The Battle of Assaye took place on September 23, 1803, near the small town of Assaye in the current state of Maharashtra north of Aurangabad. General Arthur Wellesley is at the head of an army composed of British and Sepoys amounting to some 13,500 men. He encounters a large Indian force representing at least three times its strength, between 40,000 and 50,000 men, integrating the well-trained Sindia army and including French, German, Portuguese, American and British officers.
Early in the morning, Wellesley received a report from a spy indicating that the enemy was camped less than 10 kilometers away. However, it is a matter of time before the Indian armies are alerted to his presence and retreat. Wellesley decides to attack immediately, without waiting for support.
The battle
The armies of Sindia and Berâr are posted between the two rivers Kaitna and Juah, not far from their confluence, a position which, according to their leaders, will force the British to attack them by crossing the Kaitna. Wellesley, however, discovered a ford a short distance away and crossed the river near the village of Assaye and moved towards the enemy's left flank. The move was not without its dangers, and only a British cavalry counterattack forced the Maratha cavalry away. The Sindia infantry moved quickly to cover the new threat and the German mercenary Pohlman did the same with the artillery.
Despite fierce resistance and heavy casualties, Wellesley advanced his men, captured the Indian artillery and pushed back the Sindia troops. The village of Assaye itself was a difficult lock to break but soon the Sindhia cavalry withdrew and the British turned their attention back to the infantry and dispersed several columns. Wellesley now launches a final assault and breaks the Indian army which found itself with its back to the Juah River. The battle which lasted three hours was very bloody and when the Indian princes retreated they had some 6,000 casualties in their ranks. The British, meanwhile, finished the battle victorious but with 1,600 men killed or wounded.
Consequences
Years later, when Arthur Wellesley, who became the first Duke of Wellington, was asked the most important military action in which he participated during his life, he would say that it was the Battle of Assaye .
Strengths present
British
Arthur Wellesley
13,500 men
20 guns
Losses
428 dead
1,156 wounded
18 missing
Indian force
Daulat Râo Sindhia
40 to 50,000 men
100 guns
6,000 dead or wounded
98 guns lost