Chapter XI: Part 11

On December 13th., General Baker, who had returned to Sherpur, acted in concert with Macpherson, and at eight in the morning left the cantonments and again attacked the enemy. After some hard fighting the ridge was carried by the 92nd. and Guides led by Major White, and the 72nd., 3rd. Sikhs, and 5th. Ghoorkas under Major Sym. While this was going on a large body of Afghans moved round towards Beni Hissar, so as to threaten the road to Sherpur, but they were dispersed by some dashing charges made by the Guides, Punjaub Cavalry, and 9th. Lancers, with the loss of Captain Butson and four men killed.

The position of the British, though victorious in the field, was becoming serious, as the enemy was continually reinforced by large numbers of men, and nothing daunted by their defeats, occupied the Asmai heights in force. On December 14th. this position was attacked by General Baker with a force of about sixteen hundred men of all arms, and four guns. After a desperate contest the enemy were driven from their first position, and the Asmai heights were carried. Scarcely had this been done, when a body of Afghans, from fifteen to twenty thousand strong, appeared on the plain, rushing onwards with frantic shouts and gesticulations, with the object of retaking the position just captured by General Baker, headed by a chosen leader, and Moollahs, in white raiment, shouting the war-cry of Islam:—“_Allah! Yâ Allah!_” On they came, regardless of the shells which were pitched with great execution into them, and the volleys poured down from the hills just gained, with deadly effect.

The 5th. Punjaubees recoiled at their onset, and after an heroic resistance, in which Captain Spens of the 72nd. was killed in a hand to hand conflict, the column of Colonel Jenkins was compelled to retreat with the loss of two guns, but the rest of the position was held. Reinforcements presently arrived from Sherpur, the guns were recovered, and in a brilliant charge, made with twelve men, Captain Vousdon, of the Bengal Staff Corps, cut down five Afghans with his own hand, and gained the Victoria Cross.

It being signalled from the Bala Hissar, that bodies of the enemy were advancing from the north, south, and west, in overwhelming numbers, General Macpherson was ordered to fall back at once to Sherpur, and General Baker was directed to hold the position he had occupied since the morning, until all the troops from the heights were withdrawn. These movements were well executed with but little loss, and on the night of December 14th., all the British forces were concentrated in the cantonments of Sherpur, while the exultant Afghans re-occupied the Bala Hissar and the city of Cabul. The Sherpur cantonments had been built by Shere Ali for his own troops, but never occupied by them. The front towards Cabul was fortified by a loopholed wall, sixteen feet high, and about two thousand yards long, with small semi-circular bastions at intervals, and a ditch; enclosing a range of barracks capable of accommodating five thousand men. In the rear were the steep Behmaru Hills, within the line of defence, and also fortified.

Sir F. Roberts, with admirable foresight, had before collected stores calculated to last for some months, emptying the granaries and stores of Cabul; so his force of seven thousand men of all arms, with twenty-three guns, including two gatlings, were not likely to feel the absolute want of the necessaries of life till reinforcements could arrive from India. The enemy occupied themselves for some days with plundering Cabul, and in preparing for a general attack; during which time Sir F. Roberts employed all his men in strengthening and perfecting the defences of Sherpur. There was skirmishing daily, till on December 23rd., the anniversary of the murder of Sir William Macnaghten, at the same spot in 1841, the long-prepared assault on Sherpur took place. Brigadier-General Gough was now rapidly advancing from Gundamuck with reinforcements, and the enemy felt that there was no time to be lost, if they meant to repeat the massacre of Elphinstone’s army of 1842. On the preceding evening, some native scouts had informed the General, that the Afghans had provided themselves with scaling ladders capable of carrying two men abreast, and that at the break of day he would be attacked on all sides, the signal being the lighting of a great beacon on the Asmai heights above Cabul. At four in the morning the troops were on the alert, at six, a brilliant flame arose on the Asmai ridge, and with the hoarse shouts of many thousand voices, and the deafening rattle of innumerable drums, the attack commenced. Day had not yet broken, but the stars, and the snow lying around, gave light enough for the defenders to direct a most deadly fire on their frantic assailants, not one of whom came near enough to scale the wall. Till one p.m. the assaults lasted, when the cavalry sallied out, and did great execution on the enemy, who fled on all sides, and dispersed so rapidly that by nightfall not a man of them could be seen.

The strength of the Afghans was estimated at about thirty thousand, and their losses “at not less than three thousand killed and wounded.” The British casualties were exceedingly small: two officers and eight men killed, and five officers, including General Gough, and forty-one men wounded.

Next morning the welcome news arrived that General Gough was approaching, and a force was sent out to occupy the Siah Sang range to prevent any resistance being made to his advance; but no enemy appeared, the whole force of the Afghans having fled during the night. On Christmas Day the reinforcements arrived, Cabul was re-occupied without any opposition, and the British were again masters of the country.

The whole of the British casualties from the 10th. to the 24th. of December, were one hundred and three officers and men killed, and two hundred and sixty-three officers and men wounded. Many of the wounded died, among them Colonel Cleland, of the 9th. Lancers; Lieutenant Montanaro, R.A.; and Major Cooke, of the 5th. Ghoorkas, who had gained the V.C. at the Peiwar Kotul. Sir F. Roberts wrote: “Had Major Cooke survived, he would have risen to the highest honours of his profession.” The regiments engaged in the actions around Cabul were the 9th. Lancers, 12th. Bengal Cavalry, 14th. Bengal Lancers, 5th. Punjaub Cavalry; the 67th., 72nd., and 92nd. Foot; 23rd. and 28th. Bengal Infantry; 2nd., 4th., and 5th. Ghoorkas; 5th. Punjaub Infantry, two Punjaub Mounted Batteries, and Bengal Sappers and Miners.

AHMED KHEL.
APRIL 19TH., 1880.

In the spring of 1880, rumours began to be circulated of preparation made for another attack on Cabul by the Afghans, and as Ghuznee was the stronghold of Mohammed Jan, and the centre of a gathering of hostile tribes; in April, General Donald Stewart marched from Candahar, with a force of about seven thousand men, with orders to occupy Ghuznee, and open communications with Sir F. Roberts at Cabul. As the troops approached Ghuznee, bodies of the enemy were observed hovering about, and the villages were deserted, the Moollahs having stirred up a holy war.

On April 19th. the Afghans were found in strength at Ahmed Khel, twenty-three miles south of Ghuznee, occupying a ridge directly in front, with a force estimated at about fifteen thousand horse and foot, chiefly tribesmen. The British column covered nearly six miles in marching order, the baggage being far in the rear. The advance was ordered at eight o’clock, and when about one and a half miles from the enemy’s position, the artillery, under Waters and Campbell, moved to the front and opened fire. Scarcely had the attack commenced, and before the infantry were in proper formation, a dense body of men with standards appeared on the crest of the ridge, with a body of horsemen outflanking the British left, with the intention of getting into the rear and attacking the baggage. At a signal, the mass of Afghans in the front, poured headlong down from their position, stretching out to the right and left, and charged and almost enveloped Stewart’s army. This charge was made by about four thousand fanatical Ghazis, men who cared nothing for their own lives, if they could only exterminate the hated infidels. So rapid and unexpected was their attack, that the range of the guns had to be altered to case-shot distance, and when all the case was expended, the guns were loaded with shrapnel, the heads towards the charge, to explode on leaving the muzzle, which covered the ground with heaps of fearfully mutilated dead and wounded. A squadron of the Bengal Lancers was swept away and lost to sight in clouds of dust and smoke, and the situation was critical, as the cavalry could not be rallied till they had passed to the right of the infantry, then so hotly pressed that many of the men had not even time to fix their bayonets. So furious was the onslaught, that some of the enemy swept round to the rear of the infantry, and a desperate conflict hand to hand ensued. The whole of the reserve, including the General’s escort, was ordered up to support the guns and reinforce the fighting line; and according to the correspondent of the _Standard_—“At this crisis our line was penetrated, and both flanks turned, the artillery having fired away all their case-shot.” But the infantry stood firm, and Colonel Gyster, forming the 3rd Ghoorkas in rallying squares, left spaces through which friends and foes passed together. As the Ghazi horsemen with fierce yells rushed onward, the Ghoorkas, the 59th., the 2nd. Sikhs, and 19th. Punjaub Infantry poured a terrific fire point blank into their ranks, which checked their advance and mowed them down in heaps. Their attack had spent itself, and as the cavalry now rallied and fell upon the shattered ranks with lance and sword, their retreat soon became a disorderly flight. The battle was won, and though a body of the enemy made a last stand on an eminence in their rear, the 1st. Punjaub Cavalry, under Colonel Maclean, coming up, with one charge dispersed them, and the rout was complete.

More reckless bravery than that of the Ghazis was never seen, about one thousand of them lay dead on the ground, with double that number of wounded, though the conflict lasted but little more than an hour. The loss of the victors was seventeen killed and one hundred and twenty-six wounded, including nine officers.

After a halt of two hours the army continued its march to Nani, about fourteen miles from Ghuznee, and encamped for the night. Next day Ghuznee was entered without opposition, Mohammed Jan having fled. On May 2nd. General Stewart arrived at Cabul, and as senior officer to Sir F. Roberts, took the chief command.

The troops engaged at Ahmed Khel were the 19th. Bengal Lancers, 1st. Punjaub Cavalry, three Batteries of Artillery, the 59th. Foot, 60th. Rifles, 2nd. Sikh Infantry, and the 15th., 19th., and 25th. Bengal Infantry.

THE MARCH TO KANDAHAR.
AUGUST, 1880.

For some time after the arrival of General Stewart at Cabul things remained quiet. Negociations were going on with Abdur Rahman Khan, a nephew of Shere Ali, and grandson of Dost Mahommed, who for several years had been living in Russian Turkestan, and receiving a pension from the Czar. Abdur Rahman seeming to have the best and strongest claims to the Ameership of Afghanistan, he was recognised by the British government, and on his approach to Cabul the troops were ordered to return to India. But their work was not yet finished. On learning of the recognition of Abdul Rahman, Ayoub Khan, a younger brother of Yakoob Khan, resolved to strike a blow for the Ameership, and started from Herat, of which place he was the Governor, with a strong force, thirty-six guns, and a large body of irregulars, the most fierce and warlike of the western Afghan tribes, with the intention of seizing Kandahar. When General Stewart marched from Kandahar to Cabul, a British force was left at the former place under General Primrose.

The Star for General Roberts’ March.
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To check the advance of Ayoub Khan, a British brigade of about two thousand men and six guns moved from Kandahar, under Brigadier-General Burrows, and on July 27th. encountered the vastly superior army of the enemy at Maiwand. Instead of vigorously attacking, Burrows remained on the defensive for some hours, and the Ghazis rushing on in overwhelming numbers, regardless of their losses, rolled up the British troops from left to right, and drove them from the field; with a loss of half their number and two guns.

The remainder of the Brigade reached Kandahar after a terrible retreat, no water being obtainable on the route, and the fugitives being fired on from every village they passed. General Primrose immediately evacuated the cantonments and concentrated his troops in the citadel of Kandahar, in which from August 11th. he was beleaguered by the Afghans.

On August 16th. a sortie was made on the besiegers, but the affair was mismanaged, Brigadier-General Brooke, who commanded, and many officers and men of the 7th. Fusiliers and Native Infantry being killed and wounded. After this, the garrison remained on the defensive till relieved, Ayoub making no serious attack, but endeavouring to starve the defenders into submission.

The news of the disaster at Maiwand came upon the Governor of India like a thunderbolt, and measures were at once taken for the relief of Kandahar.

Sir F. Roberts who was at the time with Sir D. Stewart at Cabul, arranging for the withdrawal of the British troops to India, immediately offered to march to Kandahar in command of a force of ten thousand men, and his offer was accepted by the government. General Phayre was to advance with another force from Quettah, but being delayed by want of a commissariat train, did not reach Kandahar till after the force from Cabul had arrived there, though Roberts had a very much greater distance to march. The army of General Roberts was composed of three Batteries of Artillery, the 9th. Lancers, 3rd. Bengal Cavalry, 3rd. Punjaub Cavalry, Central India Horse, under Brigadier-General Gough; 2nd. Battalion 60th. Rifles, 72nd. and 92nd. Highlanders, 23rd. Pioneers, 24th. and 25th. Punjaub Infantry, the 15th. Sikhs; 2nd., 4th., and 5th. Ghoorkas; 2nd. and 3rd. Sikh Infantry; forming three brigades, under Brigadiers Baker, Macpherson, and Macgregor; and about eight thousand camp followers. Three days only were occupied in preparations, and on August 8th. the march began, a distance of more than three hundred miles, through a mountainous and difficult country, peopled with fierce and warlike tribes, for the most part hostile.

On August 15th. Ghuznee was reached, and the next day the army passed over the battle-field of Ahmed Khel, the scene of General Stewart’s victory in the preceding April. On August 23rd. Sir F. Roberts arrived at, and relieved the strong fort of Khelat-i-Ghilzie, held by a small garrison, under Colonel Tanner, one hundred and thirty-six miles from Cabul. A halt was here made for a day or so, and then taking the garrison with him, the General pushed on for Kandahar, and on August 27th opened communications with General Primrose by his cavalry. As the relieving force advanced, Ayoub withdrew from before Kandahar, and took up a position on some hills near the city, his head-quarters being at a place called Mazra.

On August 31st., Sir F. Roberts entered Kandahar, and the same day made a reconnaissance in force, in which Generals Gough and Macpherson, after some sharp fighting, carried several of the enemy’s defences at the point of the bayonet, and fully discovered the positions and strength of the Afghan army. At half-past five on the morning of September 1st., all officers commanding brigades were summoned to the tent of the General, and received his final orders and directions. He informed them that he meant to attack the south-west part of the ridge occupied by the enemy, with three brigades of infantry massed in rear of the Piquet Hill, while his forty-pounders on the right, supported by the 7th. Fusiliers and Rifles, engaged and silenced Ayoub’s guns posted on the Baba Wali. The Kandahar garrison were to hold the city and threaten the Murcha Pass, while Gough’s cavalry were to act on the left and cut off the retreat of the enemy to Giriskh. The real attack was to be made by storming the village of Gundi Moollah Sahibdab, turning the Paimal Hill, and finally taking the Baba Wali in reverse. The General concluded by saying: “If the ridge of Pie Paimal can be turned then the Baba Wali Kotal will be untenable. I look, gentlemen, to you to carry out my instructions, and I leave the details to you.” At nine o’clock, all was ready for the advance. The village of Gundi Moollah was stormed by the 92nd. and the 2nd. Ghoorkas, in spite of a hot fire from garden walls and windows of houses; while the 72nd., the 2nd. Sikhs, supported by the 3rd. Sikhs and the 5th. Ghoorkas, worked round the end of the Pie Paimal and carried village after village. The fighting among the enclosures with loopholed walls was desperate in the extreme, as the Ghazis, reckless of death, fought with the ferocity of tigers, hurling themselves upon the British rank till their shields clashed with the bayonets, in spite of the withering volleys poured into them at the distance often of a few yards. After a very severe contest, the 1st. and 2nd. brigades swept the enemy through the closely wooded gardens and orchards on the west of the hill, and the village of Pie Paimal was taken soon after noon. Behind the northern hill the country is cut up by canals and watercourses, and here between a river and the slopes, in an entrenched camp the Afghans made their final stand. This position was taken by a rush of the 92nd., under Major White,[94] supported by the Ghoorkas and 23rd. Pioneers. Of this advance, General Roberts said: “Nothing could be finer than the rush made by the Ghoorkas and the Highlanders, and how well the 23rd. and 24th. worked up in support.”

In four hours from the time the battle began, the enemy were totally defeated and in full flight; their camp and all their artillery (thirty-two guns), including the two taken at Maiwand, being abandoned to the victors. Their tents, including Ayoub’s, were left standing, and in front of one of them was found the still bleeding body of Lieutenant Maclaine, R.H.A., who had been taken prisoner at Maiwand. His ruffianly captors finding the battle going against them, and their camp taken, had deliberately cut his throat and fled. Ayoub, leaving about twelve hundred of his army of thirteen thousand in killed alone behind, fled towards Herat with a handful of men.

The British loss was three officers killed, among them Colonel Brownlow, commanding the 72nd., and eleven wounded; and forty-six men killed and about two hundred wounded, the 72nd. suffering most severely. After the battle was over, the General rode up to the head of every battalion, and personally thanked it for its share in gaining the victory, which concluded the campaign.

The relieving force was broken up in September, but before returning to India, Sir F. Roberts distributed medals for distinguished service to the men of the 72nd., the 82nd., and the 5th. Ghoorkas. Kandahar, in accordance with the promise of the Indian Government, was evacuated, and the Afghan war was ended. The entire force engaged at Kandahar on September 1st., 1889, was composed of the 9th. Lancers, 3rd. Bengal Cavalry, 3rd. Bombay Cavalry, 3rd. Punjaub Cavalry, 3rd. Scinde Horse, Central India Horse, the Poona Horse; the 7th. Fusiliers, 60th. Rifles, the 66th., 72nd., and 92nd. Foot; 15th., 23rd., 24th. and 25th. Bengal Infantry; the 1st., 4th., 19th., 28th. and 29th. Bombay Infantry; the 2nd., 4th., and 5th. Ghoorkas; the 2nd. and 3rd. Sikh Infantry, and three Batteries of Artillery.

THE CHINA MEDALS,
1840, 1842, 1856, 1860.

The first China medal granted for the war 1840–42, by the Indian Government, and authorised by the Queen, was designed by Wyon, and has on the obverse the Queen’s head, with the inscription, “Victoria Regina.” Reverse: A shield bearing the arms of Great Britain, with cannon, flags, anchor, &c., resting against a palm-tree, with the motto, “Armis Exposcere Pacem.” In the exergue, “China,” with the date 1842 underneath.[95] No clasp issued. Ribbon, crimson with yellow edges; given to both services.

Medal for First Chinese War.

Medal for Second Burmese War.
]

The medal for the second Chinese war, 1856–60, was granted by a warrant, dated March 6th., 1861, and is similar to that given for the first war, except that the date 1842 on the reverse is omitted. The ribbon is the same; given to both services. Clasps: “Fatshan, 1857”; “Canton, 1857”; “Taku Forts, 1858”; “Taku Forts, 1860”; “Pekin, 1860.” An additional clasp—inscribed “China, 1842”—was issued to those in possession of the first medal. The clasp for “Fatshan, 1857” was given to the navy and Marines only.[96]

FIRST CHINESE WAR.
1840–1842.

In consequence of the Chinese government having commenced summary measures without sufficient previous notice, the British superintendents of trade applied to the Governor-General of India for a number of ships of war and armed vessels for the protection of life and property. Although the introduction of opium into China was prohibited, the local authorities did not enforce the law. Ultimately Captain Elliot and the merchants at Canton were confined to the factories as prisoners, and in June the Chinese High Commissioner, and other officers proceeded to Chunhow, near the Bocca Tigris, and commenced destroying vast quantities of the prohibited drug, besides offering insult to Captain Elliot, R.N., the Queen’s representative. Hostilities became unavoidable, and the 18th., 26th., and 49th. regiments, a native corps of Bengal volunteers, and detachments of artillery and sappers from the presidency of Madras, were embarked under Brigadier-General George Burrell, of the Royal Irish. It became important to gain possession of a portion of the Chinese territory as a _point d’appui_ for subsequent operations; and the governor of Chusan, an island lying off the coast, was summoned to surrender in the beginning of July. He, however, made dispositions to defend the place, and on the morning of the 5th. of July the shore, landing-place, wharf, and adjoining hill were crowded with Chinese troops. The British shipping silenced the war-junks and batteries; and the right wing of the 18th. regiment, commanded by Major Henry William Adams, with the Royal Marines of the fleet, forming the advance, landed. They were followed by other corps, and the British troops, commanded by Brigadier-General George Burrell, Lieutenant-Colonel of the 18th., took up a position in front of the fortified city of Ting-hae-hien, whence a sharp fire was sustained for some time; but before the following day the Chinese soldiers fled in a panic, and the city was taken possession of, but the climate proved injurious to the health of the troops.

This success was followed by negotiations; the tardy councils of the Chinese being expedited by the activity of the British naval force, and in the early part of 1841 they agreed to give up the island of Hong Kong, pay an indemnity of six million dollars, and open a direct intercourse for trading upon an equal footing. Accordingly the island was occupied; but the authorities appeared to have had no intention of fulfilling the other stipulations of the treaty. Hostilities were in consequence resumed, and the force embarked in February with the expedition up the Canton river. In less than an hour the fleet silenced the batteries of Wantong, and a body of troops, consisting of detachments of the 26th. and 49th. regiments, Royal Marines, and the 37th. Madras Native Infantry, and Bengal volunteers, commanded by Major Pratt, of the 26th., landing, the island was captured without the loss of a man, thirteen hundred Chinese soldiers surrendering prisoners of war. Continuing the voyage, the fleet arrived at the bar, destroying the war-junks, the works being stormed and captured by the marines and seamen. As the expedition pursued its way up the river, the Chinese abandoned several batteries and armed rafts, and solicited terms of peace; but procrastination seemed to be their only object, and the British fleet advanced. The forts in front of Canton soon fell under the fire of the artillery, the Chinese flotilla was destroyed, and peace was again requested. While negotiations were pending, bodies of Tartar troops were arriving at Canton, which shewed the object of the enemy; and on the 24th. of May the troops landed, and on the following day they advanced against the fortified heights on the north of the city, when dispositions were made for the attack. About half-past nine o’clock the advance was sounded, and by a spirited effort the heights were carried—the 18th. and 49th. being emulous which should first reach their appointed goals—and the British colours waved triumphantly on the captured forts.

A fortified Chinese camp had been established on the high ground on the north-east of Canton, and from this bodies of the enemy advanced against the British troops. The 18th., 49th., and a company of marines, met and repulsed the principal attack, and, following the fugitives along a causeway, stormed and captured the entrenched camp in gallant style. It was afterwards burnt, and the magazines destroyed.

On the following morning (26th. of May) a flag of truce was seen on the walls, and hostilities were suspended; but delay still appearing to be the object of the Chinese, preparations were made to attack the city by storm, when six millions of dollars were agreed to be paid for the redemption of Canton, and opening the port for trade.

Disregarding the stipulations of treaties, the Emperor of China issued a mandate for the extermination of the British who dared thus to insult his coasts and capture his towns, offering at the same time, immense rewards for the heads of the commanders, and even a large sum for that of a private soldier. His decrees were responded to by depriving him of a further extent of territory; and on the 22nd. of August an expedition proceeded against the island and city of Amoy, situated in a fine gulf in the province of Fokein, the great tea district of China. On the 25th. of August the fleet arrived before Amoy, which was defended by five hundred pieces of cannon and a numerous force; but nothing could withstand the combined efforts of the British naval and land forces. On the following day the works were bombarded for two hours, and a landing was effected about three o’clock, when the Chinese and Tartar soldiers fled in dismay, after firing a few shots. The small island of Koolangsoo was captured on the preceding day.

On the 5th. of September the expedition sailed for the recapture of Chusan, which island had been given up in consequence of the stipulations of the first treaty. The place was found more strongly fortified than before, and a resolute but unavailing stand was made by the Chinese. A landing in two columns was effected on the 1st. of October; the first, about fifteen hundred strong, was accompanied by Major-General Sir Hugh Gough, and was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Craigie, of the 55th. foot. The second, about one thousand strong, was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Morris, of the 49th. regiment.

The expedition proceeded on the 6th. against the city of Chinhae, the military depôt of the province, situated on the mainland opposite Chusan, and surrounded by a wall of extraordinary height and thickness. The troops landed on the 10th. of October, advanced through a difficult country towards the city, and stormed the works covering the approach to the place. In this city an extensive arsenal, and cannon foundry, with military stores, fell into the hands of the captors. The force employed consisted of detachments of the 18th., 49th., and 55th. regiments, and of the Royal and the Madras Artillery.

From Chinhae the expedition proceeded up the river on the 13th. of October, against the fortified city of Ningpo, where no resistance was encountered. The troops landed, and formed on the ramparts, and possession was taken of the second city in the province of Che-Keang, containing three hundred thousand inhabitants.

On the 10th. of March, 1842, a large army of Tartars and Chinese made a sudden attack upon Ningpo, escalading the walls, and forcing some of the gates, with great spirit, when the few British in garrison, triumphed over their numerous opponents. A guard of the 18th. Royal Irish Regiment, consisting of Lieutenant Anthony Armstrong, one sergeant, and twenty-three rank and file, stationed at the West-gate, being attacked by large numbers, behaved steadily, and gallantly drove them back, capturing two banners, the bearers of which had been shot at the gate: the spirited behaviour of this officer was commended in the public despatches.

Five days afterwards the troops embarked from Ningpo, and sailed up the river to attack the enemy’s posts. On the 15th. of March they were engaged at Tsekee, and the heights of Segaon, which were captured; the Chankee-pass was also forced, and the expedition, of which the 18th., 26th., and 49th. formed a portion, returned to Ningpo on the 17th. of March. This place was evacuated by the British in May, and an expedition proceeded against the fortified city of Chapoo, where a landing was effected on the 18th. of May. The 18th. and 49th. regiments composed the right column, under Lieutenant-Colonel Morris; and the 26th. and 55th. regiments were in the left, under Colonel Schoedde; the centre column under Lieutenant-Colonel Montgomerie, comprised detachments of the Royal and Madras Artillery, and the 36th. Madras Native Infantry. Lieutenant-Colonel Tomlinson met a soldier’s death at the head of his regiment, the 18th. Royal Irish.

In June an expedition sailed up the Yangtse-Keang river, and the fortified posts of Woosung and Poonshau were captured. The city of Shanghae was afterwards taken possession of without opposition. Reinforcements arrived, including the 98th. regiment from England, and the expedition proceeded against Chin-Keang-foo, one of the strongest and most important cities of China. The fleet left Woosung on the 6th. of July, the Chinese troops were driven from Suyshan, and on the 20th. of July the armament approached Chin-Keang-foo. On the following day, after the reconnaissance had been completed, and the ships were in position, the landing commenced. The first brigade, consisting of the 26th., the Bengal Volunteers, flank companies of the 41st. Madras Native Infantry, and the 98th., was under the command of Major-General Lord Saltoun; the second (centre) brigade consisting of a detachment of the Royal Artillery, 55th., 6th. Madras Native Infantry, 36th. Madras Rifles, 2nd. Madras Native Infantry, and a detachment of Sappers, was commanded by Colonel, afterwards Lieutenant-General Sir James Holmes Schoedde, K.C.B., (55th. Foot;) the third brigade comprised the 18th. and 49th., and the 14th. Madras Native Infantry, and was commanded by Colonel, afterwards Sir Robert Bartley, K.C.B., (49th. regiment,) both these officers having the local rank of Major-General.

Major-Generals Lord Saltoun and Schoedde commenced landing the troops before daylight, but considerable delay occurred from the rapidity of the current and the scattered state of the ships. The guns were next landed, followed by Major-General Bartley’s brigade. Lord Saltoun moved forward with the troops of his brigade first landed, the 98th. under Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, (afterwards Lord Clyde), and some companies of the native regiments, to destroy the encampments, and cut off the enemy’s communication with the city, between twelve and fifteen hundred of whom had shewn themselves. The soldiers drove them over the hills and destroyed the encampments. Major-General Schoedde escaladed the city walls at the north angle and carried the inner gateway, which was obstinately defended.

The 55th. highly distinguished itself on this occasion.[97] Lieutenant Cuddy, of that regiment, was the first to mount the walls, and was shortly afterwards severely wounded. Major (afterwards Major-General Charles Warren, C.B.,) commanding the 55th., after he was himself wounded, cut down two of the enemy, and was personally engaged with a third. Every angle and embrasure had to be carried at the point of the bayonet. Brevet-Major Maclean commanded the storming party, and Captain Greenward the Royal Artillery.

Meanwhile the west gate had been blown in by Captain Pears, the commanding engineer. A body of Tartars having been driven into one division of the western outwork, refused to surrender, when most of them were either shot or destroyed in the burning houses, several of which had been set on fire by the enemy, or by the British guns. Major-General Bartley subsequently proceeded with a body of troops, consisting of the 18th. and part of the 49th. regiment, when a hot engagement ensued with about one thousand Tartars, who, under cover of some enclosures, opened a destructive fire on the soldiers as they were filing round the walls. The leading division of the 49th. dashing down the ramparts on their left, while the 18th. pushed on to turn their right, they were soon dispersed, although some fought with great desperation.

From the sun becoming so overpowering, it was found impossible to move with men already fatigued by their exertions, many of whom died from the intense heat. The troops therefore remained in occupation of the gates until six o’clock, when several parties were pushed into the Tartar city and to the public offices. On passing through the city and suburbs the painful spectacle presented itself of hundreds of the dead bodies of men, women, and children, lying in the houses, numerous families having destroyed themselves sooner than outlive the disgrace of their city being captured by foreigners.

The Royal Artillery, 18th., 26th., 49th., 55th., and 98th. regiments shared in this service.

Sir Hugh Gough proceeded to carry his victorious troops into the heart of the empire, and attack Nankin, the ancient capital of China, wherein the fugitives from Chin-Keang-foo had sought refuge. By the 9th. of August the British naval and land forces environed Nankin, and a great portion of the troops landed. This decisive step produced the desired results, and conditions of peace were acceded to; the Chinese paying an indemnity, and ceding a portion of territory to the British crown.

In consideration of the gallantry displayed by the troops employed on the coasts and rivers of China, Her Majesty was graciously pleased to permit the 18th., 26th., 49th., 55th., and 98th. regiments, and their linked battalions, to bear on their colours and appointments the word “China,” and the device of the Dragon.

The Navy took an important part in the first Chinese war, under Commodore Sir Gordon Brewer, at the capture of Chusan, and the Bogue Forts, and in the operations against Canton, in 1840–41. Under Admiral Sir William Parker, the fleet took the principal share in the capture of Amoy and Chinhae, in 1841, and in the attack on Woosung in 1842. The principal ships engaged were—the two-deckers, “Wellesley,” “Blenheim,” and “Melville”; the “Calliope,” “Samarang,” “Alligator,” “Druid,” and “Blonde,” frigates; and the steamers, “Queen,” “Sesostris,” “Phlegethon,” and above all the “Nemesis,” commanded by Master W. H. Hall. Several other sloops and small craft also were engaged in the operations.

SECOND CHINESE WAR.
1856–1860.

The second war against the Chinese arose from various acts of aggression; amongst which the seizure of the crew of the memorable lorcha named the “Arrow,” sailing under British colours, was the most prominent. The operations were at first confined to the navy and Marines. Admiral Sir Michael Seymour pursued vigorous measures; he opened fire upon Canton in October, destroyed several Chinese junks on the 5th. of November, 1856, and the Bogue Forts, mounting upwards of four hundred guns, were captured on the 12th. and 13th. of that month. The Chinese made repeated but abortive attempts to destroy the fleet with fire-rafts and infernal machines, some of which were charged with three thousand pounds of gunpowder. On December 3rd., a strong fort called the French Folly, was bombarded by the “Encounter” and “Barracouta,” and Captains Wilson and Cochrane, at the head of eight hundred and fifty sailors and marines, attacked and stormed it on the land side. Thirty guns, some of them sixty-eight pounders, were captured and destroyed, and the fort blown up. This gave the Admiral command over the whole river, and his blockade annihilated the trade of Canton.

An attack was made on the suburbs of the city of Canton on the 12th. of January, 1857, when a detachment of the 59th., employed in conjunction with the naval forces, sustained a few casualties.

FATSHAN CREEK.
JUNE 1ST., 1857.

Admiral Sir Michael Seymour having determined on attacking the Chinese main fleet in Fatshan Creek, consisting of upwards of eighty junks, manned by six thousand picked warriors, and armed with above eight hundred guns, many of them being forty-two pounders of European manufacture; on June 1st., led in person in the little “Coromandel” tender, a force of eleven gunboats, and between fifty and sixty boats of the fleet, carrying nearly two thousand men, against the enemy, at half-past three in the morning. The Chinese had constructed heavy batteries on both sides of the creek, and believed their position to be impregnable. The first point of attack was the battery on the right, which was stormed and taken by a body of seamen and marines, under Commodore Elliot, with trifling loss. Owing to the receding tide, most of the gunboats grounded, and the ships’ boats pushed on by themselves, in face of a well-directed and heavy cannonade, boarded the junks, and in a short time they were in flames. In the meantime, Commodore Hon. H. Keppel (now Admiral of the Fleet, Sir H. Keppel), in the “Hong Kong,” at the head of another division, had attacked the battery on the left side of the creek. His gunboats taking the ground, he quitted them, and in his galley led the boats against the junks and boarded the largest himself. The whole fleet was soon captured, the crews escaping to the land. Leaving some of his boats in the rear to burn the junks, he pushed on with the remainder towards another squadron visible in the distance. After a long pull he came directly upon twenty junks of the largest size, most of which were aground, but so compactly moored that their bow guns appeared like the broadside of a heavy frigate, which received him with a fire, the precision of which exceeded anything yet experienced in China. Almost every boat was struck, the gig of Captain Cochrane was disabled, and Keppel’s own boat and the launch of the “Calcutta” sunk. So great was the confusion, that the flotilla retired a little to re-form, while the Chinese beat their gongs and uttered loud yells of triumph. But the tide was now fast flowing, the Admiral sent up a reinforcement, and Keppel returned to the attack with such vigour, that in a quarter of an hour the junks slipped from their cables and fled up the river. They were pursued, gradually disabled and taken; and of the whole proud Chinese fleet, but three junks escaped. Eighty-nine junks were destroyed, and the loss of the enemy must have been heavy; that of the victors was thirteen men killed, and forty wounded.

An exceedingly graphic and stirring account of the action was written by the gallant Commodore himself, in a letter to his friends in England, which proceeds thus:—“When the ‘Hong Kong’ grounded, I led on the boats in my gig, but as the tide was rising, she kept following us as fast as she could. The first division of the Chinese fleet was attacked by about nineteen hundred men, and soon gave way. I did not take up more than a quarter of that number to attack the second division, which was three miles higher up the river, in a well-selected place, and evidently the _élite_ of their fleet. They numbered exactly twenty, in one compact row, mounting from ten to fourteen guns each, two of them on stern and bow being heavy 32-pounders. I saw I had all the ‘Raleigh’s’ boats well up, and determined to push on. They fired occasional shots, as if to ascertain our exact distance, but did not open their heaviest fire until we were within six hundred yards, and then I soon saw how impossible it would be to force our way until I had reinforcements. We cheered, and I tried to get on, when a shot struck my boat quite amidships, cut one man in two, and took off the arm of another. Prince Victor (of Hohenlohe) who was with me, jumped forward to bind the man’s arm with his neckcloth. While he was doing so, another round shot passed through both sides of the boat, wounding two others of the crew. The boat was filling with water, and I got on one of the seats to keep my legs out of it; just as I stepped up, a third round shot went through both sides of the boat, not more than an inch below the seat on which I was standing. Many of our boats had now got huddled together, the oars of most being shot away. A boat of the ‘Calcutta’ being nearest, we got in, pulling our wounded men with us. My dog ‘Mike’ refusing to leave the body of the seaman who had been his favourite, we were obliged to leave him. I then gave the order to retire on the ‘Hong Kong,’ and re-form abreast of her. While we were going down a shot cut away all the oars on one side. I called to Lieutenant Graham to get his boat ready, as I would hoist my broad pennant, and lead the next attack in his boat. I had no sooner spoken than a shot disabled his boat, wounding him, and killing and wounding four others. I saw Graham one mass of blood, but it was from a marine who stood next to him, and part of whose skull was forced three inches into another man’s shoulder. When I reached the ‘Hong Kong’ the whole of the enemy’s fire seemed to be centred upon her. She was ‘hulled’ twelve times in a few minutes; her deck was covered with the wounded who had been taken on board from the boats. I was looking at them, when a round shot cut down a marine, and he fell among them. From our paddle-box I saw that our heavy firing was bringing up strong reinforcements. The account of my having been obliged to retire had reached them, and they were pulling up like mad. I ordered a bit of blue bunting to be got ready to represent my broad pennant; I called out: ‘Let us try the row-boats once more, boys!’ and went over the side into our cutter. At this moment there arose from the boats, as if every man took it up at the same instant, one of those British cheers so full of meaning, that I knew at once that it was all up with John Chinaman. They might sink twenty boats, but there were thirty others which would go ahead all the faster! On we went. Three more cheers, and then began an exciting chase for seven miles. As our shot told on them, they ran ashore, and their crews forsook them. Seventeen were come up with, and captured in this way; three only escaped.”

Soon afterwards the Earl of Elgin arrived at Hong Kong as the British Plenipotentiary, to negotiate with the Emperor, and if satisfactory terms were not conceded, to carry on the war with vigour. His lordship arrived at Hong Kong early in July, 1857, and the news of the terrible Indian Mutiny having reached him at Singapore, a portion of the force selected for operations in China was, with a noble patriotism, at once despatched to Calcutta, the Earl following them soon after with additional troops from Hong Kong.

Lieutenant-General the Honourable Thomas Ashburnham, C.B., who had been appointed to the military command of the force destined for China, having left for Calcutta, was succeeded by Major-General (afterwards Sir Charles) Van Straubenzee. Lord Elgin was not able to act effectively until December, in which month Commissioner Yeh was informed that the British and French governments were united in their determination to proceed against Canton until the demands required were conceded. Operations were eventually prosecuted with increased vigour, in consequence of the evasive replies of the Chinese Commissioners, which resulted in the

CAPTURE OF CANTON.
29TH. DECEMBER, 1857.

A reconnaissance was made on the 22nd. of December, 1857, by a body of British and French troops, to ascertain the exact position and strength of the forts to the north of Canton. A similar step was taken in the course of a day or two, to gain information regarding the eastern side of the city, and a proclamation was subsequently issued, notifying that the place, if not surrendered, would be bombarded and stormed.

After a cannonade, which commenced on the 28th. of December, 1857, the troops were embarked for Kupar Creek at the south-east of the town, which was deemed the most convenient for landing the attacking force.[98] This was composed of British and French troops; the former had been formed into two brigades; the first, consisting of the first and second battalions of Royal Marine Light Infantry, was under Colonel Holloway, of that corps; the second, composed of Royal Engineers and Volunteer Company of Sappers, Royal Artillery, and Royal Marine Artillery, Provisional Battalion Royal Marines, the 59th. regiment, and the 38th. Madras Native Infantry, was commanded by Colonel Hope Graham, of the 59th. The artillery was under Colonel Dunlop.

The landing having been effected, the enemy was immediately attacked. The East or Linn Fort was soon gained, the Chinese, after a vigorous fire, having abandoned it and retreated to Gough’s Fort. The cannonade continued all day, and throughout the following night, the firing from the ships being also continued. On the 29th. the east wall of the city was escaladed by the British and French, and after a considerable resistance, the enemy was driven along it and out of the eastern gate of the city, of which possession was at once taken. On this occasion the 59th., under Major Burmester, advanced as the covering party to the French Naval Brigade and Royal Marines. Major Luard, Brigade-Major to the second brigade, is stated to have been the first on the walls of Canton. The casualties were small.

For a week the allies occupied the walls between Magazine Hill and the south-east corner of the city, no descent being made into the streets. All this time everything appeared to be proceeding as usual, the inhabitants pursuing their avocations with the greatest unconcern, no offer of submission being made. This was soon changed; on the morning of the 5th. of January, the troops descended into the streets, when the governor of the city, the Tartar General, and the celebrated Commissioner Yeh were soon captured.[99] The latter was subsequently sent to Calcutta.

CAPTURE OF THE PEIHO, OR TAKU FORTS.
MAY 20TH, 1858.

After the capture of Canton, Lord Elgin and the French Ministers finding all their proposals treated with evasion and delay by the Chinese, resolved to transfer the scene of operations to the mouth of the Peiho river, on which stands Pekin the capital of China. They accordingly placed the conduct of affairs in the hands of the English and French Admirals (Sir M. Seymour and Admiral de Genouilly), with directions to use their efforts to bring about a satisfactory settlement. Sir Michael and his colleague, with the Ambassadors, arrived off the mouth of the Peiho at the end of April, and some time was lost in fruitless negotiations, which the Chinese employed in strengthening their forts and defences, till they considered them to be impregnable. A final demand being sent for the surrender of the forts, to be held as a surety till the conclusion of a treaty, to which no answer was returned, the Admiral determined on an immediate attack. The works were very formidable. For nearly a mile earthworks and batteries had been thrown up on both sides of the river, commanding every part of the Channel, mounting upwards of 150 heavy guns, besides gingalls; a strong boom was placed across the river in front, and the sides were staked to prevent any attempts at landing. In the rear were several camps strongly entrenched, and filled with picked troops. On the morning of May 20th., the two Admirals hoisted their flags together on the “Slaney” gunboat, and at 10 a.m. the signal was made for the attack. Captain Saumarez in the “Cormorant” led the way, and at full speed went for the boom, which was composed of five seven-inch bamboo cables. Her men were lying flat on the deck, no one being visible but her commander and an officer or two, the three forts opened upon her at once; when with a crash she shivered the boom, passed through, and directed her fire on the northern forts. The “Nimrod” followed her, and concentrated her fire on the southern defences, diverting their attention from the “Cormorant.” Four French gunboats quickly followed, and for more than an hour the contest raged, for the Chinese stood well to their guns. Some of their batteries being silenced, and the fire from all slackening, the landing parties, which the smaller gunboats had in tow, pushed ashore, and having but a few yards to traverse, were in the embrasures at once, taking the enemy entirely by surprise. On seeing the capture of the southern forts, the defenders of the northern forts fled, and the landing parties entered them without any opposition. In about two hours from the commencement of the attack, the whole of the defences at the mouth of the river were in the possession of the allies, and the Chinese army in full retreat. The forts were destroyed, the camps taken, and the road to Pekin open to the conquerors.[100] The arrogance of the enemy was at last subdued, and convinced of the uselessness of further resistance, a treaty was signed by their Ministers at Tientsin on the 26th. of June following, in conformity with the terms proposed by the allies, containing concessions never before thought possible by a Chinese, nor proposed by a European.

CAPTURE OF THE TAKU FORTS.
21ST. AUGUST, 1860.

This treaty the Chinese Government refused to ratify, and the British and French were resolved to obtain that result. In the first instance persuasion and diplomatic efforts were resorted to, but without success. Every attempt at negotiation having proved fruitless, recourse was again had to arms, Major-General Sir James Hope Grant, K.C.B., so distinguished during the Indian Mutiny, being appointed to the command, with the local rank of Lieutenant-General. On the 1st. of August the troops landed at Pehtang, which they quitted on the 12th., and on that morning Major-General Sir Robert Napier commanding the second division, encountered the enemy at Sin-ho. In this action the Armstrong guns were first used in war. The attack of the entrenched fortified camp of Tangku occurred on the 14th. of August, and on the 20th. orders were issued for the attack of the North Taku Forts, by a force composed of British and French troops, about fifteen hundred of each. The 44th., 67th., and Royal Marines, under Sir Robert Napier represented the British quota; there was however a heavy train of field artillery, comprising several eight-inch mortars and two Armstrong batteries. In the evening the gunboats took up their positions, and the troops having crossed a flat and muddy plain, the night was employed in throwing up trenches and batteries. Such alacrity was shewn by the Chinese for the fight, that early in the morning of the 21st. of August they opened fire upon the troops an hour before the time fixed upon by the Allies; this was followed by a tremendous bombardment in reply, aided by the gunboats, which pitched shell and rockets into the North Fort. The assault then took place.[101] The place was defended with great determination, although the grand magazine had exploded from the fire of the British artillery. At length the regiments before named, in conjunction with the French, gained a footing on the walls. Even then the Tartars fought with noble intrepidity, but eventually they endeavoured to take refuge in the next fort about half a mile distant, although few succeeded in the attempt. Their loss was at least three thousand; the British casualties were seventeen killed, and one hundred and fifty-eight wounded; their allies had about thirty killed and upwards of one hundred wounded. Four hundred guns were taken, and the capture of this strong fort caused the Chinese the same afternoon to surrender the others, together with the province of Pecheli, upon a cessation of hostilities being granted.

OCCUPATION OF PEKIN.
13TH. OCTOBER, 1860.