They left it again at half-past three in the afternoon, and arrived at Shergotty about six in the morning of the 17th, where this detachment continued for some time.
The Head-quarters of the Camel Corps continued at Kurroundea, and soon after, on the 20th, an order arrived at noon for every available man of the Camel Corps to accompany Colonel Turner. Accordingly eighty Riflemen and some Sikhs under Major Ross started from Kurroundea at half-past one in the afternoon, and marched about twenty miles to Nassreegunge on the Sone, where rebels were reported to have been sent by Oomar Singh to collect revenue. On arrival they found that 150 rebels had been at Nassreegunge in the morning, but had quitted it, leaving about twenty men behind in charge of the place. These were taken quite by surprise, and sixteen were killed; and two, who were slightly wounded, escaped. The Riflemen bivouacked near an old indigo plantation.
In the night a detachment of the 37th Regiment arrived; and in the morning Colonel Turner started with twenty-five men of the Camel Corps on four elephants, under Lieutenant Austin, some Sikh Cavalry, and the party of the 37th. But this party of the Camel Corps returned to Kurroundea on the 23rd, having only captured two or three prisoners. The other portion of the Camel Corps marched back from Nassreegunge to Kurroundea on the 21st.
On the 25th Lieutenant Jeames, with twenty-five men of the Camel Corps, marched on foot to Nassreegunge, as the rebels were expected to return and destroy it. This detachment returned to camp on the 30th.
On September 3 Lieutenant Scriven was sent with thirty men to join Colonel Turner at Bikrumgunge, as the troops at that place had been attacked by the rebels, whom, however, they had driven off.
On September 5 Major Ross, with 50 of the Camel Corps, two guns, a few Sikh Cavalry, and 40 of the 37th Regiment, started from the camp to join Colonel Turner, who was twenty-six miles distant towards Jugdespore.[314] Their first day’s march was about twenty miles to Sunjowlee Khas, and on the 6th they reached Bikrumgunge early in the morning, and effected their junction with Colonel Turner and the party under Scriven. After halting for breakfast, they paraded again at half-past ten, and leaving all their baggage under a guard, proceeded to a village, Surajpore, about five miles off. This was a large and strong place, and about 500 rebels occupied it. But, notwithstanding the disparity of the attacking force, they abandoned it after firing a few shots at the advanced guard of cavalry. The Camel Corps pursued them as far as Kullanee, but could not come up with them. And the rebels having disappeared, they returned to Bikrum in the afternoon, where they halted during the next day. The Riflemen had a hard day’s marching and skirmishing, sometimes up to their hips in water.
On the 8th, Colonel Turner having received intelligence that some rebels were likely to cross the main road about four miles farther towards Jugdespore, they started early to intercept them. After about an hour and a half’s march they came in sight of a large body of rebels posted in a village on the right. The Camel Corps, the cavalry, and the two guns started to attack them. But owing to the rains the roads were deep with mud; the rice fields on each side were under water, with a thick deposit of mud beneath it, and it was impossible for camels, or horses, or guns to move rapidly; so that the rebels escaped before these troops could reach them. Whilst they were engaged at this work, a party of the rebels made an attack on Bikrum, and came up within a few hundred yards of the trenches there thrown up for protection. However, several of them were killed or wounded, and amongst them the leader of the attack. On receiving intelligence of Bikrum being assailed, the force in the field fell back, and pitched their tents there just before dark; having been out from half-past three in the morning till six in the evening, during great part of which time the sun was extremely overpowering.
On the 9th they started about an hour before day on their return, and marched back ten miles to Nokah, and encamped; and on the 10th, after a march of sixteen miles, reached their camp at Kurroundea.
On the 12th Captain Nixon and Lieutenant Jeames, with 20 Riflemen and 30 Sikhs, were detached to Sunjowlee Khas, and did not rejoin Head-quarters at Kurroundea till October 26.
On the 23rd the Camel Corps (forming part of Colonel Turner’s force) marched to Nassreegunge, where they halted on the 24th. On the next day they moved to Behta, some miles farther up the Sone, and were occupied on that day and the 26th in destroying several boats which the rebels had concealed under boughs of trees and in the mud. On the latter day Captain Newdigate, with thirty men of the Camel Corps, was sent to Sukreta, where a rebel Rissaldar, Unjoor Singh, was said to be. But he had left the evening before, and this detachment returned to Behta. On the 27th, having intelligence that some rebels were not far off they marched some distance to Khurona; and a spy having come in while they were halting for breakfast, and having reported that the enemy were close at hand, they started in pursuit, the cavalry taking one direction and the Camel Corps another. The former, 120 Sikhs, under Mr. Baker, found the rebels in a village, and by making a feint of retiring, drew them out into the open; when wheeling round, they attacked them, and succeeded in killing about 100, all mutinied Sepoys, with small loss to themselves. Their opponents numbered 700. The Camel Corps came up at the close of this engagement, but the rebels had then fled so far that it was useless to pursue them, and they encamped near Suhejne.