Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c54.s10: § 6. Gathering of hosts for battle outside Punā
Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c54.s10
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§ 6. Gathering of hosts for battle outside Punā
v4.c54.s10.1
Māné, after this ludicrous end of a foot-race rather than a battle, encamped at Moreshwar, twelve miles east of Jejuri and 16 miles north-west of Medad (Bārāmati), while the Peshwā's runaway troops began to reassemble under Purandarē in his new camp near Sāswād, 20 miles west of the victor's new position. Jaswant Rao, after learning of this affair, which clearly proved how worthless the Punā army was, rapidly moved south from Pārner and met Māné at Moreshwar on the 14th. But Māné's illness delayed their future plans by four or five days. On the 17th of the month Holkar visited the shrine of Jejuri, without doing any outrage there but fleecing the rich priests and traders, and halted three miles east of that holy city till the 20th.
v4.c54.s10.2
On 21st October the forces of the Peshwā began to take post in the plain east of the Marātha capital, and here the strong Sindhian column under Sadāshiv Bhāskar Bakhshi arrived on the 22nd and occupied their former cantonments of Mahādji Sindhia's days at Wanowri. Hearing of the gathering of his enemies, Jaswant Rao Holkar from Jejuri wrote to the Peshwā on the 22nd, begging him to send four front-rank envoys for settling his feud with Sindhia on the basis of absolute equality between the rival houses. Then he drew in his detachments and marched in full force from the neighbourhood of Jejuri, crossed the Bor-ghāt and by way of Loni and Kāvdi arrived near Theur the next day.
v4.c54.s10.3
His message reached the Peshwā in the morning of the 23rd. The whole of that day was wasted by this imbecile court in alarm, confusion and futile discussions. Bāloji Kunjar and Nimbāji Bhāskar, two of the envoys summoned by Holkar, refused to go; they had worked out the brutal sentence of death on Vitoji Holkar and they knew, only too well, what they were to expect from Vitoji's brother. At last, after nightfall, five servants of third-rate rank were sent by the Peshwā to Jaswant to deliver his message and make a compromise. They reached his camp near Theur at midnight, but he immediately turned them out, bluntly saying, "I cannot busy myself in this child's play. The three men I had demanded as the Peshwā's agents have not been sent to me. I have nothing to say to any one else from that side."
v4.c54.s10.4
The baffled envoys returned to the Peshwā's palace some three hours before dawn, and another conference was held there. The three men demanded by Jaswant again refused to go to him, but advised their master to fight, boasting that with the great power and prestige of the Peshwā on their side they would put Jaswant Rao to flight. The cowardly Bāji Rao had no help but to yield. The same fiery advice had been given to the Peshwā by Sindhia's Bakhshi Sadāshiv Bhāskar and brigade-commander Dawes, when they waited on him after reaching Wanowri. They had boasted, "We shall force Jaswant Holkar to flee away by our battalion tactics and our grape-shot, swivel gun-fire, shells and musketry fire. Your Highness will have only to look at the show from a distance." They were supplied with some guns, munitions and money. Thus both sides were equally eager for the appeal to arms.