Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/316

308 Astrue declined the attempt, and contented himself with waiting for less hazardous opportunities of diminishing their force: at length the English reinforcement arrived on the 19th of September, at Kelli Cotah, a fort 15 miles east of the city: and never perhaps had two armies remained 18 days in so extraordinary a situation, both encamped on the open plain without a bush on it, at about two miles distance from each other, so that with their glasses they could see one another sitting at dinner in their tents; and a cannon shot from the advanced posts might easily reach the opposite camp: but as the swamps in the rear of both the camps did not permit either to move farther back, both refrained from commencing a cannonade; the English desired nothing more than to keep their battalion unimpaired until the arrival of their reinforcement; but for this very reason the French ought to have taken all opportunities of diminishing their number. Major Lawrence now apprehending nothing so much, as that the enemy might send a large detachment to intercept his reinforcement, determined if possible to divert their attention by cannonading their camp; and the day in which the troops were ordered to march from Kelli Cotah, an eighteen pounder, sent from the city, was mounted about half a mile south-west of the French rock, on the bank of the water-course that intersects the plain, and early in the morning the 16th of September, it began to fire smartly; every shot was seen to strike amongst the tents of the French battalion, who after having bore the insult patiently for two hours, detached their three companies of grenadiers with a large body of their allies, horse and foot, to attack the party posted with the eighteen pounder; upon which motion the Major immediately threw, a reinforcement into the water course of 250 Europeans, 800 Sepoys, and three field pieces under the command of captain Charles Campbell, who defended it so well that the enemy were obliged to desist from their attempt, and retreat to their camp, not without a considerable loss; for they had bore for some time a smart cannonade from five pieces of cannon upon the south-west cavalier of the city, as well as from the artillery at the watercourse. This repulse, seconded by a continuance of the fire from the 18 pounder, either deterred or diverted them during the rest of the day from giving attention to the reinforcement, who having continued their march without molestation,