The Indian Mutiny 1857-58

100 Pages·2007·36.41 MB·english

by  Gregory Fremont-Barnes

GREGORYFREMONT-BARNES
holds a doctorate inModern
Historyfrom Oxford University.
Heis the authorofTheFrench
RevolutionaryWars, ThePeninsular
War, 1807-1814, TheFall ofthe
FrenchEmpire, 1813-1815, TheBoer
War, 1899-1902, The Wars ofthe
BarbaryPirates, Trafalgar 1805, and
Nelson's Sailors. Heis also editorof
thethree-volumeEncyclopedia of
theFrenchRevolutionaryand
Napoleonic Wars and co-editor
ofthe five-volume Encyclopedia
oftheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.
PROFESSORROBERT O'NEILL,
AO D.PHIL. (Oxon), Hon D.
Litt. (ANU),FASSA, FrHistS,
is the Series Editorofthe Essential
Histories. His wealthofknowledge
and expertise shapesthe series
contentand provides up-to-the
minute research andtheory. Born
in 1936anAustraliancitizen, he
servedinthe Australianarmy
(1955-68) andhas heldanumber
ofeminentpositions in history
circles, includingthe Chichele
Professorship ofthe History
ofWaratAllSouls College,
UniversityofOxford, 1987-2001,
andthe Chairmanshipofthe
Boardofthe ImperialWar
Museum andthe Council
ofthe International Institute
for StrategicStudies, London.
He is the authorofmanybooks
includingworks onthe German
Armyand the Naziparty, and
the Korean andVietnamwars.
NowbasedinAustraliaon his
retirementfrom Oxford, he is
the Chairmanofthe Council
ofthe Australian StrategicPolicy
Institute, from 1999 to 2005.
ProfessorO'Neillis currently
the PlanningDirectorofthe
United States Studies Centre
atthe UniversityofSydney.
Essential Histories
The Indian Mutiny 1857-58

Essential Histories
The Indian Mutiny 1857-58
Gregory Fremont-Barnes
FirstpublishedinGreatBritainin2007byOspreyPublishing, ForacatalogueofallbookspublishedbyOspreyMilitaryand
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Author'snote
ISBN:978 I846032097 Conflictingattemptsatthetransliterationofnamesfrom Hindi
andotherIndianlanguageshaveresultedinvariousalternative
Pagelayoutby:KenVailGraphicDesign,Cambridge,UK
formsofspellingforpersonsandplaces,forinstance:
IndexbyAlanThatcher
TantyaTopelTantiaTopi;Oude/Oudh;Kanpur/Cawnpore;
TypesetinGillSansand IStoneseriff
Amballa/Umballa;Barrackpur/Barrackpore;MungulPandy/
MapsbyTheMapStudio
MangalPandy/MungalPandy;Moghul/Mughal;Brahman/Brahmin;
OriginatedbyUnitedGraphicPteLtd,Singapore
DumDum/Dum-Dum;Mirath/Meerut:Bibighur/Bibighar. Where
PrintedinChinathroughBookbuilders
variationsoccur,themostcommonformusedatthetimeofthe
07 08 09 10 II 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I Mutinyhasbeenemployed.
Contents
Introduction 7
Chronology I I
Backgroundto war
Historical origins 14
Warring sides
Opposing forces 20
Outbreak
Unredressed grievances 25
The fighting
War without mercy 30
Portraitofasoldier
Brevet-Major O.H.S.G. Anson, 9th Lancers 68
Portrait ofacivilian
Amy Horne and the massacre at Cawnpore 74
Howthe warended
The final campaigns, January-December 1858 77
The world around war
The effects ofthe Mutiny on the Raj 82
Conclusion and consequences
Why the Mutiny failed; British post-war reforms 86
Further reading 91
Index 94

Introduction
InAugust 1855, the newlyappointed numerous minorcolonial conflicts, but
Governor-General ofIndia, Lord Canning, did not confront another European army
made aremarkduring a speechin London until the CrimeanWar (1854-56) when,
whichwas to prove remarkablyprophetic. notwithstanding Britain'sultimate success,
'Wemustnotforget,' he said, thewar revealed numerous problems, above
all a shockinglypoor system ofsupplyand
thatin theskyofIndia, sereneas itis, a transport: the armywas unaccustomed
cloudmayarise, atfirstnobiggerthan a man's to conductinglarge-scale operations.
hand, butwhichgrowingbiggerandbigger, may No soonerwere militaryauthorities
atlastthreaten to overwhelm us with ruin. implementingreforms to reap some
Whathas happenedoncemayhappen again. benefitfrom the lessons learnedin the
The disturbingcauses havediminishedcertainly, Crimeathan Britishtroops faced afar
buttheyarenotdispelled. greaterchallenge: the IndianMutiny.
The storyofthe Mutinyis rifewith
Canningcouldnothave knownwhen drama: the openingdays ofincendiarism
he made this obliquereference that mutiny and indiscriminate murder; the treacherous
was not onlyimminent, but destinedto massacre ofwomen and children at
explodeinto afull-scale conflict of
Stormingofthe KashmirGate,Delhi.Onceinsidethecity,
exceptionalbrutality.
Britishtroops,benton revengeforthe massacreoftheir
Followingthe end ofthe Napoleonic
compatriotsatCawnporeand elsewhere,wentonan
Wars in 1815, the BritishArmyfought in orgyofplunderand murder.(NationalArmy Museum)
8 Essential Histories •The Indian Mutiny 1857-58
Captain Dighton Probyn,2nd PunjabCavalry,in action at the British Residencyfor three months,
Agra, 10October 1857.Probyn'sregimentwasbutone defiantlyheld out amidst themostappalling
ofanumberofmounted Sikh irregularunits. conditions and lost two-thirds ofits number;
the fearful retribution exactedbyBritish
Cawnpore; the heroism ofthe Lucknow authorities in response to the murder
garrisonwhich, besieged in the ruins of oftheir civilians; the mismatchedforces