The Battle of Khushab was the largest engagement of the Anglo-Persian War, notable for a cavalry charge that destroyed an infantry square and earned two Victoria Crosses.
Key Facts
- Date
- 7 February 1857
- Persian square strength
- 500 soldiers
- Persian square survivors
- 20 of 500 escaped
- Victoria Crosses awarded
- 2
- Regiment charging the square
- 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry
- Persian commander
- Khanlar Mirza
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the bloodless British capture of Borazjan during the Anglo-Persian War, Sir James Outram led the British expeditionary army in a withdrawal toward Bushehr. A smaller Persian force under Khanlar Mirza positioned itself in battle order to ambush the withdrawing column from the rear.
On 7 February 1857, the British column repelled the Persian ambush near Khushab. The decisive moment was the charge of the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry against the 1st Khusgai Regiment's infantry square, breaking it entirely. Lieutenant Arthur Thomas Moore first breached the square, and Captain John Grant Malcolmson rescued Moore; only twenty of five hundred Persian soldiers escaped.
The British decisively defeated the Persian ambush and continued their withdrawal to Bushehr. The two Victoria Crosses awarded to Moore and Malcolmson became the battle's most celebrated legacy. The engagement remained the largest single battle of the Anglo-Persian War and demonstrated the effectiveness of cavalry against infantry formations in that conflict.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Sir James Outram, Lieutenant Arthur Thomas Moore, Captain John Grant Malcolmson.
Side B
1 belligerent
Khanlar Mirza.