ORDER OF BATTLE // November 1, 1803
Battle of Laswari
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 19,000 estimated
British Empire
10,000
Medium-confidence figure
Maratha Empire
9,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Laswari was fought to neutralize the last substantial organized force remaining to the Maratha confederacy in the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The British under Gerard Lake targeted a force of twelve battalions of regular infantry that had been trained by the French adventurer Chevalier Dudrenec, making it one of the more formidably organized Maratha contingents in the field. Dudrenec's desertion on the eve of the engagement left command to Ambaji Ingle, a veteran Maratha officer, degrading the force's leadership at a critical moment. With Maratha casualties recorded at roughly one thousand, the engagement represented a significant attrition of the confederacy's capacity to continue organized resistance, advancing the British objective of concluding the war on favorable terms.
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