A History of Assam c12.98

c12.98

On the fall of Simlagarh the garrison of Sāmdhara lost heart and, having destroyed their store of gunpowder, fled without waiting to be attacked. Mir Jumla placed a garrison in Sāmdhara and appointed a Muhammadan official as Faujdar of Koliābar. Here, as elsewhere, marauding was strictly forbidden, and the villagers brought in supplies freely. Mir Jumla rested his army for three days at Koliābar and then continued his march. At this point the country along the bank of the river is very hilly, and he had to lead his troops along a more level route, which lay some distance inland. The fleet thus became isolated, and the Ahoms, seeing their opportunity, attacked it with their own fleet of seven or eight hundred ships, just after it had been anchored at the end of the first day's journey above Koliābar. The cannonade, which lasted the whole night, was heard by the army, and a force was at once despatched to the assistance of the fleet. This force reached the bank of the river at daybreak, and the Ahoms, on hearing the sound of its trumpets, took fright and fled. They were pursued by the Muhammadans, who captured over three hundred of their ships.* The march was then continued to Salāgarh, which the Ahoms evacuated on the approach of the Muhammadans. At this place, several Ahom officials appeared with letters from Jayadhvaj Singh asking for peace. His overtures were rejected, as it was thought that they were not sincere, and that his object was to cause delay, or a decrease in the vigilance of the invaders.