After the Battle of Helsa in early January 1761, the Mughal Emperor found himself in the unexpected position of being on the run from the mercenary troops of a once humble trading company. The redcoats tracked him relentlessly. On 24 January, Major John Carnac wrote to Calcutta telling his masters, ‘We have kept following the prince ever since the action, and press so closely upon him that sometimes we find the fires of his camp still burning … His army must be totally dispersed … and he reduced so low as to be more an object of pity than fear.’
