Following the May 1857 uprising by sepoys in Meerut and Delhi, the whole future of the British Raj was in the balance. Nowhere was this better demonstrated than at Lucknow and Cawnpore. At the latter a garrison of 240 with 375 British women and children battled to survive a siege by 3, 000 mutineers led by Nana Sahib. Unimaginable horrors of artillery and sniper fire coupled with the crippling heat of the Indian summer took their toll. An offer of safe passage was treacherously reneged on and the massacres which followed drew a terrible retribution when relief finally arrived, in the shape of Generals Havelock and Neil. At Lucknow, the 1800 British men, women and children supported by more than 1, 000 loyal sepoys resisted assaults by 20, 000 mutineers, despite heavy casualties and sickness. Sir Colin Campbell’s force got through to relieve the garrison and evacuate civilians in November 1857 but the city was not restored to British control until March 1858.These dramatic events are brought to life in this first rate history.
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