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170
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
SEPTEMBER, 1926
especially to Lieutenant Mallock and to Serjeants Potter and French, and to assure them of his cordial appreciation of their admirable conduct and good services.
I have etc., (Signed) E. B. Johnson,
Assistant Adjutant-General of Artillery.
No. 438. The Secretary to Government, Bengal.
Mhow Fort, 17th July 1857.
Sir,
Details of the occurrences at Indore and Mhow, written hurriedly, have been sent at different times to the Bombay Government, for transmission to you. I beg now to send a more connected account for your information.
1. When the news of the mutiny at Meerut and Delhi reached Mhow, I requested permission from the commanding officer, Colonel Platt, to place a guard from my European Company of Artillery at the Fort gateway, instead of the guard of the 23rd Regt. N. I. The Fort contained many heavy guns, much ammunition, and valuable stores of various kinds, which, falling into the hands of mutineers, would have much strengthened them. Colonel Platt considered that the change of guards would show a want of confidence in his own men, and would not permit it; but I was authorised to dismount and disable the heavy
guns.
2. On the news of the Neemuch mutiny reaching Mhow, I wrote to the commanding officer a letter, dated June 6th, 1857. My guns were then in their sheds, 200 yards from the barracks, and the men could not have turned out in battery under half an hour. A portion of my letter is as follows
"One hundred men, placing themselves in front of the gun-sheds armed, would deprive the company of its means of offence and defence.
"Precautionary measures have been taken, in almost all stations of the army, to prevent an outbreak of the native troops, although the latter were perfectly loyal. The Commanding officer appears to think that precautions taken here may lead to the result it is desirous to avoid. With my battery at command, and guarded from sudden seizure, I believe that I could quell and crush any disturbance that might arise at Mhow from the native troops; and I request, therefore, that I may be permitted to take such precautions (by having my battery drawn out on open ground, where it can easily be manned) as may render my guns ready for action when required. Should the commanding officer deem any precautions inadvisable, such as I have suggested, and should it be my misfortune, in the event of any disturbance occurring, to meet with difficulty in arming and turning out my battery, I trust that this letter will be convincing proof that I have used every endeavour to avoid such a result."
3. I was directed, in reply to this letter, to draw out my battery in front of the gunsheds on Monday morning the 8th June (two days after the above letter was written); but instead of waiting until Monday morning, an opportunity offered for turning out on the 6th. The horses were harnessed, guns turned out, and the battery and company made ready for service at a moment's notioe.
4. On the 8th June I received a letter from Colonel Durand, Acting Resident at Indore. which contained the following "You and your men cannot be too much on the alert. Your readiness with your horses, the day the Neemuch news reached cantonments, prevented & rise."
6. From the 6th June to the end of the month my battery was parked in front of the barracks; the horses stood harnessed every night; the men were warned never to be distant from the barracks; and, in the event of any rise at Mhow, the battery could have turned out to crush it in less than a quarter of an hour, night or day.
