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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Chatra
| width =
| partof = [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
| image =
| image_size =
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| caption =
| date = 2 October 1857
| place = [[Chatra]], [[Bihar]] (modern-day [[Jharkhand]])
| coordinates = 
| map_type =
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| territory =
| result = British victory
| status =
| combatants_header =
| combatant1 = [[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|22px]] [[East India Company]] {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]]
| combatant2 = Mutinying sepoys and rebel zamindars
| combatant3 =
| commander1 =[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|22px]] Major English [[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|22px]] Major Smith [[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|22px]] Lt. Earle
| commander2 = [[Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo]] [[Pandey Ganpat Rai]] Madhav Singh
| commander3 =
| units1 =
| units2 =
| units3 =
| strength1 = 200
| strength2 = 3000 rebels
| strength3 =
| casualties1 = 56 in total. 46 Europeans and 10 Sikhs.
| casualties2 = 150
| casualties3 =
| notes =
| campaignbox =
}}

The '''Battle of Chatra''' was a conflict that took place during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] between the [[East India Company]] and the mutinying [[sepoys]] who were allied certain local [[zamindars]]. The rebels had amassed a force of 3000 men and had taken the town of [[Chatra]] which is located in the [[Chota Nagpur Division|Chhota Nagpur]] region.<ref name="Pati2010">{{cite book|author=Biswamoy Pati|title=The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India: Exploring Transgressions, Contests and Diversities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iUGMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|date=25 February 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-22514-8|pages=16–}}</ref>

==Background==
Two companies of the Ramgarh Battalion which were stationed in [[Hazaribagh]] revolted against the British authorities as did other troops all across [[North India]] such as in [[Meerut]].<ref name="Datta1957">{{cite book|author1=K. Datta|title=Unrest Against British Rule In Bihar(1831-1859)|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.206784|year=1957|publisher=Superintendent Secretariat Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.206784/page/n51 62]–65}}</ref> These sepoys fell under the leadership of local rebel leaders including Jaimangal Pandey and [[Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo]] and formed a ''mukti vahini'' (people's army) and intended to overthrow the British authorities. The rebel force was planning to travel northwards to [[Rohtas Fort, India|Rohtas]] were they would combine their forces with the rebel leader of North Bihar, [[Kunwar Singh]].<ref name=Datta1957 />

==Battle==
The various British forces were sent in pursuit of the rebels as they traveled northwards through Hazaribagh until they also reached Chatra.<ref name=Jha1982>{{cite journal | jstor=44141295 | title=The Battle of Chatra | author= J. C. Jha| journal= Proceedings of the Indian History Congress | volume=43 | year=1982 | pages= 602–609 }}</ref> The rebels received word that a clash was inevitable and fortified themselves within the town and in the process were harassing, robbing and looting the local people which caused many of them to assist the British forces.<ref name="Gupta">{{cite book|author=Gautam Gupta|title=1857 THE UPRISING|year=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5jcDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT211|publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting|isbn=978-81-230-2299-4|pages=211–}}</ref> This plunderous behaviour also left the rebels open to a sudden attack.

Major Smith drew a rough plan of the town and decided to attack from the South. The advanced guard located the main body of rebels and immediately a skirmish took place in the rice fields.<ref name=Jha1982 />
As this progressed, various skirmishes also started to place throughout the town with both sides suffering heavy losses.<ref name="Malleson2014">{{cite book|author=Colonel George Bruce Malleson|title=History Of The Indian Mutiny Of 1857-8 – Vol. IV [Illustrated Edition]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=egNvCwAAQBAJ&pg=PP450|date=13 June 2014|publisher=Normanby Press|isbn=978-1-78289-210-6|pages=450–}}</ref> In the end, the British forces started to attack the town from all flanks. The British took advantage of heavy tree cover on the outskirts of the town else they likely would have suffered even heavier losses.<ref name=Jha1982 /> Two rebel leaders, Jai Mangal Pandey and Nadir Ali were captured and quickly hanged.

==Aftermath==
Two of the major rebel leaders, Vishwanath Shahdeo<ref name=Ustad1997>{{cite journal | jstor=44143953 | title=The Role of Bishwanath Sahi of Lohardaga district, During the Revolt of 1857 in Bihar | author= Mathur Das Ustad | journal= Proceedings of the Indian History Congress | volume=58 | year=1997 | pages=493–500}}</ref> and Ganpat Rai managed to escape and continued to harass the British forces before being captured in 1858 and hanged.<ref name=Jha1983>{{cite journal | title=Ganpat Rai of Bhunra | author= Pratap Narayan Jha | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume = 44| year=1983 | pages= 370–371|jstor = 44139860}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1857 in India]]
[[Category:19th-century military history of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Battles of the Indian Rebellion of 1857|Chatra]]

Battle of Chatra - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article