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21 Nov 58 Julius Camp Dortapore Mother Hyde Park Place (West) ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Camp ‘Dortapore’ 21st Nov. 58

My dear Mother

We are still stationary & of course there is nothing to interfere with letter writing – so I will give you all my news, which I think you will say is little enough.

You know we have been here now for some time, ready to move at a moment’s notice, but I suppose we have not been required or else perhaps our presence was needed here.

We hear heavy firing every morning from the direction of Fyzabad where a number of our Troops are. I believe a Bridge is in the course of construction across the ‘Gogra’ at that place & we suppose the enemy are in numbers on the other bank & do not care about our getting across.

Our last shaves (you see we keep up the old Crimean name still) are that a very large Fort in this part of Oude, about 30 miles from here has been given up & that the Sepoys in it have laid down their arms. ‘Ameetic’ is the name of the place & that a powerful rebel by name of ‘Beni Madho’* has given himself up with 40,000 followers.

Brigadier Rowcroft on the other side of the Gogra is hard pressed by the Rebels. He has withdrawn his outposts & retired before them, if the Reports speak the truth.

If they (our people) are hard up it would be very easy for us to cross, as then we should be on the spot. However, at present there is nothing about it known.

We are living a very pleasant life of it. No very irksome duties to perform & lots of shooting a little distance off.

I sprained my ankle about a week ago out shooting but am able to get about again all right now.

The Sun has very little power except between 11 a.m. & 3 p.m. & even then I don’t think it would hurt one much to be out. We get up always at day break & we generally return from our Sporting expeditions by 11.

This force that I am with is only part of Col. Kelly’s Force which is 10 miles off so that we frequently ride over from one to the other, which passes a day very pleasantly.

I got a letter from you two days ago (the first for a long while) dated ‘Oct. 5th Buxton’ while you were on your travels. I only hope you may have spent as pleasant a time as we did last year. I think you have too large a party, & hope that it may not prevent you from carrying out all your arrangements.

I daresay you remember my mentioning in one of my scrawls that Capt. Ball was going home sick. We hear he died on his passage. I hope it may not be true. One of the Ensigns (the only one out here) ‘Webb’ of my Company [is] sick & going home. It is quite time some more were sent out to us. If we go into action we have not half Officers enough.

I hope you are all well; that Helen’s cold did not turn into anything worse. If it did, I am afraid your trip will have been brought to a premature close.

We had great races among the men the other day. Sack race seemed to amuse the Sikhs & Natives much.

Give my love to all & believe me your affect. son

J D Laurie

* Beni Madho – Rana Beni Madho Baksh Singh, the son of the local zamindar (land owner) of Shankarpur, who raised the banner of revolt in 1857. The Rana rallied the other zamindars and fought alongside Begum Hazrat Mahal, the consort of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Oudh. He was instrumental in proclaiming the Begum’s son, Birjis Qadr, as the Nawab after the British overran the territory. Beni Madho retreated to Nepal where he died fighting the Gurkhas