Analysis of Battle of Saragarhi : The lies we are told

[ZenBird]

Bollywood account always are young chap.Kudos

I'm not Indian I don't care about Bollywood or Kargil.

 

[django]

I'm not Indian I don't care about Bollywood or Kargil.

Yet you bought it into the conversation. Have a good day.

 

[Jaanbaz]

Bollywood fairy tales does not count as facts.

 

[ZenBird]

Bollywood fairy tales does not count as facts.

Neither do tall tales spun from a "history of pashtuns" blog.

 

[Jaanbaz]

Neither do tall tales spun from a "history of pashtuns" blog.

Its all about providing trustworthy sources Mr Indian, that's why I wrote Bollywood is not a trustworthy source.

 

[ZenBird]

Its all about providing trustworthy sources Mr Indian, that's why I wrote Bollywood is not a trustworthy source.

Don't call me Indian, Mr Pakistani, I ain't no Injun. The Bollywood movie hasn't been made yet. The OP mentions a blog article as a trustworthy source and there are like a thousand other blog articles, books, the Indian Order of Merit citations for the Sikhs that contradict them. I'll believe those over a petty minded silly Pashtun nationalist blog.

BTW, this source trustworthy enough for you? Camperdown Chronicle (1906)
DEFENCE OF SARAGARHI POST.
The Tirah campaign of 1897 teemed
throughout with thrilling incidents of
gallantry and heroism. After a space
of years, perhaps none is remembered
with more enthusiasm, or takes a
more conspicuous place in the annals
of the Indian Army, than the heroic
defence of Saragarhi Post by a mere
handful of Sikhs against an attack
ing force of the Orakzais tribe, 6000
strong. The magnificent defence of
the native soldiers for nearly nine
hours, until totally annihilated, was
unparalleled in the events of the
frontier war of ten years ago, and is
now historical. September 12 is
therefore a day memorable in the
history of the Indian frontier regi-
ments. Up on the sun-baked fron-
tier stations the memory of the brave
men who fought until death for the
honour of the British service is kept
alive by a general holiday on every
anniversary of the defence.
Saragarhi post, the scene of this
thrilling fight, was nothing more than
a small signalling station situated
on a barren, wind-blown hill-slope
between, Fort Lockhart and Fort
Cavagnari on the Santana range of
hills. Within its walls on.the night
of September 11, 1897, were gather-
ed twenty-three Sepoys and one fol-
lower, detached from the gallant
36th Regiment of Sikhs. All was
still and tranquil in this inhospitable
outpost. The night was dark and
starless.
Meanwhile, in the darkness, the
Pathans were gathering together at
the foot of the ridge, silently and
slowly. The whole plain was alive
with moving bodies. Inside the lit-
tle fort on the summit the sentries
walked patiently to and fro during
the small hours, unconscious of the
danger at hand. As yet the presence
of the enemy was unknown. The
quiet peacefulness of the fort, how-
ever, was soon to be disturbed. Down
in the valley the wily leader of the
Orakzais gleefully took in hand the
placing of his men. The operations
were to be a huge joke. What, in
deed, could be more humorous? On
his right lay Fort-Lockhart; on his
left, Fort-Cavagnari,, both full of
Sahibs and Sepoys. But here, right
in the very palm of his hand was a
mere handful of Sepoys, entrenched
possilly but surely not very terrible,
without a British Sahib to encour-
age and command them. He would
catch them unawares, take the place
by assault, batter down the walls,
and then pass on. Dawn was ad-
vancing ; he would begin at once.
Up in the fort the sentries saw a
flash In the darkness. Then came
the crack of a rifle and a shot hur-
ried harmlessly over the fort. The
attack on Saraghari had commenced.
The sleeping Sepoys were quickly a-
wakened. rifles clicked, bandoliers
were filled. with ammunition. What
was happening they sleepily wonder-
ed. Evidently a sniping party of
tribesmen intent on giving trouble
were at hand. When daylight came
the brave men within the walls of
Saragarhi Fort saw that they were
posterously outnumbered. Undismay-
ed they returned the ememy's fire
from the loop-holes of the walls. If
they could keep back their assailants
for a few hours help would come
from Fort-Lockhart. By helio they
informed the garrison of the danger
of their position and a cheering mes-
sage of encouragement flashed back
across the hills to them. Fort-Lock-
hart was sending all the men that
its slender garrison could spare. The
day advanced, and the fort was sub-
jected to a constant fire, but the men
of the 36th Sikhs fought stubbornly
on. 'The enemy began to close in
round them. Surely help would soon
be at hand. Fort-Lockhart would
save them. They did not know that
the Pathans had already outflanked
the relieving force, whose frenzied ef-
forts of rescue were checkmated by
the overwhelming forces of the enemy.
The little garrison of Saragarhi
fought desperately for their lives.
they had now been besieged for six
hours.
The construction of the fort, alas !
was faulty in the extreme. At the
corner of the flanking tower there
was a dead angle, or, in other words
a part of the wall could not be de-
fended from any part of the parapet
or loop-holes. The enemy were now
to take advantage of this weak spot
in the building. The splendid efforts
of the soldiers had so far kept them
at bay. Again and again the Brit-
ish bullets had driven back the Pa-
than mountaineers. Their leader de-
cided that the garrison must be
rushed. All through the fight the
Sepoy signalmen up on the parapet
kept in constant communication with
Fort-Lockhart by heliograph. The
distracted commanding officer in that
fort, with every detail of the fight
before him, knew that the gallant
little force in Saragarhi was doomed.
He could do nothing to check the at-
tack of the enemy or assist the gar-
rison.
The crisis came at last. The Ora-
kzais brought an unceasing hail of
bullets to bear on the Iteseged fort.
Intoxicated with fanaticism and the
desire to kill, they advanced up the
hill with a rush. The signalman
did not desert his post until at last
he was driven to defend himself. The
enemy were now beside the dead an-
gle in the flanking tower and batter-
ing a hole in the walls. Soon an
opening was made, and the Pathans
crowded into the: fort. The brave
men of the 36th Sikhs determined to
sell their lives dearly, and retired to
an inner enclosure. Here they gal-
lantly fought until reinforcements of
the enemy, climbing the walls on all
side.s, swarmed into the fort, when
they were cut up to a man. A
wounded Sepoy lying on a bed shot
four of the enemy before he was kil-
led himself.
The last surviving man barracaded
himself in the guard-room and ac-
counted for twenty of the Pathans
Up on the frontier the defence of
Saragarhi and the brave men who
did their duty and died at their
posts in the Frontier war of ten
years ago will not be forgotten
while British rule in India remains.
on September 12, 1897. the 36th
Siikhs covered themselves with un-
dying glory
PS I'm done with this thread, going to nope out before it becomes a full on circle jerk for those with fragile egos.