1 180 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 another portion of our operations, superintended
3 all the arrangements that related to laying our
4 bridge across the Sutlej, at Feerozpore.”
5 TheGovernor- The bridge erected under the eye of the
6 general super-
7 intends the Governor-general, at Koonda, and constructed by
8 laying of the 7 .
9 bridge across Major F. Abbott, of the Bengal engineers, was of
10 he river. :
11 theres “the most perfect kind. In fact, there were two
12 Major Abbott bridges, along which guns, elephants, and troops
13 forms the . Ts :
14 Ruigein an could march with the same ease and facility as if
15 admirable
16 manner. no Sutlej existed, and they excited the admiration
17 of every one.
18 Despatch re- In his despatch, the Commander-in-chief bore
19 garding Sir
20 Harry Smib, ample testimony to the bravery of the army at
21 Sobraon, and the gallant conduct of the officers
22 concemed. Regarding Sir Harry Smith, he re-
23 marks, “ in his attack on the enemy’s left, Major-
24 general Sir Harry Smith displayed the ‘same valour
25 and judgment which gave him the victory at
26 Aleewal. A more arduous task has seldom, if ever,
27 been assigned to a division; never has an attempt
28 been more gloriously carried through.” The men-
29 -Major-general tion of Major-general Gilbert in such flattering
30 sete terms, but nothing more than he deserved, proves
31 him to be one of the ablest generals that India can
32 boast of. The Commander-in-chief says, “ I want
33 words to express my gratitude to Major-general
34 Gilbert; not only have I to record, that in this
35 great fight all was achieved by him, which, as
36 Commander-in-chief, I could desire to have exe-
37 cuted; not only on this day was his division
38 enabled, by his skill and courageous example, to