Chapter M: DCCC XLVIII (3)

As the British columns approached the height, they formed line, and ascended to the summit, which was abandoned by the enemy, but a short distance beyond the eminence appeared the army of Mysore in order of battle. As the TWELFTH moved forward, a large body of Mysorean cavalry formed in the shape of a wedge, having an elephant with a howdah on his back in front, appeared advancing to charge the regiment, and the British line halted to receive the attack. Immediately afterwards two other very large bodies of the enemy were discovered in two topes, or woods, preparing to support the first charge. Lieut.-General Harris, seeing the danger which menaced the regiment, placed himself in its rear, frequently repeating the words, 'Steady, Twelfth!' 'Steady, old Twelfth!' and when the wedge approached within a hundred yards of the line, the Mysoreans discharged their carbines and pistols, but without doing execution. The TWELFTH remained steady, with their muskets at the recover, until the enemy arrived within about thirty yards, when a well-directed volley, followed by a rapid file firing, carried destruction into the enemy's ranks; a rampart of killed and wounded men and horses lying along the front of the regiment. The rear of the wedge was embarrassed by the killed and wounded in front, and could not continue their charge. The elephant was severely wounded, his conductor killed, the chiefs on his back had fallen, and he turned round and directed all his fury upon the Mysoreans, overturning everything in his retrograde movement, and producing great havoc with a prodigious chain, which he swayed. A few Mysorean horsemen broke through the regiment, but they were instantly shot in its rear, and the British artillery arriving, and opening its fire, the enemy's cavalry fell back; at the same time the British line advanced, and decided the fate of the day at that part of the field; a distant cannonade, however, indicated that the battle was raging elsewhere.

The left of the right wing was opposed to Tippoo's infantry, and gained a complete victory; between seven and eight thousand Mysoreans being put _hors de combat_: the loss of the British did not amount to so many hundreds.

In general orders issued on the same evening, it was stated, 'The Commander-in-Chief congratulates the army on the happy result of this day's action, during which he had various opportunities of witnessing its gallantry, coolness, and attention to orders:' and in brigade orders, 'Major-General Baird, with the most heartfelt satisfaction, congratulates the brigade on the victory obtained this day over the enemy; it is sufficient for him to say, that the valour of the corps fully answered his expectation.'

On the following morning, the army continued its advance upon the capital of Mysore, and the enemy used various stratagems to retard the movement until the approach of the rainy season should render the siege of Seringapatam impracticable. The water was found impregnated with poison; many men were taken seriously ill, and several horses fell down dead while in the act of drinking; the smoking ruins of villages, and other scenes of devastation presented themselves; at the same time large bodies of hostile cavalry hovered round the army, and the camp was often annoyed by rockets; but the British forces moved steadily forward, and on the 3rd of April they arrived within four miles of _Seringapatam_,--a city and fortress, which had attained considerable strength and splendour under Hyder Ali and his son Tippoo Sultan: it is situate at the upper end of an island, four miles long, and a mile and a half broad, in the river Cavery.

About six o'clock on the evening of the 3rd of April, the TWELFTH regiment, with the flank companies of the seventy-fourth and Scots brigade, assembled under Major-General Baird, to beat up the enemy's cavalry encampments: they were out all night without effecting the surprise of any of the enemy's detachments; but about three o'clock on the following morning they came suddenly upon a numerous body of Mysorean cavalry, when they rushed forward and bayoneted nearly every man before the Mysoreans could mount their horses, which were led into the British camp at six o'clock, at the moment the army was about to commence its march.

On the 4th of April, the army arrived in sight of Seringapatam; the soldiers had skirmished with the enemy's cavalry and rocket men, during the march, and in the evening a general order was issued, in which it was stated,--'The Commander-in-Chief takes this opportunity of noticing the high sense he has of the general exertion of the troops throughout the long and tedious march, with the largest encampment ever known to move with any army in India; and in congratulating them on a sight of Seringapatam, he has every confidence that a continuance of the same exertions will very shortly put an end to their labours, and place the British colours on its walls!'

The army took up a new position on the 5th of April, and in the evening the TWELFTH regiment was ordered to advance, supported by two battalions of Sepoys, and take possession of a nullah, or bed of a river or aqueduct, about a mile and a half in front of the camp. The night was very dark, but the regiment had scarcely cleared the outposts, when the air was illuminated by hundreds of fire-balls thrown up by the enemy, who thus detected the advance of the British troops, and immediately commenced a heavy fire of musketry and rockets, under which the TWELFTH continued to advance in open column of companies. Suddenly, regular platoon firing was heard in front, and showers of bullets assailed the regiment on both flanks and in front, when it formed line. The trampling sound of approaching troops occasioned the regiment to prepare to charge with the bayonet, which was about to be executed, when it was discovered that the approaching troops were one of the battalions of Sepoys which had been ordered to support the TWELFTH. This battalion had lost its road, moved to the front, and become exposed to the attack of very superior numbers of the enemy, whom it had engaged upwards of an hour, which accounted for the platoon firing heard in front; it was retreating, bringing off its killed and wounded, under Major Colin Campbell, and being pursued, formed in the rear of the TWELFTH regiment. When the pursuing Mysoreans discovered, by their fire-balls, the line of Europeans before them, they fell back to a greater distance, but without any relaxation in their fire, and so many spent balls struck the officers and soldiers of the TWELFTH, that they were ordered to sit down to await the approach of day for the completion of the enterprise; the nullah was at some distance, and it could only be approached by a road of difficult access. The regiment did not fire a shot, but large quantities of ammunition were sent from the camp; the incessant firing having given rise to the expectation that the soldiers must have expended their cartridges.

About two o'clock on the following morning the enemy's firing ceased, and at four the TWELFTH advanced. When the morning light appeared, the regiment found itself in the rear of a long mud wall and fragments of a ruined village, three hundred yards from the nullah, which was occupied by thousands of Mysoreans and French, with large masses of infantry on both flanks. Under these circumstances, the regiment halted, and the pioneers threw up an embankment on both flanks, to preserve it from enfilade. This work was scarcely completed, when day-light enabled the Mysoreans to discover the position and insignificant numbers of the regiment, compared with their host, and they endeavoured to destroy it by a storm of bullets, but the soldiers were sheltered by the mud walls, and very few cannon-balls from the fort took effect, on account of the distance. Lieut.-General Harris, observing the unequal contest, ordered the artillery to fire on the enemy's ranks, the balls passing over the heads of the TWELFTH, and the British line advanced. The commanding officer of the detachment, Lieut.-Colonel Shaw, saw the line moving steadily forward to his support, and having entire confidence in the valour of the TWELFTH, he resolved to attack the opposing legions with the bayonet; he cautioned the soldiers to prepare, and giving the word 'CHARGE, TWELFTH,' they sprang from behind the mud wall, raised a loud shout, and rushed forward towards the nullah. The Mysoreans were confounded by the suddenness of the attack; they saw the sparkling steel bayonets of the TWELFTH approach, and abandoned their post in a panic. As the TWELFTH rushed forward, several lines of Mysoreans fired volleys at them, but the balls struck the sand many yards from the regiment, and in five minutes the nullah was captured. The enemy rallied behind a high bank, and made a show of a design to retake the post, but the TWELFTH and Sepoys ascended the bank, and kept up a well-directed file firing, which occasioned the Mysoreans to retreat: a party of French were also driven from a post on the left of the regiment. The nullah being thus carried, the artillery of Seringapatam opened a heavy fire, which obliged the soldiers to take shelter in the bed of the river. The post thus captured, was designated 'Shaw's Post,' in honour of the commanding officer of the detachment, Lieut.-Colonel Shaw of the seventy-fourth foot.

When the TWELFTH rushed forward to storm the post, the army suspended its advance, awaiting the result, and a brigade afterwards drove a body of the enemy from a wood on the right of Shaw's Post. A breast-work was subsequently made to cover the troops from the guns of Seringapatam, and the TWELFTH had the honour to break ground before that important fortress. About seven o'clock in the evening, the regiment was relieved by the seventy-fourth foot: its loss was Lieutenants George Nixon and T. Falla, and ten rank and file killed; Captain Whitler, Lieutenants R. Nixon, Percival, King, and Neville, and a considerable number of non-commissioned officers and soldiers, wounded.

The siege of Seringapatam was prosecuted with vigour; and in the early part of May, a practicable breach was ready, when the TWELFTH were selected to take part in storming this important fortress. For this service, the flank companies of the European corps left in the camp, the TWELFTH, thirty-third, seventy-third, and seventy-fourth regiments, three corps of grenadier Sepoys, two hundred of the Nizam's troops, a hundred of the artillery, and the corps of pioneers, the whole under the orders of Major-General Baird, took post in the trenches, to make the attack during the heat of the day on the 4th of May, when the Mysoreans were likely to be surprised. At one o'clock the signal was given, when the forlorn hope sprang forward; six flank companies, and the TWELFTH regiment, also issued from the trenches at a running pace, and were followed by the remainder of the storming party; they passed the rocky bed of the Cavery river under a heavy fire, crossed the glacis and ditch, ascended the breaches in the _fausse braye_ and rampart in gallant style, and overcame all resistance, with a resolution and valour which proved the innate bravery of the officers and soldiers. The Mysoreans were unable to withstand the prowess of the British troops, and they were overpowered at all points.

During the heat of the conflict, Captain Woodhall was detached with the light company of the TWELFTH, and a few men of the battalion companies, to reinforce the troops fighting upon the inner rampart; this party proceeded by a narrow path, passed a deep ditch to the inward wall, and flanked and took in reverse the enemy's traverses, which were defended by the Sultan in person, who was forced to retire. As Tippoo and his suite were passing the small gate on the northern face, into the body of the town, the light infantry of the TWELFTH arrived at the inner side of the gate, and fired upon him and his followers with such effect, that the gateway was choked with killed and wounded, and the body of the Sultan was afterwards found among the slain. After the firing had ceased at all other points, resistance continued to be made at the palace; but upon assurance of safety to the sons of Tippoo, the enemy surrendered, and the capture of this important city and fortress was achieved.

The regiment had seventeen men killed, and forty-nine wounded during the siege, and Lieutenant Shawe was shot through the leg in the assault; the following officers died during the siege from extraordinary fatigue and the effects of the climate; Major Allen, Captain Buckeridge, Lieutenants Percival and Gahan, and Assistant Surgeon Bacot.

On the following day it was stated in orders:--'The Commander-in-Chief congratulates the gallant army he has the honor to command on the conquest of yesterday; the effects arising from the attainment of such an acquisition as far exceed the present limits of detail, as the unremitting zeal, labour, and unparalleled valour of the troops surpass the power of praise for services so incalculable in their consequences: he must consider the troops well entitled to the gratitude of their country.'

The Governor-General stated in a letter to Lieut.-General Harris, 'With the warmest sensation of admiration, affection, and attachment, I offer my cordial thanks, and zealous congratulations to you and all the officers and privates composing the gallant army, which has achieved this glorious and decisive victory, with a degree of energy, rapidity, and of skill, unparalleled in this quarter of the globe, and seldom equalled in any part of the world.'

In general orders by Government, it was stated--'The Right Honorable the Governor-General in Council, having this day received from the Commander-in-Chief of the allied army in the field, the official detail of the glorious and decisive victory obtained at Seringapatam, on the 4th May, offers his cordial thanks and sincere congratulations to the Commander-in-Chief and all the officers and men composing the gallant army which achieved the capture of the capital of Mysore on that memorable day.

'His Lordship views with admiration, the consummate judgment with which the assault was planned, the unequalled rapidity, animation, and skill, with which it was executed, and the humanity which distinguished its success.

'Under the favour of Providence and the justice of our cause, the established character of the army had inspired an early confidence that the war, in which we were engaged, would be brought to a speedy, prosperous, and honorable issue; but the events of the 4th of May, while they even surpassed the sanguine expectation of the Governor-General in Council, have raised the reputation of the British arms in India to a degree of splendour and glory, unrivalled in the military history of this quarter of the globe, and seldom approached in any part of the world.

'The lustre of the victory can be equalled only by the substantial advantages which it promises to establish, by restoring the peace and safety of the British possessions in India, and a durable foundation of genuine security.

'The Governor-General in Council reflects with pride, satisfaction, and gratitude, that in this arduous crisis, the spirit and exertions of our Indian army have kept pace with those of our countrymen at home; and that in India, as in Europe, Great Britain has found in the malevolent designs of her enemies, an increasing source of her own prosperity, fame, and power.'

_Heath del._ _Madeley Lith. 3 Wellington S^t Strand._

TWELFTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.

STORMING OF SERINGAPATAM MAY 4^{TH} 1799.

_For Cannons Military Records._]

The territory subject to the late Tippoo Sultan was divided: to Great Britain was allotted the capital and several extensive districts; another portion was given to the Nizam; and a third to the Mahratta power; the remainder continued to form an independent state under a descendant of the ancient rulers of Mysore. Thus was the hostile combination against England confounded, British territory extended, and its power and revenue increased. The TWELFTH regiment was afterwards rewarded with the royal authority to bear the word SERINGAPATAM on its colours, to commemorate its gallant conduct during this war, and the officers received medals from the East India Company.[20] The regiment captured eight stand of colours from the troops of Tippoo Sultan at the storming of the capital.

After encamping a short time near Seringapatam, and afterwards near Yarriagoranelly, the regiment marched into garrison at the captured fortress; but while it was stationed there, a partisan, named Dhoondia, excited the Mysoreans to take arms in opposition to the allied powers, which occasioned orders to be issued for the TWELFTH foot again to take the field. This partisan assembled an irregular force, and gained possession of several fortified places. When a small body of troops was sent against him, he fled, and was pursued to the frontiers of the Mysore country.

[Sidenote: 1800]

The regiment was afterwards encamped near Seringapatam, where it was joined in December, 1800, by the seventy-seventh foot, some battalions of Sepoys, and a proportion of native cavalry, forming a small army under Colonel Pater, for the purpose of reducing the warlike tribes of the _Wynaad_ country,--a mountainous district overrun with woods, and comprising about twelve hundred square miles, situate in the province of Malabar.

[Sidenote: 1801]

Leaving the vicinity of Seringapatam on the 26th of December, five companies of the regiment arrived at Manantoddy on the 9th of January, 1801, and were employed until the 23rd of that month, in stockading the small hill fort, and in making arrangements for entering the woody districts of the Wynaad country.

From Manantoddy the TWELFTH proceeded to Peria Colgum, where they constructed a redoubt: they afterwards marched to Lackerry Cottah, at which village another redoubt was constructed.

The little army under Colonel Pater traversed the country in almost every practicable direction, ascending hills, cutting roads through almost impenetrable jungle of bamboos, skirmishing with the warlike inhabitants, and forcing them to submit, in which service the TWELFTH had several men killed and wounded: the climate, and extraordinary fatigue undergone by the troops, also occasioned the loss of many lives from disease. The Wynaad country having been forced to submit, and the hostile rajah taken prisoner, the companies of the TWELFTH regiment employed in this service returned to Seringapatam.

The regiment quitted Seringapatam in the middle of October, 1801, and proceeded to Trichinopoly, a celebrated city and fortress, situate on a hill, or rock, three hundred and fifty feet high, on the south bank of the river Cavery, opposite the island of Seringam, famous for its magnificent Hindoo temples.

[Sidenote: 1802]

At Trichinopoly the regiment was joined in January, 1802, by the remains of two companies, which had embarked on board of His Majesty's ships, at Madras, for Batavia. These companies had suffered severely from the climate of the island of Java; and of the five officers and one hundred and twenty-five men who embarked at Madras, only three officers and sixty-three soldiers returned; Lieutenants Gordon and Neville and sixty-two men died of fevers, and other diseases.

[Sidenote: 1803]

[Sidenote: 1804]

Three companies had been stationed under Major John Picton, at Vellore, in the Carnatic, the residence of the family of the late Tippoo Sultan, consisting of his brother, twelve sons, eight daughters, and an immense number of women; and these companies were afterwards employed against the insurgent sect called the Polygans, in which several non-commissioned officers and soldiers were killed and wounded; Lieutenant William Firth was also wounded, and Lieutenant Parker died of the jungle fever. After the performance of this service, the three companies joined the regiment at Trichinopoly, where the TWELFTH were stationed during the years 1803 and 1804.

[Sidenote: 1805]

[Sidenote: 1806]

In August, 1805, the regiment marched to Seringapatam, where a very fatal fever broke out in 1806, when the TWELFTH removed to an encampment at some distance from the fortress; but they lost many officers and soldiers in that and the following year.

[Sidenote: 1807]

In April, 1807, more than half the surviving officers and men were suffering from disease, when an order arrived for the remainder to march to the coast of Malabar, and occupy quarters at the port of Cannanore, where the regiment was stationed upwards of eighteen months.

[Sidenote: 1808]

At Cannanore the health of the men was restored, and when inspected in 1808, by Colonel Cuppage, a district order was published, in which the colonel expressed 'his thanks to Captain Eustace and the officers and men of His Majesty's TWELFTH regiment, for their handsome appearance at the review. The dress, steadiness, and general appearance of the men, marked the great attention paid to their discipline, and their uniform good conduct and friendly disposition towards the natives reflect every credit on the corps.'

While the TWELFTH foot were at Cannanore, some disputes, of a tedious and complicated character, occurred between the British and the Rajah of _Travancore_, a province situate at the south-west extremity of Hindoostan. In 1795, a treaty of alliance was concluded between the British and the Rajah, who agreed to subsidize three battalions of Sepoys for the defence of his dominions; when the disputes with the Rajah came to a crisis, these battalions were at the port of _Coulan_ (or _Quilon_), and they were threatened with destruction by the natives, together with every person in the British interest. While the execution of these menaces was delayed, the TWELFTH regiment embarked, towards the end of December, 1808, in potamars (small undecked vessels), to proceed along the coast a distance of three hundred miles to Coulan, in the Travancore country. Four of these boats, having three companies and a half on board, arrived at their destination in a few days, and were immediately landed, to the great joy of the Sepoys. A severe gale of wind dispersed the boats containing the other companies of the regiment, and several of them were wrecked on the coast of Cochin, a small province on the north of Travancore, but by great exertions the soldiers were saved; others gained the port of Cochin, where they remained until the storm was over. One potamar, containing Serjeant-Major Tilsey and thirty-three rank and file, was driven on the coast of Travancore, near _Alleppi_, when the natives sent off several small canoes. The soldiers, believing they had arrived at the friendly port of Coulan, went on board the canoes two or three at a time, but on landing they were overpowered by the natives, their wrists broken with an iron bar, their hands tied behind them, and they were cast into a dungeon, where they remained several days without food. They were afterwards conducted, when scarcely able to walk, to a high ground near the sea, and precipitated into a watery grave. The serjeant-major was reserved to the last, and as he witnessed his companions in arms successively hurled headlong into the deep, he struggled to release himself, and tore pieces of flesh from his shoulders with his teeth, exclaiming 'Let me die like a soldier!' but the barbarians derided him, and eventually put an end to his torments in the same manner as the others. A negro youth, who accompanied this portion of the regiment as cook, witnessed this tragic scene, and was menaced with the same fate, but was spared, and he afterwards made known the fate of the party. Another potamar, having nearly a company on board, under Lieutenant George Blanchard Gray and Adjutant Hayes, approached the coast a few miles from Coulan, and were, in consequence of the shattered state of the vessel, deciding on the propriety of landing, when a volley of musketry from the shore announced the hostile intentions of the natives. The vessel was bound together with some large tents, to prevent its splitting, and it arrived safely at Cochin, but went to pieces in the harbour. All the potamars being damaged, other vessels were procured to continue the voyage.

The officers and men of the regiment, who arrived at Coulan on the 29th of December, joined the Sepoys encamped near the town. On the evening of the same day, the Travancoreans attacked the piquet under Captain Clapham of the Sepoys; the fire of musketry and artillery indicating a sharp conflict, Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers, commanding the troops at that station, detached Ensign James Keappock, and forty men of the TWELFTH, to support the Sepoys, and the enemy was forced to retire, leaving about eighty men dead on the scene of conflict.

The Travancoreans were excited to rage and fury against the British, who had thus gained a footing in the heart of their country; they assembled in immense multitudes before the camp, kept up an incessant fire on the piquets, and heavy columns menaced the encampment; the soldiers were thus kept constantly ready for action, and they lay on their arms night and day.

[Sidenote: 1809]

On the 8th of January, 1809, the remainder of the regiment arrived at Coulan, excepting one company, commanded by Lieutenant Thomas Thompson, left with six hundred Sepoys and several guns for the defence of Cochin. The men of the TWELFTH, with the Sepoys and guns which had arrived, were landed as expeditiously as possible; but the force was obliged to remain encamped on a sandy plain near the sea, enclosed by an almost impenetrable forest of cocoa-nut trees, from the want of means for carrying on active operations. The Resident prohibited the felling of the trees to conciliate the natives; but this produced no advantage, and the wood afforded shelter to the Travancorean marksmen, who annoyed the camp with their fire, keeping the troops in a constant state of alarm; the outposts were also frequently attacked by parties of the enemy.

Before daylight, on the 15th of January, a tumultuous noise in the wood proclaimed the approach of an immense number of men, and at break of day the Travancoreans commenced an attack along the whole front of the British line, at the same time heavy columns were seen among the trees threatening both flanks. Thinking the attack was a surprise, the enemy fired his artillery at the tents; but when sufficient light enabled the Travancoreans to see the British ranks, they immediately directed their guns on the TWELFTH regiment, as if desirous of annihilating the Europeans first. Thus perilously exposed to the enemy's numerous artillery, the British instantly advanced the right wing of the TWELFTH and two battalions of Sepoys against the enemy's left, and the left wing of the TWELFTH, with one battalion of Sepoys, against the right of the enemy's line. The whole force was instantly brought into close action; but the British had only five small field-pieces to answer the fire of the forty guns brought into action by the enemy: the British musketry was, however, well directed, and the incessant peals which echoed in the woods announced a vigorous contest, which was continued for several hours, during which clouds of barbed arrows, from the enemy's local troops, inflicted painful wounds on the British soldiers. About mid-day, the TWELFTH were ordered to charge with bayonets, and capture the enemy's artillery; they rushed forward with distinguished bravery, the soldiers shouting "Remember our murdered comrades at Alleppi!" as they precipitated themselves upon their opponents. The Travancoreans made a resolute defence, many of them being bayoneted at their guns; and a discharge of grape-shot, from one field-piece, killed eleven grenadiers of the TWELFTH regiment. During this contest many distinguished acts of gallantry were displayed by the officers and men, and Ensign Keappock, being attacked by two opponents, slew them. Finally both wings of the regiment were triumphant; heaps of Travancoreans fell beneath the bayonets of the TWELFTH, who captured eighteen brass field-pieces. The loss of these guns intimidated the enemy, who retired about three o'clock in the afternoon, leaving five thousand killed and wounded on the field of battle. The British were unable to follow up the advantage, from the want of stores, which prevented their quitting the coast.

The enemy appears to have been very confident of success on this occasion, and to have been intent on the annihilation of the Europeans; several Travancoreans of their Carnatic brigade were taken prisoners, and ropes being found in their possession, they were questioned on the subject, when they confessed that the cords were brought for the purpose of hanging the British soldiers, and that the British officers were to have been trampled to death by elephants.

The regiment had fifty men killed and wounded; no officers were killed, but the following were wounded--Captain Richard Bayley, Lieutenant M. J. Molloy, and Surgeon Robert Erskine.

On the succeeding day, the following statement was published in orders,--'It is with the greatest satisfaction that Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers congratulates the troops he has the honour to command, on the glorious success obtained yesterday, against the attack of an enemy whose force did not amount to less than thirty thousand men. He begs leave to offer his most particular thanks to Lieut.-Colonel PICTON, who commanded the right wing of this little force, with a wing of the TWELFTH regiment, and to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, whose gallantry and high discipline have, on all occasions, appeared conspicuous. Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers has to offer his thanks to Major HAMILTON, who commanded on the left, with a wing of His Majesty's TWELFTH regiment, and to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, whose gallant conduct needs no further comment, than that they belonged to His Majesty's TWELFTH.' The Political Resident, Colonel C. Macauly, stated in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers, 'I have received the details of the victory over the united force of the Divan--an achievement that reflects signal honour on the discipline and animated valour of the troops under your command, and sheds fresh lustre on the British arms.'

A numerous army of opponents continued to hover near the British force at Coulan, and it was deemed advisable to cut down many of the trees, to throw up a breast-work in front of the encampment, and to construct a redoubt, which was armed with the guns taken from the enemy.

In the mean time, the company of the TWELFTH under Lieutenant Thompson, with the battalion of Sepoys, commanded by Major Hewett, left for the defence of the port of _Cochin_, had been attacked by the troops of the Rajah of the province of Cochin. During the action, the Sepoys gave way, and the company of the TWELFTH had to maintain a desperate struggle with very superior numbers. The enemy was repulsed, and the inhabitants of Cochin were preserved from a general massacre, with which they had been menaced for being favourable to the British interests; they openly attributed their preservation to the distinguished heroism of the company of the TWELFTH, which had half its non-commissioned officers and private soldiers killed and wounded; Lieutenant Thompson was severely wounded, and died a short time afterwards.

The TWELFTH regiment and Sepoys continued to resist the armed population of Travancore and the numerous forces of the Rajah; but being constantly harassed by the approach of bodies of the enemy, the physical powers of the soldiers became diminished, and their numbers decreased by disease; but the innate valour of the troops remained unabated. Before daylight on the 31st of January, the Travancoreans made another effort to surprise the camp; but a rocket announced their approach, and the British were under arms, as they usually were, at three o'clock in the morning: many of the cocoa-nut trees had been cut down to enlarge the plain, and as the enemy's heavy columns emerged from the wood, a sharp cannonade was opened upon them; but they formed line under fire and advanced, when the guns of the redoubt rent chasms in their ranks. Undismayed by the storm of grape and bullets which smote their ranks, the Travancoreans pressed forward, and endeavoured to establish several guns on a rising ground; but the artillery of the redoubt dismounted their ordnance. After keeping up an irregular fire of musketry for some time, they withdrew from the front, and concentrating on the right, renewed the attack with greater vigour, when the left wing of the TWELFTH regiment was detached under Captain William Henry Forssteen, to aid the Sepoys on that flank. On the arrival of the TWELFTH on the right, a charge with bayonets was executed with great vigour and the Travancoreans fled from the field, leaving one brass six-pounder behind them; several other guns were preserved by the swiftness of the elephants.

On the following day, the troops were thanked in orders 'for the steady and cool manner in which they met and repulsed the attack of the enemy.'

After this defeat, in which they lost an immense number of men, the Travancoreans did not hazard another general attack; but they frequently endeavoured to surprise the piquets in the night, in which they were always defeated. On the 13th of February, the nineteenth regiment arrived from Columbo; and the troops were only prevented advancing up the country from the want of stores and the means of conveyance. A small supply having arrived, they advanced in two columns, the first composed of the TWELFTH and a battalion of Sepoys, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Picton; and the second, of the nineteenth and a battalion of Sepoys, under Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, and by a combined attack they captured the enemy's stockade and extensive breast-works, in gallant style, on the 21st of February.

In the meantime another British force had penetrated the Travancore country under Colonel St. Leger, and this army arrived at Travandapatam, the capital, without meeting with serious opposition. The refractory Rajah made overtures for peace, and the TWELFTH regiment returned to Coulan, detaching the flank companies to the capital.

The regiment commenced its march for Seringapatam, on the 23rd of May; but was forced to halt several days in consequence of the heavy rains of the Malabar monsoon, which rendered the rivers impassable, swept away part of the regimental baggage, and drowned several men in the rapid currents which rushed along the low grounds. On the 24th of July the regiment arrived at Trichinopoly.

[Sidenote: 1810]

In Europe, the war with France was being prosecuted with vigour, and in the month of March, 1810, the flank companies of the regiment were completed to one hundred rank and file each, and marched under Captain Forssteen, for Madras, to take part in an expedition against the French island of _Bourbon_, situate in the Indian ocean, about four hundred miles east of Madagascar. In June the expedition arrived at Rodriguez, and in July came in sight of the island of Bourbon, when the surf was so high as to render a landing dangerous; an attempt was, however, made; the light infantry of the TWELFTH in a small schooner, and about three hundred men of the thirty-third and sixty-ninth regiments in boats, approached the shore and effected a landing with the loss of a few men drowned; but the schooner and boats were dashed to pieces, the soldiers' ammunition damaged, and many of their arms lost. As no more men could be landed, Lieutenant Foulkstone of the sixty-ninth regiment volunteered to swim through the surf and convey orders to Lieut.-Colonel Macleod, to take possession of _St. Marie_. This order was instantly obeyed, and the light infantry of the TWELFTH distinguished themselves in storming the batteries, in which service they had two private soldiers killed; Lieutenants John Spinks, and John B. Whannell, with five rank and file wounded. The grenadier company of the TWELFTH, and other corps afterwards landed at Grand Chaloupe, and by their spirited conduct, particularly the gallant behaviour of the eighty-sixth regiment, the reduction of the island was speedily accomplished.

While the flank companies were engaged in this service, the regiment was stationed at Wallajahbad, from whence it marched, in August, to St. Thomas's Mount, and in September to Madras, where it embarked on board the "Russell," of seventy-four guns, and the "Cornwallis," "Hesper," "Cornelia," "Bucephalus," and "Clorinde" frigates, to take part in the expedition against the _Mauritius_, or _Isle of France_, another island in the Indian sea, belonging to France; the grenadiers and light infantry of the regiment also embarked from St. Paul's in the island of Bourbon, to share in the enterprise. On the 28th of November the armament approached the Isle of France, and the troops effected a landing in the bay of Mapon, when one brigade was ordered into a large wood, through which it was necessary to pass. The light company of the TWELFTH under Captain Forssteen, preceded by a section under Lieutenant Ashe, penetrated among the trees, and skirmished with a French piquet, in which service two men were killed, and Lieutenant Ashe and three private soldiers wounded. After a march of nine miles, the light infantry of the TWELFTH halted on some low ground surrounded by jungle. The weather was very hot, water could not be procured, and the sufferings of the soldiers, in consequence, were very severe; but on the following day some alleviation of suffering was obtained by sucking the dew from the herbage, and advancing to the powder mills, within five miles of Port Louis, the capital, clear streams of water were discovered. While halting at this place, the piquets were attacked by the enemy, when the rifle company of the TWELFTH, and the light infantry of the fifty-ninth, dashed forward, and drove back the French skirmishers, wounding General de Caen.

On the following morning the army advanced, the grenadiers of the TWELFTH being in front, and the light infantry on the flanks, under Captains Firth and Forssteen, Lieutenant Keappock commanding the leading section of grenadiers. While advancing along a narrow road, through a country covered with underwood, the army was suddenly assailed with grape shot, from an eminence; but a charge with bayonets forced the French to withdraw. Arriving at some open grounds, the British formed line, when the French abandoned their guns and retreated towards the town, leaving a body of troops on a mountain on the British left. The TWELFTH were ordered to storm the height, and they raised a loud shout, and soon gained the summit, when the French fled, leaving a gun behind them.

The officers and soldiers of the regiment evinced great heroism in these services; Lieutenant Keappock was wounded in the side, but continued at his post until a shot in the head forced him to retire; his honourable, though dangerous post, was taken by Lieutenant Jenkins, who received a severe contusion on the breast by a ball, but continued at the head of the leading section.

In this short but brilliant and decisive service, the regiment had Major Jeremiah O'Keefe, one drummer, and sixteen rank and file killed; Lieutenants Keappock and Ashe, three serjeants, and twenty-eight rank and file wounded; five men missing.

The French Governor, General de Caen, seeing no prospect of being able to make effectual resistance, surrendered the island. This enterprise was thus successfully accomplished, and the conduct of the TWELFTH regiment was commended in orders, also in the public despatch of Major-General Abercromby.

After the surrender of the Isle of France, the flank companies proceeded to Port Louis, and the battalion companies descended the Long Mountain, and embarked from Tortue bay, in the "Psyche" frigate, for Grand Port, where they were joined by the flank companies, after being separated eleven months.

[Sidenote: 1811]

General Picton died on the 14th of October, 1811, in his eighty-fourth year, and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the TWELFTH foot, by Lieut.-General Sir Charles Hastings, Baronet, from the seventy-seventh regiment of foot.

The regiment was stationed in the Isle of France during the years 1811 and 1812.

[Sidenote: 1812]

In the meantime the war with France was approaching to a crisis; Napoleon Bonaparte had attained the summit of power, and the efforts of Great Britain were commensurate with the importance of the contest; the army was augmented, and in the autumn of 1811 a _second battalion_ was added to the TWELFTH regiment of four hundred and fifty-one officers and soldiers, into which the recruiting companies of the regiment were incorporated.

In the autumn of 1812, the second battalion proceeded to Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1813]

In April, 1813, the first battalion embarked from Port Louis, for the island of Bourbon, where it was stationed nearly two years.

[Sidenote: 1814]

[Sidenote: 1815]

During this period the tyrannical power of Bonaparte had been overthrown, and the Bourbon dynasty restored to the throne of France. On the re-establishment of peace in Europe, the island of Bourbon was restored to the French monarchy, and in consequence of this arrangement the regiment embarked from St. Denis on the 3rd of April, 1815; the French soldiers, who arrived from Europe to take possession of the island, landing as the British went on board the ships prepared to receive them.

The Mauritius, or Isle of France, was retained by the British government, and the TWELFTH foot having been selected to form part of the garrison of that valuable island, immediately proceeded thither.

Soon afterwards, Bonaparte quitted the island of Elba, in violation of his engagements, and regained the throne of France, when the powers of Europe took arms against the usurper, and his veteran legions were overpowered in the field of Waterloo by the allied army under Field Marshal His Grace the Duke of Wellington, on the 18th of June, 1815. To replace the losses of the British army at Waterloo, additional forces were sent to the continent, and the second battalion of the TWELFTH regiment, which had returned to England a few months previously from Ireland, embarked for Flanders on the 27th of June, under the command of Colonel Julius Stirke; it landed at Ostend and advanced to Paris, where the campaign was terminated by the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty to the throne of France. Peace being again established in Europe, the battalion returned to England in December.

In June, 1815, the rifle company of the first battalion proceeded to Bengal, and formed part of a field brigade assembled for service; it, however, returned to the Mauritius in November.

[Sidenote: 1816]

In January, 1816, the second battalion again proceeded to Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1817]

The first battalion continued to form part of the garrison of the Mauritius during the year 1816, and the first six months of 1817; on the 1st of July of the latter year, a serious fire broke out at Port Louis, when the exertions of the garrison to extinguish the flames, called forth the admiration and thanks of the inhabitants, which were communicated to the troops by the governor.

Transports having arrived to convey the regiment to Europe, a general order was published, in which it was stated, 'Major-General Sir Edward Butler, in taking leave of the TWELFTH regiment, feels himself highly gratified in stating, that its conduct, during its services in this island, has, in every particular, been such as to meet with his highest approbation, and he begs to assure Lieut.-Colonel Forssteen, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the TWELFTH regiment, that they carry with them his warmest wishes for their prosperity and welfare.'

The regiment sailed from Port Louis on the 25th of July, arrived at Portsmouth on the 10th of November, and afterwards proceeded to Cork, where it landed on the 26th of December, after an absence from Europe of nearly twenty-two years.

A representation of the distinguished services of the regiment in the Travancore country, and other parts of India, with its gallantry at the capture of the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius, procured for it the royal authority to bear the word "INDIA" on its colours.

[Sidenote: 1818]

From Cork the regiment marched to Athlone, where it arrived on the 9th of January, 1818; and joined the second battalion, which was stationed at that place.

[Sidenote: 1820]

On the 16th of January the second battalion was disbanded at Athlone, transferring six hundred and sixty men to the first battalion. The regiment performed duty in the counties of Cork, Limerick, and Clare, until June, 1820, when it marched to Dublin.

In the autumn of the same year, the regiment embarked for England; it landed at Liverpool, and was afterwards stationed at Manchester and Macclesfield.

[Sidenote: 1821]

On the regiment quitting these quarters, in February, 1821, Major-General Sir James Lyon stated, in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Forssteen, 'Although the TWELFTH foot have been stationed but a short time in this place, I cannot refrain from expressing to you, that no military change could have given me more concern than their departure. I have had every opportunity of observing their uniform good conduct and strict attention to every branch of discipline, and nothing but satisfaction has ever been manifested to me by the civil authorities, and the inhabitants in general, on the very exemplary behaviour of the men. I beg of you to make known to the corps, the value I attach to the honor of having had a regiment of such high character placed under my orders, and that I must ever take an interest in its welfare and success.'

From Lancashire, the regiment marched to Portsmouth, where it embarked for Jersey and Guernsey.

[Sidenote: 1822]

[Sidenote: 1823]

While stationed at these islands, the appearance of the regiment, the conduct of the men, and the excellent system of interior economy which existed in the corps, elicited the commendations of Major-General Sir Colin Halkett, at the inspections in October, 1821, May and October, 1822; and when the TWELFTH were about to return to England, in May, 1823, the Major-General repeated his expressions of approbation, with his warm interest in the welfare of the corps. The conduct of the four companies at Guernsey, under Major Bayley, was also specially commended by the Lieut.-Governor, Colonel Sir John Colborne.

On arriving in England, the regiment was stationed at Chatham and Sheerness until October, when it proceeded to Fort Cumberland.

On the decease of General Sir Charles Hastings, Baronet, the Colonelcy was conferred on Lieut.-General the Honorable Robert Meade, from the ninetieth regiment, by commission dated the 9th of October, 1823.

The regiment having received orders to transfer its services to Gibraltar, the scene of its former triumphs, it embarked on board of His Majesty's Ships "Ganges" and "Superb," on the 8th of November, and arrived at that celebrated fortress on the 25th of the same month.

[Sidenote: 1825]

In 1825, the establishment of the regiment was augmented from eight to ten companies, _six_ to be considered _service companies_ and remain at Gibraltar, and _four depôt_ companies to be stationed in the United Kingdom; in consequence of this arrangement the officers and non-commissioned officers of two companies were sent to England.

[Sidenote: 1827]

A new pair of Colours having been provided for the regiment, and bearing the following honorary distinctions, the words "MINDEN," "GIBRALTAR" with the Castle and Key and the motto '_Montis Insignia Calpé_,' "SERINGAPATAM" and "INDIA," they were presented to the corps, on the 28th of June, 1827, by General Sir George Don, who addressed the commanding officer (Major-Turberville), the officers, and soldiers, to the following effect:--

'It appears by the record of the TWELFTH Regiment, to which I have the honor of presenting these colours, that among the many valiant deeds of the corps, it achieved distinguished glory at the battle of _Minden_. In 1797 I attended the renowned Duke of Brunswick on the spot where this battle was fought; after His Serene Highness had shown me the position occupied by the British, he said, _It was here the conflict was most obstinate and it was here that the British Infantry gained immortal glory_. This Rock, and Seringapatam, were afterwards among the scenes where the TWELFTH Regiment distinguished itself, and which are immortalized in the history of our country. Being myself a soldier of fifty-seven years' standing, I am alive to every instance of meritorious conduct in my brother soldiers, and it is extremely gratifying to me to reflect, that the TWELFTH Regiment, which so early established its fame, has continued to augment it on every occasion; and I am confident that whenever these Colours shall be displayed before an enemy, the regiment will, by its valiant conduct, add to the number of glorious records with which they are graced.'

[Sidenote: 1828]

In 1828 the garrison of Gibraltar was afflicted with a severe epidemic fever, which occasioned the death of upwards of five hundred soldiers; the inhabitants suffered much more severely than the troops. During the prevalence of the disease, the TWELFTH were encamped for four months on the neutral ground, where they were reviewed on the 27th of December, by the Lieut.-Governor Sir George Don, who expressed to Lieut.-Colonel Bayley, his entire approbation of the appearance of the corps, of its discipline, and interior economy. Eight officers, and two hundred and eighteen non-commissioned officers and soldiers, had been afflicted with the fever, of which number, two officers (Lieutenant Forssteen and Ensign Werge) and fifty-three soldiers had died.

[Sidenote: 1834]

The regiment remained at Gibraltar until the spring of 1834, when it embarked for England, and landed at Portsmouth, from whence it marched to Winchester, and during the winter into Lancashire.

[Sidenote: 1835]

[Sidenote: 1836]

In November 1835, the regiment embarked at Liverpool for Ireland; it landed at Dublin, and was quartered in that city until October 1836, when it proceeded to Athlone.

[Sidenote: 1837]

The regiment was again divided into six service and four depôt companies in the summer of 1837; and in August, the service companies embarked at Cork for the Mauritius, where they arrived in December, and landed at Port Louis.

[Sidenote: 1838]

During the year 1838 the depôt companies were stationed at Kinsale and Tralee.

[Sidenote: 1839]

On the augmentation of the army in August, 1839, the establishment of the TWELFTH was increased to forty-seven serjeants, fourteen drummers, and eight hundred rank and file.

[Sidenote: 1840]

[Sidenote: 1841]

In May, 1839, the depôt companies embarked at Cork for Wales, and continued to be stationed at Newtown, Builth, and Brecon, until May, 1840, when they proceeded to Scotland and occupied the barracks at Paisley until May, 1841, when they returned to South Britain and were stationed at Sunderland.

[Sidenote: 1842]

In April, 1842, the TWELFTH Regiment having been augmented to an establishment of one lieut.-colonel, twelve captains, fourteen lieutenants, ten ensigns, six staff officers, sixty-seven serjeants, twenty-five drummers, and twelve hundred rank and file, was ordered to be separated into two battalions; the six service companies abroad being termed the First battalion, and the depôt, augmented to six companies, being styled the Reserve battalion.

[Sidenote: 1843]

The depôt was consequently removed from Sunderland to Weedon in May, 1842, and receiving 255 volunteers from other corps, was there organised for foreign service. The reserve battalion embarked from Portsmouth in the "Java" transport for the Mauritius in November, 1842, under the command of Major Sir Robert Douglas, Bart., but was disembarked at the Cape of Good Hope, and remained there until May, 1843, when it proceeded to its original destination.

[Sidenote: 1847]

On the 2nd of November, 1847, Her Majesty's Troopship "Resistance" arrived with the first battalion of the Fifth Fusiliers for the purpose of relieving the first battalion of the TWELFTH Regiment, which embarked from the Mauritius on the 16th of December, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Patton.

[Sidenote: 1848]

The first battalion arrived at Spithead on the 1st of March, 1848, and disembarked on the 3rd of March at Portsmouth, where it was joined by the depôt company from the Isle of Wight. The reserve battalion, after being completed by the transfer of effective men from the first battalion, continued at the Mauritius.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

TWELFTH, OR EAST SUFFOLK

REGIMENT OF FOOT.

HENRY DUKE OF NORFOLK, K. G.

_Appointed 20th of June, 1685._

HENRY HOWARD, son of Henry sixth Duke of Norfolk, sat in the House of Lords by the title of Lord Mowbray, in the lifetime of his father, and on the death of Prince Rupert, in 1682, he was nominated Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle and Warden of the forest at Windsor, also Lord-lieutenant of the counties of Berks and Surrey. On the decease of his father, in 1684, he succeeded to the dignity of DUKE OF NORFOLK, and of Earl Marshal of England, and he was also constituted Lord-lieutenant of Norfolk. On the accession of King James II., he was one of the peers who signed the order for His Majesty's proclamation, and he was shortly afterwards elected a Knight Companion of the most noble Order of the Garter. He took an active part in favour of the King, on the breaking out of the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth, and interested himself in the raising of a corps of pikemen and musketeers, now TWELFTH foot, of which he was appointed colonel, and of which his garrison company at Windsor Castle formed a part. In a few months after tranquillity was restored, he relinquished the command of the regiment, but continued to attend at court, and witnessed, with painful emotions, the predilection of the King in favour of papacy and arbitrary government. On one occasion His Majesty gave the Duke of Norfolk the sword of state to carry before him to the Roman Catholic chapel; but on arriving at the door, His Grace stopped, not being willing to enter the chapel, when the King said, "My Lord, your father would have gone further;" to which the Duke replied, "Your Majesty's father was the better man, and he would not have gone so far."[21]