The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

published - Appendices. 'Detailed Report on the Naga Hills Expedition of 1878-80', Capt. P.J. Maitland

caption: medical notes
caption: bivouacs; latrines; clothing; list of sick and wounded
medium: reports
production:
person: Maitland/ Capt. P.J.
date: 1880
acquirer:
person: India Office Library, London
refnum: IOR L/MIL/17/18/24
text: (16) Bivouacs.- When marching, the troops hutted themselves, and it was astonishing to see the rapidity with which Goorkhas and Jerwahs ran up huts with materials brought from the forest and the rice fields. Some cut posts in the jungle, others collected grass for thatching, others again made cords of the outer skin of bamboo for tying everything together. The place of bivouac was generally reached at 3 or 4 P.M., and in two hours the men constructed lean-to huts for themselves, and comfortable grass huts for the officers. The waterproof sheets which arrived towards the close of the expedition proved very useful in rainy weather, and saved the trouble of thatching. In November and December the weather was delightfully cold and bracing, and any sort of shelter sufficed for men with enough bedding. ( Annual Report of the 44th Native Infantry.)
text: Conservancy.- Conservancy arrangements were usually excellent. The trench system, with screens, was adopted. The proximity of prowling Nagas prevented men from repairing to the jungle for purposes of nature, as natives are so fond of doing, and the trenches were almost always used.
text: Clothing.- The clothing for camp-followers did not arrive till the cold weather was half over, and the sufferings of the wretched dhooly bearers in December and January were great. The large amount of sickness among camp-followers was principally attributable to the cold.
text: The warm blankets proved the saving of many lives among the sick and wounded.
text: The waterproof sheets were most useful in the heavy rainy weather in March.
text: Table 3, showing Percentage of men in Hospital to strength, at different periods of the Expedition.
__.................................................................
__.............:Total_____:Sick_or:_Total_:Percentage,:Percentage,:
_______________:Europeans.:wounded:Natives:Europeans._:_Natives.__:
_______________:__________:Eur:Nat:_______:___________:___________:
__.............:..........:...:...:.......:...........:...........:
_17th_November_:____22____:_2_:_31:_1,129_:___0.0_____:____2.7____:
_24th_____"____:____24____:_2_:_79:_1,135_:___8.3_____:____7.0____:
__1st_December_:____23____:_1_:_80:_1,127_:___8.7_____:____7.0____:
__8th_____"____:____21____:_1_:_90:_1,107_:___4.8_____:____8.1____:
__15th____"____:____22____:_1_:103:_1,397_:___4.5_____:____7.4____:
__22nd____"____:____25____:_1_:113:_1,424_:___4.0_____:____7.9____:
__29th____"____:____25____:_1_:126:_1,433_:___4.0_____:____8.7____:
__5th_January__:____25____:_1_:129:_1,435_:___4.0_____:____9.0____:
__12th____"____:____27____:_1_:137:_1,461_:___3.7_____:____9.1____:
__19th____"____:____27____:_2_:_95:_1,415_:___3.7_____:____6.7____:
__26th____"____:____29____:_3_:_69:_1,315_:___6.9_____:____5.3____:
__2nd_February_:____29____:_2_:106:_1,295_:__10.0_____:____8.2____:
__9th_____"____:____29____:_2_:109:_1,285_:___6.9_____:____8.5____:
__16th____"____:____32____:_0_:127:_1,333_:___6.3_____:____9.5____:
__23rd____"____:____31____:_0_:109:_1,370_:___0.0_____:____8.0____:
__1st___March__:____31____:_0_:134:_1,369_:___0.0_____:____9.7____:
__8th_____"____:____31____:_0_:117:_1,448_:___0.0_____:____7.2____:
__15th____"____:____31____:_0_:119:_1,488_:___0.0_____:____8.0____:
__22nd____"____:____34____:_1_:_91:_1,753_:___3.0_____:____5.2____:
__29th____"____:____34____:_1_:137:_1,756_:___3.0_____:____7.8____:
__5th___April__:____34____:_1_:183:_1,750_:___3.0_____:___10.0____:
__12th____"____:____34____:_1_:183:_1,750_:___3.0_____:___10.0____:
__19th____"____:____31____:_0_:156:_1,752_:___0.0_____:____8.9____:
__.............:..........:...:...:.......:...........:...........:
text: Average percentage of men in hospital, or on the sick list was-
text: European 3.8 and Natives 7.8.
text: Table 4, showing Casualties each week during the Expedition.
_.................................................................
_...............:____EUROPEANS.___:____NATIVES.____:__DIED_OR____:
________________:_________________:________________:__DISEASE.___:
________________:.................:................:.............:
________________:Killed__:________:Killed__:_______:Europ.:_Nati.:
________________:or_died_:_Wounded:or_died_:Wounded:______:______:
________________:__of____:________:__of____:_______:______:______:
________________:wounds._:________:wounds._:_______:______:______:
________________:........:........:........:.......:......:......:
_17th_November__:___0____:___0____:___14___:___8___:___0__:___0__:
_24th____"______:___1____:___3____:___19___:__30___:___0__:___0__:
_1st__December__:___0____:___0____:____2___:___0___:___0__:___1__:
_8th_____"______:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___1__:
_15th____"______:___0____:___0____:____2___:___0___:___0__:___0__:
_22nd____"______:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___1__:
_29th____"______:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___1__:
_5th_January____:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___1__:
_12th____"______:___0____:___0____:____1___:___1___:___0__:___0__:
_19th____"______:___0____:___0____:____1___:___1___:___0__:___0__:
_26th____"______:___0____:___0____:____2___:___0___:___0__:___0__:
_2nd_February___:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___0__:
_9th_____"______:___0____:___0____:____2___:___4___:___0__:___7__:
_16th____"______:___0____:___0____:____2___:___1___:___0__:___2__:
_23rd____"______:___0____:___0____:____1___:___4___:___0__:___0__:
_1st___March____:___0____:___0____:____1___:___5___:___0__:___0__:
_8th_____"______:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___2__:
_15th____"______:___0____:___0____:____3___:___1___:___0__:___0__:
_22nd____"______:___0____:___0____:____0___:___1___:___0__:___3__:
_29th____"______:___0____:___0____:____1___:___1___:___0__:___0__:
_5th___April____:___0____:___0____:____1___:___0___:___0__:___1__:
_12th____"______:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___0__:
_19th____"______:___0____:___0____:____0___:___0___:___0__:___0__:
________________:........:........:........:.......:......:......:
_______Total____:___1____:___3____:___52___:__57___:___0__:__20__:
_...............:........:........:........:.......:......:......:
text: (24th Nov. Attack on Konoma. Of the wounded, one Officer ( Lieutenant Forbes, 44th Native Infantry ) subsequently died as did several of the Native soldiers).
text: (9th Feb. The 7 deaths from disease were reported from Golaghat, and spread over a period of several weeks).
text: N.B.- The large proportion of killed to wounded is probably due to the peculiar nature of the fighting, much of which was at close quarters. Many of the casualties occurred from men being shot or speared at a few yards' distance, often with fatal effect. The total number of deaths in the Field Force was very nearly 80, i.e., about 16 per month out of an average total strength ( including followers) of about 1,700 Europeans and Natives.
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