BATTLE // July 7, 1857
Battle of Jhelum - Indian Mutiny
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Significance
The engagement at Jhelum on 7 July 1857 formed part of a coordinated British effort to disarm Bengal Native Infantry units across the Punjab before they could join the wider rebellion. The operation yielded mixed results: at Rawalpindi the 58th Bengal Native Infantry was disarmed without violence, but the two companies of the 14th Bengal Native Infantry resisted and were quickly suppressed with the help of loyal native troops and the local population. At Jhelum, where the 14th also garrisoned the town, the disarmament turned sharply violent — thirty-five soldiers of the 24th Regiment of Foot were killed alongside a number of loyal Indian troops, making it one of the costlier disarmament actions in the Punjab. The mutineers' overnight escape into Kashmir territory and their subsequent arrest by Kashmir authorities underscored both the limits of British containment and the value of cooperative relationships with neighbouring powers in suppressing the rebellion.
Tactics
The overview does not describe how the battle was fought in tactical terms beyond the mutineers making a vigorous defence against the force that had arrived from Rawalpindi to disarm them, so no tactical detail can be reconstructed from the supplied source.
Forces & casualties
Troop strength
- Royaume-Uni 24 e régiment d'infanterie (285 hommes) Le bataillon de police de Miller (150 hommes) Cavalerie de police (60 sabres) Moolantee Mounted Levie (250 sabres) Compagnie du capitaine Cookes, ar100–435medium
- 14 e Infanterie indigène du Bengale (500 mutins Cipaye)500medium
14 e Infanterie indigène du Bengale (500 mutins Cipaye) fielded a 1.9 : 1 numerical advantage
Casualties
- Royaume-Uni 24 e régiment d'infanterie (285 hommes) Le bataillon de police de Miller (150 hommes) Cavalerie de police (60 sabres) Moolantee Mounted Levie (250 sabres) Compagnie du capitaine Cookes, ar109medium41% loss rate
- 14 e Infanterie indigène du Bengale (500 mutins Cipaye)108–150medium26% loss rate
Commanders (2)
sepoys
United Kingdom
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6 sibling battles · 2 factions