Tempo:
CHAP. DC
WAK WITH THE ENGLISH
275
greater far than himself, and he arrived at liahore on 1845-6. the •27th of January, to give unity and vigour to the The army under Tej Singh had counsels of the Sikhs. recrossed the Sutlej in force; it had enlarged the bridge-head before alluded to, and so entrenched a strong position in the face of the British divisions. The Sikhs seemed again to be about to carry the war into the country of their enemy; but Gulab Singh came too late their fame had reached its height, and defeat and subjection speedily overtook them. During the night of the 22nd January, Ranjor The battle Singh marched from Badowal to a place on the Sutlej °^ Aiiwai, about fifteen miles below Ludhiana, where he imme- jj^g ^^"" diately collected a number of boats as if to secure the passage of the river. The object of this movement is not known; but it may have been caused by a want of confidence on the part of the Sikhs themselves, as there were few regular regiments among them, until joined by a brigade of four battaUons and some guns from the main army, which gave them a force of not less than fifteen thousand combatants. Sir Harry Smith immediately occupied the deserted position of the enemy, and he was himself reinforced simultaneously with the Sikhs by a brigade from the main army of the English. On the 28th January the General marched with his eleven thousand men, to give the enemy battle, or to reconnoitre his position and assail it in some degree of form, should circumstances render such a course the most prudent. The Sikhs were nearly ten miles distant, and midway it was learnt that they were about to move with the avowed object of proceeding with a part or the whole of their force to relieve the fort of Gungrana or to occupy the neighbouring town of Jugraon, both of which posts were close to the line of the British communications with the Jumna. On reaching the edge of the table-land, bounding the sunken belt of many miles in breadth within which the narrower channel of the Sutlej proper winds irregularly, a portion of the Sikhs were observed to be in ^
—
motion in a direction whirh would take them clear of the left of the British api^roach; but as soon as they saw that they were liable to t>e attacked in flank, they faced towards their enemy- and occupied with their right the village of Bundri, and with their left the little 'lamlet of Aliwal, while with that activity necessary to their system, and characteristic of the spirit of the common 1
Cf. the
Feb. 1846.
Governor-General to the Secret Gonunittee, 3rd
WAK WITH THE ENGLISH
275
greater far than himself, and he arrived at liahore on 1845-6. the •27th of January, to give unity and vigour to the The army under Tej Singh had counsels of the Sikhs. recrossed the Sutlej in force; it had enlarged the bridge-head before alluded to, and so entrenched a strong position in the face of the British divisions. The Sikhs seemed again to be about to carry the war into the country of their enemy; but Gulab Singh came too late their fame had reached its height, and defeat and subjection speedily overtook them. During the night of the 22nd January, Ranjor The battle Singh marched from Badowal to a place on the Sutlej °^ Aiiwai, about fifteen miles below Ludhiana, where he imme- jj^g ^^"" diately collected a number of boats as if to secure the passage of the river. The object of this movement is not known; but it may have been caused by a want of confidence on the part of the Sikhs themselves, as there were few regular regiments among them, until joined by a brigade of four battaUons and some guns from the main army, which gave them a force of not less than fifteen thousand combatants. Sir Harry Smith immediately occupied the deserted position of the enemy, and he was himself reinforced simultaneously with the Sikhs by a brigade from the main army of the English. On the 28th January the General marched with his eleven thousand men, to give the enemy battle, or to reconnoitre his position and assail it in some degree of form, should circumstances render such a course the most prudent. The Sikhs were nearly ten miles distant, and midway it was learnt that they were about to move with the avowed object of proceeding with a part or the whole of their force to relieve the fort of Gungrana or to occupy the neighbouring town of Jugraon, both of which posts were close to the line of the British communications with the Jumna. On reaching the edge of the table-land, bounding the sunken belt of many miles in breadth within which the narrower channel of the Sutlej proper winds irregularly, a portion of the Sikhs were observed to be in ^
—
motion in a direction whirh would take them clear of the left of the British api^roach; but as soon as they saw that they were liable to t>e attacked in flank, they faced towards their enemy- and occupied with their right the village of Bundri, and with their left the little 'lamlet of Aliwal, while with that activity necessary to their system, and characteristic of the spirit of the common 1
Cf. the
Feb. 1846.
Governor-General to the Secret Gonunittee, 3rd
©
2026
Lehal.net