Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/699

Book XIII. with stone; and on the other side is lined by the foot of the main wall of the curtain, without berm or faussebraye; excepting along that part of the rampart, which extends from the left of the great gateway in the middle of the eastern side to the bastion in the N.E. angle, and round it half-way along the northern wall; in which extent a slip of dry ground, 20 yards broad on the eastern side, and 40 on the northern, is left as a place of arms, and skirted with a parapet wall, with loop-holes for muskitry; and round this wall the ditch, leaving the body of the fort, continues. There was no glacis, but a clear esplanade of 400 yards round. The garrison consisted of 800 horse, 1000 Sepoys, 1000 matchlock-men, and a great multitude of Colleries which had been drawn from the hills towards Dindigul. Most of these troops were assembled in the pettah, and manned the walls on the appearance of Captain Smith's detachment, which came in sight on the 17th, in the morning, approaching from the eastward: the river, although it had no where more than three feet water, was three hundred yards in breadth. The necessity of preserving the communication with Tritchinopoly required that the army should command the river during the attack of the fort; which if advancing from a different point of support, they might have attacked outright at once on the western face: and as the possession of the pettah would best secure the river, Captain Smith prudently made this his first object. If the pettah were attacked on the eastern side, the river was to be passed under the fire of this front: if on the north or south, the attack would be exposed to the additional fire in slant or flank from the fort; which outvailed the passage of the river, as the ground on the eastern shore was higher than the eastern face of the pettah, which defended the passage. Accordingly the attack was made on this side. The field pieces were posted in the higher ground. The troops were formed into three divisions. The cavalry composed the left; the auxiliary foot the right; the Sepoys and Europeans the center. All entered the river in this order, supported by a brisk fire from the artillery. The enemy seemed disposed to dispute the passage, and