On 16 November 1857, the force of Sir Colin Campbell left their camps at the Dilkusha and the Martiniere and began their advance towards the Residency, in a direction the rebels were quite unprepared for. Having expected Sir Colin to use the same route as Havelock had, they had put together a serious and very impressive blockade for his welcome only to discover, he was in fact taking them in the rear instead, by advancing towards the Sikandar Bagh.

When they realised what he was up to they quickly stepped up to the plate and would give him a day to remember – by the end of the 16th, while Sir Colin had indeed met his objectives, he was still not in the Residency. On the 17th, the advance continued until a juncture could be formed between the Residency and Sir Colin’s force on the grounds of the Moti Mahal. The rebels, however, still held the immense palace of the Kaiser Bagh and now, quite aware of what he was up to, were determined to give Sir Colin a hard time.

The Lucknow VCs

The immense courage shown by Sir Colin’s men over the days it took him to capture not just those crucial positions at the Sikandar Bagh, the Shah Najaf and the 32nd Mess House to consolidate his retreat, and the days during the retreat itself, would remain unmatched in the annals of 1857.

As soon as Sir Colin had reached the Residency, it became horrifyingly clear to the garrison that the position they had so valiantly fought over would now be evacuated. His reasoning was sound – the Residency, after all, was a trap. Unless he wanted to continue the blockade, his best option was to abandon Lucknow for now and retreat to Cawnpore.

• The Residency Relieved