Acronyms that contain the term sikh wars 

sikh wars

Two brief but desperate contests waged between the British power in India and the Sikhs in 1845-46, 1848-49, which resulted in the destruction of the latter as an independent nation. The first had its origin in the dissensions which convulsed the Sikh country after the death of Runjeet Singh, and which necessitated the exercise of wary regard on the part of the Calcutta authorities. At length an army of Sikhs, flushed with their triumph over all lawful authority in their own country, crossed the Sutlej, and extended their ravages over British territory; but their advanced guard was met by Sir Henry Hardinge, the governor-general, at the head of four regiments of infantry and one of dragoons, and routed at Mudki with heavy loss. Three days after, the main body, which had in the mean time crossed the river and intrenched itself at Feroze-Shah, was attacked by a larger force of British under Gough and Hardinge, and after a bloody conflict, which lasted two days, also routed. Still undismayed by these reverses, they again intrenched themselves at Sobraon; but a fresh body which had just crossed the Sutlej at Aliwal 19,000 strong with 68 pieces of cannon, was wholly routed and driven across the river by Sir Harry Smith, at the head of 7000 men, with 32 guns; and their main body was soon after similarly dispersed at Sobraon (which see). The British then crossed the river, took Lahore, and restored the authority of the young Maharajah from whom they took the territory between the Beas and the Sutlej; the treaty confirming this settlement being made at Lahore, March 9, 1846. But the internal disturbances in the kingdom of Lahore soon became as active as before, and induced the Maharajah’s prime minister to put the country under the Company’s protection; and a residency with a guard of regular troops was then established in the capital. On April 20, 1848, two British officers were murdered by a Sikh chief, the dewan of Moolraj of Multan; and as it was found to be but a premonitory symptom of a general outbreak, a small force of British under Lieut. Edwardes, aided by a body of Sikhs, under the rajah of Bhawalpur, gallantly attacked the army of Moolraj, which, after a desperate conflict of nine hours, they defeated on June 18, and, both sides in the mean time having received reinforcements, again on July 1; Multan was then laid siege to, but the defection of 5000 auxiliary Sikhs under Shere Singh (the son of the Sirdar Chuttur Singh, the governor of Hazara, who had been for some time in revolt, and had driven the British from his district), compelled the British to retreat. For some time, the British authorities in the Punjab were hampered by a want of military force, and though the Maharajah and much of his army still opposed the Sikh rebels, little reliance could be placed upon most of it. Shere Singh now succeeded in raising his army to 40,000, but was defeated by Lord Gough at Ramnuggur (November 22). The inconsiderate haste of Gough at Chillianwalla, January 13, nearly lost him that great battle, which was saved only by the extreme valor of his soldiers; but amends for this fault were made at Gujerat, where the power of Shere Singh and his allies was completely broken. Meanwhile, the fortress of Multan had, after a protracted bombardment, been captured, and the Company, seeing no other mode of protecting their territories from annoyance by these warlike fanatics, annexed the Punjab, March 29, 1849, and thus terminated the existence of the Sikhs as an independent nation.

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