[Illustrated with over one hundred maps, photos and portraits, of the battles, individuals and places involved in the Indian Mutiny]. The Indian Mutiny, or Sepoy Revolt, flared up in many areas around the British controlled Raj in 1857. Government offices were sacked and many Europeans were put to the sword, the reasons for this sudden explosion of violence were many; religious affronts, British high-handedness and to some freedom from Imperialism. Delhi fell quickly to the rebels overcoming the small garrison and occupying the huge arsenal. As the former capital of the Mughal Empire Delhi was a beacon for those who sought to reinstate native control, many rebellious sepoys flocked to the city and the importance of Delhi as a symbol of the revolt gathered momentum by the day. The British forces, having recovered from the shock, understood the importance of Delhi as a focal point of resistance and dispatched a large force to retake the city, trusting in discipline and organised fighting power of the troops. The Siege of Delhi was pivotal to the entire Indian Mutiny and both sides were very aware of this, the fighting was among the bloodiest of the entire struggle. This account by an anonymous serving officer is a fabulously detailed account of the siege, full of the ebb and flow of the fortunes of the British besiegers as they sought to crush the rebellion.
