Battle of Ferozeshah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Ferozeshah
Part of the First Anglo-Sikh War
Battle of Ferozshah (2nd Day), 22 December 1845 by Henry Martens
Date 21–22 December 1845 Location Ferozeshah, Punjab Result British victory
Belligerents
Sikh Empire	East India Company
Commanders and leaders
Lal Singh Tej Singh	Sir Hugh Gough Sir Henry Hardinge
Strength
35,000–50,000 130 guns	22,000 69 guns 2 howitzers
Casualties and losses
3 guns Unknown	694 killed 1,721 wounded

The Battle of Ferozeshah was a big fight that happened on December 21 and 22, 1845. It was fought in a village called Ferozeshah in Punjab. The battle was between the British East India Company and the Sikh Empire. The British forces were led by Sir Hugh Gough and Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge. The Sikh army was led by Lal Singh. In the end, the British won this important battle.

Why the Battle Happened

The First Anglo-Sikh War started because of problems in the Sikh Empire in the Punjab. After their leader, Maharajah Ranjit Singh, died in 1839, things became messy. The British also wanted to control Punjab.

The Sikh army, called the Khalsa, was encouraged by some leaders to cross the Sutlej River into British land. They were also looking for treasure and glory. This led to the start of the war.

Before the Big Fight

A British army group was already waiting at Ferozepur. A larger army, led by Sir Hugh Gough and the Governor General, was marching from areas around Delhi.

A part of the Sikh army, led by Tej Singh, moved towards Ferozepur. Meanwhile, the main Sikh force, led by Vizier Lal Singh, went to face Gough's army. On December 18, Lal Singh's advance group was defeated in a smaller fight called the Battle of Mudki.

Gough's army was tired after that battle and didn't move for two days. This gave Lal Singh's army time to gather at Ferozeshah and build strong defenses around their camp.

On December 21, Gough's army moved forward and saw the Sikh camp. Gough wanted to attack right away. But Governor-General Hardinge thought it was too risky. He wanted to wait for more British troops from Ferozepur to join them. Hardinge used his power as Governor General to make Gough wait.

The Battle Begins

Map of the battle showing troop movements.

Day One of Fighting

The extra British troops arrived late in the afternoon. They took their positions on the left side of the British battle line.

Gough started the attack around 3:30 PM. It was one of the shortest days of the year, so it would get dark quickly. The British cannons fired first, but they didn't do much damage. The Sikh cannons were more numerous and protected by walls. They were also much bigger than most of the British cannons.

As the cannons fired, the British and Indian soldiers moved forward. One British group faced heavy fire. Three Indian regiments held back because they were low on water and bullets. One British regiment, the 62nd Foot, lost almost half its men and had to retreat.

Some British soldiers managed to break into the Sikh camp. But many Sikh horsemen threatened their right side. A British cavalry group, the 3rd Light Dragoons, pushed the Sikh horsemen back.

As night fell, another British group launched a new attack. They took over some Sikh cannon positions and got deep into the Sikh camp. But Sikh counter-attacks pushed them back. Fierce fighting continued until midnight. Many soldiers on both sides were hurt or killed when a Sikh ammunition storage exploded.

Day Two of Fighting

British officers during the Battle of Ferozeshah.

When morning came, it was clear that the British held most of the Sikh camp. They had captured seventy-one cannons. Gough and Hardinge reorganized their troops. They moved forward and by noon, they had pushed Lal Singh's army away from the battlefield. This happened even though the remaining Sikh cannons caused heavy losses.

Just as the British were celebrating, they saw Tej Singh's army coming from the west. Gough's soldiers were very tired and almost out of ammunition. As they got ready to fight again, and came under fire from Tej Singh's cannons, some British leaders thought about giving up. They wanted to protect the wounded soldiers.

But Gough's army was saved by a strange event. Some of his horse artillery ran out of ammunition. A staff officer told them to go back to Ferozepur to get more. He also told many of the British cavalry to go with them. Tej Singh saw this movement and thought it was a trick to attack his army from the side. So, he ordered his army to retreat to the north.

After the Battle

The Sikhs went back across the Sutlej River for a while. Gough's army camped near the battlefield. Many soldiers got sick from the smell of the dead and from drinking bad water. About one-seventh of the army had been hurt or killed.

Hardinge privately thought Gough's direct attack methods were not good. He wanted to replace Gough, but it didn't happen.

The staff officer who seemed to make a mistake by sending the cannons and cavalry away on the second day was Captain Lumley. He was thought to be temporarily confused from being so tired and hot. He was allowed to leave the army instead of facing a trial.

On the Sikh side, there was a lot of anger and blame. It seemed that both Lal Singh and Tej Singh were not good leaders. Some even thought they might have betrayed their own side. Both were from a group called Dogras, not Sikhs. They were part of a group that wanted to reduce the power of the Sikh army in the government. Lal Singh was said to have hidden in a ditch during the battle. Tej Singh had a small reason to order a retreat when most of his soldiers wanted to keep fighting.

Key Military Groups Involved

Here are some of the main military groups that fought in the battle:

British Army Regiments

• 3rd King’s Own Light Dragoons
• 9th Foot
• 29th Foot
• 31st Foot
• 50th Foot
• 62nd Foot
• 80th Foot

Bengal Army Regiments

• The Governor General’s Bodyguard
• 4th Bengal Light Cavalry
• 5th Bengal Light Cavalry
• 8th Bengal Light Cavalry
• Skinner's Horse
• 8th Irregular Cavalry
• 9th Irregular Cavalry
• 1st Bengal European Light Infantry
• 2nd Bengal Native Infantry
• 12th Bengal Native Infantry
• 14th Bengal Native Infantry
• 16th Bengal Native Infantry
• 24th Bengal Native Infantry
• 26th Bengal Native Infantry
• 33rd Bengal Native Infantry
• 42nd Bengal Native Infantry
• 44th Bengal Native Infantry
• 45th Bengal Native Infantry
• 47th Bengal Native Infantry

Images for kids

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  Charge of the 3rd (King's Own) Light Dragoons at the Battle of Ferzshuhur [sic], 21 December 1845.

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  The Sikh fortified camp at Ferozeshah with the approaching British Army commanded by Sir Hugh Gough.

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  Night bivouac of the British Army at Ferozeshah, 21 December 1845.