Rebels and the Raj
Repression
Explain why reconquest was slow.
The British used force and law together. In May and June 1857, they passed Acts that put North India under martial law: even ordinary Britons were given power to try and punish Indians suspected of rebellion, and death was the only punishment.
They planned a two-pronged attack: one force moved from Calcutta, and another from the Punjab, to recover Delhi. Yet Delhi was recaptured only in late September 1857, after months of fighting.
Why so long? Rebels from all over North India had gathered in Delhi to defend it. Losses were heavy on both sides.
In Awadh, the British officer Forsyth estimated that three-fourths of the adult men were in rebellion. The area was brought under control only in March 1858, after long fighting.
The British also used politics to divide the rebels: landholders were promised that they would get their estates back if they submitted. Loyal landholders were rewarded, and rebels were dispossessed. Force, law and division.
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