The Indian Mutiny Medal awarded to Private T. Williamson, 78th Highlanders, who served as part of General Havelock’s Allahabad Flying Column, and died of wounds on 27 August 1857

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (T. Williamson, 78th. Highlanders) scratch to both obverse and reverse fields, nearly extremely fine £400-£500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Indian Mutiny Medals, the Property of a Gentleman.

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Thomas Williamson attested for the 78th Highlanders and served with them in India during the Great Sepoy Mutiny as part of General Havelock’s Allahabad Flying Column at the relief of Cawnpore.

General Havelock’s Allahabad Flying Column
General Havelock marched from Allahabad on 7 June 1857 leading the pitifully small movable column that was attempting to relieve Cawnpore and then Lucknow. In total the force at his disposal was approximately 1,000 British Infantry, 150 Sikh soldiers, and 30 Irregular Cavalry. The force contained small parts of 1st Battalion Bengal Artillery; 64th Foot, 78th Highlanders; 5th Fusiliers; 84th Foot; seven companies of the 90th Light Infantry, and the Madras European Fusiliers, and had a total of 8 guns.

Havelock’s force advanced down the Grand Trunk Road leaving behind the evidence of the retaliatory power of the British in the number of villages burnt out and the numerous corpses left hanging from trees. Shortly after this news came to the Advanced Guard under Major Renaud of the Madras Fusiliers that at Cawnpore, General Wheeler had been forced to capitulate. On 12 July General Havelock’s force met the mutineers’ force of 3,000 men and 12 guns at Fathepore. Havelock’s force routed the mutineers and continued their relentless march toward Cawnpore. Two days later Havelock’s force stormed the Pandu Nadi river where the bridge was defended by over 2,000 mutineers. It is believed that this action caused Nana Sahib to order the execution of the remaining women and children still imprisoned in the Bibighar at Cawnpore.

On 16 July at Maharajpore, still some seven miles from Cawnpore, Havelock’s force fought another action with the Nana’s rebel army. The mutineer’s gun batteries raked the advancing columns of the 64th Foot and 78th Highlanders. The awful work of charging the heavy guns (well served by the rebels) now began and the 78th Highlanders led by Colonel Hamilton took the post of honour and were first to charge. “The shrill sound of the pibroch from the bagpipes in the rear seeming to send them forward as with the force of a catapult”. The following day Havelock said, “He had never seen steadier or more devoted troops. Between 7 and 16 July you have under the Indian sun of July marched a hundred and twenty six miles and fought four actions”. Upon entry to Cawnpore Havelock’s men found the first awful evidence of the massacre that had taken place there.

Advancing again on 4 August, through yet another rebel force, Hvelock was forced to rest his men after an outbreak of cholera. Even in this state his force met with a rebel force on 12 August and completed their destruction of the enemy block force in the third battle of Bashratganji when the 78th Highland and the Madras Fusiliers storm the rebel earthworks with the bayonet. Finally arriving at Lucknow the following month, his force, despite being severely weakened, fought their way into the city but did not have the strength to raise the siege and thus they became ‘Second Defenders’, having to await the arrival of Sir Colin Campbell’s relief force to finally raise the siege.

Williamson was wounded at some point during these fierce actions, and died of his wounds on 27 August 1857, prior to the first Relief of Lucknow.