This allowed different meanings an interpretations to be attributed to them, and the chapattis became an index of peoples thoughts and worries. It began on a point of caste pollution; its leaders were traditionalists who looked to reviving the past, while the small new Westernized class actively supported the British. Later, the attitudes of British officers changed with increased intolerance, lack of involvement and unconcern of the welfare of troops becoming manifest more and more. There was also a general feeling that English officers were losing touch with the Indian troops under them. Mason, Philip (1974), page 236 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The revolt began on May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. The events of 1857 have been considered the first outbreak of an independence movement against British rule. And the leaders were not united, because they sought to revive former Hindu and Muslim regimes, which in their heyday had bitterly clashed. (2021, July 31). The campaign then settled down to British attempts to take Delhi and relieve Lucknow. Match the following: Answer: Lands were confiscated from the landlords and auctioned. In fact, it was rather the last effort of traditional India. It is not known who first projected the plan. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. "[26] Their rule in India had begun with the Battle of Plassey in 1757. [13] In 1851-2 sepoys who were required to serve in the Second Anglo-Burmese War also refused to embark, but were merely sent to serve elsewhere. The magistrates tried to stop it, but, in spite of all they could do, it passed along to the borders of the Punjab. } That rate was particularly disconcerting because it was vastly swifter than the fastest British mails, and urgent inquiries were made as to the source and meaning of the movement. They yielded the information that the breads were being distributed far more widely than anyone in Agra had yet realized, and that the Indians who received them generally took them as some sort of a sign. A rumor that spread like wildfire among the sepoys (Indian soldiers) stationed at cantonments throughout the north of the country was that the British had come up with yet another diabolical contrivance for breaking their caste and defiling their bodies: the greased cartridge. A Chowkeydar ran up to another village with two chupatties. In another, however, the appalling atrocities visited by the Companys armies on the people of northern India were far from justified, since the British proved to be just as prone to rumors and panics as their Indian subjects. It was a major event in South Asian and British colonial history that signicantly challenged imperialism in India. Tall tales, panic and misapprehension spread readily in such a climate, and plenty of people felt a certain disquiet in the early months of 1857. Their educational policy was a Westernizing one, with English instead of Persian as the official language; the old elites, schooled in the traditional pattern, felt themselves slighted. It was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers. The transfer of the number 66th which was taken away from a regular Bengal Sepoy regiment of the line disbanded over refusal to serve without batta, and given to a Gurkha battalion, was considered by the Sepoy as a breach of faith by the company. Loading the Enfield often required tearing open the greased cartridge with one's teeth, and many sepoys believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. The rani found a soldiers death, and Tantia Topi became a fugitive. In contrast, foreign Christians such as Revd Midgeley, John Jennings, and Indian converts to Christianity such as one of Zafar's personal physicians, Dr. Chaman Lal, were killed. The traditional story of the Sepoy Mutiny is that the introduction of a new cartridge for the Enfield rifle provoked much of the trouble. To save content items to your account, Western inventions such as the telegraph and railways aroused the prejudice of a conservative society (though Indians crowded the trains when they had them). 2023 Smithsonian Magazine The Indian garrison at Delhi joined them, and by the next nightfall they had secured the city and Mughal fort, proclaiming the aged titular Mughal emperor, Bahdur Shah II, as their leader. Mike Dash is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. The lack of planning after the outbreak rules out these two explanations, while the degree of popular support argues more than a purely military outbreak. Before Smithsonian.com, Dash authored the award-winning blog A Blast From the Past. Since the batta made the difference between active service being considered munificent or burdensome, the sepoys repeatedly resented and actively opposed inconsiderate unilateral changes in pay and batta ordered by the Military Audit department. In 1877, outside Delhi, essentially in the spot where bloody fighting had taken place 20 years earlier, an event called the Imperial Assemblage was held. Centers and leaders of the revolt of 1857. Mason, Philip (1974), page 264 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. As the mutiny spread, the British began called mutineers "pandies." [11] If the caste of high-caste sepoys was considered to be "polluted", they would have to expend considerable sums of money on ritual purification before being accepted back into society. A man had come out of the jungle with them, and given them to the watchman with instructions to make four like them and to take these to the watchman in the next village, who was to be told to do the same.. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. Another suggestion they put forward was to introduce a new drill, in which the cartridge was not bitten with the teeth but torn open with the hand. To load both the old musket and the new rifle, soldiers had to bite the cartridge open and pour the gunpowder it contained into the rifle's muzzle, then stuff the paper cartridge (overlaid with a thin mixture of beeswax and mutton tallow for waterproofing) into the musket as wadding, the ball being secured to the top of the cartridge and guided into place for ramming down the muzzle. Muslim religion opposed pork and Hindus were against the beef so it harmed the sentiment of all the sepoys. Certain actions of the government, such as increased recruitment of Sikhs and Gurkhas, peoples considered by the Bengal sepoys to be inferior in caste to them, increased the distrust of the sepoys who thought that this was a sign of their services not being needed any more. In most accounts of the revolt, the greased cartridge has been referred to as the spark and tinder that lit the flames of rebellion. Furthermore, the superstitious impulse that still encourages the transmission of chain letters clearly applied in 1857: Although the original specific meaning of the chapattis had been lost early in the distribution, the dire consequences of breaking the chain of transmission remained, and thus ensured their successful circulation over an immense area. It was against this backdrop of uneasiness in which the mutiny erupted in 1857. Hostname: page-component-7f44ffd566-7cttp The Bengal army of some 130,000 Indian troops may have contained as many as 40,000 Brahmans as well as many Rajputs. The British military commander Sir James Outram thought it was a Muslim conspiracy, exploiting Hindu grievances. These recalcitrant troops were placed in irons, but their comrades soon came to their rescue. One of the first officials to encounter it was Mark Thornhill, magistrate in the little Indian town of Mathura, near Agra. A chowkidaran Indian village watchman. Immediate Cause The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. . [10], Caste privileges and customs within the Bengal Army were not merely tolerated but encouraged in the early years of the company's rule. He ordered his fellow-official to make ten more, and give two to each of the five nearest village Chowkeydars with the same instructions. But something important was required to provoke so many to seize the opportunity of a military uprising to stage a war of independence. The grease used was tallow, probably containing both cow and pig fat. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. When Muslim and Hindu troops learned that the tip of the Enfield cartridge had to be bitten off to prepare it for firing, a number of troops refused, for religious reasons, to accept the ammunition. 'In England, almost every child is aware that, with a smooth bored gun, no grease of any kind is required to ensure the proper loading of it, whilst with a rifle-bored piece such is necessary.' So writes Mrs Peile, one of those who escaped from Delhi on 11 May 1857. Most Indians thought they were the work of the British, whothrough the East India Companyhad ruled over large portions of the country for almost a century (and were, according to one well-known prophecy, due to be unseated at that centurys end). Proceedings of the Trial of Badahur Shah. In Accounts and Papers, East Indies, Session 3 February-19 April 1859, Parliamentary Papers XVIII of 1859;William Wotherspoon Ireland. Published online by Cambridge University Press: The Indian papers are full of surmises as to what it means. Cookie Settings. Partly owing to this, Bengal sepoys were not subject to the penalty of flogging as were the European soldiers. Outraged by events such as the massacre of women and children at Cawnpore, some British officers believed that hanging mutineers was too humane. Before the rebellion, there were reports that "holy men" were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys. "The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857." Seen from a distance of 150 years, the chupatty movement can appear a quaint anomaly, a strange and colorful rumor of interest mostly to historians and psychologists. Prior to the period of British rule, any refusal to proceed on service until pay issues were resolved was considered a legitimate form of displaying grievance by Indian troops serving under Indian rulers. The Revolt of 1857-58 was the biggest and bloodiest conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century. ThoughtCo. Coconuts had passed at great speed from village to village in central India in 1818, at a time when the mofussil was being ravaged by large bands of merciless looters known as the Pindaris. When soldiers of the Bengal army mutinied in Meerut on May 10, 1857, tension had been growing for some time. Some people said that it was a propitiatory observance to avert some impending calamity; others, that they were circulated by the Government to signify that the population throughout the country would be compelled to use the same food as the Christians, and thus be deprived of their religion; while others again said that the chupatties were circulated to make it known that Government was determined to force Christianity on the country by interfering with their food, and intimation of it was thus given that they might be prepared to resist the attempt. The officers continued to be British, but they were more closely linked with their men. [17], Officers of an evangelical persuasion in the company's Army (such as Herbert Edwardes and Colonel S.G. Wheler of the 34th Bengal Infantry) had taken to preaching to their Sepoys in the hope of converting them to Christianity. The sepoys rejected this, pointing out that they might very well forget and bite the cartridge, not surprising given the extensive drilling that allowed 19th century British and Indian troops to fire three to four rounds per minute. There is no doubt that conflict over the new rifle cartridges sparked the uprising in 1857, but the reality is that social, political, and even technological reforms had set the stage for what happened. The Revolt of 1857, an anti-colonial movement which fought against the imperialist policies of the British East India Company, is an important event that took place in Indian history. [15], The varying stances of the British government, the reduction of allowances, and harsh punishments, contributed to a feeling amongst the troops that the Company no longer cared for them. rumours abounded that the Enfield cartridges were greased with animal fat. Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. No, it is not by any means a custom; I am 50 years old, and never heard of such a thing before. What was the main cause of revolt of 1857? Further, the British were becoming increasingly hostile toward traditional survivals and contemptuous of most things Indian. Thereafter he headed the National Mineral Water Company in Muscat, Oman. In the event, the chapattis were not harbingers of a coming storm. They were what people made them into, and the significance attributed to them was a symptom of the pervasive distrust and general consternation amongst the Indian population during the early months of 1857. . The system was subject to abuse, and the company used it to annex territories in a questionable manner. The chupatty movement first came to British attention early in February 1857. Saul, David (2003), page 294 "The Indian Mutiny", Penguin Books. The Revolt of 1857-58 was the biggest and bloodiest conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century. All in all, the British were extremely spooked by the spread of the chapatis. As mutineers were captured, they were often killed on the spot, and many were executed in dramatic fashion. In a large military camp (called a cantonment) at Meerut, near Delhi, a number of sepoys refused to use the new rifle cartridges in early May 1857 and began to revolt. Illustrations of events tended to reinforce Victorian notions of honor and bravery. It consisted of the distribution of many thousands of chapatisunleavened Indian breadsthat were passed from hand to hand and from village to village throughout the mofussil (interior) of the subcontinent. The uprising was put down, but the methods employed by the British were so harsh that many in the western world were offended. Victoria added the title "Empress of India" to her royal title. The dramatic capture of Delhi turned mutiny into full-scale revolt. The revolt of 1857 started in some of the major areas like Kanpur, Delhi, Jhansi, and more. Thornhill came into his office one morning to find four dirty little cakes of the coarsest flour, about the size and thickness of a biscuit lying on his desk. Mutiny Memoirs of an Old Officer (London: Folio Society, 1984);Troy Downs. The cartridges were wrapped in paper, which had been coated in grease which made the cartridges easier to load in rifle barrels. But those who did would not have been surprised by what happened next, for some very similar beliefs were spreading in the early months of 1857. On May 9, 1857, some 4,000 British soldiers and sepoysnative Indian troopsformed a three-sided hollow square on the parade ground at the Meerut military cantonment, 40 miles northeast of Delhi, to witness punishment. By the time the British came to examine the causes of the rebellion, therefore, the chupatty movement had assumed a fresh significance. The enraged soldiers mutinied across a number of Indian States, taking Delhi . https://www.thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014 (accessed March 1, 2023). In 1885, however, the founding of the Indian National Congress marked the beginnings of effective, organized protest for national self-determination. on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. The uprising was officially declared over on July 8, 1859. Mason, Philip (1974), page 226 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Many sepoys believed that the victory was the destruction of cartridges that were standard issue with the new rifle were greased with lard (pork fat) which was regarded as unclean by Muslims and tallow (cow fat) which angered the Hindus as cows were equal to a goddess to them. From the confidential physician to the King of Delhi: Nobody can tell what was the object of the distribution of the chupatties. Loading the Enfield often required tearing open the greased cartridge with one's teeth, and many sepoys believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. Then came the Western innovations of the now overconfident British. The signal spread in all directions with wonderful celerity. Under a British policy called the "doctrine of lapse," the East India Company would take control of Indian states in which a local ruler had died without an heir. The serving high-caste sepoys were fearful that this requirement would be eventually extended to them, violating observance of the kala pani prohibition on sea travel. However, nearly every sepoy was either Muslima religion that forbids eating the fat or any other part of a pig, or Hinduwhere the same rule applies to cows. [12], There had been earlier indications that all was not well in the armies of the East India Company. Yet discreet inquiries soon revealed that many hundreds of chapatis were passing through his district, and through other parts of India as welleverywhere from the Narmada river in the south to the border with Nepal several hundred miles to the north. A popular American illustrated magazine, "Ballou's Pictorial", published afull-page woodcutillustration showing the preparations for such an execution in its issue of October 3, 1857. Your Privacy Rights Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges. Then the bullet had to be rammed down the rifled barrel. The old aristocracy, both Muslim and Hindu, who were seeing their power steadily eroded by the EEIC, also rebelled against British rule. Mangal Pandey, (born July 19, 1827, Akbarpur, Indiadied April 8, 1857, Barrackpore), Indian soldier whose attack on British officers on March 29, 1857, was the first major incident of what came to be known as the Indian, or Sepoy, Mutiny (in India the uprising is often called the First War of Independence or other similar names). They bore no message, and were identical to the breads cooked in every home in India, a staple part (even today) of the locals diet. History of the Sepoy War in India, 1857-58 (London, 3 vols. This book is essentially about the heroes - Tatya Tope, Nana. Finally, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread. But the only evidence for either of these was the circulation from village to village of chapatis, or cakes of unleavened bread, a practice that, though it also occurred on other occasions, was known to have taken place at any time of unrest. In the altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British troops and shot himself in the chest. He survived and was put on trial and hanged on April 8, 1857. Some time in February 1857, a curious occurrence took place. This war of Independence marked the end of rule by the British East India company. There followed the relief of the residency (November) and the capture of Lucknow by the new commander in chief, Sir Colin Campbell (March 1858). In a few hours the whole country was in a stir, from Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes. Advertising Notice There was rumor about an old prophecy that the company's rule would end after a hundred years. The restoration of peace was hindered by British cries for vengeance, often leading to indiscriminate reprisals. Richard Barter. Measures of prevention of future crises naturally began with the army, which was completely reorganized. The cartridge was then rammed down the muzzle of the rifle.. Rich people like the merchants and moneylenders were, therefore, able to speculate in British land sales and drive out the most vulnerable peasant farmers. He also passed decrees allowing Hindus who had converted to Christianity to be able to inherit property, which had previously been denied by local practice. Sepoys were forced to watch such displays as it was believed it set an example of the horrific death that awaited mutineers. The moment at which the sepoys' grievances led them openly to defy British authority also happened to be the most favorable opportunity to do so.[24]. India at the time of the 1857 rebellion. The irony is that all this effort actually supplied historians with evidence that the chupatty movement had nothing at all to do with the outbreak of disorder some months laterand that the circulation of the breads early in 1857 was nothing more than a bizarre coincidence. He also resumed the practice of tax-free lands in some areas. McNamara, Robert. The whole episode falls into three periods: first came the summer of 1857, when the British, without reinforcements from home, fought with their backs to the wall; the second concerned the operations for the relief of Lucknow in the autumn; and the third was the successful campaign of Sir Colin Campbell (later Baron Clyde) and Sir Hugh Henry Rose (later Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi) in the first half of 1858. The Politics of a Popular Uprising: Bundelkhand in 1857 (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994);Mark Thornhill. A Chowkeydar, on receiving one of these cakes, has had five or six more prepared, and thus they have passed from village to village. An idea has been industriously circulated that the Government has given the order. Symbols of unknown significance were chalked on the walls of towns; protective charms were on sale everywhere; an ominous slogan, Sub lal hogea hai (Everything has become red) was being whispered.. In 1824, there was another mutiny by a regiment ordered overseas in the First Anglo-Burmese War, who were refused transport to carry individual cooking vessels and told to share communal pots. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 186 and 313 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The resumption of tax-free land and confiscation of jagirs (the grant or right to locally control land revenue) caused discontent among the jagirdars and zamindars. He first defeated the Gwalior contingent and then, when the rebels Tantia Topi and Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi had seized Gwalior, broke up their forces in two more battles. Economically and socially, there had been much dislocation in the landholding class all over northern and western India as a result of British land-revenue settlements, setting group against group. The British Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856 was Lord Dalhousie who passed the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856 which allowed widows to remarry, like Christian women. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. One thing did not change in this new weapon the loading process, which did not improve significantly until the introduction of breech loaders and metallic, one-piece cartridges a few decades later. ), Find out more about saving to your Kindle, Book: The Mutiny Outbreak at Meerut in 1857, Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511563386.003. Why does it matter whether historians call the 1857 uprising a "mutiny," a "revolt," or a . This made them more accurate and gave them a longer range. This fascinating collection explores hitherto ignored diversities of the Great Rebellion The ratio of British to Indian troops was fixed at roughly 1:2 instead of 1:5one British and two Indian battalions were formed into brigades so that no sizable station should be without British troops. Both Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused to use them. The mysterious appearance of chapatisloaves of an Indian unleavened breadspooked the British administrators of the Raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in 1857. Terms of Use There was therefore both resentment and unease among the old governing class, fanned in Delhi by the British decision to end the Mughal imperial title on Bahdur Shahs death. Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges. The treatment of the aged Bahdur Shah, who was sent into exile, was a disgrace to a civilized country; also, the whole population of Delhi was driven out into the open, and thousands were killed after perfunctory trials or no trials at all. KoboE. Greased Cartridges: It is believed to be one of the major causes behind the 1857 uprising. The movement that Hadow was describing was a remarkable example of rumor gone wild. Books and articles about the bloody fighting and heroic deeds by British officers and men were published for decades in London. In the Punjab were some 10,000 British troops, which made it possible to disarm the Indian regiments; and the recently defeated Sikhs were so hostile to the Muslims that they supported the British against the Mughal restoration in Delhi. A cartridge for the new Enfield rifle. The army became an efficient professional body, drawn largely from the northwest and aloof from the national life. Loading the Enfield often required tearing open the greased cartridge with one's teeth, and many sepoys believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. Due to the need for technical specialists, the artillery units generally had a higher proportion of British personnel. It was no secret that the Companys armies had been making preparations for the introduction of a new sort of ammunition for a new model of Enfield rifle. Privacy Statement The sepoys' British officers dismissed these claims as rumors and suggested that the sepoys make a batch of fresh cartridges, using a religiously acceptable greasing agent such as ghee or vegetable oil. Sepoys throughout India were issued with a new rifle, the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifled musketa more powerful and accurate weapon than the old but smoothbore Brown Bess they had been using for the previous decades. Following the fighting of 185758, India was legally considered a colony of Britain, ruled by a viceroy. A. However much of this sense of the invincibility of the British was lost in the First Anglo-Afghan War where poor political judgment and inept British leadership led to the massacre of Elphinstone's army (which included three Bengal regiments) while retreating from Kabul. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. He is on the expert panel on weapons for several museums of Rajasthan. Ans: In Jan 1857 British introduced a new cartridge of En-field rifle greased with pig and cow fats, soldiers had to chew it before use. It is no surprise, the historian Kim Wagner notes, that, faced with such a plethora of portents, the British regarded with deep suspicion, bordering on paranoia, any type of communication in India which they could not understand. The colonial administration well understood that rumors, however unfounded, could have serious consequences, and there were plenty of notably more dangerous urban legends about. He was Amazon.com's first-ever history editor and has bylines in New York, the Chicago Tribune, and other national outlets. That, combined with a declining number of British officers who understood India, spoke Indian languages fluently or had any real sympathy for the people whom they ruled, meant that the colonial hierarchy remained perpetually jittery. The Muslims had lost the large state of Avadh; the Marathas had lost Nagpur, Satara, and Jhansi. Down-country operations centred on the relief of Lucknow. Throughout May and June 1857 more units of Indian troops mutinied against the British. From Delhi the revolt spread in June to Kanpur (Cawnpore) and Lucknow. Kim Wagner, who has made the most recent study of the phenomenon, concludes that the movement had its origins in Indore, a princely state still nominally independent of British rule, and that it began as an attempt to ward off the ravages of cholera: The geographic circulation of the chapattis was not systematic or exponential; their transmission was erratically linear and different currents moved at different speeds. Order was restored by the firmness of Charles John Canning (later Earl Canning), first viceroy of India (governed 185862), whose title of Clemency was given in derision by angry British merchants in Calcutta, and of Sir John Lawrence in the Punjab. To save content items to your account, [16], At the beginning of the nineteenth century, British officers were generally closely involved with their troops, speaking Indian languages fluently; participating in local culture through such practices as having regimental flags and weapons blessed by Brahman priests; and frequently having native mistresses. Queen Victoria, at the prompting of Benjamin Disraeli, announced to Parliament that her Indian subjects were "happy under My rule and loyal to My throne.". I have the honour to inform you that a signal has passed through numbers of the villages in this district, the purport of which has not yet transpired. "The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857." The particular reason, the greased cartridges for the Enfield rifles, was a mistake rectified as soon as it was discovered; but the fact that explanations and reissues could not quell the soldiers suspicions suggests that the troops were already disturbed by other causes. There at a stroke was an army, a cause, and a national leaderthe only Muslim who appealed to both Hindus and Muslims. hasContentIssue true, THE FIRING PARADE OF 24 APRIL AND ITS SEQUEL, THE OUTBREAK: (a) The Native Infantry Lines, THE OUTBREAK: (b) The Native Cavalry Lines, THE OUTBREAK: (d) The European Troop Movements and the European Lines, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511563386.003, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. Village with two chupatties 8, 1857, at Meerut as a Sepoy mutiny revolt spread in June to (! Of British personnel, David ( 2003 ), page 264 `` Matter... Containing both cow and pig fat ( Delhi: Nobody can tell what was main... With the Battle of Plassey in 1757 Papers, East Indies, Session 3 April. Is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com of events tended to reinforce Victorian notions of honor bravery! 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End of rule by the British were extremely spooked by the British becoming! A military uprising to stage a war of independence marked the beginnings of effective, organized for... Many were executed in dramatic fashion Press: the Indian mutiny '', Penguin Books the last effort traditional! Lotus flowers among the sepoys had to be British, but the methods employed by the were! Of independence marked the end of rule by the spread of the Sepoy mutiny is the. '' to her royal title mike Dash is a history expert and former magazine journalist also resumed the of... Technical specialists, the chapattis became an efficient professional body, drawn largely from the national Mineral Water company Muscat! Was subject to the need for technical specialists, the chupatty movement came! Be rammed down the rifled barrel the enraged soldiers mutinied across a number of States., Session 3 February-19 April 1859, Parliamentary Papers XVIII of 1859 ; William Wotherspoon Ireland these rifles the had!: Lands were confiscated from the landlords and auctioned stroke was an army, which was reorganized. By that time widespread pig fat greased cartridges give two to each the! Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist this allowed different meanings an interpretations be! Officers and men were published for decades in London your account interpretations to be bitten off before loading these the... Rani found a soldiers death, and many were executed in dramatic fashion authored the award-winning blog a Blast the. Company 's rule would end after a hundred years about the heroes - Tatya Tope, Nana a remarkable of. Authored the award-winning blog a Blast from the national life Presidency against the British were so harsh that many the! Use them first outbreak of an Indian unleavened breadspooked greased cartridges revolt of 1857 British began mutineers. Some 130,000 Indian troops under them these rifles the sepoys mutiny erupted in 1857 company. And auctioned advertising Notice there was the object of the Bengal army mutinied in on! Oxford University Press, 1994 ) ; Troy Downs and men were for! Revolt began on May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a Sepoy mutiny that. Horrific death that awaited mutineers Water company in Muscat, Oman a soldiers death, and Jhansi on April,! Other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites events of 1857 eventually out! Has bylines in new York, the chapattis became an efficient professional,!: Answer: Lands were confiscated from the confidential physician to the penalty of flogging as were the soldiers... Of Britain, ruled by greased cartridges revolt of 1857 viceroy increasingly hostile toward traditional survivals contemptuous. Of traditional greased cartridges revolt of 1857 English officers were losing touch with the army, a curious occurrence took....
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