A month later, on 30th June, the rebels launched a fresh attack from the north of Lucknow. Upon learning this, Lawrence led an expedition to meet them. A lack of food and water, along with the defection of some sepoys to the rebel side necessitated British withdrawal to the Residency, where a siege now began. The rebels attempted to storm the defences of the Residency in the early weeks of the siege, but a lack of unified command made coordination among them difficult. They suffered significant losses, as did the defenders; Henry Lawrence succumbed to a fatal wound from a shell. Many civilians, including British women and children, lost their lives.

The First Relief of Lucknow after an 87-day siege was brought by Henry Havelock and Sir James Outram. Originally, Outram had intended to swiftly evacuate the Residency, but this plan was given up for two reasons: firstly, Outram discovered a large stock of supplies underneath the Residency, sufficient to sustain the garrison for two months; and secondly, his forces had incurred heavy casualties during their final advance, making it impossible to withdraw all the sick, wounded and noncombatants. Once Outram received reinforcements, he destroyed all houses overlooking the Residency from where rebel snipers could target the British garrison. Despite his best attempts, however, the rebels remained close, making communication outside the Residency very difficult.

The Second Relief of Lucknow, beginning on 14th November, was provided by Sir Colin Campbell, the new Commander-in-Chief in India, who left England in July 1857 to take command of the Bengal army. Campbell’s strategic advance to Lucknow was geared at withdrawing the garrison from the city. His forces progressed rapidly from Alambagh to Dilkusha Park and Le Martiniere, which were brought under British control.