Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/329

Book IV. without descending into the interjacent area, and then mounting the wall of the terrass with scaling ladders: the battery, however, communicated with the rampart of the outward wall of the city, but being, as that was, only eighteen feet high, it was commanded by the terrasses behind it, as well as by the rampart of the inner wall, both of which were thirty feet high. Upon one of the inward cavaliers, south of the gateway, were planted two pieces of cannon, to plunge into the battery, and scour the interval between the two walls, as far as the terrasses of the gateway; and two other pieces mounted in the north-west angle of the inward rampart, commanded in like manner both the battery and the interval to the north of the terrasses. The French were, by De Cattan's letter, and by deserters, apprized of all these particulars, and notwithstanding the many difficulties they would have to surmount in attempting to force their way into the town through this part of the fortifications, they preferred it to any other, because it was more accessible from without; for a rock level with the water almost choaked up the ditch in front of the battery.

On the 27th of November, at night, the greatest part of the enemy's army crossed the river: the Mysoreans and Morattoes were distributed in different parties round the city, with orders to approach to the counterscarp of the ditch, and divert the attention of the garrison during the principal and real attack, which was reserved for the French troops. Of this body 600 Europeans were appointed to escalade, whilst Mr. Maissin, the commander, with the rest of the battalion, 200 men, and a large body of Sepoys, waited at the, edge of the ditch, ready to follow the first party as soon as they should get into the town. At three in the morning the first party crossed the rock in the ditch, and planting their scaling ladders, all of them counted the battery without raising the least alarm in the garrison: or although the guard appointed for the battery consisted of fifty Sepoys, with their officers, and some European gunners, who were all present and alert when the rounds passed at midnight, most of them were now absent, and they who remained on the battery were fast asleep; these the French killed with their bayonets, intending