Key Facts
- Date
- 12–13 January 1779
- British force size
- Over 3,000 troops
- Bullocks supporting British force
- 19,000
- Treaty signed
- February 1779
- Commemorative pillar installed
- 2003
Strategic Narrative Overview
As the British column struggled over the Ghats, it exhausted its supplies and found itself in an untenable position. Mahadaji Shinde's Maratha forces moved to exploit the vulnerability, attacking and encircling the British troops near Vadgaon Maval village. Outnumbered and cut off, the British force was compelled to halt its retreat and sue for terms. The engagement lasted two days, 12–13 January 1779, ending in the complete encirclement and surrender of the British contingent.
01 / The Origins
During the First Anglo-Maratha War, a British East India Company force set out from Bombay with the aim of crossing the Western Ghats and joining another column advancing from Bengal. The march was part of broader British efforts to extend influence over the Maratha Confederacy, whose confederate polities controlled much of central and western India. The column's slow progress and inadequate logistics left it dangerously exposed before it could link up with reinforcing troops.
03 / The Outcome
Following the encirclement, the British agreed to a treaty in February 1779 and were permitted to withdraw to Bombay. The convention represented a significant setback for the East India Company's ambitions in the region, temporarily checking British expansion. The Maratha victory at Wadgaon is still commemorated annually in the region, and a victory pillar was erected at the site in 2003 to mark the occasion.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Mahadaji Shinde.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.