The Battle of Latu

For a short time, all sight of the 34th BNI had been lost in the hills. No one was quite sure where they were until they suddenly emerged from the jungles just southeast of the Sylhet District. As soon as Commissioner Allen received positive intelligence of their intention to push on into Manipur, he wasted no time in calling for the Sylhet Light Infantry to intercept them. It was the 15th of December.
Major Byng, for his part, was quick on the uptake. With 213 men of all ranks and accompanied by Mr. G.N. Dodd Esq., an engineer with a singular knowledge of the country and now attached to the Intelligence Department, he marched out of their base at Cherrapunji to Pertabgarh, the last known position of the 34th. He covered 80 miles in under 36 hours. Early on the morning of the 17th, Dodd rode ahead towards Hinzazeo to ascertain where exactly the 34th were heading. He galloped back to camp late in the afternoon, stating he had obtained accurate information that the 34th had changed direction and were now skirting the western side of the hills, intending to reach Latu. They were expected to arrive there during the night, or at the latest, by the next morning. Camp was immediately broken up, and Byng ordered the men to be ready to march at 5.30 that evening back to Latu.

The distance, though only 28 miles, was one of the most fatiguing the men would have to endure. Dense, uncut jungles stood in their way, interspersed by swamps, and endless hills would have to be traversed in the dark. Somewhere during the night, the main body of the column missed the road and remained lost for nearly two hours, only finding their way to the lead at four in the morning. Meanwhile, apparently unperturbed by mutineers, tigers and jungles, Mr. Dodd kept himself well ahead of the column, staying as close as he could on the heels of the 34th. They caught up to him shortly before dawn, half a mile from Latu, where Dodd reported the 34th had bivouacked for the night at a village five miles distant but were already on the march and were expected to reach Latu within the hour. There was no time for a halt; Byng pushed his men on, arriving at Latu Bazaar at the same time a Manipuri spy arrived, stating the 34th was “close at hand.” Without a moment to lose, Byng formed his men into line.
The rear guard had not as yet come up, and Byng could only muster 155 men just as the 34th were reported to be advancing, “in good marching order and in column of sections, headed by their native officer on a pony.” Major Byng ordered Lieutenant J. F. Sherer (son of Col. G.M. Sherer, of the 73rd) to advance with one company, while a second company of only 25 men was directed to support his movements. Then Byng brought up the two reserve companies with the Colours.

Sherer took up his position 50 yards outside Latu behind a belt of jungle, close to the road, well out of view of the 34th. As soon as they were within 80 yards of Sherer’s position, he drew his men to the front – the 34th answered with a volley of musketry – and Sherer charged them at the point of the bayonet as they reloaded. Dodd, leading the 2nd company, came up in support, something the 34th had not anticipated. The charge “staggered” the rebels – they broke and fled in disorder into the jungle on Sherer’s left – Sherer, for his part, changed his front and drove them through the jungle, “from hillock to hillock” with Dodd and the 2nd company coming up strongly from behind. With the jungle becoming denser with each step, Sherer ordered a halt – the rebels, he noticed, had been somewhat quicker on their feet and had taken possession of a hillock 80 yards to his front. This entire episode, according to Sherer, had not taken more than five minutes, throughout which Byng and the remainder of the men had kept up a “very sharp and galling flank fire” on the disorganised 34th.
Sherer had just taken up his advanced position in the jungle when Major Byng came up with the reserve and the Colours. He “stood in a most conspicuous spot, right in the line of fire of the enemy, cheering our gallant little band, when a shot struck him in the groin and he died within the next five minutes.” Seeing him fall, the rebels let out a cheer and began, for their part, to taunt the Sylhet Light Infantry and let loose a brisk and galling fire. As they called on the men, their commander was dead. They should have quit their ranks and joined the rebellion before their caste was destroyed, and they would all be forced to eat pork. Bugler Mahabulla Khan shouted back,’ You have only killed our sergeant major!‘ The firing and the taunts continued for another hour; not a man of the Sylhet Light Infantry deserted, and when Sherer called the charge, the 34th, seeing a determination they had hardly expected, turned and fled. Sherer took their position without any further fight. A veteran, Subhan Khan, who had persuaded Byng to allow him to join the march as his orderly, rushed at the enemy, at the very head of the Sylhet men, shouting, ‘I will now show you what an old man can do!‘ With a kukri in one hand and a tulwar in the other, he threw himself at the rebels, slashing more than a few heads before he was shot dead.
In his official report, Sherer wrote,
“The conduct of all grades, and especially the Hindoostanees, at this trying period cannot be overvalued. They vied with each other in doing their utmost to show that there were still some good and loyal servants left, who would never basely and treacherously desert and abandon the colours they had sworn to protect.”
With their native officer shot through the head, the 34th, gathering up as many of their wounded as they could, dashed pell-mell down the hillock, through the jungle and out of sight – Sherer let them go. His men were so worn out he could not, with a good conscience, accede to their wishes of a pursuit.
Instead, they took up what the 34th had not been able to carry off. The 26 dead rebels were left where they lay, but Rs 5000 in cash, 18 stands of arms, accoutrements, two ponies and a variety of camp equipment, including a “large quantity of brass cooking pots”, were carried away in triumph.
During the afternoon, a havildar of the 34th named Ram Deen was found hiding in the jungle and brought before Sherer. Wasting no time, Sherer tried him by drum-head court martial and shot him on the spot. His action was met with approval.
“The Hindostanees of my detachment crowded around me, and on my asking them if that was the death a mutineer deserved, every man, with his hand on his heart, exclaimed, ‘Yes! and may the same just fate await us if we ever betray our trust and forsake our Colours!‘
I beg further to bring to notice the gallant conduct of Jemadar Gung Ram Bist. This native officer was conspicuous throughout the fight in directing the fire of our men to the points where it would prove most effectual, pointing out positions to our men as they fired off his shoulder, he having the gratification subsequently of shooting the senior subadar of the rebels through the head, which tended in no little measure to hasten the result of the action; lastly, I would touch upon the sincere unalloyed sympathy depicted on the countenances of all the men, when our respected and much loved Commandant received his death wound. They felt, as they told me, that in losing him, they had not only lost a good, kind, though strict Commanding Officer, but also their friend and protector, one who ever had a ready willing ear to listen to all their wants and desires. In truth, I feel I cannot do sufficient justice to these men for their noble conduct throughout under peculiarly trying and harassing circumstances.
The Hindoostanee sepoys crowded round me this morning, saying they hoped that any suspicion, however slight, we may have entertained in our minds regarding the conduct they would pursue in consequence of the dark foul deeds committed by their brethren in the northwest, would be now fully and effectually erased, after the indubitable proof they had given of their own loyalty and fealty to the state.”

The Battle of Latu had cost them, besides the death of Major Byng, three sepoys and one bugler killed and two sepoys wounded. Bugler Mahabulla Khan would be awarded the Indian Order of Merit along with seven others, and on the 23rd of November 1879, he was appointed Subadar-Major, a position he held for another 8 years. The Mutiny Medal was issued to all the men who had been under fire. Sherer did his utmost to bring recognition to the Sylhet Light Infantry for their action at Latu, but for some reason, they were overlooked for a battle honour. Byng’s March, however, was recognised as being one of the finest in the Sylhet Light Infantry’s history.