The Siege of Cananore: First Military Action
Captain Lachlan Macquarie's 1790 journal repeats the descriptive pattern
of 1789: documentation of the mundane details of garrison duty and
barrack life in Bombay; the arrival and departure of vessels in the
harbour; the receipt and despatch of letters; – and the social
activities that brightened the lives of the small British community. The
entries are sparse for each month until November. At this stage Orders
were received for the 77th Regiment, 1st Bombay European Regiment, and
several Battalions of HEIC Sepoy troops to proceed southward to the Malabar coastal port of Tellicherry [present-day Thalassery] for field service against the Rajah of Cananore [present-day Kannur] and the troops of Tipu Sultan, Rajah of Mysore.
Macquarie's description of the military expedition and siege of Cananore
is a valuable first-hand account of the campaign. The successful outcome
delivered this important port town into British hands, consolidating
their grip on the Malabar Coast – and thereby providing a springboard
for future military action against Tipu Sultan.
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