The following are the Artillery officers who served with the force:—
Major W. A. Baillie, on the returns till April, 1781—retired in 1802. Captain — Sears, joined detachment in March, 1781—returned in 1784. Lieutenant R. Bruce, promoted to Captain in 1781 and joined Major Popham’s detachment. Lieutenant A. Forbes, died in 1779. Lieutenant L. Kempt, returned in 1784. Lieutenant — Hamilton, ditto. Lieutenant J. Harris, died October 15, 1780. Lieutenant W. Rattray, returned in 1784. Lieutenant H. Cotes, died in 1782 in China, whither he must have gone sick. Lieutenant A. Rattray, joined detachment October, 1779—died at sea 1782. Lieut. Fireworker McLean, joined detachment March, 1781—returned in 1784. Lieut. Fireworker Boyce, joined detachment December, 1782—returned sick in March, 1783.
In January, 1780, this force took the field again, and, crossing the Taptee, attacked the fortress of Dubhoy, in Guzerat, on the 19th, and took possession of the province; on the 10th February the army was before Ahmedabad, and stormed it on the 15th, and it was intended to have attacked the combined camps of Holkar and Scindia at night; but intimation that the Mahrattas were willing to treat prevented its being carried into execution; evasion followed, and all attempts to bring them to action were fruitless, till on the 3rd April, marching at 2 A.M., Colonel Goddard, with four European companies, four grenadier sipahi battalions, and twelve field-pieces, entered the camp at dawn, and quickly threw the Mahrattas into confusion; they attempted to take up a position near, but on being again attacked, fled and dispersed. In this attack Lieutenant-Colonel Baillie, of the artillery, led the first line.
The detachment returned to Surat, and in October, 1780, moved against Bassein, a fort on the mainland opposite the northern extremity of Bombay Island. The detachment was increased by a body of Europeans from Madras. A battery was opened on the 16th November of six guns and six mortars, at 900 yards, and a second of nine heavy guns at 500 yards on 9th December, together with twenty mortars to bombard the works; on the 10th, the breach being practicable, the enemy offered to surrender, but some demur taking place, the fire was renewed, and on the 11th they yielded at discretion.
From Bassein, in the middle of January, 1781, the detachment marched for the Bore ghat, and reached it on the 8th February. Holkar and the Poonah armies were encamped on the top, but Goddard struck awe into them by storming the pass the night of his arrival, and by 5 A.M. the next day gained complete possession. It was not deemed advisable to carry the war further into the Mahrattas’ territories, so the detachment remained holding the ghats until the middle of April, when they descended without disturbance, but were a little harassed by the enemy in the three days’ march to the coast, during which Lieutenant W. Rattray, of the artillery, was wounded.
The detachment continued in the Bombay Presidency until the cold weather, 1783, when it set out on its return to Bengal, under Colonel Charles Morgan (Brigadier-General Goddard having sailed sick for England), and reached Caunpoor in April, 1784.
The European artillerymen who returned with it were posted to the company at Caunpoor, and the golundaz were also cantoned at that station. All the lascars entertained previous to 1783 were retained in the service, the worst from the battalions being discharged to make room for them. The remainder were discharged.
The orders which were issued by Government, on this occasion, will be noticed when the return of Colonel Pearse’s detachment is mentioned, and in the mean time it is necessary to look back a little, to relate the part the regiment took in other operations then going on.
With the detachment under Captain Popham, collected in 1779, for the purpose of reinforcing Colonel Goddard, was a portion of the 2nd company 1st battalion, being under the command of Captain Mayaffre, Lieutenants Legertwood and Vernon. The original destination of this force being changed, it was employed in aiding the Ranee of Gohud against the Mahrattas. In February, 1780, it crossed the Scind, and in April besieged Lahar. From want of a sufficient battering train, the breach made was imperfect, and on this, as on many future occasions, the want of matériel was supplied by the spirit of the troops. Lahar was successfully stormed on the 21st April. To this succeeded, on the 3rd August, the dazzling enterprise of the escalade of Gwalior. In this attack the advance of two companies of sipahis was followed by twenty Europeans, artillerymen of Captain Mayaffre’s detachment.
Captain Popham’s detachment was replaced towards the end of the year by one under Colonel Carnac, with which was the 1st company 2nd battalion of artillery, with the officers noted in the margin.[[19]] The detachment pushed on to Seronje, where, surrounded by a powerful enemy, and their supplies cut off, they were reduced to great distress, and would have perished, had not the bold resolution of attacking Scindia’s camp by night, on 24th March, 1781, been taken and successfully carried out, rewarding the victors with guns, elephants, and grain, the “spolia opima” of an Indian camp.