British forces fought wars all over India in the 18th and 19th century. Between tribal feuds, and the British, there were many sources of conflict. This article describes the Battle of Ferozeshah, and its small connection to Malta.

Context

The Maharajah Ranjit Singh ruled the Sikh kingdom of Punjab in the early nineteenth century. The British kept extending their territorial borders till they reached the Punjabi borders. Singh ceded some territory to the British to remain in their good books. He was also building a large military force because he was suspicious of the Afghanis in the West.

Over the twenty years leading up to 1845, the British were aggressive in preparing for war. Singh died in 1839, which led to tensions inside the Punjab. There was a lot of infighting and the murder of a few of Singh’s successors. By 1845, the British wanted to secure the Punjab for themselves and were ready for a fight.

Contenders for power in the Punjab goaded the Sikh army to cross into British territory¹. They wanted the Sikh army to lose against the British because a diminished army would give them greater control inside the Punjab¹. Without realising what they were doing, they started the first Anglo-Sikh war.

The 80th Regiment of Foot

The 80th Foot started in 1793 as the Staffordshire Volunteers to fight the French. By 1802, it merged with the 80th Foot to become the 80th Regiment of Foot (Staffordshire Volunteers)¹. Despite being a proper part of the army, they were still volunteers.

In 1820, they were in Ireland before they went to Gibraltar, then Malta. One of these volunteers was a Rinaldo Sciberras from Malta. By the time the 80th reached India he held the rank of Captain. Armed with bayonets and the Brown Bess musket¹, the 80th was under command of Major General Sir Hugh Gough and heading for the Punjab.

Captain Sciberras left Malta round about the same time the Prince of Capua eloped to Malta.

Preparing for battle

An army was on its way from Delhi to reinforce Sir Hugh’s troops². The Sikh army he faced was battle-hardened and had fought the Mogul kings in Delhi as well as the Muslim armies of Afghanistan¹. They attacked on 18 December and while the Battle of Mudki was short lived, the British suffered heavy casualties. Sir Hugh waited for two days before making any further moves.

Meanwhile, the Sikh fortified the village of Ferozeshah^{1 2}.  On 21 December 1845, reinforcements arrived and the divisions spread themselves over the British lines. At 15:30, with only two hours of daylight left¹, Sir Hugh attacked².

The battle of Ferozeshah

British artillery moved forward to bombard the enemy¹. The Sikh outnumbered and outgunned them¹. While the artillery took fire, the British and Bengal infantry inched forward. Three of the Bengal regiments held back because of a lack of ammunition.

The Sikh fought the 62nd with their traditional razor-sharp curved sword, the Kirpan¹. They were so ferocious they killed 160 British soldiers in the first ten minutes^{1 2} of battle. They fought off the British, despite losing half the regiment in the process.

The reinforcements from Delhi managed to break the Sikh lines but faced cavalry. Sikh infantry would stop fighting when the cavalry arrived. Instead they would leap on to the horses and fight with sword and shield¹. The Sikh would cause horrific wounds by severing limbs and heads of the British¹. The British cavalry, the 3rd Light Dragoons, drove them back. The 80th didn’t suffer as many losses as the 62nd, but Captain Rinaldo Sciberras died on the battlefield.

On the 22 December the battle continued¹. The British captured some artillery overnight but still suffered from continuous bombardment. By the end of the day, the British cavalry retreated to replenish their fuel and ammunition¹. The Sikh thought this was an outflanking manoeuvre and withdrew from the battle. This move let the British claim victory¹.

Aftermath

This was the beginning of the first Anglo-Sikh war. As a result of this war, the British annexed the Punjab and¹ created a separate state of Jammu and Kashmir. The memory of Captain Sciberras lives on in a small corner of the Upper Barrakka gardens in Malta with a plaque reminding us of his death in India. 

1. Battle of Ferozeshah; British Battles; (Retrieved 2020-04-02) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. The First Anglo Sikh War:Battle of Ferozeshah; All about Sikhs; (Retrieved 2020-04-02) [↩][↩][↩][↩]