On the 9th Brigadier Horsford, with a portion of the 7th Hussars, the Madras Fusiliers, a troop of Horse Artillery, and some native troops, proceeded to Sultanpore; and the 2nd Battalion, being ordered to reinforce him, started soon after three on the morning of the 16th. It was a dreadful march. Soon after starting, they lost their way in the dark. The country being flooded from the rains, it was some time before they could find a track; and even on this the water was ankle-deep. Having marched about four miles, they halted for a rest. It came on to pour, and the rest of the way the men were up to their knees, sometimes to their middle, in water. The mud, too, on which they walked was slippery and fetid. Under these circumstances they did not reach their camping-ground at Butturpore, a distance of twelve miles, till one o’clock in the afternoon. Even then their sufferings were not at an end. The Commissariat carts were not up, and it was three o’clock before the drenched Riflemen got their tents pitched and broke their fast. On the 17th they marched to Perownee, nine miles, a repetition of the discomforts of the preceding day, save only that no rain fell. The men frequently fell into holes that had been made for planting trees; a source of merriment to his comrades, but of misery to the unfortunate diver himself. On arrival at Perownee there was considerable difficulty and delay in finding a spot dry enough to pitch a camp. At last some rocky eminences were fixed on, which cropped up above the plain and stood up above the flooded ground. Here the tents were pitched without order; for the men were obliged to place them wherever the scanty ground afforded room.
On the next day they marched to Burtenpore, six miles, with less discomfort, the day being fine and the road tolerably good. Here they halted on the 19th, to allow the Commissariat hackeries, which had fallen two marches behind, to come up. And on the 20th moved on to Sultanpore on the Goomtee, by a very good road. They found the enemy, with a force of about 10,000 men, occupying the opposite bank of the river, here not more than a hundred yards broad. They therefore halted, observing the enemy, and exchanging occasional shots with them, until General Grant came up on the 23rd with reinforcements. On the 25th the Madras Fusiliers began to cross the river without opposition. This occupied some days. And on the 25th the 2nd Battalion was paraded at three o’clock to cross; but the Madras Fusiliers not having completed their passage, the Riflemen were ordered into bungalows for shelter. Later in the evening, however, Sir Hope Grant having received intelligence that the Madras Fusiliers were hard pressed, ordered the Battalion to cross immediately. They were accordingly turned out at eight, and about two hours after began to cross the river, much swollen by the rains, on rafts. Of these there were only two, formed of old rum barrels, each calculated to convey twenty-four or thirty men. However, Colonel Hill got over as quickly as possible with two companies, who reached the opposite bank about midnight; and after a march of about two miles, reached the ridge occupied by the Madras Fusiliers. But it appeared to have been a false alarm, for there was no appearance of danger. The men, therefore, piled arms and bivouacked; and the night passed quietly, except that the rebels kept up a constant fire on the picquets. On the next morning a couple of tents were got over for the companies on the right bank, and the remainder of the Battalion crossed and encamped on the plain. On the 27th at sunset the enemy, who were about two miles or more distant, turned out as if for an attack; but they did not venture within 1,200 yards.
On the 28th the rebels, by giving a gun great elevation, and probably half burying it, contrived to throw a few shot into the Riflemen’s camp; doing no damage to them, however, though they killed an old woman, and knocked over an elephant, by hitting him on the pad, but, except rolling him over, doing him no hurt.
On the 29th they paraded at two in the morning, and marched at three to the cantonments, making a circuit to get well round the enemy; but to their great disappointment the enemy had gone off during the night. The Riflemen waited under topes till the baggage came up, when they pitched their tents, heavy rain coming on just as they did so.
The Battalion halted at Sultanpore for some weeks with little change, such as, for instance, a company (under Lieutenant Sotheby) recrossing the Goomtee to protect the heavy guns.
On October 4 six companies of the 3rd Battalion, under Colonel Glyn, moved into Lucknow. And on the 5th Captain Alexander’s company marched at nine in the evening to join an expedition to Sundeelah (about forty miles from Lucknow), commanded by Brigadier Barker.
This party, consisting of 100 men, was in charge of Lieutenant Andrew Green,[299] and accompanied by Ensign Richards; for Captain Alexander had been ordered to take a detachment up the country.
On arrival at Sundeelah on the 7th, information was received that a large force of rebels were about four miles off at a place called Jamo.
At daybreak on the 8th, therefore, the column marched to Jamo. On approaching the enemy’s position, which was a strong one, a village on high ground and surrounded with dense jungle, fire was opened on them from guns posted in the village and from matchlocks in the jungle. The Riflemen were extended in skirmishing order on the right, and entered the jungle. Lieutenant Green had warned the men not to lose communication with their files; but in the thickness of the jungle three men got separated, and were surrounded and wounded by the enemy. Hearing firing, Lieutenant Green at once made for the place, and was immediately surrounded by six rebels. He shot two with his revolver. As he was in the act of dismounting to attack the others, he was cut down and hacked at while on the ground. Springing to his feet, however, he managed to knock down two more of his assailants with the butt of his revolver, and drawing his sword, he kept the others at bay. While he was about to fall back in search of some of his men, he was attacked by three more of the enemy and a second time cut down. Again getting to his feet, he contrived with his wounded right hand to shoot another man, who was in the act of cutting at him with his tulwar, and whose blow, descending as he fell dead, inflicted a deep wound on Green’s head. Colour-Sergeant Mansel,[300] meantime, had heard the firing, and was making his way to the part of the jungle the sounds seemed to proceed from, when he came on a Rifleman wounded and retiring, who informed him that Lieutenant Green had come to his assistance, and was then hard pressed by several Sepoys. Hurrying on in the direction the man had pointed out, the Sergeant soon was attacked by a rebel, whom he succeeded in shooting; but before he could reload his rifle he was set upon by another man, who cut at him with his tulwar. After a severe struggle Sergeant Mansel knocked him over by a blow with the butt of his rifle, and soon after he came upon Green lying bathed in blood outside the jungle, and with the help of two Riflemen carried him fainting to the rear.
Green received fourteen sabre cuts and one gunshot wound. Four of these wounds were obliged to be sewn up on the ground, and as soon as he was brought back to camp his left arm was amputated below the elbow, and his right thumb was taken off. Faint from loss of blood and from excessive fatigue (for the Riflemen had been under arms from four in the morning till three in the afternoon), it was not thought that he could rally, and for some days his life was despaired of. He was, however, moved to Lucknow on the 21st.