'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎281] (300/622)

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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
281
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quite unable to say when he would advance. As Commander
Rennie notes in his Journal, it was fortunate for the safety of
his small party that he had not marched before. Mya-toon,
whose position was only eighteen miles distant, sent a party to
reconnoitre the village, but they retired on being fired at.
Commodore Rennie now sent a boat to the 4 Nemesis,' with
directions to bring up supplies for a fortnight, from the
'Zenobia' at Bassein, ninety miles distant; and the boat
returned from the 'Nemesis' at one a.m. of the 17th, 44 doing
one hundred and thirty miles in fifty-three hours." On the
17th a letter was received from Captain Garden, to the effect
that the advance would positively take place on the following
day, the distance to Mya-toon's position being only seven and
a half miles.
Before nine a.m. on the 18th, Captains Rennie and Fytche
inarched with the blue-jackets and two hundred and seventy
native auxiliaries, to act in co-operation with the main column,
consisting of twenty-two officers and six hundred and five Euro
pean troops, and twelve officers and six hundred and three
Sepoys Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. , besides guns, mortars, and rocket-tubes. At two p.m.
the sailors bivouacked, and, early on the morning of the 19th,
marched in the direction of Sir John Cheape's guns, which
were heard about two and a half miles distant The line of
route was through a dense jungle, where occasionally the
enemy opened fire only to retire when the guns replied with
canister. The sailors captured three entrenchments, admirably
constructed, where they took two guns, and, soon after, heard
the bugles and saw the red coats of Sir John Cheape's force
on the left bank of the stream. To the disgust of Commander
Rermie abet 44 all hands," the blue-jackets arrived on the scene
just too late to participate in the attack on Mya-toon's position,
which had been carried, with heavy loss, by storming parties
led by Lieutenant Taylor, of the 9th Native Infantry, and
Ensign Wolseley, of Her Majesty's 80th, the former of whom died
a soldier's death, and the latter survived from a ghastly wound
in the thigh to win immortal renown as the Commander of the
Red River and Ashantee Expeditions. The officers and men of
the Naval Brigade were warmly welcomed by the force, the mess
oi Her Majesty's 51st, (which regiment had greatly distinguished
itself during the day), entertaining the former most hospitably.*
Commander Rennie was busily occupied on the 20th, assist-
* Sir John Cheape's losses between the 27th of February and the 19th of March,
inclusive, were as follows Killed, two officers, Ensign Boileau, 67th Bengal
Native Infantry, and Lieutenant Taylor, 9th Madras Native Infantry, and nine
teen non-commissioned officers and men. Wounded, twelve officers and ninety-
three rank and file. It is a singular circumstance that among the officers wounded
in Captain Loch's ill-fated expedition was Lieutenant Grlover of the ' Sphinx '
(now Sir John Grlover), the coadjutor of Sir Grarnet Wolseley during the Ashantee
War.
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