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13 Mar 59 Julius Nichlowl Mother Hyde Park Place (West) ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Nichlowl.* Nr. borders of Nepaul
13th March. 59.
My dear Mother
I got yours of Jan. 18th a few days back & will now endeavour to give you one in return.
We have been moving about since I wrote last. After having been nearly washed away several times by the rain, we got an order in the middle of the night from Col. Kelly, telling us to move with all possible speed, re-cross the river Gunduk & take up a position between that river & the Raptee to prevent the Rebels coming down that way towards Gorrackpore.
We got here in four marches. I believe I tried in my last letter to give you an idea of the business of crossing a River with Horses, Camels, Carts &c. on countless boats so will not attempt it again.
When we arrived here, we got intelligence that the Nana had been 6 miles off with 400 Cavalry the day before, but had gone westward. The Begum & 40,000 men (according to native report) being about 15 miles off, they are also moving in a westerly direction towards some large city inside Nepaul with a name something like ‘Bittoul’.*
Our outlying Cavalry Regiment was fired into the first night we were here (two nights ago). It was on a road 5 miles from Camp & yesterday a Patrol of ours (Cavalry) managed to pick up 5 scoundrels & two horses armed with sword & Matchlock. On being questioned they say they belonged to the 13th Bengal Light Cavalry, mutinied at Lucknow, & wanted to give them selves up. I suppose they will have to be given up to some civilian who will probably order them to go home & give them a reward. That is the way things are done now in India.
If I ever have a chance of catching any of these fellows now in arms against us, who declined coming in after the Proclamation, they will not get much Quarter. I firmly believe if any one was to get the Nana & be weak enough to take him alive, he would be let off & have a splendid Reunion. Just as they are doing with the Nawab of Farruckabad now, one of the biggest villains of all. They allow him an English lawyer to defend him & wonderful to relate, an Englishman is found who is willing to back up all his lies &c.
The C in C is on his way to Simla (up in the Hills where the climate is like England). The Chief of the Staff is going to Calcutta so there is no one to give us orders & Col. Kelly is afraid of responsibility. So here we halt & let these Rebels laugh at us & fire at our Regiments instead of following them up into Nepaul & smashing them.
We have been joined by about 250 fresh Cavalry, about 150 of these are the Lahore Light Horse, a Regt. of Half Castes. They are supposed to be very plucky & are good looking fellows enough & hate the Ns. The remainder of them are the wildest looking fellows I have seen. Regular Afghans. They used to be Horse Stealers. I believe they have two or three noted murderers amongst them. Their Officers say they are good ones at fighting.
Col. K is still on the other side of the Gunduk with his force. I forgot to mention that those Sepoy fellows taken last night say the enemy is 50 thousand; lots of Cavalry & 7 guns – 5 bullock & 2 Horses.
I see at last they have decided upon passing over Mr Mathews of Ours & giving Saunders his Company, which I am very glad of & although I do not wish the former any harm, should be glad to hear that he had been removed from the army.
I hear Capts. Best, Steuart & Shawe * want to sell. I wish my Father could manage something or get Powell to. The Lt. who was next in the 34th below me & was transferred to a 2nd Battalion (the 11th I think) has got his Company. Stack is his name. Never saw any service at all. Got to the Crimea on 8th Sept.* I see too the junior Lieut. but one of the 56th purchased a Company in Ceylon Rifles the other day.
It is getting very hot. If we stop here much longer, close to the Serai, we shall all be getting ague or something. I want a move, after the Rebels if possible, or away from them. But I do not care about staying in this part of the country. It is so unhealthy that a lot of our servants came & asked for leave to go & when they did not get it, ran away – some sacrificing a month or two of pay. Something that, for a native.
I had a letter from Riley the other day which I must answer shortly.
Very little shooting. Where we are now, villagers say lots of Tigers & Elephants in the Serai (which borders on our Camp) but we have not seen any.
I see you have been having great Xmas festivities. I think perhaps that [this] time the year after next I may turn up & partake of them.
I am glad the boys are to have a Public School Education. Nothing like it. You say nothing about Helen so I suppose she is all right & getting by degrees into that fine young woman & expect to see her on my return.
I have written a longish letter this time & think have exhausted all my topics, so hoping you are all well & with best love
Believe me, yr. affect. Son
J D Laurie
I have heard nothing from any of my Brothers lately. –
* Nichlowl – Now Nicklaul, 10 miles from the Nepalese border, and 30 miles SSE from Butwal
* Bittoul – Now Butwal, a Nepalese town at an important road junction on the east-west road running roughly parallel to the border with India
* Shawe – Capt. Arthur George Shawe was born on 29 September 1818 and was baptised a year later at Barrackpore. He was the 2nd son and 3rd child of Colonel Matthew Shawe C.B. and Isabella Gethin Creagh. He was commissioned as Ensign in 81st Foot in April 1836, and was promoted to Lieutenant in the 4th Foot in August 1839. He was made 1st Lieutenant in the 21st Foot in September 1839, and was promoted to Captain (unattached) in June 1851. He joined the 70th Foot in June 1851, and then the 34th Foot in January 1855, with whom he would serve during the Indian Mutiny. He retired as Captain in April 1863 after 27 years’ service. His elder sister Isobella married the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, who described Shawe as a ‘merry, pleasant, gentlemanlike fellow, but on longer acquaintance found him tiresome!’
* 8th September – The date Julius was wounded in the final assault on the Redan – effectively the last day of fighting in the Crimea