Mowbray Thompson was an officer -stationed at Cawnpore with Wheeler's command within the Indian North Eastern province of Oudh during 1857—the year of the outbreak of the Great Indian Mutiny. The tiny Cawnpore garrison was soon attacked—principally by elements of the Native Bengal Army—and withdrew to occupy an entirely unsuitable and ultimately impossible to defend position. After a period of bloody battle, costly in the lives of soldiers and civilians alike the situation seemed hopeless. Then an offer of honourable surrender appeared to offer the miracle of salvation. But the nightmare of the defenders of Cawnpore was about to escalate to levels of unimagined horror. A series of atrocities was about to befall them that were so terrible that they would become a rallying cry for Blood Vengeance throughout the British empire. This is story of one man—told in his own words—who lived through those terrible days.
The Nana and his company evidently intended the celebration of this epoch after their own fashion. In the night of the 22nd, we were threatened in our barrack No. 2 by a storming party from barrack No. 1. We saw the pandies gathering to this position from all parts, and fearing that my little band would be altogether overpowered by numbers, I sent to Captain Moore for more men. The answer was not altogether unexpected. "Not one could be spared." Shortly afterwards, however, the gallant captain came across to me in company with Lieutenant Delafosse, and he said to me:— <br>
Thomson, I think I shall try a new dodge; we are going out into the open, and I shall give the word of command as though our party were about to commence an attack.<br>
Forthwith they sallied out, Moore with a sword—Delafosse with an empty musket.<br>
The captain vociferated to the winds, "Number one to the front." And hundreds of ammunition pouches rattled on the bayonet-sheaths as our courageous foes vaulted out from the cover afforded by heaps of rubbish, and rushed into the safer quarters presented by the barrack walls. We followed them with a vigorous salute, and as they did not show fight just then, we had a hearty laugh at the ingenuity which had devised, and the courage which had executed this successful feint. The whole of that night witnessed a series of surprises and false charges upon our barrack, and not a man of us left his post for an instant.<br> Towards dawn, when they were a little more quiet Mr. Mainwaring, a cavalry cadet, who was one of my picket, kindly I begged of me to lie down a little while, and he would keep a sharp look out.<br>
It was indeed a little while, for I had scarcely closed my eyes when Mainwaring shouted, "Here they come." They advanced close up to the doorway of our barrack, which in consequence of the floor not being down, presented brickwork breast high, but had no door. They had never before shown so much pluck. Mainwaring's revolver despatched two or three; Stirling, with an Enfield rifle, shot one and bayoneted another; both charges of my double-barrelled gun were emptied, and not in vain. We were seventeen of us inside that barrack, and they left eighteen corpses lying outside the doorway. An attack on the entrenchment was simultaneous with that on both of our barracks. They surrounded the wall on all sides, and in every style of uniform, regular, and irregular, both cavalry and infantry, together with horse and bullock batteries of field artillery, sent out as skirmishers.<br>
Their cavalry started upon the charge from the riding-school, and in their impetuosity, or through the ignorance of their leader, came all the way at a hand-gallop, so that when they neared the entrenchment their horses were winded, and a round from our guns threw their ranks into hopeless confusion, and all who were not biting the dust wheeled round and retired. They had started with the intention of killing us all, or dying in the attempt, and oaths had been administered to the principal men among them to insure their fidelity to that purpose, as well as to stimulate their courage and determination, but all the appliances employed were of none effect so soon as one of our batteries lodged a charge of grape in their midst.
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