The Battle of Mukandwara Pass, also known as Monson's Retreat (8–10 July 1804) was fought between forces of the

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

Maharaja

Yashwantrao Holkar Yashwant Rao Holkar (c. 1776-1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire was the Maharaja of the Maratha Empire. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in ...

, an ally of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

and

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

forces under Colonel William Monson during the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha War ...

. It was fought just to the south of the Mukandwara Pass, about south of

Kotah Kota (), previously known as ''Kotah'', is a city located in the southeast of northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located about south of the state capital, Jaipur, situated on the banks of Chambal River. With a population of over 1.2 m ...

. Monson, having overextended his supply line, was retreating toward Kotah when Holkar's forces decimated his rear guard on 10 July. Monson reached Kotah on 12 July, but was forced to abandon his guns in the mud at the Chambal River on the 15th. Holkar continued to harass Monson's force, which reached

Kushalgarh Kushalgarh is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the Banswara District approximately 65 km south of the city of Banswara. King Kushala Bhil was founder of Kushalgarh History A Indian Princely Sta ...

on 25 Aug. Monson's men were then in a panic as they barely made it to

Bayana Bayana is a historical town and the headquarters of Bayana tehsil in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan in India. Hindaun City is nearest city of Bayana - 33 km. It was the site of famous Important Battle of Bayana in 1527 between the Rajp ...

. "Monson's loss had been heavy. Twelve British officers had been killed, two were drowned and two were missing. Five other officers were wounded. Half of the five...battalions had been lost. Monson's retreat shook British military reputation and prestige to the core."

References

* MacFarlane, Charles
''A History of British India: From the Earliest English Intercourse to the Present Time''
* Dorman, Mark Robert Phipps
''A History of the British Empire in the Nineteenth Century'', Volume 1
* Mehta, J. L
''Advanced Studies in the history of modern India, 1707–1813''
Conflicts in 1804 1804 in India Battles of the Second Anglo-Maratha War Battles involving the British East India Company Battles involving the Maratha Empire July 1804 events {{India-hist-stub