In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799, the Battle of Seringapatam was the final confrontation between the British and Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, who was killed when the British broke into the fortress. The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799) was a war in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company under Lord Wellesley. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Srirangapattana (also spelt Srirangapatna; anglecized to Seringapatam during the British Raj) is a town of great religious, cultural and historic importance located near the city of Mysore in the south Indian state of Karnataka. ... Flag of former princely state of Mysore. ... George Harris, 1st Baron Harris, GCB (March 18, 1746 - 1829), British general, was the son of the Rev George Harris, curate of Brasted, Kent. ... Portrait of Tippu Sultan, 1792 Tippu (Tips) Sultan (full name Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu), also known as the Tiger of Mysore (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapattana), was the first son of Haidar Ali by his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-nissa. ... The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799) was a war in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company under Lord Wellesley. ... Ranganatha Temple Srirangapatna (British called it Seringapatam) is a small town, 13 km from Mysore in southern India. ... Portrait of Tippu Sultan, 1792 Tippu (Tips) Sultan (full name Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu), also known as the Tiger of Mysore (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapattana), was the first son of Haidar Ali by his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-nissa. ...

The Opposing Forces

The battle consisted of a series of encounters around Srirangapatnam (Seringapatam) in the months of April and May, 1799 between the combined forces of the British East India Company and their allies, numbering over 50,000 soldiers in all, and the soldiers of the Kingdom of Mysore, ruled by Tipu Sultan, numbering up to 30,000. The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War came to an end with the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan in the battle. 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... Portrait of Tippu Sultan, 1792 Tippu (Tips) Sultan (full name Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu), also known as the Tiger of Mysore (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapattana), was the first son of Haidar Ali by his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-nissa. ... The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799) was a war in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company under Lord Wellesley. ... Portrait of Tippu Sultan, 1792 Tippu (Tips) Sultan (full name Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu), also known as the Tiger of Mysore (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapattana), was the first son of Haidar Ali by his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-nissa. ...

Troop Composition

When the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War broke out, the British assembled two large columns under General Harris. The first consisted of over 26,000 British East India Company troops, 4000 of whom were European while the rest were local Indian sepoys. The second column was supplied by the Nizam of Hyderabad, and consisted of ten battalions and over 16,000 cavalry, along with many soldiers supplied by Maratha. Together, the soldiers in the British force numbered over 50,000 soldiers. Tipu's defending forces had been seriously depleted by the Third Anglo-Mysore War and the consequent loss of half his kingdom, but still probably had up to 30,000 soldiers. The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... A sepoy (from Persian سپاهی Sipâhi meaning soldier) was a native of India employed as a soldier in the service of a European power, usually of the United Kingdom. ... Hyderabad and Berar, 1903 Hyderābād was an autonomous princely state of south-central India from 1724 until 1948, ruled by a hereditary Nizam, and an Indian state from 1948 to 1956. ... The Marāthās (Marathi: , also Mahrattas) form an Indo Aryan group of Hindu warriors and peasants hailing mostly from the present-day state of Maharashtra, who created a the expansive Maratha Empire, covering a major part of India, in the late 17th and 18th centuries. ...

The Siege

Seringapatam was besieged by the British forces on April 5, 1799. The Kaveri River (River Cauvery), which flowed around the city of Seringapatam, was at its lowest level of the year and could be forded by infantry—if an assault was commenced before the monsoon. When letters were exchanged with Tipu, it seemed that the Sultan was playing for time. He requested two persons to be sent to him for discussions and also stated that he was preoccupied with hunting expeditions. Tipu Sultan's prime minister Mir Saadiq was a traitor bought by the British. He pulled out the Maysurian army for paying wages in the midst of the battle, thus allowing British forces to storm the boundary wall with little defence. Another key treachery to help the British was the spilling of water in the basements where the Sultan's army stored its gunpowder, which rendered the gunpowder useless. This article is about a river. ...

The Breach

The Governor-General, Richard Wellesley, planned the opening of a breach in the walls of Seringapatam. The location of the breach, as noted by Beatson, the author of an account of the Fourth Mysore War was 'in the west curtain, a little to the right of the flank of the north-west bastion. This being the old rampart appeared weaker than the new.' The Mysorean defence succeeded in preventing the establishment of a battery on the North Side of the Kaveri River on 22 April, 1799. However, by May 1, working at night, the British had completed their South Side batteries and brought them up to the wall. At sunrise on 2 May, the batteries of the Nizam of Hyderabad succeeded in opening a practical breach in the outer wall. In addition, the mines that were laid under the breach were hit by artillery and blew up prematurely. Richard Wellesley ,1st Marquess Wellesley Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley (20 June 1760 - 26 September 1842), was the eldest son of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington, an Irish peer, and brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. ...

The leader of the British troops was Major General David Baird, an implacable enemy of the Sultan: twenty years earlier, he had been held captive by the Sultan for 44 months. The storming troops, including men of the 73rd and 74th regiments, clambered up the breach and fought their way along the ramparts. After the Company troops had taken the city, the Sultan's body was found among the dead, shot in the head and stripped of his jewels. Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet (December, 1757–August 18, 1829), was a British military leader. ... The 73rd Regiment of Foot also known as MacLeods Highlanders after its founder Lord MacLeod, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. ... Four regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 74th Regiment of Foot: 74th Regiment of Foot, raised 1758 74th Regiment of Foot (Invalids), renumbered from the 117th in 1762 74th Regiment of Foot (Argyleshire Highlanders), raised in 1777 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot, raised in 1787 Category: ...

The Storming of Seringapatam

The assault was to begin at 1:00 p.m. to coincide with the hottest part of the day when the defenders would be taking refreshment. Led by two forlorn-hopes, two columns would advance upon the defences around the breach, then wheel right and left to take over the fortifications. A third reserve column, commanded by Arthur Wellesley would deploy as required to provide support where needed.

At 11:00 a.m., on May 4, the British troops were briefed and whisky and a biscuit issued to the European soldiers, before the signal to attack was given. The forlorn-hopes numbering seventy-six men led the charge. The columns quickly formed, were ordered to fix bayonets, and began to move forward. The storming party dashed across the Kaveri River in water four feet deep, with covering fire from British batteries and within 16 minutes had scaled the ramparts and swept aside the defenders. Forlorn hope is a military term that comes from the Dutch verloren hoop, which should be translated as lost troop although in Dutch it can also mean lost hope. The Dutch phrase fortutiously sounding like a accurate statement of the units future in English. ... This article is about a river. ...

The Death of Tipu

The column that rounded the North-West corner of the outer wall was immediately involved in a serious fight with a group of Mysorean warriors under a short fat officer, that defended every traverse. The officer was observed to be discharging at the British loaded hunting weapons that were passed to him by servants at his service.

After the fall of Seringapatam, in the gathering dusk, some of the British officers went to look for the body of Tipu Sultan. He was identified as the fat officer who had fired hunting weapons at the offenders, and his body was found in a choked tunnel-like passage near the Water Gate.

Defeat of General Yaar

Commander-in-Chief General Yaar Mohammad, one of the Tippu's most faithful and loyal generals, fought dauntlessly in the Battle of Seringapatam (1799) against the oppression of British Imperialism, but after the martyrdom of great leader Tippu Sultan, and latter the fall of Mysore, he had to run away and couldn’t be captured by the British Army. Yaar Mohammad, Tippus Sipah Salar, was born in a Rajput family, in 18th century to Shah Noor Mohammad. ...

Adaptions

The Battle of Seringapatam was adapted, and was the main conflict in the novel Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell. Sharpes Tiger is Bernard Cornwells return to Richard Sharpe during his sojourn in India. ... Bernard Cornwell OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English historical novelist. ...

References

• Jac Weller, 2006, Wellington in India, Greenhill Books, London, ISBN 978-1853673979. Review.
• Elizabeth Longford (Elizabeth Harman Pakenham, Countess of Longford), 1996, Wellington: The Years of the Sword, Smithmark Pub, New York, ISBN 978-0831756468.