32 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



When the 2nd Grenadiers were ordered off to a 

 post some miles in the rear of Gough's army, its 

 place in the front was taken by another sepoy 

 regiment, the 16th Grenadiers, who had formed 

 part of Nott's " spiendid infantry " at Kandahar 

 during the first Afghan war. Into this regiment 

 Ensign Hodson was allowed to exchange, " not 

 liking; the notion of returning- to the rear while 

 an enemy was in front." He joined his new regi- 

 ment on the evening of February 9. He was just 

 in time to share in the hard fighting and the de- 

 cisive victory of Sobraon, which on February 10 

 closed the first Sikh war. "About three in 

 the morning," writes Hodson to his father, " we 

 advanced towards the Sikh intrenchments along; 

 the river's bank. Our guns and ammunition had 

 all come up a day or two before, and during 

 the night were placed in position to shell their 

 camp. At daybreak seventeen heavy mortars and 

 howitzers, rockets, and heavy guns commenced a 

 magnificent fire on their position." 



For the first time in his Indian warfare the 

 fiery old commander-in-chief had allowed his 

 splendid artillery to try their worst upon the foe. 

 At half-past eight he let his infantry go. " Sir K. 

 Dick's division on the right, and ours (Gilbert's) 

 in front, covered by our fire from the batteries. 

 On we went as usual in the teeth of a dreadful 

 fire of guns and musketry, and after a desperate 

 struggle we got within their tri2^le and quadruj^le 

 intrenchments, and then their day of reckoning 

 came indeed. Driven from trench to trench, and 

 surrounded on all sides, they retired, fighting most 

 bravely, to the river, into which they were driven 



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