a, at
once securing his own force, and affording safety to the garrison.
Brigadier-general Wheeler was unable at once to follow up these
movements; the skilful and complicated manoeuvres which Sir Hairy made
to evade the enemy threw the brigadier off the communication. The
Sikhs were, on the whole, encouraged by these proceedings; they had
interrupted the communication of Generals Smith and Wheeler, captured
considerable baggage, acted for some time on the aggressive, and
inflicted loss upon the British. It was, therefore, with some
confidence, that they took up an intrenched position at Budhawal,
resting for support on the fort connected with that place. The position
was not, however, a safe one. Smith and Godby were on one Hank, and
Wheeler, cautiously feeling his way, hung dangerously upon the other.
The sirdar became alarmed lest Wheeler should be reinforced, and the
British generals should then fall on both his flanks; he accordingly
fell back upon the Sutlej, a movement bad in strategy, but which was
forced upon him by the movements of the English generals--unless,
indeed, he had suddenly, with great rapidity and boldness, attacked them
in detail. Wheeler and Smith formed a junction, and moved clown upon the
abandoned post of Budhawal. Here General Smith was further reinforced,
and he found himself at the head of a body of men, European and native,
sufficiently formidable to justify him in acting at once upon the
offensive. Before General Smith could attack the new position of the
sirdar, the latter was reinforced by a brigade of cavalry, twelve guns,
and a small division of infantry, probably numbering about four thousand
men. Finding himself at the head of a force numerically so superior to
the British, the enterprising sirdar once more took the offensive;
but instead of attacking the army of Sir Harry Smith, he attempted to
intercept his communications with the main army, by the occupation
of Jugroon. To prevent the accomplishment of this object, the English
general determined to bring on a general engagement. Accordingly, on the
morning of the 28th of January, the British force made directly for the
enemy, with whom they came up after a march of six miles. The Sikhs were
in position along a ridge of elevated ground, close to the village of
Ullewall, or, as it is called in the British despatches, Aliwal. The
right of the enemy rested upon a somewhat precipitous ridge, while the
left was defended by intrenchments