CAMPAIGNS OF WELLESLEY AND LAKE 327

nified to Sindhia and the Nagpur raja that they must withdraw their army from its station upon the Nizam's frontier or abide his attack. They replied by desiring him first to retire; but as this would have exposed the territory which their movements were threatening, the English army advanced, and war was formally declared. The scene of the campaign that followed was in that part of Central India where the northern frontiers of the Haidarabad state adjoined the possessions of the two Maratha chiefs. At Assaye, where the collision took place in September, 1803, Sindhia 's troops fought well and fiercely; the veteran battalions of De Boigne made a resolute stand; the artillery inflicted heavy loss on the English infantry, and died, stubbornly fighting, at their guns; but Wellesley's victory was decisive. Marching onward into Berar, he inflicted a severe defeat upon the troops of the Nagpur raja at Argaum in No- vember of the same year; he then took by storm the hill fort of Gawilgarh; and before the year's end peace had been concluded with both the Maratha belligerents on terms dictated by the British commander. General Lake's successes in the northwest were of equal importance. He took Aligarh by assault, dis- persed Sindhia 's force before Delhi, occupied the town, and assumed charge of the emperor's person. Agra was besieged and captured; and finally, in November, 1803, the British force met at Laswari seventeen bat- talions of trained infantry with excellent artillery, the last of Sindhia 's regular army. These troops behaved so gallantly that the event (Lake wrote) would have