jeramah
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作者：jeramah 在 驴鸣镇 发贴, 来自 http://www.hjclub.org
After Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the empire was severely weakened by internal divisions and political mismanagement. This opportunity was used by the British Empire to launch the Anglo-Sikh Wars.
The Battle of Ferozeshah in 1845 marked many turning points, the British encountered the Khalsa Army, opening with a gun-duel in which the Sikh's "had the better of the British artillery". But as the British made advancements, European's in their army were especially targeted, as the Sikhs believed if the army "became demoralised, the backbone of the enemy's position would be broken"[7]. The fighting continued throughout the night earning the nickname "night of terrors". The British position "grew graver as the night wore on", and "suffered terrible casualties with every single member of the Governor General's staff either killed or wounded"[8].
British General Sire James Hope Grant recorded: "Truly the night was one of gloom and forbidding and perhaps never in the annals of warfare has a British Army on such a large scale been nearer to a defeat which would have involved annihilation"[8]
The Sikhs ended up recovering their camp, and the British were exhausted. Lord Hardinge sent his son to Mudki with a sword from his Napoleonic campaigns. A note in Robert Needham Cust's diary revealed that the "British generals decided to lay down arms: News came from the Governor General that our attack of yesterday had failed, that affairs were disparate, all state papers were to be destroyed, and that if the morning attack failed all would be over, this was kept secret by Mr.Currie and we were considering measures to make an unconditional surrender to save the wounded..."[8]
However, a series of events of the Sikhs being betrayed by some prominent leaders in the Khalsa Army, led to it's downfall. Maharaja Gulab Singh and Dhian Singh, were Hindu Dogras from Jammu, and top Generals of the army: Tej Singh and Lal Singh, who were secretly allied to the British. They supplied important war plans of the Khalsa Army, and provided the British with updated vital intelligence on the Sikh Army dealings, which ended up changing the scope of the war and benefiting the British positions[9][1].
The Sikh Empire was finally dissolved after a series of wars with the British at the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 into separate princely states, and the British province of Punjab that where granted a statehood, and eventually a lieutenant governorship stationed in Lahore as a direct representative of the Royal Crown in London.
作者：jeramah 在 驴鸣镇 发贴, 来自 http://www.hjclub.org |
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Guo Ru Chai of Sikh India
