Battle of Seringapatam
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Seringapatam (5 April – 4 May 1799) was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
between the British East India Company
and the Kingdom of Mysore
. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam
and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's ruler, was killed in the action. The British restored the Wodeyar
dynasty to the throne after the victory, but retained indirect control of the kingdom.
m) in the months of April and May 1799, between the combined forces of the British East India Company
and their allies, numbering over 50,000 soldiers in all, and the soldiers of the Kingdom of Mysore
, ruled by Tippu Sultan, numbering up to 30,000. The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
came to an end with the defeat and death of Tippu Sultan in the battle.
. The first consisted of over 26,000 British East India Company troops, 4,000 of whom were European while the rest were local Indian sepoys. The second column was supplied by the Nizam of Hyderabad, and consisted of ten battalions and over 16,000 cavalry. Together, the allied force numbered over 50,000 soldiers. Tippu's forces had been depleted by the Third Anglo-Mysore War
and the consequent loss of half his kingdom, but he still probably had up to 30,000 soldiers.
The British forces consisted of the following:
The Indian (sepoy) forces consisted of the following:
, which flowed around the city of Seringapatam, was at its lowest level of the year and could be forded by infantry — if an assault commenced before the monsoon. When letters were exchanged with Tippu, it seemed that he was playing for time. He requested two persons to be sent to him for discussions and also stated that he was preoccupied with hunting expeditions. Tippu Sultan's prime minister and general, Mir Saadiq, is alleged to have been bought over by the British. He sent the Mysorean army away to collect their wages in the midst of the battle, thus allowing British forces to storm the boundary wall with little defence. Another key treachery to help the British was the spilling of water in the basements where the Sultan's army stored its gunpowder, which rendered the gunpowder useless.
The leader of the British troops was Major General David Baird
, an implacable enemy of Tippu Sultan: twenty years earlier, he had been held captive for 44 months. The storming troops, including men of the 73rd
and 74th regiments
, clambered up the breach and fought their way along the ramparts. After the company troops had taken the city, Tippu's body was found among the dead, shot in the head and stripped of his jewels.
, two columns would advance upon the defences around the breach, then wheel right and left to take over the fortifications. A third reserve column, commanded by Arthur Wellesley
, would deploy as required to provide support where needed.
At 11:00 a.m., on 4 May 1799, the British troops were briefed and whisky and a biscuit issued to the European soldiers, before the signal to attack was given. The forlorn-hopes, numbering seventy-six men, led the charge. The columns quickly formed, were ordered to fix bayonets, and began to move forward. The storming party dashed across the River Cauvery in water four feet deep, with covering fire from British batteries, and within 16 minutes had scaled the ramparts and swept aside the defenders quickly. The British follow-up columns turned right and left, sweeping along the inside of the walls until they met on the far side of the city.
Tipu's Tiger
, an automaton
in the Victoria & Albert Museum, was captured at Seringapatam.
Benjamin Sydenham described the body as: 'wounded a little above the right ear, and the ball lodged in the left cheek, he had also three wounds in the body, he was in stature about 5 in 8 in (1.73 m) and not very fair, he was rather corpulent, had a short neck and high shoulders, but his wrists and ankles were small and delicate.
'He had large full eyes, with small arched eyebrows and very small whiskers. His appearance denoted him to be above the Common Stamp.
'And his countenance expressed a mixture of haughtiness and resolution. He was dressed in a fine white linen jacket, chintz drawers, a crimson cloth round his waist with a red silk belt and pouch across his body.
'He had lastly his turband and there were no weapons of defence about him.'
's novel The Moonstone
begins with the looting of the jewels removed from Seringapatam in 1799 from the legendary treasury of Tippu Sultan.
The Battle of Seringapatam was the main conflict in the novel Sharpe's Tiger, by Bernard Cornwell
.
.
Much of the site of the battle is still intact including the ramparts, the Water Gate, the place where the Tippu Sultan's body was found, the area where the British prisoners were held and the site of the destroyed palace.
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was a war in South India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company under the Earl of Mornington....
between the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and the Kingdom of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam
Srirangapatna
Srirangapatna is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka...
and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's ruler, was killed in the action. The British restored the Wodeyar
Wodeyar
The Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India.The spelling Wodeyar/Wadiyar is found in most...
dynasty to the throne after the victory, but retained indirect control of the kingdom.
Opposing forces
The battle consisted of a series of encounters around Seringapatam (the anglicized version of SrirangapatnaSrirangapatna
Srirangapatna is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka...
m) in the months of April and May 1799, between the combined forces of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and their allies, numbering over 50,000 soldiers in all, and the soldiers of the Kingdom of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
, ruled by Tippu Sultan, numbering up to 30,000. The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was a war in South India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company under the Earl of Mornington....
came to an end with the defeat and death of Tippu Sultan in the battle.
British troop composition
When the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War broke out, the British assembled two large columns under General George HarrisGeorge Harris, 1st Baron Harris
George Harris, 1st Baron Harris GCB was a British soldier.Harris was the son of the Reverend George Harris, curate of Brasted, Kent. He was educated at Westminster School and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned to the Royal Artillery in 1760, transferring to an ensigncy in...
. The first consisted of over 26,000 British East India Company troops, 4,000 of whom were European while the rest were local Indian sepoys. The second column was supplied by the Nizam of Hyderabad, and consisted of ten battalions and over 16,000 cavalry. Together, the allied force numbered over 50,000 soldiers. Tippu's forces had been depleted by the Third Anglo-Mysore War
Third Anglo-Mysore War
The Third Anglo-Mysore War was a war in South India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company and its allies, including the Mahratta Empire and the Nizam of Hyderabad...
and the consequent loss of half his kingdom, but he still probably had up to 30,000 soldiers.
The British forces consisted of the following:
- 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of FootSuffolk RegimentThe Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated with the Royal Norfolk Regiment as the 1st East Anglian Regiment in 1959...
- 19th Light Dragoons19th Light DragoonsThe 19th Light Dragoons was a cavalry regiment of the British Army created in 1781 for service in British India. The regiment served in India until 1806, and in North America during the War of 1812, and was disbanded in Britain in 1821.-Formation:...
- 25th Light Dragoons
- 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment of Foot
- 73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot71st (Highland) Regiment of FootThe 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, which in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry .- First formation :...
- 74th (Highland) Regiment of FootHighland Light InfantryThe Highland Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. In 1923 the regimental title was expanded to the Highland Light Infantry ...
- 75th (Highland) Regiment of Foot
- 77th Regiment of Foot77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of FootThe 77th Regiment of Foot was a line regiment of the British Army . In 1881 it was united with the 57th Regiment of Foot to form The Middlesex Regiment ....
- Scotch Brigade [later 94th Regiment]
- Regiment de MeuronRegiment de MeuronThe Regiment de Meuron was a regiment of infantry originally raised in Switzerland in 1781. The regiment was named for its commander, Colonel Charles-Daniel de Meuron, who was born in Neuchâtel in 1738....
(Swiss mercenaries in British pay)
The Indian (sepoy) forces consisted of the following:
- 1st Madras Native Infantry61st PioneersThe 61st Pioneers were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1758, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion Coast Sepoys....
- 2nd Madras Native Infantry80th Carnatic InfantryThe 80th Carnatic Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1777, when they were raised as the 21st Carnatic Battalion, by enlisting men from the 2nd, the 6th, the 12th and the 15th Carnatic Battalions....
- 1st Madras Native Cavalry
- 2nd Madras Native Cavalry
- 3rd Madras Native Cavalry
- 4th Madras Native Cavalry
- Madras PioneersMadras PioneersThe term Madras Pioneers related to bodies of Pioneers as well as Sappers and Miners which were part of the Madras Presidency Army.The Madras Engineer Group were raised as two companies of pioneers in 1780 called the Madras Pioneers, which were expanded and titled 'Corps of Madras Pioneers' but...
- Madras Artillery
- 1st Bengal Native InfantryBengal RegimentThe Bengal Regiment is a name given to a large number of infantry regiments raised for the British Indian Army. These regiments were originally raised by the East India Company as part of the Army of Bengal, which was one of the three presidency armies that were absorbed into British Indian Army in...
- 2nd Bengal Native InfantryBengal RegimentThe Bengal Regiment is a name given to a large number of infantry regiments raised for the British Indian Army. These regiments were originally raised by the East India Company as part of the Army of Bengal, which was one of the three presidency armies that were absorbed into British Indian Army in...
- Bengal Artillery
Siege
Seringapatam was besieged by the British forces on 5 April 1799. The River CauveryKaveri River
The Kaveri , also spelled Cauvery in English, is a large Indian river. The origin of the river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri, Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the...
, which flowed around the city of Seringapatam, was at its lowest level of the year and could be forded by infantry — if an assault commenced before the monsoon. When letters were exchanged with Tippu, it seemed that he was playing for time. He requested two persons to be sent to him for discussions and also stated that he was preoccupied with hunting expeditions. Tippu Sultan's prime minister and general, Mir Saadiq, is alleged to have been bought over by the British. He sent the Mysorean army away to collect their wages in the midst of the battle, thus allowing British forces to storm the boundary wall with little defence. Another key treachery to help the British was the spilling of water in the basements where the Sultan's army stored its gunpowder, which rendered the gunpowder useless.
The breach
The Governor-General of India, Richard Wellesley, planned the opening of a breach in the walls of Seringapatam. The location of the breach, as noted by Beatson, the author of an account of the Fourth Mysore War, was 'in the west curtain, a little to the right of the flank of the north-west bastion. This being the old rampart appeared weaker than the new.' The Mysorean defence succeeded in preventing the establishment of a battery on the north side of the River Cauvery on 22 April 1799. However, by 1 May, working at night, the British had completed their southern batteries and brought them up to the wall. At sunrise on 2 May, the batteries of the Nizam of Hyderabad succeeded in opening a practical breach in the outer wall. In addition, the mines that were laid under the breach were hit by artillery and blew up prematurely.The leader of the British troops was Major General David Baird
Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet
General Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet GCB was a British military leader.-Military career:He was born at Newbyth House in Haddingtonshire, Scotland, the son of an Edinburgh merchant family, and entered the British Army in 1772. He was sent to India in 1779 with the 73rd Highlanders, in which he...
, an implacable enemy of Tippu Sultan: twenty years earlier, he had been held captive for 44 months. The storming troops, including men of the 73rd
71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot
The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, which in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry .- First formation :...
and 74th regiments
74th Regiment of Foot
Three regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 74th Regiment of Foot:*74th Regiment of Foot , renumbered from the 117th in 1762 and disbanded in 1768*74th Regiment of Foot, raised in 1777 and disbanded in 1784...
, clambered up the breach and fought their way along the ramparts. After the company troops had taken the city, Tippu's body was found among the dead, shot in the head and stripped of his jewels.
Storming of Seringapatam
The assault was to begin at 1:00 p.m. to coincide with the hottest part of the day when the defenders would be taking refreshment. Led by two forlorn-hopesForlorn hope
A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high....
, two columns would advance upon the defences around the breach, then wheel right and left to take over the fortifications. A third reserve column, commanded by Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, would deploy as required to provide support where needed.
At 11:00 a.m., on 4 May 1799, the British troops were briefed and whisky and a biscuit issued to the European soldiers, before the signal to attack was given. The forlorn-hopes, numbering seventy-six men, led the charge. The columns quickly formed, were ordered to fix bayonets, and began to move forward. The storming party dashed across the River Cauvery in water four feet deep, with covering fire from British batteries, and within 16 minutes had scaled the ramparts and swept aside the defenders quickly. The British follow-up columns turned right and left, sweeping along the inside of the walls until they met on the far side of the city.
Tipu's Tiger
Tipu's Tiger
Tipu's Tiger or Tippoo's Tiger is an 18th century automaton or mechanical toy created for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in India. The carved and painted wood casing represents a tiger savaging a near life-size European man. Mechanisms inside the tiger and man's bodies make one...
, an automaton
Automaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
in the Victoria & Albert Museum, was captured at Seringapatam.
Death of Tippu
The column that rounded the northwest corner of the outer wall was immediately involved in a serious fight with a group of Mysorean warriors under a short fat officer, which defended every traverse. The officer was observed to be discharging hunting weapons, loaded and passed to him by servants, at the British. After the fall of the city, in the gathering dusk, some of the British officers went to look for the body of Tippu Sultan. He was identified as the fat officer who had fired hunting weapons at the attackers, and his body was found in a choked tunnel-like passage near the Water Gate.Benjamin Sydenham described the body as: 'wounded a little above the right ear, and the ball lodged in the left cheek, he had also three wounds in the body, he was in stature about 5 in 8 in (1.73 m) and not very fair, he was rather corpulent, had a short neck and high shoulders, but his wrists and ankles were small and delicate.
'He had large full eyes, with small arched eyebrows and very small whiskers. His appearance denoted him to be above the Common Stamp.
'And his countenance expressed a mixture of haughtiness and resolution. He was dressed in a fine white linen jacket, chintz drawers, a crimson cloth round his waist with a red silk belt and pouch across his body.
'He had lastly his turband and there were no weapons of defence about him.'
Adaptions
Wilkie CollinsWilkie Collins
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He was very popular during the Victorian era and wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and over 100 non-fiction pieces...
's novel The Moonstone
The Moonstone
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel, generally considered the first detective novel in the English language. The story was originally serialized in Charles Dickens' magazine All the Year Round. The Moonstone and The Woman in White are considered Wilkie...
begins with the looting of the jewels removed from Seringapatam in 1799 from the legendary treasury of Tippu Sultan.
The Battle of Seringapatam was the main conflict in the novel Sharpe's Tiger, by Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
.
Legacy
Two cannon captured by the British during the battle are now placed in front of the officer's mess at the Royal Military Academy SandhurstRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
.
Much of the site of the battle is still intact including the ramparts, the Water Gate, the place where the Tippu Sultan's body was found, the area where the British prisoners were held and the site of the destroyed palace.