Historical record of the Sixty-Seventh, or the South Hampshire Regiment: Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1758, and of its subsequent services to 1849Cannon, Richard
History
Historical record of the Sixty-Seventh, or the South Hampshire Regiment: Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1758, and of its subsequent services to 1849
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 67th (South Hampshire)
The Hyderabad division was encamped at Neembolah, about seven miles
from Asseerghur, and negotiations having failed, about twelve o'clock
on the night of the 17th of March five companies of the Royal Scots
(First regiment of foot) with the flank companies of the Thirtieth,
SIXTY-SEVENTH, and Madras European regiment, five companies of native
infantry, and a detachment of sappers and miners, the whole commanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser, of the Royal Scots, and a reserve
commanded by Major Dalrymple, of the Thirtieth, assembled at the
camp for the attack of the pettah of Asseer; another party was also
directed to co-operate in this service from Brigadier-General Sir
John Malcolm's division.
The column commenced its march between one and two o'clock, advancing
up the bed of a deep nullah, or small river, nearly dry at the time;
the assaulting party arrived unobserved within five hundred yards
of the pettah, then rushed upon the gate with the greatest ardour
and steadiness, the Royal Scots leading the way. The enemy was
surprised, and, after discharging a few rounds of grape, retired.
The head of the attacking column forced the gate, and proceeding up
the main street, encountered an advanced piquet of the enemy, which
retired to the lower fort, firing occasionally at the head of the
column. Major Charles MacLeod, of the East India Company's service,
Deputy-Quartermaster-General, acted as guide on the occasion; by his
direction the leading files of the Royal Scots pursued the enemy
close under the walls of the fortress, from whence an incessant fire
of artillery and matchlocks was kept up; a few ill-directed rockets
were also discharged.
The leading sections of the Royal Scots, which had pursued the enemy
up the hill, were joined by one or two files of the Thirtieth and
SIXTY-SEVENTH regiments, the whole amounting to about 25 or 30 men.
As soon as the enemy saw the small force before which he had so
precipitately fled, he immediately rallied, and came shouting down
the hill with augmented numbers to attack this small party, but was
repulsed by a spirited charge with the bayonet, which, with a few
rounds of musketry, obliged him to retreat within the works, some of
which were within about fifty yards of this handful of men, leaving
the Chief, who was shot in the _melée_, and several men on the field.
The pettah of Asseerghur was thus captured on the morning of the
18th of March, with trifling loss; but on the evening of the
following day a desperate sally was made by a part of the garrison
on the advanced post of the troops in the pettah, on which occasion
Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser, of the Royal Scots, was unfortunately
killed, while gallantly rallying the party under his command, and
keeping the advance in their position. The enemy was, however,
immediately driven back, and compelled to retire into the fort.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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