Sir William Cornwallis - Third Anglo-Mysore War

Third Anglo-Mysore War

In November 1791 Cornwallis ordered that French shipping be intercepted and searched for contraband. The British and French were not at war but the French were openly aiding the Tippoo Sahib in his war against the British. Cornwallis detached Captain Richard Strachan in HMS Phoenix to intercept the French frigate Résolue and two French merchant ships that were heading for the French held port of Mangalore. The subsequent battle of Tellicherry saw Phoenix capture and search all of the vessels. The local French commander, was outraged and sent word back to France. The French authorities were too busy with internal upheaval to pay the incident much notice. He played a role in the war and helped to reduce Pondichéry in August 1793. Cornwallis took the frigate HMS Minerva as his flagship, and commanded a small flotilla that included three East Indiamen - Triton, Princess Charlotte, and Calcutta (1795). Cornwallis's promotion to rear-admiral dates from 1 February 1793; on 4 July 1794 he became vice-admiral. He remained in India until 1794.