September 5th.—A fine moonlight morning. Soon after daylight, the enemy commenced the severest cannonade we had yet had. About 8000 infantry and about 500 horse were by sunrise seen moving about round our position, and evidently preparing for an attack. The garrison were soon—every man—on the alert, and remained patiently under a tremendous fire of cannon, awaiting the enemy's onset. They soon opened fire from a new battery of two guns across the river; and about 10A.M.exploded two mines, one (a large one), close to the 18-pounder battery, and the other, a smaller one, at the brigade-mess (which we had countermined and were about to blow up.) Providentially, the enemy had miscalculated their distance in both instances, and were just short of our defences, and neither explosion did us any harm. As soon as the cloud of dust and smoke had cleared away, they advanced under cover of a tremendous fire on several points—particularly at Mr. Gubbins's post—where they came on resolutelyand planted an enormous ladder against the bastion to mount it. Several reached the top, but were so steadily received with musketry and hand grenades, that none could gain a footing: and after several leaders had fallen, the rest fell back to the cover of the neighbouring houses, where they kept up a tremendous fire. Their loss was very heavy, as they showed themselves well; particularly in the garden close to the brigade-mess and Sikh square, where they fell rapidly to our rifles and muskets. Long after the action, they could be seen carrying away their killed and wounded over the bridges.
During the attack we only had one havildar of pensioners and two sepoys of the 13th killed, and one soldier of the 32nd wounded (loss of hand), from round shot. Eight sepoys of the 13th Native Infantry, assisted by three artillerymen, loaded and worked the 18-pounder in the 13th battery, and after three or four rounds succeeded in silencing the 18-pounder opposed to them. The sepoys were very proud of this battery, which was entirely under their charge, and constructed solely by them, under the superintendence of the Engineers. A fearfullyhot-day, and a broiling sun, to which all were exposed for nearly the entire day. During last night another shaft, eight feet deep, was sunk by the officers of the brigade-mess as a listening gallery, in case the enemy should run a sap in that direction.
In the evening, the enemy seemed disgusted with their want of success in the morning, and confined themselves to a few shots now and then from their batteries. An 18-pounder came right through the hospital from their new work across the river, and passed through the whole length of the building, which was crowded with patients, and very slightly wounded Lieutenant Charlton and a soldier of the 32nd, both of whom were lying there wounded. Passing as it did through the entire length of such a crowded space, it was perfectly extraordinary that this ball did not do more harm.
After all attacks, the enemy were most determined in their efforts to carry off their dead, and generally contrived to do so at night. To-day, as usual, the leading men were most of them knocked over, which greatly discouraged their followers. All reports from positions which commanded any views of theenemy retreating, agreed in saying that they seemed to-day more thoroughly beaten than ever.
Lieutenant James Graham, of the 4th Cavalry, shot himself through the head this morning with his revolver, in a fit of temporary insanity: he left a wife and child.