Two Months in Arrah in 1857

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Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1860 - Ara (India) - 99 pages

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Page 92 - ... hollow place, a half-filled pond. There we all lay down in a square. I was in the middle, with the doctor, helping him to tie up the wounds of the poor fellows, and bringing them water. The firing was all this time going on. The enemy could see us, as we were all dressed in white; while they were nearly naked, and behind trees and walls. However, the men fired about at random. At last the poor doctor was knocked over, badly wounded. It was dreadful to hear the poor wounded fellows asking for...
Page 92 - We tried to charge, but there was nobody to charge : on all sides they fired into us, and were scattered all over the country, in groups of tens and twenties. Dozens of poor fellows were knocked over within a yard of me on my right and left ; but, thank God ! I escaped in the most wonderful way. The last five miles of the road I carried a poor wounded fellow, who begged me not to leave him ; and though we had had nothing to eat for more than twenty-four hours, and I had had no sleep for two nights,...
Page 92 - We held a consultation, and determined to retreat, as the enemy was at least 3000 to 4000 strong, and had besides several cannon. Directly morning dawned we formed order, and began our retreat. The whole distance, sixteen miles, we walked under a most tremendous fire ; the ditches, the jungles, the houses, and, in fact, every place of cover along the road was lined with Sepoys. We kept up a fire as we went along ; but what could we do ? We could see no enemy, only puffs of smoke. We tried to charge...
Page 94 - August 1st. — I have just heard that about thirty men came in last night who got separated from us in the dark, and wandered to the river, where they got off in a native boat. The authentic return I have just seen ; 150 men killed, the rest wounded, except about fifty men, who escaped untouched. I suppose such a disastrous affair was never heard of before in India — most dreadful mismanagement throughout. Of course we did not relieve poor Wake and his garrison.
Page 92 - September 1857. from Arrah. As soon as they had started on their return journey the mutineers opened on them with a tremendous fire. " The ditches, the jungles, the houses, and in fact every place of cover along the road was lined with sepoys. We kept up a fire as we went along ; but what could we do ? We could see no enemy, only puffs of smoke. We tried to charge, but there was nobody to charge : on all sides they fired into us, and were scattered all over the country in groups of tens and twenties.
Page 49 - The well, which had been dug in twelve hours, was eighteen feet deep, and contained an ample supply of water, "and all of us, Sikhs and Europeans, had a regular wash, an inadmissible luxury before." The Europeans now began to feel the want of animal food. " A sally was made at night, and four sheep brought in.
Page 89 - Sikhs; we altogether made up a force of 400 men. As Wake is one of the greatest friends I have got, I determined to give him a hand if I could, and so volunteered with seven other fellows, five of whom are dead. Well, I was up all that Tuesday night, and, at daylight on Wednesday, off we started.
Page 91 - ... up by a tremendous volley poured into us at about thirty or forty yards' distance. It is impossible to say how many men fired into us : some say 500 ; some, 1,500. The next thing I remember was finding myself alone, lying in the middle of the road, with a crack on the head, and my hat gone. I suppose I must have been stunned for a minute. When I recovered, there were several men lying by me, but not a living soul could I see. There were lots to hear, though ; for the bullets from right to left...
Page 90 - We were passing a thick black mango grove to our right, when all of a sudden, without any warning, the whole place was lighted up by a tremendous volley poured into us at about thirty or forty yards distance.

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