The regiment had fifty men killed and wounded; no officers were killed, but the following were wounded—Captain Richard Bayley, Lieutenant M. J. Molloy, and Surgeon Robert Erskine.
On the succeeding day, the following statement was published in orders,—'It is with the greatest satisfaction that Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers congratulates the troops he has the honour to command, on the glorious success obtained yesterday, against the attack of an enemy whose force did not amount to less than thirty thousand men. He begs leave to offer his most particular thanks to Lieut.-Colonel Picton, who commanded the right wing of this little force, with a wing of the Twelfth regiment, and to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, whose gallantry and high discipline have, on all occasions, appeared conspicuous. Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers has to offer his thanks to Major Hamilton, who commanded on the left, with a wing of His Majesty's Twelfth regiment, and to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, whose gallant conduct needs no further comment, than that they belonged to His Majesty's Twelfth.' The Political Resident, Colonel C. Macauly, stated in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers, 'I have received the details of the victory over the united force of the Divan—an achievement that reflects signal honour on the discipline and animated valour of the troops under your command, and sheds fresh lustre on the British arms.'
A numerous army of opponents continued to hover near the British force at Coulan, and it was deemed advisable to cut down many of the trees, to throw up a breast-work in front of the encampment, and to construct a redoubt, which was armed with the guns taken from the enemy.
In the mean time, the company of the Twelfth under Lieutenant Thompson, with the battalion of Sepoys, commanded by Major Hewett, left for the defence of the port of Cochin, had been attacked by the troops of the Rajah of the province of Cochin. During the action, the Sepoys gave way, and the company of the Twelfth had to maintain a desperate struggle with very superior numbers. The enemy was repulsed, and the inhabitants of Cochin were preserved from a general massacre, with which they had been menaced for being favourable to the British interests; they openly attributed their preservation to the distinguished heroism of the company of the Twelfth, which had half its non-commissioned officers and private soldiers killed and wounded; Lieutenant Thompson was severely wounded, and died a short time afterwards.
The Twelfth regiment and Sepoys continued to resist the armed population of Travancore and the numerous forces of the Rajah; but being constantly harassed by the approach of bodies of the enemy, the physical powers of the soldiers became diminished, and their numbers decreased by disease; but the innate valour of the troops remained unabated. Before daylight on the 31st of January, the Travancoreans made another effort to surprise the camp; but a rocket announced their approach, and the British were under arms, as they usually were, at three o'clock in the morning: many of the cocoa-nut trees had been cut down to enlarge the plain, and as the enemy's heavy columns emerged from the wood, a sharp cannonade was opened upon them; but they formed line under fire and advanced, when the guns of the redoubt rent chasms in their ranks. Undismayed by the storm of grape and bullets which smote their ranks, the Travancoreans pressed forward, and endeavoured to establish several guns on a rising ground; but the artillery of the redoubt dismounted their ordnance. After keeping up an irregular fire of musketry for some time, they withdrew from the front, and concentrating on the right, renewed the attack with greater vigour, when the left wing of the Twelfth regiment was detached under Captain William Henry Forssteen, to aid the Sepoys on that flank. On the arrival of the Twelfth on the right, a charge with bayonets was executed with great vigour and the Travancoreans fled from the field, leaving one brass six-pounder behind them; several other guns were preserved by the swiftness of the elephants.
On the following day, the troops were thanked in orders 'for the steady and cool manner in which they met and repulsed the attack of the enemy.'
After this defeat, in which they lost an immense number of men, the Travancoreans did not hazard another general attack; but they frequently endeavoured to surprise the piquets in the night, in which they were always defeated. On the 13th of February, the nineteenth regiment arrived from Columbo; and the troops were only prevented advancing up the country from the want of stores and the means of conveyance. A small supply having arrived, they advanced in two columns, the first composed of the Twelfth and a battalion of Sepoys, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Picton; and the second, of the nineteenth and a battalion of Sepoys, under Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, and by a combined attack they captured the enemy's stockade and extensive breast-works, in gallant style, on the 21st of February.
In the meantime another British force had penetrated the Travancore country under Colonel St. Leger, and this army arrived at Travandapatam, the capital, without meeting with serious opposition. The refractory Rajah made overtures for peace, and the Twelfth regiment returned to Coulan, detaching the flank companies to the capital.
The regiment commenced its march for Seringapatam, on the 23rd of May; but was forced to halt several days in consequence of the heavy rains of the Malabar monsoon, which rendered the rivers impassable, swept away part of the regimental baggage, and drowned several men in the rapid currents which rushed along the low grounds. On the 24th of July the regiment arrived at Trichinopoly.
1810