Volume V of VI Best edition of the standard work (with analytical index in Vol. VI) Contemporary review from the Athenaeum: "It only be remarked that Colonel Malleson wields his pen with so much skill that while giving a realistic account of all important operations, passing over no really noteworthy act of talent or heroism, and acutely criticising everything which demands criticism, he abstains from overlaying his narrative with details which would have increased the bulk of his book beyond all reason. Another characteristic of Colonel Malleson is that he never hesitates to condemn conduct of which he disapproves or to draw attention to errors which he conceives were committed, whatever the rank or position of those who are the objects of his criticism. The result is that many of the actors in the drama will find their laurels somewhat injured, while others, who from official prejudice have not yet received full credit for their exploits, obtain from the author due praise for their services. The rewards given for the Mutiny were liberal, but it is distressing to find that some of them were undeserved, while on the other hand, many able and gallant men have received no recognition at all ... There are many highly-placed officials whose fame is sadly tarnished by the frank, truthful criticisms of the fearless, uncompromising author of the book before us."

In the mid-19th century India was the focus of Britain's international prestige and commercial power - the most important colony in an empire which extended to every continent on the globe and protected by the seemingly dependable native armies of the East India Company. When, however, in 1857 discontent exploded into open rebellion, Britain was obliged to field its largest army in forty years to defend its 'jewel in the crown'. This book, drawing on the latest sources as well as numerous first-hand accounts, explains why the sepoy armies rose up against the world's leading imperial power, details the major phases of the fighting, including the massacres at Cawnpore and the epic sieges of Delhi and Lucknow, and examines many other aspects of this compelling, at times horrifying, subject.

In 1963, a human skull was discovered in a pub in Kent in south-east England. A brief handwritten note stuck inside the cavity revealed it to be that of Alum Bheg, an Indian soldier in British service who was executed during the aftermath of the 1857 Uprising, or The Indian Mutiny as historians of an earlier era described it. Alum Bheg was blown from a cannon for having allegedly murdered British civilians, and his head was brought back as a grisly war-trophy by an Irish officer present at his execution. The skull is a troublesome relic of both anti- colonial violence and the brutality and spectacle of British retribution. Kim Wagner presents an intimate and vivid account of life and death in British India in the throes of the largest rebellion of the nineteenth century. Fugitive rebels spent months, even years, hiding in the vastness of the Himalayas before they were eventually hunted down and punished by a vengeful colonial state. Examining the colonial practice of collecting and exhibiting human remains, this book offers a critical assessment of British imperialism that speaks to contemporary debates about the legacies of Empire and the myth of the 'Mutiny'.

The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India was much more than a ‘sepoy mutiny’. It was a major event in South Asian and British colonial history that significantly challenged imperialism in India. This fascinating collection explores hitherto ignored diversities of the Great Rebellion such as gender and colonial fiction, courtesans, white ‘marginals’, penal laws and colonial anxieties about the Mughals, even in exile. Also studied are popular struggles involving tribals and outcastes, and the way outcastes in the south of India locate the Rebellion. Interdisciplinary in focus and based on a range of untapped source materials and rare, printed tracts, this book questions conventional wisdom. The comprehensive introduction traces the different historiographical approaches to the Great Rebellion, including the imperialist, nationalist, marxist and subaltern scholarship. While questioning typical assumptions associated with the Great Rebellion, it argues that the Rebellion neither began nor ended in 1857-58. Clearly informed by the ‘Subaltern Studies’ scholarship, this book is post-subalternist as it moves far beyond narrow subalternist concerns. It will be of interest to students of Colonial and South Asian History, Social History, Cultural and Political Studies.

This book entitled, “Uprising of 1857: Some Facts about Failure of Indian War of Independence” includes much detail on the nature and character of the Uprising of 1857. Although, it is a general history, which emphasizes every aspect of the Uprising, throws much light on the events, places, and personalities directly concerned to the Uprising of 1857. Many dimensions of the Uprising particularly distinct perspectives such as popular, national, military, religious, etc. has been analyzed in the modern context, and independent research and thinking. The role of different personalities also has been re-evaluated in the light of contemporary and primary sources. By writing this history the author has presented a new look of the Uprising based on critical analysis of the historical facts. This book is a humble attempt to remedy the deficiency which the author has felt after a long experience of reading and writing history. The British slowly and gradually snatched the political power of India from the Native rulers and on the pretext of moral improvement, the British Government adopted an intolerant religious policy, which led to the conversion from oriental religions to Christianity. Both Hindus and Muslims of this country began to feel that their religion was in danger, and particularly the Muslims due to their fanatical pride, and resented the Christian supremacy. Initially, the Indians resented the policies of the British Government and mobilized the civilians and militia through the famous chapati and lotus distribution. Finally, on 10th of May, the final rising exploded from Meerut which followed the long fight throughout North India. The titular Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was enthroned in the Red Fort, and Delhi was made, once again, the capital of India. The entire history covered under different chapters of this book shows the real picture of the revolt. The whole topics are quite interesting, full of knowledge, and based on authentic sources with little hypothetical narrations.