25/09/2015

BattleofSt.Thome,4November1746

BattleofSt.Thome,4November1746
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IndianArmy

ThebattleofSt.Thome(4November1746)wasthesecondoftwovictoriesinthreedaysinwhichsmallFrench
armiesdefeatedthelargerarmyoftheNawaboftheCarnatic(FirstCarnaticWar).
TheBritishandFrenchEastIndiaCompaniesbothhadimportantbasesinthesouthofIndia,atMadrasand
Pondicherry.ThesebaseswereintheterritoryruledbyAnwarurDin,theNawaboftheCarnatic,theMughal
governorinthearea.WhenfightingbrokeoutbetweentheBritishandtheFrench(partoftheWaroftheAustrian
Succession),theNawabdeclaredhisterritorytobeneutralandforbadetheFrenchandBritishfromattacking
eachotherspossessions.ThisenforcedtrucewasbrokenbytheFrenchunderAdmiralLaBourdonnais,whoin
September1746besiegedandcapturedMadras.TheNawabwasplacatedbytheFrenchgovernor,Marquis
JosephFranoisDupleix,whopromisedtohandMadrasovertheNawabonceithadbeencaptured.
AdmiralLaBourdonnaisdidn'tagreewiththisplan.InsteadhewantedtoransomthetownbacktoitsBritish
occupants.TheargumentbetweenthetwomenlastedintomidOctober,whenastormdamagedLaBordonnais'
fleetandforcedhimtosailaway.BythispointtheNawabhadlostpatiencewiththeFrench,andhedispatcheda
10,000strongarmyunderthecommandofhissonMaphuzeKhantobesiegeMadras.
ThisarmysufferedtwodefeatsatthehandsofmuchsmallerFrenchforcesinonlythreedays.On2November
theFrenchcommanderatMadraslaunchedasortieagainstMaphuzeKhan'sarmywith400menandtwofield
guns.TherapidfireofthefieldgunscausedapanicintheNawab'sarmy,anditfledfromthescene.
MaphuzeKhanwassoonabletoregaincontrolofhisarmy,andon3Novemberhemovedfourmilessouth,toSt.
Thome,whereheplannedtoblockasmallFrenchforceknowntobecomingtoreinforcethegarrisonofMadras.
MaphuzeKhanstillhad10,000men,andhewasabletotakeupastrongpositiondefendingariver.
TheFrenchforceconsistedof250Europeansand700Sepoys,recruitedfromthelocalpopulace,allunderthe
commandofaSwissofficernamedParadis.Despitebeingoutnumberedbytentoone,Paradisdecidedtoattack
acrosstheriver.Heorderedhismentofireonevolleyandthenchargewiththeirbayonets.Thisunexpectedly
boldattackbrokethemoraleoftheNawab'sarmy,whichturnedandtriedtofleeintoSt.Thome,allthetime
comingunderfirefromParadis'men.TheroutwasmadeworsewhenaforcefromMadrasarrivedonthescene
andattackedtherearoftheretreatingarmy.ThistimetheNawab'sarmywasbroken,andfledbackintotheheart
ofhisterritory.
Thebattlehadtwoeffects.IntheshorttermDupleixdeclaredMadrastobeFrenchbyrightofconquest,and
appointedParadistocommandthecity.MadrasremainedinFrenchhandsuntiltheendofthewar,whenitwas
returnedtotheBritish,whoinreturnhandedbackLouisburginCanada.Thelongertermimpactwastomake
BritishandFrenchgeneralsrealisethattheynowhadaweaponthatcoulddefeatthemassiveIndianarmiesthat
hadintimidatedthemuntilthispointtherapidfireofdisciplinedtroopswasnowcapableofdefeatingIndian
troops,andinparticularthehighlyprestigiouscavalry.Thisdiscoverywouldsoonhelptransformthebalanceof
powerinIndia.
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Howtocitethisarticle:Rickard,J(9December2011),BattleofSt.Thome,4November1746,
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_st_thome.html
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_st_thome.html

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25/09/2015

BattleofSt.Thome,4November1746

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