HLI Chronicle 1909 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

156 HIGHLAND UGHT TNFANTRY CHRO~lCLE.--....--~..... ~~-~~~~~-~~~---;----~-------------been brought forward and hauled into positionabout 60 yards from the south-east corner ofthe Sekundra Bagh. The remainder of the93rd lined the bank-which is still to be seen(or, anyway, another bank in just the sameplace)-and the 4th P.I. prolonged the line totheir right. The infantry kept up a livelymusketry battle with the defenders of the garden,while the guns bombarded the wall.Hardy, the cartain of the battery, was killed,and there were many casualties, but the fightwas kept up ; and, after about aD hour, a loudcheer announced that a breach had been madein the wall. It was small-Ol,ly about 3 teetsquare, aIlO 3! teet from the groUll l-but theenemy's fire was so destructive, and time soprecious, that Sir Colin ordered the assault.In an iIlstant the Highlanders, the 53rd andthe 4th P.I. were on their feet, and, with aloud cheer, raced n'adly tor the breach. Capt.Burroughes, of the 93rd, reached it first, beDthis head, and actually succeeded in jumpiIlgin. Three or four men of the 93rd caJIle upnext, and climbed or were pushed through,followed by Lieut. Cooper, Col. Ewart, andCapt. Lumsden, all of the 93rd. The crowdround the breach now became so thick thatmany turned off to the left and rushed to themain gate to try and force an entrance, audthe 4th P.T. turned to the right, and, runninground to the other side of the Bagh, proceed eato scale the wall at the opposite corner.When Burroughes got in, after what musthave seemed like a leap into certain death,he found himself in a small room with adoorway opening into the enclosure. Fortunatelythe room was empty, and Burrougheswaited until six or eight men had collected,and then rushed into the enclosure and madefor the gate, with the intention of opening itand letting in his comrades. The gatehousewas swarming with rebels, and the small partywere at once engaged in a hand-to-handfight; in the scu:ffle Burroughes received asword-cut on the head, which stretchedhim senseless, but from which he recoveredlater on in the day. At that momentthe gate gave way,'and the 93rd pouredin through the gateway. Meanwhile theother three officers and a few soldiersand Sikhs had taken the path to theright. On emerging into the enclosmeLumsden waved his sword, and, shouting out" Come on, men, for the honour of Scotland,"fell dead. The others charged on. CoLEwart engaged in a hand-to-hand fight withtwo native officers; he killed both, and capturedthe colours one of them was carrying.The enemy, finding escape impossible, foughtwith the courage of despair and the fury ofreligious hate. A din of hideous noises roseinto the air-the rattle of musketry, the yellsand curses of the sepoys, the fierce cry of theBritish soldier, "Remember Cawnpore." Adark mass of sepoys were slowly, and with a,horrid carnage, pushed back by the bayonetinto a pavilion which stood, and still stands,in the centre of the enclosure. Here manyof them were slain, and the remainder graduallydriven on to the northern wall. The earth waswet with blood; dead and wounded lay piledin places a yard in height. At the north endof the enclosure, exactly opposite the gatewayat the south end, there stood a two-storiedbuilding, since cleared away. Here a bodyof rebels made a last stand, and for sometime all the efforts of our men to break inthe strong door was in vain. At last a gunwas brought up, the door was blown in, andthe staircase stormed. The Highlanders andPunjaubis, when they reached the top, madeshort work of the defenders; many werehurled down from the roof, many leapt off toperish below, and all were destroyed to a man.It was past two o'clock when the troops weredrawn off from the interior of the charnelhouse.Our losses had been heavy, but 2,000rebel corpses were left in the enclosure, andthe British soldier felt that now, at last,.something had been done to avenge theinnocent blood so foully shed at Cawnpore.On the 20th November the women andchildren, stores, and ammunition, were safelywithdrawn from the Residency, which wasfinally evacuated by the Garrison at 12midnight on the 22nd. The illustrious garrisonmarched past Outram and Inglis, whostood by the Bailey Guard Gate. The A.D.C.reported that all had passed. Outram wavedhis hand to Inglis to precede him, but Inglis.said " You will allow me, sir, to be the last,and to shut the gates of myoid garrison."Outram at once yielded, and Inglis closed thegates. So ended the defence of the Residency.On the 24th of November Havelock died.Fatigue, exposure, anxiety, and hard fare hadimpaired his strength, and he succumbed toa~ attack of dysentery in Dilkusha. He was.buried next day in the Alum Bagh, and twodays later Sir Colin Campbell marched fromthere en route for Cawnpore.Outram was left with 4,000 men to watchLucknow, to retain a military footing in Oude,and to represent the authority of the British