Sunday, April 6, 2014

Cawnpore Massacre


Rev. D. E. Campbell,
Maria Irvine Bigham, 
His Wife,
Fanny and William,
Their Children, 
Were Slain By The Sepoys,
At Cawnpore, India,
June A.D. 1857.

_____________

Rev. E.D. Campbell,
Only Survivor Of The Family,
From The Massacre At Cawnpore,
Died At Monmouth, Illinois, 
Aug. 15th A.D. 1885, Aged 32 Years,
Rev. v11 14th. 


     The bloody events that occurred in Cawnpore, India were a result of tumultuous relations between the British and native Indians. Nearly all of the men, women, and children who were situated in this town with The East India Company, which controlled trade relations with India, perished. The following newspaper article from the period states that Rev. Campbell and his family were acting with others as Presbyterian missionaries to the Indian people. Fanny and William Campbell were only 4 and 2 at the time of their deaths. The entire account is quite bloody and horrible...


Presumably, their final resting place is in India. On Wikipedia, it states that many of the bodies were thrown down a dry well after death, but this is disputable. The event gave fervor to the British in their treatment of Indians, with chants of "Remember Cawnpore!" being used in future clashes and battles. 

Their memorial is located in Oak Hill Cemetery in Millersburg, OH.