F10195_0070

31.
Wellesley thereupon gave orders for the
commencement of the war. His plans
included the crushing of the power of
Bhonsla & Sindhia, the destruction of
all the French power that still existed,
& a wide scheme of territorial extension.
The minor successes which took place
in Cuttack & Gujarat may be passed
over as not having seriously affected
the resultof the war; but the two main
sections of the British army were those
commanded by General Arthur Wellesley
in Berar, & General Lake in Hindustan.
General Wellesley, who was assisted
by Colonel Stevenson, had under his
command between 16,000 & 17,000 men.
His first success was the capture of
Ahmadnagar on August 12th. He pushed
on, slowly approaching the united
forces of Bhonsla & Sindhia, until on
September 23rd, the two armies met at
Assaye. Space does not permit us to
give even the barest account either of
this great victory or of those which
followed it. The enemy, though ten
times our numbers, & trained by French
men, & helped by a small number of
French troops, were utterly routed. On
November 29th, General Wellesley won