232 



ANNUALR EGISTER, 1804. 



phants, camels, and bullocks ; 72 

 pieces of cannon, serviceable, and in 

 excellent order ; and a vast quan- 

 tity of ammunition. Three tum- 

 brils laden with treasure, were 

 likewise the fruits of the victory, 

 and 5,000 stand of arms, which had 

 been thrown down by the enemy, 

 were found in the field of battle. 



Thus terminated, at four o'clock 

 in the evening of the 1st of Novem- 

 ber, 1803, the battle of Laswarcc, 

 in Avhich British valour and steadi- 

 ness were so eminently conspicuous, 

 and which completely -subverted 

 Scindiah's hostile power, and formi- 

 dable resources in llindostan, and 

 those of the French force in that 

 quarter. Great part of the army had 

 been under arms for 16 hours, and 

 had marched, in the course of two 

 days and nights, a distance of 

 more than 65 miles ! This great 

 vidtory must, however, principally 

 be attributed to the admirable skill, 

 judgment, heroic valour, and activi- 

 ty of general Lake, %vho thus, at 

 once consummatt'd his triumphs, 

 and terminated his camjiaign. Du- 

 ring the licat of the action, he was 

 exposed to one of the most severe 

 trials, to Avhich providence has ever 

 put human fortitude. On his 

 .horse falling under him, pierced 

 by several shot ; his son, (a most 

 promising young officer, who con- 

 stantly attended his father's per- 

 son,) dismounted, and oflered his 

 horse to the general, who at first 

 refused, but on his repeated solici- 

 tations, mounted, and major J>ake 

 nor.ntcd a horse from one of the 

 troops of cavalry : in a moment, a 

 shot struck the son, and wounded 

 him severely. > At this instant, the 

 commander in chief, found it mc^'S- 

 sary to head the infantry in the ad- 

 vancCj ,and to leave major Lake 



wounded on the field ! A more affecl- 

 ing scene, can hardly be presented 

 to the imagination. Our readers 

 will rejoice, that, at the close of 

 the battle, the most agonizing 

 suspense was terminated, by the 

 general finding his son still alive, 

 and his wound not likely to prova 

 dangerous. 



The operations of the British 

 arms, thus gloriously concluded, on 

 the north-western frontier of Oude, 

 we shall now revert to the cam- 

 paign in the Deccan, where we 

 left general Welleslcy eagerly fol- 

 lowing up his splendid victory, at 

 Assye. It will be remembered, that 

 colonel Stevenson had been detach- 

 ed in the begining of October, to- 

 wards Boorlianpoor, and Asseer 

 Ghur, for the purpose of reducing 

 those places. The former was taken 

 possession of without resistance, on 

 the 16tli, and the following day, he 

 proceeded to Asseer Ghur, whence 

 the enemy's infantry precipitately 

 retired on his approacii, and 

 which place, after some ineft'eetual 

 attempts on the part of the garri- 

 son to gain time by the usual artifices 

 of Indian negociation, consenied to 

 surrender on terms indeed highly 

 iidvantiigeous to the besieged, but 

 not less so to the victors, if it be consi- 

 dered, that this fortress was deemed by 

 the enemy impregnable, and that its 

 fall was of the utmost importance to 

 asj)eedy termination of the contest. 

 Whilst colonel Stevenson was 

 thus successfully employed, the un- 

 ceasing activity of general Welles- 

 ley was productive of fresh tri- 

 umphs to the British arms, and of 

 apprehension and dismay to the 

 enemy. On the 25th of October, the 

 division of the British army, com- 

 manded by him, re-ascended the Ad- 

 juntee Ghaut, and marclied to the 



south. 



