網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

nor plan of action formed; and
Sir Eyre Coote was in the fingular
fituation of being obliged to truft
entirely to his own genius, and to
the quicknefs and fertility of his
refource for making his difpofi-
tions in the face of an enemy fo
jufinitely fuperior.
July ift,

At five in the morning, the army began to 1781. draw out from the camp at Porto Novo; and at feven, commenced its march, with the fea at no great distance on the Fright. Small as it was, and the utmost exertion of every fingle man it contained evidently neceffary to the purpose of attacking and forcing fo prodigious an army in a chofen and fortified fituation, yet the general was under the hard neceffity of drawing off a confiderable detachment from his line for the protection, during the march and action, of the baggage and of the numerous followers of the camp, from that multitude of Hyder's irregular cavalry, who, upon the first opening, would be ready to pour in upon them. Thefe, with their ufual guard, confifting of about 150 fepoys, thofe few Poligars who had joined the Company's forces, and a small Maratta corps, were judiciously placed in the opening between the tight of the army and the fea; and the detachment, now unavoidably drawn off from the line of action for their fupport, confifted of two regiments of ca. valry and a battalion of fepoys, with feven pieces of light artillery.

The country, in about an hour's march, opened an extenfive plain to their view; and as the enemy's cavalry appeared drawn up in

great force in their way, Sir Eyre Coote formed the army in two lines, and proceeded on his march in order of battle. The grounds which Hyder occupied were naturally ftrong and commanding; and he had already rendered this pofition truly formidable, by the judgment and difpatch with which he had ftrengthened and fortified the moft advantageous fpots with well constructed front and flanking batteries. Indeed, it would have afforded no fmall demonftration of his military abilities, if other effential proofs of it were wanting, that he had formed fuch a body of pioneers as had never before been known in India.

The army had not advanced far, when the enemy's pofition and works were clearly discovered, and their batteries feen to lie directly upon the intended line of march. Hyder's principal force was drawn up in order of battle in the rear of his works, and extending farther on the plain than the eye could command; large bodies of cavalry caught the fight in every direction, and an infinite number of rockets were unintermittingly thrown, as well to prevent and confound the obfervation, as to diforder the march and impede the movements of the English army. At the fame time they were expofed to a warm though diftant cannonade; the enemy's artillery were well ferved, and did execution, while the English general could not afford to return many shot, as he was fenfible that every round he poffeffed would, in the courfe of the day, be wanted to take the most decifive effect.

Critical and dangerous as this fituation was, a paufe, little fhort [F] 3

of

of an hour, became abfolutely neceffary, not only to afford time to the general to examine the enemy's immediate pofition, but farther to difcover, whether the country on the right might not admit of his taking fuch a fweep as would enable him to turn the enemy's left; and thereby to fall upon them rather obliquely, than to be obliged to make his attack in the full front and fire of their works and batteries. The country on the right fortunately anfwered his hope; and nothing was ever more boldly and happily executed than this daring and mafterly movement, in the face of fuch an enemy, and under the fire of a numerous artillery. The troops had endured the galling fire of the enemy during the paufe we have mentioned, with the utmoft conftancy and compofure; and in the fubfequent march and movement, they were obliged to pafs, as it were in review, under the heavy flanking fire of all the enemy's batteries, while the fepoys unharneffed their wretched oxen, which were totally unequal to the celerity of the occafion, and drew the artillery along at a quick pace, through a deep and heavy fand, for above a mile. The most admirable order was preferved thro' the whole.

neral, in filing off to the right, had been neceffarily obliged to contract his front and break his former order; but as foon as he had gained the point he aimed at, and the ground would admit, he inftantly formed anew, about nine o'clock, in order of battle, being within reach of, but partly covered from the fire of the enemy's cannon. He then looked eagerly back to fee whether the heights in his rear were occupied by the fecond line; for on the fuccefs of that part of his defign every thing ftill depended, as the poffeffion of them would not only have enabled the enemy to feparate the two lines, but entirely to enclofe and furround the first, as foon as it ventured into action. General Stuart, who commanded the fecond wing, performed that fervice with fuch activity, as not to keep him long in fufpenfe; and as foon as he faw they were covered, he advanced with confidence on the eneiny.

Thefe fudden and unexpected evolutions, performed with an alertnefs of which Hyder himself had yet feen ro example, obliged him to a new arrangement of his army. His guns were withdrawn from the batteries to the line with equal order and expedition; he inftantly formed a new front to This prompt and happy move- receive Sir Eyre Coote; and feement, which was performed by ing at once the confequences the first line only, decided the fortune of the day. Nothing lefs could have done the bufinefs, or indeed have well faved the army; for they had only four days provifion, which they carried on their backs, and delay, or even a drawn battle, would have been no lefs ruinous than a defeat. The ge

which would attend the poffeffion of the high grounds, he detached a strong body of his difciplined infantry, with a fuitable artillery, befides a number of irregulars, and a very great force of cavalry, to attack the fecond line; while another detachment, or part of the fame, attempted, by getting

into the interval during the conflict, to attack Sir Eyre Coote in the rear. Thus the battle was double; and each wing feparately, and almost equally engaged.

have been obliged to abandon the Carnatic. It was intolerably vexatious to those brave men, to behold the strong and vigorous cattle of the flying enemy carrying off their artillery at a full trot, while their own were scarcely able to drag the guns along.

meaneft fepoy, was beyond all praife. Sir Eyre, Coote declares in a letter, that every individual of his little army feemed to feel that all the interefts of the nation and Company were then at stake; that falling, as they already were, the most extraordinary exertions were neceffary to their fupport; and, to their credit, faid he, " every nerve was exerted to the

The main battle was long and obftinately fought; and it was not until four o'clock that, by dint of courage, the most invincible The conduct and gallantry of perfeverance, and an exertion for Major General Sir Hector Monro, fo many hours on the utmost who commanded the first line on ftretch, that the English at length this day, was highly diftinguishgained the day. At that time, ed. Indeed the behaviour of evethe first line triumphing over every ry individual in the army, from obftacle, drove Hyder's infantry, the commander in chief to the artillery, and cavalry, promifcuoufly before them, and compelled his whole army to feek their fafety in a retreat. During this time, the second line, under the conduct of Brig. General Stuart, had not only gallantly repulfed the repeated attempts made by the other divifion of Hyder's army upon the heights, but attacked, carried, and maintained thofe of which the enemy had first gained poffeffion; and while the rear of that line were thus fully occupied, their van most obftinately difputed, and at length totally defeated, the attempt made to attack the general's rear. This poffeffion and brave defence of the heights, likewife prevented the enemy, notwithstanding their multitude, from being able to make any pufh towards the fea, or the fmallest attempt upon the baggage.

Thus the victory was complete on all fides. Many of its advantages were, however, loft, through the victors being bereft of the means 、 of purfuit. If it were not for that unfortunate circumftance, the whole of Hyder's artillery and ftores would have fallen into their hands, and he would undoubtedly

very extent of poffibility."

Hyder left about 3,000 of his men dead upon the ground. His principal and favourite general, Meer Saib, was mortally wounded; and feveral other of his leaders and beft officers were among the killed or wounded. Sir Eyre Coote halted juft beyond the enemy's ground, from his inability to continue the pursuit farther; and was joined by the fecond line and the baggage about midnight. The lofs on his fide was far from being confiderable, confidering the nature of the action; and did not exceed 400 men in killed and wounded; nor was there any of ficer of note in either lift. Nothing could more fully fhew Hyder's conviction of his inferiority in the field, and his determination

[F] 4

not

not to hazard another action under any advantage of ground, than his leaving the ftrong and important pafs of Puravenaur open to the purfuit of the English when he made his retreat through it in the evening. Among the immediate confequences of the victory, Tippoo Saib's raifing the fiege of Wandewafh was not the least.

Hyder withdrew with his army to the neighbourhood of Arcot, where he was joined by Tippoo Saib's detachment. Sir Eyre Coote, having thus freed the fouthern provinces from depredation and danger, marched with his army to the northward, in order to meet the long-expected and wifhed-for reinforcement from Bengal, which, under the favour of Moodajee Boofla and his fon, had marched through his territories in Oriffa, and were now arrived in the northern circars. This junction was happily effected in the beginning of Auguft; and the general being now enabled to act with vigour, marched to lay fiege to Trepaffore. This place capitulated after a few days fiege, and nothing could be more Aug. 23d. timely or fortunate than the furrender; for befides that the poffeffion was of importance, the advance of Hyder's army (who was in full march to its relief) appeared in fight at the moment that the troops were taking poffeffion of the works; and there was then only one day's rice left in the English army.

Trepaffore afforded fome immediate relief; and the general find ing that Hyder was in full force at about fixteen miles diftance, determined to attack him; but was under a neceffity of waiting to

draw fome rice from Poonamalla. This fupply being obtained, he marched to feek the enemy; and Hyder upon his approach fell back a few miles to the very ground where he had defeated Colonel Baillie. There he took a very ftrong pofition; but was more influenced, as it is reported, by a fuperftitious confidence in its being a lucky fpot, than by the ftrength of the ground, in his determination to try the fortune of a fecond battle.

Sir Eyre Coote arrived in 27th. fight of the enemy about eight o'clock in the morning; and difcovered him to be in great force, his army drawn up in order of battle ready to receive him, and in poffeffion of feveral very commanding and advantageous pofts. This fituation was rendered still more formidable, by the nature of the country lying between both armies, which was interfected by feveral very deep watercourses; fo that nothing could be more arduous than the approach of the troops to their object. The gene ral, in order to prefent a front_to the enemy, was under a neceffity of forming his line under a very heavy cannonade, as well from feveral batteries placed to great advantage, as from the guns in the enemy's line. This was an arduous trial of the difcipline and firmness of the troops; and the general declared, that the feady valour which they fhewed upon this occafion, could not have been furpaffed by the first veterans of any nation in Europe.

They had full occafion for the continual exercise of these qualities during the courfe of a very long and hard fought day. The

battle

battle lafted from nine in the The general then relieved Vellore, which was reduced to the last extremity; and afterwards befieged and took Chittor. The season for fome time, occafioned a ceffation of action on both fides; but Vellore being again reduced to great diftrefs for provifions, the general was obliged, in the beginning of the year 1782, to march again to its relief.

morning until it was near iun-iet. By that time, Hyder was cured of his fuperftition; his army were driven fucceffively from all their ftrong posts, and obliged to aban don the field of battle with precipitation. The lofs fuftained by the English army in this action was greater than on the 1st of July, and that of the enemy lefs; which, befides the causes we have feen, proceeded from their fheltering themselves under the banks of tanks, and from their poffeffing in general fuch inequalities of ground as afforded much cover. It seems probable that their artillery caused the principal lofs in the English army. General Stuart loft a leg by a cannon-fhot; Colonel Browne, an old, able, and experienced officer, his life, by the fame means; and Captain Hiflop, one of the general's aid de camps, an active and fpirited young officer, was killed, close to his fide, by a cannon-fhot. Thefe were the only officers of note who fell.

It seemed as if defeat had wrought the extraordinary change in Hyder's difpofition, of rendering him enamoured of field battles;

Sept. 27th. for, on the day-month

of the late action, he waited to be attacked by Sir Eyre Coote, near a place called Sholingur. But this affair was foon decided. The action did not begin until four o'clock, and before night his army was completely routed. In this battle both his cavalry and infantry fuffered extremely, while the loss of the victors was fo trifling as not to deserve mention; but the enemy's troops were now used to be beaten.

Repeated defeat was not capable of producing any remiffion of Hyder's vigour or vigilance. On Sir Eyre Coote's march to Vellore, as the army were paffing through a deep morals, the enemy appeared in force on different. Jan. 10th, quarters, and commenc1782. ed a diftant but a very heavy cannonade. Their object was, befides impeding the progrefs of the army to Vellore (which was reduced to the last day's provision) to cut off the baggage and convoy while the troops were entangled in thefe bad grounds. After an action, fuch as we have described, which lafted for four hours, the enemy being foiled in all their attempts, were at length forced to abandon their object, and retiring on all fides, the army, which had fuffered very little in this action, purfued its courfe without interruption to Vellore.

Upon the return of the army, three days after, their indefatigable and ever watchful enemy was again prepared for their reception. On coming up to the fame morafs, they found Hyder in full force on the other fide, and determined to difpute their paffage. They, however, paffed the fwamp, under the fire of his cannon, about four in the afternoon; and the general having immediately formed,

and

« 上一頁繼續 »