The "Chibramau Disaster" and Hodson's Adventure

At the time of the 1857 uprising, old hostilities between the Raja of Mainpuri and the Nawab of Farrukhabad nearly led to open war, but after a face-off between their forces in Bewar in July, both forces joined hands against British rule. The Raja did not oppose a British armed unit led by Sir James Hope Grant when it marched through the district in October, but in December he heard that Brigadier Seaton was coming with a small force from Etah to join General Walpole at Mainpuri, and advanced to Kuraoli with the intention of barring the road. Seaton, however, easily outmaneuvered the local forces, and the rebels fled in disorder, losing eight guns and about a hundred men. It was after this action that the famous Hodson of Hodson's Horse in 1857-58 carried out one of his most daring exploits. Accompanied by his second-in-command, McDowell, and 75 men, he rode across a countryside swarming with rebels to carry despatches to the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Colin Campbell. He left most of his men at Bewar, but pushed on to Chibramau with McDowell and 25 native men. There he learnt that Campbell was not at Gursahaiganj as expected, but at Miran ki Sarai, 15 miles further. The two officers rode on alone and reached Campbell's camp in safety, having ridden 55 miles in ten hours without changing horses. On their return the same evening they were warned by a native, to whom Hodson had given alms in the morning, that after their departure a party of 2,000 rebels had entered Chhibramau, killed the twenty-five troopers left there, and were now waiting for Hodson's return. Hodson and his companion nevertheless pressed on and, reaching the village, dismounted and passed quietly through it, unnoticed by the enemy. At Bewar they found a party sent by Seaton, who had heard of the disaster, and next day marched to Chibramau himself, joining forces there with Brigadier Walpole on 3 January and proceeding with him to Fatehgarh. The civil authorities then reoccupied the district, and regained complete control late in 1858.^[3]