Subsequent outbreaks

Subsequent outbreaks
Lieutenant Herbert Edwardes, the British Political Agent in Bannu, had been near Multan in April but was unable to save Vans Agnew. He hastily levied some Pakhtun irregular troops, and together with some loyal Sikh regiments, defeated Mulraj's army near the Chenab River on June 18 and drove them back to the city but was unable to attack the city's fortifications. On August 18, he was joined by a small force from the Bengal Army under General Whish to begin the siege of the city.
Meanwhile, on learning of the events at Multan, Currie (supported by Dalhousie, the Governor General, and Sir Hugh Gough, the Commander in Chief of the Bengal Army) declined to order up major units of the East India Company to the Punjab until the end of the hot weather and Monsoon seasons, which would not be until November. Instead, Currie ordered several detachments of the Khalsa to suppress Mulraj's rebellion. To the alarm of several Political Agents, the largest contingent was commanded by Sirdar Sher Singh Attariwalla, Chattar Singh's son.
Some Agents were already taking action to forestall outbreaks of rebellion. Captain John Nicholson, leading irregular cavalry, seized the vital fort of Attock on the Indus River from its Sikh garrison while they were still deciding whether to rebel. His force then linked up with James Abbott's local Hazara levies to capture the Margalla Hills which separated Hazara from the other parts of the Punjab. When Chattar Singh openly rebelled in August, his force was unable to leave Hazara without fighting a battle. Although Chattar Singh twice succeeded in capturing the passes through the hills, he nevertheless failed to take advantage of this (possibly because of dissension among his senior officers and continual harassment by pro-British irregulars), and retreated into Hazara.
On September 14, Sher Singh's army openly rebelled at Multan. He did not join Mulraj however. He and Mulraj conferred at a carefully chosen neutral site, at which it was agreed that Mulraj would give some money from his treasury to Sher Singh's army, which would march north into the Central Punjab and ultimately rejoin Chattar Singh. Meanwhile, Whish was forced to raise the siege until he was reinforced.