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18 Apr 58 Julius Azimgurh Mother ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Azimgurh *, Bengal
18th April 1858
My dear Mother
Mails continue to arrive from England but no letters for me. I think it will be a capital plan to keep a list of dates, both of those you send & those you receive, & send a copy occasionally. The post in India has been very bad, but it is supposed to be improving.
I will do this & I hope the next time I write, to be able to give you a few of your own dates.
Things are going on slowly, I hope steadily, with us. We do not like Lugard, our present Chief half so much as Hope Grant who we were with before. We have little confidence in him.
The other day near Jaunpore* one march from it, he allowed a lot of the enemy to get right away. We certainly took two guns & killed about 70, but a good General would have had them all. As it was, we met with some loss. Poor young Havelock (not the Bart, but his cousin) was killed. We came up here to relieve the place. There were only a wing of the 37th here & were surrounded in the entrenchment by Koer Singh* with 5,000 Sepoys. Their leader was the only man who has really defeated the English. He has worsted them 3 times – always by treachery – but that makes no difference. The Sepoys have faith in him & thought he could do it again. However he did not like our look, although only about 3,000 & he wisely retreated the same morning that we advanced on Azimgurh. We got the whole lot of his baggage & ammunition & I believe have killed several, but a good General would have got him in a net. It is said that we shall have him in one, in the course of a day or two, as he is making for the river & there are several forces out after him. His men, they say, are real Sepoys. I understand they fight well. Of course in desperation.
I know some men have bayonet wounds from them, but if our fellows only get at them properly, which is very difficult as they are so fast, the work will soon be done.
The 10th & 84th are out after them. They wanted some men at Jaunpore & so there are 3 Companies there. There are 3 Companies (of which mine is one) in the entrenchment & the other 4 Companies are in Camp at the Head Quarters. We do not know whether we shall stop here or not. I hope we shall, as the rainy season soon begins & then marching with all its accompaniments of piquets* &c. is very unhealthy.
This is not a bad place for a small Indian station. The town was full of the Rebels until we came & the Inhabitants are only beginning to come back. There is nothing to be got in the Bazaar. By the way there are no shops in native towns. There is a Bazaar where all the buying & selling goes on. There is a very good swimming bath in the gardens which adjoin the fort as it is called by courtesy, for there is no fortification at all except a ditch & a parapet round some buildings, one of which is the Jail. I am living very comfortably in my tent & hope we shall not have to march again at present.
I heard from John two days ago. The letter had been all round the world I expect, directed to Colchester.
My Batta for Lucknow amounts to £70, so that next month I shall be all right. Since I have been out I have been very tight for money owing to the delay on the voyage out & if it had not been for that, we have a very obliging acting Paymaster who advanced me money, I should have had to borrow.
This place is troubled by dust storms which seem to occur every day which is a nuisance.
I shall get a horse & sell one of my Jats (that being the name for the country poneys). I think on the strength of the batta I should like to know what the P&O are going to pay up as Cox sent me an account £8 to the bad. All things considered that is not so bad.
Do let me hear from you all as often as possible.
Give my love to all
Hoping all are well & happy
I remain yr. affect. Son
J D Laurie
* Azimgurh - Now Azingarh
* Jaunpore – Now Jaunpur, 50 miles SW of Azimgarh
* Koer Singh – Rebel Commander in Bihar, killed 1st May 1858
* piquets – outlying defensive troops