1818.] BATTLE OF KOREIGAUM. 253 ensued. The two six-pounders were ably served, while the sepoys kept their ground nobly. For nine hours they sustained a series of furious charges, not a man having tasted food or water since the morning. The English surgeons fought as bravely as the other officers; only three of whom remained uninjured towards the close of the action. The Peishwa, with his principal officers, overlooked the contest from a neighbouring hill; and his troops, especially the Arabs, encouraged by his presence and supervision, exhibited the most daring and obstinate valour. His ablest commanders, Gokla, AppaDessaye, and Trimbuckjee, led on the successive attacks, but on each occasion were invariably repulsed. After a sharp struggle, indeed, the Arab mercenaries gained possession of one of the six-pounders, stationed near a pagoda, within which lay several wounded English officers. The Arabs broke into the building, and commenced a savage butchery of these unfortunate men, one of whom they literally hacked to pieces. The others escaped only by counterfeiting death, and allowing the enemy to rifle them without resistance. The battalion, finding the gun taken, and the Arabs masters of the pagoda, hesitated awhile, until their adjutant, who had just been mortally wounded, seized a musket, and dashing into the midst of the enemy, prostrated several of them, exhorting his men at the same time to follow him, and rescue the lost position. Captain Staunton hastened to second his brave subordinate, -the latter, indeed, soon fell to rise no more; but the spirits of the sepoys were now reanimated by his gallant example, and they exclaimed with loud shouts that they would either conquer or die. At length the pagoda was retaken, the Arabs were killed or driven forth, and the wounded captives rescued from their dangerous situation. By nine o'clock in the evening, the enemy retired; but being destitute of provisions, and having sustained a severe loss of men during the action, Captain Staunton deemed it best to fall back on Seroor. He accomplished his object unmolested, as the Mahrattas were by no means disposed to hazard a repetition of the preceding repulse, and intelligence had reached them of the approach of General Smith. That officer entered Koreigaum a day after Captain Staunton quitted it, and the Peishwa, deeply dispirited at his recent failure, marched southwards towards the territory of Mysore. The pursuit, followed closely up by Generals Smith and Pritzler, was protracted and wearisome, the Mahrattas being always enabled, by reason of their freedom from baggage and other impediments, to elude the vigilance of their enemies. At last, however, General Smith determined to occupy the enemy's strongholds, and accordingly laid siege to Sattara, the nominal metropolis of the Mahratta race. It was yielded after the first summons, and the capture of this city enabled the English authorities to put in practice a measure that had been suggested by Mr. Elphinstone, and sanctioned by the governor-general. A public proclamation, addressed to the inhabitants of Poonah and the vicinity, acquainted the Peishwa's subjects with the fact of his deposition, and the causes which rendered it necessary. His family was outlawed, and his followers commanded to give in their adhesion to the new government without further delay. The English authorities next proceeded to concert measures for the pursuit of the fugitives. Hitherto the Peishwa had contrived to escape from his foes by the swiftness and rapidity of his motions; it was therefore necessary, that those who followed him should be as much as possible on an equal footing. Another circumstance proved of great advantage to the Mahratta chief: nearly all the forts and towns of his dominions were still garrisoned by his officers, who naturally endeavoured to assist their master in 1818.] BATTLE OF MUNDAPOOR.. 255 his movements, or to keep him acquainted with the designs of his enemies. To meet both these emergencies, the two generals, Smith and Pritzler, divided their troops, the former following up the pursuit with a light force, composed principally of horse, but comprising also light infantry and artillery; while the latter directed his attention to the subjugation of the forts and towns; for which purpose he selected the heavyarmed regiments of the line, and the more cumbrous field-pieces. Merely remarking that the exertions of General Pritzler were crowned with the most remarkable success, we shall now follow the more rapid movements of the other commander, who, after chasing the Peishwa through the regions of Pundapoor and Sholapoor, finally came up with him, on the morning of the 20th of February, 1818, near Mundapoor. Bajee Row fled precipitately at the sight of the English, leaving Gokla with ten thousand horse to cover his retreat. All A deep ravine or nullah separated the armies from each other, on the edge of which Gokla drew up his men, and seemed disposed to await the attack of the British. at once, however, he changed his tactics, and passing the nullah, fell furiously upon the advancing squadrons. For a time they were thrown into confusion; but a brisk charge from the 22d left a space free for manoeuvering, and compelled the enemy reluctantly to give way." The brave Gokla endeavoured, in vain, to rally his men, and with sabre in hand, performed prodigies of valour, until, borne down by numbers, he breathed his last upon the ensanguined plain. The Mahrattas, seeing their leader fall, lost all hope of success, and fled in every direction, leaving the Rajah of Sattara and his family in the hands of the victors. It will be remembered that this prince, the lineal descendant of Seevajee, was considered as the rightful head of the Mahratta Empire, and therefore the possession of his person, and the sanction of his name, proved an invaluable advantage to the English conquerors. The Peishwa continued his flight towards the east, but found nowhere either an asylum or an ally. Scindiah and Holkar, overawed by English troops, were negotiating with the governor-general, while Ameer Khan consented to break up his disorderly Patan irregulars, and to place himself entirely under the Company's control. These results were mainly owing to the universal dread occasioned by the gigantic army which Lord Hastings organized; and which he was determined not to dismiss before some prospect could be entertained of a sure and lasting peace. The southern division of this force, however, termed the army of the Deccan, and under the command of Sir Thomas Hislop, was now broken up, and its chief ordered to march towards Madras with the greater part of the troops, the remainder being despatched to strengthen General Doveton's corps. As Sir Thomas passed along, he reduced several of the hill forts in his way, replacing their garrisons by detachments of sepoys. One of these droogs, near Talner, had been formally given up to the English by Holkar, but the killedar, or governor, firing upon the troops as they moved along, Sir Thomas found it necessary to invest the place formally. During a parley, some of the garrison attacked an English officer, and wounded him severely; but this treachery was immediately avenged by the storming party, who, forcing their way in, put all they found there to the sword. Thomas Hislop conceiving that the whole affair evinced some evil designs on the part of the killedar, ordered that he should be hanged the same evening, from a turret of the fort, an act of stern retribution, which however procured the surrender of several fortified places in the vicinity. Sir Appa Sahib, in the meantime, had been resuming his intrigues against the English. He daily made 1818.] SURRENDER OF THE PEISHWA. 257 additions to his army, principally from among the Arab mercenaries who abounded in that part of India, and directed the killedars of his fortresses to hold out as long as there remained the remotest chance of success. Animated by him, the Gonds and other savage mountain tribes fell upon the English convoys and stragglers, as they moved from place to place, thus materially impeding the pacification of the country. The suspicions of Mr. Jenkins were awakened, and his vigilance redoubled by these hostile manifestations, of which he received a more corroborative proof, when the arrest of some of the rajah's couriers brought to light a correspondence, that he was then carrying on with the Peishwa, through the medium of a chief named Gumput Row. Appa Sahib was forthwith arrested and confined to the Residency, while Mr. Jenkins sent a statement of his proceedings to Calcutta. The captive despatched pressing messages to the Peishwa, soliciting assistance, but Bajee Row, being at present much straitened in his own affairs, could not pay much attention to those of his allies. A short time afterwards, he made an attempt to reach Nagpoor, which proved unsuccessful, since his path was hedged in on all sides by watchful enemies ever on the alert. At Soonee his whole army retreated in confusion before a regiment of cavalry and a brigade of artillery, while the number of his followers daily diminished. Despairing of success, he fled at last to the fortress of Asseergurh, where the governor who commanded for Scindiah, seemed disposed to afford him assistance; from this place Bajee Row opened a negotiation with Sir John Malcolm, by which it was finally agreed that he should renounce for ever the dignity of Peishwa, place his person at the disposal of the English, and receive from them a pension of 100,000l. annually. The terms granted to the fallen potentate, though deemed by some more liberal than he had deserved, received the ratification of the governor-general. Bajee |