MUTINIES IN RAJPOOTANA

The author of this book was an officer in the Bengal Army, the army that mutinied in 1857, and its scope is contained in the detail that appears on the title page after the main heading, and that reads as follows: “A Personal Narrative of the Mutiny at Nusseerabad (Nasirabad), with subsequent residence at Jodhpore, and journey across the desert into Sind, together with an account of the outbreak at Neemuch, and mutiny of the Jodhpore Legion at Erinpoora, and attack on Mount Aboo.” In the usual high-flown language of the early Victorian age the author explains the reason for writing this account, and that is that as far as he is aware that, whereas the history of the outbreak in almost every other part of India and every station has appeared in print, no narrative has so far been written of the mutinies in Rajpootana. This book is to provide that missing link and it is a remarkable story. Another reason for writing it is to provide a personal account that may be referred to by historians in the distant future when they take on the task of writing a real history of the mutiny, its origins and outcome.