Battle of Sobraon
Map of the battle
| date | February 10, 1846 |
|---|---|
| place | Sobraon in India |
| output | British victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 15,000 men | up to 20,000 men |
| losses | |
|
320 dead and 2,088 wounded |
5,000 to 8,000 dead and wounded |
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Mudki - Ferozeshah - Aliwal - Sobraon
The Battle of Sobraon was a military conflict on February 10, 1846 between the British East India Company and the Sikh Army of the Punjab in the First Sikh War .
prehistory
After the Battle of Ferozeshah from 21 to 22 December the Sikh army was able to Tej Singh the Sutlej cross freely, then returned but again the left side of the river and began there a fortified beachhead to build, via a pontoon bridge which with right bank of the river.
The British troops under Lieutenant General Hugh Gough had meanwhile received reinforcements, followed the Sikhs and took up positions between the towns of Hariki and Ferozepore . Here Gough awaited the arrival of a supply train that would bring in the heavy cannons and ammunition necessary to fire the enemy positions.
On January 17, Gough dispatched Major General Harry Smith to capture Dharmkot and escort the train. During this mission, Smith encountered enemy troops, but managed to defeat them at the Battle of Aliwal .
course
The expected reinforcements arrived at Gough's camp on February 7th and 8th, and the attack was scheduled for the following morning. The British could now lead 15,000 men into the field. The Sikhs had fixed their bridgehead and within their positions had up to 20,000 men and 67 cannons under the command of Tej Singh, while cavalry under Lal Singh stood ready upstream. Both Sikh leaders had no interest in their own army's victory and sabotaged it on several occasions.
Gough's plan was that his left wing, under the command of Major General Robert Henry Dick, should attack enemy positions at their weakest point, where the enemy right wing met the Sutlej. Meanwhile, the center under Major General Walter Gilbert and the right wing under Smith should conduct diversionary attacks. CR Cureton and his cavalry were supposed to prevent Lal Singh from intervening.
The attack began before dawn on February 10, 1846. Fog, darkness and the fact that the Sikhs had no advanced posts favored the advance and Gough managed to get his artillery into position undetected. Simultaneously with the order to fire, the fog cleared at 7 a.m. and the British heavy artillery fired for two hours until the ammunition ran out. Dick's left wing, with artillery support, went over to the bayonet attack and penetrated the positions. The Sikhs did not allow themselves to be distracted by the mock attacks, threw everything at the attackers and stopped Dick's men.
Gough realized that the enemy had shifted his troops to his right wing and now ordered Smith and Gilbert to cancel the bogus attack and try a breakthrough. However, realizing this, the Sikhs rushed back and repulsed the attack. Smith and Gilbert renewed their attack, although they had suffered heavy losses. In the meantime, Dick had succeeded in advancing with the left wing, since the Sikhs now lacked defenders on their right, and was now able to support the attack on the right wing. Instead of shifting his strength, Tej Singh fled over the ship's bridge, sinking a boat in the middle. The Sikhs were now cut off from retreat and the British slowly pushed them back onto the river without taking prisoners. By 10.30 a.m. there were no more Sikhs on the left bank and the battle was won.
By the end of the battle, Lal Singh's cavalry had made no attempt to intervene in the battle.
consequences
The British recorded 320 deaths (including General Dick) and 2,088 wounded, while the Sikhs lost between 5,000 and 8,000 men. The Battle of Sobraon decided the First Sikh War. The Sikhs began peace negotiations a short time later.
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. London 1849.
- GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). Associated Publishing House, New Delhi 1973.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). Associated Publishing House, New Delhi 1973, p. 323.
- ^ 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. London 1849, p. 321.
- ↑ All Sikh men bear the surname Singh (lion) as a sign of solidarity
- ^ 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. London 1849, pp. 292-293, 299, 301, 304.
- ^ 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. London 1849, p. 327.
- ^ 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. London 1849, p. 328.