The Cannons of Lucknow by V. A. Stuart

Author:V. A. Stuart
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781590133224
Publisher: McBooks Press, Inc.
Published: 2003-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

ON THE EVENING of Tuesday, 28th July, in the mud-walled native hut at Mungalwar, six miles from the river, in which he had established his battle headquarters, Brigadier-General Henry Havelock issued orders for the advance on Lucknow.

His Movable Column, a bare twelve hundred Britons and three hundred Sikhs, had a formidable task before of them, as Havelock was well aware. Forty-three miles of hostile, flooded countryside separated them from their objective; a river—the Sai —a canal, and a number of fortified villages and towns constituted the main physical obstacles, and an army of mutineers, estimated at between 25,000 and 30,000, was besieging Lucknow itself. In addition, the Nana Sahib, with a force of several thousand, was reliably reported to be hovering in the Oudh jungles, with the avowed intention of harassing the rear of the Column and, when it advanced, cutting off its communications with Cawnpore.

In a despatch to the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Patrick Grant, Havelock did not minimise the odds against him. He wrote:

The difficulties of an advance to the relief of Lucknow are excessive. The enemy has entrenched and covered with guns the bridge across the Sai at Bunni and has made preparations for destroying it if the bridge is forced. I have no means of crossing the canal near Lucknow, even if successful at Bunni, where a direct attack might cost me a third of my force. I might turn it by Mohan, unless the bridge there were also destroyed. I have this morning received a plan of Lucknow from Major Anderson, Engineer in the garrison, and much valuable information in two memoranda, which escaped the enemy’s outpost troops and were partly written in Greek characters. These communications and much information orally derived from spies convince me of the extreme danger and difficulty of any operation to relieve Colonel Inglis, now commanding in Lucknow.

It shall be attempted, however, at every risk. Our losses from cholera are becoming serious and extend to General Neill’s force as well as my own. I earnestly hope that the 5th and the 90th Regiments can be pushed on to me entire and with all despatch and every disposable detachment of the regiments now under my command be sent for. My whole force only amounts to 1,500 men and ten guns, imperfectly equipped and manned.

In spite of these misgivings, Havelock sent the brave courier Ungud, who had delivered Major Anderson’s letter, back once more on his perilous way to Lucknow, with a note which ended optimistically,

We hope to meet you in five or six days.

To Colonel Tytler, who had penned his orders for the advance, he said. “Every mile we can win on the way to Lucknow will afford them some relief, I think. And if Grant will only send on those two regiments he has promised me—or even if he’ll make our strength up to two thousand immediately, with a battery of horsed guns, we’ll smash every rebel force, one after the other … and the troops coming up in the rear can settle the country.

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