The Victories of the British Armies, with anecdotes illustrative of modern warfare. By the author of 'Stories of Waterloo' [i.e. William Hamilton Maxwell], etc

Front matter

THE VICTORIES or THE BRITISH ARMIES. VOL. I. LONDON : PRINTED BY SAMUEL BENTLEY, BaDgor House, Sboe Lane. THE STORMING OF SEEINGAMTAM. London. __ Bentlej, .Hew 3urjmgtoii S* IBoH THE VICTORIES OF THE BRITISH ARMIES: WITH ANECDOTES ILLUSTRATIVE OF MODERN WARFARE. BY THE AUTHOR OF " STORIES OF WATERLOO," " CAPTAIN BLAKE," '* WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST." " THE BIVOUAC," &c. " It is the memory which the soldier leaves behind him, like the long train of light that follows the sunken son. • • • When 1 think of death, as a thing worth thinking of, it is in the hope of pressing ooe day some well-fought and hard-won field of battle, and dying with the shout of victory in my ear — that would be worth dying for ; and more, it would be worth having lived for !" Sir Walter Scott. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, ■gublteijcr in (GkUinarj) to t?cr fHajcdtj). 1839- CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

Introduction. — State of England, military and political. — India — Critical Situation of British Interests. — Marquis Wellesley appointed to the Government. — His Measures. — War declared. — Tippoo attacks the Army of Cannanore. — Seringapatam invested. —Stormed by General Baird — Death, Character, and Anecdotes of the Sultaun of Mysore. — Military Observations.— Acts of Cruelty. — Tippoo killed by an Irish Soldier . . . Page 1 ASSAYE. Effect of Tippoo's Death upon the Native Princes. — Dhoondia's Rise and Fall. — War between Scindia and Holkar Their Dif ferences accommodated. — Hostilities commence again. — Operations. — Camp at Assaye. — Battle. — Death of Colonel Maxwell. — Re sults of the Victory at Assaye. — Honours confeired on General Wellesley. — He returns to England .... 29 EGYPTIAN EXPEDITION.

British Army employed m useless Expeditions. — Finally ordered to Egypt. — Voyage thither. —Arrival in the Bay of Aboukir. — Preparations for Disembarkation. — Landing. — Attack and Repulse of the French. — Sir Ralph Abercrombie advances — forces the French Position — attempts the Lines in front of Alexandria by a coup de main, and is repulsed — falls back, and takes up a position 43 vol. i. l> CONTENTS. VI BATTLE OF ALEXANDRIA. French Position The English fortify their Camp.— Occurrences. —Menou attacks the British Lines.— Battle of the 21st.— The English Commander wounded.— Casualties of both Armies. — Remarks Death of Sir Ralph Abercrombie . ■ • 56 CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. Expedition to the Cape. — Troops employed. — Occurrences during the Voyage. — Fleet arrives on the Coast of Africa.— Cape de scribed — its Garrison. — Janssens' Plans. — Landing delayed. — Ef fected on the 6th. — Action with the Batavian Army. — Total defeat of Janssens.— Advance on Cape Town. — Its Defences. — Town capitulates. — Negotiation between English and Dutch Generals. — Colony surrendered ...... 70 MAIDA.

Appendix

. General Foy's Observations on the Character and Composition of the French, British, and Spanish Armies . . . THE VICTORIES AND CONQUESTS OF THE BRITISH ARMY. Introduction. — State of England, military and political. — India. — Critical situation of British interests. — Marquis Wellesley appointed to the Government — His measures. — War declared. — Tippoo attacks the army of Cannanore. — Seringapatam invested — Stormed by General Baird. — Death, character, and anecdotes of the Sultaun of Mysore.— Military observations. — Acts of cruelty Tippoo killed by an Irish soldier. The history of military nations exhibits periods of disaster and success, when good and evil for tune, as if ruled by a fatality, prevail. With some, in every essay conquest crowns their arms ; while the bravest efforts of others terminate in variably in defeat.

Again, the best measures fail to obtain success, — mischances follow thick upon each other, — possessions are lost, — power declines, — and a name, before which a world once trem bled, becomes a by-word, and is rarely used but to mark the mutability of national prosperity. VOL. I. B