The History of British India Author:James Mill, Horace Hayman Wilson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CAPTURE OF STOCKADE OF KOiaEN. 6I ants, fell in great numbers. The other principal stockade BOOK III. was captured with equal celerity by the 89th, and in i H... more »ap. n twenty minutes the whole of the works were in possession ——— of the British.1 The Burmas sustained a severe loss on 1824. this occasion, as the fugitives were intercepted by the Governor-General's Body-Guard, a detachment of which had recently joined from Bengal, and proved of great service in the ensuing operations. Equal success attended the British arms on the river ; and the boats of the men- of-war, and gun-boats towed by the Diana steamer, captured and destroyed a number of war-boats and fire-rafts. The dispersion of the grand army was thus completed ; and the Burma General, retiring to Donabew, employed himself with the most laudable resolution and activity in rallying and re-organising his army, and placing it under the shelter of entrenchments of more than ordinary strength and extent. The character of the war was in fact changed. The Burmas no longer ventured upon offensive operations, but confined their objects to the defence of the line of the river, and the exclusion of the British from any communication with the upper provinces. The ill-success vith which this policy was attended, we shall hereafter describe; and in the mean time, advert to the events which had occurred in other quarters. CHAPTER III. Aiam. — Advance of the British Troops. — Retreat of the Burmas to the Fort of Rangpur. — Dissensions of the Garrison,— capitulate.— Burmas evacuate Asam,— renew the Invasion in Concert with theSing-fos,—their Stockades taken, and they finally retire.— Kachar.—Army assembled for the Invasion of Ava from Kachar.— Nature of the Country,—Impossibility of Advance,—Project abandoned, — the Burmas driven fr...« less