Assaye 1803: Wellington's Bloodiest Battle

Osprey Campaign #166

by Simon Millar, Peter Dennis (Illustrator)

Wellington said that of all his battles Assaye, fought during the Second Mahratta War (1803-05) in central India, was 'the bloodiest for the numbers that I ever saw'. A small British force, under Major-General the Honourable Arthur Wellesley (as Wellington was then known), crossed into Mahratta territory in March 1803 to restore the Peshwa to his throne - by force if necessary. On September 23, 1803, Wellesley encountered what turned out to be the entire Mahratta army in a strong position on the banks of the Kailna River. The battle, which lasted four hours, witnessed costly infantry and cavalry assaults, but was won by the steadiness of Wellesley's troops and his inspiring leadership.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2006

Reviews

[Conrad Kinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ospreys are necessarily brief summaries, but Millar has done an excellent job here. He succeeded in condensing a great of material into a short space without missing out on too much detail. He covers the political background (which is not simple) and then deals with the battle in detail. The whole production is brought together by Peter Dennis’s superb illustrations. I only regret that he didn’t get to tackle the famous Maratha rocket troops.

One of the best ospreys I’ve read. Recommended.

[Jur · Rating 2 out of 5]

See my full review here:

http://jurrga.blogspot.nl/2013/03/ass...