On this day - 13 June - Same (John) Shaw

[anthony]

Thanks to the “On this day” series I noticed that the award to Same (John) Shaw award was not for the sieges or reliefs of Lucknow. It almost seems to be a criminal rather than a military matter. His citation states:

On 13 June 1858 at Lucknow, India, an armed man (a Ghazee) was seen to enter a tope of trees and a party of officers and men went after him. Private Shaw, coming upon him, drew his short sword and after a struggle, during which the private received a severe sabre wound, the Ghazee was killed.

[Les]

It certainly sounds like a criminal matter... trespasser getting short shrift!! But the Ghazee (or Ghazi) were "the enemy" so the army must have considered the intruder a spy and therefore deemed "earned under action with the enemy".