The Third Battle of Katwa occurred between the

Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...

Mir Qasim Mir Qasim ( bn, মীর কাশিম; died 8 May 1777) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of the British East India Company, replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been su ...

and the

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 Southea ...

in 1763. Dissatisfied with Nawab Mir Qasim's administration, the English deposed him in favor of his father-in-law

Mir Jafar Sayyid Mīr Jaʿfar ʿAlī Khān Bahādur ( – 5 February 1765) was a military general who became the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company. His reign has been considered by many historians as the start of the expan ...

and officially declared war against Mir Qasim on July 7, 1763. The English command was given to Major Thomas Adams, who led a small force, variously estimated as between 3,000 and 5,000 men, of whom, approximately 1,000 were European. The Nawab had a total of approximately 25,000 troops at his disposal, led by the Armenian general Gurgin Khan. Although the Nawab's forces were numerically larger, they were hastily cobbled together and riven by internal strife. The Nawabi force that confronted the English at Katwa was a much smaller contingent under the leadership of the accomplished general Muhammad Taqi Khan, the

Faujdar Faujdar is a term of pre-Mughal origins. Under the Mughals it was an office that combined the functions of a military commander along with judicial and land revenue functions. In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but d ...

Birbhum Birbhum district () is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is in Suri. Other impor ...

. On July 17, 1763, the English forces marching from various cantonments in

Medinipur Medinipur or Midnapore (Pron: med̪iːniːpur) is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as '' ...

and

Bardhaman Bardhaman (, ) is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an alternative name for the city, ...

districts, established post at Agradwip, a village 14 km downstream from Katwa. There they were met by the newly re-instated Nawab Mir Jafar. Meanwhile, Mir Qasim's forces had established themselves at

Palashi Palashi or Plassey ( bn, পলাশী, Palāśī, translit-std=ISO, , ) is a village on the east bank of Bhagirathi River, located approximately 50 kilometres north of the city of Krishnanagar in Kaliganj CD Block in the Nadia Distric ...

, 20 km upstream from Katwa. On that morning, a band of irregular Nawabi forces, mostly cavalry, engaged Lieutenant Glenn of the English forces, who was escorting a convoy of cattle, grain, and treasure to Agradwip. The battle lasted four hours with the treasure changing hands three times. Ultimately, after heavy casualties on both sides, the Nawabi forces withdrew and Lieutenant Glenn pressed his advantage by marching upon the fort at Katwa. The Nawabi garrison at Katwa surrendered after putting up a feeble resistance. Meanwhile, Muhammad Taqi Khan had advanced the main body of his forces to Katwa; and on the morning of July 19, 1763, Major Adams advanced to attack him. The battle which followed has been described as "one of the bloodiest and best-contested of the whole war." Ultimately, the British were able to ambush and kill Muhammad Taqi Khan, dealing a double blow to Mir Qasim's cause by winning the immediate battle and depriving Mir Qasim of the expertise and military acumen of one of his best generals in future battles.

References

{{coord missing, West Bengal

Katwa Katwa is a sub-divisional town and railway junction in Purba Bardhaman district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Katwa subdivision. The town was built at the confluence of Ganga and Ajay. Katwa is a border cit ...

1763 in India

See also

References