India
The British, having obtained an alliance with the Maratha and minor concessions on the Orissa coast, was now obligated to assist the Maratha in their defense and attacks against their enemies. Their first request would come as Britsh assistance to a Maratha led attack on Bhopal which was a small Mughal aligned state in the middle of Maratha held territory in northern India. Faiz Muhummand Khan, the Nawab of Bhopal paid tribute to the Nizam, but Dattaji Sindhia, who had been consolidating his hold over the Marathan Empire, thought it was necessary to remove Nizam’s influece over them as well as ending Bhopal’s tributes to Nizam (by directing it toward themselves) and obtaining additional plunder to pay for subsequent campaigns against Nizam and Mysore as the British had desired. He had also not forgotten that prior to the Third battle of Panipet, the Nawab of Phopal had refused to pay homage or provide troops for their assistance.
Conquest of Bhopal:
On Jan 8th, a Marathan army marched on Bhopal with British EIC assistance in the form of several guns and over a thousand (mostly sepoy) soliders. The British EIC contigent though represented less than 3% of the 35,000 strong Maratha-British force.
After taking and plundering several outlying villages and town, the additional British guns proved important in the corresponding battles and sieges against over 10,000 Bhopal defenders, and several forts. After less than two weeks of fighting the Maratha-British force besieged Bhopal city itself.
Campaign Results:
Maratha-British Forces: 1500 Marathan casualties
Bhopal Forces: 2000 casualties, remaining Bhopal armies surrendered.
Clear Maratha-British victory.
The siege lasted for nearly a month before Faiz Muhummand Khan was forced to come to terms on February 15th, and sign a peace treaty.
The terms were that the Maratha would annex a few of the outlying Bhopal territories and the Bhopal state itself would become a vassal to the Maratha empir, pay annual tribute to it and lend forces in support of the Marathan against Nizam. Faiz Muhummand Khan retained his status as Nawab of Bhopal, but was forced to disavow any alligence to what was left of the Mughal Empire.
Battle of Lahore
While the French, British, Maratha and remnats of the Mughal Empire fought in southern and northeastern India, the Sikh had been consolidating their hold on the eastern Punjab region, fighting off remnants of the Durrani army that had been defeated previously at the Third Battle of Panipat a year ago. With the tentative Sikh-Maratha alliance still holding, the Sikh freed up forces to concentrate on expanding their control over former Durrani held areas outside of Marathan territory.
On January 20th a 16,000 strong force of Sikh faced off against 11,000 Durrani trying to make a stand at Lahore.
Battle Results:
Sikh forces: ~1800 casualties
Durrani forces: ~2600 casualties
Clear Sikh victory.
With a resounding defeat the Durrani Afghan army was pushed out of the eastern Punjab region and retreated into the mountainous Kashmir wher they would make one more stand, with Sikh forces in pursuit. This victory firmly establish the Sikh control over all of eastern Punjab. Sikh soon gathered and spent much of the rest o fthe year avenging the persecutions and massacres they had suffered at the hands of both Mughal governors during 1739 which ending in the great massacre of 1746, and the Durrani since their forth invasion in 1757, and their most recent one in 1759. This eliminated all vestiges of Mughal claims on the area, amounting to another nail in the coffin of the dying empire. As well it eroded Durruni claims to the Punjab area, and worsened Sikh - Islamic relations.
Battle of Patna
Despite numerous requests The Maratha refused to aid Clive against the Nawab of Oudh, Shuja-ud-Daula, because of the peace they had signed with the Nawab previously, yet they also made no objections to the British EIC invading them after their treacherous attack while Clive was besieged in Madras.
Clive knew however that he would not be able to resume a concentrated effort against the French of Nizam without securing Calcutta from the west of else the Nawab of Oudh would likely attack again if the bulk of British EIC forces were sent south.
Clive and the Nawab of Bengal organized a campaign after to counter attack Oudh forces after repelling their attack in the prior year. The combined British EIC and Bengal forces consisted of 20,000 who marched west towrd Oudh. They would be met by a Mughal-Oudh force of 24,000 near Patna on February 17th led by Shuja-ud-Daula.
Battle Results:
British-Bengal forces: ~2,000 casualties
Mughal-Oudh Forces: ~5000 casualties
Clear British victory.
Once again Clive proved victorious over a routed Oudh army and forced Shuja-ud-Daula to the peace table. The terms of the peace between the British EIC and the Nawab of Oudh recognized Mir Qasim, whom the British had originally installed as the Nawab of Bengal, the separation of Bengal and Bihar from the dying Mughal Empire, and recognizing British diwani rights to Bengal and Bihar.
Battle and Siege of Jaypore
After securing peace with Oudh, Clive was free to march his forces south to meet with the Maratha forces from the victorious Bhopal campaign against French advised Nizam forces. With good time it still took over 24 days to march from Patna to Jaypore Even though by the time they got there the informal truce with the French would be over, Clive’s goal was divesting the French of their recent Indian allies, before campaigning against them again directly.
On March 14th, a 33,000 strong Marathan force joined with the 9,000 strong British-Bengal forces and marched against the city of Jaypore and laid siege to it. Salabat Jung, had reinforced the city after Marathan probing attacks on his northern borders, and it was defended by a 24,000 strong army with several French officers assisting.
Battle Results:
Maratha forces: ~2500 casualties
British-Bengal forces: ~1000 casualties
Nizam forces: ~3000 casualties, ~4000 captured.
Clear British-Marathan victory.
After an initial battle in which the Nizam forces were defeated and fled the field, the Marathan-British forces settled into a siege. The defenders held out for longer than Clive had anticipated. On April 22nd, Marathan artillery managed to breach a key point in fortress defenses which enabled an assault against the defenders. The garrison was ousted and then captured.
Battle of Vijayawada
While Clive was preparing his sieging Aurangabad, Forde gathered an attack force of 7200 in Masulipatnum to strike at the French-Nizam from the east and prevent or harass any significant chance of relieving the siege. Admiral Pocock’s fleet, after repairs in Calcutta had returned to the Carnatic coast to protect Masulipatnum, and potential engage Bauffremont’s French fleet, but had made it known he would sail back to England to replenish marines and stores before the Monsoon’s arrived.
On March 19th, Forde’s was met by a 10,000 strong French-Nizam-Carnatic forces near Vijayawada led by Bussy himself. Forde’s force were composedly mostly of forces released from Madras, as well as what was left of the Wallajah’s Carnatic forces after they were absorbed into the EIC sepoys. All were eager to reverse the defeats they had previously endured, and Forde had secured a favorable position.
Bussy’s forces were from what had besieged Madras, though all the Mysore and Polygar forces, and a fair portion of the Shahib’s Carnatic forces had left.
Battle Results:
British forces: ~700 casualties
French-Nizam-Carnatic forces: ~1500 casualites.
British victory.
Early in the battle Bussy suffered a serious injury and lost consciousness which require him to be removed form the field. Other French officers carried on the attack but less experience and a loss of morale form their fallen commander resulted in a retreat back toward Madras. Forde did not pursue as he moved on toward the Deccan plateau plundering Nizam territory as he went.
Battle of Hubli
After the success against the Keladi kingdom and Goa, Hyder Ali spent the begging of the year building up and preparing his forces for the Maratha invasion.
Hyder Ali and Claude-François Depardieu led a 10,000 strong French-Mysore force into Maratha territory in western India as part of the alliance between Mysore, France and Nizam against the British-Maratha alliance.
On March 28th, their first serious resistance near the city of Hubli, as they faced off against a 6,000 strong army of Maratha defenders.
Battle Results:
Maratha forces: ~1000 casualites
French-Mysore forces: ~400 casualties
Mysore-French victory.
The Marathann forces broke and routed before the French Mysore forces fleeing northwards.
Battle of Belagavi
The French Mysore forces continued their northward advance, marching on the defenders of Belagavi a few days later on April 1st. The ~9,000 strong French Mysore force fought remants of the Hubli forces which had been reinforced by additional Marathan garrisons and reinforced which put their total now at ~7,000.
Battle Results:
Maratha forces: ~1500 casualties
French-Mysore forces: ~1000 casualties
Mysore-French victory.
Hyder Ali and Depardieu were again victorious against the Maratha defender who broke and routed before them.
Northern Carnatic Campaign
After taking Aurangabad in the Provice of Bihar Clive wanted to march south to cut toward the coast to meet with Forde and further expand British EIC influence in the Northern Circars at the cost of Nizam and undo some Salabat Jung’s prior success against the British aligned Carnatic Wallajah faction. Clive and Dattaji Sindhia however disagreed about the strategy and their forces parted ways.
A British EIC contigent still supported Sindhia and the Maratha forces as the fought further skirmishes in northern Nizam territories. From April 24th to May 7th Clive marched the 8,000 strong British-Bengal force south in march toward the coast as he desired, then southwest parallel to the coast fighting skimishes against Nizam forces, while the British advised Maratha army fought along the North. Clive’s forces suffered som ~200 casualties before finally met up with Forde’s forces to prepare for an assault on Khammam.
Battle of Aurangabad
While Jaypore was being besieged Sindhia also sent forces against Nizam at Aurangabad in the west. A 12,000 strong Maratha force fought a 8,000 strong Nizam force at the city of Aurangabad in the provice of Maharashtra on April 2nd.
Battle Results:
Maratha forces: ~1000 casualties
Nizam forces: ~2000 casualties.
Decisive Marathan victory.
Battle of Adilibad
Following up on their success at Aurangabad and Jaypore, the Maratha forces from Aurangabad marched east securing Nizam’s northern territories, while those from Jaypore marched west. They would merge into a 35,000 strong force and meet Salabut Jung’s 26,000 strong French-Nizam forces in battle near Adilibad on May 10th. Bussy could not assist directly as he was still recovered from his wounding in Madras.
Battle Results:
Maratha forces: ~7,500 casualties
French-Nizam forces: ~6,500 casualties
Nizam victory.
In what was a very bloody battle with high casualties on both sides, Salabat Jung was ultimately victorious, forcing Sindhia to retreat back northwards. Both armies were exhausted, and Jung was having a very difficult time managing multiple fronts. Yet he could not pursue Sindhia because he had to turn his exhausted army southeast again to face the British threat at Khammam.
Siege and Battle of Khammam
Clive marched south to join Forde after Jaypore victory and laid siege to Khammam on May 7th with a merged force of 15,000 British EIC, Sepoy and Bengali soldiers.
Khammam was only a week’s march away from Hyderabad, Salabat Jung’s capital, so he had to lift the siege. After barely obtaining a victory in Adilibad he quickly marched his 19,000 strong French-Nizam force toward Khammam to try and break the siege, arriving to do battle on May 20th.
Battle Results:
British-Bengal forces: ~2000 casualties
French-Nizam-Carnatic forces: ~3,000 casualties
British victory.
The combined tactics of Clive and Ford against Jung’s exhausted army were too much for him to endure, although they managed inflict serious blows against the British-Bengal forces before the French-Nizam army began to falter and flee. Jung was forced to flee back east toward Hyderabad after his defeat.
With the defeat of the relief forces, the garrison at Khammam surrendered the next day, ending the siege on May 21st.
Clive considered pursuing Jung but a sige of Hyderabad would more costly and expensive, and might not be completed before the Monsoons came. Furthermore the Begali forces wanted to return home before the Monsoons arrived. Clive had also learned of the Maratha defeat at Adilibad and further troubles against the Mysore along the western coast.
Clive however would not need March as he met with a Nizam delegation a few days later. Jung was willing to come to terms.
Treaty of Hyderabad
On June 1st Salabat Jung signed a peace treaty with the Maratha and the British. Jung was recognized as the independent king of Nizam. Aurangabad and Jaypore were annexed by the Martha, with the Godavari River recognized as the northeastern border between the Nizam territories and the Maratha, although Adilibad and its surrounding lands would remain under Nizam rule. The British EIC were granted diwani right to the Northern Carnatic, and Jung gave up all claims to the circars, granting the British EIC effective control and administration of the area from Masulipatnum to Gamjam. The boundary British Carnatic and French Carnatic would remain at the Krishna River.
While French influce of the Nizam and Jung would not be entirely removed, Clive would restore Khammam to the Nizam as a peace offering and promise that Nizam force would no longer assist in any French offensives against the British or the Maratha. Clive had achieved his main goal of neutering one of France’s primary Indian allies.
Without Nizam support Bussey, still recovering, was unwilling to press further offensives alone, especially with the Monsoons that would be arriving in July.
Siege of Panhala at Kolhapur
Hyder Ali paused his northward march in Belgavi for a while in order to allow additional forces to be recruits and resupplied, and for a much larger Mysore force to catch up. The French fleet was off the western coast providing additional support and supply, and had leant additional guns to the planned siege, but they too were intending to return before the Monsoon season began. After hearing of Sindhia’s march eastwards after the fall of Aurangabad, Hyder Ali took his gather forces and prepared a siege of the Marathan held fortress in Kolhapur to the north.
The Fortress was the Panhala fort north of Kolhapur, a massive structure with 14 km perimeter and 110 lookout posts. However it was undermanned for its size. The ruler of Kholapur Sambhaji II had recently died in 1760, leaving his widow Jijabai as regent over Kolhapur and Panhala. She came to believe that to prevent the fall of Panhala, the Mahakali shrine at the fort had to be ritually offered human blood for the appeasement of Goddess Kali. She would periodically send out her soldiers at night to scour the neighboring villages for victims.[1] This did not endear her to the locals, and Hyder Ali used that to his advantage.
On April 28th, a French-Mysore force of oevre 20,000, with the support of an unknown number of local conscipts and villagers laid siege to the 8,000 strong Panhala garrison. Sindhia had learned of the siege in early may but was already commited to attacking Adilibad. He planned to send forces to lift the siege but his defeat at Adilibad prevented that.
Battle Results:
French-Mysore forces: ~1000 casualites
Maratha-Kolhapur forces: ~2000 casualties, the rest surrendered.
The fort was well provisions and the siege lasted into June, finally coming to an end after a breach was made on June 4th. The fort surrenders and Jijabai was executed to appaease and gain the support of the locals. This ended the reign of Maratha control over Kolhapur which had existed since 1693.
With the Monsoons soon on their way, Hyder Ali and the French consolidated their gains over the rainy season, and shifted to a defensive strategy after learning of Nizam treaty with the British and the Maratha.
The Monsoons arrived in late June and lasted through to late September.
Indian Theater at the close of 1762
Both the French and British fleet had left prior to the Monsoons and was not likely to return before the end of the year. Bussy had recovered from his wound before the end of the rains, but would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. With Nizam effectively lost as an ally, Bussy was not willing to attack the British in Eastern India, and Clive was not willing to attack the French unless he received more reinforcements and naval assistance, nor did he want to force Salabat Jung to reenter the war.
Sindhia also was still recovering from his defeat at Adilibad and did not forsee mounting a counter-offensive against Mysore, while Hyder Ali was content to hold his lines for now fortifying and gathering his own strength as Bussy advised.
Bussy hoped the war would be over soon, and did not want to have French forces tied down in western India with the Mysore while he needed them to protect the eastern holdings. These combined factors contributed to an unexpected lull in the fighting in India during the fall and winter of 1762-63.
[1] This was an OTL thing that happened repeatedly from 1760 until she died in 1772.
