When 21 Sikh soldiers stood against 10,000 men: the battle of Saragarhi

Thanks for reminding us CPT Jack Durish. I too have been fascinated by especially Gurkha soldiers who served bravely, nobly and ferociously so many time on behalf of a nation which didn't always welcome them.
It seems fitting that "Saragarhi was the most important of the picquets because through it, heliographic signal communications – signals using flashes of sunlight – could be maintained between the two main forts."
Last stands capture our imagination - Thermopylae. Masada, Stamford Bridge, Agincourt ...

"The enemy surrounded Saragarhi on 12 September, knowing full well that this would cut communications and troop movements between the forts of Lockhart and Gulistan, and that with the British forces spread out it would no longer be possible for Haughton to send aid. The 22 men inside were led by an experienced sergeant in Havildar Ishar Singh, who rallied his men to defend their positions.
The Pathans attacked at around 9am, but were repulsed with around 60 losses as the Sikhs fired upon the mass of men. The enemy dived behind rocks and dips in the ground for cover, but two tribesmen had also managed to get to the post and remained close under the walls of the north-west bastion where there was a dead angle [that cannot be reached directly by defenders’ fire].
Unseen by the Sikhs inside, they began digging beneath the walls. The enemy next set fire to bushes and shrubbery to create a smokescreen with which to edge forward. They concentrated their gunfire on the wooden front door, a defect of planning which presented a weakness.
Haughton too tried several times to sally forward with a party of rifles to divert the enemy away from Saragarhi, but the sheer number of tribesmen meant he could not get far without being outflanked. The Sikhs continued to hold back the enemy but by noon, one sepoy [an infantryman in the British Indian army] had been killed and another wounded, with three rifles broken by enemy gunfire.

The battle culminated at around 3pm when a section of wall under attack from the diggers began to cave in; the enemy gave a final cry to advance and rushed through the new gap. As the enemy crowded over their own dead and injured to get into Saragarhi, the few Sikhs remaining inside put up a stubborn defence but were forced to retreat into the inner defences. Ishar Singh is believed to have covered the retreat and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Another sepoy secured the guardroom door from the inside and carried on firing, but was burned to death in an ensuing fire. Gurmukh Singh too is said to have asked permission to pack away his equipment before joining the fight.
The 21 Sikhs had made a valiant last stand, and the enemy had paid a high price for their victory with around 180 dead."
"The heliograph, the reason why the men fought to defend Saragarhi, would ironically be the source of their fame: details of their heroism were heliographed and then telegraphed back to London by a Times correspondent and then reported in newspapers around the world. The commander-in-chief of India recorded his “admiration of the heroism shown by those gallant soldiers”.
The British saw the significance of this last stand in inspiring more Indians to serve and fight, and built two Memorial Gurdwaras: one near Sri Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, and another in Ferozepur. The 36th Sikhs were duly rewarded a battle honour for the Samana and 12 September was set as a regimental holiday"
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Wayne Brandon Maj William W. "Bill" Price Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown 1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Robert Ruck SP5 Mark Kuzinski SrA Christopher Wright SGT Robert George SPC (Join to see) MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see)

300 ain't got nothing on this team!!! Thanks for the share CPT Jack Durish.

the Brits firmly believe in the concept of taking their unbeaten enemies and incorporating them into their armed forces. FWIW, allegedly the largest Sikh community outside the Punjab is in Northern California in the twin cities (Marysville/Yuba City). i lived there, i believe it.