Customer Reviews

Our Bones Are Scattered: The Cawnpore Massacres and The Indian Mutiny Of 1857

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2 star:		(1)
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If you like military history, this book is an indispenable read about the siege and subsequent massacres at Cawnpore during the Indian Mutiny. The author makes the story very dramatic and readable, even though it is meticulously researched and abounds in footnotes. It is not an easy read but it is a very worthwhile read. Don't forget to reference the footnotes, as they will add to the experience. The Indian Mutiny was more of a mutiny by native soldiers and cavalry than it was a popular uprising, but contemporary Indian accounts tend to characterize it as the latter in an attempt to paint it as the first spark of independence for the country. While the book's emphasis is on the events at Cawnpore, which would prove to be a catalyst for British revenge and an iron-handed continuation of British rule over India, the book also is an excellent overview of the entire Mutiny. If this interests you, follow-up by reading about the siege of Lucknow or the storming of Delhi. A fascinating era of history which helps explain how things are now in the Indian sub-continent.

This book is extremely difficult to put down once you get into it. Although I knew very little about the history of British India, the author laid sufficient groundwork for any reader to gain an understanding of the situation there as it existed before the 1857 revolts. Even if you know nothing about British India, this book is higly entertaining. It tells a truly harrowing story and gives fascinating insight as to the complex relationship between an imperialist occupying force and a subject people. Ward's writing illuminates the areas of friction and causes of misunderstandings that led to the terrible bloodshed of 1857. I have read many war and history books but I have not read a book that so well described the true sources of animosity between enemies. India in 1857 was a very interesting place and Ward descibes it well.
This book can be brutal in describing the butchering of women and children, so be prepared to get a little more "worked up" than you normally are by a history book. It was both hard to put down and disturbing to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading history.

This is a great story, objectively written and excellently researched. It transports the reader to the book's epoch in history and provides all the information needed to make the story alive and real. The background to the Mutiny , all of the leading protaganists male and female and their heroism and duplicity are brought into focus as the survivors of Cawnpore are guaranteed safe passage only to be massacred by the Ghat on the river when they were at their most vulnerable. Similarily the murder and disposal of innocents at the Bibighar. Both these acts , and in addition the siege itself and the retribution of the British including many Scottish regiments, highlight a clash of Northern Victorian with Eastern culture sufficient to show the reader the extremes of barbarity, cruelty and compassion of both. A superb story.

This is without a doubt the best book ever written on the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857. This tome has everything that makes gripping reading: heroes, villains, and many people in-between. The reader will come in contact with the brave defenders of the Cawnpore Entrenchment and learn of their hellish ordeal. The reader will be shocked by accounts of horrific massacres committed by both the Indians and the English. This is a moving story of history and would make an excellent motion picture or mini-series.

Andrew Ward's, "Our Bones are Scattered", was a gripping read. Hard to put down. Not history from 30,000 feet but ground level. You feel for individuals struggling to survive as their world crumbles into chaos. I didn't see a bias; Ward has clearly expressed the motivations and movements driving events from both sides. These movements resonate with events today: Here are ancient and admirable cultures violently rejecting the impositions of a more technologically advanced intruder... an epic that cries-out for film. Experience the best and the unimaginable worst as worlds collide.

Could not put this book down. Very interesting, and especially appreciated the civilian outlook. Good job getting you involved with the specific characters which made their experience the more personal and horrific.

I went to school in Kanpur but at that time was not aware its historical importance. This indeed is a facinating book which has sparked my intense interest in 1857 mutiny. I look forward to visiting Kanpur to see whatever is left of the memorial gardens (now called Nana Rao Park).

This is without a doubt the best book ever written on the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857. This tome has everything that makes gripping reading: heroes, villains, and many people in-between. The reader will come in contact with the brave defenders of the Cawnpore Entrenchment and learn their hellish ordeal. The reader will be shocked by accounts of horrific massacres committed by both the Indians and the English. This is a moving story of history and would make an excellent motion picture or mini-series.

A fascinating account of the native reaction to European imperialsim in the 19th cintury. Very sympathetic to both sides. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One complaint however, was that Ward does not give enough backgound information on one of the main group of actors in this story, the sepoys themselves! As one reader above said, its not an easy book to read.

A gripping account which we couldn't put down particularly as much related to our family. Andrew Ward has brought to life a facinating period in British History in a balanced non judgemental way. I would thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in 19th century British History. One minor correction concerns footnote 597 (Part 2) My research would indicate that Francis was not the youngest child of Hugh Wheeler. The youngest was Charles Eyre Wheeler born 1 February 1845. (He was my great great grandfather)