Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 4.10
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 4.10
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4.10.1
Such a shameful defeat very nearly blasted all the hopes conceived by that Prince. Trusting now to no one, that monarch resolved to march in person against a rival so successful; and on the Tuesday of the twelfth Zilcaad, in the year 1124, he set out of his capital with an immense pomp, and an army of seventy thousand horse, besides a numerous infantry and a train of large cannon capable to shake the foundations of the globe. It was Zulficar-khan who commanded this mighty host; he had under him the famous Cocal-tash-khan, with several Generals and officers of character, all renowned for their achievements, all fond of battle, and all thirsting after an engagement, like so many famished tigers howling in the wilderness. Such were Aazem-khan, and Djani-khan, and Mahmed-amin-khan, and a multitude of Tûranian and Iranian Lords. On his march he was joined by Ser-bolend-khan, Fodjdar of Corrah, who taking possession of the money he had been receiving there on Feroh-syur, his master's account, deserted to Djehandar-shah, to whom that small merit rendered him so dear, that he gave him the Government of Gùdjrat, and sent him to Ahmed-abad, its capital, after having passed many encomiums on his conduct. As a counterpart to this, Chebilram, the new Fodjdar of Corrah, and Aaly-ashgar-khan, son to Car-talab-khan, Fodjdar of Atava, went over to Feroh-syur.
4.10.2
But by this time the Emperor being arrived at Semogur, a town in the neighbourhood of Ecber-abad, found himself over against the enemy, who was parted from him only by the river Djumna. What looks singular is, that the sight of the enemy occasioned transports of joy amongst the two Seids and in Feroh-syur's Court; whereas it occasioned much trepidation in the Emperor's camp. The reason is plain. Unanimity reigned in the enemy's camp; whereas Djehandar-shah's flagitious behaviour had alienated the hearts of most of the grandees of his court. The Tùranians in particular, had promised by letters and messages, that they would join Feroh-syur; Abdol-semed-khan alone abstained from such promises. Nevertheless there was so visible a superiority of force on the Emperor's side, that it was generally believed that his rival would have no chance against him. Unluckily there reigned such a difference of tempers and sentiments between his principal Generals, Zulficar-khan and Cocal-tash-khan, and this difference had given rise to so much enmity, and to so inveterate an aversion, that nothing went forwards in the Emperor's camp. Cocal-tash-khan, in particular, who enjoyed the Emperor's confidence, was a man equally incapable of giving or of receiving a good advice. In consequence of so much animosity no one concerned himself about any thing; and every thing went to wreck. There is more. No specific order had been issued to cross the Djumna for attacking the enemy;
4.10.3
and the two favourites agreeing in nothing but in an eternal variance from each other, and in giving opposite advices, it happened that the Emperor himself was actually incapable of taking a party for himself. Desperately in love with Lal-Coür, he had of late fallen into a delirious kind of melancholy, that rendered him incapable of business. Such a state of things could not be concealed from an enemy who had so many well-wishers; and, in fact, Abdollah-khan having received information of a ford which was four cosses above the enemy's camp, crossed over in the night time, and marched on without stopping as far as KSzbehari, a village beyond Ecber-abad, on the high road to Dehli. There he took post; and some time after he was followed by Feroh-syur himself, who crossed over likewise and joined his General. To impose on the enemy, and to perplex his ideas, Hossein-aaly-khan with the rear or corps de reserve, remained where he was over against the enemy's camp, and did not cross over, but when his motions could be effectually concealed by the darkness of the night. He had with him Chebilram-nagur, an Hindoo of character. What is very singular, and marks the finger of Providence in this affair, is that this fording over in the dark, seemed to give a turn to the whole war;
4.10.4
for as Feroh-syur's army made its appearance at day-break on the enemy's rear, it became necessary in the latter's camp to change the whole order of battle, to marshal the troops anew, and to bring the artillery from the van, all which could not be done without an infinite deal of confusion. This happened on the fourteenth of Zilhaj, of the same year; and the two armies, the one in good order, and the other, that is the Emperor's, in much disorder and confusion, advanced against each other. This Prince took his post in the centre, surrounded by a brilliant cortege, and by several corps of choice troops, that had a train of large artillery in their front. Zulficar-khan, by whom he seemed to be governed in whatever related to matters of war and politics, but who in reality had not his confidence, as his extreme firmness displeased the Emperor, came to place himself before that Prince with a body of old troops and a quantity of artillery, together with the Imperial Music of trumpets, haut-boys, and kettle-drums. Cocal-tash-khan, and Djani-kan, with Aazem-khan, and other Lords of his party, took post at the right wing; and the Turanian Lords, such as Mahmed-amin-khan, Abdol-semed-khan, and Chin-kylydj-khan, took post at the right. Radji-mahmed-khan, with Hafiz-ollah-khan, and some other Generals, with their Corps, were posted as light troops. Reza-cooly-khan, the Grand-Master of the Artillery, was ordered to attend diligently to his business;
4.10.5
and the rest of the troops were placed as the ground would permit. On the opposite side, Feroh-syur, in compliance with the Imperial custom, placed himself in the centre of his troops, seated upon a lofty elephant, having Abdollah-khan before him, who with many other Commanders, took post over against Zulficar-khan; and Khan-zeman and Aaly-asghar, with Chebil-ram-nagar, were opposed to Cocal-tash-khan. The engagement was commenced by Abdollah-khan, who, with his troops in good order, advanced first against the Turanian Lords of the enemy, and then inclining towards the Imperial artillery, he, with an apparent incertitude in his motions, found means to push beyond it, and to come near the enemy's centre, where Djhehandar-shah appeared. On the other hand, Hossein-aaly-khan, supported by Fateh-aaly-khan, Commander of Feroh-syur's artillery, and by Zin-eddin-ahmed-khan, son to Bahadyr-qhan the Rohilla, as well as by the two illustrious brothers, Mir Eshref and Mir Mushref, directed his attack against Zulficar-khan; and being vigorously received, his troops presently fell into confusion, and were slain in heaps; and his bravest officers, as well as his oldest soldiers, those men on whom he trusted so much, being mowed down in his presence, gamed away the capital of their lives, and covered the field of battle with their bodies. Hossein-aaly-khan, seeing how his best troops had been used, closed at once with the custom of valiant men in Hindostan;
4.10.6
and jumping down from his elephant, he engaged, hand to hand, and with a number of brave that followed him everywhere, he performed heroical actions; when, having received several wounds from sabre, musquet, and arrow, he fell speechless on the ground, and was trampled under foot. His brother, Abdollah-khan, had no luck. On his attacking the Turanians, he was received by clouds of arrows, which threw his troops into confusion, and made them divide into several bodies, each of which was opposite, and contending with a body of enemies; and as he was exerting himself in the hottest part of the engagement, he was carried away by the crowd, without knowing where he was, until he found himself amongst a body of about three hundred troopers, parted from the standard-bearing elephant, and at a distance from his several corps. It was at this very moment he saw himself singled out by a General, received so shameful a defeat at Ilah-abad. He cried out who he was, and shot an arrow at Abdollah-khan; the latter was as quick as he, and lodged an arrow in his breast; and the General finding himself dangerously wounded, quitted the field, and retired at a distance. But Abdollah-khan was not the better for this action; he was again carried away by the crowds, without knowing where he was, and without having it in his power to guess what might be the consequence of so much confusion.
4.10.7
Luckily for him, he was at so critical a moment joined by a body of his troops, with whom he gained an eminence, from whence, he no sooner descried Djehandar-shah in the middle of his troops, than he marched up to him, opening his way with showers of arrows; and he availed himself so well of the disorder into which the enemy was thrown, that he penetrated as far as the female elephants of the Seraglio. The Emperor, carried away by an elephant that became unruly, and, unable to range his troops in order, found himself in the middle of a number of war elephants, which becoming furious, were engaging each other, and exhibiting a scene as dreadful as that of the last judgment. Laal Coar's female elephant taking fright, had turned about and fled, followed by multitudes that sought to get out of the reach of the enemy's arrows; and that dismayed multitude of men and elephants, falling upon two bodies of troops that yet stood their ground, confounded their ranks, and then bore them down. The Emperor, incapable to make a stand upon an elephant become ungovernable, was closely pursued by Abdollah-khan, whose troops were joining him by whole bodies; and this General, without giving the enemy time to recollect himself, was carrying every thing before him, in so much, that the Imperial troops, amongst which the music had already commenced to play, were now flying on all sides.
4.10.8
Cocal-tash-khan, who with his corps made an effort to cover Djehander-shah, was encountered by Qhan-zeman, and Chebilram, who came out of a post they had chosen at the beginning of the action, drove Cocal-tash-khan's troops, and wounded him in several places. And here was slain Reza-cooly-khan, Commander of the Imperial Artillery, as had already been Djani-khan and Moqhtar-khan. Meanwhile, Aazem-khan, brother to Cocal-tash-khan being wounded, came up to the Emperor's elephant; and this Prince, finding that matters were now past remedy, went down to Laal Coar, and taking her with him, he on the dusk of the evening, turned about towards Ecber-abad. Such was the state of things with the Emperor; but with Zulficar-khan, they bore a very different aspect. This General without being dismayed by the general discomfiture, had kept his footing without losing any ground, and he even intended to renew the action, as soon as he could bring, either the Emperor, or his son, Yezzeddin, to shew themselves at the head of his troops. But all his endeavours to find them out proved abortive; and several intelligent persons, who were prevailed by dint of money and promises to go on that errand, came back without even getting any intelligence about them. All his efforts failed; and the music of gladness and victory was already filling the air of the enemy's army, whilst the officers of all ranks were running up to Feroh-syur with their congratulations and their Nuzurs.
4.10.9
All this joy, however, did not remove the uneasiness he felt, on observing that Zulficar-khan, surrounded by a strong body of veterans, and by much artillery, did not move from the field of battle. Such a resolute countenance had something very imposing. He expressed his surprise in strong terms at what that General could mean by staying so late at night; and at last he sent him this message:— "He that pretended to the empire, has relinquished the throne and is fled—pray, have you any pretensions to it yourself, that you tarry so long after him? If you have, this is another matter; but if you have not, and you are only for an Emperor of the House of Aoreng-zib, what objections can you have to my being that Prince, instead of Muezzeddin?" Such a message, and such a tone of voice, informed at once Zulficar-khan of what he wanted to know; and finding that things were past remedy, he marched off at the head of his troops in good order; and he had so respectable a countenance, that no one thought of disputing the ground with him. The Emperor, meanwhile, had passed the night at Ecber-abad, where he shaved his beard like a Hindoo, changed his apparel for an humble one, and taking Laal Coar with him, he, in the latter part of the night, fled towards the capital, having about his person a number of people of all sorts personally attached to him. But instead of going to the citadel, he landed in the palace of the old Vezir, Assed-khan, who immediately seized and confined him ;
4.10.10
and hardly had he been secured, when Zulficar-khan himself arrived.