The Bengal Native Light Cavalry in the Anglo-Sikh Wars

 

We are back with Lou Nolan today.  In pursuit of his objective-the reform of the British cavalry- he sheds much light on things we want to understand.  We can note, Nolan could not play fast and loose with the facts.  His audience was professionally, and often personally informed and he had to take them with him.

We can take Nolan at his word.  He does nod to the Imperial pieties of the time.  He could do no other.  Yet, for Nolan a man was a man regardless of race or religious affiliation.  By man I mean soldier, for we do not know Nolan’s views on wider humanity.  Let us see what he wrote about the Bengal Native Light Cavalry.

"The Sikh war showed clearly — had any proof been wanting — how useless the Indian cavalry was when organised on the English model ; whilst, at the same time, brilliant proofs were given of the superiority of the irregulars, armed with sharp swords, and having a proper command over their horses."

Clearly something had gone very wrong. Nolan knew why it had. First he tells us the requirements for an effective cavalryman.

 " A cavalry soldier should find himself strong and firm in his seat, easy in his dress, so as to have perfect freedom of action, and with a weapon in his hand capable of cutting down an adversary at a blow."

The Bengal Native Cavalry did not meet the spec' and Nolan tells us why.

" There is scarcely a more pitiable spectacle in the world than a native trooper mounted on an English saddle, tightened by his dress to the stifihess of a mummy, half sufi'ocated with a leather collar, and a regulation sword in his hand, which must always be blunted by the steel scabbard in which it is encased."

 " This poor fellow, who has the utmost difficulty in sticking to his saddle and preserving his stirrups, whose body and arms are rendered useless by a tight dragoon dress, and whose sword would scarcely cut a turnip in two, is ordered to charge the enemy : and if he fails to do what few men in the world would do in his place, courts of inquiry are held, regiments disbanded, and their cowardice is commented upon in terms of astonisliment and bitterest reproach. This is truly ridiculous : the system and not the men is to be blamed"

"If a soldier of undoubted courage finds himself seated in a slippery saddle with long stirrups, cramped by tight clothes, and a sword in his hand that is good for nothing, he will hesitate, nay, more, he will refuse to charge an enemy, for if he does he goes to almost certain destruction."

Look at the picture at the top of the page. The slippery saddle, long stirrups, tight fitting clothes and blunt sword are all there. Nolan thinks the troopers are brave but ill equipped to achieve anything in combat. 

He thinks they refused to charge or ran away because they knew they had been fatally handicapped. And, refuse to charge or run away they did.  Sometimes, by way of good will, they fired their pistols first.

 Here is what Nolan gives us examples of fights with the Gorchurra. 

"The Second. — The cannonade had not been of long duration, when a body of Sikh horsemen moved to Sir Joseph Thackwell’s left flank, as if to get into his rear. He now ordered the 5th Native Light Cavalry (three squadrons), and the Gray squadron of the 3rd Dragoons (Unett's), to charge and disperse them.

 "The gallant General had a lively recollection of what a few squadrons of British dragoons eff'ected in the Peninsula against the French, and reasonably entertained the expectation that the force would prove sufiicient to drive back the Sikh irregulars."

"It was his intention to have advanced the few men left at his disposal, namely, the remaining squadron of the 3rd Dragoons and 8th Light Cavalry (native), on Outar's force, as soon as the success of the other charge became manifest. The charge was sounded, and Unett's squadron, in line and the 5th Native Light Cavalry, approached the enemy. The Sikhs commenced a desultory matchlock fire."

Let us note the Gorchurra tactic of firing from the saddle.

Unett steadily advanced, but the 5th, put into confusion by this reception, went about and fled in the greatest precipitation, in spite of the most earnest entreaties of their officers, of whom several received wounds.

 

I'm inclined to think the Gorchurra shot at the 5th's British officers, with some sucess.  The 5th Bengal Cavalry then ran away before the onset. 

"The 3rd, forcing their way through the hostile ranks, never pulled rein till they had got some distance beyond the enemy. Unett, who was severely wounded, found his men sadly dispersed."

As we have seen before the 3rd Dragoons rode through the Gorchurra taking casualties on the way.  They don't stop until they are well clear. Any unit cohesion is gone.  Worse, they now have to get back.

"The few men around him (Unett), with clenched teeth, essayed to cut their way back. The Sikhs opened out and, giving the dragoons a passage through them, abused, spat, and cut at them.

The other parties, under their officers, the gallant Stisted and Macqueen, repassed the enemy as they could."

"The casualties in this (Unett’s) squadron were not less than forty-six."

This may have represented near a third of the squadron's strength.

"The suspense of every one was great ; Sir Joseph himself became apprehensive that the squadron was annihilated."

There we have it.  The Bengal Native Cavalry ran away intact.  The identically equipped British stuck to it and were punished for their ardour.  The Gorchurra were still there.  Note what they had done, fired, opened up, fought and turned to face. Fought again.

We have more to consider:

"It was incontrovertibly proved at this (Rumnugger) and other subsequent actions that the troopers of the light cavalry have no confidence in their swords as effective weapons of defence. It would have been difiicult to point out half-a-dozen men who had made use of their swords. On approaching the enemy they have immediate recourse to their pistols, the loading and firing of which form their sole occupation."

Charles Napier had this to say.

" That such want of confidence must very seriously impair the efficiency of regular cavalry may be easily imagined. Very few natives ever become really reconciled to the long seat and powerless bit of the European dragoons."

We can summarise then, for the reasons Nolan and compatriots recount, the Company's Regular Indian Cavalry could do no good service against Gorchurra on the battle field.

We will have a closer look at how well the British cavalry did against the Gorchurra. By now you have some idea of what to expect.  The British Irregular Indian cavalry had great sucess fighting the Gorchurra, we must look at that too. 

Reading Nolan has inclined me to re read Amipal Singh-Sidhu's two volumes of the Anglo-Sikh Wars. I am sure what we have learned will allow me to gain a greater understanding of how those battles were fought.  I will report back.