James Hartley (Indian Army officer)
Encyclopedia
James Hartley was a British officer in the service of the East India Company
, whose service involved mainly wars against the Maratha Empire
and against Tipu Sultan
of the Kingdom of Mysore
.
in 1764, being nineteen years old. In 1765 he took part in expeditions against the piratical strongholds of Rairi and Malwan on the Malabar Coast
.
By 1768 he had reached the rank of lieutenant, and in October 1770 he was made aide-de-camp
to the Governor of Bombay. He superintended the disembarkation of the detachment which took Baroach in November 1772, and in July 1774 he was raised to the rank of captain, and received the command of the fourth battalion of Bombay Sepoys.
. In February 1775 he was sent to co-operate with Colonel Keating
in Gujarat. But the supreme government of the British East India Company
in Calcutta put an end to the war in the following August (see Treaty of Purandar (1776)
, and Hartley, with the rest of the British forces, returned to Bombay.
Three years later hostilities were resumed. The Bombay government now sent an army to the Konkan
, with orders to march across the Western Ghauts on Poonah. An advanced party of six companies of grenadier sepoys under Captain Stewart first took possession of the Bhore Ghaut, where they were joined by the main army under Colonel Charles Egerton
. Hartley had been offered the post of quartermaster general to the army, but he preferred to take his place at the head of his battalion.
On 4 January, 1779 Captain Stewart, a man of conspicuous gallantry, was killed in a skirmish at Karli, and Hartley was appointed to succeed him in command of the six companies of grenadiers.
On 9 Jan. the British army continued their march, and reached Tullygaom, only eighteen miles from Poonah. But John Carnac
, the civil commissioner with the army, became alarmed at the increasing numbers of the Mahratta
s, and determined on a retreat. Hartley strongly resisted this proposal, but was overruled, and the retreat began on 11 Jan. Hartley's reserve was directed to form the rear guard.
At daybreak on 12 Jan. the Mahrattas assailed the retreating army in strong force. The main energy of their attack was directed on the rear. The sepoys were thoroughly demoralized, and it was only by means of a personal address from Hartley that they were
hindered from wholesale desertions. But, in spite of the condition of his own men and the superior numbers of the enemy, Hartley sustained the conflict with such skill that the army was able to make good its entry into Wargaum. Hartley in vain protested against the Convention of Wargaum, by which the British, in return for the surrender of their ally, Rughoba, were allowed to retire unmolested.
On his arrival at Bombay in the spring of 1779, Hartley was universally regarded as having saved the British army from annihilation. He was raised to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and was appointed to the command of the European infantry on the Bombay establishment.
In December 1779 Hartley was sent with a small detachment to act under Colonel Thomas Goddard to Guzerat
. He led the storming party which captured Ahmedabad
on 18 February ensuing. On 8 May, however, he was recalled to Bombay, and entrusted with the duty of securing the Konkan
, i.e. the district between the Western Ghauts and the sea, from which the Bombay government drew their supplies.
On 24 May he defeated and dispersed a party of Mahrattas who had besieged the fortified post of Kallian to the northeast of Bombay. On 1 October another attack of the enemy from the same direction was crushed at Mullungurh; the Bhore Ghaut, a central point of the mountain-chain, exactly opposite Bombay, was strongly guarded, and the Konkan effectually secured to the British.
In November Goddard, in deference to the wishes of the Bombay Presidency
, embarked on the siege of Bassein (now Vasai). Hartley, with about two thousand men, was directed to maintain a position on the east, and so prevent the Mahrattas from raising the siege. On 10 December, a determined attack was made on Hartley's entrenchments at Doogaur by twenty thousand Mahrattas. After a severe conflict, the assailants were repulsed and the garrison of Bassein surrendered.
Thereupon, Hartley quit the army, deeply hurt, and in December 1781 started for England to lay his case before the Court of Directors. The latter refused to make any concession, but ultimately recommended him to King George III, who gave him the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 75th Regiment.
In April 1788 Hartley returned to India with his regiment, and was appointed Quartermaster General
of the Bombay Army and a member of the military board.
of Mysore
, Hartley received command of a detachment sent to the coast of Cochin to aid the company's ally, the Rajah of Travancore
. In May Hartley received orders to invest Palghatcheri, an important fortress dominating the pass which leads through the western Ghauts into Mysore. On arriving within forty miles of the place Hartley heard that it had already surrendered.
He, however, continued his march, and occupied himself partly in collecting supplies for the main army at Trichinopoly, and partly in watching any movement of Tippoo's troops to the south-west. On 10 Dec. be inflicted a crushing defeat on vastly superior forces under Hussein Ali
, Tippoo's general, at Calicut. The remnant of the beaten army was pursued to Ferokhi, where it surrendered, and that fortress was occupied by the British.
In January 1791 Hartley advanced to Seringapatam, but the siege was eventually postponed, and the Bombay troops retired to Cannanore. On the renewal of the siege in December 1791 Hartley, who was acting under the immediate command of General Robert Abercromby
, again started from Cannanore to join the main army. He reached the camp on 16 February, 1792, and on 22 February took part in defeating a sortie specially directed against Abercromby's position on the north side of the fortress. Peace was concluded on 25 Feb., and Hartley, in recognition of his local knowledge, was made commander of the forces in the south-west provinces ceded by Tippoo.
In May 1796 he was made a major-general, and appointed to the staff in India. He returned to Bombay in 1797. In addition to his military rank he was now made a supervisor and magistrate for the Province of Malabar.
On 5 March the advance force of three sepoy battalions under Colonel Montressor at Seedaseer was assailed by a division of the Mysore army. Hartley had gone forward early in the morning to reconnaitre. He was thus the first to perceive the serious nature of the attack, and, after sending a message to General Stuart, remained himself with the beleaguered battalions.
As the main body was at Seedapore, eight miles off, the advanced line was compelled for six hours to maintain itself against overwhelming numbers. At last Stuart came up with reinforcements, and Tippoo's army retreated. This victory rendered possible the investment of Seringapatam from the western side. Hartley was present at the storming of Tippoo's capital on 5 May 1799.
.
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...
, whose service involved mainly wars against the Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
and against Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
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...
.
Start of military career in India
Hartley entered the military service of the Bombay presidencyBombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
in 1764, being nineteen years old. In 1765 he took part in expeditions against the piratical strongholds of Rairi and Malwan on the Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
.
By 1768 he had reached the rank of lieutenant, and in October 1770 he was made aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Governor of Bombay. He superintended the disembarkation of the detachment which took Baroach in November 1772, and in July 1774 he was raised to the rank of captain, and received the command of the fourth battalion of Bombay Sepoys.
In the First Anglo-Maratha War
The significant part of Hartley's career begins with the First Anglo-Maratha WarFirst Anglo-Maratha War
The First Anglo-Maratha War was the first of three Anglo-Maratha wars fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Empire in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai.-Background:...
. In February 1775 he was sent to co-operate with Colonel Keating
Keating
-Places:Several places in the US:* Keating Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania* Keating Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania* East Keating Township, Pennsylvania* West Keating Township, Pennsylvania* Keating, Oregon-Miscellaneous:...
in Gujarat. But the supreme government 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...
in Calcutta put an end to the war in the following August (see Treaty of Purandar (1776)
Treaty of Purandar (1776)
The Treaty of Purandar was a doctrine signed on March 1, 1776 by the peshwa of the Maratha people and the supreme government of the British East India Company in Calcutta. Based on the terms of the accord, the British were able to secure Salsette.-Sources:**Sugden, John. Nelson: A Dream of Glory,...
, and Hartley, with the rest of the British forces, returned to Bombay.
Three years later hostilities were resumed. The Bombay government now sent an army to the Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
, with orders to march across the Western Ghauts on Poonah. An advanced party of six companies of grenadier sepoys under Captain Stewart first took possession of the Bhore Ghaut, where they were joined by the main army under Colonel Charles Egerton
Charles Egerton
Field Marshal Sir Charles Comyn Egerton, GCB DSO was a senior British Army officer.-Military career:Born the third son of Major-General Caledon Egerton and educated at Rossall School and the Royal Military College Sandhurst, Egerton was commissioned into the 31st Regiment of Foot in 1867...
. Hartley had been offered the post of quartermaster general to the army, but he preferred to take his place at the head of his battalion.
On 4 January, 1779 Captain Stewart, a man of conspicuous gallantry, was killed in a skirmish at Karli, and Hartley was appointed to succeed him in command of the six companies of grenadiers.
On 9 Jan. the British army continued their march, and reached Tullygaom, only eighteen miles from Poonah. But John Carnac
John Carnac
Brigadier-General John Carnac was a British officer who served three times as Commander-in-Chief of India.-Military career:...
, the civil commissioner with the army, became alarmed at the increasing numbers of the Mahratta
Mahratta
Mahratta may refer to* the Maratha caste, a ruling class of the Indian subcontinent* the Maratha EmpireShips*SS Mahratta , lost in a collision with SS Victoria in 1887 in the River Hoogly.* SS Mahratta , lost on the Goodwin Sands in 1909....
s, and determined on a retreat. Hartley strongly resisted this proposal, but was overruled, and the retreat began on 11 Jan. Hartley's reserve was directed to form the rear guard.
At daybreak on 12 Jan. the Mahrattas assailed the retreating army in strong force. The main energy of their attack was directed on the rear. The sepoys were thoroughly demoralized, and it was only by means of a personal address from Hartley that they were
hindered from wholesale desertions. But, in spite of the condition of his own men and the superior numbers of the enemy, Hartley sustained the conflict with such skill that the army was able to make good its entry into Wargaum. Hartley in vain protested against the Convention of Wargaum, by which the British, in return for the surrender of their ally, Rughoba, were allowed to retire unmolested.
On his arrival at Bombay in the spring of 1779, Hartley was universally regarded as having saved the British army from annihilation. He was raised to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and was appointed to the command of the European infantry on the Bombay establishment.
In December 1779 Hartley was sent with a small detachment to act under Colonel Thomas Goddard to Guzerat
Guzerat
Guzerat can refer to:* An alternate spelling for Gujarat* Guzerat_cattle...
. He led the storming party which captured Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
on 18 February ensuing. On 8 May, however, he was recalled to Bombay, and entrusted with the duty of securing the Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
, i.e. the district between the Western Ghauts and the sea, from which the Bombay government drew their supplies.
On 24 May he defeated and dispersed a party of Mahrattas who had besieged the fortified post of Kallian to the northeast of Bombay. On 1 October another attack of the enemy from the same direction was crushed at Mullungurh; the Bhore Ghaut, a central point of the mountain-chain, exactly opposite Bombay, was strongly guarded, and the Konkan effectually secured to the British.
In November Goddard, in deference to the wishes of the Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
, embarked on the siege of Bassein (now Vasai). Hartley, with about two thousand men, was directed to maintain a position on the east, and so prevent the Mahrattas from raising the siege. On 10 December, a determined attack was made on Hartley's entrenchments at Doogaur by twenty thousand Mahrattas. After a severe conflict, the assailants were repulsed and the garrison of Bassein surrendered.
Check to Hartley's career, Royal intervention
Hartley continued to act as military commandant in the Konkan when a despatch arrived from London acknowledging his services but declaring his recent promotion as lieutenant-colonel invalid. His further promotion and pay as a lieutenant-colonel were to be suspended till those who were his seniors should have been first promoted.Thereupon, Hartley quit the army, deeply hurt, and in December 1781 started for England to lay his case before the Court of Directors. The latter refused to make any concession, but ultimately recommended him to King George III, who gave him the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 75th Regiment.
In April 1788 Hartley returned to India with his regiment, and was appointed Quartermaster General
Quartermaster general
A Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army.- The United Kingdom :In the United Kingdom, the Quartermaster-General to the Forces is one of the most senior generals in the British Army...
of the Bombay Army and a member of the military board.
In the war with Tipu Sultan of Mysore
On the 1790 outbreak of war with Tipu SultanTipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
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...
, Hartley received command of a detachment sent to the coast of Cochin to aid the company's ally, the Rajah of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
. In May Hartley received orders to invest Palghatcheri, an important fortress dominating the pass which leads through the western Ghauts into Mysore. On arriving within forty miles of the place Hartley heard that it had already surrendered.
He, however, continued his march, and occupied himself partly in collecting supplies for the main army at Trichinopoly, and partly in watching any movement of Tippoo's troops to the south-west. On 10 Dec. be inflicted a crushing defeat on vastly superior forces under Hussein Ali
Hussein Ali
Hussein Ali is an Egyptian football centre midfielder. He currently plays for the Egyptian Premier League club Gouna.-External links:* * at Gouna official site...
, Tippoo's general, at Calicut. The remnant of the beaten army was pursued to Ferokhi, where it surrendered, and that fortress was occupied by the British.
In January 1791 Hartley advanced to Seringapatam, but the siege was eventually postponed, and the Bombay troops retired to Cannanore. On the renewal of the siege in December 1791 Hartley, who was acting under the immediate command of General Robert Abercromby
Robert Abercromby
Robert Abercromby , also known under the pseudonyms of Robert Sandiesoun and Sanders Robertson was a Jesuit missionary in Scotland.-Early life:...
, again started from Cannanore to join the main army. He reached the camp on 16 February, 1792, and on 22 February took part in defeating a sortie specially directed against Abercromby's position on the north side of the fortress. Peace was concluded on 25 Feb., and Hartley, in recognition of his local knowledge, was made commander of the forces in the south-west provinces ceded by Tippoo.
War with France
On the outbreak of War with France in 1793, Hartley held command of the expedition which captured the French settlement of Mahé in Malabar. In March 1794 he was promoted to the rank of colonel, and returned for a time to England.In May 1796 he was made a major-general, and appointed to the staff in India. He returned to Bombay in 1797. In addition to his military rank he was now made a supervisor and magistrate for the Province of Malabar.
Resumed war with Tipu Sultan
In 1799 war again broke out with Tippoo, and it was determined to attack Senngapatam in strong force from east and west. The Bombay Army under General Stuart, with whom Hartley was associated as second in command, mustered at Cannanore and set out across the mountains of Coorg on the nearest road for Tippoo's capital.On 5 March the advance force of three sepoy battalions under Colonel Montressor at Seedaseer was assailed by a division of the Mysore army. Hartley had gone forward early in the morning to reconnaitre. He was thus the first to perceive the serious nature of the attack, and, after sending a message to General Stuart, remained himself with the beleaguered battalions.
As the main body was at Seedapore, eight miles off, the advanced line was compelled for six hours to maintain itself against overwhelming numbers. At last Stuart came up with reinforcements, and Tippoo's army retreated. This victory rendered possible the investment of Seringapatam from the western side. Hartley was present at the storming of Tippoo's capital on 5 May 1799.
Sudden death
He then returned to resume his civil duties in Malabar, but died after a very short illness on 4 October, 1799, at CannanoreKannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
.