The Death and Life of An Irish Soldier. by Roger N. Buckley

Why would an Irish soldier, a white man, who seemingly had it all -- status, health, youth -- risk it all by volunteering for hard and life-threatening duty with a sepoy or Indian regiment in British India at time of mounting social and political turmoil in the sub-continent? That is exactly what Sergeant Daniel O'Connor does. Set against the background of India's first war of independence and Ireland's long struggle for freedom, O'Connor is faced with a moral service in a powerful institution that provides social prestige and authority but which is also the instrument of ruthless colonial oppression in Ireland and elsewhere. When Indian troops mutiny against British rule, O'Connor sees the rebellion as a kindred freedom movement that reminds him that his service in the British Army is a symbol of the defeated Irish. Joining the Indian rebels confronts O'Connor with a cruel death or a permanent exile, should he survive.