Unearthing the Forgotten History of Pondicherry's Fort St. Louis and Madras Gate

A massive obelisk standing on the left just before entering Puducherry, formerly known as Pondicherry, commemorates Major William Stevens of the East India Company's Madras Army. He served as the chief architect of the 1778 siege of Pondicherry and died in gunfire just days before the French surrendered, leading Major General Sir Hector Munro to erect the memorial in his honor. Christian Frederick Schwartz, a German missionary mediating between regional rulers and European powers, also deeply mourned Stevens, who had engineered the walls of the CSI Christ Church at Thanjavur Fort for him.

The Siege and Fort St. Louis

The 1778 conflict lasted 80 days between August and October and marked the final battle the British fought against the French at the town. The once-powerful fort of St. Louis, which served as the French answer to Fort St. George in Madras and was the pride of French governor Dupleix, had already been demolished in 1761 after Sir Eyre Coote besieged and defeated the French. Despite the earlier destruction, some defences withstood the British in 1778. The original fort layout, detailed in Ananda Ranga Pillai's diaries, featured an entrance named the Madras Gate, which stood in present-day Ponnaiyapet and reflected Dupleix's obsession with conquering Madras.

Historical Context

French ambitions in Madras stumbled in 1746 due to internal division between Dupleix and naval commander Mahe de la Bourbonnais, alongside the refusal of local merchants and Armenians to relocate to Pondicherry. Following a stalemate at Fort St. David in Cuddalore, Madras was returned to the British in 1749. Later French attacks on Madras failed, whereas the British demolition of Fort St. Louis in 1761 was so complete that its contours, stretching from the sea near Ayi Park, vanished without a trace, leaving only a faded map plaque at Ponnaiyapet.

Context

The colonial history of southern India involved prolonged military and commercial rivalry between British and French East India companies during the 18th century. Forts like Fort St. George in Madras and Fort St. Louis in Pondicherry served as crucial administrative and military strongholds for these European powers as they vied for regional dominance.