On arriving at the village of Moodkee, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, on the 18th December, the army had just taken up its encampments, when intelligence was received, that the enemy's forces, consisting of twenty thousand cavalry, and about the same number of infantry and artillery, were close at hand, and intended to surprise the British camps. The cavalry were immediately turned out, and advanced to cover the formation of the infantry, and the distinguished part which the Third, or King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons, took in the sanguinary and memorable battle of the evening of that day may be best judged from the words of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief in his despatch of the 19th December 1845:—'I directed the cavalry, under Brigadiers White and Gough (of the King's Own), to make a flank movement on the enemy's left, with a view of threatening and turning that flank, if possible.
'With praiseworthy gallantry, the Third Light Dragoons, and the second brigade of cavalry, consisting of the body-guard and Fifth Light cavalry, with a portion of the Fourth Lancers, turned the left of the Sikh army, and sweeping along the whole rear of its infantry and guns, silenced for a time the latter, and put their numerous cavalry to flight.'
In this action the regiment suffered severely, owing to the nature of the ground, and the immense body of cavalry opposed to it. The loss, out of four hundred and ninety-four men, on this occasion, was as follows:—killed, 3 officers, 58 men; 5 officers' chargers, and 100 troop horses; wounded, 3 officers, 34 men; 2 officers' chargers, and 21 troop horses.
Brevet Major W. R. Herries, Captain G. Newton, and Cornet E. Worley, were killed.
Lieutenant S. Fisher (Acting Major of Brigade), E. G. Swinton, and E. B. Cureton, were severely wounded.
On the 21st December, the army again advanced; the Third Light Dragoons had about four hundred men; and came up with the enemy, said to consist of 70,000 men, who were strongly posted in and around the village of "Ferozeshah" their camp intrenched, and defended by a numerous and powerful artillery.
At about four o'clock in the afternoon the action became general. The Third Light Dragoons were ordered to attack the enemy's position at a point defended by some of the heaviest batteries, most of the guns being of battering calibre: as the regiment advanced, it was assailed with round shot and shell from several batteries. On arriving within about two hundred and fifty yards of the guns, the regiment moved on at top speed, under a most destructive fire of grape and musketry, whilst their infantry held the trenches at the point of the bayonet. Nothing dismayed, but determined on victory, the regiment pressed forward, and never for a moment was checked in its career until it finally entered the enemy's camp, and captured the whole of the batteries opposed to it; many of the Sikh artillerymen remaining to be cut down at their guns. Night having fallen, while the conflict was everywhere raging, and several mines having been sprung, together with the exploding of their field magazines, by which several men and horses were destroyed, the regiment was withdrawn a short distance from the burning camp, where it bivouacked for the night.
The enemy having held a portion of his position, and being strongly reinforced in the night, the battle was renewed the next morning, and the Third Light Dragoons at daybreak joined the remainder of the cavalry, and participated in the action of the 22nd of December, when about three o'clock, P. M., the Third Light Dragoons were again ordered to charge the enemy, which he did not wait to receive, and he was finally driven from the field, and the army bivouacked on the ground they had won. The men and horses of the Third Light Dragoons were upwards of forty hours without food or water, nearly the whole of the time exposed to, and in conflict with, a powerful enemy; the days were hot and the nights intensely cold.
In this great battle the regiment lost as follows:—killed, 2 officers and 53 men; wounded, 7 officers and 86 men; total, 9 officers and 139 men: killed, 9 officers' chargers and 98 troop horses: wounded, 60 troop horses; total killed and wounded, 9 officers' chargers and 158 troop horses.