The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c26.62

c26.62

*Agrah*. After their defeat by Aḥmad Shāh, Abdālī, in January 1761, the Mahrattas for a time quitted Northern India. Sūraj Mall of Bhartpur was then the only powerful ruler left from the gates of Dihlī to the banks of the Chambal. The only place of strength remaining to the Moghuls was the fort of Āgrah, and in 1763 Sūraj Mall determined to acquire it. Since 1754 the commander and troops had received no pay, living on the produce of what they sold from the magazines within the fort. Obviously such people would not be difficult to deal with. Sūraj Mall made a pretence of crossing to the north bank of the Jamnah, then turned suddenly and blockaded Āgrah. Still, he could never have taken the place, had it been in charge of a good commandant. At this time the command was held by a mere boy, and he was under the thumb of a subordinate, a greedy coward. From this traitor overtures were received, and the fort was given up. The blockade had lasted twenty days, but though the inhabitants of the city suffered from plundering, no damage had been done to the fort. Sūraj Mall is supposed to have carried off fifty lakhs of rupees from the town. “When Sūraj Mall took Āgrah, it had the most numerous and the best artillery in the kingdom, with powder, balls and bullets, and other goods of the Royal Wardrobe, collected during a long course of years. Everything was carried off. The best cannon were removed to Dīg and Bhartpur. Two years ago (1765?), Juwāhir Singh caused most of the houses to be demolished, imitating what had been done at Allāhābād, to allow room for the artillery to play. But the fort guns can do no harm as the bastions are so high. Nay, the *débris* of the houses could be used as ready-made entrenchments and batteries, to secure an approach to the main body of the place. The present commandant and the leaders of the Jāts know nothing of war, they are men of low extraction, owing their rise solely to their devotion to young Juwāhir Singh”, “Orme Collections”, p. 4303.