Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/563

Book XI days after, Lieutenant Fletcher recovered this post. At the same time, parties and detachments were continually moving, to accomplish the dispositions Mr. Lally had arranged. The troops allotted for the southern expedition were 900 Europeans, of which 100 were cavalry, 1000 Sepoys, 200 black horse, and ten pieces of cannon, under the command of Mr. Crillon; their rendezvous was at Thiagar, to which they resorted from different parts by various routes, and were all assembled there on the eleventh of November. Neither the Presidency of Madrass, nor Captain Smith at Trichinopoly, obtained any certain account of their force or intentions. The Nabob's horse, with the 500 Sepoys, which had been sent to Verdachelum, and had done no little mischief during their excursion, had returned to Utatoor on the 12th, and were halting there on the 15th, when they discovered an advanced party of the enemy, which they supposed the whole, and immediately retreated to Pitchandah; a few hours after, the enemy came up to Samiaveram, and the next day, their horse advanced, and reconnoitered the banks of the Coleroon, and then fell back and took post with the rest in the village and pagoda of Munsurpet. The whole force was 35 Europeans, 100 Coffrees, 500 Sepoys, two guns, and some black horse, commanded by a partizan and two subalterns; of which Joseph Smith obtained right intelligence; and early the next morning sent out 10 companies of Sepoys, 120 Europeans and Topasses, six field-pieces, and 400 of the Nabob's horse, under the command of his second Richard Smith, and from the intimacy between them he accompanied the detachments as a volunteer. They crossed the Caveri and Coleroon opposite to the city. The village of Munsurpet had rice-fields in front, through which the road onwards to the Coleroon was a causeway raised above them; so that the enemy had no attack to fear on this side, and their retreat was open to Samiaveram and Utatore. The banks of the Coleroon are steep and high, and the water at this time was so low as to run only in small channels, leaving large beds of sand, and a shore of it, under the banks. Three companies of Sepoys were sent up the bank with the colours of all