It was not till an hour and a half after sunset that this hand to hand conflict was over, when the rolling of musketry gradually died away, and the British found themselves undisputed masters of the field. Soon after the commencement of the action, Lieut.-Colonel Byrne being severely wounded, the command of the regiment devolved upon Major Spence, the senior major.
The regiment, being much broken and scattered over the field in pursuit of the enemy, was re-formed in quarter-distance column, and marched back to within about a mile of Moodkee, where it bivouacked on the sand until daylight, and then returned to camp.
In this short but hard-fought action the regiment suffered severely. Of 30 officers and 814 men, who went into action, 9 officers and 155 rank and file were killed or wounded.
The following officers were killed or wounded in the action at Moodkee:—
| Colonel Bolton C.B., commanding first brigade | } Mortally wounded. | |
| Lieut.-Colonel Byrne | Severely | ” |
| Captain Willes | Mortally | ” |
| ” Bulkeley | Dangerously | ” |
| ” Young | Dangerously | ” |
| ” Lugard | Slightly | ” |
| Lieut. Pollard | Slightly | ” |
| ” H. W. Hart | Killed. | |
| ” Brenchley | Mortally | ” |
| [29]Assistant-Surgeon Gahan, 9th foot, doing duty | } Mortally | ” |
In this action Lieutenant Bolton, of the twenty-first Fusiliers, acted as aide-de-camp to his father Brigadier Bolton.
The army was commanded in the action by General Sir Hugh Gough, the Commander-in-Chief, aided by the counsel and military experience of the Governor-General, Sir Henry Hardinge. The following extract is taken from the despatch of the Commander-in-Chief, dated 19th of December, 1845:—
“The opposition of the enemy was such as might have been expected from troops who had everything at stake, and who had long vaunted of being irresistible. Their ample and extended line, from their great superiority of numbers, far out-flanked ours; but this was counteracted by the flank movements of our cavalry. The attack of the infantry now commenced; and the roll of fire from this powerful arm soon convinced the Sikh army that they had met with a foe they little expected; and their whole force was driven from position after position with great slaughter, and the loss of seventeen pieces of artillery, some of them of heavy calibre; our infantry using that never-failing weapon, the bayonet, whenever the enemy stood. Night only saved them from worse disaster, for this stout conflict was maintained during an hour and a half of dim starlight, amidst a cloud of dust from the sandy plain, which yet more obscured every object.
“I regret to say, this gallant and successful attack was attended with considerable loss. The force bivouacked upon the field for some hours, and only returned to its encampment after ascertaining that it had no enemy before it, and that night prevented the possibility of a regular advance in pursuit. * * *
“I have every reason to be proud of, and gratified with, the exertions of the whole of the officers and troops of this army on this arduous occasion.”