Part 6

During this long and fatiguing march, the Anglo-Indian troops frequently encamped upon the ground from which the enemy had removed in the morning, but the efforts made to overtake him were not successful. The sick and heavy guns having been placed in the fort of Arnee, on the 14th of January the advance and right wing marched for Velhout, where they arrived on the 27th, followed by the left wing.

On the 29th of January the army was reviewed by General Charles the Earl Cornwallis, K.G., who had arrived from Bengal to assume the command, and who expressed great satisfaction at the appearance of the troops. His lordship was at this period Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, and had quitted Bengal on the 6th of December of the previous year, and landed at Fort St. George, Madras, on the 30th of the same month.

In the course of the foregoing campaign the SEVENTY-FIRST Regiment lost few men in action, but many fell victims to climate and fatigue.

The army, being refreshed and equipped, commenced moving in a westerly direction on the 5th of February, by Perambaukum and Sholingur, arriving on the 11th in the vicinity of Vellore. The troops were ordered into the fort, and on the 14th they marched to Chittipet, turning suddenly to the right by Chittoor towards the Muglee Pass, where they arrived on the 17th of February. On the 18th the advance, followed by the park and stores, ascended the ghauts, the whole army encamping on the day following at Palamnaire, in the Mysore country, without having seen anything of the enemy.

During the time the British army remained at Velhout, Tippoo pushed to the southward, and summoned Cuddalore, but upon learning in what direction Earl Cornwallis had moved, the Sultan hastened to the Shangana Pass, where he arrived too late to oppose the troops at the Muglee Pass. On the 24th, the British marched for Colar, which was abandoned on their approach; from thence the army moved to Ouscotta, which place was immediately carried by a battalion of sepoys.

The enemy displayed a part of his force on the 4th of March, and on the following day opened a cannonade upon the troops moving towards _Bangalore_, whilst his horse attempted to attack the stores and baggage, but without success. About sunset on the 5th of March, the army encamped within shot of the fort of Bangalore, and shifted its ground on the day following. The pettah (the suburbs of the town) was then attacked by the thirty-sixth and seventy-sixth regiments, with some battalions of sepoys, and carried, after a very resolute resistance on the part of the defenders.

From this period to the 14th of March, nothing material occurred, but every preparation for the approaching siege was carried on with diligence and activity. On the 15th, the batteries being completed, opened a fire upon Bangalore; and on the 17th the lines were cannonaded by the enemy, while at night the camp was much disturbed by his rockets.

Forage became very scarce, and none could be procured beyond the advanced piquets. The siege, however, proceeded, and the enemy continued to harass the British until the 21st March, when the breach being considered practicable, an attack was ordered.

The storming party consisted of the grenadiers of the thirty-sixth, fifty-second, SEVENTY-FIRST, seventy-second, seventy-fourth, and seventy-sixth regiments, followed by their respective light companies, and led by Lieutenant James Duncan of the SEVENTY-FIRST, and Lieutenant John Evans of the fifty-second, with a forlorn hope of thirty chosen men; the whole supported by the battalion companies of the thirty-sixth, seventy-second, and seventy-sixth, with some battalions of Bengal sepoys. The corps of attack were commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell of the seventy-fourth; the flankers immediately by Major Skelly; Major-General Medows was present on the occasion.

The grenadier company of the SEVENTY-FIRST was commanded by Captain the Honorable John Lindsay, who, upon entering the breach, directed his men to throw away their priming, and trust entirely to their bayonets. The light company was commanded by Captain James Robertson, son of the celebrated historian.

With the aid of scaling ladders, and after encountering very formidable obstacles, _Bangalore_ was carried. From the 6th of March to the conquest of Bangalore, the SEVENTY-FIRST had six privates killed, and fourteen wounded.

On the 28th of March, a strong garrison being left in Bangalore, the army moved to Deonhully, the birthplace of Hyder Ali, where it arrived on the 30th, and on the 1st of April at Chinnaballaporam, both of which places were abandoned by the enemy. The army reached Connapelly on the 12th of April, and on the following day effected a junction with the Nizam’s force, which had been sent to co-operate with the British, and which amounted to about fifteen thousand cavalry.

The army arrived at Venkatagherry, on the 18th of April, where a large detachment of Europeans, under Colonel Oldham, joined from the Carnatic, and on the 22d of April again encamped near Bangalore. During this march, the object of which was chiefly to procure supplies, the enemy’s irregular horse were now and then seen in small detached bodies.

The British commenced their march on the 4th of May towards _Seringapatam_, the capital of Tippoo Saib’s territory, and on the 13th of that month arrived at Arakerry, on the Cavery, about eight miles below Seringapatam, which derived its name from the god _Serung_, to whom one of the pagodas was dedicated. The enemy was discernible in front, with his right resting on the river, and his left on a high hill named the Carighaut.

During the night of the 14th of May the troops marched with a view to surprise the enemy, but owing to the badness of the weather and roads, together with the jaded state of the gun-bullocks, little or no progress was made during the night; but on the following day, after having undergone great fatigue, they were brought into action, when the enemy was driven from his strong position, and forced across the river into the island upon which the capital, Seringapatam, is situated, where he was protected by his batteries.

In this affair four guns and several standards were taken. The SEVENTY-FIRST had Lieutenant and Adjutant Roderick Mackenzie and seven rank and file killed; Ensign John Stuart and seventy-four rank and file were wounded.

The army rested upon the field of battle, and was again in movement on the 18th of May, and arrived on the 20th at Canambaddy, situated on the Cavery, some miles above Seringapatam. It was now ascertained that the season was too far advanced for undertaking immediately the siege of Tippoo’s capital, and it was determined accordingly to withdraw. The battering train was destroyed; all the ammunition and stores were buried, which could not be removed, and on the 26th of May the army marched in the direction of Bangalore.

Before commencing their retreat, the soldiers were thanked in orders for their conduct throughout these services; and it was added:--“So long as there were any hopes of reducing _Seringapatam_ before the commencement of the heavy rains, the Commander-in-chief thought himself happy in availing himself of their willing services; but the unexpected bad weather, for some time experienced, having rendered the attack of the enemy’s capital impracticable, until the conclusion of the ensuing monsoons, Lord Cornwallis thought he should make an ill return for the zeal and alacrity exhibited by the soldiers, if he desired them to draw the guns and stores back to a magazine, where there remains an ample supply of both, which was captured by their valour; he did not, therefore, hesitate to order the guns and stores which were not wanted for field service to be destroyed.”

In the course of this retreat the British were joined by the Mahratta army, under Hurry Punt and Purseram Bhow, consisting of about thirty-two thousand men, chiefly cavalry, and thirty pieces of cannon. Of the approach of this large force, the British had been kept in total ignorance, by the active manner in which the communications were interrupted by Tippoo’s irregular troops. Captain Little, having under his orders two battalions of Bombay sepoys, joined with the Mahratta army, and the supplies were now abundant.

On the 11th of July, after marching by Alcotta, Goodyanelly, Outredroog, and Sankerrydroog, the army arrived at Bangalore.

The enemy made no attempt whatever to interrupt the march. By this time the Nizam’s cavalry had become unfit to keep the field, and were allowed to return to their own country. Purseram Bhow also, with a large detachment of the Mahrattas, proceeded into the Sera country; but Hurry Punt, with the remainder, continued attached to the British army. On the 15th of July the whole of the sick, and one half of the tumbrils belonging to the field-pieces, were sent into the fort of Bangalore, and the army moved towards Oussoor, where it arrived on the 11th of the following month.

The fort of Oussoor was abandoned by the enemy, after he had blown up the angles. In this place were found the bodies of three Europeans who had been put to death by Tippoo’s orders. One of these unfortunate persons, named Hamilton, had been an officer in the British navy.

On the 12th of August the army moved from Oussoor, and on the 23d arrived at Bayeur. About this period Major Gowdie, of the Honorable East India Company’s Service, was detached with some troops for the reduction of the strong hill fort of _Nundydroog_, which it was found required regular approaches.

The flank companies of the thirty-sixth and SEVENTY-FIRST regiments, under the command of Captain Robertson, of the latter corps, marched on the 17th of October to join the detachment under Major Gowdie, and, upon their arrival, were immediately placed in the last parallel.

On the 18th of October, General the Earl Cornwallis, with the whole army, made a movement towards _Nundydroog_, and in the evening of that day the troops were told off for an assault upon the two breaches, which had been pronounced practicable. The attacks commenced at eleven o’clock at night, the grenadiers assaulting the right breach, and the light companies the left. The forlorn hope of the right attack consisted of twenty grenadiers, volunteers from the thirty-sixth and SEVENTY-FIRST, led by Lieutenant Hugh Mackenzie of the SEVENTY-FIRST, formerly paymaster of the regiment. The same number of light infantry, headed by Lieutenant Lewis Moore, of the SEVENTY-FIRST, formed the left attack. The grenadier company of the regiment, in support, was commanded by Lieutenant James Duncan; the light company, by Lieutenant Kenneth Mackenzie; the whole under Captain Robertson’s orders, as before stated.

Captain Robert Burne supported, with the thirty-sixth grenadiers, the right attack, and Captain William Hartley, with the light company of that regiment, the left attack; Major-General Medows, as usual, animating the whole with his presence.

Both breaches were carried without much resistance from the enemy, and the gateway of the inner wall being soon secured, the fort fell into the possession of the British. Many of the enemy were killed, and several, in attempting to escape, were dashed to pieces over the precipices. It was an additional source of gratification, that this important service had been achieved without the loss of a British soldier.

In a few days subsequently to the fall of Nundydroog, the army retraced its route to Bangalore.

On the 4th of December the troops were again put in movement, directing their march towards _Savendroog_, a fortress situated on the side of a mountain, environed by almost inaccessible rocks. The fort being reconnoitred, a detachment under Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart, of the Seventy-second regiment, was selected, and ordered to reduce the place. On the 17th the British were enabled to open upon the fort a battery of six eighteen-pounders and three twelve-pounders, with considerable effect.

The flank companies of the SEVENTY-FIRST and seventy-sixth regiments joined the detachment under Lieut.-Colonel Stuart on the 20th of December, and on the following day the flank companies of the fifty-second, SEVENTY-FIRST, seventy-second, and seventy-sixth, were selected for the attack upon _Savendroog_ (in which a practicable breach had been effected), and formed under Lieut.-Colonel Colebrook Nesbitt, of the fifty-second regiment.

The storming party, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Nesbitt, was directed to four different attacks. Captain James Gage, with the grenadiers of the fifty-second and flank companies of the seventy-sixth regiment, to gain the eastern hill to the left; Captain the Honorable William Monson, with the light company of the fifty-second, to scour the works towards the western hill on the right; Captain the Honorable John Lindsay and Captain James Robertson, with the flank companies of the SEVENTY-FIRST, to separate, and attack the works or parties they might discover in the chasm or hollow between the hills; the fifty-second and seventy-second regiments were to follow the flank companies; parties were detached under Lieut.-Colonel Baird and Major Petrie round the mountain, to draw the attention of the enemy from the main object, and to endeavour to prevent his escape.

At eleven o’clock in the morning of the 21st of December, on a signal of two guns being fired from the batteries, the flank companies, in the order described, followed by the fifty-second and seventy-second regiments, advanced to the assault; the band of the fifty-second playing “_Britons, strike home!_” while the grenadiers and light infantry mounted the breach.

Immediate success followed the attempt, the fort being carried without the loss of a man. The troops were thanked in general orders for their gallant conduct, in which it was stated,--

“Lord Cornwallis thinks himself fortunate, almost beyond example, in having acquired by assault a fortress of so much strength and reputation, and of such inestimable value to the public interest, as Savendroog,[15] without having to regret the loss of a single soldier.”

In the course of a short time afterwards, the following places surrendered, with trifling loss, to detachments of the British army; namely, Outredroog, Ram Gurry, and Sheria Gurry.

The army subsequently moved towards Outredroog, a hill fort about thirty miles west of Bangalore, where a general hospital was established.

[Sidenote: 1792.]

On the 31st of January 1792 the army under General the Earl Cornwallis was reviewed by the Poonah and Hyderabad chiefs, and on the following day commenced its march towards _Seringapatam_, passing by Hooleadroog, Tajilly, and Carrycode. The troops came in sight of Tippoo’s capital on the 5th of February, and encamped at the French Rocks. The enemy’s horse showed itself on the 4th and 5th, but attempted nothing hostile.

The entrenched camp of Tippoo was reconnoitred on the 6th of February, and at dark the army was formed in three columns of attack. The right, under Major General Medows, consisting of the thirty-sixth and seventy-sixth King’s regiments. The centre, under the Commander-in-chief, General the Earl Cornwallis, consisting of the fifty-second, SEVENTY-FIRST, and seventy-fourth King’s regiments. The left, under Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell of the seventy-fourth, was composed of the seventy-second regiment. The native troops were divided among the three columns.

By eight o’clock in the evening of the 6th of February the three columns were in motion. The head of the centre column, led by the flank companies of the respective corps, after twice crossing the Lokany river, which covered the enemy’s right wing and front, came in contact with his first line, and immediately forced through it. The British flankers, mixing with the fugitives, crossed the north branch of the Cavery, at the foot of the _glacis_ of the fort of _Seringapatam_. Captain the Honorable John Lindsay collected the grenadiers of the SEVENTY-FIRST upon the _glacis_, and attempted to push into the body of the place, but was prevented by the bridge being raised a few moments before he reached it. He was soon after joined by some of the light company of the fifty-second and grenadiers of the seventy-sixth, with whom he forced his way down to the famous _Llal Baugh_, or “_Garden of Pearls_,” where he was attacked most furiously, but the enemy was repelled in a very spirited style with the bayonet.

Captain Lindsay was afterwards joined by the seventy-fourth grenadiers, and attempted to drive the enemy from the Pettah, but could not succeed, from the numbers which poured on him from all sides. This gallant officer then took post in a redoubt, where he maintained himself until morning, and then moved to the north bank of the river, where the firing appeared very heavy. He was there met by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel the Honorable John Knox, of the thirty-sixth regiment, and by Lieut.-Colonel Baird, with the grenadiers of the fifty-second, and the light company of the SEVENTY-FIRST, together with some of the troops that composed the left attack.

During these occurrences the battalion companies of the fifty-second, SEVENTY-FIRST, and seventy-second regiments forced their way across the river to the island, overpowering all that opposed them, when Captain Archdeacon, commanding a battalion of Bengal Sepoys, being killed, that battalion was thrown into confusion, falling back upon the SEVENTY-FIRST. Major Stair Park Dalrymple, wishing to prevent the Sepoys intermingling with his men, ordered the regiment to oblique to the left, an operation that by chance brought him in contact with the Sultan’s redoubt, which was instantly attacked and carried. The charge of the redoubt was given to Captain Hugh Sibbald, of the SEVENTY-FIRST, with his company, who on the following morning was killed, nobly defending it against repeated and desperate attacks from the enemy. The commander-in-chief, General the Earl Cornwallis, in compliment to the memory of this officer, had the name of the redoubt changed to “Sibbald.”

In the evening of the 7th of February three thousand of the enemy’s horse attacked the British troops on the island, but were repulsed by the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment and the first Coast Sepoys. In the course of these operations the regiment had Captain Sibbald and Lieutenant Daniel Bayne killed; Ensign Duncan Mackenzie was wounded; about one hundred rank and file were killed and wounded.

The enemy’s loss was very severe, being estimated at 20,000 _hors-de-combat_. Eighty pieces of cannon were taken by the British.

On the 9th of February the army took up its final position for the siege of _Seringapatam_, and on the 15th Major-General Robert Abercromby joined with the Bombay force, consisting of the seventy-third, seventy-fifth, and seventy-seventh regiments, besides native troops, making a total of about 6,000 men.

The SEVENTY-FIRST regiment, commanded by Major Dalrymple, crossed the south branch of the Cavery at nine o’clock at night on the 18th of February, and in two hours after attacked by surprise a camp of the enemy’s cavalry, of whom great part were slain, and the remainder dispersed in all directions. This movement was designed to cover the operation of opening the trenches, which took place at the same time, within eight hundred yards of the fort.

Until the 24th of February the approaches were carried on with the greatest activity, when the general orders announced that the preliminary articles of peace had been signed, and in consequence all hostile measures immediately ceased.

On the 26th of February the two sons of Tippoo Saib, Abdel Kalek and Mooza-ud-Deen, the former ten years of age, and the latter eight, were brought to the British camp, as hostages for the due performance of the preliminary articles.[16]

In consequence of some obstacles which had been opposed by Tippoo to the arrangement of the definitive treaty, working parties were ordered, and the guns replaced in the batteries on the 10th March. This state of suspicion and preparation lasted until the 15th of March, when it was discontinued, and on the 18th of that month, the definitive treaty being duly executed, and signed, was delivered by the young Abdel Kalek to each of the confederates. On the 20th the counterpart was sent off to Tippoo Saib.

Thus terminated a war in which the confederates wrested from the enemy seventy fortresses, eight hundred pieces of cannon, and destroyed or dispersed at least fifty thousand men. By the articles of the treaty, Tippoo was bound to pay a large sum of money, and to cede one half of his dominions.

The Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in India granted from this money a sum equal to six months’ batta for all ranks, and the Court of Directors afterwards made a similar grant.

On the 26th of March, the exchange of the definitive treaty being completed, the British commenced moving towards Bangalore, from whence they proceeded to the Pednaigdurgum Pass, where the Bengal troops were ordered to their own presidency.

Early in May the army descended the Ghauts, arriving soon after at Vellore, where the Commander-in-Chief arranged the cantonments of the troops, and proceeded to Madras. The SEVENTY-FIRST received orders to march to the southward, and in the month of June arrived at Warriore, near Trichinopoly, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Baird, who during the campaign had been absent from the regiment in command of a brigade. Eight companies were stationed at Warriore, and two were detached with Major Dalrymple to Dindigul. In this situation the regiment continued for the remainder of the year.

[Sidenote: 1793.]

In March 1793, the eight companies under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Baird proceeded from Warriore to Secundermally, in the neighbourhood of Madura. Meanwhile the events of the French revolution had involved England in another contest, the National Convention of France having declared war against Great Britain and Holland, in February 1793. The news of this event arrived in India in May following, when the siege of the French settlement of _Pondicherry_, on the Coromandel coast, was determined upon. Lieut.-Colonel Baird, of the SEVENTY-FIRST, was appointed to command a brigade on this service.

In July the flank companies of the regiment were ordered to join the force about to besiege _Pondicherry_, and marched for that purpose, being followed soon afterwards by the battalion companies. The place surrendered on the 22d of August, and the SEVENTY-FIRST returned to Secundermally and Dindigul, where the regiment continued during the remainder of the year.

[Sidenote: 1794.]

An attack upon the Mauritius was in contemplation at the commencement of the year 1794, and troops for that service were assembled at Wallajohabad. The SEVENTY-FIRST, having received orders to join this force, marched to Wallajohabad, where the regiment remained only a short time, having been ordered to return to the southward, in consequence of the projected expedition being relinquished.

The regiment marched accordingly, and arrived at Tanjore in June, where it was stationed for the remainder of the year, having two companies detached, under Major Dalrymple, at Vellum.

[Sidenote: 1795.]