OF FIELD MARSHAL THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, DURING HIS VARIOUS CAMPAIGNS IN INDIA, DENMARK, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, THE LOW FROM 1799 TO 1818. COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL AND AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS, BY LIEUT. COLONEL GURWOOD, ESQUIRE TO HIS GRACE AS KNIGHT OF THE BATH. VOLUME THE THIRD. A NEW EDITION. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. MDCCCXXXVII. 'MY DEAR HENRY, To the Hon. H. Wellesley. Camp, 7 miles south of the Godavery, 40 miles I have not written to you, I believe, since I sent you the account of the battle which I fought at Assye on the 23rd September last, although many interesting events have occurred since that time; but the fact is, that I have not had leisure; and I knew that you would learn these events from the public dispatches. I propose, however, in this letter, to give you an outline of our operations in this part of India, which have ended in treaties of peace with Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar. 'After the battle of Assye, those two Chiefs fled into Candeish with their armies in great confusion; Scindiah's in particular was almost entirely disorganized, and vast numbers deserted him. Colonel Stevenson followed them down the Adjuntee ghaut. They fled to the Taptee, along which river they marched to the westward. As soon as I had placed my numerous wounded in security, I marched with my division to Adjuntee, and ordered Colonel Stevenson to advance towards Burhampoor, and levy a contribution upon that city, and to lay siege to Asseerghur. Upon my arrival at Adjuntee, I found that Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar had quitted the Taptee, and had moved to the southward, apparently with an intention of passing out VOL. III. B of Candeish through the hills situated north of the Godavery, and of invading the territories of the Peshwah or the Nizam, and all the remains of the defeated infantry had been sent across the Taptee towards Hindustan. This movement was intended to divert my attention from the siege of Asseerghur; or if I should persevere in that operation, the confederates would have invaded the territories of the Peshwah and the Nizam, and would have entirely destroyed the rich provinces of the latter, upon which I depended for resources of grain to enable me to carry on the war, and would, at all events, have cut off or impeded the communication which I had with Poonah and Bombay by Ahmednuggur. I therefore determined to leave the siege of Asseerghur to Colonel Stevenson's division, and to march myself to the southward, in order to follow the motions of the confederates. On the 11th of October, I arrived in the neighbourhood of Arungabad, and there remained till the 15th. On that night I received most accurate accounts of the disposition of the enemy's army, from which I was of opinion that they intended to move upon Colonel Stevenson, in order to interrupt the siege of Asseerghur, and I returned immediately towards Adjuntee. I arrived there on the 18th, and descended the ghaut into Candeish on the 19th. Scindiah, who had returned to the northward, then halted his army at Ahoonah, on the Taptee, within three marches of Burhampoor. Colonel Stevenson arrived on the 15th at Burhampoor, of which place he took possession; he marched to Asseerghur on the 17th, drove in the enemy, and took possession of the pettah on the 18th, by which means he had a fine situation from whence to carry on his attack against the fort; he broke ground on the 19th, and the fort surrendered on the 21st. ⚫ I did not receive intelligence of the surrender, on which I could depend, until the 24th, in the evening; and at the same time I learnt that the Rajah of Berar, who had separated from Scindiah when he had marched to the northward for the relief of Asseerghur, had passed through the hills which form the southern boundary of Candeish, and was then encamped between the hills and the river Godavery. There was no longer any reason for remaining below the ghauts, and I therefore determined to re-ascend them. I sent orders |