Battle of Sultanpettah Tope
| Battle of Sultanpettah Tope | ||
|---|---|---|
| Part of 4th Mysore War | ||
| Date: | 4 May 1799 | |
| Location: | Srirangapatnam, Karnataka | |
| Presidency: | Madras | |
| Co-ordinates: | 12.418346°N 76.695989°E | |
| Result: | British retreat | |
| Combatants | ||
| East India Company Nizam of Hyderabad |
Mysore | |
| Commanders | ||
| General George Harris Col Arthur Wellesley |
Tipu Sultan | |
| Strength | ||
| Casualties | ||
'The Storming of Seringapatam
In order to clear the ground in front of the walls for the batteries, several woods, or topes, had to be scoured of the enemy entrenchments they concealed. Wellesley was given the task to take the Sultanpettah Tope in a night attack with his regiment of the 33rd. The attack was a failure. No reconnaissance had been made during the day, and between the dense cocoa, bamboo and betel trees were deep irrigation canals. The 33rd was met with a furious barrage of musket fire and rockets that sowed panic and confusion in the ranks. The regiment pulled back and the Tope was scoured successfully of Tippoo’s troops the next morning by Wellesley. The night attack on the Tope marked Wellesley deeply. “I have come to a determination; when in my power, never to suffer an attack to be made by night upon an enemy who is strongly posted, and whose posts have not yet been reconnoitred by daylight", he wrote to Richard.'
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