Supply Lines and Camp Operations: The Hidden Logistics War (November-December 1760)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Supply Situation: Inflation vs. Abundance

Maratha Camp Advantages

The Better Position:

• Supplies abundant and cheap
• Prices low compared to Abdali's camp
• Plenty of food for soldiers
• Resources for animals
• Better situation for morale

The Psychological Impact:

• Maratha soldiers giddy/confident
• Seeing Afghan troubles
• Harassing Afghan periphery
• Shutting down supply routes
• Feeling superior

The False Interpretation:

• Soldiers thought: "Afghans avoiding us"
• Believed: "They're scared to attack"
• Actually: "They're planning strategy"
• Misread caution for cowardice
• Didn't understand Abdali's calculations

Afghan Camp Difficulties

The Inflation:

• Prices skyrocketing
• Supplies expensive
• Resources scarce
• Ordinary soldiers suffering
• Logistical strain showing

The Reality:

• Not hesitation (as Marathas thought)
• But careful deliberation
• Planning approach, not avoiding
• Thinking through options
• Abdali being strategic, not cowardly

The Desperate Search for Resources

Bhau's Mounting Needs

The New Demands:

• Still needs Bundele to disrupt supplies
• Still needs supplies himself
• Increasingly worried about own supplies
• "Securing enough supplies for himself"
• Constant anxiety about provisions

The Contradiction:

• Wants Bundele to cut Abdali's supplies
• Worried about own supply lines
• Both armies desperate for provisions
• Both competing for same limited resources
• Vicious cycle of scarcity

The Mid-November Mood Shift

The Change:

• Initial confidence eroding
• Initially: "God has favored us"
• By mid-November: "Things getting worrisome"
• False sense of security wearing off
• Reality of situation sinking in

The Realization:

• Not as good as first thought
• Danger growing, not shrinking
• Time working against them too
• Can't sustain indefinitely
• Must resolve soon

The Gunpowder Crisis: New Demands

The November 15 Request

The New Urgency:

• After 15 days of skirmishes
• Bhau makes new demand
• "We need gunpowder"
• Specifically "Tari" (explosive compound)
• Immediate need, not future

The Composition:

• Khandi: unit of measurement (~10 kg)
• Explosive powder mixed
• Metal compounds (chisel/metal dust)
• Creating explosive charge compound
• Needed for all weapons

The Desperation:

• Demanding from Bundele (who has no supplies)
• Asking for critical ammunition
• Can't manufacture locally
• Dependent on supply from south
• Another task Bundele can't complete

The War of Attrition

The Artillery Consumption:

• Cannons firing in skirmishes
• Gunpowder getting depleted
• Can't manufacture more
• Must have external supply
• Running low on ammunition

The Vulnerability:

• Artillery useless without powder
• Can't fire if ammunition gone
• Would fall back to traditional warfare
• Would negate Bhau's strategy
• Creates critical vulnerability

The Supply Line Challenge: The Vanzari Network

Who Are The Vanzaris?

Their Role:

• Supply caste/profession
• Gathering supplies professionally
• Making deliveries to army
• Contract employees
• Paid for services, not soldiers

Their System:

• Go around gathering supplies
• Don't go through major villages
• Travel wilderness paths
• Travel at night for safety
• Avoid detection and attack

The Reason for Secrecy:

• Danger from Afghan raiding parties
• Could be ambushed anytime
• Supplies could be stolen
• Supply people could be killed
• Extreme risk involved

The High-Risk Operation

The Dangers:

• If caught: executed
• If attacked: killed
• If supplies stolen: lost resource
• If person captured: interrogated
• Death almost certain if discovered

The Incentives:

• Good remuneration from Bhau
• Money worth the risk
• Better pay than usual
• But extremely dangerous
• Many probably didn't survive

The Night Travel:

• Moving in darkness
• Less likely to be spotted
• Less likely to be attacked
• But harder to navigate
• Slower movement overall

The Scale of Operation

The Numbers:

• Needed to supply 125,000+ soldiers
• Plus 100,000+ animals
• Going 15-20-30 miles to gather
• Multiple trips needed
• Constant resupply required

The Coordination:

• Vanzaris leaving at night
• Gathering from surrounding areas
• Avoiding major population centers
• Returning with supplies
• Feeding massive camp

The Camp Restrictions: Security Concerns

Why No One Could Leave

The Rule:

• Soldiers couldn't leave camp
• Civilians couldn't wander
• Strict control on movement
• No unsupervised departures
• Everyone tracked

The Reasons:

• Fear of being attacked
• Risk of being captured
• Possibility of running away
• Fear soldiers would flee
• Morale deterioration risk

The Reality:

• Some soldiers scared of fighting
• Some might desert if chance appeared
• Big armies could collapse fast
• Desertion spreads fear
• One person running = others follow

Abdali's Personal Inspection

His Approach:

• Takes his son Taimur Shah
• Goes around camp personally
• Observes what's happening
• Checks on troops
• Assesses morale

The Purpose:

• Knows where people are
• Can respond to problems
• Sees morale directly
• Can increase morale
• Personal leadership presence

The Army Camps:

• Not small scattered force
• Multiple sprawling cities
• Sub-camps within larger camp
• Different military units
• Massive coordination needed

The Intelligence Gathering System

Skirmishes as Information Collection

The Purpose:

• Not meant for victory
• Meant to gather information
• Test opponent's capabilities
• Identify weaknesses
• Assess tactical response

What They Learn:

• How many soldiers remain combat-ready
• What are their tactics
• Where are they positioned
• How is their morale
• What are their strengths/weaknesses

The Cost:

• Soldiers come back injured
• Some soldiers come back dead
• But information invaluable
• Each skirmish teaches something
• Cumulative knowledge building

The Debriefing Process

The Information Exchange:

• Injured soldiers debriefed
• Asked about what they saw
• Asked about Afghan movements
• Asked about Afghan morale
• Asked about Afghan tactics

The Learning:

• Commanders assess results
• Evaluate new information
• Adjust strategy accordingly
• Plan next skirmish
• Continue gathering intelligence

The Realization: This Will Be Terrible

Both Armies Understanding the Cost

The Awareness:

• Both realized severity
• This won't be easy victory
• Consequences will be severe
• Both sides will suffer
• Massive casualties guaranteed

The Psychology:

• Abdali: hasn't faced this before
• Bigger force than he'd encountered
• Different military system (artillery)
• Risk of complete defeat
• Must be very careful

The Maratha Side:

• Realized difficulty
• Didn't believe in coordination
• Worried about discipline
• Knew casualties would be immense
• Couldn't retreat if things went wrong

The Stalemate Calculation

Why Each Side Hesitates

Maratha Reasons:

• Want to know Abdali's weaknesses
• Want to assess strengths
• Want infantry/cavalry to coordinate
• Want artillery to integrate
• Want time to prepare

Afghan Reasons:

• Want to understand Maratha capabilities
• Want to find artillery vulnerability
• Want to evaluate morale/discipline
• Want to assess tactics
• Want time to adapt

The Mutual Hesitation:

• Both want more information
• Both want better preparation
• Both want fewer surprises
• Both aware of cost
• Both hoping other side retreats

The Deliberative Mode

What's Happening:

• Both armies slow
• No rushing into action
• Taking time to think
• Evaluating options
• Preparing carefully

The Message:

• This is serious
• Will be decided fight
• Not going to be quick
• Casualties will be massive
• Both sides need to be ready

The Communication Paradox

Messengers Despite Proximity

The Situation:

• Armies facing each other closely
• Can't move south quickly enough
• But messengers can
• Messages going secretly
• Must be sent in secretive way

The Routes:

• To Delhi (relay point)
• To Pune (Peshwa)
• Letters going back and forth
• Not fast but possible
• Secret routes being used

The Purpose:

• Bhau asking for supplies
• Requesting gunpowder
• Demanding money
• Asking for support
• Coordinating strategy

The Harsh Reality

What Both Camps Know

The Truth:

• Can't win easy victory
• Will be costly struggle
• Heavy casualties certain
• Outcome unpredictable
• Time advantage doesn't exist

The Dilemma:

• Waiting means slow attrition
• Attacking means immediate casualties
• Staying means slow starvation
• Leaving means disastrous retreat
• No good options remain

Where This Leads: By December 1760, both armies are grinding away in the stalemate. Marathas still have supply advantage but it's eroding. Afghans starving but surviving. Gunpowder running low. Bundele completely failed. Intelligence gathering continuing nightly. Both armies know this will be catastrophic. Both preparing for worst. Both locked in until one force gives. The waiting is destroying them even faster than battle would.

The Vanzaris moving at night through the darkness, carrying supplies through enemy-patrolled lands, risking execution if caught. That's the real war while the armies wait. The invisible supply line determines who survives to fight. Not the grand strategy. Not the artillery. The night runners carrying grain and powder through darkness. That's what wins wars. That and the willingness to sacrifice disposable people to feed the machines of war.