Key Facts
- Duration
- 11 days (8–19 October 1804)
- Maratha cavalry strength
- 60,000 cavalry
- Maratha infantry strength
- 15,000 infantry
- Siege outcome
- Holkar withdrew upon arrival of Lake's reinforcements
Strategic Narrative Overview
Holkar's forces, numbering 60,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry, surrounded Delhi on 8 October 1804. British commanders Lt. Col. Ochterlony and Lt. Col. Burn organized a determined defense, with fierce fighting concentrated at the Ajmeri, Kashmiri, and Lahori gates. Despite numerical superiority, the Marathas could not breach the city's defenses, and the British garrison held firm through eleven days of sustained pressure.
01 / The Origins
During the Second Anglo-Maratha War, Maratha leader Yashwantrao Holkar sought to extend his political influence by bringing the Mughal emperor in Delhi under his control. The British East India Company had aligned itself with the Mughals, making Delhi a strategic flashpoint. Holkar assembled a large force of cavalry and infantry to seize the city and undermine British authority in northern India.
03 / The Outcome
On 18 October 1804, General Gerard Lake arrived at Delhi with reinforcing British troops. Faced with this relief force, Holkar abandoned the siege the following day, withdrawing his army without achieving his political objective of controlling the Mughal emperor. The failed siege weakened Holkar's strategic position and reinforced British dominance over the Mughal court in Delhi.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Yashwantrao Holkar.
Side B
1 belligerent
Lt. Col. Ochterlony, Lt. Col. Burn, General Gerard Lake.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.