A History of Assam c12.94

c12.94

The advance along the south bank continued, and on the 28th February, the army encamped so near the Ahom fort of Simlagarh that a cannon ball fired from it passed over the Nawāb's tent. This fort occupied a very strong strategic position. It lay between the Brahmaputra on the north and a range of hills on the south, and was protected on the other two sides by walls with battlements on which numerous cannon were mounted. Outside the walls were the newly-excavated trenches and pits studded with pānjis. To avoid the loss of life which would have been involved in storming it, a siege was decided on. Mounds were thrown up within gunshot and cannon were mounted on them, but the walls of the fort were so thick that the cannon balls made but little impression. Gradually, however, and under heavy fire, trenches, or covered ways, were carried close up to the walls. A night attack on these trenches was repulsed, though with difficulty, and a night or two later (on the 25th February) the final assault was delivered. The resistance made by the defenders was comparatively feeble and, as soon as they found that the wall had been scaled and the gate broken open, they fled precipitately without attempting to save their guns and other war material, all of which fell into the hands of the victors. On entering the place next day, Mir Jumlah