The Plan Explained: European Rectangle Strategy & Why It Matters

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Plan Recap (In Simple Terms)

What Bhau Wants:

• Get out of current position WITHOUT all-out war
• Escape south toward Delhi with army intact
• Keep Afghan army at distance with artillery
• Avoid hand-to-hand combat (where Afghans superior)

How the Rectangle Works:

• Form rectangular formation (all soldiers around perimeter)
• Put non-combatants in center (protected by formation)
• Artillery in front (keeps Afghans away)
• Move southeast toward Yamuna River
• Once at river: follow south along bank toward Delhi
• Keep extreme discipline (no breaking ranks)

Holkar's Objection (Valid)

The Problem:

• Can't retreat and fight simultaneously
• Rearguard position (Holkar's role) forces him into continuous combat
• This is militarily impossible to do effectively
• Fighting while moving = no control, disorganized chaos

Why Bhau Overruled Him:

• It's the only viable option available
• Staying = slow death from starvation
• Fighting all-out = catastrophic losses both sides
• Escape attempt = only way to preserve army
• Recognized difficulty but "it's what we have to do"

The European Roots of the Strategy

Who Invented It:

• Ibrahim Khan Gardi studied under French generals
• Strategy comes from French military tradition
• NOT an Indian innovation

Famous Historical Examples:

• Udgir Battle: Nizam used exact same rectangle strategy

  • Kept Maratha army waiting outside for SEVERAL DAYS
  • Marathas couldn't break the formation
  • Effective for extended periods

• Waterloo: Duke of Wellington's famous rectangle

  • French attacked repeatedly
  • Couldn't breach the disciplined English formation
  • Protected the "tail" (non-combatants/supply) while maintaining defense

Why It Works (In Theory):

• Protects vulnerable personnel (women, dependents, supplies)
• Maintains concentrated defensive power
• Artillery can rain fire while soldiers hold formation
• Moving formation keeps initiative

The "Tooth to Tail" Concept

Definition:

• "Tooth" = combat effective forces (soldiers, cavalry, artillery)
• "Tail" = non-combat support (cooks, servants, merchants, women, pilgrims)

The Problem:

• Maratha camp had massive tail: 40-50,000 non-combatants
• Only ~75,000 actual fighting forces
• Ratio: ~1 tooth for every 1 tail (very vulnerable)
• European armies had better ratios

How Rectangle Solves It:

• Rectangles specifically designed to protect the "tail"
• Non-combatants shielded by soldier ring
• Allows movement with large support population
• Works IF discipline maintained

Artillery as The Real Weapon

Maratha Advantage:

• Long-range artillery (European-style)
• Range: 1-1.5 kilometers
• Can keep armies separated
• Prevents close combat

Afghan Disadvantage:

• Didn't have comparable long-range artillery
• Relied on cavalry, elephants, close combat
• Inferior in artillery duel
• Better at hand-to-hand/charges

The Gardi Strategy:

• Let artillery do the fighting
• Keep armies separated by sustained fire
• Prevent opportunity for Afghan cavalry to charge
• Rectangle moves while artillery maintains distance

The Discipline Problem (Critical)

Why It's Essential:

"If you break the rank, then it is all out war. If soldiers get into hand-to-hand combat, there is likelihood of getting into all out battle."

The Paradox:

• Maratha strength: individual warrior prowess, cavalry charges, heroics
• Rectangle needs: formation discipline, staying in line, NOT breaking to pursue
• These are opposite requirements
• Warriors naturally want to fight; rectangle requires NOT fighting

If Discipline Breaks:

• Soldiers see disorganized Afghans after artillery strike
• Instinct: charge and kill them (traditional Maratha way)
• One charge breaks formation
• Whole rectangle collapses
• Becomes all-out battle (worst case scenario)
• Bhau's careful plan evaporates

The Afghan Strategy Against It

What Afghans Would Do:

• Watch for Maratha right flank (where it's closest)
• Try to punch wedge into rectangle
• Attempt to separate cavalry from foot soldiers
• Create chaos and collapse formation from inside

The Defense:

• Artillery keeps them too far away to breach
• Strong right flank of rectangle handles any penetration
• Rectangle keeps moving (never stopping to consolidate)
• Movement prevents Afghan maneuvers from taking effect

Guns & Reloading Problem

Maratha Guns:

• Country-made, inaccurate
• One bullet at a time
• Took ~5 minutes to reload
• Very inefficient for sustained battle

The Reload Gap:

• Artillery fires → Afghan charge → guns being reloaded
• Window where guns can't fire
• Rectangle must hold discipline during this gap
• If soldiers break during gap → Afghan penetration
• That's why "no breaking ranks" is absolute requirement

Solution:

• Artillery and soldiers working together
• Coordinated firing (some guns always loaded)
• Soldiers don't break—they hold formation
• Rectangle keeps moving even during reload cycles

Equipment & Preparation

Officer Armor:

• Body armor (Chilkhata) for important commanders
• Swords (Talwari), daggers (Jambiya), spears (Bhala)
• Personal guns (though inefficient)

Afghan Advantage:

• Horses emphasized (massage/care before battle)
• Maratha cavalry primary weapon
• Afghan emphasis: elephants, camels, camel-based Jamburak artillery
• Jamburak = small cannon on camel (rotating, swivel-able)
  • Like mobile mini-tank
  • Two-person crew
  • Short range (~30-40 meters) but devastating
  • Can move around battlefield creating chaos

Afghan Elephants:

• Decorated with seats
• Carry important commanders
• Allow observation of battlefield
• But very visible/exposed to attack
• Old-fashioned tactic (vulnerable)

Why Bhau Believed He Could Succeed

His Confidence Based On:

1. Artillery superiority (Europeans-trained, 1.5 km range)
2. Afghans lacked equivalent long-range weapons
3. Rectangle formation proven (Wellington, Nizam)
4. Discipline maintainable (if commanders enforce)
5. Movement gives tactical flexibility
6. Goal is escape, not victory—different psychology

His Wrong Assumption:

• That Afghans would let them pass peacefully
• That artillery intimidation would prevent close combat
• That Maratha soldiers would maintain discipline under fire
• That both sides wanted to minimize casualties

Timeline to Battle

Key Insights

The Innovation vs. Tradition Problem: Bhau chose a European defensive strategy that required European-style discipline. But Marathas were warriors/cavalry culture, not formation soldiers. This fundamental mismatch was the plan's greatest weakness.

Artillery as Equalizer: Bhau's only advantage over more numerous/experienced Afghan force was artillery. Entire plan depended on: (1) maintaining separation via artillery, (2) soldiers NOT breaking ranks to pursue. Both were fragile assumptions.

The Wheel vs. Cavalry Dilemma: Maratha strength was cavalry charges. Rectangle strategy required NOT charging. It was asking them to overcome their nature and training.

Proven But Untested at Scale: Wellington's formation worked at Waterloo. Nizam's worked at Udgir. But neither involved moving 125,000 people (including 40,000+ non-combatants) across open terrain while maintaining formation under fire. This was untested at this scale.

The Real Gamble: Not whether the plan was good, but whether Maratha soldiers could execute it. Bhau was banking on discipline in an army culture that valued heroic individual action.

Where We Left Off: Plan fully explained. Rectangular formation justified by historical precedent (Wellington, Nizam). Discipline emphasized as critical requirement (but Maratha weakness). Artillery presented as key advantage. If executed perfectly, escape was possible. The question: would soldiers maintain discipline when battle began?

Gardi's rectangle was elegant on paper. Move southeast, maintain formation, let artillery keep enemies away, slip past to Delhi, escape. It was European military science—proven effective, logically sound, perfectly reasonable. The problem: it required Maratha soldiers to act like European soldiers. To stand in formation. To not break ranks. To let their enemies run away instead of pursuing. On the morning of January 14, that assumption was about to be tested against the reality of men who were warriors first, soldiers second.