Amarpal Singh - The First Anglo-Sikh War

In the early 19th century only one power on the Indian subcontinent stood against British rule. That was the Sikh empire ruled by Ranjit Singh. Singh's kingdom was rich, cultured and big. He ruled with determination and sensitivity. The British East Indian Company looked at the Punjab where Singh ruled with greedy eyes. Singh died in 1839 and in the vacuum that resulted a series of ineffectual rulers struggled for position. In this situation the British readied themselves for war, while carefully manipulating the various Sikh rulers. In 1845 war finally broke out, with the British assuming that their force of arms and numbers would swiftly overcome the Sikh armies. That they did eventually win had little to do with their strength, and everything to do with the betrayal of the Sikh rulers.

Amarpal Singh's account of the First Anglo-Sikh War is an excellent introduction to these events. It is, however, primarily aimed at those who would (either in person or on their armchairs) explore the battlefields. Today these are hardly recognisable, and the British war memorials erected after various battles are in a delapitated state. Nonetheless for enthusasts these are useful guides.

But the strength of the book is that it draws out the day to day experiences of the combatants. Wherever possible the author has used contemporary accounts, diaries and newspaper reports to describe events. He laments that there are few surviving Sikh accounts, though those that do survive are useful. 

Much rested on this war. A British victory would open up the Punjab to exploitation. A defeat would have dire consequences for the whole of colonial India. As one of the British commanders Sir Harry Smith said, "all India was at gaze and ready for anything." He continued by criticisng the tactics of his opponent Ranjodh Singh: 

He shold have attacked me with the vigour his French tutors would have displayed and destroyed me, for his force compared to me was overwhelming; then turned about upon the troops at Ludhiana and beathen them and sacked and burned th ecity - when the gaze I speak of in India would have been one general blaze of revolt.

And defeat in the Punjab almost happened. Had it done so, India would have risen (as it did only slightly more than a decade later, but this time having already seen the defeat of the British army). It was close. At the battles of Mudki and Ferozeshah the British came close to significant defeat, and had huge casualties. After five hours of hand to hand combat the British at Ferozeshah fell back. Singh describes:

Few soldiers knew where their officers were and who was giving orders. As the British weakened, the Sikh army staged a significant rally and launched a counterattack all along the line. Although Lal Singh had played little part in the proceedings, the Sikh soldiers had lost none of their morale. Less weary than the British, the Sikh line moved forward and began to progressivel recapture the southern area of the Sikh camp.

British arrogance, overconfidence and no doubt racist attitudes to their opponents was once again nearly their undoing. So bad were conditions that officers offered Indian troops months wages for water and licked dew from the cannons. But they were saved by betrayal at the top of the other side. Ferozeshah should have been a supreme victory for the Sikh army, instead it was a defeat that meant that the British would likely win the rest of the war. Other things worth noting. The battles were a precussor to the industrial slaughter of World War One. Take the battle of Sabraon. For two hours both sides shelled each other with artillery, in a "grand contest between the heavy guns". A contemporary account asked the reader to "pause and imagine the thunder of 120 guns on both sides... Never shall I forget the majesty of the whole scene."

But it was the industrial slaughter of the victorious British Army that cost the Sikh army 10,000 men at the end of Sabraon that mean the campaign is shrouded in infamy. Many of those dead were murdered as they swam the river, or failed to escape. It was, says Singh, "[Commander in Chief Hugh] Gough's command to his men not to spare any Sikh soldier [that] turned what had been a battle into a massacre." Not all followed orders. "British soldiers sick of firing at their helpless counterparts offered help to wounded to drowning Sikh soldiers". Many of them refused. It was a tragic, violent end to the campaign. The British victory however only postponed further rebellion and war. 

Few people in Britain today know about the first (or indeed the second) Anglo-Sikh War. More know about it in the Indian Sub-Continent, though the events are seldom marked. Amarpal Singh points out that it is the betrayal of the Sikh commanders that is the most commentated event of the war for people in the area now. Indeed without this betrayal the Sikh army would certainly have triumphed in the early battles and it is entirely possible that the history of colonial rule would have been very different.

While this book is very much designed as an introduction to the War and to the sites, it is well written and accessible. I'd recommend it.

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