Mr. Kavanagh, a clerk, volunteered last night to go out to Alum Bagh with plans and despatches from Sir James Outram; he disguised himself as a native, and reached the place safely. It was a splendid feat of gallantry and a most invaluable service. All the garrison were much delighted to hear that a flag had been hoisted at Alum Bagh, the signal of his having arrived.
- from The Seige of Lucknow, the diaries of Lady Julia Inglis
There were many instances of gallantry and heroics during the siege of Lucknow in 1857. The context, as is well-known, was the mutiny of Indian – largely Mahometan, but also Hindoo – troops against the Britishers, which led to a widespread uprising during which a compound of British citizens – soldiers, their wives and children - in the so-called ‘Residency’ in Lucknow were stranded and held under siege by a murderous mob for over eighteen months. Their situation was harrowing. Large numbers were killed, either by gunfire and artillery or by hunger and disease. They were surrounded on all sides and their enemy was literally tunneling underneath them. If the walls of the compound had been breached, everyone would certainly have been slaughtered. During this terrible ordeal many of the British, but also those Indian troops (Sepoys) who had remained staunch, and especially the Sikhs who stayed loyal throughout, displayed extraordinary bravery, as did those who endeavored to rescue them.
There are numerous accounts of the siege – it is one of the great dramas of British India. The best account by far is found in the diaries of Lady Julia Inglis, the wife of the officer Brigadier Inglis. She was present in the Residency compound, survived the ordeal and lived to publish her story in England many years later. The present writer was in Lucknow recently and visited the ruins of the Residency and read the diaries of Lady Inglis – vivid and detailed – during his visit.
Modern Indian mythology knows the mutiny as the ‘First War of Independence’, but it was hardly that. The mutineers were unorganized. The rebellion descended into chaos. Mobs ransacked and looted throughout Lucknow and other cities, and there was no nationalist element to the violence – the rebels in Delhi were intent on re-establishing the Mughul Sultanate, not founding an independent Indian state. Certainly, the uprising was provoked by the gross mismanagement of the East India Company – although the spark that ignited it, as Lady Inglis notes, was a rumor that the British had laced the artillery of the new Enfield rifles with pig fat in order to deliberately offend and violate the Mahometans.
It is clear, though, that the heroes of the day were the stoic British who displayed remarkable courage, nobility and chivalry in the face of swarming barbarity. The siege and the relief of Lucknow are great moments of British civilization. The British, let it be said (contrary to the popular post-colonial narratives of our benighted times), were one of the last people to maintain a cultivated chivalry, and the siege and relief of Lucknow represent compelling instances of it. If anyone doubts this, they should read the diaries of Lady Inglis, which can be found here. Dignity, nobility, courage, honesty, magnanimity, honour, integrity, virtue, decency, fearlessness, patience, valour, hardihood, strength, good humour - in the most appallingly dire and hopeless circumstances.
The most unlikely hero of the siege was a wild Irishman by the name of Thomas Kavanagh. His exact origins are uncertain. He was possibly born in India, but in any case he certainly grew up there and so was fluent in Hindi and well-acquainted with local customs. He was one of that wayward class of British citizens who were not connected to the East India Company or the British government and so had no legitimate place in India – “uncovenented” as such people were called. He was a malcontent with a dull job in a clerical office and, by his own account, a wife and family that gave him no satisfaction in life. He was, in truth, an undistinguished character, a ratbag. When the Mutiny broke out in early 1857 he made his way to the Residency compound for shelter, as did other British citizens in fear of their lives (it being unclear what fate befell his family.) It was during the most desperate days of the siege, however, that he rose to the occasion and won himself a place in history.
At a certain point during the darkest days of the siege information reached the Residency that a relief force had managed to force its way to the outskirts of Lucknow, but there was no way to confirm this. Kavanagh then approached Major Outram, the officer in charge, and volunteered to attempt to reach the relief party, if indeed there was one. His proposal was that he disguise himself as a native and, along with his fluency in Hindi and knowledge of Hindoo and Mahometan ways, pass through the enemy lines. It was a mad plan. But it was the only plan they had. In a famous scene, therefore, Major Outram himself – much to the mirth of the other officers present - applied black boot polish to Mr. Kavanagh and helped him wrap a turban about his head. Kavanagh, readers must appreciate, was over six foot tall and had a shock of ginger Irish hair. He made a very unconvincing Indian.
Later, Thomas Kavanagh was given a Victoria Cross for bravery – the first non-military person to ever receive that honor. But this honor aside, in the years that followed he returned to his clerical job and undistinguished life, finally leaving India and travelling to Gibraltar where he died and is buried.
The author had the good fortune to spend a long warm morning exploring the ruins of the Residency in Lucknow recently. As Indian historical ruins are concerned, they are very well preserved - haunted by the ghosts of those who died during or endured the horrors of the Mutiny. Indeed, it should be said that the Residency is very tastefully presented with due respect to those who died there and without the imposition of Indian nationalist sentiment upon events. The Residency covers many acres and includes numerous buildings, most of them exactly as they were after the Mutiny. The church of St. Mary has been reduced to its foundations, but the cemetery at its side is well cared for. The mosque which was on the grounds of the Residency and which the British respected throughout the seige is not only still standing but is still occupied and in use. Some photographs follow:
The Relief of Lucknow
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The most unlikely hero of the siege was a wild Irishman by the name of Thomas Kavanagh. His exact origins are uncertain. He was possibly born in India, but in any case he certainly grew up there and so was fluent in Hindi and well-acquainted with local customs. He was one of that wayward class of British citizens who were not connected to the East India Company or the British government and so had no legitimate place in India – “uncovenented” as such people were called. He was a malcontent with a dull job in a clerical office and, by his own account, a wife and family that gave him no satisfaction in life. He was, in truth, an undistinguished character, a ratbag. When the Mutiny broke out in early 1857 he made his way to the Residency compound for shelter, as did other British citizens in fear of their lives (it being unclear what fate befell his family.) It was during the most desperate days of the siege, however, that he rose to the occasion and won himself a place in history.
At a certain point during the darkest days of the siege information reached the Residency that a relief force had managed to force its way to the outskirts of Lucknow, but there was no way to confirm this. Kavanagh then approached Major Outram, the officer in charge, and volunteered to attempt to reach the relief party, if indeed there was one. His proposal was that he disguise himself as a native and, along with his fluency in Hindi and knowledge of Hindoo and Mahometan ways, pass through the enemy lines. It was a mad plan. But it was the only plan they had. In a famous scene, therefore, Major Outram himself – much to the mirth of the other officers present - applied black boot polish to Mr. Kavanagh and helped him wrap a turban about his head. Kavanagh, readers must appreciate, was over six foot tall and had a shock of ginger Irish hair. He made a very unconvincing Indian.
Nevertheless, he set off in the middle of the night, accompanied by a loyal Sepoy, and armed only with a pistol and two bullets. His journey that night is the stuff of legend. He was stopped several times by hostile forces and even, at one juncture, taken captive and interrogated. Remarkably, he convinced his captors that he was a Hindoo man returning to Lucknow from far away. Then, he became lost, had to swim across the Goomptee River holding his clothes above his head, ended in a swamp where he nearly drowned, until finally, by sheer accident, he stumbled into a camp of British soldiers under the leadership of Sir Colin Campbell at a place called Alum Bagh. This was the relief party of which Major Outram had received unconfirmed information. Kavanagh had managed to get through. It was a decisive moment. He carried dispatches from Major Outram and with these the relief party was able to assess the situation and plan a rescue for those stranded in the Residency. Kavanagh saved the day.
Kavanagh of Lucknow
Later, Thomas Kavanagh was given a Victoria Cross for bravery – the first non-military person to ever receive that honor. But this honor aside, in the years that followed he returned to his clerical job and undistinguished life, finally leaving India and travelling to Gibraltar where he died and is buried.
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