Great Mutiny: India 1857

by Christopher Hibbert

'By far the best single-volume description of the mutiny yet written' - "Economist". A beautifully written and meticulously researched narrative history of the great Indian uprising of 1857 by one of our most acclaimed living historians. First published in 1978 and re-issued with a handsome new cover for the 2002 paperback edition.

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction, War, 19th Century, Military Fiction, Military History

472 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Christopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.

Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.

Reviews

[Sumit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is the process in simple words:-
They go to places different from theirs. Knowing that it can give them material benefits. Establish their supremacy based on cunningness and weaponry. Realize that current people here like to do things differently. Conclude that its not Christian way of doing things hence not the right thing. Start a crusade to change them. Give them guns so as to quicken the pace. Make them shoot each other. Boss over them while stripping them naked. Take away their self respect or they wont salaam us while rubbing the ground with their nose. If anyone is brave enough to protest, hang him, cut his head off, or even better blast that nigger using a canon. Oh and when they revolt, burn their villages, kill everyone in sight, confiscate stuff that you can carry and destroy everything else accumulated over by the generations of these rowdies. And don't forget to paint them as savages, describe them as brutes incapable of noble human emotions such as kindness, compassion, courage and self respect or how it can be justified to the womenfolk back home. Break the damn society and fill the coffers.

Repeat over generation across geographies and here we are, in 21st centuries asking ourselves why the world is such a mess.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well reseached book with many quotes from sources of the time. It was a little long for me at 393 pages but then I am not an historian of 19th century India. Hibbert's descriptions of the culture of the life of the British officers and their wives is embarrassing in its frankness. Were we really that bad? From the many contemporary documents, letters and papers, it would seem that we were and it is a surprise that the mutiny didn't come earlier. Well worth a read.

[Shuja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. provides unique perspective of a mutiny termed as battle for freedom by others. This is rather intrestin thing writing history. What I have read in school text books is that a few events alone triggered the mutiny. Some say it was Mangal Pandey, some to others. But we have to understand that 1857 mutiny would have taken place with or without Mangal Pandey.
I have given it five stars. The narrations are backed by proofs, references, cross references. Vivid details are provided of the scale of mutiny which swept across the whole of India. The funny thing about writing history is that the writer can still present a distorted picture while at the same time producing valid arguments and evidence to support it. I have learnt no history book can be impartial. Mr Hibbert sure has presented a tremendous account of the heroic deeds of British soldiers. Those fighting against them are termed as rebels as "Pandies". A fight to end mutiny is confronted by those who call themselves freedom fighters. The best we can do is to establish and collect all history facts from various sources, wash them off biased opinions or other unwanted ingredients and save the left over for generations to come. That left over will serve as objective, impartial account of what actually happened.

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, immersive, and meticulous reconstruction of the 1857 mutiny. Hibbert mercilessly critiques both British and Indian military "heroes" as it's clear that his sympathies lie with the civilians, Indian and European, whose lives were destroyed by the violence. Hibbert's tactic of using old letters and diary entries to narrate certain scenes is controversial but makes for a book that brims with historical wealth and evidence. This text showed me how much of this conflict is buried under nationalistic propaganda, courtesy of both England and India.

[Rahul Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not an expert in reviews, i am a novice reader, my review could be naive or too simple but i tried to write :-)

I do not see it to be a spoiler alert but if you feel so then let me know, i will mark it as one.

About the book
============
It started well in the beginning. I felt like i am going to get what i wanted, an insight on what happened during that specific year, how it all started, strategies used by natives and British and European Army to contain the situation, who were prominent rebel leaders and how they marched against East India Company.

However, I felt it to be more pro-britisher/european. This book has major portion, about the atrocities done by natives, how soldiers, their family were tortured (at one point in book, it was also mentioned that there are no proofs of killing children and raping women but soldier used this thought to provoke themselves and their fellow soldiers). It goes on telling about how little ration soldiers in the residency had, how difficult it was for mothers to feed their children. How shabby their clothes had become as they were pinned down in residency and it is too repetitive for my liking.

When it came to prominent leaders like Tatya Tope, Rani Laxmi bai, Nana Sahib, their role was limited to only a few pages. I was expecting to know their part of the struggle as well (the book had a little description of a few words about them and that is all). How they formed large group of rebels to fight against Britishers, how they were actually defeated despite of possessing large number of troops. Description of war will go unnoticed. Only, the description of siege of Delhi has some good information about last Mughal Emperor and how potentially strong army fell apart there, leaving king helpless.

what i gained after reading this book? How strong we were but not sure how we lost it all. How we were so close to gain independence 100 years earlier but all of a sudden everything fell apart and a lot about atrocities done by natives upon Britishers/European.

-Rahul Sharma

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little traditional in its approach. While you have many quotes from the English perspective, it is mainly a battlefield scenario. Interesting, but the book does not meet its potential. You get the "who" and "when" and sometimes the "how." but rarely the why. This was my first dive into the sub-continent's history and I am somewhat disappointed.

[Todd Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sun supposedly never set upon the British Empire at its height. The Indian subcontinent on the other side of the world was one of the great prizes of that empire. Ancient, exotic, and filled with treasure and resources, the British were jealous guardians of such a valuable territory. Yet, the 150 million inhabitants of India required creative solutions to administer and keep in subjection.

One of the solutions had been to create “native” military forces, manned by “sepoys”, native Indian soldiers. The vast majority of those were of either Hindu or Muslim faith. After a century of increasingly imperious British rule, religion seems to be the primary motivational factor in the rebellion against British rule, known as “The Great Mutiny of 1857”. Still utilizing single shot, muzzleloader firearms, the gunpowder and projectiles were kept in paper cartridges. Rumors had spread among sepoy regiments that their various religious taboos were being violated by the addition of beef and pork fat as a grease for these. Combined with a poorly understood and undocumented undercurrent of unrest, violence exploded in May 1857, resulting in many bloody months of combat.

I knew very little of either the history of British colonialism in India, or the military actions associated with it. Christopher Hibbert has written a highly detailed account of “The Great Mutiny”. In addition to thousands of British soldiers and military personnel, there were thousands of civilian British residents. The violence had primarily been directed against military forces, but as war so often does, civilians were also killed. Hibbert largely portrays this as the work of “badmashes”(ruffians) and religious fanatic extremists. Yet, despite the tragic deaths of noncombatants, rumors grew to atrocities that were generally unsupported by evidence. The reprisals which reinstated British control over areas in rebellion saw equally appalling acts of savagery against Indian people. Few questions were asked, and thousands were shot, hung, or cut down with little discrimination by enraged British soldiers, “plunder drunk” in search of vast treasures of precious metals and jewels.

The mutiny is a truly bizarre and exotic chapter of history. For those like myself unfamiliar with colonial history in Asia, it’s definitely a learning experience to read this. For those with in depth knowledge of British colonial rule in India, this may seem too broad. Yet, it is an excellent account of a pivotal event in 19th Century world history.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I was impressed by the extensive research, I found myself rather aggravated by what he chose to focus on. As a result, I found it dry and rather repudiative. The middle bulk of Hibbert's history focuses on escapes and nitpick aspects of the revolt, rather than focusing on the broader picture - the socioeconomic, political, and religious aspects of India prior to the revolt. In terms of pertinence to the modern learner, I believe a fastidious examination of the military history is not nearly as relevant as if he had devoted more attention towards examining what unfolded through the eyes of the politicians in back in Britain, the upper echelon of the East India Company, and the independent princes.

[Dropbear123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 rounding down for Goodreads

The writing and narrative style were both pretty good. There is a lot of use of journals and reports from many of the British people involved which I liked. It is not too focused on the specifics of army movements and tactics and is more about on the ground experiences. The best part of the book for me was the beginning, which sets out what life was like for the British in India and the various factors and causes of the mutiny.

Would recommend if you’re looking for a readable book on the Mutiny, but for a more detailed and military tactics+strategy Saul David’s ‘The Indian Mutiny, 1857’ is better.

[Sabyasachi Chowdhury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unnecessary details, lack providing the forrest view and goes too much into the trees. Misses the point of why the mutiny and what was british rnpaires overall take on it...how did it shape the history etc are all missing.

[Peter Ellwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vivid and impressive account of the mutiny of 1857. The level of detail that Christopher Hibbert has managed to assemble is astonishing, the events of the mutiny itself read like the script of an adventure movie. Clearly, much of his source material must have been the letters written by the participants; but that still leaves room to imagine that he might have filled in a few gaps from his own imagination too.

The image of Mother India that emerges is intriguing. The early, pre-mutiny, pages paint a picture of an India that resembled a kind of hell on earth: flies, poverty, overcrowding, searing heat, and so on. If this was intended to set the scene for the explosion of violence that followed it is quite effective – though from my own experience of that part of the world a century later, it seems a little bit slanted. For example, India simply isn’t 100 degrees+ all year round. Hot enough in May, to be sure; but not that hot.

The many first-hand accounts are fascinating and compelling, but somehow I found myself suspecting their cumulative effect a little. That’s not to say that anything he says is untrue, but one does wonder whether CH doesn’t have some kind of personal agenda. Those vivid accounts somehow all combine to paint a picture of an India that was a hell-hole, simply bursting to be rid of the English. So many of the mutineers were, I’m sure. But the simple fact of the English’s being able to put the mutiny down and stay another century speaks for itself. As the book does, in all fairness, mention here or there, there were an awful lot who didn’t seem to mind too. I would also have welcomed the odd glance at the wider picture, literally, of the rest of India: the mutiny did spread to quite a large geographical area for sure, but it’s also relevant to bear in mind that it did not to a much larger area still, which remained calm throughout. CH does not mention this once. There was another India out there, calm and majestic, the India of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, and CH’s account somehow glosses over it.

As mentioned, the entire book is full of on-the-spot, first person witness accounts and so there is no doubting the truth of what he writes. But pretty much every single one of those witness accounts is negative: complaints (dozens of them) about the poor quality of the leadership, moans about the awful climate, blood-curdling accounts of bashing sepoys, and so on. But that simply can’t be the whole picture. How did a poorly-led British army, hopelessly outnumbered from start to finish, manage to claw back half of India from a vastly superior force of mutineers? There’s more to it than CH’s account. I suppose it’s inevitable when reading a book of such detail and quality to tend to single out odd points to object to; but it’s worth stressing that it is overall a towering piece of work. Sure, I sense that he might inadvertently have pushed his narrative a little bit in one direction or other; but for all that it remains a milestone piece of writing.

[Grim Tidings · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite historian, Hibbert has a way of telling a story. There are elements of his typical style in this account, but it's certainly not his best. I don't sense a passion for the subject and even for a book of its time it doesn't feel as if we're learning much new here. I've read a little on the Mutiny before, primarily the infamous Seige of Cawnpore, and hoped this 600-odd page book would explore the build-up to the mutiny (tick), alongside the organisation of the mutineers (cross), the politics/reaction back at home (cross) and how the running of India/the Empire changed after (we get a little bit at the end).

As a book simply about the British forces at Delhi & other beseiged areas during the mutiny this is fine- narratively the suffering of the beseiged is evident and emotional, as is the timeline of the Mutiny from start to end, but the 'trimmings' are missed out. Hibbert maintains the mutiny was not a highly organised affair and the opinions/strategy of the mutineers are not avaliable for scrutiny or retelling, perhaps this is the case; I don't know enough of the topic to comment, but certainly there is little attempt to explain what's going on at the other side of the battle field and this felt like glaring omission for a book simply about the Indian Mutiny - if it described itself as being focused on the British side only then fair enough, though I still lacked the details on that too. For a decently sized book I would've expected to come out knowing more.

There are lots of diary accounts/primary sources in the text, this is more of a POV from the Europeans under fire at Cawnpore/Lucknow than anything broader. But again, for all I wanted more from this, it was still an interesting read. Incredibly harrowing, as you'd expect from the subject.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very well-researched and dense book. The author frequently used large block quotes from those who were involved which made reading the book laborious at times.

[GrabAsia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. The topic though complex, is v interesting & the author has weaved together the story v well, incorporating the many well written eye-witness accounts.

[Saurabh Odak · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very racist

[V. Subhash · Rating 4 out of 5]

About India's first war of Independence in 1857, described as the 'Sepoy Mutiny' by the British, against East India Company's government in India. Full of first-person accounts.

[Julian Cribb · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many good books about the 'Indian Mutiny' - or First Indian War of Independence, as you prefer - but this is probably the best all round. Although told from a predominantly British perspective (the victor usually enjoys the privilege of dictating history, and this event coincides with the birth of newspaper journalism in Britain) it is not unsympathetic to the Sepoys, who were used by their masters with contempt for their beliefs. Indeed the refusal of the British to entertain the Sepoy religious perspective puts one in mind of the behaviour of the West towards Islam nowadays: mute incomprehension ending in horrible bloodshed. Hibbert captures the lofty arrogance and ignorance of the Raj with skill and verity.
Hibbert is a masterful historian, a meticulous researcher and un-earther of interesting but over looked historical details, an excellent writer and a thrilling storyteller who transports you to the dusty plains of India, the merciless struggles for Cawnpore, Lucknow, Delhi, Jansi and other key locations, the brutal confrontation not just of Briton against Indian but Indian against Indian, the characters - some inspiring, others revolting - and of course, the horrendous massacres, such as the infamous well at the Bibigarh.
An interesting reflection on the event is that the rebellion was among troops recruited by the British East India Company, one of the world's first great 'multinational' corporations, to defend its trading interests in India and the Far East. How long, one wonders, before today's commercial giants start to recruit and build private armies for similar purposes?

[Herb Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy the books by Christopher Hibbert. They are well researched and almost more importantly, well written. This account of the mutiny of the native army against their British overlords is no different. Sadly, the rebellion breaks out, not because the British are exploiting the Indians' nation, not because they are treated as untermenchen in their own homeland, and not because the people of Indian are, at best, second class citizens in their own country. The revolt breaks out because of rumors about what sort of grease is being used in the new cartridges provided for their latest rifles. The end of this paper cartridge must be bitten off before being rammed down the barrel.The Muslim soldiers believe pig fat is being used, and the Hindus believe it is beef fat. They feel this spits in the face of their religions and will make them outcasts in their own communities if it is believed they used these cartridges. This, essentially silly religious taboo causes the explosion of hatred that almost leads to the expulsion of the British from India.
It is a fascinating story full of, courage, cowardice, incompetence, great skill, cruelty, hatred, racial bigotry, hope and despair.

[Simon Bendle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute corker; this is how history should be written. Fascinating, funny, easy-to-follow and balanced, every chapter is packed with tales of amazing heroism or shocking barbarity (on both sides). Some of the characters who appear are unforgettable, like the meticulous and fastidious Sir Thomas Metcalfe “who could not bear to see women eat cheese”.

[Harsh Verma · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all those who sigh at the mention of the Raj, here comes an account of the gory days of 1857. It is a historical chronicle that is part battle part biography and part swash buckling adventure. Whether it was a war of independence or a mutiny is a debate that will never end but one thing is for sure when you read this book 1857 will come alive before you.

[James Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book on the history of the the indian Mutiny of 1857. it is a chronilogical indepth cronological history of causes events and key personal. Very thorough. For the serious history buffs not recomended for light reading

[Ron Van Der Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

tales of heroism & savagery (fascinating)

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strengths: Quite detailed, but not too long. Non-partisan and draws well on contemporary sources.

Weaknesses: Repetitive and sometimes inappropriately jocular.

[Rajkst · Rating 4 out of 5]

with old letters and testaments included this makes an interesting read

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful book that really captures how bloody and savage the mutiny was. I love how he has focussed on personal stoties and unpublished accounts

[Elaine Gullotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this book as it is detailed and packed with information. What imagery this book possesses. Having just visited India I can easily empathize with the difficulties one had to overcome in every day life never mind the misery one must try to survive in the middle of a dangerous uprising. A great book for anyone interested in what it was like to be in the British forces or the spouse of someone stationed in India c. 1850s which my husbands ancestors where. This author did a wonderful job not only with the story telling and character development but he explained in great detail how cultural and religious passions when not taken into consideration by military leaders can result in total break down of authority. A lesson learned for future generations.