Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/599

Book XII. central situation, at band to join his own division, if the English army should march after it; or ready to oppose and interrupt them, if they should go against Arcot, in order to divert the siege of Vandivash.

On the 14th in the evening, Colonel Coote received intelligence of Mr. Lally's arrival at Vandivash, and the next day marched with his whole force from Conjeveram, crossing the Paliar to the s. E. instead of following the enemy by the longer, but better road of Trivatore. On the 17th, they arrived, and encamped near Outramalore. This situation, lying half-way in the road between Vandivash and Chinglapett, secured the communication with this place, and from hence with Madrass: it likewise had Carangoly in its rear to the left. The fort at Outramalore having long been neglected, was open in several parts from top to bottom of the wall; but was a much more defensible repository for the stores and baggage of the army, than any post in the open plain. Captain Sherlocke kept 30 Europeans and 300 Sepoys in the south pettah of Vandivash, which Mr. Lally attacked at three in the morning with all his infantry, in two divisions: the one, in which the Europeans were marines from the squadron, was allotted to the western rampart, and only intended to make a diversion during the real attack on the opposite; where the Europeans were of Lally's regiment, and led by himself. Both divisions were discovered and fired upon before they gained the foot of the wall; and the marines, unused to such services, broke, and ran round to Mr. Lally's division, who, supposing them enemies, fired upon them until the mistake was discovered. Nothing more was attempted until eight o'clock the next morning, when all the infantry in one column, with two field-pieces at their head, advanced against the south-side of the pettah; but the fire to which they were exposed, brought the front of the column to a halt without orders. Mr. Lally rode up, dismounted, and calling for volunteers, ran to the ditch, and mounted the wall, himself the first. The whole column immediately poured after him; and the troops in the pettah, having no orders to defend it to extremity, escaped along the streets, and regained the fort without any loss in the retreat; in the whole defence only four or five had been killed; but the enemy lost twelve Europeans, besides Sepoys,