Battle of Prome The battle of Prome was a land - based battle between the Kingdom of Burma and the British Empire that took place near the city of Prome , modern day Pyay , in 1825 as part of the First Anglo - Burmese War . It was the last - ditch effort by the Burmese to drive out the British from Lower Burma . The poorly equipped Burmese army despite the advantage in numbers suffered a defeat . The British army ' s subsequent march toward north threatened Ava , which led to peace negotiation by the Kingdom of Burma . Following the defeat at Danubyu and the death of General Maha Bandula , King Bagyidaw ordered the general Maha Ne Myo to capture Prome with an army . With superiority in number , the Burmese army divided into three divisions and positioned themselves around Prome in Simbaik , Napadi hills , and the western shore of Irrawaddy river . The Burmese army harassed the British position in outlying regions around Prome by leading small raids but did not commit to an attack on Prome itself . The British army , led by Gen . Archibald Campbell , composed of several regiments of Royal Foot infantry and Madras Native infantry and artillery . On December 1 , 1825 , general Campbell initiated an attack on the left division led by Maha Ne Myo , while distracting the center division with a cannon barrage . The left division was stormed with a bayonet charge led by Lt . General Willoughby Cotton and a follow up attack by General Campbell caused a complete rout of the left division of the Burmese army . The British army attacked the center division on the Napadi hills the following day , and due to the bravery of the Native infantry , drove the Burmese troops from the hills . An attack on the right division , situated on the western shore of Irrawaddy river , caused a general retreat of the Burmese army . Background . After defeating the Burmese army and their commander - in - chief Maha Bandula at Danubyu in April 1825 , the British consolidated their gains in Lower Burma ( up to Prome ) , Arakan and Tenasserim coast as well as in Assam and Manipur . Initial peace negotiations were commenced in September 1825 at Ngagyaungbinzeik , 20 miles north of Prome . The British demanded that the Burmese recognize " the independence of Manipur " and " desist from interference with Assam and Cachar " , " cede Rakhine and its dependencies " , receive a British Resident at the Court of Ava , and pay an indemnity of two million pounds sterling . Yangon , and Taninthayi would be held until the indemnity was paid . The Court of Ava had not expected , and were unwilling to accept , the full dismemberment of their western empire and the crushing penalty demanded . But with the army severely depleted , the Burmese envoy , the lord of Kawlin , replied that his government : The British were unimpressed : " The question is not how much you will cede to us but how much we shall return to you " . The negotiations broke down , and the Burmese decided to fight on despite the fact that the army was severely short of experienced men and arms . ( The army ' s most experienced men had already perished in the previous year . The Burmese lost about 23 , 000 men in the Battle of Rangoon ( May – December 1824 ) alone . ) Over the rainy season of 1825 ( June – October ) , they had raised more men , and the entire Burmese defenses now consisted of 30 , 000 soldiers . However , most the new conscripts were " ill - trained and ill - equipped " . Combatants . Burmese Army . The Burmese army responsible for attack on Prome consisted mainly of Shans , and the total strength was about 10 , 000 men . By one account , the non - Shan portion of the army was only 1300 . ( The post - war British reporting claim a combined Burmese strength of 50 , 000 to 60 , 000 . However , later British historians such as GE Harvey reassessed that the Konbaung Dynasty could have raised no more than 60 , 000 men for the entire war . ) The Burmese command had also posted a 3 , 000 - strong army led by Minhla Minkhaung at the western bank of the Irrawaddy north of Prome as a defensive measure . British Army . Under the command of General Cotton : Under the command of General Campell : Defense at Prome : Battle . In November 1825 , the Burmese forces under Maha Ne Myo , " mainly " consisted of several Shan regiments led by their own Shan sawbwa s , made a daring push to recapture Pyay , and nearly succeeded . But by early December , the superior firepower of the British had won out and defeated the last - ditch effort by the Burmese . Following the rainy season , the Burmese army in three columns approached Prome . Both flanks of the British position were threatened , but the control of the river was maintained by the command of the flotilla and a detachment , 26th Madras Native Infantry , at Padaung on the right bank . Despite their superior in number , the Burmese forces remained in the protection of the cover of the jungle for several days after their arrival and maintained harassments against the British flanks . As noted by Burke , Burmese warfare style at that time involved , " creeping onwards slowly and certainly , stockading and entrenching . . . at every step , risking no general engagement . . . " . On December 1 , General Campell left four regiments of native infantry in Prome and marched against the division of Maha Ne Myo at Sinbaik , on the left position . To divert the attention of the center position , a cannon barrage of the flotilla , led by Sir James Brisbane , commenced against the works on the river coordinated with Campbell ' s march . The barrage was maintained for approximately two hours to maintain the diversion . At the Nawin ( Naweng ) river , the British army was divided into two columns , and the two columns marched parallel to each other along the river . The right column , led by brigadier - general Cotton , first encountered the left division of Burmese army , estimated 10 , 000 men strong , and stormed the enemy ' s position with a bayonet charge , causing the enemy to rout . The left column encountered the enemy as they were retreating and finished their rout . Despite their swift defeat , the Shans troops were noted for their bravery ; according to Burke , the Shans " . . . fought bravely . . . [ and ] maintained the contest till the greater part of them were cut down . " On December 2 , after the rout of Maha Ne Myo of the left division , Campbell was quick to follow up with an attack on the center division of the Burmese army , led by Kee - Woonghee , on the Napadi hills . An attack against the defense at the base of the hills was led by six companies of the 87th regiment , and the Burmese army was quickly overwhelmed , retreating to the defensive positions on the hills . The Burmese army maintained a strong position on the Napadi hills , which were accessible only by a narrow road and guarded with artillery . The British army employed a multi - prong attack on the hills : the 13th and 38th regiment of the 1st Bengal brigade engaged the Burmese army from the front while the 87th regiment engaged from the right . The Burmese army was driven from the hills subsequently , and as a result , the two divisions positioned on the eastern shore of the Irrawaddy river had been routed . On December 5 , an attack on the Burmese division led by Minhla Minkhaung commenced with the transport of the troops to the western shore of Irrawaddy river . A rocket brigade and a mortar battery opened fire at the Burmese position and the Burmese troops retreated from the artillery attack . A manned attack led by general Cotton , Brigadier Armstrong , and colonel Godwin stormed the Burmese position immediately following the artillery attack and dispersed the remaining Burmese troops . Aftermath . With a large portion of the Burmese army dispersed at Prome , the British army led by Campbell advanced toward Ava unimpeded until they encountered a stockaded defense at Bagan . Due to a diminished military power , the Kingdom of Burma was more inclined to negotiate for peace and accept the terms and demands posed by the British . The first of such negotiations took place on January 1 , 1826 .