Beginning of the 2nd Sikh War

The terms which ended the 1st Sikh War provided for continued Sikh rule of the Punjab, but with British involvement and oversight.  As part of that arrangement, in April of 1848, two British officers were sent to the city of Multan to assist in a transition of power from a local Hindu ruler named Mulrat.  Violence erupted, the two British officers were murdered and Mulrat and his followers revolted against the Sikh government.

Modern day map of the Punjab showing major sites in 2nd Sikh War

Initially the British were reluctant to become too involved in putting down the uprising because of fears their participation might provoke a larger Sikh rebellion.  Ultimately that happened anyway as a Sikh leader named Shere Singh (supposedly a British ally) deserted with troops intended to help recapture Multan and headed north towards the heart of the Punjab.  Thousands of Sikhs joined him on the march as the Sikh nation rose in rebellion against the British.  In response the British formed the Army of the Punjab under Sir   Hugh Gough (British commander in the 1st Sikh war) who sent reinforcements to the troops attempting to take Multan while leading the rest of his forces in pursuit of Shere Singh.

Siege of Multan

Singh and his followers took up positions at a ford of the Chenab River near Ramnager.  The Sikh goal was to stop the British from crossing the river which would allow Shere Singh and his followers to move on Lahore and begin taking over the Punjab.  However the British managed to cross at a different location forcing the Sikhs to withdraw and fall back on the Jehlum River near a village called Chillianwala at the beginning of December 1848.

Shere Singh

When the revolt broke out at Multan in April of 1848, the 29th was still at Kasauli.  At the time the regiment's total strength was about 1200 including just over 1000 privates, one of whom was William Winder.  Of that number, just over half were English (53%) with a healthy number of Irish (42%) and a smaller number of Scots (5%).  At 5' 5 1/2", William was also one of the smaller soldiers as only 70 were smaller than 5' 6".  In August the regiment was ordered to leave Kasauli and march to Firozpur to relieve the 32nd regiment for service at Multan.

The march of 170 miles took just over three weeks.  Based on the experiences of other regiments during this period, most of the marching was done between midnight and dawn.  It was while at Firozpur that the 29th became part of the Army of the Punjab, more specifically part of a brigade under the command of General    Mountain.  Also serving in Mountain's brigade were two regiments of Sepoys (native troops), the 30th and 56th regiments.  On November 9, the 29th left Firozpur to join the rest of the Army of the Punjab in pursuit of Shere Singh.

Sir Hugh Gough

One of the many challenges facing the British military in India was having far fewer men than their opponents.  The 2nd Sikh War was especially difficult because Gough had to divide his forces between the siege at Multan and the pursuit of Shere Singh.  As a result the pursuit was somewhat spasmodic, attempting to balance maintain contact with the Sikh army while waiting/hoping for a successful conclusion to the siege which would free up reinforcements for Gough's army.

Storming of Multan 

For the 29th this meant about 60 days filled with sporadic marching followed by long periods waiting in camps along the route of march.  During one lengthy halt lasting from December 18th to January 9th, some of the regiment's officers killed time by killing jackals and foxes.  Somewhat more unusual was a January 2nd cricket match between a regimental team and the "officers of the army."  Given William's Winder's background, it seems unlikely cricket was part of his skill set.  Finally on January 9th word was received that Multan had been taken and that Shere Singh's army was being reinforced. It was time for the Army of the Punjab to go on the offensive.