102 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
The colors were important to many, but some commanding officers were
more pragmatic. Lieutenant Colonel John Ewart of the 93rd Highlanders led
the assault on the Secundra Bagh during the Mutiny and engaged in hand-
to-hand combat with saber and revolver. At one point he cut down two
Mutineers and seized their colors. By this time the Bagh had been secured
and Ewart proudly presented himself and the colors to Sir Colin Campbell.
‘Damn your Colours, sir!’ Campbell exploded at the astounded Ewart. ‘It
is not your place to be taking Colours; go back to your Regiment this instant,
sir!’ Sir Colin later apologized for the outburst, but Ewart never got the VC
for which he was recommended.^16 Interestingly enough, Private Peter Grant
did get a VC at the Secundra Bagh that day – for saving Ewart’s life:
For great personal gallantry on 16th November 1857 at the Secundra
Bagh in killing five of the enemy with one of their own swords who
were attempting to follow Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart when that officer was
carrying a Colour which he had captured. (Elected by the regiment.)^17
Campbell was not so much angry at Ewart for displaying the captured colors
as he was for Ewart failing to command. As Ian Hamilton later discovered,
field officers were expected to command rather than indulge in personal
combat, and thus very few colonels got Crosses for physical combat.
There were a very few acts that defy real categorization, and in some
cases perhaps reflect a wry bit of humor in the Victorian ranks. An example
of one of these ‘Special’ VCs is the case of Bugler William Sutton:
His conduct was conspicuous throughout the operations especially on
2 August 1857 on which occasion during an attack he rushed over the
trenches and killed one of the enemy’s Buglers, who was in the act of
sounding. (Elected by Regiment.)^18
How could soldiers resist giving a medal to the man who killed a bugler?
The cost of courage varied during the nineteenth century. The majority
of winners were not wounded in the process, although that figure declined
gradually during the period.
This is not surprising, given the policies established by the War Office
concerning posthumous Victoria Crosses. Commanders were reluctant to
recommend severely wounded men who might die before confirmation of
the award, thus depriving the regiment of the honor.^19
The variations in the ‘No Wound’ and ‘Wounded in Action’ (WIA)
categories before 1890 can be attributed to the difference in foes faced.
lily
(lily)
#1