|
the
REBELLION of 1857 |
|
|
 |
Some portraits from the British
side: Lord
Canning, Sir Colin Campbell, Sir Henry Havelock, Sir James Outram; and
lots of *literature*
|
 |
There were danger signals, many
involving
the notorious greased cartridges; some troops were disarmed, in a
precaution
that also increased the disaffection |
 |
It began as a real mutiny, in
MEERUT; then
the rebel sepoys at once made for Delhi, and took over the palace and
the
city; see also some *maps
and
views* |
 |
The seizure of Delhi, and the
massacre of British officers and civilians that followed, was blamed
generally on Muslims, and particularly on Bahadur Shah and his sons
|
 |
One of the rebel chieftains of
Bengal, Raja
Kunvar Singh |
 |
The rebel Maratha chieftain Nana
Sahib |
 |
A vivid look, through British
eyes, at Tantia
Topi's troops |
 |
Some other contemporary
impressions of the
(actual or potential) combatants |
 |
The story of an English officer
who was
also in some sense an Indian |
|
|
 |
The famous Residency in Lucknow--
before,
and after |
 |
Some pages from an album of
drawings by
an officer who had been besieged in the Lucknow Residency |
 |
Battles were always at least
partly Indian
vs. Indian combats; in the absence of military discipline, the rebels
fought
furiously but erratically |
 |
Not only the rebels, but the
British too,
were depicted as eagerly looting the places they conquered |
|
|
 |
Reinforcements were rapidly
mobilized, and
most of them were bound for Delhi |
 |
The storming of Kashmiri Gate-- a
high point
in British memory |
 |
The capture of Bahadur Shah, who
had taken
refuge in Humayun's Tomb |
|
|
 |
As town after town was retaken,
many captives
were hanged on the spot, on mere suspicion; some of the most
determined
rebels fled north into Nepal |
 |
Some ringleaders
were blown from the mouths of cannons, a form of death repugnant to
both
Muslims and Hindus |
 |
Memorials were built for the
British dead;
and the Prince of Wales made a special point of honoring loyal veterans
during his visit in 1876 |
 |
The Rani of Jhansi too is nowadays
vividly
memorialized |
|
|