122 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



of August, !S03, and arrived in the 

 neighbourhood of Coel,* with the 

 main body of the Bengal army on 

 the 2Sth, On his march thither, he 

 received advices from the British ple- 

 nipotentiary to Scindiah, informing 

 him of the rupture with that chief, 

 by the termination of the negotia- 

 tion : on this intelligence, general 

 Lake considered himself warranted, 

 as well as from the tenor of the go- 

 vernor general's instructions, to en- 

 ter the territories of that chieftain, 

 on the 29th, in order to attack M. 

 Perron's army, then encamped at a 

 short distance from the fortress of 

 Ally Ghur. This position of the 

 enemy, was particularly advantage- 

 ous. Mis front v.as completely 

 covered by an extensive swan)p, 

 which, in some parts is not forda- 

 ble ; — his right was protected by 

 the fort of Ally Ghur, and his left 

 by some villages, occupied by par- 

 ties of his troops. M. Perron's 

 force was estimated at about 15,000 

 horse, of Avhich from four to live 

 thousand were regular cavalry. 



General Lake having determined 

 on turning the left Hank of M. Per- 

 ron's force, the British troops were 

 formed into two lines, and advanc- 

 ed to the attack supported by the 

 infantry in three and four lines, as 

 the confined nature of the ground 

 would admit. The excellent front 

 displayed by the British cavalry, 

 and the determined countenance of 

 the whole army, so completely over- 

 awed M. Perron and his troops, 

 that they retreated with such rapi- 

 dity, as to preclude the possibility 

 of charging them with any etfect. 

 This precipitate retreat, although at 

 the moment, a sourer, of vexation 

 and disappointment to the com- 



mander in chief, was yet, in its con- 

 sequences, eminently beneficial to 

 tiic British interests, as M. Perron's 

 military reputation received a shock 

 from the events of that day, which 

 i.t never recovered, and which was 

 eventually, the cause of the loss to 

 him, of the confidence of his troops ; 

 the defection of many of his best 

 ofhcers ; and finally, of the disor- 

 ganization and dispersion of the 

 French corps in India : at the same 

 time that the reputation of the 

 British troops, and of their undoubt- 

 ed superiority, increased in the same 

 proportion, in the opinion of the 

 native powers as that of M. Perron 

 and his boasted troops had diminisli- 

 cd. 



The commander in chief, in con- 

 sequence of the action, being in 

 possession of Coel, encamped to the 

 northward, between that town and 

 the fort of Ally (xhur, to. the re- 

 duction of which he immedi- 

 ately applied himself. This place, 

 one of the strongest in India, has 

 singular advantages ; it has a broad 

 and deep ditch, m ith a fine glacis, 

 and the country being, for a mile 

 round, perfectly levelled, is exposed 

 in every direction to ifa.guns. It 

 has only one entrance, which is very 

 intricate, and over a narrow cause- 

 way, under which the enemy had 

 commenced mining; but fortunate- 

 ly had omitted to construct a draw- 

 bridge, and thus the assailants were 

 enabled to pass the ditch on the 

 causeway, and immediately to attack 

 the body of the place. General 

 Lake having made many attempts 

 to induce the governor ]M. Podron, 

 to surrender, but in vain, ordered a 

 storming party, under the command 

 of the honourable colonel Monson, 



* A town situated in Scindiah's terriiorv in the Douab. 



on 



