Greased Cartridge Incident
In January 1857, the British
announced that they were introducing a new rifle with a paper cartridge covered
in grease to keep the powder dry. Before the cartridge could be loaded, the end
had to be bitten off. However, it was rumored that the grease on the cartridge
was made from the fat of both cows and pigs. Cow is a sacred animal in
Hinduism, while pig is prohibited in Islam; thus, it was not acceptable to both
the communities to use these cartridges. The sepoys were so angered by that
that they refused to use the new cartridges.
Mangal Pandey
On 29 March 1857, a at the
Barrackpore parade ground, near Calcutta, a sepoy named Mangal Pandey, angered
by the recent actions of the East India Company, declared that he would rebel
against his commanders. He defied his British officers. After failing to incite
his comrades into an open and active rebellion, Mangal Pandey tried to take his
own life, by placing his musket to his chest and pulling the trigger with his
toe. He managed only to wound himself. He was court-martialed on 6 April, and
hanged two days later. However, the real trouble began two months later.
Meerut
In May 1857, sepoys in Meerut
refused to touch the new cartridges. On 9 May, the 85 men were court-martialed,
and most were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment with hard labour. On 10 May, their
fellow soldiers broke into the prison and freed them. Some sepoys escorted
trusted British officers and women and children to safety before joining the
revolt. Some officers and their families escaped to Rampur, where they found
refuge with the Nawab. However, Meerut was sacked.
Delhi
On 11 May 1857, soldiers marched
to Delhi. The Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, became the unifying symbol
for the uprising, winning the support of Muslims and Hindus. On 12 May, he held
his first formal court for many years. It was attended by many excited sepoys.
The King was alarmed by the turn events had taken, but eventually accepted the
sepoys’ allegiance and agreed to give his countenance to the rebellion. On 16
May, up to 50 British who had been held prisoner in the palace or had been
discovered hiding in the city were killed by some of the King's servants under
a peepul tree in a courtyard outside the palace.
Siege of Delhi
The Company's army established a
base on the Delhi ridge to the north of the city and the Siege of Delhi began.
The siege lasted roughly from 1 July 1857 to 21 September 1857. It often seemed
that it was the Company forces and not Delhi that were under siege, as the
rebels could easily receive resources and reinforcements. An eagerly awaited
heavy siege train joined the besieging force, and from 7 September, the siege
guns battered breaches in the walls and silenced the rebels' artillery.
Kanpur/Cawnpore
In Kanpur, Indian troops joined the
revolt and killed their officers. They were led by Nana Sahib. He had a
personal grievance against the British for stopping his pension. He kept their
forces trapped for over three weeks. Having been given a promise of safe
passage out of the area, the force surrendered to him and his forces. However,
as they left the city, Nana Sahib’s forces turned on them and killed 300 women
and children and the soldiers. When the British recaptured the city, Nana Sahib
escaped and was never captured. The British carried out even worse atrocities
in revenge.
British Atrocities
Following the siege of Delhi, the
British soon arrested Bahadur Shah Zafar and, the next day, the British agent
had his sons Mirza Mughal, Mirza Khazir Sultan, and grandson Mirza Abu Bakr
shot under his own authority at the Khooni Darwaza (the bloody gate) near Delhi
Gate. Their heads were presented to the Emperor as a lesson. On hearing the
news, Zafar reacted with shocked silence while his wife Zeenat Mahal was
content as she believed her son was now Zafar's heir.
Lucknow
The struggle for independence at
Lucknow was led by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. The Chief Commissioner, Sir Henry
Lawrence, sought refuge with 1000 English and 700 Indian soldiers inside the
Residency. The Indians did not make any concession and killed most of the
Englishmen, including Sir Henry Lawrence and the notorious English General
O’Neil. At last, the Commander-in-Chief General Collin Campbell marched towards
Lucknow and captured it after a fierce battle in March 1858.
Jhansi & Gwalior
After the fall of Lucknow, the
main centre of opposition was Jhansi. Here, the sepoys were led by Lakshmibai,
also known as Rani of Jhansi. She opposed the British after they regained
control of Lucknow in 1858 during the War of Independence. She was assisted by
Tatya Topee, an Indian general of great ability. Both fought many successful
battles against the British. In June 1858, she dressed as a man and was killed
by the British in the battle for Gwalior. Although Tatya Topee escaped, he was
later captured and executed.
Following the defeat of
Lakshmibai, the British eliminated pockets of opposition and the War of
Independence 1857–58 was officially declared at an end in August 1858.
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