While the first battalion had been thus actively employed in India, the second battalion was engaged in the gallant defence of Gibraltar, the garrison of which was again relieved, in April 1781, by the arrival of a numerous fleet under Vice-Admiral Darby.

The Spaniards, relinquishing all hope of reducing the fortress by blockade, resolved to try the power of their numerous artillery. Scarcely had the fleet cast anchor, when the enemy’s batteries opened, and the fire of upwards of one hundred guns and mortars enveloped the fortress in a storm of war; a number of gun-boats augmented the iron tempest which beat against the rock, and the houses of the inhabitants were soon in ruins. On the 8th of May, Captain James Foulis, of the second battalion of the regiment, was wounded in the lines.

On the night of the 17th of September the following incident relating to the battalion occurred in an attack of the enemy, the account of which is extracted from the “History of the Siege of Gibraltar,” by Colonel John Drinkwater, of the late Seventy-second Regiment, or Royal Manchester Volunteers:—

“A shell during the above attack fell in an embrasure opposite the King’s lines bomb-proof, killed one of the Seventy-third, and wounded another of the same corps. The case of the latter was singular, and will serve to enforce the maxim, that, even in the most dangerous cases, we should never despair of a recovery whilst life remains. This unfortunate man was knocked down by the wind of the shell, which, instantly bursting, killed his companion, and mangled him in a most dreadful manner. His head was terribly fractured, his left arm broken in two places, one of his legs shattered, the skin and muscles torn off part of his right hand, the middle finger broken to pieces, and his whole body most severely bruised, and marked with gunpowder. He presented so horrid an object to the surgeons, that they had not the smallest hopes of saving his life, and were at a loss what part to attend to first. He was that evening trepanned, a few days afterwards his leg was amputated, and other wounds and fractures dressed. Being possessed of a most excellent constitution, nature performed wonders in his favour, and in eleven weeks the cure was completely effected. His name is Donald Ross, and he long continued to enjoy his sovereign’s bounty in a pension of ninepence a day for life.”

On the 4th of November, Lieutenant John Fraser, of the second battalion, had his leg shot off on Montague’s Bastion, and two of the soldiers of the battalion were likewise wounded by the enemy’s fire.

General Eliott, afterwards Lord Heathfield, which title was conferred for the services performed by him when Governor of Gibraltar, in order to free himself from the contiguity of the besiegers, resolved to make a sortie. The favourable opportunity presented itself; and, on the evening of the 26th of November, the following garrison order was issued:—

The flank companies of the second battalion, consisting of eight officers, ten serjeants, and 202 rank and file, formed part of the centre column. The moon shone brightly as the soldiers assembled on the sands at midnight. Between two and three o’clock darkness overspread the country, and the troops issued silently from the fortress. They were challenged and fired upon by the enemy’s sentries, but the British soldiers rushed forward with their native ardour, overpowered the Spanish guards, and captured the batteries in gallant style. The enemy’s soldiers, instead of defending the works, fled in dismay, and communicated the panic to the troops in their rear. The wooden batteries were soon prepared for fire; the flames spread with astonishing rapidity, and a column of fire and smoke arose from the works, illuminating the surrounding objects, and shedding a fiery lustre upon this unparalleled scene.

In an hour the object of the sortie was effected; trains were laid to the enemy’s magazines, and the soldiers withdrew. As they entered the fortress, tremendous explosions shook the ground, and rising columns of smoke, flame, and burning timber proclaimed the destruction of the enemy’s immense stores of gunpowder to be completed. General Eliott declared in orders, “The bearing and conduct of the whole detachment, officers, seamen, and soldiers, on this glorious occasion, surpass my utmost acknowledgments.”

For several days the Spaniards appeared confounded at their disgrace. The smoke of the burning batteries continued to rise, and no attempt was made to extinguish the flames; but several executions took place in their camp, probably of persons who fled so precipitately from the batteries. In the beginning of December they began to arouse themselves, and a thousand workmen commenced labouring to restore the batteries, in which they were retarded by the fire of the garrison.

While the besiegers were thus employed, the gallant defenders of the fortress were equally indefatigable; every serjeant, drummer, musician, officer’s servant, and private soldier, used the musket, shovel, and pick-axe, as his services were necessary.

At the opening of the campaign in India, in the beginning of 1782, the army did not muster a larger force than at the commencement of the former year. The first and most important object in view was the relief of Vellore, kept in strict blockade by the enemy. The safety of this fortress was of paramount consequence, being the only key the British possessed to the Passes of the Ghauts, through which an invasion of the enemy’s country could be accomplished; and the army being put in movement, pushed through the Sholingur Pass, and by the 11th of January the relief of Vellore, with a supply of rice for six months, was fully effected. After the accomplishment of this object the army retired, and on the 20th of January arrived at Poonamallee, having lost upon this expedition six officers and about thirty Europeans, with one hundred sepoys, killed and wounded.

The following anecdote is extracted from the narrative of Captain Munro, relating to the fall of John Mackay, a corporal of the battalion, in one of the skirmishes with the enemy, when the army was on the march to Vellore:—“For the satisfaction of my Highland friends, I take this opportunity of commemorating the fall of John Mackay, alias Donn, a corporal in the Seventy-third (now Seventy-first) regiment, son of Robert Donn, the famous Highland bard, whose singular talent for the beautiful and extemporaneous composition of Gaelic poetry was held in such esteem by the Highland Society. This son of the bard has frequently revived the drooping spirits of his countrymen upon the march, by singing in a pleasant manner the humorous and lively productions of his father. He was killed by a cannon ball on the 13th of January, and on the same evening was interred by his disconsolate comrades with all the honors of war.”

For the first three months of the year 1782, the army of Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote was kept in a state of inactivity at St. Thomas’s Mount, where it would appear the Government of the presidency, apprehensive for its own safety, had detained this force, while a judicious movement to Porto Novo might have prevented the junction of the forces under Tippoo Saib with the strong reinforcement of French troops that had arrived from Europe on board the fleet of Admiral Suffrein, or at all events have prevented the loss of Permacoil and Cuddalore.

At length Sir Eyre Coote, having been reinforced by the Seventy-eighth, afterwards the Seventy-second regiment, recently arrived from England, was permitted to put the army in movement. In the beginning of April he marched in a southerly direction by Carangooly and Wandewash towards the enemy, encamped upon the Red Hills of Pondicherry. The object, which the Commander-in-chief appeared to have in view, was to separate the French and Mysorean troops, and he manœuvred accordingly between Chitaput and Arnee, until Hyder Ali, apprehensive for the safety of the latter place, where he had established magazines, made a rapid movement on the 2d of June, so as to overtake and attack the rear-guard of the British, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel John Elphinston[14], of the Seventy-third, who maintained his ground with great spirit and intrepidity until the line had completed its formation. The troops were ordered to advance immediately upon the enemy’s guns, the action became very warm, and the foe was soon forced across the river of Arnee, and in the pursuit several tumbrils were taken by the Honorable Captain James Lindsay, of the battalion. This gallant and intelligent officer, perceiving an enemy’s battalion endeavouring to extricate the tumbrils in the bed of the river, dashed forward at the head of his grenadier company, supported by the remainder of the corps under Major George Mackenzie’s command, and, quickly dispersing all opposed to his progress, took possession of his prize. This movement of the Seventy-third was supported on the left by a battalion of Bengal Sepoys, who had captured one of the enemy’s guns, and both corps, equally animated by success, pushed on, driving the enemy before them as long as pursuit was prudent.

The conduct of Captain the Honorable James Lindsay, although he had acted without orders, received all the praise it merited from the commander-in-chief, Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote. At the battle of Arnee the staff of the regimental colour was shattered by a cannon ball, and the ensign severely wounded.

The army encamped for the night on the field of battle, and on the following morning took up a position before Arnee; but a scarcity of grain compelled the general to retrace his steps towards Madras, and on the 20th of June he arrived at St. Thomas’s Mount.

In the months of July and August the army made two expeditions, one to Wandewash, in which it was foiled by the active and politic Hyder, the other for the relief of Vellore, in which it was more fortunate, having succeeded in throwing a large quantity of grain into that fortress.

The siege of Cuddalore having been determined on, the army moved on the 26th of August in a southerly direction, and on the 4th of September halted on the Red Hills of Pondicherry. Deserters reported the garrison of Cuddalore to consist of 800 Europeans, 300 Africans, and 600 Sepoys, who, having expelled the inhabitants, and covered the walls with cannon, were resolved to defend the place to the last extremity. The failure of the supplies, which Sir Eyre Coote had been led to expect from Madras by the fleet, excited so much anxiety and disappointment in the veteran’s mind, that a severe illness ensued, which obliged him to quit the army, and ultimately to proceed to Bengal for the benefit of his health. The command then devolved upon Major-General James Stuart, who commenced his retreat in the evening of the 10th of October.

On the 15th of October, the monsoon set in with unusual severity, and the army went into cantonments in the vicinity of Madras. Hyder Ali, at the same time, took up his old position near Arcot. Shortly after, Rear Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, with a large fleet from England, came to anchor in Madras roads, having on board considerable reinforcements for the army, which was joined in the cantonments by the Twenty-third Light Dragoons, the 101st and 102d British regiments, and the Fifteenth regiment of Hanoverian Infantry.

In the month of December occurred the decease of that extraordinary man, Hyder Ali, who was succeeded, without any of the commotions usual in the East on such occasions, by his son, Tippoo Saib, to whom he left a kingdom of his own acquisition, which made him one of the most powerful princes in India.

All ordinary means of attack appearing to be unavailing against the resolute garrison of Gibraltar (of which the second battalion of the regiment formed part), stupendous preparations were made on a new principle, and floating batteries were constructed with great art and labour. These were accounted the most perfect contrivance of the kind ever seen. The combined power of France and Spain was directed against the fortress. The Duke of Crillon assumed the command of the besieging army, and was assisted by a celebrated French engineer, Monsieur d’Arcon, and by Admiral Moreno, and a French army arrived to take part in the siege.

A crisis was evidently approaching, and in the spring and summer of 1782 the garrison of Gibraltar made preparations with cool determination for the hour of trial. The officers and soldiers appeared to be impressed with their peculiar situation; an important fortress was confided to their protection; they had defended it against the efforts of the Spanish army and navy upwards of two years; and the eyes of all Europe were directed towards them. The damaged works were carefully repaired, new ones were constructed, extensive subterraneous works were prepared, and forges for heating red-hot shot were got ready. Every serjeant, drummer, musician, and officer’s servant, as well as the corporals and private soldiers, used a shovel, pickaxe, or musket, according as their services were required. The effect of the red-hot shot was proved on some of the enemy’s wooden batteries on the sands, which were speedily destroyed.

The Duke of Crillon anticipated the most signal success from the extensive preparations he was making. His camp was visited by princes of the royal blood of France, by Spanish nobility, and other dignified characters of Europe, who came to be spectators of the fall of the fortress, under the heavy fire of artillery which was about to be opened upon it. The new batteries on shore were unmasked, and fired a volley of sixty shells, which was followed by the thunder of one hundred and seventy guns of large calibre. Thus was Gibraltar assailed by a storm of iron, which threatened to reduce the fortress to a heap of ruins, and this was only a prelude to the tremendous fire which was afterwards opened upon the garrison. Lieutenant Phipps Wharton, of the second battalion, was dangerously wounded by the enemy’s fire.

On the 13th of September, the ten battering ships took their station before the fortress, in the presence of the combined fleets of France and Spain. The enemy’s camp and neighbouring hills were crowded with spectators from various parts of Europe, to witness the effect of these stupendous vessels, and such a storm of war was opened upon the garrison as was probably never heard before since the invention of cannon. The batteries of the fortress answered this tremendous fire with vigour, and the deafening thunder of four hundred pieces of heavy artillery was heard for many miles. For some hours the attack and defence were so equally well supported as scarcely to admit any appearance of superiority in the cannonade on either side. The wonderful construction of the battering ships seemed to bid defiance to the heaviest ordnance; shells rebounded from their tops, and a thirty-two pound shot scarcely seemed to make any impression on them. The effect of the red-hot shot was doubted; sometimes smoke came from the ships, but the fire-engines within soon occasioned it to cease, and the result was uncertain. The fire was, however, persevered in, and incessant showers of red-hot bullets, shells, and carcases flew through the air. In the afternoon the effects of the red-hot shot became apparent, and volumes of smoke issued from the flag-ship; the Admiral’s second ship was perceived to be in the same condition, and confusion prevailed. The Spaniards expected that the firing of red-hot bullets could not be persevered in beyond a few rounds; but the fire was continued with the same precision and vivacity as cold shot. The effects of the hot balls occasioned the enemy’s cannonade to abate, and about eight o’clock it almost totally ceased. The battering ships made signals to inform the combined fleets of their extreme danger and distress, and several boats were sent to their aid. At this period the fire of the garrison produced great carnage, and the most pitiable cries and groans were heard, as the incessant showers of shot and shells were poured into the floating batteries. Soon after midnight one ship was in flames, and by two o’clock she appeared one sheet of fire from head to stern; a second was soon in the same state; the flames enabled the British artillery to point their guns with precision, and soon after three o’clock six more ships exhibited the effects of the red-hot shot. The burning ships exhibited one of the grandest spectacles of destruction ever beheld; and amidst this dreadful scene of conflagration, the British seamen in boats were seen endeavouring to rescue the Spaniards from the blazing ships. They preserved between three and four hundred; and while they were thus engaged, one of the ships blew up with a dreadful explosion; four others met the same fate before seven o’clock, and another shortly afterwards, and the remainder burnt to the water’s edge, their magazines having been inundated; not one could be preserved as a trophy.

Thus did the mighty efforts of France and Spain end in defeat and destruction, and the gallant efforts of the brave soldiers who defended Gibraltar elicited the admiration of the nations in Europe. In England the most enthusiastic applause was universal; illuminations and other modes of testifying the joy of the people followed the receipt of the news of the destruction of the boasted invincible battering ships, and every family which could claim a defender of Gibraltar belonging to it was proud of the honor. The loss of the garrison, on the 13th and 14th of September, was limited to one officer, two serjeants, and thirteen rank and file killed; five officers and sixty-three rank and file wounded; that of the enemy exceeded two thousand officers and soldiers. Captain Alexander Mackenzie, of the second battalion, was one of the officers wounded.

Although the enemy gave up all hopes of reducing Gibraltar by force of arms, yet some expectation was entertained, that, if the blockade was continued, the garrison might be forced to surrender from the want of provisions; the combined fleet therefore remained in the bay, the besieging army continued in the lines, and about a thousand shots were fired every day from the Spanish batteries. The garrison was encouraged to continue resolute in the defence of the fortress by assurances of their Sovereign’s favour and high approbation. The principal Secretary of State, writing to General Eliott, stated,—“I am honored with His Majesty’s commands to assure you, in the strongest terms, that no encouragement shall be wanting to the brave officers and soldiers under your command. His royal approbation of the past will no doubt be a powerful incentive to future exertions, and I have the King’s authority to assure you, that every distinguished act of emulation and gallantry, which shall be performed in the course of the siege by any, even of the lowest rank, will meet with ample reward from his gracious protection and favour.”

On the 4th of October Lieutenant Kenneth Mackenzie, of the second battalion, was wounded in the communication from the King’s to the Queen’s lines.

In October the combined fleet was much damaged by a storm, and soon afterwards a British naval force arrived, and the garrison was again relieved, when two regiments, the Twenty-fifth and Fifty-ninth, landed to take part in the defence of the fortress.

On the 23d of November Lieutenant John Mackenzie, of the second battalion, was dangerously wounded by the enemy’s cannonade.

At the opening of the campaign of 1783, Tippoo Saib encamped his army upon the plains of Arnee, where he was joined by a strong detachment of French auxiliaries from Cuddalore.

Major-General Stuart put the British army in movement, having first in view the demolition of the useless fortresses of Wandewash and Carangooly. He arrived at the latter place on the 6th of February, and, leaving there all heavy baggage and encumbrances, proceeded lightly equipped towards Wandewash, the works of which were accordingly destroyed. The army then returned to Carangooly, which experienced the same fate as Wandewash, and on the 23d of February arrived at Poonamallee.

Meanwhile, the siege of Gibraltar had terminated, hostilities having ceased in February 1783, in consequence of the preliminaries of the treaties between Great Britain, France, and Spain having been signed at Versailles on the 20th of the preceding month. The second battalion during the siege was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable George Mackenzie.

Notwithstanding private information having been received from respectable sources, overland, of a peace having been concluded between Great Britain and the other belligerent powers in Europe, still the Madras Government was determined to persevere in its original plans for the attack of Cuddalore. With this view, Major-General Stuart put the army in movement on the 21st of April, marching by brigades in a southerly direction. Major-General Stuart’s army consisted of the present Seventy-first and Seventy-second regiments, the 101st regiment, a considerable body of native troops, and a detachment of Hanoverians under Colonel Wangenheim. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Elphinston, of the first battalion of the regiment, took the lead, with the fifth brigade, to the command of which he had been appointed, in consideration of his distinguished conduct and important services in the field.

Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart, of the Seventy-eighth Highlanders (the present Seventy-second regiment), commanded the first or European brigade, of which the first battalion of the Seventy-third (now the Seventy-first) regiment formed part, and which amounted to sixteen hundred men.

Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Elphinston, in his advance, possessed himself of Permacoil ruins, from whence could be plainly distinguished the enemy’s advanced parties upon the Red Hills of Pondicherry. The remainder of the army joined at Permacoil on the 2d of May.

About this period accounts were received of the decease of Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote, which intelligence threw a peculiar gloom over those officers and men who had had the honor to serve under his command in India. Major-General Stuart succeeded to the command of the forces in India for the time being.

After leaving Permacoil, the army advanced to Killinoor, and from thence directed its course towards the Red Hills of Pondicherry.

In May 1783, the second battalion embarked in transports, and sailed from Gibraltar for Portsmouth, where it landed in July following.

On the 4th of June, Major-General Stuart placed the British camp close to the Pannar River, about five miles west of Cuddalore, behind which the French army was descried in an entrenched camp.

The British crossed the Pannar River on the 6th of June, without being molested, passed the Bandipollam Hills, and took up a strong position not more than two miles from the south face of the fortress of Cuddalore, having their right flank covered by the sea, and the left by the Bandipollam Hills. The enemy, commanded by General de Bussy, had in the meantime been occupied in throwing up works along his front.

On the 12th of June, Major-General Stuart had determined upon attacking Monsieur de Bussy in his present position, and issued preparatory orders accordingly. At four o’clock in the morning of the 13th of June, the action commenced by a movement from the British left upon the right flank of the enemy. A very obstinate and sanguinary contest ensued, and continued without intermission until the evening, when both armies remained upon the field of battle, and consequently each claimed the victory.

In this action the first battalion of the regiment highly distinguished itself, having wrested from the enemy, in the course of the conflict, seven different redoubts. The loss sustained by the battalion was very severe, amounting in killed and wounded to 13 officers and 272 men, being one half of the gross number in the field. The battalion in this action was commanded by Captain Hugh Lamont. The battalion had to regret the loss of Captains the Honorable James Lindsay and Alexander Mackenzie, who were killed. The former officer commanded the Grenadier company.

The following flattering compliment formed part of the general orders issued by the Commander-in-Chief at the conclusion of the battle:—“I am also grateful to Captain Lamont and the officers under his command, who gallantly led the precious remains of the Seventy-third Regiment through the most perilous road to glory, until exactly one half of the officers and men of the battalion were either killed or wounded.”

On the 17th of June the English and French fleets fought their last battle during this war. The former commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, and the latter by Monsieur Suffrein. The contest was perfectly in view of both armies. The result obliged the British admiral to proceed to Madras, while, to the great embarrassment of the army under Major-General Stuart, the French fleet was enabled to anchor in Cuddalore Roads, and to afford supplies and reinforcements to their troops.

The British prosecuted the siege of Cuddalore with vigour, and on the 25th of June the first parallel was completed. On that day the enemy made a sortie but was repulsed, after a severe contest, with considerable loss. The commander of the party, Colonel the Chevalier de Damas, was among the prisoners taken on this occasion.

On the 1st of July a frigate arrived in Cuddalore Roads, confirming the former intelligence, and bringing the official accounts from England of a general peace having been concluded. Hostilities in consequence ceased. The English and French interchanged visits, congratulations, and compliments, and became apparently as cordial friends as they had before been determined enemies.

By the 2d of August the British army had received the supplies of which it stood greatly in want, and the camp was immediately broken up, the troops proceeding towards Madras, where they arrived on the 16th of that month, at St. Thomas’s Mount.

The army shortly afterwards went into winter quarters, the Seventy-third occupying the fort and cantonment of Arcot.

In August the second battalion marched from Hilsea barracks to Stirling, where it was disbanded on the 3d of October; and the officers belonging to the second battalion, who were regimentally senior to those serving with the first, had the option afforded them of joining that battalion in the East Indies, at their own expense, of which some availed themselves.

On the 11th of March 1784, a general peace was ratified between the Honorable East India Company and Tippoo Saib, and, shortly afterwards, the officers and men, who had been made prisoners in the action fought by Lieut.-Colonel Baillie, on the 10th of September 1780, were restored to their friends, after having endured captivity in irons in an ungenial climate, and most of them suffering from severe wounds.

The regiment had the gratification to receive Captains David Baird and the Honorable John Lindsay. The commission of the latter, as captain, had been antedated to the 12th of September 1780. Both of these officers had recovered from their wounds.

During the remainder of the year the regiment continued at Arcot, and was only employed, beyond the usual routine of duty in quarters, for a short time in quelling a mutiny which broke out in the native cavalry at Arnee. The regiment at this period was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel William Dalrymple.

In the course of the month of June the regiment was removed from Arcot to Fort St. George at Madras, where it was joined by certain officers of the late second battalion. Lieut.-Colonel Dalrymple having returned to Great Britain, the regiment was commanded by Brevet Colonel the Honorable George Mackenzie.

The regiment continued in quarters during the remainder of the year at Fort St. George, and in the town at Madras.

In the year 1786 the numerical title of the regiment was changed from Seventy-third to Seventy-first; and new colours were received from England, bearing the number Seventy-first, which designation it has since retained.

The regiment changed its quarters, in March, to Wallajohabad and Chingleput, having nine companies cantoned at the former station, and one at the latter under Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Maxwell.

On the 4th of June 1787, the commanding officer, Colonel the Honorable George Mackenzie, died, after a short illness. His body was sent to Madras, and there interred with the military honors due to his rank. The senior major, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel John Elphinston, succeeded to the lieutenant-colonelcy and to the command of the regiment. Captain David Baird was at the same time promoted to the rank of major. The commissions of these officers were dated 5th of June 1787.

During the year 1787 no change of quarters took place, and the regiment remained in cantonments at Wallajohabad and Chingleput.

In February 1788, in consequence of some disturbance or alarm at the Bombay Presidency, the Seventy-first marched to Madras, and immediately embarked on board the Company’s ships for Bombay. The regiment was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Elphinston, and was about eight hundred strong.

After a favorable passage, the ships arrived at Bombay in April, when the regiment immediately disembarked and went into barracks, where it remained for six months. The Seventy-fifth and Seventy-seventh regiments having, in this interval, arrived at Bombay from England, the services of the Seventy-first became no longer necessary at that Presidency, and the regiment proceeded in October to Madras, where it arrived in December.

Five companies, under Lieut.-Colonel Elphinston, occupied the barracks in Fort St. George, and the other five companies proceeded to Poonamallee.

Major-General the Honorable William Gordon was appointed colonel of the Seventy-first regiment on the 9th of April 1789, in succession to Major-General John Lord Macleod, deceased.

In the course of the year 1789, the five companies at Poonamallee were removed to Tripassoor.

On the 16th of March 1790, the companies at Madras and Tripassoor received orders to join a force which was assembling at Wallajohabad, under the orders of Colonel Thomas Musgrave, of the Seventy-sixth, in consequence of the hostilities which Tippoo Saib had commenced against the Rajah of Travancore, a faithful British ally. The Seventy-first arrived at Wallajohabad on the 18th of March, and joined the other troops, consisting of the nineteenth light dragoons, fifty-second, and Seventy-first regiments, the third and fourth native cavalry, the first battalion of coast artillery, and the second, fourth, ninth, fourteenth, and twenty-fifth coast sepoys.

This force was put in movement on the 29th of March, and proceeded towards Trichinopoly, which it did not reach until the 29th of April, and found there the following corps, under the command of Colonel Brydges:—two King’s regiments, the thirty-sixth and seventy-second; the second and fifth native cavalry; the first, fifth, sixth, seventh, sixteenth, twentieth, and twenty-third coast sepoys. At the same time Colonel Deare, with three companies of Bengal artillery, joined, the whole being under the orders of Major-General Musgrave, to which rank he had been promoted on the 28th of April 1790.

The army was immediately divided into brigades and wings; Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart, of the Seventy-second Highlanders, was appointed to command the left wing, and Colonel Brydges, of the East India Company’s service, the right; the Seventy-first and seventy-second regiments, and first East India Company’s European battalion, formed the second European brigade, under Lieut.-Colonel Clarke, of the Company’s service.

The whole of the cavalry and the advance were commanded by Lieut.-Colonel, afterwards General Sir John Floyd, of the nineteenth light dragoons, since disbanded.

On the 24th of May, Major-General (afterwards Sir William) Medows assumed the command, and reviewed the army, which on the 26th of that month was put in movement towards the Coimbatore country.

The army reached Caroor, a fortified place, on the 15th of June, which the enemy abandoned on the approach of the British, who remained in this position, strengthening Caroor, and collecting grain, until the 2d of July, when they moved for Arrivacourchy, arriving there on the 5th, and continuing their route by Tooramboddy, arrived on the 10th of July at Daraporam. At this latter place was found a large supply of grain and other necessaries, which had been left by the enemy.

During the march to Coimbatore, where the British arrived on the 22d of July, Tippoo’s irregular horse were very active in hovering around, for the purpose of picking up stragglers and baggage.

The army halted at Coimbatore, and detachments were sent off to reduce Dindigul, Errode, and Palghautcherry. The flank companies of the Seventy-first regiment, commanded by Captains Phineas M^cIntosh and James Robertson, were employed upon the latter service. In August the whole of the cavalry and the advance had been pushed forward to the Boovany, near to the Gudzelhetty Pass. Tippoo Saib, profiting by the divided state of the British force, descended with his whole army, and after a very severe conflict obliged Lieut.-Colonel Floyd to fall back. The troops from Coimbatore had marched to his support, and on the junction being effected, Tippoo retired. The British returned to Coimbatore on the 23d of September.

Upon the march of the main body, the flank companies of the Seventy-first and Seventy-second were withdrawn from the siege of Palghautcherry, and ordered to take post in the fort of Coimbatore; and on the return of the army they rejoined the regiment.

The army was again put in motion on the 29th of September, proceeding towards the Boovany by Shawoor and Coopachitty-pollum, where the troops arrived a few hours after Tippoo had left it. Some elephants, bullocks, and camels loaded with rockets, fell into the hands of the British.

On the 4th of October the army arrived at Errode, the enemy keeping a respectful distance during the march; and on the 6th of that month it was ascertained that he had arrived with his whole force at Darraporam, against which he opened his batteries on the 8th. The fort had no cannon mounted, and the garrison, consisting of a hundred Europeans and two hundred sepoys, capitulated on honorable terms, to which the enemy strictly adhered.

The British army moved on the 5th of October, and on the 15th encamped in the neighbourhood of Coimbatore, where Lieut.-Colonel Stuart joined from Palghautcherry, after having taken the place, and left it in a tolerable state of defence. On the 20th of October, all the heavy baggage having been deposited in the fort of Coimbatore, the army recommenced moving, directing its march towards Errode, by Avinochy and Perentore, where it arrived on the 2d of November. On the 8th the army proceeded in the direction of Bovaneore, and thence to a ford about three miles below Errode, the whole crossing the Cavery on the 9th and 10th, while Tippoo marched with his entire force to attack a division under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Maxwell, of the Seventy-fourth Regiment, then in the Bharamahl country. On the 11th of November the army moved by Sankerrydroog for the Tappoor Pass, and ascended on the 14th, encamping at Adamancottah, in the Bharamahl country; marched again on the 15th, and on the 17th effected a junction with Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell at Darrampoury. This officer had under his orders the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-sixth King’s regiments, the fourth battalion of Madras Europeans, the third, seventh, thirteenth, fourteenth, twenty-first, twenty-sixth, and twenty-seventh Bengal sepoys.

The Seventy-fourth joined the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Regiments in the second brigade; and Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell assumed the command of the left wing in the place of Colonel Brydges, who was appointed to command at Trichinopoly.

On the 18th of November the army moved by Coveriporum to the Tappoor Pass, when the advance fell in with the rear of Tippoo’s force, but could make no impression.

It was now ascertained that the enemy, whose movements were always sudden, varied, and perplexing, was directing his course to the Carnatic by Namacul and Trichinopoly. The British in consequence pursued by Malusundrum, arriving on the 23d at Vavoor; the 27th at Jaloor; on the 6th of December at Munsarapett; and at Terany on the 31st of December.

On the 1st of January 1791 the army arrived at Terrimungulum, and on the 12th at Arnee.

During this long and fatiguing march, the Anglo-Indian troops frequently encamped upon the ground from which the enemy had removed in the morning, but the efforts made to overtake him were not successful. The sick and heavy guns having been placed in the fort of Arnee, on the 14th of January the advance and right wing marched for Velhout, where they arrived on the 27th, followed by the left wing.

On the 29th of January the army was reviewed by General Charles the Earl Cornwallis, K.G., who had arrived from Bengal to assume the command, and who expressed great satisfaction at the appearance of the troops. His lordship was at this period Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, and had quitted Bengal on the 6th of December of the previous year, and landed at Fort St. George, Madras, on the 30th of the same month.

In the course of the foregoing campaign the Seventy-first Regiment lost few men in action, but many fell victims to climate and fatigue.

The army, being refreshed and equipped, commenced moving in a westerly direction on the 5th of February, by Perambaukum and Sholingur, arriving on the 11th in the vicinity of Vellore. The troops were ordered into the fort, and on the 14th they marched to Chittipet, turning suddenly to the right by Chittoor towards the Muglee Pass, where they arrived on the 17th of February. On the 18th the advance, followed by the park and stores, ascended the ghauts, the whole army encamping on the day following at Palamnaire, in the Mysore country, without having seen anything of the enemy.

During the time the British army remained at Velhout, Tippoo pushed to the southward, and summoned Cuddalore, but upon learning in what direction Earl Cornwallis had moved, the Sultan hastened to the Shangana Pass, where he arrived too late to oppose the troops at the Muglee Pass. On the 24th, the British marched for Colar, which was abandoned on their approach; from thence the army moved to Ouscotta, which place was immediately carried by a battalion of sepoys.

The enemy displayed a part of his force on the 4th of March, and on the following day opened a cannonade upon the troops moving towards Bangalore, whilst his horse attempted to attack the stores and baggage, but without success. About sunset on the 5th of March, the army encamped within shot of the fort of Bangalore, and shifted its ground on the day following. The pettah (the suburbs of the town) was then attacked by the thirty-sixth and seventy-sixth regiments, with some battalions of sepoys, and carried, after a very resolute resistance on the part of the defenders.

From this period to the 14th of March, nothing material occurred, but every preparation for the approaching siege was carried on with diligence and activity. On the 15th, the batteries being completed, opened a fire upon Bangalore; and on the 17th the lines were cannonaded by the enemy, while at night the camp was much disturbed by his rockets.

Forage became very scarce, and none could be procured beyond the advanced piquets. The siege, however, proceeded, and the enemy continued to harass the British until the 21st March, when the breach being considered practicable, an attack was ordered.

The storming party consisted of the grenadiers of the thirty-sixth, fifty-second, Seventy-first, seventy-second, seventy-fourth, and seventy-sixth regiments, followed by their respective light companies, and led by Lieutenant James Duncan of the Seventy-first, and Lieutenant John Evans of the fifty-second, with a forlorn hope of thirty chosen men; the whole supported by the battalion companies of the thirty-sixth, seventy-second, and seventy-sixth, with some battalions of Bengal sepoys. The corps of attack were commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell of the seventy-fourth; the flankers immediately by Major Skelly; Major-General Medows was present on the occasion.

The grenadier company of the Seventy-first was commanded by Captain the Honorable John Lindsay, who, upon entering the breach, directed his men to throw away their priming, and trust entirely to their bayonets. The light company was commanded by Captain James Robertson, son of the celebrated historian.

With the aid of scaling ladders, and after encountering very formidable obstacles, Bangalore was carried. From the 6th of March to the conquest of Bangalore, the Seventy-first had six privates killed, and fourteen wounded.

On the 28th of March, a strong garrison being left in Bangalore, the army moved to Deonhully, the birthplace of Hyder Ali, where it arrived on the 30th, and on the 1st of April at Chinnaballaporam, both of which places were abandoned by the enemy. The army reached Connapelly on the 12th of April, and on the following day effected a junction with the Nizam’s force, which had been sent to co-operate with the British, and which amounted to about fifteen thousand cavalry.

The army arrived at Venkatagherry, on the 18th of April, where a large detachment of Europeans, under Colonel Oldham, joined from the Carnatic, and on the 22d of April again encamped near Bangalore. During this march, the object of which was chiefly to procure supplies, the enemy’s irregular horse were now and then seen in small detached bodies.

The British commenced their march on the 4th of May towards Seringapatam, the capital of Tippoo Saib’s territory, and on the 13th of that month arrived at Arakerry, on the Cavery, about eight miles below Seringapatam, which derived its name from the god Serung, to whom one of the pagodas was dedicated. The enemy was discernible in front, with his right resting on the river, and his left on a high hill named the Carighaut.

During the night of the 14th of May the troops marched with a view to surprise the enemy, but owing to the badness of the weather and roads, together with the jaded state of the gun-bullocks, little or no progress was made during the night; but on the following day, after having undergone great fatigue, they were brought into action, when the enemy was driven from his strong position, and forced across the river into the island upon which the capital, Seringapatam, is situated, where he was protected by his batteries.

In this affair four guns and several standards were taken. The Seventy-first had Lieutenant and Adjutant Roderick Mackenzie and seven rank and file killed; Ensign John Stuart and seventy-four rank and file were wounded.

The army rested upon the field of battle, and was again in movement on the 18th of May, and arrived on the 20th at Canambaddy, situated on the Cavery, some miles above Seringapatam. It was now ascertained that the season was too far advanced for undertaking immediately the siege of Tippoo’s capital, and it was determined accordingly to withdraw. The battering train was destroyed; all the ammunition and stores were buried, which could not be removed, and on the 26th of May the army marched in the direction of Bangalore.

Before commencing their retreat, the soldiers were thanked in orders for their conduct throughout these services; and it was added:—“So long as there were any hopes of reducing Seringapatam before the commencement of the heavy rains, the Commander-in-chief thought himself happy in availing himself of their willing services; but the unexpected bad weather, for some time experienced, having rendered the attack of the enemy’s capital impracticable, until the conclusion of the ensuing monsoons, Lord Cornwallis thought he should make an ill return for the zeal and alacrity exhibited by the soldiers, if he desired them to draw the guns and stores back to a magazine, where there remains an ample supply of both, which was captured by their valour; he did not, therefore, hesitate to order the guns and stores which were not wanted for field service to be destroyed.”

In the course of this retreat the British were joined by the Mahratta army, under Hurry Punt and Purseram Bhow, consisting of about thirty-two thousand men, chiefly cavalry, and thirty pieces of cannon. Of the approach of this large force, the British had been kept in total ignorance, by the active manner in which the communications were interrupted by Tippoo’s irregular troops. Captain Little, having under his orders two battalions of Bombay sepoys, joined with the Mahratta army, and the supplies were now abundant.

On the 11th of July, after marching by Alcotta, Goodyanelly, Outredroog, and Sankerrydroog, the army arrived at Bangalore.

The enemy made no attempt whatever to interrupt the march. By this time the Nizam’s cavalry had become unfit to keep the field, and were allowed to return to their own country. Purseram Bhow also, with a large detachment of the Mahrattas, proceeded into the Sera country; but Hurry Punt, with the remainder, continued attached to the British army. On the 15th of July the whole of the sick, and one half of the tumbrils belonging to the field-pieces, were sent into the fort of Bangalore, and the army moved towards Oussoor, where it arrived on the 11th of the following month.

The fort of Oussoor was abandoned by the enemy, after he had blown up the angles. In this place were found the bodies of three Europeans who had been put to death by Tippoo’s orders. One of these unfortunate persons, named Hamilton, had been an officer in the British navy.

On the 12th of August the army moved from Oussoor, and on the 23d arrived at Bayeur. About this period Major Gowdie, of the Honorable East India Company’s Service, was detached with some troops for the reduction of the strong hill fort of Nundydroog, which it was found required regular approaches.

The flank companies of the thirty-sixth and Seventy-first regiments, under the command of Captain Robertson, of the latter corps, marched on the 17th of October to join the detachment under Major Gowdie, and, upon their arrival, were immediately placed in the last parallel.

On the 18th of October, General the Earl Cornwallis, with the whole army, made a movement towards Nundydroog, and in the evening of that day the troops were told off for an assault upon the two breaches, which had been pronounced practicable. The attacks commenced at eleven o’clock at night, the grenadiers assaulting the right breach, and the light companies the left. The forlorn hope of the right attack consisted of twenty grenadiers, volunteers from the thirty-sixth and Seventy-first, led by Lieutenant Hugh Mackenzie of the Seventy-first, formerly paymaster of the regiment. The same number of light infantry, headed by Lieutenant Lewis Moore, of the Seventy-first, formed the left attack. The grenadier company of the regiment, in support, was commanded by Lieutenant James Duncan; the light company, by Lieutenant Kenneth Mackenzie; the whole under Captain Robertson’s orders, as before stated.

Captain Robert Burne supported, with the thirty-sixth grenadiers, the right attack, and Captain William Hartley, with the light company of that regiment, the left attack; Major-General Medows, as usual, animating the whole with his presence.

Both breaches were carried without much resistance from the enemy, and the gateway of the inner wall being soon secured, the fort fell into the possession of the British. Many of the enemy were killed, and several, in attempting to escape, were dashed to pieces over the precipices. It was an additional source of gratification, that this important service had been achieved without the loss of a British soldier.

In a few days subsequently to the fall of Nundydroog, the army retraced its route to Bangalore.

On the 4th of December the troops were again put in movement, directing their march towards Savendroog, a fortress situated on the side of a mountain, environed by almost inaccessible rocks. The fort being reconnoitred, a detachment under Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart, of the Seventy-second regiment, was selected, and ordered to reduce the place. On the 17th the British were enabled to open upon the fort a battery of six eighteen-pounders and three twelve-pounders, with considerable effect.

The flank companies of the Seventy-first and seventy-sixth regiments joined the detachment under Lieut.-Colonel Stuart on the 20th of December, and on the following day the flank companies of the fifty-second, Seventy-first, seventy-second, and seventy-sixth, were selected for the attack upon Savendroog (in which a practicable breach had been effected), and formed under Lieut.-Colonel Colebrook Nesbitt, of the fifty-second regiment.

The storming party, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Nesbitt, was directed to four different attacks. Captain James Gage, with the grenadiers of the fifty-second and flank companies of the seventy-sixth regiment, to gain the eastern hill to the left; Captain the Honorable William Monson, with the light company of the fifty-second, to scour the works towards the western hill on the right; Captain the Honorable John Lindsay and Captain James Robertson, with the flank companies of the Seventy-first, to separate, and attack the works or parties they might discover in the chasm or hollow between the hills; the fifty-second and seventy-second regiments were to follow the flank companies; parties were detached under Lieut.-Colonel Baird and Major Petrie round the mountain, to draw the attention of the enemy from the main object, and to endeavour to prevent his escape.

At eleven o’clock in the morning of the 21st of December, on a signal of two guns being fired from the batteries, the flank companies, in the order described, followed by the fifty-second and seventy-second regiments, advanced to the assault; the band of the fifty-second playing “Britons, strike home!” while the grenadiers and light infantry mounted the breach.

Immediate success followed the attempt, the fort being carried without the loss of a man. The troops were thanked in general orders for their gallant conduct, in which it was stated,—