Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/418

394 Chace, were mortally wounded: Polier came into the fort, but the other two were taken. Captain Pascall and Lieutenant Elliot were shot through the body; Lieutenants Stephen Smith and Blair, and Ensign Cook, were wounded and taken; but recovered. Of rank and file 103 were taken, of whom 19 were wounded: fifty came in wounded, and fifty were left dead abroad, of whom all did not fall in the open action, for more than 20 were found killed in different houses, mostly stabbed with bayonets, and with their antagonists lying dead beside them; so that the garrison lost the lives or service of more than 200 soldiers and six officers by this sally. The French acknowledged 200 of their rank and file killed and wounded; and had 12 officers wounded, Saubinet mortally, and three killed on the spot; they lost only four prisoners, of whom one was the Count D'Estaign; his quarters were with Lally's regiment near the beach, and on the first firing he mounted his horse, and came galloping down the cross-street to the rear of the English grenadiers, whom, being short-sighted, or perhaps not seeing at all through the smoke, he took for French troops, nor perceived his mistake until within a few yards, when his horse stumbling, threw him, and before he could recover himself, he was seized by two drummers, who had their swords drawn to stab him, when Lieutenant Smith, the same who was afterwards taken prisoner himself, stepped between: his consequence being known, he was immediately sent away with an officer and a file of men to the fort. Mr. Lally blamed excessively his own regiment for not marching on the first fire, which had they done, and the troops been less intoxicated, it is probable that very few of the English detachment would have escaped. He endeavoured to fix the fault on Mr. Bussy, who justified himself by the delay of Mr. Lally's orders, without which, according to the regulations of the service, the regiment could not march; and then Bussy led them. Mr. Lally regretted exceedingly the loss of Saubinet and the Count D'Estaign, and with reason; for the one possessed all the qualities of an able general, and the other of an active partizan.