made a rush at the village of Corregaum, which stood upon the heights, and was composed of a number of stone houses, with strong stone walls round the gardens, hoping to gain possession of it before it could be seized on by the enemy. But the Arabs, who composed the main body of the Mahratta infantry, were equally near to the village; and as Staunton entered it on one side, they entered on the other, both parties taking possession of the houses and garden walls in their vicinity. A desperate struggle now ensued between the Arabs and the Sepoys for the possession of the whole village, which was rendered still more critical by the rapid advance of immense bodies of the Peishwa's horse, with two pieces of artillery; while to enhance the perils of the contest, Captain Swainston, who commanded our auxiliary horse, was wounded early in the day, and his weak squadrons could not show themselves in face of the masses of Mahratta cavalry.
Our brave Sepoys, however, led on by the gallant Staunton, maintained their post and kept up an incessant fight from the hour of noon till nine in the evening, during which time they had no refreshment and not even a drop of water to drink. Attack after attack was made under the eye of the Peishwa, who stood on a neighbouring hill; but they had all failed, when Lieutenant Chisholm, the officer of artillery, having been killed, with most of his men, at a post near a pagoda, and all the European officers having been disabled except three, the Arabs charged and obtained possession of one of our two guns that were stationed at the pagoda. Our wounded were lying thick round that building, and among them were Assistant-Surgeon Wingate, Captain Swainston, and Lieutenant Connellan. The Arabs immediately began, in their savage manner, to massacre these helpless, wounded men, and to mutilate the bodies of the slain; the dead bodies of Dr. Wingate and Lieutenant Chisholm were literally hacked to pieces.
But the Arabs did not long enjoy their bloody triumph;
