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

THE CONFLAGRATION
the town of Brahmavarta. Seeing that the Revolutionaries
had thus advanced again close to the Cawnpore army,
Havelock marched against them at once. On this day, at
the battle of Brahmavarta, when the English came up fight-
ing within twenty yards of the Revolutionary ranks, the
42nd regiment on the Revolutionary side began to use
their bayonets. The English so long used to think that,
when all other means failed, bayonets would surely
frighten away the Revolutionaries. But to-day, the brave
heroes of freedom, themselves, began to attack with
bayonets. At the same time, the Revolutionary cavalry
fell upon the English rear and carried off their provisions.
Thus, the English army was attacked both in front and
the rear by the gallant Revolutionaries. Even the English
commander saw that the Revolutionaries were gradually
becoming more and more valiant. But this bravery and
heroism was not properly moulded by discipline as it was
on the English side and, even after all this valour, the
Revolutionaries were defeated and had to retire. When
Havelock retired to Cawnpore on the 17th of August after
inflicting this defeat on the Revolutionaries, he perceived
that the whole army of Nana Sahib was not at Brahma-
varta but that he had a vast and fully equipped force in
the town of Kalpi, on the banks of the Jumna. Harassed
from Kalpi, harassed from Brahmavarta, harassed from
Oudh, harassed on both sides of the Ganges! Thus
harassed on all sides, the " victorious " Havelock wrote
to Calcutta : " We are in a terrible fix. If new reinforce-
ments do not arrive, the British army cannot escape the
fate of abandoning Lucknow and retreating to Allahabad."
Havelock awaited a reply to this appeal, from Calcutta.
He expected to receive reinforcements according to his
request and hoped that he would crown all his victories
and defeats by the relief of Lucknow. But, suddenly, he
got an order that the command of the army to be sent to
Lucknow was taken from him and given to Sir James
Outram! English punishment is so severe! Even
though victorious, Neill was a little late in going to Cawn-
Published by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 2014.
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