Battle

Battle of Plassey 23rd June 1757

The East India Company's army led by Robert Clive, consisting of 950 Europeans and 2100 native Indian sepoys and a small number of guns was vastly outnumbered.

The Nawab had an army of about 50,000 with some heavy artillery operated by about 40 French soldiers sent by the French East India Company. However, 16,000 of the 50,000 were under the control of Mir Jafar. Upon the promise of crown from the 'company masters', he chose not to fight, so the morale of the Nawab's army sank

Along with Mir Jafar, the troops commanded by yar Latif and Rai Durlabh did not take part in the battle because of a secret pact made with the British. Only 5,000 troops actually engaged in battle, which was still significantly superior to the estimated 2,500 British soldiers facing them and there was a time when Clive thought that he would be forced to retreat. A cannonball strike that killed army chief Mir Madan and the ensuing confusion in the Nawab's ranks turned the course of the battle. The casualty figures - less than 20 British deaths - point to a very unequal battle.

Principal officers - British
Major Killpatrick
Major Grant
Major Eyre Coote, later Lieutenant-General, and then Sir Eyre Coote
Captain Gaupp
Captain Richard Knox, 1st CO of the 1st Bengal Native Infantry.

Principal officers - Nawab
Mir Jafar Ali Khan - commanding 16,000 cavalry
Yar Latif
Mir Madan
Jagat Seth
Rai Durlabh
Monsieur Sinfray - French artillery officer.

British East India Company regiments
1st Bombay European Fusiliers, also known as 103rd Regiment of Foot
Royal Madras Fusiliers, also known as 102nd Regiment of Foot
Royal Bengal Fusiliers, also known as 101st Regiment of Foot
1st. Bengal Native Infantry (BNI), also known as the Lal Paltan (Hindi for Red Platoon).

Queens troops (regular British army units lent to the EIC)
39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion
9th Battery, 12th Regiment, Royal Artillery
50 naval ratings from HMS Tyger.

From Wikipedia