tenants Kellett and Goldfinch merits the highest praise; and he then adds:
“The enemy having apparently completed his left wing, with its full complement of artillery and warlike stores, I determined to attack that part of his line early on the morning of the 5th. I requested Captain Chads, the senior naval officer here, to move up to the Puzendown creek during the night, with the gun-flotilla, bomb-ketch, &c. and commence a cannonade on the enemy’s rear at day-light. This service was most judiciously and successfully performed by that officer, who has never yet disappointed me in my most sanguine expectations. The enemy was defeated and dispersed in every direction. The Cassay horse fled, mixed with the retreating infantry, and all their artillery, stores, and reserve depôts, which had cost them so much toil and labour to get up, with a great quantity of small arms, gilt chattahs, standards, and other trophies, fell into our hands. Never was victory more complete or more decided, and never was the triumph of discipline and valour, over the disjointed efforts of irregular courage and infinitely superior numbers, more conspicuous.”
The naval force employed in the Puzendown creek was composed of the steam and mortar-vessels, a few of the gun-flotilla, and several transports’ boats, with about 40 European soldiers to make an appearance. Mr. Archibald Reed, admiralty midshipman, was with Captain Chads, and “rendered him much service.” In the mean time, the Satellite was very closely and warmly engaged, as she had also been during the nights of the 2d, 3rd, and 4th, with the enemy at Dalla, whose shot struck her in every direction, and greatly injured the rigging; but as Lieutenant Dobson had taken the precaution to stockade her all around with bamboo, she fortunately had not a man killed or wounded.
The Burmese left wing thus disposed of, Sir Archibald Campbell patiently waited its effect upon the right, posted in so thick a forest as to render any attack in that quarter in a great measure impracticable. On the same day, he wrote to Captain Chads in the following terms:–
“My dear Sir,– A thousand thanks for the essential diversion you made this morning to the left and rear of the enemy. Their defeat has been, indeed, most complete; the game is, I think, now up with them, and the further conquest of the country easy – thanks to all the good and fine fellows under our command by water and land.”
