Description
GENERAL SIR HUGH ROSE Autograph Letter Signed
British field Marshal. fought at the Battles of Alma and Inkerman. Commander of the Central Indian Field force in the Indian Mutiny. Defeated the Indian rebel armies at Jhansi, Lahore and Gwalior.
ALS. 3pp. No place, Thursday, no month or year. To Lady Hearsey.
"Pray accept my very sincere thanks for your kindness in inviting me to your house, when I was turned out of my own by the Ball [?]. Mr and Mrs [?] are going to share with me tomorrow. I should feel very happy if yourself and Miss Hearsey would do me the pleasure to meet them at 6 o'clock. With kind regards to Sir John Hearsey and hopes that he is progressing favourably. Kindly believe me, Yours very sincerely, H. Rose."
Bifolium. 8vo. Approx 19 x 12 cms. slight mounting traces to edge of verso of last leaf, else near fine.
A somewhat enigmatic letter which is not aided by General Rose's somewhat opaque handwriting. He is here writing to the wife of his fellow officer and campaigning friend, General Sir John Hearsey. Lieutenant-General Sir John Bennet Hearsey (1793-1865), 2nd Bengal Irregular Cavalry (Gardner's Horse) was one of the few Indian troop commanders that tried to take steps to diffuse the Indian Mutiny. Whilst commander at Barrackpore in 1857, Hearsey repeatedly sent warnings to the Governor-General that unrest was spreading amongst the sepoys but he was disregarded. Hearsey tried to assure the Indian soldiers that no attempt was being made to break their caste. At first they believed him but there then occurred the infamous incident of the greased rifle cartridges, involving Hearsey and the sepoy Mangel Pandey at Barrackpore. This was to be the spark that ignited the whole mutiny.
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