The message from Narayan Rao, which had caused the British troops to be summoned from their Church Parade during the reading of the Lesson by General Havelock, had stated that Bithur was denuded of rebels, the palace abandoned and unguarded, and the Nana dead by his own hand. This—although, as the son of the late Peishwa’s dewan, Narayan Rao’s loyalty to the British cause was open to doubt—appeared at first sight to be the truth. The palace had been plundered of virtually everything of value save for sixteen serviceable brass guns and, after giving instructions for the guns to be hitched to bullock teams and sent back to Cawnpore, the officer commanding the detachment, Major Lionel Stephenson, ordered his Fusiliers to burn down the Nana’s residence. Returning from a tour of inspection with two other officers of the Volunteer Cavalry, Alexander Sheridan reined in his horse to watch, with oddly conflicting emotions, as the “Blue Caps” went about their business and smoke and flames began to rise from one after another of the pink- and white-washed stone buildings.
What do You think about The Cannons Of Lucknow (2003)?
