July 29th.—A fine moonlight night. Enemy fired many round shot about daylight, and also musketry from the houses across the road; they also threw in many carcases, which nearly all fell in the vicinity of the Cawnpore battery. No intelligence. All were anxious for the relieving force, which we thought could not be far off. Our Cawnpore sap loaded with 200lbs. of powder, ready to explode whenever it might be thought most advisable. Colonel Halford, 71st Regiment Native Infantry, who had been long ill, died this morning.
A few convalescents joined the ranks, giving more room in the hospital, which was greatly overcrowded in consequence of all the patients being obliged to be kept on the ground floor, as also the state prisoners and their servants; the round shot passing so frequently through the upper story as to make it impossible to make use of it. Rumour stated that the enemy had gone out in force to meet our coming army, and had left two or three regiments of infantry, and a body of military police, to keep us in; but it was most difficult to tell what force we had opposed to us, as the enemy seldom or never showed in any number, but kept in the houses under cover, occasionally yelling, bugling, and throwing in a heavy fire, then subsiding into the usual steady fire which went on night and day.
Firing of cannon heard in the direction of Cawnpore. We hoped it was our friends. All anxious, but all conjecture. Enemy recommenced mining towards our mine in the Cawnpore battery. About 6 P.M., a heavy firing was heard for about five minutes in the road from Cawnpore, and in about half an hour, several guns were heard in the direction of cantonments; this made us think it was a salute fired by the enemy for some reason or other; probably to reassure themselves. However, all is conjecture; but it threw our garrison into a great state of excitement, and many (indeed most) stoutly maintained it was our force. About 300 or 400 sepoys were seen at the same time running across the iron bridge towards cantonments in great haste. We fired two shots at them with an 18-pounder.
The excitement gradually cooled down; the enemy keeping up their usual fire. Another mine was discovered this evening, by a portion of it falling in: it was running in the direction of Sago's house. Lieutenant Grant of the Bombay army, whose wife and child died a few days ago of cholera, died in hospital this night, from the effects of his wound: his right hand had been blown off by a hand-grenade. A fine moonlight night.
July 30th.—From 2 A.M. till daylight heavy rain. Enemy got in close under the wall of the Seikh lines, and began some kind of operations against it; they were so close that no musket could be fired, being under a projecting piece of the wall; they were, however, dislodged by a few pistol shots, and ran off. No further incident occurred during the night, beyond that there was the usual amount of firing into our position, and bugling on the part of the enemy. After daylight enemy fired slackly. Terrible stench in many parts of the garrison from half-buried corpses and animals, which we had no time or means to bury properly. Several cases of fever, cholera, and smallpox.
About 9 A.M. a number of sepoys and matchlockmen were seen coming along the Cawnpore road, and for about an hour and a half a continuous stream of men came in in detached parties of twenty and thirty: some sepoys were among them. Slack firing during the forenoon, only a few shells and musketry. In the afternoon, heavy rain for an hour. Unable to discover what the enemy were about. Considerable progress made in a sap, which we had sunk in an outhouse close to the corner of the brigade mess-house, where most of the children and ladies were located. At first the enemy were heard mining towards us, but since yesterday we had not heard them. We continued, however, to steadily push our sap, hoping either to come across that of the enemy or succeed in getting under Johannes' house; from which they fired all day long on any one who showed himself. Yesterday an artillery sergeant, who incautiously crossed the road commanded from Johannes' house, was shot through both legs. The enemy had many riflemen, and some of them were most expert shots, firing through our loopholes.
About 8 P.M., as Captain Wilson, Lieutenant Barwell, Lieutenant James, and Mr. Lawrence were sitting on the chubootra of the Begum Kotee, a shell came in and exploded as it struck the parapet of the wall under which they sat, bringing it down. Lieutenant James, who was lying wounded on his bed, had a most wonderful escape. A large piece of masonry, weighing upwards of a hundred weight, fell on his bed, breaking it to pieces, and bringing him down on the ground; but he was uninjured. Mr. Lawrence received a severe contusion on the back and head from falling masonry; and this was the extent of the damage. Mrs. Clarke, wife of Lieutenant Clarke of the 21st Native Infantry, died this evening: bad food, privation, confinement, and smells of all kinds, worked their effects.
July 31st.—A fine night, and the usual firing. At daylight, the enemy commenced firing heavily on the Church and Residency, from a 24-pounder planted in the neighbourhood of the iron bridge. They also threw in many shells, and fired their guns from the Clock Tower Gate. Our 18-pounders and mortars were employed until 10 A.M. in silencing the enemy's fire. Our sap from the brigade mess made good progress across the road, towards the outhouses occupied by the enemy. Several children have lately died: privation the chief cause. We had received no information whatever since the 26th instant, the date on which we received the only letter we had yet received since the 27th of June. Our reinforcements were due to-day, and their non-arrival led us to suppose that the enemy had succeeded in breaking down the bridge at Bunnee, and arresting the progress of our friends. The flies dreadful,—preventing all rest during the day, and disputing our food with us. The enemy continued to throw in shells all the forenoon, till 2 P.M. when we had a heavy shower: after that, the firing continued as before. In the evening we repaired our defences as far as we could, as, owing to the heavy rain, the earth had settled very considerably. A fine moonlight night, and all quiet, save the usual amount of round shot and musketry.
August 1st.—Still no intelligence of any kind, which caused much anxiety, more particularly as some of our supplies for natives were likely to be at an end in twenty days' time. Weather very hot and sultry; small painful boils, covering nearly the whole body, very prevalent. Many deaths among the children, and sickness on the increase. Great inconvenience felt in the hospital for want of space; the sick and wounded sadly crowded, and the building very badly ventilated, as the lower story was hardly safe from shots. Enemy threw in many shells this morning, and fired unusually sharp with their heavy guns, till about 10 A.M., keeping our guns and mortars fully employed in keeping down their fire. Heat very great; fire gradually slackened off towards noon, but recommenced sharply again about 5 P.M. Many round shot, shell, and carcases came in. One of the latter fell into the courtyard of the Begum Kotee, within a few feet of the table at which the staff and commissariat officers were at dinner; but no one was hurt. Several cases of cholera occurred to-day. Efforts made to improve and strengthen our defences during the moonlight nights; but the engineer officers were all sick, and little was done. Our sap in the brigade mess was pushed steadily on, and had attained thirty-eight feet from the shaft this evening.
August 2nd.—Fine moonlight night. Sharp firing during some portion of it. Many rockets were thrown in early in the morning. Mr. Hely of the 7th Cavalry died this day of the wound he received on the 20th ult. An artillery sergeant was mortally wounded this morning in the Redan. Enemy fired a salute of some forty guns about 11 A.M. A Seikh sowar of the 3rd Irregular Cavalry deserted to the enemy this morning. The Bhoosa stack fell down to-day, burying ten or twelve bullocks; which, after much labour, were got out. Seven of them were unfortunately dead; thus entailing more labour, as at night we had to bury them: no slight task in such weather, with our jaded and harassed garrison. Towards the evening a heavy cannonade was kept up on both sides. About 5·30 P.M. an eight-inch shell from the enemy struck the Begum Kotee, and, breaking right through the outside wall, exploded in the room in which Lieutenant James of the Commissariat and Mr. Lawrence of the Civil Service were lying on their beds wounded, with one or two servants in the room; providentially all escaped, though the room was set on fire. Heavy firing till midnight.