Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c56.s14: § 2. The storming of Aligarh, 4th September
Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c56.s14
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§ 2. The storming of Aligarh, 4th September
v4.c56.s14.1
From 29th August to 3rd September, Lake sat down before Aligarh, trying to take the fort by negotiation and thus avoid bloodshed. Inside Aligarh the garrison was divided in mind. The commandant, Col. Pedron, an aged Frenchman, and a few of his men wanted to make terms with the English, but the majority of the sepoys were high-spirited Rajputs and Ruhelas, soldiers by hereditary calling, who refused to stain their honour by admitting defeat without striking a blow. There was only one other French officer in the fort, but he escaped to the English camp on the 1st of September. “The garrison putting themselves under the command of Baji Rao, a Bhadauriya Rajput (?), confined the Colonel and resolved to defend the fort."* This internal discord hindered the completion of the defence works, such as carrying a mine under the causeway, flooding the environs by cutting the bank and joining two marshes together, &c. And General Lake struck before these steps could be taken. On 1st September a French deserter from the fort told him all about the disorder within, and next day, Captain Lucan, an Irishman, after resigning Sindhia's service, arrived at Koil from Delhi. He knew the ins and outs of Aligarh and undertook to guide the British storming party through the fort. Lake's plans were quickly matured, and at midnight between the 3rd and 4th of September, his troops were warned to be in readiness to deliver the assault next morning.
v4.c56.s14.2
De Boigne and Perron had set their European engineers to make the fortress of Aligarh impregnable. The walls formed a polygon, having at each angle a round bastion with a *fausse-braie* (earth wall in front) and well provided with cannon. Outside this defence was a ditch, about 100 feet in width, thirty feet deep, and covered with ten feet of water. Across the ditch there was no passage except by a causeway which they had recently blocked by a breast-work with three six-pounders mounted on it.
v4.c56.s14.3
Colonel Monson was appointed to lead the assault, at the head of four companies of the 76th Regiment of British infantry and three times that number of sepoys, with one full battalion of Indian infantry as support. Scaling ladders and two twelve-pounder guns for breaking the gates accompanied this force. They started from their camp, west of Koil, at 3 o'clock in the morning and by a semi-circular detour to the right, concealed their advance from the eyes of the garrison under the screen of the double line of trees of the avenue. Arrived within 400 yards of the fort-gate they waited in silence for the signal to attack.
v4.c56.s14.4
∗ Fraser, *Skinner*, i. 265. The garrison was composed of a regular battalion, 800 strong, commanded by Mir Sadat Ali, one thousand Bhadauria Rajputs, 500 Mewatis, &c.,—*i.e.*, mostly like militia men or *sehbandi* musketeers. Atkinson (ii. 493) "garrisoned by about 2,000 men."
v4.c56.s14.5
At break of day, the signal gun was fired, the covering batteries began to bombard the enemy’s defences, and the stormers rushed to the assault. The first obstacle, a breast-work across the causeway, a hundred yards before the gate, was found deserted by the defenders. Monson made for the first gate; but now the garrison had taken the alarm, the half-moon batteries which flanked the gateway, began to shower death on the invading column, and the whole face of the fort was lit up by the fire of their cannon and musketry. The attempt to scale the wall with ladders was boldly defeated by the enemy’s pikemen standing on the top. So, a twelve-pounder was called up to breach the gate, but in the hurry it fell into a ditch near the entrance. It was fully twenty minutes before the second twelve-pounder could arrive and smash the gate. During all this time the halted storming column was subjected to a most severe raking fire of musketry, grape, and canister shot from all sides at close range. As an officer present at the scene wrote, “At this time it was that we lost so many of our officers and men. The sortie (passage before the gate) became a perfect slaughter-house. . . . But nothing could exceed the determined gallantry with which our troops struggled under this most destructive fire. The enemy, too, fought desperately, and many of them actually stepped out upon our own ladders, which were planted against the wall, to meet our men ascending. But British valour prevailed, and when two rounds from the leading gun opened the outer gate, our troops rushed in, and the slaughter among the enemy, in their turn, became very great.” [Pester, 155.]
v4.c56.s14.6
Thus forcing an entrance, the stormers advanced, under constant fire from the walls, to the second and the third gates, Lucan showing the way. These two were easily entered, the retreating enemy being too confused to make a stand. Then the column came up before the fourth gate which led into the inner quadrangle. No gun could smash it, but Major Macleod, who was leading the assault, after Monson had been dangerously wounded, boldly entered through the wicket in this gate, ascended the rampart and followed by his men drove the enemy back. The resistance soon after died out, and the fortress of Aligarh, so long deemed impregnable, was conquered by British arms in an hour's time. Some of the garrison who submitted were permitted to depart in safety. The majority tried to escape, but perished in the attempt; great numbers leaped into the ditch, many of whom were drowned; and even those who swam to the plain outside were cut up by a picquet of the 27th Dragoons, as the British soldiers had received orders to spare none. The Maratha loss was estimated at two thousand men, "the surrounding ditch being almost filled with dead bodies".
v4.c56.s14.7
Col. Pedron saved himself by surrendering. The highest Maratha officer Baji Rao, who was next in command, was killed and two other Indian sardars were taken prisoners. The storming party was allowed three hours to plunder the fort, and seized several tumbrils loaded with treasure. [Pester, 157.]
v4.c56.s14.8
It was a glorious victory, but purchased at a heavy price. The British casualties were 260, out of whom 109 were Europeans and 151 sepoys. Among the officers were one captain and five lieutenants killed, besides one subahdar; eleven European officers were wounded, including the leaders of the assaulting column.
v4.c56.s14.9
The gain of the victors was almost incalculable: this success threw into their hands "most of the military stores belonging to the French party, who had made this their grand depot in the Doab. The number of guns taken amounted to 281. There were besides, in the fort, large supplies of powder and shot, a number of new arms and accoutrements, and a considerable stock of regimental jackets". [Thorn, 101.]