History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c44.6

v2.c44.6

The battles of Assaye and Argaon possess a very distant relation with the History of Orissa. That province was invaded by two different armies; one from Bengal and the other from Madras. The Madras army assembled at Ganjam, which was then British territory, and started for the southern frontier of Orissa on the 8th September, 1803, though war was declared one month and five days earlier, on the 3rd August of that year. It marched along the sea-coast between the Chilka lake and the Bay of Bengal and reached Manikpatna in the Puri District on the 16th. They were not opposed by the Marathas even during the crossing of the creek connecting the Chilka with the Bay, which took two days. The army reached Narsinghpatna on the 18th or five days before the battle of Assaye and entered Puri without any opposition. A detachment of Hindu Sepoys was left to guard the temple of Jagannātha and Colonel Harcourt resumed his march after halting for two days. The Marathas had retired to the other side of the river and the first engagement took place when the English attempted to cross. The former opened a sharp fire but soon broke and fled. Colonel Harcourt crossed the river and drove the Marathas out of their entrenchments in the wood. The Marathas now employed their national method of guerilla warfare and harassed the advancing army. On the 2nd October they were surprised in their camp and driven out. They took up their stand on the 4th October before Mukundapur near Pipli and attacked the English army but were repulsed with great loss. They now retired into the jungles of Khurda and no further opposition was encountered by the advancing army. Harcourt crossed the Katjuri and entered Katak on the 8th. The fort of Barabati was captured by him six days later and Central Orissa passed into the possession of the English.¹