Aliwal, Battle of

Aliwal, Battle of
(1846)
   A decisive British victory in the First Sikh War. The British and the Sikhs met at an open field near the village of Aliwal on the south bank of the Sutlej River on January 28, 1846. Although on the losing side at Ferozeshah, most in the Sikh army blamed that defeat on the leadership and felt confident that they were superior to the British army. The Sikh army of about 13,000 had its back to the Sutlej, while the British army of 10,000, led by General Sir Harry Smith, marched down from a ridge to attack. The Sikhs fired from 700 yards. From the ridge, Smith could see the Sikh weakness and ordered the village of Aliwal, on the Sikh left flank, to be taken. The Sikhs formed squares but these were broken. Fighting was vicious. The Sikhs sought cover behind the banks of the Sutlej but were dispersed by artillery fire and a battalion of sepoys . It was a complete route for the British, who suffered only 500 casualties to the Sikhs’ 3,000. The loss of men and material was high, but what was perhaps more devastating to the Sikh army was the loss of morale as a result of the defeat.
   See also <>; <>.
   FURTHER READING:
    Bruce, George. Six Battles for India: The Anglo-Sikh Wars, 1845-6, 1848-9. London: Arthur Barker, 1969;
    Cook, Hugh. The Sikh Wars: The British Army in the Punjab, 1845-1849. London: Leo Cooper, 1975;
    Crawford, E. R. “The Sikh Wars, 1845–9.” In Brian Bond, ed. Victorian Military Campaigns. New York: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers, 1967;
    Farwell, Byron. Queen Victorias Little Wars. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1972.
   DAVID TURPIE

Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Battle of Chillianwala — Part of Second Anglo Sikh War …   Wikipedia

  • Aliwal North — Aliwal Noord   Town   Entering Aliwal North from the west on the R58 …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Aliwal — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Aliwal caption= partof=First Anglo Sikh War date=January 28 1846 place=near the Sutlej river result=British victory combatant1= combatant2=Sikh Khalsa Army commander1=Sir Harry Smith commander2=Runjodh …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Sobraon — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Sobraon caption= partof=First Anglo Sikh War date=February 10, 1846 place=Sobraon, Punjab result=Decisive British victory combatant1=Sikh Khalsa combatant2=British East India Company commander1=Tej… …   Wikipedia

  • 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse — Infobox Military Unit unit name=1st Duke of York s Own Lancers (Skinner s Horse) abbreviation= caption= dates= 1803 1946 country= India allegiance= Great Britain branch= British Indian Army type= Cavalry role= size= Regiment command structure=… …   Wikipedia

  • Ranjit Singh — For other uses, see Maharaja Ranjit Singh (disambiguation). Ranjit Singh Maharaja of Punjab Ranjit Singh Reign 12 April 1801 – 27 June 1839 …   Wikipedia

  • Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet — Infobox Military Person name=Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet lived=1787 1860 caption= nickname= placeofbirth=Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire placeofdeath=London allegiance=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom branch= serviceyears=1805 rank=Lieutenant… …   Wikipedia

  • Governor General's Bodyguard — For the Canadian regiment of the same name, see Governor General s Body Guard Infobox Military Unit unit name=Governor General s Bodyguard abbreviation= caption= dates= 1773 1950 country= India allegiance= British Indian Army branch= Cavalry type …   Wikipedia

  • 1 Gorkha Rifles — Infobox Military Unit unit name= 1 Gorkha Rifles caption=Regimental Insignia of the 1GR dates= 1815 Present country= India allegiance= branch= Army type= Rifles role=Light Role size=5 Battalions command structure= garrison=Subathu, Himachal… …   Wikipedia

  • 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) — The 2nd King Edward VII s Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) was a regiment of the British Indian Army before being transferred to the British Army on India s independence. The 4th Battalion joined the Indian Army as the 5th Battalion the 8th …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”