Battle of Hyderabad - Battle

Battle

On 24 March 1843 British troops, led by Sir Charles Napier, set out from Hyderabad to meet Sher Mohammad. After marching for some time, the British forces came upon the Amir’s army. While waiting for the rest of the British army, the Scinde Horse, one of Napier’s cavalry regiments, began to position themselves in a line opposite the Balochi troops, who began to fire on the regiment. Napier himself had to do much of the positioning of the troops, as he lacked experienced commanders within his regiments. As each regiment made its way to the battle, and into position, the fighting grew fierce between both sides. The Balochi troops were well entrenched in their position and, due to the terrain, Napier was unable to get an idea of just how far the Balochi line was and how well it was supported. Soon the British had brought up artillery as well, which opened fire on the Balochi troops in their trenches. As the British approached the left side of Balochi forces, they found themselves faced with heavy attack from the trees, where a large number of troops had positioned themselves.

After almost an hour of fire between both sides, Napier began to see an opportunity to break through a weak spot in the Amir’s lines. The Scinde Horse and 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry made a move to attack the left wing of the British troops and crashed into the Balochis before they could do significant damage. Meanwhile on the right wing British soldiers charged the Balochi lines, piling over their trenches where the tightly packed Balochi’s found difficulty in using their swords against the British. Seeing the desperation of the Balochis plight Amir Sher Mohammad left the battle at the suggestion of his commander, Hosh Mohammad Kambrani (Also called Hosh Muhammad Shidi), with hopes that he might obtain another chance at victory over the British. Hosh Muhammad, on the other hand, stayed behind with the troops, fighting the British to the death.

The British troops, seeing the centre of the the Balochi line giving way, charged through the middle, diving the Amir’s line. About this time, Napier was almost killed when a magazine exploded near by, killing some British soldiers near him, but sparing his life. One of Napier’s commanders, after breaking through the Balochi left wing then left the field, perhaps aiding later in cutting off the Balochi retreat. The Amir’s men, routed and disorganized, began to flee, and Napier with the Bengal Cavalry pressed on after them, butting them off from escaping across the Indus. This strategic move on the part of the British stopped the Balochis from regrouping with others and posing a threat to the British. With the Balochis dispersed, Napier returned back to his mend who celebrate their victor with three cheers. This battle would be one of the last major efforts by Sher Mohammad to resist against the British, which ended on 14 June when British troops surprised the Amir and captured three of his cannons. Sher Mohammad himself escaped to Afghanistan.