ng column, consisting of four European Regiments (her
Majesty's 2nd regiment, Bengal European regiment, her Majesty's 13th
Light Infantry, and her Majesty's 17th regiment) commanded by Brigadier
Sale, the advance under Lieutenant Colonel Dennie, accompanied by
Lieutenant Sturt, Engineers, moved steadily through the gateway,
through a passage inside the gateway, in a domed building, in which the
opening on one side rendered everything very obscure, and making it
difficult to find the outlet into the town. They met with little
opposition; but the party of the enemy seeing a peak in the column,
owing to the difficulty in scrambling over the rubbish in the gateway,
made a rush, sword in hand, and cut down a good many men, wounding the
Brigadier and several other officers. These swordsmen were repulsed, and
there was no more regular opposition; the surprise and alarm of the
Governor and Sirdars being so great when they saw the column occupying
the open space inside the gate, and firing upon them, that they fled,
accompanied by their men, even the garrison of the Citadel following
their example. Parties of the Affghans took refuge in the houses, firing
on the column as it made its way through the streets, and a good deal of
desultory fighting took place in consequence, by which some loss was
sustained. The Citadel was occupied as soon as daylight showed that it
had been abandoned by the enemy, and the whole of the works were in our
possession before 5 A. M.
We lost seventeen men, six European and eleven Natives killed--eighteen
officers, and one hundred and seventeen Europeans, and thirty Natives
wounded--total one hundred and eighty-two. Of the Affghans more than
five hundred and fourteen were killed in the town, that number of bodies
having been buried, and about one thousand outside by the Cavalry, one
thousand six hundred prisoners were taken, but I have no means of
estimating the number of wounded.
There were nine guns of different calibres found in the place, a large
quantity of good powder, considerable stores of shot, lead, &c., &c.,
and a large supply of attar and other provisions.
GEO. THOMSON, Capt. Engrs.
_Chief Engineer Army of the Indus._
The following report by Captain Peat, of the Bombay Civil Engineers,
gives a more detailed account of the operations for blowing up the gate,
which, it will be seen, were attended with difficulties of no ordinary
nature.
"During the reconnaissance the wall
|