Timeline of the Indian Rebellion of 1857

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A timeline of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on the tenth of May 1857 in the town of Meerut, and soon erupted into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the Upper Gangetic plain and Central India.

Contents

Timeline

1857

Events of 1857
DateEvent
26 FebruarySepoys of the 19th Native Infantry at Berhampore refuse rifle practice
29 MarchAt Barrackpore, in Bengal, Mangal Pandey wounds two British mutiny of 34th Native Infantry
31 March19th Native Infantry disbanded
8 AprilPandey hanged at Barrackpore
24 AprilTroopers of the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry at Meerut refuse orders to fire greased cartridges
2 MayUnrest at Ambala, 48th Mutiny at Lucknow
6 MayPart of the 34th Native Infantry disbanded at Barrackpore
8 MayTroops of the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry found guilty by court-martial and given severe sentences
10 MayMutiny and Murders at Meerut, troops head towards Delhi
11 MayEuropeans, and Christians slaughtered in Delhi
13 May Bahadur Shah Zafar proclaimed new Mughal emperor; British disarm the garrison at Lahore
17 MayDelhi Field Force, under George Anson, advances from Ambala
22 May Peshawar garrison disarmed
20–23 MayPart of 9th Native Infantry mutiny at Agra
27 MayAnson dies of cholera; replaced by Major-General Sir Henry Bernard
30 MayMutinies at Mathura and Lucknow
31 May Rohilkhand and Bhurtpore army mutinies
4 June Jhansi captured by rebels and handed over to Rani of Jhansi
5 June Cawnpore 2nd Cavalry Mutinies
6 JuneCawnpore siege begins, Mutiny at Allahabad
7 JuneWilson and Bernard meet at Alipore
8 June Battle of Badli-ki-Serai; Massacre at Jhansi
11 JuneLucknow police rebels; Neill arrives at Allahabad
25 JuneNana Sahib offers terms at Cawnpore
27 June Satichaura Ghat Massacre at Cawnpore
30 June British defeat at Chinhat; Lucknow Residency besieged
1 JulyMutiny at Indore
2 JulyArrival of Bakht Khan at Delhi
4 JulySir Henry Lawrence dies at Lucknow
5 JulyGeneral Barnard dies of cholera;Major-General Thomas Reed succeeds as commander of the Delhi Field Force
7 JulyAllan attacks Delhi leading to the slaughter of Delhi
12 JulyBrigadier-General Sir Henry Havelock defeats rebels at Fatehpur, en-route to Cawnpore
15 JulyAllan goes to Barrackpore and assembles a large standing army of nearly 6000 men and prepares for battle
15 JulyHavelock defeats rebels at Aong and near Pandu river at Cawnpore.
16 JulyNana Sahib defeated in first battle for Cawnpore
17 JulySir Archdale Wilson replaces the ailing Reed as commander of the Delhi Field Force
27 July 1857 Kunwar Singh welcomed pre-planed Dinapore cantonment rebellion army at Arrah
27 JulyAmmunition is blocked from reaching citizens instead it is re-routed to Barrackpore
29 JulyHavelock's victory at Unnao
30 JulyFirst relief of Arrah fails
31 July Lord Canning issues his controversial 'Clemency' resolution, by which he advises against the execution of mutineers not convicted of murder
3 AugustSiege of Arrah ends after action by Major Vincent Eyre
5 AugustHavelock's victory at Bashiratganj
12 AugustBattle between Kher Singh and Ayer Dil, near Jagdishpur
13 AugustHavelock withdrawal to Cawnpore; Colin Campbell, Anson's successor as Commander-in-Chief of India,arrives at Calcutta
14 AugustJohn Nicholson arrives at Delhi Ridge
16 AugustHavelock victory at Bithur
18 AugustRupees 10,000 announced by Patna commissioner E.A. Samuels to apprehend Kunwar Singh
17 AugustCaptain William Stephen Raikes Hodson defeats a large body of rebel cavalry near Rohtak
4 SeptemberSiege train, proceeding from Punjab, arrives in the British camp outside Delhi
5 SeptemberSuppression of the revolt starts as thousands are slaughtered and Allan moves to Bihar
14 SeptemberWilson's assault on Delhi begins, Nicholson wounded
15 SeptemberRebellion of Muzaffarpur announced to accept leadership of Babu Kunwar Singh
19 SeptemberHavelock and Outram marches to Lucknow
20 SeptemberDelhi captured and cleared of rebel troops
21 SeptemberWilliam Hodson captures Bahadur Shah
22 SeptemberHodson executes Mughal princes
23 SeptemberNicholson dies of wounds
25 September First relief of Lucknow
10 October Agra mutineers defeated
9 NovemberKavanagh escapes from Lucknow
14–17 NovemberSecond relief of Lucknow by Campbell
19 NovemberWomen and children evacuated from Lucknow
22 NovemberBritish withdraw from Lucknow
24 NovemberHavelock dies of dysentery
26–28 NovemberWindham defeated at second battle of Cawnpore
29 NovemberCampbell reaches Cawnpore to join Windham
6 DecemberTatya Tope defeated at second battle of Cawnpore
Sources: www.britishempire.co.uk and Saul David, The Indian Mutiny

1858

Events of 1858
DateEvent
6 JanuaryCampbell reoccupies Fategarh
16 January Hugh Rose begins campaign in central India
FebruaryCampbell opens separate campaign for reconquest of Oudh
3 FebruaryRose relieves Saugor after a seven-month siege
2 MarchCampbell returns to Lucknow
21 MarchLast rebels removed from Lucknow
1 AprilDividing his force, Rose defeats a numerically superior army under Tatya Tope on the river Betwa
3 AprilJhansi captured and sacked
15 AprilWalpole defeated at Ruiya
23 AprilRose enters Kalpi
5 MayCampbell victory at Bareilly
7 MayRose defeats large force under Tatya Topi and the Rani of Jhansi at Kutch
22 MayRose wins at Kalpi;end of operations in Rohilkhand; start of guerrilla warfare
28 MayRao Sahib, Tatya Topi, the Rani of Jhansi and the Nawab of Banda enter Gwalior State with the remnants of their force and seize Gwalior on 1 June
5 JuneDeath of the Maulvi
12 June James Hope Grant wins at Nawabganj in the final decisive battle in Oudh
17 JuneBattle of Kotah-ki-Serai, death of Rani of Jhansi
19 JuneBattle of Gwalior
2 August Queen Victoria approves bill transferring administration of India from the East India Company to the Crown
1 NovemberRoyal Proclamation replacing East India Company with the British Indian government and offering unconditional pardon to all not involved in murder or the protection of murderers
Source: www.britishempire.co.uk

1859

Events of 1859
DateEvent
4 JanuaryVarious Oudh leaders, including Nana Sahib, forced into the Nepal Terai by Hope Grant
7 JanuaryOperations in Oudh declared officially over.
29 MarchBahadur Shah found guilty
7 AprilTatya Tope betrayed to the British,
18 AprilTatya Tope executed at shivpuri.
8 JulyPeace officially declared. [1] [2]
Source: www.britishempire.co.uk

Further reading

Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (2007). The Indian Mutiny 1857-58 . Osprey Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84603-209-7.

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References

  1. Prichard, Iltudus Thomas (1869). The Administration of India from 1859-1868: The First Ten Years of Administration Under the Crown. London: Macmillan & Co.
  2. Buckland, Charles Edward (1901). Bengal under the lieutenant-governors (v.01): being a narrative of the principal events and public measures during their periods of office, from 1854-1898. Calcutta: S K Lahiri.