Death and Disgrace on the Ganges
A Dughlat Narrative
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Muhammad Haidar Kurkan whom the annals of history record as Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat was a Turko-Mongol aristocrat
His Tarikh-i-Rashidi (1546 CE) is regarded as an ambitious work on late-medieval Central and South Asia

Son of Muhammad Hussein Kurkan Dughlat, by the sister of Babur's mother, he was Mughal emperor's cousin
Mirza Haidar himself an exile in service of a foreign monarch penned history of 'Moghuls of Moghulistan'
This book also covers the House of Chaghtai we know as Mughals of India

Tarikh-i-Rashidi apart from abstract history has Mirza Dughlat's own experiences included in detail
One such account comes to us from the battleground of Kanauj
My readers may recall a previous thread on 'Chausa'
this thread is in continuation to that https://twitter.com/meemainseen/status/1244454836680241154

After a narrow escape at Chausa, Humayun's camp at Agra was under dissent and desertions
Kamran Mirza on plea of illness retreated to Lahore taking with him his amirs & their columns
Sher Khan had other plans
In ongoing momentum of attack after Ganges he decided to cross Yamuna

Kalpi & Etawa across Yamuna were held in strength by Humayun's Amirs (Yadgar Nasir Mirza and Kasim Hussein)
Sher Shah detached a force under his younger son Kutb Khan on attack
The Pathan Army was routed, Kutb Khan dead with his head dispatched for the perusal of Emperor Humayun

Triggered by his victorious Amirs, wounded by Sher Shah's treachery at Chausa, Humayun in a bid to set the score even in his person took the field to give battle to Sher Shah
Humayun's brother ditched him at this critical juncture
The one who stayed put was Mirza Haidar Dughlat

"I made up my mind to remain. Being unable to obtain Kamran's permission, I staid without it. Kamran Mirza, leaving Iskandar Mirza with a thousand men, taking with him as many as he could, set out for Lahur: and this, to the enemy was a victory, and to his friends a defeat."

Towards end of Ziqada, beginning of Apr the royal army camped at Zirefshan Garden
Humayun than marched along the banks of Ganges to Kanauj
Having stayed on the home bank seeing his amirs desert one after the other, he decided to cross the river
There were reasons behind this move

"As the army had begun to desert, it was judged better to risk a battle than to see it go to ruin without fighting.
...
Another consideration was, that if we passed the river, desertion would no longer be possible. We, therefore, crossed over."

It's interesting that in his account of Kanauj how Mirza Duhglat in continuation mentions the military might (artillery in particular) of the Mughal Army with it giving a detailed account of desertions
Even a four to one superiority could not motivate Humayun's amirs to fight

The day the battle was fought it was 10 Muharram, a sacred date on Islamic calendar commemorating Battle of Karbala & Shahadat of Imam Hussain AS (grandson of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)
It was 17 May 1540 CE when Mirza Haidar led the charge with 400 warriors of whom 50 were mounted

Sher Khan came out with five divisions, 1000 men in each with 3000 in advance guard
Humayun's Chaghtai force numbered 40,000
The Mughal charge in utter confusion bumped into own forces turned to a rout
Haider Mirza's narrative colored by his wounded feelings describes it best

"On the right Shir Khan advanced in battle array; but before an arrow was discharged, the camp followers fled like chaff before the wind, and breaking the line, they all pressed towards the center. So before the enemy had discharged an arrow, whole army was scattered & defeated."

"I had estimated the Chaghatai army as numbering 40,000 men. They fled before 10,000 men and Shir Khan gained a victory, while the Chaghatai were defeated on this battle-field where not a man, either friend or foe, was wounded.
Not a gun was fired and the chariots were useless."

Kanauj took the best of Chaghatais, not to battle but the flow of Ganges
The breadth of the river which in Mirza Haidar's words was 'about five bowshots' proved too much for the fleeing army, a lot too many drowned
Out of grace and life, Humayun could manage to save the latter

This, for the time being, dear reader, was the end of Mughal Empire in the sub-continent ...