522 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



surjTi'ised had induced the enemy to 

 encamp in several separate divisions ; 

 and tlie operations of the British 

 troops were directed against 2 of his 

 principal encampments, ilislordship, 

 •with the cavalry, took a circuitous 

 direction to thcrii^ht under the hills ; 

 whilst lieutenant-colonel Don, with 

 the infantry, proceeded to the left, 

 by the direct road to the position of 

 the enemj'. The enemy, having re- 

 ceived information from kis hircar- 

 rahs of the approach of the British 

 troops, was prepared for flight when 

 lord Lake reached his camp. The 

 enemy, however, sufll'cred some loss 

 in his retreat, from the fire of the 

 column of infantry; and, notwith- 

 standing the rapidity of his flight, a 

 charge was effected h}' the British 

 cavalry, in which about two hun- 

 dred of the enemy were destroyed. 

 A quantity of baggage and cattle, 

 consisting chiclly of about f>0 camels, 

 100 horses, 2 elephants, and 20 hac- 

 keries, was cnp'.ired by the British 

 troops. Lord Jiake, af(er pursuing 

 the enemy to a considerable dis. 

 tancc, returned to camp at eleven 

 o'clock on the same morning. — On 

 the 1st of April, lord Lake received 

 intelligence that Jcswunt Kao IIol- 

 kar, having retired to a great dis- 

 tance from the British army, had 

 ahseinbled the greater part of his 

 troops and bags;age at a position, 

 eight coss from Biiurtporc in the di- 

 rection of Futtyporc. Lord Lake, 

 in the expectation that the vigilance 

 of the enemy would be diminished 

 in consequence of tiie distance to 

 which he had removed, determined 

 to attempt to surprise his camp. — 

 Jlis lordship accordingly marched at 

 one o'clock on the morning of the 

 2d of April, with the whole of the 

 cavalry, the horse artillery, and the 

 reserve of tlie ^rmy, and arrived in 



the neighbourhood of Jeswunt Rao 

 Holkar's camp before the dawn of 

 day. J«swunt Rao Ilolkar had re- 

 ceived intelligence of lord Lake's 

 approach about two hours before 

 his lordship had reached the vicinity 

 of his camp ; and had sent off a 

 part of his baggage. The enemy 

 was posted round a high village, with 

 his front covered by cultivated 

 fields, surrounded by high inclosures. 

 It was still dark, but the fires of the 

 enemy enabled lord Lake to make 

 his disposition for tlie attack with- 

 out waiting for day-light. The ca- 

 valry formed in two lines niored 

 round to the right, whilst the re- 

 serve and the horse artillery, under 

 lieutenant-colonel Don, m as ordered 

 to gain the left of the village with as 

 much expedition as possible. The 

 cavalry advanced at a trot, and 

 when arrived within a short distance 

 of the enemy, the right squadrons 

 of each regiment in the first line 

 were ordered to charge, supported 

 by the remaining squadrons, and by 

 the second line. The enemy, on 

 seeing the advance of the British 

 troops, made every possible exertion 

 to escape, but was charged with 

 success in various directions, aiul 

 suffered great loss. The British ca- 

 valry continued the pursuit to a 

 yory considerable distance, and did 

 not desist until the enemy were en- 

 tirely dispersed. The enemy is said 

 to have lost upwards of 1000 men 

 on this occasion. Upon the return 

 of lord Lake to camp, a body of 

 infantry, with coloiirs, was observ- 

 ed moving in the direction of the 

 jungle which surrounds the town of 

 Bhurtpore. This body of infantry 

 was immediately charged by a squa- 

 dron of his majesty's Sth dragoons, 

 under colonel Vandelcur. Upon 

 the approach of the squadron, and 



after 



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