Battle of Chillianwala I Forgotten British Defeat I Last Resistance Front of Punjab 

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Battle of Chillianwala I Forgotten British Defeat I Last Resistance Front of Punjab
Special Thanks: Amjad Chishti, Talat Mehmud, Rizwan Niazi
Music: Binu Kumar, Kerala, India
@SoundSFX (Under License)
Just 39 Kms south west of Kharian located on the eastern bank of the river Jehlum is the village of Chillianwala. Insignificant as it looks and unknown to most, this small village apparently is no different to the vast countryside surrounding the Kharian Garrison on either side of the GT road.
Nevertheless, it is this singular and unique honor attached to the village of Chillianwala or Chillianwallah as it was spelled then, to have served as one of the biggest and bloodiest battlefields in the history of warfare.
The Anglo-Sikh war of 1849 is perhaps one of the few battles which go down in history symbolizing the greatest military debacles the British had suffered. Right on the entrance to Chillianwala, on the western side of the road situated on a high ground is the gleaming gigantic grandeur of the obelisk made of red sand stone reverberating the great battle fought under the British Commander in Chief Lord Hugh Gough and Sardar Sher Singh Attariwala.
On four sides of the structure are the inscriptions in English, Hindi, Urdu and Persian. Enclosed in the same premises are the five graves in perfect condition. Out of these, two in the foreground are thought to be of Brigadier John Pennycuick and Brigadier Alexander Pope.
The gravestones however are regrettably missing. Just adjacent to it is another premises housing a giant metallic cross resting on a huge foundation.
On the western side of the base holding the cross is inscribed the long list of names of European officers killed in the battle. The first two in the list are Brig John Pennycuick Commander 5 th Brigade and Brig Alexander Pope Commander 2 nd Brigade of Cavalry, the two being the senior most officers in the British side among a total of 2357 casualties on 13 January 1849.
Chillianwala marks the biggest debacle wherein the British was defeated most decisively despite being militarily and logistically overwhelmingly superior. It all started after the death of Ranjit Singh (1839) when his incompetent sons proved to be too weak to hold the throne.
In April 1848, Diwan Mulraj, the Governor of Multan, which was the southern Punjab province of the Sikh State rebelled against the British regent and all the Sikh troops at Multan joined him. Consequently, in August 1848 a siege was laid against the city of Multan.
Sardar Sher Singh Attariwala as he was known, after consultation with Mulraj decided to move north of the Chenab River. His father Chattar Sigh the Governor of Hazara province who had already rebelled, joined him by occupying the strategic Attock Fort. Thus the British lost almost the whole area north of the Chenab River in addition to the Multan Fort.
The Governor of East India Company had meanwhile issued orders for the invasion of Punjab and crush the Sikh rising under the leadership of the overall Commander-in-Chief of India and also the East India Company’s private Bengal Army, General Sir Hugh Gough.
On the 11th of January 1849, Gough resolved to attack Sher Singh’s position the center of which rested a few miles west of Chillianwala. On the 12th of January while carrying out a reconnaissance, he discovered that the Sikh had swung forward. On discovery of the Sikh position so close to Chillianwala, Gough decided to attack the Sikh position on the next day that is 13 Jan 1849.
The Sikh counter attacked and the assailants withdrew in disorder towards Chillianwala. The leading Brigade Commander Brigadier Pennycuick and his son Lieutenant Alexander Pennycuick killed in the bloody engagement.
The 2nd Infantry division commanded by Major General Sir Walter Gilbert formed the right (northern) division. Gilbert’s leading Brigades aptly supported by artillery successfully cleared all Sikh positions in front and drove the Sikhs close to the River Jehlum.
Sher Singh Attariwala immediately ordered a counter attack and Sikh infantry and cavalry located on the north-west hills immediately advanced down from the heights through the open gap created by the absence of Brigadier Pope’s cavalry and encircled Gilbert’s division from the rear followed by a ruthless massacre. The damage done at Chillianwala to the prestige of British might was enormous and played a major role in changing the attitude of native states towards British leading directly to the ‘Great Sepoy Rebellion’ (The war of independence 1857) in which the British almost lost their Indian Empire and the English East India Company whose private Bengal Army had fought Chillianwala lost India to the British Crown.
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