Sir Hugh Massy Wheeler KCB (30 June 1789 – 1857) was a Major General in the British Army stationed in India, who successfully commanded a military force of 4,500 British and Indian soldiers (known as Sepoys), in the First Anglo-Sikh War, as well as the battles of Mudki (Moodkee), Ferozeshah, and Aliwal.
In 1850, Wheeler took command of Cawnpore (now Kanpur) in India. While the command of the government and military forces fell under the rule of the British, 96 percent of Wheeler's army of 300,000 soldiers consisted of men that were native to India. In 1857, India asserted their First War of Independence, during which Wheeler, as Major General, notably led British forces at the Siege of Cawnpore.[1]
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Hugh Wheeler was born 30 June 1789 at Ballywire, County Limerick, Ireland. He was the son of Captain Hugh Wheeler of the Indian army and Hon Margaret Massy.[2] He was schooled at Richmond, Surrey and at Bath Grammar.[2] He married Francis Oliver née Marsden 1842. Together, they had nine children:
In 1803, Wheeler joined the military branch of the East India Company and received his first commission in the Bengal Infantry.[2] The following year, he marched under the leadership of Lord Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake, against Delhi. Having risen steadily through the ranks, he became colonel of the 48th Bengal Native Infantry, which was part of the organisation of the British Colonial Army. He was appointed first-class brigadier, in command of the field forces.[3]
In early December 1845, previous to the hard-fought Mudki (Moodkee) and the Battle of Ferozeshah, Wheeler commanded a military force of 4,500 men and 21 guns during the First Anglo-Sikh War. The majority of the men under his rule were Indian soldiers, or Sepoys. Wheeler commanded and protected the village of Bussean, where the military depot storehouse had been established for the armies under the command of Sir Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge; Sir Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough; and Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet of Aliwal. The successful containment at Bussean contributed to the victory overall, resulting in temporarily driving the Sikhs from the rest of their fortifications.
Over the months of December 1845 and January 1846, the Sikh and British Armies rallied and retreated numerous times, culminating in the Battle of Aliwal on 28 January 1846, during which, Brigadier-General Wheeler commanded a distinguished part in the battle. This victory effectively broke the Sikh army.[3]
In October 1848, Wheeler successfully conquered the Sikh armies at the fortress of Rungur Nuggul (modern name: Rangar Nangal), which was a small village of Punjab, India. The defeat of the Punjabi resulted in the loss of one soldier under Wheeler's command. Wheeler's military prowess and expertise as evidenced through this conquest earned the respect and approval of Lord Gough, then Commander-in-Chief of the British forces, who formally congratulated Wheeler. Gough's official statement confirmed that, in his opinion, the military success of the operations under the command of Wheeler was "entirely to be ascribed to the soldier-like and judicious arrangements of that gallant officer."[3]
For his service at Rungur Nuggul, Wheeler received the Order of the Dooranee Empire and was appointed one of the personal assistants to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In November 1848, a military directive addressed to the Governor-General, Lord Gough stated that he "has directed the Adjutant-General to convey to Brigadier-General Wheeler his hearty thanks for the important services which he and the brave troops under his command have rendered in the reduction of the fortress of Kullalwalhah," again with the loss of only one man killed and five wounded.[3]
On 30 January 1849, a dispatch was received from the Adjutant-General at the Camp before Chillianwallah, to the Governor-General stated that "Brigadier Wheeler, in command of the Punjab division and of the Jullundur field force, assaulted and captured the heights of Dulla in the course of his operations against the rebel Ram Singh, in spite of the utmost difficulties."[3]
In the general military order issued by Sir Walter Gilbert, KCB, upon receiving the announcement of the end of hostilities in the Punjab, the Governor-General expressed high praise of Wheeler stating, "Brigadier-General Wheeler, C. B., has executed the several duties which have been committed to him with great skill and success, and the Governor-General has been happy in being able to convey to him his thanks thus publicly."[3]
In 1850, after having received widespread recognition and appreciation by the Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief for his valuable service in the Sikh campaigns and in the conquest of the Punjab, he was made a Knight Commander in the Order of the Bath (KCB). The Indian action seen during the war in the Punjab clearly confirm that the honours conferred upon Wheeler were valiantly deserved. In 1854, he attained the rank of Major General. From that point forward, he held command of the district of Cawnpore.[3]
When Wheeler took command of Cawnpore (now Kanpur) in India, the country had been divided, consisted of hundreds of independent states, with the British ruling less than half of the country, leaving the British East India Company in charge. While the command of the government and military forces fell under the rule of the British, 96 percent of Wheeler's army of 300,000 soldiers (or Sepoys), consisted of men that were native to India. The Indian soldiers were crucial in securing the subcontinent for the British East India Company.[4]
India's government and military rule was motivated by commerce. Great Britain's manufacturers were receiving raw cotton from India, while the British were exporting manufactured goods in return. One tenth of Britain's exported manufactured goods were being shipped to India. The British East India Company, acting as the government in India, was paying the expense of troops to defend their commercial interests, saving the budget-conscious British government this expense.
The commercial monopoly and absolute rule of the British East India Company effectively rendered India's historical royal house and princely rulers to mere puppets of the East India Company. If an Indian prince or member of the royal house failed to cooperate with the company, the absolute rule could arbitrarily dispose of him and annex his territory, removing him from power using the Indian troops (Sepoys) employed by Major General Wheeler. For many years, bitterness and resentment of continued British encroachment festered among the native citizens of India.
On 10 May 1857, there was widespread mutiny among the Indian soldiers of the Bengal Army, resulting in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion is known as India's First War of Independence.
When the mutiny of the Indian soldiers had spread over the country around the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Major General Wheeler, with a small body of soldiers, some civilians, with their wives and children, fortified themselves against the ensuing Indian rebels. Wheeler tried to lessen the possibility of an Indian Rebellion at Cawnpore by sending his Sepoys away from his men "on missions" to the cantonment town of Fatehgarh in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. This failed, and the rebellion started.
On 5 June 1857, Wheeler received a message from Nana Sahib, who was the leader of the Rebels, that announced an anticipated attack from Sahib's men the following day at 10:00 a.m. The message received from Sahib came as a surprise. Wheeler was not expecting the Sahib-led rebels to attack him at Cawnpore. Wheeler rationalised that he was not only a veteran and respected soldier, but also married to a high-caste Indian woman. He relied on his own prestige, and his friendly relations with Sahib[5] to defer overt rebellion. Under these assumptions, Wheeler took comparatively few measures to secure refuge for his family and the women and children that relied on him for protection. Sahib's announcement offered little time to prepare fortifications and gather sufficient supplies and ammunition to survive the impending battle.
The Indians arrived at 10:30 a.m. on the expected day. Wheeler found himself under siege by 4,000 Rebels led by Sahib. The Indian soldiers that had previously been under the command of Major General Wheeler rebelled and overtook the European fort.
When the mutiny broke out, it was generally believed that, whoever else might fail, Wheeler would be equal to the occasion. Although he was considerably older than when he successfully commanded earlier military conquests, Wheeler maintained his physical strength and vigour, as well as his intellect and military instinct. He had proven himself on many hard-fought fields to be a brave and determined soldier. He was known to be acquainted with the character and to possess the confidence of the Sepoys to a special degree. In one respect, he stood out from the crowd of British officers. He realised that while it would be desirous that his men remain faithful, in all likelihood, they would prove themselves as traitors.[6]
Wheeler led his men in a sharp defence for over three weeks. Even though ill-prepared, he managed to hold off several Indian assaults. They made a valiant effort resisting the violent advances of their former comrades turned traitors, who, under the command of Sahib, surrounded the town in large numbers. By 21 June, the British lost one third of their army. Wheeler kept in contact with Henry Lawrence in Lucknow, seeking military reinforcements.[7] However, Lawrence was also under siege. Wheeler's men were demoralised.
Wheeler endured three weeks of the Siege of Cawnpore with little water or food, suffering continuous casualties to men, women, and children. On 25 June, Sahib made an offer of safe passage to Allahabad. With the provisions of the garrison exhausted, and no hope of relief or reinforcements, Sir Hugh Wheeler agreed to the proposal made by Sahib, by which the garrison and their helpless charges were to be permitted to leave in boats, and to pass down the Ganges to Benares.[8]
Early in the morning of 27 June, with barely three days' food rations remaining, the European party left their fortress with their small arms and made their way to the Satichaura Ghat where boats provided by Sahib were waiting to take them to Allahabad. The actions of the mutineers during the attempt to leave, resulted in an all out bloody massacre. After hearing bugles from the banks, the Indians jumped off their boats into the river. As they jumped, gunfire opened up from concealed embankments, and flaming arrows were shot into the straw roof of the boats, setting some boats ablaze. The fugitives who survived death in the water were brought back on shore and summarily executed. Wheeler, along with all of his men, was killed on the river or re-captured and executed.
Several Indian soldiers who had remained loyal to Wheeler and the Company were removed by the mutineers and killed, for either their loyalty or their conversion to the Christian faith. A few injured British officers trailing the group of Europeans attempting to escape were apparently hacked to death by angry Sepoys.