Battle of Plassey

http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/?p=566

It all started August 16, 1756. I had just returned from Britain in 1755 after two long years and freed the Britishers from the Black Hole of Calcutta in June 1756, from the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah. This Black Hole was a larger part of the Nawab’s plan to take over Calcutta, a British ally, in order to have stronger grip on the Bengal area. So with this in mind, ud-Daulah rounded up his group of some thousand men with the help of the French and went ahead and captured the city. Now as a friend to Britain, we were obligated to help Calcutta, because the English never leave anyone behind. So I was immediately dispatched to there to recapture Calcutta. All I needed was a small troop of less than 3000 men and my second in command, Admiral Watson. 

On August 16, 1756, I got a letter from the Council of Fort St. George, it stated that “The object of the expedition was not merely to re-establish the British settlements in Bengal, but also to obtain ample recognition of the Company’s privileges and reparation for its losses.”* This letter was sent from the Fort St. George, which was somewhat of a headquarters to British affairs at India. It said to rescue Calcutta from Siraj to get a the favor of Calcutta, a great port to sail to the Spice Islands from. With their favor and by letting them know how much Britain suffered for saving them we will be able to play on their gratitude to make enormous profits. Not only this, but defeating Ud-Daulah would greatly affect the French East Indian Company who aided the Nawab in his battles. By weakening Siraj we would shake the standing of France in India, and ultimately allow us to get the upper hand in the ongoing war that started in 1756 and in my opinion will stop at around the year 1763.** 

          Around January 1757, my troops and I reoccupied the city of Calcutta but we had yet to defeat The Nawab. To do this I would need a stroke of brilliance. It came to me in the form of inside intelligence. One of my spies informed me that the Nawab’s second in command, Mir Jafar, had recently been demoted. I took this chance to invite him and a few other generals over, and I sympathized with them. I extended a hand of friendship, in exchange for their support in the upcoming battle. They agreed to take charge of all the men they could under the appearance of helping Siraj, but instead they would just lead them astray and keep them stationary and unhelpful in the battle. In return for his aid I would reward Mir Jafar with the title of Nawab and the rest with bribes. With my plan set in motion the day of battle rolled around on June 23, 1757 on the shores of Bhagirathi River At Palashi, West Bengal, the most important day of my life. It barley lasted a few hours but those hours could not have gone better. The day of the battle, out of the initial 35,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry fighting for the Nawab, 35,000 of them were withheld by Mir Jafar, leaving 15,000 men to participate in the battle.*** This greatly helped my troop of 3000 win easily.*** Another miracle happened that aided my victory which just goes to show that the good lord was on my side. The French/ Indian troops were firing their cannons and their musket the whole time but when we broke at noon, the French, in charge of the artillery did not cover their weapons, allowing the heavy rains that followed to soak their gunpowder and leave the French/ Indian troops vulnerable. When the storm cleared I ordered my troops to attack. With no weapons and majority of their men immobile due to Mir Jafar and the other generals, the French/ Indian troops were forced to retreat. During the battle I only had 22 of my men dead whereas the French/ Indian troops had 500 dead or wounded.*** Thus concluding my anecdote of the Battle of Plassey.

          The Battle of Plassey was most important step in the British control of India because it rid the French from a major sea port area. This coupled with British victories in: Madras, Circars, Pondicherry, Karikal, and Mahe ultimately led to complete British domination in India. Not only this but the Battle of Plassey was key in ending the Seven years war in India, which was fought between the French and Britain to mirror their European rivalry. This battle again shows you that in India, your victories are defined by your allies and how many people you know. As you can see we won this battle due to my excellent leadership. So therefore I can safely claim to have laid the foundation for the British trading empire in India.

*courtesy of http://militaryhistory.about.com/b/2007/06/23/seven-years-war-battle-of-plassey.htm

** “ongoing war that started in 1756 and in my opinion will stop at around the year 1763”, implies the seven years war. 

*** Troop counts and casualties acquired from http://www.mughalhistory.com/plassey.htm