A History of the Mahrattas v1.c28.72

v1.c28.72

Sewdasheo Rao, with his nephew, and Jeswunt Rao Powar were opposite to the Grand Vizier. The great Bhugwa Jenda, or standard of the nation, was raised in the front, and three Juree Putkas were in the field. Ahmed Shah was at some distance in rear of the Mahomedan army. When the combatants respectively had outmarched their artillery, the Mahratta cry of Hur Huree! Hur Huree! was distinctly heard; the battle then very soon became general, and a tremendous charge was made full on the centre, where the troops of the Grand Vizier, of whom ten thousand were horse, were guilty of a great mistake in not advancing to meet the shock. The Mahrattas, in consequence, broke through them, but riders on both sides were dashed to the ground. The dust and confusion were so great that combatants, whilst they fought hand to hand and grappled in the strife of death, could only distinguish each other by the Mahomedan Allah! and Deen! or the incessant Hur! Hur! Mahdeo! which rent the air from the Mahratta host. Shah Wulee Khan, in full armour, threw himself from his horse, and the bravest of his men followed his example; but most of the Afghans gave way. ‘Our country is far off, my friends,’ said the Vizier, ‘whither do you fly!’ but he was left for a time defended only by the broken remnant of his force. Ibrahim Khan Gardee, though with the loss of more than half his men, and himself wounded, was successful; near eight thousand Rohillas lay dead or wounded; but the left wing of the Mahomedan army was still unbroken. This state of the battle was about noon reported to Ahmed Shah, who now evinced the collected decision of a great commander. He directed a chosen band of his personal guards to enter his encampment, and drive out every armed man who had retired from his duty; an order which they promptly executed. Troops were soon sent to support the right wing, and the Grand Vizier was directed to make repeated charges with ten thousand men at full gallop on the centre of the Mahrattas; whilst Shah Pusund Khan and Nujeeb-ud-dowlah supported the Vizier by simultaneous attacks on the flank. These onsets were still met and repulsed; but the physical strength of the Afghans, in the protracted and close struggle, was an over-match for the slighter frames of the Hindoo natives of the south. The Mahrattas, however, on this terrible day fought valiantly; and no chief was reproachable, except Mulhar Rao Holkar. Of his countrymen none doubted his courage, but he did not do his utmost to support his prince; and some do not hesitate to accuse him of treachery. A little after two o’clock in the afternoon Wiswas Rao was mortally wounded; on seeing which, Sewdasheo Rao Bhow descended from his elephant, sent, as is said, a message to Holkar ‘to do as he had directed,’ and mounting his horse, a famous Arab charger, disappeared in the confusion of the fight. The message to Holkar, if it ever was sent, as he alleges, proved instantaneously fatal. Holkar went off, Dummajee Gaekwar followed, and in a moment resistance on the part of the Mahrattas ceased. All was then flight and confusion. Thousands were cut down, and vast numbers perished by suffocation in the ditch of their entrenchment; men, women, and children crowded into the village of Panniput, where they were surrounded for the night; and here it might seem that the greatest barbarians would have been touched with some feeling of mercy; but the Afghans showed none. To the eternal disgrace of themselves and of humanity, they next morning coolly took out the unfortunate victims and divided them in their camp. They retained the women and children as slaves; but they ranged the men in lines, and amused themselves in cutting off their heads,¹ which they afterwards piled as trophies in front of their tents. The body of Wiswas Rao was found, and Ahmed Shah having sent for it to look at, the Afghans assembled