The Victoria Crosses that Saved an Empire by Brian Best

Author:Brian Best [Best, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Europe, Great Britain, General, Modern, 19th Century, Reference
ISBN: 9781473857070
Google: JmZGDAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Frontline Books
Published: 2016-06-19T03:15:47+00:00

Chapter 7

The Second Relief Of Lucknow

October to November 1857

When news of the Mutiny reached the UK in early July 1857, Lord Palmerston offered Sir Colin Campbell the command of all British forces in India in place of the recently deceased General George Anson. Campbell accepted and left Britain on 12 July, reaching Calcutta in August. Palmerston must have been persuasive because in March 1857 Campbell had turned down the offer of commanding the expedition to China.

Colin Campbell, real name McLiver, came from humble beginnings and rose to become the greatest commander of the mid-Victorian period. He fought against Napoleon in the Peninsular War and the Indian wars of the 1840s. After his heroics at the Battle of Balaklava with his 93rd Highlanders – the Thin Red Line – his peacetime appointments were in keeping with a 65-year-old senior officer. After the Crimean War, he took over command of the south-eastern district and in September was appointed inspector-general of infantry, the sort of appointments leading to retirement. He confided to his friend, Colonel James Hope Grant at the end of the Second Sikh War in 1849: ‘I am growing old and only fit for retirement.’

When Campbell arrived in India, he reviewed the situation. General Havelock had been hurried into marching on Lucknow before he was ready with an inadequate force and bedeviled with terrible logistical problems. Campbell was not going to make the same mistake. With the prospect of receiving some 30,000 troops from garrisons around the Empire he set about organizing an adequate transport and supply system. Instead of the weeks that many had hoped for, it was to be late October before Sir Colin was able move his column to Cawnpore and then Lucknow. On 3 November 1857, unable to wait for the large reinforcements promised, he reached Cawnpore with a force of only 4,500. This included HM 23rd, 82nd, 93rd, 53rd, 8th, and 75th, with EIC 2nd and 4th Punjab Infantry. The mounted troops were mainly Punjab Cavalry, HM 9th Lancers, Artillery and 200 men of the Naval Brigade from HMS Shannon.

The strategic situation was complicated as well as critical. Cawnpore, from where the column would cross the Ganges on a bridge of boats, was vulnerable from the Gwalior Contingent under the generalship of the ablest rebel leader, Tantia Topi. The Contingent was gathering more support as it made its way towards Cawnpore. On the other hand, Campbell could not ignore Outram’s pleas to come to the Residency’s rescue. In the end Campbell calculated that if he could relieve Lucknow, he could return in time to confront Tantia Topi.

Campbell’s force was augmented by the men of Greathed’s column, so Campbell was able to leave 1,050 men and nine guns at Cawnpore under the command of Major-General Charles Windham with instruction to strengthen the defences. On 9 November, with some reassurance that the crossing would be protected, Campbell led his column across the Ganges into Oudh.

Halting to make camp at Bani, on the banks of the Sai River, the column continued their march to Alambagh on the southern outskirts of Lucknow.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.