Song in the Throat of Death: Battle of Chillianwala

The Anglo-Sikh wars were the most hotly contested wars during the days of British rule. The fierce battles earned a healthy respect for the Sikhs in the mind of the British, who later classified the Sikhs as a martial race. This also started a long association between the Sikhs and the British, where the Sikhs became the biggest supporters of the Raj. They were instrumental in furthering the interest of the British Empire all over the world.

One battle that stands out as an example of Sikh soldiery is the Battle of Chillianwala fought in January, 1849 during the Second Anglo- Sikh war. This battle resulted in defeat for the British and nearly 3000 British soldiers died that day. It is aptly referred to as a song in the throat of death, for despite winning this battle the Sikhs lost the war and the Punjab was annexed.

The battle has great historical importance and an eye witness account is available in Cunningham's ' History of the Sikhs'. The Sikh army was commanded by General Sher Singh and the British force was headed by General Lord Gough. Another significant aspect of this battle is that it took place at the same place where the Hindu Raja Porus stopped Alexander the great in 326 BC. The battle was fought on the banks of the river Jhelum, referred to by Greek historians as Hydespes.

Lord Gough was confident of victory as he had more guns than the Sikh army. The East Indian Company army had about 12000 soldiers, a preponderance of who were pure English. Sher Singh had lesser guns but a slight edge in soldiers. He commanded about 15000 men. Lord Gough decided on that fateful day to launch an offensive with coveting fire from his guns. Sher Singh held a line nearly 6 miles long on the banks of the Jhelum. History records that the British assaults failed and a Sikh counterattack by Sher Singh carried the day. The British suffered heavy casualties. However Sher Singh committed a blunder by not pursuing the retreating British. This was to prove heavy in the subsequent battle of Gujarat.

The Governor General Dalhousie heard of the defeat at Chillianwala and was aghast. He promptly removed Sir Hugh Gough as commander and appointed Sir Charles Napier as commander to replace Gough. The battle individually was a colossal defeat for the English, where for the first time a preponderant English force was defeated by a local or native force. There is no such incident in British Indian history. However Lord Gough made amends in the next battle at Gujarat as Sir Charles Napier took 2 months to reach India.

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