“Night had now closed in; the carnage had proved tremendous; our men thinned in numbers, harassed with forced marches, exhausted with fatigue, with little food and scarcely any water, and nothing whatever to cover them from the chill and heavy dew as the evening advanced, bivouacked amidst the dying and the dead, close under the intrenchments, and within reach of the shot of the enemy. All night long their artillery played upon us, and as the waning moon showed them our position, the cannon-shot ploughed up the ground right through, and amidst the wearied soldiers.
“Morning at length approached, and our troops were once more arrayed for the fight. With daylight came retribution and triumph to our arms. Our infantry was formed in line, supported on both flanks by the horse artillery. A masked battery now began to play on us with fearful effect; the heavy shot of the Sikhs dismounted our guns; nine of our tumbrils were blown up. A general charge was now determined on; amidst a terrific storm of shot and shell, the troops rushed on undismayed; the carnage was fearful: battery after battery was carried at the bayonet’s point; the camp was pierced with loaded mines, which exploded with fearful slaughter as we advanced. The village of Ferozeshah was stormed, and the enemy driven out of it at every point. When changing its front to the left, our force continued to sweep the camp, carrying everything before them.
“Undisturbed and unbroken by the fearful service in which they had been engaged, the troops drew up, when the camp was won, and halted to cheer their generals on the field they had just conquered, with the regularity of a parade. Seventy-three guns had now been taken; 20 more quickly fell into our hands. We had lost 37 European and 17 Native officers, with 630 non-commissioned officers and rank and file,—nearly 700 in all killed. Our casualties in killed and wounded amounted to 2415.”
The Commander-in-Chief in his despatch to the Governor-General, after the battle of Ferozeshah, bears the following testimony of his approbation of the gallant conduct of the army under his command on that glorious occasion. At the conclusion of the despatch General Sir Hugh Gough stated:—
“On the conclusion of such a narrative as I have given, it is surely superfluous in me to say, that I am, and shall be, to the last moment of my existence, proud of the army which I had the honor to command on the 21st and 22nd instant. To its gallant exertions I owe the satisfaction of seeing such a victory achieved, and the glory of having my own name associated with it.”
On receipt in London of the despatch of the Governor-General of India, announcing the victories of Moodkee and Ferozeshah, the thanks of both Houses of Parliament were voted unanimously to the Governor-General, the Right Honorable Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Hardinge,—to General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., the Commander-in-Chief,—and to the several officers under their command,—for the eminent services rendered by them in the recent arduous and successful operations;—also to the non-commissioned officers and soldiers, European and Native, for the perseverance and fortitude maintained by them at Moodkee on the 18th of December, 1845, and for the daring valour with which they forced the enemy’s intrenchments at Ferozeshah on the 21st and 22nd of December, captured most of his guns, and finally compelled the Sikh army, of greatly superior numbers, to retire within their own frontiers.
The thanks of the Court of East India Directors were voted to the army of the Sutlej at the same time.
The Court of East India Directors confirmed the grant of a medal to all the officers and soldiers engaged in the battles of Moodkee and Ferozeshah, denoting that they served in this important campaign.
On the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of December, the army bivouacked on the field of battle, having been, since the morning of the 20th, without tents, or any regular supply of food; and owing to the extreme heat by day, and intense cold by night, both officers and men had suffered much. On the 24th the troops changed their ground about four miles to Sultan Khan Walla, and three days afterwards the regimental baggage arrived.
At Sultan Khan Walla they remained seven days; the whole army was then moved to the banks of the Sutlej, not far from the fort of Hurreekee, where large camps were formed. For nearly a week after these terrible encounters, the Sikhs remained on the British side of the Sutlej, the army being unable to follow up its victory, as the troops, which were on their march to join, had not yet arrived; the heavy artillery, which was on the march from Cawnpore, was still very distant, and until the whole of the army was concentrated, it would be impossible to attack the enemy, who had again collected a formidable force of 70,000 men, with 110 pieces of ordnance, which were encamped on the opposite side of the river, and ready to oppose the British.