November

Alexander Campbell Gardner

1785 - 1877

Colonel of the Sikh Artillery

This colourful character was born on the shores of Lake Superior in the Duluth/Superior area of what is now the state of Wisconsin to an Irish/Spanish mother and a Scottish surgeon. In 1817, his adventures drifted him to Afghanistan where he took up service under Amir Habibullah Khan, the nephew of Dost Mohammad Khan. The following year he was summoned to Lahore where he became an artillery officer in Maharajah Runjeet Singh`s army with the rank of colonel.

Gardona Sahib, as he was popularly known served in several military campaigns when Raja Dhyan Singh Dogra took him over from the Maharajah`s service and placed him in full command of his own artillery. Yet our colourful character witnessed all the intrigues and assassinations that continued after the demise of Maharajah Runjeet Singh bringing the mighty Sikh Empire to an abrupt end.

However, he had been retained by Rani Jinda as Garrison Commander at Lahore and discharged from the Lahore Durbar in 1847, but returned to the services of Maharajah Gulab Singh of Kashmir as commander of his regiment of infantry and artillery. He passed his final days meeting old Khalsa army soldiers reminiscing about the glory days of the Sikh reign.

His career had been seriously challenged by contemporary historians, describing him as a fake, who never really occupied any position of consequence in the Sikh army and drew upon his imagination woven with fictitious narratives. Yet, Gardona Sahib, the last of the European mercenaries died at Jammu at the age of 92 and was buried at a military cemetery in Sialkot.

IMAGE CAPTION

210: The famous picture of Alexander Gardner dressed in the 79th Tartan, adorned with the egret’s plume was probably taken in 1859, at a ripe old age of 74.