A silver medal, of the annexed pattern, was awarded to all the native troops engaged in the war, either in Rangoon, Arracan, or Sylhet.
Among the General Orders we find, “The Governor-General entertains the highest sense of the efficient services and honourable exertions of Captains * * * Timbrell of the artillery;” and “the services of the Bengal * * * foot artillery, under Lieutenant-Colonel Pollock, and of the Bengal rocket-troop and horse artillery, under Captains Graham and Lumsden, demand also the special acknowledgments of Government.”
Early in 1825, British interference[[79]] in the state of Bhurtpoor became necessary, and Major-General Sir D. Ochterlony, the agent to the Governor-General at Delhi, exercising the authority vested in him, ordered the assembly of a force for the purpose. It was disapproved by the Governor-General, and many portions of the regiment had in consequence the désagrémens of a useless march in the months of April, May, and June.
In the cold weather, however, affairs in Bhurtpoor continuing the same, and those in Ava more satisfactory, the project was resumed, and a force ordered to collect at Agra and Muttra, in November, under the command of Lord Combermere, who had just been appointed to the chief command in India.
For this army the whole of the available artillery was drawn together and the provinces were denuded. The field batteries were thrown into the magazines, and their bullocks appropriated to the siege-trains, and yet when collected, the whole were barely sufficient to work the guns in battery, without one single relief. In like manner the magazines from Cawnpore to Kurnal poured forth all their munitions of war, but this afforded only 114 siege-pieces, with about 1,000 rounds of shot per gun, and 500 shells per mortar and howitzer, with a proportion of shrapnell and case.[[80]] A reserve was formed at Allahabad to be pushed on as opportunity offered.
The personnel consisted of five and a-half troops of European, and two of native horse artillery, nine companies of European, and five of native foot artillery,[[81]] forming a total of about 1,200 Europeans, and 700 native artillerymen, with 500 lascars, but of these only 1,100 were foot artillery, barely sufficient to man the guns, even when augmented by a body of horse artillery recruits, who, just drafted into that branch on the augmentation, were not qualified for the duties of mounted artillerymen.
The following officers were present:—
Brigadier MᶜLeod, C. B., Commanding; Captain Tennant, Assistant Adjutant-General; Lieutenant Dashwood, Aide-de-Camp.
Brigadier C. Brown, Commanding Horse Artillery; Lieutenant Winfield, Major of Brigade.