War Medals and Their HistorySteward, William Augustus
History
War Medals and Their History
Steward, William Augustus
Great Britain. Army -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
=Burmese Chiefs' Medal.=--The H.E.I. Co. had a medal, 2³⁄₂₀ in. in
diameter, struck in gold for presentation to six Talaing chiefs who
served with the British army during 1825-26. On the obverse are the
arms and motto of the East India College; above is a scroll with "Award
of Merit," and underneath a scroll to take the name of recipient. On
the reverse in the foreground are two steamers by a river-side, and two
soldiers, one bearing a flag, addressing a group of Burmese; in the
background are hills, a pagoda, and a palm tree, and behind all the
setting sun. To the right are a cannon and bungalow. The medal has a
loop for suspension, composed of two plates held together by means of a
gold bezel.
=Bhurtpore.=[5]--Owing to the assumption of sovereign power by Doorjun
Sal, the nephew of the deceased Rajah of Bhurtpore, Baldeo Singh, it
became necessary for the Indian Government to take steps to ensure the
succession of the dead ruler's young son, Bhulwunt Singh. An army under
Lord Combermere was dispatched to lay siege to the city of Bhurtpore,
which with its 5 miles of fortifications, as already described, was
able to withstand the four assaults made by General Lake's army twenty
years before. On December 10th, 1825, the British army of just over
25,000 men appeared before the city, and prepared to lay siege to
the fortress, which was garrisoned by about 25,000. On December 24th
the artillery began to fire on the city, but despite the continual
bombardment, so well had the walls been built that breaches could not
be made large enough to admit of stormers. Mining, therefore, was
resorted to, and by the morning of January 18th, 1826, a determined
assault was made, and within two hours the British had gained
possession of the ramparts; by 4 o'clock the citadel surrendered, and
the 14th, as a reward for their gallantry, placed to garrison it.
The impregnable city, the capital of the Jants, had fallen after a
twenty-six days' siege; Doorjun Sal was captured, spoil to the value
of £500,000 taken, the young Rajah placed upon the throne, and the
conquest of India confirmed by the success of Lord Combermere, who was
rewarded with a Viscountcy. Hand grenades were last used in India at
the siege of Bhurtpore. One hundred and eighty of the British troops
were killed and 780 wounded. The following regiments took part in the
siege: 14th and 59th Regiments, 11th Light Dragoons, and 16th Lancers
(who had only just been armed with the lance). The Native Regiments
included: 11th, 15th, 21st, 23rd, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 37th, 41st, 63rd,
and 66th Bengal Light Infantry; Simoor Rifles; 1st Bengal Cavalry; 6th
Light Cavalry and one wing of the Bengal Fusiliers (Europeans), now 1st
Royal Munster Fusiliers; Bengal Horse and Foot Artillery and Bengal
Engineers. The 14th, "The Old and Bold," were specially mentioned in
dispatches.
[5] This is spelt BHURTPOOR on the bar of the "Army of India" medal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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