tempting any movement upon Mooltan, and every successive mail brought news of fresh difficulties or alarms, as to the probable issue of this new revolution in the Punjaub.
At this critical moment, fortunately, a diversion was made by Lieutenant Edwardes – a young officer of great gallantry and military talent, who was employed, with a small force on the Indus, in the collection of land tax and the settlement of the country. By a series of active movements he distracted the attention of the Mooltan chief from the objects of the general confederacy, till he effected a junction with Colonel Cortlandt, who commanded a division of 4,000 men at Dhera Ismail Khan; when their united forces fought several actions with great success against the troops of Moolraj, until at last the insurgents were driven in the month of July to take shelter within the walls of Mooltan.
On the 18th of August General Whish arrived from Lahore with her Majesty's 10th regiment, a troop of Horse Artillery, the 7th Irregular Horse, and the 8th and 52nd Native Infantry. He assumed the command of the besieging forces, and was, on the following day, joined by a column from Ferozepoor, consisting of her Majesty's 32nd Foot, a battering-train of thirty heavy guns, a troop of Horse Artillery, the 11th Regular and the 11th Irregular Cavalry, and the 49th, 51st, and 72nd Native Infantry. By means of this addition, the force assembled round the walls of Mooltan amounted to about 28,000 men, of whom 6,000 were British.
General Whish fixed on the 12th of September to make a general attack upon the outworks of Mooltan; but at this critical juncture Shere Singh went over to the enemy with 5,000 Sikhs that were under his command. In consequence of this defection, the siege was raised on the 15th of September, and the army was withdrawn to a position several miles distant from Mooltan. On the 9th of October Shere Singh quitted Mooltan to join Chuttur Singh, and on the 21st they effected their junction in
