William Stephen Raikes Hodson
William Stephen Raikes Hodson (19 March 1821 – 11 March 1858) was a British leader of irregular light cavalry during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, commonly referred to as the Indian Mutiny or the Sepoy Mutiny. He was known as "Hodson of Hodson's Ho
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William Stephen Raikes Hodson (19 March 1821 – 11 March 1858) was a British leader of irregular light cavalry during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, commonly referred to as the Indian Mutiny or the Sepoy Mutiny. He was known as "Hodson of Hodson's Horse".
His most celebrated action was to apprehend Bahadur Shah II, the king of Delhi (also referred to as emperor of India). The following day he rode to the enemy camp, heavily outnumbered by the rebels, and demanded the surrender of the Mughal princes who were leading the rebellion around Delhi and subsequently shot his prisoners.[1]
Hodson's career received praise from a number of senior military commanders, such as General Hugh Gough,[2] but there were dissenting voices from other members of the military. There were also politicians who felt the killing of Mughal princes by Hodson had been 'dishonourable'.[3] However, Hodson's career received praise from more senior politicians including the prime minister and the secretary of state for India.
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