The advance of the English Army, under the command of General Munro, from the vicinity of Madras, towards Gunjee, and that of the detachment under Colonel Baillie from the neighbourhood of Kottoor Mungulgiri, and the defeat and destruction of the troops under the command of the Colonel. Also, the Conquest of Arkat, and the taking prisoner of Shukoh-ul-Moolk Nuseer-ud-dowla, Abdul Wahab Khan, the brother of Muhammad Alí Khan, Suráj-ud-dowla, in the strong Hill Fort of Chunder Giri; and an account of the different successes obtained in the same year 1195, Hijri.— A. D. 1780.
WHEN the Nawaub Bahadúr, with his numerous army, marched to the conquest of the Payanghaut* country, Muhammad Alí Khan, the governor of the Payanghaut, who previously at the instigation of his enemies had imprudently disbanded his own army, and in their place retained a few militia indispensable to his service, of whom but a small part where matchlock men, was completely humbled, and, in order to keep off Hydur’s fierce lions, he insisted on the support and aid of the English.
The commanding officer of the English troops, whose name was General Munro, with six thousand regular infantry, one thousand five hundred regular cavalry, and two thousand European soldiers, all being equipped and ready, marched from Madras, by the route of Choongul Peeth (Chingleput) and the mountains of Sewram, to Gunjee, to oppose and drive back the conquering Hydur.* Colonel Baillie, at the same time, marched from the neighbourhood of Kottoor, which district Busálut Jung, the Chief of Adhoni, fearful of the incursions of the Nawaub, had given to the English, with whom he had contracted a close intimacy, for the payment of the Colonel’s troops, and the whole of the collections of the Talooka were committed to his authority. Having been appointed to the superintendence of that Souba, the Colonel, now that circumstances rendered it necessary, marched with three thousand regular infantry, and four hundred Europeans, (who had arrived from Killabundur), and eight guns, by the route of Wankul and Nellore, towards Arkat. The Nawaub, on hearing this news, immediately despatched Tippoo, with the Nawaub’s own Paigah, the Sillahdárs, and four light guns* to keep off the force of the Colonel; and the whole of the Kuzzaks, (predatory horse) and rocket-men, were placed under the command of Sidi Hillal Khan Bukshi, a servant of the Afghan of Kirpa, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Balsun Hulli, and was entertained and received in the highest rank of the Nawaub’s servants. This man, an active and brave soldier, was despatched, with the light troops, to harass the camp of the general, that he might surround it, and, by continual noise and desultory attacks, stop the supplies, and shut up the road against all reinforcements, (to the aid of the Colonel.)
In the mean time, Prince Tippoo, terrible as a lion, fell in with and engaged the force of Colonel Baillie,* in the neighbourhood of Sutweer, or Sutobur, and blocked up the road of safety to his detachment; keeping up an incessant cannonading, sniping, and skirmishing with that body. Although the Colonel, notwithstanding the number and constant attacks of Hydur’s brave men, showed no apprehension of them, but marched on, fighting, to the neighbourhood of Tukool and Purimpauk, a town about six kose from Gunjee, still, however, from the superiority in numbers of the conquering army, he was reduced to great difficulties, to which was added the total want of wood and forage. The General (Munro) therefore, selected from his army fourteen first companies, called in the language of the English, grenadiers, and these, with some stores of provisions, bottles of wine, and ammunition, &c. he despatched to the Colonel’s assistance; while he himself halted, intending to move on as soon as the Colonel had joined him; and had the Colonel made a night march after the companies had formed a junction with him, he would, undoubtedly without any difficulty or danger, have arrived at Gunjee; but it happened that his troops were overpowered by fatigue, and, to rest and relieve them, he halted for the night.
The moment the Nawaub heard this intelligence, he quitted the siege of Arkat, and, with his army, the emblem of victory, he arrived by a forced night march, and effectually closed all the roads of escape to Colonel Baillie’s force; and, having posted his guns in readiness on all sides, he waited for an opportunity to begin the attack; however, the same night, in order to increase the confusion and terror in the country, he detached five thousand horse towards Chitore, and the country of the Poligars of that quarter.
As soon as the morning dawned, and the king of the heavenly travellers, drawing his conquering sword from the scabbard of the east, put to flight the starry host, the Colonel commenced his march. The Nawaub, meanwhile, having arrayed his troops with the greatest skill and care, now gave orders for the attack, and the officers of his regular infantry and artillery took up their positions. On one flank, Muhammad Alí, the brave commandant, Shaikh-Oonsur, and others, and the regiment of Chittikars, of whom Monsieur Jani, a Frenchman, was the commandant, lighted up the fire of mortal strife. On the other flank Monsieur Lalli, the Frenchman, who had been the servant of Busálut Jung, but, after the defeat of his troops near Bellari, being discharged from his service, was entertained by the Nawaub, with a body of two thousand regular infantry, five hundred Europeans, or Portuguese,* and a hundred Allemand horse, now zealous in the Nawaub’s cause, by pouring perpetual volleys of balls and bullets on the English, so straightened the field of battle on their troops, that, notwithstanding the bravery and great exertions of the Colonel, it was impossible for him to join the main army. But, although the thunder of the guns, the deadly storm of musket balls, and the lightning of the rockets, made dreadful havoc among the troops and followers of the Colonel, still they stood firm, until mid-day, under cover of a grove of palm trees, close to the town of Purimpauk. Soon after this, however, Lalli, the Frenchman, discovering with the telescope of his intellect and science, the position of the enemy’s ammunition, fired a shot from a heavy gun at the Colonel’s tumbrils, all of which had been collected in one place. By accident, the ammunition blew up, and, by the shock of the explosion, the bonds* of union of the Colonel’s force, were broken up. Seeing this opportunity, the brave horsemen of the Paigah or household cavalry, on one of the flanks, like a thunder cloud in the spring season, rushing and shouting charged the broken troops in a body, and plying the bow and arrow and the keen sword, they gashed the heads and breasts of their enemies. On the other flank, the Sillahdárs, like the blazing lightning, fell on and destroyed the harvest of the array of their enemies, and dyed their blue swords, red as the ruby, in their blood. With but little labour, therefore, the soldiers of the Colonel’s force, with their officers, and all the camp followers, were crushed under the hoofs of the Nawaub’s horse. This, however, was not done without the loss of two or three thousand of the bravest men of the conquering army.* At length, the Colonel (Baillie), with a number of officers, was taken prisoner, by the address or management of the French officers.