1 The Second Sikh War. 201
2 himself so as to command the ford of the river, with
3 a portion of his force posted on the left bank. Here
4 he expected to be joined by the Bannu regiments,
5 some of whom had already come in, and here the
6 opening action of the second Sikh war took place.
7 On the 22nd of the month his position was attacked
8 by Lord Gough, who had left Lahore a week before
9 with 20,000 men and 100 guns. In the course of
10 the light both sides lost heavily. The Sikh troops
11 on the left bank of the Chenab were driven back
12 across the river with great slaughter; but to com-
13 pensate for this partial defeat, Sher Singh had the
14 satisfaction of cutting up a regiment of British
15 cavalry who had, with more gallantry than dis-
16 cretion, charged down into the river bed, where the
17 deep sand and mud rendered their horses helpless.
18 On December 3 another indecisive engagement took
19 place at Sadulapiir, where, had not the British plans
20 miscarried, Sher Singh's force would have been caught
21 between two fires, and would in all probability have
22 been annihilated. As it was, the two portions into
23 which Lord Gough's army was divided failed to co-
24 operate, and the Sikhs were able to withdraw un-
25 molested from the Chenab to the Jhelam, and to take
26 up a strong position at Rassul, on the banks of the
27 latter river, commanding the road along which the
28 division under Chattar Singh was to approach.
29 After Sadulapiir the whole British force crossed
30 the Chenab ; but instead of pressing on to Rassul,
31 Lord Gough, acting under the instructions of the
32 Governor-General, halted at Hela, fifteen miles from
33 that place, to wait until the fall of Miiltan should