With the outbrerk of the great mutiny in 1857 came Nicholson's supreme opportu nity, and the brief career of glorious achievements in which be developed in the eye of the world the full power and splendor of his military genius. In the saving of the Punjab, virtually India was saved to us; and under sir John Lawrence, who had succeded his brother, sir Henry, Nicholson—though not without noble coadjutors to divide with him the honor —perhaps did more than any other single man to hold firm our grasp of the Punjab. He it was who suggested the formation of the famous movable column, by which mainly the work was done, and presided over its organization. Shortly, he was appointed to command it; and in his dealings with the suspected regiments of sepoys, he exhibited a particular combination of boldness with subtlety, discretion, and astuteness, scarcely too much to be admired. At Trimmu Ghaut, on the 12th and 14th of Jul}, he brought to bay, and nearly utterly annihilated, a large force of the declared rebels. Things thus made safe behind him, he marched to re-enforce the army of gen. Wilson, engaged in the siege of D9lhi, arrivingin camp on Aug. 7. His presence and counsels gave new impulse to the operations; and in every way he strove, with fiery and impatient energy, to expedite the delayed assault. A strong of the enemy having tried to make their way into the British rear, to Nicholson was assigned the task of intercepting and bring ing them to battle. This he achieved on Aug. 24, near Nujuffghur—under circumstances of extreme difficulty, in the most masterly manner surmounted—obtaining a most bril liant result in the complete ruin and dispersion of the mutineers. When the assault on the city was at last ordered, gen. Nicholson (for to this rank he had now attained) was selected for the post of honor; and on the morning of Sept. 14, he led the first column of attack. After the troops had forced their way into the city, an unfor seen check occurred, and Nicholson, ever in front, exposed himself in the most fearless manner to animate his men to advance. Conspicuous by his towering stature, he
became the mark of the enemy's bullets, and fell, shot through the body. He lingered for some time in great suffering, and died on the morning of the 28d. Over the whole of India, the victory was saddened by his death; for it was felt that in John Nicholson, to use lord Canning's expression, "a tower of strength" had fallen. During the whole war of the mutiny, though it claimed many noble victims, there fell no man more regretted in his death than Nicholson, or iu his death more worthy of regret. Through out his career, he shom---as opportunity offered—a veritable "king of men;" one of those born to command, who naturally and inevitably rise to it. and however great in achievement, seem to need only the hap of ampler opportunity in the future, to outsoar their great achievements in the past. No one ever seems to have come fairly in contact with him without being strangely impressed with this sense of a magnificent reserve of power in him. remains miry to add, that his nature was on the one side as gentle, tender, and affectionate, as on the other it was strong and brave: and that, by all who had intimate relations with him, he was not less beloved for his mild virtues, than for his sterner gi:ts honored and admired. To his memory all honor was paid. The queen commanded it to be officially announced that, had he lived, he would have been created r knight corAniander of the bath; and by the East India company, a special grant of £500 a year was voted to the mother who survived to mourn for him.—For further details of the life of this man of right noble and heroic mold, the reader is referred to the account of him--from which this little sketch is redacted—given in Kaye's most interesting work entitled Lives of Indian Officers (2 vols., Lond., A. Strahan & Co., 1867).