Battle of Argaum 28th of November 1803, marks the Battle of Argaum in the 2nd Anglo Maratha War when Major-General Arthur Wellesley’s East India Company army of 12,000 defeated 25,000 Maratha cavalry & 15,000 infantry under Raghuji II Bhonsale of Berar & Daulat Rao Sindhia of Gwalior. Following their defeat at Laswari, the Marathas deployed at Argaum.
Infantry stood behind a line of cannons.
Cavalry deployed on both flanks.
Outgunned as he was, Wellesley decided to attack immediately. He would close on them before their guns destroyed him.
Col. Stevenson’s force, comprising the 94th Highlanders & 2nd, 6th, 9th & 11th Madras Native Inf. made up the left wing. Wellesley’s 74th & 78th Highlanders & 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th & 12th MNI made up the right. Wheat stalks, 7-9 feet high, hid his movements.
At 3,000 yards, Maratha guns opened fire. At maximum range & unable to aim through the grass, they achieved little.
Pebble101 – Own work Maratha Helmet and Armor from Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia CC BY-SA 3.0
A shot smashed one of Wellesley’s guns. The 10 bullocks pulling it panicked. So did another gun team. They ran back to Wellesley’s line. The Scots held firm. 3 sepoy battalions panicked.
Furthermore, had the Marathas attacked right then, they would have won.
Artist: James Welsh (1775–1861); Engraver: Robert Havell, Jr. – Welsh, James (1830),
Instead, they did nothing. Wellesley rallied the sepoys, reformed his line & advanced. By the time he got close enough for Maratha guns to have an effect, they were overheated. Also, the crews were too exhausted to aim & fire well. At 500 yards, his own artillery opened fire. Well rested & with a clear line of fire, they devastated the Maratha lines.
Moreover, by then, the Maratha guns were completely overheated & useless.
On the right, the 19th Light Dragoons & 4th, 5th & 7th Madras Native Cavalry fired their horse guns at the Maratha cavalry, disordering them. The Company cavalry then charged, breaking their foes.
On the left, Maratha cavalry probed the 6th & 11th MNI. Volley fire drove them back. In the center, Manu Bapu’s 1-1,500 elite Arab mercenaries charged the Scots.
They charged not in a line, but a ragged mass.
Pebble101 – Own work Maratha Helmet and Armor from Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
The Maratha infantry & guns didn’t support them. Artillery & volley fire killed most before they even got close. Bayonets killed the few survivors. Wellesley now ordered a general advance. Demoralized at seeing the defeated Arabs & from their casualties, the Maratha infantry broke almost immediately.
Wellesley lost 15 Scottish & 31 Indians dead, 315 wounded. The Marathas lost 5,000 dead/wounded, 38 guns & all their ammunition & stores.
Edwin Lord Weeks – http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=21618
In conclusion, the battle showed the Maratha Confederacy’s fragility at this point. Sindhia was already negotiating with Wellesley before the battle. Furthermore, he removed his army, mostly cavalry, from the field even before Wellesley’s infantry finished their final attack. Lastly, he would not fight again. Berar now stood alone against the Company.
Written by Garrett Anderson
