Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p1.djvu/358

 in our entire ignorance of the localities, his report was of essential use to me in arranging the disembarkation.

“The ships lay three miles from the shore outside of a mud flat, which stretches parallel with the land, and is nearly dry at low water, and the coast on this side is covered with jungle to the edge; indeed the mouth of the river is not distinguishable at a very little distance. We moved towards it on the morning of the 14th, with as many men as the boats would hold – 200 of H.M. 13th light infantry regiment, and 100 of the 20th native infantry.

“On the southern bank, a short distance up, was an out-post, which was immediately taken possession of by a small party from the leading boat, the Burmese retiring from it without resistance. The river varies in breadth from about 40 to 100 yards, the jungle on both sides extending far into the water. About half a mile further up, the ground is cleared and cultivated, and the enemy became visible, lining a trench of 300 yards extent, on the edge of the northern bank, with their right flanked by a bridge over the river. They permitted our boats to range along until the headmost arrived opposite their right, and then opened a fire of musketry and swivels, accompanied by flights of arrows. the bank was steep and somewhat difficult; but two or three parties of the 13th were soon on its summit, in spite of the enemy’s efforts, who opposed them with considerable boldness: a few minutes firing followed, while the remaining boats landed their men, and they fled, leaving upwards of twenty killed and many wounded. Their village or town commences near the spot at which we had landed, and I immediately moved up the street in pursuit; on arriving at the end of it (about a quarter of a mile) we found a stockade, info which they had retired, and from which they opened a fire as soon as we appeared. It was a square of about 200 yards each face; the outward piles from sixteen to twenty feet high, and an embankment and a parapet within them, salient gateways in each face, and a triple row of railing round the entire exterior, appeared to be in good order, and the fire was from several G-pounders, as well as swivels of various calibre, and musketry.

“I immediately lodged parties at such points close to the work as afforded tolerable cover, ordered the howitzer and two or three ship guns ashore, together with the remainder of the sepoys, and meantime marked off a battery within 100 yards of their front gateway. The weather now became exceedingly unfavorable; but as all gave their most hearty and zealous endeavours to the execution of what was pointed out to them, our want of proper materials, implements, and workmen, was surmounted. Repeated feints upon the enemy’s left, sufficed to turn his attention from our working parties on his right, and during the night of the 16th, two 9-pounders and a carronade, on ship carriages, were placed in the battery, the hut that masked it was pulled down, and it opened in the morning. Its fire was soon decisive on the gateway, which having been their last thoroughfare,