March towards Seringapatam.

In order to give the Nizam's force the utmost respectability, the Commander-in-Chief not only strengthened it with some of the Company's battalions, but appointed the 33d regiment to join it, giving the general command of the British force thus serving to Colonel Wellesley.

This arrangement, which was highly pleasing to Meer Allum, added greatly to the confidence of his troops, and tended much to render them essentially useful.

Colonel Wellesley had thus under his command the whole of the Nizam's detachment, forming the reserve of the army, and comprising his own regiment the 33d, the 11th, part of the 2d and 4th, two battalions of the 1st Bengal regiment, two brigades of artillery, the Nizam's infantry commanded by Captain Malcolm, and the cavalry of the same prince commanded by their own native officer, Meer Allum. Along with these he had a distinct staff; and the cavalry alone amounted to 6000 men: the whole army under General Harris being returned 36,959 fighting men, all well equipped, amply and liberally supplied, excellent in discipline, and never surpassed by any army ever formed in India, in the skill and ability of the officers in all departments..

It must be confessed, indeed, that the expedition was begun under untoward circumstances, for the camberous baggage and numerous attendants on the Nizam force, as well as that of the European troops, the immense quantity of public stores aud provisions, the long train of ordnance, with above forty thousand Benjarres, formed altogether such an host, as not to admit of being covered by the effective force; so that if Tippoo had employed his powers, with the military skill which he was supposed to possess, he might, without hazarding an engagement, by desultory skirmishes, distant cannonades, and other hostile movements, have so harassed the infantry, and weakened the cavalry, that a great part of the bag

3.

I

gage,

Anecdotes of General Harris.

gage, stores, and ammunition, would probably have fallen into his hands, and the army have thus been greatly impeded in its march to the place of destination, particularly as the rainy season was then near setting in.

The Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant-General Harris, having determined to advance to Seringapatam, by the rout of Talgautporam and Cankanelli, the march commenced at day break on the 10th of March 1799. The cavalry were in advance, the baggage on the right, and the detachment under Colonel Wellesley, which had marched by the left, moved parallel at some distance on the right flank of the army.

Even

* Lieutenant-General Harris, afterwards Sir George, (as Knight of the Bath,) was the eldest son of a respectable clergyman of the established church, who dying in early life left a family of two sons and three daughters, in that kind of rather moderate circumstances which would naturally result from a small living, and the necessary expenses of decently educating a large family.

A friend of Mr. Harris took the youth under his patronage; and, trusting to his gallantry and goodness of heart for his rise in life, educated him for the army, into which he entered at the commencement of the American war, and upon all occasions distinguished himself as a very brave and intelligent officer. This cannot, indeed, be doubted when we recollect that during great part of the war he acted under the particular command of the Earl of Moira, then Lord Cawdon; and, performed the various services committed to his care, more especially in the Adjutant-General's department, so as to acquire the praise and confidence of that gallant and most respectable nobleman.

Having returned from the American continent, towards the close of the war, with the rank of Major, he soon after went on service to the West Indies, where he acquired additional rank, and an increase of honour.

He afterwards accompanied General Sir William Meadows to India, having then arrived at the rank of Colonel; and there recommended himself so strongly to the Marquis of Cornwallis, by his active and spirited behaviour, and also by his knowledge of fortification, and en-' gineering, and the other various branches of a soldier's education, that his Lordship left him in India with the rank of Lieutenant-General, and of Commander-in-Chief of the British army there.

His conduct during the siege of Seringapatam, and on many subse quent occasions, proved in every respect a full justification of the high hopes which in early life he had raised in the bosom of his friends.

Advance to Mallavelly.

Even on the first day's advance the enemy began to annoy them. Parties of their horse were in all directions, and were not only active in burning the forage, and destroying the villages; but had even the audacity to attack Colonel Wellesley's rear guard, consisting of a company of Sepoys. Of these twenty were killed upon the spot, and Lieutenant Reynolds, and thirty-six wounded; but the commanding officer taking prompt steps they were immediately repulsed.

On the 19th, after a fatiguing march through a country full of jungles and defiles, intelligence was received that the army of Tippoo had advanced to Allagoor, a village near Sultaunpettah; and on the 28th, the left wing and the cavalry having encamped close to a pass about seven miles from Cankanelli, the right were advanced to Arravully, and Colonel Wellesley's division took up its ground at some distance in the rear.

On the 23d, after securing several posts and passes of importance, the right wing of the cavalry marched from Achil, and encamped at Sultaunpettah, the left wing and the battering train advancing to Achil, while Colonel Wellesley, with his detachment, marched from Cankanelli, and encamped in front of the army, and the village of Allagoor, from whence the Sultaun's army had retired. Early on the morning of the day, as the Colonel and his advance approached Sultaunpettah, a cloud of dust to the westward evidently denoted that the army of Tippoo was then in motion, and it afterwards appeared that it had just quitted its position on the westward bank of the Maddoor river, and had encamped at Mallavelly. As the movements from this date led to an action in which the Colonel had an opportunity of greatly dis. tinguishing himself, we shall notice them more minutely from the observations of an eye-witness,

Pursuing their march, the right wing, the cavalry, and the detachment under Colonel Wellesley, halted

Preparations for the battle.

on the 25th of March, and were joined by the left wing and the battering train. On the 26th the whole moved in compact order, and encamped five miles to the eastward of Mallavelly. This gave Tippoo an opportunity of executing part of his intentions: for the spies, on their return from his camp, positively asserted that he had declared his intention of attacking them "as soon as they ventured out of the jungles," or thick forests through which they had to pass; and his having waited some days encamped on the banks of the Maddoor appeared to confirm the truth of their reports.

The ground taken up by the army on the 26th was open, and easily to be seen from the adjoining heights; and the enemy's advanced parties, amongst which were some elephants, soon appeared upon a distant ridge. From thence, after reconnoitering the British encampment for a considerable time, they retired, and in the evening fourteen or fifteen guns were seen in motion; the whole of which circumstances seemed to point out that the Sultaun was preparing for the execution of his threatened attack,

On the 27th therefore, at day break, Colonel Wellesley's division was ordered to move parallel to the left, but at some distance, so as to cover the baggage, and to be in readiness to act as circumstances should require; whilst the main body of the army marched from its left flank on the great road leading to Mallavelly. Major-General Floyd commanded the advance of the whole, having under him all the picquets; together with five regiments of cavalry; he approached within a mile of Mallavelly, but was there obliged to halt, in consequence of discovering a numerous body of the enemy's cavalry on the right flank, whilst their infantry remained on the heights beyond that place.

He was convinced that this was Tippoo's grand army; and, having reconnoitered his position, discovered some guns moving towards the right of the

enemy's

Advance to action.

enemy's line, as if with the intention of occupying a ridge which enfiladed the low ground on the eastern flank of the village. He immediately concluded that these guns were intended to open upon our line whilst passing this ground; and having given the proper in

formation to the Commander-in-Chief, measures were immediately taken for an instant attack, in order to frustrate his plans.

Colonel Wellesley, with his division, was directed to attack the Sultaun's right flank, whilst the picquets, under Colonel Sherbrooke, supported by the right wing of the main body, under Major-General Brydges, were to penetrate through the village of Mallavelly towards the centre of the enemy's line and Major-General Popham, with the left wing and the rear guard, was to remain at the fort end of the village of Mallavelly, for the protection of the battering train and baggage; the five regiments of cavalry being formed on the left of the road, with orders to support Colonel Wellesley's attack.

The Colonel no sooner put his force in motion, and his manœuvre was perceived by the Sultaun, than the guns were drawn off to a ridge beyond that which they at first occupied. Here the main body of the enemy's infantry was drawn up, but at so great a distance, that it was at first imagined they. were about to retire and at this period General Harris, who had led the picquets and the right wing in person, arrived at the fort of Mallavelly, whilst Lieutenant-Colonel Richardson, the Quarter-MasterGeneral, having advanced to reconnoitre the ground on the western side of the fort, now waited for instructions.

The General, indeed, was of opinion, from the enemy remaining at so great a distance, that he did not mean to advance; he, therefore, gave orders to Colonel Richardson to mark out the ground for a new encampment, which he performed under the protec tion of Colonel Sherbrooke with the picquets, reinforced