Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp: Late a Lieut. in His Majesty's 87th RegimentShipp, John
History
Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp: Late a Lieut. in His Majesty's 87th Regiment
Shipp, John
India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Biography; Shipp, John, 1784-1834
The storming party consisted of about seven hundred men, composed of two
companies of his majesty's 22nd regiment, two of the Company's European
regiments, and the rest native troops, the whole under the command of
Colonel Ball, a brave old hero, but so feeble, that he was obliged to be
pushed up the track of glory. The two flank companies to which I
belonged led the column. Sergeant Bury, of the Grenadier company, headed
the foremost; but being wounded at the moment, he was compelled to leave
the battery. I volunteered to take his place. The enemy had a strong
intrenchment between our batteries and the breach, with innumerable
guns, so placed as to have a cross fire on the storming party. However,
we soon fought our way through their intrenchments, our gallant captain
(Lindsay) cheering, and boldly leading us on. Crossing these trenches,
this brave officer was cut with a spear in the arm, and also received a
severe wound from a sabre; but his gallantry and zeal were so great,
that he could not be prevailed upon to retire from the scene of action.
A little on our right I saw some of the enemy point a gun at us.
Immediately, with three or four comrades, I rushed out to spike it; for
which purpose, I was in the act of searching for the touchhole, to put a
nail in it, when one of the enemy's golundauze (artillery-men) fired the
gun off, and I was thrown on my back in the trench, and the same man was
in the act of cutting me to pieces, when a grenadier of our company,
named Shears, shot him, and I once more escaped. Fortunately for us, the
whole of the enemy's great guns were elevated too much, owing to which
the shots passed over our heads. If they had been properly directed, we
must have been annihilated to a man. Within fifty or sixty paces from
the breach, I received a matchlock ball in the head, which dropped me to
the ground, the blood flowing profusely. When I came a little to myself
from the stun, I found myself impelled onward by one of our companies,
who were close together, and running stooping, to avoid the shots,
which, being near the breach, were uncomfortably thick; but we reached,
and soon planted the British flag on the summit of the bastion which was
breached. Our opponents fought hard to resist our entrance, throwing
immense stones, pieces of trees, stink-pots, bundles of straw set on
fire, spears, large shots, &c.; but resistance was in vain: we were
determined to conquer. In spite of this laudable resolution, however, we
found some hard work cut out for us on making good our ascent. The
streets in the fort were narrow, running across each other, and every
ten yards guns were placed, for the purpose of raking the whole streets.
Added to this, many of the enemy had got into high houses, in which
there were loop-holes, from which they could fire down upon us, without
the possibility of our getting at them. Near the corner of a street, in
a kind of nook, I saw our dear Captain Lindsay attacked by five or six
of the enemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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