Siege of Madras
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Madras was a siege of Madras, British India, between December 1758 and February 1759 by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 forces under the command of Lally
Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally
Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally, baron de Tollendal was a French General of Irish Jacobite ancestry. He commanded French forces in India during the Seven Years War. After a failed attempt to capture Madras he lost the Battle of Wandiwash to British forces under Eyre Coote and then was forced to...

 during the Seven Year's War. The British garrison was able to hold out until it was relieved. The British fired 26,554 cannon balls and more than 200,000 cartridge rounds in defence of the town. The failure to take Madras was a huge disappointment for the French and a massive setback to their campaign in India compounded by the later Battle of Wandiwash
Battle of Wandiwash
The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...

.

Background

Britain and France had been struggling for colonial supremacy in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 for several years. in 1746 the city had been captured at the Battle of Madras
Battle of Madras
The Battle of Madras or Fall of Madras or Battle of Adyar took place in September 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession when a French force attacked and captured the city of Madras from its British garrison....

, but was returned in 1748. Following the fresh outbreak of war both sides were soon in conflict again. By 1757 Britain held the upper hands after several victories by Robert Clive. In 1758 French reinforcements under Lally had arrived in Pondicherry and set about advancing France's position on the Corandel Coast, notably capturing Fort St. David. This caused alarm to the British, most of whose troops were with Clive in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

. Lally was poised to strike against Madras in June 1758, but short of money, he launched an unsuccessful attack on Tanjore hoping to raise revenue there. By the time he was ready to launch his assault on Madras it was December before the first French troops reached madras, delayed partly by the onset of the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

 season. This gave the British extra time to prepare their defences, and withdraw their outposts - boosting the garrison to nearly 4,000 troops.

Siege

First skirmishes

Madras in 1758 was divided broadly into two distinct parts. The "Black town" where the majority native population lived which was unfortified - and the "White town" where the smaller European population lived which was dominated by Fort St George
Fort St George
Fort St George is the name of the first English fortress in India, founded in 1639 at the coastal city of Madras, the modern city of Chennai. The construction of the Fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally a no man's land...

. On 14 December, French troops entered the Black town unopposed, and finding it undefended, began to loot the houses. The British then launched a sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....

 with 600 men under Colonel William Draper attacking the scattered French. Bloody streetfighting broke out which left 300 dead on each side, before Draper's men withdrew into the fort. While the result had been indecisive, and casualties even, the fight had a devastating effect on French morale. The two French commanders Lally and Bussy began arguing over the failure to cut off and trap Draper's raiding force. Lally fiercely criticised Bussy in public, but did not dismiss him from his post as second-in-command.

Bombardment commences

As the French took up their positions around the city, read to besiege Fort St George, they were unable to open fire as they were still waiting for artillery ammunition to be brought up for the major siege guns. For three weeks the guns stood silent, until on 2 January 1759 they began firing on the citadel. In spite of an intense five day bombardment, and several infantry assaults the French failed to make the breakthrough they were hoping to - as the British defences remained largely intact. A large mine was detonated under the fortress, but this made little impact on the defences.

French morale fell further as they realised how little effect their attacks had had on the defenders. Many of the soldiers grew disgruntled and deserted, including 150 who switched sides to join the garrison. Lally was also facing an attack on his lines of supply by Muhammed Yusuf Khan
Muhammed Yusuf Khan
Muhammad Yusuf Khan or Maruthanayagam Pillai was born in Pannaiyur, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, India in 1725. From humble beginnings, he became a warrior in the Arcot troops, later Commandant for the British East India Company troops...

 the British Sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...

 commander at Chingleput
Chingleput
Chingleput or Chengalpattu or Chengalpet is a city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The name of the city is derived from the old nomenclature 'chenkazhuneer patru'...

, the only force that had not withdrawn into Madras upon the approach of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. Lally managed to beat off the British attack, but they still remained in the vicinity menacing his rear stealing much needed supplies and blocking the passage of many to his forces.

Major Assault

After several weeks of heavy bombardment, the French were at last starting to make headway against the town's defences. The main bastion had been destroyed, and a breach
Breach
-In law:* Breach of confidence, a common law tort that protects private information that is conveyed in confidence* Breach of contract, a situation in which a binding agreement is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract...

 opened in the walls. The heavy exchange of fire had flattened much of Madras, with most of the town's houses gutted by shells.

On 30 January a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 frigate ran the French blockade and carried a large sum of money and a company of reinforcemnts into Madras. Significantly they brought the news that the British fleet under Admiral George Pocock was on its way from Calcutta. When Lally discovered this news he became aware that he would have to launch an all-or-nothing assault to storm the fortress before Pocock arrived. He convened a council of war, where it was agreed to launch an intense bombardment on the British guns, to knock them out of action.

French withdrawal

On 16 February six British vessels, carrying 600 troops, arrived off Madras. Faced with this added threat Lally took the immediate decision to break off the siege and withdraw south.

Aftermath

The British victory at Madras was considered part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759
Annus Mirabilis of 1759
The Annus Mirabilis of 1759 took place in the context of the Seven Years' War and Great Britain's military success against French-led opponents on several continents...

 as part of a string of British successes around the globe, and helped lay the foundations for eventual British strategic supremacy in India. British forces went on the offensive in India, descisively defeating a French force at Wandiwash
Battle of Wandiwash
The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...

 and then capturing Pondicherry in 1761. The string of battles were a major turning point in the battle for dominance on the subcontinent between Britain and France.
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