1869.

BOOK VIII. joined it early in the year 1809; his removal was deeply regretted by the soldiers of the second. CHAP. VIII. On the day of the, battle, the colonel was dressed according to his regimental order, for a garrison town-stiff leather breeches and long boots, hair powdered, &c. and expressed much displeasure against the enemy, who wounded two of his horses with their (as he expressed himself) "long muskets, made to shoot from two miles off." On receiving his wound, he was in front of the battle; it was very severe, and seemed to disable him at once. He, however, took off his hat, and, gracefully bowing, called Major Middlemore to take the command. If there had been surgical assistance in time, and his leg and part of his thigh amputated, it was thought he might have lived; but, in three days symptoms of mortification appeared, and he was left in Talavera, where he almost immediately died; on his deathbed, he desired to be particularly remembered to all his brave officers, and begged, if he had offended them, that they would excuse his hasty temper, when he was no more. This brave officer was buried by the French grenadiers of the regiment in Talavera, on or near the spot where be received his wound, with the real honors of war. We shall devote the remainder of this chapter to a biographical sketch of the illustrious commander-in-chief, (afterwards Duke of Wellington) previously to his sailing from Ireland to take the command of the expedition to Portugal and Spain. Arthur Wellesley, the fifth son of the Earl of Mornington, received the rudiments of his education at Eton College, whence he was removed to the Military Academy at Angers, in France. He applied himself with great industry, during his residence there, in acquiring a thorough thorough knowledge of the theory of that profession to which he had devoted his future life, entered the British army as a subaltern, at an early period, and obtained the rank of a field-officer, without having had any opportunity of distinguishing himself till the year 1794, when he displayed his military talents, while conducting the retreat of three battalions, which he effected with great credit.

The Marquis Wellesley having been appointed to be the Governor-general of Bengal, Sir Arthur, who had purchased the lieutenant-colonelcy of the thirty-third, accompanied his regiment to India. On his arrival, an expedition being then on foot for the reduction of Manilla, Sir Arthur was appointed to it, and had actually embarked, when it was found necessary to abandon the expedition, on account of the intrigues of France with Tippoo Sultan.

Lieutenant-general Harris had been appointed to command the Madras army, destined to act against Tippoo, and penetrate into the Mysore country; upon the arrival of the Nizam's sub

sidiary force, consisting of nearly 15,000 native troops, General Harris appointed Colonel Wellesley to command it, as a separate body. When Seringapatam was stormed, (See Book III. chap. XV.) the colonel commanded the reserve at that ever memorable assault; and he was thanked in public orders by General Harris, for his gallant intrepidity. In the commission of British officers, selected to arrange the division of the Mysore territories, Colonel Wellesley was appointed for the division of the prize treasure taken in Seringapatam.

Our hero's next appointment was that of governor of the conquered capital; a task the most difficult, and which required great integrity and military ability, united to much prudence and judgment. In this arduous employment, and for the meritorious discharge of this difficult duty, Colonel Wellesley received the thanks of the governor-general in council.

General Harris having quitted India for Europe, and the command of the Madras army devolving upon Major-general Braithwaite, Colonel Wellesley was entrusted with an expedition against the freebooter, Dhondia Waugh, of whom it was necessary to make a severe example, from the excesses which he had committed on the company's possessions. Having taken the field, at the head of a proper force, our hero entered the Nizam's territories, and after a series of rapid and vigorous movements, intercepted Dhondia Waugh's force at Conaghuill, where it was strongly posted, having its rear and left flank covered by a rock and the village. Although the horse only had come up, Colonel Wellesley, with his wonted intrepidity, determined on an immediate attack; and having placed himself at the head of the nineteenth and twenty-fifth light dragoons, and first and second regiments of native cavalry, which he extended into one line, to prevent his being out-flanked, he formed a sudden attack on the enemy. Dhondia's force shewed much firmness, but could not withstand the charge. His army gave way, and were pursued for several miles. Dhondia himself, with inmense numbers of his followers, were killed, and the whole body completely and effectually dis persed. The thanks of General Braithwaite, and of the governor-general in council, were conveyed to Colonel Wellesley, for the great and unremitting activity, with which he had conducted these important operations.

On the commencement of the Mahratta war (November, 1802) Lord Clive, then at the head of the Madras government, having assembled au army of 19,000 men, the command of which he had entrusted to Lieutenant-General Stuart, it became necessary to detach a part of this force towards Poonah, the capital of the Perishwah, the British ally, which was menaced by Schindeah

and Holkar. Colonel Wellesley, who had now attained the rank of a major-general, was selected for the important command of the proposed expedition, having under him Colonel Stevenson, and a body of 35,000 men, with a proportionable train of artillery. Of this army, two-thirds were furnished as subsidy by the Nizam, and comprised altogether about 9,000 native cavalry. The Nizam's force being placed under the command of Colonel Stevenson, General Wellesley, at the bead of his army of 12,000, deemed it expedient to push on with the greatest rapidity towards Poonah, as it was known that Holkar was in possession of that capital, as well as the person of the Peishwah. On the night of the 19th of April, information having been received, that it was the determination of Holkar to plunder and burn Poonah on the approach of the British troops, General Wellesley pushed forward, over a rugged and difficult country, and through a dangerous pass; and after having accomplished a forced march of sixty miles, reached the Peishwah's capital in the short period of thirty-two hours. The astonishing and unheard-of celerity of this movement saved Poonah from its impending destruction; and in a few days General Wellesley had the satisfaction of restoring this city to its lawful sovereign.

After displaying considerable talent in taking of the city and fortress of Ameduagar, Sir Arthur Wellesley, on his arrival at Naulnair, received information that the combined Mahratta army was posted within six miles of the ground which he intended to occupy; but that the enemy had indicated an intention of breaking up his camp and retreating on the approach of the British army. With a boldness of resolve which shewed the vigour of his judgment, Sir Arthur instantly determined to move forward and force the enemy to a general engagement, although Colonel Stevenson's subsidiary division, which had marched by a different route, had not joined him as he had expected. This resolution having been adopted, he halted and refreshed his army, which had that morning marched fourteen miles. He then moved forward; and after a further march of six miles, performed under the rays of a scorching sun, he came in sight of the enemy, posted with his right on the village of Bokerdun, and his left on that of Assye on the northern bank of the river Kaitreak, near to the Adjuntee pass. Scindeah's army consisted of 38,500 cavalry, 10,500 regular infantry, 500 match locks, 500 rocket men, and 190 pieces of ordnance. General Wellesley's army consisted of only 4,500 men, of whom 2,000 alone were Europeans.

Notwithstanding this awful inequality, the British general approached in front of the enemy's right; but finding he had posted his infantry and guns on the left, he resolved to make his attack

1809.

there, formed the necessary movement for that BOOK VIII. purpose, and placed the British cavalry in the rear, to cover the infantry as they moved round; while CHAP. VIII. on his right flank he stationed the cavalry of the Peishwan and Nizam. He then forded the river beyond the left of the enemy, and formed his army in order of battle, extending his infantry in two lines, the British cavalry in a third, as a reserve, and posting the auxiliary native force so as to cover the left flank of the whole, menaced by a large body of the enemy's cavalry, which had followed them from the right of their own position.

The enemy had, by this time, commenced a distant cannonade, when General Wellesley evinced an intention of attacking their left; they then changed their position with great steadiness, as clearly perceiving the mode in which they were to be attacked. Hereupon the British advanced under a most tremendous fire of nearly 150 pieces of the enemy's ordnance, extremely well served. The English artillery, in turn, opened upon the enemy, at an interval of about 100 yards; but were soon rendered incapable of advancing, from the number of men and bullocks that had fallen.

Such a circumstance induced the British general to abandon his guns, and try the event of a close combat. Putting himself, therefore, at the head of his whole line, and placing the British cavalry, under Colonel Maxwell, to cover his right, he advanced with such intrepidity, as completely dismayed the Mahrattas. Notwithstanding their numerous artillery, the enemy's forces found themselves unable to withstand such a charge, and quickly retired upon his second line, which he had posted in front of the Juah river. Here the 74th regiment, which covered the right of the British line, having suffered severely by the enemy's cannon, was charged by a body of Mahratta cavalry; but the British cavalry posted on the right, having repulsed them, charged, in turn, with such resistless impetuosity, that several of the enemy's battalions were driven into the Juah with immense slaughter. The enemy's line now gave way in all directions, and were pursued by Colonel Maxwell, at the head of the British cavalry, across the Juah river, beyond which they were cut down in great numbers.

Several of the enemy's guns had been unavoidably left in the rear, during the heat of the action; at this period they were returned upon the British troops in advance, by the perfidious Mahrattas, who had thrown themselves on the ground, and were consequently passed unmolested by the British soldiers. Such a circumstance encouraged some of the enemy's regular infantry battalions, that had retired in rather better order, to face about and commence a second action, which, being maintained for a short time with great fury, again made the fortune of the day doubtful. But General Wellesley, with his usual gallantry,