Page:Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan.djvu/212

 CHAPTER XIV

Tipú's Character and Administration – His Fanaticism and Cruelty

The character of Tipú stands out in marked contrast to that of his more celebrated father. Personal courage he certainly possessed, and he is said to have been a good rider and a skilful marksman. Although deficient in the capacity for war which eminently distinguished Haidar, he on several occasions showed considerable skill in strategy: for example, in his success over Colonel Braithwaite, his campaign against the Maráthás in 1786, his many encounters with General Medows, and his rapid movements in South Arcot. Had he trusted more to his cavalry as his most efficient mode of attack, he might have obtained greater successes in the field than he actually secured, but his overweening confidence in his own generalship and knowledge of tactics was often the cause of disaster and defeat to his armies.

It has already been mentioned that in 1786 Tipú assumed the title of Pádsháh or King, and in referring to his own person began to call himself