Battle of Gujarat

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Battle of Gujarat

Date	February 21, 1849
Location
Result	decisive British victory

Combatants

Great Britain

Sikhs

Commanders

Sir Hugh Gough

General Sher Singh Attariwalla

Strength

c. 30000
more than 100 guns

c. 60000
c. 48 guns

Second Anglo-Sikh War
Chillianwala – Multan – Gujarat

The Battle of Gujarat was the decisive battle of the Second Anglo-Sikh War, fought on February 21, 1849, between British forces and the Sikhs. The British were led by Sir Hugh Gough, who had received word of his dismissal after his mishandling of the earlier bloody Battle of Chillianwala, but had not yet been replaced.

Sher Singh's army was largely formed from former members of the Khalsa. After fighting Gough to a standstill at Chillianwala, he had moved further north and had been joined by other Sikh forces under his father, Chattar Singh. He made an attempt to outflank Gough's army by crossing the Chenab River, but was foiled on February 14 by Moslem irregular cavalry under British officers. Seven days after this, he was forced to stand and fight in open country, due to lack of supplies.

Gough had been reinforced by troops released by the fall of Multan, with plenty of heavy artillery. Gough used these heavy guns to drive Sher Singh's troops from their position without resorting to the bayonet as he usually did, and then turned their retreat into a rout with his cavalry and horse artillery.

After the British had withdrawn at Chillianwala, Sikh and other irregulars had killed abandoned British wounded. The British at Gujarat showed no mercy to surrendered or fleeing enemies.

Sher Singh and Chattar Singh surrendered the remnants of their armies on March 12. The Second Sikh War ended shortly afterwards, with the annexation of the Punjab to British India.