Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research 99/397

LETTERS FROM INDIA , 16 TH LANCERS , 1840 S

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steady trot. When within forty yards of the enemy, who were in square, we gave another loud British hurrah. I saw their bayonets waive like wind, and they gave us a tremendous volley. In another moment we were in their squares. We had broke them; then commenced the work of death – we gave no quarter, [n]or was it asked by us. In vain the trumpets sounded the recall – the infantry came to our relief, and from this place we made a complete victory of it – took their guns, and slew their soldiers, our artillery firing on their flying ranks with grape shot and shell, from where we charged to the ford in the Sutlej river. We kept taking their guns, which were of the most beautiful description. Never was a more complete victory obtained. This shews the superiority of us over the enemy. They were 24,000 – we were scarcely 9,000 after finding our guards for the baggage. They were intrenched – we had to storm those intrenchments. Now, then, to tell you the loss: – On the enemy’s side, 8,000 is owned by themselves to have been their loss. Our loss in killed and wounded is not 600, but 150 of these belong to the 16 th Lancers, 57 of which are killed and the greater portion of wounded are without limbs. My dear Mother, I have not received a scratch, nor my horse, nor any of the lucky Cambridge men. I saw Gee, Edmunds, Jarvis, Mayes, Everet, and Blinkhorn, on the field of battle, and poor old Edmunds came and shook me by the hands as if I had been his brother. 11 I had the hair M_____ and R_____ sent me round my neck; it seemed to turn the balls aside; how I escaped or any one from such a fire God only knows, one of my stirrups was cut away, and also the lines of my cap, but before I went in the action I offered a prayer to God in silence, and he heard it. As soon as the Commander-in-Chief received the despatches, he leaped from his horse and gave three cheers, a salute of eighteen guns was fired, and the line gave three hearty cheers for us, their gallant comrades, as they called us. My dearest mother, give my best love to father, and my dear brothers and sisters. I wish they would all write and send some newspapers. Also, my dear mother, tell R____ H____ I thought of her in the battle’s heat, and that as I cut at the enemy and parried their thrusts, my arm was strong on her account. If you can get me a paper with the account of the battle send it. The General gives, in his despatches, the greatest praise, so I suppose they will do the same; he told us that when our regiment was in Lahore, in 1837, that the King thought us all gentlemen, but had he seen us on that day, he would have proclaimed us all devils, for you[sic] charged their ranks more like them than any thing else. 12 As he left us, we 11 These Cambridgeshire men were: 1041 Pte Richard Gee, 646 Pte John Edmunds, 1040 Pte William Jarvis, 1478 Pte Edward Mayers, 1039 Cpl James Everitt, and 828 Sgt Henry Blinkhorn. 12 The king was Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler (died 1839). A large British delegation visited Lahore in 1837, accompanied by the 16 th Lancers and other regiments. All British observers were impressed by the quality of the Sikh army; see for example W. G. Osborne, The Court and Camp of Runjeet Singh (London, 1840), pp. 102-103, 157-158.