The army encamped for the night on the field of battle, and on the following morning took up a position before Arnee; but a scarcity of grain compelled the General to retrace his steps towards Madras, and on the 20th of June he arrived at St. Thomas’s Mount. In the months of July and August the army made two expeditions, one to Wandewash, in which it was foiled by the activity of Hyder Ali, the other for the relief of Vellore, which was more fortunate, as it succeeded in throwing a large quantity of grain into the fortress. The siege of Cuddalore being determined on, the army moved on the 26th August in a southerly direction, and on the 4th September halted on the Red Hills of Pondicherry. Deserters reported the garrison of Cuddalore to consist of 800 Europeans, 300 Africans, and 600 Sepoys, who having expelled the inhabitants, and covered the walls with cannon were resolved to defend the place to the last extremity. The failure of the supplies which Sir Eyre Coote had been led to expect from Madras by the fleet, excited so much anxiety and disappointment in the veteran’s mind, that a severe illness ensued, which obliged him to quit the army. The command devolved upon Major-General James Stuart, who commenced his retreat on the evening of the 10th October. On the 15th October, the monsoon set in with unusual severity, and the army went into cantonments in the vicinity of Madras. Hyder Ali at the same time resumed his old position near Arcot. Shortly after this, Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, with a large fleet from England, arrived in Madras Roads. Considerable reinforcements were on board, consisting of the Twenty-third Light Dragoons, One hundred and first and One hundred and second Regiments, and the Fifteenth Regiment of Hanoverian Infantry, which joined the army in its cantonments. [Sidenote: 1783.]