Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 19.20
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 19.20
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Intelligence being now come that the Shah-zada was in full march, Ram-narain assembled his troops from all parts, and having got himself joined by Pahluvan-sing, and some other Zemindars at the head of their troops, he found himself further reinforced by the arrival of a good body of Afghans, that came to his assistance from Mvrshvd-abad, under the command of Rehem-qhan, the Rohilah, a famous officer, who had acquired a character under Aaly-verdy-qhan, and whom Mir-djaafer-qhan had selected on that very account. Ram-narain thus strengthened, marched out in a favourable hour, pointed out to him by his Brachman astrologers, and he encamped at five or six cosses on the road to Ticary. He had twelve thousand horse, a great deal of infantry, and several large pieces of cannon, together with a large number of swivels and rockets, as well as every requisite for war. Over and above all that force, he had a body of European English, commanded by Captain Cocran, who was accompanied by some other officers and Sergeants; the latter commanded a body of Hindian soldiers, armed and accoutred, and disciplined in the European manner of fighting; I mean those soldiers that are become so famous under the name of Talingas. They may have amounted to a thousand and some hundred men, all armed with flint-locks. They had likewise two brass guns, followed by their carts, loaded with ammunition ready made up;
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and these guns, furnished with their carts, were so handy, as to follow the troops everywhere. Hardly had the Shah-zada passed the little river of Keremnassa, which is the boundary of the province of Azim-abad, when he received intelligence of the death of Aalemghir the second, his father. This event happened in the following strange manner:—A friend of the Vezir Umad-el-mulk's artfully turned the conversation upon a Fakir or religious, freshly arrived at the monument of Firooz-shah, who performed wonders and miracles, and was visited by multitudes of persons. Aalemghir, on hearing this, had the simplicity to wish to see the holy man; and he mounted on his elephant to make him a visit. This was on the persuasion of Mehdy-nessar-qhan, the Cashmirian, brother to Aaly-cooly-qhan; this nobleman accompanied the monarch thither, and carried him to the very room where the holy man was sitting, and he raised the curtain to afford an easier entrance to the Emperor, who, giving him the long sword which he carried in his hand, got into the room. This was immediately made fast from without; and the Monarch was hardly seated, when the murderers, who were all Tooranians of the most merciless kind, fell upon him with their poniards, and dispatched him in a moment; after which the door being set open again, the body was drawn out by the legs and tumbled downstairs, at the gate which looks eastward towards the river, and was now on a plain of dry sand.
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Mirza-babr, nephew and son-in-law to Aalemghir, seeing this scene, drew his sabre and wounded one or two persons; but he was soon overpowered by Mehdy-nessar-qhan's people, who threw him into a covered paleky, and conveyed him to the Fortress of Selimgur, which is the usual place of confinement for Princes of the Imperial blood; from thence they brought out a Prince whom they seated on the throne, under the name of Shah-djehan-sany, or the second. Meanwhile the body of Aalemghir remaining neglected, the loch-chas, or vilest part of the populace, had the generosity to assemble, and to carry it to Homaioon's monument, where they committed it to the ground. So sudden and so mournful a revolution could not but confound and amaze the Imperial Prince. His feelings were deeply affected; but he soon recovered spirits enough to write with his own hand an account of this unhappy event, and to send it secretly by a trusty person to my forgiven father, who then resided with his consort and family upon his estate, in the town of Hussein-abad, which he had just founded and built. The letter, besides an account of the revolution, contained a request of some advice on what he thought was to be done. My forgiven father, on receiving the above letter, took pen, and without loss of time wrote with his own hand a full answer, in which he advised the "Prince immediately, on his receiving his letter, to sit with the "customary ceremonies upon the throne he had inherited;
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"to send without loss of time the casket of the Vezir's office, "to Shudjah-ed-doulah, together with a rich qhylaat in investiture of that dignity; and meanwhile to appoint some able Mogul, of those now present about his person, to act as Deputy-Vezir. He likewise advised the Prince to invest Nedjib-ed-doulah with the office of Lord of Lords, which implies that of Paymaster-General and Commander of the forces; and to send him the qhylaat of that high office, which is next to the Vezirship; to send Munnir-ed-doula in embassy to the Abdaly King, with a letter informing him of his accession to the throne of his ancestors; and inviting him to come over to his assistance, as that Monarch had already done in favour of Shudjah-ed-doula, of Nedjib-ed-doula, and of some other Princes of Hindia, who had once made the same application." To those advices he added these words: "Your Majesty, above all, must neglect nothing to gain the hearts of the principal men of your Court; nor is it necessary to appoint me, your old servant, to the office you have intended. At present I am satisfied with the subsistence which I find in my humble retreat; but whenever I am so happy as to hear of your throne having been firmly established, and of your Empire being Supported by the columns of consent and unanimity;
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whenever I hear that the Grandees of your dominions have attached themselves to their duty, and act unanimously in your service, then there will be found places enough for your ancient Minister, and bread enough for your old servant. At present I wish for nothing but to see you both prosperous and happy." The Prince was then at Catoly. On receiving my forgiven father's letter, he ordered a throne to be erected, according to the usage of the House of Babr; and taking his seat upon it, he commenced his reign, under the titles of Shah-aalem-bahadyr, Emperor. He then sent the Vezir's casket to Shudjah-ed-doula, with a rich qhylaat; forwarded another to Nedjib-ed-doula; and appointed Munnir-ed-doula to go as his Embassador to the Court of the Abdaly Monarch; in a word, he made every disposition that had been pointed out to him by my father's letter ; and he was waiting for the divine assistance, when Cam-car-qhan, with five or six thousand horse, made his appearance, and had the happiness to kiss the footsteps of the Imperial throne. Dilir-qhan, and Assalet-qhan, his brother, arrived at the same time, at the head of a thousand horse and foot, and were received with marks of favour and distinction. Cam-car-qhan at the same time undertook to furnish the expense of the Imperial household ; and he soon found means to introduce plenty in camp.
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Dilir-qhan, who listened only to the impetuosity of his temper, and to the fury of his deep-rooted resentment, wanted to come immediately to a general engagement, as soon as Miren should arrive, that he might have it in his power to punish that coward in the field of braves, for the infamous deceit he had put upon him. But Cam-car-qhan, who was a man of sense and experience, requested that first of all they should fall upon Ram-narain, before he should be joined by Miren ; after which they would provide against Miren himself, thinking it dangerous to let them effect a junction of their forces. This advice having been approved by the Emperor, multitudes of men that presented themselves, were gradually and silently enlisted, insomuch, that in a little time he found himself in a condition to encounter Ram-narain. This Governor was encamped on the river Dehva, when the Emperor advanced upon him. Some skirmishes took place, and these ended in a battle. The engagement soon became general. The first line of Ram-narain's was led to action by Ahmed-qhan-coreishy, and by Rehem-qhan, the Rohilah. Radja Murly-dur, the head spy, and Pahluvan-sing, with his Bodj-puriahs, followed next, backed by some others of Ram-narain's troops. Captain Cocran was stationed close to that Governor's troops, but without mixing with them. His men were ranged in the utmost order, as it is customary with the English troops, who always look like a wall.
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On the Emperor's side, the troops were ranged in two large bodies. The one was led to action by Cam-car-qhan ; the other, by the two brothers, Dilir-qhan, and Assalet-qhan. The Emperor, with a small number of select friends and servants, took his post in the rear. But hardly had the engagement become warm, than the two brothers, like two tigers avide of slaughter, and two elephants in rut, rushed on the flanks of Ram-narain's army, and made it give way; and as they were the foremost of those that had penetrated within the enemy's ranks, they soon were aimed at like so many marks; and now musket-balls were falling from the English line like a storm of hail. The Bodj-pUriahs were firing at the same time, and all with a variety of other missiles were aiming at those two heroes, and at that intrepid troop that followed them. At last the elephant that carried Dilir-qhan's standard, being attacked on all sides, took fright and turned about. This was observed to that officer. You talk to me of an elephant only, answered the man; I would not shrink for Heaven itself, were it to turn about. At these words he jumped down from his horse, and with two or three hundred of his old soldiers, all dismounted, he rushed on the enemy with sabre and buckler in hand. His brother, Assalet-qhan, did the same. The two brothers pushing forwards, broke the enemy's ranks, and made them turn their backs a second time. It was not so with the English.
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These men stood their ground like a wall, from which fell such a rain of balls, as appalled the most daring. Nevertheless the enemy was flying. In this state of things Dilir-qhan was wounded by a musket-ball, that pierced both his cheeks, and Assalet-qhan, his brother, was run through by a spear, which made a large wound. Thirty of his bravest men were slain outright, and forty more disabled by their wounds; they all drank with open cheerful countenances, the bitter cup presented them by death, and plunged together in eternity. Forty more were wounded, most of whom followed their heroical Commanders, as few of these recovered of their wounds. But yet, in consequence of this vigorous attack, the enemy had been put into much disorder, and had turned their backs; and the English fire seemed silenced. Rehem-qhan and Ghulam-shah, two principal Commanders on Ram-narain's side, were taken prisoners by some of Cam-car-qhan's and Medar-ed-doula's soldiers. Murly-dur was taken by Cam-car-qhan himself, and became his prisoner. Murad-qhan, the Balluch, and Ahmed-qhan, the Coreishy, escaped by flight; in one word, all that line fled. As soon as the English fire was silenced, and the enemy was seen flying, Cam-car-qhan fell upon Ram-narain, who yet stood his ground with a small number of men. This Governor, unable to stand such an attack, sent to the English Commander to request one-half of his men.
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The latter had, at the beginning, warned him, that he had better take his post amongst the English; but this he would not hear, as he found his pride wounded by the proposal, or he had some other object in view. This much is certain, that the Captain who had orders to be careful of the Radja's person, was obliged to send him part of his men; and as his whole corps, which was but a handful, had already suffered much, his men on seeing themselves parted asunder, were confounded, lost their usual firmness, and dispersed; for Cam-car-qhan, making his attack at the very moment of their parting, rendered it impossible for them to form again, and afforded an excuse to their flight, which became less disgraceful on that very account. The runaways being vigorously pursued by that Zemindar, that flight became general, and thereby ceased to be a disgrace. The whole of Ram-narain's army was put to the rout, and the Radja himself obliged to fly for his life. Cam-car-qhan joining him at that very moment, ran a spear at him, wounded him grievously, and would have killed him infallibly, had he not been vigorously opposed by the late Mir-abdollah, the illustrious gentleman whom we have mentioned to have been recommended to the Radja, by Mr. Watts; this officer, on covering his master with his body, received several wounds from arrows, and from spears, but still covered and saved his master.
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The latter, already wounded dangerously, fell speechless in his haodah, where very luckily for him, he was sheltered by the boards of it from Cam-car-qhan's fury; for the latter struck his spear into it a second time, and hit him again. After that there was no remaining any more on the field of battle; and Ram-narain appearing senseless, his driver turned his elephant about and fled with all his might. Captain Cocran and Mr. Barwell, with some other English officers, were slain one after another, in consequence of that improper division which they had made of their forces, and which had occasioned a dispersion. What remained of their people was rallied by Doctor William Fullerton, a friend of mine, and possibly by some English officers, whose names I know not, who ranged them in order again; and as one of their guns was to be left on the field of battle, they found means to render it useless and of no avail, by thrusting a large needle of iron into its eye. The other being in no good condition, they took it with them, together with its ammunition; and that handful of men had the courage to retire in the face of a victorious enemy, without once shrinking from their ranks. During their journey the cart of ammunition chanced to receive some damage; the Doctor stopped unconcernedly, and after having put it in order, he bravely pursued his route again;
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and it must be acknowledged, that this nation's presence of mind, firmness of temper, and undaunted bravery, are past all question. They join the most resolute courage to the most cautious prudence; nor have they their equals in the art of ranging themselves in battle array, and fighting in order. If to so many military qualifications they knew how to join the arts of government; if they shewed a concern for the circumstances of the husbandman, and of the gentleman; and exerted as much ingenuity and solicitude in relieving and easing the people of God, as they do in whatever concerns their military affairs, no nation in the world would be preferable to them, or prove worthier of command. But such is the little regard which they shew to the people of these kingdoms, and such their apathy and indifference for their welfare, that the people under their dominion groan everywhere, and are reduced to poverty and distress. O! God, come to the assistance of thine afflicted servants, and deliver them from the oppressions they suffer. The Emperor satisfied with his victory, ordered his music to play in token of rejoicing, but forbore pursuing the vanquished. After the battle, it was found that Dilir-qhan had drank with the utmost courage and alacrity, the bitter cup presented him by death; that Assalet-qhan, his brother, was yet mounted on the pinions of death, and was hastening to the gates of eternity;
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and that a number of their lion-like companions were taking the same route, in company with their intrepid Commanders. M8rly-dur who was deprived of an eye which he had lost in the battle by the stroke of a spear, was a prisoner; and so was Rehem-qhan also; but without being confined. The bodies of Dilir-qhan and Assalet-qhan were taken up from the field of battle, and inhumated in a monument betwixt FatSah and Bycant-p8r; and the slain in general were brought together, and all committed to the earth.