As the sun rose on another hot day the scene on the arid Indian plain was laid out before General M. De Soubise of the French Army of Pondicherry. To his right was massed the horsemen and supporting musketeers of his Moghul allies under their prince Haidar Nadar. Amongst the throng could be made out elaborately decorated artillery pieces, camels and even elephants bearing more of the noisy if ineffective native guns. Opposite them and partly screened by an area of palm trees were the bulk of the enemy army; a similar collection of mercenaries and the retained bands of nobles in shining armour bedecked with silk and peacock feathers. Soubise own soldiers were arrayed in a more conventional European formation ; each company in line, with two companies side by side and a further two following in support. In reserve, mercenary lancers, paid out of the French coffers, waited with their horses ready to move to any part of the battlefield.
Directly across the plain Soubise could see the most dangerous of the enemy forces, the English regular line companies. The redcoats were deployed in a column of three company lines one behind the next. Next to them were the British Sepoys, (treacherous, mercenary Hindoos, ) again deployed in a column of companies. Behind these columns were mercenary horse, ready to support the infantry. To Soubise surprise the enemy did not appear to have guarded the stretch of hedged enclosures that protected the right of their lines excepting one straggling mob of il-armed native militia. From the previous day’s scouting Soubise knew that there was a narrow way between the hedges and the strip of woods beyond and that the woods were too densely overgrown to conceal an ambushing force. [an army Characterisation card had been drawn giving a stratagem of placing hidden thickets in a nominated wood]. Reacting quickly to this information, the orders were given for the mercenary lancers to race through the gap in their speedy column and get into the flank and rear of the enemy army. The French Sepoys (brave and loyal Indians trained in the French manner of war) were sent some to follow the cavalry and some to clamber through the hedges.
Aware of the high spirits generally in the Moghul army [another Army Characterisation card giving the army Up 2 in all Mojor Morale tests] Soubise was not surprised when the cavalry of his allies spurred their horses and flung themselves in a headlong charge at the enemy. He was not that surprised either when the remnants of the cavalry were soon galloping back the way they had come, repulsed by the largely sedentary enemy army. [ A large disparity in initiative allowed the Moghuls to dictate where and when they attacked. An astonishing ability to throw 1s on the dice then allowed them to lose every combat!] As the battle to his right became a large confused melee hidden by the dust with the occasional salvo of rockets whooshing across the plain to hit friend and foe alike, the French continued with their plan. The cavalry fanned out from their fast moving column and hurled themselves towards the Indian militia, after a few flashes of tulwars the foot turned and ran, the cavalry amazingly did not pursue but reformed their ranks and headed on towards the British rear. The slower moving Sepoys now swung round to line the hedges that were being passed very closely by their British counterparts. The first they knew of the danger was when a devastating musket volley tore into their ranks. The shocked survivors turned and ran from the tormentors on their flank.
Unseen by the French their Moghul allies were embroiled in a fight with neither side gaining a definitive advantage but the Maharratas slowly pushing back the Moghul right flank. On the British right more of the French Sepoys had swung into line and opened fire and the mercenary horse had charged and routed their British opposite numbers. However now the British European line companies with the grenadiers to the fore marched up to the waiting French fusiliers and opened fire. For a while the French and British traded destructive musketry until gradually the implacable advance of the grenadiers in their tall mitre caps became too much for the Frenchmen and they started to flinch backwards and then broke and ran t the rear. The British finally had something to cheer about and they readied themselves to carry on and attack the next French line that appeared out of the gunpowder smoke.
This success had come though too late in the day. The British and French Indian allies had fought each other to a standstill, neither gaining a decisive advantage but nearer to hand it was clear that the British were coming close to being surrounded by the victorious French Sepoys and the rampaging mercenary cavalry. The lightening flank attack ordered by Soubise was an outstanding success and all the British could do now was turn about and march back to their camp, hoping it was unlooted and ready to see off any pursuers with a well aimed volley. The French would press the retreat as hard as they dared but with hordes of pilfering bandits and Pindaris galloping out of the evening murk the would have to be careful not to get separated from their exhausted allies and find themselves the pursued instead of the pursuers.
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