Tempo:
— HISTORY OF THE SIKHS
262 1845-6.
The English nasten to
oppose the Sikhs.
-
CHAP. IX
The Governor-General joined the Commander-inChief at Ambala early in December 1845, and as soon as it seemed certain that the Sikhs were marching in force towards the Sutlej, the English troops in the upper provinces were all put in motion. The nearest divisions were those of Ambala, Ludhiana, and Ferozepore, which numbered in all about 17,000 available men, with 69 field guns; and as the last-mentioned force was the most exposed, the Ambala troops were '
moved straight to its support, and Lord Hardinge further prudently resolved to leave Ludhiana with a mere garrison for its petty fort, and to give Lord Gough as large a force as possible, with which to meet the Sikhs, should they cross the Sutlej as they threatened. The numbers of the Sikhs.
The Lahore army of invasion may have equalled 35,000 or 40,000 men, with a hundred and fifty pieces of artillery, exclusive of a force detached towards Ludhiana to act as circumstances might render advantageous. The numbers of the Sikhs were understood at the time to greatly exceed those given, but the strength of armies is usually exaggerated both by the victors and the vanquished; and there is no satisfactory proof that the regular troops of the Sikhs exceeded those of the English by more than a half, although numerous bodies of undisciplined horse swelled the army of thr? invaders to more than double that of their opponents.^ [^
Sir
Henry Hardinge had succeeded Lord Ellenborough July 1844. The Commander-in-Chief
as> Governor-General in
was Sir Hugh Gough.
Ed.]
-The effective force at Ferozeshah was 17.727 men, according to the Calcutta Review (No. XVI, p. 472), and 16,70ft according to Lord Hardinge's dispatch of the 31st Dec. 1845. This was the available force, out of 32,479 men in all, posteo from Ambala to the Sutlej. The author has learnt that Lord Gough is satisfied the number of the enemy at Ferozeshah and the other battles of the campaign have been underestimated in There cannot, indeed, be any statements of this narrative. decisive authority referred to, but the settlea conviction of the Commander-in-Chief is of primary consideration, and requires to be recorded in this new edition; especially as, with a characteristic singleness of heart, his lordship, in noticing the probable error, had regard rather to the reputation of the army he led than to his own fame.
The Governor-General, in his dispatch of the 31st Dec. 1845, estimates the Sikhs at from 48.000 to 60,000 men; but with regard to efficient troops, it may be observed that the whole regular army of the country did not exceed 42,000 infan"^
including the regiments at Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, and Kashmir, as well as those forming the main army of invasion. Perhaps an estimate of 30,000 embodied troops of all kinds would be nearer the truth than any other. try,
262 1845-6.
The English nasten to
oppose the Sikhs.
-
CHAP. IX
The Governor-General joined the Commander-inChief at Ambala early in December 1845, and as soon as it seemed certain that the Sikhs were marching in force towards the Sutlej, the English troops in the upper provinces were all put in motion. The nearest divisions were those of Ambala, Ludhiana, and Ferozepore, which numbered in all about 17,000 available men, with 69 field guns; and as the last-mentioned force was the most exposed, the Ambala troops were '
moved straight to its support, and Lord Hardinge further prudently resolved to leave Ludhiana with a mere garrison for its petty fort, and to give Lord Gough as large a force as possible, with which to meet the Sikhs, should they cross the Sutlej as they threatened. The numbers of the Sikhs.
The Lahore army of invasion may have equalled 35,000 or 40,000 men, with a hundred and fifty pieces of artillery, exclusive of a force detached towards Ludhiana to act as circumstances might render advantageous. The numbers of the Sikhs were understood at the time to greatly exceed those given, but the strength of armies is usually exaggerated both by the victors and the vanquished; and there is no satisfactory proof that the regular troops of the Sikhs exceeded those of the English by more than a half, although numerous bodies of undisciplined horse swelled the army of thr? invaders to more than double that of their opponents.^ [^
Sir
Henry Hardinge had succeeded Lord Ellenborough July 1844. The Commander-in-Chief
as> Governor-General in
was Sir Hugh Gough.
Ed.]
-The effective force at Ferozeshah was 17.727 men, according to the Calcutta Review (No. XVI, p. 472), and 16,70ft according to Lord Hardinge's dispatch of the 31st Dec. 1845. This was the available force, out of 32,479 men in all, posteo from Ambala to the Sutlej. The author has learnt that Lord Gough is satisfied the number of the enemy at Ferozeshah and the other battles of the campaign have been underestimated in There cannot, indeed, be any statements of this narrative. decisive authority referred to, but the settlea conviction of the Commander-in-Chief is of primary consideration, and requires to be recorded in this new edition; especially as, with a characteristic singleness of heart, his lordship, in noticing the probable error, had regard rather to the reputation of the army he led than to his own fame.
The Governor-General, in his dispatch of the 31st Dec. 1845, estimates the Sikhs at from 48.000 to 60,000 men; but with regard to efficient troops, it may be observed that the whole regular army of the country did not exceed 42,000 infan"^
including the regiments at Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, and Kashmir, as well as those forming the main army of invasion. Perhaps an estimate of 30,000 embodied troops of all kinds would be nearer the truth than any other. try,
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