Battle of Pollilur

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 routed or captured. In the 1781 battle, the company's army was organized into two lines. One line fought against the troops under Tipu Sultan. But Hyder Ali's army faced severe casualties and retreated to Kanchipuram. After the battle, a shortage of provisions led Coote to move his forces toward Tripassore. Both the sides retreated in a drawn battle and both claimed victory by firing a salute though the English claimed "dubious victory". Battlefield today Much of the battle site has been altered owing to paddy cultivation. Two obelisks stand in memory of two officers who served in the army of East India Company. They stand on a higher ground than the surroundings and the inscribed text is very light and faded. Colonel George Brown and Captain James Hislop are remembered in the obelisks.