Captain Hawes, of the 63rd Native Infantry, was wounded this afternoon by a musket ball through the side and arm, while on the look-out from the top of the defences at Mr. Gubbins's post. After dark we had two eight-inch shells and several shrapnell sent in. One of the former carried off the leg of a native (who died soon after), and slightly wounded another. Repairs continued in the Cawnpore and Redan batteries. The want of tea and sugar much felt, and very large prices offered for stores of any kind.
August 23rd.—A heavy cannonade from the enemy, from daylight till about 10 P.M., when it slackened. Their principal efforts were against the brigade-mess house and Cawnpore battery; the former they seriously damaged, and succeeded in entirely levelling the guard-houses on the top; both of which had fallen in, and there was no longer any cover for our musketry to fire from. Our ranks were rapidly thinning. Two men were again this morning mortally wounded by musketry fire. The enemy were busily employed in digging on all sides, more particularly in front of the Redan; but it was very difficult to say what their object was, as they dug deep trenches in all directions. Continued reports of distant firing being heard. The enemy fired heavily from their guns in the afternoon, and did considerable damage to our defences. A working party employed after dark, making a magazine for the powder and shells lodged in the Post-office.
We had work nightly for at least 300 men; as we had the defences to repair daily, supplies to remove from godowns which were fallen in from the effects of the enemy's shot, mines to countermine, guns to remove, barricades to erect, corpses to bury, and rations to serve out; but with our weak, harassed, and daily diminishing garrison, we could seldom produce as working parties more than three fatigue parties of eight or ten men each relief; and the Europeans were capable of but little exertion, as from want of sleep, hard work night and day, and constant exposure, their bodily strength was greatly diminished. The enemy threw in an 8-inch shell about 9 P.M. and fired all the evening. Divine service was performed at the brigade-mess in the morning, and in the afternoon, at Dr. Fayrer's; the sacrament was administered on both occasions.
August 24th.—This morning, at about 2 o'clock, the enemy opened a very heavy fire, both of round shot and musketry; commencing and concluding the same apparently on the signal of a fireball thrown up on each occasion. The Judicial Garrison house, under command of Captain Germon, being in a most dangerous state from the effects of round shot, all the women and wounded men, also children, were removed from that post, as well as from all the other outposts in that quarter, into the Begum Kotee in the neighbourhood. A sergeant of the 84th was dangerously wounded coming up from Mrs. Sago's house, by a sharp-shooter. Lieutenant Bonham, of the artillery, was busily employed perfecting his arrangements for using an 8-inch mortar as a howitzer. The experiment succeeded very well yesterday evening.
The verandah of the Residency on the west side came entirely down this morning. The commissariat stores in the godown underneath were removed in the evening, as some of the arches of the lower story were cracked, and a heavy cannonade would have brought the whole place down. Arrangements were made this day for still further reducing the rations of Europeans. A kitmutghar came in from the city last night: his account was so suspicious, that he was placed under an European guard, as he might have tampered with the natives. To-day we threw two shells a long way into the city, in the direction of the palace. The enemy tolerably quiet; towards the middle of the day confining themselves to sharp-shooting at every one they saw move about in our position. Mr. MacRae of the Civil Engineer Department was very badly hit in the shoulder this afternoon, while assisting in laying a mortar in the Post-office; and a sergeant and a private were badly wounded early in the day, while going to their post. The enemy possessed many excellent rifle shots, and fired out of their loopholes from the houses around with great certainty; occasioning us a daily loss of from three to five men. Two sepoys of the 13th were also slightly wounded by random shots before daybreak this morning. Several shells came in this evening; and about 12 P.M. the enemy opened a tremendous fire on all sides, of round shot, grape, and musketry, which lasted for an hour: the fire was very heavy, but they made no effort to storm, though their bugles sounded the advance repeatedly.
August 25th.—There was the usual heavy cannonade this morning from the enemy, which continued from 5 to 9 A.M., when it slackened. All the remaining porter in store (thirty-nine casks) was got out of the Residency, and removed to another place, consequent on the unsafe state of the building; nearly one half of which had fallen from round shot, and the remaining portion was likely to follow. The magazine for the Post-office battery completed. In the night two sepoys of the 11th were slightly wounded by random shots. Several coolies were seen coming through the bazaar from the direction of the Cawnpore road. Sharp-shooting all day long from the enemy, who had also got a new gun in position to the right of Mr. Gubbins's post. One mine completed, and three others steadily progressing; the enemy digging on all sides.
August 26th.—The enemy commenced the day with a very heavy fire of round shot and musketry a little before daylight, which subsided in a great measure in about half an hour. Their earthworks had been added to during the night; but it was difficult to distinguish new work, as the whole of our position was now surrounded with them on every side quite close up to us. A jemadar of the 71st was shot dead near the Redan this morning by one of the enemy's riflemen. The house of Innes was reported to be in a dangerous state, in consequence of the repeated round shots through it. Also reports were made of the enemy mining at the Redan. The enemy unusually quiet, and very little firing went on during the middle of the day, but they were busily employed in making trenches round us in every direction, and worked particularly hard in front of the Redan, with many coolies. No intelligence whatever. One or two servants deserted last night, and there were reports that all the servants were thinking of leaving us, unless our reinforcements arrived soon.
August 27th.—A good deal of rain during the night. A heavy cannonade from the enemy, and the usual amount of musketry fire all the morning.
To-day, the supplies of the late Brigadier-General Sir Henry Lawrence, K.C.B., were sold by auction. The brandy realised from 140 to 160 rupees (16l.) per dozen; beer averaged from 60 to 70 rupees (7l.); sherry 70 rupees; hermetically sealed hams from 70 to 75 rupees (7l. 10s.) each; a bottle of honey 45 rupees (4l. 10s.); rifle gunpowder, 16 rupees per lb. (1l. 12s.); small cakes of chocolate, from 30 to 40 rupees (3l. to 4l.); and other things in proportion. Sugar (had there been any for sale) would have commanded almost any price.
The enemy brought another gun into position opposite the racket court, and where we had no means of replying to them. A soldier of the 32nd was very seriously wounded this morning by a musket-ball, while sitting in the verandah of Dr. Fayrer's house. In the evening a 3-pounder shot killed a soldier of the 32nd and carried away the arm of another. A native officer of the 13th was wounded through the foot by a musket-ball. Our miners (working in the gallery we had run out thirty-three feet to the right of the brigade mess-house) heard the enemy distinctly mining towards us. Their sap seemed to run for the centre of the brigade mess.