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

KUMAR SINGH AND AMAR SINGH
compromise."³
But Lord Mark Kerr was baulked not only of his victory
but even of this secondary purpose of relieving Azimgarh.
For still the whole city was in the hands of the Revolu-
tionaries who had also a perfect hold of the whole sur-
rounding province. A born commander is he who knows
exactly the nature and capacities of his forces. Few men
could have excelled Kumar Singh in this necessary quality
of a commander. As he had correctly gauged the power
and strength of his enemy, even so he measured the merits
and demerits of his own followers. Therefore is it that
he did not try at all to attack and carry the fortress in
which the English had taken refuge. He had closely ob-
served the fact that the Sepoys, for whatever reasons or
panic it might be, were ready to undergo any other ordeal
but that of facing the English bayonets—a fact which
had been clearly demonstrated in both the sieges of Arrah
and Lucknow. Therefore, having rendered it difficult for
the English forces to come out of the besieged fortress,
he began to plan in his daring heart quite another scheme
of worsting his enemy. In the forces of the Revolu-
tionaries that had entered the field in 1857, it was clearly
seen that there were men of two different temperaments
—the one class, who would throw themselves right in the
jaws of death with unflinching and firm and disciplined
resistance on the battle-field, whether opposed to the
cannon or the bayonet of the foe ; the other who, possess-
ing the will to die for the nation but lacking in the
courage to carry it into effect, would flinch back and get
routed at the very moment when they ought to have stood
unmoved. Out of these two sorts of men, Kumar Singh
collected those who belonged to the first sort and had
proved immoveable in the field, and organised them into
a separate band of chosen veterans. Having made this
selection and created a body on whom he could depend
3. Malleson's Indian Mutiny, Vol. IV, pages 326-327.
425