of our tents, the
regiment was advanced to the side of the canal under cover of the mud
walls of what had formerly been the sepoy lines, in which we took
shelter from the fire of the enemy. Later in the day Colonel Ewart lost
his left arm by a round-shot striking him on the elbow just as he had
dismounted from his charger on his return from visiting the piquets on
the left and rear of our position, he being the field-officer for the
day. This caused universal regret in the regiment, Ewart being the most
popular officer in it.

By the evening of the 3rd of December the whole of the women and
children, and as many of the wounded as could bear to be moved, were on
their way to Allahabad; and during the 4th and 5th reinforcements
reached Cawnpore from England, among them our old comrades of the
Forty-Second whom we had left at Dover in May. We were right glad to see
them, on the morning of the 5th December, marching in with bagpipes
playing, which was the first intimation we had of another Highland
regiment being near us. These reinforcements raised the force under Sir
Colin Campbell to five thousand infantry, six hundred cavalry, and
thirty-five guns.

Early on the morning of the 6th of December we struck our tents, which
were loaded on elephants, and marched to a place of safety behind the
fort on the river bank, whilst we formed up in rear of the unroofed
barracks--the Forty-Second, Fifty-Third, Ninety-Third, and Fourth Punjab
Infantry, with Peel's Brigade and several batteries of artillery, among
them Colonel Bourchier's light field-battery (No. 17 of the old
Company's European artillery), a most daring lot of fellows, the Ninth
Lancers, and one squadron of Hodson's Horse under command of Lieutenant
Gough,[29] a worthy pupil of a famous master. This detachment of
Hodson's Horse had come down with Sir Hope Grant from Delhi, and served
at the final relief of Lucknow and the retreat to the succour of
Cawnpore. The headquarters of the regiment under its famous commander
had been left with Brigadier Showers.

As this force was formed up in columns, masked from the view of the
enemy by the barracks on the plain of Cawnpore, the Commander-in-Chief
rode up, and told us that he had just got a telegram informing him of
the safe arrival of the women and children, sick and wounded, at
Allahabad, and that now we were to give battle to the famous Gwalior
Contingent, consisting of twenty-five thousand well-disciplined troops,
wit