Battle of Ooscota facts for kids
The Battle of Ooscota (also known as Ooscata) was an important fight during the First British-Mysore War. This war was a big conflict between the British East India Company and Hyder Ali, who was the ruler (or sultan) of the Kingdom of Mysore. The battle happened at night, between August 22 and 23, in the year 1768.
Ooscota, where this battle took place, is known today as Hoskote. You can find it in the Bangalore Rural district in Karnataka, India.
Setting the Scene for Battle
The British army, led by Colonel Donald Campbell, and the forces from the Maratha Empire, led by Morari Rao, were on the move. They set up their camps near Ooscota.
The British invited the Maratha soldiers to camp inside their protected lines. However, Morari Rao said no. This was because Mohammed Ali, who was the Nawab of Arcot (a powerful ruler in the region), was ill. So, the Maratha forces set up their own camp a short distance away. Meanwhile, Hyder Ali was close by. He decided to attack the Maratha forces during the night.
The Night Attack
The Mysore cavalry (soldiers on horseback) attacked, following behind Hyder Ali's war elephants. These powerful elephants helped break through the Maratha defenses.
Morari Rao told his cavalry to stay off their horses. This way, his soldiers could easily spot and attack any mounted troops, knowing they were the enemy. During the confusion of the battle, Rao's own war elephant broke free. It used its heavy chain like a weapon, pushing back the Mysore cavalry right into their own supporting foot soldiers. Seeing this, the Mysore troops lost heart and retreated. They lost about 300 soldiers, while the Maratha forces only lost 18.
The British had been alerted to the fighting and were moving forward to help the Maratha. Because of this, Hyder Ali decided not to attack any further.
Sadly, the British lost one of their officers, Gee. He was Colonel Campbell's aide de camp (a personal assistant). Gee had ridden to the Maratha camp to see what was happening. He was shot under Rao's general order to kill any mounted men, as they were thought to be enemies.
