Journal of a Cavalry Officer; Including the Memorable Sikh Campaign of 1845-1846Humbley, W. W. W. (William Wellington Waterloo)
History
Journal of a Cavalry Officer; Including the Memorable Sikh Campaign of 1845-1846
Humbley, W. W. W. (William Wellington Waterloo)
India -- Description and travel; Sikh War, 1845-1846
The British marched in even ranks, and commenced the action with
a brisk fire of artillery at a distance of about a mile from the
enemy. The Sikhs made a gallant defence. The British artillery
advanced steadily till they were within a few hundred yards of the
entrenchment; but the Sikhs kept up an incessant fire from their heavy
guns; in consequence of which our infantry were ordered to advance,
and, in the face of a murderous fire, to take the batteries. Night
put a stop to the carnage, but not to the awful state of confusion
which prevailed in the British camp, which arose partly from the
severe losses and the scattering of the different regiments, with the
uncertainty as to whether any advantage had been gained, and partly
from the incessant firing kept up during the whole night by the Sikhs
upon the wretched soldiers who were lying wounded upon the field of
battle, or who were cowering around their scanty fires, worn out with
cold, fatigue and excruciating thirst.
Sir Henry Hardinge, finding that a large Sikh gun occasioned much
annoyance to our troops, brought up the 80th Foot, who soon took it. He
then passed among the different European corps, which greatly cheered
and reanimated them under their intense sufferings. It was a night of
terrific suspense and anxiety to the two British Chiefs, both of whom
nobly resolved to fight and conquer, or perish in the attempt. The
British lion was roused, and his vast strength was all centred in one
final attempt. The die was cast. The Governor-General gave the word,
and Britons struck home the death-blow.
The village of Ferozeshah appears to have been held during the night
of the 21st of December, partly by the British and partly by the
Sikhs. One of our divisions under the gallant Major-General, Sir Harry
Smith, kept up a fire during the greater part of the night. The other
divisions bivouacked at some distance, no one knows where. Had a
concerted movement been necessary, it would have been quite out of the
question; for, by some mistake or oversight, no place of rendezvous
had been fixed on. I am told that the men belonging to two or three of
the European corps got clubbed together, and were so found the next
morning; nay, even the whereabouts of the Commander-in-Chief himself
could not be found. A certain Major-General was anxious to communicate
with him, and an engineer officer, who had just been with Sir Hugh
Gough, offered to shew him the road; but, to his surprise, he could not
find it: either His Excellency had moved his position, or the night was
too dark to enable the officer to trace his way back.
The morning light revealed the fact that the Sikhs were still masters
of a large portion of their entrenchments; the British retaining only
that part where they had bivouacked during the night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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