Eighth Brigade—Brigadier-General the Hon. T. Ashburnham: 33rd, 44th, and 54th Bengal Infantry.
At 3 a.m. the force, under the Commander-in-Chief, struck its camp, and four hours later Littler also left his cantonments. It was the intention of the Commander-in-Chief to attack the enemy without waiting for the junction of Littler's force, but the Governor-General vetoed the plan, so that it was nearly dusk before the Sikh entrenchments were attacked. The Sikhs fought even more stubbornly than at Moodkee. Littler's attack on the left was checked, the 62nd (Wiltshires) losing 20 officers and 281 non-commissioned officers and men in twenty minutes. The fault was not theirs; they were not properly supported by the Bengal regiments. As one eyewitness put it: "Jack Sepoy fights well enough on occasions, but this was not one of his fighting-days." The 12th and 14th Bengal Infantry, however, did show much courage and determination. It was the purely native brigade, under Ashburnham, which hung back, and this was attributed to the fact that it contained no British battalion to stiffen the sepoy corps. Littler's check took place before the Commander-in-Chief had delivered his attack. The Sikhs, triumphant in having driven back one British column, fought with more than usual determination. The main assault took place by echelon from the right, Sir Hugh Gough leading that column in person, whilst the Governor-General cheered on the centre, he having placed his services at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief.
Night fell on a scene of great confusion. On the extreme right Gilbert's division had carried the Sikh entrenchments, on the left Littler had been repulsed, and in the centre Sir Harry Smith's division had borne away to the left, and was cut off from the main army. Men and officers were worn out with fatigue and chilled with the bitter cold of a Punjab night. It was impossible to light fires without drawing down the fire of the enemy, who were much elated at the result of the engagement, and who throughout the night kept up an incessant artillery fire on our bivouac. One heavy gun in particular caused especial annoyance, and Sir Henry Hardinge called upon the 80th to silence it. The men nobly responded to the call. In perfect silence they advanced to the edge of the Sikh entrenchments, and then, headed by their Colonel, Bunbury, and supported by the "Dirty Shirts" (Royal Munsters), they dashed over the parapet with a cheer, bayoneting the gunners, spiking the gun, and driving off all the Sikhs in the vicinity. This little episode showed the Sikhs that the fight was not yet won. The Commander-in-Chief determined to renew it on the morrow, and the Governor-General, who felt that the fate of India hung in the balance, was equally firm in his resolve to support the Chief. "Better that our bones should bleach honourably on the field of battle than retire," was the response to a suggestion to fall back.
When dawn broke on the 22nd it was found that Sir Harry Smith, who had clung to the village of Ferozeshah during the night, had effected a junction with the division under Littler, and that both divisions were now in front of the extreme right of the Sikh position. They were too distant to join in the final attack on the entrenchments, which was delivered in the early dawn, the Commander-in-Chief leading the division on the right, the Governor-General that on the left. The attack was preceded by a heavy artillery fire, and under its cover the infantry, forgetting fatigue, cold, and hunger, swept forward with unhesitating devotion, and carried the entrenchments at the point of the bayonet. Our losses in this battle were terribly severe—not merely in numbers. Whole regiments were decimated, but amongst the dead were men who had helped to build up our Indian Empire, and whose names are imperishably engraved on the military history of our country. The total casualties amounted to 2,415 killed and wounded, including 115 British officers.
No means existed of ascertaining the enemy's losses, but that they were most severe was undoubted. They abandoned their entrenched position, and recrossed the frontier, leaving seventy-three guns in our hands. But the campaign was not over. Reinforcements were called up from Meerut, Delhi, and Cawnpore, and on January 6 Sir John Grey arrived at headquarters with the 9th and 16th Lancers, the 10th Foot (Lincolns), two regiments of native cavalry and three of native infantry, whilst the 53rd (Shropshire Light Infantry) was within a few days' march.
Casualties at the Battle of Ferozeshah.
| Regiments. | Officers. | Men. | ||
| K. | W. | K. | W. | |
| 3rd Hussars | 2 | 7 | 53 | 86 |
| Royal Artillery | 2 | 4 | 39 | 84 |
| 9th Norfolk | 3 | 7 | 67 | 197 |
| 29th Worcesters | 3 | 3 | 52 | 192 |
| 31st E. Surrey | 2 | 6 | 59 | 96 |
| 50th Roy. West Kent | 2 | 6 | 24 | 89 |
| 62nd Wiltshire | 7 | 11 | 97 | 184 |
| 80th S. Stafford | 4 | 4 | 39 | 73 |
| Royal Munster Fusiliers | 4 | 4 | 51 | 164 |
| Staff | 6 | 12 | - | - |
| Gov.-General's Bodyguard | - | - | - | 2 |
| 3rd Skinner's Horse | - | - | 9 | 8 |
| 6th K.E.O. Cav. | - | - | 4 | 9 |
| 4th Rajputs (Natives) | 1 | 3 | 7 | 37 |
| 5th Rajputs (British) | 1 | 2 | - | - |
| Do. (Natives) | 2 | - | 12 | 40 |
| 7th Rajputs (Natives) | - | - | 9 | 26 |
The Sikhs, too, were by no means disheartened, and towards the middle of January a strong force crossed the Sutlej and threatened our line of communication at Ludhiana. Sir Harry Smith was detached to attack them, which he did at Aliwal, having fought a successful little action on January 20 at Buddiwal.
Aliwal, January 28, 1868.
The following regiments have been awarded this battle honour: