१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

THE ERUPTION
Sepoys in whose disloyalty to the country the English
could put implicit faith. Hardly was this corps formed
when it found important work to do ; for, the news of
the disarming at Mian Mir had created a tremendous agi-
tation in the Indian Sepoys stationed at Peshawar.
The bold English officers at Peshawar decided to
strike the first blow and they prepared to disarm the
Sepoys. But the English commander and other officers
felt very much grieved at the impending insult to the
Sepoys of their regiments. These English officers, on
account of the marvellous secrecy of 1857, would not be-
lieve that their Sepoys had secretly joined the Revolution.
However, Cotton and Nicholson surrounded them with
European troops on the 21st of May and gave the order
to disarm. Seeing that it was impossible to escape from
this sudden situation, all the Sepoys laid down their arms.
And their officers also, unable to look on calmly at that
insult, threw down their arms and decorations and joined
the Sepoys in hurling curses on the Company !
When the troops at Peshawar were disarmed, the English
found an opportunity to turn their attention to
the 55th regiment stationed at Hotimardan. The Govern-
ment of Panjab was perfectly certain that this regiment
was also revolutionary ; but the chief officer of the Sepoys
there, Colonel Spottiswoode, did not share the Govern-
ment's suspicions. He was continually insisting that his
Sepoys would never rise against the English ; still the
Government persisted in its order to disarm them. Colo-
nel Spottiswoode felt very much chagrined ; and when,
on the 24th of May, the Sepoy leaders came to
him and asked him if the rumour that the Eng-
lish army was marching against them from Pesha-
war was true, he gave an evasive reply and the
Sepoys went back dissatisfied. The English were
really marching from Peshawar to destroy this regiment,
as they did at Peshawar. Rather than see the wicked
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