Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c44.s3.6

v4.c44.s3.6

Taking advantage of this confusion and check to the Maratha side, the full force of the Rathor cavalry, forming seven large bodies, charged Sindhia’s army at the gallop. Regardless of their losses from the first salvoes of grape from De Boigne’s fifty guns, the Rathor horse swept tumultuously through the line of these guns, sabred such of the gunners as stood in their way, made a mere threat of attack against the front of the battalions and quickly wheeled to the right and the left in order to strike at the flanks of the campoo in two pincer movements, and overwhelm Sindhia’s cavalry in the second line. At the first impact of the whirlwind of Rathor cavalry the Deccani horse standing in three huge divisions at the back of the campoo was shaken, for the cry had gone up that the trained infantry was broken (*campoo barbād zahālā*). The Rajput cavalry whirled round the two wings and rear of De Boigne’s force seeking an opening for crumpling it up and riding down the foot. But what they found facing them everywhere was not the uncovered flank of a line formation but a square.