War Medals and Their HistorySteward, William Augustus
History
War Medals and Their History
Steward, William Augustus
Great Britain. Army -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
The British regiments which took part in the siege were the 10th, 32nd,
and 1st Batt. 60th Rifles (only 100 of this regiment received the
single bar for Mooltan, and fakers frequently remove the Goojerat bar
from a medal in order to enhance its value); likewise a Naval Brigade
(Indus Flotilla) of about 100 men; 1st (Royal) Bombay Fusiliers; 3rd,
4th, 9th, and 19th Bombay Native Infantry; 8th, 49th, 51st, 52nd, and
72nd Native Infantry; Bengal and Bombay Sappers and Miners; 1st and
2nd Scinde; Irregular Horse and 1st and 11th Bengal Light Cavalry; and
7th, 11th Irregular Cavalry with a detachment of the 14th. Likewise a
detachment of Guides and Horse and Foot Artillery.
=Chilianwala.=--After the fall of Mooltan, Major-General Whish, with
the 10th, 32nd, and the 60th Rifles, proceeded to join Gough's army,
and was in time to take part in the final battle of Goojerat. The
sanguinary battle of Chilianwala was fought on January 13th, 1849, and
although described by Sir Henry Havelock as "the most sanguinary, and
the nearest approximation to a defeat," it was not at first decided to
issue a bar for the engagement. It was not an officers' battle; all the
more reason, therefore, that the bar should be given to the soldiers
"whose dauntless valour rectifies the errors of its commanders," for,
as the _Calcutta Review_ rightly affirmed, the soldiery "redeemed their
errors with its blood," the unfortunate 24th, which advanced on the
Sikh guns with unloaded muskets, losing no less than 14 officers and
241 men killed in the action, and 10 officers and 253 men wounded,
besides losing one of their colours which was left on the field, but
four others shared the same fate when after this confused battle Lord
Gough drew his men off a mile in order to find water. The total loss of
the British was 38 officers and 564 men killed, 94 officers and 1,557
men wounded, and 104 missing. The Sikhs, who "fought like devils," lost
about 3,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.
The following British regiments took part: 24th, 29th (whose "undaunted
bravery" was placed on record), 61st Foot; 3rd, 9th, and 14th Light
Dragoons; Bengal Horse and Foot Artillery; the 2nd Bengal Fusiliers;
15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 31st, 36th, 45th, 46th, 56th, and 69th Bengal
Native Infantry; 1st, 5th, 6th, and 8th Bengal Light Cavalry; 3rd and
9th Irregular Cavalry and Bengal Pioneers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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