The Fatal Mistake: Cavalry Surges Ahead, Plan Collapses

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Critical Error Identified

What Should Have Happened (Original Plan):

• Maratha rectangle moves SOUTHEAST toward Yamuna
• Artillery stays in FRONT of rectangle
• Cavalry protects sides and follows artillery
• Rectangle maintains integrity
• Non-combatants protected in center
• Artillery keeps distance between armies

What Actually Happened:

• Cavalry surged ahead of artillery (ABOUT 1 MILE)
• Left rectangle formation
• Left artillery behind and unprotected
• Cavalry now fighting independently
• Artillery can't support cavalry anymore
• Plan abandoned for pursuit of victory

The Positional Error (With Map References)

The Formation Reference:

• #1 = Ibrahim Khan Gardi (artillery unit)
• #2 = Vithal Shivadev (cavalry support—supposed to protect artillery)
• #3 = Bhau (command center)
• #8-9 = Afghan Barkhurdar Khan & right flank
• #10 = Afghan Shah Wali Khan (center)

What Should Have Happened:

• Cavalry (#2-3) stays BEHIND #1 (artillery)
• Artillery attacks Afghan #8 (Barkhurdar Khan right flank)
• Creates wedge in Afghan right flank
• Cavalry exploits wedge to the RIGHT and AROUND Afghan position
• Rectangle continues southeast toward Yamuna
• Artillery continues protecting

What Actually Happened:

• Cavalry went FORWARD and IN FRONT of artillery
• Now at position where artillery CAN'T support (cavalry would block fire)
• Cavalry now directly fighting #10 (Shah Wali Khan center)
• Instead of exploiting right flank breakthrough: got drawn into center fighting

Why This Was Catastrophic

The Immediate Problem: Cavalry surged ahead → artillery stopped firing (can't hit own cavalry in front) → Afghan center got breathing room → artillery advantage lost

The Structural Problem: Now cavalry fighting WITHOUT artillery support:

• Can't retreat back to artillery (too far)
• Can't advance further (unsupported)
• Fighting becomes hand-to-hand
• Afghan numerical superiority becomes relevant
• Maratha advantage (artillery) neutralized

The Formation Problem: Rectangle formation BROKEN:

• Non-combatants now unprotected (in middle with no surrounding soldiers)
• Line integrity lost
• Can't move toward Yamuna (cavalry blocking path)
• Can't execute original plan anymore

The "Why" (Overconfidence)

What Happened in Cavalry Mind:

"Maybe they thought that they could win this one just by directly hitting the Afghan army because things were going in their favor by now."

The Pattern:

• Morning: artillery dominated, but cavalry coordination failed
• Afternoon: cavalry had breakthrough success against center
• Cavalry thought: "We're winning! Let's finish this!"
• Forgot: we're winning BECAUSE of artillery support
• Pushed forward thinking they could win alone

The Discipline Problem:

"That was the problem, you know, that they were new to this artillery-led warfare. It needed utmost discipline. Instead, these guys thought that they could win this one and let's finish it off."

Exactly what Bhau had warned about: cavalry needs discipline in artillery warfare.

The Immediate Consequences

For Cavalry (Bhau's Center):

• Now fighting Shah Wali Khan directly (hand-to-hand)
• More even battle (not dominated position anymore)
• Exposed without artillery
• Can't easily retreat

For Artillery (Gardi's Unit):

• Cavalry blocking their fire lanes
• Can't protect advancing cavalry anymore
• Now vulnerable to Afghan counter-attack
• Separated from main force

For Rectangle (Original Plan):

• Formation destroyed
• Non-combatants now unprotected
• Can't move toward Yamuna
• Plan completely abandoned

For Overall Strategy:

• No longer escape attempt (Yamuna movement)
• Now full-scale battle
• Exactly what Bhau wanted to AVOID
• Now forced into it anyway

Suja's Intelligence (Kashiraj Report)

What Suja Saw (From Left Flank Position):

• Shah Wali Khan's soldiers fleeing
• Central Afghan position collapsing
• Confusion in Afghan camp
• Sent Kashiraj to find out what's happening

What Kashiraj Found:

• Shah Wali Khan sitting on ground (despair)
• Soldiers won't stop fleeing
• Wazir absolutely helpless
• Commander paralyzed

Suja's Dilemma:

• Could send reinforcements to Shah Wali Khan
• BUT: would expose his own contingent to Maratha attack
• Maratha cavalry surging through center = danger to any moving army
• Made "wait and watch" decision
• Didn't intervene (political survival calculation)

Shah Wali Khan's Final Plea

His Desperate Message:

"My friends, our country is far, far away. How far will you run? There is nothing in between. You will die or you will live."

Translation: Retreat is pointless, nowhere to run to, might as well fight.

His Call for Help:

• "Send reinforcements or I will be destroyed totally"
• Sitting on ground, completely helpless
• No personal power to stop fleeing soldiers
• Needed help from Suja

But Suja Couldn't Help:

• His own soldiers endangered
• Didn't want to be next target
• Waited to see how things developed
• Left Shah Wali Khan alone

The Afternoon Map Update

New Formation After Cavalry Surge:

• Cavalry (#3) now ~1 mile AHEAD of artillery (#1)
• Fighting directly with Shah Wali Khan (#10)
• Artillery off to the side (can't effectively support)
• Rectangle formation: destroyed
• Non-combatants: now vulnerable in center

The Planned Route (Not Followed):

• Should have gone southeast, then around Afghan right flank
• Should have continued south toward Yamuna
• Instead: went north directly into Afghan center
• Now locked in direct combat with Wazir

The Critical Turning Point

What This Moment Represents:

• Morning: technology (artillery) dominated
• Afternoon: quality cavalry breakthrough
• Now: cavalry separated from technology
• Battle returned to: numbers matter

Why This Lost the War: Afghans have:

• More soldiers
• More fresh reserves
• Larger/stronger soldiers
• Abdali's personal slave units (untouched)
• Ability to rotate fresh forces

Marathas had:

• Superior artillery
• Superior cavalry quality
• But now: artillery isolated
• Cavalry cannot sustain alone

The Mistake: Bhau violated his own doctrine. The whole plan depended on: artillery in front, cavalry support, coordinated movement. Instead: cavalry charged ahead, artillery couldn't follow, coordination broke down.

Timeline (Critical Afternoon Period)

Key Insights

The Irony: Cavalry's greatest success (breaking through center) became the cause of its isolation. Each moment of success encouraged further advance, until separated from support.

The Discipline Failure: Exactly what Irwin warned about: cavalry and artillery must stay coordinated. The moment cavalry goes 1 mile ahead: coordination broken, artillery advantage neutralized, all fancy planning becomes irrelevant.

Suja's Pragmatism: Suja didn't refuse to help Shah Wali Khan out of cowardice—he did it out of survival calculation. If his own contingent gets attacked: he's destroyed. Better to wait and see. This is why coalition armies are fragile.

The Plan's Fragility: The rectangle-escape-toward-Yamuna-with-artillery plan depended on discipline. One cavalry surge breaks everything. Not because the plan was bad, but because executing it required something the Maratha army couldn't maintain: staying together.

The Battle Shift: This is the moment the battle shifted from "Maratha technological advantage" to "Afghan numerical advantage." Gardi's artillery was neutralized not by Afghan counter-fire, but by Maratha cavalry being undisciplined.

Where We Left Off: Cavalry surged 1 mile ahead. Lost coordination with artillery. Now fighting Shah Wali Khan in direct combat. Formation broken. Plan abandoned. Artillery isolated. Afghan reserves fresh and untouched. Evening/night approaching. Marathas winning tactically but losing strategically. Cavalry can't sustain alone against Afghan numbers. This mistake will compound through the night.

By late afternoon, Bhau had one moment where victory looked possible. Afghan center broken, cavalry surging through. All he had to do was stay coordinated with artillery, keep the formation moving toward Yamuna. Instead, cavalry got greedy. Saw broken enemy, thought "we can win alone." Surged ahead. By the time they realized the mistake, it was too late. Artillery was 1 mile behind. Non-combatants unprotected. Formation destroyed. And night was coming. Abdali still had his reserves. And now the Maratha cavalry was fighting without support.