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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Attock
| partof = the [[Afghan-Sikh Wars]]
| image = Attock- pg 246 - A handbook for travellers in India, Burma, and Ceylon - Herbert Charles Fanshawe.jpg
| image_size = 250
| caption =
| date = 13 July 1813
| place = Siege at [[Attock Khurd|Attock]], Battle at Haidaru on Mansur Plain Northeast of the fort
| map_type =
| map_relief =
| latitude =
| longitude =
| map_size =
| map_marksize =
| map_caption =
| map_label =
| territory =
| result = Sikh victory
*Capture of Attock<ref>Anil Chandra Banerjee, ''The Khalsa Raj'', (Abhinav Publications, 1985), 78.</ref><ref name=Jaques81 />
| status =
| combatant1 = [[File:Sikh Empire flag.jpg|24px]] [[Sikh Empire]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Flag of Herat until 1842.svg|24px]] [[Durrani Empire]]
| commander1 = [[File:Sikh Empire flag.jpg|24px]] [[Dewan Mokham Chand]]<br>[[File:Sikh Empire flag.jpg|24px]] [[Hari Singh Nalwa]]<br>[[File:Sikh Empire flag.jpg|24px]] [[Sham Singh Attariwala]]<br>[[File:Sikh Empire flag.jpg|24px]] [[Sultan Mahmud Khan]]
| commander2 = [[File:Flag of Herat until 1842.svg|24px]] Wazir Fateh Khan<br>[[File:Flag of Herat until 1842.svg|24px]] [[Dost Mohammad Khan]]
| units1 =
| units2 =
| strength1 = 10,000{{sfn|Gupta|1991|p=100}}
| strength2 = 15,000<ref>{{cite book |last1=Johar |first1=Surinder Singh |title=The Secular Maharaja: A Biography of Maharaja Ranjit Singh |date=1985 |page=125 |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Secular_Maharaja/04MeAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=15,000+attock+fateh&dq=15,000+attock+fateh&printsec=frontcover}}</ref>
| casualties1 = Unknown
| casualties2 = 2,000{{sfn|Gupta|1991|p=101}}
| notes =
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Conflicts in Afghanistan (1900-1950)}}
}}
{{Campaignbox Afghan-Sikh Wars}}
The '''Battle of Attock''' (also known as the '''Battle of Chuch''' or the '''Battle of Haidru''') took place on 13 July 1813 between the [[Sikh Empire]] and the [[Durrani Empire]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cunningham|1918|pp=152–153}}</ref> The battle was the first significant [[Sikh]] victory over the Durranis.<ref name=Jaques81>{{harvnb|Jaques|2006|page=81}}</ref>

== Background ==
[[File:Battle of Attock or Chuch - Military system of the Sikhs during the period 1799-1849 - Fauja Singh.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
In 1811–12, [[Ranjit Singh]] invaded the hill states of [[Bhimber]], [[Rajauri]], and [[Kullu]] in preparation for an invasion of [[Kashmir]].<ref>{{harvnb|Griffin|1892|page=190}}</ref> In late 1812, [[Fateh Khan]], the [[Vizier]] of [[Kabul]], crossed the [[Indus river]] under orders from [[Mahmud Shah Durrani]] to raid Kashmir and to free [[Shuja Shah Durrani]] from its renegade [[vizier]], Atta Muhammad Khan. In an 1812 interview with Ranjit Singh, Fateh Khan agreed to a joint invasion of Kashmir. He could not invade Kashmir if he was opposed by the Sikh Empire,<ref name=Cunningham152>{{harvnb|Cunningham|1918|page=152}}</ref> and agreed that a small Sikh force under [[Dewan Mokham Chand]] would receive one third of the plunder.

Both invasions began at [[Jhelum]], but once the armies reached the [[Pir Panjal Range]], Fateh Khan used a heavy snowfall to double march his veteran mountain troops through the range.<ref name=Griffin191>{{harvnb|Griffin|1892|page=191}}</ref> However, Dewan Mokham Chand offered the [[Rajauri]] [[raja]] a large [[jagir]] if he could find a path through the range that would allow the Sikhs to reach the [[valley of Kashmir]] at the same time as the Afghan troops and was able to have a small body of troops under Jodh Singh Kalsia and Nihal Singh Attari present at the captures of [[Hari Parbat]] and [[Shergarh, Punjab|Shergarh]]. The [[vizier]] of Kashmir, Atta Muhammad Khan, had offered no resistance to either army but Fateh Khan refused to share the spoils.<ref name=Griffin191/> Shuja Shah Durrani chose to be escorted by Dewan Mokham Chand to [[Lahore]], the capital of the Sikh Empire, out of fear of becoming a prisoner at [[Kabul]].<ref name=Cunningham152/>

Ranjit Singh became annoyed at Fateh Khan's refusal to share plunder and opened negotiations with the renegade governor of [[Attock]], Jahandad Khan, brother to the recently [[Deposition (politics)|deposed]] Atta Muhammad Khan of Kashmir,<ref name=Griffin191/> and took control of the fort at Attock.<ref name=Cunningham152/> After Jahandad Khan accepted his ''jagir'', Dia Singh, a [[Sardar]] with a small contingent of troops in the area, took control of [[Attock Fort|Fort Attock]] including 3,510 [[Maund]]s of [[grain]], 439 rounds of [[cannon|cannon shot]], 70 [[cannon]] and small [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, and 255 ''Maunds'' of [[rock salt]].<ref name=Prakash330>{{harvnb|Prakash|2002|page=330}}</ref> [[Hari Singh Nalwa]] arrived with Dewan Devi Das and a detachment of [[cavalry]] to support the [[garrison]] at an unknown date.<ref>{{harvnb|Prakash|2002|pp=329–330}}</ref>

== Battle ==
[[File:Attock - Picturesque India a handbook for European travellers - William Sproston Caine -pg 246.jpg|thumb|[[Attock Fort]], whose capture by the [[Sikh Empire]] lead to the Battle of Attock]]
[[File:Attock Fort.jpg|thumb|Attock Fort]]
Fateh Khan set off from Kashmir in April 1813 and [[Investment (military)|invested]] Attock Fort.<ref name=Griffin192>{{harvnb|Griffin|1892|page=192}}</ref> At the same time Ranjit Singh rushed Dewan Mokham Chand and Karam Chand Chahal from [[Burhan, Pakistan|Burhan]] with a force of cavalry, artillery, and a [[battalion]] of infantry to meet the Afghans.<ref name=Prakash330/>

[[Dewan Mokham Chand]] encamped {{convert|8|mi|km}} from the Afghan camp,<ref name=MGregor170>{{harvnb|M'Gregor|1846|page=170}}</ref> unwilling to risk a decisive engagement, although both sides engaged in numerous skirmishes and took losses. On 12 July 1812, the Afghans' supplies were exhausted and Dewan Mokham Chand marched {{convert|8|km|mi}} from Attock to Haidaru, on the banks of the Indus River, to offer battle. On 13 July 1812, Dewan Mokham Chand split the cavalry into four divisions, giving command of one division to Hari Singh Nalwa (and to General Sardar Gurmukh Singh Lamba <<see Sir Lepel Griffin book>>) and taking command of one division himself. The lone battalion of infantry formed an [[infantry square]] protecting the artillery, with Gouse Khan commanding the artillery.<ref name=Prakash330/> The Afghans took up positions opposite the Sikhs, with a portion of their cavalry under the command of [[Dost Mohammad Khan]].

Fateh Khan opened the battle by sending his [[Pathans]] on a [[cavalry charge]] which was repulsed by heavy fire from the Sikh artillery.<ref name=Prakash330/> The Afghans rallied under Dost Mohammad Khan, and according to Griffin, led a "brilliant" cavalry charge which threw one wing of the Sikh army into disarray and captured some artillery.<ref name=Griffin192/> When it appeared the Sikhs had lost the battle, Dewan Mokham Chand led a cavalry charge atop a [[war elephant]] that repulsed the Afghans "at all points",<ref name=MGregor170/> and [[rout]]ed the remaining Afghan troops.<ref name=Jaques81/> Fateh Khan, fearing his brother, Dost Mohammad Khan, had died, escaped to Kabul and the Sikhs captured the Afghan camp, including the lost artillery pieces.<ref>{{harvnb|Prakash|2002|pp=330–331}}</ref>

== Aftermath ==
[[Amritsar]], [[Lahore]], and other large cities across the Sikh Empire were illuminated for two months afterwards in rejoicing over the victory.<ref>{{harvnb|M'Gregor|1846|page=171}}</ref> After his defeat at Attock, Fateh Khan made further multiple attempts to get back Attock, even writing a letter to Dewan Mokham Chand, asking to return Attock which could lead to good relations between two parties, but Mokham Chand refused and warned that the conquer-ship of Kashmir would be next.<ref>{{cite book |title=The History of the Sikhs Volume 5|last=Gupta |first=Hari Ram |year=1991 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal|isbn=9788121505154|pages=102}}</ref>In 1814, Yar Mohammad Khan, governor of Peshawar, attacked on Attock but was repulsed, following which Fateh Khan again sent a letter in 1815 asking to hand over Attock and restore it under Mahmud Shah's authority in exchange for Multan and paying the tax revenue of Kashmir.{{sfn|Gupta|1991|p=103}} During the last five years of his life from 1813 to 1818, Fateh Khan remained distressed over the loss of Attock.{{sfn|Gupta|1991|p=102}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |title=A history of the Sikhs: from the origin of the nation to the battles of the Sutlej |last=Cunningham |first=Joseph Davey |year=1918 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=London, New york |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.164105}}
*{{Cite book |last=Griffin |first=Lepel Henry |author-link=Lepel Henry Griffin |title=Ranjit Singh |publisher=[[Clarendon Press]] |year=1892 |location=Oxford |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rNxGAAAAIAAJ}}
*{{Cite book |last =M'Gregor |first=William Lewis |title=The history of the Sikhs; containing the lives of the Gooroos; the history of the independent Sirdars, or Missuls, and the life of the great founder of the Sikh monarchy, Maharajah Runjeet Singh |publisher=J. Madden |year=1846 |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/historysikhscon01gregoog}}
*{{cite book |title= Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E |last= Jaques |first= Tony |year=2006 |publisher= [[Greenwood Press]] |isbn= 978-0-313-33537-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3amnMPTPP5MC&q=attock }}
*{{cite book |title=Encyclopaedic History of Indian Freedom Movement |last=Prakash |first=Om |year=2002 |publisher=Anmol Publications |isbn=978-81-261-0938-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=biAogtjmemYC&pg=PA328 }}
{{Refend}}

{{Sikh Empire}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:Battles in 1813]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Sikhs|Attock]]

Battle of Attock (1813) - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article