General Neill K.C.B.

General Neill (KCB) was born in Ayrshire in 1810 amd educated at Ayr Academy. He became a hero of the Indian Mutiny when he led the British to victory at Cawmpore in 1857. He was later promoted to Brigadier General.   The Indian Mutiny lasted for 13 months: from the rising of Meerut on 10th May 1857 to the fall of Gwalior on 20th June 1858. The rebels included many Indian civilians and landlords penalised under the new British ways. The mutiny was to bring many casualties on both sides, especially to women and children. Cawmpore is recorded as one of the most awful massacres in the history of this war. This is considered by some to be India's first War of Independence. This period in India's history brought the end of many Hindu traditions and the massacre of countless civilians as the British attempted to conquer the Indian states in the name of British Empire. The reality of this British 'victory' was extremely harsh and the traditional culture of Indian Society at the time was changed forever.