A History of Assam c20: Chapter XIV. The Burmese War
A History of Assam c20
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Chapter XIV. The Burmese War
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It is impossible to say what would have been the ultimate fate of the unhappy Assamese, had they been left unaided to the tender mercies of the Burmese. The latter, however, soon embroiled themselves with the British, for whom they had conceived the greatest contempt. This feeling seems to have been engendered, partly by their own easy victories in other directions, partly by the paucity of British troops along the frontier, and partly by the proved inefficiency of the Ahom standing army, which was dressed and drilled on the model of the Company's sepoys. But, whatever the cause, they began to behave with the greatest insolence and to commit various wanton acts of aggression, not only along the northern frontier of Bengal, but also on the borders of Chittagong and Sylhet. Remonstrances were made by the Governor-General without effect, and it was at last decided to resort to arms.
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The first active measures were taken in the Surma valley. News having been received that the Burmese Governor of the Brahmaputra valley was contemplating the invasion of Cachar, he was informed that that tract had been taken under British protection, and a detachment of sixteen hundred men was sent to the frontier of Sylhet. On their arrival it was found that three Burmese forces were in the neighbourhood. One of about four thousand men was advancing from Nowgong through North Cachar; another was marching on the same objective by way of the Jaintia hills, while a third, from Manipur, had already arrived in South Cachar and inflicted a defeat on Gambhir Singh's local levies. In reply to a protest that was addressed to them, the Burmese commanders stated that they had received orders from the king of Ava to replace Gobind Chandra on the throne of Cachar and to arrest the three Manipuri chiefs who had ousted him. On receiving this communication, the British commandant determined to take the offensive before the hostile forces had joined hands. On the 17th January, 1824, he marched with his whole detachment against the army from Nowgong, which had stockaded itself at Bikrampur. He came in sight of the enemy at daylight, and, attacking at once, soon put them to flight. The Burmese escaped into the hills, whither he was not strong enough to pursue them, and they subsequently effected a junction with the Manipur force.
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The British detachment was soon afterwards withdrawn to Badarpur, whereupon the Burmese advanced to Jātrāpur, some eight miles distant, and erected stockades on both banks of the Barāk, which they connected by a bridge over the river. Their forces at this point amounted to about six thousand men, of whom two thousand were Burmese and the remainder Assamese and Kachāris. There was a separate detachment of about two thousand men at Kilā Kāndi in the south-east of Cachar. The Burmese gradually pushed forward their stockades on the north bank of the Barāk until, at last, they were within a thousand yards of the British advanced post on the south bank. They were then attacked and put to flight. The Nowgong and Manipur contingents retreated in different directions. The former were again attacked at the foot of the Bhertika Pass, on the bank of the Jatinga river. They were driven from their stockades, and fled into the hills, whence they made their way back to Nowgong.
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The British then marched against the Manipur force which had taken up a very strong position at Dudpatli. The assault failed, and a retreat was made to Jātrāpur. Here reinforcements were received which would have sufficed for a fresh attack, but the Burmese, although they had repelled the assault on their stockades, had lost heavily, and had already fallen back to Manipur. The scarcity of supplies in Cachar rendered it extremely difficult to maintain a large force there; and the British, on hearing of the enemy’s retreat, went into cantonments at Sylhet, leaving only a detachment of the Rangpur Local Infantry in Cachar.
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Operations in the Brahmaputra valley.
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These events had preceded the formal declaration of war, which was not proclaimed until the 5th March. In anticipation of active operations a force of about 3,000 men, with several cannon and a gunboat flotilla, had been collected at Goālpāra, on the frontier of the old Ahom kingdom. To this force was now assigned the task of turning the Burmese out of the Brahmaputra valley. After a toilsome journey of fifteen days through the jungles and trackless swamps, to which the greater part of the country between Goālpāra and Gauhāti was at that time given over, it reached the latter place on the 28th March.
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Burmese retreat to Upper Assam.
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The Burmese had erected strong stockades near Gauhāti, but their numbers had been greatly reduced by desertions, by the withdrawal of troops for service in Burma itself, and by the operations in the direction of Cachar which have already been described, and their generals did not feel strong enough to venture on an engagement. They accordingly retired to Marā Mukh in Upper Assam, after massacring many of the unfortunate inhabitants, whose bodies, barbarously mutilated, were found by the advancing British, along the road and in the stockades at Gauhāti.
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British troops make a long halt at Gauhāti.
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Had more active measures been taken at this stage, it is probable that the whole province might have been cleared of the enemy before the advent of the rainy season. But in the absence of information regarding the state of the roads, the possibility of obtaining supplies, and the attitude of the natives of the country, a long halt was made at Gauhāti. For some time, the only step in advance was taken by the Civilian, David Scott, who, as Agent to the Governor-General for the Eastern Frontier, had accompanied the Cachar force in the operations already described. In order to join the troops in the Brahmaputra valley, he crossed over the Jaintia hills with three companies of the 23rd Native Infantry and entered Nowgong, whence he marched westwards to Gauhāti, leaving his escort to hold the town of Nowgong.
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About the end of April the Burmese, finding themselves unmolested, advanced again as far as Koliābar. A force was sent from Gauhāti to eject them. They had made a stockade at Hātbar, but, on the approach of the British troops, retreated to Rangaligarh without waiting to be attacked. A party that afterwards attempted to reoccupy the stockade was surprised, and put to flight with considerable loss. A small British detachment was now placed in the stockade. The Burmese made a second attack on it, but the defenuers were on the alert, and routed their assailants, killing a large number. The Burmese then abandoned Rangaligarh and fell back once more on Marā Mukh.
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Colonel Richards, the British commander, had established his headquarters at Koliābar but, when the rains set in, the difficulty of procuring supplies compelled him to return to Gauhāti. The Burmese thereupon reoccupied not only Koliābar, but also Rahā and Nowgong, and, in revenge for the friendly disposition which the Assamese had shown towards the British troops, they pillaged all the surrounding country and committed appalling atrocities on the helpless inhabitants. Some they flayed alive, others they burnt in oil, and others again they drove in crowds into the village nāmghars, or prayer houses, which they then set on fire.
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The terror with which they inspired the people was so great that many thousands fled into the hills and jungles to the south, where large numbers died of disease or starvation; and only a small remnant, after enduring unspeakable hardships, managed to reach the plains of the Surma valley. Several of the submontane villages of Jaintia are inhabited by their descendants, who still talk pure Assamese. The depopulation of the region round Doboka and the Kopili valley dates from this disastrous time, which is still fresh in the memory of the inhabitants of Nowgong, who speak with as much horror of the Mānar Upadrab, or “oppressions of the Burmese,” as do the inhabitants of the Bengal littoral of the devastations of the Maghs, to which they were exposed before the establishment of the Pax Britannica.
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When the rains were over, arrangements were made for a fresh advance of the British troops. The only practicable means of transport was by boats towed laboriously against the strong current of the river, and the rate of progress was necessarily very slow. Two divisions were despatched
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Fresh advance by Burmese. Terrible atrocities perpetrated by them.
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Second campaign in the Brahmaputra valley.
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about the end of October, the one by way of the Kallang, and the other up the main stream of the Brahmaputra. The former, which was remarkably well served by its Intelligence Officer, Lieutenant Neufville, surprised several Burmese detachments, at Rahā and elsewhere, and only just failed to catch the Governor himself at Nowgong.
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When Koliābar had been secured, the rest of the troops were gradually removed thither. Early in January Marā Mukh was occupied. From this point, several detachments were sent out, who operated with great success against various stockades in the vicinity held by the Burmese. The Burmese were thus compelled to concentrate their forces at Jorhat, leaving the road open for the British advance. They were also, at this time, distracted by internal disputes, and the Burhā Raja, or Burmese Governor, was assassinated by a rival leader, known as the Shān Phukan. Despairing of defending Jorhat, they set fire to their stockade and fell back upon the capital at Rangpur.
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The advance of the British troops was hampered by heavy rain, but they reached Jorhat on the 17th January and Gaurisāgar eight days later. The commissariat flotilla, with its escort of gunboats, being unable to ascend the shallow stream of the Dikhu, halted at its mouth, and from this point all supplies had to be transported by road.
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On the morning of the 27th January the enemy attacked an advanced post which was holding a bridge over the Nāmdāng river. Supports were moved up quickly, and then, in order to encourage the Burmese to show themselves, a retreat from the bridge was feigned. The Burmese fell into the trap and rushed forward, whereupon they were attacked and put to flight with heavy loss.
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The above account of the operations against the Burmese has been taken mainly from Wilson's *Narrative of the Burmese War*. The remaining incidents of this campaign are best told in the author's own words:—
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"Having been joined by the requisite reinforcement of guns, Colonel Richards resumed his march towards Rangpur on the morning of the 29th. The approach of the capital had been fortified by the enemy; a stockade had been drawn across the road, the left of which was strengthened by an entrenched tank, a little way in
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front, and the right was within gunshot of the fort; the position mounted several guns, and was defended by a strong party.
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"On approaching the defences, the assailants were saluted by a heavy fire, which brought down half the leading division and caused a momentary check: a couple of shells and a round or two of grape having been thrown in, the column again advanced and the stockade was escaladed and carried by the right wing of the 57th Regiment, under Captain Martin, supported by the 46th.
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"The tank on the right was also occupied and two temples, one on the right and the other on the left, were taken possession of, by which the south side of the fort was completely invested and the enemy was driven in at all points. In this action Lieutenant-Colonel Richards and Lieutenant Brooke* were wounded; the former slightly, the latter severely; the number of wounded was considerable, but the loss in killed was of little amount.
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"The result of these two engagements not only dispirited the Burmese, but gave renewed inveteracy to the divisions that prevailed amongst them. The two Chiefs, the Sām (or Shān) and the Bagli Phukans, were willing to stipulate for terms; but the more numerous party, headed by the subordinate Chiefs, were resolutely bent on resistance and threatened the advocates of pacific measures with extermination. The latter, however, so far prevailed as to despatch a messenger to the British commander, a Bauddha priest, a native of Ceylon, but brought up in Ava, Dharmadhar Brahmachāri, to negotiate terms for the surrender of Rangpur, and they were finally agreed on through his mediation. Such of the garrison as continued hostile were allowed to retire into the Burman territory, on their engaging to abstain from any act of aggression on their retreat, and those who were pacifically inclined were suffered to remain unmolested with their families and property: their final destination to await the decision of the Governor-General's Agent, but in the event of peace with Ava they were not to be given up to that government.†
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"Colonel Richards was induced to accede to these conditions, by his conviction of the impossibility of preventing the escape of the garrison, upon the capture of the fort, or of pursuing them on their flight. It was also to have been apprehended, if the evacuation of the province had been much longer delayed, that it might not have been cleared of the enemy during the campaign, as the want of carriage and supplies would have detained the army some time at Rangpur and might have delayed its movements till the season was too far advanced to admit of its progress far beyond the Capital. By the occupation of Rangpur on the terms granted, much time was saved as well as some loss of life avoided; and the object of the campaign, the expulsion of the Burmese from Assam without the fear of their renewing their irruptions with any success, was peaceably and promptly secured. The persons that surrendered themselves by virtue of these stipulations were the Sām Phukan and about seven hundred of the garrison; the rest, about nine thousand of both sexes and all ages, including two thousand fighting men, withdrew to the frontiers; but many dropped off on the retreat and established themselves in Assam."
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∗ Afterwards Raja Brooke of Sarawak. † Most of these eventually settled down at Singimāri in the Goālpāra district, where lands were assigned them for cultivation. Those who had no wives of their own race married women of the country. They are said by McCosh to have been most useful in dealing with disturbances amongst the Gāros during the early days of British rule.
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The surrender of Rangpur and the ejection of the Burmese terminated the regular campaign, but the state of anarchy into which the country had fallen and the lawless conduct of the frontier tribes still afforded plenty of employment for the British troops. The Singphos in particular were in urgent need of repression. During the Burmese occupation, they had made constant raids on the hapless Assamese, carrying off thousands as slaves and reducing the eastern part of the country to a state of almost complete depopulation. Their bands, estimated to number 7,500 men, shut up the Sadiya Khowā Gohāin within his stockades and attacked the Bar Senapati in his own territory. Both appealed to the British, who sent them help, whereupon the Singphos desisted from their attacks and entered into negotiations. At this juncture, in June, 1825, the Burmese, to the number of about six hundred, again appeared on the Pātkāi, and the Singphos made common cause with them. Captain Neufville at once led a party of the 57th Native Infantry up the Noa Dihing, and, by a series of gallant assaults, defeated the allies and expelled them from the Singpho villages around Bisā, which he destroyed. The Singphos then submitted, and the Burmese made their final exit from the country. In the course of these operations, Captain Neufville is said to have restored no less than six thousand Assamese captives to freedom.
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The ease with which the Burmese had been ejected was no surprise to the officers on the spot, and, before the outbreak of hostilities, David Scott had written to the Government, saying that "their expulsion would be a matter of no difficulty, although the unhealthiness of the country would make its permanent occupation by us a matter of regret in some respects."*
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Meanwhile fresh operations had been found necessary in Cachar, where the Burmese had been encouraged by the withdrawal of the main body of British troops to resume the offensive, and had occupied stockades at Talain, Dudpatli and Jātrāpur. In June, 1824, Colonel Innes with twelve hundred men took possession of Jātrāpur, but he was repulsed in an attempt to capture the Talain stockade. He then remained on the defensive, until the close of the rains.
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A force of seven hundred men was now collected with the object of freeing Cachar and Manipur from the enemy and also, if possible, of making a demonstration against Ava from this direction. The Burmese had by this time evacuated Talain, where they had suffered much from disease. A track was cleared to Dudpatli. This place was occupied without opposition, and great efforts were made to carry a road through to Manipur, but serious obstacles were encountered in the shape of the mountainous character of the country, the clayey nature of the soil and the unusually heavy rainfall. Large numbers of elephants, bullocks and other transport animals were lost, and in the end the attempt was abandoned* and the force was broken up.
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The primary object in view, *viz.*, the expulsion of the Burmese from Manipur was, however, achieved by Gambhir Singh, who had accompanied the troops with an irregular levy of five hundred Manipuris and Kachāris. These men had been provided with arms by the British commander, but they were wholly undisciplined, and it was only at Gambhir Singh’s urgent request, that he was permitted to advance with them to Manipur. He left Sylhet on the 17th May accompanied by Lieutenant Pemberton, who had volunteered for the expedition, and who was afterwards so well-known on this frontier. After a march of great difficulty and privation, often through torrents of rain, he emerged in the valley of Manipur on the 10th June. The Burmese thereupon retreated from the town of Imphal and the adjoining villages to a place called Undra, about ten miles to the south. But here too they made no stand; and, as soon as the advance was continued, they again fled, and left the State altogether.
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∗ Despatch to Court of Directors, dated the 20th July, 1823.
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The inclemency of the season and the dearth of supplies made it impossible for the whole force to remain in Manipur; so Gambhir Singh returned with the bulk of his followers to Sylhet, leaving a small detachment to guard Manipur, aided by some of the inhabitants, whom he had provided with arms.
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On the 4th December he again set out for Manipur, and reached the capital in a fortnight. There were no Burmese there, but a considerable number of them occupied a stockade at Tammu, in the south-east corner of the valley. He had no guns, and the casualties in a direct attack would probably have been very heavy. He avoided this by cutting off the water-supply, which compelled the Burmese to retreat, after they had made several ineffectual sallies. The capture of a second stockade on the bank of the Ningthi river freed the whole State from the presence of the Burmese. Here and elsewhere liberty was restored to large numbers of Manipuris who had been carried off by the Burmese as slaves.
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Treaty of Yandabo.
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Meanwhile the operations of the British arms in Burma itself had been crowned with success, and the king of Ava was at last reluctantly compelled to accept the terms of peace which were offered him. By the treaty of Yandabo, which was concluded on the 24th February, 1826, he agreed, amongst other things, to abstain from all interference in the affairs of the countries which now constitute the province of Assam, and to recognize Gambhir Singh as Raja of Manipur.