THE

BAPTIST MAGAZINE.

APRIL, 1858.

BRIEF SKETCH OF THE CAREER OF THE LATE MAJORGENERAL SIR HENRY HAVELOCK, K.C.B.

(Continued from page 143).

THE year 1843 was one of repose after the fatigues and dangers of the Affghan campaigns, and Havelock resumed with no ordinary delight the religious instruction of his men during the few months he continued with his regiment. In the course of the year he was promoted to a regimental majority, at the age of forty-eight, and was soon after appointed Persian interpreter to the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Hugh-now Viscount Gough, and was thus placed in a position to take an active share in the stirring events of the next three years. Scarcely had he joined his appointment than he was again called into the field. Emboldened by our reverses in Affghanistan, the Gwalior durbar had begun to manifest a spirit of resistance, which Lord Ellenborough found it necessary to crush. An army was assembled under the immediate command of Sir Hugh Gough, and crossed the Chumbul; a severe and decisive action was fought at Muharajpore, in which Havelock bore a conspicuous part by the side of the Commander-in-Chief. In that engagement he manifested his characteristic coolness under fire, as narrated to the writer of this notice by the late Capt. Fletcher Hayes, who, happening to arrive in the camp on the eve of the engagement, obtained permission to act as aide-decamp. He wrote that he had never witnessed such intrepidity as that displayed by Major Havelock, who, as the cannon balls ploughed up the ground to the right and left, coolly took off his hat, and successively saluted them. Capt. Hayes did not then know of Havelock's relationship to the writer. On the conclusion of hostilities, he toured with the Commander-in-Chief through the native states, and then returned to Simlah. Lord Ellenborough was soon after recalled, and Sir Henry Hardinge, a Peninsular general of great eminence, was appointed to succeed him. Then came, first, the alarm, and then the event of a Sikh invasion. The iron hand of Runjeet Singh no longer controlled the magnificent army through whose exertions he had risen to power, and under his feeble successors, as usual in Asiatic states, they regulated

1 Ski war became daily Laur Zeners Imantoot. Euveinek's bosom friend, and

dia isomate 11 "ae tefenen it delatoad, vis appointed political agent He was one of that body of illustrious men who, in the feid and in the abinet. have established the supremacy and maintained the honour of England in India, and to him the difficult negociations with the Sikhs were entrusted. In the year 1845, the two friends enjoyed for the last time the benefit of each other's society at Simlah, about to be terminated for ever by the death of Broadfoot. Havelock was now promoted to a Lieut.-colonel by brevet. The dark clouds which had collected in the Punjaub became more threatening. The Governor-General hastened to the north-west from Calcutta; Sir Bagh Gough descended from the hills. The rulers at Lahore, no longer 30 e 12 control their turbulent battalions, let them loose on the British AP. Tees and 80,000 men crossed the Sutlej to pour a stream of desoour provinces. Our troops advanced to repel the invasion, is dash of arms occurred at the battle of Moodkee, where our

1

or the first time encountered and recoiled from the shock Bacciock was directed by Sir Hugh Gough to stem the teves were brought up, and they both placed home silled troops, advanced to the charge, ms ariuous engagement Havelock had 1er the battle, exhausted with fatigue, E sad is thirst ecpiously, while his horse t had been poisoned by the Sikhs, and waiichi Dvered Zom the effect of that dele

waver

darkness of the night, and drove back the enemy. From the field of battle, he wrote to Serampore," Under the good providence of God, India has been again saved by a miracle." The next of the Sutlej battles, that of Alliwal, was gained by his old commander in the rifle brigade, Sir Harry Smith. On the 10th of February, came the last and crowning victory of Sobraon. Havelock was again in the thickest of the engagement, and his horse was struck down by a cannon shot, which passed through his saddle cloth. At the close of the campaign, he returned with the Commander-in-Chief to Simlah, and was soon after appointed Deputy Quarter-master-general of Queen's troops at Bombay, and proceeded to that presidency by way of Calcutta. He spent some days at Serampore, where he found his mother-in-law, the widow of Dr. Marshman, gently descending to the grave at the advanced age of eighty, forty-five of which had been passed in active and disinterested exertions for the support of the Mission. He took leave of her for the last time, and embarked for his new post. But he had not been long at Bombay before his health began to fail, which he attributed in a great measure to the poison introduced into his system at the well at Moodkee. He was constrained therefore to visit Muhabuleshur, and his health was partially restored, but the debility returned in the succeeding year, and he went a second time to the Hills, determined, if possible, to continue another year at his post. In the spring of 1848, the second Sikh war broke out, on the murder of two of our officers at Mooltan, and in November of that year, Havelock lost his elder brother, Colonel William Havelock, who fell gallantly at the head of his regiment, the 14th Dragoons, in the fatal skirmish at Ramnugur. Soon after Havelock's own regiment, the 53rd, was ordered into the field, and, in accordance with military usage, and not less under the impulse of his own ardour for military enterprise, he hastened to join the army, where his military rank would, he hoped, entitle him to the command of a brigade. He had reached Indore on his way to the Punjaub, when he was sternly and peremptorily ordered to return to Bombay. During his residence at that presidency, he identified himself with every exertion made by the Christian community to promote the interests of piety and benevolence. He laid himself out to do good, and the cordial assistance of one who occupied so influential a position, and whose religious character was respected even by the infidel, was warmly appreciated by his evangelical associates, who still delight to dwell on the recollections of their intercourse with him at that period. Strongly attached as he was to the distinguishing tenet of his own section of the Christian church, he manifested a spirit of the most enlightened liberality towards all denominations, and more particularly took an active part in the establishment of a branch of the Evangelical Alliance at Bombay. An extract from the speech he delivered at one of its early meetings will serve to illustrate this trait in his character. "But while he should part with his own Baptist principles only with his life, he declared his willingness cordially to fraternise with every Christian who held by the Head, and was serving the Redeemer in truth and sincerity. And here he would protest against its being alleged, as adversaries would insinuate, that where men of various denominations met, as this evening, in a feeling of brotherhood, they could only do this by paring down to the smallest portion the mass of their religion; on the contrary, all brought with them their faith in all its strength and vitality. They left, he thought, at the door of the place of assembly the husks and shell of their creed, but brought into the

their obedience by their own inclinations. A Sikh war became daily more inevitable. Major George Broadfoot, Havelock's bosom friend, and his associate in the defence of Jellalabad, was appointed political agent for the north-west frontier. He was one of that body of illustrious men who, in the field and in the cabinet, have established the supremacy and maintained the honour of England in India, and to him the difficult negociations with the Sikhs were entrusted. In the year 1845, the two friends enjoyed for the last time the benefit of each other's society at Simlah, about to be terminated for ever by the death of Broadfoot. Havelock was now promoted to a Lieut.-colonel by brevet. The dark clouds which had collected in the Punjaub became more threatening. The Governor-General hastened to the north-west from Calcutta; Sir Hugh Gough descended from the hills. The rulers at Lahore, no longer able to control their turbulent battalions, let them loose on the British dominions, and 80,000 men crossed the Sutlej to pour a stream of desolation on our provinces. Our troops advanced to repel the invasion, and the first clash of arms occurred at the battle of Moodkee, where our native Sepoys for the first time encountered and recoiled from the shock of the Sikhs. Havelock was directed by Sir Hugh Gough to stem the flight; some of the fugitives were brought up, and they both placed themselves at the head of the rallied troops, advanced to the charge, and turned the scale. In this arduous engagement Havelock had two horses shot under him. After the battle, exhausted with fatigue, he rode up to a well and slaked his thirst copiously, while his horse refused to taste the water. It had been poisoned by the Sikhs, and it was long before his constitution recovered from the effect of that deleterious draft.

On the 21st and 22nd of December was fought the great and perilous battle of Ferozeshuhur, when the fortunes of our empire trembled in the balance. In that terrific engagement, in which the gallant Broadfoot fell, Havelock fought side by side with Sir Hugh Gough and the Governor-General, the latter of whom had soon discovered his great military qualifications, and eagerly sought his advice. The action commenced in the afternoon of the shortest and the coldest day of the year, and by nightfall every one of our brigades but one had been baffled in the attempt to penetrate the hostile camp. It was then that a regiment of European cavalry, by an act of splendid but rash gallantry, dashed through the enemy's camp, losing a hundred and fifty men in the useless charge. On emerging on the opposite direction, Major Charles Havelock, who was on the staff of the cavalry brigade, and had been severely wounded, met Sir Henry Hardinge, who asked his name. Havelock, was the reply. It was too dark to distinguish features, and Sir Henry, mistaking the major for his brother, said, "Another such day, and the empire of India totters." The major explained that he belonged to the cavalry brigade, and the Governor-General retired to his tent. During the night, the enemy, discovering Sir Henry's tent, brought a heavy fire to bear on it, and it became necessary to silence their artillery. He sent out in search of Havelock, and he was found sleeping on the ground with a bag of gunpowder for his pillow, utterly unconscious of his danger from the enemy's bullets, which were flying about in every direction, and the explosion of expense magazines. When gently reproved for this temerity, he replied to Sir Henry "I was so tired." The Governor-General and his staff and Havelock placed themselves at the head of the few troops who could be collected together in the

darkness of the night, and drove back the enemy. From the field of battle, he wrote to Serampore," Under the good providence of God, India has been again saved by a miracle." The next of the Sutlej battles, that of Alliwal, was gained by his old commander in the rifle brigade, Sir Harry Smith. On the 10th of February, came the last and crowning victory of Sobraon. Havelock was again in the thickest of the engagement, and his horse was struck down by a cannon shot, which passed through his saddle cloth. At the close of the campaign, he returned with the Commander-in-Chief to Simlah, and was soon after appointed Deputy Quarter-master-general of Queen's troops at Bombay, and proceeded to that presidency by way of Calcutta. He spent some days at Serampore, where he found his mother-in-law, the widow of Dr. Marshman, gently descending to the grave at the advanced age of eighty, forty-five of which had been passed in active and disinterested exertions for the support of the Mission. He took leave of her for the last time, and embarked for his new post. But he had not been long at Bombay before his health began to fail, which he attributed in a great measure to the poison introduced into his system at the well at Moodkee. He was constrained therefore to visit Muhabuleshur, and his health was partially restored, but the debility returned in the succeeding year, and he went a second time to the Hills, determined, if possible, to continue another year at his post. In the spring of 1848, the second Sikh war broke out, on the murder of two of our officers at Mooltan, and in November of that year, Havelock lost his elder brother, Colonel William Havelock, who fell gallantly at the head of his regiment, the 14th Dragoons, in the fatal skirmish at Ramnugur. Soon after Havelock's own regiment, the 53rd, was ordered into the field, and, in accordance with military usage, and not less under the impulse of his own ardour for military enterprise, he hastened to join the army, where his military rank would, he hoped, entitle him to the command of a brigade. He had reached Indore on his way to the Punjaub, when he was sternly. and peremptorily ordered to return to Bombay. During his residence at that presidency, he identified himself with every exertion made by the Christian community to promote the interests of piety and benevolence. He laid himself out to do good, and the cordial assistance of one who occupied so influential a position, and whose religious character was respected even by the infidel, was warmly appreciated by his evangelical associates, who still delight to dwell on the recollections. of their intercourse with him at that period. Strongly attached as he was to the distinguishing tenet of his own section of the Christian church, he manifested a spirit of the most enlightened liberality towards all denominations, and more particularly took an active part in the establishment of a branch of the Evangelical Alliance at Bombay. An extract from the speech he delivered at one of its early meetings will serve to illustrate this trait in his character. "But while he should part with his own Baptist principles only with his life, he declared his willingness cordially to fraternise with every Christian who held by the Head, and was serving the Redeemer in truth and sincerity. And here he would protest against its being alleged, as adversaries would insinuate, that where men of various denominations met, as this evening, in a feeling of brotherhood, they could only do this by paring down to the smallest portion the mass of their religion; on the contrary, all brought with them their faith in all its strength and vitality. They left, he thought, at the door of the place of assembly the husks and shell of their creed, but brought into the