Page:Historyofpersiaf00watsrich.djvu/456

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436 A HISTORY OF PERSIA. officers, with a small number of non-commissioned officers and private soldiers, were killed, or died some hours later of the wounds they received. Brigadier Stopford, of the 64th regiment, was shot down from his horse while turning round to inquire why his regiment had halted ; it had heen momentarily stopped to be dressed in line, and then the men, seeing their com- mander down, rushed forward to the attack. Lieutenant- Colonel Malet, of the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry, had prevented one of his troopers from bayoneting a wounded Persian ; but his humanity cost him his life, for he was shot so soon as his back was turned, by the Persian lying on the ground. The defeat of the Shah's troops on this occasion completely damped the ardour of the garrison of Bushire. That place was exposed, on the morning of the 10th of December, to the fire of the guns of the British ships under the command of Sir Henry Leeke, and it did not offer any prolonged resistance.* The governor, together with the officer commanding the troops, came out of the town on the day succeeding that of the struggle at Eeshire, and gave up their swords to Major-General Stalker, who commanded the invading army. Fifty-nine guns, together with a large quantity of ammunition and warlike stores, were also surrendered, and the portion of the garrison that had not escaped, grounded arms in front of the British line. The Persian common soldiers were on the following day escorted by the British cavalry for some distance into the interior and then set free ; the

  • Sir Henry Leeke proceeded to India after the capture of Bushire, and

on his way attacked, at Lingah, a large detachment of Persian troops, which he forced to retreat from the shore.