The British force with 11,500 soldiers under Sir Eyre Coote attacked Hyder Ali’s army of 1,50,000 soldiers and 70 guns. Mysoreans admitted that it was a severe defeat in which their loss probably exceeded 5,000 men. In this war the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 19th and 20th battalions of Madras Infantry had participated. The battle honour Sholinghur was at first bestowed only on the 20th Madras Infantry (Present 6 MADRAS), but later all corps engaged in this action received it. In his dispatches, Sir Eyre Coote wrote that, “The 21st Battalion (20th Madras Infantry) of sepoys received my thanks in general orders on account of taking one of the enemy's standards. I have ordered that a jemadar be added to the establishment of that corps for the purpose of carrying it.” The battalion mentioned later became the 80th Carnatic Infantry and carried this Third Honorary Colour up to the time of its disbandment in 1921. The Colour now rests in the Madras Regimental Centre Museum.