CHAPTER  XIV
THE GWALIAR CONTINGENT AT CAWNPUR

THE instructions given by Sir Colin Campbell to
Sir Charles Windham, whom he left to hold the
bridge of boats 6ver the Ganges at Cawnpur, were at
first carried out to Sir Colin's complete satisfaction, as
was cordially acknowledged by the Chief of the Staff on
November 13.

Vt^hen General Windham heard of the advance of
the Gwaliar Contingent towards Cawnpur, he repre¬
sented the insufficiency of his force to hold the position,
and on the 15 th received orders to retain all detach¬
ments arriving from Allahabad. He then encamped
near the junction of the Dehli-Kalpi roads, to the
south-west of the city, 3 miles from the intrench¬
ment which covered the bridge-head. Tantia Topi's
forces gradually approached from Kalpi, 45 miles
distant in a westerly direction. That town stands on
the Jamnah, which thence runs nearly parallel to the
Ganges, and the rebels occupied all the country
between the rivers to the west, and north of
Cawnpur.

General Windham asked the Headquarters Staff on Nov. 1857
November 17 for permission to move two-thirds of his
force, which on November 25 amounted to 1700 men,
composed of small detachments of different battalions
arriving from day to day, up the canal by night in
15