On the 18th both Battalions, forming part of a force under Brigadier Walpole, marched from camp at Cawnpore and proceeded about twelve miles along the Calpee road to Churbiere, where they arrived at four in the afternoon, and halted in a capital camping-ground shaded by trees. Resuming the march next morning about half-past six, they had in the course of the day to cross the Pandoo Nuddee, the bridge over which was broken. The Engineers, with great want of forethought, had here placed two boats with one connecting plank, so that the men were obliged to cross in single file. There was ammunition in carts, and these, of course, had to be unloaded, and the ammunition carried over by the men, barrel by barrel. The consequence of this delay was that the baggage did not reach the camp till five in the evening. The march was about sixteen miles to Ukburpore, and the Riflemen encamped near a large tank and close to some trees. Here they halted till the 23rd. But on the 25th the 3rd Battalion under Colonel Julius Glyn, with Captain Thynne’s company of the 2nd Battalion, and some of the 9th Lancers, went out on an expedition against the rebels, and attacked two armed villages about eight miles distant. At Putarah they were fired at, but captured five principal men. They started at four in the morning, and did not return till dark, having marched about eighteen miles, and taken eighteen prisoners; and on the 22nd Captain Wilmot’s company, with some of the 9th Lancers, went out on a similar expedition, but returned to camp by ten o’clock. Among the prisoners made on the first of these occasions were a brigadier of the Gwalior contingent and his son, a man who had letters about him addressed to Nana Sahib, and the Nana’s money-changer. The first of these was said to have taken an active part in the Cawnpore massacres. He was living in fancied security in this village some miles off the road from Cawnpore to Calpee, and must have been not a little disconcerted when he found his hiding-place surrounded by Lancers and Riflemen. He and the other prisoners were executed by order of the Commissioner who accompanied the force.
On the 23rd, starting soon after six, the Riflemen marched eleven miles to Derapore, having in the way forded a branch of the river Jumna, and encamped near some jungle. The next day they made another march of about the same distance to Secundra, where they encamped on some excellent and well-wooded ground.
They halted on Christmas day, but Nixon’s, Milles’ and Earle’s companies went out at nine in the morning against the Rajah of Secundra, who was reported to be encamped near the Jumna with 2,000 men. The Riflemen started under the command of Colonel Fyers, but were joined about four miles on their road by Colonel Hill, who had gone out shooting, but who, on finding that an expedition was to be made, changed clothes with one of the subalterns, and assumed the command. Some cavalry accompanied them, the whole being under Brigadier Walpole.
However, the enemy fled at their approach, the last boat-load crossing as the cavalry galloped up to the bank of the river; and the Riflemen returned to camp at five o’clock. A mess tent for their Christmas dinner was extemporised by joining two, and the men were regaled with an extra ration.
On the 26th, having struck tents at the usual hour, they marched eleven miles to Ooryah, which they reached at ten A.M. And on the next day made a march of fourteen miles to Serai Adjeet Mull, and encamped in a grain field.
On the 28th they made a further march of twelve miles to Buckbey Khanpore, where they encamped among some trees. On this march Lieutenant Buckley, with some men of the 3rd Battalion, found three armed rebels, who loaded to fire at them. They were taken and executed.
About midnight they received a sudden order to march immediately; and, falling in, started in a very cold morning for Etawah, where they arrived about half-past eight. It was expected that they would find a body of about 1,500 rebels with seventeen guns here; but they had heard of the approach of the force, and had disappeared, except a few who had shut themselves up in a fort. This was a quadrangular work, with a kind of tower-bastion at each corner, standing on a sand-hill on the bank of the Jumna. Two companies of the 2nd Battalion, under the command of Colonel Hill, were ordered to take the fort. The gate was blown open by the blank fire of a gun which accompanied the force, and the Riflemen rushed in. It was then found that the rebels occupied one of the tower-bastions. Grey and Fryer with some men entered it. A long dark passage led to a small court in the centre of the bastion, which had dwellings round it. As they threaded their way along this passage they received a fire of slugs, which whistled past, and they halted where a bend in the passage afforded some cover. Colour-Sergeant Andrews and some men climbed up on the flat roof of the dwelling; and as he was looking over into the court, he was severely wounded in the head, and also lost three fingers. Two other men were also severely wounded. Eventually the bastion was blown up, and its defenders made a rush out, but were all killed. It was then found that two or three of them were women.
The Riflemen halted at Etawah during the two following days in a very good camping-ground, the people of Etawah being friendly and well disposed. The force which had escaped, and the remnant of which had defended the fort, was part of the Nana’s army, and had come into the district to levy tribute.
On January 1, 1858, the two Battalions marched from Etawah to Kurhul, a distance of eighteen miles, which they accomplished in little more than five hours, starting at five, and reaching their camping-ground soon after ten. On the next day they made a march of the same distance in the same time to Mynpooree. And though they got in by half-past ten, the men were not encamped after their long march till one o’clock, the Quartermaster-General having at first selected wrong camping-ground, from which he moved them.
On the 3rd they started before six, and reached Bewur, a distance of fourteen miles, at ten, and passing through the town, encamped near a shady tope of trees.