A drawn engagement of the Second Anglo-Mysore War in which neither side achieved a decisive result, with both Mysore and the British claiming victory.
Key Facts
- Date
- 27 August 1781
- War
- Second Anglo-Mysore War
- Mysore commander
- Hyder Ali (with Tipu Sultan)
- British commander
- General Eyre Coote
- Outcome
- Drawn; both sides claimed victory
- British post-battle move
- Coote withdrew toward Tripassore
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Second Anglo-Mysore War had been underway since 1780, marked by an earlier engagement at the same site in which a Company force was nearly destroyed. Hyder Ali's forces sought to press their advantage against British East India Company operations in the Carnatic region, prompting General Eyre Coote to lead a renewed British campaign in 1781.
On 27 August 1781, the British East India Company army under General Eyre Coote met the forces of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan at Pollilur. The Company deployed its army in two lines; one line engaged Tipu Sultan's troops while Hyder Ali's forces suffered heavy casualties and withdrew toward Kanchipuram. Neither side secured a clear tactical advantage.
Following the indecisive engagement, a shortage of provisions compelled Coote to move his army toward Tripassore. Both Mysore and the British retreated and each fired salutes to claim victory, though contemporaries acknowledged the British claim as dubious, leaving the broader conflict unresolved.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Eyre Coote.
Side B
1 belligerent
Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan.