Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c27.s19.3

v2.c27.s19.3

Of the Bhāu's plan of battle we have no record; it can be only guessed from the known facts. He had, it appears, formed no plan except a general engagement along the entire front. From his situation, a mere break-through would have been fruitless. He could not march away with his fighting troops, as he was tied down to the city of Panipat by the presence of his women, lakhs of camp-followers and civil servants, heavy artillery, and all kinds of property acquired during seven months of successful progress through Hindustan. He had formed no base at Delhi or even at Bharatpur. Hence, his liberation could come only from a decisive defeat and flight of Abdali. His divisional generals acted throughout each on his own initiative, without receiving any reinforcement or even fresh direction from their supreme head during the changing course of the battle. Like a desperate gambler, the Bhāu staked everything on one throw of the dice, and did not arrange for a compact orderly retreat in the event of a defeat, because such a retreat was well-nigh impossible in his situation.