Siege of Negapatam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Negapatam
Part of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War and the Second Anglo-Mysore War
A portrait of Edward Hughes
Date 21 October–11 November 1781 Location Negapatam, then a Dutch colony in India Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Dutch Republic Sultanate of Mysore
Commanders and leaders
Hector Munro Edward Hughes	Reynier van Vlissingen Hyder Ali
Strength
4,000 troops	6,100 Dutch colonial troops 600 Dutch 5,500 Indian sepoys 2,100 Mysorean troops
Casualties and losses
Light	unknown killed/wounded thousands captured

The Siege of Negapatam was a major battle in India. It happened when Great Britain and the Dutch Republic started fighting in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. British soldiers surrounded and attacked Negapatam, a port city controlled by the Dutch on India's east coast. The city eventually gave up after its strong walls were broken.

The Dutch army defending Negapatam had about 500 European soldiers and 5,500 local Indian soldiers. They were also helped by 2,000 soldiers from Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore. Even though many British troops were busy fighting Hyder Ali in another war, called the Second Anglo-Mysore War, the British managed to win. Lord Macartney, the governor of Madras, gathered over 4,000 British troops. He also got help from Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and his navy. Together, they defeated the larger Dutch and Mysorean forces.

Why Did the Siege of Negapatam Happen?

After France joined the American War of Independence in 1778, Great Britain quickly took control of French colonies in India. In 1779, the British captured the French port of Mahé. Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore, said this port was under his protection. Because of this, he started the Second Anglo-Mysore War against the British in southern India. He won some early battles and even threatened the main British base at Madras. By 1781, both sides were in a difficult standoff.

In December 1780, Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic. Britain said the Dutch were helping the French and American rebels by selling them weapons. News of this war reached some Dutch governors in India early in 1781. However, Governor Reynier van Vlissingen at Negapatam only heard about it later through rumors. He was officially told in June by the governor of Trincomalee.

The Dutch, British, and Mysoreans had a changing relationship. Hyder Ali's forces had attacked villages near Negapatam in early 1781. Governor van Vlissingen tried to get money from Hyder Ali for the damage. Instead, he had to pay to free his own messengers, whom Hyder Ali had captured. Hyder Ali also threatened Dutch bases at Pulicat and Sadras. During these talks, van Vlissingen had even received offers of help from the British commander, General Eyre Coote.

In the summer of 1781, Lord Macartney arrived as the new governor of Madras. He brought news of the new war with the Dutch. He quickly prepared British troops to take over Dutch areas in India and Ceylon. When van Vlissingen learned about the war, he immediately made a deal with Hyder Ali. They agreed to be allies on July 29, though the official agreement was signed later on September 4.

How Did the British Prepare for the Siege?

At first, Governor van Vlissingen sent 600 men, along with gunpowder and ammunition, to Hyder Ali's camp in early August 1781. But the British threat to Negapatam grew stronger. So, the Dutch and Mysorean allies decided to focus on defending Negapatam instead.

The 600 Dutch soldiers returned to Negapatam in late September. They brought 2,100 Mysorean soldiers with them. These combined forces set up a defense line outside the city walls. The city itself was defended by a mixed army. This army included mostly local sepoys (Indian soldiers), along with some European and Malay troops.

Most British forces on India's east coast were busy fighting Hyder Ali. General Coote did not want to send many soldiers away from that fight. But Lord Macartney managed to get help from Hector Munro, who was about to retire. He also convinced Colonel John Braithwaite to send his troops, who were fighting south of Madras. Braithwaite, who was injured, sent his men under Colonel Eccles Nixon towards Negapatam. Munro's army was brought there by Admiral Sir Edward Hughes's ships.

On October 20, Nixon captured the Dutch base at Karikal. The next day, he took control of Nagore, another Dutch base that Hyder Ali had been controlling. On that same day, Admiral Hughes's fleet arrived and dropped off Munro and his army.

The Siege Begins

Munro's first plan was to send small groups of soldiers to capture some of the outer forts, called redoubts. On October 27 and 28, two attacks on a fort on the west side were pushed back by the defenders. After one of Hughes's ships checked the defenses to the east, a third attack on a fort there succeeded on October 30. Dutch reports say that most of the Mysorean cavalry (soldiers on horseback) ran away during this battle. Most of the remaining Dutch forces then went back inside the city walls.

After this, Munro began digging trenches on November 1. They started building a forward battery (a place for cannons) on November 5. That night, the Dutch tried to attack the British works in a sortie, but they failed. The battery, with eight cannons, was finished the next day. It started firing on November 7, causing a lot of damage to the city's northern walls. A second Dutch attack on November 10 also failed to stop the siege.

Mysorean Help and Surrender

The Dutch had asked Hyder Ali for more soldiers. On October 28, Hyder Ali sent another group of troops towards Negapatam. These soldiers reached Kuttur, about a day's march west of Negapatam, on November 8. Governor van Vlissingen urged them to attack the British. However, they were worried because there were so many British soldiers. They asked Hyder Ali for even more troops from Tanjore.

These extra Mysorean troops arrived on November 10. But Munro acted quickly and attacked the Mysoreans before they were ready for battle. This forced them to retreat. A third group of Mysorean soldiers got close to Negapatam on November 13. But they learned that the city had already given up.

After the failed Dutch attack on the night of November 10, Governor van Vlissingen held a meeting with his officers. They found out that the city had only one day's supply of gunpowder left. The officers voted to surrender, and they raised the white flag (a sign of surrender) the next day.

What Happened After the Siege?

The terms of surrender were agreed upon on November 12, and the Dutch army gave up that day. The Dutch later investigated the defeat. They found that van Vlissingen had acted strangely during the siege, claiming to be ill. He might have been partly responsible for the sudden shortage of gunpowder.

Britain went on to capture Trincomalee in Ceylon and other Dutch areas in India. After the war ended in 1784, the British gave all these places back to the Dutch, except for Negapatam.

Munro had a monument called the Fyrish Monument built in Scotland. It was designed to look like the gate of Negapatam.