1 The Abdali occupies
2 Sirhind.
3 Desultory skirmishes.
4 Wazfe Kamr-ud-din
5 Khan khelled by a
6 cannon ball,
7 The Rajputs desert
8 the umperimlsts,
9 The bravery display-
10 ed by the youthful
11 Mannu, son of the
12 deceased wazir,
13 The Abdali king is
14 defeated,
15 And compelled to
16 march off homewwards,
17 March, 1748,
18 918 HISTORY OF THE PANIJAB.
19 crossed the river at a ford, and, the Indian troops having been left in the
20 rear, he obtained possession of Sirhind, where a large quantity of baggage
21 and ammunition, together with a number of cannons, with which the
22 Abdali was before entirely unprovided, fell into his hands. He then suc-
23 cessfully cut off the convoys of the Delhi army, and intercepted the communi-
24 cation of the imperialists with the capital. The energy displayed by the
25 Durrdnis intimidated the Delhians. Various skirmishes took place between
26 the detachments of the two armies located at different points, but nothing
27 decisive occurred for about a month. The Durrdni king was in the mean-
28 time enabled to advance some pieces of artillery, and a heavy cannonade was
29 kept up for several hours on the flank of the imperial army.
30 One evening, as the aged wazir, Kamr-ud-din Khan was engaged in
31 prayer, a cannon ball from the Durrani artillery struck him in the knee, from
32 the effects of which the good old wazir expired during the course of the
33 night. The wazir was esteemed and loved by all the troops, who had the
34 greatest confidence in his wisdom and bravery. His death was concealed by
35 the heir-apparent, Mirza Ahmad, and his son Mir Manni,* a brave and
36 intrepid soldier. The prince called together some of his principal sardars,
37 and it was resolved, in a council of war, that the body of the wazir should be
38 placed in a sitting posture in the howdah of his own elephant, supported by
39 pillows, and early next morning the battle be renewed. The young prince
40 Ahmad led the attack early the following morning with great valour, supported
41 by the youthful Manni, who performed prodigious acts of personal bravery.
42 The fight was a most sanguinary one, the Durranis maintaining their ground
43 with great resolution. They were, however, overwhelmed by superior num-
44 bers, and were on the point of flight when another unfortunate circumstance
45 happened. Isar Singh, the Jaipur raja, who commanded a body of 20,000 .
46 horse, approached the wazir’s elephant to solicit orders, when he found that
47 the wazir was dead. Struck with panic, he left the field} with his troops,
48 and his example was followed by the imperial troops, The Abdali, taking
49 advantage of this confusion, pressed the imperial troops hard. The youthful
50 Mannit, however, stood firm, and by his personal exertions not only rallied
51 the troops of Safdar Jang and other Indian allies, but renewed the charge
52 with such vigour as to break the centre of the Durrdnis, and spread the
53 utmost confusion throughout their ranks. In the meanwhile, the Afghans,
54 ignorant of the use of Indian rockets, which they had seized in large num-
55 bers at Ldhore, in the arsenals of Shahnawa4z Khan, used them in such a
56 manner as to cause the greatest injury among their own people. Their
57 flanks were enveloped in smoke and the panic and confusion which ensued
58 may be better imagined than described. Manni took immediate advantage
59 of the confusion in the Durrani lines, and, making a grand charge, became
60 complete master of the field, which was sfrewn with the Durrdni dead and
61 wounded. The Durranis fled, and were pursued for ten miles beyond their
62 entrenchments, which were all demolished by the imperial elephants, The
63 loss on both sides was equal, but the surprising feats of valour displayed by
64 the youthful Mannu enabled the Moghals to carry the day.
65 Such was the blow inflicted on the Durrénis by the gallant Mannu that
66 the Abdali king, relinquishing all his designs against the Indian empire, pre-
67 * ¥ * ry *
68 bitterly, at Alimad ichau who held ake eorsmatd of 6000 Erect hoe ace ogee to wp
69 ed him that it was no time to weep like a child, but that he should i riV’
70 foreigners from the country.—Zdrith-i-Ahmadt. Sera omnia dn vere
71 +The Rajputs were, on this occasion, dressed in yellow. A Rajput when so dressed in the
72 battle field, has sworn not to turn his back to the field, yet the fone under Isar Singh fled so
73 precipitately, that they did not stop until they had reached Jaipur,
74 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com