Siege of Aligarh

The Siege of Aligarh also known as the Battle of Aligarh was fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company during the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) at Aligarh, India.[1]

Siege of Aligarh
Part of the Second Anglo-Maratha War
Date1–4 September 1803
Location
Aligarh, India
Result British victory
Belligerents
British East India Company Maratha Empire (French)
Commanders and leaders
General Lake Pierre Cuillier-Perron
Casualties and losses
900 300

Aligarh Fort, one of the strongest forts in India, was fortified and commanded by a French mercenary officer Pierre Perron. It was laid under siege on 1 September 1803, by the British 76th Regiment, now known as the Yorkshire Regiment, under General Lord Gerard Lake. It was captured from the Marathas and French on 4 September 1803.[2] During the assault, fourteen ditches were lined with sword-blades and poisoned chevaux-de-frise around the fort by the French soldiers. The walls were reinforced with French artillery. Tigers and Lions of Scindia's menagerie were also used by the French.[2] During the battle, the British lost as many as 900 soldiers.[2] The then Duke of Wellington declared the capture as "One of the most extraordinary feats of the British conquest of Northern India".[3]

References
  1. Naravane, M.S. (2014). Battles of the Honorourable East India Company. A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. p. 75. ISBN 9788131300343.
  2. Thackeray, William Makepeace (2013). "The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan Chapter 2". CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1490979120. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. Butalia, Ramesh C. (1998). The Evolution of the Artillery in India. Allied. p. 239. ISBN 9788170238720. Retrieved 10 October 2018.


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