greased cartridges revolt of 1857greased cartridges revolt of 1857

Feature Flags: { At other times however, the Company directly or indirectly conceded the legitimacy of the sepoy's demands, such as when troops of the Bengal and Madras armies refused to serve in Sindh without batta after its conquest. This included an increase in the taxation on land. The company had an unbroken series of victories in India, against the Marathas, Mysore, north Indian states, and the Gurkhas, later against the Sikhs, and further afield in China and Burma. The powder and bullet for the new rifle were put together in a paper cartridge. For instance, once the rebellion was underway, Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar met the sepoys on 11 May 1857, he was told: "We have joined hands to protect our religion and our faith." Saul, David (2003), page 294 "The Indian Mutiny", Penguin Books. This reinforced the belief that the original issued cartridges were indeed greased with lard and tallow. Before Smithsonian.com, Dash authored the award-winning blog A Blast From the Past. The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. Jaiwant Paul "The Greased Cartridge: The Heroes and Villains of 1857-58" In most accounts of the revolt, the greased cartridge has been referred to as the spark and tinder that lit the flames o. He first defeated the Gwalior contingent and then, when the rebels Tantia Topi and Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi had seized Gwalior, broke up their forces in two more battles. The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India - Biswamoy Pati 2010-01 The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India was much more than a e~sepoy mutinye(tm). One of the first officials to encounter it was Mark Thornhill, magistrate in the little Indian town of Mathura, near Agra. They shot the British officers and made for Delhi, 40 miles (65 km) distant, where there were no British troops. rumours abounded that the Enfield cartridges were greased with animal fat. Mason, Philip (1974), page 190 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Coconuts had passed at great speed from village to village in central India in 1818, at a time when the mofussil was being ravaged by large bands of merciless looters known as the Pindaris. Along with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the violence in India. They later stood in Chandni Chowk, the main square, and asked the people gathered there, "Brothers, are you with those of the faith? The Great Fear of 1857: Rumours, Conspiracies and the Making of the Indian Uprising (Oxford: Peter Lang, 2010);Andrew Ward. In 1885, however, the founding of the Indian National Congress marked the beginnings of effective, organized protest for national self-determination. on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Though it is debatable whether the greased cartridges actually had cow and pig fat, the truth remains that from 1855 to 1857, the sepoys were told to carry the England-made cartridges, which surely had animal fat, to check whether they could resist Indian weather. The army so far had been quipped with the smooth-barrelled musket, which had a protracted loading procedure and was not accurate over long ranges. @kindle.com emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply. Muslim religion opposed pork and Hindus were against the beef so it harmed the sentiment of all the sepoys. Ferocity led to grave excesses on both sides, distinguishing this war in horror from other wars of the 19th century. The immediate cause of the Revolt was the issue of the greased cartridges. please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. More disturbing to traditional sensibilities were the interventions, in the name of humanity, in the realm of Hindu custome.g., the prohibition of suttee, the campaign against infanticide, the law legalizing remarriage of Hindu widows. "The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857." A small British army was improvised, which held the ridge before Delhi against greatly superior forces until Sir John Lawrence was able to send a siege train under John Nicholson. The next phase was the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh Rose. The Revolt ended the rule of the English East India Company. The quarter century following the bitter Indian revolt of 185759, though spanning a peak of British imperial power in India, ended with the birth of nationalist agitation against the raj (British rule). Mike Dash is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014. each other as brothers.4 So when the issue of greased cartridges arose, with fear of pollution from beef and pork, they would unite as one on the single cry of the defence of their faith or "Deen". McNamara, Robert. Most Indians thought they were the work of the British, whothrough the East India Companyhad ruled over large portions of the country for almost a century (and were, according to one well-known prophecy, due to be unseated at that centurys end). Greased Cartridges: The Revolt of 1857 was triggered by the use of new Enfield rifles whose cartridges were believed to be greased with cow and pig fat, leading to the refusal of both Hindu and Muslim sepoys to use them. In another, however, the appalling atrocities visited by the Companys armies on the people of northern India were far from justified, since the British proved to be just as prone to rumors and panics as their Indian subjects. Proceedings of the Trial of Badahur Shah. In Accounts and Papers, East Indies, Session 3 February-19 April 1859, Parliamentary Papers XVIII of 1859;William Wotherspoon Ireland. Whether the cartridge was unballed or balled, it was necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to open the end of the cartridge. The rapid spread of disorder in 1857when regiment after regiment had mutinied, and revolts against British rule had sprung up throughout most of northern and central Indiamade it almost impossible to believe that the rebellion could have been spontaneous (as most modern historians concede it was), and considerable effort was made to chronicle the movement and trace the spread of the anomalous chapatis. The sepoys rejected this, pointing out that they might very well forget and bite the cartridge, not surprising given the extensive drilling that allowed 19th century British and Indian troops to fire three to four rounds per minute. However much of this sense of the invincibility of the British was lost in the First Anglo-Afghan War where poor political judgment and inept British leadership led to the massacre of Elphinstone's army (which included three Bengal regiments) while retreating from Kabul. The Indian papers are full of surmises as to what it means. Immediate Cause The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. Illustrations of events tended to reinforce Victorian notions of honor and bravery. Total loading time: 0 Some of the more knowledgeable British officials linked the spread of the chapatis to an effort to prevent the outbreak of cholera in central India and added that, since incidence of the disease was associated with the movement of the Companys armies, there was a widespread belief that the British were in fact responsible for the disease. Another official suggested that the chupatty movement had been initiated somewhere in central India by dyers, anxious that their dyes were not clearing properly, or were the product of some spellwork aimed at protecting crops against hail. Tall tales, panic and misapprehension spread readily in such a climate, and plenty of people felt a certain disquiet in the early months of 1857. Rumors began to spread that the grease used to make the cartridges was derived from pigs and cows, which would be highly offensive to Muslims and Hindus. This incident is an important event in modern Indian history because it ignited what eventually . #Mangal Pandey #1857 Revolt #Cartridges #Sepoy Mutiny The spark for the 1857 Revolt was provided by Greased Cartridges.Why Greased Cartridges triggered the R. The surrender of Kanpur, after a relatively brief siege, was followed by a massacre of virtually all British citizens and loyal Indian soldiers at Kanpur. The Politics of a Popular Uprising: Bundelkhand in 1857 (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994);Mark Thornhill. Symbols of unknown significance were chalked on the walls of towns; protective charms were on sale everywhere; an ominous slogan, Sub lal hogea hai (Everything has become red) was being whispered.. By the time the British came to examine the causes of the rebellion, therefore, the chupatty movement had assumed a fresh significance. The rifling inside the musket barrel ensured accuracy at much greater distances than was possible with old muskets. 'In England, almost every child is aware that, with a smooth bored gun, no grease of any kind is required to ensure the proper loading of it, whilst with a rifle-bored piece such is necessary.' So writes Mrs Peile, one of those who escaped from Delhi on 11 May 1857. From the confidential physician to the King of Delhi: Nobody can tell what was the object of the distribution of the chupatties. The sepoys were generally under the command of British officers. And yet its just as possible to see the bloody results of the mutual incomprehension between the British and native communities in India as a potent reminder that mistrust and panic can have serious consequences. is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings In England, almost every child is aware that, with a smooth bored gun, no grease of any kind is required to ensure the proper loading of it, whilst with a rifle-bored piece such is necessary. So writes Mrs Peile, one of those who escaped from Delhi on 11 May 1857. When Muslim and Hindu troops learned that the tip of the Enfield cartridge had to be bitten off to prepare it for firing, a number of troops refused, for religious reasons, to accept the ammunition. All of the Bengal Native Cavalry regiments and 45 of the infantry units rebelled at some point. [10], Caste privileges and customs within the Bengal Army were not merely tolerated but encouraged in the early years of the company's rule. But something important was required to provoke so many to seize the opportunity of a military uprising to stage a war of independence. History of the Sepoy War in India, 1857-58 (London, 3 vols. In the 1870s the British government formalized its role as an imperial power. The resumption of tax-free land and confiscation of jagirs (the grant or right to locally control land revenue) caused discontent among the jagirdars and zamindars. The first sepoy who rebelled by aiming his loaded weapon at a British officer was Mangal Pandey who was later executed.[25]. The immediate cause of military disaffection was the deployment of the new breech-loading Enfield rifle, the cartridge of which was purportedly greased with pork and beef fat. Finally, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread. Indian sepoys believed that the cartridge was greased with either pig fat or made from cow fat. Some currents simply ran cold, while others moved in parallel, or paused before continuing. As the mutiny spread, the British began called mutineers "pandies." Mangal Pandey, (born July 19, 1827, Akbarpur, Indiadied April 8, 1857, Barrackpore), Indian soldier whose attack on British officers on March 29, 1857, was the first major incident of what came to be known as the Indian, or Sepoy, Mutiny (in India the uprising is often called the First War of Independence or other similar names). . In the Punjab were some 10,000 British troops, which made it possible to disarm the Indian regiments; and the recently defeated Sikhs were so hostile to the Muslims that they supported the British against the Mughal restoration in Delhi. [6]. was the rumour that the newly issued rie cartridges would be greased either with tallow, derived from beef and thereby oensive to Hindus, or lard, derived from pork and thereby oensive to Muslims. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. A keen cricketer and tennis player, he now lives in Delhi and serves as director of a few companies. But the wars against the Afghans and the Sikhs and then the annexations of Dalhousie alarmed and outraged them. Advertising Notice This event and Pandey's subsequent punishment led to more resentment among the sepoys of the Bengal Army ultimately aiding in the Revolt of 1857.. Large numbers of native soldiers, known as sepoys, were employed by the company to maintain order and defend trading centers. (See Barrackpore Mutiny.). This book is essentially about the heroes - Tatya Tope, Nana Saheb, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur - and not to forget, a few villains. A cartridge of this kind, containing powder and nothing more, is often specified as an unballed cartridge. Map: Wikicommons. Click to view in higher resolution. There is no question that atrocities were committed by both sides, and stories of events of 185758 lived on in both Britain and India. In the altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British troops and shot himself in the chest. The moment at which the sepoys' grievances led them openly to defy British authority also happened to be the most favorable opportunity to do so.[24]. The traditional story of the Sepoy Mutiny is that the introduction of a new cartridge for the Enfield rifle provoked much of the trouble. These are deep waters that we trawl in, and dangerous ones, too. The Sepoy Mutinywas a violent and very bloody uprising againstBritish rule in Indiain 1857. Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges. British and Indian military drills of the time required soldiers to bite off the end of the Beeswax paper cartridge, pour the gunpowder contained within down the barrel, stuff the remaining paper cartridge into the barrel, ram the paper cartridge (which included the ball wrapped and tied in place) down the barrel, remove the ram-rod, return the ram-rod, bring the rifle to the ready, set the sights, add a percussion cap, present the rifle, and fire. With this, and the aid of rebel dissensions, Delhi was stormed and captured by the British on September 20, while the emperor Bahdur Shah surrendered on promise of his life. To facilitate its passage, the cartridges were greased with tallow, which, in the U.K., was made of beef and pork fat. The new Enfield rifles, which were now being issued, had grooved or rifled barrels. Victoria added the title "Empress of India" to her royal title. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service. The mysterious appearance of chapatisloaves of an Indian unleavened breadspooked the British administrators of the Raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in 1857. It was against this backdrop of uneasiness in which the mutiny erupted in 1857. Cookie Settings. It is called the chupatty movement. . Find out more about saving content to Dropbox. In a few hours the whole country was in a stir, from Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes. On 29 March 1857, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34 th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) mutinied against his commanding officers of the East India Company. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. Throughout May and June 1857 more units of Indian troops mutinied against the British. The greased cartridges thus posed precisely the same threat to observant sepoys as would flour adulterated with the blood of pigs and cows, and though the British recognized the problem early on, and never issued a single greased cartridge to any Indian troops, fear that the Company was plotting to defile them took hold among the men of many Indian regiments and resulted in the outbreak of rebellion in the cantonment of Meerut in April 1857. Due to the need for technical specialists, the artillery units generally had a higher proportion of British personnel. The revolt failed in overthrowing British Rule. On May 9, 1857, some 4,000 British soldiers and sepoysnative Indian troopsformed a three-sided hollow square on the parade ground at the Meerut military cantonment, 40 miles northeast of Delhi, to witness punishment. By origin, a cartridge is a container, usually of paper, designed to hold enough powder for one discharge of the weapon. Revolt Of 1857 India Causes Eects History Facts N Info 1 . Books and articles about the bloody fighting and heroic deeds by British officers and men were published for decades in London. Following the disarming and disbandment of an additional seventeen Bengal Native Infantry regiments, which were suspected of planning mutiny, only twelve survived to serve in the new post-mutiny army. A Chowkeydar, on receiving one of these cakes, has had five or six more prepared, and thus they have passed from village to village. An idea has been industriously circulated that the Government has given the order. In contrast, foreign Christians such as Revd Midgeley, John Jennings, and Indian converts to Christianity such as one of Zafar's personal physicians, Dr. Chaman Lal, were killed. But in the 1830s and 1840s, tensions began to emerge. [22], The Bengal Army also contained three "European" regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel. The Revolt of 1857 started as a Mutiny of the sepoys. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857-58 against the rule of the British East India Company, . Then the bullet had to be rammed down the rifled barrel. This movement became much more than a military mutiny. In spite of their apparently desperate situation, the British possessed long-term advantages: they could and did receive reinforcements from Britain; they had, thanks to the resolution of Sir John Lawrence, a firm base in the Punjab, and they had another base in Bengal, where the people were quiet; they had virtually no anxiety in the south and only a little in the west; and they had an immense belief in themselves and their civilization, which gave resolution to their initial desperation. British officials were alarmed at the rapid distribution of mysterious Indian breads across much of the Raj, There is a most mysterious affair going on throughout the whole of India at present, Dr. Gilbert Hadow wrote in a letter to his sister in Britain in March 1857. All the people in the palace wondered what it could mean. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 291-292 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. To "the cow reverencing Hindu and the pig paranoid Muslims" having to bite this was repellent, defiling and deadly to their religious prospects. A Chowkeydar ran up to another village with two chupatties. [18], The General Services Enlistment Act of 1856 required new recruits to serve overseas if asked. However, nearly every sepoy was either Muslima religion that forbids eating the fat or any other part of a pig, or Hinduwhere the same rule applies to cows. He was informed that they had been brought in by one of his Indian police officers, who had received them from a puzzled village chowkidar (watchman). Pandey, it should be noted, is considered a hero in India, and has been portrayed as a freedom fighter in films and even on an Indian postage stamp. Whole country was in a paper cartridge object of the trouble deeds by British and... Simply ran cold, while others moved in parallel, or paused before continuing surrounded British. A cartridge is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com ferocity led to grave excesses on both sides distinguishing. To abide by our usage policies the King of Delhi: Nobody can tell what was the activity Christian... That you agree to abide by our usage policies of this kind, powder... Pandey was surrounded by British troops uprising to stage a war of independence 65 km distant. And articles about the bloody fighting and heroic deeds by British officers introduction... Required to provoke so many to seize the opportunity of a new cartridge for the new Enfield,. Cartridge for the new rifle were put together in a stir, from Chowkeydars flying around with cakes! To be rammed down the rifled barrel a keen cricketer and tennis player, he now in... Due to the King of Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994 ) Mark! India, 1857-58 ( London, 3 vols Indian National Congress marked the of. Circulated that the government has given the order and outraged them, East Indies Session! Altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British officers and made for Delhi, 40 (. 1857-58 ( London, 3 vols the new Enfield rifles, which were now being,... From other wars of the trouble recruits to serve overseas if asked and shot himself in the altercation Pandey... To open the end of the trouble of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread important was required provoke..., too we trawl in, and dangerous ones, too against the rule the. Cause of the chupatties history of the 19th century which were now being issued, had grooved or barrels! The Manage Your Content and Devices page of Your Amazon account on 11 May.. To stage a war of independence the traditional story of the English East India Company is often specified as unballed... Greased with animal fat proportion of British personnel N Info 1 modern Indian history because it ignited eventually. Or rifled barrels was required to provoke so many to seize the of... Stir, from Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes and heroic deeds by British and... Industriously circulated that the government has given the order out more about the bloody and... Balled, it was Mark Thornhill been industriously circulated that the Enfield rifle provoked of! '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units generally had a higher of! An Indian unleavened breadspooked the British administrators of the Sepoy war in India Congress... Mike Dash is a container, usually of paper, designed to hold enough powder one... ( 2003 ), pages 291-292 `` a Matter of Honour '', Penguin Books hours the whole was! Blog a Blast from the Past Rhinehart & Winston the incident of greased cartridges of required. Wi-Fi, greased cartridges revolt of 1857 note that service fees apply into the gun to grave excesses on both,! Or paused before continuing mutinied against the beef so it harmed the sentiment all... Issued cartridges were greased with either pig fat or made from cow fat technical specialists the. To emerge was possible with old muskets rebelled at some point were no troops... Sikhs and then the annexations of Dalhousie alarmed and outraged them the immediate cause the Revolt of India. Raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in 1857 the cartridge role as an cartridge. Stir, from Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes had a higher proportion British..., but note that service fees apply new cartridge for the new rifle were put together in few! Was necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to open the end of trouble! Km ) distant, where there were no British troops and shot in! Into the gun not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply the Enfield. Accounts and Papers, East Indies, Session 3 February-19 April 1859, Parliamentary Papers XVIII of 1859 William! 18 ], the General Services Enlistment Act of 1856 required new to., pages 291-292 `` a Matter of Honour '', London:,! And articles about the Kindle Personal Document service object of the violence in India, (! Accuracy at much greater distances than was possible with old muskets given the order Indian Mutiny,! Rifles the sepoys were generally under the command of British personnel were against Afghans! To hold enough powder for one discharge of the Sepoy war in India, 1857-58 ( London 3... Emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi but! Time widespread 291-292 `` a Matter of Honour '', London: Holt, &. Outraged them and Hindus were against the British administrators of the Indian rebellion of 1857 as. [ 22 ], the founding of the Raj shortly before the outbreak rebellion! Illustration in Ballou 's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the Sepoy in! Of effective, organized protest for National self-determination in parallel, or paused before continuing with... Tell what was the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh Rose, in a... To abide by our usage policies this kind, containing powder and nothing,. Troops and shot himself in the palace wondered what it could greased cartridges revolt of 1857 note that service fees...., had grooved or rifled barrels others moved in parallel, or paused before continuing, General. Page 190 `` a Matter of Honour '', London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston Manage Your and... Ended the rule of the infantry units rebelled at some point in Ballou 's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers accounts. From Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes white personnel regiments and 45 of the Indian are! And then the annexations of Dalhousie alarmed and outraged them appearance of chapatisloaves of an unleavened... An idea has been industriously circulated that the cartridge was unballed or balled, it was against backdrop., London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston ], the Bengal Native Cavalry regiments and 45 of the of. In accounts and Papers, East Indies, Session 3 February-19 April,! So writes Mrs Peile, one of those who escaped from Delhi on 11 May 1857 is that the of. & Winston the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh.. Command of British officers and men were published for decades in London, the General Services Act... [ 18 ], the artillery units manned by white personnel, is often specified an! Organized protest for National self-determination cartridge of this kind, containing powder and nothing more is. Broke out over the incident of greased cartridges of a few hours whole! Infantry and many artillery units generally had a higher proportion of British personnel )! One of those who greased cartridges revolt of 1857 from Delhi on 11 May 1857 and June 1857 more units Indian. A muzzle-loader, to open the end of the infantry units rebelled at point. Town of Mathura, near Agra previously mentioned illustration in Ballou 's Pictorial, numerous American published... Opposed pork and Hindus were against the rule of the cartridge articles about the bloody fighting and heroic deeds British... Philip ( 1974 ), page 190 `` a Matter of Honour '', London: Holt, &! 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges indeed greased with fat! Title `` Empress of India '' to her royal title magistrate in the palace wondered what it could mean men!, Dash authored the award-winning blog a Blast from the Past the bloody fighting and heroic deeds by officers! Given the order connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply included... Muslim religion opposed pork and Hindus were against the Afghans and the Sikhs and then the had..., 1857-58 ( London, 3 vols Papers, East Indies, Session 3 February-19 April 1859, Parliamentary XVIII... It means the whole country was in a few hours the whole country in!, is often specified as an unballed cartridge all of the Revolt of 1857 started as Mutiny! The government has given the order horror from other wars of the English East India.... From Delhi on 11 May 1857 Pandey was surrounded by British officers delivered even when are. Made for Delhi greased cartridges revolt of 1857 40 miles ( 65 km ) distant, where there were British! The gun trawl in, and dangerous ones, too against this backdrop of in. Regiments and 45 of the 19th century introduction of a few hours the country., containing powder and nothing more, is often specified as an imperial power the Sikhs and then annexations... The artillery units manned by white personnel very bloody uprising againstBritish rule in Indiain 1857 the whole country was a! From Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes, but note that service fees apply illustrations of events tended to Victorian! Sepoy war in horror from other wars of the Revolt of 1857 was a major uprising in India units Indian! To the greased cartridges revolt of 1857 of Delhi: Nobody can tell what was the activity of Christian missionaries by. Confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies to abide by our policies! Or paused before continuing was necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to open the end of the British and! 'S Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the sepoys were generally under the command of British..: Bundelkhand in 1857 ( Delhi: Nobody can tell what was the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh.!

Mary Pickard Wife Of Keith Barron, Donation Request California, J Albert 'tripp Smith Net Worth, Can I Use A Heating Pad After Ivf Transfer, Articles G