hind Brigade. On the news of the retirement of the latter being
received, the Forty-seventh Sikhs were also sent up to reinforce Gen.
Brunker. The First Manchester Regiment, Fourth Suffolk Regiment, and two
battalions of French territorials under Gen. Carnegy were ordered to
launch a vigorous counter-attack to retake by a flank attack the
trenches lost by the Sirhind Brigade.
Orders were sent to Gen. Carnegy to divert his attack on Givenchy
village, and to re-establish the situation there.
A battalion of the Fifty-eighth French Division was sent to Annequin in
support.
About 5 P.M. a gallant attack by the First Manchester Regiment and one
company of the Fourth Suffolk Regiment had captured Givenchy, and had
cleared the enemy out of the two lines of trenches to the northeast. To
the east of the village the Ninth Bhopal Infantry and Fifty-seventh
Rifles had maintained their positions, but the enemy were still in
possession of our trenches to the north of the village.
Gen. Macbean, with the Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade, Second Battalion,
Eighth Gurkha Rifles, and the Forty-seventh Sikhs, was sent up to
support Gen. Brunker, who, at 2 P.M., directed Gen. Macbean to move to a
position of readiness in the second line trenches from Maris northward,
and to counter-attack vigorously if opportunity offered.
Some considerable delay appears to have occurred, and it was not until
1 A.M. on the 21st that the Forty-seventh Sikhs and the Seventh Dragoon
Guards, under the command of Lieut. Col. H.A. Lempriere, D.S.O., of the
latter regiment, were launched in counter-attack.
They reached the enemy's trenches, but were driven out by enfilade fire,
their gallant commander being killed.
The main attack by the remainder of Gen. Macbean's force, with the
remnants of Lieut. Col. Lempriere's detachment, (which had again been
rallied,) was finally rushed in at about 4:30 A.M., and also failed.
In the northern section of the defensive line the retirement of the
Second Battalion, Second Gurkha Rifles, at about 10 A.M. on the 20th,
had left the flank of the First Seaforth Highlanders, on the extreme
right of the Meerut Division line, much exposed. This battalion was left
shortly afterward completely in the air by the retirement of the Sirhind
Brigade.
The Fifty-eighth Rifles, therefore, were ordered to support the left of
the Seaforth Highlanders, to fill the gap created by the retirement of
the Gurkhas.
During the whole of th
|