XLIX. 1804. eight thousand infantry, a thousand cavalry, and eighteen CHAP. guns, was intrusted with the task of attacking his footsoldiers and artillery on the other. That gallant officer, having at length, by great exertions, obtained the requisite supplies, commenced his march from Delhi; and on the 13th November came up with the Mahratta Nov. 13. army, consisting of twenty-four battalions of regular infantry, a hundred and sixty pieces of cannon, and three thousand irregular horse-in all above twenty-five thousand men. This formidable force was drawn up with considerable skill, in a strong position, with their left resting on the fortress of Dieg, their right upon a walled village, situated on a height about two miles distant; an extensive morass, altogether impassable, covered the greater part of their front, a large expanse of water protected from attack the whole of their rear; while their 14, 1804, immense artillery was so disposed as to rake with concen- iv. 233; tric fire the narrow isthmus in front of their right, by v. 298, 301. which alone their line could be assailed.1 Desp. Nov. 1 Monson's Wel. Desp. Lake's Desp. victory of Noways daunted by these formidable obstacles, General 83. Fraser resolved to make the attack on the following morn- Glorious ing. At daybreak the troops advanced to the charge, the British. headed by the unconquerable 76th, led on by that general in person. They had to make a long circuit round the morass before they reached the point on the enemy's right at which it could be passed; during the whole of which they were exposed to a galling cannonade in flank from the enemy's artillery, which, as they approached the isthmus leading to the village, became dreadfully severe. Rushing impetuously on, however, the 76th, followed by the native infantry, ascending the hill, stormed the village with irresistible gallantry. From the village, General Fraser advanced upon the main body of the enemy, who faced about, and were now posted between the morass and the lake, with the fort of Dieg in the rear, and several heights crowned with artillery to defend the approach to it, interspersed in the intervening space. Such, however, was the XLIX. 1804. CHAP. vigour of the attack led by Fraser and Monson, that, though the enormous batteries of the enemy played with a concentric fire of round, chain, and grape shot on the advancing column, it pushed on through the awful tempest, carrying everything before it from right to left of the enemy's original position, and, storming successively all the batteries, drove them at length, in utter confusion, into the fortress of Dieg. Nothing but the heavy fire from its ramparts prevented the whole artillery of the enemy in the field from being captured; as it was, eightyseven guns and twenty-four tumbrils were taken; two thousand men fell on the field, and great numbers perished in the lake, into which they had fled to avoid the bloody sabres of the English cavalry. The British loss was about seven hundred killed and wounded; among the latter of whom was the brave General Fraser, to whose decision and intrepidity the success was in a great degree owing; while Colonel Monson, the second in command, who succeeded to the direction of the army upon his 1 Monson's fall, amply demonstrated, by his bravery, that his former misfortunes had not been owing to any want of heroic Wel. Desp: courage. Among the guns taken, were, to the inexLord Lake's pressible delight of the soldiers as well as of that brave v. 298, 301. man, thirteen of those that had been lost in the late calamitous retreat.1 Desp. v. 14, 1804. iv. 233, 236. Desp. Ibid. 84. Holkar to bad. While this important success was gained over the Pursuit of infantry and artillery of Holkar, a triumph equally deciFurrucka sive attended the operations of Lord Lake in person against his cavalry. That enterprising chief having, as already mentioned, crossed the Jumna with ten thousand horse, and been repulsed by Colonel Burn's detachment in Seranhunpore, made for a ford of the Ganges near Hurdwar, with the design of carrying the war into the provinces beyond that river. No sooner, however, did he learn that Lord Lake was marching against him, than he changed his course, and, flying down the Doab by forced. marches, reached Furruckabad on the evening of the XLIX. Nov. 16. 16th November. Rapid as were the movements of the CHAP. Mahratta chief, they were exceeded by those of the 1804. English general, who, having crossed the Jumna in pursuit on the 1st November, continued to follow his indefatigable adversary with such vigour for the next seventeen days, that he not only effectually prevented him from devastating the country, except in the immediate line of retreat, but kept constantly at the distance of only a single march in his rear. During the whole of this period both armies marched twenty-three or twentyfour miles daily, even under the burning sun of Hindostan. At length, on the evening of the 16th November, Lord Lake received intelligence that Holkar, after having been repulsed in an attack on the cantonment of Futtehghur, had encamped for the night under the walls of FURRUCKABAD, twenty-nine miles distant. Though the troops had already marched thirty miles on that day, Lord Lake Lake's immediately formed the resolution of making a forced 18, 1804. march in the night, and surprising the enemy in their iv. 240. camp before daybreak on the following morning.1 1 Lord Desp. Nov. Wel. Desp. 85. night-march defeat of Nov. 17. No sooner was the order to move delivered to the troops at nightfall, than all fatigues were forgotten, Surprising and, instead of lying down to rest, the men joyfully of the Bri-" prepared to resume their march during the darkness tish, and of an Indian night. The fires in the enemy's camp, and Holkar, the accurate information of the guides, conducted them direct to the ground which the Mahrattas occupied. As they approached the camp, the utmost silence was observed in the British columns; the horse-artillery only were moved to the front, and advanced slowly and cautiously to within range of their tents. All was buried in sleep in the Mahratta lines; the watch-fires had almost all burned out, and a few drowsy sentinels alone were watching in the east for the first appearance of dawn. Suddenly the guns opened upon them, and the sleeping army was roused by the rattle of grapeshot falling upon the tents, among the horses, and XLIX. 1804. CHAP. through the bivouacs. So complete was the surprise, so universal the consternation, that very little resistance was attempted Before the squadrons could be formed, or the horses in many places unpicketed, the British dragoons were upon them; and well, in that hour, did the sabres of the 8th, 27th, and 29th avenge the savage cruelty of Holkar's followers toward the captives in Monson's retreat. The enemy was thrown into irretrievable confusion by this impetuous attack; and, rushing promiscuously out of the camp, fled in all directions, hotly pursued by the British and native horse. Great numbers were slain in the pursuit, as well as on the field, and still more abandoned their colours, and dispersed, deeming the cause of Holkar hopeless after so decisive an overthrow. Of the mighty host which had so lately swept like a torrent over Hindostan, a few thousand horse only escaped with their leader across the Jumna, and joined the defeated remains of their infantry within the walls of Dieg. Holkar himself was on the point of falling into the hands of the British dragoons, and owed his escape entirely to the accidental explosion of an ammunition-waggon, which, almost by a miracle, blew his pursuers off their horses, while he himself passed unhurt. Of the victors, the Lake's Desp. greater part had ridden seventy-three miles during the Nov. 18, preceding twenty-four hours, when they took up their July 1805. ground after the pursuit, besides fighting the whole of iv. 240, 244, Holkar's cavalry; an achievement far exceeding anything recorded of the boasted celerity of Napoleon's squadrons, and which is probably unparalleled in modern war.1 1 Lord 1804, and Wel. Desp. and v. 297, 298. 86. Siege and capture of Dieg. Colonel Monson, whose vigour and bravery in the field were far from being accompanied by a similar degree of capacity and resolution in leading an army, had formed the design of retreating after the victory of Dieg to Muttra for supplies, which were procured with extreme difficulty, owing to the hostile disposition of the inhabitants in the country, and arrived there on the 26th November. But Lord Lake, who at once perceived the prejudicial XLIX. 1804. effect which such a retrograde movement after the battle CHAP. would have, by giving the enemy a plausible ground to represent it as a defeat, immediately repaired to the spot, and, reinforcing the infantry with his victorious cavalry, again moved forward his whole army, and pro- Dec. 1. ceeded in the direction of Dieg, where the broken remains of Holkar's army were now all assembled. On the 4th December, the troops arrived under its walls; and operations were commenced against it as soon as the batteringtrain came up from Agra, which was on the 8th. The Dec. 8. siege was prosecuted with the utmost activity, and a breach in an outwork commanding the fort having been pronounced practicable, the lines around the town were first stormed by the 22d and 76th regiments, and on the Dec. 23. day following the fortress itself surrendered at discretion. By this important blow, the whole of Holkar's remaining artillery, amounting to eighty pieces, many of them of very heavy calibre, with immense stores of ammunition, 1Wel. Desp. were taken; but that formidable chief himself escaped i with four thousand horse, and took refuge in BHURTPORE, to Secret the Rajah of which, Runjeet Sing, had during the last March 1805, three months treacherously embraced his cause, and de- iv. 362. serted the British alliance.1 Lord Wel. Committee, Wel. Desp. 87. unsuccessful Nothing remained to complete this glorious contest but the reduction of that celebrated fortress; an object now Siege and of the highest importance, both on account of the signal assault of treachery of the Rajah, who, on the first reverse, had Bhurtpore. violated his plighted faith to the Company, by whom he had been loaded with benefits, and of its containing the person and last resources of Holkar, who had waged so desperate a contest with the British forces. Thither, accordingly, Lord Lake moved immediately after the fall Jan. 3. of Dieg; and the battering-train having speedily made a breach in the walls, the assault took place on the evening of the 9th January. The water in the ditch proved Jan. 9. exceedingly deep, and during the time spent in throwing in fascines, the troops were exposed to a most destructive |