Carnac had faced a wave of mutinies among his exhausted sepoys; but as they closed in on Patna, the cracks within the Mughal forces became apparent, too. Fights broke out between the naked Naga sadhus and the Pathans, with entire platoons coming close to bloodshed. Meanwhile, rumours began to spread among the commanders that Shah Alam was in secret communication with the Company: ‘His Majesty was utterly opposed to fighting the English,’ wrote Ansari, ‘so throughout these campaigns he took no part in deliberations or planning, and during the battles stood by to observe his warring vassals from
...more
