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Background
J.W.Baldwin was a soldier in a infantry regiment that was part of the attacking British force who fought against the Khalsa army in Panjab. This invading army consisted of British soldiers as well as various sepoy regiments from other parts of India.
Baldwin's account of his experiences in what we now know as the First Anglo-Sikh war is published by Leonaur Ltd (2005).
Review
Baldwin's typically colonial attitude towards Sikhs is present throughout the brief text. In the preface he writes about his "proud consciousness of having done my duty and assisted in the overthrow of the once powerful Seikhs, most certainly the bravest and best equipped soldiers in India, and which settled forever, I trust, the supremacy of British valour in that country."
As could probably be expected, the account characterises the Sikh soldiers as cowards a number of times and highlights the bravery of the British.
At Ferozpur, Baldwin's regiment was commanded by Brigadier Wallace as the usual General had been killed at an earlier battle in Mudkee. This Wallace too was "killed shortly after giving us the word 'charge'; and as we were doubling towards the volcanic battery which made such fearsome devastation amongst the 62nd regiment"
In this same engagement
"...our colonel's (Taylor) horse was shot from under him, but he nothing daunted, led us on foot sword in hand. He (Taylor) was well known to be a brave officer, and I regret to say, fell a victim in this memorable charge."
Description of Sikh artillery soldiers.
Baldwin was part of the regiment that was tasked to attack the Sikh canons. he describes the Sikhs he encountered thus:
"The Seikh artillery, with whom we contended, were picked men, both for their valour and size; they were indeed gigantic, their usual stature being six feet to six feet three inches, muscular and active in proportion. we were only like Lilliputians in comparison to those huge monsters and I marvelled that they did not kill us and swallow us slick out the way."
The account also supports the other famous witness to the battle (Cunningham), who witnessed Sikhs who had been bayoneted by the British soldiers, take the life of their attackers with their last act:
"Here iIabsolutely saw the dead, as it were, killing the living. This may seem incredible to you but, to be more explicit: when a man of ours succeeded in burying his bayonet in the Seikhs body he considered him hors-de-combat, but the enemy (in his dying agonies, and determined to sell his life as dearly as possible), grasping the bayonet with the left hand and mustering a last effort, generally succeeded in dealing such a blow with his talwar from the right hand as to lay his assailant prostate, and thus they both fell mortally wounded in the fearful struggle."
The book will be of interest to those who appreciate history. This contemporary account highlights many small details of the conflict (i.e the execution by the British of sepoys who saluted a captured Sikh canon as a mark of respect to Sikh valour). In summary Baldwin seems to think that the Sikhs only had their limited success in this war due to their European style training (initiated by Maharajah Ranjit Singh), otherwise they would have been finished much quicker.
Well worth reading - in my opinion.
Buy this book at SPN Book Store
Background
J.W.Baldwin was a soldier in a infantry regiment that was part of the attacking British force who fought against the Khalsa army in Panjab. This invading army consisted of British soldiers as well as various sepoy regiments from other parts of India.
Baldwin's account of his experiences in what we now know as the First Anglo-Sikh war is published by Leonaur Ltd (2005).
Review
Baldwin's typically colonial attitude towards Sikhs is present throughout the brief text. In the preface he writes about his "proud consciousness of having done my duty and assisted in the overthrow of the once powerful Seikhs, most certainly the bravest and best equipped soldiers in India, and which settled forever, I trust, the supremacy of British valour in that country."
As could probably be expected, the account characterises the Sikh soldiers as cowards a number of times and highlights the bravery of the British.
At Ferozpur, Baldwin's regiment was commanded by Brigadier Wallace as the usual General had been killed at an earlier battle in Mudkee. This Wallace too was "killed shortly after giving us the word 'charge'; and as we were doubling towards the volcanic battery which made such fearsome devastation amongst the 62nd regiment"
In this same engagement
"...our colonel's (Taylor) horse was shot from under him, but he nothing daunted, led us on foot sword in hand. He (Taylor) was well known to be a brave officer, and I regret to say, fell a victim in this memorable charge."
Description of Sikh artillery soldiers.
Baldwin was part of the regiment that was tasked to attack the Sikh canons. he describes the Sikhs he encountered thus:
"The Seikh artillery, with whom we contended, were picked men, both for their valour and size; they were indeed gigantic, their usual stature being six feet to six feet three inches, muscular and active in proportion. we were only like Lilliputians in comparison to those huge monsters and I marvelled that they did not kill us and swallow us slick out the way."
The account also supports the other famous witness to the battle (Cunningham), who witnessed Sikhs who had been bayoneted by the British soldiers, take the life of their attackers with their last act:
"Here iIabsolutely saw the dead, as it were, killing the living. This may seem incredible to you but, to be more explicit: when a man of ours succeeded in burying his bayonet in the Seikhs body he considered him hors-de-combat, but the enemy (in his dying agonies, and determined to sell his life as dearly as possible), grasping the bayonet with the left hand and mustering a last effort, generally succeeded in dealing such a blow with his talwar from the right hand as to lay his assailant prostate, and thus they both fell mortally wounded in the fearful struggle."
The book will be of interest to those who appreciate history. This contemporary account highlights many small details of the conflict (i.e the execution by the British of sepoys who saluted a captured Sikh canon as a mark of respect to Sikh valour). In summary Baldwin seems to think that the Sikhs only had their limited success in this war due to their European style training (initiated by Maharajah Ranjit Singh), otherwise they would have been finished much quicker.
Well worth reading - in my opinion.
Buy this book at SPN Book Store