A life size view along the length of the British line during the Battle of Meanee. Sir Charles Napier's brilliant victory over the Amirs with a force little more than a tenth the size of his adversaries' completed the annexation of Sind; Hyderabad fell to Napier's forces two days later.

In the foreground men of a flank company of the 22nd Cheshire Regiment are shown charging the mass of Baluchi warriors in the dried-up bed of the River Fullaillee. The mounted figures on the river bank are, according to tradition, Lt.-Col. William Pattle, commanding the 9th Bengal Light Infantry; Lt.-Col. J. L. Pennefather, commanding the 22nd; Major P. McPherson, Military Secretary to Sir Charles Napier; Sir Charles Napier; Ali Akhbar, an interpreter. In the distance is the village of Kattree, on which the Baluchis' right rested.

The battle is graphically described by Napier's brother William in his Conquest of Scinde (1845), p. 302-23. It was this account that inspired Edward Armitage to create the painting, and the artist contacted William Napier asking for 'whatever information or help he can give him as to ground, costume, incidents…' Early in January 1846 William Napier was reportedly 'very busy drawing sketches of Beloochs, their caps, arms &c for Mr. Armitage', but drawings of the field of battle may have arrived too late to be of use to the painter.

When the finished picture was exhibited at Westminster Hall in 1847 it attracted great attention and gained one of the premiums of £500. Queen Victoria visited the exhibition with Prince Albert and the King and Queen of the Belgians on 25 June 1847 and, amongst some 'very fine' pictures, noted 'a Battle Picture, size of life, by Armitage, a beautiful picture which I should much like to buy, but am not rich enough.' The picture was also admired by the Duke of Wellington, who 'stood opposite Meanee expressing aloud great admiration.' The Queen in fact acquired the picture for £400 on 11 October 1847. Only Sir Charles Napier was critical of Armitage's picture, preferring a painting of the battle by George Jones: 'Jones has placed me personally more correctly for in Armitage's I am in rear of the troops – whereas I was in front the whole time… Armitage has placed me where I was, as regards the ground; but he has placed the troops wrongly as they did not fight down in the Bed of the river.'