Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/292

284 than they swarmed out in great numbers, and their cavalry, led by the Morattoes under the command of Harrasing, came galloping up at a great rate, and making a resolute charge on the left of the line, where a body of Sepoys were posted, broke through them sword in hand; but the Sepoys seeing three platoons of Europeans advancing to their support, behaved with spirit, and recovering their ground, kept up a smart fire, which after a severe slaughter repulsed the cavalry, who made a most precipitate retreat towards the pagoda, exposed to the fire of ten pieces of cannon, eight of which were field pieces which accompanied the troops, and two eighteen pounders which captain Dalton had sent to the bank of the river. By this time Mr. Astrue, with the French troops and Sepoys marched up, and lodging the greatest part of them in a water course, where they were effectually sheltered, placed his cannon, four field pieces, on an eminence, from whence they made a brisk fire. They were answered by the English artillery; but as it was not thought prudent to make a push at the water course, at the risque of being fallen upon by such numbers of cavalry as covered the plain, major Lawrence, to preserve his main body from the enemy's cannonade, ordered them to take shelter behind a bank, so that the sight was maintained only by the artillery until noon, when a party of the enemy's Sepoys, with some Topasses, took possession of a large choultry to the left of the English line, which they began to incommode with the fire of their musketry; upon this the company of grenadiers, with a detachment of Swiss under the command of captain Polier, were ordered to dislodge the Sepoys; which service the grenadiers effected with great resolution; and, animated by their success, pursued the fugitives until they insensibly gained the flank of the water course, where the main body of the French troops was concealed; who, on seeing the danger which threatened them, prepared to retreat, and were actually on the point of abandoning two of the field pieces, when captain Polier, who remained with the Swiss at the choultry, and from thence could not see the enemy's confusion, sent orders for the grenadiers to return. Thus was lost one of those critical moments, on which the greatest advantages of war so often depend; but without any disparagement