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Auction: 6007 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 527

The Historically Important Sutlej Medal to Brevet Captain B.H. Baugh, 34th Bengal Native Infantry, Who Was Twice Wounded By The Infamous Sepoy Manghal Pandi, Who Was Subsequently Tried and Hanged for Inciting the 34th to Mutiny 1857, Probably The Earliest Attempt to Invoke Violent Rebellion Sutlej 1845-46, for Moodkee, two clasps, Ferozeshuhur, Sobraon (Ensign B: H: Baugh 34th Regt N: I:), contact marks to obverse, therefore very fine Estimate £ 2,500-3,000Captain Bempde Henry Baugh, commissioned Ensign 26th Native Infantry, 1842; Lieutenant 34th Bengal Native Infantry, 1848; Brevet Captain 1857 In the last week of March 1857, the 19th Bengal Native Infantry were marching back to Barrackpore to be disbanded. Their disaffection earlier in the month had caused tension not only for the British Government, with regard as to how they would react to their disbandment, but also as to how the rest of the Brigade under General J.B. Hearsey at Barrackpur would receive them. Feelings were rife that the Brigade may well be sympathetic with the 19th and join them in an uprising against their commanding officers. Religious fervour, due to the new issue of the ´untouchable´ cartridge paper, was apparent amongst the native troops. This was played upon by fundamentalists at Barrackpore, who stipulated that European troops were coming to enforce the use of the cartridges amongst the native troops. Despite Hearsey´s calming delivery of a speech to his troops and indeed the good conduct of the 19th when they eventually arrived and were disbanded (31st March), ´Many of them lifted up their voices, bewailing their fate and loudly declaring that they would revenge themselves on the 34th , who had tempted them to their undoing´, it was the arrival of 50 men of the 53rd Foot that sparked one man into action on the 29th March: ´On one man especially this impression had fixed itself so strongly, that inflamed as he was by bang, which is to the Siphai what strong drink is to the European soldier, he was no longer master of himself. He was a young man, named Manghal Pandi, a man of good character, but of an excitable disposition, and seemingly with some religious enthusiasm wrought upon by the story of the greased cartridges. He had heard of the arrival of the detachment of Europeans, and he believed that the dreaded hour had come, that the caste of the Sipahis was about to be destroyed. So, putting on his accoutrements and seizing his musket, he went out from his hut, and, calling upon his comrades to follow him, if they did not wish to bite the cartridges and become infidels, he took post in front of the Quarter-Guard and ordered a bugler to sound the assembly. The order was not obeyed; but, with an insolent and threatening manner, Manghal Pandi continued to stride up and down.´ (History of The Indian Mutiny, Volume I, Kaye and Malleson refers). Baugh, an Adjutant to the 34th (Manghal Pandi´s regiment) at the time, noted when giving evidence in the Sepoy´s court martial that bad feeling had been rife in the 34th for some time, ´About two months ago, on the evening that the order came from Brigadier Grant for the men to be paraded in their Hindustani clothes, in order that the new cartridges might be shown to them, their conduct at that parade was most unruly and insubordinate, so much so that I took up two or three men (whom I had marked for having made use of very insubordinate expressions) to Colonel Wheeler, who was on the parade ground. The Colonel, however, advised that no further notice should be taken of them, saying that if the conduct of those men were to be noticed, he would for the same reason have to put half the regiment in confinement. (The Indian Mutiny 1857-58, State Papers Vol. I, Delhi, refers). It was to Lieutenant Baugh that Manghal Pandi´s action was reported, and it was he who rushed to the scene calling to the Native Officer and his men on duty at the Quarter-Guard to arrest the drugged fanatic. They, however, remained inactive, and Manghal Pandi hidden by the station gun in front of the Guard fired at the Adjutant, hitting his charger bringing down both man and beast, ´As soon as I could disentangle myself from my horse, I took a pistol from one of my holsters and presented it at Manghal Pandi, the sepoy who had fired the shot, and who was then in the act of re-loading. He stopped re-loading and I immediately fired and rushed in, sword in hand, to secure the sepoy.......I had advanced halfway when he drew his tulwar, which I was not aware he had about his person. I continued my advance and engaged the sepoy....a conflict of eight or ten minutes, I received three wounds, one of which totally disabled my left hand. A shot was fired close by, and I perceived myself gradually hemmed in. As I was bleeding profusely, I commenced retreating.´ (The Indian Mutiny 1857-58, State Papers Vol. I, Delhi, refers). Apart from the wound to the hand, Baugh also received a wound to his throat, and a blow to the back of his head from a rifle butt. The latter wound, however, was dealt by the hands of the 34th who had gathered in numbers to watch the incident; this was confirmed by Sergeant Major J.T. Hewson, 34th Native Infantry who went to Baugh´s aide and also received similar wounds at the hands of his men, and Shaik Pultoo, whose action in grabbing Manghal Pandi enabled the two European troops to retreat and probably saved Baugh´s life. Major General Hearsey arrived at the scene with his two sons, only to see Manghal Pandi still calling for the men to die bravely for their religion. The Jamadar on duty, in the presence of his furious General, finally took his Guard towards the drugged sepoy. Manghal Pandi, sensing the end was near, turned his gun on himself and fired. Both Baugh and Manghal Pandi survived their wounds and were re-united at the latters court martial (6.4.1857), where Baugh was a witness for the Prosecution and Manghal Pandi was sentenced to be hanged, he was also to act as a witness at the ´inactive´ Jamadar´s court martial. Brevet Captain Baugh was congratulated for his personal gallantry in engaging Manghal Pandi (Major-General J.B. Hearsey´s Divisional Orders, 5.4.1857), and was discharged from the army in 1857 as a result of his wounds, for which he received a pension and was appointed the civilian position of Catonement Joint Magistrate and Superintendent of Abkarree at Barackpore. The 34th Bengal Native Infantry had seven companies disbanded, 6.5.1857, before a further three companies mutinied at Chittagong, 18.11.1859.

Sold for
£2,800