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

THE CONFLAGRATION
General Neill, therefore, kept a small army for protection
at Allahabad and sent the rest under Major Renaud to
raise the siege of Cawnpore. This detachment marched
on burning villages indiscriminately, on their way. Just
then, Havelock was appointed to the command of the
Cawnpore army in place of Neill. He arrived at Allaha-
bad, towards the end of June. He was a trained and an
experienced officer. Fortunately for the English, the war
with Persia came to an end about the time when the Re-
volution actually broke out, and the whole English army,
under good commanders like Havelock, arrived in India
just at the time when they were very badly wanted.
Though Neill was extremely chagrined to find that Have-
lock superseded him as the chief officer at Allahabad and
that he had to be under him, he did not allow his private
feelings to come in the way of the welfare of his country's
rule in India. He made vigorous efforts towards the equip-
ment of the army. He gave every help to the army which
was to be commanded by Havelock, made all arrange-
ments as to the commissariat, and quietly handed over the
charge of the troops to Havelock when the latter officer
arrived. This army was now fully prepared to go to the
assistance of the English at Cawnpore. Havelock was
eager to start, when suddenly news came that Sir Hugh
Wheeler was defeated and had surrendered and that all
the Englishmen, including him, had been massacred on the
banks of the Ganges !
Havelock determined to revenge their death and set out
in haste from Allahabad towards Cawnpore. He had with
him one thousand select English infantry, one hundred
and fifty Sikhs, a picked detachment of English cavalry,
and six guns, all desperate with rage. There were, also,
several civil and military officers going along with them,
officers whose life had been saved consciously and deli-
berately by the revolted Sepoys and the people, out of
mercy, or who had escaped their vigilance, and who now
came to give information about the geography of the
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