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{{EngvarB|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox Military Conflict
| conflict = Siege of Bangalore
| partof = the [[Third Anglo-Mysore War]]
| image = RobertHome - The Death of Colonel Moorhouse at the Storming of the Pettah Gate of Bangalore.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = ''The Death of Colonel Moorhouse at the Storming of the Pettah Gate of Bangalore'' by [[Robert Home]]
| date = 5 February – 21 March 1791
| place = [[Bangalore]], [[Kingdom of Mysore]]
| result = British victory
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} [[British East India Company]]<br>{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Mysore.svg}} [[Sultanate of Mysore]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Charles Cornwallis]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Mysore.svg}}[[Tipu Sultan]] (outside the lines)<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Mysore.svg}}Sipahdar Syad Hamid Sahib (lower fort)<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Mysore.svg}}Buhadur Khan Sahib<ref name=Naravane>{{Cite book |last=Naravane |first=M.S. |title=Battles of the Honorourable East India Company |publisher=A.P.H. Publishing Corporation |year=2014 |isbn=9788131300343 |pages=177}}</ref> (upper fort)
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
| campaignbox =
{{Campaignbox Third Anglo-Mysore War}}
}}
The '''Siege of Bangalore''' was a siege of the town and fortifications of [[Bangalore]] during the [[Third Anglo-Mysore War]] by forces of the [[British East India Company]], led by [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Charles, Earl Cornwallis]] against a [[Kingdom of Mysore|Mysorean]] garrison, while [[Tipu Sultan]], Mysore's ruler, harried the camps and positions of the besiegers. Arriving before the town on 5 February 1791, Cornwallis captured the town by assault on 7 February, and after six weeks of siege, stormed [[Bangalore Fort|the fortress]] on 21 March.

The Bangalore fort, ca. 1791, was described as follows:<ref name="Mil_Engr_In_India_Vol_1">{{cite book |title=The Military Engineer in India, Vol I |last=Sandes |first=Lt Col E.W.C. |year=1933 |publisher=The Institution of Royal Engineers |location=Chatham |pages=163–165 }}</ref>
{{quote|Bangalore, like Madras, had a fort, with a ''pettah'', or fortified town, outside it. This lay-out was a feature of almost all the cities or settlements in India, the fort providing a place of refuge for most of the inhabitants if the ''pettah'' was in danger of capture. The fort at Bangalore had a perimeter of about one mile; it was of solid masonry, surrounded by a wide ditch which was commanded from 26 towers placed at intervals along the ramparts. To its north lay the ''pettah'', several miles in circumference and protected by an indifferent rampart, a deep belt of thorn and cactus, and a small ditch. Altogether Bangalore was not a place which invited attack.|Sandes, Lt Col E.W.C. (1933) ''The Military Engineer In India, Vol 1''}}

Tipu Sultan followed Cornwallis' army, placing him in the awkward position of having an undefeated enemy army at his back while besieging the a strong fortification. Tipu kept away hoping to take assault when underway in flank. Over the next twelve days, two companies of the [[Madras Engineer Group|Madras Pioneers]] provided [[sapper]]s for eight batteries, dug several parallels and a trench up to the fort ditch. Cornwallis attacked secretly on the night of 21 March 1791. The Madras Pioneers, led by Lt [[Colin Mackenzie]], crossed the ditch with scaling ladders, mounted the breach and entered the fort, while the artillery engaged the fort with blank ammunition. With a breach made, the main stormers rushed in and the fort was captured after a hand-to hand fight in which a thousand defenders were killed. Cornwallis captured the fort and secured the force against Tipu.<ref name="Mil_Engr_In_India_Vol_1"/><ref name=Aruni>{{cite news|last1=Aruni|first1=S K|title=Once a battlefield, now bustling K.R. Market|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/once-a-battlefield-now-bustling-kr-market/article2811512.ece|access-date=18 February 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=The Hindu|date=18 January 2012}}</ref>

The Madras Pioneers, went on to make Bangalore their permanent home.

<gallery class="center" caption="Siege of Bangalore, 1791" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:British Plaque, Bangalore Fort.JPG|Siege of Bangalore (1791) British Plaque, Bangalore Fort
File:MANTE(1800) p7.428 STORMING BANGALORE - 1791.jpg|Stroming and taking Bangalore, by the [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Marquis Cornwallis]]<ref name=Mante>{{cite book|last1=Mante|first1=Thomas|title=The naval and military history of the wars of England, including, the wars of Scotland and Ireland, etc., Volume 7|page=428|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MANTE(1800)_p7.428_STORMING_BANGALORE_-_1791.jpg|access-date=18 February 2015}}</ref>
File:Memorial to Jospeph Moorhose, died in the Siege of Bangalore, 1791, at the St. Mary's Cathedral, Madras.jpg|Memorial to Jospeph Moorhouse, [[St. Mary's Church, Chennai|St. Mary's Church, Madras]]
</gallery>

According to the British chronicler Mark Wilks, the British faced respectable resistance. However, the resistance lasted a few hours, and the fort fell to the British. Loss of the Bangalore Fort resulted in severe loss of morale amongst Tippu's soldiers.<ref name=DH-Meera />

The British occupied the Bangalore Fort only for a year, as it was returned to Tippu Sultan, following the [[Siege of Seringapatam (1792)|defeat of Tippu Sultan in 1792]] and the consequent [[Treaty of Seringapatam]]. However, after the [[Siege of Seringapatam (1799)|fall of Tippu Sultan in 1799]], the Bangalore Fort came under British control. A British garrison was stationed at the fort till 1888, when it was handed over to the civil authorities.<ref name=DH-Meera /><ref name=Iyer-Forts>{{cite news|last1=Iyer|first1=Meera|title=A tale of Bangalore and its four forts|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/357444/a-tale-bangalore-its-four.html|access-date=2 February 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=11 September 2013}}</ref>

Today, very little remains to remind people of the battle, except for a plaque (see picture), which reads "Through this breach the British assault was delivered. 21 March 1791."<ref name=DH-Meera>{{cite news|last1=Iyer|first1=Meera|title=A battle saga, one March night|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/147597/a-battle-saga-one-march.html|access-date=21 January 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=21 March 2011}}</ref>

==Fort Cemetery and the Demolished Cenotaph==
[[File:Cenotaph, Bangalore - Copy.jpg|thumb|left|Cenotaph, Bangalore]]
[[File:The Memorial Obelsisk, raised in memory of the British and Indian troops who fell at the siege of Bangalore in 1791.jpg|thumb|Memorial Obelisk raised for the British and Indian Officers and Men who fell in the Siege of Bangalore, 1791. The [[Hudson Memorial Church, Bangalore|Hudson Memorial Church]] can be seen in the background. (The memorial was vandalised on 28 October 1964)]]
The Fort Cemetery, where the officers who fell in the Siege of Bangalore were buried, is illustrated in Robert Home's book, ''Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan'', published by Robert Bowyer, London, 1794.<ref name=BL>{{cite web|title=Burial Ground at Bangalore|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000003775u00011000.html|website=British Library: Online Gallery|access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref> Home's painting shows the graves of Captains James Smith, James Williamson, John Shipper, Nathaniel Daws and Jeremiah Delany, Lieutenant Conan and Lieutenant-Colonel Gratton.<ref name=BL-Home>{{cite web|title=Burial Ground at Bangalore|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000003775u00011000.html|website=British Library: Online Gallery|access-date=18 February 2015}}</ref> As recorded in 1895, The cemetery was located just outside the [[Fort Church, Bangalore|Fort Church]], with the church being responsible for its maintenance. The cemetery had cypress trees, rose bushes and flowers. The Government of Mysore, had constructed a wall and gate for the cemetery.<ref name=Mar1895>{{cite journal|title=Parochial Magazine|date=March 1895|page=22|publisher=Church of England}}</ref><ref name=Anik>{{cite book|last1=Dhanraj|first1=Anik Luke|last2=Isaac|first2=Rabindran|last3=Mercy|title=Fortified revival|date=31 October 2010|publisher=St. Luke's Church|location=Bangalore|url=http://stlukesbangalore.org/history/St%20Lukes%20church%20History.htm|access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref>

However, as recorded in 1912 by Rev. Frank Penny in his book ''The Church in Madras: Volume II'', the cemetery no longer existed. The record of the offers who fell in the battle for the Bangalore Fort in 1791, were transferred to the cenotaph, raised by the [[Kingdom of Mysore|Government of Mysore]].<ref name=Penny>{{cite book|last1=Penny|first1=Frank|title=The Church in Madras : being the History of the Ecclesiastical and Missionary Action of the East India Company in the Presidency of Madras From 1805 to 1835: Volume II|date=1912|publisher=John Murray|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/thechurchinmadra02unknuoft/page/n92 71]|url=https://archive.org/details/thechurchinmadra02unknuoft|access-date=10 February 2015}}</ref> The 35 feet tall cenotaph pillar was raised in memory of the lives lost in the Siege of Bangalore, opposite to the present Corporation Building, and Hudson Memorial Church.<ref name=Hindu-Chandramouli>{{cite news|last1=Chandramouli|first1=K|title=Edifices that tell tales|url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/05/stories/2002090500400200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030309125414/http://thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/05/stories/2002090500400200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 March 2003|access-date=21 January 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=5 September 2002}}</ref> Kannada activists led by Vatal Nagaraj and others made violent demands to demolish the cenotaph. As a result of these protests, the Bangalore City Corporation demolished the memorial on 28 October 1964, and the name of the road was also changed from Cenotaph Road to Nrupathunga Road. The engraved stones were destroyed, and not even a single stone remains. A small piece of the Cenotaph has been placed as a bench in the Corporation Office.<ref name=Mirror>{{cite news|last1=S|first1=Shyam Prasad|title=Reclaiming the city|url=http://ramubangalore.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-cenotaph-of-bangalore.html|access-date=21 January 2015|agency=Bangalore Mirror Bureau|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=Bangalore Mirror|date=1 November 2014}}</ref><ref name=Harshitha>{{cite web|last1=Harshitha|first1=Samyuktha|title=This Cenotaph was officially vandalised|url=http://ramubangalore.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-cenotaph-of-bangalore.html|website=Suttha Muttha|access-date=21 January 2015|date=2 December 2012}}</ref> Historians, and heritage lovers of Banaglore City are however enraged with this destruction of history. Well known blogger on Bangalore, Samyuktha Harshitha, calls it as 'official vandalism', comparing it with the destruction of the [[Buddhas of Bamiyan|Bamiyan statues]].<ref name=Harshitha /><ref name=Sripad>{{cite news|last1=Sripad|first1=Ashwini M|title=The Disappearing Heritage Landscape of Bangalore|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/The-Disappearing-Heritage-Landscape-of-Bangalore/2014/10/25/article2492294.ece|access-date=21 January 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=The New Indian Express|date=25 October 2014}}</ref>

==Sketches==
The siege of Bangalore, resulted in a number of sketches by artists such as James Hunter, Thomas Daniell, William Daniell, Robert Home, etc. These sketches provide a detailed record of the landscape around the Bangalore Fort at that period.

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:The army of Lord Comwallis, encamped near Bangalore (Mysore). 29 April 1792.jpg|The Encampment of Ld. Cornwallis at 5 miles E of Bangalore on 29' 'Apl 1792. Composed of abt 40,000, extent 4 miles long<ref name=ArmyCamp>{{cite book|last1=Daniell|first1=Thomas|last2=Daniell|first2=William|title=The army of Lord Comwallis, encamped near Bangalore (Mysore)|date=29 April 1792|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000000217u00000000.html|access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref>
File:View of the burial ground at Bangalore.jpg|View of the burial ground at Bangalore, with Officers who fell in the Battle for Bangalore - Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan by Robert Home (1752-1834)<ref name=Plate8>{{cite book|last1=Home|first1=Robert|title=Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan|date=1794|publisher=Robert Bowyer|location=London|page=Plate 8|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/largeimage68277.html|access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref>

</gallery>

===Sketches of James Hunter===
James Hunter served as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. He was a military painter, and his sketches portrayed aspects of military and everyday life. Hunter served the British India Army and took part in [[Tippu Sultan]] Campaigns.

Hunter has sketched different landscapes of South India, including [[Bangalore]], [[Mysore]], [[Hosur]], [[Kancheepuram]], [[Madras]], [[Arcot]], [[Sriperumbudur]], etc. These paintings were published in 'A Brief history of ancient and modern India embellished with coloured engravings', published by Edward Orme, London between 1802–05,<ref name=Ebinesan /> and 'Picturesque scenery in the Kingdom of Mysore' published by Edward Orme in 1804.<ref name=Hunter />

Hunter died in India in 1792.<ref name=Ebinesan>{{cite web|last1=Ebinesan|first1=J|title=James Hunter's Bangalore|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/18249957@N00/sets/72157594460104089/|access-date=21 January 2015|date=2006}}</ref> Some of his paintings of Bangalore Fort are below

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4" caption="Bangalore Fort">
File:The North Entrance Into The Fort Of Bangalore -with Tipu's flag flying-.jpg|The North Entrance into The Fort of Bangalore [with Tipu's flag flying] by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:The South Entrance Into The Fort Of Bangalore..jpg|The South Entrance into The Fort of Bangalore by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:The Mysore Gate At Bangalore.jpg|The Mysore Gate at Bangalore Fort by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:The Delhi Gate Of Bangalore.jpg|The Delhi Gate Of Bangalore by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:The Third Delhi Gate Of Bangalore.jpg|The Third Delhi Gate Of Bangalore by James Hunter (d.1792)
</gallery>

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4" caption="Tippu's Summer Palace in the Bangalore Fort">
File:A Street Leading To The Palace Of Bangalore.jpg|A Street Leading To The Palace Of Bangalore by James Hunter (d.1792) (the gateway in the end is on the right side of next 2 photos)
File:The Square And Entrance Into Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore..jpg|The Square And Entrance Into Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore, by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:'Square at Bangalore' and on reverse 'The Entrance of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore Feby. 92'.jpg|'Square at Bangalore' and 'The Entrance of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore Feb 92, by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:North Entrance Of Tippoo's Palace At Bangalore.jpg|North Entrance Of Tippoo's Palace At Bangalore, by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:North Front Of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore..jpg|North Front Of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore, by James Hunter (d.1792)
File:West Front Of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore.jpg|West Front Of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore by James Hunter (d.1792)<ref name=Hunter>{{cite book|last1=Hunter|first1=James|title=Picturesque Scenery in the Kingdom of Mysore|date=1792|page=Plate 16|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019xzz000007683u00016000.html|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>
</gallery>

===Other British Sketches of Bangalore Fort===
<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:The fort of Bangalore, from a village outside the main gate.jpg|The fort of Bangalore, from a village outside the main gate, by an anonymous artist, c.1790 - 1792.
File:Captain Alexander Allan's 'Views in the Mysore Country 1794'.jpg|Muslim graves, around the Bangalore Fort (1974), from Alexander Allan's 'Views in the Mysore Country 1794'<ref name=Allan>{{cite book|last1=Allan|first1=Sir Alexander|title=Views in the Mysore Country|date=1794|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019xzz000000378u00002000.html|access-date=18 February 2015}}</ref>
File:Bangalore_siege_plan.jpg|Plan of the Siege with positions of guns
File:North view of Bangalore from the pettah, shewing the curtain and bastions that were breached.jpg|North view of Bangalore from the pettah, (View from the around the present Avenue Road, facing Fort) shewing the curtain and bastions that were breached, by Robert Home (1752-1834)<ref name=Home1794 />
File:View of the Pettah Gateway where Colonel Morehouse (Moorehouse) fell (Robert Home, 1792).jpg|View of the Pettah Gateway where Colonel Morehouse (Moorehouse) fell (Robert Home, 1792)<ref name="Home-PettahGate">{{cite web|last1=Home|first1=Robert|title=View of the Pettah Gateway where Colonel Morehouse/Moorehouse fell|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000003775u00009000.html|website=British Library|access-date=16 June 2016|date=1792}}</ref>
</gallery>

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:Southerly View of Bangalore.jpg|Bangalore Fort as seen from the Kempegowda Lalbagh Tower. Engraving by Claude Martin, from an earlier drawing of a southerly view of Bangalore in Karnataka, published by J. Sewell in 1792.<ref name=Claude>{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Claude|title=Southerly view of Bangalore|date=1792|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019pzz000000256u00000000.html|access-date=18 February 2015}}</ref>
File:South View of Bangalore.jpg|View of Bangalore Fort, from the Kempegowda South Tower. South view of Bangalore with the fortress in the distance by Robert Home (1752-1834) in 1792<ref name=Home2>{{cite book|last1=Home|first1=Robert|title=South View of Bangalore|date=1792 |url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000003775u00012000.html|access-date=18 February 2015}}</ref>
File:East view of Bangalore, with a small shrine and a dismounted horseman in the foreground, and cattle grazing beyond..jpg|View of Bangalore Fort, from the East, with a small shrine and a dismounted horseman in the foreground, and cattle grazing beyond, by Robert Hyde Colebrooke (1762-1808) in 1791<ref name=Colebrooke>{{cite book|last1=Colebrooke|first1=Robert Hyde|title=Twelve Views of Places in the Kingdom of Mysore|date=1791 |publisher=Thomson |location=London|page=Plate 1|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000004461u00000000.html|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>
File:East view of Bangalore, with the cypress garden, from a pagoda..jpg|East view of Bangalore, with the cypress garden, from a pagoda, by James Hunter(d. 1792). Bangalore Fort as seen from the East (Cypress Gardens in today's [[Lal Bagh, Bengaluru|Lalbagh]])<ref name=Hunter-Plate8>{{cite book|last1=Hunter|first1=James|title=Picturesque Scenery in the Kingdom of Mysore'|date=1804|publisher=Edward Orme|location=London|page=Plate 8|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019xzz000007683u00008000.html|access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref>
</gallery>

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:Plan of Bangalore (with the Attacks) taken by the English Army under the Command of the Rt. Honble. Earl Cornwallis KG etc. etc. etc. March 22nd 1791..jpg|Ink wash of a plan of Bangalore by Robert Home (1752-1834) in 1791. Plan of Bangalore (with the Attacks) taken by the English Army under the Command of the Rt. Honble. Earl Cornwallis KG etc. March 22, 1791. Part of 22 drawings along with a map and three plans completed by Home, whilst accompanying the British army under Cornwallis during the 3rd Mysore War 1791-1792<ref name=Home>{{cite book|last1=Home|first1=Robert|title=Plan of Bangalore|date=22 March 1791|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000003775u00026000.html|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>
File:Plan of the Fort of Bangalore from sights, without measurement.jpg|Plan of the Fort of Bangalore from sights, without measurement, by Claude Martin (1735-1800)<ref name=Claude2>{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Claude|title=Plan of the Fort of Bangalore from sights, without measurement|date=1792|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019pzz000000255u00000000.html|access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref>
File:View of the inside gate at Bangalore with the guard room.jpg|View of the inside gate at Bangalore with the guard room, by James Fittler (1758-1835) after sketches of Robert Home (1752-1834)<ref name=Home1794>{{cite book|last1=Home|first1=Robert|title=Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan|date=1794|location=London|page=Plate4|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wzz000002567u00004000.html|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Mill, James. [https://books.google.com/books?id=hlQIAAAAQAAJ&dq=Darwar%20siege%201790&lr=&pg=PA268#v=onepage&q=Cornwallis%20Bangalore&f=false ''A history of British India'', Volume 5]
* Miles, W (translator). [https://books.google.com/books?id=r3vuqqEze20C&dq=cornwallis%20kushoon&pg=PA180#v=onepage&q=cornwallis%20kushoon&f=false ''The history of the Reign of Tipu Sultan'']

{{coord missing|Karnataka}}

[[Category:Conflicts in 1791|Bangalore]]
[[Category:Sieges involving the Kingdom of Mysore|Bangalore 1791]]
[[Category:Sieges involving Great Britain|Bangalore 1791]]
[[Category:Battles of the Third Anglo-Mysore War|Bangalore 1791]]
[[Category:1791 in India]]

Siege of Bangalore - Revision history

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