Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-10-13


However, continued his retreat to Sering-
apatam, after suffering "a rapid defeat
! On April 8, the march was Completed by
the entire force, and operations at once
commenced. On the 5th,. Colonel Wei
lesley was ordered to attack with the SD
and two native regiments small wood,
called the Sultan Pettah Tope, by night,
The darkness was intense, the terrain un-
known, and intersected by water-courses'
The troops and their commander lost their
way, and it was necessary to abandon
the attempt. Twelve men of the SD
were cut off, carried to Seringapatam,
and. by Tippoo's orders barbarously
murdered. Such disaster, it is obvi-
Gus, might have befallen the bravest and
most experienced officer; nevertheless,
Wellesley probably owed it to his power
full connections, that it did not become a
barrier to his future employment in un-
dertakings of great responsibility. The
next day. he renewed the attempt and was
completely successful. On May 8, Sc
ringapatam was stormed, upon which oc-
casion Colonel Wellesley commanded the
reserve in the trenches. Plumber began
almost before the conquest was complete,
and Colonel Wellesley marched his re-
serve into town to restore order. 1t fell
to his lot, in company with Sir David
Baird, to recognize Tippoo under the
heap of dead. He was at once appointed
commander and governor of Seringapa-
tam, and Immediately commenced his du-
ties by repressing rapine and furnishing
oppression, whether by officers or men,
in that stern spirit of discipline which has
always distinguished his command. AS
soon as the government and territory of
Mysore had been settled, he was appoint
ed to administer the affairs of the whole
district, in the name of the puppet prince,
retaining his command in Seringapatam.
In the beginning of September, 1900, he
left SeringaPatam for short time to ar
rest the course of Dhoondiah Waugh, a
Mahratta freebooter, who had collected
about 5000 mounted followers, and dub
bed himself "King of the Two Worlds" Z"
He speedily came up with the force of
this rover at Conaghall, and on the 10th
of the same month routed the marauders,
and slew their commander. In 1901, he
left Seringapatam second time for Trim
comalee, being ordered to Join force as
sembled there to act against the Mauriti-
us. Just then, he received an order from
England to sail with three thousand men
from Bombay for Egypt, and decided to
comply with the latter of these conflicting
injunctions, when an attack of fever laid
him completely aside and on his recove
ry he was restored to the command of the
Mysore territory, which he held until he
left India. On April 90, 1909, Colonel
Wellesley was raised by his brother, the
governor general, to the rank of ma jor-
general, an occurrence deserving of no.
tice, as the first of his promotions which
can be connected in any way with his
merits. In the same year he was called
to far greater command than had yet
been confded to him. The Mahratta
war, the object of which was to break the
power of Scindiah Hoker, and the rajah
of Berar, which was becoming dangerous
to British interests, was resolved on
General Wellesley, upon whom the civil
and military authority had been conferred
in the provinces ofthe Nizam aud Mahrat-
ia states, took the field against the Scin-
diah aud his allies, August 6, 1908. Ne
gotiations proving fruitleSs, Wellesley
marched upon the Pettah and fort Of All
mednuggur 1.-THE latter being the strong
est in the peninsular, and which he rea-
ched unopposed on August 8. The fort
was carried by escalade, three hundred men
having succeeded in mounting bastion,
when a cannon ball broke the last ladder,
and thus cut off all communication with
their comrades. They were, however,
a gallant band, and drove all before them
till they reached one of tho gates, which
they opened. Having thus lot in the rest
of the storming party, the capture of the
fort was Immediately effected. The loss
amounted to one hundred and forty men.
On August 90, 1903, the English army
took peaceful possession of Aurungzabad,
city of great extent, and one of truly
eastern macni6cence. On September 90,
Colonel Stevenson, who in the meantime
had stormed the fort of Jaulna, had an
interview with General Wellesley, and a
joint attack upon the enemy, who was en-
camped at Boherdun, two marches dis
tance, was decided upon. The engage.
ment which followed was the famous field
of Assaye. After this brilliant engage
ment, General Wellesley was compelled
to remain in the neighborhoOd, from the
difficulty of finding place OF safety 1ol
his wounded but Colonel Stevenson was
despatched to harrass the rest Of Scindl.
ah's army. and to take Asserghur and
Burhampoor, all of which services nc
performed in a most satisfactory manner
Scindiah soon become tired of the war
and, after some weeks more had beer
spent in his maneuVes, without coming
again to blows, he sent a vakeel to make
his peace with the English government
General Wellesley agreed to an armistic'
with him, but refused to suspend hostili
ties against the rajah OF Berar. Seindlan
however, did not act in pursuance Of thu
stipulation into which he had entered