by John Marshall

“ The news of our arrival in the river having reached Rangoon the preceding night, and our rapid progress up in the morning being marked by an occasional shot in answer to the fire from the chokies, together with the preparations of the Burman authorities for defence, threw the inhabitants into such a state of consternation as to cause a general flight in every direction towards the jungles; so much so, that out of a large population, I do not think 100 men were found in the town on our taking possession of it. ”

“ In his official report of this affair, Sir Archibald Campbell says, – “I cannot do adequate Justice to the sense I entertain of the ability and readiness with which I find myself at all times supported by Captain Marryat and the officers and crew of the ship under his command: nor ought I to omit mentioning, that the officers and crew of the transport ship Moira are volunteers on every occasion when the enemy is likely to be met with.”
Major Snodgrass makes a brief allusion to the capture of the stockades, upon the Dalla creek; but be is again silent respecting the navy. ”

“ The armed vessels, viz. the Satellite, Teignmouth, Thetis, and Jessey, the whole under the command of Lieutenant Fraser, of H.M.S. Larne, now took their stations according to a disposition made by Captain Marryat, and opened a fire, which soon silenced that of 14 pieces of artillery, besides swivels and musketry from the stockades, and in one hour the preconcerted signal of ‘breach practicable,’ was displayed at the main-mast head. The troops, as previously arranged, entered their boats on the signal being hoisted. ”

“ No one was exempt from the operation of these causes, and many officers, including Sir Archibald Campbell and Captain Marryat, were attacked with fever during the month of June. On the 14th, the latter wrote to Commodore Grant, reporting, that he had not a commissioned or warrant officer capable of doing duty; that seven of the Larne’s crew had already died from cholera morbus or dysentery, and that 26 more were in the hospital dangerously ill, besides many others slightly attacked or remaining convalescent. “I am afraid,” added he, “that we shall lose many men before we leave this place. ”

“ Nothing could be more brilliant and successful! He took, by assault, seven strong stockades in the most rapid succession, throwing the enemy into the utmost consternation; and he had also the good fortune to fall in with a large body flying from a stockade attacked by the shipping, of whom a great number were killed.”
Ten stockades were thus taken from the enemy in one day, and upwards of 800 of his best troops were left dead on the ground; great numbers afterwards died of their wounds in the jungle ”

“ Captain Marryat, with only 27 of his original ship’s company, including officers, on board, was then dropping down from Rangoon; but he deferred quitting the river for two days, in order to give Captain Chads every information in his power. At this period, the European portion of the army fit for active service in the field was reduced to less than 1500 men. Seven hundred and forty-nine British soldiers had fallen victims to the climate, and upwards of 1000 were in the hospitals. Nearly one-fourth of the Sophie’s crew had died, and as many more were sick. ”

“ Leaving a sufficient force to defend the stockades, Captain Marryat and Major Evans then pushed higher up the creek, where they discovered between twenty-five and thirty boats and canoes, laden with arms and ammunition, the whole of which were either destroyed or brought away.
The zeal and activity of Lieutenant Fraser, Mr. Henry Hodder, acting master of the Larne, Mr. Duffill, and Mr. Alexander Cranley (midshipman) , who had charge of the gun-boats on this occasion, “were as highly satisfactory” to Captain Marryat “as creditable to themselves.” ”

“ All the houses in both stockades were destroyed by fire, and a part of the palisade pulled down, before the return of the detachment to camp.”
Finer or more characteristic traits of British soldiers and sailors were never witnessed than on this occasion; the officers, less encumbered than their men, forming line breast-deep in mud and water, and passing the scaling ladders from one to another to be planted against the walls of the stockade. ”

“ On the morning of the 1st July, the Burman force was discovered in motion: the main body drew up upon the left of the British lines in front of the Kemmendine stockades and the Shwe-da-gon pagoda; but they were screened from observation by the intervening thicket, and their disposition and strength could not be ascertained. Three columns, estimated at 1000 men each, moved across to tht right of the line, where they came in contact with the piquets of the 7th and 22nd regiments of Madras native infantry, which steadily maintained their ground against these superior numbers. ”

“ Sir A. Campbell thought the opportunity favorable for a little interference, to assist the opposition and escape of the discontented, and, therefore, ordered a detachment of 400 men, under Lieutenant-Colonel Kelly, to embark in boats on the morning of the 8th August, and to proceed up the Dalla river, accompanied by Lieutenant Eraser, with directions to act in furtherance of the object alluded to, and to attack any part of the enemy’s cordon they might fall in with. ”

“ At the particular request of Captain Marryat, the Governor-General in Council directed a small steam-vessel, the first ever seen in India, to be purchased, and added to the expedition [2] . Sir Archibald Campbell left Calcutta on the 8th April, embarked with his staff on board the Larne, and proceeded in that ship to Port Cornwallis. The Bengal transports sailed thither without any escort, but those from Madras were convoyed to that place by the Sophie. ”

“ The enemy were well armed, a great proportion having muskets, and a small field-piece was taken in the stockade. I must do them the justice to say that they fought with very great spirit, many of them receiving our charge with their spears. ”

“ Previous to this failure, between fifty and sixty large cargo-boats had fallen into the hands of the British; and Sir Archibald Campbell, anxious to prepare water-transport for part of his army, had ordered them to be cut down and made more manageable: they were calculated, on an average, to carry a complement of 60 men each. ”

“ On the 4th September, the Sophie returned to Rangoon, with provisions and a few volunteer seamen. Captain Ryves reported the loss of seven men, who had died of cholera morbus, and that he had been obliged to give his sloop a thorough caulking, in consequence of the severe weather she had encountered when proceeding to Calcutta. About this time, the gig of the Larne found floating the remains of an English sailor, whom the Burmese had first tortured to death, and then sawed in halves. ”

“ On the 11th July, Captain Marryat wrote to the Commodore as follows:
“I must now call your attention to the condition of H.M.S. Larne, whose crew I am sorry to say have been rendered quite inefficient by disease. Since we have been on this expedition, we have had 170 cases of cholera and dysentery. We have had thirteen deaths – we have now thirty patients at the hospital on shore, and twenty in the sick list on board; our convalescents are as ineffective as if they were in their hammocks ”

“ We moved towards it on the morning of the 14th, with as many men as the boats would hold – 200 of H.M. 13th light infantry regiment, and 100 of the 20th native infantry.
“On the southern bank, a short distance up, was an out-post, which was immediately taken possession of by a small party from the leading boat, the Burmese retiring from it without resistance. The river varies in breadth from about 40 to 100 yards, the jungle on both sides extending far into the water. ”

“ Constantly exposed to the vicissitudes of a tropical climate, and exhausted by the necessity of unintermitted exertion, it need not be matter of surprise that sickness soon began to thin the ranks, and impair the energies of the invaders. ”

“ After the capture of the Kemmendine stockades, the Burmese retired for a short time from the immediate vicinity of the British lines, and concentrated their forces at Donoobew, a strongly fortified town upon the Irrawaddy, about 60 miles to the northward of Rangoon. ”

“ On the 31st May, Captain Marryat succeeded to the chief command of the naval force at Rangoon, on the departure of Commodore Grant, in ill health, for Pulo-Penang, where that excellent officer died on the 25th July following. The Supreme Government had previously requested that Captain Marryat might be allowed to command the expedition up the Irrawaddy, and this was most readily assented to by the commodore. ”

“ Company’s cruisers were manned with British sailors, Hindoos, and Mahometans; and all the row-boats were under the command of Mr. William Lindquist, of the Bengal pilot service. The total number of fighting men embarked at Calcutta and Madras, in April, 1824, was 8701, of whom 4077 were British troops. ”

“ The Burmese generally load it up to the muzzle with pieces of lead, iron, &c. Being put through the wall of a stockade, or directly along a road, it is fired at troops advancing, and frequently does great execution. ↑ A war-boat station, three miles above Rangoon. ↑ At Rangoon, the S.W. monsoon sets in about the 6th May, with rain and squalls for four or five days. Fine weather succeeds for a fortnight, when heavy rains commence, and last with few short intervals till July. ”

“ The commander of the Honorable Company’s cruiser Thetis being severely wounded when I was on board, I took command of her; but Sir A. Campbell having embarked on board the Mercury, all orders to the cruisers and flotilla proceeded from him [10] .
“When every man did his duty, it is difficult to bring into notice the conduct of individuals; yet I cannot avoid particularizing the prominent and gallant conduct of Mr. ”

“ Goldfinch was then acting master of the Sophie. ↑ Mr. Charles Kittoe Scott, mate of the Sophie, and Mr. Robert Atherton, acting purser of the Larne, were both slightly wounded. ↑ About 300 Chinese and Malay sailors had recently joined the combined force at Rangoon, and some time afterwards 500 Mugh boatmen, natives of Arracan, arrived from Chittagong, to assist in transporting the army up the Irrawaddy. The whole of these men were placed under the directions of Major James Nesbitt Jackson, of the 45th Bengal native infantry, Deputy-Quarter-Master-General. ”

“ Maw. Of this young man’s gallantry of conduct and merit I cannot speak too highly: he has repeatedly distinguished himself by the most conspicuous and forward bravery .”
At this period, H.M. squadron on the East India station consisted of the following ships and vessels; – Tees 26, Captain Thomas Coe (senior officer) , on her return from New South Wales and Manilla; Alligator 28, Captain Thomas Alexander, C.B., proceeding to Calcutta, after landing specie at Rangoon ”