Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/431

Book X. advancing from the south, with a large quantity of stores and a strong escort; on which he moved from the Mount, in order to intercept them, and encamped at Trivambore, which is a village with a pagoda, situated two miles to the south of St. Thomé, and one from the sea shore. He was followed by the troops of Mahomed Issoof; it having been agreed, in order to prevent jealousies as well as confusion, that the two commands should move and encamp in separate bodies. The troops of Mahomed Issoof consisted of 3500 foot, 500 horse, with three bad field-pieces; they encamped to the north of the village, and extended almost to the sea, with their front towards St. Thomé Captain Preston, with his division, which consisted of 600 Sepoys, with 80 Europeans, and two brasa three-pounders, pitched their tents to the south, looking out for Lambert towards Sadrass. Mr. Lally, apprehensive that they intended to attack St. Thomé, increased the European infantry there to 500 rank and file, and the European horse to 150. Mr. Soupire commanded, and leaving all the black troops, whether horse or Sepoys, marched at three in the morning with the Europeans only, who were 650 horse and foot, and without field-pieces. Half an hour before day they fell on the camp of Mahomed Issoof, which had gained no warning of their approach. The surprize and confusion was so great, that Mahomed Issoof himself escaped at the back of his tent, and his troops fled every way under the enemy's fire, which lasted 15 minutes without interruption; during which Preston turned out his line, and sent forward his piquets to discover, who returned without perceiving any signs of troops to the south; at the same time the crowd of fugitives shewed that the enemy were in possession of Mahomed Issoof's camp, and Preston, judging that their order must have been much broken by the onset, the action, the darkness, and the interruptions spread over the ground, immediately resolved to attack them; and marching with his whole division at the back of the village to the westward, came on the flank of Mahomed Issoof's camp, almost as soon as his approach was discovered; where the French troops, thinking they had routed all their enemies, were collecting the plunder;