Central Indian campaign of 1858
The Gwalior Contingent remained largely inactive until October, when they were led to defeat at Cawnpore by Tantya Tope.
These defeats deprived the rebels of a substantial body of trained and experienced troops, and made the subsequent British campaign easier.
The Nawab of Banda, Ali Bahadur II, who induced several units of sepoys to join his service on the promise of loot, appears to have been particularly rapacious.
[1] One Mughal prince, Firoz Shah, attempted to lead an army into the Bombay Presidency to the south, but was defeated by a small force under the acting Commissioner for Central India, Sir Henry Durand.
Rose was initially opposed only by the various armed retainers and levied forces of the kings of allied princely states, whose equipment and efficiency were sometimes in doubt.
Rose assembled his forces at Madanpur then advanced towards Jhansi by two routes, each column capturing and destroying numerous forts.
[3]: 494 When the British forces finally arrived at Jhansi they found that the city was well defended and the fort had heavy guns which could fire over the town and nearby countryside.
"[5] Rose ignored instructions from the Commander in Chief to detach forces to assist two "loyal" Rajahs, and laid siege to Jhansi on 24 March.
At the height of the hottest and driest part of the year, the rebels set fire to the forests to delay British pursuit, but the blaze disrupted their own army.
Once again, the rebels attempted to fight in front of the city, and once again the British won a decisive although largely bloodless victory, at Kunch on 6 May.
This led to demoralisation and mutual recrimination among the rebels, but their morale recovered when the Nawab of Banda reinforced them with his troops.
The rebel leaders managed to rally some of their forces, and agreed on a plan to capture Gwalior from its ruler, Maharajah Scindia, who had continued to side with the British.
Rose had offered to remain in the field until his replacement arrived, and on 12 June, he recaptured Morar, in spite of the great heat and humidity.
Over the next two days, most rebels abandoned Gwalior while the British recaptured the city, although there was some desperate resistance before the fort fell.
In the East India Company's Army, no Indian soldier could attain a rank greater than that equivalent to a subaltern or senior warrant officer.
Most of the sepoys' officers were elderly men who had attained their rank through seniority while seeing little action and receiving no training as leaders.
The rebellion therefore depended on charismatic leaders such as Tatya Tope and Rani Lakshmi Bai, who nevertheless were regarded with jealousy and animosity by many other princes.
Units awarded this honour were: The Indian Mutiny Medal with Central India clasp was awarded for service in Central India January - June 1858, to all those who served under Major-General Sir Hugh Rose in actions against Jhansi, Kalpi, and Gwalior.
