Page 274 - INDIANNAVYV1

242 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. ;

was found necessary, during the night of the 24th, to send to
the batteries* every uvaihxble man from the regiments.
The Commander-in-chief having resolved to storm the
enemy's works, Colonel Gillespie was selected to lead the
principal attack. The troops moved off soon after midnight on
the 2(ith of August, and, guided by a deserter, made a long
detour of many miles, coming upon the enemy unexpectedly.
A desperate struggle ensued, but the redoubts were stormed at
the point of the bayonet, under a tremendous fire of grape and
musketry. Meantime the remainder of the army, under the
Commander-in-chief and General Wetherall, joined by a strong
detachment of seamen under Captain Sayer, threatened the
enemy's lines in front at the point where our batteries were
placed, and the diversion had the required effect in drawing off the
fire of a large body of troops from the main attack. The
enemy now fled at all points, and were hotly pursued by the
Dragoons, led by that brilliant soldier, Colonel Gillespie, and
all the available troops joined in the pursuit, including the
Naval Brigade ; the whole road for ten miles was lined with
the debris of a beaten arm 3% and upwards of six thousand
prisoners were captured, including two generals and nearly all
the superior officers and heads of Departments. Thus fell the
fortified works of Cornells, with its two hundred and eighty
pieces of cannon, and, before night, an army of thirteen thousand
regular troops, including a regiment of Voltigeurs, newly
arrived from France, was either dispersed, taken, or destroyed.
In achieving this great success our loss was heavy, and fell
principally on the columns engaged in the principal attack, of
whom five hundred and twenty-six, including forty-eight officers,
were killed or wounded. It is recorded of Commodore Hayes,
that on learning the intention of the Commander-in-chief to
storm Cornells, with characteristic zeal and gallantry, he offered
his services to lead in person the assault with one hundred
picked seamen. Sir Samuel Achmuty, in reply, stated that
there were too many military competitors for that honour to
permit his granting the request, but, otherwise, he would have
been very happy to avail himself of his services.
General Jansens, accompanied by General Jumel, com-
manding the forces, fled to Buitenzorg, which he intended
to fortify and hold against the British ; but he was driven thence
* The following was the distribution of the Artillerymen and seamen at the
batteries:—No. 1 Battery, twelve iron 18-pounders. Royal Artillery, thirty-six;
Bengal Artillery, thirty-six ; seamen, ninety-six ; Madras Lascars, eighteen
Bengal Lascars, eighteen. No. 2 Battery, eiglit iron 18-pounders. Royal Artillery,
eighteen ; Bengal Artillery, thirty ; seamen, sixty-four ; Lascars, twenty-four.
No. 3 Battery, 8-inch howitzers. Bengal Artillery, eighteen ; seamen, eighteen ;
Lascars, twelve. No. 4 Battery, 8-inch mortars. Royal Artillery, nineteen
;
seamen, twenty-four ; Lascars, sixteen. No. 5 Battery, two howitzers. Bengal
Native Artillerymen, twelve ; seamen, twenty. Total men to work the
guns, four hundred and seventy-nine.