“The Sikh army remained in its intrenched position; and though, on the first intelligence of the victory of Aliwal, and at the sight of the numerous bodies which floated from the neighbourhood of that battle-field to the bridge of boats at Sobraon, the Sikhs seemed much shaken and disheartened,--yet after a few days, the Sikh troops seemed to be as confident as ever of being able to defy us in their intrenched position, and to prevent our passage of the river. “The Commander-in-Chief was not in a state to take advantage of the enemy’s defeat at _Aliwal_, by an attack on his intrenched position at _Sobraon_, until the troops under Major-General Sir Henry Smith should have rejoined his Excellency’s camp, and the siege-train and ammunition should have arrived from Delhi. The first portion of the siege-train, with the reserved ammunition for 100 guns, reached the Commander-in-Chief’s camp on the 7th and 8th of February. On the latter day the brigades, which had been detached from the main army, rejoined the Commander-in-Chief.” Notwithstanding the signal defeat in the battles of _Moodkee_, _Ferozeshah_, and _Aliwal_, and the loss of 143 pieces of artillery captured by the British in these actions, the enemy determined to persevere in his rash project of invading the British dominions. For this purpose he made extraordinary efforts; he had collected all his available troops, and assembled a large army on the left bank of the Sutlej, near the village of _Sobraon_. Here the Sikhs formed an intrenched camp, defended by 30,000 men with 70 pieces of artillery; this camp was supported by a large reserve on the opposite side of the river, the communication being preserved by a bridge of boats. The THIRTY-FIRST regiment, under its distinguished and experienced leader, Major-General Sir Henry Smith, rejoined the head-quarter camp on the 8th of February, just in time for the crowning and decisive victory of _Sobraon_. The arrival of Sir Henry Smith’s force enabled the Commander-in-Chief to carry his plan of attacking the enemy into execution. Two days were allowed, that this division should rest after its fatigues. The entrenched camp of the Sikhs was in a position judiciously chosen in a bend of the river, about five or six miles from the British camp. The defences of the enemy were constructed scientifically by European engineers.