Siege of Delhi - Hugh and Morgan Rowe
Delhi Street in St. Thomas, Swansea is so named after the Siege of Delhi in the Indian Mutiny
Between 8th June and 21st September
1857, the Siege of Delhi was a conflict of the 1857 Indian Rebellion. The rebellion was against the authority of
the East Indian Company.
The City of Delhi Before the Siege – The Illustrated London News 16 Jan 1858
June 1857, Delhi was apparent it was well-fortified and
strongly held to fall to a coup de main.
The original assault was ordered on the dawn of 13th
June. These orders were often confused,
or they failed to reach the subordinates on time. This attack had to be called off.
During this time the numbers of sepoys and volunteers
carried on arriving at Delhi. A major
attack was mounted on the 19th of June; however, they were forced
into a retreat. The rebels at the time
didn’t know how close they were to success.
Another major attack on the 23rd of June was made.
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| The outline of the siege with the British camp (cantonment) just north of the city |
However, like the first attack, this was beaten off, with the besiegers either ground down through exhaustion or disease. Conditions on the ridge were extremely unhealthy.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, there had been some losses.
Punjab a vital area of India had been annexed by the East
Indian Company eight years earlier, with the Bengal Native units having been
disarmed and they were prevented from rebelling or defeated. Most of the Company units and units from the
Punjab Irregular Force were beginning to arrive at Delhi.
Also to arrive on the ridge during September was the siege
train, which comprised of 6x24-pounders, 8x18-pounder long guns, 6x8-inch
howitzers and 4x10-inch mortars with over 600 ammunition carts. Later, in the month a further 4 guns arrived.
All guns were ready to present.
Early September the British were able to assemble a force of
over 9,000. Plans were drawn to breach
the city walls and make an assault.
Opening fire began on the 8th of September on the
southern end of the ridge. 6 guns and a heavy mortar silenced the rebels’ guns,
and the decision on the direction of the attack was to deceive the rebels into
believing that the attack would be made from the east rather than the north.
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| Capture of Delhi, 1857 |
On the 10th of September, the second battery consisting of 2x24-pounder guns, 2x18-pounder guns, and 7x8-inch howitzers began to fire. The third and final battery of 6x18-pounder and 12 coehorn guns began to fire 200 yards from the city walls.
The opening phase of the siege seemed to coincide with the
exhaustion of ammunition the rebels had captured from the magazine.
14th September at 3 am an attack was planned for
an assault with the storming columns in position the evening before.
The attack had been planned for the dawn of the 14th;
however, the defenders had repaired some of the breaches overnight with
sandbags. With the signal given, the
first column stormed through the violations along with the second.
The third column on the north side, after the gate had been
demolished, that the column was signalled to begin their assault.
The fourth column encountered an attack by the rebel force
in the north before the column could attack.
Many of the British officers had been either killed or
wounded, and the forces were in disorder.
Many of the forces became drunk on incapacity on looted spirits.
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| Battle damage to the Kashmiri Gate in Delhi, 1857. |
With orders to destroy the liquor and restore discipline, the city was cleared of rebels and finally declared captured on September 21st.
So that’s where it would end with the connections with
Swansea; however, two brothers, Hugh and Morgan Rowe, fought in
the Siege.
Hugh was born in 1835. Both Hugh and Morgan were sons of John and John Rowe. During their early years, Hugh and Morgan were to spend time with their parents at the Workhouse.
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| Swansea Workhouse |
1861 Census, to record Hugh where he is a prisoner at the Military Prison Foston. What crime he committed is unknown or how long he was sentenced is equally unknown.
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| 1861 Census |
By the time of the 1891 Census, Hugh, 56, was an Inmate at
the Swansea Workhouse. His occupation is recorded as a General Labourer.
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| 1891 Census |
A decade later at the time of the 1901 Census, Hugh, now 68
years old is still in Swansea Union Workhouse. His occupation is recorded as a General
Labourer.
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| 1901 Census |
However, by the time of the 1911 Census, Hugh, now 77 years
old is a boarder at the Bumster’s Boarding House, 68 Strand. Hugh is recorded as being an Army Pensioner. It would be here that Hugh died later that
year.
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| 1911 Census |
Morgan was born in 1838.
Both brothers were to serve with the 1st Battalion, 8th
King.
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| 1st Battalion, 8th King |
Morgan is recorded on the 1861 Census, as being in the Gosport Barracks.
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| 1861 Census |
The next census that Morgan is recorded on is the 1881
Census. Morgan, aged 40, is a boarder residing
at 31 Powell Street. His occupation is
recorded as a Coal Trimmer.
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| 1881 Census |
Twenty years later Morgan at the time of the 1901 Census, is
boarder at Bumster’s Boarding House, 67 Strand.
Morgan’s occupation is recorded as Dock Labourer.
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| 1901 Census |
Morgan died in 1907, at 67 Strand.
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| The Cambrian Daily Leader |
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