Battle of Mudki
Contemporary depiction of the battle (around 1850)
| date | December 18, 1845 |
|---|---|
| place | Mudki in India |
| output | British victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 11,000 men | Up to 2,000 infantry men 8,000 to 10,000 cavalry men 22 cannons |
| losses | |
|
872 dead and wounded |
unknown |
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Mudki - Ferozeshah - Aliwal - Sobraon
The Battle of Mudki was a military conflict on December 18, 1845 between the British East India Company and the Sikh Army of the Punjab in the First Sikh War .
prehistory
After the 30,000-strong Sikh army crossed the Satluj , they stayed in their camp for six days. On December 17, 1845, their leaders, Tej Singh and Lal Singh, received news that the British East India Company army would reach Mudki , 20 miles southeast of Firozpur , the next day . The 11,000 British and locals under Sir Hugh Gough's command would be tired from the march. The leaders of the Sikhs decided to attack only one brigade with 8,000-10,000 cavalry , fewer than 2,000 infantry and 22 cannons.
course
On December 18, 1845, General Gough received news that the Sikh army was advancing. Gough deployed his army and positioned the infantry- flanked artillery in the center. He positioned cavalry on the left and right wing of the infantry, behind this line the remaining infantry in contiguous columns . Last came the small reserve . The troops advanced, came under heavy fire from Sikh artillery after 2.5 km, but went on anyway. When a few minutes later the Sikh cavalry threatened his flanks, Gough gave his cavalry the order to attack and, thus covered, deployed his infantry columns to the line. Lal Singh led his soldiers into battle, but then withdrew and gave them no further orders. The Sikh infantry were inferior to the British, but held out and kept firing. Even when the Sikhs' cavalry gave in, exposing the flanks of their infantry, they withdrew 8 km in an orderly manner. The battle did not end until dark.
Effects
The British recorded 872 dead and wounded. Among the dead were Sir Robert Henry Sale and General John McCaskill . The losses of the Sikhs are unknown, but are unlikely to have exceeded those of the British. The British victory was close and it was decided to unite with General John Littler's forces in the besieged Firozpur before proceeding . Just three days after Mudki, the battle of Ferozeshah took place .
Individual evidence
- ^ Joseph Davey Cunningham: History of the Sikhs from the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej: From the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej. New Delhi 1996. pp. 293f.
literature
- Joseph Davey Cunningham: History of the Sikhs from the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej: From the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej. New Delhi 1996.
- GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). Associated Publishing House, New Delhi 1973.