One of the most thoroughly unprincipled European adventurers of these days was Somroo, a German soldier, who, after serving as private in the French and English armies, and in those of various native chiefs, became general in the army of the Great Mogul. His name was Gualtier Reignard, or Reinehard, but when he enlisted in the French army (in Europe) he assumed the nom de guerre of Summer, which his comrades, on account of his saturnine complexion, altered to Sombre; this, the Hindoos changed to Somroo, and he was afterwards best known by this last name. He will ever remain infamous as the murderer of two hundred English prisoners at Patna, in 1763. While in the service of Shah Aulum, the Emperor, he commanded a body of cavalry and several disciplined battalions of sepoys officered by Europeans. To maintain this army, the emperor assigned him, as a jaghire, the fertile district of Serdhauna, in the Dooab.
Somroo married twice; his second wife was, some say, the daughter of a Mogul noble who had fallen into great distress, though others aver she was a Cashmerian dancing-girl. He persuaded the Begum to renounce Mohammedanism and become a Roman Catholic. At Somroo's death, in 1778, the Vizier Nujeef Khan gave the widow the jaghire and the military post. She was a great favourite with the Emperor, who had the highest respect for her talents. He bestowed upon her the name of Zul Al Nissa, which means "Ornament of her sex." Under the government of this talented woman the "small but fertile" town of Serdhauna improved rapidly. A fort standing a short distance from the town served as a kind of citadel, and contained a barrack, an arsenal, and a foundry for cannon. Her five battalions of sepoys were officered from nearly every country in Europe, and she had a body of five hundred European artillerymen, armed with forty guns of various calibre.
George Thomas, afterwards the most famous of all these European soldiers of fortune, accepted a commission in the Begum's service; and her keen eyes quickly discerned his superior military talent. He soon rose to high favour with the Begum, whose esteem he merited by courage, zeal, and untiring activity. So greatly was her revenue and authority increased by his talents, that he was for many years her chief counsellor and adviser.
Begum Somroo enjoyed the respect of the leading ministers at the court of Delhi; the Viziers Nujeef Khan, Mirza Shuffee, and Afrasiab Khan placed the most implicit trust in her judgment on military matters. When Scindiah, the Mahratta chief, attained to the rank of vizier, he not only confirmed her in the jaghire of Serdhauna, but added a grant of territory south-west of the Jumna. Her generalship was not confined to occasional reviews; she took an active part in the wars and insurrections which disturbed the reign of Shah Aulem. During the war with Pertaub Sing, the Begum was stationed with her troops at Panniput; which being an important post, proves Scindiah's belief in her military capacities.
In 1787, during the insurrection of Gholaum Cadir Khan, Prince of Sehraurunpore, Begum Somroo displayed the utmost coolness and determination. Previous to his open declaration of hostility, Gholaum, by the most artful speeches, endeavoured to gain the Begum's alliance; well aware of her influence at court, he offered her an equal share in the administration if she would assist him in seizing the reins of government. The proposal was tempting, but the Begum, well acquainted with the perfidious nature of the wily Rohilla chief, rejected all his offers, and repaired to the palace, where she announced her resolve to sacrifice life itself, if necessary, in defence of her sovereign.
Her arrival infused new courage into the Imperial party; and some of the generals having assembled their forces, Gholaum Cadir opened a heavy cannonade on the palace. This was answered from the fort of Delhi; and after the bombardment had lasted for several hours, the rebel chief receiving intelligence that a large force was marching to relieve the Emperor, judged it most prudent to tender an apology, which Shah Aulem thought fit to accept.
In the following year, 1788, Shah Aulem left Delhi with a large army, partly made up by three battalions of sepoys, commanded by the Begum, and commenced a tour through the provinces. Although most of the rajahs and nabobs were secretly disaffected, they were, with few exceptions, easily prevailed upon to tender their submission. One of those who openly declared themselves rebels was Nujuff Cooli Khan, a powerful chief, who, having possession of the almost impregnable fort of Gocul Ghur, peremptorily refused to submit. His head-quarters were situated at a village about a mile from the fort, and only a portion of his army had been stationed in Gocul Ghur.
The Emperor himself, with the main body of the army, invested Gocul Ghur, while two of his principal generals erected batteries against the rebel head-quarters, which they bombarded most vigorously. The village would have speedily been taken, but for the disgraceful conduct of the besieging force, both officers and men, who gave themselves up to riot and excess. Nujuff Cooli Khan, taking advantage of this, attacked the Mogul entrenchments one night, when nearly all the soldiers were fast asleep. Carrying all before them, the rebels perpetrated an indiscriminate slaughter before the others had time to arouse themselves. This news rapidly spread to the main body and threw the whole camp into dire confusion. To increase the consternation, Munsoor Khan sallied out from Gocul Ghur, and opened a tremendous cannonade on the rear of the camp.
The entire Imperial army, together with Shah Aulem and his family, would probably have fallen into the hands of the rebels, but for the courage and presence of mind of Begum Somroo. She was encamped with her sepoys to the right of the camp, and her troops not having been infected by the panic, waited, drawn up ready for action. Perceiving the disorder which prevailed, the Begum sent a respectful message to Shah Aulem, entreating him to repair for safety to her quarters. Then, stepping into her palanquin, she proceeded at the head of one hundred sepoys and a six-pounder (the latter commanded by a European) to the ground occupied by Munsoor Khan. She ordered her palanquin to be set down, and ere long drove the rebels from the field by a well-directed fire of grape, supported by volleys of musketry from the sepoys.