Shortly after midday a column of some 1,500 men was assembled to dislodge and drive them back to the city.  We took the road as on the 9th, and soon became engaged with the enemy in the Sabzi Mandi Gardens.  The struggle was long and fierce, a perpetual interchange of musketry and artillery, our losses, especially in officers, being very severe.  The city batteries also sent grape and canister amongst us from their large guns and howitzers, inflicting mortal wounds, even at the great distance of 1,100 yards.

When driving the rebels before us past the suburb of Kishenganj, Lieutenant Gabbett and I, in the confusion of the rush, became separated from the few men of our regiment who were engaged on that day, and found ourselves—­we being the only officers present—­with about fifty soldiers of different corps.  For more than half an hour we were completely isolated from the main body, and were occupied in several little fights on our own account.  Advancing, we scarcely knew where, and in our excitement fully engaged in chasing the foe, we all at once came most unexpectedly on to a broad road, with open ground on each side.  There, to our front, and scarcely 500 yards distant, we saw a gate with embattled towers, the high walls of the city, and a bastion.  We were soon descried by the enemy, who depressed their guns and fired at us with grape, fortunately without hitting any of our party.  We were in a complete dilemma, under fire of the batteries, cut off from our force, and liable at any moment to be surrounded; so, deeming discretion the better part of valour, we turned about and ran with all speed to the rear, coming upon a troop of Horse Artillery, which was halted amongst some gardens.

Soon the main body of our force returned from the pursuit of the rebels, whom they had driven to within 600 yards of the city wall; and joining our own detachment, who had given us up as lost, we returned to camp about sundown.

Again we had to lament the loss of many fine officers and soldiers.  Nearly 200 men had been killed and wounded—­a sad diminution of our little army, which, had it long continued, would have entirely decimated the Delhi Field Force.  The enemy, however, had suffered most severely, their loss amounting to quite 1,000 men; and the next morning they were seen for hours carting the dead bodies into the city.  Unusual bravery was shown by the rebels on this day:  they stood fairly in the open, and also attacked the pickets with great pertinacity, assaulting one called the “Sammy House” for hours, and leaving eighty dead bodies in its front, all killed by the infantry of the Guides, who most gallantly held the picket against overwhelming numbers.

Cholera all this time raged in the force, and carried off its victims daily, my own regiment and the 8th being the principal sufferers.  It was melancholy to enter the hospital, to see the agony and hear the groans of the men, many of them with their dying breath lamenting the hard fate which had stretched them on a sick-bed and prevented them from doing their duty in the ranks against the enemy.  Fever and ague, too, were very prevalent, and hospital gangrene broke out, which attained such virulence that many wounded died from its effects; while of amputations, I believe not one recovered during the whole siege.