The Battle of Sobraon

In the pages of history, one can find two battles different fought by the British Army at different places with different enemies that helped them to achieve what they can safely term as a coveted goal. These were the battles that decided and changed the course of Indian history. 

One was the battle of Plassy (June 23, 1757). which made way for the British Rule on India, the other was the historic battle of Sobraon (Feb. 10, 1846), which decided the British Authority over India and finalised their total control over the Indian territory.

The battle of Sobraon took place between the British Army and the Sikh soldiery of Lahore Durbar in the battle field that was laid on the left bank of Sutlej, the mighty river in those days that was used as the boundary between the Lahore Durbar and  British India.

The battlefield was spread between the sleepy villages of Sobraon, Chotta Sobraon and Rodewalla in Ferozpur District. General Hugh Gough who held the command of British Forces and under whose military leadership the battle was fought, termed it as the 'Waterloo of India.' 

This was the most fierce battle the British ever fought on the soil of India to subdue and to subordinate the country. They made big preparation for the final action that interesting lasted  not more than four hours of the fateful day and left thousands from the Lahore side, killed and an equal number of injured. 

Among the killed were some ten thousands Sikh soldiers, a majority of whom were irregulars, besides some three hundred British uniformed soldiers, of whom several were decorated with gallantry and valour The British army and Civil officers who witnessed the battle or took part in the action, lived up to write the vivid narrations of the war. They became heroes the action. 

But the fact remains that there is hardly any true reporting of war as far as the Sikhs were concerned, since no record was kept as to who was killed and injured in the Waterloo of India.' We do not find any documentary evidence maintained by the Sikh Raj office, of those who were moved to the battle or ordered to take part in the campaign and those were killed in the war.

The British, who had made elaborate preparations of the war and utilized their resources to the last penny to move their artillery, infantry and cavalry in the able guidance and leadership of their best Generals present in the country, brought in about 24000 of their men and some 50 pieces of artillery to face their 'foe' in the entrenched fortification built on the left bank of Sutlej a few miles down the stream for Hari-ke Pattan. 

While doing so, they were well aware of the superiority in weaponry power and manual strength of their foe. Maharaja Ranjit Singh left behind a far more trained army along with the heavy pieces of artillery that produced chills in his foes. The army consisted of thousands irregular dedicated and devoted Akalis besides an equal number of regulars They were trained under European Generals and were ready to fight. The British on the other hand were confident of their victory because they were very sure that the Sikhs lack the able leadership that could lead them to triumph.

The action which lasted not more than four hours, was far from being dramatic in nature. The date and timing was decided by the British Generals of Armed forces General Hugh Gough, the then Commander-in-Chief and Robert Dick and Gilbert who assisted Hugh Gough and Lord Harding who himself supervised the action on Feb 9. 

The troops were moved into the field and put on alert at 2.00 a.m. keeping their enemy unaware of the movement. They began to wait for the day break, which was unusually misty with dense fog hanging over the field. But with the rising of the Sun the mist vanished and Sikhs were perplexed to see the British troops standing before them in rank and file Meanwhile, the first canon shot was fired by the British which brought the Sikhs into action. They began beating war-drums "Nagaras" and blew into bugles to inform the artillery stationed on the right bank of the river. 

The cannonade began firing volleys of shot causing fire and destruction in each other's camps. This continued for two full hours, till the fire began to slacken sending a signal in the British troops that the Sikhs are running short of ammunition. In fact General Gough had been waiting for the hand to hand to fight where his men on foot and horse could show their musketry and bayonet exercise, of which he was very sure. This was reported to the Commander-in-Chief, to whom it was evident that the issue of the struggle must be brought to "the arbitrament of musketry and the bayonet. He had the implicit confidence in the ability and the leading of his officers and courage and discipline of his troops.

To break into the fortified camps of the Sikhs, (Sir) Robert Dick was ordered to commence his attack. He received this order by 9'0 clock and immediately the batteries of Harsford, Fordyce and Lane's Horse Artillery galloped to the front proceeded to cover the advance of Stacy's brigade which moved forward with utmost steadiness frequently halting to correct the line and prevent any hurry on the part of the men. 

The guns continued their advance in this manner, preceding the infantry and taking up fresh positions till within 300 yards. The attack on them by Sikh horsemen however, was repulsed but the Sikhs continued the onslaught of their guns causing death to Captain Warren and injury to Lieutenant Lucas. It is here General Gough who accompanied Sir Robert Dick was severely injured. The Guns causing heavy loses to British troops were attacked by the 10"" and 80^!h Battalions. Robert Dick received his death wound by this time.

On finding it formidable to penetrate the fortification of Sikhs, British had to scale up the high rising structures standing on each other's shoulders to reach behind the guns. There ensued a melee of musketry and fighting with swords and sabers which lasted for an hour or so and ended in killing of Sikhs almost all of them, about ten thousand in number, capturing of their guns 67 in number forcing the rest of them to flee. 

Two boats of the boat bridge built across river Sutlej. It is here Sardar Sham Singh Attariwalla, a noble Sardar under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, whose daughter was married to Maharaja's grandson, and who had withdrawn himself from his active life after the death of the Maharaja and had been watching what was going in Lahore Durbar with dismay and distraught, he was well aware of the treason of Sikh Generals and acted on his own to fill the gap left by the truant Generals. Riding on his white horse and dressed in white, he galloped into the war goading and inciting the Sikh Soldiers to fight till the last drop. He was mortally wounded by the gunshots and heaved his last in the battlefield like a true and brave soldier.

"The action was completed before noon; but this great success was not achieved against a determined and resolute foe without a corresponding loss. Many brave and distinguished officers fell, foremost amongst them Sir Robert Dick, a veteran of the Pennisula and Waterloo: mortally wounded by a grape-shot in the moment of his glorious success, he died in the evening."

In his letters one soldier who was a member of the military band Private Malcome, reported this battle as such:

"A decisive battle was fought on the 10^,h of February, where the old 10^th Regiment won the admiration of the Commander-in-Chief and the whole army. Twenty nine brave soldiers of this gallant regiment with one officer, were killed and one hundred and two wounded, several dying since of their wounds. The name of the action was Sobraon."

"Because of the gallantry displayed by the 10^th in this battle, Her Majesty was pleased to authorize the regiment to bear on its colours the word "Sobraon".

The injured British Officers were put into the available medical care whereas the dead were buried in the field under the trees. As of Sikhs, none but the body of Sardar Sham Singh Attari-wallas was allowed to be lifted, who was cremated at his native village. The rest of Sikhs killed in the action were left to be decomposed in the open. There is no official record available so far as who was killed and what became of their dead bodies. Probably they might have been thrown into the river Sutlej but without any official honour which was due to them on account of their martyrdom. However, the British Generals of whom Hugh Gough, Smyth, J.D. Cunningham are mentionable paid glorious tributes to the Sikhs. Hugh Gough, the Commander-in-Chief writes in his book:

"Policy precluded me publicly recording my sentiments on gallantry of our fallen foe, or to record the acts of heroism displayed, not only individually but almost collectively, by the Sikh Sardars and the army; and I declare were it not from a deep conviction that my country's good required the sacrifice, I could have wept to have witnessed the fearful slaughter of so devoted a body of men."Lord Harding recorded his sentiments as follows: "....few escaped, none, it may be said, surrendered. The Sikhs met their fate with resignation which distinguishes their •race."In the History of Sikhs. Captain J.D.Cunningham, who was present as an additional aide-de-camp to the Governor General, describes the last scene of the battle
vividly. He writes: " ..............       although assailed on either side by squadrons of horses andbattalions of foot, no Sikh offered to submit, and no disciple of (Guru) Gobind (Singh)asked for quarter, They everywhere showed a front to the victors, and stalked slowly and sullenly away, while many rushed singly forth to meet assured death by contending with a multitude. The victors looked with stolid wonderment upon the indomitablecourage of the vanquished............. "

Today, there stands a memorial built of red bricks in the memory of British Officers killed in the war, erected by them, which is visited by their grand sons and great grandsons A Church was established in their memory at Ferozpur, which was plundered and destroyed in 1857. Similar memorials were built in London also. But there is no record of Sikhs killed in the action. However, a Gurdwara has been erected, of late, at the place where Sardar Sham Singh Attari walla was supposedly fell.

Shah Muhammad, a Punjabi Ballad writer, records the action in his lamenting tone. He finished thus:

Aj hove Sarkar tan mull pave,

Jiherhian khalse ne teghan marian ne. (Were Maharaja Ranjit Singh alive today, Only he would honour the brave Sikhs or their act of bravery in the war.

Bibliography:

1    The Sikhs and The Sikh Wars: Charles Gough & Arthur D Innes

2.       History of Sikhs      J.D. Cunnigham

3.       Encyclopedia of Sikhs:       Harbans Singh

4   Information available through various sources on the Subject on Internet.