 
88. Major (now Lieutenant-Colonel) Salter of the cavalry, and Lieutenant Sturt of the engineers (since killed in action). 89. The highest point surmounted, the Irak pass, was 12,400 feet above the sea. 90. A good practicable road across the mountains had, ere this, been made. 91. The 4th company 6th battalion, with Lieutenants A. Christie and Robertson, formed part of this force. Captain Lawrence, as political agent, accompanied it, and procured four guns from the Seiks, which, however, were of little use, as their carriages broke down. 92. Captain Sotheby, Lieutenants Cornish and Brougham. 93. From the report of Brevet-Captain Reid, assistant quartermaster-general. The latter portion of the extract is adopted word for word by General Gray in his despatch. 94. This, and the following paragraphs distinguished by inverted commas, are taken verbatim from a very valuable article on the “Bengal Artillery” in the Calcutta Review, No. xviii. 95. The following extract from a minute by Sir Henry Hardinge, dated January 20, 1845, relates to this important subject. “In reference to the 4-horse field-batteries, it appears to me essential that 9-pounders should be drawn by eight horses instead of six; that a battery of six pieces should therefore have, when ordered on field service, a complement of 120 horses, instead of 98; and considering the immediate result of a few weeks’ campaigning, the number ought to be 130 horses. When not under orders for field service, the number may remain at 98. On this matter, and every other relating to the artillery, the Governor-General requests the Honourable Sir George Pollock to make the arrangements which his experienced judgment may decide, so as to secure the utmost efficiency; for in all these matters, efficiency will be found to be true economy.” [The number of horses would seem to have been raised in the first instance from 89 to 98.] 96. On the deaths of Captains Dashwood and Todd, Captain Mills (of the political department) commanded the 1st troop 1st brigade at Ferozeshuhur, and Lieutenant Mackinnon commanded the 2nd troop in the same action; Captain Waller commanded the latter at Sobraon. 97. Two guns of the 2nd troop 3rd brigade accompanied this troop throughout the action. 98. During the night of the 18th and the morning of the 19th the ammunition-boxes of the horse-artillery and light field-batteries were replenished, as far as practicable, from the spare waggons attached to each troop and battery. The two guns of the 2nd troop 3rd brigade, which had originally marched from Muttra merely on escort duty, being unprovided with spare ammunition, borrowed a few rounds from other guns, but not sufficient to complete. 99. Ferozeshuhur is a small village between Moodkee and Ferozepore, and about five miles south of the high-road from the latter place to Loodianah. 100. Sir Hugh Gough has stated in his despatch, that the ammunition of the artillery had been completely exhausted in this protracted engagement. And an able writer in the Calcutta Review (No. XI.) has made a similar assertion, which, however, is not quite correct as to the time indicated, as all the troops of horse-artillery present were engaged with Tej Singh. The author of the article on the “Sikh invasion of British India” adds, “We believe the complement of a horse-artillery gun on service is 300 rounds.” This is not quite accurate. Each 6-pounder gun carries with it 128 rounds of all sorts; and each 12-pounder howitzer has 80 rounds. The troops of horse-artillery from Umballah and Loodianah had each two spare 6-pounder waggons, and one howitzer waggon, making up the complement to 166? rounds per gun, and 140 per howitzer. The Ferozepore troops brought out with them no extra waggons, and the two guns of the 2nd troop 3rd brigade had no spare ammunition at all. 101. The order was given to the brigadier, without authority from the Commander-in-Chief. 102. “The royal waggons carry 146 rounds a gun, the Indian waggons, I believe, only contain 96 rounds. In the royal service, the (6-pounder) gun and waggon carry 194 rounds a gun. The extra waggons in the royal service have 29 rounds a gun, and in the Indian service only 19 rounds a gun. The waggon in the Indian service is, I have no doubt, best adapted to the country and the draught animals, but if a battery of five guns had ten waggons (and the howitzer one waggon), the number of rounds a gun would be about 220. The 9-pounder field batteries, I understand, take into action 139 rounds a gun. The royal 9-pounder takes 166.”—Minute of Lord Hardinge, Feb. 2, 1847. 103. In a memorandum on this subject left by Captain Buckle, the author says:—“At Sobraon, the heavy guns, which had been waited for nearly a month, were placed on the plain about 1,300 yards from the intrenchments, instead of in batteries prepared for them at half that distance, and the facilities for which were great in the abundance of men and material, and in the softness of the soil. They might easily have been erected during the night of the 9-10th of February, had previous arrangements been made; and had this been done, the enemy’s intrenchments, instead of being nearly uninjured, would have been swept away by the storm of shot poured upon them. As it was, the effect of the fire was greater on the defenders of the works than upon the works themselves; and quite as much as was expected by those competent to form an opinion, considering the greatness of the distance, and the shortness of time during which they fired. And for the selection of the distance we are credibly informed that the artillery are not responsible.” 104. “For the severe punishment inflicted on the Sikhs during their retreat across the river, we are indebted to the singular forethought and cool calculating judgment of the Governor-General. Owing to the paucity of artillerymen, men had been taken from the horse-artillery to serve the heavy guns in the field; and the troops—three if not four—to which they belonged, were left behind in camp. The services of these troops would have been lost to the army on the 10th February, had not Sir Henry Hardinge, while the battle was yet raging, ascertained that the ammunition of the heavy guns was nearly expended, and deduced, from this misfortune, the more than fortunate conclusion, that the horse-artillerymen would soon be again available for their proper duties. He accordingly sent back orders to the troops left in camp to move down without delay to Rhodawallah; and they were brought down by their drivers alone, to that post, where they found their own artillerymen waiting for them, and were galloped into action. The anecdote is not generally known, but is worthy of record as highly characteristic of a mind peculiarly happy in the arrangement of details, whose judicious combination alone produces military success.”—Reviewer. [Colonel Alexander’s, Major Campbell’s, and Captain Turton’s troops were on the right; Colonel Lane, with Sir R. Dick’s division. Major Grant, as before mentioned, had commenced the action with his 24-pounder howitzers. The officers and men of the 2nd troop 1st brigade, 3rd troop 1st brigade, 5th troop 1st brigade, and 1st troop 3rd brigade, were employed with the heavy batteries, rockets, and reamers. The 1st troop 1st brigade had remained with Wheeler near Loodhianah.]—Editor. 105. MacGregor’s “History of the Sikhs.” 106. Colonel Lawrence had by this time proceeded to Europe for the recovery of his health. 107. Thackwell marched without baggage or camp equipage. 108. A brigade had been sent across previously by pontoons a few miles up the river, but too late to take part in the action of Sadoolapore. 109. With regard to Pennycuick’s brigade, the Commander-in-Chief says in his official despatch: “In justice to this brigade, I must be allowed to state that they behaved heroically, and but for their too hasty and, consequently, disorderly advance, would have emulated the conduct of the left brigade, which, left unsupported for a time, had to charge to their front and right wherever an enemy appeared. The brigade of horse-artillery on their left, under Lieutenant-Colonel Brind, judiciously and gallantly aiding, maintained an effective fire.” 110. This troop had been on the detachment system experimentally, but, after Chillianwallah, when new guns were given, it reverted to the old system. 111. The following remarks by Major Siddons on the artillery practice at Mooltan, taken from his admirable report of the siege, will be read with interest:—“The artillery practice was most excellent, and the exertions of officers and men indefatigable. It is impossible to over-rate the service rendered by the 8-inch and 10-inch howitzers. The walls are mostly of mud, or brick and mud; and it so happened that the part selected for the breach was very defective—a mere facing over the old wall. In this the 24-pounder shot brought down large masses; but where the wall was sound the shot buried themselves, whereas the shells penetrated and then acted as small mines. Against a mud fort, an howitzer must therefore be considered far preferable to a gun, though of course the latter would be more effective against a well-built stone wall. The inconvenience to howitzers is the difficulty of preserving the cheeks of the embrasures. The iron howitzer might, perhaps, with advantage be lengthened.” 112. As another opportunity is not likely to occur, it may be mentioned here that General Whish was instrumental in introducing some important improvements in the internal organization of the artillery. He was the first, when in temporary command of the horse-artillery (April, 1821), to establish regimental libraries for the use of the men. In 1836, he so far reformed the horse-artillery system, as to render it unnecessary that the guns should be accompanied into action by their waggons,—a change, however, which was reversed in 1845. He was also, in 1841, instrumental in the abolition of winkers, as a portion of the harness of the horses. 113. “The batteries engaged in action by those attached to the 1st and 2nd divisions, advancing to within about six hundred yards; and the heavy guns within eight hundred or one thousand yards of the enemy’s artillery, on which they opened their fire about nine o’clock A.M.”—Brigadier-General Tennant’s Despatch to the Commander-in-Chief. 114. Non-effective—1 pay serjeant, 1 drill serjeant, 1 major serjeant, 1 park serjeant, 1 drill corporal, 3 camp colour-men, a bullock serjeant, and overseer of bildars in time of service. The ordnance with each company appears to have consisted of six light 6-pounders and two howitzers; to assist in working these and the field-pieces with sipahi battalions, a large body of lascars were attached to each company. Heavy guns and mortars were supplied from magazines at the head-quarters of brigades to the extent available and required for any particular service. PRINTED BY COX (BROTHERS) AND WYMAN, GREAT QUEEN STREET. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
