INDIA. 



375 



suspected tlif treacherous pint to ariv-t liiin 

 iiffmr. and \\a^ determined to light for his 

 . During the day he gathered intti the 

 >iiii' of hi.-. liot lighting nidi, 

 inipnris, Nagas, ' lli( l Kukis, and disiriluit- 

 I ammunition. Although no car- 

 \\ere found in the licsidcncy ilia) would 



rilles .,f the (i.inrklia Soldiers, the Chief 



i-sioiier liad gone too far to recede. At 

 council df war it was decided to arrest tho 

 1'iiaputiy in his house within the walled palace 

 ire at daybreak on the 24th. The Scna- 

 itty was piepareil for the force of 250 men 

 'i.. attempted to surround his house before it 

 tit in the morning. They were received 

 ith rille and artillery fire, and when they suc- 

 ed in gaining possession of the house after 

 sharp struggle, the Senaputty was no longer 

 ere. Meanwhile the Manipuris attacked the 

 eney and finally shelled it with two guns. 

 ie detachment that held the Senaputty's 

 i 'ol. Skene's reserve force of 120 men that 

 ok position at the polo ground within the in- 

 ure. and the party that .was posted at the 

 iter gale, all fell back on the Residency. This 

 wa> made untenable by the artillery fire, and 

 when evening came, the Chief Commissioner 

 and Col. Skene decided to seek a tmce. On 

 the bugle signal to cease fire the Regent ordered 

 his troops to stop also, and sent a letter reciting 

 : vices that had been rendered by his state 

 to the Piritish Government, and promising that 

 his troops would cease hostilities if the British 

 would throw down their arms. On these con- 

 ditions being refused, the Senaputty sent word 

 that he would like to discuss terms with the 

 Chief Commissioner at a point midway between 

 the palace and the Residency. Mr. Quinton, 

 C'il. Skene, Mr. Grimwood, William II. Cos- 

 sins, Mr. Quinton's secretary, and Lieut. Simp- 

 son, a guest of Mr. Grimwood who was ac- 

 quainted with the Manipuri rulers, went to the 

 outer gate without a military escort, the officers 

 e\en leaving their side arms. After a parley they 

 went inside the gate, and were seen no more. 

 They were put in irons and publicly beheaded. 

 Investigation showed that Mr. Grimwood was 

 speared by a soldier, but that the others were 

 killed by the public execution by order of the 

 second in command, the Tongal general. The 

 people in the Residency were uncertain regard- 

 ing the fate of their chiefs until firing was re- 

 opened after midnight. Soon it was found that 

 the cartridges were nearly exhausted. With- 

 drawing from the Residency, they retreated by 

 the road toward Cachar, expecting to meet 

 Capt. Cowley's force. They had with them 

 seventeen wounded, Mrs. Grimwood, and many 

 unarmed followers. Harassed by Manipuris 

 and Xairas, they took to the hills, and on the 

 2Gth, having been two days without food, they 

 effected a junction with Capt. Cowley, who had 

 also lieen attacked and was short of ammunition 

 and of rations. Capt. Cowley and Lieut. P. R. 

 G union, who commanded in the retreat from 

 Kanipur, therefore decided to retire from the 

 onemv's country. By forced marches they gained 

 the Cachar frontier after one more fight with 

 the garrison at Khowpum. Only one fourth of 

 the Chief Commissioner's escort were brought 

 back from Manipur in safety. 



A punitive expedition was at once ordered. 



Three column-, \\eiv directed to converge on the 

 Manipur capital from the three passes K-ad ing 

 into the valley from Kohima, Silchar. and Tamil. 

 A detachment of Mr. Ouiliton'.s f.,rci- that had 

 been loft at Langtobal, four miles south of 

 Manipur, when the others fled to Assam, retreat- 

 ed in good order to Tamu, fighting all th 

 and reaching that place on March 27. Lieut. 

 Charles William Jaines Grant, who was sta- 

 tioned there, telegraphed for permi ion to go to 

 the rescue of Mrs. Grimwood and the rest. 

 Setting out the next morning with 50 Sikhs 

 and 30 of the escaped Goorkhas, he drove \: t tt 

 Manipuris out of an intrenchment and 200 out 

 of Palel on the 30th, and the same night 

 attacked the fort at Langtobal, which was de- 

 fended by 900 of the Senaputty's troops. The 

 firing was so true and the advance so rapid that 

 the intrenchments were carried with the loss of 

 only a single man. Lieut. Grant, who was made 

 a major for his gallantry in the capture and de- 

 fense of the fort, while the Goorkha jemadar 

 Birdal Nagarkote was rewarded with the title 

 of bahadnr, remained in the fort to await re-en- 

 forcements. The Manipuris attempted to at- 

 tack the position, first with infantry, and then 

 with their guns, but were so frightened by the 

 accurate shooting of the Indian troops that they 

 dared not venture within rifle range. Earth- 

 work parapets were made to strengthen the fort 

 against shells. Word was brought from some 

 captives that the Senaputty had 108 prisoners, 

 and would kill them unless the British retired 

 from in front of the city, and the Senaputty 

 sent food for their retreat, threatening to de- 

 stroy them if they did not return to Tamu. On 

 April 6 the Manipuris made a bold effort to 

 storm the fort, and a large number were killed. 

 On the 8th, in obedience to orders sent from 

 Burmah, Lieut. Grant withdrew. Joining Capt. 

 Presgrave, who came up with re-enforcements, 

 on the following day, the whole force of 180 

 men put to flight about 400 Manipuris at Palel. 

 On the 10th Major Sir Charles Leslie came up 

 with 400 Goorkhas, and they waited till Brig.- 

 Gen. Graham brought un the main body of the 

 Burman column, which had from Tamu, south- 

 east of Manipur, a shorter march and better 

 roads than the Silchar column, advancing from 

 the west, under the command of Lieut.-Col. R. 

 II. F. Rennick, or than Maj.-Gen. II. Collett. 

 who advanced southward from Nigiiting, on the 

 Brahmaputra, with a considerable army as fast 

 as the bad state of the roads would allow. No 

 resistance was encountered by the Assam and 

 Silchar columns, but the intense heat, the heavy 

 rains, and the outbreak of cholera caused more 

 suffering and mortality than battle could have 

 done. During the expedition 86 men died from 

 cholera. Maj. Grant and Capt. Drury, advancing 

 from Palel, where Gen. Graham's troops were 

 encamped, found 1,000 Manupuris intrenched in 

 the hills near Tobal. They sent back for artil- 

 lery and more men. The position was surround- 

 ed," and 190 of the enemy, who fought desper- 

 ately, were killed. Maj. Grant was shot in the 

 neck. This was the last engagement. The 

 other columns had arrived simultaneously be- 

 fore the city, and the entire population fled t<> 

 the mountains. The British troops marched 



