A rare, linen-backed folding plan of the Battle of Chillianwala, a pivotal engagement during the Second Anglo-Sikh War which halted the British East India Company's advance into the northwest frontier of India.



The Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) started as a revolt by the Sikh viceroy of the city of Multan, Diwan Mulraj, against the British East India company's attempt to increase taxes and to replace Mulraj with a more loyal governor. Other Sikh regiments, including the Sikh Army of the Lahore Durbar under Sher Singh Attariwalla, joined the rebellion and soon the whole of the Punjab had declared independence from the British East India Company. The Company besieged Multan while awaiting reinforcements from the Bengal Army under Sir Hugh Gough.



While General Whish and a small contingent of the Bengal Army beseiged Multan, Gough led the remainder of his forces against Sher Singh's army which was stationed along the Chenab River. The minor battles of Ramnagar (22 Nov 1848) and Sadulpar (3rd December 1848) were fought indecisively; however, the situation changed in January 1849 when the Amir of Afghanistan joined forces with the Sikhs, throwing the vital British fort of Attock on the Indus River into open rebellion. This opened the door for a Sikh army under Chattar Singh to move south and join up with Sher Singh's forces. In order to prevent this merger, Gough was ordered to destroy Sher Singh's army before contact could be established.



On the 13th of January, Gough unexpectedly ran into Sher Singh's army which had been cleverly concealed along the Jhelum River (top-left of the map) near the town of Chillianwalla. With little time to plan, Gough chose to engage the enemy rather than withdraw. The terrain, a mix of dense scrub, jungle, and low hills, made for awful fighting conditions and the failing daylight did not help the British artillery. The British cavalry struggled with the jungle and scrubland, making their flanking manouevres ineffective.



Gough split his forces into two infantry divisions. The 2nd Division under Major General Sir Walter Gilbert was deployed on the right and the 3rd Division under Sir Colin Campbell took the left. Gough's cavalry was split with one brigade on each flank. The left flank under Campbell met with mixed success - Campbell himself on the far left captured guns and successfully stormed the Sikh position, but Brigadier Pennycuick to his right met heavy Sikh grapeshot and faced brutal hand-to-hand combat leading to heavy casualties.



The right flank under Gilbert fared even worse. His cavalry brigade under Brigadier Pope led a disastrous charge into dense scrub, panicked, and then fled in disarray. They were pursued by Sikh troops who were able to flank Gilbert's right. Heavy casualties resulted and only the arrival of reserve troops prevented a rout.



Darkness and three days of rain prevented further fighting and allowed the Sikh Army to withdraw. Both sides claimed victory, though a stalemate is a more realistic assessment. The British avoided a major disaster but their prestige was damaged. Sher Singh's army was able to join with Chattar Singh's army, a tactical victory for the Sikhs. British losses were 2,512, dead or wounded. Sikh casualties were estimated at 4,000.



Incredibly, this map was published in London less than three months after the battle took place. It is based on a sketch of the battlefield compiled by Captain Haythorne, aide-de-camp to General Campbell, on the 29th of January 1849 (two weeks after the battle). Less than two months later, Haythorne's sketch had made its way into James Wyld's possession and this map was published on March 27th. Battle plans like this were usually only published for a very short period of time while the battle remained newsworthy, making them rare and quite collectible.



Original colour. Folded. [IC2775]