ORDER OF BATTLE // January 2, 1805
Battle of Bharatpur
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 28,000 estimated
Bharatpur State
10,000
Medium-confidence figure
United Kingdom
18,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The siege of Bharatpur, fought between January and February 1805, was a significant British reversal during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. General Gerard Lake's East India Company force of 18,000 launched four successive assaults on the fortress and was repulsed each time, sustaining over 3,000 casualties without taking the position. The defense was conducted by the forces of Bharatpur State under Ranjit Singh, with Yashwantrao Holkar also present. The failure demonstrated that even a numerically superior British force could be checked by a well-defended Indian fortification, and it stands as one of the more costly unsuccessful siege operations of the war.
‹ Full battle dossier