September 12th.—A smart cannonade at daylight. Considerable progress was made in our new mines out of the Cawnpore battery and brigade-mess. Captain Mansfield was seized with cholera early this morning, and died a few hours after. A great number of matchlockmen seen moving about in the bazaar. Enormous prices offered in the garrison for all kinds of supplies. A small fowl was to-day purchased by a gentleman for his sick wife for 20 rupees (2l.) A bottle of Curaçoa sold at auction a day or two ago for 16 rupees, and the same price was freely offered for two pounds of sugar. Divine service performed at the brigade-mess, and at Dr. Fayrer's to all who were able to attend. A man came in about 8 P.M. from the city. He could not or would not give any information, was looked upon as a spy, ironed and placed in the main-guard. A tolerably quiet evening.
September 14th.—A good many matchlockmen were seen coming into the town during the day, both over the stone bridge and the bridge of boats. For the last two days, the bugles of the enemy had not been heard, which led us to conclude that the head-quarters of regiments had probably left the city. A few doolies were seen passing down the Cawnpore road, and a man (apparently of some consequence) was observed haranguing a mob in the city. There was the usual amount of firing and sharp-shooting all day.
A grievous occurrence took place in the afternoon. Captain Fulton of the Engineers, while reconnoitring from a battery in Mr. Gubbins's post, was killed dead by a round shot, which struck him on the head. He had conducted all the engineering operations of the siege for a considerable time previous to the death of his chief (Major Anderson). He was a highly gifted, cool, brave, and chivalrous officer, fertile in resources, and a favourite with both officers and men. His loss was acutely felt.
September 15th.—The 18-pounder battery beyond Innes' house fired heavily, and reduced Innes' house to almost a heap of ruins; the shot came right across the entire open space round the Residency, and one soldier of the 32nd was mortally and another slightly wounded. The breach in the Seikh square made by the enemy was now tolerably retrenched. The inner square was well loopholed and barricaded, so that even if the enemy had made their way in, they would have been unable to make a lodgment. The vicinity of the houses to our defences in the outer square rendered mining easy, and we took and blew up three of the enemy's mines at this point alone. Lieutenant Fullerton of the 16th Regiment Native Infantry, died in hospital this morning.
To-day the verandah of the Residency fell in with a great crash, from the effects of the battering it had received from the enemy's 18-pound shot. This afternoon, a mortar, equipped as a howitzer (on Lieutenant Bonham's principle), was put in position against the 18-pounder battery opposite Innes' house, and fired several shots, which kept the enemy's gun in check; and one shell having blown away most of their parapet, they did not fire again from it during the evening. Under the direction of the garrison engineer, a shaft was commenced in the Baillie Guard gate by the sepoys of 13th Regiment Native Infantry, in order to run a sap out in the direction of the Lutkun Durwaza; eight feet and a half were this evening accomplished. It is intended as a safeguard, to cut off any mine that the enemy may be running towards the gateway.
September 16th.—A very sharp cannonade from daylight, for three hours. An 8-inch shell fell in the rear of the 13th battery, (for the second time since the commencement of hostilities) and mortally wounded a sepoy, and slightly wounded a subadar. Enemy were very busy erecting (apparently) a new battery, to the right of our Cawnpore battery; but it was difficult at the time to say what it was intended for: the people working at it were greatly annoyed by our shells, and it made but little progress, except during the night. They were also very hard at work in front of the Redan battery, where they had made deep trenches in all directions.
Ungud, pensioner and spy, was sent out at about 10 P.M. with a letter, done up in a piece of quill, to take to General Havelock at Cawnpore, and was promised a large reward if he brought a reply. Preparations made for getting the mortar howitzer into the courtyard in rear of the brigade-mess, by cutting a road through the intermediate walls. The mine out of the brigade-mess building, and that out of the Cawnpore battery, were worked all night, and considerable progress was made in both. The rains seemed quite over, the sun was very powerful, and much fever prevailed. Not so much firing as usual in the evening, and only one shell came in. Much bugling among the enemy during the night.
September 17th.—All very much as usual, with rather less firing. Many vague rumours were abroad in the garrison, all without foundation. The mortar howitzer was got into position behind the brigade mess; the second shell thrown from it severely wounded two of our servants, in consequence of the shell having exploded before it cleared our defences. After the range was, however, once got, the practice was good, and several shells exploded in the embrasure of the enemy's battery. The mine out of the brigade-mess and that out of the Cawnpore battery, damaged during the day by round shot, was also repaired by a working party of sepoys from the 48th regiment Native Infantry. The sentry of the 32nd Foot, on duty at the church, had his head carried off by a round shot. Exactly at midnight the enemy made a demonstration on Saunders's post, and fired heavy volleys of musketry, but made no attempt to advance; in about half an hour, after a few shells had been thrown among them, they retired.
Many cases of fever and dysentery. Two sepoys of the 13th died in hospital of their wounds. The Seikh cavalry sowars, under Lieutenant Hardinge, worked at the barricade across the breach in the third Seikh square, and still further strengthened it.
September 18th.—Nothing new to record. Each day passed away much like its predecessor, with the same amount of cannonading and musketry fire.