Battle of Plassey 1757 - British Conquest of India Begins DOCUMENTARY

Summary

This video explores the pivotal Battle of Plassey, a defining moment in South Asian history that marked the beginning of British colonialism in India. It delves into the strategic maneuvers of Robert Clive and the East India Company, their alliance with local rulers, and the ensuing conflict with French forces. The battle's outcome, influenced by luck, betrayal, and military prowess, set the stage for British dominance in the region, impacting over 1.8 billion people today. Sponsored by Dragon Champions, a mobile RPG game, the video promises an engaging narrative of historical events.

Takeaways

• 🇬🇧 The British conquest of India marked the beginning of colonialism in South Asia, impacting 1.8 billion people today.
• 🎮 The video is sponsored by Dragon Champions, a mobile RPG game, promoting its features and offering a special bonus for new players.
• 🏰 By the 18th century, various European trading companies had established outposts in India, with the British East India Company emerging as a significant power.
• 💣 The Carnatic Wars between 1746 and 1763 were a series of conflicts between Britain and France for colonial dominance in India.
• 👑 Robert Clive was a key British figure who played a pivotal role in several military campaigns, including the audacious capture of Arcot.
• 🤝 The Treaty of Pondicherry in 1754 solidified British influence in South-Eastern India by elevating Muhammad Ali Wallajah to the Nawabship of the Carnatic.
• 🔄 The geopolitical landscape of India was in flux with the decline of the Mughal Empire, leading to smaller states and power struggles.
• ⛔ Siraj ud-Daulah's resentment towards British influence led to the infamous 'Black Hole of Calcutta' incident, galvanizing British retaliation.
• 🌧️ The Battle of Plassey was a turning point, where British forces under Clive defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, with the aid of a fortuitous thunderstorm and internal betrayal.
• 🏆 The aftermath of Plassey saw Mir Jafar installed as the new Nawab of Bengal, but his alliance with the British was short-lived due to his own ambitions.
• 🏛️ The British East India Company's victory over the French at the Battle of Pondicherry and subsequent treaties consolidated their dominance in India.

Q & A

What is the significance of the Battle of Plassey in South Asian history?

The Battle of Plassey is significant as it marked the beginning of British colonialism in India, ultimately leading to the British conquest of one of the oldest and largest civilizations on earth. This event had a profound impact on the region's history and continues to affect the lives of over 1.8 billion people today.

What role did the East India Company play in the British conquest of India?

The East India Company was a crucial player in the British conquest of India. It was an independent megacorporation with a government-mandated monopoly on British trade in India. The company had the ability to appoint its own governors, mint its own coin, and field its own army, which included both European soldiers and Indian Sepoys. It established trading bases in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta and played a significant role in the Battle of Plassey.

What were the Carnatic Wars and their relevance to the British and French presence in India?

The Carnatic Wars were a series of three conflicts between 1746 and 1763 that saw Britain and France, the two largest colonial powers, battle for colonial dominance in India. These wars were fought against the backdrop of the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of regional powers. The wars were significant as they allowed the British and French East India Companies to establish their presence and influence in India.

Who was Robert Clive and why is he pivotal in the story of Colonial India?

Robert Clive was a young British officer who played a pivotal role in the story of Colonial India. He was known for his strategic military tactics and audacity. Clive successfully captured the city of Arcot with a small force and defended it against a larger Franco-Indian counterattack. His actions in the Carnatic Wars and the Battle of Plassey significantly contributed to the British East India Company's dominance in India.

What was the 'Black Hole of Calcutta' incident and its impact on the British in India?

The 'Black Hole of Calcutta' was an incident in which 146 English traders were locked in a small dungeon in Fort William after the city was captured by Siraj ud-Daulah. Most of them died of asphyxiation and heat-stroke. This incident became a symbol of British suffering and galvanized their resolve to retaliate against the Bengali Prince, ultimately leading to the recapture of Calcutta by Robert Clive.

What was the role of Mir Jafar in the Battle of Plassey?

Mir Jafar was a key figure in the Battle of Plassey. He was the uncle of Siraj ud-Daulah and was involved in a plot to overthrow him. Clive signed a treaty with Mir Jafar and his conspirators, promising to install him as the Nawab of Bengal in exchange for their support during the battle. Mir Jafar's betrayal played a crucial role in the British victory at Plassey.

How did the Battle of Plassey unfold and what were the key factors that led to the British victory?

The Battle of Plassey unfolded with Clive's forces positioned in an orchard of mango trees, protected by a ditch and a mud wall. Despite being outnumbered, the British were able to hold their position due to the protection of the mango grove and the indecision of Mir Jafar's forces. A thunderstorm drenched the Bengali's powder, rendering their cannons useless, while the British guns were protected by tarpaulins. This allowed the British to launch a decisive attack, leading to their victory.

What was the aftermath of the Battle of Plassey for the British and the Indian subcontinent?

After the Battle of Plassey, Mir Jafar was declared the new Nawab of Bengal, and Siraj ud-Daulah was captured and executed. However, Mir Jafar's rule was short-lived as he was deposed by the British due to his attempts to ally with the Dutch. The British East India Company emerged as the dominant European power in India, free to appoint and depose native rulers at will, setting the stage for further British control over the Indian subcontinent.

What was the significance of the Seven Years' War in the context of the British and French presence in India?

The Seven Years' War was a global conflict that also played out in India. The British launched a pre-emptive strike on the French outpost of Chandernagore, which led to Siraj ud-Daulah's alliance with the French. The war continued in India even after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, with the British eventually capturing the final French stronghold of Pondicherry. This solidified the British East India Company's dominance in India.

How did the geopolitical changes in the Indian Subcontinent during the 18th century influence the British and French strategies in India?

The decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of regional powers like the Marathas created a power vacuum in the Indian Subcontinent. This allowed the British and French East India Companies to establish their bases and influence local rulers. The geopolitical changes also led to proxy wars between the British and French, as they sought to place favorable rulers on thrones to gain an advantage over their European rivals.

Outlines

00:00

🇬🇧 The British Conquest of India: Prelude to Colonialism

This paragraph sets the stage for the British colonization of India, highlighting the pivotal Battle of Plassey as a key event that shaped modern South Asian history. It emphasizes the strategic importance of India's resources and the European powers' struggle for dominance, particularly focusing on the British East India Company's establishment of trading bases and its military capabilities. The paragraph also introduces the geopolitical landscape of the 18th century, with the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of regional powers, setting the stage for the Carnatic wars between Britain and France.

05:01

🏰 Proxy Wars and the Rise of Robert Clive

The second paragraph delves into the geopolitical shifts within the Indian subcontinent during the decline of the Mughal Empire, where ambitious Nawabs carved out independent states. It details the proxy wars fought by the British and French East India Companies, supporting different local rulers to gain favor. The paragraph introduces Robert Clive, a young British officer whose daring military tactics and victories earned him a reputation as an invincible commander, and outlines the Treaty of Pondicherry that solidified British influence in South-Eastern India. It also touches upon the situation in Bengal and the tensions between the Nawab Alivardi Khan and the British traders.

10:06

🌧️ The Black Hole of Calcutta and the March to Plassey

This paragraph narrates the assault on Calcutta by Siraj ud-Daulah, the 'Black Hole of Calcutta' incident, and its impact on British resolve. It describes Robert Clive's recapture of Calcutta and the subsequent military engagements that led to the Battle of Plassey. The narrative includes the strategic movements of Clive's forces, the Bengali army's siege of Calcutta, and the crucial role of Mir Jafar's conspiracy in shaping the events leading up to the decisive battle.

15:11

🏹 The Battle of Plassey: A Clash of Armies and Alliances

The fourth paragraph provides a detailed account of the Battle of Plassey, describing the military forces and strategies employed by both the British and the Bengali army. It highlights the influence of Mir Jafar and his fellow conspirators on the outcome of the battle, the weather conditions that favored the British, and the critical moments that led to the British victory. The summary also touches upon the aftermath of the battle, with the installation of Mir Jafar as the Nawab of Bengal and the eventual betrayal and deposition by the British.

20:12

🏆 The Aftermath of Plassey: British Dominance and Future Conflicts

In the concluding paragraph, the narrative focuses on the consequences of the Battle of Plassey for British dominance in India, the brief tenure of Mir Jafar as Nawab, and the subsequent conflicts with the Dutch and French. It also mentions the Treaty of Paris and its implications for French presence in India. The paragraph ends with a call to support the channel and a teaser for upcoming content on Indian history.

Keywords

💡British conquest of India

The term refers to the period during which Britain established control over the Indian subcontinent, which is a central theme of the video. It highlights the historical process where Britain, through the East India Company, gradually expanded its influence and power in India, ultimately leading to the colonization of the region.

💡Plassey

Plassey denotes the Battle of Plassey, a pivotal event depicted in the video script where the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, defeated the Nawab of Bengal's forces. This battle was crucial as it marked the beginning of British colonial dominance in India.

💡East India Company

The East India Company was an English megacorporation that had a significant role in the colonization of India. In the script, it is portrayed as an entity with its own army and the power to mint coins and appoint governors, which enabled it to establish and maintain control over Indian territories.

💡Carnatic wars

The Carnatic wars were a series of conflicts between the British and French East India Companies for colonial dominance in India, as mentioned in the script. They were fought against the backdrop of the decline of the Mughal Empire and represent the European powers' struggle for influence in the region.

💡Robert Clive

Robert Clive was a British officer instrumental in the British conquest of India, as highlighted in the script. Known for his audacious military tactics, Clive is a key figure in the Battle of Plassey and other military engagements that contributed to British supremacy in India.

💡Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent before the British conquest, as described in the script. Its decline and decentralization allowed regional lords, or Nawabs, to seek alliances with European powers, setting the stage for the British to establish their presence in India.

💡Nawabs

Nawabs were regional lords in the Indian subcontinent who often hired European trading corporations to maintain control over their territories, as mentioned in the script. Their actions facilitated the involvement of the East India Company and other European entities in Indian affairs.

💡Sepoys

Sepoys were Indian soldiers who were part of the British East India Company's army, as described in the script. They were crucial to the Company's military campaigns and played a significant role in the British conquest of India.

💡Black Hole of Calcutta

The 'Black Hole of Calcutta' refers to a tragic incident where English prisoners of war died due to asphyxiation and heat-stroke in a confined space, as narrated in the script. This event is used to illustrate the brutality of the Bengali ruler and galvanize British resolve.

💡Mir Jafar

Mir Jafar was a Bengali general who conspired with the British against his own ruler, Siraj ud-Daulah, as detailed in the script. His betrayal was pivotal to the British victory at the Battle of Plassey and the subsequent installation of a British-friendly regime in Bengal.

💡Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War was a global conflict involving multiple European powers, including Britain and France, as referenced in the script. The war extended to India, where the British and French East India Companies fought for colonial dominance, culminating in the Battle of Plassey.

Highlights

The British conquest of India was not a foregone conclusion and was influenced by luck, conspiracy, and strategically placed Mango Trees.

The Battle of Plassey marked the beginning of an era of Colonialism affecting 1.8 billion people today.

Sponsorship by Dragon Champions for the video, promoting their mobile RPG game.

European trading outposts along the Indian coastline sought valuable spices and pearls, but initially lacked the power to conquer India.

The Mughal Empire was highly decentralized, leading Nawabs to hire European trading corporations to quell rebellions.

The Honourable East India Company had significant power, including the ability to mint its own coin and field its own army.

The Carnatic wars were a series of three conflicts between 1746 and 1763, where Britain and France fought for colonial dominance in India.

Robert Clive emerged as a pivotal character in Colonial India, with a reputation as an invincibly brilliant commander.

The Treaty of Pondicherry in 1754 elevated the British-backed Muhammad Ali Wallajah to Nawabship of the Carnatic.

The Marathas were a rising power in Northern India, expanding at the expense of the declining Mughal Empire.

The 'Black Hole of Calcutta' incident significantly impacted British resolve against the Bengali Prince.

Major Robert Clive was appointed to retake Calcutta, which he accomplished with a small but effective force.

The Battle of Plassey was a crucial turning point, where the British East India Company's victory ensured their dominance in Bengal.

Mir Jafar's betrayal of Siraj ud-Daulah during the Battle of Plassey led to the British installing him as the new Nawab of Bengal.

The British East India Company's victory over the French in India and the Treaty of Paris marked the beginning of British supremacy in the region.

The video is sponsored by Dragon Champions, offering a special bonus for new players and highlighting the game's dynamic turn-based battles.

The Kings and Generals channel promises more videos on Indian history, encouraging viewers to subscribe and support the channel.

Transcripts

The British conquest of India is perhaps the most defining chapter of modern South Asian

history. However, the seizure of one of the oldest and largest civilizations on earth

was by no means a foregone conclusion, and ultimately came down to luck, conspiracy,

and a conveniently placed grove of Mango Trees. Welcome to our video on the crucial battle

of Plassey, and the beginnings of an era of Colonialism from Pakistan to Tamil Nadu ,

whose legacy affects some 1.8 billion living people today.

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By the 18th century, trading outposts run by the Portuguese, French, Danish, Dutch and

English traders dotted the Indian coastline, all seeking the peppers, cloves and pearls

of the east. At this time, the Europeans had not the numbers or firepower to conquer India,

and the dominant power in the subcontinent was the Mughal Empire. It was, however, highly

decentralized, often leaving the regional lords - the Nawabs - to fend for themselves.

In that regard, these Nawabs often hired armed European trading corporations to put down

rebellions within their domain, the primary method by which many European traders established

their bases in Indian lands. The most prominent of these soldiers of fortune

were of the Honourable East India Company, an independent megacorporation in service

of the Crown of Britain, with a government mandated monopoly on British trade in India,

and the ability to appoint its own governors, mint its own coin, and field its own army-

which consisted both of European soldiers, and Indians under the British Payroll, known

as Sepoys. By the 1650s, the Company had established trading bases in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta.

The Europeans brought to India not just their ships, bullion, and guns, but also their rivalries.

Whenever war broke out between in Europe, conflict would inevitably spill over into

India. Nowhere was this as prevalent as in the Carnatic wars. These were a series of

three conflicts between 1746 and 1763 that saw Britain and France, the two largest Colonial

powers, battle for colonial dominance in India. The First Carnatic war was a relatively minor

affair, and ran concurrently with the war of Austrian succession in Europe. As France

sided with Prussia, and England with Austria, their respective East India corporations locked

horns in the far east. In 1746, a fleet of French warships bombarded and took the British

fort at Madras. The local Nawab of Arcot, a fierce British ally, raised a force of 10,000

men to retake the Fort, but was repelled by a much smaller French force.

Meanwhile, the British retaliated by laying siege to the French stronghold of Pondicherry

in 1748, but were forced to withdraw at the onset of the monsoon rains. This short conflict

ended with the conclusion of its parent war in Europe, and in the treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle,

Madras was returned to Britain by the French, in exchange for the Fort of Louisbourg, which

had been taken by the British all the way over in Canada.

The First Carnatic war had been fought against the backdrop of a great wave of geopolitical

change in the Indian Subcontinent. The old Mughal Empire was in a slow decline, and as

it rotted from within, various ambitious Nawabs carved pieces out of its decaying body, creating

smaller, functionally independent states, that fought amongst themselves for land and

prestige. So, even though the governments of Britain and France were nominally at peace,

the British and French East India Companies continued to fight various proxy wars with

one another, with both sides struggling to place local rulers on the throne they suspected

would favour them over their fellow European rival.

In 1749, a dynastic struggle erupted over the Lordship of the Carnatic, and the Europeans

quickly picked their sides. France backed the up-and-coming Chanda Sahib, while the

British backed the well-established camp of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah. At the onset,

Sahib appeared to have the upper hand, taking control of most of the Carnatic, before besieging

Wallajah’s last stronghold at Trichinopoly in 1751. Victory seemed like a sure thing,

for Sahib commanded 6,000 men and had a force of 1,800 Frenchmen by his side, while within

the fort, Wallajah and his British allies numbered only 1600.

Here enters a pivotal character in the story of Colonial India, a young British officer

named Robert Clive. A fast-thinking and intrepid commander, he mustered a force of 280 British

Soldiers and 300 Sepoys and made a bold stab at the city of Arcot, the seat of Sahib’s

palace and a city of 100,000 souls. Arcot had been left sparsely defended, and amazingly,

the city garrison abandoned their posts upon hearing word of Clive’s dogged, nearly inhumanly

impulsive strike at their city. Upon hearing of the seizure of his capital, Chanda Sahib

was forced to divert troops from the Siege at Trichinopoly, relieving the Anglo-Indian

force there. Not only had Clive defied all expectations

and taken Arcot with a tiny force, he managed to defend it from a subsequent Franco-Indian

counterattack 4000 men strong. He proceeded to win several other battles over the next

two years, developing a reputation as a brilliant commander, with an aura of near invincibility.

In 1754, the Treaty of Pondicherry elevated the British-backed Muhammad Ali Wallajah to

the Nawabship of the Carnatic, making the British the predominant European power in

South-Eastern India. Meanwhile, the situation in the North of India

was no less chaotic than in the South. One of the most prominent rising powers expanding

at the expense of the Mughals was the Marathas, proudly independent and fiercely war-like,

they had broken free of Mughal control in the late 17th century, and in the following

decades, the mounted Hindu warriors had rapidly conquered much of central India and were pushing

upwards into Bengal. Bengal at the time was under the rulership

of an ambitious Muslim Nawab, Alivardi Khan, who much like the Nawabs of the Carnatic,

pledged nominal loyalty to the rapidly fading illusion of Imperial Mughal power, while in

essence being the sovereign prince of a functionally independent realm. Alivardi managed to consistently

fend off the perpetual Marathi attacks into his territory, but the raids simply kept coming

and coming, and in 1751 he was forced to cede the borderland of Orissa and pay the Marathas

an annual tribute. Alivardi was left in charge of a desolate

and war-torn realm, and in order to rebuild the infrastructure that had been destroyed,

he imposed heavy taxations upon the merchants in his lands. The well-established European

factories along the Hooghly river were not exempt from this, and the British traders

there grumbled mightily at their shake-down at the hands of this particularly iron-fisted

Bengali Prince. The situation was only further exacerbated

when Alivardi Khan passed away in 1756, leaving his heir Siraj ud-Daulah in charge. Siraj

was resentful of the economic and political influence the Europeans had in his domain,

and also suspected the British of being part of a coup to dethrone him, though in fairness,

he was probably right about that. The French and British began to fortify their

trading outposts in Bengal. Siraj immediately demanded they stop, and while the French complied,

the British refused. This was all the Casus Belli the zealous Nawab needed. Siraj launched

an assault on the British stronghold at Calcutta in June 1756, taking the city without a struggle,

and seizing the lightly manned Fort William within it after only token resistance.

English traders within the Fort, some 146 men, were escorted into the dungeon, a holding

cell intended only to contain six or fewer men. Left there for one full night, most Englishmen

died of asphyxiation and heat-stroke. Siraj ud-Daulah, for his part, seemed genuinely

unaware. Nevertheless, the incident, which came to be known as the “Black Hole of Calcutta”,

became emblazoned in the social memory of every Englishman in India, and steeled their

resolve to retaliate against the Bengali Prince. In Madras, the local governor of the East

India Company resolved that Calcutta must be retaken immediately, and appointed the

best man for the job, none other than a certain Major Robert Clive.

In December of 1756, Clive began up the Hooghly River aboard a squadron of warships, commanding

some 600 British Soldiers and 900 Sepoys. Between them and Calcutta was the Bengali

fort of Budge Budge, but one humorous tale relates that while encamped outside it at

night, a drunken British seaman stumbled inside the enemy fort by accident and stormed the

barricades, taking the battery. After that, the Squadron made it to Calcutta, thoroughly

shelling the city with their cannons. By January 1757, the defending Bengali garrison quickly

abandoned the city, allowing Clive and his men to retake a smoldering, ruined husk that

had once been a thriving trade port. In response, Siraj mustered a huge army of

40,000 men, marching South to seize Calcutta once more. They arrived in February, setting

up a siege camp outside of the city suburbs, where they engaged in some inconclusive skirmishes

with the British Garrison. Amidst this deadlock, it was once again the audacious Robert Clive

who turned the tides. Creating a vanguard of East India Sailors, Soldiers and Sepoys,

he sailed a short distance down the Hooghly river under cover of night, and a thick blanket

of fog. Disembarking downriver, his marines reached the Bengali Camp at 6AM, at which

point they began opening fire. Chaos consumed the encampment; Siraj’s men shouted, tripped

over themselves, and fired blindly into the fog. Horses ran wild and Elephants stampeded,

all while Clive and his men continued to shoot their way through the camp, eventually making

their way across the Bengali ditch, and back into Fort William.

Casualties were light; Clive only lost 57 men, while Siraj had lost 600 out of his total

40,000. Nevertheless, the Bengali Prince sued for peace. On February 9th, the Treaty of

Alinagar was signed between the Company and Bengal: It was essentially status quo ante

bellum, with the British now able to fortify their outposts unopposed.

With the Bengali problem pacified, the Company turned its attention to France. The Seven

Years’ War was at full steam. On the 23rd of March, 1757, the British launched a pre-emptive

strike on the French outpost of Chandernagore. This attack infuriated Siraj ud-Daulah, who

saw it as a blatant violation of the treaty he had just signed. He immediately began making

overtures of alliance with the French in Cossimbazar, conspiring with them to expel the British.

Back in his court, a strong underground plot to overthrow the Bengali Prince had grown,

led by Siraj’s scheming uncle Mir Jafar. Clive found out about this plot, and on June

12th, 1757, a treaty was signed between the Company and the conspirators. For Clive, the

time was nigh. There would be no better opportunity to overthrow the meddlesome Siraj ud-Daulah,

install a friendly puppet government, and ensure British dominance in Bengal. Gathering

a small army, he prepared to confront the Bengali Prince in one final battle, and although

no one knew it, it would be this battle that would decide the fate of all of India.

Siraj had moved his army to a village on the Hooghly river; to the Indians it was known

as Palashi, and to the English, as Plassey. At 1:00AM, on the 23rd of June, 1757, Robert

Clive’s expedition arrived in the hinterlands outside Palashi, establishing their position

in an Orchard of Mango Trees protected by a ditch and a mud wall, adjacent from an old

hunting lodge. Clive’s force numbered about 3,000, consisting of 1,000 British Redcoats,

2,000 Indian Sepoys, eight six-pounder cannons, and two howitzers.

The Bengali host, meanwhile, had encamped itself across the field a day earlier, in

a camp adjacent to the river Baggiruttee, behind great earthen entrenchments and an

elevated redoubt. It was a colossal horde of over 60,000 men, made up of 30,000 infantry

armed with matchlock rifles, swords, pikes and rockets, as well as 20,000 cavalry armed

with spears and swords. Towering over even this great mass were fifty 24-pounder and

34-pounder cannons, mounted on huge wooden platforms, pulled on the backs of 40 oxen

each, and flanked by armoured Elephants. Finally, a detachment of Frenchmen, consisting

of 50 artillerymen and six field guns, had attached themselves to the Nawab’s cause,

eager to lay their British enemies low. However, despite this massive show of force, almost

3/4ths of Siraj’s army was under the influence of Mir Jafar and his conspirators. Whether

or not the scheming uncle would betray his Lord, or remain loyal, would decide the fate

of the battle. At the break of dawn, the Bengali army began

to descend upon the small British force in a giant, imposing arc that covered the entire

Palashi plain. The French artillery moved ahead of the main line, positioning their

field guns on either side of a large water tank a half-mile away from the Mango Grove.

They were followed by the right wing of the Bengali army, led by the only loyal generals

in Siraj’s army, the Muslim Mir Madan, and the Hindu Mohan Lal. Meanwhile, Clive had

squared up, ordering his men to advance out of the grove, forming a line just beyond its

walls while his own artillery formed a vanguard under the cover of a nearby brick kiln.

The British were in a pickle. Clive knew he could not devote troops to an attack on the

advancing vanguard without exposing his left flank to Mir Jafar’s massive horde. All

he could hope for was that Jafar would be good to his word, and with that, he turned

his attentions to the advancing right. At 8AM, the cannonade began. The French and Bengalis

fired a withering crescendo with their mounted cannons and field guns, wounding a handful

of men. The British returned fire, but to little effect. Realizing he was sustaining

too much damage, Clive orchestrated an orderly retreat back into the Mango Grove.

The Franco-Bengali shelling continued, but the British were now well insulated - the

perimeter ditch and the trees in the grove sheltered the men from Cannonballs, while

the wet mud absorbed the impact of those that struck the earth beneath them. From their

sheltered position, the British artillery was able to more effectively return fire,

killing several Bengali gunners, and rendering their mounted cannons moribund. Meanwhile,

Mir Jafar had not committed to the battle. Throughout the day, the back-and-forth artillery

duel continued without either side gaining any ground, but Clive and his men were soon

beset upon by a stroke of luck. At midnight, a thunderstorm erupted over the battlefield,

drenching the Bengali’s powder and rendering their cannons useless for the time being.

Meanwhile, the British guns had been covered in tarpaulins, and were still operational.

For hours, the British launched volley after volley into the helpless Bengali right, who

were unable to return fire. Soon the rains began to abate, and the Bengalis

leapt back into action. Mir Madan believed that the British had surely run out of ammunition

by now, and advanced his cavalry in a line, preparing them to charge the British position.

As it turns out, this was a fatal miscalculation, for as they advanced, Mir Madan was mortally

wounded by a grapeshot cannonball. The general’s unceremonious death was devastating to Siraj.

He was running desperately short of loyal generals, while the capricious Jafar continued

to do nothing. Knowing his position was precarious, Siraj

threw himself at Jafar’s feet and begged him to enter the fray. Jafar agreed, lying

through his teeth, and left to prepare his men. Meanwhile, one of his fellow conspirators,

Rai Durlabh, whispered malicious advice into Siraj’s ear, advising him to retreat. Thoroughly

shaken by the death of Mir Madan, and realizing he was in a den of snakes, Siraj complied,

and ordered a general withdrawal. Meanwhile, Jafar sent a correspondence to Clive, advising

he attack now. The messenger however did not reach the British, unable to cross a battlefield

still under heavy cannonfire. Nevertheless, the British took their own initiative.

The Bengali retreat left the French artillery isolated in their position, causing one Major

Kilpatrick to storm out of the mango grove with the 39th regiment, charging the French

position. He was quickly joined by Clive, and together they forced the French to retreat

behind the Bengali entrenchment. Meanwhile, Mir Jafar was advancing on the

left to join the British, but the British did not know it was him, so Clive dispatched

three platoons to counter his approach. After the British fired a volley in their direction,

Jafar stopped, and bided his time. The tides had begun to turn; it was now the British

gaining ground rapidly, while the Bengalis steadily lost it. Only a small portion of

Siraj’s army now actively fought back, as the rest simply departed from the battlefield,

under the firm influence of Jafar and his conspirators.

As the British advanced upon the water tanks, the last of the loyalist Bengalis took position

on a nearby hillock, using it as a base to delay their approach with harassing cavalry

raids, but were repulsed each time by volleys of crack-shot musket fire. The Frenchmen had

retreated to the elevated redoubt built into the Bengali entrenchment, and from there engaged

in another heated exchange of cannonfire with Clive and his artillery, who had advanced

up to the watertank. Finally, Clive delivered the coup de grace:

a two pronged attack. He ordered one Major Eyre Coote to storm the hillock, while the

rest of his forces launched an open assault upon the French-held redoubt. This final assault

proved decisive. The French were forced to withdraw, and what remained of Siraj’s loyal

troops were routed, put into full flight. The Battle of Plassey had been won by the

British. Of the East India Company, only 22 soldiers lay dead. Among the Bengalis, 500.

After the battle, Mir Jafar travelled to the British camp at Daudpur, where he was declared

the new Nawab of Bengal. Siraj ud-Daulah had fled in disguise, but was caught and executed.

Mir Jafar proved to be a fickle ally. Realizing correctly the British were an existential

threat to his power, he made overtures to the Dutch to drive them out. This was thwarted

by the British, who defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Chinsurah in 1759. Mir Jafar

was then promptly deposed by the British. Meanwhile, the war with the French continued,

and here the British emerged victorious too, successfully taking the final French stronghold

of Pondicherry in 1763. The Treaty of Paris returned Pondicherry to the French in 1763,

but they were contained to that port, and never again gained the prominence they once

had on the Indian Subcontinent. With the British East India Company as the sole European power

in India, they were more or less free to appoint and depose Native puppet rulers at will. Troubling

times lay ahead for India.

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