323 



CHAPTER XX. 



LAST SCENE OF ALL. MARCH 1858. 



All through February 1858 Sir Colin Campbell 

 had been maturing his plans for the final advance 

 on Lucknow, and the reconquest of Oudh and 

 Rohilkhand. From Calcutta, from Agra, from the 

 Punjab, vast stores of guns, ammunition, food, 

 cattle, medicines, and other necessaries, with many 

 reinforcements of Sikh and English troo^DS, made 

 their way to Cawnpore and other places where 

 portions of the newly-formed army of Oudh lay 

 waitino; for the signal to advance. Not until the 

 end of February did the commander-in-chief himself 

 leave Cawnpore to take command of perhaps the 

 finest army that ever in British uniform stepped 

 out on Indian soil. 



With the wariness of an old soldier bent on 

 leaving nothing to chance, and patient of delays 

 that fretted the souls of his subalterns and evoked 

 impatient growls from onlookers stirred by the 

 dashing feats of subordinate leaders. Sir Colin 

 Campbell determined to hold his hand until he 

 had brought together the means of crushing out 

 all armed resistance by a few well-planted blows. 



Hodson writes on the 1st of March : " Nothing 



