page_title: Massacre of Benares
section_title: Wazir Ali's insurrection
hierarchical_section_title: Massacre of Benares / Wazir Ali's insurrection
caption_attribution_description: English: Wazir Ali Khan (1780-1817)
context_page_description: The Massacre of Benares is the name given to the minor and unsuccessful insurrection of Wazir Ali Khan, deposed Nawab of Awadh, at Benares in northern India in 1799, in which five British East India Company officials and civilians were murdered. Wazir Ali's uprising resulted in his imprisonment for the remainder of his life.
context_section_description: The wisdom of requiring the deposed Wazir Ali to reside 'in the hallway of his own country' was called into question from the outset. The young Ali was far from satisfied with his lot, and indications before 1799, and evidence of later enquiries suggests he was plotting against the British and with a view to regaining his lost position. Nevertheless, it took until January 1799 before the British determined to require him to move to Calcutta. It fell to George Cherry, now resident at Benares, to manage Ali throughout 1798 and, when the Calcutta decision was made, to communicate it to him.
  Ali appears to have been informed of his fate in the early part of January 1799, and his all of remonstrances fell on the deaf ears of the British, in the form of Cherry. Appearing to acquiesce to the situation, he gave it out that he would relocate on the 15 or 16 January. On 13 January Cherry was informed that Ali would visit him the following morning, and on the 14th Ali appeared at breakfast time, leading a more-or-less normal 200-strong entourage. Cherry escorted Khan and three supporters into his house, where Ali took the opportunity to complain loudly about his lot, to assert promises broken by the British, and to blame Cherry for failing to look after his interests. Then, in what looked like a choreographed movement, an associate, Waris Ali, restrained the sitting Cherry from behind his seat, Wazir Ali Khan struck Cherry with his sword, and Cherry was further struck by others of Ali's party. Cherry managed to struggle out of the house, but was quickly killed. Two of Cherry's colleagues were also killed: his secretary, Mr. Evans, was stabbed, escaped outside, and was shot whilst seeking to flee; Captain Conway, who resided with Cherry, arrived at the property and was killed by Wazir Ali's attendants.
  Wazir Ali and entourage next sought to attack the Magistrate of Lucknow, Samuel Davis; on their way they came across a civilian, the unfortunate Mr. Robert Graham, and cut him to pieces. Davis got brief warning of the imminent danger when Ali's followers opened fire on Davis's sentries, and managed to get his family up onto the terraced roof of his property, which was reached from a narrow staircase ascending through the ceiling. He had not time to gather weapons beyond a pike, but over the course of 90 minutes managed to fend off attempts by Ali's followers to gain access to the roof by judicious jabbing of anyone getting within a pike's-length. Wazir Ali appears within this timescale to have decided to move on to the centre of Benares, and Davis's house was eventually cleared by members of his Indian police force together with sepoys. 
  As news of events spread, the European population of the town hid themselves away as best they could, but Wazir Ali and supporters had little time to make mischief - though they managed to kill a Mr. Hill, a European shop-keeper, and set fire to a number of properties - before a Cavalry detachment under General Erskine arrived in the town at about 11am. Ali, with supporters, retired towards his fortified house, not before the loss of one of Erskine's troopers, who falling from his horse was hacked to death. Further immediate annoyance from Ali was curtailed by the arrival of infantry troops, although his men wounded a number of soldiers before falling back to the shelter of the garden his house, which was promptly besieged by Erskine's soldiers. Some further casualties arose as troops sought to regain control of the town, including the deaths of two of Erskine's orderlies.
  Erskine now brought field artillery to bear on Ali's house, demolishing a defensive tower and doing other damage; but during the night of the 14–15 January, Ali, most of his horsemen and a number of foot soldiers escaped to the north. He spent the best part of a year hiding in forests on the slopes of the first rank of Himalayas to the north-east of Oudh, and unsettling the Gorakhpur area of Oudh. Ali's situation was bleak, not least his inability to forage sufficient resources to maintain his supporters, who faded away. Towards the
caption: Wazir Ali Khan
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