Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army: Gwalior and the Battle of Maharajpore, 1843; the Gold Coast of Africa, 1847-48; the Indian Mutiny, 1857-58; the expedition to China, 1860-61; the Siege of Paris, 1870-71; etc. — John Shaqi
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army: Gwalior and the Battle of Maharajpore, 1843; the Gold Coast of Africa, 1847-48; the Indian Mutiny, 1857-58; the expedition to China, 1860-61; the Siege of Paris, 1870-71; etc.Gordon, Charles Alexander, Sir
History
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army: Gwalior and the Battle of Maharajpore, 1843; the Gold Coast of Africa, 1847-48; the Indian Mutiny, 1857-58; the expedition to China, 1860-61; the Siege of Paris, 1870-71; etc.
Gordon, Charles Alexander, Sir
Gordon, Charles Alexander, Sir, 1821-1899; India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Biography; Paris (France) -- History -- Siege, 1870-1871 -- Personal narratives
Attached to the Buffs were the remnants of what had been the 44th
Regiment, now consisting of a few men of whom the majority were
mutilated or suffering from bodily illness; the party under command of
Captain Souter, by whose gallant devotion to duty the regimental colour
was saved two years previous when our force was annihilated near the
Khyber by Affghans, directed by Akbar Khan.
Pârâg, as the locality of Allahabad was anciently called, is closely
connected with Hindoo tradition, and still retains a sacred character.
At the date referred to in the Ramayana it was a residence of a
Rajah of “the powerful Kosalas,” whose capital was Ajudyia, their
country the modern Oude. Here it was that Rama and Seeta crossed the
Ganges in their progress to the jungles of Dandaka, where shortly
afterwards she was captured by Ravana and carried away by him to Lunka,
otherwise Ceylon. Within the fort, now occupied by our regiment, is an
underground temple dedicated to Siva, its position believed to indicate
the point where the mythical Suruswatee joins the still sacred Ganges.
On an enclosed piece of ground stands one of six pillars assigned to
Asoka, B.C. 240, bearing an inscription of the period of Samudra Gupta,
2nd century A.D. That pillar, having fallen, was restored by Jehangir,
A.D. 1605; the fort itself captured by the English from Shah Alum, A.D.
1765.
As the hot season advanced, severe and fatal disease prevailed
alarmingly among our men, cholera and heat fever claiming victims
after a few hours’ illness. Treatment applied by the younger medical
officers in accordance with theoretical school teaching was useless,
nor was it till the regimental surgeon (Dr. Macqueen) directed us to
more practical methods that anything approaching favourable results
were attained. In these notes, however, the intention is to omit
professional matters.
A full company of our men was sent to Papamow, situated on the right
bank of the Ganges, six miles distant, the object being to afford
additional space to those within the fort. Captain Airey, in command
of the detachment, had been one of the hostages in Affghanistan to
Akbar Khan, and utilised on that occasion his culinary talents by
acting as cook to the party. For a time the men enjoyed, and benefited
by their change to country quarters. Towards the end of the rainy
season, however, malarial diseases attacked them to a degree larger in
proportion than their comrades in the fort; consequently our detachment
was ordered to rejoin Headquarters.
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