Search e-Library

Ochterlony : Sir David (1758-1825), born & educated in USA, joined East India Co.’s Bengal Army in 1777. In 1781-3, he served in Col. T.D. Pearse’s regiment, one of the five under Commander-in-Chief Sir Eyre Coote (1720-83) whom Gov.-Gen Hastings had dispatched from Calcutta to counter Hyder Ali of Mysore who had invaded Karnataka, as in 1759-60, Coote had defeated the French at Wandiwash (Vandavasi), taken Arcot & Pondicherry ending French power in India. In 1781 Coote attacked Hyder who had besieged Vandavasi & freeing Vandavasi, marched on Cuddalore, attacked Chelambakam & won at Porto Novo, defeated Hyder at Perambakam, released British imprisoned in Vellore Fort & captured Chittoor (c.450 km north of Vellore) but was routed by Hyder at Arnee (280 km NW of Vandavasi & 210 km SE of Vellore) in 1782. Ochterlony, taken prisoner at the siege of Cuddalore in 1783, was rescued by Pearse in 1784. In 1803-8, Lt. Colonel Ochterlony commanded a regiment under General Gerard Lake (1744-1808) in the fertile land between the Ganges & Jamunā [such fertile lands were coveted & fought over as was those between Krishna (q.v.) & Tungabhadra; & between Hyderabad & Mysore]. In 1903, he helped Lake (Commander-in-Chief of Brit Indian Army, 1801-07) engage Sindhia & Holkar at Koel, storm Aligarh, & capture Delhi, for which Lake appointed him Resident at Delhi. While there he is said to have adopted Moghul culture & married 13 wives whom he treated every evening to an elephant ride. In 1804 Lake’s armies attacked Sindhia taking from him Agra & Lashwari; then attacked Holkar & took Deeg from him. In October 1805, Lake made four unsuccessful attempts to take Bharatpur in Rajasthan (40 km west of Agra) then made peace with its Raja; in December they defeated Holkar at Amritsar. In 1808, Ochterlony was made commandant of Allahabad. In 1808, he led a column to the Sutlej & fought Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Made Maj.-General in 1814, his was the only one successful of the four columns that the E.I. Co. sent to invade Nepal. He captured Fort Nalagur defeated Amar Singh & took Malown in 1815 for which he was made Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) & Baronet. Since in 1816, he defeated the Ghurkha army within 20 miles of Kathmandu & extracted a treaty, he was made the first Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (GCB). In 1817-18, he took part in the Pindari-Mahratta wars that E.I. Co. incited. Later he extracted a treaty & settlement with Amir Khan of Afghanistan. In 1818-22, after the British-Afghan alliance had crushed the Maratha Confederacy, Ochterlony was made Resident of Rājputāna, Delhi, & Mālwā. He resigned in 1826 when his choice in the Bharatpur succession imbroglio was overruled by Lord William Pitt Amherst (1773-1857) the then Gov.-Gen. of India – which insult is said to have hastened his death while at Meerut. For his selfless service in establishing the unity & prosperity of our motherland we immortalised this Angel’s love for us in the 100 ft. Ochterlony monument. [Sieved from Buckland; added other sources]