The Siege of Hattrass

Lieutenant John Shipp

Stationed near Cawnpore in Uttar Pradesh, the 87th Prince's Own Regiment was sent as part of a force to engage Rajah Dya Ram. The Rajah’s fortress was at Hattrass [Hathras], near Agra, and the British force was commanded by Major General Sir Dyson Marshall. The Rajah was one of the few remaining independent rulers resisting the British merger of Northern India's princely states into Presidencies - the administrative states formed by British rule.

As Marshall’s orders were to occupy the fortress, gun batteries were constructed to bombard Hattrass. The 87th joined Marshall's force on 20 February and after three days of bombardment there were two breaches. However, it was not possible to enter the fortress town even though the defenders had withdrawn into the inner fort. New batteries had to be built and a fresh bombardment began.

Lieutenant John Shipp of the 87th commanded one of the columns that would attack the fort. He thought that the attacking soldiers would be able to share in considerable prize money when the fort fell. As he was very short of money he sold his portion of the prize money for 200 rupees. However, Dya Ram continued to hold out as Marshall’s artillery attempted to blast a way through the fortress walls for the British infantry to enter. Then, on 2 March, there was a huge explosion in the fort’s gunpowder store. Many defenders were killed but the survivors continued to defy the bombardment.

That night Dya Ram decided to leave the fort. With some of his supporters, he fought his way out and escaped. John Shipp stopped many of the Rajah’s cavalry from escaping and was wounded slightly in the engagement. Next morning Sir Dyson Marshall’s force entered the town which lay in ruins. Most of the defenders were dead. With the fort and town a mass of rubble, there was little prize money to be had. John Shipp’s share would have been worth only 86 rupees. He had done well to sell it early for 200 rupees.