A Diary Kept by Mrs. R. C. Germon, at Lucknow, Between the Months of May and December, 1857Germon, Maria
History
A Diary Kept by Mrs. R. C. Germon, at Lucknow, Between the Months of May and December, 1857
Germon, Maria
Germon, Maria; India -- History -- Sepoy Rebellion, 1857-1858; Lucknow (India) -- History -- Siege, 1857 -- Personal narratives
Wednesday, September 16th. Sharp firing. At 6 A.M. a shell came
into the Treasury Guard, wounding two 13th Sepoys severely and one
slightly. We have two people in the garrison who were in the siege
of Jellalabad--one, the celebrated Dr. B----, who says, that was
a gentlemanly business compared with this; the other, a queer,
dilapidated, old half-caste, a corporal at Charlie's post, who, some
say, was a spy there, and he says, that was a trifle to our siege.
Charlie had four round shot into his house this morning in a quarter
of an hour; he has certainly been most mercifully preserved. The rest
of the day was quiet. In the evening some horrible smells came from the
buried animals, &c., that we could not sit at the door as usual to take
the air.
Thursday, September 17th. No news! We are beginning to get very anxious
again. They say our beef will only last till the 10th proximo. The
enemy are throwing up another battery, which will sweep the whole
garrison excepting our house; we try, with our shells, to prevent them
working at it. We had a quarter of mutton to-day for dinner, and a suet
pudding afterwards, with some of Capt. W----'s patent sauce, Mr. C----
having begged about a quarter of a pound of sugar for it; this made
twenty people as merry as formerly a dinner with the Governor-General
would have done. Our allowance of beverage for twenty people is two
bottles of indifferent champagne and one of claret and two pints of
beer for two sick ladies. Yesterday, Mr. D---- gave a bottle of brandy
and a bottle of sherry for twenty-five cheerots. Mr. H---- found a
soldier of the 32nd, with his head knocked off with a round shot, lying
in the churchyard, when he went to his funerals; so he buried him at
once. Queer things happen sometimes, as I could testify about a Roman
Catholic and a Protestant who had to be buried the same night; on
arrival at the burial ground it was doubtful which was which, but it
was summarily settled by an officer present.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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