The Bengal Army was the army of the

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

, one of the three presidencies of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

within the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. The

presidency armies The presidency armies were the armies of the three Presidencies of British India, presidencies of the East India Company's Company rule in India, rule in India, later the forces of the the Crown, British Crown in British Raj, India, composed pr ...

, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

(EIC) until the

Government of India Act 1858 The Government of India Act 1858 ( 21 & 22 Vict. c. 106) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on August 2 1858. Its provisions called for the liquidation of the East India Company (who had up to this point been ruling Briti ...

directly under Crown, passed in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

aftermath of the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, transferred all three presidencies to the direct authority of the

British Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

. In 1895 all three presidency armies were merged into the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

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.

Under East India Company

In 1757 the first locally recruited unit of Bengal

sepoys ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Europ ...

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 The Kingdom of Awadh (, , also Oudh State, Kingdom of Oudh, Awadh Subah, or Awadh State) was a Mughal subah, then an independent kingdom, and lastly a British protectorate in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the Br ...

) who were collectively called Purbiyas. Drilled and armed along British army lines this force served well at the

Battle of Plassey The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company, under the leadership of Robert Clive, over the Nawab of Bengal and his French Indies Company, French allies on 23 June 1757. The victory was made possible by the de ...

in 1757 and 20 more Indian battalions were raised by 1764. In 1766, the Monghyr Mutiny, quelled by

Robert Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...

, affected many of the white officers of the Bengal Army. In his deposition,

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Jasper Nicolls Lieutenant General Sir Jasper Nicolls KCB (15 July 1778 – 4 May 1849) was Commander-in-Chief, India. Military career Born at East Farleigh in Kent and educated at a private school in Ballygall and at Trinity College, Dublin, Nicolls was com ...

, who was an army commander stationed in India, stated of the Bengal Army's recruitment that: 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 The First Anglo-Afghan War () was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

(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. The main source of recruitment continued to be high caste Brahmins, Bhumihars and Rajputs from Bihar and Oudh, although the eight regular cavalry regiments consisted mainly of Muslim sowars from the Indian Muslim biradaris such as the Ranghar (Rajput Muslims),

Sheikhs Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning " elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim scholar. Though this title generally refers to men, there are also a small number of ...

Sayyids ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan and Husayn. The title may also refer to the descendants of the fami ...

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

, and Hindustani Pathans. Another innovation introduced prior to 1845 was to designate specific regiments as "Volunteers" – that is recruited for general service, with sepoys who had accepted a commitment for possible overseas duty. Recruits for the Bengal Army who were prepared to travel by ship if required, received a special allowance or ''batta''. Two of these BNI regiments were serving in China in 1857 and so escaped any involvement in the great rebellion of that year. The East India Company's Bengal Army in 1857 consisted of 151,361 men of all ranks, of whom the great majority - 128,663 - were Indians.

1857

A total of 64 Bengal Army regular infantry and cavalry regiments rebelled during the

, 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.Bickers and Tiedemann, p. 231 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.

Post 1857

End of the separate Bengal Army

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 The 1st Brahmans was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised at Oudh by Captain T Naylor in 1776 for service in the army of Nawab Wazir of Oudh, and was known as the Nawab Wazir's Regiment. It was transferred to the East I ...

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

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

and

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

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 Buxar is a nagar parishad city in the state of Bihar, India, sharing border with Balia and Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of the eponymous Buxar district, as well as the headquarters of the community development ...

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 Bhagalpur, historically known as Champapuri, Champa Nagari, is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern bank of the Ganges river. It is the Bihar#Government and administration, third largest city of Bihar by population and ...

, Shahabad,

Monghyr Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern ...

, Saran and

Hajipur Hajipur ( , ) is the headquarters and largest city of Vaishali district of the state of Bihar in India. Hajipur is the 16th most populous city of Bihar, besides being the second-fastest developing city, next to Patna. It had a total population ...

. Brigadier Troup, who served as the commander of

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

, stated of recruitment that the ‘Bengal native Infantry came chiefly from the province of Awadh, Buxar, Bhojpur and Arrah.’ In 1810,

Francis Buchanan-Hamilton Francis Buchanan (15 February 1762 – 15 June 1829), later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, was a Scottish surgeon, surveyor and botanist who made significant contributions as a geographer and zoolo ...

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 The Ujjainiya Parmār (also spelled as Ujjaini or simply Ujjainiya) are a Rajput clan that inhabits the Bhojpur region in the state of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. They were an offshoot of the Parmara Rajputs that claims Agnivanshi descent. They ...

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 Major-General Sir John Malcolm GCB, KLS (2 May 1769 – 30 May 1833) was a Scottish soldier, diplomat, East India Company administrator, statesman, and historian. Early life Sir John Malcolm was born in 1769, one of seventeen children of Geo ...

, who had a lifetime's experience of Indian soldiering, wrote: ''"They consist largely of Rajpoots (

), 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 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) is a regiment of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. It traces its origins as a cavalry regiment from the times of the East India Company, followed by its service in the British Indian Army and finally, after ...

, the

Gurkhas The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India. The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...

from the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

and the Corps of Guides on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Composition in 1856

Cavalry

Bengal Regular 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

Bengal Irregular 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 *14th Irregular Cavalry *15th Irregular Cavalry *16th Irregular Cavalry * 17th Irregular Cavalry * 18th Irregular Cavalry

Artillery

Bengal Horse 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

Bengal European Foot Artillery (4 companies per battalion)

These were: * 1st Battalion * 2nd Battalion * 3rd Battalion * 4th Battalion * 5th Battalion * 6th Battalion

Bengal Native Foot Artillery (6 companies per battalion)

These were: *1st Battalion * 2nd Battalion * 3rd Battalion

Engineers

Corps of Engineers

These were:

Corps of
Bengal Sappers and Miners Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

These were:

Infantry

Bengal European Infantry

These were: * 1st Bengal (European) Fusiliers * 2nd Bengal (European) Fusiliers * 3rd Bengal (European) Regiment

Bengal Native Infantry

These were: Bengal-native-army

*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) *17th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *18th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *19th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *20th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 21st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *22nd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *23rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *25th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *26th Regiment of Bengal Light Infantry *27th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *28th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *29th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *30th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 31st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 32nd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 33rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *35th Regiment of Bengal Light Infantry *36th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers) *37th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers) *38th Regiment of Bengal Light Infantry (Volunteers) *39th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers) *40th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers) *41st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 42nd Regiment of Bengal Light Infantry * 43rd Regiment of Bengal Light Infantry *44th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *45th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *46th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 47th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers) *48th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *49th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *50th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *51st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *52nd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *53rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *54th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *55th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *56th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *57th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *58th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 59th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *60th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *61st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *62nd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 63rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *64th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 65th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers) * 66th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Goorkha Regiment) *67th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers) *68th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *69th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry * 70th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *71st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *72nd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *73rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry *74th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

= Bengal Local Infantry

= These were: * Calcutta Native Militia * Ramghur Light Infantry Battalion * Hill Rangers * New Nusseree (Rifle) Battalion * Pegu Light Infantry Battalion * Sirmoor Rifle Battalion * Kemaoon Battalion * 1st Assam Light Infantry * 2nd Assam Light Infantry * Mhairwarrah Battalion * Arracan Battalion * Hurrianah Light Infantry Battalion * 1st Regiment of Oude Infantry * 2nd Regiment of Oude Infantry * Sylhet Light Infantry Battalion

= Other Infantry Units

= These were: * Regiment of Kelat-i-Ghilzie * Sikh battalions ** Regiment of Loodianah ** Regiment of Ferozepore

Punjab Irregular Force The Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) was created in 1851 to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British East India Company Presidency armies of the three Presidencies o ...

These were:

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 Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

) * 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 ** 2nd Cavalry ** 3rd Cavalry ** 4th Cavalry ** Artillery ** 1st Infantry ** 2nd Infantry ** 3rd Infantry ** 4th Infantry ** 5th Infantry ** 6th Infantry * Kotah Contingent (Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry)

Units raised during 1857 Rebellion

Cavalry

Bengal European Cavalry

These were: *1st European Light Cavalry *2nd European Light Cavalry *3rd European Light Cavalry *4th European Light Cavalry *5th European Light Cavalry

Sikh Irregular Cavalry

These were: *1st Sikh Irregular Cavalry *2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry *3rd Sikh Irregular Cavalry *4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry

Infantry

Bengal European Infantry

These were: *4th European Infantry *5th European Infantry *6th European Infantry

Bengal Local Infantry

These were: * Calcutta Volunteer Guards (Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry)

Other Infantry Units

* Irregular Regiment, Ferozepore

Punjab Irregular Force The Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) was created in 1851 to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British East India Company Presidency armies of the three Presidencies o ...

Punjab Infantry

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 Corps

*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:

Royal Horse Artillery

* C Brigade * F Brigade

Royal Artillery

* 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 * 27th Native Infantry * 28th Native Infantry * 29th Native Infantry * 30th Native Infantry * 31st Native Infantry * 32nd Native Infantry * 33rd Native Infantry * 34th Native Infantry * 35th Native Infantry * 36th Native Infantry * 37th Native Infantry * 38th Native Infantry * 39th Native Infantry * 40th Native Infantry * 41st Native Infantry * 42nd Native Infantry * 43rd Native Infantry * 44th Native Infantry * 45th Native Infantry * 1st Goorkha Regiment * 2nd Goorkha Regiment * 3rd Goorkha Regiment * 4th Goorkha Regiment * 5th Goorkha Regiment

Punjab Irregular Force

Sikh Infantry

These were: * 1st Regiment * 2nd Regiment * 3rd Regiment * 4th Regiment

Punjab Cavalry

These were: * 1st Regiment * 2nd Regiment * 3rd Regiment * 4th Regiment * 5th Regiment

Punjab Infantry

These were: * 1st Punjab Infantry * 2nd Punjab Infantry * 3rd Punjab Infantry * 4th Punjab Infantry * 5th Punjab Infantry * 6th Punjab Infantry

Corps of Guides

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 During the period of the Company and Crown rule in India, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the Indian Army from 1833 to 1947. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

.Raugh, p. 45
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.

References

Sources

* * * * *

History

Origins

Under East India Company

1857

Post 1857

End of the separate Bengal Army

Ethnic composition

Composition in 1856

Cavalry

Bengal Regular Cavalry

Bengal Irregular Cavalry

Artillery

Bengal Horse Artillery

Bengal European Foot Artillery (4 companies per battalion)

Bengal Native Foot Artillery (6 companies per battalion)

Engineers

Corps of Engineers

Corps of Bengal Sappers and Miners Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

Infantry

Bengal European Infantry

Bengal Native Infantry

= Bengal Local Infantry

= Other Infantry Units

Punjab Irregular Force The Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) was created in 1851 to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British East India Company Presidency armies of the three Presidencies o ...

Punjab Cavalry

Punjab Infantry

Sikh Corps

Other Units

Units raised during 1857 Rebellion

Cavalry

Bengal European Cavalry

Sikh Irregular Cavalry

Infantry

Bengal European Infantry

Bengal Local Infantry

Other Infantry Units

Punjab Irregular Force The Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) was created in 1851 to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British East India Company Presidency armies of the three Presidencies o ...

Punjab Infantry

Sikh Corps

Other Units

Composition in 1864

Cavalry

Artillery

Royal Horse Artillery

Royal Artillery

Engineers

Infantry

Punjab Irregular Force

Sikh Infantry

Punjab Cavalry

Punjab Infantry

Corps of Guides

Other units

Commanders

Table of Organisation

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

Corps of
Bengal Sappers and Miners Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...