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kno-w not what a day may bring forth . I had several jraordinary escapes . One bullet ¦ want- between my s as I was walking and broke a mart ' s leg in front of ; another bullet hit me on the back of the head , ockingme down but hardly breaking the skin , lfiveryog here is quiet as yet , bat people are in- a great panic , annot say that 1 am . Out of the four hundred fine ows that started for Arrah , nearly two hundred were Led , and of the remainder I do not think more that * y to eighty were not wounded ; out of seven volunrs five were kuocked over , four killed anil one
undetL This haa been the most disastrous affair that 3 happened out liere . I hope , however , we may soon ; some more troops again from Calcutta , and get hack : name . I cry to think of tha way we were beaten 1 of the number of poor fellows who were killed . ' Further particulars of the appalling massacres at wnpore continue to pour iu . The BengalHnrkaru , August 5 th , says : — " It appears from letters received in Calcutta that the tims of the Caw . npore massacre were confined in the sembly Rooms up to the 15 th , where they were coin-• atively well treated .. They were then i ; aken to the
; le house where the unfortunate men _ Avho were taken m the boats had been previously murdered , and -where sy could have had no doubt of their impending rate * note was found , written in Hindee , containing the nes of all the ladies who died between the 7 thi and fch inst ., from what are described as natural causes . ie list appears to have baeu kept by a native doctor , 1 , deducting the names which it contains , it appears it one hundred and ninety-seven persons were rnas-: red on the evening of the 15 th . The building in . ich the massacre took place is described as looking
e a slaughter-house . According to the last accounts neral Xeill Avas compelling all the high-caste Br . ahns wliom he could enpture among the Sepoys to collect ! bloody clothes of the victims , aud wash up the hlood m the lloor , a European soldier standing over each n with a ' , ' and administering it with vigour enever he relaxed his exertions . The wretches / ing been subjected to this degradation , which of irse includes loss of caste , are then hanged , one after > ther . The punishment is said to be General Neill ' s n invention , and its infliction has gained him great dit .
' We are informed that tha Governor-General ' s Body ard ( at Calcutta ) , which have been , disarmed , were yected to the process entirely at their own request , ey informed their commandant that , finding tliein ~ ves objects of suspicion and aversion in Calcutta , they jhed to resign their arms for a period . The request s , of course , complied with , and the transaction was jcted with the greatest politeness on Loth sides . " A gentleman volunteer , attached to BrigadiersneraL N-eill ' s camp at Cawnpore , writes , under te August 1 st : — ; i It is said that the Nena ' s people have sworn to ne and retake the place , or perish ; they had better t attempt it , for three hundred men with n com- '
mder like General Neill would give them something to . I have not been able to glean much information jarding the noble Wheeler ' s gallant defence of Cawnre , but the enclosed little scraps of paper , which I mil among the clothes of our murdered country-• men , will tend to throw some little light on the mat-I also found in the heap of blood-stained clothes reo daguerreotype portraits , which I retain , ami inld to advertise them hereafter . As soon as we reached iwupore aftor the battle , we were met by a man who ahed towards us much excited—lie ha-d the appearance a regimental cook— -he proved to bo a clerk of the tmmissariat Department . He had volunteered to leave e entrenchment , and endeavour to gain some inl '
orma-> n for Sir II . Wheeler as to the probability of relief ing at hand or not ; tho ^ rebcls seized him , trioil him a spy , and condemned him to three years' hardUibom * irons . Accordingly ho wns confined with about threo mdred natives ( most of them imprisoned for their iu-• ility to supply the- Nona with funds ) , who , when they iard the victorious shouts of our army , made a mull at oir guard . - * , overpowered thorn , and escaped , Foor How ! ( Mr . S . ) ho had left all his family ( niuo ) En tho itronchments , and they have , with tho rust of our > oplo , been cruelly butchered . It is a most allVicting ght to soo tho poor follow searching about the plnco hero the bodios of our country women wore found , 1 pposo hoping to find some trace of his slaughtered mily . lie roams listlessly about , no ono speaking to m or ottering to sympathize with him , for wo nil feal ifttit would
bo . almost a mockery to oiler consolation , any peoplo say that Wheeler should havu gonu into io magazine instead of entronching himself whisro ho d ; that ho would then have- provantcil tho toIjoIh stting tho ammunition and guns . Tho Artillery Llostali which Whoolor defendud is fearfully buttered ; the 'bols had gun » benring , upon every isich of it , and at . st I littHovo brought a 21-pouiidor to benr upon the oil , which was tho only ono tlioy hml ; nuinlinm avlt « l trying to got -vvivtor from tho wull , and at last it ft » loiind iuipoHHildo to got what waslifo itsolf—wnlur . " pome ilotails of the Azimghur rising uro coinmuiiiuod by the ; Calcutta J' / uenix : — "On l . h « ovisniiuj of tho mutiny , u parado had boon uorml for tho irntiro nighmmt . It uppi > ars tluit , tho opoya had ronolvud to mutiny on thl * occasion , which
they doubtless considered ! & very favourable one for cutting- down or- shooting their-officers . The hour for parade arrived * and all the Sapoys were on the ground , comporting themselve * as quietly as if nothing was intended . The men . fell in by companies and took up their position in line , in tho most orderly and soldier-like manner-. Up to this- time ,, bta . wever , not a single Euro ~ peati officer had come on the parade ground , neither had the sergeant-major . The only European present was the quartermaster-sergeant of the regiment , named Lewis . The regiment continued silent and in lirie for some time , expecting that the officers would come on the ground . The latter , however , app ear to have had
intimation of what was intended , and to have determined bo remain away . Quartermaster-Sergeant Lewis , however , continued to stand his ground .. At length one of the native officers , the Subahdar Major of the regiment , stepped forward , and , saluting the quartermastersergeant , asked if the officers were not coming out to the parade . Sergeant Lewis answered that he supposed they would come . The sergeant next broke the line in column of companies at quarter distance . The movement was executed with precision , and without any display of bad feeling on the part of the na , tive soldiers . A pause ensued ; and the Sabahdar Major again stepped forward and asked a second time if the Sahibs were not
coining on parade . The quartermaster-sergeant answered that they should have been out before , but he supposed something had delayed them . The Subahdar then suggested that he should ; order tho ' officers' call' to be sounded . The quartermaster-sergeant refused to do so , but after another interval , the Subahdar again urged that the call should be sourrded . Sergeant Lewis , however , again declined to order the call , but * he drew his sword , aiul as the only European present , assumed the command of the regiment . Soma of the Sepoys on this began to leave the ranks , but on being ordered back again returned to their places . Sergeant Lewis then spoke to them , or rather to the company in . front of the column , about the enormity of
mutiny , telling them that they had better dismiss such thoughts from their heads , as the result of the mutiny would eventually be that they would be all hanged or transported . But by this time the entire corps had set up a furious yelling , and the answer to the sergeant was : ' Well , if we are to "be hanged , we'll have the satisfaction of shooting you first . ' The Sepoys now closed round the solitary European , and several made a rush at him . Two or three men fired at the same time , and one man shot him in the side . The sergeant fell ,, and lay bleeding on the ground , expecting to be hacked to pieces by the fiends around him . They , however , seemed resolved not to despatch him at once , but to regularly torture him to death . One Sepoy proposed that his feet and hands should be cut off " . Another was for some more horrible species-of mutilation , while there
were not wanting others who suggested nailing him hands and feet to a tree . Some species of horrid death would have assuredly been his lot , but for an old native officer who threw himself on his knees , and begged the Sepoys not to torture him , saying , He is wounded now , and , if left where he is , he will die there . Let him die where he lies . ' This advice was listened to , and the Quartermaster-Sergeant was allowed to remain where lie was . In this condition ho lay all that night , and for tho greater portion of the following day , when he was removed by a European officer of the regiment , who took him up and , placing him in a . bungalow , left him there . From the bungsilow , however , he was subsequently removed by tho natives as a . prisoner to tho quarter guard . "
ihis brave man was subsequently rescued by Mr . Venables . A Mr . H . J . Shepherd , on July 18 th , writes to his brother at Bath some particulars of the Cawnpore massacre . He states : — " Every officer and soldier ; and every merchant , writer , or Christian drummer , &c , that had gone into the entrenchments here uiuler General Wheeler on tho lth of June , has been killed . Tho cannonading of tho enoiny was very , very severe Twolvo guns , taken from our magazine , were brought to play upon us . They hud a very lnrgo quantity of powder at their disposal , for tho magazine was not blown , up , and thirty boats of ammunition reached the enomy by the Ganges
Canal just in time for them to annoy us . -The artillery barracks , where we wore entrenched , have been scattered to atoms by the iM-pounder balls that were incossantly fired by tho enemy , and many died uudur the walls . ll ) ay and nighL thu guns were Icepb playing upon us without conshitf for a muinuut , and the musketry of the enemy pourad millions of balls upon us up to tho 25 th of Juno —th ; it is for twenty days . Tho enemy made several attempts to cllarge upon , in ; tlireo Union tluiy surrouudod us on all . sidurt under cover of the compound walls of bungalows in our vicinity , and sounded their bunion to chnrgo , but wore driven back by our artillery firing canintor upon them . Wo had only six aniuU guns witoh um , and not a . single howitzar .
" Had wo « von had ono 2-1-pounder n . groat , deal could have been done , or had our ^ oncriil t . uku u up his position in the magazine wo might all havo escaped thu very . severe calamity that has befallen upon this Htniion , for without , guns tliu ouomy could iu >( , linvn duiio auylliiii : ;" . On tho * 2-tl . h of •) uni > , 1 wan Hunt out hm a spy on curtain conditions , and , an I waa droaaud as a common
Chinaman , I . was not killed ; for I -was taken prisoner almost as soon as I came out of the entrenchment , particulars of which I shall give you in my next , but kepfc in . confinement until the day of my trial , when fetters were put on me . After I came out on the 24 th , it appears the rebel Uajah sent a letter to our general the day after ^ offering to let him and all his people go to Allahabad , on condition , that he -would give up all his tceasure ,. ammunition , &c , and vacate Cawnpore -within threa days . This was accepted by the general , and the usual oaths were taken , that no treachery would be used . The Rajah supplied twenty-four boats , and gave eairiajxe to the river side the of the 27 th
. On morning , our people went on board the boats— { oh ! how I felt , when , in confinement , I heard that the English were going in safety . I could not keep my secret , and told the Subahdar of the prison guard that I was a Christian , and nearly lost my life by this exposure )—but had not time t * let th& boats go , when the enemy fired canuou upon them , and upset some ; others they set fire to-. Only one boat , I am told , managed to get away , but was after-i wards picked up at a short distance aud brought back . About one hundred and fifty women and children , and about one hundred European soldiers and . officer * and men of all classes , were taken alive . The former
were kept as prisoners up to the 16 th of July ; but the men ( among whom was our poor Daniel ) had their hands tied behind them , -were killed with swords and muskets , and thrown into a ditch . The women received parched grain for a few days , but afterwards , they got dall and chupatis in small quantities . The rascals had bad motives for sparing them , so long . "At the time of their being murdered ( on the 16 th inst . ) , I am told that a number jumped alive into the well that was intended to receive their corpses , rather than be butchered and insulted so unmercifully as the hard-hearted brutes were using them . " A lively account of the disarmament of the native troops at Berayripore is * thus given in a letter from that city , dated August 2 nd , the day after the affair took place : — „ -
* 'The entire regiment of . her Majesty ' s 9 Qth had disembarked , and were in full march towards the infantry lines by half-past four o ' clock under a very heavy shower of rain , which , however , did not appear to discomfort the men much , who were ' in great spirits at the prospect of a collision with the jet bhices of the murderers of defenceless women and children . On approaching the lines , the Native Infantry were observed to have been , arranged in a square , and her Majesty's 90 th divided off into three columns , so as to intercept any attempts at a retreat . After the reading of the Government order , th& command to pile arms was given , and responded to without demur . Many of the muskets on inspection were discovered to be loaded . I must hero mention that two brass light
fieldpieces had been sent out to the lines , manned by sailors from the Government steamer Jumna , which has been lying here for some four days . The muskets' of the disarmed Sepoys having been taken possession of by a company of the 90 th , were placed in possession of tho guns , and the regiment then marched on to the direction of tha cavalry lines , from which the Irregulars wore seen to > advance . On approaching to within a distance of about three hundred yards from the European regiment they dismounted , and , on a nearer approach , were surrounded by the 90 th . Their commander , Captain Alexander ,
then communicated the instructions from Government for their being disarmed , when there was a very apparent stir among them , and two attempts mado to remount their horses , a good number gaining their seats ; but a flank of the 90 th advancing towards them , and tho rest being so arranged as to cut thoir retreat off , they wore got into order again . Some of tho men were actually seen to load , but , whether from the want of unanimity or , more probably , the dread of tho splendid body of ? men confronting them , their intentions , whatever they may have been , were not carried into offoct .
" On the order being given to deliver up their arms and accoutrements , many of tho men absolutely flung thoir pistols , belts , &c , into the air ; and , on tho whole , although , they did deliver up their arms , thoy manifested tho utmost disaffection . They had , however , to endure a still grouter surprise , aud one which they wore evidently not prepared for , and tliut was the seizure of thoir horses , which being their own property thoy thought would not bo taken from them . Tho latter were takou off to the hospital yard , round which and sovoral other pucka buildings there is the enclosuro of a pucka wall . Tho two hundred men of lier Majesty ' s 35 th , stationed here , all this timo wore engaged in disarming the guards at their diiVoront posts . Thus ondod tho amusomonts ot tho evening . "
A fuw more Kuropoans , it appears , have escaped from Csiwnporc . A lottor from Captain II . Bruce , dated Ciiwupore , July . 'list , says : — " Lioutenaul , Delnfosso , Captain Rlowbrny Thomson , 53 rd Native Infantry , and two Kuropeun Holdiew , aro salb nt Nishgurh ( twenty-four milus down river , on tho Liwknow nido ) , mid all ( iem : r ; il NiiUI ' h great eiiorgitw aro being directed to their rvcovory . Tlio latter part of thin soiitiiiuio refers not only to tho Mi . shgurh party , but al . so to . some Kuropeims Hiiid to bo ut Cnlpoi ) , across thu i ) uiniii ' . "
Soiuo tearfully painfu l entries found among tho blooil-stuiiie . il relics at Cuwnporo uru published iu the riucnir , Calcutta newHP . ipor . A correspondent ot
Untitled Article
No . 392 , September 26 ^ 1857 . ] TIE liEADBR . 915
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 26, 1857, page 915, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2211/page/3/
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