Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 22.18
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 22.18
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- English
22.18.1
Mir-djaafer-qhan was yet at Calcutta, when Major Monro, in consequence of a revolution, of which I know neither the detail nor the secret springs, arrived at that city in a Manvarian ship, which in their language signifies a ship of war; and as the Council of Calcutta were displeased with the protraction of the war against Shudjah-ed-doulah, and were much inclined to ascribe those delays to Major Carnac's want of enterprise and abilities, they appointed Major Monro to supersede him in the command of the army. But independently of that supersession, it is a standing rule with that nation, that whenever a King's officer happens to be present, from that moment the Company's officers become his inferiors, and are bound to obey his commands. Major Carnac therefore hearing of Monro's arrival, quitted the army, and repaired to Calcutta; and the other went up to Azim-abad, where he was acknowledged Commander-in-Chief of all the forces. It happened that a little time after his arrival, a regiment of Talingas, stationed upon the river Surdju alias Gahgrah, to oppose the enemy's passage, had taken up their arms, and had revolted.
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It is said they had even laid hold of their Commander, Captain Ahmuty, and of some other English, as well as of a piece of cannon, and had crossed the river, with intention to march to Ghazipur, and to take service with Radja Balvant-sing, who was likewise stationed on that river to defend the province of Gorockpur, and to hinder the English troops from spreading themselves on that side. The Captain obliged to submit to the will of his Talingas, made it a point to humour them; but took care to send advice of that event to Major Monro. That Commander, on the very first moment of the intelligence, dispatched a Captain and some other officers, versed in the Hindostany language, to bring back the runaways by fair means and persuasion; but at the same time he marched himself at the head of a regiment of European soldiers, with whom he advanced so fast, that by the time the Captain and his associates were reasoning them out of their revolt, and making them some concessions, which at any other time would have been improper, that Commander was already up with the deserters. As the victorious fortune of the English accompanied them everywhere, and the Talingas were doomed to a reverse of fortune, and to chastisement, those men who had already cut so much of their way, and were near their intended spot, stopped at once, to take some rest, and yielded to their officer's intreaties and persuasion.
22.18.3
The Major appearing at this moment, the Talingas saluted him according to the rules of their discipline, and then according to custom, laid down their arms. As soon as these were on the ground, the Major ordered them to be taken up in bundles; and then surrounding the Talingas with his European soldiers, he marched the whole corps of the mutineers back to his camp where he broke the revolted regiment, distributing its men by ten and twenty in the several companies of the other corps; after which he draughted from the whole of these corps as many men as formed a new regiment, and having put it under the command of Captain Ahmuty, he commanded him to his late station. This done, he ordered twenty-five men from amongst the revolted, that is, as many as had been pointed out by the cast of dice, to be blown up at his guns, for an example to others. But one of those twenty-five men, being a Brahman, made it a request to be indulged with some moments of delay to perform his devotions; and having obtained it, he prayed to the Sun and to some other objects of his worship, took a little clay from the ground, whereon he had worshipped, and having rubbed his forehead and whole face with it, he marched up to the gun with the greatest intrepidity, and submitted quietly to be blown up. Whilst that Commander was occupied in bringing his army to order, a total revolution had taken place in the minds of the Council of Calcutta.
22.18.4
So long as a negotiation was kept on foot by Shudjah-ed-doulah upon reasonable terms, some of the leading members of the Council shewed themselves disinclined from waging war with that Prince; but some letters coming from him at this moment, which seemed written with a haughtiness, that could not be borne, and contained proposals of the most extravagant kind, the dissenters closed with the majority of the Council; and all joining together, sent orders to Major Monro to attack and fight the Vezir. The Major on receiving the orders, tarried only a few days to provide carriage-oxen, with a sufficient quantity of victuals; and having reviewed his army, and left his sick behind, he marched to Bacsar, with full intention to give the Vezir battle. It was about the middle of the second Rebi, of the year one thousand one hundred and seventy-eight of the Prophet's retreat, (on whom be grace and salute for ever!) About the end of that month he made another review, and having made up a list of those he wanted to carry with him, which he compared with the numbers that followed his army, and the several animals necessary to it, he contented himself with just such a quantity of provisions and carriages, as would suffice him for ten days, and he dismissed the rest. At his departure he was heard to say these very words to some of the gentlemen of the factory of Azim-abad: I do not choose to encumber myself with more;
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for either within that space of time we shall have beaten and expelled the enemy, and then we shall find victuals enough; or we shall be beaten ourselves, and in part destroyed, and then again we shall have no occasion for more provisions or baggage. The Major being now on his march, and his resolution being known and public, Mir-veli-ollah, a man born in Azim-abad, but who now commanded for Shudja-ed-doulah in those parts of Bahar, dependent from the Sercar of Shah-abad, dispatched messengers to his master to inform him of the motions of the English. On this intelligence the Vezir sent some Moghul cavalry to skirmish with them, and to impede their march. And as he had heretofore left some large cannon on the banks of the Sohon to oppose the enemy, whilst the latter were encamped over against that river at Calver, he ordered it to be brought back to his camp. It was now the heighth of the rainy season and the wheels of those unwieldy carriages having sunk in the mud, it became impossible to get them from thence by any means whatever. The Vezir hearing of this, put himself at the head of one thousand Durrani-horse, and going to the spot, he disengaged the guns and brought them to camp; but after this exertion, he sunk again into a circle of entertainments, pleasures, and amusements, without once bestowing a thought upon the necessary quantity of balls, or their quality, or that of the powder;
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and without consulting any one experienced man about the method of fighting the enemy, he even declined listening to the request of those officers of the artillery, who wanted necessaries for their office. Upon all those subjects he was quite careless and inattentive; spending his time in playing at dice, in observing the flights of his pigeons, looking at the performances of his dance-women, and amusing himself with pastimes of all sorts; and all that, with as much ease and thoughtlessness, as if he had been about his own capital on a party of hunting. He only ordered a wall or intrenchment to be drawn from the little river of Durguoty to the bank of the Ganga, intending to fight the English from behind that cover. But on the Major's coming up, and encamping at about three cosses distance from him on a morass that lay betwixt the two armies, he altered his resolution; and abandoning the thoughts of fighting from behind the intrenchment, he resolved to give them battle on the other side of it. The Moghul horse, together with six or seven thousand men of cavalry and infantry, commanded by Shudjah-culi-qhan, commonly called Mia-yssa, ranged themselves behind Somro and Mùsher-medec. Beni-bahadyr, Deputy Governor of Aùd and Ilah-abad, brought his troops out of the intrenchment, and took post on the banks of the Ganga, that is, close to the ruined houses of the town of Bacsar.
22.18.7
At his elbow were Somro and Mùsher-medec, with eight field-pieces, mounted in the English fashion upon carriages, equally strong and light. They were at the head of eight regiments of Talingas that had been trained and fashioned by Mir-cassem. It was behind these, that Mia-yssa took his post. The Vezir himself coming out of the intrenchment, with a body of troops, ranged them at the right of Mia-yssa and of Beni-bahadyr's; and the engagement commenced by a cannonade on both sides, which killed and wounded numbers of people. from both parties. The Vezir tired with such a slaughter, took his Moghul cavalry and some other choice troops, and charged the English several times; whilst part of his Durrani-Moghuls attacking Major Monro's cavalry, put it to flight, and falling upon the English camp in the rear, killed and plundered without measure. So that the main of the English line, repeatedly attacked by the Vezir's cavalry, and exposed to Somro's and Medec's incessant fire, fell into disorder, and was in great danger. At this very time the Major observing that the troops posted at the moras, were by that very reason out of the reach of the enemy's efforts, marched part of them down to attack Beni-bahadyr.
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These troops were led by officers equally skilful and brave, who marching with a measured pace inclined towards the banks of the Ganga, and arrived close to those ruined houses behind which Beni-bahadyr had posted himself at the head of his troops, and also of another body of cavalry, called the Sheh-zadians of Lucknow, who were commanded by Sheh-gholam-cadyr. These had all dismounted from their horses, and were standing behind those ruins with their match-locks in their hands. The English Talingas advancing undiscovered along the main street of the deserted town, were concealed by the ruins; and coming unexpectedly upon Beni-bahadyr's men, posted at the bottom of those ruined walls, they poured upon them a shower of clods and stones. On this Sheh-gholam-cadyr got up with his Sheh-zadians from betwixt the ruins, to oppose the English Talingas; and these being now all assembled by their officers, and ranged in a line, a fire of musquetry ensued between the two troops. But how could the Sheh-zadians and Beni-bahadyr's people, accustomed to fire dispersed, and at will, stand the regular and violent fire poured upon them by the English Talingas? In one or two discharges, the business of Sheh-gholam-cadyr's and of his men was effectually done. Numbers were made to bite the dust on the spot; and the others being wounded and dispersed, fled in the greatest consternation, and left their post empty.
22.18.9
At sight of this Beni-bahadyr, who had close to him a friend of his, named Ghalub-qhan, an Hindostany of valuable character and of much personal prowess, asked him what he thought was to be done? If you choose to acquire honour only, answered the other, we must lay down our lives here; and if you love only your life, we must get from hence directly. Beni-bahadyr having answered, that he wanted honour only, the other replied, let us dismount then; and immediately alighting himself, he also ordered his son, Vedge-eddin-qhan to alight likewise: By this time the English Talingas drawing near, were getting ready to pour a volley. At sight of this Beni-bahadyr, having preferred life to honour, turned about and fled with all his might. The young man on seeing this, went to acquaint his father, who on observing the flight of Beni-bahadyr's and of all that great body of troops, mounted again, and ran after his master.