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A Turning Point in the Indian Mutiny

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A Turning Point in the Indian Mutiny A TU R N ING PO INT IN TH E IN D IA N M UTINY BY IE E KIN I . GI BE RN E S V G A UTHOR o r ‘ ' u EMo x R AND LETTE RS o r FRA NC IS w . N E WM AN heirs is the a e % heirs wh oll T b ttl T y . For th at Day is a day W i ll be w ritten in story ' T th e rea w orld s end a nd for ever z o g t . 80 let hem have th e S urs and th e lor . t p . g y No ma n w ho is not endowed with a comp reh ens i ve im a g i nation c a n g overn ‘ l i a im a i n i I ndi a W i th s uccess Da h ous e h d no g a t on . S I R Jo a n KAY E ' I e ieve it w ou d be e er for the and in w h ich w e l i ve i I n d i a b l l b tt l . f ' ' r z l z n h e n ere s s o c rea ed appea led m ore th a n it does to ou m x ag n a o . T i t t t w ould help to bridge over the gap be tw ee n Eas t '— M ACPH A 1L . and West . Th e de fe nce of Arrah may be consi dered one of the m ost rem arkable feats '— l t t R . in Indi an h S O Y. S I R Vm c e ur EY E L ON D O N DAVID N TT 5 7 5 9 LO NG AC R E U , To 19 10 D S ’ S‘S Vbt THI S B OOK IS D E DICATE D TH OM A S G IS B O R N E G O R D O N IN M E MOR Y O F AN O L D FR I E NDS HIP IN E AR LI ER DAY S ' 4 l l725 P R E F A C E T H I S book aims at throwing a light on a very ’ crucial time in our Empire s history . It aims at lighting up that part of England ’s memory which is concerned with a certain siege which happened more than fifty years ago , lest she forget splendid deeds done by heroic Eng lishm e n in the Indian Mutiny ; men who , at - of— - out the way stations , fought against gigantic odds , with only a few troops to support them ’ fought , and saved their country s colours . These were the men who held up the lamp of the Ideal high above the heads of their - fellow men . Would there were more of them - % here to day in England Men , who simply ' could not be disc oura ged by a ny amount of failure , by any amount of discouragement . They were aware of the inner meaning o f ‘ those inspiring words : how far High Failure ’ overleaps the bounds of low successes . And vi PREFACE for though many of them , the last words that sounded in their dying ears were those of ‘ ’ ‘ ’ defeat and disaster , though the bitter taste of of on the fruit War was their lips , and ghastly sights met their eyes , theirs was the unconquerable spirit which can die , and yet — vic t r remain at the supreme moment of death o , a ll in spite of . To - day in the hearts of many the light of Chivalry has burned very dim ; that of Reverence flickers low ; while the power of Idealising lights comparatively few . The following pages are full of the deeds of some of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen ; and in almost all these men of l the fires Chivalry, Reverence , and the power of the Ideal , allied with absolute pluck and heroism , burned high . I should like to express my hearty thanks t o old those who so kindly lent me records , To -da a s s s ss v y, the e page go to pre , I ha e heard of a ’ v s u s w a s not in doctor s rare act of chi alry . (I ho ld tate he good n fi nan cial circum stances at the time . ) H e had been for ma y week s atten din g a patient at her reques t (though sh e only n eeded him i a nd w a s n ot on e his u c li en tél e a nd temporar ly , of reg lar ) , at us a u n the end of her illne ss he ref ed to accept ny ret r whatever , n a n u s in hi s simply because to have take y fee, wo ld have eemed , s be n n iv be ru s i i eye , to co trary to what he co ce ed to the t e p r t of i Ch valry . PREFACE l etters , papers and photos . Among these I f H erwa ld would mention the names o Mr . Wake f w e . o o and Mr J . C . Colvin , to both whom I f of a very special debt o thanks . Also those of Maj or Leather , the 5th Fusiliers , General Broadfoot , Sir George Trevelyan , Dr . Theodore Maxwell (who kindly gave me permission to use the letters of John Nicholson) , Miss Lucy Wake , Miss Bax - Ironside (who most kindly allowed me ’ ff access to her father s papers) , Mrs . Radcli e , - Surgeon General Sir James Thornton , ff . Fa rer . Lady y , Mr Sta ord Bailey, Mrs Ross ll T . M c Don e . o Mangles , Mrs , and many others one friend I am indebted for his great kindness . one in reading my MSS , and stating (he was of the besieged party at Arrah) that what I have written is correct . I . GIBE RNE S IEV E R ING . E% M PL C E H S NGS OUTH A , A TI , F ebrua ry 19 1 0. CO N TE N T S PAG E A TU RNING POINT IN TH E INDIAN M UTINY TH E S I EGE O F A R RAH TH E R E LI E F THAT FAILE D TH E R E LI E F THAT S UCCE E DE D H E RWAL D WAR E : TH E M AN WHO HE LD TH E FORT AT A R RAH KOE R S INGH Is HUNTE D TO H IS JUNGLE STRONG HOLD TH E MAGI STRATE O F GHA% IPU R ; AND How H E HE LPED FORWAR D TH E R E LI E F O F AR RAH L E TTE R S FROM JOHN N ICHOL SON AND OTHE R S I L LU ST R AT I O N S M R . H E RWALD WAKE . Ta ken jus t after th e M u ti ny to fa ce pa ge 2 1 A K O N A R R H SE 1 85 7 . F r m TTAC AH OU , o ’ a i ture i n th e ic ers ess 5 th p c Off M , F us iliers M R V n o th b i d . o e e es e e a t J C COL IN , f g A rra h H ouse M R . R SS E S V . C . o th e I n dia n O MANGL , , f Civil S ervice M R . D E V . C . o th e I n dia n MC ON LL, , f Civil S ervice E Y R E S IR V INCE NT . W M R . H E R AL D WAKE . F rom a pa in ti ng done before h e w ent out to I n dia E . A R R F r m a S ket h TH E H OU S AT AH . o c b i r i nt E re 785 7 y S V nce y , S U RGE ON -G E NE RAL S IR JAM E S THO R N TO N , K . G. B . R - E E R N S B R IGADI E G N AL JOHN ICHOL ON . F r om a li th ograph by B a ignet R O F N S TH E MOTHE JOHN ICHOL ON . Ta ken for h im befor e th e M utiny S TE R R E L SB R IR E CA TLE AC , I U N , LAND, i h l n w rn w h ere Joh n N c o s o a s bo . R E S N S F r m a l ured CHA L ICHOL ON . o co o ph oto R F r m a a intin CHA LE S N ICHOLSON . o p g A T U R N I N G PO I N T TH E I N D I A N M UT I N Y WHAT is it that strikes one most keenly when one looks at the events of the M utiny of 1857 ? Surely this : the great lack of imagination in the ranks of English officials out in India at that time . Indeed it was so palpable , so insistent , that it practically amounted to a sort of mental colour i blindness .
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