page_title: Battle of Saragarhi
section_title: The battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Saragarhi / The battle
caption_attribution_description: English: Sikh Regt Soldiers Circa 1890
context_page_description: The Battle of Saragarhi was a last-stand battle fought before the Tirah Campaign on 12 September 1897 between the British Raj and Afghan tribesmen. On 12 September 1897, an estimated 12,000 - 24,000 Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen were seen near Gogra, at Samana Suk, and around Saragarhi, cutting off Fort Gulistan from Fort Lockhart. The Afghans attacked the outpost of Saragarhi where thousands of them swarmed and surrounded the fort, preparing to assault it. Led by Havildar Ishar Singh, the soldiers in the fort—all of whom were Sikhs—chose to fight to the death, in what is considered by some military historians as one of the greatest last stands in history. The post was recaptured two days later by another British Indian contingent.
  The Indian Army's 4th battalion of the Sikh Regiment commemorates the battle every year on the 12th of September, as Saragarhi Day.
context_section_description: Details of the Battle of Saragarhi are considered fairly accurate because Sepoy Gurmukh Singh signalled events to Fort Lockhart by heliograph as they occurred.
  Around 09:00, approximately 6,000–10,000 Afghans reach the signalling post at Saragarhi.
  Sepoy Gurmukh Singh signals to Colonel Haughton, situated in Fort Lockhart, that they are under attack.
  Haughton states he cannot send immediate help to Saragarhi.
  The soldiers in Saragarhi decide to fight to the last to prevent the enemy from reaching the forts.
  Sepoy Bhagwan Singh is the first soldier to be killed and Naik Lal Singh is seriously wounded.
  Naik Lal Singh and Sepoy Jiwa Singh reportedly carry the body of Bhagwan Singh back to the inner layer of the post.
  The Afghans break a portion of the wall of the picket.
  Haughton signals that he has estimated that there are between 10,000 and 14,000 Pashtuns attacking Saragarhi.
  The leaders of the Pashtun forces reportedly make promises to the soldiers to entice them to surrender.
  Reportedly two determined attempts are made to rush open the gate, but are unsuccessful.
  Later, the wall is breached.
  Thereafter, some of the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting occurs.
  In an act of outstanding bravery, Havildar Ishar Singh orders his men to fall back into the inner layer, whilst he remains to fight. However, this is breached and all but one of the defending soldiers are killed, along with many of the Pashtuns.
  Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, who communicated the battle to Haughton, is the last surviving defender. He is stated to have killed 40 Afghans, the Pashtuns having to set fire to the post to kill him. As he is dying, he is said to have yelled repeatedly the Sikh battle cry "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!" ("One will be blessed eternally, who says that God is the ultimate truth!").
  Having destroyed Saragarhi, the Afghans turned their attention to Fort Gulistan, but they had been delayed too long, and reinforcements arrived there in the night of 13–14 September, before the fort could be captured. The Pashtuns later admitted that they had lost about 600 killed and many more wounded during the engagement against the 21 Sikh soldiers, but some 1400 bodies are said to have been seen around the ruined post when the relief party arrived (however, the fort had been retaken, on 14 September, by the use of intensive artillery fire, which may have caused some casualties). The total casualties in the entire campaign, including the Battle of Saragarhi, numbered around 4,800.
caption: Sikh soldiers, c. 1890
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