een, the actual siege
commenced on 3rd of March.

THE SIEGE AND DEFENCE OF CHITRAL.

With Dr Robertson were Captains Colin Campbell and Townshend of the
Central India Horse, Lieutenant Harley of the 14th Sikhs, Surgeon--
Captain Whitchurch, Captain Baird of the 24th Punjaub Infantry, and
Lieutenant Gurdon, who was acting as political officer before Dr
Robertson's arrival; the troops consisted entirely of natives, there
being eventually shut up in the fort, in addition to those named, 543
persons, of whom 460 were combatants, namely 361 Kashmirs and 99 Sikhs.
On the 3rd of March, Captain Campbell with 200 men was sent out to make
a reconnaissance in the direction of Sher Afzul's position, and with him
were Captains Townshend and Baird, and Surgeon-Captain Whitchurch,
joined afterwards by Dr Robertson and Lieutenant Gurdon. They were at
once attacked by the enemy in strong force, and were met with a very hot
fire, and eventually had to retire to the fort, fighting every inch of
the ground, with the enemy on the front and both flanks, and firing from
the cover of garden walls. Captain Campbell being wounded, the command
devolved upon Captain Townshend, who fought his way back with his
wounded to a small hamlet where Dr Robertson was rallying the men;
meantime a message had brought out from the fort Lieutenant Harley and
50 Sikhs, a reinforcement which enabled the party to retire steadily
into the fort, which they reached at eight o'clock. At the same time a
detachment of 50 men under Captain Baird and Lieutenant Gurdon were
hotly engaged in another part of the ground. Captain Baird was wounded
early in the action, and under the care of Surgeon-Captain Whitchurch,
while Lieutenant Gurdon conducted the retreat to the fort. With
Whitchurch were a few Kashmir sepoys and some hospital bearers, but the
two parties soon got separated in the _melee_, and Whitchurch and his
men had to fight their way back inch by inch, carrying their wounded
officer. Every now and then they had to stop and make bayonet-charges
to clear the enemy out of the shelter of stone walls around them, and
when at length they reached the fort nearly half the party had been left
dead on the field, yet not a man had left the party. Poor Captain Baird
was hit three times in the retreat, and died next day; while, strange to
say, his gallant rescuer, Whitchurch, escaped untouched. Many heroic
acts are done by our men in war and peace, but none can be grea