அமெரிக்காவின் ஹைதர் அலி: ஓர் இந்திய சுல்தானும் அமெரிக்கப் புரட்சியும்
தேமொழி
It’s April 8, 1782. The American Revolution is in its seventh year. Lieutenant Joshua Barney of the ragtag American revolutionary Continental Navy is covertly transporting five merchant ships in a convoy with three battleships. All of a sudden, a member of his crew spots three rapidly approaching British ships. They had been spotted! Putting the mission above all else, Barney orders two of his ships to retreat with the merchant ships. As he turns his lone ship around to fend off the assault, the name of his ship shines brightly in the morning sun.
Thousands of miles away from her namesake’s kingdom in India, the American ship “Hyder Ally” is alone in its defense of Delaware Bay.
When Americans began their freedom struggle, there were many powers who had much to gain from the losses of the British Empire. One such power was the Kingdom of Mysore in Southern India. The ruler, Hyder Ali, despised the East India Company. Having already fought a war with the East India Company, he was known far and wide for his gunpowder rockets. In the First Anglo-Mysore War. he successfully defended his kingdom against a joint attack by the East India Company, Maratha Confederacy, and Nawab of the Carnatic.
Mysore and the United States were connected through a common ally — the French. Hyder Ali believed that an alliance with the French was his best chance at driving the British out of India completely. In 1778, three years into the Revolutionary War, the French intervened on the side of the rebels in America. A war between France and Britain meant a global war — they both had colonies all over the world. From 1778 to 1779, the East India Company captured numerous French outposts in India. By 1780, these takeovers posed a threat to Mysore; a waning French presence would strengthen the British as an unchallenged power not only on land but also on the seas. Because of this, five years into the American Revolution, Mysore entered the war on the side of the French.
It is known that the Americans and the rulers of Mysore knew and respected each other. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, Tipu Sultan, son of Hyder Ali, sent a letter to the American Continental Congress in support of American independence. He wrote:
“Every blow that is struck in the cause of American liberty throughout the world, in France, India, and elsewhere and so long as a single insolent savage tyrant remains the struggle shall continue.”
The Lt. General of the Armies of France, Comte de Tressan, also referred to Haider Ali as a ‘brave Moghul Prince’.
read more @ https://indiacurrents.com/americas-hyder-ally-an-indian-sultan-the-american-revolution/