Here they remained in an inert mass, powerless to follow Tippoo, and a complete barrier to the British advance.

So unaccountable was their conduct, that it was generally believed in the army that it was the result of treachery; and it was with difficulty that the British troops could be restrained from firing into the horde of horsemen, who had, from the time they joined the force, been worse than useless.
As soon as the British could make their way through, or round, the obstacle to their advance, they pursued the retreating force of Tippoo, until it took refuge under the guns of the works round Seringapatam.

Their loss had been 2000, that of the British 500.
But the success was of little benefit to the latter.

The terrible state of the roads, and the want of food, had caused the death of great numbers of draught animals, and the rest were so debilitated as to be absolutely useless; and during the two days' marches, that were required to reach the point on the river previously determined upon, the battering train, and almost the whole of the carts, were dragged along by the troops.
The position of the army was bad in the extreme.

Neither food nor forage were to be obtained from the country round.