Univ. o? California THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE THE _WAR IN INDIA. DESPATCHES OK THE EIGHT HONOURABLE LT.-GEN. VISGT. HARDINGE, G.G.B., *El)e (£oticmoi;=(5cncral of SnDia; THE RIGHT HONOURABLE GENERAL LORD GOUGH, G.C.B., @ommanUcr=m=©lJUf ; MAJOR-GENERAL SIR HARRY SMITH, Bart., G.C.B., AND OTHER DOCUMENTS; COMPRISING THE ENGAGEMENTS OF MOODEEE, FEXtQZSSIIAK, ALIWAL, AND SOBRAON; WITH A MAP OF THE COUNTRY, AND SEVEN PLANS OF THE POSITIONS OF THE ARMY. jectonD icDttton. LONDON : JOHN OLLIVIER, 59, PALL MALL; AND ACKERMANN & Co., 96, STRAND. 1846. Vl/3 7 •OH, WTERJIATI3NA: ftELATt©** LONDON HIMI.I' i,V I. BRETTELL, BUPER1 .TKEE1 HAYMARKET. TABLE OF CONTENTS ,2 N ,-UR.OF INT.HGL Minute by the Governor-General of India The Governor-General to the Secret Committee The Governor-General to the Commander-in-Chief The Secretary to the Government of India, to the Governor-General's A The Political Agent to the Commander-in-Chief Despatch of the Governor-General of India The Political Agent to the Commander-in-Chief The Governor-General to the Secretary to the Government of India The Commander-in-Chief to the Agent to the Governor-General The Governor-General's Agent to the Secretary to Government The Agent to the Governor General to the Lahore Vakeel The Governor General to the Secret Committee Proclamation ..... Moodkee. The Cominauder-in-Chief to Governor -General Return of Killed and Wounded — Battle of Moodkee Ordnance captured do. : Ferozeshah. The Commander-in-Chief to the Governor-General Return of Killed and Wounded — Battle of Ferozeshah of Ordnance captured do The (ioveruor-General to Commander-in-Chief Major-General Sir John Littler to the Adjutant-General of the Ann) Gilbert to Commander-in-Chief Proclamation by the Governor-General of India Notification of the Governor-General General Orders of Governor-General \I.1WAL. ral Order of the Governor-General of India ommander-in-Chief to Governor-General Pag< 1 4 4 11 IS 6 17 19 Jl 22 23 as 28 37 in 16 49 49 56 61 62 lib till ! I 80 Major-General Smitli to tlie Adjutant-General of the Armj Return of Killed and Wounded— Battle of Aliwal Ordnance captured. .... Pencil Express written on the Field of Battle by Sir Harry Smith Sobkaox. The Governor-General to the Secret Committee Proclamation .... General Order by the Governor-General The Commander-in-Chief to Governor-General . Return of Killed and Wounded — Battle of Sobraon Proclamation .... Extract of a Letter from the Commander-in-Chief The Commander-in-Chiefs Letter quoted in the House of Commons by Sir Robert Peel General Order by the Governor- General The Government Secretary to the Governor-General The Commander-in-Chief to the Governor- General General Order by the Governor-General Government Notifications Nos. 1 to 3 Treaty between the British Government and the State of Lahore State Visit of the Governor-General to the Maharajah at Lahore Treaty between the British Government and Maharajah Gholab Singh Vote of Thanks to die Army in India — House of Lords House of Commons Speech of Sir Robert Peel .... Vote of Thanks of Parliament — Aliwal and Sobraon Extract of the Earl of Ripon's Speech Remarks of the Duke of Wellington . Extract of Sir Robert Peel's Speech Thanks of the East India Company to the Army in India Thanks of the Court of Common Council, London, to the Army in India; with the Freedom of the City, in Gold Boxes, value 100 guineas, to Vis- count Hardinge, Lord Gough, and Major-General Sir Harry Smith, Bart. Annuities granted to Viscount Hardinge and Lord Gough Services of Viscount Hardinge ...... of Lord Gough ....... Statistical Account of the General Actions in which Lord Gough commanded in chief ........ Returns of Her Majesty's regiments with the army of the Sutlej — their strength and casualties . ..... Page 85 95 97 98 99 105 108 nr> \ Ml ) 135 136 137 139 141 143 144 147 154 159 103 165 168 ib. 182 ib. 183 185 190 ib. 191 ib. 192 194 196 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. Minute by the Governor -General of India. June IQth, 1845. As the time has now arrived when preparations will require to be made for the journey of the Governor-General to the Upper Provinces, I consider it most advisable to consult my colleagues before any steps are taken to carry that intention into effect. Under ordinary circumstances I should have desired, on public grounds, to remain the next winter and summer at Calcutta, in order to have the advantage of the experience and advice of the Council, by which course the usual business of the Government can be transacted with more unity, regularity and general satis- faction than when the Governor-General is separated from his colleagues. On the other hand, it is clearly my duty to place myself in that position, as regards the exercise of my functions, by which I can most advantageously apply my exertions for the service of the State. In this, as in every other case, the real question for decision is, whether it is more for the public interests that I should this autumn proceed to the Upper Provinces, or remain at the usual seat of Government. Between my colleagues and myself there has always existed a most anxious desire, and perfect unison of opinion, that no efforts B WAR WITH THE SIKHS. or precautions should be spared to maintain a Sikh Government in the Punjaub as long as it may be possible. To carry the pacific policy of the Government of India into effect, we have been content to suffer great inconvenience, con- siderable expense, and some risk, necessarily caused by the pre- sence of a large disorganised Sikh force on the frontier, requiring, on our part, an army to be assembled for the protection of our frontier, and in close contact with that of the Sikhs ; I need not enter into the consideration of the various questions of solicitude which are involved, in the proximity of a Sikh army, in a suc- cessful state of mutiny, so close upon our frontier. We have never relinquished the hope that some amelioration may eventually take place, affording the prospect of the re- establishment of a Sikh Government, able to carry on its ordinary functions. We have never abandoned the expectation that, after anarchy and military violence have long prevailed, these disorders, having reached their maturity, might subside, worn out and exhausted by their own virulence ; or that some man of superior capacity and master mind might appear amongst them, able to control this mutinous army, and to re-construct a strong Sikh Government. I must confess that these hopes have not been strengthened by recent events ; and now that we can, at this season, when all military operations are nearly suspended, deliberately review the political and military condition of the Punjaub, I can arrive at no other conclusion than that the state of our relations with that country has become more critical than it has been at any time since Rajah Heera Singh's death. When the finances of the State shall be found to be insufficient to pay the troops, a state of things may arise at any moment requiring the instant decision of the highest authority on the spot. The instructions which we may send from Calcutta may be very proper, and applicable to the state of things which may have happened on the frontier ten days before, when the report was WAR WITH THE SIKHS. • > made; and may, when the instructions are received, twenty days after the event, be totally inapplicable. In ordinary transactions this is an inconvenience, but in the state of the Punjaub it is positively dangerous. I have a firm conviction that the chances of preserving peace will be diminished by the powerless state in which the Govern- ment would be placed, by not being able to act with decision and promptitude, and that opportunities would be lost of effecting some good, and of preventing much mischief, if in the state of the Punjaub the responsible authority of the Government remains more than 1,000 miles off, at the other extremity of Bengal; it appears to me, therefore, to be expedient, as a means of averting risk, and of carrying our policy more securely into effect, that the Governor-General should, in the month of October next, proceed to the Upper Provinces, and that the authority should be entrusted to him with which the law enables the Council to invest him, when separated from his colleagues. Having given my decided opinion that, under existing circum- stances, it will be the duty of the Governor-General to proceed to the Upper Provinces in the autumn, I have to request the attention of my colleagues to this subject, at their earliest con- venience. H. Hardinge. I concur, T. H. Maddock. I concur, F. Millett. I concur, Geo. Pollock. As the separation of the Governor-General from the Council requires the sanction of a law, I presume it is proper that I should record my opinion upon the proposition. I concur, C. H. Cameron. 4 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. The Governor- General to the Secret Committee. On the River Ganges, off Monghyr, 30 September, 1845. The forbearance of the Government of India has been carried to an extent beyond that which has been customary. Every military precaution has, however, been taken ; advice and warnings have been repeatedly conveyed to the Lahore Govern- ment in the plainest language ; even the risk of giving offence by such language has been incurred, rather than fail in the essential point of clearly defining the nature of our policy, and of having that policy well understood. I am convinced that our desire to see the Maha Rajah's government re-established on a basis of independence and strength, is well known to the most influential and leading chiefs. Their personal interests, endangered by the democratic revolution, so successfully accomplished by the Sikh army, may induce those chiefs to exert all their efforts to compel the British Government to interfere ; but these attempts, and any danger resulting from them, will be attributable, not to our forbearance, but to their personal fears for life and property. You may be assured that, whilst I shall omit no precautions, and be prepared for any event, I shall persevere in the direct course I have hitherto pursued, of endeavouring, by moderation, good faith, and friendly advice, to avert the necessity of British interference by force of arms in the affairs of the Punjaub. The Governor- General to the Commander-in- Chief. Agra, October 24, 1845. I have the honour to inform your Excellency that, on or before the 12th of November arrangements will have been made, by which the commissariat department will be prepared to equip nearly two-thirds of the force at, and in advance of, Meerut, with the necessary means of marching at the shortest notice. The extent to which it may be expedient to be prepared with WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 5 this description of equipment must always be dependent on con- tingent events, which fluctuate, in an unsettled Government like that of Lahore, in a manner which defies all ordinary calculations of probable results. In the present state of our relations with the Lahore Govern- ment, your Excellency is aware that I do not anticipate the pro- bability of any emergencies arising which can require the army, under your Excellency's orders, to take the field this autumn. Nevertheless, having to deal with a mutinous Sikh army, which has usurped the functions of the Government, and whose caprice may, at any time, force on a rupture with our forces on the frontier, I have deemed it advisable to be prepared with the means of movement to the extent noted in the * 7 Troops of Horse Artillery . margin*; and as it is desirable that 6 Companies Foot Artillery. 4 Light Field Batteries. the arrangement should be made on 2 Regiments of Dragoons. ,, , , ., , 1 3 Regiments of Light Cavalry. the most economical Scale, the whole 5 Regiments European Infantry. will be hired at the halting rates. ^ J^S™* j? ative ^try. o o Companies Sappers & Miners. If, as I expect, the tone of the La- 2 Regiments Irregular Cavalry. hore Durbar should continue to be more friendly, as has been the case since Sirdar Jowahir Singh's death, I shall be anxious, accord- ing to events, gradually to diminish the scale of the present pre- paration, which, as before, is strictly of a defensive character. No provision has been made for the baggage animals of the European officers, according to the decision of the Government of India last year. The number required would probably exceed 1,200 camels. Lieutenant-Colonel Parsons, the Deputy Commissary-General, will be instructed to communicate with your Excellency on this subject, and will postpone his usual tour of inspection for one month. (j WAR WITH THE SIKHS. The Despatch of the Governor- General of India to the Secret Committee of the East India Company. Camp, Umballa, December 2, 1845. I left Delhi on the 19th ultimo, [November,] making the usual marches towards Kurnaul and Umballa, with the intention of meeting the Commander-in-Chief at the latter place, who was on his way to inspect the troops at Meerut, Delhi, and other districts. On the 22nd November I received from Major Broadfoot the official despatch dated the 20th November*, detailing the sudden intention of the Sikh army to advance in force to the frontier, for the avowed purpose of invading the British territories. The letter of the 20th was succeeded by a private communi- cation of the following day # , stating the same facts, and inclosing news, letters, and papers of intelligence received from Lahore, which professed to give an account of the circumstances which have led to the present movement, and which would appear (if these papers are to be depended upon) to have originated with the Ranee and certain of the Sirdars, who felt the pressure of the demands of the army to be so urgent, and its present attitude and temper so perilous to their existence, that they desired to turn the thoughts of the troops to the objects which might divert their attention from making extortionate demands for higher pay, by employing their energies in hostile operations against the British Government. The precautions already adopted to provide against the possi- bility of our forces being unprepared to meet any movement of the Sikh army this season, and the arrangements made by the Commander-in-Chief, on the receipt of Major Broadfoot's intelli- gence*, rendered it, in my opinion, unnecessary to allow these reports of invasion to make any change in my movements. I arrived on the 26th at Kurnaul, where the Commander-in-Chief met me, having proceeded from Umballa by dak, returning to his camp the same evening ; on the same day I was also joined by Major Broadfoot. * The despatches here alluded to follow this of the Governor-General, see pp. IT im<\ 32. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 7 I had the satisfaction of concurring in all the orders which his Excellency had given, to hold the troops in readiness to move at the shortest notice, and in the instructions which he had sent to the officers in command of the stations at Ferozepore and Loo- diana. The force at the former post consists of one European regiment, seven regiments of native infantry, two regiments of native cavalry, and twenty-four field guns, exclusive of heavy ordnance. The force at Loodiana consists of one regiment of Europeans, five regiments of native infantry, one regiment of native cavalry, and two troops of horse artillery. After a full and satisfactory consultation with his Excellency, and taking into consideration the improbability of the Sikh army crossing the Sutlej, I determined that no movement should be made towards the river by the forces from Umballa and Meerut, and I postponed, for further consideration with his Excellency, any change in the present distribution of the troops; eventually some alterations will be made, which, when they have been finallv determined upon between me and the Commander-in-Chief, will be reported to you. At the present moment his Excellency coincides with me that no forward movement is required. In the midst of much hesitation and irresolution, the enter- prise ordered by the Sikh Government does not appear to have been formally abandoned ; the intelligence received by Major Broadfoot*, on the day of his joining my camp showed that the three brigades of the Sikh force had actually left Lahore a few miles in advance, to be followed the next morning by three other brigades, including one of artillery. This was on the 24th ultimo. The intelligence received from that date has been communicated to me by Major Broadfoot each day, as it arrives. It is said they intend, in reply to Major Broadfoot's remon- strance, to allege that the fact of our having collected so large a force, with all the munitions of war, on the frontier, is the cause of the concentration of their forces on the Sutlej ; that they * The despatches here alluded to follow this of the Governor-General, see p. 17. 8 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. intend to demand the reasons of our preparations ; to insist on the surrender to the Lahore Government of the treasure which belonged to the late Rajah Soocheyt Singh ; the restoration by the Rajah of Nabba of the village of Mowran, escheated by the Rajah, and the escheat confirmed by us ; and henceforth the free pas- sage of their troops into the Lahore possessions on this side the Sutlej. I need only remark, on the first and most essential point, that the Sikh army did, in the beginning of last January, prepare to move to the Sutlej. The political agent remonstrated, and the troops were withdrawn : the reason then assigned for the move- ment being the same as that now intended to be brought forward, namely, the state of our military preparations on the frontier. The Governor-General in Council, in a despatch to Major Broad- foot of the 25th January, 1845 # , entered into very full explana- tions, which were conveyed to the Lahore Vakeel. The Government of India, through its political agent, has more than once complained of the inconvenience and expense of being obliged to retain so large a British force on the frontier, in consequence of the ungovernable misconduct of the Sikh army — a fact well known and never contradicted by the Lahore Govern- ment. As regards the past, it is clear that no cause of complaint has been given by the Government of India. If it should be asserted that our military preparations this autumn have given offence, the assertion is equally unfounded, and is a mere pretext for hostile proceedings which have originated in the political weak- ness and the internal dissensions of the Lahore Government, and, above all, in their desire to be released, on any terms, from the terror which the ferocity of their own troops has inspired. The proof is to be found in the fact that, at the time these dis- orderly movements commenced, no additional British troops had reached our frontier stations. The additional regiment of native infantry, destined for the reinforcement of Ferozepore, had not * This despatch follows next in this collection, p. 11. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. arrived. At Loodiana, one of the two regiments of native cavalry had actually marched for Scinde before it was relieved, leaving that post, as it is at present, with one regiment, instead of the usual complement of two regiments of cavalry. At the other stations no alteration had been made, and the troops which had marched were peaceably engaged in completing the annual reliefs, according to custom at this season. I have given these details to show the hollow pretences of such assertions, if they should be made. I do not believe that this alleged grievance, or any of the other demands, will be made, or if made, that they will be pressed; but I need not say that they will and must be resisted. Such is the state of affairs at the present moment, and, al- though my conviction is strong that the Sikh army will be deterred from acts of aggression, on account of the state of our military preparation, yet it is by no means impossible that we may be forced at any moment into war, and that operations, on a very extended scale, may be immediately necessary. For this alternative I have made all preparations. Orders will be despatched to bring up, from stations in the rear of Meerut, the additional forces noted in the margin*, which, with the concurrence of the Commander-in-Chief, will be cantoned, with the exception of the European artillery, at or near Kimnia, twenty-eight miles from Loodiana, and ten miles in advance of Sirhind. This intention will not be divulged at the present moment, pending events at Lahore ; and no step will be taken calculated to excite alarm which in prudence can be dispensed with. The commissariat arrangements are nearly complete, on a scale adapted for defensive purposes, enabling the forces to march in any direction at the shortest notice. My views and measures will be anxiously directed to avoid a recourse to arms, as long as it may be possible. On this point my determination is fixed. At the same time it is very apparent, * Four companies of European artillery, from Cawnpore; one troop of European horse artillery, four regiments of native cavalry, live ditto native infantry. 10 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. from the general aspect of affairs, that the period is fast approach- ing when further changes will take place at Lahore, and that the weak government of the Regent will be subverted by the violence of the troops, instigated by the intrigues of the party favourable to Rajah Gholab Singh. Up to the present hour, no act of open hostility has been committed. I shall not consider the march of the Sikh troops in hostile array towards the banks of the Sutlej, as a cause justifying hos- tilities, if no actual violation of our frontier should occur. The same privilege which we take to adopt precautionary measures on our side must be conceded to them. Every forbearance shall be shown to a weak Government, struggling for assistance against its own soldiers in a state of successful mutiny. I have no cause to doubt the loyalty of our admirable native army, but I have every reason to believe that endeavours have been systematically made, on a very extensive scale, to tamper with them ; that promises of promotion and reward have been lavishly made ; and that their religious prejudices have been forcibly appealed to. Some chiefs of influence on this side, and with estates on both sides of the river, are anxious to come forward to prove them- selves unconnected with the present movement against us, and to evince their adherence to our interests. The answer I have desired may be given to them is, that we do not anticipate that the Sikhs will proceed to unprovoked hostilities; but that, should such be the case, the parties who have estates on our side the Sutlej, and prove by their conduct their true adherence to the British Government, will be protected from any consequences to which such conduct might render them liable on account of their position in the Punjaub. I have every reason to be satisfied with the ability, energy, and sound judgment displayed by Major Broadfoot in the course of these proceedings. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 1 1 Letter referred to in the despatch of the Governor-General, dated December 2, 1845 : — ■ The Secretary to the Government of India to the Governor- GeneraVs Agent. Fort William, 2~)th January, 1845. Sir, I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of the copy of your letter of the 15th instant*, addressed to the Commander-in- Chief, on the subject of the alarms which prevailed at Lahore when you wrote, and the movement of troops towards the Sutlej, in consequence of certain rumours of orders alleged to have been issued by the Commander-in-Chief at Umballa. 2. — In the absence of information of the orders which may have been given by the Commander-in-Chief, and which probably his Excellency could not have avoided giving, the Governor-General in Council is disposed to attribute this manifestation of alarm in some measure to the successful intrigues of the party of Gholab Singh at Lahore, which party, by detaching a portion of the Sikh army towards the Sutlej, would weaken its efforts, then about to be directed in operations against that Rajah. 3. — Another cause which may have had some weight in the above movement, may be the anxiety of the Lahore Government to get rid of an army which is more formidable to its friends than its enemies, from the immediate vicinity of the seat of Govern- ment ; and it may be convenient to ascribe this movement to the orders for military preparations issued at Umballa. 4. — Be this as it may, the Governor-General in Council desires me to refer you to the letter, Secret Department, of the 10th instant, addressed to the Commander-in-Chief, of which a copy was sent with my despatch of the same date, No. 17, and to beg you forthwith to state to the Durbar the exact truth, as follows : — 5. — That a barrack for a European regiment of infantry had for a length of time been ordered to be constructed at Ferozepore, of " I his letter is the nexl in this collection, p. \o. 12 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. which the foundations are already laid; that the Governor- General in Council, perceiving during the autumn the state of weakness in which the Government of the Maharajah had been for some time, under his Highness Wuzeer Rajah Heera Singh, had postponed to give orders for the completion of this building, in order that no question might arise, exciting any doubt or jealousy of our intention on the part of the Government of the Maharajah or of the Sikh army. 6. — That the British force stationed at Ferozepore has remained of the same strength as before, notwithstanding the recent violent proceedings of the Sikh army against its own Government, which conduct it is unnecessary now to comment upon, otherwise than to repeat that it is conduct utterly repugnant to British feeling and British policy ; and that this army has become so notoriously beyond controul, that the Governor-General in Council, always anxious to preserve the tranquillity of the Sikh states under his protection, will, under existing circumstances, now proceed to complete the buildings at Ferozepore according to his original intention, and also to reinforce that post by an additional force of native infantry. 7. — You are requested to impress on the Vakeel, that the same forbearance has been shown since the death of the Wuzeer Rajah Heera Singh, in order to evince the friendly feeling of the Governor-General in Council towards the Maharajah, in proof of which you will advert to the sentiments expressed in the Governor-General in Council's letter to your address, and which you were desired to convey as from yourself to the Vakeel of the 15th instant, stating that if any attempts be made by violent proceedings to bring about any change, such as the army pro- claiming Peshwa Singh as successor to his Highness the Mahara- jah, whom the British Government has recognised, that you would not feel yourself justified in recognising, without special orders, a chief whose power had been acquired by such means. 8. — You will observe to the Vakeel that, in despite of the friendly conduct of the Governor-General in Council, a portion WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 13 of the Sikli army has been moved towards the Sutlej, on the pretext of rumours from the cantonments of Umballa ; and you will say, that the Governor-General in Council advises the Maharajah's Government to disregard rumours and newspaper reports, over which the Governor-General in Council exercises no controul. 9. — You will impress upon the Durbar Vakeel that you possess the confidence of the Governor-General in Council, and that your instructions are to declare the truth plainly to His High- ness's Government, reiterating the same sentiments as those conveyed by your predecessor, that the Governor-General in Council has a sincere desire to see a strong Government re-esta- blished at Lahore, such as that which existed at the time of our faithful ally, His Highness Maharajah Runjeet Singh. 10. — Having taken the opportunity which this movement of Sikh troops towards the Sutlej so suitably affords, of declaring our intentions as to the military arrangements about to be made at Ferozepore, you will state that the British Government does not desire to interfere in the internal affairs of the Punjaub ; that the Governor-General in Council regrets the embarrassments under which the Sikh Government at present labours, and sincerely trusts that they may be overcome by firmness and prudence- 11. — In making these communications, you will modify them, if necessary, in reference to any events which have occurred in the interval which must unavoidably elapse before your receipt of them, taking care not to commit the Government of India to any line of action involving any principle of policy not in accordance with the spirit of your instructions. 12. — You will continue to do everything in your power to con- vince the Government of Lahore of the good faith of the Govern ment of India, so as to enable the Sikh Government to direct the efforts of their army to the legitimate object of coercing its enemies; and, if the opportunity should occur, you will, without exciting any irritation, but in the most friendly terms, state that 14 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. the Governor-General in Council has, in consideration of the difficult circumstances in which the Government of the Maharajah is placed, and for other obvious reasons, hitherto forborne to make the unruly and ungovernable condition of the Sikh army a sub- ject of formal remonstrance to the Maharajah. The Governor- General in Council trusts that a returning sense of the duty which the army owes to the Maharajah may avert the necessity of his taking any such step, and that he may hear that which will be much more gratifying to him, that it has obediently marched against his Highness's enemies, and honourably fulfilled the true functions of an army, by supporting the just authority of its Sovereign and his Government. 13. — You will understand that this caution, although incidentally given, will be distinctly delivered. The state of this army, the Governor-General in Council observes, so close upon our frontier, may become an intolerable nuisance; and, although it would be a mockery to expect that the Lahore Government, in the state of anarchy and weakness in which it at present can scarcely be said to exist, can regulate the conduct of an army which exercises over that Government daily acts of coercion and tyranny ; nevertheless, the Governor-General in Council deems it expedient that a notice, in the most guarded terms, should be given of the great incon- venience to which the British Government is exposed, and of which, if the Lahore Government was in a state of greater strength and responsibility, the Governor-General in Council would justly have cause to complain. 14. — You will observe, in the letter of the Governor-General in Council to the Commander-in-Chief, of the 10th January, that the reinforcements, European and native, to be posted at Feroze- pore, were not to be moved up by the Commander-in-Chief, unless on a report of an emergency from yourself; and that, in that letter to the Commander-in-Chief, the Governor-General in Council would be satisfied if the reinforcements were posted towards the end of March and April — so short a time before the river would become unfordable as to be no longer a source of WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 15 uneasiness to the Sikh Government, and at the same time placing our advanced post in that condition to be able to defend the post and the passage of the river, in which, under existing circum- stances, it ought at all times to remain. 15. — I am directed to take this opportunity to send you a copy of papers, by which you will be apprised that two additional native regiments of infantry have been ordered up, making the additional four between Meerut and the Sutlej, one European regiment, two battalions of European artillery, seven regiments of native infantry, and one N. I. horse artillery. 16. — This movement of the Sikh army towards the Sutlej and its mutinous ungovernable state, will be your answer to any questions which may arise as to British reinforcements arriving on the Sutlej or its immediate neighbourhood. I have, &c, F. Currie. Sir, Letter referred to in the preceding Letter. The Political Agent to the Commander-in-Chief. Camp, Laskar-Khas-kee-Svrai, January 15, l v 4>. I have the honour to enclose, for your Excellence's information, a translation of an extract from Lahore intelligence received last night. 2. — Coming immediately after the reports respecting European troops, which I had yesterday the honour of mentioning, this caused extreme excitement, and among other resolutions, one was to demand explanations from me. In order to enable me to meet these demands, if made, I beg that your Excellency will do me the favour of saying whether there has been any thing of the kind described as having occurred at L T mballa, or whether the whole is not mere idle rumour. 3. — A second despatch, arrived this evening, brings further in- telligence on this subject, and I regret that in consequence of 1G WAR WITH THE SIKHS. these appearances of preparation, our position with respect to the Durbar is materially and unfavourably changed from what it was three days before, and that there is now more risk of collision than there has been yet, seeing that the Ranee, from circum- stances not unlikely to deceive her, and others, suspects that we are in co-operation with her enemies, and had appealed to the troops at Lahore, communicating to them the report of the order for preparation at Umballa, ascribed to your Excellency, and the troops have offered to do whatever she will sanction against the English. 4. — But, though there is more risk of disturbance now than for- merly, and though our intercourse with the Lahore state is, for the moment, embarrassed ; yet I beg, with the utmost deference to your Excellency's better judgment, to state that I consider nothing as yet likely to occur, and indeed very little to be at present possible, which could lead me to do more than make the application usual in such cases for support from the officer com- manding the division ; and that I do not even now propose, as far as matters have yet gone, to call on him to do more than maintain his usual vigilance. 5. — The bulk of the Lahore army had been lately sent by this Government, in reliance on our good faith, against the Jummoo Rajahs, and towards Cashmere and the country beyond the Jhelum, which is disturbed ; supposing the Durbar to collect every man in Lahore and its vicinity, including the garrison of Umritsir and other detachments, to countermand the march of the troops now proceeding to Jummoo, and allowing nothing for men on leave, or sick, or false musters, they can only collect of regular troops as follows : — Infantry 12,200 Cavalry ..... 1,200 Artillery 1,530 Total . . . 14,930 number inferior, I believe, to that of the troops in the Sirhind WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 17 division, and in a state of such utter disorder that their nominal leaders cannot get them to face the armed peasantry of Jessotas, nor do anything but plunder the people, insult and beat their officers, and return at will to their own homes. In addition to this, they have, however, the following undisciplined troops : — Irregular infantry, 1,500; two battalions of Heera Singh's hill-men, who have joined the Sikhs for high pay, and have received muskets, and are now at drill : Irregular horse, 4,750, including those at Umritsir, detached to the Sutlej, Jaghurdars, &c. I think that the most probable source of disturbance will be, that the restriction to fourteen miles from Lahore of their troops detached towards the Sutlej will be withdrawn, and that this disorderly rabble will interrupt the dawks, and commit outrages on the south side of the river, as well as on the north ; but it will be most likely in a way not easily distinguished from ordinary gang robberies and forays. I have, &c, (Signed) G. Broadfoot. The Political Agent to the Commander-in-Chief. Governor-General 's Agency, November 20, L845. Sir, Since I had the honour of waiting on your Excellency to-day, I have received Lahore letters of the 18th instant (morning). During the night of the 17th the chiefs had agreed on, and the Durbar had ordered in writing, the following plan of operations : — The army was to be divided into seven divisions, one to remain at Lahore, and the rest to proceed against Roopar and our hills, Loodiana, Hurrekee, Ferozepore, and Scinde, while one was to proceed to Peshawur; and a force under Rajah Gholab Singh was to be sent to Attock. c IS WAi; WITH THE SIKU5. Each division was to be of 8,000 to 12,000 men against Fero- zepore, under Sham Singh Attareewalla, whose estates adjoin the place against which it was to act. Against Hurrekee, is to go Rajah Lai Singh ; against Loodiana, Sirdar Tej Singh, the new Commander-in-Chief; and against Roopar, a brother of Sena Singh Mujeeteea. The force under Sham Singh is to be 4,000 horse and two brigades of infantry, with guns; under Rajah Lai Singh, 4,500 horse, and two infantry brigades ; under Sirdar Tej Singh, four brigades of infantry (one of them irregulars, and one new levies), and 1,000 horse, &c. ; but till the plans of the Durbar are in actual execution they cannot be considered fixed, and therefore I do not trouble your Excellency with further details. With respect to the probability of their actual moving, 1 must say that my correspondents in Lahore seem to doubt it, though they are perplexed. The causes, however, which have so sud- denly led the Durbar to such lengths may carry it further ; and indeed it is difficult to see how they can stop now without a change of government — a thing not unlikely. Still, prudence requires that we should act as if they would not change their minds, and I therefore most respectfully venture to submit to your Excellency the following suggestions : — First, that the carriage of the troops in this division should be drawn into the stations, both for security, and to enable the troops to move at the shortest notice; and that the European troops in the hills should be held in readiness to march ; to move them is a work of time, and needs some preparation. I shall write to the sub-commissioner and the other local authorities without delay to collect coolies ; but I shall be glad to hear from your Excellency the numbers required, and also on what roads supplies, &c, should be got ready. With respect to further measures, I must of course speak with extreme diffidence ; on the whole, I am inclined still to hold the opinions that I had the honour of expressing verbally; and I may now add, that the matter seems to have come to a pitch which WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 19 makes some notice of it by our Government not easily avoidable ; and this being the case, and as the Governor-General is so near, it may be desirable to await his arrival, or his decision as to the extent of what may be done, before making- any movements, unless we hear of the Sikh army having actually crossed the Sutlej. In all this, however, I speak with the utmost submission to your Excellency's better judgment; but I beg to add, that in whatever your Excellency may decide on, I shall esteem it an honour to give it whatever aid I can. 1 have, &c. (Signed) G. Broadfoot. T7ie Agent to the Governor -General to the Secretary to the Government of India,. Camp, Umballa, November 20, 1845. I have the honour to forward, for the information of his Excellency the Governor-General, a copy of a demi-official letter to his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, as affairs at Lahore assumed their present form. Not to delay the messenger, I must reserve a fuller report till to-morrow ; but I may add to what has been already communi- cated demi-officially, and what will be gathered from my letters, that no complaint of any kind has been made to me by the Durbar, and that the pretext of a grievance alleged has been dropped by the Durbar, and rejected by the troops. The truth is, all are in a false position, from the unlooked-for results of the cry against the English, to serve a party purpose, and all, more- over, are indifferent to war with us, from their firm persuasion that, if victorious, they will find new means of power and wealth, and, if beaten, that they will be, what most of them desire, the heads of a subsidiary, instead of an independent state. This opinion has never received any countenance from me, but the very contrary; and the Durbar will by this time have received the perwannah which I addressed to the Vakeel, when the in- "20 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. trigues which had led to the present state of things assumed a serious form. It will be seen from the enclosed copy of it, that no warning could be plainer, and, as therein indicated, that it is only a repetition of former warnings. Continued letters from my assistants, respecting the rumours on the frontier, showed that our posts there were vigilant ; and I abstained, therefore, from communicating with the military autho- rities, in order to prevent the Durbar having the smallest ground to say that any menacing preparations or movements on our part had been taken up, for this ground has been already alleged in their consultations, as justifying their present movements; nay, even after I had yesterday received a communication on the subject from the Major-General commanding the division, I forebore to write to his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, and even to-day I ventured to recommend to his Excellency that no steps should be taken for the present. Since then, however, authentic intelligence has reached me that the Durbar has openly adopted, and ordered in writing, a fixed plan of operations against the English, and I, accordingly, addressed to his Excellency the Commander-in- Chief the letter, of which a copy is annexed. I now only suggest abstinence from movement on account of the vicinity of the Governor-General, who will probably think the matter now one which has gone too far to be left unnoticed, whether the troops actually move from Lahore or not. That I presumed to suggest any delay whatever is owing to this : It appears to me that the frontier is too long to be defensible in all points by any force we can move ; that our two posts on the frontier are strong enough to maintain themselves till relieved ; and that to attempt reinforcements, therefore, in anticipation of those of the Sikhs would be useless as protecting the open country, and might impede any operations which the Governor-General may resolve on. Moreover, the delay recommended is only one of two or three days, till an answer to this letter can be received. The Sikh sirdars on this side of the Sutlej have for many months past been called on to keep their troops in readiness to repel the WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 21 invasion of their territories, and I have now directed them to prepare to repel the threatening aggression. I have, &c. (Signed) G. Broadfoot. P.S. — It is right to add, that up to the last moment the regular troops were discussing the propriety of murdering Rajah Lai Singh and Sirdar Tej Singh, and sending for Rajah Gholab Singh to lead them. The two chiefs menaced look for escape to exciting enthusiasm against the English. This may delay or precipitate invasion. The Commander-in-Chief to the Agent to the Governor- General. Camp, Umballa, 20th November, 1845. Sir, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt, this moment, of your letters of this date, conveying to me intelligence of the hostile attitude which has been assumed by the Lahore Durbar. Under the circumstances, I have ordered the following pre- parations to be entered upon immediately, to meet whatever may take place : — Her Majesty's 9th Lancers to move at once from Meerut to Umballa. To be held in readiness to move from Meerut to Kurnaul on the shortest notice ; two troops of horse artillery, her Majesty's 16th Lancers, the 3rd Regiment of Light Cavalry, her Majesty's 10th Foot, save one company, the corps of sappers and miners, all, save one, of the regiments of native infantry. The 8th Regiment of Irregular Cavalry will likewise be held prepared to move from Hansee to Kurnaul, and the Simoor battalion from Deyrah to Saharumpore, where it will be cen- trically situated, and ready to be moved wherever it may be most required ; the 4th Regiment of Irregular Cavalry will be brought up from Bareilly to Meerut. I beg that you will instruct the civil authorities at Simla to place themselves in communication with the officers commanding European corps in those hills, and ascertain from them what 22 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. number of coolies will be required to enable the regiments to move, in order that they may be collected at once. Supplies for the corps in the hills will be required to be laid in on the roads leading thence to Sirhind. I shall direct the other corps of all arms in this division to draw their carriage into cantonments, in view to the troops being pre- pared to act on the shortest notice. Previous to adopting any further measures at present, I would await a communication of the views of the Governor-General. — I have, &c. (Signed) H. Gough. The Agent to the Governor- General to the Secretary to Government. Umballa, 21st November, 1845. The Durbar of the forenoon of the 18th was protracted till two o'clock, but I have not the details of the afternoon Durbar. Eleven a.m. was the hour found by the astrologers as auspicious for the march of the troops ; not a chief stirred from his house. The officers and punchayets of the troops, regular and irregular, to the number of a couple of thousand, crowded to the Durbar and de- manded the reason ; the Ranee tried to soothe them, saying, that the fortunate hour being passed, the march could not be undertaken till the astrologers found another. The crowd demanded that this should be instantly done, and the court astrologer was ordered into their presence to find the proper time. He pored through his tables for two or three hours, while the Ranee sought to divert the attention of the military mob ; at length he announced that the most favourable day was not till the 15th Mujsur (28th November). The military were furious, and declared that he was an impostor, and that they had to get from him two crores of rupees which he had made from the public money ; the pundit implored mercy, and said the 7th Mujsur (20th) was also a good day ; the military were still angry, and the poor pundit left amidst their menaces. They proposed that the Ranee and her son should march, and intimated that till they made an example of some chief no march would take place. WAR WITH THE SIKHS, 23 The Ranee complained that whilst the troops were urging the march, they were still going home to their villages as fast as they got their pay ; and Sirdar Sham Singh Attareewalla declared his belief that unless something was done to stop this, he would find himself on his way to Ferozepore with empty tents. The bait of money to be paid, and to accompany them was also offered, and at length the Durbar broke up at two p.m. Great consulta- tions took place in the afternoon, but I know only one result, that the Ranee had to give to her lover his formal dismissal, and that he (Rajah Lai Singh) actually went into the camp of the Sawars he is to command, and pitched his tent. What the Ranee says is cpiite true of the sepoys dispersing to their houses ; the whole affair has so suddenly reached its present height, that many of the men themselves think it will come to nothing, and still more who had taken their departure do not believe it serious enough to go back. On the day after this scene took place, i.e., the 19th, the usual stream of sepoys, natives of the protected states, who had got their pay, poured across the Sutlej, at Hurrekee, on the way to their homes. Every prepa- ration, however, for war is making with probably more energy than if it had been a long-planned scheme, for every person of whatever party must show his sincerity by activity and virulent professions of hatred to the English. Enclosure No. 1, in No. 10. The Agent to the Governor- General to the Lahore Vakeel. •2)t < 3 ^v fc 1 jGOj \ #3 1 £3 < 1=3 V s X C=3 V GCi 53 In ^ ^ *j ^ V ■§ -^ £ | * « 1 "~<; v ^ ^ ^ V S >», V ^ n ^ ^ $ < $ >0 ^ •>v 1 X s V N s. i! V ^ V 1> 33 U d so 3 O '• ■= . 'H 'Si Ed X ^ B i < o ^ S P ^ s^ 5 •, ■fi* pa -*-M G -s-^l d * ^ 4> <5 6 'JDt £ t ^ S= "n — ^ 1^-5-8 ■$ 1 5 CQ. k< =0 ^ c „- L J* a/ 5j ^ 1 [ 1^ Is 6 1 11 s? i i js «q i P X P E 5 V J 'I ^ n TO JS ^ iBi 1 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 37 leisure, some special mark of honour can be conferred, by which his great merits and glorious death may be perpetuated. Major George Broadfoot was the last of three brothers, who held appointments in the Company's army, and all these have fallen in battle in the service of their country. Captain Nicolson, Assistant Political Agent from Ferozepore, was also killed in the action of the 21st inst., and was a most able and gallant officer. Captain Abbott and Lieutenant Lake, assistants under Major Broadfoot, were wounded, and have ever since continued their exertions. Captain Mills, Assistant Political Agent at Loodiana, took the command of a troop of horse artillery during the action, and has subsequently been of the greatest use by his intelligence and activity. I owe great obligations to the Chief Secretary to the Govern- ment of India, Frederick Currie, Esq., who has, during all these various, and sometimes conflicting, duties, in which I have been engaged, given me his sound advice and active aid, sometimes accompanying me in the field, and at all times evincing the coolest judgment, and exhibiting the resources of his experience to the great advantage of the Company's service. Mr. Cust, of the civil service, confidential assistant to Major Broadfoot, both in the field and in his own immediate department, has shown great intelligence in duties which were new to him, and I notice him as a most promising officer. PROCLAMATION. Camp, Lushkuree Khan-ke- Serai , December 13, 1845. ' " The British Government has ever been on terms of friendship with that of the Punjaub. " In the year 1809, a treaty of amity and concord was concluded between the British Government and the late Maharajah Runjeet 38 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. Singh, the conditions of which have always been faithfully observed by the British Government, and were scrupulously fulfilled by the late Maharajah. " The same friendly relations have been maintained with the successors of Runjeet Singh by the British Government up to the present time. " Since the death of the late Maharajah Shere Singh, the disor- ganized state of the Lahore Government has made it incumbent on the Governor-General in Council to adopt precautionary measures for the protection of the British frontier ; the nature of these measures, and the cause of their adoption, were at the time fully explained to the Lahore Durbar. " Notwithstanding the disorganized state of the Lahore Govern- ment during the last two years, and many most unfriendly proceed- ings on the part of the Durbar, the Governor-General in Council has continued to evince his desire to maintain the relations of amity and concord which had so long existed between the two states, for the mutual interests and happiness of both. He has shown on every occasion the utmost forbearance, from consideration to the helpless state of the infant Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, whom the British Government had recognised as the successor to the late Maharajah Shere Singh. " The Governor-General in Council sincerely desired to see a strong Sikh Government re-established in the Punjaub, able to control its army and to protect its subjects. He had not, up to the present moment, abandoned the hope of seeing that important objected effected by the patriotic efforts of the Sikhs and people of that country. " The Sikh army recently marched from Lahore towards the British frontier, as it was alleged by the orders of the Durbar, for the purpose of invading the British territory. " The Governor-General's agent, by direction of the Governor- General, demanded an explanation of this movement, and no reply being returned within a reasonable time, the demand was repeated. The Governor-General, unwilling to believe in the hostile inten- WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 39 tions of the Sikh Government, to which no provocation had been given, refrained from taking any measures which might have a tendency to embarrass the Government of the Maharajah, or to induce collision between the two states. " When no reply was given to the repeated demand for expla- nation, and while active military preparations were continued at Lahore, the Governor-General considered it necessary to order the advance of troops towards the frontier, to reinforce the frontier posts. " The Sikh army has now, without a shadow of provocation, invaded the British territories. " The Governor-General must, therefore, take measures for effectually protecting- the British provinces, for vindicating the authority of the British Government, and for punishing the violators of treaties and the disturbers of public peace. " The Governor- General hereby declares the possessions of Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, on the left or British banks of the Sutlej, confiscated and annexed to the British territories. " The Governor-General will respect the existing rights of all ajgheerdars, zamindars, and tenants in the said possessions, who, by the course they now pursue, evince their fidelity to the British Government. " The Governor-General hereby calls upon all the chiefs and sirdars in the protected territories to co-operate cordially with the British Government for the punishment of the common enemy, and for the maintenance of order in these states. Those of the chiefs who show alacrity and fidelity in the discharge of this duty, which they owe to the protecting power, will find their interests promoted thereby ; and those who take a contrary course will be treated as enemies to the British Government, and will be punished accordingly. " The inhabitants of all the territories on the left bank of the Sutlej are hereby directed to abide peaceably in their respective villages, where they will receive efficient protection by the British Government. All parties of men found in armed bands, who can 40 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. give no satisfactory account of their proceedings, will be treated as disturbers of the public peace. " All subjects of the British Government, and those who possess estates on both sides of the river Sutlej, who by their faithful adherence to the British Government may be liable to sustain loss, shall be indemnified and secured in all their just rights and privileges. " On the other hand, all subjects of the British Government who shall continue in the service of the Lahore state, and who disobey this proclamation by not immediately returning to their allegiance, will be liable to have their property on this side the Sutlej confiscated, and declared to be aliens and enemies of the British Government. " By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India, " F. Currie, " Secretary to the Government of India, "with the Governor-General." MOODKEE. From General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., G.C.B., the Commander- in-Chief of the Army in India, to the Governor -General of India. Head Quarters, Army of the Sutlej, Camp Moodkee, December 19th, 1845. Right Honourable Sir, It would be a superfluous form in me to address to you a narrative of the campaign which has opened against the Sikhs, and the successful action of yesterday, since you have in person shared the dangers and fatigues of our army, and witnessed its efforts and privations, but that my position at its head renders this my duty ; and it is necessary, from that position, I should place these events on record, for the information of all Europe as well as of all India. You, Sir, know, but others have to be told, that the sudden and WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 41 unprovoked aggression of the Sikhs, by crossing the Sutlej with the great proportion of their army, with the avowed intention of attacking Ferozepore in time of profound peace, rendered indis- pensable, on our side, a series of difficult combinations for the protection of our frontier station, so unjustifiably and so unex- pectedly menaced. From the advanced and salient situation of Ferozepore, and its vicinity to the Sikh capital, its defence against a sudden attack became a difficult operation. It was always possible for the Sikh Government to throw a formidable force upon it before one suffi ciently numerous could on our side be collected to support it : but when, upon the 1 1th instant, it became known at Umballa, where I had established my head-cmarters, that this invasion had actually taken place, the efforts to repel it followed each other in rapid succession* ; notwithstanding, I had the fullest confidence in Major-General Sir John Littler, commanding at Ferozepore, and in the devotedness and gallantry of the troops occupying it. The troops from the different stations in the Sirhind division were directed to move by forced marches upon Busseean, where, by a most judicious arrangement, you had directed supplies to be collected within a wonderfully short space of time. The main portion of the force at Loodiana was withdrawn, and a garrison thrown into the little fortress there. From this central position, already alluded to, both Loodiana and Ferozepore could be supported, and the safety of both places might be considered to be brought, in same measure, within the scope of the contingencies of a general action to be fought for their relief. All this is soon related ; but most harassing have been the marches of the troops in completing this concentration. When their march had been further prolonged to this place, they had moved over a distance of upwards of 150 miles in six days, along roads of heavy sand ; their perpetual labour allowing them scarcely time to cook their food, even when they received it, and hardly an hour for repose, before they were called upon for renewed exertions. * Sic in orig. 42 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. When our leading corps reached Wudnee, a small jaghire of the late Maharajah She re Singh, its garrison shut the gates of the fort against them ; and, as our battering guns were far in the rear, it was determined to reserve it for future chastisement, and we remained content with compelling the village to furnish sup- plies (it could, however, provide little, except for our overworked cattle), under pain of enduring a cannonade and assault ; this it did without the necessity of firing a shot. When we reached Wudnee, it was evident that the force before Ferozepore felt the influence of our movements, as we heard that a very large portion of that force had been detached to oppose our further advance ; their feeling parties retired on the morning of the 18th before our cavalry picquets, near the village and fort of Moodkee. Soon after mid-day, the division under Major-General Sir Harry Smith, a brigade of that under Major-General Sir John M'Caskill, and another of that under Major-General Gilbert, with five troops of horse artillery, and two light field batteries, under Lieut. -Col. Brooke, of the horse artillery (Brigadier in command of the artillery force), and the cavalry division, consisting of Her Majesty's 3rd Light Dragoons, the body guard, 4th and 5th Light Cavalry, and 9th Irregular Cavalry, took up their encamping ground in front of Moodkee. The troops were in a state of great exhaustion, principally from the want of water, which was not procurable on the road ; when, about three p.m. information was received that the Sikh army was advancing; and the troops had scarcely time to get under arms, and move to their positions, when the fact was ascertained. I immediately pushed forward the horse artillery and cavalry, directing the infantry, accompanied by the field batteries, to move forward in support. We had not proceeded beyond two miles, when we found the enemy in position. They were said to consist of from fifteen to twenty thousand infantry, about the same force of cavalry, and forty guns. They evidently had either just taken up this position, or were advancing in order of battle against us. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 43 To resist their attack, and to cover the formation of the infantry, I advanced the cavalry under Brigadiers White, Gough, and Mactier, rapidly to the front, in columns of squadrons, and occupied the plain. They were speedily followed by the five troops of horse artillery, under Brigadier Brooke, who took up a forward position, having the cavalry then on his flanks. The country is a dead flat, covered at short intervals with a low, but, in some places, thick jhow jungle, and dotted with sandy hillocks. The enemy screened their infantry and artillery behind this jungle, and such undulations as the ground afforded ; and, whilst our twelve battalions formed from echellon of brigades into line, opened a very severe cannonade upon our advancing troops, which was vigorously replied to by the battery of horse artillery under Brigadier Brooke, which was soon joined by the two field batteries. The rapid and well-directed fire of our artillery appeared soon to paralyze that of the enemy ; and, as it was necessary to complete our infantry dispositions without advancing the artillery too near to the jungle, I directed the cavalry under Brigadiers White and Gough to make a flank movement on the enemy's left, with a view of threatening and turning that flank, if possible. With praiseworthy gallantry, the 3rd Light Dragoons, with the 2nd brigade of cavalry, consisting of the body guard and 5th Light Cavalry, with a portion of the 4th Lancers, turned the left of the Sikh army, and, sweeping along the whole rear of its infantry and guns, silenced for a time the latter, and put their numerous cavalry to flight. Whilst this movement was taking place on the enemy's left, I directed the remainder of the 4th Lancers, the 9th Irregular Cavalry, under Brigadier Mactier, with a light field battery, to threaten their right. This manoeuvre was also successful. Had not the infantry and guns of the enemy been screened by the jungle, these brilliant charges of the cavalry would have been productive of greater effect. When the infantry advanced to the attack, Brigadier Brooke rapidly pushed on his horse artillery close to the jungle, and the cannonade was resumed on both sides. The infantry under Major- 44 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. Generals Sir Harry Smith, Gilbert, and Sir John M'Caskill, attacked in echellon of lines the enemy's infantry, almost invisible amongst wood and the approaching darkness of night. The oppo- sition of the enemy was such as might have been expected from troops who had everything at stake, and who had long vaunted of being irresistible. Their ample and extended line, from their great superiority of numbers, far outflanked ours ; but this was counteracted by the flank movements of our cavalry. The attack of the infantry now commenced ; and the roll of fire from this powerful arm soon convinced the Sikh army, that they had met with a foe they little expected ; and their whole force was driven from position after position with great slaughter, and the loss of seventeen pieces of artillery, some of them of heavy calibre ; our infantry using that never-failing weapon, the bayonet, whenever they stood. Night only saved them from worse disaster, for this stout conflict was maintained during an hour and a half of dim starlight, amidst a cloud of dust from the sandy plain, which yet more obscured every object. I regret to say, this gallant and successful attack was attended with considerable loss ; the force bivouacked upon the field for some hours, and only returned to its encampment after ascer- taining that it had no enemy before it, and that night prevented the possibility of a regular advance in pursuit. I beg to congratulate you, Right Honourable Sir, on this first defeat of our invaders by the army I have the honour to command. The perseverance by which success was attained you personally witnessed; and the troops I am sure felt proud of the self-devotion with which their Governor-General exposed himself to every danger amongst them. I before said that our loss has been severe ; it could not be esteemed small if we had no other to record, when I mention that, towards the conclusion of the affair, Major-General Sir Robert Sale, to whom India and England are so much indebted, had his left thigh shattered by a grape shot, and that the wound has since proved mortal. Sir John M'Caskill, an old and valued officer, who has done his country WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 45 much good service, received a ball through his chest, on the advance of his division, and immediately expired. Brigadiers Bolton and Mactier, and Lieut. -Colonels Bunbury and Byrne, and other valuable officers, are amongst the wounded. These losses our country and the service will deplore, but not consider unavailing, when Ferozepore shall be rescued from the invader, and the insult to our territory and rule fitly punished. I have every reason to be proud of, and gratified with, the exertions of the whole of the officers and troops of this army on this arduous occasion ; with the conduct and dispositions of the generals of divisions, the brigadiers of the several arms, the general, personal, divisional, and brigade staff, and the com- manding officers of regiments ; but this despatch is necessarily completed in the utmost haste, and in the midst of most im- portant operations, — I must, therefore, reserve to a future oppor- tunity the pleasing task of bringing especially and by name to the notice of Government the particular merits of individual officers. I cannot, however, refrain from expressing my deep sense of obligation to the heads of the two principal departments, — Major- General Sir James Lumley was unfortunately prevented by severe sickness from taking part in the active duties of this great crisis, — Major Grant, Deputy Adjutant General, therefore, sup- plied his place, and it is my duty to say how ably this has been done, and how great a loss I have endured by being deprived for the present of his services, in consequence of two wounds which he received while urging on the infantry to the final and decisive attack of the enemy's batteries. Neither must I fail to record the valuable aid which has upon this, as on a former campaign, been afforded me by the Quarter-Master General, Lieutenant- Colonel Garden ; his departmental arrangements demand my highest commendation. Major-General Sir Harry Smith having been appointed to the command of a division, the charge of his office as Adjutant-General of Her Majesty's forces devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Barr, who, not only in the performance 46 AVAR WITH THE SIKHS. of these duties, but in every way iu which assistance can be rendered in active operations, has been to me a most valuable staff- officer. I have to thank you, Rig-lit Honourable Sir, for having placed at my disposal the services of the officers of your staff, and to thank them for the valuable assistance they afforded me on this arduous day. It shall be my pleasing duty to mention them individually, with the officers of my own personal staff, in the recommendation list I shall have the honour of forwarding, at an early date, to Government. 1 have, &c. H. Gough, General, Commander-in-Chief. Return of the Killed and Wounded of the Army of the Sutlej, under the command of His Excellency General Sir Hugh Gough, G.C.B. Commander-in-Chief in the Action fought at Moodkee, on the \%th of December, 1845. Camp, Sultan Khan Wallah, Dec. 26, 1845. Personal Staff — 2 officers killed ; 2 officers wounded. General Staff — 1 officer killed ; 1 officer wounded. Artillery Division — 2 officers, 4 sergeants, 13 rank and file, 5 syces and grasscuttcrs, 3 syce drivers, 45 horses — killed ; 4 officers, 1 native officer, 2 sergeants, 22 syces and grasscutters, 11 lascars, 2 syce drivers, 7 syces, 25 horses — wounded. Cavalry Division — 3 officers, 6 sergeants or havildars, 1 trum- peter, 71 rank and file, 164 horses — killed; 9 officers, 1 native officer, 6 sergeants or havildars, 1 trumpeter, 70 rank and file, 63 horses — wounded. 1st Infantry Division — 4 officers, 1 native officer, 4 sergeants or havildars, 69 rank and file — killed; 18 officers, 2 native officers, 20 sergeants or havildars, 299 rank and file, 4 horses — wounded. 2nd Infantry Division — 1 native officer, 17 rank and file, 1 horse — killed; 4 officers, 5 native officers, 10 sergeants or havildars, 81 rank and file — wounded. 3rd Infantry Division — 1 officer, 1 sergeant or havildar, 6 rank WAR WITH THE SIKHS. '17 and file — killed ; 1 officer, 4 sergeants or havildars, 73 rank, and I lascar — wounded. — Total — 13 officers, 2 native officers, 15 ser- geants or havildars, 1 trumpeter, 176 rank and file, 5 syces and grasscutters, 3 syce drivers, 210 horses — killed; 39 officers, 9 native officers, 42 sergeants or havildars, 1 trumpeter, 545 rank and file, 12 lascars, 2 syce drivers, 7 syces, 92 horses — wounded. European officers, 13; native officers, 2; non-commissioued officers, drummers, rank and file, 192; syces, Sec. 8; killed. — Grand total, 215. European officers, 39 ; native officers, 9 ; non-commissioned officers, drummers, rank and file, 588; syces, &c. 21; wounded. — Grand total, 657. Grand total of all ranks, killed and wounded, 872. List of Officers Killed and Wounded. Head Quarters' Staff.— Major-General Sir R. H. Sale, G.C.B. Quarter-master-General Queen's troops, killed ; Major W. R. Hemes, A.D.C. to the Governor-General, killed; Capt. J. Munro, killed. Major P. Grant, Deputy Adjutant-General of the army, dangerously wounded; Captain G. E. Hillier, A.D.C. to the Governor-General severely wounded ; Captain H. B. Edwardes, A.D.C. to the Commander-in-Chief, slightly wounded. Artillery Dicision. — Captain Jasper Trower, killed; First Lieutenant R. Pollock, killed. Captain F. Dashwood, severely wounded, since dead ; First Lieutenant C.V. Cox, slightly wounded ; First Lieutenant C. A. Wheelright, wounded; First Lieutenant C. A. Bowie, slightly wounded. Cavalry Division Staff. — Brigadier W. Mactier, severely ; Brevet-Captain and Brigade-Major T. L. Harrington, severely ; Volunteer Mr. A. Alexander, A.D.C. to BrigadierGough, severely. Her Majesty's 3rd Light Dragoons. — Brevet-Captain G. New- ton, killed ; Cornet E. Worley, killed. Lieutenant S. Fisher, severely wounded; Lieutenant E. G. Swinton, severely wounded; Lieutenant E. B. Curcton, severely wounded. Governor- General's Body Guard. — Lieutenant W. Fisher, 48 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. killed. Brevet-Captain C. D. Dawkins, severely wounded; Lieutenant G. R. Taylor, very severely wounded. 5th Light Cavalry. — Major Alexander, slightly ; Lieutenant R. Christie, slightly. First Division of Infantry. — Divisional and Brigade Staff. — Captain Van Homrigh, 48th N. I. Acting A.D.C., killed. Briga- dier S. Bolton, C.B., dangerously wounded ; Brigadier H. M. Wheeler, C.B., severely wounded ; Captain E. Lugard, Deputy- Assistant Adjutant-General, slightly wounded; Lieutenant Nicolls, Engineers, Acting A.D.C. severely wounded. First Brigade.^- Her Majesty's 3\st Foot. — Lieutenant H. W. Hart, killed Lieutenant-Colonel J. Byrne, severely wounded ; Captain W. Willes, dangerously wounded ; Captain T. Bulkeley, dangerously wounded ; Captain G. D. Young, dangerously wounded ; Lieutenant J. L. R. Pollard, slightly wounded ; Lieu- tenant J. Brenchley, mortally wounded, since dead ; Assistant- Surgeon R. B. Gahan, 9th Foot, dangerously wounded. 47th Native Infantry. — Lieutenant J. E. Pogson, dangerously. Second Brigade. — Her Majesty's 50th Foot. — Assistant-Surgeon A. Graydon, killed. Captain H. Needham, severely wounded ; Lieutenant W. S. Carter, slightly wounded ; Lieutenant J. C. Bishop, severely wounded ; Lieutenant R. E. De Montmorency, severe contusion ; Lieutenant C. E. Young, severely wounded. 42nd N. Light Infantry. — Lieutenant J. Spence, killed. Ensign E. Van H. Holt, slightly wounded. Second Infantry Division. — Divisional and Brigade Staff. — Major R.Codrington, Assistant Quarter-Master-General, severely wounded. Second JY. Grenadiers. — Captain T. W. Bolton, severely wounded. Captain J. Gifford, severely wounded ; Ensign A. D. Warden, severe contusion. Third Infantry Division. — Divisional and Brigade Staff. — Major-General Sir J. M'Caskill, K.C.B. and K.H. killed. Fifth Brigade. — Her Majesty's 9th Foot. — Ensign J. Hanham, slightly wounded. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 49 Sixth Brigade. — Her Majesty s SOth Foot. — Lieutenant-Colonel T. Bunbury, slightly wounded. P. Grant, Major, Deputy Adjutant- General of the Army. Return of Ordnance captured from the Sikh Array, at the Battle of Moodkee, on the 18th of December, 1845, by the Army of the Sutlej, under the Command of His Excellency Sir Hugh Gough, G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief. in. tenths 6 Guns Brass 4 6 12-pounders. 1 Howitzer do. 6 5 6J » 4 Guns do. 4 2 9 3 do. do. 3 6 6 1 do. do. 2 9 3 Remarks. — The number of guns captured, 15. It was impos- sible to compute the quantity of metal in these guns, but it was evident that they were much heavier than those of a similar calibre in the Bengal Artillery. The carriages were all in good repair, with the exception of one or two struck by our shot. The whole were destroyed, and the guns left in the fort of Moodkee. Four more guns reported to have been dismounted by the men of the horse artillery, and left on the field from want of means to bring them away. Geo. Brooke, Brigadier, Commanding Artillery, Army of the Sutlej. FEROZESHAH. From His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief to the Right Honourable the Governor- General of India. Camp, Ferozesliah, December 22nd, IS l">. Right Honourable Sir, I have again to congratulate you on the success of our arms. A grand battle has been fought against the Sikh army at this place, and by the blessing of Divine Providence victory has been won, by the valour of our troops, against odds and under e 50 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. circumstances which will render this action one of the most memorable in the page of Indian history. After the combat of the 18th, at Moodkee, information was received, the following- day, that the enemy, in increased numbers, were moving on to attack us. A line of defence was taken up in advance of our encampment, and dispositions made to repel assault, but the day wore away without their appearing, and at night we had the satisfaction of being reinforced by her Majesty's 29th Foot, and the East India Company's 1st European Light Infantry, with our small division of heavy guns. I must here allude to a circumstance most favourable to our efforts in the field. On this evening, in addition to the valuable counsel with which you had in every emergency before favoured me, you were pleased yet further to strengthen my hands by kindly offering your services as second in command in my army. I need hardly say with how much pleasure the offer was accepted. On the morning of the 21st the offensive was resumed: our columns of all arms debouched four miles on the road to Feroze- shah, where it was known that the enemy, posted in great force, and with a most formidable artillery, had remained since the action of the 18th, incessantly employed in entrenching his position. Instead of advancing to the direct attack of their formidable works, our force manoeuvred to their right : the second and fourth divisions of infantry, in front, supported by the first division and cavalry in second line, continued to defile for some time out of cannon-shot between the Sikhs and Ferozepore. The desired effect was not long delayed, a cloud of dust was seen on our left, and, according to the instructions sent him on the preceding evening, Major-General Sir John Littler, with his division, availing himself of the offered opportunity, was discovered in full march to unite his force with mine. This junction was soon effected, and thus was accomplished one of the great objects of all our harassing marches and priva- tions, in the relief of this division of our army from the blockade of numerous forces by which it was surrounded. Dispositions were now made for an united attack on the WAR AVJTH THE SIKHS. 51 enemy's entrenched camp. We found it to be a parallelogram of about a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth, including •within its area the strong village of Ferozeshah ; the shorter sides looking towards the Sutlej and Moodkee, and the longer towards Ferozepore and the open country. We moved against the last- named face, the ground in front of which was, like the Sikh position in Moodkee, covered with low jungle. The divisions of Major-General Sir John Littler, Brigadier Wallace (who had succeeded Major-General Sir John M'Caskill), and Major-General Gilbert, deployed into line, having in the centre our whole force of artillery, with the exception of three troops of horse artillery, one on either flank and one in support, to be moved as occasion required. Major-General Sir Harry Smith's division, and our small cavalry force, moved in second line, having a brigade in reserve to cover each wing. I should here observe, that I committed the charge and direc- tion of the left wing to Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Hardinge, while I personally conducted the right. A very heavy cannonade was opened by the enemy, who had dispersed over their position upwards of one hundred guns, more than forty of which were of battering calibre ; these kept up a heavy and well-directed fire, which the practice of our far less numerous artillery, of much lighter metal, checked in some degree, but could not silence; finally, in the face of a storm of shot and shell, our infantry advanced and carried these formidable entrenchments; they threw themselves upon the guns, and with matchless gal- lantry wrested them from the enemy ; but, when the batteries were partially within our grasp, our soldiery had to face such a fire of musketry from the Sikh infantry, arrayed behind their guns, that, in spite of their most heroic efforts, a portion only of the entrenchment could be carried. Night fell while the conflict was everywhere raging. Although I now brought up Major-General Sir Harry Smith's division, and he captured and long retained another point of the position, and Her Majesty's 3rd Light Dragoons charged and took 52 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. some of the most formidable batteries, yet the enemy remained in possession of a considerable portion of the great quadrangle, whilst our troops, intermingled with theirs, kept possession of the remainder, and finally bivouacked upon it, exhausted by their gallant efforts, greatly reduced in numbers, and suffering ex- tremely from thirst, yet animated by an indomitable spirit. In this state of things the long night wore away. Near the middle of it, one of their heavy guns was advanced and played with deadly effect upon our troops. Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Hardinge immediately formed Her Majesty's 80th Foot and the 1st European Light Infantry. They were led to the attack by their commanding officers, and animated in their exertions by Lieutenant-Colonel Wood (Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant- General), who was wounded in the outset, the 80th captured the gun, and the enemy, dismayed by this counter-check, did not venture to press on further. During the whole night, however, they continued to harass our troops by fire of artillery, wherever moonlight discovered our position. But, with daylight of the 22nd, came retribution. Our infantry formed line, supported on both flanks by horse artillery, whilst a fire was opened from our centre by such of our heavy guns as remained effective, aided by a flight of rockets. A masked battery played with great effect upon this point, dismounting our pieces, and blowing up our tumbrils. At this moment Lieutenant-Gcneral Sir Henry Hardinge placed himself at the head of the left, whilst I rode at the head of the right wing. Our line advanced, and, un- checked by the enemy's fire, drove them rapidly out of the village of Ferozeshah and their encampment ; then, changing front to its left, on its centre, our force continued to sweep the camp, bearing down all opposition, and dislodged the enemy from their whole position. The line then halted, as if on a day of manoeuvre, receiving its two leaders as they rode along its front with a gratifying cheer, and displaying the captured standards of the Khalsa army. We had taken upwards of seventy-three pieces of cannon, and were masters of the whole field. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 53 The force assumed a position on the ground which it had won, but even here its labours were not to cease. In the course of two hours, Sirdar Tej Singh, who had commanded in the last great battle, brought up from the vicinity of Ferozepore fresh battalions and a large field of artillery, supported by thirty thousand Ghore- purras, hitherto encamped near the river. He drove in our cavalry parties, and made strenuous efforts to regain the position at Ferozeshah. This attempt was defeated ; but its failure had scarcely become manifest, when the Sirdar renewed the contest with more troops and a large artillery. He commenced by a combination against our left flank; and, when this was frustrated, made such a demonstration against the captured village, as compelled us to change our whole front to the right. His guns, during this manoeuvre, maintained an incessant fire, whilst, our artillery ammunition being completely expended in these protrac- ted combats, we were unable to answer him with a single shot. I now directed our almost exhausted cavalry to threaten both flanks at once, preparing the infantry to advance in support, which apparently caused him suddenly to cease his fire and to abandon the field. For twenty-four hours not a Sikh has appeared in our front. The remains of the Khalsa army are said to be in full retreat across the Sutlej, at Nuggurputhur and Tilla, or marching up its left bank towards Hurrekeeputhur, in the greatest confusion and dismay. Of their chiefs, Bahudur Singh is killed ; Lai Singh said to be wounded; Mehtab Singh, Adjoodhia Pershad, and Tej Singh, the late governor of Peshawur, have fled with precipitation. Their camp is the scene of the most awful carnage, and they have abandoned large stores of grain, camp equipage, and ammunition. Thus has apparently terminated this unprovoked and criminal invasion of the peaceful provinces under British protection. On the conclusion of such a narrative as I have given, it is surely superfluous in me to say, that I am, and shall be to the last moment of my existence, proud of the army which I had the honour to command on the 21st and 22nd instant. To their 54 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. gallant exertions I owe the satisfaction of seeing such a victory achieved, and the glory of having ray name associated with it. The loss of this army has been heavy: how could a hope be formed that it should be otherwise. Within thirty hours this force stormed an entrenched camp, fought a general action, and sustained two considerable combats with the enemy. Within four days it has dislodged from their positions, on the left bank of the Sutlej, 60,000 Sikh soldiers, supported by upwards of 150 pieces of cannon, 108 of which the enemy acknowledged to have lost, and 91 of which are in our possession. In addition to our losses in the battle, the captured camp was found to be everywhere protected by charged mines, by the successive spring of which many brave officers and men have been destroyed. I must bear testimony to the valour displayed in these actions by the whole of the regiments of Her Majesty's service employed, and the East India Company's 1st European Light Infantry: the native force seconded in a most spirited manner their gallant conduct. To Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Hardinge, my second in command, my warmest thanks are due, not only for his personal exertions, which xvere conspicuous to all, but for the able assistance he afforded me through all the eventful scenes of this well-fought action. To the general and my personal staff, I feel deeply indebted for their unceasing exertions. Major-Generals Sir Harry Smith, Gilbert, and Sir John Littler, and Brigadier Wallace (who nobly fell in the hour of victory), fully realized the high expecta- tions I had formed of their conduct as leaders of divisions. With the Brigadiers, the Commandant of Artillery, and the Chief Engineer, the Commanding Officer of regiments, and with the Departmental Staff, I was also greatly pleased ; their exer- tions were most unremitting, and highly praiseworthy. The reports I have received from the Generals of divisions of Infantry, the Brigadiers of Cavalry, and the Commandant of Artillery, speak in the highest terms of their respective staff; WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 55 and it is my intention, as soon as possible, to forward to you, Right Honourable Sir, a list containing the names of the officers I have just enumerated, together with the names of all those who appear to me especially to merit approbation and favour. The hurried manner in which I am forced to collect information, and prepare these numerous details, may, I fear, cause the omis- sion of the names of some officers well deserving of notice ; but I shall not fail to send in a supplementary list when I can assure myself of their individual merits, as it would be most painful to me to feel that I had not done justice to any one of the brave men who shared with me the glories and dangers of this arduous conflict. I beg now to mention the conduct of an illustrious nobleman, Count Ravensburg*", who, with the officers of his suite, Counts Greuben and Oriola, did us the honour to accompany the force during our operations. They were present at Moodkee, and in this great battle. It is with the greatest pleasure and sincerity I can bear my testimony to their gallant conduct on these occasions ? worthy of the high reputation in arms of their countrymen, and of the great ancestor of one of them. I lament to add, that Dr. Hoffmeister, the medical attendant on the Count, was killed in the action of the 21st instant. I herewith enclose the report of Lieutenant-General the Right Honourable Sir Henry Hardinge, second in command. 1 have the honour to be, &c, H. Gough, General, Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. * Count Ravensburg is the assumed name of Prince Waldemar of Prussia, the son of Prince William (the late King's brother), and therefore cousin to Frederick William IV., King of Prussia. The Prince is now in his twenty-ninth year, and is Colonel in the Dragoons of the Prussian Guards. 56 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. Return of Killed and Wounded of the Army of the Sutlej, under the command of His Excellency Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief, in the Actions fought near Ferozeshah, on the 2\st and 22nd of December, 1845. Camp, Sultan Khan Walla, December 27, 1845. Staff. — 1 European officer killed ; 3 European officers wounded. Artillery Division. — 2 European officers, 2 native officers, 1 ser- geant, 26 rank and file, 4 lascars, 4 syce drivers, 2 syce grass- cutters, 118 regimental horses — killed; 4 European officers, 2 warrant officers, 10 sergeants, 61 rank and file, 7 lascars, 2 syce drivers, 2 syce grasscutters, 75 regimental horses — wounded. Cavalry. — 3 European officers, 2 native officers, 4 havildars, 1 trumpeter, 78 rank and file, 9 officers' chargers, 163 regimental horses — killed ; 9 European officers, 2 native officers, 1 warrant officer, 9 havildars, 133 rank and file, 2 officers' chargers, 112 regimental horses — wounded. 1st Infantry. — 4 European officers, 6 native officers, 5 sergeants, or havildars, 1 drummer, 119 rank and file, 9 officers' chargers — killed ; 19 European officers, 21 sergeants or havildars, 8 drum- mers, 399 rank and file, 2 officers' chargers — wounded. 2nd Infantry. — 8 European officers, 3 native officers, 6 sergeants or havildars, 150 rank and file, 6 officers' chargers — killed ; 13 European officers, 9 native officers, 26 sergeants or havildars, 8 drummers, 365 rank and file, 2 officers' chargers — wounded. 3rd Infantry. — 1 1 European officers, 1 native officer, 2 sergeants or havildars, 2 drummers, 1 1 1 rank and file, 2 officers' chargers — killed ; 9 European officers, 2 native officers, 13 sergeants or havildars, 2 drummers, 315 rank and file, 1 lascar — wounded. 4th Infantry. — 8 European officers, 3 native officers, 9 sergeants or havildars, 115 rank and file, 7 officers' chargers — killed; 21 European officers, 5 native officers, 20 sergeants or havildars, 5 drummers, 323 rank and file — wounded. Grand total. — 37 European officers, 1 7 native officers, 27 ser- geants or havildars, 4 trumpeters or drummers, 599 rank and file, WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 57 4 lascars, 4 syce drivers, 2 syce grasscutters, 33 officers' chargers, 281 regimental horses — killed; 78 European officers, 18 native officers, 3 warrant officers, 99 sergeants or havildars, 23 trumpeters or drummers, 1 ,496 rank and file, 8 lascars, 2 syce drivers, 2 syce grasscutters, 6 officers' chargers, 187 regimental horses, wounded. Names of Officers Killed and Wounded. Personal Staff. — Lieutenant-Colonel R. B. Wood, Aide-de- Camp to the Right Honourable the Governor-General, severely wounded ; Lieutenant F. P. Haines, Aide-de-Camp to his Excel- lency the Commander-in-Chief, severely ditto. General Staff. — Major A. W. Fitzroy Somerset, Military Secre- tary to the Right Hon. the Governor-General, mortally ditto, since dead ; Brevet-Captain W. Hore, Officiating Deputy Secre- tary to the Government, killed. Artillery Division, Divisional Staff. — Captain W. K. Warner, Commissary of Ordnance, slightly wounded. Brigade Staff. — Captain M. Mackenzie, Major of Brigade, slightly wounded. 2nd Troop, 1st Brigade, Horse Artillery. — Captain E. D. A. Todd, killed. 1st Troop, 3rd Brigade, Horse Artillery. — 1st Lieutenant R. M. Paton, slightly wounded. 3rd Troop, 3rd Brigade, Horse Artillery. — 1st Lieutenant P. C. Lambert, killed. 3rd Company, 4th Battalion. — 1st Lieutenant E. Atlay, slightly wounded. Cavalry Division. Divisional Staff. — Lieutenant-Colonel D. Harriott, Com- mandant, slightly wounded ; Captain C. F. Havelock, H.M. 9th Foot, D. A. Quarter-Master-General, wounded. Brigade Staff. — Lieutenant-Colonel M. White, C.B., com- manding 1st Brigade, slightly wounded. 58 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. H.M. 3rd Light Dragoons. — Brevet-Captain J. E. Codcl, killed ; Cornet H. Ellis, ditto ; Cornet G. W. K. Bruce, H.M. 16th, ditto. Major C. W. M. Balders, slightly wounded ; Lieu- tenant H. C. Morgan, severely wounded ; Lieutenant J. G. A. Burton, slightly wounded ; Cornet W. H. Orme, severely wounded ; Cornet Lieutenant J. D. White, slightly wounded ; Cornet J. Ratkwell, ditto. 1st Division of Infantry. Divisional Staff. — Captain E. Lugard, D. A. A. G., wounded ; Lieutenant A. J. Galloway, D. A. Q. M. G., ditto ; Lieutenant E. A. Holditch, A. D. C, ditto. H.M. 3\st Foot. — Lieutenant J. L. R. Pollard, killed ; Lieu- tenant and Adjutant W. Bernard, ditto. Major G. Baldwin, severely wounded ; Lieutenant T. H. Plaskett, severely wounded ; Lieutenant A. Pilkington, ditto ; Ensign J. Paul, slightly wounded ; Ensign H. P. Hutton, ditto. H.M. 50th Foot. — Captain W. Knowles, wounded ; Lieutenant C. A. Mouat, ditto; Lieutenant E.J. Chambers, ditto; Lieutenant R. M. Barnes, ditto; Ensign A. White, ditto; Lieutenant and Adjutant E. C. Mullen, ditto. 24th Regiment N.I. — Brevet-Major J. Griffin, killed ; Ensign E. A. Grubb, wounded. 42nd Light Infantry. — Lieutenant J. G. Wollen, killed; Lieu- tenant Adjutant C. W. Ford, wounded; Ensign J. Wardlaw, ditto. 48th Regiment N. I. — Lieutenant E. W. Litchford, slightly wounded ; Lieutenant R. C. Taylor, ditto. 2nd Division of Infantry. Brigade Staff. — Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. Taylor, Brigadier, wounded ; Captain J. O. Lucas, Major of Brigade, killed ; Captain J. H. Burnet, 16th N. I., ditto. H.M. 29th Foot.— Captain G. Molle, killed ; Lieutenant A. A. Simmons, ditto ; Major G. Congreve, wounded ; Captain A. St. G. H. Stepney, ditto. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 59 1st European Light Infantry. — Captain T. Box, killed ; Ensign P. Moxon, ditto. Captain C. Clark, severely wounded ; Captain B. Kendall, dangerously ditto; Lieutenant C. T. Beatson, 14th N. I. Officiating Interpreter, severely ditto ; Lieutenant R. W. H. Fanshawe, slightly ditto; Ensign F. O. Salusbury , severely ditto ; Ensign C. R. Wreford, slightly ditto. 2nd Regiment N.I., Grenadiers. — Ensign G. A. Armstrong, killed. Captain T. W. Bolton, severely wounded ; Ensign W. S. R. Hodsons, lightly ditto. 16th Regiment N.I., Grenadiers. — Major L. N. Hull, killed ; Ensign J. J. O'Bryen, slightly wounded. 45th Regime/it N.I. — Lieutenant C. V. Hamilton, wounded. 3rd Division of Infantry. Brigade Staff. — Lieutenant-Colonel N. Wallace, Brigadier, killed. H.M. 9th Foot. — Lieutenant-Colonel A. B. Taylor, killed ; Captain J. Dunne, ditto ; Captain J. F. Field, ditto. Captain A. Barton, severely wounded : Lieutenant A. Taylor, severely wounded ; Lieutenant J. U. Vigors, slightly wounded ; Lieu- tenant F. Sievwright, dangerously wounded ; Lieutenant W. G. Cassidy, dangerously wounded ; Ensign W. H. Forster, contused. H.M. 80th Foot.— Captain A. D. W. Best, killed ; Captain R. Scheberras, ditto ; Lieutenant R. B. Warren, ditto ; Lieu- tenant G. C. G. Bythesea, ditto. Major R. A. Lockhart, wounded; Brevet-Captain S. Fraser, since dead; Lieutenant M. D. Freeman, wounded. 26th Light Infantry, N.I. — Lieutenant G. A. Croly, killed ; Lieutenant A. C. Eatwell, ditto. 73rd Regiment, N.I. — Captain R. M. Hunter, killed. 4th Division of Infantry. Divisional Staff. — Lieutenant Harvey, Aide-de-Camp, killed ; Captain J. F. Egerton, D.A.Q.M.G., wounded. 60 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. Brigade Staff. — Captain C. F. J. Burnet, Major of Brigade, slightly wounded ; Lieutenant-Colonel T. Reed, slightly ditto. H.M. 62nd Foot.— Captain G. H. Clarke, killed ; Captain H. Wells, ditto ; Lieutenant T. K. Scott, ditto ; Lieutenant W. M'Nair, ditto; Lieutenant R. Guhbins, ditto; Lieutenant M. Kelly, ditto; Lieutenant and Adjutant G. Sims, ditto. Major W. T. Shortt, slightly wounded ; Captain S. W. Graves, badly ditto ; Captain C. W. Sibley, ditto ; Captain D. G. A. Darroch, slightly ditto ; Lieutenant M. J. Gregorson, badly ditto ; Lieu- tenant W. L. Ingall, slightly ditto ; Lieutenant A. S. Craig, se- verely ditto ; Ensign C. Roberts, ditto ; Ensign J. M. M. Hewett, slightly ditto. 12th Regiment Native Infantry. — Lieutenant-Colonel L. Bruce, very severely wounded ; Captain W. B. Holmes, severely ditto ; Lieutenant C. B. Tulloch, very severely ditto ; Ensign J. H. C. Ewart, slightly ditto. 14th Regiment Native Infantry. — Captain W. Struthers, slightly wounded; Brevet-Captain C. G. Walsh, ditto; Lieu- tenant A. O. Wood, severely ditto ; Lieutenant I. H. H. Lukin, slightly ditto ; Ensign G. Weld, severely ditto. P. Grant, Major, Deputy Adjutant- General of the Army. Killed. — European officers, 37 ; native ditto, 17 ; non-com- missioned, drummers, rank and file, 630 : syces, drivers, &c. 10 ; total, 694. Wounded. — European officers, 78; native ditto, 18; non- commissioned, drummers, rank and file, 1610; syces, drivers, &c. 12; warrant officers, 3 ; total, 1,721. Grand total of all ranks, killed and wounded, 2,415. 3 CO ^ — ^1 I- 1 1 J 5 11 vH iP ' : {■ ■\\ v 1 * 11 fc >>1« "' : '^ I WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 61 Camp, Feroz eshah, 21th December, 1845 No. 1 Guns brass No. 12-pounder 3 1 1 5 1 10 ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto 1 1 -pounder 10-pounder 9-pounder 8-pounder 7-pounder 1 4 8 9 2 4 1 ditto ditto ditto ditto 6-pounder 3-pounder 1 6 1 1 ditto ditto iron ditto 3-pounder 6-pounder 1 5 1 Mortar brass 10-inch shell 1 2 1 ditto ditto 24-pounder 1 Return of Ordnance captured during the Action of the 2\st and 22nd instant. Howitzer . 42-pounder ditto brass 24-pounder ditto ditto 9-pounder Guns ditto 1 8-pounder ditto ditto 12-pounder ditto ditto 9-poui ditto ditto 8-pounder ditto ditto 7-pounder ditto ditto 6-pounder ditto ditto 32-pounder ditto ditto 24-pounder ditto ditto 1 8-pounder ditto ditto 15-pounder Many of these guns have long Persian inscriptions on them, and very old dates ; some are highly ornamented, carriages in good repair, and closely assimilating to those in use with the Bengal Artillery, the whole well fitted for post guns ; the metal in these guns is much heavier than those of a similar calibre in use with the Bengal Artillery. Two more guns were discovered at Sooltan-Khan Walla, of which no return has yet been received. W. K. Warner, Lieutenant and Brevet- Captain, Commissary of Ordnance. M. Mc Kenzie, Brevet-Captain, Brigade-Major Artillery, Army of the Sutlej. Geo. G. Denniss, Brigadier of Foot Artillery, Army of the Sutlej. George Brooke, Brigadier commanding Artillery, Army of the Sutlej. 62 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. From Lieutenant- General Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B., to His Excellency General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., G.C.B., Com- mander-in- Chief of India. Cam]), Ferozepore, December 22, 1845. Sir, I have the honour to report to your Excellency that, when the army under your command had formed its junction with the forces fromFerozepore, under Major-General Sir John Littler, and was drawn up in order of battle, on the 21st inst., I pro- ceeded with the two left brigades, commanded by Colonels Wallace and McLaren, to attack the enemy's entrenched posi- tion at Ferozeshah. 2. — The line advanced with great steadiness, notwithstanding the nature of the ground, intersected with jungle. When the troops had cleared these impediments, and had opened out into the plain, they continued to press on, without a check, under a very heavy fire of grape and musketry from the enemy's batteries, and having borne down all opposition, entered the enemy's camp, and captured the guns in their front. 3. — This portion of the camp was soon after on fire, compelling the troops to desist from their attack of the remainder, and as it was now dark, the troops formed on the ground, nearly on a line with the burning camp. From that period till the morning, these brave men were exposed to an incessant fire from the enemy's guns, the darkness of the night being illuminated by the explosion of mines, tumbrils, and shells. 4. — I need not dwell on the events of this night, so remarkable in military history, because your Excellency witnessed them, and with me admired the fortitude and resolution of these brave men, ready to encounter any danger, although harassed by fatigue, and suffering from thirst. 5. — I have personally reported to your Excellency my admira- tion of the conduct of H.M. 80th Regiment, and the 1st European Light Infantry, in obeying with alacrity the order I gave about midnight to stand to their arms and charge a battery, which bore OF THE AKIWYofthe SUTLEJ, JAN* 19 th 1846. ...... ■ - . .'. . , I , .. ■ I ■ I . , .... . .... \jb LffT aP Brigadier Cuatom&Bng '<• i i 7.1 i ;/ Mick \ *in ' ■ %M& qTGxr&an B I I ', KWJlOf .- r ■ li VctaehmAO ^ --,■■■■/■,,• r„,,,/rv in /}, r^ WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 63 destructively on our ranks. Lieut. -Col. Bunbury, assisted by Lieut.-Col. Wood, my Aide-de-Camp, led the attack, on which occasion the latter officer was wounded. The guns were spiked, the enemy driven away with loss, and this part of our line left undisturbed for the remainder of the night. Their conduct in the preceding part of the action came more immediately under your Excellency's own observation. 6. — Your Excellency, having formed the troops before daylight, led the right of the attack, entrusting the left to me. The whole line instantly advanced, and, animated by your example, carried everything before them ; and, having traversed the camp from one extremity to the other, drew up in a perfect line, expressing by loud cheers, as we rode up the line, their conscious pride that every man had done his duty. 7. — I again most cordially congratulate you on the brilliant success of the army under your Excellency's command. 8. — It is now my duty to report to your Excellency, that Major- General Gilbert, commanding a portion of this division of the army, gave me great satisfaction. 9. — Colonel Wallace fell bravely at the head of his troops. 10. — Colonel McLaren led his brigade with his accustomed judgment and resolution. 1 1 . — My own personal Staff having been all disabled, with the exception of one most dear to me, and who still remained by my side, I derived, on the morning of the 22nd, the most valuable aid from Lieutenant-Colonel Birch, Judge-Advocate-General; from Lieutenant-Colonel Parsons ; and from your Excellency's intelli- gent and brave Aide-de-Camp, Captain West. These Officers, riding several paces in front of the line, regulated the advance, animated the men, and prevented any unnecessary firing. 12. — I have great obligations, during the whole of these opera- tions, to Colonel Benson, a Member of the Military Board, and acting as my Aide-de-Camp, who has constantly accompanied me in the field, and in whose cool judgment and experienced ability I place great reliance. 64 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. ] 3. — My Aide-de-Camp, Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, lias shown all the qualities which make a good officer. 14. — I beg to bring to your notice my Aide-de-Camp, Lieute- nant Hillier, who is wounded ; and Lieutenant Peel, of the 37th Native Infantry, Acting Aide-de-Camp, who is slightly wounded. Captain Becher, of the Quarter-Master-General's Department attached to my camp, also accompanied me, and I recommend him as a very promising officer. 15. — I also recommend the officers belonging to the Political Agency to these provinces, who acted as my Aides-de-Camp, Captain Abbott and Lieutenant Lake, and are both wounded. Captain Mills, Acting Aide-de-Camp, took the command of a troop of horse artillery, with his usual spirit. 16. — It is now with great pain that I have to record the irre- parable loss I have sustained, and more especially the East India Company's Service, in the death of Major Broadfoot, of the Madras Army, my Political Agent. He was thrown from his horse by a shot, and I failed in prevailing upon him to leave the field. He remounted, and shortly afterwards received a mortal wound. He was as brave as he was able in every branch of the Political and Military Service. 17. — Major Somerset, my Military Secretary, much about the same time was shot through the body, conducting himself with the hereditary courage of his race. He was always foremost where difficulties required to be overcome, I deeply regret his loss. 18. — I have also lost a most promising and brave officer by the death of Captain Hemes, on the night of the 18th, at Moodkee. 19. — Lieutenant Munro, of the 10th Light Cavalry, my Aide- de-Camp, a most amiable and excellent officer, I have also had the misfortune to lose, whilst placed at your Excellency's dis- posal, in the affair at Moodkee. 20. — Captain Hore, Assistant Military Secretary, and a valuable officer, acting as my Aide-de-Camp, was killed about the same time as Major Somerset received his wound. 21. — I have now to request your Excellency's notice to the con- WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 65 duct of an illustrious nobleman, Count Ravensburg, who, with the officers of his suite, Count Greuben and Count Oriola, accom- panied me in the field. These Prussian officers nobly sustained the reputation of their countrymen. 22. — The Prince's surgeon was struck to the ground by a ball. I saw his Royal Highness instantly spring from his horse to his assistance. The Prince's humanity was unavailing, — death had already closed the surgeon's career. 23. — I am aware of the respectful regard which your Excellency entertains for this illustrious nobleman and his companions, travel- lers in the East; and I know that this brief record of their actions will be gratifying to your Excellency. I have, &c. H. Hardinge. From Major- General Sir John Littler to the Adjutant- General of the Army. Ferozepore, December 25, 1845. Sir, In pursuance of instructions received from the Right Honourable the Governor-General, under date the 20th instant, I moved out of my position at Ferozepore at eight a.m. on the 21st instant, with the corps as per margin*, leaving the defence of the cantonments to the 63rd Regiment Native Infantry, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Wilkinson, and that of the town to the 27th Regiment Native Infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Carnegy, together with detachments of sappers, and half a field battery in the town, and 2nd company (reserve) of artillery in the entrenchment. I effected a junction with the troops under the personal com- *2 Troops Horse Artillery; H Light Field Battery; 8th Light Cavalry; 3rd Irregular Cavalry; H. M. 62nd Foot, 1st brigade; 12th Native Infantry, 1st brigade; 14th ditto, 1st brigade ; 33rd ditto, 2nd brigade; 44th ditto, 2nd brigade; 54th ditto, 2nd brigade; detachment of Sappers. F ()(i WAR WITH THE SIKHS. mand of his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, and, agreeably to his instructions moved into position, or order of battle, on the same evening about four p.m. The first advance in line was very steady, and the approach to the enemy's works made under a most galling and destructive fire. The casualties in the ranks were awful. The troops, however, still moved on with great firmness and resolution, and approached the enemy's battery to within about 150 yards, when I considered the prize to be within their grasp. Brigadier T. Reed gave the order to charge, supported by the left, or Brigadier the Honourable T. Ashburnham's, brigade. This charge was commenced with such determined gallantry and spirit that the result seemed certain. The enemy, however, having great confidence in their guns, continued to serve them with extraordinary activity, and to make such havoc in our ranks, as to cause an immediate panic and hesitation in Her Majesty's 62nd Foot, which of course had a similar effect on the native regiments on the flanks, notwithstanding all our exertions to induce them to advance by cheering and encouraging them, pointing at the same time to the short distance which they had to proceed, when the day would be their own. It was all in vain, and they retired out of gunshot, to where Her Majesty's 9th Foot and 26th Regiment Native Infantry were drawn up in reserve. A part of the 14th Regiment Native Infantry, with their colours, accompanied these two regiments, and entered the enemy's batteries. At this period it was nearly dark, and, as I had heard that the divisions on the right had also been unable to obtain an entrance, I bivouacked for the night in the vicinity. On the following morning, I obtained information of the right division having been directed to renew the attack, and I moved to co-operate, as might be necessary. I then received orders to wait until further instructions, and was moved up to the town, and directed to hold it. The result of this attack was most glorious to the British army, and I heartily congratulate his Excellency WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 67 and the Governor-General on the happy termination of probably one of the most sanguinary engagements that ever took place in India. With the conduct of the troops in general, under me, I was much gratified ; their patience and perseverance in marching through the day, exposed to the sun and want of water, must have, no doubt, in some measure weakened their energies, but they notwithstanding evinced great firmness and resolution in advancing to the attack, until borne down by the furious and irresistible fire from all arms that man could be exposed to ; the loss of many of their officers must have tended to relax their efforts and check their ardour, and under such circumstances only could the disappointment to Her Majesty's 62nd Regiment themselves, and to their country, have been for a moment conceived. The native troops, under the numerous temptations to which they have been exposed for several months past by Sikh emissaries, have evinced their loyalty to the British Government in a most remarkable manner, not a single desertion having taken place, since the enemy crossed the Sutlej, that has come to my know ledge. They have maintained the character of the Bengal army in displaying courage and bravery under a heavy fire. I have much pleasure in bringing to the favourable notice of his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief the services of those zealous and indefatigable officers, Brigadiers T. Reed, the Hon- ourable T. Ashburnham, D. Harriott, commanding cavalry ; and E. Huthwaite, commanding artillery ; whose cool courage during the attack was conspicuous. To the several commanding officers of regiments and divisions, Lieutenant-Colonel Gairdner, com- manding 14th Regiment Native Infantry ; Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce, commanding 12th Regiment Xative Infantry, who lost his arm in the action ; Major Wake, commanding 44th Regiment Native Infantry ; Major Shortt, commanding Her Majesty's 62nd Foot ; Major Osborn, commanding 54th Regiment Native Infantry; and Captain Sandeman, commanding 33rd Regiment Native Infantry; I feel much indebted for the spirited and 68 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. gallant manner in which they brought up their respective regi- ments during the advance. It is with sincere regret that I have to report for his Excellency's information the death of my Aide-de-Camp, Lieutenant Harvey, of Her Majesty's 39th Foot, a very promising and intelligent young officer, and devoted to his profession. He was shot during the advance, in the act of cheering on the men, when within about 250 yards of the enemy's works. His death will be a loss to the public service, and deplored by his friends and relations. Of Captain Egerton, my Assistant Quarter-Master-General, whose activity and zeal were conspicuous, I cannot speak too highly ; he was severely wounded on the morning of the 22nd. It is with much gratification that I also submit for his Excel- lency's consideration, and acknowledge the obligation to Major P. Innes, my Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General, and Captain Burnett, Major of the Brigade, for their indefatigable exertions throughout the affair, as well as for their able assistance on all occasions. Lieutenant Goodwyn, of the Engineers, has proved himself a most zealous and indefatigable officer during the whole time that the Sikh army has been opposite Ferozepore, us well as on the evening of the 21st, during the engagement, and whom I beg to recommend to his Excellency's notice. To Captain W. B. Thomson, Commissariat Department, who accompanied me, and to Lieutenant W. Fullerton, superintending the Sudder Bazaar, who volunteered his services as my Aide-de- Camp, and was particularly useful to me in the field, I feel indebted. Captain Nicolson, late Assistant Governor-General's agent, and Colonel Van Courland, late of the Sikh service, who were placed at my disposal by the late Major Broadfoot, C.B., afforded me every assistance in their power during the engagement and pre- viously, when the Sikhs first crossed the Sutlej. 1 have, &c. J. H. Littler, Major-General, Commanding Infantry Division. o WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 61) e d •~ 3rd Brigade. _o II. M.'s 29th Foot. cz 45th Res>t. N.I. H 11. M.'s'SOth Foot. U P5 d a o 4- PROCLAMATION, By the Governor- General of India. Camp, Lulleeanee, February 18, 1840. The chiefs, merchants, traders, ryots, and other inhabitants of Lahore and Umritsur, are hereby informed, that his Highness Maharajah Dhuleep Singh has this day waited upon the Right Honourable the Governor-General, and expressed the contrition of himself and the Sikh Government for their late hostile pro- ceedings. The Maharajah and Durbar having acquiesced in all the terms imposed by the British Government, the Governor- General, having every hope that the relations of friendship will speedily be established between the two Governments, the inhabi- tants of Lahore and Umritsur have nothing to fear from the British army. The Governor-General and the British troops, if the conditions above adverted to are fulfilled, and no further opposition is offered by the Khalsa army, will aid their endeavours for the re-establish- ment of the descendants of Maharajah Runjeet Singh, and for the protection of its subjects. The inhabitants of the cities in the Punjaub will, in that case, be perfectly safe, in person and property, from any molestation by the British troops ; and they are hereby called oil to dismiss 136 WAR WITH THE SIKH*. apprehension, and to follow their respective callings with all confidence. By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor- General. Extract of a Letter from Sir Hugh Gough. Head Quarters, Camp, Army of the Sutlej, Kussoor, right bank of the Sutlej, February 16, 1346. Here let nie observe one feature so highly honourable and creditable to the native army, that notwithstanding the numerous temptations held out to them by men of their own colour and religion — namely, greatly increased pay (from seven to twelve ru- pees a month), and immediate promotion, I had but three desertions from this large force, during the time we lay opposite to the Sikh army. Nor should I omit to mention, as a proof of their high state of discipline, that trade has been carried on as unrestrained in the towns and villages around us, and the same confidence shown by the inhabitants as if we were located in one of our long established provinces. These are features which. I well know you will highly appreciate, and which make me justly proud of this noble army. But to revert to my narrative of the battle of Sobraon, where all so signally distinguished themselves, it would be invidious, indeed, impossible to particularize. But I must — now that the field, and I hope the great stake for which we were fighting, has been won — mourn over the loss of many highly distinguished officers. I shall only here name those whose meed of praise can only be their country's regret at their loss — j\Iajor-General Sir Robert Dick and Colonel Taylor of the 29th, Acting Brigadiers, nobly fell in the hour of victory, esteemed, admired, and regretted by the whole army. In the battles of Moodkee, Ferozeshah, and Aliwal, I reported upon the noble bearing of Her Majesty's army, both cavalry and WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 137 infantry. At Sobraon two new regiments contended for the prize so nobly won by their comrades in former actions, and I gave them the opportunity, by placing them in the attacking columns. Nobly did they show that .they would not be outdone. Her Majesty's 10th and 53rd have, by their steadiness and brilliant conduct, under Lieutenant-Colonels Franks and Phillips, esta- blished a name second to none. The former regiment never fired a shot until they were within the enemy's works, when they sent a withering volley into their densely manned trenches. These are deeds which it is my duty and my pride to report. 1 have, &c. (Signed) Hugh Gough. The Letter of Sir Hugh Gough, quoted by Sir Robert Peel in the Souse of Commons. Head Quarters, Camp, Army of the Sutlej, Kussoor, February 17, 184G. My Dear Sir, My letter of the 27th of December, announcing the glorious victories of Moodkee, and Ferozeshah, by which the war with the aggressing Sikh nation was so nobly opened, would undoubtedly have led the Honourable the Court of Directors to look forward with anxiety to the future movements, on which the weal or woe of India so greatly depended. The anxieties and cares consequent on the multiplied arrange- ments necessary to the ultimate success of an anticipated final blow, made it impracticable for me to report upon the brilliant success obtained by Major-General Sir Harry Smith, at Aliwal, on the 28th of January. I regretted my inability to do so, the less, as I was aware my report upon the various arrangements, which led to this brilliant victory, made to the Right Honourable the Governor-General on the 2nd instant, would have been laid before that honourable body. It is now with pride and with pleasure I enclose you a copy of 138 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. mv despatch, detailing one of the most splendid and decisive victories upon record — the Waterloo of India. I have entered so fully both into detail and commendation in my despatch to the Governor-General, that it would be impossible for me to enlarge upon a subject embracing the warmest feelings of my heart. Policy, however, precluded me publicly recording my sentiments on the splendid gallantry of our fallen foe, or to record the acts of heroism displayed, not only individually, but almost collectively by the Sikh Sirdars and army ; and I declare, were it not from a deep conviction that my country's good re- quired the sacrifice, I would have wept to have witnessed the fearful slaughter of so devoted a body of men. Never in the page of military history has the hand of an All- wise Being been so signally manifested : to Him, therefore be the glory ! we, as his instruments, feel the pride ! But I cannot pass over, I cannot too strongly record, facts which, while they add lustre to the native army, afford to me, as its head, inexpressible pride and pleasure. For upwards of a month, when the two armies were close in front of one another, notwithstanding the numerous temptations held out to our sepoys, by men of their own colour and religion — namely, greatly increased pay (from seven to twelve rupees a month), and immediate pro- motion, I had but three desertions from this large force. Nor should I omit, to mention, as a proof of the high state of disci- pline of this splendid army, that trade has been carried on unre- strainedly since we crossed the Sutlej, in the several Sikh towns around which our divisions have been necessarily placed for the procu ranee of water, and the same confidence has been shown as though we were in one of our long established provinces. '/F w -a* vF w -Jv* Believe me, my dear Sir, Very faithfully yours, (Signed) H. Gough, WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 139 General Order by the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India. Foreign Department, Camp of Lahore, February 20th, 1846. The Right Hon. the Governor-General requests that the Com- mander-in-Chief will cause the following arrangements to be made for escorting his Highness the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh to his palace in the citadel of Lahore, this afternoon. The escort will consist of two regiments of European cavalry, two regiments of native cavalry — the body guard to be one ; one regiment of irregular horse, two troops of horse artillery, one European and one native. The Secretary to the Government of India, F. Currie, Esq., will take charge of his Highness and his suite, and will be ac- companied by the Political Agent, Major Lawrence, the Gover- nor-General's Private Secretary, Charles Hardinge, Esq., the Aide-de-Camp of the Governor-General ; two Aides-de-Camp of the Commander-in-Chief, one Aide-de-Camp from each General officer of division, in uniform. The escort will be formed at the nearest convenient spot to the Governor-General's camp, at two o'clock, and proceed to his Highness's camp, and thence to his palace. On alighting from his elephant, a salute of twenty-one guns will be fired by the horse artillery. His Highness the Maharajah of the Sikh nation, selected by the chiefs as their sovereign, having on the 18th instant, intimated his intention to proceed to the Governor-General's camp at Lul- leeanee, attended by his Highness's Wuzeer, the Rajah Gholab Singh, and other chiefs, was received in Durbar on the afternoon of that day by the Governor-General, the Commander-in-Chief and the Staff being present. His Highness's ministers and chiefs there tendered his submission, and solicited the clemency of the British Government. The Governor-General extended the clemency of the British Government to a prince the descendant of the Maharajah, the 140 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. late Runjeet Singh, for so many years the faithful ally and friend of the British Government, as the representative of the Sikh nation selected by the chiefs and the people to be their ruler, on the condition that all the terms imposed by the British Govern- ment, and previously explained to his Highness's ministers and chiefs, should be faithfully executed. On withdrawing from the Durbar, the Maharajah received the usual salutes due to his Highness's exalted rank. His Highness has since remained near the Governor-General's camp, and as it will be conducive to his Highness's comfort, that he should rejoin his family, the Governor-General desires that he may, with all honour and in safety, be conducted by the British troops to the gates of his palace this day. The following Proclamation was issued on the 18th instant, by the Governor-General, promising protection to all persons at Lahore and elsewhere who peaceably continue in their usual em- ployment of trade and industry. The Governor-General is satisfied, after the experience of this campaign, that he can rely on the discipline of this invincible army, as fully and securely as he has always been, confident that the day of battle, under their distinguished Commander, would be one of victory. He trusts at present that no officers or soldiers will pass the advanced sentries of their encampment to enter the town of Lahore, and he requests his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief to give the necessary instruction to carry this order strictly into effect, as well as to protect all persons bringing provisions into the camp. By order, &c. F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor-General. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 141 To the Right Hon. Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B. Governor-General of India. Right Honourable Sir, I have the honour to state, for the information of your Excellency, that, in accordance Avith the instructions contained in the order of the Governor-General of yesterday's date, I proceeded in the afternoon with the escort ordered, and accompanied by the officers mentioned below, on elephants, to conduct the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh to his palace in the citadel of Lahore. Major Lawrence, the Governor-General's Political Agent. W. Edwards, Esq , Under Secretary of the Foreign Department. R. Cust, Esq., Assistant Secretary to the Foreign Department. C. Hardinge, Esq., Private Secretary to the Governor-General. Lieut.-Col. Wood, Military Secretary to the Governor-General. Captain Cunningham. Captain Hardinge, Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General. Captain Grant, ditto. Lord"?\.rthur Hay, ditto. Captain Mills, ditto. Captain Bagot, Aide de-Camp to the Commander-in-Chief. Captain Edwards, ditto. Captain Gilbert, Aide-de-Camp to General Gilbert. Capt. Tottenham, Aide de-Camp to General Smith. Lieut-Colonel Irvine, Engineers. Lieut.-Colonel Smith, ditto. Captain Napier, ditto, Captain Smith, ditto. The procession was arranged in the following order : — 9th Irregular Cavalry. 3rd Light Cavalry. Her Majesty's 16th Lancers Troop Horse Artillery, Europeans. Troop Horse Artillery, natives. Her Majesty's 9th Lancers. The Secretary with the Maharajah and Suite. The Governor-General's Body Guard. The escort was formed in open column of troops left in front, commanded by Brigadier Cureton, C.B. We proceeded in this order to the encampment of the Maha- rajah's camp, about one and a half miles from our picquets, and nearly the same distance from the citadel gate of the city. At about three-quarters of a mile from the Maharajah's camp, I was met by the minister, Rajah Gholab Singh, and some of the chiefs. 142 WAK WITH THE SIKHS. Intimation of our approach was then sent on to the Maharajah, that lie might be ready on his elephant upon our arrival. On reaching the Maharajah's camp, the troops of our escort drew up, and the Maharajah, with Bhaee Ram Singh on the same elephant, came forward from his tent, accompanied by several chiefs. After the usual salutation, and complimentary questions and replies, I placed the Maharajah's elephant next to mine, and the troops having fallen in, as at first, proceeded round the walls of the city to the gate of the citadel. On arriving, Brigadier Cureton drew up the escort in line in front of the gateway, and I took the Maharajah, accompanied by the officers enumerated in the former part of this letter, with Rajah Gholab Singh and the other chiefs, into the interior of the citadel, and to the inner door of his palace. I then observed to the Maharajah and chiefs that, by order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General, I had thus brought the Maharajah, conducted by the British army, to his palace, which his Highness had left for the purpose of tendering submission to the British Government, and for placing himself, his capital, and his country, at the mercy of the Governor-General, and request- ing pardon for the insult that had been offered ; and that^the Governor-General had thus restored him to his palace as a mark of the favour which he desired to show to the descendant of the late Maharajah Runjeet Singh. A salute of twenty-one guns was then fired by the horse artillery. We then took leave of the Maharajah at the gate of his palace, and returning to the outside of the city, we, continuing our progress round Lahore, thus returned to our camp. As our camp is situated opposite to the south-east end of the city-face, and the citadel is immediately within the city walls at the north-west angle, we made the entire circuit of Lahore. I considered this preferable to going through the city, the streets of WAR WITH THE SIKHS 143 which are narrow, and would have much impeded the progress of our large escort. We did not see one gun upon any part of the walls : all the embrasures were empty. I have the honour to be, &c, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor-General. From his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief to the Right Hon. Sir Henry Hardinye, G.C.B., Governor- General of India, Sfc. Head Quarters, Army qfthe Sutlej, in front of Lahore, Feb. 22, 1846. Right Honourable Sir, I have now to offer my congratulations on some of the earliest fruits of our victory of the 10th instant. About noon on the 20th, a day henceforth very memorable in our Indian annals, the army under my command pitched its tents on the plain of My an Meer, under the walls of the Sikh capital. The entire submission of the Maharajah and his advisers to the will of the British Government had been before personally tendered to you, and graciously accepted ; and this morning, in fulfilment of one of the conditions which your wisdom had dictated for the real interests of the ruler and people of the Punjaub, I had the honour to conduct a brigade of troops to the city, which took formal possession of the Badshahee Musjid and Hoozooree Bagh, forming a part of the palace and citadel of Lahore. I trust, by the observance of a strict discipline, to preserve unshaken that confidence which the people of the city and country around it evidently repose in the generosity, clemency, and good faith of their conquerors. Supplies of all sorts are willingly brought to our camp and punctually paid for; and I believe that by every 144 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. class of persons in this vicinity the presence of our troops is felt to be a national benefit ; none, certainly, have had real cause to lament it as a calamity. I have, &c, Hugh Gough, General, Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. General Order by the Right Hon. the Governor- General of India. Foreign Department, Camp Lahore, February 22, 1846. The British army has this day occupied the gateway of the citadel of Lahore, the Badshahee Mosque, and the Hoozooree Bagh. The remaining part of the citadel is the residence of his Highness the Maharajah, and also that of the families of the late Maharajah Runjeet Singh, for so many years the faithful ally of the British Government. In consideration of these circum- stances, no troops will be posted within, the precincts of the palace gate. The army of the Sutlej has now brought its operations in the field to a close, by the dispersion of the Sikh army and the military occupation of Lahore, preceded by a series of the most triumphant successes ever recorded in the military history of India. The British Government, trusting to the faith of treaties and to the long subsisting friendship between the two states, had limited military preparations to the defence of its own frontier. Compelled suddenly to assume the offensive by the unprovoked invasion of its territories, the British army, under the command of its distinguished leader, has, in sixty days, defeated the Sikh forces in four general actions, has captured 220 pieces of field artillery, and is now at the capital, dictating to the Lahore Durbar the terms of a treaty, the conditions of which will tend to secure the British Provinces from the repetition of a similar outrage. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 145 The Governor-General being determined, however, to mark with reprobation the perfidious character of the war, has required and will exact, that every remaining- piece of Sikh artillery which has been pointed against the British army during this campaign shall be surrendered. The Sikh army, whose insubordinate conduct is one of the chief causes of the anarchy and misrule which have brought the Sikh State to the brink of destruction, is about to be disbanded. The soldiers of the army of the Sutlej have not only proved their superior prowess in battle, but have on every occasion, with subordination and patience, endured the fatigues and privations inseparable from a state of active operations in the field. The native troops of this army have also proved that a faithful attach- ment to their colours and to the Company's service is an honourable feature in the character of the British sepoy. The Governor-General has repeatedly expressed, on his own part, and that of the Government of India, admiration and grati- tude for the important services which the army has rendered. The Governor-General is now pleased to resolve, as a testimony of the approbation of the Government of India of the bravery, discipline, and soldier-like bearing of the army of the Sutlej, that all the generals, officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, shall receive a gratuity of twelve months' batta. Every regiment which, in obedience to its orders, may have remained in posts and forts between Loodiana and Ferozepore, and was not present in action, as in the case of the troops ordered to remain at Moodkee to protect the wounded, and those left in the forts of Ferozepore and Loodiana, shall receive the gratuity of twelve months' batta. Obedience to orders is the first duty of a soldier, and the Governor-General, in affirming this principle, can never admit that absence, caused by the performance of indispensable duties, on which the success of the operations in the field greatly depended, ought to disqualify any soldier placed in these cir- L 140 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. cumstances from participating in the gratuity given for the general good conduct of the army in the field. All regiments and individuals ordered to the frontier and forming part of the army of the Sutlej, which may have readied Loodiana or Busseean before the date of this order, will be in- cluded as entitled to the gratuity. By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General. Arrangements were fast making for the occupation of the con- quered country, which is exceedingly fertile, and will yield an annual revenue of £.400,000. The chief town is Jullinder, with 40,000 inhabitants ; Phulloor, Pugwarra, and Sultanpore are also of note. The cantonments of the British will not be far distant from Lahore, so as to be able to keep down all attempts at insurrection. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 147 GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION. Foreign Department, Camp, Vmrilsir, March 16. The Right Hon. the Governor-General of India has been pleased to direct the publication, for general information, of the subjoined extracts from the proceedings of the Government of India, relative to the re-establishment of amicable relations be- tween the British Government and the State of Lahore, and the recognition of the independence of Maharajah Gholab Singh. No. 1. Note of Conference between F. Currie, Esq., and Major H. M. Lawrence, on the one part, and the Ministers and Chiefs of the Lahore Durbar on the other, 8th March, 1846. The Ministers and chiefs having assembled at the tent of the Governor-General's agent, for the purpose of signing the treaty, the conditions of which had been previously discussed and de- termined, produced, on the part of the Maharajah, a letter ad- dressed to Major Lawrence, the Governor-General's agent, of which the following is a translation : — " The feelings of consideration, kindness, and generosity which have been evinced towards the Lahore State by the Right Hon. the Governor-General, and his Excellency's respect for the former friendship of the British Government with the late Maharajah Runjeet Singh, have been communicated to me through Mr. Secretary Currie and yourself, and have caused me to feel most grateful. " Certain important matters will now be represented to you by the following confidential personages : — Bhaee Ram Singh, Rajah Lai Singh, Sirdar Tej Singh, Dewan Deena Nath, Fakeer Noor- ood-Deen, and you, who are the guardian of the perpetual friend- ship of the two Governments, will represent these matters to the Governor-General, and will, doubtless, use your endeavours to procure a favourable decision regarding them. 148 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. " The Lahore Government, it is known, is endeavouring to arrange its affairs, and it is necessary that effectual measures should be taken to prevent the recurrence of any disturbances. With this view it is very desirable that some British regiments, with artillery and officers, should be directed to remain at Lahore for a few months, for the protection of the State. After affairs have been satisfactorily settled, and the period which maybe fixed upon expired, the British troops will then return." To the above paper the following reply was made verbally, and was, at the request of the Minister and chiefs, written down and given to them : — "The letter from the Maharajah to Major Lawrence, expressing gratitude to the Governor-General, has been read in presence of the Minister and chiefs of the Durbar. At the close of that letter, it is requested that a British force may be left at Lahore for a limited period. " Upon this, it is to be observed, that from the wording of the letter, it is not evident that the retention of a British force at La- hore is sincerely and urgently desired by the Lahore Government, and the nature of the disturbances which are to be provided against are not specifically described. In so important a matter, general expressions are out of place. The British Government desires to exercise no interference with the Government of La- hore after the treaty of peace is concluded, and the Governor- General is not willing to have any concern with the Lahore Government, or to accede to any measure not provided for by the treaty. This has been repeatedly explained to the Lahore Durbar. If, therefore, for any special reason, and on any particular ac- count, the assistance and intervention of the British Government are desired by the Lahore Durbar, the fact should have been more distinctly stated in the Khurreeta, and the causes which render such aid indispensable should have been given in detail. However, as the Maharajah has authorised the chiefs named in the Khurreeta, and who are present, to make known all the particu- lars of the case, they should now state all the circumstances in full." WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 149 The Minister and chiefs, after consultation, read aloud the sub- stance of the paper, of which the following- is a translation, but requested that it might be put in the form of a Khurreeta from the Maharajah, and sent in the evening-. A communication was then made to the Governor-General who, determined that a British force should, under certain conditions, to be entered in a separate engagement, occupy Lahore for a limited time ; the treaty was then signed by the Commissioners, and the meeting- broke up. Translation of Document alluded to in preceding paragraph after- wards sent from the Durbar as a formal Khurreeta, ivith the seal of the Maharajah. " All the circumstances regarding the disorganization of the Government of Lahore since the demise of the late Maharajah Runjeet Singh until the present time are well known to the British Government. " The satisfactory settlement of affairs, the discharge of the dis- turbers of public peace, and the reorganization of the army under the stipulations of the new treaty, are now engaging considera- tion. But lest, after the departure of the British forces, the evil disposed of should create fresh disturbances, and endeavour to ruin the State, it is the earnest and sincere desire and hope of the Lahore Durbar that British troops with intelligent officers should, for some months, as circumstances may seem to require, be left at Lahore for the protection of the Government and the Mahara- jah and the inhabitants of the city. When affairs have been satisfactorily settled, and the period prescribed for the stay of the British force shall have expired, the troops may then be with- drawn. " True note and translation, " F. Currie, " Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor- General" 150 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. No. 2. General Order by the Rvjht Hon. the Governor-General of India. Foreign Department , Camp, Lahore, March 8. The treaty of peace between the British Government and that of his Highness the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh has been signed. The treaty will be ratified by the Governor-General, in presence of the Maharajah and the Sikh chiefs to morrow afternoon, the 9th instant, at four o'clock, in the Governor-General's tent. The»Governor-General invites his Excellency the Commander- in-Chief, his Excellency the Governor of Scinde, with their present staff, to attend on this occasion, also the Generals of divi- sion, the Brigadiers, the head of each department, and all officers commanding corps, with one native officer from every regiment. His Highness the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh will be received by a salute of twenty-one guns. The street leading to the Gover- nor-General's tent will be lined by detachments of regiments according to the orders which his Excellency the Commander-in- Chief will be pleased to issue. The following day the Governor-General will pay his Highness the Maharajah a visit of congratulation on the restoration of peace between the two Governments, and will leave the camp for that purpose at three o'clock. The escort will be fixed in the General Order of his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief. The thirty-six pieces of Sikh artillery which were pointed against the British army have been surrendered and brought into camp. The disbandment of the Sikh army, its reorganiza- tion, on the same rate of pay as in the time of the late Maharajah Runjeet Singh, and the limitations of its numbers, have been settled by the treaty. At the earnest solicitation of the Government of the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, the Governor-General has consented to occupy the citadel and town of Lahore by British troops for a limited period, that opportunity may be afforded the Lahore Government of completing the reorganization of its army, according to the stipulations of the treaty. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 151 If by the good offices of the British Government peace and order can take the place of the military anarchy and misrule by which the Sikh nation has been brought to the verge of dissolution, the Governor-General will rejoice that the co-operation of the British Government, by the aid of its faithful army, shall have been successful in effecting that object. It is the strongest proof which the British Government can give of the sincerity of its desire to see a Sikh Government re-established. The British Government having afforded the protection desired, the troops will be withdrawn before the end of the year. The details of the force will be determined between the Governor-General and his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief. During the period of occupation the native troops will continue to receive Scinde pay and allowances. It is by the valour and discipline of the British troops, led by their distinguished commander, that these important and complete successes have been gained, and the Governor-General is confident that, during the temporary occupation of the fortified town of Lahore, the troops will prove, by their good conduct, that they are as generous and humane after victory, as they are brave and invincible in the field of battle. By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor-General. No. 3. Memorandum of the Proceedings of a Durbar held at Lahore, on the 9th Marsh, 1846. At four p.m., of the 9th March, a public Durbar was held in the state tent of the Right Honourable the Governor-General, at which his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief and Staff, his Ex- cellency the Governor of Scinde and Staff', with the British and 152 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. native officers invited in the Governor-General's order, dated 8th instant, attended. The young Maharajah of Lahore, attended by the Minister Rajah Lai Singh, Rajah Gholab Singh, the Commander-in- Chief of the Lahore army, Sirdar Tej Singh, and about thirty other Sirdars and civil officers, with their suites, were present. After the treaty of peace was ratified and exchanged with the usual ceremonies, the Governor-General addressed the chiefs in the following terms, the address being translated, sentence by sen- tence, by the Secretary to the Government of India, Mr. F. Currie : — " On this occasion of ratifying the treaty of peace between the British Government and the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, in the presence of his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, his Excel- lency the Governor of Scinde, and the officers of the British army on the one hand, and of the Sikh chiefs on the other, I have to repeat the assurances which have so often been given by me and by my predecessors of our desire that peace and friendship may always subsist between the two Governments. " The British Government desires to see a Sikh Government re-established which may be able to controul its army, protect its subjects, and willing to respect the rights of its neighbours. " By this treaty the Lahore Government has sufficient strength to resist and punish any native power which may venture to assail it, and to put down all internal commotions. " Wisdom in council and good faith in fulfilling its engage- ments will cause the Sikh Government to be respected, and enable it to preserve its national independence. " For forty years it was the policy, in Runjeet Singh's time, to cultivate friendly relations between the two Governments, and during the whole of that period the Sikh nation was independent and happy. Let the policy of that able man towards the British Government be the model for your future imitation. " The British Government in no respect provoked the late war. It had no objects of aggrandizement to obtain by hos- WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 153 tilities. The proof of its sincerity is to be found in its moderation in the hour of victory. " A just quarrel, followed by a successful war, has not changed the policy of the British Government. The British Government does not desire to interfere in your internal affairs. I am ready and anxious to withdraw every British soldier from Lahore. At the earnest solicitation of the Sikh Government, I have reluctantly consented to leave a British force in garrison at Lahore, until time shall have been afforded for the reorganization of the Sikh army, by which assistance the stipulations of the treaty may be more easily carried into effect. " In no case can I consent that the British troops shall remain in garrison for a longer period than the end of this year. " I state this publicly, that all the world may know the truth, and the motives by which I am actuated in this matter. " The Sikh army must, according to the treaty, be immediately reorganized by reverting to the same system and rate of pay as in Runjeet Singh's time. " If the friendly assistance now afforded by the British Govern- ment be wisely followed up, and honest exertions made by the chiefs without delay, you will become an independent and pros- perous state. " The success or failure is in your own hands ; my co-opera- tion shall not be wanting : but, if you neglect this opportunity, no aid on the part of the British Government can save the state. " I leave my political agent, Major Lawrence, assisted by Major M'Gregor, and a most able General officer, Sir John Littler, to command the British troops. These officers possess my entire confidence. " Again I repeat, my anxious desire is to see a Sikh Govern- ment strong and respected, an obedient army, patriotic chiefs, and a happy people. " I trust the reign of the Maharajah will be long and pros- perous, and celebrated for the happiness of his people under a just and pacific Government." At the close of this address the Sirdars expressed in warm 154 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. terms their gratitude to the Governor-General, and their resolu- tion to follow the advice his Excellency had given them. The usual presents were then given, after which the Durbar broke up. F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor- General. No. 4. Treaty between the British Government and the State of Lahore. Whereas the treaty of amity and concord, which was concluded between the British Government and the late Maharajah Run- jeet Singh, the ruler of Lahore, in 1809, was broken by the unprovoked aggression, on the British Provinces, of the Sikh army in December last, and whereas, on occasion, by the Pro- clamation dated 13th of December, the territories then in the occupation of the Maharajah of Lahore on that, the left or British bank of the river Sutlej, were confiscated and annexed to the British Provinces, and since that time hostile operations have been prosecuted by the two Governments, the one against the other, which have resulted in the occupation of Lahore by the British troops ; and whereas it has been determined that, upon certain conditions, peace shall be re-established between the two Governments, the following treaty of peace between the Hon. English East India Company and Maharajah Dhuleep Singh Bahadoor and his children, heirs, and successors, has been con- cluded on the part of the Honourable Company by Frederick Currie, Esq., and Brevet-Major Henry Montgomery Lawrence, by virtue of full powers to that effect, vested in them by the Right Honourable Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B., one of her Britannic- Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Governor-General, appointed by the Honourable Company to direct and controul all their affairs in the East Indies, and on the part of his High- ness the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh by Bhaee Ram Singh, Rajah Lai Singh, Sirdar Tej Singh, Sirdar Chuttur Singh Attareewalla. Sirdar Runjoor Singh Majethea, Deewan Deena Nath, and WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 155 Fakeer Noor-ood-Deen, vested with full powers and authority on the part of his Highness. Article 1. — There shall be perpetual peace and friendship between the British Government on the one part, and Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, his heirs and successors, on the other. Art. 2. — The Maharajah of Lahore renounces for himself, his heirs and successors, all claim to, or connexion with, the territories lying to the south of the river Sutlej, and engages never to have any concern with those territories or the inhabitants thereof. Art. 3. — The Maharajah cedes to the Honourable Company, in perpetual sovereignty, all his forts, territories, and rights, in the doab or country, hill and plain, situate between the rivers Beeas and Sutlej. Art. 4. — The British Government having demanded from the Lahore State, as indemnification for the expenses of the war, in addition to the cession of territory described in Article 3, pay- ment of one and a half crores of rupees, and the Lahore Govern- ment being unable to pay the whole of this sum at this time, or to give security satisfactory to the British Government for its eventual payment, the Maharajah cedes to the Honourable Com- pany, in perpetual sovereignty, as equivalent for one crore of rupees, all his forts, territories, rights, and interests, in the hill countries which are situate between the rivers Beeas and Indus, including the provinces of Cashmere and Hazarah. Art. 5. — The Maharajah will pay to the British Government the sum of fifty lacs of rupees on or before the ratification of this treaty. Art. 6. — The Maharajah engages to disband the mutinous troops of the Lahore army, taking from them their arms ; and his Highness agrees to reorganize the regular, or Aeen regiments of infantry, upon the system and according to the regulations as to pay and allowances observed in the time of the late Maharajah Runjeet Singh. The Maharajah further engages to pay up all arrears to the soldiers that are discharged under the provisions of this article. 1-36 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. Art. 7. — The regular army of the Lahore State shall henceforth be limited to twenty-five battalions of infantry, consisting of 800 bayonets each, with 12,000 cavalry : this number at no time to be exceeded without the concurrence of the British Government. Should it be necessary at any time, for any special cause, that this force should be increased, the cause shall be fully ex- plained to the British Government, and when the special neces- sity shall have passed, the regular troops shall be again reduced to the standard specified in the former clause of this article. Art. 8. — The Maharajah will surrender to the British Govern- ment all the guns, thirty-six in number, which have been pointed against the British troops, and which, having been placed on the right bank of the river Sutlej, were not captured at the battle of Sobraon. Art. 9. — The controul of the rivers Beeas and Sutlej, with the continuation of the latter river, commonly called the Gurrah and the Punjnud, to the confluence of the Indus at Mithunkote, and the controul of the Indus from Mithunkote to the borders of Beloochistan, shall, in respect to tolls and ferries, rest with the British Government. The provisions of this article shall not interfere with the passage of boats belonging to the Lahore Government on the said rivers for the purposes of traffic or the conveyance of passengers up and down their course. Regarding the ferries between the two countries respectively, at the several ghats, of the said rivers, it is agreed that the British Govern- ment, after defraying all the expenses of management and esta- blishments, shall account to the Lahore Government for one-half of the net profits of the ferry collections. The provisions of this article have no reference to the ferries on that part of the river Sutlej which forms the boundary of Bahawulpore and Lahore respectively. Art. 10. — If the British Government should, at any time, desire to pass troops through the territories of his Highness the Maharajah for the protection of the British territories, or those of their allies, the British troops shall, on such special occasion, WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 157 due notice being given, be allowed to pass through the Lahore territories. In such case the officers of the Lahore State will afford facilities in providing supplies and boats for the passage of the rivers, and the British Government will pay the full price of all such provisions and boats, and will make fair compensation for all private property, that may be endamaged. The British Government will moreover observe all due consideration to the religious feelings of the inhabitants of those tracts through which the army may pass. Art. 11. — The Maharajah engages never to take, or retain in his service, any British subject nor the subject of any European or American state, without the consent of the British Govern- ment. Art. 12. — In consideration of the services rendered by Rajah Gholab Singh, of Jummoo, to the Lahore State, towards procuring the restoration of the relations of amity between the Lahore and British Governments, the Maharajah hereby agrees to recognize the independent sovereignty of Rajah Gholab Singh in such terri- tories and districts in the hills as may be made over to the said Rajah Gholab Singh by separate agreement between himself and the British Government, with the dependencies thereof, which may have been in the Rajah's possession since the time of the late Maharajah Kurruk Singh, and the British Government, in con- sideration of the good conduct of Rajah Gholab Singh, also agrees to recognize his independence in such territories, and to admit him to the privileges of a separate treaty with the British Government. Art. 13. — In the event of any dispute or difference arising between the Lahore State and Rajah Gholab Singh, the same shall be referred to the arbitration of the British Government, and by its decision the Maharajah engages to abide. Art. 14. — The limits of the Lahore territories shall not be, at any time, changed without the concurrence of the British Go- vernment. Art. 15. — The British Government will not exercise any inter- ference in the internal administration of the Lahore State, but in 158 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. all cases or questions which may he referred to the British Go- vernment, the Governor-General will give the aid of his advice and good offices for the furtherance of the interests of the Lahore Government. Art. 16. — The subjects of either state shall, on visiting the territories of the other, be on the footing of the subjects of the most favoured nation. This treaty, consisting of sixteen articles, has been this day settled by Frederick Currie, Esq., and Brevet-Major Henry Montgomery Lawrence, acting under the directions of the Right Honourable Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B., Governor-General, on the part of the British Government, and by Bhaee Ram Singh, Rajah Lai Singh, Sirdar Tej Singh, Sirdar Chuttur Singh Atta- reewalla, Sirdar Runjoor Singh Majethea, Dewan Deena Nath, and Fakeer Noor-ood-Deen, on the part of the Maharajah Dhn- leep Singh, and the said treaty has been this day ratified by the seal of the Right Honourable Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B., Governor-General, and by that of his Highness Maharajah Dhuleep Singh. Done at Lahore, this 9th day of March, in the year of our Lord 1 846, corresponding with the tenth day of Rubbeeoolawul ; 1262, Hijree, and ratified on the same date. Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, (l.s.) Bhaee Ram Singh, (l.s.) Rajah Lal Singh, (l.s.) Sirdar Tej Singh, (l.s.) Sirdar Chuttur Singh Attareewalla, (l.s.) Sirdar Runjoor Singh Majethea, (l.s.) Dewan Deena Nath, (l.s. Fakeer Noor-ood-Deen, (l.s.) H. Hardinge, (l s.) F. Currie. H. M. Lawrence. By order of the Right Honourable the Governor-General of India, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor-General. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 159 No. 5. Memorandum of a State Visit paid by the Governor-General to the Maharajah of Lahore in his Highness s Palace, on the 10th March, 1846. On the afternoon of the 10th of March, the Governor-General, attended by his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, his Excel- lency the Governor of Scinde, and the British officers who were present at the ratification of the treaty on the 9th instant, paid a visit of congratulation to the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh at the Palace in Lahore. On this occasion Devvan Deena Nath, by direction of the Minister and assembled chiefs, read from a written paper an address, of which the following is a translation: — " It is impossible for us adequately to express the gratitude which we feel to the Governor-General, for his having determined to continue the ancient relations which existed with the late Ma- harajah Runjeet Singh, and for his generosity, kindness, and mercy in maintaining this Government. " For the excellent advice which was given yesterday, through kindness and friendship, to the assembled Sirdars, exhorting them to unanimity, prudence, and good government, we are also most grateful. We consider this good advice as having a direct ten- dency to effect the re-establishment of the Government of the country. We have further to express our gratitude for arrange- ments having generously been made, in compliance with our solicitations, for leaving a garrison in Lahore of British troops, with Major Lawrence and other trustworthy officers, for our pro- tection and that of the city. " These troops will assuredly be honourably dismissed towards the Sutlej, upon a satisfactory settlement of affairs being effected within the period prescribed for their stay. " The various acts of generosity shown by the Governor- General on the present occasion entirely satisfy us that his Excel- lency will ever maintain the same magnanimous and generous policy towards this State, and that, taking compassion on the ex- treme youth of the Maharajah, his Excellency will maintain all those 160 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. friendly relations which existed in the time of the late Maharajah Runjeet Singh." After the presentation by the Maharajah of the usual offerings, the Governor-General and suite returned to camp. True memorandum and translation, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor- General. No. 6. Note of the proceedings of a Meeting of the Minister and Chiefs of the Lahore Durbar and the British Commissioners, held at the tent of the Governor- General's Agent, on the llth of March, 1846. On the forenoon of the llth instant, the Minister and chiefs of the Durbar attended at the tent of the Governor-General's agent, when the following agreement was concluded, and subsequently confirmed by the Right Hon. the Governor-General : — Articles of Agreement concluded between the British Government and the Lahore Durbar, on the Wth of March, 1846. Whereas the Lahore Government has solicited the Governor- General to leave a British force at Lahore for the protection of the Maharajah's person, and of the capital, till the reorganization of the Lahore army, according to the provisions of article 6 of the treaty of Lahore, dated the 9th instant ; and whereas the Governor- General has, on certain conditions, consented to this measure ; and whereas it is expedient that certain matters concerning the territories ceded by articles 3 and 4 of the aforesaid treaty should be specifically determined, the following eight articles of agree- ment have this day been concluded between the afore-mentioned contracting parties : — Art. 1. — The British Government shall leave at Lahore, till the close of the current year A.D. 1846, such force as shall seem to the Governor-General adequate for the purpose of protecting the WAR WITTT TITH SIKHS. 1CJ person of the Maharajah and the inhabitants of the city of La- hore during the reorganization of the Sikh array, in accordance with the provisions of article 6 of the treaty of Lahore. That force to be withdrawn at any convenient time before the expira- tion of the year, if the object to be fulfilled shall, in the opinion of the Durbar, have been attained ; but the force shall not be de- tained at Lahore beyond the expiration of the current year. Art. 2. — The Lahore Government agrees that the force left at Lahore for the purpose specified in the foregoing article shall be placed in full possession of the fort and city of Lahore, and that the Lahore troops shall be removed from within the city. The Lahore Government engages to furnish convenient quarters for the officers and men of the said force, and to pay the British Government all the extra expenses in regard to the said force which may be incurred by the British Government in conse- quence of their troops being employed away from their own cantonments, and in a foreign territory. Art. 3. — The Lahore Government engages to apply itself im- mediately and earnestly to the reorganization of its army accord- ing to the prescribed condition, and to communicate fully with the British authorities left at Lahore as to the progress of such reorganization, and as to the location of the troops. Art. 4. — If the Lahore Government fails in the performance of the conditions of the foregoing article, the British Government shall be at liberty to withdraw the force from Lahore at any time before the expiration of the period specified in article 1. Art. 5. — The British Government agrees to respect the bona fide rights of those Jaghirdars within the territories ceded by articles 3 and 4 of the treaty of Lahore, dated 9th instant, who were attached to the families of the late Maharajah Runjeei Singh, Kurruck Singh, and Shere Singh, and the British Govern- ment will maintain those Jaghirdars in their bona fide possessions during their lives. Art. 6 — The Lahore Government shall receive the assistance of the British local authorities in recovering the arrears of revenue M IC>'2 WAR. WITH THE SIKHS. justly due to the Lahore Government from their Kardars and managers in the territories ceded by the provisions of articles 3 and 4 of the treaty of Lahore, to the close of the Khurreef harvest of the current year, viz., 902 of the Sumbut Bikramajeet. Art. 7. — The Lahore Government shall be at liberty to remove from the forts in the territories specified in the foregoing article all treasure and state property, with the exception of guns. Should, however, the British Government desire to retain any part of the said property, they shall be at liberty to do so, paying for the same at a fair valuation, and the British officers shall give their assistance to the Lahore Government in disposing on the spot of such part of the aforesaid property as the Lahore Govern- ment may not wish to remove, and the British officers may not desire to retain. Art. 8. — Commissioners shall be immediately appointed by the two Governments to settle and lay down the boundary between the two states, as defined by article 4 of the treaty of Lahore, dated March 9, 1846. Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, (l.s.) Bhaee Ram Singh, (l.s.) Rajah Lal Singh, (l.s.) Sirdar Tej Singh, (l.s.) Sirdar Chutter Singh Attareewalla, (l.s.) Sirdar Runjoor Singh Majethea, (l.s.) Dewan Deena Nath, (l.s.) Fakeer Noor-ood-Deen, (l.s.) H. Hardinge, (l.s.) F. CURRIE. H. M. Lawrence. By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, irith the Governor-General. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 163 No. 7. Treaty between the British Government and Maharajah Gholab Singh, concluded at Umritsir on the 16th of March, 1846. Treaty between the British Government on the one part, and Maharajah Gholab Singh, of Jumraoo, on the other, concluded on the part of the British Government by Frederick Currie, Esq., and Brevet-Major Henry Montgomery Lawrence, acting under the orders of the Right Honourable Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B., one of Her Britannic Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Governor-General, appointed by the Honour- able Company to direct and controul all their affairs in the East Indies, and by Maharajah Gholab Singh in person. Art. 1. — The British Government transfers and makes over, for ever, in independent possession, to Maharajah Gholab Singh, and the heirs male of his body, all the hilly or mountainous country, with its dependencies, situate to the eastward of the River Indus, and westward of the River Ravee, including Chumba and excluding Lahool, being part of the territory ceded to the British Government by the Lahore State, according to the provisions of Article 4 of the treaty of Lahore, dated 9th March, 1846. Art. 2. — The eastern boundary of the tract transferred by the foregoing article to Maharajah Gholab Singh shall be laid down by commissioners appointed by the British Government and Maharajah Gholab Singh respectively for that purpose, and shall be denned in a separate engagement after survey. Art. 3. — In consideration of the transfer made to him and his heirs, by the provisions of the foregoing articles, Maharajah Gholab Singh will pay to the British Government the sum of 75 lacs of rupees (Nanuckshahee), 50 lacs to be paid on ratifica- tion of this treaty, and 25 lacs on or before the 1st of October of the current year, 1846. Art. 4.— The limits of the territories of Maharajah Gholab Singh shall not be at any time changed without the concurrence of the British Government. 1C4 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. Art. 5. — Maharajah Gholab Singh will refer to the arbitration of the British Government any disputes or questions that may arise between himself and the Government of Lahore, or any other neighbouring state, and will abide by the decision of the British Government. Art. 6. — Maharajah Gholab Singh engages for himself and heirs to join with the whole of his military force the British troops when employed within the hills, or in the territories adjoining his possessions. Art. 7. — Maharajah Gholab Singh engages never to take or retain in his service any British subject, nor the subject of any European or American state, without the consent of the British Government. Art. 8. — Maharajah Gholab Singh engages to respect, in regard to the territory transferred to him, the provisions of articles 5, 6, and 7, of the separate engagement between the British Government and the Lahore Durbar, dated March 11, 1846. Art. 9. — The British Government will give its aid to Maha- rajah Gholab Singh in protecting his territories from external enemies. Art. 10. — Maharajah Gholab Singh acknowledges the supre- macy of the British Government, and will, in token of such supre- macy, present annually to the British Government, one horse, twelve perfect shawl goats of approved breed (six male and six female), and three pairs of Cashmere shawls. This treaty, consisting of ten articles, has been this day settled by Frederick Currie, Esq., and Brevet-Major Henry Mont- gomery Lawrence, acting under the directions of the Right Honourable Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C B., Governor-General, on the part of the British Government, and by Maharajah Gholab Singh in person, and the said treaty has been this day ratified by the seal of the Right Honourable Sir Henry Har- dinge, G.C.B., Governor-General. Done at Umritsir, this 16th day of March, in "the year of our WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 165 Lord 1846, corresponding with the 17th day of Rubbeeoolawul 1262, Hijree. Gholab Singh, (l. s.) H. Hardinge, (l. s.) F. Currie. H. M. Lawrence. By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India, F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor-General. (True extracts) F. Currie, Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor-General. THANKS TO THE ARMY IN INDIA. VICTORIES OF MOODKEE AND FEROZESHAH. House of Lords. The resolutions which follow the report of the speech of the Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel, Bart., in the House of Commons, were proposed in the House of Lords by the Right Honourable the Earl of Ripon, in a most effective speech ; but which, in a great measure, was to the same purport as that of the Right Honourable Baronet at the head of Her Majesty's Government. — The motion was seconded by the Right Honourable the Marquis of Lansdowne, who was succeeded in the debate, in the following words, by his Grace The Duke of Wellington : — My Lords, I could not hear a motion of this description discussed without adding, to what has been stated, my unqualified approbation of the conduct of the troops on this occasion, and also of the officers who commanded them ; and particularly of my Right Honourable and gallant friend, the Governor-General, who, after having made all the 166 WAR WITH THE SIKHb. arrangements appertaining to his duty as Governor-General, in order to collect all the resources of the country for the purpose of the great contest impending, having collected all the troops and made all the arrangement for the security of the country, volunteered his services in his rank in the army, in order to give his assistance to the officer commanding the army in chief in carrying on those operations which remained for him to carry on in order to secure the public interests and the possession of the country. There is no obligation on an officer placed in his situa- tion to take that course; you can hardly point to a single instance of a man being placed in that situation; but he has given us an example which I hope will always be followed. When he found his services could be useful, he laid aside his position and even his power as Governor-General ; for it should not be forgotten that he would have carried with him into the field the power over the military operations of the army ; he laid that aside — which indeed it is true, according to the usual practice, could not in that way be exercised, and most particularly in his case could not, because Her Majesty, when he went to India, and the Court of Directors, gave him his commission to succeed the command of the army after the death or coming away of the present Com- mander-in-Chief; but he volunteered his service and his assist- ance to the Commander-in-Chief in the great contest which was impending. But it has been said truly, that all exerted them- selves and did everything in their power to obtain the great result which has crowned their efforts. It is not generally known, my Lords, but I know it, that the enemy's position was completely closed in by entrenchments, so closed around, that it deserved rather the name of a fortress than a fortified position ; and notwithstanding the advantages our troops in India have, of having water carriages and persons attached to each company whose duty it is to supply them with water, they laboured in this action under the singular disadvantage of being deprived even of that refreshment for nearly twenty-four hours, because the country happened to be so much dried up, and the villages so WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 1G7 distant. Under these circumstances it was that the troops carried this position, certainly with very great loss, but which I hope has not left them in a state otherwise than efficient, if their services should be called for on military duty. I really must say, that I have not for a length of time heard of an action that has given me so much unqualified satisfaction as this, excepting in one par- ticular. I have read with pain of one regiment, to which the word " panic " was applied ; and I considered it my duty, in the position in which I am placed, to examine particularly into the circumstances. I see, in the returns, that that regiment is stated to have lost five-twelfths of its number, and a vast number of officers and non-commissioned officers. I have seen an account which states, that in the first quarter of an hour from the time when the regiment first entered into action, one-third of its officers fell. I cannot question the accuracy of the report of the operations made by the commanding officer, but I wish that this officer, when he sat down to write an elaborate report of the con- duct of the troops under his command, had referred to the list of killed and wounded; and if he had inquired into the loss sustained by that regiment, I believe he would have found that they were absolutely mowed down by the fire under which they were advancing. I have made inquiries respecting that regiment, and I find that it has been sixteen years in the East Indies ; that in the course of forty years it has served thirty-three years abroad, and only seven in the United Kingdom ; that in the course of the sixteen years during which it has served in the East Indies, it has been in all parts of India ; that its numbers have been recruited twice over since it has been in that country ; and that at this moment, of these men who made that attack and suffered that loss, three-fourths had not been seven years in the service. I considered it my duty to examine into the state of this regiment, seeing that word " panic ;" and I believe I have with me a most extraordinary report of their good conduct from this very General officer on a former occasion ; and it will convince your Lordships that if the list of killed and wounded had been brought before 168 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. him on that occasion it would have been impossible for him to apply that word to them. I cannot find the paper now, but it contains the expression of unqualified approbation of the state of this very regiment, by this same General officer, Sir John Littler, upon the last inspection at Christmas last. I was anxious to read it to your Lordships to show that to the accident of the dreadful fire kept up upon them, and their being mowed down, you ought to attribute what occurred, and not to a defi- ciency or failure on their part*. House of Commons. Sir R. Peel rose and spoke as follows : — I am about ta pro- pose that one of the highest rewards that can be bestowed upon successful valour shall be conferred by this House. I am about to propose that the thanks of the Commons of this great empire shall be given to the officers and men, who recently on the banks of the Sutlej, under very trying circumstances, by their discipline, by their fortitude, by their brilliant valour, have sustained the reputation of their country, and proved themselves worthy of the service to which they belong. The resolutions with which I shall conclude will not touch upon any matter of purely political con- cern, but are framed in conformity with established usage — that usage being consonant with reason and justice. * * The state of the country and the history of the Punjaub are pro- bably well known to all whom I am addressing, from the relation in which we stood towards it, during our operations in the neigh- bouring county of Affghanistan. The House is probably well aware that by the ability and energy of an individual (Runjeet Singh), supremacy was established by him in the Punjaub ; and that for many years, through that ability and energy, he ruled the destinies of that great country, and kept in subjection and subordination a powerful army. Since his death, which took place in the year 1839, the Government of the Punjaub has pre- * The reader is referred to the General Order, issued by the Commander-in-Chief, at page 40. WAR WITH THE SIKH:-. 169 seated a series of acts of cruelty, of intrigue, of a rapid succession of governors, in consequence of the murder of the predecessor by the successor; it has exhibited a picture of licentiousness and debauchery so extravagant, that it might be calculated to provoke a smile, if it were not for the influence such licentiousness and debauchery must exercise over the welfare of millions. The acts of that Government have been mainly directed by that powerful soldiery over which Runjeet Singh established his sway ; but which since his death has been in the constant habit of controlling the conduct of the civil authorities, and even of the military com- manders, by repeated acts of insubordination, and repeated mur- ders, for the purpose of extorting increased pay. Perhaps the best idea one can give of the anomalous condition of affairs, and of the difficulties of speculating upon any acts that may be com- mitted, or upon any measure that may be resorted to is this — that it is quite clear that the main object of the governors of that country, and of the principal landed proprietors, and chiefs, has been to provoke collision with the British army, not for the pur- pose of resenting any wrong, or of sustaining the military repu- tation of the country, but of freeing themselves from subjection to an insubordinate and licentious force, by provoking a conflict with Great Britain, in which that force should fall a sacrifice, That has been the main object, and the strange principle of public policy, that has for some time guided the decisions and regulated the acts of the rulers of the Punjaub. I well know what was the object of my friend, Sir Henry Hardinge, in under- taking the government of India. He made great sacrifices from a sense of public duty ; my gallant friend held a prominent place in the Councils of Her Majesty : he was, I believe, without any reference to party divisions, held in general esteem in this House, as well by his political opponents as by his political friends. He was regarded by the army of this country as its friend, because he was the friend of justice to all ranks of that army. It was proposed to him at a time of life when, perhaps, ambition is a less powerful sti- mulus than it might have been at an earlier period — it was proposed 170 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. to him to relinquish his place in the Councils of his Sovereign — to forego the satisfaction he must have felt at what he could not fail to see, that he was an object of general respect and esteem. He separated himself from that family which constituted the chief happiness of his life, for the purpose of performing a public duty he owed to his Sovereign and his country, by taking the arduous and responsible situation of Chief Governor of our Indian pos- sessions. He went out with a high military reputation. Solicitous to establish his fame in connexion with our Indian Empire, not by means of conquest, or the exhibition of military skill and valour, but by obtaining for himself a name in the annals of India as the friend of peace, and through the promotion of the social interests and welfare of the inhabitants. It was mainly on account of the military character and high reputation of my gallant friend that he was enabled to controul and keep in check the aspirations of more ardent and impetuous minds bent upon the invasion and conquest of the Punjaub. The view which the Governor-General took of the policy to be pursued in regard to the Punjaub, was shortly this: he thought the dominions of the British Crown in India were sufficient for every purpose — that the interests of the Empire would not be promoted by the addition of the Punjaub to the possessions already subject to our own rule. He was determined, therefore, to resist any temptation to territorial aggrandizement. His desire was to see a native Government established in the Punjaub capable of maintaining its independence, of restoring subordina- tion in the ranks of a great army, composed of men of high natural courage, of great physical strength, accustomed to disci- pline, and trained to military habits by European officers of distinguished reputation. His wish was, that a Sikh Government should be established. He deprecated the formation of a Mussul- man Government, or the domination of any other than Sikh authorities. At the same time that he was determined to resist the temptations to direct aggression, he refused repeated pro- posals that were made to him to interfere in the domestic affairs WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 171 of the Punjaub. Although nothing could have been more easy; although but a word from him would have been necessary to induce the Mussulman inhabitants of the Punjaub to rise against the Sikh authorities, who were conducting themselves in a manner so irreconcilable with sound policy or common sense, he resolved steadily to adhere to the line he had chalked out ; to abstain from all interference in the domestic affairs of the Punjaub, and to observe literally every obligation of good faith. But while that was his view of the policy that ought to be pur- sued, he was not insensible to the danger to which our Indian empire was constantly exposed, from the maintenance on its frontiers of a profligate and debauched Government, controlled by an insubordinate and licentious army. My gallant friend, therefore, took all precautions. He had to guard a frontier extending on the banks of the Sutlej at least 100 miles. The frontier from Ferozepore to Roopur was at least 100 miles; from Ferozepore to Loodiana about 77 miles. My gallant friend, cautiously abstaining from the collection of any force on the frontier which could justify aggression, or even remonstrance, on the part of the Lahore Government, took those precautions which would effectually prevent successful attack on their part. At Ferozepore he stationed a force of about 8,000 men, consisting of one European regiment, seven regiments of native infantry, two regiments of native cavalry, twenty-four light guns, and had mounted in position at Ferozepore thirty or thirty-five pieces of heavy artillery. He intended this to be the advanced post of the British army on the western side of the frontier. At a distance of about seventy-six miles to the eastward, higher up the Sutlej, at Loodiana, he collected a force of about 500 men. He thought that these two armies, or two divisions of an army, stationed about seventy-six miles from each other, acting on the flanks of any force from the Punjaub, induced by caprice or by the temerity of their rulers to invade the British territory, would be sufficient to keep it in effectual controul. At a distance more in the interior — namely, at Umballa, he stationed another division 172 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. of 7,500 men at the least. My gallant friend was undoubtedly under the impression that it was highly improbable that any attack would be made by the army of the Punjaub upon the British positions. He knew that no conduct on his part could provoke or justify such an attack ; and lie felt every assurance that could be felt, so far as justice and reason sanctioned the inference, that the army of the Punjaub would not be mad enough to seek a conflict with the British forces on the left bank of the Sutlej. There were good reasons why Sir Henry Hardinge did not keep together for the last two or three years an immense British and native army on the banks of the Sutlej. Constant efforts were made by the Government and by the military leaders of the army of the Punjaub to corrupt our native troops. The consti- tution of the army of the Punjaub is purely democratic : the private soldiers elect representatives, five in number from each company, to controul their officers, to depose them when they think fit, or to subject them to death when it is deemed expedient. The pay of an infantry soldier of the Punjaub is about twenty-five shillings a month; while the pay of a sepoy in Her Majesty's service is only about fourteen or fifteen shillings a month. Con- stant exertions were made, by direct and indirect means, aided by community of language and of religion, to shake the fidelity of the native troops ; but I rejoice to say that they were made without success. The loyalty of the sepoys, with scarcely a single exception, has been untainted. All the offers of a profligate Government and a licentious soldiery were unavailing ; but still it was prudent in my gallant friend, not to bring together on the frontier, for an indefinite time and for no specific object, an immense native force, seeing that within a few miles they would be exposed to the injurious example of a soldiery free from all restraint, and constantly resorting to threats of actual violence towards their leaders. There were, therefore, political reasons for not keeping our troops, as it were, in immediate contact with such an enemy, and there were military reasons equally powerful. It was, in the first place, impossible, if aggressions were WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 1 73 intended, to foresee at what point an invasion would be made. On the left bank of the Sutlej were many states belonging to the Punjaub, and some of the chiefs of those states men of doubtful fidelity. In those dominions on the left bank of the Sutlej are many forts of considerable size and strength. A force controlled by no Government, impelled by the fear of losing its pay, or the hope of extorting more, is not governed by ordinary considera- tions of prudence like the armies of regular states ; and if the army of the Punjaub meditated a sudden irruption into the British territory, it was difficult to see at what point the descent would be made. Between Ferozepore and Roopur there are not fewer than twenty fords available for the passage of troops ; nor is it easy to ascertain their exact position, since from the nature of the river, they are constantly changing. My gallant friend thought, therefore, that true military policy recommended the course he has pursued, not that his whole army should be concentrated on the banks of the Sutlej, but that our territory should be guarded by a sufficient force stationed at Ferozepore and Loodiana. Seeing the superior force of cavalry in the army of the Punjaub, the desperate rashness of a licentious army not governed by the ordinary rules of conduct, it was within the limit of possibility that a dash might be made at Delhi, or some vital part of the Indian empire. My gallant friend, therefore, most wisely and prudently, kept a considerable force at Umballa, seventy-six miles to the south-east from Loodiana, and a still larger body of troops in the neighbourhood of Delhi. This whole force was assembled by way of precaution against the possible attempts of the Lahore army ; and it consisted in the whole of not fewer than thirty regiments of native infantry, of nine regiments of European infantry, of twelve regiments of native cavalry, and of three regiments of European cavalry. All this was cmite consistent with forbearance on the part of the Go- vernor-General, and with his determination to be seduced by no temptation to aggression on the enemy. It is quite clear that my gallant friend the Governor-General 174 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. did take every precaution to ensure the safety of the British dominions in India, in case of sudden and unprovoked attack. In the early part of the year, at the time he was occupied with his functions as Governor-General, and when it was most material that he should perform them in conjunction with his Council at Calcutta: in a minute, dated on the 16th of June, he submitted to the Council his opinion, that our relations with the Court of Lahore became so doubtful, that, great as was the inconvenience of separating the Governor-General and his Council, it was desirable, with reference exclusively to Indian interests, that he should proceed to the left bank of the Sutlej, in order that on the spot he might be enabled to give such directions as appeared necessary, and which, if given at the distance of a thousand miles, might be inappropriate. The unanimous opinion of the members of the Council was, that it was for the public interest that the Governor-General should proceed to join the army ; and, in conformity with this advice, in the month of October he took his departure for the left bank of the Sutlej. Up to an early period in December, the opinion of my gallant friend, Sir Henry Hardinge, was, that there would be no irruption from the right bank of the Sutlej into the British territory. He felt confident that the Sikhs must be convinced that such an attempt could only end in signal defeat, and therefore that it would not be made. So far as he could reason from experience, he had a right, to arrive at this conclusion. In 1843, the army of Lahore left the capital and advanced to the Sutlej ; but after remonstrance on our part, it retired again, and abandoned the enterprize. In 1844, exactly the same conduct was observed ; the Punjaub army, eager for pay, or for booty, if pay could not be obtained, and, instigated by the Government and the chiefs, appeared to contemplate an irruption; but in 1844, as in 1843, the army withdrew to the interior. Accounts, however, reached my gallant friend towards the end of November last, which led him to believe that an invasion of the British territory was seriously menaced.* * See the Despatches of Major Broadfoot, page 15. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 17-3 On the 9th of December, the Governor-General, thinking our relations with the Punjaub very critical, and that it was desirable to take every precaution against any sudden irruption, gave orders that the division of troops at Umballa, consisting of 7,500 men, should move towards the Sutlej. On December 11, the very day on which the Lahore army crossed the Sutlej, the British and native troops of that division were on their march from Umballa to the frontier. The whole proceedings of the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief, subsequently to that clay, as well as before it, were characterized by the greatest prudence, skill, and foresight. From Umballa the troops marched to a place called Busseean, where, owing to the prudent pre- cautions of the Governor-General, they found an ample supply of food and stores. It was resolved that a junction should be effected with the Loodiana division, and that it would be better to incur some risk at Loodiana, rather than forego the advantage of a junction with the Loodiana division of the army. Those troops advanced accordingly towards Ferozepore, and learned by the way that the army of Lahore, amounting to not less than 60,000 men, had crossed the river, and were prepared to attack the British army. The expectations of the Governor-General were entirely justified by the result. There were in Ferozepore 7,500 men, 35 heavy guns in position, and 24 pieces of field artillery, in addition to the heavy ordnance. The army of Lahore shruuk from the attack of so formidable a post, and Ferozepore was entirely safe, according to the anticipations which had been entertained by the Governor-General. The army of Lahore not venturing to attack Ferozepore, determined to give battle to the British forces on their march from Umballa, and on the 18th of December made a sudden attack on them. On that day the troops had reached Moodkee, after having marched 150 miles by forced marches. The men were suffering severely from want of water, and from exhaustion, and yet such was their discipline and gallantry, that they repelled the whole of the attacking army, though greatly superior to them in number, defeating a force treble their amount, 17G WAR WITH THE SIKHS. and succeeding in the capture of seventeen of their guns. The army of Lahore, thus repulsed by our forces advancing from Urn- balla, retired within very formidable entrenchments at Ferozeshah. Those entrenchments, consisting of strong breast-works, were in the form of a parallelogram, of which the opposite faces were a mile, and half a mile in length respectively. In the face of those formidable works, protected by 150 guns of heavy calibre and excellent workmanship, and defended by near 60,000 men, the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief determined to effect a junction with the division of the army which was stationed at Ferozepore. The troops advanced accordingly within three miles of the enemy's position, and manoeuvred on his left flank ; but the Commander-in-Chief having given previous notice to Sir John Littler, made a march to his left, and on the 21st December effected a junction with the Ferozepore division, which thus gave an addition of 7,500 men. At this time there remained but three hours to sunset. It was resolved, however, to attack the position of the enemy. My gallant friend (the Governor-General) offered his services as second in command, services which were cheerfully and promptly accepted by the Commander-in-Chief. Determined not to wait till next morning, the instant they effected their junc- tion with the division under Sir John Littler, the commanders resolved to make an attack upon the entrenched camp. The result, Sir, of that attack proved the valour of our European and Indian forces in a pre-eminent degree, and has entitled them to the warmest acknowledgments of this House, and of the country. The night of the 21st December was one of the most memorable in the military annals of the British empire. The enemy were well defended within strongly fortified entrenchments — their guns were served with the greatest precision, and told on our advancing columns with great effect. The right of the British army was led by the Commander-in-Chief, whilst the left centre was headed by Sir H. Hardinge. Our forces made an attack on the enemy's camp during the three hours which as yet remained of daylight ; but they had not sufficient time to complete that victory, which WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 177 was gloriously achieved on the following day. The British army, however, made good their attack, and occupied a part of the enemy's camp. In the middle of the night the camp took fire, and further conflict was for a time suspended in consequence ; but as soon as it had ceased, the army of Lahore brought forward their heavy artillery, and poured a most destructive fire upon our troops. The details of those occurrences have been given with admirable clearness in the despatches of both commanders. Per- haps the House will excuse me if I read an extract from a private letter from the Governor-General to a member of his own family. The Right Hon. Baronet then read as follows : — " The night ofthe2Ist was the most extraordinary of my life. I bivouacked with the men, without food or covering, and our nights are bitter cold. A burning camp in our front, our brave fellows lying down under a heavy cannonade, which continued during the whole night, mixed with the wild cries of the Sikhs, our English hurrah, the tramp of men, and the groans of the dying. In this state with a handful of men, who had carried the batteries the night before, I remained till morning, taking very short intervals of rest by lying down with various regiments in succession, to ascertain their temper, and revive their spirits." My gallant friend, as you see, spent that eventful night passing from regiment to regiment, cheering the men by his own example of constancy and courage — doing all that human means could do to ensure victory to our arms. " I found," my gallant friend goes on to say — " I found myself again with my old friends of the 29th, 31st, 50th, and 9th, all in good heart" — (regiments with which he had served in the Peninsula) — and with them that regiment which has earned immortal fame in the annals of the British army — Her Majesty's 80th Regiment — " My answer to all and every man was, that we must fight it out, attack the enemy vigorously at daybreak, beat him, or die honourably in the field. The gallant old general, kind-hearted and heroically brave, entirely coincided with me." Let the House observe how anxious my gallant friend is to do justice to his companions in arms. " During the night, I occasionally called on our brave English soldiers to punish the Sikhs when they came too close and were impudent ; and when morning broke we went at it in true English style. Gougli was on the right. I placed myself, and dear little Arthur [his son] by my side, in the centre, about thirty yards in front of the men, to prevent their firing, and we drove the enemy, without a halt, from one extremity of N 178 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. the camp to the other, capturing thirty or forty guns as we went along, which fired at twenty paces from us, and were served obstinately. The brave men drew up in an excellent line, and cheered Gough and myself as we rode up the line, the regimental colours lowering to me as on parade. The mournful part is the heavy loss I have sus- tained in my officers. I have had ten aides- de-camp^ //o?\s de combat, five killed and five wounded. The fire of grape was very heavy from 100 pieces of cannon; the Sikh army drilled by French officers, and the men the most warlike in India." From my affectionate regard for that gallant man, I am proud to be enabled to exhibit him on such a night as that of the 21st of December — going through the camp — passing from regiment to regiment — keeping up the spirits of the men — encouraging them — animating their ardour — and having lost ten aides-de-camp out of twelve — placing his young son, a boy of seventeen or eighteen years of age, in the front of the line, in order that the British troops might be induced not to fire on the enemy, but drive them back by the force of the British bayonet. It was characteristic of the man to read these details. He had two sons present, one of whom was a civilian, and the other in the army. On the night of the 21st he sent the civilian to the rear of the army, saying that his presence disturbed him, and that if he refused to retire, he would send him away in arrest as a prisoner ; but the pre- sence, he said, of his younger son, an officer, whose duty called him to the field, only made the father more desperately resolute in the discharge of his duty. On the 22nd, after the battle was over, he took his eldest son, when visiting the sepoys and the wounded, and he showed them a Governor-General of India who had lost his hand, and the son of a Governor-General who had lost his foot, and endeavoured to console them in their sufferings by proving to them that men in the highest rank were exposed to the same casualties as themselves. As I before observed, the accounts of all the military operations are given with admirable clearness in the despatches laid before the House. They must have been read with such attention by every Member of the House, that I will not weaken their effect by minute reference to military details. The pride and satisfac- tion we must all derive from those gallant exploits are no doubt counterbalanced by deep regret for the loss of so many men of WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 179 the highest distinction and promise. We have had the mis- fortune — the great misfortune — of losing that gallant officer who on former occasions has so frequently distinguished himself — Sir Robert Sale. He, Sir, has closed a long career of glory by that death to which I believe he himself looked forward and which he coveted — that death in the field, which entitles me to say, that even in his own estimation, he was "felix etiam opportunitate mortis." Sir, I do hope that this House will, on no distant day, mark their esteem and respect for the memory of Sir Robert Sale by humbly representing to Her Majesty their unanimous wish that she may be pleased to record the gratitude of the country by the erection of a monument to Sir Robert Sale. We have, Sir, also to deplore the loss of Sir John M'Caskill, to whom a brief but touching testimony of approbation is borne in the despatch of the Commander-in-Chief, as well as one of the most eminent men in the civil and military services of India — Major Broadfoot. In that gentleman the highest confidence was placed by every one who came in contact with him. He obtained the applause of every civil and military authority in the country ; and his prudence and skill as a civilian were only equalled by his ardour and bravery in the field. He was, I believe, the last of three brothers, all of whom have died in the service of their country on the field of battle. Major Broadfoot was present with Sir Robert Sale during the siege of Jellalabad, and took a most conspicuous part in its defence. It is mournful, Sir, that we should have to deplore the loss in the same conflict of two gallant men so devoted to their country's service as Sir Robert Sale and Major Broadfoot. I shall not refer by name to officers of lower rank who have fallen in this conflict ; for, where all were so distinguished, it must be invidious to particularize ; but whatever their rank, I can as- sure their surviving relatives that their country will do justice to their memory. I hope the thanks of the House will be conveyed to all the men of every regiment engaged in this brilliant exploit, without exception. If there were occasions on which the reputa- 180 AVAR WITH THE SIKHS. tion for valour of some regiments may appear not to have been upheld, considering their former services — their known gallantry — their severe losses — the remembrance of one moment's default is altogether obliterated by the recollection of their former eminent conduct, and of the services they rendered on that very day. I am quite certain, Sir, that the men of Her Majesty's 62nd Regi- ment, of the 14th Native Infantry, and the other gallant native regiment on the flank of Her Majesty's 62nd Regiment, will not suffer in the estimation of the country; that the willing thanks of this House will be given, without exception, to all the regiments engaged in this action. # # # # There never has been a greater example of extreme forbearance, strict justice, and a resolve to resist all the temptations to which the army was exposed — there never was a greater combination of those high qualities with the most brilliant talent and valour in defence of the British empire in India. The gallantry of those who fell in that conflict will not be without its fruits. Their lives will not have been sacrificed in vain. The remembrance of their conduct constitutes one of the brightest possessions — one of the great de- fences of this country. When we reflect what can be effected by discipline and valour, such as was manifested by our countrymen on these memorable days, we feel that in a just cause our country must be victorious. The memory of those men who have fallen through their devotion to their country will long serve to animate the British army. It will make us proud of that name which we bear, and encourage us, if need be, to emulate their heroic ex- ertions, and exhibit equal devotion, equal perseverance, equal courage, in the cause of our common country. (Great and en- thusiastic cheering greeted the Right Hon. Baronet from all sides of the House in the progress, and at the conclusion of his speech.) He moved the first of the following series of resolutions : — That the thanks of this House be given to the Right Honourable Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Hardinge, Governor-General of India, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Rath, for the energy and ability with which he directed the military means at his disposal, to the repelling of the unprovoked invasion of the Sikh army of the dominions of the British Government, and of the Protracted States upon the left bank of the Sut- WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 181 lej; and also, for the firmness and gallantry with which he directed the operations of that portion of the army under his immediate command, in the afternoon and night of December 21st, 1845, and on the morning of the 22nd, upon which occasion the enemy's defences were carried by storm, the greater part of their artillery captured, and their subsequent attempts to regain what they had lost repeatedly defeated. That the thanks of this House be given to General Sir Hugh Gough, Baronet, Knipht Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the East Indies, for the distinguished valour with which he directed and led the several attacks upon the enemy, and for the eminent services rendered by him in the battles of the 18th, 21st, and 22nd of December, 1845, displaying, as he did, in conjunction with the Governor-General, a brilliant example to the troops, of perseverance and courage in critical circumstances, and of irresistible ardour in the several attacks made upon the enemy. That the thanks of this House be given to Major-General Sir Harry George Smith, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, to Major-General Walter Raleigh Gilbert, and to Major-General Sir John Hunter Littler, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, and to the several officers, European and native, under their command, for the eminent services rendered by them in the recent arduous and successful operations. That the thanks of this House be given to the non-commissioned officers and private soldiers, European and native, for the perseverance and fortitude maintained by them at Moodkee on the 18th of December, 1845, and for the daring valour with which they forced the enemy's entrenchments at Ferozeshah on the 21st and 22nd of December, captured most of his guns, and finally compelled the Sikh army, of greatly superior numbers, to retire within their own frontier. That this Resolution be signified to them by the commanders of the several corps. Ordered — That the said Resolutions be transmitted by Mr. Speaker to the Governor- General of India, and that he be requested to communicate the same to the several officers referred to therein. The motion was seconded by the Right Honourable Lord John Russell, and, after speeches by Sir Robert Inglis, Mr. Hogg, Captain Layard, Sir Howard Douglas, and other honour- able members, the resolutions were put seriatim and carried nem. con. At a Special Court of Proprietors of East India Stock, the Chairman (Sir Henry Willock, K.L.S.), stated that the Court had been especially summoned, in order to lay before it certain papers relating to the war in India, and to offer the thanks of the Court to the officers and men employed in that war. The Chair- man, in a brief but affecting speech, submitted a motion, couched in the same terms as those adopted by the Houses of Parliament. 182 WAR WITH THE SIKHs. and which will be found in that report ; which having been seconded by the Deputy-Chairman (J. W. Hogg, Esq. M.P.), was unanimously agreed to. ALIWAL AND SOBRAON. The Thanks of Parliament. On the evening of the 2nd of April, the thanks of the House of Lords were proposed by the Right Honourable the Earl of Ripon, who concluded a most effective speech with the following words: — " I have purposely abstained from specifying the acts of those to whose victories I have called your attention. I felt that I could not have done justice to them ; and I beg now simply to propose the motions, the objects of which I have explained. They are as follow :" — That the thanks of this House be given to Major-General Sir Harry George Smith, Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, for his skilful and meritorious conduct when in command of the British troops employed against a large portion of the Sikh army, of greatly superior numbers, and for the signal valour and judgment displayed by him in the battle of the 28th of January, when the enemy's force was totally defeated, and new lustre added to the reputation of the British arms. That the thanks of this House be given to the several officers, European and native under the command of Sir Harry Smith, for the distinguished services rendered by them at the battle of Aliwal. That this House doth highly approve of and commend the intrepidity and exemplary discipline displayed by the non-commissioned officers and private soldiers, European and. native, on the 28th of January, in their attack on the enemy's position, by which the Sikhs were completely routed and driven in confusion across the Sutlej, with the loss of all their artillery and military equipment ; and that the same be signified to them by the commanders of the several corps, who are desired to thank them for their gallant behaviour. That in requesting the Governor-General of India to communicate these resolutions to the several officers referred to therein, this House desires to acknowledge the zeal and judgment evinced by the Right Honourable Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Har- dinge, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Governor-General of India ; and also by General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in India, in supplying Major-General Sir Harry Smith with such reinforcements and military means as enabled him, under Divine Providence, to overcome all the obstacles thrown in his way by a brave and determined enemy. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 183 That the thanks of this House be given to the Right Honourable Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Hardinge, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Governor-General of India, for the judgment, energy, and ability with which the resources of the British empire in India have been applied in repelling the unjust and unprovoked invasion of the British territory by the Sikh nation; and for the valour and indefatigable exertions which he displayed on the 10th of February, at the battle of Sobraon, when, by the blessing of Almighty God, which we desire most humbly to acknowledge, this hostile and treacherous invasion was successfully defeated. That the thanks of this House be given to General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in India, for the signal ability and valour with which, upon the 10th of February, he directed and led the attack, when the enemy's entrenchments were stormed, their artillery captured, their army defeated and scattered, and the Punjaub laid open to the advance of our victorious troops. That the thanks of this House be given to Major-General Sir Harry George Smith, Knight Commander of the most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Major-General Walter Raleigh Gilbert, and Major-General Sir Joseph Thackwell, Knight Commander of the most Honourable Military Order of the Bath ; and to the other officers, Euro- pean and native, for the distinguished services rendered by them in the eminently successful operations at the battle of Sobraon. That this House doth highly approve of and commend the invincible intrepidity, perseverance, and steady discipline displayed by the non-commissioned officers ami private soldiers, European and native, on the 10th of February, by which the glory of the British arms has been successfully maintained against a determined and greatly / superior force ; and that the same be signified to them by the commanders of the several corps, who are desired to thank them for (heir gallant behaviour. They were seconded by the Right Hon. the Earl of Auckland ; and in the course of the debate the following- remarks fell from his Grace the Duke of Wellington : — In the meantime the distant points of the frontier were threatened ; Loodiana was threatened — I believe it was even attacked, and the cantonments were burned : and then it was that Sir Harry Smith was sent with a detachment of troops towards Loodiana, taking- possession of various points on his road — Durrumkote and other places, of which the enemy had taken possession by bodies of troops which had crossed the Sutlej. And I beg your Lordships to observe that, when Sir Harry Smith was sent, he had three objects in view : one to give security to the post at Loodiana, already re- inforced by the arrival there of General Godby after the battle : the others to keep up his communications with the rear by the town of Busseean, a point of great strength and importance, with 184 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. a view to the communication between Ferozepore and Loodiana, in the front line, and Ferozepore and Delhi in the rear, the point from which the heavy train and the means of carrying on the siege in the ultimate operations were to come. These must have passed between twenty and thirty miles of the enemy, while the main body of the army at Ferozepore was not less distant than fifty. These were the objects, to secure which Sir Harry Smith was detached from the army. He marched upon Loodiana, and communicated with the British commander there, who endeavoured to move out to his assistance. While he was engaged with the enemy on this march, which he made in order to perforin a part of his instructions — namely, to maintain the communication with Loodiana, they came out from the entrenched camp and carried off his baggage. I desire to explain that, because it was the only check which the gallant officer met with throughout the whole of this operation, and in fact it is the only misfortune, trifling as it is, which has happened during the whole operations that have taken place in that part of the country. This loss of the baggage, such as it is, has been written up as a great misfortune ; but, in point of fact, it could not be otherwise. He was obliged to march within sight of the entrenched camp, from which the enemy had an opportunity of attacking him on his march. I beg your Lord- ships to observe that Sir Harry Smith had not only to secure his communication with Loodiana, but likewise to secure his junction with General Wheeler, who, alone, was not able to contend against the enemy. He performed all those objects, was joined by General Wheeler, and then moved on to attack the new position which the enemy had taken up near the river. And, my Lords, I will say upon this, I have read the account of many a battle, but I never read the account of one in which more ability, energy, and experience have been manifested than in this. I know of no one in which an officer ever showed himself more capable than this officer has in commanding troops in the field. He brought every description of troops to bear, with all arms in the position in which they were most capable of rendering service; WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 185 the nicest manoeuvres were performed under the lire of the enemy with the utmost precision, and at the same time with an energy and gallantry on the part of the troops never surpassed on any occasion whatever in any part of the world. I must say of this officer, that I never have seen any acconnt which manifests more plainly than his does, that he is an officer capable of rendering the most important services, and of ultimately being an honour to this country. House of Commons. A vote to the same effect was proposed by Sir Robert Peel in the House of Commons, from whose speech we extract the following : — The great battle was fought on the 28th of January, but earlier in that month Sir Harry Smith had sustained what some may consider a reverse. I allude to a period before his junction with Colonel Wheeler, and with the five regiments from Loodiana. In the absence of all intelligence he encountered the enemy, and was exposed to serious hazard. Writing to Sir Hugh Gough on the 21st, after he had succeeded in relieving Loodiana, he said that he had accomplished that object, but under circum- stances not quite so fortunate as he desired, and he used these expressions : " When within a mile and a half to my left of Bud- dowal, moving parallel with my column (which was right in front ready to wheel into line), and evidently for the purpose of interrupting my advance, I saw the enemy. Nothing could be stronger for the enemy than the continued line of villages. He was moving by roads, while I was moving over very heavy sand- beds. He was in advance far beyond, on my right flank ; so far did he extend, and so numerous did he show his infantry and guns, and so well chosen for him was this line of villages, that with my force he was not to be assailed ; and he opened a furious cannonade of from thirty-five to forty guns of very large calibre, and, as usual, right well served. My object being to unite myself with the force from Loodiana, which every moment I expected to appear in sight, for it was nine o'clock, I moved parallel with 186 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. the enemy, resolving to attack the moment the Loodiana troops reached me. He, however, so pressed upon me, that I opened in one body my eleven guns upon him with considerable effect, and moved up the 31st, and was preparing to form line upon this regiment, when the enemy most rapidly formed a line of seven regiments, with their guns between, at right angles with the line I was about to attack, while a considerable force was moving round my right and front. Thus enveloped and overwhelmed by num- bers, and such a superiority of guns, I had nothing for it but to throw back my line on its right, which represented a small line on the hypotenuse of a triangle. The enemy thus outflanked me and my whole force. I therefore gradually withdrew my infantry in echellon of battalions, the cavalry in echellon of squadrons, in the direction of Loodiana, momentarily expecting to see the approach of that force — viz., one regiment of cavalry, five guns, and four regiments of infantry, when I would have made a vigo- rous attack. The ground was very deep and sandy, and, there- fore, very difficult to move on. The enemy continued to move on as described for upwards of an hour, and until I knew the Loodiana force was moving, not a musket was fired. Nothing could exceed the steadiness of the troops. The line was thrown back, under this cannonade, as if on parade, native as well as British, and the movements of the cavalry, under Brigadier Cureton, were, without any exception, the most perfect thing I ever saw, and which I cannot describe." # # # # Of the battle itself I will not speak ; the victory was complete, and it has been so admirably described by the illustrious com- mander, that I will not weaken the effect of his narrative. And what, let me ask, have been the services of this gallant officer? These recent events have given new lustre to his glory ; but he was at the capture of Monte Video — at the attack upon Buenos Ayres ; he served during the Peninsula war, from the battle of Vimeira to that of Corunna. He was then wounded in another action, but he was at the battles of Sabagal and Fuentes d'Onor, and the sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajos, at the battles of WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 187 Salamanca, Vittoria, Orthes, the Pyrenees, and Toulouse. He was at Washington and at New Orleans, and finally he was at Waterloo. What a series of noble services, and how rejoiced I am that there should be an opportunity, through this new and signal victory, of bringing before the gladdened eyes of a grateful country a long life of military exertion, and an unbroken series of military honours. After he had achieved that success for which we are about to give him our special thanks — after he had driven back the enemy across the Sutlej, he instantly returned to rejoin his commanding officer, Sir Hugh Gough. He arrived on the 8th, two days before the decisive victory gained by the forces under Sir Hugh Gough and Sir Henry Hardinge. But for his services in the victory of the 28th of January, I propose that there should be a distinct and separate vote — distinct and separate from that which I shall recommend for that not more glorious, though perhaps more important achievement accomplished at a later date by the whole British army. * # # * * There is much to adorn and nothing to sully our victory, and I do hope that now it has been achieved, it will give lasting- peace to India ; that a general conviction will be felt of our I power — a conviction of the superiority of British arms that will ensure a long enjoyment of tranquillity to that country, and the application of all our efforts for the improvement of its natural resources. I trust that this may be our last battle, and that here- after we shall have nothing to do but to direct our attention to the amelioration of the condition of our Indian fellow-subjects. In that anticipation I am sure the House will permit me to refer to some events and some circumstances which may well fill our hearts with joy and exultation. The two leaders of our victorious army, the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief, have throughout these operations set an example of cordial concert and communion — an utter forgetfulness of themselves — to which the happy result is greatly to be attributed. All matters of punctillio were sacrificed, and Sir Henry Hardinge consented to serve as second in command. On the other hand, there was not 188 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. a suggestion offered by Sir Henry Hardinge which was not thankfully accepted by Sir Hugh Gough. * * I will now refer to a document, not of a public character, that has been put into my hand since I entered the House this evening — it is a letter from Sir Hugh Gough, which was never intended to meet the public eye, but it does him so much honour that I cannot refuse myself the pleasure of reading I am sure the House will permit me, among expressions of gratitude to the surviving conquerors, to mingle some of deep regret at the loss we have sustained. On this occasion I have to deplore the loss of several officers of the highest reputation ; and the first I shall name, is Sir Robert Dick. He entered the service in 1800. He embarked with the 78th Regiment for Sicily in 1806, and was wounded in battle. He accompanied the expedition to Egypt, and was present at the taking of Alexandria. He embarked with the 42nd Regiment in 1829, and was again wounded at Fuentes d'Onor. He commanded the second bat- talion of the 42nd Regiment at Ciudad Rodrigo. He was at the battle of Salamanca, at the storming of St. Michel, and was present during the siege of Burgos. In 1815 he was severely wounded, and, after a life of honour, he at last fell in the battle, for the happy result of which we are about to make our grateful acknowledgments. On the day which deprived us for ever of the services of Sir Robert Dick, there also fell Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor, of the 29th Regiment. When the father of this gallant officer was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 20th Light Dragoons, he lost his life in the Peninsula. The father fell at Vimiera — the son met an equally glorious death in India, and thus did those heroic men establish an hereditary and double claim to the gratitude of the country. Lieutenant-Colonel C. J. Taylor com- manded the light company of the 30th Foot, in the expedition against Khalapore, in 1827-8; served on the frontier during the * The document here referred to will be found in full at page 137. WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 189 Canadian rebellion, where, in the successful attack of a village occupied by the rebels, he rendered an important service ; com- manded a brigade of infantry in the actions of the 18th, 21st, and 22nd of December, 1845, wherein he was wounded; the troops sent to keep up the communication between Sir Harry Smith and the main army, whilst the former was engaged in the opera- tions which led to the battle of Aliwal ; and a brigade of infantry at the battle of Sobraon, where he fell. How many there are who have lost their sons and relatives in this conflict I need not say ; but I have been thrown into inter- course I could not avoid with one, the life of whose gallant son has been sacrificed in this encounter ; it has been my duty, my painful duty in some respects, to hold constant communication with Lord Fitzroy Somerset, whose brave offspring, had he sur- vived, would have supported the honour of his family, and the military glory of his father. Lord Fitzroy Somerset himself has run an illustrious career. He accompanied the Duke of Wel- lington throughout, all the battles of the Peninsula, but his pleasure in awarding honour to the living and the dead is now clouded by the loss of his son, who, had his life been spared, would have added to his own and to his country's reputation. Although the rank of Major Somerset hardly entitles him to special notice, yet recollecting the services of his father and the Ions connexion between him and his illustrious chief, the House will perhaps permit me to offer this poor consolation to the sor- rows of a parent. I wish I could do justice to my own feelings by naming many others scarcely less distinguished or less lamented ; but the list is so numerous of those entitled to grateful remembrance that I trust it will not be imputed to any want of a due sense of their claims and merits. Sir Robert Peel then moved the votes of thanks, a copy of which is given under the report of the House of Lords. The motion was seconded by Sir John Cam Hobhouse, and, after a few words from other hon. members, the resolutions were put and severally agreed to nem. con. 190 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. The East India Company. On the same day, a Special General Court of the Proprietors of Stock was held at the East India House, for the purpose of passing a vote of thanks to Major-General Sir Harry Smith, for his victory at Aliwal, over the Sikh army ; and to General Sir Henry Hardinge, and General Sir Hugh Gough, and to the European and native troops who were engaged in the war of the Sutlej. Sir Henry Willock, the Chairman, again presided, and proposed the two separate resolutions which we have already given, under the report of the proceedings of the Houses of Lords and Com- mons. They were seconded by J. W. Hogg, Esq., M.P., and unanimously adopted. The Court of Common Council. At a Special Court of the Court of Common Council of the City of London, the thanks and congratulations of the Court were awarded, together with the freedom of the City in gold boxes of the value of 100 guineas, to Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Har- dinge, G.C.B., General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., G.C.B., and Major-General Sir Harry Smith, K.C.B., for the valour, judg- ment, and ability displayed by them in the recent battles of Aliwal and Sobraon. Also the thanks of the Court to the other officers, European and native, for the intrepidity, perseverance, and discipline evinced by them upon both of these memorable occasions. Her Majesty has since been graciously pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal, granting the dignity of Viscount to Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B., that of a Baron to General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., G.C.B., as well as to confer the dignity of a Baronet upon Major-General Sir Harry Smith, G.C.B. war with the sikhs. 191 House of Commons, May 4, 1846. The order of the day for going into committee of the whole House, to consider Her Most Gracious Majesty's messages having been read — Sir Robert Peel moved that in accordance with that message, the annual sum of £.3,000 be granted to Viscount Hardinge, and £.2,000 to Lord Gougb, and the two next heirs male of their bodies. The motion having been seconded by Lord John Russell, was immediately adopted. In the course of his speech Sir Robert Peel announced that, in the event of the East India Company conferring a pension upon these two illustrious individuals during their lives, the Government grants would be confined to their successors. Mr. Hogg subsequently announced that, at a Court of Di- rectors of that Honourable Company, he had the honour of pro- posing, what had been unanimously adopted, that a pension of £.5,000 per annum be granted to Viscount Hardinge during his lifetime, in addition to his salary as Governor-General of India ; and that a pension of £.2,000 per annum be likewise granted to Lord Gough — both to commence from the period when our troops arrived under the walls of Lahore. Mr. Hogg remarked, this was the first instance of the Company granting a pension to a Commander-in-Chief. We extract also from Sir Robert Peel's speech the following testimony to the services of these distinguished officers : — " It is now forty-eight years since my gallant friend, Lord Hardinge, entered the British armv. During his long military service it has been the good fortune of my gallant friend to be present at numerous actions in the Peninsula, — at Roleia, at Vimiera (where he was wounded), and, under the command of that most gallant, distinguished, and lamented officer, Sir John Moore, during the retreat to Corunna, and at the battle of Corunna. At the battle of Corunna, at an early period of his life, Captain Hardinge was near Sir John Moore when that gallant officer received his death-wound upon the field. Of Lord Hardinge it is said by the eloquent historian of the Peninsula campaign, 192 WAR WITH THE SIKHS. when describing the battle of Corunna, that Captain Hardinge, a staff- officer, who was near Sir John Moore, attempted to take off his sword, which had entered the deep wound in his shoulder made by the cannon shot by which he was struck ; that Captain Hardinge proposed to Sir John to unbuckle the sword, that the torment occasioned by its entry into the wound might be relieved ; but that Sir John Moore stopped him with this affecting speech, " It is as well as it is. I had rather it should go out of the field with me." The historian adds that, in this manner, so becoming a soldier, Sir John Moore was borne from the field, refusing to part with his sword in the moment of death. After the battle of Corunna, Sir II. Hardinge was present at the battle of the Douro, at the battle of Busaco, in the lines of Torres Vedras, at the battle of Albuera, at the three sieges of Badajoz, at the siege and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo, at Salamanca, at Vittoria, where he was severely wounded, at Pampeluna, at the battles of the Pyrenees at Nivelle, at Nive, and at Orthez. It will be remembered, that my gallant friend was at Ligny, two days before the battle of Waterloo, and he was only prevented from taking his share in that great action by the severe wounds he received at the battle of Ligny. We cannot forget what a distinguished part my gallant friend took in the battle of Albuera ; and it is possible that he learned in that action what confidence could be justly placed in the desperate valour of British soldiers. It is probable that the recol- lection of the battle of Albuera, and of the change in the fortunes of that day, accom- plished chiefly through the valour of the British infantry, may have induced my gallant friend to persevere under all discouragements in his latter and equally glorious battles, and to place a just and not disappointed confidence in the enduring valour of the British troops. So much for the services of my gallant friend, Sir H. Hardinge. As I said before, he has now completed forty-eight years of military service. The career of that other gallant officer, whom her Majesty has elevated to the British peerage, has not been less dis- tinguished. For fifty-two years has Lord Gough served in the British army; and no one would have supposed from the vigour, the energy and the heroism of his conduct, that fifty-two years of active service could have passed over his head. Sir Hugh Gouo-h was at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope, at the attack on Porto Rico, and at the capture of Surinam. During the Peninsula war he commanded the S7th Regiment at Talavera, where he was severely wounded, at Barossa, at Vittoria, at Nivelle, where he was also severely wounded ; at the sieges of Cadiz, and at Tarifa. He also commanded the British army at Canton, and during almost all the operations in China; and he was with the right wing of the army of Gwalior, which fought and gained the battle of Maharajpore. These are the services rendered by that gallant officer previous to the late campaign, when he was Commander-in-Chief of the army in India. It would be presumptuous in me to attempt to do justice to his signal services. I believe he is known to the British army as a man of the most heroic valour, and that his valour and skill inspire confidence in all those whom he commands. I will not speak merely of his valour and his skill, — these are admitted by all who are acquainted with the history of our Peninsula and Indian wars. But, I must take this opportunity of placing upon record an instance of his devotion to the service of his country, which he, probably, little thought would ever be mentioned within the walls of Parliament, but which I conceive to be at least as honourable to him as any services he has rendered in the field. After the termination of the Chinese campaign, Lord Gough was nominated to the com- mand of the forces in Madras. It was thought expedient, at a period subsequent to his nomination to this command, that the military and civil command should be united in the hands of one person — that person having the advantage of previous personal com- munication with her Majesty's servants. Lord Tweeddale was selected for the govern- WAR WITH THE SIKHS. 193 ment of Madras ; and, as I have said, it being thought desirable in the circumstances in which that presidency was then placed to unite the military and civil commands, Lord Tweeddale superseded Lord Gough in the military command. That was a severe trial to a British officer — a severe trial to one who had been victorious in China. Now, what was the answer returned by Lord Gough to the Commander-in-Chief, on its being intimated to him that the public service required the union of the two commands ? Many officers would have felt deeply mortified ; but I consider the answer of Lord Gough to be so honourable to him, and to set so striking an example of what is the duty of a British soldier under such circumstances as I have mentioned, that I have deter- mined to present to the House the letter written by the gallant officer on that occasion : — " Head-quarters, Ship Marlon, off Nankin , " September 15, 1842. " My Lord, " I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter of the 30th of April. However mortifying it may be to me to find myself deprived of the appointment to which I had been so graciously nominated, I beg to assure your Lord- ship that 1 bow, without repining, to any measure that may be considered beneficial to the interests of my country. To serve that country in the higher walks of a profession which I entered as a child, T came to India, and especially to China, and I trust your Lordship will believe, that while my Sovereign considered my services useful, they were, as they ever shall be, freely, and, 1 hope, energetically rendered ; but when they are no longer required, or when the public exigencies in such an important portion of our foreign possessions as Madras are deemed to clash with my individual advantage, I hope I may say, that I am one of the last men in the army who would not readily sacrifice self-interest. My gracious Sovereign's unsolicited nomination of me to the chief command at Madras was received by me with thankfulness; and whenever, for the furtherance of Her Majesty's service, it became expedient to place another in that situation, whether in a single or a conjoint capacity, I should not have wished my pri- vate interests to stand in the way of the public good. That I feel rather disappointed, I cannot deny ; but I am not the less grateful to my Sovereign for her gracious kind- ness towards me ; or the less sincerely and warmly thankful to your Lordship for the renewed proof of kind consideration which your letter conveys. With the earnest and anxious prayer that the union of the civil government and military command at Madras may fully meet the expectations of the Government, " I have, &c, " H. Gough, Lieutenant-General, " Commanding Expeditionary Land Force." This, in my opinion, is one of the most creditable letters ever written by a military man ; and proved, I think, that the writer was worthy of a higher trust than that of Commander at Madras. I trust that these instances of apparent self-sacrifice, and of devotion to the true interests of the military service, will ever meet with their just rewards; and though Sir Hugh Gough, when he wrote that letter, never contemplated that a consequence of this might be his appointment to the chief command in India, yet I rejoice that such a noble devotion to the public service was followed by a reward to which he has proved himself to be fully entitled. § « T3 C cj CO 3 — _ so 1 C — _ ._ o be a. __ «*« c o 3 - X- "_ « 5 g, c _ o "3 gp-S s J- *•_ "3 3 _ o _ u 3 « S-a O a CO CCS :> rt ■3 ctf t- _ IO O — _ -3 >, _ s- ~ ra 3 ~ O "2 5 c _■ o - 3 3 S _> 5- Matchlocks in considerable numbers, 581 gunpowder tubs, 30 rockets, 100 leaden ball boxes and tubs. e V 2 3 - £ u CU _. _. o - "3 •S-3 i| CT"_} J> E Ef ^ a ^_ 1,047 gunpowder tubs, 100,000 lbs. ot powder, 50 tons of shot, 40.'5 boxes of Iciclt'ii ball. Several arsenals, all kinds ot arms and amunition, a foundry and gun- powder manufactory. This does not include ordnance cap- tured on the right bank of the river, which is not known. About 18,000 lbs. ot'powder taken, and destroyed large quantities of gingals, matchlocks, &c. _ 'H. eg _ - c •a _ 3 n - o •- M - C3 >-t 3 _ O Z 3 5* 2 1 _3 a CM L.T> CO © o O L.-5 CM ■a ~ c _ _ r- CO o CM CO _ CD - - 5 ■- O 3 _. •- eu c _J ~ - 3 •? , _> co £ _ S _5 _ "S ■_ ** -_ _ o _ £ " i 1 = ' sL'm w "£ U t o _3 _: _! o © 5 o Q o Q o o s o o Q O o <5 05 to" CO = 3 3 _: be _ 2i _ o CD S 2 o _r co rt §"_:„ O rt — o" s s us £-_ _- § O CU 0_ r_ _r o _a -f< _3 o _ 3 _- _ - — "3 _• o o z o Q o s £ 5 o o oo co — - ■_! 5 43 ■& ~ < _i o o o CM §_i o — co"-- CO c u 3 CD U o Z o o s _. bc'-p .s 3 -_ _.£P d ■i-i »-. H ©•« S o c ^£ _ « -_: _ C» ■" CO a - CC5 CO — CO u s ft' ._ c = ~ £ 'S "S ? cs o _ _ co co C "S O 1 -5 CD "3 -. con 51 bo s ; 3 s .S e o 2 — 3 CM JS CM _ _ co C? cj 00 be 3 < CO CN u O u o o 05 1 c* CO '--5 _ 03 C8 CO (U s 3 cu c 3 ^f CO i t i-s 3 -"V -3 < B o c SI _) CO > o _5 _i c "53 K >> O < s CB 3 5 CB 5 O a _P Z c C3 O 60 CU CO _. o ro _: ho 'S O -_ tt, bfl 'w o o cu CS t/5 . ■■"" be o c c_ c "S n ft> •» — _ 1 o c >>o 1> C3 S O- '> '^ 3--_ S _P"s|« n oo £ pq > sa to e .22 -_■ — 3 sS >, o o S « o "3 ." S ^ = 1^ 0> 4; S ra -§"3 ^ => "3 & "" 3 P. £• « fa -r 1; — ■ c w O «< bJCTS .s s .8' •* M t SO S p<_^ O C S" . O -Q 3 X «, „, <» be . . CO 0) ' ^ bo >5< o o o o CM u? *J CO eg -n to o to «s i-i ■* i H ~C_) 56 p< Z5 ■ ~. V a _- u cr — 1 — Q 9 1) — si w C a ft K 0> SJ "nl O cd Ft '. "° < SS * £ JH& IS ° ,s6o T3 C p-iH «5 cu ■-" i-h . t^ s- — u ^i 3 ^ .3 o w «! 2 ■*-* Jr« = u 3 * 2 °£ » > >% 3'S be 3 s! X O £3 ABSTRACT, Showing the disposition of the Sikh Army. 1st July, 1844. STATION. >> c Artillery. i a C3 3 3 > Lahore 10,820 14,075 2475 238 305 On furlough - - - 10,600 5300 560 50 50 Mitha Towana (Dera Ismael Khan) 2500 1500 20 4 Jummoo Hills - - - - 8000 2750 600 50 300 Poonchh Hills 500 Bhimbur Hills 500 Nowshelira Hills 1500 40 io Eeeasee Hills 3000 100 22 Ludakh 2000 , , 40 10 Syed Ghur (foot of hills) 2000 500 50 10 Pind dadul Khan (on Jehlum) 500 . , Ramnuggur Hills 2000 '30 8 Sarnba Hills 3000 400 00 8 25 Jesrota Hills - - - - 5000 500 00 8 Jalundlmr Dooab Beeas and Sutlej 1000 200 40 4 , , Cashmeer • - ■• 2300 400 100 14 Muzzufferabad, (near to Cashmere) 500 Hussoora (N. W. of Cashmere) 500 Ghilghit 1000 *20 4 Shahdura (Lahore) - - - 100 ioo • • . . Attok 100 Hussun Ubdal (near Attok) 000 'eo 50 Peshawur - - 5700 400 140 ii Yoosufzaees (N. E. of Peshawar) 400 100 60 6 . . Huzara (E. of Attok) - 3100 80 8 Tank (Dera Ismael Khan) - 1500 400 30 25 Mooltan - 3500 500 235 40 70 Kote Mithun (Junction of Indus and Sutlej)- 500 Rojhan (near Sukkur) 500 a -l. r near Dera Ghazee Khan - -! Sunghur j ( 'ioo *250 250 In the neighbourhood of Mooltan 1500 500 Koonjah (near Vuzeerabad) 200 300 20 4 Kohat (Peshawur) 600 500 45 4 25 Dooaba, (near Peshawur) 500 300 25 2 15 Husht nuggur (Peshawur) 600 400 40 8 15 In the Kanggra Hills 5000 Suraj (Kooloo Hills) 1000 . . Mujethea (Umritsir^ 400 15 2 Teelook Nath (Hills) - 200 With Sirdar Lehna Singh Mujeetheea 200 ioo Adeena nuggur (Hills) - - 200 Kussoor (opposite Ferozepore) 200 60 8 Azaree (near Umritsir) - - - 200 ioo 10 Kupoorthulla (near tlie Beeas) 2000 1300 120 12 Sultanpore (ditto) 200 45 2 25 On the Ferries of the Sutlej 500 800 Total 101,020 ••!.'!,!)•>.") 5180 552 99S (Signed) J. D. Cunningham, Assistant-Agent-Governor-General N. W. Frontier, he Casualties after each subsequent Engagement. Head Quarters, Camp Lahore, 2nd March, 1846. on at L. Missing. O g Alter the Action at SOBRAON Killed. ! Wounded. Missing. 5 a 22 1 .. 29 1 30 10 88 TOTAL CASUALTIES. 101 139 8 112 I 37 11 184 4 H 3 1 13 5 105 40 Killed. Wounded. Missing. S 5 ' S 124 15 121 ., ] .. 1 59 (i 7S 29 S 274 101 16 18 344 : i S 129 22 358 .. 46 1)4 29 38 10 91 I 11 204 58 5 L64 54 809 .. 5 07 7- I L26 2214 .. 102 439 . 127 167 11 2 1 Edward Lugard, Captain, ting-Assistant-Adjutant-General of H. M. Forces in India. Return ol H. Jl. lU^imenr-' with the Army of the Sutk-j, showinir the effective itrenstti he lore enteiiug into Action, and tlie Casualties after each -nl.-ei 1 n..-ni Engagement. Read Quarter*, Camp Lahore, 2nd March, 1846, 'I:-,::- :"':;■ „»«. ' FEBOZEB&AB. BUDEEWAL ALIWAL, SOBRAOK. C ' ' ' ■»■*"■ » MW 1»_*<.|IDM *«,«. |W.„dM.| »,„,,,. „„„, ■ . . i i > i . p 1 . 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