Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/363

Book V ordered the Sepoys, under the command of Mahomed Issoof, to wheel and attack them on the left, whilst he himself with the Europeans fell on their right flank. The onset was vigorously made by both divisions almost in the same instant, and the enemy finding themselves unexpectedly between two fires, abandoned the tank with precipitation; the English immediately took possession of it, and a little while after, day-light enabled them to discover that the numbers of the enemy were 250 Europeans, with four field pieces, 1000 Sepoys, and 4000 Mysore horse, who now divided into two bodies, one on each side of the tank, and began a smart cannonade, which was answered by the English field pieces. Major Lawrence was at this time so much indisposed, that he had the day before been obliged to go into the city; and captain Polier commanded in his absence, who no sooner heard the firing than he marched to the relief of the party with the rest of the army. The rest of the enemy's army at the same time crossed the Caveri, but the difference of the distance enabled the English to get to the tank some time before them: those of the enemy who were engaged with captain Calliaud's party, fearful of placing themselves between two fires, made no effort to intercept captain Poller's division; but contented themselves with cannonading them from the right and left as they advanced: a shot disabled one of his field pieces, and on his arrival at the tank he found that one of those with captain Calliaud had suffered the same misfortune; some time was spent in fixing these guns on spare carriages, during which the enemy's main body came up, and being joined by the rest of their troops, the whole now formed together within cannon shot to the right of the tank, their line extending a great way beyond it towards the city. Their numbers were 700 Europeans, fifty dragoons, 5000 Sepoys, and 10,000 horse, of which fortunately none were Morattoes. The English army consisted of no more than 360 men in battalion, 1500 Sepoys, and eleven troopers. However, encouraged by their officers, the men shewed no dismay at the superiority of the enemy's force, and prepared with great alacrity to fight their way back to the camp. The Europeans defiled first out of the tank into the plain, marching onward in a column, ready on the first occasion to face about to the enemy