Eyre Coote (East India Company officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote, KB
(1726 – 28 April 1783) was an Irish
soldier. He is best known for his many years of service with the British Army
in India
. His victory at the Battle of Wandiwash
is considered a decisive turning point in the struggle for control in India between British and France. He was known by his sepoy
troops as Coote Bahadur (Coote the Brave).
of 1745, and later obtained a captaincy in the 39th Regiment, the first regular British regiment sent to India.
by captured by the forces of the Nawab of Bengal, which had been followed by the Black Hole of Calcutta
. The city was reoccupied without difficulty in January 1757. However, Coote and Clive argued so violently over who should reoccupy Fort William
that they almost fired at each other, which began a lifelong rivalry and hatred between the two men.
Coote was soon given the local rank of Major for his good conduct in surprising the camp of the Nawab of Bengal
. Soon afterwards came the Battle of Plassey
, which would probably never have taken place but for Coote's advice at the council of war; after the defeat of the Nawab he led a detachment in pursuit of the French
for 400 miles under extraordinary difficulties. His conduct won him the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and the command of the 84th Regiment of Foot
, newly raised in Britain for Indian service, but his exertions had seriously damaged his health.
. He took command of the forces at Madras, where a French siege had recently been defeated
, and on 22 January 1760 led them in the decisive victory of Battle of Wandiwash
.
After a time the remnants of Lally
's forces were besieged
in Pondicherry. For some reason Coote was not entrusted with the siege operations, but loyally supported William Monson, who brought the siege to a successful end on 15 January 1761. In the latter year he sat for Maryborough
in the Irish House of Commons
.
Soon afterwards Coote was given the command of the British East India Company
's forces in Bengal
, and settled of a serious dispute between the Nawab
Mir Qasim
and a powerful subordinate. In 1762 he returned to England, receiving a jewelled sword of honour from the Company and other rewards for his great services.In 1771 he was made a Knight of the Order of the Bath.
, the Governer General
who generally deferred to him and gave him a free hand over military matters, in opposition to Hasting's opponents on the ruling Council Edward Wheler and Philip Francis. He spent much of his time visiting outlying garrisons and chose to attend meetings of the Calcutta Council only when it was necessary to pass some important measure. Without Coote's support, Hastings was likely to be outvoted on the Council. This situation only ended when Francis returned home where he began to stir up criticism of Hastings' conduct with ultimately led to his failed impeachment
.
's opening of the Second Anglo-Mysore War
in southern India Coote returned to active service. It was not until 1 June 1781 that Coote struck the first heavy blow against Hyder in the decisive Battle of Porto Novo
. The battle was won by Coote against odds of five to one, and is regarded as one of the greatest feats of the British in India. It was followed up by another hard-fought battle at Pollilur
(the scene of an earlier triumph
of Hyder over a British force) on August 27, in which the British won another success, and by the rout of the Mysore troops at Sholinghur
a month later. His last service was the arduous campaign of 1782, which finally shattered a constitution already gravely impaired by hardship and exertions. Coote died at Madras on 28 April 1783. The war with Mysore was brought to an inconclusive end by the Treaty of Mangalore
in 1784. Subsequent conflicts fought, the Mysorean capital twice captured, and Hyder's dynasty eventually overthrown in 1799.
troops under his command. Following his death a monument was erected to him in Westminster Abbey
and another within West Park, Rockbourne
, Hampshire
. His nephew was Sir Eyre Coote, GCB who served as Governor General of India .
He married in 1769 a daughter of Charles Hutchinson, Governor of St. Helena. They had no children, and his property, worth over £200,000, was left to his brother, Doctor Charles Coote, dean of Kilfenora
, in County Clare
, Ireland. In his autobiography the American General and Secretary of State
Colin Powell
claims direct descent from Coote's identically named nephew Eyre Coote while he was serving as Governor of Jamaica, which has led to Powell sometimes being incorrectly referred to as a direct descendent of the elder General Coote.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1726 – 28 April 1783) was an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
soldier. He is best known for his many years of service with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. His victory at the Battle of Wandiwash
Battle of Wandiwash
The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...
is considered a decisive turning point in the struggle for control in India between British and France. He was known by his sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
troops as Coote Bahadur (Coote the Brave).
Early life
The son of the Reverend Chidley Coote, he was born near Limerick, Ireland in 1726, and entered the 27th Regiment of Foot. He first saw active service in the Jacobite risingJacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
of 1745, and later obtained a captaincy in the 39th Regiment, the first regular British regiment sent to India.
Recapture of Calcutta
In 1756 a part of the regiment, then quartered at Madras, was sent forward to join Robert Clive in his operations against Calcutta which had recently been capturedSiege of Calcutta
The Siege of Calcutta was a battle between the British Honourable East India Company, and Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal in India. The Nawab aimed to recapture the city of Calcutta from European control, after tensions had risen due to the East India Company building fortifications in case of...
by captured by the forces of the Nawab of Bengal, which had been followed by the Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort William, at Calcutta, India, where troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort on June 19, 1756....
. The city was reoccupied without difficulty in January 1757. However, Coote and Clive argued so violently over who should reoccupy Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
that they almost fired at each other, which began a lifelong rivalry and hatred between the two men.
Plassey
Coote was soon given the local rank of Major for his good conduct in surprising the camp of the Nawab of Bengal
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
. Soon afterwards came the Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...
, which would probably never have taken place but for Coote's advice at the council of war; after the defeat of the Nawab he led a detachment in pursuit of the French
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
for 400 miles under extraordinary difficulties. His conduct won him the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and the command of the 84th Regiment of Foot
84th Regiment of Foot (1759)
The 84th Regiment of Foot was a British regiment raised for service in India with the British East India Company.- History :Raised in England in 1758 during the Seven Years' War it was shipped to Madras, India in 1759 where it took part in the East Indies Campaign under Robert Clive. The 84th foot...
, newly raised in Britain for Indian service, but his exertions had seriously damaged his health.
Wandiwash
In October 1759 Coote's regiment arrived to take part in the decisive struggle between French and British in the CarnaticCarnatic region
The Carnatic coast is the region of South India lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast, in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, south eastern Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh....
. He took command of the forces at Madras, where a French siege had recently been defeated
Siege of Madras
The Siege of Madras was a siege of Madras, British India, between December 1758 and February 1759 by French forces under the command of Lally during the Seven Year's War. The British garrison was able to hold out until it was relieved. The British fired 26,554 cannon balls and more than 200,000...
, and on 22 January 1760 led them in the decisive victory of Battle of Wandiwash
Battle of Wandiwash
The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...
.
After a time the remnants of Lally
Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally
Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally, baron de Tollendal was a French General of Irish Jacobite ancestry. He commanded French forces in India during the Seven Years War. After a failed attempt to capture Madras he lost the Battle of Wandiwash to British forces under Eyre Coote and then was forced to...
's forces were besieged
Siege of Pondicherry (1760)
The 1760–1761 Siege of Pondicherry was a conflict in the Third Carnatic War, part of the global Seven Years' War. Lasting from 4 September 1760 to 15 January 1761, British land and naval forces besieged and eventually compelled the surrender French forces defending the French colonial outpost of...
in Pondicherry. For some reason Coote was not entrusted with the siege operations, but loyally supported William Monson, who brought the siege to a successful end on 15 January 1761. In the latter year he sat for Maryborough
Maryborough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Maryborough was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
.
Soon afterwards Coote was given the command of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's forces in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, and settled of a serious dispute between the Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
Mir Qasim
Mir Qasim
Mir Qasim was Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1764. He was installed as Nawab by the British East India Company replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been installed by the British after his role in the Battle of Plassey...
and a powerful subordinate. In 1762 he returned to England, receiving a jewelled sword of honour from the Company and other rewards for his great services.In 1771 he was made a Knight of the Order of the Bath.
Return to India
In 1779 he returned to India as Lieutenant-General commanding in chief. He allied himself to Warren HastingsWarren Hastings
Warren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
, the Governer General
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
who generally deferred to him and gave him a free hand over military matters, in opposition to Hasting's opponents on the ruling Council Edward Wheler and Philip Francis. He spent much of his time visiting outlying garrisons and chose to attend meetings of the Calcutta Council only when it was necessary to pass some important measure. Without Coote's support, Hastings was likely to be outvoted on the Council. This situation only ended when Francis returned home where he began to stir up criticism of Hastings' conduct with ultimately led to his failed impeachment
Impeachment of Warren Hastings
The Impeachment of Warren Hastings was a failed attempt to impeach the former Governor-General of India Warren Hastings in the Parliament of Great Britain between 1788 and 1795. Hastings was accused of misconduct during his time in Calcutta particularly relating to mismanagement and personal...
.
Hyder attacks
Following Hyder AliHyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
's opening of the Second Anglo-Mysore War
Second Anglo-Mysore War
The Second Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict in Mughal India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company. At the time, Mysore was a key French ally in India, and the Franco-British conflict raging on account of the American Revolutionary War helped spark Anglo-Mysorean...
in southern India Coote returned to active service. It was not until 1 June 1781 that Coote struck the first heavy blow against Hyder in the decisive Battle of Porto Novo
Battle of Porto Novo
The Battle of Porto Novo was fought on 1 July 1781 between forces of the Kingdom of Mysore and Great Britain near the village of Porto Novo on the Indian subcontinent, during the Second Anglo-Mysore War...
. The battle was won by Coote against odds of five to one, and is regarded as one of the greatest feats of the British in India. It was followed up by another hard-fought battle at Pollilur
Battle of Pollilur (1781)
The Battle of Pollilur was fought on 27 August 1781, between forces of the Kingdom of Mysore under Hyder Ali and British East India Company forces led by General Eyre Coote. The battle was fought on the site of a 1780 encounter in which a Company force was almost completely killed or captured...
(the scene of an earlier triumph
Battle of Pollilur
The Battle of Pollilur, also known as the Battle of Polilore or Battle of Perambakam, took place on 10 September 1780 at Pollilur near the city of Kanchipuram in present-day Tamil Nadu state, India as part of the Second Anglo-Mysore War...
of Hyder over a British force) on August 27, in which the British won another success, and by the rout of the Mysore troops at Sholinghur
Sholinghur
Sholinghur is a town under Walajapet taluk in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, India. Sholinghur is very famous for the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy...
a month later. His last service was the arduous campaign of 1782, which finally shattered a constitution already gravely impaired by hardship and exertions. Coote died at Madras on 28 April 1783. The war with Mysore was brought to an inconclusive end by the Treaty of Mangalore
Treaty of Mangalore
The Treaty of Mangalore was signed between Tippu Sultan and the British East India Company on 11 March 1784. It was signed in Mangalore and brought an end to the Second Anglo-Mysore War.-Background:...
in 1784. Subsequent conflicts fought, the Mysorean capital twice captured, and Hyder's dynasty eventually overthrown in 1799.
Legacy
Coote is generally remembered for his victory at Wandiwash and capture of Pondicherry which were decisive moments in the struggle between Britain and France for dominance in India. Although he often quarrelled with other British officers and officials, Coote was adored by the sepoySepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
troops under his command. Following his death a monument was erected to him in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
and another within West Park, Rockbourne
Rockbourne
Rockbourne is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire, close to Fordingbridge.-Overview:Rockbourne is a village of thatch, brick and timber houses, next to a stream now known as Sweatfords Water. The village consists chiefly of one street almost half a mile long. The church is...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. His nephew was Sir Eyre Coote, GCB who served as Governor General of India .
He married in 1769 a daughter of Charles Hutchinson, Governor of St. Helena. They had no children, and his property, worth over £200,000, was left to his brother, Doctor Charles Coote, dean of Kilfenora
Kilfenora
Kilfenora is a small village in County Clare in Ireland, just south of The Burren. The village is noted for being the home to the Kilfenora Ceili Band and the location for much of the filming of the sitcom Father Ted.-Places of interest:...
, in County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, Ireland. In his autobiography the American General and Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
claims direct descent from Coote's identically named nephew Eyre Coote while he was serving as Governor of Jamaica, which has led to Powell sometimes being incorrectly referred to as a direct descendent of the elder General Coote.