Chapter LXXI: Introduction: Military character of the Highlands (38)

“I have passed,” the Duke said, “the best years of my life in
the barracks and the camps of the troops. The necessities of the
service and my duty have compelled me to study the dispositions and
the wants of the soldiers, and to provide for them. And again I
repeat to you, enforce the observance of the rules of discipline,
subordination, and good order, if you mean to be efficient, to
render service to the public, to be respectable in the eyes of the
military world as a military body, to be respected by the community,
to be comfortable and happy among yourselves, and, above all, if you
mean to defend to the last your colours which I have presented to
you, the person of your sovereign, and the institutions, dominions,
and rights of your country, and to promote its glory (as your
predecessors have in this same regiment), by your actions.”

Lt.-Col. M’Gregor having replied in feeling and most appropriate terms, the regiment performed several evolutions before the Duke, who expressed his approbation of the soldier-like appearance of the men, and of their steadiness under arms. The rest of the day, both by officers and men, was given up to festivity and rejoicing. The officers entertained the Duke and upwards of 200 guests at a magnificent banquet in the mess-room, which had been ingeniously enlarged for the occasion. On the opposite side of the barrack-yard tables were laid for nearly 700, including the non-commissioned officers, privates, their wives and children, who enjoyed an excellent dinner of roast beef and plum-pudding, with an allowance of beer, given by the amiable and benevolent lady of Col. M’Gregor. It was altogether a proud day for the Sutherland Highlanders. The whole terminated with the greatest good humour and conviviality. The soldiers continued to enjoy themselves to a late hour, dancing their native dances to their national music.

From a painting in possession of the 93rd.]

A few days after this memorable occasion, the regiment left Canterbury for Weedon, in Northamptonshire, where it was stationed till the spring of the following year (1835), detaching three companies to Newcastle-under-Lyme. In the end of May 1835, the 93rd left Weedon for the northern district of England, headquarters being stationed at Blackburn, and detachments at Bolton, Rochdale, Burnley, and Nottingham. In the following September headquarters was removed to Liverpool, and the other companies to Haydock Lodge, Wigan, and Chester Castle. The whole regiment was collected at Liverpool in October, on the 27th and 29th of which month it embarked in two detachments for Dublin. Here the 93rd remained till October 1836, when it was removed to Newry; after being stationed at which town for upwards of a year, it was removed, in the end of November and beginning of December 1837, to Cork, preparatory to its embarkation for Canada, to quell the serious insurrection which was threatening the British power in that colony.

The 93rd in two divisions, under Lt.-Col. M’Gregor and Major Arthur, sailed from Cork on the 6th and 23d of January 1838 respectively. The division under Major Arthur reached Halifax on the 29th of January; but that under Lt.-Col. M’Gregor met with so boisterous a passage, that it did not reach its destination till the 5th of March. On the following day the two divisions were reunited at Halifax. It is unnecessary to follow the various and complicated movements of the regiment during the suppression of the Canadian rebellion, more especially as it never had a chance of coming into contact with the rebels, except at Prescott, on the 16th of November 1838, when it was present at the attack and capture of the brigands in the Windmill, in which affair it suffered no casualties. The 93rd, in the performance of its duties at this period, was often much divided, and frequently had to endure great hardships in its movements about the country. No. 4 company was, throughout the whole rebellion, in the Lower Provinces, attached to the 71st Highland Light Infantry.

The regiment was re-united at Toronto on the 28th of November, and the women, children, and baggage arrived on the 13th of December, just before the closing of the navigation. On the 4th of the latter month Lt.-Col. Spark arrived at Toronto, and assumed the command of the regiment, in succession to Lt.-Col. M’Gregor.

The 93d remained at Toronto till the 17th of June 1843, with the exception of one year--from May 1840 till May 1841--when it was stationed at Drummondsville, Falls of Niagara. It is scarcely necessary to say that, during this time, as always indeed, the Sutherland Highlanders received the unqualified approbation of the officers whose duty it was to inspect it.

“This fine regiment still continues,” to use the words of an order
issuing from the Horse Guards, in December 1842, “to maintain
its character for comparative sobriety and good order amidst the
dissipation with which it appears to be surrounded; and that it is
as remarkable for its splendid appearance in the field, and the
correctness of its evolutions, as for the quiet and orderly habits
of its men in their quarters.”

On leaving Toronto, in May 1845, the 93rd went to Montreal, a wing which was sent to Kingston in the previous June joining headquarters there. On this wing leaving Canada West, Major-General Sir Richard Armstrong issued an order, in which he spoke of the appearance (“superb,” he called it) and conduct of the regiment in the highest possible terms.

The 93rd continued for other four years in Canada, leaving Montreal in July 1846--the same month that the regiment received its first supply of percussion muskets--for Quebec, where it remained till August 1, 1848, when it embarked for home, after an absence of more than ten years. On the arrival of the “Resistance” at Portsmouth, it was ordered to proceed to Leith, where it arrived on the 30th of August. The regiment disembarked next day, and proceeded to Stirling Castle, where, in a few weeks, it was joined by the dépôt companies. During its stay at Stirling detachments were sent to Perth and Dundee, and the regiment was twice selected to furnish a guard of honour for her Majesty the Queen,--in the summer of 1849, during her stay at Balmoral, and in August of the same year, when Her Majesty paid a visit to Glasgow.

The 93rd remained at Stirling till April 5, 1850, when it was removed to Edinburgh, where it was stationed for only one year, during which it again furnished a guard of honour to Ballater, as well as to Holyrood, during her Majesty’s stay at that historical palace. From Edinburgh the regiment went to Glasgow, on the 15th of April 1851, and on the 23rd of the following February removed to Weedon. The 93rd remained at Weedon for only six months, proceeding, on the 11th of August and two following days, to Portsmouth, where it occupied the Anglesea Barracks. After a stay at Portsmouth of about ten months, the 93rd, on June 14, 1853, proceeded to Chobham Common, to form part of a force which was encamped there under the command of General Lord Seaton, C.B., for the purpose of manœuvring. On leaving Cobham, on July 15, the regiment proceeded to Devonport, part of it being stationed at Dartmoor Prison, and another part at Millbay, Plymouth.

We should mention here that, on Nov. 30, 1852, died Lt.-General William Wemyss, who for two years had been colonel of the regiment, and who from infancy had been associated with it, his father having been Major-General Wemyss, who raised the Sutherland Highlanders. Lt.-General Wemyss had all along taken an intense interest in the regiment, in which he had been almost born. He was succeeded in the colonelcy by Major-General Edward Parkinson, C.B.

Once more had the war-trumpet sounded, calling the nations of Europe to take sides and do battle with each other, after a long, long rest. The Sutherland Highlanders were destined to have their own share in the struggle, being one of the first Highland regiments selected to meet the Russians in the East. In connection with the 42nd and 79th, the other two regiments of the famous Highland Brigade, we have given some general details of the movements of the army in the East, and especially in the Crimea, that we shall confine ourselves here strictly to the work of the 93rd, more especially so as, before it could again lay down its arms and take breath, it had harder, if not bloodier, work to perform than has fallen to its lot since it was first embodied. In the Indian mutiny the Sutherland Highlanders had a magnificent opportunity (perhaps their first real one) of showing what sort of stuff they were made of. How gloriously they came out of their trial will be seen in the sequel.

II.

1854-1857.

Embarks for the East--Gallipoli--Scutari--Varna--Sickness and
cholera--Crimea--Battle of the Alma--Sebastopol--Balaklava--Battle
of Balaclava--The “Thin Red Streak”--Heavy duties--Discomforts
--Terrible hurricane--Disease--Kertch--First assault on Sebastopol
--Second assault--Evacuation of Sebastopol--Exploit of Lt. M’Bean
--Return home--Aldershot--Visited by the Queen--Dover--Presentation
of Colours by H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge--Embarkation for China
--Destination changed for India--The Indian Mutiny--Lands at
Calcutta.

On the 12th of February 1854, orders were received to prepare for embarkation on active service; and as the establishment of the regiment was on the peace footing, it received 170 volunteers from the 42nd and 79th, including a few men from the dépôt battalion. On the 27th of February, when the regiment embarked at Plymouth, it consisted of 1 lieut.-colonel (Ainslie), 2 majors, 8 captains, 9 lieutenants, 7 ensigns, and 6 staff officers, 41 sergeants, 20 drummers, and 850 rank and file. After it had been in the East for a few months, this establishment was considerably increased. After staying at Malta for a few weeks, the regiment, on the 6th of April, sailed for Gallipoli, where it encamped, and where it had the first taste of official mismanagement in the shape of miserably inadequate rations. The 93rd stayed at Gallipoli, part of the time engaged in throwing up entrenchments, till May 6th, when it was removed to Scutari, where it had the misfortune to lose Lieut. M’Nish, who was drowned in a swollen stream.

After a few weeks’ stay at Scutari, the 93rd was sent, on the 13th of June, to Varna, in the neighbourhood of which it remained till it embarked for the Crimea, along with the rest of the allied army, and where, in common with many other regiments, it suffered severely from sickness, cholera here first making its appearance. From this cause the regiment lost, while at Varna, 21 men and 1 officer (Lieut. Turner). From this and other causes, a general depression of spirits prevailed in the brigade; for the 93rd had been joined by the 42nd and 79th. This temporary feeling, however, rapidly disappeared when it became certainly known, towards the end of August, that active operations were about to take place in the Crimea.

When, on the 31st of August, the 93rd was transferred to the transports in which it was to be taken to the Crimea, it numbered 792 officers and men; 102 non-commissioned officers and men, and 20 soldiers’ wives being left behind at Varna, with most of the baggage, under Ensign M’Bean. The landing of the armies at Old Fort, Kalamita Bay, has been already described in connection with the 42nd,[571] as well as what happened until the allied army came face to face with the Russians entrenched on the left bank of the Alma.

We should mention here, that at the time of landing in the Crimea the general health of the regiment was much impaired by the sickness and exposure it had been subjected to while in Bulgaria: on the passage to the Crimea it lost several men from cholera. Its first night in the Crimea gave the 93rd a taste of the hardships and privations which it, like other British regiments, was destined to undergo. It passed the night, a very tempestuous and wet one, without shelter of any kind.

On the 19th of Sept. the allied armies commenced their march towards Sebastopol, over an undulating plain, the English being on the left, the post of danger, as Kinglake so forcibly points out, the French in the centre, and the Turks on the right, close to the sea. As our readers know, the 93rd, along with the 42nd and 79th, formed the Highland brigade, under Sir Colin Campbell, which, with the Guards, constituted the First Division under H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. After bivouacking near the small stream Boolganak, where the first brush with the enemy occurred, the 93rd, with the rest of the army, advanced, about mid-day on the 20th, towards the river Alma, on the left bank of which the Russians had already been descried, entrenched on formidable-looking and strongly-fortified heights. On coming to within a short distance of the river, the English army deployed into line successively of divisions. The First Division thus became the second line, the Light Division forming the first. The Highland brigade formed the extreme left of the allied army, and was thus opposed to the Russian right, the 93rd being in the centre of the brigade, having the 42nd on the right, and the 79th on the left. Full general details of the advance will be found in the history of the 42nd,[572] and here we shall confine ourselves to the work of the 93rd.

The battle commenced about half-past one P.M. After the Light and Second Divisions had crossed the river, the First Division advanced, the Guards in front, and the three Highland regiments on the left in échelon. The latter, after advancing a short distance under heavy fire, were ordered to lie down in rear of the wall of a vineyard. After remaining there for a few minutes, the order to advance was again given, and was promptly complied with, the Highland regiments, led by their brigadier, the gallant and much-beloved Sir Colin Campbell, pushing through a vineyard into and across the river, the water in many places coming up to the men’s waists. After a momentary delay in reforming, the three regiments advanced up the hill, in échelon, the 42nd leading on the right, the 93rd close behind on the left. The hill was steep, and the fire from the battery in front of the enemy’s battalions very severe. Yet the Highlanders continued to advance for nearly a mile without firing a shot, though numerous gaps in their ranks showed that that of the enemy was doing its work. A short distance above the river, the 93rd passed the 77th regiment, part of the Light Division, halted in line, and thus found itself immediately opposed to the enemy. Having nearly gained the summit of the heights, the regiment opened a brisk fire upon the battalions immediately in its front, accompanied by a hearty Highland cheer as it still advanced. After a hesitating delay of a few minutes the enemy fell back, and commenced their retreat in great confusion, suffering fearfully from the destructive volleys of the newly-tried Minie. The command was then given to halt, a brisk fire being kept up until the enemy had fled out of range; and in less than an hour from this time no vestige of the Russian army remained in sight but the dead and wounded.

The 93rd in this battle lost 1 officer (Lieut. Abercromby), 1 sergeant, and 4 rank and file killed; 2 sergeants and 40 rank and file wounded.

After a halt to bury the dead and look after the wounded, the army continued its march in the direction of Sebastopol, reaching Balaklava on the 26th, where it bivouacked for the night. The 93rd was at first posted before the village of Kadikoi, at the entrance of the gorge leading to Balaklava, partly to protect the position, but principally for the purpose of being employed in fatigue duty. It was only on the 3rd of Oct. that a few tents, barely sufficient to hold the half of the men, were issued to the regiment. On the 6th of the same month the 93rd had to deplore the loss from cholera of Major Robert Murray Banner, an officer universally beloved and respected.

On the 13th of October a large force of the enemy having concentrated in the valleys of Baidar and the Tchernaya, and threatening Balaklava, Sir Colin Campbell was sent down by Lord Raglan to assume command of the troops in Balaklava. He immediately ordered a force of 331 officers and men of the 93rd, under Major Charles Henry Gordon, to proceed to the heights eastward of Balaklava to assist in intrenching and strengthening the position there already occupied by the marines. Below these heights, eastward of Balaklava, and on the western heights, a number of intrenched batteries had been raised, to command the approaches to Balaklava. Each of these was manned by a force of about 250 Turks, and they formed a sort of semicircle, being numbered from the eastward from No. 1 to 6.

About 7 o’clock on the morning of Oct. 25th, a large force of the enemy debouched from the direction of the Tchernaya and Baidar valleys, and attacked the Turkish redoubts with a large body of skirmishers and artillery. The British force, which had been under arms since before daylight, consisted of about 800 marines on the heights, with the detachment of the 93rd under Major Gordon. The main body of the regiment under Lt.-Col. Ainslie, was drawn up in line on a small hill in front of its encampment, covering the approach to Balaklava from the plain, having some Turkish regiments on the right and left; and on the left front the brigades of light and heavy cavalry were drawn up in columns. The action commenced by the Russians concentrating a severe fire of artillery upon No. 1, the eastward redoubt, from which, after a short resistance, the Turks were dislodged, and the redoubt, containing three guns, was captured by the enemy. In obedience to an order previously received in case of such a casualty, Major Gordon with his detachment at once proceeded to join Lt.-Col. Ainslie in the plain, a distance of about two miles. The capture of No. 1 redoubt was speedily followed by that of Nos. 2 and 3, when the Russians commenced a severe fire upon the flying Turks. The 93rd, now joined by the detachment from the heights, was directed to advance, covered by the light company, and throwing forward the left. The enemy then opened upon the regiment with round shot and shell from the redoubts from which they had driven the Turks. This caused some casualties, and the 93rd was ordered by Sir Colin Campbell--who at the moment may be said to have commanded in person--to retire under cover of a small rising ground immediately in the rear, where the regiment remained for a short time lying down under a fire of artillery, till a large body of cavalry appeared on the opposite side of the plain, about 1000 yards in front. The order was then given to the regiment, which was in line, to advance a short distance to the summit of the rising ground in front, and to commence firing upon the cavalry, which were bearing down upon it at a rapidly increasing gallop. To quote the words of Dr Russell, the well-known _Times’_ correspondent, who witnessed the action:--

“The Russians in one grand line charged in towards Balaklava. The
ground flies beneath their horses’ feet; gathering speed at every
stride, they dash on towards that thin red streak tipped with a
line of steel. The Turks fire a volley at 800 yards and miss; as
the Russians came within 600 yards, down goes that line of steel in
front, and out rings a volley of Minie musketry. The distance is too
great, the Russians are not checked, but still sweep onwards through
the smoke with the whole force of horse and man, here and there
knocked over by the shot of our batteries alone. With breathless
suspense every one awaits the bursting of the wave upon the line
of Gaelic rock; but ere they came within 200 yards, another deadly
volley flashes from the levelled rifle, and carries terror into the
Russians. They wheel about, open files right and left, and fly back
faster than they came. ‘Brave Highlanders! Well done,’ shout the
spectators. But events thicken, the Highlanders and their splendid
front are soon forgotten. Men scarcely have a moment to think of
this fact, that the 93rd never altered their formation to receive
that tide of horsemen. ‘No,’ said Sir Colin Campbell, ‘I did not
think it worth while to form them even four deep.’ The ordinary
British line, two deep, was quite sufficient to repel the attack of
these Muscovite cavaliers.”

Another attack by the Russians was gallantly repulsed by the heavy cavalry, and about 10 o’clock A.M. the Guards, along with the 42nd and 79th Highlanders, came up under H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. It was about this time that the heroic but disastrous charge of the light cavalry under Lord Cardigan took place, after which the First and Fourth Divisions advanced, the enemy retiring and concentrating on Nos. 1 and 3 redoubts. At nightfall the First and Fourth Divisions returned to their position before Sebastopol, the 42nd and 79th remaining behind at Balaklava. In this engagement the 93rd had only 2 privates wounded. The Russian force was estimated at about 18 battalions of infantry, with from 30 to 40 guns, and a large body of cavalry.

Sir Colin Campbell in his despatch drew Lord Raglan’s special attention to the gallantry and eagerness of the 93rd under Lt.-Col. Ainslie, and Lord Raglan in his despatch to the Duke of Newcastle spoke in high terms of the conduct of “that distinguished regiment.”

After this the 93rd, along with the rest of the Highland brigade, had heavy duties to perform in intrenching the position at Balaklava; and now that the weather began to break, and the clothes of the men were in tatters, and the accommodation afforded by the tents miserably insufficient, their condition was wretched indeed. The climax came on the 14th of Nov., when the ever-memorable hurricane swept almost every kind of shelter off the face of the ground, and tore the tents to rags, leaving the poor soldiers completely exposed to its violence. All this, combined with the wretched and insufficient food, soon told sadly on the health of the soldiers. It was only in the spring of 1855 that anything was done to remedy this state of matters. With the erection of huts, and the arrival of good weather, the health of the regiment began to improve. Meantime, from Oct. 1854 to March 1855, nearly the whole regiment must have, at one time or other, been on the sick list, and nearly 100 died from disease. Among the latter was Lt. Kirby, who arrived in the Crimea on Dec. 2nd, and died on Feb. 15th following. We may also mention here the deaths of Lt. James Wemyss, of cholera, on June 13, and that of Lt. Ball, of fever, on June 18.

It is unnecessary to enter into the details of the siege of Sebastopol, in which the 93rd, like all the other regiments in the Crimea, had to do its share of harassing and dangerous duty. The regiment took part in the expedition by the Straits of Yenikale to Kertch in the end of May and beginning of June, returning to Balaklava on the 14th of the latter month. In the first assault on Sebastopol on June 18th, 1855, the 93rd, with the rest of its division under Sir Colin Campbell, held a position close to the Woronzoff Road, in rear of the 21 gun battery, ready to act as circumstances might require. This attack, as is known, was unsuccessful; and from the 18th of June to the 22nd of August, the duties in the trenches of the right attack were entirely performed by the First, Second, and Light Divisions alternately, and during this period the 93rd sustained a loss of 6 killed and 57 wounded, several of the latter dying of their wounds. On the night of the 6th of August Bt.-Major J. Anstruther M’Gowan of the 93rd was unfortunately severely wounded and taken prisoner, while visiting some sentries posted in front of the advanced trench right attack. It was a considerable time after his capture that it was ascertained that Major M’Gowan had died of his wounds on August 14th at Simpheropol.

Lt.-Col. Ainslie was compelled twice to proceed on sick leave; first on the 28th of June, when Major Ewart assumed command of the regiment, and again on August 17th, when Lt.-Col. Leith Hay occupied his place. We may state here that Lt.-Col. Ainslie did not return to the regiment, retiring on Jan. 25th, 1856, when he was succeeded by Lt.-Col. Leith Hay.

On the 8th of Sept. the second grand assault upon Sebastopol took place, and early in the morning of that day the whole of the Highland brigade marched from Kamara to their old encampment on the heights before Sebastopol, where the knapsacks were deposited. The brigade then proceeded at once to the trenches of the right attack, remaining in support during the attack, in which, however, the Highlanders took no part. The assault on the Redan having again failed, the Highland brigade was pushed on to occupy the advanced trenches of the right attack, remaining there during the night, ready to repel any sortie that might be made. On the 9th it was the intention again to assault the Redan, the four Highland regiments to form the storming party; but on the night of the 8th the Russians evacuated the south side of Sebastopol, and the brigade in consequence returned to Kamara on the evening of the 9th.

A circumstance connected with the evacuation of Sebastopol should be mentioned. About midnight on the 8th, the Russian fire having previously ceased, and everything appearing unusually quiet, Lt. W. M’Bean, the adjutant of the 93rd, left the advanced trench and approaching the Redan, was struck with the idea that it was deserted by the Russians. He accordingly gallantly volunteered to enter it, which he did with a party of 10 volunteers of the light company, under Lt. Fenwick, and a like number of the 72nd, under Capt. Rice; they found no one in the Redan but the dead and wounded left after the assault. The party, however, had a narrow escape, as an explosion took place in the Redan shortly after.

The loss of the 93rd on the 8th of Sept. was 2 rank and file killed and 7 wounded.

During the winter of 1855-56, the regiment was employed in erecting huts, making roads, draining camps, and latterly in brigade drill and target practice with the Enfield rifle, which had been issued to the regiment in Sept. 1855; the health of the battalion was very good.

During its stay in the Crimea, 158 non-commissioned officers and privates were invalided to England; 11 officers and 323 non-commissioned officers and privates were either killed in action or died of wounds or disease; and 92 non-commissioned officers and privates were wounded.

The 93rd left the Crimea on June 16th, 1856, and arrived at Portsmouth on July 15th, proceeding to Aldershot on the same day. Next day the regiment was inspected by The Queen, who walked down the line accompanied by Prince Albert and a numerous staff, minutely noticing everything, and asking many questions regarding the welfare of the corps. Again, on the 18th, Her Majesty, attended by the Princess Royal, visited the huts of the regiment, several of which she was pleased to enter; she also tasted the rations prepared for the dinners of the men.

As the next episode in the history of the Sutherland Highlanders is the most important in its career, as they had, in the Indian Mutiny, an opportunity of showing what mettle they were made of, such as they never had since their embodiment, we feel bound to give it considerable prominence, and must therefore pass briefly over events both before and after.

On the 23rd of July the regiment left Aldershot for Dover, where shortly after it was joined by the depôts from Malta (under Bt. Lt.-Col. Gordon), and from Dundee, under Captain Middleton. On Jan. 31st, 1857, orders were received for the 93rd to hold itself in readiness for immediate embarkation for India, on which occasion it received 201 volunteers from the 42nd, 72nd, 79th, and 92nd. On the 6th of March, however, orders were received that the 93rd hold itself in immediate readiness for embarkation for China, and a few days after, Lt.-Col. the Hon. Adrian Hope was brought in from half-pay as second lieutenant-colonel.

From a photograph.]

On the 22nd May, H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge was graciously pleased to present new colours to the 93rd, in lieu of the now tattered ensigns that, twenty-three years before, had been presented at Canterbury by the Duke of Wellington. After the usual ceremony, H.R.H. made an appropriate address, in which he expressed his confidence that, should the services of the 93rd be required, it would guard the new colours with the same zealous feeling of honour and nobleness of conduct as it displayed in the late campaign.

By the 25th of May all the service companies were collected at Portsmouth, one depôt company being left behind at Dover, under Captain Brown. On the 1st of June, Nos. 3, 7, and 8 companies, under Lt.-Col. Hope, proceeded to Plymouth, and embarked on board H.M.’s ship “Belleisle” for China, sailing on the 3rd of June.

On the 4th of June the remaining service companies, under Lt.-Col. Leith Hay, proceeded to the Clarence dockyard, Gosport, where, drawn up in line, they received Her Majesty on her landing from the Isle of Wight. After a royal salute, Her Majesty was pleased to walk down the whole line, minutely inspecting every man. The regiment then marched in slow and quick time past the Queen, who expressed to Lt.-Col. Leith Hay how much pleased she was with its appearance.

On the 16th of June, the grenadiers, Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 6, and light companies, with part of No. 5, embarked on board the s.s. “Mauritius,” and sailed the following morning for China, under Lt.-Col. Leith Hay. The remainder of No. 5 company followed with the next transport. The strength of the regiment on embarkation for China was 52 officers and 1069 non-commissioned officers and men. The “Mauritius” entered Simon’s Bay, Cape of Good Hope, where she found the “Belleisle” at anchor. Here Lt.-Col. Hope conveyed to the detachment on board the “Mauritius” the startling intelligence of the mutiny of the Bengal Native Army, and that orders had been received for the 93rd to proceed with all possible despatch to Calcutta, instead of China. The “Mauritius” anchored in the Hooghly, opposite Fort William, on the 20th of Sept. 1857, the anniversary of the battle of the Alma, and the 93rd was welcomed by its old brigadier, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, Sir Colin Campbell. The detachment under Lt.-Col. Adrian Hope did not arrive until the 26th.

III.

1857-1875.

On the road to Cawnpoor--Engagement near Futtehpoor--Attack on
Buntara--Force assembled on the Plain of the Alum Bagh--Sir Colin
Campbell’s address to 93rd--Disposition of the force--on the
road to Lucknow--Lucknow--The Dilkoosha--The Martinière--Banks’s
Bungalow--The Secunder Bagh--A terrible fight--Capt. Stewart--The
Shah Nujeef--Adrian Hope’s last effort--Sergeant Paton--Meeting of
Campbell, Outram, and Havelock--Back to Cawnpoor--Dispersion of
the rebel army--Second attack upon Lucknow--93rd in Lucknow--The
Dilkoosha taken--The Martinière taken--The Begum Kotee--Terrible
slaughter--Individual bravery--The 93rd at Rohilcund--Death of
Adrian Hope--At Bareilly--March into Oude--Rebel hunting--End of
the Mutiny--Losses--Peshawur--Cholera--Conduct of the men--Medical
officers--Sealkote--The Umbeyla Campaign--Jhansi--Surgeon-Major
Munro--Bombay--93rd sails for home--New colours--Duke and Duchess
of Sutherland--Ball at Holyrood--The Queen’s interest in the
regiment--Honours to officers--The Autumn Manœuvres--Strength of the
regiment.

No time was lost in sending the 93rd up the river to Chinsurah, and by the 10th of October, the whole regiment in detachments was hurrying along the grand trunk road towards Cawnpoor, distant about 600 miles. By October 31st, the main body of the regiment, with Cols. Hay and Hope, had reached Cawnpoor, and in a day or two had crossed the Ganges and joined the column under Brigadier Hope Grant, assembling in Oude, for operations against Lucknow; the force was encamped between Bunnee Bridge and the Alum Bagh, about 10 miles in rear of the latter place. At Futtehpoor, three companies, under Brevet Lt.-Col. Gordon, were left to garrison that place, and to hold in check a considerable force of rebels, known to be in the neighbourhood. On the 1st of Nov. one of these companies, under Captain Cornwall, formed part of a small force which had a severe but successful engagement with a considerable body of the rebels at Khaga, near Futtehpoor. This was a severely contested affair, and the men were exhausted by a long march before reaching the enemy’s position, but nevertheless fought with such spirit and gallantry as to excite the admiration of Captain Peel, R.N., who had command of the force. The casualties of the 93rd company (No. 3) in this action were severe, being 3 men killed, and Ensign Cunningham and 15 men wounded.

On the following day, Nov. 2nd, the detachment under Lt.-Col. Adrian Hope, consisting of the grenadiers, Nos. 1, 2, and 4 companies, was also engaged in an attack on a fortified village in Oude, Buntara, and drove the enemy from the position, killing a number of them, and destroying the village. The casualties of the 93rd were 1 man killed and 3 wounded.

By Nov. 13th the detachment under Brevet Lt.-Col. Gordon had come up, and the whole of the regiment was thus once more together. On the 11th of Nov. the entire force assembled in the plain of the Alum Bagh, divided into brigades, and was reviewed by the commander-in-chief. The brigade to which the 93rd was posted consisted of headquarters of the 53rd, the 93rd, and the 4th Punjab Rifles, and was commanded by Lt.-Col. the Hon. Adrian Hope of the 93rd, appointed brigadier of the 2nd class. The little army, numbering about 4200 men, was drawn up in quarter distance column facing Lucknow. The 93rd stood in the centre of the brigade, on the extreme left, and after passing in front of the other regiments and detachments, Sir Colin Campbell approached the regiment, and thus addressed it:--

“93d, we are about to advance to relieve our countrymen and
countrywomen besieged in the Residency of Lucknow by the rebel army.
It will be a duty of danger and difficulty, but I rely upon you.”

This short and pointed address was received by the regiment with such a burst of enthusiasm that the gallant old chieftain must have felt assured of its loyalty and devotion, and confident that wherever he led, the 93rd would follow, and if need be, die with him to the last man. The 93rd was the first regiment on that occasion that made any outward display of confidence in their leader, but as the veteran commander returned along the line, the example was taken up by others, and cheer upon cheer from every corps followed him as he rode back to the camp.

All the sick and wounded having been sent into the Alum Bagh on the 13th, preparations were made for the advance, which commenced next day. The army marched in three columns, viz., the advance, the main column, and the rear guard. The 93rd, along with the 53rd, 84th, 90th, 1st Madras Fusiliers, and 4th Punjab Rifles, constituted the 4th Infantry Brigade forming part of the main column, and was under command of Brigadier Adrian Hope. The regiment had already lost, of sick, wounded, and killed, about 140 men, so that its strength as it entered the desperate struggle was 934 men. A detachment of 200 men of the 93rd formed part of the rear guard, which also contained 200 of the 5th Brigade under Lt.-Col. Ewart of the 93d.[573]

Instead of approaching by the direct Cawnpoor road to Lucknow, Sir Colin determined to make a flank march to the right, get possession of the Dilkoosha and Martinière, on south side of the city, which the enemy occupied as outposts, push on thence to attack the large fortified buildings Secunder Bagh, Shah Nujeef, &c., lying between the former and the Residency, and thus clear a path by which the beleaguered garrison might retire.

As the narrative of the advance and succeeding operations is so well told in the Record Book of the regiment, we shall transcribe it almost verbatim, space, however, compelling us to cut it down somewhat.[574]

At nine o’clock A.M. of November 14, 1857, the flank march
commenced. As the head of the advance column neared the Dilkoosha,
a heavy musketry fire was opened on it from the left, and the enemy
made some attempt to dispute the advance, but were soon driven over
the crest of the hill sloping down to the Martinière, from the
enclosures of which a heavy fire of artillery and musketry opened
upon the advancing force. This was soon silenced, and the infantry
skirmishers rushed down the hill, supported by the 4th Infantry
Brigade, and drove the enemy beyond the line of the canal.

During the early part of the day two companies of the 93rd were
detached, viz., the Grenadiers, under Capt. Middleton, close to the
Cawnpoor road, to command it, while the baggage, ammunition, &c.,
were filing past; and No. 1, under Capt. Somerset Clarke, was pushed
on to the left to seize and keep possession of a village so as to
prevent the enemy from annoying the column in that quarter.

While the leading brigade, in skirmishing order, was gradually
pushing the enemy beyond the Dilkoosha, the 4th Brigade followed in
support, at first in open column, and while doing so, the 93rd lost
1 man killed and 7 wounded. After the enemy had been driven down
the hill towards the Martinière, the 93rd was allowed to rest under
cover of some old mud walls to the left rear of the Dilkoosha, until
the order was given for the brigade to advance upon the Martinière
itself. Then the 4th Punjab Rifles moved first in skirmishing order,
supported by the 93rd, the Naval Brigade keeping up a heavy fire
on the left, the result being that the enemy were driven back upon
their supports beyond the canal. The Punjab Rifles pushed on and
occupied part of a village on the other side of the canal, while the
93rd, with the Madras Fusiliers occupied the wood and enclosures
between the Martinière and the canal. Immediately on taking up this
position, three companies of the regiment under Capt. Cornwall were
sent to an open space on the left of the Martinière, close to the
Cawnpoor road, for the purpose of protecting the Naval Brigade guns,
while the headquarters, reduced to three companies under Col. Hay,
remained within the enclosure. Towards evening the enemy from the
other side of the canal opened a sharp artillery and musketry fire
on the whole position, part of it coming from Banks’s Bungalow. This
continued till nearly seven P.M., when the Commander-in-Chief rode
up and called out the Light Company and part of No. 8, and desired
them to endeavour to seize Banks’s Bungalow. As soon as the Naval
Brigade guns were fired, this party under Col. Hay, in skirmishing
order, made a rush towards the canal, which, however, was found
too deep to ford. As the night was closing in, the Light Company
remained extended in skirmishing order behind the bank of the
canal, while Col. Hay with the remainder returned to the Martinière
compound. Capt. Cornwall with the three detached companies also
returned; but the Grenadiers and No. 1 company remained, holding
detached positions to the left of the army.

During the day the rear-guard (of which 200 of the 93rd formed
part), under Lt.-Col. Ewart, was several times hotly engaged with
the enemy, but drove them back on each occasion, with no loss
and few casualties on our side. The casualties of the regiment
throughout the day’s operations amounted to 1 man killed and 11 men
wounded.

On the 15th, the 93rd was not actively engaged; but in its position
behind the Martinière compound was exposed to a constant fire, by
which only 1 man was killed and 2 men were wounded. By this time
headquarters was joined by the 200 who formed part of the rearguard.
Late in the evening all the detached parties were called in, and
the regiment bivouacked for the night in a position close under the
Martinière.

At six o’clock A.M. on the 16th the force was under arms, and
formed in the dry bed of the canal _en masse_, at quarter-distance
column, and about nine o’clock advanced, close along the western
bank of the Goomtee, for about two miles, when the head of the
column encountered the enemy in a wood, close to a large village,
on the southern outskirts of the city, and drove them in on their
own supports. The 93rd--nearly every available officer and man
being present--was the leading regiment of the main column, and,
in consequence of the press in the narrow lanes, it was some time
before it could be got up to support the skirmishers of the 53rd
that were struggling with the enemy among the enclosures. Having
driven the enemy back in this quarter, the 93rd emerged from the
tortuous lanes of the village into an open space, directly opposite
the Secunder Bagh, a high-walled enclosure, about 100 yards square,
with towers at the angles, and loopholed all round. Here the
regiment deployed into line, exposed to a biting musketry fire
from the loopholed building, to avoid which Col. Hay was ordered
to move the regiment under cover of a low mud wall about 30 yards
from the southern face of the Secunder Bagh, while some guns were
being placed in position in an open space between the Secunder Bagh
and another building opposite on the west side, for the purpose of
breaching the south-western angle of the former.

As the last company of the 93rd--the 8th, under Capt. Dalzell--was
moving into its place in line, the Commander-in-Chief called
upon it to drag up a heavy gun to assist in breaching the wall;
and gallantly and willingly was the difficult and dangerous duty
performed, and the huge gun wheeled into position under a most
withering fire. When the breach was being made, two companies, under
Col. Leith Hay, took possession of a large serai or mud enclosure
opposite the Secunder Bagh, driving the enemy out before them. In
the meantime, the breach having been considered practicable, the
assault was given by the 4th Punjab Rifles and the 93rd, supported
by part of the 53rd and the battalion of detachments.

It was a glorious and exciting rush. On went, side by side in
generous rivalry, the Sikh and the Highlander--the 93rd straining
every nerve in the race, led gallantly by the officers. The colours,
so lately confided to the regiment by H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge,
were opened to the breeze, and carried proudly by Ensigns Robertson
and Taylor.

The greater part of the regiment dashed at the breach, and among the
first to enter were Lt.-Col. Ewart and Capt. Burroughs. At the same
time, three companies advanced between the Secunder Bagh and the
serai on the left, so as to keep down the artillery fire opened on
the British flank by the enemy from the direction of the European
barracks. The opening in the wall of the Secunder Bagh was so small
that only one man could enter at a time; but a few having gained an
entrance, they kept the enemy at bay, until a considerable number of
the Highlanders and Sikhs had pushed in, when in a body they emerged
into the open square, where commenced what was probably the sternest
and bloodiest struggle of the whole campaign.

Shortly after the breach had been entered, and while the men were
struggling hand to hand against unequal numbers, that portion of
the 93rd which had driven the enemy out of the serai, under Col.
Hay, succeeded in blowing open the main gate, killing a number of
the enemy in two large recesses on each side; and pressing their
way in, rushed to the support of those who had passed through the
breach. Away on the right also of the building, the 53rd had forced
an entrance through a window. Still, with desperate courage and
frightful carnage, the defence went on, and for hours the sepoys
defended themselves with musket and tulwar against the bayonets and
fire of the Highlanders, and 53rd, and the Punjab Rifles; but there
was no escape for them, and the men, roused to the highest pitch
of excitement, and burning to revenge the butchery of Cawnpoor,
dashed furiously on, gave no quarter, and did not stay their hands
while one single enemy stood to oppose them. No, not until, at the
close of the day, the building formed one mighty charnel house--for
upwards of 2000 dead sepoys, dressed in their old uniforms, lay
piled in heaps, and on almost all was apparent either the small but
deadly bayonet wound, or the deep gash of the Sikh tulwar.

From a photograph in possession of the Regiment.]

As might be guessed, the regiment did not pass scatheless through
this fiery contest; not a few were killed, and many wounded. The
sergeant-major, Donald Murray, was one of the first to fall; he
was shot dead as he advanced in his place in the regiment. Then
fell Capt. Lumsden, of the H.E.I.C.S., attached to the 93rd as
interpreter. Within the building, Capt. Dalzell was killed by a shot
from a window above. Lts. Welch and Cooper were severely wounded;
and Lt.-Col. Ewart, Capt. Burroughs, and Ensign Macnamara bore away
with them bloody reminiscences of the dreadful fray.

A large number of officers and men were recommended for the Victoria
Cross, though few of the former obtained it; for although all richly
deserved the honour, it is well known that mere personal adventure
is discouraged on the part of those who are in command. Of the men
of the regiment the coveted honour was conferred on Lance-Corporal
John Dunley, Private David Mackay, and Private Peter Grant, each of
whom performed a feat of bravery which contributed not a little to
the success of the day. They were elected for the honour by the vote
of the private soldiers. No doubt many others deserved a similar
honour, and it seems almost invidious to mention any names, when
every one doubtless did his best and bravest.

During the desperate struggle within, one of the boldest feats of
arms of the day was performed by Capt. Stewart of the 93rd, son of
the late Sir W. Drummond Stewart of Murthly. Of the three companies
which had moved out between the Serai and the Secunder Bagh, to keep
down the flank fire of the enemy while the breaching was going on,
two, with a few of the 53rd, led on by Capt. Stewart, in the most
gallant style, dashed forward, seized two of the enemy’s guns, which
were raking the road, and immediately after effected a lodgment
in the European barracks, thus securing the position on the left.
For this splendid and useful feat of bravery he was elected by the
officers of the regiment for the honour of the Victoria Cross, which
was most deservedly conferred on him.

All this was effected by three o’clock P.M.

The regimental hospital had been established early in the day
beneath the walls of the Secunder Bagh, and throughout the desperate
struggle, in the midst of the hottest fire, the Assistant-Surgeons
Sinclair, Menzies, and Bell, were constantly to be seen exposing
themselves fearlessly in attendance on the wounded.

Almost immediately after the above operations, the 4th Brigade
was withdrawn by Brigadier Adrian Hope, with the exception of the
two companies of the 93rd occupying the barracks; and after a
short rest, was sent to clear a village on the right of the road
leading to the Residency, and between the Secunder Bagh and the
Shah Nujeef. This was easily effected, and the brigade remained
under cover in the village, while preparations were being made to
take the Shah Nujeef. It having been found impossible to subdue the
enemy’s musketry fire from the latter building by artillery, the
Commander-in-Chief collected the 93rd around him and said, “I had no
intention of employing you again to-day, but the Shah Nujeef must be
taken; the artillery cannot drive the enemy out, so you must, with
the bayonet.” Giving the regiment some plain directions as to how
they were to proceed, he said he would accompany them himself.

At this moment the Naval Brigade redoubled its fire, and Middleton’s
troop of Horse Artillery poured a continuous stream of grape-shot
into the brushwood and enclosures around the building. Under this
iron storm the 93rd, under Col. Hay, all excited to the highest
degree, with flashing eye and nervous tread, rolled on in one vast
wave, the greyhaired warrior of many fights, with drawn sword,
riding at its head surrounded by his staff, and accompanied by
Brigadier Adrian Hope. As the regiment approached the nearest angle
of the building, the men began to drop under the enemy’s fire,
poured forth from behind the loopholed walls; but still not a man
wavered, and on went the regiment without a check, until it stood
at the foot of the wall, which towered above it 20 feet, quite
uninjured by the artillery fire.

There was no breach and no scaling-ladders; and unable to advance,
but unwilling to retire, the men halted and commenced a musketry
battle with the garrison, but of course at great disadvantage, for
the Sepoys poured in their deadly volleys securely from behind
their cover, while the 93rd was without shelter or protection of
any kind, and therefore many fell. By this time nearly all the
mounted officers were either wounded or dismounted. Brigadier Hope,
his A.D.C. and Brigade Major, had their horses shot under them;
Lt.-Col. Hay’s horse was disabled by a musket shot; and two of the
Commander-in-Chief’s staff were dangerously wounded. As there was no
visible means of effecting an entrance on this side, a party of the
regiment pushed round the angle to the front gate, but found it was
so well covered and protected by a strong work of masonry as to be
perfectly unassailable. One more desperate effort was therefore made
by artillery, and two of Peel’s guns were brought up under cover
of the fire of the regiment, dragged along by a number of men of
the 93rd, Brigadier Hope, Colonel Hay, and Sir David Baird heartily
lending a hand. Still, though the guns hurled their shot in rapid
succession at only a few yards distance, no impression could be made.

Success seemed impossible, the guns were withdrawn, and the wounded
collected, in which last duty Lt. Wood and Ensign Macnamara
rendered good service under a galling fire at considerable risk
to themselves. Evening was fast closing in, and the assault must
necessarily soon be given up, but Brigadier Hope resolved to make
one last effort. He collected about fifty men of the 93rd, and crept
cautiously through some brushwood, guided by Sergeant Paton, to a
part of the wall in which the sergeant had discovered a spot so
injured that he thought an entrance might be effected. The small
party reached this unperceived, and found a narrow rent, up which
a single man was pushed with some difficulty. He reported that no
enemy was to be seen near the spot, and immediately Brigadier Hope,
accompanied by Colonel Hay and several of the men, scrambled up and
stood upon the inside of the wall. The sappers were immediately sent
for to enlarge the opening, when more of the 93rd followed, and
Brigadier Hope with his small party gained, almost unopposed, the
main gate, threw it open, and in rushed the 93rd, just in time to
see the enemy in their white dresses gliding away into the darkness
of the night. Sergeant Paton for the above daring service deservedly
received the Victoria Cross. Thus ended the desperate struggle of
the day, and the relief of the Residency was all but secured. Lts.
Wood and Goldsmith were here severely wounded, and a number of men
killed and wounded. A deep silence now reigned over the entire
position, and the little army, weary and exhausted by its mighty
efforts, lay down upon the hard-won battle-ground to rest, and if
possible to sleep.

The casualties throughout the day to the 93rd were very great. Two
officers and 23 men killed, and 7 officers and 61 men wounded. As
many of the latter died of their wounds, and most of the survivors
were permanently disabled, they may be regarded as almost a dead
loss to the regiment.

Early on the following morning, as soon as daylight had sufficiently
set in to enable anything to be seen, the regimental colour of the
93rd was hoisted on the highest pinnacle of the Shah Nujeef, to
inform the garrison of the Residency of the previous day’s success.
The signal was seen and replied to. This act was performed by Lt.
and Adjt. M’Bean, assisted by Sergeant Hutchinson, and it was by no
means unattended with danger, for the enemy, on perceiving their
intention, immediately opened fire, but fortunately without injury
to either.