Mysore (1789–1791) Explained

Conflict:Third Anglo-Mysore War
Partof:the Anglo-Mysore Wars
Date:1789–1792
Place:South India
Result:Treaty of Seringapatam
Territory:Mysore cedes about one-half of its territory to opponents
Combatant1: Mysore
Supported by
Combatant2: East India Company
Great Britain
Maratha Empire
Hyderabad
Commander1: Tipu Sultan
Sayed Sahib
Reza Sahib
Sipahdar Syad Hamid Sahib
Martab Khan Sahib
Buhadur Khan Sahib
Badr ul-Zaman Khan Sahib
Hussein Ali Khan Sahib
Sher Khan Sahib
Kamaluddin[1]
Commander2: William Medows
Charles, Earl Cornwallis
Captain Sir Richard Strachan
Parshuram Bhau
Hurry Punt
Teige Wunt
Dharma Raja

The battle honour of Mysore commemorates the action of native units of the British East India Company in the Third Anglo-Mysore War of 1789 - 92.

Tipu Sultan attacked Travancore on 29 December 1789 and this made the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas apprehensive who entered into a "Triple Alliance" with the British. The Third Anglo-Mysore War went on for about two years in three campaigns. Cornwallis, the Governor General took command after the first campaign, captured Bangalore on 21 March 1791 but failed to capture Seringapatnam due to brilliant generalship of Tipu and the rains. Fighting was resumed later and Tipu captured Coimbatore on 3 November. Helped by an Army sent from Bombay, Cornwallis occupied the hill fort of Nandy Droog about 50km (30miles) north of Bangalore on his line of communication towards Seringapatnam where he reached on 5 February 1792.Tipu averted a complete disaster and concluded a treaty in March surrendering half his dominions; a large portion went to the Nizam, a portion went to the Marathas, the English acquired Malabar and Coorg on the west coast, Dindigul and adjoining districts. on the south and the Baramahal district on the east.

The honour was awarded to 29 units of the armies of the Bombay and Madras Presidency through order 378 of 1889; only 15 units survive. It was awarded to four units of the Bengal Native Infantry in 1829; these units mutinied in 1857.[2]

The battle honour is considered repugnant.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Kaushik Roy, War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740 - 1849, p. 22. Accessed 31 October 2015.
  2. Sarbans Singh, Battle honours of the Indian Army, 1757 - 1971, University of Michigan, 1993, pp. 102 - 104.
  3. Singh, p. 287