New History of the Marathas v2.c29.29

v2.c29.29

He, therefore, decided on the advice of Ibrahim Khan Gardi to entrench himself on the plain with the town of Panipat north of him, and remain on the defensive until the other party got weakened by starvation, so as to combine guerilla tactics with the use of trained infantry and artillery. He was encumbered with a large number of non-combatants and some ladies; these now formed a drag on him consuming his supplies and requiring protection. If Bhau had only the fighting force with him, he would have easily fought his way through the enemy's ranks. But this did not now seem possible, and in order to save them he created a defensive camp, of tents and huts, about 6 miles in length from east to west and about 2 miles deep north to south. He dug a large trench round this camp about 25 yards broad and 6 yards deep³ ; and the heaps of earth thus brought up formed a huge wall upon which guns were mounted. The Abdali Shah too formed a permanent camp facing the Marathas, about three miles to their south with the village of Sonpat behind. He fortified his position with trenches and wood defences made of felled trees. In this way the passage home of the two antagonists came to be blocked against each other. None could escape without annihilating the other. On 4th November Bhau Saheb wrote to Govindpant, “We are now face to face with the enemy and have prepared ourselves for an encounter, having pitched our camp on the plain of Panipat. Abdali’s way home is completely blocked by us. Every day we capture his camels, horses and oxen in large numbers. Now the Doab is freely open to you. You must bring treasure and supplies from your district and deliver them at Patpatganj opposite the south corner of the city of Delhi, whence we shall manage to take them. You must stop any treasure and supplies reaching Abdali from the Doab. The Jat Raja is quite friendly and will in no way obstruct you. Now is the time for you to do your utmost.” On 5th November Krishna Joshi, one of Bhau Saheb’s retinue, wrote from Panipat a full account of Bhau Saheb’s position, in which he said, “Bhau Saheb has returned to Phanipath from Kunjpura, and daily skirmishes are occurring between the two opponents. The Muslims fear our strong artillery. No corn now reaches the Abdali’s camp, where there prevails extreme scarcity. If he within the next three or four days advances against us, he will be annihilated by our guns. Our camp has plentiful supplies which can be had very cheap. There are good auguries all round and our men are in high spirit. Abdali, Najib Khan and Shuja will now meet with their ruin within a week. The Shah, although a general of standing and experience, is now so humiliated that he dare not advance all these days. His road to his country is blocked; and he has no hope of success in a fight and, cannot afford to remain idle where he is for want of food.” This was the condition of affairs in the first week of November, and the Marathas could then have attacked Abdali with success. Why Bhau Saheb waited thereafter for the two long months of November and December is a mystery which cannot be satisfactorily explained. But the accounts presented by the two invaluable compilations, Bhau Saheb’s *Kaifiyat* and his *Bakhar* give the whole story lucidly, and doubtless they bear marks of having been compiled from original documents, which are now not forthcoming. The *Kaifiyat* is very accurate and the *bakhar* an enlarged edition of it, quoting long passages exactly as they are in the former.