Early in June, in consequence of repeated alarms of attacks from the rebels, a camp was formed at Chinhut, about seven miles from Lucknow, and four companies of the 3rd Battalion were moved to this camp. On June 8, an attack being expected, they were under arms, but were not engaged, no enemy appearing.
The remainder of the Battalion, marching at about three on the morning of the 12th from Lucknow, were joined at Chinhut by these four companies, by the 2nd Battalion, and the other troops enumerated [p. 386], and proceeding about two miles further on, encamped at Utterdowna. This march, for it was the hottest season of the year, was most fatiguing. Leaving the sick at Lucknow, this Battalion had started 702 strong. And yet about 100 men out of that number were more or less disabled in this one march.
On June 1 the 2nd Battalion marched again at four in the morning to Meemteker, six miles, but on their arrival found that the enemy, whom it was expected to find there, had disappeared. They therefore halted in a tope. On the 2nd they proceeded five miles to Chumrowlee, a very hot and dusty march, and encamped in the open. On the 3rd, starting at three, they made a march of eleven miles to Poorwah, where they halted for three days; on one of which they were paraded for the inspection of the Rajah of Kuppurthullah, who had arrived in camp with a force of his followers.
Sir Hope Grant having received intelligence about this time that a large rebel force was assembling to the north of Lucknow, he resolved to leave the pursuit of Beni Madhoo, and the Riflemen began to retrace their steps towards Lucknow.
Starting again on the 7th early in the morning they marched to Mirzee, twelve miles, and on the 8th to Bunnee, five miles. These marches were by a different route from that by which they had marched through these places on former occasions. On the 9th they marched to Bunteerah in a very hot wind; on the 10th to Jellalabad; and on the 11th to the Dilkoosha. On this occasion Brigadier Horsford had procured for the Battalion the permission to halt in Lucknow itself, and not merely to march through it as on some previous occasions; which gave them the opportunity of obtaining some much-needed supplies, which they had not had since landing in the country. But the time even for this was short; for on the afternoon of the 12th they marched at three o’clock to Utterdowna, about two miles beyond Chinhut. Here they were rejoined by the 3rd Battalion; and the force now consisted of these two Battalions, and a regiment of Punjaub rifles, part of the Bays, the 7th Hussars, and some Irregular (Hodson’s) Horse.
They started again, after a very short halt of the 2nd Battalion, at about eleven at night. They took with them one day’s rations, cooked, some rum, and all their ammunition. This march was one of the most fatiguing ever made. The men had been without rest the night before, and the heat of the tents by day was so intolerable that sleep was impossible. The road was bad, cut up, and damaged; there was no moon; and the dust was suffocating. So weary were the men that whenever a halt occurred, by a block from a gun sticking fast or turning over, they sank down on the road, many inches deep with dust, and slept. Soon the water carried with the column was exhausted; no wells were near or could be found; and the cries of the men for water were pitiable in the extreme. Numbers of doolies accompanied the column (the 3rd Battalion had sixty); but these were soon filled, and the fainting soldiers were left on the road on the chance of being picked up by the Hospital staff of other regiments, or of rejoining when strength returned.
At last daylight appeared, and they found that by dint of marching all night they had arrived exactly where their chief, Sir Hope Grant, wished them to be, close to Nawabgunge.[291]
In this march and in the subsequent advance on the enemy’s position, the 3rd Battalion led the column, not without some murmurs from their fellow-Riflemen of the 2nd, who held that as so much of the previous hard work had fallen to them, the post of honour ought to have been theirs. Nevertheless, honour and hard work were theirs before the day was over.
Having marched thus in darkness and suffering some nine miles, they turned off the road near Nawabgunge, for the enemy had seven guns in position, and halted.
They sat down, and water having been procured by some camels having come up, the men were given a dram of grog each.