Chapter 4: The Army of the British East India Company
The army of the British East India Company in the Bengal Presidency, prior to the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-1858, was based heavily on native models in keeping with the limited goal of the Company in India: to make profits, but avoid upsetting the traditional order as much as possible. Robert Clive and Warren Hastings were the fathers of the Honorable Company's army in India prior to 1857, but they in turn based their policies on the armies of the Nawab of Awadh and the Benares Raj. The resulting Company army was composed largely of high-caste Hindus and Muslim peasants, and the Company catered to their religious sensitivities and preferences. Essentially, the Company army until 1857 was in many respects comparable to a native Indian army, but with British standards of conduct, military training, and weapons.
Although the high caste emphasis in the Company army was initially convenient, the extreme sensitivity of the high-caste sepoys became a problem leading up to 1857. In the 1820s, the number of desertions and mutinies of sepoys went up dramatically due to resentment of the slightest infringement of ritual rules or perceived insults to their high-caste status.1 The Company temporarily defused tensions by creating two new figures of religious authority in the regiments, the pandit and the maulvi.2 At the same time, the Company realized it needed to find an alternative source of recruits, and so focused on the Gurkhas of Nepal as an attractive alternative, as they were considered a “martial race” and their dietary requirements were not as problematic.3 The Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-1858 cemented the shift away from emphasis on high-caste peasants to alternative “martial rac...
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...India up until 1858 was largely based on the armies of the Nawabs of Awadh and the Benares Raj, with slight modification such as emphasis on high-caste peasants, recruitment from specific areas in accordance with British ideas of martial races, and of course British training and structure. This army was created in large part by Robert Clive and Warren Hastings, and although it was an initial success, this army caused trouble for the Company in the long term. This is especially evident in the 1820s, when sepoys were especially prone to desertion and mutiny due to sensitivity about their high-caste status. The Company was already looking for suitable alternatives when the Sepoy Rebellion occurred in 1857, and the events of 1857-1858 finalized the Company's move away from recruitment of high-caste peasants to recruitment of more reliable and hassle-free “martial races.”
Sir Arthur Currie was not a man raised to become a great general, he had to start from the beginning and work his way to the top. He served his country by fighting and leading battles that made Canada a great independent nation, making him a figure of inspiration to many Canadians. In the many battles of World War One, including Amiens, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and others, Arthur Currie devised well prepared, flexible, unique, and intelligent war strategies that led Canadian troops to victory.
Wooster R. (1998). The Military and United States Indian policy 1865-1903 (pp. 43, 47). West
Much like chapter two, chapter four provides an overview of the East India Company's Bengali sepoy regiments. Chapter five addresses the major causes of the Sepoy Rebellion, and summarizes its events and participants. Chapter six provides a short historiographical review of three Indian texts on the Sepoy Rebellion, exposing the reader to Indian interpretations of the events. Finally, part three consists of chapter seven, which is a comparison of the major similarities and differences of Batavian Revolt and Sepoy Rebellion, and serves to highlight key aspects of both.
The 84th Infantry Division lineage dates back to as early as 1917. In the early years, it was known as the “Lincoln Division”, made up of units primarily from Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana. During WWI, the Lincoln Division provided replacements for other units, but saw no combat as a division. They were inactivated January 1919, and reactivated in October 1942.1 The 84th Infantry Division was made up of: three infantry regiments, four field artillery battalions, one engineering combat battalion, one medical battalion, one signal battalion, one light maintenance company, one quartermaster company, and a recon troop. The division was comprised of about 16,000 men in 1943.2
The United States Army, in its current state, is a profession of arms. In order to be considered a profession, the organization must have an ethical code rooted in values, strong trust with its clients, and be comprised of experts within the trade. These experts are constantly developing the trade for the present and the future and hold the same shared view of their trade culture.
The british thought of the native indian people as barbaric, so they felt no shame in putting them to work with little or no pay. The british attempted to convert the indians to christianity and educate them. This did more harm than good, and the damage done to the indians well being was devastating. however The situation backfired on the East british company. A massive rebellion consisting of sepoys, (Indian soldiers who loathed the british company) Attacked the british. The Attack was seen as unsuccessful to the eyes of the natives. But the result of this rebellion was the crash of the east british company a year after the incident. It was becoming obvious to the british that their actions were leading to indian frustration. Even though the east british company was no longer official, the land was still being used for factories and crop production. An official labour payment was established, which softened the british up. It was the perfect time for famous anti colonist Gandhi to speak up and spread the word. This led to many policy adjustments, political complications and british frustration. Gandhi's following of indians greatly overpowered the remaining british
The Indians engaged in ruthless guerilla type warfare by ambushing the British and taking cover behind trees, while the British tried to fight traditionally by lining up and shooting volleys into the trees (Mann, 75:00). The traditional battle for the British required both armies to line up across from each other in neat lines to fire volleys back and forth until one side either gave up or sustained to many casualties. The British were used to officers being off limits as well. The Indians would intentionally aim for officers to cause chaos within the ranks of the British. The Indians tactics prove to be more efficient than the British due to their mobility and use of cover. Fighting the Indians was the first time the British encountered this type of ‘dishonorable’ warfare. The British eventually discovered the best strategy for them was to get in close quarters to fight hand to hand. This was more effective than lining up in lines allowing the Indians to pick them off one by one from the cover of the trees (Mann,
Webster’s dictionary defines the word profession as a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill. Many Soldiers would not consider the Army as a profession but a way of life. Some think the word profession belongs to everyday jobs like a plumber, mechanic, or doctor. Dr. Don M. Snider stated “the Army is a profession because of the expert work it produces, because the people in the Army develop themselves to be professionals, and because the Army certifies them as such” (Snider, D. M. 2008). In October 2010, the Secretary of the Army directed the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) to lead an Army wide assessment of the state of the Army Profession. We have been at war as a Country for over a decade and the Army wanted to know how to shape the future of the Army as a profession and the effects the past decade had on our profession.
The British considered Indian civilization to be inferior and implemented their western ways, overriding ancient Indian customs. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that British imperialism in India resulted in both positive as well as negative reforms in political, economic and social aspects of its new colony. To begin with, one can observe that the British colonizers did indeed improve Indian civilization by developing means of communication and transport. They built a great number of bridges, over 40,000 miles of railway and paving an astounding 70,000 miles of road (Doc. 4. The adage of the adage.
Gandhi’s implementation for the Salt March was the result of British colonization of India, which had caused a change in the lifestyle of the Indians. In 1975 when the East India Company established manufacturing monopolies, which assisted the British to exercise their powers over the salt facilities in India by applying salt taxes. As the British occupied the salt works, the Indian population became deprived of one of the most important resources. Thus, the Indians in nation began to fall apart, because the strict British ruling restricted the Indians to perform against the salt taxes. The Salt March was a way that Gandhi sought to inspire a strong uniformity in the minds of the many. These Indians soon adapted to Gandhi’s nonviolent belief and became known as the satyagrahis, w...
1 Moore, Robin J., "Imperial India, 1858-1914", in Porter, Andrew, Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001a, p.422-446,
The decision to grant independence to India was not the logical culmination of errors in policy, neither was it as a consequence of a mass revolution forcing the British out of India, but rather, the decision was undertaken voluntarily. Patrick French argues that: “The British left India because they lost control over crucial areas of the administration, and lacked the will and the financial or military ability to recover that control”.
India was the first major Asian civilizations to fall victim to European predatory activities (Duiker 31). With conquering India, the British had various purposes behind it. Their main purpose was to achieve a monopolistic trading position (The Economic and Social Impact of Colonial Rule in India). The second purpose was the control of India; this was a key element in the world power structure, in terms of geography, logistics and military manpower (The Economic and Social Impact of Colonial Rule in India). When the East India Company continued to trade under the British, huge armies were created, largely composed of Indian sepoys (Marshall). The armies were used to defend the Company’s territories protect the Indian states (Marshall).
Nicholas B Dirks. (1989). The Invention of Caste: Civil Society in Colonial India: Social Analysis. The International Journal of Social and Cultural Practice. No. 25, pp. 42-52
The Nepalese Gurkhas have been serving under the British since 1815. They have partaken in every war that Britain has been involved in from the Pindarr War to WWII. The Gurkhas are considered by many to be one of the Worlds finest armed units. The Gurkha corps are definitely the most elite fighting force in the British Army and they have consistently proved their worth in every battle they have fought, whether it was a victory or defeat. The common Gurkha has a diamond-hard will, and indomitable fighting spirit that clearly distinguishes him from his peers. For the Gurkha is no common soldier. He is a warrior to the core, and a not a man to be taken lightly.