Beginning of the 2nd Sikh War

The terms which ended the 1st Sikh War provided for continued Sikh rule of the Punjab, but with British involvement and oversight.  As part of that arrangement, in April of 1848, two British officers were sent to the city of Multan to assist in a transition of power from a local Hindu ruler named Mulrat.  Violence erupted, the two British officers were murdered and Mulrat and his followers revolted against the Sikh government.

Modern day map of the Punjab showing major sites in 2nd Sikh War

Initially the British were reluctant to become too involved in putting down the uprising because of fears their participation might provoke a larger Sikh rebellion.  Ultimately that happened anyway as a Sikh leader named Shere Singh (supposedly a British ally) deserted with troops intended to help recapture Multan and headed north towards the heart of the Punjab.  Thousands of Sikhs joined him on the march as the Sikh nation rose in rebellion against the British.  In response the British formed the Army of the Punjab under Sir   Hugh Gough (British commander in the 1st Sikh war) who sent reinforcements to the troops attempting to take Multan while leading the rest of his forces in pursuit of Shere Singh.

Siege of Multan

Singh and his followers took up positions at a ford of the Chenab River near Ramnager.  The Sikh goal was to stop the British from crossing the river which would allow Shere Singh and his followers to move on Lahore and begin taking over the Punjab.  However the British managed to cross at a different location forcing the Sikhs to withdraw and fall back on the Jehlum River near a village called Chillianwala at the beginning of December 1848.

Shere Singh

When the revolt broke out at Multan in April of 1848, the 29th was still at Kasauli.  At the time the regiment's total strength was about 1200 including just over 1000 privates, one of whom was William Winder.  Of that number, just over half were English (53%) with a healthy number of Irish (42%) and a smaller number of Scots (5%).  At 5' 5 1/2", William was also one of the smaller soldiers as only 70 were smaller than 5' 6".  In August the regiment was ordered to leave Kasauli and march to Firozpur to relieve the 32nd regiment for service at Multan.

The march of 170 miles took just over three weeks.  Based on the experiences of other regiments during this period, most of the marching was done between midnight and dawn.  It was while at Firozpur that the 29th became part of the Army of the Punjab, more specifically part of a brigade under the command of General    Mountain.  Also serving in Mountain's brigade were two regiments of Sepoys (native troops), the 30th and 56th regiments.  On November 9, the 29th left Firozpur to join the rest of the Army of the Punjab in pursuit of Shere Singh.

Sir Hugh Gough

One of the many challenges facing the British military in India was having far fewer men than their opponents.  The 2nd Sikh War was especially difficult because Gough had to divide his forces between the siege at Multan and the pursuit of Shere Singh.  As a result the pursuit was somewhat spasmodic, attempting to balance maintain contact with the Sikh army while waiting/hoping for a successful conclusion to the siege which would free up reinforcements for Gough's army.

Storming of Multan 

For the 29th this meant about 60 days filled with sporadic marching followed by long periods waiting in camps along the route of march.  During one lengthy halt lasting from December 18th to January 9th, some of the regiment's officers killed time by killing jackals and foxes.  Somewhat more unusual was a January 2nd cricket match between a regimental team and the "officers of the army."  Given William's Winder's background, it seems unlikely cricket was part of his skill set.  Finally on January 9th word was received that Multan had been taken and that Shere Singh's army was being reinforced. It was time for the Army of the Punjab to go on the offensive.

Joining the 29th

William's first challenge as a new member of the 29th Regiment of Foot was simply getting to his unit. No record survives as to whether he and his 64 fellow volunteers had to travel from Cawnpore, Calcutta or some other point to join the 29th at Kasauli.  From Cawnpore it was about a 450 mile journey or almost 1100 miles if they were going from Calcutta.  To the extent possible, they probably traveled by boat, but there was most likely some marching as well.  At least they were headed for a desirable location.  Kasauli was established in 1842 as an cantonment town at 1800 meters elevation, surrounded by forests and known for "salubrious weather."

Modern view of Kasauli

In joining the 29th, William was joining a more junior regiment than the 21st, but one which also had a long and distinguished history.  Founded in 1694 as Colonel Farrington's regiment, the unit had become the 29th in 1751 when numbers were assigned in place of names based upon date of creation.  Subsequently in 1782, regiments became associated with English counties and the 29th was assigned to Worcestershire.

Another view of Kasauli 

At the time of its designation as the 29th, the regiment was beginning a 60 plus year tour of duty in North America.  In 1770, the 29th was on duty in Boston when some of its men fired on a mob of protesting colonists, killing three and wounding others.  Known to history as the Boston Massacre, the men were defended in court by none other than John Adams and were acquitted.  Back in Europe for the Napoleonic Wars, the 29th served in Spain during the Peninsula Campaign under Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington.  The regiment so distinguished itself at the battle of Talavera that Wellesley called it "the best regiment in the army."  Ordered to Belgium in June of 1815, the 29th arrived too late to see action at Waterloo.

Uniforms of the 29th in India, note the white cloth covering the back of the neck

By 1847, the Worcestershire Regiment had been in India for five years and had just seen action in the First Sikh War.  Whatever William Winder did or didn't know about his new regiment, he was most likely well aware his chances of seeing combat had increased significantly.  The 29th's theater of operations was the India's northwest frontier and the specific area of concern was the Punjab (land of five rivers) which borders on Afghanistan by way of the Himalayas.  The Punjab was home to the Sikhs, originally a religious grouping, but subsequently organized into a state by Ranjit Singh.  In addition to establishing a state, Singh created an army of 60,000 men, called the Khalsa which was renown as the "most powerful native force in India."

The strength of the Khalsa rested first on the men who served in it.  Sikhs were reportedly naturally brave and respected as tough fighters who were considered to be "almost British" (high praise indeed!).  Building on that foundation, Singh brought in Europeans to train his army in European tactics and methods while investing lavishly on artillery.  Sikh artillery was considered to be accurate and unrelenting with soldiers also armed with matchlock muskets and more importantly deadly short curved swords called tulwars.  By 1844, the Sikhs were considered the only real military rivals of the East India Company.

Some of the 29th's Regimental Songs

Ranjit Singh's death in 1839 resulted in dynastic struggles that went on for many years.  At the same time, the Khalsa had grown so powerful it was feared by those conspiring for the throne.  To make matters worse British military defeats in Afghanistan had created cracks in the myth of British military invincibility, encouraging those leaning towards military action.  A number of historians believe that Ranjit Singh's successors may have provoked war with the British in hopes that a British defeat would make the army less of a threat to its supposed domestic rulers.  In any event, the Khalsa invaded British territory in 1844 and were defeated in 60 days as the British won four bloody battles.

 Perhaps somewhat surprisingly the British chose not to take direct rule of the Punjab and, instead, tried to work out terms which would reduce the strength of the Khalsa and prevent or limit the chances of future conflicts.  Some of the British leadership, however, believed a second war was inevitable and they were correct.

Marching through India

After spending over three months aboard ship, more water travel was probably the last thing William and the others bound for the 21st wanted.  Since, however, the regiment was over 300 miles away in Dinapore that was most likely what happened.  Any reluctance to board the boat, not doubt, faded quickly when they realized the alternative was to make the journey by foot in their heavy woolen uniforms.  In spite of the dramatically different climate, the only concession made to the heat was a piece of cloth worn on the back of the neck as protection from the sun.

Dinapore, India

Dinapore was a British garrison town, not far from both Patna, one of India's largest cities, and the Himalaya mountains.  Interestingly Hank Zinn passed through Patna on his way to Sookerting airbase even further to the east so this is at least one place where their paths more or less crossed, separated by about a century.

Map of India showing a number of the places where William Winder was stationed

Almost all of William's seven years with the 21st were spent in similar garrisons or permanent military stations called cantonments.  Life in a cantonment was fairly easy duty and certainly better than similar assignments in England.  Upon arrival at Dinapore, William was assigned to a company which shared a "long, wide and spacious" room, a far cry from the crowded, cramped barracks in England.  Meals were still eaten in the room, but at least the food was cooked elsewhere and brought to the barracks by servants.  The meal schedule was the same as in England, but the cost was less and, hopefully, the quality somewhat better.

British soldiers quarters in Kamptee, much more comfortable than in England

Unfortunately there was another part of the cantonment where Williams spent a fair amount of time, the hospital.  The 21st was stationed at Dinapore for  1841 and most of 1842 and William spent parts of the second and fourth quarters of 1841 in the hospital.  No information survives, but illness was a chronic threat and common experience for British soldiers in India.  Fortunately William recovered and was back on duty by November of 1842 when the regiment received orders to move to Agra (west and slightly north), but the orders were changed en route, redirecting the 21st to Kamptee, just over 400 miles to the southwest.  Since there were no railroads in India at the time, the only alternatives for moving large units were boat or foot.  While the army probably used water travel as much as possible, on this move, William got his first, but far from final experience of marching through India.

The fort at Agra

Moving a regiment in India involved far more than the troops themselves.  Reportedly for every soldier like William, there were five servants or non-combatants making for an "enormous cortege" of over 5000 people.  William probably had done some marching in England, but nothing compared to this.  Besides the massive numbers, the array of animals was far more exotic as elephants carried the tents for the men while camels carried everything from ammunition to hay for the horses.

Unlike their inflexible attitude on uniforms, army leadership took the local climate into consideration in planning marches.  Except in the case of military necessity, there was no marching during the heat of the day. Instead marches began as early as midnight, usually reaching the day's destination before the sun got too high in the sky.  In spite of these and other precautions, death on the march was not unknown.  It took the 21st until February 6, 1843 to reach Kamptee which meant almost two months of living in tents, 25 men to a tent.  Whether it was because of conditions on the march or other issues, William was back in the hospital around the time the 21st reached Kamptee.

Kamptee, India

Founded in 1821 as a British garrison town, Kamptee was to be the 21st's home for the next three years.  In addition to his hospital stay on arrival, William logged additional hospital time on two other occasions in 1844.  Illness serious enough to merit hospitalization is a recurring theme throughout William's time in India.  After their sojourn in Kamptee, the 21st was ordered to Agra, it's original destination three years earlier.  This time there must have been some urgency to the move as the regiment and its entourage reportedly covered the almost 500 miles in 34 days, a rate of 14.6 miles a day without a day of rest.  This time William must have done well on the march since his first and only hospital stay in Agra occurred six months after the regiment's arrival in January of 1846.

Main Street in Agra about 1858

As noted in the last post, Agra, or  more appropriately, Fort Agra will sound familiar to Sherlock Holmes fans from The Sign of Four, which features the great Agra treasure.  Dating back to the 11th century, the fort is really a 94 acre walled city within sight of the Taj Mahal. Ironically on November 23, 1845 almost 100 years after William's arrival in Agra, Hank Zinn flew over the fort and the Taj Mahal en route to Karachi, the first stop on his way home.  After only about a year, the regiment was on the move again, this time a relatively shorter journey to Cawnpore 173 miles east and slightly to the south.  Cawnpore was a major British army installation with barracks which could accommodate 7000 men.  About ten years later, during the Sepoy Mutiny, Cawnpore would be scene of major fighting.

Photograph of the Taj Mahal taken by Hank Zinn on 11/23/1945 from the co-pilot's seat

The regiment's stay in Cawnpore was even shorter as after only about 9-10 months, they began the over 600  mile journey southeast to Calcutta for the long return voyage to England.  All told almost 400 members of the 21st including William, opted not to board the troopship, but to instead join another regiment.  This was reportedly a common practice, one encouraged by the authorities.  William and 64 of his comrades joined the 29th regiment which meant a journey to Kasauli, the 29th's base in northwestern India.

Cawnpore in 1810

Why did William choose to stay in India?  All answers are speculative, but it may simply be a matter of military life in India being better, or at least not worse, than life in England in any form.  Although William had done a lot of marching and spent time in the hospital, his life as far as we can tell, hadn't been too difficult or dangerous.  We also don't know how William chose the 29th or if he even had a choice.  But during his time with his new regiment, William would see danger face-to-face as part of the final act in England's conquest of India.

Stranger in a Strange Land

At the beginning of Sahib: The British Soldier in India, Richard Holmes wrote, "Like it or not, the British conquest and dominion of India is one of history's great epics."  Our ancestor William Winder was part of that epic so it's worthwhile to try to put William's experiences within the larger context.  According to Holmes, it was trade, not the desire for territory which attracted the British to India, an attraction dating back to 1600.  Initially English trading companies tried to negotiate the right to establish trading bases, but when that failed, they successfully resorted to force.  These companies operated in India until 1709 when a new charter was issued for a merged company, the Honorable East India Company.

Seal of the Honorable East India Company

Over the next 50 years British trade with India grew to the point that 20% of British imports came from the Indian sub-continent.  When the Seven Years War (the French and Indian War) broke out in 1756, the conflict reached India and resulted in a significant expansion of the East India Company's operations.  The expanded governance role by a private company, led to abuses which parliament tried to correct by new legislation which established indirect British rule of most of India under the aegis of the East India Company.  Around the time of William's arrival, there were 41,000 Europeans in India, 90% of whom were soldiers, living alongside a native population of 15 million.  By the end of 1844, the East India Company ruled all of India except the Punjab which was governed by the Sikhs.

Robert Clive after the British victory at Plassey in 1757 - a decisive point in Britain's conquest of India

After over 100 days at sea in exceedingly cramped quarters, William and his mates were doubtless looking forward to getting back on dry land.  But they were in a very different place which would require more than a little getting used to.  Supposedly many British soldiers were initially unable to sleep because of the heat and the noise of the jackals.  Shortly after his arrival in India, my father recounted seeing "jackals,  water buffalo, peacocks, camels and countless monkeys," which left him feeling that "this doesn't seem real."  A positive note was finding over 30 letters waiting for him, mostly from my mother.  No such possibility existed for William Winder and while my father was undergoing some degree of culture shock, his pre-arrival knowledge of India had to be far greater than William Winder's.

By 1767 Britain was in direct control of the shaded areas, less than 100 years later all of the sub continent was under British rule 

Once they gathered their belongings and got off the ship, William and the group traveled by boat, foot or some combination thereof to join the regiment (the first railroad wasn't built in India until 1853).  If we continue to assume that William's primary motivation for enlistment was financial, service in India had improved his financial fortunes somewhat.  Labor was so cheap that even lowly privates like William could afford servants to polish their boots, clean their equipment and wash their clothes.

In addition to money going further there was more of it.  British soldiers in India received additional pay called batta.  A certain amount was paid for just being there, much like the additional $65 a month in hostile fire pay, I got in Vietnam.  While it wasn't enough to motivate men to volunteer for Vietnam, you weren't about to decline it (I made about $750 a month as 1st. Lt.).  Additional batta was also paid when the regiment was on campaign as an incentive for good performance.

Sherlock Holmes and the mystery of the great Agra treasure

There were two other forms of financial reward for service in India - prize money (legal) and looting (illegal). Prize money is most often associated with naval warfare where captured ships are sold and the proceeds divided among the capturing crew.  However the same concept applied to the army in India, if, for example, an Indian ruler's palace was captured, his possessions were subject to sale with the proceeds divided among the officers and men.  Unfortunately for the potential recipients, prize money was not always distributed fairly and actual payment frequently took a very long time.

The first edition of The Moonstone which revolves around a jewel stolen from India 

In some cases, soldiers might capture more liquid assets like a chest of jewels which presented them with the temptation of looting instead of turning the jewels into the authorities for the prize process.  It most have happened often enough as the word "loot" came into the English language from the Hindustani word "lut" which means robbery.  It was also common enough to be used in English fiction, such as the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Sign of Four" and Wilkie Collins novel, The Moonstone.  

If William had improved his financial position by coming to India, the increased risks were far greater than the reward.  As in the American Civil War, disease killed more men than swords or bullets.  Living in unsanitary conditions in a world that knew nothing of germ theory, William's greatest health risk was cholera which was water borne, came on suddenly and killed quickly with an over 50% mortality rate.  Equal lethal was venereal disease caught from countless prostitutes who "served" an army of single men.  At least British soldiers in India seldom experimented with opium.

Drink, the "bane of the British soldier," was another temptation for William that could have serious consequences.  While there were no pubs in India, drink was even more readily available in India, whether it was native spirits called "arrack" (fermented sap of palms or molasses and rice) or the daily issue of rum.  The problem was excessive drunkenness, supposedly the number of offenses was huge which were usually dealt with by some means other than court martials.  Officers and NCO's were reportedly directed to leave drunken soldiers to other lower ranks to avoid confrontations where the drunken man might strike an officer or NCO, an offense which could carry the death penalty.  From William's discharge papers, we know he was never court martialed, but it's impossible to know if he was guilty of some lesser violations of military law.  All told, William faced serious non-combat risks in India where the death rate for soldiers was three times that of what it was in England.  Just by coming home, William beat the odds.