The British East India captured this Bhurtpore Cannon during the famous siege of Bharatpur in 1826 is now outside Royal Artillery Barracks at London.
Fortress built in the nineteenth century and its belief in its impregnability was well founded, for in 1805 Lord Lake had attacked it vigorously, but had failed to reduce its well-fortified works manned by staunch and numerous defenders. After suffering terrible losses he was compelled to withdraw, leaving this fortress with a still stronger claim to impregnability than it had ever possessed before.
When it was once decided by the British Government that Bhurtpore must fall, the question immediately arose, where was the man to take it? The East India Company Directors interviewed the Duke of Wellington, asking him to find a man capable of taking this fortress. The Duke gave them an answer. He said, "You can't do better than have Lord Combermere. He's the man to take Bhurtpore." "But," replied the directors with great surprise, "we thought that your Grace had not a very high opinion of Lord Combermere, and did not consider him a man of genius." "I don't care a tuppenny damn" (that was the Iron Duke's favourite par of exchange in hot words) "about his genius. I tell you he is the man to take Bhurtpore!" And the Duke was right.
When Lord Combermere set out with Bhurtpore as his objective, his army consisted of 30,000 men of very mixed quality. On reaching the fortress he began with heavy bombardment. Then for a week he carried forward his siege works, covered by Elite Gurkha warrior sharpshooters, whose eyes were so keen and whose aim so sure that no Jaat men of the enemy could show his head above the ramparts with impunity.
Point after point was won until, at last, a small breach was made by the artillery; and into this breach Lord Combermere flung a force in which were included 600 dismounted men from the various cavalry regiments—eighty from the 11th Light Dragoons, eighty from the 16th Lancers, 200 from Skinner's Horse, and forty from each regiment of native cavalry.
Skinner's Horse is one of the earliest formed of the many distinguished Native Irregular Cavalry Corps which have fought for Britain. They had been under Colonel Skinner for many years, and had served him in many wars; thus they had come to respect and love him as tribesmen do their chief. There is a touching story of their valour and faithfulness during the storming of Bhurtpore. A party was told off according to rota duty, for the whole regiment had volunteered for the dangerous service. Skinner placed at their head Shadull Khan, one of his oldest, most faithful, and trustworthy native officers. Then he spoke to them as follows: "This is the first time you are going into danger when I cannot accompany you; but such is my affection for you all that I cannot allow you to part from me without carrying with you something dear to me." Then, taking his son by the hand—the lad had only lately entered the corps—he continued: "See, here is my son. Take him and gain for him such honour as you have won for his father."
This shows clearly what Colonel Skinner thought of Skinner's Horse, and also what he knew they thought of him. Old Shadull Khan stepped forward, and, taking young Skinner by the arm, cried out, "Farewell, our commander! Trust in God, who never deserts those faithful servants who do their duty and who, please God, will now do their utmost to maintain the honour of the corps."
Although the assault on the breach had been planned, it was postponed for that day, as on further consideration Lord Combermere deemed it was not practicable. It took place later, after a great explosion of mines which the engineers had placed beneath the ramparts. On entering the widened breach our troops encountered fierce opposition. There was a hand-to-hand fight of the most desperate description, and it was not until after some hours of fierce fighting that the enemy surrendered.
The Iron Duke's words were justified; Lord Combermere had taken Bhurtpore, and that successful assault on a fortress long regarded as impregnable was one which yields in brilliancy and courage to few in the British annals of war. Its beneficial effect on British rule and influence in India was as striking as its place among battles is dramatic.
History of Bhurtpore is a history of power struggles. It began with in vaccum at the end of the Mughal power and marked the emergence of the Jats as well. Who Be it the Marathas or the British, the Jats outshown them both. But after the reign of Raja Ranjeet Singh troubles started cropping up in the royal household of the Jats as well as with the British and by the year 1825 the British brought Bhurtpore under their supremacy.
In the year 1805, the British under the leadership of General Lake, failed to capture Bhurtpore and thus entered into a treaty. According to the treaty in 1805 between Raja Ranjeet Singh and the British Government, re-established the state Bhurtpore . Ranjit Singh died in Govardhan eight months after the termination of the treaty. He left behind four sons—Randhir Singh, Baldeo Singh, Prithvi Singh and Lachhman Singh who enjoyed the restoration of Bhurtpore till the integration of Indian state into Indian union. Maharaja Randhir Singh ascended the throne after the death of his father and ruled from 1805 to1823 AD. This period witnessed conflict and rupture as well as friendship between the Bhurtpore house and the British. Randhir Singh proved to be an able administrator and maintained peace and harmony in his state. He left behind no issues and hence was succeeded by his younger brother Baldeo Singh, who ruled the state very briefly till his death in 1825.
Immediately after Baldeo Singh’s ascension to the throne of Bhurtpore, troubles started cropping up in the ruling house. Durjan Sal, the adopted son of the late Raja Randhir Singh claimed the throne, but the British Government acknowledged Baldeo Singh as Raja, as the latter had bribed David Ochterlony, the British agent at Delhi Rani Laxmi, the widow of Randhir Singh was an ambitious lady and wanted to retain power in her hand. She left no stone unturned to get her adopted son Durjan Sal seated on the desirable throne of Bhurtpore but Baldeo Singh, supported by the British, imprisoned Durjan Sal. Fearing trouble from the Rani, Baldeo Singh accused her of refusing to hand over keys of state treasury and exiled her in Vrindavan.
This was a territory of the Government of the East India Company and the Rani faced harassment from the officials of the Raja there. After the death of Baldeo Singh trouble broke out like wildfire. This provided a pretext to the English to interfere in the affairs of the state in 1825-26 not to defend the right of the minor chief Balwant Singh, but as a matter of policy. Since 1805, the Britishers were apprehensively eyeing the great Jat fortress and these internal dissensions provided the right opportunity to the British Government. Durjan Sal was also waiting for the right opportunity and as soon as the news of usurpation of the throne of Bhurtpore by Durjan Sal came to Delhi, the British Resident Ochterlony, right away collected a large force to march upon Bhurtpore. He also issued a proclamation, calling upon the people of Bhurtpore not to desert their rightful sovereign Raja Balwant Singh, who would be supported by the British Government in India by military force. In the mean time Durjan Sal sent a reconciliatory letter to the Governor-General-in-Council, who ordered the British army to retreat.
Ochterlony resigned after this incident and was succeeded by Metcalfe who convinced the Governor-General-in-Council that the use of force was the only remedy to realize their long-cherished goal— the capture of Lohagarh (the Bhurtpore fort). Thus in 1825, the Governor-General-in-Council passed a resolution saying that their interference was necessary to retain peace and harmony in Bhurtpore. The Lohagarh (fort of Bharatpur) got ready again to face the assault of the enemy. Durjan Sal was so popular with the local officers, commanders of the army and leading men of the state that he instantly secured their cooperation to fight the British. As the British army advanced towards Bhurtpore fort, the inhabitants deserted the adjacent villages and fled for refuge to Bhurtpore fort, Bayana, Wair, Deeg, Bhusawar and Kumher. The British objective of this movement was to cut off the water from the ditches and the Company's Engineer's accomplished this task successfully. The British forces in India occupied Motijheel Bund, the villages of Noh and Malah. The strength of Bhurtpore forces stood at 8000 regular troops out 25000 men where the rest hastily entertained for the defense of the fort, and it in all probability had been the policy of Durjan Sal to offer as little opposition as possible out of fort doors, reserving the whole strength of his ability for resistance at the branches. With this strategy thousands were seen occupied in deepening the ditches and augmenting by every practicable means, their possessions in the body of the fort itself.
The British decided to attack the north-east angle of the fort first because the ditch there was comparatively shallow and almost dry, and a ravine which fell into the ditch gave convenient cover to the attacking force. Heavy fire was directed at them but the Bhurtpore guns could not cause much damage to the British East India Company's forces. The British improved the trenches, making additional communications and laid two mines. A British officer was shot dead by cannon shot in the trenches and one of Durjan Sal's army leaders murdered one of the Corporal engineers of the British East India Company's forces. The explosion in the mines exploded gave easy access to the ditch to the forces of the British East India Company On the day of storming, the British East India Company's forces established themselves in the advanced trenches and within two hours the ramparts of the town of Bharatpur, were in the possession of the besiegers. The explosion of the mine under the north-east bastion named, which was the British point of attack, took place with such a terrible effect that the whole of the salient angle and part of the stone cavalier behind it were hurled into the air, while the entire garrison upon it were flown on the winds and buried amidst the ruin. Observing the great success of the British Company's forces, Durjan Sal got himself out of the fort and proceeded in the direction of Bayana but was soon arrested along with his wife and two sons. In the evening the fortress unconditionally surrendered to British troops and Commander-in-Chief of the Company's forces declared the confinement of Bhurtpore fort. Eventually the Jat men at other forts of Bayana, Wair, Deeg Kumher surrendered to the British forces.
Thus, under the leadership of Metcalfe the British army gained the full control of Bharatpur. With the fall of this strong, invincible fort perished all expectations of successful resistance to the East India Company's capture of Hindustan. Bharatpur was so far the only hurdle in the path of the British. As far as assigning power was concerned Raja Balwant Singh was installed as Raja but due to his being a minor, Maharani Imrat Kaur was made the regent and a British political agent was appointed to supervise the affairs of the state. The decline of Bharatpur was unquestionably the most outstanding event that occurred in that period of Indian history.
