Key Facts
- Dates
- 11–24 December 1804
- British casualties
- 227
- Breach location
- Shahburz salient, southwest side of fort
- Bombardment began
- 13 December 1804
- Maratha retreat destination
- Bharatpur
Strategic Narrative Overview
The siege commenced on 20 November 1804, with the artillery bombardment beginning on 13 December. British engineers opened a breach at the Shahburz salient on the southwest side of the fort on 23 December. That night, a three-pronged assault was launched against the weakened defences, pressing the Maratha garrison from multiple directions and overwhelming their ability to hold the position.
01 / The Origins
The Siege of Deeg Fort took place within the broader context of the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805), in which the British East India Company sought to extend dominance over the Indian subcontinent by subduing the Maratha Confederacy. Deeg, located in the Bharatpur Kingdom in present-day Rajasthan, was a strategically important Maratha-held fortress that General Lake's forces targeted as part of the campaign to neutralise Maratha resistance in northern India.
03 / The Outcome
Faced with the breach and the coordinated night assault, the Maratha defenders retreated to Bharatpur on 24 December 1804, leaving Deeg Fort in British hands. The British sustained 227 casualties during the operation. The fall of Deeg contributed to the progressive erosion of Maratha military power in the region, advancing British control over northern India during the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Lake.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.