by this movement amongst the drivers and camp-
followers is not to be described. A few rounds
from Tombs' s guns, and a threatened counter-
attack from the Carabineers and the Miiltani
Horse, soon dispersed the enemy. But Sir Colin
deemed it nevertheless desirable that the im-
pedimenta should close up with the main force.
Directing, then, a portion of the 79th and 93rd
to seize all the suburbs in their front, he placed
the troops as far as possible in the shade, and
halted for the day.
The attack thus made on the suburbs led to
fresh encounters with the Ghazis. One company
of the 93rd — led by Lieutenant Cooper, whose
gallant bearing at the Sikandar Bagh was the
theme of admiring comment * — sent on this duty,
arrived at a spot near the suburbs where some
artillery guns under Lieutenant-Colonel Brind were
posted. Brind pointed out to Cooper the position
which he believed the Ghazis were occupying.
That officer, carefully noting the place, posted his
men in some ruined houses and under cover of
* Fide page 183.
KHAN BAHADUR KHAN ESCAPES SIR COLIN. 529
some walls to the left and left front of it. The Book xii.
guns then opened fire. After a few rounds the a ^l
buildings occupied by the G-hazis caught fire. jj® 5 |
The Ghazis rushed out. Some five or six made
a dash at Cooper. Two of these he shot dead, a
third he killed after a brisk pursuit ; with a fourth
he then engaged in a sword fight, when the Ghazi
was shot dead by a private. The others were
disposed of by the men.
The halt ordered by Sir Colin, desirable as it The halt
was for the health of the troops, was, in a mili- Bahadur
tary point of view, fatal. It gave Khan Bahadur K ^ t0
Jl ' ° withdraw,
Khan a chance which he eagerly seized. No
sooner had the shades of darkness fallen than
the wily Rohilla quietly withdrew the bulk of his
trained forces from the town and stole away to
Pilibhit, thirty-three miles north-east of Bareli,
leaving only a rabble to maintain a show of
resistance.
When, then, the following morning, the guns and the city
of Sir Colin Campbell began to play upon the evacuated 7
city, they met with no reply. The sound of ar- .May 6.
tillery fire was indeed heard on the opposite side,
but that fire proceeded from the guns of Bri-
gadier General Jones.
I left that officer marching from Moradabad <;<'»erai
towards Bareli to attack that city on the side op- i,', ",','„ I'h','.'
posite to that by which Sir Colin Campbell had <»&•*««**
approached. The march was one long-continued
skirmish. At NTtirganj, twenty-one miles from
Bareli, the Multiini cavalry ami Pat linn horse
again dicjr admirable service, completely defeating
the rebels, and capturing several guns. As he
ii. -;i
530 jones's column joins sir colin.
book xii. approached with the advance of the force to Bareli,
chapter iv. Coke could obtain nQ tidings f gi r Colin or his
1858. movements ; but whilst waiting for information,
some Hindu retail dealers announced to him that
the rebels had deserted their guns placed at
the entrance to the city. With a combined cau-
tion and daring adapted to the circumstances,
Coke presses Coke determined to proceed himself, and, should
advIncV* 16 the story prove true, to take possession of the
guns. He took with him a detachment of the
Pathan cavalry. But he had hardly come within
sight of the guns, barely within range, when the
falsehood of the traders' tale became apparent —
for the guns at once opened fire on his party.
Fortunately the rebels were unable to control their
impatience, or the consequences might have been
disastrous. As it happened, one trooper only was
killed. Coke at once sent back for the heavy
guns and the infantry; then, placing a company
of the 60th Rifles in a walled garden command-
ing the entrance to the city, ordered the guns to
open fire. Ten minutes later the enemy's guns
were silenced. Coke then led the Panjab infantry
regiments into the city and penetrated as far as
the great mosque. Cureton's cavalry had mean-
while been sent to operate outside with the
double view to cut off the rebels from their line
and effects a of retreat to the north and to open out communi-
junction with cat i on w ith Sir Colin. The action of the cavalry
bir Colin. . i • t •
outside speedily made itself felt within the city,
for the rebels, fearing for their line of retreat,
evacuated the place with so much haste, that
when Coke proceeded to make arrangements to
SKILFUL STRATEGY OF THE HOULVI. 531
force his way further, he discovered that none book xii.
were required, as the city had been deserted. The Clmpter IV -
next day, the 7th May, a junction was effected M ^
with Sir Colin.
The town had indeed been conquered, but the The second
bulk of the rebel army had escaped. This was the Sbeifhld
second occasion in this short Rohilkhand campaign ^ lufle(1 Sir
• i Colin.
in which the rebel leaders had outmanoeuvred the
British commander : on the first, the Moulvi had
doubled back from Shahjahanpur into Oudh ; on
the second, Khan Bahadur Khan had succeeded
in escaping to a point not far from the Nipal fron-
tier, along which it would not be difficult to pene-
trate into the same kingdom.
But the Moulvi was influenced by motives skilful
nobler than those indicated by a mere avoidance JjJJjJJJiJj
of his powerful enemies. With the prescience of a
capable general he had counted on the probability
that Bareli would offer to the British army a
certain resistance ; and he had resolved to avail
himself of the opportunity thus offered to make
a raid upon Shahjahanpur and overpower the
small garrison which he hoped would be left
there.
Sir Colin Campbell had left in Shahjahanpur Force left in
a wing of the 82nd, a detachment of artillery plunder*"
with two 24-pounders and two 9-pounders, and OoioneiHaie.
De Kantzow's [rregular Horse — the whole under
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Eale, C.B.,
of the 82nd. The habitable houses in Shah-
jahanpur having been unroofed by order of Nana
Sahib, Bale had pitched his camp in a tope of
trees near the jail, indicated to him by Sir Colin
' 34 *
532
HE SEARCHES TO SURPRISE HALE.
Book XII.
Chapter IV.
1858.
May 2.
The Moulvi
resolves to
surprise
Hale's force.
His plan is
ruined by a
halt on the
road.
Hale is in-
formed of his
approach.
as the place to be held should he be attacked.
The enclosure round this building he at once pro-
ceeded to make defensible, placing in it his guns
and as large a stock of provisions as he could pro-
cure. Working with great zeal and energy, Hale
completed his preparations in one day — the day on
which the Commander-in-Chief left him to pro-
ceed to Bareli — the 2nd May.
Meanwhile the Moulvi and his army had
reached Mohamdi. There he found, eager to join
him in any attack on the British, the Raja of that
place, and one Mian Sahib, one of the old Lakh-
nao chiefs, each at the head of a considerable
body of armed men, most of them mounted. Their
plans were quickly formed. Learning that the
bulk of the British force would leave Shahjahan-
pur for Bareli on the morning of the 2nd, they
resolved to attempt to surprise the place and cut
up the detachment left to guard it the following
morning.
They marched that day and part of the night
of the 2nd to carry out this resolve. But again
an excellent plan was spoiled by inefficient execu-
tion. Had the Moulvi pushed on he would have
reached the town in the dead of night, and it is
possible that he might have reaped all the advan-
tage of a complete surprise. But, when within
four miles of the place, he halted to rest his men.
The halt was fatal to his complete success.
Native spies employed by the British were on the
alert, and one of these flew with the intelligence
of his dangerous vicinity to Colonel Hale.
Hale acted at once with the prudence which
BAFFLED IN THIS, HE OCCUPIES THE TOWN. 533
the circumstances required. He Lad been or- BooK x n.
dered to remain on the defensive. Instantly, then, —
he moved his stores and camp equipage into the May!'.
jail, covering the transfer with four companies of
the 82nd. He then went forward with De Herecon.
Kantzow's Horse to reconnoitre. The sudden
apparition of vast bodies of cavalry, numbering
about eight thousand, covering the plain, proved
the truth of the spy's story. De Kantzow,*
truly one of the heroes of the mutiny, always
ready for action, always cool and resolute, was
for a charge to check their advance. Hale, mind- and then
ful of his orders, would not permit it, but falling the jail.
back, brought all his men within the jail enclosure,
thence to bid defiance to the enemy.
Meanwhile the Moulvi and his allies, pressing The MouM
on, speedily mastered the undefended town, seized p^Xrathe
the old fort, and then imposed a money requisition town -
upon the wealthier inhabitants. In acting thus he
simply conformed to the customs of war as practised
in Europe. Simultaneously he placed his guns,
eight in number, in position against the jail. From
this day, the 3rd, till the morning of the 11th, he
bombarded the British position incessantly, with-
out, however, producing any other effect upon
Hale and his comrades than an increasing resolve
to hold out until assistance should arrive.
Intelligence of the state of things at Shahja- Sir Colin
hanpur first reached Sir Colin Campbell on the state of
7th. On thai very day he had become master of S£h?aMn-
Bareli, and had effected a junction with the Rurki p**-
• l /./. v<»l. i. |.;il"- 157 '.», .iii.l page 500 of this volume.
534 SIR COLIN SENDS JONES TO SHAHJAHANPUR.
Book XII.
Chapter IV.
1858.
May 7-11.
He orders
Jones to
inarch on
Shahjahan-
pur.
Composition
of Jones's
force.
He advances
on Shahja-
hanpur,
column under Jones. The news was like a mes-
sage from heaven. Fortune gave him a chance
to repair the error by which the Moulvi had been
allowed to escape him on his march, and this time
he was determined that there should be no mistake.
He at once sent for Brigadier John Jones, and
directed him to march the following morning
with a brigade, the nature and composition of
which he indicated, to Shajahanpur, there to deal
with the Moulvi. He gave him further discre-
tionary power to pursue his success, and, should
he think it advisable, to attack Mohamdi.
The troops composing the brigade ordered on
this duty were the 60th Rifles, the 79th High-
landers, a wing of the 82nd, the 22nd Panjab In-
fantry, two squadrons of Carabineers, the Miiltani
Horse, with some heavy guns and some horse artil-
lery. With this little force Jones marched on the
morning of the 8th. Shortly after sunrise on the
11th he reached a point close to Shahjahanpur,
where the road branches out to the city and can-
tonments. Immediately afterwards the advance
guard reported the presence of the enemy. Jones
at once drew up his men, the heavy guns in the
centre, and then moved forward. He soon came
in sight of the enemy, huge masses of horsemen,
formed up, and ready, apparently, to dispute the
further progress of the British. A few shots
from the heavy guns checked them, and, the High-
landers and Rifles pushing on in front whilst the
horse artillery guns opened on their flanks, their
hesitation developed into retreat, and, very soon
after, by a continuance of the same tactics, retreat
JONES FORCES HIS WAY INTO THE CITY. 535
into flight. They still held the old fort, the book xn.
bridge of boats over the river, the stone bridge a ^-
over the Kanarat Naddi, the houses in the town, Mayii.
all loop-holed, and the position was in all respects
formidable. But Jones was too quick for them.
Pushing forward his skirmishers and horse artil- and presses
i ii i p back tte
lery, he drove the enemy to the banks ot the river enemy.
opposite to the entrance to the city, and by a
heavy and continuous fire forced them to abandon
the idea they had attempted to put into execution
of destroying the bridge of boats, and drove them
within the city. Bringing up then his heavy guns
and mortars, he compelled them to abandon, one
after the other, the old fort, the stone bridge,
and other commanding positions. He had now
only the town to deal with. Made aware, by the
reports which reached him, that all the houses in
the mam street had been loop-holed, and that the
enemy counted upon his forcing an entrance
through that street, Jones resolved to baffle them Jones
by avoiding the route indicated, and by taking the suburbs
road which led through the eastern suburb.
He met with no opposition as he traversed the
suburbs, but no sooner did he emerge into a
plain near the new schoolhouse, than he dis-
covered a body of rebel cavalry. He at once
attacked them, drove them back, and then
quickened their movements by a few rounds
of Bhrapnel. The Carabineers, who came up in
the nick of time, were at once sent in pursuit.
At first the rebels seemed inclined to measure
swords with that gallant regiment, but second am i ( i r i V e„tue
thoughts came bo their aid, and they fled, Leaving l . vhuU beforo
536 JONES EFFECTS A JUNCTION WITH HALE.
Book XII.
Chapter IV.
1858.
May 11-14.
He effects a
junction with
Hale,
and waits for
reinforce-
ments.
Reinforce-
ments, too,
flock to the
Moulvi.
a gun and ammunition waggon in the hands of
their pursuers. Jones halted for a quarter of an
hour in the open space I have mentioned, to allow
his men to form up, and then pushed on by the
church and across the parade ground to the jail,
still held by the gallant Hale and his comrades.
But there commenced the difficulties of the re-
lieving force. The main body of the enemy was
here found assembled. Their advanced positions
— leading through the main street, and which
could only have been forced at great risk and
with enormous loss — had been turned by the
skilful manoeuvre of Jones. But in this open
plain, where the masses of their cavalry could act
freely, they were too strong to be attacked with
any hope of success. Jones, therefore, was forced
to maintain himself on the defensive until re-
inforcements should reach him from Bareli. To
wait for these he established himself in a strong
position, flanked on one side by the jail.
So passed the 11th. The 12th, 13th, and 14th
were spent in preparations for the encounter
looming in a very near future, Jones engaged in
increasing his means of resistance, the Moulvi in
welcoming fresh allies. And, indeed, those allies
poured in with an alarming celerity. It was not
alone the rabble escaped from previous fights,
the discontented landsmen, the freebooters by pro-
fession, who flocked to his standard. There came,
likewise, one after another, the Begam of Oudh,
the prince Firoz Shah, and although Nana Sahib
did not himself appear, he sent a body of his fol-
lowers, whose presence gave colour to the rumour
THE MOULVI ATTACKS JONES. 537
that he too was not afraid to meet in fair fight BooK xn -
,, . ,. iiTi -in Chapter IV.
tne countrymen 01 those whom he had murdered. —
Rumour lied. Nana Sahib loved his life too well May 14-15.
to risk it in a battle with the English.
By the evening of the 14th all these reinforce- The Mouivi
ments had poured into the Moulvi's camp. On jone^. 8
the 15th he struck his great blow. He attacked
Jones with his whole force. But the troops led
by Jones were men unaccustomed to show their
backs to a foe. Charged and charged again, they
repelled every assault. Jones's deficiency in
cavalry would not permit him to retaliate, to
carry the war into the enemy's camp. But at
least they gained no ground from him. His men
clung, then, with all the stubbornness of their
natures, to the positions which they had been
ordered to defend ; and when evening fell, and the
baffled enemy ceased their attack, they could boast
that they had not lost so much as an inch. They
could make the same boast when, three days later,
the Commander-in-Chief appeared in person on
the scene. To him I must now return.
When Sir Colin Campbell had despatched Jones sir Coim, on
tn Shahjahanpiir on the 8th, he imagined that he joneato
had certainly disposed of the Mouivi and had J&Jffifi;
cleared the country as far as Mohamdi in Oudh. butes his
forces
Regarding, then, the Rohilkhand campaign as vir-
tually settled, he began at once to distribute his
forces. He nominated General Walpole as divi-
sional commander of the troops in Rohilkhand.
Some regiments were ordered to remain at BareUi
itself; Borne to proceed to Lakhnao; one or two
to march fco Mirath. A column, consisting of b
538 SIR COLIN HAD STARTED FOR FATHGARH.
Book XII.
Chapter IV.
1858.
May 15-18.
and sets out
for Fathgarh.
Hearing, on
the march, of
Jones's posi-
tion, he turns
towards
Shahjahan-
pur.
He effects a
junction with
Jones.
wing of the 42nd Highlanders, the 4th Pan jab
Rifles, the 1st Sikh Infantry, a portion of the
24th Panjab Infantry, a squadron of the Carabi-
neers, a detachment of the 17th Irregular Ca-
valry, and a considerable force of artillery, with
three weeks' supplies for the Europeans and four
weeks' for the natives, was directed on the 12th
to proceed, under the command of Brigadier Coke,
towards Pilibhit, the line of retreat taken by
Khan Bahadur Khan.
Having made these arrangements, Sir Colin
deemed that he might safely return himself to
some central station on the great line of commu-
nication, whence he could more easily direct the
general campaign. Taking with him, then, his
headquarter staff, the 64th Foot, two troops of
the 9th Lancers, the Biluch Battalion, Tombs's
troop of horse, and Le Mesurier's company of foot,
artillery, he started from Bareli in the direction of
Fathgarh on the 15th.
On the 16th, at Faridpur, he received Jones's
message. Sir Colin at once sent to Bareli for the
remainder of the 9th Lancers, and the next day
moved cautiously forward to Tilhar. That evening
he received information that the Moulvi, whilst
still pressing Shahjahanpur, had withdrawn the
bulk of his troops in the direction of Mohamdi,
the entire length of the road to which he com-
manded.
The next morning, the 18th, Sir Colin marched
towards Shahjahanpur. As he approached the
place, a strong force of the enemy's cavalry,
calculated to number fifteen hundred men, with
WHEN HE IS SUMMONED TO SHAHJAHANPUB. 539
five guns, threatened to attack him. But it was BooK XIL
° • a- n t Chapter IV.
little more than a demonstration, and fen* Lolm,
passing the ground on which he had previously May is.
encamped, made a partial circuit of the city to
the bridge of boats. Crossing this, unopposed, he
traversed the city, and effected a junction with
Brigadier General Jones.
But even then the British force was too weak His cavalry
in cavalry to encounter the enemy with any hope ^th the
of a decisive result — a result, that is to say, rebels -
fraught not only with defeat but with an annihi-
lating pursuit. The truth of this presumption
was fully shown that very day. Sir Colin had no
intention whatever to engage the enemy. It hap-
pened, however, that a reconnoitring party of horse
was fired on by the enemy from four guns posted
in a fortified village called Panhat ; the sound
of the guns brought out the masses of the ene-
my's cavalry ; and these again attracted to the
field the Commander-in-Chief and his whole force.
The battle then partially engaged. The 82nd, which brings
pushed forward, occupied the village of Panhat,
on the right front. They were followed by the
horse artillery, and a field battery, and part of the
9th Lancers and the Irregulars. The 79th then
took possession of a grove of trees in the centre
of the position, near a small rising ground, on
which were posted a couple of heavy guns ; whilst
a heavy field battery, supported by a wing of the
Rifles, with parties of fche Carabineers and Bi-
luchis, covered fche Left Hank. It was a strong which,**
' . .j want or
defensive position, on which fche enemy could cavalry, ia
make no impression. In fcheartillery and cavalry
540 THE MOULVI FALLS BACK INTO OUDH.
book xii. skirmish which followed, the rebels displayed more
' a Pj^ • th an ordinary skill and courage, and although in
M a 18 i8-W the end they gave ground, no attempt was made
to pursue them,
sir Colin Sir Colin, in fact, was quite satisfied with the
Coke's* 01 ' repulse of the enemy. He preferred to defer a
brigade. decisive battle till he should have more troops,
especially more cavalry. He sent off, then, a
despatch to Brigadier Coke, directing him to
bring down his brigade with all possible speed.
He then Coke at once turned back, and joined the Corn-
Stack tke° mander-in-Chief on the 22nd. On the 24th the
rebels, whole force marched to attack the enemy. But
again the Moulvi baffled him. Whilst his light
cavalry did their utmost to hinder the British
advance on Mohamdi, retiring the moment the
who fail back pursuers halted to discharge their guns, the
mtoOudk. Moulvi and his allies evacuated that place, after
destroying the defences. They had similarly
treated Katchiani, the mud fort which had pre-
viously given shelter to European fugitives. The
expulsion of the rebels from Rohilkhand was the
one result of the campaign.
Close of the How they were followed up and hunted down
summer cam- ^ q^ j ^^ ^ ^ another chapter. The
occurrences in Rajpiitana, long neglected, demand
immediate attention. It will suffice here to state
that on the expulsion of the Moulvi from Rohil-
khand, the Rohilkhand and Riirki field forces
were broken up, the regiments of which they were
composed being detailed for other duties. The
Commander-in-Chief himself, and the headquarter
staff, resumed his journey to Fathgarh; Brigadier
THE ARMY is BROKEN UP. 541
Seaton, relieved by Colonel M'Causland in his com- BoOK xn -
, , , " . , on i • i / Chapter IV.
mana at that place, was appointed to bhalrjanan-
piir, having under him the 60th Rifles, the 82nd, ^y
the 22 nd Pan jab Infantry, the Miiltani Horse,
two squadrons of the Carabineers, and some ar-
tillery. Coke turned with his force to Moradabad,
to act as Brigadier commanding the district ; the
64th went to Mirath; the 9th Lancers to Ambala;
the 79th to Fathgarh. The army was broken up.
In south-eastern India, Oudh alone remained to
be thoroughly subjugated.
But I cannot leave the scene of so many com- The Mould,
bats without recording events which, either from
their historical interest, or from the deep personal
sympathy they excited, demand special notice.
The first of these, not in date, not in importance,
not in the sympathy it excited, but in the con-
nection which it bears to the contents of this
chapter, is the death of the Moulvi of Faizab^d.
The Moulvi was a very remarkable man. Sir
Thomas Seaton, who had many opportunities for
arriving at a just opinion, has described him as
" a man of great abilities, of undaunted courage,
of stern determination, and by far the best sol-
dier among the rebels." It has been surmised,
and with great reason, that before the mutiny
occurred the Moulvi was travelling through India
on a roving commission, to excite the minds
of his compatriots to the step then contemplated
by thr master-spirits of the plot. This at least
is known : that such a commission was undertaken;
thai the Moulvi travelled t<> the parts of India
which subsequently proved mosl susceptible to
542
PREVIOUS CAREER OF THE MOULVI.
Hook XII.
Chapter IV.
1858.
May.
His appear-
ance and
ability as a
leader.
His death
follows im-
mediately
the close of
the summer
campaign.
the revolt ; that lie was the confidential friend and
adviser of a very prominent member of the de-
posed royal family of Lakhnao. If, as I believe,
the mutiny was really caused not less by the an-
nexation of Oudh than by the sudden and trea-
cherous manner in which that annexation was
carried into effect — that the greased cartridges
were simply a means used by the higher conspi-
rators to force to revolt men who could be moved
only by violence to their faith — the story of the
action of the Moulvi only seems natural. Certain
it is that in April 1857 he circulated seditious
papers throughout Oudh ; that the police did not
arrest him ; and that to obtain that end armed
force was required. He was then tried and con-
demned to death. But before the sentence could be
executed, Oudh broke into revolt, and, like many
a political criminal in Europe, he stepped at once