About 11 o'clock the 7th Cavalry marched down to the Baillie Guard, patrolled towards Muchee Bhawun, and, finding all safe, returned viâ the stone bridge through Mukka Gunge, warned all on duty at the elephant sheds to be on the alert, and reached the Residency in cantonments about 2 in the morning. At 3 o'clock the 4th troop arrived from Chinahut, under the command of Captain T. Boileau. At a quarter after gunfire the cavalry marched off with the two artillery guns from the Residency, and took up a position on the right of the line on the 32nd parade ground. The 7th were directed to move towards Moodkeepore, which place was reported to have fallen into the hands of the mutineers. The corps advanced at a canter, and on reaching the plain close to the race-course, a large body of armed infantry, amounting to some 1000 men, were seen advancing in skirmishing order towards the cavalry. The report was, as regarded Moodkeepore, too true, for the Standard Guard was looted, public and private property destroyed, and the 2nd Squadron standard was actually seized from the hands of the jemadar in charge, and dashed to pieces.
Lieutenant Raleigh, who had lately joined the corps, was brutally murdered at 5 A.M. in front of the first troop lines. This officer was sick, and unable to join the regiment the night before when ordered out. The officer commanding ordered his men to form line to the front, which was done rather sullenly; but on his ordering the line to take ground to the right, a number of men broke out from the ranks, crying out that they would charge, as their children, etc., were being murdered; they rode away towards the mutineers, having been beckoned to come over by a leader riding a horse and bearing a standard. Some thirty-five or forty men left their officers. At this time an officer was sent back towards cantonments to request Sir Henry Lawrence to send up some guns, as the small body of cavalry that were left alone in front of the insurgents were in danger of being driven back.
The guns soon afterwards came up, and after a few rounds dispersed the enemy. The 7th Cavalry, in concert with the Irregulars, followed up the retreating mutineers, killed one or two, and sent in some ten or twelve prisoners. The corps returned to Moodkeepore about 10 o'clock, and marched into cantonments in the evening, and took up a position on the right of the line. Some 105 men remained with their officers up to the 12th June, on which date, by authority, they were given two months' pay, and allowed a furlough to their homes till the 15th October. The men remaining after the mutiny behaved admirably in quarters, and when told they were to go to their homes obeyed the order, quietly lodging their arms, and moving quietly homewards. The horses of the corps were marched down to the Residency at noon of the 12th, and in the evening the European and native officers, with the standards, repaired to the Baillie Guard, opposite to which the cavalry horses were ordered to be picketed.
No. II.
Account of the Explosion at the Seikh Square on 18th of August.
(Dated) Lucknow, 19th August, 1857.
Yesterday morning, between the hours of 5 and 6, the enemy sprung a mine at the Seikh Square, blowing down the corner house, on the top of which Lieutenant Mecham and Captain Orr, with two sentries, were on the look out from the loopholes, Lieutenant Soppitt being below at the time.
A few minutes before the explosion not a single individual was to be seen in the quarter occupied by the enemy. Suddenly, however, one man was discovered by a sentry, and Lieutenant Mecham fired at him, but missed; and immediately after the mine exploded, sending four of us, viz., Lieutenant Mecham, Band-sergeant Curtain, of the 41st Native Infantry, Drummer Ford, of the 13th Native Infantry, and Captain Orr up in the air, and burying underneath the ruins of the battery six drummers and one sepoy, i. e., Wiltshire, Williams, 13th Native Infantry, E. Curtain, A. Nugent, Rowlan, 41st Native Infantry, Fife-major Shipley, 4th Oude Irregular Force, and sepoy Heerah Sing, 48th Regiment Native Infantry. Of the former, I regret to state that Band-sergeant Curtain was thrown on the enemy's side and killed; Lieutenant Mecham and Drummer Ford were almost unhurt, and Captain Orr escaped with a few bruises.
Every precaution had been taken by Lieutenants Mecham, Soppitt, and Captain Orr to guard against all contingencies, Lieutenant Mecham remaining at night with the sentries, Lieutenant Soppitt and Captain Orr being below with the guard, and occasionally visiting the sentries. Since on duty at the Seikh Battery we had already discovered two mines, one of which we countermined, and the other we found to be an abortive attempt at one. The above discoveries had the effect of making us doubly vigilant on this point.
The new mine, which occasioned the calamity of yesterday, must have been worked by the enemy with sharp and noiseless tools; as—though a shaft was already sunk beneath the battery, over which a sentry was posted, and into which, during our respective tour of duty, we each occasionally descended for the purpose of listening whether mining was carried on by the enemy—not the slightest sound which in any way led us to suppose the same was the case, ever reached us.