The book (let) you are about to read started out as a relatively modest project: to provide for the first time in one volume all of the orders of battle for both belligerents during the 1st Sikh War (1845-46). But, as usual when one begins a project, the more I worked on the book the more I unearthed mysteries surrounding the Sikh and Anglo-Indian armies that were fielded during the war and, the more I tried to reconcile these conundrums, the more involved I became. Eventually, I had to say “Enough is enough” in order to keep the book on subject as much as possible, but my modest effort had now turned into a book numbering some 100 typed pages.

Nonetheless, I am very proud of the work that I, and my colleagues, put into the book you are about to read. It is as complete in detail as possible and loaded with information that has not been seen by the general public since the war began almost 160 years ago. At this point in time though, I would like to point out to the reader exactly what this book is, and also what it isn’t, about.

This book is not a detailed history of the 1st Sikh War. It does contain a concise history of the war and some background material, but it is in no way a detailed account of the war, which has been handled quite well by other authors listed in the bibliography. This work is not a detailed history of the Sikhs, the Khalsa or Ranjit Singh, but there is an absolutely brilliant chapter written by Chris Ferree explaining just how the war came about. This book does not explain battles, tactics or strategy in detail, but it does contain an essential chapter by one of the true experts on the subject, Neil Carleton, dealing with the elite arm of the Khalsa, the Sikh artillery corps. Last but not least, despite my extensive wargaming background, both miniature and board; this booklet has absolutely no interest in providing information on uniform (or flag) colors, details or schemes for either army. If you’re looking for that type of information, please look elsewhere.

Having listed what this book is not, I will briefly explain what the book is all about. Inside you will find the most complete, detailed and correct collection of orders of battle from the 1st Sikh War (1845-1846). Not only are regiments, battalions and batteries mentioned for both sides in just about any battle, but details are also given regarding names and ranks of commanding officers and a veritable “Who’s who” list of senior and staff officers who participated throughout the campaign (or until wounded or killed in action). While the most detailed orders of battle deal with the Anglo-Indian “Army of the Sutlej”, the true heart of the book revolves around the Sikh orders of battle, the majority of which appear written in English for the first time outside the subcontinent of India in one collection. Not only will you find out exactly what regiment took part in which battle (where that information is provided), but you will also see how the Khalsa grew from a mercenary cavalry raiding force in 1799 into one of the most professional armies ever to take the field against a veteran adversary less than fifty years later. With this book and a good solid history of the war from another author, you will have just about all the information on the 1st Sikh War there is to know.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not thank the following people for their assistance in getting this book to press. To Chris Ferree and Neil Carleton for their contributions I can only say that I am both proud and honored to have there works gracing the pages of my humble effort. I would also like to thank Patrick Wilson and Dennis L. Bishop for both their assistance and support in getting this book on paper. Last but not least, this book would not have seen the light of day without the hard work and contributions of Bob Giglio, who helped edit and proof-read most of the manuscript chapters you are about to read, and Aaron Silverman who took my finished Word.doc version of the book and converted it into a more professional looking .pdf (Acrobat) format. To all of you, Thanks again!

Khyber Pass Games and Books
Miami, Summer 2003

For more information: ANDREW PREZIOSI, PreziosiA@aol.com

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