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

THE CONFLAGRATION
It was neither a victory nor a defeat. Therefore, instead
of advancing, Havelock fell back on Mangalwar. In the
meanwhile, Nana’s plans were becoming ripe. The Revo-
lutionaries of Sagar and of Gwalior and bands of volunteers
came and joined him. Taking them with him, Nana
marched to Bithoor and threatened to attack Cawnpore.
General Neill had not enough troops to march against him
and so sent word to Havelock of his critical position.
It was now impossible to think of proceeding to Lucknow.
Therefore, on the 12th of August, Havelock had to recross
the Ganges and go back to Cawnpore ! When the English
bands sounded the retreat, everywhere there were joyful
shouts of acclamation as if the victorious drum of inde-
pendence was being beaten ! You faithful Zemindars, you
have served your country well in thus shedding your blood
and driving away the foreign foe, and wanted to re-enter
Oudh, away on the other side of the Ganges ! Innes
writes : “ This retirement from Oudh produced a result
which he had, doubtless, never contemplated. The
Talukdars openly construed it as the British evacuation
of the province and now formally recognised the Durbar
at Lucknow as the de facto government ; and, though
they refrained from supporting it by their own presence,
they obeyed its orders which they had hitherto disregard-
ed, and sent to the scene of warfare the contingents which
they had been called upon to provide.”⁴
The victory of the Revolutionaries was not a direct but
an indirect one. If, in the above four or five skirmishes
fought by Havelock, he had been defeated and driven away
to Cawnpore, a greater self-confidence would have been
seen in the Revolutionary ranks than was to be seen now
by simply forcing him to retire by harassing his rear.
And, proportionately, the English forces would have been
more demoralised. The English army perceived that the
retreat to Cawnpore was due not to lack of bravery but
4. The Sepoy Revolt, page 174.
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LUCKNOW
to lack of numbers and, though baulked of its fruits, its
vigour, self-confidence, and pride were not a whit diminish-
ed by this indirect defeat. And, therefore, Havelock
encamped at Cawnpore with the full confidence that he
would start again for Lucknow as soon as he got rein-
forcements.
At this time, there was a serious quarrel between Havelock
and Neill on account of personal jealousy. This is clearly
seen in the following letter written by Havelock to Neill :
“ I wrote to you confidentially on the state of affairs. You
send me back a letter of censure of my measures, reproof,
and advice for the future. I do not want and will not
receive any of them from an officer under my command,
be his experience what it may. Understand this distinctly,
and that a consideration of the obstruction that would
arise to the public service at this moment alone prevents
me from taking the stronger step of keeping you under
arrest. You now stand warned. Attempt no further
dictation.”⁵ In this letter, one sentence is an excellent
indication of the sense of duty towards the nation,
ingrained in the bones of all Englishmen. Even in the
height of passion, Havelock says that “ consideration of
the obstruction that would arise to the public service
alone ” prevented him from then and there avenging his
personal insult ! In this dispute between the two generals
Neill and Havelock at this critical time, not only did both
of them behave calmly in order that their national enemy
might not take advantage of this division, but both helped
each other, as far as possible, for their common end. In
that society where, individualism is held in check by
regard for public advantage, in that society alone can
wealth and intellect, and fame and independence last long.
The first news that Havelock received when he came to
Cawnpore was that Nana Sahib’s army had re-occupied
5. Quoted by Malleson, Indian Mutiny, Vol. III, p. 337, note.
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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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LUCKNOW
pore ; so, the command was taken from him and given
to Havelock. And, though victorious, Havelock was
inevitably late in going to Lucknow ; so even an able
general like him was removed, and Sir James Outram was
made the commander ! At this news, Havelock was
extremely mortified. The glory for which he strove day
and night, with his life in his hands, the glory of relieving
Lucknow, would now fall into other hands. This insult
grieved him very much. Still, Malleson writes, “ It is one
of the glories of our countrymen that, however actually they
may feel a disappointment of this nature, it never affects
their public conduct. It is this recognition of, and this
devotion to, duty, that stamp the Englishman. He sub-
ordinates to it all private feelings. He may be keenly
sensible of the injustice perpetrated towards himself, but
above himself is always his country. He may have his
own views as to how that country may best be served ;
but, when the Government which represents it has other
and different views, he feels bound to devote all his
energies to make possible the success of the orders of the
Government. Thus acted Neill. And, now, thus also
acted Havelock. Superseded, as he regarded himself to
be, he was as active, as daring, as devoted, as when he
ruled as the unfettered commander of an indepen-
dent force.”⁶
While Havelock was working day and night for the victory
which was to belong to another, Sir James Outram arrived
at Cawnpore on the 15th of September. After the chief
command was transferred from Havelock to Sir
James Outram, the first order that Outram issued was to
the following effect : “ He who so bravely has been keep-
ing up the struggle for the raising of the siege of Luck-
now, he alone deserves the honour of accomplishing that
task. For this reason, I have handed over all my autho-
rity as a commander to the brave Havelock, till the siege
6. Malleson’s Indian Mutiny, Vol. III, page 346.
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of Lucknow be raised, and have enlisted myself as a simple
volunteer in the ranks."
What a moral education this first noble order of the com-
mander must have been to the English army ! How the
individual must have been merged in the nation ! With
the first order, Outram gave the chief command to Have-
lock and showed unparalleled patriotism, generosity,
and unselfishness.
Inspired by the moral lesson of this piece of heroic nobility,
and reinforced by fresh English troops from Calcutta
under officers like Eyre, Outram, and Cooper, the Cawn-
pore army, with redoubled vigour, again started to cross
the Ganges on the 20th of September to march to the
relief of Lucknow. The impatient Havelock of July 25th
who started to “ relieve Lucknow in five or six days,” the
Havelock of August 12th unfortunate in having to retreat
to Cawnpore and who found it difficult to hold out at
all in Oudh, and the resolute and hopeful Havelock of
20th of September ! How different are these three pictures
of Havelock ? He had, now, two thousand and five
hundred English troops, and the whole army, including
the Sikhs, numbered about three thousand two hundred
and fifty. Select cavalry, excellent artillery, officers like
Neill, Eyre, and Outram were with him. Now, he did not
pay any heed to the Oudh Revolutionaries. Every Zemin-
dar who came to the field to save his country from the pol-
luting touch of the Feringhi was killed. Every proud village
that stood up to fight, unable to bear a sight of Feringhi
horsemen galloping in the mother-country, was burnt to
ashes ! Every road, every field, every river on the way
was reddened with Swadeshi blood ! Thus, the powerful
English army began to push its way into Oudh with
violence. Fighting skirmish after skirmish and routing
the ill-trained Revolutionaries, Havelock arrived at Alam
Bagh on the 23rd of September. A Revolutionary force
was encamped there. The two forces met. The whole day
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LUCKNOW
the terrible battle was raging near Alam Bagh. The
enemy captured five of the guns of the Revolutionaries,
one of which the Revolutionaries recaptured. Both sides
determined to spend the night on the field. But when the
army of the enemy began to rest at night in the muddy
and swampy ground, the Revolutionaries foreswore all rest
and started the fight again. That night rain was falling
in showers. But the waves of enthusiasm in the English
army were stronger even than the showers of rain, for the
electrifying news of the fall of Delhi had reached them
that night !
At last, the critical day of the 25th dawned. Seeing that
Havelock's army, avoiding the regular roads leading to
Lucknow city, was marching to the Residency by an odd
road, the Revolutionaries opened a terrible fire. Bearing
this artillery-fire bravely, the English came up from Alam
Bagh right up to the bridge at Char Bagh. To cross this
bridge was to enter Lucknow, and, therefore, an obstinate
fight began on this most strategic point. Captain Maude
directed a heavy fire for half an hour on that bridge, but
neither the bridge was emptied nor were the guns on it
silenced. Nay more, the English had lost already twenty-
one killed near the Yellow House and more on the bridge.
Was the whole English army to be checked by this one
defiant bridge ? So, Maude said to Havelock's young son
standing near by, " Young hero, find out some remedy
for this ! " At this, young Havelock came to Neill and
told him that the Revolutionaries could not be driven
away by the artillery, and requested him to give the order
to lead an assault on that bridge. But General Neill said
that he could not give such an order without consulting
Havelock. What was to be done next ? Young Havelock
at once found out the answer to this question. He spurred
his horse and galloped a little in the direction where the
general-in-chief, Havelock, was and, pretending to have
seen him, returned to Neill. He humbly saluted Neill
and said : " The commander-in-chief has ordered the
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THE CONFLAGRATION
assault on the bridge." Hearing this, the general gave the
order to assault. Young Havelock himself rushed to the
bridge with the first batch of twenty-five Englishmen.
The fire was terrible. In one or two minutes, which of
the twenty-five remained alive? And the young Have-
lock himself—beware! beware—a brave and fearless hero
has jumped upon the bridge and is taking aim straight
at you! The brave Sepoy came up to within ten yards
of young Havelock, stood there coolly before all the Eng-
lish host and quietly aimed at Havelock; the bullet went
—but there was a difference of only half an inch! Instead
of entering the head, it entered Havelock's helmet. Still
the dauntless Sepoy stood there calmly while several Eng-
lish guns were aimed at him and began loading his gun
again! At last, you have been shot by Havelock, but
bravo! you have died killing like a hero in this battle for
independence! In a few moments, the vast English army
rushed upon the bridge which began to shake with their
weight. The Revolutionaries had to retire and the English
advanced. The bridge fell; the first road to Lucknow
fell; then, the second fell; then, the third—the English
army pushed onward, victorious. Every few steps, swords
would clash with swords and guns with guns. When a
copious lake of blood accumulated there, the living Battle
would advance again. In the evening, Outram said that
the night should be spent outside. But no, no! How could
the brave Havelock bear even to hear the name of rest?
To those countrymen of theirs, crushed in the very jaws
of death in that Residency, one night would be like an
age. Therefore, Havelock advanced—Neill advanced.
The English army missed the road fixed upon and came
nearer and nearer into the line of fire of the Revolutiona-
ries—still Neill advanced. When he entered the great
arch of Khas Bazaar, he saw that the English artillery
had slacked a little behind. Therefore, he drew up his
horse and turned his head to look back. Now is the time!
This is the time for the country's revenge! O you Revolu-
tionary hero on the arch, even if you lose your life, you
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LUCKNOW
must make use of this opportunity. In a moment, a Sepoy
who was lying in wait on the arch took aim and lodged
a bullet straight into the very neck of General Neill and
he dropped down dead ! In the whole English army, it
was very difficult to find another man so brave and so
cruel, so insolent and so undaunted, so patient and so
heartless, by the good luck and ill-luck of humanity.
But it is the peculiarity of the English army that the con-
tinuance of its work does not depend upon an individual
—even an uncommon general like Neill. Neill’s death
did not create the slightest confusion ; the English army
continued its march to the Residency all the same. In
that Khas Bazaar where Neill fell with his neck broken,
even if there had flowed an ocean of English blood, the
English army would have marched in the same manner.
When they went through the bazaars, they heard the
joyous hurrahs from the Residency. They also shouted
“ Hurrah ” in reply. Havelock had relieved his com-
patriots from the very jaws of Death ! That scene can
best be described in the pen of Captain Wilson who was
present there. “ In spite of deaths that were diminishing
their ranks at every step, the white army approached the
Residency, and at their sight all fear and doubt vanished
away from the besieged garrison. They showered their con-
gratulations and blessings on the advancing deliverers, the
sick and the wounded crept out of the hospitals, and con-
tinuous cheers and welcomes pealed forth in succession.
Very soon the deliverers met the delivered. The occasion
defies description. Those who had heard of the death
of their husbands found themselves in the arms of their
living husbands, to the unbounded joy of both. And those
who were looking forward to the cherished embrace of
their beloved ones learned for the first time that death
had left no hope of seeing them any longer ! ”
In the Residency of Lucknow, fighting without intermis-
sion for eighty-seven days, seven hundred men had fallen.
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About five hundred Europeans and four hundred Indians
were alive, wounded as well as whole. And in the army
of Havelock, which set out for their relief, seven hundred
and twenty-two men were killed before the Residency was
reached ! It was at the cost of so many brave men's lives
that the victory of Lucknow was achieved.
But you cruel Despair ! You are still as invincible as
ever ! Havelock has harassed the Revolutionaries so much,
but you still do not leave him ! For, when he entered the
Residency he had thought that, after all the victories, all
the bloodshed, all the fighting, he had, at last, relieved the
English power from the grip of the Revolutionaries. But,
now, his delusion is being dispelled and he asks himself,
after reaching the Lucknow Residency, the same question
as he did when he was on the banks of the Ganges, “What
I brought to the Residency—is it complete relief or mere
help ? ” Instead of the siege being raised by Havelock's
coming to the Residency, the Revolutionaries now besieged
the old army as well as the new ! And therefore, everyone
began to ask, “ What has Havelock brought us, relief or
mere help ? ”
It was only help ! This army, which the two great English
generals, Havelock and Outram, brought, after fighting
many battles, to relieve the English at Lucknow from the
grip of the Pandays, instead of raising the siege, went in
and was besieged itself along with the other. The English
hoped that the army of the Pandays would disperse as
soon as Havelock’s army entered the Residency. All India
soon saw that these hopes were completely dashed to the
ground. Instead of giving up Lucknow or opening nego-
tiations for peace with the English, the Panday host,
infuriated by the progress of the War of Independence,
took up its former position round the Residency as soon
as Havelock entered it. While entering the Residency,
one part of the English army had been left behind at
Alam Bagh. This part was not allowed a chance to join
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LUCKNOW
the main army. And, before the pools of blood accumulat-
ed in the streets in the course of the day's fight had dried
up, the freedom-loving city of Lucknow, discarding the
discouragement and despair caused by their defeat and the
victory of the English, again besieged and bottled up the
English power in Oudh.
It was not only the English army at Lucknow that was
placed in a fix by this firm and determined stand of the
Pandays in the War of Independence. The whole English
army from Peshawar up to Aligarh had to suffer a severe
strain. All the troops had been despatched under the
command of Havelock to fall upon Lucknow ; and when,
in spite of the help of these troops, not only the besieged
army in the Residency was not set free but the army was
beleaguered there, then, the English power in the pro-
vinces below Lucknow became considerably enfeebled.
Though, just then, Delhi had fallen and the English army
there was free, it had enough work on its hands in 'restor-
ing order' in the provinces around Delhi. In these cir-
cumstances, the English Commander-in-Chief left the
armies at Lucknow and Alam Bagh to fight it out them-
selves for the present with the Revolutionaries, and began
to attend to the lightening of the strain on the British
power as the more important task.
The new English Commander-in-Chief, Sir Colin
Campbell, had arrived at Calcutta on the 13th of
August. From that day till the 27th of October,
he was straining every nerve to prepare for the
vast campaign to reconquer Hindusthan from the
hands of the Revolutionaries. He portioned out the
English army as it arrived from Madras, Ceylon, and
China. He cast new guns in the Cassim Bazaar arsenal.
He made excellent arrangements as far as possible for
arms and ammunition, provision, clothes, and transport.
He spent two months in these preparations for the next
great campaign when the news arrived that Havelock and
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THE CONFLAGRATION
Outram were still shut up in the Residency at Lucknow.
Therefore, with the resolve to deal personally with the
obstinate town of Lucknow which fell but rose again, he
set out from Calcutta on the 27th of October.
About the same time, a naval brigade had been formed
under Colonel Powell and Captain William Peel and sent
up the river to Allahabad. From Calcutta right up to
Allahabad and Cawnpore, near all the big roads, small
bands of Revolutionaries were constantly harassing the
English army. If these bands had been found together,
the English could have possibly attacked them all ; but
the Panday forces, trained in the school of Kumar Singh,
hovered round the English army, always avoided battle,
never gave the English any indication of their existence
except when attacking them and, by these guerilla tactics,
had created consternation in the English camp in the
whole province. While trying to drive away such a band
from the Kajva river, the colonel of the naval brigade was
killed. On the day on which the Panday sword drank the
blood of Powell, the Commander-in-Chief arrived at Cawn-
pore. The Commander-in-Chief had himself had a terri-
ble experience as to how the Revolutionary bands harassed
the armies on their march.
Sir Colin Campbell was driving in a carriage from Allaha-
bad to Cawnpore. Though the English had tremendous
difficulties in obtaining transport and the Commander-in-
Chief had to sit in a third-class cart, on the same road
was marching a detachment of a Revolutionary regiment
of infantry mounted on about a dozen elephants. There
were, also, twenty-five horsemen accompanying them. Sir
Colin was alone. When the driver of the cart came near
Sher Ghati, he saw the Revolutionary band coming to the
same place by another road. Though the Pandays did not
pay any attention to the freight on the cart, because they
had no idea of it, still, the freight itself was considerably
anxious ! The commander-in-chief going towards Cawn-
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LUCKNOW
pore to conquer the whole of India saw standing before
him, suddenly, the terrible Revolutionary band. He gave
up the route and turned back immediately. A word would
have done him ! A sign from the cartman would have
been enough ! And the man who could not have been
caught even after killing thousands of Englishmen would
have been made a prisoner by an ordinary cartman. It
was the difference of a moment. Sir Colin would have
been arrested and taken before Kumar Singh or sent at
once before the Angel of Death !
After escaping from this danger, Sir Colin arrived at
Cawnpore on the 3rd of November. As large a force as
possible had already been assembled there under Brigadier
Grant. The naval brigade mentioned before also arrived
there along with the new English troops. Greathed also,
with the Delhi army, came there having routed the Revo-
lutionaries of the province of Delhi on the way. After
the fall of Delhi, the bravery which Greathed exhibited
in restoring "peace" in the province around Delhi ab-
solutely surpassed that of Neill at Allahabad. It is un-
paralleled. Since the beginning of the Revolution, up till
November, this province was in the hands of the Revolu-
tionaries. But the people in the province were so little
harassed that the English themselves write : "The people
not only cultivated but in many districts as extensively as
ever. In fact, beyond supplying their necessity, the rebels
did not venture to assume the character of tyrants of the
country."⁷ The Pandays had treated this province as was
proper for volunteers fighting for the freedom of their
country—and the British who had set out to crush its
spirit of independence, destroyed it completely as befitted
the proclaimers of slavery ! And, all this, to restore peace!
Burning village after village, hanging on the gallows any
robust man found on the way, and killing the village
inhabitants en route with more recklessness than if they
7. Narrative of the Indian Mutiny.
369
24

THE CONFLAGRATION
were wild birds, Greathed's army came from Delhi to
Cawnpore! That army and the naval brigade effected a
junction with the other white troops there, and Brigadier
Grant began to go down the Ganges. O Ganges! How
many English armies have come to thy shores to proceed
to relieve Lucknow! And O you proud Ayodhya, are you
not now at least going to release the English army from
the dungeons of Lucknow when this new force has come
to terrorise you?
Brigadier Grant had about five thousand English troops
besides hundreds of camels, etc. He had also taken with
him plenty of provisions for the Lucknow army. When
the news came that this army of Grant had fought its
way up to Alam Bagh, Sir Colin Campbell left Cawnpore
and crossed the Ganges. To guard his rear, he left a
select English and Sikh army with a number of guns at
Cawnpore, under the command of Wyndham who had won
fame in several European wars. Sir Colin joined the chief
army at Alam Bagh on the 9th of November. He reviewed
the Alam Bagh forces and planned a combined attack
by the various regiments. He now gave the order to
make an assault on Lucknow on the 14th of November.
Before this, a daring Englishman, called Cavenagh, had
entered the Residency in company with an Indian at night,
evading the sepoy guards by blackening his face and put-
ting on Indian garb. He was sent there to get information
about the state of defences of the Residency and to discuss
plans about the coming attack. He had before this time
delivered the messages of Colin and Outram to each other.
In the Residency and in the English camp at Alam Bagh,
everyone was waiting anxiously for the 14th of November.
Havelock and Outram were to come out of the Residency
to attack the Revolutionaries from inside and Sir Colin
was to press them on the other side! At this time, in the
English camp were to be found most of the eminent
generals and warriors that made their name in 1857.
Havelock, Outram, Peel (of the naval brigade), Greathed,
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LUCKNOW
Hodson of Delhi, Brigadier Hope Grant, Eyre, and the
Commander-in-Chief Sir Colin himself—all were there.
There were fresh Highlanders, Outram’s Europeans
anxious to jump into the field from within the besieged
fort, “ loyal ” Panjabee youths, and still more loyal Sikhs,
with their swords still bespattered with the blood of the
Motherland shed at Delhi !
Such was the English army that started towards Lucknow
on the 14th of November. The whole day was spent in
skirmishes between the English and the Revolutionaries.
About the evening, the English army had advanced fight-
ing up to Dilkhwush Bagh. Sir Colin decided to spend the
night there and encamped in the garden. Though the
Revolutionaries led intermittent attacks even that night,
the English army did not heed them and spent the night
there. Next morning, Sir Colin arrayed all his troops and
gave the order to attack Lucknow again on the 16th.
Then, the English army advanced like a tidal wave and
fell upon Sikandar Bagh. Till it reached this place, it
had not met with serious resistance from the Revolutiona-
ries. But, whoever was the leader of the Revolutionaries
there, he did show some splendid fighting. When the
Highlanders, under Ewart, and the Sikhs, under Powell,
fell upon Sikandar Bagh yelling fiercely, it seemed as if
the undaunted dash of the English force would sweep
everything before it. The Sikh Subahdar, Gukul Singh,
waved his sword in the air and tried his utmost not to
let the Highlanders go before his own fellows. Oh ! Un-
fortunate Lucknow ! With the cruel emulation as to who
will drink her blood most, Sikh and Highlander swords
began grim work. But the strong boulders of Sikandar
Bagh would not move on any account. And when the
stones were destroyed, the heroes there would not move
back at all ! For, when some stones of the wall fell, the
English troops rushed there like arrows. Who goes first,
Sikh or Highlander ? Both are trying hard. But, at
last, the man who first reached the breach is a Sikh. To
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THE CONFLAGRATION
reward this traitor's valour, a bullet entered right in his
breast ! He fell and immediately Cooper rushed in, and
behind him Ewart and Captain John Lumsden,—and then
Sikhs and Highlanders all quickly rushed in. The Sepoys
within were staggered for a moment on seeing the whole
army entering so quickly. But the hero who led the
Revolutionaries that day at Sikandar Bagh was no ordi-
nary leader. He does not think of retreat !
Victory or Death ! Death or Victory !! This cry fits only
the mouths of those who fight for freedom. Cooper is
the first man who has rushed into the Bagh ; therefore,
the Sepoy must try to kill him first. This cannot be done
except by the brave sepoy officer of the regiment which
revolted at Ludhiana. He looked out for Cooper and ran
straight at him. Clang! Clang! Clang of swords ! A
deep thrust, both simultaneously cut each other and both
fell dead ! Lumsden began to wave about his sword in
the air and shouted, " Come on, men, for the honour of
Scotland ! " How insolent ! For the honour of Scotland!
And has Hindusthan no honour ? Before any white man
came up for the honour of Scotland, a brown hero rushed
forth for the honour of Hindusthan—and blood began to
gush out of Lumsden's lifeless corpse ! While such a terri-
ble hand to hand fight was going on here, the English army
broke the wall on another side and rushed in from there
also. Now this Bagh had no hope of victory. Then, O
Sikandar Bagh, are you going to fight even after victory
is gone ? Fight on, fight on ! Let victory go but do
not lose honour, do not lose fame, jump into the battle as
a duty ! On every door; on every step, in every quadran-
gle, sword clashed with sword ! Blood was shed every-
where. Malleson says, " The fight for the possession of
the enclosure was bloody and desperate, the rebels fighting
with all the energy of despair. Nor did the struggle end
when our men forced their way inside. Every room,
every staircase, every corner of the towers was contested.
Quarter was neither given nor asked for ; and, when at
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LUCKNOW
last the assailants were masters of the place more than two
thousand rebel corpses lay heaped around them. It is
said that, of all who garrisoned it, only four men escaped,
but even the escape of four is doubtful."⁸
Oh, you two thousand martyrs that died fighting for inde-
pendence in Sikandar Bagh, let this grateful history be
dedicated to your memory ! The blood of two thousand
patriots ! This history is dedicated to that blood ! Who
were you that started to fight thus for the country ?
What were your names ? Who was the brave leader that
led you to the fatal battle ? The good fortune of relating
all this, the good fortune of pronouncing the names of you
who sacrificed your bodies in the hope of serving humanity,
has not fallen to our lot ! Let, then, this history be dedi-
cated to your nameless memory alone ! Victory was gone,
but you did not allow your fame to be tarnished ! Let
your blood and bravery purify and adorn the Past and
incite and inspire the Future !
You did not soil your fames, O Heroes of Independence,
but if your self-sacrifice in Sikandar Bagh had begun at
its proper time, victory also would have been yours !
Now, the might of your enemy has increased manifold.
Thousands of new soldiers have come to fight on their
side, their strain has become less after the fall of Delhi,
their moral strength has augmented by victory and yours
has diminished by defeat. Such a dry and lifeless soil,
even the blood of two thousand men will not fertilise.
If, however, as soon as the Revolution began, at the first
onslaught on the feeble Residency, you had rushed up
with the cry of “ Victory or Death ! ”—then, in half an
hour's time, the crown of independence would have shone
on the forehead of Hindusthan. You died as you should
die but the auspicious moment was gone ! Time and
opportunity were gone. In a war of Revolution, what is
8. Malleson's Indian Mutiny, Vol. IV, page 132.
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THE CONFLAGRATION
lost by a minute, sometimes, cannot be regained in an
epoch. A drop of blood could have given you victory
then, but, now, even fountains of blood will give you only
fame, but victory is difficult. In the whirlwind of Revo-
lutions, the loss of a single moment spoils the whole plan.
One step back means disaster. The momentary hankering
after life is sure to bring permanent death to the cause !
Blood was abundantly shed in other places also than in
Sikandar Bagh. Dilkhwush, Alam Bagh, and Shah Najaf
were giving a terrible battle to the enemy that day and
that night. In the early morning, all the bells of Lucknow
city began to peal, drums began to beat, and again the
wounded city began to give a fierce battle to the enemy.
The fight at Moti Mahal to-day is not a whit less fierce
than that at Shah Najaf yesterday. But, in the end, the
English got decidedly the upper hand and the English
army was enabled to relieve its compatriots so long shut
up in the Residency. On the 17th, 18th, 19th, right up
to the 23rd, the battle raged at Lucknow and, at last, the
besieged army and the relieving army met each other. The
Residency, over which so long hung the shadow of death,
now assumed a pleasant smile. But, even now, the Revo-
lutionaries did not heed the English victory. Though the
two armies had united and the whole city of Lucknow was
swimming in a sea of blood, they would talk neither of
surrender nor of retreat ! On account of this obstinate
courage on their part, it was always uncertain when the
fighting would be over. So, Sir Colin began again to re-
form the British army. He evacuated the Residency and
collected all the troops in Dilkhwush Bagh. He kept four
thousand men and twenty-five guns in Alam Bagh under
the command of Outram. He made all arrangements
necessary for the future struggle. And for the victory
that had been gained, he very properly praised the
army for its bravery, discipline, and . obedience. Of
this praise, the greatest portion was deservedly given
to Havelock.
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But while the English army was rightly exulting over its
victory, Havelock who had the chief share in it suddenly
died !! By the exertions of the terrible battle-field of
Lucknow, by care and despair, the brave Havelock had
been sinking slowly. And he succumbed at the very
moment of victory. This death poisoned the joy of the
English on the 24th. However, it was not the time for
brooding in sorrow over the dead, but for carrying out
their uncompleted task. If Havelock fell while taking
Lucknow, to take Lucknow was the best way to remember
and do honour to his memory.
But before starting to conquer Lucknow, why these sudden
shocks of artillery near Cawnpore ? Oh, they might be
nothing ! So long as the brave Wyndham, with fame in
European wars, is there, the noise need not materially
disturb Sir Colin. Who is the Revolutionary that would
dare to face an English warrior like Wyndham ?
But these messengers say that Tatia Topé is also there !
Tatia Topé at Cawnpore ! Sir Colin at once understood
the meaning of the news of the cannonade he had heard ;
he sent Outram with the greatest haste against Lucknow
and marched at once towards Cawnpore to see what Tatia
Topé was doing there !
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CHAPTER VI
TATIA TOPE
WHEN the army of the "mutineers" had been
defeated at Cawnpore on the 16th of July,
Srimant Nana left Cawnpore and proceed-
ed to Brahmavarta. That night—the 16th
of July—was spent by Nana in his palace
there, in deliberation as to his future plans; and
the very next morning saw Nana Sahib approaching the
boats waiting on the river Ganges with his youngest
brother Bala Sahib, his nephew Rao Sahib, his aide-de-
camp Tatia Topé, with all the ladies belonging to the
royal household, and with his treasure and a few supplies.
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TATIA TOPE
Nana was going to Fatehpur in the Lucknow province.
Chowdhuri Bhopal Singh, an intimate friend of Nana
Sahib, received them there very cordially and entertained
them in his house. While Havelock with all his army
was besieging Cawnpore and was thinking of pressing on
to Lucknow, Nana also was deliberating in full Durbar
as to the best means of opposing Havelock.
To find a satisfactory solution to this problem, one person
in this Durbar was eminently fitted by his extraordinary
intellect. His subtle intellect seemed to be ever on the
look-out for difficult problems which awaited solution.
So far, Tatia Tope had done nothing higher than the work
of a clerk ; but then, there was nothing beyond the work
of a clerk, so far, to be done at Nana's Durbar. But one
glimpse of the spirit of liberty—and the Durbar of Nana,
too, showed the characteristic intelligence, alertness, and
brilliance of the old Raigarh Durbar. New aspirations
were now struggling for fulfilment, fresh thrones had to
be established, new armies had to be formed, fresh battle-
fields had to be fought and won. Now, the joy of victory
had gladdened the Durbar but, then, the grief consequent
on defeat produced a reaction. But, in close succession
comes a profound calm ; for, vengeance for past insults
is being planned ; and this calm is being disturbed alone
by the still and silent deliberations in the Durbar as to
the future plan of the Revolutionary party. It was but
natural that the ability, so long latent for lack of scope,
should now step forward boldly, that clever schemes, so
long only suggested to the mind, should now be readily
formulated for action. And it must be admitted that for
clever, deep-laid, successful scheming, an equal of Tatia
Topé would be hard, indeed, to find.
Tatia’s idea was to reorganise the bands disorganised on
account of the defeat at Cawnpore. The splendid logic,
the intimate acquaintance with the most secret springs
of human nature, and the undaunted daring of this extra-
377