32nd Regiment of Foot Defender of Lucknow Casualty medal pair.

32nd Regiment of Foot Defender of Lucknow Casualty medal pair.

A RECENTLY ACQUIRED MEDAL PAIR – EXTERMELY RARE – HIGH PRICE PAID

Not only is this rare and sought after Indian Mutiny casualty medal brought to market but it is accompanied by his Punjab Medal  for the Siege of Multan of 1848/9 to make this an extremely scarce pair to a soldier of the 32nd Foot killed in action at the battle of Chinhut, 30th June 1857. This is, genuinely and doubtless, an extremely rare opportunity to buy such a medal pair.

Medal rolls confirm these medals and clasps. Punjab Medal with Mooltan clasp (W/O 100/13), Indian Mutiny medal roll with clasp (W/O 100/37) this medal roll also confirms “killed in action 30 June 1857“.

The Battle of Chinhut was fought on the morning of 30 June 1857, between British forces and Indian rebels, at Ismailganj, near Chinhat (or Chinhut), Oude (Awad/Oudh). The British were led by The Chief Commissioner of Oude, Sir Henry Lawrence. The insurgent force, which consisted of mutineers from the East India Company’s army and retainers of local landowners, was led by Barkat Ahmad, a mutineer officer of the Company’s army.

Opening moves
Conflicting intelligence reports had indicated the approach of a small insurgent force towards Lucknow. Sir Henry, who was in bad health, under pressure from subordinates and whose fighting days were well behind him, ordered a force consisting of three companies of the 32nd Regiment of Foot (later the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry), several companies of the 13th Native Infantry and detachments of other regiments, a small force of Sikh cavalry and European volunteer cavalry as well as Bengal Artillery (Europeans) and Native Artillery, to proceed up the Faizabad road with the intention of intercepting what he believed to be an opponent several hundred strong.

The battle
On approaching Ismailganj, Lawrences’s force was suddenly fired on by the insurgents, who greatly outnumbered the British, by about 600 to 6,000. The rebels were in well prepared positions, behind stone walls and in the village, and soon inflicted heavy casualties on Lawrence’s force, especially the 32nd Foot. The regiment’s acting commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Case, was killed, as were several officers. The 13th Native Infantry were slightly more successful in attacking to the right of the village, but the rebels were well entrenched and well led. To the latter fact may be attributed one of the few major victories which rebel forces obtained in open combat with the British, during the whole of the ‘Mutiny’.

At a crucial moment, many of Lawrence’s soldiers, especially Indian artillerymen, betrayed him by going over to the other side, overturning their guns and cutting the traces on the horses, 484  and the Sikh cavalrymen fled. As the British retreated towards the bridge over the Kukrail stream, the only access they had to Lucknow, an outflanking movement by the rebel cavalry threatened to cut them off. A charge by the 36 volunteer cavalrymen, consisting partly of civilians, threw the rebel cavalry into confusion and a significant part of the force was able to cross the bridge and retreat towards Lucknow. Lawrence ordered a battery of European artillery to occupy the bridgehead, with the intention of dissuading his enemy from following him. The artillery had no ammunition left, but achieved their aim of giving the retreating force a breathing space.

The retreat
On the retreat, feats of great courage were performed by those who helped wounded and exhausted men to escape. Prominent among the rescuers were the native troops of the 13th NI, who often abandoned their own wounded in order to help British soldiers. An officer of the 13th NI, then Lieut. William George Cubitt, would be awarded the Victoria Cross for helping save three men of the 32nd Foot.

On this day of John Steeples’ death a fellow soldier of the 32nd was also awarded the Victoria Cross. He was about 32 years old, and a corporal in the 32nd Regiment of Foot (later The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry when the following deed took place on 30 June 1857 at Siege of Lucknow, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross: For distinguished gallantry in saving the life of Mr. Capper, of the Bengal Civil Service, by extricating him from the ruins of a Verandah which had fallen on him, Corporal Oxenham being for ten minutes exposed to a heavy fire, while doing so.

Seeing that the retreat would be generally successful, Lawrence left the force in order to organize the defence of the Lucknow residency. Brigadier John Inglis, commanding officer of the 32nd, who had opposed the ‘adventure’, was left to bring the survivors in. As a last attempt to break the momentum of the rebel pursuit, Lawrence ordered one company of the 32nd, which had not been at Chinhat, to hold the final bridge before Lucknow, over the Gumti river. The success of this company, under Lieut. John Edmondstone, and its orderly retreat under enemy pressure, probably helped save many lives. By about 11:30 a.m, the retreat had been successfully completed. The British Residency at Lucknow, to which Lawrence withdrew, was then the scene of the Siege of Lucknow until November 1857.

Medals:

Punjab Medal (MOOLTAN) JOHN STEEPLES. 32ND FOOT. (officially impressed)

Indian Mutiny Medal 1857-1859, (DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW) J. STEEPLES. 32ND L.I. (officially impressed) Killed in Action 30th June 1857 at BATTLE of CHINHUT

Both of medals John Steeples medals are about Extremely Fine with a superb and original time developed blue-black patina. Medals come with two copy rolls which confirm all the clasps and K.I.A. date of 30th June 1857 for John Steeples.

Further reading – an example of the press reports from India to the British public is that of the Arbroath Guide 16th January 1858.

Arbroath Guide – Saturday 16 January 1858
By The Times Correspondent
NARRATIVE OF THE DEFENCE
The following narrative of the defence of Lucknow has been received from Brigadier Inglis of H.M. 32nd, commanding the garrison of that city, and published by order of the of India. It is dated “Lucknow, September 26”.
On the of the 29th June last, several reports reached Sir Henry Lawrence that the rebel army, in no considerable force, would march from Chinhut (a small village about miles distant on the road to Fyzabad) on Lucknow on the following morning ; and the late Brigadier-General therefore determined to make a strong reconnaissance in that direction, with the view, if possible, of meeting the force at a disadvantage, either at its entrance into the suburbs of the city, or at the bridge across the Gokral, which is a small stream the Fyzabad road, about half way between Lucknow and Chinhut. The force destined moved out at six a.m, on the morning of the 30th June.

FAITHLESS ARTILLERY
The troops, misled by the reports of wayfarers — who stated that there were few or no men between Lucknow and Chinhut — proceeded somewhat farther than had been originally intended, and suddenly fell in with the enemy, who had up to that time eluded the vigilance of the advanced guard by concealing themselves behind a long line of trees in overwhelming numbers. The European force and howitzer, with the Native Infantry, held the foe in check for some time, and had the six guns of the Oude Artillery been faithful, and the Sikh Cavalry shown a better front, the day would have been won in spite of an immense disparity in numbers. But the Oude artillerymen and drivers were traitors. They overturned the guns into ditches, cut the traces of their horses, and abandoned them, regardless of the remonstrances and exertions of their own officers, and of those of Sir Henry Lawrence’s staff, headed by the Brigadier-General in person, who himself drew his sword upon these rebels. Every effort to induce them to stand having proved ineffectual, the force exposed to a vastly superior fire of artillery, and completely outflanked on both sides by an overpowering body of infantry and cavalry, which actually got into our rear. was compelled to retire with the loss of three pieces of artillery, which fell into the hands of the enemy, in consequence of the rank treachery of the Oude gunners, and with a very grievous list of killed and wounded. The heat was dreadful, the gun ammunition was expended, and the almost total want of cavalry to protect our rear made our retreat most disastrous.