History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-8 - Vol. IV

[Illustrated with over one hundred maps, photos and portraits, of the battles, individuals and places involved in the Indian Mutiny]

By 1857, the British power in India had been largely undisputed for almost fifty years by even the most powerful of the native princes since the days of Governor-General Wellesley. The East India Company, under licence from the British Crown, expanded and annexed more and more territory until the government of the majority of India lay in its hands. However, the armies of the East India Company were largely recruited from the native people of India; the famed soldiers of their Sepoy regiments were in fact the instruments of the imperialist powers. This inherent weakness would be exposed during the events of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-1858, also known as the First War Of Indian Independence, as those very Sepoy soldiers turned against their erstwhile British employers.

The events that led up to the Revolt were many and varied, including British highhandedness, ignorance of local customs and religious values, and incendiary propaganda. It is generally argued that the spark that lit the flame was the rumour that the newly issued Enfield Rifles cartridges would be greased either with tallow, derived from beef and thereby offensive to Hindu soldiers, or lard, derived from pork and thereby offensive to Muslim soldiers. The enraged soldiers mutinied across a number of Indian States, taking over control of Delhi, besieging Lucknow, and revolting in Oudh. The British struggled to retain their control on these states and it was only with the help of allied Indian princes who refused to align themselves with the revolt and often provided troops to put down the rebels. The Mutiny also did not reach all parts of the sub-continent: the quiet in Bengal, the Bombay presidency and the Madras presidency enabled the company to transfer Sikh troops to quell the rebellion elsewhere.

The rebellion was eventually quelled in 1858 with the capture of the fortress of Gwalior by British troops; however, the effects of the Mutiny were far ranging and important. The East Indian Company was dissolved and its holdings were imparted to Crown power, whilst the British government set about reorganising all facets of its power in India from the political to the administration and, most pointedly, the military. Although India would not gain its Independence until 150 years later, the events of the Indian Mutiny stayed in the folk consciousness of the country, a number of the leaders were lionized in certain circles, and a measure of nascent nationhood was born.

Of the many books written on the event, few are as well respected, accurate, frequently read or cited as the six volume history produced by two ex-British Army officers Sir John William Kaye and Colonel George Malleson. Both served in India for extensive periods of time, alongside many veterans of the Mutiny, and were fully conversant with the history of the period.

This forth volume deals with the events from September 1857 to Early 1858.