A Page from the Indian Mutiny.

Hastings Standard, Issue 270, 13 March 1897, Page 4

A Page from the Indian Mutiny.

Our camp was not f<:r from the Alum Bagh, at Luckiiow, and our rontu to met. t the enemy lay by the village of Jelialabad. When we came in view of the enemy, the} 7 were passing in rather a disorganised mass right across our front as we advanced. We could see that they had a couple of field-guns, one gun being about six handred yards ahead of the other. The main body was almost entirely infantry, and all were mutineers arrayed in uniform. Our rapid approach had a great efiect upon them—they seemed to make no effort to rally and stand, and, as we advanced and charged, we got well into them, and the whole affair seemed over. The rearmost gun was in our possession, and the enemy, so far as we had encountered them, in full flight ; but somehow owing to the ardour of the charge and the pursuit, our regiment got quite out of hand, lost all formation, and scattered; and they, seeing our condition and probably having a leader with a good cool head, rallied round their remaining gun, regained their formation as we lost ours, and, pouring in volleys of musketry with discharges of grape from their gun, rendered our confusion worse confounded. Our men, gallant and forward in pursuit or a charge, could not stand being hammered at a disadvantage ; there was a din of shouting and noise, officers doing their best to bring the men up, but all to no effect ; and it looked sadly probable that Hodson's Horse would in their turn retreat. Hodson at this crisis managed to get a few brave spirits together not more than a dozen. Well I remember him, with his arm in a sling from his wound at Shumshabad, shouting to the men to follow him as he made an attempt to charge. He and I were riding close together, and, as we advanced with our small following, I saw his horse come down with him, and the next instant my own charger, my beloved Tearaway, reared straight up and fell dead. The fire was most deadly—the range was short, and just suited to the pointblank fire from the smooth-bore musket under which we were exposed, so that nearly every one of our small party was killed or wounded. Fortunately I fell clear of my horse, and, catching ii sowar's whose rider had just been killed, I speedily mounted, and, as good luck would have it, was able to rally our men to a certain extent, who seeing our supports coming up (7th Hussars and Military Train), now came on with a will, and charging the remaining gun, scattered the enemy in all directions. My temporary charger a small grey country-bred mare—carried me well, and we followed the enemy in pursuit, the British cavalry also cutting in. It was no easy matter, as they (the enemy) had got amongst tree 3 and low jungle, where cavalry Avere not of much use. In my ardour of pursuit I had got ahead of my men, when I came upon a couple of sepoys on tbiir way to the village. They had their bayonets fixed, and seeing me unsupported, stood—one in direct front and the other on my right. I made for the former; but the one on my right took aim atfme as I passed and shot me clean through the thigh, the bullet going through my saddle and my horse, killing her. Fortunately I lell clear, though halploss. My opponent was just coming up to finish mo off when he was sabred by a trooper of the Military Train.