11/28/2023 0 Comments Mutiny of 1857The Great Mutiny had its roots in the political, cultural, and religious turmoil of the 1840s and 1850s. Soon, a handful of Europeans and loyal Indians were under siege, an epic of endurance that would be long remembered even after British rule in India was only a memory. Cannons boomed and the staccato popping of musket fire could be heard distinctly. Rebel sepoys were busy looting empty buildings before setting them to the torch. The European cantonments were on fire, with tendrils of yellow and orange flames leaping high into the air. It was 11 pm, but the inky void and its canopy of stars could not erase the terrible spectacle that presented itself. After the rising tensions of past weeks, she had an inkling of what to expect, but was still shocked by the view. Heeding Gubbins’ command, Inglis quickly dressed herself and her children and went to the roof as fast as she could. Lucknow, the capital of Oudh (modern-day Awadh) Province, nursed its own grievances, and it was only a matter of time before it joined the spreading mutiny. The British tried to contain this growing rebellion, but efforts to nip it in the bud proved ineffectual and even ham fisted. Thousands of Indian soldiers, including sepoy foot soldiers and sowar cavalrymen, were in full mutiny against their British overlords, and the rebellious spirit was like an infection that was almost impossible to contain. Because the Residency had been transformed into a garrison post, complete with armed troops, it was considered to be a place of refuge and safety. Inglis and several other women were staying with Gubbins because his house was within the grounds of the Residency, the official British headquarters in the city of Lucknow in northern India. “Bring your children and come up to the top of the house immediately,” he ordered. Gubbins was a no-nonsense individual who was not used to mincing words. It was Martin Gubbins, an official with the Honorable East India Company. The pounding alarmed her and she answered immediately. On the evening of May 30, 1857, Julia Selina Inglis was preparing to go to bed when she heard an urgent knocking on her door.
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