The Battle of Shamshabad was important if only for the moment – Brigadier Hope managed to dissuade the rebels from trying their luck against Fatehgarh and sent them, with some conviction, scrambling back over the River Ganges, as Captain Jones put it, “Heaven knows where.” Some of them would show up shortly after in Lucknow, others were sent scrambling back to Rohilkhand. It was a victory only insofar as it proved, once again, that the British, even when outnumbered, were able to hold their own.
Although the battle itself was a swift one, the casualties were, from a force of 2500 men of all arms, rather more than they should have been.
Carelessness caused by incautious behaviour led a tumbril to explode, and powder, hidden in a haystack, was blown up accidentally by a private of the 53rd. These losses would have been avoidable, but in the heat of the moment, with their blood up and everyone rushing about, there was truly a devil in the battle of Shamshabad at work. The number of officers wounded in the battle led Captain Johnson of the 9th Lancers to write, in his official report, the following explanation:

“I beg respectfully to call your attention to the disproportionate number of officers who were wounded, as a proof of the noble manner in which they led their men; to the number of the enemy’s slain, as a proof that the men were not wanting in the support of their officers.
In fact, the conduct of the men during the long day’s work was admirable.
They had been ten successive hours in the saddle before coming into action, and nineteen before the pursuit was abandoned; but were always ready.

Return of Casualties in the Force which was under the command of Brigadier A. Hope, from the 26th to the 28th instant.

Camp, Futtehghur, January 29, 1858.

Her Majesty’s 9th Lancers —

Captain Augustus Frederick Steele – severely wounded
“On returning from the Field-hospital, before dinner, I found Captain Steele surrounded by the doctors and brother-officers in his tent. A soldier was cutting off with a scissors the sleeves of his coat and underclothing, which were saturated with blood. He has been wounded severely in the right wrist, shoulder and thigh. The point of his adversary’s sword passed over his face from right to left, but drew no blood, leaving only a mark like a pin scratch. A narrow escape.” (Mackay, 28 January) The wound on his thigh was “stitched up at the time, but had to be unripped again…for it had bled much internally and the leg was much swollen. When opened, the wound was probed, the blood vessels tied, and he is now progressing satisfactorily.” (Anson, 29 January)

Lieutenant J. G. Willis – slightly wounded
Privates
Kidd, Edward – wounded
Wate, John – killed – according to Anson, he had his head blown off by roundshot

5 horses, severely wounded; and l horse slightly wounded.

The returns do not mention Lieutenant Goldie’s khitmatgar, who was hacked about the head, with a slice taken out of his forehead besides several other wounds.

Hodson’s Horse —
Major William Hodson – severely wounded. A corporal of the 9th Lancers tied up Hodson’s artery on the field and dressed his wounds.
“I got a cut, which laid my thumb open, from a fellow after my sword was through him, and about half an hour later this caused me to get a second severe cut, which divided the muscles of the right arm and put me hors de combat; for my grip on the sword-handle was weakened and a demon on foot succeeded in striking down my guard, or rather his tulwar glanced off my guard on to my arm. My horse also got three cuts. I have got well most rapidly, despite an attack of erysipelas, which looked very nasty for three days, and some slight fever; and I have every reason to be thankful. I hope to be in ‘at the death’ yet.” (Hodson, Camp Opposite Cawnpore, February 12, letter to his brother)

The same day, Hodson noted in another letter to his sister:

“Today, for the first time, I am able to use my right hand again, shakingly, you will see; but considering
that only seventeen days have elapsed since I was wounded, I have every reason to be thankful for so speedy a recovery. A pen is about the biggest thing I can wield, and I am not yet allowed to ride, but in other respects, I am as well as if my thumb had not been nearly bifurcated, and my arm bisected, little more than a fortnight ago. I should have been more nearly well even, had it not been for an insidious attack of erysipelas which seized on the maimed limb and nearly finished it off altogether. However, that evil even, added to a slight bout of fever, providentially did me no further harm than delaying the cure; and I trust, if all goes on well, to he able to take the field again within the week.”

Riding to Cawnpore in a dog cart, Hodson accompanied Sir Colin Campbell’s force for the taking of Lucknow. On his arrival, Sir Colin considerately allowed Hodson to encamp on the other side of the river where the air smelled cleaner than at Cawnpore.
Sir Colin showed himself to be quite concerned for Hodson’s well-being, even visiting him in camp and on one occasion, drinking to his health,

“...on which my brother remarked, how little he expected such promotion as that, for though Lord Dalhousie had promised him his majority for the Punjauh campaign of 1848-9, yet that, as it had never been put on record officially, he had no hope of getting more than that for Delhi. To this, Sir Colin replied: ‘ If it was promised, that is quite enough. I will see that it is all arranged; just make a ‘memorandum of your services during the Punjab war, and I venture to prophesy that ‘ it will not be long before I shake hands with you as Lieutenant-Colonel Hodson, C.B., with a Victoria Cross to boot.’ ” At this time, the Gazette with the honours for Delhi had not reached Cawnpore.”

Lieutenant Charles Theophilus Metcalfe McDowell – severely wounded. Died of injuries.

“Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 2nd son of the late James Macdowell, Esq., of Bengal Medical Service, born 29th October, 1829, appointed to Honourable East India Company’s Service, 1846. Served in Punjab campaign of 1848-9, including passage of Chenab at Ramnuggur, and battles of Chillianwallah and Goojerat, in which he carried the Colours of his regiment, 2nd Bengal European Fusiliers (medal and clasp). Served in Burmah, marched with his regiment to Delhi, and served with it in various engagements, till in August he was appointed second in command of Hodson’s Horse. This excellent officer, who was Captain Hodson’s second in command and right-hand man, sunk under his wound, to the sorrow of all who knew his rare value as a soldier.” (Raikes’ Notes)

Captain Charles J. Gough (doing duty with Hodson’s Horse) – wounded in the hand, shoulder and left side. The action at Shamshabad would lead to Gough’s third citation for his Victoria Cross:

“….for gallantly on 27 January 1858, at Shumshabad, where, in a charge, he attacked one of the Enemy’s leaders and pierced him with his sword, which was carried out of his hand in the melee. He defended himself with his revolver and shot two of the Enemy.”

His brother, Hugh, was quite astonished to learn Charles had had two narrow escapes – one from a spent bullet which a rebel sowar had fired point-blank at him, and the other from a spear. For this escape, he had Hodson to thank, for despite his wounds, he managed to dispose of Gough’s adversary.

Jemadar Jawala Singh – slightly wounded

9 rank and file, and 1 horse, slightly wounded; 3 rank and file missing.
1 horse, killed

Her Majesty’s 53rd Regiment—9 rank and file severely wounded (Wounded by accidental explosion of gunpowder—1 since dead); 3 rank and file slightly wounded.

4th Punjab Infantry —
Assistant Surgeon James Fairweather – slightly wounded.

The tumbril incident was described in some detail by Assistant Surgeon James Fairweather, who put down his own light burns to the fact that he had changed his uniform. As it was a cold night, he had opted to wear his heavy woollen clothes instead of his light cotton uniform. The wool, though scorched, did not burst into flames, and Fairweather was only burned on the face and his hands.
Weeks after the incident, when the burnt skin on his hands and face had come off, whenever he appeared in public, he was greeted with laughter for his new skin was quite pink and he did not have a single hair on his face. Adrian Hope, who was a firm friend of Fairweather’s, joked “that all the ladies would fall in love with me if they had seen me then.”
His injuries did not prevent Fairweather from marching back to Lucknow, and he complained that his new skin, exposed to the sun, had turned nearly black, “…especially in the corner of my eyes, where crows feet formed from keeping my eyes nearly closed when marching in the heat of the day.”

5 rank and file severely wounded; 7 rank and file slightly wounded. 1 killed by the explosion of gunpowder.

Following the explosion, Fairweather sat himself down on a tree trunk and a sepoy, who had been likewise severely scorched, sat down next to him and started examining his injuries.

“Getting hold of one of his fingers near the point, he gave it a little twist when the nail jumped out of the socket. This seemed to alarm him, and he said to himself, ‘Ham nahin bachega.’ Then, trying another finger, the same thing happened until he had tilted out several of his nails, exclaiming as each came, ‘Oh, ham kabhi nahin bachega,’ or ‘Oh, I will never recover.’ The scene became so ludicrous that, notwithstanding my own suffering, I could not help laughing.”

Artillery—1 horse killed; 1 horse severely wounded.

Total—1 European officer, 5 rank and file, and 3 horses, killed; 2 European officers, 15 rank and file, and 6 horses, severely wounded; 3 European officers, 19 rank and file, and 2 horses, slightly wounded; 3 rank and file missing

<sup>Sources:

Anson, O. H. St. G. With H.M. 9th Lancers During the Indian Mutiny. London: W. H. Allen & Co., Ltd., 1896.
Bulletins and Other State Despatches for the Year 1858. Part 1. London: Harrison and Sons, 1859.
Cardew, F. G. Hodson’s Horse 1857–1922. Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., 1928.
Gough, Hugh. Old Memories. Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., 1897.
Hodson, W. S. R. Twelve Years of a Soldier’s Life in India: Being Extracts from the Letters of the Late Major W.S.R. Hodson. Edited by George H. Hodson. London: John W. Parker and Son, 1859.
Jones, Oliver J. Recollections of a Winter’s Campaign in India in 1857-58. London: Saunders & Otley, 1859.
Mackay, James. From London to Lucknow. Vol. 2. London: James Nisbet & Co., 1860.
Tavender, I. T., comp. Casualty Roll for the Indian Mutiny 1857–59. Polstead, Suffolk: J. B. Hayward & Son, 1983.
Wright, William. Through the Indian Mutiny: The Memoirs of James Fairweather, 4th Punjab Native Infantry. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Spellmount, 2011.</sup>