— BAR
260
capture of Lucknow in the battle of Nawabganj, described further on, the English fought with the Raikwar levies of Baundi and Chahldri from Bahraich and Sitapur, not with the Musalmans of Rud-auli or Daryabad.
The following extracts from Sir Hope Grant's " Sepoy War" refer to three of the largest estates or principalities in the district Bilahra, Bhitau-
—
li,
and Jahangirabad
" On the 16th April we reached Bilahra, from whence I made a reconnoissance to a ford in the river Ghurshupper, but found it impracticable for guns. On the 19th April we marched for Ramnagar, six miles from Bhitauli, and belonging to a raja of considerable importance, who was said to have a strong force. On our arrival we found, as usual, every thing deserted. I sent the cavalry forward to reconnoitre, and they brought back a magnificent elephant with two splendid tusks, and a large sawari camel. The rider looked the greatest villain unhung, and must have belonged to one of our irregular regiments. The same afternoon I took the cavalry and Middleton's battery to look up the Begam, but found she had bolted ; we nearly lost three of our guns and a team of horses by taking the wrong channel.
We
" started before daybreak on 21st April, and arrived at Mussowlie, half-way to Nawabganj, where Jang Bahadur's Gurkhas, were stopping. The European officer in command had great difficulty to contend with in marching through a country so filled with rebels. His force consisted of 8,000 men, with twenty guns ; yet, he could only reckon on 2,000 men for
actual fighting purposes. "
He had
2,000 sick and 4,000 carts
and each of the
latter being filled according to the usages of these troops, a man to guard it. On 22nd April I heard that there was in the neighbourhood one of the strong Oudh mud forts, Jahangirabad, surrounded by a jungle which was almost impenetrable, and traversed by
with
few
tents, private property,
and
loot, required,
roads.
"
This fort belonged to a chief of the name of Rivja Razzaq Bakhsh, who had been playing a double game throughout the mutiny, and I thought it would be well to teach him a lesson. The same morning he came into camp with profuse protestations of good behaviour and fidelity, and offered to hand over to us the only three guns which he said he had in his possession.
" I took with me two squadrons of cavalry, and after picking our way for some time through the jungle, we came to the gate of his stronghold, which we entered. Inside was a dense jungle of bamboo and a thick thorny plant, through which it was impossible to advance, except by a narrow, tortuous path. At last we came up to a miserable mud house, which he called his palace. The people were very civil, and told us that the guns had been sent away to the Commissioner but one of our Sikhs, who are famous hands at making discoveries of concealed property, found out two guns in an enclosure where no one had thought of looking. We imme liately caused the gate to be burst open, and secured a 9 and a 6-pound t. I sent for some bullocks of the worthy Raja, and found that they were Government animals which the old scoundrel had stolen, A native also
