September 12, 1897, twenty-one soldier of the 36th Sikh Regiment, including their commander, Havildar Ishar Singh, faced impossible odds. Over ten thousand Pathans and Afghan tribesmen advanced on their signaling post of Saragarhi, located in the North-West Frontier province of undivided British India. For the next seven hours, the Sikhs fought to the last man, protecting the Indian soil of the British Empire with unflinching courage and determination. Each was posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest gallantry award an Indian soldier could receive from the British crown. Never in the history, or since the battle of Saragarhi, has an entire contingent of troops received the highest gallantry honor for a single action. This is their story, based on the actual dispatches sent during the battle and the days that followed it.