FROM SABATHU TO KASHMIR. 39 



forgotten that 100 English gentlemen, some thou- 

 sands of brave soldiers, have died to retrieve their 

 generals' errors. The one great fact should be 

 known from end to end of the land, that on the 

 21st of December 1845 an Anglo-Indian army was 

 repulsed, if not beaten, by an inferior force in 

 point of numbers and skill, and undoubtedly in- 

 ferior to English soldiers in courage, though im- 

 mensely superior in artillery, and in knowledge of 

 the ground, and in generalship ! ! Will it be 

 believed that a large proportion, if not the greater 

 part, of our loss was caused by our own regiments 

 being so badly handled that they fired upon one 

 another incessantly ! My own regiment received a 

 volley from behind as we advanced ; the 1st Euro- 

 peans fell before our eyes in numbers by a volley 

 from our own 45th Sepoys ! ! Is not all this 

 disgraceful and cruel to an unparalleled degree ! 



" It was near being a sad day for the Indian 

 empire : nothing but the cool determination of 

 the soldiers not to be beaten saved the day, and 

 enabled them to resist, unsupported by artillery, 

 the two vigorous attacks made upon us on the 

 22nd, after we had driven them from their position 

 at daybreak, by Tej Singh's fresh troops and admir- 

 ably served artillery. I grant that the battle of 

 Sobraon on the 10th of February was a splendid 

 affair, and well managed on the whole, though 

 here again our magnificent guns and mortars were 

 comparatively useless from want of ammunition ! 

 The despatches are pretty truthful on this last 

 affair, except in minor points. My division, General 

 Gilbert's, had the pleasure and honour of attacking 

 the whole front of the formidable intrenchment 



