Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c58.s6.7

v4.c58.s6.7

Orrock had been ordered not to approach Assaye at his extreme right, but carefully keep outside the range of the big guns at that fortified village. But “from habits of dissipation and idleness he had become incapable of giving attention to an order to find out its meaning”, as Wellesley complained to Elphinstone. He marched his corps nearer and nearer to Assaye and on being assailed by its guns, continued to press on in the same direction without trying to incline to the planned route of advance. Thus a wide gap was formed between him and the sepoy battalions on his left. His wrong movement also masked the fire of the 74th Highlanders who were moving up from the second line in order to take post on the right of Orrock, as ordered by Wellesley to complete his new line.