In the south, from 1756 to 1769, Haider Ali fought the British in what came to be known as the first Mysore War, and later conclude a treaty with the East India Company. However, not getting any help in his war with the Marathas, Haider Ali joined the French. He attacked and cut to pieces a small British Force at Perambakam in the Carnatic (modern Karanatak) in 1780, sparking off the second Mysore war which swept unto the gates of Madras. With 8,000 men sent by sea from Bengal, Sir Eyre Coote attacked and defeated Hyder Ali in the Battle of Porto Novo on 1 June 1781, thus saving Madras.In August and September that year , Hyder Ali was defeated at Paliburg and Shollingurh. In 1783, owing to the withdrawal of French aid and death of Haider Ali, his son Tipu Sultan succeeded the throne and made peace. In 1789, Tipu attacked Travancore and starting the Third Mysore War. In this War the British invaded Mysore, stormed the fortress at Bangalore and drove Tipu into Seringapatam where he was besieged. Tipu made peace in 1792 by ceding half of his dominion to the British. In 1796 the Madras Army consisted of two European Infantry regiments each of two battallions. Between 1796 and 1824 the native infantry was raised to 25 regiments of two battallions each. In 1806, two regiments were disbanded because of the mutiny at Vallore. In 1803 Colonel James raised a regiment of irregular horse from Scidia's army and pressed it into Company service. In 1815 three Gorkha battallions were raised as Bengal local Battallions, of which only one survived. This became first Gorkha regiment . The British conquest of India thus progressed , as did trade, under the joint efforts of the British crown and East India Company. Resistance by native states increased as they received French support , particularly the Marathas in the south who had large armies of well trained well equipped French-trained soldiers.
