August 15th.—Heavy rain till about 3 A.M., when it cleared away, and the morning was beautifully clear and fine. The enemy fired salvos of two and three 18-pounders at once into the Cawnpore battery, and brought down all the outer wall of the house alongside it, which we used as a guardroom; making the place so hot we were obliged to retire our men from it during the heaviest part of the cannonade. Lieutenant Bonham received a severe contusion, from bricks knocked out on him by an 18-pound shot; and later in the day the sentry left in the front part of the battery was killed by a round shot. Lieutenant James Alexander was shot through the arm while laying an 18-pounder in the Hospital battery. Several servants and six bheesties of the 32nd deserted last night. At night, advantage taken of the dark to repair as much as possible the damage done to-day to the Cawnpore battery. About 9 P.M. a pensioner named Ungud, who had been sent out with a letter, returned, bringing a letter from Cawnpore. This was the first night since the siege began that no burial took place.
August 16th.—Great progress made in our mine out of Lieutenant Anderson's house, which had now reached a distance of twenty-five feet from the shaft. Also much done in the way of making the Cawnpore battery more secure. Brigadier Inglis slept in it himself. In the early morning the enemy fired a great many round shot, and brought a new gun into position, to play on the corner of the brigade mess-house; also one which fired on Mr. Gubbins's post, but which was soon silenced by a 9-pounder placed in position against it. Divine service performed in the brigade-mess to a few officers who were off duty, and to the ladies. Much round shot fired during the day, but fewer sepoys in sight than usual. Every possible effort was made to curtail the expenditure of our provisions, and make them last as long as possible. The enemy threw in three 8-inch shells during the evening, and fired several round shot during the night.
August 17th.—The remaining portion of the Residency was deemed unsafe by the engineers, from the number of round shot that had come through it; and arrangements were made to remove the Europeans. The heat extreme, a heavy cannonade from daylight till 9 A.M., when it gradually slackened. A few round shot were fired through the Residency during the morning. Much progress was made in the mine out of Lieutenant Anderson's house, and a new shaft sunk in the Martiniere School, in view to running a sap towards Johannes' house. The Seikhs mined well, and the payment in cash of two rupees per man for each night's work made the work popular. Between 4 and 5 P.M. the enemy recommenced a slight cannonade, doubtless stirred up by some shells which were thrown during the afternoon. Towards dusk the enemy threw in several shells, and at midnight an 8-inch, which nearly hit our laboratory.
August 18th.—At daylight the enemy exploded a large mine under one of our principal posts in the outer square, occupied by the Seikhs; the three officers and three sentries on the top of the house, were blown up into the air and fell among the debris. The guard below were all, however, buried in the ruins, and lost their lives: they were two bandsmen of the 41st, two of the 13th, and a sepoy of the 48th Native Infantry. The officers, though much stunned, on recovering themselves ran away, and all three escaped unhurt.
When the smoke had blown away, we discovered that a clear breach had been made into our defences, to the extent of thirty feet in breadth. One of the enemy's leaders sprung on the top of the breach, brandishing his sword and calling on others to follow; but he fell dead instantly from the flank fire of the officers on the top of the brigade-mess. Another instantly followed and shared the same fate, when the rest of the force declined making a home rush. On the first springing of the mine, our garrison was at once under arms, and the reserve of the 84th Foot (eighteen men) were immediately sent down and placed in a position which commanded the breach from the right; while boxes, doors, planks, tents, &c., were rapidly carried down to make as much cover as possible to protect our men against musketry: also a house was pulled down and a road made for a gun; and, after incredible exertions, a 9-pounder was got into a position which commanded all the breach, and was loaded with a double charge of grape. The enemy, by means of some barricaded lanes, contrived to creep up and get possession of the right flank wall of the Seikh square; but our mortar and a 24-pounder howitzer drove the main body off, and a sudden rush at noon cleared away the rest. We reoccupied all the ground we had lost in the morning, and also took possession of the houses previously held by the enemy, and which were situated between the Seikh square and Mr. Gubbins's house. No time was lost in destroying them, and by sunset 400lbs. of gunpowder had cleared away many of the houses from which the enemy had most annoyed us. By this time the breach was securely barricaded against any sudden rush, and at night a working party completed it. In addition to the eight men lost in the explosion, we had this day one of the 32nd killed, and a volunteer (M. De Prât) and three of the 32nd wounded. Nothing could exceed the zeal with which all the natives worked to secure the breach, and make a road for a gun. The heat was fearful, and this was one of the most harassing days we had, all ranks being hard at work from daylight till dark, under a dreadful sun. Lieutenant Fletcher, 48th Regiment Native Infantry, on look-out duty at the top of the Residency, was shot through the arm, and had his telescope shivered by a rifle-ball, while reconnoitring. Lieutenant Graham was also hit on the chest with a spent ball. For further accounts of the explosion of the mine, see the report of the disaster by an eye-witness, marked (II.) in the Appendix.
August 19th.—The enemy rather lively with their large guns this morning. Firing more particularly at the guard-rooms on the top of the brigade-mess, which were by this time well-riddled. About 2 P.M. the engineers, Messrs. Fulton, Hutchinson, and Anderson, with a small party, went out on the premises which we yesterday seized, for the purpose of blowing up some more houses and buildings. This party was supported by some Europeans and Seikhs, kept inside the square. The enemy showed nowhere, and save for a few dropping shots, their presence would not have been known.
It is worthy of notice, that even through the Pucka buildings, the enemy dug communicating trenches, probably to escape the effects of our shells; which, however, they had not always been successful in doing, as several pools of blood showed us. In the afternoon we experienced a smart cannonade, and about dusk had a heavy shower which stayed it for a while, and after 8 P.M. it subsided nearly entirely into a musketry fire.
August 20th.—A heavy fire of musketry towards daylight, when the enemy began the heaviest cannonade we had yet had; particularly on the Cawnpore battery, in front of which they had put another gun in position. For three hours they fired continually, and a great portion of Mons. De Prât's house fell in. Their round shot came in through the Thug Jail, and enfiladed it; fortunately it struck high, and no casualty occurred: they also threw some shrapnel, as yesterday. Our guard rooms on the top of the brigade mess were now entirely demolished by round shot, which came through them almost unceasingly. An 8-inch shell went into the Residency, and exploded on the staircase. A soldier of the 32nd Foot was killed in the 18-pounder battery, at Dr. Fayrer's, by a musket-ball which struck him in the head. We were busy all night at our mine, which was now completed, and we hope to be able to load it and have it ready to fire by daylight to-morrow morning. Many men were seen in the early part of the day, moving about in the bazaar (most of them sepoys). It was difficult to say what they were about, as they were moving both ways. Lieutenant Cunliffe of the artillery was slightly wounded this morning in the knee by a musket ball. Great mortality amongst the children in the garrison, and a great deal of sickness prevailed, particularly fever. All the tea and sugar for the Europeans had been for some time expended, save a small supply which had been reserved for the use of the sick and wounded. The enemy again commenced to undermine the lane running from the Cawnpore battery behind the brigade-mess, and were also engaged in some other work to the right of Johannes' house. Much firing during the evening. Captain Lowe of the 32nd Foot, had a very narrow escape; an eight-inch shell burst close to him in the trenches, and slightly wounded him in the hand, and cut off the arm of a soldier alongside him. The enemy made an attempt to burn down the gates at the Baillie Guard, by eluding the vigilance of the sentries and piling up logs of wood and combustibles outside the gate. It burnt fiercely, but was soon extinguished by the water-carriers of the 13th, without damage to the gates: the fire was the signal for a heavy fusillade, which lasted nearly half an hour.
August 21st.—At daybreak all was prepared and ready for the blowing-up of our mine, and the simultaneous sortie of fifty Europeans under Captain M'Cabe and Lieutenant Browne (divided into two parties), for the purpose of spiking the enemy's guns which fired into the mess house, and in order to hold Johannes' house while the engineer officers blew it up. Precisely at 5 P.M. the mine, containing 400 lbs. of powder, was sprung, and as soon as the dust and smoke had in a measure subsided, the party ran out, drove the enemy (who were taken by surprise, and made but a slight show of resistance) from their guns (two), and spiked them both, and retained possession of Johannes' house, while the engineers made arrangements for blowing it up. These were soon completed, and the party withdrawn. A slow match was applied, and the house laid in ruins. Our losses were one of the 84th killed, one sergeant (84th) mortally wounded, one of the 32nd dangerously wounded, one slightly wounded, and a sergeant of the artillery killed. The operation was entirely successful, and rid us of a house from which the enemy had, from the commencement of the siege, annoyed us greatly. Captain Barlow, of the 50th Native Infantry, died somewhat suddenly in hospital this morning. The grass and jungle all round had grown to a very great height, and would have given cover to a number of men to approach close up to our position unobserved. In the afternoon, a boy about twelve years of age was seen close to the Baillie Guard gate, picking up bullets that had been fired. A sepoy of the 13th on sentry-duty saw him, covered him with his musket, and compelled him to come in. An eight-inch shell fell on the top of the Residency about 9 P.M., and exploded, fortunately without injuring any one.
August 22nd.—Mrs. Green, of the 48th Native Infantry, died early this morning. There had been also many deaths among children during the few previous days. Many of our supplies were entirely expended, and the garrison were put to great inconvenience for the want of tobacco, of which for some time past there had been none to issue. Still more stringent measures adopted to prevent the consumption of flour; and wheat was issued to all non-combatants who had time to grind it. A fine clear night, with less musketry and more cannon firing than usual. Many of our defences were greatly injured from the late heavy rain and the incessant cannonade of the enemy. Last night repairs were made to the Cawnpore and Redan batteries, both of which still required much to be done to them. To-day an European sentry inside the Baillie Guard gate, was shot dead by a rifleman: the ball went through some sand bags put up for his protection. A sepoy of the 13th was also hit in the knee this morning from the same loophole. Arrangements were made to knock the place down to-morrow morning at daylight with a 24-pounder howitzer. Sergeant Ryder, of the artillery, was killed dead by a musket ball to-day in the churchyard. Up to this date, we had lost since the siege commenced on the 30th of June, by killed, wounded, and sickness: 101 men of the 32nd Foot, not including officers; and of the detachment of the 84th, consisting originally of fifty men, eleven had been killed and died of wounds and disease since the above date. Reports of distant firing being heard, vague rumours were afloat; but these excited little attention now, so often had they been in circulation, giving rise to false hopes of our reinforcements being near.