Battle of Assaye
The Battle of Assaye, fought in 1803, was a significant military engagement during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, where British forces led by Major General Sir Arthur Wellesley confronted the Marāṭhā army, commanded by Colonel Anthony Pohlmann. The battle took place near the villages of Assaye, Peepulgaon, and Waroor, with the Marāṭhās holding a strong defensive position across the Kaitna River. Demonstrating tactical acumen, Wellesley discovered a ford that allowed his troops to cross the river and execute a flanking maneuver against the Marāṭhā forces. The engagement resulted in heavy casualties for the Marāṭhās, with approximately 1,200 killed and 5,000 wounded, while the British sustained 456 deaths and around 1,200 wounded. The victory was pivotal in cementing British dominance in India and contributed to Wellesley's military development, which later influenced his strategies against Napoleon in Europe. The capture of all 102 Marāṭhā artillery pieces further exemplified the importance of this battle in the broader context of colonial military history.
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Subject Terms
Battle of Assaye
Type of action: Ground battle in the Marāṭhā Wars
Date: September 23, 1803
Location: Assaye, India
Combatants: 1,800 British and 5,200 Indians vs. 40,000 Marāṭhās
Principal commanders:British, Major General Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the duke of Wellington (1769–1852); Marazha, Colonel Anthony Pohlmann, a German mercenary
Result: Destruction of the Marāṭhā army and British capture of the town of Assaye
Major General Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the duke of Wellington, with the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-eighth Highland Regiments, parts of five British East India Company regiments, and a detachment of cavalry, approached Assaye from the southwest only to find the Marāṭhās, led by Colonel Anthony Pohlmann, a German mercenary, occupying a strong position across the river Kaitna. From the position of the villages—Assaye, well north of the river, and Peepulgaon and Waroor on the riverbanks just opposite one another—Wellesley deduced that there must be a usable ford. He personally found the place and led his troops across. His cavalry was then able to flank the Marāṭhās, and frontal infantry assaults completed the destruction of their army. The town fell immediately afterward. The Marāṭhās suffered 1,200 dead and about 5,000 wounded, and the British forces counted 456 dead and around 1,200 wounded. All 102 of the Marāṭhā guns were captured.
Significance
The Battle of Assaye was important because it was one a series of victories that solidified British control of the Indian subcontinent. It was also an important part of Wellesley’s military education. In it, he learned or developed some of the techniques that helped him to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces on the European continent a few years later.
Bibliography
Cornwell, Bernard. Sharpe’s Triumph. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
Gordon, Stewart. Marāzhās, Marauders, and State Formation in Eighteenth-century India. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Longford, Elizabeth. Wellington. New York: Harper & Row, 1970–1973.