Battle of Attock
Part of theAfghan-Sikh Wars
Date 13 July 1813 Location Siege atAttock, Battle at Haidaru on Mansur Plain, northeast of the fort Result Sikh victory Capture of Attock[1][2]
Belligerents
Sikh Empire	Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Dewan Mokham Chand Hari Singh Nalwa Sham Singh Attariwala Sultan Mahmud Khan	Fateh Khan Barakzai Dost Mohammad Khan
Strength
20,000[3]	15,000[4]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	2,000[5]

TheBattle of Attock (also known as theBattle of Chuch or theBattle of Haidru) took place on 13 July 1813 between theSikh Empire and theDurrani Empire.^[6] The battle was the first significantSikh victory over the Durranis.^[2]

In 1811–12,Ranjit Singh invaded the hill states ofBhimber,Rajauri, andKullu in preparation for an invasion ofKashmir.^[7] In late 1812,Fateh Khan, theVizier ofKabul, crossed theIndus river under orders fromMahmud Shah Durrani to raid Kashmir and to freeShuja Shah Durrani from its renegadevizier, Atta Muhammad Khan. In an 1812 interview with Ranjit Singh, Fateh Khan agreed to a joint invasion of Kashmir. He could not invade Kashmir if he was opposed by the Sikh Empire,^[8] and agreed that a small Sikh force underDewan Mokham Chand Kochhar would receive one third of the plunder.

Both invasions began atJhelum, but once the armies reached thePir Panjal Range, Fateh Khan used a heavy snowfall to double march his veteran mountain troops through the range.^[9] However, Dewan Mokham Chand offered theRajauriraja a largejagir if he could find a path through the range that would allow the Sikhs to reach thevalley of Kashmir at the same time as the Afghan troops and was able to have a small body of troops under Jodh Singh Kalsia and Nihal Singh Attari present at the captures ofHari Parbat andShergarh. Thevizier of Kashmir, Atta Muhammad Khan, had offered no resistance to either army but Fateh Khan refused to share the spoils.^[9] Shuja Shah Durrani chose to be escorted by Dewan Mokham Chand Kochhar toLahore, the capital of the Sikh Empire, out of fear of becoming a prisoner atKabul.^[8]

Ranjit Singh became annoyed at Fateh Khan's refusal to share the plunder and opened negotiations with the renegade governor ofAttock, Jahandad Khan, brother to the recentlydeposed Atta Muhammad Khan of Kashmir,^[9] and took control of the fort at Attock.^[8] After Jahandad Khan accepted hisjagir, Dia Singh, aSardar with a small contingent of troops in the area, took control ofFort Attock including 3,510Maunds ofgrain, 439 rounds ofcannon shot, 70cannon and smallmortars, and 255Maunds ofrock salt.^[10]Hari Singh Nalwa arrived with Dewan Devi Das and a detachment ofcavalry to support thegarrison at an unknown date.^[11]

Fateh Khan set off from Kashmir in April 1813 andinvested Attock Fort.^[12] At the same time Ranjit Singh rushed Dewan Mokham Chand and Karam Chand Chahal fromBurhan with a force of cavalry, artillery, and abattalion of infantry to meet the Afghans.^[10]

Dewan Mokham Chand encamped 8 miles (13 km) from the Afghan camp,^[13] unwilling to risk a decisive engagement, although both sides engaged in numerous skirmishes and took losses. On 12 July 1812, the Afghans' supplies were exhausted and Dewan Mokham Chand marched 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Attock to Haidaru, on the banks of the Indus River, to offer battle. On 13 July 1812, Dewan Mokham Chand split the cavalry into four divisions, giving command of one division to Hari Singh Nalwa (and to Sardar Gurmukh Singh Lamba <<see Sir Lepel Griffin book>>), and taking command of one division himself. The lone battalion of infantry formed aninfantry square protecting the artillery, with Gouse Khan commanding the artillery.^[10] The Afghans took up positions opposite the Sikhs, with a portion of their cavalry under the command ofDost Mohammad Khan.

Fateh Khan opened the battle by sending hisPathans on acavalry charge which was repulsed by heavy fire from the Sikh artillery.^[10] The Afghans rallied under Dost Mohammad Khan, and according to Griffin, led a "brilliant" cavalry charge which threw one wing of the Sikh army into disarray and captured some artillery.^[12] When it appeared the Sikhs had lost the battle, Dewan Mokham Chand led a cavalry charge atop awar elephant that repulsed the Afghans "at all points",^[13] androuted the remaining Afghan troops.^[2] Fateh Khan, fearing his brother, Dost Mohammad Khan, had died, escaped to Kabul and the Sikhs captured the Afghan camp, including the lost artillery pieces.^[14]

Amritsar,Lahore, and other large cities across the Sikh Empire were illuminated for two months afterwards in rejoicing over the victory.^[15] After his defeat at Attock, Fateh Khan made further multiple attempts to get Attock back, even writing a letter to Dewan Mokham Chand, asking to return Attock which could lead to good relations between the two parties, but Mokham Chand refused and warned that the conquest of Kashmir would be next.^[16] In 1814, Yar Mohammad Khan, governor of Peshawar, attacked Attock but was repulsed, following which Fateh Khan again sent a letter in 1815, asking to hand over Attock and restore it under Mahmud Shah's authority in exchange for Multan and paying the tax revenue of Kashmir.^[17] During the last five years of his life from 1813 to 1818, Fateh Khan remained distressed over the loss of Attock.^[18]

• Battles in 1813
• Battles involving the Sikh Empire
• Battles involving the Durrani Empire

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