Bengal Army

History

Origins

The Bengal Army originated with the establishment of a European Regiment in 1756. While the East India Company had previously maintained a small force of Dutch and Eurasian mercenaries in Bengal, this was destroyed when Calcutta was captured by the Nawab of Bengal on 30 June that year.

East India Company

In 1757, the first locally recruited unit of Bengal sepoys was created in the form of the Lal Paltan battalion. It was recruited from soldiers that had served in the Nawab's Army from Bihar and the Awadh (Oudh) who were collectively called Purbiyas. Drilled and armed along British army lines this force served well at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and 20 more Indian battalions were raised by 1764. In 1766, the Monghyr Mutiny, quelled by Robert Clive, affected many of the white officers of the Bengal Army.

In his deposition, Lieutenant General Jasper Nicolls, who was an army commander stationed in India, stated of the Bengal Army's recruitment that:

"It may well be said that the whole sepoy army of Bengal is drawn from the Company's province of Bihar and Oudh, with very few exceptions".

The East India Company steadily expanded its Bengal Army and by 1796 the establishment was set at three battalions of European artillery, three regiments of European infantry, ten regiments of Indian cavalry and twelve regiments (each of two battalions) of Indian infantry.

In 1824 the Bengal Army underwent reorganisation, with the regular infantry being grouped into 68 single battalion regiments numbered according to their date of establishment. Nine additional infantry regiments were subsequently raised, though several existing units were disbanded between 1826 and 1843. On the eve of the First Afghan War (1839–42) the Bengal Army had achieved a dominant role in the forces of the HEIC. There were 74 battalions of Bengal regular infantry against only 52 from Madras, 26 from Bombay and 24 British (Queen's and Company). On average an inch and a half taller and a stone heavier than the southern Indian troops, the Bengal sepoy was highly regarded by a military establishment that tended to evaluate its soldiers by physical appearance.

A new feature in the Bengal Army was the creation of irregular infantry and cavalry regiments during the 1840s. Originally designated as "Local Infantry" these were permanently established units but with less formal drill and fewer British officers than the regular Bengal line regiments.

Indian Rebellion 1857

A total of 64 Bengal Army regular infantry and cavalry regiments rebelled during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or were disbanded after their continued loyalty was considered doubtful. From 1858 onwards the Chamars (outcaste) and the actual high-caste Awadhi and Bihari Hindu presence in the Bengal Army was reduced because of their perceived primary role as "mutineers" in the 1857 rebellion. The new and less homogeneous Bengal Army was essentially drawn from Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs, Gurkhas, Baluchis and Pathans, although twelve of the pre-mutiny Bengal line infantry regiments continued in service with the same basis of recruitment, traditions and uniform colours as before.

A largely unspoken rationale was that an army of diverse origins was unlikely to unite in rebellion.

Demise

In 1895 the three separate Presidency Armies began a process of unification which was not to be concluded until the Kitchener reforms of eight years later.

As an initial step the Army of India was divided into four commands, each commanded by a lieutenant-general. These comprised Bengal, Bombay (including Aden), Madras (including Burma) and Punjab (including the North West Frontier). In 1903 the separately numbered regiments of the Bombay, Madras and Bengal Armies were unified in a single organisational sequence and the presidency affiliations disappeared.

The Bengal infantry units in existence at the end of the Presidency era continued as the senior regiments (1st Brahmans to 48th Pioneers) of the newly unified Indian Army.

Ethnic composition

The Bengal Army of the East India Company was mainly recruited from high castes living in Bihar and the Awadh.

Prior to 1857, company military service was most popular in the zamindaris of North and South Bihar with the East India Company signing contracts to raise levies of troops from them. Recruits from the Rajput and Brahman caste were common and they would use service in the Bengal Army as an opportunity to raise their wealth and status and for this reason, the Bhumihar zamindaris of Bihar became "prime recruiting grounds" for the Army.

In the 1780s, the Company maintained a major recruiting station in Buxar with six companies under a Captain Eaton. These recruiting stations in Bihar were kept as "nurseries" which supplied battalions when drafts were made. Other recruiting centres were located in Bhagalpur, Shahabad, Monghyr, Saran and Hajipur.

Brigadier Troup, who served as the commander of Bareilly, stated of recruitment that the 'Bengal native Infantry came chiefly from the province of Awadh, Buxar, Bhojpur and Arrah.'

In 1810, Francis Buchanan-Hamilton noted in his account of the districts of Bihar, that the number of men absent from Shahabad to serve in the Army was 4680. The Ujjainiya zamindar of Bhojpur also informed him that 12000 recruits from his district had joined the Bengal Army.

Writing in The Indian Army (1834), Sir John Malcolm, who had a lifetime's experience of Indian soldiering, wrote: "They consist largely of Rajpoots (Rajput), who are a distinguished race. We may judge the size of these men when we are told that the height below which no recruit is taken is five feet six inches. The great proportion of the Grenadiers are six feet and upwards."

Both prior to and following 1857, the Bengal Army included what were to become some of the most famous units in India: Skinner's Horse, the Gurkhas from the Himalayas and the Corps of Guides on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Cavalry

These were:

1st Regiment of Light Cavalry

2nd Regiment of Light Cavalry

3rd Regiment of Light Cavalry

4th Regiment of Light Cavalry (Lancers)

5th Regiment of Light Cavalry

6th Regiment of Light Cavalry

7th Regiment of Light Cavalry

8th Regiment of Light Cavalry

9th Regiment of Light Cavalry

10th Regiment of Light Cavalry

These were:

1st Irregular Cavalry

2nd Irregular Cavalry

3rd Irregular Cavalry

4th Irregular Cavalry

5th Irregular Cavalry

6th Irregular Cavalry

7th Irregular Cavalry

8th Irregular Cavalry

9th Irregular Cavalry

10th Irregular Cavalry

11th Irregular Cavalry

12th Irregular Cavalry

13th Irregular Cavalry

Artillery

These were:

1st Brigade

3 European Troops

2 Native Troops

2nd Brigade

3 European Troops

Native Troop

3rd Brigade

3 European Troops

Native Troop

These were:

1st Battalion

2nd Battalion

3rd Battalion

4th Battalion

5th Battalion

6th Battalion

These were:

1st Battalion

2nd Battalion

3rd Battalion

Engineers

These were:

These were:

Infantry

These were:

1st Bengal (European) Fusiliers

2nd Bengal (European) Fusiliers

3rd Bengal (European) Regiment

These were:

1st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

2nd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Grenadiers)

3rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

4th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

5th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

6th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

7th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

8th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

9th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

10th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

11th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

12th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

13th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

14th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

16th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Grenadiers)

Punjab Irregular Force

These were:

1st Regiment of Punjab Cavalry

2nd Regiment of Punjab Cavalry

3rd Regiment of Punjab Cavalry

4th Regiment of Punjab Cavalry

5th Regiment of Punjab Cavalry

1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force

2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force

3rd Regiment of Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force

4th Regiment of Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force

5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force

Scinde Rifle Corps

1st Regiment of Sikh Infantry

2nd Regiment of Sikh Infantry

3rd Regiment of Sikh Infantry

4th Regiment of Sikh Infantry

Corps of Guides

Other units

These were:

Nagpore Irregular Force

Cavalry Regiment

Artillery

1st Infantry

2nd Infantry

3rd Infantry

Malwa Bheel Corps

Meywar Bheel Corps

Sebundy Corps of Sappers and Miners

The Shekhawatee Brigade (Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry)

The Joudpore Legion (Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry)

Gwalior Contingent

1st Cavalry

2nd Cavalry

Artillery

1st Infantry

2nd Infantry

3rd Infantry

4th Infantry

5th Infantry

6th Infantry

7th Infantry

Malwa Contingent (Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry)

Bhopal Contingent (Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry)

Hyderabad Contingent

1st Cavalry

Units raised during 1857 Rebellion

Cavalry

These were:

1st European Light Cavalry

2nd European Light Cavalry

3rd European Light Cavalry

4th European Light Cavalry

5th European Light Cavalry

These were:

1st Sikh Irregular Cavalry

2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry

3rd Sikh Irregular Cavalry

4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry

Infantry

These were:

4th European Infantry

5th European Infantry

6th European Infantry

These were:

Calcutta Volunteer Guards (Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry)

Irregular Regiment, Ferozepore

Punjab Irregular Force

These were:

7th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

9th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

10th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

11th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

12th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

13th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

14th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

15th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

16th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

17th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

18th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

19th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

20th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

21st Regiment of Punjab Infantry

22nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry

23rd Regiment of Punjab Infantry

24th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

25th Regiment of Punjab Infantry

Sikh Volunteers

Other units

These were:

Muneepoor Regiment

Kamroop Regiment

Mhair Regiment

Peshawur Light Horse

Lahore Light Horse

Camel Corps

Beatson's Horse

1st Regiment

2nd Regiment

Rohilcund Horse

Goorkha Force

Extra Goorkha Regiment

Irregular Horse

Mahratta Horse

1st Regiment

2nd Regiment

Hodson's Horse

1st Regiment

2nd Regiment

3rd Regiment

Mynpoorie Irregular Horse

Composition in 1864

Cavalry

These were:

1st Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

2nd Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

3rd Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

4th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

5th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

6th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

7th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

8th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

9th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

10th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

11th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

12th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

13th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

14th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

15th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

16th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

18th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

19th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

Lahore Light Horse

1st Regiment of Central India Horse

2nd Regiment of Central India Horse

Artillery

These were:

C Brigade

F Brigade

16th Brigade

19th Brigade

22nd Brigade

24th Brigade

25th Brigade

Engineers

Royal Engineers

Corps of Sappers and Miners

Infantry

These were:

1st Native Infantry

2nd Native Infantry

3rd Native Infantry

4th Native Infantry (Volunteer Corps)

5th Native Infantry

6th Native (Light) Infantry

7th Native Infantry

8th Native Infantry

9th Native Infantry

10th Native Infantry

11th Native Infantry

12th Native Infantry

13th Native Infantry

14th Native Infantry

15th Native Infantry

16th Native Infantry

17th Native Infantry

18th Native Infantry

19th Native Infantry

20th Native Infantry

21st Native Infantry

22nd Native Infantry

23rd Native Infantry

24th Native Infantry

25th Native Infantry

26th Native Infantry

Punjab Irregular Force

These were:

1st Regiment

2nd Regiment

3rd Regiment

4th Regiment

These were:

1st Regiment

2nd Regiment

3rd Regiment

4th Regiment

5th Regiment

These were:

1st Punjab Infantry

2nd Punjab Infantry

3rd Punjab Infantry

4th Punjab Infantry

5th Punjab Infantry

6th Punjab Infantry

Other units

These were:

Malwa Bheel Corps

Meywar Bheel Corps

Sebundy Corps of Sappers and Miners

East Indian Regiment

Erinpoora Irregular Force (Cavalry and Infantry)

Deolee Irregular Force (Cavalry and Infantry)

Bhopaul Levy

Hyderabad Contingent

Artillery

1st Company

2nd Company

3rd Company

4th Company

1st Cavalry

2nd Cavalry

3rd Cavalry

4th Cavalry

1st Infantry

2nd Infantry

3rd Infantry

4th Infantry

5th Infantry

6th Infantry

Commanders

Because the Bengal Army was the largest of the three Presidency Armies, its Commander-in-Chief was, from 1853 to 1895, also Commander-in-Chief, India.

Commander-in-Chief, Bengal Command

Lieutenant-General Sir William Elles (1895–1896)

Lieutenant-General Sir Baker Russell (1896–1898)

Lieutenant-General Sir George Luck (1898–1903)

Lieutenant-General Sir Alfred Gaselee (1903–1907)

Table of Organisation

The following data has been retrieved from The Quarterly Indian Army List for 1 January 1901. This date was chosen for being in a suitable time period at the end of the Bengal Army (divided at this time into Bengal and Punjab Commands).

Each Mountain Artillery battery was authorised 10 horses and 233 mules.

The Bengal Sappers and Miners were authorised 90 mules.

Gurkha Regiments were authorised 14 or 20 supernumerary personnel per battalion. The 2nd (31st before 1860) Bengal Light Infantry and 2nd Gurkha Rifles were authorised 1 extra Jamadar to carry their respective honorary colours. Pioneer Regiments were authorised 24 Artificers each (2 Havildars, 2 Naik and 20 Sepoys) each. The Havildar and Naik Artificers were supernumerary NCOs.