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13 January in military history: Battle of Chillianwala, 1849

Military history · 13 January · Second Anglo-Sikh WarFull calendar

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Hand-colored print of a cavalry fight in low scrub: British light dragoons in blue jackets and white-covered caps, one officer raising his sword, clash with Sikh horsemen in helmets and turbans, while a dragoon lies fallen in the foreground.
Charge of the 3rd King's Own Light Dragoons at the Battle of Chillianwala, 13 January 1849. Print engraved by J. Harris after a painting by Henry Martens, published in London by Rudolph Ackermann in December 1849. The lettering below the image, cropped here, describes a squadron under Captain Unett cutting through Sikh cavalry on the British left. Public domain. J. Harris after Henry Martens, published by Rudolph Ackermann, 1849, via Wikimedia Commons.
Quick answer

On 13 January 1849, near Chillianwala by the river Jhelum in the Punjab, General Sir Hugh Gough's East India Company army attacked the Sikh army of Raja Sher Singh. The battle, fought in thick scrub until nightfall, cost the Company about 2,300 men, and both sides claimed victory.

Battle of Chillianwala, 1849: a draw in the Punjab jungle

13 January 1849 · 177 years ago

Sir Hugh Gough's East India Company army attacked Sher Singh's Sikh army through dense scrub near the Jhelum. The Company lost about 2,300 men, and in the night the Sikhs carried off most of the guns taken from them; both sides claimed victory, and the war was settled at Gujrat in February 1849.

Read the full story of Battle of Chillianwala, 1849: a draw in the Punjab jungle ›

Battle of Vĩnh Yên, 1951: de Lattre stops Giáp at the gates of Hanoi

13 January 1951 · 75 years ago

French Union forces led by Jean de Lattre de Tassigny fought the communist Viet Minh of Vo Nguyen Giap at Vinh Yen, north of Hanoi, during the First Indochina War. The Viet Minh suffered a heavy defeat, a turning point after a run of communist victories.

Read the full story of Battle of Vĩnh Yên, 1951: de Lattre stops Giáp at the gates of Hanoi ›

Also on this day

Battle of Coatit

13 January 1895 · 131 years ago

Italian colonial troops under General Oreste Baratieri met the Tigrayan army of Ras Mengesha Yohannes at Coatit, in today's Eritrea, at the start of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Italians repelled the invaders, and Mengesha retreated after two days of fighting.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the Battle of Chillianwala?

Both sides claimed victory. Gough reported a complete victory, but the Sikhs carried off most of the guns they had lost, and Sikh historians count the battle as their success. The war was decided at Gujrat on 21 February 1849.

How many men were lost at Chillianwala?

The East India Company lost about 2,300 men; Gough's official return gives 602 killed, 1,651 wounded and 104 missing. There is no reliable count of Sikh losses.

Why were British losses so heavy?

Thick scrub hid the Sikh guns. Pennycuick's brigade, led by the 24th Foot, charged the guns and was cut down, and on the right a cavalry brigade fell back in confusion.

What happened after Chillianwala?

Gough defeated the Sikh armies at Gujrat on 21 February 1849. Sher Singh surrendered at Rawalpindi on 14 March, and the Company annexed the Punjab.

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