The Battle of Assaye occurred September 23,1803 near the village of Assaye in south-central India.
The Governor-General of India Lord Richard Wellesley ordered his younger brother General Arthur Wellesley, who would later to become Duke of Wellington, to command a British and Sepoy force of 13,500 men to the south-central part of the Indian peninsula. The forces of the Prince of Scindia and the Prince of Berar had taken position between the Kaitna and the Juah rivers; a position that the princes thought would be only attacked from across the Kaitna.
Nearby, Wellesley found a place to ford the river near the village of Assaye. After fording the river, he attacked a flank of the princes' army. This maneuver shattered the combined forces and the armies of the princes fled. The casualties of the princes' forces numbered about 6,000 men, while the British lost approximately 1,500.
According to anecdotal evidence, in his retirement years Wellington considered this his finest battle.