Unholy Rifles --
The Sepoy Rebellion *
- by TPO -
Tensions between the British East India Company and their Indian soldiers, the Sepoys, came to a head when the British introduced the Enfield Rifle. This new gun required soldiers to use their teeth to tear out expended gunpowder cartridges. Unfortunately for the Sepoys, the Enfield also required that the cartridges be lubricated with pork or beef fat. In India, a land of Hindus and Muslims and endless religious tensions, this proved problematic. Every Sepoy soldier faced a sacrilegious situation whenever it was time to reload.
By the time the British realized their mistake, it was too late. Word had already spread from the Sepoy soldiers to the Indian people, and the nation had erupted in widespread rebellion.
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* Source - Michael Hirshon (www.tumblr.com)
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