Decisive battles since Waterloo : the most important military events from 1815 to 1887 . chments of Bengalartillery, the companys first Madras Fusiliers, and HerMajestys Thirty-second and Eighty-fourth foot. Major-General Sir Hugh Wheeler was in command at Cawn-pore. Over seventy years of age, it is fair to say that hehad seen his best days, and he was on the most friendlyterms with Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the last Peishwaof the Mahrattas. Nana Sahib had a deadly hatred ofthe English, but managed to conceal most completely hisreal feelings. He entertained the officers and others athis p
Decisive battles since Waterloo : the most important military events from 1815 to 1887 . chments of Bengalartillery, the companys first Madras Fusiliers, and HerMajestys Thirty-second and Eighty-fourth foot. Major-General Sir Hugh Wheeler was in command at Cawn-pore. Over seventy years of age, it is fair to say that hehad seen his best days, and he was on the most friendlyterms with Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the last Peishwaof the Mahrattas. Nana Sahib had a deadly hatred ofthe English, but managed to conceal most completely hisreal feelings. He entertained the officers and others athis palace, which was filled with European furniture andbric-a-brac, and his way of living was more European thanAsiatic. Tidings of the insurrection at Meerut and Delhi werereceived at Cawnpore on the 14th May. They not onlyincreased the excitement among the native inhabitantsand the native soldiery, but caused great alarm amongthe European residents. General Wheeler telegraphedto Lucknow that he feared there was danger, and he sus-pected disaffection among the men of the Second Cavalry*. 157 158 DECISIVE BATTLES SINCE WATERLOO. Accordingly a reinforcement of fifty men of the Thirty-Second was sent to him. It was considered desirable toestablish a place of refuge for the English residents incase of an insurrection. General Wheeler selected forthis purpose the depot of the Thirty-Second Regiment,not far from the Dragoon Hospital. This place was des-tined to be the scene of one of the most heroic defencesthat ever took place since the world began. Two squadrons of Oude Irregular Cavalry mutinied onthe 27th May, killing all their officers, and then sendingmessengers to all the rest of the native soldiery tellingthem what had been done. The other native regimentsfollowed their example, and then laid siege to the en-trenchments which General Wheeler had prepared. Whenthe proper moment for his purpose arrived, Nana Sahibthrew off the mask and openly placed himself at thehead of the rebel
Size: 1197px × 2088px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnavalartandscience
