Atlas of Battles

siege, early modern

Siege of Pondicherry

Siege of Pondicherry was a siege conducted on 21 August 1778 at Pondicherry, in what is now India; it lasted 59 days. It was part of the Anglo-French War of 1778–1783, which ran from 1778 to 1783. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 1,500 British regulars; 9,000 sepoys against 700 French regulars; 400–600 sepoys.

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A French map depicting the 1778 Siege of Pondicherry.
A French map depicting the 1778 Siege of Pondicherry.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought21 August 1778lasted 59 days
WherePondicherry, India11.930N, 79.830E
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsGreat Britain; British East India CompanyagainstFrance
Casualties and losses243 killed; 930 woundedand144 killed; 285 wounded
Part ofAnglo-French War of 1778–17831778 to 1783

Where it sits in the Anglo-French War of 1778–1783

Battle of Ushant, 1778Siege of Pondicherry, 1778Action of 20 October 1778, 1778Capture of Saint Vincent, 1779Action of 17 August 1779, 1779Battle of Jersey, 1781Battle of Porto Praya, 1781Capture of Demerara and Essequibo, 1782Capture of Montserrat, 1782Battle of Trincomalee, 1782Action of 18 October 1782, 1782Action of 11 April 1783, 178317781783Siege of Pondicherry, 1778
12 placed engagements of the Anglo-French War of 1778–1783 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date21 August 1778
to 19 October 1778
PlacePondicherry, India
11.930N, 79.830E
KindSiege, early modern
Strength1,500 British regulars; 9,000 sepoys700 French regulars; 400–600 sepoys
Casualties and losses243 killed; 930 wounded144 killed; 285 wounded
Commanders
  • Hector Munro, 8th Laird of Novar
  • Guillaume de Bellecombe
  • François-Jean-Baptiste l'Ollivier de Tronjoli
Siege of PondicherrySiege of PondicherrySiege of PondicherrySiege of PondicherrySiege of PondicherrySiege of PondicherryBattle of PondicherrySiege of PondicherryChennaiTiruchirappalliSalemVelloreKanchipuramKumbakonamTiruvannamalai100 km11.930N, 79.830E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 6 times between 1693 and 1793.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1778

Siege of Pondicherry is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 354 in present-day India.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3485995, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Pondicherry (1778), revision 1382943347, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.