Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c56.s25.4

v4.c56.s25.4

At Laswari sepoys of the same race and province with equality of armament, fought on the opposite sides. It is the historian’s duty to explain why “the bravery and obstinacy of Sindhia’s trained brigades were unavailing” on that day. The first and foremost handicap of the campoo was their being suddenly deprived of the heads to whose guidance they had been accustomed ever since their formation fourteen years ago. Now, when the storm of war burst upon Sindhia, no Indian higher officers could take the places of the mercenary foreign captains who had deserted their men in the hour of need. The campoo could not improvise a general staff for co-ordinating the action of the different parts of the same army, after being deserted by their European chiefs. Thus, at Patparganj and Laswari, each battalion fought on the initiative of its own Indian commandant, with no generalissimo to link their tactics together, in the way that Lake or Arthur Wellesley made his army one compact fighting machine. Our n.c.o.’s and privates usually fought to the death, but the higher Indian officers were often a disgrace to their race.