indian statesmen and soldiers: lawrence
and the heroes of the mutiny
the indian mutiny, which produced "such a breed of warlike men," the equals of whom have rarely, if ever, been found awaiting their country's need of them, is especially commemorated in the abbey, which holds the graves of lord lawrence; colin campbell, lord clyde; and sir james outram. only a monument does honour to warren hastings, whose name is so indissolubly linked with westminster and with india, for it was at westminster school that he was educated, the favourite pupil of the head-master dr. nichols, who found him "a hard student, bold, full of fire, ambitious in no ordinary degree;" and it was to india that he went, when eighteen, into the service of the east india company. to the building up of the british empire in india he gave his life, working with unfaltering courage under a thousand difficulties, sometimes no doubt making errors of judgment, more often the victim of other men's intrigues and treachery, but always the dauntless, enthusiastic servant of the state. and his reward was disgrace, confiscation, and impeachment. he was used by ministers at home as a cat's-paw in the game of politics. burke and fox charged him in parliament with cruelty, extortion, and corruption, while sheridan's brilliant eloquence so dazzled the commons as to obscure all their calm judgment, and they impeached warren hastings at the bar of the house of lords for "high crimes and misdemeanours." in the february of 1788 this most famous of trials commenced in westminster hall, and it took burke two days to get through his list of charges. all the force of his great powers as an orator was brought to bear against the accused, who "stood there small, spare, and upright, his bearing a mixture of deference and dignity, his soft sad eyes flashing defiance on his accusers; the lines of his mouth and chin firm, his face very pale but calm."
the trial lingered on and on; it was seven years before the verdict was given, a verdict which practically cleared hastings, and proved that, if on occasions he had been unnecessarily ruthless or hard in his rule, he had not so acted from any selfish or unworthy motive, but because he believed that thereby he was best serving the interests both of england and of india. though he was acquitted, he was practically a ruined man. the trial had cost him more than ￡70,000, and he was not rich, neither could he hope for any employment under fox or pitt. the east india company voted him a pension for twenty-eight years, but refused him when he asked that it might be continued during the lifetime of his wife, "the dearest object of all his concerns." and so he died a bitterly disappointed man.
rt. hon. warren hastings.
rt. hon. warren hastings.
john lawrence was the son of a soldier, and from boyhood he had chosen the army for his profession, as a matter of course. three of his brothers had already gone to india, two into the cavalry, and one into the artillery, and john was hoping to enter the service of the east india company in the same way, when to his disgust he was offered an appointment, not in their army, but in the civil service. there could be no question as to which of the two branches offered the better opening to any hard-working, ambitious young man, but john would hear none of this. "a soldier i was born, a soldier i will be," he said firmly. and he was only moved in his resolution by the simple, sensible arguments of his invalid sister letitia, to whom he was entirely devoted. so to the east india college at haileybury he went, and sailed for india at the age of eighteen, considered by his elders to be a reliable, intelligent lad, but nothing more. the old longing for a soldier's life came back to him on landing, and for the first few weeks he was so entirely miserable, that, as he said afterwards, "the offer of ￡100 a year would have taken me straight home again." then he firmly pulled himself together and resolved that there should be no turning back now; he would go forward, and do the work which came to him with all his might. delhi was his first destination, and soon he found himself in charge of a district, so good a reputation had he made for being both self-reliant and cautious. it was a turbulent, unsettled piece of country that he was given to bring into order, but his firmness, justice, and conscientious hard work accomplished wonders, and prepared him for greater things. without a single soldier he kept perfect order among his people through the great drought, which filled his district with starving men and with bands of robbers, but at last his health gave way under the strain of eleven years' work, and he came home to england on sick leave. two years later he returned to his post, now a married man, and was soon brought into close contact with that sturdy soldier, sir henry hardinge, who was in command of the fierce campaign then being waged against the sikhs. hardinge entirely depended on being able to get sufficient supplies, guns, and ammunition from the base at delhi, and it was to the civilian magistrate there, john lawrence, that he appealed for help. splendidly that help was given. lawrence organised a system of carts, each to be driven by his owner; and in an incredibly short time a long train of guns, ammunition, and food of all sorts, reached the camp, as much to the delight as to the astonishment of the general. a few days after the arrival of these welcome supplies, the battle which ended the campaign was fought and won. hardinge did not forget the man who had made this victory possible, and gave him for reward a most responsible piece of work, the charge of the newly won sikh province of jalandhar.
a second sikh war, which ended in the complete submission of the sikh army, gave the whole province of the punjab into the hands of the viceroy.
"what shall we do with it?" he asked of lawrence.
"annex it at once," was the answer; and when lord dalhousie pointed out the difficulties, lawrence, who had known and realised them all, met every objection with the words: "action, action, action!"
so the punjab was annexed, and it was decided to govern it by a board, which included henry lawrence and john lawrence. frankly, let us admit at once that the arrangement was not a happy one. both brothers were men of strong character and great ability, but they saw things from very different points of view. henry was enthusiastic, imaginative, and easily moved; john was entirely practical and clear-headed. each loved and respected the other, but neither would give way on what seemed to each vital questions of importance. finally, both sent in their resignations, and lord dalhousie, wisely recognising that john lawrence was specially fitted for the special work required at the moment in the punjab, made him the chief commissioner, and moved henry to another field. it was a great province to reduce to law and order, even when it was divided into seven districts, ruled over by picked men. but lawrence was a born organiser. not only could he work himself indefatigably, but he knew how to choose other men for the posts that had to be filled, and having chosen them, he trusted them and supported them loyally. he had only to recognise "grit," or "metal," in a subordinate, and there was nothing he would not do to help him on. "human nature is human nature," he would say, and "a strong horse if held with a tight hand will do more than a weak horse to whom you may give his head." so he managed to keep his brilliant colleagues all in one team; he smoothed over their disagreements, he dealt with them all quite frankly, criticising where he held it needful, praising generously whenever it was possible, and thus he gathered around him that band of men, including nicholson, chamberlain, and edwardes, who came to the fore so vigorously a little later in the hour of the crisis. but lawrence was to do still greater things in the near future.
a year later saw the outbreak of the mutiny, which came as a thunderbolt to the british government in india. the first rising, terrible in its suddenness, was at meerut, where a maddened crowd of sepoys, thirsting for the blood of all europeans, seized the arms and ammunition, released their prisoners, murdered whoever resisted them, and then made for delhi, at which place all the rebels from the country round were assembling. within delhi, the native regiments joined the mutineers; europeans were ruthlessly massacred, and though the tiny garrison made a magnificent defence, expecting every hour to be relieved by a strong british force, they at last had to realise that resistance was useless and that each one must escape for his life as best he could.
to lawrence, just starting for his holiday, came the well-known message from delhi, "the sepoys have come in from meerut, and are burning everything. we must shut up," followed by a second telegram which told that delhi was in the hands of the rebels. strange to say nothing was being done from meerut, where there was a fairly large force of british troops, to avenge the murderous outbreak.
john lawrence, however, was a man of action, and his younger colleagues were not a whit less determined. at all costs delhi must be regained—that was the first move unanimously agreed on; but every hour's delay meant danger, for each day brought recruits to the rebels, and the disarming of the doubtful native troops must be carried out at once if it were not to be too late. lawrence had a twofold task. he must make safe and hold secure for england the punjab, that vast inflammable province containing more than thirty thousand sepoys, for which work he knew he could rely on chamberlain, nicholson, and edwardes; but more than this, he must put forth every power to assist in the retaking of delhi. when at last an army of about three thousand men took up their stand on a ridge outside delhi, they knew that within the walls of the city at least a hundred thousand foes awaited them, with numbers of guns and an unlimited supply of ammunition. overwhelming indeed were the odds against them. but one fact gave them confidence. behind them lay the road leading to the punjab and to the man whom they knew would send along it, to their help, his best officers, his best troops, ample supplies and ammunition, who would never cease watching, working, and urging until once more the british flag waved over delhi.
for twelve weary weeks the struggle waged, and lawrence strained every nerve. the position in the punjab was highly critical; only the ceaseless vigour of its chief commissioner, and his strong, fearless policy, held in check the rebellion all ready to break out. had the punjab failed, nothing but disaster could have overtaken the delhi field force. but john lawrence never doubted, never despaired, even when there reached him the appalling news of the cawnpore massacre, followed by the tidings from beleaguered lucknow, where henry lawrence had fallen at his post with the dying request that on his tomb might be recorded the words: "he tried to do his duty."
at last the tide turned. delhi was saved, and though all was not yet won, lawrence knew that the crisis was over. but that moment was clouded, for the man who, above all others, had brought about the capture of delhi, was no more. john nicholson had fallen in the proudest hour of his life, and when the news came to lawrence he completely broke down.
"he was a glorious soldier," he said. "he seems to have been specially raised up for this juncture, and so long as british rule shall endure in india his fame shall never perish; without him, delhi could not have fallen."
it was a generous tribute and a just one. but we must never forget that behind john nicholson was john lawrence.
"not a bayonet or a rupee has reached delhi from calcutta or england," wrote edwardes. "it has been recovered by lawrence and his resources. honour, all honour to coachman john, and honour, too, to the team that pulled the coach. he alone was at the helm, and bore all the responsibility on his own shoulders"!
the district of which delhi was the capital was at once handed over to the punjab government, and lawrence hurried thither in a mail-cart, that law and order might be restored without delay. his policy was just what might have been expected of him—a generous combination of strength, mercy, and justice; and within six months he was able to report that "perfect order reigned throughout the delhi territory."
it was just at this juncture that colin campbell arrived in india as commander-in-chief.
"when will you be ready to start?" lord palmerston had asked him in offering the command.
"to-morrow!" said the soldier promptly. and on the morrow he started.
he had distinguished himself in the crimea. there he had held the command of the highland brigade, a post of all others for which he was fitted. a highlander himself, he perfectly understood how to handle the men of his own race, and the advance on the alma was splendidly made by his troops, who exhibited such rare courage combined with perfect coolness that when lord raglan rode up to compliment their commander, "his eyes filled with tears and his countenance quivered."
"the army is watching you, make me proud of the highland brigade," campbell said to his men on the day of balaclava. "remember," he added, "there is no retreat from here! you die where you stand."
"aye, aye, sir colin; we'll do that!" was the answer.
rarely has a more touching farewell order been issued than that from campbell to his men, when at the end of the campaign he was about to return to england. part of it ran thus:—
"a long farewell! i am now old, and shall not be called to serve any more; and nothing will remain to me but the memory of my campaigns, and the memory too of the enduring, hardy, generous soldiers with whom i have been associated.... when you go home you will tell the story of your immortal advance up the heights of alma, and you may speak of the old brigadier who led you and who loved you so well.... and the bagpipes will never sound near me without carrying me back to those bright days when i was at your head and wore the bonnet you gained for me, and the honourable decorations on my breast, many of which i owe to your conduct. brave soldiers, kind comrades, farewell!"
but the old soldier had not done yet, and he promptly left england for india, where he arrived at the darkest hour, before the fall of delhi, and when havelock had been foiled in his brave attempt to relieve lucknow.
sir colin and john lawrence were old friends, and the commander-in-chief at once wrote: "it will be a matter of real gratification to me if we exchange our plans and ideas from time to time.... i am thankful you were in the punjab to face the storm."
the chief concentrated all his energy on bringing order and organisation out of chaos at calcutta, so that efficient reinforcements, properly equipped, might be speedily got together, and meanwhile outram went to the assistance of havelock. "outram is a fine soldier and a fine man," lawrence had written of him affectionately, and this "bayard of india, who had served that country for forty years in war and council," as it is recorded in the abbey, showed himself full worthy of the highest praises that could be bestowed on him. when he reached cawnpore with reinforcements which would make possible the relief of lucknow, he refused, though the senior officer, to take the command. havelock had borne the heat and burden of the day, havelock must be the hero when the hour of victory was at hand. "i cheerfully waive my rank and accompany the force to lucknow, tendering my services to brigadier-general havelock as a volunteer," he said, with a fine chivalry which was characteristic of one "who ever esteemed others better than himself, who was valiant, self-denying, and magnanimous—in all the true knight!" the column forced its way into lucknow, but even so, it was impossible to fully relieve the garrison. once inside the walls outram took over the command, and made the best of the position directly he realised that for the present he could only reinforce, not relieve. but colin campbell was on his way with the army of about five thousand men which he had collected after great efforts. a miscellaneous force indeed it was: lancers, sikhs, punjab infantry, the queen's, and the 93rd highlanders, which the commander-in-chief had formed up, so that he might address them, and the highlanders burst into cheers at the sight of their beloved general.
"you are my own lads," he said to them; "i rely on you to do yourselves and me credit."
"aye, aye! sir colin," answered a voice from the ranks; "ye ken us, and we ken you. we'll bring the women and bairnies out of lucknow, or we'll leave our ain banes there!"
magnificently they kept their word. when it came to the last assault, sikhs and highlanders positively raced with each other to be first through the breach, and seemed impervious alike to the heavy fire poured on them, or the desperate hand-to-hand struggle. over five hundred killed and wounded made up their casualty list; but the women and the bairnies were saved. and though sir colin longed to make a second decisive attack on the enemy, he held back with great self-control, deeming it his first duty to withdraw all the sick with the women and children in safety to alumbagh, a feat difficult enough under any circumstances, and requiring all his available troops. hardly had he accomplished this than news came that cawnpore, with its tiny garrison, was once more surrounded by the enemy, and was, so the message said, "at its last gasp."
"how dare you say of her majesty's troops that they are at their last gasp," thundered the chief. and forthwith made for the entrenchments, where his very presence saved the situation.
west transept.
west transept.
all this while john lawrence had not relaxed his efforts, and just at this moment he sent the welcome intelligence to sir colin that he had three thousand cavalry and twelve guns waiting for him. with those and other welcome reinforcements the chief was able to make his final attack on lucknow, which continued fiercely during nineteen days, but which ended in complete victory for the british troops, though they were but a force of 30,000 against 120,000 of the rebels. with the fall of lucknow the burning flames of the mutiny may be said to have been extinguished; what remained was the smouldering of the fire. to sir colin the queen wrote an autograph letter which thrilled him with pride, part of which ran thus:—
"the queen has had many proofs already of sir colin campbell's devotion to his sovereign and his country, and he has now greatly added to the debt of gratitude which both owe him. but sir colin must bear one reproof from his queen, and this is, that he exposes himself too much. his life is most precious, and she entreats that he will neither put himself where his noble spirit would urge him to be—foremost in danger—nor fatigue himself so as to injure his health."
a little later her majesty signified her intention of conferring on him a peerage.
"we dinna ken hoo tae address ye, sir colin, now that the queen has made ye a lord!" said one of the highlanders sadly.
"just call me sir colin, john, the same as in the old times: i like the old name best," was the answer.
although lucknow was taken in the march of 1858, it was more than two years before sir colin campbell was able to return to england, having finished his work; and then after three years spent at home, surrounded by "honour, love, and troops of friends," the old warrior passed away from the battle-field of life.
lawrence, now a baronet, and greatly worn out by the heavy strain he had been through, had reached england in 1859, where he found the british public eager to shower honours on one whom they held to be the saviour of india. his great modesty led him to shrink from it all.
"if i was placed in a position of extreme danger and difficulty," he declared, "i was also fortunate in having around me some of the ablest civil and military officers in india. and i hope that some rewards will be extended to those who so nobly shared with me the perils of the struggle, and by whose aid my efforts were crowned with success."
he settled down to work as a member of the council of india, and lord derby, then at the india office, was deeply impressed not only by his great ability but by his "heroic simplicity." "even if his opportunity had never come," he declared, "you would always have felt that you were in the presence of a man capable of accomplishing great things, and capable also of leaving the credit of them to any one who chose to take it."
the death of outram was a great sorrow to lawrence, and he it was who went to the dean to beg that his old friend should be buried in the abbey, as the one place worthy of him. he too made all the arrangements for the funeral, and it was at his suggestion that the sergeants of outram's old regiment carried their beloved leader to his grave.
quite unexpectedly the government called on him to return to india as viceroy, and though he would far rather have remained in england, he felt that he ought to go. to him the call of duty was ever the one call to which the heart of every true man must unfailingly respond. his appointment was for five years, and during this time he remained at his post, carrying out the policy of his life, by which he desired "to avoid complications, to consolidate our power in india, to give to its people the best government we can, to organise our administration in every department on a system which will combine economy with efficiency, and so to make our government strong and respected."
"i do not wish to shorten my term of office, nor do i wish to prolong it," he said in answer to the question as to what his feelings were now that he was about to deliver over the government of the country.
"it was a proud moment for me," he added, "when i walked up the steps of this house, feeling that without political interest or influence i had been chosen to fill the highest office under the crown, the viceroy of the queen. but it will be a happier moment for me when i walk down the steps with the feeling that i have tried to do my duty."
on his return home he was made a peer, and for some years he devoted himself untiringly to public and philanthropic work, acting as chairman to the london school board until his failing eyesight and his broken health put an end to his public life. "it is overpowering to see him thus laid low and worn out," wrote one who saw him daily. "but to us he seems grander than ever in his affliction, and we realise the truth that 'he who ruleth his spirit is greater than he who taketh a city.'"
ten years after he had left india the end came, and honest john, as he was affectionately called, was carried to the abbey, to be buried there with all the honour that was his due.