Artist: alfred pearse
image caption: it was bayonet to bayonet
story title: the siege and storming of delhi
author: charles lowe
year: 1901
text for image on page 128 from page 130:
let one of nicholson's officers now take up the tale:—"our guns went away to the flank. We got 'fix bayonets; quick—march!' on we went, in a beautiful line, at a steady pace. On we went, and we got within some fifty yards of them, when the men gave a howl, and on we dashed, and were slap
into them before they had time to depress the guns. It was bayonet to bayonet in a few
moments, but we cut them up and spiked the guns. We had very few men killed in the charge, as we got in before they fired the grape. Lieutenant g. , 61st, was bayoneted by a sepoy after cutting down two. N. Shot the man that did it. He had his horse shot under him, and i saw him hand-to-hand with a sepoy, whom he polished off with his sword. On we went after the brutes, and cut up a heap at the serai and behind it. We then drew up in line, rallied, and went at the camp, took it, sent a party to take the village, and then we went and took the guns at the bridge, over which the enemy was bolting in thousands. Here we took six guns more. Up came our guns, and blazed away at the enemy, and off they went, leaving a host of stores, etc. , all along the road. I was so tired that i lay down on a hide and fell asleep. Next morning the work of destruction was finished, and off we marched with a lot of treasure, etc. , and thirteen guns, and brought all safe into camp, after a hard march, arriving at the camp-bridge just in the cool of the evening, when the camp turned out to meet us, and gave us 'three times three,' and played us
in with some lively airs, with a final 'hip—hip—hurrah!' for the gallant 61st, who had reserved
their fire, as the highlanders of the 'thin, red line' had done at balaclava, until they had
almost seen the whites of their enemy's eyes, and then 'given them beans' with bullet and
bayonet. ". Date: 1901.
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