Plassey
Plassey, 1908
palas, the Butea frondosa
Village in the head- quarters subdivision of Nadia District, Bengal, situated in 23degree 47' N. and 88degree 16' E., on the left bank of the Bhaglrathi river. It is famous as the scene of Clive's victory over Siraj-ud-daula, Nawab of Bengal, on June 23, 1757. After the capture of Calcutta by Siraj-ud-daula in June, 1756, Clive was dispatched with reinforcements from Madras to re-establish the British factories in Bengal, and he recaptured Calcutta in January, 1757. After prolonged negotiations he succeeded in gain- ing over Mir Jafar, the Nawab's general, whom he promised to install as Nawab in place of Siraj-ud-daula. In March Chandernagore was taken from the French, and on June 13 a fresh advance was made; Katwa was captured on the i8th, and on the 2 2nd the troops marched to Plassey, where Siraj-ud-daula was encamped with an army of 50,000 foot, 18,000 horse, and 50 pieces of cannon, mostly 24-pounders and 32-pounders drawn by bullocks. To oppose this army Clive had a force of 900 Europeans, of whom 100 were artillerymen and 50 sailors, 100 topasses or Portuguese half-castes, and 2,100 sepoys; the artillery consisted of 8 six-pounders and 2 howitzers.
Clive encamped in a mango grove, which has since been washed away by the Bhaglrathi, and the enemy were entrenched on the river bank to the north of him. At daybreak on the 23rd the enemy advanced to the attack, enveloping his right, Mir Jafar being on the extreme left of the line. Both sides maintained a vigorous cannonade until 2 o'clock, when Siraj-ud-daula drew off and returned to his entrenchments. At this, Mir Jafar lingered behind on the left and eventually joined the British. Clive advanced and cannonaded the Nawab's entrenchment, and entered his camp at 5 o'clock after a slight resistance, Siraj-ud-daula having already fled to Murshidabad. This decisive victory was won with only a small loss, but it made the British masters of Bengal. A monument marks the scene of the battle-field.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
