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1 of 253523 objects
After Henry Martens (active 1825-65)
The Storming of Mooltan. 2nd Jan 1849 published 21 Apr 1851
Etching with aquatint, hand colouring | RCIN 750931
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A coloured aquatint showing the scene before the walls of Multan: with British commanders conversing behind a battery of artillery pieces which are bombarding the city walls; in the distance British infantrymen and Indian troops led by Captain Leith storm the breach. Smoke fills the air. Lettered below with the names of the officers standing in the foreground, with a dedication to Major General Sir W. S. Whish, and with a brief account of the action depicted.
The city of Multan in the Punjab (part of present day Pakistan) had been ruled by the British since the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-6). A dispute over taxes resulted in the British East India Company's decision to replace the Diwan (governor) of Multan, Mulraj Chopra, with a compliant Sikh ruler, Sirdar Khan Singh. A British political agent, Lieutenant Patrick Vans Agnew, and Lieutenant William Anderson who accompanied Khan Singh to Multan, were murdered by men in league with Mulraj's troops. This was the trigger for open rebellion against the British, and the Second Anglo-Sikh war of 1848-9.
In November 1848 a British force lead by General William Whish marched on Multan, laying siege to the city. While his troops attacked the city's outskirts Whish deployed his artillery of 150 pieces, setting up batteries which succeeded in breaching the city walls. A general assault was launched on 27 December, and after hand-to-hand fighting and much bloodshed, Multan was finally taken by the British on 22 January 1849. -
Creator(s)
(engraver) -
Medium and techniques
Etching with aquatint, hand colouring
Category
Object type(s)
Subject(s)
Alternative title(s)
The siege of Multan
