Abdali's Strategic Retreat: The Four-Mile Repositioning (Late November 1760)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Context: Delhi and Kunjapura

Abdali Blocked from Delhi

The Situation:

• Marathas between Delhi and Abdali's army
• Disconnected from Delhi completely
• Maratha camp in middle
• Can't freely contact Delhi
• Strategic barrier created

Why This Mattered:

• Delhi had some troops
• Delhi had support structure
• Marathas preventing use
• Limited Abdali's options
• Cut off from resources

The Kunjapura Factor

The Original Plan:

• Kunjapura was Abdali's supply fort
• Storing supplies for return journey
• Planned as resupply point to Afghanistan
• Would pass through on way back
• Critical logistical hub

The Problem:

• Delhi itself was experiencing famine
• No supplies available in Delhi
• Made Kunjapura even more important
• All supplies depended on Kunjapura

The Kunjapura Destruction

The Incident:

• Marathas attacked Kunjapura fort
• Destroyed supplies stored there
• Killed many of Abdali's people
• Destroyed his base
• Killed soldiers guarding supplies

Abdali's Motivation:

• Extremely disturbed by destruction
• Moved by atrocities against his forces
• "Shasan" (punishment) motivated him
• Crossed Yamuna after hearing news
• From east to west crossing

Why He Crossed:

• Had to respond to destruction
• Couldn't let it stand unanswered
• Morale issue for army
• "Must punish them or accepting superiority"
• Had to show allies could retaliate

The Reality Check at Panipat

The Initial Excitement

His Emotion:

• "Tremendous passion initially"
• Ready for battle
• Motivated to punish Marathas
• Angry about Kunjapura
• Wanted vengeance

The Mood:

• Energized by destruction news
• Crossed river decisively
• Ready to engage
• Confident in retaliation
• Passion running high

The Sight That Changed Everything

The Realization:

• Arrived at Panipat
• Saw Maratha camp
• Saw Maratha size
• Saw Maratha artillery
• Reality check struck

The Calculation:

• "Not going to be easy"
• "Equally large army"
• "Big artillery guns"
• "They can dish out punishment too"
• Consequences would be "great"

The Shift:

• "Excitement running low"
• Realized not simple victory
• Understood outcome uncertain
• "Chanakya says: uncertain"
• Decided to be patient

The Strategic Shift: From Aggressive to Passive

The New Strategy

The Realization:

• "Not going to be simple"
• Can't rush into battle
• Must assess situation
• Need time to evaluate
• Patience necessary

The Decision:

• "Take it easy"
• Don't be hastily walked into battle
• Wait for right moment
• Be really patient
• "No matter how long it takes"

The Logic:

• Unknown outcome = too risky
• Battle could go either way
• Defeat = disaster
• Better to wait
• Force Marathas to attack

The Supply Disruption Strategy: Mutual Attrition

The Parallel Strategies

What Happened:

• Marathas cutting Abdali's supplies (partially)
• Govind Pant somewhat successful (but not fully)
• Not as effective as hoped
• But doing some disruption

Abdali's Counter:

• Realized Marathas doing same thing
• Thought: "I will do exactly same"
• "Alec can do same thing to you"
• Counter-supply disruption strategy
• Mirror tactics

The Outcome:

• Both using identical strategy
• Both trying to starve each other
• Both trying to demoralize
• Both trying to force attack
• Both waiting for other to break

Why This Worked Better for Afghans

The Assessment:

• Marathas breaking faster
• Afghans breaking slower
• Bundele partially successful but not fully
• Afghan supplies better assured
• Time is Afghan advantage

The Maratha Problem:

• Can't sustain indefinitely
• Must resolve soon
• Running out of time
• Deteriorating position
• Pressure building

The Repositioning: The Four-Mile Move South

The Decision

The Timing:

• Late November
• After realizing battle uncertain
• After deciding patience strategy
• After implementing supply disruption
• Clear strategic shift

The Distance:

• Moved 4-5 miles farther south
• Increased distance from Marathas
• Was within 2 miles before
• Now 4-5 miles away
• Deliberate separation

The Direction:

• Southeast direction
• "Agney" direction = southeast
• Toward Yamuna River
• Closer to water
• Closer to supply routes

The Rationale: The Three Reasons

Reason 1: Avoid Accidental Battle

The Problem:

• Skirmishes happening frequently
• Could escalate accidentally
• Proximity dangerous
• Easy to stumble into battle
• Didn't want that

The Solution:

• Increase distance
• 4 miles = buffer zone
• Harder to start skirmish
• Can't get back quickly
• Protects from surprise

Reason 2: Water and Survival

The Need:

• Camp = 70,000-80,000+ people
• All need water daily
• Massive quantity required
• Can't transport long distances
• Must be near source

The Resource:

• Yamuna River = sweet water
• Essential for survival
• Non-negotiable requirement
• Better to be close
• Ensures supply

Reason 3: Supply Line Protection

The Routes:

• Supplies coming from east of Yamuna
• Coming from Suja's territory
• Coming from Rohila areas (Najib Khan)
• Coming from across Yamuna
• Must receive on western bank

The Positioning:

• Closer to Yamuna = better position
• Can receive supplies directly
• Less distance for interference
• Bundele can't disrupt as effectively
• Protection of supply routes

The Winter Advantage: Lower Water Levels

The Monsoon Effect

The Change:

• Monsoon ending (late November/early December)
• Water levels dropping
• Flow becoming "same"
• Much lower than monsoon
• Traversable conditions

The Implication:

• Boats can cross easily
• From east to west bank
• Previously difficult
• Now much easier
• Supply flow increased

The Supplier Base:

• Double supplies
• From Suja's areas
• From Rohila territories (Najib's area)
• Both can access
• Redundant supply lines

The Maratha Misinterpretation

What They Thought

The Analysis:

• "Abdali backed out"
• "Went back by four miles"
• "Because of fear of artillery"
• "Evidence he's scared of us"
• "Confirming our artillery advantage"

The Confidence:

• Saw retreat as victory
• Thought they had him
• "We've got ace up our sleeves"
• "Artillery going to decide battle"
• "Evidence of what we thought"

The Reality

What Actually Happened:

• Not fear-based retreat
• Deliberate strategic repositioning
• Part of patience strategy
• Part of supply protection
• Part of waiting game

The Misunderstanding:

• Confidence based on wrong interpretation
• Thought they had advantage
• Actually losing advantage daily
• Thought Abdali scared
• Actually Abdali patient

The Genius of the Move

Why It Worked

The Multi-Purpose Strategy:

1. Avoided accidental battle (risky)
2. Protected water supply (essential)
3. Protected supply routes (critical)
4. Forced Marathas to stay put (good)
5. Allowed waiting strategy (patient)
6. Made skirmish harder (reduced risk)

The Psychological Effect:

• Marathas thought they won
• Thought Abdali scared
• Boosted false confidence
• Made them overestimate position
• Set up for shock

The Patient Calculation

The Timeline:

• "No matter how long it takes"
• "Willing to wait"
• In meantime: stock supplies
• Force Marathas to attack
• By then they'll be hungry/weak

The Endgame:

• "Vulnerable position"
• "Going hungry"
• "Morale down"
• "Animals dying"
• "Exactly what happened"

The Elegance of the Strategy

Why Abdali Won

The Thinking:

• Can't accidentally walk into risky battle
• Wanted deliberately started by Marathas
• Skirmishes create distance problem
• 4 miles = no man's land
• Can't do surgical strike and escape

The Result:

• Marathas forced to commit
• Can't do small probes
• Must do full attack
• On Abdali's ground
• With Abdali's time advantage

Key Themes

1. Strategic Patience - Abdali choosing waiting over fighting
2. Supply Logistics - Repositioning for supply security
3. Psychological Manipulation - Letting Marathas think they won
4. Risk Management - Avoiding accidental escalation
5. Water Resources - Essential survival factor
6. Environmental Advantage - Winter making river crossing easier
7. The Four-Mile Trap - Creating buffer zone that favors defense
8. False Victory - Marathas celebrating retreat as win

Where This Leads: Abdali's retreat appears to be a victory for Marathas. They think their artillery scared him. In reality, he's executed a perfect strategic repositioning. He's protected his water supply, improved his supply routes, created a buffer zone against skirmishes, and positioned himself to force the Marathas into a desperate attack. By December, the Marathas will be starving while Abdali is comfortable. The "retreat" was actually the setup for the kill.

He came to Panipat angry, ready to punish the Marathas for destroying Kunjapura. Then he saw their camp. Saw their size. Saw their artillery. And his passion cooled. He realized this wouldn't be easy. So he moved back. Four miles. Southeast. Toward the Yamuna. The Marathas watched him retreat and celebrated. "We scared him!" they said. "Our artillery drove him back!" They thought it was victory. But it was actually strategic perfection. He put his camp where the water was, where the supplies came through, where the distance made skirmishes impossible, where he could wait indefinitely. And the Marathas, thinking they'd won, celebrated into December while getting hungrier and hungrier and more desperate. The retreat was the trap. And they walked right into it.