The army was reorganized to improve British surveillance. Afterwards, the British came to doubt the possibilities of a rapid social transformation and treated their Indian subjects with increasing suspicion. The events of 1857 marked a watershed in Indo-British relations. The vehemence of the civil rebellion reflected the anxieties of aristocracies and peasant communities at threats posed to them by aggressive policies of westernization, especially under Lord Dalhousie.

But eventually, for many reasons, the rebellion took an unexpected turn to start the Sepoy Mutiny. It is said that the rebellion started from Meerut on 10th May of the year 1857. The causes of the mutiny (by no means the first in British Indian military history) lay in attempts to impose British-style army discipline onto Indian warrior traditions-the celebrated issue of cartridges greased with animal fat being symptomatic of wider problems. This was the first massive rebellion fought for Indian Independence when masses united to rebel against the British Government in 1857. It took until December 1857 for Sir Colin Campbell's army to reoccupy the key strategic points along the Ganges valley and the last vestiges of armed resistance were not stamped out before the spring of 1859. Existing ‘loyalist’ forces were unable to quell the rebellion and reinforcements had to be called from China. revolt of 1857 in india causes leaders sepoy mutiny indian rebellion. It of helped in the course of the national struggle for freedom. Revolt of 1857 did establish local traditions of resistance to British rule. It encouraged a widespread civil revolt against the institutions of British rule. It brought out in the open grievances of people and the sepoys, which were seen to be genuine. The mutiny spread down the Ganges valley-to Agra, Cawnpore, and Lucknow-and into central India. On, sepoys of the Bengal army shot their British officers and marched on Delhi to restore the aged Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, to power. From the manuscript collections of the National Library of Scotland, this searchable online resource provides access to digital facsimiles of diaries and journals, official and private papers, letters, sketches, paintings and original Indian documents containing histories and literary works.

Mutiny of 1857