The sheer volume of source material relating to the British assault
on Seringapatam on 4 May 1799 is quite astonishing in its diversity and
complexity. The events surrounding the capture of the city and the death of Tipu
Sultan highlight the recognition by military officers, officials and politicians
that a major obstacle to British imperial ambition in India had been eliminated.
Furthermore, the variety of surviving documentation is also testament to the
significance of Tipu in the British popular imagination. He was an historical
figure who was not only demonised and feared - but also respected.
Any attempt to collate or document this 'archive' would be far beyond the scope
and purpose of this website. Lachlan Macquarie's small part in the events of 1799
in Mysore with the Bombay Army is presented here to enhance the historical record, not encompass it.
However, it is hoped that the following selection of materials will place his
accounts within the wider framework - and perhaps bring light to bear on some of
the leading personalities and events at Sedaseer and Seringapatam in 1799.
French Sources
The Malartic Proclamation (January
1798) - Governor-General Malartic [Île de France]
Letter to Tipu Sultan - Colonel
(Brevet) Louis Chappuis [April 1798]
Answers to Questions - Chappuis & Du Buc (June 1798)
Official Correspondence
Letter: Lord Mornington to the Court of Directors (HEIC) [ April 1799]
Letter: Baird to Harris [6 May 1799]
Official Records
General Return: Bombay Army [1799]
General Return: Officer Casualties in the Bombay Army [17 April - 4 May 1799]
General Return: Officer Casualties in the Grand Army [4 April - 4 May 1799]
Eye-Witness Accounts
Sedaseer:
Report: battle of Sedaseer - Lieut. General Stuart [8 March 1799]
Personal account - Coorga Rajah [12 April 1799]
Testimony of Sedaseer prisoner of war - Mozem Khan
Description of the battle of Sedaseer - Wilks [1800]
Seringapatam:
The death of Lieutenant Thomas Falla - Lieutenant Bayly
Description of the assault on 4 May 1799 - Lieutenant Bayly
The search for Tipu and the discovery of his body - Major Allan [1799]
The death of Tipu - Major Beatson [1799]
The burial of Tipu and Thunderstorm[5 May] - Lieutenant Bayly
Thunderstorm: the deaths of Lieuts. Barclay and Grant [5 May]
Description of Seringapatam, the assault, and death of Tipu - Buchanan [1800]
Description of Tipu's palaces & apartments at Seringapatam - Buchanan [1800]
Description of Seringapatam - Lt. Col. James Welsh [1803]
Description of Seringapatam - George, Viscount Valentia [1804]
Newspaper Accounts
The Britannic Magazine (1799)
Artistic Representations
Tipu's Tiger Motif
Robert Ker Porter's Panorama: The Storming of Seringapatam (1800)
Fictional Accounts
Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone (1868)
Poetry
Mohammad Iqbal: Javid-Namah (1932)
Henry Newbolt: Seringapatam (1898)
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