artillery pushed into the deep sand on the
margin of the river, and commanded the batteries at Rumnugger, but were
obliged to retire before their superior metal, leaving behind one gun
and two ammunition waggons embedded in the sand. The enemy took skilful
and immediate advantage of this reverse, and pushed over a powerful
cavalry division. Orders were given to charge them, and the 14th
(Queen's) Light Dragoons, and the 3rd light horse of the Company's army,
in spite of overwhelming numbers and of imperfect supports, cut through
the enemy and dashed after them into the nullah. The passage was
familiar to the latter, who made good their retreat to the island; the
latter were of course ignorant of the ground, and were impeded in their
pursuit by that circumstance, had none other obstructed them. As soon as
the Sikh cavalry cleared the ford, the batteries of the island and the
flanking batteries on the right bank opened with deadly effect. How any
British officer could have been so imprudent as to give the order to
charge into the nullah is almost inconceivable; that the error was not
evident, while the brave men were being mowed down by an artillery fire,
which they could do nothing to silence, is still more marvellous; such,
however, was the case. Colonel Havelock dashed into the ford at the head
of the 14th Light Dragoons, but was never seen again. A native trooper
supposed he saw him in the nullah soon after he entered it, unhorsed,
and several Sikh soldiers "hacking his person." After much useless
slaughter was thus incurred by Havelock's gallant brigade, Major-general
Cureton rode up with an order from Lord Gough for the troops to retire.
He had scarcely given the order when he fell dead from two shots, by
which he was instantaneously struck. The troops retired with a loss, in
every corps engaged, of officers and men. Lord Gough considered the
end attained in driving the enemy from the left bank was worth the
sacrifice. The death of General Cureton was severely felt by the army,
and was in some degree irreparable. He had risen from the ranks by his
superior soldiership, and was deemed one of the best, perhaps the best,
officer for outpost duty then in India.

On the 30th of November Lieutenant-general Thackwell was ordered to
cross the Chenab above Rumnugger, where an indifferent ford had been
discovered, and where Captain Nicholson had provided boats. Thackwell
was to take the Sikhs in the flank and rear, while Lord