Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-06-16
THE SHORTEST WAR.


One Day.
A campaign. involving the employ.
ment of many thousands of men and
the fighting of two sanguinary pitched
battles. was once begun and ended on
the same day. The glory of this uni
que achievement belongs to the British
arms. In 1913 things bore a threaten
Ing aspect in the, Central Indian state
Of Gwalior. inhabited by the Mahrat.
tns. considered the most formidable
warriors we had up to then encOunt-
cred In our Indian wars.
Intelligence reached the British au-
thorities that the magnificent Mahratta
army Of 10000 infantry. 10000 cavalry
and 200 guns contemplated not only
military dcpotism. but an active al
lance with their neighbors of the Pun!
tab. In the event of which British in.
fluence might be threatened by n com.
bined Sikh and Mahratta army. com.
posed of 10000 men with 800 guns.
Accordingly. as a precautionary meas
IRE. Lord Peterborough ordered the
| assembly of an army of exercise on the
GwaliOr frontier. This force was divid-
cd into two portions: on the northern
boundary Sir Hugh Cough command.
ed $1,000 men and forty field pieces:
on the eastern was stationed General
Grey with 1000 infantry and few
batteries of horse artillery.
The concentration took place I'm No.
vcmbcr. 1913. and 1t had the effect of
A,inglng the native authorities to their
senses. but while they sulkily ac-
uulesccd In the orders emanating from
G'itish dlplomatists. the internal dis.
orders went OH increasing. Finally. 1t
was decided that nothing short Of
British occupation Of the capital,
Gwalior. could put stop to the I'M
satisfactory state of affairs prevailing,
so on December II both Coughs and
| Grcy's forces crossed the frontier for
this purpose. No one suspected that
there would be any fighting. the native
government was known to be peace.
fully inclined and the contingency Of
the Mahratta army revolving. TO oppose
the British advance on Its own account.
was quite overlooked. But no sooner
had the two British columns com.
menced their march than the Mahrattas
declared their rulers traitors. and has
tened to take up defensive positions.
Cough appears to have entirely dis.
credited the warnings TINT reached him.
for he left his seigc train behind Agra
and allowed his wife. and the wives
of many other officers. to accompany
the column. riding on elephants at Its
head.
At daybreak on December 20 his
troops commenced the passage Of the
EOhari River In lelsurely fashion. A
halt was called for breakfast, and i'm.
mcdlately on the resumption of the
march everybody was startled by hear
frlnging little village. named Ma.
harajporc. and following the report
spent canton ball rolled between the
legs of Lady Coughs elephant. Within
another few minutes the woods be.
came lined with flame from the months
Of 115 pieces. as they discharged with
terrible accuracy storm Of shot and
she'll into the British ranks. The sur
prise was completed. The ladies' We're
hurried to the rear. and council Of
war was summoned. The battle,
which ensued ragged for three hours,
and the fighting was Of u most desper.
ate character. BY midday. however, the
victory was ours. the Mnhrattas fleeing
from the field and leaving behind them
5000 killed and wounded and $50 guns.
by curious coincidence, ut the very
same hour this sangulnnry and unex.
pectcd conflict terminated, the second
British force, under General Grey,
which was operated many miles away
from Coughs line of advance. was at.
tackled by the second Mahratta army,
$4,000 strong. Maharajpore had been a
soldiers battle. but this, the battle Of
Punneah, was to be decided by good
gcneralship. The little British army,
by a series of mastery maneuvers,
drove the enemy from all points Of his
position, capturing his artillery. and In
aicting n loss Of 5000 men. This com.
pleted the days work, and. In fact.
ended the war, which may Ike said to
have begun at 0 o'clock that morning
with the firing Of the cannon ball at
Lady Coughs elephant.-London Mall.