The Memoirs of Bābur 2.3
Túzak-i Bábarí (extracts, from Erskine's translation) 2.3
- Language
- English
2.3.1
On Sunday, the 13th of the first Jumada, I marched from Ambala, and had halted on the margin of a tank, when Mumin Atkah and Kittah Beg both returned on the same day. The command of the whole right wing I gave to Humayun, who was accompanied by * * *. Next morning, being Monday, the 14th, Humayun set out with his light force to attack Hamid Khan by surprise. Humayun despatched on before him 100 or 150 select men, by way of advanced guard. On coming near the enemy, this advanced body went close up to them, hung upon their flanks, and had one or two rencounters till the troops of Humayun appeared in sight following them. No sooner were they perceived than the enemy took to flight. Our troops brought down 100 or 200 men, cut off the heads of one half, and brought the other half alive into the camp, along with seven or eight elephants. * * * On Monday, the 21st, Humayun reached the camp that was still at the same station, with 100 prisoners and seven or eight elephants, and waited on me. I ordered Ustad 'Ali Kuli and the matchlockmen to shoot all the prisoners as an example. This was Humayun's first expedition, and the first service he had seen. It was a very good omen. Some light troops having followed the fugitives, took Hisar- Firozah the moment they reached it, and returned after plundering it. Hisar-Firozah which, with its dependencies and subordinate districts, yielded a kror, I bestowed on Humayun, with a kror in money as a present.
2.3.2
Marching from that station, we reached Shahabad. I sent fit persons towards Sultan Ibrahim's camp to procure intelligence, and halted several days in this station. * * * In this station, on Monday, the 28th of the first Jumada, the sun entered Aries; we now began also to receive repeated information from Ibrahim's camp, that he was advancing slowly by a kos or two at a time, and halting two or three days at each station. I, on my side, likewise moved on to meet him, and after the second march from Shahabad, encamped on the banks of the Jumna, opposite to Sirsawah. Haidar Kuli, a servant of Khwaja Kilan, was sent out to procure intelligence. I crossed the Jumna by a ford, and went to see Sirsawah. * * * From this station we held down the river for two marches, keeping close along its banks, when Haidar Kuli, who had been sent out to collect intelligence, returned, bringing information that Daud Khan and Haitim Khan had been sent across the river into the Doab with 6000 or 7000 horse, and had encamped three or four kos in advance of Ibrahim's position on the road towards us. On Sunday, the 18th of the second Jumada, I despatched against this column Chin Timur Sultan, * * * with the whole of the left wing commanded by Sultan Junid, * * * as well as part of the centre under Yunas 'Ali, * * * with instructions to advance rapidly and fall upon them by surprise.
2.3.3
* * * Next morning, about the time of early prayers, they arrived close upon the enemy, who put themselves in some kind of order, and marched out to meet them: but our troops no sooner came up than the enemy fled, and were followed in close pursuit and slaughtered all the way to the limits of Ibrahim's camp. The detachment took Haitim Khan, Daud Khan's eldest brother, and one of the generals, with seventy or eighty prisoners, and six or eight elephants, all of which they brought in when they waited on me. Several of the prisoners were put to death, to strike terror into the enemy. Marching thence, I arranged the whole army in order of battle, with right and left wing and centre, and after reviewing it, performed the vim. The custom of the vim is, that the whole army being mounted, the commander takes a bow or whip in his hand, and guesses at the number of the army, according to a fashion in use, and in conformity with which they affirm that the army may be so many. The number that I guessed was greater than the army turned out to be. At this station I directed that, according to the custom of Rum, the gun-carriages should be connected together with twisted bull-hides, as with chains. Between every two gun-carriages were six or seven tûras or breast-works. The matchlockmen stood behind these guns, or tûras, and discharged their matchlocks. I halted five or six days in this camp, for the purpose of getting this apparatus arranged.
2.3.4
After every part of it was in order and ready, I called together all the amirs, and men of any experience and knowledge, and held a general council. It was settled that as Panipat was a considerable city, it would cover one of our flanks by its buildings and houses, while we might fortify our front by tûras, or covered defences and cannon, and that the matchlockmen and infantry should be placed in the rear of the guns and tûras. With this resolution we moved, and in two marches, on Thursday, the 30th of the last Jumada, reached Panipat. On our right were the town and suburbs. In my front I placed the guns and tiirds which had been prepared. On the left, and in different other points, we drew ditches and made defences of the boughs of trees. At the distance of every bowshot, a space was left large enough for 100 or 150 men to issue forth. Many of the troops were in great tremor and alarm. Trepidation and fear are always unbecoming. Whatsoever Almighty God has decreed from all eternity cannot be reversed ; though, at the same time, I cannot greatly blame them ; they had some reason ; for they had come two or three months' journey from their own country ; we had to engage in arms a strange nation, whose language we did not understand, and who did not understand ours. The army of the enemy opposed to us was estimated at 100,000 men ; the elephants of the Emperor and his officers were said to amount to nearly 1000.
2.3.5
He possessed the accumulated treasures of his father and grandfather, in current coin, ready for use. It is a usage in Hindustan, in situations similar to that in which the enemy now were, to expend sums of money in bringing together troops who engage to serve for hire. These men are called Badhindi. Had he chosen to adopt this plan, he might have engaged 100,000 or 200,000 more troops. But God Almighty directed everything for the best. He had not the heart to satisfy even his own army ; and would not part with any of his treasure. Indeed, how was it possible that he should satisfy his troops, when he was himself miserly to the last degree, and beyond measure avaricious in accumulating pelf? He was a young man of no experience. He was negligent in all his movements; he marched without order; retired or halted without plan, and engaged in battle without foresight. While the troops were fortifying their position in Pánipat and its vicinity, with guns, branches of trees, and ditches, Darwesh Muhammad Sárbán said to me, "You have fortified our ground in such a way that it is not possible he should ever think of coming here." I answered, "You judge of him by the Kháns and Sultáns of the Uzbeks. * * * But you must not judge of our present enemies by those who were then opposed to us. They have not ability to discriminate when it is proper to advance and when to retreat." God brought everything to pass favourably. It happened as I foretold.
2.3.6
During the seven or eight days we remained in Panipat, a very small party of my men, advancing close up to their encampment and to their vastly superior force, discharged arrows upon them. They did not, however, move, or make any demonstration of sallying out. At length, induced by the persuasion of some Hindustani amirs in my interest, I sent Mahdi Khwaja and * * * with 4000 or 5000 men on a night attack. They did not assemble properly in the first instance, and as they marched out in confusion, did not get on well. The day dawned, yet they continued lingering near the enemy's camp till it was broad daylight, when the enemy, on their side, beat their kettledrums, got ready their elephants, and marched out upon them. Although our people did not effect anything, yet, in spite of the multitude of troops that hung upon them in their retreat, they returned safe and sound without the loss of a man. Muhammad 'Ali Jang-Jang was wounded with an arrow, and though the wound was not mortal, yet it disabled him from taking his place in the day of battle. On learning what had occurred, I immediately detached Humáyún with his division a kos or a kos and a half in advance, to cover their retreat, while I myself, remaining with the army, drew it out, and got in readiness for action. The party which had marched to surprise the enemy fell in with Humáyún, and returned with him. As none of the enemy came near us, I drew off the army, and led it back to the camp.
2.3.7
In the course of the night we had a false alarm; for nearly one ghari the call to arms and the uproar continued. Such of the troops as had never before witnessed an alarm of the kind were in great confusion and dismay. In a short time, however, the alarm subsided.