Newly illustrated throughout with contemporary maps, portraits, photographs and engravings, this is G.B. Malleson’s concise and authoritative account of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.   This detailed version of the events of 1857-58 is based on the evidence of the time, using the official documents, personal letters and private journals of those who experienced the insurgence first hand. Originally published in 1891, it describes the causes of the rebellion, its main protagonists, the sieges, battles and skirmishes and its aftermath from a Victorian perspective. From the massacre of Cawnpore, the siege of Delhi to the final relief of Lucknow, this book follows the soldiers of the British East India Company from the first sparks of unrest to the final bitter conclusion of the war. Today, many consider the Indian Mutiny and the ruthless treatment of the rebels and the complete humiliation of their leaders by the British, the beginning of the end for the British Raj. It took another 90 years before India won the independence it so desperately wanted.

The Indian Mutiny of 1857: The Illustrated Edition

History

Col G B Malleson

Asia

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Received knowledge has it that the Indian Mutiny was the result of the greased cartridge which appeared at the beginning of 1857, but in truth trouble was simmering among the Bengal Army native soldiers well before, and the cartridges were used as a catalyst. Conspirators spread the news that the new cartridge was smeared with the fat of a pig or a cow, the one hateful to the Mohammedans the other the sacred animal of the Hindus. In fact the cartridges had not even been issued to the men before the revolt, but the rumours had been well spread by the trouble makersand had caused serious discontent. Even the main players in the Mutiny such as Sir John Lawrence failed to detect the root causes. In this book the author, an accomplished military historian with special knowledge of India, seeks to explain what was really behind the violent uprising., based on personal knowledge and personal observation. In January 1856 Sir James Outram crossed the Ganges and, on behalf of the British East india Company, annexed the territory of Oudh and deposed its king. This, Malleson noted and reported to his superiors, caused considerable anger among his sepoys and he foresaw this would spread; he was laughed out of court. Further factors were the abysmal terms of service, poor pay and lack of promotion prospects (promotion was based on seniority, merit counted for nothing and this was still the case even among British officers in 1914). These first few chapters tracing the origins and the spread of unrest leading to the storm are well worth reading, and writing a hundred years later David Saul in his recent history of the Mutiny  concurs with Malleson’s findings. There follows a very readable and authoritative account of the Mutiny with detailed descriptions of the actions with the parts played by individuals and regiments.

Indian Mutiny of 1857

Malleson, G.B.

Military

Naval & Military Press

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Books by Col G B Malleson