On the 6th the two Battalions struck tents at 1.30 in the morning, and marched an hour afterwards. They formed part of Sir James Outram’s force, and crossed the Goomtee by a bridge of boats which Sir Colin Campbell had ordered to be thrown across, a little below the Dilkoosha. By some error on the part of the Engineers, it was exposed to the fire of the guns in the Martinière, yet the enemy did not attempt to molest their passage. On reaching the left bank they moved along the river, which curves here, for some distance. Then four companies of the 2nd Battalion were sent to join the force under Brigadier Hope Grant. The two Rifle Battalions advanced extended in skirmishing order across a plain, the line regiments following in quarter-distance column. The appearance of this force was magnificent in the extreme. The men had their European clothing, and the helmets of the Bays shone, and the pennons of the 9th Lancers fluttered in the morning sun. They made a circuit of about five miles, keeping as near as possible to the river and the city. The Riflemen skirmished through some dâl[287] as high as their heads, but they saw no enemy. They then halted for breakfast and for the animals carrying ammunition to come up. They then advanced, circling more to the left, across a plain, till they came near the Fyzabad road.
Here they found the enemy in some number, who came out of the woods and villages on their left. The cavalry charged them, and in the pursuit Major Percy Smith of the Bays was killed. The Riflemen proceeding came upon some Sepoys, who fired at them with a gun, but without doing any mischief.
About half-past eleven they fell back and bivouacked in a tope, with a pond or tank in the middle of it, on the Fyzabad road, on the left bank of the Kookrail, a fordable tributary of the Goomtee, at Ishmaelgunge, about half a mile in advance of the village of Chinhut. But their baggage did not come up till long after dark. They formed outlying picquets and a guard or escort for the guns. On the left of their bivouack was a wood, and an occasional shot at the picquet sentries showed that it was occupied by the enemy.
Compiled. &. Drawn by Captn H. M. Moorsom, Rifle Brigade. E Weller, Litho.
London, Chatto & Windus.
LUCKNOW
Note. The dotted line, Arrows, &c.
refer to Sir J. Outram’s positions
& operations in March, 1858.
Captains R. Glyn’s and Dillon’s companies of the 2nd Battalion and Captain Atherley’s company of the 3rd Battalion were on picquet. In the course of the night Lieutenant Eyre, who was with this picquet, while out patrolling came upon the body of Major Smith, beheaded and mutilated. And in the morning of the 7th with a party of ten men, accompanied by Captain Dillon, he went out, found the body, and brought it in. They were fired at by the Sepoys, but did not suffer any damage. During the night there were several alarms, but without result; but about nine o’clock the enemy attacked this picquet in great force. They were said to be about 10,000 in number. They advanced, covered by the fire of three guns placed in a tope of trees. The picquet at once fell in, extended, and advanced, with two guns of the Royal Horse Artillery, and drove the enemy back into the town, capturing one ammunition waggon. The fire was very severe, but the casualties were only one man of the 3rd Battalion wounded. But there were some hair-breadth escapes. Lieutenant Baillie’s sword was struck, and a Sergeant (Kemp) of the 2nd Battalion had his trousers torn, but without being wounded. The picquet continued to occupy the advanced position to which they had moved until the evening, when they were relieved about six o’clock.
The two Rifle Battalions had been moved up about 150 yards in front of their camp, into which the enemy pitched round shot; but they halted there in reserve, and were not actually engaged, the companies on picquet having repulsed the attack and disposed of their assailants. On the morning of the 7th they pitched the tents which had come up the night before; and they continued in this camp during that day and the 8th.