Quick Facts
- Date:
- February 21, 1849
- Participants:
- United Kingdom
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Battle of Gujrat
Second Sikh War
Battle of Gujrat, (Feb. 21, 1849), engagement between the Sikh army of Sher Singh and a British-Indian army led by Hugh Gough, 1st Baron (later 1st Viscount) Gough, at Gujrat (now in Pakistan). It was the last and decisive battle in the Second Sikh War (1848–49), leading to the British annexation of the Punjab.
The British used artillery to silence the Sikh guns, then carried the Sikh lines and broke up the army of 50,000 in pursuit. Sher Singh surrendered on March 12, ending the war, and the Punjab was annexed by the governor-general, James Ramsey, 10th earl (later 1st marquess) of Dalhousie. The battle rehabilitated Gough’s military reputation; he had been criticized for his habit of frontal attacks and his failure to use artillery.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg.
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