Battle of Chinsurah
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2020) |
Battle of Chinsurah | |||||||
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Part of the Seven Years' War | |||||||
A 1787 painting of Chinsurah by William Hodges | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Nawab of Bengal | Dutch East India Company | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Francis Forde Charles Wilson Mir Jafar | Jean-Baptiste Roussel | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
300 European infantrymen 800 sepoys 50 European cavalrymen 200 Indian cavalrymen 3 warships 100 Bengali cavalrymen |
150 Europeans (garrison) 300 sepoys (garrison) 700 Europeans (reinforcements) 800 Malays (reinforcements) 7 warships | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown |
320 killed 300 wounded 550 captured 6 warships captured 1 warship grounded | ||||||
Third Carnatic War | |||||||
The Battle of Chinsurah, also known as the Battle of Biderra or the Battle of Hoogly, was a military engagement which took place on 25 November 1759 near
Despite the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic not formally being at war, the Dutch advanced up the Hooghly River. They met a mixed force of British and Indian troops at Chinsurah, fifty kilometres outside Calcutta. The British, under Colonel Francis Forde, defeated the Dutch, forcing them to withdraw. The British engaged and defeated the ships the Dutch used to deliver the troops in a separate naval battle on 24 November.[1]
Background
Following the British capture and demolition of the French outpost at
The Nawab had been forced to ask the British for assistance against threats on his northern border in the interim, and told Clive that he would return to
Of four ships he had available, Clive sent one out in an attempt to request assistance from
Battle
The three remaining British ships had followed the Dutch ships up the river at some distance. When the Dutch had finished landing the troops, the Dutch ships began moving down the river. On 23 November, Commodore Charles Wilson, commander of the British flotilla, indicated that he wanted to pass the Dutch, who threatened to fire on the British if they did. The next day, after the rejection of an ultimatum from Clive demanding restitution for the earlier Dutch seizures, the two fleets engaged. In a two-hour battle, the Duke of Dorset forced the Dutch flagship Vlissingen to strike her colours, while Hardwicke and Calcutta chased off two ships and grounded a third before the remaining ships also struck their colours. (Other British ships arriving at the mouth of the river eventually captured the two remaining fleeing Dutch ships.)
On the night of 23 November, Forde and his men encamped near Chandernagore, having successfully taken control of Baranagore (Now Baranagar). The Dutch, hoping to trap Forde between the arriving troops and the Chinsurah garrison, sent their arriving troops out to camp in the ruins of Chandernagore that night. The following morning the two forces engaged. Forde's men routed the Dutch, forcing them back to Chinsurah, and captured the Dutch field artillery. Additional troops sent from Calcutta joined Forde there, raising the size of his force to about 1200 men. The Nawab also sent 100 cavalry to the British camp, ostensibly to assist the British; these were likely placed to observe the battle and side with the victors. With reports from prisoners that the Dutch reinforcements would be arriving the next day, Forde rushed a message to Clive in Calcutta requesting advice, as attacking the Dutch force could be viewed as an act of war. Clive responded by writing on the back of Forde's message, "Dear Forde—Fight them immediately", and sending it back.
Forde chose as his location the plain of Biderra, between Chinsurah and Chandernagore. His troops occupied the village of Biderra on the right and a mango grove to the left; a wide ditch secured the center. At about 10 on the morning of 25 November, the Dutch force arrived. As soon as they came within range, Forde ordered his field artillery to fire. The Dutch continued to advance in spite of the British fire until they reached the ditch, something they had not apparently been aware of. When the front of the Dutch lines stopped, the rear continued to press forward, throwing the Dutch forces into confusion. As their position was then within range of British musket fire, they suffered significant casualties before managing to turn retreat. At this point Forde sent out his cavalry, inviting the nawab's men to join the charge. However, the nawab's men held back and did not join the British until the second charge, when it seemed clear they would be victorious.
Aftermath
The British victory was so complete that, of the Dutch troops sent, only sixteen Europeans successfully reached Chinsurah. In the wake of their victory, Clive overthrew Mir Jafar and replaced him with his son-in-law
References
- ^ Spectrum Modern History Of India, Rajiv Ahir, page 41.
Bibliography
- Harvey, Robert. Clive: The Life and Death of a British Emperor. Sceptre, 1999.
- Keay, John. The Honourable Company: A History of the English East India Company. HarperCollins, 1993
- McLynn, Frank. 1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World. Pimlico, 2005.
- Malleson, George Bruce. The decisive battles of India: from 1746 to 1849 inclusive