On this day in history – 23rd June 1757 – the Battle of Plassey (Palashi) was fought between British East India Company troops under Robert Clive and the French-supported Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula. This decisive engagement would have significant consequences for the future of Company involvement in the Indian subcontinent, and the fate of its local Indian and European rivals.
After a torrential rainstorm that drenched the Bengali artillery’s gunpowder, one of the Nawab’s most trusted commanders, Mir Madan, assumed that the British guns had been put out of action by the rain. Commanding a detachment of cavalry near the Bhagirathi River, Mir Madan ordered his men to move forward from their position. This picture depicts the moment the charge was met by a heavy barrage from the British guns, whose crews had kept their equipment dry during the downpour. The cavalrymen are dressed in typical Indian military costume of the period, including Indo-Persian armour and horse barding in the foreground.
The charge was repulsed and Mir Madan was killed by a grapeshot round. The loss of such a capable commander left the Nawab at the mercy of his other, more untrustworthy commanders, and by the end of the day his remaining troops had been routed.
By Ibrahim Zamir
Empire of History 