The year was 1857, and India had largely been under the colonial control of the British for decades. By gaining the collaboration of only a fraction of the populace, consisting of administrators and Indian men recruited into the Imperial Army (Sepoys), Britain was able to make India the 'jewel' of her Empire. In the mid-19th century, however, relations between the Indian Sepoys and their British commanders began to break down over a variety of issues. The ultimate cause of the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857-58, however, proved to extend well beyond mere military matters..
To load their guns, dubbed 'Brown Bess Muskets', soldiers had to tear apart the top of a cartridge containing ammunition. In order for the cartridge and the bullet to fit properly inside the gun, a coating of grease was lacquered onto the cartridge itself. At some point, one or more of the Hindu or Muslim Sepoys began to question the makeup of the grease. This was of great consequence. If the grease were extracted from either a cow (holy in the Hindu religion) or a pig (considered 'unclean' by Muslims), Indian soldiers would take offense. Initially, diplomacy was used. When the Sepoys failed to obtain a satisfactory answer to their concerns, however, some of them turned to revolt.
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One of the men leading the revolt was Mangal Pandey. As a soldier in the Army of Bengal, his actions and those of his comrades-in-arms would have a decisive effect on the outcome of events. Choosing to openly rebel by firing at his officers, he was captured, court-martialed and hanged on 8 April 1857. As the primary issue had never been adequately addressed by the British commanders, whether or not the grease was composed of animal fat, other soldiers simply refused to use the cartridges. Rather than take steps to diffuse the tension, the British not only court-martialed their recalcitrant subjects but also bound them in chains before their fellow soldiers in an attempt to humiliate the 'guilty' and intimidate those watching from disobeying orders. This provocation would push many Sepoys over the edge.
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The Sepoys concern about the grease was legitimate. Despite the obfuscations and half-truths by British commanders, animals, possibly cows and pigs, were the source of the substance in question. Instead of empathy and cultural consideration, ethnocentrism and imperial hubris had guided the response of the British. As a result, Mangal Pandey was dead, and its army in India was fractured and traumatized.
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The mutiny only grew stronger. One group of renegade Sepoys decided to take approximately 200 British women and children as hostages in the town of Kanpur near Calcutta. After some debate among the leaders, they decided to alter their approach, and the women and children were coldly executed.
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Britain was horrified. Articles appeared daily on 'The Kanpur Massacre'. The very Indians that had served the British Empire with distinction on the front lines were now castigated as members of a sub-human race. In response, British soldiers, aided by their Indian collaborators, committed unspeakable atrocities upon the mutineers out of revenge.
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In the end, the British restored order. A 'Government of India Act' took control of India away from the East India Company and placed the nation under more direct control of the crown. Calm may have been restored, but neither the British Empire nor India were ever the same again.
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(Picture: Mangal Pandey)
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J Roquen