The services of the native troops were rewarded by a medal to all native officers who had served within the hills, and to such of the native infantry officers and privates as had distinguished themselves by their gallantry or energy. This medal we have never seen, though by the records we observe several were given to the native branches of the regiment. The sketch here given is copied from one which appeared in the East-India United Service Journal, in 1837.
In the early part of the present century the attention of the Ordnance department in England was turned towards a weapon which had long been in use with the native armies in India—the rocket; and, under Sir William Congreve’s superintendence, rockets of a large size and great power of flight had been manufactured and used with much success in the bombardment of Boulogne and Copenhagen. Experience suggested improvement in details, and the results seemed so satisfactory, that a troop equipped with cars for firing volleys and tripods for single rockets was added to the corps of Royal Artillery, and employed with considerable effect at the battles of Leipsic and Waterloo. Acting upon this example, and considering that it would be advantageous to beat our Indian enemies at their own weapons, the Government decided this year on adding a rocket troop to the Bengal Artillery. It was ordered in September, and consisted of European artillerymen mounted on camels, and volley-cars drawn by horses. Its strength is detailed in the margin.[[70]]
Captain Whish, Lieutenants G. N. Campbell and G. Brooke, and Lieutenant-Fireworker Cartwright were posted to this troop, and it was soon in a state of efficiency. It was attached to the horse brigade, which was at this time commanded by Major Pennington, who was retained in the command, although “his promotion to the rank of major rendered him in excess to the establishment of officers attached to it, at the recommendation of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, in consideration of his general merits as an officer and his particular qualifications for the command of the corps of horse-artillery, which had attained such an eminent degree of discipline under his superintendence.”
The dress of the regiment in January underwent some change; the dress-jacket had embroidered button-holes on its scarlet facings; the breastplate was gilt, with the Company’s arms embossed in silver; the pantaloon continued to be worn as dress with the Hessian boots; but trousers or overalls were worn on all duties; the chako was introduced, displacing the bearskin cap. There are pictures in existence which give a good idea of the dress at particular periods, and in them all the changes may be traced.
A large portion of the regiment was this year called into the field against Diaram, the zemindar of Hattrass, whose fort and territory had been ceded by Scindia to the British in 1803, at which time no terms were made exempting Diaram from the general laws in force in the Company’s territories; but, in the expectation that, finding no necessity for armed followers, his force would gradually have dissolved and his fort gone to ruin, the Government took no steps to break it up at once. Mistaking this forbearance, in spite of several warnings, he persisted in a course of aggrandizement and opposition to the civil officers, which drew down on him the powerful hand of Government, who determined that no ill-timed economy should interfere with the rapid and complete reduction of his power. Lord Hastings directed the preparations to be made on such a scale to convince all that our failures heretofore were caused not from a want of skill or resources, but from our failing to bring them forward, and being more lavish of the blood of our troops than the matériel of our magazines.
For this siege two troops of horse artillery and the rocket-troop, seven companies of European, and four of native artillery, and eighteen companies of lascars, moved from different points and collected before Hattrass, together with a battering train of six 24–pounders, fourteen 18–pounders, four 8–inch howitzers, six 10–inch mortars, fourteen 8–inch mortars, and twenty-two 5½-inch mortars; total, 20 guns, 8 howitzers, and 42 mortars. The general command of the artillery was held by
| Major-General Sir J. Horsford; Captain C. H. Campbell, M. B.; Major Pennington, commanding horse artillery; Lieutenant Lumsden, adjutant and quarter-master; Majors Mason, McLeod, and Butler, fort adjutants. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troop. | Captains. | Captain-Lieutenant. | Lieutenants. | Lieutenant-Fireworkers. |
| 1 | Boileau | G. Gowan | Morland, Pennington | |
| 3 | J. Brooke | Rodber | Hyde MacAlister Sconce | |
| Rocket | Whish | G. Brooke | Cartwright | |
| _ | ||||
| Company. | Battalion. | Captain-Lieutenants. | Lieutenants. | Lieutenant-Fireworkers. |
| 2 | 2 | Fraser | Croxton | G. R. Scott R. B. Wilson |
| 3 | 2 | Curphy | Pereira | Hele, Vanrenen |
| 4 | 2 | Pryce | Carne | Sanders, Crommelin |
| 6 | 2 | Lindsay | Roberts | Coulthard |
| 4 | 3 | L. Lawrence | Smith, Whinfield | |
| 6 | 3 | Battine | Fordyce | R. Dickson, Delafosse |
| 7 | 3 | Tollemache | Timbrell | Wood, E. P. Gowan |
| 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies of golundaz battalion; 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 12th, 18th, 20th, 27th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 37th, 38th, 40th, 41st, 43rd, 44th, and 45th companies of gun lascars. | ||||
The force assembled on the 11th February, and from that time till the 21st was employed in collecting and preparing matériel for the siege and waiting for the train; on its arrival, three batteries were erected against the kuttra, which opened on the 22nd, and continued firing during the 23rd: a breach was effected, and during the night the enemy left the kuttra.
On the 25th, batteries were commenced against the fort, three armed with guns, and two with mortars from the kuttra, and on the right, two guns, and three mortar batteries, one of the latter of sixteen 5½-inch mortars; the trenches were pushed up to within 50 yards of the ditch, a rocketbattery was erected between the kuttra and fort; much delay occurred from want of fuses or from those sent turning out bad, so that fresh had to be driven and materials sent for from Agra; the time was employed in completing the batteries and approaches; a slight fire was kept up till the 2nd March, when preparations being all made, the bombardment commenced, at a signal from the rocketbattery, by a general salvo. “The effect and sight (an eye-witness writes) was beautiful, and was only excelled by a spectacle which took place about 5 in the afternoon. While in the battery watching the flight of a shell, it scarcely touched the ground before an explosion took place, the most awful and grand I ever beheld—a powder-magazine had been exploded. It is hardly possible to give an accurate description of it; it was more like an immense column of red smoke, forming itself like an enormous chattah in rolls, continually changing form as it ascended to an incredible height: several fragments fell in the trenches and hurt some people.” Another writes, “The effect of our shells and the ruins they have occasioned, are indescribable; the house and zenana of Diaram is a complete riddle—shot and shell holes in every direction; the mortality is great, men and horses lying in the gateway and works.”