WITH THE HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY TO SERINGAPATAM
(1799)
What marks the frontier line?
Thou man of India say!
Is it the Himalayas sheer,
The rocks and valleys of Cashmere,
Or Indus as she seeks the south
From Attoch to the five-fold mouth?
‘Not that! Not that!’
Then answer me, I pray!
What marks the frontier line?
Sir A. CONAN DOYLE.
The Highland Light Infantry is the only Highland regiment wearing the
trews or tartan trousers. Other regiments of the Highland Brigade have
discarded the kilt at one time or another—the Argyll Highlanders at the
commencement of the last century, the Gordons at one period, and the
Black Watch in Ashanti. The H.L.I. was raised as the 71st Foot in 1777,
and was known at one time as Macleod’s Highlanders, when they were a
kilted regiment. The second battalion was raised in 1787. The first
battalion wore the kilt from 1777 to 1809, and the second battalion (the
74th Foot) until 1847.
The H.L.I. have the proud distinction of more battle honours than any
other Highland regiment. Few regiments indeed have such a distinguished
roll of honours, or have seen such varied service. It is surrounding
their badge ‘The Elephant,’ and their honours of ‘Mysore,’ ‘Hindoostan,’
and ‘Seringapatam’ that the present chapter on the Indian campaign of
1799 is written.
In an earlier chapter an attempt has been made to give some idea of the
vast extent of the struggle between England and France during the latter
half of the eighteenth century, a struggle that was to reach its zenith
at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
The French had long been a power in India, though at the foundation of
our East India Company they were not by any means established. For one
thing, the British were on more friendly terms with the Indian Princes,
while the French were kept very busy fighting not only the Dutch but the
English as well. The Dutch, in those days a great naval power, beat the
French time and again, and it was not until the latter founded
Pondicherry that they were able to lay any assured basis of prosperity.
The whole system on which the English power was maintained in India was
a very indifferent one. The English possessions were guided and
controlled by the East India Company—a commercial body whose chief aim,
naturally enough, was to make the best possible profit out of India,
leaving international questions to look after themselves. It was with
the name of Clive that the first vision of the Indian Empire was seen
upon the horizon of time.
It is not within the scope of our story to devote any space to the great
career of Clive, save only to remind the reader of Arcot, of the Black
Hole of Calcutta, and of Plassey.
In 1786, the year after Warren Hastings’ return to England, Cornwallis
was sent to India as Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief. He was not
in any way attached to the East India Company, and in this way a new era
commenced.
Cornwallis was soon compelled to enter into war with Tippoo Sahib, and
at first the ‘Tiger of Mysore’ made things very difficult for him. For a
time, however, peace was patched up, and Lord Wellesley, the brother of
the future Duke of Wellington, succeeded as Governor-General.
As we shall see elsewhere, Napoleon had set his heart on the conquest of
Egypt, with a view to depriving England of her colonies. After Egypt, he
had every hope of conquering India, and for this reason Tippoo was a
very promising personage with whom to make a secret treaty against the
English. Although the French supremacy was a thing of the past, yet many
native princes retained French officers to drill their troops, and their
influence was not unlike the control that the Germans exercised over the
Turks in 1915. When Lord Wellesley arrived, he found himself faced by
treacherous Indian rulers, French intrigue, and rebellious natives.
In 1799 war again broke out with Tippoo, when Colonel Arthur Wellesley,
the future ‘Iron Duke,’ was one of the British commanders. The
Highlanders under Wellesley took an active part in defeating the Indian
troops in every engagement, until at last Tippoo was surrounded in his
capital Seringapatam.
Some idea of the service of the H.L.I. in India from 1780 onwards until
1806 may be gauged by the fact that no less than five names—Carnatic,
Sholinghur, Mysore, Hindoostan, and Seringapatam—were added to the
regimental colours.
In the Mysore campaign the 71st H.L.I. took part in all the important
battles leading up to the heroic storming of Seringapatam.
Colonel Wellesley, as stated above, discovered that Tippoo Sahib was at
the heart of a new French intrigue, and decided that the time had come
for action. With this end in view he despatched an army numbering 43,000
men to break his power for ever, and take his stronghold by storm.
But so much time was spent in clearing the ground covering the
approaches to the fortress, that on April 14, 1799, it was seen that
unless the supplies of the army were to give out the place must be
carried at all costs. It was no easy matter. Seringapatam lay between
two branches of the river Cavery, while to its front were entrenchments,
and behind these the artillery and fortifications of the city itself.
Trench warfare is so familiar to-day that there will be no difficulty in
understanding the initial steps in the battle. After some days devoted
to undermining the enemy’s trenches—the Highlanders, under Wellesley,
rushed the position, driving the Indians into Seringapatam.
Following upon that success the British guns settled down to make a
breach in the walls of the city, but by the 2nd of May, when that was
accomplished, the supplies of the army had run very low and as Mr.
Fortescue has written, “so desperate was the situation that the General
fully resolved, if necessary, to throw his entire army into the breach,
since success was positively necessary to its existence.”
But the prospect of carrying the breach by assault was sufficient to
unnerve the finest troops. There was first a rush over one hundred yards
to the river, which must be forded. On the opposite bank of the river
was a wall, while between the wall and the breach lay an open ditch some
sixty yards in breadth. It was an obstacle-race with death.
Two parties were allotted for the business. With Major-General Baird in
one party went the H.L.I. and the 2nd Battalion of the Black Watch.
It was agreed that the enemy would least expect such a dangerous and
exhausting assault in the height of the heat. In the darkness of the
preceding night the storming party marched into the trenches, where they
remained throughout the morning of the following day until the moment
arrived. “Men,” called Major-General Baird, “are you all ready?”
Ready they had been for twelve hours.
“Then forward, my lads.”
Like a pack of hounds they tore across the open space to the river, and
instantly the enemy opened fire. Through the Cavery they splashed, over
the wall they poured, across the ditch, then like an angry river,
between the ragged walls of the breach. Within six minutes the British
flag was hoisted upon the outer wall of Seringapatam.
The rushing of the inner rampart headed by Captain Goodall followed.
In the meantime Dunlop’s column had fought to a standstill when
Lieutenant Farquhar of the 74th Highlanders rallied the Grenadiers,
falling in his hour of triumph.
The slaughter of the enemy was enormous. Caught between two fires, and
thrown into confusion they surrendered all further hope of resistance.
By the magnificent gallantry of the H.L.I. in particular the victory was
won.
[Illustration: THE HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY AT SERINGAPATAM]
The end of Tippoo Sahib was tragic if only for its obscurity. The
British troops, fighting their way through the city, shot a wounded
officer supported amidst some native soldiery. It was Tippoo Sahib, who,
fearing capture above everything, and fearing death not at all, was
killed in a last effort at resistance. He fell unknown beneath the
bodies of his followers, while all the time the fight in the streets
raged on. When the last round was fired, 10,000 of the enemy had fallen.
All India rejoiced over this exploit of the British arms, bringing the
end of an evil dynasty. But peace had not yet dawned for India.
The death of Tippoo had taken place so suddenly that an inspection of
his correspondence revealed the fact that he was not the only one
desirous of expelling the English. There were communications from the
Nawab of the Carnatic, and very shortly afterwards that province was
added to the Madras Presidency with another battle honour to the colours
of the H.L.I.
We must now turn to the Mahrattas of Central India. The first Mahratta
war had been fought in the time of Warren Hastings. The second Mahratta
war was conducted by Arthur Wellesley. After some marching back and
forth the British, with whom were the H.L.I. under General Wellesley,
met the Indian army at Assaye, on the 23rd of September 1803. In this
engagement the Highlanders, and in particular the Seaforths and H.L.I.,
who were both granted the ‘Elephant’ as a special badge, won particular
notice. In the course of this action, the Highlanders with their
comrades managed to defeat a force of ten times their size. The conflict
dragged on, however, a battle against French Sepoy troops was fought in
Hindoostan, till finally the French Sepoys were utterly dispersed at
Laswari. This practically concluded the work of the H.L.I. in India, and
in 1806 they were in action at the Cape of Good Hope.
THE BATTLE HONOURS OF THE HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY
Carnatic, Sholinghur, Mysore, Hindoostan, Seringapatam; Cape of Good
Hope, 1806; Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Fuentes de Oñoro, Ciudad
Rodrigo, Badajoz, Albuera, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive,
Orthez, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo; South Africa, 1851-1853;
Sevastopol, Central India; Egypt, 1882; Tel-el-Kebir; South Africa,
1899-1902; Modder River.