Battle of Prome facts for kids

The Battle of Prome was an important land battle during the First Anglo-Burmese War. It happened in 1825 near the city of Prome, which is now called Pyay in modern-day Myanmar. This battle was the last big attempt by the Kingdom of Burma to push the British out of Lower Burma.

Even though the Burmese army had more soldiers, they were not as well-equipped as the British. They ended up losing the battle. After this defeat, the British army marched north. This march threatened Ava, the capital city of Burma. This made the Burmese government decide to start talking about peace.

After the Burmese lost the Battle of Danubyu and their general, Maha Bandula, died, King Bagyidaw ordered General Maha Ne Myo to take Prome. The Burmese army had more soldiers and split into three groups. They set up their positions around Prome in Simbaik, the Napadi hills, and on the west side of the Irrawaddy River. The Burmese soldiers bothered the British with small attacks but did not directly attack Prome itself.

The British army was led by General Archibald Campbell. It included several British and Indian infantry regiments, along with artillery. On December 1, 1825, General Campbell attacked the Burmese group led by Maha Ne Myo. He also used cannons to distract the Burmese in the center. The British charged with bayonets, led by Willoughby Cotton, and General Campbell's follow-up attack made the Burmese group run away completely. The next day, the British attacked the Burmese in the Napadi hills. Indian soldiers fought bravely and pushed the Burmese off the hills. Finally, an attack on the Burmese group on the west side of the Irrawaddy River made the entire Burmese army retreat.

Why the Battle Happened

After the British beat the Burmese army at Danubyu in April 1825, they took control of areas like Lower Burma (up to Prome), Arakan, and the Tenasserim coast. They also gained control in Assam and Manipur.

Peace talks started in September 1825. The British made several demands. They wanted Burma to agree that Manipur was independent. They also wanted Burma to stop interfering with Assam and Cachar. The British demanded that Burma give up Rakhine and its nearby areas. They also wanted a British official to live at the Burmese court in Ava. Finally, they demanded a payment of two million pounds. The British said they would keep Yangon and Taninthayi until the payment was made.

The Burmese government did not expect these harsh demands. They did not want to lose so much of their western lands. But their army was very weak. The Burmese representative said his government would give up claims to Assam and Manipur. However, they disagreed with the British choice for the new ruler of Manipur. They also agreed to give up the Tenasserim coast but not Arakan.

The British were not happy with this. They said, "The question is not how much you will give us, but how much we will give back to you." The peace talks failed. The Burmese decided to keep fighting, even though their army lacked experienced soldiers and weapons. Many of their best soldiers had died in the previous year. For example, about 23,000 Burmese soldiers died in the Battle of Rangoon alone. During the rainy season of 1825, they gathered more men. Their total defense force was about 30,000 soldiers. However, most of these new recruits were not well-trained or well-equipped.

Who Fought in the Battle

The Burmese Army

The Burmese army that attacked Prome had about 10,000 soldiers. Most of these were from the Shan region. Some reports say only about 1,300 were not Shan. The Burmese also had a group of 3,000 soldiers led by Minhla Minkhaung. This group was on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River, north of Prome, to defend the area.

The British Army

The British army was divided into groups.

Under the command of General Cotton were:

• British Foot Regiments: The 1st, 41st, and 89th regiments.
• Madras Native Infantry: The 18th and 28th regiments.
• About 250 Royal Engineers.
• About 100 Pioneers.
• Some artillery units.

Under the command of General Campbell were:

• British Regiments: The 13th, 38th, 47th, and 87th regiments.
• The Madras European Regiment.
• Madras Native Infantry: The 3rd, 7th, 9th, 12th, 18th, 34th, 43rd, and 38th regiments.
• Bengal Native Infantry: The 40th Regiment.

For the defense of Prome itself, there were four Madras Native Infantry regiments.

The Battle of Prome

In November 1825, Burmese forces led by Maha Ne Myo tried to take back Pyay (Prome). They almost succeeded. But by early December, the British, with their stronger weapons, won the battle. This was the last big effort by the Burmese to push them back.

After the rainy season, the Burmese army moved towards Prome in three groups. The British positions on both sides were threatened. However, the British kept control of the river with their boats and a group of soldiers at Padaung. Even though they had more soldiers, the Burmese stayed hidden in the jungle for several days. They kept making small attacks on the British sides. At that time, Burmese fighting style often involved "creeping forward slowly, building defenses, and avoiding big battles."

On December 1, General Campbell left four regiments of Indian soldiers in Prome. He then marched to attack Maha Ne Myo's group at Sinbaik. To distract the Burmese in the center, British boats, led by Sir James Brisbane, fired cannons at their defenses on the river. This cannon fire lasted about two hours to keep the Burmese distracted. At the Nawin River, the British army split into two groups. They marched side-by-side along the river. The right group, led by Brigadier-General Cotton, first met the Burmese left group, which had about 10,000 soldiers. The British charged with bayonets, and the Burmese ran away. The left group then met the retreating Burmese and completed their defeat. Even though they lost quickly, the Shan soldiers were known for their bravery. They "fought bravely... and kept fighting until most of them were killed."

On December 2, after Maha Ne Myo's group was defeated, General Campbell quickly attacked the Burmese center group. This group was led by Kee-Woonghee on the Napadi hills. Six companies of the 87th regiment attacked the defenses at the bottom of the hills. The Burmese army was quickly overwhelmed and retreated to their positions on the hills. The Burmese had a strong position on the Napadi hills. It could only be reached by a narrow road and was protected by artillery. The British army attacked the hills from several directions. The 13th and 38th regiments attacked from the front. The 87th regiment attacked from the right. The Burmese army was then driven off the hills. As a result, the two Burmese groups on the east side of the Irrawaddy River were defeated.

On December 5, the British attacked the Burmese group led by Minhla Minkhaung. They moved soldiers to the west side of the Irrawaddy River. A rocket team and a mortar battery started firing at the Burmese position. The Burmese soldiers retreated from the artillery attack. General Cotton, Brigadier Richard Armstrong, and Colonel Godwin then led a direct attack. They stormed the Burmese position right after the artillery fire and scattered the remaining Burmese soldiers.

What Happened Next

With a large part of the Burmese army defeated at Prome, the British army, led by General Campbell, marched towards Ava without any problems. They only met a fortified defense at Bagan. Because their military power was greatly reduced, the Kingdom of Burma was more willing to talk about peace. They were ready to accept the terms and demands from the British. The first of these peace talks happened on January 1, 1826.