The Indian Mutiny

The Indian Mutiny narrates the uprising that began among soldiers of the Bengal Army in 1857 and expanded into a broad, uneven war against East India Company rule. Saul David traces the military grievances behind the revolt, the outbreak at Meerut, the seizure of Delhi and the violence at Cawnpore, Lucknow and other centres of resistance.

The book follows Indian rebels, civilians and British forces through siege, massacre, relief and retribution. It stresses that the conflict had different meanings in different regions: military mutiny, dynastic restoration, agrarian rebellion and resistance to annexation overlapped without producing a single national command. The final chapters examine brutal reprisals, the destruction of Company government and the transfer of India to direct Crown rule.