The Army Of India Medal

 

The Gurkha War, The First Burmese War & The Second & Third Anglo-Maratha Wars And General Service Between 1803 - 1826.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The Army of India Medal was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service in India and the bordering regions. The medal was instituted in March 1851 and was awarded retrospectively to survivors of various actions during the period 1803 - 1826.

 

This period encompassed four wars: the Second Maratha War (1803-4), the Gurkha War (1814-16), the Pindaree or Third Maratha War (1817-18) and the First Burmese War (1824-26).

 

Each battle or action covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon; twenty-one were sanctioned (although the maximum awarded to one man was seven).

 

Those entitled to this medal had to claim it in a similar manner to those entitled to the Naval and Military General Service Medals.

 

Consequently, many veterans had since died and so the numbers of these medals in relation to those who would have been entitled to them is few in number.

 

This was largely due to the extreme lapse of time between the wars commemorated and the issue of the medal - forty-eight years had passed between the first battle commemorated - Allighur in 1803 - and the date of issue, 1851.

 

Recipients of this medal included both Imperial and Honorable East India Company troops. Some 4,500 medals were awarded in total - most with only a single clasp.

 

 

The medal is circular, 35mm in diameter and was struck in silver. The obverse of this medal bears the head of Queen Victoria with the inscription; 'VICTORIA REGINA'.

 

The reverse depicts the seated figure of Victory beside a palm tree holding a wreath in one hand and a laurel crown in the other, with the inscription; 'TO THE ARMY OF INDIA' above and the dates; 1799-1826 below.

 

There are variations of this medal, the first has a long hyphen between the dates 1799-1826 while the second has a shorter hyphen. This is due to two separate dies being cut and used for the reverse.

 

The ribbon suspender is of the swivelling ornate scroll style, attached to the medal by a claw mount.

 

The recipient's details can be found on the medal's rim impressed in capital letters.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and pale blue in colour.

 

 

The medal was issued with the following clasps:-

 

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

** The individual medal value will vary considerably based on the recipient’s details.

 

*** Due to the large number of clasps available for this medal, the value for medals which contains certain clasps will vary considerably.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The Second Maratha War.

- The Battle Of Ally Ghur.

- The Battle Of Delhi.

- The Battle Of Assaye.

- The Siege Of Gawilghur.

- The Defence Of Delhi.

- The Battle of Deeg.

- The Siege Of Deeg Fort.

- The Battle Of Khadki.

- The Battle Of Poona.

- The Gurkha War.

- The Pindaree Or Third Maratha War.

- The Battle Of Sitabuldi.

- The Battle Of Nagpoor.

- The Battle Of Mahidpur.

- The Battle Of Koregaon.

- The Siege of Bharatpur.

- The First Burmese War.

- The Honourable East India Company.

- The Army Of The Honourable East India Company.

 

The Second Maratha War - The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805) was the second conflict between the Honourable East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.

 

The overarching ambition of Raghunathrao, Peshwa Baji Rao II's father, and the latter's own incompetence since coming into his inheritance, had long caused much internecine intrigue within the Maratha confederacy; Peshwa Baji Rao II no longer commanded the deference his predecessors had.

 

In October 1802, Peshwa Baji Rao II was defeated by Yashwantrao Holkar, ruler of Indore, at the Battle of Poona. He fled to British protection, and in December the same year concluded the Treaty of Bassein with the Honourable East India Company, ceding territory for the maintenance of a subsidiary force and agreeing to treaty with no other power. The British also had to check the French influence in India.

 

The Marathas were the only major power left outside British control. So with the fall of Mysore as a serious threat to British expansion in the south Wellesley turned attention towards the Marathas.

 

The Maratha empire at that time consisted of a confederacy of five big chiefs, viz the Peshwa at Poona,Gaekwad of Baroda,Sindhia of Gwalior, Holkar of Indore and Bhonsle of Nagpur. The Maratha chiefs were engaged in internal quarrels among them. Wellesley had repeatedly offered a subsidiary treaty to the Peshwa and Sindhia but Nana Phadnavis refused strongly.

 

However in 1802 when Holkar defeated the combined armies of Peshwa and Sindhia, Peshwa Baji Rao II signed the Subsidiary treaty at Bassein in 1802.

 

This act on the part of the Peshwa, their nominal overlord, horrified and disgusted the Maratha chieftains; in particular, the Scindia rulers of Gwalior and the Bhonsle rulers of Nagpur and Berar contested the agreement.

 

In September 1803, Scindia forces lost to Lord Gerard Lake at Delhi and to Lord Arthur Wellesley at Assaye. A few months later in November, Lake defeated another Scindia force at Laswari, followed by Wellesley's victory over Bhonsle forces at Argaon (now Adgaon) on 29 November.

 

The Holkar rulers of Indore belatedly joined the fray and compelled the British to make peace. Wellesley, who went on to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo, would later remark that Assaye was tougher than Waterloo.

 

On December 17 1803, Raghoji II Bhonsle of Nagpur signed the Treaty of Deogaon in Odisha with the British after the Battle of Laswari and gave up the province of Cuttack (which included Mughalbandi/the coastal part of Odisha, Garjat/the princely states of Odisha, Balasore Port, parts of Midnapore district of West Bengal).

 

On 30 December 1803, the Daulat Scindia signed the Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon with the British after the Battle of Assaye and Battle of Argaon and ceded to the British Rohtak, Gurgaon, Ganges-Jumna Doab, the Delhi-Agra region, parts of Bundelkhand, Broach, some districts of Gujarat, fort of Ahmmadnagar.

 

Yashwantrao Holkar, however began hostilities with the British by securing the alliance of the Raja of Bharatpur. By the Treaty of Rajghat on 24 December 1805, Holkar got back most of his territories. The Holkar Maharajas retained control and overlordship over much of Rajasthan.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Ally Ghur - The Battle of Aligarh also known as the Battle of Ally Ghur was fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the Honourable East India Company during the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) at Aligarh, India.

 

Aligarh Fort, one of the strongest forts in India, was fortified and commanded by a French mercenary officer Pierre Perron. It was laid under siege on 1 September 1803, by the British 76th Regiment, now known as the Yorkshire Regiment, under General Lord Gerard Lake. It was captured from the Marathas on 4 September 1803.

 

During the assault, fourteen ditches were lined with sword-blades and poisoned chevaux-de-frise around the fort by the French. The walls were reinforced with French artillery and tigers and lions of Scindia’s menagerie were also used by the French.

 

During the battle, the British lost as many as 900 soldiers. The then Duke of Wellington declared the capture as, 'One of the most extraordinary feats..'.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Delhi - The Battle of Delhi took place on 11 September 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, between British troops under General Lake, and Marathas of Scindia's army under General Louis Bourquin and Wable Sardar. The battle was fought at Patparganj, right across Yamuna River from Humayun's Tomb, also giving the battle its local name.

 

The Marathas occupied a strong position with the Jumna in their rear, and Lake, feigning a retreat, drew them from their lines, and then turning upon them drove them with the bayonet into the river, inflicting more losses upon them. The city of Delhi surrendered three days later.

 

A monument was later erected at the site in Patparganj, marked out by a surrounding ditch, commemorating Cornet Sanguine and British soldiers who fell during the battle.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Assaye - The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the Honourable East India Company. It occurred on 23 September 1803 near Assaye in western India where an outnumbered Indian and British force under the command of Major General Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington) defeated a combined Confederacy army of Daulat Scindia and the Raja of Berar. The battle was the Duke of Wellington's first major victory and one he later described as his finest accomplishment on the battlefield.

 

From August 1803, Wellesley's army and a separate force under the command of his subordinate Colonel James Stevenson had been pursuing the Maratha cavalry-based army which threatened to raid south into Hyderabad. After several weeks of pursuit and countermarching, Scindia reinforced the combined Maratha army with his Europeanised infantry and artillery as the British forces closed in on his position.

 

Wellesley received intelligence indicating the location of the Maratha encampment on 21 September and devised a plan whereby his two armies would converge on the Maratha position three days later. Wellesley's force, however, encountered the Maratha army – which was under the command of Colonel Anthony Pohlmann, a German formerly in British service – 6 miles (9.7 km) farther south than he anticipated.

 

Although outnumbered, Wellesley resolved to attack at once, believing that the Maratha army would soon move off. Both sides suffered heavily in the ensuing battle; Maratha artillery caused large numbers of casualties among Wellesley's troops but the vast numbers of Maratha cavalry proved largely ineffective. A combination of bayonet and cavalry charges eventually forced the Maratha army to retreat with the loss of most of their guns, but Wellesley's army was too battered and exhausted to pursue.

 

Wellesley's victory at Assaye, preceded by the capture of Ahmednagar and followed by victories at Argaon and Gawilghur, resulted in the defeat of Scindia and Berar's armies in the Deccan. Wellesley's progress in the Deccan was matched by Lieutenant General Gerard Lake's successful campaigns in Northern India and led to the British becoming the dominant power in the heartlands of India.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Siege Of Gawilghur - In 1803 during the 2nd Maratha War the fort at Gawilghur was besieged by Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington). After two failed attempts at the main gate by British and Sepoy companies, and many casualties, Captain Campbell led the 94th Scottish Brigade (light company) up the ravine dividing the inner and outer forts and into the inner fort by escalade.

 

The Scots then forced the northern gatehouse and opened the many gates, allowing the remaining British forces entry.

 

The British suffered few casualties in the final assault (approx. 150). The fortress was returned to the Marathas after making peace with the British but they abandoned it.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Defence Of Delhi - The Siege of Delhi (8-19 October 1804) was conducted by the Maratha leader Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar against forces the Honourable East India Company that were defending Delhi during the Second Anglo-Maratha War.

 

Holkar abandoned the siege after reinforcements led by Gerard Lake arrived.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle of Deeg - The Battle of Deeg, fought on 13 November 1804, took place outside Deeg, now in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India, then within the territories of the Maratha Empire.

 

It was part of the Second Anglo-Maratha War. A force of the Honourable East India Company led by Major General Fraser defeated a Maratha force.

 

The action was followed up by a Siege of Deeg Fort (11 – 24 December 1804).

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Siege Of Deeg Fort - The Siege of Deeg Fort (11–24 December 1804) was a siege of the main fortress at Deeg, now in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India, then within the Maratha Empire.

 

Forces of the Honourable East India Company, led by Generals Fraser and Lake, successfully captured the fort from its Marathan defenders.

 

The siege took place about one month after the Battle of Deeg.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Khadki - The Battle of Khadki took place at Khadki, India on November 5, 1817 between the forces of the Honourable East India Company and those of Bajirao II, the Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. Khadki, on the outskirts of Pune in Maharashtra, India, later became a military cantonment.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Poona - The Battle of Poona took place on 25 October 1802 near Pune between the rival factions of the Maratha Confederacy.

 

The forces of the Scindia (Shinde) and the Peshwa Bajirao II were attacked by the Holkars. While the Honourable East India Company was not involved in the battle, its outcome and aftermath led to the Second Anglo-Maratha War.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Gurkha War - The Gurkha War (1814-1816), or the Anglo–Nepalese War, was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and the Honourable East India Company as a result of border disputes and ambitious expansionism of both the belligerent parties.

 

The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, which ceded around a third of Nepal's territory to the British. Most of the ceded territories had been acquired by Nepal by war only in the last 10 to 20 years from other kingdoms that had never been a part of Nepal.

 

The British were the invading forces, while the Nepalese maintained a defensive position. The British attacked in two successive waves of invasion. It was the most expensive war waged during the governorship of Lord Moira.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Pindaree Or Third Maratha War - The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818) was the final and decisive conflict between the Honourable East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India.

 

It began with an invasion of the Maratha territory by 110,400 Honourable East India Company troops, the largest such British controlled force massed in India. The troops were led by the Governor General Hastings and he was supported by a force under General Thomas Hislop. The operations began with action against Pindaris, a band of Muslim and Maratha from central India.

 

The Peshwa Baji Rao II's forces, followed by those of Mudhoji II Bhonsle of Nagpur and Malharrao Holkar III of Indore, rose against the British company. Pressure and diplomacy convinced the fourth major Maratha leader, Daulatrao Shinde of Gwalior, to remain neutral even though he lost control of Rajasthan. British victories were swift, resulting in the breakup of the Maratha Empire and the loss of Maratha independence.

 

The Peshwa was defeated in the battles of Khadki and Koregaon and. Several minor battles were fought by the Peshwa's forces to prevent his capture.

 

The Peshwa was eventually captured and placed on a small estate at Bithur, near Kanpur. Most of his territory was annexed and became part of the Bombay Presidency. The Maharaja of Satara was restored as the ruler of his territory as a princely state. In 1848 this territory was also annexed by the Bombay Presidency under the doctrine of lapse policy of Lord Dalhousie. Bhonsle was defeated in the battle of Sitabaldi and Holkar in the battle of Mahidpur.

 

The northern portion of Bhonsle's dominions in and around Nagpur, together with the Peshwa's territories in Bundelkhand, were annexed by British India as the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories. The defeat of the Bhonsle and Holkar also resulted in the acquisition of the Maratha kingdoms of Nagpur and Indore by the British. Along with Gwalior from Shinde and Jhansi from the Peshwa, all of these territories became princely states acknowledging British control.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Sitabuldi - Sitabuldi Fort, site of the Battle of Sitabuldi in 1817, is located atop a hillock in central Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The fort was built by Mudhoji II Bhonsle, also known as Appa Sahib Bhosle, of the Kingdom of Nagpur, just before he fought against the Honourable East India Company during the Third Anglo-Maratha War.

 

The area surrounding the hillock, now known as Sitabuldi, is an important commercial hub for Nagpur. To the south is Nagpur Railway Station and behind it is Tekdi Ganapati, a temple of Ganesha. The fort is now home to the Indian Army's 118th infantry battalion.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Nagpoor - In 1803 Raghoji II Bhonsale joined the Peshwa against the British in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, but the British prevailed.

 

After Raghoji II's death in 1816, his son Parsaji was deposed and murdered by Mudhoji II Bhonsale. Despite the fact that he had entered into a treaty with the British in the same year, Mudhoji joined the Peshwa in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1817 against the British but suffered a defeat at Sitabuldi in present-day Nagpur city.

 

The fierce battle was a turning point as it laid the foundations of the downfall of the Bhonsales and paved the way for the British acquisition of Nagpur city. Mudhoji was deposed after a temporary restoration to the throne, after which the British placed Raghoji III Bhonsale, the grandchild of Raghoji II, on the throne.

 

During the rule of Raghoji III(which lasted till 1840), the region was administered by a British resident. In 1853, the British took control of Nagpur after Raghoji III died without leaving an heir.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Mahidpur - The Battle of Mahidpur was fought during the Third Anglo-Maratha War between the Marathas and the British led by Sir Thomas Hislop at Mahidpur, a town in the Malwa region, on 21 December 1817

 

The British, led by Sir Thomas Hislop, attacked on 21 December 1817 and defeated the army led by 11-year-old Maharaja Malhar Rao Holkar II, 22-year-old Hari Rao Holkar and 20-year-old Bhima Bai Holkar in the Battle of Mahidpur. The Holkars were decisively defeated by British forces. The treaty was signed on 6 January 1818 at Mandsaur (Treaty of Mandsaur).

 

Holkars accepted all the terms laid down by Britishers in Treaty of Mandsaur.At the conclusion of this Third Anglo-Maratha War, the Holkars lost much of their territory to the British and were incorporated into the British Raj as a princely state of the Central India Agency.

 

This battle led to the final destruction of Maratha power. Baji Rao II, who was trying to consolidate Marathas, finally surrendered in June 1818. British abolished the position of Peshwa, and Marathas were limited to the small kingdom of Satara until its annexation to Bombay state in 1848.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Koregaon - The Battle of Koregaon took place on January 1, 1818, at the bank of the river Bhima in Koregaon, northwest of Pune, India. A small British force of 500 men battled for twelve hours against a large force of 20,000 horse and 8,000 infantry of Peshwa Leader Peshwa Baji Rao II who was threatening the British garrisons at Kirkee and Poona.

 

In November 1817, Peshwas devastated the Regency of Pune giving no scope for the British army to retaliate successfully. The British commanding officer in Pune called the Chief of the second Battalion-first Regiment Native Infantry for help which was encamped in the Shirur Taluka of Pune district. This contingent, with only 500 foot soldiers and 250 cavalry both predominantly having with Schedule Caste defeated the mighty Peshwa army of 8,000 foot soldiers and 20,000 cavalry.

 

Beside very small force they, marched 43 Kilometres just before the night of battle, did not had food and water but they fought the battle with bravery.

 

The Peshwa's troops inexplicably withdrew that evening, despite their overwhelming numbers, giving the British an important victory. The men of the 21st Regiment Bombay Native Infantry, who fought in this battle, were honored for their bravery. The official report to the British Residents at Poona recalls the 'heroic valour and enduring fortitude' of the soldiers, the 'disciplined intrepidity' and 'devoted courage and admirable consistency' of their actions.

 

The battle started in the morning and by 9pm Peshwa troops evacuated the village. This battle had unusual significance. First, the British army fought this battle with a minuscule army despite expecting the worst. Secondly, the battle of Koregaon was one of the most important events which helped tear down the Peshwa Empire and subsequently the Peshwa had to abdicate.

 

The battle is commemorated by an obelisk, known as the Koregaon pillar, which featured on the Mahar Regiment crest until Indian Independence. The monument has names inscribed of twenty two Mahars killed there, erected at the site of the battle and by a medal issued in 1851. Today, the monument 'serves as a focal point of Mahar heroism'.

 

Ultimately, Peshwa lost the battle and Baji Rao was last Peshwa ruler. Historians have acknowledged this historical event and praised Mahars for their bravery. Many sections of society glorifies the Mahars who died in the battle, majority terms them as great hero who shown incredible perseverance and gallantry to defeat the might Peshwa.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Siege of Bharatpur - The Siege of Bharatpur took place between 2 January and 22 February 1805 in what is now Rajasthan, India, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Forces of the Honourable East India Company, led by General Gerard Lake, were four times repulsed in attempts to storm the fortress. The Marathan victory was an embarrassing defeat for the British.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The First Burmese War - The First Anglo-Burmese War, 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826 was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese Empire in the 19th century.

 

The war, which began primarily over the control of northeastern India, ended in a decisive British victory, giving the British total control of Assam, Manipur, Cachar and Jaintia as well as Arakan Province and Tenasserim. The Burmese were also forced to pay an indemnity of one million pounds sterling, and sign a commercial treaty.

 

The war was the longest and most expensive war in British Indian history. Fifteen thousand European and Indian soldiers died, together with an unknown number of Burmese army and civilian casualties. The high cost of the campaign to the British, five million pounds sterling to 13 million pounds sterling, led to a severe economic crisis in British India in 1833.

 

For the Burmese, it was the beginning of the end of their independence. The Third Burmese Empire, for a brief moment the terror of British India, was crippled and no longer a threat to the eastern frontier of British India.

 

The Burmese would be crushed for years to come by repaying the large indemnity of one million pounds, a large sum even in Europe of that time. The British would make two more wars against a much more weakened Burma, and swallow up the entire country by 1885.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Honourable East India Company - The East India Company, originally chartered as the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies, and more properly called the Honourable East India Company, was an English and later (from 1707) British joint-stock company formed for pursuing trade with the East Indies but which ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent, Qing Dynasty China, North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan.

 

Commonly associated with trade in basic commodities, which included cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, saltpetre, tea and opium, the Company received a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth in 1600, making it the oldest among several similarly formed European East India Companies. Shares of the company were owned by wealthy merchants and aristocrats.

 

The government owned no shares and had only indirect control. The Company eventually came to rule large areas of India with its own private armies, exercising military power and assuming administrative functions. Company rule in India effectively began in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey and lasted until 1858 when, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the era of the new British Raj.

 

The company was dissolved in 1874 as a result of the East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act passed one year earlier, as the Government of India Act had by then rendered it vestigial, powerless and obsolete. Its functions had been fully absorbed into the official government machinery of British India and its private presidency armies had been nationalised by the British Crown.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Army Of The Honourable East India Company - The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India. The presidency armies were named after the presidencies: the Bengal Army, the Madras Army and the Bombay Army. Initially, only Europeans served as commissioned or non-commissioned officers. In time, Indian Army units were garrisoned from Peshawar in the north, to Sind in the west, and to Rangoon in the east.

 

The army was engaged in the wars to extend British control in India (the Mysore, Maratha and Sikh wars) and beyond (the Burma, Afghan, First and Second Opium Wars, and the Expedition to Abyssinia).

 

The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the Company until the Indian Rebellion of 1857, when the Crown took over the Company and its three armies. In 1895 the three presidency armies were merged into a united Indian Army.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.