on June twenty-third, King George's birthday, when
Mir Madan with a body of picked troops, seven thousand foot, five
thousand horse, and Sinfray's artillery, moved out to the attack with
great clamor of trumpets and drums. The remainder of the Nawab's army
formed a wide arc about the north and east of the English position.
Nearest to the grove was Mir Jafar's detachment.

The English were arranged in four divisions, under Majors Killpatrick,
Grant and Coote, and Captain Gaupp. These had taken position in front of
the embankment, the guns on the left, the Europeans in the center, the
Sepoys on the right. Sinfray's gunners occupied an eminence near the tank
about two hundred yards in advance of the grove, and made such good play
that Clive, directing operations from the Nawab's hunting box, deemed it
prudent to withdraw his men into the grove, where they were sheltered
from the enemy's fire. The Nawab's troops hailed this movement with loud
shouts of exultation, and, throwing their guns forward, opened a still
more vigorous cannonade, which, however, did little damage.

If Mir Madan had had the courage and dash to order a combined assault,
there is very little doubt that he must have overwhelmed Clive's army by
sheer weight of numbers. But he let the opportunity slip. Meanwhile Clive
had sent forward his two howitzers and two large guns to check Sinfray's
fire.

Midday came, and save for the cannonading no fighting had taken place.
Clive left the hunting box, called his officers together, and gave orders
that they were to hold their positions during the rest of the day and
prepare to storm the Nawab's camp at midnight. He was still talking to
them when a heavy shower descended, the rain falling in torrents for an
hour. Wet through, Clive hastened to the hunting lodge to change his
clothes.

Scarcely had he departed when the enemy's fire slackened. Their
ammunition, having been left exposed, had been rendered almost entirely
useless by the rain. Fancying that the English gunners had been equally
careless, Mir Madan ordered his horse to charge; but the Englishmen had
kept their powder dry and received the cavalry with a deadly fire that
sent them headlong back. At this moment Mir Madan himself was killed by a
cannonball, and his followers, dismayed at his loss, began a precipitate
retreat to their intrenchments.

Clive was still absent. The sight of the enemy retreating was too much
for Major Killpatrick. Forget