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hen, on 7th August 1778, the British Government at Calcutta
received official confirmation that war with France had
been declared in Europe, Warren Hastings was already prepared
for action. The French settlements, including the ports
of Pondicherry and Mahe were his target,
and Sir Hector Munro, with a large force, was dispatched
to attack Pondicherry. In fact, a more significant opening
battle - as in the recent American War of 1776 - was for
control of the seas, and although the action was indecisive,
it resulted in the withdrawal of the French squadron and
reduced the defences of Pondicherry, Nevertheless, the siege
lasted over 10 weeks, and claimed the lives of 800 men before
Munro finally entered the city. Other French settlements
offered less resistance, but when Haidar was informed that
the British next intended to attack Mahe, he protested vigorously.
After the fall of Pondicherry, Mahe was his critical gateway
for the procurement of French military aid, and he dispatched
troops to defend it, his colours flying beside those of
the French until Mahe surrendered to the British in March
1779. Haidar also claimed that all the European settlements
on the Malabar coast were under his protection, and that
if the British attacked Mahe, he would attack Arcot and
Mohammed Ali, sometime ally of
the British.
'The government of Madras at this period was lulled into the most fatal and supine security and affected to treat reports of Haidar Ali's hostile intentions as without foundation,' observed the Scotsman, the Hon. James Lindsay, who was serving there with his brother, John. The arrival of reinforcements in January 1780 may have contributed to this momentary sense of security. Certainly the disembarkation of the 1st Battalion 73 Highlanders at Madras had attracted much curious interest. The men arrived in their kilts, but were soon required to exchange them for the 'East India Uniform' of a short single-breasted coat and white gaiter trousers which were considered more suitable for fighting men in India. Fearing the establishment of a quadruple alliance between the Mahrattas, the Nizam, the French and Tipu, the Madras Government decided to send missions to Seringapatam in July 1779 and again in Spring 1780, to placate Haidar. He declined even to meet the second envoy, proclaiming that he had abandoned all faith in the British. While Madras took no action, Haidar quickly and purposefully prepared for war. In June 1779, the mightiest army ever seen in South India - some 90,000 native troops - marched out of Bangalore: 15,000 infantry, highly trained in the European fashion; 12,000 regular infantry; a total force of 55,000 foot; 28,000 horse, rocket men and a corps of some 400 French soldiers. All these were supported by a well-organised commissariat. In addition, Haidar's scorched earth campaign had left Madras and Vellore isolated in a desolate and devastated countryside. Against this formidable foe, the British forces were not even united to meet the initial attack. Less than 5,000 men remained at Madras itself. 1,500 men were with Col. Braithwaite at Pondicherry - where Haidar was poised to attack with any attempt to move North. 2,000 sepoys were with Col. Cosby at Trichinoploy - but Haidar's son, Kurreem Sahib, was based to the North of them at Porto Novo, and on the route to Madras. The remaining force of 2,800 men, under Col. Baillie, were at Guntoor on the River Kistna. It was they who were fated to meet Tipu's force of some 10,000 men at the field of Pollilur. ===========================================
Tipu Sultan at the Battle of Pollilur - 1780
The Mysore forces had a decisive advantage due to their rockets being more powerful than the British rockets. The battle also saw one the largest losses of British lives on the subcontinent during battle. Sotheby’s to Sell Paintings Depicting Tipu Sultan’s Victory Over the British at the Battle of Pollilur in 1780
LONDON.- Sotheby’s
announced that on the 230th anniversary of the renowned Battle of
Pollilur in India, which took place on 10th September 1780, Sotheby’s
London, in its biannual Arts of the Islamic World Sale on Wednesday,
October 6, 2010, will offer for sale 24 rare and rediscovered
preparatory paintings depicting the conflict. The paintings, which have
remained in private hands since 1802 and were last exhibited in the
1990 Tigers round the Throne, The Court of Tipu Sultan exhibition at
the Zamana Gallery, London, have outstanding provenance and are
estimated at £650,000-800,000.
The collection of 24 preparatory
paintings depict the famous Battle of Pollilur in India at which the
East India Company army surrendered to Tipu Sultan and his father
Haydar Ali and suffered a high number of casualties, representing one
of the worst defeats the British suffered on the subcontinent. While
the British lost this particular battle, Wellesley and the British went
on to defeat Tipu Sultan at the Battle of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799 –
the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the
British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore.
Following the Battle of Pollilur, Tipu
commissioned a mural to commemorate his father’s victory, which was
installed in the Daria Daulat Palace, Seringapatam in 1784. The mural
and preparatory paintings were likely to have been produced shortly
after the 1780 battle and illustrate Haydar and Tipu splendidly attired
on their elephants supported by their army and the French mercenaries
under the command of Monsieur Lally and the Maratha troops. All are
advancing towards ‘The British Square’ with Lieutenant-Colonel Baillie
seated in his palanquin looking rather perplexed with
Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher and Captain Baird on horseback to his left.
In 1791, the mural was painted over following the Treaty of Mysore,
when Tipu was forced to surrender his two sons as hostages. Colonel
Wellesley subsequently restored the mural and it is likely that the
preparatory paintings to be offered for sale were used as a reference
to restore the original mural. The preparatory paintings were
originally part of two large scrolls, approximately 7ft by 30ft and
represent three quarters of the original painting/cartoon.
The paintings were acquired by one
Captain John William Freese in approximately 1802. Freese was a member
of the Madras Artillery and played an important role in the siege of
Seringapatam in 1799; in 1802 he was appointed by General Stuart as
Commissary of Stores at Seringapatam. By descent the paintings went to
6th Earl of Lanesborough (grandson of Captain Freese) and remained in
the family for a further 100 years until they were sold as part of a
group lot in the Swithland Hall Estate Sale in 1978 (on behalf of the
9th Earl of Lanesborough).
The paintings also feature 18th-century
notations, which significantly add to their historical interest. These
inscriptions identify the key figures in the battle, some of whom have
never before been recorded. As well as the names of ‘Nowab Hyder Ali
Bahadur’, ‘Tipu Sulthan’, ‘Colonel Bailie’, ‘Colonel Fletcher’,
‘Captain Baird’ and ‘Monsieur Lally’ there are others that include
‘General Syed Ghaffar’, ‘Priest Aukil Shah Khadry’, ‘Mohammad Drewan’,
‘Commandant Mohamad Ali’, ‘Sheik Anser’, ‘Shah Anwar’, ‘Ashad Baig
Khan’ who have not been previously identified in records of the battle.
These glosses must have been written by someone who was either at the
battle or had direct knowledge of the sequence of events. It is still
to be determined who was the scribe but expert study of the handwriting
has raised the possibility that the hand could be that of Captain
Freese, but also bears a marked similarity to the hand of another of
the commanding officers who attended the siege in 1799, Colonel Arthur
Wellesley, later 1st Duke of Wellington, one of the most celebrated and
renowned figures in British military history.
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