Description

The Rani, alongside Tatya Tope and Nana Sahib, successfully captured the strategic fortress of Gwalior from the British-aligned Scindia ruler. However, the British counter-attacked swiftly.

On June 17, 1858, near Kotah-ki-Serai in Gwalior, Rani Lakshmi Bai fought her final battle. Dressed in a soldier’s uniform, she engaged in close-quarters combat against the 8th Hussars cavalry unit. Mortally wounded by a saber slash and a gunshot, she insisted that her body be cremated immediately by her followers so that the British could not capture it.

Even her adversary, Sir Hugh Rose, famously remarked on her fierce leadership, calling her:

"...the bravest and best military leader of the rebels.

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