Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/411

Book X. choultry, drew up in the front of it, but were immediately annoyed by the advanced field-pieces; of which, several shot made way through the trees and killed three troopers; on which, all gallopped away to the St. Thomé road, intending, it should seem, to push to Triplicane-bridge, and then either continue on the island, or advance along the strand of the river in the rear of the English army; but opposite to the governor's garden, 500 yards from the bridge, they found the road stockaded across, as well as the lane on the left, along the garden-wall, by which they might likewise have come round; and in these two posts were three companies of Sepoys, with two guns; and the St. Thomé road, for a long way, had no other issue to the left. The first fire from the stockades drove the cavalry up the road until out of reach.

Mean while the main body of the French army appeared issuing from along the mound of the Meliapore tank, and advanced along the road, which was here between an avenue of trees, cannonading at intervals from some of their field -pieces: they were answered without intermission by six from the English line, until their van were half through the avenue, and within 1000 yards, when Colonel Lawrence ordered the retreat. The line marched off their ground by the right, and passing a village called Chindadrapettah, crossed the river of Triplicane, where it was fordable without difficulty; they then continued round two or three hamlets to the Egmore bridge, which leads over the canal into the Island. Here they halted some time to receive a guard of 30 Europeans posted in a redoubt at Egmore, in which was the powder-mill of the garrison. As soon as this party joined, the whole army crossed the bridge, and after some detachments of Europeans and Sepoys had been draughted and sent to defend the passes of the black town, the rest of the army marched into the fort. Mr. Lally gave no interruption to the retreat, probably because he suspected some stratagems. Three Europeans were killed in the cannonade, but the French lost 10, and as many wounded.

At the same time that the main body of the French army were advancing to the Choultry plain, their irregular Sepoys with Lambert