Battle of Ramnagar The Battle of Ramnagar was fought on 22 November 1848 between British and Sikh forces during the Second Anglo - Sikh War . The British were led by Sir Hugh Gough , while the Sikhs were led by Sher Singh Attariwalla . Background . Following the Sikh defeat in the First Anglo - Sikh War , British Commissioners and Political Agents had effectively ruled the Punjab , using the Sikh army , the Khalsa to maintain order and implement British policy . There was much unrest over this arrangement and the other galling terms of the peace treaty , not least within the Khalsa which believed it had been betrayed rather than defeated in the first war . The second war broke out in April 1848 , when a popular uprising in the city of Multan forced its ruler , Dewan Mulraj , into rebellion . The British Governor - General of Bengal , Lord Dalhousie , initially ordered only a small contingent of the Bengal Army under General Whish to suppress the outbreak ( partly for reasons of economy , and partly to avoid a major campaign during the Hot Weather and Monsoon seasons ) . He also ordered several detachments of the Khalsa to reinforce Whish . The largest detachment , of 3 , 300 cavalry and 900 infantry was commanded by " Sardar " ( General ) Sher Singh Attariwalla . Several junior Political Agents viewed this development with alarm , as Sher Singh ' s father , Chattar Singh Attariwalla , the Governor of Hazara to the north of the Punjab , was openly plotting sedition . On 14 September , Sher Singh rebelled . Whish was forced to raise the siege of Multan and retire . Nevertheless , Sher Singh and Mulraj ( the Hindu ruler of a largely Moslem city - state ) did not join forces . The two leaders conferred at a temple outside the city , where both prayed and it was agreed that Mulraj would supply some funds from his treasury , while Sher Singh moved north to join his forces with those of his father . This was not immediately possible , as Chattar Singh ' s army was pinned in Hazara by Moslem tribesmen fighting under British officers . Instead , Sher Singh moved a few miles north and began fortifying the crossings of the Chenab River , while awaiting developments . His army was swelled by deserters from those regiments of the Khalsa which had not yet rebelled , and by discharged former soldiers . Battle . By November , the British had at last assembled a large army on the frontier of the Punjab , under the Commander - in - Chief , General Sir Hugh Gough . Gough had been criticised for his unvarying frontal attacks during the First Anglo - Sikh War , which had led to heavy British casualties and some near disasters . In the early hours of the morning of 22 November , Gough ordered a force of cavalry and horse artillery , with a single infantry brigade , to move to the Chenab crossing near Ramnagar , apparently intending to capture the position by surprise . The Sikhs occupied strong positions on both banks of the river and on an island in mid - stream . The river was only a narrow stream , but the wide bed it occupied during the monsoon season was treacherous soft sand , in which cavalry and artillery could become bogged down . At dawn , the British force assembled opposite the fords . The 3rd Light Dragoons and 8th Bengal Light Cavalry drove some Sikhs back across the river from positions on the east bank . At this point , hitherto concealed Sikh batteries opened fire . The British cavalry had difficulty extricating themselves from the soft ground . Gough ' s horse artillery was outgunned and forced to retire , leaving behind a 6 - pounder gun which had become bogged down . Sher Singh now sent 3 , 000 horsemen across the fords to take advantage of the British check . Gough ordered the main body of his cavalry ( the 14th Light Dragoons and the 5th Bengal Light Cavalry ) to attack them . These drove back the Sikh horsemen but as they pursued them down the river bank , they were hit by heavy artillery fire . The Sikh cavalry also turned about and hit the 5th Light Cavalry , causing heavy casualties . The Commanding Officer of the 14th Light Dragoons , Colonel William Havelock , led another charge , apparently without orders . He and his leading troopers were surrounded and cut down . After a third charge failed , Brigadier Charles Robert Cureton , the commander of the cavalry division to which the troops belonged , galloped up and ordered a retreat . He himself was then killed by musket fire . Results . Official British casualties were 21 killed , 55 wounded and 9 missing . This may have referred to the 14th Light Dragoons only . Sikh casualties were not recorded . Sher Singh had skillfully used every advantage of ground and preparation . Although the Sikh forces had been driven from their vulnerable positions on the east bank of the Chenab , their main positions were intact , they had undoubtedly repulsed a British attack , and the morale of Sher Singh ' s army was boosted . On the British side , several shortcomings were obvious . There had been little reconnaissance or other attempts to gain information on the Sikh dispositions . Gough and Havelock had both ordered foolish or reckless charges . Cureton , who ought to have been in command from the start , had a reputation from the First Sikh War as a steady and capable officer .