They had had 36 pieces of cannon and some mortars, in fact, 'many more pieces of cannon than they could use at once.' The English force consisted of 470 Europeans and 1,900 sepoys; while their ally, the Rája of Vizianagram, had with him '5OO paltry horse and 5,000 foot, some with awkward firearms, the rest with pikes and bows,' as well as a small force of 40 Europeans in charge of four guns, who, in the event, proved of more assistance than all the rest put together.
The French did not move from Gollaprólu, and on the sixth the English occupied Chebrólu, which was also on the main road and lay about three miles north of Gollaprólu. For the next three days the two armies remained in their respective camps; but on the early morning of the tenth they both made a movement. Forde desiring to draw the enemy from their camp to a general action, and to lead them to ground where their cavalry would not be of much assistance to them, marched off at 4 A.M., followed at some distance by the Vizianagram forces, who were not ready to start at the proper time, and at about eight in the morning took possession of Chandurti, which lay some two miles north-west of Chebrólu and well off the road. Meanwhile Conflans had been induced by an intelligent deserter, who had told him that the English force was raw and undisciplined and who had noticed a spot from which their camp could be commanded, to send off six guns the same night to cannonade Chebrólu; and he followed with the rest of his army and artillery to support them. The advance detachment of the French army came across the Vizianagram troops as they were leaving Chebrólu about daybreak, and fired upon them for some little time, but apparently without doing much harm. When Conflans came up he imagined that the English intended to take possession of the now deserted village of Vodulapenta, which lay midway between Gollaprólu and Chandurti and some two miles nearly due west of Chebrólu, and would have afforded them a strong advanced post in any attack upon Gollaprólu. He at once marched across the plain to prevent this, and had no difficulty in doing it, as Forde remained at Chandurti, two miles north of Vodulapenta, resolved 'to regulate his future movements by the enemy's.' Conflans imputed this inactivity to fear, and supposing that, with the advanced post in the enemy's hands, the English would now return to their camp at Chebrólu, he hurried forward to cut them off. Forde, nothing loth, advanced to meet him about nine o'clock, and the two armies came face to face about a mile south-south-west of Chandurti.
