Changes

The rebellion broke out Sepoy Rebellion started in the army of the East India Company's army. The British were reliant on native soldiers or Sepoys to maintain their grip over the country. However, many Indian soldiers in the army, both Hindu and Muslim , were very dissatisfied and resented the Europeans. The revolt began when a new rifle was introduced and soon there was a rumor, among the Sepoys that the cartridges were smeared with pigs and cows’ fat. The cartridges had to be bitten before they could be loaded, and this was anathema to many Hindus and Muslims. Biting the cartridges meant that they were eating beef or pork which was unacceptable in their religion. There is no evidence that beef and pork lard was ever used to grease the cartridges and it seems that it was only a wild rumor. It may even have been deliberately spread to stir unrest in the ranks of the Sepoys, who would have been outraged at the idea and would have seen it as an attack on their religion. Some argue that the revolt broke out because it was only in the military that Indians were organized <ref>Hibbert, 1980</ref>. It appears that the British suffered a complete intelligence failure and were unaware of the discontent among the native troops. In March 1857 a Sepoy attacked some British officers and he was later shot by a firing squad. Some weeks later some Indian troopers refused to use the cartridges and they were imprisoned. This led to some of their comrades killing their officers and marched on Delhi and restored the old Mughal Emperor to power <ref>Hibbert, p. 87</ref>. As a result of this bold action, there was a series of mutinies throughout northern and central India. The revolt typically involved the Sepoys killing any European soldiers and often civilians. There were many instances when Indian rebels besieged British soldiers and civilians across the north of India, most famously Lucknow. No one is agreed as to the aims of the mutineers’ but it is apparent that many wanted to expel the British from India. The Sepoys initially made great advances and easily defeated the loyal troops of the East India Company and they seized many cities and towns. However, many of the Indian Princes stayed loyal to the British and some ethnic groups such as the Sikhs cooperated with the British. London rushed regular forces to India and these, together with loyal Sepoys, began the counterattack. Their first objective was to recapture Delhi which was bombarded heavily before it fell <ref>Hibbert, 1980</ref>. Then the British, under Sir Colin Campell retook Agra and later relieved the siege of Lucknow, after some bitter fighting. The British committed many atrocities and killed rebels and their supporters in cold blood. Once the cities held by the mutineers were captured the rebels continued to attack the British. There was a bloody campaign to eradicate the last vestiges of the rebellion and this resulted in many districts experiencing famine. Some commentators believe that hundreds of thousands of Indians died as a direct or indirect result of the rebellion. The fighting continued throughout 1858 and it was only in 1859, that the last of the rebels were suppressed.