TAGS: #deceit
The death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839 was an irreparable loss to the Sikh empire. His successors did not have the acumen of the old lion and the Lahore durbar became a bed of deceit and treachery. Ranjit had taken great care of the Army and artillery which was trained by European officers. But after his death the Khalsa fauj (army) became restless. More over the Prime minister Dhyan Singh the great grandfather of the present sardar Karni Singh was a traitor from the word go. He was in league with the British and secretly assured them that he would be on their side in case the state of Kashmir was handed over to him.
In such a scenario it was imperative that the Sikh army be annihilated. Hence the Sikh fauj was instructed to attack the British. Thus in the beginning of december 1845 the Sikh army massed on the bank of the river Sutlej with a view to attack the British.The place where this battle took place was a small village called Mudki near the city of Ferozepur.
The British had all along been expecting an assault as their informers in the Lahore court had kept them abreast of the developments all the time. The Sikh army crossed into British territory on 11 Dec 1845.The very fact that they crossed the Sutlej was in itself a feat as the river is a swift flowing one. The Sikh generals were Labh Singh and Tej Singh. Unfortunately these generals had their own agenda and as per instructions of the Lahore durbar and the prime minister had no intention to defeat the British.
The Sikh fauj could have gone on the offensive immediately after crossing the river and with the British unprepared could have very well carried the day. But the Sikh generals waited for 7 days and by 18 Dec Lt General Sir Hugh Gough had assembled sufficient troops to face the sikhs.This delay of about 7 days was critical. History is replete with generals who took the initiative and won their battles, but the generals Labh Singh and Tej Singh committed a fatal and deliberate error in not moving against the British. The khalsa fauj had become restless and perforce the Sikh generals gave permission to mount the offensive on 18 Dec 1845.
The British had about 10,000 troops facing the Sikhs. The Sikhs in turn had 18,000 infantry, 16,000 cavalry and 85 Guns. But this entire force did not face the British as Lal Singh left a substantial force of 7000 men at Ferozepur and as per his plan (in collaboration) with the British. The Sikh guns opened up and the training of the French generals came good. The British were taken aback and Lord Gaugh for a moment considered retreat. At this time Lal Singh ordered a cavalry charge on the British as the sun was setting. He himself fled from the battle field. This will remain a matter of shame for the Sikhs for all time to come. The cavalry charge thus lacked the force required and was held by the British guns and lines.
With Dusk settling and gun smoke and fire emanating all around 12 battalions of the British infantry mounted an attack on the Sikhs. There were some gains but the Sikh remained holding their lines. Sporadic fire continued into the night and the British lost over 200 killed while the Sikhs lost about 300 dead.
The battle of Mudki was over and could have gone the Sikh way if the Sikh generals had fought to a plan and led from the front. In addition wasting of 7 days cannot be condoned. But the battle brought out the ferocious fighting qualities of the Sikh solders who unlike their generals were a committed lot. Today we can look back at this battle as the cornerstone of the advent of the British consolidation over India. Though both sides claimed victory the fact remains that the battle of Mudki heralded the end of the Sikh Raj (Rule).