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{{Short description|Army of the Bengal Presidency of British India}} | {{Short description|Army of the Bengal Presidency of British India}} | ||
{{See also|Bengal Presidency Army Units}} | {{See also|Bengal Presidency Army Units}} | ||
{{Use British English|date=November | {{Use British English|date=November 2022}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March | {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} | ||
{{Infobox military unit | {{Infobox military unit | ||
|unit_name=Bengal Army | |unit_name=Bengal Army | ||
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The '''Bengal Army''' was the army of the [[Bengal Presidency]], one of the three presidencies of [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] within the [[British Empire]]. | The '''Bengal Army''' was the army of the [[Bengal Presidency]], one of the three presidencies of [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] within the [[British Empire]]. | ||
The [[ | The [[presidency armies]], like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the [[East India Company]] (EIC) until the [[Government of India Act 1858]] (passed in the aftermath of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]) transferred all three presidencies to the direct authority of the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British Crown]]. | ||
In 1895 all three presidency armies were merged into the [[British Indian Army]]. | In 1895 all three presidency armies were merged into the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]]. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Origins=== | ===Origins=== | ||
The Bengal Army originated with the establishment of a European Regiment in 1756.<ref>Raugh, p. 46</ref> While the East India Company had previously maintained a small force of Dutch and Eurasian mercenaries in Bengal, this was destroyed when [[Siege of Calcutta|Calcutta was captured]] by the Nawab of Bengal on 30 June that year.<ref>{{cite book|first=Stuart|last=Reid|page=5|title=Armies of the East India Company 1750–1850|date=18 August 2009|isbn=978-1-84603-460-2}}</ref> | The Bengal Army originated with the establishment of a European Regiment in 1756.<ref>Raugh, p. 46</ref> While the East India Company had previously maintained a small force of Dutch and Eurasian mercenaries in Bengal, this was destroyed when [[Siege of Calcutta|Calcutta was captured]] by the Nawab of Bengal on 30 June that year.<ref>{{cite book|first=Stuart|last=Reid|page=5|title=Armies of the East India Company 1750–1850|date=18 August 2009|isbn=978-1-84603-460-2}}</ref> | ||
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===End of the separate Bengal Army=== | ===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.<ref>{{cite book|first=John|last=Gaylor|page=2|title=Sons of John Company. The Indian & Pakistan Armies 1903–1991|year=1992|isbn=0-946771-98-7}}</ref> | 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.<ref>{{cite book|first=John|last=Gaylor|page=2|title=Sons of John Company. The Indian & Pakistan Armies 1903–1991|year=1992|isbn=0-946771-98-7}}</ref> | ||
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).<ref>{{cite web|title=Northern Command|url=http://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=rOVaZ1oDN4Y+6g+B7wVzFA==&ParentID=pR6rWvPTFCtsMyihEuBwFg==|access-date=5 July | 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).<ref>{{cite web|title=Northern Command|url=http://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=rOVaZ1oDN4Y+6g+B7wVzFA==&ParentID=pR6rWvPTFCtsMyihEuBwFg==|access-date=5 July 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|first=John|last=Gaylor|page=3|title=Sons of John Company. The Indian & Pakistan Armies 1903–1991|year=1992|isbn=0-946771-98-7}}</ref> | ||
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.<ref>Carmen, pp. 225-226</ref> | 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.<ref>Carmen, pp. 225-226</ref> | ||
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The Bengal Army of the East India Company was mainly recruited from high castes living in Bengal, Bihar and the Awadh.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMFdosx0PokC&pg=PA308 |title=Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics: Draupadi among Rajputs, Muslims and Dalits|first=Alf|last= Hiltebeitel|page=308|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0226340500}}</ref> | The Bengal Army of the East India Company was mainly recruited from high castes living in Bengal, Bihar and the Awadh.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMFdosx0PokC&pg=PA308 |title=Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics: Draupadi among Rajputs, Muslims and Dalits|first=Alf|last= Hiltebeitel|page=308|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0226340500}}</ref> | ||
Writing in The Indian Army (1834), [[John Malcolm|Sir John Malcolm]], who had a lifetime's experience of Indian soldiering, wrote: ''"They consist largely of Rajpoots ([[Rajput]]), who are a distinguished race | Writing in The Indian Army (1834), [[John Malcolm|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 of 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."''<ref name=":1" /> | ||
Both prior to and following 1857, the Bengal Army included what were to become some of the most famous units in India: [[1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse|Skinner's Horse]] from Bengal, the [[Gurkhas]] from the [[Himalayas]] and the [[Corps of Guides (British India)|Corps of Guides]] on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. | Both prior to and following 1857, the Bengal Army included what were to become some of the most famous units in India: [[1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse|Skinner's Horse]] from Bengal, the [[Gurkhas]] from the [[Himalayas]] and the [[Corps of Guides (British India)|Corps of Guides]] on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. | ||