Tatya Tope, born on 16 February 1814, was a leader of the Indian Mutiny of 1857–58. Although he had no formal military training, he was probably the best and most effective of the rebels’ generals.
Tatya Tope was a Maratha Brahman in the service of the
former peshwa (ruler)
of the Maratha confederacy, Baji Rao, and of his adopted son Nana
Sahib, who was also prominent in the mutiny. He was present at Nana
Sahib’s massacre of the British colony in Kanpur; in early November 1857
he had taken command of the rebel forces of the state of Gwalior and
driven Gen. C.A. Windham into his entrenchments at Kanpur on November 27–28.
Tatya Tope was defeated by Sir Colin Campbell (later Baron Clyde) on
December 6 but remained at Kalpi, the scene of his defeat. In March 1858 he
moved to the relief of Jhansi, whose rani (queen) Lakshmi Bai was
besieged by British forces. Again defeated, he welcomed the escaping rani at
Kalpi and then made a successful dash to Gwalior on June 1. His forces were
broken up on June 19, but he continued resistance as a guerrilla fighter in the
jungle until he was betrayed the following April. He was tried and executed at Shivpuri.
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