Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal, Anno Dom. 1757Watts, William, active 1737-1758
History
Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal, Anno Dom. 1757
Watts, William, active 1737-1758
East India Company -- History; India -- History -- 1526-1765; Plassey, Battle of, Palashi, India, 1757
This Post was extremely well chosen for that Country, and for the Method
in which those People make War. It was a Grove, covered on every Side by
Mud Banks, in the midst of a Plain. At Day-break, on the Twenty-third,
the Suba's Army advanced within a very small Distance, and with a
manifest Design to attack the _English_ Forces. He had about Fifteen
thousand Horse, and between Twenty and Thirty thousand Foot, with
upwards of Forty Pieces of heavy Cannon, which were managed by
_Frenchmen_, upon whose Skill and Courage he greatly depended. The Van
was commanded by _Roydoolub_, and the left Wing by _Meer Jaffeir_. About
Six they began to cannonade pretty smartly on every Side, and this
Distribution of their Cannon gave them two great Advantages; First, as
they were much larger, and carried a heavier Weight of Metal, they did
Execution where the _English_ Artillery was of no Use; and in the next
Place, being thus separated to a considerable Distance from each other,
it was impossible to make any Attempt to seize them, and therefore all
the Colonel could do was to take the Benefit of his intrenched Posts,
and leave his Troops as little exposed as possible. If the Suba, or any
of his Officers, had understood well what they were about, they might
certainly have prosecuted their Scheme, and have completely invested the
_English_ Army, and then the Colonel must have waited the Approach of
Night, in order to have forced a Passage through the Camp, which he in
reality had designed. But the Enemy, on the contrary, upon the falling
of a smart Shower about Noon, withdrew their Artillery within their
Camp. Upon this, a Detachment marched with Two Field Pieces, and took
Possession of a Tank, covered with high Banks, from whence the _Moors_
had fired with Success. They then would have brought out their Artillery
again, but were prevented; and this encouraged the sending Detachments
to possess two other Eminences, very near an Angle of their Camp,
covered by a double Breastwork; and from thence, as well as from another
Eminence, which still remained in their Possession, they kept up a
pretty smart Fire with their Small Arms. They several times endeavoured
to bring up Cannon to those Posts, but our Field Pieces were so happily
posted, and so well served, that they could never effect it. At length
the _English_ stormed that Angle and Eminence at the same Instant of
time, though the former was defended by Forty _French_, and a very
numerous Body of the Suba's Troops, who had likewise in that Post Two
Pieces of Cannon, and the latter by a considerable Corps of Foot and
Horse. Some Persons of Distinction being killed immediately before, or
at the Beginning of the Attack, the Enemy being dispirited by that,
quickly gave way, and both the Posts were forced with a very trifling
Expence to us, though they suffered severely. On this the right Wing and
Center fled, abandoning their Camp and Artillery. Their Loss in this
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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