224 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



Eecruits for Hodson's Horse were now coming in 

 faster and in greater numbers. " For officers," he 

 writes, " I hope to have permanently M'Dowell, 

 Shebbeare (now acting as my second in command of 

 the Guides, and a most excellent officer), and Hugh 

 Gough of the 3rd Cavalry, ... I have seven officers 

 attached to the Guides, but two are wounded, and 

 Chalmers is very ill. Young Ellis of the 1st Fusil- 

 iers is down with cholera, poor boy." 



On the morning of July 14 some 10,000 of the 

 rebels made a series of determined rushes ao^ainst our 

 right flank. As our fire from the ridge failed to 

 drive them off, a column under Brigadier Showers 

 moved out at 3 p.m., and after a hot fight among 

 gardens and walled enclosures forced the enemy to 

 withdraw their guns and shelter themselves within 

 the city. Hodson himself, who had just returned 

 from a long day's work with his cavalry in rear of 

 the camp, joined Shebbeare's party of Guides in time 

 to play a conspicuous part in what he described as 

 " one of the sharpest encounters we have yet had." 

 " Shebbeare," he adds, " got wounded early in the 

 fight, so I led the Guide infantry myself in the 

 skirmish of the villages and suburbs. I charged the 

 guns with some eight horsemen, a party of the 

 Guide infantry, and 1st Fusiliers. We got within 

 thirty yards, but the enemy's grape was too much 

 for our small party. Three of my officers, Shebbeare, 

 Hawes, and De Brett, slightly wounded, and several 

 men ; but though well to the front, my party 

 sufi"ered proportionally least. 



' ' Of the Fusiliers who were with us some sixty 

 men were wounded ; Daniell's arm broken by a shot, 

 Jacob's horse shot dead under him. Chamberlain shot 



