The Indian Mutiny [Paperback]

Julian Spilsbury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

By 1857, the British East India Company was India’s de facto ruler, having won the subcontinent by subterfuge and force of arms. Discontent was rising however, and in the following spring, entire regiments of Indian troops turned on their British overlords and challenged the global trading powerhouse in open warfare. The brutal struggle that followed would forever break the Company’s hold on India, and send shock waves reverberating across the British Empire. This sweeping, true-life drama combines powerful eyewitness accounts and painstaking historical investigation to present an intimate portrait of the British troops and the Sikhs, Gurkhas, and Afghans who fought alongside them, often against terrible odds. This is living history that reads like the finest action-adventure story!

Editorial Reviews

Review

'a real page turner... based on shocking but compelling eyewitness accounts, this is a vivid recreation of the 'greatest crisis of Empire'.' GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'a lucid, readable account' TLS --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Julian Spilsbury is the military obituarist for the DAILY TELEGRAPH and a script writer for THE BILL, TAGGART and CASUALTY. He is also the author of several thrillers including NIGHT OF THE BEAR and VISION OF THE HUNTER.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753824027
• ISBN-13: 978-0753824023
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epic Saga of History Masterfully Told, August 24, 2008

By 

Lawrence A. Strid (Mission Viejo, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Indian Mutiny (Paperback)

The Indian Mutiny remains one of the most dramatic and exciting chapters in Great Britain's colonial history. Historians still debate whether it was just a mutiny by native soldiers (sepoys) and cavalry (sowars), as opposed to a war of independence. Most modern Indians tend to view it as the latter, but from an objective historical perspective the opposite is more true: the genesis of the struggle lay in the mistaken belief by the native military contingents that the British were attempting to convert them to Christianity and/or to break their caste, and in resentment over losing certain privileges that the native military had once enjoyed in the English run legal system. To the extent the rebellion received popular support, it tended to come from disgruntled Indian royalty who resented (and not without justification) the loss of their hereditary rights and titles. The uprising in fact was put down only with the assistance of loyal native troops (especially Sikhs, Gurkhas, and Afghans)who actually out-numbered British troops in the field.
The author has done his research and it shows: the rapid momentum of the rebellion and the rush to save besieged Europeans from rebel territory is dramatically recounted, and good use is made of verbatim contemporary accounts rendered by many of the British participants. The author meticulously describes the ebb and flow of the various battles and sieges that occurred, in such a fashion that you feel like you are actually there. The struggle was replete with feats of bravado by both individuals and entire battalions, on both sides, and the author's fondness for both India and the Victorian Army of the time comes through.
The British storming and retaking of Delhi, the siege and relief of Lucknow, and the siege and subsequent massacres at Cawnpore have to stand as some of the most violent, dramatic and heart-rending epics of human endurance and courage ever experienced, and the author's detailed descriptions and extensive research of these and other related events make this a thrilling piece of work. Well illustrated with contemporary photographs, maps and paintings, this work is highly recommended to any student of Victorian military history or to anyone who just wants a great read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Readable and Engaging, February 17, 2008

By 

Gauffroi (Rock Island, Il United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indian Mutiny (Hardcover)

Some histories are dry recitations -- this book is very engaging, primarily due to the author's masterful use of balancing the writing techniques and the subject matter. First, in addition to the expected third person descriptive writing, the author makes liberal (but not excessive) use of first person accounts from the period, making this history come alive. There is also a balance between the extreme hardships suffered by various besieged garrisons on the one hand, and the proactive efforts of those attemting to relieve them. The author also does a good job in introducing us to the personalities of many of the leaders -- Nicholson, Havelock, Napier, etc. The only criticism I have (which the author freely acknolwedges in the text) is the relatively short and summary treatment of the final year or so of operations, after Cawnpore and Lucknow had been finally relieved. All in all an enjoyable, interesting read. A nice final touch is a short chapter at the end on visiting the sites referred to in the text.