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

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
371

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
372

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.
373

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.
374

LUCKNOW
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 !
375

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.
376

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

THE CONFLAGRATION
ordinary man were so superb that whole regiments of
rude Sepoys would be ready to rise in his favour with one
mind in the course of a single day. When the necessity
for reinforcements arose, Tatia had gone straight to Sheo-
rajpur and enlisted the 42nd regiment—lately risen—for
the new cause. Meanwhile, Havelock had been preparing
to cross the Ganges and advance on Lucknow ; so, Tatia
decided to harass his rear. How the English commander
was, thus, dragged back to Cawnpore, how on his return
he saw, to his surprise, the extraordinary Mahratta ruling
in his palace at Brahmavarta, how the English army was
forced to give battle at this place, and how, in the en-
counter, the army of the Revolutionaries was defeated on
the 16th of August—all this has been described in a pre-
vious chapter. After the defeat, Tatia swam the Ganges
with his whole army and joined Nana at Fatehpur. Re-
inforcements were again necessary. The same problem
rose again. But why need Nana worry about reinforce-
ments so long as Tatia Topé was there? The army in
the cantonments of Gwalior—anxious to meet the Feringhi
in battle—had so far been obliged to keep quiet, because
of the ‘loyalty’ of the Scindia. To Gwalior, then, some-
one must be sent—and who fitter than the wily Mahratta
who, like the magician who weaves a spell round his au-
dience, had seduced and kept within the hollow of his
hand whole regiments of Sepoys? Tatia, then, went to
Gwalior incognito. And shortly after, he had seduced the
whole army—infantry, cavalry, artillery and all—at
Morar, and had even brought them as far as Kalpi. From
a military point of view, Kalpi would have been of great
help to the Revolutionaries. As the river Jumna flowed
between Kalpi and Cawnpore, it could serve as a cover
against the English army. Tatia realised, then, that after
Cawnpore no better base could be secured than the fort
of Kalpi and so he took the fort. When Nana heard that
he had got a good army and the fort of Kalpi, he consent-
ed to make Kalpi his base and sent Shrimant Bala Sahib,
as his representative, to occupy the fort and look after it.
378

TATIA TOPÉ IN THE BATTLE AT KALPI
Tatia Topé's career as a general bears the
stamp of a great military genius. He was well
skilled in military tactics and had made the
old predatory system of Maratha warfare
his study. His success lay in the celerity of his
marches, his knowledge of the country, and the
free-booting manner he adopted to obtain sup-
plies. He carried along with him neither bag-
gage nor commissariat, compelling the coun-
tries through which he passed to provide him
with everything his army required. With an
enemy less perseverent than the British, Tatia
might have founded a great State and rebuilt
the Maratha power. He seemed to mock at
defeat and, at the time, his name became more
familiar to Europe than that of most of the
English Generals. His reputation was by no
means undeserved. The problems before him
were not easy. He had to keep together an
army of beaten soldiers, bound by no tie to
his person and bound to each other by one
common hate—the hate of the British name.
He had to keep this ill-assorted army in constant motion, at a
pace which would baffle not only the enemies who pursued but
enemies who streamed down at right angles to his line of march. He
had, while thus urging his half-disciplined host to mad flight, to
take some dozen cities, obtain fresh stores, collect new cannon and
above all induce recruits to join voluntarily a service which pro-
mised only incessant flight at sixty miles a day. That he ac-
complished these ends with the means at his disposal indicates
ability of no mean kind. He was of the class to which Hyder
Ali belonged and had he carried out the plan attributed to him
and penetrated from Nagpur to Madras, he might have been as
formidable as his proto-type. He gave no mercy and he sued for
none, stern and relentless to the last, he yielded up his life without
a murmur or a struggle, betraying little symptoms of nature or
humanity on the scaffold at Sipri. He seemed to feel that the end
was come and it was easy to perceive in his general demeanour, that
he was quite prepared to yield up the life he had hazarded upon
the cast of the die. While imprisoned in the camp, although heavily
fettered, his bearing was dignified and consistent. Sentenced to be
hanged, by the court martial, he mounted the ricketty ladder of the
scaffold with as much firmness as handcuffs would allow him, and
deliberately put his head into the noose.

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TATIA TOPE
While Bala Sahib was holding the fort, Tatia began to
think of attacking the English army.
At this time, General Wyndham who had earned fame in
the battle-fields of Europe was the chief commander of the
Cawnpore regiments. Sir Colin had gone towards Luck-
now leaving this small army to protect Cawnpore. Tatia,
then, had got his opportunity. The Revolutionaries of
Lucknow were engaging the huge army of Sir Colin and
keeping it busy ; it would be difficult for general Wyn-
dham to get help from outside ; and hence, this was the
time to surprise him, engage him, and, if possible, to get
rid of him. Such was the plan of Tatia. Bala Sahib
thought well of this plan and Tatia himself was made com-
mander of the forces. A mere clerk yesterday, this poor
Brahmin of the Durbar of Nana was the commander of
to-day. He crossed the Jumna and engaged openly in
battle with General Wyndham who had spent a lifetime
on the battlefields of Europe ! And with what means ?
With the recently risen unorganised Sepoy mass and with
the peasant rabble who had accompanied them ! He stood
face to face with the English army which had all the ad-
vantages that organisation, military training, and disci-
pline could give. It was instructive to watch such an
encounter, to see how the spirit of independence could
meet all the overwhelming advantages on the opposite
side. It was a living example and lesson showing to what
extent an army without the advantages of discipline but
with the spirit of liberty could fight, illustrating with what
success it might have fought had it all the advantages of
discipline. With the troops of Gwalior which had joined
him, Tatia had reached Kalpi on the 9th of November.
Kalpi is situated about forty-six miles from Cawnpore.
Having accurately ascertained the exact whereabouts of
the English army, he left Kalpi, crossed the Jumna, enter-
ed the Doab, and, leaving all his treasure and other things
at Jalna, occupied some villages adjoining Cawnpore. He
was playing a deep game in not rushing on to Cawnpore
379

THE CONFLAGRATION
immediately after crossing the Jumna. He did not want
to annoy Wyndham until news came that Sir Colin had
begun to engage in the fight at Lucknow. When that
news did reach him, he advanced on Sheorajpur, occupying
important positions on the way. About the 19th of No-
vember, Tatia, by these clever tactics, was able to cut off
all supplies from the British army. Meanwhile, the
famous commander of the English forces was certainly
not idle at Cawnpore. The stream of the English army
flowing from Calcutta was stopped at Cawnpore, and
Carthew was sent with a division to establish himself on
the road to Kalpi. Wyndham coolly awaited Tatia's
movements. Would Tatia go on to Ayodhya to cut off
the rear of Sir Colin's battalions or would he attack him
in Cawnpore itself ?
But Wyndham was not a commander who would wait for
ever. His daring nature ever pressed him forward. More-
over, he thoroughly believed in the superstition that Eng-
lish troops were superior not only to Indian troops but
all Asiatic troops in general and that the best means of
defeating Asiatics was to attack them boldly on the front
with one heavy charge. " Strong though you may be, the
least hesitation on your part to attack, the least delay,
and the Asiatic becomes proud and conscious of power,
and becomes aggressive. Thus, even if you are weak,
hesitate not, but charge boldly with one united charge,
and the Asiatics would be bewildered and fly before you
through mere fright." Such was the thorough belief of
the English and, out of the many occasions on which they
had acted on this belief, they had been successful on most.
It was considered, therefore, quite a rule well-established
by experiment, that it was not proportion of numbers but
bluff and bullying that was the sure road to victory ;
hence, the advisability of a handful of European troops
charging a large mass of Asiatics straight like an arrow !
Every English soldier coming out to India was made to
learn this rule by heart and every English historian who
380

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.
   381

THE CONFLAGRATION
Tatia ordered his army which had fought Wyndham for
twenty-four hours without a minute’s rest that they were
to be ready by the morning to march against the enemy.
But they were not to start the attack until another conting-
ent of the Revolutionaries coming from Shewoli and Sheo-
rajpur opened fire on the right flank of the English army.
As soon as that began, however, they were to begin the
attack in right earnest. Wyndham meanwhile had led
forth his army ready for battle ; but when, even after nine,
the army of the Revolutionaries did not begin the attack,
and not a sign of them was visible, the English army
returned to camp for breakfast. At eleven, the army was
made ready for battle. A vague uncertainty as to the
real intention of Tatia pervaded the atmosphere.
This was soon made known, however, in a terrible manner;
for, cannon-balls were sent flying from the Revolutionary
guns against the right wing of the English. The vanguard,
too, was attacked by Tatia. Directly after this, Wyndham
sent Carthew with six guns to the road to Brahmavarta
to protect that part of Cawnpore. And now a regular
cannonade began. Soon it appeared that the English
artillery-men were falling back. Tatia had arranged his
army in a semicircle and his game was to close on the
enemy from the front and the flanks. Wyndham tried
his best to break through the circle but the guns of Tatia
would not allow him to advance even a step. It seemed
they could not even maintain their position, and the Eng-
lish, within a short time, began to show signs of retiring.
Seeing that the left wing had retired leaving their guns
behind, the right wing held on for a time and tried to
keep the guns. But they could not hold much longer. As
they too retreated, the semicircle of the Revolutionaries
closed on them more tightly. By six in the evening, the
English army was thoroughly demoralised. A short while
more and the rout was complete. Thousands of tents
and oxen, a great quantity of provisions and clothing fell
into the hands of the Revolutionaries. Half of Cawnpore
382

TATIA TOPE
was now in the hands of Tatia. Thus, the second crown
of victory crowned this brave and stalwart Mahratta.
Yesterday’s battle gave him a victory which was but in-
direct and partial, but to-day’s victory was complete and
direct. For he had not merely defeated the clever and
famous commander of the English in a battle which lasted
a whole day, but he had routed the English army thorough-
ly ; he had captured the whole camp, tents and all ; he
had driven them out of a portion of Cawnpore and him-
self retaken the city. Even English historians admit that,
if his army had been as disciplined as he was capable, he
would have been able to destroy Wyndham’s army
completely.
And now the cannonade of Tatia had reached Sir Colin’s
ears. When Tatia came to Cawnpore, he believed as cer-
tain that Sir Colin would be engaged at Lucknow at least
for a month. But soon, Tatia heard that, in some un-
foreseen way, the Revolutionaries had been got rid of by
Sir Colin, and it seemed now pretty certain that Sir Colin
would attack him, and try to close him in by attacking
him from both the sides of the Ganges. Tatia’s face cloud-
ed with anxiety at this news. Wyndham felt very hopeful.
That very night, Wyndham resolved to win back the glory
he had lost during the day. But his men were all tired
and therefore, giving up the idea of the night attack, he
began to prepare for giving another battle the next morn-
ing. He tried to repair the mistakes of the previous day
and determined on an attack. The fight began early in
the morning. The Revolutionaries aimed their artillery
on both flanks of the enemy. The fight went on as on the
previous day till midday. But this day, the English did
not retire. They assumed the aggressive and began a
determined, united, formidable and, as they thought, ir-
resistible, charge.
Irresistible indeed ! The right wing is absolutely shatter-
ed ! Brigadier Wilson is down ! Captain M’Crea is no
383

THE: CONFLAGRATION
more ! Morphy, Major Stirling, Lieutenant Gibbins, all
are down ! Aye, Asiatics can produce a Tatia, after all !
The third day, then, saw a victory for Tatia and his
followers, for they fought hotly and well till late in the
evening and they had routed what remained of the Eng-
lish army. The English army was more completely routed
than even on the day before, both the wings having been
actually driven from the field on this last day. And Tatia
had now captured the whole of Cawnpore and thus the
third crown was shining on the sword of the brave
Mahratta.²
Just when the English army was being routed, the com-
mander-in-chief, Sir Colin, arrived in their camp. He
realised the extent of the injury done to British prestige
by Tatia ; he saw, with his own eyes, the English troops
flying for their very life and the victorious troops of the
Revolutionaries pursuing them ; and he heard, with his
own ears, the trumpets and drums proclaiming the victory
of the Revolutionaries ! He saw the importance of the
struggle Tatia was carrying on at Cawnpore.
Tatia on his part realised that Sir Colin was enabled to
march back to Cawnpore, just at this juncture, to the help
of the English army, only through the utter failure of the
Revolutionary party to hold their own at Lucknow. But
he did not get disheartened. He smashed the bridge near
Ayodhya to render it impossible for the English army to
cross the Ganges ; he also stationed guns near the place.
2. The following graphic picture is given of the defeat by an
English officer : " You will read the account of this day's fighting
with astonishment ; for it tells how English troops, with their tro-
phies and their mottoes and their far-famed bravery, were repulsed,
and they lost their camp, their baggage and position to the scouted
and despised natives of India ! The beaten Feringhis, as the enemy
has now a right to call them, have retreated to their entrenchments
amidst overturned tents, pillaged baggage, men's kits, fleeing camels,
elephants and horses, and servants. All this is most melancholy
and disgraceful."—Charles Ball's Indian Mutiny, Vol. II, page 190.
384

TATIA TOPE
But the enemy understood his game and, in the face of
the fire, crossed from Ayodhya to Cawnpore before the
30th of November. In the camp of Tatia, Nana Sahib
and Kumar Singh had also arrived. These leaders deter-
mined that, instead of leaving Cawnpore, it would on the
whole be more creditable to meet the commander-in-chief
in battle, especially as “ they had, as their leader, a man
of very great natural ability ! ”³
Tatia stationed his left wing in a well-protected position
between Cawnpore and the Ganges. His centre was right
in Cawnpore city. And his right extended behind the
Ganges canal and held a bridge over it. In his army, there
were ten thousand trained sepoys. With these he kept
Sir Colin busy on the 1st and 2nd of December. On the
2nd, he actually opened fire on Sir Colin’s tent. On the
6th, Sir Colin was forced to accept the open challenge of
the Revolutionaries. Consolidating, therefore, his army
of seven thousand in an admirable manner, he began his
attack on these insolent “ mutineers ” who could dare to
attack the camp of the commander-in-chief himself. See-
ing the right wing of the Revolutionaries unprotected, Sir
Colin determined to charge on the right.
But in order to draw off their attention from the right
and direct it towards the wrong direction, the English
opened fire early in the morning of the 6th on the left
wing of the enemy, who were soon engaged in repelling
the attack. A mock charge was meanwhile made on the
centre, too, by Greathed. So believing that the enemy’s
objective was the left and the centre, the Revolutionaries
began to concentrate their strength on these. While the
left was seriously suffering from the artillery of the Bri-
tish, the English began suddenly to turn to the right of the
Revolutionary army. But the Gwalior contingent station-
ed on the right by Tatia began a furious cannonade on
3. Malleson’s Indian Mutiny, Vol. IV, page 186.
385
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THE CONFLAGRATION
the Sikhs and the English who were charging. The rifles
of the Panday army, too, were very active. But the Sikhs
made "double march" and rushed forward, being backed
up by Peel's white troops, and the Gwalior army, under
this double fire, showed signs of retiring. As soon as that
was apparent, the fire of the enemy was reduced and soon
the Gwalior army was scattered completely. All their
guns were captured and a furious pursuit of them began
on the Kalpi road. A complete victory was thus obtained
by Sir Colin so far as the right wing was concerned; but,
he was not satisfied with that. He had an idea of block-
ing completely the road to Brahmavarta on the left, as he
had blocked the road to Kalpi on the right, and thus, of
capturing Tatia with his whole army. So he despatched
Mansfield to the road leading to Brahmavarta. On this
day, the well-established proposition about Asiatics,
referred to above, seemed to have been confirmed both
positively and negatively. The feigned attack on the left
made by Greathed was so weak that, had the Pandays
made but one attempt to repel it, not only would Greathed
have been punished in a way he would have remembered
to the end of his life, but the very fortunes of the day
would have been changed. As it was, the Revolutionaries
began to give way under the straight attack of the English.
While this affirmative part of the proposition, viz., that,
at a good charge and at a show of audacity, the Asiatics
lose heart, was being confirmed on the centre emphatical-
ly; on the left, the negative part too was being realised
in an unmistakably clear way. For when the Revolu-
tionaries saw Mansfield coming, crouching in a round-
about and concealed manner, they attacked him even
though he had a large division. Nana himself commanded
the left. He took full advantage of the slow movements
of Mansfield. When Sir Colin was inquiring whether
Tatia had been hemmed in or not, he heard with regret
that through the dilatory movements of Mansfield, he had
been foiled in his desire. He did not succeed in capturing
Tatia Topé!
386

TATIA TOPE
For, that Mahratta general had pressed Mansfield and
pressed him as far as Brahmavarta. He had broken
through the network of the English army, and had gone
off with his army and with all his guns. How many more
networks the English general would have to spread before
they could succeed in capturing the Mahratta tiger will
appear in a future chapter.
Though Tatia was able to escape, on this day, with all
his men and all his guns, Hope Grant was pursuing him
closely and, on the 9th of December, a running fight
ensued between Tatia and the English near Sheorajpur ;
and, though Tatia did break through this time too, most
of his guns fell into the hands of the enemy. Thus, in
an interval of two days between the 6th and the 9th, Sir
Colin was able to repair the defeat of Wyndham, to cap-
ture thirty-two of the Revolutionary guns, and to break
up their army, forcing some towards Kalpi and the rest
on to Ayodhya. After obtaining these big victories, he
thought that minor victories were surely within reach. So,
he marched on to Brahmavarta, looted the property there,
razed the palace to the ground, and, to crown all his
triumph, demolished the sacred temples of that city.
It was in this palace that the brightest gems of India, Nana
and Tatia, Bala and Rao, and the “ Chhabeli ” of Jhansi
had been bred and brought up. It was this palace that
first conceived the War of Independence of that glorious
year. The temples of that city had blessed the birth of
the ideal. When the throne of Raigarh which had been
snatched from the Mahrattas had been re-established again
in this palace washed by a free flow of the stream of
English blood, the palace and these temples had been
illuminated.
That very fire which could produce all the illuminations
had been instrumental in reducing them to-day to ashes.
But history need not drop a tear on these sacred ashes. For
387

THE CONFLAGRATION
this palace and these temples had been burnt down only
after they had accomplished their task. The very extinc-
tion of such structures is more inspiring, a thousand times
more life-giving, than the existence of hundreds of other
structures which are but monument of slavery ; for these
have attempted to give birth to independence ; and they
have died in that attempt. Far more profitable is death
through the attempt to establish Swaraj than life in
slavery. The sacred fuel burning in the sacrificial fire
is a thousand times more life-giving than the log of wood
burning in the funeral pyre.
388