Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 25.djvu/184

H however, unknown to the relieving force, the passage of the river had determined the fate of the captives, and having murdered them all in cold blood, Nana Sahib moved out with five thousand men to dispute Havelock's advance. By a masterly flank movement on the morning of the 16th Havelock disconcerted the rebels, and by the steadiness and bravery of his troops charging right up to the enemy's batteries, he captured their guns, and after a hard day's fight put the rebels to flight. Havelock bivouacked two miles from the cantonment, and entered Cawnpore the next morning (17th). In nine days he had marched 126 miles under an Indian sun in July, and fought four successful actions.

The influence exercised by Havelock over his troops, and the admirable discipline he maintained, are strikingly shown by the behaviour of the men on entering Cawnpore. The pitifulness of the scene presented by the remains of their murdered fellow-countrymen exasperated them to madness, but the firm hand of their commander held them in check, and even marauding was put down with a strong arm.

Cholera and dysentery had attacked the force, and Havelock moved it out of the town to a carefully selected site, which he proceeded to entrench. Here he left a small garrison under Neill, who had joined him from Allahabad, and prepared to advance to the relief of Lucknow. On 25 July he crossed the Ganges, and on the 29th encountered the enemy, posted in a very strong position at Onao, and defeated them after a sharp fight. Six miles further the strongly occupied village of Busseerutgunge was stormed and taken:—two fights in one day, and nineteen guns captured. But the enemy, gathering in force in his rear, compelled him to fall back on Mungulwar. On 4 Aug., having received some small reinforcements, and being much pressed from Lucknow to push on to its relief, he again moved forward, and again fought a successful engagement at Busseerutgunge, though with some loss and considerable expenditure of ammunition. Three strong positions still remained to be forced before he could reach Lucknow; ammunition was insufficient, cholera was reducing his small force, the sick and wounded had to be carried, and his communication could not be kept open. He decided that he could not relieve Lucknow without considerable reinforcements and supplies, and determined to return to Cawnpore. The moral courage he displayed in boldly carrying out this painful decision is worthy of the highest commendation. Having fallen back on Mungulwar, while he lay there to rest his men before crossing the river to Cawnpore, intelligence reached him that the rebels were again collecting in force at Busseerutgunge to harass him while crossing; he therefore again advanced, and (12 Aug.) a third time defeated them at that village. He captured two guns, and so scared the rebels that next day he was able to effect the passage of the Ganges without molestation.

On 16 Aug., leaving only a hundred men under Neill at Cawnpore, he marched on Bithoor, where four thousand rebels had assumed a threatening attitude. After a severe fight he defeated them, captured two guns, and returned to Cawnpore. Here he found awaiting him the ‘Gazette’ announcing the appointment of Sir James Outram to be chief commissioner of Oudh, and to take military command of the country in which Havelock was operating. To remove him from his command because he had not taken Lucknow seemed unreasonable. He did not, however, for one moment suffer his bitter disappointment at his supersession to affect the energetic discharge of his duty, and when Sir James Outram arrived at Cawnpore on 15 Sept. with large reinforcements, he found Havelock had made every preparation to enable him to advance at once on Lucknow. Then occurred one of the most memorable acts of self-abnegation recorded in military history. Sir James Outram waived his military rank in order to allow Havelock to reap the reward of his noble exertions, and accompanied the force in his civil capacity, offering his military service to Havelock as a volunteer, proposing to resume chief military command when Havelock had effected the relief of Lucknow.

On 19 Sept. the bridge over the Ganges was completed, and Havelock marched out of Cawnpore with three thousand men of all arms, and crossed the river under the enemy's fire. On arrival at Mungulwar on the 21st he found the enemy massed there in strength, and literally drove them out of it and beyond Onao. At Busseerutgunge he rested for the night, and pushing on next day seized Bunnee, sixteen miles from Lucknow, before the enemy had time to destroy the bridge or organise an effectual resistance. At Bunnee he again rested for the night, and on the morning of the 23rd he appeared before the Allumbagh, and made his disposition for attack. After severe fighting he carried the Allumbagh, and halted for twenty-four hours within sight of Lucknow to complete the preparation for the difficult task before him. On the 25th an advance was made amid a storm of round and grape shot and of musketry. The enemy were driven out of the Charbagh enclosure, and the