Siege of Delhi

The 3rd Light Cavalry, 11th, and 20th Native Infantry refused to use new cartridges, leading to the resurrection of the Mughal empire and the Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar being affirmed as ruler of all Hindustan. The British Delhi Field Force defeated the rebel sepoys and recaptured the city after three months of bloody fighting.

Format: Hardback
Length: 544 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2021
Publisher: Amberley Publishing

The most significant challenge to British supremacy in India emerged on May 10, 1857, at Meerut, a sizable military outpost near Delhi. Following months of escalating tension, sepoys from the 3rd Light Cavalry, along with the 11th and 20th Native Infantry, purposefully refused to utilize the new cartridges provided to them. In a dramatic turn of events, the men declared the end of the company Raj, burning their cantonments and uttering the rallying cry of "Dilhi chalo (Let's go to Delhi)." As they marched towards the ancient Mughal capital, the Mughal empire was proclaimed resurrected, with Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, an elderly pensioner of the British Government, reinstated as the ruler of all Hindustan.

With the rebellion spreading rapidly, the British realized the urgency of recapturing Delhi, as the success or failure of the uprising hinged entirely on controlling the city and defeating the rebel army. It would take three grueling months of fierce combat for the British Delhi Field Force to defeat the rebel sepoys and reclaim the city, a period characterized by confusion as to who was besieging whom. Singh provides a comprehensive account of the events, from the uprising at Meerut to the climactic capture and sack of Delhi.

Weight: 930g
Dimension: 167 x 241 x 51 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781445682358