1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS. 365
2 the position, and we left it a little after 3. o'clock Queries con-
3 on the morning of the 22nd.” This settles the ee
4 point regarding the time when Sir Harry Smith
5 left the entrenchment. .
6 We next wished to ascertain the object which
7 the General had in view in leaving the post, and
8 the following question was put.
9 “In leaving the advanced position thus gained,
10 was your object to effect a junction with the main
11 ‘body of the army, or to take your troops to a place
12 of greater safety ?”
13 “ Most assuredly to effect a junction—our ig-
14 norance of the exact position of the main army, and
15 the untenable post we held (unsupported,) obliged
16 us to fall back, The enemy had discovered our
17 isolated situation, and every fresh gun that opened
18 upon us, showed their intention of cutting in be-
19 tween us and where we imagined the main army
20 to be. Long before we left, we had been under a
21 cross fire, which dealt death to many at nearly
22 every discharge. Hull, anoble soldier, Griffin, and
23 others, were killed there. Lieutenant Galloway,
24 Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-general, had his
25 horse shot under him, and was _ himself badly
26 wounded.”
27 From what is stated in giving a general account
28 of the battle, the situation of Sir Harry Smith was
29 a most critical one, and unsupported as he was,
30 there was every chance of his being cut off from
31 the main army had he not: fallen back. If Sir
32 Harry Smith had left the entrenchment early on