Abdus Samad's expedition against Jats

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Abdus Samad's expedition against Jats
Part of Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani
DateFebruary 1757
Location
Faridabad
Result Durrani victory [1]
Belligerents
Seal of Ahmad Shah Durrani.png Durrani Empire Flag of Bharatpur1.png Bharatpur State
Commanders and leaders
Abdus Samad Flag of Bharatpur1.png Jawahar Singh  (WIA)
Strength
100 horsemen [1] Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown 2,000 men and horses [1]

Abdus Samad's expedition against Jats was an expedition of Durrani commander Abdus Samad against Bharatpur ruler Jawahar Singh. The engagement took place at Faridabad on February 1757.

Contents

Prelude

Surajmal entrusted his son, Jawahar Singh, with the charge of the Jat territory around Delhi, while he retired to Kumbher. [2] At this time, Jawahir Singh came across an Afghan contingent plundering near Faridabad. He made an attack, easily defeating them and thereby seizing around 150 horses. [1]

Battle

Upon receipt of this news, Ahmad Shah ordered Abdus Samad Khan to crush the Jats. [3] He ordered that he should march his troops during the night about four or five kilometers from the enemy camp and lay an ambush. [1] From that position, about a hundred Afghan soldiers were to take the first blow and retreat quickly, drawing the enemy into the trap. [4] When the Jats reached the ambush, they would then be encircled and defeated. [4] [5]

Abdus Samad Khan acted on the plan as directed. Jawahar Singh barely escaped with his life while he lost many followers. [3] They invaded several villages and arrived back at their camp with 500 severed heads as trophies. [2] [5]

Aftermath

A traveller going from Agra to Delhi passed through Faridabad on 8 February 1757 and observed [1]

All places from Delhi to Faridabad are without a lamp, the Jats are plundering the caravans of the fugitives, and near Faridabad 2,000 corpses are lying on the ground stripped of all their clothings

— Unknown Traveller [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. p. 85.
  2. 1 2 Natwar-Singh, K. (1981). Maharaja Suraj Mal, 1707-1763, His Life and Times. Allen & Unwin. pp. 64–65. ISBN   978-0-04-923072-9.
  3. 1 2 Dabas, Bal Kishan (2001). The Political and Social History of the Jats. Sanjay Prakashan. p. 90. ISBN   978-81-7453-045-5.
  4. 1 2 Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad Shah Durrani: Father of Modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House. p. 173.
  5. 1 2 Singh, Raj Pal (1988). Rise of the Jat Power. Harman Publishing House. p. 100. ISBN   978-81-85151-05-2.
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