HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



219 



whole of this severe and brilliant 

 action, the conduft of general Wei- 

 Jesley evinced a degree of ability, 

 prudence, and undaunted bravery, 

 seldom equalled and never surpassed ; 

 while the exemplary order, firmness, 

 and alacrity of the troops under his 

 command, compelled an enemy of 

 more than six times its number, to 

 fly before them, and abandon the 

 whole of their guns, stores, and am- 

 munition to the conquerors. 



Colonel Stevenson with the corps 

 under his command, from several 

 unforeseen impediments, did not join 

 general Wellesley till the evening of 

 the day of battle ; and was immedi- 

 ately dispatched in pursuit of the 

 [flying oncniy. 



I On the 8th of Oftober, general 

 I Wellesley received a letter from one 

 of Scindiah's ministers, requesting 

 that he would dispatch a British of- 

 ficer to the enemy's camp, to open 

 a negociation for peace ; with which 

 the British general refused to com- 

 ply, as the letter had no direct re- 

 ference <o the autliority of either of 

 the confederate chieftains ; and be- 

 caiise the presence of a British offi- 

 cer in the canip of the confederates, 

 would, at that jun6ture, raise the. 

 spirit of their troops, and prevent 

 their dispersion, as it miglit be re- 

 presented by the enemy to be an 

 attempt of the BrifisTi government 

 to sue for peace: at tlie same time 

 he expressed his wiliingnesfi to re- 

 ceive, with every mark of honour 

 and respeft, any person duly em- 

 powered by the direct auliiority of 

 Scindiah, or the rajah of Berar, to 

 propose terms of peace to the allied 

 powers. 



The confederates, with the re- 

 mains of their broken army, now 

 moTed to the Westward, along the 

 banks of the Taptee, with a view 

 to take the route towards Poonah ; 

 in consequence of which, general 

 Wellesley determined not to de- 

 scend the Adjuntee Ghaut, but to 

 regulate his movements by those of 

 the enemy. But colonel Stevenson 

 was directed by him to continue his 

 route to Boorhampore, and Asseer- 

 ghur, the latter a hill fort of great 

 strength, and denominated the key 

 of the Deccan, 



While general Wellesley was thus 

 engaged, the most severe blows 

 were received by the confederate 

 chieftains, from the successes of the 

 other divisions of the British force, 

 in their operations against the pro- 

 vinces of Guzerat on the western, 

 and of Cuttack, on the eastern side 

 of the Indian peninsula. 



In conformity to the general plan 

 of the campaign, a proportion of the 

 Bombay army had marched to the 

 Guzerat, Avhence lieut.-col. Wood- 

 ington, with a strong detachment, 

 consisting of the 96th regiment and 

 a proportion of Pairopcan artillery 

 and native infantry, marched on the 

 21st of August from Baroda, and 

 arrived before Baroach on the 23d) 

 of which fort the investment imme- 

 diately took place. A breach was 

 reporled to be practicable on the 

 29th,* and the assault was given at 

 three o'clock in the afternoon. The 

 enemy opposed a vigorous resistance 

 to the attack of the storming party, 

 but were soon compelled to retreat, 

 and to abandon the fort, which was 

 carried \\ith inconsiderable loss on 



* The fort of Baroach was stormed and carried on the 2?>th of August, the day 

 on which general Lake, at tlifc distance of 600 miles, attacked and canipclled 



Al. Perron's forces' to (juit the field of battle, at C'ocl. 



the 



