Battle of Koregaon

Battle of Koregaon
Part of Third Anglo-Maratha War

Bhima Koregaon Victory Pillar
Date1 January 1818
Location
Koregaon Bhima (in present-day Maharashtra, India)
18°38′44″N 074°03′33″E / 18.64556°N 74.05917°E / 18.64556; 74.05917
Belligerents
East India Company East India Co. Peshwa faction, Maratha Confederacy
Commanders and leaders
Francis F. Staunton Peshwa Baji Rao II
Bapu Gokhale
Appa Desai
Trimbakji Dengle
Units involved
  • Arab
  • Gosain
  • Maratha
  • Strength
    834, including around 500 infantry, around 300 cavalry and 24 artillery
    2 6-pounder cannons
    28,000 [citation needed] including 20,000 cavalry and 8,000 infantry
    (around 2,000 participated in the battle supported by 2 cannons)
    Casualties and losses
    275 killed, wounded or missing 500–600 killed or wounded (British estimates)
    [1]
    Koregaon Bhima is located in India
    Koregaon Bhima
    Koregaon Bhima
    Location of Koregaon Bhima in India

    The Battle of Koregaon was fought on 1 January 1818 between the British East India Company and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha Confederacy, at Koregaon Bhima.

    A 28,000-strong force [citation needed] led by Peshwa Baji Rao II whilst on their way to attack the company-held Pune, were unexpectedly met by an 800-strong Company force that was on its way to reinforce the British troops in Pune. The Peshwa dispatched around 2,000 soldiers to attack the force which sought entrenchment in Koregaon. Led by Captain Francis Staunton, the Company troops defended their position for nearly 12 hours, before the Peshwa's troops ultimately withdrew, fearing the imminent arrival of a larger British force.

    The battle was part of the Third Anglo Maratha war, a series of battles that culminated in the defeat of the Peshwa rule and subsequent rule of the British East India Company in nearly all of Western, Central and Southern India.[2] There is a "victory pillar" (obelisk) in Koregaon commemorating the battle.[3]

    1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gazetteer1885 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    2. ^ Amin, Agha (23 September 2017). Atlas of Third Maratha War-Volume 1: First ever detailed cartographic description of the Maratha and Pindari War (Cartographic Depictions of Indo Pak British Military History) (Volume 35). Createspace. ISBN 978-1977547941.
    3. ^ Macmillan, Michael. The Last of the Peshwas, a Tale of the Third Maratha War. Forgotten Books.