The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c9.11

c9.11

The first precaution he took was a judicious selection of the garrison. Every man was selected after a personal examination, and a shrewd judge of man though Shivaji was, he did not rely upon his personal judgement alone. Each man must furnish a surety for his good faith before he could be enrolled, and Krishnaji Anant Sabhasad says that generally someone of the royal personal staff was expected to stand surety for the new recruit.² But this was not all. In the army Shivaji had aimed at unity of command; in the fort he deliberately avoided it. No single officer was entrusted with the sole charge of the fort, it was therefore impossible for any single officer to betray it.