing in the estimation of his comrades though he may have -been guilty of almost every crime. _Would that one could revive that -high moral tone among our soldiers which led the 42nd Highlanders to -raise money sufficient to purchase the discharge of those ruffians whom -they esteemed to be a disgrace to the regiment._ The presence of such -men carried contamination with it, and soldiers who were proud of their -regiment and jealous of its honour were ready to make any sacrifice -to get quit of them. The remedy, as might have been expected, proved -insufficient. The infusion of the criminal element was too powerful to be -eliminated by any such means. The offering of a premium for vice tended -only to increase the evil which it was intended to remove, but such a -fact places in the most favourable light the high sense of honour by -which the men of the 42nd were influenced. - -When punishment was inflicted upon the Highlanders themselves, it was -usually for insubordination. While devotedly attached to those officers -who treated them with justice and kindness, they were ever ready, as -we have shown, to resist any attempt to deprive them of their rights. -It unfortunately happened that they were sometimes placed under the -command of officers ignorant of their character and feelings, who tried -to carry matters with a high hand and to rule them by terror more than -by affection. In such cases the most lamentable consequences followed: a -spirit of insubordination sprang up, which the severest punishment failed -to repress. We find, for example, that the 75th Regiment, on landing -in India in 1780, was placed under the command of an officer whose -great ambition it was to introduce the Prussian system of discipline, -the nature of which may be learned from Carlyle’s “Life of Frederick -the Great.” Such a system may have been well adapted to the gigantic -foot-soldiers whom Frederick William delighted to see around him, but it -was subversive of all discipline when applied to a Highland regiment. The -proud spirit of the mountaineers refused to be smothered with pipeclay -or be shackled with red tape, and a mutiny would probably have ensued -if the martinet had not been removed to make place for another officer, -who, uniting firmness with due regard to the feelings of the men, soon -regained for the regiment its former high character. A striking contrast -to the temporary demoralisation produced in the 75th by the folly of the -commanding officer was presented by the 78th or Ross-shire Highlanders, -who were stationed in India about the same time under the command of -Colonel Mackenzie of Suddie, one of their clansmen. During six years -spent in different parts of the Bengal Presidency their conduct was so -exemplary as to call forth the warm approval of the authorities and to -produce a desire to imitate in other regiments the system which had -produced such excellent results. - -What more striking proof can there be of the hallowing influence of home -associations on the mind of the Highlander? When serving in foreign -lands he never forgets his native village, his father’s home, and the -good name bequeathed to him as his only inheritance. His great ambition -is to do nothing to disgrace that name or to forfeit the good opinion -of the little community to which he expects some day to return. “What -will they say at home?” is the first thought that occurs to him after a -hard-fought field; and a feeling of honest pride springs up in his heart -as he thinks that the deeds of himself and his comrades will be talked -of in the circle he lived in before he became a soldier. Lord Clyde -and other generals knew how to turn this feeling to the best account, -and no man will ever make a good soldier who has no social ties and no -regard for public opinion. It is pleasing to add that the same honourable -feeling still subsists in the 78th, and that such men as Havelock and -Outram have borne testimony to the good effects produced by it. It -deterred the regiment, when first raised, from the commission of crime, -and thus saved them from the disgrace of corporal punishment. For many -years flogging was unknown; it was not till 1799 that an offence meriting -this punishment occurred. The miserable offender was at once tabooed by -his comrades, who felt themselves disgraced by his conduct, and avoided -him as if he had the plague-spot; so that, driven to despair, he might -have been tempted to lay violent hands on himself if the colonel had not -interposed in his behalf. Knowing that no change could be effected in the -feelings of the men, he deemed it best to send him home to England, where -his crime would be unknown, and he might thus have an opportunity of -retrieving his character. It happened as he expected: the man justified -the colonel’s decision and turned out an excellent soldier, whereas if -he had been allowed to remain in the regiment he would have been lost. -Thus justice tempered with mercy was the saving of this soldier, as it -had been of many others. Would that all commanding officers displayed the -same humane and considerate spirit in the treatment of those under their -command! The entries in the defaulters’ book would be fewer in number, -and the _morale_ of the British army higher than it is at the present day. - -We have already alluded to the excellent character of the 93rd -Highlanders, who enjoyed the same immunity from punishment as the -78th. While other regiments became partially demoralised through the -admixture of improper characters, the Sutherland Highlanders remained -uncontaminated, and preserved a uniform line of good conduct. Punishment -is usually more frequent in the light infantry companies, because -the men are selected on account of their physical appearance without -reference to moral character. For a period of nineteen years no case of -punishment occurred in this or any other company of the 93rd, and this -regiment still retains that _esprit de corps_ which has been handed -down in the ranks, and is as powerful for good as the inheritance of -a noble name or the pride of ancestry. The Sutherland men, instead of -spending their leisure hours in drunkenness and debauchery, have devoted -them to those athletic sports which muscular Christianity has revived -among other classes. Every one will admit that it is better to brace the -physical frame by running, leaping, dancing, and tossing the kaber (manly -exercises in which the 93rd are still proficient), than to weaken it by -vicious indulgence. Wherever they have been stationed, at home or abroad, -their exemplary conduct has earned for them the confidence of those among -whom they lived, and procured for them admission into circles from which -the majority of soldiers are excluded. Colonel Cameron of Fassiefern -bears honourable testimony to the good conduct of the 92nd Highlanders. -In writing to his father during the Peninsular war he thus alludes to -his own clansmen who had followed him to the field:—“Not one of the poor -fellows who came with me has ever behaved ill; none of them is even a -questionable character.” - -The exemplary conduct of the Highlanders is to be attributed partly to -the admirable arrangements connected with the internal economy of the -different regiments. Their messes were managed by the non-commissioned -officers, or old soldiers who had charge of the barrack-room; it was so -arranged that those who belonged to the same glen or district, or were -connected by the ties of friendship or blood, should occupy the same room -and be seated at the same table. Such distinctions are ignored at the -present day, so that the man of education and refinement who has been -forced into the army by poverty or misconduct is obliged to associate by -day and by night with the vilest of his species, and to have his sense of -propriety outraged by their conduct and conversation. Need we wonder that -he should soon be brought down to the moral level of those around him? -In the Highland regiments this evil was avoided; every barrack-room was -like a large family establishment, the occupants of which spoke the same -language, wore the same dress, belonged to the same clan, and cherished -the hope of returning to the same glen. Public opinion was as powerful -for good in such a community as in civil life; all had an equal interest -in sustaining the good fame of the mess to which they belonged. After -defraying all the necessary expenses for breakfast, dinner, and other -necessaries during the week, the surplus pay was placed in a stock purse -and carefully guarded. When it reached a certain amount it was lent out -at interest; the system of savings-banks had not yet been introduced into -the army. When a soldier left the regiment he had usually sufficient -money to establish himself in some kind of business, the profits of -which, added to his pension, enabled him to spend the remainder of his -days in comfort. So long as he remained in the regiment he had always -enough to procure the usual necessaries, and to remit something to his -friends in the old country, when they stood in need of such assistance. -Large sums of money thus reached the North, and must have been acceptable -in every way to those who received them. We have already shown how the -Sutherland men, while stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, supported a -minister of their own religion from their limited pay. While attentive -to the duties of religion, they were not deaf to the voice of nature. -They remembered those who had first taught them to respect religion, and -acknowledged the obligation by ministering to their wants. All remitted -something to the old folks at home—in several cases individual soldiers -sent as much as £20 each. When the regiment landed at Plymouth in 1814, -after eight years’ service at the Cape, upwards of £500 were deposited in -one bank to be remitted to Sutherlandshire; this was exclusive of sums -forwarded through the post-office and through officers proceeding to the -North. Before the Poor Law was introduced into Scotland, it was the great -ambition of the poorest of the peasantry to accept no public relief; this -feeling was common to all, and the greatest sacrifices were made by sons -and daughters to prevent parents from _coming on the board_—_i.e._, from -accepting assistance from the offertories made at the different churches -for the benefit of the indigent. This feeling accompanied the Highland -soldier to distant lands, and led him to submit to many privations in -order to save money for the support of his parents, who were thus enabled -to retain their self-esteem and to enjoy the respect of the community in -which they lived. - -On examining the papers of the late Sir Ewen Cameron of Fassiefern, the -father of Colonel Cameron of the 92nd Highlanders, it was found that -large sums of money had been remitted from different parts of the world -by soldiers for the support of their parents. Writing from Alexandria, -24th August, 1801, to his father, Colonel Cameron thus alludes to this -trait in the character of his men:—“I wrote you before leaving Newport, -inclosing a bill on Charles Erskine for money belonging to _Ewen dubh -Taillear_ (black Hugh the Tailor), and from Marmorice Bay, a letter with -money for _Ewen dubh Coul_ (black Hugh of Coul); also money for the two -Macphies.” Writing on the 14th December, 1809, after his return from the -disastrous expedition to Walcheren, Colonel Cameron says—“The Bo-man’s -(cattle-herd’s) son has begged of me to forward you (inclosed) one half -of ten-pound note to assist his father’s family. The other half he will -forward to his brother by next post. He is a very _siccer_ (steady) lad.” - -It is a pleasing duty to commemorate the filial affection of those -gallant old soldiers who have now gone the way of all flesh, and to -testify from our own experience that in the ranks of our Highland -regiments there are still men possessed of the same frugal habits and -the same dutiful attachment to their parents as the Bo-man’s son. If -the number has diminished of late years, it is because the feeling of -honest pride which led the children to provide for their parents has been -weakened through the operation of that Poor Law which has effected so -many important changes in the social condition of the lowly. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—_continued_. - - -The health of the British army both at home and abroad has improved -very much of late years. The British soldier is better fed, better -clothed, and better lodged now than he ever was before; hence in India -the mortality has been reduced by one-half, and a corresponding change -has been effected in the number of admissions to our military hospitals. -Still the fact cannot be overlooked that a larger amount of sickness -prevails among soldiers than among civilians of the same age and rank -in life, whose physical wants are less carefully attended to; and while -other causes may intervene, this difference is to be attributed mainly to -the habits of the men themselves. The surest test of the moral character -of a regiment is the number of admissions to hospital. When a regiment -is demoralised, the wards will be crowded; when a healthy moral tone -prevails in the ranks, they will be comparatively empty. Drunkenness and -immorality have done more to thin the ranks of the British army, and to -crowd our unions with discharged soldiers, than the bullets of the enemy, -the scorching sun of the tropics, the fatigues of actual warfare, or the -malaria of unhealthy stations. - -On consulting the statistics of mortality connected with the Highland -regiments when first raised, we are surprised at the small number of -casualties which occurred among them. They were always first in the -field of danger, and yet there were fewer deaths among them than in -many regiments in time of peace. We find, for example, that the 42nd -Regiment embarked for Flanders on the 18th of June, 1794, and landed at -Ostend on the 26th of the same month. They shared in all the hardships -of that unfortunate expedition, and took part in the disastrous retreat -to Deventer, the miseries of which have been compared to the sufferings -of the French after the burning of Moscow. Disease, the result of the -severity of the weather and the want of food and proper clothing, thinned -the ranks of the British army; many of our best soldiers sank under the -accumulated hardships which beset them. The Dutch, on whose gratitude -they had the strongest claims, inhospitably closed their doors against -the sufferers, and refused to render them any assistance. The result was -that some of the newly-raised regiments lost more than three hundred -men by disease alone, while the 42nd, which had three hundred young -recruits in its ranks, lost only twenty-five men, including those killed -in battle, from their disembarkation at Ostend till their embarkation -at Bremen on the 14th of April, 1795. This immunity from disease is to -be attributed to their temperate habits as much as to their natural -strength of constitution and power of enduring fatigue and privation. -An amusing incident occurred while the regiment was stationed at Alost -in the month of July. A party of 400 of the French cavalry entered the -town, and being mistaken for Hessians, met with no resistance till they -reached the market-place, where one of them attempted to cut down a 42nd -Highlander of the name of MacDonald, who was walking along, unsuspicious -of danger, with his basket on his head. He was severely wounded in the -hand which held the basket, but promptly drawing his bayonet with the -hand which was disengaged, he attacked the dragoon with such fury that -he was compelled to retreat. Donald then continued his course, muttering -his regret that he had not his father’s good broadsword to cut the rascal -down. The enemy were soon recognised and driven from the town. It is -worthy of remark that the practice of enticing mere boys into the service -was then unknown in the Highland regiments. The profession of arms was so -popular in the North, that they could always find a sufficient supply of -able-bodied men. Their average age on enlistment was twenty-two years, a -period of life not too young to render them incapable of enduring the -hardships and sufferings of military service, nor too old to unfit them -for learning that discipline without which an army would soon degenerate -into an armed mob. In short, they were picked men, and the advantage -of this carefulness of selection was manifest in their exemption from -disease, and their power of enduring privations under which others less -robust would have succumbed. The Ross-shire Fusiliers when reduced were -as strong and efficient as when embodied. Not one man had died during -the period of service, a case unparalleled, we believe, in the annals of -the British army. The money which is too often spent in the canteen or -in still worse places was remitted to their friends, and this generous -self-denial was not without its reward. - -Another characteristic trait in the character of these men was their -quiet, orderly, and kind deportment to the inhabitants of the different -countries in which they were stationed. Soldiers are apt to look -upon themselves as a distinct class, and to assume a certain haughty -bearing in their dealings with civilians, who, of course, are prone to -retaliate. The Highlanders seem never to have forgotten that they were -only civilians in arms, bound by the laws of courtesy as well as by the -rules of military discipline. During the years 1743-44 the 42nd Regiment -was stationed in different parts of Flanders, under the command of -Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair, where, if they had been so disposed, -they might have levied contributions on the powerless inhabitants. The -latter, however, had such confidence in their honesty and integrity, that -they specially requested to have them appointed the guardians of their -property, and bore willing testimony to the faithfulness with which they -had discharged this duty. Few of them, we are told, were ever drunk, and -they as rarely swore. They retained in Flanders the simple habits of -their own native glens, and when they left, the Elector-Palatine wrote -to his envoy in London, desiring him to thank the King of Great Britain -for the excellent behaviour of the regiment while in his territory, -“for whose sake,” he adds, “I will always pay a respect and regard to a -Scotchman in future.” - -In the month of May, 1815, the intelligence reached England that Napoleon -had escaped from Elba, and the three Highland regiments which had -been stationed in Ireland at once embarked for Flanders, and took up -their quarters at Brussels, where they became very popular among the -inhabitants. They were billeted among the citizens, who, instead of -regarding this as a hardship, rejoiced in their presence, and had such -confidence in their honesty, that they often committed their shops to -their care when they had occasion to go out. It was not unusual to see a -stalwart Highlander nursing a Flemish baby, and handling it as tenderly -as if he had been “to the manner born.” But, in truth, our Highland -soldiers have always been remarkable for their fondness for children. -When the 78th Highlanders forced their fiery way to the Residency at -Lucknow, and were welcomed by the starving women whom they had saved -from a fate worse than death, they seized the children from their arms, -pressed their bearded faces against their tender cheeks, and shed tears -of generous pity over them. Those tears did not unman them or unfit them -for their duty, as all who are familiar with the annals of the Indian -campaign will at once admit. No wonder that the kind-hearted Highlanders -at Brussels made a favourable impression on the hearts of the Flemish -maidens with whom they were brought in contact. A soldier of the 42nd -had gained the affections of the daughter of a wealthy tradesman in -whose house he was quartered at Brussels, and though he had never told -his love, a mutual understanding had sprung up between them. When the -British forces advanced to Waterloo, the Flemish maiden trembled for -the fate of her lover. The power of Napoleon was shattered on that -hard-contested field, but the Highlanders returned not to Brussels. The -42nd embarked for England, and arrived in the vicinity of Edinburgh on -the 18th of March, 1816, where they were welcomed by the inhabitants -with acclamations of joy, and entertained at a public dinner. The postal -arrangements were not so perfect in those days as at present. Long weary -months passed away, and the Flemish maiden heard nothing of her lover. -One day a party of Highlanders were carousing together in Edinburgh, and -toasting their sweethearts, as was the custom at that period. It was -observed that one of them was silent, and refused to toast his mistress. -“Leave him alone,” the others said; “we all know that he left his heart -at Brussels.” The remark had scarcely been made when it was announced -that a person had called to see him. On entering another room, he found -there a young lady dressed in the deepest mourning, who rushed forward -and welcomed him with a cry of joy. It was the Flemish maiden. In broken -English, and with many tears, she told him of all the anguish she had -suffered from his absence and silence. She had borne it all till the -death of her father left her mistress of her actions, when she resolved -to visit England in order to ascertain his fate. On reaching London, she -learned that the 42nd had been sent north to Edinburgh, and followed the -regiment there. She only knew her lover’s name, but a soldier, touched -with pity by her romantic tale, searched the town till he discovered -where he was. The rest may be left to the imagination of our readers. The -war was now over, and she had no difficulty in purchasing the discharge -of her lover. The officers of the regiment took an interest in the young -couple, and were present at their marriage, after which the Highlander -and his bride returned to Brussels, where they established themselves in -business, and were as prosperous as they deserved to be. - -Often, indeed, in the history of the Highland regiments— - - “Shine martial Faith and Courtesy’s bright star - Through all the wreckful storms that cloud the brow of War.” - -We could multiply instances of their kindness and forbearance to the -helpless inhabitants of foreign lands, whom they might have plundered -with impunity, and of the proofs of gratitude shown by the latter to -their benefactors. - -Alluding to the services of Keith’s and Campbell’s Highlanders with the -allied army in Germany in 1759, the _Vienna Gazette_ of 1762 says—“From -the goodness of their disposition in everything, the boors are much -better treated by these savages than by the polished French and English.” - -When these two regiments were ordered home, such was the character -they had established for themselves during three campaigns that the -inhabitants of Holland welcomed them with acclamations on their march -through that country, and the women crowded around them and presented -them with laurel-leaves. This display of friendly feeling may have been -owing partly to the long services of the Scotch Brigade in the Dutch -service, and the frequent intercourse between the two countries; but -it was elicited in a great measure by the excellent conduct of the -Highlanders themselves. After landing at Tilbury Fort, they marched for -Scotland, and were treated with the most marked attention by the citizens -of the different towns where they halted, especially by those of Derby, -who presented the men with gratuities in money. This unusual liberality -is said to have sprung from a grateful remembrance of the respect shown -for their persons and property by the Highlanders when they visited the -town in 1745, under the command of Charles Edward, the Young Pretender. - -Some of these Highlanders had given a remarkable proof of the high spirit -of honour which prevailed among them before leaving Scotland. Every -one is familiar with the massacre of Glencoe, that detestable deed of -butchery the details of which, after the lapse of more than a century, -cannot be read without a shudder of horror. Part of the Mac Ians had -escaped, and when Charles Edward landed in the North, their young chief -joined his standard with a hundred and fifty men, and accompanied him -in his march to the South. At first success attended his arms, and the -Highland army passed near a beautiful mansion, the property of the Earl -of Stair, whose forefather of the same name, from motives of private -revenge, had caused the unfortunate Mac Ians to be murdered in cold blood -by those whom they had welcomed as friends. It was part of the policy of -Prince Charles to conciliate the Lowland proprietors who still kept aloof -from his cause, and a guard was posted for the protection of Lord Stair’s -house, which was believed to be in some danger of being attacked by the -Mac Ians in revenge for the massacre of their forefathers. No sooner had -the chief of Glencoe heard of this precaution than he deemed his honour -insulted, and demanded an interview with the prince. - -“If a guard must be posted here,” he said, “let the Mac Ians, who have -most reason to hate the name of Dalrymple, supply that guard. If you -refuse this request it must be from want of confidence in the MacIans, -who, finding themselves distrusted, can no longer follow your standard. -They are willing to die for you, but they will not submit to the insult -of being watched by others.” - -[Illustration: Glencoe.] - -It was fortunate that the prince understood the character of the young -MacIan, and granted his request. The guard was duly posted, and the -mansion of the Dalrymples received no injury. When we consider that old -Lord Stair was the author of the massacre of Glencoe, and that revenge -among the Highlanders was almost a sacred duty, we cannot withhold -our admiration from the chief who could restrain his men on such an -occasion, and from the men who voluntarily submitted to such restraint. -The name of young MacIan of Glencoe is worthy of being ranked with those -of Scipio and other heroes of antiquity, who knew how to practise, under -the pressure of strong temptation, the difficult duty of self-denial. - - “This murderous chief, this ruthless man, - This head of a rebellious clan,” - -spared the mansion of his hereditary foe. - -Such were the elements of which our Highland regiments were formed. When -the mountaineers transferred their services to the House of Hanover, -they did not lose their distinctive character; they shrank from no duty, -however dangerous, but they never inflicted unnecessary suffering on the -unprotected. The latter were always prepared to express their sense of -their forbearance, and to lament their removal to another station. After -the battle of Waterloo the 78th Regiment did garrison duty at Brussels -till 1816, when they received orders to return home. The inhabitants had -come to regard them as a part of themselves, and requested the mayor -to try to prevent their removal. This could not be done, but the mayor -expressed the feeling of his fellow-citizens by issuing the following -document:—“As Mayor of Brussels, I have pleasure in declaring that the -Scotch Highlanders who were garrisoned in this city during the years -1814 and 1815 called forth the attachment and esteem of all by the -mildness and suavity of their manners and excellent conduct, insomuch -that a representation was made to me by the inhabitants, requesting me -to endeavour to detain the 78th Regiment of Scotchmen in the town, and -to prevent their being replaced by other troops.” The mayor’s eulogium -applies to all the Highland regiments stationed at Brussels, but the 78th -were the best known because they had been longest there. _Les braves -Flamands_ witnessed their departure with the liveliest feelings of -regret. “They are kind as well as brave;” “they are part of ourselves” -(_enfans de famille_); “they are lions in the field, lambs in the house.” -Such were the expressions that greeted the plumed warriors of the North -as they marched for the last time through the streets of Brussels. - -Nor was it in foreign lands alone that the Highlanders secured the -confidence and esteem of the inhabitants by their good conduct. The 92nd, -or Gordon Highlanders, who were embodied in 1794, and derived their name -from having been raised chiefly on the estates of the Duke of Gordon, in -the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and Inverness, were ordered to Ireland -in 1798, to assist in quelling the insurrection which had broken out in -that unfortunate country. Nothing could be more trying to the temper of -the men than the duties they had to perform. They were constantly moved -from place to place in the midst of a hostile population. On one occasion -they had to march ninety-six Irish miles in three successive days, with -arms, ammunition, and knapsacks. Notwithstanding their arduous duties, -and the avowed hostility of the population to the red-coats, the Gordon -Highlanders conducted themselves with such forbearance, that, on their -being removed elsewhere, public testimony was borne to the fact that -they had been “exemplary in all duties; sober, orderly, and regular in -quarters.” They had earned the same good character when stationed in the -island of Corsica in 1795, and such was the estimation in which they were -held in Ireland, that a parting address was presented to the Marquis of -Huntly, the colonel of the regiment, in which it is said that “peace and -order were re-established, rapine had disappeared, confidence in the -government was restored, and the happiest cordiality subsisted since his -regiment came among them.” Many of the privates in this regiment belonged -to a different class from those who usually enter the army; they were -the sons of respectable farmers, who had been induced to enlist by the -personal influence and blandishments of the beautiful Duchess of Gordon, -the mother of their colonel. - -In the Peninsula the conduct of the 92nd was as exemplary as in Ireland. -Unmoved by hunger and the example of others, they respected the lives -and property of those who could offer no resistance. Napier has rendered -his readers familiar with the horrors which followed the capture of St. -Sebastian in Spain. A more pleasing picture is presented by the conduct -of the Gordon Highlanders and the old “fighting 50th” when they drove -the French from the town of Aire on the 2nd of March, 1814. Places thus -captured were almost invariably given up to pillage and destruction, and -the miserable inhabitants deemed themselves fortunate if they escaped -with their lives. On this occasion there was not a single act of plunder -or violence; the Highlanders took quiet possession of the town, and paid -for every article they required. Their generous forbearance produced such -an impression on the inhabitants of Aire, that they presented an address -to Colonel Cameron expressive of their gratitude for exemption from -plunder and rapine, the usual fate of the defenceless in times of war. -The Highlanders have always been popular in Ireland; they are sprung from -the same Celtic stock, and speak a dialect of the same language. Though -they had no sympathy with the Irish during the rebellion of 1798, and -took an active part in quelling it, they were guilty of no unnecessary -cruelty, and discharged their duty in such a way as to conciliate the -esteem of those who were opposed to them. It was said of them that “their -conduct and manners softened the horrors of war, and they were not a week -in a fresh quarter or cantonment that they did not conciliate and become -intimate with the people.” - -At this period duelling was an established custom in the British army, -and some of the Highland officers were as ready to take offence as Sir -Lucius O’Trigger in _The Rivals_, or the redoubtable Captain MacTurk in -_St. Ronan’s Well_. They were jealous of their personal honour, and as -ready to challenge one another as those of a different race. We read of -a Captain Campbell who fought a duel in a dark room without seconds, and -killed his opponent. The absence of witnesses led the jury to give a -verdict of murder, and the unfortunate man was hanged. A duel was fought -at Gibraltar, in 1795, between Captain, afterwards Colonel Cameron, and -Lieutenant, afterwards Sir John Maclean, in consequence of some disputed -point of precedency. Both escaped without any serious injury. The -Marquis of Huntly, the colonel of the 92nd, to which Cameron and Maclean -belonged, took them to task for their conduct, and warned his officers -against the practice of duelling. “I have the more right to insist upon -this,” he said, “as I believe you are all, more or less, connected with -my father’s estates.” The hot-blooded Cameron started to his feet. “I,” -he exclaimed, “have no connexion with your father’s estates or your -father’s clan; such an argument, therefore, cannot apply to me.” The -marquis knew how to soothe his wounded feelings, and this was his first -and last duel. Nothing more readily rouses a Highlander’s ire than any -insult offered to his country, his language, or his dress, and strangers, -ignorant of this peculiarity, were sometimes involved in quarrels without -any intention of giving offence. We remember the case of an English -officer, the nephew of an archbishop, who happened to be seated at a -mess-room table opposite to a Highlander who wore the national costume, -the uniform of his regiment. They were strangers to one another, and it -was their first and last meeting in this world. The English officer made -some bantering remark on the Highlander’s dress, which was regarded by -the latter as an insult, and led to an immediate challenge. They agreed -to settle their difference at once, and on the first exchange of shots -poor Mr. ⸺, the English officer, fell. Highland soldiers have now learned -to bear any amount of “chaff” on their national peculiarities without -taking offence, but national feeling was stronger and more sensitive in -former days, and the barbarous custom of duelling often led to death -in cases where an apology would now be deemed ample atonement. It is -somewhat remarkable that the horror excited by the death of an Indian -officer, slain in mortal combat by his own brother-in-law, an officer of -the Life Guards, and a Highlander by birth, produced such a reaction, -that the custom of duelling—that barbarous relic of a barbarous age—may -now be regarded as obsolete. - -An interesting work might be written on the female warriors of all -nations, including the standing army of the King of Dahomey. In every -country and in every age there have been men who, in point of valour, -were women; and women who, in point of valour, were men. The Amazons -of antiquity, the _vivandières_ of France, and the camp followers of -the British army, would all be entitled to some passing notice; but -more attractive still would be the personal history of those women who, -instigated by the promptings of valour or love, have entered the army -and served for years without their sex being discovered. The wives of -soldiers who have followed their husbands to the field, sharing their -dangers and ministering to the wants of the wounded, might also find -place in such a work, to which we willingly present the following -contribution. Towards the close of last century, a stalwart, buxom -Scottish lass became the wife of a private in the 42nd Highlanders, -and was permitted to accompany the regiment when it embarked, in 1795, -to take part in the expedition to the West Indies. She soon learned -to share in all the hardships and dangers of a soldier’s life, was -frequently under fire, and became as skilful in dressing wounds as the -most experienced surgeon. She was known to every one in the regiment, and -was equally a favourite with officers and men. She was present at, and -took part in, the attack on the island of St. Vincent, then occupied by -the French and the insurgent natives. In one of the skirmishes between -the 42nd and the enemy, Lieutenant-Colonel Graham was severely wounded, -and left insensible on the field. After a time his own men returned and, -believing him to be dead, dragged his body across the rough channel of -the river to the sea-beach. The motion elicited some signs of life, and -they hastened in search of a surgeon; meanwhile the body was borne along -in a blanket for about four miles till they reached a post occupied by -the 42nd. Colonel Graham still continued insensible, and no surgeon -could be found to dress his wounds or restore him to consciousness. It -was plain then, unless something were done at once he could not long -survive, as a bullet had entered his side, come out beneath his breast, -and shattered two of his fingers. He was already exhausted with the -loss of blood. Fortunately for him our Highland Amazon was at this -post, and at once proceeded to act the part of the good Samaritan. She -washed his wounds, and bound them up with such skill that the surgeons, -on their arrival, did not find it necessary to unloose the dressing. -The colonel remained in a dangerous state for three weeks, when he was -removed to England, where he gradually recovered and rose to the rank of -Lieutenant-General and Governor of Stirling Castle. It is to be hoped -that he did not forget the kind-hearted woman to whom he owed his life. - -Be that as it may, she accompanied the 42nd in their different -expeditions, and proved herself a skilful nurse in hospital, a fearless -leader on the field of battle. Wherever her husband went she followed, -watching over his safety, and threatening to avenge him if he fell. There -is reason to believe that, like other veterans, she came at length to -love fighting for its own sake, and that anxiety for the safety of her -husband was only a cloak to justify her presence amid the wild excitement -of the battle-field. On one occasion, before the commencement of an -attack, the officer in command, being anxious to expose her husband to -as little danger as possible, left him in charge of the men’s knapsacks, -which they had thrown aside before rushing up the hill. He remained at -his post, but his wife, borne along by an irresistible impulse, rushed -forward at the head of the attacking columns, and cheered them on to -victory. No man could refuse to follow where a woman led the way. Three -redoubts were carried in rapid succession, and just as the officer was -giving orders to charge the fourth and last, he was suddenly tapped on -the shoulder. On turning round he beheld his friend, the female warrior, -with her clothes tucked up to her knees, and the proud expression of -victory in her lace. Seizing his hand, and shaking it heartily, she -exclaimed, “Well done, my Highland lad! See how the brigands scamper, -like so many deer! Come,” she continued, “let us drive them from yonder -hill.” Her advice was acted on, and the success of the Highlanders was -complete. When the fighting was over, friend and foe shared alike in her -sympathies. Her skilful hand, like the spear of Achilles, could heal the -wounds it had made. - -About forty years ago, in almost every village in Scotland might be seen -tall, erect, gray-headed old men, retired veterans, who, after fighting -the battles of their country in every quarter of the globe, had returned -to the place of their birth, the memory of which had haunted them during -long years of absence and exile. They were the leaders of public opinion -in the small community in which they lived—the village Nestors, from -whose lips dropped words of wisdom, tales of strange adventure, and -dangers encountered by sea and land. They feared God and honoured the -king; they had only one failing—an overweening love of the bottle; -they were the oracles of every tap-room, where, amid the applause of -their boon companions, they fought their battles o’er again, even to the -thrice routing of all their foes and the thrice slaying of the slain. -It was not the mere love of drink that led them there; mingled with -this weakness was the pleasure of recalling scenes in which they had -borne a part, battles in which they had fought and conquered. Often the -schoolboys on the village green would cease from their sports and gather -round one of these veterans in an admiring circle, as, seated beneath a -shady tree and leaning on his crutch, he told of the gallant deeds of -the Gordon Highlanders or the Old Black Watch. His rude eloquence never -failed to awaken the enthusiasm of his audience, and many a Scottish -soldier was first led to think of the profession of arms, and to long, -like Norval, to follow some brave chieftain to the field, from listening -to these veterans. They have now gone the way of all living; we know of -only one veteran survivor of Waterloo in the North, but we can recal -many who lived and flourished a quarter of a century ago. Old Hyderabad -stands before us at this very moment. There he is, with all the towering -majesty of six feet and some additional inches, with shaggy eyebrows and -straggling hair as white as snow, with a rough, stern, but not unkindly -face, rendered still more stern by a sabre-cut on the brow, with his -formidable pikestaff in one hand, and his ram’s-horn “sneeshin’-mull,” -or snuff-box, in the other. His real name was James Bruce, but he was -universally known as Hyderabad, from the interminable stories he told -of the capture of that Indian city, at which he assisted. His stories -occasionally exceeded the bounds of credence; for example, he used to -relate that any eccentricity of manner observable in his conduct arose -from a singular accident which happened to him at Hyderabad. He was -fighting his way through the streets, when a bullet-wound in the leg -laid him prostrate; one of his assailants rushed upon him and laid open -his skull with a cut of his sabre. “I put up my hand to my head,” said -James, “to feel what was the matter; it so happened that I had just -been takin’ a pinch and forgot to put up my mull. Aweel, you see, I was -so startled at the size of the hole in my head that I lost hold of my -sneeshin’-mull, and it dropped inside my skull. Up came the doctor, and, -without thinking of the mull, he clapped the skull together and trepanned -it; the wound soon healed, but sometimes I feel a little queer in the -head.” No wonder that he did, considering that he believed that there was -a ram’s-horn in the place where his brains should have been. The delusion -had originated from a sunstroke which he received in India, and which -would have killed any other man than Hyderabad. It is worthy of remark -that, though he was universally known as Hyderabad, few ever ventured to -address him by that sobriquet; it was dangerous to take liberties with -one whose pikestaff was ever ready to punish any impertinence. We can -only recal one occasion when James was thus addressed. He was walking -with stately gait through a country fair, when a young urchin, set on -by his older companions, walked up to him, and said in his most winning -way, “How d’ye do, Old Hyderabad?” Had the earth yawned beneath James’s -feet he could not have looked more surprised than he did on hearing these -ominous words; here was an urchin who barely reached his knee addressing -him familiarly by that name which the boldest never ventured to mention -in his presence. It was like a mouse insulting a lion, but what could he -do? He was too tender-hearted to touch a child, but such liberties must -be repressed, so he flourished his pikestaff in the air and gave a yell -such as a savage gives when he despatches his foe. Years have elapsed -since James uttered that yell; his voice is now among the voices of the -night; but it is still ringing in the ears of him who evoked it, and who -fled in terror from the redoubtable presence, and equally redoubtable -pikestaff, of Old Hyderabad. - -Nor have we forgotten Old Corunna, the one-eyed veteran, who fought with -Abercrombie in Egypt, and helped to lay the green turf on the grave of -Sir John Moore in Spain. Many were the stories he used to recount of -that disastrous retreat, of that fatal embarkation. We have seen his one -eye dimmed with a tear as he spoke of Moore, that gallant leader who -was dear to his men amid all their sufferings; we have seen it lighted -up with genuine humour as he told of wealthy officers marching at the -head of their men without shoes or stockings, and the latter whispering -to one another, “There goes ten thousand a year.” Unlike Hyderabad, -Corunna was of small stature, but wiry as a terrier, retaining his -vigour to the last, and ready to meet all comers. The fame of one of his -encounters still lives in his native parish, and has long survived him. -At the period when he flourished, it was not unusual for professional -prizefighters to visit country fairs and to challenge the rustics to a -friendly combat. If the challenge was not accepted, they claimed, and -usually received, a certain sum of money; if they fought and failed to -win, the money belonged to the victor. It so happened that Corunna was -refreshing himself in a booth or tent at one of these country fairs when -a noted pugilist appeared and gave the usual challenge. No one seemed -disposed to take it up, till Old Corunna, over-brimming with whisky and -valour, rushed from the tent, divested himself of his great-coat, and -went at the bully with such thorough good will and masterly science that -victory soon declared in his favour. That was, perhaps, the proudest day -in poor Corunna’s existence. During the fight a thief had stolen his -great-coat, but this loss was very soon made up, and Corunna remained to -his death the champion of the parish. He has several sons now serving in -the British army. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE PIPERS OF OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS. - - -Our sketch of the Highland Regiments would be incomplete without some -allusion to the men whose martial music inspired them with courage, -and often rose loud and triumphant amid the din of battle. The bagpipe -has always been a favourite instrument of music among the Celtic race. -There is reason to believe that its invention is almost coeval with the -origin of the human race; traces of it, at least, are to be found in the -bas-reliefs of those ancient cities which have been brought to light -by modern explorers. It was known to the Hindoos, the Chinese, and the -Assyrians; it is still valued and appreciated by the natives of Ireland -and Brittany. It may be justly regarded as the national instrument of -Scotland, inasmuch as all our Scottish regiments are provided with -pipers; and our Highland soldiers have always preferred their inspiring -strains to every other kind of music. This feeling of preference has been -well expressed by the poet:— - - “Then wild and high the Cameron’s gathering rose, - The war-note of Lochiel, which Albyn’s hills - Have heard, and heard, too, have her Saxon foes. - How in the noon of night that pibroch thrills, - Savage and shrill! But with the breath which fills - Their mountain pipe, so fill the mountaineers - With the fierce daring which instils - The stirring memory of a thousand years; - And Evan’s, Donald’s fame rings in each clansman’s ears.” - -The influence of music depends very much upon association. The -_Marseillaise_, for example, is to most men simply a warlike air, -inferior to many others with which they have been familiar from infancy, -while to the Frenchman it is the sacred chant of liberty, presaging the -downfall of tyrants, and the destruction of all that stand in the way -of human progress; the _Ranz des Vaches_ awakens no unusual emotion in -the breast of him who hears it for the first time, while to the Swiss, -wandering in foreign lands, it brings back the snow-capped mountains, the -wooden chalets, the tinkling of the cow-bells in the deep valleys, and -all the other reminiscences of his native land. The sound of the bagpipe -may be to the Saxon the least or the most disagreeable of all sounds; it -revives no past associations; it awakens no patriotic feeling; it rather -repels by its harsh and discordant strains. Nor is this effect confined -to any one race or class; it extends to all who have not been accustomed -to the war-pipe from infancy. If you ask an Englishman, “Do you like -the bagpipes?” he answers with a significant smile, “Yes; but I like -them best at a distance.” Habit, however, is all-powerful in modifying -this feeling of dislike; we have known English officers and soldiers -serving in Highland regiments who came to prefer the pibroch to every -other kind of music, and became, in this respect, more Scottish than the -Scotch themselves. But we question whether a Frenchman, with all his -acknowledged politeness, was ever betrayed into any expression bordering -on admiration of Highland music. We have a lively remembrance of the -expressive shrug which a Frenchman gave, when we asked him how he liked -the bagpipes, and of the comical way in which he stopped his ears, as if -still haunted with the horrible sound. A genuine Celt would attribute -such symptoms of aversion to prejudice, affectation, or even to some -worse motive; you could never convince him that the shrill notes of his -favourite war-pipe could cause an unpleasant sensation on your tympanum. - -An amusing illustration of this Celtic obtuseness of perception may be -given. About half a century ago an accomplished young French nobleman, -who recently held an appointment of importance at the Court of St. -James’s, was fortunate enough to secure the hand of a Scottish lady, who -was heiress to a title in her own right, and to extensive estates in the -north. After his marriage, which was celebrated in England, the happy -couple went to spend the honeymoon at an ancient castle belonging to -the lady in a remote part of the Highlands. This was, perhaps, rather a -mistake, as the French do not understand our English institution of the -honeymoon, and consider that throwing two young people together for a -month tends rather to make them tired of one another’s society. Be that -as it may, they reached the Highlands in safety, and spent the first -night in the ancient castle. The excitement and fatigue of the journey -kept the Frenchman awake the greater part of the night, and he had just -dropped quietly asleep at an early hour in the morning, when all at once -he was roused to consciousness by a loud discordant noise beneath his -window. Springing to his feet, he drew aside the curtains to ascertain -the cause of this disturbance. It was a charming morning, the grass on -the lawn was glistening with dew-drops, and the heath-clad mountains were -tipped with the golden rays of the rising sun. But he had no eye for the -beauties of nature; every other feeling was absorbed in indignation at -being roused from his pleasant slumber by an old fellow in the Highland -garb, who was strutting backwards and forwards on the lawn and playing -“Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye waukin’ yet,” to his own intense satisfaction. -If the indignant Frenchman had stopped to inquire, he would have found -this was old Donald, the family piper, who had been in the habit of -waking the family by this morning serenade ever since he entered on his -office; but his only thought was how to get rid of this nuisance, so he -shouted, “_Allez, allez-vous en, tout de suite!_” “Sir!” said Donald, -surprised at hearing himself addressed in a language which he did not -understand. “Go, go away,” said the Frenchman. “Your music is execrable; -it is murderous; it will kill me.” If the earth had yawned before him, -Donald could not have stood more aghast than he did on hearing these -words. The sound of the bagpipes was to him the most delightful of -all music, and he could not understand how it could be otherwise than -pleasing to everyone else. But here was a man who actually ordered _him_, -the family piper, away; who pronounced his music murderous, and declared -it would kill him. There must be some mystery in this, some secret cause -for this unaccountable dislike. The bagpipes were silent; but Donald -walked backwards and forwards on the lawn, holding his head erect, -distending his nostrils, and sniffing with indignation at the insult -offered to him. “Maybe the carl (fellow) does na like music,” he at -length burst forth; “or maybe he does na like _me_. What ails him at the -bagpipes? By my faith, I have it now; he heard a little too much of them -at Waterloo!” - -While our Scottish regiments have ceased to be composed exclusively of -Scotchmen, they have still retained their pipers. They are not the only -musicians attached to these regiments, for there are the brass bands -besides; but the national music is always most appreciated by those who -belong to the north. When the drum and the fife cease, and the bagpipes -strike up some well-known pibroch or march, you can tell by their -heightened colour and beaming eyes who are the Scotchmen in the ranks; -cheered on by that music, they will rush on to danger or to death without -dismay. It was a mistake to deprive these regiments of their pipers, -as was done in some cases; and Scotland ought to cherish the memory of -William IV. for restoring them to the Scots Fusilier Guards. - -The number attached to each regiment was originally twelve, but it -has now, in some instances, been reduced to six. While the pipers may -be regarded as non-combatants, they have contributed largely to every -victory gained by their countrymen, not only by the animating strains -of their music, but by their coolness and self-possession in the hour -of danger. Many instances of this might be given; in truth, the pipers -imagined that the result of the day depended in no small measure on the -unceasing shrillness of their war notes and their constant presence in -the thickest of the battle. The 42nd Highlanders formed part of the -attacking party which captured Fort Washington in 1777. Determined to -have their own share of glory, they scrambled up the precipice, holding -on by the brushwood and shrubs which grew out of the crevices of the -rocks. The first to reach the summit was one of the pipers, who, as soon -as he had made good his footing, began to play; he knew that he was thus -concentrating all the fire of the enemy on himself; but what was death -to him so long as his comrades secured the victory? His body, riddled -with bullets, fell from point to point till it reached the bottom of the -rock, mangled and disfigured; but the Highlanders went on with a ringing -cheer, and carried everything before them. The piper had the soul of a -hero, and who will say that he died in vain? - -At the battle of Porto Novo, which was fought in 1780, Macleod’s -Highlanders, now known as the 71st, or Glasgow Light Infantry, was -the only British regiment on our side. The whole army under Sir Eyre -Coote did not exceed eight thousand men, while the force under Hyder -Ali consisted of twenty-five battalions of infantry, four hundred -Europeans, between forty and fifty thousand horse, and above one hundred -thousand matchlock men and peons, with forty-seven pieces of cannon. -Notwithstanding their superiority of numbers, the enemy were driven from -all their entrenchments, and compelled to retire. The 71st, or 73rd as -it was then called, was on the right of the first line, and led all the -attacks. Their unbending firmness and daring courage called forth the -warm approval of General Coote, who acknowledged that he was mainly -indebted to them for his victory. During the battle his attention was -particularly attracted to one of the pipers, who never ceased to play, -and gave forth his loudest and most warlike notes when the fire became -hottest. This music was more eloquent than any words; it told them they -must conquer, as their fathers had conquered before them. “Well done, my -brave fellow,” cried the General, “you shall have a pair of silver pipes -for this!” There was no Victoria Cross in those days, or he would have -had it. When the battle was over Sir Eyre did not forget his promise; a -handsome pair of pipes was presented to the regiment, with an inscription -bearing witness to the General’s appreciation of their high character. -Need we add that this gift has been sacredly preserved? - -At the battle of Assaye, where the Duke of Wellington, then known as -General Wellesley, established his character as one of the first leaders -of the day, the 78th Highlanders acted a distinguished part. The British -army was drawn up in a line of fifteen battalions, with the 78th on the -right and the 74th on their immediate left. In the advance, the 78th had -to attack a battery of nine guns which supported the enemy’s left; before -they reached it a body of eight hundred infantry rushed forward with the -apparent intention of forcing their way between the 78th and the 74th, -and thus breaking the line of attack. In order to intercept them these -two regiments obliqued their march, and moved forward with ported arms. -On observing this movement, the enemy drew up on the other side of a -muddy ditch and kept firing till their last man fell. They were impelled -by religious fanaticism, and next morning upwards of five hundred -bodies were found lying near the ditch. The loss of the British was -trifling; the 78th, who were exposed to the hottest fire of the enemy, -had only nine men killed and twenty-one wounded. At the commencement of -the battle, the musicians of the 78th had received orders to attend to -the wounded and to carry them to the surgeons in the rear. This office -was usually entrusted to the members of the band, but the orders were -not intended to include the pipers, who were expected to accompany the -regiment and to animate the men by their war notes. One young piper, who -had never taken part in a battle before, from a mistaken sense of duty, -laid aside his instrument and devoted himself to the wounded. His conduct -was regarded as a dereliction of duty by his comrades, and exposed him to -their reproaches and ridicule. It was all very well for the flutes and -hautboys to cease their music; they could well be spared; but who ever -heard of a piper sinking himself to the same level, and doing work which -specially belonged to them? It was his duty to be in front of the battle, -in the hottest of the fight; to go to the rear with the _whistlers_, as -the bandsmen were derisively termed, was contrary to all the proprieties -of Highland etiquette. The poor fellow, who had erred from ignorance and -was not deficient in courage, felt these reproaches very deeply, and -longed for an opportunity to retrieve his character. He had not to wait -long; the battle of Argaum soon followed that of Assaye; in the advance -the young piper played with such animation and evoked such soul-stirring -notes from his instrument, that the Highlanders could scarcely be -restrained from breaking the line and rushing upon the enemy before the -preparations were completed. The Colonel, in fact, could only restrain -his men by silencing the musician, who thus recovered his good name, and -led on his comrades in many a future fight. - -The colonels of Highland regiments, knowing the influence exercised over -the men by the pipers, have usually treated them with a consideration due -rather to that influence than to their mere rank. This has been specially -the case when the colonels happened to be Highlanders themselves. Every -mountaineer is passionately fond of the mountain pipe; it awakens a -thousand associations of the past; it inflames the glow of patriotism; -it speaks to his heart at once. It tells him of scenes of joy and sorrow -where it has enlivened or soothed him in the far north; it recals the -coronach that was played at his father’s grave, the pibroch to which his -clansmen have ever marched to victory; it reminds him of the strains -that shall welcome his return when the sword has been restored to its -scabbard. In foreign lands, after years of exile, the rude sound of the -mountain pipe rouses in the soberest Highlander a species of enthusiasm; -his foot involuntarily beats time to the music; he can scarcely restrain -himself from dancing as he used to dance in the days of his youth; often -he throws aside his bonnet, and dances as if he were still a youth. He -looks rather ashamed when the performance is over, and his grandchildren -begin to congratulate him on his agility, but he cannot help it; -the sound of the bagpipe, like the sting of the tarantula, sets him -a-whirling at once. An amusing proof of this recently occurred within our -knowledge at a semi-religious fête which was held in the open air, in one -of our most distant colonies, for the purpose of clearing off the debt on -a Scotch church. The Scotchman, like Froissart’s Englishman, takes his -pleasure sadly; everything was as grave and decorous as possible, till -all at once a venerable piper, an old pensioner of the 42nd resident in -the colony, produced his bagpipe, and struck up a lively Scottish air. -The thing was wholly unpremeditated; but in a moment every one, young or -old, selected his partner, took his place on the green sward, and danced -as if he had been possessed. The piper played his best, and the reels -only ceased when the sun went down. In the enthusiasm of the moment, -the people forgot the object of the meeting; the piper was the master -of the occasion, to whom even the minister had to give place; his music -blew away the load of cares and years, and made them all young again. We -remember another instance: Some years ago we were residing in a certain -town in the east where there were a good many Scotchmen. In truth, there -are few towns, east or west, north or south, where Scotchmen are not to -be found. The sound of the bagpipe had probably never been heard there -before; but one night, at a late hour, the pibroch of Donuil Dhu was -heard in the streets. It had the same effect on the Highlanders as the -sound of the trumpet on the war-horse; it roused them from their midnight -slumbers, and brought them into the street, where they formed an admiring -circle around the performer, an eccentric wanderer, who had travelled -over the greater part of India and China. Goldsmith’s flute enabled him -to visit France and Italy; the Highlander’s bagpipe had carried him over -the greater part of the continent of Asia. Those who did not like his -music bribed him to go away, so that in either case he found the means of -subsistence. Need we add that every house was thrown open to him; that -parties were got up to do him honour; that he was fêted and feasted for -months, and at length dismissed with the means of continuing his travels -without the aid of his bagpipe. - -The Highlander will admit at once that the bagpipe is not the gentlest -of instruments, nor the one best adapted to a drawing-room; but there is -no affectation in the assertion that its effect upon him is different -from that of any other music. The feelings which other instruments awaken -are general and undefined; but the bagpipe speaks to his heart at once, -and reminds him of his own romantic land. The colonels of our Highland -regiments do well to encourage the pipers, for they have contributed -by their music to almost every success which their comrades have won. -In almost every field of danger, in many an hour of victory, the proud -warlike strains of the pibroch have been heard; and often, when every -other instrument has been silenced amid the din of battle, the war-pipe -has been carried by its devoted bearer into the very thickest of the -fray, where it was hushed at length by the hand of death. - -We have always looked upon Colonel Cameron, of the 92nd Highlanders, who -fell at Quatre Bras, as the beau idéal of a Highland officer; no one -entered more warmly into the feelings of his men, or was more successful -in gaining their confidence. They looked up to him as their natural chief -and protector; they appealed to him when they had any grievance, and -they never appealed in vain. They delighted to observe that he had all -the tastes and feelings of a Highlander; that he was familiar with the -accents of the mountain tongue, and was passionately fond of Highland -music. He was proud of the pipers of his regiment, whom he always treated -with the greatest kindness and consideration. When marching at the head -of his regiment, it was his delight to see them around him, and to listen -to their martial music. He thus acquired an influence over his men, -which no officer, ignorant of their language, music, and most cherished -associations, could ever have obtained. They were ready to follow him -anywhere, and when he fell, they wept for him as a father. At the battle -of Vittoria, he was ordered to seize the heights, and to hold them while -he had a man left. No order could have been more welcome; he ordered the -pipers to play the “Cameron’s Gathering,” and inspired by the war-notes -of this favourite pibroch, the 92nd rushed up the steep declivity and -carried all before them. They made good their position, and retained it, -though exposed to a most destructive fire, which thinned their ranks, but -failed to shake their courage or to silence the shrill notes of their -favourite instrument. - -At the battle of Maya, which was fought soon after, the Highlanders -had to maintain the conflict for ten hours against five times their -number. Napier, the historian of the Peninsular war, thus alludes to -their conduct and that of their leader on this occasion: “That officer -(Cameron) still holding the pass with the left wings of the 71st and -92nd, then brought their right wings and the Portuguese guns into action, -and thus maintained the fight; but so dreadful was the slaughter, -especially of the 92nd, that it is said the advancing enemy were actually -stopped by the heaped mass of dead and dying; and then the left wing of -that regiment coming down from the higher ground smote wounded friends -and exulting foes alike, as mingled together they stood or crawled before -its wasting fire. Never did soldiers fight better—seldom so well. The -stern valour of the 92nd would have graced Thermopylæ. They held their -ground till their ammunition was almost expended, and some of them -began to hurl stones at the enemy, when General Burnes despatched a -considerable body of troops to their assistance. Their strength was so -reduced that they were forbidden to charge; but seized with a warlike -enthusiasm, they rushed upon the enemy and drove them from the ground -they had lost. The pipers contributed in no small degree to produce this -enthusiasm; they headed the charge, and struck up the favourite war-tune, -“The Haughs of Crowdale,” composed centuries ago to commemorate a -celebrated battle in which the Highlanders took part. Their warlike music -inspired their comrades with a fury which nothing could resist; but the -loss was fearful. The strength of the regiment was about 750 men; nearly -half that number fell, and nineteen officers were killed or wounded. Well -might the poet exclaim, on hearing of such deeds of heroism— - - “And oh! loved warriors of the minstrel’s land, - Yonder your bonnets nod, your tartans wave; - The rugged form may mark the mountain band, - And harsher features and a mien more grave. - But ne’er in battle throbbed a heart so brave, - As that which beats beneath the Scottish plaid; - And when the pibroch bids the battle rave, - And level for the charge your arms are laid, - Where lives the desperate foe that for such onset stayed!” - -These redoubtable musicians exhibited occasionally a sort of grim humour -in the tunes which they selected. When the 92nd and 71st surprised -General Gérard with three thousand of the finest French troops in Spain, -at the village of Aroys des Molinos, and took or destroyed more than -two-thirds of them, the first intimation of their presence was given -by the pipers playing, “Hey, Johnnie Cope, are you waukin’ yet?” a -highly appropriate tune, composed originally on the occasion of the -defeat of Sir John Cope by the followers of the Pretender at the battle -of Prestonpans. There is an old song sung to the same air, of which we -remember only one verse— - - “Charlie wrote a letter from Dunbar, - Saying Johnnie meet me if ye daur. - And I’ll teach you the art of war, - So early in the morning.” - -After the defeat of the French, the Highlanders amused themselves by -composing a song to the air of “Johnnie Cope,” with the refrain, “Hey, -Monsieur Gérard, are you waukin’ yet?” which is more remarkable for -patriotic feeling than poetical power. One verse may be given. - - “Go and tell Napoleon, go, - While Freedom’s laws he tramples low, - That Highland boys will be his foe, - And meet them all in the morning.” - -No wonder that Cameron appreciated and respected a class of men who -did more by their music than mere valour could have effected, and -animated their comrades by the strains familiar to them from infancy. A -characteristic anecdote is related by General Gordon, of Lochdhu, who -served during the Peninsular war in the 50th regiment, and had frequent -opportunities of witnessing the gallantry of the 92nd. He and Cameron -were fording the river Nive, at Cambo; the French opposed their passage, -and a hostile bullet struck down Cameron’s favourite piper, who was -marching by his side. If his own brother had fallen, he could not have -exhibited deeper feeling or anxiety. He stopped to render assistance, -and, on finding that the poor piper was beyond the reach of all human -aid, exclaimed, in a tone of deep emotion, that he had rather have lost -twenty men of his regiment. - -At the battle of St. Pierre, which was fought a few days after the -passage of the Nive, the 92nd charged early in the day against two -French regiments, which yielded and broke; but Soult brought such a -storm of artillery to bear on them, that they in their turn were forced -to retire. The 50th and the Portuguese held their ground and fought -desperately till the 92nd had time to reform. Then Cameron gave the word -to advance; the pipers sounded the charge, and the Highlanders rushed -forward with colours flying and music playing. They were but a small -force compared to the enemy, but nothing could resist their impetuosity; -and they drove the French across the valley, remaining in possession of -the field. Napier thus alludes to their conduct on this occasion: “How -gloriously did that regiment come forth again to charge, with their -colours flying, and their national music playing as if going to a review. -This was to understand war. The man who in that moment, and immediately -after a repulse, thought of such military pomp, was by nature a soldier.” - -No one will question the justice of this remark; but some praise is also -due to the pipers, who were as jealous of the honour of the regiment -as Cameron himself. His last hours were soothed by the music he loved -so well. He was present on the evening of the 15th of June, at the -celebrated ball given by the Duchess of Richmond, and was requested -by the Duke of Wellington to withdraw privately from the room, and to -march with all speed to Quatre Bras. He lost no time in executing this -order; animated by the martial strains of the Cameron’s Gathering, the -92nd were in front of the enemy by 2 P.M. Deserted by the Belgian horse, -and assailed by fearful odds led on by the fiery Ney, the Highlanders -and the Black Brunswickers repelled the attacks of the enemy again and -again; many gallant officers and about three hundred privates were -struck down, but they never dreamed of retiring. At length Cameron asked -permission of the Duke, who was stationed among them, to charge the -enemy. “Have patience,” said the Duke, “and you will have plenty of work -by-and-by.” The French advanced, and took possession of the farm-house; -the Duke waited till they began to push on to the Charleroi road, when, -turning to the Colonel, he exclaimed, “Now, Cameron, is your time—take -care of that road.” On hearing these words, the 92nd cleared the ditch -at a bound, rushed upon the enemy, and drove them back; but, in the -moment of victory, a shot fired from the upper story of the farm-house, -passed through the body of their gallant leader, and his horse, pierced -by several bullets, sunk to the earth. A wild wail of sorrow rose from -his devoted followers, as they rushed madly on the house to avenge the -death of one whom they loved as a father. Ewen Macmillan, his faithful -foster-brother, aided by another private, bore him beyond the reach of -the enemy’s fire, to a deserted house near the village of Waterloo, where -they stretched him on the floor. His first inquiry was for his beloved -Highlanders; on hearing that they had fought with their usual gallantry -and success, he said: “I die happy, and I trust my dear country will -believe that I have served her faithfully.” None ever served her better, -or shed his blood more willingly in her defence. - -His remains were hastily interred in the _Allé Nerte_, on the Ghent -road. Next year they were conveyed in a man-of-war to Scotland, and -buried in the aisle of the old church of Kilmallie, in Lochaber, where so -many of his forefathers sleep. No less than three thousand Highlanders -accompanied the funeral cortége, and the wailing notes of the coronach -were echoed back from the heath-clad mountains, as they conveyed him to -his last home. A monument was erected to his memory; the inscription was -written by Sir Walter Scott, who tells us in his “Field of Waterloo” how - - “Cameron in the shock of steel, - Died like the offspring of Lochiel;” - -and thus alludes to him in his “Dance of Death”— - - “Apart from Aleyn’s war array, - ’Twas there Grey Allen sleepless lay— - Grey Allen, who for many a day, - Had followed stout and stern, - Where, through battle, rout, and reel, - Through storm of shot and hedge of steel, - Led the grandson of Lochiel, - The valiant Fassiefern. - Through steel and shot he leads no more; - Low laid ’mid friends’ and foemen’s gore; - But long his native lake’s wild shore, - And Sunard rough, and wild Ardgour, - And Morven long shall tell; - And proud Ben-Nevis hear with awe, - How, at the bloody Quatre Bras, - Brave Cameron heard the wild hurrah - Of conquest as he fell.” - -It is a characteristic fact that his last prayers were offered up in -his own mountain tongue, and that his last hours were soothed by that -mountain music which was blended with his earliest associations and his -proudest reminiscences. Other Highlanders have shown on their death-beds -the same predilection for that music which, however harsh and unmeaning -it may sound in the ears of a stranger, is dear to the heart of every -mountaineer, animating him in the hour of danger, and soothing him -in sorrow. A singular anecdote is related of Rob Roy, the celebrated -freebooter, whose name is familiar to all the readers of Scott’s -well-known story. The bold outlaw was often threatened with the gallows, -but his cunning and daring enabled him to escape that fate. He died in -his own house at an advanced old age. As his end was approaching he -learned that a friend who had once been his foe, and was still regarded -by him with suspicion, was about to pay him a visit; he roused himself -at once, and prepared to meet him. No sign of weakness or approaching -dissolution must be witnessed by his former rival; attired in full -Highland costume, he seated himself in his arm-chair and ordered his -piper to play his favourite tune. When the visit was over, he lay quietly -down and died. - -At the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, which was captured on the 6th of -April, 1812, after a desperate resistance on the part of the French, -Lieutenant Alexander Grant, of the 74th Highlanders, leading the advance, -was the first to enter the castle, but fell in the moment of victory. -John M’Lauchlan, the regimental piper, particularly distinguished -himself on this occasion. He was the foremost in the escalade, and on -mounting the castle wall, began to play the regimental quick step, “The -Campbells are coming.” Animating his comrades by the lively strains of -this favourite air, he marched along the ramparts at the head of the -advance, with as much coolness as if he had been on the parade ground. -A shot from the enemy pierced the bag of his instrument, and stopped -his music for a time, but John realized the importance of the occasion, -and proved himself equal to it. If the music ceased, the courage of his -comrades might flag, and the victory, already half won, might be lost: -it should never be said that he failed in his duty; so he quietly seated -himself on a gun carriage, and amid a hurricane of shot and shell, began -to repair his instrument, which was speedily done. In a few minutes “The -Campbells are coming” was heard again amid the roar of battle, and John -had the satisfaction of witnessing the surrender of the fortress. If he -attributed the success of the day partly to his own almost superhuman -efforts, we must not be too hard upon him. “As proud as a piper” has -become a proverbial expression in the north, and whoever has witnessed -a contest of some score of pipers, and seen them strutting backward and -forward on a raised platform, with inflated cheeks and waving tartans, -will at once perceive its accuracy. - -Much more might be said of our friends, the pipers, and we are almost -loth to part with them. We might have told how one who was attacked by a -French cuirassier at Waterloo took deliberate aim at him with his pipe, -when the Frenchman, believing it to be some infernal machine, turned his -horse and rode off at full speed, and how another, assailed by a tiger in -India, blew such a blast on his instrument that the animal rushed into -the thickest depths of the jungle to escape from the fearful sound. - -But space fails us. The golden age of the pipers is gone for ever; the -college of Skye has ceased to issue its diplomas, and the wail of the -pibroch may be heard more frequently in Canada and Australia than in the -Highlands of Scotland. The warlike race who fought our battles and shed -their blood so profusely in our defence, has removed to other lands, and -the bleating of sheep may be heard in the valleys they once occupied. -Lowland lairds, without the shadow of a claim to rank as chiefs, without -a drop of Celtic blood in their veins, have gratified their vanity and -striven to enhance their importance by surrounding themselves with -pipers, and have thus incurred the sarcasm of Bon Gaultier in one of his -witty poems:— - - “Fhairshon swore a feud - Against the clan M’Tavish, - Marched into their land - To plunder and to ravish. - - “For he did resolve - To extirpate ta vipers, - With four-and-twenty men - And five-and-thirty pipers.” - -It is easy to find players on the bagpipes; performers whose accent -proves that they belong to the Highlands of Highgate or Holborn Hill, -may be heard in any street of London; but the genuine race of pipers, -with their chivalrous spirit, and their undying devotion to their own -regiments, has died out. The pipers even of our Scottish regiments are -rarely Highlanders by birth: they have generally been instructed in -the use of the instrument after entering the army. Such men may play -tolerably well, but they cannot be expected to have the old _esprit de -corps_. - -A favourable exception is to be found in Ewen Henderson, the pipe-major -of the 1st battalion of the Scots Fusilier Guards, who is at once a good -piper and a genuine Highlander. He is a son of Angus Henderson of Annat, -who joined the 92nd when first raised, served with it till the battle of -Waterloo, rose to the rank of colour-sergeant, and lived till a few years -ago to enjoy his well-earned pension. Ewen is a worthy son of a worthy -sire: a living representative of what the pipers once were; a favourable -specimen of the Celtic race. He feels the dignity of his position as -pipe-major of a gallant regiment, and the sound of his war-pipe has -been heard at Alma and Inkerman. It has also sounded in more peaceful -scenes. He had the honour of performing before the Princess of Wales at -Buckingham Palace a few weeks after her arrival, and was rewarded with -some kind words and a golden Napoleon, which he wears at his watch chain -and will not part with till his dying hour. “Will you take five pounds -for it, Henderson?” said an officer to whom he showed it. “No, sir, not -five hundred!” said Ewen, with the chivalrous feeling of an old paladin. -The intrinsic value of the coin was less than a pound, but who shall -estimate its value in Ewen’s eyes? Long may he be spared to wear it! - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -COLONEL BELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -In a previous chapter we traced the history of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers -(23rd Regiment). We showed how they won their laurels in Egypt, in Spain, -in the West Indies, in the Pyrenees, and at Waterloo. We described the -act of humanity by which Corporal Shields and Dr. Sylvester earned the -Victoria Cross, and the gallant deed by which Sergeant (now Captain) -Luke O’Connor attained the same honourable distinction. But the roll of -heroes among the Royal Welsh is not yet exhausted, and we are now about -to show how Colonel (then Captain) Bell conducted himself with such -gallantry as to justify his sovereign in bestowing on him the Cross of -Valour. Mr. Desanges’ picture No. IX., which has been faithfully copied -by our artist, introduces Captain Bell in the act of capturing one of -the enemy’s guns at the battle of the Alma. In order to understand this -event, it is necessary to glance briefly at the position which the Royal -Welsh occupied during the battle. The soldiers of No. 1 company, under -the command of Major Lysons, had the honour of being the first British -troops that landed in the Crimea. As soon as they had disembarked, -Brigadier Airey sent them to attack some arabas, or Russian waggons, -which were seen in the distance; on coming up to the Cossack escort, they -fired upon them and put them to flight. This was the commencement of the -campaign. Fourteen arabas, full of firewood and fruit, with their drivers -and bullocks, remained in the possession of the Royal Welsh, and were the -first waggons used in the Land Transport of the army. - -From the period of disembarkation till the battle of the Alma, the Royal -Welsh had no opportunity of distinguishing themselves. In this engagement -they formed part of Sir George Brown’s right brigade, which was under -the command of General Codrington, an officer of the Guards, who, having -visited the East from motives of curiosity, was induced to accept this -important charge. The only orders he had received from Sir George were -to advance with his brigade till he had passed the river which flowed -through the valley at the foot of the heights where the Russians were -drawn up. When a general has confidence in his subordinates, he does -well to allow them a certain freedom of action, as it is impossible to -anticipate all the eventualities which may occur on the day of battle. -The left brigade of the Light Division was under the command of General -Buller, who is said to have received the same instructions as Codrington. -The two brigades advanced steadily in the direction of the river, the -bank of which, on the Russian side, varied from eight to fifteen feet -in height, but was not so steep as to prevent our men from obtaining a -footing on it. The river itself was of no great depth, but the bank on -the side of the allies was covered with gardens and vineyards, which our -men could not cross without getting into disorder. As they advanced they -became exposed to the fire of the enemy, who had erected on the opposite -heights two batteries mounted with brass guns which swept the plain. When -the Welsh Fusiliers and their companions of the right were brought within -long range, they deployed and halted. It was a bright, sunny day—not a -cloud in the sky, nor a breath of air stirring—and our men, suffering -from thirst and fatigue, helped themselves to clusters of grapes, and lay -down leisurely on the ground, careless of the balls which were whizzing -past them and occasionally thinning their ranks. The vineyards afforded -them a scant shelter from the fire of the enemy; but when the final -order was given to advance, our men were thrown into some confusion, -owing to the broken ground, overgrown with the tendrils of the vines, on -which they had to form. Codrington’s brigade was the first to advance, -carrying with them the 19th Regiment, who were only too glad to place -themselves under the guidance of such an impetuous leader. The Russians -poured on them the fire of all their batteries, and many fell before they -could find cover beneath the steep bank on the opposite side. There they -halted to reform, and at this moment three Russian regiments advanced, -and poured down a vertical fire upon them from the summit of the bank. A -leader less resolute than Codrington might have given orders to retreat; -but it was his first battle, and the gallant guardsman was bent on -winning his spurs. He rode his small Arab charger round to a spot where -the bank was less precipitous, and with some difficulty contrived to -reach the summit. It was unfortunate that, instead of the plumed hat of a -general, he wore an officer’s foraging cap, and, being recently appointed -to the command of the brigade, few of his men recognised him. Still, -the sight of an officer forcing his way almost alone up the heights was -enough to inspire his men with the desire of following, and Colonel Yea, -of the 7th Fusiliers, rode his cob up the steep bank, encouraging the -soldiers, by his voice and example, to come on. - -It was impossible for the regiments to form on the broken ground which -they occupied, but the whole of Codrington’s Light Division cleared the -bank, carrying with them the 19th and 95th Regiments, who were only too -eager for the fray. These brave fellows were the first to begin the -battle of the Alma. If the Russians had had the courage to charge them -as they appeared on the summit of the bank, broken and breathless, they -might have rolled them back into the river below; and the fate of battles -often depends on a first success. A column of the enemy descended the -hill with this intention, and advanced towards the ground occupied by the -19th Regiment and some of the left companies of the 23rd, who opened such -a smart fire upon them that they retreated, and found shelter in a hollow -near the Great Redoubt. Having thus got quit of their assailants, they -joined their comrades, who were pressing on towards the Great Redoubt in -broken columns and much disorder. As yet the Russian battery was silent, -but when our men had reached some three hundred yards from it, first one -gun and then another began to fire upon them with round shot, grape, and -canister. They were crowded so closely together that every round shot -which pierced their ranks cut its way through, leaving a long furrow of -dead behind. But the open space thus left was at once filled up, and our -men pressed forward as gallantly as before in the direction of the Great -Redoubt. The slaughter was fearful, and none suffered more than the 23rd, -who had twelve of their officers and half of their rank and file smitten -down before they reached the guns which were dealing death amongst them. -Their gallant leader with the foraging cap and the eye-glass was still -in front, and wherever he went they were prepared to follow. A sort of -half-cry rose from their lips as his horse fell and a cloud of dust -concealed him for a moment from their view; but it was only for a moment. -Mounting his horse, he turned gaily to his followers, and said, “I am all -right, lads. Twenty-third, be sure I’ll remember this day.” - -It was such a day as can never fade from the memory of those who took -part in it; but the Welsh Fusiliers have special reason to remember it. -Their ranks were thinned, but they still pressed forward, and followed -their gallant leader as he leaped his horse into the midst of the enemy’s -works to show his men there was no danger. The Russians were seized with -a sort of panic; the artillerymen began to limber up their guns and to -fall back upon their reserves, which were posted in the rear. A sort of -cry of disappointment rose from our men at the thought that there was no -more fighting to be done—“The Russians are retreating; they are limbering -up. Stole away! stole away!” - -But the fighting was not over; there was still bloody work to be done on -the heights of the Alma. The enemy’s artillery continued their fire as -they retreated, and many of our men were struck down as they approached -the empty embrasures. The first to mount them was young Anstruther, -who carried the colours of the Royal Welsh. Though an officer of that -regiment, he was a Scotchman by birth, and his conduct that day will -invest a name already distinguished in the annals of the North with -a halo of glory. He was a mere boy, fresh from school, but he was -determined to do some deathless deed on this the morning of his first -battle. Leaping and running are favourite pastimes in Fife, as in every -Scottish county, and none could run better than the light, boyish figure -that held aloft the colours of the Royal Welsh, and pressed forward -before all the others. He was the first who gained the redoubt, and, -planting the butt-end of the colours in the centre of the parapet, he -stood for a moment clutching it in his arms, breathless and silent, as -if surprised at his own audacity. There were hundreds of hearts beating -high with admiration as they saw the slim figure of the Scottish youth -on the summit of the parapet. Alas! it was seen there only for a moment. -A bullet passed through his body, and he fell, dragging with him the -flag-staff, as if he would not part with it even in death. The crimson -folds of the colours, which covered his body like a pall, were stained -with a deeper dye as his heart’s blood ebbed away. The soul of the young -hero was gone. But it was no time for tears; the colours were in danger, -and the colours must be saved. Butler, the other colour-officer, was -slain; but William Evans, a swift-footed Welshman, mounted the parapet, -drew the flag-staff gently from the hands of the dying boy, and held it -aloft, to show that the Royal Welsh were the first to mount the Great -Redoubt. He then, in accordance with military etiquette, handed the -colours to Corporal Luby, his superior officer, who, in turn, delivered -them up to Sergeant Luke O’Connor, with whom they remained during the -rest of the day. No wonder that young Anstruther fell: no less than -seventy-five bullets passed through the colours, and the pole of one of -them was shot in two, and had to be spliced with a cord. - -It was on this occasion that Colonel E. W. D. Bell, of the 2nd Battalion -of the Royal Welsh, gained the Victoria Cross. This decoration, so -coveted and prized, was devised by her whose name it bears in 1856, -and was intended to be a reward of valour for all who distinguished -themselves, whatever their rank might be. Its value is enhanced by the -fact that Victoria confers this Cross with her own hand whenever this is -practicable—an honour which cannot fail to be appreciated by the happy -recipient. Our readers have a good idea of its form from the initial -letter to our first chapter, but a brief description may not be out of -place. It is a Maltese cross of bronze, with the royal crest in the -centre, beneath which is an escroll bearing the words, “For Valour;” the -date of the act of bravery is inscribed on the centre of the reverse, -and the name and corps of the recipient are engraved on the bar to which -the ribbon is attached. A sprig of laurel is embossed on this bar, which -is attached to the cross by the letter V suspended on a red ribbon or a -blue one, as he who gains it happens to be a soldier or a sailor. This -decoration, however, is not confined to the army and the navy; civilians -who have distinguished themselves by their bravery have as good a claim -to it as those who belong to the profession of arms, and several of -this class nobly earned it during the Indian Mutiny. Every private or -non-commissioned officer thus decorated is entitled to a pension of -10_l._ a year; every fresh act of bravery equal to the first procures for -him an additional bar and a further pension of 5_l._ There is no danger, -therefore, of the wearers of the Victoria Cross being tempted to rest on -their laurels; they have an intelligible motive for striving to increase -them. Their names are published in the _London Gazette_, along with the -record of the deeds of bravery by which they earned the distinction. - - “A king may make a belted knight, - A marquis, duke, and a’ that,” - -but distinguished bravery alone can make a Victoria Cross man. A marquis -or a duke may have attained his rank by means that would not bear too -close inspection, but the Victoria Cross invites your inspection; its -wearer must always be _sans peur_, if not _sans reproche_. - -[Illustration: Captain Bell, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, capturing a Russian -Gun at the Battle of the Alma.] - -No one will grudge Colonel Bell the distinction which he earned at the -Great Redoubt on the heights of the Alma. He was charging at the head of -his company at the moment when the Russians were retreating with those -guns which had dealt such havoc among our men. All had been drawn away -by the artillery horses except a brass 24-pound howitzer, which still -remained in position, and gave rise to a singular contest among our -soldiery. Each was anxious to claim it as his own, so as to point to it -afterwards as a proof of his prowess, and an officer of the 33rd, named -Donovan, is said to have been the first who scratched his name upon it. -Bell, however, took no part in this contest; his thoughts were elsewhere. -Farther on, in the rear of the redoubt, he saw a Russian driver urging -on with whip and spur three horses which were dragging a brass 16-pounder -gun; in a moment he was alongside the driver, and held a revolver to -his head. The latter understood the significance of such an act, and, -slipping from his horse, took to his heels. Bell seized the bridle of one -of the horses, and, aided by a soldier of the 7th Fusiliers, named Pyle, -led them round the shoulder of the parapet to the rear of our line, where -he met Sir George Brown, the general in command of the Light Division. -Now, it is the duty of a captain to be at the head of his company, and -the general is said to have reminded him of this fact in language of -considerable emphasis. There was no help for it; Bell had to relinquish -his prize, and to return to his company, but the gun was safe; the -horses drew it down the hill, where it remained till after the battle. -The gun is now to be seen at Woolwich, and the horses were put into our -“Black Battery.” At the close of the war, Captain Bell’s heroism was not -forgotten; he was decorated with the Victoria Cross, and is now a colonel. - -We have already alluded to Lieutenant Anstruther’s heroic death, after -he had planted the flag-staff of the Royal Welsh on the summit of the -parapet. When he fell, the Queen’s colour was picked up by a private, who -gave it to Corporal Luby; it was afterwards carried till the end of the -battle by Sergeant Luke O’Connor. The gallant sergeant was shot in the -breach, and fell at the same time as young Anstruther; but his wound was -not mortal; he soon recovered himself, and refused to go to the rear, -though urged to do so by Lieutenant Granville. He received the highest -praise from Major-General Codrington on the field, and was rewarded with -a commission in his own gallant regiment, in which he now holds the rank -of captain. He was also present at the assault on the Redan, on the 8th -of September, 1855, where he behaved with great gallantry, and was shot -through both thighs. At the close of the war he received the Victoria -Cross and the Sardinian war medal. The latter decoration was also -bestowed upon Corporal Luby, who was instrumental in saving the Queen’s -colour at the battle of the Alma. - -The British casualties in this battle were 25 officers killed, and 81 -wounded; 337 non-commissioned officers and men were killed, 1550 wounded, -and 19 missing. No regiment suffered more than the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. -Eight of their officers were killed, and 5 wounded (one of them -mortally); 3 sergeants and 40 rank and file were killed, or died of their -wounds; 9 sergeants and 143 rank and file were wounded; 2 were missing. -The slaughter among the senior officers was so great that the command of -the regiment devolved on Captain Bell, who brought it out of action. The -regimental colour was carried by Sergeant Honey Smith after Lieutenant -Butler fell; it was intrusted to him by Major-General Codrington, as -no officer could be spared from his company. In a letter written from -the seat of war, Corporal Harwood gave a graphic description of the -circumstances under which the Royal Welsh were so fearfully cut up:—“The -23rd was in the Light Division, and on we went, covered by two companies -of the Rifle Brigade. We crossed a vineyard, and were led by Colonel -Chester through the river, the opposite bank of which was very steep. The -colonel went through with us—we all shared alike—and, as we clambered -out, the enemy gave us a fierce fire, the cannons belching forth -murderous volleys of grape and round shot, and musket-balls fell as thick -as hail. The men fell dead and wounded before me and at my side. They -fell in every direction, and mechanically I still pressed on, untouched. -Up the hill we went with the Rifle Brigade, and half-way up the heights -we reached the cannons’ mouths which were planted on the embankments. Our -regiment was about to cross the stockade in the enemy’s position, when -the word was given, ‘Cease firing, and retire!’ because we were in danger -of firing on the French. Our colonel rushed in front of us, shouting, -‘No, no; on, lads!’ He fell with the word on his lips; he never spoke or -raised his head again. We _did_ retire then, and an unfortunate mistake -it was; for the enemy returned to the guns we had once silenced, and gave -us some terrific volleys; but we soon rallied, and, supported by the 7th, -33rd, a portion of the Guards, and the Highlanders, we rushed up the hill -again, and the enemy fled in every direction.” This and other letters -written by our soldiers during the Crimean War took the nation by -surprise; they proved that there were men, unknown to fame, in the ranks -of the British Army who could use the pen or the sword with equal skill. - -There are certain acts of courage which compel our admiration without -obtaining the unqualified approval of our cooler judgment. Colonel Bell’s -daring in capturing the Russian gun must be placed in this category. -No one will question his courage, or dispute his right to the Cross of -Valour; no one will wish his deed undone, or desire that he had acted -otherwise. And yet it must be admitted that in leaving his own men he -was guilty of a breach of discipline which is more worthy of admiration -than imitation. It was his duty to have remained with his company; -and if every officer were to yield in battle to the same impulsive -bravery, all discipline would be at end and the results would be most -disastrous. The first duty of all soldiers is implicit obedience to the -commands of superior authority; to this rule there is no exception, save -in the case of officers of high rank, who on the field of battle must -always be guided partly by circumstances in executing the orders they -have received. We are not, therefore, to condemn Sir George Brown for -expressing his emphatic disapproval of Captain Bell’s conduct in leaving -his company to seize the Russian gun. Sir George, doubtless, admired his -courage, but he must have felt that courage ought in every case to be -subordinate to discipline. Such was the opinion of Sir Colin Campbell -at the storming of the Secunder Bagh at Lucknow. We shall describe in a -future chapter the fearful scene of carnage which took place there in -consequence of the massacre at Cawnpore. The tumult was at its height -when a Highland officer rushed up to the spot where Sir Colin, mounted -on his grey horse, stood in the centre of his staff. The Highlander was -wild with excitement, and bore on his person traces of the bloody work -in which he had taken part. One word of praise from those stern lips -was the richest reward his heart could covet. Extending the red banner -which he held in his hand towards the general, he joyfully exclaimed, “I -have killed the last four of the enemy with my own hand, and here, sir, -are their colours.” A Highlander himself, Sir Colin could appreciate -the impetuous courage of his countryman, but his duty as a general -was imperative; he could not applaud an act which was a violation of -discipline. “Confound the colours, sir! where’s your regiment? Go back -to your regiment, sir! I thank you for your zeal and gallantry, but go -back to your regiment.” The excited and impulsive Highlander obeyed -this command, and, doubtless, felt at the moment that the reproof, -though grave, was not unmerited. Such also must have been the feelings -of Captain Bell when he received the stern command to return to his -company and relinquish the Russian gun. If that gun had not remained -in our possession after the battle, we doubt whether Colonel Bell’s -undisciplined valour would have met with the same recognition from his -grateful country. Success may sometimes justify such a step, but we -repeat that such deeds of impulsive bravery are more to be admired than -imitated. It must be borne in mind, however, that Colonel Bell received -the Victoria Cross, not only for capturing the Russian gun at the Alma, -but also for bringing the regiment out of action when his superior -officers had fallen, and exhibiting the same daring spirit on many -subsequent occasions. It is a pleasure to see his manly figure among the -other heroes in the Victoria Cross Gallery, and we hope he will long -continue to wear the badge of distinction which his sovereign conferred -upon him. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -COMMANDER (NOW CAPTAIN) FIOTT DAY, R.N., AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -Our sailors do not occupy a very prominent place in Mr. Desanges’ -Victoria Cross Gallery. We find that only four of his paintings have -been devoted to the gallant deeds of our naval heroes, but we must not -infer from this that British sailors are inferior to British soldiers, -or that blue jackets have deteriorated since the days of Nelson. This is -far from being the case, as we all know. But two conditions are necessary -to constitute a hero: it is not enough that a man be brave, he must also -have an opportunity of displaying his bravery. There are, doubtless, many -Hampdens sleeping in our village churchyards, and many Nelsons serving -on board our ships; all that has been wanting is the opportunity of -displaying their patriotism or their courage. We are all more or less the -creatures of circumstances; the race is not always to the swift, nor the -battle to the strong, because the swift and the strong are often debarred -by fate from either running or fighting. Time and chance, as the wise -man tells us, happen to all. Nelson would never have been a hero if he -had not robbed an orchard, and Fiott Day might have been known only as a -very intelligent commander in the British navy if it had not been for the -Crimean war. - -It was one of the oratorical or conversational hits of Lord Palmerston, -that if the Crimean war had no other advantage, it at least extended -our knowledge of geography. Some hard-headed people may imagine that we -paid dear for the lesson, but not one will deny that the long-protracted -contest _did_ increase our knowledge of those semi-barbarous regions, -the names of which, we fear, were little familiar even to those -schoolboys who had gained the first prizes in geography. Knowledge thus -acquired, however, is seldom permanent; when the war ceased, our interest -in the localities where the great battles were fought became less vivid. -It is well that the rising generation, in whom all the hopes of England -are centred, should be familiar with the courage, the endurance, and -the heroic deeds of those who took part in that disastrous war; such -knowledge excites their sympathy, stimulates their ambition, and elicits -that spirit of adventure which has made Britain the mistress of an empire -far more extended than that of ancient Rome. - -Mr. Desanges has trusted more to his pencil than his pen in depicting the -gallant deed by which Captain Day obtained the Victoria Cross. We read -that “with great gallantry this officer landed and twice successfully -carried out a reconnoissance within the enemy’s lines at Genitchi, -advancing to within about 200 yards of the enemy’s gun-vessels.” Most -readers will exclaim, “Where is Genitchi?” Few even professed geographers -would be able to answer such a question, and as our interest in paintings -depends much on our intimacy with the scenes they represent, we invite -our young readers to do as we have done—to open their atlases at Russia -in Europe, and to examine the map. It may save time to state at once -that this incident occurred during the Crimean war, and that Captain Day -commanded one of the vessels engaged in the expedition. Now, on examining -the southern extremity of Russia in Europe, it will be seen the only -entrance from the Sea of Azov into the Senish or Putrid Sea is through -the Straits of Genitchi. These straits are very narrow in most maps—in -fact, so narrow that we have to strain the eye a little before we can -perceive them. On the right-hand side of these straits stands the town of -Genitchi, from which they derive their name. It is situated on the slope -of a lofty eminence, and is a place of considerable strength. - -During the Crimean war it was strongly garrisoned with nearly twenty -thousand Russian troops, to protect it from the attacks of the allies. -To the left is the Spit of Arabat, which was occupied by strong bodies -of Cossack horse artillery and cavalry, which formed a continuous line -of pickets all the way to Arabat. It is about seventy miles in length, -and of an average breadth of half a mile, though in some places it is -not more than two hundred yards. Its broadest part is opposite the town -of Genitchi, where it is between three and four miles across. At this -particular point it is covered with numerous lagoons and strips of water, -varying in size, all of which are covered with thick rushes and weeds, -and are a favourite resort of different kinds of water-fowl. We have -mentioned that pickets of Cossacks were stationed along the whole of the -Spit of Arabat, and there were constant skirmishes between them and our -sailors. Such slight exchanges of civility tended to vary the monotony of -naval life, but the adventure in which Captain Day distinguished himself -was of a far more dangerous character. - -It is said that he advanced within two hundred yards of the enemy’s -gunboats; but to understand the exact nature of this heroic deed we -must enter more into detail. On the inner side of the Spit of Arabat, -opposite the town of Genitchi, were several guard-houses, in front of -which four gunboats were moored, in such a position as to cover the -entrance of the straits, and to bring under their fire any vessel that -attempted to force its way. Setting aside these gunboats, it would have -been a most hazardous undertaking for any boat to have attempted to pass -the town so as to reach the Sivash, as the passage is not more than -three hundred yards broad, and the whole of the heights which command -it were lined with troops and field-pieces. Any boat that attempted to -run the passage would have been within range of the fire of all these -field-pieces, and exposed to almost certain destruction. Still it was of -the last importance that the passage should be made, as it was only in -this way that the supplies which were poured into the Crimea and enabled -the Russians to prolong the contest could be cut off. These supplies were -conveyed from the mainland by the Chingan bridge, and the great object of -the naval expedition was to destroy this bridge. Still the undertaking, -as we have said, was most hazardous, and another plan had been attempted. -To Captain S. Osborne belongs the honour of having first discovered the -position of this bridge. Captain Osborne is, doubtless, known to all -our readers as a charming writer as well as a brave sailor, and he had -recourse to an ingenious expedient to obtain the desired information. He -caused two light boats, which he had transported across the narrowest -part of the Arabat spit at night, to be launched on the Sivash, and -approached near enough to the bridge to ascertain its exact position. -It was a work of great difficulty to get even these light boats pushed -through the mud, and Osborne narrowly escaped being captured. It would -have been impossible, of course, to navigate heavily-armed boats on the -muddy straits, supposing that our sailors had succeeded in getting them -across the spit. Several experiments were made, but the attempt was given -up as impracticable. - -Soon after the fall of the south part of Sebastopol, Captain Day was -stationed in the _Recruit_, which was under his command, off the Straits -of Genitchi. While cruising along the coast, he had his attention -directed to the fact that the enemy’s forces appeared to be less numerous -than usual, more especially in the vicinity of the town and on the -opposite spit. He at once despatched two gunboats to explore; on their -return they reported that few of the enemy were to be seen. A brilliant -idea occurred to Captain Day; it struck him that now was the time to make -his way across the spit, and to capture the gunboats which covered the -passage. He at once proceeded to act upon it. At this time, the writers -of leaders in the daily press were very critical in regard to our navy, -and easily proved upon paper that it was practicable to force a passage -through the Genitchi Straits. There was a feeling among our sailors -that if the thing could be done it would be acceptable, not only to the -admiral in command, but also to the public at home. Good people at home, -who carelessly criticise the exploits of our soldiers and sailors by -their comfortable firesides, little imagine what daring deeds are done to -secure their applause. “What will they say at home?” was the exclamation -of Nelson after one of his great victories; and the man who does not -value the good opinion of his fellow-citizens is not likely ever to do a -heroic deed, or to occupy a niche in the temple of Fame. - -[Illustration: Commander George Fiott Day, R.N., reconnoitering within -the Enemy’s Lines at Genitchi.] - -Captain Day was not ignorant of the danger of attempting this -reconnoissance. About a month before, Captain L’Allemand, of the French -steam-vessel _Mouette_, had done so, and failed. He not only lost his own -life, but several of the sailors who accompanied him were killed. Captain -Day had the sagacity to perceive that this disaster was the result of -the Frenchman’s imprudence. He had taken with him some twenty of his -men—a force too small to offer any effectual resistance in the event of -discovery, and too numerous to be able to escape detection. It occurred -to him that one man might succeed where twenty had failed; but where was -that man to be found? No one could hope to succeed, unless he had the -step of an Indian and the eye of a hawk. In his earlier days, Captain Day -had learned to stalk the red-deer on the mountains of the North, and the -acuteness of vision and stealthiness of tread he had thus acquired were -now employed for the benefit of his country. It is not to be supposed -that self is altogether forgotten in the hour of heroic self-devotion; -promotion, the world’s applause, and Westminster Abbey are dimly present -to the mind of the most unselfish of men when undertaking some daring -enterprise. To secure the applause of his admiral and a step in the -service may have weighed a little with Captain Day; but we are sure that -the danger itself had a certain irresistible attraction to his mind. He -waited anxiously for a night suitable for the attempt, and on the 19th -of September he was enabled to take the bearings of the Russian gunboats -from the mast-head of his ship; he was enabled at the same time to mark -the exact position of the guard-houses on the spit. He then resolved to -land as soon as it was dark, and to try to make his way across without -being observed. Accordingly, as soon as evening set in, he put a couple -of sailors in his smallest boat, and, taking a small pocket-compass, some -matches, his double glasses, and revolver, he at once landed. He took the -precaution to put his commission in his pocket, so that his rank might -be recognised if he were taken prisoner. He landed on the beach abreast -his own ship, and told the sailors to remain in the boat at a sufficient -distance from land to be beyond the reach of the enemy’s fire, in the -event of a surprise; they were to remain there and not to make any noise, -whatever might happen, unless he hailed them to pull in. - -It would be impossible to relate all the adventures of that night; -suffice it to say that our hero _did_ make his way across, after a long -and wearisome journey, without being detected. He passed through many -of the enemy’s pickets, which, as he had anticipated, were few, and -widely scattered. He was thus enabled to have a good view of the Russian -gunboats, which he found were moored close to the shore, and likely -to remain in that position. The idea occurred to him that they could -easily be surprised, as they were very slightly armed, and no attack -was expected by the enemy. Nothing, however, could be done without the -sanction of Captain Osborne, and our hero had reluctantly to retrace -his steps. He reached the beach about two o’clock in the morning, after -tramping about among bogs and morasses for more than seven hours, and -found his boat all safe. He was in constant danger of detection, in -consequence of the numerous water-fowl with which the lagoons abounded -being disturbed by his approach, and thus putting the sentries on the -alert; but his old deer-stalking habits stood him in good stead: he was -not discovered. - -On the following day Captain Osborne arrived, and Commander Day -communicated to him all that he had witnessed during the previous night. -It was fortunate that in Osborne he had a leader quite as bold and daring -as himself, who entered warmly into his plans, and admitted that the -attempt might be crowned with success. He received from him the promise -that, if an expedition were sent, he should take part in it—an assurance -which afforded him much satisfaction. On the following day Captain -Osborne was obliged to leave, and Commander Day, on cruising along the -coast, observed that the enemy appeared to be as numerous as ever. It -occurred to him, as he anchored for the night off his old anchorage, -that it would never do to allow the expedition to be undertaken with so -many of the enemy scattered about, as it would only end in disaster and -the capture or slaughter of all who took part in it. To prevent such a -calamity, he resolved to make another reconnoissance. After the statement -he had given to Osborne about the number of the enemy, he felt that a -great responsibility rested upon himself, and that it was far better -to expose his own life to danger a second time than involuntarily to -cause the loss of many valuable lives. None but a gallant and good man -would have reasoned thus, or incurred so great a danger. He determined, -therefore, to land at once, in order to ascertain the real strength of -the enemy, and thus be enabled to report to Captain Osborne whether it -would be advisable to undertake the expedition. He felt it to be his duty -to do this, as he had led him to believe that the enemy’s forces were far -less numerous than they now appeared to be. - -Accordingly, employing the same tactics as before, he landed at sunset. -The night was bitterly cold, and so intensely dark that he had to grope -his way at every step. He soon discovered that he was off the right -track, and more deeply involved among the Russian sentries than was at -all pleasant or desirable; but he never for a moment lost his presence of -mind, and it was to this cause that he owed his safety. He crept along -with all the stealthiness of a Red Indian, stopping every moment, and -feeling his way at every step. He soon saw enough to satisfy him that -the enemy’s forces were far too numerous to admit of the possibility -of their being captured or surprised. There was no help for it; the -expedition must be abandoned, and he must try to reach his vessel in -safety. This was no easy undertaking; if it was difficult to advance, -it was still more difficult to retreat. The place was full of quagmires -and pits, into which he repeatedly fell, and, to add to other delightful -sensations, more than one ball came whizzing past his ears in such close -proximity as to be far from pleasant. It was his impression at the moment -that the sentries had discovered him and were firing at him; but he was -satisfied afterwards that this was not the case. They were only firing in -accordance with their usual custom, to show that they were on the alert, -and thus avert the attack they dreaded. - -After nine hours’ wandering he reached the beach, and the sight of the -blue waves must have been as grateful to him as the first glimpse of the -ocean to the Ten Thousand Greeks in their retreat. But his dangers were -not yet at an end: he looked everywhere for his boat, but it could not -be seen; he waded up to the waist in the water, and, putting his mouth -close to its surface, so as to veil the sound, he shouted to them to -come in. There was no answer. In his desperation he drew his pistol from -his belt, and, placing it close to the water, fired. It did not strike -him at first that this act was more likely to attract the attention of -the enemy than that of the men in the boat; but as soon as he heard the -report of the pistol he was alive to the extent of the danger which he -had incurred through his imprudence. His safety lay in the proximity of -his own vessel, which was so close to the beach that the Cossacks could -not approach the shore without being under range of her guns. It was a -fearful position to be placed in. He was shivering with cold, his feet -were benumbed, and his clothes saturated with wet. Overpowered with -fatigue and half-dead with exposure, he threw himself down on the beach -and prayed earnestly for the dawn. It was one of those hours which may -concentrate in themselves more than the agony of a whole lifetime. Such -hours are never forgotten in after-life, and are often the starting-point -of a new existence. But we need not dwell upon those weary hours that -preceded the dawn. A little before daylight, Mr. W. H. Parker, an officer -of Commander Day’s vessel, pulled in along shore to see if he could see -anything of one who, it was feared, was either dead or in the hands of -the enemy. He found him prostrate on the beach, and nearly frozen to -death. But such men have a wonderful tenacity of life. He soon recovered -sufficiently to inquire why his men had not pulled in when he hailed -them. It appeared that they had heard the report and seen the flash of -his pistol, but thought it might have been some of the sentries near -the beach. They imagined that they heard him approach the shore, but -thought that they were carrying out his instructions in not approaching -nearer to the land, as he had told them that in the event of his being -chased he would swim out to the boat. They listened and watched, but as -they heard nothing more they imagined that he had not come down. The -following morning he was too ill to move. A less powerful frame would -have succumbed under the physical suffering of that night. Captain -Osborne, who had returned, visited him the same day on board his ship, -and persuaded Captain Day to address to him that despatch which elicited -a letter of approval from the Admiralty and earned for him the Victoria -Cross. - -Captain Day was, undoubtedly, the only man in England who felt any -surprise when his sovereign conferred on him this proof of her favour. -It has been cynically remarked that no man is a hero in the eyes of his -valet. It is certain that no true hero is ever esteemed to be so by -himself. There is a glorious absence of all self-consciousness in true -genius and heroism. The man whom the whole world admires is often the -least conscious of his own merits. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -LIEUTENANTS MOORE AND MALCOLMSON, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -Who among our readers has not been interested about Persia—that -mysterious land in which such wonders have been said to exist? So many -of the tales in the “Thousand and One Nights” refer to Persia, that most -boys, at least, are well acquainted with some of the peculiarities of the -people. - -Although it is difficult to pronounce any decided judgment as regards -the actual antiquity of any Eastern nation, yet there seems to be but -little doubt that before England had even emerged from a condition of -semi-barbarism, civilization had made considerable progress in Persia; -and although that nation is principally famous to us on account of its -tales of winged monsters, dragons, enchanters, and genii, yet this -peculiarity may be in consequence of early travellers bringing to us -that which was at the time the most acceptable; and as we in England -can scarcely assume to have been lovers of science and truth during -more than three hundred years, it is possible that any profound or -philosophical truths brought from the East would have been formerly as -little appreciated as a book of algebra would be in a nursery. The laws -of the Medes and Persians are referred to in the Bible, and in the book -of Esther reference is made to a King Ahasuerus, who it is said ruled -over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, which then constituted the -kingdom of Persia. - -It is stated by some of the earliest writers that the Persians were a -nation of shepherds, hardy and warlike, that they gradually increased -in numbers and power, and conquered and brought under their rule less -powerful nations, until they became almost the greatest people of the -East. - -The most celebrated of the ancient kings of Persia was Cyrus, who -organized the Persians, gave them special laws for their guidance, -political institutions, and established a well-disciplined army. This -Cyrus not only became King of Babylon, Media, and Persia, but at length, -by the right of conquest, obtained absolute dominion over the greater -part of Asia. - -Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses, who was a man that delighted in -war. He died in consequence of a hurt which he received while mounting -his horse. - -Following Cambyses was Artaxerxes; and we then come to Darius, who loved -conquest better than had any of his predecessors. This king was desirous -of obtaining the homage even of Greece, and sent heralds to claim it, -but without success. He then raised a large army and invaded Greece, but -the Athenians under Miltiades met him, and gained a great victory, known -as the battle of Marathon, and fought two thousand three hundred and -fifty-two years ago. - -Xerxes succeeded Darius, and continued the attack on Greece. It was -during this war that Leonidas, with his band of Spartans, defended the -pass of Thermopylæ against such overwhelming odds—a deed which would -certainly have gained him the Victoria Cross in modern times. - -Darius III. had reached the dangerous condition of a very rich but not -a warlike king; when then, he, by means of his wealth, incited other -nations to make war upon Alexander, King of Macedonia, this great -conqueror determined to attack Persia—a feat which he accomplished with -so much success that he everywhere defeated the Persians, who for upwards -of a hundred years were, in a great measure, under the yoke of Greece. - -In more modern times Persia has been invaded by the Tartars, a vagrant -race of hunters and shepherds who were warlike and organized enough to -subjugate Persia. - -With the exception of the early wars with the Greeks already referred -to, the Persians, up to the year 1700, had not met in battle any of the -armies of Europe. Peter the Great of Russia had, however, for a long time -been desirous of extending his territory to the banks of the Caspian Sea, -and had merely waited for a pretext to wage war with Persia. He did not -seek an opportunity in vain, for a Russian caravan returning from China -was plundered by the Persians, and this offence so irritated the Russian -autocrat that he put himself at the head of his army, sailed from the -Volga, and landed at Daghestan. Shortly after hostilities ceased, and -Russia obtained from the Persians the towns of Baku, Derbund, and several -provinces. During this period the Persians were also at war with the -Afghans, who had invaded Persia and had been the cause of much misery. - -The late Czar Nicholas of Russia had no sooner ascended the throne than -he commenced war with Persia, and at length, in 1828, concluded a treaty -by which he gained several provinces. - -About the years 1836, 1837, a collision took place between the Persians -and the Afghans. It was the object of the Persians to gain possession of -the district of Herat. Now this district lies on the north-west of India, -and may be called one of the barriers to our Eastern Empire, and as such -it is essential to be preserved as an independent state. In July, 1837, -the Persians marched an army against the Afghans, and, after a siege of -ten days, succeeded in capturing Ghorian, and in December commenced the -siege of Herat. - -Various remonstrances had been made to the Persians by the British -authorities in connexion with the attack upon Herat, but without avail, -and they merely had the effect of making the English unpopular. At this -time a confidential messenger bearing despatches for the British minister -was insulted and detained by the Persians. This and one or two other -similar proceedings on the part of the Persians, in addition to their -attack upon our then allies the Afghans, rendered amicable communications -with them out of place, so that in June, 1838, our minister quitted the -Persian court and ceased any friendly communication with the Persians. - -During March, 1839, Sir Frederick Maitland, commander-in-chief of -the naval forces in India, landed some men from the _Wellesley_ at -Bushire. It appears that there was only one locality at which a landing -or embarkation ought to have taken place, and in the present instance -this custom was not paid attention to, and it was nearly leading to -unfortunate results, as the Resident was threatened by a large party -of armed men. Fifty marines and about thirty sepoys were provided with -sixty rounds of ball cartridge each, and, under the command of Captain -(now Lieutenant-General Sir S.) Ellis, approached the shore. Upon coming -within range a heavy fire was opened on this small party, wounding -several men, but fortunately killing none. A rapid pull, a leap on shore, -and steady advance towards the position occupied by the Persians, had -the effect of driving the enemy away, and the small body of Europeans -effected an entrance into the Residency and commenced preparations for -carrying off the Resident to the ships. - -At this time, however, a heavy gale of wind sprang up, which lasted -three days, and entirely prevented communication by boats between the -vessels and the shore. The Persians, knowing this, rather anticipated the -capture or massacre of the small party left on shore, but so decided were -the proceedings of the officer in command and so judiciously were his -arrangements made, that his enemy, although numbering ten to one, thought -it more prudent to leave him alone. - -During each evening of these three days the Persians used to assemble to -the number of several hundreds and make demonstrations as though they -purposed attacking our men, but no sooner did they appear than the little -garrison was turned out and kept under arms, ready and willing for a -fight should the Persians feel so disposed. This bold proceeding seemed -to have the effect of awing them, for no attack was made, and even a -field-work that was being constructed in front of the Residency was not -continued, upon Captain Ellis’s intimation that he would fire upon the -working party the instant a spade was put into the ground. - -On the fourth day after landing, a reinforcement was sent from the ships, -and the whole party, including the Resident, safely passed through the -armed throngs and embarked in the boats. Each of these, provided with -a gun, pulled out, showing a muzzle directed on the rabble and ready to -discharge its iron hail should a shot be fired at the boats. - -Towards the end of 1855 it was evident that the Persian Government did -not intend to keep faith with England, for in December Prince Sultan -Moorad Meerza set out from Tehran in command of an army that was to act -against Herat. Whilst our Government was remonstrating with that of -Persia on this proceeding, several insults were offered to the British -officials at Tehran, and the right of asylum accorded to the residence of -the British mission was violated. After various futile attempts to obtain -redress, war was at length decided upon, and an expedition was despatched -to the Persian Gulf from India. - -In January, 1857, the expedition embarked, and reached its destination -at the end of the month, and shortly after was landed at Bushire. The -Arabian and Persian coasts on either side of the entrance to the Gulf -are desolate in the extreme; steep cliffs without any sign of vegetation -rise from the water’s edge, whilst inland there seems no sign of a -habitation; several barren islands stud the coast on both sides, and are -the residence of a few sea-birds only. - -The village of Bushire, which was captured with scarcely any opposition, -is a place of some importance. It is imperfectly defended by a wall, -with towers at intervals to afford a flank defence. The town itself is -composed of narrow streets or alleys, whilst the buildings are square and -solid-looking. The places of interest in the town are the church, the -bazaar, and a reservoir. In the background is a range of mountains which -is usually covered with snow. - -The troops forming the Persian expedition were very soon actively -employed. On the 3rd of February the entire force was assembled and drawn -up in order of march. This force consisted of the 64th Regiment, 78th -Highlanders, 20th and 26th Regiments of Native Infantry, the 2nd Light -Infantry, and 4th Bombay Rifles, 3rd Light Cavalry, some horse artillery, -and field batteries—a somewhat diminutive army with which to invade a -kingdom, but one which was found efficient enough for the work it was -called upon to perform. - -During the first two days’ march this little army encountered two of the -most disagreeable incidents of a tropical climate. First a gale of wind -sprang up, carrying with it a huge cloud of sand, which penetrated not -only the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, but seemed actually to force its -way into the pores of the skin. When the army halted, and were bivouacked -in order of march, a tremendous thunderstorm burst upon them, rain and -hail coming down in torrents, when both officers and men were drenched -to the skin, for they had no cover such as tents or trees. A piercing -cold wind blew upon them, and rendered their condition more trying than -can easily be imagined except by those who have experienced similar -inconveniences. But many examples have shown that nothing can daunt the -courage or decrease the ardour of the British soldier, especially when -led, as he was in this instance, by such a man as Outram. - -It was known that the Persians were in order of battle at about eight or -nine miles from the spot on which the troops had bivouacked on the night -of the 4th of February; therefore, before proceeding on the march on the -morning of the 5th, the loaded arms were discharged and reloaded, in -order to avoid the damaging effects of the night’s rain. - -Shortly after mid-day the Persian army was discovered in an intrenched -position. A short halt took place, in order to get the regiments into -their proper positions, when, to the annoyance of our men, the enemy were -seen in full retreat, which they continued at such a pace as to prevent -their being overtaken, except by a few of our cavalry who attacked their -rear-guard. - -Our troops immediately took possession of their intrenched camp, in -which were large quantities of ammunition, grain, and camp equipage. The -intrenched position was found very weak, and would easily have been taken -by our little army, whereas a village near, termed Brás-Joon, had it been -but slightly fortified, would have become a most formidable position. - -During the 6th and 7th of February the troops were occupied in destroying -military stores and searching for hidden guns, treasure, &c. On the night -of the 6th an alarm occurred in the camp, and the whole force stood to -their arms. Fortunately, the moon shone brilliantly, and thus a probable -disaster was avoided, for one of the corps mistook a patrol of the Poonah -Horse for a party of the enemy, and skirmished up to it, but fortunately -discovered the mistake before a shot was fired. - -These night alarms—especially with soldiers not thoroughly trained—are -invariably dangerous, the probability being that friends are mistaken -for enemies, and shots not unusually exchanged. We were once witness -to a scene which, although ludicrous afterwards and to the lookers-on, -was certainly unpleasant to the principal performer. It happened that a -soldier in his shirt and trousers had wandered some distance from our -camp during the night, when an alarm arose that the enemy were upon -us. Men scarcely awake rose to their feet, rifle in hand, and seeing a -white object in the distance rushing towards them opened fire on it. The -more the unfortunate man shouted (for he was within the white object, -which was his shirt) the more rapid was the firing at him, until he came -sufficiently close to be recognised. Fortunately the darkness of the -night and the hurried manner in which the men fired saved him from being -hit. - -On the evening of the 7th of February the return march of the army -commenced towards Bushire, the enemy having been observed retreating -amidst the fastnesses of the mountains far away. Until midnight all was -quiet, and no enemy was expected, when suddenly the discharge of musketry -in the rear caused the forces to be on the alert, and it was then found -that the rear-guard was attacked. In less than half an hour the whole -army was surrounded by skirmishers and galloping horsemen, who yelled and -trumpeted, making as much noise as possible. One of the Persian buglers, -who was acquainted with the English calls, sounded the “Cease firing” -repeatedly, close to the Highlanders. - -[Illustration: Lieutenant John Grant Malcolmson, 3rd Bombay Light -Cavalry, rescuing his brother officer, Lieutenant and Adjutant Arthur -Moore, at the battle of Kooshab.] - -Our troops, although surprised in a great measure, were as steady as -though on parade, and received the charges of the enemy’s cavalry with -a fire which emptied many saddles. This exhibition of courage and -discipline was the more commendable, considering very few of the men had -ever previously been under fire. - -During the greater part of the night the Persians kept up a desultory -fire, which, however, produced but little damage, and when at daybreak -the fire slackened it was feared that there would not, after all, be any -real battle; but as the morning fogs dispersed the enemy were seen in -position, their right resting on a village called Khoosh-aub. Several dry -watercourses were in their front, and these were lined with skirmishers. -There were also large bodies of cavalry on both flanks, and altogether a -force of about 8000 (one-fourth of which was cavalry) was assembled to -oppose us. - -As soon as there was light enough a rapid cannonade commenced on -both sides, whilst a change of front was made by our own commander, -immediately after which the advance was made with but little loss, -considering the heavy firing brought against us. - -The fire from the Persian guns was soon almost silenced by that from our -own, which was carried on at a tolerably close range. - -Our cavalry, consisting of some irregulars and the 3rd Bombay, finding -some of the enemy’s horsemen opposed to them, made a brilliant charge, -fairly sweeping the enemy before them. There were only two or three of -the regular battalions of the Persians that stood their ground at all or -retired in regular order. The 3rd Cavalry charged through these men, who -received them with tolerable steadiness. It was on this occasion that -Lieutenant A. Moore gained the Victoria Cross. - -Lieutenant Moore was first within the square at which his regiment -charged. His horse fell dead beneath him, and he would soon have fallen -a victim had not a brother officer (Lieutenant Malcolmson) fought his -way back and assisted him with difficulty out of the crowd of the enemy. -Both Lieutenants Moore and Malcolmson gained the Victoria Cross for their -conduct on this occasion. - -The result of this battle was the entire rout of the enemy, who were -defeated at every point, and in the retreat were cut up by the artillery -and cavalry. A couple of brass guns were captured, a standard, and -a large number of muskets. The Enfield rifle, which was used in this -affair, cast terror on the Persians. On one occasion a horseman, who was -making threatening demonstrations at a distance of 800 yards, was neatly -picked off by a good shot, an officer in the 2nd European Light Infantry. -About 700 dead were found on the field, and a vast number of wounded were -carried away. - -The troops, after the battle, moved off a short distance and bivouacked, -but were very shortly disturbed by heavy rain, which continued without -interruption during several days. The roads became almost impassable, the -soil—a mixture of clay and sand—being ankle-deep in mud. The troops at -length were forced to halt, and without complaining stretched themselves -in the mud, and took that rest which all so much required. Although the -distance from the field of battle to the lines at Bushire was over forty -miles, yet it was passed by the troops, under all the disadvantages -named, in thirty hours. The loss on our part during these proceedings -consisted in one officer and eighteen men killed, four officers and sixty -men wounded. - -Shortly after these events another expedition was undertaken by our -troops, and with complete success, the Persians, although brave men, -lacking that essential to make them good soldiers—viz., discipline. There -are several nations of the East—the Chinaman, Hindoo, and others—who have -scarcely any fear of death, and who would rather cast themselves on their -own swords and thus perish than fall into the hands of an enemy, and yet -when these men meet in battle our own soldiers they invariably suffer an -almost ignominious defeat, in consequence of their want of discipline and -of steadiness under fire. - -The soil and climate of Persia do not appear to be very favourable: -during the day it is intensely hot, and during the night equally cold. In -summer, likewise, the heat is intense. Vast deserts of sand occur in many -places, and long ranges of sterile mountains cross the country in various -parts. Vegetation is not very abundant, and cultivation is carried on -but scantily. Game, however, abounds in many places, deer, antelopes, -partridges, and wild-fowl being found, and the lion is also said to be -occasionally seen. - -Whether we consider the Persians as soldiers, their country as a -paradise, or their cities as noble works of art, we find ourselves -disappointed; for the first are little better than a half-trained rabble, -their country is not fertile, and their cities are badly constructed and -dirty. So that after contemplating these items we can candidly exclaim, -“There’s no place like home.” - -[Illustration: Bushire] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -CAPTAIN W. A. KERR, SOUTH MAHRATTA HORSE, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -On the evening of the 8th of July, 1857, a party of officers belonging -to different regiments in the Indian service were seated round the -mess-room table in the barracks of Sattara, in the Bombay Presidency. -An expression of anxiety was depicted on all their faces, and they -spoke in that hushed subdued tone which men usually assume in moments -of great peril. And they had reason to look anxious. The Indian Mutiny -had already broken out, and recent events showed that its limits were -not to be confined to the Bengal Presidency. The seeds of disaffection -had been sown among their own men, and they knew not at what hour they -might be called upon to meet them in open mutiny. The Orientals can -veil the most treacherous designs under the deepest secrecy, and every -officer felt, as it were, that he was carrying his life in his hands. -At any hour the men, outwardly so respectful and obedient, might enter -the very room where they sat and shoot them down at the mess-table. They -had done so in other cases, and what guarantee had these that their -lives were more secure? The inhabitants of Sattara were at no pains to -conceal their rebellious tendencies, and their men were only restrained -by that discipline which soldiers find it so difficult to shake off from -openly expressing their sympathies with them. In truth, the whole country -was in a state of slumbering rebellion, and no one could tell when the -embers of disaffection might burst forth into an open flame. They felt -as Prometheus might have felt if he had been bound to the sides of Mount -Etna, in hourly expectation of an eruption. Escape there was none. If it -came to the worst, they could meet their fate like brave men, and die -sword in hand. - -One young officer, whose stalwart frame and slight accent betokened -his Northern origin, took a more hopeful view of the subject. This was -Lieutenant William Alexander Kerr, of the South Mahratta Horse, an -officer who had already secured the confidence and respect of the wild -troopers under his command. He expressed his conviction that, however -treacherous the other native troops might prove, he could always count -on the loyalty of the South Mahratta Horse, and if any emergency should -occur it would be seen that their courage was equal to their loyalty. -The words had scarcely passed his lips, when an orderly entered the room -and delivered a slip of paper to the officer in command. The door was -carefully closed to prevent the servants from hearing, for at that trying -period almost every native was suspected to be a rebel in disguise. -The paper was then read aloud. It proved to be a telegraphic message -from Kolapore, a town about seventy-five miles distant from Sattara. -Its contents were such as might well appal the bravest heart. The 27th -Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry had suddenly mutinied and murdered all -the officers on whom they could lay their hands. Those who escaped had -taken shelter in the Residency, where they were guarded by a troop of -the South Mahratta Horse and the Kolapore Light Infantry. The mutineers, -from carelessness or ignorance, had neglected to cut the telegraph -wires, and the beleaguered party had thus been enabled to communicate -with their countrymen at Sattara, to whom they made an urgent appeal for -assistance. Almost destitute of provisions, and surrounded by a merciless -foe thirsting for their blood, they could not hold out long, and if they -yielded their fate was certain. In this the hour of their need they -turned to their countrymen for assistance. - -A momentary silence ensued. It was not that they were unwilling to incur -any risk in order to aid those whose case was so desperate; the only -question was whether they could trust their men in such an undertaking. -Kerr was not the man to unsay the words he had just spoken. He had -expressed the confidence he reposed in the loyalty and courage of his -men; he was now prepared to prove that that confidence was not misplaced. - -His position as adjutant of the regiment afforded him the best -opportunities of becoming acquainted with the personal character of the -men. He was brought into daily contact with them; had to listen to all -their grievances; had to receive the complaints made against defaulters; -and, in minor cases, to decide the punishments to be awarded. Unswerving -firmness and impartial justice are the two qualities most requisite to -enable one to obtain a powerful hold on the Oriental mind, and these two -qualities Lieutenant Kerr possessed in the highest perfection. He knew -his men, and his men knew him; they could, therefore, trust one another -in the hour of danger. He at once volunteered to lead a party of the -South Mahratta Horse to the rescue; all the assistance that could be -spared was fifty men. Small as that number was for such an undertaking, -he did not hesitate to take the command. No time was consumed in needless -preparation; in half an hour he was in the saddle and on the road. We -use the expression “road” in a figurative sense; literally speaking, -there was no road at all, merely a rough path leading through the -cotton-fields, where the horses sank to the fetlocks, often to the knees, -in the mud. The distance to be travelled was only seventy-five miles: a -short distance to those accustomed to railways and steamers, but those -familiar with the roads in India will appreciate the difficulties which -Kerr and his gallant little party had to surmount. It was the middle -of the monsoon season; the rain descended in torrents; the country was -half flooded; the smallest streams were converted into dangerous rivers. -But the gallant band went on; swam their horses over three large and -two smaller rivers, besides seven nullahs, all swollen with the heavy -rains, and reached Kolapore within twenty-six hours. We have all heard -of Dick Turpin’s ride to York; but the rapid advance of Lieutenant Kerr -and his party, in such a country, and at such a season, was scarcely less -wonderful. - -They did not arrive a moment too soon. The mutineers, elated by a -temporary success, were ready to offer them battle. They had already -encountered the Kolapore Light Infantry, and defeated them with -considerable loss. After this they had taken up their position in a -pagah, or fortified square with circular bastions, situated near the -town. This pagah was a place of considerable strength, and the attacking -party had no artillery to effect a breach in the walls. Recourse was had -to the rajah, who lent them a couple of old guns, which, on trial, were -found to be useless. Night was at hand, and Kerr knew well the danger -of delay; if he waited till morning, his men, worn out and discouraged, -might refuse to follow him. All his hopes of success depended on an -immediate attack; so he resolved at once to carry the place by storm. -His men had already witnessed his courage; he had headed the party -which occupied the brushwood outside the pagah; he had laid the guns at -thirty yards’ range from the western bastion under a heavy fire; he had -passed through all this unhurt. The Orientals, fatalists by creed and by -constitution, have the greatest faith in the luck that attends certain -leaders; they recognised in Kerr one of the favourites of Allah, and were -prepared to follow him wherever he chose to lead. - -He did not give them long to wait. Causing the sowars to dismount from -their horses, he placed himself at their head and led them on to the -attack. On approaching the walls they found that the task they had -undertaken was one of no ordinary difficulty. The only entrance to the -place was by small doors of thick teak-wood, from five and a half to six -feet in height, which the mutineers had taken the precaution to block up -with large stones, so as to render them almost as solid as the walls. -If they had been provided with guns this obstacle might easily have -been removed; but, as the event proved, the two lent by the rajah were -evidently intended more for ornament than use. - -But Kerr was not a man to be easily discouraged. His conduct proved the -truth of the good old adage, that “where there’s a will there’s a way.” -Among the dismounted sowars there was, fortunately, one who entered -readily into his plans, and volunteered to share with him the danger. -This was Gumpunt Row Deo Ker, a gallant trooper, worthy to be known -and admired by all who can appreciate valour in the field, though the -singularity of his name will, we fear, prevent it from ever becoming -familiar to our readers as a household word. Kerr and Gumpunt armed -themselves with crowbars and marched through the heavy fire of the enemy -till they reached one of the small doors. Both plied their instruments so -well that they soon made an aperture sufficiently wide to admit a man in -a stooping attitude. It seems almost miraculous that no hostile bullet -should have reached them while thus engaged, but they escaped unhurt. -The opening was made, but who would have the courage to be the first to -enter? To do so was almost certain death: the rebels were waiting and -watching to shoot down the first man who appeared inside the walls, and -yet there was not a moment’s hesitation. Kerr rushed through the opening, -followed by Gumpunt Row and others whose courage was inspired by the -example of their daring leader. As soon as he appeared within the pagah, -twenty of the mutineers took deliberate aim and fired a volley at him. -He had the presence of mind to retain his stooping position, and all -the bullets passed harmlessly over his head. He did not give them time -to reload, but rushed at them sword in hand. They fought with bayonets, -and kept their ground for a time, till several of them were killed and -wounded. Nothing could resist the impetuous onset of the stormers: the -rebels were driven back till they found refuge in a house which covered -the other entrance. It so happened that this house was loopholed, and the -rebels were thus enabled to continue their resistance. They fired heavy -volleys upon the attacking party as they advanced, and did everything -they could to make good their position; but it was all in vain. Kerr, -followed by his brave sowars, got round the flanks, set fire to the -building, and burnt the enemy out. The other mutineers retreated through -the door already alluded to, and began to barricade it. This spot now -became the central point of attack and defence; the mutineers quitted -the other bastions which they had been defending, and joined the party -who had formed the barricade. Knowing the fate that awaited them if they -yielded, they fought with all the fury of despair. - -[Illustration: Captain William Alexander Kerr, South Mahratta Horse, at -Kolapoor.] - -The great point was to effect an entrance. This could only be done by -removing the barricade. This was a task of no ordinary danger; whoever -undertook it had to count on concentrating on himself the whole fire of -the enemy. Here again Lieutenant Kerr boldly exposed his life to almost -certain destruction by rushing forward, crowbar in hand, and emulating -the vigour of the Black Knight in “Ivanhoe” in the ponderous blows he -struck. It seemed that day as if he bore a charmed life; the bullets of -the rebels whistled around him in every direction, but still he plied -his crowbar till the barricade began to yield. At length, as on the -former occasion, he made an opening wide enough to admit a person in a -stooping position. As soon as this was done he rushed through, followed -by his faithful attendant, Gumpunt Row, who was resolved to share his -leader’s fate. The rebels were waiting their approach, and no sooner -had they appeared within the walls than they were met by a volley, from -which they fortunately escaped unhurt. Without giving them time to reload -they rushed upon the mutineers, and a desperate hand-to-hand combat -ensued. The rebels were far superior in numbers, but that was their -only advantage. The storming party, animated by the example of their -gallant leader, already counted on victory. For a time the event seemed -doubtful; the enemy, driven to their last corner, offered an obstinate -resistance. A ball cut the chain of Lieutenant Kerr’s helmet, another hit -his sword-blade with such force that it turned the edge. The faithful -Gumpunt Row, though wounded in the foot, never quitted his master’s side; -at one moment, when his life was exposed to imminent danger, he shot the -assailant dead. Another mutineer rushed up and discharged his musket -so close to Lieutenant Kerr’s face that for an instant he was blinded -by the powder. It was only for a moment, and as soon as he recovered -his sight he ran his sword through the body of his adversary with such -force that it required a violent effort to withdraw it. While he was -struggling to do so, one of the enemy, watching his opportunity, rushed -up and struck him a violent blow with the butt-end of a musket. Such a -blow would have placed a less powerful man _hors de combat_; as it was, -Lieutenant Kerr staggered beneath it and almost lost his consciousness. -Another rebel, observing his helpless condition, ran forward to dispatch -him, but Gumpunt Row, watching over his master’s safety, was ready to -receive him. A bullet from his musket stretched him lifeless on the -ground. Lieutenant Kerr, instantly recovering himself, killed a second. -Assailants and defendants were now enveloped in such a cloud of smoke -that it was difficult to distinguish one another or to mark the various -incidents of the contest, which raged with the greatest fury. Lieutenant -Kerr, though severely wounded, pressed the advantage he had gained by -driving the enemy before him; he knew that all depended upon his example -and courage; if he had fallen or hesitated for a moment the sowars would -have retreated and the enemy escaped. As it was, they followed him -wherever he went, and showed by their conduct that the natives of India, -when properly led, are capable of the most heroic deeds. - -The mutineers were pressed so hard that they at length gave way, and -took refuge in the inner keep. This building had been used as a temple, -and was a place of considerable strength. The rebels barricaded the door -and began to fire through an opening on the storming party. The latter -had consisted originally of seventeen sowars; of these only six or seven -continued to follow their gallant leader; all the rest had been killed -or disabled. Lieutenant Kerr advanced with this handful of men to attack -the rebels in their last refuge. On approaching the door, it was found -that the crowbars made no impression upon it, and that some other means -of forcing an entrance must be adopted. Lieutenant Kerr proved himself as -ingenious in resources as he was gallant in attack. Observing a quantity -of hay close at hand, he seized some of it and carried it to the door -of the temple. He was closely followed by Gumpunt Row, who set fire to -the hay. The door was gradually consumed, and the stormers, who during -this interval had been exposed to a heavy fire, rushed in. None of the -mutineers escaped; all of them were either captured or slain. - -This brilliant affair, in which Lieutenant Kerr bore such a distinguished -part, was attended with the most important consequences: it checked the -rising spirit of revolt in the province where it occurred, and revived -the confidence of the officers in the native regiments under their -command. - -The loss sustained by the storming party was very severe. Their leader -was seriously wounded. Of his seventeen followers eight were killed on -the spot, and four subsequently died of their wounds. Not one of them -escaped unhurt. If we take into account the obstinate resistance of the -enemy, the smallness of Kerr’s troop, and the heavy fire to which they -were exposed, the only ground for surprise is that any of them should -have escaped at all. It was impossible that such gallant conduct should -have passed unnoticed or unrewarded. The press of India was loud in -expressing the admiration which was felt by all, and Colonel Maugan, the -officer commanding at Kolapore, brought Lieutenant Kerr’s distinguished -conduct under the notice of the Adjutant-General of the Bombay army, in -the following terms:— - -“Lieutenant William A. Kerr, of the Southern Mahratta Irregular Horse, -took a prominent share in the attack of the position, and at the moment -when the capture was of great public importance, he made a dash at the -gateway with some dismounted horsemen, and forced an entrance by breaking -down the gate. This attack was completely successful; and the defenders -(to the number of thirty-four, all armed with muskets and bayonets) were -either killed, wounded, or captured—a result which may with perfect -justice be attributed to Lieutenant Kerr’s dashing and devoted bravery. I -would therefore beg to be permitted to recommend Lieutenant Kerr for the -highly honourable distinction of the Victoria Cross.” - -Our readers, after reading the above narrative of Lieutenant Kerr’s -exploits at Kolapore, will agree with us that he deserved this honourable -distinction, so dear to every soldier’s heart. Soon after these events -he returned to England, where he was invested with the Victoria Cross, -and afforded Mr. Desanges an opportunity of perpetuating the remembrance -of his gallantry. He has now returned to Bombay, and holds the rank of -captain in the South Mahratta Horse. If circumstances should ever arise -demanding such displays of valour, it will be found that his arm is as -strong and his heart as brave as when he stormed the pagah at Kolapore -and repressed the mutiny of the 27th Bombay Native Infantry. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -PRIVATE HENRY WARD, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS. - - -It is a remarkable fact that Private Henry Ward and Sir H. M. Havelock, -Bart., the officer whose life he saved, have both been decorated with the -Cross of Valour. The career of Havelock, the avenger of Cawnpore, the -deliverer of Lucknow, is matter of history; but the important services -and distinguished bravery of his son, who owes his life to Private Ward, -ought to be recorded for the admiration and imitation of all who wish to -deserve well of their country. He was born at Chinsurah, in the Bengal -Presidency, in the year 1830; his father, then a lieutenant in the -13th Regiment, had formed the acquaintance of the Baptist missionaries -at Serampore, and was married on the 9th of February, 1829, to Hannah -Shepherd, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Marshman, a distinguished -member of that body. Henry Marshman Havelock was the first fruit of -this marriage, and had to share from his earliest infancy in all the -vicissitudes and dangers of a soldier’s child in India. While still an -infant under twelve months of age, he had to accompany his parents on a -voyage up the Ganges and was seized with a sudden attack of illness. On -this occasion his father exhibited the same calm courage and presence of -mind which he afterwards displayed on many a battle-field. “To render -the case more disheartening,” he wrote, “we were entirely destitute of -the only remedies which we believed likely to be effectual. We had no -calomel, and no lancet, and no skilful hand to use it; and the young -sufferer grew worse every hour. The danger seemed imminent, and our -distress was not trifling. I therefore determined myself to try my skill -as an operator, and with a very indifferent substitute for a lancet, -and, I fear, not a very steady hand, succeeded in giving relief to my -first patient. I should think this a very tedious story to write to one -who did _not_ know how the human heart, even the heart of one who has -passed through many scenes of suffering and danger, attaches itself to -these little ones in their years of helplessness. My clumsy attempts were -certainly blessed beyond our hope, for the little sufferer soon became -calmer and calmer, and his fever sensibly diminished.” We record this -incident, because it proves that tenderness of heart is not incompatible -with the sternest courage: the two qualities may, and often do co-exist. - -It is unnecessary to dwell on the education or boyhood of young -Havelock: from the earliest period he had expressed a desire to adopt -his father’s profession, though, judging from his subordinate rank in -the army, he had little reason to expect rapid promotion. He obtained -his commission in 1847, and at the commencement of the Indian Mutiny -held the rank of lieutenant in the 10th Regiment. When his father -received the command of the moveable column which was to be formed at -Allahabad, and to consist of the 64th Regiment and 78th Highlanders, -he was appointed Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General of this force, and -accompanied them in their advance to Cawnpore. He had already held the -appointment of adjutant in his own regiment, and acted for a time as -aide-de-camp to his father on this his first campaign. He was present -at the battle of Futtehpore, where his gallantry attracted the notice -and excited the admiration of his father, who, in the original draft -of the despatch he had written, thus alludes to his services:—“I shall -incur risk of suspected partiality when I further record that the -boldness, and activity, and quick perception of Lieutenant Havelock, -10th Foot, my son, and aide-de-camp, on this his first action on shore, -inspired me with the hope that he will do his country good service long -after I am in the grave.” No one can read these words without emotion, -or fail to sympathize with the father of such a son and yet such was -the tenderness of Havelock’s conscience, the almost morbid dread that -paternal partiality might have led him to exaggerate the merits of his -aide-de-camp, that the passage was omitted in the revised copy of the -despatch. We question whether there be many officers in the service who -would exhibit the same reticence, or practise the same self-denial under -similar circumstances; but Havelock was one of a thousand. Though he had -the Spartan self-denial to omit his son’s name in his published despatch, -he speaks of “the boy H.” in admiring terms in his private letters, and -circumstances soon occurred which led him to believe it to be his duty to -recommend him for the distinction of the Victoria Cross. - -A brief statement of these circumstances may not be out of place. On -the 16th of July, 1857, Havelock was close upon Cawnpore, and after -allowing his exhausted troops a few hours’ rest in a mango grove, until -the fierce heat of the mid-day sun had abated, prepared for action. Nana -Sahib, having completed his work of butchery in the town, had marched -forth with his army, and taken up a strong position at Atherwas, the -point where the road leading to the cantonment branches out from the main -trunk-road to Cawnpore. He there commanded five villages, with numerous -intrenchments, armed with seven guns; his infantry was stationed in the -rear. Havelock perceived at once that the guns could not be silenced, or -the intrenchments carried without sacrificing many valuable lives, and -with his small army he had none to spare. He therefore quietly wheeled -his force round to the left of the enemy’s position, behind a screen of -clumps of mango. When the rebels detected this manœuvre, they endeavoured -to strengthen their left flank by bringing up their cavalry, and opening -fire in that direction with all their artillery. Then followed a series -of operations which proved, in the most striking manner, the superiority -of the British infantry to the recreant foe opposed to them; though -inferior in numbers, and exhausted by their long march, they advanced -under a heavy fire with as much coolness as if they had been on parade; -and when the word was given, “Charge,” they rushed forward with a ringing -cheer, and drove the enemy before them at the point of the bayonet. -Four villages were thus taken in rapid succession, and seven guns fell -into our hands. As a last effort the enemy planted a 24-pounder on the -cantonment road, by which our men had to advance, and inflicted severe -loss on the gallant little band. Our artillery cattle were so exhausted -with heat and fatigue, that the guns could not be dragged forward to -silence the 24-pounder, and the enemy, encouraged by their temporary -success, began to rally with the evident intention of renewing the -engagement. The moment was critical: all depended upon the capture of the -enemy’s gun. This task was assigned to the 64th Regiment, who advanced -along the road amid a shower of grape, under the command of Major -Stirling. An officer commanding a regiment ought always to be mounted, -especially in action: he is thus a conspicuous object to his men, and -his presence inspires them with fresh courage. Unfortunately, Major -Stirling’s horse had been wounded by the bursting of a shell, and he was -obliged to lead on his men on foot. It does not appear that there was any -hesitation or irresolution on the part of the 64th, anything, in short, -to justify another officer in attempting to supersede the one already in -command; on the contrary, their conduct throughout the day was rewarded -with the highest praise in a public despatch. While they were in the act -of advancing, young Havelock, perceiving no officer at their head, and -knowing how much depended on the capture of the gun, yielded to an almost -irresistible impulse by riding forward, and placing himself at the head -of the regiment. Gallantly he advanced in front of them, amid a storm of -grape, cheering them on by his voice and example, till he rode his horse -to the very mouth of the cannon which had arrested our progress. It was -seized by the 64th, and the enemy losing all heart fell back on Cawnpore, -where they blew up the magazine, and then went on to Bithoor. - -General Havelock, who had witnessed the gallantry of his son, resolved -to recommend him for the Victoria Cross. We have already seen how on -a previous occasion he had omitted his name from a public despatch -lest he should be suspected of partiality: this circumstance, perhaps, -rendered him more anxious to do justice to him now. There was no reason -in the world why he should be debarred from this honour if he had fairly -earned it, because his father happened to be the officer in command. It -appears, however, that he himself wished the affair to be overlooked. It -is not for us to specify the motive by which he was actuated: it may have -been a tender regard for his father’s character of impartiality, or an -apprehension of the storm of hostility which the bestowal of this honour -would excite, or the consciousness that he was not justly entitled to it. -Be this as it may, the fact is certain that he persuaded his father to -suppress the telegram which he had prepared for the Commander-in-Chief. -He was more anxious that his own merits should be overlooked than that -his father’s good name should be impugned: he was willing to wait. -On the return of the troops to Cawnpore after the battle of Bithoor, -General Havelock having occasion to recommend another officer for the -Victoria Cross, no longer felt himself justified in overlooking the claim -of his own son. “I also recommend for the same decoration Lieutenant -Havelock, 10th Foot. In the combat at Cawnpore he was my aide-de-camp. -The 64th Regiment had been much under artillery fire, from which it had -suffered severely. The whole of the infantry were lying down in line, -when perceiving that the enemy had brought out their last reserved gun—a -24-pounder—and were rallying around it, I called up the regiment to rise -and advance. Without any other word from me, Lieutenant Havelock placed -himself on his horse in front of the centre of the 64th, opposite the -muzzle of the gun. Major Stirling, commanding the regiment, was in front, -dismounted; but the lieutenant continued to move steadily on in front of -the regiment, at a foot pace, on his horse. The gun discharged shot till -the troops were within a short distance, when they fired grape. In went -the corps, led by the lieutenant, who steadily steered on to the gun’s -muzzle, until it was mastered by a rush of the 64th.” - -It is worthy of remark, that this recommendation was concealed from his -son, and only communicated to him after his father’s death by Lieutenant -Hargood, General Havelock’s aide-de-camp. This circumstance is to be -regretted on many grounds: if the telegram had been submitted to young -Havelock before it was forwarded to the Commander-in-Chief, we are -certain, from our personal knowledge of his character, that he would have -so modified certain expressions it contains as to have avoided wounding -the tender sensibilities of those who felt aggrieved by them. Without -doing any injustice to himself he might have done more justice to Major -Stirling, and the officers of the 64th; but the responsibility rests -not with him but with his father, who, before the storm excited by the -publication of this telegram had burst forth, had already gone the way of -all living, and was indifferent to popular praise or blame. The Cross of -Valour was awarded to Lieutenant Havelock in March, 1858, and on reading -it in the _Gazette_, the officers of the 64th Regiment, considering that -they had just cause of complaint against both father and son, addressed -a letter of expostulation to Sir Colin Campbell, the Commander-in-Chief -in India. There is no reason to believe that the gallant old chief was -actuated by any personal feeling in the matter, but he felt it to be his -duty to forward the letter of expostulation to His Royal Highness the -Duke of Cambridge, accompanying it with certain strictures implying grave -censure on father and son. - -Men who have spent so many years in the service as Lord Clyde are -naturally opposed to innovations. There is a certain period in life -when we all become conservative in principle. Old men, since the days -of Homer, have ever been prone to exalt the past at the expense of the -present; and Lord Clyde was no exception to this rule. He regarded the -Victoria Cross with the same distrust with which he regarded every -other innovation. In his own hot youth he had exhibited the most daring -courage at Badajoz, and elsewhere, when there was no Victoria Cross to -be earned; and he held that courage, like virtue, was its own reward. -Devotion to duty, without regard to after consequences, was the principle -by which he himself was guided during his long career; the soldier who -was animated by a sense of duty required no outward stimulus. The promise -or expectation of some badge of distinction as a reward for heroism or -gallantry in the field was sufficient, in his opinion, to incite young -officers ambitious of honour and reckless of their own lives to rush into -rash enterprises without consulting their superiors. Discipline, or, in -other words, subjection to lawful authority, he esteemed the highest -ornament in every young soldier; no heroic action could atone for any -violation of this primary duty. - -It is not necessary here to expose the fallacy of such reasoning. Our -soldiers were quite as brave when there was no Victoria Cross at all as -they are at the present moment: that Cross was intended not to _create_, -but to _reward_ valour. The British soldier requires no outward stimulus, -no promised reward, to incite him to do his duty: a true hero will prove -himself to be a hero, because it is his nature to be so, and he cannot -help it. Nelson never thought of ribbons or peerages when he was fighting -our battles at sea; his only ambition was to conquer or to die. The -soldier or sailor who distinguishes himself in action never dreams of -reward: he is a hero, and he does heroic deeds almost without knowing it. -Of all the men who wear the Victoria Cross upon their breasts, there is -not one, we believe, who ever thought of that badge of distinction at the -moment he earned it. It was innate heroism or tender humanity that placed -him at the head of the forlorn hope, or led him to risk his own life to -rescue a wounded comrade. The man who would do such deeds from such a -purely mercenary motive as the love of applause, would be unworthy of -the name of soldier; his selfishness would be even more remarkable than -his courage. The Queen’s own Cross was not intended to encourage such -selfishness, or to reward such courage; nor has it ever done so. Many of -those who wear it were surprised at its being awarded to them, so humble -was their estimate of the value of the deeds by which they obtained it; -no one ever performed those deeds for the purpose of being awarded the -Victoria Cross. It is the expression of our national admiration for deeds -which demand some public recognition, and cannot be adequately rewarded -in any other way. - -These remarks have been elicited by the strictures with which Sir Colin -Campbell accompanied the letter of expostulation from the officers of -the 64th Regiment, which he forwarded to His Royal Highness the Duke -of Cambridge. In that letter they complained, with much appearance -of reason, that their own honour and that of the regiment had been -compromised by an officer of the staff usurping the place of Major -Stirling, the officer in command, when there was nothing to justify him -in doing so. Major Stirling was at the head of his regiment, and the -64th were discharging the duty assigned to them. If he was not mounted, -there was a sufficient reason for this: his horse had been wounded by the -bursting of a shell, and was unable to carry him. If the regiment had -betrayed any irresolution, or hesitated to advance, the occasion might -have justified young Havelock’s interference; but they positively denied -that such was the case, and requested that some steps might be taken to -vindicate their honour, which had been impugned by awarding the Victoria -Cross to one whose conduct was more deserving of censure than of praise. - -It is difficult to take a cool, dispassionate view of this affair; our -sympathies are naturally with the young lieutenant, but we must endeavour -to be just. No one can find fault with the officers of the 64th for -writing such a letter: to a soldier reputation is everything; and the -fair fame of a regiment, like that of a woman, if once lost can never be -regained. Every regiment in the service has its distinctive character, -as much as every soldier who belongs to it; it was clearly, therefore, -the duty of the officers of the 64th to protest against a measure which -reflected on them and the soldiers under their command. Their silence -would have been a tacit admission that there was ground for such -reflections; their protest was a natural appeal against them. - -We have the sincerest respect for the memory of General Havelock: no one -can read his life, or trace his career, without being convinced that he -was a good man and a gallant soldier. This conviction, however, does -not imply that he was perfect, or exempt from those weaknesses to which -the very best men are subject. A father is always liable to the charge -of partiality when judging of the merits of his own son, and is often -blinded by paternal affection to the actual merits of the case. It would -be improper for him to form one of a jury while his son was being tried, -much more so to sit upon the bench as the presiding judge. This was the -position which General Havelock occupied on this occasion, and we must -not blame him too much if, in his anxious desire to do justice to his -son, he inadvertently failed to do justice to Major Stirling, and the -officers and men of the 64th Regiment. He acknowledges that Lieutenant -Havelock placed himself on his horse in front of the centre of the 64th, -and that he did so without any orders from him. He admits the fact: the -only question is, was he justified in doing so? If the regiment had been -repulsed, or had hesitated to carry out the orders they had received, any -officer of the staff would have been justified in taking the command, -and in leading them on to victory. It has never been attempted to be -shown that such was the case. The 64th were steadily advancing under -the command of Major Stirling, when Lieutenant Havelock, acting on the -impulse of the moment, rushed forward and placed himself at their head. -The general, in his telegram, contrasts the position occupied by Major -Stirling with that occupied by his son:—“Major Stirling, commanding the -regiment, was in front, dismounted; but the lieutenant continued to move -steadily on in front of the regiment, at a foot pace, on his horse.” It -is unfortunate that he should have omitted to state that Major Stirling -was dismounted because his horse had been wounded by the bursting of a -shell; there would thus have been no ground for the suspicion that he -was dismounted from choice, and not from necessity. It may be that the -general was ignorant of this fact; but he ought to have ascertained why -Major Stirling was dismounted before he mentioned it in a telegram, which -must, sooner or later, become public. The indignation of the officers and -men of the 64th was only natural, and Sir Colin Campbell truly expresses -their feeling when he says, “By such despatches as the one alluded to it -is made to appear to the world that a regiment would have proved wanting -in courage, except for an accidental circumstance; such a reflection is -most galling to British soldiers, indeed, is almost intolerable, and the -fact is remembered against it by all the other corps in Her Majesty’s -service. Soldiers feel such things most keenly. I would, therefore, -beg leave to dwell on the injustice sometimes done by general officers -when they give a public preference to those attached to them, over old -officers who are charged with the most difficult and responsible duties.” - -No one will accuse Sir Colin of having ever been influenced by this -undue preference; his desire ever was to do justice to all, and he -saw no merit in any action which was not strictly connected with the -discharge of duty. He had no sympathy with impulsive acts of bravery, -because he considered them to be subversive of discipline, and often -injurious to others. At the battle of the Alma he threatened the 42nd -with a punishment which they all dreaded, if they left the ranks to -succour the wounded; at the relief of Lucknow he publicly reprimanded a -Highland officer, his personal friend, who had left his regiment to show -him a flag which he had just taken from the enemy. He was actuated by no -personal feeling, he was only expressing his own inward conviction when -he thus alluded to Lieutenant Havelock’s impulsive act. “This instance -is one of many in which, since the institution of the Victoria Cross, -advantage has been taken by young aides-de-camp and other staff-officers -to place themselves in prominent situations for the purpose of attracting -attention. To them life is of little value, as compared with the gain -of public honour; but they do not reflect, and the generals to whom -they belong do not reflect, on the cruel injustice thus done to gallant -officers, who, beside the excitement of the moment of action, have all -the responsibility attendant on this situation.” - -Sir Colin’s judgment, in estimating the motives by which Lieutenant -Havelock was actuated in placing himself at the head of the 64th -Regiment, was evidently biassed by the prejudices he entertained against -the Victoria Cross. There is no reason to believe that the love of -public honour, or any such selfish feeling, induced that gallant officer -to expose his life; his own anxious desire that his conduct should be -overlooked proves the contrary. If his object had been to obtain the -Victoria Cross, he would certainly never have persuaded his father to -suppress the telegram in which he recommended him for that honour. His -father’s good fame was dearer to him than any honour which his country -could confer, and he knew that his father could not allude to him as he -had done without raising a storm of opposition. He wished, therefore, -that the matter should be overlooked and forgotten. He had acted on the -impulse of the moment; all depended on the steadiness with which the 64th -advanced; he saw them without a mounted leader, and, without stopping to -inquire the cause, he rushed forward and placed himself at their head. -When he discovered afterwards that Major Stirling’s horse was wounded, -and that he had supplanted that officer in the command of his regiment -while faithfully discharging his duty, he must have felt that he had -inadvertently treated him with injustice, and that the public recognition -of his conduct as desiring reward would increase the wrong. He owed -Major Stirling an apology for having usurped his place, but he had done -nothing to earn the Victoria Cross, which was never intended to be an -incentive to impulsive acts of undisciplined valour. It must have been -with feelings of surprise and regret that he read his father’s telegram, -which was not published in India till after his death, and learned that -the Victoria Cross had been awarded to him for this particular deed. In -the interval he had done other deeds of valour which fully merited this -honour, and excited the admiration of every British soldier in India; it -was unfortunate that the father, in his anxious desire to do justice to -the son, should not have waited a little longer. - -The remonstrance on the part of the officers of the 64th Regiment was -only natural and just; it was their duty to vindicate their own honour -now that Major Stirling was no longer able to answer for himself and for -them. That unfortunate officer died soon after he was promoted to the -rank of lieutenant-colonel, on the special recommendation of General -Havelock, for the part he acted at the battle of Cawnpore. This fact is -sufficient to prove that he had not failed in his duty, and that there -was nothing in his conduct to justify another in usurping his place. -The general, also, bestowed the highest praise upon the regiment. In -his despatch, after the battle, he says: “Nor was the gallant 64th -behind; charging with equal bravery another village on the left, and -firing four volleys as they rapidly advanced up the rising ground, they -soon made the place their own, and captured its three guns.... But the -64th, led by Major Stirling and my aide-de-camp, who had placed himself -at their front, were not to be denied. Their rear showed the ground -strewed with wounded, but on they silently and steadily came; then, with -a cheer, charged and captured the unwieldy trophy of their valour.” In -the general order, which appeared on the morning after the battle, he -says: “64th, you have put to silence the jibes of your enemies throughout -India. Your fire was reserved till you saw the colour of your enemies’ -moustaches—this gave us the victory.” It is unfortunate that the general -should have revived those jibes, by making it appear to the world that -the 64th would have failed in the hour of danger, had it not been that -his own son placed himself at their head. - -These remarks, we trust, will not be misunderstood. We willingly acquit -the present Sir H. Havelock of all blame in the matter. He did not wish -to obtain the Victoria Cross for this particular act; it was, in a -measure, forced upon him without his knowledge or consent. But having -once obtained it, he was determined to show that none could be more -worthy to wear it. He acted as deputy-assistant adjutant-general to the -army which advanced under the command of his father and Sir J. Outram for -the relief of Lucknow, and greatly distinguished himself at the passage -of the Charbagh bridge, where the enemy offered an obstinate resistance -to our entrance. From this bridge to the Residency was a distance of -about two miles; and this interval was intersected by trenches, traversed -by palisades, and commanded by loopholed houses. Between eight and -nine o’clock on the morning of the 25th of September, 1857, the army -of rescue received the order to advance; as soon as the first brigade, -under the command of Sir J. Outram, had passed the advanced picket, they -were assailed by a heavy fire in front, and Captain Maude, R.A., pushed -bravely forward with the loss of one-third of his men. His coolness and -courage opened a passage for our army till they reached the Charbagh -bridge, which crosses the canal. This bridge was defended by six guns—one -of them a 24-pounder—which swept the passage and threatened destruction -to all who approached. Here the enemy had resolved to make their stand, -and no position could have been better chosen. The houses on either side -were loopholed and flat-roofed, each one forming a separate fortress, -from which the enemy could fire upon our men with comparative safety. -So severe was the enemy’s fire that our troops were obliged to halt -for a time, and to lie down wherever they could find shelter. Owing to -the narrowness of the road, only two of Maude’s guns could be brought -forward, and the men who worked them, being without cover, were killed or -wounded, so that they had to be replaced by volunteers from the infantry. -General Neile, who commanded the first brigade in the absence of Sir -James Outram, ordered the Madras Fusiliers to advance and to storm the -enemy’s battery. The words had scarcely passed the general’s lips when -young Arnold, of the Fusiliers, who was ever first when danger was to -be faced, dashed across the bridge followed by a few of his men. Two -mounted staff-officers, Colonel Tytler and Lieutenant Havelock, swept -across the bridge with this little band of heroes, who were assailed by -a storm of grape from the enemy’s battery. Arnold was shot through both -legs; Colonel Tytler’s horse was killed; few of the little band survived -that fatal fire. Lieutenant Havelock was the only one who appeared on the -bridge when the smoke cleared away; seated calmly on his horse, the mark -for a hundred bullets, he waved his sword in the air, and encouraged the -Fusiliers, by voice and gesture, to advance. Wherever an officer leads -the way the British soldier will not hesitate to follow; officers and -men dashed forward over the prostrate bodies of their comrades amidst -a storm of grape, seized the enemy’s guns, and bayoneted all who dared -to resist their onset. It would be difficult to overestimate the value -of Lieutenant Havelock’s gallant conduct on this occasion. He seemed to -bear a charmed life, and his gallant stand on the Charbagh bridge, when -all around him had fallen or been put _hors de combat_, ought never to -be forgotten. In the days of chivalry such a deed would have won him his -spurs; no one will attempt to deny that it fully entitled him to the -Victoria Cross. Sir James Outram, who came up in time to witness the rush -of the Fusiliers and the capture of the enemy’s battery, thus alludes -to his conduct in a letter addressed to his father: “Throughout the -tremendous fire of guns and musketry which the enemy directed across the -Charbagh bridge, Lieutenant Havelock, with the Madras Fusiliers, stormed -the bridge, took the guns, and cleared the streets sufficiently to allow -of the troops in the rear closing up. I cannot conceive a more daring -act than thus forcing the bridge; and the officers who led the Fusiliers -on that occasion, in my opinion, most richly deserve promotion. But -hazardous as was their position, they being on foot, and, therefore, -not readily distinguished from their men, risked little comparatively -with Lieutenant Havelock, the only officer on horseback, who cheered the -men on at their head, and became the target of the enemy’s musketry. I -shall feel truly delighted to learn that you accept my recommendation -of this brave officer, and I shall deeply regret having divested myself -of the command during the advance on Lucknow, if, from what I regard as -a morbidly sensitive delicacy, you withhold from Lieutenant Havelock, -because he is your relative, the reward to which, as a soldier, he has so -unmistakably established a first claim.” - -General Havelock, being ignorant of the result of his first -recommendation, cordially adopted the suggestion of “one whose proved -gallantry and devotion to the service peculiarly fitted him to judge of -these qualities in another,” and recommended Captain Maude, R. A., and -Lieutenant Havelock for the Victoria Cross. Intermediately, before his -despatch could reach England, the Cross had been awarded to Lieutenant -Havelock for his services at the battle of Cawnpore, and no additional -honour was conferred upon him. In terms of the Royal Warrant of the 29th -of January, 1856, those who, after receiving the Cross, perform a second -act of distinguished bravery, may be rewarded with an additional clasp or -bar, and Sir James Outram was much disappointed that this reward was not -conferred upon Lieutenant Havelock. That he had fairly earned it at the -Charbagh bridge, cannot be denied even by those who dispute his claims -at the battle of Cawnpore; it is easy to conceive, but unnecessary to -specify, the reasons why it was withheld from him. It is sometimes good -for young soldiers “to learn to labour and to wait:” the son would have -lost nothing if this truth had been present to the father’s mind after -the action at Cawnpore. - -We come now to the particular incident which afforded Private Henry Ward, -78th Highlanders, an opportunity of gaining that Cross which was also to -be worn by him whose life he saved. After cheering on the Fusiliers to -victory, Lieutenant Havelock received orders to look to the safety of -the convoy, as the baggage, the wounded, and the followers defiled over -the bridge. The heroic bravery of the 78th, who performed the convoy, -repelled every attack of the enemy, and, after a sanguinary struggle of -three hours, the last waggon crossed the bridge. Lieutenant Havelock -had just given orders for the Highlanders to be withdrawn, when he -was shot by a musket-ball through the left elbow joint, and fell down -insensible. No time was to be lost; he was raised from the ground, placed -in a doolie, and carried forward with the other wounded. In the chapter -on Dr. Home and the Victoria Cross we will tell how it fared with our -wounded on that fearful night, and the gallant Havelock would have been -butchered with those who fell into the hands of the enemy, if Henry Ward -had not stood by him as his guardian angel. When the convoy of litters -containing the wounded, guided by Mr. Thornhill, of the Civil Service, -who had mistaken the way, entered a large open square they were enveloped -in the enemy’s fire, and the escort, consulting their own safety, rushed -across, leaving the litters behind. A little band of heroes still stood -by the wounded, and braved that murderous fire; among these was Henry -Ward, who had charge of Lieutenant Havelock’s doolie. When the native -doolie bearers threw down their burdens and fled, Henry Ward encouraged -his to remain, and to press forward through that fearful fire. One -of his comrades, Private Pilkington, who belonged to the escort, was -wounded, and knowing the fate that awaited him if left behind, threw -himself into the doolie where Havelock lay. The bearers were about to -drop their double load and to make their escape, when Ward, who was too -generous to leave a comrade behind, compelled them to press on, and never -left the doolie till it reached the Residency. The wounded in the other -doolies were murdered by the enemy to the number of thirty or forty, and -Lieutenant Havelock’s escape is almost miraculous. He owes his life to -Henry Ward, who for this act of intrepid gallantry was rewarded with the -Victoria Cross. - -Lieutenant Havelock succeeded his father in the baronetcy, and the -pension of 1000_l._ per annum which had been awarded to him by -Government. Before he left India, in 1859, he had attained the brevet -rank of lieutenant-colonel, and obtained his company in the 18th Royal -Irish. We have already mentioned that the Victoria Cross was conferred -upon him in March, 1858, and on his return to England it was affixed to -his breast by the hands of our gracious Sovereign, and the memory of the -father was thus honoured in the person of the son. Amid the honours and -acclamations which awaited his return, he did not forget the gallant -Highlander who saved his life. Henry Ward accompanied him to Aldershot, -where he was employed on the staff as his servant, but occupied rather -the place of a humble friend. Master and servant were both decorated with -the Victoria Cross, and bound together by closer ties than that relation -usually implies. Ward was proud of his master, and, we need scarcely -add, that his master was proud of Ward. A feeling of justice compels us -to mention that Henry Ward, though he has served his time in a Highland -regiment, is not a Highlander by birth; he is a native of Norfolk, but, -like many other Englishmen who have assumed the tartan, he has the -_esprit de corps_ quite as strong as if he were a genuine son of the Gael. - -When, in 1863, the 2nd battalion of the 18th Royal Irish were ordered to -New Zealand, to aid in repressing the Maori rebellion, Lieutenant-Colonel -Sir H. M. Havelock proved his devotion to his country by at once -resigning his staff appointment, and hastening to rejoin his regiment. -If the rules of the service had permitted it, Henry Ward would have -accompanied him, and shared in the dangers of Maori warfare; as it was -he had to return to his regiment, the gallant 78th. The military career -of Lieutenant-Colonel Havelock in New Zealand has been as distinguished -as in India. Soon after his arrival he was appointed to the staff in -the Quarter Master General’s department, and continued to hold that -appointment till he left for England, in the beginning of 1865. In -February, 1864, he exhibited great gallantry during a skirmish with the -enemy at Mangapiko, in the Waikato; the rebels had attacked a party -of our men, who were imprudently bathing in the river, and would have -cut them off, if Lieutenant-Colonel Havelock had not hastily collected -a small band of imperial and colonial forces, and hurried to their -assistance. After a smart engagement the rebels were dispersed, and the -colonial officer, who co-operated with Lieutenant-Colonel Havelock, was -recommended for the Victoria Cross, though he occupied a subordinate -place, and acted a less distinguished part. His leader had already -obtained this honour, but we mention this circumstance to show that he -has earned it again and again. At the capture of the pa, at Orakau, -on the 1st of April, 1864, he exposed his life with a boldness almost -bordering on recklessness, and contributed much to the success of -the day by the promptitude with which he brought up the mortars from -Awamutu, when every other expedient had failed. A gallant soldier, a good -Christian, he is worthy of the name he bears and of the honours he has -received, while his conduct to Henry Ward proves that he can appreciate -bravery in others, and that he is not ungrateful to the man who saved his -life. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -LIEUTENANT ANDREW CATHCART BOGLE, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS (NOW CAPTAIN -10TH FOOT). - - -All our readers are more or less familiar with the distinguished part -which the 78th Highlanders acted in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny. -In our last chapter we showed how Henry Ward, a gallant private of this -regiment, won the Victoria Cross by saving the life of the present Sir -H. M. Havelock, then a lieutenant in the 10th Regiment, when he was -severely wounded at the relief of Lucknow. The high opinion which the -elder Havelock had formed of the Highlanders, when they were serving -under him on the Euphrates during the Persian war, led him to rejoice -when he found that they formed part of the moveable column with which he -was to advance for the relief of Cawnpore. He thus alludes to them in one -of his confidential reports:—“There is a fine spirit in the ranks of this -regiment. I am given to understand that it behaved remarkably well at the -affair of Rhooshab, near Bushire, which took place before I reached the -army; and during the naval action on the Euphrates, and its landing here -(in Persia); its steadiness, zeal, and activity under my own observation -were conspicuous. The men have been subjected in this service to a good -deal of exposure, to extremes of climate, and have had heavy work to -execute with their entrenching tools, in constructing redoubts and making -roads. They have been, while I had the opportunity of watching them, most -cheerful, and have never seemed to regret or complain of anything but -that they had no farther chance of meeting the enemy. I am convinced -the regiment would be second to none in the service if its high military -qualities were drawn forth. It is proud of its colours, its tartan, and -its former achievements.” - -The battle of Cawnpore, fought on the 16th of July, 1857, justified the -opinion thus expressed, and proved that the wearers of the tartan were -worthy of their predecessors who conquered at Maida and Assaye. Our -victory was complete; but it failed to save the lives of the helpless -women and children who had fallen into the hands of that bloodthirsty -monster Nana Sahib, whose name will ever live in the annals of the Indian -mutiny as the impersonation of all that is perfidious and cruel. He -was the adopted son of Bajee Row, the Peishwa, or head of the ancient -Mahratta confederacy, and proved himself worthy of such a father. Bajee -Row, in 1818, endeavoured in the most treacherous manner to destroy Mr. -Mountstuart Elphinstone, the British resident at his court; but, having -failed in this attempt, he was driven from Poona, his capital, and, after -being chased through the country for several months, was defeated at the -battle of Kirkee. His power was thoroughly crushed, so that he might have -been forced to surrender at discretion; but he was admitted to terms, -and endowed with an annuity of 90,000_l._, which he lived to enjoy for -thirty-two years. After his death his immense wealth was inherited by -his adopted son, who had established himself at Bithoor, about sixteen -miles from Cawnpore, and lived on terms of intimacy with the officers of -the garrison, who never suspected his loyalty or good faith. For years -he had contrived to dissemble the bitter spirit of hostility to the -English which was rankling at his heart, and which sprang from no other -cause than the withdrawal of the pension enjoyed by his father. When the -native troops at Cawnpore began to exhibit symptoms of disaffection, he -volunteered to aid Sir H. Wheeler in protecting the treasury from their -rapacity, and his offer was accepted. It was only when the Sepoys broke -into open mutiny that he threw off the mask, placed himself at their -head, and ruthlessly butchered all the European and native Christians -who had not been able to escape to the entrenchment. With his thirst for -blood whetted rather than allayed by this carnage, he now closed round -the entrenchment, the last refuge of the Europeans, and directed all his -efforts to compel the gallant little garrison to surrender. Their heroic -defence, protracted from day to day and from week to week, in the vain -hope of relief, amid exposure, privation, and the incessant fire of the -enemy’s artillery, is one of the most touching episodes in the history -of British India, and cannot be read without a feeling of deep emotion. -The men would rather have died sword in hand than negotiate with the -murderer of the fugitives from Futtyghur; but their hearts were melted by -the sufferings of the helpless women and children crouching in holes dug -out beneath the walls of the entrenchment; and for their sakes, on the -very day when Havelock assumed command of the column intended for their -relief, they began to think of capitulating. - -The cannonade had continued for more than three weeks, and of the 870 -persons who survived, 330 were women and children. While they were still -hesitating, a message was brought from Nana Sahib, offering the garrison -a safe conduct to Allahabad, with permission to take their arms, baggage, -and ammunition with them, on condition that they surrendered at once. -Sir H. Wheeler, anxious if possible to save the women and children from -that death which was already staring them in the face, reluctantly agreed -to accept this offer: he seems to have done so contrary to his better -reason, and almost with a presentiment of the calamity that was about to -overtake them. But it seemed their only chance of safety, and a fearful -responsibility would devolve upon him if he neglected or rejected it. The -Nana took an oath on the waters of the Ganges, which to a Hindoo and a -Brahmin is the most sacred and binding of all oaths, that he would carry -out the terms of capitulation to the very letter; and it was scarcely -conceivable that he could prove faithless to his engagement, and perjure -himself. They knew nothing of his deep-rooted hatred of the English -race, his long-cherished scheme of revenge, his burning thirst for human -blood; they remembered only his pleasant parties at Bithoor, and imagined -that from such a man they had nothing to dread. At first all seemed to -be well: when they left the entrenchment, they found boats prepared to -convey them to Allahabad, and the women and children were greeted with -expressions of sympathy and solicitude, which were as sincere as the -caresses the tiger bestows on its victims. No sooner were the whole party -seated in the boats than three signal guns were fired, and a destructive -fire was opened on the helpless fugitives from guns concealed along the -bank, and the pieces with which the rebels were armed. The shrieks of -despairing mothers, clasping their infant offspring to their breasts, -and striving to shield them from the murderous fire, were heard amid the -booming of the guns, the rattle of musketry, and the maddening yells of -the inhuman fiends to whom the work of destruction was entrusted. It was -a pre-concerted massacre: bands of native infantry and cavalry had been -stationed on either bank of the river to cut off the retreat of those who -tried to escape from the boats by swimming; only one or two contrived to -elude their vigilance, and to reach a place of safety. Two hundred women -and children were taken back to the town: with solemn hands and beating -heart we draw the veil of silence over their fate. The well at Cawnpore -can never be forgotten, and the feeling of confidence which we once -reposed in the natives of India may not be restored for centuries. - -After his victory of the 16th of July, Havelock allowed his exhausted -troops to rest for the night on the field of battle, and entered the town -the following morning. No language can describe the scenes of horror -which greeted them on every side when they reached the entrenchment, and -learned the hideous revelations of the slaughter-house and the well. It -was enough to melt a heart of adamant; and we know that men, usually -callous and indifferent to human suffering, cannot allude to what they -witnessed on that day without a startled expression, as if the scene were -still before them. Some will tell you, that for nights after they woke up -in an agony of terror, so powerful was the impression left on their minds -by that fearful spectacle. The floor of the slaughter-house was covered -with blood; the lower part of the walls was marked with sword-cuts aimed -at the helpless creatures crouching together on the ground; tresses of -long hair were still adhering to the walls and pillars; articles of -female attire were scattered about saturated with the blood of those -who once had worn them; leaves of the Bible, of the Prayer Book, and -of a work entitled “Preparation for Death,” were picked up on every -side by the horror-struck soldiers. One man picked up a piece of paper -with the words “Ned’s hair, with love,” written on it; on opening it -he found a lock of boy’s hair; his mother had not parted with it till -she parted with life. On the walls, written in pencil, or scratched in -the plaster, were such inscriptions as these:—“Think of us;” “Avenge -us;” “Your wives and families are here in misery, and at the disposal -of savages;” “Oh, oh! my child, my child!” The last words are the most -touching of all; there was no thirst for vengeance, no solicitude for -self, in that mother’s breast; her only thought was of her child, and -its impending fate. Well might one of the officers exclaim—“Oh! how -thankful I am that I have no wife, no sisters out here!” One sickens and -shudders at the very thought of such scenes: what effect must they have -produced on those who actually witnessed them, who saw the blood-stained -floor, and the limbs of murdered babes and women protruding from the well -into which they had been thrown? The deepest emotions are those which -can find no expression: few words were spoken; but as the Highlanders -looked into one another’s faces, a strange expression came over them: -the rugged brows were knit, the quivering lips were sternly compressed, -and the fierce glare of the eye told of the conflicting passions within. -There was unspeakable pity for those tender babes and women so cruelly -murdered; but stronger and more overwhelming was the thirst for vengeance -which found expression on many a battle-field, in the shout “Remember -Cawnpore!” and in the deadly bayonet thrust. The deepest emotion was -excited by the discovery of the body of Sir Hugh Wheeler’s daughter, -for it was already whispered among the soldiers that this heroic woman -had displayed the spirit of a Judith in avenging her insulted honour. -The exact circumstances attendant on her death will never be known; but -it is certain that by her example she taught her countrywomen to prefer -death to dishonour. In one version of the story, she shot five Sepoys -in succession with a revolver, and then threw herself into a well to -escape from the others; in another version, she is said to have cut off -the heads of no less than five men with a sword; while Mr. Shepherd, -one of the survivors of the massacre, relates that, having been forced -by a trooper of the 2nd Native Cavalry to accompany him to his hut, she -rose in the night, seized his sword, killed him and three other men, and -then threw herself into a well. It is certain that she behaved like a -high-souled English gentlewoman, and there was something in the story of -her fate that touched the heart of every soldier that entered Cawnpore. -It has been related, that the Highlanders with reverent and loving hands -committed her body to the dust; but, before doing so, removed the hair -from her head, sent part of it to her relations, and divided the rest -among themselves; counted every hair, and swore a solemn oath, that for -every one a mutineer should die. We can understand the feeling which -might have dictated such an oath; but the expression of it in the manner -related, is too sensational and melodramatic for the stern, rugged nature -of the Highlanders; it had no foundation in truth, and, like the story of -Jessie Brown at Lucknow, was evidently got up for stage effect. - -But we must hurry on from these maddening scenes to the battle of -Oude, where Captain Boyle, then a lieutenant in the 78th Highlanders, -gained the Victoria Cross. The victory of Cawnpore failed to produce -that feeling of elation among our soldiers which usually accompanies -such an event. The following day a deep silence reigned throughout the -encampment, broken at intervals by the melancholy wail of some Highland -dirge as the dead were conveyed to their last home; for cholera had begun -to decimate our little army, and proved a more formidable foe than the -mutineers in arms against us. - -As the Nana had still a considerable army under his command, it was -considered probable that an attempt would be made to regain Cawnpore, -and General Havelock marched his troops on the morning of the 18th of -July to a position west of the town, where he was safe from attack, and -could intercept the enemy if they tried to advance from Bithoor. By -selecting volunteers from the infantry he was enabled to increase his -irregular horse from nineteen to sixty, and this small troop rendered -important services during the remaining part of the campaign. Dreading -that his men might give way to intemperance, he caused the commissariat -to buy up all the intoxicating liquors that were to be found in the town, -and to give out only such quantities as might be taken with safety. On -the morning of the 19th, he learned from the spies who had been sent -out to watch the movements of the enemy, that their army was broken up; -the Sepoys, seized with a sudden panic, had deserted their ranks, and -sought for safety on the other side of the river; the Nana himself had -fled from the field on a swift elephant, accompanied by a few of his -followers, and never halted in his flight till he reached the kingdom of -Oude. On receiving this intelligence, General Havelock despatched a party -of his men to take possession of Bithoor; no resistance was offered by -the enemy, and the greater part of the plunder which had been carried -off from Cawnpore was recovered. That town was not left defenceless; a -field-work was constructed, and a small garrison of 300 men was left to -occupy it. Having completed his arrangements, he prepared, on the morning -of the 21st of July, to advance to the relief of Lucknow. The passage -of the Ganges was a most difficult undertaking; the river, swollen by -the heavy rains, was more than 1600 yards wide; the bridge of boats had -been destroyed by the rebels; the boatmen had disappeared, and it would -have been dangerous to entrust the transit of the men to inexperienced -hands. After some delay and difficulty, a number of the old boatmen were -tempted to return by the promise of pardon for their past misconduct, and -additional pay; and in four days the whole of our troops found themselves -on the Oude bank of the Ganges, where the general, who had superintended -the embarkation in person, joined them. The gallant Neil was left to hold -Cawnpore during his absence, and displayed an energy which inspired the -minds of the disaffected with terror; he had only three hundred men under -his command, but with this little force he restored the _prestige_ of -our army throughout the surrounding districts by capturing many rebels, -and recovering public property, and by organizing a body of irregular -cavalry, which kept the road open between Cawnpore and Allahabad. In -addition to this, he had charge of all the sick and wounded who had been -left behind; but this heroic man, whose career was soon to be cut short -at Lucknow, was indefatigable in the discharge of his numerous duties. It -is the characteristic of such men as Havelock, that they can impart to -others something of that dauntless courage and unflagging energy by which -they themselves are animated. - -On the 28th of July, Havelock’s army reached Mungulwar, a village -situated six miles from the Ganges, on a ridge elevated about two hundred -feet above the surrounding country, where they might have held their -ground against all the rebels in Oude. But their only desire was to push -on to Lucknow; they might still be in time to rescue the beleaguered -garrison from the rebels, who were hemming them in on every side. This -desire was strengthened by the arrival of a messenger, who contrived to -elude the vigilance of the rebel army at Lucknow, and reached our camp -in safety, bringing with him a plan of the town, and a valuable report -from Brigadier Inglis, written partly in Greek characters as a measure of -precaution. Havelock saw all the danger of the undertaking. “If the worst -come to the worst,” he said to his son, “we can only die sword in hand.” -Death to him had no terrors: the only question was whether he could fight -his way to the Residency with 1500 men, and ten badly-equipped guns. -The enemy were closing in upon him in front and rear; he must cross the -bridge across the Sye at Bunnee, which the rebels had entrenched and -covered with their guns; he must be prepared to repel the 3000 men which -the Nana had collected to intercept his retreat. With their minds fresh -from the horrors of Cawnpore, there was only one desire among our men—to -go on, to conquer or to die. Havelock expressed the feeling of all, when -writing to the Government, on the 28th July, he said, “The communications -convince me of the extreme delicacy and difficulty of any operation to -relieve Inglis; it shall be attempted, however, at every risk.” There -spoke the spirit of a true soldier, of one in whose mind every other -consideration was subordinate to a sense of duty. - -The little army started at daybreak on the morning of the 29th of July, -and, after advancing about three miles, reached the town of Oude, which -was occupied by the enemy. Their position is thus described by the -general, in the despatch which he wrote after the battle:—“The enemy’s -right was protected by a swamp, which could neither be forced nor turned; -his advance was drawn up in a garden enclosure, which, in this warlike -district, had, purposely or accidentally, assumed the form of a bastion. -The rest of his (advance) force was posted in and behind a village, the -houses of which were loopholed. The passage between the village and the -town of Oude is narrow. The town itself extended three quarters of a mile -to our right. The flooded state of the country precluded the possibility -of turning in this direction. The swamp shut us in on the left. Thus an -attack in front became unavoidable.” - -The general perceived that the enemy enjoyed every advantage of position, -but he lost no time in commencing the attack. The passage between the -village and the town of Oude was very narrow, but it was along this -passage that our troops had to advance, as they were hemmed in by the -swamp on one flank, and on the other by the floods which had swept over -the adjoining country. There were two regiments in whose courage and -steadiness under fire the general had the fullest confidence; to them was -assigned the post of honour. On the 29th of July, about six o’clock in -the morning, the 78th Highlanders and the 1st Madras Fusiliers advanced -along the passage, supported by two guns, and met with a determined -resistance. The bastioned enclosure was carried at the point of the -bayonet, and the enemy fell back on the village, where they opened a -destructive fire upon our men from the loopholed houses. On this the -general ordered the 64th and 84th Regiments to attack a gateway on the -left, and the 78th Highlanders to force an entrance by a narrow passage -on the right. Private Patrick Cavanagh, of the 64th Regiment, was the -first to clear the wall behind which the enemy were sheltered; he stood -there alone, confronted by at least a dozen of troopers, but the intrepid -Irishman never dreamed of turning his back on the foe. He stood there -immovable as a rock, till he was literally cut to pieces before his -comrades could come to his aid; by his side lay three of the enemy, whom -he had killed with his own hand. Havelock was ever ready to distinguish -merit wherever it appeared, and after the battle he thus alluded to -this incident: “There were men among you whom I must laud to the skies. -Private Patrick Cavanagh, of the 64th, died gloriously, hacked to pieces -by the enemy, when setting a brilliant example to his comrades. Had he -survived, he should have worn the Victoria Cross, which never could have -glittered on a braver breast. But his name will be remembered as long as -Ireland produces and loves gallant soldiers.” - -Another gallant soldier, who equally distinguished himself on this -occasion, met with a better fate. When the 78th Highlanders advanced -along the narrow passage to the right, they found the end of it -barricaded by a wall breast high, with the houses loopholed on either -side. The enemy were thus enabled to bring a cross fire to bear upon our -men as they approached the wall, and it was necessary to dislodge them. -This task was assigned to the Light Company of the 78th Highlanders, who -swarmed around the gateway, and strove in vain to effect an entrance. -Crowded together in a narrow space, the men were exposed to the enemy’s -cross fire without being able to retaliate, and several of them were -struck down. They tried the wall on every side, like bees rushing against -a hive the door of which has been closed, but it resisted all their -efforts. A gun was sent for to enlarge the opening and break down the -barricade, but the gunners, being exposed to the enemy’s fire, were soon -either killed or wounded. Little impression can be made on a mud wall by -artillery, and the enemy, emboldened by their temporary success, began -to believe their position to be impregnable. But the sequel proved that -it was not so. Andrew Cathcart Bogle, a young lieutenant of the 78th, -saw before him an opportunity of distinction, by which he did not fail -to profit; he knew that by forcing that gateway he was holding his life -in his hand, but he was prepared for such a sacrifice if his country -required it. Collecting a few men of his own regiment, whom he knew and -could trust, he gave the word of command, and charged in at their head -through the narrow opening in the gateway. A shower of bullets descended -on the devoted little band, but on they went, driving the enemy before -them and clearing the way for their comrades, who could not refuse to -follow such an example. The gallant leader of this forlorn hope was -struck down with the cheer of victory on his lips, but strong arms -raised him gently from the ground, and bore him to a place of safety. He -was severely wounded, but he thought little of his wounds when, on the -following day, he received a visit from the general, who esteemed it his -duty to thank him personally for the daring courage he had displayed, -and the noble example he had set before his men. Nor did Havelock’s -appreciation of his conduct end here; he was resolved that his courage -should meet with a more signal and permanent form of reward than any -language, however complimentary, could convey, and drew up a special -report of his gallantry, which was forwarded to His Royal Highness the -Commander-in-Chief. In consequence of this report, the young lieutenant, -who soon recovered from his wounds, and has done good service to his -country elsewhere, was decorated with the Victoria Cross, which he still -continues to wear on his manly breast. Over the gateway at Oude might -well have been inscribed the words which Dante read over another gateway, -and has bequeathed to us in his “Inferno”— - - “Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’ entrate”— - -but true courage rises superior to every difficulty, and the gleaming -sword can arrest hope in her flight. - -The greatest results often bring on the smallest events, and it is the -work of the historian to trace the connexion between effects and their -causes. The charge through the gateway at Oude was not an isolated act -of bravery, important only to the immediate actors; it was one of those -daring deeds which tell upon armies, and inspire them with confidence in -their own courage. The smallest reverse may lead to a panic, and strip -a regiment or an army of that _prestige_ which it has already acquired; -while one daring deed thrills with electric force through officers -and men, and produces the conviction that they are invincible. Such a -conviction was a needful element of power in such an army as Havelock’s, -where every man had to confront ten of the enemy, and to fight as if the -rescue of Lucknow depended on his single arm. Regarded in this light, -the entrance through the gateway at Oude may be regarded as one of the -most important events in the Indian campaign, and the young Highlander -who led the forlorn hope on that occasion was well entitled to the Cross -of Valour, and deserves to live in the annals of the Indian campaign. He -now belongs to a different regiment, but his heart still warms at the -sight of the tartan, and he is not likely ever to forget how his trusty -Highlanders stood by him on that day. - -The rebels fought on this occasion with a courage worthy of a better -cause; when the village was set on fire, they continued to occupy the -loopholed houses, and offered the most determined resistance. But nothing -could withstand the ardour of our troops; they forced their way through -the village, drove the enemy before them, and captured their guns. At -length our little army was enabled to debouch between the village and -the town of Oude, where they saw the rebels drawn up in great strength -in an open plain—infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Havelock perceived -at once that their object was to obtain possession of the town, and -thus arrest him on his first day’s march. Without a moment’s hesitation -he pushed forward his troops, already elated with success, till they -reached a patch of dry ground, about half-a-mile in extent, surrounded -on every side by swamps. Having thus obtained a position between Oude -and Lucknow, he drew up his force in line, with four guns in the centre -and two on each wing, all bearing on the high road in front, along which -the enemy were rapidly advancing. The latter were vastly superior in -numbers, but Havelock, unencumbered with native troops, could count on -the fidelity and courage of his men, and calmly awaited the approach of -the rebels, till they halted in front of our line, and commenced the -action. Our artillery then opened fire upon them, and tore through their -dense columns massed together on the narrow highway; every discharge -left an open passage in their ranks, and told how well our gunners -had done their work. In vain they attempted to deploy their force and -escape our murderous fire; their guns were engulphed in the swamp; the -bullets from our Enfield rifles emptied the saddles of their cavalry; -all discipline was at an end; the enemy fled before us in confusion. -Then arose the cry, “Remember Cawnpore!” and hundreds of our soldiers, -thirsting for vengeance, leaped into the swamp, wading up to the knee -and sometimes to the waist, in pursuit of the fugitives, who met with -all the mercy they deserved. As the high road was crowded with them, two -guns were rapidly moved forward, and their heavy fire prevented them from -rallying, and completed their discomfiture. The enemy’s artillerymen -fought with desperate courage; when their companions in guilt thought -only of consulting their safety by flight, they stood by their guns to -the last, and scorned to retreat. If all the rebels had fought with the -same spirit the result might have been different; as it was, our victory -was complete; fifteen guns fell into our hands; the high road was covered -with heaps of dead and wounded; and the enemy’s loss would have been -still greater, if we had had cavalry to follow up the pursuit. - -Thus ended the action at Oude, with a loss of 300 men to the enemy. -Havelock, acting on the principle of the ancient Roman, who thought -that nothing was done so long as anything remained to be done, took -immediate steps for following up his success; after a halt of three hours -for refreshment, the bugle sounded, the men fell into their ranks, and -marched forward to Busherutgunge. This was a walled town, intersected -by the Lucknow road, with wet ditches and a gate defended by a round -tower, four pieces of cannon, and loopholed buildings within the walls; -on the other side was a deep broad pond, or sheet of water, crossed by -a causeway. It was a position of such strength, that a few brave men -might have defended it for days against a whole army; but the rebels, -discouraged by their recent reverses, were unable to withstand the -impetuosity of our attack. To the Highlanders and Fusiliers, in whom -he could always trust, Havelock gave orders to advance, under cover -of the guns, to capture the earthworks and enter the town, while the -64th Regiment made a flank movement to the left, so as to cut off all -communication with the town by the chaussée which crossed the lake. The -attacking party, being exposed to a heavy fire, were ordered to lie down -for a little, till our artillery had weakened the enemy’s defences, -and caused their fire to slacken; then, on receiving the order to -advance, they sprung to their feet, rushed to the trench, cleared it -at a bound, and passed through the gate with that wild cheer at which -the enemy had already learned to tremble. At the same time the 64th -appeared in their rear, and the discomfiture of the enemy was complete; -abandoning their guns, they fled in confusion through the town and over -the causeway, pursued by the victors. If the 64th had executed the -orders they received, and taken possession of the causeway, the whole -body of the rebels, intercepted in their flight, might have been put to -the sword or taken prisoners; but that regiment for some unknown reason -lagged behind, and failed to reach their destination in sufficient time -to cut off the enemy’s retreat. In vain the general despatched his -aide-de-camp, and urged them to advance; it was too late; the golden -moment was past, and night closed in on our weary soldiers, who had been -on the move from sunrise to sunset. The general rode on some distance, -and then returned by the causeway, which was crowded by the Highlanders -and Fusiliers leaning on their arms. All were glad to see the brave old -man who had twice led them to victory in one day, and from the ranks -rose the enthusiastic cry, “Clear the way for the general!” “My lads,” -he replied, with that ready wit which wins the hearts of soldiers, “you -have done _that_ to-day already.” Such praise was neither unmerited nor -unappreciated by those on whom it was bestowed. “God bless the general!” -burst from a hundred lips; they were but a handful of men, but under such -a leader they were prepared to withstand a host, and already counted on -victory. - -Thus, on the 29th of July, 1857, Andrew Cathcart Bogle won the Victoria -Cross, and General Havelock two battles. Our loss amounted to twelve -killed and seventy-six wounded, while the enemy are supposed to have -lost half as many men as our whole army. The value of such actions is -not to be calculated by their immediate results so much as by the moral -influence they exercise; they did not enable Havelock to advance at once -to the relief of Lucknow, but they inspired the men with confidence in -their general themselves, and produced the conviction that they would -yet subdue the flames of rebellion which were burning so fiercely around -them. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -DR. J. JEE, C.B., V.C., SURGEON; ASSISTANT-SURGEON V. M. M’MASTER, V.C.; -AND LIEUTENANT AND ADJUTANT HERBERT T. MACPHERSON, V.C. - - -No less than six Victoria Crosses were awarded to the 78th Highlanders, -for distinguished conduct in the field during their heroic march to -relieve the beleaguered garrison at Lucknow. We have already shown -how this honourable distinction was attained by Private Henry Ward, -and Lieutenant Bogle: it now remains for us briefly to relate the -circumstances under which four other officers of the same regiment—one -of whom does not occupy a place in Mr. Desange’s Gallery—earned for -themselves the Cross of Valour. - -On the 29th of July, 1857, General Havelock fought two battles and gained -two victories. The mutinous Sepoys, who had taken up a strong position in -the town of Oude, which is intersected by the great road from Cawnpore to -Lucknow, endeavoured to intercept the army of rescue in their advance, -but were driven from their position with considerable loss. They then -fell back upon Busherutgunge, another fortified town, but Havelock gave -them little time to rest; in a few hours he was upon them: the 78th -Highlanders and the Madras Fusiliers rushed forward with their usual -impetuosity, and carried everything before them. The loss of the enemy -in these two battles amounted to more than a thousand men; it would have -been still greater if Havelock had been provided with cavalry to follow -up his victory. The road to Lucknow was now open to him. Many a prayer -was offered up for his speedy arrival by the half-famished garrison, -whose only hope of deliverance was in him. But was he in a position to -advance? Cholera, that insidious foe which almost invariably follows in -the track of an army in the field in India, had struck down one-fourth -of his gallant band; men who had charged with irresistible fury in the -morning, found themselves at night writhing with agony in the deadly -grasp of their invisible enemy. In the two battles he had lost nearly a -hundred men in killed and wounded; the number was small, but a few more -such victories would leave him without an army. He had yet to advance -thirty-six miles through a country occupied by the enemy, before he -could reach Lucknow, and he had not more than twelve hundred men able -to march. This number might be diminished by one-fourth, as he would -require a convoy of three hundred men to escort the sick and wounded. It -was a severe struggle, but the conclusion was irresistible: the garrison -at Lucknow could not be rescued from the fifty thousand rebels that -environed them on every side by Havelock’s available force, which fell -short of the full complement of a single regiment. - -There was no help for it; he must retrace his steps to Cawnpore, and -wait there for reinforcements. He was not the man to hesitate in the -path of duty; the order was given to fall back on Oude, where his army -spent the night. The Highlanders and Fusiliers, flushed with their recent -successes, and confident in their own courage, listened to this order -with dismay. The road to Lucknow was before them, and why should the -general refuse them permission to advance? Did he distrust their courage? -They had stood by him in seven battles, and won him as many victories. -In such moments of enthusiasm, men’s feelings are strung to the highest -pitch; rough-bearded soldiers were seen to wipe the tears from their eyes -when, for the first time, they turned their backs upon the enemy. No -doubt Havelock felt it as much as any soldier under his command; but he -was a man who never allowed feeling to interfere with duty, and when he -had once made up his mind nothing could swerve him from his purpose. - -The beginning of the month of August was gloomy in the extreme; the -garrison at Lucknow, with the massacre of Cawnpore fresh in their -memories to remind them of the fate that awaited them if they fell into -the hands of the bloodthirsty wretches who hemmed them in on every side, -fought as the Greeks fought at Thermopylæ, and chose rather to bury -themselves beneath the ruins than surrender. It may be that Havelock -suffered more than they did: his heart bled for them; he was prepared to -make any sacrifice to save them; but their safety depended on his having -a sufficient army to effect their rescue. Neile behaved like a gallant -soldier: every man who could be spared from Cawnpore was sent to his aid, -and every man who came was welcomed as a treasure. Gradually the little -army swelled in numbers till it reached an efficient strength of 1400 -men, which it never exceeded; but there were no cowardly, treacherous -natives in the ranks, and the general and his soldiers had the fullest -confidence in one another. - -Again the faces of the men were turned towards Lucknow, and their former -enthusiasm revived. On the 4th of August the army was on the march, and -the small body of volunteer cavalry was sent forward to reconnoitre. -They dashed through Oude without interruption; but on reaching the scene -of Havelock’s second victory, they found the enemy had taken possession -of a series of hamlets between the town and the lake, with the evident -intention of blocking up our line of communication. On the same evening -they galloped back to Oude, and informed Havelock that the rebels were -waiting his approach. After a night’s bivouac, the army resumed their -march, and soon joined issue with the enemy on the scene of their former -victory. The result was not long doubtful: shelled from the town by our -guns, the rebels were chased through the hamlets by the Highlanders and -Fusiliers, and pursued to an open plain beyond. The day was ours, but the -victory led to nothing; the enemy again awaited our advance, and Havelock -was obliged to retire to his former quarters. - -The letters which the gallant old man wrote at this juncture to his -family and friends, prove that this was one of the most trying periods -of his life. His conduct was liable to misconstruction even among -his own men; but he was sustained by a sense of duty, and the inward -consciousness of right. If he had ever entertained any doubts about -the necessity of falling back upon Cawnpore, they were removed by the -position of things in that town. On his arrival, Nana Sahib, the butcher -of Bithoor, had collected a body of troops, and was threatening our -army on every side; his cavalry swept through the suburbs, and even -attempted to force their way through the town. Our communications with -Allahabad were threatened, and an immediate blow must be struck. While -Havelock was preparing to recross the Ganges, on the morning of the -11th of August, a succession of spies brought him information that four -thousand rebels had advanced from Nawabgunge to Busherut, the scene of -his former victory, with the evident intention of hanging on his rear, -and attacking his column during the passage. To have crossed the river -under such circumstances would have been fraught with difficulty, if -not with danger, and the rebels would have boasted that they had driven -the British forces from the province of Oude by their superior valour. -Havelock, knowing that an apparent success on the part of the enemy -would destroy the prestige of his former victories, and spread the flame -of rebellion through the province, turned round like a lion at bay, -and advanced for the third time to encounter the rebel army. On the -afternoon of the 11th, his column was in motion, and his advanced guard -drove the enemy from the town of Oude. On reaching Busherut, he found -their army spread out to a great distance to the right and left, and -strongly entrenched in the centre. Their numbers have been estimated at -20,000 men, and their position had been chosen with great skill: their -right rested on a village on the main road, where they had established a -battery among the gardens; their left, on a rising ground, protected by -three guns. Their line is said to have extended five miles, and Havelock -saw the necessity of postponing his attack till the following day. His -wearied troops returned to Oude, where they bivouacked on the wet ground, -and spent the night without shelter amid a deluge of rain. But nothing -could daunt their ardour. They rose on the morning of the 12th ready to -follow their leader to victory. Our right wing, which consisted of the -78th Highlanders, the Fusiliers, the Sikhs, and part of the Volunteer -Cavalry, began the attack, and steadily advanced, till their progress -was arrested by a swamp, which in the distance presented the appearance -of dry land. As soon as they were within range, the enemy unmasked -their battery, which poured forth a deadly shower of round shot, shell, -canister, grape, and shrapnel; but, fortunately, their guns were pointed -too high, and our men were withdrawn without suffering much loss. The -Highlanders moved on to the main road, while the Fusiliers, supported -by four guns, diverged to the right. It was no time for manœuvring; an -effort must at once be made to silence the enemy’s fire—the most severe -we had yet encountered. A flanking fire was opened on the enemy’s line, -which threw them into confusion, and at the same moment the Highlanders, -now reduced to about a hundred, steadily advanced till they were within -a short distance of the enemy’s guns, when they dashed forward with a -shout, rushed upon the principal redoubt, and carried it at the point -of the bayonet, without firing a shot. The honour of being the first to -enter the redoubt was equally divided between two of their officers; and -when the officers lead the way, the men will never refuse to follow. The -enemy’s infantry broke and fled, and the Highlanders, seizing two of -their guns, turned them against them, and drove them through the hamlets -to an open plain beyond. Our loss amounted to thirty-two men, while the -rebels lost upwards of three hundred; and the general having attained the -object he had in view, slowly retraced his steps to Cawnpore, with the -two guns he had captured. On reaching that town, the gallantry of the -Highlanders in carrying the enemy’s redoubt was recognised in the order -of the day; and the general promised to recommend for the Victoria Cross -the officer, non-commissioned officer, or soldier who had been the first -to enter this work. The Highlanders had charged with such impetuosity, -that Colonel Hamilton, their commanding officer, had some difficulty in -ascertaining to whom the honour belonged: in such cases, it is best to -leave the matter to the decision of the men themselves, and this was done -in the present instance. It appeared that two young officers, Lieutenant -Campbell and Lieutenant Crowe, cleared the wall of the redoubt at the -same moment; the honour was equally divided between them, and both -would doubtless have been decorated with the Cross of Valour if they -had survived the campaign: but poor Campbell was cut off by cholera the -following day, and the distinction was awarded to Lieutenant Crowe, who -still continues to enjoy it. This was the second Victoria Cross bestowed -upon the 78th Highlanders since Havelock assumed the command of that -gallant regiment. - -But the fighting was not yet over; other opportunities of distinction -awaited those who knew how to profit by them. No sooner had Havelock -brought his column across the Ganges, on the 13th of August, than he -began to concert his plans for striking a blow at Nana Sahib, who had -resumed his former position at Bithoor. On the 14th, the men enjoyed -a day’s repose; on the 15th, the gallant Neile left his entrenchment -with a mere handful of soldiers, surprised the enemy’s left wing, and -drove them, with considerable loss, from the vicinity of Cawnpore. On -the 16th, Havelock advanced in the direction of Bithoor with a body of -1300 men, nearly all the available forces that could be collected in -the town. After a fatiguing march of eight hours beneath the fierce -rays of a tropical sun, they came upon the enemy, who had taken up a -strong position in front of Bithoor. They had two guns, and an earthen -redoubt in and near a plantation of sugar-canes and castor-oil trees, -which reached above the heads of the men, while their batteries, -effectually masked, were defended by thick ramparts flanked by entrenched -quadrangles. Their position was also flanked by two villages, with -loopholed houses and walls: in the hands of a braver foe it would have -been almost impregnable; but the Highlanders and Fusiliers, mindful of -their past victories, advanced with the certainty of success. After a -brief exchange of artillery-fire, those two regiments received the order -to charge: the Fusiliers soon cleared the entrenched quadrangles of the -enemy, and drove them before them at the point of the bayonet; while -the Highlanders rushed upon the battery which was immediately in front -of them. On they went, alternately lying down and starting up again, so -as to escape the fierce discharges of grape and canister with which the -rebels strove to arrest their progress. Now they are in front of the -battery, and the foremost of them have cleared the parapet; for a moment -the rebels dared to cross bayonets with them, but it was only for a -moment; they quailed beneath the stern gaze of the mountaineers, turned, -and fled. They were driven through the town of Bithoor, which fell into -our hands; it was impossible to pursue them farther, and our troops -bivouacked on the ground they had so bravely won. Here, as on every other -occasion when victory crowned our arms, the want of cavalry was severely -felt: we reaped all the honours, but few of the solid advantages which -attend success. - -The battle of Bithoor was the conclusion of Havelock’s first brief, -but brilliant campaign for the relief of Lucknow. In a few weeks with -a single column he had defeated the enemy, who were vastly superior to -him in numbers, in five pitched battles; thrice he had advanced in the -direction of Lucknow, and thrice he had been compelled to retire, not -by the rebels, but by the ravages of disease, and the want of transport -for his sick and wounded. Every victory he gained weakened his numbers, -and might almost have justified the exclamation of Pyrrhus—“Another -such victory, and I am undone.” Every urgent appeal for reinforcements -remained unheeded, and his little army required repose. It was not that -the authorities were unwilling to reinforce him, but they had really -no troops to spare, so fiercely had the tide of rebellion set in on -every side. When he returned to Cawnpore on the 19th of August, he -had seventeen officers and four hundred and sixty-six men on the sick -list; or, in other words, about one-fourth of his army was unfit for -service, and the rest were so exhausted that they could scarcely take -the field. Havelock and Neile thirsted to encourage their handful of men -by leading them against the enemy; but they knew that personal feeling -must be subordinate to the one great object of the campaign—the relief of -Lucknow. It would have defeated that object to have frittered away their -forces in gaining victories which ended in nothing; all that could be -done was to recruit the exhausted energies of their men, and to wait for -reinforcements. - -The rebels, encouraged by their apparent inactivity, and mistaking -its cause, assembled in great force on the Oude side of the river, and -threatened to cross at two different places; while, on the other bank, -the small British force from Calpee was exposed to the attacks of the -Gwalior Contingent. This compulsory delay was equally trying to all; but -what could be done with an “army” of seven hundred men, when opposed -to thirty-seven thousand armed and disciplined soldiers? Every day the -general’s telegrams became more urgent and importunate. He was prepared -“to fight anything and at any odds;” but he knew that it would be madness -to advance to Lucknow with the mere handful of men under his command. -There were twenty thousand rebels between him and that town; and though -the fact was well established, that the Asiatics were unable to withstand -the fierce onset of the smallest number of British troops, yet no victory -was gained without a certain amount of loss on our part; and this loss, -added to the ravages of disease, would have caused his little army to -melt away before he reached Lucknow. On the 21st of August, he announced -that, if he were not speedily reinforced, he would abandon the enterprize -as hopeless, and return to Allahabad, from which he had begun his career -of victory about two months before. Meanwhile, he continued to strengthen -his position at Cawnpore, and to send his sick and wounded to Allahabad, -so that all who remained might be able to take the field. - -It would be difficult to say which of the two—Havelock or Inglis—was -most to be pitied. The former, after he was compelled to retreat, wrote -a note, which the messenger contrived to convey to Inglis in safety. -Nothing was concealed; his failure was freely admitted, and he concluded -by saying, “You must aid us in every way, even to cutting your way -out; if we can’t force our way in. We have only a small force.” Inglis -received this note on the 15th, and on the 23rd the messenger, who was -seven days on the way, and had many narrow escapes, brought back his -reply. The garrison at Lucknow was reduced to the last extremity: within -the walls of the Residency were 120 sick and wounded men; 220 women, and -230 children; their stock of provisions was almost exhausted; officers -and civilians had to toil from morning to night like common labourers; -cholera and the bullets of the enemy were gradually thinning their -numbers: but amid all their privations and sufferings they never dreamed -of surrendering. It was better to die within their entrenchments than to -be massacred in cold blood by the ruthless foe without; so they continued -to hold out till the end of the month, when hope again began to dawn -upon the little army of rescue at Cawnpore. Two thousand men belonging -to different regiments were on their way from Calcutta to join them; and -the Naval Brigade, which was composed of five hundred “blue jackets,” -under Captain Peel, who had already distinguished himself in the Crimea, -had left by steamer on the 20th. There was a quarter of a million of -public money in the Residency at Lucknow; but the Governor-General wrote -to Havelock to leave it behind, or to use it in any way that might best -contribute to the deliverance of the garrison. - -A new actor now appears upon the scene. The gallant Outram, the Bayard -of India, “sans peur et sans reproche,” having brought the Persian war -to a successful conclusion, hurried back to Calcutta, and was appointed -to the chief command in the Cawnpore district. He entered on his command -at Cawnpore on the 18th of August, two days after Havelock had gained -his tenth victory over the rebels. On the 1st of September he reached -Allahabad, where he found himself at the head of nearly 1700 men of -different regiments. Leaving 300 to garrison the town, he hurried on -with the rest to reinforce Havelock. Officers and men were equally -anxious to have a brush with the “Pandies,” and to prevent the horrors -of Cawnpore from being repeated at Lucknow. After cutting off a body -of 300 insurgents who were about to cross the Ganges into Doab, Outram -joined Havelock on the 15th of September, and in the exercise of a noble -self-denial which will endear his name to posterity more than all his -brilliant achievements, offered to serve as a volunteer in that army -which he had a right to command. In the spirit of true charity, he -sacrificed personal feeling to a higher sense of justice, and insisted -that Havelock should complete the work he had so well begun. He admired -Havelock with that sincere, unselfish admiration which none but such -generous souls can feel, and scorned the idea of robbing him of his -laurels. On the 16th he issued an order, announcing that Havelock was -promoted to the rank of major-general, and would continue to hold the -command of the army until the relief of Lucknow had been achieved; he -himself would accompany it as a volunteer, proud to serve in any capacity -under such a leader. Havelock’s heart was touched by this “characteristic -generosity of feeling,” which had the best effect upon the men, and -infused into them something of that chivalrous feeling of which Outram -had given such a noble display. - -Before leaving Cawnpore, the two generals telegraphed to the -Governor-General to inquire whether, if Lucknow were recaptured, they -should hold it at all hazards, so as to maintain the _prestige_ of the -British arms, and received the following sensible reply:—“Save the -garrison; never mind our _prestige_ just now, provided you liberate -Inglis: we will recover _prestige_ afterwards. I cannot just now send you -any more troops. Save the British in the Residency, and act afterwards -as your strength will permit.” Better advice could not have been given, -and the two generals proceeded at once to act upon it. Two months had -elapsed since Havelock entered Cawnpore as a conqueror; his noble spirit -chafed at the thought that his victories had contributed nothing to the -rescue of the garrison; but now a brighter prospect opened up before him; -his army was reinforced, and he and Outram marched forth from Cawnpore -with the stern resolve to save the half-famished women and children at -Lucknow, or perish in the attempt. All ranks were animated by the same -feeling; they had confidence in their generals and in themselves, and -they already counted on success. - -On the 19th of September they crossed the Ganges into Oude by a bridge -of boats which had been constructed by Captain Crommelin, and the -enemy assembled on the banks offered only a feeble resistance. The -rapid advances of our men enabled them to overtake them on the 21st, -when they rushed upon them, turned their right flank, drove them from -their position, and captured four of their guns. No wonder that success -attended an army in which Outram was serving as a volunteer: during the -day he headed one of the charges, and the men, inspired by his example, -carried everything before them. The enemy were pursued with such rapidity -that they had not time to destroy the Bunnee bridge over the Sye, and on -the 23rd Havelock again overtook them. They had now taken up a strong -position, and were resolved to make a desperate stand: their left was -posted in the enclosure of the Alum Bagh, and their centre and right on -low hills. This position was so close to Lucknow that the firing could -be distinctly heard in the Residency; and when Havelock discharged his -biggest guns, to tell them that help was at hand, the garrison thought -it the grandest _feu de joie_ they had ever heard. The dying seemed to -receive new life; some wept, others prayed; all prepared to welcome their -deliverers. But though they were now only two miles from Lucknow, they -had still many difficulties to encounter, and Havelock saw the necessity -of giving his wearied troops, who had been marching three days under a -deluge of rain, a little repose before entering on the final struggle. -On the 24th he pitched his camp, and allowed his men to rest till the -morning of the 25th, when, leaving his baggage and tents under the charge -of an escort in the Alum Bagh, he resumed his march. - -It is unnecessary here to describe the heroic advance of our little -army, the fierce resistance they encountered, the losses they sustained, -and the decisive victory they at length obtained; all this is matter -of history, and can never be forgotten. If we confine our attention to -the Highlanders, and the part they acted in the rescue of Lucknow, we -do so from no desire to depreciate the courage of others who shared in -the dangers of the day; our only object is to show in what way three -brave men earned for themselves the Cross of Valour and a place in Mr. -Desanges’s gallery. The Highlanders, the 90th Light Infantry, and the -Sikh Regiment of Ferozpore formed the second infantry brigade, under the -command of Colonel Hamilton, who held the temporary rank of brigadier. -After the desperate resistance of the rebels at the Char Bagh bridge -had been overcome by the gallant charge of the Madras Fusiliers, the -Highlanders received orders to advance by the Cawnpore road to the -Residency, so as to cover the passage of the troops and baggage, and -protect them while the heavy guns captured from the enemy were being -thrown into the canal. While the rest of the troops defiled to the -right, and began to thread their way through the narrow lane which led -to the Residency, the Highlanders maintained their position at the head -of the street till the camp followers, with the baggage and wounded, -had crossed the bridge. For three hours they remained there, immovable -as a rock, unshaken by the menaces of the insurgents; again and again -the rebels dashed themselves against them in overwhelming numbers, and -were driven back at the point of the bayonet; their supply of ammunition -had repeatedly to be renewed; their ranks were gradually thinned by the -murderous fire to which they were exposed; but they only drew the closer -together, and fought on as before. This, the post of danger, had been -assigned to them; they were determined to guard it to the last. - -Maddened by their own losses and the continued resistance of the -Highlanders, the rebels had recourse to another mode of attack. Two brass -9-pounders were dragged forward, and brought to bear on the Highlanders; -not a moment was to be lost; the first discharge would leave furrows of -dead and wounded in their ranks. Herbert Macpherson, the adjutant of the -regiment, proved himself equal to the occasion. This brave young officer -was endeared to the men from family connexion and personal character; -he was a son of that Colonel Macpherson who commanded the regiment for -many years, and shared their dangers in almost every part of the globe. -He was almost a son of the regiment, and the feeling of attachment which -the men cherished toward him on his father’s account, was increased by -the considerate kindness with which he discharged the duties of adjutant. -He had only to lead the way, and they would follow him anywhere. There -were the guns drawn up in front of them, ready to pour forth their -murderous fire; Macpherson leaped forward, waving his sword; he was not -left alone; others were soon by his side; then came a rush, a cheer, -a brief conflict, and all was over. The two guns were seized by brawny -arms, and hurled into the canal: after this the Highlanders calmly -resumed their former position, and continued to act on the defensive. -The impetuosity of their attack was only equalled by their firmness -under fire, and these two qualities are rarely united in the same men. -The non-combatant officers were animated by the same spirit, and proved -themselves worthy of the regiment to which they belonged. Numbers of -wounded Highlanders were scattered along the streets of Lucknow in the -course of that bloody conflict, and the two surgeons of the regiment -frequently risked their own lives in ministering to their wants and -superintending their removal. Ten officers and one-fourth of the men -were killed or wounded; the skill, the courage, and the energy of the -surgeons were taxed to the utmost. Soldiers are not ungrateful, and the -Highlanders proved on this occasion that they could appreciate the calm -courage of M’Master, who bound up their wounds while the bullets of the -enemy were whistling around his head, as well as the dashing bravery of -Macpherson, who led them on when they seized the two guns and hurled them -into the canal. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiment, and -it was left to the corps to decide who were the men most worthy to wear -them. One was assigned to Lieutenant and Adjutant (now Major) Macpherson, -for the deed of distinguished courage which we have already described; -the other was bestowed, by the universal acclamation of the soldiers, -on Assistant-Surgeon Valentine M’Master, for the devoted gallantry with -which he risked his life in binding up the wounds and securing the -retreat of the men under his charge disabled by the bullets of the enemy. -The same honour was afterwards conferred on Dr. J. Jee, the surgeon of -the regiment, who had displayed the greatest courage and humanity in -bringing in and attending to the wounded. - -In two months the Highlanders had fought twelve battles; in four days -they had lost _one-third_ of their number; their march through the -streets was like a march through a sea of fire; but onward they went, -dauntless, though not unscathed. And now they are within the walls of -the Residency, where the ladies are pressing around them, and rendering -thanks to heaven for their deliverance, and yielding their babes to the -fond caresses of those stern warriors whose eyes, still glaring with -the fury of battle, are soon suffused with tears, as they restore them -to their mothers and turn aside to talk of comrades who have fallen, or -of the dear ones they have left behind. The Rachels of Lucknow had no -occasion that night to weep for their children because they were not; a -strong hand and a mighty arm had brought them deliverance; and many a lip -trembled with the grateful prayer of the Hebrew warrior: “Not unto us, -not unto us, O Lord! but unto Thy name do we give glory.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -“LUCKNOW” KAVANAGH AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -The Siege of Lucknow forms one of the most interesting episodes in -the history of the Indian Mutiny. No event connected with the war -excited a deeper interest in this country, and it is impossible, even -after the lapse of nine years, to reflect on the gallant defence of a -small body of soldiers and civilians shut up within the Residency, the -patient endurance of the women, and the heroic efforts to effect their -deliverance, without a certain thrill of emotion. Among the many who -distinguished themselves at this critical period, a prominent place -is held by T. Henry Kavanagh, an Irish gentleman belonging to the -uncovenanted service, who happened to be stationed at Lucknow with his -wife and children. The report of the massacres at other stations induced -the Kavanaghs to remove from their own house to two rooms in the Post -Office near the Residency, and these they continued to occupy during all -the privations and miseries of the subsequent siege, and until the final -rescue. As soon as the native regiments mutinied, the small garrison of -Europeans at Lucknow, under the command of Sir Henry Lawrence, prepared -to defend themselves to the last: provisions were collected, the -fortifications strengthened, and the civilians enrolled into companies -of combatants. Before the middle of June, 1857, the whole province of -Oude had cast off its allegiance to the British Crown; the English -residents had perished or betaken themselves to flight; Lucknow alone -remained, like a mighty rock, with the British flag displayed on its -summit, dashing back the waves of insurrection and mutiny. All the rage -of the rebels was concentrated against it: again and again they advanced -to the attack; but the gallant band of defenders, though weakened by -suffering and thinned by the bullets of the enemy, proved to their -recreant assailants that they would sooner bury themselves beneath the -ruins than surrender; and India, in truth, could not have been retained -as an appendage of our Crown if it had not been defended by men equal in -courage to those who first reduced it to subjection. - -The garrison, not satisfied with maintaining the defence, sent small -bodies of cavalry to rescue their countrymen at the neighbouring -stations, and occasionally made sorties against the enemy. In one of -these affairs they were overpowered by numbers at a place called Chinut, -and obliged to retire within their entrenchments with considerable loss. -This disaster, coupled with the massacre of Cawnpore, of which they had -just heard, had a depressing effect upon the garrison at first; but the -thought that a similar fate awaited their wives and children if they -fell into the hands of the enemy, inspired the men with the courage of -despair. Their numbers were reduced, but still they held out. Every mine -of their assailants was countermined; every rent in their walls was -repaired almost as soon as made. In the obstinacy of their defence they -equalled the inhabitants of Saragossa; and there was many a fair maid -who lauded their courage, tended the sick, and prayed with the dying. -During the first part of the siege, Kavanagh was so prostrated by illness -that he could render no assistance; he lay chafing in his bed, like the -wounded knight in “Ivanhoe,” listening to the din of battle and bemoaning -his hard fate. The report of gallant deeds done by others filled his -heart with such rapture, that, he tells us, it would have burst if a -friend had not leaned on his chest to keep down its emotions. There is -no instance, perhaps, on record where strong mental emotion exercised -a more powerful influence over the physical frame than in Kavanagh’s -case. On the 20th of July he was able to leave his bed, and from that -day to the final rescue he proved himself brave amongst the brave. He -tells us that from the years of his boyhood he had longed to do some -deed to immortalise his name, and his youthful aspirations met with so -little sympathy that his uncle assured him he was born to be hanged. But -Kavanagh is not the first who has been misunderstood in early life. When -he returned from India, the admired of all admirers, his friends were -better able to appreciate his character. - -Towards the end of July, cholera, fever, and smallpox joined their -ravages to those of war, and cut off many of the garrison. On the 7th of -August, Kavanagh had a narrow escape from death. He had left his house to -report himself to his superior officer, and unwittingly exposed himself -to the fire of the enemy, from which he was rescued by two of his friends -who saw his danger. His courage was not of a calculating character, and -his warlike enthusiasm having led him to fire without orders, he was -placed under arrest. He was soon released, and, taught by experience, -was content for the future to check his undisciplined ardour and to -obey the directions of his superiors. August passed drearily away. The -defenders, when there was a lull in the attack, climbed to the roofs -of their houses and looked out, like sister Anne, for assistance which -never came. Hope and despair alternately gained the mastery over them. -They rejoiced as they thought of the serried ranks of their countrymen -advancing; they shuddered as they thought of their wives, and sisters, -and children, exposed to the same fate as the victims of Cawnpore. At one -time they amused themselves with reckless gaiety in writing lampoons upon -one another; now they gave way to unreasoning despondency, and cursed -the heartlessness of their countrymen in leaving them thus to perish -amid the ruins. In this, as in similar straits, the women were far more -hopeful and unselfish than the men: they concealed their own fears, and -often starved themselves that their husbands and children might eat. The -ministering angels of that beleaguered fort, their presence exercised a -wholesome power which gave hope to the despairing and courage to the -feeble. Had there been none of the gentler and weaker sex in Lucknow, it -is doubtful whether its garrison of strong men would have stood out so -long. - -September passed slowly away without bringing the expected aid. The -enemy changed their tactics, and tried to reduce the garrison by hunger. -Our countrymen, no longer roused to exertion by the fierce excitement -of fighting, sank into a sort of stupor, and bewailed the dull monotony -of their existence, which was occasionally relieved by the bands of the -mutineers playing familiar airs, and more especially the National Anthem. -Meanwhile Havelock, with his gallant little force, was fast advancing -to their help. The Highlanders were on the march to Lucknow, though the -shrill music of the war-pipe was not yet heard within its walls. Our -readers are all, doubtless, familiar with the story of Jessie Brown, -the Scottish servant-maid, whose watchful ear drank in the slogan and -pibroch of her advancing countrymen when others could hear nothing. It -is always an invidious task to dispel a pleasing illusion, but a sacred -regard for truth compels us to state that Jessie is a purely mythical -being—a creature of the imagination as much as Mrs. Harris. The story of -Jessie is one of those _canards_ with which French journals delight to -entertain their readers; it first appeared in the _Pays_, was dramatised -and introduced on the stage, and Jessie’s paternity, we understand, -has been the subject of litigation. Notwithstanding our protests, she -will doubtless live in the future history of Lucknow till a second -myth-destroying Niebuhr appear to vindicate the truth. On the afternoon -of the 25th of September the garrison could hear, not the sound of the -bagpipe, but the boom of Havelock’s artillery, and all who could walk -hurried to the roofs of the houses and strained their eyes to catch the -first glimpse of their countrymen. On they came, a small but resolute -body, driving the enemy before them at the point of the bayonet, and -pressing them into the river, where many of them perished. Little -resistance was offered till the advance column began to force their way -through the Red Gate, where the enemy opened a murderous fire of small -arms upon them. There was no time to pick up the wounded or rescue the -bodies of the slain. A rush was made, and Havelock’s band was within -the walls. The enthusiasm of the garrison knew no bounds: they cheered, -they waved their hats, they wept with irrepressible joy, they embraced -and implored blessings upon their deliverers. Poor Kavanagh, with true -Milesian hospitality, offered his last three bottles of liquor to the -exhausted soldiers, who required no pressing to induce them to empty them. - -For a time all was joy within the garrison, but there was still much -work to be done, much suffering to be endured. The Red Gate was still in -the possession of the enemy: Kavanagh undertook to conduct a party to a -spot where they could seize it by surprise. At the moment of danger the -two young officers in command lost courage, and treated their guide as a -drunken madman. An unsuccessful attempt was made to reach the Alum Bagh, -where there was a small garrison of our men. On this occasion Kavanagh -was one of the first to advance, the last to retreat; he often spent -whole nights in the mines, worked his way into those of the enemy, and -brought his revolver to bear upon them with deadly effect. A master of -Hindustani, he could scold as well as shoot, and it was difficult to say -whether his tongue or his rifle was more galling to the enemy. Havelock’s -men brought no provisions with them, and, as there were now more mouths -to be fed, the rations were reduced in quantity. We have heard many a -soldier say that he would rather go without his dinner than his pipe, and -the poor smokers had to use dried tea and bitter herbs as a substitute -for tobacco. But the sufferers bore up manfully, and their sufferings -were all but forgotten when, on the 9th of November, a spy arrived with a -despatch from Sir Colin Campbell, announcing that help was at hand. Plans -had been previously drawn up for the guidance of the Commander-in-Chief -in effecting his entrance into the Residency, but it was felt that they -could be of little use unless some one familiar with the locality could -reach his camp for the purpose of explaining them. - -Here was an undertaking of no ordinary danger. The guide would have to -pass through the hostile ranks of the mutineers in disguise; if detected, -he would have to submit to a death of torture. No wonder, then, that -the bravest heart quailed before such an adventure. But the moment was -urgent; the provisions were nearly exhausted; if the relieving army met -with a check the whole garrison might perish. In this emergency Kavanagh -came forward and offered his services. Not from mere recklessness. He -knew the extent of the danger. He had counted the cost, and was prepared -for success or failure. In Sir James Outram, the Chief Commissioner, he -found a kindred spirit who could appreciate such an act of self-devotion: -Outram entered readily into all his plans, and undertook to afford him -every assistance. At first the native spy refused to encounter the risk -of passing through the ranks of the enemy in company with a European in -disguise, but his scruples were overcome. Kavanagh borrowed from the -natives the different articles of clothing he required to complete his -disguise, and when, arrayed in Oriental costume, he entered Outram’s -quarters, his appearance was so altered that his most familiar friends -failed to recognise him. The painter of the pictures composing the -Victoria Cross Gallery, Mr. Desanges, has chosen this meeting as a -subject for his canvas. The dignified Oriental is Kavanagh; the short, -thick-set figure, who, cigar in mouth, is holding a plan of Lucknow -in one hand, and giving the last touch to Kavanagh’s beard with the -other, is the late Sir James Outram, and he is surrounded by officers -of the garrison; in the background are Kunoujee Lal, the native spy, -and some servants. At half-past eight o’clock on the evening of the 9th -of November Kavanagh started on his arduous mission, followed by the -prayers and best wishes of all who were intrusted with the secret. His -most anxious thoughts were of his wife and children, who believed that -he was to spend the night in the mines. The darkness of the hour was -favourable to the enterprise. On reaching the river Goompty they had to -strip and wade across. After crossing the river they crept up a trench -for about three hundred yards, till they came to a grove of trees, -where they stopped to dress. A man came down to the river to wash, but, -fortunately, he did not observe them; they regained their confidence, -and advanced towards the huts of the enemy in front. Kavanagh exchanged -greetings with a matchlockman, taking care to be the first to speak. -On proceeding about seven hundred yards farther they reached the iron -bridge across the Goompty, and were challenged by a native officer. -Kavanagh remained a little in the shade: the officer, satisfied with the -answers of the guide, allowed them to pass. They continued to advance -along the left bank of the river, where they were met by numbers of -sepoys, till they reached the stone bridge, where they glided past the -sentry, and found themselves in the principal street of Lucknow. As it -was part of their policy to court rather than avoid observation, they -advanced along the main street, where no one challenged them, till they -reached the open country, when a watchman inquired who they were. The -answer was satisfactory, and they passed on cheerfully for four or five -miles through the fragrant groves and beautiful woods which surround -Lucknow, when they discovered that they had taken the wrong road and -were close to the pickets of the enemy. The native guide was alarmed -lest Kavanagh should suspect his honesty; but, reassured on this point, -he endeavoured to find the right path. In wandering through the fields -they met with singular adventures: they tumbled into ditches, and were -nearly drowned; they alarmed the dogs of the native villages, and had to -conceal themselves in a canal; they entered a wretched hut, and persuaded -the female inmates to point out the way. About one o’clock in the morning -they came upon an advanced picket of the enemy. Kavanagh marched up -to them boldly, and, after answering their challenge, was allowed to -pass. They were now close to the Alum Bagh, which was garrisoned by the -English, but the native guide dissuaded Kavanagh from attempting to pass -through the numerous rifle-pits and detachments of the enemy by which -it was surrounded. At three o’clock they reached a mango grove, where a -native sentinel, hearing their approach, gave the alarm, and the guard -was called out. Startled by this unexpected danger, the native guide lost -courage, and threw away the despatch for Sir Colin Campbell. It was a -trying moment, but Kavanagh retained his presence of mind, and disarmed -their suspicions by his confident bearing and ready answers. The guide -had the politeness to show them the way to Umroula, a village on the -route to the English camp, which, they said, they wished to reach; and, -after walking on for some distance, they tumbled into a jheel, or swamp, -and were once more nearly drowned. They continued to advance with the -water often as high as their necks: Kavanagh, being the taller of the -two, had often to hold up Kunoujee Lal by the neck to keep him from -sinking. Their clothes were torn from their bodies by the tall reeds, -and, worse than this, the paint was washed from Kavanagh’s hands by the -muddy water: it was fortunate that it did not reach his face. After -floundering in the swamp for two hours, they reached the land in such a -state of exhaustion that they had to rest for a quarter of an hour. - -[Illustration: Thomas Henry Kavanagh completing his Disguise in the -Residency at Lucknow.] - -Resuming their route, they entered the village, and found several men -sleeping near the _chubootra_, or native office. Rousing one of the -sleepers, they informed him that they were spies sent to discover the -strength of the enemy, and requested him to direct them to the English -camp. The sleeper, enraged at being disturbed, gave them a surly answer; -and, advancing, they passed to the other guards about three hundred -yards apart. It was fortunate for them that the enemy had thrown out -no sentries, and were seated in a half-drowsy state around their -watch-fires. They passed between the two fires without being challenged, -and soon after met some villagers, who informed them that they were -fleeing before the English. They inferred from this that Sir Colin -Campbell’s encampment must be close at hand; and, after losing their way -and again nearly falling into the hands of the rebels, they reached a -grove about four o’clock in the morning, and Kavanagh, regardless of the -remonstrances of the guide, threw himself on the ground to sleep for an -hour. Before he had closed his eyes he was startled by the challenge, in -a native accent, “Who comes there?” and sprang to his feet. Perhaps those -three simple English words, pronounced by native lips, were the sweetest -words he ever heard in his life. They had stumbled upon a picket of -Sikhs, and the officer in command requested two Sowars to conduct them to -the advance-guard. - -Kavanagh was almost dead with cold and fatigue, but a kind-hearted -officer of the 9th Lancers supplied him with clothes and refreshments. -The adventures of the past night seemed to him like a fearful dream; now -that they were past he could scarcely realize them. The whole English -camp was struck with admiration of a deed unsurpassed in the annals of -the heroic ages, and each vied with the other in doing honour to one whom -they were proud to call their countryman. Even the stern and impassive -old Scottish chief—usually so sparing in his praise, so severe in his -reproof—was touched by the unselfish heroism of such a deed. In the -darkened tent, unseen by human eye, Kavanagh knelt down and expressed -his gratitude to Him who had taken him from the miry clay and conducted -him in safety through the hosts of the enemy. His next thought was of -his wife and children; and before lying down to rest he had the flag of -the semaphore in the Alum Bagh hoisted as the signal of his safety. It -was in vain that he tried to sleep; his over-excited brain refused to be -lulled to rest. At eleven o’clock he was seated at Sir Colin’s table, -surprising his entertainer by the strangeness of his adventures and the -strength of his appetite. His assistance was invaluable in explaining the -plans drawn up by Sir James Outram, and in pointing out the best route -for advancing through Lucknow. By exposing his own life he saved that of -many a gallant soldier who would otherwise have been lost; and Sir Colin -showed his appreciation of his conduct by retaining him near his person. -Next morning the army of rescue was on the march, and after a feeble -resistance reached the Alum Bagh. On the 14th of November they advanced -against Lucknow, under the guidance of Kavanagh, who was familiar with -the neighbourhood of the city. The cowardly Sepoys fled before our men, -and sought refuge within the walls of Lucknow. On reaching the banks -of the river the English army halted, and spent the night under arms, -waiting anxiously and eagerly for the hour when the Massacre of Cawnpore -was to be avenged. The night was dark and chilly; Kavanagh slept by the -side of Sir Colin Campbell on the cold floor; the foe attempted nothing -to disturb their repose. - -With the earliest dawn Sir Colin was mounted on his charger, riding from -post to post and giving his orders for the day. A new route proposed by -Kavanagh, as preferable to that indicated by Outram, was at once adopted; -but during the following night a heavy cannonade was kept up to mislead -the enemy from the real point of danger. Next morning our men advanced -rapidly through the tortuous lanes and thick plantations, meeting with -little resistance from the enemy, who expected to be attacked in another -quarter, till they reached the Secunder Bagh. Here a heavy fire of -musketry was opened upon them, and the first man who tried to pass was -shot in the hip and fell. Kavanagh leaped from his horse, took the poor -fellow in his arms, and bore him in safety to a neighbouring hut. Others -pressed forward and surrounded the building; the artillery seized an -embankment which commanded the gate; the enemy were deprived of all means -of escape. The Highlanders were the first who entered; arrested in their -progress by a dead wall, they mounted the roof, tore off the tiles, and -leaped into the midst of the mutineers. At the same time a breach was -made in the walls of the Secunder Bagh; Sikh and Highlander vied with one -another in being the first to reach it; many were hit, but nothing could -resist their impetuous bravery. They forced their way in, and, maddened -with resistance and the remembrance of Cawnpore, they showed no mercy; -the bayonet did its deadly work till all was still, and two thousand of -the mutineers were piled together in one gory mass as a monument of our -vengeance. Humanity shudders at the remembrance of such a scene, but the -murderers of helpless women and children at Cawnpore deserved no quarter. - -Our men, worn out with fatigue and hunger, remained under arms the whole -night, waiting anxiously for daybreak. Sir Colin slept outside the -Secunder Bagh, with Kavanagh by his side; with the earliest dawn the -whole army was on the move. The enemy, disheartened by their reverses, -offered little resistance, and began to retreat; Kavanagh, who had -advanced to examine their position, was mistaken for a spy, and had a -narrow escape from being shot by his countrymen. Undaunted by the danger -to which he was exposed from the peculiarity of his dress and appearance, -he led a party of our men to the Motee Mahul, which was occupied by the -enemy, and, finding that the wall could not be broken through without -sappers, he returned to Sir Colin for assistance. After an amusing -altercation between him and his impetuous chief the required aid was -granted, and the British flag soon waved on the summit of the building. -After this success Kavanagh pressed forward in the hope of being the -first to reach Sir James Outram; he passed in safety through the fire of -the enemy till he met a soldier of the 64th Regiment, who conducted him -to the spot where a group of officers were standing. It was Sir James -Outram and his staff; as soon as they recognised their former comrade -in arms they shouted, “It is Kavanagh! three cheers for him! he is the -first to relieve us.” The warmth of this greeting was felt at the moment -to be a sufficient recompense for all the dangers he had encountered; no -wonder that tears rose to his eyes as he grasped the hands of those whom -he had parted with a little before, doubtful whether he should ever meet -them again. There was more joy in that meeting than falls to the lot of -many men in the whole course of their lives—a joy such as can only be -experienced by those who have risked their own safety in behalf of others. - -After the first congratulations, he offered to conduct Sir James and -his staff to the commander-in-chief. It was an undertaking of some -danger, but the Bayard of India never knew fear. They passed unscathed -through a shower of grape and bullets, and Sir James took shelter in -the shade of a hut while Kavanagh went to announce his arrival to Sir -Colin Campbell. The meeting between these two gallant men was like the -meeting between Wellington and Blucher after Waterloo; but there was no -time for empty compliments; they had to make good their retreat from -Lucknow without a moment’s delay. Havelock, the good Christian, the -gallant soldier, tottered forward to welcome his deliverer; seven days -later he was carried to his grave, lamented and respected by all who have -learned to appreciate his heroic bravery, his humble piety. Three better -or braver men than Havelock, Outram, and Campbell have never met; they -have all passed away now; but such men can never die; they will live -for ever in the memory and affections of their grateful and admiring -countrymen. Nor was Kavanagh forgotten at that meeting. Sir Colin spoke -of him in such terms of admiration as rarely issued from his stern lips, -and expressed his sense of the value of his services in his despatch to -the Government of India. “His escape at a time when the intrenchment -was closely invested by a large army, and when communication, even -through the medium of natives, was almost impossible, is, in Sir Colin -Campbell’s opinion, one of the most daring feats ever attempted; and the -result was most beneficial; for, in the immediate subsequent advance -on Lucknow of the force under the Commander-in-chief’s directions, the -thorough acquaintance with the localities possessed by Mr. Kavanagh, -and his knowledge of the approaches to the British position were of the -greatest use; and his excellency desires to record his obligations to -this gentleman, who accompanied him throughout the operations, and was -ever present to afford valuable information.” But dearer to Kavanagh -than the praises of despatches or the congratulations of comrades were -the tender reproaches of his wife, as she clasped him to her breast and -wept her joy and admiration in his arms. The poet who sang the parting of -Hector and Andromache could alone do justice to such a meeting; it lies -not within the province of simple prose. He appeared in the midst of that -beleaguered garrison as a bearer of safety—a messenger of mercy; the very -soldiers blessed him as he passed, the heart of the widow and the captive -sang aloud for joy, and many pressed into his house that they might “only -have a look at him.” Few rewards have been more justly earned or more -gratefully paid. - -After effecting the rescue of the garrison, Sir Colin Campbell retired by -forced marches to Cawnpore, where his presence soon reassured the forces, -disheartened by the attacks of the enemy during his absence. Kavanagh -accompanied him to Cawnpore, and soon after started for Calcutta, where -the refugees from Lucknow met with a generous and hospitable reception -from the governor-general and the British residents. The guide who had -acted such an important part in the enterprise was not forgotten; all -met with much sympathy; but there was a ringing cheer, such as none but -English can give, when “Lucknow” Kavanagh (the name by which he has -ever since been known, and a prefix as worthily gained as that which -distinguished the Confederate general “Stonewall” Jackson) appeared with -his wife and family. But such a restless spirit could not remain inactive -at Calcutta while the fighting was going on in Oude; he no longer -belonged to the uncovenanted service, and was at liberty to go wherever -he pleased. He made his way up the country, formed the acquaintance of -the _Times_’ correspondent, Dr. Russell, who persuaded him to mount an -unruly horse that nearly broke his neck, and at last joined the army of -Sir Colin Campbell, then a second time advancing from Cawnpore to Lucknow. - -During the subsequent fighting he exposed himself to the fire of the -enemy with almost reckless bravery; his constant immunity from danger -gave rise to a sort of half belief that he bore a charmed life, and this -belief was almost justified by the result. Many a gallant English officer -bit the dust at Lucknow, but the bullets of the enemy seemed to be turned -aside by some invisible hand from the person of Kavanagh. If the old -Greek mythology had not been obsolete, we should have been tempted to -believe that some friendly god or goddess was watching over our hero, -and guarding him alike from friend and foe, as Aphrodite and Poseidon -watched over Æneas at the siege of Troy. More than once he was in danger -of being shot by his countrymen as a deserter; he had hand-to-hand -combats with the enemy, whom he was ready to meet at any odds; he was -thrown from horses, precipitated from dog-carts, tumbled into wells, was -shot through the shoulder, wounded in the ankle, and survived to thrill -the world by the story of his strange adventures, which borders on the -realms of romance. When fighting was over at Lucknow he resumed his civil -duties, and used all his influence to protect the miserable natives who -had returned to their homes, and to check the thieving propensities of -the gallant Sikhs and savage little Ghoorkas. In June, 1858, he offered -to proceed to the camp of the enemy with a flag of truce, to persuade -them to lay aside their arms and submit to the British rule; but the -authorities at Lucknow—wisely, as we think—refused to expose his life -to such a danger. Soon after this he was ordered to Muliabad, where he -was intrusted with the command of a certain number of Sikhs and native -police, whom he frequently led against the enemy. In these encounters he -had many hair-breadth escapes; on one occasion his horse was disabled by -a shot, and threw him to the ground. It was deemed a mark of merit on -the part of Sir Hugh Widdrington that he could fight upon his stumps; -Kavanagh was a hero of the same calibre; though dismounted he was not -disarmed, and such was his determined bravery that he not only beat -off his assailants, but seized one of them by the throat, and made him -prisoner. At the fort of Birrwa he summoned the enemy to surrender, -promising them their lives if they yielded without further resistance; -they expressed their readiness to do so, if they could only have faith in -his promises. On this he threw aside his arms, pushed past his own men -who were between him and the enemy, walked into the centre of the yard -where they stood, and thus placed his life at their mercy. They were awed -by the courage of the act, and threw themselves at his feet in token of -surrender; and thus, by yet one more daring deed, many lives were again -saved by him. Such generous devotion was calculated to produce a powerful -impression on the native mind; the Sikhs under his command looked up to -him as a superior being, and once, when in great jeopardy, two of them -saved his life at the expense of their own. After an absence of nine -months he returned to Lucknow to rejoin his wife, who had suffered much -uneasiness from the frequent reports of his death, and welcomed him -almost as one from the dead. The joy of their meeting was scarcely over -when he received orders to proceed to Sundeela and place his valuable -services at the disposal of Brigadier Barker, who was advancing to attack -two rebel chiefs who had shut themselves up within the fortresses of -Birrwa and Rohya. He took an active part in reducing these strongholds, -and in bringing back the Talookdars, or native barons, to submission to -the British rule. It was only when all resistance had ceased that he -returned to his civil duties, and reluctantly exchanged the sword for the -pen. In May, 1859, he returned with his family to England, and published -a brief account of his adventures. - -Such a man assuredly deserved the Victoria Cross, which has often -been the reward of isolated acts of bravery. He merited it not only -for acting as a guide to Sir Colin Campbell at Lucknow, but also for -frequently exposing his life to danger in the field. Our readers, then, -will learn with some surprise that, when Lord Canning recommended him -for the Victoria Cross, the Court of Directors refused to forward his -recommendation to the Queen, under the pretence that “he would be -entitled to the medal which they anticipate her Majesty will confer upon -the garrison and relieving army of Lucknow.” They doubtless esteemed -the Victoria Cross too great an honour for a member of the uncovenanted -service. This was a last failure of expiring red-tapeism in the East; for -Kavanagh had soon after the satisfaction of announcing a new _régime_ -in the capital of Oude, and of wearing the Victoria Cross on his manly -breast. He was the means of saving 300,000_l._ of public treasure at -Lucknow, and no one will say that he was too liberally rewarded by the -gift of 2000_l._ and the appointment of Assistant-Commissioner in Oude. -In one sense, the doers of deeds like Kavanagh’s can never be adequately -rewarded by gifts or offices: their richest recompense is to be found -in the high esteem of their fellow-men and the grateful remembrance of -posterity. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -LIEUTENANT BUTLER AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -During several years previous to the Indian mutiny the kingdom of Oude -had been a source of much anxiety to the Governors of India. It was -formerly an independent province, in which were about 3,000,000 people, -but in 1856 it became a province of British India. The capital of Oude is -Lucknow, one of the largest cities in India, containing at least 300,000 -inhabitants; it is a straggling place, extending over nearly three miles, -but contains many large important buildings, forts, &c. The streets are -very narrow and winding, thus rendering it difficult for any troops to -march through it when an enemy is in possession of the neighbouring -buildings. A fine river—the Goomtee—runs past the town, and bounds it on -one side. - -It was on or about the 24th of May, 1857, that the first indications of -an outbreak became manifest at Lucknow; at this date there were about 500 -available European troops, whilst the mutineers of the native regiments -numbered about 4000. In addition to these, the whole of the inhabitants -of the district were in rebellion, being led by various leaders, and -formed bands of brigands, whose principal object was to hunt down and -murder Europeans. - -Sir Henry Lawrence was at this time Chief Commissioner of Oude, and, -being possessed of great foresight and skill, prepared to receive the -coming shock. He put a portion of Lucknow, termed the Residency, into a -state of defence, stored it with ammunition and provisions, fortified -also a place termed the Muchhee Bhowun, and then waited the course of -events. - -After having defended himself in these two places from the 30th of -May, he, on the 29th of June, sallied out in the hope of cutting off a -party of mutineers, but, having ventured farther than he intended, he -discovered a most powerful body of the mutineers, and was obliged to -retreat with considerable loss, more especially as the artillery he had -taken with him deserted their guns and joined the enemy. Shortly after -this he found that, with his diminished numbers, it was imprudent to -hold two places. Thus the Muchhee Bhowun was abandoned, and the whole -garrison were brought into the Residency, and a defence commenced which -was certainly one of the most marvellous that has ever been recorded in -history. - -The ruling mind in Lucknow was from the commencement that of Sir H. -Lawrence, and many brave men were accustomed to look to him for advice or -directions in various trying circumstances. When, then, he died, on the -4th of July, from the effects of a wound produced by a shell which burst -in the room in which he was sitting, his loss cast a gloom on the devoted -band within the Residency, and rendered for a time their position even -more than ever perilous. - -Day by day and night after night a continued fire of artillery and -musketry was directed upon the Residency, and the only defence on the -part of the besieged, in many instances, was to remain under cover, and -thus to escape from the iron hail above them. Among the many singular -events that occurred during the siege of Lucknow, there were none that -were more exciting to those concerned than the underground combats. -The mutineers, having been trained by our own Sappers and Miners, -were thoroughly acquainted with the principles and use of mines, and -they applied their knowledge in the present instance to the attempted -destruction of their enemy. Let any of us imagine ourselves to be shut -up in a fort surrounded by a merciless enemy, unable to show even a hand -above the walls of the defences without having a shower of bullets aimed -at it, and then to know that from several directions there were galleries -being driven underground until a spot could be reached beneath us in -which a sufficient quantity of powder could be placed to send us, our -fort, and guns a hundred feet in the air. - -Fatal as the mine undoubtedly is, it, like the deadly rattlesnake of -America, invariably makes a noise before it strikes its blow, and thus -it was impossible for the mutineers to work underground and yet make -no sound; so that the garrison by watchfulness could hear the blows of -the enemy’s pickaxe and spade, and could then make what was called a -counter-mine, and at the proper time blow up the work of the besiegers. -In many cases the defenders broke their way into the galleries made by -the mutineers, and shots were exchanged in the darkness underground. In -only one instance did the mutineers succeed in their mines; this occurred -in consequence of a mine being directed against an outer wall of the -Sikh cavalry lines, the noise of the horses’ feet preventing the sound -of the miners from being heard. This mine, upon being exploded, buried -half-a-dozen drummers in its ruins, and opened a breach large enough to -have admitted the enemy, who were, however, too cautious to venture upon -an encounter at close quarters, even with a foe which they outnumbered in -the proportion of ten to one. - -In many instances the counter-mines of the besieged produced most -destructive effects on the enemy. In one case where the mutineers -commenced a mine a counter-mine was immediately attempted, which, when -exploded, blew up the enemy’s gallery, a house near it, and some three -dozen men. - -In spite, however, of these successes, the condition of the besieged was -bad enough. - -During the whole of June, July, and August, this devoted band maintained -themselves against their innumerable foes. The massacre at Cawnpore had -shown them what they might expect if they surrendered, and thus, in spite -of sickness, want of provisions, and other evils, they held their ground, -until, on the 23rd of September, the firing of artillery in the distance -informed them that help was at hand. So strangely are some constitutions -framed and kept up by excitement that, as we were informed by an -eye-witness, in many instances the besieged during several weeks took no -other nourishment than a little water and a few mouthfuls of bread per -day, feeling quite unable to touch any other food, and, in fact, having -no appetite for it. - -On the 25th of September, Generals Outram and Havelock commenced their -attack upon Lucknow, and early in the morning the first brigade commenced -its march. It was soon found that the enemy had made most extensive -preparations to meet them, each suitable station being selected for -cannon, which played with murderous effect upon the advancing troops. -During six hours the gallant band of warriors, each member of which -deserved a cross of honour, struggled forward to the relief of their -comrades—the English women and children shut up in the Residency. During -the afternoon a temporary halt was ordered under the walls of a palace -termed the Fureed Buksh; but ere long darkness coming on rendered the -next movement one of considerable importance. The Residency was yet -half-a-mile distant, and large bodies of the enemy were between it and -the palace. To delay till the morning the relief of the besieged might be -an unwise proceeding, for the ferocious mutineers might during the night -make a successful attack, and a massacre would be the result. It was -therefore decided that the 78th Highlanders and another regiment should -advance. This decision having been arrived at, a short half-hour only was -passed before men, women, and children, who had almost ceased to hope, -suddenly found themselves in comparative safety, delivered by the skill -and courage of Havelock and his column of relief. - -The besieged, who had during a hundred days been shut up in the -Residency, were actually surprised by the arrival of succour. Although -several intimations had been received to the effect that a relieving -force was coming, yet there was no appearance of it even on the morning -of the 25th, although considerable commotion was observable among the -armed men and sepoys in the town. At about 5 P.M. volleys of musketry -were heard in the streets, and the peculiar hiss of the Minié ball was -audible. A few minutes later the English troops were seen fighting their -way gallantly, and then from every loophole and embrasure, from hospital -and house, arose a cheer and shout from every living being within that -inclosure that had so long been a prison, and was so near being a grave. - -Yet, after all, this relief proved to be merely “succour,” for, as about -30 officers and 500 men were killed and wounded during the march through -the town, and as also in the previous actions many men had been lost, the -army of 3000 that had left Cawnpore to relieve Lucknow had dwindled into -a mere handful. There was also a difficulty about food, for the increase -in numbers caused a demand for more provisions, and already there was a -scanty supply even for those who previously occupied the Residency. - -Those who have been much exposed to “fire” have often experienced many -hair-breadth escapes and singular incidents. Several are related in -connexion with the defence of Lucknow. An officer was handing a glass of -water to a companion, the glass being held low down, when a bullet struck -the glass and smashed it to pieces, without, however, hurting either man. -Three prisoners were brought in, and were being tried by a drum-head -court-martial, when the proceedings were suddenly cut short by a round -shot, which, without ceremony, killed the three prisoners, after which -the court was dissolved. - -It was soon found that the sepoys, having discovered how small a force -had joined the garrison, were determined to pursue their attack with -renewed vigour, and continued the siege until the intrenchments were -deserted on the 19th of November. - -We in England who live at home at ease, and perform our morning toilets -with composure, can scarcely imagine the effect that would be produced -upon us by an event such as the following, related with great coolness by -a lady in her “Diary of the Siege of Lucknow:”— - -“This morning an 18-pounder came through our unfortunate room again. It -broke the panel of the door, and knocked the whole of the barricade down, -upsetting everything; my dressing-table was sent flying through the door.” - -When the relief had overcome the various obstacles that had been opposed -to its entrance into Lucknow, and had joined the besieged garrison, it -was found necessary to give up the Residency. This was accomplished by -a ruse, and during the night, when the women and children, the wounded -and sick, were conveyed in safety to the Alum Bagh, thence to Allahabad, -leaving Lucknow to be dealt with by men alone. - -[Illustration: Lieutenant Thomas Adair Butler, 1st Bengal Fusiliers, at -Lucknow.] - -It was not till early in March, 1858, that Sir Colin Campbell appeared -with a large British force before Lucknow. At this time there were -about thirty thousand Sepoys in arms in the city, besides which -there were fully fifty thousand armed volunteers and irregulars. The -commander-in-chief’s preparations had been most ably planned and carried -out. A bridge was soon thrown across the Goomtee, with very little -opposition. On the 7th of March twenty-two guns, all of large calibre, -were sent across this bridge, and joined Sir J. Outram’s force on the -opposite side. On the 8th a decided step was made towards the capture of -the city. A heavy fire had been maintained all day on the Martinière, and -Sir Colin determined to assault it very soon. - -It was on this day that the officer whose exploit we this month -illustrate gained the Victoria Cross. An officer, who also gained the -Cross on the same day, had led a portion of his company against a -two-gun battery and spiked the guns; thus the most advanced position of -the troops was secure from artillery fire. It was of great importance -that the skirmishers on the opposite side of the river should be made -acquainted with this success, and Lieutenant Thomas Adair Butler, 1st -Bengal Fusiliers, swam across the Goomtee, climbed the parapet, and -remained for some time exposed to a heavy fire of musketry. He, however, -gave the information that he wished, and was prominently mentioned by -Major-General Outram in general orders. For this act of coolness and -bravery he was allotted the Victoria Cross: an honour well deserved. -There are many men who, in the heat and excitement of action, will take -a prominent lead, and will then perform more than they would be disposed -to do in moments of calmness; but when a man swims across a broad river -in the face of an enemy, and remains by himself exposed to a severe fire, -he must indeed possess those characteristics entitling him to be called -brave. - -Sir Colin Campbell was well acquainted with the peculiar style of -fighting preferred by the mutineers. If behind stone walls, earthworks, -or in buildings, the rebel sepoys would remain under fire all day. If, -however, they were brought into close contact with cold steel, their -courage deserted them, and they made the best use of their legs. In his -orders for the attack on the Martinière, he particularly insisted on -the application of cold steel. “The men employed in the attack will use -nothing but the bayonet. They are absolutely forbidden to fire a shot -till the position is won.” The description of the Highlanders’ advance -is thus graphically given by Dr. Russell:—“Our guns were now thundering -away, mortars, howitzers, and 24-pounders, at the pits, huts, and -Martinière, from which the enemy kept up an incessant fusillade of the -weakest sort, the only thing remarkable about it being its pertinacity. -The time wore on, and at last the Highlanders and Sikhs came marching -from their camp, and drew up behind the Dilkoosha. The enemy had remained -steady in their trenches under the fire of six mortars and ten heavy guns -and howitzers. But the instant they caught sight of our bayonets, and -that the lines of the Sikhs and Highlanders came in view, we observed -them, by twos and threes and groups, and at last in masses, running and -marching at the double, as fast as they could clear out of the works, -and moving to the rear, or stealing off under cover of their parapets. -We saw the Highlanders, with skirmishers thrown out in front, advancing -rapidly, without a sound in their ranks, towards the Martinière, while -the Sikhs, on their flank, agile as panthers, ran at full speed towards -the trenches, from which the enemy, firing a few hurried shots from their -muskets, were flying so fast that not a man was left inside by the time -our troops were within two hundred yards of the Martinière. In less than -ten minutes we saw Highland bonnets among the trees in the park, and -the Sikhs rushing through the vines in the rear, looking in vain for an -enemy.” - -By the 19th of March the entire city was in our possession, being thus -gained after sixteen days’ fighting, counting from the first advance -of Sir Colin from the Alum Bagh. Taking all things into consideration, -the heat of the climate, the number of the enemy, and the fact of his -fighting from behind stone walls or earthworks, this advance on and -capture of Lucknow is a most marvellous achievement, especially when we -consider the small loss that our troops suffered. - -Every private English soldier in India at that time was worth a -considerable sum, for his loss could not be easily replaced, and thus a -wise and prudent general had to spare his men as much as possible, and to -calculate previous to a battle whether even success could afford to be -purchased by the loss of a given number of men. - -When Lucknow was entered by our troops a scene was witnessed that baffles -all description. The wealth of India has ever been known as immense, -and much of this had been collected in Lucknow. The palaces of princes -and private houses of rich natives were alike open to view, the owners -having left them in the greatest haste upon the arrival of the English -conquerors. Soldiers, whose spare pay amounted to scarcely more than a -few pence per day, were able to lay hands upon gold and silver ornaments, -watches, and jewels enough to buy a king’s ransom. In one instance a box, -which was being carelessly handled by some men, was stated by those well -informed to contain jewels to the value of one hundred thousand pounds. -Unfortunately, this fell into the hands of some one unknown, who shortly -disappeared with the box, and neither was afterwards heard of. Camel and -elephant loads of rich brocades were carried away from the city, whilst -wealth of every kind was scattered about in wild confusion. - -Not only in India and England, but in all Christian countries, the -defence and capture of Lucknow caused great excitement and interest. -The massacre of upwards of eight hundred men, women, and children at -Cawnpore had sent a thrill of horror throughout Europe at such cruelty -and disregard of life, and as our forces in India were comparatively few, -it did not seem improbable that the brave defenders of Lucknow might meet -a similar fate. Thus the encounters during the first two weeks of March, -1858, will be remembered by all; and those who on these occasions gained -the Victoria Cross, must feel and be known as men who risked their lives -in a great and glorious cause, not only for the honour of their name and -country, but for the triumph of Christianity and mercy over cruelty and -vice. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -DR. HOME AND DR. BRADSHAW AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -When the gallant Havelock effected his entrance into Lucknow on the -25th of September, 1857, a considerable number of our wounded men who -were being conveyed in “doolies,” or hospital litters, were left behind -near the Motee Munzil under the charge of a military escort. As soon as -the army of rescue had made good its position in the Residency, General -Outram, who had assumed the command, despatched a party of 250 men to -effect a junction with Colonel Campbell, of the 90th, and to assist him -in bringing in the wounded. They ultimately succeeded in this object, but -some idea of the dangers they had to encounter may be formed from the -following narrative. The doolies containing the wounded remained during -the night of the 25th of September in the passage in front of the Motee -Munzil Palace without attracting the notice of the enemy. On the morning -of the 26th the mutineers opened fire upon them, and numbers were killed -by the shot and shells. The surgeons in charge of the wounded behaved -with the greatest coolness and courage. One of them, an assistant-surgeon -in the artillery, requested one of his brother officers to assist him in -an operation. On their way to the spot they were exposed to a constant -fire. “Well, Bartrum,” said one of them, “I wish I could see my way out -of this.” “Oh,” said the other, “there is no danger whatever.” The words -had scarcely passed the lips of the assistant-surgeon when he was shot -down. Two minutes before he was speaking of his wife and child, and the -pleasure he would have in meeting them in the Residency. They were -destined never to meet in this world. The position of the wounded now -became critical; they were separated from the main body of the army by -about a mile; they were surrounded on all sides by the enemy; their only -hope of safety lay in forcing their way to the intrenched camp. - -Such was the opinion of Colonel Campbell, of the 90th, who had charge -of the escort. Addressing Dr. Home, whom he believed to be the senior -medical officer present, he informed him that he had completed his -arrangements for conducting the wounded to the Residency, and requested -him to take charge of the party. It was of importance to secure the -services of some one acquainted with the _locale_ to act as guide. Mr. -J. B. Thornhill, a gallant young civilian, anxious for the safety of his -relative, Lieutenant H. M. Havelock, who was still among the wounded, -expressed his readiness to perform this arduous duty, and the offer -was at once accepted by General Outram. He reached the Motee Munzil -in safety, and Dr. Home’s party prepared to start under his guidance. -Colonel Campbell informed them that after traversing a space of about -340 yards they would no longer be exposed to the fire of the enemy, as -there was a way through the palaces skirting the river where they would -be sheltered from attack. The military escort of 150 men was placed -under the command of Major Simmonds, of the 5th Fusiliers, one of the -best and bravest officers we have ever known. He subsequently died of -his wounds, leaving a young widow in Mauritius to deplore his loss. No -time was lost in collecting the doolies. When all was ready a rush was -made for Martin’s house, a stone building about forty yards from where -they stood. The moment they left the gate the enemy opened fire on them -from a battery across the river. No time was lost in reaching Martin’s -house, where they looked for shelter. Their position there was as unsafe -as before; the round shot from the enemy’s battery pierced the walls of -the house in every direction. After a delay of half on hour they resumed -their dangerous march. Major Simmonds advanced in front with the escort -to clear the way, followed by the doolies in long procession. They -continued their march for two hundred yards without suffering any loss, -till they reached a “nullah,” or pond, three or four feet deep, through -which they had to wade. Some of the doolie-bearers and wounded were -drowned or killed by the enemy’s grape; those who succeeded in crossing -reached a street where they were partly sheltered by a high wall. - -Major Simmonds did all that could be done for their safety. The gallant -escort were shot down right and left, but they kept up a steady fire and -never ceased to advance. On leaving this street the guide lost his way; -instead of pursuing the path by the river he led them into an oblong -square lined on three sides with sheds, which is now familiarly known to -every resident in Lucknow as Doolie-square. No sooner had they entered -this square than the enemy, who had posted themselves on the roofs of the -sheds and behind the walls, opened fire upon them and shot down many of -the escort and doolie-bearers. Many of the latter threw down the doolies -in despair, and no threats or entreaties on the part of the officers -in charge could induce them to take them up again. They either fled or -met their fate with stoical indifference; it was the will of Allah, and -to Allah’s will they must submit. In the case of a few the instinct of -self-preservation was stronger than their creed; they ran the gauntlet -of the enemy’s fire and escaped. The medical officers and those who -accompanied them rushed through the square till they reached a covered -archway opposite to a corner house occupied by the enemy, who fired into -them with such destructive effect at the distance of a few yards that the -same bullet often passed through several men. If they left the archway -they were exposed to the fire of the enemy who were concealed on the -roofs of the sheds; to remain there was certain destruction. - -[Illustration: Drs. Home and Bradshaw superintending the removal of the -wounded to the Residency at Lucknow.] - -Mr. Thornhill, the guide, who had unwittingly brought them into this -danger, now proposed that they should retrace their steps and turn the -doolies back. This could no longer be done, as the doolie-bearers had -abandoned the wounded already in the square, but an effort was made to -prevent others from entering it. Dr. Bradshaw and Dr. Home’s apothecary -went back and persuaded the doolie-bearers in the rear to resume their -burdens and to follow them along the path by the river which the guide -had missed; in this way they reached the Residency in safety. Poor -Thornhill in passing through the square was twice wounded; one of these -wounds proved mortal. Those who remained beneath the archway looked out -in every direction for some place of shelter. There was no time to be -lost; armed soldiers were entering the square and murdering the helpless -men in the doolies. It was a harrowing scene, but Dr. Home never lost his -coolness or presence of mind; he stuck to the doolies as a young ensign -would stick to his colours in the hour of danger. - -On the right side of the archway was an open door leading into a house; -here a small party sought for shelter. It consisted of Dr. Home, Captain -Becher, of the 40th Native Infantry, Swanson, of the 78th Highlanders, -nine soldiers as yet unhurt, and three wounded men. This small party of -fifteen persons were hemmed in on every side by the enemy; their only -chance of safety lay in holding out till assistance reached them from -the Residency. It was now about ten o’clock in the morning; they might -not have long to wait. They screened themselves as much as they could -from the fire of the rebels, who crowded round the door and might have -forced their way in had it not been for the gallant conduct of Private -Patrick McManus, of the 5th Fusiliers. This heroic Irishman stood in the -gateway as their guardian angel; ensconcing himself behind a pillar near -the door, he kept up a steady fire on the enemy for half an hour, and -thus prevented them from effecting an entrance. His hand was so steady, -his aim so certain, that whenever he raised his piece the cowardly Sepoys -fled from their loopholes or prostrated themselves on the ground. There -stood McManus, a hero in the strife, keeping the whole multitude of the -mutineers at bay. He had not even to fire; he had only to show his rifle, -when all the cowardly wretches trembled before him—such was the influence -exercised over them by the bearing of one undaunted man. The house at the -gateway became the central point of attack; the mutineers assembled there -from all quarters, and yelled like beasts of prey thirsting for human -blood. As in the Homeric battles, the combatants were so close that they -could revile one another. Sometimes the assailants would advance within -twenty yards of the house. “The Feringees are cowards,” they would -say; “why do they not come into the street?”—an unreasonable question, -considering that the Feringees were only fifteen in number and the enemy -more than a thousand. On this the redoubted McManus would show his rifle, -when the cowards became silent through abject fear. Ah, Patrick McManus, -my boy, if the mother that bare you had seen you that day, her old heart -would have been proud of you! - -The leader of the mutineers abused them for their cowardice. “Come on!” -he would say; “what are you afraid of? There are only three Feringees.” -On hearing this the gallant little party, wounded and all, would give a -loud shout to make the enemy believe that they were more numerous than -they really were, and Patrick McManus would peep out from behind his -pillar. They also strengthened their position by barricading the door -with lumber and with sandbags, to form which they stripped the dead -Sepoys of their “cummerbunds,” or waistcloths. The mass of dead bodies -which had accumulated round the door served as a barrier to prevent the -mutineers from entering. On finding that they could not force the house -they directed their fire against the wounded in the doolies, and killed -about forty of them. - -At this moment an incident occurred which serves to prove what sacrifices -our soldiers are ready to make for officers whom they love. In one of the -doolies close to the beleaguered house lay Captain Arnold, of the Madras -Fusiliers, a gallant officer who had been severely wounded. Among the -holders of the house was Private Ryan, of the same regiment, who resolved -to make an effort to rescue him from his dangerous position. As he could -not do this alone he called for some one to assist him, when Patrick -McManus stepped out from behind his pillar and offered to accompany him. -He was already wounded in the foot, but a wound was nothing when danger -had to be encountered. The two brave men cleared the barricade, rushed -through the gateway amid a shower of bullets, and reached the doolie -in safety. Here they had to encounter a new difficulty. Their united -strength could not raise the doolie from the ground, so they took poor -Arnold in their arms and bore him to the house. It is a remarkable fact, -that while the ground around them was torn with musket-balls, and Captain -Arnold received a wound in the thigh which afterwards proved mortal, -both of his deliverers escaped unhurt. Encouraged by their success, they -ventured forth a second time and carried in a wounded soldier whose -piteous cries had excited their compassion. The result was the same as -before; they were safe, but the soldier received two mortal wounds and -died before he reached the house. Such incidents almost justify the -belief that the age of miracles has not yet passed away. - -During this struggle the duties that devolved on Dr. Home, the only -unwounded officer in the house, were most arduous. He had to direct and -encourage the men by his example, to dress the wounded, and to assist -in shooting down their assailants. In all this he was ably assisted by -Private Hollowell, of the 78th Highlanders, who proved himself worthy -of such a leader. When the rebels found that they could not force an -entrance, they stole stealthily up to the window and fired through the -plastered venetians. Our men lay down on the floor; the bullets thus -passed harmlessly over them. The Sepoys then attempted to rush the house, -when Hollowell, watching his opportunity, shot down their leader, an -old man, armed with sword and shield, and dressed in white with a red -waistband. One man was now told off to fire from each window and three -from the door. Dr. Home kept watch and ward at one of the windows with -his revolver in his hand; he could see all that was passing in the street -through a hole made by a bullet. A Sepoy crept stealthily up to the -window at the distance of three yards; the doctor shot him dead with his -revolver. Hollowell gave another his quietus, and then for a time all was -still. - -About an hour elapsed before the attack was resumed. During this interval -the beleaguered party broke through the plaster and took up their -position in the outer room. Thus far they had made good their defence, -but a still greater danger awaited them. As they were congratulating -themselves on their success they heard a dull, heavy, rumbling noise. -Home started up and shouted, “Now, men, or never! Let us rush out and -die in the open air, and not be killed like rats in a hole. They are -bringing a gun on us!” The men were preparing to act on this advice, -when they observed that it was not a gun but a screen, moved on wheels, -which the rebels pushed up against the door. A minié rifle fired at the -distance of a few yards made no impression on it. On observing this -our men retreated into the room they had formerly occupied, while the -enemy mounted on the roof, broke through the plaster, and threw lighted -straw down upon them. The house took fire; their position was no longer -tenable, and death seemed to stare them in the face. - -What were they to do? One thing was evident—they could no longer remain -in the house; the smoke and heat had become intolerable. Raising the -three most helpless and wounded in their arms, they rushed through the -back door into the open square. At the distance of about ten yards they -observed a shed on the north side of the square and made for it. During -the passage the three wounded men were hit, and subsequently died of -their wounds, while those who carried them escaped unhurt. Among the -wounded was Lieutenant Swanson, of the 78th, whose name has been already -mentioned. They found the floor of the shed covered with dead and dying -Sepoys. This movement took the enemy by surprise; they had expected them -to issue forth by the door, and not by the way they came; and though the -little party was exposed to the fire of at least six hundred men, none -but the wounded were hit. On rallying their forces they found that they -had six men capable of bearing arms, and four wounded able to do duty as -sentries. It was now three o’clock in the afternoon, and, though their -position seemed desperate, no one dreamed of surrendering; they knew that -they could expect no mercy from their ruthless assailants, and determined -to hold out to the last. Their position must be known to the general; -Havelock was not a man to abandon them in the hour of danger. Could it be -that his gallant little army had been destroyed by the rebels, and that -they were the last survivors? If so, their only resource was to hold out -to the last and to sell their lives as dearly as possible. - -Such were the thoughts that presented themselves to the minds of these -heroic men. No time was to be lost; the enemy was already upon them. The -shed, which was loopholed in every direction, afforded little shelter; -it had been used the day before by the mutineers for the purpose of -firing on our army. Two shots were suddenly fired on the little party -through a broken passage in one end of the shed; a sentry was placed -there to guard it against the enemy. Such was their cowardly terror, that -the presence of one man was sufficient to ward them off. They now came -creeping stealthily up to the walls, discharged their pieces through the -loopholes, and then made off. To guard against this annoyance a sentry -was placed at every loophole; the wounded men cheerfully did their duty -the same as the others. So long as they had remained in the house at the -archway, they had been able to protect the doolies from the attacks of -the enemy, but now that they had changed their position they could no -longer afford them any assistance. On observing this, the Sepoys came -rushing through the gate, and began to massacre the wounded men; some -were burnt alive in the doolies; others were cut to pieces by their -savage assailants. Their countrymen were saved the horror of witnessing -this spectacle, as the enemy, while engaged in this massacre, kept on the -other side of the doolies, so as to escape observation; but their blood -was chilled and their own sufferings intensified by the piercing shrieks -of the tortured men, who were now beyond the reach of all human aid. - -At this moment a singular incident occurred. While the Sepoys were -passing from doolie to doolie engaged in their ruthless work, they came -to one which contained Lieutenant Knight, a wounded officer of the -90th Regiment. A Sowar drew aside the curtain and made a thrust at him -with his sword. With that sudden energy which is often imparted to the -helpless in the hour of danger, Knight sprang through the opening in the -other side of the doolie, and ran off in the direction of the rear-guard, -pursued by the enemy, who had witnessed his escape. He was already -wounded in the leg, but, notwithstanding this drawback, he succeeded in -distancing all his pursuers. More than fifty shots were fired at him, -two of which struck him in the legs, making three wounds in all; he had -strength, however, to continue his flight till he reached the rear-guard, -where he found himself in safety. - -On finding that the loopholes in the walls of the shed were guarded, -the Sepoys mounted the roof, made holes through it, and began to fire -on the party below. Though the muzzles of their pieces were only about -four feet from our men, none of the latter were seriously wounded; in -truth, the miraculous escapes that occurred on this occasion are so -numerous and surprising as to be almost incredible, if they were not well -authenticated. As the shed was no longer tenable, they bored through the -wall into the courtyard, so as to escape for a moment from the heavy fire -from the roof. Their position was desperate; the most sanguine had almost -ceased to hope; the strongest were prostrated by hunger, heat, anxiety, -and fatigue; the wounded, parched with thirst and terror-struck by the -shrieks of the tortured, longed to escape from such misery, and prayed -for death at the hands of their countrymen. We have heard men who shared -in the horrors of this fearful scene declare that, if they had not been -restrained by Christian principle, they would have laid violent hands on -themselves, or courted death from the bullets of the enemy. - -Such feelings may have sprung up in their minds as they listened to the -shrieks of the tortured, and thought of their own fate if they fell -into the hands of the enemy; but the love of life is strong, and they -continued to defend themselves. Was there no other place of shelter than -the shed they occupied? On looking out from the courtyard they observed -the rear of a large building at the distance of thirty yards. Dr. Home -and one of his party stole cautiously out to reconnoitre; night was -setting in, and the darkness was favourable to their undertaking. They -reached the building without attracting the notice of the Sepoys, and -discovered that it was a large mosque, with an arched opening about eight -feet from the ground. By mounting on the shoulders of his companion, -Dr. Home was enabled to enter the building through this opening, and -found himself in a spacious courtyard looking into a garden. No pious -Mussulman was performing his devotions there; the place seemed to have -been designed by Providence for their preservation; and Dr. Home, after -advancing a short distance into the mosque, returned to the opening in -the wall, and beckoned to the others to join him. They hesitated to do -so, and during this delay Dr. Home and his companion were discovered by -the enemy, who opened fire on them from the roof of the shed, and drove -them back to their former position. Their enterprise was not altogether -fruitless; inside the mosque they had found a _chatty_ of excellent -water belonging to the Sepoys—a prize at that moment far more precious -in their eyes than all the gold of Ophir or the diamonds of Golconda. -They had been biting cartridges all day; their lips were dry and cracked -with thirst; but they thought of the wounded, whose sufferings were still -more intense, and carried with them the _chatty_ of water for their -relief. All partook of the reviving draught, which, to borrow their own -expressive language, “made them twice the men they were before.” It -is a common belief among physiologists that water only increases the -sufferings of those who have long been unable to satisfy their thirst; -but it was not so in this instance. It made them twice the men they were -before, and thus enabled them to continue their resistance. - -Sentries were told off for the night, and every man who could stand had -to take his share of duty. Every loophole had its guardian; owing to the -length of the shed none were left unemployed. The darkness which had now -set in was favourable to our men; it prevented the enemy on the roof -from watching their movements or observing the position they occupied, -and enabled them to fire through the roof with the additional advantage -of knowing from the sound of their feet where the Sepoys stood. On -discovering this, the latter quitted the roof, and for a time all was -still; it seemed as if they had given up the attack as hopeless. When the -firing ceased, a reaction set in after the fierce excitement of the day; -the stoutest hearts were almost appalled by a sense of their desperate -condition. They had long since ceased to hope for deliverance; they -clung to life with that instinctive feeling which leads the shipwrecked -mariner to cling to a plank, though he knows that escape is all but -impossible. If the shed was forced, their only thought was to rush -forth and sell their lives as dearly as possible. As they listened to -the shrieks of the tortured, they swore in their hearts that, come what -might, they would never fall into the hands of the enemy. Death had lost -all its bitterness; the grim king was stripped of all his dark imagery of -terror. If he had come of his own accord, they would have welcomed him -as a friend, but as Christian soldiers, whose lives were not their own, -they were bound to wait for his coming. And all through the long, dreary -hours of that night of horror they _did_ wait for him, but he came not; -those who retained their consciousness almost envied the wounded who -had become delirious. Their ammunition was almost exhausted; there only -remained about seven rounds for six men; if the enemy renewed the attack, -all would soon be over. But the enemy did _not_ renew the attack; they -found it easier and safer to torture the wounded in the doolies than to -dislodge or destroy a few resolute men driven to bay. - -Sleep would at times overpower them; they sank down on the floor, but the -mental tension was too great to permit them long to rest. Their fearful -position was still present to their minds, and after a few minutes of -troubled sleep, they would start to their feet with the impression that -the enemy were upon them. No enemy appeared; on finding that it was a -false alarm, they would keep watch for a time, till, overpowered by -sleep and exhaustion, they again sank upon the floor. One desperate man -proposed to his comrades to rush forth and fight their way back to the -rear-guard; two offered to join him in the attempt; the others refused to -leave the wounded in the hands of the enemy. - -About two o’clock in the morning they were roused to a fresh life by the -sound of heavy firing close at hand. Their hearts leaped to their mouths -as they heard the sharp crack of the Enfield rifles and the rush of the -enemy over their heads. Hurrah! Havelock had not forgotten them; it was -their own countrymen advancing to the rescue. The revulsion of feeling -made them wild with joy; they shouted with all their might, “Europeans! -Europeans!” they cheered them on to the attack—“Charge them! charge -them! Keep to your right!” The firing died away in the distance; in a -few minutes all was silent. They listened for the advancing tramp of -armed men, but no such sound was heard; again they gave themselves up -to despair. Any fate was preferable to further suspense; they agreed -to fight their way to the Residency or perish in the attempt; but on -creeping forward under the shadow of the building, they observed a large -body of men clustered round a fire in the archway. Escape in that way -was evidently impossible; it would have been madness for a few starving -men to attack a body of the enemy who had just repulsed our own troops; -so they crept back to their former place of shelter. The bitterness of -death was already past; they could meet their fate with indifference. -The dreary hours passed silently on till a little after daybreak, when -they heard the sound of distant firing; it failed to rouse them from -their apathy; the hope of deliverance had died out within them. The sound -came nearer and nearer, till at length they could distinguish the sharp -crack of the Enfields, and the regular rattling volleys which told them -that their countrymen were at hand. Ryan, the sentry, with the usual -vivacity of his country, was the first to express the feelings of his -comrades; jumping up with sudden energy, he shouted, “Oh, boys! them’s -our own chaps!” Ryan’s language was far from being elegant or correct; -but their position was too critical for weighing the niceties of speech, -and we question whether Demosthenes himself could have spoken more to the -point. Its effect was immediate and striking; those who were prostrated -by despair sprang to their feet with renewed energy, and shouted to their -deliverers to keep to the right. “Cheer together, men,” cried Home. They -cheered, and waited anxiously for the result. They had not long to wait; -a ringing cheer came back from their countrymen, which told them that -deliverance was at hand. They had still a few charges remaining; these -were expended on the Sepoys, who were firing from the loopholes on our -men. The enemy were soon dislodged; the party of rescue forced their way -into the shed; Dr. Home received the congratulations of his countrymen -on his successful resistance, and the wounded, whom he had defended to -the last, were conducted in safety to the Residency. - -When the report of their gallant conduct reached England, Home and -Bradshaw were rewarded with the Victoria Cross. Mr. Desanges has assigned -them a place in his Gallery. All who have read this simple narrative of -their heroic defence of the wounded intrusted to their care, will admit -that they were entitled to this honourable distinction. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ROSS L. MANGLES, ESQ., V.C., BENGAL CIVIL SERVICE, ASSISTANT-MAGISTRATE -AT PATNA. - - -The town of Arrah, near which Mr. Mangles earned the Cross of Valour, is -about twenty-four miles from Dinapoor, from which it is separated by the -river Sone. It is the chief place in the district of Shahabad, and when -the 7th, 8th, and 40th Regiments of Bengal Native Infantry mutinied at -Dinapoor, on the 25th of July, 1865, they advanced against Arrah, where -they expected to meet with little resistance, as there were no European -troops at that station. It so happened, however, that the chief authority -was vested in Mr. Wake, the resident magistrate, who proved himself equal -to the occasion. He had not been trained to the profession of arms, but -he possessed that calm courage and undaunted energy which most of our -Indian civilians exhibited during the mutiny, and which contributed -largely to the re-establishment of our power. Familiar with the manners -and language of the natives, he had watched the progress of events with -an anxious eye, and already foresaw the storm that was about to break -forth; as he could not avert it, he prepared to meet it like a man. He -had already warned the authorities at Calcutta that the licentiousness -of the native press must sooner or later lead to an outbreak, and that -symptoms of disaffection had already begun to appear in his own district; -but the forces at Dinapoor, consisting of Her Majesty’s 10th Regiment, -two Companies of the 37th, and two Companies of Artillery, were deemed -sufficient to overawe the natives. They would have been so, if they had -been under the command of an efficient officer; but the major-general was -an old man, too infirm to be able to mount his horse without assistance, -and utterly unfit to cope with the difficulty. The consequence was that -the mutineers, who might easily have been disarmed or imprisoned, were -allowed to escape, and proceeded to plunder the neighbouring towns. -There were few Europeans left in the town of Arrah; the workmen who were -employed on the railway, frightened by the symptoms of mutiny around -them, and apprehensive for their own safety, had deserted the place -in the beginning of June; but Mr. Wake, who remained at the post of -danger, induced them by his example to return. He applied everywhere for -assistance, but no troops could be spared till the 11th of July, when he -received a small detachment of Sikh police from Patna. - -On the evening of the 25th of July, intelligence reached Arrah that -the native regiments at Dinapoor had mutinied, and crossed the river -Sone. There was no time to be lost; the fifteen Europeans in Arrah had -to decide at once what course they were to pursue: in a few hours the -enemy would be upon them. There was not a single soldier in the place; -the local police had fled at the first intimation of danger; there was -no fort or stronghold where the Europeans could find refuge. No one -could have blamed them if they had consulted their safety in flight; but -that band of brave civilians scorned the idea, and resolved to remain -at their posts. Mr. Boyle, an engineer of the main-trunk railway, was -the only one amongst them who had made some preparations to meet this -emergency; he had anticipated the danger, and some weeks before had begun -to fortify with stones and timber a detached two-storied house, about -fifty feet square, which stood in the same compound as his bungalow, -and to collect a store of provisions. Mr. Boyle’s preparations for the -coming danger had been the source of many a joke to his less thoughtful -companions; but their levity gave place to gratitude on the 26th of July, -when the mutineers were upon them. The ladies and children had already -been sent away; the fifteen civilians who remained shut themselves up -in Mr. Boyle’s house, with the fifty Sikhs of Captain Rattray’s police -battalion. Their store of provisions was limited; their only weapons were -rifles, revolvers, and hogspears; but they had abundance of ammunition, -and an indomitable courage, which supplied every deficiency. On the -morning of the 27th the mutineers marched into the town, released the -four hundred prisoners in the gaol, and seized eighty thousand rupees -which they found in the treasury. They then concealed themselves among -the trees and buildings near Mr. Boyle’s house, where they kept up a -galling fire during the day, and invited the Sikhs to join them; but -these brave fellows had the virtue to refuse the bribes which they -offered. On the 28th they procured two small cannon, with which they -opened fire on the house, which was now riddled with balls; but its brave -defenders never dreamed of surrendering. One of the cannon was mounted -on the roof of Boyle’s bungalow, so as to enable the mutineers to fire -into the house at the distance of sixty yards. “Nothing,” says Mr. Wake, -“but the cowardice, ignorance, and want of unanimity of our enemies -prevented our fortification from being brought down about our ears.” -The gallant defenders offered something more than a passive resistance; -every mine of the enemy was countermined; every new battery was met by -a fresh barricade. The Sikhs, inspired by the example of the Europeans, -vied with them in courage; when provisions ran short, they sallied forth -one night and brought in four sheep. One of them was dangerously wounded; -singular to relate, this was the only casualty that happened to the -little garrison; all the others escaped with slight scratches or bruises. -When the supply of water failed, the Sikhs dug a well underneath the -house, and continued their labour till they found a spring; in short, -the honours of the defence are equally divided between them and the -Europeans. For seven days and nights the siege went on, and the gallant -little band had to defend themselves against three thousand assailants. -They looked for assistance, but they looked in vain; the authorities at -Dinapoor seemed to have left them to their fate. They might have left -their stronghold with all the honours of war; the mutineers, weary of -the siege, and almost despairing of success, were willing to spare their -lives, but all their offers were contemptuously rejected. They would -never condescend to negotiate with rebels: they would rather fight it out -to the last. - -We must now direct attention to the steps which had been taken for -the relief of the little garrison. As we have already mentioned, -Major-General Lloyd was in command at Dinapoor; it was unfortunate that -the control of military affairs, at such a moment, should have been -vested in one who was worn out with years and infirmities, and should -have been enjoying his well-earned pension at home. Arrah lay within his -district, and it was his duty to take measures for the relief of its -gallant defenders. This duty was peculiarly distasteful to a man whose -culpable irresolution had already led to such disastrous results, and for -two days nothing was done. Mr. Taylor, the civil magistrate at Patna, -within whose district Arrah was situated, assembled all the European -residents at his house as soon as he heard of the outbreak at Dinapoor, -and invited them to act with him in case of an attack. This took place -about one o’clock on the 25th; two hours afterwards a distant firing -announced that the mutineers were engaged with the European forces; -soon after, the report reached Patna that they had marched off in the -direction of Arrah. Mr. Taylor at once improvised an expeditionary -force of about one hundred men, made up of Sikhs, Nujeebs, recruits, -and volunteers, and despatched it that same day in the direction of -Arrah, to watch the movements of the mutineers. Mr. Mangles, who held -the appointment of assistant-magistrate at Patna, joined this expedition -as a volunteer, and accompanied them on their march till they were -recalled by the commissioner, who had received alarming reports from the -neighbouring stations, and deemed their presence necessary for the safety -of the principal town. On the day after the mutiny, Mr. Taylor wrote to -Major-General Lloyd, urging him to place a small body of European troops -at his disposal; but the latter refused to comply with his request, on -the ground that he had only six hundred soldiers under his command, and -that he could render no assistance. Knowing the urgency of the occasion, -Mr. Taylor resumed his application, and proposed to raise a corps of -volunteer cavalry among the officers and gentlemen of Patna and Dinapoor, -if the general would send two hundred men to co-operate with them for the -relief of Arrah. - -The general had already made an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the little -garrison from their perilous position. He thought only of his own safety -till the 27th of July, when, feeling more reassured, he sent a detachment -of the 37th Regiment from Dinapoor toward Arrah, for the purpose of -dispersing the mutineers. The troops embarked on board the _Horungotta_ -steamer, and might have reached Arrah in a few hours, but a sort of -fatality seemed to attend everything which the general undertook. After -three hours’ steaming, the _Horungotta_ ran aground, and as she could -not be got off the troops quickly returned to Dinapoor. The general was -now willing to accept Mr. Taylor’s proposal, and a second expeditionary -force, consisting of detachments of Her Majesty’s 10th, and 37th -Regiments, some native troops, and the corps of volunteer cavalry was -organized, and embarked on the evening of Tuesday, the 28th of July, on -board the steamer _Bombay_, which had arrived at Dinapoor in her downward -passage on the Ganges, and was detained for the public service. If the -defence of Arrah forms one of the brightest episodes in the history of -the Indian mutiny, the disaster which overtook this ill-fated expedition -may be regarded as one of its gloomiest pages: it was not the mere loss -of men at a critical juncture, though that was considerable; it was the -destruction for the moment of that _prestige_ which has almost invariably -followed our arms in India, and by which alone we have acquired our -ascendancy in that vast peninsula. The expedition was placed under the -command of Captain Dunbar, of the 10th Regiment. Mr. Mangles belonged to -the corps of volunteer cavalry. The mutineers, who were cognizant of all -their movements, had formed themselves into an ambuscade, and attacked -them on the night of the 29th of July. Our soldiers fought with their -usual gallantry, but were overpowered by superior numbers, and compelled -to retreat. Captain Dunbar was killed; only a few of his men effected -a retreat to the boats; the rest were butchered by the enemy, who gave -no quarter. It was on this occasion that Mr. Mangles distinguished -himself by his humanity, and thus became entitled to wear the Queen’s -Own Cross. He had been wounded, and would have been justified, under the -circumstances, in consulting his own safety; but his generous heart -led him to think more of others than of himself. A soldier of the 37th -Regiment had been struck down by his side; wounded himself, and weak -with the loss of blood, he was induced, from a feeling of humanity, and -without any prospect of reward, to make an effort to save his life. If he -left him in the hands of the enemy, his fate was certain; the murderers -of helpless women and children would show no mercy: all this must have -been present to his mind, as he hurriedly bound up his wounds, careless -of the murderous fire to which he was exposed. Nor was this all. When -he had dressed his wounds, he raised him on his shoulders and carried -him for several miles, till they reached the boats in safety. When we -consider that almost the whole detachment were killed or wounded, their -escape seems to us to border on the miraculous, and no one will question -Mr. Mangles’ right to a place in Mr. Desanges’ Gallery, or grudge him -the Cross of Valour. The permanent record of his heroic conduct and -tender-hearted humanity may stimulate others to imitate his example, and -may thus exercise a beneficial influence on the rising generation. The -Victoria Cross was awarded to Mr. Mangles in the Government _Gazette_ of -the 6th of July, 1859, and Mr. Desanges’ pencil has conveyed to the minds -of thousands a more vivid conception of the act by which he gained it, -than we can expect to produce by this brief narrative. - -We now turn from the disaster of the 29th of July, 1857, to relate -how a second and far more successful attempt was made to relieve the -beleaguered garrison. The name of Major Vincent Eyre will ever be -associated with this event, as the instrument, in the hands of a Higher -Power, for the rescue of those who must otherwise have perished. When the -mutiny broke out, this officer was recalled from Burwah, and embarked at -Calcutta for the Upper Provinces, on the 10th of July, having under his -command No. 3 Horse Field Battery, with the 1st Company 5th Battalion -Artillery attached. Allahabad was the rendezvous where the different -detachments of the relieving army were to assemble, and Major Eyre -reached Dinapoor on the evening of the 25th of July, the very day when -the three native regiments had broken into open mutiny. He lost no -time in placing himself and his men at the disposal of Major-General -Lloyd, and at his request landed three guns. Next morning these guns -were re-embarked, and Major Eyre resumed his voyage. As yet he knew -nothing of the beleaguered garrison at Arrah: he only heard of their -gallant defence on the 28th of July, on reaching Buxar, where the -greatest anxiety was felt for their safety. If he had consulted his own -feelings he would have hurried at once to their assistance; but a sort -of panic had broken out at Buxar, from the idea that the mutineers were -advancing to destroy the valuable stud property there, and he detained -the steamer till the following morning, when, finding that there was no -immediate danger, he started for Ghazeepoor, where a weak company of the -78th Highlanders had been stationed to overawe a half-mutinous native -regiment. On reaching that town on the afternoon of the 29th, he placed -himself in communication with Colonel Davies, of the 37th Regiment, who -was in command; and at his request landed two guns under the charge of -Lieutenant Gordon, Royal Artillery. He received in return a detachment -of twenty-five men of the 78th Highlanders to aid him in the relief of -Arrah; and the Honourable Captain Hastings, superintendent of the stud at -Buxar, who happened to be at Ghazeepoor, volunteered to accompany him. - -The steamer anchored off Buxar at nine P.M. on the evening of the -29th, where Major Eyre found a detachment of 160 men of Her Majesty’s -5th Fusiliers, who had just arrived in the _James Hume_ steamer. They -were under the command of Captain L’Estrange, a gallant young officer, -who, on this and other occasions, greatly distinguished himself. The -5th Fusiliers had been stationed in Mauritius, and were on their way -to China; on landing at Calcutta, and hearing of the horrors of the -Indian mutiny, Lord Elgin at once placed them at the disposal of the -Governor-General, who lost no time in despatching them to the disaffected -districts. Captain L’Estrange, on learning what had occurred at Arrah, -entered warmly into Major Eyre’s projected enterprise, and no time was -lost in organizing a field force. On the morning of the 30th, three -guns and 150 men of the 5th Fusiliers were landed; the Highlanders -would willingly have joined them, but their presence was necessary at -Ghazeepoor, where they rejoined their company. During the day the little -army was reinforced by fourteen mounted volunteers, who were placed under -the command of Lieutenant Jackson, of the 12th Native Infantry. Captain -Hastings was appointed staff-officer of the force: his local knowledge -and unflagging energy enabled him, in the course of a few hours, to -procure the necessary carriage and commissariat supplies. Every moment -was precious; all were eager to start; no time was lost in extricating -the waggons from the hold of the steamer; the artillery ammunition-boxes -were mounted on light carts, which were found equally serviceable. India -was not re-conquered by ordinary routine: every leader had to exercise -his own judgment, and to trust in his own fertility of invention. - -At five P.M. all was ready, and the little army commenced its march. -Officers and men were inspired by the same chivalrous spirit; no -knight-errant of old, hurrying to the rescue of injured innocence, could -have been more eager for the fray. Our soldiers have their faults, but -they cannot be taxed with inhumanity, or a want of sympathy with the -sufferings of others; and the gallant defence of the little garrison -had excited their sympathy as well as their admiration. After a march -of six miles, they were joined by four elephants, which Mr. Ban, Civil -Service, had induced the Dumraon Rajah, a native prince of doubtful -loyalty, to send. With all their zeal their progress was slow: the roads -were bad; the bullocks fresh from the plough; it was daybreak before they -reached their first encampment at Nya Bhojepoor, which is only fifteen -miles from Buxar. The enemy had despatched a mounted spy to watch their -movements, but the unerring aim of one of the volunteers closed his -eyes for ever. He was recognised as one of the confidential men of Koer -Singh, the brother of the Dumraon Rajah, who had always professed his -warm attachment to the British rule, and lived on terms of intimacy with -the English residents. He was a man of superior ability, and possessed -of great influence over the Rajpoots of Shahabad; but his affairs were -embarrassed, and his large estates heavily mortgaged. It was owing to -this circumstance, and Brahminical influence, that he proved a traitor to -our cause, and placed himself at the head of the mutineers at Dinapoor, -who proclaimed him King of Shahabad. It was he who instigated them to -revolt, and furnished them with boats to cross the river to Arrah, where -he was now conducting the siege in person. The death of the spy prevented -him from obtaining the information he so much desired. - -The little army halted at their first encampment till the hottest part -of the day was over; at four P.M. they resumed their march, and on the -morning of the following day, the 1st of August, they reached the village -of Shahpoor, where they received letters from Buxar, conveying the first -intelligence of the destruction of Captain Dunbar’s expeditionary force -by the mutineers, who had entrapped them into an ambuscade. They learned, -at the same time, that several of the bridges between Shahpoor and Arrah -had been destroyed by the enemy in order to impede their progress; but -the gallant little band, though far inferior in numbers to the detachment -which had been cut off, resolved to proceed at all hazards. No time was -lost; no fear or anxiety was expressed; at two P.M. they were already -on the march. After advancing about four miles, they found a party of -hostile villagers in the very act of destroying one of the bridges they -had to cross, and an hour was lost in repairing it. They continued to -advance without further interruption till darkness closed upon them, when -they bivouacked for the night: a party of fifty of the 5th Fusiliers was -sent forward to guard a bridge leading to the native village near which -they were encamped. Meanwhile a party of mutineers had advanced from -Arrah, and taken up their position in a thick, extensive wood about a -mile from the village, with the intention of attacking them unawares, -and cutting them off as they had done in the case of the other rescuing -party. The line of march lay directly through this wood, which extended -on either flank. At daybreak, when they were close upon it, they heard -bugles sounding the assembly, and knew that the rebels were at hand. -Major Eyre was too prudent to neglect the warning which the enemy had -thus inadvertently given, and halted his force to reconnoitre. The -enemy now appeared in overwhelming numbers, and extended themselves -along the wood on either flank, with the evident intention of hemming -in and destroying the little band opposed to them. On perceiving this, -Major Eyre drew up his forces on the open plain to the right of the -road, in the hope that the enemy would venture forth to attack him, and -opened fire on them to the front and flanks with the three guns. They -had not the courage to attack him openly, but sought shelter behind the -broken ground between the two positions, where they could fire at our -men with comparative safety. On this Major Eyre sent forward a party -of skirmishers of the 5th Fusiliers to draw them from their positions, -and, after a brief resistance, they fell back upon the wood where -they had spent the night. The road, as we have already mentioned, lay -directly through the middle of this wood, and Major Eyre concentrated -his fire upon it with the view of forcing a passage. The enemy dispersed -themselves right and left, leaving the road clear, the baggage and guns -were moved forward under cover of the Enfield rifles, and our gallant -little army pushed through the wood before the enemy had time to close -their divided wings or renew the attack. - -Having failed in this their first attempt to intercept the army of -rescue, the mutineers fell back upon a village about two miles ahead, -where they destroyed a bridge, and took up a strong position among the -houses. Our men continued to advance along the road, which was a sort -of elevated causeway with partially inundated paddy-fields on either -side, till they were within a short distance of the bridge, when Major -Eyre halted for refreshment, and sent out scouts to search for a ford -across the river. During the engagement in the wood, the four elephants -sent by Dumraon Rajah, after disembarrassing themselves of the soldiers’ -great coats and bedding with which they were loaded, went over to the -enemy; it seemed almost as if they were possessed with the same spirit -of disaffection as their master. The scouts returned without having -discovered a ford, and Major Eyre diverged from his line of march -toward the nearest point of the railway, which was only about a mile -from the village. While the infantry and baggage pushed forward in -this direction, the guns opened fire on the enemy, for the purpose of -distracting their attention from this movement. This ruse succeeded for a -time, but as soon as the enemy discovered that our men had changed their -line of march, they advanced in great strength to intercept them at the -angle of a wood close to the railway. The two armies pursued a parallel -course on the opposite sides of the stream till they reached the railway, -when Major Eyre attempted to dislodge the enemy from their position in -the wood. Greatly superior in numbers, and sheltered by the cover of the -wood, the mutineers fought with every advantage on their side; twice -they rushed forward to seize our guns, which, in the heat of combat, -were almost deserted; twice they were driven back by showers of grape. -Pressed by superior numbers, and encircled by a wall of fire, the brave -Fusiliers began to lose ground; it was one of those critical moments when -all depends on the decision of one man. If Major Eyre had hesitated for -a moment, the garrison at Arrah would have resisted in vain, and another -disaster overtaken our arms; but he proved himself equal to the occasion. -He knew that the British bayonet, wielded by manly British arms, has -often turned back the tide of victory, and retrieved the honours of the -day; when he gave the word “Charge!” the Fusiliers cleared the stream -with a ringing cheer; at a single bound they were in the midst of the -enemy, dealing death on every side. The mutineers were twenty times -their number; but though they had been a thousand times stronger the -result would have been the same: they have never been able to sustain a -hand-to-hand combat with the fierce Feringees. Panic-struck by the sudden -attack, they broke and fell back in the greatest confusion, while long -lines were opened through the retreating mass by the crushing fire of our -artillery. In a few moments all was over; the victory was complete; the -ground was strewn with dead and dying; but not one of the five thousand, -who an hour before threatened our little army with destruction, now -stood up to oppose their passage. Our soldiers obtained the victory, -but they fought for something more; they thought of the beleaguered -garrison at Arrah, of their gallant and long-protracted resistance, of -the fearful fate that awaited them if they suffered a repulse; all their -hearts throbbed with such thoughts as they bounded across the stream -with levelled bayonets, and carried everything before them. After these -defeats at the railway the mutineers fled precipitately to Arrah, where -they had barely time to remove part of their plunder to the jungle when -the victorious little army marched into the town. - -They did not arrive a moment too soon; the house, so gallantly defended -for seven days and nights by sixteen Europeans and fifty Sikhs against -three regiments of mutineers and Koer Singh’s levies, was found to be -so effectually ruined, that a few hours’ delay must have completed its -destruction. The deliverance of the little garrison from the worst of -fates was little short of miraculous, and we can trace the working of a -Higher Power in arranging the different steps by which that deliverance -was effected. A leader less resolute and energetic than Major Eyre -would have quailed before the difficulties and dangers that opposed his -progress; nothing but their own unflinching fortitude could have enabled -the little garrison to hold out so long. For more than a week they were -harassed by the fire of the enemy, which was so close and continuous that -not a loophole could be approached with safety, and yet they inflicted -far more loss on their assailants than they suffered themselves. Only one -of them was severely wounded, while no less than fifty or sixty of the -enemy are believed to have fallen. This result is to be attributed to the -precautions they used for their own protection, and their superior skill -in the use of the rifle: the unerring aim of Mr. Littledale, a civilian, -inspired the mutineers with a salutary dread, and drove them to seek -shelter behind every available corner. The defence of Arrah must ever -occupy a conspicuous place in the annals of the Indian mutiny. - -A week was spent in restoring the country around Arrah to order; martial -law was proclaimed; the people were disarmed; about thirty wounded -Sepoys, and several native officials who had aided the mutineers, were -hanged. Meanwhile Major Eyre had applied to the authorities at Dinapoor -for some reinforcements to enable him to follow up his victory, and on -the 8th of August a detachment of two hundred men of the 10th Regiment, -under the command of Captain Patterson, arrived at Arrah. This regiment -had suffered severely on the occasion when Mr. Mangles so greatly -distinguished himself, and the men were burning with the desire to avenge -their comrades, and obliterate the remembrance of that disaster. Major -Eyre was not the man to balk them in their purpose; he resolved to lead -them at once against Judgespoor, the stronghold of Koer Singh, where -he and the mutineers had taken shelter. He was joined by eight of the -garrison of Arrah, and the fifty Sikhs who had shared in the defence -under the command of Mr. Wake, and by a further reinforcement of one -hundred of Rattray’s Sikhs, under Lieutenants Roberts and Powers. The -attack on Judgespoor was generally considered to be a dangerous, if not a -desperate undertaking, but at two P.M. on the 11th of August, Major Eyre -marched forth from Arrah with the certainty of victory. - -After a march of eight miles they reached an open plain, where they -bivouacked for the night. The following morning they resumed their march, -and found the road more difficult as they advanced. At ten o’clock -they halted an hour for refreshment. Two miles farther on they came in -sight of the enemy, who had taken up a strong position in the belt of -jungle surrounding Judgespoor, with a river in their front. In their -centre was the town of Dulloor, before which some breastworks had been -raised; between it and our army was a native village, occupied by an -advanced picket, which soon retired before the fire of our skirmishers. -The mutineers lay so close in the jungle and broken ground as to be -almost invisible; but a few discharges of grape made them shift their -position more to the right. Now was the time for the 10th to wipe out the -remembrance of the ambuscade, and such was their impatience that almost -before the order to charge could reach them they rushed forward with a -cheer, and charged to within sixty yards of the enemy, who broke and fled -for refuge to the town of Dulloor, and the adjacent jungle. Meanwhile -their left and centre had been repulsed by the detachment of the 5th -Fusiliers under Captains L’Estrange and Scott, who now took part in the -pursuit. - -During the engagement Koer Singh’s irregular lines on the left had moved -round, and were threatening our right wing under cover of the jungle -and broken ground, but they were checked by the fire of the Sikhs and -volunteer yeomanry, and of a howitzer under the skilful management of -Staff-Sergeant Melville, Royal Artillery. After an hour’s resistance the -whole body of the enemy fell back on Judgespoor, pursued by our men, who -captured two guns during their flight, and followed them up to the walls -of the stronghold, which consisted of an extensive mass of buildings, -protected by lofty walls with loopholes for musketry, and capable of -offering a protracted resistance if properly defended. The mutineers were -seized with such a panic that they offered no resistance, and our men -entered Koer Singh’s fortress in triumph at one P.M., where they found -ample accommodation and refreshment after their rapid march. Koer Singh -had evacuated his stronghold only one hour before the triumphant entry -of our men, and fled in the direction of Jutoorah, seven miles to the -south, where he had another fortified residence in the jungle. He was -pursued by eighty men of the 5th Fusiliers, under Captain L’Estrange, -and the Volunteer Yeomanry, who, on reaching Jutoorah, found that he -had continued his flight towards Sasseram with the remains of the 40th -Regiment of Native Infantry, who alone of all the rebel army still -continued to share his fortunes. Captain L’Estrange not having sufficient -forces to follow up the pursuit, contented himself with destroying the -place, and then returned to Judgespoor. Our troops found abundance of -provisions there; the stores of grain alone would have sustained twenty -thousand men for six months; they were distributed among the starving -villagers, who had been plundered by Koer Singh and his followers. At two -P.M. on the 15th of August, Judgespoor was evacuated, and the stronghold, -including a new Hindoo temple, on which large sums had been expended, was -blown into the air. Major Eyre then advanced as far as Peeroo in pursuit -of Koer Singh, when he received instructions from Sir James Outram to -return to Arrah, and to join the force which was now on its march for -the relief of Lucknow. Major Eyre’s battery and the detachment of the -5th Fusiliers shared in all the honours and dangers of that successful -enterprise, and suffered severely while forcing their way into the town. -The gallant L’Estrange, whose name has occurred so often in the course of -this narrative, and who was known to us as a young officer of superior -intellect and studious habits, was mortally wounded; three of his brother -officers shared the same fate. Mr. Mangles still survives to enjoy the -reward which he earned by his courage and humanity. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -CAPTAIN HENRY EVELYN WOOD, 17TH LANCERS. - - -No young officer in the service has had greater opportunities of -distinguishing himself than Captain Wood, or earned a better title to -the distinction of the Victoria Cross. He is a son of Sir John Page -Wood, Bart., of Rivenhall-place, near Witham, Essex, and a nephew of -Sir W. Page Wood, Vice-Chancellor of England. Our readers, on reading -this simple record of his numerous acts of bravery, will be surprised to -learn that he has not yet completed his twenty-eighth year; in truth, -his name became familiar to the world at a period when most boys of his -age and position are still seated on the benches at Eton, mastering the -intricacies of the Latin grammar and reading of the deeds which similar -heroes in ancient times performed. He was intended at first for the -sister branch of the service, and entered the navy as a midshipman. -During the Crimean War he had an opportunity of serving on board H.M.S. -_Leander_, under the command of the gallant and much lamented Sir William -Peel, who had the rare faculty of inspiring all around him with the same -heroic spirit by which he himself was animated. Henry Evelyn Wood soon -secured the confidence and won the admiration of the captain of the -_Leander_, whom we find writing to Sir John Page Wood, on the 18th of -April, 1855, in the following terms:—“You will be glad to hear that not -only has your son shown the most beautiful courage in battery, but his -conduct and his manners are as exemplary as his courage.” - -Such tributes of praise are the most precious reward of parents whose -sons are fighting the battles of their country. Our young hero had soon -an opportunity of justifying, in the eyes of the public, the praises -bestowed upon him by his leader, to whom, at his own request, he was -appointed aide-de-camp—no mere honorary appointment, as the sequel -will show. On the 18th of June an attack was made on the Redan, and -young Wood, who was foremost in the fray, was wounded by a grape-shot -in the arm. Such a wound would have placed most men _hors de combat_, -but the young sailor thought only of his duty. With the huge grape-shot -protruding from his arm, he assisted in placing one of the scaling -ladders against the walls of the Redan, and continued on the scene of -combat throughout the day. His gallant conduct and patient endurance -of physical suffering excited the admiration of all who took part in -this affair, and called forth the warmest approval of our leaders in -the Crimea. The following day Sir Stephen Lushington wrote to his -uncle, Captain Mitchell, R.N.:—“You will be sorry to hear that your -young nephew, Wood, has been wounded in the arm by a grape-shot. The -shot struck the bone obliquely, and was cut out when he got into camp. -I saw him in the trenches, and he bore it like a hero. He was Peel’s -aide-de-camp, and Peel endeavoured to keep the boy from the murderous -fire into which they plunged with the scaling ladders; but he would take -no refusal, and went out with the rest. Wood will be at Razatch to-day, -in Lord Raglan’s carriage.” - -Lord Raglan knew how to appreciate such conduct: not satisfied with -placing his carriage at the disposal of the wounded sailor, he thus -marked his sense of approval in one of his despatches:—“Amongst those -who greatly distinguished themselves were Captain Peel, Mr. Daniels, and -Mr. Wood.” Official etiquette prevented Lord Raglan from alluding more -particularly to Wood’s conduct in a public despatch, but on the 21st of -June he wrote the following kind note to Captain Mitchell:—“I am very -glad to have had the opportunity of being in any, the smallest degree, -useful to your nephew, Mr. H. E. Wood, whose distinguished career cannot -fail to enlist everybody in his favour. I am rejoiced to hear that he is -going on well. I am assured that the bone is not injured.” It was by -such little acts of kindness that Lord Raglan endeared himself to all -who had the honour of serving under him, and such tributes of praise are -naturally cherished by their relations as the most precious relics. - -Nor was Sir William Peel backward in testifying to the distinguished -valour of his gallant aide-de-camp. Writing to his brother, Frederick -Peel, Esq., M.P., on the same occasion, he says:—“Would you let Sir Page -Wood know that his gallant son behaved with extreme intrepidity? He was, -or is, my aide-de-camp, and received a severe wound from a grape-shot, -but will not lose his arm. I can assure you I thought more of that boy -than of anything else, and tried in vain to plead some excuse for getting -him out of the way, but he would be my aide-de-camp, and it would have -been a worse blow to have denied him. Thank God he is safe, and it was -such a relief to me.” This letter gives us a keen insight into the -character of both. No one can read of the ardent impatience of the young -sailor-boy to share in the dangers of the field, the reluctant consent -wrung from Peel by his importunity, the consciousness of the latter that -a refusal would have been more keenly felt than the wound itself, his -anxiety about his safety throughout the day, and his gratitude to God -for the preservation of his life, without feeling that the most heroic -courage is often accompanied by an almost feminine tenderness of heart. -We admire Peel for his bravery shown on many a battle-field, but we love -his memory for the care with which he watched over the sailor-boy placed -under his charge on the 18th of June, and the joy he felt and expressed -on finding that his wound was not mortal. - -Others besides Peel testified to his gallant bearing on this occasion. -Sir Stephen Lushington, Commander of the Naval Brigade, writes:—“I can -strongly recommend this young officer for his gallantry and good conduct -during the whole time he was under my command. He was severely wounded -on the 18th of June, when conveying the ladders.” Lord Lyons also thus -alludes to him in a speech which he made at the Mansion House:—“Nothing -in the annals of chivalry contains a brighter instance of devotion than -was exhibited by Captain Peel and his aides-de-camp, one of whom, Mr. -Wood, when wounded placed the scaling-ladders against the walls of -the Redan.” On the 6th of September, 1855, Captain Peel addressed the -following letter to Sir John Page Wood:—“Your son was only known to me -through his gallant behaviour. On the 17th of October he volunteered, -with Mr. Daniels, my other aide-de-camp, to bring up powder from the -rear, through a fire which daunted others; and the spirit he showed on -that occasion was not exceptional, but was maintained throughout. It was -the more noble as there were no spectators. The names of these two heroes -are known through the whole army; and I almost thought it inconvenient -having two such spirits around me. I trust his wound is doing well. It -must be very tedious and painful.” - -Owing to the severe wound he had received at the attack on the Redan, -Wood was obliged to return to England to recruit his health. For -reasons which need not now be specified, he was induced to transfer -his services from the navy to the army, and in September, 1855, he -received his commission as a cornet in the 13th Light Dragoons. The Lords -Commissioners of the Admiralty testified the value of his services in the -navy, and their secretary, Mr. Phinn, addressed the following letter to -his father in their name:—“In accepting the resignation of your son, Mr. -H. E. Wood, I am to express their Lordships’ regret that so gallant an -officer is lost to the naval service.” It might have been expected that -Mr. Wood’s gallantry at the Redan would have been at once rewarded with -the Victoria Cross; in the age of chivalry many knights had earned their -spurs by less heroic deeds. But our young hero had yet to wait for years, -and to perform still more daring deeds of valour, before his claim to -wear the symbol of his sovereign’s favour upon his breast was recognised. -He had not yet completed his eighteenth year, and it may be that his -youth stood in the way of his obtaining this honourable distinction. Be -that as it may, it formed no obstacle to his being enrolled in the Legion -of Honour, and an effort was made by those who knew how to appreciate his -gallantry to procure for him the Cross. Sir Stephen Lushington forwarded -his name, and wrote to him:—“I still hope to see the Victoria Cross on -your breast.” Admiral Richards, one of the Lords of the Admiralty, -supported his claims, and was so sanguine of success, that he wrote to -his father as follows:—“You may rely upon it that none of _his class -can be recommended for the Cross of Valour without your brave boy being -one_. His is now a world-wide fame, and requires no certificates, no -testimonials, to bolster it up. It is difficult to imagine _what_ kind of -naval merit can include if his excludes.” - -Our readers will experience the same difficulty in discovering the -grounds on which Mr. Wood’s claim was disallowed, and his name omitted -from the list of those who received the Cross of Valour. Political -considerations ought to have no influence in deciding the claims of those -who aspire to this honour; where all are equally brave, all ought to be -equally rewarded. But it was not so in this case. It was in vain that -his friends remonstrated, and Sir Stephen Lushington wrote thus strongly -in his favour:—“It is still my opinion that Mr. Wood deserves the -Victoria Cross as much as any one that I recommended at the same time, -not excepting his gallant chief, the late Sir William Peel; and it will -afford me much pleasure to hear that he has received the much-desired -honour.... He was one of the first officers I recommended for it, and -certainly one of the most gallant in the Naval Brigade.” The writer of -this letter went even so far as to remonstrate with the authorities on -the omission of Mr. Wood’s name, but all this led to nothing; and our -young hero, tired of inaction, and longing for other opportunities of -distinction, exchanged into the 17th Lancers, and embarked for India. - -His indefatigable perseverance in mastering the native languages, -aided by the high character he had already attained in the field, soon -procured for him the favourable notice of his superiors in India. After -a residence of one year and nine months, thirteen of which were spent -in fighting and hard marching in pursuit of the rebels, Lieutenant Wood -passed the examination for interpreter in Hindostani, thus justifying -Sir Joshua Reynolds’s remark, that genius is only another name for -perseverance. Young men of Wood’s indomitable courage and perseverance -must ultimately attain to distinction in any career; the world may be -careless at first, but it cannot always ignore their claims. We have -the testimony of a distinguished Indian officer, Major-General Beatson, -that, after a residence of eighteen months, he already knew more of the -native languages than most officers who had spent ten years in India. -The continuance of the rebellion afforded him opportunities of proving -that intellectual effort is not incompatible with the highest courage. -During the action at Sindwaho, he greatly distinguished himself. Owing -to the paucity of officers in the 3rd Bombay Cavalry, he had volunteers -to command, a troop of the 3rd Light Cavalry, during the campaign; and -in the hottest of the fight he rode up almost single-handed and attacked -a body of the enemy. His gallantry on this occasion was recognised by -His Excellency the Governor-General of India, whose attention had been -directed to it by Lieutenant-Colonel Curtis, 1st Bombay Lancers, and -Colonel De Salis. He had continued to act as brigade major to Brigadier -Somerset, and on the breaking up of the field brigade under his command, -the latter recommended him in the strongest terms to the favourable -notice of the Assistant-Adjutant-General. Some idea may be formed of the -value of Lieutenant Wood’s services at this period, from the following -extract from Brigadier Somerset’s letter:—“It only remains for me to say, -that, in the various duties which have devolved upon Lieutenant Wood, -as my only staff officer, while under my command he has shown the most -unwearied zeal, particularly on occasion of the rapid pursuit of the -enemy—calling for the utmost exertion from all—especially from one whose -position did not admit of his taking advantage of a few short hours that -others had for rest—as well as the highest intelligence and facility -for the management of native Indians, quite unusual in one so recently -arrived in this country.” - -Brigadier Somerset concluded by recommending him for employment upon the -staff of the army, or with native cavalry; and this recommendation was -not without its immediate effect. In times of peace such appointments -are usually given to those who are backed by the strongest influences; -but such are the exigencies of the service during the prevalence of war, -that merit cannot be altogether overlooked. A general, in the selection -of his staff, consults only his own interests in striving to have the -right man in the right place. General Michel at once appointed him to -the command of a troop of irregular cavalry, and in August, 1859, he was -acting as Brigade Major under General Beatson, who thus alludes to his -abilities in the command of native troops:—“In this officer I have a -strong proof that it is not having passed a long time with native troops -which alone renders an officer fit for irregular cavalry. Lieutenant -Wood’s knowledge of his duties as a cavalry officer, his zeal and energy -in all situations, render him more valuable as a staff officer with -irregular troops than most officers I have met with in India, who have -been all the period of their service with native corps.... He has all -the qualifications of a first-rate soldier, in addition to the highest -principles of a gentleman.” - -Lieutenant Wood’s services in the Crimea and India were of such a -nature that they could not be altogether forgotten, and though they -were overlooked for the moment, circumstances eventually occurred which -brought them fresh to the remembrance of the public, and enabled him -to secure that honourable distinction to which he had never ceased to -aspire. At the commencement of the year 1860 the Indian mutineers, -disheartened by repeated reverses in the field, broke up into detached -parties, and concealing themselves in the jungle, endeavoured to protract -the contest by plundering the inhabitants of the surrounding districts. -Among those who had suffered most from their depredations was a potail -of the name of Chemmum Singh, who resided in the vicinity of the jungles -between Beora and Muksudnugger. The rebels who had taken refuge there -committed frequent depredations in the Barseah district, and though -frequently attacked by different parties had always contrived to escape. -Chemmum Singh, whose loyalty was doubtless intensified by personal loss, -was naturally anxious to get rid of such unpleasant neighbours, and made -known their movements to the commander of the district. Intelligence of -this reached the ears of the rebels, who resolved to have their revenge. -Issuing forth at night, they seized the unfortunate potail and carried -him and his relations off to the jungle, with the intention of reviving -that species of trial which, in the old Border warfare, was known as -Jedburgh or Jeddart justice. They meant to hang him first, and try him -afterwards. - -It would have fared ill with the poor potail if it had not so happened -that Lieutenant Wood arrived at this juncture, after a long march, at -Sindhora, the post where his regiment was stationed. Though worn out with -his long march, he no sooner heard of what had happened than he resolved -at once to attempt a rescue. Hastily collecting a Duffadar and four -Sowars of his own regiment, and a Naick and six Sepoys of the Bareilly -levy, he started with this small body of men in search of the rebels. He -knew that success depended not so much on the numbers as the courage of -his men, and forced his way into the jungle in the direction where the -rebels were supposed to be concealed. After proceeding twelve miles from -Sindhora, without perceiving any traces of the enemy, his practised eye -detected the glare of a fire in a dense part of the jungle. He at once -suspected that this had been kindled by the robbers whose lurking-place -he was trying to discover, and made up his mind to attack them before -they were aware of his presence. He dismounted, and leaving three Sowars -to take charge of the horses, advanced through the jungle on foot with -the other two of his party. For three miles they crept through the dense -bush, using every precaution so as not to attract the notice or excite -the alarm of the robbers. At length their perseverance was rewarded: at -one o’clock P.M. Lieutenant Wood witnessed a _tableau vivant_ in the -dense jungle of Sindhora, which he is not likely ever to forget. There, -in the midst of the bush, at the distance of twenty-six feet from the -place where the party of rescue lay concealed, were the whole of the -robbers, stretched on the ground, and fast asleep, some five of their -number, who kept drowsy watch over their comrades, and the unfortunate -potail, who was waiting his doom with all the calm indifference of -Oriental fatalism. They were roused up in a manner they little expected. -The party of rescue fired a volley; and Lieutenant Wood rushed forward -into the nullah amongst the rebels, followed by the Duffadar and Sowar -of his regiment. The latter, inspired by his example, followed him -into the thickest of the danger; but the Naick and six Sepoys of the -Bareilly levy consulted their safety by remaining in the rear. If he -had been properly supported, the whole body of the rebels might have -been killed or captured; as it was, they were seized with a panic and -fled into the jungle, leaving their arms and several of their comrades -who had fallen, behind. Thus one brave man, with two native followers, -routed and put to flight a body of seventy rebels, who were well armed -and familiar with the country. While such a deed may not be altogether -unrivalled in the annals of the suppression of the Indian Mutiny—a period -when our countrymen seem to have vied with one another in the display of -the most daring courage—it may at least be affirmed that it has never -been surpassed, or accompanied with more excellent effect. The band of -robbers, routed and put to flight, never ventured to return to the scene -of their former depredation, and the inhabitants of the surrounding -country were indebted to Lieutenant Wood for the safety of their -lives and property. Chemmum Singh and his relatives were restored to -liberty, and the party of rescue having accomplished the object of their -expedition, returned to Sindhora. Lieutenant Wood’s services on this -occasion were honourably mentioned in a despatch by Colonel Sir Richmond -Shakespeare, and gratefully acknowledged by the Governor-General of India. - -It might have been expected that such distinguished conduct, on repeated -occasions, would now have secured for this gallant young officer that -Cross of Valour which had ever been to him an object of honourable -ambition. Fresh difficulties, however, arose, and the authorities at home -were slow to recognise his claims. General Sir J. Michel, who had ever -taken a warm interest in his career, and had the best opportunities of -studying his character, had already, in April, 1859, addressed a letter -to the chief of the staff, recommending Lieutenant Wood to his favourable -notice. By the regulations of the service, he was precluded from general -promotion; but Sir John Michel recommended him for a brevet majority, -as soon as he should obtain the rank of captain. “His services under my -command,” writes Sir John, “are as follows:— - -“On marching from Mhow, in August, 1858, the left wing, 3rd Bombay -Cavalry, being deficient in officers, he volunteered to take charge of a -squadron, and whilst in command was present at the actions of Raggurh, -where his squadron did excellent service; he also commanded these men at -the actions of Sindwaho and Kerai. - -“On the formation of a light column under Lieutenant-Colonel Benson, on -the 8th of November, 1858, he was named staff officer, and was present at -the different rapid pursuits under Colonel Benson and Colonel Somerset, -and present at the fight of Baroda, 1st of January. - -“His extraordinary activity, zeal, energy, and judgment, together with -his utility, from having rapidly passed in the Hindostani language, -combine to render him a most valuable officer, and one whose services -deserve reward, and whose promotion would be an advantage to the service. - -“This young officer’s career has been so brilliant, that I trust I may be -permitted to attach to this letter a former memorial of his in reference -to the Victoria Cross, that his lordship may be able to judge of his -antecedents.” - -The important services enumerated above were performed previous to the -successful attack on the band of robbers. After this brilliant affair, -Sir J. Michel again intervened in his favour, but without success, as we -learn from the following note addressed by him to Lieutenant Wood:— - -“You are doomed to be, in respect to the Victoria Cross, unlucky. - -“However, go on as you are doing, and your steady good conduct and -gallant bearing will eventually bring fruit. - -“Recollect, in your military career, as long as I hear well of you, of -which I have no doubt, you will always find me a sincere friend. - -“I will never apply to any one to do anything for you as a favour, but -with the strength of my position will support your wishes, on the grounds -of your merits and your services.” - -Circumstances occurred in 1860 which induced Lieutenant Wood to resign -his appointment in the Indian service. It is not our intention to dwell -upon the causes which led him to abandon the field of labour in which he -had so greatly distinguished himself. It may be sufficient to mention, -that he had threatened a treacherous rajah with arrest, and this incurred -the censure of his former chief, Sir R. Shakespeare. Every one acquainted -with the facts of the case will admit, that if he erred it was an error -of judgment, springing from excess of zeal for the public service, and -therefore deserving to be leniently dealt with. Censure proceeding -from such a quarter deeply wounded his highly sensitive spirit, and, -notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he retired from the -Indian service, and prepared to return to England. His departure elicited -the sincerest expressions of regret, and the most cordial recognition of -his services from those who had witnessed his brilliant career. Major -Mayne, the well-known commander of Mayne’s Horse, whose painful duty it -had been to convey to him the censure of Sir R. Shakespeare, wrote to the -latter, on the 7th of August, 1860, as follows:— - -“Lieutenant Wood has, in consequence, sent in his resignation of his -appointment, which I forward for your consideration. I have remonstrated -with Lieutenant Wood, but he is too discouraged to remain under present -circumstances. - -“I greatly regret that there has been cause for his incurring your -censures, but it is my duty to report to you the essential services -that this officer has rendered since he joined me, in carrying out -the harassing details of organizing the second corps of my horse: his -unwearied energy; his close attention to details; his admirable temper; -his strict discipline; the physical activity he daily exerts to teach -his men the use of arms and horses; his unceasing intercourse with his -officers and men; his unremitting endeavours to make himself thoroughly -acquainted with their habits and language; his disregard of self and -personal trouble, and the critical knowledge he has obtained of his -profession, form a very long list of high qualifications. - -“But I have daily noticed them with intense satisfaction—I may say -hourly—for from where I write I can see—hardly avoid observing—all that -passes at Lieutenant Wood’s quarters. - -“I have never yet met with an officer of Lieutenant Wood’s age (not -yet twenty-three years) who gave higher promise of making a brilliant -soldier. His whole heart and soul are in his work, and he is an -impersonation of Sir Charles Napier’s _beau idéal_ of an Irregular -horseman, for he is intent on his duty in eating, drinking, and sleeping, -while his gallantry and devotedness in the field have won for him the -recorded praise of Lord Raglan, Sir William Peel, and all who knew him -in the Crimea, where he was recommended for the Victoria Cross, and all -under whom he has served in India.... Lieutenant Wood is much loved in -the brigade, and I consider his resignation as a loss to the public -service.” - -Major Mayne also recorded his sense of his merits in Brigade Orders, and -such proofs of esteem must have been soothing to his spirit as he bade -adieu to the shores of India. That he did so with sorrow the reader will -readily imagine; no one can renounce the prospect of a brilliant career -without regret. Kind and appreciating friends were waiting to welcome him -to his native shore; home, with all its endearing ties, was waiting his -return; and yet, even at the last hour, he turned a longing eye to the -scene of his former labours, and began to think of accepting employment -in the Indian service at some future period. On the 4th of October, 1860, -immediately before embarking for England, he wrote to Colonel Travers, -Commanding Central India Force, requesting him to keep him in view if a -vacancy should occur, and stating that he would rather command the 1st or -2nd corps, on the present system, than any other regiment. This letter -produced a kind reply from Colonel Travers, who expressed the warmest -admiration of his qualifications as an officer, and promised to place -him in command of the first cavalry regiment where a vacancy occurred, -provided that he could do so without injustice to others. Satisfied with -this assurance our young hero set out for England, where he found that -fame had preceded him, and won for him the tardy recognition of his -services. In truth, the Victoria Cross had been awarded to him before -he left India, though he only learned this on reaching England. In the -_Gazette_ of September 4th, 1860, it was announced that the Queen was -about to confer the decoration of the Victoria Cross on Lieutenant Henry -Evelyn Wood, 17th Lancers, on account of acts of bravery performed by -him in India, as recorded against his name—viz., Lieutenant H. E. Wood, -17th Lancers, for having, on the 19th of October, 1858, during action at -Sindwaho, when in command of a troop of the 3rd Light Cavalry, attacked -with much gallantry, almost single-handed, a body of rebels who had made -a stand, whom he routed; also for having subsequently, near Sindhora, -gallantly advanced, with a Duffadar and Sowar of Beatson’s Horse, and -rescued from a band of robbers a potail, Chemmum Singh, whom they had -captured and carried off to the jungles, where they intended to hang him. - -Soon after his return to England Lieutenant Wood was invested with the -Cross of Valour, and promoted to the rank of captain in the army. The -rescue of Chemmum Singh from the band of robbers has been reproduced -on canvas by Mr. Desanges, in the admirable painting marked XLVI. in -the Catalogue of the Victoria Cross Gallery. We have already dwelt -sufficiently on the incidents of that event to enable our readers to -recognise the leading characters in the group. - -Any eulogium on the career of such an officer as Captain Wood would be -entirely out of place; it speaks for itself. We have only, in conclusion, -to express the belief that in this period of wars and rumours of wars -many years of distinguished service are yet before him, and to point -out the lesson taught by his brief but brilliant career. It teaches all -young men, be they soldiers or civilians, to learn to labour and to wait, -to persevere in the path of duty, to aspire to distinction in their own -walk, whatever their profession or business may be, and to cherish the -assurance that the world, however cold or unappreciative it may seem to -be at first, will, sooner or later, recognise deserving merit. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -SAMUEL MITCHELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS; OR, THE GATE PA AT TAURANGA. - - -[Illustration: New Zealand Arms.] - -When the intelligence of the Gate Pa disaster reached England from New -Zealand, the news was received with feelings of sorrow and surprise. -The public at home were not prepared to hear of the disaster which -had overtaken our arms in that distant colony. We have been so long -successful by land and by sea, that we have come almost to regard victory -as our right, and when our arms meet with any reverse we are apt to be -unjust, and to ascribe our failure to any but the true cause. Sir Duncan -A. Cameron, the general commanding the forces in New Zealand, has been -most unjustly assailed as the cause of the recent disaster at Tauranga, -and a portion of the English press have been unmeasured in their abuse -of that distinguished officer. He has been charged with incapacity, -mismanagement, and the reckless sacrifice of valuable lives; and while -such charges can have no effect upon those who are on the spot, and have -had frequent opportunities of witnessing his capacity for command, they -have doubtless tended to injure him in the opinion of those who have only -an imperfect knowledge of the circumstances of the case. Though we were -not present at the attack on the Gate Pa, we have derived our information -from some of the principal actors in that unfortunate affair, so that the -following narrative may be safely accepted as a faithful account of what -occurred. We shall confine ourselves to the simple facts of the case, and -leave our readers to draw their own conclusions. - -Tauranga is the native name of a district on the east coast of New -Zealand, about a hundred miles south of Auckland. It has long been the -site of a missionary establishment under the charge of Archdeacon Brown, -who has laboured among the natives during more than twenty years, and -remained unmolested at his field of duty during the progress of the -present war. A few British settlers had established themselves there for -purposes of trade, and a resident magistrate was appointed to watch over -the interests of justice. The Maoris of Tauranga are and always have -been a warlike race, but there was no reason at first to question their -loyalty. During the prevalence of the war in the Waikato district, the -principal seat of the late campaign, the Maoris at Tauranga remained -faithful in their adherence to the British Crown. It was only after the -hostile tribes, driven from their land in the Waikato by the advance -of our army, had dispersed themselves in the south, that symptoms of -disaffection appeared among the natives of Tauranga. The fugitives -excited the alarm of their countrymen by asserting that they also would -be stripped of their lands, and thus inciting them to revolt. The effects -of these incentives to rebellion became so marked, that the 68th and 43rd -Regiments, which had recently arrived from India, were sent to Tauranga -to overawe the disaffected. This movement brought matters to a crisis; -a small portion of the natives remained faithful to the British Crown, -while the great majority left their homes and joined the insurgents. Our -forces encamped on a small peninsula called Te Papa, which is connected -with the mainland by a narrow isthmus: the command was intrusted to -Lieutenant-Colonel Greer, of the 68th Regiment. The hostile natives -continued to hover round our camp, cutting off our supplies, and seizing -the commissariat cattle within a few hundred yards of our sentries, -without any attempt on our part to punish their audacity. Emboldened by -our supineness and their own success, they resolved at length to erect a -pa, and the site they selected would have secured the approval of Vauban, -if he had been still alive. In truth, the Maoris of New Zealand, though -they have never studied at Woolwich, are adepts in military engineering; -instinct in their case has supplied the want of science. The sites of -their pas, which are simply redoubts built of earth and inclosed with a -wooden palisade, have always been chosen with the double intention of -inflicting the greatest possible injury on their assailants, and securing -their own retreat when their position becomes untenable. No attempt was -made to restrain the natives from erecting a pa at Tauranga; the work -went on for weeks, and our men quietly looked on. It is a far easier -matter to prevent the erection than to effect the capture of a pa, but -there may have been causes for this inactivity unknown to us. Be that as -it may, the pa was built without interruption on the narrow slip of land -which connects the peninsula of Te Papa with the mainland. This isthmus -is the gate which commands the entrance to the whole district; hence the -pa erected on it was known as the Gate Pa. On either side was a swamp -extending to the water, so that it was impossible for our men to force -their entrance into the interior without dislodging the enemy from their -stronghold. An order had been issued for the 43rd Regiment to proceed -to Auckland, but Colonel Greer, in the exercise of a wise discretion, -retained them at Tauranga, in the belief that their services would soon -be required. - -On the night of Thursday, the 28th of April, General Cameron, who had -arrived at Tauranga with his staff some days before, commenced his -preparations for attack. The forces under his command seemed to be amply -sufficient for securing success: they consisted of the 68th Light -Infantry, the 43rd, the Flying Column, made up of detachments from the -14th, 65th, and 70th Regiments, and the Naval Brigade, consisting of more -than two hundred sailors from the different men-of-war stationed there. -The attacking party were strong in artillery, having with them eleven -Armstrong guns, besides two howitzers and six mortars. The only arms -possessed by the enemy, whose numbers did not exceed six hundred men, -were their rifles and tomahawks; but this inferiority was compensated for -by the advantage of fighting behind the walls of the pa. - -The general’s object was to intercept the enemy in the rear, and thus -cut off their retreat. Under cover of the night, the 68th Regiment and -thirty men of the Naval Brigade forced their way through the swamp, and -took up their position in the rear of the pa, without attracting the -notice of the insurgents. April is one of the brightest and sunniest -months in New Zealand, but the morning of the 28th was dark and lowering; -heavy rains began to fall, and the rays of the sun were obscured by the -murky atmosphere. By the imperfect light of dawn the 68th could be seen -extended in skirmishing order behind the pa, so that the enemy were -completely hemmed in. They might hold out for a time, but it was only a -question of time; the general’s arrangements were perfect, and no doubt -was entertained of our ultimate success. At half-past seven o’clock the -cannonade began; the artillery, officers and men, displayed the greatest -courage and skill in working the guns; shot and shell continued to be -poured upon and into the redoubt without intermission till four o’clock -in the afternoon. The few natives who had appeared in the rifle-pits at -the commencement of the attack were soon dislodged, and retreated into -the pa by a hole not larger than an ordinary covered drain. During the -cannonade they seldom returned our fire; the general impression was, -that the shot and shell had done their deadly work so effectually as to -leave few of them alive. The general, however, delayed his attack till -a breach had been effected in the walls sufficiently large to admit -the storming party—a fact which seems to have been wilfully ignored by -his assailants at home, who have unjustly accused him of recklessly -sacrificing the lives of his officers and men by commanding them to -mount an impracticable breach, when his proper course would have been -a mine or a distant cannonade. All that could be done by a distant -cannonade was already effected; the breach was there staring them in -the face; the storming party had only to enter in and take possession. -The wanton sacrifice of human life is the last charge that would be -brought against General Cameron by those who have taken part in this -campaign; in this respect he resembles his friend and countryman Lord -Clyde, who never exposed his men to unnecessary danger. If human skill -could always command success, he had a right to count upon victory; but -we need not anticipate. At four o’clock in the afternoon the storming -party, consisting of the Naval Brigade and the 43rd Regiment, were formed -into line, while the covering party advanced within a hundred yards -of the pa, and opened fire. The enemy showed themselves on the walls, -and briskly replied. The storming party, led by Commander Hay, of the -_Harrier_, now advanced swiftly in column; the men were in the highest -spirits, and rushed forward with a ringing cheer. Nothing could withstand -the impetuosity of their attack; in a moment they had cleared the ditch, -scaled the embankment, and plunged through the breach into the redoubt. -The reserve party thought that the day was won; for a time no sound was -heard save a straggling shot or an occasional cheer. But this silence was -not to last; it was only the treacherous lull that precedes the storm. -That storm soon burst forth with the greatest fury; all at once the pa, -the supposed grave of its Maori defenders, became instinct with life; -volley succeeded volley in rapid succession; in the intervals might be -heard savage yells such as never issued from any British throat. It was -a moment of intense interest to the spectator, who for a time could -see nothing but the clouds of smoke that rose from the pa after each -volley; enough, however, soon became visible to show that our arms had -met with a sudden reverse. Soldiers and sailors, mixed up in confusion, -came thronging through the breach, plunged into the ditch, and rushed -forward in the wildest disorder; some sudden panic had seized them, but -there might still be sufficient time to turn the tide of war and retrieve -the honour of the day. General Cameron at once ordered the supports to -advance; a braver officer than Captain Hamilton, of the _Esk_, could -not have been found to lead them on. If a single arm could have changed -the fortune of the war, the disaster of the Gate Pa would never have -occurred; but the supports came too late. The gallant Hamilton sprang -upon the embankment, waved his sword in the air, and shouted, “Follow -me, men!” Scarcely had the words passed his lips when a bullet struck -him on the head, the sword dropped from his hand, and he fell to rise -no more. The death of their leader increased the panic of the men; the -supports became mixed with the fugitives; all discipline was forgotten; -all remonstrance on the part of the officers was unavailing; _sauve qui -peut_ became the order of the day. The enemy, profiting by this panic, -took deliberate aim, and poured a destructive fire into the retreating -mob, whose only thought was of escape. The day was lost; the instrument -had broken in the hands of him who knew how to use it so skilfully. It -was too much for even the strongest nature to bear with equanimity; the -general dashed his field-glass on the ground, turned his back on the -fugitives, and retired to his tent to conceal his emotion. - -Various causes have been assigned for this disastrous retreat. It has -been affirmed that the storming party, on entering the pa, met with no -resistance, and saw no traces of the enemy, except a few wounded Maoris -lying on the ground, apparently abandoned by their comrades. Believing -that the redoubt was evacuated, they threw aside their arms, and began -to help themselves to the plunder which was scattered about. It may be -that the Maoris had recourse to this artifice in order to throw them off -their guard, as they are already familiar with the looting propensities -of the British soldier; it is certain that they had not all evacuated the -pa. A considerable number had done so; but the majority had concealed -themselves in chambers dug out in the ground, and covered with boughs of -trees and earth. They had remained there during the cannonade, and it -is a singular fact, worthy of the notice of military strategists, that -the storm of shot and shell which descended upon the pa for upwards of -eight hours could not reach them. The killed and wounded were those who -exposed themselves on the walls; no shot or shell could reach their -more prudent comrades, who with heroic patience awaited the result in -their subterraneous retreat. When the defenders of the walls retreated -before the impetuous onset of the storming party, and tried to escape -by the rear, the others remained in their hiding-place, and bided their -time. When they saw through the thin covering of boughs and earth that -the storming party had abandoned their arms and given themselves up -to plunder, they opened a destructive fire upon them. The effect was -much the same as if a volcano had suddenly opened beneath their feet, -and begun to pour forth volumes of smoke and flame; many of our men -were killed and wounded at the first discharge; discipline might have -done much, but all discipline was at an end; mere courage could avail -nothing against this invisible foe. Our officers behaved with their usual -coolness and bravery, but every effort to restore order was unavailing; -the confused mass staggered and reeled like a drunken man, as volley -after volley was poured into them from beneath. Meanwhile the insurgents -who had striven to escape by the rear, repulsed by the steady fire of -the 68th, returned to the pa, and increased the panic by the suddenness -of their attack. The cry rose among our men that the enemy were being -reinforced by the arrival of fresh troops: some one, it is said, gave -the order to retire. Be that as it may, the day was already lost; the -panic became general; soldiers and sailors rushed in a confused mass to -the walls, and precipitated themselves into the ditch below. It was at -this moment that Captain Hamilton came up with his supports: he came soon -enough to find a death of glory on the walls of the Gate Pa, but too late -to turn the tide of war. The supports were borne back by the flood of -fugitives, and the Maoris remained masters of the field. - -The soldiers blame the sailors as the cause of this disastrous retreat, -and the sailors are ready enough to retaliate. It is matter of regret -that they should have been mixed up together during the attack. Both -fight well in their own way, but they fight best apart. The soldier has -not the dash of the sailor, and the sailor is wanting in the steadiness -of the soldier. It is certain that on entering the pa both became mixed -up together, and the confusion which thus ensued prevented the officers -from exercising that authority over the men which they might otherwise -have done. When a panic once sets in, all discipline is at an end. The -officers encouraged the men by voice and example; they remained at the -post of duty when those under their command began to retreat; this fact -alone is sufficient to explain the great disproportion between officers -and men killed and wounded. It is painful to relate that our soldiers and -sailors abandoned their wounded officers to their fate, and left them in -the hands of the enemy; but there was one honourable exception. Samuel -Mitchell, captain of the foretop of Her Majesty’s ship _Harrier_, who -formed one of the storming party, did all that could be expected from the -British sailor in the hour of danger. He entered the pa with Commander -Hay, and when that officer was mortally wounded he refused to leave him, -though repeatedly urged by him to consult his own safety. The gallant -sailor listened to the voice of humanity, and refused to leave his dying -officer; raising him in his arms, he carried him outside the pa amid a -shower of bullets. There must have been a cherub aloft watching over his -safety and sheltering him from danger; no hostile bullet reached his -person; the body of his leader was rescued from falling into the hands -of the enemy. Mitchell, on this occasion, was doing duty as captain’s -coxswain, and his heroic deed was not overlooked or forgotten. It was -reported to Commodore Sir William Wiseman, who recommended him for the -decoration of the Victoria Cross, and we are glad to observe, from the -_London Gazette_ of the 26th of July, that this honourable distinction -has been awarded to him. Long may he be spared to wear it!—a living -witness that England can appreciate and reward such acts of gallantry. We -were glad to learn that the services of Dr. Manley, R.A., had met with -the same recognition. The duties of an army surgeon rarely afford him -an opportunity of displaying gallantry in the field; but he has often -to exhibit a moral courage as worthy of our admiration as the dashing -bravery of him who heads a forlorn hope. It requires no usual amount of -courage to minister to the wants of the wounded and dying on the field of -battle amid the bullets of the enemy, and this was done by Dr. Manley -with as much _sang froid_ as if he had been performing an operation in -St. George’s Hospital. - -It has often struck us how little faith can be placed in the best -historical narratives, when we consider the difficulty, if not the -impossibility, of attaining to the truth regarding an affair of recent -occurrence, even when we have an opportunity of consulting the principal -actors. The storming of the Gate Pa is no exception to this rule. The -fugitives assert that an officer gave the order to retire; the officers -deny that such an order was ever given. We have mentioned above that -the panic originated from the return to the pa of the Maoris who had -endeavoured to escape, and were driven back by the fire of the 68th; we -have heard it strenuously urged that the Maoris never left the pa, but -had merely concealed themselves in the subterraneous chambers, where -they lay _perdus_ till they heard the approach of the storming party. -It went the round of the papers that the 68th Regiment three times in -succession endeavoured to storm the pa, and were as often repulsed. It -was not the duty of the 68th to storm the pa; they were assigned their -position in the rear to cut off the enemy’s retreat; they indignantly -deny that they ever attempted an assault or suffered a repulse. Their -trifling loss in killed and wounded renders it impossible that they ever -quitted their position. We merely mention these discrepancies to show -that a little scepticism is not out of place in the study of history, and -that the future historian of the war in New Zealand will find some little -difficulty in arriving at the truth. - -The night of the 29th of April was, in the British camp at Tauranga, a -night of deep humiliation and mutual reproach. The men were disgraced in -their own eyes, and what would the people of England say? There is not a -more gallant regiment in the service than the 43rd; Napier, who belonged -to them, has commemorated their deeds of valour in the Peninsula, and -the memory of the numerous engagements in which they have taken part is -preserved on their colours. But now where were all the laurels they had -won in the Peninsula and India? Soiled and trampled in the dust, and by -whom? Not by forces equal to them in arms and discipline; not by foemen -worthy of their steel; but by a horde of half-naked, half-armed savages, -whom they had been taught to despise. They erred in despising them -overmuch; they forgot, or they had never learned, that the defenders of -that pa belonged to a race reckless of life, loving war for its own sake, -who were then fighting, as such a race ever will fight, for their homes, -their lands, their liberty, their all. - -The time may come when the Maori race will be subdued, but that will only -be when the Maori race has been extirpated. Would that the people of -England knew this as well as the colonists of New Zealand! A disgraceful -chapter in the future history of our country might then have never to -be written. The storming party learned when it was too late that the -courage of despair rises superior to all human calculations of success, -and that no bounds can be assigned to the heroic powers of endurance of -men fighting for their liberty. It could be no ordinary race that waited -patiently for eight hours, with no other shelter from the descending -hurricane of shot and shell than a few boughs of trees covered with -earth, till the moment had arrived for rushing forth and rolling back -their assailants like a broken wave. It adds nothing to our glory to -detract from the virtues of our adversaries. In the Maori character there -is much to condemn, but much also to admire and to imitate. If, instead -of being exterminated, they were embodied into regiments, commanded by -men who spoke their language and studied their character, they would -be found as useful as the Sikhs in India; and, on the ground of public -expediency as well as of Christian principle, it would be better to save -than to destroy. The Maori race once extinguished can never be restored, -and it would be impious to imagine that any one race has been created in -vain. - -But what was the fate of the wounded and dying officers left in the pa? -Night closed over them and concealed them in impenetrable darkness. No -less than seven officers of the 43rd were there, besides others belonging -to the navy. They were in the hands of those who cut off Captain Lloyd’s -head, and sent it round among the other tribes as a trophy of victory. -The vanquished soldiery could hear the yells of triumph from the -pa; some even imagined that they heard the shrieks of their tortured -countrymen, but this was only the work of the imagination. The Maoris -remembered mercy in the hour of victory, and treated our dying officers -with humanity worthy of the imitation and admiration of all civilized -nations. No hostile hand hastened on the hour of death, already fast -approaching. Their persons and their property were alike respected. An -effort was made to relieve the sufferings of those who were still alive. -Lieutenant-Colonel Booth, commanding the 43rd, was shot through the spine -and the arm. His wounds, though mortal, did not produce immediate death. -He stood leaning against the wall of the pa, suffering intensely from -thirst; around him lay his slaughtered officers. Our pen shrinks from -recording the sufferings he endured throughout the night of horror which -he survived. He had risen rapidly to command, and was in the very prime -of his strength and manhood. Tall, erect, and powerful, he looked like a -man who could ward off death for half a century; he had done so in India -and elsewhere, but now he had met his fate at the Gate Pa at Tauranga. -This was the first time that he had led his regiment into action, and had -they behaved in a manner worthy of their high reputation? Alas! - -There lay the two Glovers, the sons of an English clergyman, on the field -of gore, but not of glory. They were lovely in their lives, and in death -they were not separated. We had seen the elder fall in the foremost of -the fray, and the younger, who loved him with more than a brother’s love, -rush forward with a loud and bitter cry. A brother’s love may do much, -but it cannot reverse the iron decrees of fate, which take no account of -human affection or sorrow. It was in vain that he raised him in his arms, -and strove to bear him from the field—a hostile bullet brought both the -brothers to the ground, and left them side by side, with the tide of life -ebbing fast away. If there is a mother in some distant English rectory -weeping, like Rachel, for her children, because they are not, or a father -lamenting their loss, let us comfort them with the assurance that in life -and in death they were all that the fondest parent could wish. - -We have read of a martyr’s sufferings at the stake: we question whether -in intensity they equalled those endured by Colonel Booth during that -fearful night. He never lost his consciousness, and an occasional groan -escaped from his lips. An armed Maori stole up to him. There was no -sorrow in the thought that he had come to give him the _coup de grâce_; -but it was not so. The heart of the half-savage man was touched by the -spectacle of woe. Colonel Booth read this feeling in his face, and -muttered, “Water.” The Maori shook his head, to show that there was none -in the pa, and slipped out in search of some. He never returned, but next -morning his body was found at the brink of the swamp, with a pannikin -by his side. A soldier of the 68th, ignorant of his purpose, had fired -at him with fatal precision, and arrested him on his errand of mercy. -The will must be taken for the deed. The exposure of his life to all but -certain death from the humane desire to give a cup of water to a dying -enemy shall not be without its reward. - -In the course of the night the insurgents abandoned the pa, and made good -their retreat by the rear, without suffering much loss from the 68th, who -had been placed there to intercept them. No blame can be attached to the -68th; no regiment has ever been able to prevent the Maoris from effecting -their escape. They pass with ease through swamps where the British -soldier could never gain a footing. Amphibious in their habits, they are -as much at home in the water as on land. Their loss on this occasion was -trifling: it certainly did not exceed thirty men, while ours amounted to -104 killed and wounded, including a larger portion of officers than on -any other occasion where British troops have been engaged. The causes of -this disproportion are already known to our readers. - -For a time it was not known in the British camp that the enemy had -evacuated the pa. The frantic yells had died away—no sound was heard -to disturb the stillness of the night. Tempted by the long-continued -silence, Major Greaves, of the 70th, stole up to the ditch, mounted the -breach, and found the pa empty. Returning to camp, he reported what he -had seen, but no attempt was made to enter the pa till daybreak. The -enemy had fled, carrying their wounded with them. Colonel Booth was -still alive, but the surgeon told him that his hours were numbered. He -was borne to the camp, where he survived till the following day. Before -his death he was visited by General Cameron. “I endeavoured, sir, to -carry out your orders; I am sorry that I have failed. I at least tried -to do my duty.” “You have done so nobly,” was the general’s reply, as -he pressed the hand of the dying soldier, in whose breast the sense -of duty was stronger than the love of life. It is pleasing to record -the virtues of men who, in this inglorious warfare, have gone down to -the grave unwept, unhonoured, and unsung, because England takes little -interest in a war with savages, and dismisses the subject for others -more attractive. The other dead or dying officers were removed from the -pa. Captain Hamilton, of the 43rd, breathed only once after his body was -found. A bullet had passed through his head, and so altered his features -that it was difficult to recognise the handsome face with which we were -once so familiar. We had known him years ago in the East, when he was an -ensign in the 10th Regiment. During the interval he had served throughout -the whole of the Indian campaign, and followed Havelock to Lucknow. He -belonged to a race of soldiers, and was every inch a soldier himself. -Poor Hamilton! we think of him still as he sat at the mess-table, -expatiating on the capture of Lucknow, or some cognate subject, to a -group of admiring ensigns who loved him for the dangers he had passed. -He served in the 10th Regiment with the present Sir Henry Havelock, now -on the staff in New Zealand, who always spoke of him with respect as a -gallant soldier, and betrayed the deepest sorrow on learning that he had -fallen. - -The cause of the sudden panic which seized our men at the Gate Pa will -never be known with certainty. It would be easy to show, from ancient -and modern history, that the best troops are subject to such panics, -which often spring from the most trifling causes. Terror, like courage, -is sympathetic; it spreads like an infectious disease, from man to man, -till all are swept away before it. At the battle of Fridlingen, fought on -the 14th of October, 1702, between the French and Austrians, the former -almost lost the day through a sudden panic which seized their ranks. The -infantry had reached the summit of a hill to dislodge the German cavalry, -and had succeeded in doing so, when a voice suddenly exclaimed, “_Nous -sommes coupés!_” On this every regiment turned and fled. It was fortunate -that in Marshal Villars they had a leader equal to the occasion. -“_Allons, mes amis!_” he cried; “_la victoire est à nous! Vive le roi!_” -“_Vive le roi!_” replied the soldiers, still retreating as fast as they -could. With some difficulty Villars rallied them, and led them back to -victory; but if a single regiment had attacked them at that moment the -result would have been the same as at the Gate Pa. The most trifling -incident may make a whole army retire in confusion. Such an incident -occurred during the Indian campaign. A body of our men were on the march, -preceded by some of their officers on horseback. A horse became restive, -and threw its rider; other horsemen rushed to his assistance; clouds of -dust were raised; the cry rose from the ranks that the rebels were upon -them; a sudden panic was the result, and our soldiers fled when no one -pursued. It was fortunate no enemy was at hand to profit by the confusion -and terror occasioned by the nowise remarkable incident of a surgeon -falling from his horse. - -The 43rd Regiment have already atoned for the disaster at Te Papa. A few -weeks after that event they again encountered the enemy at Te Ranga, -and proved themselves worthy of their Peninsular fame and the glorious -names inscribed on their standards. A temporary reverse is no proof -that a regiment has degenerated; it is often the occasion, as in this -instance, of eliciting the display of a higher amount of courage than -might have attended ordinary success, and of teaching a deeper respect -for those whose military spirit and capacity we have been disposed to -under-estimate. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -ENSIGN M’KENNA AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -Little is known in England of the war which has been carried on in New -Zealand. Despatches are occasionally published, and the names of those -who have distinguished themselves in the field are honourably mentioned; -but the seat of war is too remote for the people of England to feel -anything but a passing interest in a contest which they entered upon -with reluctance, and would gladly see finished. And yet in this struggle -between British soldiers and hostile Maoris, deeds of valour have been -performed which history will not willingly let die; and the name of -McKenna will be as gratefully remembered in New Zealand as those of the -heroes of the Victoria Cross Gallery in England. We hope the day is not -very far distant when he will figure in that gallery with the other brave -men who have carved their way with their swords into Mr. Desanges’ temple -of fame. - -We listened to McKenna’s simple narrative the other evening in a rude hut -at the camp of Awamutu, in the very centre of the seat of war. We have -heard some of the most brilliant speakers of the day, and been enthralled -by the magic power of their eloquence; but the interest excited by the -charms of such oratory was less thrilling than that produced by the -soldier’s plain story of deeds in which he himself was the principal -actor. Before submitting that narrative to our readers, which we shall -do as much as possible in McKenna’s own words, we may simply premise -that, while of Irish descent, he is a native of Leeds, and has served -seventeen years in the 65th Regiment, the greater part of that time as -a non-commissioned officer. He is an intelligent, well-educated man, -in the very prime of life, well adapted to occupy the rank which has -been assigned to him, and worthy to wear the Queen’s own Cross on his -breast. He has always borne an excellent character in a regiment which -is distinguished for the excellent conduct of its soldiers, and the -strong feeling of attachment which they cherish to their officers, from -the kindness and consideration with which they have been treated during -eighteen years’ service in this remote island. This is McKenna’s story. - -“In the beginning of July, 1863, the 65th Regiment was stationed in -Auckland. We were all expecting immediate orders to embark for England, -and our hearts beat high at the thought of seeing our native land, which, -after the absence of many years, had never been forgotten, and was now -dearer than ever. The 2nd Battalion of the 18th Royal Irish had just -landed, and were daily expecting to receive orders to embark, when, to -our great surprise, we were told to hold ourselves in readiness for -active service in the field. It was no use grumbling, so in a few hours -we were ready. Some of us, I dare say, liked the excitement of a campaign -more than the monotony of a long sea-voyage; and a few inspiriting words -from the colonel made us forget all thoughts of home in the excitement -of the coming struggle. On the 9th of July we marched from Auckland, -and, though I say it myself, a better regiment than ours never was, and -never will be, seen in this country. We bade farewell to our wives and -children, and camped for the night at Otahahu, nine miles from Auckland. -Thence we proceeded to the Queen’s Redoubt, which 300 of our men left -on Sunday, the 12th of July, for Tuakan, under the command of our dear -old chief, Colonel Wyatt, C.B. Tuakan is about sixteen miles from the -Queen’s Redoubt. It stands on a precipitous cliff overlooking the Waikato -river. It is the site of an old Maori fortification, and is naturally a -place of great strength. The road was difficult and dangerous, with the -dense bush on either side, but we reached Tuakan in safety, where we soon -cleared the ground and erected a redoubt, which, in honour of our dear -young Princess of Wales, was named Alexandra. If she saw it she would not -be ashamed of it, for there is not a better one in the island. Well, -perhaps the Queen’s Redoubt is a little better, as in right it ought to -be; but in strength and beauty of design ours is next best. - -“It was nearly finished on the 19th of July, when Colonel Wyatt withdrew -one-half of the men, and left the other 150 under the command of Captain -Swift. He is dead now, poor fellow, and no words of praise from me can -reach his ear; but a better officer never carried sword or wore the -Queen’s uniform. God bless him! I was only a poor sergeant; but if I had -been his own brother, he could not have been kinder to me. His example -told upon us all; we all liked our duties, and tried to do all we could -to suppress the rebellion. His first act was to seize a number of rebel -canoes and to man them with crews from his own detachment; in this way we -contrived to seize large quantities of potatoes and other provisions from -the hostile natives. But he did more than this: he extemporized a body of -Forest Rangers, who scoured the dense bush around the redoubt, kept the -natives at a distance. He had heard of atrocities they had committed on -defenceless women and children, and longed for an opportunity of meeting -them in the field. Poor fellow! he little dreamed that his first meeting -with them would be his last. But such are the chances of war. If he had -lived, the world would have heard more of him, for there was never a -braver or a better officer in the British or any other service. - -“Well, things went on as usual till the 7th of September. On the morning -of that day we had a visit from Mr. Armitage, the resident magistrate of -the township of Havelock. He had charge of five large canoes, manned by -natives, and loaded with forage and provisions, which were proceeding -from Camerontown, a friendly Maori pa, to the Queen’s Redoubt. The -forage had been brought up from the Waikato Heads; the barque _City of -Melbourne_ had conveyed it there from Auckland. The river transport had -been established in consequence of the difficulty of transporting stores -by the great South Road; and as the canoes were paddled by friendly -natives, no one imagined that there could be much danger of their being -attacked. - -“I shall never forget the morning of the 7th of September. Captain -Swift was asleep in his tent when Mr. Armitage arrived. He wanted one -of the large canoes we had seized, and I had to go three times to the -captain’s tent before I could wake him. He was usually a light sleeper, -but it was different on this occasion. It did not strike me much at the -moment, but I have often thought of it since. Well, Mr. Armitage left, -and nothing unusual happened till about eleven o’clock. I was down at -the landing-place superintending some work, when all at once I heard the -report of several shots. I stood and listened. The shots were followed by -successive volleys, which gradually subsided into the regular, or rather -irregular, firing of a smart skirmish. This went on for about a quarter -of an hour. I knew from the direction of the sound that the fighting was -going on at Camerontown. I hurried to the captain, and told him I was -sure the rebels had attacked Mr. Armitage’s party. While I was speaking, -all at once we saw a large volume of smoke curling up in the air close to -the pa. We both came to the conclusion that the rebels had set fire to a -house which had been recently built for Mr. Armitage. - -“About half an hour after this we saw a canoe, paddled by four natives, -coming up the river. We knew from the way they used their paddles that -something was wrong. Their faces were as green as the French Emperor’s -at Solferino, and their teeth were chattering with terror. They were so -panic-struck that it took some time before we learned from them that the -rebels had formed an ambuscade, and attacked them while off their guard. -Mr. Armitage and two white men had been killed, and all the friendly -natives dispersed or slain; these four only survived to tell their fate. -Thirty or forty men, women, and children, had perished. - -“We are pretty well used to such things out here, so no time was wasted -in idle words. In half an hour we had a party, consisting of Lieutenant -Butler, myself, two sergeants, one bugler, and fifty rank and file, -under arms, the whole under the command of Captain Swift. We were all -too eager for the fray to care much for eating, so we snatched a hasty -dinner and were off by one o’clock. People at home can have no idea of -a march through the bush. We had to cross nine or ten miles of swamp, -intersected by rivers scarcely practicable for regular troops, so as to -strike the foot of the wooded range of hills on a spur of which stands -the pa of Camerontown. We had to creep through the dense bush, but there -is no difficulty persistent pluck may not surmount. We were all tired -enough when we reached a small clearing about half-past four o’clock in -the afternoon, and felt the need of the evening _tot_ of rum which was -now served out. One sergeant and ten privates, on receiving theirs, were -sent on in advance; the main body followed a little after. On proceeding -a few hundred yards they discovered that the advanced guard had strayed -from the right path, and we could not shout without attracting the notice -of the natives. We felt it rather hard to be deprived of their services, -as we had no men to spare, but it was decided that we should go on. Our -force was now reduced to two officers and forty-three men, but Captain -Swift was a host in himself; we would have followed him anywhere and -against any odds. - -“It was at this juncture that I had an opportunity of showing some -qualities which have brought me under the notice of General Cameron, -and procured for me such honours as have rarely, if ever before, been -bestowed on a British soldier. There are as good men as I am in the -ranks, unknown to fame, but time and chance happeneth to all. I never -dreamed of honours—my only desire was to do my duty. I asked and obtained -leave from Captain Swift to advance forty or fifty yards in front of -the men to act as scout, an office for which I was well qualified from -former experience. I took a direct course through the bush towards the -spot where the natives were supposed to be. About five o’clock I reached -a large opening, where I could plainly see the rebels’ encampment in -the bush, about four hundred yards in advance. Crossing the clearing -in a stooping position and at a smart pace, I again made for the bush, -followed by the whole detachment. Five minutes after we could distinctly -hear the sound of the rebels’ voices, and Captain Swift, imagining that -they were advancing by the same path to attack us, threw his men into -ambush. On finding that they refused to advance, I crept stealthily up -to within a few yards of them. Unlike most Maori war parties, they were -laughing and chattering, which led me to think they had been making free -with the rum they had seized in the canoes. I returned and reported this -to Captain Swift, who came to the same conclusion as myself, that they -were all drunk. The order was at once given to fix bayonets and charge. -Our men advanced, led by Captain Swift, Lieutenant Butler, and myself, -three abreast, the path not admitting more. When we had stolen up to -within a few yards of the rebels, our leader gave the word ‘Charge!’ The -word had scarcely passed his lips when, as if by enchantment, the whole -bush was lighted up with a terrific volley. It seemed as if one of the -extinct volcanoes so common here had suddenly opened its crater and begun -to belch forth flames. The enemy were so close when they fired that some -of their coarse powder was actually found sticking in the faces of our -soldiers. For a moment our men staggered beneath this heavy fire, but -it was only for a moment, for, immediately recovering themselves, they -closed up in a line of skirmishers in the bush, and brought their rifles -to bear on their dusky foes. I had taken cover behind a tree close to -Lieutenant Butler, for the purpose of reloading my rifle, and even in -that hour of danger I could not help admiring his bravery. He stood at -the left front, a little in advance, cheering on the men by his voice and -still more by his example. I saw him discharge his revolver right and -left; three Maoris fell beneath his fire, and were dragged into the bush -by their friends. I was still admiring his heroic courage and gallant -bearing, when all at once I saw him sink slowly to the ground, as if his -spirit were struggling against some mortal blow. I sprang forward with -two others to his assistance, and on raising him in my arms he said, -‘Lead on the men, McKenna.’ Surprised at such an order, I looked round to -see where the captain was, and there he lay by his side mortally wounded. -No language can express the anguish I felt on seeing one who, though my -superior officer, had always treated me with the greatest kindness, in -this condition. If he had been my own brother I could not have felt it -more. Poor Captain Swift! I shall never forget the last look you gave me, -or cease to regret your loss. - -[Illustration: Captain Swift directing M’Kenna to take command of the -detachment.] - -“‘Are you wounded, sir?’ was my first exclamation. - -“‘Oh, yes, McKenna; very severely,’ he replied. - -“On seeing me loading my rifle, he said— - -“‘Never mind loading. Take my revolver and lead on the men.’ - -“These were the last words this good and gallant soldier ever spoke to -me. I mechanically took up the revolver, gave one last look at my dying -officer, and then shouted, like one possessed— - -“‘Men, the captain is wounded; charge!’ - -“I rushed on at the head of the men, and we drove the natives before us -like sheep. We now found ourselves in a small opening on the crest of the -hill. The natives found shelter in the bush to our left and front, where -they opened fire on our little band of thirty-eight men. Our position -was critical. One of our officers was mortally, the other severely, -wounded; ten miles of swamp and bush lay between us and any succour; -around us were three hundred savages thirsting for our blood. I think -it was God who gave me strength to act as I did that day. Assuming an -air of coolness (which, in my heart, I was far from feeling), I ordered -my men to extend in skirmishing order across the clearing, and to keep -up a steady fire. My object was to hold the place for a time, till the -advanced guard, attracted by the firing, should join Corporal Ryan and -the four men left in charge of the wounded officers, so as to have them -carried well on to the redoubt before the approach of night compelled us -to retire. - -“The Maoris had been encamped on the spot now occupied by our party, and -had left a great many things, such as tents, sacks and kits of potatoes, -behind. These our men formed into a sort of breastwork, and kept as well -under cover as they could. Several of the natives climbed up the trees -in order to fire over the breastwork, and one of them was brought down -in splendid style by Private Smith of ours, his fall causing a thud like -the fall (though louder) of a plump partridge. After waiting till about -six o’clock, I resolved to retire by the way we came; but I had scarcely -given the order when we were met with a tremendous volley from the very -quarter by which we intended to retreat. The enemy took deliberate aim, -and three of our men fell badly wounded. I then brought the party back to -our former position, and sent for my brother sergeant to consult with him -as to what should be done. His proposal was to run the gauntlet through -the Maoris, and to make for Mr. Armitage’s pa, which was about 150 yards -farther on in the bush. He thought we could establish ourselves there -and hold out till we received assistance; but I knew that the thing was -impracticable. The pa was commanded by a hill from which the enemy could -have amused themselves by shooting us at leisure; in short, the place was -untenable. - -“A poor fellow of the name of Stephen Grace being close at hand when I -put the question, and always ready to offer his advice, proposed that we -should form three sides of a hollow square, and retire down the hill to -our rear, which was not wooded. I could scarcely help smiling at such a -foolish proposal, when all at once I heard a deep sigh at my elbow, and -on turning round saw poor Grace rolling down the hill in mortal agony, -till his head lodged in a fern-bush, and all was over. I ordered the -bugler to take his rifle and belt, and to cover him over with fern. I had -no stretcher, and it was impossible for the men to carry his body with -safety to themselves; he was now beyond the reach of harm, and we left -him there with the green fern as his mort-cloth. - -“At a quarter past six o’clock, I ordered the wounded to be taken down -the hill to the rear by a path that led across the valley to the dense -bush on the other side. I felt sure that a native path in that direction -would lead to the Mauku or Pa Kekoe, both military posts. I knew that all -depended on our coolness and self-possession. If we fell into confusion, -or showed any signs of fear, we were lost; so I told the front rank of -skirmishers to fire a volley and retire down the hill, giving at the -same time a ringing cheer as if about to charge. As soon as they were -established below, I ordered the rear rank to do the same thing. Nothing -could be better than the conduct of the men at this trying moment; -the movement was executed with as much steadiness as if they had been -on parade. On reaching the foot of the hill we found, to our infinite -delight, a beautiful stream of clear water. We saw by the footprints on -the bank that the Maoris had been there; we knew it to be them because -they turn their feet inward when walking, and spread their toes out like -a duck in crossing swampy ground. They soon gave us clearer evidence of -their presence by rushing out of the bush and opening a heavy fire on our -men, who as readily returned it. The cowardly villains had not courage to -descend from the crest of the hill, but kept up their fire there till our -party entered the bush. - -“About eight o’clock we began to make our way through the bush, but soon -discovered that we had lost the path. On this I told my men that we must -remain where we were till next morning. I then formed them into a square, -and ordered every man to _speak_ his name, so as to ascertain whether -any were missing. Two men failed to answer; both were wounded—Private -Whittle slightly, across the scalp, and Private Bryne severely through -the right hand. On inquiry, I found that, after drinking at the stream, -they had pushed on by themselves instead of waiting for the main body, -and diverged from the path without being missed; but we shall have more -to say of their adventures presently. I then gave my orders for the -night: every man had to put on his great-coat (all had brought them with -them folded across their right shoulders); to sit with his rifle ready -in his hand; no pipes to be lit; not a word to be spoken. I knew that -this was the only way to elude the enemy and to reach the redoubt in -safety. Under the tender mercies of Divine Providence, my efforts proved -successful. About four o’clock next morning I placed myself at the head -of my men, and we resumed our march through the bush. We pushed our way -with difficulty through the dense masses of supplejack and creepers; we -crossed over hills thickly covered with wood; we descended ravines that -were almost perpendicular. No word of complaint was heard—all struggled -on for their lives. At length, at eight o’clock A.M., our gallant little -band emerged from the bush and found themselves in the open country about -seven miles from the redoubt, which they could see in the distance. -Rushing straight ahead, they met Colonel Murray with a hundred men of the -65th Regiment coming to their assistance. We now knew that we were safe, -and it would have done your heart good to have heard the hearty English -cheer that burst forth from both parties on first seeing one another. -I know, too, that many a heartfelt, grateful prayer was breathed to -Almighty God for having preserved them through all their dangers. - -“Our joy was mingled with tender regret on learning that Captain Swift -was no more. He died at seven o’clock the previous night. Corporal Ryan -and Privates Talbot and Bulford remained with him to the last. They -carried him in their arms for some distance after he had received his -death-wound, but the agony he suffered was so intense that he requested -them to lay him down on the ground. They placed him behind a fallen tree -and concealed him as well as they could; they then crept down beside him. -On hearing the heavy firing, he said to Corporal Ryan, ‘I am sure McKenna -has gained the pa.’ Soon after they heard the natives coming through the -bush; the report of firearms told them that the Maoris had attacked the -advanced guard who were hastening to their assistance. - -“After a short skirmish the advanced guard had to retire to make for the -redoubt, which they reached about nine o’clock the same night. In this -affair the natives, in firing, actually came behind the tree under which -Captain Swift was lying with Ryan, Bulford, and Talbot. He begged of them -not to leave him. They assured him that they never dreamed of doing so; -they would stay by him till the last; they were ready to die with him if -necessary. They told him that his moaning might attract the notice of the -enemy. On hearing this, the poor fellow placed his hand on his mouth to -restrain his agony till the Maoris retired. His last words to Ryan were, -‘Give me your hand.’ He pressed it, and then died as quietly as if he had -fallen asleep, which I am sure he did in Jesus. With reverent and loving -hands they covered the body with fern, and started for the redoubt at -break of day. On their way they met the party sent to their relief. - -“I must now return to Lieutenant Butler. Privates Thomas and Cole -remained with him all night in the bush. He suffered much from his wound, -and complained bitterly of the cold, though the men had thrown their two -great-coats over him. There is no sacrifice a soldier will not willingly -make for an officer he loves. Private Thomas took off his blue serge -shirt and put it over him, remaining all night in his cotton shirt and -trousers. Well, I agree with you it was a generous act; but so great is -the attachment of our well-commanded regiment to their officers, that -they would go through fire and water to serve them. - -“I sent back a guide with Colonel Murray’s party to conduct them to -the scene of action, and pushed on for the redoubt, which we reached -at eleven o’clock A.M. We were much worn out, but grateful to God for -our deliverance. In the evening Colonel Murray’s party returned; they -brought in Captain Swift’s body, but could find no traces of the two men -who were missing. They gave up the search as hopeless, and, embarking on -board the steamer _Arrow_, returned to head-quarters. About ten o’clock -next morning 100 men of the 70th Regiment marched into the redoubt; they -had been guided through the bush from the Queen’s Redoubt by that most -efficient officer Captain Greaves, of the 40th. We left the Alexandra -Redoubt under their charge, while 100 of our men, under the command of -Lieutenant Warren, started in search of their missing comrades, Captain -Greaves accompanying the party. We reached the scene of action about four -o’clock P.M., but found that the Maoris had disappeared. In a subsequent -despatch Captain Greaves estimated that they must have amounted to little -short of 300 men, and, judging from their number of sleeping-places and -other indications on the spot, I am inclined to think that this estimate -was not beyond the mark. - -“I struck the tracks of the missing men at the bottom of the hill where -they had last been seen. A little farther on we found one of their -pannikins in the road. Darkness setting in we were obliged to return, -but not before we had visited the pa at Camerontown, where we found -quantities of maize, bran, and oats scattered about the beach, partly -burned and rendered unfit for use. We found a canoe on the beach which I -wished to destroy, but was prevented by Captain Greaves, who thoughtfully -observed that it might be the means of saving one or both of the poor -fellows who were missing. We now made for the redoubt, bearing with us -the body of Private Grace, which we found on the same spot where we had -left it. We reached the redoubt at half-past twelve o’clock the following -morning, when we learned that Whittle, one of the missing men, was on -the other side of the river calling for help. From our long residence in -the colony we have many skilful paddlers in the ranks; in a few minutes -a canoe was manned, and in half-an-hour the poor fellow was inside the -redoubt, carefully attended by Assistant-Surgeon Styles, of the 40th -Regiment. He had been exactly sixty hours without food, and was much -exhausted. - -“When, sufficiently recovered, he informed us that after leaving the -party on the 7th, he and Bryne took the path to the left, instead of -following the one to the right as we did. He had not proceeded far when -he became unconscious; how long he remained in that state he could not -tell. On being restored to consciousness by the drops of rain falling -on his face, he found himself alone; Bryne had gone on. For two days he -wandered about the bush, trying in vain to find an opening; at one time, -while following a native path, he nearly fell into the hands of a party -of rebels. He was close upon them, when, warned by the sound of their -voices, he crept back into the bush without being seen. A still more -singular incident occurred to him the previous evening. He heard the -footsteps of our party at Camerontown, and, rushing forward, caught sight -of them as they were entering the bush on their return from the canoes. -Such was the impression produced by this sight that all his faculties, -bodily and mental, were completely paralysed; he could neither speak -nor move; when he recovered from his temporary prostration the party -had disappeared. For a moment he was tempted to believe that he was -labouring under some mental hallucination, the result of over-anxiety and -bodily weakness, but it was not so. Finding no traces of our party, he -hurried down to the river, where he found the canoe which Captain Greaves -had the foresight to preserve. Using a rough piece of board as a paddle, -he contrived to make his way up the river till he found himself within -four hundred yards of the redoubt, but on the opposite side. Here he had -the misfortune to drop the piece of board, and could only save himself -from being swept away in the canoe by clinging to the long weeds in the -shallow part of the river till his cries brought his comrades to his -assistance. - -“Poor Bryne, the other missing man, was less fortunate. He wandered about -in the bush till he was surprised by a party of the enemy. We learned -afterwards that he begged hard for his life, but he had to deal with -wretches who knew no mercy. Five balls were lodged in his body, and he -was stark and stiff when we found him. My story is now told; every one -admits that it was one of the most desperate affairs that have occurred -in the course of this war. - -“I arrived at the Queen’s Redoubt, and was immediately sent for by -General Cameron. I found him surrounded by his staff, but the moment -he saw me he advanced and shook me warmly by the hand. ‘Sergeant,’ he -said, ‘you have done well.’ ‘And I am amply rewarded by this honour,’ -was my immediate answer; ‘not to myself alone, sir, but to the brave -fellows who were with me, is the credit due.’ ‘I know it,’ said the -general; ‘there is not another corps in the colony could have done as -the 65th.’ Nor was this all; in his despatch to Governor Grey, General -Cameron expressed his admiration and approval of our dear old regiment -in the most complimentary terms, and it was on his recommendation that -I received my commission and the Victoria Cross. Corporal Ryan was also -gazetted for the Victoria Cross, but never lived to wear it. His death -was in keeping with his life; he was accidentally drowned near Tuakan -while trying to save a drunken comrade. Three months after their gallant -conduct, Privates Bulford, Talbot, Cole, and Thomas received the medal -for distinguished conduct in the field, the first two for remaining with -the body of Captain Swift, and the two latter for waiting on Lieutenant -Butler and conveying him towards the Redoubt.” - -“In all this desperate affair did you ever think of your wife and -children, McKenna?” - -“Not once, sir. She asked me the same question the first time we met, -and seemed a little put out when I gave her the same answer, but she -understood it all afterwards. In the excitement of an engagement a -soldier can only think of immediate duty; when the danger is past he -feels how grateful he ought to be to Him who has preserved his life for -those who are dearer to him than life itself.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -SERGEANT-MAJOR LUCAS, OF THE 40TH REGIMENT, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS. - - -We had the pleasure, a few weeks ago, of seeing Lieutenant-General Sir -Duncan A. Cameron, K.C.B., the officer commanding the forces in New -Zealand, attach with his own hands the Cross of Valour to McKenna’s -breast, and declare, in the presence of his own regiment, that a more -chivalrous soldier had never been invested with this symbol of his -Sovereign’s favour. Sir Duncan, at the same time, expressed his regret -that he who had shared in the danger could not share in the reward, but -rejoiced to think that Corporal Ryan’s death was in keeping with his -life, which he had lost in trying to save a comrade from drowning. Three -cheers were given for Ensign McKenna, and none joined more heartily in -those cheers than Sergeant-Major Lucas, of the 40th Regiment, who had -received the same decoration from the hands of the general at the close -of the Taranaki war in 1861. - -A brief sketch of the island, and the causes that have led to that and -the present war, will not be without interest. The aboriginal inhabitants -of New Zealand are known by the name of Maoris—a word which in their -language signifies indigenous to the soil—and are about 60,000 in number. -They are supposed to have emigrated, about four centuries ago, from the -Society and Sandwich Islands, and to have dispossessed another race, -many traces of whose existence are still to be found in New Zealand. -In appearance they bear a striking resemblance to those gipsies who -may still occasionally be seen in the neighbourhood of Norwood and the -Crystal Palace. They are a fine, powerful, muscular race, naturally fond -of war, and possessed of great energy of character. They have made great -progress in civilization since the island was first discovered, in 1642, -by Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, who named it after his own country. -It was visited in 1769 and 1777 by Captain Cook, who took possession of -it in the name of the English Government, and suggested that it should -be used as a penal settlement. He introduced pigs, cabbages and turnips -into the island, and his name is still familiar to the natives as one -of their greatest benefactors. There are several fountains known as -Cook’s Springs, and the rum he occasionally distributed among them is -gratefully remembered as “Te wai toki a rangi”—Cook’s sweet water of -heaven. While the natives were kind and hospitable to those who treated -them well, they were ever ready to revenge any injury they received, and -murdered the crews of several vessels of whose misconduct they had reason -to complain. Thus, in 1809, the sailors on board the _Boyd_, an English -ship, under the command of Captain Thompson, were massacred at Wangaroa. -This melancholy event was the result of the captain’s imprudence. Among -the passengers was a Maori chief, who had visited Sydney, and was now on -his way to his native land. Being short of hands, the captain requested -him to assist the sailors in working the ship. On his refusal to do so he -was tied to the mainmast and flogged. This degrading punishment roused -all the savage passions of his nature, but, disguising his feelings, he -persuaded the captain to visit Wangaroa, of which he was the leading -chief. All suspicion was disarmed by the friendly bearing of the natives, -who were only biding their time. Watching for a favourable opportunity, -they attacked the ship, and murdered the captain, the crew, and many -passengers. A similar calamity had overtaken the crews of two French -vessels, in consequence of their having unintentionally desecrated the -place set apart for the burial of the natives. - -When the Maoris were plundering the _Boyd’s_ cargo, they came upon some -boxes of seed, which was scattered about as useless. It took root, -however, and in a few years the surrounding district was overgrown with -garlic and parrot’s-bill acacia (_Clianthus Puniceus_), which yields -a beautiful flower used by the natives as an ornament for the ear. -After this the island was little visited except by whaling ships (the -captains of which were sometimes so accommodating as to lend their ovens -to prepare the banquets of human flesh so much relished by the Maoris) -till 1839, when the New Zealand Land Company obtained a charter and -began to form settlements in the south. It is worthy of remark, that so -early as 1835 Great Britain formally recognised the independence of the -natives and bestowed on them a national flag; but no sooner had the new -company begun to buy extensive tracts of land from the natives, than -the missionaries interfered and induced the home government to send out -a governor. As a governor over an independent race would have been a -contradiction in terms, the difficulty was obviated by inducing a number -of natives to assemble at Waitangi, and to attach their signatures to a -treaty in which they acknowledged the supremacy of our Queen. Rum and -blankets were liberally distributed among the natives, who were ready to -sign anything. Such was the origin of the treaty of Waitangi, on which -alone our claims to the loyalty and obedience of the Maori race can be -said to rest. It was a mere farce, unworthy of the ministers of religion -who originated it—equally unworthy of the great nation who sanctioned it. -As well might the nine tailors of Tooley-street, who dubbed themselves -the men of England, have undertaken to dispose of the liberty of their -countrymen, as the signers of the Waitangi treaty to barter away for rum -and blankets the future independence of the Maori race. And yet it is in -virtue of this worthless document, the authors of which in any civilized -country would have been liable to an indictment for conspiracy, that we -profess to treat the Maoris as a subject race, and make war against them -as rebels when they try to assert their independence. - -Notwithstanding the treaty of Waitangi, the Maoris continued to retain -their own customs, manners, and laws, and to act in every way as an -independent people. Their chiefs, far from acknowledging the supremacy -of the British crown, frequently waged war against us and with one -another. When they fell into our hands they were never treated as -rebels. In short the Maoris tolerated our presence in the island because -they found our colonists useful for purposes of trade; but when they -discovered that the British population was constantly on the increase, -and their lands fast slipping from their possession, they resolved to -assert their ancient independence, and to pass such laws as would prevent -the alienation of their property. They were willing that the colonists -should remain subject to their own Sovereign and laws, but they claimed -the same right for themselves, and in the exercise of that right elected -one of their chiefs to be Maori king, and formed themselves into a -league to prevent any lands from being sold by any individual member of -a tribe without the consent of the whole. Such a league would at once -be pronounced illegal in England, where it is a recognised principle -that every man has a right to do as he likes with his own; but the Maori -tenure of land is different. It rarely belongs to a single family or to -a single individual; it is the property of the whole tribe, much in the -same way as a common in England is the property of all whose lands are -adjacent. Every member of a tribe has the right to hunt and fish over -the land which belongs to the whole community; no man, not even a chief, -has a right to dispose of any part of that land without the consent of -the whole tribe. When a piece of land is sold the money is distributed -equally among all who are entitled to a share, the chief rarely retaining -anything for himself. The only way in which a piece of land can become -private property is by an individual selecting and cultivating it with -the consent of the tribe; it then belongs to all the descendants of the -original cultivator, who may be dispersed among other tribes, and it -cannot be sold without their consent. Now this peculiar tenure of land -was the cause of the Taranaki war of 1860-61, and of the present war in -which so many valuable lives have been lost. The establishment of a Maori -sovereignty would have ended in nothing; the Maori king was a mere puppet -in the hands of a few ambitious chiefs; the great body of the nation -would never have acknowledged his supremacy; and the movement would have -covered its originators with ridicule. But when the local government -interfered with the rights of property, and violated the first principles -of Maori law by purchasing from an individual land which belonged to the -whole tribe, and enforcing possession by violence, they struck at the -root of Maori independence, and brought on that fierce struggle of which -we have not yet seen the end. The Maoris are fighting for their lands and -liberty, while we are fighting for British supremacy. The settlers have -already more land than they can cultivate, but this has not prevented -them from coveting that which belongs to the natives. If they had waited -patiently, a period would have arrived when the Maoris would have seen it -to be to their own advantage to part with lands which they cannot turn to -any profitable account, but they were unwilling to wait, and endeavoured -to compel the natives to enter into their views. Such a policy was as -imprudent as it was unjust; there were few troops in the colony; and when -the natives flew to arms in 1860, the government had to appeal to the -Australian colonies for assistance. - -The appeal was not made in vain; all the troops that could be spared -were despatched at once to the seat of war, including four companies -of the 40th Regiment, detachments of which were stationed at Melbourne -and Hobart Town. Sergeant-Major Lucas, who then held the rank of -colour-sergeant, arrived in New Zealand in 1860, and took part in all -the engagements we had with the enemy till the temporary cessation -of hostilities in 1861. The Maoris do not fight in the same way as -Europeans; it is part of their policy to avoid giving battle in the open -field. Their mode of warfare is to conceal themselves in the bush, and -to fire upon our men when off their guard; or to erect pas or redoubts, -surrounded by a ditch, and surmounted by wooden palisades. Inclosed -behind the walls of these pas, they coolly await the approach of our -men, and pour upon them destructive volleys while they are advancing to -the assault. When their position is no longer tenable, they evacuate -the pa, and such is their perfect knowledge of the country that they -often contrive to escape through the ranks of our men with little -loss. The evacuation of a pa is not considered a defeat; they select a -favourable site, and proceed at once to erect another, which has also -to be stormed. Many valuable British lives are thus lost, and the war -would be interminable, were it not that we may cut off their supplies and -ultimately starve them into subjection. - -The late war was carried on in the Province of Auckland; but it was in -Taranaki, the capital of which is New Plymouth, that Sergeant-Major Lucas -won his laurels. He is a fine, soldierly-looking man, a native of the -South of Ireland. He entered the army at an early period of life, and -has served eighteen years in the same regiment. One of his brothers, -a soldier of the 40th, was severely wounded in the Taranaki war, and -allowed to retire from the service with a pension: he himself, though -he took part in every engagement, escaped unhurt, and now occupies the -highest rank that a non-commissioned officer can attain. The war in -Taranaki had been carried on with varying success till March, 1861: the -British forces under the command of Major-General Pratt had erected a -series of redoubts for the purpose of keeping the enemy in check and -protecting the town of New Plymouth. These redoubts were occupied by -detachments of our men, and skirmishing parties were daily sent out to -scour the neighbouring bush, where the enemy were known to be lurking. -On the 18th of March, 1861, a party consisting of about thirty men of -the 40th Regiment was sent out in front of No. 7 redoubt, situated on -the river Waitara, in search of the enemy. Between the redoubt and the -bush there intervened an open space of some eight hundred or nine hundred -yards in breadth, over which our men were allowed to advance without -resistance; but no sooner had they entered a narrow defile, surrounded -on either side by bush and fern, than a heavy fire was opened on them -by an invisible foe. Captain Richards, who was in command of the party, -threw out his men in skirmishing order, and ordered them to fire in the -direction whence the smoke proceeded. The enemy being concealed in the -bush had the advantage of being able to take deliberate aim, and several -of our men were killed or wounded. Lieutenant Rees, who was next in -command to Captain Richards, seized a rifle which a wounded soldier had -dropped, and encouraged the men by his example to keep up a steady fire. -At the same time he requested Colour-Sergeant Lucas to send two men to -remove two of the wounded who were badly hit. As the men were preparing -to execute this order, a fresh volley from the enemy placed one of them -_hors de combat_, and a bullet hit Lieutenant Rees in the right groin. -He staggered and fell, when Colour-Sergeant Lucas, with much presence of -mind, ran up to his assistance, and sent him to the rear under the charge -of the soldier who remained unhurt. Three wounded men and four stand -of arms still remained on the field, and the gallant sergeant resolved -to present a bold front to the enemy till he was relieved. Sheltering -himself behind a tree, he opened a brisk fire on the enemy, and kept -them at bay. So long as he remained behind the tree he was safe, but -whenever he left this shelter to take aim, he became exposed to the fire -of the enemy, who, deterred from advancing by his gallant resistance, -endeavoured to shoot him down. Two soldiers had the courage to stand by -him, and for a quarter of an hour they kept the enemy at bay without -being hit, though they were exposed to a constant fire from a distance of -only thirty yards. Several of the Maories were wounded, and carried off -by their companions; the brave little band, anxious but not discouraged, -still continued to hold out. - -The amount of danger incurred by Sergeant Lucas may be learned from the -following incident:—The tree behind which he found shelter had several -creepers suspended from its top; a bullet from the bush hit one of these -creepers and cut it in two at the distance of a few inches from his head. -If the Maoris had been better marksmen the whole of the little party -must have perished, and the wounded men have fallen into the hands of a -relentless foe; but in moments of excitement the natives fire wildly, -without taking aim at any particular object. It was to this fortunate -circumstance that Sergeant Lucas and his two followers owed their lives; -the enemy were excited, and so fired without precision. As it was, they -were enabled not only to continue their resistance, but also to inflict -considerable loss on the enemy. For a quarter of an hour the unequal -combat was kept up till a party under Lieutenants Gibson and Whelan -came up to their assistance, on which the enemy retired. Only one of -the three wounded men recovered, and Lieutenant Rees, in consequence -of the severity of his wounds, was obliged to return to England. It -would be difficult to overestimate the importance of Sergeant Lucas’s -gallant conduct on this trying occasion; he prevented the bodies of his -wounded comrades from falling into the hands of the enemy, and saved four -stand of arms. Nor was this all: the moral consequences of his heroic -resistance were soon evident. The next morning the white flag was hoisted -by the natives, and this was the last engagement in the Taranaki war. - -In August, 1862, Colour-Sergeant Lucas was appointed sergeant-major of -his regiment, and has continued ever since to discharge the duties of -that office in such a way as to secure the confidence and esteem of his -superior officers. His conduct was not overlooked or forgotten by the -general in command. A full account of the affair was transmitted to the -authorities at home, and the following notice appeared in the _London -Gazette_ of the 19th of July, 1861:— - -“Colour-Sergeant John Lucas, 40th Regiment.—On the 18th of March, 1861, -Colour-Sergeant John Lucas acted as sergeant of a party of the 40th -Regiment, employed as skirmishers, to the right of No. 7 redoubt and -close to the Huirangi Bush, facing the left of the position occupied by -the natives. At about four o’clock P.M. a very heavy and well-directed -fire was suddenly opened upon them from the bush and the high ground on -the left. Three men being wounded simultaneously, two of them mortally, -assistance was called for in order to have them carried to the rear; a -file was immediately sent, but had scarcely arrived when one of them -fell, and Lieutenant Rees was wounded at the same time. Colour-Sergeant -Lucas, under a very heavy fire from the rebels, who were not more than -thirty yards distant, immediately ran up to the assistance of this -officer, and sent one man with him to the rear. He then took charge of -the arms belonging to the killed and wounded men, and maintained his -position until the arrival of supports under Lieutenants Gibson and -Whelan.” - -[Illustration: Sergeant-Major Lucas, 40th Regiment, defending a position -against the Maoris on the 18th March, 1861.] - -On the 2nd of November, 1862, all the troops in garrison at Auckland were -assembled on the racecourse to witness the decoration of Sergeant-Major -Lucas with the Cross of Valour. The soldiers formed a square, in the -centre of which stood General Cameron and his staff. The sergeant-major -took his stand in front of them, and the gallant old general, after -expressing his admiration of his conduct, which he invited his comrades -to imitate, placed on his breast that distinctive mark of his Sovereign’s -favour which is dearer to the soldier’s heart than any other. Our readers -will feel with us the hope that Sergeant-Major Lucas may long be spared -to wear it, and to take part in other wars reflecting more credit on our -arms and our honour as a nation than the present struggle in Zealand. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE HEROES OF THE VICTORIA CROSS IN NEW ZEALAND. - - -We have already described some of these heroes, and the gallant deeds by -which they earned the Cross of Valour. We have shown how Sergeant Lucas, -of the 40th, defended two of his wounded comrades from the attacks of -the Maoris till a party was sent to his relief; how McKenna of the 65th -stood by his dying officer to the last, and proved himself worthy of the -command that had devolved upon him, by conducting his comrades through -the fire of the enemy and the intricacies of the bush to the redoubt -which they had left; how Samuel Mitchell, that true-hearted sailor, stood -by Commander Hay, of the _Esk_, in the Gate Pa at Tauranga, and refused -to leave him till all was over. - -Since that time we learn from the _London Gazette_ that the Victoria -Cross has been awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill, of the 107th -Regiment; to Assistant-Surgeons Temple and Manley, and Lieutenant -Picquard, of the Royal Artillery; and to Ensign Down and Drummer -Stagpoole, of the 57th Regiment, in recognition of gallant deeds done in -New Zealand. The bestowal of the Cross on Assistant-Surgeon Temple, R.A., -was a tardy act of justice; it was awarded to him by the unanimous voice -of the army for humanely exposing his life to almost certain destruction -in hurrying to the assistance of Captain Mercer, R.A., who was mortally -wounded. This occurred during the attack on Rangiriri, the great pa or -stronghold of the Maoris on the banks of the Waikato river, about sixty -miles from Auckland. The Taranaki war began in 1860, and was carried -on with various success till 1862, when it was supposed to be over. -There was no truce or peace concluded with the enemy, but the settlers -indulged the hope that they might now live in peace. On the 4th of May, -1863, they were roused from this state of false security by the report -that two officers and eight men had been fired upon by an ambuscade, and -all, with one exception, killed; this act was denounced as murder, but we -must remember that they were marching through the enemy’s country with -arms in their hands, and were thus almost inviting their fate. General -Cameron wished to take precautions against such attacks, but the governor -assured him that there was no danger, as the war was over. Then came -the abandonment of the Waitura, the disputed territory, and, a month -later, the battle of Kuitikara, in which twenty-five Maoris were slain. -After this the province of Auckland became the seat of war. The governor -issued a proclamation denouncing all the natives as rebels who should -not surrender their arms and take the oath of allegiance within a week: -the result was such as might have been expected; the Maoris cleared out -with all their valuables, and fell back into the interior. Their forces -were concentrated at Pokewu, or the Queen’s Redoubt, a place thirty-five -miles south of Auckland, close to the Waikato river. Our troops advanced -against them, and a battle was fought at Roheroa, a mountainous ridge, -two miles south of Pokewu, where the insurgents had encamped and -fortified their position with a series of rifle pits, from which they -opened a heavy fire on their assailants as they ascended the steep -declivity. The regiment opposed to them consisted of young recruits who -had never been under fire before; for a moment they hesitated, and all -might have been lost, if General Cameron had not rushed forward in front, -waving his riding-whip and cheering them on to victory. He thus saved the -character of a young battalion. The Maoris dispersed, and found refuge -in the neighbouring swamps, leaving twenty-two killed on the field of -battle. Their loss was not great, considering that the force opposed to -them was as three to one. On the same day a Maori ambuscade attacked an -escort under the command of Captain King, of the 18th Royal Irish, in the -neighbourhood of the Queen’s Redoubt; our men, who were straggling along -the road, smoking and chatting, with their rifles uncapped, resisted -as much as they could, and escaped with the loss of four men, twelve -rifles, and the carts and horses left on the field. If any of the Maoris -fell, their bodies were removed; no traces of them were to be found the -following day. - -[Illustration: Assistant-Surgeon Temple, R.A., assisting Captain Mercer, -R.A., at the attack on the Pa of Rangiriri.] - -Redoubts were then erected for the protection of Auckland; the bush -was cut down for hundreds of yards on either side of the Great South -Road; a Commissariat Transport Corps of nearly 1000 men was raised; -four regiments of Militia were recruited, chiefly in Australia and the -South; the strength of the Imperial forces was raised to 10,000 men; -including local corps, we had about 25,000 men under arms to cope with -the enemy, who have never been able to bring more than 600 men into -the field. If the country had been open, the war would soon have been -brought to a close; but our men had to pass unfordable streams and to -force their way through the bush. The enemy fell back to a place called -Mere Mere, situated on a rising ground on the Waikato, about nine miles -from the Queen’s Redoubt. The enemy’s only artillery consisted of two old -ship’s guns loaded with tenpenny nails; but the place was believed to be -impregnable, and our men remained in camp there for three months. It was -the old story of Sir Richard Strahan and the Earl of Chatham. General -Cameron was longing to be at them, but he had to wait for Sir George -Grey, and Sir George Grey was waiting for nobody knows what. The expense -of supporting such an army in the field is enormous; three millions of -money have already been expended. At length our troops advanced to attack -the Maori stronghold; the preparations were as elaborate as Uncle Toby’s -for the siege of Dunkirk, and something brilliant would doubtless have -occurred if the Maoris had been a little less impatient. They evacuated -Mere Mere, and fell back to Rangiriri, where they had a strong pa on the -summit of a rising ground situated midway between the Waikato and an -inland lake. If we were too slow at Mere Mere, we were a little too fast -at Rangiriri; because the former was a place of no great strength it was -inferred that the latter was the same. A rush was made; the outer works -were carried; but the attacking party fell back on finding themselves -confronted by other works of still greater strength. To retreat was to -lose the _prestige_ of our arms, and to invite the neutral tribes to -rebellion. The place must be taken at all hazards; a second rush was -attempted; the officers advanced in front, and cheered on the men, but -the men refused to stir. The general then turned to the fifty artillery -men who accompanied him, and, armed with swords and revolvers, they -rushed forward, stopped to breathe for a moment in a gully, and reached -the parapet, which some of them mounted. They were led by Captain Mercer, -R.A., one of those brave, gallant, God-fearing men who are an honour to -the service and to humanity itself. He had a presentiment that he would -fall, but he was prepared to die; like Havelock, he had been preparing -for death for years, and it did not take him by surprise. A Maori bullet -struck him in the jaw, carrying away the lower part of the face; he -rolled backwards on the ground mortally wounded. His party was repulsed. -Was there a man there brave enough to advance to his assistance? He must -hold his life cheap; he will have to pass through the double fire of the -enemy. But what sacrifice will our soldiers not make for an officer they -love? First one soldier advances, and then another and another, but it -was only to meet with speedy death. It was at this moment that William -Temple, an assistant-surgeon of the Royal Artillery, learned that his -friend Mercer stood in need of his aid. Without balancing chances, or -hesitating for a moment, he went where duty called—it might be to death, -it could not be to dishonour. He reached the spot so fatal to the others; -the most sanguine could scarcely indulge the hope that he could escape. -For a moment he was enveloped in smoke; every eye was strained till it -cleared away. A sort of sigh of relief rose from many a breast as he -was seen by Mercer’s side, doing all that could be done to alleviate -his sufferings. From instinct more than from intention, he stooped -when exposed to the fire of the enemy, and thus their bullets passed -harmlessly over his head. General Cameron, who had witnessed his devotion -to duty, only expressed the desire of the whole army in recommending him -for the Cross of Honour, which was awarded to him in the _Gazette_ of -the 23rd of September, 1864. Lieutenant Picquard, R.A., obtained the same -honour for carrying water to the wounded at the risk of his own life. - -The Artillery having failed, the general sent for the blue-jackets, told -them his only hope was in their courage, and pointed to the pa. “Go on, -my lads,” said their leader, “I’ll not be far behind you.” It would -have been better, perhaps, if he had been a little before them; as it -was, they advanced to within fifty yards of the pa, and then retired -below the crest of the hill. One poor little middy of fourteen was shot -through the head while in advance of the others. What could be done? The -general was ready to receive any suggestion. The officer commanding the -Engineers proposed mining, which was attempted; but the fuse was damp, -and refused to explode. The Engineers then advanced under cover, and -effected a breach in the wall. On perceiving that their position was -no longer tenable, the Maoris hoisted a white flag, and surrendered at -dawn. William Thompson, the great chief of the rebellion, had escaped, -with most of his followers: only 183 prisoners fell into our hands. They -could easily have escaped if they had chosen, but they had waited on in -the hope of being reinforced. The loss of the Maoris was about forty-five -killed, while ours amounted to six officers killed or died of wounds, and -nine wounded; forty men killed, and eighty wounded. The attacking force -amounted to 1000 men; about one-seventh of them were killed or wounded; -the defenders of the pa could not have amounted to more than four or five -hundred men; forty-five were killed on the spot; the wounded were carried -off. - -One or two steamers were placed on the Waikato river, and our troops -advanced to Ngaruawahia, the royal residence of Potatau II., whose -palace of reeds may still be seen there. This town is situated about -twenty-six miles to the south of Rangiriri, at the confluence of the -Waipa and the Horatiu, whose united waters form the Waikato river. The -governor had promised to meet W. Thompson, the Maori king-maker, here, -and to settle the conditions of peace; but for reasons unknown to us -he failed to appear, and our troops pushed on till they reached Piko -Piko, a strong pa on the summit of a hill overlooking the Waipa, about -thirty miles to the south of Ngaruawahia. We remained encamped opposite -this stronghold for three weeks without attempting an assault; our -experience at Rangiriri had taught us to be cautious. We had 3900 men -under canvas; the defenders of the pa could not have exceeded one-fourth -of that number; but, notwithstanding this disproportion, no attempt -was made to dislodge the enemy. At the end of three weeks we turned -their position, and advanced to the villages of Awamutu and Kilu Kilu, -from which they derived their supplies; on this they were obliged to -evacuate their stronghold and retreat into the interior. A skirmish -took place at Rangiawahia, a native village three miles from Awamutu, -during which a venerable Maori lady distinguished herself by coolly -occupying a chair in her verandah, and firing deliberately on our men, -who retaliated by burning down a native _wharze_, or hut, which contained -some warriors who refused to surrender, and were consumed in the flames. -We then constructed a line of redoubts, extending from Maugautautari, a -stronghold on the Horatiu, which W. Thompson had evacuated, to Te Rori on -the Waipa, for the purpose of keeping the enemy in check. This was not so -easily done as we imagined. In March some three hundred natives advanced -to Ohapau, a village five miles from Awamutu, and began to construct a -pa in the midst of a grove of peach-trees. It was captured on the 2nd of -April, but Rewi, the ringleader, escaped. - -On the 30th of March the incident occurred which procured for -Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill the honour of the Victoria Cross. He holds the -appointment of aide-de-camp to General Cameron, who was then at Pukerimu, -and had occasion to communicate with Brigadier Carey, who was in command -at Awamutu. The distance from Pukerimu to Awamutu is eighteen miles; -midway between these two stations stands the redoubt of Ohapau, occupied -by a detachment of the 40th Regiment. Rough bridges have been erected -at the different creeks, but there is no regular road, merely a native -path leading through the bush. Near Ohapau is a clump of trees admirably -adapted for an ambuscade. Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill had no other escort -than a private of the Defence Force (a colonial corps consisting of -250 troopers) of the name of Vosper, who acted as his orderly. Nothing -remarkable occurred during the journey till they had occasion to pass the -clump of trees near Ohapau, when a party of insurgents opened fire upon -them. Private Vosper was thrown from his horse, and Lieutenant-Colonel -McNeill succeeded in catching him. Vosper then remounted, and both rode -off. The fire of the Maoris is said to have been very close and very -severe; under such circumstances the escape of the horses and riders -without being grazed by a single bullet is little short of miraculous. -It is unfortunate, perhaps, that there were no other spectators of the -scene than the immediate actors. Private Vosper has to vouch for the -gallantry of Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill, and Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill -for the danger incurred by Private Vosper. When the affair was reported -to General Cameron, he recommended his aide-de-camp for the decoration -of the Cross of Valour; and he was duly invested with it on the 6th of -December, in the presence of all the troops that could be assembled to -witness this interesting ceremony. - -Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill is a good and gallant soldier; he proved -himself to be so during the Indian campaign, when he served on the staff -of Sir Edward Lugard, and was honourably mentioned in public despatches. -It is right that these services should be known to the public, as they -have contributed to procure for him the honour of the Victoria Cross, -the wearer of which, like Cæsar’s wife, should be beyond suspicion. We -should be glad to see some public recognition of the bravery displayed -by a sergeant of one of the colonial corps near the same spot, five -days before Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill and his orderly were attacked. -On the 25th of March this sergeant had left Pukerimu in company with a -civilian who had been visiting his brother there, and was now on his way -to Awamutu. Both were well mounted, and nothing remarkable occurred till -they were within four miles of the camp, where the road passes near the -first of the lakes lying between Ohapau and Te Rori. The two horsemen -were riding quietly along, thoughtless of danger, when an ambuscade of -some thirty or forty Maoris opened fire upon them from the bush; the -sergeant felt that his horse was hit, and spurred him on with all his -might, in the hope that he might still be able to carry him beyond the -reach of danger. On the first impulse of the moment he had thought only -of his own safety; but he had only proceeded a short distance when he -became anxious for the fate of his companion. On turning round, he saw -his horse lying dead on the road: in another minute the civilian would -have been lifeless beside him. He was rushing along with all his might, -pursued by a Maori, who was rapidly gaining upon him, and had already -poised his spear to strike. The sergeant wheeled his horse round, and -with the rapidity of thought rushed to the rescue. One shot from his -revolver laid the Maori prostrate; in another minute the civilian was -mounted behind him, and then away for their lives. The noble horse seemed -to know what results depended on his speed, for, though wounded and weak -from the loss of blood, he never halted till he reached the rising ground -that overlooks Awamutu, when he fell down dead. He had carried them three -miles with seven bullets in his body, till they were beyond the reach -of the Maori rifles. When the danger was past he lay down and died. The -incident created much sensation at the moment. The sergeant’s coolness -and courage excited the admiration of the whole camp; but many months -have passed away without bringing with them any public recognition of his -heroism. This, doubtless, has arisen from oversight. We shall be much -gratified if our present remarks lead to further inquiries being made. -Civilians have obtained the Victoria Cross in India; there is no reason -why it should not be bestowed on those who are equally worthy in New -Zealand. - -Our readers are already familiar with the attack on the Gate Pa at -Tauranga, on the 29th of April, when our soldiers and sailors, after -effecting an entrance into the Maori stronghold, were seized with a -sudden panic, and retreated in the greatest disorder. It is rare indeed -for our soldiers or sailors to desert their officers in the hour of -danger; but on this occasion terror was more powerful than the sense of -duty. It was not so with all, however; there were one or two honourable -exceptions. When Commander Hay fell mortally wounded inside the pa, one -gallant sailor stood by him, and refused to leave him, though frequently -urged to do so. It was right that such an act of distinguished devotion -to duty should be recognised as an encouragement to others to imitate -his example, and Samuel Mitchell now carries on his breast the Cross of -Valour as a memorial of the humanity and courage he displayed at the -Gate Pa. On the same occasion, Assistant-Surgeon Manley, of the Royal -Artillery, distinguished himself by exposing his life to great danger in -entering the pa with the generous intention of offering assistance to -Commander Hay. That unfortunate officer was beyond the reach of human -aid, but this detracts nothing from the praise due to Assistant-Surgeon -Manley, who remained with him to the last, and did all that human -skill could suggest to alleviate his sufferings. Nor was this all; on -learning, after his return to the camp, that there were other wounded -officers in the pa who might require his aid, he offered to proceed to -their assistance. To have done so would have been to expose his life -to certain destruction, as the insurgents had now resumed possession -of their stronghold; the service cannot afford to lose such men as -Assistant-Surgeon Manley. While this generous offer was refused, it was -felt that he had already made good his title to the distinction of the -Victoria Cross, which has now been conferred upon him. Assistant-Surgeons -Temple and Manley belong to the same branch of the service, and it is -honourable to the medical profession that two of its members should have -attained to the same distinction in the course of one year. - -While the province of Auckland has been the principal seat of the -present campaign, a sort of desultory warfare has been carried on at -the same time in the district of Taranaki, where the 57th Regiment is -stationed. This district, which has been often described as the garden -of New Zealand, extends along the western coast of the North Island; -its capital, New Plymouth, is situated at the base of Mount Egmont, a -solitary, snow-capped mountain, about 10,000 feet high, rising out of -a densely-wooded plain. There is no harbour, and the loud roar of the -waves breaking on the inhospitable shore is constantly to be heard. An -English settlement was formed there in 1841, but at this time there were -only ninety natives, living for security in the cliffs around Mount -Egmont, or in holes among the sugar-loaf rocks; the rest had fled to -Cook’s Straits or been carried off into captivity. The whole district -was a waste, and Governor Hobson bought for 400_l._ the right which Te -Whero Whero, a native chief, had acquired over it in virtue of conquest; -after it had passed into our hands the fugitives began to return, and -nothing could equal their surprise on finding their lands parcelled out -among strangers. Twisting their long arms round the gigantic trees, -which had long been _tapu_ or sacred, they besought the woodmen to spare -them; their spirit was broken by conquest; as yet they offered no open -resistance. It was only when our arms had suffered reverses in other -parts of the island that the natives of Taranaki began to show a more -independent spirit, and to reclaim the lands which had now passed from -their hands. The matter was referred to Governor Fitzroy, who decided -that the settlers were only entitled to 3500 of the 60,000 acres to -which they laid claim; the natives resumed possession of the rest. This -decision increased the bitterness of feeling which had already sprung -up between the two races, and has been the cause of all the subsequent -disturbances at Taranaki. The settlers are anxious to purchase, but -the natives refuse to part with their lands. “Money,” they say, “soon -melts away, but the land remains.” In order to preserve and sustain this -conservative feeling, they formed themselves into the Anti-Land-Selling -League, the nature of which may be learned from its title, and absolutely -refused to part with a single acre. The war of 1860-2 and 1863-4, which -is not yet over, originated from an attempt on the part of the Colonial -Government to suppress this league by purchasing lands from any of the -natives who were disposed to part with them. If these purchases had been -confined to the actual possessors of the soil no objection could have -been made to them, every man having a right to do what he likes with -his own, but no man has a right to sell what belongs to his neighbours. -This was actually done at Taranaki, and unfortunately the Government, -in order to assert a principle, took possession by force of the land -thus purchased. This brought the two races into immediate collision, -and the war has been lingering on for years. It would be foreign to -our purpose to describe its leading events; it is sufficient to remark -that it has been carried on with various success, and that the 57th -Regiment, under the command of Colonel Warre, C.B., has taken an active -part in the Taranaki campaign. An engagement took place at Poutoko on the -2nd of October, 1863, during which Ensign Down and Drummer Stagpoole, -of the 57th Regiment, distinguished themselves by carrying off two -wounded men who would otherwise have fallen into the hands of the enemy. -Stagpoole had already attracted the notice of his commanding officer by -volunteering to rescue a wounded soldier on a previous occasion, and -the announcement in the _London Gazette_ that he and Ensign Down have -had the Cross of Valour awarded to them has given general satisfaction -in New Zealand. Courage is not the exclusive property of any one class; -it is to be found among all ranks in our army and navy; it is right, -therefore, that that Cross, which is intended expressly to be the reward -of courage, should be bestowed impartially upon every one who has made -good his claim, whether he bear her Majesty’s commission or be merely -a drummer-boy. Chivalry admitted none to its ranks save those who were -of noble birth, but many of the most chivalrous deeds of modern times -have been done by men who have no claim to illustrious descent, and owe -everything to themselves. The Cross of Valour is a standing recognition -of this fact; it is far more precious than garters and ribbons, or the -other gewgaws of rank; it is the special reward of the brave, and none -but the brave deserve to wear it. - -Peace will never be established on a solid basis in New Zealand till -the settlers and aborigines have learned to treat one another with -more respect. At present they regard one another with mingled feelings -of hatred and contempt. The Englishman thinks that he has a right to -despise brown-skinned men who were once cannibals, who know nothing about -title-deeds, live in dog-kennels, feed on fern-roots and putrid fish, -and render their faces hideous by tattooing. He hates them as the only -obstacle between himself and those valuable lands with which they refuse -to part; he is tempted to believe that the only way to pacify New Zealand -is not to leave a single Maori alive. “The black fellows,” or “niggers,” -as they are contemptuously called, conscious of the existence of these -feelings, are ready enough to retaliate. They have the firmest belief -in their own superior courage. “You white people,” said a native chief, -“are very good for building houses and ships, for buying and selling, for -making cattle fat, and for growing beans and cabbages; you are like the -rats, always at work; but as to fighting, you are like them also, you -only know how to run.” - -During this war they have had occasion to revise their opinion regarding -our courage; they have also taught us to respect their heroic powers of -endurance, and to believe that many virtues may be found beneath a brown -skin. If the experience of the past prevents us from looking forward with -too much confidence to the future destiny of this noble race, who have -decreased to one-half of their number since they welcomed the Anglo-Saxon -race to their shores, we have at least a right to expect that they shall -be treated with justice, and nothing be done to hasten on that fate which -seems already to be impending over them. England will thus be saved -the remorse of wilfully neglecting to take any measures to avoid those -calamities to which the contact of civilized with semi-barbarous races -has hitherto given rise, and the Maori may yet become a sharer in those -blessings which civilization and Christianity can alone bestow. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE NAVAL BRIGADE IN INDIA. - - -While a few of our sailors have forced their way into Mr. Desanges’ -Gallery, and made good their title to the Cross of Valour, it must -be evident to the most casual spectator that the “blue jackets” have -not been so fortunate as the “red coats” in securing this reward of -gallantry. It would be unfair, however, to infer from this fact that our -sailors are inferior to our soldiers in courage; both belong to the same -race, and are animated by the same warlike spirit: but of late years -sailors have not had the same opportunity of displaying their valour -as in the days of Nelson, Jervis, and Duncan. Since the conclusion of -the great French war in 1815, we have not been brought into collision -with any of the great maritime powers. The battle of Navarino, where -the united fleets of three European nations combined to destroy the -naval power of Turkey, and to release Greece from the chains of slavery, -redounded but little to our credit; and Russia, during the late war, -afforded us few opportunities of gaining laurels by sea. It is true, that -during the Crimean war some of our sailors earned themselves a name to -live in the annals of fame; but it was not on that element peculiarly -their own that they acquired this honourable distinction. It was not at -sea, but on land, fighting side by side with our soldiers, that they -proved themselves the worthy successors of the men who conquered at -Trafalgar and swept our enemies from the ocean. If only a few obtained -the Victoria Cross, the reason was that comparatively few were permitted -to take any active part in the Russian war, and that no man can prove -himself to be a hero unless he has the chance of doing so. - -Sailors have a natural taste for fighting, and they felt it very hard -during the siege of Sebastopol that the soldiers should have the largest -share. When any of them, by good conduct, became entitled to a holiday, -it was not an unusual request to be allowed to spend it ashore, “to have -a day’s shooting with them ’ere red coats.” They regarded such an event -with as much interest as the keenest sportsman does when he talks of the -1st of September and looks forward to its arrival, and their ambition was -equally great to make a good bag. It was the same during the suppression -of the Indian Mutiny: the sailors who composed the Naval Brigade, led by -the gallant young Peel, marched up the country with as much alacrity as -if they had landed merely to enjoy themselves. - -When, about the middle of May, 1857, intelligence reached Calcutta of -the disasters at Meerut and Delhi, Lord Canning, the Governor-General, -telegraphed immediately for aid to Bombay, Ceylon, and Madras. He knew -that Lord Elgin and General Ashburnham were on their way to China, and -urged in the most pressing manner that some of the troops under their -command should be sent at once to Calcutta, to assist in suppressing -the mutiny. It was fortunate for our future interests in India that -Lord Elgin was generous enough to take upon himself the responsibility -of diverting to the shores of the Ganges part of those troops which -were intended to aid in the attack on Canton. About the middle of July, -while he was waiting at Hong-Kong for the arrival of reinforcements, he -received a despatch from Lord Canning, announcing that the revolt was -spreading on every side and asking for farther aid. Lord Elgin at once -started for Calcutta, taking with him a force of fifteen hundred seamen -and marines, most of whom belonged to the two war steamers, the _Pearl_ -and the _Shannon_. These active, hardy men were organized into “Naval -Brigades,” and rendered the most important services under the command of -their gallant chief, Captain Peel. - -This distinguished officer was a younger son of the late Sir Robert Peel, -and his brief but glorious career shed additional lustre on the name -he bore. He loved his profession for its own sake: he delighted in the -excitement of war; he was never more in his element than when he had -planted one of those immense guns he knew how to handle so skilfully -against the walls of Sebastopol and Lucknow, where he would continue to -work it amid a shower of shot and shell. Genius is only talent directed -into one particular channel, and the talent he inherited from his father -was devoted to the noble profession he had adopted. He had already -distinguished himself in the Crimea, and had accompanied Lord Elgin to -China in command of Her Majesty’s ship _Shannon_, when our sailors and -marines were organized into naval brigades. He was placed at the head of -the one which was intended to aid in the relief of Lucknow, and nobly -did he discharge the duties which then devolved upon him. His was that -daring but thoughtful courage that wins the confidence as well as the -admiration of all who witness it; the earnest force of character that -surmounts every difficulty and triumphs over every obstacle; the gentle, -kindly bearing, the courteous manner, which tells more upon our soldiers -and sailors than words of stern command; the influence which a noble -nature exercises on all around. It would be difficult to overestimate -the value of his services during the seven months he commanded the Naval -Brigade in the north-west provinces. We cannot trace his whole career; it -is sufficient for the present to remark, that he died at Cawnpore, on the -27th of April, 1858, of smallpox. He had been wounded in the thigh during -the last attack upon Lucknow, and was on his way to Calcutta when he -was attacked at Cawnpore by the dangerous malady to which he succumbed. -The recent annals of the British Navy can show no name which has better -claims to be remembered than that of William Peel, of whom it may be -truly said that he died too soon for his country but not for his own fame. - -Lord Elgin arrived at Calcutta early in the month of August, 1857, -bringing with him two war steamers, the _Shannon_ and the _Pearl_, which -were placed at the disposal of the Indian Government. Peel, who had so -gallantly managed a naval battery in the Crimea during the siege of -Sebastopol, was commissioned to organize a naval brigade, and entered -on the task with his usual energy. Aided by the resources of the two -war steamers, he succeeded in forming a splendid naval brigade, the -most effective, perhaps, we have ever possessed, consisting of four -hundred able British seamen, and ten of those enormous 68-pounder guns -which such seamen can handle so skilfully. They started from Calcutta, -up the Hooghly and the Ganges; their progress was necessarily slow; the -half of August and the whole of September passed wearily away on this -most tedious voyage. The ardent spirit of the seamen would have chafed -and fretted beneath this compulsory delay, if they had been under the -command of a leader less esteemed and admired; as it was, his presence -and example told upon all. Week after week elapsed; the gallant band made -but slow progress against the stream; their ponderous guns rendered it -still slower. On the 30th of September, Peel reached Benares with 286 of -his brigade. Without waiting for the arrival of the rest, he hurried on -to Allahabad, which he reached on the 3rd of October, with 94 men; he -remained there four days when he was joined by the others, with their -enormous guns and stores of ammunition. These guns—the chief cause of -delay—were now found to be useless, as no means of transport could be -found for conveying them across the country, and they were abandoned at -Allahabad with regret. They had still their 24-pounders to trust to, -one of which was proudly named the _Shannon_, after the war steamer to -which she belonged. Urged by the authorities at Patna to afford them some -relief, Peel formed a small naval brigade, which was placed under the -command of Captain Sotheby, to be employed against the insurgents in the -neighbourhood. - -The wearisome voyage up the Ganges was now concluded, and on the 4th of -October, soon after his arrival at Allahabad, Peel received the following -telegram from Sir Colin Campbell, then at Calcutta:—“In the course of -about a week there will be a continuous stream of troops, at the rate of -about ninety a day, passing on to Allahabad, which, I trust, will not -cease for the next three months.” Peel was now in his element, and the -Naval Brigade under his command found abundant employment in facilitating -the passage of troops and artillery from Allahabad to Cawnpore. Their -strength was increased by the arrival of 126 naval officers and seamen -under the command of Lieutenant Vaughan, who joined them on the 20th -of October. This reinforcement was composed of sailors of the merchant -service at Calcutta, who volunteered to join the brigade, and rejoiced -in the opportunity of serving under such a distinguished commander. On -the 23rd, four siege-train 24-pounders were on the way to Cawnpore, -under the charge of 100 men of the Naval Brigade; on the 27th, other -four 24-pounders and two 8-inch howitzers were despatched with an escort -of 170 seamen; and on the same day a large amount of ammunition was -forwarded. Peel infused something of his own energy into every seaman -under his command, and personally superintended every arrangement; so -that on the 28th of October he was ready to start for Cawnpore, and -was joined on the way by Colonel Powell, with the head-quarters of Her -Majesty’s 53rd Regiment. On the 31st they reached Shured, where they -received the alarming intelligence that the Dinapore mutineers had -crossed the Jumna with three guns, and were preparing either to attack -Futtehpore or to force their way into Oude. The soldiers and sailors -under the command of Powell and Peel did not exceed 700 men, while the -number of the enemy did not fall short of 4000; our men, moreover, were -encumbered with the charge of a large and valuable convoy of siege and -other stores, the loss of which at such a juncture would have been -irreparable; still it was of the last importance that something should be -done to arrest the progress of the rebels, and the two leaders, Powell -and Peel, resolved to offer them battle. - -As a general rule, it is injudicious to allow sailors and soldiers to be -mixed together during an attack, and frequent disasters have resulted -from overlooking this fact; but on this occasion, from our inferiority -in numbers, we had no choice. On the evening of the 31st our men reached -the camping ground at Futtehpore, where they were joined by a small -detachment of the 93rd, or Sutherland Highlanders, who were also on -the way to Lucknow. The following morning a column, consisting of 500 -soldiers and sailors, marched to Kudjna, a distance of twenty-four -miles, to attack the enemy. The latter had taken up a strong position, -with their right occupying a high embankment screened by a grove, -and their left extending on the other side of the road, which was -commanded by their artillery. Our column was divided into three parts: -one advanced to attack the enemy’s guns, while the other two supported -it on either side. Our soldiers and sailors rushed forward with their -usual impetuosity; but the rebels, having every advantage of position, -maintained their ground for two hours, and kept up so severe a fire of -musketry that many of our men, including Colonel Powell, who received a -musket-ball in the forehead, were killed. At this moment, Captain Peel, -on whom the command devolved, displayed such coolness and presence of -mind as proved that, though a sailor, he was fitted for the highest -military command. Perceiving that the enemy could not be dislodged -without incurring the loss of many lives, none of which could well be -spared, he changed the mode of attack by marching his men round the -upper end of the embankment, and their forces being thus divided, they -were driven from all their positions, leaving their camp equipage and -two of their tumbrils in our possession. If there had been a small body -of cavalry to follow up this success, the whole body of the enemy might -have been dispersed or destroyed; but no pursuit could be organized, as -our men had marched seventy-two miles in three days, and exhausted nature -could do no more. The column, after collecting the dead and wounded, -returned to Binkee, and after a little rest resumed their march to -Cawnpore. The enemy are supposed to have lost about one-fifth of their -number, and abandoned the idea of marching into Oude: that terrible -column of blue jackets and red coats had shown them what they might -expect when they dared to cross bayonets with the redoubtable Feringees. - -We need not trace the advance of the Naval Brigade, which was now reduced -to 250 men, from Cawnpore to Lucknow: it is sufficient to remark, that -they and their gallant leader reached the Alum Bagh early in November, -and placed themselves under the command of Sir Colin Campbell. Our -readers will bear in mind that Lawrence maintained his position in the -Residency until his death, early in July; and that the command then -devolved upon Inglis, who continued the defence until September, when -he was relieved by Outram and Havelock. It was known that the small -garrison was hemmed in on every side by the rebels, and every effort was -made to relieve them; it was with this object in view that Sir Colin -Campbell had concentrated his forces around the city of Lucknow on the -14th of November. The name of this gallant veteran will ever be dear to -the people of England. The son of a Glasgow tradesman, he obtained his -commission while still a boy through the influence of an uncle, and had -served forty-nine years as an officer of the British army. Being unable -to purchase, he could not look for rapid promotion, but, like Havelock, -he had learned to labour and to wait. He had shed his blood freely in the -service of his country; his gallantry had been acknowledged in public -despatches; but many years elapsed before he obtained his company. In the -course of nearly half a century he had fought in almost every quarter of -the globe; he served in the Walcheren expedition; then in the Peninsular -war, including the battles and sieges of Vimiera, Corunna, Barossa, -Vittoria, San Sebastian, and Bidassoa; then in North America; then in -the West Indies; then in the first Chinese war; then in the second Sikh -war; and lastly, in the Crimea. When the news of General Anson’s death -reached England on the 11th of July, Sir Colin was offered the post -of Commander-in-Chief in India, which he at once accepted. When the -question was put to him, “When will you be ready to start?” his reply was -“To-morrow.” He kept his word: the next day he was on his way to India, -taking very little with him but the clothes on his back. Sir Charles -Napier was wont to say, that two towels and a piece of soap was ample -luggage for an officer serving in India: Sir Colin Campbell seems to have -held the same opinion. He travelled by the quickest route: by rail to -Folkestone, steam to Boulogne, rail to Marseilles, steam to Alexandria, -rail and other means to Suez, steam from Suez to Calcutta. How his -ardent spirit must have chafed during the many weeks he was detained -at Calcutta! But that time was not lost. He attended to the minutest -details; he remodelled the whole system of military machinery in India; -he arranged with the Governor-General the plan of the ensuing campaign. -He admired with all the unselfish admiration of a true soldier the heroic -resistance of the garrison at Lucknow; the struggles of Havelock’s little -army; the combined efforts of Havelock and Outram. At length, on the -28th of October, he left Calcutta, travelling like a common courier, and -caring nothing for the pomp and glitter of military rank. After several -narrow escapes by the way, he crossed the Ganges on the 9th of November, -and commenced his attack on Lucknow on the 14th, with a miscellaneous -force of 4000 men. - -The gallant old chief had one guiding principle throughout the whole -Indian campaign—never to sacrifice the life of a British soldier -unnecessarily. He was resolved that Lucknow should be taken, but with -the least possible expenditure of human blood. Knowing that Havelock and -Outram had suffered severely in cutting their way through the town two -months before, he formed a plan of approach through the south-western -suburb, and trusted to his artillery and the Naval Brigade to batter down -the enemy’s defences step by step and day after day, so as to open up a -passage for his infantry with comparatively little loss. To this plan -he steadily adhered, and for several days there was a series of partial -sieges, each directed against one of the enemy’s strongholds. Our army -pushed its way slowly, but success was certain in the end. On the first -day he drove the enemy, after a running fight of two hours, from the Dil -Roosha Park, and then from the Martinière College, an institution for the -education of half-caste children, founded by Claude Martin, who came out -to India as a private soldier, and rose to the rank of major-general. -During these operations the heavy guns of the Naval Brigade served -to keep the enemy in check, and rendered important assistance. After -completing his preparations on the 15th, and exchanging signals with -Havelock and Outram, Sir Colin crossed the canal on the morning of the -16th, and advanced to the Secunder Bagh, a high-walled enclosure about a -hundred and twenty yards square, loopholed on every side, and strongly -garrisoned by the enemy, who fought with the greatest obstinacy. In vain -the guns of the Naval Brigade thundered against the walls; the noise grew -deafening; the ardour of our troops could no longer be restrained; two -companies of Highlanders, with fixed bayonets, reached a plateau, and -rushed forward till they were stopped by a dead wall. “In at the roof, -Highlanders!” shouted the old chief, whose blood was now up; “in through -the roof; tear off the tiles. Go on!” - -They needed no second order; in a moment the plumed bonnets and tartan -kilts vanished through the tiles and broken bamboos, and the enemy, -driven from their position, retired with the loss of two guns. - -At length the breach in the main building was declared practicable; the -hole was barely large enough for a single man to pass, but all were -impatient of further delay. The gallant old chief thought of Badajoz, -where he was the first to storm the breach, and would willingly now -have been the first to pass through the fiery opening if duty had -permitted; as it was, he uncovered his grey hairs, and waved the Sikhs -and Highlanders to the assault. Then followed a gallant race between -the mountaineers of India and of Scotland: a Sikh is the first to enter -and—to die. He is followed by a Highlander; a bullet passes through his -body, the plumed bonnet rolls from his head, and he sinks lifeless to the -ground. Another and another press forward and meet the same fate, but -their comrades step across their bodies and make good their entrance. The -gate was violently forced, and the whole body of Sikhs and Highlanders -poured into the Secunder Bagh, and then came the hour of retribution. -“Remember Cawnpore, boys! No quarter! Think of our women and children! -Mercy? no mercy for you!” Such were the cries that rose from our men as -the bayonet did its deadly work. No quarter was given, and many of the -enemy threw themselves into the flames which were now spreading through -the building. The massacre of Cawnpore was avenged at the Secunder Bagh; -two thousand of the enemy met their death within its walls. - -The Naval Brigade, under the command of the gallant Peel, was then -ordered to the front, and advanced toward the Shah Nujeef—a domed mosque -with a garden, which had been strongly fortified by the enemy, with -the intention of arresting the progress of our army. The walls of the -garden had been loopholed on every side; the entrance was built up, -and the summit of the building crowned with a parapet. On the left was -a village held by the rebels; Brigadier Hope and Colonel Gordon drove -them from this position before the Naval Brigade opened fire on the -Shah Nujeef. Peel was aided by a field battery and some mortars, but -the enemy defended the post with the greatest obstinacy, and kept up -an incessant fire of musketry from the mosque and the loopholed walls -of the garden. It was on this occasion that three members of the Naval -Brigade displayed such conspicuous bravery as attracted the notice of the -Commander-in-Chief, and secured for them the distinction of the Cross of -Valour. The _Shannon_ 24-pounder, which bore the name of the war steamer -from which it had been taken, was entrusted to the charge of Lieutenant -Young and William Hall, A.B., who proved themselves worthy of the -confidence reposed in them. Though exposed to a heavy fire of musketry -and assailed by hand-grenades thrown from the walls, they led up their -heavy gun to within a few yards of the building, and opened fire on it -with as much coolness as if they had been alongside an enemy’s frigate -and fighting on their own element. It was, to borrow the words of Sir -Colin Campbell, “an action almost unexampled in war,” and excited the -admiration of all who witnessed it. For three hours a heavy cannonade -was kept up against the walls of the mosque, and our sailors would have -suffered more at the hands of the enemy if they had not been covered by -the withering fire of the Highlanders in the rear. Sailors always like to -mingle a little fun with fighting, and Lieutenant Nowell Salmon, of the -Naval Brigade, who was known as an unerring marksman, had recourse to an -ingenious expedient to arrest, or at least to weaken, the enemy’s fire. -Close by the walls of the mosque stood a lofty tree, whose spreading -branches overlooked the building, and offered a tempting cover to any one -who was venturous enough to climb it. Lieutenant Salmon perceived at a -glance all the advantages of such a position, where he could see without -being seen and shoot without being shot. Having obtained the necessary -leave, he mounted the tree in true sailor fashion, and, sheltered amid -its leafy recesses, took deliberate aim and picked off the enemy’s -sharpshooters when they ventured to show themselves in the mosque or -the garden. He was ably seconded by a private of the 93rd Highlanders, -who, standing below, received the discharged rifles, loaded them, and -handed them up again. We can conceive the surprise and consternation of -the rebels as they saw their ranks thinned and their comrades shot down -by an irresistible foe, and the enjoyment of the reckless sailor as he -witnessed the effect of his unerring fire. At length Sir Colin, impatient -of delay, gave orders to storm the place, which was done in the most -intrepid manner by the soldiers and sailors, who forced their way through -the garden and drove the rebels from the mosque. The gallantry of the -Naval Brigade at the capture of the Shah Nujeef was acknowledged in a -public despatch; Lieut. Young, William Hall, A.B., and Lieut. Salmon, who -was badly wounded, were decorated with the Victoria Cross; and Captain -Peel became Sir William Peel. - -It would be foreign to our purpose to follow the army of rescue in all -their operations till they effected their entrance into the Residency, -or to describe the emotions of Campbell, Outram, and Havelock, as they -grasped one another’s hands and felt that their work was done. All the -three have now passed away; but they did noble service to their country, -and their names will not be speedily forgotten. The early struggles, the -patient discharge of duty in a subordinate position, the perseverance -and the final success of Campbell and Havelock, ought to be a lesson and -encouragement to the young men of England who have to tread the same path -and aspire to reach the same goal. - -Wherever the Naval Brigade served during the Indian campaign, they -displayed the same coolness and courage as at the capture of the Shah -Nujeef. It was part of Sir Colin’s tactics to employ artillery as much -as possible so as to save his infantry, and whenever walls were to be -battered down he had only to summon Peel and his now famous brigade -to the front. Their gallant achievements in Oude must ever occupy -a prominent place in Indian history, and the name of Peel received -additional lustre from the brave young sailor who perished in his prime. -In the scarcity of regular troops, they occupied a middle position, and -did the work of soldiers and sailors with equal readiness: well-drilled -and accustomed to active movements, they were ready to march at a -moment’s notice, and moved their heavy guns with a rapidity and ease -hitherto unknown in field operations. They were favourites wherever -they came; their unfailing good-humour and almost boyish exuberance of -spirits were contagious, and spread to all who served by their side. -When the campaign was over and the mutiny suppressed their services -were not forgotten; the residents of Calcutta did honour to themselves -by honouring them with a public reception and a grand banquet. We can -conceive the hearty enjoyment of the blue jackets as they partook of -the delicacies which had been prepared for them, and listened to the -kind, graceful words in which Outram, their fellow-guest, told of -their services as witnessed by himself at Lucknow during the previous -winter. “Almost the first white faces I saw, when the lamented Havelock -and I rushed out of our prison to greet Sir Colin at the head of our -deliverers, were the hearty, jolly, smiling faces of some of you -_Shannon_ men, who were pounding away with two big guns at the palace; -and I then, for the first time in my life, had the opportunity of seeing -and admiring the coolness of British sailors under fire. There you -were, working in the open plains, without cover or screen, or rampart -of any kind, your guns within musket range of the enemy, as coolly as -if you were practising at the Woolwich target. And that it was a hot -fire that you were exposed to, was proved by three of the small staff -that accompanied us (Napier, young Havelock, and Sitwell) being knocked -over by musket balls in passing to the rear of those guns, consequently -further from the enemy than yourselves.” - -Such words, spoken by the Bayard of India, must have been grateful to -the Naval Brigade after all their toils and privations. When the banquet -was over, they were dispersed among the different vessels to which they -belonged. Peel and his Naval Brigade have ceased to exist, but if England -should require their services other Peels and other brigades will spring -up to prove that our sailors have not degenerated—that they belong to the -same race and inherit the same qualities as those who in former times -secured for Britannia the empire of the waves, and the enjoyment of that -freedom which we still prize as our noblest birthright. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -THE VARIOUS RANKS IN THE BRITISH ARMY, AND HOW TO DISTINGUISH THEM. - - -The civilian is often wofully puzzled when trying to make out the rank -of a military man in uniform. He sees a venerable, soldier-like man, -in scarlet or blue, marching beside a body of men. This personage is -crowned with a cocked hat with white plumes, with all the pomp of -sword, &c., and is immediately selected as “the General.” Impressed -with the appearance of the hero, his importance and rank, the speaker -inquires who the general officer is, and in reply will be informed -“that is the quartermaster, who has just been promoted from the rank of -serjeant-major.” Again, a ferocious-looking man, who, with long beard and -moustache, _walks_ (not _marches_) in rear of the regiment, with cocked -hat and trailing sword, is neither a fire-eating general nor dashing -colonel, but our kind medical friend, who looks at our tongue and feels -our pulse. A quiet-looking man, in a dark frock coat, who is the least -conspicuous of a group of officers, is General Sir Blank Blanco, K.C.B., -the hero of so many battles. - -The two principal points by which rank is indicated are the collars and -sleeves of the various coattees and jackets. A crown and star, used -either singly or in combination, denote three different degrees of rank. -Commencing at the highest rank, viz., Field-Marshal, we will now describe -the principal peculiarities of dress, so that the reader may be able to -form a generally correct opinion of the rank and occupation of each -member of the military service. - - -ARMY DRESS. - -A Field-Marshal’s dress consists of a single-breasted scarlet tunic, -the collar laced round with inch lace. At each end of the collar are -two batons, crossed, and formed of crimson velvet and gold, worked on a -wreath of laurel embroidered in silver. The cuff, which is three inches -and a quarter deep, has two rows of inch lace round the top, and there is -a scarlet pointed slashed flap on the sleeve, laced with inch lace. On -the left shoulder is a double gold cord, with a small button to retain -the sash. - -The buttons are gilt, and have on them two batons, crossed, and encircled -with laurels. - -Cocked hat, with a plume of long white swan feathers, drooping downwards -and outwards, with scarlet feathers underneath. - -The trousers are dark blue, with oak-pattern gold lace two and a half -inches wide down the sides. - -The sword is scimitar shape, and contained in a brass scabbard. The hilt -is gilt, with an ivory grip, two batons crossed, and encircled with oak -leaves on the handle. The sword belt is of Russian leather, one and a -half inches wide, embroidered with three rows of gold embroidery. A sash -of gold and crimson silk net is worn over the left shoulder, the ends of -fringe hanging downwards. - -The above is the full dress. The undress consists of double-breasted -frock coat of dark blue. The collar and cuffs of blue velvet with cross -batons on the collar, a double gold cord on the left shoulder to retain -the sash. The trousers are dark blue, with a broad red stripe down the -side. A forage cap with gold embroidered peak, and band of gold oak leaf -lace two inches wide round the cap. - -The full dress of a General is the same as that of a Field-Marshal, -except that on the collar there is, in place of the cross batons, a -silver embroidered crown and star an inch and a quarter long. The buttons -are gilt, but instead of cross batons they have on them a sword and -baton crossed. The handle of the sword also has on it a sword and baton -crossed. - -The undress of a General is blue frock coat, with sword and baton on -collar; in other respects like a Field-Marshal’s. - -The dress of a Lieutenant-General, a Major-General, and a -Brigadier-General is the same as a General’s, with the exceptions that -a Lieutenant-General has on his collar a crown only, instead of a crown -and star. A Major-General has on his collar a star only, whilst a -Brigadier-General has the collar plain, without star or crown. - -We now come to the three principal divisions of the remainder of the -regular officers, viz., Field Officers, Captains, and Subalterns. - -Field Officers are all those above the rank of Captain and below the rank -of General; they consist therefore of Colonels, Lieutenant-Colonels, -and Majors. The distinguishing mark of a Field Officer is the lace -or embroidery on his sleeves, which comes to a point up the arms; -the annexed illustrations show the sleeve of a Field Officer of the -Artillery. In all line regiments and in several others, the Full Colonel -may be known by his wearing the dress of his regiment, and having on his -collar a crown and star. A Lieutenant-Colonel has a crown only, whilst a -Major has a star on his collar. - -The sleeves of Line Officers are not embroidered, but the collar -trimmings also indicate their rank, the Field Officers having lace round -the top and bottom of the collar, down the edge of the skirts behind, on -the edge of the skirt flaps and edge of the sleeve flaps, and two rows of -lace round the top of the cuffs. - -Officers below the rank of Field Officer have lace on the top only of the -collar, one row round the top of the cuff and none on the edge of the -skirts. Then on the collar a Captain has a star and crown, a Lieutenant a -crown, and an Ensign a star. - -When the frock coat is worn, the collar will indicate the rank of the -Field Officer. The crown and star being the mark of the Colonel, a crown -for Lieutenant-Colonel, and the star for the Major. The same marks are -used for the various ranks when the shell jacket is used; but in both -these cases there is in the Line no difference between the dress of -a Captain and a Lieutenant or Ensign, but in the Royal Artillery and -Engineers the cuff lace will indicate to which rank the wearer belongs. -_a_, Field Officer’s patrol jacket; _b_, Captain’s sleeve for full dress; -_c_, Lieutenant’s sleeve. - -[Illustration: _a._ _b._ _c._] - -The distinguishing marks on the collar and sleeves of the majority of the -army serve to indicate the rank of the various officers, but we have also -to deal with other details. - - -DRESS AND RANK. - -Commencing with the Medical Department, we shall be able to distinguish -the Surgeon and Assistant-Surgeon principally by the belt, which is of -black leather. They also wear the black shoulder-belt and instrument -case; in other respects their uniform is the same as is that of the other -officers of the regiment to which they belong, with the exception of -wearing a cocked hat with a black cock’s-tail feather, drooping, and five -inches in length. - -When medical officers belong to what is called the “Staff,” and not to -any particular regiment, their full-dress is a scarlet tunic with black -velvet collar and cuffs, blue cloth trousers with gold lace, two and a -half inches wide for a Director-General or Inspector-General, and one -inch and three quarters for officers below that rank; cocked hat with -black cock’s-tail feathers, shoulder-belt and sword-belt of black morocco. - -In undress a double-breasted blue frock coat, two rows of buttons down -the front, trousers of dark blue with scarlet stripe, the breadth of the -stripe varying according to the rank, the same as the lace. - -The forage cap consists of blue cloth with black leather peak and -chin strap, black silk oak leaf pattern band, surmounted by a crown -embroidered in gold on the front. A shell jacket is also worn in undress, -and is the same as for infantry officers, the collar and cuffs of black -velvet. - -The various ranks in the Medical Department are— - -Director-General of the Army Medical Department, who ranks as Brigadier -until he has served three years in that rank, when he ranks as -Major-General. The latter rank is distinguished by inch lace round the -collar with a star at each end, whilst a crown and star in silver with -half-inch lace on the collar indicate the former rank. - -A Deputy Inspector-General ranks as a Lieutenant-Colonel until he has -served five years, after which he ranks as a Colonel; he has the same -lace, with a crown at the end of the collar. This also is the dress of a -Surgeon-Major, who ranks as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the army. - -A Staff-Surgeon ranks as Major, and has half-inch lace round the top and -bottom of the collar, with a star in silver at each end. - -An Assistant-Surgeon ranks as Lieutenant until he has served six years, -when he takes rank as Captain. He has the same lace on his collar as a -Staff-Surgeon, but has a crown only at each end. - -All the Medical Staff who rank equal to or above a Major have two rows of -half-inch lace round the top of the cuff, whilst officers below that rank -have one row only bound on the cuff. - -The officers equal to the rank of Major or above it have the badges of -their rank as a crown or star on their collar, whilst officers below that -rank have their collars plain. Thus the Medical Department generally may -be recognised by their cocked hats with black plume, the black belt, -and also by the buttons, which have V. R., with a crown, and “Medical -Department” written round. - -With every regiment there are, besides the medical officers, a -Quartermaster and a Paymaster. The Quartermasters wear the dress of their -regiment, but wear also a cocked hat, this being the insignia of what is -termed the Staff of an Army, viz., of General Officers, Aides-de-Camp, -Surgeons, Quartermasters, Adjutant-Generals, &c. The Paymasters also wear -the dress of their regiments with cocked hats, the Quartermaster’s hat -having a white cock’s feather five inches long, mushroom shape, with red -underneath, whilst the Paymasters wear no feathers. The waist-belts are -black for both these departments. - -In almost all the Cavalry Regiments, including the 1st and 2nd Life -Guards, the ranks are distinguished as follows— - -All Field Officers have a row of embroidery round the collar and -cuffs, whilst those below that rank have none. A Full Colonel has a -crown and star in silver at each end of the collar, with embroidery; a -Lieutenant-Colonel a crown only, with embroidery; a Major, with star and -embroidery; a Captain, crown and star; Lieutenant, crown; Sub-Lieutenant, -star. The Veterinary Surgeon has a cocked hat with a red feather. - -We next come to a long list of Staff Officers, among whom are Adjutant -and Quartermaster-Generals with their Deputies, Assistants and -Deputy-Assistants, Brigade Majors, Military Secretaries, Aides-de-Camp, -Staff of Garrisons, &c. The general principles of these dresses are the -same. The tunic is scarlet or blue, edged round with gold cord; on each -side of the breast four loops of the same cord with caps and drops. - -The ranks of Staff Officers are distinguished by the knot on the cuff and -the crown and star. All the Staff wear the cocked hat, the general form -of feather being upright, with white and red swan feathers. - -In many cases officers of the rank of General or Field-Marshal are -Colonels of particular regiments. The present Commander-in-Chief, for -example, being Colonel of the Royal Artillery. When this is the case, and -any duty specially concerning Artillery is carried on, it is usual for an -officer not to attend in the dress of a General or Field-Marshal but in -that of the Colonel of the regiment to which he belongs. - - -RANKS. - -Next to Field-Marshals come Full Generals. After a General comes a -Lieutenant-General, and then a Major-General. The civilian usually makes -a mistake in the relative rank of these two officers; for as a Major is -higher in rank than a Lieutenant, so he considers a Major-General must -be higher than a Lieutenant-General. The principle by which to remember -this, however, is to deduct from General the prefix, and the remainder -indicates the rank thus, deducting Lieutenant from General we have a -larger remainder than if we deduct Major. - -Colonel and Lieutenant-Colonel come next; then Major, Captain, First -Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, and Cornet or Ensign. - -A Second Lieutenant takes precedence of a Cornet or Ensign. - -These ranks being fixed and known, we can now compare the staff and -civil branches of the army with them. The great advantage of “rank” to -the civil branches is not merely the position, but the power of choosing -quarters in garrison, cabins on board ship, &c., before officers who -are junior in rank. No nominal rank allows any person except a regular -officer to have any military command; thus, if an Ensign were on board -ship with troops, as also an old Surgeon and Paymaster, the Ensign -would command the troops, though the Surgeon and Paymaster both rank as -Captains. - -The following are the relative ranks of the Staff Officers named below:— - - Paymasters Rank as Captains. - Surgeons Rank as Captains. - Assistant-Surgeons Rank as Lieutenants. - Veterinary Surgeons during the first - ten years of their service Rank as Cornets. - Ditto after ten years Rank as Lieutenants. - Ditto after twenty years Rank as Captains. - Quartermasters Rank as Lieutenants. - -In the Medical Department there are various titles, each of which ranks -according to the following list:— - - Inspector-General Ranks as Brigadier-General. - Deputy Inspector-General Ranks as Lieutenant-Colonel. - Staff Surgeon, 1st Class Ranks as Major. - Regimental Surgeon and Staff Surgeon, - 2nd Class Ranks as Captain. - Apothecary Ranks as Captain, but junior - of that rank. - Assistant-Surgeon Ranks as Lieutenant. - Deputy Purveyor Ranks as Lieutenant. - Medical Clerk Ranks as Ensign. - -COMMISSARIAT DEPARTMENT. - - Commissary-General Ranks as Brigadier-General. - Deputy Commissary-General, if of - three years’ standing Ranks as Lieutenant-Colonel. - Ditto under three years’ standing Ranks as Major. - Assistant Commissary-General Ranks as Captain. - Deputy Assistant Commissary-General Ranks as Lieutenant. - Deputy Clerks Rank as Ensigns. - -WAR DEPARTMENT. - - Storekeepers, Barrackmasters of - 1st Class Rank as Majors. - Deputy Storekeepers, Barrackmasters, - 2nd Class Rank as Captains. - Barrackmasters of 3rd & 4th Class Rank as Lieutenants. - Clerks Rank as Ensigns. - -Chaplains attached to Brigades rank as Majors, whilst those attached to -Regiments take rank as Captains. - -RELATIVE RANKS OF ARMY AND NAVY OFFICERS. - - An Admiral of the Fleet Ranks with Field-Marshal of - the Army. - Admirals Rank with Generals. - Vice-Admirals Rank with Lieutenant-Generals. - Rear-Admirals Rank with Major-Generals. - Commodores Rank with Brigadier-Generals. - Captains after three years Rank with Colonels. - Captains during first three years Rank with Lieutenant-Colonels. - Commanders Rank with Majors. - Lieutenants, Masters, and Paymasters Rank with Captains. - Mates Rank with Lieutenants. - Midshipmen Rank with Ensigns. - -The givers of dinners in country places where relative ranks are not well -understood may take a hint from this list, for they not unusually commit -a breach of etiquette in ceding the first honours to an army Major when -a navy Captain is present, being unaware that the latter is the officer -of the higher rank. It is not, of course, expected that every lady or -gentleman is to be a perambulating Army and Navy List, but a glance at -either publication and a comparison with the invitation list may often -prevent an officer from feeling snubbed—we having ourselves frequently -seen a grey-headed veteran naval Captain put on one side, whilst a young -army Major was requested to conduct the lady of the house from the -drawing-room; the reason assigned being that military and naval men were -so punctilious and scrupulous about ranks, and Major ranks above Captain. - -In no case, however, can a naval officer command a military officer on -shore, or a military a naval officer at sea. - -We next come to that valuable branch of the army termed the -Non-Commissioned Officers, and dealing first with the Cavalry we have the -following ranks:— - - -LIFE GUARDS AND HORSE GUARDS. - -_Non-Commissioned Officers._ - - Schoolmasters. - Regimental Corporal-Major. - Quartermaster Corporal. - Corporal Instructor of Musketry. - Armourer-Corporal. - Saddler-Corporal. - Farrier-Majors. - Troop Corporal-Majors. - Bandmaster. - Trumpet-Major. - Corporals. - -Corporal-Majors rank with Sergeant-Majors, and Corporals of the Life -Guards and Horse Guards rank with Sergeants of Cavalry and Infantry. - - -IN THE CAVALRY. - - Schoolmaster. - Regimental Sergeant-Major. - Quartermaster-Sergeant. - Sergeant Instructor of Musketry. - Paymaster-Sergeant. - Sergeant-Armourer. - Sergeant-Sadler. - Farrier-Major. - Hospital Sergeant. - Bandmaster. - Troop Sergeant-Major. - Trumpet-Major. - Sergeants. - Corporals. - -In the Royal Artillery there are as follows for each Brigade and Battery, -and each rank is distinguished by the following marks on the sleeve:— - -[Illustration: Brigade Sergeant-Major and Brigadier -Quartermaster-Sergeant’s sleeve. - -Battery Sergeant-Major’s and Quartermaster-Sergeant’s sleeve. - -Farrier-Major’s sleeve. Horse-shoe on stripes. - -Wheeler-Major’s sleeve. - -Farrier-Sergeant. - -Sergeant-Wheeler. - -Sergeant and Staff-Clerk, 2nd and 3rd Class. - -Bombardier. - -Trumpeter. - -Assistant-Instructor in Gunnery. - -Trumpet-Major’s sleeve. - -Collarmaker-Major’s sleeve. Bridle on stripes. - -Orderly Room Sergeant, Staff-Clerk, Hospital-Sergeant, Paymaster-Sergeant. - -Collarmaker-Sergeant. - -Battery-Armourer. - -Corporal. - -Shoeing Smith. - -Good Conduct Badge.] - -It will be seen that the badges on the cuffs indicate a higher rank than -when placed on the arm above the elbow: thus for Brigade Sergeant-Major -and Orderly Room Sergeant the badge is the same; but one is on the cuff, -the other above the elbow. - -A man whose conduct has been good, and who has not received any -punishment for a certain period, is granted a good conduct badge, which -entitles him to one penny a day. Some Soldiers have three or four of -these on their arm, but to distinguish these men from Sergeants, the -peak of the badge points upwards, whereas that of the Sergeants, &c. is -downwards. - -The distinguishing marks for other branches of the army, although -not strictly the same as those given above, are yet sufficiently -alike to enable us to decide the rank and occupation of the various -non-commissioned officers that we meet. - -We now come to the general dress of the various branches of the army, -commencing with the - -LIFE GUARDS, who, when in full dress, wear a scarlet tunic, with polished -steel cuirass, steel helmet with a white plume, jack-boots and white -leather breeches. The farriers wear blue tunics and a black plume. The -HORSE GUARDS have a blue tunic, but in other respects the dress is the -same except the plume, which is red. - -The seven regiments of DRAGOON GUARDS wear scarlet uniform (with the -exception of the 6th Dragoon Guards), brass helmets, with white horsehair -plumes. - -The 6th Dragoon Guards wear a blue tunic, as also the 17th Lancers. -Other Lancer regiments wear blue jackets, and Hussars have blue tunics. -The trousers of all the cavalry are blue, except those already named as -having leather, and the 11th Hussars, whose overalls are crimson. - -In head dresses, the HUSSARS wear a black low sable head dress like a -short bearskin, termed a “busby,” with plume and bag. The 2nd Dragoons -wear a bearskin cap with white hackle feather. The LANCERS wear a square -top black leather skull cap. - -When cloaks are worn the 1st Life Guards wear a red cloak with blue cape; -2nd Life Guards scarlet cloak with blue cape; Horse Guards, blue with -scarlet collar. The remainder of the cavalry blue cloaks, with collars -the same as the facings of their regiment, which are as follows:— - - REGIMENT. UNIFORM. FACINGS. - 1st Dragoon Guards Scarlet Blue. - 2nd ” ” Buff. - 3rd ” ” Yellow. - 4th ” ” Blue. - 5th ” ” Dark Green. - 6th ” Blue White. - 7th ” Scarlet Black. - 1st Dragoons ” Blue. - 2nd ” ” ” - 3rd ” Blue Blue. - 4th ” ” ” - 5th ” ” Scarlet. - 6th ” Scarlet Yellow. - 7th ” Blue Blue. - 8th ” ” ” - 9th ” ” Scarlet. - 10th ” ” Blue. - 11th ” ” Crimson overalls. - 12th ” ” Scarlet. - 13th ” ” Blue. - 14th ” ” ” - 15th ” ” ” - 16th ” Scarlet ” - 17th ” Blue White. - Madras 18th Hussars ” Blue. - Bengal 19th ” ” ” - ” 20th ” ” ” - ” 21st ” ” ” - - -THE ROYAL ARTILLERY. - -The uniform for the Royal Artillery is dark blue with red facings. -The Horse Artillery wear a jacket in full dress; the Foot Artillery a -tunic. The jacket of the Horse Artillery is braided in front with yellow -horizontal stripes; the head dress is a black busby with white plume and -red bag (the full dress), and for undress a forage cap with gold band. - - -THE ROYAL ENGINEERS. - -The Royal Engineers, or Sappers and Miners, as they are also called, wear -a red tunic or jacket with blue facings, Oxford mixture trousers with red -stripe; the head dress a fur busby of black seal skin, white plume, and -blue bag. - - -THE MILITARY TRAIN. - -A dark blue tunic or jacket with white facings; shako of black cloth with -black horsehair plume, dark blue trousers with white stripe. - - -INFANTRY. - -There are 109 regiments of Infantry, without the Rifle Brigade. - -The uniform of each is as follows:— - -Guards wear scarlet tunic single-breasted, black trousers with scarlet -welt, and black bearskin cap. The Grenadiers wear a white plume; the -Coldstreams a red plume; the Scots Fusiliers no plume. - -THE LINE uniform consists of single-breasted red tunic, black trousers -with scarlet welt for winter, and dark blue trousers in summer; shako, -dark blue cloth with red and white ball tuft. Undress a jacket and forage -cap, the number of the regiment being in front of the cap. - -RIFLES wear tunic and trousers of rifle green cloth. - -LIGHT INFANTRY have the shako surmounted by a green horsehair plume -instead of the ball tuft; in other respects the uniform is the same. - -_Fusiliers_ have a white horsehair plume instead of the ball tuft, except -the 5th, where the plume is red and white. - -Five of the Highland Regiments wear the kilt, viz., the 42nd, 78th, -79th, 92nd, and 93rd. Three, viz., the 71st, 72nd, and 74th, the trews. -The kilted regiments, as also the 72nd, wear a bonnet of black ostrich -feathers, with tartan plaid skull, with white or red feather. The facings -of the regiments vary; a so-termed Royal Regiment having blue facings, -the others consist of different colours, yellow, white, red, buff, and -green being the variations. - -_Commissariat._—The dress of this service consists of dark blue tunic, -blue velvet facings, dark blue trousers, red stripe, dark shako, and tuft. - -The Medical Department wear scarlet tunic, black facings, blue trousers -with gold or red stripes, cocked hat and black plume. - -The Army Hospital Corps wear dark blue with grey facings. - -Among the extras to be seen in uniform in most garrison towns, are -Bandmasters, Bandsmen, Drummers, &c., and Schoolmasters. - -The Bands of the Infantry have white tunics with regimental or scarlet -facings. The Bandmaster usually wears a black frock coat in undress, and -the regimental dress with gold in full dress. - -Schoolmasters wear a blue frock coat with shoulder knots, crimson silk -sash, oilskin cap, black trousers in winter, blue serge in summer. - -The Militia of Great Britain consists of Artillery and Infantry, and is -equipped in the same manner as is the regular army, except that the lace -is silver instead of gold, and the buttons white metal instead of brass. - -In the present day, when soldiering is popular and when each town or -district sends forth its volunteers, we naturally see an endless display -of uniforms, some of which are difficult to identify. Taking, however, -the preceding remark about gold lace and silver, red and blue uniforms, -numbers on caps, &c., any non-military man may be able to form a very -good estimate of the branch of the service and the rank to which each -person belongs, a little practice being sufficient to soon train the eye -to mark the various peculiarities. - -When regiments are formed on parade for reviews or any similar purpose, -they are usually placed in the order of their precedence. This order -being as follows:— - -The Life and Horse Guards have the precedence of all other corps. - -The Horse Artillery, whether mounted or dismounted, take the right of all -other cavalry. - -The Cavalry always take the right of Infantry. - -The Royal Artillery take the right of Infantry. - -The Royal Engineers take rank next to the Royal Artillery. - -The Foot Guards follow next to the Royal Engineers. - -The Regiments of the line follow in the order of their number. - -The Royal Marines take rank after the 49th Regiment, and the Rifle -Brigade after the 93rd. - -When Militia regiments of different parts of the United Kingdom meet, -that regiment takes precedence which belongs to the county in which the -meeting occurs. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -A GRAND REVIEW. - - -A review of the armies of Europe, Austrian, Prussian, French, Russian, -British, Italian, Turkish—is only to be achieved on paper. According to a -recent calculation it appears that the numerical strength of the armies -of Europe is 4,735,782, and, however brilliant the spectacle might be, it -would occupy a weary while to see so many men pass by in marching order. -On paper it may be done, and so in imagination we take our stand by the -reader, to point out the finest troops, or call attention to this or that -particular regiment, as the living panorama of disciplined men sweeps on -before us. The air resounds with the strains of martial music; the earth -seems to shake beneath the feet of the legions, and the eye is dazed with -a blaze of colour. - -The Austrians—the standing army of Austria is the oldest in Europe—lead -the van. The neatly-made white tunics of the infantry, collars and -facings marking the distinction between the regiments, and their -straight-peaked shakos made of black cloth, present a very noble -appearance. The sergeants and corporals are distinguished by woollen -stars on their collars, broad black and yellow cords on their shakos, and -sword-knots of the same unvarying colour made of wool. The knapsacks of -the men are of dark brown calf skin, and their cloaks are fastened on the -top of their knapsacks. The men are armed with short light muskets, but -to every regiment there are a certain number of grenadiers. The officers, -you observe, are fewer in comparison than those of so large a body of men -in an English army. To command this body of infantry we should have at -least two generals, four colonels, some ten lieutenant-colonels, majors, -and fifty-five captains; here the duty is performed by one colonel, six -field officers, and thirty-two captains. Perhaps, say you, it is too few. -Perhaps. But these fellows march in excellent order—tramp, tramp! and the -drummers play with wonderful precision. - -These fellows in the light grey tunics are rifles—a good colour, grey. -How much better than the old invisible green, which was always visible! -And how well the men look in that Swedish felt hat with one side turned -up and fastened by a brush. They are some 32,000 strong, these men of the -rifle, and the regiments are justly regarded as the finest in the service. - -Next in order of march come the border infantry, raised originally in the -reign of Maria Theresa; you may know them by their coffee-brown tunics -and black cross-belts. Disciplinary companies follow close upon them. -They march well, but if you look closely at some of the fellows you may -notice a rollicking daring in them quite foreign to the regular troops. -These disciplinary corps are established for the purpose of drafting in -those untamed spirits that have not yet learned how to obey, and the -discipline is pretty sharp. _You_ would not like it! _you_ would be -writing to the _Times_ about it, if you dared! - -General Discipline in the Austrian army?—Well—almost as unpopular an -officer as Corporal Punishment—pardon so dull a joke on so bright a -day—well, the discipline is not so sharp as it used to be. We don’t hear -so much of the stick, and running the gauntlet has quite gone out of -fashion. That running of the gauntlet was terrible work. Stripped to the -waist the culprit was marched through the ranks of his comrades, every -soldier armed with a cane, every soldier striking a blow—a punishment so -severe that many a time a man having endured it has asked for a draught -of water, and died before the water could be brought. Now they do these -things better: imprison the culprit, put him to shot piling or on extra -drill, but— - -Oh these men of iron! Hardy and brave as the men of iron who served under -old iron-handed Charlemagne! These are the Austrian heavy cavalry—these -the cuirassiers with their breast-plates of black polished iron, but -_no back-plates_. They wear low leathern helmets and a brass crest; -they have white tunics, and grey trousers covered with leather to the -knee. Powerful horses carry these powerful men, but we doubt whether -the grey-clad riflemen could not bring them down, notwithstanding their -iron breast-plates. Amid a cloud of dust the Cuirassiers and Dragoons -ride on, and close in their rear come the Lancers with their short dark -green tunics, with red collars and facings, richly decorated with yellow -epaulettes, aiguillettes and cords, green trousers with red stripe, white -cloaks and low-crowned chapkas of various colours with a tuft. Each man -carries a long lance decorated with a black and yellow pennon. These -Lancers are followed by the Hussars, wearing tightly fitting tunics and -trousers; and after that, thundering over the ground, the Artillery—an -Artillery equal to that of any in Europe. The gun carriages and limbers -are painted yellow with black wheels, and the men are riding on long -jaunting cars, their uniform consisting of brown tunics with red cuffs -and facings, light blue trousers, long grey cloaks, and felt hats with -one brim turned up and fastened by a black and yellow tuft. Their belts -are white, and they carry a short infantry sword. - -A small company in dark brown tunics with blue facings, and small low -shakos, follow next. These form the Land Transport Corps. After them come -the Engineers, with a special corps for Pontoons, and another Special -Corps for Flotilla purposes; and, lastly, 19,000 strong, march the -Gendarmerie, as fine a body of men—to look at—as ever trod the ground. - -The oldest standing army in Europe is that of Austria. Its history is -indissolubly connected with that of the Empire; but, while there is -no army in Europe which displays stronger traces of the Middle Ages, -no pains have been spared to make it the most efficient by a ready -adoption—since 1850—of all modern improvements. - -The army, like the Empire, is a strange compound of nationalities. -Germans, Sclavons, Hungarians, Wallachs—all are included, the army being -made up by conscription through all the provinces of the Empire, and all -classes, with some few very exceptions, being subjected to it. The army -belongs to the Emperor and not to the Empire, and hence an officer may -serve in it for years without having any claim to the protection of the -State. Foreigners, ever since the period of the Thirty Years’ War, have -held high rank in the Emperor’s army, and it is asserted that one-half -of the officers now holding commissions in the Austrian army are not -Austrians by birth. - -By the latest returns it appears that a considerable reduction is taking -place in the numerical strength of the Austrian army. The expenses, -which in 1863 were estimated at a sum equivalent to 10,000,000_l._, were -reduced in 1865 to 9,000,000_l._, and the estimates for 1866 are no more -than 8,000,000_l._ - -You notice that the men are marked by strange contrasts of physiognomy; -they are marked also by strong animosity to each other, not as -individuals, but as nations. The troops raised in one dependency of -Austria hate with a thorough hatred troops raised in another, and it is -very difficult sometimes to keep peace between them. It is a rule also -that troops raised in any particular district should never be permitted -to garrison that district; and, in fact, that no troops should remain -long in any one place. By this means all familiarity with civilians is -cut off; the men must associate together—the officers must associate -together. As to the men, they are tolerably well paid—always enough -to secure them a good breakfast, dinner, and supper, with twopence or -threepence over for a dram. The officers—especially those holding high -rank—are nothing like so well paid as officers similarly commissioned -in England. They do not meet at mess, but each officer dines where he -pleases, and thus— - -But here come the soldiers of Prussia, the soldiers of the Great Army, -which bears something of the impress of Frederick the Great. - -Here are the Prussian Rifles, in dark green tunics, with red collars -and facings, grey infantry trousers, and a shako with a peak before and -behind, and a horsehair brush. Their belts are of black leather, and the -_couteau de chasse_, which can be used as a bayonet, is worn on the same -belt as the cartouche-box. They are all capital marksmen, and rapidity of -firing is regarded as a _sine quâ non_. - -The Rifles are closely followed by the whole body of Prussian infantry, -on a war footing, 360,436 strong. They wear short tunics of blue -cloth, the collars red in the front and blue behind. Why blue behind? -Because the helmet would soon wear the other colour dirty. The head -covering—_pickelhaube_—is a round helmet with projecting pike, the line -wearing the regimental number in front, while the Guard is distinguished -by a star. The Guard is also distinguished by horsehair plumes. Who are -those who wear a cross in front of their helmets? These are the Landwehr -Infantry. There is, if you will look closely, something in the uniform to -distinguish the corps: the regiments of Prussia Proper and Pomerania have -white shoulder straps; those of Saxony and Brandenburg, red; those of -Posen and Silesia, yellow; those of Westphalia and the Rhine, light blue. -The trousers of the men are of dark grey cloth with a red piping down -the side; they all wear boots, but on march put gaiters over them; their -cloaks are of dark grey cloth, and their belts are of black leather. - -This strong body of cavaliers—every horse a model—forms the Prussian -Cavalry. Here are the Garde du Corps and Grand Cuirassiers. They have -back and breast-plates of polished steel, and wear short white tunics -with red, blue, green, yellow, black, or orange colour cuffs and collars, -according to their regiments; their trousers are of dark grey cloth; -their helmets of polished steel; their principal weapon, the long -cut-and-thrust sword, worn in a white buffalo belt. - -Here come the heavy Landwehr Regiments, in dark blue tunics and bright -helmets; in their rear ride the Italians, their dark blue jackets, all -picked out with red, are armed with long lances with black and white -pennons. These are followed by the Dragoons, in light blue tunics with -different coloured facings; Hussars, with black fur shakos and cloaks, -and trousers of light grey. And after them thunder the Artillery, on a -war footing, with some 34,000 horses and a proportionate number of men. - -In time of peace the Prussian army is only 122,260 strong, with 5500 -officers; while on a war footing it numbers 299,401 men, who can take -the field, while 95,957 men are left behind for home contingencies. The -difference between the peace and war establishment of Prussia is greater -than in any other European nation. - -Universal service is the rule in Prussia, and every healthy man, without -distinction of rank, must personally perform military duty; but the -period a soldier remains in the standing army is short. The majority -only serve three years—from twenty-one to twenty-four; after which they -are enrolled for two further years in the reserve, and then pass to the -Landwehr of the final levy. The Prussian is aware from his earliest -years that he will have to enter the army, and hence even his childish -amusements bear a military stamp, and military drill forms part of his -common education. It is no small thing to demand of a nation that its -entire population must belong to the army up to the thirty-fifth year, -and be ready at any moment to quit home and family and to march wherever -it is commanded. But so it is in Prussia. - -The non-commissioned officers of the Prussian army as a body are probably -the best in the world. They have the privilege before them of a civil -appointment after twelve years’ service, and they would rather work hard -for this than obtain a commission. There is a striking difference between -them and the French sergeants, whose only ambition seems to be to rise -from the ranks—to pluck at the bâton which is found—with how much of -difficulty!—in every man’s knapsack. - -The French! Well, the French, you know, are an enthusiastic people—they -lead, in civil as well as military circles, rather stagey lives. Have -you seen Gustave Doré’s admirable pictures illustrative of the life of -a certain Captain Castagnette? Now he loses an eye—now an arm—now two -legs; now he has a bomb in his back which cannot be extracted; and now, -finally, _sans_ everything, he dozes by the fireside, sets fire to his -wooden leg, expels that ugly lodger, the bomb in his back, and is himself -dashed into a thousand or more pieces, nothing remaining but the Cross of -the Legion! All is lost, save honour! It is very French. - -But here are the Frenchmen, ready to fight for honour and glory. _Vive -l’Empereur!_ Here are they, 500,000 strong. “_L’Empire c’est la Paix_,” -is it? Every Frenchman is a soldier by birth. Born in the purple were -the imperial children of Rome—born, or cradled in the buckler are these -children of the modern Empire! It may serve the turn of a Russian or a -German to aver that the most stupid soldiers are the best—that it is -not a soldier’s business to think, but simply to obey. Not so think the -Frenchmen. Intelligent, active, independent, are these brave Gallic -heroes. “Your hand, brave comrade—nay, never apologize. If the right hand -has been knocked off in fair fighting, give me your _left_ hand.” - -Here are the Infantry, in light blue tunics, longer and wider than -those of Prussia, a black belt, to which is attached cartouche box, -bayonet, and sabre sheath; knapsack of brown calf-skin; large fringe -epaulettes, red trousers, small low shako of blue cloth, with a brass -shield in front, short half-boots, and gaiters. Here are the buglers and -sappers, armed with short rifles, and here are twenty battalions of light -infantry, each battalion numbering more than 1200 men. There are the -Chasseurs, consisting entirely of picked, active, strong soldiers—hardy -mountaineers of Auvergne, the Vosges, the Ardennes, the French Alps, -the Pyrenees, and Corsica. Here are the bronze-visaged sons of Algeria, -the Zouaves, their ranks recruited by a vast number of Frenchmen, and -a sprinkling of Germans, Poles, and Italians, attracted by the fiery -impetuosity, almost boyish fun, and Oriental costume of the band. They -number about 8000 men. They are closely followed by battalions of Light -African Infantry, four battalions of Native African Skirmishers, wearing -the Zouave dress; and these, again, by the old Foreign Legion, made up -of Germans, Prussians, Bavarians, Poles, Hungarians, Spaniards, and -Italians. Next come the Disciplinary Corps, 1600 strong; and, lastly, six -companies of Hospital Orderlies, amounting to 1600 or 1700 men. - -The helmeted men who ride those powerfully made horses, that you might -swear were raised in Normandy, are the Cuirassiers. They are all tall, -athletic men; so also are the Carbineers, who follow them. Next come -the Dragoons, forming a total of seventy-two squadrons, who can take -the field with 13,000 horses, and forty-eight squadrons of Lancers, -with 8,000 horses. The Light Cavalry consists of twelve regiments of -_Chasseurs à Cheval_ and nine Hussar regiments—on a war footing, 24,000 -or 25,000 strong. The Hussar and Chasseur are only distinguished from -each other by their gay and overladen uniform; their arms and horses are -very much alike. They ride little, strong, but terribly ugly horses, -reared in the mountainous parts of France. Next come the _Chasseurs -d’Afrique_, numbering about 3,000. They wear light blue tunics of the -Polish cut, red shakos, and white capote cloaks. They are armed with -long rifles and light sabres. The Spahis—numbering about 3,000 men, -principally natives of Algeria, mounted on Moorish stallions, their -uniform, armament and horse equipment perfectly Oriental in style—next -pass in review; and then the eye is dazzled by the splendid spectacle of -the Cent Gardes. Their uniform is magnificent, and every man is fit for -a sculptor’s model. And lastly, there is a large body of the Imperial -Guard—the Cuirassiers—splendidly built fellows, mounted on sturdy horses -of the Norman breed. - -Here’s the Artillery—the finest arm of the French service. Has not the -Emperor himself written a hand-book on artillery practice? The uniform -of the men is tasteful and richly decorated; red-fringed epaulettes and -red-bordered shakos, short dark blue jacket with red facings, trousers -of the same with a broad red stripe. All the foot artillerymen are armed -with a short straight sword; all who serve on horseback carry cavalry -sabres. The guns are horsed by country-bred horses—compact, strong -brutes, not particularly attractive to the eye, but useful, and well -able to stand any climate. If the French Artillery were placed on the -war establishment, it would number 60,000 strong, with 49,000 horses -and nearly 1200 guns. The Commissariat troops and the indispensable -Engineers, in their blue tunics, come next, and while they pass before us -we may offer a few words on the army in general. - -The French army on a full war establishment is represented by 580,000 -men, 82,000 cavalry horses, and 1182 guns; there is also a reserve, -made up of old non-commissioned officers and conscripts, whom it has not -been found necessary to call out, amounting to at least 150,000 men. All -the men are thoroughly in earnest; they don’t wear the “Emperor’s coat,” -but the uniform of their country; the regiments do not bear the name of -any varying possession, but has its own number and permanent place in -history. “We did so and so at Austerlitz,” say the men to this day, in -speaking of the regiment to which they belong. In France, too, any good -soldier can become a corporal, any corporal a lieutenant, and so on in -military rank. The words of the Great Emperor will never be eradicated -from the minds of the French troops: “Every soldier of France carries a -marshal’s bâton in his knapsack;” and indeed many a man who entered the -service in a blouse has died in a General’s uniform. - -Ah, my friend, I see you are inattentive. I know what means that glow -upon your cheek and sparkle in your eyes; I hear the strain as well as -yourself:— - - “Our plumes have waved in combats - That ne’er shall be forgot, - Where many a mighty squadron - Reel’d backward from our shot. - In charges with the bayonet - We lead our bold compeers, - But Frenchmen like to stay not - For _British Grenadiers_. - - “Once boldly at Vimiera - They hoped to play their parts, - And sang fal lira lira - To cheer their drooping hearts. - But English, Scotch, and Paddy-whacks, - We gave three hearty cheers, - And the French soon turned their backs - To the _British Grenadiers_. - - “And what could Buonaparte, - With all his Cuirassiers, - In battle do at Waterloo - With British Grenadiers? - Then ever sweet the drum shall greet - That march unto our ears, - Whose martial roll awakes the soul - Of _British Grenadiers_!” - -You know the old colours, and the old familiar music of the -“spirit-stirring drum” and “ear-piercing fife” is a welcome sound. -Hurrah, for our soldiers! One, two, three! and a ringing one over the -young recruits. Now for another one after that. What is that for? The -Volunteers, of course. - -The number of effectives in the British army by the last return was -204,057. They are scattered all over the world, scarcely more than 30,000 -being at any one time at home; and under so many varied temptations as -they must be exposed to, both abroad and at home, it says much for the -men that during the last year there were only 1438 deserters and 466 -cases of corporal punishment. As to what British troops have achieved—is -not the history of England full of it? The sheer pluck they have -displayed under all sorts of disadvantages has made them famous through -the world. All sorts of disadvantages—at home not over well paid, not -over well cared for in garrison; not incited to exertion by the prospect -of promotion above that of a non-commissioned officer; not encouraged -to feel himself a man as well as a soldier; exposed to a degrading -punishment; clad in a costume totally unfitted for the field or the -march; armed with heavy and cumbersome weapons; sent to all parts of the -globe in precisely the same uniform; no proper provision made for his -comfort or convenience; not taken care of by the authorities, not allowed -to take care of himself; not— - - “Upon the plains of Flanders - Our fathers long ago, - They fought like Alexanders - Beneath old Marlborough!” - -I know it, my friend, but they fought under great disadvantage. They were -ill-provided with everything; they were badly paid, and their pay, small -as it was, was kept; their sheer pluck, as we said before, won the battle— - - “And still in fields of conquest - Our valour bright has shone, - With Wolfe and Abercrombie, - And Moore and Wellington.” - -I am aware of it all, but they would have thrashed their foes as surely, -and certainly with less inconvenience to themselves, had they been better -cared for. “If you had to fight the battle of Waterloo again, how would -you like to be dressed?” said the Prince Regent to a Guardsman. “In my -shirt sleeves, your Majesty!” was the highly practical reply. Do you -remember what use they made of the Grenadiers’ bearskin caps in the -Crimea? They filled them with mud, and found them excellent building -material. Do you remember the outcry there was when the stiff dog collars -were taken off our half-strangled soldiers? Do you recollect how Miniés -and revolvers were ridiculed by plethoric old officers? “I’ll tell you -what, sir, our men didn’t want Miniés and revolvers and such new-fangled -bosh at Waterloo, sir. They won without them, and can do it again, sir.” - -I observe that you are observing the march of the British soldiers, more -than my observations. Well—’tis a grand sight. Chobham and Aldershot have -done something for them. Those are the Guards: the Household Brigade, -composed of the Grenadiers, of three battalions, the Coldstream, of -two, and the Fusiliers, of two battalions: forming a total of seven -battalions, each with a strength of 900 men. They are fine, tall, -powerful fellows—picked men. How bravely they bestirred themselves -that foggy morning at Inkermann, when the Russians dropped in before -breakfast! Who can forget that soldiers’ battle? The men who follow are -the Infantry Regiments of the Line, all armed with rifles. There are 100 -regiments, numbering somewhere about 130,000 men. There are the Rifle -Brigade, in their uniform of dark green cloth and dull metal buttons; -then a company of Amazons—no, the Highlanders, in their national garb. -The pibroch tells of their coming: - - “Think on Scotia’s ancient heroes, - Think on foreign foes repelled; - Think on glorious Bruce and Wallace, - Who the proud usurpers quelled! - - “See the northern clans advancing! - See Glengarry and Lochiel! - See the brandished broadsword gleaming! - Highland hearts are true as steel.” - -And now the Cavalry appears on the scene—the so-called “Heavies” more -lightly, however, mounted than the French, Prussian, or Austrian -Cuirassiers; counterbalanced, perhaps, by the extreme heaviness of the -Light Dragoons when compared to continental Hussars. The Heavy Cavalry is -composed of three regiments of Guards, nine Heavy Dragoon regiments, one -Carabineer regiment; altogether thirteen regiments, comprising a strength -of about 6,000 men, with the same number of horses. The Guards form Her -Majesty’s Body Guard, and there is not a finer body of men in the world. -The English Light Cavalry is composed of Dragoons, Lancers, and Hussars. - -The Artillery consists of what is called the Royal Regiment of Artillery, -which has a strength of about 800 officers, 1500 non-commissioned -officers, 1900 rank and file, with 4200 horses. In addition to this -Artillery Regiment, there is a brigade of Horse Artillery, comprised of -70 officers, 150 non-commissioned officers, and 2200 rank and file, with -1900 horses. All the material is excellent, no expense being spared to -raise this branch of the service to a proper degree of efficiency. The -Engineer Corps is an important addition to the army.[3] At Woolwich there -is a splendid school for the non-commissioned officers. - -And here are the Volunteers! - -“Altogether,” you say, “a splendid show, these British fellows. Only a -small item in this grand parade of European armies, but clearly there is -the might of men in them. They afraid! - - “‘Come, if you dare!’ our trumpets sound. - ‘Come, if you dare!’ the foes rebound. - ‘We come, we come!’ - Says the double beat of the thund’ring drum. - Now they charge on amain! - Now they rally again! - The gods from above the mad labour behold, - And pity mankind that will perish for gold. - The fainting foemen quit their ground, - Their trumpets languish in their sound— - They fly! they fly! - Victoria! Victoria!” - -Ah, my dear friend, when your enthusiasm has a little cooled will you -kindly direct your attention to the troops _now_ passing under your -Roman—no—I mean your British—nose. These are Russians. How stolidly they -march, and how alike they are. There is a company of the Guards, and all -the men have light hair and blue eyes; there’s a company of the Guards -again, and all the men have black hair and dark eyes. Order is Russia’s -first law, and, this confest, all are and must be very like the rest. -One day a ship, with many officers and men on board, went down in the -Neva. The order was passed to the soldiers to save in the first place the -officers of the Guard. They therefore anxiously inquired of each officer -they got hold of if he belonged to the Guard? The poor fellows could -not answer, as their mouths were full of water, so they were allowed -to drown. On another occasion, as it was very dusty, the soldiers were -ordered to water the field for exercise. While employed in this duty it -came on to rain heavily, but they continued the task with the utmost -gravity. They had been ordered to do it, and that was enough. During the -siege of Warsaw a young grenadier addressed a veteran, and pointing to -the entrenchments, said, “Do you think, comrade, we shall take them?” “I -do not think we shall,” the other replied; “they are too strong.” “But,” -said the young man, “if we are ordered to take them?” “Oh, that will be -another thing; if we are ordered to take them of course we shall do so.” - -Out of 65,000,000 to 70,000,000 men subject to the Czar, 40,000,000 to -45,000,000 are liable to the conscription. The infantry of the Russian -Imperial Guard consists of five grand infantry divisions, each composed -of two brigades, and these again subdivided into four regiments. The -Grenadier Corps is divided into six brigades or twelve regiments. -There are also attached three Carabineer regiments. There are six -Infantry Corps, each consisting of three divisions of six brigades, or -twelve regiments. One rifle regiment is attached to each division. The -Circassian Corps is subdivided precisely like the line infantry, but -the regiments are much stronger. The Finland Corps only consists of one -division of two brigades, subdivided into twelve battalions, equal to -12,600 men. The Siberian Corps is composed of one division; the Oremberg -Corps also comprises one division. The total strength of Russian infantry -amounts to about 540,000 fighting men. The total strength of the Russian -cavalry is estimated at 80,000 men. Those magnificent fellows that just -now rode by, in their white uniforms and black helmets and cuirasses, are -the picked men—the Cuirassiers of the Guard. The Russian Artillery is -formed of nine foot and two horse divisions—14,000 guns and 44,000 men. - -Who are these? These are the Italians, just drawing long breaths of -liberty; and these, soldiers of Spain and Portugal; and these, sons of -Mohammed—weak descendants of a mighty race, who set the world aflame from -Delhi to Grenada! - -All the colours of the rainbow, all the tongues of Babeldom, all the -varied physiognomies of all the races in all the world—they troop past -us: the wild, weird Cossack, with his tremendous lance; the dapper -English Volunteer, with his rifle sure as David’s sling; the Zouave, with -his cat upon his knapsack; the Prussian officer, very bare in pocket, but -proud of the “King’s coat”—here they pass before us; the air resounding -with the strains of military music, the rat-a-plan of the French troops, -the clash of Turkish cymbals, the ringing sound of the English bugle, the -shrill note of the Highland pibroch. Yes—here are our fighting men, ready -to⸺well—may Heaven grant that their swords may rest in their scabbards, -and that their artillery shall thunder only to usher in—with soldiers’ -music—a Millennium of Peace! - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -A SOLDIER’S FUNERAL. - - -When a soldier dies notice is at once given to the officer in command of -his troop or company, and an inventory is taken of his effects. - -The coffin is made (and paid for by means of the effects of the man, -which are sold by auction in the garrison after his funeral), and this, -with a few trifling fees, is the only expense. The coffin is carried -to the grave either on a gun carriage or by men belonging to the man’s -company, according to the service to which the man belongs. - -The band, or the drums and fifes or bugles, of the regiment to which -the man belonged attend the funeral, and lead, playing the dead march; -then come a firing party, which are provided with three rounds of blank -cartridge; then the coffin and pall bearers, after which the mourners. - -When any of the relatives of a soldier attend his funeral they follow -immediately behind the coffin; then come the men of the troop or company, -the order at a funeral being, that the juniors march nearest the coffin, -the seniors last. In all cases of the funeral of private soldiers there -is an officer in attendance, usually a subaltern officer, who commands -the party, and in the march follows in rear. - -The firing party mainly indicates the military rank of the deceased -soldier. A private soldier or corporal being entitled to thirteen rank -and file; a sergeant to nineteen; a cornet or ensign to thirty; a -lieutenant to forty; a captain to one hundred; a major to two hundred; a -lieutenant-colonel to three-hundred, and a colonel by his own regiment. - -When an officer above the rank of colonel is buried, there are cannon -employed instead of small arms. A brigadier’s funeral is attended by -two squadrons and one battalion, and a salute of nine cannon is given. -A major-general’s is attended by three squadrons and two battalions -and eleven pieces of cannon. A lieutenant-general’s thirteen pieces of -cannon, three battalions and four squadrons. A general’s with fifteen -pieces, four battalions, and six squadrons. And a field-marshal’s saluted -with seventeen pieces of cannon, and attended by six battalions and eight -squadrons. - -When a general or flag officer is being conveyed to the grave, minute -guns are fired; but these are not to exceed the number to which the -officer was entitled when alive. - -When an officer dies in any garrison town, it is customary to send round -with the orders, which are read by every officer each evening, a notice -to the effect that the funeral will take place on a particular day, and -any officers wishing to attend are to be at a place named at a given -hour. It is usual for every officer belonging to the regiment or corps of -the deceased in the garrison to attend, if not otherwise occupied, and -personal friends of the deceased follow also. - -All officers who attend funerals appear in full dress with a piece of -black crape above the elbow of the left arm, this being the only mourning -allowed in the army. The pall-bearers, who should be of the same rank as -the deceased, usually wear a crape scarf in addition to the crape on the -arm. - -When the officer belonged to the royal artillery or cavalry his charger -is led to the grave, saddled and equipped, the boots of his master being -suspended on each side of the saddle, the heels turned to the front. On -the coffin, the busby, helmet, or shako is placed, and the officer’s -sword-belt and gloves. - -There are few things more imposing in outward appearance than a soldier’s -funeral. The slow, measured beat of the drum, the firing party marching -with their arms reversed, a position highly emblematic of grief, the -strange mixture of uniform and black pall, invariably tend to make -the bystanders feel that a soldier’s funeral is far more solemn and -impressive than is that of a civilian. - -When the procession approaches the grave the firing party file to the -right and left, and thus form on either side; they then rest upon their -arms reversed, whilst the coffin is borne between the ranks. When the -coffin has been lowered into the grave and the service completed, three -rounds of blank cartridge are fired in the air as a _feu de joie_—a -somewhat inappropriate term for the occasion—but modified by an old -corporal who instructed us in the goose step, and who used to order us to -fire a “_few de joy_—as for the Queen’s birthday,” or “a _feu de wo_ for -a _funerial_.” - -A soldier’s life is, when on service, passed amidst scenes of danger, and -thus probably he to a certain extent becomes indifferent to death; to -say the least, he has not time to grieve very long. Thus no sooner has -the ceremony of depositing his comrade in the earth been accomplished, -than the band, or drums and fifes, which so solemnly performed the dead -march when proceeding to the burial place, strike up a cheerful quick -march, and the soldiers return to barracks to the tune of “Here we are -again,” forgetful of the scene in which they have lately been actors, and -regardless of the probability of themselves being the next claimants for -six feet of earth. - -The most important military funeral of late years, and one which -everybody went to see who could do so, was that of the Duke of -Wellington. Famed throughout the world for his brilliant military and -civil career, as well as for the genius which characterized all his acts, -the nation with one voice called for a public and gorgeous funeral, as a -last tribute of its estimation of so far-famed a chieftain. - -It was on a dark November morning that hundreds and thousands of persons, -long before dawn, wended their way through the streets of London, intent -on obtaining a good position on the pavement or to be sure of reaching -the house and thence the window, which had been previously secured and -from which the procession could be best seen. - -Even as early as six o’clock in the morning, large bodies of cavalry and -infantry are marching through the streets, whilst officers in uniforms -ride up and down, giving orders and arranging the positions for various -bodies of men who are yet to make their appearance. In all the principal -open spaces troops are mustering; behind the Horse Guards and in St. -James’s Park, all branches of the service being represented, from the -little known uniforms of Indian soldiers to that of our own guards; for -the Great Duke had culled his first laurels on the fields of India, -and soldiers from the then East India Company’s service attended as -representatives of that branch of our army. - -The course taken by the procession was from the Horse Guards to St. -Paul’s, and an enormous number of troops were required to keep the ground -along the course, this crowd being immense. Not only were the streets -crowded, walking being almost impossible, but it was estimated that -upwards of two hundred thousand seats were sold to sight-seers. - -In the actual procession were six battalions of infantry, nine guns from -the field batteries, five squadrons of cavalry, and eight guns from the -horse artillery. - -The Duke’s regiments were of course represented on the occasion, and gave -an additional interest to the scene. There was the “Brigade,” of which -Arthur Duke of Wellington was Colonel-in-Chief, and also the regiment in -which young Arthur Wellesley learned the goose step and how to “shoulder -arms.” - -The military, however, formed only a portion of the procession, -for the Great Duke was a man of many honours; for Russia, Prussia, -Spain, Portugal, Hanover, and the Netherlands had conferred upon him -the marshal’s bâton, and these nations were each represented on the -occasion. Besides these foreigners, many of whom had served with the -Duke, there were men of our own country, whose names were well known, -and whose reputation would have shone brighter had they not been dimmed -by comparison with that of the Duke. In the procession and around the -grave there might be seen one of our most far-seeing and able Generals, -Sir Charles Napier, the man whom the Duke had selected to go to India -at a period of emergency, and to whom he looked as one alone capable of -playing the requisite part at that time. Near him was the dashing gallant -Lord Gough, who loved to fight side by side with his men; Lord Seaton, -Viscount Combermere, Sir W. Cotton, Sir A. Woodford, &c., names familiar -as household words, were grouped around the grave of their loved chief. - -The contrast on this day was marked indeed between the grandeur and -brilliancy that appeared in St. Paul’s, and the silent deserted -appearance of Apsley House, where every blind was down and every shutter -closed. - -It was remarked that as the procession wended its way through the -streets, and as the somewhat gorgeous-looking vehicle that contained the -coffin passed, every person from the highest to the most humble, bared -his head and seemed to be awe-struck, and reminded that fame, rank, and -genius are no more free from the call of death than are poverty, misery, -and insignificance. - -The Duke’s titles having been repeated by Garter, King of Arms, the -ceremony was concluded, but will long be remembered by those who were -witnesses to the imposing scene. - -On the 6th April, 1864, a military funeral took place at Woolwich which -was attended by a large body of officers, and was a good specimen of a -military funeral. - -Colonel Bingham, the Deputy Adjutant-General of the Royal Artillery, -died at Brighton, to which place he had gone for change of air. His body -was conveyed to Woolwich for the purpose of being interred with military -honours, and he was buried at Old Plumstead Church. In consequence of the -rank of the deceased officer, but more especially from the great respect -in which he was personally held, every officer who could obtain leave -from out-stations was present on the occasion. Not only did every officer -of his own regiment attend, but very many from other branches of the -service, so that altogether upwards of three hundred officers followed in -the procession. - -The weather on the occasion was fine and bright and well-suited for a -military display. At one o’clock the troops in garrison paraded, and a -large body was told off to line the road from Woolwich Common to the -Church, a distance of nearly three miles. At two o’clock the coffin was -brought from the house and placed on a gun carriage, covered with a Union -Jack, the drums in attendance giving muffled rolls. On the coffin were -placed the Colonel’s cocked hat and sword, and the carriage was drawn by -six horses. The procession then moved on in the following order— - - Detachments of Horse Artillery, mounted. - Eight Batteries of Royal Artillery, on foot, with arms reversed. - The Royal Marine Band, playing the Dead March. - Nine Guns of Royal Horse Artillery. - The Royal Artillery and the Bugle Band. - The Garrison Chaplains. - The Corpse. - On either side of the Coffin, four Colonels Royal Artillery as - Pall-bearers. - The Deceased’s Horse. - Private Mourners. - Officers of the Adjutant-General’s Department. - The Gentlemen Cadets. - The Clerks of the Adjutant-General’s Departments. - The various Officers who attended. - Mounted Detachments of Royal Horse Artillery. - Private Carriages. - -The procession altogether extended considerably over a mile, and at the -slow pace at which the march was carried on nearly an hour and a half -elapsed before the church was reached. - -The small church of Plumstead had rarely if ever been filled by so many -military celebrities as on this occasion. Among those whose names are -familiar to the public were Field-Marshal the Duke of Cambridge, Sir -Richard Airey, Sir J. Scarlet, Sir Edward Lugard, General Foster, General -Bloomfield, and others. - -The troops were formed in the churchyard and in a field near. The nine -guns were drawn up on a higher portion of ground, and at some distance -from the church, for the discharge of a cannon not uncommonly breaks -windows, and thus these implements of warfare were removed to a safe -distance. When the funeral service had been read and the body lowered -into the grave the Armstrong guns fired their salute, and the last -offices were paid to a good and noble soldier as well as to a most just -and honourable man. - -The funeral of a soldier who dies amidst scenes of civilization, where -the last honours can be paid to him in the manner just described, is -certainly an imposing scene, but to some minds it seems less solemn than -it might be, and too much of a show. The high probability that among many -of those who attend such a funeral there are several who knew little or -nothing personally of the man whose body they are following to the grave, -may possibly tend to do away with a portion of the real grief which -some people are accustomed to see habitually displayed at a funeral. -The gaping crowd also, who are usually free critics on the dress and -personal appearance of the various members of the procession, render a -large military funeral by no means that quiet scene which we all thirst -for when the heart has been saddened by the departure of a loved friend. -But we can conscientiously state that at those funerals of which we have -been eye-witnesses the conduct of those personally engaged, as well as of -the lookers-on, has been such as to harmonize with the sensitive state of -those who were nearly allied by blood or friendship to the deceased. - -When a soldier meets a soldier’s death, and is buried “with his martial -cloak around him,” and when no band of music attends his funeral, or -other pomp is added to his last honors, the last offices are not less -solemn, the whole scene not less impressed on the memory, and the sudden -reminder that in the midst of life we are in death not less efficient in -its results. When we see a friend gradually sicken and day by day become -weaker, whilst doctors shake their heads and relatives despond, we are -prepared at last for the final scene. When, however, we breakfast with a -comrade, walk with him to the parade, march beside him as we approach an -enemy’s position, hear him suddenly cease speaking when in the middle of -a sentence, and look round to see him sinking to the earth lifeless; and -when, after a smart brush with an enemy, we return to attend the funeral -of this comrade, who has been to us perhaps more than a brother for -months or years—we seem to be nearly allied to death, for _we_ may on the -following night be consigned in the same way to six feet of ground, our -security for life being no greater than was our comrade’s. - -In many cases, where the number of slain can be counted by hundreds, the -day following a great battle is a sad one. Experienced was the general -who exclaimed—“Nothing but a defeat is more sad than a victory, for the -losses of the latter are only exceeded by those of the former.” To give -each man a separate grave, or to pronounce a funeral service over each -man, would occupy more time than could be spared; thus, a large hole, and -a funeral service for 100 men, who are rapidly covered with earth, and -who, shroudless and coffinless, are thus disposed of, is the other side -of the scene of pomp which we have described as a soldier’s funeral at -home. - -[Illustration] - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] A beautiful model of the King’s Bastion is to be seen in the Rotunda, -Woolwich. - -[2] When the Highland regiments were first formed, it was customary to -stick up the name of any man who had misconducted himself in his parish -church, and this was deemed the severest of all punishments. This has now -become an obsolete custom. - -[3] See article on the Engineers, p. 24. - - -FINIS. - -Printed by H. J. 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No word, with a few -necessary exceptions, is introduced as the subject of an article which is -not found in the Canonical Books of the Authorized Versions of the Old or -New Testaments. Words, the meaning of which may be found in any ordinary -Dictionary, are omitted. Theological expressions, excepting those which -are strictly Biblical, are excluded. The Pronunciation of the Names, both -of Persons and Places, is given, together with the signification of the -word. All practical use is made of the information furnished by Modern -Travellers and Residents in the East, and of Scientific Discoveries and -Explorations. The Chronology adopted is that of Bishop Usher, which -answers to that of the Authorised Version of the Scriptures. - -The Work has been designed and produced for those who have neither -leisure nor money to search and possess heavy folios of Ancient Learning, -and to whom the cost of modern books of travel and research render them -so many closed volumes. The object conscientiously kept in view has been -that of furnishing, on the cheapest terms, a copious fountain of Biblical -knowledge in the simplest and most available form, and of a character -completely unexceptionable. - -⁂ _To Bible Teachers, Sunday School Teachers, Schoolmasters, Pupil -Teachers, and all interested in aiding the Study of the Scriptures, -Special Terms will be given when a number not less than a Dozen Copies of -BEETON’S BIBLE DICTIONARY are ordered._ - - * * * * * - -WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS. - -Moxon’s Popular Poets. - -Edited by WILLIAM MICHAEL ROSSETTI. - -In elegant cloth gilt, gilt edges, 3_s._ 6_d._; morocco extra, 10_s._ -6_d._; morocco antique, 7_s._ 6_d._; ivory enamel, 7_s._; tortoiseshell, -7_s._ - -_The Press and the Public, alike in Great Britain and her Colonies and in -the United States, unite in their testimony to the immense superiority -of Messrs._ MOXON’S _“Popular Poets” over any other similar collections -published by any other house. Their possession of the Copyright Works of -COLERIDGE, HOOD, KEATS, SHELLEY, WORDSWORTH, and other great National -Poets, places this Series above rivalry_. - - 1. =Byron’s Poetical Works.= - 2. =Longfellow’s Poetical Works.= - 3. =Wordsworth’s Poetical Works.= - 4. =Scott’s Poetical Works.= - 5. =Shelley’s Poetical Works.= - 6. =Moore’s Poetical Works.= - 7. =Hood’s Poetical Works.= - 8. =Keats’s Poetical Works.= - 9. =Coleridge’s Poetical Works.= - 10. =Burns’s Poetical Works.= - 11. =Tupper’s Proverbial Philosophy.= - The Four Series Complete for the First Time in One Volume, - with Portrait. - 12. =Milton’s Poetical Works.= - 13. =Campbell’s (Thos.) 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Artist’s Proofs. - - * * * * * - -Post 8vo, half bound, price 7_s._ 6_d._; half calf, 10_s._ 6_d._ - -=BEETON’S DICTIONARY OF GEOGRAPHY: A Universal Gazetteer.= Illustrated -by Coloured Maps, Ancient, Modern, and Biblical. With Several Hundred -Engravings of the Capital Cities of the World, English County Towns, -the Strong Places of the Earth, and Localities of General Interest, in -separate Plates, on Tinted Paper. Containing in all upwards of Twelve -Thousand Distinct and Complete Articles. Edited by S. O. BEETON, F.R.G.S. - - * * * * * - -Uniform with “Beeton’s Dictionary of Geography,” half bound, price 7_s._ -6_d._; half calf, 10_s._ 6_d._ - -=BEETON’S DICTIONARY OF BIOGRAPHY: Being the Lives of Eminent Persons -of all Times.= With the Pronunciation of every Name. Illustrated by -Portraits, Engraved after Original and Authoritative Pictures, Prints, -&c. Containing in all upwards of Ten Thousand Distinct and Complete -Articles. - -_This BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY contains, in the most compact form -possible, and within a compass of some 700 or 800 pages, an account of -the Lives of Notable and Eminent Men and Women in all epochs. Carefully -compiled in its original edition, this new issue has had conscientious -revision, and will show that many errors, inseparable from first -compilations, have been corrected, and that a large number of new names -have been added. The Portraits, printed on tinted paper, are faithfully -reproduced from original or authoritative sources. These Engravings form -a totally new feature in BEETON’S BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY, none having -appeared in the First Edition._ - - -Beeton’s Humorous Books. - -Price One Shilling each. - - 1. =Bret Harte=: Poems and Prose. - 2. =Artemus Ward=: His Book. - 3. =Riddles.= By “Beeton’s Christmas Annual” Authors. - 4. =Burlesques.= By Ditto. - 5. =Charades.= By Ditto. - 6. =The Biglow Papers.= By J. R. LOWELL. - 7. =Poems.= By J. G. SAXE. - 8. =Joe Miller’s Jest Book.= - 9. =Connubial Bliss.= By A. A. DOUGHTY. - 10. =Model Men and Model Women.= By AUGUSTUS MAYHEW. With numerous - Illustrations. - 11. =The Flirt, and Evening Parties.= By ALBERT SMITH. With numerous - Illustrations. - 12. =The Gent, and Stuck-up People.= By ALBERT SMITH. Numerous - Illustrations. - 13. =The Ballet Girl, and the Idler upon Town.= By ALBERT SMITH. With - numerous Illustrations. - 14. =Humbug and Mince Pies.= By ANGUS REACH. With numerous - Illustrations. - 15. =Hearts are Trumps.= By HANNAY; and “Change for a Shilling.” By - MAYHEW. With numerous Illustrations. - 16. =Pusley; or, My Summer in a Garden.= By CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER. - - -S. O. Beeton’s National Reference Books FOR THE PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN -AND IRELAND. - -_Each Volume complete in itself, and containing from 512 to 590 Columns. -Price 1s. in wrapper; cloth, 1s. 6d.; half bound, 2s._ - -=Beeton’s British Gazetteer=: A Topographical and Historical Guide to the -United Kingdom. Compiled from the Latest and Best Authorities. It gives -the most Recent Improvements in Cities and Towns; states all the Railway -Stations in the Three Kingdoms, the nearest Post Towns and Money Order -Offices. - -=Beeton’s British Biography=: From the Earliest Times to the Accession of -George III. - -=Beeton’s Modern Men and Women=: A British Biography from the Accession -of George III. to the Present Time. - -⁂ _The above Two Volumes bound in one, price 2s. 6d._ - -=Beeton’s Bible Dictionary.= A Cyclopædia of the Geography, Biography, -Narratives, and Truths of Scripture. - -=Beeton’s Classical Dictionary=: A Cyclopædia of Greek and Roman -Biography, Geography, Mythology, and Antiquities. - -=Beeton’s Medical Dictionary.= A Safe Guide for every Family, defining -with perfect plainness the Symptoms and Treatment of all Ailments, -Illnesses, and Diseases. 592 columns. - -=Beeton’s Date Book.= A British Chronology from the Earliest Records to -the Present Day. - -=Beeton’s Dictionary of Commerce.= A Book of Business for all Men. - -=Beeton’s Modern European Celebrities.= - - * * * * * - -1_s._ cloth, cut flush; 1_s._ 6_d._ cloth boards. - -=Beeton’s Ready Reckoner.= A Business and Family Arithmetic. With all -kinds of New Tables, and a variety of carefully digested Information -never before collected. - -=Beeton’s Sixpenny Ready Reckoner.= 96 Pages. - - * * * * * - -Price One Shilling each. - -=Beeton’s Guide Book to the Stock Exchange and Money Market.= With Hints -to Investors and the Chances of Speculators. - -=Beeton’s Investing Money with Safety and Profit.= - - * * * * * - -New Edition, now Ready, price One Shilling; or neat limp cloth, 1_s._ -6_d._ - -=BEETON’S BOOK OF SONGS.= Being a Collection of the National and Popular -Songs of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with the Music to which many of -them are sung. Fcap. 8vo, 180 pp., fancy wrapper. - - * * * * * - -Handsome Presentation Volumes. - -Now Ready, price 10_s._ 6_d._, a New Volume by HENRY SOUTHGATE, Author of -“Many Thoughts of Many Minds,” “Musings About Men,” &c. - -=Noble Thoughts in Noble Language=: A Collection of Wise and Virtuous -Utterances, in Prose and Verse, from the Writings of the Known Great and -the Great Unknown. With an Index of Authors. Compiled and Analytically -Arranged by HENRY SOUTHGATE, Author of “Many Thoughts of Many Minds,” -“Musings About Men,” “Woman,” &c., &c. - -_This Volume will especially recommend itself to those who can appreciate -and value the best thoughts of our best writers._ - - * * * * * - -Demy 8vo, price 7_s._ 6_d._, handsomely bound; half calf, 10_s._ 6_d._ - -=Palestine: Its Holy Sites and Sacred Story.= Amply Illustrated with Maps -and more than 300 Wood Engravings, executed by Eminent Artists. - -The design of the work is to provide a Consecutive History of Palestine, -from the time of Abram to that of the final Destruction of Jerusalem -under Titus. It also furnishes, in immediate association with the events -recorded, a Topographical Description of the Land. - -“PALESTINE” furnishes a contemporaneous view of the two kingdoms—Israel -and Judah; and supplies a Connected Narrative to fill up the interval -which occurs between the days of Ezra and those of Herod: it also -continues the history beyond the accounts found in the Acts of the -Apostles till those dreadful days came when Jerusalem, after a siege more -remarkable for its horrors than any other on record, was downtrodden of -her enemies, and her beautiful house consumed by fire. - - * * * * * - -Complete in One handsome Volume, cloth lettered, 15_s._; elegantly bound -in bevelled boards, gilt edges, price 21_s._ - -=Dalziel’s Illustrated Arabian Nights’ Entertainments.= With upwards of -200 Pictures, drawn by J. E. MILLAIS, R.A., J. TENNIEL, J. D. WATSON, -A. B. HOUGHTON, G. J. PINWELL, and T. DALZIEL, together with Initial -Letters, Ornamental Borders, &c., &c., engraved by the Brothers DALZIEL. - - * * * * * - -Beautifully bound in cloth gilt, price 7_s._ 6_d._; in bevelled boards, -gilt edges, price 10_s._ 6_d._; in morocco, price 21_s._ - -=Dalziel’s Illustrated Goldsmith.= Comprising “The Vicar of Wakefield,” -“The Traveller,” “The Deserted Village,” “The Haunch of Venison,” “The -Captivity: an Oratorio,” “Retaliation,” “Miscellaneous Poems,” “The -Good-Natured Man,” “She Stoops to Conquer,” and a Sketch of the Life of -Oliver Goldsmith by H. W. DULCKEN, Ph.D. With 100 Pictures, drawn by G. -J. PINWELL, engraved by the Brothers DALZIEL. - - * * * * * - -Handsomely bound in cloth, gilt sides and edges, price 21_s._ - -=Old English Ballads.= Illustrated with 50 Engravings from Drawings -by JOHN GILBERT, BIRKET FOSTER, FREDERICK TAYLER, JOSEPH NASH, GEORGE -THOMAS, JOHN FRANKLIN, and other eminent Artists. - - * * * * * - -Fcap. 4to, cloth, gilt side, back, and edges, price 21_s._ - -=Christmas with the Poets.= A Collection of Songs, Carols, and -Descriptive Verses relating to the Festivals of Christmas, from the -Anglo-Norman Period to the Present Time. Embellished with 53 Tinted -Illustrations by BIRKET FOSTER. With Initial Letters and other Ornaments -printed in Gold, and with Frontispiece in Colours. - - -NEW PRESENTATION VOLUMES FOR BOYS. - -Now Ready, 8vo, 1,104 pages, with Forty Page-Engravings, printed on toned -paper, and upwards of One Hundred and Twenty Wood Engravings in the Text, -price 5_s._; extra gilt and gilt edges, 6_s._ - -=BEETON’S FACT, FICTION, HISTORY, & ADVENTURE.= _Containing_: Cressy -and Poictiers; or, The Story of the Black Prince’s Page, by the late -J. G. EDGAR (Illustrated). A Coasting Voyage from the Thames to the -Tyne (Illustrated). Papers on Natural History, by the Rev. J. G. WOOD, -M.A. (Illustrated). The Adventures of Reuben Davidger: A Tale, by JAMES -GREENWOOD (Illustrated). Scientific Articles (Illustrated). Chemistry -(Illustrated). How to Make a Small Organ, Galvanic Battery, Model -Steamer, Marine Engine, &c. (Illustrated). The Story of the British Navy, -by EDWIN F. ROBERTS (Illustrated). Up in the Alps, by Sir LASCELLES -WRAXALL (Illustrated). The Young Norseman, by W. B. RANDS (Illustrated). -Poetry, Puzzles, &c., &c. - - * * * * * - -Now Ready, 8vo, 1,104 pages, with Forty Page-Engravings, printed on toned -paper, and upwards of One Hundred and Twenty Wood Engravings in the Text, -price 5_s._; extra gilt, and gilt edges, 6_s._ - -=BEETON’S HISTORICAL ROMANCES, DARING DEEDS, AND ANIMAL STORIES.= -_Containing_: Runnymede and Lincoln Fair: A Story of the Great Charter, -by the late J. G. EDGAR. Anthony Waymouth; or, The Gentleman Adventurers, -by WILLIAM H. G. KINGSTON. The Zoological Gardens, by the Rev. J. G. -WOOD. King Lion. Historical Stories. Scientific Stories. Victoria Cross -Gallery. Sports and Pastimes. Poetry, Puzzles, &c. - - * * * * * - -Just Ready, 1,088 pages, 8vo, with numerous Engravings, Full Page, and in -the Text, cloth gilt, price 5_s._; gilt edges, 6_s._ - -=BEETON’S BRAVE TALES, BOLD BALLADS, and TRAVELS BY SEA AND LAND.= -_Containing_: Historical Stories, by W. H. D. ADAMS. Hubert Ellis, a -Story of the Days of Richard the Second. Ingonyama, the Caffre Chief; a -Tale of South Africa, by Capt. DRAYSON. Highland Regiments as they Once -Were. King of Trumps. A School Story. Poems, by BERANGER, &c. Return -of the Emperor, by WALTER THORNBURY. Scientific Papers. Miscellaneous -Papers. Silas the Conjuror; his Travels and Perils, by the Author of -“Reuben Davidger.” Sports and Pastimes. Victoria Cross Gallery. Wigs’s -Exploits. The Zoological Gardens, by the Rev. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S., -&c. - - * * * * * - -New Volume. Uniform with the above. Cloth, plain edges, 5_s._; gilt -edges, 6_s._ - -=BEETON’S TALES of CHIVALRY, SCHOOL STORIES, MECHANICS AT HOME, AND -EXPLOITS OF THE ARMY AND NAVY.= A Book for Boys. Illustrated by separate -Plates and numerous Woodcuts inserted in the Text. - - * * * * * - -CONTAINING TEN THOUSAND MORE WORDS THAN WALKER’S DICTIONARY. - -Royal 16mo, linen boards, price 6_d._ - -=Webster’s Pocket Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language.= -Condensed from the Original Dictionary by NOAH WEBSTER, LL.D.; -with Accentuated Vocabularies of Classical, Scriptural, and Modern -Geographical Names. Revised Edition, by WILLIAM G. WEBSTER, son of Noah -Webster. - - * * * * * - -Eighth Edition, thick 32mo, half bound, price 3_s._ 6_d._ - -=German-English and English-German Dictionary.= To which is added -a Pocket Companion for Travellers, containing a Collection of -Conversations, a Geographical Vocabulary, and Table of Coins, &c. By Dr. -F. E. FELLER. - -Also, in Two Parts: ENGLISH-GERMAN, 1_s._ 6_d._ GERMAN-ENGLISH, 1_s._ -6_d._ - - * * * * * - -ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH THOUSAND. - -Demy 8vo, cloth, gilt lettered, 1_s._; coloured extra cloth, gilt edges, -2_s._; coloured cloth, sprinkled edges, 1_s._ 6_d._ - -=Webster’s (The Illustrated) Spelling Book.= Embellished with upwards of -250 splendid Engravings by GILBERT, HARVEY, DALZIEL, and other eminent -Artists, 128 pp., new and accented type, upon the principle of “Webster’s -Dictionary of the English Language.” - - * * * * * - -Just Ready, New Edition. Demy 8vo, 160 pp., cloth, gilt back and side, -1_s._ 6_d._; or in wrapper boards, 1_s._ - -=Webster’s (The Illustrated) Reader.= Containing Two Hundred Lessons -on General Subjects, suited to the capacity of Young Learners, with -Explanatory Introduction and Questions for Examination, on the plan of -Noah Webster, the Lexicographer. Embellished with numerous first-rate -Engravings from Designs by eminent English and Foreign Artists. - - -USEFUL BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS, FAMILIES, AND SELF-LEARNERS. - -Fourth Edition, Just Ready, price 3_s._ 6_d._, 364 pp., crown 8vo, half -bound. - -=Dictionary (The) of Everyday Difficulties in Reading, Writing, and -Speaking the English Language=; or, Hard Words Made Easy. A Complete -Epitome of Valuable Explanations and Definitions of Difficult English and -Foreign Words, Phrases, and Expressions, with the Correct Pronunciation -of each Word. - - * * * * * - -New Edition, Just Ready. Royal 16mo, 216 pp., cloth gilt, 2_s._; roan -gilt, 2_s._ 6_d._ - -=Mackenzie’s Synonyms=: A Practical Dictionary of English Synonyms. -Alphabetically Arranged by D. L. MACKENZIE. - - * * * * * - -One Thousand Illustrations, price 10_s._ 6_d._, half-bound. - -=The Self-Aid Cyclopædia for Self-Taught Students.= Comprising General -Drawing; Architectural, Mechanical, and Engineering Drawing; Ornamental -Drawing and Design; Mechanics and Mechanism; the Steam Engine. By ROBERT -SCOTT BURN, F.S.A.E., &c. Author of “Lessons of My Farm,” &c. 690 pp., -demy 8vo. - - * * * * * - -Price 7_s._ 6_d._, Coloured Plates; half calf, 10_s._ 6_d._ - -=BEETON’S BOOK OF GARDEN MANAGEMENT.= Embracing all kinds of Information -connected with Fruit, Flower, and Kitchen Garden Cultivation, Orchid -Houses, Bees, &c., &c. Illustrated with Coloured Plates of surpassing -beauty, drawn from nature, and numerous Cuts. - -_The directions in BEETON’S GARDEN MANAGEMENT are conceived in a -practical manner, and are, throughout the work, so simply given that -none can fail to understand them. The Coloured Plates will show more -than a hundred different kinds of plants and flowers, and assist in the -identification of any doubtful specimen._ - - * * * * * - -Uniform with Mrs. Beeton’s “Household Management,” half bound, price -7_s._ 6_d._; half calf, 10_s._ 6_d._ - -=BEETON’S BOOK OF HOME PETS=: Showing How to Rear and Manage in Sickness -and in Health—Birds, Poultry, Pigeons, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Dogs, Cats, -Squirrels, Tortoises, Fancy Mice, Bees, Silkworms, Ponies, Donkeys, -Goats, Inhabitants of the Aquarium, &c., &c. Illustrated by upwards of -200 Engravings and 11 beautifully Coloured Plates by HARRISON WEIR and F. -KEYL. - - * * * * * - -Post 8vo, half bound, 7_s._ 6_d._; half calf, 10_s._ 6_d._, copiously -Illustrated. - -=BEETON’S DICTIONARY OF NATURAL HISTORY=: A compendious Cyclopædia of the -Animal Kingdom. Illustrated by upwards of Two Hundred Engravings. - -_Plainly written and carefully illustrated information upon the Animal -Kingdom is entitled to rank high amongst the aids to knowledge, and we -believe that the present work will materially assist readers and students -in following their examination of Comparative and Human Physiology, as -well as give the answers to every-day questions in Natural History. -Apart from the study of Animated Nature being peculiarly a healthy and -ennobling pursuit, it leads not infrequently to practical results of a -very utilitarian character. Nothing tends more towards the effectual -training of the intellectual powers than the habit of closely examining -the natural living wonders which surround us on every side._ - - * * * * * - -Now Ready, cloth gilt, 1536 pp., price 10_s._ 6_d._ - -=BEETON’S LAW BOOK.= A Compendium of the Law of England in Reference to -Property, Family, and Commercial Affairs, including References to about -Ten Thousand Points of Law, Forms for Legal Documents, with numerous -Cases, and valuable ample Explanations. With an exhaustive Index of 150 -pages. - -_How frequently a want is felt of better legal knowledge upon points -which continually arise in the practical experience of most persons. To -supply this want is the aim of BEETON’S LAW BOOK. It will be found a -most valuable and reliable work for consultation on all ordinary legal -questions. The information is given in the most simple manner, so as to -be easily understood by the non-professional student. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Brave British soldiers and the Victoria Cross</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0;'>a general account of the regiments and men of the British Army, and stories of the brave deeds which won the prize "for valour"</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editor: Samuel Beeton</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: June 20, 2021 [eBook #65654]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Brian Coe and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS ***</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_i"></a>[i]</span></p> - -<p class="center larger">BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS<br /> -<span class="smaller">AND</span><br /> -THE VICTORIA CROSS.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ii"></a>[ii]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/deco1.jpg" width="400" height="325" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-1.jpg" width="500" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Corporal Robert Shields, 23rd Regiment (Royal Welsh -Fusiliers), finding the Body of his wounded Adjutant, Lieut. Dyneley.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="max35"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iii"></a>[iii]</span></p> - -<div class="bb"> - -<p class="titlepage">BEETON’S BOY’S OWN LIBRARY.</p> - -</div> - -<p class="titlepage larger">BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS<br /> -<span class="smaller">AND</span><br /> -<span class="larger">THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smcap">A General Account of the Regiments and Men<br /> -of the British Army.</span></p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">And Stories of the Brave Deeds which Won the Prize</span><br /> -“<span class="gothic">for Valour</span>.”</p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smcap">Edited by S. O. BEETON.</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 200px;"> -<img src="images/beetons.jpg" width="200" height="275" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="center"><i>With Sixteen Full-Page Engravings and Illustrations<br /> -in the Text.</i></p> - -<p class="titlepage">LONDON:<br /> -WARD, LOCK AND TYLER,<br /> -WARWICK HOUSE, PATERNOSTER ROW.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="max35 box"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iv"></a>[iv]</span></p> - -<p class="center larger">BEETON’S<br /> -BOY’S OWN LIBRARY,<br /> -<span class="smaller">COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS.</span></p> - -<p class="center"><i>Handsomely-finished bindings in cloth, plain edges, 5s.; -gilt edges, 6s.</i></p> - -<ul> -<li>1. STORIES OF THE WARS.</li> -<li>2. HOW I WON MY SPURS. <span class="smcap">Edgar.</span></li> -<li>3. CRESSY AND POICTIERS. Ditto.</li> -<li>4. RUNNYMEDE AND LINCOLN FAIR. Ditto.</li> -<li>5. WILD SPORTS OF THE WORLD.</li> -<li>6. CURIOSITIES OF SAVAGE LIFE.</li> -<li>7. HUBERT ELLIS.</li> -<li>8. DON QUIXOTE. 300 Illustrations.</li> -<li>9. GULLIVER’S TRAVELS.</li> -<li>10. ROBINSON CRUSOE.</li> -<li>11. SILAS THE CONJURER.</li> -<li>12. SAVAGE HABITS AND CUSTOMS.</li> -<li>13. REUBEN DAVIDGER.</li> -<li>14. BRAVE BRITISH SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</li> -<li>15. ZOOLOGICAL RECREATIONS. By <span class="smcap">W. J. Broderip</span>, F.R.S.</li> -<li>16. WILD ANIMALS IN FREEDOM AND CAPTIVITY.</li> -<li>17. THE MAN AMONG THE MONKEYS.</li> -<li>18. THE WORLD’S EXPLORERS.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The best set of Volumes for Prizes, Rewards, or Gifts to English -Lads. They have all been prepared by Mr. Beeton with a view -to their fitness in manly tone and handsome appearance for presents -for Youth, amongst whom they enjoy an unrivalled degree of popularity, -which never flags.</p> - -<p class="center">LONDON: WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_v"></a>[v]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header1.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">TO THE READER.</h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t1.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">This book is written for Boys. The majority of the -articles were expressly prepared for the “Boys’ Own -Magazine,” and the interest which their appearance -excited, coupled with the favourable notices they won, -encouraged the Editor to publish them in a connected form.</p> - -<p>Boys—worthy to be called Boys—are naturally brave. There is -not, so far as we are aware, any etymological connexion between -the words <i>boy</i> and <i>brave</i>; but there <i>is</i> an association of ideas, which -if it does not make the terms interchangeable, is still strongly suggestive -of their being one and the same. The expression <i>brave</i> -man is easily understood, but to us, <i>brave</i> <span class="smcap">Boy</span> looks like a pleonasm. -A man has experience. He has tested—if there be any good thing -in him—his courage in the rough exploits of the world’s campaign. -He has tilted, mayhap, with Quixotic chivalry against windmills, -and in the encounter has been discomfited; he has awakened from -his bright dream to a sad reality; he has been tempted to turn -prosaic—inclined sometimes to beat his sword into a sickle, to gather -in for his own special use the golden wheat from <i>anybody’s</i> cornfield, -and to make those late foes of his—the windmills—grind up -the corn to make <i>his</i> bread. Now he is no longer brave. His -views of life are taken from a new point of sight. He smiles at -the <i>boy’s</i> enthusiasm, and counts himself wise in his <i>man’s</i> selfishness. -But a man who has done battle, who has been thrown -in the lists, who has been ready to mount and splinter lance again, -who in the gaining of experience has lost nothing of the Boy’s -boldness—such a man is <i>brave</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vi"></a>[vi]</span></p> - -<p>The drift of these remarks is that experience may ruin a -Boy’s “pluck”—may give him the vulpine sagacity of Reynard in -place of the courage of Leo Africanus.</p> - -<p>But a Boy is brave. Youth is the season of confidence. “Your -<i>young</i> men shall <i>see visions</i>” while our “<i>old</i> men shall dream -dreams.” What visions are those which rise up before the young—what -brave words to speak, what brave actions to do—how -bravely—if need be—to suffer! “The young fellows,” said an old -soldier to the writer, “are always pushing forward in a battle -charge—they are in a mighty hurry to smell powder—<i>the veterans -fall into the rear</i>!” Do they?—ah, well, ’tis the lesson, perhaps -of experience! But is it better than the Boy’s eagerness to be -foremost?—is it not—answer brave hearts—better to die planting -the colours on the wall, than to share the spoil which others -have won?</p> - -<p>This is the leading thought in this book about Soldiers—it is -meant to keep alive the bravery of youth in the experience of -manhood. The editor of the book is very sensible of the incompleteness -of the work. He knows that it is defective in many -places, but it is honest. A good many of the papers were written -by one who was then far away on a foreign station doing brave -service; some of the papers are the work of dead hands. The -articles have been put together as carefully as circumstances would -allow, but there has been an anxious care on the Editor’s part to -retouch as little as possible the work of absent contributors. He -offers the book to the Boys of England—not as the best piece of -work that can be done—but as a volume they will read with delight -and keep as a <i>souvenir</i> of pleasant hours. He is of opinion that -anything which helps to make Boys more in love with true courage -is good work done—he believes that bravery excites bravery, just -as iron sharpeneth iron; and so he has confidence in this book being -useful—a record of brave deeds that shall make its readers echo -the words of King Harry—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“If it be a sin to covet honour</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I am the most offending soul alive.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vii"></a>[vii]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS.</h2> - -</div> - -<table summary="Contents" class="contents"> - <tr> - <td class="tdr smaller">CHAP.</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">I.</td> - <td>OUR SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">II.</td> - <td>THE GUARDS, OR HOUSEHOLD TROOPS OF ENGLAND</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">14</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">III.</td> - <td>THE ENGINEERS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">24</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IV.</td> - <td>THE ROYAL WELSH</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">V.</td> - <td>OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VI.</td> - <td>OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(<i>continued</i>)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">64</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VII.</td> - <td>OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(<i>continued</i>)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">84</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VIII.</td> - <td>OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(<i>continued</i>)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">93</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IX.</td> - <td>OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—(<i>continued</i>)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">107</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">X.</td> - <td>THE PIPERS OF OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">123</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XI.</td> - <td>COLONEL BELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">139</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XII.</td> - <td>COMMANDER (NOW CAPTAIN) FIOTT DAY, R.N., AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">149</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIII.</td> - <td>LIEUTENANTS MOORE AND MALCOLMSON AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIV.</td> - <td>CAPTAIN W. A. KERR, SOUTH MAHRATTA HORSE, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">168</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XV.</td> - <td>PRIVATE HENRY WARD, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">176</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XVI.</td> - <td>LIEUTENANT ANDREW CATHCART BOGLE, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS (NOW CAPTAIN 10TH FOOT)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">193</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XVII.</td> - <td>DR. J. JEE, C.B., V.C., SURGEON; ASSISTANT-SURGEON V.M. M’MASTER, V.C.; AND LIEUTENANT AND ADJUTANT HERBERT J. MACPHERSON, V.C.</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">207</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XVIII.</td> - <td>“LUCKNOW” KAVANAGH AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">221</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIX.</td> - <td>LIEUTENANT BUTLER AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">236</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_viii"></a>[viii]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XX.</td> - <td>DR. HOME AND DR. BRADSHAW AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXI.</td> - <td>ROSS L. MANGLES, ESQ., V.C., BENGAL CIVIL SERVICE ASSISTANT-MAGISTRATE AT PATNA</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">257</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXII.</td> - <td>CAPTAIN HENRY EVELYN WOOD, 17TH LANCERS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">272</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXIII.</td> - <td>SAMUEL MITCHELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS; OR THE GATE PA AT TAURANGA</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">285</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXIV.</td> - <td>ENSIGN M’KENNA AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">299</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXV.</td> - <td>SERGEANT MAJOR LUCAS, OF THE 40TH REGIMENT, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">313</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXVI.</td> - <td>THE HEROES OF THE VICTORIA CROSS IN NEW ZEALAND</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">322</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXVII.</td> - <td>THE NAVAL BRIGADE IN INDIA</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">334</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXVIII.</td> - <td>THE VARIOUS RANKS IN THE BRITISH ARMY, AND HOW TO DISTINGUISH THEM</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">347</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXIX.</td> - <td>A GRAND REVIEW</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">362</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXX.</td> - <td>A SOLDIER’S FUNERAL</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">376</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer1.jpg" width="400" height="175" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ix"></a>[ix]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.</h2> - -</div> - -<table summary="List of Illustrations" class="contents"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>BUSHIRE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus7">167</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>FINIAL, DEATH DEFENDING THE RAMPARTS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus5">53</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>GIBRALTAR</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus3">24</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>GLENCOE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus6">113</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>GRENADIER, COLDSTREAM, AND SCOTS FUSILIER GUARDS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus2">23</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>NEW ZEALAND ARMS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus8">285</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>OFFICERS, EMBROIDERY ON UNIFORM OF</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus9">349, 350</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>ROYAL ARTILLERY, BADGES OF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus10">356, 357</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>ROYAL WELSH, INITIAL LETTER TO THE CHAPTER ON THE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus4">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VICTORIA CROSS, THE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus1">1</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="400" height="125" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/deco2.jpg" width="400" height="425" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h1>OUR SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</h1> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.<br /> -<span class="smaller">OUR SOLDIERS AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 375px;" id="illus1"> -<img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>It has been our lot in -life to live very much -among soldiers, and we -like to write and talk -about them. We hope -that our readers will not -be averse from hearing -something of a class in -whom we have all a common -interest. It is true -that English boys are not -quite so warlike in their -tendencies as French; -they neither worship <i>la -gloire</i> nor dress like manikin -<i>soldats</i>. Swords and -guns are not their only -playthings, nor are feeble -imitations of sanguinary contests their only pastimes. We here -delight in all manly games and sports, for which French men and -boys have little taste, and we thus acquire a muscular development -and hardiness of frame which enable us to bear any amount of -fatigue. It was a saying of the grand old Iron Duke that all his -battles were won on the playground at Eton; by which we suppose<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span> -he meant that his officers, most of whom were Eton boys, received -there such a physical training as fitted them to be heroes in the -strife. Still, it is one of those epigrammatic sayings in which -truth is sacrificed for effect; for what could the duke, with all -his officers, have done without the brave privates who composed his -forces, and to whom he rendered justice on another occasion by saying -that with such an army he could go anywhere and do anything?</p> - -<p>A chaplain belongs, of course, to the non-combatant class in the -army. It is not his duty to appear in the field, or to take part in -battles. He has to remain at the hospital, and to administer the -consolations of religion to the wounded and the dying; but he is -precluded by his profession from being present at, or taking part in, -any battle.</p> - -<p>It is for this reason, perhaps, that we have always had a certain -pleasure in listening to soldiers as they fought their battles over in -hospital, and recounted their experience to one another. It was -all strange and new to us, as, we dare say, it will be to most of -those who read this book.</p> - -<p>The soldiers of whom we speak all took part in and survived the -Crimean war. Their manly breasts are all adorned with the different -medals awarded to them; two of them wear the Victoria Cross. -One early object of our curiosity was to ascertain what are the -sensations or feelings of a soldier on entering battle, or being -exposed to fire for the first time. Now, the answer we invariably -received will, perhaps, take some of our readers by surprise. They -felt nothing of that warlike intoxication ascribed to the old Vikings -on the eve of the combat; they had none of that strange joy -ascribed by the patriarch to the war-horse at the sound of the -trumpet, nor were they exactly afraid; but there was a certain -uneasy sensation experienced by all as the bullet whizzed past the -ear, and comrade after comrade dropped, sometimes with a sharp -cry of pain, sometimes giving no sign.</p> - -<p>This feeling some of them graphically described as similar to -that which a bather experiences before plunging into the water; -<i>ce n’est que le premier pas qui coûte</i>; after the first dip Richard is -himself again. But our readers are not to suppose that the soldier<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span> -shows the same hesitation in advancing to charge as the bather on -the brink of the stream. If he did he would be a coward, and be -scorned by all his comrades. To make the two cases parallel, we -must suppose a thousand bathers rushing forward to the stream at -once. Now, though an individual bather standing alone might stop -short on reaching the water, and pause before taking a header, a -thousand bathers rushing forward at once, would plunge into the water -without hesitation. The dread of shame, of exposure, of ridicule, -would nerve the least courageous for the final leap. There is, moreover, -such a strong feeling of sympathy diffused among large bodies -of men acting in concert that the strength of the stronger is imparted -to the weaker. Now, it is the same with soldiers advancing to the -charge. All of them feel the cold shiver like that of the bather approaching -the water, but they march shoulder to shoulder, and with them are -some old soldiers who have been under fire before. The younger ones -are encouraged by their example, and many a lad who has trembled -on first smelling powder has proved himself a hero in the fight.</p> - -<p>We have read in books that soldiers sometimes weep while fighting -hand to hand and sorely pressed—not tears of cowardly terror -by any means, but such tears as the strongest of men will shed in -hours of fierce excitement. Wellington wept as he embraced -Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo. This, indeed, has been -denied, but it is not difficult to believe it true. There are moments -in the lives of all men, even the most reserved and self-contained, -when the hidden fountains of feeling well over and find an outlet -through the eyes, and we should not think a whit less highly of our -soldiers did they shed a few tears of valiant rage while victory was -still doubtful. But these tears, we suspect, are purely imaginary. -For ourselves, we never met with a single soldier who confessed that -he had shed tears himself, or seen others weep. We are sure that -they would not have denied it if they had yielded to any such -weakness, for, as a class, soldiers are the most truthful of men. All -with whom we conversed agreed in affirming that our men were -very quiet while fighting hand to hand with the enemy. There -would be occasionally a shrill cry of pain from the wounded, or a -short cry of triumph from the man who struck down his opponent,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span> -but generally, all the dread work of the battle-field was done in -silence. All admitted that the most fearful sound during a battle -was the cry of a wounded horse; it was so like that of a human -being in his death agony—shrill, piercing, heartrending. The -horses seem to become almost human in the hour of battle, to share -in all the wild passions of the combatants, and to exult equally in -the hour of victory.</p> - -<p>But while our men fought in silence, the Russians were very -noisy both in advancing and in fighting. They uttered the most -savage yells, as if they thought to inspire our men with terror by -the mere noise they made. They soon discovered that Englishmen -are not so easily frightened; but they still continued to shout from -mere habit. Their officers also encouraged them in this custom, -giving them, moreover, drink to make them pot-valiant. Notwithstanding -this, we have always heard our soldiers frankly speak of the -Russians as “foemen worthy of their steel.” Brave men, we know, -learn to respect one another even in the field, and the Russians are -certainly one of the bravest nations in Europe. They still retain, -however, many of the characteristics of savage life; they have not -yet learned to act on the old Roman maxim, “<i>Debellare superbos, -parcere victis.</i>” They often bayoneted our men when left defenceless -and wounded. It is but just to add that they expected no -mercy when left in the same condition, and seemed overwhelmed -with surprise when our men treated them with the same generous -tenderness as though they had been comrades instead of foes.</p> - -<p>There are sometimes strange traits of character exhibited during -the excitement of battle. Men may have been living under restraint -for years, and come to believe themselves to be very different from -what they are. Xenophon relates a story of a Greek soldier who, -in consequence of a wound which had affected his brain, forgot the -language he had spoken for many years, and began to express -himself in his native tongue, which, before this accident, seemed -to have entirely faded from his memory. Something analogous -to this occurred at the Battle of the Alma, in the case of -a sergeant of the Guards. He had once been much addicted to -swearing, but had been enabled to vanquish this and other evil<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span> -habits, and for many years had been looked up to by his comrades -as a man of exemplary character. His company, while charging -up the heights of the Alma, was surrounded by the enemy, and, -after suffering severe loss, was obliged to retreat. In vain the poor -sergeant endeavoured to rally them. He was borne along with the -current. Overpowered with shame and rage, he gave way to a sort -of madness, and swore such fearful oaths that we have often heard -the men of his company say that it was something awful to hear -him. Those who occupied the same tent with him relate that he -spent most of the night after the battle in prayer, and was often -heard sobbing like a child. He never spoke of the strange outburst -of that day to any of his comrades, and they had the delicacy to -avoid all allusion to the subject; but it was observed that he was -more humble, kind, and considerate in his bearing towards them -than he had ever been before. He survived the war and returned -to England, where he enjoyed the respect of all who knew him, and -was never known to indulge in the habit which gained the mastery -over him at the Alma. He is now dead, but his surviving comrades -speak with a sort of awe of the incident we have related.</p> - -<p>One soldier of the Guards became raving mad at the Alma. It -happened in this way:—The Russian fire struck down several of -the men as they were advancing. The soldier of whom we speak -was a young lad who had never smelt powder before. By his side -was a comrade who belonged to the same district, and had enlisted -at the same time. The latter was hit by a cannon-ball, and his -brains were bespattered over the face of his friend, who became -frantic, roaring and shouting like a madman. He imagined that -his comrades were the enemy, and that he was fighting hand to -hand with them. The whole company was thrown into confusion, -and he wounded some of his comrades before he could be disarmed. -He was conducted to the rear, fighting and struggling the whole -way. The surgeons pronounced him to be a dangerous lunatic, -and he was strapped down upon one of the beds in the hospital, with -a sentinel to watch over him. That sentinel told us that he was -never entrusted before or since with such an unpleasant duty. -Owing to the shock which the brain had received, the poor madman<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span> -could not rest for a moment. He fancied himself in the -thickest of the combat, fighting with all the energy of despair, and -swearing that his comrades should be avenged. He continued in -this raving condition for about twenty-four hours, when, with the -exultant cry of “Victory!” he expired. A similar incident -occurred at Inkermann: in this case, also, the soldier survived -only twenty-four hours.</p> - -<p>Soldiers rarely feel much pain at the moment they receive their -wounds, unless these be very severe, in which case they suffer -much from thirst. There is one very gallant friend of ours—a -non-commissioned officer—who was shot through the ankle in -crossing the stream at the Alma. He knew not that he was -wounded till the battle was over, but thought that his foot had -got entangled among the vines in crossing the valley, and that he -had sprained the joint. A good soldier never likes to go to -hospital when there is any hard fighting, and our friend kept “a -quiet sough,” as they say in the North, about his wound, and -marched at the head of his company as if nothing had happened to -him. His courage and endurance were rewarded: he was present -at, and took part in, the Battle of Inkermann, where his gallantry -attracted the notice of the commanding officer, on whose recommendation -he obtained the medal and pension for distinguished conduct -in the field. He was wounded also on this occasion, but his -hurt was of a far more serious character. He was shot through -the head: the bullet literally entered at one side, and came out at -the other. He felt a sharp, stinging pain, and remembered nothing -more till he regained his consciousness in hospital, and was surprised -to learn that he had been some weeks under the doctor’s -hands. He suffers no inconvenience from his wound now, except -occasional dizziness and half-blindness after any excitement or -exposure to the sun. Such a man in the French service might -have risen to the rank of field-marshal, and obtained a name in the -page of history. Well, after all, the great thing is to do our duty -well in the position we occupy; and our friend, as sergeant-major -of his distinguished regiment, is happier, probably, than if he had -had greatness thrust upon him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span></p> - -<p>Though soldiers recover from their wounds at the moment, they -are often very dangerous afterwards. The brain is often injured, -and the disease goes on till the man loses his reason, or drops -down dead. A poor fellow was hit on the crown of the head by a -piece of shell in one of the trenches before Sebastopol. He was -stunned at the moment, but thought so little of it that he did not -even report himself wounded. For eight years he felt no pain, but -one day, while on guard, he was seized with a sudden giddiness, -and became insensible. He was conveyed to hospital in a cab, -and on recovering his consciousness he found that he was suffering -the most intense pain on the crown of his head. His sufferings -were very great; the only relief he could obtain was through the -application of chloroform.</p> - -<p>We write all this knowing that English boys feel deep sympathy -with, and profound admiration for, our soldiers, and to show that -their powers of endurance, when disabled, equal in heroic worth -their gallantry upon the field.</p> - -<p>Not all our readers, perhaps, have seen the Victoria Cross. It -is not very beautiful nor very valuable in itself. A fac-simile of it -appears at the commencement of this chapter. It is a simple piece -of bronze, shaped like a cross, and its intrinsic value may be about -threepence. Its intrinsic value! but who can tell the price a -soldier puts upon it? He had rather have that piece of bronze on -his breast than be made a Knight of the Garter, and have his -banner hung up with those of the other K.G.’s in the Chapel of -St. George at Windsor. To obtain that small piece of bronze of -the value of threepence he will lead the forlorn hope, be the first -to storm the breach, and ever ready to expose his life to any -danger. The Victoria Cross is as much to a soldier as the <i>gage -d’amour</i> the knight-errant in the days of chivalry received from his -lady-love, and swore never to part with. The pledge of her affection -might be a soiled and tattered glove, worth even less than the -cross “For Valour,” but it was dearer to her lover than life itself. -O that the day may never come in this country when we shall judge -of things by the Hudibrastic principle—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent8">“The price of anything</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Is just as much as it will bring!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span></p> - -<p class="noindent">for badly then will it fare with Old England. When our soldiers -come to value their crosses at threepence each, the price they will -fetch at a marine store, we shall not long survive as a nation. But -there is little danger of such an eventuality. There are things—God -be thanked—which we <i>do</i> love and value more than life itself—things -which gold can <i>not</i> purchase. The Victoria Cross is one -of them; and we are about to relate how three gallant officers of -one of our most distinguished regiments came to be decorated with -the priceless meed “<span class="smcap">For Valour</span>.” One was a commissioned officer; -the other two were sergeants. Though different in rank, they were -equal in bravery; their bravery was equally rewarded. Most people—thanks -to Mr. Kinglake’s history, and other sources of information—are -now tolerably familiar with all the details of the Battle of the -Alma. They know how the gallant Welsh Fusiliers, after forcing -their way to the heights, and seizing the colours on the Russian -battery, were so cut up by the enemy that they were forced to -retire. They fell back in obedience to orders. It so happened, -however, that as the word, “Fusiliers, retire!” was given, the Scots -Fusilier Guards were charging up the heights, and the officer in -command of them, hearing the order, thought that it was intended -for his own men, and commanded them to fall back. This fact is -not mentioned by Mr. Kinglake, but there are many witnesses still -alive who heard this second order given, and acted upon it. Now, -it is very difficult to retire before an enemy without falling into -confusion; and it so happened that the Welsh Fusiliers came rushing -down like a torrent. One gallant regiment opened their ranks, -allowed them to pass through, and then closed again; but the Scots -Fusiliers were not so fortunate. They did not open their ranks, -because they received no order to do so, and were already falling -back, when the crowd of Welsh Fusiliers came rushing upon them, -broke through their ranks, and threw them into disorder; and, in -the midst of this, the Russians made a dash at the colours of the -regiment.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-2.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Captain Lloyd Lindsay, Scots Fusilier Guards, saving -the regimental colours at the Alma.</p> -</div> - -<p>Now, it is not needful to dwell on the fact that it would be as -disgraceful for an English regiment to lose its colours as it would -have been for an old Roman centurion to have lost his shield. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span> -colours are usually intrusted to one or two subalterns and several -sergeants, who form a sort of guard of honour over them, and are -held responsible for their safety. When they are in danger the -bravest men in the regiment rally round them, and it is held unworthy -not to follow them wherever they are seen. They are the -same to our soldiers as the white plume of Henry of Navarre was -to his men, or the bronze eagles to Rome’s Tenth Legion. Knowing -this, officers have sometimes thrown the colours into the very -midst of the enemy, sure that their men would die rather than lose -them. No sooner, therefore, was it known that the colours were in -danger than the bravest men of the regiment tried to reach them, -but only a few succeeded. They did not come too soon; the men -intrusted with the colours fought like lions, but one officer was -struck down, and only two sergeants survived the fearful contest. -But the colours were safe, and the men might proudly say, with -Francis I. after disastrous Pavia, “<i>Tout est perdu, hors l’honneur.</i>” -The regiment wiped out the memory of the misfortune at the Alma -(it was no disgrace to obey orders) on the bloody field of Inkermann, -and a grateful country did not forget the men who loved their -colours better than their lives. The officer who was struck down -died of his wounds on the voyage home; Death was envious of the -honours that awaited him. The other officer still survives, and -wears on his breast the cross his sovereign bestowed upon him. -He is, or will be, one of the wealthiest men in England, but we are -sure that he values that small piece of bronze of the value of threepence -more than all the money he has at his banker’s.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Money is round, and rolls away,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">but the memory of a brave action has never perished.</p> - -<p>But gallant deeds are the same whether they be done by officers -or by men; and the two sergeants demand notice who were also, -for the part they took in this affair, decorated with the Victoria -Cross. We should not dwell upon their history if it were not that -it points a moral, though it does not adorn our tale. Both of these -sergeants were fine, handsome fellows; one of them is six feet two -inches in height. When they returned to London, and walked<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span> -forth in the streets, decorated with the memorials of their bravery, -their appearance naturally attracted much attention. Foolish people -stopped them in the street, and invited them to drink. Now, no -man of sense or good-breeding will drink in this way with soldiers, -and no man of good feeling will tempt soldiers to drink. Those who -thus invited our sergeants, we believe, meant no harm, but only -wished to give the sergeants a cheerful glass, and to make them -light their battles o’er again. But soldiers who know how to resist -the enemy in war are not always proof against temptation in times -of peace. These two Victoria Cross men fell into irregular habits, -such as could not be tolerated in the case of non-commissioned -officers; every effort was made to save them, but in vain; their -irregularities became so glaring that they were reduced to, and have -ever since remained in, the ranks. They are steady enough now, -but it is felt that they cannot be trusted, and they are not likely -ever to regain their former rank. It seems very hard that brave -men should lose their position through the mistaken kindness and -thoughtlessness of their admirers, and we hope that those who feel -sympathy with soldiers will find some better way of expressing it -than by giving them drink. These two men, though serving in the -ranks, have still much influence over their comrades, and that influence, -we are glad to say, is generally exercised for good. The -possession of the Victoria Cross carries with it a pension of 10<i>l.</i>, -which cannot be forfeited through misconduct; the pension for -distinguished conduct in the field is 15<i>l.</i> per annum.</p> - -<p>Many small pledges of affection were found on the persons of -our soldiers who fell on the battle-fields of the Crimea. Sometimes -a lock of hair, or a photograph, or a last letter from home, -or a small Bible or Testament, was found concealed beneath the -tunic of a dead soldier. Many of them carried their Bibles with -them to the field as a sort of talisman to protect them from danger; -and there is a well-authenticated case of one soldier having had -his life saved from the bullet, which would otherwise have reached -his heart, having lodged in his Bible. We should think that book -would become a precious relic in his family, ever to be prized, -never to be parted with, for it was literally the Word of Life to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -him. Another was found with his right hand so firmly clenched -that it was difficult to open it. He had allowed the blood from -his wound to flow upon his hand, so that, on closing it, his fingers -became, as it were, cemented together. Inside the hand were -found several sovereigns he had saved from his pay with the -intention of remitting them to his wife at home. His last thought -was, probably, of her, and her heart must have been touched when -she received the money he had saved for her with his heart’s -blood. Another man, who died of his wounds in hospital, had -recourse to a singular expedient to save his watch, which he wished -to be sent to his father in some remote country village. It was -known that he was possessed of a watch, and there was no small -uneasiness among the hospital orderlies when it could not be found -after his death. Search was made for it in vain, and suspicion -naturally fell upon the orderly who had been with him when he -died. As this man, however, had always borne a good character, -and there was no direct evidence against him, he was allowed to -retain his situation, which must have been anything but a comfortable -one. About ten days after the death of the soldier the -mystery was cleared up. The effects of a dead soldier are -usually sold by auction, and the proceeds, after paying all demands, -remitted to his relations at home. It so happened that this man -was possessed of a pair of good boots (a rare piece of good fortune -in the Crimea), and these were purchased by a comrade for a few -shillings. The purchaser, in trying on the right boot, found some -obstacle in the toe which he imagined to be a pebble; on shaking -it out he discovered the missing watch. The dying man, in the -delirium of his last struggle, had contrived to secrete it in the -place where it was found. It would be difficult to assign any -reasonable motive for such an act; it was probably done in a -moment of unconsciousness.</p> - -<p>Commodore Wilmot has told us a good deal in his book about -the King of Dahomey’s Amazons. These female warriors form his -body-guard, and are three times as numerous as the men, whom -they surpass in strength and bravery. They are very skilful in -the use of firearms, and carry gigantic razors for shaving off<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span> -heads—a very unladylike amusement, as all will allow. Now, in -this country we have no regularly organized army of Amazons, -though there is no saying what we may soon have in these days, -when there are so many suggestions for the employment of female -labour. It may be a prejudice on our part, but we confess we -should not like to see nice young ladies firing off blunderbusses, or -shaving off people’s heads. Still, women have been found serving -in the ranks, both in France and in England, without their sex -being discovered, and a good many soldiers’ wives accompanied our -forces to the East. It is painful, but truthful, to add that most of -these adventurous females had to be sent home, for reasons which -we had rather not specify; four only were allowed to remain. -These well-conducted Amazons weathered all the dangers of the -campaign, watched over their husbands in the field and the hospital, -did all the marketing, without knowing a word of “the foreign -lingo” spoken by the natives, passed through many perils, and -returned to relate their “accidents by flood and field” to their -admiring friends.</p> - -<p>Soldiers, as we have said, are very patient while enduring -physical pain. A hospital presents a fearful scene on the day -after a battle. It is surprising that no artist has selected such a -subject to illustrate the horrors of war. Our army surgeons are -brave men, or they would lose their presence of mind amid such -scenes, for it requires less courage to kill than to heal. Every -form of physical suffering is to be seen there; but a groan is -rarely to be heard. It is only during the amputation of a limb, -or the probing of a wound, that a sharp cry of pain is sometimes -wrung from the sufferer, who generally turns aside his head, as if -ashamed of such unsoldierly weakness. Wounded and dying -soldiers like to be visited by their chaplains; they often say, “We -have led a bad life; can there be any hope for us now?” They -may have been bad men, but they are always truthful: they never -try to make themselves out to be better than they really are. -Their last thought is generally of home. Often in India and the -Crimea a dying soldier has said to his chaplain, “You will write -and tell them all about it. I hope I have done my duty, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span> -nothing to disgrace my name.” If our chaplains did nothing but -soothe the last hours of our soldiers, their mission would not be -altogether in vain; and no class of men are more grateful for -kindness, as our nurses in the East will testify. And here we -detract not from the excellent intentions of those ladies in saying -that, from want of previous training, they were, as a class, disqualified -for the work they undertook; yet we have always heard -them spoken of by the men with the deepest respect. We have -baptized many a Florence Nightingale, and the feeling cherished -towards this lady in the army is almost analogous to the Mariolatry -of the Italian peasantry: it borders on idolatry. “Shure she is -not a woman, but an angel of mercy,” said a poor Irishman whom -she had nursed. “I could kiss the very earth she threads.” There -are many others equally grateful, though less demonstrative and -poetical in the expression of their gratitude. Florence Nightingale -and the Queen are the two patron saints of the British Army. Our -soldiers have not yet forgotten how her Majesty visited them in -hospital on their return from the Crimea, and showed her sorrow -and her sympathy as a woman best can show it—by her tears. -And, after all, be we queen or soldier’s wife, drummer-boy or -commander-in-chief, we are all members of the same family, with -the same great heart beating within our breasts. One touch of -nature makes the whole world kin. Our Queen wept for her -wounded soldiers, and there was many a soldier wept for our -Queen when the great sorrow overtook her. Such tears are not -lost; they bind us all together, and give us a deeper insight into -that great law of love taught by Him who did not esteem it a -weakness to weep at the grave of a friend.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer3.jpg" width="400" height="150" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE GUARDS, OR HOUSEHOLD TROOPS OF ENGLAND.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-f.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">From the earliest times, when standing armies were -needless, inasmuch as every human unit that made part -of a nation’s total was more or less a soldier, and was -ready and willing to buckle on his harness and fight at the beck of -the ruler to whom he owed allegiance, to the present day when the -army and navy estimates are the <i>bêtes noirs</i> of every would-be -politician who prefers money-grubbing to national honour, the chosen -head or chief magistrate of every nation—no matter what his style -and title may have been, or may be—has always had a select body-guard -at his command, partly as a mark of distinction and honour, -and partly for the special defence of his person against malcontents -at home and enemies abroad.</p> - -<p>To this rule Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United -Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of Hindostan, -is no exception, and could our eyes be gratified with a review in -which the “household troops” of all nations took part, from the -<i>Cent Gardes</i> of Napoleon III. to the Amazons of His Brutality of -Dahomey, it would be seen that there are none superior to the -British Guards.</p> - -<p>The Guards, or Household Troops of England, consist of six -regiments, three of cavalry and three of infantry. The three regiments -of cavalry are styled respectively, the First Life Guards, the -Second Life Guards, and the Horse Guards, or Oxford Blues; -while the three regiments of Foot Guards are known as the First, -or Grenadier Guards, the Second, or Coldstream Guards, and the -Third, or Scots Fusilier Guards. These six magnificent regiments -of cavalry and infantry are—and it is just and right to say so,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span> -though it be said with the pride of an Englishman—unequalled in -the world, whether it be in appointments or soldierly bearing, in -physical strength or majesty of stature, in dash or discipline, unflinching -endurance of hardships or superb indifference to death—which -last, by the way, are qualities common to all British soldiers -and sailors at all times and under all circumstances.</p> - -<p>The First and Second Life Guards owe their origin to a troop of -eighty Cavalier gentlemen who were enrolled in Holland, on May 17, -1660, as a body of Life Guards for the protection of the person of -Charles II. against the conspiracies that were said to be forming in -England to assassinate him as soon as he set foot once more on -English soil. The number of this body-guard was raised to six -hundred before the king quitted Holland; but after the Restoration -had been effected, several gentlemen retired from the service to -return to their homes in the country, and it dwindled down to two -troops—one of which remained with the king in London, while the -other went into garrison under the Duke of York at Dunkirk. -The attempt, however, of the “Fifth Monarchy Men” to overthrow -the king’s authority in 1661 led to the recall of the Duke of York -and his troopers, when the corps of Life Guards was raised to five -hundred men, and divided into three troops—the first being called -His Majesty’s Own; the second, the Duke of York’s, as before; and -the third the Duke of Albemarle’s.</p> - -<p>No change was made in the constitution of the Life Guards, with -the exception of the addition of a fourth troop after the Duke of -Monmouth’s rebellion in 1685, until October, 1693, when the Horse -Grenadiers, who had hitherto been attached to each troop of Life -Guards—just as a company of grenadiers formed part of almost -every infantry regiment in the British service until a few years -ago—were embodied and formed into a separate troop, distinguished -by the title of the Horse Grenadier Guards. It should also be -stated that the Scots Life Guards and Horse Grenadier Guards, -which had been raised after the Restoration to act as a guard of -honour to the Lord High Commissioner and the Scottish Parliament, -were marched to London, and incorporated with the English Life -Guards shortly after the union of the two kingdoms.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span></p> - -<p>In 1745, after the defeat of Prince Charles Edward—otherwise -styled the Pretender—at Culloden, the four troops of Life Guards -were reduced to two; but the establishment of the Horse Grenadier -Guards, which now consisted of two troops, remained on the same -footing. This continued until June 25, 1788, when the two troops -of Life Guards and the two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards were -embodied into two regiments, the former bearing the title of the -First Regiment of Life Guards, and the latter that of the Second -Regiment of Life Guards; and no further alteration has been made -to the present day, except in the number of companies in each -regiment, and the numerical strength of the companies.</p> - -<p>The third cavalry regiment of the Household Troops—the Royal -Regiment of Horse Guards, or Oxford Blues, as it is familiarly -called—was originally a body of horse that had been raised by -Cromwell as a body-guard, and had been retained after his death to -act as a guard of honour to the Parliament and General Monk, -who then bore the title of the Lord General. After the Restoration -the whole of the troops that had been in the service of the Parliament -were disembodied; but the officers and men of the Lord -General’s troop of horse were immediately formed into a new regiment, -which received the title it now bears, and was placed under -the command of the Earl of Oxford. With the exception of alterations -at various periods in its numerical strength, no change has -taken place in the constitution of this regiment from the time of its -enrolment for the service of Charles II. until the present time.</p> - -<p>Of the three infantry regiments of the Household Troops, the -First, or Grenadier Guards, although it takes precedence of the -other two regiments in point of rank, yields to the Coldstream -Guards in priority of enrolment. This regiment was incorporated -at Brussels in 1657, having been raised at that time by the Duke -of York for the service of the Spanish crown in the Netherlands. -It consisted of about four hundred men of all ranks, the majority of -whom were gallant, reckless, royalist gentlemen, who had fought -and bled for Charles I. and his son Charles II. in the Civil War, and -had followed the fortunes of the latter and his brother, the Duke -of York, when they were driven from England, and obliged to take<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -refuge in France, from which country they were also expelled when -peace was made between Louis XIV. and Oliver Cromwell in 1655. -The regiment was cut to pieces before Dunkirk in 1658, when that -town was taken from the Spaniards by the French troops and the -soldiers of the Commonwealth; but it was reorganised two years -subsequently by Lord Wentworth, who then assumed the command. -In 1662 it was ordered to repair to England, where it was incorporated -with a regiment known as the “King’s Regiment,” commanded -by Colonel Russell, under the title of the “First Regiment -of Foot Guards.” It did not receive its present appellation of the -“Grenadier Guards” until after the battle of Waterloo, when it -was thus distinguished in commemoration of the glorious charge -in which its officers and men broke and routed the veteran Grenadiers -of the far-famed French Imperial Guard—the last charge of -the British line on June 18, 1815, which decided the terrible -struggle of that eventful day in favour of the English arms, and -crushed for ever the power and <i>prestige</i> of Napoleon I.</p> - -<p>The regiment known as the Coldstream Guards derives its origin -from a regiment of the Commonwealth that served against the king -in the Civil War under the command of General Monk. It takes -its name from Coldstream, a small border town in the south of -Berwickshire on the left bank of the Tweed. This town formed -the head-quarters of General Monk for some time before he set out -on his march for London with the view of effecting the restoration -of Charles II., and it was here, indeed, that this movement was -projected and matured. During his sojourn in this town in 1659, -Monk may rather be said to have reorganised and recruited his old -corps, originally called “Monk’s Regiment,” than to have raised a -new one, as it is commonly stated, and, having surrounded himself -with a body of troops on whose fidelity he could rely, he commenced -his march towards London on January 1, 1660. On his -arrival his soldiers were employed in repressing the tendency which -was evinced by the citizens of London to dispute the authority of -the Parliament then sitting. Immediately after the Restoration the -forces of the Commonwealth were disbanded by Act of Parliament, -but Charles had resolved to add “Monk’s Regiment” to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -Household Troops that were then forming for the defence of his -person against the attempts of the more desperate republicans who -still cherished a bitter hatred to the monarchical form of government, -and the soldiers, having laid down their arms on Tower Hill as a -mark of obedience to the king’s authority, and in token of their -dissolution as a regiment of the Commonwealth, immediately took -the oath of allegiance, and sprung into existence anew as an English -regiment, under the name of “The Duke of Albemarle’s, or Lord -General’s Regiment,” which appellation was changed to that of the -“Coldstream Guards” about 1670, after the death of Monk, in -remembrance of the place where he had prepared for the enterprise -which it was his good fortune to bring to such a happy issue.</p> - -<p>The precedence of the Grenadier Guards over the Coldstream -Guards was established by a general order, dated September 12, -1666, in which it was directed “that the regiment of Guards (composed -of the two regiments of Foot Guards, commanded by Colonel -Russell and Lord Wentworth) take place of all other regiments, and -the colonell take place as the first foot colonell; the General’s Regiment -(the Duke of Albemarle’s, or Coldstream Guards) to take -place next.”</p> - -<p>The Scots Fusilier Guards were placed on the roll of the English -army, and first shared the duties and privileges of the Household -Troops, shortly after the union had been effected between England -and Scotland, in 1707, and it was found unnecessary to retain them -any longer in Edinburgh, where, in conjunction with the Scots Life -Guards, they had acted as a guard of honour to the Lord High Commissioner -and the Scottish Parliament, besides rendering efficient -service in the various continental wars in which England had been -involved during the latter part of the seventeenth century.</p> - -<p>The Scots Life Guards were established in Edinburgh in 1661, -a single troop having been enrolled in that year, to which a second -was added about two years after, to assist in the maintenance of -order and the enforcement of the Episcopalian form of worship, -which the covenanting Scotch, especially the Lowlanders, cordially -hated. It is probable that the Scots Foot Guards were enrolled at -the same time, as it appears that after the suppression of the risings<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -in Scotland in 1667, and the peace that was concluded in that year -with Holland, all the regular Scottish forces were disbanded, with -the exception of the two troops of Scots Life Guards above mentioned -and the regiment of Scots Foot Guards.</p> - -<p>Space would fail us entirely if we attempted to notice even a -tithe of the thousand and one battles and exploits in which our -Household Troops have signalized themselves. We can, indeed, -only mention the few hard-fought fights, the names of which are -blazoned in scrolls of glowing gold on the regimental colours of -these regiments, in memory of the battle-fields in which they have -won such a glorious meed of honour and renown at the priceless -cost of life and limb and liberty; and we must abstain from making -more than the briefest mention of the services rendered by detachments -of the Life Guards and Coldstream Guards, who acted as -Marines on board the English fleet in 1665 and 1666, under Prince -Rupert and the Dukes of York and Albemarle (some fifty years -prior to the addition of the splendid and distinguished corps that is -now known as the “Royal Marines” to the British army), and at the -battle of Solebay in 1672; the gallant deeds of the same regiments -before Maestricht in 1673, under the Duke of Monmouth and John -Churchill, afterwards Duke of Marlborough, the services of the -Grenadier and Coldstream Guards in Flanders, in 1678, under the -same generals; the share that these regiments had in the occupation -of Tangiers in 1680, in conjunction with the Spanish troops, and -the subsequent battles with the Moors; the battle of Bothwell -Bridge, in Scotland, with the rebel covenanters, in which the Scots -Life Guards and Foot Guards bore a conspicuous part under the -Duke of Monmouth; the frustration of the attempt of the same -nobleman to wrest the crown from James II., by the untoward -battle of Sedgemoor, in which all the regiments of English Life -and Foot Guards were engaged; the campaigns against France in -the Netherlands, in 1689 and 1691, the last of which was followed -by the loss of Namur; and the long list of battles and sieges in -which these regiments took part during the latter part of the reign -of William III. and Mary, those of Queen Anne, George I., and -George II., and the early part of the reign of George III., including<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span> -the battles of Steenkirk, Landen, Blenheim, Ramilies, Almanza, -Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Dettingen, Fontenoy, Minden, Warburg, -the American campaigns, and the battle of Valenciennes in 1793.</p> - -<p>The First and Second Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards -all bear the words “Peninsula” and “Waterloo” on their guidons. -The Grenadier Guards bear the memorable names of “Lincelles,” -“Corunna,” “Barossa,” “Peninsula,” “Waterloo,” “Alma,” “Inkerman,” -and “Sevastopol” on their colours; and in addition to -these, Corunna only being excepted, the Coldstream Guards and -Scots Fusiliers have the words “Sphinx,” “Egypt,” and “Talavera.”</p> - -<p>To speak further of the achievements of the Household Troops -in Belgium, Egypt, Spain, and Portugal, would be to write a military -history of the reign of George III., or to tell again the oft-told -but never tiring tale of the Peninsular War, the disastrous retreat -on Corunna, the battle fought there on the eve of embarkation, the -death and burial of Sir John Moore, the triumphs of Talavera, -Vittoria, Salamanca, and Barossa, and the “crowning mercy” of -Waterloo, in which battle the Household Cavalry and the First -Dragoon Guards broke and utterly routed Napoleon’s magnificent -Cuirassiers, and won the right to bear the word “Waterloo” on -their standards and appointments for ever.</p> - -<p>From 1815 a long rest from war’s alarm fell to the lot of the -Household Troops until the outbreak of the Crimean War, in the -hardships and glories of which the three regiments of Foot Guards -participated. As the honour of the battle of Balaclava belongs -peculiarly to the “six hundred,” who were set face to face with -sure and sudden death when they were launched against the -Russian batteries, and rode, like heroes as they were, into the -graves that yawned to receive them, so the glory of Inkerman adds -especial lustre to the laurels of the British Foot Guards.</p> - -<p>Amid the cold grey mists of that dark November morning they -bore the brunt of an almost hopeless struggle, as line after line of -Russian soldiers, maddened with drink, swarmed up the hill from -the valley of the Tchernaya to recoil with broken ranks from the -base of the little battery that the Guards held with desperate -courage. It was the key of the position: to have been forced from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -it would have brought destruction on the entire British camp. -They knew this, and officers and men would all have died there -gladly, like Leonidas and his three hundred at the pass of Thermopylæ, -rather than have quitted the earthwork alive, though not -dishonoured. Tears trickled down the cheeks of their royal leader -as he saw his men falling, like autumn leaves, before the fire of the -infuriated foe. With bleeding heart he gasped, “My poor Guards! -What will they say in England?” Ay! what, indeed? What, but -honour to the men who esteemed life as nothing in comparison with -England’s reputation? What, but honour to the Duke who dared -to sigh for his maimed and slaughtered men as a father would -sorrow for his dying son? Even when ammunition failed them they -did not abandon the post they had held so long, and at so great -a cost. No! if they could no longer pour a shower of lead into the -advancing masses of the Russians, they could at least rain stones -upon them, and many a Russian soldier fell to the rear that day with -loosened teeth and shattered jaws, smarting under the blows of the -rough missiles that the Guards tore from the banks and mould -around them. But succour was at hand: the red-breeched Zouaves -of France came leaping to the rescue at the <i>pas de charge</i>; and, as -they advanced, the Guards sprang, with a cheer, over the parapet -of the earthwork, and drove the blades of Bayonne to the very -muzzles of their muskets into the backs of the running foe, who left -behind them more killed and wounded than the British numbered -at the commencement of the battle.</p> - -<p>It may have been noticed that all officers in the Guards are entitled -to hold that rank in the army which is immediately above the -rank which they hold in their own regiments: an ensign in the -Guards being styled “ensign and lieutenant” in his commission, and -so on. The privilege of holding the rank of lieutenant-colonels -and captains in the army was granted to captains and lieutenants -in the Guards in 1691, when the allied armies, under the command -of William III., were encamped on the plain of Gerpynes, in the -Netherlands, near the French frontier, a few weeks before the battle -fought between the Allies and the French on the banks of the little -rivulet near Catoir; but the rank of lieutenant in the army was not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span> -held by ensigns in the Guards until after the battle of Waterloo, -when this privilege was conceded to them by the Prince Regent, in -an order from the War Office, dated July 29, 1815.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;" id="illus2"> -<img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="500" height="600" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>The illustration that accompanies this chapter gives the present -costume of the three regiments of Foot Guards—a scarlet tunic, -lately introduced, with blue facings, white cross-belt and waist-belt, -and black trousers, with a scarlet cord down the seams in winter, -and white in summer. When in full dress, the whole wear bearskin -caps, but each regiment has distinctive ornaments on the collar<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span> -of the tunic, etc.; and when in undress, the men belonging to each -may be distinguished by the band round the cap—the Grenadier -Guards wearing a red band, the Coldstream Guards a white band, -and the Scots Fusiliers a band chequered with red and white.</p> - -<p>The two regiments of Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards -all wear corselets—consisting of a breast-plate and back-piece—and -helmets of polished steel, with breeches, sword-belts, cross-belts, -and gauntlets of white leather. They are, however, to be distinguished -by the colour of their coats, and the plume that they wear -in their helmets—the Life Guards being clad in scarlet coats, and -having white plumes, while the Horse Guards wear blue coats, and -scarlet plumes. They are all armed alike, with sword and rifled -carbine, and carry pistols in the holsters of their saddles, which are -covered with white sheep-skin for the Life Guards, and black sheep-skin -for the Horse Guards Blue. In undress the former wear a -scarlet shell-jacket with blue facings, while the latter wear a blue -shell-jacket with scarlet facings. The cap—black, with a scarlet -band—is the same for each regiment.</p> - -<p><i>Apropos</i> of this subject, it may not be generally known that the -First Royals, or First (Royal) Regiment of Foot, are a corps of -Foot Guards by regimental tradition, if not by authority from the -Horse Guards.</p> - -<p>The writer of this chapter once knew an old Devonshire pensioner, -John Sculley by name, who belonged to the “Fust Ry-uls,” -as he used to style his old regiment, who had fought in almost every -one of the principal battles of the Peninsular war, and had escaped -without a scratch.</p> - -<p>“John,” I would sometimes say to the old fellow, as he stood -leaning on his spade, “what regiment did you belong to?”</p> - -<p>“Why, Sponshus Pilut’s Guards, to be sure,” he would curtly -reply. “I’ve told ’ee so often enough, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>“No, I think not. But Pontius Pilate’s Guards—what a queer -title! Why in the world were you called so?”</p> - -<p>“Why, you see, the ridg’ment was raised in Sponshus Pilut’s -time, and that’s how us got the name.”</p> - -<p>And this he implicitly believed.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;" id="illus3"> -<img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE ENGINEERS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-g.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Gibraltar is well named the Key of the Mediterranean. -In peace it protects our commerce and our fleets, in war -it affords equal facility for harassing our foes; by its -position and its strength its possession is of the utmost importance -to the English, and it has excited for the last century and a half -the suspicion and the jealousy of other nations. The rock of -Gibraltar projects into the sea about three miles. Its northern -extremity, owing to its perpendicular altitude, is inaccessible; its<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -southern extremity is known as Europa Point; and the southern -and eastern sides are rugged and steep, affording natural defences -of a very formidable character. It is only on the western side -fronting the bay that the rock gradually declines to the sea; but -the town of Gibraltar is so built that an attack upon it, however -well planned, however strong or long continued, is almost certain -of failure. The bay formed by the two points already named is -more than four miles across. The depth of its waters, and the -protection afforded by the headland, render the harbour remarkably -secure, and it is well adapted for vessels of every description. The -extreme depth of the water within the bay is a hundred and ten -fathoms. The security of the harbour has been still further -increased by two moles, one extending eleven hundred feet, and -the other seven hundred feet into the bay. The bold outline of -the rock is conspicuous and striking, as it lifts its colossal proportions -into the sky, and against the intense blue of that sky -every crag is sharply defined. From the water to the summit, -from the land forts to Europa Point, the whole rock is lined with -formidable batteries. Like a crouching lion it looks out to sea, -and every foe is daunted by its aspect.</p> - -<p>Gibraltar is essentially military. Sentinels, gateways, drawbridges, -fortifications, guns pointing this way, that way, and the -other, looking as if—supposing them to be fired—they would -inevitably blow up one another; narrow streets of stairs which it -is hard work in the hot sunshine to ascend; nothing to see when -you reach the top but a line of ramparts, and another street of -stairs in perspective. Excavated passages in the rock lead from -point to point; every new position seems more impregnable than -the last; awful heights rise above, terrific depths yawn below; guns -peer—at the most unexpected points—from the sides of the rock, -as if they were natural productions; tunnelled galleries open to the -right and to the left, inviting or deterring the visitor. There is -one huge chamber cut out of the solid rock, and serving as a -battery or a banquet room as occasion may require; it is called -St. George’s Hall, and is the most formidable and singular cutting -of Gibraltar. There is another excavation of the same character<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -christened by the name of Cornwallis, but it is neither so spacious -nor so elegant as that of St. George.</p> - -<p>The people one meets in Gibraltar are a mixed multitude—the -familiar English uniform is of course conspicuous, but for the rest -it is only what we have read of, or heard of, or dreamed of in -connexion with Gil Blas and Don Quixote. There is so much that -is Spanish that you might fancy yourself in Barcelona; so much -that is Moorish that you might fancy yourself in Morocco; so much -that is English, Italian, Greek, Polish, Jewish, African, and Portuguese, -that you might conceive yourself to be in the midst of an -animated Ethnological museum on a large scale, opened at Gibraltar, -regardless of expense.</p> - -<p>The rock of Gibraltar, forming with Abyla in ancient times the -far-famed pillars of Hercules, was captured from the Spaniards by -Sir George Rooke in 1704. During the nine following years the -Spaniards in vain tried to recover it, and in 1713 its possession was -secured to the English by the treaty of the peace of Utrecht. But -treaties are liable to be broken. When the men of the pen have -finished their work the men of the sword may undo it. To hold the -rock of Gibraltar by treaty was one thing, to hold it by strength was -another. The fortifications required for its defence were necessarily -on a gigantic scale, and the men of the pick and the shovel were in -request. When we glance at the subterranean passages cut in the -rock, the huge caverns scooped out of it, the long lines of rampart -making the place impregnable, even though attacked by an enemy -having the command of the sea, we may readily understand how -important was the service rendered by the engineer and labourer. -So important indeed was their work, that it added a new division -to the British army—a division, that wherever our flag waves has -done good service—namely, that of the Engineers.</p> - -<p>Previous to the year 1772 all our great engineering works in -connexion with military operations were mainly executed by -civilians. The works at Gibraltar were entrusted to ordinary -mechanics obtained from England and the Continent. These -operatives were not engaged for any term of years, neither were -they amenable to military discipline; they worked when they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -pleased, they idled when they pleased; they were wholly regardless -of authority; received good wages; and their dismissal was in all -instances more injurious to the Government than it was to the men.</p> - -<p>The hindrance and inconvenience of this system led to the -formation of a corps of <i>military artificers</i>. The idea was suggested -to Lieutenant-Colonel Green by the useful result of the occasional -occupation of soldiers who had learned mechanical trades previous -to enlistment. He thought it possible that a sufficient number of -these men might be banded together for the carrying on of all -necessary engineering works, and that their employment would -lessen the cost while it secured the completion of any engineering -operation, and at the same time, that the men so employed would at -any period be ready to participate in the defence of the place.</p> - -<p>Lieutenant-Colonel Green submitted his suggestion to the Governor -of Gibraltar. The governor approving the plan, it was recommended -to the attention of the Secretary of State, and royal consent was -given to the measure in a warrant dated March 6th, 1772: thus -originated the corps of Royal Sappers and Miners.</p> - -<p>The warrant authorised the raising and forming of a company of -artificers, to consist of a sergeant-major, as adjutant, who was to -receive 3<i>s.</i> a day; three sergeants, each of whom was to receive -1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> a day; three corporals, whose pay was 1<i>s.</i> 2<i>d.</i> a day; and -sixty privates, and one drummer, each of whom was to receive -10<i>d.</i> a day.</p> - -<p>The rank of adjutant attached to that of sergeant-major was not -adopted, but it appears to have been taken by Thomas Bridger, who -so describes himself on his wife’s tombstone at Gibraltar, adding -thereto a touching tribute to her charity, and a sneer at the end—like -the sting in the tail of the serpent—at the parsimony of the -Government.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“A more loving wife or friend sincere</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Never will be buried here;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Charitable she was to all,</div> - <div class="verse indent2"><i>Altho’ her income it was small</i>.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Recruiting for this company was a service of but little difficulty, -as permission was granted to fill it with men from the regiment -then serving in the garrison. The whole of the civil mechanics<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span> -were not discharged from the department on account of this -measure; a few, on the score of their merit, were retained in the -fortress; the foreign artificers were dismissed; most of the English -“contracted artificers” sent home; permission, however, was given -to any “good men” who chose to enlist; but not one availed -himself of the privilege.</p> - -<p>Before the close of the year 1772, the ranks of the company were -almost full, and the system was found to work so well, that on the -recommendation of the lieutenant-governor a fresh warrant was -issued for the increase of the corps, and no sooner was it completed -than the engineers proceeded with great spirit in the execution of -the King’s Bastion. On laying the foundation of this work, -General Boyd, in his speech, desired that the bastion might be as -gallantly defended as he knew it would be ably executed, and that -he might live to see it resist the united efforts of France and Spain. -His desire was fully realised. He not only lived to see what he -wished, but materially to assist in the operations of the siege.<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>In October, 1775, the company of Soldier Artificers was still -further augmented, and consisted of one hundred and sixteen non-commissioned -officers and men.</p> - -<p>Gibraltar, ever since its capture by the English in 1704, had been -a source of jealousy and uneasiness to Spain; as soon as ever an -opportunity offered for the commencement of hostilities, Spain -assumed an aggressive attitude, and in 1779 sat down before the -place at St. Roque with a powerful camp, and sent out a fleet to -cut off supplies. The gallant old General Elliot, and the no less -gallant veteran Boyd, defended the rock nobly, and found their -best help in the Soldier Artificers. The sufferings of the undaunted -garrison were great—the price of mutton or beef being 3<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> a -pound, eggs sixpence each, and mouldy biscuit crumbs 1<i>s.</i> a pound; -but the indomitable energy of the men never slackened; they -laboured night and day, piercing the rock with subterranean passages, -and forming vast receptacles for stores and ammunition in -the solid stone. Failing in their efforts to reduce the garrison by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -famine, the French and Spaniards, after three years’ beleaguering, -began a terrific bombardment. Fire was opened with unexampled -fury, and continued incessantly for days and weeks. The battering -flotilla was warmly received by the “dwellers in the rock.” But -for a long period the battering ships seemed invulnerable. At -length red-hot shot was employed by the garrison, and sheets of -resistless flame burst in all directions from the flotilla: the whole -of the batteries were burnt; the magazines blew up, one after -another; and it was a miracle that the loss of the enemy by -drowning did not exceed the number saved by the merciful efforts -of the garrison.</p> - -<p>The contest was still prolonged: the enemy were bent on reducing -their invincible opponents at all cost. The British were in -no mood to yield; red-hot shot was their grand specific; the -Artificers were instantly employed in erecting kilns in various parts -of the fortress, each kiln capable of heating a hundred shot in an -hour.</p> - -<p>The struggle continued for some time; from one thousand to -two thousand rounds were poured into the garrison in the twenty-four -hours, and this was kept up for months. During the cannonade, -the Artificers under the engineers were constantly engaged -in the diversified works of the fortress, and they began to rebuild -the fortification known as the Orange Bastion, on the sea line, and -in the face of a galling fire completed their work in three months. -The number of the Artificers had been augmented by the arrival of -one hundred and forty-one mechanics, under Lord Howe; but, -even taking this into account, the erection of such a work in solid -masonry, and under such circumstances, is unprecedented in any -siege.</p> - -<p>Failing to obtain the submission of the garrison either by famine -or bombardment, the enemy attempted to mine a cave in the rock, -by which to blow up the north front, and thus make a breach for -their easy entrance into the fortress. The secret was revealed by a -deserter; but very little attention was paid to his statement, until -the discovery of the enemy’s proceedings was made by Sergeant -Thomas Jackson, who, making a perilous descent of the rock by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span> -the help of ropes and ladders, ascertained beyond all doubt the work -in which the Spaniards were engaged. The ratification of peace -put an end to all military operations, and terminated a siege which -extended—with circumstances of unparalleled difficulty and danger—over -a period of four years.</p> - -<p>During the whole of this memorable defence, the Company of -Artificers proved themselves to be good and brave soldiers, and no -less conspicuous for their skill, usefulness, and zeal in the works—works, -as the commander of the hostile forces [Duc de Crillon] -remarked, “worthy of the Romans.”</p> - -<p>At the close of the siege, there were twenty-nine rank and file -wanting to complete the number of Soldier Artificers. The deficiency -was speedily supplied, and the company was never allowed -to sink beneath its established number. A force of more than two -hundred and twenty non-commissioned officers and artificers were -employed in restoring the work which had suffered during the -bombardment; and to expedite the labour, the Soldier Artisans -were excused from all garrison routine, as well as from their own -regimental guard and routine, and freed from all interference likely -to interrupt them in the performance of their working duties. Still, -to impress them with the recollection that their civil employments -and privileges did not make them any the less soldiers, they were -paraded, generally under arms, on Sundays; and to heighten -the effect of their military appearance, wore accoutrements which -had belonged to a disbanded Newfoundland regiment, purchased for -them at the economical outlay of seven shillings a set. Perhaps -no body of men subject to the articles of war were ever permitted -to live and work under a milder surveillance; and it may be added, -that none could have rendered service more in keeping with the -indulgences bestowed.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1786 the company was divided into two, the -chief engineer still continuing in command of both companies. -About the same time, those men who were disqualified in any way -for service were removed from the corps, and the enlistment of -<i>labourers</i>, in addition to skilled hands, was authorized by the -Government. Five batches of recruits were sent to the Rock in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span> -rapid succession. The second party of recruits, comprising fifty-eight -men, twenty-eight women, and twelve children, were destroyed -in a storm off Dunkirk. Only three persons escaped.</p> - -<p>The valuable services rendered by the corps, and the hearty -good-will with which they invariably laboured, led to a still -further extension of their privileges. They were allowed to pass -in and out of garrison on Sundays and holidays without a written -pass, and to wear at pleasure whatever dress suited their inclination. -It was not uncommon, therefore, for the non-commissioned officers -and the respectable portion of the privates to stroll about garrison -or ramble into Spain, dressed in black silk and satin breeches, -white silk stockings, and silver knee or shoe buckles, drab -beaver hats and scarlet jackets, tastefully trimmed with white -kerseymere.</p> - -<p>In 1787 the king’s authority was granted “for establishing a corps -of Royal Military Artificers.” It was to consist of six companies, of -a hundred men each. Officers of the Royal Engineers were appointed -to command the corps; and when required to parade with other -regiments the corps was directed to take post next on the left of the -Royal Artillery. The companies were ordered to serve at Woolwich, -Chatham, Portsmouth, Gosport, Plymouth, and one company was -divided between Jersey and Guernsey. The companies at Gibraltar, -although similarly constituted, remained a distinct and separate -body until their incorporation with the corps in 1797. The -recruiting was carried on by the captains of companies; there was -no standard as to height fixed, but labourers were not enlisted over -twenty-five years of age nor any artificer over thirty, unless he -had been employed in the Ordnance Department and was known -to be an expert workman of good character. The bounty given at -first to each recruit was five guineas, but during time of peace it -was reduced to three. Labourers promoted to the rank of artificers -received a bonus of two guineas, an additional 3<i>d.</i> a day, and were -privileged to wear a gold-laced hat.</p> - -<p>By the operative classes some opposition was offered to the -enrolment of the Royal Artificers, and on more than one occasion a -serious outbreak took place between the civilians and the military;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -the jealousy, however, at last died out, and the old animosity was -forgotten.</p> - -<p>In 1791, a vessel bearing several recruits to Gibraltar encountered -a terrific storm in the Bay of Biscay. The wreck and its -circumstances gave rise to a song called “The Bay of Biscay O!”</p> - -<p>The declaration of war with France, 1793, put an end to the -comfortable and easy life which the Royal Artificers had been leading. -They were, as soldiers, liable to be sent to any part of the -world where the British Government might require their services. -The idea of this liability ever being insisted upon seems to have -been foreign to the minds of the corps. When it was known that -their services would be required in the Low Countries and in the -West Indies, many of them eluded service by providing substitutes, -and some resorted to the very dishonourable alternative of desertion. -Of the finest company sent out to the West Indies, not a -man escaped the ravages of “yellow Jack.” Those who served in -Holland distinguished themselves by their bravery, especially at -the famous siege of Valenciennes. The continuance of the war -rendering it essential that the artizan companies should be kept -in foreign stations, while the necessity for increased vigilance at -home was each day becoming more urgent, led to the extension -of the corps, and four new companies were enrolled—two -to serve in Flanders, one in the West Indies, and one in Upper -Canada.</p> - -<p>The special company destined for service in the West Indies sailed -from Spithead, November, 1793, and arrived at Barbadoes early -in the following year. From thence they proceeded to Martinique, -where their spirited conduct in the field commanded the admiration -of the whole army. The companies which were sent both to -Toulon and Flanders behaved also with much gallantry, proving -that the Royal Artificers were not only skilled workmen but efficient -soldiers.</p> - -<p>In June, 1797, the Soldier Artificers Corps at Gibraltar were -incorporated with the Royal Military Artificers; by this incorporation -the latter corps were increased from 801 to 1075, of all ranks; -but its numerical strength only reached 759 men. Detachments<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -of the corps served with credit under Sir Ralph Abercrombie at -Trinidad, and also in the unsuccessful attack on Porto Rico.</p> - -<p>Among the measures suggested for reducing Porto Rico was one -for taking the town by forcing the troops through the lagoon -bounding the east side of the island. In order to ascertain whether -the lagoon was fordable, David Sinclair, one of the Military Artificers, -picked his way across at dead of night, reached the opposite shore -in safety, and picked his way back again to report. He was -rewarded for this daring act, but the fording of the lagoon presented -so many difficulties as to be given up.</p> - -<p>The memorable mutiny of the Fleet at Spithead was followed -by the rising of some unprincipled men, who by every means -endeavoured to shake the allegiance of the soldiery. The Plymouth -Company of Artificers in an especial manner distinguished itself -by its open and soldier-like activity against these disloyal exertions; -in a printed document, bearing date May, 1797, they avowed at that -momentous crisis their “firm loyalty, attachment, and fidelity to -their most Gracious <i>Sovereign</i> and to their <i>Country</i>.” The declaration -was well timed, and had the desired effect.</p> - -<p>Throughout the war in the Low Countries the Corps of Artificers -rendered eminent service. One of their most important achievements -was that of the total destruction of the Bruges canal.</p> - -<p>About the same time a company of Artificers was sent to Turkey -to operate with the troops of the Sultan against Napoleon, in -Egypt. There also they distinguished themselves alike by their -active service and good conduct. A Turk having attempted to -stab one of the men, was sentenced by the Turkish governor to -death; this punishment, at the earnest entreaty of the commanding -officer, was mitigated, the culprit being sentenced to receive fifty -strokes of the bastinado, to be imprisoned twenty years, and to <i>learn -the Arabic language</i>.</p> - -<p>In the West Indies the Artificers were exposed to worse than -human foe. There the yellow fever decimated their ranks, but the -conduct of the men throughout was both intrepid and humane, and -in the despatches reference is frequently made to their exemplary -conduct. When the mortality was at its height, three privates<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -voluntarily devoted themselves to the burial of the dead, and -worked on with unflinching ardour; surrounded by the pest in -its worst form, inhaling the worst effluvia, never for a moment -forsaking their frightful service, they laboured on inspiriting those -about them by their example, until the necessity for their exertions -no longer existed.</p> - -<p>In 1806 a company of Military Artificers was established at -Malta, and remained a distinct and separate body.</p> - -<p>The necessity for an efficient body of trained artizan soldiers -became, indeed, every day more obvious; and no expedition of any -consequence was undertaken without a body of these men being -included in the forces sent out. In America, in the Indies, East -and West, on Mediterranean service, in the Peninsula, in the Low -Countries, they were alike needed, and rendered excellent service. -At home, also, they were continually employed in erecting new and -strengthening the old fortifications, for it was anticipated that -Bonaparte would visit our shores, and that stone walls as well as -wooden walls would be required for our defence.</p> - -<p>Throughout the Peninsular war the services of the corps were -invaluable; in sap, battery, and trench work, in the making of -fascines and gabions, in repairing broken batteries and damaged -embrasures, in constructing flying bridges over the Guadiana, the -Artificer vied with the regular engineers. Major Pasley, R.E., on -his appointment to the Plymouth station, began regularly to practise -his men in sapping and mining. He was one of those officers who -took pains to improve the military appearance and efficiency of his -men, and to make them useful, either for home or foreign employments. -He is believed to have been the first officer who represented -the advantage of training the corps in the construction of military -field-work. After the failure at Badajoz (1811) the necessity of -this measure was strongly advocated by the war officers. Then it -was recommended to form a corps under the title of Royal Sappers -and Miners, to be composed of six companies, chosen from the Royal -Military Artificers, which, after receiving some instruction in the -art, was to be sent to the Peninsula to aid the troops in their future -siege operations.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span></p> - -<p>In April, 1812, a warrant was issued for the formation of an -establishment for instructing the corps in military field-work. -Chatham was selected as the most suitable place for carrying out -the royal orders, and Major Pasley was appointed director of the -establishment. Uniting great zeal and unwearied perseverance -with good talents and judgment, Major Pasley succeeded in extending -the course of instructions far beyond the limits originally assigned, -and he not only filled the ranks of the corps with good scholars, -good surveyors, and good draughtsmen, but enabled many, after -quitting this service, to occupy, with ability and credit, situations of -considerable importance in civil life.</p> - -<p>At Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, and other places made famous -in the Peninsular war, the Military Artificers won the praise of -Wellington, conducting themselves with the greatest gallantry and -coolness.</p> - -<p>On the 5th of March, 1813, the title of the corps was changed -from that of Royal Military Artificers to that of Royal Sappers and -Miners. A change of equipment was also introduced. In this -respect many irregularities had crept in, the members of the corps -in various parts of the world being variously armed, rather to -suit their own fancy than to meet the exigencies of the work. -Uniformity in the matter was of great importance, and this was -gradually and effectually introduced.</p> - -<p>When Napoleon, escaping from captivity in Elba, re-appeared in -France, and the armies of the allies were again summoned to the -field, at the instance of the Duke of Wellington the whole corps -of Sappers and Miners was sent to Brussels to join his Grace’s -force, and were employed in constructing indispensable field-works, -or improving the fortifications at Ostend, Ghent, Tournay, Oudenarde, -Boom, Antwerp, Lille, Liepkenshock, and Hae. At the -battle of Waterloo the Royal Sappers and Miners were not -engaged, but three companies were brought conveniently near, to -act in the event of their services being needed. After the battle, -all the companies of the corps moved with the army towards Paris, -and rendered valuable service in the construction of pontoon -bridges. After the capitulation the men were encamped in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -vicinity of Paris, until they could be removed to other stations or -sent home. Two companies remained with the army of occupation; -and in the naval victory of Algiers three of the companies worked -at the guns with the seamen of the fleet, and gained equal credit -with the navy and marines for their noble support.</p> - -<p>In the Canadas the Sappers and Miners rendered themselves very -useful, especially in the formation of a new citadel at Quebec; their -efficiency also in pontoon work was universally acknowledged; of -all the soldiers in the army no men more deserved well of their -country—useful as they were alike in time of war and peace. -“Indeed,” says Sir John Jones, “justice requires it to be said, that -these men, whether employed on brilliant martial services or engaged -in the more humble duties of their calling, either under the vertical -sun of the tropics or in the frozen regions of the north, invariably -conducted themselves as good soldiers; and by their bravery, their -industry, or their acquirements, amply repay the trouble and -expense of their formation and instruction.” In taking a bird’s-eye -view of the formation and growth of some of our military -institutions, the Rev. G. R. Gleig thus speaks of the corps: -“Besides the infantry, cavalry, and artillery, of which the army -was composed, and the Corps of Engineers, coeval with the latter -there sprang up during the period of the French Revolution other -descriptions of force which proved eminently useful, each in its own -department, and of the composition of which a few words will -suffice to give an account. First, the Artificers, as they were called, -that is to say, the body of men trained to the exercises of mechanical -arts, such as carpentry, bricklaying, bridge-making, and so forth, -which in all ages seem to have attended on a British army in the -field, became the Royal Sappers and Miners, whose services on -many trying occasions proved eminently useful, and who still -do their duty cheerfully and satisfactorily in every quarter of the -globe. During the late war they were commanded, under the -officers of engineers, by a body of officers who took no higher rank -than that of lieutenant, and consisted entirely of good men, for -whom their merits had earned commissions. Their education, -carried on at Woolwich and Chatham, trained them to act in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -field as guides and directors to all working parties, whether the -business in hand might be the construction of a bridge, the throwing -up of field works, or the conduct of a siege. Whatever the engineer -officers required the troops to do was explained to a party of Sappers, -who, taking each his separate charge, showed the soldiers of the -Line both the sort of work that was required of them and the -best and readiest method of performing it. The regiment of -Sappers was the growth of the latter years of the contest, after the -British army had fairly thrown itself into the great arena of -Continental warfare, and proved so useful, that while men wondered -how an army could ever have been accounted complete without this -appendage, the idea of dispensing with it in any time to come, -seems never to have arisen in the minds of the most economical.”</p> - -<p>In the erection of the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851 the -Sappers and Miners afforded very valuable assistance, and won for -themselves a warm eulogium from the Prince Consort. In the -formation of the Camp at Chobham they were also very useful, and -they were especially complimented for their exertions by Colonel -Vicars and Lord Seaton; but it was during the war with Russia -that they again figured most prominently before the public.</p> - -<p>On the outbreak with Russia a detachment of the Sappers and -Miners was sent out with the Baltic fleet, and a second company -was despatched to the Aland Islands. They played an important -part in the destruction of the forts and the capture of Bomarsund. -Other detachments were sent to Turkey, and did good service at -Gallipoli, Boulair, and Ibridgi, winning the “entire approbation” of -Sir George Brown. At Scutari, Varna, Derno, and Rustchuk they -were still further distinguished. Before Sebastopol, when shot and -shell swept furiously into the trenches, the conduct of the men was -everything that could be desired. “The country,” wrote Lord -Raglan, “was covered with water; the trenches extremely muddy, -their condition adding greatly to the labours of the men employed -in the batteries, chiefly sailors, artillerymen, and sappers. <i>They -conducted their duties admirably.</i>” Everywhere in posts of danger -were the Sappers; here piling up hides and fixing gabions; there -fixing platforms, renewing sleepers, and fastening bolts; here<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -crawling on the earth, more like a gnome than a man, but busy -with pick and shovel, under a shower of rifle bullets; there black -with gunpowder, blasting the rock to widen the trench; there the -bright hammer of the Sapper plies on the newly-reared parapet, -and affords a mark for the enemy; here the horn lantern of the -Sapper gives feeble light to the busy workman, but a sure target to -the foe; everywhere, in battery, trench, and mine, the Sapper is the -centre of each party, toiling at his hazardous avocation through the -long dark night.</p> - -<p>While the French amused their leisure with private theatricals, -getting up an impromptu theatre, the English Sappers built a -church—built it entirely of siege apparatus, the materials so arranged -that they were only in store, ready for use at a moment’s notice: -scaling ladders, gabions, fascines, timbers ready cut and shaped for -gun platforms, a few planks and pieces of rope. Two scaling -ladders locked into each other at the top, formed at certain intervals -the columns which separated the aisles from the body of the church -and bore up the roof. The framework of the outer wall was made -of long upright timbers which leant against the summits of each set -of ladders respectively, and were secured by cords. Across these a -few joist beams were lashed, and the outer wall of gabions in a great -degree rested on these horizontal supports. The roof was made by -the platform timbers laid between the tops of the ladders on each -side, and at right angles to these, fascines were laid in regular rows -until a complete covering—but one admitting of free ventilation—was -formed. There solemn service was often held, and good words -spoken by good and brave men—with the Union Jack for a pulpit -cloth.</p> - -<p>Through the freezing winter and the wasting summer, for 337 -days the Sappers carried on their work before Sebastopol. The -trenches they made were nine miles long; twenty-two batteries -were on the right, and twenty batteries on the left; in the formation -of the works there were no less than 20,000 gabions, 4000 -fascines, 340,000 sand bags, 7413 bread bags, and a hundred -different extemporaneous expedients to give shape and solidity to -the works.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span></p> - -<p>They witnessed the triumphant end of their work; and they -received no small share of honour and reward, for the work they -had done was unsurpassed in ancient or in modern history.</p> - -<p>During the Indian mutiny the services of the Engineers were of -great advantage, and the bravery and determination of the men -both in defence and attack were worthy of the highest commendation. -In India there are, we believe, still employed in the -engineering arm of our service no less than twelve companies of -native Sappers and Miners.</p> - -<p>We are all justly proud of our army, proud of its station among -the armies of Europe; its appearance, discipline, drill; proud of the -history of its achievements</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent8">⸺“of most disastrous chances;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of moving accidents by flood and field;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of hair-breadth ’scapes i’ th’ imminent deadly breach;”—</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">but there is no division of our army of which we should be more -justly proud than of the Sappers and Miners. It toils for us -wherever our flag is unfurled to the winds; it explores unknown -regions; surveys and maps new and old regions; it makes roads -where no roads were, and iron roads in place of common roads; -it blasts rocks; heaves up drowned treasures from the deep; it -serves as the pioneer of civilization abroad, and extends and consolidates -civilization at home; it labours as hard in peace as in -war—labour often unseen and unsuspected, but none the less -worthy of the respect, honour, and admiration due to the brave -sons of a brave people.</p> - -<p>The Engineer corps of officers now consists of about four hundred -of all grades, partly employed in building and repairing our defences, -while the rest are more immediately attached to the Sappers and -Miners, a body of some three or four thousand men, which now -forms a constituent part of the Royal Engineers; indeed, the -Sappers and Miners are now to be regarded as the main body of -this arm of our service.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header5.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE ROYAL WELSH.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div id="illus4" class="ebook-hide"> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/illus4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<div class="ebook-show"> -<img src="images/illus4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">England possesses -many regiments that -have a traditional as well -as an individual existence. -The memory of -deeds of valour wrought -by their predecessors is -transmitted from generation -to generation, and -inspires the young soldier -with the desire of equalling, -if not surpassing, -the heroism of those who -have gone before. His -regiment is the warrior’s -family, and each man -feels, as the inheritor of -a noble fame ought to -feel, that he must do nothing unworthy of the past renown -gained in older days. Thus it happens that there are certain -regiments which may always be counted on in the hour of danger, -and one of these is the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The Prince of -Wales’s plume, with the motto “<i>Ich Dien</i>,” betokens their nationality; -and their claim to the proud words, “<i>Nec aspera terrent</i>,” -which they bear on their colours, has been justified by their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span> -gallant conduct in Egypt, and at Corunna, Martinique, Albuera, -Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthès, -Toulouse, Waterloo, Alma, Inkermann, and Sebastopol. All these -names are emblazoned on their colours, and the successors of the -heroes of the Peninsula and Waterloo proved in the Crimea that -the regiment had not fallen from its high estate of honourable -glory.</p> - -<p>It will be interesting to our readers to glance briefly at the different -engagements in which the Welsh Fusiliers distinguished -themselves about the beginning of this century. They formed -part of the expedition which sailed for Egypt in 1801, under the -command of Sir Ralph Abercrombie, for the purpose of expelling -the French from that country. The authorities at home knew as -little about Egypt and the French forces there as the members of -Lord Aberdeen’s cabinet did about the Crimea and the strength of -the Russian army. Our men had no other guide than an old map, -which proved to be very incorrect, and Sir Sidney Smith, a gallant -sailor but an indifferent geographer, who knew nothing of the -interior of the country. Moreover, it was supposed that the enemy -amounted to only 15,000 men, whereas they really numbered -35,000 veteran troops. The idea of sending 12,000 men, chiefly -young soldiers, to expel such a body of veterans from a country -where they were strongly intrenched, may excite some surprise, -but British soldiers may do anything when properly led. On the -8th of March our men landed with such regularity and order that -every brigade, every regiment, and even every company, drew up -on the exact spot they were intended to occupy. The sea was as -smooth as glass, and the bullets of the enemy fell as thick as hailstones -around the boats, but the landing force advanced and fell -into their places with as much coolness as if they had been dressing -for a review. The Welsh Fusiliers and three other regiments, -including the gallant 42nd, landed in boats on the right, and were -exposed to showers of grape and shell from the enemy’s batteries; -but, nothing daunted, they quietly disembarked, formed in line, -and, without even stopping to load, rushed up the hill to charge the -enemy with the bayonet. Half way up they were met with a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span> -volley from the enemy, but, pushing on, they reached the summit -before they could reload, rushed furiously upon them, and drove -them from their position. The general was proud of this first -success, and thanked his men for having displayed “an intrepidity -scarcely to be paralleled.” On the 13th of March he was about to -attack the right flank of the enemy, who anticipated his design, and -descended from the heights to meet him; after considerable loss -our men had to retire to their former position, where they remained -till the 20th. On the evening of this day Sir Sidney Smith (the -heroic defender of Acre) received a letter from an Arab chief, -apprising him of the enemy’s intention to fall upon the English -with all their forces the following morning, but unfortunately the -commander-in-chief paid no attention to this warning. Next -morning he discovered his mistake; the French commenced the -action by a feigned attack on the British left, but concentrated -their most vigorous efforts against the right, where the Welsh -Fusiliers were stationed. Their superiority in numbers procured -them a temporary success. Our right flank was turned, and the -28th Regiment, who were most exposed to their impetuous attack, -could with difficulty retain their position, though supported by -the 58th and the Welsh Fusiliers, when the 42nd advanced to their -aid, and proved that France’s Invincibles were unworthy of their -name by wrenching</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent6">⸺“the banner from her bravest host,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Baptised Invincible in Austria’s gore.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Notwithstanding their superiority in numbers, the French were -repulsed at every point; the English remained masters of the -field; and this was the first of a series of successes which led to the -evacuation of Egypt and the overthrow of all Napoleon’s hopes of -Eastern conquest.</p> - -<p>In 1809 we find the Welsh Fusiliers at Corunna, in Spain. It -would be foreign to our purpose to relate the events which preceded -that battle; suffice it to say, that Sir John Moore, after a -series of brilliant encounters with the enemy, was obliged to retreat. -The Spaniards afforded no assistance to the retreating army, which -was reduced to the greatest privations; officers and men suffered<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span> -alike from hunger and fatigue; it was not unusual for the soldiers -to point to some young aristocrat marching at the head of his -company without shoes or stockings, and to say, with grim humour, -“There goes ten thousand a year.” On this, as almost every -occasion, the officers bore up better than the men, so great is the -influence which the mind has over the body. On reaching Corunna, -where they were about to embark for England, our men were -attacked by the French. Sir John Moore was prepared to receive -them; the sick, the cavalry, and part of the artillery were already -embarked; the remaining part of his forces were drawn up to meet -the attack of the enemy. The Welsh Fusiliers formed part of -General Fraser’s division, which was stationed in the rear at a -short distance from Corunna. The enemy charged again and -again, but our men not only kept their ground and remained -unbroken, but actually forced them to retire at the point of the -bayonet. The battle began at mid-day, and at five o’clock in the -afternoon the enemy were foiled at every point, and our army -occupied a more advanced position than at first. The loss of the -British was 800 killed and wounded, including their gallant leader, -who was struck to the ground by a cannon-ball, and died in the -hour of victory. His death has been commemorated in lines -familiar to all our readers, and it is satisfactory to know that Soult, -instead of insulting his ashes, caused a monument to be erected to -his memory. It is by such generous acts that nations prove their -manhood amid the fierce passions evoked by war.</p> - -<p>The Welsh Fusiliers also took part in the reduction of Martinique, -one of the French West Indian islands, which was compelled to -surrender after a gallant resistance. In those stirring times a -regiment seldom remained long in one place, and in 1812 we find -them in Spain, where they were present at the battle of Albuera -and the siege of Badajoz, which was defended by the French with -obstinate valour. Many of our men perished in the breaches, and -every species of missile was hurled upon them as they attempted -to scale the walls. “Never, probably, since the invention of gunpowder,” -says Colonel Jones, “were men more exposed to its action -than those assembled to assault the breaches.” For two hours,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span> -shells, hand-grenades, and bags of gunpowder were hurled upon -our men as they crowded into the ditch; when they rushed up the -breach their passage was arrested by ponderous beams bristling -with sword-blades, and loose planks studded with sharp iron points, -which tilted up the moment they were trodden on, and precipitated -the assailants into the ditch below. Again and again our men -rushed against the glittering sword-blades and were shot down by -the enemy from the walls above; the rear pressed on, and tried to -make a bridge of the writhing bodies of their slaughtered comrades. -About midnight 2000 men had fallen, and Wellington was about -to give orders to retire, when he received notice that Picton had -taken the castle by escalade. “Then the place is ours,” he exultingly -exclaimed, and sent word to Picton to retain the castle at all -hazards. The attack was continued, and next morning Philippon, -the French general, surrendered to Lord Fitzroy Somerset, better -known to this generation as Lord Raglan. We must draw the veil -of sorrow over the fearful scenes which were enacted by an -infuriated soldiery when the devoted city fell into their hands; -for three days all discipline was at an end, and the tumult only -subsided when the rioters were exhausted with their excesses. -We cannot give the exact loss of the Welsh Fusiliers, but, in -common with all the other British regiments engaged in this siege, -they suffered severely.</p> - -<p>The next memorable event in the Peninsular War was the battle -of Salamanca, which was fought on the 22nd of July, 1812. On -the 16th of June, Wellington overtook the French near the right -bank of the Tormes, the enemy retreating across the river. For -several days both armies remained encamped on the opposite banks -without molesting one another, and the most friendly intercourse -sprang up between them. They were in the habit of conversing -together and exchanging provisions, as if they had been on the best -of terms. When the warfare was resumed, the French officers -said, on parting, “We have met and been for some time friends; -we are about to separate and may meet as enemies; as friends we -have received each other warmly; as enemies we shall do the -same.” Warm indeed was the reception which they gave to one<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span> -another on the blood-stained field of Salamanca. At first the -French had the advantage, but an unguarded movement on the -part of Marmont, their general, having caught the eagle eye of -Wellington, he joyfully exclaimed, “At last I have them,” and gave -orders for a general charge. The French, remembering their former -promise, presented a bold front to their assailants, who, pouring a -destructive volley into the opposing columns, rushed upon them -with the bayonet. Such was the impetus of the English attack -that the close phalanx bent before it, swayed backward and forward -like a ship struck upon a heavy sea, then broke and scattered over -the plain. The French were completely routed, with the loss of -14,000 men. The victors behaved with great humanity to the -vanquished; many of the fugitives, pursued by the cavalry, fled to -the British lines for protection, which was readily granted. The -infantry covered their retreat, and protected them from the sabres -of the horsemen; once within their lines, they were safe from -injury and insult; not a single man was bayoneted, plundered, or -molested. It is pleasing to record such instances of humanity; it -shows that the exchange of hospitalities on the banks of the -Tonnes was not forgotten in the hour of battle. The Royal -Welsh and the other British regiments engaged in this battle -were permitted to inscribe Salamanca on their colours in memory -of their victory.</p> - -<p>The next year, on the 20th of June, the 23rd saw the Peninsular -campaign brought to a close by the battle of Vittoria. The French -were commanded by Jourdan, and the English by Wellington. -Our troops were completely victorious, and the expulsion of the -French from Spain was one of the fruits of their victory. The -French fought resolutely till Picton gave the word to charge, when -our men bore down all opposition before them, and spread death -and consternation through the ranks of the enemy, who fled with -such precipitancy that they left all their artillery and baggage -behind. Joseph Bonaparte, placed by his brother Napoleon on the -throne of Spain, was present at the battle; he only escaped by -leaving his carriage and mounting a swift horse. The royal calash -fell into the hands of the 10th Hussars, who found in it all the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -portable valuables of his regalia. The whole of his equipage and -treasures fell into the hands of the British. The booty was -enormous; it comprised all that could minister to the appetites or -pleasures of a sensual monarch. The most delicate wines and the -rarest luxuries fell into the hands of our soldiers, who exchanged -many a joke at the expense of the luxurious monarch as they -regaled themselves with them; poodles, parrots, and monkeys were -among the captives of war. Grim old Peninsulars amused themselves -after the battle in getting up a sort of masquerade, in which -they appeared in the uniforms of French generals, or displayed the -most recent inventions of the Parisian mode on their somewhat -ungainly persons, and Wellington allowed them to indulge their -grotesque humour. And when it was reported to him that some of -them had seized the French military chest and were loading themselves -with money, “Let them have it,” he said; “they deserve it, -though it were ten times more.” Among the other spoil was the -bâton of Marshal Jourdan, which Wellington sent with his despatches -to the Prince Regent: soon after this he received the bâton of an -English field-marshal along with a very handsome letter. “The -British army,” said the prince, “will hail it with enthusiasm, while -the whole universe will acknowledge those valorous efforts which -have so imperiously called for it.” While this victory made Wellington -a field-marshal, it procured for the Welsh Fusiliers the -honour of adding Vittoria to the other glorious names inscribed on -their colours.</p> - -<p>The battle of Vittoria was attended with the most important -results. The scattered remains of the French army were driven -through the rugged passes of the Pyrenees, and the British army -advanced rapidly in the direction of France. The enemy sometimes -endeavoured to rally in their retreat, but were successfully driven -from the positions they occupied by the impetuosity of the Welshmen -and Highlanders, whose early training specially fitted them to -excel in this mountain warfare. The constant success of the British -army led many to expect that France would yield, and allow -Wellington to cross the frontier without further resistance; but -Napoleon, elated with his recent successes in Germany, appointed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -Soult to the command of the army of the Pyrenees, and that able -general displayed such vigour and skill that there was some danger -at first of the British losing all the fruits of the great victory of the -20th of June. On the 25th of July, 15,000 French troops attacked -the British, about 3000 in number, at the pass of Maya, and for -ten hours our men maintained the conflict, notwithstanding their -inferiority in numbers. When their ammunition was exhausted -they hurled stones at their assailants, who were arrested by the -mass of dead and dying by which the pass was blocked, and -were at length repulsed by the aid of some reinforcements. The -pass of Maya will long be remembered in the annals of the British -army; our soldiers fought as bravely there as the Greeks did at -Thermopylæ.</p> - -<p>We must omit the other stirring events of the Pyrenees, in all of -which the Royal Welsh acted a distinguished part, and enjoyed -many advantages over others unaccustomed to a mountainous -country. They had many extraordinary adventures, being sometimes -enveloped in the mists that shrouded the summits of the -mountains, and brought into fierce collision with the enemy, who -were ignorant of their approach. After the two battles of Lauroren, -the tide of success turned against Soult, who was almost taken -prisoner at St. Estenau. Such were the skilful arrangements of -the English general here, that the French army would have had to -surrender had not three marauding British soldiers crossed the -ridge which concealed their comrades, and thus warned the enemy -of their danger. On such small causes do great events hinge! The -cupidity of three Englishmen saved the whole French army. On -the 1st of August Soult abandoned the Spanish territory, with the -loss of 15,000 men; and on the 7th of September Wellington planted -the victorious standard of Britain on the soil of France. Seven -thousand of the allies were buried among the mountain passes of -the Pyrenees, and the different regiments engaged were allowed -to preserve the remembrance of this campaign on their colours.</p> - -<p>The Royal Welsh next appear at the battle of the Nivelle, where -the French, after obstinate resistance, were driven back, and the -allies, profiting by this success, crossed the river, and established<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span> -themselves between it and the sea. A succession of heavy rains -rendered all movements impracticable for a time, and Soult did all -he could to strengthen his position. Frost having set in, Wellington -moved his forces on the 14th of February, 1814, and, in the course -of sixteen days, constructed a bridge across the Adour, passed five -large and several small rivers, traversed eighty miles of ground, -drove the enemy from their strongest positions, was successful in -one great battle and two combats, took many prisoners, and forced -Soult to evacuate Bayonne. We can only enumerate his successes, -and refer our readers to the history of those times for minuter -details. The great battle was fought at Orthès on the 27th of -February. At first, victory seemed to declare in favour of the -French, but the English general bided his time with imperturbable -calmness till a movement of the enemy placed them in his power. -Every point was carried; the French retired at first in an orderly -manner, till their left wing was attacked, when they were thrown into -confusion, and ran off at full speed. The English pursued them for -three miles till they reached Sault de Navailles, where scarcely any -remains of Soult’s army were to be seen. The loss of the enemy -was estimated at 8000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners, -while that of the allies did not exceed 1600. Here, as usual, the -Welsh Fusiliers were foremost in the fray, and their bravery was -rewarded by the addition of Nivelle and Orthès to the other historic -names on their colours.</p> - -<p>Then followed the bloody and needless battle of Toulouse. We -need not here stop to inquire who was the cause of that fearful -carnage, or to refute the foolish assertion that the French gained a -victory. Such a statement is inconsistent with the fact that Soult -had to abandon Toulouse and all his lines of defence, while Wellington -attained the object he had in view. It is said that Soult -knew before the battle that Napoleon had abdicated, and that his -only motive for fighting was a desire to retrieve his fame as a -general; but we think no brave man—and Soult was brave—would -sacrifice the lives of thousands for so unworthy a motive. -After a furious contest the enemy were driven from the heights; -again and again they returned to the attack with a gallantry which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span> -nothing but British valour could resist. At length they desisted -from the attempt, and the field of battle remained in possession of -the allies. That same evening Soult evacuated the city, and the -following morning the allies took possession of it. In the course of -the day they received official notice that Napoleon had abdicated. -Then our soldiers began to think of home and all its endearments; -they had done enough for fame, and a grateful country was waiting -to welcome them to their native shores. The soft peace march, -“Home, brothers, home,” must have sounded sweetly in the ears -of the Royal Welsh and the other veterans, who, under the command -of their able leader, had liberated two kingdoms, fought -eight pitched battles against the bravest soldiers and most skilful -generals of France, reduced many fortresses by assault, and at -length established themselves in the two principal cities in the -South of France. Britain had issued from all her trials the most -triumphant nation in the world, and had welcomed back with -acclamation the wearied soldiers who had done so much to sustain -her honour. Such men had a right to rest on their laurels. Their -rest was brief. The caged eagle escaped from Elba. The veterans -of the Peninsula had to buckle on their armour again. The Royal -Welsh took part in that brief but glorious campaign which was -brought to a close at Waterloo. Then for a period of forty years -they had no opportunity of displaying their courage. Now followed -the Crimean war, and deeds equalling “Greek and Roman fame,” -which earned for some of them the proud distinction of the Victoria -Cross.</p> - -<p>The gallant Welshmen gained their first Victoria Cross at the -battle of the Alma. Russell’s picturesque letters and Kinglake’s -bewitching pages have rendered many readers familiar with the -chief incidents of that engagement; and it is here unnecessary for -us to dwell upon them, for in future pages we shall relate the -circumstances under which Colonel (then Captain) Bell gained at -that first Crimean fight the honourable distinction of the reward -“For Valour.”</p> - -<p>But the roll of brave men in the Royal Welsh is not exhausted -by the mention of a single name. We are about to narrate the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -incident which forms the subject of the accompanying engraving, -copied with no mean fidelity from that admirable collection of Mr. -Desanges lately, in the Crystal Palace, known as the Victoria Cross -Gallery. The incident here depicted occurred at the storming of -the Redan on the 8th of September, 1855. Two hundred men of -the Royal Welsh took part in that attack, and their loss in killed -and wounded was very great. After the men of the 23rd had -retired, it was found that Lieutenant and Adjutant Dyneley, an -excellent young officer and a general favourite, was missing. It -was reported that he had been struck down in the heat of the -engagement, and some of the men described the spot where they -had seen him fall. They would gladly have assisted him if they -could have done so, but soldiers, while engaged, are expressly forbidden -to leave their ranks for the purpose of carrying the wounded -off the field.</p> - -<p>The Highlanders, when first raised, were constantly in the habit -of doing this; they could not stand by and see the sons of their -chiefs dying on the field of battle without attempting to assist them. -No man knew their character or habits better than the late Lord -Clyde, and it was in allusion to this practice that he spoke these -simple words while his men were still in column at the Alma with -the enemy in front:—“Now, men, you are going into action. -Remember this: whoever is wounded—I don’t care what his rank -is—whoever is wounded must lie where he falls till the bandsmen -come to attend to him. No soldiers must go carrying off wounded -men. If any soldier does such a thing, his name shall be stuck up -in his parish church.”<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> The perfection of discipline is to make -every unit in a regiment or an army act in unison with the whole -like a piece of machinery, and it is evident that if every soldier -were to follow out his own will the result would be inextricable -confusion. It is hard for a man to see officer or comrade struck -down by his side on the field of battle without being allowed to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span> -assist him; but on such an occasion he has no choice—the pleadings -of humanity must yield to the voice of duty; he may turn aside -his head in sorrow, but he must still advance. It was so with the -Royal Welsh as they advanced against the Redan; they saw their -gallant young adjutant fall, but there was the dark parapet in front, -and their first duty was to gain that. And when our men were -hurled from the ramparts into the ditch, where they were slaughtered -without being able to offer any resistance, it was only natural that -all their thoughts should be concentrated on themselves, and that -the fate of young Dyneley should be forgotten. But it was different -when the attack was over: there was a general feeling of regret for -one whom all had loved. While they were lamenting his fate, it -occurred to some of the officers that he might not yet be dead, and, -while they were deliberating what should be done, Corporal Robert -Shields volunteered to go out to the front from the fifth parallel and -bring the body in. It was a daring act of courage, all the more -deserving of admiration that it was dictated solely by a feeling of -humanity without any expectation of reward. The difference of -rank does not always prevent friendships from springing up between -officers and men, and young Dyneley had found the way to -the hearts of all who knew him. Corporal Shields was not blind -to the danger he incurred; he knew that he carried his life, as it -were, in his hand, but he was prepared to risk everything to save -his officer. In the Homeric age it would have been said that some -invisible goddess watched over him and turned aside every hostile -blow. He groped his way over the field, covered with the slain, -till he reached the spot where poor Dyneley lay. Our engraving -represents the discovery of the body. The poor lieutenant is lying -on his back, still alive, but with the tide of life ebbing fast away; -the corporal, with sorrow and sympathy depicted in every feature -of his manly, bearded face, is bending over him, with one hand -outstretched and the other grasping his rifle. He would willingly -have raised the boyish figure in his arms and borne him back to -his comrades, but it was too late; all that he could do was to hurry -back in search of medical assistance. He passed through a heavy -fire of musketry unhurt, and reached the trenches, where he found<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span> -Dr. Sylvester, the assistant-surgeon of the regiment, who at once -consented to return to the spot where Dyneley lay. He was still -alive, but human skill could avail him nothing; all that the tenderest -friendship could do was done by Sylvester, who dressed his -wounds and supported him with stimulants. Shields returned to -the trenches and persuaded some of his comrades to accompany him -and to assist in carrying off the body of the dying adjutant. The -Emperor of the French, on hearing of this heroic action, conferred -on Corporal Shields the Cross of the Legion of Honour, and our -Queen bestowed on him the Cross which bears her own name. No -one will grudge it to him or to Dr. Sylvester. Mere bravery may -often border on bloodthirstiness; but valour combined with humanity -is the most godlike of all virtues. Such a man as Corporal -Shields is an honour to the British army, and he deserves to -receive honourable mention amongst the most fearless of England’s -soldiery.</p> - -<p>An officer who is just, kind, and considerate will never find his -men ungrateful. Instances are on record where soldiers have laid -down their own lives to save those of officers they loved, and have -thus sealed their affection with their blood. On one occasion, -when Lord Cornwallis was giving orders to charge the French in -Canada, a Highland soldier rushed forward and placed himself in -front of his officer, who asked him what he meant. “You know,” -said the Highlander, “that when I enlisted to be a soldier, I promised -to be faithful to the king and to you. The French are -coming, and while I stand here neither bullet nor bayonet shall -touch you, except through my body.” It was with difficulty that -he could be persuaded to resume his place in the ranks. An -equally striking proof of faithful attachment was exhibited at the -siege of Bergen-op-Zoom by the servant of an officer of the name -of Fraser. The latter had directed his servant to remain in the -garrison while he conducted his men to attack a battery belonging -to the enemy. The night was pitch dark, and the party had such -difficulty in proceeding that they were obliged to halt for a time. -As they moved forward, Captain Fraser felt his path impeded, and -putting down his hand, seized hold of a plaid, the wearer of which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -was grovelling at his feet. Imagining that it was one of his own -men trying to escape, he drew his dirk and tightened his grasp, -when he heard the voice of his servant imploring for mercy. -“Why, what brought you here?” “It was just my love for you,” -said poor Donald. “But why encumber yourself with a plaid?” -“Alas! how could I ever show my face to my mother,” she was -Fraser’s foster-mother, “had you been killed or wounded, and I -not there to carry you to the surgeon or to Christian burial? -And how could I do either without a plaid to wrap you in?”</p> - -<p>Our soldiers have not degenerated, and there are still in the -ranks of the British army men who want only an opportunity to -show the same courage which has already entitled their comrades -to wear Victoria’s Cross.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 375px;" id="illus5"> -<img src="images/illus5.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.<br /> -<span class="smaller">OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-ornate-a.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">About a century ago the Highlanders were -regarded as little better than a race of savages. -Their dress, their language, and their manners -were the subject of ridicule among their -Southern neighbours, and their well-known -attachment to the house of Stuart excited the -suspicion and the distrust of the government of -the day. “When the English thought of the -Highlander at all,” says Macaulay—“and it was seldom that they -did so—they considered him as a filthy, abject savage, a slave, a -papist, a cut-throat, and a thief.” The great historian then proceeds -to show that this estimate bordered very closely on the truth, -and that the Highlanders were little better than they were represented -to be. He seems to feel a cruel pleasure in exposing the -weaknesses of those whose blood flowed in his own veins, and he, -doubtless, meant to display in his picture of Highland manners a -proof of his own impartiality. He gives implicit credence to all -that he finds in “Burt’s Letters,” without reflecting that the author, -from his very position, must have felt and written like a partisan. -Burt was an officer of Engineers employed under General Wade in -constructing those roads which opened up the Highlands to the -advance of the English forces. He remained in the North from -1726 to 1737, and amused his friends in the South with those -letters, in which he professed to describe the manners of the alien -race among whom he was placed. There is no reason to believe<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span> -that he was wilfully untruthful, but the work in which he was -engaged rendered him hateful to the Highlanders, and he hated -them cordially in return. He was probably unconscious of this -feeling himself, but it is perceptible in almost every line he wrote. -Johnson carried with him to the Highlands all the prejudices of his -countrymen, and a good many others peculiar to himself; but his -rugged nature was softened by the hospitality he everywhere met -with, and he occasionally gives forth a grunt of approval. The -reaction produced by the publication of his “Tour to the Hebrides” -was increased by the appearance of the poems and novels of Scott, -which created a sort of <i>furore</i> in favour of everything Highland, -and rendered the land of the mountain and the flood almost classical. -Royalty itself condescended to listen to the songs which it would -once have been treason to sing aloud; the garb of old Gaul was -assumed by many who had no right to wear it; the tartan became a -favourite article of dress with both sexes; every nook and corner -of the North was explored; the land of Ossian became the land of -romance, and its inhabitants were invested with every possible -virtue.</p> - -<p>The gallant deeds of the Highland regiments in every quarter of -the globe added to the general enthusiasm for Caledonians. It was -long, indeed, before the English government would believe that -they could be trusted. To have armed the Highlanders about the -beginning of the last century, would have been deemed as much an -act of insanity as to arm at the present hour the New Zealand -Maoris. Scottish men were known to be under the control of their -chiefs, and their chiefs, almost to a man, were devoted to the -Pretender. No wonder, then, that the government hesitated before -accepting their services; it was not till 1730—only one hundred -and thirty years ago—that the first experiment was made. Six -companies of Highlanders were then raised, each company being -independent of the other. They were known as the <i>Il Reicudan -Dhu</i>, or Black Watch, to distinguish them from the <i>Seideran -Dearag</i>, or Red Soldiers. They derived their names from the -colour of their clothes; the regular soldiers wore scarlet, as they -do now, while the Highland companies retained their sombre<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -tartan. There was no lack of men: gentlemen of good family were -proud to serve as privates under their native officers; for the whole -country had been disarmed, and this indignity was deeply felt by a -race who, even in times of peace, never went forth without dirk -or claymore. The cadets of good families were proud to serve, if -only in the ranks, because they were thus entitled to bear arms; -and to carry a weapon was regarded as a proof that the bearer was -a gentleman. The pay privates received was small to a degree, yet -poverty was so universal that the pittance they took from government -was not to be despised. They were stationed in small parties -over the country, and seem to have discharged the same duties as -are intrusted to the rural police at the present day. In 1739 four -additional companies were raised, and the whole were formed into -a regiment of the line. Such was the origin of the first Highland -regiment in the service—the gallant 42nd, still known as the Black -Watch.</p> - -<p>It would be foreign to our purpose to trace the origin and history -of all the Highland regiments. That task has already been ably -performed by General Stewart, of Garth, who served for many -years in the 78th Highlanders, and was appointed governor of the -island of Tobago, in the West Indies, where he died. It is somewhat -singular that Macaulay appears to have been ignorant of this -work, which contains far more valuable information regarding the -Highlands than is to be found in “Burt’s Letters.” General -Stewart’s book is now almost forgotten; it is rarely to be met with, -save in the libraries of country gentlemen in the North, whose forefathers -figure in its pages. But it deserves a better fate. No -writer has ever possessed a keener insight into the manners and -customs of the warlike race whom he was proud to hail as his -countrymen, or has described them in peace and in war with a -more graphic pen. By birth a Highlander, by profession a soldier, -he mingled freely with his clansmen, spoke their language, and had -ample opportunities of witnessing their courage in every quarter of -the globe. His “Military Annals” read like a romance; they have -all the charm of novelty, because they present us with a picture of -manners and feelings that have now died out.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“The simple system of primeval life—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Simple but stately—hath been broken down;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The clans are scattered, and the chieftain power</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Is dead.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>It may be said with equal truth that our Highland regiments are -dead; they live only in name. We have regiments composed -chiefly of Scotchmen, but there are few Highland soldiers of pure -Celtic origin. The Highlands must have been far more populous -than they now are, or they never could have raised eighty-six -regiments, including local corps, in the course of the four wars in -which this country was engaged after 1740. Most of these regiments -were formed between 1778 and 1809, and altogether they -must have included in their ranks, from first to last, as many as -70,000 or 80,000 men. Some of them were raised before the -American rebellion, and Lord Chatham takes credit to himself for -having been the first to recognise their invaluable qualities in war.—“I -sought for merit wherever it was to be found. It is my boast -that I was the first minister who looked for it and found it in the -mountains of the North. I called it forth, and drew into your -service a hardy and intrepid race of men, who, when left by your -jealousy, became a prey to the artifice of your enemies, and had -gone nigh to have overturned the state in the war before the last. -These men in the last war were brought to combat on your side; -they served with fidelity, and they fought with valour, and conquered -for you in every part of the world.”</p> - -<p>There is no exaggeration in this, and the minister is entitled to -all the credit he claims. He knew that a race so warlike and -restless would prove a source of constant danger, unless those -qualities were turned to some profitable account, and it was a wise -and liberal policy to employ them in defence of that throne which -they had recently almost overturned. The old feeling of clanship was -retained; the chiefs and their kinsmen received commissions, and -their clansmen were proud to rally around them. Every gentleman -of good birth who could raise a hundred men was appointed captain; -those who could bring only twenty or thirty ranked as subalterns. -Sometimes a little pressure was used by the chiefs, but generally<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -the men were ready to serve. The regiments thus raised were -composed almost exclusively of Highlanders. Gaelic was spoken -alike by officers and men, and chaplains familiar with the mountain -tongue were appointed to every regiment. Gentlemen who could -not obtain commissions at once were content to serve in the ranks -till vacancies occurred. Two men of gentle birth, privates in the -Black Watch, were presented to George II. in 1743. “They performed,” -says the <i>Westminster Journal</i>, “the broadsword exercise, -and that of the Lochaber axe or lance, before his Majesty, the Duke -of Cumberland, Marshal Wade, and a number of general officers -assembled for the purpose in the great gallery of St. James’s. -They displayed so much dexterity and skill in the management of -their weapons as to give perfect satisfaction to his Majesty. Each -got a gratuity of one guinea, which they gave to the porter at the -palace gate as they went out,” and this, not that they were dissatisfied -with the gift, or that their purses were over-well plenished, but -they could not have accepted money without forfeiting their own -respect and their position as gentlemen.</p> - -<p>Now it did sometimes happen that men not of the Highland race -were smuggled into these Highland regiments. For example, two -gentlemen, anxious to obtain commissions in the Black Watch, and -unable to find the requisite number of men among their own countrymen, -enlisted eighteen Irishmen at Glasgow. Some of them were -O’Donnels, O’Lachlans, and O’Briens, and as such would have been -at once rejected by Lord John Murray, the colonel, who would -accept none but Highland recruits. The two ingenious gentlemen -got over the difficulty by changing Patrick O’Donnel, O’Lachlan, -and O’Brien into Donald Macdonnel, Maclachlan, and Macbriar, -under which names they were enrolled in the regiment without any -suspicion of their nationality. The Lowland Scotch seldom thought -of entering these regiments. When the battle of Fontenoy was -fought, there was not a soldier in the Black Watch born south of -the Grampians, and only two of the Milesian Highlanders were -alive. So high was the reputation of the regiment that it could -always obtain more Highland recruits than were required. The -bounty was a guinea and a crown; but not gold attracted the young<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span> -mountaineers: they were led to enlist by the thirst of glory and the -honour of belonging to a regiment which had already covered itself -with fame on many a hard-fought field. So late as 1776, when the -Black Watch embarked for service in America, it still retained its -strictly national character: all the officers but two were Highlanders, -while among the privates we find 931 Highlanders, 74 Lowland -Scotch, 5 Englishmen (in the band), 1 Welshman, and 2 Irishmen. -This distinctive formation held till 1779, when an attempt was made -to destroy the exclusively Highland character of the regiment by -drafting into it a body of 150 recruits, the sweepings of the gaols of -London and Dublin. The 42nd had hitherto borne a high reputation; -the conduct of the men had been exemplary; corporal -punishment almost unknown. The commanding officer remonstrated -against the admission of these recruits, of whom 16 died -during the voyage to America, and 75 others found their way to -hospital on landing. The government yielded to his remonstrances: -the recruits were drafted into the 26th Regiment in exchange for -the same number of Scotchmen. The introduction of the representatives -of Richard Cameron into the Black Watch was attended -with the worst consequences: flogging and like punishments became -more frequent; and the men, accustomed to these degrading -spectacles, lost that fine sense of honour which had hitherto -distinguished them.</p> - -<p>When, in 1793, the 78th Regiment was raised, we find that the -strength of the corps was 1113 men, of whom 970 were Highlanders, -129 Lowland Scotch, and 14 English and Irish. Several of the -officers belonged to Lowland families, and brought a certain number -of their retainers with them: the Englishmen probably belonged to -the band, as in the case of the 42nd. In 1805 the proportion of -men in the regiment, which was now stationed in India, was pretty -much the same: it contained 835 Highlanders, 184 Lowlanders, -8 English, and 9 Irish. The Highlanders must have been taller -then than they are now. After the tallest men were selected for -the Grenadier company, there still remained a hundred considerably -above the standard of height in light infantry regiments.</p> - -<p>The Celtic element predominated equally in the 93rd, or Sutherland<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -Highlanders, which was raised in 1800, and consisted of -631 Highlanders, 460 of whom belonged to the county of Sutherland. -Eleven years later the numerical strength of the regiment -was 1049: with the exception of 17 Irish and 18 English, all of -these men belonged to Scotland.</p> - -<p>The 92nd, or Gordon Highlanders, was raised in 1794 by the last -Duke of Gordon, then Marquis of Huntly, and by his mother, the -beautiful and witty Duchess Jane. The duchess used to frequent -the country fairs, and when she saw a likely youth she would try -every persuasion to induce him to enlist. When all other arguments -failed, she would place a guinea between her lips, and no -young Highlander, however pacific, could refuse the bounty thus -proffered. One kiss of that beautiful mouth was worth dying for.</p> - -<p>Three-fourths of Duchess Jane’s regiment were Highlanders; all -the rest were Lowlanders, except 35 Irishmen, whom one of the -officers was obliged to accept, <i>faute de mieux</i>, to make up his complement. -In 1825 the numbers were 716 Scots, 51 English, and -111 Irish; in 1857, 1043 Scots, 7 English, and 40 Irish.</p> - -<p>The only other regiment which retains the garb of old Gaul is -the 79th, or Cameron Highlanders, raised in 1793 by Allan -Cameron, of Errach, in the northern counties. About four-fifths -of the men were Highlanders; the rest were English or Irish. In -1857 the regiment consisted of 895 Scots, 37 English, and 39 Irish.</p> - -<p>The 71st, 72nd, and the 74th are also ranked as Highland -regiments, and recruit chiefly in the North; but for many years -they have substituted the trews for the kilt, and are composed -chiefly of Lowland Scotch. The same may be said of the regiments -that retain the kilt; most of the men are Lowland Scotch, natives -chiefly of the large manufacturing towns. The Highlands at -present scarcely supply sufficient recruits to keep up the strength -of two regiments; whereas we find that during the first forty years -of this century the Isle of Skye, only 45 miles long and 15 broad, -gave us 21 lieutenant and major-generals, 45 lieutenant-colonels, -600 majors, captains, and subalterns, 10,000 privates, and 120 pipers. -The recruiting parties stationed in that island meet now with indifferent -success; but it is the same everywhere in the Highlands.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-3.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Bounty offered to the Highlanders by Jane, Duchess of Gordon.</p> -</div> - -<p>Many of the men in these old Highland regiments bore the same<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -name. We find, for example, in one regiment of 800 men no less -than 700 who have the word Mac prefixed to their names. In -another we find no less than nine John Roses; and as for Donald -Macdonalds, their name was legion. The drill-sergeant showed his -ingenuity in distinguishing the bearers of the same cognomen by -jocular allusions to their personal appearance, which must occasionally -have been not altogether gratifying to the nick-named. In -the same company there would be Donald Macdonald with the red -hair, Donald with the big feet, Donald with the long legs, Donald of -Skye, Donald of Harris, and so forth. When all other means of -distinguishing his recruits failed him, the drill-sergeant had recourse -to figures, and ranked them as Donald Macdonald No. 1, No. 2, -No. 3. No wonder he occasionally got confused amongst so many -Donalds, and lost his temper.</p> - -<p>About the close of the last century the citizens of Edinburgh -found much amusement in listening to the calling of the muster-rolls -of one of the newly-raised Highland regiments stationed there, and -studying the ingenuity of the sergeants in distinguishing the countless -Macs and Donalds in their different companies. The ludicrous -effect of such scenes was enhanced by the guttural accent and -imperfect English of the speakers, who, if we may judge by the -following specimen, seem occasionally to have had peculiar ideas of -military duty:—</p> - -<p>“Tonald Mactonald No. 5,” cried the sergeant, going over the -muster-roll of his company.</p> - -<p>“Here!” cried a voice so shrill and abrupt that it excited a -general titter in the ranks, and the unbounded indignation of the -sergeant.</p> - -<p>“Here, ye tamm’d rogue! Is that the way she speaks to a -shentleman? But we a’ ken Tonald’s a liar, sae pit her down absent, -and tak’ her to the guard-room.”</p> - -<p>“Tonald Mactonald No. 6,” continued the sergeant.</p> - -<p>There was no answer. The sergeant broke forth into a sort of -soliloquy—</p> - -<p>“Tonald Mactonald No. 6; that’s my sister’s son frae Achallatus. -Ay, ay, Tonald; she was aye a modest lad, that never spak’ till she -was spoken to, so we’ll put her down present.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span></p> - -<p>And thus the sergeant went over the whole roll, accompanying -each name with some remark which showed the estimation in which -he held the bearer.</p> - -<p>The soldiers of all these regiments wore the scarlet jacket and -waistcoat, with a tartan plaid, the lower part of which was wrapped -round the body, and the upper thrown loosely over the left shoulder. -The plaid served a double purpose: it guarded the soldier’s shoulders -and firelock from rain by day, and was used as a blanket by night. -It was attached to his middle by a belt, from which his pistol and -dirk, or small dagger, were suspended. On his head was worn the -blue bonnet with a border of tartan as at the present day, and a -small tuft of feathers or a piece of bearskin; the kilt was of different -colours to distinguish the regiments. The arms were supplied by -government, and consisted of a musket, a bayonet, and a large -basket-hilted broadsword. In 1769 some alteration was made in -the dress of the 42nd; the men were provided with white cloth -waistcoats, and goatskin and buff leather purses; the officers began -to wear light hangers instead of the heavy broadsword, which was -used only in full dress; and the sergeants were provided with -carbines, and laid aside the ponderous Lochaber axes they had -hitherto carried. In 1776 the broadswords and pistols were laid -aside. The regiment was then serving in America, and it was -objected that the broadswords impeded their movements by getting -entangled in the brushwood. An attempt was subsequently made -to induce them to dispense with the kilt, and to adopt the garb of -the Saxon. It was objected to it then, as now, that it was too hot -in summer and too cold in winter; but the Highlanders stood out -stoutly against the proposed innovation, and the notion of changing -the kilt was abandoned. “We were allowed,” writes a veteran son -of the Gael, “to wear the garb of our fathers, and, in the course of -six winters, showed the doctors that they did not understand our -constitution; for in the coldest winters our men were more healthy -than those regiments who wore breeches and warm clothing.” But -now that the kilt is no longer worn in the Highlands, and few Highlanders -enlist in the kilted regiments, it seems an anomaly to retain -an article of dress which, we venture to say, was never worn by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -nineteen-twentieths of our present soldiers till they entered the -army. A large proportion of the officers are English, and it is -rather hard that they should have to adopt a dress which must -strike them at first as barbarous, if not indecent. It is singular, -however, that Englishmen serving in Highland regiments are -usually as fond of the kilt as the Highlanders themselves, and -would be quite as ready to protest against the adoption of a less -peculiar costume.</p> - -<p>As to the Highlander’s mode of fighting, it was the simplest thing -in the world. He discharged his musket, threw it aside, drew his -bonnet over his brow, and rushed upon the foe, leaving all the rest to -God and his own good broadsword. It was so that he conquered at -Prestonpans and elsewhere, but it would be difficult to assert that -his undisciplined valour rendered him superior to troops thoroughly -drilled, or that the broadsword is more formidable than the bayonet. -General Stewart, nevertheless, is of a different opinion:—“From the -battle of Culloden, where a body of undisciplined Highlanders, -shepherds and herdsmen, with their broadswords cut their way -through some of the best disciplined and most approved regiments -in the British army (drawn up, too, on a field extremely favourable -for regular troops), down to the time when the swords were taken -from the Highlanders, the bayonet was in every instance overcome -by the sword.”</p> - -<p>In one of the skirmishes with the French in Egypt, a young -sergeant of the 78th killed six of the enemy with the broadsword; -the weapon was the same as that still used by sergeants in Highland -regiments. The half-dozen Frenchmen were not cut down -while retreating, but in fighting with the bayonet, hand to hand, -against the broadsword. The gallant sergeant met his death-blow -from a sabre-stroke from behind as he was returning to his company, -after cutting down the last of his six foes. Many other -proofs of the efficacy of the basket-hilted weapon might be -given, but we question whether its warmest admirers would prefer -it to the bayonet in a close attack.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header6.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—<i>continued</i>.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The Highlanders possessed naturally a great aptitude for -war. It has been said that hunting is the nearest -approach to war in times of peace; and the Highlander, -when not engaged in war, devoted himself to hunting, fishing, and -the practice of athletic sports and manly exercises. He was a deer-stalker -before deer-parks were invented, when deer-stalking was -something different from the easy slaughter now known by that -name; he was accustomed to bear hunger, thirst, and fatigue -without complaint; to sleep in the snow with no other covering -than his plaid; to encounter the members of a hostile clan with no -other weapon than his broadsword. He possessed the virtues and -physical qualities that fit men for war. He was impetuous in -attack and cool under fire. In the hour of danger he exhibited -such courage and presence of mind as nothing could daunt. At -Fontenoy and elsewhere he has thrown himself on the ground as -the enemy began their fire; when their bullets had whistled harmlessly -over his head, he would rush forward till his musket almost -touched their breasts, and pour in the deadly discharge; he would -then retreat, receive their fire as before, and advance in the same -manner. If he had not been possessed of the greatest coolness -and self-possession, such a mode of fighting could only have led to -inextricable confusion.</p> - -<p>From an old pamphlet, published in 1745, we learn that a Highlander -of the 42nd Regiment killed nine Frenchmen with his broadsword -at Fontenoy, and would probably have added to the number<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span> -of the slain if he had not lost his arm. In a skirmish with the -Americans in 1776, Major Murray, of the same regiment, being -separated from his men, was attacked by three of the enemy. His -dirk had slipped behind his back, and, being very corpulent, he -could not reach it: he defended himself as well as he could with -his fusil, and, watching his opportunity, seized the sword of one of -his assailants, and put the three to flight. It was natural that he -should ever retain that sword as a trophy of victory. In another -skirmish during the same war, a young recruit belonging to Fraser’s -Highlanders slew seven of the enemy with his own hand. At the -close of the engagement his bayonet, once perfectly straight, was -twisted like a corkscrew. At the affair of Castlebar, in Ireland, -when men of other regiments retreated, a Highland sentinel refused -to leave his post without orders. It was in vain that they tried to -persuade him to retire—he stood there alone against a host. Five -times he loaded and fired; a Frenchman fell at every shot. Before -he could put his musket to his shoulder a sixth time the enemy -were upon him, and many a bayonet passed through his body. The -power of discipline could scarcely carry a man farther than this. -The soldier who could meet a host without flinching must have had -the soul of a hero. Highlanders have been equally patient and -enduring in meeting the onsets of hunger and famine. The 1st -Battalion of the 78th Regiment was wrecked during the passage -from Java to Calcutta in 1816. The days and nights from the 9th -of November to the 6th of December were spent on the rocky -isle of Preparis, without shelter and almost without food. One -ounce of bread and half a glassful of rice was the daily allowance of -each person for nearly a month. At length even this miserable -supply failed, and the shell-fish picked up at low water became -their only means of support. At such a juncture the most generous -of men might have become selfish; but such was the effect of discipline -among these half-famished Highlanders, that with death -staring them in the face they could resist the cravings of hunger, -and bring all their gatherings to one common stock, which was -equally divided among them all. Their fortitude was rewarded by -the arrival of a ship which carried them in safely to Calcutta.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span></p> - -<p>Numerous proofs of their cunning and address in war might be -cited. On the day before the battle of Fontenoy the Earl of -Craufurd advanced with the Highlanders to examine the enemy’s -outposts. A Highland soldier, stationed in dangerous proximity to -the enemy, was annoyed by one of their sharpshooters firing at his -post, and had recourse to an ingenious expedient to rid himself of -this annoyance. He crept stealthily forward and placed his bonnet -on the top of a stick near the verge of a hollow road. While the -Frenchman’s attention was fixed on his supposed antagonist, Donald -advanced unperceived to a spot where he could take sure aim, and -brought down the unfortunate marksman. In a skirmish with the -American rebels in 1777, Sergeant Macgregor, of the 42nd, was -severely wounded, and remained insensible on the ground. Unlike -Captain Crawley, who put on his old uniform before Waterloo, the -sergeant, who seems to have been something of a dandy, had attired -himself in his best, as if he had been going to a ball, and not to a -battle. He wore a new jacket with silver lace, large silver buckles -in his shoes, and a watch of some value. This display of wealth -attracted the notice of an American soldier, who, actuated by no -feeling of humanity, but by the sordid desire of stripping the -sergeant at leisure, took him on his back and began to carry him off -the field. It is probable that the American did not handle him very -tenderly, and the motion soon restored him to consciousness. He -saw at once the state of matters, and proved himself master of the -occasion. With one hand he drew his dirk, and, grasping the -American’s throat with the other, he swore that he would stab him -to the heart if he did not retrace his steps, and bear him back in -safety to the British camp. The <i>argumentum ad hominem</i> in the -shape of a glittering dagger before his eyes was too much for the -American. On the way to the camp he met Lord Cornwallis, who -thanked him for his humanity, but he had the candour to admit the -truth. His lordship, who was much amused at the incident, gave -the American his liberty, and, on Macgregor retiring from the -service, procured for him a situation in the Customs at Leith. He -probably thought that the man who could entrap a Yankee would be -more than a match for any smuggler. In a war with the Cherokees<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -in 1760, Allen Macpherson, a private in Montgomery’s Highlanders, -fell into the hands of the enemy. Anxious to escape from the cruel -torture that awaited him, he signified that he had something of -importance to communicate. An interpreter was introduced, and -the Indians stood by in solemn silence. He informed them that he -was a medicine-man, and knew of certain herbs, which, if applied to -the skin, would enable it to resist the sword or the tomahawk, -though wielded by the strongest arm; if they would conduct him -to the woods, and allow him to collect these herbs, he would use -them so as that their bravest warrior might strike at his neck -without injuring him. Such an assertion found ready credence -with superstitious Indians, and they complied with his request. -Macpherson was as cool and confident in his bearing as if he had -nothing to dread: he rubbed his neck with the juice of the first -herbs he had picked up, laid his head calmly on a block of wood, -and invited the ordeal. An Indian raised his tomahawk and struck -at his neck with such force that his head flew several yards from his -body. The Cherokees, far from resenting the trick which had been -played upon their credulity, expressed their admiration of his address -and courage by refraining from torturing the other captives. We -could give many proofs of the Highlander’s ingenuity in attacking -others or defending himself, but we confine ourselves to a single -incident which tends to prove his dexterity in imposing on the -enemy. During the siege of Quebec, the French had planted -sentries along the river to challenge all who approached. During -the night attack which ended in the capture of the town, the first -boat with English troops was observed and challenged. “<i>Qui vive?</i>” -A moment’s hesitation, and all would have been lost. An officer of -Fraser’s Highlanders who had served in Holland, and knew the -watchword, at once replied, “<i>La France.</i>” The second part of the -challenge was given and satisfactorily answered. The sentinel -became troublesomely inquisitive. “<i>A quel régiment appartenez-vous?</i>” -“<i>Au régiment de la Reine.</i>” It was fortunate that the -captain knew that a regiment of that name was serving in Quebec. -The soldier, satisfied with these replies, allowed all the boats to pass -without further challenge: he thought it was an expected convoy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -with provisions, and no time was lost when the magic word “<i>passe</i>” -was heard. The other sentries took it for granted that all was -right; there was only one who had some suspicion. Struck with -the silence on board the boats, he rushed down to the water’s edge, -and called, “<i>Pourquoi est-ce que vous ne parlez pas haut?</i>” The -suspicion implied in this question was at once disarmed by the -officer replying in a subdued tone, “<i>Tais-tois, ou nous serons -entendus.</i>” That cunning Highlander had not studied French for -nothing—it gained for the British: Quebec.</p> - -<p>A striking trait in the character of the Highlanders was their -devoted attachment to their own regiments and officers. When -clanship had all but died out in the North, it was found lingering -among the Highland soldiers. The Highlander’s regiment was his -clan, and his colonel his chief; and to his corps and commander he -did the same fealty as in the days of yore to clansmen and their -head. This feeling was peculiarly prominent in those regiments -which were under the command of cadets of ancient Northern -families, who felt in themselves and tried to revive in their men the -old ties of clanship. Cameron, of the 92nd, who fought and fell -at Quatre Bras, was less the colonel than the chief of that gallant -regiment, which was raised partly in Lochaber, his native district. -He knew every man in his regiment, and watched over their -interests as if they had been his brothers or his sons. An angry -look or a stern word from him was dreaded more than the lash. -He was their father, and when he fell there rose from his mountain -children that wild wail of sorrow which once heard can never be -forgotten. Brave, impetuous, and headstrong, jealous of his own -honour and that of his regiment, Cameron has always struck us as -the <i>beau idéal</i> of a Highland officer of the better class; while Captain -MacTurk, that admirable creation of Scott, may be safely accepted -as the faithful representative of a once numerous class, the all but -countless subalterns who had risen from the ranks, and who puzzled -the post-office and confused the directory by the similarity of their -names. The old clannish feeling is perceptible in the language used -by Highland veterans in alluding to their past services. They do -not say that they served in the 42nd, the 78th, the 79th, the 92nd,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -or the 93rd regiment; but, when inspired by usquebaugh or ancient -reminiscences, they begin to fight their battles o’er, they preface -their narrative with, “When I was in the Black Watch, the Ross, -the Cameron, the Gordon, or the Sutherland regiment.” The name -to them is everything: the number by which the regiment is known -at the Horse Guards is a number, and nothing more. This attachment -of the Highlanders to their own regiments was so well-known -during the last century that it was sometimes taken advantage of -by the recruiting sergeants, who assumed the Highland dress, and -persuaded the recruits they were about to join a Highland regiment. -When such was not the case, the rage of the Highlanders on discovering -the imposture was unbounded; they appealed to the -military authorities, and on their obtaining their discharge re-enlisted -at once in one of their own regiments. These regiments, -when first raised, could always command a larger number of men -than they actually required. When the Fraser Highlanders embarked -for foreign service in 1776, it was found that more men had -joined than the strength of the different companies admitted, and -several were dismissed. Such, however, was their anxiety to serve, -that they concealed themselves in the ship, and were not discovered -till the fleet was at sea. An incident occurred on this occasion -which proves that the <i>esprit de clan</i>, if we may so speak, was even -stronger than the <i>esprit de corps</i>. A hundred and twenty men had -been raised on the forfeited estate of Cameron of Lochiel, so as to -entitle him to a company: detained by sickness in London, he was -unable to join his regiment in Glasgow. The Camerons, unwilling -to serve any one but their chief, hesitated to embark, till young -Fassiefern, one of their clansmen, and a near relative of Lochiel, -was appointed to the command of the company, when all their -scruples were removed. Lochiel, on hearing of the conduct of his -men, hurried down from London; but the fatigue of the journey -brought on a fresh attack of disease, to which he fell a victim in a -few weeks. The regiment was under the command of General -Fraser, a son of Lord Lovat. He addressed the Camerons in Gaelic, -and his eloquence had much effect in winning them back to obedience. -While he was speaking, a venerable Highlander was seen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -leaning on his staff and listening with rapt attention. When he -had finished, the old man stepped up to him, and seizing his hand -with an easy familiarity which marked the intercourse of all classes -in the North, said, “Simon, you are a good soldier, and speak like -a man; as long as you live, Simon of Lovat will never die.” The -general, doubtless, appreciated this double compliment; his father -was a favourite among the Highlanders, and it was implied that the -son was worthy of the sire. The young recruits always wished to -serve under officers of their own clan, and felt it a hardship to be -separated from them. It was not enough that they served in the -same regiment; they wished to belong to the same company. Young -Fassiefern brought a hundred Lochaber men to join the 92nd at -Aberdeen. When it was proposed to draft them into different companies, -they refused to be separated, or to serve under any officer -save their young chief. It was only by pledging his honour that he -would watch equally over the interests of all that he could persuade -them to submit; his letters to his father prove that he never forgot -his promise. They were true to one another to the end; when a -Lochaber man died, Cameron followed him to the grave, reminded -his sorrowing comrades of his soldierly virtues, and told them to -“give him the smoothest bed, and to cover him with the greenest -sod.” To understand the delicacy of this order, one must have -witnessed a Highland funeral, or seen the smooth, level, turf-covered -graves in a Highland churchyard. There was no sacrifice -which they were not prepared to make for officers who thus studied -their interests and feelings. They were as jealous of their honour -as of their own; cowardice in the chief brought disgrace on his -clan. There was a singular display of this feeling in one of the -Crimean battles: a young Highland officer left his place in front of -his company and began to retreat, when a sergeant seized him by -the throat, and swore he would run him through the body if he did -not turn. He chose rather to meet the fire of the Russians than the -glare of the sergeant’s angry eye. This jealousy of their officers’ -honour gave rise to an amusing incident during the attack on Fort -Washington in 1777. The hill on which the fort stood was almost -perpendicular, but the Highlanders rushed up the steep ascent<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> -like mountain cats. When half-way up the heights they heard a -melancholy voice exclaim, “Oh, soldiers, will you leave me?” On -looking down, they saw Major Murray, their commanding officer, at -the foot of the precipice; his extreme obesity prevented him from -following them. They were not deaf to this appeal: it would never -do to leave their corpulent commander behind. A party leaped -down at once, seized him in their arms, and bore him from ledge to -ledge of the rock till they reached the summit, where they drove the -enemy before them and made two hundred prisoners. Major Murray -was not the only corpulent warrior among those Highland soldiers. -Sir Robert Munroe of Fowlis, who commanded them at Fontenoy, -was so fat that his own men had to haul him from the trenches -by the legs and arms; he advised them to fall flat on the ground -when the enemy fired, but remained erect himself, remarking -that it was easy for a man of his weight to lie down, but not so -easy to rise. Some of the men seem to have been as remarkable -for height as their officers were for breadth. Thus we read of -Samuel Macdonald, or “Big Sam,” of the Sutherland Fencibles, who -was seven feet four inches in height, and stout in proportion. As -the other men would have looked like pigmies beside such a giant, -he stood on the right of the regiment when in line, and marched at -its head when in column, followed by an immense mountain deer, -between which and him there were certain physical, if not spiritual, -affinities. He was an excellent drill, and, like most giants, extremely -good-natured. Ordinary rations would not have sufficed to sustain -such a corpus; he was therefore allowed half-a-crown a day of -extra pay. Attracting the attention of the Prince of Wales, he -made him one of the porters at Carlton House. But Macdonald -soon tired of this inactive life, and longed to be with his old -comrades of the 93rd. He rejoined the regiment, and died at -Guernsey in 1802. Sam’s regiment seems to have been remarkable -for the size and muscular strength of the men. It had no light -company, and as more than 200 men were upwards of five feet -eleven inches in height, they were formed into two grenadier companies, -one on each flank of the battalion.</p> - -<p>The retirement or the removal of one of their favourite officers to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -another regiment called forth the strongest feelings of sorrow, and -sometimes almost led to open resistance. It occasionally happened -that these officers were Englishmen, who with the garb of the -mountains had adopted all the feelings of the mountaineers. -Cadogan, who commanded the 71st in the Peninsula, was a Saxon, -and yet no Celt was ever dearer to his men. The Pretender would -never have been so popular in the North if he had not worn the -tartan; the same may be said of Montrose and Dundee, neither of -whom was a Highlander by birth. If English officers failed to gain -the affections and respect of their men, it was because they failed to -make themselves acquainted with their character, and inadvertently -wounded their feelings. Such cases, however, were rare. English -officers serving in Highland regiments possessed the <i>esprit de corps</i> -as much as the Highlanders themselves. At first, as we have shown, -all the officers belonged to the North, and it was a point of honour -with the men either to protect them in battle or to avenge them -if slain. We might cite many cases where Highland soldiers -sacrificed their own lives to save those of their officers, stepping before -them and receiving in their own bodies the bullet or the bayonet-thrust -aimed at their officers’ breasts. When a favourite fell, woe -betide the enemy at the next charge: every Highlander fought as -if his arm alone were the instrument of vengeance. When Cameron -fell at Quatre Bras, by a shot fired from the upper storey of the -farm-house, his men rushed with a wild shout on the building, -burst their way in, and avenged by the slaughter of all its occupants, -the death of their leader.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-4.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Major Murray and the Highlanders at Fort Washington.</p> -</div> - -<p>While the duty of avenging the death of a beloved officer was -incumbent upon all, it devolved with peculiar stringency on his -foster-brother, who always kept near his person in battle. This -duty is frequently alluded to in the proverbial expressions of the -North. “Kindred to twenty (degrees), fosterage to a hundred,” -was a received maxim in the code of Celtic ethics. “Woe to the -father of the foster-son who is unfaithful to his trust,” is another -old saying which proves that this tie was regarded as sacred. Scott -has described this singular relationship among the Highlanders in -“Waverley,” and many illustrations might be given of the deeds of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span> -unselfish devotion to which it gave rise. Often the foster-brother -thrust himself before his officer, and shielded him from danger -by the sacrifice of his own life. If he had failed to do so, his -own mother would have been the first to reproach him for his -cowardice—ay, and to disown him as her son. There was much of -the old Spartan feeling among these Celtic mothers. The wives of -those Northern chiefs seem to have had no great liking for the -primary duties of domestic life; instead of rearing their own children, -they distributed them among their tenantry, who considered themselves -honoured by the confidence thus reposed in them. This -singular custom tended to render the tie between the chief and his -clan closely intimate: they felt themselves to be members of one -great family. Cameron of Fassiefern, with whose portrait our -readers are familiar, was followed wherever he went by his faithful -henchman and foster-brother, Ewen M’Millan. His devotion to -his chief was unbounded; it absorbed every other feeling, and -became the master-passion of his life. At the battle of St. Pierre, -Ewen gave an amusing proof of his regard, not only for his master, -but also for his master’s property. Cameron’s horse, being wounded, -fell, and nearly crushed him. A Frenchman rushed forward to -bayonet him while thus disabled; but, before the blow had reached, -Ewen came up and pierced the Frenchman to the heart. Ewen then -raised his master from his dangerous position and conducted him to -a place of safety, after which he returned and carried off the saddle -on which Cameron had sat. All this was done with the greatest -coolness, though the battle was at its height, and the bullets of the -enemy were flying on every side. When Ewen rejoined his company, -he displayed his trophy to his comrades, and exultingly exclaimed, -“We must leave them the carcass, but they sha’n’t get the saddle -where Fassiefern sat.” It was evidently a seat of honour, and too -sacred an object in Ewen’s eyes to be left in possession of the -French; and to save the saddle the disgrace of receiving part of -another’s person, he was ready to risk his life. When Cameron fell -at Quatre Bras, his devoted foster-brother was in a moment at his -side, and, raising him in his arms, he bore him from the field -of battle till he found a cart, on which he laid him. Seating himself<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span> -by his side, he propped the head of his dying chief on his own -faithful breast, and tried in vain to stanch the life-blood fast ebbing -away. It was all in vain: the bullet had done its deadly work, and -Ewen could only weep over the grave of one for whom he would -have gladly died. Such faithful attachment deserved to be rewarded, -and Cameron’s father provided Ewen with a farm on his own estate -when he obtained his discharge after the battle of Waterloo.</p> - -<p>It may amuse our readers to learn the opinion of the Highlanders -formed by those who have encountered them in the field of battle. -Their strange dress, their lofty stature, their unknown tongue, and -their singular mode of fighting, all naturally produced a deep -impression on the minds of their enemies, who regarded them -almost with a feeling of superstition. A French writer, alluding -to the battle of Fontenoy, says, “The British behaved well, and -could be exceeded in ardour by none but our officers, who animated -the troops by their example, <i>when the Highland furies rushed in -upon us with more violence than ever did a sea driven by a tempest</i>.” -The Highlanders took part in the capture of Guadaloupe; and it -appears from letters written from that island that the French had -formed the wildest notions regarding the <i>sauvages d’Ecosse</i> (Scotch -savages), as they were pleased to term them. They believed that -they would neither take nor give quarter, and that they were so -nimble that, as no one could catch them, nobody could escape them; -that no man had a chance against their broadswords; and that, with -a ferocity natural to savages, they made no prisoners, and spared -neither man, woman, nor child. As the Highlanders were always -in the front during the attack on the island, we need not be -surprised that the good people of Guadaloupe quailed at the sight -of such a redoubtable foe, and offered but little resistance. Such -was the activity of the Highlanders in attacking them at different -points, that they believed that they amounted to several thousands, -whereas their real strength was only 800. A French general, in -reference to the gallantry of the Highlanders at Toulouse, said, -“Ah, these are brave soldiers. If they had good officers, I should -not like to meet them unless I were well supported.” As their -officers had never received much training for war, their bravery<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -was often more conspicuous than their knowledge of the military -art.</p> - -<p>Keith’s Highlanders particularly distinguished themselves in the -German wars which were carried on about the middle of the -eighteenth century. Macaulay has shown that the English at one -time did not hold their Northern neighbours in high estimation; -but it appears that the Germans entertained still more erroneous -ideas regarding them. “The Scotch Highlanders,” says a writer in -the <i>Vienna Gazette</i> of 1762, “are a people totally different in their -dress, manners, and temper from the other inhabitants of Britain. -<i>They are caught in the mountains when young</i>, and still run with -a surprising degree of swiftness. As they are strangers to fear, -they make very good soldiers when disciplined.” The writer -proceeds to admit that they are not without some amiable qualities, -and charitably concludes his article by expressing a hope “that -their king’s laudable, though late, endeavours to civilize and instruct -them in the principles of Christianity will meet with success.” The -French and Germans, along with Englishmen, have during the last -hundred years learned to know the Highlanders better.</p> - -<p>We happened the other day to find ourselves in the society of a -number of officers, some of whom had seen service in every quarter -of the globe. Allusion was made to Highland soldiers, when an -English colonel exclaimed, “They are the most troublesome fellows -in the service. I have seven of them in my regiment, and they have -given me more annoyance about their rights and grievances than -all my other men.”</p> - -<p>“The reason is very simple,” rejoined an officer, who hailed from -the land of the Gael; “you don’t know how to manage them.”</p> - -<p>In these simple words may be found the secret cause of the -mutinies which so frequently broke out among the Highland -regiments when first organized. The government of the day did -not know how to manage them: hence insubordination, discontent, -and frequent mutiny. The 42nd, or Old Black Watch, was, as we -have shown, the first body of Highlanders formed into a regular -regiment. Many of the privates were men of good family and -liberal education, who were drawn into the service by their natural<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -love of arms. It was distinctly understood that the sphere of their -services was not to extend beyond their native country, to which -they were warmly attached; and when in March, 1743, they -were ordered to proceed to England, many of the leading men of -the North, including Lord President Forbes, ventured to remonstrate. -Their remonstrances were vain; the government persisted -in their resolution, but the suspicions of the Highlanders were -disarmed by appealing to their vanity. They were assured that -the king was anxious to see so gallant a regiment, and that after -being reviewed by royalty they would be allowed to return to their -native land. The men were treated with the greatest kindness in -the different English towns through which they passed; their -warlike bearing and correctness of conduct secured for them the -admiration and esteem of all with whom they were brought into -contact. On the 14th of May they were reviewed on Finchley -Common by Marshal Wade, in the presence of vast crowds who -had hurried from London to see <i>les sauvages Ecossais</i>. It was -unfortunate the king was not present at this review; his absence -induced the Highlanders to lend a ready ear to the insidious -report circulated among them by the adherents of the Stuarts that -they were about to be transported to the American plantations. -The Highlanders were stung to madness by the supposed treachery; -but, with characteristic caution, they concealed their intentions till -their plans were matured. They whispered to one another that, -“after being used as rods to scourge their own countrymen, they -were now to be thrown into the fire.” They resolved to die rather -than submit to such a fate.</p> - -<p>On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday after the review -they assembled on a common near Highgate, and commenced their -march to the land of their birth. They had friends and sympathisers -in the city who supplied them with provisions. Their march -was conducted with such secrecy that for a week nothing was -known of their route. They had reached Lady Wood, between -Brigstock and Deanthorp, about four miles from Oundle, when -Captain Ball, an officer of Wade’s regiment of horse, was sent to -treat with them. He requested them to lay down their arms and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span> -surrender at discretion, but they declared with one voice that they -would be cut to pieces rather than submit, unless they were allowed -to retain their arms and received a free pardon. All that Captain -Ball could promise was to recommend them to mercy; but the -pride of the Highlanders revolted at such a proposal.</p> - -<p>“Hitherto,” then exclaimed the captain, “I have been your -friend; but if you continue obstinate an hour longer not a man of -you shall be left alive; and for my part, I assure you, I shall give -quarter to none.”</p> - -<p>The Highlanders, who had too much generosity to resent this -bold language, sent two of their number to escort him out of the -wood. The guides were won over by his eloquence: one of them -remained with him, while the other returned and tried to persuade -his comrades to submit. Surrounded as they were by superior -numbers, they were, after some negotiation, induced to surrender. -They received a free pardon, and soon after embarked for Flanders, -where their deeds of bravery atoned for their temporary disaffection.</p> - -<p>A similar incident occurred in the case of a Highland regiment -in the service of William III. It was the ardent love of country -that led them to refuse to embark for Holland, and their devotion to -King James that led them to drink his health while there in preference -to that of their own prince. Some one reported this to -William.</p> - -<p>“Do they fight well, these Highlanders?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“None better,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“Then,” said the king, “if they fight so well for me, let them -drink my father’s health as often as they choose.”</p> - -<p>There was much magnanimity in these words. The Highlanders -soon learned to drink William’s health as heartily as they had done -his father-in-law’s.</p> - -<p>In the year 1779 a circumstance occurred which proves in the -most striking manner the attachment which the Highlanders have -ever cherished for their own regiments. In the month of April -two strong detachments belonging to the 42nd and 71st regiments -arrived at Leith from Stirling Castle, <i>en route</i> to North America to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -join their respective regiments. On learning that they were about -to be drafted into the 80th and 82nd, both Lowland regiments, the -men firmly refused to obey this order, or to serve in any regiments -save those for which they had been enlisted. A little friendly -remonstrance might have won them over, but the authorities unfortunately -adopted the idea of reducing them by force, and troops -were sent to Leith for the purpose of subduing the mutineers and -conveying them to Edinburgh Castle. This was no easy task, as -the event proved. The Highlanders offered an obstinate resistance, -and in the conflict which ensued, Captain Mansfield, of the South -Fencible regiment, and nine men were killed, and thirty-one soldiers -wounded. At length, overpowered by numbers, the Highlanders -were compelled to surrender, and were shut up in Edinburgh Castle. -In the month of May three of the prisoners, Charles Williamson and -Archibald Mac Ivor, of the 42nd, and Robert Budge, of the 71st, -were tried by court-martial for having been guilty of mutiny and -inciting others to the same crime. The line of defence they adopted -gives us considerable insight into the state of the Highlanders at -this period. Mac Ivor and Williamson stated that they enlisted in -the 42nd, a regiment composed exclusively of Highlanders, and -wearing the Highland dress. Their native tongue was Gaelic, and -they knew no other, having been born in counties where English -was almost unknown. They had never worn breeches in their -lives, and the only garb they could wear with comfort was the garb -of old Gael. This dress had indeed been prohibited by Act of -Parliament; but the government had connived at the use of it, -provided that it was made of plain cloth and not of tartan. For -these reasons they could neither understand the language nor use -the arms, or march in the dress of any other than a Highland -regiment. Budge’s defence was substantially the same. They -submitted to the court that, on reaching Leith, the officer who had -conducted them there informed them that they were now to consider -themselves soldiers of the 82nd, a regiment wearing the Lowland -dress and speaking the English tongue. No order from the commander-in-chief -was shown to them, nor had they any opportunity -of submitting their grievances to him. They had no intention to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -resist lawful authority; they only wished to remonstrate against an -act of flagrant injustice. They would have gone willingly to the -castle if the order had been explained to them; but the officer sent -for that purpose told them that they were to join the Hamilton -regiment immediately, and they considered themselves justified in -repelling force by force. Every reader will feel his blood boil with -indignation on learning that these three poor Highlanders were all -found guilty and sentenced to be shot. The spirit of clanship, -however, was too strong in the Highland regiments to admit of -this sentence being carried into effect, and the king was pleased to -grant them a free pardon, “in full confidence that they would -endeavour, by a prompt obedience and orderly behaviour, to atone -for their atrocious offence.” Without passing an opinion on the -atrocity of the offence, we have much pleasure in adding that all -the prisoners proved themselves worthy of the royal clemency. -They were drafted into the second battalion of the 42nd, and were -uniformly distinguished for their steadiness and good conduct.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-5.jpg" width="700" height="425" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">The Mutiny of the Black Watch.</p> -</div> - -<p>It may be safely affirmed that the Highland regiments never -displayed a spirit of insubordination, except on those occasions -when the government of the day attempted to treat them with -injustice by transferring them to Lowland regiments, or ordering -them to embark for foreign service when they had enlisted to serve -for a limited period at home. The 77th regiment, or Athole -Highlanders, was raised in 1778 by the young Duke of Athole. -The Murrays have always been a warlike race, and their young -chief, the present Duke of Athole, the possessor of princely estates, -is serving in Canada with the 2nd battalion of the Scots Fusilier -Guards. The Athole Highlanders embarked for Ireland in June, -1778, and did garrison duty there till the war was over. The part -they had to play was somewhat difficult; the Irish were disaffected, -and hated the troops sent to control them; but the conduct of the -Highlanders was so exemplary as to secure for them the respect of -their enemies. Mr. Eden, afterwards Lord Auckland, Secretary -for Ireland, bears honourable testimony to this fact. After alluding -to the gentlemanly bearing of the officers, and the excellent conduct -of the men, he says—“Once, upon the sudden alarm of invasion, I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -sent an order for the immediate march of this regiment to Cork, -when they showed their alacrity by marching at an hour’s notice, -and completed their march with a despatch beyond any instance in -modern times, and this, too, without leaving a single soldier -behind.”</p> - -<p>There are few regiments at the present day that could undertake -the same march at an hour’s notice, and complete it without leaving -a single man behind; such a fact says much for the discipline, -strength, and pluck of the Athole Highlanders. The government -showed their appreciation of these services by attempting to break -faith with them. The Highlanders had enlisted for three years. -Their period of service had now expired, and they naturally -expected to be disbanded. Instead of this, they were sent to -Portsmouth to embark for foreign service. At first they offered -no resistance; when they caught the first view of the fleet at Spithead -as they crossed Portsdown Hill, they pulled off their bonnets and -gave three cheers at the prospect of a brush with Hyder Ali. If -the government had been wise enough to tempt them to re-enlist -by the offer of a fresh bounty, a gallant regiment might have been -preserved to the British army; but, unfortunately, they had no -sooner reached Portsmouth than emissaries from London began to -poison their minds by pointing out to them the injustice of the -authorities in sending them abroad when they ought to have been -disbanded. It was even insinuated that they had been sold to the -East India Company at so much a head, and that their officers had -shared in the purchase-money. These representations had the -desired effect. The Highlanders, suspicious of their officers, and -brooding over their wrongs, refused to embark. For several days -they remained in a state of mutiny, during which they attempted -to gain possession of the main guard and garrison parade, when one -of the invalids who opposed them was accidentally killed. No -sooner was it known that the poor man had left a widow than the -Highlanders expressed the deepest regret, and raised a considerable -sum for her relief.</p> - -<p>The greatest anxiety was caused at Portsmouth by the presence -of a thousand men free from all restraint; but the lives and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span> -property of the citizens were respected, and no complaints were -ever made against the Highlanders. Though they had reason to -suspect their officers of treachery, they almost invariably continued -to treat them with deference and respect. On hearing, however, -that two or three regiments were approaching to force them on -board, they flew to arms and marched out to offer them battle. On -finding that it was a false report, they quietly returned to their -quarters. The Duke of Athole, his uncle, Major-General Murray, -and Lord George Lennox, hurried down to Portsmouth in the hope -that their presence and influence would induce the men to embark; -but the minds of the latter were too much embittered by a sense -of injustice to be swayed by the counsels of their hereditary chiefs. -The discipline of the regiment was as strict as if they had been -still under the command of their officers. Their arms and ammunition -were placed in one of the magazines, and a strong guard -placed over them while the rest of the regiment slept or partook of -their meals. Twice a day they appeared at the grand parade, -along with the adjutant and other officers. They were as careful -of their dress and personal appearance as before. The government -were at a loss what to do with the dreaded Highlanders. One day -it was proposed to turn the great guns on the ramparts against -them; but, fortunately, this proposal was overruled; the bloodshed -would have been great, the result doubtful. At other times it was -suggested to send some regiments stationed in the neighbourhood -against them. On hearing this the Highlanders flew to arms, drew -up the drawbridges, placed sentinels on them, and prepared to offer -an obstinate resistance.</p> - -<p>At length the question of the mutiny was brought under the -consideration of Parliament, and the just claims of the Highlanders -were admitted. The regiment was disbanded, and the men spread -through the Highlands the report of the injustice with which they -had been treated, and thus prevented many of their countrymen -from entering the army. When treating of this affair, General -Stewart observed that “If government had offered a small bounty -when the Athole Highlanders were required to embark, there can -be little doubt they would have obeyed their orders, and embarked<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span> -as cheerfully as they marched into Portsmouth.” This untoward -event will remind our readers of what occurred in India when the -attempt was recently made to transfer the European troops from -the service of the East India Company to that of the imperial -government. Through the niggardly policy then adopted, thousands -of men inured to service in that trying climate were roused into a -state of mutiny, and compelled the authorities to grant them their -discharge. In this case, as in that of the Athole Highlanders, -a small bounty would have settled the difficulty and satisfied every -claim.</p> - -<p>There are old people still alive in Scotland who remember the -sensation created in the days of their boyhood among all classes by -“the affair of the wild Macraes.” The Macraes never rose to the -dignity of a clan; they were a small sept that lived under the -protection of the Mackenzies of Seaforth. The Earl of Seaforth -had forfeited his title and estates in consequence of the part he -took in the rebellion of 1715, when many of the Northern gentry -rose in favour of the Pretender. Kenneth Mackenzie, the grandson -of this earl, bought the family property from the crown, and was -created Viscount Portrose in the Irish peerage. In 1771 the family -title was restored to him, and the Earl of Seaforth, anxious to prove -his gratitude to the government of the day for the favours he had -received, offered in 1778 to raise a regiment among his own clan -for general service. The Highlanders had already acquired a -distinguished name on many a battle-field, and his offer was at -once accepted. All the gentlemen of the clan Mackenzie came to -the aid of their chief, and a corps of 1130 men was soon raised: -500 Highlanders belonged to Seaforth’s estates; 400 to the -Mackenzies of Scatwell, Kilcoy, Applecross, and Redcastle; about -200 were Lowland Scotch; 43 were English and Irish. It is -interesting to mark the constitutional elements of this and other -Highland regiments. The fact is undeniable that the Highlands of -Scotland were far more populous a century ago than they are now. -The poorer inhabitants have been driven to Canada and other -colonies; their small farms have been changed into deer-parks or -sheep-walks; the landlords have increased their rentals, but the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span> -country has lost an important class and reaped no adequate advantage -in return. The regiment thus embodied was known as the -78th, or Seaforth Highlanders. It is not to be confounded, however, -with the present 78th, or Ross-shire Buffs; it is now represented -by the 72nd, or Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders. -Almost all the officers were Mackenzies, and the sons and brothers -of the different lairds vied with one another in selecting the best -men that could be found on their estates. The results of this -care on their part were apparent when the regiment was inspected -at Elgin in May, 1778: of those 1130 men not one was rejected—an -astounding fact when we consider that nearly one-fourth of our -recruits are now pronounced unfit for service in consequence of -some physical defect. In the month of August they embarked for -Leith, where “the affair of the wild Macraes” occurred.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer4.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—<i>continued</i>.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The Macraes, as we have already said, had never attained -to the dignity of a clan; they were a sort of <i>caterans</i> or -pilfering tinkers, who had found it convenient to place -themselves under the protection of the chief of the Mackenzies. It -appears that Seaforth had no particular liking for his pilfering -<i>protégés</i>, and deemed this a favourable opportunity for getting quit -of them. It is a fact not generally known that our Highland -regiments have often obtained their best recruits from the fraternity -of <i>cairds</i> or <i>caterans</i>. About half a century ago the whole of the -North of Scotland was infested with these marauders, who, under -the guise of mendicancy, levied contributions on the inhabitants of -the rural districts, and lived a jovial, careless life. They were -present at every marriage feast and merry-making, where the broken -meat became their perquisite; sometimes they devoured the feast -itself, and left the guests to shift for themselves. There was no -rural constabulary in those days to keep them in check, and these -Ishmaelites did very much whatever they chose. They were unrivalled -in wrestling, single-stick, and every athletic sport; they were -the best dancers on the village green; they could do everything but -work or settle down to any fixed employment. They were essentially -a nomadic race, ever on the move, sleeping by night in country -barns, starting with the earliest dawn, and levying their contributions -from door to door. We remember a gang of <i>caterans</i> or -<i>cairds</i> who frequented the county of Aberdeen more years ago than -we should like to tell. They all bore the family name of Young,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -and belonged to the same sept. One of them—Peter Young—was a -great thief, and made himself almost as notorious as Jack Sheppard -by breaking out of every gaol in Scotland. These <i>caterans</i> came to -a singular end, and disappeared from the country. This is how it -happened.</p> - -<p>The 92nd or Gordon Highlanders had suffered much in the -Peninsular War, so that constant drafts had to be sent out from -home to recruit their strength. When all other resources failed, -the country gentlemen bethought themselves of an ingenious plan -by which they could at once fill up the vacant ranks in the 92nd, -and get quit of some unpleasant neighbours. They caused all the -able-bodied <i>cairds</i> to be seized and conveyed to the neighbouring -seaport, where they were shipped off to join the 92nd. Such a -thing, of course, could not be done at the present day, but strange -things were done half a century ago in Scotland as elsewhere. -Many a man who had no desire to be a sailor or a soldier was -impressed or forced to serve in the army or navy against his will. -This impressment of the Youngs proved the death-blow of the race. -Not one of them ever returned from the Peninsula, but we have -heard old pensioners of the 92nd declare that they were at once the -greatest thieves and the smartest soldiers in the regiment.</p> - -<p>The wild Macraes seem to have been men of much the same -stamp as the Youngs, and Seaforth doubtless had his own reasons -for wishing to get quit of them. These <i>caterans</i> were as much -attached to their native land as if they had been the possessors of -countless acres; they were their own masters, and had tasted the -sweets of liberty. Seaforth knew that he could never persuade -such men to enlist for foreign service, but he had sufficient -influence to induce them to serve for a limited period at home, or -rather to join the 78th on that understanding. It was only on -reaching Leith that they discovered that they were intended for -service in the East Indies, when symptoms of disaffection appeared -among them. The report spread that Seaforth had sold them to -the government. Loud complaints were heard that they had been -cheated of their pay and bounty money. The wild Macraes were -not the men tamely to submit to such injuries, and the stinging<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span> -sense of wrong was intensified by the representations of certain -parties hostile to the government of the day. Their slumbering -discontent broke forth into open mutiny on receiving orders to -embark; they absolutely refused to do so, and marched out of -Leith with pipes playing, and two plaids fixed on poles instead of -colours. On reaching Arthur’s Seat—the beautiful hill which -overlooks Edinburgh, and is familiar to every tourist who has -visited the North—they encamped on its summit, and remained -there for several days. Though in a state of open mutiny, they -respected the property of the citizens, and conducted themselves -with so much propriety that public sympathy was excited in their -favour, especially among the lower classes, who supplied them -abundantly with provisions. The authorities deemed it more -prudent to inquire into their grievances than to attempt to reduce -them by force. After much negotiation they professed themselves -satisfied, and marched back to their quarters at Leith with pipes -playing and Seaforth at their head.</p> - -<p>After serving for some time in the Channel Islands, they embarked -in March, 1781, for the East Indies. Seaforth died during the -voyage, before he reached St. Helena, and his death had such -a depressing effect upon the men, that no less than 230 of them -died before they reached India. They took part in all the different -battles which were fought till the conclusion of peace in 1783, -when, in terms of their agreement with government, they had -a right to return home. Few of the Macraes lived to revisit their -native land; most of them had died during the voyage, or succumbed -to the fatal effects of the enervating climate. Only 300 of the men -remained in India; but these, reinforced by volunteers from other -regiments returning home, and by a detachment of 200 recruits -from the North, were formed into a new regiment, which has ever -since been known as the 72nd, or Duke of Albany’s Own -Highlanders.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-6.jpg" width="700" height="425" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">The March of the Wild Macraes to Arthur’s Seat.</p> -</div> - -<p>A similar mutiny, proceeding from the same causes, broke out in -the 81st, or Aberdeenshire Highland Regiment, in 1783. This -regiment was raised in 1778 by the Hon. Colonel William Gordon, -of Fyvie, a son of the Earl of Aberdeen by his third wife, a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span> -daughter of the Duke of Gordon. She was a sister of that Lord -Lewis Gordon who took part in the rebellion of 1745, and whose -absence from home is lamented in a charming Jacobite song which -is still popular in the North. It is related of her that she took her -stand close to the road by which the Duke of Cumberland and his -army were marching south after the victory of Culloden, holding -her infant son in her arms. Judging by her portrait, which we -have seen, she must have been a very beautiful woman; and the -duke, struck by her appearance, said, with his usual coarse bluntness, -“Who are you?” The countess drew herself up to her full -height, and looking him steadily in the face, boldly answered, “I am -the sister of Lord Lewis Gordon.” Cumberland turned aside his -head and passed on. The Earl of Aberdeen was well advanced in -years when he married her, and it was agreed that the property of -Fyvie should be settled on her or her offspring after his death. The -Hon. William Gordon, who was the eldest son by this marriage, -succeeded to the property, and rose to the rank of colonel in the -service. In March, 1777, he received letters of service to raise a -Highland regiment in his native county, and it was embodied in -1778 under the name of the 81st, or Aberdeenshire Highland -Regiment. Its strength when first raised was 980 men, 650 of -whom belonged to the Highlands of Aberdeenshire; a very large -proportion were members of the clan Ross, the chief of which is -James Ross Farquharson of Invercauld, a lieutenant-colonel in the -Scots Fusilier Guards. The regiment marched to Stirling, and -soon after embarked for Ireland, where it spent three years. In -1782 it was removed to Portsmouth, and received orders to embark -for the East Indies. These orders were in direct violation of their -terms of enlistment, which were the same as those of the Athole -Highlanders, and the men, having agreed to serve till the conclusion -of peace, the preliminaries of which were now settled, refused to -embark, and claimed their discharge. They were, doubtless, -encouraged to take this step by the example of the Athole Highlanders, -and the success which had attended their assertion of their -rights. The government, deeming it useless to attempt to reduce -them by force, yielded to their demands, and sent them to Edinburgh,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -where they were disbanded in 1783. There is a tradition -in the county that this mutiny was owing more to the cruelty of -their colonel than the injustice of government. Few of them -belonged to his own clan, and he treated them with a harshness to -which the proud spirit of the Highlanders would not tamely submit. -We have met with old veterans who could tell many stories of -“Whipping Willie Gordon,” the sobriquet he obtained in the -regiment through his fondness for the lash. He left the service -with the rank of general, and spent his latter days at Fyvie Castle, -where he professed himself a misogynist, and ended by marrying -his cook.</p> - -<p>An insurrection, attended with still more disastrous results, -occurred in the Grant or Strathspey Fencibles in 1795. This regiment -was raised by Sir James Grant of Grant in 1793, and about -two months after the declaration of war by France, and, with the -exception of three Englishmen and two Irishmen, was composed -entirely of natives of the North. After being embodied at Forres, -and inspected by General Leslie, the Grant Fencibles were stationed -in most of the towns in the South of Scotland till 1795, when we -find them at Dumfries. As a general rule, the best understanding -has always subsisted between the Highlanders and their officers, -and there is no sacrifice they are not prepared to make for those -who have secured their confidence; but their proud, unbending -spirit rebels at once against treachery or injustice. Enough has -been already written to justify this assertion, and what we are -about to relate tends only to confirm it. In 1794, when the -regiment was stationed at Linlithgow, an attempt was made by the -officers to persuade the men to extend their service, which, in -terms of their enlistment, was confined to Scotland. It is probable -that this attempt on the part of the officers originated merely from -a desire to secure their own position in the army for a longer -period, and it would probably have succeeded if they had won the -confidence of the men by a frank avowal of their motives. As it -was, they disclosed only enough to excite their suspicions, and the -report spread that they had been sold to government. Nothing -further was done in the matter at the time, but the officers were -eyed with distrust, and a bad spirit sprang up in the regiment.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span> -An incident occurred at Dumfries the following year which brought -matters to a crisis, and caused an open mutiny. The greatest -freedom of intercourse was permitted between officers and men -when both belonged to the same clan. This familiarity did not -interfere with the strictness of discipline any more than it does in -the French army, in which it has survived till the present day. -An amusing illustration of this familiarity occurred in the 93rd -Highlanders when they were stationed in Canada. There belonged -to the regiment a young lieutenant—who, in virtue of his being -the inheritor of an illustrious Scottish name and twenty thousand a -year, deemed it the correct thing to remain ignorant of even the -simplest military duty—and a private named Jock Muir, an excellent -soldier, but an inveterate drunkard. There was a mutual -understanding between the lieutenant and Jock that they should -stand by one another in every emergency, or, in other words, that -Jock should stand by the lieutenant when on duty, and whisper -into his ear the word of command, and that the lieutenant should -screen Jock when he got drunk. This system of reciprocity -answered admirably for a time, but at length the lieutenant, from -inadvertency or some other cause, allowed Jock to be punished, -and Jock determined to have his revenge. An opportunity soon -offered. The regiment was on parade, and the lieutenant, as the -officer of the day, had to give the word of command. Turning to -Jock, he said, “What is it? What must I say?” But Jock -remained stiff and erect—no answer proceeded from his lips. -“What am I to do, you fool?” said the poor lieutenant, losing his -temper. “Run hame, mon! run hame!” roared Jock, in a -stentorian voice which was heard over all the lines, and caused a -general titter in the ranks. The lieutenant, acting on Jock’s advice, -sold out and returned home, where he was much respected as a -kind-hearted country gentleman.</p> - -<p>Now it was a somewhat similar incident that rekindled the flame -of discontent and caused an open mutiny among the Strathspey -Fencibles at Dumfries in 1795. Militia officers are doubtless a -highly-respectable class of men, and deserve well of their country -in every respect, but they cannot be expected to possess the -efficiency and skill of those who have devoted themselves to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span> -profession of arms. The officers of the Strathspey Fencibles were -men of good family, but as they had never seen any service they -knew little about the management of troops, and sometimes exposed -their ignorance in the presence of their own soldiers. On one -occasion a contradictory order given by an officer called forth a -jocular remark from one of the men, which was evidently much -relished by his comrades. The officer lost his temper, put the -offending parties in the guard-room, and threatened them with -punishment—an indignity to which the proud spirit of the Highlanders -refused to submit. They considered themselves disgraced -by the threat, rushed to arms, and released their comrades by force. -Soon after this the regiment was marched to Musselburgh, where -Corporal James Macdonald and Privates Charles and Alexander -Macintosh, Alexander Fraser, and Duncan Macdougall were tried -for mutiny, found guilty, and condemned to be shot. In the case -of Macdonald the sentence was commuted to corporal punishment—one -of the first instances of a Highland soldier having been -flogged. They were marched out to Gullane Links, East Lothian, -on the 16th of July, and on reaching the ground were informed -that only two would have to suffer the penalty of death. The two -Macintoshes were called upon to draw lots, and the fatal one fell -upon Charles. He and Fraser were immediately shot in the -presence of the Scotch Brigade and other regiments assembled to -witness this melancholy spectacle. The other men who had taken -part in the mutiny were drafted into regiments serving abroad, and -nothing further is known of their fate. No subsequent act of -insubordination is recorded against this regiment, which was disbanded -in 1798. It is singular to learn that less than seventy years -ago in this civilised country the life or death of a human being -depended on his drawing a lucky or unlucky number.</p> - -<p>About the same period a mutiny broke out in the Breadalbane -regiment, which gave rise to an incident that will remind our readers -of the classical story of Damon and Pythias, and serve to illustrate -the high spirit of honour which then prevailed among the Highlanders. -This regiment was raised by the Earl of Breadalbane in -1793, and consisted of three battalions, whose united strength -amounted to 2300 men. Some idea may be formed of the population<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -of the Highlands at this period from the fact that 1600 men -were obtained from the Breadalbane estates alone. We question -whether one-fourth of that number could be raised there at the present -day. Soon after the regiment had embodied it removed to Glasgow, -and remained there till 1795, when a mutiny, similar in character -and results to the one mentioned above, broke out among the men, -who accused their officers of having sold them to the government for -foreign service. The mutiny was soon suppressed, but when orders -were given to apprehend the ringleaders it was found that so many -of the men were equally implicated in the affair as to render it -difficult to make a distinction. This difficulty was obviated by -some of the men coming forward, taking all the blame upon themselves, -and offering to suffer in the place of their less guilty comrades. -Such an instance of generous self-sacrifice is unparalleled -in the history of the British army, if not of the whole human race. -The prisoners were sent to Edinburgh Castle to await their trial, -and a singular incident occurred soon after they left Glasgow. -The party was under command of Major Colin Campbell, one of -their own officers, and one of the prisoners expressed a wish to speak -to him in private. This man, Macmartin, belonged to the same -part of the country as Major Campbell, and had always borne an -excellent character, so that he had no difficulty in obtaining the -desired interview. He stated frankly that he had given up all hope -of escape, and was prepared to meet death. There was only one -matter which weighed on his conscience and caused him much -trouble: he had had some dealings with a friend in Glasgow which -could only be settled by a personal interview; if this were denied, his -friend would suffer much loss and inconvenience. If he were permitted -to return to Glasgow he gave his solemn promise to rejoin -the party before they reached Edinburgh.</p> - -<p>“Major Campbell,” he added, “you have known me since I was -a child; you know my country and kindred, and you believe -I shall never bring you to any blame by a breach of the promise -I now make to be with you in full time to be delivered up in -the castle.”</p> - -<p>At the present day a soldier would no more think of making such -a proposal than an officer would dream of entertaining it. But<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -Major Campbell was a kind-hearted man. He had known the -prisoner from childhood, and had the fullest confidence in his -honesty and good faith. Though aware that the non-appearance of -the prisoner would entail the most serious consequences to himself, -he unhesitatingly complied with his request, and Macmartin returned -to Glasgow, had an interview with his friend, transacted his business, -and started before daylight for Edinburgh to redeem his pledge. -Being dressed in the uniform of his regiment, he was afraid to travel -by the main road lest he should be apprehended as a deserter, and -took a circuitous route through the woods; the result was that, -though he escaped detection, he failed to reach Edinburgh at the -appointed hour.</p> - -<p>As Major Campbell approached the city his anxiety increased. -He caused the party to march slowly, in the hope that he might -still appear; but, finding no pretext for further delay, he was at -length obliged to march the remaining prisoners to the Castle. Just -as he was in the act of handing them over to the governor of the -prison, and before the latter had time to examine whether the -number of prisoners tallied with the report, poor Macmartin rushed -up, pale with anxiety and fatigue, and trembling with apprehension -lest his generous benefactor should suffer through his absence. A -few moments later, and all would have been discovered; as it was, -he was able to join his fellow-prisoners without attracting the notice -of the governor, and to explain the cause of his temporary -absence to Major Campbell, who used often to allude to the incident -in after-life as a proof of the high spirit of honour which -prevailed among his men.</p> - -<p>It is satisfactory to add that Macmartin’s life was spared. All -the prisoners were tried, and four of their number condemned to -be shot; but only one of them underwent this punishment. From -the narrative of these mutinies the inference is undeniable that they -were caused not so much by the insubordinate spirit of the Highlanders -as by the injustice with which they were treated by the -military authorities. During the present century our Highland -regiments have served in every quarter of the globe, and have been -as distinguished for their subjection to discipline as for their valour -in the field.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header7.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—<i>continued</i>.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The Highland regiments have always been distinguished -for their attachment to their native land. This feeling -prevails more or less among the inhabitants of all mountainous -countries, where the grand and the sublime in nature is so -deeply imprinted on the mind in childhood as, in all after years, to -exercise a powerful influence upon the imagination. It was for this -reason that the national air of the Swiss, the “<i>Ranz des vaches</i>,” was -prohibited in armies composed partly of natives of Switzerland, its -familiar notes bringing back their snow-clad mountains and deep -glens so vividly to their remembrance that they could no longer -resist the temptation to desert in order to revisit the scenes of their -infancy. The same deeply-rooted feeling, as we have seen, led the -Highlanders at first to confine their services to the land of their -birth, and to break forth into mutiny when an unscrupulous -government attempted to break faith with them. Once embarked, -however, for foreign service, much as they longed for “the land of -the mountain and the flood,” a high principle of honour prevented -them from deserting their colours. Patiently they waited till permitted -to return, when the love of country sometimes displayed -itself in a way that reminds the classical reader of Ulysses’ return to -his beloved Ithaca. Thus, when the 42nd Highlanders landed at -Port Patrick in 1775, after an absence from Scotland of thirty-two -years, many of the old soldiers leaped on shore with enthusiasm and -kissed the earth, which they grasped in handfuls. This occurrence -would be appreciated by the writers of <i>Punch</i>, who, among other<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -quips at the expense of the Scotch and their erratic tendencies, -inform us that the North British railway is the only one which -yields no returns. As a matter of fact, the exodus from the North -is only temporary, and side by side with the love of adventure and -gain, an ardent feeling of patriotism is to be found in the heart of -every Scotchman. This feeling it is that induces him to toil -beneath the burning sun of the tropics, and to visit the most distant -parts of the globe in search of that wealth which, once acquired, -enables him to “go back” to his native land and enjoy the fruits of -his industry.</p> - -<p>The warm desire to revisit the land of his birth enables the -Highlander to submit to the most trying privations without a -murmur, and to resist the strongest temptations to desert to the -enemy. During the war carried on by the English against Hyder -Ali in India, more than a hundred men of Macleod’s Highlanders -fell into the hands of that bloodthirsty despot, who tried in every -way to induce them to enter his service. Finding that his most -liberal offers had no effect, he tried to break their spirit by -acts of cruelty. They were treated with every indignity; their -only food was unwholesome rice, doled out to them in quantities -barely sufficient to sustain life. They were exposed to the burning -heat of the sun by day, and to the unhealthy dews that -descend by night. Daily their numbers were reduced by disease; -death stared them in the face. They had but to renounce their -religion and their country to obtain the amplest rewards from the -tyrant into whose hands they had fallen, but they preferred death -to dishonour. Such a fact is creditable to the Highlanders; more—it -is honourable to humanity itself. There is no spectacle so -noble, says an ancient writer, as that of a good man struggling -against adversity; these Highland prisoners had to engage in -that struggle with little or no hope of deliverance in their time of -trouble.</p> - -<p>This same regiment took part in the unfortunate expedition -under General Whitelock, which, in 1806, attempted to seize -Buenos Ayres. It was owing to no lack of bravery on the part of -our soldiers that their efforts were not crowned with success, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span> -no amount of courage could compensate for the incapacity or -treachery of the officer in command. Our army had to capitulate -to the Spaniards, and remained in their power till peace was concluded. -During this interval the Spaniards began to tamper with -the Highlanders, and to hold out inducements to them to desert. -These allurements were not without their effect upon those of them -who happened to belong to the same religion. No less than thirty-five -were induced to go over to the enemy. An incident occurred -on this occasion which proves in the most striking manner the -influence that home associations still continue to exercise over the -minds of the Highlanders. A soldier named Donald Macdonald -had almost yielded to the solicitations of the Spaniards to remain at -Buenos Ayres, and while he was still wavering a comrade attempted -to dissuade him from his purpose. Using no argument, he appealed -to his heart by singing that touching Highland melody, “Lochaber -no more.” The song awoke a thousand memories of home and -country. The tears started into poor Donald’s eyes, and as he -wiped them away he exclaimed, “Na, na! I canna stay! I’d maybe -return to Lochaber nae mair.”</p> - -<p>We know that a considerable mind has given forth his decision -that if he had the making of a people’s songs, he cared not who -made their laws; and the case of this Highlander, brought back to -a sense of duty by one of the songs of his infancy, proves that in -certain natures an appeal to the feelings is far more powerful than -any appeal to the intellect. Nor has “Lochaber no more” lost its -magic power over the Highland heart. We have seen many proofs -of the contrary, one of which may be given. There is—or at least -there was recently—in the Scots Fusilier Guards a soldier of the -name of Roderick Ross, a native of Inverness-shire. Roderick had -the build of a giant, but the heart of a child; he stood six feet four -inches in his stockings, but was as soft and tender-hearted as a -young maiden. He was respected as a brave soldier who had done -his duty well all through the Crimea, but his friends the pipers of -the regiment could not always resist the temptation to amuse themselves -by reviving, or rather eliciting, his ardent love of country. -The bagpipes begin to utter the wailing notes of “Lochaber no<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span> -more,” Roderick’s huge frame is agitated like a mountain ash in a -storm; tears spring to his eyes, and, unable to control his emotion, -he rushes from the room exclaiming, “I canna stand ‘Lochaber no -more;’ it aye gars (makes) me think o’ deserting.”</p> - -<p>To get back to Macleod’s Highlanders at Buenos Ayres. While -a few went over to the Spaniards, the regiment as a whole remained -faithful to their colours, and their fidelity called forth the warm -approval of the authorities. On their return home they were -stationed at Cork, where General Floyd, a veteran officer who had -often witnessed their gallantry in India, presented them with new -colours, and referred in his address to the temptations they had -overcome. “You now stand on this parade,” he said, “in defiance -of the allurements held out to base desertion. You are endeared to -the army and to your country. You insure the esteem of all true -soldiers and good men.” The 42nd Highlanders were still more -distinguished for their attachment to their colours. Many of the -privates were gentlemen of birth and education, who preferred the -profession of arms to every other, and were possessed of as fine a -sense of honour as the officers under whom they served. In the -war of American Independence they were brought frequently into -contact with the insurgents, and exposed to those temptations to -desert which many of our soldiers formerly belonging to regiments -now stationed in Canada have not been able to resist. The 42nd -passed through five campaigns with their honour pure and unsullied; -they had to endure many privations; their ranks were thinned by -the bullets of the enemy; they had no prospect of promotion in the -British service; they might have risen to the highest rank in that -of the insurgents. And yet not one of their number deserted; the -regiment remained free from this stain till it received a draft of an -inferior class of men from the 26th Regiment, a few of whom went -over to the enemy. These men, however, did not strictly belong -to the 42nd, and never possessed that <i>esprit de corps</i> by which the -Highlanders were animated. We question whether it can be said -of any other regiment at the present day that it has passed through -five campaigns without losing a single man by desertion. Macdonald’s -Highlanders, then known as the 76th Regiment, could lay<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span> -claim to the same honourable distinction; they passed through the -whole of the American campaign, and, though often tempted by the -insurgents to renounce their allegiance, they all remained true to -their colours. The same might be said of the Royal Highland -Emigrant Regiment, which was raised among the sons of the Gael -in Canada in 1778, and took an active part in the defence of Quebec -against General Arnold. Even in cases where a Highlander was -tempted to desert his colours there seems often to have remained a -feeling of remorse which we should look for in vain at the present -day among those <i>bounty-lifters</i> who live by defrauding their country, -and esteem perjury to be the most venial of offences. This feeling -of remorse manifested its presence and its power in an effort to -atone for the past offence such as can leave no doubt regarding -its sincerity, for their worst enemies will admit that when a Highlander -consents to part with his money, it may be taken for granted -that he is thoroughly in earnest. A soldier of the 91st or Argyleshire -Highlanders was tempted to desert. He embarked for -America, and became a settler there. Fortune smiled upon him in -the land of his adoption, but there was a weight upon his conscience -he could not shake off. In the midst of all his prosperity he never -ceased to remember that he was a perjured man, a deserter from -the British army. He had not the moral courage to return to his -duty, and to submit to the punishment which his offence merited, -but some years after his desertion he sent home a letter with a -considerable sum of money to procure one or two men to enlist in -his former regiment, “as the only recompense he could make for -breaking his oath to his God and his allegiance to his king, which -preyed on his conscience in such a way that he had no rest night -nor day.”</p> - -<p>This anecdote leads us to notice another trait in the character -of our Highland soldiers; they were emphatically religious men, -and they were prepared to make any sacrifice for their faith. They -were little versed in theology, but, like Cromwell’s Ironsides at -Dunbar, they put their trust in God and kept their powder dry. -The great mass of them were Presbyterians, and in foreign and -far-distant lands they continued to worship as their fathers had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -worshipped. Soldiers at that period were the most irreligious of -men; they “swore terribly in Flanders” and elsewhere. We may -form some idea of their morals from Hogarth’s well-known “March -to Finchley.” Any display of religious feeling on the part of a -soldier excited such surprise as to prove its extreme rarity, especially -in the case of the Highlanders, who were esteemed at first to -be little better than savages. When the 42nd Regiment first -visited the metropolis, the Londoners were surprised to observe -that officers and men never sat down to table without first saying -grace—a religious observance which should be honoured, but -which has become obsolete in our mess-rooms at the present day. -An English historian shows how surprised his countrymen were -“to see these savages, from the officer to the commonest man, first -stand up and pull off their bonnets, and then lift up their eyes in -the most solemn and devout manner, and mutter something in -their own gibberish, by way, I suppose, of saying grace, as if they -had been so many Christians.” Of course, in the eyes of this -wiseacre, they could not have been Christians, because they -expressed their devotion in a gibberish which, as he charitably -implies, was as unintelligible to the Deity as it was to himself; but -we know how to judge these things by a different standard, and we -condemn the man who could write so narrowly. At first a chaplain -was attached to every regiment, and Dr. Carlisle, of Inveresk, -mentions in his memoirs, that one of these chaplains, during an -engagement in America, freely exposed himself to the fire of the -enemy, in order to encourage the young soldiers by his example. -We question whether such a display of clerical courage would meet -with the approval of the authorities at the War Office at the -present day; certain facts have come under our notice that would -tend rather to an opposite conclusion. These regimental chaplains -had to mess with the officers, and it was imagined that the presence -of a clergyman would have an elevating influence upon the latter; -experience, however, soon proved that the chaplains, instead of -elevating the officers, were, through daily contact, brought down to -the same moral level, and it is a significant fact that Burns, although -his national spirit was great, considered them fair game for his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span> -satire. About the commencement of the present century chaplains -were attached to brigades and not to regiments, and this continued -to be the case during the Peninsular war. It thus occasionally -happened that certain of our Highland regiments, when serving at -remote stations, had no provision made for their religious wants, -and were left entirely to their own resources. Some idea of their -attachment to their faith may be formed from the efforts they made -to secure the services of ministers of their own creed. “The -Sutherland men, or 93rd Highlanders,” says General Stewart, -“were so well grounded in moral duties and religious principles, -that, when stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, and anxious to -enjoy the advantages of religious instruction agreeably to the tenets -of their national Church, and there being no religious service in the -garrison, except the customary one of reading prayers to the soldiers -on parade, the men of the 93rd formed themselves into a congregation, -engaged and paid a stipend (collected from the soldiers) to a -clergyman of the Church of Scotland (who had gone out with the -intention of teaching and preaching to the Caffres), and had divine -service performed conformably to the ritual of the Established -Church. Their expenses were so well regulated that, while contributing -to the support of their clergyman from the savings of -their pay, they were enabled to promote that social cheerfulness -which is the true attribute of pure religion and of a well-spent life.” -There are few regiments in the service now that would be prepared -to make the same sacrifice, and if our chaplains were dependent -entirely on voluntary contributions they would soon be reduced to -a state of starvation, as church parade is usually the most distasteful -of all duties to a soldier. It deserves to be mentioned to -the honour of the 93rd Highlanders that they have always displayed -the same religious fervour and readiness to contribute to -the support of a clergyman of their own church. About twenty -years ago the regiment was stationed in a remote part of Canada, -where they had no opportunity of enjoying the instruction of one of -their own ministers. To meet this want they formed themselves into -a congregation, and contributed a sum sufficient for the support of -a minister, who continued to labour among them till they were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span> -ordered home. Many of our Highland regiments are at present -stationed in India, and it is satisfactory to add that acting-chaplains, -who are liberally paid by the Indian government, are attached to -each of them.</p> - -<p>The advantages of religious instruction were manifest in the -absence of crime and of most of those vices which have now -become deeply rooted in the British army. These gallant veterans -devoted to religious purposes the money which is now too often -spent in dissipation, and the advantages of the course were evident -in the high moral tone which existed among them. They knew -the value of money, but they would not retain a sixpence they did -not consider to be their own. We find, for example, in the case -of a Highland regiment, that on landing in Ireland they marched -to Waterford the same day, where they received billet-money on -their entrance into the town. The same evening they received -orders to proceed at once to New Ross. Any other soldiers would -have retained their billet-money as their perquisite, but the Highlanders, -with a simple honesty which most men would be more -disposed to admire than to imitate, returned it to the billet-master. -So correct was the conduct of the men that in some regiments -corporal punishment was almost unknown. In the Royal Highland -Emigrant Regiment only one man was brought to the halberts -during the time they were embodied. For the lengthened period -of forty years there were few courts-martial and no cases of -flogging in the 42nd Regiment. The value of this fact will be -appreciated by all who are familiar with the statistics of punishment -in the British army during the prevalence of war. It was -only when a foreign element was introduced in the shape of a draft -from another regiment that crime and its consequences became -more frequent. The old soldiers refused to associate with those -who had been brought to the halberts; they looked upon the -latter as disgraced, whereas at the present day a soldier suffers -nothing in the estimation of his comrades though he may have been -guilty of almost every crime. <i>Would that one could revive that high -moral tone among our soldiers which led the 42nd Highlanders to -raise money sufficient to purchase the discharge of those ruffians whom<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -they esteemed to be a disgrace to the regiment.</i> The presence of such -men carried contamination with it, and soldiers who were proud of -their regiment and jealous of its honour were ready to make any -sacrifice to get quit of them. The remedy, as might have been -expected, proved insufficient. The infusion of the criminal element -was too powerful to be eliminated by any such means. The -offering of a premium for vice tended only to increase the evil -which it was intended to remove, but such a fact places in the most -favourable light the high sense of honour by which the men of the -42nd were influenced.</p> - -<p>When punishment was inflicted upon the Highlanders themselves, -it was usually for insubordination. While devotedly attached to -those officers who treated them with justice and kindness, they -were ever ready, as we have shown, to resist any attempt to -deprive them of their rights. It unfortunately happened that they -were sometimes placed under the command of officers ignorant of -their character and feelings, who tried to carry matters with a high -hand and to rule them by terror more than by affection. In such -cases the most lamentable consequences followed: a spirit of insubordination -sprang up, which the severest punishment failed to -repress. We find, for example, that the 75th Regiment, on landing -in India in 1780, was placed under the command of an officer whose -great ambition it was to introduce the Prussian system of discipline, -the nature of which may be learned from Carlyle’s “Life of -Frederick the Great.” Such a system may have been well adapted -to the gigantic foot-soldiers whom Frederick William delighted to -see around him, but it was subversive of all discipline when applied -to a Highland regiment. The proud spirit of the mountaineers -refused to be smothered with pipeclay or be shackled with red tape, -and a mutiny would probably have ensued if the martinet had not -been removed to make place for another officer, who, uniting firmness -with due regard to the feelings of the men, soon regained for -the regiment its former high character. A striking contrast to the -temporary demoralisation produced in the 75th by the folly of the -commanding officer was presented by the 78th or Ross-shire Highlanders, -who were stationed in India about the same time under the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -command of Colonel Mackenzie of Suddie, one of their clansmen. -During six years spent in different parts of the Bengal Presidency -their conduct was so exemplary as to call forth the warm approval -of the authorities and to produce a desire to imitate in other regiments -the system which had produced such excellent results.</p> - -<p>What more striking proof can there be of the hallowing influence -of home associations on the mind of the Highlander? When serving -in foreign lands he never forgets his native village, his father’s home, -and the good name bequeathed to him as his only inheritance. His -great ambition is to do nothing to disgrace that name or to forfeit -the good opinion of the little community to which he expects some -day to return. “What will they say at home?” is the first thought -that occurs to him after a hard-fought field; and a feeling of honest -pride springs up in his heart as he thinks that the deeds of himself -and his comrades will be talked of in the circle he lived in before -he became a soldier. Lord Clyde and other generals knew how to -turn this feeling to the best account, and no man will ever make a -good soldier who has no social ties and no regard for public opinion. -It is pleasing to add that the same honourable feeling still subsists -in the 78th, and that such men as Havelock and Outram have borne -testimony to the good effects produced by it. It deterred the -regiment, when first raised, from the commission of crime, and thus -saved them from the disgrace of corporal punishment. For many -years flogging was unknown; it was not till 1799 that an offence -meriting this punishment occurred. The miserable offender was -at once tabooed by his comrades, who felt themselves disgraced by -his conduct, and avoided him as if he had the plague-spot; so -that, driven to despair, he might have been tempted to lay violent -hands on himself if the colonel had not interposed in his behalf. -Knowing that no change could be effected in the feelings of the -men, he deemed it best to send him home to England, where his -crime would be unknown, and he might thus have an opportunity -of retrieving his character. It happened as he expected: the man -justified the colonel’s decision and turned out an excellent soldier, -whereas if he had been allowed to remain in the regiment he -would have been lost. Thus justice tempered with mercy was the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span> -saving of this soldier, as it had been of many others. Would that -all commanding officers displayed the same humane and considerate -spirit in the treatment of those under their command! The entries -in the defaulters’ book would be fewer in number, and the <i>morale</i> -of the British army higher than it is at the present day.</p> - -<p>We have already alluded to the excellent character of the 93rd -Highlanders, who enjoyed the same immunity from punishment as -the 78th. While other regiments became partially demoralised -through the admixture of improper characters, the Sutherland -Highlanders remained uncontaminated, and preserved a uniform -line of good conduct. Punishment is usually more frequent in the -light infantry companies, because the men are selected on account -of their physical appearance without reference to moral character. -For a period of nineteen years no case of punishment occurred in -this or any other company of the 93rd, and this regiment still -retains that <i>esprit de corps</i> which has been handed down in the -ranks, and is as powerful for good as the inheritance of a noble -name or the pride of ancestry. The Sutherland men, instead of -spending their leisure hours in drunkenness and debauchery, have -devoted them to those athletic sports which muscular Christianity -has revived among other classes. Every one will admit that it is -better to brace the physical frame by running, leaping, dancing, and -tossing the kaber (manly exercises in which the 93rd are still proficient), -than to weaken it by vicious indulgence. Wherever they -have been stationed, at home or abroad, their exemplary conduct -has earned for them the confidence of those among whom they -lived, and procured for them admission into circles from which the -majority of soldiers are excluded. Colonel Cameron of Fassiefern -bears honourable testimony to the good conduct of the 92nd Highlanders. -In writing to his father during the Peninsular war he -thus alludes to his own clansmen who had followed him to the -field:—“Not one of the poor fellows who came with me has ever -behaved ill; none of them is even a questionable character.”</p> - -<p>The exemplary conduct of the Highlanders is to be attributed -partly to the admirable arrangements connected with the internal -economy of the different regiments. Their messes were managed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -by the non-commissioned officers, or old soldiers who had charge of -the barrack-room; it was so arranged that those who belonged to the -same glen or district, or were connected by the ties of friendship or -blood, should occupy the same room and be seated at the same table. -Such distinctions are ignored at the present day, so that the man of -education and refinement who has been forced into the army by -poverty or misconduct is obliged to associate by day and by night -with the vilest of his species, and to have his sense of propriety -outraged by their conduct and conversation. Need we wonder that -he should soon be brought down to the moral level of those around -him? In the Highland regiments this evil was avoided; every -barrack-room was like a large family establishment, the occupants -of which spoke the same language, wore the same dress, belonged -to the same clan, and cherished the hope of returning to the same -glen. Public opinion was as powerful for good in such a community -as in civil life; all had an equal interest in sustaining the -good fame of the mess to which they belonged. After defraying -all the necessary expenses for breakfast, dinner, and other necessaries -during the week, the surplus pay was placed in a stock purse -and carefully guarded. When it reached a certain amount it was -lent out at interest; the system of savings-banks had not yet been -introduced into the army. When a soldier left the regiment he had -usually sufficient money to establish himself in some kind of business, -the profits of which, added to his pension, enabled him to -spend the remainder of his days in comfort. So long as he remained -in the regiment he had always enough to procure the usual necessaries, -and to remit something to his friends in the old country, -when they stood in need of such assistance. Large sums of money -thus reached the North, and must have been acceptable in every -way to those who received them. We have already shown how the -Sutherland men, while stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, supported -a minister of their own religion from their limited pay. -While attentive to the duties of religion, they were not deaf to the -voice of nature. They remembered those who had first taught -them to respect religion, and acknowledged the obligation by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span> -ministering to their wants. All remitted something to the old -folks at home—in several cases individual soldiers sent as much as -£20 each. When the regiment landed at Plymouth in 1814, after -eight years’ service at the Cape, upwards of £500 were deposited -in one bank to be remitted to Sutherlandshire; this was exclusive -of sums forwarded through the post-office and through officers -proceeding to the North. Before the Poor Law was introduced -into Scotland, it was the great ambition of the poorest of the -peasantry to accept no public relief; this feeling was common to all, -and the greatest sacrifices were made by sons and daughters to -prevent parents from <i>coming on the board</i>—<i>i.e.</i>, from accepting -assistance from the offertories made at the different churches for -the benefit of the indigent. This feeling accompanied the Highland -soldier to distant lands, and led him to submit to many privations -in order to save money for the support of his parents, who -were thus enabled to retain their self-esteem and to enjoy the -respect of the community in which they lived.</p> - -<p>On examining the papers of the late Sir Ewen Cameron of Fassiefern, -the father of Colonel Cameron of the 92nd Highlanders, it -was found that large sums of money had been remitted from different -parts of the world by soldiers for the support of their parents. -Writing from Alexandria, 24th August, 1801, to his father, Colonel -Cameron thus alludes to this trait in the character of his men:—“I -wrote you before leaving Newport, inclosing a bill on Charles -Erskine for money belonging to <i>Ewen dubh Taillear</i> (black Hugh the -Tailor), and from Marmorice Bay, a letter with money for <i>Ewen -dubh Coul</i> (black Hugh of Coul); also money for the two Macphies.” -Writing on the 14th December, 1809, after his return from the -disastrous expedition to Walcheren, Colonel Cameron says—“The -Bo-man’s (cattle-herd’s) son has begged of me to forward you -(inclosed) one half of ten-pound note to assist his father’s family. -The other half he will forward to his brother by next post. He is -a very <i>siccer</i> (steady) lad.”</p> - -<p>It is a pleasing duty to commemorate the filial affection of those -gallant old soldiers who have now gone the way of all flesh, and to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span> -testify from our own experience that in the ranks of our Highland -regiments there are still men possessed of the same frugal habits -and the same dutiful attachment to their parents as the Bo-man’s -son. If the number has diminished of late years, it is because the -feeling of honest pride which led the children to provide for their -parents has been weakened through the operation of that Poor Law -which has effected so many important changes in the social condition -of the lowly.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"> -<img src="images/footer5.jpg" width="200" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header8.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br /> -<span class="smaller">OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS—<i>continued</i>.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The health of the British army both at home and abroad -has improved very much of late years. The British -soldier is better fed, better clothed, and better lodged -now than he ever was before; hence in India the mortality has -been reduced by one-half, and a corresponding change has been -effected in the number of admissions to our military hospitals. -Still the fact cannot be overlooked that a larger amount of sickness -prevails among soldiers than among civilians of the same age and -rank in life, whose physical wants are less carefully attended to; -and while other causes may intervene, this difference is to be -attributed mainly to the habits of the men themselves. The surest -test of the moral character of a regiment is the number of admissions -to hospital. When a regiment is demoralised, the wards will be -crowded; when a healthy moral tone prevails in the ranks, they -will be comparatively empty. Drunkenness and immorality have -done more to thin the ranks of the British army, and to crowd our -unions with discharged soldiers, than the bullets of the enemy, the -scorching sun of the tropics, the fatigues of actual warfare, or the -malaria of unhealthy stations.</p> - -<p>On consulting the statistics of mortality connected with the -Highland regiments when first raised, we are surprised at the small -number of casualties which occurred among them. They were -always first in the field of danger, and yet there were fewer deaths -among them than in many regiments in time of peace. We find, -for example, that the 42nd Regiment embarked for Flanders on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span> -18th of June, 1794, and landed at Ostend on the 26th of the same -month. They shared in all the hardships of that unfortunate -expedition, and took part in the disastrous retreat to Deventer, the -miseries of which have been compared to the sufferings of the -French after the burning of Moscow. Disease, the result of the -severity of the weather and the want of food and proper clothing, -thinned the ranks of the British army; many of our best soldiers -sank under the accumulated hardships which beset them. The -Dutch, on whose gratitude they had the strongest claims, inhospitably -closed their doors against the sufferers, and refused to render them -any assistance. The result was that some of the newly-raised -regiments lost more than three hundred men by disease alone, while -the 42nd, which had three hundred young recruits in its ranks, lost -only twenty-five men, including those killed in battle, from their -disembarkation at Ostend till their embarkation at Bremen on -the 14th of April, 1795. This immunity from disease is to be -attributed to their temperate habits as much as to their natural -strength of constitution and power of enduring fatigue and privation. -An amusing incident occurred while the regiment was -stationed at Alost in the month of July. A party of 400 of the -French cavalry entered the town, and being mistaken for Hessians, -met with no resistance till they reached the market-place, where one -of them attempted to cut down a 42nd Highlander of the name of -MacDonald, who was walking along, unsuspicious of danger, with -his basket on his head. He was severely wounded in the hand -which held the basket, but promptly drawing his bayonet with the -hand which was disengaged, he attacked the dragoon with such fury -that he was compelled to retreat. Donald then continued his -course, muttering his regret that he had not his father’s good broadsword -to cut the rascal down. The enemy were soon recognised -and driven from the town. It is worthy of remark that the practice -of enticing mere boys into the service was then unknown in the -Highland regiments. The profession of arms was so popular in the -North, that they could always find a sufficient supply of able-bodied -men. Their average age on enlistment was twenty-two years, a -period of life not too young to render them incapable of enduring<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -the hardships and sufferings of military service, nor too old to unfit -them for learning that discipline without which an army would soon -degenerate into an armed mob. In short, they were picked men, -and the advantage of this carefulness of selection was manifest in -their exemption from disease, and their power of enduring privations -under which others less robust would have succumbed. The -Ross-shire Fusiliers when reduced were as strong and efficient as -when embodied. Not one man had died during the period of -service, a case unparalleled, we believe, in the annals of the British -army. The money which is too often spent in the canteen or in -still worse places was remitted to their friends, and this generous -self-denial was not without its reward.</p> - -<p>Another characteristic trait in the character of these men was -their quiet, orderly, and kind deportment to the inhabitants of the -different countries in which they were stationed. Soldiers are apt -to look upon themselves as a distinct class, and to assume a certain -haughty bearing in their dealings with civilians, who, of course, are -prone to retaliate. The Highlanders seem never to have forgotten -that they were only civilians in arms, bound by the laws of courtesy -as well as by the rules of military discipline. During the years -1743-44 the 42nd Regiment was stationed in different parts of -Flanders, under the command of Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair, -where, if they had been so disposed, they might have levied contributions -on the powerless inhabitants. The latter, however, had -such confidence in their honesty and integrity, that they specially -requested to have them appointed the guardians of their property, -and bore willing testimony to the faithfulness with which they had -discharged this duty. Few of them, we are told, were ever drunk, -and they as rarely swore. They retained in Flanders the simple -habits of their own native glens, and when they left, the Elector-Palatine -wrote to his envoy in London, desiring him to thank the -King of Great Britain for the excellent behaviour of the regiment -while in his territory, “for whose sake,” he adds, “I will always -pay a respect and regard to a Scotchman in future.”</p> - -<p>In the month of May, 1815, the intelligence reached England -that Napoleon had escaped from Elba, and the three Highland<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span> -regiments which had been stationed in Ireland at once embarked -for Flanders, and took up their quarters at Brussels, where they -became very popular among the inhabitants. They were billeted -among the citizens, who, instead of regarding this as a hardship, -rejoiced in their presence, and had such confidence in their honesty, -that they often committed their shops to their care when they had -occasion to go out. It was not unusual to see a stalwart Highlander -nursing a Flemish baby, and handling it as tenderly as if he -had been “to the manner born.” But, in truth, our Highland -soldiers have always been remarkable for their fondness for children. -When the 78th Highlanders forced their fiery way to the Residency -at Lucknow, and were welcomed by the starving women whom they -had saved from a fate worse than death, they seized the children -from their arms, pressed their bearded faces against their tender -cheeks, and shed tears of generous pity over them. Those tears -did not unman them or unfit them for their duty, as all who are -familiar with the annals of the Indian campaign will at once admit. -No wonder that the kind-hearted Highlanders at Brussels made a -favourable impression on the hearts of the Flemish maidens with -whom they were brought in contact. A soldier of the 42nd had -gained the affections of the daughter of a wealthy tradesman in -whose house he was quartered at Brussels, and though he had -never told his love, a mutual understanding had sprung up between -them. When the British forces advanced to Waterloo, the Flemish -maiden trembled for the fate of her lover. The power of Napoleon -was shattered on that hard-contested field, but the Highlanders -returned not to Brussels. The 42nd embarked for England, and -arrived in the vicinity of Edinburgh on the 18th of March, 1816, -where they were welcomed by the inhabitants with acclamations of -joy, and entertained at a public dinner. The postal arrangements -were not so perfect in those days as at present. Long weary -months passed away, and the Flemish maiden heard nothing of her -lover. One day a party of Highlanders were carousing together in -Edinburgh, and toasting their sweethearts, as was the custom at -that period. It was observed that one of them was silent, and -refused to toast his mistress. “Leave him alone,” the others said;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span> -“we all know that he left his heart at Brussels.” The remark had -scarcely been made when it was announced that a person had called -to see him. On entering another room, he found there a young -lady dressed in the deepest mourning, who rushed forward and -welcomed him with a cry of joy. It was the Flemish maiden. In -broken English, and with many tears, she told him of all the -anguish she had suffered from his absence and silence. She had -borne it all till the death of her father left her mistress of her -actions, when she resolved to visit England in order to ascertain -his fate. On reaching London, she learned that the 42nd had been -sent north to Edinburgh, and followed the regiment there. She -only knew her lover’s name, but a soldier, touched with pity by her -romantic tale, searched the town till he discovered where he was. -The rest may be left to the imagination of our readers. The war -was now over, and she had no difficulty in purchasing the discharge -of her lover. The officers of the regiment took an interest in the -young couple, and were present at their marriage, after which the -Highlander and his bride returned to Brussels, where they established -themselves in business, and were as prosperous as they -deserved to be.</p> - -<p>Often, indeed, in the history of the Highland regiments—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Shine martial Faith and Courtesy’s bright star</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Through all the wreckful storms that cloud the brow of War.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">We could multiply instances of their kindness and forbearance to -the helpless inhabitants of foreign lands, whom they might have -plundered with impunity, and of the proofs of gratitude shown by -the latter to their benefactors.</p> - -<p>Alluding to the services of Keith’s and Campbell’s Highlanders -with the allied army in Germany in 1759, the <i>Vienna Gazette</i> of -1762 says—“From the goodness of their disposition in everything, -the boors are much better treated by these savages than by the -polished French and English.”</p> - -<p>When these two regiments were ordered home, such was the -character they had established for themselves during three campaigns -that the inhabitants of Holland welcomed them with -acclamations on their march through that country, and the women<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -crowded around them and presented them with laurel-leaves. This -display of friendly feeling may have been owing partly to the long -services of the Scotch Brigade in the Dutch service, and the -frequent intercourse between the two countries; but it was elicited -in a great measure by the excellent conduct of the Highlanders -themselves. After landing at Tilbury Fort, they marched for -Scotland, and were treated with the most marked attention by the -citizens of the different towns where they halted, especially by -those of Derby, who presented the men with gratuities in money. -This unusual liberality is said to have sprung from a grateful -remembrance of the respect shown for their persons and property -by the Highlanders when they visited the town in 1745, under the -command of Charles Edward, the Young Pretender.</p> - -<p>Some of these Highlanders had given a remarkable proof of the -high spirit of honour which prevailed among them before leaving -Scotland. Every one is familiar with the massacre of Glencoe, that -detestable deed of butchery the details of which, after the lapse of -more than a century, cannot be read without a shudder of horror. -Part of the Mac Ians had escaped, and when Charles Edward landed -in the North, their young chief joined his standard with a hundred -and fifty men, and accompanied him in his march to the South. -At first success attended his arms, and the Highland army passed -near a beautiful mansion, the property of the Earl of Stair, whose -forefather of the same name, from motives of private revenge, had -caused the unfortunate Mac Ians to be murdered in cold blood by -those whom they had welcomed as friends. It was part of the -policy of Prince Charles to conciliate the Lowland proprietors who -still kept aloof from his cause, and a guard was posted for the -protection of Lord Stair’s house, which was believed to be in some -danger of being attacked by the Mac Ians in revenge for the -massacre of their forefathers. No sooner had the chief of Glencoe -heard of this precaution than he deemed his honour insulted, and -demanded an interview with the prince.</p> - -<p>“If a guard must be posted here,” he said, “let the Mac Ians, -who have most reason to hate the name of Dalrymple, supply that -guard. If you refuse this request it must be from want of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span> -confidence in the MacIans, who, finding themselves distrusted, -can no longer follow your standard. They are willing to die for -you, but they will not submit to the insult of being watched by -others.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;" id="illus6"> -<img src="images/illus6.jpg" width="500" height="550" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Glencoe.</p> -</div> - -<p>It was fortunate that the prince understood the character of the -young MacIan, and granted his request. The guard was duly posted, -and the mansion of the Dalrymples received no injury. When we -consider that old Lord Stair was the author of the massacre of -Glencoe, and that revenge among the Highlanders was almost a -sacred duty, we cannot withhold our admiration from the chief<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span> -who could restrain his men on such an occasion, and from the men -who voluntarily submitted to such restraint. The name of young -MacIan of Glencoe is worthy of being ranked with those of Scipio -and other heroes of antiquity, who knew how to practise, under the -pressure of strong temptation, the difficult duty of self-denial.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“This murderous chief, this ruthless man,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">This head of a rebellious clan,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">spared the mansion of his hereditary foe.</p> - -<p>Such were the elements of which our Highland regiments were -formed. When the mountaineers transferred their services to the -House of Hanover, they did not lose their distinctive character; -they shrank from no duty, however dangerous, but they never -inflicted unnecessary suffering on the unprotected. The latter were -always prepared to express their sense of their forbearance, and to -lament their removal to another station. After the battle of -Waterloo the 78th Regiment did garrison duty at Brussels till -1816, when they received orders to return home. The inhabitants -had come to regard them as a part of themselves, and -requested the mayor to try to prevent their removal. This could -not be done, but the mayor expressed the feeling of his fellow-citizens -by issuing the following document:—“As Mayor of -Brussels, I have pleasure in declaring that the Scotch Highlanders -who were garrisoned in this city during the years 1814 and 1815 -called forth the attachment and esteem of all by the mildness and -suavity of their manners and excellent conduct, insomuch that a -representation was made to me by the inhabitants, requesting me to -endeavour to detain the 78th Regiment of Scotchmen in the town, -and to prevent their being replaced by other troops.” The mayor’s -eulogium applies to all the Highland regiments stationed at -Brussels, but the 78th were the best known because they had been -longest there. <i>Les braves Flamands</i> witnessed their departure with -the liveliest feelings of regret. “They are kind as well as brave;” -“they are part of ourselves” (<i>enfans de famille</i>); “they are lions in -the field, lambs in the house.” Such were the expressions that -greeted the plumed warriors of the North as they marched for the -last time through the streets of Brussels.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span></p> - -<p>Nor was it in foreign lands alone that the Highlanders secured -the confidence and esteem of the inhabitants by their good conduct. -The 92nd, or Gordon Highlanders, who were embodied in 1794, -and derived their name from having been raised chiefly on the estates -of the Duke of Gordon, in the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and -Inverness, were ordered to Ireland in 1798, to assist in quelling the -insurrection which had broken out in that unfortunate country. -Nothing could be more trying to the temper of the men than the -duties they had to perform. They were constantly moved from -place to place in the midst of a hostile population. On one occasion -they had to march ninety-six Irish miles in three successive -days, with arms, ammunition, and knapsacks. Notwithstanding -their arduous duties, and the avowed hostility of the population to -the red-coats, the Gordon Highlanders conducted themselves with -such forbearance, that, on their being removed elsewhere, public -testimony was borne to the fact that they had been “exemplary in -all duties; sober, orderly, and regular in quarters.” They had -earned the same good character when stationed in the island of -Corsica in 1795, and such was the estimation in which they were -held in Ireland, that a parting address was presented to the Marquis -of Huntly, the colonel of the regiment, in which it is said that -“peace and order were re-established, rapine had disappeared, confidence -in the government was restored, and the happiest cordiality -subsisted since his regiment came among them.” Many of the -privates in this regiment belonged to a different class from those -who usually enter the army; they were the sons of respectable -farmers, who had been induced to enlist by the personal influence -and blandishments of the beautiful Duchess of Gordon, the mother -of their colonel.</p> - -<p>In the Peninsula the conduct of the 92nd was as exemplary as in -Ireland. Unmoved by hunger and the example of others, they -respected the lives and property of those who could offer no resistance. -Napier has rendered his readers familiar with the horrors -which followed the capture of St. Sebastian in Spain. A more -pleasing picture is presented by the conduct of the Gordon Highlanders -and the old “fighting 50th” when they drove the French<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -from the town of Aire on the 2nd of March, 1814. Places thus -captured were almost invariably given up to pillage and destruction, -and the miserable inhabitants deemed themselves fortunate if they -escaped with their lives. On this occasion there was not a single -act of plunder or violence; the Highlanders took quiet possession -of the town, and paid for every article they required. Their -generous forbearance produced such an impression on the -inhabitants of Aire, that they presented an address to Colonel -Cameron expressive of their gratitude for exemption from plunder -and rapine, the usual fate of the defenceless in times of war. The -Highlanders have always been popular in Ireland; they are sprung -from the same Celtic stock, and speak a dialect of the same language. -Though they had no sympathy with the Irish during the rebellion -of 1798, and took an active part in quelling it, they were guilty of -no unnecessary cruelty, and discharged their duty in such a way as -to conciliate the esteem of those who were opposed to them. It was -said of them that “their conduct and manners softened the horrors -of war, and they were not a week in a fresh quarter or cantonment -that they did not conciliate and become intimate with the -people.”</p> - -<p>At this period duelling was an established custom in the British -army, and some of the Highland officers were as ready to take offence -as Sir Lucius O’Trigger in <i>The Rivals</i>, or the redoubtable Captain -MacTurk in <i>St. Ronan’s Well</i>. They were jealous of their personal -honour, and as ready to challenge one another as those of a different -race. We read of a Captain Campbell who fought a duel in a dark -room without seconds, and killed his opponent. The absence of -witnesses led the jury to give a verdict of murder, and the unfortunate -man was hanged. A duel was fought at Gibraltar, in 1795, -between Captain, afterwards Colonel Cameron, and Lieutenant, afterwards -Sir John Maclean, in consequence of some disputed point -of precedency. Both escaped without any serious injury. The -Marquis of Huntly, the colonel of the 92nd, to which Cameron and -Maclean belonged, took them to task for their conduct, and warned -his officers against the practice of duelling. “I have the more right -to insist upon this,” he said, “as I believe you are all, more or less,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span> -connected with my father’s estates.” The hot-blooded Cameron -started to his feet. “I,” he exclaimed, “have no connexion with -your father’s estates or your father’s clan; such an argument, therefore, -cannot apply to me.” The marquis knew how to soothe his -wounded feelings, and this was his first and last duel. Nothing -more readily rouses a Highlander’s ire than any insult offered to -his country, his language, or his dress, and strangers, ignorant of -this peculiarity, were sometimes involved in quarrels without any -intention of giving offence. We remember the case of an English -officer, the nephew of an archbishop, who happened to be seated at -a mess-room table opposite to a Highlander who wore the national -costume, the uniform of his regiment. They were strangers to one -another, and it was their first and last meeting in this world. The -English officer made some bantering remark on the Highlander’s -dress, which was regarded by the latter as an insult, and led to an -immediate challenge. They agreed to settle their difference at -once, and on the first exchange of shots poor Mr. ⸺, the -English officer, fell. Highland soldiers have now learned to bear -any amount of “chaff” on their national peculiarities without -taking offence, but national feeling was stronger and more -sensitive in former days, and the barbarous custom of duelling -often led to death in cases where an apology would now be -deemed ample atonement. It is somewhat remarkable that the -horror excited by the death of an Indian officer, slain in mortal -combat by his own brother-in-law, an officer of the Life Guards, -and a Highlander by birth, produced such a reaction, that the -custom of duelling—that barbarous relic of a barbarous age—may -now be regarded as obsolete.</p> - -<p>An interesting work might be written on the female warriors of -all nations, including the standing army of the King of Dahomey. -In every country and in every age there have been men who, in -point of valour, were women; and women who, in point of valour, -were men. The Amazons of antiquity, the <i>vivandières</i> of France, -and the camp followers of the British army, would all be entitled to -some passing notice; but more attractive still would be the personal -history of those women who, instigated by the promptings of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span> -valour or love, have entered the army and served for years without -their sex being discovered. The wives of soldiers who have followed -their husbands to the field, sharing their dangers and ministering to -the wants of the wounded, might also find place in such a work, to -which we willingly present the following contribution. Towards -the close of last century, a stalwart, buxom Scottish lass became the -wife of a private in the 42nd Highlanders, and was permitted to -accompany the regiment when it embarked, in 1795, to take part in -the expedition to the West Indies. She soon learned to share in all -the hardships and dangers of a soldier’s life, was frequently under -fire, and became as skilful in dressing wounds as the most experienced -surgeon. She was known to every one in the regiment, and -was equally a favourite with officers and men. She was present at, -and took part in, the attack on the island of St. Vincent, then -occupied by the French and the insurgent natives. In one of the -skirmishes between the 42nd and the enemy, Lieutenant-Colonel -Graham was severely wounded, and left insensible on the field. -After a time his own men returned and, believing him to be dead, -dragged his body across the rough channel of the river to the -sea-beach. The motion elicited some signs of life, and they -hastened in search of a surgeon; meanwhile the body was borne -along in a blanket for about four miles till they reached a post -occupied by the 42nd. Colonel Graham still continued insensible, -and no surgeon could be found to dress his wounds or restore him -to consciousness. It was plain then, unless something were done at -once he could not long survive, as a bullet had entered his side, -come out beneath his breast, and shattered two of his fingers. He -was already exhausted with the loss of blood. Fortunately for him -our Highland Amazon was at this post, and at once proceeded to act -the part of the good Samaritan. She washed his wounds, and bound -them up with such skill that the surgeons, on their arrival, did not -find it necessary to unloose the dressing. The colonel remained in a -dangerous state for three weeks, when he was removed to England, -where he gradually recovered and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General -and Governor of Stirling Castle. It is to be hoped that he -did not forget the kind-hearted woman to whom he owed his life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span></p> - -<p>Be that as it may, she accompanied the 42nd in their different -expeditions, and proved herself a skilful nurse in hospital, a fearless -leader on the field of battle. Wherever her husband went she -followed, watching over his safety, and threatening to avenge him -if he fell. There is reason to believe that, like other veterans, she -came at length to love fighting for its own sake, and that anxiety -for the safety of her husband was only a cloak to justify her -presence amid the wild excitement of the battle-field. On one -occasion, before the commencement of an attack, the officer in -command, being anxious to expose her husband to as little danger -as possible, left him in charge of the men’s knapsacks, which they -had thrown aside before rushing up the hill. He remained at his -post, but his wife, borne along by an irresistible impulse, rushed -forward at the head of the attacking columns, and cheered them on -to victory. No man could refuse to follow where a woman led the -way. Three redoubts were carried in rapid succession, and just as -the officer was giving orders to charge the fourth and last, he was -suddenly tapped on the shoulder. On turning round he beheld his -friend, the female warrior, with her clothes tucked up to her knees, -and the proud expression of victory in her lace. Seizing his hand, -and shaking it heartily, she exclaimed, “Well done, my Highland -lad! See how the brigands scamper, like so many deer! Come,” -she continued, “let us drive them from yonder hill.” Her advice -was acted on, and the success of the Highlanders was complete. -When the fighting was over, friend and foe shared alike in her -sympathies. Her skilful hand, like the spear of Achilles, could heal -the wounds it had made.</p> - -<p>About forty years ago, in almost every village in Scotland might -be seen tall, erect, gray-headed old men, retired veterans, who, after -fighting the battles of their country in every quarter of the globe, -had returned to the place of their birth, the memory of which had -haunted them during long years of absence and exile. They were -the leaders of public opinion in the small community in which they -lived—the village Nestors, from whose lips dropped words of -wisdom, tales of strange adventure, and dangers encountered by -sea and land. They feared God and honoured the king; they had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span> -only one failing—an overweening love of the bottle; they were the -oracles of every tap-room, where, amid the applause of their boon -companions, they fought their battles o’er again, even to the thrice -routing of all their foes and the thrice slaying of the slain. It was -not the mere love of drink that led them there; mingled with this -weakness was the pleasure of recalling scenes in which they had -borne a part, battles in which they had fought and conquered. -Often the schoolboys on the village green would cease from their -sports and gather round one of these veterans in an admiring circle, -as, seated beneath a shady tree and leaning on his crutch, he told of -the gallant deeds of the Gordon Highlanders or the Old Black -Watch. His rude eloquence never failed to awaken the enthusiasm -of his audience, and many a Scottish soldier was first led to think -of the profession of arms, and to long, like Norval, to follow some -brave chieftain to the field, from listening to these veterans. They -have now gone the way of all living; we know of only one veteran -survivor of Waterloo in the North, but we can recal many who -lived and flourished a quarter of a century ago. Old Hyderabad -stands before us at this very moment. There he is, with all the -towering majesty of six feet and some additional inches, with shaggy -eyebrows and straggling hair as white as snow, with a rough, stern, -but not unkindly face, rendered still more stern by a sabre-cut on -the brow, with his formidable pikestaff in one hand, and his ram’s-horn -“sneeshin’-mull,” or snuff-box, in the other. His real name -was James Bruce, but he was universally known as Hyderabad, -from the interminable stories he told of the capture of that Indian -city, at which he assisted. His stories occasionally exceeded the -bounds of credence; for example, he used to relate that any eccentricity -of manner observable in his conduct arose from a singular -accident which happened to him at Hyderabad. He was fighting -his way through the streets, when a bullet-wound in the leg laid -him prostrate; one of his assailants rushed upon him and laid open -his skull with a cut of his sabre. “I put up my hand to my head,” -said James, “to feel what was the matter; it so happened that I -had just been takin’ a pinch and forgot to put up my mull. Aweel, -you see, I was so startled at the size of the hole in my head that I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span> -lost hold of my sneeshin’-mull, and it dropped inside my skull. Up -came the doctor, and, without thinking of the mull, he clapped the -skull together and trepanned it; the wound soon healed, but sometimes -I feel a little queer in the head.” No wonder that he did, -considering that he believed that there was a ram’s-horn in the -place where his brains should have been. The delusion had -originated from a sunstroke which he received in India, and which -would have killed any other man than Hyderabad. It is worthy of -remark that, though he was universally known as Hyderabad, few -ever ventured to address him by that sobriquet; it was dangerous -to take liberties with one whose pikestaff was ever ready to punish -any impertinence. We can only recal one occasion when James -was thus addressed. He was walking with stately gait through a -country fair, when a young urchin, set on by his older companions, -walked up to him, and said in his most winning way, “How d’ye -do, Old Hyderabad?” Had the earth yawned beneath James’s -feet he could not have looked more surprised than he did on hearing -these ominous words; here was an urchin who barely reached his -knee addressing him familiarly by that name which the boldest -never ventured to mention in his presence. It was like a mouse -insulting a lion, but what could he do? He was too tender-hearted -to touch a child, but such liberties must be repressed, so he -flourished his pikestaff in the air and gave a yell such as a savage -gives when he despatches his foe. Years have elapsed since James -uttered that yell; his voice is now among the voices of the night; -but it is still ringing in the ears of him who evoked it, and who -fled in terror from the redoubtable presence, and equally redoubtable -pikestaff, of Old Hyderabad.</p> - -<p>Nor have we forgotten Old Corunna, the one-eyed veteran, who -fought with Abercrombie in Egypt, and helped to lay the green -turf on the grave of Sir John Moore in Spain. Many were the -stories he used to recount of that disastrous retreat, of that fatal -embarkation. We have seen his one eye dimmed with a tear as he -spoke of Moore, that gallant leader who was dear to his men amid -all their sufferings; we have seen it lighted up with genuine -humour as he told of wealthy officers marching at the head of their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -men without shoes or stockings, and the latter whispering to one -another, “There goes ten thousand a year.” Unlike Hyderabad, -Corunna was of small stature, but wiry as a terrier, retaining his -vigour to the last, and ready to meet all comers. The fame of one -of his encounters still lives in his native parish, and has long survived -him. At the period when he flourished, it was not unusual -for professional prizefighters to visit country fairs and to challenge -the rustics to a friendly combat. If the challenge was not accepted, -they claimed, and usually received, a certain sum of money; if they -fought and failed to win, the money belonged to the victor. It so -happened that Corunna was refreshing himself in a booth or tent at -one of these country fairs when a noted pugilist appeared and gave -the usual challenge. No one seemed disposed to take it up, till Old -Corunna, over-brimming with whisky and valour, rushed from the -tent, divested himself of his great-coat, and went at the bully with -such thorough good will and masterly science that victory soon -declared in his favour. That was, perhaps, the proudest day in -poor Corunna’s existence. During the fight a thief had stolen his -great-coat, but this loss was very soon made up, and Corunna -remained to his death the champion of the parish. He has several -sons now serving in the British army.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;"> -<img src="images/footer6.jpg" width="300" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE PIPERS OF OUR HIGHLAND REGIMENTS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-o.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Our sketch of the Highland Regiments would be incomplete -without some allusion to the men whose martial -music inspired them with courage, and often rose loud -and triumphant amid the din of battle. The bagpipe has always -been a favourite instrument of music among the Celtic race. There -is reason to believe that its invention is almost coeval with the -origin of the human race; traces of it, at least, are to be found in -the bas-reliefs of those ancient cities which have been brought to -light by modern explorers. It was known to the Hindoos, the -Chinese, and the Assyrians; it is still valued and appreciated by -the natives of Ireland and Brittany. It may be justly regarded as -the national instrument of Scotland, inasmuch as all our Scottish -regiments are provided with pipers; and our Highland soldiers -have always preferred their inspiring strains to every other kind of -music. This feeling of preference has been well expressed by the -poet:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Then wild and high the Cameron’s gathering rose,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The war-note of Lochiel, which Albyn’s hills</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Have heard, and heard, too, have her Saxon foes.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">How in the noon of night that pibroch thrills,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Savage and shrill! But with the breath which fills</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Their mountain pipe, so fill the mountaineers</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With the fierce daring which instils</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The stirring memory of a thousand years;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And Evan’s, Donald’s fame rings in each clansman’s ears.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The influence of music depends very much upon association. -The <i>Marseillaise</i>, for example, is to most men simply a warlike air,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span> -inferior to many others with which they have been familiar from -infancy, while to the Frenchman it is the sacred chant of liberty, -presaging the downfall of tyrants, and the destruction of all that -stand in the way of human progress; the <i>Ranz des Vaches</i> awakens -no unusual emotion in the breast of him who hears it for the first -time, while to the Swiss, wandering in foreign lands, it brings back -the snow-capped mountains, the wooden chalets, the tinkling of the -cow-bells in the deep valleys, and all the other reminiscences of -his native land. The sound of the bagpipe may be to the Saxon -the least or the most disagreeable of all sounds; it revives no past -associations; it awakens no patriotic feeling; it rather repels by -its harsh and discordant strains. Nor is this effect confined to any -one race or class; it extends to all who have not been accustomed -to the war-pipe from infancy. If you ask an Englishman, “Do -you like the bagpipes?” he answers with a significant smile, “Yes; -but I like them best at a distance.” Habit, however, is all-powerful -in modifying this feeling of dislike; we have known English officers -and soldiers serving in Highland regiments who came to prefer the -pibroch to every other kind of music, and became, in this respect, -more Scottish than the Scotch themselves. But we question -whether a Frenchman, with all his acknowledged politeness, was -ever betrayed into any expression bordering on admiration of Highland -music. We have a lively remembrance of the expressive shrug -which a Frenchman gave, when we asked him how he liked the -bagpipes, and of the comical way in which he stopped his ears, as -if still haunted with the horrible sound. A genuine Celt would -attribute such symptoms of aversion to prejudice, affectation, or -even to some worse motive; you could never convince him that -the shrill notes of his favourite war-pipe could cause an unpleasant -sensation on your tympanum.</p> - -<p>An amusing illustration of this Celtic obtuseness of perception -may be given. About half a century ago an accomplished young -French nobleman, who recently held an appointment of importance -at the Court of St. James’s, was fortunate enough to secure the -hand of a Scottish lady, who was heiress to a title in her own right, -and to extensive estates in the north. After his marriage, which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span> -was celebrated in England, the happy couple went to spend the -honeymoon at an ancient castle belonging to the lady in a remote -part of the Highlands. This was, perhaps, rather a mistake, as the -French do not understand our English institution of the honeymoon, -and consider that throwing two young people together for a -month tends rather to make them tired of one another’s society. -Be that as it may, they reached the Highlands in safety, and spent -the first night in the ancient castle. The excitement and fatigue of -the journey kept the Frenchman awake the greater part of the -night, and he had just dropped quietly asleep at an early hour in the -morning, when all at once he was roused to consciousness by a loud -discordant noise beneath his window. Springing to his feet, he -drew aside the curtains to ascertain the cause of this disturbance. -It was a charming morning, the grass on the lawn was glistening -with dew-drops, and the heath-clad mountains were tipped with -the golden rays of the rising sun. But he had no eye for the -beauties of nature; every other feeling was absorbed in indignation -at being roused from his pleasant slumber by an old fellow in the -Highland garb, who was strutting backwards and forwards on the -lawn and playing “Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye waukin’ yet,” to his -own intense satisfaction. If the indignant Frenchman had stopped -to inquire, he would have found this was old Donald, the family -piper, who had been in the habit of waking the family by this -morning serenade ever since he entered on his office; but his only -thought was how to get rid of this nuisance, so he shouted, “<i>Allez, -allez-vous en, tout de suite!</i>” “Sir!” said Donald, surprised at -hearing himself addressed in a language which he did not understand. -“Go, go away,” said the Frenchman. “Your music is -execrable; it is murderous; it will kill me.” If the earth had -yawned before him, Donald could not have stood more aghast than -he did on hearing these words. The sound of the bagpipes was to -him the most delightful of all music, and he could not understand -how it could be otherwise than pleasing to everyone else. But here -was a man who actually ordered <i>him</i>, the family piper, away; who -pronounced his music murderous, and declared it would kill him. -There must be some mystery in this, some secret cause for this unaccountable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -dislike. The bagpipes were silent; but Donald walked -backwards and forwards on the lawn, holding his head erect, -distending his nostrils, and sniffing with indignation at the insult -offered to him. “Maybe the carl (fellow) does na like music,” he -at length burst forth; “or maybe he does na like <i>me</i>. What ails -him at the bagpipes? By my faith, I have it now; he heard a -little too much of them at Waterloo!”</p> - -<p>While our Scottish regiments have ceased to be composed -exclusively of Scotchmen, they have still retained their pipers. -They are not the only musicians attached to these regiments, for -there are the brass bands besides; but the national music is always -most appreciated by those who belong to the north. When the -drum and the fife cease, and the bagpipes strike up some well-known -pibroch or march, you can tell by their heightened colour -and beaming eyes who are the Scotchmen in the ranks; cheered on -by that music, they will rush on to danger or to death without -dismay. It was a mistake to deprive these regiments of their -pipers, as was done in some cases; and Scotland ought to cherish -the memory of William IV. for restoring them to the Scots Fusilier -Guards.</p> - -<p>The number attached to each regiment was originally twelve, -but it has now, in some instances, been reduced to six. While the -pipers may be regarded as non-combatants, they have contributed -largely to every victory gained by their countrymen, not only by -the animating strains of their music, but by their coolness and -self-possession in the hour of danger. Many instances of this -might be given; in truth, the pipers imagined that the result of the -day depended in no small measure on the unceasing shrillness of -their war notes and their constant presence in the thickest of -the battle. The 42nd Highlanders formed part of the attacking -party which captured Fort Washington in 1777. Determined to -have their own share of glory, they scrambled up the precipice, -holding on by the brushwood and shrubs which grew out of the -crevices of the rocks. The first to reach the summit was one of the -pipers, who, as soon as he had made good his footing, began to -play; he knew that he was thus concentrating all the fire of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span> -enemy on himself; but what was death to him so long as his -comrades secured the victory? His body, riddled with bullets, fell -from point to point till it reached the bottom of the rock, mangled -and disfigured; but the Highlanders went on with a ringing cheer, -and carried everything before them. The piper had the soul of a -hero, and who will say that he died in vain?</p> - -<p>At the battle of Porto Novo, which was fought in 1780, Macleod’s -Highlanders, now known as the 71st, or Glasgow Light -Infantry, was the only British regiment on our side. The whole -army under Sir Eyre Coote did not exceed eight thousand men, -while the force under Hyder Ali consisted of twenty-five battalions -of infantry, four hundred Europeans, between forty and fifty -thousand horse, and above one hundred thousand matchlock men -and peons, with forty-seven pieces of cannon. Notwithstanding -their superiority of numbers, the enemy were driven from all their -entrenchments, and compelled to retire. The 71st, or 73rd as it -was then called, was on the right of the first line, and led all the -attacks. Their unbending firmness and daring courage called forth -the warm approval of General Coote, who acknowledged that he -was mainly indebted to them for his victory. During the battle -his attention was particularly attracted to one of the pipers, who -never ceased to play, and gave forth his loudest and most warlike -notes when the fire became hottest. This music was more eloquent -than any words; it told them they must conquer, as their fathers had -conquered before them. “Well done, my brave fellow,” cried the -General, “you shall have a pair of silver pipes for this!” There -was no Victoria Cross in those days, or he would have had it. -When the battle was over Sir Eyre did not forget his promise; a -handsome pair of pipes was presented to the regiment, with an -inscription bearing witness to the General’s appreciation of their -high character. Need we add that this gift has been sacredly -preserved?</p> - -<p>At the battle of Assaye, where the Duke of Wellington, then -known as General Wellesley, established his character as one of the -first leaders of the day, the 78th Highlanders acted a distinguished -part. The British army was drawn up in a line of fifteen battalions,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -with the 78th on the right and the 74th on their immediate left. -In the advance, the 78th had to attack a battery of nine guns -which supported the enemy’s left; before they reached it a body -of eight hundred infantry rushed forward with the apparent intention -of forcing their way between the 78th and the 74th, and -thus breaking the line of attack. In order to intercept them -these two regiments obliqued their march, and moved forward -with ported arms. On observing this movement, the enemy drew -up on the other side of a muddy ditch and kept firing till their last -man fell. They were impelled by religious fanaticism, and next -morning upwards of five hundred bodies were found lying near the -ditch. The loss of the British was trifling; the 78th, who were -exposed to the hottest fire of the enemy, had only nine men killed -and twenty-one wounded. At the commencement of the battle, the -musicians of the 78th had received orders to attend to the wounded -and to carry them to the surgeons in the rear. This office was -usually entrusted to the members of the band, but the orders were -not intended to include the pipers, who were expected to accompany -the regiment and to animate the men by their war notes. -One young piper, who had never taken part in a battle before, -from a mistaken sense of duty, laid aside his instrument and -devoted himself to the wounded. His conduct was regarded as a -dereliction of duty by his comrades, and exposed him to their -reproaches and ridicule. It was all very well for the flutes and -hautboys to cease their music; they could well be spared; but -who ever heard of a piper sinking himself to the same level, and -doing work which specially belonged to them? It was his duty to -be in front of the battle, in the hottest of the fight; to go to the -rear with the <i>whistlers</i>, as the bandsmen were derisively termed, -was contrary to all the proprieties of Highland etiquette. The -poor fellow, who had erred from ignorance and was not deficient -in courage, felt these reproaches very deeply, and longed for an -opportunity to retrieve his character. He had not to wait long; -the battle of Argaum soon followed that of Assaye; in the advance -the young piper played with such animation and evoked such soul-stirring -notes from his instrument, that the Highlanders could<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -scarcely be restrained from breaking the line and rushing upon the -enemy before the preparations were completed. The Colonel, in -fact, could only restrain his men by silencing the musician, who -thus recovered his good name, and led on his comrades in many a -future fight.</p> - -<p>The colonels of Highland regiments, knowing the influence -exercised over the men by the pipers, have usually treated them -with a consideration due rather to that influence than to their -mere rank. This has been specially the case when the colonels -happened to be Highlanders themselves. Every mountaineer is -passionately fond of the mountain pipe; it awakens a thousand -associations of the past; it inflames the glow of patriotism; it -speaks to his heart at once. It tells him of scenes of joy and -sorrow where it has enlivened or soothed him in the far north; it -recals the coronach that was played at his father’s grave, the -pibroch to which his clansmen have ever marched to victory; it -reminds him of the strains that shall welcome his return when the -sword has been restored to its scabbard. In foreign lands, after -years of exile, the rude sound of the mountain pipe rouses in the -soberest Highlander a species of enthusiasm; his foot involuntarily -beats time to the music; he can scarcely restrain himself from -dancing as he used to dance in the days of his youth; often he -throws aside his bonnet, and dances as if he were still a youth. -He looks rather ashamed when the performance is over, and his -grandchildren begin to congratulate him on his agility, but he -cannot help it; the sound of the bagpipe, like the sting of the -tarantula, sets him a-whirling at once. An amusing proof of this -recently occurred within our knowledge at a semi-religious fête -which was held in the open air, in one of our most distant colonies, -for the purpose of clearing off the debt on a Scotch church. The -Scotchman, like Froissart’s Englishman, takes his pleasure sadly; -everything was as grave and decorous as possible, till all at once a -venerable piper, an old pensioner of the 42nd resident in the colony, -produced his bagpipe, and struck up a lively Scottish air. The -thing was wholly unpremeditated; but in a moment every one, -young or old, selected his partner, took his place on the green<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span> -sward, and danced as if he had been possessed. The piper played -his best, and the reels only ceased when the sun went down. In -the enthusiasm of the moment, the people forgot the object of the -meeting; the piper was the master of the occasion, to whom even -the minister had to give place; his music blew away the load of -cares and years, and made them all young again. We remember -another instance: Some years ago we were residing in a certain -town in the east where there were a good many Scotchmen. In -truth, there are few towns, east or west, north or south, where -Scotchmen are not to be found. The sound of the bagpipe had -probably never been heard there before; but one night, at a late -hour, the pibroch of Donuil Dhu was heard in the streets. It had -the same effect on the Highlanders as the sound of the trumpet on -the war-horse; it roused them from their midnight slumbers, and -brought them into the street, where they formed an admiring circle -around the performer, an eccentric wanderer, who had travelled -over the greater part of India and China. Goldsmith’s flute enabled -him to visit France and Italy; the Highlander’s bagpipe had carried -him over the greater part of the continent of Asia. Those who did -not like his music bribed him to go away, so that in either case he -found the means of subsistence. Need we add that every house -was thrown open to him; that parties were got up to do him -honour; that he was fêted and feasted for months, and at length -dismissed with the means of continuing his travels without the aid -of his bagpipe.</p> - -<p>The Highlander will admit at once that the bagpipe is not the -gentlest of instruments, nor the one best adapted to a drawing-room; -but there is no affectation in the assertion that its effect -upon him is different from that of any other music. The feelings -which other instruments awaken are general and undefined; but -the bagpipe speaks to his heart at once, and reminds him of his -own romantic land. The colonels of our Highland regiments do -well to encourage the pipers, for they have contributed by their -music to almost every success which their comrades have won. In -almost every field of danger, in many an hour of victory, the proud -warlike strains of the pibroch have been heard; and often, when<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span> -every other instrument has been silenced amid the din of battle, the -war-pipe has been carried by its devoted bearer into the very -thickest of the fray, where it was hushed at length by the hand of -death.</p> - -<p>We have always looked upon Colonel Cameron, of the 92nd -Highlanders, who fell at Quatre Bras, as the beau idéal of a Highland -officer; no one entered more warmly into the feelings of his -men, or was more successful in gaining their confidence. They -looked up to him as their natural chief and protector; they appealed -to him when they had any grievance, and they never appealed in -vain. They delighted to observe that he had all the tastes and -feelings of a Highlander; that he was familiar with the accents of -the mountain tongue, and was passionately fond of Highland music. -He was proud of the pipers of his regiment, whom he always treated -with the greatest kindness and consideration. When marching at -the head of his regiment, it was his delight to see them around -him, and to listen to their martial music. He thus acquired an -influence over his men, which no officer, ignorant of their language, -music, and most cherished associations, could ever have obtained. -They were ready to follow him anywhere, and when he fell, they -wept for him as a father. At the battle of Vittoria, he was ordered -to seize the heights, and to hold them while he had a man left. No -order could have been more welcome; he ordered the pipers to -play the “Cameron’s Gathering,” and inspired by the war-notes of -this favourite pibroch, the 92nd rushed up the steep declivity and -carried all before them. They made good their position, and -retained it, though exposed to a most destructive fire, which -thinned their ranks, but failed to shake their courage or to silence -the shrill notes of their favourite instrument.</p> - -<p>At the battle of Maya, which was fought soon after, the Highlanders -had to maintain the conflict for ten hours against five times -their number. Napier, the historian of the Peninsular war, thus -alludes to their conduct and that of their leader on this occasion: -“That officer (Cameron) still holding the pass with the left wings -of the 71st and 92nd, then brought their right wings and the -Portuguese guns into action, and thus maintained the fight; but so<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span> -dreadful was the slaughter, especially of the 92nd, that it is said -the advancing enemy were actually stopped by the heaped mass of -dead and dying; and then the left wing of that regiment coming -down from the higher ground smote wounded friends and exulting -foes alike, as mingled together they stood or crawled before its -wasting fire. Never did soldiers fight better—seldom so well. -The stern valour of the 92nd would have graced Thermopylæ. -They held their ground till their ammunition was almost expended, -and some of them began to hurl stones at the enemy, when General -Burnes despatched a considerable body of troops to their assistance. -Their strength was so reduced that they were forbidden to charge; -but seized with a warlike enthusiasm, they rushed upon the enemy -and drove them from the ground they had lost. The pipers contributed -in no small degree to produce this enthusiasm; they headed -the charge, and struck up the favourite war-tune, “The Haughs -of Crowdale,” composed centuries ago to commemorate a celebrated -battle in which the Highlanders took part. Their warlike music -inspired their comrades with a fury which nothing could resist; but -the loss was fearful. The strength of the regiment was about 750 -men; nearly half that number fell, and nineteen officers were -killed or wounded. Well might the poet exclaim, on hearing of -such deeds of heroism—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“And oh! loved warriors of the minstrel’s land,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Yonder your bonnets nod, your tartans wave;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">The rugged form may mark the mountain band,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And harsher features and a mien more grave.</div> - <div class="verse indent2">But ne’er in battle throbbed a heart so brave,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">As that which beats beneath the Scottish plaid;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And when the pibroch bids the battle rave,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And level for the charge your arms are laid,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where lives the desperate foe that for such onset stayed!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>These redoubtable musicians exhibited occasionally a sort of grim -humour in the tunes which they selected. When the 92nd and -71st surprised General Gérard with three thousand of the finest -French troops in Spain, at the village of Aroys des Molinos, and -took or destroyed more than two-thirds of them, the first intimation -of their presence was given by the pipers playing, “Hey,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span> -Johnnie Cope, are you waukin’ yet?” a highly appropriate tune, -composed originally on the occasion of the defeat of Sir John Cope -by the followers of the Pretender at the battle of Prestonpans. -There is an old song sung to the same air, of which we remember -only one verse—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Charlie wrote a letter from Dunbar,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Saying Johnnie meet me if ye daur.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And I’ll teach you the art of war,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">So early in the morning.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>After the defeat of the French, the Highlanders amused themselves -by composing a song to the air of “Johnnie Cope,” with the -refrain, “Hey, Monsieur Gérard, are you waukin’ yet?” which is -more remarkable for patriotic feeling than poetical power. One -verse may be given.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Go and tell Napoleon, go,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">While Freedom’s laws he tramples low,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That Highland boys will be his foe,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">And meet them all in the morning.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>No wonder that Cameron appreciated and respected a class of -men who did more by their music than mere valour could have -effected, and animated their comrades by the strains familiar to -them from infancy. A characteristic anecdote is related by General -Gordon, of Lochdhu, who served during the Peninsular war in the -50th regiment, and had frequent opportunities of witnessing the -gallantry of the 92nd. He and Cameron were fording the river -Nive, at Cambo; the French opposed their passage, and a hostile -bullet struck down Cameron’s favourite piper, who was marching -by his side. If his own brother had fallen, he could not have -exhibited deeper feeling or anxiety. He stopped to render assistance, -and, on finding that the poor piper was beyond the reach of -all human aid, exclaimed, in a tone of deep emotion, that he had -rather have lost twenty men of his regiment.</p> - -<p>At the battle of St. Pierre, which was fought a few days after the -passage of the Nive, the 92nd charged early in the day against two -French regiments, which yielded and broke; but Soult brought -such a storm of artillery to bear on them, that they in their turn<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span> -were forced to retire. The 50th and the Portuguese held their -ground and fought desperately till the 92nd had time to reform. -Then Cameron gave the word to advance; the pipers sounded the -charge, and the Highlanders rushed forward with colours flying and -music playing. They were but a small force compared to the -enemy, but nothing could resist their impetuosity; and they drove -the French across the valley, remaining in possession of the field. -Napier thus alludes to their conduct on this occasion: “How -gloriously did that regiment come forth again to charge, with their -colours flying, and their national music playing as if going to a -review. This was to understand war. The man who in that -moment, and immediately after a repulse, thought of such military -pomp, was by nature a soldier.”</p> - -<p>No one will question the justice of this remark; but some praise -is also due to the pipers, who were as jealous of the honour of the -regiment as Cameron himself. His last hours were soothed by the -music he loved so well. He was present on the evening of the -15th of June, at the celebrated ball given by the Duchess of Richmond, -and was requested by the Duke of Wellington to withdraw -privately from the room, and to march with all speed to Quatre -Bras. He lost no time in executing this order; animated by the -martial strains of the Cameron’s Gathering, the 92nd were in front -of the enemy by 2 <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> Deserted by the Belgian horse, and assailed -by fearful odds led on by the fiery Ney, the Highlanders and the -Black Brunswickers repelled the attacks of the enemy again and -again; many gallant officers and about three hundred privates -were struck down, but they never dreamed of retiring. At length -Cameron asked permission of the Duke, who was stationed among -them, to charge the enemy. “Have patience,” said the Duke, -“and you will have plenty of work by-and-by.” The French -advanced, and took possession of the farm-house; the Duke waited -till they began to push on to the Charleroi road, when, turning to -the Colonel, he exclaimed, “Now, Cameron, is your time—take -care of that road.” On hearing these words, the 92nd cleared the -ditch at a bound, rushed upon the enemy, and drove them back;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span> -but, in the moment of victory, a shot fired from the upper story of -the farm-house, passed through the body of their gallant leader, -and his horse, pierced by several bullets, sunk to the earth. A -wild wail of sorrow rose from his devoted followers, as they rushed -madly on the house to avenge the death of one whom they loved as -a father. Ewen Macmillan, his faithful foster-brother, aided by -another private, bore him beyond the reach of the enemy’s fire, to -a deserted house near the village of Waterloo, where they stretched -him on the floor. His first inquiry was for his beloved Highlanders; -on hearing that they had fought with their usual gallantry and success, -he said: “I die happy, and I trust my dear country will believe -that I have served her faithfully.” None ever served her -better, or shed his blood more willingly in her defence.</p> - -<p>His remains were hastily interred in the <i>Allé Nerte</i>, on the -Ghent road. Next year they were conveyed in a man-of-war to -Scotland, and buried in the aisle of the old church of Kilmallie, -in Lochaber, where so many of his forefathers sleep. No less than -three thousand Highlanders accompanied the funeral cortége, and -the wailing notes of the coronach were echoed back from the heath-clad -mountains, as they conveyed him to his last home. A monument -was erected to his memory; the inscription was written by -Sir Walter Scott, who tells us in his “Field of Waterloo” how</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Cameron in the shock of steel,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Died like the offspring of Lochiel;”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">and thus alludes to him in his “Dance of Death”—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Apart from Aleyn’s war array,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">’Twas there Grey Allen sleepless lay—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Grey Allen, who for many a day,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Had followed stout and stern,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where, through battle, rout, and reel,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Through storm of shot and hedge of steel,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Led the grandson of Lochiel,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">The valiant Fassiefern.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Through steel and shot he leads no more;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Low laid ’mid friends’ and foemen’s gore;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But long his native lake’s wild shore,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And Sunard rough, and wild Ardgour,</div><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span> - <div class="verse indent2">And Morven long shall tell;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And proud Ben-Nevis hear with awe,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">How, at the bloody Quatre Bras,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Brave Cameron heard the wild hurrah</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Of conquest as he fell.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>It is a characteristic fact that his last prayers were offered up -in his own mountain tongue, and that his last hours were soothed -by that mountain music which was blended with his earliest -associations and his proudest reminiscences. Other Highlanders -have shown on their death-beds the same predilection for that -music which, however harsh and unmeaning it may sound in the -ears of a stranger, is dear to the heart of every mountaineer, -animating him in the hour of danger, and soothing him in sorrow. -A singular anecdote is related of Rob Roy, the celebrated freebooter, -whose name is familiar to all the readers of Scott’s well-known -story. The bold outlaw was often threatened with the gallows, -but his cunning and daring enabled him to escape that fate. He -died in his own house at an advanced old age. As his end was -approaching he learned that a friend who had once been his foe, -and was still regarded by him with suspicion, was about to pay him -a visit; he roused himself at once, and prepared to meet him. No -sign of weakness or approaching dissolution must be witnessed -by his former rival; attired in full Highland costume, he seated -himself in his arm-chair and ordered his piper to play his favourite -tune. When the visit was over, he lay quietly down and died.</p> - -<p>At the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, which was captured on the -6th of April, 1812, after a desperate resistance on the part of the -French, Lieutenant Alexander Grant, of the 74th Highlanders, -leading the advance, was the first to enter the castle, but fell in the -moment of victory. John M’Lauchlan, the regimental piper, particularly -distinguished himself on this occasion. He was the foremost -in the escalade, and on mounting the castle wall, began to -play the regimental quick step, “The Campbells are coming.” -Animating his comrades by the lively strains of this favourite air, -he marched along the ramparts at the head of the advance, with as -much coolness as if he had been on the parade ground. A shot<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> -from the enemy pierced the bag of his instrument, and stopped his -music for a time, but John realized the importance of the occasion, -and proved himself equal to it. If the music ceased, the courage of -his comrades might flag, and the victory, already half won, might -be lost: it should never be said that he failed in his duty; so he -quietly seated himself on a gun carriage, and amid a hurricane of -shot and shell, began to repair his instrument, which was speedily -done. In a few minutes “The Campbells are coming” was heard -again amid the roar of battle, and John had the satisfaction of witnessing -the surrender of the fortress. If he attributed the success -of the day partly to his own almost superhuman efforts, we must -not be too hard upon him. “As proud as a piper” has become a -proverbial expression in the north, and whoever has witnessed a -contest of some score of pipers, and seen them strutting backward -and forward on a raised platform, with inflated cheeks and waving -tartans, will at once perceive its accuracy.</p> - -<p>Much more might be said of our friends, the pipers, and we are -almost loth to part with them. We might have told how one who -was attacked by a French cuirassier at Waterloo took deliberate -aim at him with his pipe, when the Frenchman, believing it to be -some infernal machine, turned his horse and rode off at full speed, -and how another, assailed by a tiger in India, blew such a blast on -his instrument that the animal rushed into the thickest depths of -the jungle to escape from the fearful sound.</p> - -<p>But space fails us. The golden age of the pipers is gone for -ever; the college of Skye has ceased to issue its diplomas, and the -wail of the pibroch may be heard more frequently in Canada and -Australia than in the Highlands of Scotland. The warlike race -who fought our battles and shed their blood so profusely in our -defence, has removed to other lands, and the bleating of sheep may -be heard in the valleys they once occupied. Lowland lairds, without -the shadow of a claim to rank as chiefs, without a drop of Celtic -blood in their veins, have gratified their vanity and striven to -enhance their importance by surrounding themselves with pipers, -and have thus incurred the sarcasm of Bon Gaultier in one of his -witty poems:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Fhairshon swore a feud</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Against the clan M’Tavish,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Marched into their land</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To plunder and to ravish.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“For he did resolve</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To extirpate ta vipers,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With four-and-twenty men</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And five-and-thirty pipers.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>It is easy to find players on the bagpipes; performers whose -accent proves that they belong to the Highlands of Highgate or -Holborn Hill, may be heard in any street of London; but the -genuine race of pipers, with their chivalrous spirit, and their undying -devotion to their own regiments, has died out. The pipers -even of our Scottish regiments are rarely Highlanders by birth: -they have generally been instructed in the use of the instrument -after entering the army. Such men may play tolerably well, but -they cannot be expected to have the old <i>esprit de corps</i>.</p> - -<p>A favourable exception is to be found in Ewen Henderson, the -pipe-major of the 1st battalion of the Scots Fusilier Guards, who -is at once a good piper and a genuine Highlander. He is a son of -Angus Henderson of Annat, who joined the 92nd when first raised, -served with it till the battle of Waterloo, rose to the rank of -colour-sergeant, and lived till a few years ago to enjoy his well-earned -pension. Ewen is a worthy son of a worthy sire: a living -representative of what the pipers once were; a favourable specimen -of the Celtic race. He feels the dignity of his position as pipe-major -of a gallant regiment, and the sound of his war-pipe has -been heard at Alma and Inkerman. It has also sounded in more -peaceful scenes. He had the honour of performing before the -Princess of Wales at Buckingham Palace a few weeks after her -arrival, and was rewarded with some kind words and a golden -Napoleon, which he wears at his watch chain and will not part with -till his dying hour. “Will you take five pounds for it, Henderson?” -said an officer to whom he showed it. “No, sir, not five hundred!” -said Ewen, with the chivalrous feeling of an old paladin. The -intrinsic value of the coin was less than a pound, but who shall estimate -its value in Ewen’s eyes? Long may he be spared to wear it!</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">COLONEL BELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-i.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">In a previous chapter we traced the history of the Royal -Welsh Fusiliers (23rd Regiment). We showed how -they won their laurels in Egypt, in Spain, in the West -Indies, in the Pyrenees, and at Waterloo. We described the act -of humanity by which Corporal Shields and Dr. Sylvester earned -the Victoria Cross, and the gallant deed by which Sergeant (now -Captain) Luke O’Connor attained the same honourable distinction. -But the roll of heroes among the Royal Welsh is not yet exhausted, -and we are now about to show how Colonel (then Captain) Bell -conducted himself with such gallantry as to justify his sovereign in -bestowing on him the Cross of Valour. Mr. Desanges’ picture -No. IX., which has been faithfully copied by our artist, introduces -Captain Bell in the act of capturing one of the enemy’s guns at the -battle of the Alma. In order to understand this event, it is necessary -to glance briefly at the position which the Royal Welsh occupied -during the battle. The soldiers of No. 1 company, under the -command of Major Lysons, had the honour of being the first British -troops that landed in the Crimea. As soon as they had disembarked, -Brigadier Airey sent them to attack some arabas, or Russian waggons, -which were seen in the distance; on coming up to the Cossack -escort, they fired upon them and put them to flight. This was the -commencement of the campaign. Fourteen arabas, full of firewood -and fruit, with their drivers and bullocks, remained in the possession -of the Royal Welsh, and were the first waggons used in the -Land Transport of the army.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span></p> - -<p>From the period of disembarkation till the battle of the Alma, -the Royal Welsh had no opportunity of distinguishing themselves. -In this engagement they formed part of Sir George Brown’s right -brigade, which was under the command of General Codrington, an -officer of the Guards, who, having visited the East from motives of -curiosity, was induced to accept this important charge. The only -orders he had received from Sir George were to advance with his -brigade till he had passed the river which flowed through the valley -at the foot of the heights where the Russians were drawn up. When -a general has confidence in his subordinates, he does well to allow -them a certain freedom of action, as it is impossible to anticipate all -the eventualities which may occur on the day of battle. The left -brigade of the Light Division was under the command of General -Buller, who is said to have received the same instructions as -Codrington. The two brigades advanced steadily in the direction -of the river, the bank of which, on the Russian side, varied from -eight to fifteen feet in height, but was not so steep as to prevent -our men from obtaining a footing on it. The river itself was of no -great depth, but the bank on the side of the allies was covered with -gardens and vineyards, which our men could not cross without -getting into disorder. As they advanced they became exposed to -the fire of the enemy, who had erected on the opposite heights two -batteries mounted with brass guns which swept the plain. When -the Welsh Fusiliers and their companions of the right were brought -within long range, they deployed and halted. It was a bright, -sunny day—not a cloud in the sky, nor a breath of air stirring—and -our men, suffering from thirst and fatigue, helped themselves -to clusters of grapes, and lay down leisurely on the ground, careless -of the balls which were whizzing past them and occasionally thinning -their ranks. The vineyards afforded them a scant shelter -from the fire of the enemy; but when the final order was given to -advance, our men were thrown into some confusion, owing to the -broken ground, overgrown with the tendrils of the vines, on which -they had to form. Codrington’s brigade was the first to advance, -carrying with them the 19th Regiment, who were only too glad to -place themselves under the guidance of such an impetuous leader.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span> -The Russians poured on them the fire of all their batteries, and -many fell before they could find cover beneath the steep bank on -the opposite side. There they halted to reform, and at this moment -three Russian regiments advanced, and poured down a vertical fire -upon them from the summit of the bank. A leader less resolute -than Codrington might have given orders to retreat; but it was his -first battle, and the gallant guardsman was bent on winning his spurs. -He rode his small Arab charger round to a spot where the bank was -less precipitous, and with some difficulty contrived to reach the -summit. It was unfortunate that, instead of the plumed hat of a -general, he wore an officer’s foraging cap, and, being recently -appointed to the command of the brigade, few of his men recognised -him. Still, the sight of an officer forcing his way almost alone up -the heights was enough to inspire his men with the desire of -following, and Colonel Yea, of the 7th Fusiliers, rode his cob up the -steep bank, encouraging the soldiers, by his voice and example, to -come on.</p> - -<p>It was impossible for the regiments to form on the broken ground -which they occupied, but the whole of Codrington’s Light Division -cleared the bank, carrying with them the 19th and 95th Regiments, -who were only too eager for the fray. These brave fellows were -the first to begin the battle of the Alma. If the Russians had had -the courage to charge them as they appeared on the summit of the -bank, broken and breathless, they might have rolled them back into -the river below; and the fate of battles often depends on a first -success. A column of the enemy descended the hill with this -intention, and advanced towards the ground occupied by the 19th -Regiment and some of the left companies of the 23rd, who opened -such a smart fire upon them that they retreated, and found shelter -in a hollow near the Great Redoubt. Having thus got quit of their -assailants, they joined their comrades, who were pressing on towards -the Great Redoubt in broken columns and much disorder. As yet -the Russian battery was silent, but when our men had reached some -three hundred yards from it, first one gun and then another began -to fire upon them with round shot, grape, and canister. They -were crowded so closely together that every round shot which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span> -pierced their ranks cut its way through, leaving a long furrow of -dead behind. But the open space thus left was at once filled up, -and our men pressed forward as gallantly as before in the direction -of the Great Redoubt. The slaughter was fearful, and none suffered -more than the 23rd, who had twelve of their officers and half of -their rank and file smitten down before they reached the guns -which were dealing death amongst them. Their gallant leader with -the foraging cap and the eye-glass was still in front, and wherever -he went they were prepared to follow. A sort of half-cry rose from -their lips as his horse fell and a cloud of dust concealed him for a -moment from their view; but it was only for a moment. Mounting -his horse, he turned gaily to his followers, and said, “I am all -right, lads. Twenty-third, be sure I’ll remember this day.”</p> - -<p>It was such a day as can never fade from the memory of those -who took part in it; but the Welsh Fusiliers have special reason -to remember it. Their ranks were thinned, but they still pressed -forward, and followed their gallant leader as he leaped his horse -into the midst of the enemy’s works to show his men there was no -danger. The Russians were seized with a sort of panic; the artillerymen -began to limber up their guns and to fall back upon their -reserves, which were posted in the rear. A sort of cry of disappointment -rose from our men at the thought that there was no -more fighting to be done—“The Russians are retreating; they are -limbering up. Stole away! stole away!”</p> - -<p>But the fighting was not over; there was still bloody work to be -done on the heights of the Alma. The enemy’s artillery continued -their fire as they retreated, and many of our men were struck down -as they approached the empty embrasures. The first to mount them -was young Anstruther, who carried the colours of the Royal Welsh. -Though an officer of that regiment, he was a Scotchman by birth, -and his conduct that day will invest a name already distinguished -in the annals of the North with a halo of glory. He was a mere -boy, fresh from school, but he was determined to do some deathless -deed on this the morning of his first battle. Leaping and running -are favourite pastimes in Fife, as in every Scottish county, and -none could run better than the light, boyish figure that held aloft<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span> -the colours of the Royal Welsh, and pressed forward before all -the others. He was the first who gained the redoubt, and, planting -the butt-end of the colours in the centre of the parapet, he stood for -a moment clutching it in his arms, breathless and silent, as if surprised -at his own audacity. There were hundreds of hearts beating -high with admiration as they saw the slim figure of the Scottish -youth on the summit of the parapet. Alas! it was seen there only -for a moment. A bullet passed through his body, and he fell, -dragging with him the flag-staff, as if he would not part with it -even in death. The crimson folds of the colours, which covered his -body like a pall, were stained with a deeper dye as his heart’s -blood ebbed away. The soul of the young hero was gone. But it -was no time for tears; the colours were in danger, and the colours -must be saved. Butler, the other colour-officer, was slain; but -William Evans, a swift-footed Welshman, mounted the parapet, -drew the flag-staff gently from the hands of the dying boy, and held -it aloft, to show that the Royal Welsh were the first to mount the -Great Redoubt. He then, in accordance with military etiquette, -handed the colours to Corporal Luby, his superior officer, who, in -turn, delivered them up to Sergeant Luke O’Connor, with whom -they remained during the rest of the day. No wonder that young -Anstruther fell: no less than seventy-five bullets passed through -the colours, and the pole of one of them was shot in two, and had -to be spliced with a cord.</p> - -<p>It was on this occasion that Colonel E. W. D. Bell, of the 2nd -Battalion of the Royal Welsh, gained the Victoria Cross. This -decoration, so coveted and prized, was devised by her whose name -it bears in 1856, and was intended to be a reward of valour for all -who distinguished themselves, whatever their rank might be. Its -value is enhanced by the fact that Victoria confers this Cross with -her own hand whenever this is practicable—an honour which cannot -fail to be appreciated by the happy recipient. Our readers -have a good idea of its form from the initial letter to our first -chapter, but a brief description may not be out of place. It is a -Maltese cross of bronze, with the royal crest in the centre, beneath -which is an escroll bearing the words, “For Valour;” the date<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span> -of the act of bravery is inscribed on the centre of the reverse, and -the name and corps of the recipient are engraved on the bar to -which the ribbon is attached. A sprig of laurel is embossed on -this bar, which is attached to the cross by the letter V suspended -on a red ribbon or a blue one, as he who gains it happens to be a -soldier or a sailor. This decoration, however, is not confined to -the army and the navy; civilians who have distinguished themselves -by their bravery have as good a claim to it as those who -belong to the profession of arms, and several of this class nobly -earned it during the Indian Mutiny. Every private or non-commissioned -officer thus decorated is entitled to a pension of 10<i>l.</i> a -year; every fresh act of bravery equal to the first procures for him -an additional bar and a further pension of 5<i>l.</i> There is no danger, -therefore, of the wearers of the Victoria Cross being tempted to rest -on their laurels; they have an intelligible motive for striving to -increase them. Their names are published in the <i>London Gazette</i>, -along with the record of the deeds of bravery by which they earned -the distinction.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“A king may make a belted knight,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A marquis, duke, and a’ that,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">but distinguished bravery alone can make a Victoria Cross man. A -marquis or a duke may have attained his rank by means that would -not bear too close inspection, but the Victoria Cross invites your -inspection; its wearer must always be <i>sans peur</i>, if not <i>sans -reproche</i>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-7.jpg" width="500" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Captain Bell, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, capturing a -Russian Gun at the Battle of the Alma.</p> -</div> - -<p>No one will grudge Colonel Bell the distinction which he earned -at the Great Redoubt on the heights of the Alma. He was charging -at the head of his company at the moment when the Russians were -retreating with those guns which had dealt such havoc among our -men. All had been drawn away by the artillery horses except a -brass 24-pound howitzer, which still remained in position, and gave -rise to a singular contest among our soldiery. Each was anxious to -claim it as his own, so as to point to it afterwards as a proof of his -prowess, and an officer of the 33rd, named Donovan, is said to have -been the first who scratched his name upon it. Bell, however, -took no part in this contest; his thoughts were elsewhere. Farther<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span> -on, in the rear of the redoubt, he saw a Russian driver urging on -with whip and spur three horses which were dragging a brass 16-pounder -gun; in a moment he was alongside the driver, and held a -revolver to his head. The latter understood the significance of such -an act, and, slipping from his horse, took to his heels. Bell seized -the bridle of one of the horses, and, aided by a soldier of the 7th -Fusiliers, named Pyle, led them round the shoulder of the parapet -to the rear of our line, where he met Sir George Brown, the general -in command of the Light Division. Now, it is the duty of a captain -to be at the head of his company, and the general is said to -have reminded him of this fact in language of considerable emphasis. -There was no help for it; Bell had to relinquish his prize, and to -return to his company, but the gun was safe; the horses drew it -down the hill, where it remained till after the battle. The gun is -now to be seen at Woolwich, and the horses were put into our -“Black Battery.” At the close of the war, Captain Bell’s heroism -was not forgotten; he was decorated with the Victoria Cross, and is -now a colonel.</p> - -<p>We have already alluded to Lieutenant Anstruther’s heroic death, -after he had planted the flag-staff of the Royal Welsh on the summit -of the parapet. When he fell, the Queen’s colour was picked up by -a private, who gave it to Corporal Luby; it was afterwards carried -till the end of the battle by Sergeant Luke O’Connor. The gallant -sergeant was shot in the breach, and fell at the same time as young -Anstruther; but his wound was not mortal; he soon recovered -himself, and refused to go to the rear, though urged to do so by -Lieutenant Granville. He received the highest praise from Major-General -Codrington on the field, and was rewarded with a commission -in his own gallant regiment, in which he now holds the rank -of captain. He was also present at the assault on the Redan, on the -8th of September, 1855, where he behaved with great gallantry, -and was shot through both thighs. At the close of the war he -received the Victoria Cross and the Sardinian war medal. The -latter decoration was also bestowed upon Corporal Luby, who was -instrumental in saving the Queen’s colour at the battle of the -Alma.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span></p> - -<p>The British casualties in this battle were 25 officers killed, and -81 wounded; 337 non-commissioned officers and men were killed, -1550 wounded, and 19 missing. No regiment suffered more than -the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Eight of their officers were killed, and -5 wounded (one of them mortally); 3 sergeants and 40 rank and -file were killed, or died of their wounds; 9 sergeants and 143 rank -and file were wounded; 2 were missing. The slaughter among the -senior officers was so great that the command of the regiment -devolved on Captain Bell, who brought it out of action. The -regimental colour was carried by Sergeant Honey Smith after -Lieutenant Butler fell; it was intrusted to him by Major-General -Codrington, as no officer could be spared from his company. In a -letter written from the seat of war, Corporal Harwood gave a -graphic description of the circumstances under which the Royal -Welsh were so fearfully cut up:—“The 23rd was in the Light -Division, and on we went, covered by two companies of the Rifle -Brigade. We crossed a vineyard, and were led by Colonel Chester -through the river, the opposite bank of which was very steep. The -colonel went through with us—we all shared alike—and, as we -clambered out, the enemy gave us a fierce fire, the cannons belching -forth murderous volleys of grape and round shot, and musket-balls -fell as thick as hail. The men fell dead and wounded before me -and at my side. They fell in every direction, and mechanically I -still pressed on, untouched. Up the hill we went with the Rifle -Brigade, and half-way up the heights we reached the cannons’ -mouths which were planted on the embankments. Our regiment -was about to cross the stockade in the enemy’s position, when the -word was given, ‘Cease firing, and retire!’ because we were in -danger of firing on the French. Our colonel rushed in front of us, -shouting, ‘No, no; on, lads!’ He fell with the word on his lips; -he never spoke or raised his head again. We <i>did</i> retire then, and -an unfortunate mistake it was; for the enemy returned to the guns -we had once silenced, and gave us some terrific volleys; but we -soon rallied, and, supported by the 7th, 33rd, a portion of the -Guards, and the Highlanders, we rushed up the hill again, and the -enemy fled in every direction.” This and other letters written by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span> -our soldiers during the Crimean War took the nation by surprise; -they proved that there were men, unknown to fame, in the ranks of -the British Army who could use the pen or the sword with equal -skill.</p> - -<p>There are certain acts of courage which compel our admiration -without obtaining the unqualified approval of our cooler judgment. -Colonel Bell’s daring in capturing the Russian gun must be placed -in this category. No one will question his courage, or dispute his -right to the Cross of Valour; no one will wish his deed undone, or -desire that he had acted otherwise. And yet it must be admitted -that in leaving his own men he was guilty of a breach of discipline -which is more worthy of admiration than imitation. It was his -duty to have remained with his company; and if every officer were -to yield in battle to the same impulsive bravery, all discipline would -be at end and the results would be most disastrous. The first duty -of all soldiers is implicit obedience to the commands of superior -authority; to this rule there is no exception, save in the case of -officers of high rank, who on the field of battle must always be -guided partly by circumstances in executing the orders they have -received. We are not, therefore, to condemn Sir George Brown -for expressing his emphatic disapproval of Captain Bell’s conduct -in leaving his company to seize the Russian gun. Sir George, -doubtless, admired his courage, but he must have felt that courage -ought in every case to be subordinate to discipline. Such was the -opinion of Sir Colin Campbell at the storming of the Secunder Bagh at -Lucknow. We shall describe in a future chapter the fearful scene -of carnage which took place there in consequence of the massacre at -Cawnpore. The tumult was at its height when a Highland officer -rushed up to the spot where Sir Colin, mounted on his grey horse, -stood in the centre of his staff. The Highlander was wild with -excitement, and bore on his person traces of the bloody work in -which he had taken part. One word of praise from those stern lips -was the richest reward his heart could covet. Extending the red -banner which he held in his hand towards the general, he joyfully -exclaimed, “I have killed the last four of the enemy with my own -hand, and here, sir, are their colours.” A Highlander himself,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span> -Sir Colin could appreciate the impetuous courage of his countryman, -but his duty as a general was imperative; he could not applaud -an act which was a violation of discipline. “Confound the colours, -sir! where’s your regiment? Go back to your regiment, sir! I -thank you for your zeal and gallantry, but go back to your regiment.” -The excited and impulsive Highlander obeyed this command, and, -doubtless, felt at the moment that the reproof, though grave, was not -unmerited. Such also must have been the feelings of Captain Bell -when he received the stern command to return to his company and -relinquish the Russian gun. If that gun had not remained in our -possession after the battle, we doubt whether Colonel Bell’s undisciplined -valour would have met with the same recognition from his -grateful country. Success may sometimes justify such a step, but -we repeat that such deeds of impulsive bravery are more to be -admired than imitated. It must be borne in mind, however, that -Colonel Bell received the Victoria Cross, not only for capturing the -Russian gun at the Alma, but also for bringing the regiment out of -action when his superior officers had fallen, and exhibiting the same -daring spirit on many subsequent occasions. It is a pleasure to -see his manly figure among the other heroes in the Victoria Cross -Gallery, and we hope he will long continue to wear the badge of -distinction which his sovereign conferred upon him.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer7.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">COMMANDER (NOW CAPTAIN) FIOTT DAY, R.N., AND THE -VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-o.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Our sailors do not occupy a very prominent place in -Mr. Desanges’ Victoria Cross Gallery. We find that -only four of his paintings have been devoted to the -gallant deeds of our naval heroes, but we must not infer from this -that British sailors are inferior to British soldiers, or that blue -jackets have deteriorated since the days of Nelson. This is far -from being the case, as we all know. But two conditions are -necessary to constitute a hero: it is not enough that a man be -brave, he must also have an opportunity of displaying his bravery. -There are, doubtless, many Hampdens sleeping in our village -churchyards, and many Nelsons serving on board our ships; all -that has been wanting is the opportunity of displaying their -patriotism or their courage. We are all more or less the creatures -of circumstances; the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle -to the strong, because the swift and the strong are often debarred -by fate from either running or fighting. Time and chance, as the -wise man tells us, happen to all. Nelson would never have been a -hero if he had not robbed an orchard, and Fiott Day might have -been known only as a very intelligent commander in the British -navy if it had not been for the Crimean war.</p> - -<p>It was one of the oratorical or conversational hits of Lord Palmerston, -that if the Crimean war had no other advantage, it at least -extended our knowledge of geography. Some hard-headed people -may imagine that we paid dear for the lesson, but not one will deny -that the long-protracted contest <i>did</i> increase our knowledge of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span> -those semi-barbarous regions, the names of which, we fear, were -little familiar even to those schoolboys who had gained the first -prizes in geography. Knowledge thus acquired, however, is seldom -permanent; when the war ceased, our interest in the localities -where the great battles were fought became less vivid. It is well -that the rising generation, in whom all the hopes of England are -centred, should be familiar with the courage, the endurance, and -the heroic deeds of those who took part in that disastrous war; -such knowledge excites their sympathy, stimulates their ambition, -and elicits that spirit of adventure which has made Britain the -mistress of an empire far more extended than that of ancient Rome.</p> - -<p>Mr. Desanges has trusted more to his pencil than his pen in -depicting the gallant deed by which Captain Day obtained the -Victoria Cross. We read that “with great gallantry this officer -landed and twice successfully carried out a reconnoissance within -the enemy’s lines at Genitchi, advancing to within about 200 yards -of the enemy’s gun-vessels.” Most readers will exclaim, “Where -is Genitchi?” Few even professed geographers would be able to -answer such a question, and as our interest in paintings depends -much on our intimacy with the scenes they represent, we invite our -young readers to do as we have done—to open their atlases at -Russia in Europe, and to examine the map. It may save time to -state at once that this incident occurred during the Crimean war, -and that Captain Day commanded one of the vessels engaged in the -expedition. Now, on examining the southern extremity of Russia -in Europe, it will be seen the only entrance from the Sea of Azov -into the Senish or Putrid Sea is through the Straits of Genitchi. -These straits are very narrow in most maps—in fact, so narrow -that we have to strain the eye a little before we can perceive them. -On the right-hand side of these straits stands the town of Genitchi, -from which they derive their name. It is situated on the slope of -a lofty eminence, and is a place of considerable strength.</p> - -<p>During the Crimean war it was strongly garrisoned with nearly -twenty thousand Russian troops, to protect it from the attacks of -the allies. To the left is the Spit of Arabat, which was occupied -by strong bodies of Cossack horse artillery and cavalry, which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[151]</span> -formed a continuous line of pickets all the way to Arabat. It is -about seventy miles in length, and of an average breadth of half a -mile, though in some places it is not more than two hundred yards. -Its broadest part is opposite the town of Genitchi, where it is -between three and four miles across. At this particular point it is -covered with numerous lagoons and strips of water, varying in size, -all of which are covered with thick rushes and weeds, and are a -favourite resort of different kinds of water-fowl. We have mentioned -that pickets of Cossacks were stationed along the whole of the Spit -of Arabat, and there were constant skirmishes between them and -our sailors. Such slight exchanges of civility tended to vary the -monotony of naval life, but the adventure in which Captain Day -distinguished himself was of a far more dangerous character.</p> - -<p>It is said that he advanced within two hundred yards of the -enemy’s gunboats; but to understand the exact nature of this -heroic deed we must enter more into detail. On the inner side of -the Spit of Arabat, opposite the town of Genitchi, were several -guard-houses, in front of which four gunboats were moored, in such -a position as to cover the entrance of the straits, and to bring under -their fire any vessel that attempted to force its way. Setting aside -these gunboats, it would have been a most hazardous undertaking -for any boat to have attempted to pass the town so as to reach the -Sivash, as the passage is not more than three hundred yards broad, -and the whole of the heights which command it were lined with -troops and field-pieces. Any boat that attempted to run the passage -would have been within range of the fire of all these field-pieces, -and exposed to almost certain destruction. Still it was of the last importance -that the passage should be made, as it was only in this way -that the supplies which were poured into the Crimea and enabled -the Russians to prolong the contest could be cut off. These supplies -were conveyed from the mainland by the Chingan bridge, and -the great object of the naval expedition was to destroy this bridge. -Still the undertaking, as we have said, was most hazardous, and -another plan had been attempted. To Captain S. Osborne belongs -the honour of having first discovered the position of this bridge. -Captain Osborne is, doubtless, known to all our readers as a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[152]</span> -charming writer as well as a brave sailor, and he had recourse to -an ingenious expedient to obtain the desired information. He -caused two light boats, which he had transported across the narrowest -part of the Arabat spit at night, to be launched on the -Sivash, and approached near enough to the bridge to ascertain its -exact position. It was a work of great difficulty to get even these -light boats pushed through the mud, and Osborne narrowly escaped -being captured. It would have been impossible, of course, to navigate -heavily-armed boats on the muddy straits, supposing that our -sailors had succeeded in getting them across the spit. Several -experiments were made, but the attempt was given up as impracticable.</p> - -<p>Soon after the fall of the south part of Sebastopol, Captain Day -was stationed in the <i>Recruit</i>, which was under his command, off the -Straits of Genitchi. While cruising along the coast, he had his -attention directed to the fact that the enemy’s forces appeared to -be less numerous than usual, more especially in the vicinity of the -town and on the opposite spit. He at once despatched two gunboats -to explore; on their return they reported that few of the enemy -were to be seen. A brilliant idea occurred to Captain Day; it -struck him that now was the time to make his way across the spit, -and to capture the gunboats which covered the passage. He at -once proceeded to act upon it. At this time, the writers of leaders -in the daily press were very critical in regard to our navy, and -easily proved upon paper that it was practicable to force a passage -through the Genitchi Straits. There was a feeling among our -sailors that if the thing could be done it would be acceptable, not -only to the admiral in command, but also to the public at home. -Good people at home, who carelessly criticise the exploits of our -soldiers and sailors by their comfortable firesides, little imagine -what daring deeds are done to secure their applause. “What will -they say at home?” was the exclamation of Nelson after one of his -great victories; and the man who does not value the good opinion -of his fellow-citizens is not likely ever to do a heroic deed, or to -occupy a niche in the temple of Fame.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-8.jpg" width="700" height="500" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Commander George Fiott Day, R.N., reconnoitering -within the Enemy’s Lines at Genitchi.</p> -</div> - -<p>Captain Day was not ignorant of the danger of attempting this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[153]</span> -reconnoissance. About a month before, Captain L’Allemand, of the -French steam-vessel <i>Mouette</i>, had done so, and failed. He not only -lost his own life, but several of the sailors who accompanied him -were killed. Captain Day had the sagacity to perceive that this -disaster was the result of the Frenchman’s imprudence. He had -taken with him some twenty of his men—a force too small to offer -any effectual resistance in the event of discovery, and too numerous -to be able to escape detection. It occurred to him that one man -might succeed where twenty had failed; but where was that man -to be found? No one could hope to succeed, unless he had the -step of an Indian and the eye of a hawk. In his earlier days, -Captain Day had learned to stalk the red-deer on the mountains of -the North, and the acuteness of vision and stealthiness of tread he -had thus acquired were now employed for the benefit of his country. -It is not to be supposed that self is altogether forgotten in the hour -of heroic self-devotion; promotion, the world’s applause, and Westminster -Abbey are dimly present to the mind of the most unselfish -of men when undertaking some daring enterprise. To secure the -applause of his admiral and a step in the service may have weighed -a little with Captain Day; but we are sure that the danger itself -had a certain irresistible attraction to his mind. He waited anxiously -for a night suitable for the attempt, and on the 19th of September -he was enabled to take the bearings of the Russian gunboats from -the mast-head of his ship; he was enabled at the same time to -mark the exact position of the guard-houses on the spit. He then -resolved to land as soon as it was dark, and to try to make his -way across without being observed. Accordingly, as soon as -evening set in, he put a couple of sailors in his smallest boat, and, -taking a small pocket-compass, some matches, his double glasses, -and revolver, he at once landed. He took the precaution to put -his commission in his pocket, so that his rank might be recognised -if he were taken prisoner. He landed on the beach abreast his -own ship, and told the sailors to remain in the boat at a sufficient -distance from land to be beyond the reach of the enemy’s fire, in the -event of a surprise; they were to remain there and not to make -any noise, whatever might happen, unless he hailed them to pull in.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[154]</span></p> - -<p>It would be impossible to relate all the adventures of that night; -suffice it to say that our hero <i>did</i> make his way across, after a long -and wearisome journey, without being detected. He passed through -many of the enemy’s pickets, which, as he had anticipated, were -few, and widely scattered. He was thus enabled to have a good -view of the Russian gunboats, which he found were moored close to -the shore, and likely to remain in that position. The idea occurred -to him that they could easily be surprised, as they were very slightly -armed, and no attack was expected by the enemy. Nothing, however, -could be done without the sanction of Captain Osborne, and -our hero had reluctantly to retrace his steps. He reached the beach -about two o’clock in the morning, after tramping about among bogs -and morasses for more than seven hours, and found his boat all -safe. He was in constant danger of detection, in consequence of -the numerous water-fowl with which the lagoons abounded being -disturbed by his approach, and thus putting the sentries on the -alert; but his old deer-stalking habits stood him in good stead: he -was not discovered.</p> - -<p>On the following day Captain Osborne arrived, and Commander -Day communicated to him all that he had witnessed during the -previous night. It was fortunate that in Osborne he had a leader -quite as bold and daring as himself, who entered warmly into his -plans, and admitted that the attempt might be crowned with success. -He received from him the promise that, if an expedition were -sent, he should take part in it—an assurance which afforded him -much satisfaction. On the following day Captain Osborne was -obliged to leave, and Commander Day, on cruising along the coast, -observed that the enemy appeared to be as numerous as ever. It -occurred to him, as he anchored for the night off his old anchorage, -that it would never do to allow the expedition to be undertaken with -so many of the enemy scattered about, as it would only end in -disaster and the capture or slaughter of all who took part in it. To -prevent such a calamity, he resolved to make another reconnoissance. -After the statement he had given to Osborne about the -number of the enemy, he felt that a great responsibility rested upon -himself, and that it was far better to expose his own life to danger<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[155]</span> -a second time than involuntarily to cause the loss of many valuable -lives. None but a gallant and good man would have reasoned -thus, or incurred so great a danger. He determined, therefore, to -land at once, in order to ascertain the real strength of the enemy, -and thus be enabled to report to Captain Osborne whether it would -be advisable to undertake the expedition. He felt it to be his duty -to do this, as he had led him to believe that the enemy’s forces -were far less numerous than they now appeared to be.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, employing the same tactics as before, he landed at -sunset. The night was bitterly cold, and so intensely dark that he -had to grope his way at every step. He soon discovered that he -was off the right track, and more deeply involved among the Russian -sentries than was at all pleasant or desirable; but he never -for a moment lost his presence of mind, and it was to this cause -that he owed his safety. He crept along with all the stealthiness -of a Red Indian, stopping every moment, and feeling his way at -every step. He soon saw enough to satisfy him that the enemy’s -forces were far too numerous to admit of the possibility of their -being captured or surprised. There was no help for it; the expedition -must be abandoned, and he must try to reach his vessel in -safety. This was no easy undertaking; if it was difficult to -advance, it was still more difficult to retreat. The place was full -of quagmires and pits, into which he repeatedly fell, and, to add to -other delightful sensations, more than one ball came whizzing past -his ears in such close proximity as to be far from pleasant. It was -his impression at the moment that the sentries had discovered him -and were firing at him; but he was satisfied afterwards that this -was not the case. They were only firing in accordance with their -usual custom, to show that they were on the alert, and thus avert -the attack they dreaded.</p> - -<p>After nine hours’ wandering he reached the beach, and the sight -of the blue waves must have been as grateful to him as the first -glimpse of the ocean to the Ten Thousand Greeks in their retreat. -But his dangers were not yet at an end: he looked everywhere for -his boat, but it could not be seen; he waded up to the waist in the -water, and, putting his mouth close to its surface, so as to veil the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[156]</span> -sound, he shouted to them to come in. There was no answer. In -his desperation he drew his pistol from his belt, and, placing it close -to the water, fired. It did not strike him at first that this act was -more likely to attract the attention of the enemy than that of the -men in the boat; but as soon as he heard the report of the pistol -he was alive to the extent of the danger which he had incurred -through his imprudence. His safety lay in the proximity of his -own vessel, which was so close to the beach that the Cossacks could -not approach the shore without being under range of her guns. It -was a fearful position to be placed in. He was shivering with cold, -his feet were benumbed, and his clothes saturated with wet. Overpowered -with fatigue and half-dead with exposure, he threw himself -down on the beach and prayed earnestly for the dawn. It was one -of those hours which may concentrate in themselves more than the -agony of a whole lifetime. Such hours are never forgotten in after-life, -and are often the starting-point of a new existence. But we -need not dwell upon those weary hours that preceded the dawn. A -little before daylight, Mr. W. H. Parker, an officer of Commander -Day’s vessel, pulled in along shore to see if he could see anything -of one who, it was feared, was either dead or in the hands of the -enemy. He found him prostrate on the beach, and nearly frozen -to death. But such men have a wonderful tenacity of life. He -soon recovered sufficiently to inquire why his men had not pulled -in when he hailed them. It appeared that they had heard the -report and seen the flash of his pistol, but thought it might have -been some of the sentries near the beach. They imagined that -they heard him approach the shore, but thought that they were -carrying out his instructions in not approaching nearer to the land, -as he had told them that in the event of his being chased he would -swim out to the boat. They listened and watched, but as they -heard nothing more they imagined that he had not come down. -The following morning he was too ill to move. A less powerful -frame would have succumbed under the physical suffering of that -night. Captain Osborne, who had returned, visited him the same -day on board his ship, and persuaded Captain Day to address to him<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[157]</span> -that despatch which elicited a letter of approval from the Admiralty -and earned for him the Victoria Cross.</p> - -<p>Captain Day was, undoubtedly, the only man in England who -felt any surprise when his sovereign conferred on him this proof of -her favour. It has been cynically remarked that no man is a hero -in the eyes of his valet. It is certain that no true hero is ever -esteemed to be so by himself. There is a glorious absence of all -self-consciousness in true genius and heroism. The man whom -the whole world admires is often the least conscious of his own -merits.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer8.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[158]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header7.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">LIEUTENANTS MOORE AND MALCOLMSON, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-w.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Who among our readers has not been interested about -Persia—that mysterious land in which such wonders -have been said to exist? So many of the tales in -the “Thousand and One Nights” refer to Persia, that most boys, -at least, are well acquainted with some of the peculiarities of the -people.</p> - -<p>Although it is difficult to pronounce any decided judgment as -regards the actual antiquity of any Eastern nation, yet there seems -to be but little doubt that before England had even emerged from -a condition of semi-barbarism, civilization had made considerable -progress in Persia; and although that nation is principally famous -to us on account of its tales of winged monsters, dragons, enchanters, -and genii, yet this peculiarity may be in consequence of -early travellers bringing to us that which was at the time the most -acceptable; and as we in England can scarcely assume to have been -lovers of science and truth during more than three hundred years, it -is possible that any profound or philosophical truths brought from -the East would have been formerly as little appreciated as a book -of algebra would be in a nursery. The laws of the Medes and -Persians are referred to in the Bible, and in the book of Esther -reference is made to a King Ahasuerus, who it is said ruled over -one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, which then constituted -the kingdom of Persia.</p> - -<p>It is stated by some of the earliest writers that the Persians -were a nation of shepherds, hardy and warlike, that they gradually<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[159]</span> -increased in numbers and power, and conquered and brought under -their rule less powerful nations, until they became almost the -greatest people of the East.</p> - -<p>The most celebrated of the ancient kings of Persia was Cyrus, -who organized the Persians, gave them special laws for their -guidance, political institutions, and established a well-disciplined -army. This Cyrus not only became King of Babylon, Media, and -Persia, but at length, by the right of conquest, obtained absolute -dominion over the greater part of Asia.</p> - -<p>Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses, who was a man that -delighted in war. He died in consequence of a hurt which he -received while mounting his horse.</p> - -<p>Following Cambyses was Artaxerxes; and we then come to -Darius, who loved conquest better than had any of his predecessors. -This king was desirous of obtaining the homage even of Greece, -and sent heralds to claim it, but without success. He then raised -a large army and invaded Greece, but the Athenians under -Miltiades met him, and gained a great victory, known as the battle -of Marathon, and fought two thousand three hundred and fifty-two -years ago.</p> - -<p>Xerxes succeeded Darius, and continued the attack on Greece. -It was during this war that Leonidas, with his band of Spartans, -defended the pass of Thermopylæ against such overwhelming odds—a -deed which would certainly have gained him the Victoria Cross -in modern times.</p> - -<p>Darius III. had reached the dangerous condition of a very rich -but not a warlike king; when then, he, by means of his wealth, -incited other nations to make war upon Alexander, King of -Macedonia, this great conqueror determined to attack Persia—a -feat which he accomplished with so much success that he everywhere -defeated the Persians, who for upwards of a hundred years -were, in a great measure, under the yoke of Greece.</p> - -<p>In more modern times Persia has been invaded by the Tartars, a -vagrant race of hunters and shepherds who were warlike and -organized enough to subjugate Persia.</p> - -<p>With the exception of the early wars with the Greeks already<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[160]</span> -referred to, the Persians, up to the year 1700, had not met in -battle any of the armies of Europe. Peter the Great of Russia -had, however, for a long time been desirous of extending his territory -to the banks of the Caspian Sea, and had merely waited for a -pretext to wage war with Persia. He did not seek an opportunity -in vain, for a Russian caravan returning from China was plundered -by the Persians, and this offence so irritated the Russian autocrat -that he put himself at the head of his army, sailed from the Volga, -and landed at Daghestan. Shortly after hostilities ceased, and -Russia obtained from the Persians the towns of Baku, Derbund, -and several provinces. During this period the Persians were also -at war with the Afghans, who had invaded Persia and had been the -cause of much misery.</p> - -<p>The late Czar Nicholas of Russia had no sooner ascended the -throne than he commenced war with Persia, and at length, in 1828, -concluded a treaty by which he gained several provinces.</p> - -<p>About the years 1836, 1837, a collision took place between the -Persians and the Afghans. It was the object of the Persians to gain -possession of the district of Herat. Now this district lies on the -north-west of India, and may be called one of the barriers to our -Eastern Empire, and as such it is essential to be preserved as an -independent state. In July, 1837, the Persians marched an army -against the Afghans, and, after a siege of ten days, succeeded in -capturing Ghorian, and in December commenced the siege of -Herat.</p> - -<p>Various remonstrances had been made to the Persians by the -British authorities in connexion with the attack upon Herat, but -without avail, and they merely had the effect of making the English -unpopular. At this time a confidential messenger bearing despatches -for the British minister was insulted and detained by the -Persians. This and one or two other similar proceedings on the -part of the Persians, in addition to their attack upon our then allies -the Afghans, rendered amicable communications with them out of -place, so that in June, 1838, our minister quitted the Persian -court and ceased any friendly communication with the Persians.</p> - -<p>During March, 1839, Sir Frederick Maitland, commander-in-chief<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[161]</span> -of the naval forces in India, landed some men from the -<i>Wellesley</i> at Bushire. It appears that there was only one locality -at which a landing or embarkation ought to have taken place, and -in the present instance this custom was not paid attention to, and -it was nearly leading to unfortunate results, as the Resident was -threatened by a large party of armed men. Fifty marines and about -thirty sepoys were provided with sixty rounds of ball cartridge -each, and, under the command of Captain (now Lieutenant-General -Sir S.) Ellis, approached the shore. Upon coming within range a -heavy fire was opened on this small party, wounding several men, -but fortunately killing none. A rapid pull, a leap on shore, and -steady advance towards the position occupied by the Persians, had -the effect of driving the enemy away, and the small body of -Europeans effected an entrance into the Residency and commenced -preparations for carrying off the Resident to the ships.</p> - -<p>At this time, however, a heavy gale of wind sprang up, which -lasted three days, and entirely prevented communication by boats -between the vessels and the shore. The Persians, knowing this, -rather anticipated the capture or massacre of the small party left on -shore, but so decided were the proceedings of the officer in command -and so judiciously were his arrangements made, that his -enemy, although numbering ten to one, thought it more prudent to -leave him alone.</p> - -<p>During each evening of these three days the Persians used to -assemble to the number of several hundreds and make demonstrations -as though they purposed attacking our men, but no sooner -did they appear than the little garrison was turned out and kept -under arms, ready and willing for a fight should the Persians feel -so disposed. This bold proceeding seemed to have the effect of -awing them, for no attack was made, and even a field-work that -was being constructed in front of the Residency was not continued, -upon Captain Ellis’s intimation that he would fire upon the working -party the instant a spade was put into the ground.</p> - -<p>On the fourth day after landing, a reinforcement was sent from -the ships, and the whole party, including the Resident, safely -passed through the armed throngs and embarked in the boats.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[162]</span> -Each of these, provided with a gun, pulled out, showing a muzzle -directed on the rabble and ready to discharge its iron hail should a -shot be fired at the boats.</p> - -<p>Towards the end of 1855 it was evident that the Persian Government -did not intend to keep faith with England, for in December -Prince Sultan Moorad Meerza set out from Tehran in command of -an army that was to act against Herat. Whilst our Government -was remonstrating with that of Persia on this proceeding, several -insults were offered to the British officials at Tehran, and the right -of asylum accorded to the residence of the British mission was -violated. After various futile attempts to obtain redress, war was -at length decided upon, and an expedition was despatched to the -Persian Gulf from India.</p> - -<p>In January, 1857, the expedition embarked, and reached its -destination at the end of the month, and shortly after was landed at -Bushire. The Arabian and Persian coasts on either side of the -entrance to the Gulf are desolate in the extreme; steep cliffs without -any sign of vegetation rise from the water’s edge, whilst inland -there seems no sign of a habitation; several barren islands stud the -coast on both sides, and are the residence of a few sea-birds only.</p> - -<p>The village of Bushire, which was captured with scarcely any -opposition, is a place of some importance. It is imperfectly defended -by a wall, with towers at intervals to afford a flank defence. The -town itself is composed of narrow streets or alleys, whilst the -buildings are square and solid-looking. The places of interest in -the town are the church, the bazaar, and a reservoir. In the background -is a range of mountains which is usually covered with snow.</p> - -<p>The troops forming the Persian expedition were very soon -actively employed. On the 3rd of February the entire force was -assembled and drawn up in order of march. This force consisted -of the 64th Regiment, 78th Highlanders, 20th and 26th -Regiments of Native Infantry, the 2nd Light Infantry, and 4th -Bombay Rifles, 3rd Light Cavalry, some horse artillery, and field -batteries—a somewhat diminutive army with which to invade a -kingdom, but one which was found efficient enough for the work it -was called upon to perform.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[163]</span></p> - -<p>During the first two days’ march this little army encountered two -of the most disagreeable incidents of a tropical climate. First a -gale of wind sprang up, carrying with it a huge cloud of sand, -which penetrated not only the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, but -seemed actually to force its way into the pores of the skin. When -the army halted, and were bivouacked in order of march, a tremendous -thunderstorm burst upon them, rain and hail coming down in -torrents, when both officers and men were drenched to the skin, for -they had no cover such as tents or trees. A piercing cold wind -blew upon them, and rendered their condition more trying than can -easily be imagined except by those who have experienced similar -inconveniences. But many examples have shown that nothing can -daunt the courage or decrease the ardour of the British soldier, -especially when led, as he was in this instance, by such a man as -Outram.</p> - -<p>It was known that the Persians were in order of battle at about -eight or nine miles from the spot on which the troops had -bivouacked on the night of the 4th of February; therefore, before -proceeding on the march on the morning of the 5th, the loaded -arms were discharged and reloaded, in order to avoid the damaging -effects of the night’s rain.</p> - -<p>Shortly after mid-day the Persian army was discovered in an -intrenched position. A short halt took place, in order to get the -regiments into their proper positions, when, to the annoyance of -our men, the enemy were seen in full retreat, which they continued -at such a pace as to prevent their being overtaken, except by a few -of our cavalry who attacked their rear-guard.</p> - -<p>Our troops immediately took possession of their intrenched camp, -in which were large quantities of ammunition, grain, and camp -equipage. The intrenched position was found very weak, and would -easily have been taken by our little army, whereas a village near, -termed Brás-Joon, had it been but slightly fortified, would have -become a most formidable position.</p> - -<p>During the 6th and 7th of February the troops were occupied in -destroying military stores and searching for hidden guns, treasure, -&c. On the night of the 6th an alarm occurred in the camp, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[164]</span> -the whole force stood to their arms. Fortunately, the moon shone -brilliantly, and thus a probable disaster was avoided, for one of the -corps mistook a patrol of the Poonah Horse for a party of the -enemy, and skirmished up to it, but fortunately discovered the -mistake before a shot was fired.</p> - -<p>These night alarms—especially with soldiers not thoroughly -trained—are invariably dangerous, the probability being that -friends are mistaken for enemies, and shots not unusually exchanged. -We were once witness to a scene which, although ludicrous -afterwards and to the lookers-on, was certainly unpleasant -to the principal performer. It happened that a soldier in his shirt -and trousers had wandered some distance from our camp during -the night, when an alarm arose that the enemy were upon us. -Men scarcely awake rose to their feet, rifle in hand, and seeing a -white object in the distance rushing towards them opened fire on it. -The more the unfortunate man shouted (for he was within the -white object, which was his shirt) the more rapid was the firing at -him, until he came sufficiently close to be recognised. Fortunately -the darkness of the night and the hurried manner in which the -men fired saved him from being hit.</p> - -<p>On the evening of the 7th of February the return march of the -army commenced towards Bushire, the enemy having been observed -retreating amidst the fastnesses of the mountains far away. Until -midnight all was quiet, and no enemy was expected, when suddenly -the discharge of musketry in the rear caused the forces to be on -the alert, and it was then found that the rear-guard was attacked. -In less than half an hour the whole army was surrounded by -skirmishers and galloping horsemen, who yelled and trumpeted, -making as much noise as possible. One of the Persian buglers, -who was acquainted with the English calls, sounded the “Cease -firing” repeatedly, close to the Highlanders.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-9.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Lieutenant John Grant Malcolmson, 3rd Bombay Light -Cavalry, rescuing his brother officer, Lieutenant and Adjutant Arthur -Moore, at the battle of Kooshab.</p> -</div> - -<p>Our troops, although surprised in a great measure, were as -steady as though on parade, and received the charges of the -enemy’s cavalry with a fire which emptied many saddles. This -exhibition of courage and discipline was the more commendable,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[165]</span> -considering very few of the men had ever previously been under -fire.</p> - -<p>During the greater part of the night the Persians kept up a -desultory fire, which, however, produced but little damage, and -when at daybreak the fire slackened it was feared that there would -not, after all, be any real battle; but as the morning fogs dispersed -the enemy were seen in position, their right resting on a village -called Khoosh-aub. Several dry watercourses were in their front, -and these were lined with skirmishers. There were also large -bodies of cavalry on both flanks, and altogether a force of about -8000 (one-fourth of which was cavalry) was assembled to -oppose us.</p> - -<p>As soon as there was light enough a rapid cannonade commenced -on both sides, whilst a change of front was made by our own commander, -immediately after which the advance was made with but -little loss, considering the heavy firing brought against us.</p> - -<p>The fire from the Persian guns was soon almost silenced by that -from our own, which was carried on at a tolerably close range.</p> - -<p>Our cavalry, consisting of some irregulars and the 3rd Bombay, -finding some of the enemy’s horsemen opposed to them, made a -brilliant charge, fairly sweeping the enemy before them. There -were only two or three of the regular battalions of the Persians -that stood their ground at all or retired in regular order. The 3rd -Cavalry charged through these men, who received them with tolerable -steadiness. It was on this occasion that Lieutenant A. Moore -gained the Victoria Cross.</p> - -<p>Lieutenant Moore was first within the square at which his regiment -charged. His horse fell dead beneath him, and he would soon -have fallen a victim had not a brother officer (Lieutenant Malcolmson) -fought his way back and assisted him with difficulty out of the -crowd of the enemy. Both Lieutenants Moore and Malcolmson -gained the Victoria Cross for their conduct on this occasion.</p> - -<p>The result of this battle was the entire rout of the enemy, who -were defeated at every point, and in the retreat were cut up by the -artillery and cavalry. A couple of brass guns were captured, a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[166]</span> -standard, and a large number of muskets. The Enfield rifle, which -was used in this affair, cast terror on the Persians. On one occasion -a horseman, who was making threatening demonstrations at a -distance of 800 yards, was neatly picked off by a good shot, an -officer in the 2nd European Light Infantry. About 700 dead were -found on the field, and a vast number of wounded were carried -away.</p> - -<p>The troops, after the battle, moved off a short distance and -bivouacked, but were very shortly disturbed by heavy rain, which -continued without interruption during several days. The roads -became almost impassable, the soil—a mixture of clay and sand—being -ankle-deep in mud. The troops at length were forced to -halt, and without complaining stretched themselves in the mud, and -took that rest which all so much required. Although the distance -from the field of battle to the lines at Bushire was over forty miles, -yet it was passed by the troops, under all the disadvantages named, -in thirty hours. The loss on our part during these proceedings -consisted in one officer and eighteen men killed, four officers and -sixty men wounded.</p> - -<p>Shortly after these events another expedition was undertaken by -our troops, and with complete success, the Persians, although brave -men, lacking that essential to make them good soldiers—viz., discipline. -There are several nations of the East—the Chinaman, -Hindoo, and others—who have scarcely any fear of death, and who -would rather cast themselves on their own swords and thus perish -than fall into the hands of an enemy, and yet when these men meet -in battle our own soldiers they invariably suffer an almost ignominious -defeat, in consequence of their want of discipline and of -steadiness under fire.</p> - -<p>The soil and climate of Persia do not appear to be very favourable: -during the day it is intensely hot, and during the night -equally cold. In summer, likewise, the heat is intense. Vast -deserts of sand occur in many places, and long ranges of sterile -mountains cross the country in various parts. Vegetation is not -very abundant, and cultivation is carried on but scantily. Game,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[167]</span> -however, abounds in many places, deer, antelopes, partridges, and -wild-fowl being found, and the lion is also said to be occasionally -seen.</p> - -<p>Whether we consider the Persians as soldiers, their country as a -paradise, or their cities as noble works of art, we find ourselves -disappointed; for the first are little better than a half-trained -rabble, their country is not fertile, and their cities are badly constructed -and dirty. So that after contemplating these items we can -candidly exclaim, “There’s no place like home.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;" id="illus7"> -<img src="images/illus7.jpg" width="500" height="300" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Bushire</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[168]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header5.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">CAPTAIN W. A. KERR, SOUTH MAHRATTA HORSE, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-o.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">On the evening of the 8th of July, 1857, a party of -officers belonging to different regiments in the Indian -service were seated round the mess-room table in the -barracks of Sattara, in the Bombay Presidency. An expression of -anxiety was depicted on all their faces, and they spoke in that hushed -subdued tone which men usually assume in moments of great peril. -And they had reason to look anxious. The Indian Mutiny had -already broken out, and recent events showed that its limits were -not to be confined to the Bengal Presidency. The seeds of disaffection -had been sown among their own men, and they knew not at -what hour they might be called upon to meet them in open mutiny. -The Orientals can veil the most treacherous designs under the -deepest secrecy, and every officer felt, as it were, that he was -carrying his life in his hands. At any hour the men, outwardly so -respectful and obedient, might enter the very room where they sat -and shoot them down at the mess-table. They had done so in -other cases, and what guarantee had these that their lives were -more secure? The inhabitants of Sattara were at no pains to -conceal their rebellious tendencies, and their men were only -restrained by that discipline which soldiers find it so difficult to -shake off from openly expressing their sympathies with them. In -truth, the whole country was in a state of slumbering rebellion, -and no one could tell when the embers of disaffection might burst -forth into an open flame. They felt as Prometheus might have -felt if he had been bound to the sides of Mount Etna, in hourly -expectation of an eruption. Escape there was none. If it came to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[169]</span> -the worst, they could meet their fate like brave men, and die sword -in hand.</p> - -<p>One young officer, whose stalwart frame and slight accent betokened -his Northern origin, took a more hopeful view of the subject. -This was Lieutenant William Alexander Kerr, of the South -Mahratta Horse, an officer who had already secured the confidence -and respect of the wild troopers under his command. He expressed -his conviction that, however treacherous the other native troops -might prove, he could always count on the loyalty of the South -Mahratta Horse, and if any emergency should occur it would be -seen that their courage was equal to their loyalty. The words had -scarcely passed his lips, when an orderly entered the room and -delivered a slip of paper to the officer in command. The door was -carefully closed to prevent the servants from hearing, for at that -trying period almost every native was suspected to be a rebel in -disguise. The paper was then read aloud. It proved to be a telegraphic -message from Kolapore, a town about seventy-five miles -distant from Sattara. Its contents were such as might well appal -the bravest heart. The 27th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry -had suddenly mutinied and murdered all the officers on whom they -could lay their hands. Those who escaped had taken shelter in -the Residency, where they were guarded by a troop of the South -Mahratta Horse and the Kolapore Light Infantry. The mutineers, -from carelessness or ignorance, had neglected to cut the telegraph -wires, and the beleaguered party had thus been enabled to communicate -with their countrymen at Sattara, to whom they made an -urgent appeal for assistance. Almost destitute of provisions, and -surrounded by a merciless foe thirsting for their blood, they could -not hold out long, and if they yielded their fate was certain. In -this the hour of their need they turned to their countrymen for -assistance.</p> - -<p>A momentary silence ensued. It was not that they were unwilling -to incur any risk in order to aid those whose case was so -desperate; the only question was whether they could trust their -men in such an undertaking. Kerr was not the man to unsay -the words he had just spoken. He had expressed the confidence he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[170]</span> -reposed in the loyalty and courage of his men; he was now prepared -to prove that that confidence was not misplaced.</p> - -<p>His position as adjutant of the regiment afforded him the best -opportunities of becoming acquainted with the personal character -of the men. He was brought into daily contact with them; had to -listen to all their grievances; had to receive the complaints made -against defaulters; and, in minor cases, to decide the punishments -to be awarded. Unswerving firmness and impartial justice are the -two qualities most requisite to enable one to obtain a powerful -hold on the Oriental mind, and these two qualities Lieutenant Kerr -possessed in the highest perfection. He knew his men, and his -men knew him; they could, therefore, trust one another in the -hour of danger. He at once volunteered to lead a party of the -South Mahratta Horse to the rescue; all the assistance that could -be spared was fifty men. Small as that number was for such an -undertaking, he did not hesitate to take the command. No time -was consumed in needless preparation; in half an hour he was in -the saddle and on the road. We use the expression “road” in a -figurative sense; literally speaking, there was no road at all, merely -a rough path leading through the cotton-fields, where the horses -sank to the fetlocks, often to the knees, in the mud. The distance -to be travelled was only seventy-five miles: a short distance to -those accustomed to railways and steamers, but those familiar with -the roads in India will appreciate the difficulties which Kerr and -his gallant little party had to surmount. It was the middle of the -monsoon season; the rain descended in torrents; the country was -half flooded; the smallest streams were converted into dangerous -rivers. But the gallant band went on; swam their horses over -three large and two smaller rivers, besides seven nullahs, all swollen -with the heavy rains, and reached Kolapore within twenty-six -hours. We have all heard of Dick Turpin’s ride to York; but the -rapid advance of Lieutenant Kerr and his party, in such a country, -and at such a season, was scarcely less wonderful.</p> - -<p>They did not arrive a moment too soon. The mutineers, elated -by a temporary success, were ready to offer them battle. They -had already encountered the Kolapore Light Infantry, and defeated<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[171]</span> -them with considerable loss. After this they had taken up their -position in a pagah, or fortified square with circular bastions, -situated near the town. This pagah was a place of considerable -strength, and the attacking party had no artillery to effect a breach -in the walls. Recourse was had to the rajah, who lent them a -couple of old guns, which, on trial, were found to be useless. -Night was at hand, and Kerr knew well the danger of delay; if he -waited till morning, his men, worn out and discouraged, might -refuse to follow him. All his hopes of success depended on an -immediate attack; so he resolved at once to carry the place by -storm. His men had already witnessed his courage; he had -headed the party which occupied the brushwood outside the pagah; -he had laid the guns at thirty yards’ range from the western bastion -under a heavy fire; he had passed through all this unhurt. The -Orientals, fatalists by creed and by constitution, have the greatest -faith in the luck that attends certain leaders; they recognised in -Kerr one of the favourites of Allah, and were prepared to follow -him wherever he chose to lead.</p> - -<p>He did not give them long to wait. Causing the sowars to dismount -from their horses, he placed himself at their head and led -them on to the attack. On approaching the walls they found that -the task they had undertaken was one of no ordinary difficulty. -The only entrance to the place was by small doors of thick teak-wood, -from five and a half to six feet in height, which the mutineers -had taken the precaution to block up with large stones, so as -to render them almost as solid as the walls. If they had been provided -with guns this obstacle might easily have been removed; but, -as the event proved, the two lent by the rajah were evidently -intended more for ornament than use.</p> - -<p>But Kerr was not a man to be easily discouraged. His conduct -proved the truth of the good old adage, that “where there’s a will -there’s a way.” Among the dismounted sowars there was, fortunately, -one who entered readily into his plans, and volunteered to -share with him the danger. This was Gumpunt Row Deo Ker, a -gallant trooper, worthy to be known and admired by all who can -appreciate valour in the field, though the singularity of his name<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[172]</span> -will, we fear, prevent it from ever becoming familiar to our readers -as a household word. Kerr and Gumpunt armed themselves with -crowbars and marched through the heavy fire of the enemy till -they reached one of the small doors. Both plied their instruments -so well that they soon made an aperture sufficiently wide to admit -a man in a stooping attitude. It seems almost miraculous that no -hostile bullet should have reached them while thus engaged, but -they escaped unhurt. The opening was made, but who would have -the courage to be the first to enter? To do so was almost certain -death: the rebels were waiting and watching to shoot down the -first man who appeared inside the walls, and yet there was not a -moment’s hesitation. Kerr rushed through the opening, followed -by Gumpunt Row and others whose courage was inspired by the -example of their daring leader. As soon as he appeared within -the pagah, twenty of the mutineers took deliberate aim and fired a -volley at him. He had the presence of mind to retain his stooping -position, and all the bullets passed harmlessly over his head. He -did not give them time to reload, but rushed at them sword in -hand. They fought with bayonets, and kept their ground for a -time, till several of them were killed and wounded. Nothing -could resist the impetuous onset of the stormers: the rebels were -driven back till they found refuge in a house which covered the -other entrance. It so happened that this house was loopholed, and -the rebels were thus enabled to continue their resistance. They -fired heavy volleys upon the attacking party as they advanced, and -did everything they could to make good their position; but it was -all in vain. Kerr, followed by his brave sowars, got round the -flanks, set fire to the building, and burnt the enemy out. The -other mutineers retreated through the door already alluded to, and -began to barricade it. This spot now became the central point of -attack and defence; the mutineers quitted the other bastions which -they had been defending, and joined the party who had formed the -barricade. Knowing the fate that awaited them if they yielded, -they fought with all the fury of despair.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-10.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Captain William Alexander Kerr, South Mahratta Horse, at Kolapoor.</p> -</div> - -<p>The great point was to effect an entrance. This could only be -done by removing the barricade. This was a task of no ordinary<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[173]</span> -danger; whoever undertook it had to count on concentrating on -himself the whole fire of the enemy. Here again Lieutenant Kerr -boldly exposed his life to almost certain destruction by rushing -forward, crowbar in hand, and emulating the vigour of the Black -Knight in “Ivanhoe” in the ponderous blows he struck. It seemed -that day as if he bore a charmed life; the bullets of the rebels -whistled around him in every direction, but still he plied his -crowbar till the barricade began to yield. At length, as on the -former occasion, he made an opening wide enough to admit a -person in a stooping position. As soon as this was done he rushed -through, followed by his faithful attendant, Gumpunt Row, who -was resolved to share his leader’s fate. The rebels were waiting -their approach, and no sooner had they appeared within the walls -than they were met by a volley, from which they fortunately -escaped unhurt. Without giving them time to reload they rushed -upon the mutineers, and a desperate hand-to-hand combat ensued. -The rebels were far superior in numbers, but that was their only -advantage. The storming party, animated by the example of their -gallant leader, already counted on victory. For a time the event -seemed doubtful; the enemy, driven to their last corner, offered an -obstinate resistance. A ball cut the chain of Lieutenant Kerr’s -helmet, another hit his sword-blade with such force that it turned -the edge. The faithful Gumpunt Row, though wounded in the -foot, never quitted his master’s side; at one moment, when his life -was exposed to imminent danger, he shot the assailant dead. Another -mutineer rushed up and discharged his musket so close to Lieutenant -Kerr’s face that for an instant he was blinded by the powder. -It was only for a moment, and as soon as he recovered his sight he -ran his sword through the body of his adversary with such force -that it required a violent effort to withdraw it. While he was -struggling to do so, one of the enemy, watching his opportunity, -rushed up and struck him a violent blow with the butt-end of a -musket. Such a blow would have placed a less powerful man <i>hors -de combat</i>; as it was, Lieutenant Kerr staggered beneath it and -almost lost his consciousness. Another rebel, observing his helpless -condition, ran forward to dispatch him, but Gumpunt Row,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[174]</span> -watching over his master’s safety, was ready to receive him. A -bullet from his musket stretched him lifeless on the ground. Lieutenant -Kerr, instantly recovering himself, killed a second. Assailants -and defendants were now enveloped in such a cloud of smoke -that it was difficult to distinguish one another or to mark the -various incidents of the contest, which raged with the greatest fury. -Lieutenant Kerr, though severely wounded, pressed the advantage -he had gained by driving the enemy before him; he knew that all -depended upon his example and courage; if he had fallen or hesitated -for a moment the sowars would have retreated and the enemy -escaped. As it was, they followed him wherever he went, and -showed by their conduct that the natives of India, when properly -led, are capable of the most heroic deeds.</p> - -<p>The mutineers were pressed so hard that they at length gave -way, and took refuge in the inner keep. This building had been -used as a temple, and was a place of considerable strength. The -rebels barricaded the door and began to fire through an opening -on the storming party. The latter had consisted originally of -seventeen sowars; of these only six or seven continued to follow -their gallant leader; all the rest had been killed or disabled. -Lieutenant Kerr advanced with this handful of men to attack the -rebels in their last refuge. On approaching the door, it was found -that the crowbars made no impression upon it, and that some other -means of forcing an entrance must be adopted. Lieutenant Kerr -proved himself as ingenious in resources as he was gallant in attack. -Observing a quantity of hay close at hand, he seized some of it and -carried it to the door of the temple. He was closely followed by -Gumpunt Row, who set fire to the hay. The door was gradually -consumed, and the stormers, who during this interval had been -exposed to a heavy fire, rushed in. None of the mutineers escaped; -all of them were either captured or slain.</p> - -<p>This brilliant affair, in which Lieutenant Kerr bore such a distinguished -part, was attended with the most important consequences: it -checked the rising spirit of revolt in the province -where it occurred, and revived the confidence of the officers in the -native regiments under their command.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[175]</span></p> - -<p>The loss sustained by the storming party was very severe. -Their leader was seriously wounded. Of his seventeen followers -eight were killed on the spot, and four subsequently died of their -wounds. Not one of them escaped unhurt. If we take into account -the obstinate resistance of the enemy, the smallness of Kerr’s troop, -and the heavy fire to which they were exposed, the only ground for -surprise is that any of them should have escaped at all. It was -impossible that such gallant conduct should have passed unnoticed -or unrewarded. The press of India was loud in expressing the -admiration which was felt by all, and Colonel Maugan, the officer -commanding at Kolapore, brought Lieutenant Kerr’s distinguished -conduct under the notice of the Adjutant-General of the Bombay -army, in the following terms:—</p> - -<p>“Lieutenant William A. Kerr, of the Southern Mahratta Irregular -Horse, took a prominent share in the attack of the position, and at -the moment when the capture was of great public importance, he -made a dash at the gateway with some dismounted horsemen, and -forced an entrance by breaking down the gate. This attack was -completely successful; and the defenders (to the number of thirty-four, -all armed with muskets and bayonets) were either killed, -wounded, or captured—a result which may with perfect justice be -attributed to Lieutenant Kerr’s dashing and devoted bravery. I -would therefore beg to be permitted to recommend Lieutenant -Kerr for the highly honourable distinction of the Victoria Cross.”</p> - -<p>Our readers, after reading the above narrative of Lieutenant -Kerr’s exploits at Kolapore, will agree with us that he deserved this -honourable distinction, so dear to every soldier’s heart. Soon after -these events he returned to England, where he was invested with -the Victoria Cross, and afforded Mr. Desanges an opportunity of -perpetuating the remembrance of his gallantry. He has now -returned to Bombay, and holds the rank of captain in the South -Mahratta Horse. If circumstances should ever arise demanding -such displays of valour, it will be found that his arm is as strong -and his heart as brave as when he stormed the pagah at Kolapore -and repressed the mutiny of the 27th Bombay Native Infantry.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[176]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header8.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">PRIVATE HENRY WARD, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-i.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">It is a remarkable fact that Private Henry Ward and Sir -H. M. Havelock, Bart., the officer whose life he saved, -have both been decorated with the Cross of Valour. -The career of Havelock, the avenger of Cawnpore, the deliverer of -Lucknow, is matter of history; but the important services and -distinguished bravery of his son, who owes his life to Private Ward, -ought to be recorded for the admiration and imitation of all who -wish to deserve well of their country. He was born at Chinsurah, -in the Bengal Presidency, in the year 1830; his father, then a -lieutenant in the 13th Regiment, had formed the acquaintance of -the Baptist missionaries at Serampore, and was married on the 9th -of February, 1829, to Hannah Shepherd, the youngest daughter of -the Rev. Dr. Marshman, a distinguished member of that body. -Henry Marshman Havelock was the first fruit of this marriage, and -had to share from his earliest infancy in all the vicissitudes and -dangers of a soldier’s child in India. While still an infant under -twelve months of age, he had to accompany his parents on a voyage -up the Ganges and was seized with a sudden attack of illness. On -this occasion his father exhibited the same calm courage and presence -of mind which he afterwards displayed on many a battle-field. -“To render the case more disheartening,” he wrote, “we were -entirely destitute of the only remedies which we believed likely to be -effectual. We had no calomel, and no lancet, and no skilful hand -to use it; and the young sufferer grew worse every hour. The -danger seemed imminent, and our distress was not trifling. I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[177]</span> -therefore determined myself to try my skill as an operator, and -with a very indifferent substitute for a lancet, and, I fear, not a -very steady hand, succeeded in giving relief to my first patient. I -should think this a very tedious story to write to one who did <i>not</i> -know how the human heart, even the heart of one who has passed -through many scenes of suffering and danger, attaches itself to -these little ones in their years of helplessness. My clumsy attempts -were certainly blessed beyond our hope, for the little sufferer -soon became calmer and calmer, and his fever sensibly diminished.” -We record this incident, because it proves that tenderness of heart -is not incompatible with the sternest courage: the two qualities -may, and often do co-exist.</p> - -<p>It is unnecessary to dwell on the education or boyhood of young -Havelock: from the earliest period he had expressed a desire to -adopt his father’s profession, though, judging from his subordinate -rank in the army, he had little reason to expect rapid promotion. -He obtained his commission in 1847, and at the commencement of -the Indian Mutiny held the rank of lieutenant in the 10th Regiment. -When his father received the command of the moveable -column which was to be formed at Allahabad, and to consist of the -64th Regiment and 78th Highlanders, he was appointed Deputy-Assistant -Adjutant-General of this force, and accompanied them in -their advance to Cawnpore. He had already held the appointment -of adjutant in his own regiment, and acted for a time as aide-de-camp -to his father on this his first campaign. He was present at -the battle of Futtehpore, where his gallantry attracted the notice -and excited the admiration of his father, who, in the original draft -of the despatch he had written, thus alludes to his services:—“I shall -incur risk of suspected partiality when I further record that the boldness, -and activity, and quick perception of Lieutenant Havelock, -10th Foot, my son, and aide-de-camp, on this his first action on -shore, inspired me with the hope that he will do his country good -service long after I am in the grave.” No one can read these words -without emotion, or fail to sympathize with the father of such a son -and yet such was the tenderness of Havelock’s conscience, the almost -morbid dread that paternal partiality might have led him to exaggerate<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[178]</span> -the merits of his aide-de-camp, that the passage was omitted -in the revised copy of the despatch. We question whether there -be many officers in the service who would exhibit the same reticence, -or practise the same self-denial under similar circumstances; -but Havelock was one of a thousand. Though he had the Spartan -self-denial to omit his son’s name in his published despatch, he -speaks of “the boy H.” in admiring terms in his private letters, -and circumstances soon occurred which led him to believe it to be -his duty to recommend him for the distinction of the Victoria -Cross.</p> - -<p>A brief statement of these circumstances may not be out of -place. On the 16th of July, 1857, Havelock was close upon -Cawnpore, and after allowing his exhausted troops a few hours’ -rest in a mango grove, until the fierce heat of the mid-day sun had -abated, prepared for action. Nana Sahib, having completed his -work of butchery in the town, had marched forth with his army, -and taken up a strong position at Atherwas, the point where the -road leading to the cantonment branches out from the main trunk-road -to Cawnpore. He there commanded five villages, with -numerous intrenchments, armed with seven guns; his infantry was -stationed in the rear. Havelock perceived at once that the guns -could not be silenced, or the intrenchments carried without sacrificing -many valuable lives, and with his small army he had none to -spare. He therefore quietly wheeled his force round to the left of -the enemy’s position, behind a screen of clumps of mango. When -the rebels detected this manœuvre, they endeavoured to strengthen -their left flank by bringing up their cavalry, and opening fire in -that direction with all their artillery. Then followed a series of -operations which proved, in the most striking manner, the superiority -of the British infantry to the recreant foe opposed to them; -though inferior in numbers, and exhausted by their long march, -they advanced under a heavy fire with as much coolness as if they -had been on parade; and when the word was given, “Charge,” they -rushed forward with a ringing cheer, and drove the enemy before -them at the point of the bayonet. Four villages were thus taken -in rapid succession, and seven guns fell into our hands. As a last<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[179]</span> -effort the enemy planted a 24-pounder on the cantonment road, by -which our men had to advance, and inflicted severe loss on the -gallant little band. Our artillery cattle were so exhausted with -heat and fatigue, that the guns could not be dragged forward to -silence the 24-pounder, and the enemy, encouraged by their temporary -success, began to rally with the evident intention of renewing -the engagement. The moment was critical: all depended upon the -capture of the enemy’s gun. This task was assigned to the 64th -Regiment, who advanced along the road amid a shower of grape, -under the command of Major Stirling. An officer commanding a -regiment ought always to be mounted, especially in action: he is -thus a conspicuous object to his men, and his presence inspires -them with fresh courage. Unfortunately, Major Stirling’s horse -had been wounded by the bursting of a shell, and he was obliged -to lead on his men on foot. It does not appear that there was any -hesitation or irresolution on the part of the 64th, anything, in short, -to justify another officer in attempting to supersede the one already -in command; on the contrary, their conduct throughout the day -was rewarded with the highest praise in a public despatch. While -they were in the act of advancing, young Havelock, perceiving no -officer at their head, and knowing how much depended on the capture -of the gun, yielded to an almost irresistible impulse by riding -forward, and placing himself at the head of the regiment. Gallantly -he advanced in front of them, amid a storm of grape, cheering -them on by his voice and example, till he rode his horse to the very -mouth of the cannon which had arrested our progress. It was -seized by the 64th, and the enemy losing all heart fell back on -Cawnpore, where they blew up the magazine, and then went on to -Bithoor.</p> - -<p>General Havelock, who had witnessed the gallantry of his son, -resolved to recommend him for the Victoria Cross. We have already -seen how on a previous occasion he had omitted his name from a -public despatch lest he should be suspected of partiality: this circumstance, -perhaps, rendered him more anxious to do justice to -him now. There was no reason in the world why he should be -debarred from this honour if he had fairly earned it, because his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[180]</span> -father happened to be the officer in command. It appears, however, -that he himself wished the affair to be overlooked. It is not for -us to specify the motive by which he was actuated: it may have -been a tender regard for his father’s character of impartiality, or an -apprehension of the storm of hostility which the bestowal of this -honour would excite, or the consciousness that he was not justly -entitled to it. Be this as it may, the fact is certain that he persuaded -his father to suppress the telegram which he had prepared -for the Commander-in-Chief. He was more anxious that his own -merits should be overlooked than that his father’s good name should -be impugned: he was willing to wait. On the return of the troops -to Cawnpore after the battle of Bithoor, General Havelock having -occasion to recommend another officer for the Victoria Cross, no -longer felt himself justified in overlooking the claim of his own son. -“I also recommend for the same decoration Lieutenant Havelock, -10th Foot. In the combat at Cawnpore he was my aide-de-camp. -The 64th Regiment had been much under artillery fire, from which -it had suffered severely. The whole of the infantry were lying -down in line, when perceiving that the enemy had brought out -their last reserved gun—a 24-pounder—and were rallying around -it, I called up the regiment to rise and advance. Without any -other word from me, Lieutenant Havelock placed himself on his -horse in front of the centre of the 64th, opposite the muzzle of the -gun. Major Stirling, commanding the regiment, was in front, dismounted; -but the lieutenant continued to move steadily on in front -of the regiment, at a foot pace, on his horse. The gun discharged -shot till the troops were within a short distance, when they fired -grape. In went the corps, led by the lieutenant, who steadily steered -on to the gun’s muzzle, until it was mastered by a rush of the 64th.”</p> - -<p>It is worthy of remark, that this recommendation was concealed -from his son, and only communicated to him after his father’s -death by Lieutenant Hargood, General Havelock’s aide-de-camp. -This circumstance is to be regretted on many grounds: if the telegram -had been submitted to young Havelock before it was forwarded -to the Commander-in-Chief, we are certain, from our -personal knowledge of his character, that he would have so modified<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[181]</span> -certain expressions it contains as to have avoided wounding the -tender sensibilities of those who felt aggrieved by them. Without -doing any injustice to himself he might have done more justice to -Major Stirling, and the officers of the 64th; but the responsibility -rests not with him but with his father, who, before the storm -excited by the publication of this telegram had burst forth, had -already gone the way of all living, and was indifferent to popular -praise or blame. The Cross of Valour was awarded to Lieutenant -Havelock in March, 1858, and on reading it in the <i>Gazette</i>, the -officers of the 64th Regiment, considering that they had just cause -of complaint against both father and son, addressed a letter of -expostulation to Sir Colin Campbell, the Commander-in-Chief in -India. There is no reason to believe that the gallant old chief was -actuated by any personal feeling in the matter, but he felt it to be -his duty to forward the letter of expostulation to His Royal Highness -the Duke of Cambridge, accompanying it with certain strictures -implying grave censure on father and son.</p> - -<p>Men who have spent so many years in the service as Lord Clyde -are naturally opposed to innovations. There is a certain period in -life when we all become conservative in principle. Old men, since -the days of Homer, have ever been prone to exalt the past at the -expense of the present; and Lord Clyde was no exception to -this rule. He regarded the Victoria Cross with the same distrust -with which he regarded every other innovation. In his own hot -youth he had exhibited the most daring courage at Badajoz, and -elsewhere, when there was no Victoria Cross to be earned; and he -held that courage, like virtue, was its own reward. Devotion to -duty, without regard to after consequences, was the principle by -which he himself was guided during his long career; the soldier -who was animated by a sense of duty required no outward stimulus. -The promise or expectation of some badge of distinction as a reward -for heroism or gallantry in the field was sufficient, in his opinion, -to incite young officers ambitious of honour and reckless of their -own lives to rush into rash enterprises without consulting their -superiors. Discipline, or, in other words, subjection to lawful -authority, he esteemed the highest ornament in every young soldier;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[182]</span> -no heroic action could atone for any violation of this primary -duty.</p> - -<p>It is not necessary here to expose the fallacy of such reasoning. -Our soldiers were quite as brave when there was no Victoria Cross -at all as they are at the present moment: that Cross was intended -not to <i>create</i>, but to <i>reward</i> valour. The British soldier -requires no outward stimulus, no promised reward, to incite him -to do his duty: a true hero will prove himself to be a hero, because -it is his nature to be so, and he cannot help it. Nelson never -thought of ribbons or peerages when he was fighting our battles at -sea; his only ambition was to conquer or to die. The soldier or -sailor who distinguishes himself in action never dreams of reward: -he is a hero, and he does heroic deeds almost without knowing it. -Of all the men who wear the Victoria Cross upon their breasts, -there is not one, we believe, who ever thought of that badge of -distinction at the moment he earned it. It was innate heroism or -tender humanity that placed him at the head of the forlorn hope, or -led him to risk his own life to rescue a wounded comrade. The -man who would do such deeds from such a purely mercenary -motive as the love of applause, would be unworthy of the name of -soldier; his selfishness would be even more remarkable than his -courage. The Queen’s own Cross was not intended to encourage -such selfishness, or to reward such courage; nor has it ever done -so. Many of those who wear it were surprised at its being -awarded to them, so humble was their estimate of the value of the -deeds by which they obtained it; no one ever performed those deeds -for the purpose of being awarded the Victoria Cross. It is the expression -of our national admiration for deeds which demand some public -recognition, and cannot be adequately rewarded in any other way.</p> - -<p>These remarks have been elicited by the strictures with which -Sir Colin Campbell accompanied the letter of expostulation from the -officers of the 64th Regiment, which he forwarded to His Royal Highness -the Duke of Cambridge. In that letter they complained, with -much appearance of reason, that their own honour and that of the -regiment had been compromised by an officer of the staff usurping -the place of Major Stirling, the officer in command, when there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[183]</span> -was nothing to justify him in doing so. Major Stirling was at the -head of his regiment, and the 64th were discharging the duty -assigned to them. If he was not mounted, there was a sufficient -reason for this: his horse had been wounded by the bursting of a -shell, and was unable to carry him. If the regiment had betrayed -any irresolution, or hesitated to advance, the occasion might have -justified young Havelock’s interference; but they positively denied -that such was the case, and requested that some steps might be -taken to vindicate their honour, which had been impugned by -awarding the Victoria Cross to one whose conduct was more deserving -of censure than of praise.</p> - -<p>It is difficult to take a cool, dispassionate view of this affair; -our sympathies are naturally with the young lieutenant, but we -must endeavour to be just. No one can find fault with the officers -of the 64th for writing such a letter: to a soldier reputation is -everything; and the fair fame of a regiment, like that of a woman, -if once lost can never be regained. Every regiment in the service -has its distinctive character, as much as every soldier who belongs -to it; it was clearly, therefore, the duty of the officers of the 64th -to protest against a measure which reflected on them and the -soldiers under their command. Their silence would have been a -tacit admission that there was ground for such reflections; their -protest was a natural appeal against them.</p> - -<p>We have the sincerest respect for the memory of General -Havelock: no one can read his life, or trace his career, without being -convinced that he was a good man and a gallant soldier. This conviction, -however, does not imply that he was perfect, or exempt from -those weaknesses to which the very best men are subject. A -father is always liable to the charge of partiality when judging of -the merits of his own son, and is often blinded by paternal affection -to the actual merits of the case. It would be improper for him to -form one of a jury while his son was being tried, much more -so to sit upon the bench as the presiding judge. This was the -position which General Havelock occupied on this occasion, and -we must not blame him too much if, in his anxious desire to do -justice to his son, he inadvertently failed to do justice to Major<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[184]</span> -Stirling, and the officers and men of the 64th Regiment. He acknowledges -that Lieutenant Havelock placed himself on his horse in front -of the centre of the 64th, and that he did so without any orders from -him. He admits the fact: the only question is, was he justified in -doing so? If the regiment had been repulsed, or had hesitated to -carry out the orders they had received, any officer of the staff -would have been justified in taking the command, and in leading -them on to victory. It has never been attempted to be shown that -such was the case. The 64th were steadily advancing under the -command of Major Stirling, when Lieutenant Havelock, acting on -the impulse of the moment, rushed forward and placed himself at -their head. The general, in his telegram, contrasts the position -occupied by Major Stirling with that occupied by his son:—“Major -Stirling, commanding the regiment, was in front, dismounted; -but the lieutenant continued to move steadily on in front -of the regiment, at a foot pace, on his horse.” It is unfortunate -that he should have omitted to state that Major Stirling was dismounted -because his horse had been wounded by the bursting of -a shell; there would thus have been no ground for the suspicion -that he was dismounted from choice, and not from necessity. It -may be that the general was ignorant of this fact; but he ought to -have ascertained why Major Stirling was dismounted before he -mentioned it in a telegram, which must, sooner or later, become -public. The indignation of the officers and men of the 64th was -only natural, and Sir Colin Campbell truly expresses their feeling -when he says, “By such despatches as the one alluded to it is -made to appear to the world that a regiment would have proved -wanting in courage, except for an accidental circumstance; such a -reflection is most galling to British soldiers, indeed, is almost intolerable, -and the fact is remembered against it by all the other -corps in Her Majesty’s service. Soldiers feel such things most -keenly. I would, therefore, beg leave to dwell on the injustice -sometimes done by general officers when they give a public preference -to those attached to them, over old officers who are charged -with the most difficult and responsible duties.”</p> - -<p>No one will accuse Sir Colin of having ever been influenced by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[185]</span> -this undue preference; his desire ever was to do justice to all, and -he saw no merit in any action which was not strictly connected with -the discharge of duty. He had no sympathy with impulsive acts -of bravery, because he considered them to be subversive of discipline, -and often injurious to others. At the battle of the Alma -he threatened the 42nd with a punishment which they all dreaded, if -they left the ranks to succour the wounded; at the relief of Lucknow -he publicly reprimanded a Highland officer, his personal friend, -who had left his regiment to show him a flag which he had just -taken from the enemy. He was actuated by no personal feeling, he -was only expressing his own inward conviction when he thus alluded -to Lieutenant Havelock’s impulsive act. “This instance is one of -many in which, since the institution of the Victoria Cross, advantage -has been taken by young aides-de-camp and other staff-officers to -place themselves in prominent situations for the purpose of attracting -attention. To them life is of little value, as compared with the gain -of public honour; but they do not reflect, and the generals to whom -they belong do not reflect, on the cruel injustice thus done to gallant -officers, who, beside the excitement of the moment of action, -have all the responsibility attendant on this situation.”</p> - -<p>Sir Colin’s judgment, in estimating the motives by which Lieutenant -Havelock was actuated in placing himself at the head of the -64th Regiment, was evidently biassed by the prejudices he entertained -against the Victoria Cross. There is no reason to believe -that the love of public honour, or any such selfish feeling, induced -that gallant officer to expose his life; his own anxious desire that -his conduct should be overlooked proves the contrary. If his -object had been to obtain the Victoria Cross, he would certainly -never have persuaded his father to suppress the telegram in which -he recommended him for that honour. His father’s good fame was -dearer to him than any honour which his country could confer, and he -knew that his father could not allude to him as he had done without -raising a storm of opposition. He wished, therefore, that the matter -should be overlooked and forgotten. He had acted on the impulse -of the moment; all depended on the steadiness with which the 64th -advanced; he saw them without a mounted leader, and, without<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[186]</span> -stopping to inquire the cause, he rushed forward and placed himself -at their head. When he discovered afterwards that Major Stirling’s -horse was wounded, and that he had supplanted that officer in the -command of his regiment while faithfully discharging his duty, he -must have felt that he had inadvertently treated him with injustice, -and that the public recognition of his conduct as desiring reward -would increase the wrong. He owed Major Stirling an apology for -having usurped his place, but he had done nothing to earn the -Victoria Cross, which was never intended to be an incentive to -impulsive acts of undisciplined valour. It must have been with -feelings of surprise and regret that he read his father’s telegram, -which was not published in India till after his death, and learned -that the Victoria Cross had been awarded to him for this particular -deed. In the interval he had done other deeds of valour which fully -merited this honour, and excited the admiration of every British -soldier in India; it was unfortunate that the father, in his anxious -desire to do justice to the son, should not have waited a little longer.</p> - -<p>The remonstrance on the part of the officers of the 64th Regiment -was only natural and just; it was their duty to vindicate their own -honour now that Major Stirling was no longer able to answer for -himself and for them. That unfortunate officer died soon after he -was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, on the special -recommendation of General Havelock, for the part he acted at the -battle of Cawnpore. This fact is sufficient to prove that he had -not failed in his duty, and that there was nothing in his conduct to -justify another in usurping his place. The general, also, bestowed -the highest praise upon the regiment. In his despatch, after the -battle, he says: “Nor was the gallant 64th behind; charging with -equal bravery another village on the left, and firing four volleys as -they rapidly advanced up the rising ground, they soon made the -place their own, and captured its three guns.... But the 64th, -led by Major Stirling and my aide-de-camp, who had placed himself -at their front, were not to be denied. Their rear showed the -ground strewed with wounded, but on they silently and steadily -came; then, with a cheer, charged and captured the unwieldy -trophy of their valour.” In the general order, which appeared on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[187]</span> -the morning after the battle, he says: “64th, you have put to -silence the jibes of your enemies throughout India. Your fire was -reserved till you saw the colour of your enemies’ moustaches—this -gave us the victory.” It is unfortunate that the general should -have revived those jibes, by making it appear to the world that the -64th would have failed in the hour of danger, had it not been that -his own son placed himself at their head.</p> - -<p>These remarks, we trust, will not be misunderstood. We willingly -acquit the present Sir H. Havelock of all blame in the matter. -He did not wish to obtain the Victoria Cross for this particular act; -it was, in a measure, forced upon him without his knowledge or -consent. But having once obtained it, he was determined to show -that none could be more worthy to wear it. He acted as deputy-assistant -adjutant-general to the army which advanced under the -command of his father and Sir J. Outram for the relief of Lucknow, -and greatly distinguished himself at the passage of the Charbagh -bridge, where the enemy offered an obstinate resistance to our -entrance. From this bridge to the Residency was a distance of -about two miles; and this interval was intersected by trenches, -traversed by palisades, and commanded by loopholed houses. Between -eight and nine o’clock on the morning of the 25th of September, -1857, the army of rescue received the order to advance; -as soon as the first brigade, under the command of Sir J. Outram, -had passed the advanced picket, they were assailed by a heavy fire -in front, and Captain Maude, R.A., pushed bravely forward with -the loss of one-third of his men. His coolness and courage opened -a passage for our army till they reached the Charbagh bridge, which -crosses the canal. This bridge was defended by six guns—one of -them a 24-pounder—which swept the passage and threatened destruction -to all who approached. Here the enemy had resolved to -make their stand, and no position could have been better chosen. -The houses on either side were loopholed and flat-roofed, each one -forming a separate fortress, from which the enemy could fire upon -our men with comparative safety. So severe was the enemy’s fire -that our troops were obliged to halt for a time, and to lie down -wherever they could find shelter. Owing to the narrowness of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[188]</span> -road, only two of Maude’s guns could be brought forward, and the -men who worked them, being without cover, were killed or wounded, -so that they had to be replaced by volunteers from the infantry. -General Neile, who commanded the first brigade in the absence of -Sir James Outram, ordered the Madras Fusiliers to advance and to -storm the enemy’s battery. The words had scarcely passed the -general’s lips when young Arnold, of the Fusiliers, who was ever -first when danger was to be faced, dashed across the bridge followed -by a few of his men. Two mounted staff-officers, Colonel Tytler -and Lieutenant Havelock, swept across the bridge with this little -band of heroes, who were assailed by a storm of grape from the -enemy’s battery. Arnold was shot through both legs; Colonel -Tytler’s horse was killed; few of the little band survived that fatal -fire. Lieutenant Havelock was the only one who appeared on the -bridge when the smoke cleared away; seated calmly on his horse, -the mark for a hundred bullets, he waved his sword in the air, and -encouraged the Fusiliers, by voice and gesture, to advance. Wherever -an officer leads the way the British soldier will not hesitate to -follow; officers and men dashed forward over the prostrate bodies -of their comrades amidst a storm of grape, seized the enemy’s guns, -and bayoneted all who dared to resist their onset. It would be -difficult to overestimate the value of Lieutenant Havelock’s gallant -conduct on this occasion. He seemed to bear a charmed life, and -his gallant stand on the Charbagh bridge, when all around him had -fallen or been put <i>hors de combat</i>, ought never to be forgotten. In -the days of chivalry such a deed would have won him his spurs; -no one will attempt to deny that it fully entitled him to the Victoria -Cross. Sir James Outram, who came up in time to witness -the rush of the Fusiliers and the capture of the enemy’s battery, -thus alludes to his conduct in a letter addressed to his father: -“Throughout the tremendous fire of guns and musketry which the -enemy directed across the Charbagh bridge, Lieutenant Havelock, -with the Madras Fusiliers, stormed the bridge, took the guns, and -cleared the streets sufficiently to allow of the troops in the rear -closing up. I cannot conceive a more daring act than thus forcing -the bridge; and the officers who led the Fusiliers on that occasion,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[189]</span> -in my opinion, most richly deserve promotion. But hazardous as -was their position, they being on foot, and, therefore, not readily -distinguished from their men, risked little comparatively with -Lieutenant Havelock, the only officer on horseback, who cheered -the men on at their head, and became the target of the enemy’s -musketry. I shall feel truly delighted to learn that you accept my -recommendation of this brave officer, and I shall deeply regret -having divested myself of the command during the advance on -Lucknow, if, from what I regard as a morbidly sensitive delicacy, -you withhold from Lieutenant Havelock, because he is your relative, -the reward to which, as a soldier, he has so unmistakably -established a first claim.”</p> - -<p>General Havelock, being ignorant of the result of his first recommendation, -cordially adopted the suggestion of “one whose proved -gallantry and devotion to the service peculiarly fitted him to -judge of these qualities in another,” and recommended Captain -Maude, R. A., and Lieutenant Havelock for the Victoria Cross. Intermediately, -before his despatch could reach England, the Cross had -been awarded to Lieutenant Havelock for his services at the battle -of Cawnpore, and no additional honour was conferred upon him. -In terms of the Royal Warrant of the 29th of January, 1856, those -who, after receiving the Cross, perform a second act of distinguished -bravery, may be rewarded with an additional clasp or bar, and Sir -James Outram was much disappointed that this reward was not -conferred upon Lieutenant Havelock. That he had fairly earned it -at the Charbagh bridge, cannot be denied even by those who dispute -his claims at the battle of Cawnpore; it is easy to conceive, -but unnecessary to specify, the reasons why it was withheld from -him. It is sometimes good for young soldiers “to learn to labour -and to wait:” the son would have lost nothing if this truth had -been present to the father’s mind after the action at Cawnpore.</p> - -<p>We come now to the particular incident which afforded Private -Henry Ward, 78th Highlanders, an opportunity of gaining that -Cross which was also to be worn by him whose life he saved. After -cheering on the Fusiliers to victory, Lieutenant Havelock received -orders to look to the safety of the convoy, as the baggage, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[190]</span> -wounded, and the followers defiled over the bridge. The heroic -bravery of the 78th, who performed the convoy, repelled every -attack of the enemy, and, after a sanguinary struggle of three -hours, the last waggon crossed the bridge. Lieutenant Havelock -had just given orders for the Highlanders to be withdrawn, when -he was shot by a musket-ball through the left elbow joint, and fell -down insensible. No time was to be lost; he was raised from the -ground, placed in a doolie, and carried forward with the other -wounded. In the chapter on Dr. Home and the Victoria Cross -we will tell how it fared with our wounded on that fearful night, -and the gallant Havelock would have been butchered with those -who fell into the hands of the enemy, if Henry Ward had not -stood by him as his guardian angel. When the convoy of litters -containing the wounded, guided by Mr. Thornhill, of the Civil -Service, who had mistaken the way, entered a large open square -they were enveloped in the enemy’s fire, and the escort, consulting -their own safety, rushed across, leaving the litters behind. -A little band of heroes still stood by the wounded, and braved -that murderous fire; among these was Henry Ward, who had -charge of Lieutenant Havelock’s doolie. When the native doolie -bearers threw down their burdens and fled, Henry Ward encouraged -his to remain, and to press forward through that fearful fire. One -of his comrades, Private Pilkington, who belonged to the escort, was -wounded, and knowing the fate that awaited him if left behind, -threw himself into the doolie where Havelock lay. The bearers -were about to drop their double load and to make their escape, -when Ward, who was too generous to leave a comrade behind, -compelled them to press on, and never left the doolie till it reached -the Residency. The wounded in the other doolies were murdered -by the enemy to the number of thirty or forty, and Lieutenant -Havelock’s escape is almost miraculous. He owes his life to Henry -Ward, who for this act of intrepid gallantry was rewarded with -the Victoria Cross.</p> - -<p>Lieutenant Havelock succeeded his father in the baronetcy, and -the pension of 1000<i>l.</i> per annum which had been awarded to him -by Government. Before he left India, in 1859, he had attained the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[191]</span> -brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel, and obtained his company in the -18th Royal Irish. We have already mentioned that the Victoria -Cross was conferred upon him in March, 1858, and on his return to -England it was affixed to his breast by the hands of our gracious -Sovereign, and the memory of the father was thus honoured in the -person of the son. Amid the honours and acclamations which -awaited his return, he did not forget the gallant Highlander who -saved his life. Henry Ward accompanied him to Aldershot, where -he was employed on the staff as his servant, but occupied rather the -place of a humble friend. Master and servant were both decorated -with the Victoria Cross, and bound together by closer ties than that -relation usually implies. Ward was proud of his master, and, we -need scarcely add, that his master was proud of Ward. A feeling -of justice compels us to mention that Henry Ward, though he has -served his time in a Highland regiment, is not a Highlander by -birth; he is a native of Norfolk, but, like many other Englishmen -who have assumed the tartan, he has the <i>esprit de corps</i> quite as -strong as if he were a genuine son of the Gael.</p> - -<p>When, in 1863, the 2nd battalion of the 18th Royal Irish were -ordered to New Zealand, to aid in repressing the Maori rebellion, -Lieutenant-Colonel Sir H. M. Havelock proved his devotion to his -country by at once resigning his staff appointment, and hastening to -rejoin his regiment. If the rules of the service had permitted it, -Henry Ward would have accompanied him, and shared in the -dangers of Maori warfare; as it was he had to return to his regiment, -the gallant 78th. The military career of Lieutenant-Colonel -Havelock in New Zealand has been as distinguished as in India. -Soon after his arrival he was appointed to the staff in the Quarter -Master General’s department, and continued to hold that appointment -till he left for England, in the beginning of 1865. In February, -1864, he exhibited great gallantry during a skirmish with the -enemy at Mangapiko, in the Waikato; the rebels had attacked a -party of our men, who were imprudently bathing in the river, and -would have cut them off, if Lieutenant-Colonel Havelock had not -hastily collected a small band of imperial and colonial forces, and -hurried to their assistance. After a smart engagement the rebels<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[192]</span> -were dispersed, and the colonial officer, who co-operated with -Lieutenant-Colonel Havelock, was recommended for the Victoria -Cross, though he occupied a subordinate place, and acted a less -distinguished part. His leader had already obtained this honour, -but we mention this circumstance to show that he has earned it -again and again. At the capture of the pa, at Orakau, on the -1st of April, 1864, he exposed his life with a boldness almost -bordering on recklessness, and contributed much to the success of -the day by the promptitude with which he brought up the mortars -from Awamutu, when every other expedient had failed. A gallant -soldier, a good Christian, he is worthy of the name he bears and -of the honours he has received, while his conduct to Henry Ward -proves that he can appreciate bravery in others, and that he is not -ungrateful to the man who saved his life.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer9.jpg" width="400" height="275" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[193]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">LIEUTENANT ANDREW CATHCART BOGLE, V.C., 78TH HIGHLANDERS -(NOW CAPTAIN 10TH FOOT).</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-a.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">All our readers are more or less familiar with the -distinguished part which the 78th Highlanders acted in -the suppression of the Indian Mutiny. In our last -chapter we showed how Henry Ward, a gallant private of this -regiment, won the Victoria Cross by saving the life of the present -Sir H. M. Havelock, then a lieutenant in the 10th Regiment, when -he was severely wounded at the relief of Lucknow. The high -opinion which the elder Havelock had formed of the Highlanders, -when they were serving under him on the Euphrates during the -Persian war, led him to rejoice when he found that they formed -part of the moveable column with which he was to advance for -the relief of Cawnpore. He thus alludes to them in one of his confidential -reports:—“There is a fine spirit in the ranks of this -regiment. I am given to understand that it behaved remarkably -well at the affair of Rhooshab, near Bushire, which took place -before I reached the army; and during the naval action on the -Euphrates, and its landing here (in Persia); its steadiness, zeal, -and activity under my own observation were conspicuous. The -men have been subjected in this service to a good deal of exposure, -to extremes of climate, and have had heavy work to execute with -their entrenching tools, in constructing redoubts and making roads. -They have been, while I had the opportunity of watching them, -most cheerful, and have never seemed to regret or complain of -anything but that they had no farther chance of meeting the enemy.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[194]</span> -I am convinced the regiment would be second to none in the -service if its high military qualities were drawn forth. It is proud -of its colours, its tartan, and its former achievements.”</p> - -<p>The battle of Cawnpore, fought on the 16th of July, 1857, justified -the opinion thus expressed, and proved that the wearers of the -tartan were worthy of their predecessors who conquered at Maida -and Assaye. Our victory was complete; but it failed to save the -lives of the helpless women and children who had fallen into the -hands of that bloodthirsty monster Nana Sahib, whose name will -ever live in the annals of the Indian mutiny as the impersonation -of all that is perfidious and cruel. He was the adopted son of -Bajee Row, the Peishwa, or head of the ancient Mahratta confederacy, -and proved himself worthy of such a father. Bajee Row, -in 1818, endeavoured in the most treacherous manner to destroy -Mr. Mountstuart Elphinstone, the British resident at his court; -but, having failed in this attempt, he was driven from Poona, his -capital, and, after being chased through the country for several -months, was defeated at the battle of Kirkee. His power was -thoroughly crushed, so that he might have been forced to surrender -at discretion; but he was admitted to terms, and endowed with an -annuity of 90,000<i>l.</i>, which he lived to enjoy for thirty-two years. -After his death his immense wealth was inherited by his adopted -son, who had established himself at Bithoor, about sixteen miles -from Cawnpore, and lived on terms of intimacy with the officers of -the garrison, who never suspected his loyalty or good faith. For -years he had contrived to dissemble the bitter spirit of hostility to -the English which was rankling at his heart, and which sprang from -no other cause than the withdrawal of the pension enjoyed by his -father. When the native troops at Cawnpore began to exhibit -symptoms of disaffection, he volunteered to aid Sir H. Wheeler in -protecting the treasury from their rapacity, and his offer was -accepted. It was only when the Sepoys broke into open mutiny that -he threw off the mask, placed himself at their head, and ruthlessly -butchered all the European and native Christians who had not been -able to escape to the entrenchment. With his thirst for blood -whetted rather than allayed by this carnage, he now closed round<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[195]</span> -the entrenchment, the last refuge of the Europeans, and directed all -his efforts to compel the gallant little garrison to surrender. Their -heroic defence, protracted from day to day and from week to week, -in the vain hope of relief, amid exposure, privation, and the incessant -fire of the enemy’s artillery, is one of the most touching -episodes in the history of British India, and cannot be read without -a feeling of deep emotion. The men would rather have died sword -in hand than negotiate with the murderer of the fugitives from -Futtyghur; but their hearts were melted by the sufferings of the -helpless women and children crouching in holes dug out beneath -the walls of the entrenchment; and for their sakes, on the very -day when Havelock assumed command of the column intended for -their relief, they began to think of capitulating.</p> - -<p>The cannonade had continued for more than three weeks, and of -the 870 persons who survived, 330 were women and children. -While they were still hesitating, a message was brought from Nana -Sahib, offering the garrison a safe conduct to Allahabad, with -permission to take their arms, baggage, and ammunition with them, -on condition that they surrendered at once. Sir H. Wheeler, -anxious if possible to save the women and children from that -death which was already staring them in the face, reluctantly -agreed to accept this offer: he seems to have done so contrary to -his better reason, and almost with a presentiment of the calamity -that was about to overtake them. But it seemed their only chance -of safety, and a fearful responsibility would devolve upon him if -he neglected or rejected it. The Nana took an oath on the waters -of the Ganges, which to a Hindoo and a Brahmin is the most -sacred and binding of all oaths, that he would carry out the terms -of capitulation to the very letter; and it was scarcely conceivable -that he could prove faithless to his engagement, and perjure himself. -They knew nothing of his deep-rooted hatred of the English -race, his long-cherished scheme of revenge, his burning thirst for -human blood; they remembered only his pleasant parties at -Bithoor, and imagined that from such a man they had nothing to -dread. At first all seemed to be well: when they left the entrenchment, -they found boats prepared to convey them to Allahabad,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[196]</span> -and the women and children were greeted with expressions of sympathy -and solicitude, which were as sincere as the caresses the -tiger bestows on its victims. No sooner were the whole party -seated in the boats than three signal guns were fired, and a -destructive fire was opened on the helpless fugitives from guns -concealed along the bank, and the pieces with which the rebels -were armed. The shrieks of despairing mothers, clasping their -infant offspring to their breasts, and striving to shield them from -the murderous fire, were heard amid the booming of the guns, the -rattle of musketry, and the maddening yells of the inhuman fiends -to whom the work of destruction was entrusted. It was a pre-concerted -massacre: bands of native infantry and cavalry had been -stationed on either bank of the river to cut off the retreat of those -who tried to escape from the boats by swimming; only one or two -contrived to elude their vigilance, and to reach a place of safety. -Two hundred women and children were taken back to the town: -with solemn hands and beating heart we draw the veil of silence -over their fate. The well at Cawnpore can never be forgotten, and -the feeling of confidence which we once reposed in the natives of -India may not be restored for centuries.</p> - -<p>After his victory of the 16th of July, Havelock allowed his -exhausted troops to rest for the night on the field of battle, and -entered the town the following morning. No language can describe -the scenes of horror which greeted them on every side when they -reached the entrenchment, and learned the hideous revelations of -the slaughter-house and the well. It was enough to melt a heart -of adamant; and we know that men, usually callous and indifferent -to human suffering, cannot allude to what they witnessed on that day -without a startled expression, as if the scene were still before them. -Some will tell you, that for nights after they woke up in an agony -of terror, so powerful was the impression left on their minds by that -fearful spectacle. The floor of the slaughter-house was covered with -blood; the lower part of the walls was marked with sword-cuts aimed -at the helpless creatures crouching together on the ground; tresses -of long hair were still adhering to the walls and pillars; articles of -female attire were scattered about saturated with the blood of those<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[197]</span> -who once had worn them; leaves of the Bible, of the Prayer Book, -and of a work entitled “Preparation for Death,” were picked up on -every side by the horror-struck soldiers. One man picked up a -piece of paper with the words “Ned’s hair, with love,” written on -it; on opening it he found a lock of boy’s hair; his mother had -not parted with it till she parted with life. On the walls, written -in pencil, or scratched in the plaster, were such inscriptions as -these:—“Think of us;” “Avenge us;” “Your wives and families -are here in misery, and at the disposal of savages;” “Oh, oh! my -child, my child!” The last words are the most touching of all; -there was no thirst for vengeance, no solicitude for self, in that -mother’s breast; her only thought was of her child, and its impending -fate. Well might one of the officers exclaim—“Oh! how -thankful I am that I have no wife, no sisters out here!” One -sickens and shudders at the very thought of such scenes: what -effect must they have produced on those who actually witnessed -them, who saw the blood-stained floor, and the limbs of murdered -babes and women protruding from the well into which they had -been thrown? The deepest emotions are those which can find no -expression: few words were spoken; but as the Highlanders looked -into one another’s faces, a strange expression came over them: the -rugged brows were knit, the quivering lips were sternly compressed, -and the fierce glare of the eye told of the conflicting passions -within. There was unspeakable pity for those tender babes and -women so cruelly murdered; but stronger and more overwhelming -was the thirst for vengeance which found expression on many a -battle-field, in the shout “Remember Cawnpore!” and in the deadly -bayonet thrust. The deepest emotion was excited by the discovery -of the body of Sir Hugh Wheeler’s daughter, for it was -already whispered among the soldiers that this heroic woman had -displayed the spirit of a Judith in avenging her insulted honour. -The exact circumstances attendant on her death will never be -known; but it is certain that by her example she taught her -countrywomen to prefer death to dishonour. In one version of -the story, she shot five Sepoys in succession with a revolver, and -then threw herself into a well to escape from the others; in another<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[198]</span> -version, she is said to have cut off the heads of no less than -five men with a sword; while Mr. Shepherd, one of the survivors -of the massacre, relates that, having been forced by a trooper of -the 2nd Native Cavalry to accompany him to his hut, she rose in -the night, seized his sword, killed him and three other men, and -then threw herself into a well. It is certain that she behaved like -a high-souled English gentlewoman, and there was something in -the story of her fate that touched the heart of every soldier that -entered Cawnpore. It has been related, that the Highlanders with -reverent and loving hands committed her body to the dust; but, -before doing so, removed the hair from her head, sent part of it -to her relations, and divided the rest among themselves; counted -every hair, and swore a solemn oath, that for every one a mutineer -should die. We can understand the feeling which might have -dictated such an oath; but the expression of it in the manner -related, is too sensational and melodramatic for the stern, rugged -nature of the Highlanders; it had no foundation in truth, and, like -the story of Jessie Brown at Lucknow, was evidently got up for -stage effect.</p> - -<p>But we must hurry on from these maddening scenes to the battle -of Oude, where Captain Boyle, then a lieutenant in the 78th -Highlanders, gained the Victoria Cross. The victory of Cawnpore -failed to produce that feeling of elation among our soldiers which -usually accompanies such an event. The following day a deep -silence reigned throughout the encampment, broken at intervals by -the melancholy wail of some Highland dirge as the dead were conveyed -to their last home; for cholera had begun to decimate our -little army, and proved a more formidable foe than the mutineers in -arms against us.</p> - -<p>As the Nana had still a considerable army under his command, -it was considered probable that an attempt would be made to regain -Cawnpore, and General Havelock marched his troops on the -morning of the 18th of July to a position west of the town, where -he was safe from attack, and could intercept the enemy if they tried -to advance from Bithoor. By selecting volunteers from the infantry -he was enabled to increase his irregular horse from nineteen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[199]</span> -to sixty, and this small troop rendered important services during -the remaining part of the campaign. Dreading that his men might -give way to intemperance, he caused the commissariat to buy up -all the intoxicating liquors that were to be found in the town, and -to give out only such quantities as might be taken with safety. -On the morning of the 19th, he learned from the spies who had -been sent out to watch the movements of the enemy, that their -army was broken up; the Sepoys, seized with a sudden panic, had -deserted their ranks, and sought for safety on the other side of -the river; the Nana himself had fled from the field on a swift -elephant, accompanied by a few of his followers, and never halted -in his flight till he reached the kingdom of Oude. On receiving -this intelligence, General Havelock despatched a party of his men -to take possession of Bithoor; no resistance was offered by the -enemy, and the greater part of the plunder which had been carried -off from Cawnpore was recovered. That town was not left defenceless; -a field-work was constructed, and a small garrison of 300 -men was left to occupy it. Having completed his arrangements, -he prepared, on the morning of the 21st of July, to advance to the -relief of Lucknow. The passage of the Ganges was a most difficult -undertaking; the river, swollen by the heavy rains, was more than -1600 yards wide; the bridge of boats had been destroyed by the -rebels; the boatmen had disappeared, and it would have been -dangerous to entrust the transit of the men to inexperienced hands. -After some delay and difficulty, a number of the old boatmen were -tempted to return by the promise of pardon for their past misconduct, -and additional pay; and in four days the whole of our troops found -themselves on the Oude bank of the Ganges, where the general, -who had superintended the embarkation in person, joined them. -The gallant Neil was left to hold Cawnpore during his absence, and -displayed an energy which inspired the minds of the disaffected -with terror; he had only three hundred men under his command, -but with this little force he restored the <i>prestige</i> of our army -throughout the surrounding districts by capturing many rebels, and -recovering public property, and by organizing a body of irregular -cavalry, which kept the road open between Cawnpore and Allahabad.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[200]</span> -In addition to this, he had charge of all the sick and -wounded who had been left behind; but this heroic man, whose -career was soon to be cut short at Lucknow, was indefatigable in -the discharge of his numerous duties. It is the characteristic of -such men as Havelock, that they can impart to others something of -that dauntless courage and unflagging energy by which they themselves -are animated.</p> - -<p>On the 28th of July, Havelock’s army reached Mungulwar, a -village situated six miles from the Ganges, on a ridge elevated -about two hundred feet above the surrounding country, where they -might have held their ground against all the rebels in Oude. But -their only desire was to push on to Lucknow; they might still be -in time to rescue the beleaguered garrison from the rebels, who were -hemming them in on every side. This desire was strengthened by -the arrival of a messenger, who contrived to elude the vigilance -of the rebel army at Lucknow, and reached our camp in safety, -bringing with him a plan of the town, and a valuable report from -Brigadier Inglis, written partly in Greek characters as a measure of -precaution. Havelock saw all the danger of the undertaking. “If -the worst come to the worst,” he said to his son, “we can only die -sword in hand.” Death to him had no terrors: the only question -was whether he could fight his way to the Residency with 1500 -men, and ten badly-equipped guns. The enemy were closing in -upon him in front and rear; he must cross the bridge across the -Sye at Bunnee, which the rebels had entrenched and covered with -their guns; he must be prepared to repel the 3000 men which the -Nana had collected to intercept his retreat. With their minds fresh -from the horrors of Cawnpore, there was only one desire among our -men—to go on, to conquer or to die. Havelock expressed the -feeling of all, when writing to the Government, on the 28th July, -he said, “The communications convince me of the extreme delicacy -and difficulty of any operation to relieve Inglis; it shall be -attempted, however, at every risk.” There spoke the spirit of a -true soldier, of one in whose mind every other consideration was -subordinate to a sense of duty.</p> - -<p>The little army started at daybreak on the morning of the 29th<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[201]</span> -of July, and, after advancing about three miles, reached the town -of Oude, which was occupied by the enemy. Their position is -thus described by the general, in the despatch which he wrote after -the battle:—“The enemy’s right was protected by a swamp, which -could neither be forced nor turned; his advance was drawn up in a -garden enclosure, which, in this warlike district, had, purposely or -accidentally, assumed the form of a bastion. The rest of his -(advance) force was posted in and behind a village, the houses of -which were loopholed. The passage between the village and the -town of Oude is narrow. The town itself extended three quarters -of a mile to our right. The flooded state of the country precluded -the possibility of turning in this direction. The swamp shut us in -on the left. Thus an attack in front became unavoidable.”</p> - -<p>The general perceived that the enemy enjoyed every advantage -of position, but he lost no time in commencing the attack. The passage -between the village and the town of Oude was very narrow, -but it was along this passage that our troops had to advance, as -they were hemmed in by the swamp on one flank, and on the other -by the floods which had swept over the adjoining country. There -were two regiments in whose courage and steadiness under fire the -general had the fullest confidence; to them was assigned the post of -honour. On the 29th of July, about six o’clock in the morning, -the 78th Highlanders and the 1st Madras Fusiliers advanced along -the passage, supported by two guns, and met with a determined -resistance. The bastioned enclosure was carried at the point of -the bayonet, and the enemy fell back on the village, where they -opened a destructive fire upon our men from the loopholed houses. -On this the general ordered the 64th and 84th Regiments to attack -a gateway on the left, and the 78th Highlanders to force an entrance -by a narrow passage on the right. Private Patrick Cavanagh, of -the 64th Regiment, was the first to clear the wall behind which the -enemy were sheltered; he stood there alone, confronted by at least -a dozen of troopers, but the intrepid Irishman never dreamed of -turning his back on the foe. He stood there immovable as a -rock, till he was literally cut to pieces before his comrades could -come to his aid; by his side lay three of the enemy, whom he had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[202]</span> -killed with his own hand. Havelock was ever ready to distinguish -merit wherever it appeared, and after the battle he thus alluded to -this incident: “There were men among you whom I must laud to -the skies. Private Patrick Cavanagh, of the 64th, died gloriously, -hacked to pieces by the enemy, when setting a brilliant example to -his comrades. Had he survived, he should have worn the Victoria -Cross, which never could have glittered on a braver breast. But -his name will be remembered as long as Ireland produces and -loves gallant soldiers.”</p> - -<p>Another gallant soldier, who equally distinguished himself on -this occasion, met with a better fate. When the 78th Highlanders -advanced along the narrow passage to the right, they found the end -of it barricaded by a wall breast high, with the houses loopholed -on either side. The enemy were thus enabled to bring a cross fire -to bear upon our men as they approached the wall, and it was -necessary to dislodge them. This task was assigned to the Light -Company of the 78th Highlanders, who swarmed around the gateway, -and strove in vain to effect an entrance. Crowded together -in a narrow space, the men were exposed to the enemy’s cross fire -without being able to retaliate, and several of them were struck -down. They tried the wall on every side, like bees rushing against -a hive the door of which has been closed, but it resisted all their -efforts. A gun was sent for to enlarge the opening and break -down the barricade, but the gunners, being exposed to the enemy’s -fire, were soon either killed or wounded. Little impression can be -made on a mud wall by artillery, and the enemy, emboldened by their -temporary success, began to believe their position to be impregnable. -But the sequel proved that it was not so. Andrew Cathcart -Bogle, a young lieutenant of the 78th, saw before him an opportunity -of distinction, by which he did not fail to profit; he knew -that by forcing that gateway he was holding his life in his hand, -but he was prepared for such a sacrifice if his country required it. -Collecting a few men of his own regiment, whom he knew and -could trust, he gave the word of command, and charged in at -their head through the narrow opening in the gateway. A -shower of bullets descended on the devoted little band, but on they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[203]</span> -went, driving the enemy before them and clearing the way for their -comrades, who could not refuse to follow such an example. The -gallant leader of this forlorn hope was struck down with the cheer -of victory on his lips, but strong arms raised him gently from -the ground, and bore him to a place of safety. He was severely -wounded, but he thought little of his wounds when, on the following -day, he received a visit from the general, who esteemed it -his duty to thank him personally for the daring courage he had -displayed, and the noble example he had set before his men. Nor -did Havelock’s appreciation of his conduct end here; he was -resolved that his courage should meet with a more signal and -permanent form of reward than any language, however complimentary, -could convey, and drew up a special report of his gallantry, -which was forwarded to His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief. -In consequence of this report, the young lieutenant, who -soon recovered from his wounds, and has done good service to his -country elsewhere, was decorated with the Victoria Cross, which -he still continues to wear on his manly breast. Over the gateway -at Oude might well have been inscribed the words which Dante -read over another gateway, and has bequeathed to us in his -“Inferno”—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’ entrate”—</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">but true courage rises superior to every difficulty, and the gleaming -sword can arrest hope in her flight.</p> - -<p>The greatest results often bring on the smallest events, and it is -the work of the historian to trace the connexion between effects -and their causes. The charge through the gateway at Oude was not -an isolated act of bravery, important only to the immediate actors; -it was one of those daring deeds which tell upon armies, and -inspire them with confidence in their own courage. The smallest -reverse may lead to a panic, and strip a regiment or an army of -that <i>prestige</i> which it has already acquired; while one daring deed -thrills with electric force through officers and men, and produces -the conviction that they are invincible. Such a conviction was a -needful element of power in such an army as Havelock’s, where -every man had to confront ten of the enemy, and to fight as if the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[204]</span> -rescue of Lucknow depended on his single arm. Regarded in this -light, the entrance through the gateway at Oude may be regarded -as one of the most important events in the Indian campaign, and -the young Highlander who led the forlorn hope on that occasion -was well entitled to the Cross of Valour, and deserves to live in -the annals of the Indian campaign. He now belongs to a different -regiment, but his heart still warms at the sight of the tartan, and -he is not likely ever to forget how his trusty Highlanders stood by -him on that day.</p> - -<p>The rebels fought on this occasion with a courage worthy of a -better cause; when the village was set on fire, they continued to -occupy the loopholed houses, and offered the most determined -resistance. But nothing could withstand the ardour of our troops; -they forced their way through the village, drove the enemy before -them, and captured their guns. At length our little army was -enabled to debouch between the village and the town of Oude, -where they saw the rebels drawn up in great strength in an open -plain—infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Havelock perceived at once -that their object was to obtain possession of the town, and thus -arrest him on his first day’s march. Without a moment’s hesitation -he pushed forward his troops, already elated with success, -till they reached a patch of dry ground, about half-a-mile in extent, -surrounded on every side by swamps. Having thus obtained a -position between Oude and Lucknow, he drew up his force in line, -with four guns in the centre and two on each wing, all bearing on -the high road in front, along which the enemy were rapidly advancing. -The latter were vastly superior in numbers, but Havelock, -unencumbered with native troops, could count on the fidelity -and courage of his men, and calmly awaited the approach of the -rebels, till they halted in front of our line, and commenced the -action. Our artillery then opened fire upon them, and tore through -their dense columns massed together on the narrow highway; every -discharge left an open passage in their ranks, and told how well our -gunners had done their work. In vain they attempted to deploy -their force and escape our murderous fire; their guns were engulphed -in the swamp; the bullets from our Enfield rifles emptied -the saddles of their cavalry; all discipline was at an end; the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[205]</span> -enemy fled before us in confusion. Then arose the cry, “Remember -Cawnpore!” and hundreds of our soldiers, thirsting for -vengeance, leaped into the swamp, wading up to the knee and -sometimes to the waist, in pursuit of the fugitives, who met with -all the mercy they deserved. As the high road was crowded with -them, two guns were rapidly moved forward, and their heavy fire -prevented them from rallying, and completed their discomfiture. -The enemy’s artillerymen fought with desperate courage; when -their companions in guilt thought only of consulting their safety by -flight, they stood by their guns to the last, and scorned to retreat. -If all the rebels had fought with the same spirit the result might -have been different; as it was, our victory was complete; fifteen -guns fell into our hands; the high road was covered with heaps of -dead and wounded; and the enemy’s loss would have been still -greater, if we had had cavalry to follow up the pursuit.</p> - -<p>Thus ended the action at Oude, with a loss of 300 men to the -enemy. Havelock, acting on the principle of the ancient Roman, -who thought that nothing was done so long as anything remained to -be done, took immediate steps for following up his success; after -a halt of three hours for refreshment, the bugle sounded, the men -fell into their ranks, and marched forward to Busherutgunge. This -was a walled town, intersected by the Lucknow road, with wet -ditches and a gate defended by a round tower, four pieces of cannon, -and loopholed buildings within the walls; on the other side was a -deep broad pond, or sheet of water, crossed by a causeway. It was -a position of such strength, that a few brave men might have -defended it for days against a whole army; but the rebels, discouraged -by their recent reverses, were unable to withstand the -impetuosity of our attack. To the Highlanders and Fusiliers, in -whom he could always trust, Havelock gave orders to advance, -under cover of the guns, to capture the earthworks and enter the -town, while the 64th Regiment made a flank movement to the left, -so as to cut off all communication with the town by the chaussée -which crossed the lake. The attacking party, being exposed to a -heavy fire, were ordered to lie down for a little, till our artillery had -weakened the enemy’s defences, and caused their fire to slacken; -then, on receiving the order to advance, they sprung to their feet,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[206]</span> -rushed to the trench, cleared it at a bound, and passed through the -gate with that wild cheer at which the enemy had already learned -to tremble. At the same time the 64th appeared in their rear, and -the discomfiture of the enemy was complete; abandoning their -guns, they fled in confusion through the town and over the causeway, -pursued by the victors. If the 64th had executed the orders -they received, and taken possession of the causeway, the whole -body of the rebels, intercepted in their flight, might have been put -to the sword or taken prisoners; but that regiment for some -unknown reason lagged behind, and failed to reach their destination -in sufficient time to cut off the enemy’s retreat. In vain the -general despatched his aide-de-camp, and urged them to advance; it -was too late; the golden moment was past, and night closed in on -our weary soldiers, who had been on the move from sunrise to -sunset. The general rode on some distance, and then returned by -the causeway, which was crowded by the Highlanders and Fusiliers -leaning on their arms. All were glad to see the brave old man -who had twice led them to victory in one day, and from the ranks -rose the enthusiastic cry, “Clear the way for the general!” “My -lads,” he replied, with that ready wit which wins the hearts of -soldiers, “you have done <i>that</i> to-day already.” Such praise was -neither unmerited nor unappreciated by those on whom it was -bestowed. “God bless the general!” burst from a hundred lips; -they were but a handful of men, but under such a leader they were -prepared to withstand a host, and already counted on victory.</p> - -<p>Thus, on the 29th of July, 1857, Andrew Cathcart Bogle won -the Victoria Cross, and General Havelock two battles. Our loss -amounted to twelve killed and seventy-six wounded, while the -enemy are supposed to have lost half as many men as our whole -army. The value of such actions is not to be calculated by their -immediate results so much as by the moral influence they exercise; -they did not enable Havelock to advance at once to the relief of -Lucknow, but they inspired the men with confidence in their -general themselves, and produced the conviction that they would -yet subdue the flames of rebellion which were burning so fiercely -around them.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[207]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header7.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">DR. J. JEE, C.B., V.C., SURGEON; ASSISTANT-SURGEON V. M. M’MASTER, V.C.; -AND LIEUTENANT AND ADJUTANT HERBERT T. MACPHERSON, V.C.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-n.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">No less than six Victoria Crosses were awarded to the -78th Highlanders, for distinguished conduct in the field -during their heroic march to relieve the beleaguered -garrison at Lucknow. We have already shown how this honourable -distinction was attained by Private Henry Ward, and Lieutenant -Bogle: it now remains for us briefly to relate the circumstances -under which four other officers of the same regiment—one -of whom does not occupy a place in Mr. Desange’s Gallery—earned -for themselves the Cross of Valour.</p> - -<p>On the 29th of July, 1857, General Havelock fought two battles -and gained two victories. The mutinous Sepoys, who had taken -up a strong position in the town of Oude, which is intersected by -the great road from Cawnpore to Lucknow, endeavoured to intercept -the army of rescue in their advance, but were driven from -their position with considerable loss. They then fell back upon -Busherutgunge, another fortified town, but Havelock gave them -little time to rest; in a few hours he was upon them: the 78th Highlanders -and the Madras Fusiliers rushed forward with their usual -impetuosity, and carried everything before them. The loss of the -enemy in these two battles amounted to more than a thousand -men; it would have been still greater if Havelock had been provided -with cavalry to follow up his victory. The road to Lucknow -was now open to him. Many a prayer was offered up for his -speedy arrival by the half-famished garrison, whose only hope of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[208]</span> -deliverance was in him. But was he in a position to advance? -Cholera, that insidious foe which almost invariably follows in the -track of an army in the field in India, had struck down one-fourth -of his gallant band; men who had charged with irresistible fury -in the morning, found themselves at night writhing with agony in -the deadly grasp of their invisible enemy. In the two battles he -had lost nearly a hundred men in killed and wounded; the number -was small, but a few more such victories would leave him -without an army. He had yet to advance thirty-six miles through -a country occupied by the enemy, before he could reach Lucknow, -and he had not more than twelve hundred men able to march. -This number might be diminished by one-fourth, as he would require -a convoy of three hundred men to escort the sick and wounded. -It was a severe struggle, but the conclusion was irresistible: the -garrison at Lucknow could not be rescued from the fifty thousand -rebels that environed them on every side by Havelock’s -available force, which fell short of the full complement of a single -regiment.</p> - -<p>There was no help for it; he must retrace his steps to Cawnpore, -and wait there for reinforcements. He was not the man to hesitate -in the path of duty; the order was given to fall back on Oude, -where his army spent the night. The Highlanders and Fusiliers, -flushed with their recent successes, and confident in their own -courage, listened to this order with dismay. The road to Lucknow -was before them, and why should the general refuse them permission -to advance? Did he distrust their courage? They had stood -by him in seven battles, and won him as many victories. In such -moments of enthusiasm, men’s feelings are strung to the highest -pitch; rough-bearded soldiers were seen to wipe the tears from -their eyes when, for the first time, they turned their backs upon -the enemy. No doubt Havelock felt it as much as any soldier -under his command; but he was a man who never allowed feeling -to interfere with duty, and when he had once made up his mind -nothing could swerve him from his purpose.</p> - -<p>The beginning of the month of August was gloomy in the extreme; -the garrison at Lucknow, with the massacre of Cawnpore<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[209]</span> -fresh in their memories to remind them of the fate that awaited -them if they fell into the hands of the bloodthirsty wretches who -hemmed them in on every side, fought as the Greeks fought at -Thermopylæ, and chose rather to bury themselves beneath the -ruins than surrender. It may be that Havelock suffered more than -they did: his heart bled for them; he was prepared to make any -sacrifice to save them; but their safety depended on his having a -sufficient army to effect their rescue. Neile behaved like a gallant -soldier: every man who could be spared from Cawnpore was sent -to his aid, and every man who came was welcomed as a treasure. -Gradually the little army swelled in numbers till it reached an -efficient strength of 1400 men, which it never exceeded; but there -were no cowardly, treacherous natives in the ranks, and the general -and his soldiers had the fullest confidence in one another.</p> - -<p>Again the faces of the men were turned towards Lucknow, and -their former enthusiasm revived. On the 4th of August the army -was on the march, and the small body of volunteer cavalry was -sent forward to reconnoitre. They dashed through Oude without -interruption; but on reaching the scene of Havelock’s second victory, -they found the enemy had taken possession of a series of -hamlets between the town and the lake, with the evident intention -of blocking up our line of communication. On the same evening -they galloped back to Oude, and informed Havelock that the rebels -were waiting his approach. After a night’s bivouac, the army -resumed their march, and soon joined issue with the enemy on the -scene of their former victory. The result was not long doubtful: -shelled from the town by our guns, the rebels were chased through -the hamlets by the Highlanders and Fusiliers, and pursued to an -open plain beyond. The day was ours, but the victory led to -nothing; the enemy again awaited our advance, and Havelock was -obliged to retire to his former quarters.</p> - -<p>The letters which the gallant old man wrote at this juncture to -his family and friends, prove that this was one of the most trying -periods of his life. His conduct was liable to misconstruction -even among his own men; but he was sustained by a sense of duty, -and the inward consciousness of right. If he had ever entertained<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[210]</span> -any doubts about the necessity of falling back upon Cawnpore, they -were removed by the position of things in that town. On his arrival, -Nana Sahib, the butcher of Bithoor, had collected a body of troops, -and was threatening our army on every side; his cavalry swept -through the suburbs, and even attempted to force their way through -the town. Our communications with Allahabad were threatened, -and an immediate blow must be struck. While Havelock was preparing -to recross the Ganges, on the morning of the 11th of August, -a succession of spies brought him information that four thousand -rebels had advanced from Nawabgunge to Busherut, the scene of his -former victory, with the evident intention of hanging on his rear, -and attacking his column during the passage. To have crossed the -river under such circumstances would have been fraught with -difficulty, if not with danger, and the rebels would have boasted -that they had driven the British forces from the province of Oude -by their superior valour. Havelock, knowing that an apparent -success on the part of the enemy would destroy the prestige of his -former victories, and spread the flame of rebellion through the -province, turned round like a lion at bay, and advanced for the -third time to encounter the rebel army. On the afternoon of -the 11th, his column was in motion, and his advanced guard drove -the enemy from the town of Oude. On reaching Busherut, he -found their army spread out to a great distance to the right and -left, and strongly entrenched in the centre. Their numbers have -been estimated at 20,000 men, and their position had been chosen -with great skill: their right rested on a village on the main road, -where they had established a battery among the gardens; their left, -on a rising ground, protected by three guns. Their line is said to -have extended five miles, and Havelock saw the necessity of postponing -his attack till the following day. His wearied troops -returned to Oude, where they bivouacked on the wet ground, and -spent the night without shelter amid a deluge of rain. But nothing -could daunt their ardour. They rose on the morning of the -12th ready to follow their leader to victory. Our right wing, -which consisted of the 78th Highlanders, the Fusiliers, the Sikhs, -and part of the Volunteer Cavalry, began the attack, and steadily<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[211]</span> -advanced, till their progress was arrested by a swamp, which in the -distance presented the appearance of dry land. As soon as they -were within range, the enemy unmasked their battery, which -poured forth a deadly shower of round shot, shell, canister, grape, -and shrapnel; but, fortunately, their guns were pointed too high, -and our men were withdrawn without suffering much loss. The -Highlanders moved on to the main road, while the Fusiliers, supported -by four guns, diverged to the right. It was no time for -manœuvring; an effort must at once be made to silence the enemy’s -fire—the most severe we had yet encountered. A flanking fire was -opened on the enemy’s line, which threw them into confusion, and -at the same moment the Highlanders, now reduced to about a -hundred, steadily advanced till they were within a short distance -of the enemy’s guns, when they dashed forward with a shout, -rushed upon the principal redoubt, and carried it at the point of -the bayonet, without firing a shot. The honour of being the first -to enter the redoubt was equally divided between two of their -officers; and when the officers lead the way, the men will never -refuse to follow. The enemy’s infantry broke and fled, and the -Highlanders, seizing two of their guns, turned them against them, -and drove them through the hamlets to an open plain beyond. -Our loss amounted to thirty-two men, while the rebels lost upwards -of three hundred; and the general having attained the -object he had in view, slowly retraced his steps to Cawnpore, with -the two guns he had captured. On reaching that town, the gallantry -of the Highlanders in carrying the enemy’s redoubt was recognised -in the order of the day; and the general promised to recommend -for the Victoria Cross the officer, non-commissioned officer, or -soldier who had been the first to enter this work. The Highlanders -had charged with such impetuosity, that Colonel Hamilton, -their commanding officer, had some difficulty in ascertaining to -whom the honour belonged: in such cases, it is best to leave -the matter to the decision of the men themselves, and this was -done in the present instance. It appeared that two young officers, -Lieutenant Campbell and Lieutenant Crowe, cleared the wall of -the redoubt at the same moment; the honour was equally divided<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[212]</span> -between them, and both would doubtless have been decorated -with the Cross of Valour if they had survived the campaign: -but poor Campbell was cut off by cholera the following day, and -the distinction was awarded to Lieutenant Crowe, who still continues -to enjoy it. This was the second Victoria Cross bestowed -upon the 78th Highlanders since Havelock assumed the command -of that gallant regiment.</p> - -<p>But the fighting was not yet over; other opportunities of distinction -awaited those who knew how to profit by them. No sooner -had Havelock brought his column across the Ganges, on the 13th -of August, than he began to concert his plans for striking a blow at -Nana Sahib, who had resumed his former position at Bithoor. On -the 14th, the men enjoyed a day’s repose; on the 15th, the gallant -Neile left his entrenchment with a mere handful of soldiers, surprised -the enemy’s left wing, and drove them, with considerable -loss, from the vicinity of Cawnpore. On the 16th, Havelock advanced -in the direction of Bithoor with a body of 1300 men, nearly -all the available forces that could be collected in the town. After -a fatiguing march of eight hours beneath the fierce rays of a -tropical sun, they came upon the enemy, who had taken up a -strong position in front of Bithoor. They had two guns, and an -earthen redoubt in and near a plantation of sugar-canes and castor-oil -trees, which reached above the heads of the men, while their -batteries, effectually masked, were defended by thick ramparts -flanked by entrenched quadrangles. Their position was also flanked -by two villages, with loopholed houses and walls: in the hands of -a braver foe it would have been almost impregnable; but the -Highlanders and Fusiliers, mindful of their past victories, advanced -with the certainty of success. After a brief exchange of artillery-fire, -those two regiments received the order to charge: the Fusiliers -soon cleared the entrenched quadrangles of the enemy, and drove -them before them at the point of the bayonet; while the Highlanders -rushed upon the battery which was immediately in front of -them. On they went, alternately lying down and starting up again, -so as to escape the fierce discharges of grape and canister with -which the rebels strove to arrest their progress. Now they are in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[213]</span> -front of the battery, and the foremost of them have cleared the -parapet; for a moment the rebels dared to cross bayonets with -them, but it was only for a moment; they quailed beneath the -stern gaze of the mountaineers, turned, and fled. They were driven -through the town of Bithoor, which fell into our hands; it was -impossible to pursue them farther, and our troops bivouacked on -the ground they had so bravely won. Here, as on every other occasion -when victory crowned our arms, the want of cavalry was -severely felt: we reaped all the honours, but few of the solid -advantages which attend success.</p> - -<p>The battle of Bithoor was the conclusion of Havelock’s first brief, -but brilliant campaign for the relief of Lucknow. In a few weeks -with a single column he had defeated the enemy, who were vastly -superior to him in numbers, in five pitched battles; thrice he had -advanced in the direction of Lucknow, and thrice he had been -compelled to retire, not by the rebels, but by the ravages of disease, -and the want of transport for his sick and wounded. Every -victory he gained weakened his numbers, and might almost have -justified the exclamation of Pyrrhus—“Another such victory, and -I am undone.” Every urgent appeal for reinforcements remained -unheeded, and his little army required repose. It was not that -the authorities were unwilling to reinforce him, but they had really -no troops to spare, so fiercely had the tide of rebellion set in on -every side. When he returned to Cawnpore on the 19th of August, -he had seventeen officers and four hundred and sixty-six men -on the sick list; or, in other words, about one-fourth of his army -was unfit for service, and the rest were so exhausted that they -could scarcely take the field. Havelock and Neile thirsted to encourage -their handful of men by leading them against the enemy; -but they knew that personal feeling must be subordinate to the one -great object of the campaign—the relief of Lucknow. It would -have defeated that object to have frittered away their forces in -gaining victories which ended in nothing; all that could be done -was to recruit the exhausted energies of their men, and to wait -for reinforcements.</p> - -<p>The rebels, encouraged by their apparent inactivity, and mistaking<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[214]</span> -its cause, assembled in great force on the Oude side of the -river, and threatened to cross at two different places; while, on the -other bank, the small British force from Calpee was exposed to the -attacks of the Gwalior Contingent. This compulsory delay was -equally trying to all; but what could be done with an “army” of -seven hundred men, when opposed to thirty-seven thousand armed -and disciplined soldiers? Every day the general’s telegrams became -more urgent and importunate. He was prepared “to fight anything -and at any odds;” but he knew that it would be madness to -advance to Lucknow with the mere handful of men under his command. -There were twenty thousand rebels between him and that -town; and though the fact was well established, that the Asiatics -were unable to withstand the fierce onset of the smallest number of -British troops, yet no victory was gained without a certain amount -of loss on our part; and this loss, added to the ravages of disease, -would have caused his little army to melt away before he reached -Lucknow. On the 21st of August, he announced that, if he were -not speedily reinforced, he would abandon the enterprize as hopeless, -and return to Allahabad, from which he had begun his career -of victory about two months before. Meanwhile, he continued to -strengthen his position at Cawnpore, and to send his sick and -wounded to Allahabad, so that all who remained might be able to -take the field.</p> - -<p>It would be difficult to say which of the two—Havelock or Inglis—was -most to be pitied. The former, after he was compelled to -retreat, wrote a note, which the messenger contrived to convey to -Inglis in safety. Nothing was concealed; his failure was freely -admitted, and he concluded by saying, “You must aid us in every -way, even to cutting your way out; if we can’t force our way in. -We have only a small force.” Inglis received this note on the 15th, -and on the 23rd the messenger, who was seven days on the way, -and had many narrow escapes, brought back his reply. The garrison -at Lucknow was reduced to the last extremity: within the -walls of the Residency were 120 sick and wounded men; 220 -women, and 230 children; their stock of provisions was almost -exhausted; officers and civilians had to toil from morning to night<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[215]</span> -like common labourers; cholera and the bullets of the enemy were -gradually thinning their numbers: but amid all their privations -and sufferings they never dreamed of surrendering. It was better -to die within their entrenchments than to be massacred in cold -blood by the ruthless foe without; so they continued to hold out -till the end of the month, when hope again began to dawn upon -the little army of rescue at Cawnpore. Two thousand men belonging -to different regiments were on their way from Calcutta to -join them; and the Naval Brigade, which was composed of five -hundred “blue jackets,” under Captain Peel, who had already -distinguished himself in the Crimea, had left by steamer on the -20th. There was a quarter of a million of public money in the -Residency at Lucknow; but the Governor-General wrote to -Havelock to leave it behind, or to use it in any way that might -best contribute to the deliverance of the garrison.</p> - -<p>A new actor now appears upon the scene. The gallant Outram, -the Bayard of India, “sans peur et sans reproche,” having brought -the Persian war to a successful conclusion, hurried back to Calcutta, -and was appointed to the chief command in the Cawnpore -district. He entered on his command at Cawnpore on the 18th of -August, two days after Havelock had gained his tenth victory over -the rebels. On the 1st of September he reached Allahabad, -where he found himself at the head of nearly 1700 men of different -regiments. Leaving 300 to garrison the town, he hurried on with -the rest to reinforce Havelock. Officers and men were equally -anxious to have a brush with the “Pandies,” and to prevent the -horrors of Cawnpore from being repeated at Lucknow. After -cutting off a body of 300 insurgents who were about to cross the -Ganges into Doab, Outram joined Havelock on the 15th of September, -and in the exercise of a noble self-denial which will endear -his name to posterity more than all his brilliant achievements, offered -to serve as a volunteer in that army which he had a right to command. -In the spirit of true charity, he sacrificed personal feeling -to a higher sense of justice, and insisted that Havelock should -complete the work he had so well begun. He admired Havelock -with that sincere, unselfish admiration which none but such generous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[216]</span> -souls can feel, and scorned the idea of robbing him of his laurels. -On the 16th he issued an order, announcing that Havelock was -promoted to the rank of major-general, and would continue to hold -the command of the army until the relief of Lucknow had been -achieved; he himself would accompany it as a volunteer, proud to -serve in any capacity under such a leader. Havelock’s heart was -touched by this “characteristic generosity of feeling,” which had -the best effect upon the men, and infused into them something of -that chivalrous feeling of which Outram had given such a noble -display.</p> - -<p>Before leaving Cawnpore, the two generals telegraphed to the -Governor-General to inquire whether, if Lucknow were recaptured, -they should hold it at all hazards, so as to maintain the <i>prestige</i> of -the British arms, and received the following sensible reply:—“Save -the garrison; never mind our <i>prestige</i> just now, provided you -liberate Inglis: we will recover <i>prestige</i> afterwards. I cannot just -now send you any more troops. Save the British in the Residency, -and act afterwards as your strength will permit.” Better advice -could not have been given, and the two generals proceeded at once -to act upon it. Two months had elapsed since Havelock entered -Cawnpore as a conqueror; his noble spirit chafed at the thought -that his victories had contributed nothing to the rescue of the garrison; -but now a brighter prospect opened up before him; his army -was reinforced, and he and Outram marched forth from Cawnpore -with the stern resolve to save the half-famished women and children -at Lucknow, or perish in the attempt. All ranks were -animated by the same feeling; they had confidence in their generals -and in themselves, and they already counted on success.</p> - -<p>On the 19th of September they crossed the Ganges into Oude by -a bridge of boats which had been constructed by Captain Crommelin, -and the enemy assembled on the banks offered only a feeble -resistance. The rapid advances of our men enabled them to overtake -them on the 21st, when they rushed upon them, turned their -right flank, drove them from their position, and captured four of -their guns. No wonder that success attended an army in which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[217]</span> -Outram was serving as a volunteer: during the day he headed one -of the charges, and the men, inspired by his example, carried everything -before them. The enemy were pursued with such rapidity -that they had not time to destroy the Bunnee bridge over the Sye, -and on the 23rd Havelock again overtook them. They had now -taken up a strong position, and were resolved to make a desperate -stand: their left was posted in the enclosure of the Alum Bagh, -and their centre and right on low hills. This position was so close -to Lucknow that the firing could be distinctly heard in the Residency; -and when Havelock discharged his biggest guns, to tell them -that help was at hand, the garrison thought it the grandest <i>feu de -joie</i> they had ever heard. The dying seemed to receive new life; -some wept, others prayed; all prepared to welcome their deliverers. -But though they were now only two miles from Lucknow, they had -still many difficulties to encounter, and Havelock saw the necessity -of giving his wearied troops, who had been marching three days -under a deluge of rain, a little repose before entering on the final -struggle. On the 24th he pitched his camp, and allowed his men -to rest till the morning of the 25th, when, leaving his baggage and -tents under the charge of an escort in the Alum Bagh, he resumed -his march.</p> - -<p>It is unnecessary here to describe the heroic advance of our little -army, the fierce resistance they encountered, the losses they sustained, -and the decisive victory they at length obtained; all this -is matter of history, and can never be forgotten. If we confine our -attention to the Highlanders, and the part they acted in the rescue -of Lucknow, we do so from no desire to depreciate the courage of -others who shared in the dangers of the day; our only object is to -show in what way three brave men earned for themselves the Cross -of Valour and a place in Mr. Desanges’s gallery. The Highlanders, -the 90th Light Infantry, and the Sikh Regiment of Ferozpore -formed the second infantry brigade, under the command of Colonel -Hamilton, who held the temporary rank of brigadier. After the -desperate resistance of the rebels at the Char Bagh bridge had been -overcome by the gallant charge of the Madras Fusiliers, the Highlanders<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[218]</span> -received orders to advance by the Cawnpore road to the -Residency, so as to cover the passage of the troops and baggage, and -protect them while the heavy guns captured from the enemy were -being thrown into the canal. While the rest of the troops defiled -to the right, and began to thread their way through the narrow -lane which led to the Residency, the Highlanders maintained their -position at the head of the street till the camp followers, with the -baggage and wounded, had crossed the bridge. For three hours -they remained there, immovable as a rock, unshaken by the menaces -of the insurgents; again and again the rebels dashed themselves -against them in overwhelming numbers, and were driven back at the -point of the bayonet; their supply of ammunition had repeatedly to -be renewed; their ranks were gradually thinned by the murderous -fire to which they were exposed; but they only drew the closer -together, and fought on as before. This, the post of danger, had -been assigned to them; they were determined to guard it to the -last.</p> - -<p>Maddened by their own losses and the continued resistance of -the Highlanders, the rebels had recourse to another mode of attack. -Two brass 9-pounders were dragged forward, and brought to bear -on the Highlanders; not a moment was to be lost; the first discharge -would leave furrows of dead and wounded in their ranks. -Herbert Macpherson, the adjutant of the regiment, proved himself -equal to the occasion. This brave young officer was endeared to -the men from family connexion and personal character; he was a -son of that Colonel Macpherson who commanded the regiment for -many years, and shared their dangers in almost every part of the -globe. He was almost a son of the regiment, and the feeling of -attachment which the men cherished toward him on his father’s -account, was increased by the considerate kindness with which he -discharged the duties of adjutant. He had only to lead the way, -and they would follow him anywhere. There were the guns -drawn up in front of them, ready to pour forth their murderous -fire; Macpherson leaped forward, waving his sword; he was not -left alone; others were soon by his side; then came a rush, a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[219]</span> -cheer, a brief conflict, and all was over. The two guns were -seized by brawny arms, and hurled into the canal: after this the -Highlanders calmly resumed their former position, and continued -to act on the defensive. The impetuosity of their attack was only -equalled by their firmness under fire, and these two qualities are -rarely united in the same men. The non-combatant officers were -animated by the same spirit, and proved themselves worthy of the -regiment to which they belonged. Numbers of wounded Highlanders -were scattered along the streets of Lucknow in the course -of that bloody conflict, and the two surgeons of the regiment frequently -risked their own lives in ministering to their wants and -superintending their removal. Ten officers and one-fourth of the -men were killed or wounded; the skill, the courage, and the energy -of the surgeons were taxed to the utmost. Soldiers are not ungrateful, -and the Highlanders proved on this occasion that they -could appreciate the calm courage of M’Master, who bound up their -wounds while the bullets of the enemy were whistling around his -head, as well as the dashing bravery of Macpherson, who led them -on when they seized the two guns and hurled them into the canal. -Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiment, and it was left -to the corps to decide who were the men most worthy to wear -them. One was assigned to Lieutenant and Adjutant (now Major) -Macpherson, for the deed of distinguished courage which we have -already described; the other was bestowed, by the universal acclamation -of the soldiers, on Assistant-Surgeon Valentine M’Master, -for the devoted gallantry with which he risked his life in binding -up the wounds and securing the retreat of the men under his -charge disabled by the bullets of the enemy. The same honour -was afterwards conferred on Dr. J. Jee, the surgeon of the regiment, -who had displayed the greatest courage and humanity in -bringing in and attending to the wounded.</p> - -<p>In two months the Highlanders had fought twelve battles; in -four days they had lost <i>one-third</i> of their number; their march -through the streets was like a march through a sea of fire; but -onward they went, dauntless, though not unscathed. And now they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[220]</span> -are within the walls of the Residency, where the ladies are pressing -around them, and rendering thanks to heaven for their deliverance, -and yielding their babes to the fond caresses of those stern warriors -whose eyes, still glaring with the fury of battle, are soon suffused -with tears, as they restore them to their mothers and turn aside to -talk of comrades who have fallen, or of the dear ones they have left -behind. The Rachels of Lucknow had no occasion that night to -weep for their children because they were not; a strong hand and -a mighty arm had brought them deliverance; and many a lip -trembled with the grateful prayer of the Hebrew warrior: “Not -unto us, not unto us, O Lord! but unto Thy name do we give -glory.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 175px;"> -<img src="images/footer10.jpg" width="175" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[221]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header5.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">“LUCKNOW” KAVANAGH AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-ornate-t.jpg" width="300" height="250" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The Siege of Lucknow -forms one of the most -interesting episodes in -the history of the Indian -Mutiny. No event connected -with the war -excited a deeper interest -in this country, and it is impossible, even -after the lapse of nine years, to reflect -on the gallant defence of a small body of -soldiers and civilians shut up within the -Residency, the patient endurance of the women, and the heroic -efforts to effect their deliverance, without a certain thrill of emotion. -Among the many who distinguished themselves at this critical -period, a prominent place is held by T. Henry Kavanagh, an Irish -gentleman belonging to the uncovenanted service, who happened to -be stationed at Lucknow with his wife and children. The report -of the massacres at other stations induced the Kavanaghs to remove -from their own house to two rooms in the Post Office near the -Residency, and these they continued to occupy during all the privations -and miseries of the subsequent siege, and until the final -rescue. As soon as the native regiments mutinied, the small garrison -of Europeans at Lucknow, under the command of Sir Henry Lawrence, -prepared to defend themselves to the last: provisions were -collected, the fortifications strengthened, and the civilians enrolled<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[222]</span> -into companies of combatants. Before the middle of June, 1857, -the whole province of Oude had cast off its allegiance to the British -Crown; the English residents had perished or betaken themselves -to flight; Lucknow alone remained, like a mighty rock, with the -British flag displayed on its summit, dashing back the waves of -insurrection and mutiny. All the rage of the rebels was concentrated -against it: again and again they advanced to the attack; but -the gallant band of defenders, though weakened by suffering and -thinned by the bullets of the enemy, proved to their recreant -assailants that they would sooner bury themselves beneath the -ruins than surrender; and India, in truth, could not have been -retained as an appendage of our Crown if it had not been defended -by men equal in courage to those who first reduced it to subjection.</p> - -<p>The garrison, not satisfied with maintaining the defence, sent -small bodies of cavalry to rescue their countrymen at the neighbouring -stations, and occasionally made sorties against the enemy. -In one of these affairs they were overpowered by numbers at a -place called Chinut, and obliged to retire within their entrenchments -with considerable loss. This disaster, coupled with the -massacre of Cawnpore, of which they had just heard, had a depressing -effect upon the garrison at first; but the thought that a -similar fate awaited their wives and children if they fell into the -hands of the enemy, inspired the men with the courage of despair. -Their numbers were reduced, but still they held out. Every mine -of their assailants was countermined; every rent in their walls -was repaired almost as soon as made. In the obstinacy of their -defence they equalled the inhabitants of Saragossa; and there was -many a fair maid who lauded their courage, tended the sick, and -prayed with the dying. During the first part of the siege, -Kavanagh was so prostrated by illness that he could render no -assistance; he lay chafing in his bed, like the wounded knight in -“Ivanhoe,” listening to the din of battle and bemoaning his hard -fate. The report of gallant deeds done by others filled his heart -with such rapture, that, he tells us, it would have burst if a friend -had not leaned on his chest to keep down its emotions. There is -no instance, perhaps, on record where strong mental emotion exercised<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[223]</span> -a more powerful influence over the physical frame than in -Kavanagh’s case. On the 20th of July he was able to leave his -bed, and from that day to the final rescue he proved himself brave -amongst the brave. He tells us that from the years of his boyhood -he had longed to do some deed to immortalise his name, and his -youthful aspirations met with so little sympathy that his uncle -assured him he was born to be hanged. But Kavanagh is not the -first who has been misunderstood in early life. When he returned -from India, the admired of all admirers, his friends were better able -to appreciate his character.</p> - -<p>Towards the end of July, cholera, fever, and smallpox joined -their ravages to those of war, and cut off many of the garrison. -On the 7th of August, Kavanagh had a narrow escape from death. -He had left his house to report himself to his superior officer, and -unwittingly exposed himself to the fire of the enemy, from which -he was rescued by two of his friends who saw his danger. His -courage was not of a calculating character, and his warlike enthusiasm -having led him to fire without orders, he was placed -under arrest. He was soon released, and, taught by experience, -was content for the future to check his undisciplined ardour and to -obey the directions of his superiors. August passed drearily away. -The defenders, when there was a lull in the attack, climbed to the -roofs of their houses and looked out, like sister Anne, for assistance -which never came. Hope and despair alternately gained the -mastery over them. They rejoiced as they thought of the serried -ranks of their countrymen advancing; they shuddered as they -thought of their wives, and sisters, and children, exposed to the -same fate as the victims of Cawnpore. At one time they amused themselves -with reckless gaiety in writing lampoons upon one another; -now they gave way to unreasoning despondency, and cursed the -heartlessness of their countrymen in leaving them thus to perish -amid the ruins. In this, as in similar straits, the women were far -more hopeful and unselfish than the men: they concealed their -own fears, and often starved themselves that their husbands and -children might eat. The ministering angels of that beleaguered -fort, their presence exercised a wholesome power which gave hope<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[224]</span> -to the despairing and courage to the feeble. Had there been none -of the gentler and weaker sex in Lucknow, it is doubtful whether -its garrison of strong men would have stood out so long.</p> - -<p>September passed slowly away without bringing the expected -aid. The enemy changed their tactics, and tried to reduce the -garrison by hunger. Our countrymen, no longer roused to exertion -by the fierce excitement of fighting, sank into a sort of stupor, -and bewailed the dull monotony of their existence, which was -occasionally relieved by the bands of the mutineers playing familiar -airs, and more especially the National Anthem. Meanwhile Havelock, -with his gallant little force, was fast advancing to their help. -The Highlanders were on the march to Lucknow, though the shrill -music of the war-pipe was not yet heard within its walls. Our -readers are all, doubtless, familiar with the story of Jessie Brown, -the Scottish servant-maid, whose watchful ear drank in the slogan -and pibroch of her advancing countrymen when others could hear -nothing. It is always an invidious task to dispel a pleasing illusion, -but a sacred regard for truth compels us to state that Jessie -is a purely mythical being—a creature of the imagination as much -as Mrs. Harris. The story of Jessie is one of those <i>canards</i> with -which French journals delight to entertain their readers; it first -appeared in the <i>Pays</i>, was dramatised and introduced on the stage, -and Jessie’s paternity, we understand, has been the subject of -litigation. Notwithstanding our protests, she will doubtless live -in the future history of Lucknow till a second myth-destroying -Niebuhr appear to vindicate the truth. On the afternoon of the -25th of September the garrison could hear, not the sound of the -bagpipe, but the boom of Havelock’s artillery, and all who could -walk hurried to the roofs of the houses and strained their eyes to -catch the first glimpse of their countrymen. On they came, a -small but resolute body, driving the enemy before them at the -point of the bayonet, and pressing them into the river, where many -of them perished. Little resistance was offered till the advance -column began to force their way through the Red Gate, where the -enemy opened a murderous fire of small arms upon them. There -was no time to pick up the wounded or rescue the bodies of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[225]</span> -slain. A rush was made, and Havelock’s band was within the walls. -The enthusiasm of the garrison knew no bounds: they cheered, -they waved their hats, they wept with irrepressible joy, they embraced -and implored blessings upon their deliverers. Poor Kavanagh, -with true Milesian hospitality, offered his last three bottles of -liquor to the exhausted soldiers, who required no pressing to induce -them to empty them.</p> - -<p>For a time all was joy within the garrison, but there was still -much work to be done, much suffering to be endured. The Red -Gate was still in the possession of the enemy: Kavanagh undertook -to conduct a party to a spot where they could seize it by surprise. -At the moment of danger the two young officers in command lost -courage, and treated their guide as a drunken madman. An unsuccessful -attempt was made to reach the Alum Bagh, where there -was a small garrison of our men. On this occasion Kavanagh was -one of the first to advance, the last to retreat; he often spent whole -nights in the mines, worked his way into those of the enemy, and -brought his revolver to bear upon them with deadly effect. A -master of Hindustani, he could scold as well as shoot, and it was -difficult to say whether his tongue or his rifle was more galling to -the enemy. Havelock’s men brought no provisions with them, -and, as there were now more mouths to be fed, the rations were -reduced in quantity. We have heard many a soldier say that he -would rather go without his dinner than his pipe, and the poor -smokers had to use dried tea and bitter herbs as a substitute for -tobacco. But the sufferers bore up manfully, and their sufferings -were all but forgotten when, on the 9th of November, a spy arrived -with a despatch from Sir Colin Campbell, announcing that help was -at hand. Plans had been previously drawn up for the guidance of -the Commander-in-Chief in effecting his entrance into the Residency, -but it was felt that they could be of little use unless some -one familiar with the locality could reach his camp for the purpose -of explaining them.</p> - -<p>Here was an undertaking of no ordinary danger. The guide -would have to pass through the hostile ranks of the mutineers in -disguise; if detected, he would have to submit to a death of torture.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[226]</span> -No wonder, then, that the bravest heart quailed before such an -adventure. But the moment was urgent; the provisions were -nearly exhausted; if the relieving army met with a check the -whole garrison might perish. In this emergency Kavanagh came -forward and offered his services. Not from mere recklessness. -He knew the extent of the danger. He had counted the cost, and -was prepared for success or failure. In Sir James Outram, the -Chief Commissioner, he found a kindred spirit who could appreciate -such an act of self-devotion: Outram entered readily into all his -plans, and undertook to afford him every assistance. At first the -native spy refused to encounter the risk of passing through the -ranks of the enemy in company with a European in disguise, but -his scruples were overcome. Kavanagh borrowed from the natives -the different articles of clothing he required to complete his disguise, -and when, arrayed in Oriental costume, he entered Outram’s -quarters, his appearance was so altered that his most familiar friends -failed to recognise him. The painter of the pictures composing the -Victoria Cross Gallery, Mr. Desanges, has chosen this meeting as a -subject for his canvas. The dignified Oriental is Kavanagh; the -short, thick-set figure, who, cigar in mouth, is holding a plan of -Lucknow in one hand, and giving the last touch to Kavanagh’s -beard with the other, is the late Sir James Outram, and he is -surrounded by officers of the garrison; in the background are -Kunoujee Lal, the native spy, and some servants. At half-past -eight o’clock on the evening of the 9th of November Kavanagh -started on his arduous mission, followed by the prayers and best -wishes of all who were intrusted with the secret. His most anxious -thoughts were of his wife and children, who believed that he was to -spend the night in the mines. The darkness of the hour was -favourable to the enterprise. On reaching the river Goompty they -had to strip and wade across. After crossing the river they crept -up a trench for about three hundred yards, till they came to a -grove of trees, where they stopped to dress. A man came down to -the river to wash, but, fortunately, he did not observe them; they -regained their confidence, and advanced towards the huts of the -enemy in front. Kavanagh exchanged greetings with a matchlockman,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[227]</span> -taking care to be the first to speak. On proceeding about -seven hundred yards farther they reached the iron bridge across the -Goompty, and were challenged by a native officer. Kavanagh -remained a little in the shade: the officer, satisfied with the answers -of the guide, allowed them to pass. They continued to advance -along the left bank of the river, where they were met by numbers -of sepoys, till they reached the stone bridge, where they glided -past the sentry, and found themselves in the principal street of -Lucknow. As it was part of their policy to court rather than -avoid observation, they advanced along the main street, where no -one challenged them, till they reached the open country, when a -watchman inquired who they were. The answer was satisfactory, -and they passed on cheerfully for four or five miles through the -fragrant groves and beautiful woods which surround Lucknow, -when they discovered that they had taken the wrong road and were -close to the pickets of the enemy. The native guide was alarmed -lest Kavanagh should suspect his honesty; but, reassured on this -point, he endeavoured to find the right path. In wandering through -the fields they met with singular adventures: they tumbled into -ditches, and were nearly drowned; they alarmed the dogs of the -native villages, and had to conceal themselves in a canal; they -entered a wretched hut, and persuaded the female inmates to point -out the way. About one o’clock in the morning they came upon -an advanced picket of the enemy. Kavanagh marched up to them -boldly, and, after answering their challenge, was allowed to pass. -They were now close to the Alum Bagh, which was garrisoned by -the English, but the native guide dissuaded Kavanagh from attempting -to pass through the numerous rifle-pits and detachments -of the enemy by which it was surrounded. At three o’clock they -reached a mango grove, where a native sentinel, hearing their -approach, gave the alarm, and the guard was called out. Startled -by this unexpected danger, the native guide lost courage, and -threw away the despatch for Sir Colin Campbell. It was a trying -moment, but Kavanagh retained his presence of mind, and disarmed -their suspicions by his confident bearing and ready answers. -The guide had the politeness to show them the way to Umroula, a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[228]</span> -village on the route to the English camp, which, they said, they -wished to reach; and, after walking on for some distance, they -tumbled into a jheel, or swamp, and were once more nearly -drowned. They continued to advance with the water often as high -as their necks: Kavanagh, being the taller of the two, had often to -hold up Kunoujee Lal by the neck to keep him from sinking. -Their clothes were torn from their bodies by the tall reeds, and, -worse than this, the paint was washed from Kavanagh’s hands by -the muddy water: it was fortunate that it did not reach his face. -After floundering in the swamp for two hours, they reached the -land in such a state of exhaustion that they had to rest for a -quarter of an hour.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-11.jpg" width="700" height="500" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Thomas Henry Kavanagh completing his Disguise in -the Residency at Lucknow.</p> -</div> - -<p>Resuming their route, they entered the village, and found several -men sleeping near the <i>chubootra</i>, or native office. Rousing one of -the sleepers, they informed him that they were spies sent to discover -the strength of the enemy, and requested him to direct them -to the English camp. The sleeper, enraged at being disturbed, gave -them a surly answer; and, advancing, they passed to the other -guards about three hundred yards apart. It was fortunate for them -that the enemy had thrown out no sentries, and were seated in a -half-drowsy state around their watch-fires. They passed between -the two fires without being challenged, and soon after met some -villagers, who informed them that they were fleeing before the -English. They inferred from this that Sir Colin Campbell’s encampment -must be close at hand; and, after losing their way and -again nearly falling into the hands of the rebels, they reached a -grove about four o’clock in the morning, and Kavanagh, regardless -of the remonstrances of the guide, threw himself on the ground to -sleep for an hour. Before he had closed his eyes he was startled -by the challenge, in a native accent, “Who comes there?” and -sprang to his feet. Perhaps those three simple English words, -pronounced by native lips, were the sweetest words he ever heard -in his life. They had stumbled upon a picket of Sikhs, and the -officer in command requested two Sowars to conduct them to the -advance-guard.</p> - -<p>Kavanagh was almost dead with cold and fatigue, but a kind-hearted<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[229]</span> -officer of the 9th Lancers supplied him with clothes and -refreshments. The adventures of the past night seemed to him -like a fearful dream; now that they were past he could scarcely -realize them. The whole English camp was struck with admiration -of a deed unsurpassed in the annals of the heroic ages, and each -vied with the other in doing honour to one whom they were proud -to call their countryman. Even the stern and impassive old -Scottish chief—usually so sparing in his praise, so severe in his -reproof—was touched by the unselfish heroism of such a deed. In -the darkened tent, unseen by human eye, Kavanagh knelt down -and expressed his gratitude to Him who had taken him from the -miry clay and conducted him in safety through the hosts of the -enemy. His next thought was of his wife and children; and before -lying down to rest he had the flag of the semaphore in the Alum -Bagh hoisted as the signal of his safety. It was in vain that he -tried to sleep; his over-excited brain refused to be lulled to rest. -At eleven o’clock he was seated at Sir Colin’s table, surprising his -entertainer by the strangeness of his adventures and the strength -of his appetite. His assistance was invaluable in explaining the -plans drawn up by Sir James Outram, and in pointing out the best -route for advancing through Lucknow. By exposing his own life he -saved that of many a gallant soldier who would otherwise have been -lost; and Sir Colin showed his appreciation of his conduct by -retaining him near his person. Next morning the army of rescue -was on the march, and after a feeble resistance reached the Alum -Bagh. On the 14th of November they advanced against Lucknow, -under the guidance of Kavanagh, who was familiar with the neighbourhood -of the city. The cowardly Sepoys fled before our men, -and sought refuge within the walls of Lucknow. On reaching the -banks of the river the English army halted, and spent the night -under arms, waiting anxiously and eagerly for the hour when the -Massacre of Cawnpore was to be avenged. The night was dark -and chilly; Kavanagh slept by the side of Sir Colin Campbell on -the cold floor; the foe attempted nothing to disturb their repose.</p> - -<p>With the earliest dawn Sir Colin was mounted on his charger, -riding from post to post and giving his orders for the day. A new<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[230]</span> -route proposed by Kavanagh, as preferable to that indicated by -Outram, was at once adopted; but during the following night a -heavy cannonade was kept up to mislead the enemy from the real -point of danger. Next morning our men advanced rapidly through -the tortuous lanes and thick plantations, meeting with little resistance -from the enemy, who expected to be attacked in another -quarter, till they reached the Secunder Bagh. Here a heavy fire -of musketry was opened upon them, and the first man who -tried to pass was shot in the hip and fell. Kavanagh leaped -from his horse, took the poor fellow in his arms, and bore him in -safety to a neighbouring hut. Others pressed forward and surrounded -the building; the artillery seized an embankment which -commanded the gate; the enemy were deprived of all means of -escape. The Highlanders were the first who entered; arrested in -their progress by a dead wall, they mounted the roof, tore off the -tiles, and leaped into the midst of the mutineers. At the same -time a breach was made in the walls of the Secunder Bagh; Sikh -and Highlander vied with one another in being the first to reach -it; many were hit, but nothing could resist their impetuous -bravery. They forced their way in, and, maddened with resistance -and the remembrance of Cawnpore, they showed no mercy; the -bayonet did its deadly work till all was still, and two thousand of -the mutineers were piled together in one gory mass as a monument -of our vengeance. Humanity shudders at the remembrance of such -a scene, but the murderers of helpless women and children at -Cawnpore deserved no quarter.</p> - -<p>Our men, worn out with fatigue and hunger, remained under -arms the whole night, waiting anxiously for daybreak. Sir Colin -slept outside the Secunder Bagh, with Kavanagh by his side; with -the earliest dawn the whole army was on the move. The enemy, -disheartened by their reverses, offered little resistance, and began to -retreat; Kavanagh, who had advanced to examine their position, -was mistaken for a spy, and had a narrow escape from being shot -by his countrymen. Undaunted by the danger to which he was -exposed from the peculiarity of his dress and appearance, he led a -party of our men to the Motee Mahul, which was occupied by the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>[231]</span> -enemy, and, finding that the wall could not be broken through -without sappers, he returned to Sir Colin for assistance. After an -amusing altercation between him and his impetuous chief the -required aid was granted, and the British flag soon waved on the -summit of the building. After this success Kavanagh pressed -forward in the hope of being the first to reach Sir James Outram; -he passed in safety through the fire of the enemy till he met a -soldier of the 64th Regiment, who conducted him to the spot -where a group of officers were standing. It was Sir James Outram -and his staff; as soon as they recognised their former comrade in -arms they shouted, “It is Kavanagh! three cheers for him! he -is the first to relieve us.” The warmth of this greeting was felt -at the moment to be a sufficient recompense for all the dangers -he had encountered; no wonder that tears rose to his eyes as he -grasped the hands of those whom he had parted with a little -before, doubtful whether he should ever meet them again. There -was more joy in that meeting than falls to the lot of many men -in the whole course of their lives—a joy such as can only be experienced -by those who have risked their own safety in behalf of -others.</p> - -<p>After the first congratulations, he offered to conduct Sir James -and his staff to the commander-in-chief. It was an undertaking of -some danger, but the Bayard of India never knew fear. They -passed unscathed through a shower of grape and bullets, and Sir -James took shelter in the shade of a hut while Kavanagh went to -announce his arrival to Sir Colin Campbell. The meeting between -these two gallant men was like the meeting between Wellington -and Blucher after Waterloo; but there was no time for empty -compliments; they had to make good their retreat from Lucknow -without a moment’s delay. Havelock, the good Christian, the -gallant soldier, tottered forward to welcome his deliverer; seven -days later he was carried to his grave, lamented and respected by all -who have learned to appreciate his heroic bravery, his humble piety. -Three better or braver men than Havelock, Outram, and Campbell -have never met; they have all passed away now; but such men -can never die; they will live for ever in the memory and affections<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>[232]</span> -of their grateful and admiring countrymen. Nor was Kavanagh -forgotten at that meeting. Sir Colin spoke of him in such terms -of admiration as rarely issued from his stern lips, and expressed -his sense of the value of his services in his despatch to the Government -of India. “His escape at a time when the intrenchment was -closely invested by a large army, and when communication, -even through the medium of natives, was almost impossible, -is, in Sir Colin Campbell’s opinion, one of the most daring feats -ever attempted; and the result was most beneficial; for, in the -immediate subsequent advance on Lucknow of the force under the -Commander-in-chief’s directions, the thorough acquaintance with -the localities possessed by Mr. Kavanagh, and his knowledge of the -approaches to the British position were of the greatest use; and his -excellency desires to record his obligations to this gentleman, who -accompanied him throughout the operations, and was ever present -to afford valuable information.” But dearer to Kavanagh than the -praises of despatches or the congratulations of comrades were the -tender reproaches of his wife, as she clasped him to her breast and -wept her joy and admiration in his arms. The poet who sang the -parting of Hector and Andromache could alone do justice to such a -meeting; it lies not within the province of simple prose. He -appeared in the midst of that beleaguered garrison as a bearer of -safety—a messenger of mercy; the very soldiers blessed him as -he passed, the heart of the widow and the captive sang aloud for -joy, and many pressed into his house that they might “only have a -look at him.” Few rewards have been more justly earned or more -gratefully paid.</p> - -<p>After effecting the rescue of the garrison, Sir Colin Campbell -retired by forced marches to Cawnpore, where his presence soon -reassured the forces, disheartened by the attacks of the enemy -during his absence. Kavanagh accompanied him to Cawnpore, and -soon after started for Calcutta, where the refugees from Lucknow -met with a generous and hospitable reception from the governor-general -and the British residents. The guide who had acted such -an important part in the enterprise was not forgotten; all met with -much sympathy; but there was a ringing cheer, such as none but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>[233]</span> -English can give, when “Lucknow” Kavanagh (the name by which -he has ever since been known, and a prefix as worthily gained -as that which distinguished the Confederate general “Stonewall” -Jackson) appeared with his wife and family. But such a restless -spirit could not remain inactive at Calcutta while the fighting was -going on in Oude; he no longer belonged to the uncovenanted -service, and was at liberty to go wherever he pleased. He made -his way up the country, formed the acquaintance of the <i>Times</i>’ -correspondent, Dr. Russell, who persuaded him to mount an unruly -horse that nearly broke his neck, and at last joined the army of Sir -Colin Campbell, then a second time advancing from Cawnpore to -Lucknow.</p> - -<p>During the subsequent fighting he exposed himself to the fire of -the enemy with almost reckless bravery; his constant immunity -from danger gave rise to a sort of half belief that he bore a charmed -life, and this belief was almost justified by the result. Many a -gallant English officer bit the dust at Lucknow, but the bullets -of the enemy seemed to be turned aside by some invisible -hand from the person of Kavanagh. If the old Greek mythology -had not been obsolete, we should have been tempted to believe that -some friendly god or goddess was watching over our hero, and -guarding him alike from friend and foe, as Aphrodite and Poseidon -watched over Æneas at the siege of Troy. More than once he was -in danger of being shot by his countrymen as a deserter; he had -hand-to-hand combats with the enemy, whom he was ready to meet -at any odds; he was thrown from horses, precipitated from dog-carts, -tumbled into wells, was shot through the shoulder, wounded -in the ankle, and survived to thrill the world by the story of his -strange adventures, which borders on the realms of romance. -When fighting was over at Lucknow he resumed his civil duties, -and used all his influence to protect the miserable natives who had -returned to their homes, and to check the thieving propensities of -the gallant Sikhs and savage little Ghoorkas. In June, 1858, he -offered to proceed to the camp of the enemy with a flag of truce, to -persuade them to lay aside their arms and submit to the British -rule; but the authorities at Lucknow—wisely, as we think—refused<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>[234]</span> -to expose his life to such a danger. Soon after this he was -ordered to Muliabad, where he was intrusted with the command of -a certain number of Sikhs and native police, whom he frequently -led against the enemy. In these encounters he had many hair-breadth -escapes; on one occasion his horse was disabled by a shot, -and threw him to the ground. It was deemed a mark of merit on -the part of Sir Hugh Widdrington that he could fight upon his -stumps; Kavanagh was a hero of the same calibre; though dismounted -he was not disarmed, and such was his determined bravery -that he not only beat off his assailants, but seized one of them by -the throat, and made him prisoner. At the fort of Birrwa he summoned -the enemy to surrender, promising them their lives if they -yielded without further resistance; they expressed their readiness -to do so, if they could only have faith in his promises. On this he -threw aside his arms, pushed past his own men who were between -him and the enemy, walked into the centre of the yard where they -stood, and thus placed his life at their mercy. They were awed by -the courage of the act, and threw themselves at his feet in token of -surrender; and thus, by yet one more daring deed, many lives -were again saved by him. Such generous devotion was calculated -to produce a powerful impression on the native mind; the Sikhs -under his command looked up to him as a superior being, and -once, when in great jeopardy, two of them saved his life at the -expense of their own. After an absence of nine months he -returned to Lucknow to rejoin his wife, who had suffered much -uneasiness from the frequent reports of his death, and welcomed -him almost as one from the dead. The joy of their meeting was -scarcely over when he received orders to proceed to Sundeela and -place his valuable services at the disposal of Brigadier Barker, who -was advancing to attack two rebel chiefs who had shut themselves -up within the fortresses of Birrwa and Rohya. He took an active -part in reducing these strongholds, and in bringing back the -Talookdars, or native barons, to submission to the British rule. -It was only when all resistance had ceased that he returned to his -civil duties, and reluctantly exchanged the sword for the pen. In<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>[235]</span> -May, 1859, he returned with his family to England, and published -a brief account of his adventures.</p> - -<p>Such a man assuredly deserved the Victoria Cross, which has -often been the reward of isolated acts of bravery. He merited it -not only for acting as a guide to Sir Colin Campbell at Lucknow, -but also for frequently exposing his life to danger in the field. Our -readers, then, will learn with some surprise that, when Lord Canning -recommended him for the Victoria Cross, the Court of Directors -refused to forward his recommendation to the Queen, under the -pretence that “he would be entitled to the medal which they anticipate -her Majesty will confer upon the garrison and relieving army -of Lucknow.” They doubtless esteemed the Victoria Cross too -great an honour for a member of the uncovenanted service. This -was a last failure of expiring red-tapeism in the East; for Kavanagh -had soon after the satisfaction of announcing a new <i>régime</i> in the -capital of Oude, and of wearing the Victoria Cross on his manly -breast. He was the means of saving 300,000<i>l.</i> of public treasure -at Lucknow, and no one will say that he was too liberally rewarded -by the gift of 2000<i>l.</i> and the appointment of Assistant-Commissioner -in Oude. In one sense, the doers of deeds like Kavanagh’s can -never be adequately rewarded by gifts or offices: their richest -recompense is to be found in the high esteem of their fellow-men -and the grateful remembrance of posterity.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer11.jpg" width="400" height="175" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>[236]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.<br /> -<span class="smaller">LIEUTENANT BUTLER AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-d.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">During several years previous to the Indian mutiny the -kingdom of Oude had been a source of much anxiety to -the Governors of India. It was formerly an independent -province, in which were about 3,000,000 people, but in 1856 it -became a province of British India. The capital of Oude is -Lucknow, one of the largest cities in India, containing at least -300,000 inhabitants; it is a straggling place, extending over nearly -three miles, but contains many large important buildings, forts, &c. -The streets are very narrow and winding, thus rendering it difficult -for any troops to march through it when an enemy is in possession -of the neighbouring buildings. A fine river—the Goomtee—runs -past the town, and bounds it on one side.</p> - -<p>It was on or about the 24th of May, 1857, that the first indications -of an outbreak became manifest at Lucknow; at this date -there were about 500 available European troops, whilst the mutineers -of the native regiments numbered about 4000. In addition to -these, the whole of the inhabitants of the district were in rebellion, -being led by various leaders, and formed bands of brigands, whose -principal object was to hunt down and murder Europeans.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry Lawrence was at this time Chief Commissioner of -Oude, and, being possessed of great foresight and skill, prepared to -receive the coming shock. He put a portion of Lucknow, termed -the Residency, into a state of defence, stored it with ammunition -and provisions, fortified also a place termed the Muchhee Bhowun, -and then waited the course of events.</p> - -<p>After having defended himself in these two places from the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>[237]</span> -30th of May, he, on the 29th of June, sallied out in the hope of -cutting off a party of mutineers, but, having ventured farther than he -intended, he discovered a most powerful body of the mutineers, and -was obliged to retreat with considerable loss, more especially as the -artillery he had taken with him deserted their guns and joined the -enemy. Shortly after this he found that, with his diminished -numbers, it was imprudent to hold two places. Thus the Muchhee -Bhowun was abandoned, and the whole garrison were brought into -the Residency, and a defence commenced which was certainly one -of the most marvellous that has ever been recorded in history.</p> - -<p>The ruling mind in Lucknow was from the commencement that -of Sir H. Lawrence, and many brave men were accustomed to look -to him for advice or directions in various trying circumstances. -When, then, he died, on the 4th of July, from the effects of a -wound produced by a shell which burst in the room in which he -was sitting, his loss cast a gloom on the devoted band within the -Residency, and rendered for a time their position even more than -ever perilous.</p> - -<p>Day by day and night after night a continued fire of artillery -and musketry was directed upon the Residency, and the only -defence on the part of the besieged, in many instances, was to -remain under cover, and thus to escape from the iron hail above -them. Among the many singular events that occurred during the -siege of Lucknow, there were none that were more exciting to -those concerned than the underground combats. The mutineers, -having been trained by our own Sappers and Miners, were -thoroughly acquainted with the principles and use of mines, and -they applied their knowledge in the present instance to the -attempted destruction of their enemy. Let any of us imagine -ourselves to be shut up in a fort surrounded by a merciless enemy, -unable to show even a hand above the walls of the defences without -having a shower of bullets aimed at it, and then to know that -from several directions there were galleries being driven underground -until a spot could be reached beneath us in which a -sufficient quantity of powder could be placed to send us, our fort, -and guns a hundred feet in the air.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>[238]</span></p> - -<p>Fatal as the mine undoubtedly is, it, like the deadly rattlesnake -of America, invariably makes a noise before it strikes its blow, and -thus it was impossible for the mutineers to work underground and -yet make no sound; so that the garrison by watchfulness could -hear the blows of the enemy’s pickaxe and spade, and could then -make what was called a counter-mine, and at the proper time blow -up the work of the besiegers. In many cases the defenders broke -their way into the galleries made by the mutineers, and shots were -exchanged in the darkness underground. In only one instance did -the mutineers succeed in their mines; this occurred in consequence -of a mine being directed against an outer wall of the Sikh cavalry -lines, the noise of the horses’ feet preventing the sound of the -miners from being heard. This mine, upon being exploded, -buried half-a-dozen drummers in its ruins, and opened a breach -large enough to have admitted the enemy, who were, however, too -cautious to venture upon an encounter at close quarters, even with -a foe which they outnumbered in the proportion of ten to one.</p> - -<p>In many instances the counter-mines of the besieged produced -most destructive effects on the enemy. In one case where the -mutineers commenced a mine a counter-mine was immediately -attempted, which, when exploded, blew up the enemy’s gallery, -a house near it, and some three dozen men.</p> - -<p>In spite, however, of these successes, the condition of the besieged -was bad enough.</p> - -<p>During the whole of June, July, and August, this devoted band -maintained themselves against their innumerable foes. The massacre -at Cawnpore had shown them what they might expect if -they surrendered, and thus, in spite of sickness, want of provisions, -and other evils, they held their ground, until, on the 23rd of -September, the firing of artillery in the distance informed them -that help was at hand. So strangely are some constitutions framed -and kept up by excitement that, as we were informed by an eye-witness, -in many instances the besieged during several weeks took -no other nourishment than a little water and a few mouthfuls of -bread per day, feeling quite unable to touch any other food, and, -in fact, having no appetite for it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>[239]</span></p> - -<p>On the 25th of September, Generals Outram and Havelock commenced -their attack upon Lucknow, and early in the morning the -first brigade commenced its march. It was soon found that the -enemy had made most extensive preparations to meet them, each -suitable station being selected for cannon, which played with -murderous effect upon the advancing troops. During six hours -the gallant band of warriors, each member of which deserved a -cross of honour, struggled forward to the relief of their comrades—the -English women and children shut up in the Residency. During -the afternoon a temporary halt was ordered under the walls of a -palace termed the Fureed Buksh; but ere long darkness coming on -rendered the next movement one of considerable importance. The -Residency was yet half-a-mile distant, and large bodies of the -enemy were between it and the palace. To delay till the morning -the relief of the besieged might be an unwise proceeding, for the -ferocious mutineers might during the night make a successful -attack, and a massacre would be the result. It was therefore decided -that the 78th Highlanders and another regiment should advance. -This decision having been arrived at, a short half-hour only was -passed before men, women, and children, who had almost ceased to -hope, suddenly found themselves in comparative safety, delivered -by the skill and courage of Havelock and his column of relief.</p> - -<p>The besieged, who had during a hundred days been shut up in -the Residency, were actually surprised by the arrival of succour. -Although several intimations had been received to the effect that a -relieving force was coming, yet there was no appearance of it even -on the morning of the 25th, although considerable commotion was -observable among the armed men and sepoys in the town. At -about 5 <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> volleys of musketry were heard in the streets, and the -peculiar hiss of the Minié ball was audible. A few minutes later -the English troops were seen fighting their way gallantly, and then -from every loophole and embrasure, from hospital and house, arose -a cheer and shout from every living being within that inclosure -that had so long been a prison, and was so near being a grave.</p> - -<p>Yet, after all, this relief proved to be merely “succour,” for, as -about 30 officers and 500 men were killed and wounded during the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>[240]</span> -march through the town, and as also in the previous actions many -men had been lost, the army of 3000 that had left Cawnpore to -relieve Lucknow had dwindled into a mere handful. There was -also a difficulty about food, for the increase in numbers caused a -demand for more provisions, and already there was a scanty supply -even for those who previously occupied the Residency.</p> - -<p>Those who have been much exposed to “fire” have often experienced -many hair-breadth escapes and singular incidents. Several -are related in connexion with the defence of Lucknow. An officer -was handing a glass of water to a companion, the glass being held -low down, when a bullet struck the glass and smashed it to pieces, -without, however, hurting either man. Three prisoners were -brought in, and were being tried by a drum-head court-martial, -when the proceedings were suddenly cut short by a round shot, -which, without ceremony, killed the three prisoners, after which -the court was dissolved.</p> - -<p>It was soon found that the sepoys, having discovered how small -a force had joined the garrison, were determined to pursue their -attack with renewed vigour, and continued the siege until the intrenchments -were deserted on the 19th of November.</p> - -<p>We in England who live at home at ease, and perform our -morning toilets with composure, can scarcely imagine the effect that -would be produced upon us by an event such as the following, -related with great coolness by a lady in her “Diary of the Siege -of Lucknow:”—</p> - -<p>“This morning an 18-pounder came through our unfortunate -room again. It broke the panel of the door, and knocked the -whole of the barricade down, upsetting everything; my dressing-table -was sent flying through the door.”</p> - -<p>When the relief had overcome the various obstacles that had -been opposed to its entrance into Lucknow, and had joined the -besieged garrison, it was found necessary to give up the Residency. -This was accomplished by a ruse, and during the night, when the -women and children, the wounded and sick, were conveyed in -safety to the Alum Bagh, thence to Allahabad, leaving Lucknow to -be dealt with by men alone.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-12.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Lieutenant Thomas Adair Butler, 1st Bengal Fusiliers, -at Lucknow.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>[241]</span></p> - -<p>It was not till early in March, 1858, that Sir Colin Campbell -appeared with a large British force before Lucknow. At this time -there were about thirty thousand Sepoys in arms in the city, besides -which there were fully fifty thousand armed volunteers and -irregulars. The commander-in-chief’s preparations had been most -ably planned and carried out. A bridge was soon thrown across -the Goomtee, with very little opposition. On the 7th of March -twenty-two guns, all of large calibre, were sent across this bridge, -and joined Sir J. Outram’s force on the opposite side. On the 8th -a decided step was made towards the capture of the city. A heavy -fire had been maintained all day on the Martinière, and Sir Colin -determined to assault it very soon.</p> - -<p>It was on this day that the officer whose exploit we this month -illustrate gained the Victoria Cross. An officer, who also gained the -Cross on the same day, had led a portion of his company against a -two-gun battery and spiked the guns; thus the most advanced -position of the troops was secure from artillery fire. It was of great -importance that the skirmishers on the opposite side of the river -should be made acquainted with this success, and Lieutenant -Thomas Adair Butler, 1st Bengal Fusiliers, swam across the -Goomtee, climbed the parapet, and remained for some time exposed -to a heavy fire of musketry. He, however, gave the information -that he wished, and was prominently mentioned by Major-General -Outram in general orders. For this act of coolness and bravery he -was allotted the Victoria Cross: an honour well deserved. There -are many men who, in the heat and excitement of action, will take -a prominent lead, and will then perform more than they would be -disposed to do in moments of calmness; but when a man swims -across a broad river in the face of an enemy, and remains by himself -exposed to a severe fire, he must indeed possess those characteristics -entitling him to be called brave.</p> - -<p>Sir Colin Campbell was well acquainted with the peculiar style of -fighting preferred by the mutineers. If behind stone walls, earthworks, -or in buildings, the rebel sepoys would remain under fire all -day. If, however, they were brought into close contact with cold -steel, their courage deserted them, and they made the best use of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>[242]</span> -their legs. In his orders for the attack on the Martinière, he -particularly insisted on the application of cold steel. “The men -employed in the attack will use nothing but the bayonet. They are -absolutely forbidden to fire a shot till the position is won.” The -description of the Highlanders’ advance is thus graphically given by -Dr. Russell:—“Our guns were now thundering away, mortars, -howitzers, and 24-pounders, at the pits, huts, and Martinière, from -which the enemy kept up an incessant fusillade of the weakest sort, -the only thing remarkable about it being its pertinacity. The time -wore on, and at last the Highlanders and Sikhs came marching from -their camp, and drew up behind the Dilkoosha. The enemy had remained -steady in their trenches under the fire of six mortars and ten -heavy guns and howitzers. But the instant they caught sight of our -bayonets, and that the lines of the Sikhs and Highlanders came in -view, we observed them, by twos and threes and groups, and at last -in masses, running and marching at the double, as fast as they could -clear out of the works, and moving to the rear, or stealing off under -cover of their parapets. We saw the Highlanders, with skirmishers -thrown out in front, advancing rapidly, without a sound in their -ranks, towards the Martinière, while the Sikhs, on their flank, agile -as panthers, ran at full speed towards the trenches, from which the -enemy, firing a few hurried shots from their muskets, were flying so -fast that not a man was left inside by the time our troops were -within two hundred yards of the Martinière. In less than ten -minutes we saw Highland bonnets among the trees in the park, and -the Sikhs rushing through the vines in the rear, looking in vain for -an enemy.”</p> - -<p>By the 19th of March the entire city was in our possession, -being thus gained after sixteen days’ fighting, counting from the -first advance of Sir Colin from the Alum Bagh. Taking all things -into consideration, the heat of the climate, the number of the -enemy, and the fact of his fighting from behind stone walls or -earthworks, this advance on and capture of Lucknow is a most -marvellous achievement, especially when we consider the small loss -that our troops suffered.</p> - -<p>Every private English soldier in India at that time was worth a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>[243]</span> -considerable sum, for his loss could not be easily replaced, and thus -a wise and prudent general had to spare his men as much as possible, -and to calculate previous to a battle whether even success -could afford to be purchased by the loss of a given number of men.</p> - -<p>When Lucknow was entered by our troops a scene was witnessed -that baffles all description. The wealth of India has ever been -known as immense, and much of this had been collected in Lucknow. -The palaces of princes and private houses of rich natives were alike -open to view, the owners having left them in the greatest haste upon -the arrival of the English conquerors. Soldiers, whose spare pay -amounted to scarcely more than a few pence per day, were able to -lay hands upon gold and silver ornaments, watches, and jewels -enough to buy a king’s ransom. In one instance a box, which was -being carelessly handled by some men, was stated by those well -informed to contain jewels to the value of one hundred thousand -pounds. Unfortunately, this fell into the hands of some one unknown, -who shortly disappeared with the box, and neither was -afterwards heard of. Camel and elephant loads of rich brocades -were carried away from the city, whilst wealth of every kind was -scattered about in wild confusion.</p> - -<p>Not only in India and England, but in all Christian countries, -the defence and capture of Lucknow caused great excitement and -interest. The massacre of upwards of eight hundred men, women, -and children at Cawnpore had sent a thrill of horror throughout -Europe at such cruelty and disregard of life, and as our forces in -India were comparatively few, it did not seem improbable that the -brave defenders of Lucknow might meet a similar fate. Thus the -encounters during the first two weeks of March, 1858, will be -remembered by all; and those who on these occasions gained the -Victoria Cross, must feel and be known as men who risked their -lives in a great and glorious cause, not only for the honour of their -name and country, but for the triumph of Christianity and mercy -over cruelty and vice.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>[244]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header6.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.<br /> -<span class="smaller">DR. HOME AND DR. BRADSHAW AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-w.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">When the gallant Havelock effected his entrance into -Lucknow on the 25th of September, 1857, a considerable -number of our wounded men who were being -conveyed in “doolies,” or hospital litters, were left behind near the -Motee Munzil under the charge of a military escort. As soon as -the army of rescue had made good its position in the Residency, -General Outram, who had assumed the command, despatched a -party of 250 men to effect a junction with Colonel Campbell, of the -90th, and to assist him in bringing in the wounded. They ultimately -succeeded in this object, but some idea of the dangers they -had to encounter may be formed from the following narrative. -The doolies containing the wounded remained during the night of -the 25th of September in the passage in front of the Motee Munzil -Palace without attracting the notice of the enemy. On the morning -of the 26th the mutineers opened fire upon them, and numbers -were killed by the shot and shells. The surgeons in charge of the -wounded behaved with the greatest coolness and courage. One of -them, an assistant-surgeon in the artillery, requested one of his -brother officers to assist him in an operation. On their way to the -spot they were exposed to a constant fire. “Well, Bartrum,” said -one of them, “I wish I could see my way out of this.” “Oh,” said -the other, “there is no danger whatever.” The words had scarcely -passed the lips of the assistant-surgeon when he was shot down. -Two minutes before he was speaking of his wife and child, and the -pleasure he would have in meeting them in the Residency. They<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>[245]</span> -were destined never to meet in this world. The position of the -wounded now became critical; they were separated from the main -body of the army by about a mile; they were surrounded on all -sides by the enemy; their only hope of safety lay in forcing their -way to the intrenched camp.</p> - -<p>Such was the opinion of Colonel Campbell, of the 90th, who had -charge of the escort. Addressing Dr. Home, whom he believed to -be the senior medical officer present, he informed him that he had -completed his arrangements for conducting the wounded to the -Residency, and requested him to take charge of the party. It was -of importance to secure the services of some one acquainted -with the <i>locale</i> to act as guide. Mr. J. B. Thornhill, a gallant -young civilian, anxious for the safety of his relative, Lieutenant -H. M. Havelock, who was still among the wounded, expressed -his readiness to perform this arduous duty, and the offer -was at once accepted by General Outram. He reached the Motee -Munzil in safety, and Dr. Home’s party prepared to start under -his guidance. Colonel Campbell informed them that after traversing -a space of about 340 yards they would no longer be -exposed to the fire of the enemy, as there was a way through the -palaces skirting the river where they would be sheltered from -attack. The military escort of 150 men was placed under the -command of Major Simmonds, of the 5th Fusiliers, one of the best -and bravest officers we have ever known. He subsequently died -of his wounds, leaving a young widow in Mauritius to deplore his -loss. No time was lost in collecting the doolies. When all was -ready a rush was made for Martin’s house, a stone building about -forty yards from where they stood. The moment they left the -gate the enemy opened fire on them from a battery across the river. -No time was lost in reaching Martin’s house, where they looked -for shelter. Their position there was as unsafe as before; the -round shot from the enemy’s battery pierced the walls of the house -in every direction. After a delay of half on hour they resumed -their dangerous march. Major Simmonds advanced in front with -the escort to clear the way, followed by the doolies in long procession. -They continued their march for two hundred yards without<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>[246]</span> -suffering any loss, till they reached a “nullah,” or pond, three or -four feet deep, through which they had to wade. Some of the -doolie-bearers and wounded were drowned or killed by the enemy’s -grape; those who succeeded in crossing reached a street where they -were partly sheltered by a high wall.</p> - -<p>Major Simmonds did all that could be done for their safety. -The gallant escort were shot down right and left, but they kept up -a steady fire and never ceased to advance. On leaving this street -the guide lost his way; instead of pursuing the path by the river -he led them into an oblong square lined on three sides with sheds, -which is now familiarly known to every resident in Lucknow as -Doolie-square. No sooner had they entered this square than the -enemy, who had posted themselves on the roofs of the sheds and -behind the walls, opened fire upon them and shot down many of -the escort and doolie-bearers. Many of the latter threw down the -doolies in despair, and no threats or entreaties on the part of the -officers in charge could induce them to take them up again. They -either fled or met their fate with stoical indifference; it was the -will of Allah, and to Allah’s will they must submit. In the -case of a few the instinct of self-preservation was stronger than -their creed; they ran the gauntlet of the enemy’s fire and escaped. -The medical officers and those who accompanied them rushed -through the square till they reached a covered archway opposite to -a corner house occupied by the enemy, who fired into them with -such destructive effect at the distance of a few yards that the same -bullet often passed through several men. If they left the archway -they were exposed to the fire of the enemy who were concealed on -the roofs of the sheds; to remain there was certain destruction.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-13.jpg" width="700" height="425" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Drs. Home and Bradshaw superintending the removal of -the wounded to the Residency at Lucknow.</p> -</div> - -<p>Mr. Thornhill, the guide, who had unwittingly brought them -into this danger, now proposed that they should retrace their steps -and turn the doolies back. This could no longer be done, as the -doolie-bearers had abandoned the wounded already in the square, -but an effort was made to prevent others from entering it. Dr. -Bradshaw and Dr. Home’s apothecary went back and persuaded the -doolie-bearers in the rear to resume their burdens and to follow -them along the path by the river which the guide had missed; in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>[247]</span> -this way they reached the Residency in safety. Poor Thornhill in -passing through the square was twice wounded; one of these -wounds proved mortal. Those who remained beneath the archway -looked out in every direction for some place of shelter. There was -no time to be lost; armed soldiers were entering the square and -murdering the helpless men in the doolies. It was a harrowing -scene, but Dr. Home never lost his coolness or presence of mind; -he stuck to the doolies as a young ensign would stick to his colours -in the hour of danger.</p> - -<p>On the right side of the archway was an open door leading into a -house; here a small party sought for shelter. It consisted of Dr. -Home, Captain Becher, of the 40th Native Infantry, Swanson, of -the 78th Highlanders, nine soldiers as yet unhurt, and three -wounded men. This small party of fifteen persons were hemmed -in on every side by the enemy; their only chance of safety lay in -holding out till assistance reached them from the Residency. It -was now about ten o’clock in the morning; they might not have -long to wait. They screened themselves as much as they could -from the fire of the rebels, who crowded round the door and might -have forced their way in had it not been for the gallant conduct of -Private Patrick McManus, of the 5th Fusiliers. This heroic Irishman -stood in the gateway as their guardian angel; ensconcing -himself behind a pillar near the door, he kept up a steady fire on -the enemy for half an hour, and thus prevented them from effecting -an entrance. His hand was so steady, his aim so certain, that -whenever he raised his piece the cowardly Sepoys fled from their -loopholes or prostrated themselves on the ground. There stood -McManus, a hero in the strife, keeping the whole multitude of the -mutineers at bay. He had not even to fire; he had only to show -his rifle, when all the cowardly wretches trembled before him—such -was the influence exercised over them by the bearing of one -undaunted man. The house at the gateway became the central -point of attack; the mutineers assembled there from all quarters, -and yelled like beasts of prey thirsting for human blood. As in -the Homeric battles, the combatants were so close that they could -revile one another. Sometimes the assailants would advance within<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>[248]</span> -twenty yards of the house. “The Feringees are cowards,” they -would say; “why do they not come into the street?”—an unreasonable -question, considering that the Feringees were only -fifteen in number and the enemy more than a thousand. On this -the redoubted McManus would show his rifle, when the cowards -became silent through abject fear. Ah, Patrick McManus, my boy, -if the mother that bare you had seen you that day, her old heart -would have been proud of you!</p> - -<p>The leader of the mutineers abused them for their cowardice. -“Come on!” he would say; “what are you afraid of? There are -only three Feringees.” On hearing this the gallant little party, -wounded and all, would give a loud shout to make the enemy -believe that they were more numerous than they really were, and -Patrick McManus would peep out from behind his pillar. They -also strengthened their position by barricading the door with -lumber and with sandbags, to form which they stripped the dead -Sepoys of their “cummerbunds,” or waistcloths. The mass of -dead bodies which had accumulated round the door served as a -barrier to prevent the mutineers from entering. On finding that -they could not force the house they directed their fire against the -wounded in the doolies, and killed about forty of them.</p> - -<p>At this moment an incident occurred which serves to prove -what sacrifices our soldiers are ready to make for officers whom -they love. In one of the doolies close to the beleaguered house -lay Captain Arnold, of the Madras Fusiliers, a gallant officer who -had been severely wounded. Among the holders of the house was -Private Ryan, of the same regiment, who resolved to make an -effort to rescue him from his dangerous position. As he could -not do this alone he called for some one to assist him, when Patrick -McManus stepped out from behind his pillar and offered to -accompany him. He was already wounded in the foot, but a -wound was nothing when danger had to be encountered. The -two brave men cleared the barricade, rushed through the gateway -amid a shower of bullets, and reached the doolie in safety. Here -they had to encounter a new difficulty. Their united strength -could not raise the doolie from the ground, so they took poor<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>[249]</span> -Arnold in their arms and bore him to the house. It is a remarkable -fact, that while the ground around them was torn with -musket-balls, and Captain Arnold received a wound in the thigh -which afterwards proved mortal, both of his deliverers escaped -unhurt. Encouraged by their success, they ventured forth a -second time and carried in a wounded soldier whose piteous cries -had excited their compassion. The result was the same as before; -they were safe, but the soldier received two mortal wounds and -died before he reached the house. Such incidents almost justify -the belief that the age of miracles has not yet passed away.</p> - -<p>During this struggle the duties that devolved on Dr. Home, the -only unwounded officer in the house, were most arduous. He had -to direct and encourage the men by his example, to dress the -wounded, and to assist in shooting down their assailants. In all -this he was ably assisted by Private Hollowell, of the 78th Highlanders, -who proved himself worthy of such a leader. When the -rebels found that they could not force an entrance, they stole -stealthily up to the window and fired through the plastered venetians. -Our men lay down on the floor; the bullets thus passed -harmlessly over them. The Sepoys then attempted to rush the -house, when Hollowell, watching his opportunity, shot down their -leader, an old man, armed with sword and shield, and dressed in -white with a red waistband. One man was now told off to fire -from each window and three from the door. Dr. Home kept watch -and ward at one of the windows with his revolver in his hand; he -could see all that was passing in the street through a hole made by -a bullet. A Sepoy crept stealthily up to the window at the distance -of three yards; the doctor shot him dead with his revolver. -Hollowell gave another his quietus, and then for a time all was still.</p> - -<p>About an hour elapsed before the attack was resumed. During -this interval the beleaguered party broke through the plaster and -took up their position in the outer room. Thus far they had made -good their defence, but a still greater danger awaited them. As -they were congratulating themselves on their success they heard a -dull, heavy, rumbling noise. Home started up and shouted, “Now, -men, or never! Let us rush out and die in the open air, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>[250]</span> -not be killed like rats in a hole. They are bringing a gun on us!” -The men were preparing to act on this advice, when they observed -that it was not a gun but a screen, moved on wheels, which the -rebels pushed up against the door. A minié rifle fired at the distance -of a few yards made no impression on it. On observing this -our men retreated into the room they had formerly occupied, while -the enemy mounted on the roof, broke through the plaster, and -threw lighted straw down upon them. The house took fire; their -position was no longer tenable, and death seemed to stare them in -the face.</p> - -<p>What were they to do? One thing was evident—they could no -longer remain in the house; the smoke and heat had become -intolerable. Raising the three most helpless and wounded in their -arms, they rushed through the back door into the open square. At -the distance of about ten yards they observed a shed on the north -side of the square and made for it. During the passage the three -wounded men were hit, and subsequently died of their wounds, -while those who carried them escaped unhurt. Among the wounded -was Lieutenant Swanson, of the 78th, whose name has been already -mentioned. They found the floor of the shed covered with dead and -dying Sepoys. This movement took the enemy by surprise; they -had expected them to issue forth by the door, and not by the way -they came; and though the little party was exposed to the fire of -at least six hundred men, none but the wounded were hit. On -rallying their forces they found that they had six men capable of -bearing arms, and four wounded able to do duty as sentries. It was -now three o’clock in the afternoon, and, though their position seemed -desperate, no one dreamed of surrendering; they knew that they -could expect no mercy from their ruthless assailants, and determined -to hold out to the last. Their position must be known to the -general; Havelock was not a man to abandon them in the hour -of danger. Could it be that his gallant little army had been -destroyed by the rebels, and that they were the last survivors? If -so, their only resource was to hold out to the last and to sell their -lives as dearly as possible.</p> - -<p>Such were the thoughts that presented themselves to the minds<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>[251]</span> -of these heroic men. No time was to be lost; the enemy was -already upon them. The shed, which was loopholed in every -direction, afforded little shelter; it had been used the day before -by the mutineers for the purpose of firing on our army. Two shots -were suddenly fired on the little party through a broken passage in -one end of the shed; a sentry was placed there to guard it against -the enemy. Such was their cowardly terror, that the presence of -one man was sufficient to ward them off. They now came creeping -stealthily up to the walls, discharged their pieces through the loopholes, -and then made off. To guard against this annoyance a -sentry was placed at every loophole; the wounded men cheerfully -did their duty the same as the others. So long as they had -remained in the house at the archway, they had been able to protect -the doolies from the attacks of the enemy, but now that they -had changed their position they could no longer afford them any -assistance. On observing this, the Sepoys came rushing through -the gate, and began to massacre the wounded men; some were -burnt alive in the doolies; others were cut to pieces by their savage -assailants. Their countrymen were saved the horror of witnessing -this spectacle, as the enemy, while engaged in this massacre, kept on -the other side of the doolies, so as to escape observation; but their -blood was chilled and their own sufferings intensified by the piercing -shrieks of the tortured men, who were now beyond the reach of all -human aid.</p> - -<p>At this moment a singular incident occurred. While the Sepoys -were passing from doolie to doolie engaged in their ruthless work, -they came to one which contained Lieutenant Knight, a wounded -officer of the 90th Regiment. A Sowar drew aside the curtain and -made a thrust at him with his sword. With that sudden energy -which is often imparted to the helpless in the hour of danger, -Knight sprang through the opening in the other side of the doolie, -and ran off in the direction of the rear-guard, pursued by the -enemy, who had witnessed his escape. He was already wounded in -the leg, but, notwithstanding this drawback, he succeeded in distancing -all his pursuers. More than fifty shots were fired at him, -two of which struck him in the legs, making three wounds in all; he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>[252]</span> -had strength, however, to continue his flight till he reached the -rear-guard, where he found himself in safety.</p> - -<p>On finding that the loopholes in the walls of the shed were -guarded, the Sepoys mounted the roof, made holes through it, and -began to fire on the party below. Though the muzzles of their -pieces were only about four feet from our men, none of the latter -were seriously wounded; in truth, the miraculous escapes that -occurred on this occasion are so numerous and surprising as to be -almost incredible, if they were not well authenticated. As the shed -was no longer tenable, they bored through the wall into the courtyard, -so as to escape for a moment from the heavy fire from the -roof. Their position was desperate; the most sanguine had almost -ceased to hope; the strongest were prostrated by hunger, heat, -anxiety, and fatigue; the wounded, parched with thirst and terror-struck -by the shrieks of the tortured, longed to escape from such -misery, and prayed for death at the hands of their countrymen. -We have heard men who shared in the horrors of this fearful scene -declare that, if they had not been restrained by Christian principle, -they would have laid violent hands on themselves, or courted death -from the bullets of the enemy.</p> - -<p>Such feelings may have sprung up in their minds as they listened -to the shrieks of the tortured, and thought of their own fate if they -fell into the hands of the enemy; but the love of life is strong, and -they continued to defend themselves. Was there no other place of -shelter than the shed they occupied? On looking out from the -courtyard they observed the rear of a large building at the distance -of thirty yards. Dr. Home and one of his party stole cautiously -out to reconnoitre; night was setting in, and the darkness -was favourable to their undertaking. They reached the building -without attracting the notice of the Sepoys, and discovered that it -was a large mosque, with an arched opening about eight feet from -the ground. By mounting on the shoulders of his companion, -Dr. Home was enabled to enter the building through this opening, -and found himself in a spacious courtyard looking into a garden. -No pious Mussulman was performing his devotions there; the place<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>[253]</span> -seemed to have been designed by Providence for their preservation; -and Dr. Home, after advancing a short distance into the mosque, -returned to the opening in the wall, and beckoned to the others to -join him. They hesitated to do so, and during this delay Dr. Home -and his companion were discovered by the enemy, who opened fire -on them from the roof of the shed, and drove them back to their -former position. Their enterprise was not altogether fruitless; -inside the mosque they had found a <i>chatty</i> of excellent water -belonging to the Sepoys—a prize at that moment far more precious -in their eyes than all the gold of Ophir or the diamonds of Golconda. -They had been biting cartridges all day; their lips were dry and -cracked with thirst; but they thought of the wounded, whose sufferings -were still more intense, and carried with them the <i>chatty</i> of -water for their relief. All partook of the reviving draught, which, -to borrow their own expressive language, “made them twice the -men they were before.” It is a common belief among physiologists -that water only increases the sufferings of those who have long been -unable to satisfy their thirst; but it was not so in this instance. It -made them twice the men they were before, and thus enabled them -to continue their resistance.</p> - -<p>Sentries were told off for the night, and every man who could -stand had to take his share of duty. Every loophole had its guardian; -owing to the length of the shed none were left unemployed. -The darkness which had now set in was favourable to our men; it -prevented the enemy on the roof from watching their movements or -observing the position they occupied, and enabled them to fire -through the roof with the additional advantage of knowing from the -sound of their feet where the Sepoys stood. On discovering this, -the latter quitted the roof, and for a time all was still; it seemed as -if they had given up the attack as hopeless. When the firing ceased, -a reaction set in after the fierce excitement of the day; the stoutest -hearts were almost appalled by a sense of their desperate condition. -They had long since ceased to hope for deliverance; they clung to -life with that instinctive feeling which leads the shipwrecked -mariner to cling to a plank, though he knows that escape is all but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>[254]</span> -impossible. If the shed was forced, their only thought was to rush -forth and sell their lives as dearly as possible. As they listened to -the shrieks of the tortured, they swore in their hearts that, come -what might, they would never fall into the hands of the enemy. -Death had lost all its bitterness; the grim king was stripped of all -his dark imagery of terror. If he had come of his own accord, they -would have welcomed him as a friend, but as Christian soldiers, -whose lives were not their own, they were bound to wait for his -coming. And all through the long, dreary hours of that night of -horror they <i>did</i> wait for him, but he came not; those who retained -their consciousness almost envied the wounded who had become -delirious. Their ammunition was almost exhausted; there only -remained about seven rounds for six men; if the enemy renewed -the attack, all would soon be over. But the enemy did <i>not</i> renew -the attack; they found it easier and safer to torture the wounded -in the doolies than to dislodge or destroy a few resolute men driven -to bay.</p> - -<p>Sleep would at times overpower them; they sank down on the -floor, but the mental tension was too great to permit them long to -rest. Their fearful position was still present to their minds, and -after a few minutes of troubled sleep, they would start to their feet -with the impression that the enemy were upon them. No enemy -appeared; on finding that it was a false alarm, they would keep -watch for a time, till, overpowered by sleep and exhaustion, they -again sank upon the floor. One desperate man proposed to his -comrades to rush forth and fight their way back to the rear-guard; -two offered to join him in the attempt; the others refused to leave -the wounded in the hands of the enemy.</p> - -<p>About two o’clock in the morning they were roused to a fresh -life by the sound of heavy firing close at hand. Their hearts leaped -to their mouths as they heard the sharp crack of the Enfield rifles -and the rush of the enemy over their heads. Hurrah! Havelock -had not forgotten them; it was their own countrymen advancing -to the rescue. The revulsion of feeling made them wild with joy; -they shouted with all their might, “Europeans! Europeans!” they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>[255]</span> -cheered them on to the attack—“Charge them! charge them! -Keep to your right!” The firing died away in the distance; in a -few minutes all was silent. They listened for the advancing tramp -of armed men, but no such sound was heard; again they gave -themselves up to despair. Any fate was preferable to further suspense; -they agreed to fight their way to the Residency or perish in -the attempt; but on creeping forward under the shadow of the -building, they observed a large body of men clustered round a fire -in the archway. Escape in that way was evidently impossible; it -would have been madness for a few starving men to attack a body -of the enemy who had just repulsed our own troops; so they crept -back to their former place of shelter. The bitterness of death was -already past; they could meet their fate with indifference. The -dreary hours passed silently on till a little after daybreak, when -they heard the sound of distant firing; it failed to rouse them from -their apathy; the hope of deliverance had died out within them. -The sound came nearer and nearer, till at length they could distinguish -the sharp crack of the Enfields, and the regular rattling -volleys which told them that their countrymen were at hand. -Ryan, the sentry, with the usual vivacity of his country, was the -first to express the feelings of his comrades; jumping up with -sudden energy, he shouted, “Oh, boys! them’s our own chaps!” -Ryan’s language was far from being elegant or correct; but their -position was too critical for weighing the niceties of speech, and we -question whether Demosthenes himself could have spoken more to -the point. Its effect was immediate and striking; those who were -prostrated by despair sprang to their feet with renewed energy, and -shouted to their deliverers to keep to the right. “Cheer together, -men,” cried Home. They cheered, and waited anxiously for the -result. They had not long to wait; a ringing cheer came back -from their countrymen, which told them that deliverance was at -hand. They had still a few charges remaining; these were expended -on the Sepoys, who were firing from the loopholes on our -men. The enemy were soon dislodged; the party of rescue forced -their way into the shed; Dr. Home received the congratulations of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>[256]</span> -his countrymen on his successful resistance, and the wounded, whom -he had defended to the last, were conducted in safety to the -Residency.</p> - -<p>When the report of their gallant conduct reached England, Home -and Bradshaw were rewarded with the Victoria Cross. Mr. Desanges -has assigned them a place in his Gallery. All who have read this -simple narrative of their heroic defence of the wounded intrusted to -their care, will admit that they were entitled to this honourable -distinction.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"> -<img src="images/footer12.jpg" width="200" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257"></a>[257]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">ROSS L. MANGLES, ESQ., V.C., BENGAL CIVIL SERVICE, ASSISTANT-MAGISTRATE -AT PATNA.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The town of Arrah, near which Mr. Mangles earned the -Cross of Valour, is about twenty-four miles from -Dinapoor, from which it is separated by the river Sone. -It is the chief place in the district of Shahabad, and when the 7th, -8th, and 40th Regiments of Bengal Native Infantry mutinied at -Dinapoor, on the 25th of July, 1865, they advanced against Arrah, -where they expected to meet with little resistance, as there were no -European troops at that station. It so happened, however, that the -chief authority was vested in Mr. Wake, the resident magistrate, -who proved himself equal to the occasion. He had not been -trained to the profession of arms, but he possessed that calm -courage and undaunted energy which most of our Indian civilians -exhibited during the mutiny, and which contributed largely to the -re-establishment of our power. Familiar with the manners and -language of the natives, he had watched the progress of events with -an anxious eye, and already foresaw the storm that was about to -break forth; as he could not avert it, he prepared to meet it like -a man. He had already warned the authorities at Calcutta that the -licentiousness of the native press must sooner or later lead to an -outbreak, and that symptoms of disaffection had already begun to -appear in his own district; but the forces at Dinapoor, consisting -of Her Majesty’s 10th Regiment, two Companies of the 37th, and -two Companies of Artillery, were deemed sufficient to overawe the -natives. They would have been so, if they had been under the -command of an efficient officer; but the major-general was an old<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258"></a>[258]</span> -man, too infirm to be able to mount his horse without assistance, and -utterly unfit to cope with the difficulty. The consequence was that -the mutineers, who might easily have been disarmed or imprisoned, -were allowed to escape, and proceeded to plunder the neighbouring -towns. There were few Europeans left in the town of Arrah; the -workmen who were employed on the railway, frightened by the -symptoms of mutiny around them, and apprehensive for their own -safety, had deserted the place in the beginning of June; but Mr. -Wake, who remained at the post of danger, induced them by his -example to return. He applied everywhere for assistance, but no -troops could be spared till the 11th of July, when he received a -small detachment of Sikh police from Patna.</p> - -<p>On the evening of the 25th of July, intelligence reached Arrah -that the native regiments at Dinapoor had mutinied, and crossed -the river Sone. There was no time to be lost; the fifteen Europeans -in Arrah had to decide at once what course they were to -pursue: in a few hours the enemy would be upon them. There -was not a single soldier in the place; the local police had fled at -the first intimation of danger; there was no fort or stronghold -where the Europeans could find refuge. No one could have -blamed them if they had consulted their safety in flight; but that -band of brave civilians scorned the idea, and resolved to remain at -their posts. Mr. Boyle, an engineer of the main-trunk railway, -was the only one amongst them who had made some preparations to -meet this emergency; he had anticipated the danger, and some -weeks before had begun to fortify with stones and timber a detached -two-storied house, about fifty feet square, which stood in the same -compound as his bungalow, and to collect a store of provisions. -Mr. Boyle’s preparations for the coming danger had been the source -of many a joke to his less thoughtful companions; but their levity -gave place to gratitude on the 26th of July, when the mutineers -were upon them. The ladies and children had already been sent -away; the fifteen civilians who remained shut themselves up in -Mr. Boyle’s house, with the fifty Sikhs of Captain Rattray’s police -battalion. Their store of provisions was limited; their only -weapons were rifles, revolvers, and hogspears; but they had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259"></a>[259]</span> -abundance of ammunition, and an indomitable courage, which -supplied every deficiency. On the morning of the 27th the mutineers -marched into the town, released the four hundred prisoners -in the gaol, and seized eighty thousand rupees which they found in -the treasury. They then concealed themselves among the trees -and buildings near Mr. Boyle’s house, where they kept up a galling -fire during the day, and invited the Sikhs to join them; but these -brave fellows had the virtue to refuse the bribes which they -offered. On the 28th they procured two small cannon, with which -they opened fire on the house, which was now riddled with balls; -but its brave defenders never dreamed of surrendering. One of -the cannon was mounted on the roof of Boyle’s bungalow, so as to -enable the mutineers to fire into the house at the distance of sixty -yards. “Nothing,” says Mr. Wake, “but the cowardice, ignorance, -and want of unanimity of our enemies prevented our fortification -from being brought down about our ears.” The gallant -defenders offered something more than a passive resistance; every -mine of the enemy was countermined; every new battery was met -by a fresh barricade. The Sikhs, inspired by the example of the -Europeans, vied with them in courage; when provisions ran short, -they sallied forth one night and brought in four sheep. One of -them was dangerously wounded; singular to relate, this was the only -casualty that happened to the little garrison; all the others escaped -with slight scratches or bruises. When the supply of water failed, -the Sikhs dug a well underneath the house, and continued their -labour till they found a spring; in short, the honours of the -defence are equally divided between them and the Europeans. For -seven days and nights the siege went on, and the gallant little band -had to defend themselves against three thousand assailants. They -looked for assistance, but they looked in vain; the authorities at -Dinapoor seemed to have left them to their fate. They might have -left their stronghold with all the honours of war; the mutineers, -weary of the siege, and almost despairing of success, were willing -to spare their lives, but all their offers were contemptuously -rejected. They would never condescend to negotiate with rebels: -they would rather fight it out to the last.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260"></a>[260]</span></p> - -<p>We must now direct attention to the steps which had been taken -for the relief of the little garrison. As we have already mentioned, -Major-General Lloyd was in command at Dinapoor; it was unfortunate -that the control of military affairs, at such a moment, -should have been vested in one who was worn out with years and -infirmities, and should have been enjoying his well-earned -pension at home. Arrah lay within his district, and it was his -duty to take measures for the relief of its gallant defenders. This -duty was peculiarly distasteful to a man whose culpable irresolution -had already led to such disastrous results, and for two days -nothing was done. Mr. Taylor, the civil magistrate at Patna, -within whose district Arrah was situated, assembled all the -European residents at his house as soon as he heard of the outbreak -at Dinapoor, and invited them to act with him in case of an -attack. This took place about one o’clock on the 25th; two hours -afterwards a distant firing announced that the mutineers were -engaged with the European forces; soon after, the report reached -Patna that they had marched off in the direction of Arrah. Mr. -Taylor at once improvised an expeditionary force of about one -hundred men, made up of Sikhs, Nujeebs, recruits, and volunteers, -and despatched it that same day in the direction of Arrah, to watch -the movements of the mutineers. Mr. Mangles, who held the -appointment of assistant-magistrate at Patna, joined this expedition -as a volunteer, and accompanied them on their march till they -were recalled by the commissioner, who had received alarming -reports from the neighbouring stations, and deemed their presence -necessary for the safety of the principal town. On the day after -the mutiny, Mr. Taylor wrote to Major-General Lloyd, urging him -to place a small body of European troops at his disposal; but the -latter refused to comply with his request, on the ground that he -had only six hundred soldiers under his command, and that he -could render no assistance. Knowing the urgency of the occasion, -Mr. Taylor resumed his application, and proposed to raise a corps -of volunteer cavalry among the officers and gentlemen of Patna and -Dinapoor, if the general would send two hundred men to co-operate -with them for the relief of Arrah.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261"></a>[261]</span></p> - -<p>The general had already made an unsuccessful attempt to rescue -the little garrison from their perilous position. He thought only of -his own safety till the 27th of July, when, feeling more reassured, -he sent a detachment of the 37th Regiment from Dinapoor toward -Arrah, for the purpose of dispersing the mutineers. The troops -embarked on board the <i>Horungotta</i> steamer, and might have reached -Arrah in a few hours, but a sort of fatality seemed to attend everything -which the general undertook. After three hours’ steaming, -the <i>Horungotta</i> ran aground, and as she could not be got off the -troops quickly returned to Dinapoor. The general was now willing -to accept Mr. Taylor’s proposal, and a second expeditionary force, -consisting of detachments of Her Majesty’s 10th, and 37th Regiments, -some native troops, and the corps of volunteer cavalry was -organized, and embarked on the evening of Tuesday, the 28th of -July, on board the steamer <i>Bombay</i>, which had arrived at Dinapoor -in her downward passage on the Ganges, and was detained for -the public service. If the defence of Arrah forms one of the brightest -episodes in the history of the Indian mutiny, the disaster which -overtook this ill-fated expedition may be regarded as one of its -gloomiest pages: it was not the mere loss of men at a critical -juncture, though that was considerable; it was the destruction for -the moment of that <i>prestige</i> which has almost invariably followed -our arms in India, and by which alone we have acquired our -ascendancy in that vast peninsula. The expedition was placed -under the command of Captain Dunbar, of the 10th Regiment. -Mr. Mangles belonged to the corps of volunteer cavalry. The -mutineers, who were cognizant of all their movements, had formed -themselves into an ambuscade, and attacked them on the night of -the 29th of July. Our soldiers fought with their usual gallantry, -but were overpowered by superior numbers, and compelled to -retreat. Captain Dunbar was killed; only a few of his men -effected a retreat to the boats; the rest were butchered by the -enemy, who gave no quarter. It was on this occasion that Mr. -Mangles distinguished himself by his humanity, and thus became -entitled to wear the Queen’s Own Cross. He had been wounded, -and would have been justified, under the circumstances, in consulting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262"></a>[262]</span> -his own safety; but his generous heart led him to think -more of others than of himself. A soldier of the 37th Regiment -had been struck down by his side; wounded himself, and weak -with the loss of blood, he was induced, from a feeling of humanity, -and without any prospect of reward, to make an effort to save his -life. If he left him in the hands of the enemy, his fate was certain; -the murderers of helpless women and children would show -no mercy: all this must have been present to his mind, as he -hurriedly bound up his wounds, careless of the murderous fire to -which he was exposed. Nor was this all. When he had dressed -his wounds, he raised him on his shoulders and carried him for -several miles, till they reached the boats in safety. When we -consider that almost the whole detachment were killed or wounded, -their escape seems to us to border on the miraculous, and no one -will question Mr. Mangles’ right to a place in Mr. Desanges’ -Gallery, or grudge him the Cross of Valour. The permanent -record of his heroic conduct and tender-hearted humanity may -stimulate others to imitate his example, and may thus exercise a -beneficial influence on the rising generation. The Victoria Cross -was awarded to Mr. Mangles in the Government <i>Gazette</i> of the 6th -of July, 1859, and Mr. Desanges’ pencil has conveyed to the minds -of thousands a more vivid conception of the act by which he gained -it, than we can expect to produce by this brief narrative.</p> - -<p>We now turn from the disaster of the 29th of July, 1857, to -relate how a second and far more successful attempt was made to -relieve the beleaguered garrison. The name of Major Vincent Eyre -will ever be associated with this event, as the instrument, in the -hands of a Higher Power, for the rescue of those who must -otherwise have perished. When the mutiny broke out, this -officer was recalled from Burwah, and embarked at Calcutta for -the Upper Provinces, on the 10th of July, having under his command -No. 3 Horse Field Battery, with the 1st Company 5th Battalion -Artillery attached. Allahabad was the rendezvous where the -different detachments of the relieving army were to assemble, and -Major Eyre reached Dinapoor on the evening of the 25th of July, -the very day when the three native regiments had broken into<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263"></a>[263]</span> -open mutiny. He lost no time in placing himself and his men at -the disposal of Major-General Lloyd, and at his request landed -three guns. Next morning these guns were re-embarked, and -Major Eyre resumed his voyage. As yet he knew nothing of the -beleaguered garrison at Arrah: he only heard of their gallant -defence on the 28th of July, on reaching Buxar, where the -greatest anxiety was felt for their safety. If he had consulted his -own feelings he would have hurried at once to their assistance; but -a sort of panic had broken out at Buxar, from the idea that the -mutineers were advancing to destroy the valuable stud property -there, and he detained the steamer till the following morning, -when, finding that there was no immediate danger, he started for -Ghazeepoor, where a weak company of the 78th Highlanders had -been stationed to overawe a half-mutinous native regiment. On -reaching that town on the afternoon of the 29th, he placed himself -in communication with Colonel Davies, of the 37th Regiment, who -was in command; and at his request landed two guns under the -charge of Lieutenant Gordon, Royal Artillery. He received in -return a detachment of twenty-five men of the 78th Highlanders -to aid him in the relief of Arrah; and the Honourable Captain -Hastings, superintendent of the stud at Buxar, who happened to be -at Ghazeepoor, volunteered to accompany him.</p> - -<p>The steamer anchored off Buxar at nine <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> on the evening of -the 29th, where Major Eyre found a detachment of 160 men of -Her Majesty’s 5th Fusiliers, who had just arrived in the <i>James -Hume</i> steamer. They were under the command of Captain -L’Estrange, a gallant young officer, who, on this and other occasions, -greatly distinguished himself. The 5th Fusiliers had been -stationed in Mauritius, and were on their way to China; on -landing at Calcutta, and hearing of the horrors of the Indian -mutiny, Lord Elgin at once placed them at the disposal of the -Governor-General, who lost no time in despatching them to the -disaffected districts. Captain L’Estrange, on learning what had -occurred at Arrah, entered warmly into Major Eyre’s projected -enterprise, and no time was lost in organizing a field force. On -the morning of the 30th, three guns and 150 men of the 5th<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264"></a>[264]</span> -Fusiliers were landed; the Highlanders would willingly have -joined them, but their presence was necessary at Ghazeepoor, -where they rejoined their company. During the day the little -army was reinforced by fourteen mounted volunteers, who were -placed under the command of Lieutenant Jackson, of the 12th -Native Infantry. Captain Hastings was appointed staff-officer of -the force: his local knowledge and unflagging energy enabled him, -in the course of a few hours, to procure the necessary carriage and -commissariat supplies. Every moment was precious; all were -eager to start; no time was lost in extricating the waggons from -the hold of the steamer; the artillery ammunition-boxes were -mounted on light carts, which were found equally serviceable. -India was not re-conquered by ordinary routine: every leader had -to exercise his own judgment, and to trust in his own fertility of -invention.</p> - -<p>At five <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> all was ready, and the little army commenced its -march. Officers and men were inspired by the same chivalrous -spirit; no knight-errant of old, hurrying to the rescue of injured -innocence, could have been more eager for the fray. Our soldiers -have their faults, but they cannot be taxed with inhumanity, or a -want of sympathy with the sufferings of others; and the gallant -defence of the little garrison had excited their sympathy as well -as their admiration. After a march of six miles, they were joined -by four elephants, which Mr. Ban, Civil Service, had induced the -Dumraon Rajah, a native prince of doubtful loyalty, to send. With -all their zeal their progress was slow: the roads were bad; the -bullocks fresh from the plough; it was daybreak before they -reached their first encampment at Nya Bhojepoor, which is only -fifteen miles from Buxar. The enemy had despatched a mounted -spy to watch their movements, but the unerring aim of one of the -volunteers closed his eyes for ever. He was recognised as one of -the confidential men of Koer Singh, the brother of the Dumraon -Rajah, who had always professed his warm attachment to the -British rule, and lived on terms of intimacy with the English -residents. He was a man of superior ability, and possessed of -great influence over the Rajpoots of Shahabad; but his affairs<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265"></a>[265]</span> -were embarrassed, and his large estates heavily mortgaged. It -was owing to this circumstance, and Brahminical influence, that he -proved a traitor to our cause, and placed himself at the head of -the mutineers at Dinapoor, who proclaimed him King of Shahabad. -It was he who instigated them to revolt, and furnished them with -boats to cross the river to Arrah, where he was now conducting -the siege in person. The death of the spy prevented him from -obtaining the information he so much desired.</p> - -<p>The little army halted at their first encampment till the hottest -part of the day was over; at four <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> they resumed their march, and -on the morning of the following day, the 1st of August, they -reached the village of Shahpoor, where they received letters from -Buxar, conveying the first intelligence of the destruction of Captain -Dunbar’s expeditionary force by the mutineers, who had entrapped -them into an ambuscade. They learned, at the same time, that several -of the bridges between Shahpoor and Arrah had been destroyed by -the enemy in order to impede their progress; but the gallant little -band, though far inferior in numbers to the detachment which had -been cut off, resolved to proceed at all hazards. No time was lost; -no fear or anxiety was expressed; at two <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> they were already on -the march. After advancing about four miles, they found a party -of hostile villagers in the very act of destroying one of the bridges -they had to cross, and an hour was lost in repairing it. They -continued to advance without further interruption till darkness -closed upon them, when they bivouacked for the night: a party of -fifty of the 5th Fusiliers was sent forward to guard a bridge leading -to the native village near which they were encamped. Meanwhile a -party of mutineers had advanced from Arrah, and taken up their -position in a thick, extensive wood about a mile from the village, -with the intention of attacking them unawares, and cutting them off -as they had done in the case of the other rescuing party. The -line of march lay directly through this wood, which extended -on either flank. At daybreak, when they were close upon it, they -heard bugles sounding the assembly, and knew that the rebels were -at hand. Major Eyre was too prudent to neglect the warning -which the enemy had thus inadvertently given, and halted his force<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266"></a>[266]</span> -to reconnoitre. The enemy now appeared in overwhelming numbers, -and extended themselves along the wood on either flank, with -the evident intention of hemming in and destroying the little band -opposed to them. On perceiving this, Major Eyre drew up his -forces on the open plain to the right of the road, in the hope that -the enemy would venture forth to attack him, and opened fire on -them to the front and flanks with the three guns. They had not -the courage to attack him openly, but sought shelter behind the -broken ground between the two positions, where they could fire at -our men with comparative safety. On this Major Eyre sent forward -a party of skirmishers of the 5th Fusiliers to draw them from -their positions, and, after a brief resistance, they fell back upon the -wood where they had spent the night. The road, as we have -already mentioned, lay directly through the middle of this wood, -and Major Eyre concentrated his fire upon it with the view of -forcing a passage. The enemy dispersed themselves right and left, -leaving the road clear, the baggage and guns were moved forward -under cover of the Enfield rifles, and our gallant little army pushed -through the wood before the enemy had time to close their divided -wings or renew the attack.</p> - -<p>Having failed in this their first attempt to intercept the army of -rescue, the mutineers fell back upon a village about two miles -ahead, where they destroyed a bridge, and took up a strong position -among the houses. Our men continued to advance along the -road, which was a sort of elevated causeway with partially inundated -paddy-fields on either side, till they were within a short -distance of the bridge, when Major Eyre halted for refreshment, -and sent out scouts to search for a ford across the river. During -the engagement in the wood, the four elephants sent by Dumraon -Rajah, after disembarrassing themselves of the soldiers’ great coats -and bedding with which they were loaded, went over to the enemy; -it seemed almost as if they were possessed with the same spirit of -disaffection as their master. The scouts returned without having -discovered a ford, and Major Eyre diverged from his line of march -toward the nearest point of the railway, which was only about a -mile from the village. While the infantry and baggage pushed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267"></a>[267]</span> -forward in this direction, the guns opened fire on the enemy, for -the purpose of distracting their attention from this movement. -This ruse succeeded for a time, but as soon as the enemy discovered -that our men had changed their line of march, they advanced in -great strength to intercept them at the angle of a wood close to the -railway. The two armies pursued a parallel course on the opposite -sides of the stream till they reached the railway, when Major Eyre -attempted to dislodge the enemy from their position in the wood. -Greatly superior in numbers, and sheltered by the cover of the -wood, the mutineers fought with every advantage on their side; -twice they rushed forward to seize our guns, which, in the heat of -combat, were almost deserted; twice they were driven back by -showers of grape. Pressed by superior numbers, and encircled by -a wall of fire, the brave Fusiliers began to lose ground; it was one -of those critical moments when all depends on the decision of one -man. If Major Eyre had hesitated for a moment, the garrison at -Arrah would have resisted in vain, and another disaster overtaken -our arms; but he proved himself equal to the occasion. He knew -that the British bayonet, wielded by manly British arms, has often -turned back the tide of victory, and retrieved the honours of the -day; when he gave the word “Charge!” the Fusiliers cleared the -stream with a ringing cheer; at a single bound they were in the -midst of the enemy, dealing death on every side. The mutineers -were twenty times their number; but though they had been a -thousand times stronger the result would have been the same: -they have never been able to sustain a hand-to-hand combat with -the fierce Feringees. Panic-struck by the sudden attack, they -broke and fell back in the greatest confusion, while long lines were -opened through the retreating mass by the crushing fire of our -artillery. In a few moments all was over; the victory was complete; -the ground was strewn with dead and dying; but not one of -the five thousand, who an hour before threatened our little army -with destruction, now stood up to oppose their passage. Our -soldiers obtained the victory, but they fought for something more; -they thought of the beleaguered garrison at Arrah, of their gallant -and long-protracted resistance, of the fearful fate that awaited them<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268"></a>[268]</span> -if they suffered a repulse; all their hearts throbbed with such -thoughts as they bounded across the stream with levelled bayonets, -and carried everything before them. After these defeats at the -railway the mutineers fled precipitately to Arrah, where they had -barely time to remove part of their plunder to the jungle when the -victorious little army marched into the town.</p> - -<p>They did not arrive a moment too soon; the house, so gallantly -defended for seven days and nights by sixteen Europeans and fifty -Sikhs against three regiments of mutineers and Koer Singh’s levies, -was found to be so effectually ruined, that a few hours’ delay must -have completed its destruction. The deliverance of the little garrison -from the worst of fates was little short of miraculous, and we -can trace the working of a Higher Power in arranging the different -steps by which that deliverance was effected. A leader less resolute -and energetic than Major Eyre would have quailed before the -difficulties and dangers that opposed his progress; nothing but -their own unflinching fortitude could have enabled the little garrison -to hold out so long. For more than a week they were -harassed by the fire of the enemy, which was so close and continuous -that not a loophole could be approached with safety, and -yet they inflicted far more loss on their assailants than they suffered -themselves. Only one of them was severely wounded, while no -less than fifty or sixty of the enemy are believed to have fallen. -This result is to be attributed to the precautions they used for their -own protection, and their superior skill in the use of the rifle: the -unerring aim of Mr. Littledale, a civilian, inspired the mutineers -with a salutary dread, and drove them to seek shelter behind every -available corner. The defence of Arrah must ever occupy a conspicuous -place in the annals of the Indian mutiny.</p> - -<p>A week was spent in restoring the country around Arrah to -order; martial law was proclaimed; the people were disarmed; -about thirty wounded Sepoys, and several native officials who had -aided the mutineers, were hanged. Meanwhile Major Eyre had -applied to the authorities at Dinapoor for some reinforcements to -enable him to follow up his victory, and on the 8th of August a -detachment of two hundred men of the 10th Regiment, under the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269"></a>[269]</span> -command of Captain Patterson, arrived at Arrah. This regiment -had suffered severely on the occasion when Mr. Mangles so greatly -distinguished himself, and the men were burning with the desire -to avenge their comrades, and obliterate the remembrance of that -disaster. Major Eyre was not the man to balk them in their purpose; -he resolved to lead them at once against Judgespoor, the -stronghold of Koer Singh, where he and the mutineers had taken -shelter. He was joined by eight of the garrison of Arrah, and the -fifty Sikhs who had shared in the defence under the command of -Mr. Wake, and by a further reinforcement of one hundred of -Rattray’s Sikhs, under Lieutenants Roberts and Powers. The attack -on Judgespoor was generally considered to be a dangerous, if -not a desperate undertaking, but at two <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> on the 11th of August, -Major Eyre marched forth from Arrah with the certainty of -victory.</p> - -<p>After a march of eight miles they reached an open plain, where -they bivouacked for the night. The following morning they -resumed their march, and found the road more difficult as they -advanced. At ten o’clock they halted an hour for refreshment. Two -miles farther on they came in sight of the enemy, who had taken -up a strong position in the belt of jungle surrounding Judgespoor, -with a river in their front. In their centre was the town of -Dulloor, before which some breastworks had been raised; between -it and our army was a native village, occupied by an advanced -picket, which soon retired before the fire of our skirmishers. The -mutineers lay so close in the jungle and broken ground as to -be almost invisible; but a few discharges of grape made them -shift their position more to the right. Now was the time for the -10th to wipe out the remembrance of the ambuscade, and such was -their impatience that almost before the order to charge could reach -them they rushed forward with a cheer, and charged to within -sixty yards of the enemy, who broke and fled for refuge to the -town of Dulloor, and the adjacent jungle. Meanwhile their left -and centre had been repulsed by the detachment of the 5th Fusiliers -under Captains L’Estrange and Scott, who now took part in the -pursuit.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_270"></a>[270]</span></p> - -<p>During the engagement Koer Singh’s irregular lines on the left -had moved round, and were threatening our right wing under -cover of the jungle and broken ground, but they were checked by -the fire of the Sikhs and volunteer yeomanry, and of a howitzer -under the skilful management of Staff-Sergeant Melville, Royal -Artillery. After an hour’s resistance the whole body of the enemy -fell back on Judgespoor, pursued by our men, who captured -two guns during their flight, and followed them up to the walls -of the stronghold, which consisted of an extensive mass of -buildings, protected by lofty walls with loopholes for musketry, -and capable of offering a protracted resistance if properly defended. -The mutineers were seized with such a panic that they offered no -resistance, and our men entered Koer Singh’s fortress in triumph -at one <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span>, where they found ample accommodation and refreshment -after their rapid march. Koer Singh had evacuated his -stronghold only one hour before the triumphant entry of our men, -and fled in the direction of Jutoorah, seven miles to the south, -where he had another fortified residence in the jungle. He was -pursued by eighty men of the 5th Fusiliers, under Captain -L’Estrange, and the Volunteer Yeomanry, who, on reaching Jutoorah, -found that he had continued his flight towards Sasseram with -the remains of the 40th Regiment of Native Infantry, who alone -of all the rebel army still continued to share his fortunes. Captain -L’Estrange not having sufficient forces to follow up the pursuit, -contented himself with destroying the place, and then returned to -Judgespoor. Our troops found abundance of provisions there; -the stores of grain alone would have sustained twenty thousand -men for six months; they were distributed among the starving -villagers, who had been plundered by Koer Singh and his followers. -At two <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> on the 15th of August, Judgespoor was -evacuated, and the stronghold, including a new Hindoo temple, -on which large sums had been expended, was blown into the air. -Major Eyre then advanced as far as Peeroo in pursuit of Koer Singh, -when he received instructions from Sir James Outram to return to -Arrah, and to join the force which was now on its march for the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_271"></a>[271]</span> -relief of Lucknow. Major Eyre’s battery and the detachment of -the 5th Fusiliers shared in all the honours and dangers of that -successful enterprise, and suffered severely while forcing their way -into the town. The gallant L’Estrange, whose name has occurred -so often in the course of this narrative, and who was known to us -as a young officer of superior intellect and studious habits, was -mortally wounded; three of his brother officers shared the same -fate. Mr. Mangles still survives to enjoy the reward which he -earned by his courage and humanity.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer13.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_272"></a>[272]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header9.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">CAPTAIN HENRY EVELYN WOOD, 17TH LANCERS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-n.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">No young officer in the service has had greater opportunities -of distinguishing himself than Captain Wood, or -earned a better title to the distinction of the Victoria -Cross. He is a son of Sir John Page Wood, Bart., of Rivenhall-place, -near Witham, Essex, and a nephew of Sir W. Page Wood, -Vice-Chancellor of England. Our readers, on reading this simple -record of his numerous acts of bravery, will be surprised to learn -that he has not yet completed his twenty-eighth year; in truth, -his name became familiar to the world at a period when most -boys of his age and position are still seated on the benches at Eton, -mastering the intricacies of the Latin grammar and reading of the -deeds which similar heroes in ancient times performed. He was -intended at first for the sister branch of the service, and entered -the navy as a midshipman. During the Crimean War he had an -opportunity of serving on board H.M.S. <i>Leander</i>, under the command -of the gallant and much lamented Sir William Peel, who -had the rare faculty of inspiring all around him with the same -heroic spirit by which he himself was animated. Henry Evelyn -Wood soon secured the confidence and won the admiration of the -captain of the <i>Leander</i>, whom we find writing to Sir John Page -Wood, on the 18th of April, 1855, in the following terms:—“You -will be glad to hear that not only has your son shown the most -beautiful courage in battery, but his conduct and his manners are -as exemplary as his courage.”</p> - -<p>Such tributes of praise are the most precious reward of parents<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_273"></a>[273]</span> -whose sons are fighting the battles of their country. Our young -hero had soon an opportunity of justifying, in the eyes of the public, -the praises bestowed upon him by his leader, to whom, at his own -request, he was appointed aide-de-camp—no mere honorary appointment, -as the sequel will show. On the 18th of June an attack -was made on the Redan, and young Wood, who was foremost in -the fray, was wounded by a grape-shot in the arm. Such a wound -would have placed most men <i>hors de combat</i>, but the young sailor -thought only of his duty. With the huge grape-shot protruding -from his arm, he assisted in placing one of the scaling ladders -against the walls of the Redan, and continued on the scene of -combat throughout the day. His gallant conduct and patient -endurance of physical suffering excited the admiration of all who -took part in this affair, and called forth the warmest approval of -our leaders in the Crimea. The following day Sir Stephen Lushington -wrote to his uncle, Captain Mitchell, R.N.:—“You will be -sorry to hear that your young nephew, Wood, has been wounded in -the arm by a grape-shot. The shot struck the bone obliquely, and -was cut out when he got into camp. I saw him in the trenches, and -he bore it like a hero. He was Peel’s aide-de-camp, and Peel endeavoured -to keep the boy from the murderous fire into which they -plunged with the scaling ladders; but he would take no refusal, -and went out with the rest. Wood will be at Razatch to-day, in -Lord Raglan’s carriage.”</p> - -<p>Lord Raglan knew how to appreciate such conduct: not satisfied -with placing his carriage at the disposal of the wounded sailor, he -thus marked his sense of approval in one of his despatches:—“Amongst -those who greatly distinguished themselves were Captain -Peel, Mr. Daniels, and Mr. Wood.” Official etiquette prevented -Lord Raglan from alluding more particularly to Wood’s conduct -in a public despatch, but on the 21st of June he wrote the following -kind note to Captain Mitchell:—“I am very glad to have had the -opportunity of being in any, the smallest degree, useful to your -nephew, Mr. H. E. Wood, whose distinguished career cannot fail to -enlist everybody in his favour. I am rejoiced to hear that he is -going on well. I am assured that the bone is not injured.” It was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_274"></a>[274]</span> -by such little acts of kindness that Lord Raglan endeared himself to -all who had the honour of serving under him, and such tributes of -praise are naturally cherished by their relations as the most precious -relics.</p> - -<p>Nor was Sir William Peel backward in testifying to the distinguished -valour of his gallant aide-de-camp. Writing to his brother, -Frederick Peel, Esq., M.P., on the same occasion, he says:—“Would -you let Sir Page Wood know that his gallant son behaved -with extreme intrepidity? He was, or is, my aide-de-camp, and -received a severe wound from a grape-shot, but will not lose his -arm. I can assure you I thought more of that boy than of anything -else, and tried in vain to plead some excuse for getting him -out of the way, but he would be my aide-de-camp, and it would -have been a worse blow to have denied him. Thank God he is -safe, and it was such a relief to me.” This letter gives us a keen -insight into the character of both. No one can read of the ardent -impatience of the young sailor-boy to share in the dangers of the -field, the reluctant consent wrung from Peel by his importunity, -the consciousness of the latter that a refusal would have been more -keenly felt than the wound itself, his anxiety about his safety -throughout the day, and his gratitude to God for the preservation -of his life, without feeling that the most heroic courage is often -accompanied by an almost feminine tenderness of heart. We -admire Peel for his bravery shown on many a battle-field, but we -love his memory for the care with which he watched over the -sailor-boy placed under his charge on the 18th of June, and the -joy he felt and expressed on finding that his wound was not mortal.</p> - -<p>Others besides Peel testified to his gallant bearing on this occasion. -Sir Stephen Lushington, Commander of the Naval Brigade, -writes:—“I can strongly recommend this young officer for his -gallantry and good conduct during the whole time he was under my -command. He was severely wounded on the 18th of June, when -conveying the ladders.” Lord Lyons also thus alludes to him in a -speech which he made at the Mansion House:—“Nothing in the -annals of chivalry contains a brighter instance of devotion than -was exhibited by Captain Peel and his aides-de-camp, one of whom,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_275"></a>[275]</span> -Mr. Wood, when wounded placed the scaling-ladders against the -walls of the Redan.” On the 6th of September, 1855, Captain Peel -addressed the following letter to Sir John Page Wood:—“Your son -was only known to me through his gallant behaviour. On the 17th -of October he volunteered, with Mr. Daniels, my other aide-de-camp, -to bring up powder from the rear, through a fire which -daunted others; and the spirit he showed on that occasion was not -exceptional, but was maintained throughout. It was the more -noble as there were no spectators. The names of these two heroes -are known through the whole army; and I almost thought it inconvenient -having two such spirits around me. I trust his wound is -doing well. It must be very tedious and painful.”</p> - -<p>Owing to the severe wound he had received at the attack on the -Redan, Wood was obliged to return to England to recruit his -health. For reasons which need not now be specified, he was -induced to transfer his services from the navy to the army, and in -September, 1855, he received his commission as a cornet in the -13th Light Dragoons. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty -testified the value of his services in the navy, and their secretary, -Mr. Phinn, addressed the following letter to his father in their -name:—“In accepting the resignation of your son, Mr. H. E. -Wood, I am to express their Lordships’ regret that so gallant an -officer is lost to the naval service.” It might have been expected -that Mr. Wood’s gallantry at the Redan would have been at once -rewarded with the Victoria Cross; in the age of chivalry many -knights had earned their spurs by less heroic deeds. But our -young hero had yet to wait for years, and to perform still more -daring deeds of valour, before his claim to wear the symbol of his -sovereign’s favour upon his breast was recognised. He had not yet -completed his eighteenth year, and it may be that his youth stood -in the way of his obtaining this honourable distinction. Be that as -it may, it formed no obstacle to his being enrolled in the Legion of -Honour, and an effort was made by those who knew how to appreciate -his gallantry to procure for him the Cross. Sir Stephen -Lushington forwarded his name, and wrote to him:—“I still hope -to see the Victoria Cross on your breast.” Admiral Richards, one<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_276"></a>[276]</span> -of the Lords of the Admiralty, supported his claims, and was so -sanguine of success, that he wrote to his father as follows:—“You -may rely upon it that none of <i>his class can be recommended for the -Cross of Valour without your brave boy being one</i>. His is now a -world-wide fame, and requires no certificates, no testimonials, to -bolster it up. It is difficult to imagine <i>what</i> kind of naval merit -can include if his excludes.”</p> - -<p>Our readers will experience the same difficulty in discovering -the grounds on which Mr. Wood’s claim was disallowed, and his -name omitted from the list of those who received the Cross of -Valour. Political considerations ought to have no influence in -deciding the claims of those who aspire to this honour; where all -are equally brave, all ought to be equally rewarded. But it was -not so in this case. It was in vain that his friends remonstrated, -and Sir Stephen Lushington wrote thus strongly in his favour:—“It -is still my opinion that Mr. Wood deserves the Victoria Cross -as much as any one that I recommended at the same time, not -excepting his gallant chief, the late Sir William Peel; and it will -afford me much pleasure to hear that he has received the much-desired -honour.... He was one of the first officers I recommended -for it, and certainly one of the most gallant in the Naval -Brigade.” The writer of this letter went even so far as to remonstrate -with the authorities on the omission of Mr. Wood’s -name, but all this led to nothing; and our young hero, tired of -inaction, and longing for other opportunities of distinction, exchanged -into the 17th Lancers, and embarked for India.</p> - -<p>His indefatigable perseverance in mastering the native languages, -aided by the high character he had already attained in the field, -soon procured for him the favourable notice of his superiors in -India. After a residence of one year and nine months, thirteen of -which were spent in fighting and hard marching in pursuit of the -rebels, Lieutenant Wood passed the examination for interpreter -in Hindostani, thus justifying Sir Joshua Reynolds’s remark, that -genius is only another name for perseverance. Young men of -Wood’s indomitable courage and perseverance must ultimately -attain to distinction in any career; the world may be careless at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_277"></a>[277]</span> -first, but it cannot always ignore their claims. We have the -testimony of a distinguished Indian officer, Major-General Beatson, -that, after a residence of eighteen months, he already knew more of -the native languages than most officers who had spent ten years in -India. The continuance of the rebellion afforded him opportunities -of proving that intellectual effort is not incompatible with the -highest courage. During the action at Sindwaho, he greatly -distinguished himself. Owing to the paucity of officers in the 3rd -Bombay Cavalry, he had volunteers to command, a troop of the -3rd Light Cavalry, during the campaign; and in the hottest of the -fight he rode up almost single-handed and attacked a body of -the enemy. His gallantry on this occasion was recognised by His -Excellency the Governor-General of India, whose attention had -been directed to it by Lieutenant-Colonel Curtis, 1st Bombay -Lancers, and Colonel De Salis. He had continued to act as -brigade major to Brigadier Somerset, and on the breaking up of -the field brigade under his command, the latter recommended -him in the strongest terms to the favourable notice of the -Assistant-Adjutant-General. Some idea may be formed of the -value of Lieutenant Wood’s services at this period, from the -following extract from Brigadier Somerset’s letter:—“It only -remains for me to say, that, in the various duties which have -devolved upon Lieutenant Wood, as my only staff officer, while -under my command he has shown the most unwearied zeal, -particularly on occasion of the rapid pursuit of the enemy—calling -for the utmost exertion from all—especially from one whose position -did not admit of his taking advantage of a few short hours -that others had for rest—as well as the highest intelligence and -facility for the management of native Indians, quite unusual in one -so recently arrived in this country.”</p> - -<p>Brigadier Somerset concluded by recommending him for employment -upon the staff of the army, or with native cavalry; and -this recommendation was not without its immediate effect. In -times of peace such appointments are usually given to those who -are backed by the strongest influences; but such are the exigencies -of the service during the prevalence of war, that merit cannot be<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_278"></a>[278]</span> -altogether overlooked. A general, in the selection of his staff, -consults only his own interests in striving to have the right man -in the right place. General Michel at once appointed him to the -command of a troop of irregular cavalry, and in August, 1859, he -was acting as Brigade Major under General Beatson, who thus -alludes to his abilities in the command of native troops:—“In this -officer I have a strong proof that it is not having passed a long -time with native troops which alone renders an officer fit for -irregular cavalry. Lieutenant Wood’s knowledge of his duties as -a cavalry officer, his zeal and energy in all situations, render him -more valuable as a staff officer with irregular troops than most -officers I have met with in India, who have been all the period of -their service with native corps.... He has all the qualifications -of a first-rate soldier, in addition to the highest principles of a -gentleman.”</p> - -<p>Lieutenant Wood’s services in the Crimea and India were of such -a nature that they could not be altogether forgotten, and though -they were overlooked for the moment, circumstances eventually -occurred which brought them fresh to the remembrance of the -public, and enabled him to secure that honourable distinction to -which he had never ceased to aspire. At the commencement of -the year 1860 the Indian mutineers, disheartened by repeated -reverses in the field, broke up into detached parties, and concealing -themselves in the jungle, endeavoured to protract the contest by -plundering the inhabitants of the surrounding districts. Among -those who had suffered most from their depredations was a potail -of the name of Chemmum Singh, who resided in the vicinity of the -jungles between Beora and Muksudnugger. The rebels who had -taken refuge there committed frequent depredations in the Barseah -district, and though frequently attacked by different parties had -always contrived to escape. Chemmum Singh, whose loyalty was -doubtless intensified by personal loss, was naturally anxious to get -rid of such unpleasant neighbours, and made known their movements -to the commander of the district. Intelligence of this reached -the ears of the rebels, who resolved to have their revenge. -Issuing forth at night, they seized the unfortunate potail and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_279"></a>[279]</span> -carried him and his relations off to the jungle, with the intention -of reviving that species of trial which, in the old Border warfare, -was known as Jedburgh or Jeddart justice. They meant to hang -him first, and try him afterwards.</p> - -<p>It would have fared ill with the poor potail if it had not so -happened that Lieutenant Wood arrived at this juncture, after a -long march, at Sindhora, the post where his regiment was stationed. -Though worn out with his long march, he no sooner heard of what -had happened than he resolved at once to attempt a rescue. -Hastily collecting a Duffadar and four Sowars of his own regiment, -and a Naick and six Sepoys of the Bareilly levy, he started with -this small body of men in search of the rebels. He knew that -success depended not so much on the numbers as the courage of -his men, and forced his way into the jungle in the direction where -the rebels were supposed to be concealed. After proceeding -twelve miles from Sindhora, without perceiving any traces of the -enemy, his practised eye detected the glare of a fire in a dense part -of the jungle. He at once suspected that this had been kindled by -the robbers whose lurking-place he was trying to discover, and -made up his mind to attack them before they were aware of his -presence. He dismounted, and leaving three Sowars to take charge of -the horses, advanced through the jungle on foot with the other two -of his party. For three miles they crept through the dense bush, -using every precaution so as not to attract the notice or excite the -alarm of the robbers. At length their perseverance was rewarded: at -one o’clock <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> Lieutenant Wood witnessed a <i>tableau vivant</i> in the -dense jungle of Sindhora, which he is not likely ever to forget. -There, in the midst of the bush, at the distance of twenty-six feet -from the place where the party of rescue lay concealed, were the -whole of the robbers, stretched on the ground, and fast asleep, some -five of their number, who kept drowsy watch over their comrades, -and the unfortunate potail, who was waiting his doom with all the -calm indifference of Oriental fatalism. They were roused up in a -manner they little expected. The party of rescue fired a volley; -and Lieutenant Wood rushed forward into the nullah amongst the -rebels, followed by the Duffadar and Sowar of his regiment. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_280"></a>[280]</span> -latter, inspired by his example, followed him into the thickest of -the danger; but the Naick and six Sepoys of the Bareilly levy -consulted their safety by remaining in the rear. If he had been -properly supported, the whole body of the rebels might have been -killed or captured; as it was, they were seized with a panic and -fled into the jungle, leaving their arms and several of their comrades -who had fallen, behind. Thus one brave man, with two -native followers, routed and put to flight a body of seventy rebels, -who were well armed and familiar with the country. While such -a deed may not be altogether unrivalled in the annals of the suppression -of the Indian Mutiny—a period when our countrymen -seem to have vied with one another in the display of the most -daring courage—it may at least be affirmed that it has never been -surpassed, or accompanied with more excellent effect. The band of -robbers, routed and put to flight, never ventured to return to the -scene of their former depredation, and the inhabitants of the surrounding -country were indebted to Lieutenant Wood for the safety -of their lives and property. Chemmum Singh and his relatives -were restored to liberty, and the party of rescue having accomplished -the object of their expedition, returned to Sindhora. -Lieutenant Wood’s services on this occasion were honourably -mentioned in a despatch by Colonel Sir Richmond Shakespeare, -and gratefully acknowledged by the Governor-General of India.</p> - -<p>It might have been expected that such distinguished conduct, on -repeated occasions, would now have secured for this gallant young -officer that Cross of Valour which had ever been to him an object -of honourable ambition. Fresh difficulties, however, arose, and -the authorities at home were slow to recognise his claims. General -Sir J. Michel, who had ever taken a warm interest in his career, -and had the best opportunities of studying his character, had -already, in April, 1859, addressed a letter to the chief of the staff, -recommending Lieutenant Wood to his favourable notice. By the -regulations of the service, he was precluded from general promotion; -but Sir John Michel recommended him for a brevet majority, -as soon as he should obtain the rank of captain. “His services -under my command,” writes Sir John, “are as follows:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_281"></a>[281]</span></p> - -<p>“On marching from Mhow, in August, 1858, the left wing, 3rd -Bombay Cavalry, being deficient in officers, he volunteered to take -charge of a squadron, and whilst in command was present at the -actions of Raggurh, where his squadron did excellent service; he -also commanded these men at the actions of Sindwaho and -Kerai.</p> - -<p>“On the formation of a light column under Lieutenant-Colonel -Benson, on the 8th of November, 1858, he was named staff -officer, and was present at the different rapid pursuits under Colonel -Benson and Colonel Somerset, and present at the fight of Baroda, -1st of January.</p> - -<p>“His extraordinary activity, zeal, energy, and judgment, together -with his utility, from having rapidly passed in the Hindostani -language, combine to render him a most valuable officer, and one -whose services deserve reward, and whose promotion would be an -advantage to the service.</p> - -<p>“This young officer’s career has been so brilliant, that I trust I -may be permitted to attach to this letter a former memorial of his -in reference to the Victoria Cross, that his lordship may be able to -judge of his antecedents.”</p> - -<p>The important services enumerated above were performed previous -to the successful attack on the band of robbers. After this -brilliant affair, Sir J. Michel again intervened in his favour, but -without success, as we learn from the following note addressed by -him to Lieutenant Wood:—</p> - -<p>“You are doomed to be, in respect to the Victoria Cross, unlucky.</p> - -<p>“However, go on as you are doing, and your steady good -conduct and gallant bearing will eventually bring fruit.</p> - -<p>“Recollect, in your military career, as long as I hear well of -you, of which I have no doubt, you will always find me a sincere -friend.</p> - -<p>“I will never apply to any one to do anything for you as a -favour, but with the strength of my position will support your -wishes, on the grounds of your merits and your services.”</p> - -<p>Circumstances occurred in 1860 which induced Lieutenant<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_282"></a>[282]</span> -Wood to resign his appointment in the Indian service. It is not -our intention to dwell upon the causes which led him to abandon -the field of labour in which he had so greatly distinguished himself. -It may be sufficient to mention, that he had threatened a -treacherous rajah with arrest, and this incurred the censure of his -former chief, Sir R. Shakespeare. Every one acquainted with the -facts of the case will admit, that if he erred it was an error of -judgment, springing from excess of zeal for the public service, and -therefore deserving to be leniently dealt with. Censure proceeding -from such a quarter deeply wounded his highly sensitive spirit, -and, notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he retired -from the Indian service, and prepared to return to England. His -departure elicited the sincerest expressions of regret, and the -most cordial recognition of his services from those who had -witnessed his brilliant career. Major Mayne, the well-known -commander of Mayne’s Horse, whose painful duty it had been to -convey to him the censure of Sir R. Shakespeare, wrote to the -latter, on the 7th of August, 1860, as follows:—</p> - -<p>“Lieutenant Wood has, in consequence, sent in his resignation -of his appointment, which I forward for your consideration. I -have remonstrated with Lieutenant Wood, but he is too discouraged -to remain under present circumstances.</p> - -<p>“I greatly regret that there has been cause for his incurring your -censures, but it is my duty to report to you the essential services -that this officer has rendered since he joined me, in carrying out the -harassing details of organizing the second corps of my horse: his -unwearied energy; his close attention to details; his admirable -temper; his strict discipline; the physical activity he daily exerts -to teach his men the use of arms and horses; his unceasing intercourse -with his officers and men; his unremitting endeavours to -make himself thoroughly acquainted with their habits and language; -his disregard of self and personal trouble, and the critical -knowledge he has obtained of his profession, form a very long list -of high qualifications.</p> - -<p>“But I have daily noticed them with intense satisfaction—I may<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_283"></a>[283]</span> -say hourly—for from where I write I can see—hardly avoid observing—all -that passes at Lieutenant Wood’s quarters.</p> - -<p>“I have never yet met with an officer of Lieutenant Wood’s age -(not yet twenty-three years) who gave higher promise of making a -brilliant soldier. His whole heart and soul are in his work, and he -is an impersonation of Sir Charles Napier’s <i>beau idéal</i> of an Irregular -horseman, for he is intent on his duty in eating, drinking, -and sleeping, while his gallantry and devotedness in the field -have won for him the recorded praise of Lord Raglan, Sir William -Peel, and all who knew him in the Crimea, where he was recommended -for the Victoria Cross, and all under whom he has served -in India.... Lieutenant Wood is much loved in the brigade, -and I consider his resignation as a loss to the public service.”</p> - -<p>Major Mayne also recorded his sense of his merits in Brigade -Orders, and such proofs of esteem must have been soothing to his -spirit as he bade adieu to the shores of India. That he did so -with sorrow the reader will readily imagine; no one can renounce -the prospect of a brilliant career without regret. Kind and appreciating -friends were waiting to welcome him to his native shore; -home, with all its endearing ties, was waiting his return; and yet, -even at the last hour, he turned a longing eye to the scene of his -former labours, and began to think of accepting employment in the -Indian service at some future period. On the 4th of October, 1860, -immediately before embarking for England, he wrote to Colonel -Travers, Commanding Central India Force, requesting him to keep -him in view if a vacancy should occur, and stating that he would -rather command the 1st or 2nd corps, on the present system, than -any other regiment. This letter produced a kind reply from -Colonel Travers, who expressed the warmest admiration of his -qualifications as an officer, and promised to place him in command -of the first cavalry regiment where a vacancy occurred, provided -that he could do so without injustice to others. Satisfied with this -assurance our young hero set out for England, where he found -that fame had preceded him, and won for him the tardy recognition -of his services. In truth, the Victoria Cross had been awarded to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_284"></a>[284]</span> -him before he left India, though he only learned this on reaching -England. In the <i>Gazette</i> of September 4th, 1860, it was announced -that the Queen was about to confer the decoration of the Victoria -Cross on Lieutenant Henry Evelyn Wood, 17th Lancers, on -account of acts of bravery performed by him in India, as recorded -against his name—viz., Lieutenant H. E. Wood, 17th Lancers, for -having, on the 19th of October, 1858, during action at Sindwaho, -when in command of a troop of the 3rd Light Cavalry, attacked -with much gallantry, almost single-handed, a body of rebels who -had made a stand, whom he routed; also for having subsequently, -near Sindhora, gallantly advanced, with a Duffadar and Sowar of -Beatson’s Horse, and rescued from a band of robbers a potail, -Chemmum Singh, whom they had captured and carried off to the -jungles, where they intended to hang him.</p> - -<p>Soon after his return to England Lieutenant Wood was invested -with the Cross of Valour, and promoted to the rank of captain in -the army. The rescue of Chemmum Singh from the band of -robbers has been reproduced on canvas by Mr. Desanges, in the -admirable painting marked XLVI. in the Catalogue of the Victoria -Cross Gallery. We have already dwelt sufficiently on the incidents -of that event to enable our readers to recognise the leading characters -in the group.</p> - -<p>Any eulogium on the career of such an officer as Captain Wood -would be entirely out of place; it speaks for itself. We have only, -in conclusion, to express the belief that in this period of wars and -rumours of wars many years of distinguished service are yet before -him, and to point out the lesson taught by his brief but brilliant -career. It teaches all young men, be they soldiers or civilians, to -learn to labour and to wait, to persevere in the path of duty, to -aspire to distinction in their own walk, whatever their profession or -business may be, and to cherish the assurance that the world, however -cold or unappreciative it may seem to be at first, will, sooner -or later, recognise deserving merit.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_285"></a>[285]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header7.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">SAMUEL MITCHELL AND THE VICTORIA CROSS; OR, THE -GATE PA AT TAURANGA.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;" id="illus8"> -<img src="images/illus8.jpg" width="300" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">New Zealand Arms.</p> -</div> - -<p>When the intelligence -of the Gate Pa disaster -reached England from New -Zealand, the news was received -with feelings of sorrow -and surprise. The public -at home were not prepared -to hear of the disaster which -had overtaken our arms in -that distant colony. We have -been so long successful by -land and by sea, that we have -come almost to regard victory -as our right, and when -our arms meet with any reverse -we are apt to be unjust, -and to ascribe our failure to -any but the true cause. Sir -Duncan A. Cameron, the general -commanding the forces -in New Zealand, has been -most unjustly assailed as the -cause of the recent disaster -at Tauranga, and a portion -of the English press have been -unmeasured in their abuse of -that distinguished officer. He -has been charged with incapacity,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_286"></a>[286]</span> -mismanagement, and the reckless sacrifice of valuable lives; -and while such charges can have no effect upon those who -are on the spot, and have had frequent opportunities of witnessing -his capacity for command, they have doubtless tended -to injure him in the opinion of those who have only an imperfect -knowledge of the circumstances of the case. Though -we were not present at the attack on the Gate Pa, we have -derived our information from some of the principal actors in that -unfortunate affair, so that the following narrative may be safely -accepted as a faithful account of what occurred. We shall confine -ourselves to the simple facts of the case, and leave our readers to -draw their own conclusions.</p> - -<p>Tauranga is the native name of a district on the east coast of -New Zealand, about a hundred miles south of Auckland. It has -long been the site of a missionary establishment under the charge -of Archdeacon Brown, who has laboured among the natives during -more than twenty years, and remained unmolested at his field of -duty during the progress of the present war. A few British settlers -had established themselves there for purposes of trade, and a -resident magistrate was appointed to watch over the interests of -justice. The Maoris of Tauranga are and always have been a warlike -race, but there was no reason at first to question their loyalty. -During the prevalence of the war in the Waikato district, the principal -seat of the late campaign, the Maoris at Tauranga remained -faithful in their adherence to the British Crown. It was only after -the hostile tribes, driven from their land in the Waikato by the -advance of our army, had dispersed themselves in the south, that -symptoms of disaffection appeared among the natives of Tauranga. -The fugitives excited the alarm of their countrymen by asserting -that they also would be stripped of their lands, and thus inciting -them to revolt. The effects of these incentives to rebellion became -so marked, that the 68th and 43rd Regiments, which had recently -arrived from India, were sent to Tauranga to overawe the disaffected. -This movement brought matters to a crisis; a small portion -of the natives remained faithful to the British Crown, while -the great majority left their homes and joined the insurgents. Our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_287"></a>[287]</span> -forces encamped on a small peninsula called Te Papa, which is connected -with the mainland by a narrow isthmus: the command was -intrusted to Lieutenant-Colonel Greer, of the 68th Regiment. The -hostile natives continued to hover round our camp, cutting off our -supplies, and seizing the commissariat cattle within a few hundred -yards of our sentries, without any attempt on our part to punish -their audacity. Emboldened by our supineness and their own success, -they resolved at length to erect a pa, and the site they selected -would have secured the approval of Vauban, if he had been still -alive. In truth, the Maoris of New Zealand, though they have -never studied at Woolwich, are adepts in military engineering; -instinct in their case has supplied the want of science. The sites -of their pas, which are simply redoubts built of earth and inclosed -with a wooden palisade, have always been chosen with the double -intention of inflicting the greatest possible injury on their assailants, -and securing their own retreat when their position becomes -untenable. No attempt was made to restrain the natives from -erecting a pa at Tauranga; the work went on for weeks, and our -men quietly looked on. It is a far easier matter to prevent the -erection than to effect the capture of a pa, but there may have been -causes for this inactivity unknown to us. Be that as it may, the -pa was built without interruption on the narrow slip of land which -connects the peninsula of Te Papa with the mainland. This -isthmus is the gate which commands the entrance to the whole -district; hence the pa erected on it was known as the Gate Pa. On -either side was a swamp extending to the water, so that it was -impossible for our men to force their entrance into the interior -without dislodging the enemy from their stronghold. An order -had been issued for the 43rd Regiment to proceed to Auckland, -but Colonel Greer, in the exercise of a wise discretion, retained -them at Tauranga, in the belief that their services would soon be -required.</p> - -<p>On the night of Thursday, the 28th of April, General Cameron, -who had arrived at Tauranga with his staff some days before, -commenced his preparations for attack. The forces under his -command seemed to be amply sufficient for securing success: they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_288"></a>[288]</span> -consisted of the 68th Light Infantry, the 43rd, the Flying Column, -made up of detachments from the 14th, 65th, and 70th Regiments, -and the Naval Brigade, consisting of more than two hundred sailors -from the different men-of-war stationed there. The attacking party -were strong in artillery, having with them eleven Armstrong guns, -besides two howitzers and six mortars. The only arms possessed -by the enemy, whose numbers did not exceed six hundred men, -were their rifles and tomahawks; but this inferiority was compensated -for by the advantage of fighting behind the walls of the pa.</p> - -<p>The general’s object was to intercept the enemy in the rear, and -thus cut off their retreat. Under cover of the night, the 68th -Regiment and thirty men of the Naval Brigade forced their way -through the swamp, and took up their position in the rear of the -pa, without attracting the notice of the insurgents. April is one of -the brightest and sunniest months in New Zealand, but the morning -of the 28th was dark and lowering; heavy rains began to fall, and -the rays of the sun were obscured by the murky atmosphere. By -the imperfect light of dawn the 68th could be seen extended in -skirmishing order behind the pa, so that the enemy were completely -hemmed in. They might hold out for a time, but it was -only a question of time; the general’s arrangements were perfect, -and no doubt was entertained of our ultimate success. At half-past -seven o’clock the cannonade began; the artillery, officers and -men, displayed the greatest courage and skill in working the guns; -shot and shell continued to be poured upon and into the redoubt -without intermission till four o’clock in the afternoon. The few -natives who had appeared in the rifle-pits at the commencement of -the attack were soon dislodged, and retreated into the pa by a hole -not larger than an ordinary covered drain. During the cannonade -they seldom returned our fire; the general impression was, that -the shot and shell had done their deadly work so effectually as to -leave few of them alive. The general, however, delayed his attack -till a breach had been effected in the walls sufficiently large to -admit the storming party—a fact which seems to have been wilfully -ignored by his assailants at home, who have unjustly accused -him of recklessly sacrificing the lives of his officers and men by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_289"></a>[289]</span> -commanding them to mount an impracticable breach, when his -proper course would have been a mine or a distant cannonade. -All that could be done by a distant cannonade was already effected; -the breach was there staring them in the face; the storming party -had only to enter in and take possession. The wanton sacrifice of -human life is the last charge that would be brought against General -Cameron by those who have taken part in this campaign; in this -respect he resembles his friend and countryman Lord Clyde, who -never exposed his men to unnecessary danger. If human skill -could always command success, he had a right to count upon victory; -but we need not anticipate. At four o’clock in the afternoon -the storming party, consisting of the Naval Brigade and the 43rd -Regiment, were formed into line, while the covering party advanced -within a hundred yards of the pa, and opened fire. The enemy -showed themselves on the walls, and briskly replied. The storming -party, led by Commander Hay, of the <i>Harrier</i>, now advanced swiftly -in column; the men were in the highest spirits, and rushed forward -with a ringing cheer. Nothing could withstand the impetuosity of -their attack; in a moment they had cleared the ditch, scaled the -embankment, and plunged through the breach into the redoubt. -The reserve party thought that the day was won; for a time no sound -was heard save a straggling shot or an occasional cheer. But this -silence was not to last; it was only the treacherous lull that precedes -the storm. That storm soon burst forth with the greatest -fury; all at once the pa, the supposed grave of its Maori defenders, -became instinct with life; volley succeeded volley in rapid succession; -in the intervals might be heard savage yells such as never -issued from any British throat. It was a moment of intense interest -to the spectator, who for a time could see nothing but the -clouds of smoke that rose from the pa after each volley; enough, -however, soon became visible to show that our arms had met with -a sudden reverse. Soldiers and sailors, mixed up in confusion, -came thronging through the breach, plunged into the ditch, and -rushed forward in the wildest disorder; some sudden panic had -seized them, but there might still be sufficient time to turn the tide -of war and retrieve the honour of the day. General Cameron at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_290"></a>[290]</span> -once ordered the supports to advance; a braver officer than Captain -Hamilton, of the <i>Esk</i>, could not have been found to lead them on. -If a single arm could have changed the fortune of the war, the -disaster of the Gate Pa would never have occurred; but the supports -came too late. The gallant Hamilton sprang upon the -embankment, waved his sword in the air, and shouted, “Follow -me, men!” Scarcely had the words passed his lips when a bullet -struck him on the head, the sword dropped from his hand, and he -fell to rise no more. The death of their leader increased the panic -of the men; the supports became mixed with the fugitives; all -discipline was forgotten; all remonstrance on the part of the officers -was unavailing; <i>sauve qui peut</i> became the order of the day. The -enemy, profiting by this panic, took deliberate aim, and poured a -destructive fire into the retreating mob, whose only thought was of -escape. The day was lost; the instrument had broken in the -hands of him who knew how to use it so skilfully. It was too -much for even the strongest nature to bear with equanimity; the -general dashed his field-glass on the ground, turned his back on -the fugitives, and retired to his tent to conceal his emotion.</p> - -<p>Various causes have been assigned for this disastrous retreat. -It has been affirmed that the storming party, on entering the pa, -met with no resistance, and saw no traces of the enemy, except a -few wounded Maoris lying on the ground, apparently abandoned by -their comrades. Believing that the redoubt was evacuated, they -threw aside their arms, and began to help themselves to the plunder -which was scattered about. It may be that the Maoris had -recourse to this artifice in order to throw them off their guard, as -they are already familiar with the looting propensities of the -British soldier; it is certain that they had not all evacuated the pa. -A considerable number had done so; but the majority had concealed -themselves in chambers dug out in the ground, and covered -with boughs of trees and earth. They had remained there during -the cannonade, and it is a singular fact, worthy of the notice of -military strategists, that the storm of shot and shell which descended -upon the pa for upwards of eight hours could not reach them. -The killed and wounded were those who exposed themselves on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_291"></a>[291]</span> -walls; no shot or shell could reach their more prudent comrades, -who with heroic patience awaited the result in their subterraneous -retreat. When the defenders of the walls retreated before the -impetuous onset of the storming party, and tried to escape by the -rear, the others remained in their hiding-place, and bided their -time. When they saw through the thin covering of boughs and -earth that the storming party had abandoned their arms and given -themselves up to plunder, they opened a destructive fire upon them. -The effect was much the same as if a volcano had suddenly opened -beneath their feet, and begun to pour forth volumes of smoke and -flame; many of our men were killed and wounded at the first -discharge; discipline might have done much, but all discipline was -at an end; mere courage could avail nothing against this invisible -foe. Our officers behaved with their usual coolness and bravery, -but every effort to restore order was unavailing; the confused mass -staggered and reeled like a drunken man, as volley after volley was -poured into them from beneath. Meanwhile the insurgents who -had striven to escape by the rear, repulsed by the steady fire of the -68th, returned to the pa, and increased the panic by the suddenness -of their attack. The cry rose among our men that the enemy were -being reinforced by the arrival of fresh troops: some one, it is said, -gave the order to retire. Be that as it may, the day was already -lost; the panic became general; soldiers and sailors rushed in a -confused mass to the walls, and precipitated themselves into the -ditch below. It was at this moment that Captain Hamilton came -up with his supports: he came soon enough to find a death of glory -on the walls of the Gate Pa, but too late to turn the tide of war. -The supports were borne back by the flood of fugitives, and the -Maoris remained masters of the field.</p> - -<p>The soldiers blame the sailors as the cause of this disastrous -retreat, and the sailors are ready enough to retaliate. It is matter -of regret that they should have been mixed up together during the -attack. Both fight well in their own way, but they fight best apart. -The soldier has not the dash of the sailor, and the sailor is wanting -in the steadiness of the soldier. It is certain that on entering the -pa both became mixed up together, and the confusion which thus<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_292"></a>[292]</span> -ensued prevented the officers from exercising that authority over -the men which they might otherwise have done. When a panic -once sets in, all discipline is at an end. The officers encouraged the -men by voice and example; they remained at the post of duty -when those under their command began to retreat; this fact alone -is sufficient to explain the great disproportion between officers and -men killed and wounded. It is painful to relate that our soldiers -and sailors abandoned their wounded officers to their fate, and left -them in the hands of the enemy; but there was one honourable -exception. Samuel Mitchell, captain of the foretop of Her Majesty’s -ship <i>Harrier</i>, who formed one of the storming party, did all that -could be expected from the British sailor in the hour of danger. -He entered the pa with Commander Hay, and when that officer was -mortally wounded he refused to leave him, though repeatedly urged -by him to consult his own safety. The gallant sailor listened to -the voice of humanity, and refused to leave his dying officer; -raising him in his arms, he carried him outside the pa amid a -shower of bullets. There must have been a cherub aloft watching -over his safety and sheltering him from danger; no hostile bullet -reached his person; the body of his leader was rescued from falling -into the hands of the enemy. Mitchell, on this occasion, was doing -duty as captain’s coxswain, and his heroic deed was not overlooked -or forgotten. It was reported to Commodore Sir William Wiseman, -who recommended him for the decoration of the Victoria Cross, -and we are glad to observe, from the <i>London Gazette</i> of the 26th of -July, that this honourable distinction has been awarded to him. -Long may he be spared to wear it!—a living witness that England -can appreciate and reward such acts of gallantry. We were -glad to learn that the services of Dr. Manley, R.A., had met with -the same recognition. The duties of an army surgeon rarely afford -him an opportunity of displaying gallantry in the field; but he has -often to exhibit a moral courage as worthy of our admiration as the -dashing bravery of him who heads a forlorn hope. It requires no -usual amount of courage to minister to the wants of the wounded -and dying on the field of battle amid the bullets of the enemy, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_293"></a>[293]</span> -this was done by Dr. Manley with as much <i>sang froid</i> as if he had -been performing an operation in St. George’s Hospital.</p> - -<p>It has often struck us how little faith can be placed in the best -historical narratives, when we consider the difficulty, if not the -impossibility, of attaining to the truth regarding an affair of recent -occurrence, even when we have an opportunity of consulting the -principal actors. The storming of the Gate Pa is no exception to -this rule. The fugitives assert that an officer gave the order to -retire; the officers deny that such an order was ever given. We have -mentioned above that the panic originated from the return to the -pa of the Maoris who had endeavoured to escape, and were driven -back by the fire of the 68th; we have heard it strenuously urged -that the Maoris never left the pa, but had merely concealed themselves -in the subterraneous chambers, where they lay <i>perdus</i> till -they heard the approach of the storming party. It went the round -of the papers that the 68th Regiment three times in succession -endeavoured to storm the pa, and were as often repulsed. It was -not the duty of the 68th to storm the pa; they were assigned their -position in the rear to cut off the enemy’s retreat; they indignantly -deny that they ever attempted an assault or suffered a repulse. -Their trifling loss in killed and wounded renders it impossible that -they ever quitted their position. We merely mention these discrepancies -to show that a little scepticism is not out of place in the -study of history, and that the future historian of the war in New -Zealand will find some little difficulty in arriving at the truth.</p> - -<p>The night of the 29th of April was, in the British camp at -Tauranga, a night of deep humiliation and mutual reproach. The -men were disgraced in their own eyes, and what would the people -of England say? There is not a more gallant regiment in the -service than the 43rd; Napier, who belonged to them, has commemorated -their deeds of valour in the Peninsula, and the memory -of the numerous engagements in which they have taken part is -preserved on their colours. But now where were all the laurels they -had won in the Peninsula and India? Soiled and trampled in the -dust, and by whom? Not by forces equal to them in arms and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_294"></a>[294]</span> -discipline; not by foemen worthy of their steel; but by a horde of -half-naked, half-armed savages, whom they had been taught to -despise. They erred in despising them overmuch; they forgot, or -they had never learned, that the defenders of that pa belonged to a -race reckless of life, loving war for its own sake, who were then -fighting, as such a race ever will fight, for their homes, their lands, -their liberty, their all.</p> - -<p>The time may come when the Maori race will be subdued, but -that will only be when the Maori race has been extirpated. Would -that the people of England knew this as well as the colonists of New -Zealand! A disgraceful chapter in the future history of our -country might then have never to be written. The storming party -learned when it was too late that the courage of despair rises superior -to all human calculations of success, and that no bounds can be -assigned to the heroic powers of endurance of men fighting for their -liberty. It could be no ordinary race that waited patiently for -eight hours, with no other shelter from the descending hurricane of -shot and shell than a few boughs of trees covered with earth, till -the moment had arrived for rushing forth and rolling back their -assailants like a broken wave. It adds nothing to our glory to -detract from the virtues of our adversaries. In the Maori character -there is much to condemn, but much also to admire and to imitate. -If, instead of being exterminated, they were embodied into regiments, -commanded by men who spoke their language and studied -their character, they would be found as useful as the Sikhs in -India; and, on the ground of public expediency as well as of -Christian principle, it would be better to save than to destroy. -The Maori race once extinguished can never be restored, and it -would be impious to imagine that any one race has been created -in vain.</p> - -<p>But what was the fate of the wounded and dying officers left in -the pa? Night closed over them and concealed them in impenetrable -darkness. No less than seven officers of the 43rd were there, -besides others belonging to the navy. They were in the hands of -those who cut off Captain Lloyd’s head, and sent it round among -the other tribes as a trophy of victory. The vanquished soldiery<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_295"></a>[295]</span> -could hear the yells of triumph from the pa; some even imagined -that they heard the shrieks of their tortured countrymen, but this -was only the work of the imagination. The Maoris remembered -mercy in the hour of victory, and treated our dying officers with -humanity worthy of the imitation and admiration of all civilized -nations. No hostile hand hastened on the hour of death, already -fast approaching. Their persons and their property were alike -respected. An effort was made to relieve the sufferings of those -who were still alive. Lieutenant-Colonel Booth, commanding the -43rd, was shot through the spine and the arm. His wounds, -though mortal, did not produce immediate death. He stood -leaning against the wall of the pa, suffering intensely from thirst; -around him lay his slaughtered officers. Our pen shrinks from -recording the sufferings he endured throughout the night of horror -which he survived. He had risen rapidly to command, and was in -the very prime of his strength and manhood. Tall, erect, and -powerful, he looked like a man who could ward off death for half a -century; he had done so in India and elsewhere, but now he had -met his fate at the Gate Pa at Tauranga. This was the first time -that he had led his regiment into action, and had they behaved in -a manner worthy of their high reputation? Alas!</p> - -<p>There lay the two Glovers, the sons of an English clergyman, on -the field of gore, but not of glory. They were lovely in their lives, -and in death they were not separated. We had seen the elder fall -in the foremost of the fray, and the younger, who loved him with -more than a brother’s love, rush forward with a loud and bitter -cry. A brother’s love may do much, but it cannot reverse the iron -decrees of fate, which take no account of human affection or sorrow. -It was in vain that he raised him in his arms, and strove to bear -him from the field—a hostile bullet brought both the brothers to -the ground, and left them side by side, with the tide of life ebbing -fast away. If there is a mother in some distant English rectory -weeping, like Rachel, for her children, because they are not, or a -father lamenting their loss, let us comfort them with the assurance -that in life and in death they were all that the fondest parent -could wish.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_296"></a>[296]</span></p> - -<p>We have read of a martyr’s sufferings at the stake: we question -whether in intensity they equalled those endured by Colonel Booth -during that fearful night. He never lost his consciousness, and an -occasional groan escaped from his lips. An armed Maori stole up -to him. There was no sorrow in the thought that he had come to -give him the <i>coup de grâce</i>; but it was not so. The heart of the -half-savage man was touched by the spectacle of woe. Colonel -Booth read this feeling in his face, and muttered, “Water.” The -Maori shook his head, to show that there was none in the pa, and -slipped out in search of some. He never returned, but next -morning his body was found at the brink of the swamp, with a -pannikin by his side. A soldier of the 68th, ignorant of his purpose, -had fired at him with fatal precision, and arrested him on his -errand of mercy. The will must be taken for the deed. The -exposure of his life to all but certain death from the humane desire -to give a cup of water to a dying enemy shall not be without its -reward.</p> - -<p>In the course of the night the insurgents abandoned the pa, and -made good their retreat by the rear, without suffering much loss -from the 68th, who had been placed there to intercept them. No -blame can be attached to the 68th; no regiment has ever been able -to prevent the Maoris from effecting their escape. They pass with -ease through swamps where the British soldier could never gain a -footing. Amphibious in their habits, they are as much at home in -the water as on land. Their loss on this occasion was trifling: it -certainly did not exceed thirty men, while ours amounted to 104 -killed and wounded, including a larger portion of officers than on -any other occasion where British troops have been engaged. The -causes of this disproportion are already known to our readers.</p> - -<p>For a time it was not known in the British camp that the enemy -had evacuated the pa. The frantic yells had died away—no sound -was heard to disturb the stillness of the night. Tempted by the long-continued -silence, Major Greaves, of the 70th, stole up to the ditch, -mounted the breach, and found the pa empty. Returning to camp, -he reported what he had seen, but no attempt was made to enter -the pa till daybreak. The enemy had fled, carrying their wounded<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_297"></a>[297]</span> -with them. Colonel Booth was still alive, but the surgeon told him -that his hours were numbered. He was borne to the camp, where -he survived till the following day. Before his death he was visited -by General Cameron. “I endeavoured, sir, to carry out your -orders; I am sorry that I have failed. I at least tried to do my -duty.” “You have done so nobly,” was the general’s reply, as he -pressed the hand of the dying soldier, in whose breast the sense of -duty was stronger than the love of life. It is pleasing to record the -virtues of men who, in this inglorious warfare, have gone down to -the grave unwept, unhonoured, and unsung, because England takes -little interest in a war with savages, and dismisses the subject for -others more attractive. The other dead or dying officers were -removed from the pa. Captain Hamilton, of the 43rd, breathed -only once after his body was found. A bullet had passed through -his head, and so altered his features that it was difficult to recognise -the handsome face with which we were once so familiar. We had -known him years ago in the East, when he was an ensign in the 10th -Regiment. During the interval he had served throughout the -whole of the Indian campaign, and followed Havelock to Lucknow. -He belonged to a race of soldiers, and was every inch a soldier -himself. Poor Hamilton! we think of him still as he sat at the -mess-table, expatiating on the capture of Lucknow, or some cognate -subject, to a group of admiring ensigns who loved him for the -dangers he had passed. He served in the 10th Regiment with the -present Sir Henry Havelock, now on the staff in New Zealand, who -always spoke of him with respect as a gallant soldier, and betrayed -the deepest sorrow on learning that he had fallen.</p> - -<p>The cause of the sudden panic which seized our men at the -Gate Pa will never be known with certainty. It would be easy to -show, from ancient and modern history, that the best troops are -subject to such panics, which often spring from the most trifling -causes. Terror, like courage, is sympathetic; it spreads like an -infectious disease, from man to man, till all are swept away before -it. At the battle of Fridlingen, fought on the 14th of October, -1702, between the French and Austrians, the former almost lost -the day through a sudden panic which seized their ranks. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_298"></a>[298]</span> -infantry had reached the summit of a hill to dislodge the German -cavalry, and had succeeded in doing so, when a voice suddenly -exclaimed, “<i>Nous sommes coupés!</i>” On this every regiment turned -and fled. It was fortunate that in Marshal Villars they had a leader -equal to the occasion. “<i>Allons, mes amis!</i>” he cried; “<i>la victoire -est à nous! Vive le roi!</i>” “<i>Vive le roi!</i>” replied the soldiers, still -retreating as fast as they could. With some difficulty Villars rallied -them, and led them back to victory; but if a single regiment -had attacked them at that moment the result would have been the -same as at the Gate Pa. The most trifling incident may make a -whole army retire in confusion. Such an incident occurred during -the Indian campaign. A body of our men were on the march, -preceded by some of their officers on horseback. A horse became -restive, and threw its rider; other horsemen rushed to his assistance; -clouds of dust were raised; the cry rose from the ranks that -the rebels were upon them; a sudden panic was the result, and our -soldiers fled when no one pursued. It was fortunate no enemy was -at hand to profit by the confusion and terror occasioned by the -nowise remarkable incident of a surgeon falling from his horse.</p> - -<p>The 43rd Regiment have already atoned for the disaster at Te -Papa. A few weeks after that event they again encountered the -enemy at Te Ranga, and proved themselves worthy of their Peninsular -fame and the glorious names inscribed on their standards. A -temporary reverse is no proof that a regiment has degenerated; -it is often the occasion, as in this instance, of eliciting the display -of a higher amount of courage than might have attended ordinary -success, and of teaching a deeper respect for those whose military -spirit and capacity we have been disposed to under-estimate.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer14.jpg" width="400" height="125" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_299"></a>[299]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">ENSIGN M’KENNA AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-l.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Little is known in England of the war which has -been carried on in New Zealand. Despatches are occasionally -published, and the names of those who have distinguished -themselves in the field are honourably mentioned; but -the seat of war is too remote for the people of England to feel -anything but a passing interest in a contest which they entered -upon with reluctance, and would gladly see finished. And yet in -this struggle between British soldiers and hostile Maoris, deeds of -valour have been performed which history will not willingly let -die; and the name of McKenna will be as gratefully remembered in -New Zealand as those of the heroes of the Victoria Cross Gallery -in England. We hope the day is not very far distant when he will -figure in that gallery with the other brave men who have carved -their way with their swords into Mr. Desanges’ temple of fame.</p> - -<p>We listened to McKenna’s simple narrative the other evening in -a rude hut at the camp of Awamutu, in the very centre of the seat -of war. We have heard some of the most brilliant speakers of the -day, and been enthralled by the magic power of their eloquence; -but the interest excited by the charms of such oratory was less -thrilling than that produced by the soldier’s plain story of deeds in -which he himself was the principal actor. Before submitting that -narrative to our readers, which we shall do as much as possible in -McKenna’s own words, we may simply premise that, while of Irish -descent, he is a native of Leeds, and has served seventeen years in -the 65th Regiment, the greater part of that time as a non-commissioned<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_300"></a>[300]</span> -officer. He is an intelligent, well-educated man, in the very -prime of life, well adapted to occupy the rank which has been -assigned to him, and worthy to wear the Queen’s own Cross on his -breast. He has always borne an excellent character in a regiment -which is distinguished for the excellent conduct of its soldiers, and -the strong feeling of attachment which they cherish to their officers, -from the kindness and consideration with which they have been -treated during eighteen years’ service in this remote island. This -is McKenna’s story.</p> - -<p>“In the beginning of July, 1863, the 65th Regiment was stationed -in Auckland. We were all expecting immediate orders to -embark for England, and our hearts beat high at the thought of -seeing our native land, which, after the absence of many years, had -never been forgotten, and was now dearer than ever. The 2nd -Battalion of the 18th Royal Irish had just landed, and were daily -expecting to receive orders to embark, when, to our great surprise, -we were told to hold ourselves in readiness for active service in the -field. It was no use grumbling, so in a few hours we were ready. -Some of us, I dare say, liked the excitement of a campaign more -than the monotony of a long sea-voyage; and a few inspiriting -words from the colonel made us forget all thoughts of home in the -excitement of the coming struggle. On the 9th of July we marched -from Auckland, and, though I say it myself, a better regiment than -ours never was, and never will be, seen in this country. We bade -farewell to our wives and children, and camped for the night at -Otahahu, nine miles from Auckland. Thence we proceeded to the -Queen’s Redoubt, which 300 of our men left on Sunday, the 12th -of July, for Tuakan, under the command of our dear old chief, -Colonel Wyatt, C.B. Tuakan is about sixteen miles from the -Queen’s Redoubt. It stands on a precipitous cliff overlooking -the Waikato river. It is the site of an old Maori fortification, and -is naturally a place of great strength. The road was difficult and -dangerous, with the dense bush on either side, but we reached -Tuakan in safety, where we soon cleared the ground and erected a -redoubt, which, in honour of our dear young Princess of Wales, -was named Alexandra. If she saw it she would not be ashamed of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_301"></a>[301]</span> -it, for there is not a better one in the island. Well, perhaps the -Queen’s Redoubt is a little better, as in right it ought to be; but -in strength and beauty of design ours is next best.</p> - -<p>“It was nearly finished on the 19th of July, when Colonel -Wyatt withdrew one-half of the men, and left the other 150 under -the command of Captain Swift. He is dead now, poor fellow, and -no words of praise from me can reach his ear; but a better officer -never carried sword or wore the Queen’s uniform. God bless -him! I was only a poor sergeant; but if I had been his own -brother, he could not have been kinder to me. His example told -upon us all; we all liked our duties, and tried to do all we -could to suppress the rebellion. His first act was to seize a number -of rebel canoes and to man them with crews from his own detachment; -in this way we contrived to seize large quantities of potatoes -and other provisions from the hostile natives. But he did more -than this: he extemporized a body of Forest Rangers, who scoured -the dense bush around the redoubt, kept the natives at a distance. -He had heard of atrocities they had committed on defenceless -women and children, and longed for an opportunity of meeting -them in the field. Poor fellow! he little dreamed that his first -meeting with them would be his last. But such are the chances of -war. If he had lived, the world would have heard more of him, -for there was never a braver or a better officer in the British or -any other service.</p> - -<p>“Well, things went on as usual till the 7th of September. On -the morning of that day we had a visit from Mr. Armitage, the -resident magistrate of the township of Havelock. He had charge -of five large canoes, manned by natives, and loaded with forage and -provisions, which were proceeding from Camerontown, a friendly -Maori pa, to the Queen’s Redoubt. The forage had been brought -up from the Waikato Heads; the barque <i>City of Melbourne</i> had -conveyed it there from Auckland. The river transport had been -established in consequence of the difficulty of transporting stores -by the great South Road; and as the canoes were paddled by -friendly natives, no one imagined that there could be much danger -of their being attacked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_302"></a>[302]</span></p> - -<p>“I shall never forget the morning of the 7th of September. -Captain Swift was asleep in his tent when Mr. Armitage arrived. -He wanted one of the large canoes we had seized, and I had to go -three times to the captain’s tent before I could wake him. He was -usually a light sleeper, but it was different on this occasion. It -did not strike me much at the moment, but I have often thought -of it since. Well, Mr. Armitage left, and nothing unusual happened -till about eleven o’clock. I was down at the landing-place -superintending some work, when all at once I heard the report of -several shots. I stood and listened. The shots were followed by -successive volleys, which gradually subsided into the regular, or -rather irregular, firing of a smart skirmish. This went on for -about a quarter of an hour. I knew from the direction of the -sound that the fighting was going on at Camerontown. I hurried -to the captain, and told him I was sure the rebels had attacked Mr. -Armitage’s party. While I was speaking, all at once we saw a -large volume of smoke curling up in the air close to the pa. We -both came to the conclusion that the rebels had set fire to a house -which had been recently built for Mr. Armitage.</p> - -<p>“About half an hour after this we saw a canoe, paddled by -four natives, coming up the river. We knew from the way -they used their paddles that something was wrong. Their faces -were as green as the French Emperor’s at Solferino, and their teeth -were chattering with terror. They were so panic-struck that it -took some time before we learned from them that the rebels had -formed an ambuscade, and attacked them while off their guard. -Mr. Armitage and two white men had been killed, and all the -friendly natives dispersed or slain; these four only survived to -tell their fate. Thirty or forty men, women, and children, had -perished.</p> - -<p>“We are pretty well used to such things out here, so no time -was wasted in idle words. In half an hour we had a party, consisting -of Lieutenant Butler, myself, two sergeants, one bugler, and -fifty rank and file, under arms, the whole under the command of -Captain Swift. We were all too eager for the fray to care much -for eating, so we snatched a hasty dinner and were off by one<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_303"></a>[303]</span> -o’clock. People at home can have no idea of a march through the -bush. We had to cross nine or ten miles of swamp, intersected by -rivers scarcely practicable for regular troops, so as to strike the -foot of the wooded range of hills on a spur of which stands the pa -of Camerontown. We had to creep through the dense bush, but -there is no difficulty persistent pluck may not surmount. We -were all tired enough when we reached a small clearing about half-past -four o’clock in the afternoon, and felt the need of the evening -<i>tot</i> of rum which was now served out. One sergeant and ten -privates, on receiving theirs, were sent on in advance; the main -body followed a little after. On proceeding a few hundred yards -they discovered that the advanced guard had strayed from the right -path, and we could not shout without attracting the notice of the -natives. We felt it rather hard to be deprived of their services, -as we had no men to spare, but it was decided that we should go -on. Our force was now reduced to two officers and forty-three -men, but Captain Swift was a host in himself; we would have -followed him anywhere and against any odds.</p> - -<p>“It was at this juncture that I had an opportunity of showing -some qualities which have brought me under the notice of General -Cameron, and procured for me such honours as have rarely, if -ever before, been bestowed on a British soldier. There are as -good men as I am in the ranks, unknown to fame, but time and -chance happeneth to all. I never dreamed of honours—my only -desire was to do my duty. I asked and obtained leave from -Captain Swift to advance forty or fifty yards in front of the men to -act as scout, an office for which I was well qualified from former -experience. I took a direct course through the bush towards the -spot where the natives were supposed to be. About five o’clock I -reached a large opening, where I could plainly see the rebels’ -encampment in the bush, about four hundred yards in advance. -Crossing the clearing in a stooping position and at a smart pace, I -again made for the bush, followed by the whole detachment. Five -minutes after we could distinctly hear the sound of the rebels’ -voices, and Captain Swift, imagining that they were advancing by -the same path to attack us, threw his men into ambush. On<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_304"></a>[304]</span> -finding that they refused to advance, I crept stealthily up to within -a few yards of them. Unlike most Maori war parties, they were -laughing and chattering, which led me to think they had been -making free with the rum they had seized in the canoes. I -returned and reported this to Captain Swift, who came to the same -conclusion as myself, that they were all drunk. The order was at -once given to fix bayonets and charge. Our men advanced, led by -Captain Swift, Lieutenant Butler, and myself, three abreast, the -path not admitting more. When we had stolen up to within a few -yards of the rebels, our leader gave the word ‘Charge!’ The -word had scarcely passed his lips when, as if by enchantment, the -whole bush was lighted up with a terrific volley. It seemed as if -one of the extinct volcanoes so common here had suddenly opened -its crater and begun to belch forth flames. The enemy were so -close when they fired that some of their coarse powder was actually -found sticking in the faces of our soldiers. For a moment our men -staggered beneath this heavy fire, but it was only for a moment, for, -immediately recovering themselves, they closed up in a line of -skirmishers in the bush, and brought their rifles to bear on their -dusky foes. I had taken cover behind a tree close to Lieutenant -Butler, for the purpose of reloading my rifle, and even in that hour -of danger I could not help admiring his bravery. He stood at the -left front, a little in advance, cheering on the men by his voice and -still more by his example. I saw him discharge his revolver right -and left; three Maoris fell beneath his fire, and were dragged into -the bush by their friends. I was still admiring his heroic courage -and gallant bearing, when all at once I saw him sink slowly to the -ground, as if his spirit were struggling against some mortal blow. -I sprang forward with two others to his assistance, and on raising -him in my arms he said, ‘Lead on the men, McKenna.’ Surprised -at such an order, I looked round to see where the captain was, and -there he lay by his side mortally wounded. No language can -express the anguish I felt on seeing one who, though my superior -officer, had always treated me with the greatest kindness, in this -condition. If he had been my own brother I could not have felt it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_305"></a>[305]</span> -more. Poor Captain Swift! I shall never forget the last look you -gave me, or cease to regret your loss.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-14.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Captain Swift directing M’Kenna to take command of the detachment.</p> -</div> - -<p>“‘Are you wounded, sir?’ was my first exclamation.</p> - -<p>“‘Oh, yes, McKenna; very severely,’ he replied.</p> - -<p>“On seeing me loading my rifle, he said—</p> - -<p>“‘Never mind loading. Take my revolver and lead on the -men.’</p> - -<p>“These were the last words this good and gallant soldier ever -spoke to me. I mechanically took up the revolver, gave one last -look at my dying officer, and then shouted, like one possessed—</p> - -<p>“‘Men, the captain is wounded; charge!’</p> - -<p>“I rushed on at the head of the men, and we drove the natives -before us like sheep. We now found ourselves in a small opening -on the crest of the hill. The natives found shelter in the bush to -our left and front, where they opened fire on our little band of -thirty-eight men. Our position was critical. One of our officers -was mortally, the other severely, wounded; ten miles of swamp -and bush lay between us and any succour; around us were three -hundred savages thirsting for our blood. I think it was God who -gave me strength to act as I did that day. Assuming an air of -coolness (which, in my heart, I was far from feeling), I ordered my -men to extend in skirmishing order across the clearing, and to keep -up a steady fire. My object was to hold the place for a time, till -the advanced guard, attracted by the firing, should join Corporal -Ryan and the four men left in charge of the wounded officers, so as -to have them carried well on to the redoubt before the approach -of night compelled us to retire.</p> - -<p>“The Maoris had been encamped on the spot now occupied by -our party, and had left a great many things, such as tents, sacks -and kits of potatoes, behind. These our men formed into a sort of -breastwork, and kept as well under cover as they could. Several -of the natives climbed up the trees in order to fire over the breastwork, -and one of them was brought down in splendid style by -Private Smith of ours, his fall causing a thud like the fall (though -louder) of a plump partridge. After waiting till about six o’clock,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_306"></a>[306]</span> -I resolved to retire by the way we came; but I had scarcely given -the order when we were met with a tremendous volley from the -very quarter by which we intended to retreat. The enemy took -deliberate aim, and three of our men fell badly wounded. I then -brought the party back to our former position, and sent for my -brother sergeant to consult with him as to what should be done. -His proposal was to run the gauntlet through the Maoris, and to -make for Mr. Armitage’s pa, which was about 150 yards farther -on in the bush. He thought we could establish ourselves there and -hold out till we received assistance; but I knew that the thing was -impracticable. The pa was commanded by a hill from which the -enemy could have amused themselves by shooting us at leisure; in -short, the place was untenable.</p> - -<p>“A poor fellow of the name of Stephen Grace being close at -hand when I put the question, and always ready to offer his advice, -proposed that we should form three sides of a hollow square, and -retire down the hill to our rear, which was not wooded. I could -scarcely help smiling at such a foolish proposal, when all at once -I heard a deep sigh at my elbow, and on turning round saw poor -Grace rolling down the hill in mortal agony, till his head lodged in -a fern-bush, and all was over. I ordered the bugler to take his -rifle and belt, and to cover him over with fern. I had no stretcher, -and it was impossible for the men to carry his body with safety to -themselves; he was now beyond the reach of harm, and we left -him there with the green fern as his mort-cloth.</p> - -<p>“At a quarter past six o’clock, I ordered the wounded to be -taken down the hill to the rear by a path that led across the valley -to the dense bush on the other side. I felt sure that a native -path in that direction would lead to the Mauku or Pa Kekoe, -both military posts. I knew that all depended on our coolness and -self-possession. If we fell into confusion, or showed any signs of -fear, we were lost; so I told the front rank of skirmishers to fire a -volley and retire down the hill, giving at the same time a ringing -cheer as if about to charge. As soon as they were established -below, I ordered the rear rank to do the same thing. Nothing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_307"></a>[307]</span> -could be better than the conduct of the men at this trying moment; -the movement was executed with as much steadiness as if they had -been on parade. On reaching the foot of the hill we found, to our -infinite delight, a beautiful stream of clear water. We saw by the -footprints on the bank that the Maoris had been there; we knew it -to be them because they turn their feet inward when walking, and -spread their toes out like a duck in crossing swampy ground. They -soon gave us clearer evidence of their presence by rushing out of -the bush and opening a heavy fire on our men, who as readily -returned it. The cowardly villains had not courage to descend -from the crest of the hill, but kept up their fire there till our -party entered the bush.</p> - -<p>“About eight o’clock we began to make our way through the -bush, but soon discovered that we had lost the path. On this I -told my men that we must remain where we were till next morning. -I then formed them into a square, and ordered every man to -<i>speak</i> his name, so as to ascertain whether any were missing. Two -men failed to answer; both were wounded—Private Whittle -slightly, across the scalp, and Private Bryne severely through the -right hand. On inquiry, I found that, after drinking at the stream, -they had pushed on by themselves instead of waiting for the main -body, and diverged from the path without being missed; but we -shall have more to say of their adventures presently. I then gave -my orders for the night: every man had to put on his great-coat -(all had brought them with them folded across their right shoulders); -to sit with his rifle ready in his hand; no pipes to be lit; -not a word to be spoken. I knew that this was the only way to -elude the enemy and to reach the redoubt in safety. Under the -tender mercies of Divine Providence, my efforts proved successful. -About four o’clock next morning I placed myself at the head of my -men, and we resumed our march through the bush. We pushed -our way with difficulty through the dense masses of supplejack and -creepers; we crossed over hills thickly covered with wood; we -descended ravines that were almost perpendicular. No word of -complaint was heard—all struggled on for their lives. At length,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_308"></a>[308]</span> -at eight o’clock <span class="allsmcap">A.M.</span>, our gallant little band emerged from the bush -and found themselves in the open country about seven miles from -the redoubt, which they could see in the distance. Rushing -straight ahead, they met Colonel Murray with a hundred men of -the 65th Regiment coming to their assistance. We now knew that -we were safe, and it would have done your heart good to have -heard the hearty English cheer that burst forth from both parties -on first seeing one another. I know, too, that many a heartfelt, -grateful prayer was breathed to Almighty God for having preserved -them through all their dangers.</p> - -<p>“Our joy was mingled with tender regret on learning that -Captain Swift was no more. He died at seven o’clock the previous -night. Corporal Ryan and Privates Talbot and Bulford remained -with him to the last. They carried him in their arms for some -distance after he had received his death-wound, but the agony he -suffered was so intense that he requested them to lay him down on -the ground. They placed him behind a fallen tree and concealed -him as well as they could; they then crept down beside him. On -hearing the heavy firing, he said to Corporal Ryan, ‘I am sure -McKenna has gained the pa.’ Soon after they heard the natives -coming through the bush; the report of firearms told them that -the Maoris had attacked the advanced guard who were hastening -to their assistance.</p> - -<p>“After a short skirmish the advanced guard had to retire to make -for the redoubt, which they reached about nine o’clock the same -night. In this affair the natives, in firing, actually came behind the -tree under which Captain Swift was lying with Ryan, Bulford, and -Talbot. He begged of them not to leave him. They assured him -that they never dreamed of doing so; they would stay by him till -the last; they were ready to die with him if necessary. They told -him that his moaning might attract the notice of the enemy. On -hearing this, the poor fellow placed his hand on his mouth to -restrain his agony till the Maoris retired. His last words to -Ryan were, ‘Give me your hand.’ He pressed it, and then died as -quietly as if he had fallen asleep, which I am sure he did in Jesus.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_309"></a>[309]</span> -With reverent and loving hands they covered the body with fern, -and started for the redoubt at break of day. On their way they -met the party sent to their relief.</p> - -<p>“I must now return to Lieutenant Butler. Privates Thomas -and Cole remained with him all night in the bush. He suffered -much from his wound, and complained bitterly of the cold, though -the men had thrown their two great-coats over him. There is no -sacrifice a soldier will not willingly make for an officer he loves. -Private Thomas took off his blue serge shirt and put it over him, -remaining all night in his cotton shirt and trousers. Well, I agree -with you it was a generous act; but so great is the attachment of -our well-commanded regiment to their officers, that they would go -through fire and water to serve them.</p> - -<p>“I sent back a guide with Colonel Murray’s party to conduct -them to the scene of action, and pushed on for the redoubt, which -we reached at eleven o’clock <span class="allsmcap">A.M.</span> We were much worn out, but -grateful to God for our deliverance. In the evening Colonel Murray’s -party returned; they brought in Captain Swift’s body, but -could find no traces of the two men who were missing. They gave -up the search as hopeless, and, embarking on board the steamer -<i>Arrow</i>, returned to head-quarters. About ten o’clock next morning -100 men of the 70th Regiment marched into the redoubt; they -had been guided through the bush from the Queen’s Redoubt by -that most efficient officer Captain Greaves, of the 40th. We left -the Alexandra Redoubt under their charge, while 100 of our men, -under the command of Lieutenant Warren, started in search of -their missing comrades, Captain Greaves accompanying the party. -We reached the scene of action about four o’clock <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span>, but found -that the Maoris had disappeared. In a subsequent despatch Captain -Greaves estimated that they must have amounted to little short of -300 men, and, judging from their number of sleeping-places and -other indications on the spot, I am inclined to think that this estimate -was not beyond the mark.</p> - -<p>“I struck the tracks of the missing men at the bottom of the hill -where they had last been seen. A little farther on we found one of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_310"></a>[310]</span> -their pannikins in the road. Darkness setting in we were obliged -to return, but not before we had visited the pa at Camerontown, -where we found quantities of maize, bran, and oats scattered about -the beach, partly burned and rendered unfit for use. We found a -canoe on the beach which I wished to destroy, but was prevented -by Captain Greaves, who thoughtfully observed that it might be the -means of saving one or both of the poor fellows who were missing. -We now made for the redoubt, bearing with us the body of Private -Grace, which we found on the same spot where we had left it. We -reached the redoubt at half-past twelve o’clock the following morning, -when we learned that Whittle, one of the missing men, was on -the other side of the river calling for help. From our long residence -in the colony we have many skilful paddlers in the ranks; in -a few minutes a canoe was manned, and in half-an-hour the poor -fellow was inside the redoubt, carefully attended by Assistant-Surgeon -Styles, of the 40th Regiment. He had been exactly sixty -hours without food, and was much exhausted.</p> - -<p>“When, sufficiently recovered, he informed us that after leaving -the party on the 7th, he and Bryne took the path to the left, instead -of following the one to the right as we did. He had not proceeded -far when he became unconscious; how long he remained in that -state he could not tell. On being restored to consciousness by the -drops of rain falling on his face, he found himself alone; Bryne -had gone on. For two days he wandered about the bush, trying in -vain to find an opening; at one time, while following a native path, -he nearly fell into the hands of a party of rebels. He was close -upon them, when, warned by the sound of their voices, he crept -back into the bush without being seen. A still more singular incident -occurred to him the previous evening. He heard the footsteps -of our party at Camerontown, and, rushing forward, caught -sight of them as they were entering the bush on their return from -the canoes. Such was the impression produced by this sight that -all his faculties, bodily and mental, were completely paralysed; he -could neither speak nor move; when he recovered from his temporary -prostration the party had disappeared. For a moment he was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_311"></a>[311]</span> -tempted to believe that he was labouring under some mental hallucination, -the result of over-anxiety and bodily weakness, but it was -not so. Finding no traces of our party, he hurried down to the -river, where he found the canoe which Captain Greaves had the -foresight to preserve. Using a rough piece of board as a paddle, -he contrived to make his way up the river till he found himself -within four hundred yards of the redoubt, but on the opposite side. -Here he had the misfortune to drop the piece of board, and could -only save himself from being swept away in the canoe by clinging -to the long weeds in the shallow part of the river till his cries -brought his comrades to his assistance.</p> - -<p>“Poor Bryne, the other missing man, was less fortunate. He -wandered about in the bush till he was surprised by a party of the -enemy. We learned afterwards that he begged hard for his life, -but he had to deal with wretches who knew no mercy. Five balls -were lodged in his body, and he was stark and stiff when we found -him. My story is now told; every one admits that it was one -of the most desperate affairs that have occurred in the course of -this war.</p> - -<p>“I arrived at the Queen’s Redoubt, and was immediately sent for -by General Cameron. I found him surrounded by his staff, but the -moment he saw me he advanced and shook me warmly by the hand. -‘Sergeant,’ he said, ‘you have done well.’ ‘And I am amply -rewarded by this honour,’ was my immediate answer; ‘not to -myself alone, sir, but to the brave fellows who were with me, is the -credit due.’ ‘I know it,’ said the general; ‘there is not another -corps in the colony could have done as the 65th.’ Nor was this all; -in his despatch to Governor Grey, General Cameron expressed his -admiration and approval of our dear old regiment in the most complimentary -terms, and it was on his recommendation that I received -my commission and the Victoria Cross. Corporal Ryan was also -gazetted for the Victoria Cross, but never lived to wear it. His -death was in keeping with his life; he was accidentally drowned -near Tuakan while trying to save a drunken comrade. Three -months after their gallant conduct, Privates Bulford, Talbot, Cole,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_312"></a>[312]</span> -and Thomas received the medal for distinguished conduct in the -field, the first two for remaining with the body of Captain Swift, -and the two latter for waiting on Lieutenant Butler and conveying -him towards the Redoubt.”</p> - -<p>“In all this desperate affair did you ever think of your wife and -children, McKenna?”</p> - -<p>“Not once, sir. She asked me the same question the first time we -met, and seemed a little put out when I gave her the same answer, -but she understood it all afterwards. In the excitement of an engagement -a soldier can only think of immediate duty; when the -danger is past he feels how grateful he ought to be to Him who -has preserved his life for those who are dearer to him than life -itself.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"> -<img src="images/footer15.jpg" width="200" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_313"></a>[313]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header8.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">SERGEANT-MAJOR LUCAS, OF THE 40TH REGIMENT, AND THE VICTORIA CROSS.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-w.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">We had the pleasure, a few weeks ago, of seeing -Lieutenant-General Sir Duncan A. Cameron, K.C.B., -the officer commanding the forces in New Zealand, -attach with his own hands the Cross of Valour to McKenna’s -breast, and declare, in the presence of his own regiment, that a -more chivalrous soldier had never been invested with this symbol -of his Sovereign’s favour. Sir Duncan, at the same time, expressed -his regret that he who had shared in the danger could not -share in the reward, but rejoiced to think that Corporal Ryan’s -death was in keeping with his life, which he had lost in trying to -save a comrade from drowning. Three cheers were given for -Ensign McKenna, and none joined more heartily in those cheers -than Sergeant-Major Lucas, of the 40th Regiment, who had received -the same decoration from the hands of the general at the close of -the Taranaki war in 1861.</p> - -<p>A brief sketch of the island, and the causes that have led to -that and the present war, will not be without interest. The -aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand are known by the name -of Maoris—a word which in their language signifies indigenous to -the soil—and are about 60,000 in number. They are supposed to -have emigrated, about four centuries ago, from the Society and -Sandwich Islands, and to have dispossessed another race, many -traces of whose existence are still to be found in New Zealand. In -appearance they bear a striking resemblance to those gipsies who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_314"></a>[314]</span> -may still occasionally be seen in the neighbourhood of Norwood -and the Crystal Palace. They are a fine, powerful, muscular race, -naturally fond of war, and possessed of great energy of character. -They have made great progress in civilization since the island was -first discovered, in 1642, by Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, who -named it after his own country. It was visited in 1769 and 1777 by -Captain Cook, who took possession of it in the name of the English -Government, and suggested that it should be used as a penal settlement. -He introduced pigs, cabbages and turnips into the island, -and his name is still familiar to the natives as one of their greatest -benefactors. There are several fountains known as Cook’s Springs, -and the rum he occasionally distributed among them is gratefully -remembered as “Te wai toki a rangi”—Cook’s sweet water of -heaven. While the natives were kind and hospitable to those who -treated them well, they were ever ready to revenge any injury they -received, and murdered the crews of several vessels of whose misconduct -they had reason to complain. Thus, in 1809, the sailors -on board the <i>Boyd</i>, an English ship, under the command of Captain -Thompson, were massacred at Wangaroa. This melancholy event -was the result of the captain’s imprudence. Among the passengers -was a Maori chief, who had visited Sydney, and was now on his -way to his native land. Being short of hands, the captain requested -him to assist the sailors in working the ship. On his refusal to do -so he was tied to the mainmast and flogged. This degrading -punishment roused all the savage passions of his nature, but, disguising -his feelings, he persuaded the captain to visit Wangaroa, of -which he was the leading chief. All suspicion was disarmed by the -friendly bearing of the natives, who were only biding their time. -Watching for a favourable opportunity, they attacked the ship, and -murdered the captain, the crew, and many passengers. A similar -calamity had overtaken the crews of two French vessels, in consequence -of their having unintentionally desecrated the place set apart -for the burial of the natives.</p> - -<p>When the Maoris were plundering the <i>Boyd’s</i> cargo, they came -upon some boxes of seed, which was scattered about as useless. It<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_315"></a>[315]</span> -took root, however, and in a few years the surrounding district was -overgrown with garlic and parrot’s-bill acacia (<i>Clianthus Puniceus</i>), -which yields a beautiful flower used by the natives as an ornament -for the ear. After this the island was little visited except by -whaling ships (the captains of which were sometimes so accommodating -as to lend their ovens to prepare the banquets of human flesh -so much relished by the Maoris) till 1839, when the New Zealand -Land Company obtained a charter and began to form settlements in -the south. It is worthy of remark, that so early as 1835 Great -Britain formally recognised the independence of the natives and -bestowed on them a national flag; but no sooner had the new company -begun to buy extensive tracts of land from the natives, than -the missionaries interfered and induced the home government to -send out a governor. As a governor over an independent race would -have been a contradiction in terms, the difficulty was obviated by -inducing a number of natives to assemble at Waitangi, and to -attach their signatures to a treaty in which they acknowledged the -supremacy of our Queen. Rum and blankets were liberally distributed -among the natives, who were ready to sign anything. Such -was the origin of the treaty of Waitangi, on which alone our claims -to the loyalty and obedience of the Maori race can be said to rest. -It was a mere farce, unworthy of the ministers of religion who -originated it—equally unworthy of the great nation who sanctioned -it. As well might the nine tailors of Tooley-street, who dubbed -themselves the men of England, have undertaken to dispose of the -liberty of their countrymen, as the signers of the Waitangi treaty to -barter away for rum and blankets the future independence of the -Maori race. And yet it is in virtue of this worthless document, the -authors of which in any civilized country would have been liable to -an indictment for conspiracy, that we profess to treat the Maoris as -a subject race, and make war against them as rebels when they try -to assert their independence.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the treaty of Waitangi, the Maoris continued to -retain their own customs, manners, and laws, and to act in every -way as an independent people. Their chiefs, far from acknowledging<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_316"></a>[316]</span> -the supremacy of the British crown, frequently waged war against -us and with one another. When they fell into our hands they were -never treated as rebels. In short the Maoris tolerated our presence -in the island because they found our colonists useful for purposes -of trade; but when they discovered that the British population -was constantly on the increase, and their lands fast slipping -from their possession, they resolved to assert their ancient independence, -and to pass such laws as would prevent the alienation of -their property. They were willing that the colonists should remain -subject to their own Sovereign and laws, but they claimed the same -right for themselves, and in the exercise of that right elected one -of their chiefs to be Maori king, and formed themselves into a -league to prevent any lands from being sold by any individual -member of a tribe without the consent of the whole. Such a league -would at once be pronounced illegal in England, where it is a -recognised principle that every man has a right to do as he likes -with his own; but the Maori tenure of land is different. It rarely -belongs to a single family or to a single individual; it is the property -of the whole tribe, much in the same way as a common in -England is the property of all whose lands are adjacent. Every -member of a tribe has the right to hunt and fish over the land which -belongs to the whole community; no man, not even a chief, has a -right to dispose of any part of that land without the consent of the -whole tribe. When a piece of land is sold the money is distributed -equally among all who are entitled to a share, the chief rarely -retaining anything for himself. The only way in which a piece of -land can become private property is by an individual selecting and -cultivating it with the consent of the tribe; it then belongs to all -the descendants of the original cultivator, who may be dispersed -among other tribes, and it cannot be sold without their consent. -Now this peculiar tenure of land was the cause of the Taranaki war -of 1860-61, and of the present war in which so many valuable lives -have been lost. The establishment of a Maori sovereignty would -have ended in nothing; the Maori king was a mere puppet in the -hands of a few ambitious chiefs; the great body of the nation would<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_317"></a>[317]</span> -never have acknowledged his supremacy; and the movement would -have covered its originators with ridicule. But when the local -government interfered with the rights of property, and violated the -first principles of Maori law by purchasing from an individual -land which belonged to the whole tribe, and enforcing possession by -violence, they struck at the root of Maori independence, and -brought on that fierce struggle of which we have not yet seen the -end. The Maoris are fighting for their lands and liberty, while we -are fighting for British supremacy. The settlers have already more -land than they can cultivate, but this has not prevented them from -coveting that which belongs to the natives. If they had waited -patiently, a period would have arrived when the Maoris would have -seen it to be to their own advantage to part with lands which -they cannot turn to any profitable account, but they were unwilling -to wait, and endeavoured to compel the natives to enter into their -views. Such a policy was as imprudent as it was unjust; there -were few troops in the colony; and when the natives flew to arms -in 1860, the government had to appeal to the Australian colonies -for assistance.</p> - -<p>The appeal was not made in vain; all the troops that could be -spared were despatched at once to the seat of war, including four -companies of the 40th Regiment, detachments of which were stationed -at Melbourne and Hobart Town. Sergeant-Major Lucas, -who then held the rank of colour-sergeant, arrived in New Zealand -in 1860, and took part in all the engagements we had with the -enemy till the temporary cessation of hostilities in 1861. The -Maoris do not fight in the same way as Europeans; it is part of -their policy to avoid giving battle in the open field. Their mode -of warfare is to conceal themselves in the bush, and to fire upon -our men when off their guard; or to erect pas or redoubts, surrounded -by a ditch, and surmounted by wooden palisades. Inclosed -behind the walls of these pas, they coolly await the approach -of our men, and pour upon them destructive volleys while they are -advancing to the assault. When their position is no longer tenable, -they evacuate the pa, and such is their perfect knowledge of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_318"></a>[318]</span> -country that they often contrive to escape through the ranks of our -men with little loss. The evacuation of a pa is not considered a -defeat; they select a favourable site, and proceed at once to erect -another, which has also to be stormed. Many valuable British -lives are thus lost, and the war would be interminable, were it not -that we may cut off their supplies and ultimately starve them into -subjection.</p> - -<p>The late war was carried on in the Province of Auckland; -but it was in Taranaki, the capital of which is New Plymouth, -that Sergeant-Major Lucas won his laurels. He is a fine, soldierly-looking -man, a native of the South of Ireland. He entered the -army at an early period of life, and has served eighteen years -in the same regiment. One of his brothers, a soldier of the 40th, -was severely wounded in the Taranaki war, and allowed to retire -from the service with a pension: he himself, though he took part -in every engagement, escaped unhurt, and now occupies the -highest rank that a non-commissioned officer can attain. The -war in Taranaki had been carried on with varying success till -March, 1861: the British forces under the command of Major-General -Pratt had erected a series of redoubts for the purpose -of keeping the enemy in check and protecting the town of New -Plymouth. These redoubts were occupied by detachments of our -men, and skirmishing parties were daily sent out to scour the -neighbouring bush, where the enemy were known to be lurking. -On the 18th of March, 1861, a party consisting of about thirty -men of the 40th Regiment was sent out in front of No. 7 redoubt, -situated on the river Waitara, in search of the enemy. Between -the redoubt and the bush there intervened an open space of some -eight hundred or nine hundred yards in breadth, over which our -men were allowed to advance without resistance; but no sooner -had they entered a narrow defile, surrounded on either side by bush -and fern, than a heavy fire was opened on them by an invisible foe. -Captain Richards, who was in command of the party, threw out his -men in skirmishing order, and ordered them to fire in the direction -whence the smoke proceeded. The enemy being concealed in the -bush had the advantage of being able to take deliberate aim, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_319"></a>[319]</span> -several of our men were killed or wounded. Lieutenant Rees, who -was next in command to Captain Richards, seized a rifle which a -wounded soldier had dropped, and encouraged the men by his example -to keep up a steady fire. At the same time he requested -Colour-Sergeant Lucas to send two men to remove two of the -wounded who were badly hit. As the men were preparing to -execute this order, a fresh volley from the enemy placed one of -them <i>hors de combat</i>, and a bullet hit Lieutenant Rees in the right -groin. He staggered and fell, when Colour-Sergeant Lucas, with -much presence of mind, ran up to his assistance, and sent him to -the rear under the charge of the soldier who remained unhurt. -Three wounded men and four stand of arms still remained on the -field, and the gallant sergeant resolved to present a bold front to -the enemy till he was relieved. Sheltering himself behind a tree, -he opened a brisk fire on the enemy, and kept them at bay. So -long as he remained behind the tree he was safe, but whenever he -left this shelter to take aim, he became exposed to the fire of the -enemy, who, deterred from advancing by his gallant resistance, -endeavoured to shoot him down. Two soldiers had the courage to -stand by him, and for a quarter of an hour they kept the enemy at -bay without being hit, though they were exposed to a constant fire -from a distance of only thirty yards. Several of the Maories were -wounded, and carried off by their companions; the brave little -band, anxious but not discouraged, still continued to hold out.</p> - -<p>The amount of danger incurred by Sergeant Lucas may be -learned from the following incident:—The tree behind which he -found shelter had several creepers suspended from its top; a bullet -from the bush hit one of these creepers and cut it in two at the -distance of a few inches from his head. If the Maoris had been -better marksmen the whole of the little party must have perished, -and the wounded men have fallen into the hands of a relentless -foe; but in moments of excitement the natives fire wildly, without -taking aim at any particular object. It was to this fortunate -circumstance that Sergeant Lucas and his two followers owed -their lives; the enemy were excited, and so fired without precision. -As it was, they were enabled not only to continue their resistance,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_320"></a>[320]</span> -but also to inflict considerable loss on the enemy. For a quarter of -an hour the unequal combat was kept up till a party under Lieutenants -Gibson and Whelan came up to their assistance, on which -the enemy retired. Only one of the three wounded men recovered, -and Lieutenant Rees, in consequence of the severity of his wounds, -was obliged to return to England. It would be difficult to overestimate -the importance of Sergeant Lucas’s gallant conduct on -this trying occasion; he prevented the bodies of his wounded -comrades from falling into the hands of the enemy, and saved four -stand of arms. Nor was this all: the moral consequences of his -heroic resistance were soon evident. The next morning the white -flag was hoisted by the natives, and this was the last engagement -in the Taranaki war.</p> - -<p>In August, 1862, Colour-Sergeant Lucas was appointed sergeant-major -of his regiment, and has continued ever since to discharge -the duties of that office in such a way as to secure the confidence -and esteem of his superior officers. His conduct was not overlooked -or forgotten by the general in command. A full account of -the affair was transmitted to the authorities at home, and the -following notice appeared in the <i>London Gazette</i> of the 19th of -July, 1861:—</p> - -<p>“Colour-Sergeant John Lucas, 40th Regiment.—On the 18th of -March, 1861, Colour-Sergeant John Lucas acted as sergeant of a -party of the 40th Regiment, employed as skirmishers, to the right -of No. 7 redoubt and close to the Huirangi Bush, facing the left of -the position occupied by the natives. At about four o’clock <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> a -very heavy and well-directed fire was suddenly opened upon them -from the bush and the high ground on the left. Three men being -wounded simultaneously, two of them mortally, assistance was -called for in order to have them carried to the rear; a file was -immediately sent, but had scarcely arrived when one of them fell, -and Lieutenant Rees was wounded at the same time. Colour-Sergeant -Lucas, under a very heavy fire from the rebels, who were -not more than thirty yards distant, immediately ran up to the -assistance of this officer, and sent one man with him to the rear. -He then took charge of the arms belonging to the killed and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_321"></a>[321]</span> -wounded men, and maintained his position until the arrival of supports -under Lieutenants Gibson and Whelan.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-15.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Sergeant-Major Lucas, 40th Regiment, defending a position -against the Maoris on the 18th March, 1861.</p> -</div> - -<p>On the 2nd of November, 1862, all the troops in garrison at -Auckland were assembled on the racecourse to witness the decoration -of Sergeant-Major Lucas with the Cross of Valour. The -soldiers formed a square, in the centre of which stood General -Cameron and his staff. The sergeant-major took his stand in front -of them, and the gallant old general, after expressing his admiration -of his conduct, which he invited his comrades to imitate, -placed on his breast that distinctive mark of his Sovereign’s favour -which is dearer to the soldier’s heart than any other. Our readers -will feel with us the hope that Sergeant-Major Lucas may long be -spared to wear it, and to take part in other wars reflecting more -credit on our arms and our honour as a nation than the present -struggle in Zealand.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;"> -<img src="images/footer16.jpg" width="250" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_322"></a>[322]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header5.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE HEROES OF THE VICTORIA CROSS IN NEW ZEALAND.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-w.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">We have already described some of these heroes, and the -gallant deeds by which they earned the Cross of -Valour. We have shown how Sergeant Lucas, of the -40th, defended two of his wounded comrades from the attacks of -the Maoris till a party was sent to his relief; how McKenna of -the 65th stood by his dying officer to the last, and proved himself -worthy of the command that had devolved upon him, by conducting -his comrades through the fire of the enemy and the intricacies -of the bush to the redoubt which they had left; how Samuel -Mitchell, that true-hearted sailor, stood by Commander Hay, of the -<i>Esk</i>, in the Gate Pa at Tauranga, and refused to leave him till all -was over.</p> - -<p>Since that time we learn from the <i>London Gazette</i> that the -Victoria Cross has been awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill, -of the 107th Regiment; to Assistant-Surgeons Temple and Manley, -and Lieutenant Picquard, of the Royal Artillery; and to Ensign -Down and Drummer Stagpoole, of the 57th Regiment, in recognition -of gallant deeds done in New Zealand. The bestowal of the -Cross on Assistant-Surgeon Temple, R.A., was a tardy act of justice; -it was awarded to him by the unanimous voice of the army for -humanely exposing his life to almost certain destruction in hurrying -to the assistance of Captain Mercer, R.A., who was mortally -wounded. This occurred during the attack on Rangiriri, the great -pa or stronghold of the Maoris on the banks of the Waikato river, -about sixty miles from Auckland. The Taranaki war began in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_323"></a>[323]</span> -1860, and was carried on with various success till 1862, when -it was supposed to be over. There was no truce or peace concluded -with the enemy, but the settlers indulged the hope that -they might now live in peace. On the 4th of May, 1863, they were -roused from this state of false security by the report that two -officers and eight men had been fired upon by an ambuscade, and -all, with one exception, killed; this act was denounced as murder, -but we must remember that they were marching through the -enemy’s country with arms in their hands, and were thus almost -inviting their fate. General Cameron wished to take precautions -against such attacks, but the governor assured him that there was -no danger, as the war was over. Then came the abandonment of -the Waitura, the disputed territory, and, a month later, the battle -of Kuitikara, in which twenty-five Maoris were slain. After this -the province of Auckland became the seat of war. The governor -issued a proclamation denouncing all the natives as rebels who -should not surrender their arms and take the oath of allegiance -within a week: the result was such as might have been expected; -the Maoris cleared out with all their valuables, and fell back into -the interior. Their forces were concentrated at Pokewu, or the -Queen’s Redoubt, a place thirty-five miles south of Auckland, close -to the Waikato river. Our troops advanced against them, and a -battle was fought at Roheroa, a mountainous ridge, two miles south -of Pokewu, where the insurgents had encamped and fortified their -position with a series of rifle pits, from which they opened a heavy -fire on their assailants as they ascended the steep declivity. The -regiment opposed to them consisted of young recruits who had -never been under fire before; for a moment they hesitated, and all -might have been lost, if General Cameron had not rushed forward -in front, waving his riding-whip and cheering them on to victory. -He thus saved the character of a young battalion. The Maoris -dispersed, and found refuge in the neighbouring swamps, leaving -twenty-two killed on the field of battle. Their loss was not great, -considering that the force opposed to them was as three to one. -On the same day a Maori ambuscade attacked an escort under the -command of Captain King, of the 18th Royal Irish, in the neighbourhood<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_324"></a>[324]</span> -of the Queen’s Redoubt; our men, who were straggling -along the road, smoking and chatting, with their rifles uncapped, -resisted as much as they could, and escaped with the loss of four -men, twelve rifles, and the carts and horses left on the field. If -any of the Maoris fell, their bodies were removed; no traces of -them were to be found the following day.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<img src="images/illus-fullpage-16.jpg" width="425" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Assistant-Surgeon Temple, R.A., assisting Captain Mercer, -R.A., at the attack on the Pa of Rangiriri.</p> -</div> - -<p>Redoubts were then erected for the protection of Auckland; the -bush was cut down for hundreds of yards on either side of the -Great South Road; a Commissariat Transport Corps of nearly -1000 men was raised; four regiments of Militia were recruited, -chiefly in Australia and the South; the strength of the Imperial -forces was raised to 10,000 men; including local corps, we had -about 25,000 men under arms to cope with the enemy, who have -never been able to bring more than 600 men into the field. If the -country had been open, the war would soon have been brought to -a close; but our men had to pass unfordable streams and to force -their way through the bush. The enemy fell back to a place called -Mere Mere, situated on a rising ground on the Waikato, about nine -miles from the Queen’s Redoubt. The enemy’s only artillery -consisted of two old ship’s guns loaded with tenpenny nails; but -the place was believed to be impregnable, and our men remained in -camp there for three months. It was the old story of Sir Richard -Strahan and the Earl of Chatham. General Cameron was longing -to be at them, but he had to wait for Sir George Grey, and Sir -George Grey was waiting for nobody knows what. The expense -of supporting such an army in the field is enormous; three millions -of money have already been expended. At length our troops -advanced to attack the Maori stronghold; the preparations were -as elaborate as Uncle Toby’s for the siege of Dunkirk, and something -brilliant would doubtless have occurred if the Maoris had -been a little less impatient. They evacuated Mere Mere, and fell -back to Rangiriri, where they had a strong pa on the summit of a -rising ground situated midway between the Waikato and an inland -lake. If we were too slow at Mere Mere, we were a little too fast -at Rangiriri; because the former was a place of no great strength -it was inferred that the latter was the same. A rush was made;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_325"></a>[325]</span> -the outer works were carried; but the attacking party fell back on -finding themselves confronted by other works of still greater -strength. To retreat was to lose the <i>prestige</i> of our arms, and to -invite the neutral tribes to rebellion. The place must be taken at -all hazards; a second rush was attempted; the officers advanced in -front, and cheered on the men, but the men refused to stir. The -general then turned to the fifty artillery men who accompanied -him, and, armed with swords and revolvers, they rushed forward, -stopped to breathe for a moment in a gully, and reached the -parapet, which some of them mounted. They were led by Captain -Mercer, R.A., one of those brave, gallant, God-fearing men who -are an honour to the service and to humanity itself. He had a -presentiment that he would fall, but he was prepared to die; like -Havelock, he had been preparing for death for years, and it did -not take him by surprise. A Maori bullet struck him in the jaw, -carrying away the lower part of the face; he rolled backwards on -the ground mortally wounded. His party was repulsed. Was -there a man there brave enough to advance to his assistance? He -must hold his life cheap; he will have to pass through the double -fire of the enemy. But what sacrifice will our soldiers not make -for an officer they love? First one soldier advances, and then -another and another, but it was only to meet with speedy death. It -was at this moment that William Temple, an assistant-surgeon of the -Royal Artillery, learned that his friend Mercer stood in need of his -aid. Without balancing chances, or hesitating for a moment, he -went where duty called—it might be to death, it could not be to -dishonour. He reached the spot so fatal to the others; the most -sanguine could scarcely indulge the hope that he could escape. -For a moment he was enveloped in smoke; every eye was strained -till it cleared away. A sort of sigh of relief rose from many a -breast as he was seen by Mercer’s side, doing all that could be done -to alleviate his sufferings. From instinct more than from intention, -he stooped when exposed to the fire of the enemy, and thus -their bullets passed harmlessly over his head. General Cameron, -who had witnessed his devotion to duty, only expressed the desire -of the whole army in recommending him for the Cross of Honour,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_326"></a>[326]</span> -which was awarded to him in the <i>Gazette</i> of the 23rd of September, -1864. Lieutenant Picquard, R.A., obtained the same honour -for carrying water to the wounded at the risk of his own life.</p> - -<p>The Artillery having failed, the general sent for the blue-jackets, -told them his only hope was in their courage, and pointed to the -pa. “Go on, my lads,” said their leader, “I’ll not be far behind -you.” It would have been better, perhaps, if he had been a little -before them; as it was, they advanced to within fifty yards of the -pa, and then retired below the crest of the hill. One poor little -middy of fourteen was shot through the head while in advance of -the others. What could be done? The general was ready to -receive any suggestion. The officer commanding the Engineers -proposed mining, which was attempted; but the fuse was damp, -and refused to explode. The Engineers then advanced under -cover, and effected a breach in the wall. On perceiving that their -position was no longer tenable, the Maoris hoisted a white flag, and -surrendered at dawn. William Thompson, the great chief of the -rebellion, had escaped, with most of his followers: only 183 prisoners -fell into our hands. They could easily have escaped if they -had chosen, but they had waited on in the hope of being reinforced. -The loss of the Maoris was about forty-five killed, while ours -amounted to six officers killed or died of wounds, and nine -wounded; forty men killed, and eighty wounded. The attacking -force amounted to 1000 men; about one-seventh of them were -killed or wounded; the defenders of the pa could not have -amounted to more than four or five hundred men; forty-five were -killed on the spot; the wounded were carried off.</p> - -<p>One or two steamers were placed on the Waikato river, and our -troops advanced to Ngaruawahia, the royal residence of Potatau II., -whose palace of reeds may still be seen there. This town is situated -about twenty-six miles to the south of Rangiriri, at the confluence -of the Waipa and the Horatiu, whose united waters form -the Waikato river. The governor had promised to meet W. -Thompson, the Maori king-maker, here, and to settle the conditions -of peace; but for reasons unknown to us he failed to appear, -and our troops pushed on till they reached Piko Piko, a strong pa<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_327"></a>[327]</span> -on the summit of a hill overlooking the Waipa, about thirty miles -to the south of Ngaruawahia. We remained encamped opposite -this stronghold for three weeks without attempting an assault; our -experience at Rangiriri had taught us to be cautious. We had -3900 men under canvas; the defenders of the pa could not have -exceeded one-fourth of that number; but, notwithstanding this disproportion, -no attempt was made to dislodge the enemy. At the -end of three weeks we turned their position, and advanced to the -villages of Awamutu and Kilu Kilu, from which they derived their -supplies; on this they were obliged to evacuate their stronghold -and retreat into the interior. A skirmish took place at Rangiawahia, -a native village three miles from Awamutu, during which a venerable -Maori lady distinguished herself by coolly occupying a chair in her -verandah, and firing deliberately on our men, who retaliated by -burning down a native <i>wharze</i>, or hut, which contained some -warriors who refused to surrender, and were consumed in the -flames. We then constructed a line of redoubts, extending from -Maugautautari, a stronghold on the Horatiu, which W. Thompson -had evacuated, to Te Rori on the Waipa, for the purpose of -keeping the enemy in check. This was not so easily done as we -imagined. In March some three hundred natives advanced to -Ohapau, a village five miles from Awamutu, and began to construct -a pa in the midst of a grove of peach-trees. It was captured on -the 2nd of April, but Rewi, the ringleader, escaped.</p> - -<p>On the 30th of March the incident occurred which procured for -Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill the honour of the Victoria Cross. He -holds the appointment of aide-de-camp to General Cameron, who -was then at Pukerimu, and had occasion to communicate with -Brigadier Carey, who was in command at Awamutu. The distance -from Pukerimu to Awamutu is eighteen miles; midway between -these two stations stands the redoubt of Ohapau, occupied by a -detachment of the 40th Regiment. Rough bridges have been -erected at the different creeks, but there is no regular road, merely -a native path leading through the bush. Near Ohapau is a clump -of trees admirably adapted for an ambuscade. Lieutenant-Colonel -McNeill had no other escort than a private of the Defence Force (a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_328"></a>[328]</span> -colonial corps consisting of 250 troopers) of the name of Vosper, -who acted as his orderly. Nothing remarkable occurred during -the journey till they had occasion to pass the clump of trees near -Ohapau, when a party of insurgents opened fire upon them. -Private Vosper was thrown from his horse, and Lieutenant-Colonel -McNeill succeeded in catching him. Vosper then remounted, and -both rode off. The fire of the Maoris is said to have been very -close and very severe; under such circumstances the escape of the -horses and riders without being grazed by a single bullet is little -short of miraculous. It is unfortunate, perhaps, that there were -no other spectators of the scene than the immediate actors. -Private Vosper has to vouch for the gallantry of Lieutenant-Colonel -McNeill, and Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill for the danger -incurred by Private Vosper. When the affair was reported to -General Cameron, he recommended his aide-de-camp for the decoration -of the Cross of Valour; and he was duly invested with it -on the 6th of December, in the presence of all the troops that -could be assembled to witness this interesting ceremony.</p> - -<p>Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill is a good and gallant soldier; he -proved himself to be so during the Indian campaign, when he -served on the staff of Sir Edward Lugard, and was honourably -mentioned in public despatches. It is right that these services -should be known to the public, as they have contributed to procure -for him the honour of the Victoria Cross, the wearer of which, -like Cæsar’s wife, should be beyond suspicion. We should be glad -to see some public recognition of the bravery displayed by a sergeant -of one of the colonial corps near the same spot, five days -before Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill and his orderly were attacked. -On the 25th of March this sergeant had left Pukerimu in company -with a civilian who had been visiting his brother there, and was -now on his way to Awamutu. Both were well mounted, and -nothing remarkable occurred till they were within four miles of the -camp, where the road passes near the first of the lakes lying between -Ohapau and Te Rori. The two horsemen were riding quietly along, -thoughtless of danger, when an ambuscade of some thirty or forty -Maoris opened fire upon them from the bush; the sergeant felt that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_329"></a>[329]</span> -his horse was hit, and spurred him on with all his might, in the -hope that he might still be able to carry him beyond the reach of -danger. On the first impulse of the moment he had thought only -of his own safety; but he had only proceeded a short distance when -he became anxious for the fate of his companion. On turning -round, he saw his horse lying dead on the road: in another minute -the civilian would have been lifeless beside him. He was rushing -along with all his might, pursued by a Maori, who was rapidly -gaining upon him, and had already poised his spear to strike. The -sergeant wheeled his horse round, and with the rapidity of thought -rushed to the rescue. One shot from his revolver laid the Maori -prostrate; in another minute the civilian was mounted behind him, -and then away for their lives. The noble horse seemed to know -what results depended on his speed, for, though wounded and weak -from the loss of blood, he never halted till he reached the rising -ground that overlooks Awamutu, when he fell down dead. He had -carried them three miles with seven bullets in his body, till they -were beyond the reach of the Maori rifles. When the danger was -past he lay down and died. The incident created much sensation -at the moment. The sergeant’s coolness and courage excited the -admiration of the whole camp; but many months have passed away -without bringing with them any public recognition of his heroism. -This, doubtless, has arisen from oversight. We shall be much -gratified if our present remarks lead to further inquiries being made. -Civilians have obtained the Victoria Cross in India; there is no -reason why it should not be bestowed on those who are equally -worthy in New Zealand.</p> - -<p>Our readers are already familiar with the attack on the Gate Pa -at Tauranga, on the 29th of April, when our soldiers and sailors, -after effecting an entrance into the Maori stronghold, were seized -with a sudden panic, and retreated in the greatest disorder. It -is rare indeed for our soldiers or sailors to desert their officers in -the hour of danger; but on this occasion terror was more powerful -than the sense of duty. It was not so with all, however; there -were one or two honourable exceptions. When Commander Hay -fell mortally wounded inside the pa, one gallant sailor stood by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_330"></a>[330]</span> -him, and refused to leave him, though frequently urged to do so. -It was right that such an act of distinguished devotion to duty -should be recognised as an encouragement to others to imitate his -example, and Samuel Mitchell now carries on his breast the Cross of -Valour as a memorial of the humanity and courage he displayed at -the Gate Pa. On the same occasion, Assistant-Surgeon Manley, of the -Royal Artillery, distinguished himself by exposing his life to great -danger in entering the pa with the generous intention of offering -assistance to Commander Hay. That unfortunate officer was beyond -the reach of human aid, but this detracts nothing from the praise -due to Assistant-Surgeon Manley, who remained with him to the -last, and did all that human skill could suggest to alleviate his sufferings. -Nor was this all; on learning, after his return to the camp, -that there were other wounded officers in the pa who might require -his aid, he offered to proceed to their assistance. To have done so -would have been to expose his life to certain destruction, as the -insurgents had now resumed possession of their stronghold; the -service cannot afford to lose such men as Assistant-Surgeon Manley. -While this generous offer was refused, it was felt that he had already -made good his title to the distinction of the Victoria Cross, which -has now been conferred upon him. Assistant-Surgeons Temple -and Manley belong to the same branch of the service, and it is -honourable to the medical profession that two of its members -should have attained to the same distinction in the course of one -year.</p> - -<p>While the province of Auckland has been the principal seat of the -present campaign, a sort of desultory warfare has been carried on -at the same time in the district of Taranaki, where the 57th Regiment -is stationed. This district, which has been often described as -the garden of New Zealand, extends along the western coast of the -North Island; its capital, New Plymouth, is situated at the base of -Mount Egmont, a solitary, snow-capped mountain, about 10,000 -feet high, rising out of a densely-wooded plain. There is no harbour, -and the loud roar of the waves breaking on the inhospitable -shore is constantly to be heard. An English settlement was formed -there in 1841, but at this time there were only ninety natives,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_331"></a>[331]</span> -living for security in the cliffs around Mount Egmont, or in holes -among the sugar-loaf rocks; the rest had fled to Cook’s Straits or -been carried off into captivity. The whole district was a waste, -and Governor Hobson bought for 400<i>l.</i> the right which Te Whero -Whero, a native chief, had acquired over it in virtue of conquest; -after it had passed into our hands the fugitives began to return, and -nothing could equal their surprise on finding their lands parcelled -out among strangers. Twisting their long arms round the gigantic -trees, which had long been <i>tapu</i> or sacred, they besought the woodmen -to spare them; their spirit was broken by conquest; as yet -they offered no open resistance. It was only when our arms had -suffered reverses in other parts of the island that the natives of -Taranaki began to show a more independent spirit, and to reclaim -the lands which had now passed from their hands. The matter -was referred to Governor Fitzroy, who decided that the settlers -were only entitled to 3500 of the 60,000 acres to which they laid -claim; the natives resumed possession of the rest. This decision -increased the bitterness of feeling which had already sprung up -between the two races, and has been the cause of all the subsequent -disturbances at Taranaki. The settlers are anxious to purchase, but -the natives refuse to part with their lands. “Money,” they say, -“soon melts away, but the land remains.” In order to preserve -and sustain this conservative feeling, they formed themselves into -the Anti-Land-Selling League, the nature of which may be learned -from its title, and absolutely refused to part with a single acre. -The war of 1860-2 and 1863-4, which is not yet over, originated -from an attempt on the part of the Colonial Government to suppress -this league by purchasing lands from any of the natives who -were disposed to part with them. If these purchases had been -confined to the actual possessors of the soil no objection could have -been made to them, every man having a right to do what he likes -with his own, but no man has a right to sell what belongs to his -neighbours. This was actually done at Taranaki, and unfortunately -the Government, in order to assert a principle, took possession -by force of the land thus purchased. This brought the two -races into immediate collision, and the war has been lingering on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_332"></a>[332]</span> -for years. It would be foreign to our purpose to describe its -leading events; it is sufficient to remark that it has been carried -on with various success, and that the 57th Regiment, under the -command of Colonel Warre, C.B., has taken an active part in the -Taranaki campaign. An engagement took place at Poutoko on the -2nd of October, 1863, during which Ensign Down and Drummer -Stagpoole, of the 57th Regiment, distinguished themselves by carrying -off two wounded men who would otherwise have fallen into -the hands of the enemy. Stagpoole had already attracted the -notice of his commanding officer by volunteering to rescue a -wounded soldier on a previous occasion, and the announcement in -the <i>London Gazette</i> that he and Ensign Down have had the Cross of -Valour awarded to them has given general satisfaction in New -Zealand. Courage is not the exclusive property of any one class; -it is to be found among all ranks in our army and navy; it is -right, therefore, that that Cross, which is intended expressly to be -the reward of courage, should be bestowed impartially upon every -one who has made good his claim, whether he bear her Majesty’s -commission or be merely a drummer-boy. Chivalry admitted none -to its ranks save those who were of noble birth, but many of the -most chivalrous deeds of modern times have been done by men -who have no claim to illustrious descent, and owe everything to -themselves. The Cross of Valour is a standing recognition of this -fact; it is far more precious than garters and ribbons, or the other -gewgaws of rank; it is the special reward of the brave, and none -but the brave deserve to wear it.</p> - -<p>Peace will never be established on a solid basis in New Zealand -till the settlers and aborigines have learned to treat one another -with more respect. At present they regard one another with -mingled feelings of hatred and contempt. The Englishman thinks -that he has a right to despise brown-skinned men who were once -cannibals, who know nothing about title-deeds, live in dog-kennels, -feed on fern-roots and putrid fish, and render their faces hideous -by tattooing. He hates them as the only obstacle between himself -and those valuable lands with which they refuse to part; he is -tempted to believe that the only way to pacify New Zealand is not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_333"></a>[333]</span> -to leave a single Maori alive. “The black fellows,” or “niggers,” -as they are contemptuously called, conscious of the existence of -these feelings, are ready enough to retaliate. They have the -firmest belief in their own superior courage. “You white people,” -said a native chief, “are very good for building houses and ships, -for buying and selling, for making cattle fat, and for growing beans -and cabbages; you are like the rats, always at work; but as to -fighting, you are like them also, you only know how to run.”</p> - -<p>During this war they have had occasion to revise their opinion -regarding our courage; they have also taught us to respect -their heroic powers of endurance, and to believe that many virtues -may be found beneath a brown skin. If the experience of the past -prevents us from looking forward with too much confidence to the -future destiny of this noble race, who have decreased to one-half of -their number since they welcomed the Anglo-Saxon race to their -shores, we have at least a right to expect that they shall be treated -with justice, and nothing be done to hasten on that fate which -seems already to be impending over them. England will thus be -saved the remorse of wilfully neglecting to take any measures to -avoid those calamities to which the contact of civilized with semi-barbarous -races has hitherto given rise, and the Maori may yet -become a sharer in those blessings which civilization and Christianity -can alone bestow.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer17.jpg" width="400" height="150" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_334"></a>[334]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header6.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE NAVAL BRIGADE IN INDIA.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-w.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">While a few of our sailors have forced their way into -Mr. Desanges’ Gallery, and made good their title to the -Cross of Valour, it must be evident to the most -casual spectator that the “blue jackets” have not been so fortunate -as the “red coats” in securing this reward of gallantry. It -would be unfair, however, to infer from this fact that our sailors -are inferior to our soldiers in courage; both belong to the same -race, and are animated by the same warlike spirit: but of late -years sailors have not had the same opportunity of displaying their -valour as in the days of Nelson, Jervis, and Duncan. Since the -conclusion of the great French war in 1815, we have not been -brought into collision with any of the great maritime powers. -The battle of Navarino, where the united fleets of three European -nations combined to destroy the naval power of Turkey, and to -release Greece from the chains of slavery, redounded but little to -our credit; and Russia, during the late war, afforded us few opportunities -of gaining laurels by sea. It is true, that during the -Crimean war some of our sailors earned themselves a name to live -in the annals of fame; but it was not on that element peculiarly -their own that they acquired this honourable distinction. It was -not at sea, but on land, fighting side by side with our soldiers, -that they proved themselves the worthy successors of the men who -conquered at Trafalgar and swept our enemies from the ocean. If -only a few obtained the Victoria Cross, the reason was that comparatively -few were permitted to take any active part in the Russian<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_335"></a>[335]</span> -war, and that no man can prove himself to be a hero unless he -has the chance of doing so.</p> - -<p>Sailors have a natural taste for fighting, and they felt it very -hard during the siege of Sebastopol that the soldiers should have -the largest share. When any of them, by good conduct, became -entitled to a holiday, it was not an unusual request to be allowed to -spend it ashore, “to have a day’s shooting with them ’ere red -coats.” They regarded such an event with as much interest as the -keenest sportsman does when he talks of the 1st of September and -looks forward to its arrival, and their ambition was equally great to -make a good bag. It was the same during the suppression of the -Indian Mutiny: the sailors who composed the Naval Brigade, led -by the gallant young Peel, marched up the country with as much -alacrity as if they had landed merely to enjoy themselves.</p> - -<p>When, about the middle of May, 1857, intelligence reached -Calcutta of the disasters at Meerut and Delhi, Lord Canning, the -Governor-General, telegraphed immediately for aid to Bombay, -Ceylon, and Madras. He knew that Lord Elgin and General -Ashburnham were on their way to China, and urged in the most -pressing manner that some of the troops under their command -should be sent at once to Calcutta, to assist in suppressing the -mutiny. It was fortunate for our future interests in India that -Lord Elgin was generous enough to take upon himself the responsibility -of diverting to the shores of the Ganges part of those troops -which were intended to aid in the attack on Canton. About the -middle of July, while he was waiting at Hong-Kong for the arrival -of reinforcements, he received a despatch from Lord Canning, -announcing that the revolt was spreading on every side and asking -for farther aid. Lord Elgin at once started for Calcutta, taking -with him a force of fifteen hundred seamen and marines, most of -whom belonged to the two war steamers, the <i>Pearl</i> and the -<i>Shannon</i>. These active, hardy men were organized into “Naval -Brigades,” and rendered the most important services under the -command of their gallant chief, Captain Peel.</p> - -<p>This distinguished officer was a younger son of the late Sir -Robert Peel, and his brief but glorious career shed additional<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_336"></a>[336]</span> -lustre on the name he bore. He loved his profession for its own -sake: he delighted in the excitement of war; he was never more -in his element than when he had planted one of those immense -guns he knew how to handle so skilfully against the walls of -Sebastopol and Lucknow, where he would continue to work it -amid a shower of shot and shell. Genius is only talent directed -into one particular channel, and the talent he inherited from his -father was devoted to the noble profession he had adopted. He -had already distinguished himself in the Crimea, and had accompanied -Lord Elgin to China in command of Her Majesty’s ship -<i>Shannon</i>, when our sailors and marines were organized into naval -brigades. He was placed at the head of the one which was -intended to aid in the relief of Lucknow, and nobly did he -discharge the duties which then devolved upon him. His was that -daring but thoughtful courage that wins the confidence as well as -the admiration of all who witness it; the earnest force of character -that surmounts every difficulty and triumphs over every obstacle; -the gentle, kindly bearing, the courteous manner, which tells more -upon our soldiers and sailors than words of stern command; the -influence which a noble nature exercises on all around. It would -be difficult to overestimate the value of his services during the -seven months he commanded the Naval Brigade in the north-west -provinces. We cannot trace his whole career; it is sufficient for -the present to remark, that he died at Cawnpore, on the 27th of -April, 1858, of smallpox. He had been wounded in the thigh -during the last attack upon Lucknow, and was on his way to -Calcutta when he was attacked at Cawnpore by the dangerous -malady to which he succumbed. The recent annals of the British -Navy can show no name which has better claims to be remembered -than that of William Peel, of whom it may be truly said that he -died too soon for his country but not for his own fame.</p> - -<p>Lord Elgin arrived at Calcutta early in the month of August, -1857, bringing with him two war steamers, the <i>Shannon</i> and the -<i>Pearl</i>, which were placed at the disposal of the Indian Government. -Peel, who had so gallantly managed a naval battery in the Crimea -during the siege of Sebastopol, was commissioned to organize a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_337"></a>[337]</span> -naval brigade, and entered on the task with his usual energy. -Aided by the resources of the two war steamers, he succeeded in -forming a splendid naval brigade, the most effective, perhaps, we -have ever possessed, consisting of four hundred able British seamen, -and ten of those enormous 68-pounder guns which such seamen can -handle so skilfully. They started from Calcutta, up the Hooghly -and the Ganges; their progress was necessarily slow; the half of -August and the whole of September passed wearily away on this -most tedious voyage. The ardent spirit of the seamen would have -chafed and fretted beneath this compulsory delay, if they had been -under the command of a leader less esteemed and admired; as it -was, his presence and example told upon all. Week after week -elapsed; the gallant band made but slow progress against the -stream; their ponderous guns rendered it still slower. On the -30th of September, Peel reached Benares with 286 of his brigade. -Without waiting for the arrival of the rest, he hurried on to Allahabad, -which he reached on the 3rd of October, with 94 men; he -remained there four days when he was joined by the others, with -their enormous guns and stores of ammunition. These guns—the -chief cause of delay—were now found to be useless, as no means of -transport could be found for conveying them across the country, -and they were abandoned at Allahabad with regret. They had still -their 24-pounders to trust to, one of which was proudly named the -<i>Shannon</i>, after the war steamer to which she belonged. Urged by -the authorities at Patna to afford them some relief, Peel formed a -small naval brigade, which was placed under the command of -Captain Sotheby, to be employed against the insurgents in the -neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>The wearisome voyage up the Ganges was now concluded, and -on the 4th of October, soon after his arrival at Allahabad, Peel -received the following telegram from Sir Colin Campbell, then at -Calcutta:—“In the course of about a week there will be a continuous -stream of troops, at the rate of about ninety a day, passing -on to Allahabad, which, I trust, will not cease for the next three -months.” Peel was now in his element, and the Naval Brigade -under his command found abundant employment in facilitating the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_338"></a>[338]</span> -passage of troops and artillery from Allahabad to Cawnpore. -Their strength was increased by the arrival of 126 naval officers -and seamen under the command of Lieutenant Vaughan, who -joined them on the 20th of October. This reinforcement was -composed of sailors of the merchant service at Calcutta, who -volunteered to join the brigade, and rejoiced in the opportunity of -serving under such a distinguished commander. On the 23rd, four -siege-train 24-pounders were on the way to Cawnpore, under the -charge of 100 men of the Naval Brigade; on the 27th, other four -24-pounders and two 8-inch howitzers were despatched with an -escort of 170 seamen; and on the same day a large amount of -ammunition was forwarded. Peel infused something of his own -energy into every seaman under his command, and personally -superintended every arrangement; so that on the 28th of October -he was ready to start for Cawnpore, and was joined on the way by -Colonel Powell, with the head-quarters of Her Majesty’s 53rd -Regiment. On the 31st they reached Shured, where they received -the alarming intelligence that the Dinapore mutineers had crossed -the Jumna with three guns, and were preparing either to attack -Futtehpore or to force their way into Oude. The soldiers and -sailors under the command of Powell and Peel did not exceed 700 -men, while the number of the enemy did not fall short of 4000; -our men, moreover, were encumbered with the charge of a large -and valuable convoy of siege and other stores, the loss of which at -such a juncture would have been irreparable; still it was of the -last importance that something should be done to arrest the progress -of the rebels, and the two leaders, Powell and Peel, resolved to -offer them battle.</p> - -<p>As a general rule, it is injudicious to allow sailors and soldiers -to be mixed together during an attack, and frequent disasters have -resulted from overlooking this fact; but on this occasion, from our -inferiority in numbers, we had no choice. On the evening of the -31st our men reached the camping ground at Futtehpore, where -they were joined by a small detachment of the 93rd, or Sutherland -Highlanders, who were also on the way to Lucknow. The following -morning a column, consisting of 500 soldiers and sailors,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_339"></a>[339]</span> -marched to Kudjna, a distance of twenty-four miles, to attack the -enemy. The latter had taken up a strong position, with their right -occupying a high embankment screened by a grove, and their left -extending on the other side of the road, which was commanded by -their artillery. Our column was divided into three parts: one -advanced to attack the enemy’s guns, while the other two supported -it on either side. Our soldiers and sailors rushed forward with -their usual impetuosity; but the rebels, having every advantage of -position, maintained their ground for two hours, and kept up so -severe a fire of musketry that many of our men, including Colonel -Powell, who received a musket-ball in the forehead, were killed. -At this moment, Captain Peel, on whom the command devolved, -displayed such coolness and presence of mind as proved that, -though a sailor, he was fitted for the highest military command. -Perceiving that the enemy could not be dislodged without incurring -the loss of many lives, none of which could well be spared, he -changed the mode of attack by marching his men round the upper -end of the embankment, and their forces being thus divided, they -were driven from all their positions, leaving their camp equipage -and two of their tumbrils in our possession. If there had been a small -body of cavalry to follow up this success, the whole body of the -enemy might have been dispersed or destroyed; but no pursuit -could be organized, as our men had marched seventy-two miles in -three days, and exhausted nature could do no more. The column, -after collecting the dead and wounded, returned to Binkee, and -after a little rest resumed their march to Cawnpore. The enemy -are supposed to have lost about one-fifth of their number, and -abandoned the idea of marching into Oude: that terrible column -of blue jackets and red coats had shown them what they might -expect when they dared to cross bayonets with the redoubtable -Feringees.</p> - -<p>We need not trace the advance of the Naval Brigade, which was -now reduced to 250 men, from Cawnpore to Lucknow: it is sufficient -to remark, that they and their gallant leader reached the -Alum Bagh early in November, and placed themselves under the -command of Sir Colin Campbell. Our readers will bear in mind<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_340"></a>[340]</span> -that Lawrence maintained his position in the Residency until his -death, early in July; and that the command then devolved upon -Inglis, who continued the defence until September, when he was -relieved by Outram and Havelock. It was known that the small -garrison was hemmed in on every side by the rebels, and every -effort was made to relieve them; it was with this object in view that -Sir Colin Campbell had concentrated his forces around the city of -Lucknow on the 14th of November. The name of this gallant veteran -will ever be dear to the people of England. The son of a Glasgow -tradesman, he obtained his commission while still a boy through -the influence of an uncle, and had served forty-nine years as an -officer of the British army. Being unable to purchase, he could -not look for rapid promotion, but, like Havelock, he had learned to -labour and to wait. He had shed his blood freely in the service of -his country; his gallantry had been acknowledged in public despatches; -but many years elapsed before he obtained his company. -In the course of nearly half a century he had fought in almost -every quarter of the globe; he served in the Walcheren expedition; -then in the Peninsular war, including the battles and sieges of -Vimiera, Corunna, Barossa, Vittoria, San Sebastian, and Bidassoa; -then in North America; then in the West Indies; then in the first -Chinese war; then in the second Sikh war; and lastly, in the -Crimea. When the news of General Anson’s death reached -England on the 11th of July, Sir Colin was offered the post of -Commander-in-Chief in India, which he at once accepted. When -the question was put to him, “When will you be ready to start?” -his reply was “To-morrow.” He kept his word: the next day he -was on his way to India, taking very little with him but the clothes -on his back. Sir Charles Napier was wont to say, that two towels -and a piece of soap was ample luggage for an officer serving in -India: Sir Colin Campbell seems to have held the same opinion. -He travelled by the quickest route: by rail to Folkestone, steam to -Boulogne, rail to Marseilles, steam to Alexandria, rail and other -means to Suez, steam from Suez to Calcutta. How his ardent -spirit must have chafed during the many weeks he was detained at -Calcutta! But that time was not lost. He attended to the minutest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_341"></a>[341]</span> -details; he remodelled the whole system of military machinery in -India; he arranged with the Governor-General the plan of the -ensuing campaign. He admired with all the unselfish admiration -of a true soldier the heroic resistance of the garrison at Lucknow; -the struggles of Havelock’s little army; the combined efforts of -Havelock and Outram. At length, on the 28th of October, he -left Calcutta, travelling like a common courier, and caring nothing -for the pomp and glitter of military rank. After several narrow -escapes by the way, he crossed the Ganges on the 9th of November, -and commenced his attack on Lucknow on the 14th, with a miscellaneous -force of 4000 men.</p> - -<p>The gallant old chief had one guiding principle throughout the -whole Indian campaign—never to sacrifice the life of a British soldier -unnecessarily. He was resolved that Lucknow should be taken, -but with the least possible expenditure of human blood. Knowing -that Havelock and Outram had suffered severely in cutting their -way through the town two months before, he formed a plan of -approach through the south-western suburb, and trusted to his -artillery and the Naval Brigade to batter down the enemy’s defences -step by step and day after day, so as to open up a passage for his -infantry with comparatively little loss. To this plan he steadily -adhered, and for several days there was a series of partial sieges, -each directed against one of the enemy’s strongholds. Our army -pushed its way slowly, but success was certain in the end. On the -first day he drove the enemy, after a running fight of two hours, -from the Dil Roosha Park, and then from the Martinière College, -an institution for the education of half-caste children, founded by -Claude Martin, who came out to India as a private soldier, and -rose to the rank of major-general. During these operations the -heavy guns of the Naval Brigade served to keep the enemy in -check, and rendered important assistance. After completing his -preparations on the 15th, and exchanging signals with Havelock and -Outram, Sir Colin crossed the canal on the morning of the 16th, -and advanced to the Secunder Bagh, a high-walled enclosure about -a hundred and twenty yards square, loopholed on every side, and -strongly garrisoned by the enemy, who fought with the greatest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_342"></a>[342]</span> -obstinacy. In vain the guns of the Naval Brigade thundered -against the walls; the noise grew deafening; the ardour of our -troops could no longer be restrained; two companies of Highlanders, -with fixed bayonets, reached a plateau, and rushed forward -till they were stopped by a dead wall. “In at the roof, Highlanders!” -shouted the old chief, whose blood was now up; “in -through the roof; tear off the tiles. Go on!”</p> - -<p>They needed no second order; in a moment the plumed bonnets -and tartan kilts vanished through the tiles and broken bamboos, -and the enemy, driven from their position, retired with the loss of -two guns.</p> - -<p>At length the breach in the main building was declared practicable; -the hole was barely large enough for a single man to pass, -but all were impatient of further delay. The gallant old chief -thought of Badajoz, where he was the first to storm the breach, and -would willingly now have been the first to pass through the fiery -opening if duty had permitted; as it was, he uncovered his grey -hairs, and waved the Sikhs and Highlanders to the assault. Then -followed a gallant race between the mountaineers of India and of -Scotland: a Sikh is the first to enter and—to die. He is followed -by a Highlander; a bullet passes through his body, the plumed -bonnet rolls from his head, and he sinks lifeless to the ground. -Another and another press forward and meet the same fate, but -their comrades step across their bodies and make good their -entrance. The gate was violently forced, and the whole body of -Sikhs and Highlanders poured into the Secunder Bagh, and then -came the hour of retribution. “Remember Cawnpore, boys! No -quarter! Think of our women and children! Mercy? no mercy -for you!” Such were the cries that rose from our men as the -bayonet did its deadly work. No quarter was given, and many of -the enemy threw themselves into the flames which were now -spreading through the building. The massacre of Cawnpore was -avenged at the Secunder Bagh; two thousand of the enemy met -their death within its walls.</p> - -<p>The Naval Brigade, under the command of the gallant Peel, was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_343"></a>[343]</span> -then ordered to the front, and advanced toward the Shah Nujeef—a -domed mosque with a garden, which had been strongly fortified -by the enemy, with the intention of arresting the progress of our -army. The walls of the garden had been loopholed on every side; -the entrance was built up, and the summit of the building crowned -with a parapet. On the left was a village held by the rebels; -Brigadier Hope and Colonel Gordon drove them from this position -before the Naval Brigade opened fire on the Shah Nujeef. Peel -was aided by a field battery and some mortars, but the enemy -defended the post with the greatest obstinacy, and kept up an -incessant fire of musketry from the mosque and the loopholed -walls of the garden. It was on this occasion that three members -of the Naval Brigade displayed such conspicuous bravery as attracted -the notice of the Commander-in-Chief, and secured for them -the distinction of the Cross of Valour. The <i>Shannon</i> 24-pounder, -which bore the name of the war steamer from which it had been -taken, was entrusted to the charge of Lieutenant Young and -William Hall, A.B., who proved themselves worthy of the confidence -reposed in them. Though exposed to a heavy fire of -musketry and assailed by hand-grenades thrown from the walls, -they led up their heavy gun to within a few yards of the building, -and opened fire on it with as much coolness as if they had been -alongside an enemy’s frigate and fighting on their own element. -It was, to borrow the words of Sir Colin Campbell, “an action -almost unexampled in war,” and excited the admiration of all who -witnessed it. For three hours a heavy cannonade was kept up -against the walls of the mosque, and our sailors would have suffered -more at the hands of the enemy if they had not been covered by -the withering fire of the Highlanders in the rear. Sailors always -like to mingle a little fun with fighting, and Lieutenant Nowell -Salmon, of the Naval Brigade, who was known as an unerring -marksman, had recourse to an ingenious expedient to arrest, or -at least to weaken, the enemy’s fire. Close by the walls of the -mosque stood a lofty tree, whose spreading branches overlooked -the building, and offered a tempting cover to any one who was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_344"></a>[344]</span> -venturous enough to climb it. Lieutenant Salmon perceived at a -glance all the advantages of such a position, where he could see -without being seen and shoot without being shot. Having obtained -the necessary leave, he mounted the tree in true sailor -fashion, and, sheltered amid its leafy recesses, took deliberate -aim and picked off the enemy’s sharpshooters when they ventured -to show themselves in the mosque or the garden. He was ably -seconded by a private of the 93rd Highlanders, who, standing -below, received the discharged rifles, loaded them, and handed -them up again. We can conceive the surprise and consternation -of the rebels as they saw their ranks thinned and their comrades -shot down by an irresistible foe, and the enjoyment of the reckless -sailor as he witnessed the effect of his unerring fire. At length -Sir Colin, impatient of delay, gave orders to storm the place, which -was done in the most intrepid manner by the soldiers and sailors, -who forced their way through the garden and drove the rebels -from the mosque. The gallantry of the Naval Brigade at the capture -of the Shah Nujeef was acknowledged in a public despatch; -Lieut. Young, William Hall, A.B., and Lieut. Salmon, who was -badly wounded, were decorated with the Victoria Cross; and -Captain Peel became Sir William Peel.</p> - -<p>It would be foreign to our purpose to follow the army of rescue -in all their operations till they effected their entrance into the -Residency, or to describe the emotions of Campbell, Outram, and -Havelock, as they grasped one another’s hands and felt that their -work was done. All the three have now passed away; but they -did noble service to their country, and their names will not be -speedily forgotten. The early struggles, the patient discharge of -duty in a subordinate position, the perseverance and the final -success of Campbell and Havelock, ought to be a lesson and -encouragement to the young men of England who have to tread -the same path and aspire to reach the same goal.</p> - -<p>Wherever the Naval Brigade served during the Indian campaign, -they displayed the same coolness and courage as at the capture of -the Shah Nujeef. It was part of Sir Colin’s tactics to employ<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_345"></a>[345]</span> -artillery as much as possible so as to save his infantry, and whenever -walls were to be battered down he had only to summon Peel -and his now famous brigade to the front. Their gallant achievements -in Oude must ever occupy a prominent place in Indian -history, and the name of Peel received additional lustre from the -brave young sailor who perished in his prime. In the scarcity of -regular troops, they occupied a middle position, and did the work -of soldiers and sailors with equal readiness: well-drilled and accustomed -to active movements, they were ready to march at a -moment’s notice, and moved their heavy guns with a rapidity and -ease hitherto unknown in field operations. They were favourites -wherever they came; their unfailing good-humour and almost -boyish exuberance of spirits were contagious, and spread to all -who served by their side. When the campaign was over and the -mutiny suppressed their services were not forgotten; the residents -of Calcutta did honour to themselves by honouring them with a -public reception and a grand banquet. We can conceive the -hearty enjoyment of the blue jackets as they partook of the -delicacies which had been prepared for them, and listened to -the kind, graceful words in which Outram, their fellow-guest, -told of their services as witnessed by himself at Lucknow during -the previous winter. “Almost the first white faces I saw, when -the lamented Havelock and I rushed out of our prison to -greet Sir Colin at the head of our deliverers, were the hearty, -jolly, smiling faces of some of you <i>Shannon</i> men, who were -pounding away with two big guns at the palace; and I then, -for the first time in my life, had the opportunity of seeing and -admiring the coolness of British sailors under fire. There you -were, working in the open plains, without cover or screen, or -rampart of any kind, your guns within musket range of the enemy, -as coolly as if you were practising at the Woolwich target. And -that it was a hot fire that you were exposed to, was proved by -three of the small staff that accompanied us (Napier, young -Havelock, and Sitwell) being knocked over by musket balls in -passing to the rear of those guns, consequently further from the -enemy than yourselves.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_346"></a>[346]</span></p> - -<p>Such words, spoken by the Bayard of India, must have been -grateful to the Naval Brigade after all their toils and privations. -When the banquet was over, they were dispersed among the different -vessels to which they belonged. Peel and his Naval Brigade have -ceased to exist, but if England should require their services other -Peels and other brigades will spring up to prove that our sailors -have not degenerated—that they belong to the same race and -inherit the same qualities as those who in former times secured -for Britannia the empire of the waves, and the enjoyment of that -freedom which we still prize as our noblest birthright.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer18.jpg" width="400" height="275" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_347"></a>[347]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE VARIOUS RANKS IN THE BRITISH ARMY, AND HOW -TO DISTINGUISH THEM.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The civilian is often wofully puzzled when trying to make -out the rank of a military man in uniform. He sees -a venerable, soldier-like man, in scarlet or blue, marching -beside a body of men. This personage is crowned with a cocked -hat with white plumes, with all the pomp of sword, &c., and -is immediately selected as “the General.” Impressed with the -appearance of the hero, his importance and rank, the speaker -inquires who the general officer is, and in reply will be informed -“that is the quartermaster, who has just been promoted from the -rank of serjeant-major.” Again, a ferocious-looking man, who, -with long beard and moustache, <i>walks</i> (not <i>marches</i>) in rear of the -regiment, with cocked hat and trailing sword, is neither a fire-eating -general nor dashing colonel, but our kind medical friend, who -looks at our tongue and feels our pulse. A quiet-looking man, in -a dark frock coat, who is the least conspicuous of a group of -officers, is General Sir Blank Blanco, K.C.B., the hero of so many -battles.</p> - -<p>The two principal points by which rank is indicated are the -collars and sleeves of the various coattees and jackets. A crown -and star, used either singly or in combination, denote three different -degrees of rank. Commencing at the highest rank, viz., Field-Marshal, -we will now describe the principal peculiarities of dress, -so that the reader may be able to form a generally correct opinion<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_348"></a>[348]</span> -of the rank and occupation of each member of the military -service.</p> - -<h3>ARMY DRESS.</h3> - -<p>A Field-Marshal’s dress consists of a single-breasted scarlet -tunic, the collar laced round with inch lace. At each end of the -collar are two batons, crossed, and formed of crimson velvet and -gold, worked on a wreath of laurel embroidered in silver. The -cuff, which is three inches and a quarter deep, has two rows of -inch lace round the top, and there is a scarlet pointed slashed -flap on the sleeve, laced with inch lace. On the left shoulder is a -double gold cord, with a small button to retain the sash.</p> - -<p>The buttons are gilt, and have on them two batons, crossed, and -encircled with laurels.</p> - -<p>Cocked hat, with a plume of long white swan feathers, drooping -downwards and outwards, with scarlet feathers underneath.</p> - -<p>The trousers are dark blue, with oak-pattern gold lace two and -a half inches wide down the sides.</p> - -<p>The sword is scimitar shape, and contained in a brass scabbard. -The hilt is gilt, with an ivory grip, two batons crossed, and -encircled with oak leaves on the handle. The sword belt is of -Russian leather, one and a half inches wide, embroidered with -three rows of gold embroidery. A sash of gold and crimson silk -net is worn over the left shoulder, the ends of fringe hanging -downwards.</p> - -<p>The above is the full dress. The undress consists of double-breasted -frock coat of dark blue. The collar and cuffs of blue -velvet with cross batons on the collar, a double gold cord on the -left shoulder to retain the sash. The trousers are dark blue, with a -broad red stripe down the side. A forage cap with gold embroidered -peak, and band of gold oak leaf lace two inches wide round -the cap.</p> - -<p>The full dress of a General is the same as that of a Field-Marshal, -except that on the collar there is, in place of the cross -batons, a silver embroidered crown and star an inch and a quarter -long. The buttons are gilt, but instead of cross batons they have -on them a sword and baton crossed. The handle of the sword also -has on it a sword and baton crossed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_349"></a>[349]</span></p> - -<p>The undress of a General is blue frock coat, with sword and -baton on collar; in other respects like a Field-Marshal’s.</p> - -<p>The dress of a Lieutenant-General, a Major-General, and a -Brigadier-General is the same as a General’s, with the exceptions -that a Lieutenant-General has on his collar a crown only, -instead of a crown and star. A Major-General has on his -collar a star only, whilst a Brigadier-General has the collar plain, -without star or crown.</p> - -<p>We now come to the three principal divisions of the remainder of -the regular officers, viz., Field Officers, Captains, and Subalterns.</p> - -<p>Field Officers are all those above the rank of Captain and below -the rank of General; they consist therefore of Colonels, Lieutenant-Colonels, -and Majors. The distinguishing -mark of a Field Officer is the -lace or embroidery on his sleeves, -which comes to a point up the arms; -the annexed illustrations show the -sleeve of a Field Officer of the Artillery. -In all line regiments and in several others, the -Full Colonel may be known by his wearing the -dress of his regiment, and having on -his collar a crown and star. A Lieutenant-Colonel -has a crown only, whilst a Major has a -star on his collar.</p> - -<p>The sleeves of Line Officers are not embroidered, but the collar -trimmings also indicate their rank, the Field Officers having lace -round the top and bottom of the collar, down the edge of the skirts -behind, on the edge of the skirt flaps and edge of the sleeve flaps, -and two rows of lace round the top of the cuffs.</p> - -<p>Officers below the rank of Field Officer have lace on the top only -of the collar, one row round the top of the cuff and none on the -edge of the skirts. Then on the collar a Captain has a star and -crown, a Lieutenant a crown, and an Ensign a star.</p> - -<p>When the frock coat is worn, the collar will indicate the rank of -the Field Officer. The crown and star being the mark of the -Colonel, a crown for Lieutenant-Colonel, and the star for the Major.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_350"></a>[350]</span> -The same marks are used for the various ranks when the shell jacket -is used; but in both these cases there is in the Line no difference -between the dress of a Captain and -a Lieutenant or Ensign, but in -the Royal Artillery and Engineers -the cuff lace will indicate -to which rank the wearer belongs. -<i>a</i>, Field Officer’s patrol jacket; <i>b</i>, -Captain’s sleeve for full dress; <i>c</i>, -Lieutenant’s sleeve.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;" id="illus9"> -<img src="images/illus9.jpg" width="600" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption"><i>a.</i> <i>b.</i> <i>c.</i></p> -</div> - -<p>The distinguishing marks on the collar and sleeves -of the majority of the army serve to indicate the -rank of the various officers, but we have also to -deal with other details.</p> - -<h3>DRESS AND RANK.</h3> - -<p>Commencing with the Medical Department, we -shall be able to distinguish the Surgeon and Assistant-Surgeon -principally by the belt, which is of black leather. -They also wear the black shoulder-belt and instrument case; in -other respects their uniform is the same as is that of the other -officers of the regiment to which they belong, with the exception -of wearing a cocked hat with a black cock’s-tail feather, drooping, -and five inches in length.</p> - -<p>When medical officers belong to what is called the “Staff,” and -not to any particular regiment, their full-dress is a scarlet tunic -with black velvet collar and cuffs, blue cloth trousers with gold -lace, two and a half inches wide for a Director-General or Inspector-General, -and one inch and three quarters for officers below that -rank; cocked hat with black cock’s-tail feathers, shoulder-belt -and sword-belt of black morocco.</p> - -<p>In undress a double-breasted blue frock coat, two rows of buttons -down the front, trousers of dark blue with scarlet stripe, the breadth -of the stripe varying according to the rank, the same as the lace.</p> - -<p>The forage cap consists of blue cloth with black leather peak and -chin strap, black silk oak leaf pattern band, surmounted by a crown<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_351"></a>[351]</span> -embroidered in gold on the front. A shell jacket is also worn in -undress, and is the same as for infantry officers, the collar and cuffs -of black velvet.</p> - -<p>The various ranks in the Medical Department are—</p> - -<p>Director-General of the Army Medical Department, who ranks -as Brigadier until he has served three years in that rank, when he -ranks as Major-General. The latter rank is distinguished by inch -lace round the collar with a star at each end, whilst a crown and star -in silver with half-inch lace on the collar indicate the former rank.</p> - -<p>A Deputy Inspector-General ranks as a Lieutenant-Colonel until -he has served five years, after which he ranks as a Colonel; he has -the same lace, with a crown at the end of the collar. This also is -the dress of a Surgeon-Major, who ranks as a Lieutenant-Colonel in -the army.</p> - -<p>A Staff-Surgeon ranks as Major, and has half-inch lace round -the top and bottom of the collar, with a star in silver at each end.</p> - -<p>An Assistant-Surgeon ranks as Lieutenant until he has served -six years, when he takes rank as Captain. He has the same lace -on his collar as a Staff-Surgeon, but has a crown only at each end.</p> - -<p>All the Medical Staff who rank equal to or above a Major have -two rows of half-inch lace round the top of the cuff, whilst officers -below that rank have one row only bound on the cuff.</p> - -<p>The officers equal to the rank of Major or above it have the -badges of their rank as a crown or star on their collar, whilst -officers below that rank have their collars plain. Thus the Medical -Department generally may be recognised by their cocked hats with -black plume, the black belt, and also by the buttons, which have -<span class="bold-sans">V. R.</span>, with a crown, and “Medical Department” written round.</p> - -<p>With every regiment there are, besides the medical officers, a -Quartermaster and a Paymaster. The Quartermasters wear the -dress of their regiment, but wear also a cocked hat, this being the -insignia of what is termed the Staff of an Army, viz., of General -Officers, Aides-de-Camp, Surgeons, Quartermasters, Adjutant-Generals, -&c. The Paymasters also wear the dress of their regiments -with cocked hats, the Quartermaster’s hat having a white cock’s -feather five inches long, mushroom shape, with red underneath,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_352"></a>[352]</span> -whilst the Paymasters wear no feathers. The waist-belts are black -for both these departments.</p> - -<p>In almost all the Cavalry Regiments, including the 1st and 2nd -Life Guards, the ranks are distinguished as follows—</p> - -<p>All Field Officers have a row of embroidery round the collar -and cuffs, whilst those below that rank have none. A Full Colonel -has a crown and star in silver at each end of the collar, with -embroidery; a Lieutenant-Colonel a crown only, with embroidery; -a Major, with star and embroidery; a Captain, crown and star; -Lieutenant, crown; Sub-Lieutenant, star. The Veterinary Surgeon -has a cocked hat with a red feather.</p> - -<p>We next come to a long list of Staff Officers, among whom are -Adjutant and Quartermaster-Generals with their Deputies, Assistants -and Deputy-Assistants, Brigade Majors, Military Secretaries, -Aides-de-Camp, Staff of Garrisons, &c. The general principles of -these dresses are the same. The tunic is scarlet or blue, edged -round with gold cord; on each side of the breast four loops of the -same cord with caps and drops.</p> - -<p>The ranks of Staff Officers are distinguished by the knot on the -cuff and the crown and star. All the Staff wear the cocked hat, -the general form of feather being upright, with white and red -swan feathers.</p> - -<p>In many cases officers of the rank of General or Field-Marshal -are Colonels of particular regiments. The present Commander-in-Chief, -for example, being Colonel of the Royal Artillery. When -this is the case, and any duty specially concerning Artillery is -carried on, it is usual for an officer not to attend in the dress of a -General or Field-Marshal but in that of the Colonel of the regiment -to which he belongs.</p> - -<h3>RANKS.</h3> - -<p>Next to Field-Marshals come Full Generals. After a General -comes a Lieutenant-General, and then a Major-General. The -civilian usually makes a mistake in the relative rank of these -two officers; for as a Major is higher in rank than a Lieutenant, -so he considers a Major-General must be higher than a Lieutenant-General. -The principle by which to remember this, however, is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_353"></a>[353]</span> -to deduct from General the prefix, and the remainder indicates the -rank thus, deducting Lieutenant from General we have a larger -remainder than if we deduct Major.</p> - -<p>Colonel and Lieutenant-Colonel come next; then Major, Captain, -First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, and Cornet or Ensign.</p> - -<p>A Second Lieutenant takes precedence of a Cornet or Ensign.</p> - -<p>These ranks being fixed and known, we can now compare the -staff and civil branches of the army with them. The great advantage -of “rank” to the civil branches is not merely the position, -but the power of choosing quarters in garrison, cabins on board -ship, &c., before officers who are junior in rank. No nominal rank -allows any person except a regular officer to have any military -command; thus, if an Ensign were on board ship with troops, as -also an old Surgeon and Paymaster, the Ensign would command -the troops, though the Surgeon and Paymaster both rank as -Captains.</p> - -<p>The following are the relative ranks of the Staff Officers named -below:—</p> - -<table class="ranks" summary="Relative ranks of Staff Officers"> - <tr> - <td>Paymasters</td> - <td>Rank as Captains.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Surgeons</td> - <td>Rank as Captains.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Assistant-Surgeons</td> - <td>Rank as Lieutenants.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Veterinary Surgeons during the first ten years of their service</td> - <td>Rank as Cornets.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ditto after ten years</td> - <td>Rank as Lieutenants.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ditto after twenty years</td> - <td>Rank as Captains.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Quartermasters</td> - <td>Rank as Lieutenants.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In the Medical Department there are various titles, each of which -ranks according to the following list:—</p> - -<table class="ranks" summary="Relative ranks of the Medical Department titles"> - <tr> - <td>Inspector-General</td> - <td>Ranks as Brigadier-General.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deputy Inspector-General</td> - <td>Ranks as Lieutenant-Colonel.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Staff Surgeon, 1st Class</td> - <td>Ranks as Major.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Regimental Surgeon and Staff Surgeon, 2nd Class</td> - <td>Ranks as Captain.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Apothecary</td> - <td>Ranks as Captain, but junior of that rank.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_354"></a>[354]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Assistant-Surgeon</td> - <td>Ranks as Lieutenant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deputy Purveyor</td> - <td>Ranks as Lieutenant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Medical Clerk</td> - <td>Ranks as Ensign.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<h3>COMMISSARIAT DEPARTMENT.</h3> - -<table class="ranks" summary="Relative ranks of the Commissariat Department titles"> - <tr> - <td>Commissary-General</td> - <td>Ranks as Brigadier-General.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deputy Commissary-General, if of three years’ standing</td> - <td>Ranks as Lieutenant-Colonel.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ditto under three years’ standing</td> - <td>Ranks as Major.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Assistant Commissary-General</td> - <td>Ranks as Captain.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deputy Assistant Commissary-General</td> - <td>Ranks as Lieutenant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deputy Clerks</td> - <td>Rank as Ensigns.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<h3>WAR DEPARTMENT.</h3> - -<table class="ranks" summary="Relative ranks of the War Department titles"> - <tr> - <td>Storekeepers, Barrackmasters of 1st Class</td> - <td>Rank as Majors.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deputy Storekeepers, Barrackmasters, 2nd Class</td> - <td>Rank as Captains.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barrackmasters of 3rd & 4th Class</td> - <td>Rank as Lieutenants.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clerks</td> - <td>Rank as Ensigns.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Chaplains attached to Brigades rank as Majors, whilst those -attached to Regiments take rank as Captains.</p> - -<h3>RELATIVE RANKS OF ARMY AND NAVY OFFICERS.</h3> - -<table class="ranks" summary="Relative ranks of Army and Navy officers"> - <tr> - <td>An Admiral of the Fleet</td> - <td>Ranks with Field-Marshal of the Army.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Admirals</td> - <td>Rank with Generals.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Vice-Admirals</td> - <td>Rank with Lieutenant-Generals.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rear-Admirals</td> - <td>Rank with Major-Generals.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Commodores</td> - <td>Rank with Brigadier-Generals.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Captains after three years</td> - <td>Rank with Colonels.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Captains during first three years</td> - <td>Rank with Lieutenant-Colonels.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Commanders</td> - <td>Rank with Majors.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lieutenants, Masters, and Paymasters</td> - <td>Rank with Captains.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mates</td> - <td>Rank with Lieutenants.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Midshipmen</td> - <td>Rank with Ensigns.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_355"></a>[355]</span></p> - -<p>The givers of dinners in country places where relative ranks are -not well understood may take a hint from this list, for they not -unusually commit a breach of etiquette in ceding the first honours -to an army Major when a navy Captain is present, being unaware -that the latter is the officer of the higher rank. It is not, of course, -expected that every lady or gentleman is to be a perambulating Army -and Navy List, but a glance at either publication and a comparison -with the invitation list may often prevent an officer from feeling -snubbed—we having ourselves frequently seen a grey-headed veteran -naval Captain put on one side, whilst a young army Major was requested -to conduct the lady of the house from the drawing-room; -the reason assigned being that military and naval men were so punctilious -and scrupulous about ranks, and Major ranks above Captain.</p> - -<p>In no case, however, can a naval officer command a military -officer on shore, or a military a naval officer at sea.</p> - -<p>We next come to that valuable branch of the army termed the -Non-Commissioned Officers, and dealing first with the Cavalry we -have the following ranks:—</p> - -<h3>LIFE GUARDS AND HORSE GUARDS.</h3> - -<h4><i>Non-Commissioned Officers.</i></h4> - -<ul> -<li>Schoolmasters.</li> -<li>Regimental Corporal-Major.</li> -<li>Quartermaster Corporal.</li> -<li>Corporal Instructor of Musketry.</li> -<li>Armourer-Corporal.</li> -<li>Saddler-Corporal.</li> -<li>Farrier-Majors.</li> -<li>Troop Corporal-Majors.</li> -<li>Bandmaster.</li> -<li>Trumpet-Major.</li> -<li>Corporals.</li> -</ul> - -<p>Corporal-Majors rank with Sergeant-Majors, and Corporals of -the Life Guards and Horse Guards rank with Sergeants of Cavalry -and Infantry.</p> - -<h3>IN THE CAVALRY.</h3> - -<ul> -<li>Schoolmaster.</li> -<li>Regimental Sergeant-Major.</li> -<li>Quartermaster-Sergeant.</li> -<li>Sergeant Instructor of Musketry.</li> -<li>Paymaster-Sergeant.</li> -<li>Sergeant-Armourer.</li> -<li>Sergeant-Sadler.</li> -<li>Farrier-Major.</li> -<li>Hospital Sergeant.</li> -<li>Bandmaster.</li> -<li>Troop Sergeant-Major.</li> -<li>Trumpet-Major.</li> -<li>Sergeants.</li> -<li>Corporals.</li> -</ul> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_356"></a>[356]</span></p> - -<p>In the Royal Artillery there are as follows for each Brigade and -Battery, and each rank is distinguished by the following marks on -the sleeve:—</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;" id="illus10"> -<img src="images/illus10.jpg" width="500" height="1200" alt="" /> -<table class="sleevemarks" summary="Caption for the illustration"> - <tr> - <td>Brigade Sergeant-Major and Brigadier Quartermaster-Sergeant’s sleeve.</td> - <td>Assistant-Instructor in Gunnery.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Battery Sergeant-Major’s and Quartermaster-Sergeant’s sleeve.</td> - <td>Trumpet-Major’s sleeve.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Farrier-Major’s sleeve. Horse-shoe on stripes.</td> - <td>Collarmaker-Major’s sleeve. Bridle on stripes.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wheeler-Major’s sleeve.</td> - <td>Orderly Room Sergeant, Staff-Clerk, Hospital-Sergeant, Paymaster-Sergeant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Farrier-Sergeant.</td> - <td>Collarmaker-Sergeant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sergeant-Wheeler.</td> - <td>Battery-Armourer.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sergeant and Staff-Clerk, 2nd and 3rd Class.</td> - <td>Corporal.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bombardier.</td> - <td>Shoeing Smith.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Trumpeter.</td> - <td>Good Conduct Badge.</td> - </tr> -</table> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_357"></a>[357]</span></p> - -<p>It will be seen that the badges on the cuffs indicate a higher rank -than when placed on the arm above the elbow: thus for Brigade -Sergeant-Major and Orderly Room Sergeant the badge is the same; -but one is on the cuff, the other above the elbow.</p> - -<p>A man whose conduct has been good, and who has not received -any punishment for a certain period, is granted a good conduct -badge, which entitles him to one penny a day. Some Soldiers have -three or four of these on their arm, but to distinguish these men -from Sergeants, the peak of the badge points upwards, whereas that -of the Sergeants, &c. is downwards.</p> - -<p>The distinguishing marks for other branches of the army, -although not strictly the same as those given above, are yet sufficiently<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_358"></a>[358]</span> -alike to enable us to decide the rank and occupation of the -various non-commissioned officers that we meet.</p> - -<p>We now come to the general dress of the various branches of -the army, commencing with the</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Life Guards</span>, who, when in full dress, wear a scarlet tunic, with -polished steel cuirass, steel helmet with a white plume, jack-boots -and white leather breeches. The farriers wear blue tunics and a -black plume. The <span class="smcap">Horse Guards</span> have a blue tunic, but in other -respects the dress is the same except the plume, which is red.</p> - -<p>The seven regiments of <span class="smcap">Dragoon Guards</span> wear scarlet uniform -(with the exception of the 6th Dragoon Guards), brass helmets, with -white horsehair plumes.</p> - -<p>The 6th Dragoon Guards wear a blue tunic, as also the 17th -Lancers. Other Lancer regiments wear blue jackets, and Hussars -have blue tunics. The trousers of all the cavalry are blue, except -those already named as having leather, and the 11th Hussars, -whose overalls are crimson.</p> - -<p>In head dresses, the <span class="smcap">Hussars</span> wear a black low sable head dress -like a short bearskin, termed a “busby,” with plume and bag. -The 2nd Dragoons wear a bearskin cap with white hackle feather. -The <span class="smcap">Lancers</span> wear a square top black leather skull cap.</p> - -<p>When cloaks are worn the 1st Life Guards wear a red cloak -with blue cape; 2nd Life Guards scarlet cloak with blue cape; -Horse Guards, blue with scarlet collar. The remainder of the -cavalry blue cloaks, with collars the same as the facings of their -regiment, which are as follows:—</p> - -<table summary="Uniform and facings of different regiments"> - <tr> - <th>REGIMENT.</th> - <th>UNIFORM.</th> - <th>FACINGS.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1st Dragoon Guards</td> - <td>Scarlet</td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>2nd <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Buff.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>3rd <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Yellow.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>4th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>5th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Dark Green.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>6th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Blue</td> - <td>White.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>7th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Scarlet</td> - <td>Black.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1st Dragoons</td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>2nd <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_359"></a>[359]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>3rd <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Blue</td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>4th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>5th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Scarlet.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>6th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Scarlet</td> - <td>Yellow.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>7th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Blue</td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>8th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>9th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Scarlet.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>10th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>11th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Crimson overalls.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>12th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Scarlet.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>13th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>14th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>15th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>16th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Scarlet</td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>17th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Blue</td> - <td>White.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Madras 18th Hussars</td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>Blue.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bengal 19th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto3">”</span> 20th <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto3">”</span> 21st <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Royal Artillery.</span></h3> - -<p>The uniform for the Royal Artillery is dark blue with red facings. -The Horse Artillery wear a jacket in full dress; the Foot Artillery -a tunic. The jacket of the Horse Artillery is braided in front with -yellow horizontal stripes; the head dress is a black busby with -white plume and red bag (the full dress), and for undress a forage -cap with gold band.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Royal Engineers.</span></h3> - -<p>The Royal Engineers, or Sappers and Miners, as they are also -called, wear a red tunic or jacket with blue facings, Oxford mixture -trousers with red stripe; the head dress a fur busby of black -seal skin, white plume, and blue bag.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Military Train.</span></h3> - -<p>A dark blue tunic or jacket with white facings; shako of black -cloth with black horsehair plume, dark blue trousers with white -stripe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_360"></a>[360]</span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Infantry.</span></h3> - -<p>There are 109 regiments of Infantry, without the Rifle Brigade.</p> - -<p>The uniform of each is as follows:—</p> - -<p>Guards wear scarlet tunic single-breasted, black trousers with -scarlet welt, and black bearskin cap. The Grenadiers wear a white -plume; the Coldstreams a red plume; the Scots Fusiliers no plume.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The Line</span> uniform consists of single-breasted red tunic, black -trousers with scarlet welt for winter, and dark blue trousers in -summer; shako, dark blue cloth with red and white ball tuft. -Undress a jacket and forage cap, the number of the regiment being -in front of the cap.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rifles</span> wear tunic and trousers of rifle green cloth.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Light Infantry</span> have the shako surmounted by a green horsehair -plume instead of the ball tuft; in other respects the uniform is the -same.</p> - -<p><i>Fusiliers</i> have a white horsehair plume instead of the ball tuft, -except the 5th, where the plume is red and white.</p> - -<p>Five of the Highland Regiments wear the kilt, viz., the 42nd, -78th, 79th, 92nd, and 93rd. Three, viz., the 71st, 72nd, and 74th, -the trews. The kilted regiments, as also the 72nd, wear a bonnet -of black ostrich feathers, with tartan plaid skull, with white or red -feather. The facings of the regiments vary; a so-termed Royal -Regiment having blue facings, the others consist of different colours, -yellow, white, red, buff, and green being the variations.</p> - -<p><i>Commissariat.</i>—The dress of this service consists of dark blue -tunic, blue velvet facings, dark blue trousers, red stripe, dark shako, -and tuft.</p> - -<p>The Medical Department wear scarlet tunic, black facings, blue -trousers with gold or red stripes, cocked hat and black plume.</p> - -<p>The Army Hospital Corps wear dark blue with grey facings.</p> - -<p>Among the extras to be seen in uniform in most garrison -towns, are Bandmasters, Bandsmen, Drummers, &c., and Schoolmasters.</p> - -<p>The Bands of the Infantry have white tunics with regimental<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_361"></a>[361]</span> -or scarlet facings. The Bandmaster usually wears a black frock -coat in undress, and the regimental dress with gold in full dress.</p> - -<p>Schoolmasters wear a blue frock coat with shoulder knots, -crimson silk sash, oilskin cap, black trousers in winter, blue serge -in summer.</p> - -<p>The Militia of Great Britain consists of Artillery and Infantry, -and is equipped in the same manner as is the regular army, except -that the lace is silver instead of gold, and the buttons white metal -instead of brass.</p> - -<p>In the present day, when soldiering is popular and when each -town or district sends forth its volunteers, we naturally see an -endless display of uniforms, some of which are difficult to identify. -Taking, however, the preceding remark about gold lace and silver, -red and blue uniforms, numbers on caps, &c., any non-military -man may be able to form a very good estimate of the branch of the -service and the rank to which each person belongs, a little practice -being sufficient to soon train the eye to mark the various peculiarities.</p> - -<p>When regiments are formed on parade for reviews or any similar -purpose, they are usually placed in the order of their precedence. -This order being as follows:—</p> - -<p>The Life and Horse Guards have the precedence of all other -corps.</p> - -<p>The Horse Artillery, whether mounted or dismounted, take the -right of all other cavalry.</p> - -<p>The Cavalry always take the right of Infantry.</p> - -<p>The Royal Artillery take the right of Infantry.</p> - -<p>The Royal Engineers take rank next to the Royal Artillery.</p> - -<p>The Foot Guards follow next to the Royal Engineers.</p> - -<p>The Regiments of the line follow in the order of their number.</p> - -<p>The Royal Marines take rank after the 49th Regiment, and the -Rifle Brigade after the 93rd.</p> - -<p>When Militia regiments of different parts of the United Kingdom -meet, that regiment takes precedence which belongs to the county -in which the meeting occurs.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_362"></a>[362]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX.<br /> -<span class="smaller">A GRAND REVIEW.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-a.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">A review of the armies of Europe, Austrian, Prussian, -French, Russian, British, Italian, Turkish—is only to -be achieved on paper. According to a recent calculation -it appears that the numerical strength of the armies of Europe -is 4,735,782, and, however brilliant the spectacle might be, it -would occupy a weary while to see so many men pass by in -marching order. On paper it may be done, and so in imagination -we take our stand by the reader, to point out the finest -troops, or call attention to this or that particular regiment, as the -living panorama of disciplined men sweeps on before us. The air -resounds with the strains of martial music; the earth seems to -shake beneath the feet of the legions, and the eye is dazed with a -blaze of colour.</p> - -<p>The Austrians—the standing army of Austria is the oldest in -Europe—lead the van. The neatly-made white tunics of the -infantry, collars and facings marking the distinction between the -regiments, and their straight-peaked shakos made of black cloth, -present a very noble appearance. The sergeants and corporals are -distinguished by woollen stars on their collars, broad black and -yellow cords on their shakos, and sword-knots of the same unvarying -colour made of wool. The knapsacks of the men are of -dark brown calf skin, and their cloaks are fastened on the top -of their knapsacks. The men are armed with short light muskets, -but to every regiment there are a certain number of grenadiers. -The officers, you observe, are fewer in comparison than those of so -large a body of men in an English army. To command this body<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_363"></a>[363]</span> -of infantry we should have at least two generals, four colonels, -some ten lieutenant-colonels, majors, and fifty-five captains; here -the duty is performed by one colonel, six field officers, and thirty-two -captains. Perhaps, say you, it is too few. Perhaps. But these -fellows march in excellent order—tramp, tramp! and the drummers -play with wonderful precision.</p> - -<p>These fellows in the light grey tunics are rifles—a good colour, -grey. How much better than the old invisible green, which was -always visible! And how well the men look in that Swedish felt -hat with one side turned up and fastened by a brush. They are -some 32,000 strong, these men of the rifle, and the regiments are -justly regarded as the finest in the service.</p> - -<p>Next in order of march come the border infantry, raised originally -in the reign of Maria Theresa; you may know them by their -coffee-brown tunics and black cross-belts. Disciplinary companies -follow close upon them. They march well, but if you look closely -at some of the fellows you may notice a rollicking daring in them -quite foreign to the regular troops. These disciplinary corps are -established for the purpose of drafting in those untamed spirits -that have not yet learned how to obey, and the discipline is pretty -sharp. <i>You</i> would not like it! <i>you</i> would be writing to the <i>Times</i> -about it, if you dared!</p> - -<p>General Discipline in the Austrian army?—Well—almost as -unpopular an officer as Corporal Punishment—pardon so dull a -joke on so bright a day—well, the discipline is not so sharp as it -used to be. We don’t hear so much of the stick, and running the -gauntlet has quite gone out of fashion. That running of the -gauntlet was terrible work. Stripped to the waist the culprit was -marched through the ranks of his comrades, every soldier armed -with a cane, every soldier striking a blow—a punishment so severe -that many a time a man having endured it has asked for a draught -of water, and died before the water could be brought. Now they -do these things better: imprison the culprit, put him to shot piling -or on extra drill, but—</p> - -<p>Oh these men of iron! Hardy and brave as the men of iron who -served under old iron-handed Charlemagne! These are the Austrian<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_364"></a>[364]</span> -heavy cavalry—these the cuirassiers with their breast-plates of -black polished iron, but <i>no back-plates</i>. They wear low leathern -helmets and a brass crest; they have white tunics, and grey trousers -covered with leather to the knee. Powerful horses carry these -powerful men, but we doubt whether the grey-clad riflemen could -not bring them down, notwithstanding their iron breast-plates. -Amid a cloud of dust the Cuirassiers and Dragoons ride on, and -close in their rear come the Lancers with their short dark green -tunics, with red collars and facings, richly decorated with yellow -epaulettes, aiguillettes and cords, green trousers with red stripe, -white cloaks and low-crowned chapkas of various colours with a -tuft. Each man carries a long lance decorated with a black and -yellow pennon. These Lancers are followed by the Hussars, wearing -tightly fitting tunics and trousers; and after that, thundering over -the ground, the Artillery—an Artillery equal to that of any in -Europe. The gun carriages and limbers are painted yellow with -black wheels, and the men are riding on long jaunting cars, their -uniform consisting of brown tunics with red cuffs and facings, -light blue trousers, long grey cloaks, and felt hats with one brim -turned up and fastened by a black and yellow tuft. Their belts -are white, and they carry a short infantry sword.</p> - -<p>A small company in dark brown tunics with blue facings, and -small low shakos, follow next. These form the Land Transport -Corps. After them come the Engineers, with a special corps for -Pontoons, and another Special Corps for Flotilla purposes; and, -lastly, 19,000 strong, march the Gendarmerie, as fine a body of -men—to look at—as ever trod the ground.</p> - -<p>The oldest standing army in Europe is that of Austria. Its -history is indissolubly connected with that of the Empire; but, -while there is no army in Europe which displays stronger traces of -the Middle Ages, no pains have been spared to make it the most -efficient by a ready adoption—since 1850—of all modern improvements.</p> - -<p>The army, like the Empire, is a strange compound of nationalities. -Germans, Sclavons, Hungarians, Wallachs—all are included, -the army being made up by conscription through all the provinces<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_365"></a>[365]</span> -of the Empire, and all classes, with some few very exceptions, being -subjected to it. The army belongs to the Emperor and not to the -Empire, and hence an officer may serve in it for years without -having any claim to the protection of the State. Foreigners, ever -since the period of the Thirty Years’ War, have held high rank in -the Emperor’s army, and it is asserted that one-half of the officers -now holding commissions in the Austrian army are not Austrians -by birth.</p> - -<p>By the latest returns it appears that a considerable reduction is -taking place in the numerical strength of the Austrian army. -The expenses, which in 1863 were estimated at a sum equivalent to -10,000,000<i>l.</i>, were reduced in 1865 to 9,000,000<i>l.</i>, and the estimates -for 1866 are no more than 8,000,000<i>l.</i></p> - -<p>You notice that the men are marked by strange contrasts of -physiognomy; they are marked also by strong animosity to each -other, not as individuals, but as nations. The troops raised in one -dependency of Austria hate with a thorough hatred troops raised -in another, and it is very difficult sometimes to keep peace -between them. It is a rule also that troops raised in any particular -district should never be permitted to garrison that district; and, -in fact, that no troops should remain long in any one place. By -this means all familiarity with civilians is cut off; the men must -associate together—the officers must associate together. As to the -men, they are tolerably well paid—always enough to secure them a -good breakfast, dinner, and supper, with twopence or threepence -over for a dram. The officers—especially those holding high -rank—are nothing like so well paid as officers similarly commissioned -in England. They do not meet at mess, but each officer -dines where he pleases, and thus—</p> - -<p>But here come the soldiers of Prussia, the soldiers of the Great -Army, which bears something of the impress of Frederick the -Great.</p> - -<p>Here are the Prussian Rifles, in dark green tunics, with red -collars and facings, grey infantry trousers, and a shako with a peak -before and behind, and a horsehair brush. Their belts are of black -leather, and the <i>couteau de chasse</i>, which can be used as a bayonet,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_366"></a>[366]</span> -is worn on the same belt as the cartouche-box. They are all capital -marksmen, and rapidity of firing is regarded as a <i>sine quâ non</i>.</p> - -<p>The Rifles are closely followed by the whole body of Prussian -infantry, on a war footing, 360,436 strong. They wear short -tunics of blue cloth, the collars red in the front and blue behind. -Why blue behind? Because the helmet would soon wear the -other colour dirty. The head covering—<i>pickelhaube</i>—is a round -helmet with projecting pike, the line wearing the regimental number -in front, while the Guard is distinguished by a star. The -Guard is also distinguished by horsehair plumes. Who are those -who wear a cross in front of their helmets? These are the Landwehr -Infantry. There is, if you will look closely, something in the -uniform to distinguish the corps: the regiments of Prussia Proper -and Pomerania have white shoulder straps; those of Saxony and -Brandenburg, red; those of Posen and Silesia, yellow; those of -Westphalia and the Rhine, light blue. The trousers of the men -are of dark grey cloth with a red piping down the side; they all -wear boots, but on march put gaiters over them; their cloaks are -of dark grey cloth, and their belts are of black leather.</p> - -<p>This strong body of cavaliers—every horse a model—forms the -Prussian Cavalry. Here are the Garde du Corps and Grand -Cuirassiers. They have back and breast-plates of polished steel, -and wear short white tunics with red, blue, green, yellow, black, -or orange colour cuffs and collars, according to their regiments; -their trousers are of dark grey cloth; their helmets of polished -steel; their principal weapon, the long cut-and-thrust sword, worn -in a white buffalo belt.</p> - -<p>Here come the heavy Landwehr Regiments, in dark blue tunics -and bright helmets; in their rear ride the Italians, their dark blue -jackets, all picked out with red, are armed with long lances with -black and white pennons. These are followed by the Dragoons, -in light blue tunics with different coloured facings; Hussars, with -black fur shakos and cloaks, and trousers of light grey. And after -them thunder the Artillery, on a war footing, with some 34,000 -horses and a proportionate number of men.</p> - -<p>In time of peace the Prussian army is only 122,260 strong, with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_367"></a>[367]</span> -5500 officers; while on a war footing it numbers 299,401 men, -who can take the field, while 95,957 men are left behind for home -contingencies. The difference between the peace and war establishment -of Prussia is greater than in any other European -nation.</p> - -<p>Universal service is the rule in Prussia, and every healthy man, -without distinction of rank, must personally perform military duty; -but the period a soldier remains in the standing army is short. -The majority only serve three years—from twenty-one to twenty-four; -after which they are enrolled for two further years in the -reserve, and then pass to the Landwehr of the final levy. The -Prussian is aware from his earliest years that he will have to enter -the army, and hence even his childish amusements bear a military -stamp, and military drill forms part of his common education. -It is no small thing to demand of a nation that its entire population -must belong to the army up to the thirty-fifth year, and be ready -at any moment to quit home and family and to march wherever it -is commanded. But so it is in Prussia.</p> - -<p>The non-commissioned officers of the Prussian army as a body -are probably the best in the world. They have the privilege before -them of a civil appointment after twelve years’ service, and they -would rather work hard for this than obtain a commission. There -is a striking difference between them and the French sergeants, -whose only ambition seems to be to rise from the ranks—to pluck -at the bâton which is found—with how much of difficulty!—in -every man’s knapsack.</p> - -<p>The French! Well, the French, you know, are an enthusiastic -people—they lead, in civil as well as military circles, rather stagey -lives. Have you seen Gustave Doré’s admirable pictures illustrative -of the life of a certain Captain Castagnette? Now he loses an eye—now -an arm—now two legs; now he has a bomb in his back -which cannot be extracted; and now, finally, <i>sans</i> everything, he -dozes by the fireside, sets fire to his wooden leg, expels that ugly -lodger, the bomb in his back, and is himself dashed into a thousand -or more pieces, nothing remaining but the Cross of the Legion! -All is lost, save honour! It is very French.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_368"></a>[368]</span></p> - -<p>But here are the Frenchmen, ready to fight for honour and glory. -<i>Vive l’Empereur!</i> Here are they, 500,000 strong. “<i>L’Empire c’est -la Paix</i>,” is it? Every Frenchman is a soldier by birth. Born in -the purple were the imperial children of Rome—born, or cradled -in the buckler are these children of the modern Empire! It may -serve the turn of a Russian or a German to aver that the most -stupid soldiers are the best—that it is not a soldier’s business to -think, but simply to obey. Not so think the Frenchmen. Intelligent, -active, independent, are these brave Gallic heroes. -“Your hand, brave comrade—nay, never apologize. If the right -hand has been knocked off in fair fighting, give me your <i>left</i> -hand.”</p> - -<p>Here are the Infantry, in light blue tunics, longer and wider -than those of Prussia, a black belt, to which is attached cartouche -box, bayonet, and sabre sheath; knapsack of brown calf-skin; large -fringe epaulettes, red trousers, small low shako of blue cloth, with -a brass shield in front, short half-boots, and gaiters. Here are the -buglers and sappers, armed with short rifles, and here are twenty -battalions of light infantry, each battalion numbering more than -1200 men. There are the Chasseurs, consisting entirely of picked, -active, strong soldiers—hardy mountaineers of Auvergne, the -Vosges, the Ardennes, the French Alps, the Pyrenees, and Corsica. -Here are the bronze-visaged sons of Algeria, the Zouaves, their -ranks recruited by a vast number of Frenchmen, and a sprinkling -of Germans, Poles, and Italians, attracted by the fiery impetuosity, -almost boyish fun, and Oriental costume of the band. They -number about 8000 men. They are closely followed by battalions -of Light African Infantry, four battalions of Native -African Skirmishers, wearing the Zouave dress; and these, again, -by the old Foreign Legion, made up of Germans, Prussians, Bavarians, -Poles, Hungarians, Spaniards, and Italians. Next come the -Disciplinary Corps, 1600 strong; and, lastly, six companies of -Hospital Orderlies, amounting to 1600 or 1700 men.</p> - -<p>The helmeted men who ride those powerfully made horses, that -you might swear were raised in Normandy, are the Cuirassiers. -They are all tall, athletic men; so also are the Carbineers, who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_369"></a>[369]</span> -follow them. Next come the Dragoons, forming a total of seventy-two -squadrons, who can take the field with 13,000 horses, and forty-eight -squadrons of Lancers, with 8,000 horses. The Light Cavalry -consists of twelve regiments of <i>Chasseurs à Cheval</i> and nine Hussar -regiments—on a war footing, 24,000 or 25,000 strong. The Hussar -and Chasseur are only distinguished from each other by their gay -and overladen uniform; their arms and horses are very much -alike. They ride little, strong, but terribly ugly horses, reared in -the mountainous parts of France. Next come the <i>Chasseurs -d’Afrique</i>, numbering about 3,000. They wear light blue tunics -of the Polish cut, red shakos, and white capote cloaks. They are -armed with long rifles and light sabres. The Spahis—numbering -about 3,000 men, principally natives of Algeria, mounted on -Moorish stallions, their uniform, armament and horse equipment -perfectly Oriental in style—next pass in review; and then the eye -is dazzled by the splendid spectacle of the Cent Gardes. Their -uniform is magnificent, and every man is fit for a sculptor’s model. -And lastly, there is a large body of the Imperial Guard—the -Cuirassiers—splendidly built fellows, mounted on sturdy horses of -the Norman breed.</p> - -<p>Here’s the Artillery—the finest arm of the French service. Has -not the Emperor himself written a hand-book on artillery practice? -The uniform of the men is tasteful and richly decorated; red-fringed -epaulettes and red-bordered shakos, short dark blue jacket -with red facings, trousers of the same with a broad red stripe. All -the foot artillerymen are armed with a short straight sword; all -who serve on horseback carry cavalry sabres. The guns are horsed -by country-bred horses—compact, strong brutes, not particularly -attractive to the eye, but useful, and well able to stand any climate. -If the French Artillery were placed on the war establishment, it -would number 60,000 strong, with 49,000 horses and nearly -1200 guns. The Commissariat troops and the indispensable -Engineers, in their blue tunics, come next, and while they pass -before us we may offer a few words on the army in general.</p> - -<p>The French army on a full war establishment is represented by -580,000 men, 82,000 cavalry horses, and 1182 guns; there is also<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_370"></a>[370]</span> -a reserve, made up of old non-commissioned officers and conscripts, -whom it has not been found necessary to call out, amounting to at -least 150,000 men. All the men are thoroughly in earnest; they -don’t wear the “Emperor’s coat,” but the uniform of their country; -the regiments do not bear the name of any varying possession, but -has its own number and permanent place in history. “We did so -and so at Austerlitz,” say the men to this day, in speaking of the -regiment to which they belong. In France, too, any good soldier -can become a corporal, any corporal a lieutenant, and so on in -military rank. The words of the Great Emperor will never be -eradicated from the minds of the French troops: “Every soldier of -France carries a marshal’s bâton in his knapsack;” and indeed -many a man who entered the service in a blouse has died in a -General’s uniform.</p> - -<p>Ah, my friend, I see you are inattentive. I know what means -that glow upon your cheek and sparkle in your eyes; I hear the -strain as well as yourself:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Our plumes have waved in combats</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That ne’er shall be forgot,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where many a mighty squadron</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Reel’d backward from our shot.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In charges with the bayonet</div> - <div class="verse indent2">We lead our bold compeers,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But Frenchmen like to stay not</div> - <div class="verse indent2">For <i>British Grenadiers</i>.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Once boldly at Vimiera</div> - <div class="verse indent2">They hoped to play their parts,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And sang fal lira lira</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To cheer their drooping hearts.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But English, Scotch, and Paddy-whacks,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">We gave three hearty cheers,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And the French soon turned their backs</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To the <i>British Grenadiers</i>.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“And what could Buonaparte,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">With all his Cuirassiers,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In battle do at Waterloo</div> - <div class="verse indent2">With British Grenadiers?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Then ever sweet the drum shall greet</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That march unto our ears,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Whose martial roll awakes the soul</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Of <i>British Grenadiers</i>!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_371"></a>[371]</span></p> - -<p class="noindent">You know the old colours, and the old familiar music of the “spirit-stirring -drum” and “ear-piercing fife” is a welcome sound. Hurrah, -for our soldiers! One, two, three! and a ringing one over the -young recruits. Now for another one after that. What is that -for? The Volunteers, of course.</p> - -<p>The number of effectives in the British army by the last return -was 204,057. They are scattered all over the world, scarcely -more than 30,000 being at any one time at home; and under so -many varied temptations as they must be exposed to, both abroad -and at home, it says much for the men that during the last year -there were only 1438 deserters and 466 cases of corporal punishment. -As to what British troops have achieved—is not the history -of England full of it? The sheer pluck they have displayed under -all sorts of disadvantages has made them famous through the -world. All sorts of disadvantages—at home not over well paid, -not over well cared for in garrison; not incited to exertion by the -prospect of promotion above that of a non-commissioned officer; -not encouraged to feel himself a man as well as a soldier; exposed -to a degrading punishment; clad in a costume totally unfitted for -the field or the march; armed with heavy and cumbersome weapons; -sent to all parts of the globe in precisely the same uniform; no -proper provision made for his comfort or convenience; not taken -care of by the authorities, not allowed to take care of himself; -not—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Upon the plains of Flanders</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Our fathers long ago,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They fought like Alexanders</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Beneath old Marlborough!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>I know it, my friend, but they fought under great disadvantage. -They were ill-provided with everything; they were badly paid, -and their pay, small as it was, was kept; their sheer pluck, as we -said before, won the battle—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“And still in fields of conquest</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Our valour bright has shone,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With Wolfe and Abercrombie,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And Moore and Wellington.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>I am aware of it all, but they would have thrashed their foes as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_372"></a>[372]</span> -surely, and certainly with less inconvenience to themselves, had -they been better cared for. “If you had to fight the battle of -Waterloo again, how would you like to be dressed?” said the -Prince Regent to a Guardsman. “In my shirt sleeves, your -Majesty!” was the highly practical reply. Do you remember what -use they made of the Grenadiers’ bearskin caps in the Crimea? -They filled them with mud, and found them excellent building -material. Do you remember the outcry there was when the stiff -dog collars were taken off our half-strangled soldiers? Do you -recollect how Miniés and revolvers were ridiculed by plethoric old -officers? “I’ll tell you what, sir, our men didn’t want Miniés and -revolvers and such new-fangled bosh at Waterloo, sir. They won -without them, and can do it again, sir.”</p> - -<p>I observe that you are observing the march of the British -soldiers, more than my observations. Well—’tis a grand sight. -Chobham and Aldershot have done something for them. Those -are the Guards: the Household Brigade, composed of the Grenadiers, -of three battalions, the Coldstream, of two, and the Fusiliers, -of two battalions: forming a total of seven battalions, each with a -strength of 900 men. They are fine, tall, powerful fellows—picked -men. How bravely they bestirred themselves that foggy morning at -Inkermann, when the Russians dropped in before breakfast! Who -can forget that soldiers’ battle? The men who follow are the -Infantry Regiments of the Line, all armed with rifles. There -are 100 regiments, numbering somewhere about 130,000 men. -There are the Rifle Brigade, in their uniform of dark green cloth -and dull metal buttons; then a company of Amazons—no, the -Highlanders, in their national garb. The pibroch tells of their -coming:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Think on Scotia’s ancient heroes,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Think on foreign foes repelled;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Think on glorious Bruce and Wallace,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Who the proud usurpers quelled!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“See the northern clans advancing!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">See Glengarry and Lochiel!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">See the brandished broadsword gleaming!</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Highland hearts are true as steel.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_373"></a>[373]</span></p> - -<p class="noindent">And now the Cavalry appears on the scene—the so-called -“Heavies” more lightly, however, mounted than the French, -Prussian, or Austrian Cuirassiers; counterbalanced, perhaps, by the -extreme heaviness of the Light Dragoons when compared to continental -Hussars. The Heavy Cavalry is composed of three regiments -of Guards, nine Heavy Dragoon regiments, one Carabineer -regiment; altogether thirteen regiments, comprising a strength of -about 6,000 men, with the same number of horses. The Guards -form Her Majesty’s Body Guard, and there is not a finer body of -men in the world. The English Light Cavalry is composed of -Dragoons, Lancers, and Hussars.</p> - -<p>The Artillery consists of what is called the Royal Regiment of -Artillery, which has a strength of about 800 officers, 1500 non-commissioned -officers, 1900 rank and file, with 4200 horses. In -addition to this Artillery Regiment, there is a brigade of Horse -Artillery, comprised of 70 officers, 150 non-commissioned officers, -and 2200 rank and file, with 1900 horses. All the material is -excellent, no expense being spared to raise this branch of the -service to a proper degree of efficiency. The Engineer Corps is -an important addition to the army.<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> At Woolwich there is a -splendid school for the non-commissioned officers.</p> - -<p>And here are the Volunteers!</p> - -<p>“Altogether,” you say, “a splendid show, these British fellows. -Only a small item in this grand parade of European armies, but -clearly there is the might of men in them. They afraid!</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“‘Come, if you dare!’ our trumpets sound.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">‘Come, if you dare!’ the foes rebound.</div> - <div class="verse indent4">‘We come, we come!’</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Says the double beat of the thund’ring drum.</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Now they charge on amain!</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Now they rally again!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The gods from above the mad labour behold,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And pity mankind that will perish for gold.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The fainting foemen quit their ground,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Their trumpets languish in their sound—</div> - <div class="verse indent4">They fly! they fly!</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Victoria! Victoria!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_374"></a>[374]</span></p> - -<p>Ah, my dear friend, when your enthusiasm has a little cooled -will you kindly direct your attention to the troops <i>now</i> passing -under your Roman—no—I mean your British—nose. These are -Russians. How stolidly they march, and how alike they are. -There is a company of the Guards, and all the men have light -hair and blue eyes; there’s a company of the Guards again, and -all the men have black hair and dark eyes. Order is Russia’s first -law, and, this confest, all are and must be very like the rest. One -day a ship, with many officers and men on board, went down in the -Neva. The order was passed to the soldiers to save in the first -place the officers of the Guard. They therefore anxiously inquired -of each officer they got hold of if he belonged to the -Guard? The poor fellows could not answer, as their mouths -were full of water, so they were allowed to drown. On another -occasion, as it was very dusty, the soldiers were ordered to water -the field for exercise. While employed in this duty it came on to -rain heavily, but they continued the task with the utmost gravity. -They had been ordered to do it, and that was enough. During the -siege of Warsaw a young grenadier addressed a veteran, and -pointing to the entrenchments, said, “Do you think, comrade, we -shall take them?” “I do not think we shall,” the other replied; -“they are too strong.” “But,” said the young man, “if we are -ordered to take them?” “Oh, that will be another thing; if we -are ordered to take them of course we shall do so.”</p> - -<p>Out of 65,000,000 to 70,000,000 men subject to the Czar, -40,000,000 to 45,000,000 are liable to the conscription. The -infantry of the Russian Imperial Guard consists of five grand -infantry divisions, each composed of two brigades, and these again -subdivided into four regiments. The Grenadier Corps is divided -into six brigades or twelve regiments. There are also attached -three Carabineer regiments. There are six Infantry Corps, each -consisting of three divisions of six brigades, or twelve regiments. -One rifle regiment is attached to each division. The Circassian -Corps is subdivided precisely like the line infantry, but the regiments -are much stronger. The Finland Corps only consists of one -division of two brigades, subdivided into twelve battalions, equal<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_375"></a>[375]</span> -to 12,600 men. The Siberian Corps is composed of one division; -the Oremberg Corps also comprises one division. The total strength -of Russian infantry amounts to about 540,000 fighting men. The -total strength of the Russian cavalry is estimated at 80,000 men. -Those magnificent fellows that just now rode by, in their white -uniforms and black helmets and cuirasses, are the picked men—the -Cuirassiers of the Guard. The Russian Artillery is formed of nine -foot and two horse divisions—14,000 guns and 44,000 men.</p> - -<p>Who are these? These are the Italians, just drawing long -breaths of liberty; and these, soldiers of Spain and Portugal; and -these, sons of Mohammed—weak descendants of a mighty race, -who set the world aflame from Delhi to Grenada!</p> - -<p>All the colours of the rainbow, all the tongues of Babeldom, -all the varied physiognomies of all the races in all the world—they -troop past us: the wild, weird Cossack, with his tremendous lance; -the dapper English Volunteer, with his rifle sure as David’s sling; -the Zouave, with his cat upon his knapsack; the Prussian officer, -very bare in pocket, but proud of the “King’s coat”—here they -pass before us; the air resounding with the strains of military -music, the rat-a-plan of the French troops, the clash of Turkish -cymbals, the ringing sound of the English bugle, the shrill note of -the Highland pibroch. Yes—here are our fighting men, ready to⸺well—may -Heaven grant that their swords may rest in their -scabbards, and that their artillery shall thunder only to usher in—with -soldiers’ music—a Millennium of Peace!</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer19.jpg" width="400" height="125" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_376"></a>[376]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header9.jpg" width="500" height="110" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX.<br /> -<span class="smaller">A SOLDIER’S FUNERAL.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-w.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">When a soldier dies notice is at once given to the officer -in command of his troop or company, and an inventory -is taken of his effects.</p> - -<p>The coffin is made (and paid for by means of the effects of the -man, which are sold by auction in the garrison after his funeral), -and this, with a few trifling fees, is the only expense. The coffin -is carried to the grave either on a gun carriage or by men belonging -to the man’s company, according to the service to which the man -belongs.</p> - -<p>The band, or the drums and fifes or bugles, of the regiment to -which the man belonged attend the funeral, and lead, playing the -dead march; then come a firing party, which are provided with -three rounds of blank cartridge; then the coffin and pall bearers, -after which the mourners.</p> - -<p>When any of the relatives of a soldier attend his funeral they -follow immediately behind the coffin; then come the men of the -troop or company, the order at a funeral being, that the juniors -march nearest the coffin, the seniors last. In all cases of the funeral -of private soldiers there is an officer in attendance, usually a subaltern -officer, who commands the party, and in the march follows -in rear.</p> - -<p>The firing party mainly indicates the military rank of the deceased -soldier. A private soldier or corporal being entitled to thirteen -rank and file; a sergeant to nineteen; a cornet or ensign to thirty; -a lieutenant to forty; a captain to one hundred; a major to two -hundred; a lieutenant-colonel to three-hundred, and a colonel by -his own regiment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_377"></a>[377]</span></p> - -<p>When an officer above the rank of colonel is buried, there are -cannon employed instead of small arms. A brigadier’s funeral is -attended by two squadrons and one battalion, and a salute of nine -cannon is given. A major-general’s is attended by three squadrons -and two battalions and eleven pieces of cannon. A lieutenant-general’s -thirteen pieces of cannon, three battalions and four -squadrons. A general’s with fifteen pieces, four battalions, and six -squadrons. And a field-marshal’s saluted with seventeen pieces of -cannon, and attended by six battalions and eight squadrons.</p> - -<p>When a general or flag officer is being conveyed to the grave, -minute guns are fired; but these are not to exceed the number to -which the officer was entitled when alive.</p> - -<p>When an officer dies in any garrison town, it is customary to send -round with the orders, which are read by every officer each evening, -a notice to the effect that the funeral will take place on a particular -day, and any officers wishing to attend are to be at a place named -at a given hour. It is usual for every officer belonging to the -regiment or corps of the deceased in the garrison to attend, if not -otherwise occupied, and personal friends of the deceased follow -also.</p> - -<p>All officers who attend funerals appear in full dress with a piece -of black crape above the elbow of the left arm, this being the only -mourning allowed in the army. The pall-bearers, who should be -of the same rank as the deceased, usually wear a crape scarf in -addition to the crape on the arm.</p> - -<p>When the officer belonged to the royal artillery or cavalry his -charger is led to the grave, saddled and equipped, the boots of his -master being suspended on each side of the saddle, the heels turned -to the front. On the coffin, the busby, helmet, or shako is placed, -and the officer’s sword-belt and gloves.</p> - -<p>There are few things more imposing in outward appearance than -a soldier’s funeral. The slow, measured beat of the drum, the -firing party marching with their arms reversed, a position highly -emblematic of grief, the strange mixture of uniform and black pall, -invariably tend to make the bystanders feel that a soldier’s funeral -is far more solemn and impressive than is that of a civilian.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_378"></a>[378]</span></p> - -<p>When the procession approaches the grave the firing party file -to the right and left, and thus form on either side; they then rest -upon their arms reversed, whilst the coffin is borne between the -ranks. When the coffin has been lowered into the grave and the -service completed, three rounds of blank cartridge are fired in the -air as a <i>feu de joie</i>—a somewhat inappropriate term for the occasion—but -modified by an old corporal who instructed us in the -goose step, and who used to order us to fire a “<i>few de joy</i>—as -for the Queen’s birthday,” or “a <i>feu de wo</i> for a <i>funerial</i>.”</p> - -<p>A soldier’s life is, when on service, passed amidst scenes of danger, -and thus probably he to a certain extent becomes indifferent to -death; to say the least, he has not time to grieve very long. Thus -no sooner has the ceremony of depositing his comrade in the earth -been accomplished, than the band, or drums and fifes, which so -solemnly performed the dead march when proceeding to the burial -place, strike up a cheerful quick march, and the soldiers return to -barracks to the tune of “Here we are again,” forgetful of the scene -in which they have lately been actors, and regardless of the probability -of themselves being the next claimants for six feet of -earth.</p> - -<p>The most important military funeral of late years, and one which -everybody went to see who could do so, was that of the Duke of -Wellington. Famed throughout the world for his brilliant military -and civil career, as well as for the genius which characterized all -his acts, the nation with one voice called for a public and gorgeous -funeral, as a last tribute of its estimation of so far-famed a chieftain.</p> - -<p>It was on a dark November morning that hundreds and thousands -of persons, long before dawn, wended their way through the streets -of London, intent on obtaining a good position on the pavement or -to be sure of reaching the house and thence the window, which had -been previously secured and from which the procession could be -best seen.</p> - -<p>Even as early as six o’clock in the morning, large bodies of -cavalry and infantry are marching through the streets, whilst -officers in uniforms ride up and down, giving orders and arranging -the positions for various bodies of men who are yet to make their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_379"></a>[379]</span> -appearance. In all the principal open spaces troops are mustering; -behind the Horse Guards and in St. James’s Park, all branches of -the service being represented, from the little known uniforms of -Indian soldiers to that of our own guards; for the Great Duke had -culled his first laurels on the fields of India, and soldiers from the -then East India Company’s service attended as representatives of that -branch of our army.</p> - -<p>The course taken by the procession was from the Horse Guards -to St. Paul’s, and an enormous number of troops were required to -keep the ground along the course, this crowd being immense. Not -only were the streets crowded, walking being almost impossible, -but it was estimated that upwards of two hundred thousand seats -were sold to sight-seers.</p> - -<p>In the actual procession were six battalions of infantry, nine -guns from the field batteries, five squadrons of cavalry, and eight -guns from the horse artillery.</p> - -<p>The Duke’s regiments were of course represented on the occasion, -and gave an additional interest to the scene. There was the -“Brigade,” of which Arthur Duke of Wellington was Colonel-in-Chief, -and also the regiment in which young Arthur Wellesley -learned the goose step and how to “shoulder arms.”</p> - -<p>The military, however, formed only a portion of the procession, -for the Great Duke was a man of many honours; for Russia, -Prussia, Spain, Portugal, Hanover, and the Netherlands had conferred -upon him the marshal’s bâton, and these nations were each -represented on the occasion. Besides these foreigners, many of -whom had served with the Duke, there were men of our own -country, whose names were well known, and whose reputation -would have shone brighter had they not been dimmed by comparison -with that of the Duke. In the procession and around the -grave there might be seen one of our most far-seeing and able -Generals, Sir Charles Napier, the man whom the Duke had selected -to go to India at a period of emergency, and to whom he looked as -one alone capable of playing the requisite part at that time. Near -him was the dashing gallant Lord Gough, who loved to fight side -by side with his men; Lord Seaton, Viscount Combermere, Sir W.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_380"></a>[380]</span> -Cotton, Sir A. Woodford, &c., names familiar as household words, -were grouped around the grave of their loved chief.</p> - -<p>The contrast on this day was marked indeed between the -grandeur and brilliancy that appeared in St. Paul’s, and the silent -deserted appearance of Apsley House, where every blind was down -and every shutter closed.</p> - -<p>It was remarked that as the procession wended its way through -the streets, and as the somewhat gorgeous-looking vehicle that contained -the coffin passed, every person from the highest to the most -humble, bared his head and seemed to be awe-struck, and reminded -that fame, rank, and genius are no more free from the call of death -than are poverty, misery, and insignificance.</p> - -<p>The Duke’s titles having been repeated by Garter, King of Arms, -the ceremony was concluded, but will long be remembered by those -who were witnesses to the imposing scene.</p> - -<p>On the 6th April, 1864, a military funeral took place at Woolwich -which was attended by a large body of officers, and was a good -specimen of a military funeral.</p> - -<p>Colonel Bingham, the Deputy Adjutant-General of the Royal -Artillery, died at Brighton, to which place he had gone for change -of air. His body was conveyed to Woolwich for the purpose of -being interred with military honours, and he was buried at Old -Plumstead Church. In consequence of the rank of the deceased -officer, but more especially from the great respect in which he was -personally held, every officer who could obtain leave from out-stations -was present on the occasion. Not only did every officer -of his own regiment attend, but very many from other branches of -the service, so that altogether upwards of three hundred officers -followed in the procession.</p> - -<p>The weather on the occasion was fine and bright and well-suited -for a military display. At one o’clock the troops in garrison paraded, -and a large body was told off to line the road from Woolwich -Common to the Church, a distance of nearly three miles. At two -o’clock the coffin was brought from the house and placed on a gun -carriage, covered with a Union Jack, the drums in attendance -giving muffled rolls. On the coffin were placed the Colonel’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_381"></a>[381]</span> -cocked hat and sword, and the carriage was drawn by six horses. -The procession then moved on in the following order—</p> - -<ul> -<li>Detachments of Horse Artillery, mounted.</li> -<li>Eight Batteries of Royal Artillery, on foot, with arms reversed.</li> -<li>The Royal Marine Band, playing the Dead March.</li> -<li>Nine Guns of Royal Horse Artillery.</li> -<li>The Royal Artillery and the Bugle Band.</li> -<li>The Garrison Chaplains.</li> -<li>The Corpse.</li> -<li>On either side of the Coffin, four Colonels Royal Artillery as Pall-bearers.</li> -<li>The Deceased’s Horse.</li> -<li>Private Mourners.</li> -<li>Officers of the Adjutant-General’s Department.</li> -<li>The Gentlemen Cadets.</li> -<li>The Clerks of the Adjutant-General’s Departments.</li> -<li>The various Officers who attended.</li> -<li>Mounted Detachments of Royal Horse Artillery.</li> -<li>Private Carriages.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The procession altogether extended considerably over a mile, -and at the slow pace at which the march was carried on nearly -an hour and a half elapsed before the church was reached.</p> - -<p>The small church of Plumstead had rarely if ever been filled by -so many military celebrities as on this occasion. Among those -whose names are familiar to the public were Field-Marshal the -Duke of Cambridge, Sir Richard Airey, Sir J. Scarlet, Sir Edward -Lugard, General Foster, General Bloomfield, and others.</p> - -<p>The troops were formed in the churchyard and in a field near. -The nine guns were drawn up on a higher portion of ground, and -at some distance from the church, for the discharge of a cannon -not uncommonly breaks windows, and thus these implements of -warfare were removed to a safe distance. When the funeral service -had been read and the body lowered into the grave the Armstrong -guns fired their salute, and the last offices were paid to a good and -noble soldier as well as to a most just and honourable man.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_382"></a>[382]</span></p> - -<p>The funeral of a soldier who dies amidst scenes of civilization, -where the last honours can be paid to him in the manner just described, -is certainly an imposing scene, but to some minds it seems -less solemn than it might be, and too much of a show. The high -probability that among many of those who attend such a funeral -there are several who knew little or nothing personally of the man -whose body they are following to the grave, may possibly tend to -do away with a portion of the real grief which some people are -accustomed to see habitually displayed at a funeral. The gaping -crowd also, who are usually free critics on the dress and personal -appearance of the various members of the procession, render a large -military funeral by no means that quiet scene which we all thirst -for when the heart has been saddened by the departure of a loved -friend. But we can conscientiously state that at those funerals of -which we have been eye-witnesses the conduct of those personally -engaged, as well as of the lookers-on, has been such as to harmonize -with the sensitive state of those who were nearly allied by blood -or friendship to the deceased.</p> - -<p>When a soldier meets a soldier’s death, and is buried “with his -martial cloak around him,” and when no band of music attends his -funeral, or other pomp is added to his last honors, the last offices -are not less solemn, the whole scene not less impressed on the -memory, and the sudden reminder that in the midst of life we are -in death not less efficient in its results. When we see a friend gradually -sicken and day by day become weaker, whilst doctors shake -their heads and relatives despond, we are prepared at last for the -final scene. When, however, we breakfast with a comrade, walk -with him to the parade, march beside him as we approach an -enemy’s position, hear him suddenly cease speaking when in the -middle of a sentence, and look round to see him sinking to the -earth lifeless; and when, after a smart brush with an enemy, we -return to attend the funeral of this comrade, who has been to us -perhaps more than a brother for months or years—we seem to be -nearly allied to death, for <i>we</i> may on the following night be consigned -in the same way to six feet of ground, our security for life -being no greater than was our comrade’s.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_383"></a>[383]</span></p> - -<p>In many cases, where the number of slain can be counted by -hundreds, the day following a great battle is a sad one. Experienced -was the general who exclaimed—“Nothing but a defeat is -more sad than a victory, for the losses of the latter are only exceeded -by those of the former.” To give each man a separate -grave, or to pronounce a funeral service over each man, would -occupy more time than could be spared; thus, a large hole, and -a funeral service for 100 men, who are rapidly covered with earth, -and who, shroudless and coffinless, are thus disposed of, is the other -side of the scene of pomp which we have described as a soldier’s -funeral at home.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer20.jpg" width="400" height="150" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">FOOTNOTES</h2> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> A beautiful model of the King’s Bastion is to be seen in the Rotunda, -Woolwich.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> When the Highland regiments were first formed, it was customary to -stick up the name of any man who had misconducted himself in his parish -church, and this was deemed the severest of all punishments. This has now -become an obsolete custom.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> See article on the Engineers, <a href="#Page_24">p. 24</a>.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">FINIS.</p> - -<p class="titlepage">Printed by H. J. 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Silas the Conjuror; his Travels and Perils, by -the Author of “Reuben Davidger.” Sports and Pastimes. Victoria Cross -Gallery. Wigs’s Exploits. The Zoological Gardens, by the Rev. <span class="smcap">J. G. Wood</span>, -M.A., F.L.S., &c.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center">New Volume. Uniform with the above. Cloth, plain edges, 5<i>s.</i>; gilt edges, 6<i>s.</i></p> - -<p class="hanging"><b>BEETON’S TALES of CHIVALRY, SCHOOL STORIES, -MECHANICS AT HOME, AND EXPLOITS OF THE ARMY AND -NAVY.</b> A Book for Boys. 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By Dr. <span class="smcap">F. E. Feller</span>.</p> - -<p class="center">Also, in Two Parts: <span class="smcap">English-German</span>, 1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> <span class="smcap">German-English</span>, 1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">One Hundred and Tenth Thousand.</span></p> - -<p class="center">Demy 8vo, cloth, gilt lettered, 1<i>s.</i>; coloured extra cloth, gilt edges, 2<i>s.</i>; -coloured cloth, sprinkled edges, 1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i></p> - -<p class="hanging"><b>Webster’s (The Illustrated) Spelling Book.</b> Embellished with -upwards of 250 splendid Engravings by <span class="smcap">Gilbert</span>, <span class="smcap">Harvey</span>, <span class="smcap">Dalziel</span>, and other -eminent Artists, 128 pp., new and accented type, upon the principle of “Webster’s -Dictionary of the English Language.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center">Just Ready, New Edition. Demy 8vo, 160 pp., cloth, gilt back and side, 1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i>; -or in wrapper boards, 1<i>s.</i></p> - -<p class="hanging"><b>Webster’s (The Illustrated) Reader.</b> Containing Two Hundred -Lessons on General Subjects, suited to the capacity of Young Learners, with Explanatory -Introduction and Questions for Examination, on the plan of Noah -Webster, the Lexicographer. Embellished with numerous first-rate Engravings -from Designs by eminent English and Foreign Artists.</p><hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center larger">USEFUL BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS, FAMILIES, AND SELF-LEARNERS.</p> - -<p class="center">Fourth Edition, Just Ready, price 3<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i>, 364 pp., crown 8vo, half bound.</p> - -<p class="hanging"><b>Dictionary (The) of Everyday Difficulties in Reading, Writing, -and Speaking the English Language</b>; or, Hard Words Made Easy. 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The Coloured Plates will show more than a hundred different -kinds of plants and flowers, and assist in the identification of any doubtful -specimen.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center">Uniform with Mrs. Beeton’s “Household Management,” half bound, -price 7<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i>; half calf, 10<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i></p> - -<p class="hanging"><b>BEETON’S BOOK OF HOME PETS</b>: Showing How to Rear -and Manage in Sickness and in Health—Birds, Poultry, Pigeons, Rabbits, Guinea -Pigs, Dogs, Cats, Squirrels, Tortoises, Fancy Mice, Bees, Silkworms, Ponies, -Donkeys, Goats, Inhabitants of the Aquarium, &c., &c. Illustrated by upwards -of 200 Engravings and 11 beautifully Coloured Plates by <span class="smcap">Harrison Weir</span> and -<span class="smcap">F. 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