Page:Decisive Battles Since Waterloo.djvu/154

124 ready for marching on the morning of the 22d. The attack resulted in the repulse of the British with considerable loss, including three officers of high rank. Both armies remained quiet for some time, each receiving reinforcements and preparing for another passage of arms. In January, 1849, Lord Gough determined to attack the Sikhs, and on the 12th of that month was fought the battle of Chillianwallah, which was practically a drawn battle, as neither side had any thing to boast of in consequence of it. The English were well advanced towards victory, when a sudden panic, one of those unaccountable occurrences in battles in all ages of the world's history, caused a confusion in the ranks; it led to the loss of all the artillery which had been wrested from the Sikhs earlier in the day, and, in addition, four guns were taken from the British. On the British side there was a loss of two thousand two hundred and sixty-nine in killed and wounded; the English assert that the Sikhs lost three thousand killed and four thousand wounded, but this assertion is open to question. The result was so unsatisfactory that Lord Gough was removed and replaced by Sir Charles Napier, but in the meantime he terminated the war with the battle of Gujerat, which is now to be considered. The siege of Mooltan was ended by the surrender of its garrison, and the besieging force immediately moved to join the army of Lord Gough. With this and other additions to his strength he had twenty-five thousand men eager for battle; he was also stronger in artillery than were the Sikhs, as he had one hundred pieces to oppose to fifty-nine. The Sikhs, who were commanded by Shere Singh, had been recently reinforced until their number reached sixty thousand, but notwithstanding this numerical disparity, Lord Gough determined to attack them in the position they had chosen. Colonel Malleson puts the