By the 25th of May all the service companies were collected at Portsmouth, one depôt company being left behind at Dover, under Captain Brown. On the 1st of June, Nos. 3, 7, and 8 companies, under Lt.-Col. Hope, proceeded to Plymouth, and embarked on board H.M.’s ship “Belleisle” for China, sailing on the 3rd of June.
On the 4th of June the remaining service companies, under Lt.-Col. Leith Hay, proceeded to the Clarence dockyard, Gosport, where, drawn up in line, they received Her Majesty on her landing from the Isle of Wight. After a royal salute, Her Majesty was pleased to walk down the whole line, minutely inspecting every man. The regiment then marched in slow and quick time past the Queen, who expressed to Lt.-Col. Leith Hay how much pleased she was with its appearance.
On the 16th of June, the grenadiers, Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 6, and light companies, with part of No. 5, embarked on board the s.s. “Mauritius,” and sailed the following morning for China, under Lt.-Col. Leith Hay. The remainder of No. 5 company followed with the next transport. The strength of the regiment on embarkation for China was 52 officers and 1069 non-commissioned officers and men. The “Mauritius” entered Simon’s Bay, Cape of Good Hope, where she found the “Belleisle” at anchor. Here Lt.-Col. Hope conveyed to the detachment on board the “Mauritius” the startling intelligence of the mutiny of the Bengal Native Army, and that orders had been received for the 93rd to proceed with all possible despatch to Calcutta, instead of China. The “Mauritius” anchored in the Hooghly, opposite Fort William, on the 20th of Sept. 1857, the anniversary of the battle of the Alma, and the 93rd was welcomed by its old brigadier, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, Sir Colin Campbell. The detachment under Lt.-Col. Adrian Hope did not arrive until the 26th.
III.
1857–1875.
On the road to Cawnpoor—Engagement near Futtehpoor—Attack on Buntara—Force assembled on the Plain of the Alum Bagh—Sir Colin Campbell’s address to 93rd—Disposition of the force—on the road to Lucknow—Lucknow—The Dilkoosha—The Martinière—Banks’s Bungalow—The Secunder Bagh—A terrible fight—Capt. Stewart—The Shah Nujeef—Adrian Hope’s last effort—Sergeant Paton—Meeting of Campbell, Outram, and Havelock—Back to Cawnpoor—Dispersion of the rebel army—Second attack upon Lucknow—93rd in Lucknow—The Dilkoosha taken—The Martinière taken—The Begum Kotee—Terrible slaughter—Individual bravery—The 93rd at Rohilcund—Death of Adrian Hope—At Bareilly—March into Oude—Rebel hunting—End of the Mutiny—Losses—Peshawur—Cholera—Conduct of the men—Medical officers—Sealkote—The Umbeyla Campaign—Jhansi—Surgeon-Major Munro—Bombay—93rd sails for home—New colours—Duke and Duchess of Sutherland—Ball at Holyrood—The Queen’s interest in the regiment—Honours to officers—The Autumn Manœuvres—Strength of the regiment.
No time was lost in sending the 93rd up the river to Chinsurah, and by the 10th of October, the whole regiment in detachments was hurrying along the grand trunk road towards Cawnpoor, distant about 600 miles. By October 31st, the main body of the regiment, with Cols. Hay and Hope, had reached Cawnpoor, and in a day or two had crossed the Ganges and joined the column under Brigadier Hope Grant, assembling in Oude, for operations against Lucknow; the force was encamped between Bunnee Bridge and the Alum Bagh, about 10 miles in rear of the latter place. At Futtehpoor, three companies, under Brevet Lt.-Col. Gordon, were left to garrison that place, and to hold in check a considerable force of rebels, known to be in the neighbourhood. On the 1st of Nov. one of these companies, under Captain Cornwall, formed part of a small force which had a severe but successful engagement with a considerable body of the rebels at Khaga, near Futtehpoor. This was a severely contested affair, and the men were exhausted by a long march before reaching the enemy’s position, but nevertheless fought with such spirit and gallantry as to excite the admiration of Captain Peel, R.N., who had command of the force. The casualties of the 93rd company (No. 3) in this action were severe, being 3 men killed, and Ensign Cunningham and 15 men wounded.
On the following day, Nov. 2nd, the detachment under Lt.-Col. Adrian Hope, consisting of the grenadiers, Nos. 1, 2, and 4 companies, was also engaged in an attack on a fortified village in Oude, Buntara, and drove the enemy from the position, killing a number of them, and destroying the village. The casualties of the 93rd were 1 man killed and 3 wounded.
By Nov. 13th the detachment under Brevet Lt.-Col. Gordon had come up, and the whole of the regiment was thus once more together. On the 11th of Nov. the entire force assembled in the plain of the Alum Bagh, divided into brigades, and was reviewed by the commander-in-chief. The brigade to which the 93rd was posted consisted of headquarters of the 53rd, the 93rd, and the 4th Punjab Rifles, and was commanded by Lt.-Col. the Hon. Adrian Hope of the 93rd, appointed brigadier of the 2nd class. The little army, numbering about 4200 men, was drawn up in quarter distance column facing Lucknow. The 93rd stood in the centre of the brigade, on the extreme left, and after passing in front of the other regiments and detachments, Sir Colin Campbell approached the regiment, and thus addressed it:—
“93d, we are about to advance to relieve our countrymen and countrywomen besieged in the Residency of Lucknow by the rebel army. It will be a duty of danger and difficulty, but I rely upon you.”