The battles of the British Army : $b being a popular account of all the principal engagements during the last hundred yearsBlackwood, Robert Melvin
History
The battles of the British Army : $b being a popular account of all the principal engagements during the last hundred years
Blackwood, Robert Melvin
Battles -- Great Britain; Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army -- History
On the 29th the division again moved forward, and in two hours reached
Patanagoh, a town upon the river, directly opposite to Melloone.
The river Irrawaddy at this place is 600 yards broad, and the
fortifications of Melloone, built upon the face of a sloping hill, lay
fully exposed to view, within good practice distance of our artillery.
The principal stockade appeared to be a square of about a mile, filled
with men, and mounting a considerable number of guns, especially on
the water-face; and the whole position, consisting of a succession of
stockades, might extend nearly two miles along the beach.
In the centre of the great stockade, a handsome new gilt pagoda was
observed, which had been raised to the memory of Maha Bandoola, to
stimulate the present leaders to imitate his example at Donoobew, when
he preferred death to quitting his post. On our arrival before the
place, the Burmese discontinued their labours at their defences, and
stood in groups gazing at us as we formed on the opposite bank. Under
the stockade, a large fleet of war-boats, commissariat boats, and other
craft, lay at anchor.
The army had not long reached our ground, when the loud clash of gongs,
drums, and other warlike instruments drew our attention to the works
of the enemy; crowds of boatmen were seen with their short oars across
their shoulders, running to the beach, and every boat was speedily
manned, and in motion up the river. The steam vessel and flotilla had
been detained below the enemy’s position, by the intricacy of the
channel, and until protecting batteries could be formed to keep down
the fire of the works along the beach, it became necessary to adopt
other measures to prevent the escape of the boats; accordingly, the
artillery was ordered to fire upon them, which soon checked their
progress, the boatmen either jumping into the river, or returning in
the utmost haste to their former situation.
In the meantime the flotilla, led by the Diana steam vessel, had got
under way, when the firing commenced, and was now seen passing close
under the enemy’s works, without a shot being fired on either side.
On reaching the principal stockade, two gilt war-boats pushing off
from the shore, received the Diana with every honour, and escorted the
squadron at some distance above the place, cutting off all retreat
from it by water. Such unequivocal marks of a desire to prevent
further hostility were immediately favourably accepted, and during the
forenoon a truce was concluded and arrangements made for entering upon
negotiations on the following day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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