The Black Hole of Calcutta: A ReconstructionA bare, low-ceilinged dungeon with two barred air-holes, the cell known as the Black Hole prison, in the British East India Company’s Fort William, was intended to hold at most a couple of prisoners. But on the terrible night of June 20, 1756, at the end of a four-day battle of astonishing ferocity which saw a vast Indian horde overwhelm the Fort’s defenders, 145 men and one woman were cruelly herded into the Black Hole. Only twenty-three survived the ten horriÞc hours till their release at dawn. |
Contents
Authors Note page | 17 |
The Years of Discontent | 23 |
The Last Days of Peace | 46 |
Copyright | |
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appeared arcade attack Avenue bastion Bengal Black Hole Black Town boat British budgerow Calcutta cannon Captain Hague Chandernagore Clayton command Company House Cossimbazar council chamber crowded dawn dead defenders deserted desperate Dodaldy Drake Dutch east battery east curtain East India Company enemy Ensign Europeans evacuation feet fighting fire force Fort William fought Frankland Fulta gaol garrison Gervas Bellamy Governor guards guns happened Hedleburgh Holwell Holwell's Hoogly Hoogly river hope hundred immediately Indians John Zephaniah Holwell June 11 Kissendass Lady Russell Leach Lebeaume Lieutenant Blagg lived Lushington Mackett Manningham Mapletoft Maratha Mary Carey Minchin Moors move Murshidabad muskets Nabob never night officers Omichand ordered parade-ground Perrin's Redoubt Peter Carey Piccard powder Prince George prisoners reached realized refugees refused retreat Roy Doolub seemed ships shot siege Siraj-Uddaula soldiers St Jacques stood suddenly survivors took troops vessel waiting walls White Town William window Witherington wounded