Settled in the fortress in Patna, Shah Alam received a report that the Nawab of Purnea had attacked the combined forces of Mir Miran (heir to the Nawab of Bengal) and the East India Company. Drawing their fire away from the walls of Patna and towards himself and his men. It was at this moment that Shah Alam made a decision that would change the course of his Bengal Campaign. He gave the order to attack.
The Enemy Arrives
On February 19th 1760, a month after their having left Murshidabad, the army of the British East India Company combined with that of the Nawab of Bengal arrived outside Patna.
This allied army had faced a great many delays, first there was the dispute with a local Nawab who had rebelled against Mir Miran’s father. Then there was the delay in getting Mir Miran to move his troops. Finally, there was a Maratha raid that required quelling.
Now, an entire month after having departed from the Bengali capital, the army arrived outside of Patna, a strategic city on the banks of the Ganges and prepared for a siege. Shah Alam, the Mughal Emperor who had taken Patna just a few days before had not been lax in his preparations. Guns were mounted on the walls, the garrison was well stocked with food and money, and the men were prepared to fight to the last if needed.
There was one problem facing Shah Alam however. The army outside the gates had more artillery than he did. The company had six pieces whilst Mir Miran had 25. Shah Alam had ten.
His commanders were convinced that should the enemy get the chance to make use of those guns, the walls of Patna would fall and they would be forced to fight street to street. That was not a prospect that a man like Kamghar Khan, Shah Alam’s second in command, dreaded. Indeed, it was a prospect he relished, for the army Shah Alam had under his command were made up of men who had been bred in hand to hand combat.
Purnea to the rescue
Before the Shah and his army could be properly tested however, the allied army outside the gates of Patna was put to the test. Khadim Hussain, the Nawab of Purnea had decided to abandon his pledge of neutrality and march to the Mughal Emperor’s aid. Accompanied by six thousand men, Purdea started harassing the besieging army’s rear, drawing them away from the city.
It was a daring attack, given that the enemy army had not had the chance to move their artillery pieces to the front of the siege camp. As artillery rang out some of Purdea’s men were felled, others escaped. But the army of Mir Miran and the British faced significant difficulties, with some of their men also falling.
Shah Alam orders the attack
With all this going on, Shah Alam gave the order for the artillery on the walls to be fired at the besieging army. Once this opening salvo was done, his army was to ride out and attack the enemy.
The guns of Patna roared into life, ripping through the front lines of the British. After they had fallen silent the gates were opened and out came Shah Alam’s army.
The fighting would be brutal and chaotic. Mir Miran and his Bengalis would refuse to give ground and would bleed Shah Alam’s men, but the Emperor’s numbers would tell eventually. Miran would be captured as he attempted to flee, whilst the Company’s men would beat a hasty retreat. Determined to come back another day.
Shah Alam had struck a note for glory. His campaign was alive.
Vivek Rajkhowa 
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