Military Labour, Animals, and the Material Production of War

Abstract

This chapter explores the world of Mughal military logistics. It focuses on military labour, mobilization of animals, supply of resources, production of infrastructure, and transmission of intelligence. Shifting the focus from combat to logistics, this chapter makes three main points. First, it underlines the crucial role that the careful management of these logistical activities played in the overall military success of the Mughals. Second, it shows that much of these activities, in turn, were executed by an enormous logistical workforce, comprising a large section of the non-elite, non-combatant population of South Asia. It argues that the contribution of this non-elite workforce was no less important than the military aristocracy in creating the empire. Finally, it highlights that appreciating the complexity and importance of military logistics allows us to understand that war did not signify mere moments of rupture in Mughal history; rather, it characterized the quotidian life of the empire.