Sikhs Soldiers Mark Anniversary Of Battle Of Ferozeshah

[lsingh]

What is needed is greater awarness of the Anglo Sikh wars both in the British and Sikhs. They are the only wars in which a non European army defeats the British in some major battles. Nobody else in Asia or Africa used cavalry , artillery and infantry in a modern warfare way.

https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/historical-events/the-first-anglo-sikh-warbattle-of-ferozeshah

https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/historical-events/second-anglo-sikh-war-chillianwala

[lsingh]

Very few know about how the Sikhs defeated the British army. It took a Pakistani military man to write an analysis of the battle.

https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/historical-events/second-anglo-sikh-war-chillianwala

The forgotten British reverse in India

by Maj (Retd) AGHA HUMAYUN AMIN from WASHINGTON DC .

The list of military disasters which the British suffered in India is long, but most of these were rationalised by British military historians by highlighting situational factors which made British defeat certain and inevitable and was in many cases due to circumstances involving overwhelming numerical inferiority, excessive battle exhaustion, adverse weather and terrain etc. The Battle of Chillianwala fought on 13 January 1849 is, however, one odd exception and stands out as a battle in which the British failed to defeat their opponents despite having the advantages of weight of numbers, ideal weather and terrain, superior logistics etc. In Afghanistan the British disaster was explainable since the British force which was destroyed while retreating from Kabul to Jalalabad was a vastly over numbered exhausted and logistically very weak force of some 700 Europeans and 4,500 Native troops which was destroyed by a vastly superior Afghan force in adverse mountain terrain and very cold weather. At Bhurtpore the British failure to capture the mud fortress was ascribed by a British military historian to lack of adequate artillery.1 At Chillianwala a British Army which had a high European troop component large number Sepoy (regiments), sufficient artillery, two heavy cavalry brigades to ensure that no one could surprise the British army, excellent logistics, little campaign exhaustion having fought no major battle since assumption of hostilities, winter weather negating the possibility of heatstroke and cholera the worst killers of white soldiers in India,failed to defeat the Sikhs. Chillianwala thus stands out as a battle which changed Indian perceptions about British military effectiveness and had a direct link with the “Great Sepoy Rebellion” or “The Indian War of Independence” of 1857.

A succession of British military victories since 1757 barring few exceptions like Battle of Pollilore (September 10 1780), Siege of Bhurtpore (1804-1805), Monsoon’s Retreat (1804), Kabul Brigade’s Retreat (January 1842) which were dismissed as exceptions (to the general rule of “European Superiority) by virtue of exceptional numerical or other odds; it was assumed that no Native army of India, Nepal or Afghanistan could stand a determined bayonet charge by the Red Coats. A feeling of superiority was produced accompanied by the natural attitude of over confidence and rashness, and most British commanders felt that simply a direct march to the sound of guns and a simple frontal assault using “Cold Steel” was enough to disperse any native army however tough or well trained. The uses of manoeuvre or taking into account the “Independent Will of the Enemy” and the fact that a British army could ever be surprised was dismissed as impossible. Thus once the British suffered a rude reverse accompanied by heavy casualties despite having all the advantages; public opinion in Britain was shocked. The British Commander in Chief General Gough was replaced by Charles Napier. Subsequently when the Sikhs were defeated at Battle of Gujerat (21 February 1849) British military historians rationalised their defeat at Chillianwala by laying the blame on “Bad Terrain” “Lack of Artillery” “Cowardice of the Native Troops” etc. Chillianwala was forgotten and Gough again became a hero. The damage done at Chillianwala to the prestige of British arms was enormous and played a major role in changing Indian attitudes about the British, leading directly to the “Great Sepoy Rebellion” in which the British almost lost their Indian Empire and the English East India Company whose private Bengal Army had fought Chillianwala lost India to the British Crown!

[dallysingh101]

What is needed is greater awarness of the Anglo Sikh wars both in the British and Sikhs. They are the only wars in which a non European army defeats the British in some major battles. Nobody else in Asia or Africa used cavalry , artillery and infantry in a modern warfare way.

https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/historical-events/the-first-anglo-sikh-warbattle-of-ferozeshah

https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/historical-events/second-anglo-sikh-war-chillianwala

When you read a lot of contemporary accounts Brishits often explain away Sikh strength of the period (and their own unexpected mauling) as a consequence of the soldiers being trained by European Napoleonic officers (Avitabile, Allard etc.)

I think the implication is that 'these people would never have done that to us if it weren't for their European training'. Yet more propaganda.

[dallysingh101]

Right! It's a clear as day now.

Sikh historians need to work on and fix the imbalanced perception of the Anglo-Sikh-wars, it might help combat the ghulaam mentality certain people have been indoctrinated with.

[Pakandi baba]

Mind your language about one of the greatest leaders of Sikh Quom.

What did he do? I'll say what I please. He did nothing for Sikhs hence why they are in such a state living amongst idolaters.

[Pakandi baba]

This is just a myth. Sikhs were never offered a Khalistan by the traitorous Angrez. They gave us a choice to either join Muslim Pak or Hindu India. They preferred that the Sikhs join Pakistan like the Sindhi Hindus who were later kicked out anyway by Muslims and now are a stateless people in India. But Master Tara Singh who came from Pothohar was smart to see through what was happening. No doubt joining Hindu India was not good but it would have been far worse had we joined Muslim Pak.

The best bid we would have had is if all the Sikhs Maharajas (who had armies) and Sikh leadership had fought a war for independence while we still had a chance in the chaos and confusion of 1947.

What proof do you have? there is none other than your own perception and hatred of Angrez I'd say.

If not offered IF, Sikhs had the ability to do what Jinnah did and Nehru. Form their own leadership to get a Sikh homeland.

[Jonny101]

What proof do you have? there is none other than your own perception and hatred of Angrez I'd say.

If not offered IF, Sikhs had the ability to do what Jinnah did and Nehru. Form their own leadership to get a Sikh homeland.

What ability did Jinnah or Nehru have? You have no idea of these matters that you talk of. Pakistan was achieved based on Muslim demographics. Muslims formed the majority of Punjab NW frontier Sindh Balochistan and Bengal. It was ONLY on this bases Jinnah made the solid case for Pakistan.

And since Muslims formed the slim majority of Punjab, Jinnah argued that all of Punjab should be given to Pakistan.

Master Tara Singh argued that if Pakistan is to be formed on this bases by partitioning India because Muslims don't want to live in a Hindu majority India, then why should the Sikh nation be forced to live under a Muslim majority who have historically carried out many holocausts of the Sikhs.

Sikhs were a small minority in Punjab who did not even form a majority anywhere in Punjab. We were a minority even in our heartland of central Punjab. The british gave the Sikhs a choice to either join Pakistan or India. They had preferred the whole of Punjab go to Pakistan. But Master Tara Singh would not relent and asked for partition of Punjab. When Jinnah saw the Sikhs not relenting he tried to intimidate Sikhs by carrying out a massacre of Sikhs in Pothohar in march of 1947 since it was where master Tara Singh was from. Most of Master Tara Singhs relatives were killed. The worst fears of the Sikhs were realised and Sikhs thought if this is how Muslims will treat us now while the British are here how will Sikhs be treated after Pakistan is achieved.

To give you an idea how many Sikhs died in Partition. More Sikhs died in one year of partition at the hands of Muslims than the whole decade between 1984-1994.

Khalsa Raaj will happen with kirpa of Guru Sahib. But it will not happen through demographics or democratic way as Jinnah achieved his Muslim state.

[StarStriker]

What ability did Jinnah or Nehru have? You have no idea of these matters that you talk of. Pakistan was achieved based on Muslim demographics. Muslims formed the majority of Punjab NW frontier Sindh Balochistan and Bengal. It was ONLY on this bases Jinnah made the solid case for Pakistan.

And since Muslims formed the slim majority of Punjab, Jinnah argued that all of Punjab should be given to Pakistan.

Master Tara Singh argued that if Pakistan is to be formed on this bases by partitioning India because Muslims don't want to live in a Hindu majority India, then why should the Sikh nation be forced to live under a Muslim majority who have historically carried out many holocausts of the Sikhs.

Sikhs were a small minority in Punjab who did not even form a majority anywhere in Punjab. We were a minority even in our heartland of central Punjab. The british gave the Sikhs a choice to either join Pakistan or India. They had preferred the whole of Punjab go to Pakistan. But Master Tara Singh would not relent and asked for partition of Punjab. When Jinnah saw the Sikhs not relenting he tried to intimidate Sikhs by carrying out a massacre of Sikhs in Pothohar in march of 1947 since it was where master Tara Singh was from. Most of Master Tara Singhs relatives were killed. The worst fears of the Sikhs were realised and Sikhs thought if this is how Muslims will treat us now while the British are here how will Sikhs be treated after Pakistan is achieved.

To give you an idea how many Sikhs died in Partition. More Sikhs died in one year of partition at the hands of Muslims than the whole decade between 1984-1994.

Khalsa Raaj will happen with kirpa of Guru Sahib. But it will not happen through demographics or democratic way as Jinnah achieved his Muslim state.

Nice write up, but do remember, muslims in panjab began killing sikhs in amritsar and hazara/rawalpindi a year before, in 1946. It was sikhs who then decided to kill as many muslims as possible (500k) from march-august 1947, n our lot did a marvelous job too!

[Jonny101]

Nice write up, but do remember, muslims in panjab began killing sikhs in amritsar and hazara/rawalpindi a year before, in 1946. It was sikhs who then decided to kill as many muslims as possible (500k) from march-august 1947, n our lot did a marvelous job too!

But still, I always feel bad for all the punjabi people that died in partition. The British should be held responsible for 1 million Punjabi people dying. They were the rulers. The security situation was their responsibility. Had they sent in the army, so many people could have been saved and population exchange could have happened peacefully or with minimal loss of human lives.

Almost all the present conflicts in South Asia and the middle east can be traced back to pax Britannica.

[KhoonKaBadlaKhoon]

But still, I always feel bad for all the punjabi people that died in partition. The British should be held responsible for 1 million Punjabi people dying. They were the rulers. The security situation was their responsibility. Had they sent in the army, so many people could have been saved and population exchange could have happened peacefully or with minimal loss of human lives.

Almost all the present conflicts in South Asia and the middle east can be traced back to pax Britannica.

That is true, they being the most capable governing force should have maintained law and order, BUT no one forced Muslims to indulge in mass killings, a lot of blame lies within the typical Islamic barbarity.

Every story has two sides, its not as simple as 1 guilty party, and 1 victim party. Black and white. Cant just dump the blame on 1 side and call it a day.