Page:Decisive Battles Since Waterloo.djvu/46

 20 the capital; he died there, and his successor had not arrived when the fleet appeared. The rêwan, or commander of the flotilla, was acting-governor; he knew nothing of the proposed attack and was therefore taken by surprise. In order to render the prize of the English of little value he forced the native inhabitants to leave the town, allowing none of them to remain in or near it. The guards who had been placed in charge of the few Europeans and foreign residents soon fled, thus permitting them to escape. The rainy season was approaching, and, as the inhabitants had taken with them their boats, cattle, and carts, the English general found himself unable to secure, either by land or water, the necessary transportation facilities for carrying on operations.

Immediately on landing in Rangoon General Campbell occupied the Shoay Dagon or Golden Pagoda. The pagoda is situated about a mile and a half from the river and stands on high ground. General Campbell found it impossible to learn any thing of the movements of the enemy, his force being entirely isolated. He sent a number of row-boats, well armed, to Kymyindaing to reconnoitre. This town is distant by river about six miles from Rangoon. Some shots were fired from several breastworks which lined the shore. These breastworks were attacked the next day, and carried by a small detachment of soldiers and marines.

Within a few days the general, in person, made a survey of the country to the north of Shoay Dagon, taking with him two guns, some native infantry, and about three hundred European soldiers. There was no road, and the guns were soon abandoned because of the heavy rains which prevailed, rendering an advance extremely difficult. The troops, however, moved forward, leaving the artillery, which could not be dragged through the mud. At a distance of five or six miles from the great pagoda they saw two stockades, four feet in height, with an interior trench