British army had built a very small but important communications post at Saragarhi which would to be housed by an equally small contingent of soldiers.
The region had always been a troubled area and during the last quarter of the 19th century British India’s holed on the northwest frontier was a bit tenuous.
In fact several expeditions had been sent to maintain control and suppress rebellion in the region in the years immediately preceding the Saragahi battle.
Saragahi itself was little more than a small blockhouse and a signalling tower it was constructed to enable communications between Fort Lockhart and Fort Galeston two more significant British posts situated on either side of the Saragahi several miles apart equipped with the heliograph Saragahi transmitted messages by using flashes of sunlight sent much like Morse code.
The flashes themselves were made by either pivoting a mirror or interrupting a beam of sunshine.
Within the summer of 1897 things were getting tense within the region and the British had only recently entered an uprising of Pashtun tribesmen in the Malacañang region known later as the siege of Malacañang.
In early August, by the end of the month, there was a general uprising of afghans people and by the beginning of September, Pashtuns were seen actively attempting to capture British army positions including attacks on fort gulliston.
On September the 3rd and September 9th to combat the Pashtun offensives troops were sent from Fort Lockhart to reinforce fort gulliston and after the battle on the 9th on their return trip a few soldiers were left to reinforce the small detachment at Saragahi.
All of the 21 soldiers remaining at Saragahi were members of the 36th Sikh regiments of the British army and the contingent was led by Havildar Ishan Singh.
On September 12 1897 in an effort to prevent any further communications between fort Lockhart and gulliston ten thousand Pashtuns attacked Saragahi beginning at about 9AM.
Since Saragahi was communications post, it was used to broadcast the entire battle in real-time by its signalman Sardar Kumuching which is why today we know exactly what happened there when 21 faced off against around 10 000.
Shortly after the attack began goosing signaled for aid to Lieutenant Colonel John Horton for Lockhart but he was told that immediate help was unavailable.
Undeterred, the Sikh soldiers were committed to fighting to the last of their breath to prevent the encroaching Pashtuns from reaching the other forts.
The first man injured was Bhagwant Singh and sometime after the invaders broke part of the wall of the picket offers were made to the Sikhs in exchange for surrender but they were refused the Sikhs were trying to shop for the maximum amount time as possible for the opposite forts to be reinforced and were willing to buy that point with their lives.
After two unsuccessful attempts at the gates, the Pashtun forces eventually breached the wall fierce hand-to-hand fighting ensued shortly before the top Osha Singh ordered his men to retreat even further.
While he remained behind in defense he too fell during that charge as did all the remaining soldiers except for the heliograph operator Grouch Singh game was the last to die after being burned to death when the Pashtuns set fire to the post.
He is reported to have repeatedly yelled until the end the Sikh battle cry bola hall sat sri Akhil meaning shout aloud in ecstasy true is the great timeless one.
Although no Sikh survived the battle their sacrifice sufficiently delayed the Pashtuns such that reinforcements were able to arrive at the Pashtun’s ultimate target fort gulliston and that prevented its fall in addition to the 21 Sikh dead reports of Pashtun losses range from between 180 to 600.
Though it's difficult to discern the true number accurately that said it was probably at least 180 as that is what the passions themselves later reported as their losses in that battle, for their valor,dedication and sacrifice each of the Sikh soldiers were awarded the Indian order of merit the highest award for gallantry then given to Indian soldiers by the British in addition Saragahi day is celebrated each year on September 12th to commemorate the battle.
.jpg)
0 Comments