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

THE CONFLAGRATION
and so bravely, in spite of an assured defeat or of an
immediate death, as never to lose fame, though success
be lost in the field. Thus attacked, the enemy is struck
with terror, the followers do not get demoralised, disci-
pline is not slackened, and inspiration increases by stories
of martyrdom ; bravery begets bravery, and victory be-
comes insured. The guerilla general and his forces should
never give the least chance to create an impression that
their foe conquered them through superiority in bravery.
This is the key to guerilla warfare.
But Tatia Topé could not follow this positive side of this
warfare. Tatia's campaigns when trying to cross the
Narbada and Kumar's campaigns when trying to cross the
Ganges demonstrate this difference. Tatia suffered many
a defeat. Though this was due entirely to the panicky
and sometimes even cowardly conduct of the Sepoys, he
had to lead and could not be attributed to any inferiority
in his capacity. Kumar Singh, while marching off, had
all the while kept up such a bold front and, whenever
opportunity offered, had hit his pursuing foe so hard, that
all the while his forces were full of self-confidence and
high inspiration in spite of the fact that they were retreat-
ing before pursuing enemy. Now, it ought not to be for-
gotten that Tatia had to take up to guerilla tactics when
his forces were already completely demoralised by pre-
vious defeats and when all the veterans had been either
killed or disabled in the earlier stages of the war, and so
it was quite natural that, in spite of his skill and insight
into the guerilla's art, he should not be able to put them
in practice owing to the lack of materials. Whatever the
reason, one thing is clear that, more than once, Tatia
had during his wonderful career as a general to leave the
field through panic and fear striking his ranks ; while
Kumar Singh, like his prototype, the great Mahratta
Shivaji, never allowed his army to become diffident, but
created in them absolute confidence in themselves as well
as in himself, their leader, by his personal valour and
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