BIR
830
mentioned above, losing three guns; but none of the babus were present at that action.
Seeing that they could make no head in the Azamgarh district, the Birhar taluqdars next turned their attention to Gorakhpur, and Babus Madhoparshad, Shiupargas, and Udit Narain crossed over and joined the rebel nazim with their followers. Each babu is said to have received Rs. 100 a day for the support of his men. Babu KishanparshM sent a contingent under an agent, Thakur Dayal. This man being met by Babu Madhoparshad, was at once put to death by the followers of the latter, owing to a quarrel between the masters. On the re-occupation of Gorakhpur by the Gurkhas, the babus fled with the n£zim.
When Maharaja Jang Bahddur
marched through the Gorakhpur district Lucknow, a feeble attempt was made by the followers of the Birhar babus to oppose his operations. At Ghandipur an affair took place on the I7th February 1858, which is thus described: "Whilst escorting boats up the river Gogra, Captain Sotheby, R. N., with a force consisting of 130 men of the Naval Brigade, 35 Sikhs, and 60 Gurkhas, with one mountain-howitzer, attacked and captured the fort of Ghandipur on the right bank of the river, taking two guns, spare wagons and ammimition, besides The fort was situated in the midst all the private property of the rebels. of a dense plantation of bamboos, and was garrisoned by about 300 men, not many of whom were killed in consequence of the thick cover they fought under. Our loss was four wounded, including Captain Weston,
en route
to
36th Native Infantry. The river steamer Jwrnuna co-operated with the The fort and adjacent buildings force, and rendered efficient service. were burnt." land
Resistance was again offered up the river. The event is thus described by General Macgregor: " The boats arrived the night before last (21st February) and Colonel Rowcroft's force at once crossed the river. Yesterday, Brigadier Gungadoa's brigade joined them, and the whole force advanced to Phulpur, where they met the enemy, and after an action, lasting over an hour, totally defeated them, capturing three guns."
The Gurkha army then crossed over and marched towards Lucknow through Akbarpur and Sultanpur. They attacked en route the small fort of Berozpur in this district, which was bravely held by 34 of Babu Umresh Singh's men, who were all killed; several Gurkhas were killed and wounded in the attack.*
At a later period way from Lucknow,
of the mutiny,
when Kunwar Singh was making
his
after the capture of that place, to Arrah,
he passed through Birhar, and was joined by Babu Udit Narain, who accompanied him on his memorable attack on Azamgarh. On the relief of that town, this babu returned to his home, and it only remains to be mentioned that these b^bus of Birhar postponed their surrender on the re-occupation of Fyzabad till the last moment, and the only one of their number who was
- I have since learned from one of the officers engaged, that this encounter arose out of
misadventure. The Gurkhas had upwards of 50 casualties, and Lieutenant Sankey, B. E., was recommended for the Victoria Cross for effecting an entrance into the fort, and being the first to pass through.
