1 362 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 ia
3 30,000 Ghorchurras on the morning of the 22nd,
4 might have done so immediately and driven the
5 British army in disorder on Feerozpore; in fact, ,
6 the safety of India depended on Gilbert's retaining
7 his position, and preventing the advance of the
8 Sikhs during the night of the 21st, and we have
9 good reasons for believing that this was the opinion
10 of both the Governor-general and Commander-in-
11 chief; and therefore the little notice taken of Gene-
12 ral Gilbert on this momentous occasion, is one of
13 those anomalies in warfare which are not easily
14 accounted for.
15 These particulars are of little interest except to
16 the parties concerned, but it becomes the duty of
17 an historian to reconcile as far as possible conflict-
18 ing accounts, and to render due honour to gallant
19 troops engaged in a hard-fought battle, by assigning
20 to each the proper meed of praise without detract-
21 ing from the merits of others, and this has been
22 our’aim throughout this work. We have alluded
23 to every thing which might in the most remote
24 degree elucidate the subject, and if we have over-
25 looked individual claims to distinction, we shall be
26 ready to remedy the omission if the parties con-
27 cerned will give us such information as may lead
28 POR SRY AEN (a CL EOES PEs Me arenes Maser em yas