Fort MacDowall

Fort MacDowall was located in Matale. It was a fortified outpost during the Kandyan Wars, named after Major General Hay MacDowall, the 6th Commander of British Troops in Ceylon. The fort was one of the few inland forts constructed by the British and was completed in 1803. It was garrisoned on 25 April 1803 by 55 men of the 19th Regiment under the command of Captains Madge and Pearce. On 24 June the fort was surrounded and besieged by troops of the Kandyan army. For three days Captain Madge refused offers to surrender the fort however during the night on 27 June he managed to withdraw without detection, together with two officers, thirteen men of the 19th and 22 men of the Malay Regiment. They left behind 19 Europeans who were to sick to travel. Captain Madge and his men succeeded in reaching Trincomalee, approximately 201 km (125 mi) through jungle and enemy held territory, on 3 July. The individuals who remained at the fort were massacred by the Kandyan army when they found the fort undefended. During the Matale rebellion, on 28 July 1848, the fort came under siege by approximately 400 rebels led by Puran Appu and Gongalegoda Banda, but the British garrison repulsed the attack. The rebels also burnt down a coffee storehouse and ransacked the Matale Kachcheri, destroying the tax records contained inside. On 29 July, the governor of Ceylon, Lord Torrington, declared martial law

Fort data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).