The Khalsa in 15mm Part 1

We are going to look at some of what’s available in 15mm and for the regulars of the Khalsa that means QRF, Irregular and Black Hat.  The photos can speak for themselves for those of you thinking of a Sikh collection. When we get to the irregulars we can spread the net a little wider.

The QRF are the 20? year old Steve Shaw sculpts - very elegant.  Irregular are a recent range, good clean lines and as far as 15mm turbans go Ian Kay must be the prince of pugarees.  Black Hat is the newest and most comprehensive range - great detail and lots of variety of figures. 

QRF sell their infantry figures in packs of eight, Black Hat retail ten infantry and five command per pack respectively and Irregular sell individual figures. For cavalry QRF are four to a pack and Black Hat five with three for command.  Prices at the time of writing are fairly similar.

Infantry

Let’s start with the Khalsa regular infantry and the good news is that the three ranges are compatible as we can see. There is no problem in mixing and matching any of these. 

QRF, Irregular and Black Hat

 Artillery
The guns next. Here is a Black Hat cannon with a QRF crew next to an Irregular Persian gun and crew. 

This substitution is because I do not yet have their Sikh one and the figures, apart from the hat, are very similar. Black Hat also offer two gun crews (Foot and Horse) and QRF have some nice guns - all work well together. The Black Hat cannon is a must have in my view and I keenly await their Sikh 6pdr.

For  convenience let's do the camel gunners here as well.  

Irregular Persians are standing in for their Indian ones, QRF Moghuls and the Black Hat Sikh.  The latter is too small for me and does not have a camel gun.  He would be OK with Peter Pig Sudanese Ansar and I think that is where he is going.

Next time we will look at the Khalsa cavalry and command figures.

Mudki Part 2

The battle of Mudki began at 4.pm when both sides exchanged artillery fire. At this point General Lal Singh deserted his army leaving it without orders or a commander.  The cannonade continued for an hour with neither side gaining the upper hand. 

General Gough ordered Brigadier Gough’s cavalry to join White’s cavalry on the British Right.  The British cavalry supported by Horse Artillery then advanced on both flanks.  The Sikh cavalry were unable to challenge their progress, either because they fought and lost or having no orders withdrew.  

Some of them are said to have dismounted and joined the infantry. Possibly the dismounted cavalry were Sikh Dragoons but we don't know and matchlock armed Gorchurra could have fought on foot too.

The British Horse Artillery then enfiladed the Sikh infantry flanks while the cavalry attempted to attack the rear of the Sikh line.   These efforts proved unsuccessful due to the close terrain and the strong resistance of the Sikhs who, from cover, inflicted significant losses. 

Gough seeing little was being accomplished withdrew his mounted troops.

The British infantry then advanced in echelon leading with the 1st Division on the right flank.  Dust, darkness, hillock and jungle meant that fire combat often occurred at fairly close range.  Sometimes the British were only aware of the Sikhs once they had received their fire. The British response was often a bayonet charge.  

The ground broke up Gough’s formations and soldiers were told to form or rally on the nearest officer they could see.  For the next two hours’ fierce close range skirmishing and fighting took place.  

The British captured Sikh guns only to lose them again to Sikh counter attacks.  No quarter was asked or given on either side.  The Sikhs launched two charges to no avail and given the discrepancy in numbers it is perhaps doubtful that they made contact.  

On both British flanks squares were formed to repel cavalry but amid the darkness, smoke and dust and constant din of Sikh kettle drums it is uncertain if any Sikh horse had presented a threat.

The final stage of the battle was a Sikh fighting retreat that covered about two miles and left Gough in control of the battle field.

Gough captured 15 guns on the day, their Sikh gunners as British officers noted all fought to the death. Total British losses were 215 men killed and 657 wounded.  

We have seen Gough’s tactics were more sophisticated than he is often credited with. By reinforcing the cavalry on his right flank he ensured he enjoyed local superiority there.  He turned both Sikh flanks and enfiladed their battle line.  That the terrain and the courage of the Sikh troops negated this manoeuvre does not detract from its successful execution. Nor did he leave his cavalry to be shot down in the rough by Sikh snipers.  This was not a general whose only tactic was the "Tipperary Rush".

Gough’s infantry assault, in echelon, was also eventually successful but it was costly. Among the British dead were Brigadiers McCaskill and Bolton, Brigadiers Mactier and Wheeler were wounded and Major General Sir Robert ‘Fighting Bob’ Sale died of his wounds the day after the battle. 

Readers will recall neither Gough or Hardinge had thought the Khalsa capable of a stand up fight.  Mudki proved them wrong and the level of British casualties, including popular figures and a Cabinet Minister's son, seems to have resulted in Gough solely being blamed. Hardinge as Governor General was deemed too important to be tainted and seems to have played a part in scapegoating Gough.

The Sikh casualties were reckoned by a British officer who toured the battlefield the next day to be somewhere around 300.  Many of these were wounded men who, rejecting British succour, chose to die where they lay on the battlefield.  

The Sikh Brigadiers abandoned by their general had fought an action against superior numbers of professional troops for six hours and then conducted a fighting retreat.  They were clearly very capable officers.

As a wargame Mudki poses a number of challenges which we can now consider.

General Gough had more guns but most of them were lighter than their Sikh equivalents, and that, with the close terrain probably explains why his barrage made little headway. There is good reason to think the Sikh gunners were were simply better too.  Three days later a British officer would opine that they were more accurate than the British and faster-3 shots for every British 2.

The three units of Sikh cavalry need to be allocated between two flanks.  Split them evenly and it makes a unit and wing on each flank. Or, favour one flank with two units and the other with one.  Either way once Lal Singh ran away there was no one to give them orders.  

I'm inclined to play them as static until they are subject to artillery fire or the threat of a charge and then they might withdraw or counter charge. If they withdraw one unit could join the infantry and fight dismounted. Its tempting to think of some of the Sikh sniping so prominent in the battle being carried out by Gorchurra with their long jezzail like muskets. But it could have been Dragoons with carbines.

British infantry units that break up due to losses and terrain should be allowed to reform with other similarly placed soldiers and then proceed as if new units. I'd say this would not apply to any who route.

The Sikh infantry had high morale and the gunners higher still.  The two Sikh Brigadiers were clearly at the top of their game but can only influence their own commands. All of this needs to be reflected in the game.  A glance at the Sikh casualties shows how effectively they exploited the terrain and I would start the game with all dismounted Sikh units in cover.

Next time we will have an AAR of the Mudki refight or a figure review. Then its back to the Rani for an AAR and after that a first look at the Tai Ping.

The Battle of Mudki Part One

The battle of Mudki began late, around 4pm on a December day and continued until midnight.  Gough’s army had marched hard and were tired and thirsty.  The Sikhs were well rested. Most of the battle was fought in darkness on broken ground or in jungle.

The battle can be divided into three stages an artillery duel, the advance and withdrawal of the British cavalry and the infantry fight.  

I’m going to follow Sidhu’s account as being the most rigorous and up to date.  As you will see there are some things we do not know, where I might hazard a guess and so might you.  We will look at the ground at Mudki, then at the respective forces and finally, in part two at what seems to have happened.

The terrain at Mudki had a great influence on how the battle was fought.  

The British faced onto some cultivated land and newly cleared jungle, beyond that were sandy hillocks big enough to obscure vision and hinder movement and bushes dense enough to hide Sikh sharpshooters. The movement of the troops threw up clouds of dust that further reduced visibility. The ground on both Sikh flanks was mainly jungle as was the rear of their position. The Sikh centre seems to have drawn up near or among the sandy hillocks and their flanks in the adjacent jungle.

According to Captain Nicholson (Gough's Assistant Political Officer) the Sikh army at Mudki consisted of 2000 regular Khalsa infantry and artillery men serving 22 guns. The cavalry consisted of 1,500 men and were a mixture of regulars and Gorchurra. Nicholson’s information came directly from the Sikh Generals collaborating with the British, and I would consider it reliable. The subsequent official British account credits the Sikhs with an additional 9,000 cavalry I think it safer to go with Nicholson’s figures.

The Sikh army deployed as follows.  Metab Singh’s Brigade formed the Sikh right flank with some of the Fauj I Khas comprising the centre and Bahadhur Singh’s Brigade on the left flank.  Many skirmishers were sent forward.  The Sikh guns formed with the infantry. The Sikh cavalry formed on both flanks of the infantry.

The British army had 12,350 men and 42 guns, 36 of which were horse artillery. The cavalry was initially organised into three brigades.

The First Division under Sir Harry Smith formed the British right.  It's first brigade under Bolton consisted of HM 31^st Foot and the 24^th   and 47^th Native Infantry.  It may be the 24^th was left as a camp guard at the Village of Mudki. 

On Bolton's left Brigadier Wheeler commanded the second brigade comprising HM 50^th Foot and the 42^nd and 48^th Native Infantry.  White’s cavalry Brigade of the 3^rd Light Dragoons and one wing of the 4^th Bengal light cavalry formed to the right of the infantry.

The Second, and weakest, Division formed the British centre and consisted of two brigades consisting of the 2^nd, 16^th and 45^th Native Infantry.  Gough’s Brigade of cavalry comprising the 5^th Bengal light cavalry and the Governor General’s body guard also formed with the Second Division but was subsequently transferred to the First Division.

The Third Division on the British left was commanded by Brigadier McCaskill.  He had, in the 1^st Brigade, HM 26^th Foot and the 73^rd Native Infantry. In the 2^nd Brigade were HM 80^th Foot.  Also on the left Brigadier Mactier led the 9^th Bengal Irregular Horse and one wing of the 4^th Bengal light cavalry.

Most of the British artillery was positioned in front of the infantry.

I have translated the armies for the table top using Piquet’s Field of Battle with a battalion of 500 men represented by a 4 base unit, a full cavalry unit also as 4 bases, a wing of cavalry as 2 bases and a model battery of 2 guns representing 6-8 guns and crew.

The Sikh Army needs a little rounding up for the infantry and artillery.  If you wish to round down give them three batteries. I think the Sikh artillery was heavy.

The Sikh army using this method has 5 units of regular infantry, 4 batteries of artillery and 3 cavalry units.  We don’t know how many of the cavalry were regular.  I’m going for 2 regular and 1 Gorchurra but that could be reversed and still comply with the information we have. 

The British Army would have 11 units of infantry or 12 if you think the 24th NI were present, 4 units and 1 wing of cavalry and 7 batteries. I would give the British one heavy battery to be deployed in the centre alongside 4 batteries of Horse artillery.  The cavalry brigades deployed on the flanks were accompanied by Horse Artillery I have opted for 1 battery each. I've guessed at one wing of cavalry for the Governor General's body guard.

Clearly Gough enjoyed a significant advantage in numbers but this would be offset by the nature of the ground at Mudki and the tenacity of the Khalsa.

The Khalsa Part 2

Khalsa Cavalry, Gorchurra and the irregulars

The Khalsa regular cavalry were trained by veteran soldiers who had military experience in European wars.  Accordingly, they could carry out all of the evolutions and manoeuvres expected of their European counter parts.  There were three branches of the Khalsa cavalry, cuirassiers, dragoons and lancers all fully and appropriately equipped.  They could be supported by Khalsa horse artillery.

The Punjab was horse territory however the numerous and more socially prestigious Gorchurra seem to have had their pick of the horse flesh available.  The Khalsa cavalry chose from what was left.  It also seems clear that the cavalry was the least prestigious branch of the Khalsa.  This inclines me to rate them all simply as regular – if you disagree upgrade or down grade some of them.

Unit	Armament	Combat Die	Defence Die	Short Range	Medium Range	Long Range
Cuirassiers	Sword	D10	D6	-	-	-
Lancers	Lance	D10	D6	0-1	-	-
Dragoons	Carbine	D8	D6	0-1	2-3	-
Dragoons	Carbine	D10	D6	0-1	2-3	-

The Gorchurra were the nobility and gentry of the Sikh kingdom and their immediate followers.  They were well equipped, often armoured and sometimes rode barded horses.  Their weapons were of good quality and included lances, swords, axes and long Jezzail like matchlocks.  They were all excellent horsemen.  

Before Ranjit created the Khalsa they had been the mainstay of the army and with the Alkali its battle winners.  Their favoured tactic was to wear the enemy down by firing from the saddle in a skirmishing or caracole fashion followed up by a fierce charge.   

Such tactics were less effective against European regular infantry who could both out shoot and out range the Gorchurra.  That said there is no reason to believe that a new tactical repertoire was adopted and so my Gorchurra may both charge or skirmish or both if they carry matchlocks.

The question arises of how to model the effect of armour in respect of the wealthier Gorchurra and Khalsa cuirassiers.  Plainly this is an advantage in melee and we should also note that even unarmoured Gorchurra were reported by British cavalry as very difficult to hurt as they leaned over their horses presenting only a thick turban and a shield on the back as a target.  A unit of Bengali irregular cavalry proved to be the British exception (as Brent Nosworthy noted) and caused havoc among the Gorchurra with their razor sharp swords.

Unit	Armament	Combat Die	Defence Die	Short Range	Medium Range	Long Range
Fully Armoured	Lance	D12	D10	-	-	-
Armoured	Matchlock	D12	D8	0-1	2-3	-
Unarmoured	Matchlock	D10	D6	0-1	2-3	-

Let’s look at the remainder of the irregulars now.  Many of them had previous military experience and all owned and practiced with weapons. For convenience I have divided them into matchlock infantry and melee infantry in reality the division would not have been so hard and fast.  Also it seems a good place to include the camel gunners.

Unit	Armament	Combat Die	Defence Die	Short Range	Medium Range	Long Range
Matchlock men	Matchlock	D8	D4	0-2	3-4	5-6
Swordsmen	Sword	D10	D4	-	-	-
Camel Guns	Up to 3lb Gun	D8	D4	0-3	4-5	6

There are a couple of points here that could be reflected in the rules to add flavour when gaming Sikh War battles.  I'm minded to adopt the following:

• British cavalry,except lancers and a single unit of irregular cavalry, are down 1(in FOB terms) in melee against Gorchurra or Cuirassiers
• The Matchlock was clumsy compared to the Musket so down 1 (FOB again) for all firing

Finally a word on the Sikh command, treachery only infected the highest level of command below that officers were as able or otherwise as in any other professional army. 

An Army List for the Khalsa

Part 1

In writing this I have mostly drawn upon Sidhu’s First Anglo Sikh War and I have applied the information therein to the ratings in Piquet’s Field of Battle (FOB).  I hope it is of use to those interested and obviously if you disagree with my ratings change them to suit yourself.

Let’s take the infantry first.  They are the backbone of the army, well trained, often by French Napoleonic veterans, and fully equipped to the best European standard.  Apart from the British there was nothing like them in India.  

Following the death of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, creator of the Khalsa, some commentators feel the disciple of the infantry broke down effecting their battle worthiness.  I find no evidence of this in the first Anglo Sikh war. That said I’m mindful of making the Khalsa over mighty in game terms and therefore have opted for a crack brigade and a regular one both of three battalions.

Unit	Armament	Combat Die	Defence Die	Short Range	Medium Range	Long Range
Crack	Musket	D12	D8	0-2	3-4	5-6
Crack	Musket	D12+1	D8	0-2	3-4	5-6
Crack	Musket	D12	D8	0-2	3-4	5-6
Regular	Musket	D10	D6	0-2	3-4	5-6
Regular	Musket	D12+1	D6	0-2	3-4	5-6
Regular	Musket	D10	D6	0-2	3-4	5-6

To this we can add a battalion of Sikh Ghurkhas, one of Dogra Light Infantry and some Alkali devotees of God the Immortal.  The Ghurkhas and the Dogra are regulars.  The Alkali are a sort of Sikh version of the Knights of the Temple.  I have given them only short range fire power to reflect a mix of matchlocks, pistols and quoits but if they close they will be formidable.

Unit	Armament	Combat Die	Defence Die	Short Range	Medium Range	Long Range
Ghurkhas	Musket	D10	D6	0-2	3-4	5-6
Dogra	Musket	D10	D6	0-2	3-4	5-6
Alkali	Various	D12+1	D10	0-2	-	-

Now, to consider the artillery.  The Khalsa often used very heavy calibre guns and the Muslim gunners were very skilled indeed. Consequently, I’ve rated the gunners as crack and the guns as heavy.  The Khalsa also had horse artillery and I’ve included the ratings for them too.  Irregular artillery could also appear but I don’t yet own any and so have not listed it.  I currently field three batteries of Khalsa guns.

Unit	Armament	Combat Die	Defence Die	Short Range	Medium Range	Long Range
Heavy Art	12lb Smoothbore	D12	D8	0-6	7-10	11-18
Heavy Art	12lb Smoothbore	D12+1	D8	0-6	7-10	11-18
Heavy Art	12lb Smoothbore	D12	D8	0-6	7-10	11-18
Horse Art	6lb Smoothbore	D10	D6	0-4	5-8	9-16

In part two we will look at the regular cavalry, the Gorchurra and Sikh irregulars including camel guns and at the command issue.