The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c23.2

c23.2

An open country was one of the first necessities for a successful action by a Moghul army, for without this their cavalry could not deploy freely (Horn, 21). Even ground covered with thick scrub was unfavourable, while hills and ravines still more hampered their movements. In a mountainous region they were at a terrible disadvantage; and their mail-clad horsemen were quite unequal to guerilla warfare. In their palmiest days they found themselves unable to reach the Pathāns amidst their rocks; and in their decadence they were helpless as children against the nimble Mahratta.