Battle of Taraori (1759)
| Battle of Taraori (1759) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Afghan–Maratha conflicts | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Durrani Empire |
 Maratha Empire Mughal Empire (deserted) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Ahmed Shah Shah Pasand Khan Jahan Khan |
Dattaji Rao Scindia Imad-ul-Mulk | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| >5000 men | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 400 killed | ||||||
the Battle of Taraori in 1759 was a military engagement between the Durrani Afghans and the Marathas in the fields of Taraori, the Afghans were victorious.
Prelude
having
Battle
Abdali had reached Ambala and was kept informed of Maratha movements, the Maratha commander Dattaji Rao Scindia crossed the Yamuna river in order to block the passage to Delhi, Abdali, therefore, marched to battle the Marathas and oust them from Delhi, meanwhile, the Mughal vizier, Imad-ul-Mulk has also moved from Delhi with his troop and joined the Marathas at Karnal, the two armies collided in Taraori on 24 December,[6] the fighting has started and the combined Mughal-Marathas initially gained the upper hand as they routed the Afghans and chased them, Abdali, who was close contact with his advanced guard, sent his general Shah Pasand Khan with a reinforcement of 5000 suddenly intercepted the pursuers, at this moment, the Mughal soldiers disengaged and deserted the battlefield, the Afghans launched their counterattack and poured the Marathas with Musket fire,[7] two additional detachments to cover their flanks, the marathas fought despretaley, after having broke their formations and surrounded from three sides, the front and the flanks and overwhelmed by superior numbers, the marathas guards were annihilated,[8] leaving 400 killed on the battlefield.[9]
Aftermath
although Abdali was victorious, he withdrew under the cover of night to avoid taking another unnecessary action, he crossed the Yamuna River and continued his march to Delhi, however, he would encounter another Maratha army and engage with them in the Battle of Barari Ghat.[10]
References
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813, p. 263 [1]
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 264
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 264
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 265
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 266
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 266
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 266
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 267
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 30
- ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta, p. 267
