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1845-1846.
HOME SERVICE
Leave Chatham—First
railway experience— March continued—A comparison— Chichester —Soldiers'
tea—Winchester—Forton and Haslar—Naval Hospital— Sikh invasion—Regiments
to India—Experimental Squadron—Russians Ibrahim
Pasha—Regiments—Volunteer for West Coast of Africa—Leave the
Buffs—Hounslow flogging case—Clarkson and slavery—Abolition.
TIME-EXPIRED and some
other classes of men not conducive to regimental efficiency being
discharged, soldiers and officers "set up" in respect to kits and
equipments, the order to proceed to Chichester was received with
acclamation, for in those days the reputation accorded to Chatham as a
station was by no means flattering. At the end of May the Buffs marched
merrily away; that is, marched on foot, for railway communication had
not yet connected Chatham with the outside world. A few miles got over,
and we were at Blue Bell Hill, the ascent of which revealed to us in
great variety and luxuriance forest, flowers, and grass-covered patches;
the summit reached, an extensive view of the lovely vale of Kent
stretched away beneath us, and in our near vicinity the cromlech called
"Kittscotty House" attracted the notice of those among us who were of
antiquarian tastes.
At Maidstone the regiment
had its first experience of transit by rail The art of "training" and
detraining troops had not yet been learnt; hence delay such as would now
be culpable was unavoidable before soldiers and their baggage were in
their places, and a start made. The line being open only to Redhill, all
had there to alight, the short journey to Reigate being performed on
foot. Arrived at that pretty town, we had our initiation into the system
of billeting, the officers being "told off" to the principal hotel, the
comforts of which made us speedily forget whatever disagreeables had
attended the proceedings of the day. Continuing our journey, we arrived
in succession at Petworth and Horsham, at each of which towns we
similarly enjoyed our billets; thence to Chichester. The approach of a
country gentleman to our Commanding Officer attracted our attention; the
"halt" was sounded; the word passed on that, on hospitality intent, he
had provided "refreshments" for all of us. His kind attention was highly
appreciated, acknowledgments expressed, he himself invited to dinner
with the officers at our new destination; then the march resumed, the
Buffs marching into quarters at Chichester on the fourth day of their
very pleasant journey.
Compared and contrasted
with a march in India, that now over presented some striking points of
difference, not the least of which were the absence of hackeries,
bullocks, camels, elephants, and that heterogeneous collection of
"followers" comprised under the name, of the bazaar." Instead of tents
and camp fare we had comfortable if expensive entertainment at hotels,
while our daily line of route lay through rich, varied, and beautiful
English scenery. But some of our Party looked back with fond
remembrances to the freedom and feeling of exhilaration attending the
early morning march in India, dusty roads and sundry other drawbacks
notwithstanding.
The huts, literally "baraques,"
assigned to us were old, dating from the Peninsular War. From the
restoration of peace they had been left unoccupied until quite recently,
when they were utilised in the first instance for the temporary
reception of men enlisted to form a new 44th Regiment, and subsequently
by the 55th on its return from China. The officer' who held the position
of Barrack-master boasted of a very honourable military "record," he
having been, if not the very first, among the first to mount the breach
at Badajos; yet, like many others of his day, he had been thrown on
half-pay at the conclusion of the war, and so deprived of the chance of
rising in the service. From the residents of the cathedral city and its
neighbourhood our officers received much civility and hospitality. The
cathedral, used as a stable in the days of Cromwell, but long since
"restored," was often visited, the circumstance that it had been
transported from Selsey to its present site adding to it many points of
historical interest. But to some among us Chichester had the great
disadvantage of not yet being in direct communication by railway with
London, the journey to and from the metropolis having to be performed by
coach. A Bill had then only recently been passed authorizing such a
railway.
An event occurred while
we occupied those huts which marked in its way a stage in the advance of
comfort and well-being of the soldier. Hitherto his "regulation" daily
meals were only two; namely, breakfast at 8 a.m., dinner at i p.m.—an
interval of nineteen hours being thus left during which he had to be
without food, unless he happened to have spare money wherewith to supply
himself at the regimental canteen or public- house in town. The obvious
drawbacks of such a state of things had long been subject of
representation, but hitherto unsuccessfully. Now, however, in 1845,
authority was issued granting the issue to the men of a tea meal at 4
p.m. For a time the order was resented; that a soldier should condescend
to lea was held to be against the natural order of things, and to mark
effeminacy. Soon, however, the measure was appreciated by all, and
drunkenness, at that time the bane of the soldier, underwent a
remarkable decrease.
Winchester, to which we
next proceeded, had "for ages" been looked upon as a favourite station
by regiments. To some of us the many historical associations connected
with that ancient city became so many sources of interest and objects of
study. The commodious barracks, occupied by the Buffs and Scots Fusilier
Guards stood upon the site of what had been a royal palace, and still
earlier a castle. The city itself dates back to B.C. 800. The cathedral—
to which our visits became very frequent—occupies a site whereon stood,
during the years of Roman occupation, an altar to Apollo, and, in times
still more ancient, one devoted to sun worship. Among other places of
interest in and around the city were the buildings to which more
particularly are referred the legendary stories of Saint Swithin of
rainy fame; the ancient hospital of St. Cross, at which travellers might
claim a dole of bread and beer; the world-famous school and college,
both founded by William of Wykeham, A.D. 1324-1404. Among favourite
walks was that to "the Labyrinth," on the summit of St. Catherine's
Hill; several alongside the banks of the Itchin, sacred to the memory of
Izaak Walton, and that to Twyford. In the churchyard of that place stood
a remarkably fine specimen of a yew tree, such as, in times long gone
by, were preserved in burial places, and so held in a manner sacred—for
the purpose of supplying yeomen with long-bows, in the use of which
weapon those of England so much excelled. The bill from which, in
Cromwell's time, the city was bombarded was a favourite walk among us.
So was the village of Horsely, some few miles distant; its church
associated with the author of The Christian Year, the choir, consisting
of various very ordinary musical instruments, including a violin and
clarionet.
On a day late in January,
1846, the Buffs proceeded by rail to Portsmouth Bitterly cold, wet and
windy, was the weather; the streets of that great naval port in some
places inundated by the tide, so that progress along them was by no
means pleasant. By the floating steam bridge the harbour was crossed,
our regiment divided so as to occupy barracks at Forton and Haslar
respectively. With the companies proceeding to the latter place I was
detailed for duty. The quarters consisted of huts, the one assigned to
me so situated as to afford from its window a near view of Spithead, and
of the magnificent and graceful sailing men-of-war vessels anchored
there or manceuvring in the Solent.
An early opportunity was
taken to visit the great Naval Hospital, near to which my temporary
residence was situated; and although in these notes professional
recollections are for the most part avoided, one of the results of that
visit was sufficiently interesting to be made an exception to that rule.
On a portion of the adjoining grounds, and set apart for the purpose, a
considerable number of mentally afflicted patients, together with their
attendants or keepers—their costumes in every respect similar to those
worn by the patients—were engaged with apparent heartiness in what was a
"rollicking" dance, to the notes of several violins, the performers on
which were presumably patients and attendants. In the treatment of the
patients all coercive measures were absent; free association among them
was permitted from time to time, as we had seen; such of them as desired
to work or labour were given every opportunity of doing so, and for the
special benefit of those who desired to follow—in imagination—their
seafaring life, a lake with its fleet of boats was provided. Such were
some of the measures adopted in respect to this class of patients in
1846. The Victory and other "sights" connected with the great naval port
were visited; but in respect to these it appears unnecessary to enter
into details, except that all associations on board relating to
England's naval hero were duly venerated.
Without previous warning
news circulated that the Sikhs, in great force, had crossed the Sutlej,
and thus invaded British territory. Then quickly followed intelligence
that four severely contested battles against them had been fought, their
forces defeated, Lahore occupied; 1)huleep Singh, a child, brought by
his mother, the Maharanee, to the camp of Lord Hardinge, the
Governor-General, by whom his "submission" was accepted. In those
battles many officers fell, with whom, collectively or individually, we
had but recently, as already mentioned, been most pleasantly associated,
and whose fate we now mourned. As fuller details became known, it
appeared that on December 12, 1845, the Sikh armies, under the command
of La! Singh, crossed the Sutlej, and by the 16th had strongly fortified
a position taken up by them on the left bank of that river. On the 13th
the forces under Sir Hugh Gough attacked and drove them from their
position at Moodkee. Following them to Ferozeshuhur, at which place they
had meanwhile entrenched themselves, he renewed his attack upon them on
the 21st, the terrible battle which was to ensue continuing during that
and two following days,— the issue, for some time uncertain, ultimately
being in favour of our troops. There it was that the 62nd, with whom but
lately we had been happy at Dinapore, having begun its advance against
those entrenchments with 23 officers, lost 17 of that number-8 killed on
the field and 9 wounded. But still another position, and it at Aliwal,
was taken up by the retreating Sikhs, where, on January 28, 1846, they
were attacked by the forces under Sir Harry Smith. There the 16th
Lancers performed the gallant deed of charging through a ghola (or mass)
of Sikhs, their substitute for a square; then repeated the charge,
destroying the enemy thus rode down. In the performance of that heroic
feat the regiment lost upwards of one hundred men killed and
wounded—that is, nearly one-third of their effective strength. On
February 10 the Sikhs were defeated, their forces destroyed up at
Sobraon, though at very heavy cost in killed and wounded to the British.
On that occasion the 50th lost in killed and wounded 12 officers, nearly
all of whom were personal acquaintances, more or less intimate of my
own, and in addition 227 men. The 10th Foot, with which I was destined
to be subsequently associated, had in killed and wounded 3 officers, 3
non-commissioned officers, and 127 rank and file. Other regiments
engaged suffered heavily, for the Sikhs contended for their nationality
and class interests. The facts related give significance to the
intentions of Lord Ellenborough expressed in Gwalior, to lead the troops
thither direct upon the Punjab frontier. That plan was disallowed, and
so two years were given to the Sikh leaders wherein to complete their
arrangements for taking the offensive.
Orders from the Horse
Guards directed that three infantry regiments —namely, the 8th, 24th,
and 32nd—should proceed to India without delay. No less than six weeks
elapsed, however, before they sailed, the circumstance itself
illustrating the state of unreadiness for emergencies which then
existed. The three regiments named were destined to take their parts in
arduous service in India, the first at Mooltan, the second at
Chilianwalla, the third at Lucknow.
The establishment of what
was to be called our "Experimental Squadron" at this time was justly
looked upon as an event of great importance.. The fleet so designated
consisted for the most part of sailing ships of war, but comprised also
several steam vessels, propelled by paddles, the whole providing for
spectators an unusual and magnificent sight as they lay anchored at
Spithead.1 Between the lines passed the Royal yacht, having on board Her
Majesty the Queen. From the sides of each successive ship thundered
salutes; from their decks rose strains of the National Anthem ; from
their yards, manned for the occasion, came hearty cheers of loyalty. A
brief interval succeeded; then simultaneously, as if by combined
movement, dropped the huge white sails; these gradually filled to the
breeze; away glided the fleet, followed by hundreds of yachts, boats,
and craft of all sorts. About this time also the then strange sight was
for the first time witnessed of a war ship, the Rattler, sliding, as it
were, out of Portsmouth Harbour, destitute of sail or paddle, the first
of her kind propelled by the Archimedean screw.
The arrival at Spithead
of the Russian war-ship Prince oJ Warsaw, having on board the Grand Duke
Constantine, escorted by two other vessels, was to Portsmouth an event
of interest and political importance. The officers of the Imperial
frigate were entertained at dinner by those of the Buffs: an attention
much appreciated by them. Next day a party of us were most civilly
received on board their ship; in the course of that visit the
circumstance made clear that our hosts were well acquainted with the
English language, as also with insular manners and customs. But great
was the contrast between conditions on board and those of the
"Experimental Squadron." The Russian sailors untidy and slovenly in
appearance, the terms of their service severe, inasmuch as after a
period of twenty years in the Navy or Army the reward to which they had
to look forward was—emancipation; for as yet they were serfs. According
to their own accounts, the period of obligatory service by officers was
twenty- one years. Leave of absence, if exceeding a total of one year
during that period, had to be made up by them; and if on any occasion
absent from their ships or regiments for more than four days, their pay
for that time is withheld from them. We congratulated ourselves that our
position was in those respects more fortunate than theirs.
About the same time
Ibrahim Pasha came among us. The circumstance that the comfort or
otherwise of travellers across the desert between Cairo and Suez
depended much on measures directed by the Viceroy of Egypt, added to
other considerations, no doubt moved Admiralty and Horse Guards to order
that every attention should be shown to His Highness. Among other
displays for his gratification the troops in garrison were paraded on
Southsea Common. As he rode along the line, the impression produced by
his appearance and style was by no means favourable; about fifty years
of age, bloated in aspect, cruel and relentless in expression, he looked
in these respects a true descendant of his father, Mehemet Ali.
In quarters at Portsmouth
were the 13th Light Infantry, then recently returned from India, their
honours thick upon them, as "The Illustrious Garrison." The 74th,
re-converted into Highlanders, paraded for the first time in their
newly-acquired uniform. In those regiments and in the Buffs there was a
large leaven of old soldiers who had not risen beyond the ranks; the
majority of the non-commissioned officers were men whose locks were
grey, some with sons serving as soldiers; recruits were relatively few
in number; barrack-room courts- martial in full operation; crime, at
least that officially brought forward, comparatively rare, though what
in reality is quite another thing. That the regiments so constituted
were capable of the most arduous service was proved by that of the Buffs
in Gwalior, the 13th in Affghanistan.
The receipt from the War
Office of a letter containing an offer of promotion conditional on
proceeding to the West Coast of Africa, though a surprise, was not
altogether an agreeable one, for hitherto the usual designation of that
part of the world had been "The White Man's Grave." Official reports'
regarding it referred to no later date than 1825 ; but this is the
result of reference to them :—In February of that year a party of white
soldiers, 105 strong, arrived at the Isles de Loss, near Sierra Leone;
at the end of eighteen months 54 of their number were dead by fever, 8
by other diseases, 21 invalided back to England, 20 remained on those
islands, scarcely any of them fit for duty. Then followed a table by
which, at the Gambia, the annual mortality of white men was shown to
have been at the rate of 1,500 per 1,000 average strength. On the other
hand, the proffered promotion would advance me over one hundred and
forty of my seniors; increased pay would be an immediate advantage, and,
in the event of survival, increased departmental position. The upshot of
thought given to the subject was that, in the expression common to the
time, I volunteered for the West Coast.
With regret and sorrow I
ceased to be a member of the distinguished old regiment, with the
traditions and history of which, like all its other members, I had
become familiar. I had, moreover, formed friendships' such as subsequent
experience taught me existed only between regimental officers during
early life. The kindly expressions addressed to me by the Commanding
Officer on the occasion of the farewell dinner, to which I was invited,
impressed me in a manner not to be forgotten, and are here alluded to as
indicating the relations then existing between medical and battalion
officers.
No regular line of
communication existed between England and the West Coast of Africa;
consequently, when orders to embark were received, passage had to be
negotiated for through the medium of a ship's broker, and so advantage
taken of trading brigs or other small craft proceeding, at irregular
times, on voyages thither, either from the Thames or Mersey. Several
months elapsed before transport was obtained, and, meanwhile, time was
spent in visiting places interesting in themselves or by reason of past
associations.
At this time public
attention became aroused to a state of ferment, ostensibly because of
the death of a soldier of the 7th Hussars at Hounslow, after having been
flogged to the extent of io lashes, in pursuance of a sentence to that
effect by court-martial, for having violently and dangerously assaulted
a non-commissioned officer of his regiment. Medical opinion differed in
to/a as to whether the death was, or was not, the effect of the corporal
punishment. But the case was taken up and energetically debated, not
only at public meetings convened for the purpose, but also in both
Houses of Parliament. Whatever may have been its intrinsic merits, the
case in question undoubtedly led to the introduction of a Bill, the
outcome of which was that the maximum number of lashes to be inflicted
was thenceforward reduced to fifty. Instead of" unlimited" service as
heretofore, the period of a soldier's engagement was reduced to ten
years; and so, it was hoped, encouragement held out for a better class
of recruits to join the ranks; desertion would be diminished, and the
general efficiency of the service increased.
In September, 1846, the
death of Thomas Clarkson, at the age of eighty-six, recalled attention
to the subjects of slavery and the slave trade, against both of which,
for many years, his energies had been directed. It was in 1720 that
English opinion was first drawn to the horrors incidental to that
traffic. In 1787, by the efforts of Clarkson and Granville Sharp, a
Society for total abolition of the system was formed. In the following
year a Committee of the House of Commons was appointed to inquire into
the entire system; but not for a considerable time could the objects of
that Society be carried out, or members of influence be induced to take
interest in the Anti-Slavery Association and its work. Suddenly, and as
if through an accidental occurrence, public opinion was aroused; that
accident, the seizure in the streets of London of an escaped slave,
named Somerset—his late master, the captor. In 1792, Wilberforce carried
a Bill for the gradual abolition of the slave trade. In 1805 the
importation of slaves into British Colonies, recently taken from
Holland, was prohibited; a Bill carried, by which such traffic after
i8o8 was declared illegal. In 1811 it was declared to be felony; in 1824
it was made piracy. In 1837, made punishable by transportation for life.
In 1838, complete emancipation of slaves throughout all British
possessions took place. We were soon to see the results of those
measures in what had once been one of slavery's most active spheres. |
