Sikh Wars-Bloody Bhudowal-Part 2

If you have been following this series of articles you will know what happened at the Battle of Bhudowal and in my game based on that encounter.  You will also know that General Harry Smith did consider storming the Sikh position.

As it happened, he thought twice about it and didn’t fancy his chances.  Armed by hindsight and the insights provided by the Bhudowal game I think he made the correct decision.  

In this game General Smith doesn’t think again and goes on the attack.  The question arises how would he have done that?  I think he would have favoured either a double or single envelopment of the Sikh line.  Let’s see how it turns out. 

  

The forces are the same as in the last game and the British battle plan is as follows:

The baggage Train has been left unguarded.

The two British cavalry units are brigaded together under Brigadier Oates and tasked with turning the Sikh left flank.

General Smith will command a brigade consisting of HM 53^rd, 47^th BNI and the Foot and Horse artillery.  He will storm the Sikh Batteries.

Brigadier Gough will lead HM 31^st and the BNI 24^th and attack the Sikh left flank.

The Sikh deployment is unchanged. 

General Rajodh Singh can see the British forming up and decides to do a little manoeuvring and defeat them in detail.

The first moves are unpromising Some Gorchurra ride out, the Sikh irregulars are busy ignoring their orders and the British are still dressing their lines.  The Generals try again.

The Sikhs now have a line of Gorchurra supported by a Horse Artillery battery to protect their flank.   

The Sikh irregulars have finally grasped what is needed and are facing the right way ready to move off.

The British are on the move horse, foot and guns.  Timing for both sides is going to be tricky.

General Smith sees the movement behind the Sikh entrenchments concludes the Sikh irregulars are going to try and turn his flank he needs to beat them to the punch.  He also needs his cavalry to ride down and scatter the Gorchurra.  The British are now in range but the Sikh cannon are ominously silent.

More Gorchurra burst from the glade and ride up the Sikh line parallel with the British cavalry brigade.  Brigadier Oates orders his squadrons into line he is outnumbered 2 to 1 so flank attacks might have to wait a while.

Sikh irregulars now line the glade with more arriving every moment.

General Smith has his cannon deployed.

His attack columns formed.  

The Sikh guns open up.

 

The British heaviest artillery are silenced and the Bengal Horse artillery also take a pounding.

Smith's brigade marches up to the Khalsa entrenchment and both battalions fire at close range.

To no avail, the well protected Sikh gunners are still in the game.  Smith's brigade draws back, daunted by their appalling dice.

Elsewhere Brigadier Oates is in a desperate melee with the Gorchurra.  

 

His outnumbered Lancers have driven the Sikh horsemen back once. But, undeterred the Gorchurra returned to the charge.  

The Bengal Irregular cavalry ride to the rescue.

The Bengal Horse Artillery fire at the entrenched Khalsa but do no damage.  

Smith’s brigade volley again and mow down many of the Khalsa gunners.  By return it receives the first fire of the two battalions of Sikh regulars and falls back with losses.

The Bengal cavalry are hit in the flank by the Khalsa guns and fall back with losses.  The Lancers can no longer hold the Gorchurra and are giving ground.

The 53^rd receive another volley and retire again.

General Smith has one intact brigade the rest of the army is in poor shape.  To avoid a massacre, he orders a withdrawal.   

In Field of Battle terms, he is out of Army Points.

Smith's plan was defeat the best part of the Sikh Army by deploying a numerical advantage against it.  He intended that each battalion of Khalsa regulars would face two of their British equivalents. That would offset the advantage of entrenchments and once the Khalsa were out of the way the rest of the Sikhs would be easily dealt with.  

He had insufficient forces for the job and was lucky Rajodh Singh let him withdraw. 

In our third and final Bhodowal General Rajodh Singh goes on the offensive.