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

TATIA TOPE
wrote a book brought this fact prominently before all.
General Wyndham, trained as he was in such warfare and
with such ideas, was not likely to allow Tatia to make his
movements unhampered. He left Cawnpore immediately
and moved towards the bridge over the canal near Kalpi.
Tatia, meanwhile, moved from Srikhandi to the river
Pandu on the 25th of November. When the daring enemy
approached so near, the English army prepared for battle
and the thoroughly-tried antidote against Asiatic courage
just referred to was used on the 26th. On that date,
Wyndham started his straight-as-an-arrow attack. The
Revolutionaries were ambushed in a thick jungle and they
began their cannonade on the English army. After a good
deal of exchange of shots, the English took three of the
guns of Tatia and Wyndham almost believed that,
once again, owing to his bold charge, his army was success-
ful. His army, too, felt the assurance of victory. But
it was a vain hope. For, soon the English troops were
forced to retire steadily. In an instant, the hope of victory
was changed into certain defeat and Tatia pursued him
until he had retreated up to Cawnpore. The Revolu-
tionary cavalry at their back would neither attack them
nor leave them! They wheeled round and round the
enemy, forced the enemy back, and themselves reached
the gates of Cawnpore. Instead of taking fright at the
charge of Wyndham, Tatia himself began the aggressive,
meeting charge with charge.
Says Malleson : “The leader of the rebel army was no
fool. The blow dealt by Wyndham, far from frightening
him, had disclosed to his mind the weakness of the British
leader. . . . Tatia Topé read, then, the necessities of Wyn-
dham's position as he would have read an open book and,
with the instincts of a real general, he resolved to take
advantage of them.”¹

1. Malleson's Indian Mutiny, Vol. IV., page 167.
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