British Intervention in Bhurtpore 1825-1826

On August 26, 1825, Charles Theophilus Metcalfe was appointed Resident and Civil Commissioner in Delhi Territories, and Agent to the Governor-General for the affairs of Rajpootana. Under his advice, the government supported the claims of Bulwunt Singh against the usurpation of his uncle Doorjun Saul in the Jat city-state of Bhurtpore (also known as Bharatpur). The decision to dispute the succession led to war later in 1825.

Lord Combermere, with one cavalry and two infantry divisions, plus an artillery train, invested Bhurtpore. The British forces numbered about 20,000 men. Heretofore considered impregnable, the city's strong defenses were successfully assaulted by the British. After desperate resistance, the city fell to the British on January 18, 1826. Gurkha battalions played a prominent part in the siege and storming of Bhurtpore, refuting critics who thought their effectiveness was limited to mountain warfare. British forces lost nearly 1000 killed and wounded in the fighting; the defenders of Bhurtpore suffered losses estimated to be about 8000. Doorjun Saul was taken prisoner and deported to Benares. The fortifications were dismantled and the infant son (Bulwunt Singh) of the former raja installed under a treaty favorable to the British East India Company.

References

Military History, 862; Imperial Warriors: Britain and the Gurkhas, 109; Timelines of War, 319; 1911 Encyclopedia: Bharatpur; Charles Theophilus Metcalfe (1785-1846).

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