Letters from the Indian Mutiny

9781844155743

1844155749

"Published to coincide with the 150th Anniversary, this book is a collection of rare contemporary correspondence from a winner of the Victoria Cross during the insurrection. Robert Shebbeare went out as a cadet to India at the age of seventeen and, after a spell of regimental duty, he was caught up in the extraordinary and bloody events of the Indian Mutiny." "With fellow officers he managed to escape to Delhi, where he was attached to the Guides, and he took part in most of the action during the long hot summer of 1857. He was wounded six times and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry during the storming of the city on September 14th." "He raised a new regiment, the 15th Punjab, which volunteered for service in China and took part in the advance on Peking in 1860. Tragically, he died en route for England for his first home leave and his family, who had not seen him since he had left 16 years earlier, were all at the quayside to welcome him, unaware that he had been buried at sea." "His story is told through the recently discovered correspondence which he sent home between 1844 and 1860. The editor provides an informative commentary that puts the letters into context for the general reader. Military historians will also find this book of great interest for the fresh light that it casts on that troubled period."--BOOK JACKET.