Lachlan Macquarie
Major Lachlan Macquarie (77th Regiment) served in the 4th Anglo-Mysore War of 1799 on
the General Staff of General James Stuart, commander of the Bombay Army.
Consequently, the value of his eye-witness account of events at
Sedaseer and Seringapatam is derived, in part, from his privileged position within
the General Staff. Here, he had access to official despatches, records, and communications,
as well as direct contact with various commanders and officers in the field
during the campaign.
You can select from the following list of British military forces the individual
biographies of named individuals who served in the 1799 campaign in Mysore.
The Kingdom of Mysore
A longer-term aim of this project is to include biographical entries for
Tipu Sultan, members of his immediate family, officials and military
officers in his administration, as well as other contemporary Indian
rulers and personalities whose lives impacted upon the events that
culminated at Seringapatam in April-May 1799.
France and Mysore
French mercenary troops in the service of Tipu were a vital and
important addition to his military forces. According to contemporary
analysis by Captain John Malcolm, at the time of Seringapatam in 1799
there were approximately 450 Frenchmen, under the command of Colonel
(Brevet) Louis Auguste Chappuis [or Chapuy] as chef de brigade,
who were engaged in Mysore against the British forces. They included
ninety-nine (99) men who had recently arrived at Mangalore from Île de France
(Mauritius) as volunteers (and freebooters). They had been recruited as a
consequence of the tacit encouragement of Anne-Joseph-Hippolyte de Maurés Malartic, Governor-General of Île de France
[1792-1800]. The party included two generals, 35 officers, 36 European soldiers, 22 coloured troops, and four shipbuilders.
These men, and others already serving in Mysore, fought with distinction in the final campaign; however, their numbers were too small to make a significant difference
to the final outcome. On 21 April 1799, the Corps de Lallée, as it was known, (approximately 450 men), led the attack of 6,000 Mysorean troops against the Bombay Army, under the command General Stuart, which encamped on the northern bank of the Cauvery river at Seringapatam. The attack was repulsed after heavy fighting, as documented in Lachlan Macquarie's journal.
Coorg (Kodagu) and the British
The kingdom of Coorg, on the western border of Mysore, was an integral part of the 1799 campaign
to destroy the power of Tipu in South India. The British had cultivated the support and friendship of
the Raja of Coorg, Virarajendra Vodeya, since the early 1790's. His logistical and strategic support
for the Bombay Army proved critical in the defeat of Tipu at battle of Seedaseer and in the eventual
success of the campaign.
British Forces: Bombay Army
Commander -- General James Stuart
Right Native Brigade
Lieutenant-Colonel John Montresor:
1/2 Bombay (653), 1/4 Bombay (672), 1/3 (663) Bombay Native Infantry.
Total = 1988.
Centre European Brigade
Lieutenant-Colonel James Dunlop:
H.M. 75th Regiment (223), 77th Regiment (693), 103rd [Bombay Europeans] (528).
Total = 1454.
Left Native Brigade
Lieutenant-Colonel John Wiseman:
2/3 Bombay [with additions] (717), 1/5 Bombay (663), 2/2 Bombay Native Infantry (675).
Total = 2055.
European Infantry and Artillery
Lieutenant-Colonel George A. Lawman: [HEIC]
(166 Europeans + 344 Native Troops)
Total = 510.
Engineers and Pioneers
Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Sartorius [HEIC] and
Captain B. Moncrieffe [HEIC]:
Total = 423.
Total Fighting Men (11 February 1799) = 6420.
Sources:
BEATSON, Alexander A View of the Origin and Conduct of the War with Tippoo
Sultaun. London: G. & W. Nichol, 1800 p.lxix; Weller, Jac. Wellington in India London: Greenhill Books, 1972 p.302.
Fortesque, J.W. A History of the British Army. Vol. IV Part II 1789-1801. London: Macmillan 1906 p.726.
Biographical Listing: Bombay Army
British Forces: Grand Army
Commander-in-Chief, Lord Harris.
CAVALRY
Major-General John Floyd, 19th Light Dragoons.
1st Brigade -- Colonel James Stevenson [HEIC].
19th Light Dragoons, 1st Madras Native Cavalry and 4th Madras Native Cavalry.
2nd Brigade -- Colonel John Pater, Madras Army.
25th Light Dragoons, 2nd Madras Native Cavalry and 3rd Madras Native Cavalry.
Total Cavalry strength = 884 Europeans, 1,751 Native Troops
Total= 2,635
INFANTRY
Right Wing
Major-General Thomas Bridges, Madras Army.
1st Brigade -- Major-General David Baird.
H.M. 12th Foot, 74th Foot, Scotch Brigade (later the 94th Foot).
3rd Brigade -- Colonel Francis Gowdie, Madras Army.
1/1st, 1/6th, 1/12th Madras Native Infantry.
5th Brigade -- Colonel George Roberts, Madras Army.
1/8th, 2/3rd, 2/12th Madras Native Infantry.
Left Wing
Major-General William Popham, Bengal Army.
2nd Brigade -- Colonel John Cope Sherbrooke
H.M. 73rd Foot, 33rd Foot, De Meuron Regiment.
4th Brigade -- Lieut. Colonel John Gardiner, Bengal Army.
1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalion Bengal Volunteer Infantry.
6th Brigade -- Lieut. Colonel Scott, Scotch Brigade.
2/5th, 2/9th Madras Native Infantry.
ENGINEERS & PIONEERS
Colonel William Gent.
European engineer officers and NCOs, plus Madras (Indian) Pioneers (1,000).
ARTILLERY
Two companies Bengal, 1st and 2nd battalions Madras Artillery.
Total: 608 non-commissioned officers and men. Also 1,483 Gun Lascars.
Total Infantry strength: 3,650 Europeans and 10,695 Native Troops.
Total Fighting Men (17 February 1799) [Grand Army]: 20,071.
Sources:
Fortesque, J.W. A History of the British Army. Vol. IV Part II 1789-1801.
London: Macmillan 1906 p.725; Weller, Jac. Wellington in India London:
Greenhill Books, 1972 p.302.
Biographical Listing: Grand Army
British Forces: Baramahal Army
Commander -- Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Read [HEIC]
Infantry: Europeans (109); HEIC Native troops (1,123) Total: 1,232
Native troops of Nizam [under Major Grant] Total: 1,973
Cavalry: HEIC Native troops (47); Nizam (1584). Total: 1631
Artillery: HEIC Native troops (108); Nizam (139). Total: 247
Pioneers: 24
Total Fighting Men (12 April 1799): 5,107
Source:
Weller, Jac. Wellington in India London:
Greenhill Books, 1972 p.302.
British Forces: Coimbatore Army
Commander -- Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Brown [HEIC]
Infantry: Five (5) companies of H.M. 19th Foot. Total: 386
Madras Total: 617
Detachments from 2/1, 1/2,1/3, 1/13, and 2/13 Madras Native Infantry. Total: 3,198
Artillery: Europeans (99); Native gunners and lascars (300) Total: 399
Pioneers and Engineers: 200
Total Fighting Men (20 February 1799): 4,800
Source:
Weller, Jac. Wellington in India London:
Greenhill Books, 1972 p.303.
Nizam of Hyderabad's Army - with a subsidiary British force and H.M. 33rd Regiment of Foot
Infantry:
Commander: 33rd Regiment of Foot -- Major John Shee
33rd Regiment. Total: 788
Commander: HEIC Battalions -- Lieutenant-Colonel James Dalrymple
Six (6) battalions: 1/10 (993) and 2/10 (1,008) Bengal Native Infantry; 2/2
(1,051),2/4 (998), 1/11 (989), 2/11 (1,037) Madras Native Infantry. Total: 6,864
Artillery: Europeans (142); Native gunners and lascars (318) Total: 460
There were additional units of infantry, cavalry, and artillery 'in the Nizam's
service', and some of these included British officers with advisory command. These include:
Infantry (under Captain John Malcolm [HEIC]): 3,621
Cavalry (under Captain Patrick Walker): approx. 10,000
Artillery: Native gunners and lascars 350
Total Fighting Men (20 February 1799): approximately 21,000
Total numbers for the army of the Nizam of Hyderabad must be treated with caution.
Source:
Weller, Jac. Wellington in India London:
Greenhill Books, 1972 p.303.
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