The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c21.14

c21.14

Forced marches. The ilghār, or forced march, is mentioned by Horn, 21. Some remarkable feats of this nature were performed by Akbar; notably his advance on Gujarāt in 1573 (Elphinstone, 443). Such activity was not displayed in later times, and the Moghuls were habitually outmarched and out-manœuvered by the Mahrattas. It is true that late instances of forced marches by Maisūr troops are on record, but these can hardly be taken as applicable to the Moghul organization. Ḥaidar and Tipū Sulṭān kept their troops in exceptional order, and what they did could not be done by other native armies. In 1781 Ḥaidar marched one hundred miles in two days and a half, and in November 1790 Tipū's entire army marched sixty three miles in two days. In our early days in India our own troops performed feats quite as wonderful. In 1805 General Smith's cavalry followed Amīr Khān 700 miles in 43 days (Blacker, 281). Lord Lake also made some wonderful marches in 1803 and 1804.