Vellore Mutiny facts for kids
Pillar at Hazrath Makkaan Junction commemorating the Vellore sepoy mutiny.
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| Date | 10 July 1806 |
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| Duration | 1 day |
| Location | Vellore Fort Vellore, Madras Presidency, Company Raj |
| Type | Mutiny |
| Casualties | |
| Indian rebel sepoys: 100 summarily executed. Total 350 sepoys killed, 350 wounded. | |
| British officers of sepoy regiments: 14 | |
| British soldiers of 69th Regiment: 115 | |
The Vellore Mutiny, also known as the Vellore Revolution, happened on July 10, 1806. It was the first major uprising by Indian soldiers, called sepoys, against the East India Company. This event happened 50 years before the bigger Indian Rebellion of 1857. The revolt took place in Vellore, India, and lasted for one day. The mutineers took control of the Vellore Fort and killed or injured about 200 British soldiers. British cavalry and artillery from Arcot quickly stopped the mutiny. Around 350 mutineers died, with about 100 being executed right after the revolt was put down. More faced formal trials later.
Contents
Why the Mutiny Happened
The main reasons for the mutiny were changes to the sepoys' uniforms and appearance. These new rules were introduced in November 1805.
New Dress Code Rules
Hindu soldiers were told not to wear their religious marks on their foreheads while on duty. Muslim soldiers had to shave their beards and trim their moustaches. Also, General Sir John Craddock, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army, ordered soldiers to wear a new round hat. This hat looked like what Europeans wore and what Indian converts to Christianity wore. The new hat had a leather badge and was meant to replace their old turbans, which were thought to be unsuitable.
These changes upset both Hindu and Muslim sepoys. A military board had warned earlier that any changes to sepoy uniforms should be handled with great care. The new rules were meant to make the soldiers look more "soldierly." However, they caused strong anger among the Indian soldiers.
Protests and Punishments
In May 1806, some sepoys protested the new rules. They were sent to Fort Saint George (now Chennai). Two of them, one Hindu and one Muslim, were given 90 lashes each and kicked out of the army. Nineteen other sepoys were sentenced to 50 lashes each, but they were later pardoned by the East India Company.
Role of Tipu Sultan's Sons
Besides the uniform issues, the rebellion was also encouraged by the sons of Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan was a ruler who had been defeated by the British. His sons had been held at Vellore since 1799. Tipu's wives and sons, along with many of their helpers, lived in a palace inside the large Vellore Fort complex. They received money from the East India Company.
One of Tipu Sultan's daughters was getting married on July 9, 1806. The people planning the uprising gathered at the fort, pretending to attend the wedding. It's not fully clear what the civilian plotters wanted to achieve. But by taking over the fort, they might have hoped to start a bigger uprising in the area that used to be Tipu Sultan's kingdom. However, Tipu's sons were not eager to lead the mutiny once it began.
The Mutiny Begins
In July 1806, the Vellore Fort had four companies of British infantry from the H.M. 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot. It also had three battalions of Madras infantry: the 1st/1st, 2nd/1st, and 2nd/23rd Madras Native Infantry. Usually, sepoys with families in Vellore lived in huts outside the fort walls. But a training day was planned for the Madras units on July 10. This meant most sepoys had to sleep inside the fort that night so they could gather quickly before dawn.
Attack on the Fort
Two hours after midnight on July 10, the sepoys attacked. They killed fourteen of their own officers and 115 men from the 69th Regiment. Most of the British soldiers were killed while they slept in their barracks. Colonel St. John Fancourt, the fort's commander, was among those killed. By dawn, the rebels had taken control of the fort. They raised the flag of the Mysore Sultanate over the fort. Helpers of Tipu's second son, Fateh Hyder, came out of the palace and joined the mutineers.
British Response
However, a British officer named Major Coopes was outside the fort walls that night. He was able to warn the British forces in Arcot. Nine hours after the mutiny started, a relief force arrived from Arcot. This force included the British 19th Light Dragoons, fast-moving galloper guns, and a squadron of the 3rd Regiment of Madras Native Cavalry. They rode about 16 miles (26 km) in roughly two hours.
The force was led by Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie, who was a very skilled officer. He reportedly left Arcot within 15 minutes of hearing the alarm. Gillespie rode ahead of the main force with about twenty men.
Recapturing the Fort
When Gillespie arrived at Vellore, he found the remaining Europeans. About sixty men of the 69th, led by non-commissioned officers and two assistant surgeons, were still holding part of the fort walls but were out of ammunition. Gillespie could not get in through the main gate. So, he climbed the wall using a rope and a sergeant's sash that was lowered to him. To buy time, he led the 69th in a bayonet charge along the walls.
When the rest of the 19th Light Dragoons arrived, Gillespie had them use their galloper guns to blow open the gates. He then led a second charge with the 69th to clear a space inside the entrance for the cavalry to enter. The Light Dragoons and the Madras Cavalry then charged, fighting any sepoy who resisted. About 100 sepoys who had hidden inside the palace were brought out. By Gillespie's order, they were lined up against a wall and shot.
This quick and strong response stopped any further unrest immediately. Nearly 350 rebels were killed, and about the same number were wounded before the fighting ended. The sepoys who survived scattered into the countryside outside the fort. Many were caught by local police. Some were later released, while others were sent back to Vellore for trials.
What Happened Next
After formal trials, six mutineers were executed by being blown from cannons. Five were shot by a firing squad, eight were hanged, and five were sent away to another place as punishment. The three Madras battalions involved in the mutiny were all officially closed down.
The senior British officers responsible for the uniform rules were sent back to England. This included John Craddock, the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army. The company even refused to pay for his trip. The orders about the new round hats were also cancelled.
After the mutiny, the royal family members who were held in Vellore Fort were moved to Calcutta. The Governor of Madras, William Bentinck, was also called back to England. The East India Company's directors regretted that "greater care and caution had not been exercised" before forcing the new uniform rules. The controversial interference with the sepoys' social and religious customs was also stopped.
Similarities to the 1857 Rebellion
There are some similarities between the Vellore Mutiny and the Indian Rebellion of 1857, though the 1857 rebellion was much larger. In 1857, the sepoys tried to bring back Mughal rule by making Bahadur Shah the Emperor of India again. In the same way, the Vellore mutineers, almost 50 years earlier, tried to give power back to Tipu Sultan's sons. In both uprisings, a lack of respect for sepoy religious and cultural practices (like the leather hats and greased cartridges) was a factor. The events of 1857 led the British crown to take over the East India Company's property and duties in India through the Government of India Act 1858. This act completely ended the East India Company's rule.
The only surviving eyewitness account of the mutiny's outbreak is from Amelia Farrer, Lady Fancourt. She was the wife of St. John Fancourt, the fort's commander. Her written account, made two weeks after the attack, describes how she and her children survived while her husband died.
In Literature
- The English poet Sir Henry Newbolt wrote a poem called "Gillespie" about the Vellore mutiny.
- The novel Strangers in the Land (1976) by George Shipway focuses on the Vellore mutiny. It tells the story from the viewpoints of both British and Indian people involved.
See also
- Barrackpore mutiny of 1824
- Indian independence movement
- Rani Velu Nachiyar
