THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES

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INDIA'S FIGHTERS:
THEIR METTLE, HISTORY AND SERVICES TO
BRITAIN.

BY

SAINT NIHAL SINGH,

Author of "India's Fighting Troops," "Progressive British India," "Japan's Modernization." "Urge Divine," "Glimpses of the Orient To-day," "Making Bad Children Good," " Messages of Uplift for India," " Essays on
India,"
Etc.,

Etc.

ILLUSTRATED.

LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON &
1914.

Co..

Ltd.

granthaloka*
Indohijical Book Sellers,

5/l.Arabi'M Moolih^rje Rd,

CalcuLta-7030j6-, ladia.

All

Rti/h(s Reserved.

First Edition, December, 1914.

'-/v.:'

MY FATHER,

BllAI NIHAL SINGH,

DEDICATE THIS BOOK AS A SLIGHT

TOKEN OF MY LOVE FOR HIM AND

MY ADMIRATION FOR
SPIRIT,

HIS INVINCIBLE

AND

HIS

LEARNING AND PIETY.

The Author.

19205)10

LITERARY CONTENTS.
HAPTER

FACB

Explanatory Note
I.

ix.

The Mettle

of the

Men

...

II.

Fighting Clans

III.

The

Indian Armies

79
140
173

IV.

Deeds of Dash and Daring

Past Services to Britain
British
...

V.
VI.

Authorities

on

Indian
208

Gallantry
Index

^4

PICTORIAL CONTENTS.
1.

Sikh Officers of the Viceroy's Bodyguard

To
2.

face Title

3.

4.
5.

A Group of Gurkha Infantrymen A Rajput Fighter A MoPiLA Soldier

...

8 29 29

6.
7.

The Hon. Captain Malik Umar Hayat Khan Tiwana, CLE., M.V.O. ... A Malik Din Khel Afridi ... Bodyguard of H.H. the Maharaja Gaekwar
OF Baroda of Officers and Men of the \^t\\ Ludhiana Sikhs ... Imperial Cadet Corps, led by H.H Maharaja Sir Partab Singhji ... Sardar Ram Singh Bahadur ... Balwant Singh Bahadur Officers of the Imperial Service Troops Troops of H.H. the Thakore Sahib of

46 46 64
77

8.

A Group

9.

90
112

10. 11.
\2.

112

129 139

13.

Gondal
14.
15.

A Detachment

16. 17.
18.

19.

20.

of Mountain Batteries Officers and Soldiers belonging to the 23RD Sikh Pioneers Viceroy's Bodyguard Sikh Lancers ... Moslem Soldiers General Gurnam Singh, Prime Minister of Patiala State Sikh Officer, Imperial Service Troops

154
174
195

209
231

^43

243

EXPLANATORY NOTE.
This
eye
little

volume aims
India's

at giving a bird's-

view

of

fighting

clans

their

origin, their

deeds of dash and daring, their

past services to Britain, and their part in the

Armies
It

of British India

and

of the Rajas.
to

makes no pretensions

being an ex-

haustive

study of the organisation of the

armies of India, or a complete history of their

growth and accomplishments.

Apart from

the limitations of space and time at

posal,
tasks.

my

dis-

my design has not been to essay such On the contrary, I have endeavoured
idea of the

to

give a general

extent

and
and

quality of Hindostan's military resources,

thereby supply a lack which has impressed

many
British

as unfortunate in the interests of the

Empire, the Oriental

at large.
I

Dependency,

and the world

The

account

supply here

is

plain,

unvarnished

tale, free

from hyperbole.

Yet

ix.

X.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.
write as one descended

from fighting stock

heroism

one
I

who

justifiably glories in the

and faithfulness

of his people.
to rule technicalities

have striven hard

I

out of the work.

have even prevailed upon

myself to employ Indian terms whose spelling

outrages me, just because they

have been

adopted by the British

Army

authorities.

But

freedom

from

technicalities

and
I

pedantry

should not be taken to imply that

have not
reliable.

done

my

best to

make
is,

the
it

book

Slight as the

volume

has required con-

siderable research work, of which the

many
I

references to authorities give

freely

some

idea.
to

acknowledge

my

indebtedness

the

regimental histories,

etc.,

consulted by me.

The book
tributed,

as

it

stands has been especially

I

written for the present occasion.

have conBritish,

during

this

year,

to

American,

and

Indian

publications,

many
of

articles dealing with various

phases

the

subject.

Though

had

full

option to

make

use of this matter

thanks

to the courtesy of

EXPLANATORY NOTE.
the

xi.

many

editors for

whom

the articles were

written

yet the scheme

my

of this

work did not

this privilege

permit of
to

avaihng myself of

any appreciable extent, and what appears

all

within these covers has

I

been re-written.

owe

grateful thanks for invaluable help

rendered
in giving

me
it

in the collection of the material,

it

the form in which

now

appears,
Saint

and

in

revising proofs, to Cathleyne

Nihal Singh,
I

my

wife and colleague.

to

am also indebted Edmund George Barrow,

Secretary, India Office
;

General

Sir

G.C.B.,

MiHtary
Holder-

Sir T.

W.

ness, K.C.S.I., I.C.S., B.A.,

Under Secretary
James

of State for India

Lieut. -Colonel Sir

R. Dunlop-Smith, K.C.S.I., C.I.E., Political

Aide-de-Camp
India;

to the Secretary of State for

W.

Foster,

Esq., C.I.E.,

Registrar

and Superintendent

of Records, India

Ofhce

and Dr. F.

W. Thomas,

M.A., Librarian,

India Office, for the opportunities afforded

for obtaining necessary information.
I

me

express

my

obligation to his Highness

xii.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.
Rao
III.,

the Maharaja-Gaekwar of Baroda, Shri Sir

Sayaji

Gaekwar,

G.C.S.I.;

his

Highness the Thakore Sahib

Sir

of Gondal, Shri
;

Bhagvat

Sinhji,

G.C.I.E.

Captain the

Honourable

Malik

Umar

Hayat

Khan

Tiwana, C.I.E., M.V.O., and Messrs. George

T. Jones and Son, of Kingston-on-Thames,
for
;

the

photographs

which

they

supplied

me and
I

to the publishers for

supplementing

these pictures with prints they secured locally.

highly esteem the courtesy of Messrs.

Co., in giving

Sampson Low, Marston and

their

consent to

my

writing a

brochure
for

on

" India's

Fighting

Troops,"
;

Messrs.

George Newnes, Ltd.

for leaving

and

of the latter firm

me

unfettered in respect of copyto

right

and other considerations,

prepare the

present work.

SAINT NIHAL SINGH.

46, Overhill

Road, East Dulwich,

London, S.E., England,

December, 19 14.

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

CHAPTER

I.

The Mettle of the Men.

WRITE

of India's fighters, who, in 19 14,

for the first time in history are

soil,

waging war

on European

but who, in the past, have

often rushed to the firing Hne to help to crush

Britain's

enemies

European,

African,

and
to

Asiatic

and who have fought many times

consolidate,
in

establish,

and save the British

assist in

dominion

Hindostan, and to

con-

serving Imperial interests in

many

parts of

Asia and Africa.

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Men

of valorous deeds, their heroism and

chivalry are writ large in the annals of Ind

from the dim dawn of

civilization

down

to our

day and age.

Men

of soldierly tribes, they

have fought under many standards, and with

varying success, but never have they hesitated
to

pour out

their

blood when duty called them

or their Suzerain's enemies

to face their

own

nor have they ever turned their back upon

unconquered

foes.

multitude of races are they, with a mix-

ture of blood flowing in their veins.

The
to the

aboriginal stock of the Peninsula, crossed by

numerous foreign
between

strains

and subjected

climatic influences of the country, which range

frigid

and

tropical, has

produced a

congeries of people with distinctive physiques,

features,

and temperaments, each with

its
its

own

traditions

and

civilization,

each with

own
its

pantheon of gods and goddesses, each with

own

interests

and

affinities.
tall

Among them
are slender

are

men, some of
set,

whom

and some heavy

and others of

THE METTLE OF THE MEN.

medium
height and build.
short and sHm, or, in

Odiers, again, arc

cases, stout.

some

Some

carry themselves majestically, others do not

have a military bearing. All are good

fighters,

no matter what

their figures

may

be.

Some men among them have

locks, black eyes,

coal-black

have a brownish complexion

brown
hair

and very dark

skins.

Others

" the
it

colour of

wheat," as the Indians describe

and dark

and

eyes.

Still

others have fair

skin, light hair,

and blue or grey eyes.

Some
features

of the

men have
faces,

regular, clean-cut

oval

with

high,

expansive

foreheads, eyes almond-shaped and set wide

apart, large, straight noses, small

mouths and
that they

firm chins

and
by

are so

handsome
at

are admired

all

who look

them.

Others
eyes

have faces so irregular

with
charm

oblique

and high cheekbones and a yellowish complexion

that their only

lies

in

the
is

courage and strength of character that

stamped upon

their

every lineament.

Among
are

them

arc

few whose

countenances

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

neither beautiful nor expressive of character.

They have pointed

and small chins.

faces, with low,

narrow

foreheads, prominent cheek bones, thick lips,

But

all

can give a good

account of themselves on the battlefield.

Some
a

of

them

are soft-spoken
It
is

men

with

kind expression.

hard to

irritate

them, and they are always well-mannered,

in

peace or in war,

in

regimental line or

in the

drawing room.

Others have terrifying,

fire

awe-inspiring looks, and their eyes flash

and
tion.

their faces

redden

at the least

provoca-

Others again

are

haughty looking

men, whose every feature and every move-

ment bespeak
dominate.

their belief that they are

born to

Some
from
shape of

of

India's fighters totally abstain

liquor, others will drink

spirits,

anything

in the
it

wine, and beer, whether

be country-brewed or foreign, and

will con-

sume an
showing

amazing
intoxication.

quantity

of

it

without
it

Some

consider

the

greatest sin to smoke.

Others eat opium, and

THE METTLE OF THE

several

MEN*.
the

clans

are

addicted

to

use

of

tobacco and drugs.

Some

will

not eat meat

of any kind, others will eat anything, even

snakes, worms, and carrion.
are fastidious in

beef altogether.

The meat eaters the extreme. Some refuse Some will not eat pork.

Others

will

not eat the flesh of an animal that

has not been killed by a single stroke, while

certain

among them demand

its

that the beast

must have

throat

slit

while set formulas are

being muttered aloud.

life

Rice

is

the staff of

of some, wheat of others.

Some do
their

not

care

who cooks

or

hands them

food.

Others require their meals to be prepared and

served by people of approved birth.
ever their habit or belief

What-

may
and

be, they usually

cast their prejudices to the four winds

when

engaged on the

battlefield

let

nothing mar

their usefulness as soldiers.

In intelligence they vary as greatly as they

do

in other matters.

Some

are sharp-witted.

Others are slow of understanding.

Some

readily learn to read and write and are apt

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
mastering foreign languages.

at

Others are

just the reverse.

Only

a small percentage of a

them

are

literate.

Not

few look upon

literacy as a sign of
literati

effeminacy,

and hold
are

in

contempt.

But

they

not

ignorant, by any means.

Of

epic literature

many
tions

of

them know much.

to

Manly

tradi-

have descended

them from generation

all

to generation,

and they are

exploits
of

repositories

of tales of the

their

clansmen,
or less

some

of which are real, though

more

glorified, while

many

of

them

are out

and out

legends.

In moral and spiritual qualities they represent civilizations poles apart.

Some

hold

personal virtue dearer than the breath of their

life,

and are

strictly

monogamous.

Others

include polygamy as a tenet of their creed,

though few actually practise

it.

Truthfulness,

honesty, and cleanliness they, with few exceptions,

value highly.

Some worship God, One

and Creator
of

and
all,

Indivisible, Self-created

All-seeing, All-hearing, All-powerful, in

THi:

METTLE OF THE MEN.

Whom,
tion,

in course of

time, their personality

must merge, which

to

state they regard as salvalife

be attained by a

of piety

and

devotion, and not by intercession.

their
faith

Others pin

to

God,

Omnipotent and All-

merciful,

Whom

they can reach only through

the mediation of

His chosen Prophet. Others

of nature, associating one or

worship the Creative, Destructive, and Protective

Elements

more of these

principles

with

half-human,

half-divine personalities

who

are regarded as
aspects.

the incarnation of

God

in

His various
riot,

Oriental imagination, running

has pro-

duced a pantheon whose

deities are said to

outnumber the

total

population of India

some

three hundred and fifteen

odd

millions.

The

incarnations are female and male, often

paired together, and sometimes with children,

the remarkable thing about the family being"
that the

name

of the

goddess precedes that of

the god.

To

the initiated, the images that are the

;

made

to

represent

deities

have

deep

symbolical meaning

but to the uninitiated

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
to

some appear
barbaric.

be

grotesque

and a few
is

For

instance,

one of them

de-

picted as a female with a face as black as coal

and grinning mouth, her locks

in

disarray,

wearing around her neck a garland of human

skulls, dripping with blood.

require images for their natural

Some do not worship, but bow to

as
lightning,
fire.

phenomena,

such

streams, mountains, the sun, and

But short

or

tall,

black or fair-skinned,
intelligent

handsome

or

homely,

or

slow-

witted, idol-breaker or image-worshipper, all

of

them know how

to

handle arms with deadly

of India's develop-

effect.

At various stages
its

ment,

fighters

have wielded weapons of

In the infancy of the

diverse descriptions.

world they used bows and wooden arrows.

Afterwards iron arrows were substituted.

dagger, sword, and lance were employed

The
later,

and the warriors used

armour of burnished

their shields

and wore
defend

steel or chain to

themselves against the death-dealing thrusts

of their foes.

Later

still

muskets and guns

'i'y

THE
came
with
the

MF.TTI.E

OF THE MEN.

into use.

After Hindostan's contact

of

West, breech-loaders

various

patterns were employed, one succeeding the

other, until to-day the fighters of India are

armed with
Whatever
and the
their

rifles

of the

most modern type.

have always

their arms, the Indians

skill.

used them with the greatest

bullet

The arrow

have always gone straight to

the bayonet, the

mark.

The sword and

dagger and the lance, have been plunged

deep into the

fighting

flesh of their foes.

Even when
arms,
the

enemies

with

superior

Indian clansmen with their primitive weapons

have given a good account of themselves.

With surprising
aside their

agility the Indians

have cast

own methods
have

of warfare
tactics of

and taken

up the arms and military

and
they

Europe;
in

acquired

an

efficiency

handling the new weapons which has won the

admiration of friends and foes alike.
Certain qualities are

common
and

to

them

all.

They

will fight to the finish

die rather tlian

turn their backs on an unbeaten foe.

Thev

Id

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
be docile and affectionate to those

will

who

are placed in authority over

them and who, by

bravery, kindness, consideration, and justice

have won

They will never shirk the call of duty. They will bear without complaint extremes of heat and cold. They
their regard.

will

unmurmuringly

suffer

hunger and

thirst.

Mountains and jungles,

have no terrors
for

rivers

and deserts,
are

them.

Whether they

well or ill-paid, whether they have a hard or

an easy time of
possibly can.

it,

they will be soldiers

if

they

The

only

other

profession

beside that of bearing arms which

many

of

them look upon with favour

Administration

is

that of a ruler.
still

and militarism

go

hand

in

hand

in the

Indian imagination.
of

The
upon
popu-

overwhelming majority

the

close

seven hundred Rajas who govern

territories

of varying dimensions, thinly or thickly

lated, rich or

poor

in resources, are the lineal

descendants of
with
their

men who

carved out kingdoms

sharp and trusty swords.

still

The

military spirit

burns brightly

in

not a few

THE METTLE OF THE MEK.

of them.

tr

There

are

among them Rajas

is

with

grey heads, whose only passion

ing.

to die fight-

Others there

are,

not yet out of their

teens,

who

will not

be denied the privilege of

battling for the right.

Leading

their cavalry,

camelry, and infantry in times of war, and

riding over the roughest kind of ground and

hunting dangerous game

in

times of peace,
else.

appeal to them as does nothing

They

have fought

for

the

British

on

numerous
as

occasions, and will fight for

them

many
or

times again,

if

need
or

be.

Of

high

humble

rank.

Raja

commoner, the Indian

fighters

have estab-

lished a record of which the warriors of

any

nation might wtII be proud.

stretch back far

Their exploits

beyond the time when history

of

began, to the misty morn

chivalry,

romance

and

and are sung and

lived

in epics of indescrib-

able

pathos

beauty.

Traditions

of

warriors
in early

who

and fought and nobly died

re-

and mediaeval periods could be

I

lated

by the thousand, but

shall

content

12

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

myself with describing a few of the gallant

deeds of Indian soldiers during recent years,

when

fighting for the British Empire, to

show

the type of
is

manhood which,
combat with

for the first time,

enorao-ed in

Great

Britain's

European enemies on European

I

soil.

This

do

in

Chapter IV.,

after

describing the

fighting clans,

and

their part in the

Indian

Armies
follow.

in the

two chapters that immediately

CHAPTER

II.

Fighting Clans.

AT

various

periods

of

human

history,

waves
its

of fiery races

have surged into

India from

north-west corner, submerging

everything that came in their way.

In the

course of centuries these peoples have inter-

mingled with one another and with Hindostan's

aborigines.

This

amalgamation

of

widely differing social elements, subjected to

the bitter cold
north,

and hardy mountain

life

of the

the

broiling

sun of the belt of the

Peninsula, and the humid heat of the south,

has

produced

clans

and

tribes

who vary
qualities,

greatly in face, form,

and manly

whose number
view of

is

legion.

From

the point of

fighting,

many

of

them have no value

whatever, and others are indifferent material

'3

14

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

but several have

prising
extent,

managed
the

to retain, to a sur-

martial

qualities
I

which

made
of

their ancestors famous.

am
its

not con-

cerned here with any but the

virile

population

Hindostan
it

but to understand

composi-

tion

is

necessary to turn the pages of the

annals of the land backwards, and note

the

how

important waves of immigrants flowed

the

successively into

country

and became

absorbed by

it.

Travelling back to the time when tradition

daubs patches of gaudy colours upon the

dense darkness of days beyond human ken,

the student of prehistoric periods discovers

caravans of fair-skinned people with regular

features migrating into

what

is

now Afghani-

stan

and contiguous regions and crossing the

ranges of Hindu
plains of

Kush

into the rich, fertile

what

is

to-day the Punjab, drained

by many

rivers.

Whence
still

they came

is

moot question which

to

remains definitely

be settled.
it

One

theory, recently put for-

ward has

that their

home was

in the

north

FIGHTING CLAXS.
of

15

Europe, within

full

sight of the
is

Aurora

Borealis/

The

older conjecture

that they

had
Asia

their origin in the

highlands of central

the region

bordering the banks of the

Oxus. There are many other guesses current,

hotly pressed by protagonists,

and

fiercely

denounced by antagonists.

The

reasons for

and against these hypotheses cannot be stated

here
of
;

but in any case

it is

believed that streams

human beings poured out in all directions from a common centre, some peopling the
different countries of
their

Europe, others making

way

to Persia, Afghanistan, India, etc.

In view of the fact that in the year 19 14

Indians were engaged in fighting

Germans
consider

on European

soil,

it

may be

parenthetically

mentioned that certain authorities

that the two peoples are

descended from the

same parent

stock.
in

Peschel, quoted by Sir

Herbert Risley
" divides the 24,
I.

The People

of India,
{a)

p.

Caucasian type into

of the

Indo-

The Arctic Home

Vedas, by Bal

Gangadhar

Tilak.

i6

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
{b)

Germans,
bers,

Semites,

{c)

Hamites
'

or Bar'

and

includes
Indians)

the
in

Hindus
first

(nonthese

Dravidian
groups."

the

of

Aside from these theories, there

is

one

which asserts that the Aryans did not migrate

into

the
is,

Peninsula,

but

originated

there.

This

in

many
I,

ways, the most unsatisfactory

of the

contentions raging in regard to this

therefore, adhere to the

question.

view

that, early in

human

history, large tribes of

Aryans moved from

directions,

their joint

home

in various

one of them coming

to India.

The
called

Indian branch of these immigrants

themselves
is

Aryans

the

noble

term which

now

applied to the whole race.

Another branch of the same ethnical group

which settled
tlers
'*

in Persia

called the Indian set" thieves "

Hindus,"

meaning

an
ap-

appellation which shows the contempt of the

Perso-Aryans

for the

Indo-Aryans.

It

pears that the two clans had quarrelled with

each other and

left

their

homeland

in

dif-

"

FIGHTING CLANS.
ferent
directions.

17

That they entertained

towards
fact

violent

enmity

each

other

is

evidenced

by the

that

Indian

terms

which are perfectly proper are

expressions
in

opprobrious
vice
versa.

Persian,

and

Some

claim that the Indo-Aryans were called

their
if

Hindus because they made

the banks of the Indus.
case,

homes on
that
is

But

the

how

cUd the river get this

rises,

name?

The

question naturally

was

it

styled thus to

designate

it

as the thieves' (Hindus') river?

in

And was

the mountain-chain

the

north-

west of India, which the Indo-Aryans crossed

to enter the Peninsula, called

Hindu Kush,
cor-

or " thieves' mountain "

(Kush being a

ruption of the Persian word

Koh, meaning a

high elevation)?
give
it

Or
to

did the Perso-Aryans

that

name
the

imply that the mountain

of

might

prove

death
in

the

" thieves

(Indo-x\ryans),
killed?

Knsli,
to

Persian,

meaning

According
first

other authorities, the

in

term Hindu was

used

connection with

the Indo-Aryans by another

wave of immi-

i8

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
originated
later.

grants which

in

Arabia, and of
it

which

speak

Be

this as

may, the

word has been appHed

is

for centuries,

and
in

still

given

to this race

which settled

India

in the early

dawn

of

human
it

civilization,

and
its

to other peoples
fold.

whom

included within

From what

is

known

of

them they well

or noble

deserved the name

Aryan,
spiritual

which
led a

they had chosen for themselves.

simple, pastoral
life,

They

highly valued purity of

welfare

conduct,

placed

above

worldly wealth, loved poetry, and composed

and

sang

lofty

hymns.

They

held

in

reverence such elements of nature as the sun

and
of

fire.

These they worshipped

energy,
instead
of

as symbols

creative

prostrating

themselves unthinkingly before them, as did

the savages, who, struck

dumb by

natural

phenomena, made

fetiches of them.

They were
natives
of

not mere poets and dreamers,

but were sturdy fighters,

the

who
to

displaced the

countries

which

they

FIGHTING CLANS.
migrated.

19

In India they came across people

dark of skin and irregular of feature, believed

to

have belonged
believed
to

to the

Dravidian race,
originated
in

who
the

are

have

Peninsula, but

may have been

of

immigrants.
centuries
the

In
xA.ryans

the

course
in

few

settled

the

country

drained

by

the
one,

many
the

rivers

of

the

Punjab

including
into the
their

Sarasvati,

which has now disapof

peared.

Later,

some

them pushed

valleys of the
tributaries.

Jumna and Ganges, and

Two
east.

theories are
of the

current regarding the

movement

Indo-Aryans towards the

it

One

of

them ascribes

to the

growth

of the immigrant population settled in the

Punjab.

The

other suggests that a fresh wave

of Aryans swept from the north-west

the Gangetic plain
(the

down

to

Madhya Desa,

or

middle land of Hindu

literature).

Some

of the peoples

whom

the ^Aryans

vanquished were driven into

the

mountain

fastnesses and primeval forests of northern

20

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
while
others

India,
Hills,

crossed

the

Vindhya

which formed the base of the triangle

with the southern point of the Peninsula as

its

apex.

Not

a few of the Aborigines were so

crushed

in spirit that

they consented to live in

the land appropriated by the triumphant im-

migrants which the victors had

themselves,
"

named

after

Aryavaria

"'

(the land of the

Aryas, or noble men) on the most humiliating

terms.

These conquered people were

employments
it

set to

work

at

in

which the conquerors

considered

beneath their dignity to engage.

The

victors reserved to themselves the privileft-

lege of forming connections, legal or "

handed,'' mostly the latter, with the
of the

women

vanquished race.

But the aborigines

and the progeny of mixed marriages could not

aspire
2.

to

marr}ing
is

fair-skinned
known

maidens,

as Hindustan or HindoI must make it Hindus. rlear that, used in this sense, Hindustan means only upper India, which at first was colonized by the Aryans. It doe^ not include the triangular tract bounded on the north by The term is, however, also employed the Vindhya hills. in the general sense, as referring to the whole Peninsula. This use is of comparatively recent origin.

This region

also

stan or the land

(slJsaii)

of the

FIGHTING CLANS.
much
them.
less to

21

have any

illegal association with

The

dark-skinned

people,

fullall

blooded and half-castes ahke, were denied

social intercourse

with the ruling race and

had no mission, and could have none, other

than to cater for the pleasure of the Aryans.

Such was the arrogance

beginning of

of the white to the

black, of the victor to the vanquished, at the

human
it is

history!

Degraded though the

aborigines was,
of
to be

position

of

the

noted that mixture

Aryan and autochthonous stock commenced

very soon after the immigrants had
In the

in India

possessed themselves of Aryavarla.

course of centuries, this blending of race was

destined to exert a profound influence upon
the inhabitants of India.

The

theorists

who propound
the

that a fresh

wave of Indo-Aryans surged

region further contend that
grants,

into the

Gangetic

new immi-

unhke those who had preceded them,

their

came without
fore,

women-folk, and, there-

were compelled to content themselves

22

INDIA

FIGHTERS.
of the

with the native

women

conquered

race.
their

Those who thus speculate

late Sir

and among

ranks are Dr. Hoernle, Dr. Grierson, and the

Herbert H. Risley

affirm that this

effect

difference has

had a far-reaching

upon

Indian

ethnography,

which may be thus

summarized

Owing

to the fact that the

Aryans who
their

settled in the

Punjab brought

women

with them, they kept their racial purity, and,

therefore, their descendants (principally Raj-

puts

and

Aryan

type
;

Jats)
"
;

approximate closely to the

a
relatively

long

(dolicho-

cephalic) head
rhine)
face
;

a straight, finely-cut (leptorlong,

nose
a

symmetrically narrow
forehead,
regular

well-developed

features,

and a high

facial

angle

" (to

use Sir

Herbert Risley's words, extracted from pp.

47,

48 of

his

The People

of India).
established them-

Since the Aryans

who

selves on the Gangetic plains

had

to

take

aboriginal

women

to be their wives, the

people

inhabiting parts of the United Provinces of

FIGHTING CLANS.
Agra and Oudh, Behar, and Orissa
admixture of Aryan blood.

23

are not

Aryans, though most of them have more or

less

This

inter-

mixture led to the Aryan faith becoming gross,

on account of the inclusion

notions

in

it

of the cruder of

and

objects

of

worship

the

aborigines.

Controversies will continue to rage about

the

way

in

which the
I

racial

mixture occurred.

Therefore,

may

continue to deal with the

further progress of the Aryans.

For a considerable time the Aryan wave

was checked by the Vindhya
religious lore of the
Hills.

But the
to

Hindus, ascribed

about
poetic

the 7th century B.C., chronicles

the

injunction of the sage Agastaya to this

tain " not to

moun-

grow so high," and somewhere

about that time the Aryans are believed to

have braved the heights

into the land

and crossed over

which they then designated as

vulgarized into

Dakshina

(to the south), later

still

Dakkhan, and

later into

Deccan.

Pres-

sure exerted by the growth of population and

24

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

a spirit of adventure

seem

to

have caused

this

movement.

The Aryans found

the

the

people beyond
to

Vindhya

Hills, also

supposed

be of

Dravidian race, much farther advanced and

much more manly than

invaders
prevailed
in

the

natives

whom
The
their

they had subjugated in northern India.

the

end,

but

supremacy was dearly bought.

The conquest of the Deccan and settlement among the Dravidians led the Aryans to incorporate into their religion many of the
practices

and

rites of the

conquered.

Social of

ideals also changed,

and much

mixture

blood resulted.
victors

The

intellectual life of the

affected.

was considerably

Their lan-

guage
to

Sanskrit
transformed

lost its pristine purity,

had

admit numerous aboriginal terms, and be-

came

when

spoken

by

the

original inhabitants of the country

and the
fair

half-breeds.

From

this

blending of the

and dark-skinned races originated

tion

a civilizain the

and people

different

from those

FIGHTING CLANS.
Punjab

25

and
in

some
a

of these variations have or

less

continued,

more

pronounced

degree, to this generation.

While the Aryans were thus establishing

themselves in the Peninsula, their society was

undergoing rapid changes.

At

first

they ap-

pear to have led a patriarchal

life,

each clan

being headed by the pater

familias

{JMaha

Raja, as he was called), who presided over

its

temporal

and
to

spiritual

affairs.

Each

clansman helped

produce food, and fought,

when occasion
weal.
social

arose, to protect the

commonthe

No

fixed lines of division of labour or

gradations

then

existed

among

immigrant population.

As

conditions

settled,

and Aryans

re-

duced the aborigines

to the condition of serfs

and forced them

to

do hard and unpleasant

tasks, the polity split into four occupational

groups,^ namely:

3.

the "caste system."

The Western world designates this classification as The word "caste" is derived from a

26
1.

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

The Brahman
members
of

or priestly

and learned

class, the

which concerned them-

selves with mastering the religious literature

which was handed down orally from one

generation to another
;

and who learned

to

perform the

rites that

grew more and more

elaborate as the decades passed by.

2.

The

Kshatriyas, later corrupted into

Shatri, Khattri,
rulers,

and

Chattri, or fighters
to

and

who undertook
to

protect

and ad-

minister the affairs of the land which had

been acquired, and

make

additions to

it

by

the strength of their arm.

3.

The

Vaishas,

who

engaged

in

economic pursuits of various kinds, trading.

Portuguese term, casta, meaning " the family."
Latin, signifies purity of breed.
in

Castus, in
not accu-

"Caste" does
acquired.
I

rately describe the institution, but is retained in this book

view of

the

currency

it

has

have

not

the space to trace the causes and course of

its

evolution.

(colour) offers the key to its origin, namely, it had its beginning in the attempt to keep the apart. whites (Aryans) and blacks (non-Aryan Indians) This much appears to be indisputable. Later, however, the Aryans, semi-Aryans, and non-Aryans appear to have divided into occupational groups, to which reference is

The Sanskrit term varna

made

above.

"

FIGHTING CLANS.
farming,
etc.,

27

that were not

deemed beneath
corrupted
in

the dignity of an
4.

Aryan

to perform.

The

Shudras,

later

into that

Sudras

menials,

who engaged
unfit
for

work
'"

was

considered

any

decent

human being
higher castes.

to perform,

and served the three

This order was composed of

Dravidians and half-castes, and Aryans

who

had been degraded

'this, the

for

heinous offences to
life.

lowest station of
priestly, military,

The

and trading classes

called themselves twice-born, because, as the

males grew out of infancy, they were invested

with the
"

sacred thread " or yag-o-pveet, a

their formal entrance

ceremony which marked

and was deemed

into the society of noble or

their

Aryan people,
birth.

second

No

Shudra might aspire

to this dignity.

At
strictly

first

the higher castes were not kept

;

separated

but

long

before

the

beginning of the Christian era they became

absolutely
distinct

from
in

one

another.

Thenceforw'ard

men born

one or the other

28

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

of these divisions remained in the group in

which they

first

saw the Hght

of day,

and took

up hereditary occupations.

As

the centuries

passed by, the regulations became so rigid

that,

for

instance,

Kshatriyas

were

cometc.

pletely barred

from becoming Brahams,

The

fourth division had, from the beginitself,

ning, remained a section of society by

except for the privilege

of producing half-castes.

its

women

possessed

But a few Shudras

displayed such learning and piety that even

the hardest-hearted of the Aryans could not

deny them the homage that was

their due,

and

venerated them even above Brahams.

ever,

Howthat

these

exceptions

were

so

rare

tradition has preserved

them

as unusual in-

stances.

Long
split into

before the beginning

of

the

first

century, A.D., each of the four castes

had

many

subdivisions.

As

the years

raced by, this tendency to subdivide became

accentuated, and in course of time Aryan, or

Hindu,

society

became

divided

into

'^ff'^s9^m^'^

I'lwivs by Stiuiil.

.M(ii'ii.\

Sol

i>ii

FIGHTING CLANS.
thousands upon thousands of sub-castes.
I

29

cannot pursue

this interesting subject to

I

the point to which

should Hke to follow

it,

but

may
to

say that

many

of the sub-castes

appear

be tribes under a different

name

which wanted
ties.
I

to preserve their separate enti-

may

also

add

that the

Hindus, early

in

their history,

evolved the idea of tradeshields

unionism,

sub-castes becoming the

to

which they used

This book
is

hold

off outsiders.

chiefly

concerned with the

Kshatriya, or military caste,

many

clans of

which have continued

to

retain

their

man-

hood, and constitute the back-bone of India's

martial population.
class,

People belonging to

this

or at least

some of them, have been

known from
*'

the earliest times as Rajputs or

Rajas' (kings') sons," since they were ad-

ministrators as well as fighters.

The Rajputs
or other of

have always ruled

in

some part

India and have ever been famous for their

military mettle.
their

Indian annals are

full

of
in

exploits.

They have succeeded

30

IXDIAS FIGHTERS.

preserving their characteristics through the

ages,
later.
I

shall

have more to say of them

Though
classes have

fighting

was considered

to

be the

special privilege of the Kshatriyas, yet other

engaged

in soldiering,

even
rigid

after

caste distinctions

had grown very

and

men were
to

not allowed to assume occupations

which they had not been born.

Among
so,

those

who took up

the profession of arms, but

to

were not qualified by heredity

the Brahmans.

do

were

The

reasons assigned for this

departure

is

that these

men, pushed out of the

priestly ranks
their

by the rapid multiplication of

to agriculture to

numbers, took

support

themselves, and learned the use of weapons

in

order to be able to defend their holdings

lives.

and

few of these Brahman castes

virile,

continue to be

and contribute splendid

soldiers to the armies of India.

Before

deal further with these

I

Hindu

martial races,

must take

into account the

other waves of immigration which swept into

FIGHTING CLANS.
Hindostan subsequent
to the

31

Aryan invasion,

and introduced new

racial elements.

About
searching

the second century B.C., Greeks

began invading India.

for

Alexander the Great,

worlds
Indus,
to

new
the

conquer,
in

marched

as far as

engaged
the

battle with a

Rajput king

whom

Greek

historians designate as Porus,

him..

and defeated

He moved
wanted
to

eastward to the. left bank of

the Bias and achieved another great victory.

He
anv
to

push

his legions

onwards

to-

wards the

rising sun, but they refused to

go

further,

and he was forced

to turn

back

Macedonia.

During the 2nd and

ist

centuries B.C.,
literally

waves of Greeks from Bactria were

crowded out of
their

homes and driven

to
in

India by a warlike tribe which originated

Scythia, the region

round about the Black

Sea.

According

to a

more m.odern, and,

this

believe,

more authentic account,

first

fierce

race came, in the

instance, from southern

China, and was called the Sse by the Chinese.

33

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
Sse did not leave
its

The

home
as

of

its

own
or

free will, but appears to

have been driven out

by an alHed people known

Yueh-chi.

Yuchi

jab

The Greeks occupied portions of the Punand Rajputana. Some of them appear to
far east as Orissa.

have gone as

But

their

Empire

w^as short-lived.

The

Scythians were not

of
their

left in

peace

in

possession

new

territories

by

the

Yuchi, who, themselves, had been dislodged

from

China by
as

the

Ephlathalites,
first

better

known

Huns, about the

century, A.D.

Thev moved
North-West

eastwards, and, in the course of

a few decades, spread over Afghanistan, the

Provinces,

Baluchistan,

the

Punjab, Rajputana, and a considerable portion of the Gangetic plains.

Chief

among

the Scythian clans which migrated to India

are

known

to

have been the Medii, Xanthii^

lata, and Grlac,

who conquered
and

the inhabi-

tants of the Aryavaria

for a short time

completely dominated the Aryans.

FIGHTING CLANS.
During the middle of the
the
ist

33

century B.C.

Yuchi, driven by the Huns, gradually

their

worked
pressed
are

way
into

into

Afghanistan,
of

and

south
as

portions

what now

known

the

Punjab,

Rajputana and
into con-

Bombay
flict

Presidency.

They came

with the other Scythian tribes, but

the
struggle,

won
their

out in

and established
of

power over a large area

In
"

Western
is

India.

Hindu

literature
"
;

their

Empire

called
styled

Kushana

and

the

people

are

Shakas (Sakas), Turushkas, and Tokhdri.

In the middle of the 5th century A.D.
India experienced another invasion, this time
of a

Mongol

race, the

Huns.

In about

fifty

years they had established their sway over a

large portion of

Upper
races
state

India.

Controversies rage as to whether or not

these

Mongol

mixed with the Indothe

Aryans.
contentions

To
theory
is

two

important

One
D

that they did.

It attributes

to this crossing the splendid mettle of

such

34

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

fighting clans as the Rajputs

and

Jats.

The
the

name

Jat

is

said to be derived from that of the

Jatii.

Scythian tribe

The name borne by

still

hardy Gujars, who are herdsmen by profession,

and who continue

to furnish a

few

soldiers, is said to

be the corruption of Yuchi.

for the Indian Arniy'^ com-

The Handbooks
India,

piled under the orders of the

Government

of of

and pubHshed by the Superintendent

Printing,
India,

Government

gives promin-

ence to these hypotheses.

Another theory has

Jats have not any

it

that the Rajputs

in

and

Scytho-Hun blood
This claim
is

them,

but are pure Aryans.

supported

the writer

the following have come to the notice of Brahmans, by Captain A. H. Bingley and Captain A. Nicholls. iSgy. Rajfitts. by Captain A. H.
4.

Of

these,

Sikhs, by Captain A. H. Bingley, iRqq. Bingley. 1898. Mafpilas or Moflahs, by Major P. HoUand-Pryor. 1904. Jats, Gujars, and Ahirs, by Major A. H. Bingley. 1904. Gurkhas, by Lieut. -Colonel Eden Vansittart. 1906. Marathas and Dekhani Musahnans, by Major R. M. Dogras, by Captain A. H. Bingley. Betham. Re1908. Pathans, by Major iqio. vised by Major A. B. Longden. The Fighting Races of India, igio. R. T. I. Ridgway. by P. D. Bonarjee (1889), may also be mentioned in connec
tion with these handbooks.

FIGHTING CLANS.
by
that

35

eminent authority, the

late Sir

Herbert

H. Risley/

He

is

of the opinion that the Scythians

became amalgamated with

ing clans of Marathas, etc.
conjecture.

the Dravidians of

south-western India, and produced the fight-

This

is

mere

As Mr. E. A.

Gait, I.C.S.,

who

superintended the

last (191 1)

Census opera"

tions in India, remarks, this

view

has not yet

to

gained

general

acceptance.

According

Professor

Haddon
27),

{The

Wanderings

of
is

Peoples, page

the foreign element

Alpine, not Mongolian, and

may be due

to

an

immigration of which the history has not been

written."*

Before

continuing

to
it is

discuss

further

waves

of immigration,

necessary to note

that the centuries

which witnessed so many

incursions of warlike tribes

upon the Indorise

Aryan settlements saw the

great
5.

and

fall

of a
Its
Rislcy,

Indian
The
People
of

religion
India,
etc.

Buddhism.
by
Sir
II.

H.

K.C.I.E., C.S.I., pp. 58, 59,

6.

General Report

of the

Census of India, igii.

p. 383.

36

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

founder,

Gautama Buddha, was born about

the middle of the sixth century, B.C., in the

ruling family of Kapilavastu, in north-eastern
India.

He

was not of the

priestly order, but

belonged

to the fighting caste.

He

revolted

against the division of

Aryan

society into a

multitude of subdivisions,

which separated

man from man,

incited a few to despise

and

hate many, and weakened the

body

politic.

He

also

rebelled against the Brahmanical

religion,

which

held

elaborate

ritual

and

ceremonials at a premium, but did not insist

upon

purity

of

life.

He

declared

that

righteousness of conduct alone could procure

salvation
{nirvana),

which he defined as a

state of cessation of the pains

terrestrial life

and miseries of
of desire
itself.

the extinction
ideals
that

The
were

lofty

Buddha

set

up

readily appealed to the people at large,

tired of

who
Scyof

Brahmanical pretensions, san-

guinary sacrifices and formalism.

thian invaders also
fell

The
its

under the

spell

Buddha.

Within a short time of

promul-

FIGHTING CLANS.
gation,

57

Buddhism had become

the dominant

religion of the land, totally eclipsing Brah-

manism.
as the

By 200 B.C.
State
religion,

it

had been adopted

hastened
its

which

dissemination.

But the persistent Brahmans never gave

up

their

cause as

altogether
to

lost.

They
power.

astutely

worked

regain

their

Gradually they induced the people to regard

Buddhism
deified

as

a part of

Hinduism.

They
in the

Buddha, and gave him a place

in

Hindu pantheon

order to

make
was

his fol-

lowers feel that their Teacher

elevated to a high plane, which

being

Hindu gods

alone could occupy.

By

the 5th century

A.D. these shrewd

the

tactics

had prevailed, and

compliments which the

Brahmans had
According

paid to

Buddha had

practically driven his

to

religion out of the Peninsula.

the last census, there are slightly less than

350,000 Buddhists, excluding Burma, which,

in itself,

has 10,384,579.

This meant that by the 5th century those

38

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
inhabited India at that time, composed,
racial

who

as they were, of diverse

elements

of

Aryan, Greek, Scythian, Hun, and aboriginal

stock

all

acknowledged
of the

the

pontifical

supremacy

Brahmans.

This

para-

mountcy had not been gained without some

concessions on the part of the priestly order
to

the

martial

element.
to the fighters

The
was

price

the

Brahmans paid

to raise the

military classes of
scale.

mixed races

in the social

In order to do so,

they invented
fire

legends ascribing their birth to

miraculous causes.
is

or other

To

explore these myths

for-

to cover interesting

ground, but space

bids such excursions.

Meantime, the Aryan or Hindu religion

had been undergoing great changes.
inclusion of the aboriginal population,
the

The
and
tribes,

Greek,

Scythian,

and

Mongol
snakes,

developed the worship of

devils,

totems, gods, and goddesses, and accentuated

the adoration of natural
tribes
witli

phenomena.

The

preponderance of non -Aryan


FIGHTING CLANS.
blood found
it

39

hard

to

adhere

strictly to the

minute details of caste regulations manufactured

their

by

the
of
life

Brahmans, and

to

conform
There-

mode
and

and habits

to

them.

fore, a great variety of form, feature, civilization,

personal
it

conduct

prevailed

in

Hindu

society, as

had been evolved by the

of the 6th century.

Brahmans by

the

end

In the beginning of the

religion

7th

century a

was founded

in the deserts of

Arabia

which was destined

to affect

profoundly the

people living on the borders of Hindostan

and

in

the

Peninsula.

Muhammad,
of

born

about A.D. 570, in a poor family belonging

to the ruling

Arab clan

Koreish, which

held in

its

charge Abraham's temple

to

Kaaba

at

Mecca, rose

denounce the idolatry

his

and immoral practices of

contemporaneous

countrymen, and their ill-treatment of women,

and

to

preach the worship of God, one and

proclaiming
himself to be the

indivisible,

Prophet, through
reached.

whom

alone

God
him

could
out

b^"^

Persecution

drove

of

^o

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
in

Mecca

622.

His

flight,

known

as

the

Hijra, took place in 622, from which year

dates the Hijri, or the era of

Muhammad.
returned
the images,

Within eight years

to

Muhammad had
it,

Mecca, seized

broken

all

and made Kaaba the headquarters of his

religion.

Within a short time of

his death,

which

occurred two years later (632), his followers,

called by the

Western world Muhammadans,

had

but styled by themselves Musalmans or professors

of

Islam,

established

their

supremacy over Arabia, Egypt, Persia,

and contiguous
territories,

Syria,

converting to their

religion, at the point of the

sword or by more

peaceful

methods,

large

numbers

of

the

people they conquered.

In the meantime, a
faith

propagandist of the new

to

had proceeded

what

is

now

Afghanistan, and converted the

inhabitants are called.

Pathans, as

its

In the 8th century the

to

Musalmans began

make

incursions

upon

India, which, in the

course of a few decades, were destined to

FIGHTING CLANS.

4t

break down the Rajput power, at that time

dominant, and subject the Peninsula to successive Islamic dynasties.

The
place in

first

Moslem

invasion of India took

the

711, about eighty years after

It

death of the Prophet.

was led by Kasim,

a nephew of Hcjaz, an officer of the Caliph

Omar,
Dwarika

and

resulted
of
later,

in

the

capture
in

of

and

Brahmanabad,
however,
the

Sind.

Forty years

Rajputs

rallied their force

and expelled the Arabs.

raid

The
century,

next

Moslem

was

in the

loth

when Sabuktagin, King

of Ghazni, a
first

Turk, invaded the Peninsula.

After the

encounter he made a treaty with the Rajputs

and

retired

-but returned to enforce

its

terms,

which had not been observed.

Mahmud

of Ghazni,

the son of Sabuk-

tagin, seventeen times led his forces against

the Hindus, in the

his incursions

nth

century.

Twelve

of

were important.
temples,

He

sacked

many Hindu
tures,

destroyed the struc-

melted the gold and silver idols which

42

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
in

were enshrined

them, and carried with him

plunder and slaves such as no invader had

ever before obtained.

Towards

the
of

end of the 12th century,

Ghor, leader of the Ghori

Muhammad

Afghans, who had overthrown the dynasty of

the Ghazni kings, faced the great Rajput
Prithwiraj.

King

The

first

time he was defeated,

and

retreated.

With

large re-inforcements he

returned to the charge and crushed the Rajputs,

who,

being

disunited

by internecine

quarrels,
to the

and the surrender

of their initiative

Brahmans, were incapable

of standing

against determined foes.

This defeat established the Moslems upon

Indian
soil.

Qutab-ud-din,
Ghori, became the

slave

of

Muhammad
"

Emperor

of India after the

death

of

his

master,

founding the

Slave

Dynasty," which lasted until 1288,

Jalal-ud-din

then

founded

the
of

Khilji

dynasty, and occupied the throne

until
1

Delhi

32

1.

Meanwhile,

in

1303, Ala-ud-din

FIGHTING CLANS.
Khilji set

43

forth to wipe the

Rajput Rajas

out of the few strongholds they had

to retain in

managed
in

Rajputana.
Chitor,

He

was successful

his raid

upon

and slew practically the

whole garrison.
In
1

32

1,

the

Tughlak dynasty overthrew

till

the Khiljis

and continued supreme

nearly

the end of the 14th century.

Timur, or Tamerlane, of Tartar descent,

marched

his troops through

India

in
it

139S,

conquering the country and laying

In the
stan,
1

waste.

6th century Babar invaded Hindo-

and founded the Moghul Empire, which

continued until the British took over the rule

of the Peninsula in 1857, deposing the last of

the long line of Emperors,

Bahadur Shah.

The
into

various

Moslem

invasions introduced
racial

India

several

new

elements,
;

largely of Semitic

and Tartar

strain

and also

led to the conversion to Islam, in

forcibly, of millions of Elindus.

most cases

Some

interin-

mixture of blood resulted between the

vaders and the converts.

Not

a few of the

44

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Indian Moslems claimed lineage connecting

them with one or another Moslem conquering

clan,

although

such

pretensions

had

no

foundation in
It is

fact.

worthy of note that the Indians who

to inter-

remained Hindus absolutely refused

mingle with the Moslem conquerors.
the

Even
con-

lowly orders,
to

whom Brahmanism
their

demned
and

such a debased state that the high

castes looked
their

upon

shadows

as polluting
vile,

persons as unspeakably

would

not consent to intermarry with the followers

of

Muhammad.

Practically the only excep-

tions to this rule

were the representatives of a

few Rajput ruling dynasties, who consented

to give
their

daughters in marriage to the

(Akbar,

Moghul

Emperors

1556-1605;

Jahangir, 1605-1627).

The Brahmans managed Hindu racial purity such as

to preserve the
it

was

by

their

wonderful caste system, which became more

and more

rigid as the centuries passed by, the

number

of sub-castes constantly multiplying,

FIGHTING CLANS.

45

and the rigour with which each division regulated social amenities

and intermarriage with

others

becoming more and more accentuated.

the

When

Moslems began
and

to

come

into India,

the priestly class decided to keep

their fold,
to this

them out

of

day they have remained

outside the pale, even the outcast

refusing to intermarry with them.
sary to understand this point, for

Hindus
necesexplains

It is
it

how

Brahmanical

exclusiveness
in

has

kept

Hindus and Moslems

two separate camps.

divided only by

The two communities

religion
in
;

are

for racially the

Hindus (217,586,892
in

191

1),

and Moslems (66,647,299

are

the

same year)
majority
of

much

the

same, since the

the

Indian

Musalmans

are

descendants of Hindu converts, and comparatively

few of them have a foreign strain of

blood.

From what
that

has been said

it

will

be clear

the

number of Indian Moslems who

from the Hindus
is

differ racially

compara-

tively small

and

that the Indian professors of

46

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Islam who have an alien strain in them form

but a small percentage of the total

Musalman
is

population of India.

This, however,

true

of only the Peninsula proper,

and

is

not the

case with regard to those

who
in

inhabit the

countries round about the north-west frontiers

of India,

and the

territories

that region

recently annexed by the British (Baluchistan

and parts of the North-West Frontier Province).

The

population of these regions

is

almost entirely Musalman.

called Pathans,
clans,

The
etc.

people are

and are divided

Baluchis,
call

into scores of

including

All

claim

Jewish descent, and

themselves children

of Israel {Bcni-Israel).

But they are mostly

of

Aryo-Scythian

origin,

and

have

been

crossed and re-crossed by Tartar, Arab, Persian,

and other blood,

large percentage of
in the

the
are

Musalmans who serve

recruited from

Indian armies

Baluchistan, the North-

West

Frontier
Sir

Province,

and

contiguous

districts.

Herbert Risley describes them

as being of Turko-Iranian stock.

I'holo by coH'tisy of

Captain Khan.

Tin:

Hon. Cavtaix Mai.ik Um*k Hayat Khan Tiwana, l'. !.!:., M.\'.<
).

A Mai

IK

I)ix

Khkl

Aii-iii

i.

FIGHTING CLANS.
The waves
settled in
tribes that
it

47

of

Moslem

invaders
to

who

Hindostan belonged
is

such diverse

hard to give an idea of the

Islam

heterogeneous racial elements which

introduced into India within the space that can

be devoted to

this aspect of the subject.

The
of

Arabian, Turkish, Persian, Tartar, Turanian,

and Abyssinian may be mentioned

the strains thus introduced.

as

some

These

tribes,

intermarrying with Indian converts of different

parts of the Peninsula, have

produced a great

variety

of

peoples,

each

group

small

in

numbers.

One
the

of these races of

mixed Musalmans
of the

is

Mappila or Moplah

Madras

Presi-

dency, and the Indian States linked up with

it.

It is

produced by the crossing of Arab

with aboriginal Indian blood, with possibly a

slight
I

Indo-Aryan

strain.

deal later on in this chapter with the

martial clans of
It is to

Musalmans.

be remembered that the arrival of

48

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

the various parties of

Moslems led
of the

to con-

siderable
tion.

movements
defeated

Hindu popula-

Large bodies

of the military classes

who were

took to the forests and

mountains of northern India; or crossed the

Vindhya Hills
Peninsula.

into the southern portion of the

The

clans that migrated

mixed
settlelatter

with the races they found in the

new

ments,

and not seldom brought the

their sway.

under

The

racial mixture

which

ensued ushered into existence some of the

best fighters in India.

For

instance, the

com-

mingling of Rajput blood with the Mongoloid

population of the Himalayan ranges of Nepal

and contiguous country produced some

best clans of Gurkhas.

of the

the PortuIndia guese, Dutch, French, and English

The advent
their

of the

Europeans

in

and

intermingling with the

Indians,

largely through unions not sanctioned

by the

church or the law, has given the Peninsula

another racial combination.

According

to the

census of 191

1,

the Eurasians, as they were

FIGHTING CLANS.

49

formerly called, or Anglo-Indians^ as they are

styled now-a-days,

numbered only 100,451.

in India,

A
is

considerable percentage of this community

virile.
all

Like the Europeans

but

unlike

except a microscopic minority of

its

Indians,

members have

the opportunity

of bearing arms.

They

enter largely into the

composition of the Volunteers, who, according

to

the latest available information,

number

somewhat under 40,000, and

an adjunct to the European
India.

are regarded as

Army
of

in British

During the early period

immigration
an

European
which

agency
fire

arose

was

destined to infuse
tary classes,

into the existing mili-

and even make good soldiers out

of the inferior races.

This was the

birth of a

Of the two words, Eurasian (European and Asian) 7. more comprehensive but since the greater percentage of the Indian Eurasians arc the product of British and Indi.in Howunions, the restrictive term is not wrongly applied.
is
:

ever,

the term Anglo- Indian has so far been used to designate Britons who, in the civil or military employ of the Government, or for trade and commerce, have made Thus its newer application India their temporary home.

causes considerable complication.

50

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
religion

new

Sikhism
Das,

in the

Punjab.

It

was founded conjointly by ten Leaders, or

Gurus
1552;

Nanak,
Amar
Har

1469- 1538;

Angad,

1504-

1479-1574;

Ram
;

Das,

1534-1581; Arjan, 1563-1606; Har Govind,

1595-1645;
Rai, 1630-1661

Har

Kris-

hen, 1656-1664;

Teg Bahadur, 1622-1675; The years and Govind Singh, 1666- 1708.
are those of birth

and death, and the Gurus

in

are

named
This

in the order

which they suc-

ceeded to Leadership.
faith

inveighed against idolatry and

caste,

and

denied
through
It

that

salvation

could
of
is

be

gained

the

performance
that

elaborate

rites.

taught
is
;

God
can

one
any

that
priest

His power
or prophet

not
that

divided

with

He
;

be

reached only by means of devotion, righteous

conduct, and service to humanity
salvation lies in

and that

man being absorbed in the The founders of All-Good, Timeless One.

this religion, especially the last five, strove to

inspire their people with the determination to

FIGHTING CLANS.

51

withstand tyranny and aggression, to take up-

on themselves the wrongs of the oppressed,

who wTre
and

too

weak

to

revenge themselves,

to protect the defenceless. to

These Teachers worked hard

cohesion
to

give

their

followers,

by organizing

them

into a united

body

(later

known

as the

Khaisa
and
that
tal

or pure) which should be capable of

itself

defending

against

all

encroachments

of carrying

on any offensive movements

it.

might be required of

rules to

The fundamenwhich each member of this new

to

society

had

adhere were that he should

develop his body and not merely cultivate his

spirit
;

that he should dispel darkness

;

from his

mind, but cherish humility

that he should be

ever ready to sacrifice his body, mind, and

money
others
;

{tan,

man, dJimi)

for

the

sake

of

and that he should be constantly prefight,

pared to

without
the

any

notice,

for

the

preservation

of

community or

for

any

other righteous cause.

The

last

of

the

long

line

of

Gurus,

52

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
father,

Guru Govind Singh, whose

Guru Tefj Bahadur, had been martyred by the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb for his refusal to be conwhose (Guru Govind

verted to Islam, and for espousing the cause

of persecuted Hindus,

Singh's) sons were buried alive by the Musal-

mans, and many of whose followers had been

persecuted by the

Moslem
his

rulers,

vowed

that

he would make one of

men

fight

125,000

{sawa lakh) of the Moslems.

into his following people of

He
all

recruited

castes

and
by

many
means

creeds, levelled

up

all

distinctions

of the baptism he administered,

and

converted them into such good warriors that

in

about a century after his death the Sikhs had

carved a magnificent kingdom for themselves.

This

empire

was

lost

as

result
first

of
in

the Sikh wars with the British, the

1846 and the second and

last in

1849; with
(5,410
miles),

the exception of six States

Patiala
square

square

miles),

find

(1,260

Nabha
scjuare

(930 square miles), Kapurthala (630

miles),

Faridkot (640 square miles)

FIGHTING CLANS.
and Kalsia (140 square miles
in area)

53

which

are ruled by Sikh Rajas in alliance with his

Britannic Majesty the King-Emperor.*

in spite of their losses, the

But

Sikhs gained the

their

admiration of the British for

military

genius and prowess, and ever since they have

formed a large part of the Indian army and

have fought valiantly for the Crown.
In

speaking of the

Sikhs

it

is

always

necessary to bear in mind that they are bound

to

one another by the

In some,
the

tie

of religion, and not the

of race.

like

Kshatriyas or
predominates.

Khattris,

Aryan

blood

In others, like the Jats, the Scythian strain

is

the strongest, though

some deny

that the

Jats have any such admixture.

In others,

again, like the

Mazbis,

etc.,

the aboriginal

element
8.

is

the most pronounced.

about these and other States will be The King's Indian Allies, to be is::ued Sampson, Low, Marston and Co., almost
book,

Particulars

found in

my

by Messrs. simultaneously with the publication of this volume. The areas given here include the territories which were granted to the Rulers of Patiala, Nabha and Jind, as a reward for the help rendered by the Rajas of those States in quelling the Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1S57.

54

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Now

that the principal influences

which

have evolved the fighting clans of India have

been outlined,

may proceed

to note

down

the important particulars concerning the chief

amongst them
First the principal

Hindu

fighting clans

may be mentioned:
I.

small percentage of the

Brahman
military

caste continues to be virile.

These

Brahmans
of

are settled in the United Provinces

Agra and Oudh.

tall,

They,

as

rule,

are

sturdy fellows,

fair of skin,

capable

of the greatest endurance, especially in the

matter

of

going without

food

and

drink.

Their capacity
pally

in the latter respect is princi-

due

to the fact that for

ages upon ages

they have voluntarily subjected themselves to

constant privations, cherishing,
violent prejudices as to
shall not eat,

as

they

do,

what they

shall or their

and under what conditions

food shall be cooked and eaten.

these

Not a few

of

men

will

not partake of anything which

has not been cooked by themselves.

As

FIGHTING CLANS.

55

rule they will not permit their wives to dine

with them.

Nearly

all

of

them refuse meat.

which

They must

eat everything, even that

has been cooked by themselves, with the exception of unleavened bread fried in clarified
butter {ghee), or the sweetmeat called ladu,

while

seated

on

ground
in

that

has

been
Brah-

specially

sanctified

the

orthodox,

manical manner.

They
"

serve exclusively in

the infantry, two regiments, the ist

and 3rd
of

Brahmans
interlinked

of the

Native

"

Army

India

with

each other being entirely

composed
2.

of them.

The

Kshatriyas, Khatris, or Chatris

are the present

day representatives of the old

military caste of the Hindus.

Only a few are

to-day capable of performing military service.

These men,
tall,

as a rule, are fair complexioned,

and broad-shouldered.

In the matter

of eating, they are not so exclusive as the

Brahmans, and most of them partake of meat

whenever they can get

it,

and more or less

indulge in intoxicating liquor.

56
3.

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

The term Rajput

clans
of

is

now

restricted to

few

Kshatriyas

which

inhabit

Rajputana, the Punjab, and some

the

districts of

United Provinces of Agra and Oudh,

etc.

Kathiawar,
height,

Above

or

of

medium
with

broad-shouldered

and

stout,

regular features and a complexion the colour

of wheat, pride of race
is

stamped on

their

faces

and betrayed
disdain
all

in

their

every gesture.
except
all

They

professions

ruling

and bearing arms, and above

agriculture.
tions,

they despise

This hatred of manual occupafor

coupled with their penchant

expen-

sive

marriage and other ceremonies, keeps

families poor,

many Rajput
and the
strict

and not a few

perennially in debt.

Sad economic conditions

seclusion in which their

women
upon

are kept

exert a degenerating

effect

their physiques,

which are further undermined

etc.

by the use of opium,

Peace also has

deprived the Rajputs of that passion for keeping themselves in good form which internecine feuds or struggles with the

Moghuls

pro-

FIGHTING CLANS.
vided them
all

57

in

former times.

But

in spite of

these tendencies, a large portion of the

to furnish

Rajput population continues

fighting material.
skill

good

Rajputs begin

to acquire

with the sword, and learn to ride and

hunt,

when they

are tiny tots, and in a few

years become excellent horsemen, capable of

galloping over the roughest country for miles
together in the shortest conceivable space of
time,

and able

to forgo

food and drink for

long periods.
cavalrymen.

Naturally they

make good
themnature

They

also

distinguish

selves in foot regiments.

The sandy

of Rajputana, necessitating the

of camels
qualifies
for

employment
specially

transport purposes,
to serve in

them

camel corps, one of

is

the most efficient of which

possessed by the

Rajput

Maharaja
Sir

of

Bikaner,

Colonel

his

Highness Shri

Raj Rajcshwar Narendra

Shiromani Ganga Singh Bahadur, G.C.S.I.,

G.C.I. E., A.D.C., Hon.

LL.D. (Cambridge).
Himalayan

The Rajputs

inhabiting the

ranges of the British Province of the Punjab

58

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

and the Indian States nestling among those

hills

are

known

as Dogras.

They may be
Mountain
Western

designated Rajput Highlanders.

life

has toughened their fibre and inured them

to privations,
drill

and they

easily master

and the use of

European weapons.
Dogras,
less

They

chiefly serve in the infantry.

The

Rajputs,

including

the

generally eat meat, and they are

more or

addicted to opium and fond of drink.

Their

prejudices in regard to food are not so pro-

nounced

as those of the

Brahmans, and even

in field

of the Kshatriyas,

and while engaged

service they unhesitatingly overstep the caste

rules in this respect.
4.

The

Jats are considered to be ethnias the Rajputs.

cally the

same

In former

times the two seem to have freely intermarried

with each other, but
distinct.

now
tall,

they are socially

large-limbed men,

The
They

Jats are

of majestic

and often of handsome appearare capable of enduring the

ance.

greatest fatigue

and

privation,

and are among

FIGHTING CLANS.
the toughest of the military tribes.

59

They
India,

are
in

largely
the

to

be found

in

northern

Punjab,

Rajputana,

and

the

United

Provinces of Agra and Oudh, and generally

engage

in

agricultural

pursuits,

settled

in

small village

communities.

Some

of the

Rajas are of Jat origin.

paratively
free

The

Jats are

com-

from

prejudices

regarding

eating and drinking.

The Gujars, Ahirs, and similar clans are racially much the same as the Jats. Their fibre, however, is not so tough. They
5.

are

herdsmen by heredity, and comparatively

into

few of them are recruited

the

Army.

They
and
6.

are well-built, hardy, sober, industrious,

thrifty.

joining

The Gurkhas inhabit Nepal and addistricts. They are largely of Monsome
of

golian origin, but

them have Rajput

Their Hinduism

blood flowing
is

in their veins.

strongly tinctured with Buddhism, the re-

ligion

which prevailed
first

in

Nepal

when

the

Brahmans

went

there,

many

centuries

6o

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

ago, at the time of the Rajput conquest of

that country.

The Hindus
Brahmanism and
clans which

converted the
rais'^d the

Nepalese

to

con-

verts to the rank of Rajputs.

Thus

not a few

of the

Gurkha

now

boast of Raj-

put origin have not any appreciable quantity

of

Rajput blood

in

them, but are Rajputs

merely by the grace of the Brahmans.

a few of

Not
little

them are the progeny

of

Brahmans

by Nepalese women.
of the

They have very

Hindu prejudice

respecting their food

and drink.

They

eat meat, barring beef

and

the flesh of she-goats, are fond of liquors of

all

kinds, and use tobacco.

The Gurkhas
five feet five

are

short

seldom

above

inches in height

and
of

inclined

to

be stout; but the exigencies of mountain

life

make them hardy and quick

movement.

Their sight and hearing are particularly acute.

Their high cheek bones, oblique eyes, and
sallow complexions betray their
origin.

Mongolian
part, in the

They

serve, for the

most

infantry,

where

they

have

established

an

FIGHTING CLANS.
enviable
fighters.

6i

record

as

sure

shots

and daring

The

national

weapon

is

the khukri, or

kukri, a knife with a broad, curved blade,

about twenty inches long from the top of the

handle to the point.

This

is

carried

by each

Gurkha

soldier in addition to his other arms,

to his waist
it

suspended from a frog attached

belt.

He
it

not

only

plunges

into

his

adversary in a hand-to-hand
flings effect

fight,

but

also

at his foe with great force

and deadly

when

the latter

is

out of arm's reach,

seldom
is

failing to inflict a mortal

wound.
that
it

It

a tradition

among

the

Gurkhas

the

khukri must never be drawn unless

blood.

sheds

They never
down

lose a

chance of praca single stroke

tising with this

weapon.

With

they will cut

a tree as thick as a man's

arm

and

slice

pieces as thin as shoe leather

from the end of a branch of green wood.

The Gurkhas are famed for the night raids they make upon the enemy. They move with
the stealth and noiselessness of panthers until

62

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

they are right upon their unwary foes, and

then they

make

effective use of their

khukris

and Western arms.

Their wonderful sight

almost cat-like in the darkness and their

amazingly keen sense of hearing go a long

way

to insure their success.

The Gurkhas
kinds,
football.

love manly sports of

to

all

and readily take

Western games

like

They

are

passionately

fond of

flowers,

and often weave garlands of them

their

which they wear around

necks

and

keep bouquets
quarters.

in

tumblers of water in their

of

Many

them spend

their leisure

crocheting and knitting.

7.

The Gharwalis resemble

and physical

the

Gurkhas

in origin

characteristics.

Those
on the

inhabiting the upper ranges of the

are

Himalayas
live

much

hardier than those

who

lower slopes.
8.

The Marathas,
medium

as a rule, have a dark

complexion and irregular features.

generally of

They

arc

height and arc

more

FIGHTING CLANS.
or less slender in build,

63

though one comes

across Marathas

who

are tall

and well-pro-

portioned.

They make
country,

a speciality of rough

riding across

and are particularly

adept at rapidly dashing into the enemy's

domains, delivering a deadly blow, and safely

retreating.
their

They made

frequent forays from

in the

mountain fortresses

Deccan,

in the

17th Century,

upon the Moghul Province

of

Gujerat (part of the

Bombay

Presidency), the

Rajput States

in

Rajputana,

and even the

territories lying

beyond, everywhere levying

in the

heavy contributions, much

ner
as
that
in

same man-

which

the

Germans made
in 19 14.

their exactions

from the Belgians

In

the course of a few decades

rats," as

these "

mountain
the

they were styled,

gnawed away
they not

foundations of

Moslem power and

own.

established

an empire of

their

Had

come

into conflict with

Great Britain, they might

have realized

their

dream

of extending their

sway over the whole

of the Peninsula.

But

as the result of a series of

engagements with

64

Ix\DIA'S

FIGHTERS.
was broken up, and

the British, their strength

the central

Maratha power disappeared.

tracts of land are
still

Large
rule

under the
alliance

of

Maratha

Maharajas

in

with the King-Emperor.

For

instance, the
his

Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda,

Shri Sir Sayaji

Highness

Rao

III., G.C.S.I.,

who rules a
peopled

territory 8,099 square miles in extent,

by 2,032,798 inhabitants,
also are the

is

a Maratha.

So

Maharaja

of Gwalior,

Honorary
G.C.V.O.,

Major-General his Highness Sir

Sindhia

Madho Rao

Bahadur,

G.C.S.I.,
is

A.D.C., LL.D., whose State

miles
in
;

29,047 square

extent,

and

is

populated
of

by
his

3,090,798

the

Maharaja
Sir

Indore,

Highness

Shri

Tukoji

Rao

Holkar,

G.C.S.I., whose dominions cover an area of

9,500 square miles, with 979,360 inhabitants;

tlic

Maharaja of Kolhapur,

his

Highness Shri

Sir

Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj, G.C.S.I.,

G.C.V.O.,

G.C.I.E.,

LL.D., whose
is

State.

2,855 square miles in area,

8.33,441 people; the Senior

inhabited by

and Junior Rajas

FIGHTING CLANS.
of

65

Dewas,

their

Highnesses Sir Tukoji Rao,

K.C.S.I.,

and

Malhar

Rao,
arc

Baba

Sahib,

whose combined
miles
in

territories

886 square
of

area

and

have

population

117,216; and the Sar Desai of Savantvadi,

Shriram

Savant

Bhonsle

Raje

Bahadur,
in area

whose

territories are

926 square miles

and have a population of 217,240.'

Large numbers of Marathas are employed

as soldiers

by

their

own

rulers,

and some of

them are drafted

British India.

into the

army maintained by
good

They
but

serve in both the cavalry

are
especially

and

infantry,

as

troopers.

The Maratha

soldiers, like the Rajputs,

entertain comparatively few prejudices in re-

gard to eating, and these they leave behind

them during war

were led by
laid

times.

Indeed, when they

men

like the great Shivaji,

who
they

the

foundation

of

their

empire,

showed an amazing disregard

For further particulars refer g. Indian Allies.
to

of caste rules
book,

my

The King's

66

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
in the

and regulations, not only

low castes and aboriginal
federacy.

matter of eat-

ing and drinking, but even in incorporating

tribes in their con-

It is significant that

the
to

Maratha
carry the

leaders

were shrewd enough

Brahmans along with them while making

these innovations, by granting rewards to the
priests rich

enough
overlook

to

make

it

worth their

while

to

their

departure

from

orthodoxy.
9.

The

military

Hindus

of the Carnatic

or the

Madras Presidency,
little,

are
if

largely

of

aboriginal stock, with

intermixture.
their
ability

any,
still

Aryan
retain

The
to

castes which

bear arms generally speak

are

Tamil,
Chief

and

therefore

called

Tamils.

among them

are the Kalians,

Maraare

vans, Vellalas, and Pallis.

The Nayars Malayalam speaking people, and may be

de-

scribed as the Kshatriyas or fighting clans of

southern India, whose male members, for centuries past, occupied themselves,

when peace
agriculture,

prevailed, with various callings

FIGHTING CLANS.
and even washing
soldiers.

67

but
is

in

war times served as

little

There

very

of the

Aryan

strain in them.

Though

their

appearance

does not inspire confidence

in their fighting

capacity, yet they are hardy and capable of

great endurance.
in

They

are

employed largely
the

the

regiments recruited in

Madras

Presidency.
10.

Lowest

in the scale of

Hindu

fight-

ing castes are the Paraiyans of the

Madras

Presidency.
in

They

are

Hindu

outcasts, held

such horror by their high-caste co-religionthat their very

ists

shadows are regarded as

contaminating, and their touch as loathsomely

polluting.

They
is

are of aboriginal stock.

Their complexion

very dark, their features

are irregular, and they are short and slight In

build.

Each

of these ten orders has

details

numerous
to

subdivisions,

of

which have

be

omitted for lack of space.

I

have not included among

the

Hindu

fighting clans a

number

of aboriginal martial

68

INDIANS FIGHTERS.
etc.

peoples such as the Bhils, Kohs,

These,

according to Hindu propagandists, belong to

their

community.

Modern

authorities,

howof

ever, regard

them

as animists

natural phenomena, spirits, etc.

worshippers and

in the

Census they are not incorporated with the

Hindu
descent

castes
is

and

tribes.

Their aboriginal
very dark com-

clear

from

their

plexion and irregular features.

They

are

mostly found

in the heart of the virgin forest,

where they follow the chase and lead an openair

existence

conditions

which

give

them

great muscular strength and hardy physiques.

They
them,

are held in high repute

by

all

British

officers

who have had any experience

with

for, in

addition to possessing courage of

a very high order, they are faithful to their

colours.

In regard to the Sikh fighting clans, very

little

needs to be added to what has been

because racially the different

already said,

groups of Sikhs are the same as cognate

Hindu

castes.

FIGHTING CLANS.
The Sikh
riyas

6g

Kshatriyas are

Hindu Kshatto

whose forefathers were converted

It is

Sikhism.

remarkable that caste distincin

tions should
for

have lingered
is

these people,

Sikhism

opposed

to

such differences,
religion

and the founders

of that

made

special effort to obliterate social invidiousness

from the ranks of

in

their followers.

However,
prejudices

their

degenerate

days

caste

have asserted themselves among the Sikhs.

strong effort

is

now being made by

community
to

progres-

sive

members

of the
;

wipe out
exist
at
in

these differences
present,
this
it

but since

they

would be wrong

to ignore

them same

book.

the

The Sikh Jats Hindu Jats.

are ethnically the

as

Doubtless

the

martial

religion of the Sikhs has helped to toughen

the already hardy fibre of this race.

It

may

be added that a very large proportion of the

total

Sikh population consists of

Jats.

In regard to the other Sikh clans which

furnish recruits for the Armies in India, that

70

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

of the

Mazbis has been mentioned.

Httle

The
them,

Mazbis have very

Aryan stock
the

in

and are regarded

as

remnants of the

aborigines of northern India.

Some

of their

confreres are engaged in such occupations as

scavenging, the work most abhorred by the

Hindus.

Their features are irregular and

tall

they are not

Jats

and

stalwart, as are the

to

Sikh

but

their

ability

bear
is

inclement
practically

weather, fatigue, and privation

limitless.

They

specially
fill

excel

as

sappers

and miners, and largely

ments of the
effect of
is

the Pioneer regi-

British Indian Infantry.

The

Sikhism on the mettle of

this class

most pronounced.

Truly, that faith has

made manly men

Similar
fighting
in

out of cowards.
status,

social
to

physique,
are

and
the

qualities

the

Mazbis
in

Ramdasias, who also are employed

regiments.

Pioneer

Speaking of the Sikhs as a whole,

be said that each class
petty groups.
is

it

may

subdivided into

However,

caste prejudices are

FIGHTING CLANS.
not so strong

71

among them
strict

as they are In the

high class Hindus.

they are very
in

In one point, however,

they do not use tobacco

any shape or form.

The Sikh
charge.

is

noted for his brilliant bayonet

He

holds the butt of his gun with

both hands, and mercilessly drives the steel

into the

abdomen

or ribs of his foe.

Now

to refer to the

Moslem

fighting clans

of India:

Many
Hindus.

of

them are

racially the

same

as the

The Moslem Jats are the descendants of Hindu Jats, who went over to Islam. The Moslem Rajputs are Hindu Rajputs
whose forefathers embraced the
gated by the Prophet
faith

promul-

Muhammad.

the

The Moslem Gujars and Ahirs are akin to Hindu tribes of the same name. The Hindustani Musalmans, as they are
are

termed by the British-Indian military authorities,

Moslems

of the United Provinces of

districts.

Agra and Oudh, and contiguous

72

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
are either the progeny of

They

Hindu conor

verts of Islam

who were Aryo-Scythians,

more
peoples

are the descendants,

original

or less pure, of the

Moslem

who

conquered

India in the centuries long past.

Similarly the term Punjabi

Musalman

is

used

to describe the

descendants of Hindu

converts to the faith of

in

Muhammad
a few of
etc.

domiciled

the Punjab.

These men

are ethnically

Aryo-Scythians.

Not

them

are Jats,
fur-

Gujars, Ahirs, Tiwanas,

Nothing

ther needs to be said about these

tribes.
I

Moslem

have also referred

to the

Mappilas, a

mixture of Arab and aboriginal stock.

like

They,
of

their

compatriots,

the

Hindus

the

Madras Presidency,

are not majestic in ap-

pearance, but they bear privation and fatigue

without complaint, and their

spirit is

not to

be daunted by any

difficulties

that

may

be

placed in their path as soldiers of the King-

Emperor.

There

still

remain to be mentioned the

FIGHTING CLANS.
Moslem
who
fighters, inhabiting the

73

north-western

corner of India and neighbouring territories,

profess to be of Semitic descent, though

very few of them can really substantiate this

claim.

As has been shown,

Turanian,
;

they are really

Aryo-Scythian, with some Turkish, Tartar,

Persian,

and

Mongolian

ad-

mixture

though a few (the Afghans and

Baluchis) really have

more

or

less

Jewish

blood

in

them.
the
their

Those inhabiting Afghanistan and

contiguous

mountain

districts,

and
to

descendants who have migrated

parts
of India,

various
as

are

generically

known

Pathans.
life

The

cold climate

and the hardy

of

the

mountains of Afghanistan and

India

north-western
virility.

have

preserved

their
tall,

Broadly speaking, they are

stalwart,

handsome

fellows,
fair

usually

with

regular features and

complexion, some of

them with blue

or grey eyes.
tribes of Indian or

The Pathan

Pactyan
Dawris,

stock are the Waziris,

Bannuchis,

74

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
Afridi,

Tane, Khattak,

Utman
Those

Khel, Jadran,

Bangash, Orakzai, Dilazak, Hanni, Wardag,

Mangal, and Bitanni.

descent
Yusafzai,
are

of

Afghan
Shinwari,

the

Muhammadzai,
Surgiani,
stock),

Tarklanri,
of

MuUagori

(more

likely

Indian

Mohmund,
Chakmani,

Daudzai,

Khalil,

Chamkani

or

and

Zirani.

Those

of Scythian stock are the

Kakar, Ushtarani, Bakhtiar and Shirani.

tribes of

The

pure Afghan stock are the Abdalli or

Duranni, Tarin, Miana, and Baraich.

of

Those
are the

mixed Turkish and Afghan stock

;

Khugianni
of the
clans,

and the Ghilzai

tribes consisting

Hotak, Kharoti, Tokhi, and

Nasar
;

known

as

the

Turan Pathans

the

Suleman Khel,

AH

Khel,

Akha Khel,

Ishaq,

Andar and Tarakki, known

zais;

as the Ibrahim-

and the Lodi

Sur,

tribes, the

Dutanni, Naizi

or

Niazai,

Prangi,

Sarwani,

Khasor,

Marwat, Mian Khel, Daulat Khel and Tator,

known

as the Lohani Pathans.

of the

number

Moslem

clans inhabiting

Baluchistan are

known

as Baluchis, all claim-

FIGHTING CLANS.

75

ing Semitic descent and even professing to

be descended from the Arab stock of their

Prophet

Muhammad.
are

Their pretensions

in

regard to kinship with the founder of their

religion

not established,

but

many

of

them undoubtedly have Arab blood

veins.
their

in their

They
racial

are so similar to the Pathans in

characteristics

that

it

is

not

necessary, in view of the limited space at

disposal, to describe
trait of

my

them

further.
is

A marked
his desire to to

character of the Baluchi

fight
in a

on even terms with

his foe

engage

hand-to-hand combat with

to fire at the

shield

and

sword rather than

distance.

He

learns to be a

enemy from a good marksman

and

is

very

much
and

prized by British officers for

his fidelity

tractability.

The
Rind,

chief tribes of the Baluchis are the

Laghari,
Korai,

Jatoi,

Gurchani,

Lashari,

Khosa,

Tibbi-Lund,
Hot,
Nutkani,

Chandia,

Gopang,

Mazari,

Gurmani,

Kulachi, Quasrani, Jiskani, Drishak, Marri,

Petafi,

Gashkori,

Mihrani,

Bozdar,

Mastoi,

^6

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Mashori, Dasti, Hajani, Shahrani, Sanjrani,

Laskani, Magassi, Ahmadani, Gabol, Quandrani,

Kupchani, Allani, Kashak, Khetran,

Bugti or Bogti, Bujrani, Badai, Pachar, Tanvvari,

Jafar,

Hijbani,

Sargani,

Shekhani,'

Shahani, Lund, Mariani, Sakhani, and Mazkani.

Lastly

may

note a few facts concerning

the Christian fighting clans of India, mostly

belonging to the Madras Presidency.

are largely of Dravidian
stock,

They
some

with

Semitic blood in them, introduced by the

Syrians
early

who

settled in southern India in the

centuries

of

the

Christian
to

era,

the

pioneer
St.

among them reputed

of this

have been

Thomas,

the doubting apostle of Christ.

The members
centuries,

community have,
warlike
instincts,
this

for

possessed

and
day,
the

their soldierly spirit continues to

making them eminently

battles of the

fitted

to

fight

Empire.

There

is

no space

to describe

how

these

diverse clans live in their

settlements,

nor

f.

r,

^
o
y.

FIGHTING CLANS.
whom, what, and how they worship
few words
;

77

but a

may

be said concerning the outof the chief

is

ward appearance

among them.
his

The Sikh
head.
twists

soldier

easily distinguished

by the voluminous turban he winds about

He
up
in

does not trim his beard, which he

a
roll

and

ties

over his ears, and

left

which,

when uncurled and

it

to

hang as

nature intended

to do, falls over his breast.

When

he takes

off his

turban

it is

discovered
his long

that his hair has never

been

cut,

and

locks are coiled in a knot on top of his head,

held in place by a small

ligion bids

comb which

his retall,

him wear.

He

is

usually a
takes

broad-shouldered
strides

man and

gigantic

when he

walks.

The Sikh sometimes wears

a quoit

and
his

steel disc, six to eight inches in diameter,

about one-half or three-fourths of an inch

wide, with a razor-sharp edge

around

turban

and employs

it

as a deadly weapon.
at the

He flings it with great force

a distance, and seldom

enemy from

fails to

cut off his head.

78

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

The Gurkha may be

crowd on account of
his

singled

out

in

his short, squat

form and

Mongolian

cast of countenance.

He

wears

a small, black, round, visorless cap at a rakish

angle.

The Pathan winds

his turban, usually of

shorter length than that used by the Sikh,

around a conical cap {kullak).

lets the

He

often

end

of his turban

hang down over

and

his shoulder.

His black locks show under

the edge of his head-dress, and his beard

moustache are trimmed.

Many

of the

Musalman

soldiers

have no

beard, but shave their faces clean except for

a moustache, which

is

kept trimmed short,

as their religion forbids

them

to allow their

moustaches to grow long enough for the hairs

to touch the lips.

Many Rajput
fashion that gives

soldiers part their beards in

the middle and brush them straight back in a

them a

fierce look.

CHAPTER
The

III.

Indian Armies.

THE

fittest

from among the fighting clans,

in all, are

about 580,000
rosters

borne on the

of

Indian

armies of various
police, mili-

descriptions

standing, mounted
British India.

tary poHce, militia, levies,

and reserves.

Some
the

of these

troops are employed by

Government of

maintained by the various Rajas.

ber
is

Some are The num-

about evenly divided between the two

sets of administrators.

To
Of

deal

first

with the Indians in British

Indian Armies,

etc.

the Indian soldiers serving in British

India, the largest

number

is

employed
to

in the
last

"Native" Army.

According

the

Statistical Abstract relating to British India,

79

8o

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

covering the period from 1902-3 to 1911-12,

it

possessed, exclusive of " native " artificers

followers,

and

159,861

Indian officers and

men, 2,772 British

officers,

and 341 British

Officers, or

Warrant and Non-Commissioned

162,974 in
Officers,
all.

It

consisted of five sections:

N.C.O.s, and

Men:

Artillery

INDIAN ARMIES.
volunteers,
all efficients,

8i

practically all

Euro-

peans and

semi-Europeans.

The

Military

Police had a total strength of about 21,500.

Those
Police,

serving
Militia,

in

the

Border

Military
alto-

and Levies numbered

gether about 13,500.

These

are generally

included in the military strength possessed by

India,

They

are capable of performing light

cavalry duty, and are used to maintain peace

in the unsettled districts of

Burma, the NorthBaluchistan, etc.

West

Frontier

Province,

They

are usually

armed with Martini-Henry

and carbines, but are not

or Snider rifles

under military authority, being controlled by

civil

and

political agencies.

Space forbids

further allusion to them.

The actual strength of the Army Reserve List on ist April,

33,712.'
It
is

"

Native

'*

1913, was

intended to raise the sancI

tioned strength of this body to 50,000.

advert
chapter.
3.

to

this

subject

further

on

in

this

Ibid., igia-i3, p.

127,

82

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

To sum
of the
"

up, in round figures, the strength

"

Native

Army, Auxihary Forces

and
Reserves
ex-

(excluding Volunteers),

ceeds, at present, 231,000.

The "Native"
officers

Army, possessing about 163,000

men,
alone

and
at

deserves
is

to

be

considered
its

length,

and

referred to in

proper place

later on.

Here
from
its

may

interject

that

quite

apart

Indian soldiery, the British Govern"

ment of India maintains an

Army.
It consists of

European

detachments from the

Army employed

in

the

United

Kingdom,

placed by the British

War

Office at the dis-

posal of the British Indian Government, and

paid for by the

as
it is

latter

Administration so long

thus detailed.
figures,
it

According
has

to the latest

available

an

established

strength of 75,573

officers

and

men,

all

Britons, not including artificers

all

and followers,

Indian. *
4.

It consists of:

Statistical Abstract

Relating

to

British

India from

iqo2-^ to igiiiz, p. 210-

INDIAN ARMIES,

84

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
as the Northern

Commands, one known

and

the other as the Southern

Army.
Lleutenant-

The

first,

commanded by
its

Cxeneral Sir

J.

Willcocks, K.C.B., K.C.S.I..

K.C.M.G., D.S.O., has

Murree.
namely,
It

headquarters at
five

comprises
ist

Divisions,

the

(Peshawar),

2nd (Rawal
and 8th
of

Pindi), 3rd (Lahore), 7th (Meerut),

(Lucknow) Divisions.
indicates
its

The name

each
five

headquarters.

Besides these

divisions there are three frontier brigades.

The

headquarters of the Southern Army,

J.

with General Sir

E. Nixon, K.C.B., the

is

General Officer Commanding,

at

Ootaca-

mund,

in the

Madras Presidency.

It consists

of the 4th (Quetta), 5th

(Mhow), 6th (Poona),

9th (Secunderabad), and the

their

Burma

Divisions,

headquarters

being

Quetta,

Mhow,
respecis

Poona, Ootacamund, and

tively.

Maymyo

Besides these Divisions

there

garrison at Aden, which forms

India.

a part of British

Each Division

consists roughly of 20,000

INDIAN ARMIES.
officers

85

and men, the proportion

of Indians
to

and
one.

British being rather

It

more than two

comprises Cavalry, Artillery, Sap-

pers and Miners, Infantry, Supply and Transport equipment,

unit.
etc.,

and

is

a self-sufficing

Affairs are so

managed

that in spite of the

fact that the Indians are

more than twice

the

the
of

British

in

actual

strength,

number

British artillerymen greatly preponderates in

each Division.
the

This procedure

is

a legacy of

Sepoy Mutiny.

Before that political conof Indians serving in the

vulsion, the

number

Artillery [golandaz, as they

were called) was

very large.

Since then, however, not only

has the number been cut down, but Indian

artillerymen are

employed

in

minor positions,
in

and have practically no place

batteries.
in the

the heavy

Most

of the Indian artillerymen are

Batteries,

Mountain

which are a special

feature of the

Indian military organization,

the exigencies of fighting in the mountainous

regions of

Northern

India,

especially the

86

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
Frontier,

North-West
development.
the

having

led to

this

Some

Indians are employed in

of Artillery.

European corps

They have

not been included in the figures given for the

European
Indian

Artillery,

but have been incorserving

in

porated with those

Artillery.
It

the

purely
clearly

needs

to

be
the

pointed out that the ranks

of

Indian

artillerymen are so shrewdly divided up by

the introduction of

European gunners

that the
is

power of the former

minimized most

to cause serious trouble

effectively.

To
the

the detachments of the corps of Royal

in

Engineers incorporated

Division

falls

same work

(clearing forests

and

debris,

making

roads, building bridges, etc.)

that

is

performed by the Sappers and Miners

Indian Army.

in the

The Royal Engineers being

and supervise

a numerical minority, initiate

measures which are carried out by the Indian

Sappers and Miners.
In times of peace they

concern themselves with erecting and repairing Defence Works.

INDIAN ARMIES.

87

The
during

policy of giving inferior

weapons

to

Indians was abandoned some time ago, and

recent years

much

effort

has been

made

to

bring the armament of the

Indian

Cavalry and Infantry up

to the standard de-

manded by modern

requirements.

The

crack
rifles,

Indian Cavalry have

now Lee-Enfield

som.e, in addition, bearing lances,

and being

therefore called Lancers, while others have

swords.

The

best Infantry battalions bear

Lee-Metford

rifles.

When

the

scheme

of re-

arming the Indian

soldiers,

now being

rapidly

pushed forward, has been carried

all

into effect,

of

them

will

be thus equipped.

The
uniform

Indian soldiers wear the European

serges
The
is

for winter

and parade, and

field ser-

khaki for summer manoeuvres and

vice.'
5.

colour of the serge varies with

to

It

interesting
to
it

work khaki Musalmans,

earth."
It

India.

note that the world owes the Imported into the Peninsula by
of earth,"

means " made

or " the colour of

languages spoken by civilized and semi-civilized peoples. The dust-colour has been found eminently suited for manoeuvres and active service; and khaki uniform is now prescribed by most
is

now

current

in

all

nations for these purposes.

88

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

the different regiments

and

services.

Thus

the Infantry wear tunics of blue, red, drab, or

dark blue, knickerbockers, gaiters or ptdtees,

and ankle boots.

Sappers are dressed

in blue.

in red,

and artillerymen
bright facings.

All uniforms have

The

Indians, as a rule, are

not given European headgear, but, as noted

in the

preceding chapter, either wear turbans

tied in a variety of ways, or caps.

The

bril-

liant colours of the uniforms, with flashes here

and there of gold or

silver lace,

and the

rain-

bow hues

of the turbans,

make
the

a parade of

Indian soldiers a sight never to be forgotten,

profoundly
Easterner

impressing

pomp-loving

and
alike.

the

pageant-worshipping

Westerner

The
patience

Indian soldier
in

is

drilled with great of

European

tactics

warfare,

who has thoroughly mastered the Western mode of drilling, and is particularly good at explaining it to others. The
usually by an Indian

superior officers in every Indian regiment, in-

cluding

the

Commandant

and the

Com-

INDIAN ARMIES.
manders
of each of the

89

four

squadrons or
is

double companies into which each regiment

divided, are
their
all

Britons.
in

They

usually receive

training

Great

Britain,

though

recently a staff college has been established

at

Quetta.
British

When
officer

attached to the Indian hst,

serves
for

year

in

European regiment before he passes on

"Native" Army.

to the

The
is

highest rank which an Indian can hold

Commander of a company, or halfsquadron. The senior among these Company Commanders is known as Risaldar Major in
that of

the

Cavalry,

and

Subadar Major

in

the

Infantry,

and he

assists the

managing the regiment.

Commandant in The other seven

and Suhadars

Company Commanders
in the Infantry.

are called Risaldars

or Ressaidars in the Cavalry,

Since 1901 provision has been

made

for

Indians of royal and noble blood to be trained

in the Imperial

Cadet Corps, organized by

Lord Curzon, Viceroy and Governor-General

90

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

of India

from 1899

to 1905.

On

the

com-

pletion of their three years' course they are

given

commissions as

Subalterns,

and are

placed

upon
"
list,

the

"

Native

Indian

Forces

from which

officers

Land may be

attached to Indian, but not European regi-

ments.

However,
and

at present,

only eleven are

borne on

this register, eight with the

rank of
of

Lieutenant,
Lieutenant.

three

with

that

2nd

A
their

few Indians have been honoured

for

conspicuous gallantry, or their distinin life, with

guished position

honorary ranks

ranging from Lieutenant to Major-General.

Some

of

the

men have been

attached

as

Aides-de-Camp^ honorary

or otherwise, to his
their Excellen-

Majesty the King-Emperor,

cies the

Viceroy and Governor-General, the

in

Commander-in-Chief

India,

etc.,

while

others have been attached to one or another

regiment, or merely given the rank,

if

they are

on the retired

list.

The

exclusion of Indians from the higher

Ii\DIAN ARMIES.
ranks
is

91

a vexed question.

Indian military
rise

men

naturally

wish

to

higher

than

Risaldar Major and Subadar

Major, and

Indian civiHans sympathize with their ambition.

A
may

very strong case can be

made out

to

support the Indian aspirations.

that

single fact

be mentioned

is

that Indians

have

shown themselves
fighters

to be excellent leaders of
;

from time immemorial

they

and that not

their

many decades ago

marshalled

forces so cleverly against their

that they extorted the admiration

Western foes
and praise of

number

of

European

authorities.

How-

ever, the

powers that be seem

to consider that

Indians are good only as soldiers of the line

and petty

officers,

but need to be led by

dicta are attributed

Westerners.

These

by

some
breeds
this

to

that

disposition
It is

which

monopoly
con-

among men.

not the design of

I

book

to enter into controversies:

tent myself with merely stating the pros

and

cons in as impartial a manner as

can employ.
aside,
it

Leaving such considerations

is

92

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
all

admitted by

who can speak

with authority

on the subject that India's fighters can and do

make

effective use of

Western weapons and

Occidental tactics of warfare.

unit of the Indian

The

Divisional

Army,

therefore,

composed

though
skins,

it is

of

men

with brown and with white

is

yet,

from the point of view of military

efficiency,

homogeneous body.
and Indian
soldiers, but

Climatic

influences have given different complexions to

the British

beneath

the different colours, the

in their veins, the racial

same blood courses

antecedents of the two

being very

much

the same.
is

And

to

both of them

given the privilege

flag,

of fighting

under the same

and the task

of conserving the interests of the

pire.

same

Em-

For over a century

British

and Indian

soldiers
skies,
I

have fought side by side under many

and many conditions.

fervently hope,
if

in the future,

warfare

should retard the march of

they
will

human

civilisation,

be

found

standing

shoulder to

shoulder against any

common

foes that

may

INDIAN ARMIES.

93

confront them, as they were doing on the Continent of

Europe

in

the closing

months

of

1914.

The
and
"

present organization of the European

"

Native

Armies has been brought

about by a series of reforms which extended

over

many
as

decades, and were given their final

shape by Lord Kitchener during his term of

office

Commander-in-Chief
from
1902
to

in

India, ex-

tending

1909.

To Lord
into

Kitchener belongs the credit of abolishing

the old system which split
five

up the forces

commands.

He

divided the troops into

two commands, and concentrated the bulk of

the

soldiery

near and on the

North-West
improve the
it

Frontier, ready for use in any emergency.

He

also

worked strenuously

to

standing army to a level at which

capable
of

would be

being

almost

instantaneously

mobilized, and would ever be in prime fight-

ing condition.

He

improved the existing

ar-

rangements

for

supplying

officers to serve in

regiments, and in the divisional

and other

94

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
at

commands and
for the

Army
for

headquarters

for

breeding and importing mounts and remounts

Cavalry; and

manufacturing and

purchasing

arms

and

equipment

for

all

branches of the Army.

of the

The

reorganization
of

Supply and Transport Corps, and

the

Ordnance Department, the improvement

and the new
and submitting military

of the Indian Medical Service,

methods

of preparing

accounts and correspondence that were introduced, were no less important reforms which

were carried out by Lord Kitchener.

His

successor.

General

Sir

O'Moore

Creagh, G.C.B., G.C.S.I.,

Chief
till

Commander-in-

8th March, 19 14, advanced these

and other
Duff,

Army

reforms, and Sir

the

Beauchamp
that

who took over

command on

date, wisely followed in the footsteps of his

predecessors.

The

result

is

that the

Armies

of British

India, both

Indian and European, are

now

capably officered and drilled, and are able to

use the various weapons provided them with

INDIAN ARMIES.
deadly effect on the enemy.

95

The mounts

and arms of the Cavalry, and the equipment

of

the

Infantry and other branches of the

leave nothing to be desired.
for

military service

Arrangements

the

supply of food and

fodder, and the transport of

men and

animals

and

their belongings,

and the agency respon-

sible for the care of the troops in the regi-

mental line and on active service, have been

carried to a point of perfection well worthy of

emulation by other countries.

ciency in
attention
tions,

Military

effi-

modern times

requires

constant

and incessant progress

in all direc-

and these duties are conscientiously and

capably carried out by the Commander-inChief.

Now
down,
of
I

that the general plan of the military

organization of the Indian

Army

has been set

may proceed
composition

with the description

character
of

the

and

the

"Native" Army

in British India.

Certain broad facts

soldiers

common

to the Indian

employed

in the various

branches of

96

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

the

Army

Cavalry,
Miners,
is

Infantry,
etc.

Artillery,
first

Sappers
outlined.

and

may

be

The

Indian

not impressed into the

Army
own
that

by a conscript system, but

elects, of his

free will, to join the colours.

sible exception that

The

only posis

could be mentioned

tribes

on the North-West Frontier,

in accord-

ance with time-honoured custom, are required

to furnish " levies,"

which are employed to

in order.

keep the turbulent clansmen

These

forces serve on outposts in tribal areas, from

which Lord Curzon withdrew regular troops.

Men

between the ages of sixteen

and

twenty-five

may

enlist.

The
I

height

and

measurements vary
will

for different services,

and

be referred to when

treat separately of

the Cavalry, Infantry, etc.

Technically speaking, an Indian joins a

regiment for three years,

period he
is

at the

end of which

may

obtain his discharge unless war

raging at the time,

when
to

the term
close

is

autoactive

matically

extended

the

of

INDIAN ARMIES.
Operations.

97

But

all

this is

mere red

tape.

Once allowed
he

to enter the army, the Indian,

as a rule, stays there as long as he

is

may

until

invalided or pensioned.

Generally

speaking,

the

recruits

come

from the land-owning and farming classes.

Men
the

from the same family or

locality, find their

tribe,

and from

same

way

into the

same

regiment, or those linked up together.

work

of the recruiting officers

is

often

The made

easy by the advertising voluntarily done by

those already following the colours.

To

take advantage of the strongly

marked

gregarious instinct of the Indian peoples, and

to give full scope
to
it,

the regiments are

formed on
that
is

the principle of "

class-companies,"
all

to say, the

men

in a

company
to

profess
the

the

same

religion, frequently

come from
and

same

district,

and are related

one another,
all

or belong to the

same

caste,

have

common

fighting

traditions.

The

various
in

bonds of union conduce

the company,

to esprit

de corps

and by reducing the prejudices

98
in the level,

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
matter of food,
etc.,

to

one

common
is

make its management easier. In some cases the entire regiment

comis

posed of a single class of men.

especially true of the Gurkha,

This

Brahman, and
of

some Sikh regiments.

The advantages

such an organization are counterbalanced by

the fact that in case of mutiny this kind of a

regiment would be

far

more dangerous than

one with mixed

there
is

nationalities.

For

this

reason

a strong disposition on the part of the

military authorities to

make

the company, but

not the regiment, homogeneous.

In

fact,

the

present policy seems to be to combine in one

regiment companies of different peoples more

or less antagonistic to each other.
stance, a regiment

For

in-

may be composed
of Sikhs,

of four

companies of Sikhs and four of Musalmans

or of two

companies

two of Dogras,
of

two of Punjabi Musalmans, and two

dustani Musalmans.

Hin-

In some cases, even a

is

greater mixture of races

effected.

This idea of promoting esprit de corps

INDIAN ARMIES.

99

through uniformity as regards class and clan

has been carried to the extent of linking up
with each other regiments of the
position.

same comfor

The

St

and 3rd Brahmans,

instance, consisting, as their

of

name

signifies,

Brahmans, may be cited as instances of

linked battalions.

These have the same

has

regi-

mental centre.

The
that

system
soldier

been
enlists

so
in

elaborated

who

one

of

the

regiments

may be
it.

required to serve in another

linked up with

This

is

done

in

order to

maintain the strength and efficiency of the battalions

in

the field.

Under

" the " linked

system the supply of trained

stantly kept of

men

can be con-

up

to the proper standard, instead

depending

for reinforcements

upon

recruits,

or volunteers from other corps, as was the case

under the old plan.

The

Indian soldier

is,

as a rule, a married

man, and he brings

regimental
line,

his relations to live in the

is

where each family

given
a

separate quarters, generally consisting of

loo

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

small

mud

hut, with proper provision for the

seclusion [purdah) of

women.

Each forms
by
side, as

part of a large block of houses of similar description, set as close together, side

they can be

built.

Children are born and grow up

in the line,

and some of the sons join

ment.

their father's regi-

The

military

authorities,

however,

prefer recruits from the outside, to

many

of

these

" line-boys."

Certain

classes

of the

latter are in

demand, and are given allowances

regulated according to a definite scale.

So attached
near,

is

the Indian soldier to his

relations,
it

and even

distant,

that

his

superior officers have to see to

that he does

not bring too

to " eat

many
all

of

them

to live with

him

up

" all his pay.

Apart from
laxity
in

other considerations, any

this

regulation

would

have

deteriorating effect

upon the physique

he

of the
at

Indian

fighter:

for

does not feed

is

Government expense, and

likely

to

stint

himself to support his kinsmen.

INDIAN ARMIES.
Living
as

loi

he
is

generally

does with

his

family, the food

prepared by the wife or

some other woman some

insist

relative.

But so

strict are

soldiers,

chiefly

Brahmans, that they

upon cooking

their

own

victuals.

Some
private

of

the

unmarried fighters make

arrangement among themselves whereby each

helps in the cooking of the meals, which they
eat

together.

few

cooks

are

usually

allotted to a regiment.
for

They

prepare meals

those

who do
others,

not scruple to eat food

cooked by

and prefer not

it

to take the

trouble to prepare

themselves.
its

Each regiment has

place),

own bazaar (market

all

where provisions of
etc.,

kinds, haber-

dashery,

can be purchased.

The

shop-

keepers are selected by the authorities,

who

exercise more or less rigorous control over them.

The
alike

Indian soldier

officer

and private
victuals.

is

required to buy his

in

own

Since prices
it is

India fluctuate considerably,

to

deemed advisable
monthly from

deduct

4s. 8d. (Rs.

3/8)

his pay, in lieu of

which

102

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

the regimental shopkeepers (the banias) are

authorized to issue rations to him according to

a scale laid

down by
is

the authorities.

This system

intended to save the soldier

It

worry about famine prices.

tively, so far as

does

this effecin spite

he

is

concerned.

But

of this provision he has to

buy food
I

for his

dependents
thetically

at current rates.

add that Indians

in the

may parenArmy have

to

pay

for their uniforms, etc.

The shopkeepers

also furnish supplies to

the relatives left behind

by the soldiers proit

ceeding on active service, though

may be
to their

noted that when the Indian fighter goes to the

front, his relatives usually

move back

villages to live

Here
priests,

among their kinsfolk. may add that each regiment has

one
of

usually
it,

each

creed

repreof their

sented in
faith.

who

minister to the

men

These

religious teachers serve to

keep

the fighting tradition associated with such warlike

religions

as

Sikhism

and
also

Islam

ever

before their flock.

They

keep up the

INDIAN ARMIES.
moral tone of the
influence
is

103

officers

and men.

Their

exerted against intemperance and,

it

in passing,

may

be noted that the temper-

ance movement has

the Indian
priests

made

great

headway

in

Army
is

during recent years.

The

promote

literacy

among

the soldiers,

which purpose

likewise

advanced by the
for each

teachers provided by

Government

regiment.
join the
write,

Some recruits Army for the sake

actually profess to
of learning to read,

and keep accounts.

Besides the priests, teachers, and cooks,

there are

numerous other followers attached

to

each regiment,

who perform such

functions as

pitching tents, carrying water, looking after

conservancy, repairing shoes, attending to the

horses, etc.

The
lines

Indian soldiers in the

with great
semi-religious

regimental

celebrate

enthusiasm the
festivals
to the

religious

and

that

mark

their calendars.

Hymns,

accom-

paniment

of instruments of all sorts,

some

of

which give out sounds that are weird

to the

104

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
ear, are

Western
the lines.
offer

sung

in the temples within for instance,

Some, the Gurkhas,

animal sacrifices at the

altar of their

gods

and goddesses.

To

give an example, during

is

the Dusehera festival, which

celebrated in
lasts ten days,

honour

of the

goddess Kali and

the Gurkhas pile their arms, erect tents for

the accommodation of the spectators

who have

been invited, and with great dexterity sever

the heads of the buffaloes that are sacrificed.

The

children act as sacrificial agents in the

case of goats.

In this connection

it

will

be of interest to

note that the various clans employed in the

Army have

their distinctive

war

cries,

which

lend a dramatic interest to the campaigns in

which they are engaged side by side with

emotional troops.

less

The
! " ("

Sikh, for instance,

"
:

shouts at the top of his voice

Shn-lVah-i-

Guni-ji-ka-Khalsa
of

Victory by the grace

God,"

or "

Victory unto

God
"

")

and

"

Sat").

Sri-Akal

! " ("

True

is

the Timeless

One

The

Musalman

veils

Allah-o-Akbar!"

INDIAN ARMIES.

105

f God
soldiers
("

is

great").
"

Many
Kali!
"

of or

the
" Jai

Hindu

cry,

Jai

Ram! "

" Victory by the grace of the Goddess

").

or
the

"

Victory by God's Grace

The
"

superior
"

Indian

officers

in

Native
"

Army

are said to hold commissions.

These
same

commissions," however, are not the

as those granted to the British officers

serving in this or in other armies, but are of

inferior grade,
if

not technically, at least so in

actual fact, for they do not entitle those

who

hold them to advance higher than Risaldar

Major or Subadar Major. These remarks do

not apply to the few
the

who have graduated from

Imperial

Cadet Corps, and have been

Native Indian

placed on
list.

the "

Land Forces

"

Only

twenty-five per cent, of the posts

held by Indian Commissioned Officers are

reserved for
sions.

men who

receive direct commis-

These

are bestowed

upon young men

which
serving

belonging to
distinguished

leading families

have
the

themselves

in

io6

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Government.

These men must needs

satisfy

the military requirements in respect

of

age,

physique, intelligence, education,

etc.

They

serve as J emadars (Indian Lieutenants) for a

year on probation, before they are confirmed.

The

other seventy-five per cent, of the

commissioned posts which Indians can hold

are given to the

men who have

risen

from the

ranks, or to

Non-Commissioned
given

Officers, for

distinguished service.
these

Until some time ago

all,

men were

and not merely

three-fourths of such

appointments, as the

system of direct commissions did not then

exist.

Having described
of the " Native "

the general conditions

I

Army,

may now

relate the

important particulars concerning some of the

principal branches of military service.

Most
posed of

of the Cavalry regiments are comofficers

and men

to

whom

mounts,

remounts, and equipment, with the exception

of
rifles,

are not supplied

by the Government
must, therefore.

at its

own expense.

They

INDIAN ARMIES.

107

make themselves

responsible for purchasing

first

these requisites in the

instance,

and

for

renewing them as needed, or as required by

the regulations.

The

trooper, on joining,

agrees that a portion of his pay shall be de-

ducted monthly, and credited to the regimental fund, from which are purchased the
mounts, equipment, uniforms,
etc.

In the

same way, the cavalrymen provide the forage

for

their

horses.

This
is

is

known

as

the

Silladar system, and

a modification of one

which has prevailed

in

India for centuries.

The Cavalry
organized
Silladar.
to

regiments
basis

which are not

termed
non-

on

this

are

In such a case the authorities have

responsible for mounting

make themselves

the trooper, arming

and equipping him, feedif

ing his horse, and furnishing remounts

are required.

they

Comparatively

few

regiments

of

the

Indian Cavalry, however, consist of out-andout mercenaries.

As

a general rule, Indians

of the better class, petty land-owners, well-to-

io8

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
etc.,

do farmers,

join the ranks of the troopers,

and they

elect to serve
in

on the Silladar

basis.
is

EnHstment

both classes of Cavalry

entirely voluntary.

Candidates must be be-

tween sixteen and twenty-five years of age.

The

Officer

Commanding

a Cavalry Regi-

ment may accept a

recruit at his discretion,

irrespective of his height.

A
640

Cavalry regiment, as a rule, consists of

officers

and men.

Thirty-two of the officers hold commissions.

Of

these, fifteen of the superior ranks

are practically always held

by

British.

The

seventeen inferior ones are always held by

Indians.

Each regiment
Each squadron
pany

is

subdivided into four

officers

squadrons consisting of 160

is

and men.

subdivided into a com-

of eighty units.

At the head

of the regiment

is

the

Com-

mandant, invariably a British

Officer, usually

with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Each

squadron

is

placed

under

INDIAN ARMIES.
Squadron
officer,

109

Commander,

always

British

the senior

among

the Squadron

Comof

manders being Second-in-Command

regiment, and usually holding
the

the

rank of

Lieutenant-Colonel.

The Squadron Commanders

by Squadron
Officers, nine in

are assisted
all

number,

of

them

British,

and ranging from Major to

in rank.

Second Lieutenant

In very isolated

instances Indian graduates from the Imperial

Cadet Corps have been attached

to

Indian

regiments to qualify themselves to hold the

rank of Squadron Commander.

There also
two.

is

a Medical Officer, sometimes

He

is

a physician and surgeon,

who
the

has

successfully

passed

the

test

for

Indian Medical Service, for which examinations are annually held in

London, and who

has received his commission.

in the

He

holds rank
stages.

Army, and advances by regular

and have succeeded,

few Indians have voyaged

in

to the British

Isles,

competition with

Britons, in entering this Service.

Many

of

no
these
civil

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

men,

however,
in

have

been

given
the

appointments

different parts of

Peninsula, a few alone being attached to regi-

ments as Medical

Officers,
is

Among
the Indian
all

the Indian officers, the senior

Risaldar Major.

Technicalities aside, he
of the regiment,

is

Commandant

and

orders pass through

him from the

regiment

British
to

Officer
troops.

commanding

the

the

In addition to such duties, he coma company, or half-squadron.

mands

The

distinguished by a crown on each shoulder strap receives a consolidated

Risaldar Major

pay of

20

(Rs. 300)^ per

mensem,

if

he

is

Silladar, or ;i^io (Rs. 150), plus t, 6s. 8d.

allowance for acting as senior Indian

his

officer in

regiment

if

he

is

a non-Silladar.

The

remaining

seven

companies

are

headed by Risaldars or Ressaidars.

6.

Of

the

All figures pertaining to salaries, allowances, etc.,

of oJRcers

and men that are given

in this chapter are taken

from the latest available issue of Army Regulations, India, prepared by the Government of India. R.i/-/- = is. 4d. Pays and allowances in all cases are for the month,
unless expressly stated otherwise.
,

The

salaries vary a little in

some regiments.

INDIAN ARMIES.

iii

former there generally are three, and of the

latter four.

The Risaldar

receives a consoliif

dated pay of
Silladar, or
Silladar.
1

i6
^10

13s. 4d. (Rs. 250)

he

is

(Rs.

150)
is

if

he

is

a non^

The Ressaidar
is

given ^^lo (Rs.

6s. 8d.(

50)

if

he

a Silladar, or

Rs.

10)

if

he

is

a non-Silladar.

The Risaldar wears

stars

three

and the Ressaidar two

on

his

shoulder straps. These officers

may be Hkened

respectively to Majors and Captains in the

British

Army.
Cavalry

Each

company

has

its

own

Jemadar (Indian Lieutenant). Generally, one of them acts as Indian Adjutant, and is known
as

Woordie Major
is

though sometimes a

regi-

ment
on

given an additional femadar to act in

this capacity.

The Jemadar
is

has a single star

is

his shoulder straps.

if

His pay
he

(Rs. 80),
if

he

a Silladar, and
If

^5 6s. ^ (Rs.
a

8d.

60)

he

is

a non-Silladar.
is
if

is

Woordie
13s. 4d.

Major he
(Rs. 40)
17/8/-)
if

given, in addition,
a Silladar, or

2
3s.

4d. (Rs.

not.

112

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
All non-Silladar officers receive an allow-

ance

[batta),

ranging between

:2,

6s.

8d.

(Rs. 50) and los. 8d. (Rs. 8) per

month so

long as they are on

Colonial) service.
Officers

field or foreign (including

who, for

conspicuous
"

bravery,
British
if

have been admitted into the

India " receive
2s.

Order of
2)

8d. (Rs.

per diem

they hold one of the 188 first-class appoint-

ments, each of which carries the

(Chief), prefixed to the

title

of

Sardar

name, and Bahadur

(Brave), affixed to the receives only

is.

same name.
day

An
if

officer

4d. (R. i) a

he holds

one of the 250 second-class appointments, which carries only the

Officers
title

of

Bahadur.

may
is

hold

the "

Indian Order of

Merit

" irrespective of the "

Order of
first,

British

India."

This

of three classes,

second,
scale

and

third,

each

carrying

its

own

of

allowance graded according to the rank of

the recipient.
is

The

Indian Order of Merit

bestowed upon those who distinguish them-

selves in the firing line, and, as will be

shown

P/ioios by G. T. Jotiia C-^ Son, Kiiigstoii-on- Thatnis.

SiKn Iniantky
Satdar Ram Singh Hahntlur.

)iiiLi;us.

Hai.want Singh Bnhnditi

INDIAN ARMIES.
later, is

113

not confined merely to commissioned

officers.

The non-commissioned
below the J emadar are

ranks immediately

The
45)
if
if

Farrier Major,

who

receives ;f 3 (Rs.
12s.

a Silladar, or a non-Silladar.

^i

od. (Rs.

24)

he

is

The Daffadar, corresponding to Sergeant, who has the same pay as the Farrier Major. If he acts as Kot Daffadar Major (Quartermaster-Sergeant), Drill Daffadar (Drill Sergeant), Orderly Daffadar (Orderly Sergeant),

Trumpet
pay
holds.

Major,

etc.,

he gets

"

extra-duty

" in addition to the

appointment which he

The
the

Farrier Daffadar,

employed only

in

non-Silladar

Cavalry,

who

receives

i2s. od. (Rs. 24).

The

Lance
4d.

Daffadar,
if

who
a

is

paid

13s.

(Rs. 40)
if

Silladar,

and

is

6s. 8d. (Rs. 20)

a non-Silladar.

The
I

Salutri, or veterinary assistant,

who

paid 2, I2S. od. (Rs. 54) a month.

114

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

The Trumpeter, who

(Rs. 41)
if
if

receives

14s. 8d.

a Silladar,

and

6s. 8d.

(Rs. 20)

he

is

a non-Silladar

The
(Rs. 16).

Farrier

Pupil in the non-Silladar

Cavalry regiment, who receives

^i

is.

4d.

The Sowar,
horseback
or

or Trooper,

mounted

on

on

a
if

camel,

who

receives

2
his

5s. 4d.

(Rs. 34),

he furnishes and feeds

if

own

animal, and 17s. 4d. (Rs. 13)

he

is

non-Silladar.

The
if

Silladar Sowar

is

given

an extra allowance

the price of forage rises

figure.

above a certain stipulated

A
^i

Farrier,
if

who
is

receives the

same pay as a
he

Sowar,
7s.

he

in the Silladar Cavalry, or

if

6Jd. (Rs. 20/10/4)

is

a no7t-

Silladar.

The

Ward

Orderly,
if

who

is

paid

IS.

lod. (Rs. i^i^j-)

if

a Silladar, and

17s. 4d. (Rs. 13)

a non-Silladar.
SaUiiri,

The

Assistant

who

receives

5s. 4d.

(Rs. 34), in the Silladar Cavalry.

The

Recruit in the Silladar Cavalry,

who

INDIAN ARMIES.
is

115

paid

IS.

lod. (Rs. 16/6/-) or, in

some
(syce)

instances, only i8s. 8d. (Rs. 14/-/-)-

Every two Sowars have

Silladar, have to pay

groom

between them, and, whether Silladar or non-

him

for his services.

The Non-Commissioned
in the

Officers

and men

non-Silladar Cavalry receive special

{baitd),

allowances

ranging

from

6s.

8d.

(Rs. 5) to 2s. (Rs. 1/8) per month, while

field or foreign

on

(including Colonial) service.

They can

earn the Indian Order of Merit, and

are then paid an allowance according to their

rank and the class of the Order of Merit that

has been awarded them for their gallantry.

Of
number
smaller

the

137

regiments

composing

the

Indian Infantry, some of them have a larger

of officers

and men than

in

others.

The

ones are recruited

the

Madras

Presidency, and consist of 613 officers and

men, of
Indian

whom

thirteen are British

and sixteen

officers,

and the
Officers

rest (584) Indian

Nonlarger

Commissioned

and men.

The

ones, recruited in the remaining portions of

ii6

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

the Peninsula, have 927 units, fifteen of

are British,

whom
and

and sixteen Indian

Officers,

896 Indian Non-Commissioned Officers and men.

few Infantry regiments,

for instance,

those of Gurkhas, are composed of two battalions

officers

each, with a double

complement

of

and men.
organization of the Infantry regiment

The
is

similar to that of the Cavalry.

The names
is

of officers, in
different.

some

instances, however, are

Thus, the senior Indian Officer

styled the

Subadar Major.
are

commanders

called

The company The Subadars.

is

Sergeants are known as Hav'ildars.

The Subadar Major

Indian
a-nd

paid,

in

the
100),

Infantry,
6s. 8d.

^6

13s.

4d.

(Rs.

^3

(Rs. 50) a

month
paid

in addition,

for assisting the

Commandant.
also
is

The Subadar
(Rs. 100).

^6

13s. 4d.

The J emadar
Officers

is

paid

^3

6s. 8d. (Rs. 50).

doing

" extra

duty

"

receive

additional pay.

For

instance, one

who

is

INDIAN ARMIES.
acting
as
"

117
"
is

Indian

Adjutant
in

given

3s.

4d. (Rs.

17/8/-)

addition to his

regular pay.

The

Indian Infantry Officers, like those

"

of the Cavalry, are admitted into the

of British India,"

Order

and

the "

Indian Order of

Merit," and receive allowances according to

fixed scales.

The Non-Commissioned
rank
in the Infantry is the

Officer of highest

Havildar or Ser18).

geant.
If

He

is

paid

^i

4s. od. (Rs.

he acts as Havildar Major (Sergeant-

Major), or

Pay Quartermaster Havildar, he

5),

receives 6s. 8d. (Rs.

in

some cases

7s.

(Rs.

5/4/-) more.

If

he acts as Orderly
2s.

he receives an additional
1/13/10.)

5-6d.

(Rs.

Next
he

to

the

Havildar comes the Naik

receives

(Corporal),
If
is

who

^i

is.

4d. (Rs. 16).

a Drill

Naik he Naik

receives 3s. 4d. (Rs.

21^1-), in

some cases
the

4s. 8d. (Rs. 3/8/-) extra.

is

Below
Bugler,

the

Drummer and
11),

who draws

14s. 8d. (Rs.

and

is

ii8

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
6s. 8d. (Rs. 5) extra,
if

paid

he acts as Drum-

Major.

The Sepoy
II).

(private)

is

given 14s. 8d. (Rs.

Infantry non-commissioned

officers

and
are

men who
of the "

show

uncommon

bravery

awarded one or the other

of the three classes

Indian Order of Merit," according to

the nature of their daring deeds, and this

brings them a small additional allowance.

All Infantry officers and

men

receive field

allowances {batia)

while on active service,

os. od. (Rs. 15) to 6s. 8d.

ranging from
(Rs.
5).

Whether
to

officer or private,

and no matter

what branch of the Army he may belong,

field

the

allowance

of

an

Indian

soldier

usually begins

when he

leaves his cantonment

to his station.

and ends when he returns

few
to

whom

this rule

does not apply receive

all

their batta at all

times and in

circum-

stances, except

when absent on

leave, etc.

The

Indian Infantry regiments serving in

INDIAN ARMIES

119

Burma, Assam, Sind, and outside India are

given "local allowances."
In the case of

Burma,

the

Subadar
50), this

Major

receives
8s. (Rs. 6)

6s.

8d (Rs.

and the Sepoy

head, and
the

extra

under

ranks in

between are given allowances graded proportionately.

It
is

interesting
of

to

note that, recently,

Infantry
at

four

battalions

Indian

and

mountain battery were stationed

Hong
;

Kong two
;

battalions were at Singapore

in

the

same number were

was serving
the
in

Ceylon

one battalion
in

North China; another was

Persian Gulf;

and

five

Infantry

regi-

ments were employed by the Imperial Govern-

ment on Colonial garrison

regiment

duty.

Cavalry

was

strengthening

the

Consular

Guards
must be

in

Southern Persia.

In order to serve in the Infantry, a recruit

five feet four inches high.
is

This

rule,

however,

relaxed in the case of the Gurkhas,

if

who

are accepted

five feet tall. at least

The

chest

measurement must be

32 inches, and

120

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

the requirements range from that up to 36

inches, according to the height
recruit, the latter figure

and age

of the

being the standard for

man

twenty-five years old,

and over

five feet

ten inches in height.

The ranks and pays in the other branches of the Army are similar to those already noted, and may be left out. The composition, being different, may be outlined:

A
officers

Mountain and men,

of

Battery

consists

of

331

whom

five are British

and

three

Indian Officers, and the rest Indian

Officers

Non-Commissioned

and men.

Frontier Garrison Artillery

officers (three British

Company
and three

comprises six

Indian), and 272 Indian

Officers

Non-Commissioned
all.

and men,
of

or 278 in

A
1

company

Sappers and Miners has

96

officers

and men, of

whom

two are British

and three are Indian

British

Officers,

and two are

Non-Commissioned
are

Officers,

and the

remainder
Officers

Indian

Non-Commissioned

and men.

INDIAN ARMIES.

121

The
pany
(one
is

strength of a military railway com-

198

officers

and men, and

one

of

whom

two

commissioned

non-commisrest are

sioned) Officers are British,

and the

Indian

three

Officers,

and 193 Non-Com-

missioned Officers and men.

The
officers

pensions received by retired Indian

and men

are very small.

on page 122, abstracted

tions of India, Vol.
I.,

The table from Army Regulapage 204, gives an

idea of the sums that are paid them

The

Indian

Army

Reservist

who

has

served for twenty-five years, including "five

years' colour
latter

and embodied

service,

which
during
for

does not include any period

which Reservists are attached to units

training," receives

from

4s. (Rs. 3) to 6s. 8d.

(Rs. 5) a month.

Pensions

granted

to

those

invalided

before they have served their full time are

much
have

smaller.
to

Particulars concerning

them

be omitted
officers

in the interests of space.

Indian

and men are given pensions

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

INDIAN ARMIES.
for

123

wounds and

injuries received while

is

on

ser-

vice.

The

highest

granted to Indian com-

missioned

officers

above the rank of Jemadar

employed
receive

in

most of the regiments.

13s. 4d. (Rs. 25) per

They mensem for

per men-

each wound, and

4s. od. (Rs. 18)

sem
(Rs.
fall

for

each injury.

The

private

who has been

to

thirty-two years in the service receives 14s. 8d.

1

1)

per

mensem

for a

wound adjudged
There
is

in the first class.

a regular

scale,

graduated according to the term of seruntil the

vice

and the nature of the wound,

minimum,

or 3s. 3d. (Rs. 2/7/0) for an injury

of the fourth class suffered

by a Sepoy or
fifteen years, is

Sowar, who has served under

reached.

The

families of Indian combatants

who
re-

are " killed in action or die from

wounds

ceived in action within six months of being

wounded, or from sickness contracted

or acci-

dent received while on foreign service," are

entitled to pensions
different scales.

regulated according to
highest
is

The

;^2

8s. od.

124

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
36),

(Rs.

paid to the heirs of a Risaldar^

etc.

Ressaidar, Szibadar,
to

The
the

lowest

is

paid

the

heirs

of

men

of

Indian

Sub2d.

marine Mining Corps, who receive

(Rs.
2/6/0)
a

3s.

month.
are

In nearly

all

cases
certain

these

pensions

bestowed

for

specified

terms of years.
six

In the case of
old,

males

under

years

for

instance,

they cease

when

the recipient reaches the age

six years old

of eighteen.

Males over

and

under

fifty

receive the pensions for a period

of twelve years.

Males over

fifty

enjoy the

grants for

life,

as

do also females of any age.

This brief outline of the military resources

of British India

may

be concluded with a few

words regarding the expenditure that India

annually incurs in keeping up this organization.

The

net outlay on the

Army

during

1912-13 totalled ;^ 18,348,723.

did not include the
military

This amount

sum

incurred in building

and special defence works, which

In addition,

alone amounted to ^824,484.

India

contributed

^392,259

towards

the

INDIAN ARMIES.
expenses of His Majesty's ships employed
the Indian seas.

125
in

In other words, the Indian

taxpayers paid

19,565,466^ for the maintenthe " Native "

refer to

ance of the Armies.

Having described
British India,
in the
tv,o
I

may now

Army of the Army

are of

employ

of the Rajas.

These

kinds
1.

The

ordinary armies maintained by the

of

Rajas,

consisting
if

161,000

soldiers,

or

214,000 strong,

the 47,000

armed police
;

kept by the Indian Rulers are included

2.

and

The

Imperial Service Troops, consist-

ing of 22,271 officers and men.

To

describe them in order

In writing of the ordinary armies em-

ployed by the Rajas,

it

is

customary

to

add
of

together the soldiery in the service of

all

them except
latest

that of the Ruler of Nepal.

The

edition of the

Imperial Gazetteer of
Vol. IV., says:

India,
7.

The Indian Empire,

Statement exhibiting the Moral and Material Pro-

gress

and Condition

of India, iqi2-i;[, pp. 127,

128.

126

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

"...

the Native States maintain, ac-

cording to their position, large or small

bodies of soldiers as local military forces.

These number

collectively

about

16,000

cavalry, 7,000 artillery,

and 70,000
;

infantry,
."
. .

or 93,000 in

all,

with

many guns

and then continues:

"A
Nepal

few words may be added about the

. . .

armies.

The Nepal army

consists

of about 45,000

men, regular and

irregular,

including 2,500 artillery, with about 900

guns; ...-

The
1909,

strength mentioned in each case

is

that of the armies as they existed prior to

when
are

the

work was

issued.

The

latest

figures

supplied

by

the

Statement

Exhibiting the Moral and Material Progress

and Conditions of India during the Y ear 1911-12, and the Nine Preceding Years,
according to which the military forces maintained by the Native States
8.

amount

to

about

rp- 375. yj^-

INDIAN ARMIES.
111,000
police).

127

Army is The
nical,

men (besides some 47,000 armed The total strength of the Nepal now said to be about 50,000.
separation of the armies of Nepal
is

from those of the other Rajas

merely techconsidering

and

have ignored

it

in

the subject.
It is

not possible to supply details concern-

ing the division of the armies employed by

the various Rajas into Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, etc.

The

figures extracted

from the

Imperial Gazetteer, though antiquated, give

a rough idea of such divisions.

Great diversity of opinion prevails regarding the efficiency of the Rajas' Armies.
authorities openly declare that this force

Some
is

not

worth very much.

Others, on the contrary,

maintain that at least some of the troops

employed by the important Rajas are good

fighters, well drilled,

and capable of giving a

all

good account of themselves under

tions.
9.

condi-

Others again merely aver that the

p. 15.

128

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

soldiery contains capital material, which needs

much
I

training to

make

it

capable of engaging

on equal terms with any modern Army.

do not
feel

competent

to

settle
it

these
is

disputes authoritatively, but certain

that

during recent years some of the Indian Rulers

have, with the
military
tactics,

greatest patience,

mastered

obtaining

instruction from

European

experts,

and have worked inde-

fatigably to improve the morale of their army.

Others have imported into their service highly

qualified

men

to bring the efficiency of their

troops up to

modern requirements.
all this

It

may

be asserted dogmatically that

energy

has not been expended in vain, but has resulted in improving the fighting qualities of
the armies maintained

by the Rajas presiding

over the large, and even some of the small,

Indian States,

Concerning the
branch of armies

efficiency
in

of

the
of

other

the service

Indian

Rulers, namely, the Imperial Service Troops,

there
is

no difference of opinion. Indians and

INDIAN ARMIES.
British authorities alike

129

have nothing but the

highest praise for the splendid type of

man-

hood

that goes into

its

composition, the ex-

cellent

armament and equipment with which

and the
they

the soldiers are provided, the up-to-date train-

ing they receive,

acquire.

efficiency

The may be
8o's,

Imperial Service Troops were con-

stituted comparatively recently,

and a word
In the

said regarding their history.

when
of

a Russian attack on the Norththe late

West Frontier was deemed imminent,

Nizam
his

Hyderabad,

his

Highness

Mir
and

Mahbub AH Shah Bahadur,

sword

G.C.S.I., placed

at the disposal of the British,

offered to contribute a large

sum

of

money
to help

(^400,000, or sixty lakhs of rupees)

the British Indian Government.

Other Rajas

followed

suit.

The
the

alarm proved to be un-

founded,

but

Administration
of

began

to

work out a scheme

Imperial defence in

which Rajas could co-operate.

As
K

the project finally matured, the Indian

I30

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

States were allowed to volunteer to set apart portions of their troops, or raise

new
in

corps,

which would be armed, equipped and trained

the

same as the

"

Native

"

Army

British
at the

India, and which the State could place

disposal of the British Indian

Government

during times of necessity. In such eventuality

these troops were to be federated with British

Indian

forces,

and were

to

be under the

orders of the Commander-in-Chief in India.

The

British Indian

Government undertook
staff

to

appoint and maintain the requisite

to

advise the Rajas concerning the training of

these
special troops,

and

to inspect

them

periodically so that their efficiency might be

maintained

at the highest possible level.

By

1903, Imperial Service

Troops were

maintained by the States of

Alwar,

Bikaner,
Faridkot,

Bahawalpur,
Bharatpur,

Gwalior,

Bhavnagar,
Bhopal,

Hyderabad,
Indore,

INDIAN ARMIES.
Jaipur,
Jind,

131

Mysore,

Nabha,
Navanagar,
Patiala,

Jodhpur,
Junagarh,
Kapurthala,

Rampur,
and
Sirmur.
191
2,

Kashmir,

Maler Kotla,

On
nine,
officers

St April,

the

number

of States

employing these troops had

risen to twenty-

and

the

strength

exceeded

22,000

and men.

The

composition of the

force then was, roughly:

Infantry

... ...

...
... ...

10,000

Cavalry

7,500
2,700

Transport Corps

Camel Corps

...

700 700

Sappers and Miners

It is

important to note that the State of

Gwalior furnished 4,000, Kashmir and

3,500,

Jammu

and

Patiala,

Hyderabad, and Alwar

over 1,000 officers and

men

each.

The

Imperial

Service Troops have al-

13-

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
in the following

ready taken part

campaigns:

The Bikaner
land in 1903.

Infantry fought in Somali-

The Alwar
Sappers

Infantry, the Bikaner Infantry,

the Jodhpur Lancers,

and the Maler Kotla

Expedi-

accompanied the China

tionary Field Force in 1900-01.

The

Jind Infantry, the

Nabha

Infantry,

the ist Patiala Infantry, the Jodhpur Lancers,

the Kapurthala Lancers, the
tain Batteries, the

Kashmir Moun-

Sirmur Sappers, the Maler

Kotla Sappers, and the Jaipur and Gwalior Transport Corps took part
in the

North-West

Frontier Expeditions of 1897-98 and 1895.

The
No.
the
I

1st

and 2nd Kashmir Infantry and the

in

Kashmir Mountain Battery engaged

Hunza Nagar campaign of 1891. The Kashmir Mountain Batteries have

in relieving the Gilgit garrison.

helped

The European war

that
it

conflict

demonstrated

is

no delusion on the part of any

writer to reckon the forces

employed by the

various Indian Rulers, almost 700 in number,

INDIAN ARMIES.
as a part of the strength

133

on which the British

can depend

in critical times.

Each Raja who

possessed any Imperial Service Troops or

other
soldiery

rushed forward immediately

upon finding

that Great Britain

was sure

to

be

involved, to tender his

army

to his Suzerain

and many of them

offered, in addition, large

contributions of money, and even their per-

sonal treasures.

The Nizam
Sir

of

Hyderabad

(his

Highness

Nizam-ul-Mulk Nizam-ud-Daula, Nawab Mir

Usman
is

Ali

Khan Bahadur,
of the
first

G.C.S.I.),

who

Hon. Colonel
was

20th
to

Deccan
offer

Horse,

among

the

his

military resources,

and has given

;^ 400,000

(Rs. 6,000,000) to be used in fighting the foes

of the

Empire.
of

The Maharaja
Bahadur,
26th
G.C.S.I.),

Mysore

(his

High-

ness Maharaja Sri Sir Krishnaraja

Wodiyar
of

Hon. Colonel

the

King George's
to

Own
the

Light

Cavalry

(Indian Army), not content with

soldiers
fight
for

giving his

honour and glory

134

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
the

of
/^

King-Emperor,

also

contributed

333,333 (Rs. 5,000,000) to the war fund.

The Prime
facto

Minister of Nepal and

its

de
Sir

Ruler

(his

Highness

Maharaja

Chandra Shamsher Jang,

Rana

Bahadur,

G.C.B., G.C.V.O., G.C.S.I., D.C.L.), Hon.

Colonel of the 4th Gurkha Rifles, placed the

Army
ment
and
for his

of

Nepal

at the disposal of the

Govern-

of India to be

used
;!{^

in the

European war,

in addition

gave

22,000 (Rs. 330,000)

equipping Gurkha soldiers belonging to

own

race serving in British regiments with

requisites.

machine guns and other

The Maharaja-Gaekwar Highness Shri Sir Sayaji Rao

placed
all

of

Baroda

(his

HI., G.C.S.I.),

his resources, military

and other-

wise, at the disposal of

His Majesty.

The Maharaja of Gwalior (his Highness Maharaja Sir Madho Rao Sindhia Bahadur,
G.C.S.I., G.C.V.O., LL.D., A.D.C.),

Hon.
of
"

Major-General, Hon. Colonel

York's

ist

Duke

Own

Lancers, or

"

Skinner's Horse

(Indian Army), besides offering his Imperial

INDIAN ARMIES.
Service

135
to

Troops,

undertook
in

provide

thousands of remounts, and

with the

conjunction

Ruler of
Sultan

Bhopal

(her

Highness
G.C.S.I.,
fitted

Nawab
hospital

Jahan

Begum,

G.C.I.E., C.I.), and other Rajas,

ship,
"

out a

The

Loyalty," to transport

wounded
large

soldiers to hospitals. of

He

also gave

sums

money
of

to

be used in various

ways.

The Maharaja
(his

Jammu and Kashmir

Bahadur,

Highness

Sir

Partap Singh

G.C.S.I.,

G.C.I.E.),

Hon.

Major-General,

Hon. Colonel 37th Dogras, besides lending

his

Imperial

Service

Troops

and

all

his

resources,

provided

transportation

facilities

and entertainment
through his

for British troops

passing

territories.

The Maharaja of Rewa (his Highness Sri Sir Venkat Raman Singh Bahadur, G.C.S.I.),
outdid
all

the rest, and included his personal

in his gift to the

ornaments

Empire.
that
of
I

These
singled

are but a few

names
all

have

out of

some

700,

whom,

136

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

with truly kingly generosity, contributed to

the fighting forces, to the war chest, and to the
relief funds.
It is striking that in

the

list

should be Rulers whose States are so widely

separated as those of Las Bela, Kalat, and

Kashmir

in the

North-West, Sikkim, Tibet,

in

Cooch Behar and Manipur

the

North-

East, and Travancore in Southern India.

Not

a few of the Rajas

and

their kinsfolk

and nobles volunteered

to fight in person.

Among

the

number who
Highness

actually

came

to the battlefield

were two, the Maharaja of

Bikaner and

his

Maharaja

Sir

Partab Singhji, G.C.V.O., G.C.S.I., K.C.B.,

LL.D., Hon. A.D.C.

to

H.M.

the

KingArmy),

Emperor, Hon. Maj.-Gen.

(British

Hon.

Col. 34th

Horse (Indian Army), Hon.

Commandant of the Imperial Cadet Corps, who had rendered valiant service in fighting
Britain's enemies.

Two

more, the Maharaja of Patiala'"

(his

10. As this volume is going to press news has been cabled that his Highness has been compelled by illncsj to

return to India from Aden.

INDIAN ARMIES.
Highness Maharaja-dhiraja
Singh
Sri Sir

137

Bhupindar

Mahindar Bahadur, G.C.I.E.), and

Maharaja

Prince Hitindra Narayan, a younger brother

of the present of

Cooch Behar

(his

Highness Jitindra Narayan Bhup), are the

sons of Rulers

who fought

for the British.

One
pur
(his

of the Rajas, the

Maharaja

of Jodh-

Highness Maharaja-dhiraja Sumer

in

Singh Bahadur), was only a youth, being

his seventeenth years.

The Maharaja

of Kishengarh (Major his

Sir

Highness Maharaja-dhiraja

Bahadur, K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E.),

to

Madan Singh who also came

expeditionary
years
old,

the

Continent

with

the

force

from

India,

was

thirty

being four years younger than the Ruler of

Ratlam

(his

Highness Raja

Sir Sajjan Singh,

K.C.S.I.), Major 39th

Horse (Indian Army),

who

also

came

over.
to

In

addition

these

Hindu and Sikh

the

Rajas and Princes, several Musalman Rulers

and
of

their relatives,

among them

Malcr Kotla

(his

Nawab Highness Ahmud AH

138

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
Bahadur),
the

Khan,

Nawab

of

Sachin

(Lieut, his

Highness Sidi Ibrahim Mahomed

Yakub Khan, A.D.C.), and the son and heir of her Highness the Begum of Bhopal (Major Sahebzada Nawab Muhammad Nasrulia
Khan), of the 9th Bhopal Infantry, proceeded
to

the

Continent

to

fight

for

the

King-

Emperor.

may be added that his Highness Aga Sultan Mahomed Shah, G.C.I.E., G.C.S.I., Hon. LL.D., Cambridge, the Aga Khan, who
It
is

not the Ruler of any State, but

is

a lineal
is

descendant of the Prophet Mahomed, and

the religious leader of millions of Musalmans,

offered to serve even as a private to fight for

the

King-Emperor.

To sum up
Putting the forces employed by the Rajas
together with those held in fee by
India,
British

Hindostan has a standing

the "

Army
"

of

over 420,000, namely,

in

Native
the

Armies

British

India,

162,000;

European
Rajas,

Army,

7^^573'^

the

Armies of the

-i?f%-iBi^aHp^-3

INDIAN ARMIES.
1

139

6 1, 000;

and the Rajas' Imperial

Service

Troops, 22,000.
In
addition
forces
to
this

standing
to
etc.,

Army

are

auxiliary

amounting

119,382,
of British

namely, the Military Police,

India, 35,000;

the Volunteers, 37,382; and

Police, 47,000.

the Rajas'

Armed

Over and above these

are the officers and

men on

the

Reserve

list,

whose

enrolled

strength on ist April, 191

2,

was 37,382.

Thus, altogether, India has 580,000 men

ready to fight
at
its

own
that,

or

its

Suzerain's enemies

any moment.

Need
many

add

if

necessary, the fighting

clans of Ind can officer

and man

this strength

times over?

CHAPTER

IV.

Deeds of Dash and Daring.

IT

would take volumes

nonchalant manner
in

to

describe the

which the Indian

fighter faces danger,

conquers seemingly unbraves privations,

All that

surmountable

difhculties,

and wins success, or dies

can be attempted here
is

like a hero. to relate a

few stray

incidents which have occurred during recent

campaigns

in

which the Indian soldiers have

taken part, to throw a light on the way they

fight for Britain.

During the Tibet campaign

Singh, Havtldar or

of
in

1904 Labh
the

Sergeant

32nd

Sikh Pioneers, learned that a box of guncotton was hidden about a hundred and
fifty

yards from his post at Palla

little

village.

Undeterred by the volleys that the enemy

140

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

where the box lay and
it

141

directed against him, he rushed out alone to

tried to
lift it

and carry

back with him.

But the gun-cotton was

much

too heavy for

him

to

manage

single-

handed.

He,

therefore, once

more braved the

hail of lead

and ran back across the open

space to Palla.

Dragging some companions-

in-arms along with him, he again

box.
lift it

made

for the

The

Sikhs, between them, were able to

it

up, and returned to Palla bearing

in

triumph.*

As

if it

was not enough

for

him

to

expose

himself four times to the Tibetans' guns in

performing

this exploit, a

few hours
five

after-

wards

Labh Singh
in

laid

mines,

with

bullets flying about

him
the

all

the time.^

While serving
Sikh
officer,

same campaign

Wasawa
tide

Singh, Suhadar or In-

dian Captain in the same infantry regiment,

turned

the

of

battle

at

the

Karola
taken

on

May

6th, 1904.

The Tibetans had

of the
58.

Regimental History 1. H. R. Brander, Vol. II., p.

2.

J^(f

Siih Pioneers, by

Ibid., p. 58.

142

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

a Stand behind a fortress perched on the crest of a

cliff

18,000 feet above the level of the

sea, the highest point for miles around,

where

they completely blocked the progress of the

advancing British
to

force.

It

was necessary
their

drive

the

enemy
this

from

strong

position.
cliff

But

meant climbing up a
shale,

of

slippery

which
all

offered

practically
to the fire

no foothold, exposed

the time

from the Tibetan guns.

Singh led a small band of his

side
of

Wasawa men up the

its

the

mountain,

and

unexpectedly
only

attacked the fortress from behind, in

vulnerable point.
tans at finding the

So

terrified

were the Tibe-

enemy

right

upon them

when they had considered

pregnable, that
all

their fortress im-

they could think of doing

lives,

was

to

run for their

leaving behind them

their

arms and ammunition.

The

final result

of the

brave Subadars coup was that the

retired

enemy

from

their

main

position,

leaving the attacking forces in possession of

the point of vantage.^
3.

Ibid., pp. 28

38.

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING. Thirteen days later on May 19th

143

small detachment of the 8th Gurkhas accomplished a thrilling exploit.

Very

early in the

morning, before the dark night-sky became

streaked with grey, the party crept out of their
post near Gyantse and surrounded a building
a short distance from
it

that

had been occustorming

did
the

pied by the enemy.

force

Not

until the

began

to

fire

upon

them
in

Tibetans realize that they were

danger.

Then
and

they hastily scrambled up to the roof

fired their rifles

and hurled stones and

bricks at their foes.

Hearing the noise of the

shooting, the Tibetan fortress

some distance

away turned

all

its

large

muskets on the

Gurkhas and swept the whole neighbourhood

with leaden and copper balls.

The

invaders

hugged

the walls of the building, while

to the

some
it

Sikh miners crept around

back of

and forced a breach by exploding gun-cotton

against
it.

The

occupants, sixty in number,

w^ere taken utterly

by surprise by

this simul-

taneous attack from front and rear, and com-

144

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

pletely lost their heads.

Twenty

of them,

on

hearing the explosion and the crash of the

falling wall,

jumped out and

in

tried to

run away

to

the

fortress

the village.

The Sikh
killed ten of

soldiers

anticipating
it,

such an exodus were

prepared for

and immediately

The Gurkhas, meanwhile, streamed in through the breach the moment it was made and put to death all who were inside. Only ten out of the sixty who had been
the fleeing men.
in possession of the

house before the attack

were
later.*

alive

when

the sun rose a few minutes

The Gurkhas remained

hold
it

in

the place to

as a post,

and

for a long time

worked

to

repair

and

fortify

it,

under a constant

fire,

night and day, from the fortress in the town

near by.^

In the course of the operations

in

China

directed against the Boxers during 1900-01,

Tura
4.
5.

Baz

Khan,

Subadar

in

the

20th

Ibid., pp. 40 Ibid., p. 42.

43.

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

Infantry, or Brownlow's Punjabis,

145

now Hon.
Hon.

Capt. Sardar

Bahadur

(Valiant Chief),

A.D.C.

to his

Excellency the Commander-in-

Chief in India (Sir Bcauchamp Duff, G.C.B.,

K.C.S.L, K.C.V.O., CLE.), showed that an

Indian soldier does not permit himself to be led
astray by tempting bribes.

He

was informed
if

by a Chinese

co-religionist that

he would

search the garden surrounding a certain house

in

Kaiping, and a temple not far from

find a large store of

it,

he

would
tion

arms and ammuni-

hidden there.
his

Without informing anyone

he
quietly

of

intention,
site.

proceeded to
veritable

explore the

He

lighted

upon a

armoury 150 rifles and three batteries of Krupp field guns complete for action except
for the

breech blocks, which had been reof

moved, and 300 rounds

shell

ammunition and

for

each

of

them.

The

Chinese

authorities offered the Indian officer as

silver as

much

he and his

men

could carry awav with

them

if

they would refrain from reporting the

discovery to their superior, and leave the guns

146

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

where they had found them.

But the Subadar

and

his

companions indignantly spurned the

spoils.

bribe,
official

and carried away the

semi-

chronicle of the event relates that

find greatly chagrined the
in the place,

Tura
Ger-

Baz Khan's

mans garrisoned

who

resented the

fact that the soldiers

their very noses,

from Hindostan, under

to carry out

had been able

such a

brilliant coup.^

While detachments
cavalry,
infantry,

of sappers

and miners,

and a mountain battery

were storming the massive, mud-walled Fort

Nodiz, occupying a strong position commanding the

Turbat-Tump
20th,
in the

road, in Baluchistan,

on

December

1901,

Hamid Khan,
officers

Subadar

27th Baluch Light Infantry,

led a
of

two sappers, and two British

party into
the
fort

under the hot

fire

Mahomed
strong.

Ali Khan's band of outlaws, 90

fight with his

A hand-to-hand

swords-

men
6.

ensued.

These men were soon driven

History oj the 20th Infantry ( Brownlouu^ s Punjabis J,

106.

pp.

in:^,

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

back, but
rifle

147

shots from the towers of the

surrounding walls laid

low the two

Lieu-

tenants and several of the Indians.

of inexperienced
the Subadar.
soldiers

A number

had accompanied

On

seeing their officers and

comrades

wounded, they

stampeded

back

through the breach

to their lines.

But Hamid

Khan and
fallen

the

two sappers picked up the

Lieutenants and men, and carried them Reinforced, they once again rushed

to safety.

forward, took the reduits by bayonet charge,

blew up the
prisoners
leader.^
all

fortress,

and killed or made

including
their

the

outlaws,

In the capture of Dargai during the Tirah

campaign of 1897, Gurkhas and Sikhs,

fight-

ing side by side with Gordons, Derbys, and

Dorsets, showed contempt for the enemy's
fire,

such as has seldom been witnessed on

the battlefield.
discern, the
7.

So

far as the British

could

peak of the

high
127th

cliff,

whose

Historical Records of the

146

Baluch Light In-

fantry, pp.

162

and

164.

148

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
position

natural

rendered

it

proof against

cannon-balls, shells, and shrapnels,

had been
by

chosen by the tribesmen to form their stronghold,

and

could

be

reached

only

single path, so narrow that two

men

could

hardly squeeze through

it

side

by

side,

and

so difficult that the ascent could only be

made

very slowly.

The shrewd
so

frontiersmen had

built encircling walls, with loopholes point-

ing

downwards,

cleverly

constructed

that every inch of the path for the fifty yards

or

more

that were

exposed
bullets.

to their fire could

It

be raked with their

seemed

that

no mortal foe could face such a

hail of lead,

and forge forward

to take the fortress.

The

Gurkhas, with the Dorsets behind them, however,

proceeded up the mountain, two by two.

bullets ruthlessly

The enemy's
down,
but
to

mowed them
a

by

sheer
their

doggedness

few

managed

make

way

across the exin

posed part of the path, and take refuge

position where they were safe from the

a
of

fire

the tribesmen within the fort.

lull

fol-

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

Derbys,
Dorsets,

149

lowed, and then the rest of the Gurkhas, the

Sikhs,
the the

and the

Gordons, once again rushed across.

fell at

Men
a few

every step

till

the path

was practically

choked with the dead and dying.

Not

Indian and British soldiers stopped on their

way

to carry their

wounded comrades out

lives
in

of

the death belt, and lost their

the

attempt at rescue.
until
sufficient

The

rush did not relax

numbers had joined the adto take the fortress

vance party of Gurkhas

by

main

force.

When
exit

the tribesmen noticed this,

they fled helter skelter

side

down

the

mountain

by a back

known only
that

to themselves,

not daring to stand up against foes

face the deadly
fire

who could

had been poured

down upon them from

the heights above.'

The
quell

expeditionary force of Indians sent in

1897 to Mombasa, British East Africa, to

a

stubborn

mutiny

in

the

Uganda

Protectorate,
8.

distinguished itself by facing

i8gy,

pp.

The Indian Frontitr War, 114 123.

by Liond James,

I50

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
less

heavy odds that would have daunted

brave souls.

The

climate was most trying,

even

to those inured to the heat of the tropics.

The

privations caused by short rations, lack of

facilities,

transport

and the

difficult

nature of

the country they were called

upon

to traverse,

were almost beyond human endurance.

On

October 9th and

loth, 1898, a small

company
the

told off to act as the rear

and baggage guards

was
set

of

detachment

that

pursuing

Soudanese mutineers was

upon by over-

whelming numbers
their

of the

enemy. They stood

of

ground so valiantly that every one

those

who survived were given

of Merit
for their "

the

Indian

Order

gallantry and devo-

tion," to use the

words of the Order of the

Government
upon them.'

of India, bestowing the

honour

During the
a

Mohmand Campaign
fill

of 1897,

company

of Afridis of Brownlow's Punjabis

their

refused to wait to
9.

empty water
izjth

bottles

Historical Records of the

Baluth

Light In-

fantry, pp.

i4 139.

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

or partake of food on

151

coming

into

camp from

picquet duty, which had lasted throughout the

night, so anxious

were they

to

march upon the

enemy.
climbed

Hungry and thirsty

and

as they were, they

feet

up several thousand

over

precipitous mountain,

for full fourteen

hours engaged the foe, not thinking of their

aching,

empty stomachs and parched

throats,

until they

had scored an unqualified victory/"

In the same year a garrison of privates of

the 36th Sikhs, only twenty-one in
told,

number

all

occupying a

tiny,

wooden-doored,

mud
in

block-house, lost their lives at Saraghari, a

small signalling post on the

the

Samana range
Province,

North-West

Frontier

after
at

keeping a force of nearly 8,000 Orakzais

bay

for six

and a half hours.

Not

until every

one of them had been killed were the fanatic

tribesmen able to break into the
little

fort.

Two

memorials have been erected

in

honour

of the

brave band, one at Ferozepore, the

p. 95
;

10. History of the 20th Infantry, Frontier War, pp, 60, 61.

also

The Indian

152

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
of the soldiers
altar of duty,

home
on the

who

laid

down
is

their lives

and the other

at Amritsar,

their religious capital;

and

it

noteworthy

that a portion of the funds for these

monuBritish
^^

ments was subscribed by appreciative

comrades
in

arms and European

civilians.

The
adjust

relief of Chitral, in

1895, strikingly

demonstrated the Indian

himself to

soldier's ability to

conditions

diametrically

opposite to those to which he has been accus-

tomed from
plains

his birth.

Men

of the

Punjab
sank up

waded through snow from

and so

three to five

feet deep,

soft that they often

to their arm-pits in the drift.

The

glare

was

so

trying

that

many

of

them were snow-

blinded, even though they wore tinted glasses.

In the Himalayan mid-winter they had to

traverse

mountain

country,

one pass (the

Shandur), which they crossed, being 12,230

feet high.

They
little

often

had

to

go without food

and had

water to drink.

Even when

II. September, 1897; also Indian newspapers for Encyclo-padia Brilannica, Eleventh Edition, Vol. XXIV., p.

203.

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

exposed
advance.
to the heaviest fire they

153

continued to

Sikh

private

Ishar
had
to

Singh

although suffering from such a serious

in his leg that eventually
it

wound be ampubearer

tated, stubbornly refused to permit himself to

be

carried

to

the

rear

by

the

corps, but gallantly kept

on

fighting, until

he

swooned from
thirsty,

loss of blood.

and

tired

Hungry and almost beyond human endur-

ance though they were, they eagerly volunteered to rush strongly guarded villages at the

end of a day*s marching and

cheerfully

fighting,

and
their

went

to

and

fro

carrying

wounded comrades and precious ammunition

to places of safety.^^

One engagement

especially

showed the

cool nerve of the Indian gunners belonging to

a detachment of the mountain battery in the

employ

of the Indian State of

Kashmir and
directed
sides,

Jammu.
the

Exposed

to

heavy

fire

by

frontiersmen

from

three

from

History of the Imperial Service Troofs of Native 12. States, by S. Beatson, pp. 141 144; also Regimental History of the Sitid Sikh Pioneers. Vol. I., pp. 148 175.

154

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

natural positions of the greatest vantage, they

constantly kept

shifting

the

direction

and

range of their guns to

fire at

rapidly changing

distances, in obedience to the

their superiors.

commands

of

So plucky were they

wounded, one
in the

that two

of them, badly

hand, the

other

in

the

groin,

kept on firing without

they became
^^

mentioning their

injuries, until

senseless from pain and exhaustion.

In another frontier campaign, a

soldier furnished a

Musalman touching example of how

word can be
relied upon,

the Indian fighter's

and how he

is

devoted heart and soul to duty.

Just as Major
to

Brownlow had received orders

fron-

march against the rebel North- West

tiersmen, one of the privates

came

to

him and
if

begged

for a

few days' leave, urging that

to

he

was not allowed

go he could not be married

on the appointed date, and as long as he

lived he

would be the laughing stock

of everyto rejoin

one who knew him.

his

He

promised

company
13.

at a certain point

on the march
etc., p.

History of the Imferial Service Troofs,

143.

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

on a given day.

155

Knowing

that the

man was
joined
time,

trustworthy and would keep his word, Major

Brownlow allowed him

his

to go.

He
of

regiment

just

in

the

nick

as the battle

was about

to begin.
at

Hurrying
to

into his uniform,

for his

he proceeded

once

hunt

Commandant, and found him

in "

The

Eagle's Nest."

Without speaking a word, he

saluted his superior officer and began loading

his
rifle,

but before he could bring

it

to his

shoulder and take aim at the enemy, a bullet

struck

him squarely

in the centre of the fore-

head, and his career both as a soldier and a

benedict was brought to a tragic end.^*

During the Third Burmese

87,

War

of 1885-

Indian

officers

and men distinguished

killing

themselves

in

hunting down and

desperate

or

capturing bands of

outlaws

who

had taken
Early

to the thick, virgin forests.

in the

campaign Arsala Khan

] emadar or Indian Lieutenant in the regiment

now known
14.

as the 127th

Queen Mary's Own

\\%,
119.

History

of the 20th hijantry, pp.

156

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Baluch Light Infantry

volunteered

to lead a

party of his regiment through dense jungle

near

Tathwe,

in

Upper Burma.

Single-

handed he attacked a picquet consisting of

three of the enemy's men,
surprise, killing
to flight.^'

whom

he took by

one and putting the other two

Some
/emadar,

time

later

Aziz
a

Khan,

another
of

commanding

company
of

mounted men, alone charged groups

Karens
at

Red

Nga-Kiang, rescuing from them

and

two of his troopers who had fallen wounded

in the melee,

killing three of the foe."

In the same engagement Alladad Khan,

a

Lance Naik^

or

Lance Corporal,

in

com-

mand
of

of a half section of

mounted
bed
a

soldiers,

pursued the Red Karens, and attacked a body

them hiding
was

in

the

of

stream.
fire,

He
but

entirely alone

and under heavy

when they ran away from him and

safety
in

sought
15.

bamboo

grove,

he

Historical Records of the isjth Baluch Light In.

Ibid., p.
71.

fantry, pp. 70, 71.

16.

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

away."

157

continued to harass them until he drove them

Baluchi private,

Khaim Khan,

in

the

same brush with

enemy's

the Karens, attacked several

bodies of them single-handed while exposed

to the
bullets,

and did not desist

until

he had routed them, even though he had been

seriously

wounded

in the encounter.^*

The Brahman
sepoys of the
first

soldiers covered themselves

with glory during this

Burma campaign.

The

nth Bengal

Infantry were the

to set foot within the fort at the storming

of Minhla.

On

another occasion a detach-

ment

of the 4th Bengal Infantry,

commanded
half,

by a Brahman Subadar, made a forced march

of sixty-five miles in a

day and a
at

and

immediately upon arriving

tion,

their

destina-

took Kendat by storm and saved the

lives of

many

British officials
^'

who had been

condemned
17.

to a cruel death,

Ibid., p.

71.

18.
19.

Ibid., pp. 71, 72.

Handbooks
11.

Captain A.

for the Indian Army: Brahmans, by Bingley and Captain A. Nicholls, p. iq,

158

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

The Abyssinian campaign

fighter to

of 1867-68 fur-

nished splendid opportunities for the Indian

show

his versatility.

thousand

mules had been landed without

were roaming about were
at
at large.

drivers,

and

The

Indians

once detailed to collect them into padLater

docks, and did so with great difficulty.

on they were told

off to construct the

famous

Zula Pass over the Devil's Staircase.

fate

The
largely

of

the
it,

Abyssinian
for

campaign

rested on
British

without this roadway the

in its

army would have been blocked

progress to the heart of the rebellious

King
the

Theodore's country.
equal
to

The
and

Indians proved
finished

the

occasion,

arduous task
travelled

in a little

over six weeks.

They

three

hundred miles by a forced

march, carrying their

their

own

kits

throughout
facilities

long journey, as no transport

at

were

hand, and joined headquarters before

Magdala.

They were
in

just a little too late

action, but

to take part in the

Arogee
battle

were

keen

to

engage

although

footsore

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

and
tired to the point of

159

exhaustion from their

district,

long tramp through an arid

rations

on short

and with
dramatic

insufficient water.^

A
nished

instance

showing how the

Indian fighter can' defy the

in in

enemy was
British

fur-

1863,

while

the

were
of the
all

engaged

punishing the wild

men

North-West Frontier.
once sued
for a respite

The enemy

at

and suggested that a

song would help

ing.

to beguile the night's fightlad,

One

of them, a Bajauri

sang a

bellicose lay of his clan.

As

the last strains

Afridis

of his martial

melody died away, two

belonging to the British side stepped from

behind the breastworks,

mounted

the

wall,

and

sat nonchalantly dangling their legs, their

figures

standing

out

boldly

in

the

bright

moonlight.

They

replied to the
their

Bajauri's

song by singing one of

of

own, the burden

which was contempt

for their foes.

As

the

last

words rang

out,

the

two

men

hastily

20.

Historical Records of the lajth Baluch Light In-

fantry, pp. 1519.

i6o

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
behind
the

jumped

parapet

and

fighting

was instantaneously resumed with renewed

fierceness.
^^

During the same campaign Maula Dad

Khan, then a Jemadar

in

the

ist

Punjab
enemy,

Infantry, settled the fate of two of the

who

for

some time had been annoying the

by
firing

British forces

on

their

camp

at night.

When
done
plied

asked by his Captain what could be

he quietly reof the
cliff

to silence the " snipers,"

by slipping over the edge

on

which the camp was pitched.

After a con-

siderable interval two shots were heard, and a

few minutes

later

he came back bringing the

head-gear and arms of his fallen foes as witnesses of his deed.

place of the

He

had traced the hiding

the
flashes

enemy by

of

their

guns, crept up to them and killed them."

The
fill

Indian soldier's deeds of daring so

the pages of the annals chronicling the

events of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, that one

21.
22.

History of the zoth Infantry, pp.

Ibid., p.
119.

115.

116-

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

is

i6i

bewildered

in

choosing instances of out-

standing bravery.

Here

are a few:
this,

Early

in the

course of

probably the

greatest struggle that the British have

had

to

go through

in the

East, three companies of

of

Mazbi

(or

Mazbee) Sikhs, each consisting

eighty men, were raised to take part in the

siege of Delhi.

These raw

recruits

were given

arms and ammunition, but they were not provided with uniforms, bedding,
port,
tents,

transtheir

or

enough

of anything to

meet

needs.

Most

of

them were not supplied with

socks or boots. Without grumbling, however,

they went forward by double marches, from

Ludhiana
hundred
of

to Delhi, a distance of

about two
train

miles, acting as the

guard of a

ammunition and treasure over a mile long.

their rearguard

When

was attacked the Sikhs,

their

though

exhausted

from

long

march

across the Punjab plain, fought so hard that

they succeeded in saving

all

the

ammunition

and treasure."
23.
I-.

Regimental History of the J3nd Sikh Pioneers, \o\.

3.

PP-

4-

i62

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

little

later a

body

of these

same men,

two hundred strong, marched forty-two miles

in eleven hours.

On

another occasion, during

an exceedingly hot and oppressive summer

night, a

detachment marched

forty-five miles

in twelve

and a quarter hours.

Halts are

in-

cluded in both instances.

In neither case was

a single person left on the road.^*

At Sirpura these men advanced

the help of British officers or

for over

half a mile across an open plain, and, without

soldiers,

and

with no artillery to back them, attacked four

guns

in

position.

They captured
being

the two

largest cannon,

and would have taken the

horsed,

other two as well, but,

they

managed
some

to get

away, only to be seized at

cavalry.^*

distance,

by

The Mazbis

actually starved during the

operations about Delhi, as none of them was

given any pay until the city had

fallen.

Then

an advance of two shillings and eightpence

24. 25.

Ibid., p. Ibid., p.

192. 194.

DEEDS OF DASH
was doled out
not
until

Ax\D DARING.

163

to the
later

most necessitous, and

did

weeks

they

receive

month's pay.

But without a murmur, endur-

ing the utmost fatigue and constantly suffer-

ing from the pangs of hunger, they stood firm

by the

British colours

and helped the Britons

master the mutineers.^

All that was
left of

three

Indian
71st

regi-

ments,

the

13th,

48th,

and

Native
in

Infantry,

behaved with noteworthy valour

defending the Lucknow Residency at the time

of the Mutiny.

These men were

fighting so

close to the rebel sepoys that they could talk

with their foes between shots.

The

mutineers

used every means

in their

power

to persuade

the " faithful few " to desert the British and

swell the insurrectionists' forces.

But they

refused to be persuaded by promises of rich

reward, cajolery, threats or imprecations to

be untrue to their
to

trust.

Indeed, they tried

their British

work even harder than

com-

rades,
26,

and determined
Ibid., p.
194.

to stand their

ground

i64

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
the Residency

come what might, and defend

so long as there was
life in

their bodies.

They

dug

trenches, and fought in them.

They even
to

did not hesitate to perform duties in which

people of their caste were forbidden

gage.

en-

For

instance,

Brahmans, or men

of the

highest caste, belonging to the 13th regiment,

did not for the fraction of a

to pick

moment

hesitate

up and deposit

in other graves the

rotting corpses of sepoys

who had been

it

pre-

viously buried at a spot where

to erect a battery.

was necessary

In thus obeying the comthey

mand

of

their

officers,

outraged the

fundamental principles of
society.

their religion

and

But they acted without counting the

cost."

At the same place (Lucknow), Mukarrab

Khan, a Moslem
soldier, thrust his left arm,

on which he carried a shield, between the

leaves of the gate to prevent the
27.

enemy from

History of the Indian Mutiny, by Sir John WiUiam Col. G. B. Malleson, Vol. III., pp. 326, 327; and Official Report of the Defence of Lucknow, from Colonel J. Inglis, quoted therein, p. 388.

Kaye and

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARIKG.

closing
it

165

in

the face of the

British forces.

When
sword

his
cut,

hand was badly wounded by

he instantly thrust his other arm

in the gates,

through the crack

before withinjured.

drawing

the
at

one

that

had

been

Almost

once his right hand was nearly

severed from the wrist but he stood firm until

the reinforced British troops forced the doors

open and the Indian and European

soldiers

swarmed

in.^*

One Gambar
Colonel

of

the

heroes of the Mutiny was

Singh, then a

Gurkha sepoy,
At

later

Bahadur
three

(brave).

Lucknow
only

he captured
mutineers,

guns and killed seven

and armed

single-handed

with his long, curved knife {khiikri).

He

was
of

wounded
cut

in twenty-three places, lost

some

his fingers,
off,

and had one of

his

hands nearly

but refused to give up the struggle

until

he had accomplished his wonderful feat

of arms.''
Forty-one Years in India, by Field-Marshal 28. Roberts of Kandahar, Vol. I., pp. 326, 327. Notes on Goorkhas,-hy Capt. Kden Vansiltart, 29.

Lord
p. 72.

i66

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

During the siege

diers

of Arrah, the Sikh sol-

remained true
did
life all

to their British

comrades,

and

they

could

to

cheer

and
a

make

bearable for them.

They dug

well to provide the beseiged

Europeans with

drinking water.

They

stealthily crept out at

night and brought in sheep for food.

They

discovered and destroyed the mine that the

enemy had

laid to

blow up the

little fortress.

Hukam
heavy

Singh, a ] cmadar, was so contemp-

tuous of the enemy's bullets that under a

fire

he climbed to the roof and threw

bricks at them, taunting

them

as he did so.^

In pondering the events that led to the

outbreak of

the

Sepoy

Mutiny,

and
its

the

tribulations of the British during

course,

Britons of this generation must not dwell on

the

men to such an extent as to forget the sacrifices made by large bodies of loyal Indians who helped to quell
treachery of
disloyal

the revolt.
30.
p. 67.

Two Months

in

Arrah

in i8y, by

John James Halls,

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

Of
not
the

167

gallantry

displayed by

Indians

while aiding the British in pre-Mutiny days

much can be

related here

for

lack

of

space.

To

mention but one instance

During the Chinese

War

of 1840, the 3rd

company
brush
nearly

of the 37th Native Infantry

had a
while
lives,

with

the

Celestials
all

which,
their

costing

of

them

won
the
this

them

undying
It

renown
suddenly
hard

as

valorous
at

warriors.

was
a

realized,
fighting,

close

of

day's

that

company was
them.

missing.

At once two

companies of Marines were despatched to

hunt
for

They
to the

hurried back over the

muddy ground
Night had

scene of the day's battle.

it

fallen,

and

was

raining.

After

tramping about aimlessly for several hours

they finally heard shots in the distance, and

some

faint hurrahs.

Following the direction

of these sounds, they

came upon a

force of

Chinamen
at their
It

several thousand strong,

who

fled

approach.

was discovered that the missing Indians

i68
v/ere

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

drawn up

in a

hollow square

in the centre

of a rice field.

Up

to the time of their rehef

they had been surrounded by the enemy, but

had decided
render.

to die fighting rather

than sur-

In the darkness of the cloudy, rainy

day, they had

become separated from

their

regiment.

Suddenly they found themselves

large
sorts

assailed from the rear by a

body
of

of

Chinese
weapons.

armed

with

all

queer

One

of the sepoys was struck with

a long spear and dragged out of the line.

His
he

musket was snatched from

his hand, but

continued to fight with his bayonet until he

was cut down.

The
square,

Indians at once formed a hollow

and an Ensign and half a dozen

forward to try to save
unfortunate comrade sucto
their

men who had sprung

the
life

of
in

their

ceeded

returning

companions.

Chinaman grabbed
it

the dead man's gun,

fired

rested

in the

branch of a bush, and

point blank at the Ensign.

to defend themselves

The

Indians tried

with

their

muskets,

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

heavy rain they could not
with the
flint

169

but were dismayed to find that owing to the

ignite their

powder

and

steel.

Their short bayonets

long spears with which

were no match

for the

the Chinese were arm.ed.

Finally the sepoys

stronger position.

managed
rain,

to retire to

The

meanwhile, had
it

stopped long enough to make

possible for
of

them

to use their muskets.

Some

them

tore the linings

from

their caps,

drew the wet

cartridges from their m.uskets,

and cleaned

the barrels by baling water into

their hands.

them with
fire

Thus

they were enabled to

number
than

of volleys at the
fifty

enemy, who were

less

feet distant.

The cowardly
fire,

Chinese were driven back by the

and the
in

Sepoys managed

to

make

their

way

the

direction of the camp.

But the rain again descended

in torrents,

putting the fire-arms once more out of commission.

The Chinese

took advantage of this

s

circumstance and the Sepo\

were forced,

for

the third time, to form a hollow square.

They

170

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
their

had made up
formation
their lives,
all

minds
if

to

remain

in this

night,

necessary, fighting for

when

the Marines
flight.

came along and

put the Celestials to

The
to

rescuers

reached them at the psychological moment,

for the

Chinese had managed

hill

mount
fire

a small

gun on a

near-by and opened

on them

just as the relief party arrived.

They must
to

have been

mowed down
Indian

in a short time.^^

The
is

fighter's

devotion

his

British General,

and

his spirit of self-sacrifice,

shown by an

incident that occurred in the

early

days of the

Honourable East India

in 1752,

Company.

When,

Lord Clive was

hard pressed by an overwhelming number of

foes, his

Indian soldiers devised a means of

difficulty

overcoming the
ness of rations.

occasioned by shortthat the while

He

was told

soldiers might eat the rice, while they them-

selves

would subsist upon the water

in

which

the cereal had been boiled.

31.

Narrative of the
J.

Expedition

to

China,

by

mander

Elliot

Bingham, R.N., Vol.

II.,

pp. 237

240.

Com-

DEEDS OF DASH AND DARING.

Lord Macaulay,
has
in his

171

Essay on Clivc,
in the following

made
:

this incident

Uve

words

"

During

fifty

days the siege (of Arcot)

fifty

went on.

During

days the young cap-

tain (Clive)

maintained the defence with a

firmness,

vigilance,

and

ability

which
oldest

would have done honour

marshal
in

to

the

Europe.

The

garrison began

to feel the pressure of hunger.

Under such

circumstances, any troops so scantily pro-

vided with

officers

might have been ex.

pected to show signs of insubordination

But the devotion of the

little

band
is

to its

chief surpassed anything that

related of

the

Tenth Legion
of

of Caesar, or of the

Old
to

Guard

Napoleon.

The sepoys came

all

Clive, not to complain of their scanty fare,

but to propose that

the grain should be

given to the Europeans,

who

required more

nourishment than the natives of Asia.

thin gruel, they said,

The
them-

which was strained

suffice for

away from the

rice

would

172

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
History contains no more touching
fidelity-

selves.

instance of military

.""
.

Sacrifices such as these helped to

battles,

win the

which have laid the foundation of

British suzerainty in India.

32.

Texts.

Mataulay's Essay on Clive. Blackie's English Edited by W. H. D. Rouse, Litt.D., p. 23.

CHAPTER

V.

Past Services to Britain.

FROM
interests.

the earliest days of the

Honourable

East India Company, the soldiers of

Hindostan have fought

It is

in

defence of British
all

freely

acknowledged by

authorities that Indians troops rendered im-

portant services in conquering India for Great

Britain.

Instances could be cited by the score

it

to establish this point, but since

is

readily

admitted by

all,

and no

authority,

no matter
against

how

prejudiced he

may have been

them

Indians, has ever questioned the importance

of the part played by

in this respect,

it is

unnecessary to burden
tions.
I

this

book with quota-

cannot, however, resist the tempta-

tion to

reproduce some words from page 338

of

the

Imperial Gazetteer of India {The

73

174

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Indian Empire), Vol. IV., wherein, while

dealing with the causes of the Indian Mutiny,
it is

stated
"

The Sepoy Army had

Empire

built

up the
."
;
. .

fabric of the British

in India
it

Limitations of space
to

make

impossible

recount here

how Indian
there

soldiers

have

helped the British to conquer various portions

of India.
of

Nor

is

room

for a description

how

the ready, enthusiastic, and efficient aid

of Rajas

and Indian
dominion

soldiers helped to save

in

the

British

India from being

in 1857.

wrecked by the Sepoys who mutinied

In the words of Capt. Lionel
for the help
J.

Trotter: but

of the " Sikh,

Hindu and Moham.

.

our own countrymadan Sepoys and police men would have fought in vain."^ A rapid survey, however, may be made of the important

campaigns

in

which Indians have been

employed outside Hindostan proper (conI.

Vol.

II.,

India under Victoria, by Captain Lionel J. Trotter, Similar references occur in other authentic p. 89.

annals of this period.

>!

#,

''

<,

1^.. -

=*5

ts
I*':

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

sidering

X75

Burma

as foreign territory) since the

eighteenth century.

As

far

back as 1762 Indian soldiers were

In that

required for active service abroad.

year the Government of Madras recruited two

thousand Sepoys

for an expedition to Manila.

General Order dated

20th July,
" to

1762,

directed the

Major

of

Brigade

bring a

return to the Adjutant-General of the

of

number

Sepoys already entered

for the expedition,"

etc.^

Details of this campaign are given by

J.

Maj.-Gen. Sir

Malcolm, G.C.B., on page

330 of the Report from Select Committee on

the
Affairs

of

the

East

India
of

Company,

Military, printed for the

House

Commons

on August

6th, 1832.
later,

Seventeen years

on 5th October,

2. Copy of Minutes of the Most Noble the Marquis of Tweeddale, K.T., Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Madras, of the 6th day of Marc)^, 1845, ^^^ ^ *^* ^^*^ ^^7 of March, 1845, upon the System under which Native Troops of that Presidency are employed on Foreign Service. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 4th April, East India (Native Troops), igi (mentioned hereafter 1867. as Mitiules by the Marquis of Tweeddale), p. i.

176

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

1779, the

Madras Government again

go

called

for Indian volunteers, this time to

to

Ben-

coolan, Sumatra.

bounty of forty rupees

willing to

was offered

to

each

man who was

serve there for three years.

On
of ten

29th April, 1794, the Madras Governthat three temporary battalions

at

ment directed

companies each should be

once

brigaded for the expedition to Amboyna, one

of the

Molucca
It

islands, in the

Malay Archi-

pelago.

was

distinctly

promised by the

Commander
attention

of the

Army

that the " minutest

to provide for the
left

would be given

subsistence and comfort of the families

with each corps during the absence

troops."

of

the

So ready and whole-hearted was

it

the response that

was impossible

to

make

use of

all

the Indians

who immediately

offered

their services.

This so pleased the Com" to

mander-in-Chief that he issued orders that

reward, so far as present circumstances will

permit, the merit of those Native commis3.

Ibid., p.

I.

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

sioned and non-commissioned officers
gallantly
for

177

who
be

so

offered

themselves
they
of

as

volunteers
re-

foreign

service,"

should

moved, with one step

certain
at the

rank each,

into

new corps which were being

in

raised

time/
1796,
it

When,
these

became necessary

to

strengthen the troops at

Amboyna and Banda,

by a draft

new

battalions, strengthened

from the nth Battalion, were sent to the

front.

The

reinforcements consisted of " at

least a subaltern's party of artillery,

two com-

panies of European infantry, and about four

of Native infantry," each

company

of Indian

foot "

complete to the fixed establishment of

etc.,

68 privates,
terns."

and two European subal-

The
should

wish was expressed that the

force

be

composed

of

volunteers.

Again many more than the required number

instantly responded to the call.

After capthe

turing

the

Dutch

Settlements,

troops

remained
4.

until
I,

1801 in garrison at Malacca,

2.

Ibid., pp.

178

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
with

Amboyna, and Banda,

relief.^

only

partial

Soon

after the expedition

had been sent

to

Amboyna,
battalions

in

1794 and 1795, three entire

Indian soldiers were sent to

of

Ceylon, where they performed garrison duty

at

Colombo, Jaffuspatam, and Trincomalee.

of them, the ist

Two

and 9th Regiments

in

of

Native Infantry, remained

Ceylon

until the

middle of 1797.

The

7th

Regiment did not

return until the spring of 1802.*

In

1797 a portion of the 3rd and 5th

Native Infantry, together with the 33rd and

34th Battalions, and a detachment of the
ist,

2nd, 3rd, and 4th Native Cavalry formed an

expeditionary

force

intended
far as

for

Manila.

They
ture

only proceeded as

Penang, how-

ever, at

which point

in their

journey the venall

was abandoned.

However,

the

Indian ranks were granted honorary badges

for the service.^

On
5.

19th March,
3.

1797, the Governor-in3.

7.

Ibid., p.

6.

Ibid., p.

Ibid., p. 3.

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

179

Council issued a General Order announcing

that a donation of three months' family

was

to

be

made

to the heirs of all

money Sepoys who

" the east-

might be killed or die on service to

ward

"
;

that a donation of

two months' family

to the heirs of all

allowance was to be

made

who might
and
allowed
to

die or be killed

on Ceylon service
to "

that ten

supernumerary boys were

each battalion,
to

be

be

chosen

exclusively from the near relatives of those

who may have died on

a "

the service."

By

subsequent orders, each sepoy was allowed

cumly

"

and one month's advance of pay

fifty

each battalion was allowed to take

with
it,

boys

and families were allowed, whenever

it,

they might desire

rice equal to the

It

amount
given

of their certificates.'

had been previously

were
rice,

ordered'' that the troops

to

be

rations

consisting

of

pulses,

ghee
fish,

(clarified butter), curry

condiments, salt

betel,

and tobacco, while on board ship and

service.

on shore, during foreign

8.

I}}id-,

p.

4.

9.

Ibid., p. 3.

i8o

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

A
all

small detail consisting of twenty-five of

ranks of the
of

a hundred

Body Guard the Bombay

in

with about half

Infantry

was

despatched to Persia
the British Envoy.'"

1800 as an escort to

In the

initial

year of the 19th century, a

contingent of 5,000 troops was sent to Egypt

by the East India Company

Britannic

to fight for his

Majesty.

This

expedition

was

meant
against
their

to

be directed against the

French,

whom
soil.

Indians had valiantly fought on

own

Strangely enough, just a

later,

little

more than a century

convoyed farther west
to

Indians

were

France

to fight side to

by side with the Republic's forces

keep the

German hordes from

despoiling the land of

libcrte, egalite, fraternitt.

The
to

Indian soldiers
in

who

v/ere taken over

Egypt

1801 really belonged to a force

which the East India Company had got ready

to

send to conquer Java and the Mauritius.

Trin-

The Bengal detachment had reached

10,

Hid.,

p.

4,

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

comalee, Ceylon, bound on this mission,

i8i

when

Lord Wellesley decided to divert

to help the

it

to

Egypt

Army

of

Great Britain to expel

the

French from the Nile-country. The force

an
experimental troop of Horse
Artillery,

included

Artillery, a

detachment of Foot

and

a regiment of Indian Infantry volunteers.

This expedition, commanded by Sir Ralph

Abercromby,
fortunately,
its

sailed

from

Bombay.

Un-

one mishap after another checked

First two of the transports were

advance.

wrecked, and others were badly damaged during a storm

the

while in the

Red

Sea.

Again,

wind blew perversely from the wrong

quarter,
to

making

it

impossible for the troops

be landed at Suez, as had been originally

planned, and detachments of them were put

ashore at Kossier in

May

and June,

1801.

They were

forced to

make

a long march across

the desert from Kossier to Keneh, suffering

many hardships on the way. made their way down the

Thence they
left

bank

of
in

the Nile to Girgeh, where they

embarked

i82

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

boats and were taken to Cairo.

They

re-

mained there three weeks, and, on August

28th, again started

down

the river in boats,

reaching Rosetta on the third day.

To

their

great disgust they learned, on landing, that

Alexandria, the last French stronghold, had

capitulated.
fight

Thus all chance for them to was gone. They became a part of the

British

Army

of

Occupation

for a

few months,

and, in July and August, 1802, set their faces

towards India.^^

A
teers

detachment of Cavalry,

Artillery,

Horse

Artillery,

and Pioneers composed of volunin

from various regiments embarked,

1808, for service in Persia.

The

three bat-

talions of Indian infantry at the time stationed

at

Wallajahbad, thinking that foot soldiers

to

were

be sent on

this

expedition,

volun-

teered to a man.

The detachment

originally
in

intended

to

be

despatched for service

Persia at this time consisted of 1,000

A Sketch of tht Servicts II. by F. G. Cardw, pp. 74, 75.
of tht

men

of

Btngal Nativi Army,

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

all

183

ranks.

They embarked
at

at

Mangalore and
there for

disembarked
five

Bombay, camping

months.

From

that point the bulk of the

troops were ordered back to Madras, only a

small detail actually proceeding to

Persia.

The

soldiers

who returned
mark

to

Madras were

given a month's extra allowance and honorary

badges

" as a

of distinction, and as a

proof of the sense entertained by the Govern-

ment of

their

attachment to the service, and of

their meritorious

conduct while absent from

their

own
1

establishment."^^

In

8 10 the

Government contemplated
Java, and called for

employing a portion of the Indian troops of

the

Madras Army
"

in

volunteers for

an expedition to the eastall

ward," holding out inducements to

ranks.

Seven
teered.

thousand

men immediately
it

volunto

Subsequently

was

decided

give up the idea of invading Java.

the volunteers remained embodied,

But
later

and

became the Madras

12.

Rifle Corps,
of

which was
p. 4.

Minutes by the Marquis

Tweeddale,

i84

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

sent along with the expedition to the French

Islands in i8io.^^

Two

battalions of Indian troops were orin

dered to Ceylon

1818.

They remained

there in garrison at different stations through-

out that year and during part of 1819.^*

Six years later Indians were employed to

wage war upon

soldiers

the

King

of

Burma, whose

had committed depredations on the

eastern frontier of the East India

Company's

dominions.
called

The
in

First

Burma War

as
in

it

was

began

1824 and

ended

1826,

and resulted

in the

annexation by the British

of Assam, Arakan, and Tenasserim, at a cost of almost 20,000 soldiers and ^14,000,000.

The regiments

in

Ava

suffered terribly during

year's service.

the whole of their

first

The
no

Sepoys were exposed

to the worst possible

privations of every sort.

fresh

For one

thing,

meat was obtainable, and the Indian

were compelled to subsist upon the
fish,
5.

soldiers

ordinary sea rations of salt

13.

etc.

This

Ibid., pp. 4,

5.

14.

Ibid., p.

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

caused

185

much

sickness and mortality. Besides,

the climate and the inclemency of the weather

were very trying.

In 1824 and 1825, out of

1,184 had

a force of about 15,000 soldiers,

died and about 800 had been invalided to

the sea coast.
It is

noteworthy that the

first

reinforce-

ments that were sent

to the corps to take the

place of the sick and dead

at

men were

recruited

Wallajahbad, where a hospital had been

established for the Indian soldiers.

Although

these recruits constantly witnessed the most

harrowing sights, saw the Indian soldiers being brought in sick and wounded, and
full

knew

well the privations to which they were

to be exposed, yet they

bound

were perfectly

willing to offer their services to the British

in

their

hour of need,

and

nearly

2,000

embarked
It

in successive detachments.^*

may be

prominently mentioned here

Indian

that, in spite of the fact that the regular

troops were given the option of accompanying

15.

Hid., pp.

7.

i86

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

their corps

on foreign

service, with the assur-

ance "that any individuals

prejudices of caste,
other

unwilHng,

from
or

family
to

connections,

good cause,

follow their

colours,
" that

would be drafted

into other corps,"

to

and

no disapprobation would attach

them

for

such choice," they never hesitated to go to

any point

at

any time

it

was intimated that and

no

they could be of service to the East India

Company

or to his Britannic Majesty,

finally the option

was

discontinued,
it/*

as

advantage was taken of

Following the campaign

soldiers continued to be

in

Ava, Indian

employed on foreign
Provinces,
the

service

in

the

Tenasserim

Straits of

Malacca, China, and Aden.

is

Their

eagerness to serve in foreign lands

strated

demonand

by the

fact that

many

of the corps

went abroad, on active

again.

service,

again

In the early days, according to the

Marquis of Tweeddale, K.T., Governor and

Commander-in-Chief of Madras, volunteers

i6.

Ibid., p.

5.

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

were actually
"

187

known

to

hurry

down from

distance by forced marches, lest they should

not be in time for embarkation."^'

The
brought

first

Afghan

War
and

(1839-1842),
of

about

by the meddling
Viceroy

Lord

Auckland,

then

GovernorAfghani-

General of India, with the

stan,

politics of

once again led to the employment of

Indian troops.

Owing

to treachery, disaster

after disaster befell the

invading army.
soldiers

Most

of the British

and Indian

were killed

or died of disease, misadventure, or exposure,

and the survivors suffered

terrible privations.

The avenging

army, however, pushed into the

heart of Afghanistan, British prisoners were

rescued, the Afghans duly punished, and the

conquering
triumph.

Army

returned

to

India

in

Lord Ellenborough, who,

had become
the

in the

meantime,

Governor-General,
with
their

rewarded

sepoys

favourite

sweetmeat.^*
17. 18.

Ibid., pp.

10,

II.

Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army, pp. 167 192; also all hiitories dealing with this period.

i88

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
Meanwhile, Indian troops had been con-

veyed

to

China

to

punish the Celestials for

property

destroying

British

(mostly opium

sent from India), valued at two and a half

million pounds, and insulting British officials.

The

first

detachment, consisting mostly of

troops,
sailed

Madrasi

from

Calcutta

in

April, 1840.

They occupied

the Island of

Chusan on July 5th

from the ravages
stay.

of that year, remaining

there during the rest of the year, suffering

of disease throughout their

In January, 1841, the Island of Chuen-

pee, in the

Canton

river,

was attacked.

Sub-

sequently, engagements took place at various

points.

The

British force,
to

meantime, moved
still

from Canton

Hong Kong,

hard

hit

by

epidemics of one kind or another.

the soldiers returned to India,

Some of those who reof 1841,

in

mained

in

China taking part

in various actions

up

to the latter part of the

summer

and eventually embarked

the early spring of 1842.

for the

homeland

Their place was

taken by a

new

battalion of Indian volunteers

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

from Bengal, who, reaching China
in

189

June,

1842, joined the forces that were at that time

preparing to advance to the Yang-tse-Kiang,

and

in

July took Chin-Kiang-Foo by storm.

In this engagement three companies of Indian

fighters

were the

first to

enter into conflict with

the

Chinese,
of

scattering

them,
British

and killing
Force then

many

them.

The

prepared to advance on Nanking, but before

that place could be taken, peace

was conback

cluded,

and the

Indians

were sent

home."

The second
treating
British

Burma War, which

residents
in

v*a3

brought about by the Burmese grossly mal-

Burma,

once

again necessitated the employment of Indian

troops.

Lord Dalhousie (Governor-General

to 1856) sent a deputation to the to protest against

from 1848

King

of

Burma

what had

happened.
1

He

issued an ultimatum on Feb.

2th, 1852,

and while he was making military

19.

Ibid., pp. 193

195;

also Minutes of the

Marquis

of

Tv/eeddale, and

many

other authorities,

ipo

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

preparations, the
truce,

Burmese

fired

on the

flag of

and invaded and seized

Martaban.

Peace was not proclaimed

the following year,

until 30th

June of

when Pegu was annexed.

was remarkable

In 1858 Indian troops were taken for the

second time to China.

It

that these soldiers should have volunteered

for service across the sea while their

comrades

were taking an active part

in

the

Sepoy
along

Mutiny then raging. whose policy

The

Indians,

with British and French troops, fought the

Celestials,

of absolutely exclud-

ing Europeans had led to this campaign.

Brownlow's Punjabis were the

the

first,

either of to

French or

English

F'orces,

enter
its

Peking, and plant the British colours on

walls
in

i860.'"

The

last

of the

Indian
until

soldiers did not return to

Hindustan

1862.

The campaigns
of

against the

Khudu Khels
in

the
20.

North-West Frontier,

1858,

the

History of the 2oth (Puke of Ca>nbrid ^e's

.

Own)

Infantry ( Broiwlovfi Fufift^bis )

p,

\(>,

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

Abors
of the

191

North-East Frontier
in

in 1858-59,

and the Waziris

tions in the

1859 and i860; the operain

Khasiah and Jiantiah Hills

eastern India in 1862-63; the expedition to

Ambela on
in

the
in

North-West Frontier; the war

Bhutan,

northern India in 1864-66; the

the
Bizoti

campaign

against

Urakzais in

1868; the Expedition to the Black Mountain

in

Hazara
against

in

1868;
Bizoti

the

second
in

expedition

the

Urakzais

1869; the Lushai expedition in 1871-72; the

punitive

measures

against

the

Dawaris

in

1872

the campaign

against the
hills

Daphlas,
of

savage tribes inhabiting the

Lower

Assam
small

in

1874-75; and the

Naga

Hills ex-

pedition in the

same

year, all of

needed large or
soldiers
to

detachments

Indian

punish the raiding and fanatical frontiersmen,

and

protect

life

and

property

in

the

British territory

which marched with other

dominions.
21.

^^

pp. 2<p

323

Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army, and many other works,
;

rgs

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
In 1867-68 Indian fighters were required

to cross the seas, to battle with the

army

of
in-

King Theodore

of Abyssinia,

who had

sulted the British representative at his Court

and wantonly imprisoned

British

subjects.

Some

14,000 Indians

marched

for

several

hundred miles through a country absolutely

unknown

to them,

from the coast

to the hostile

potentate's

capital,

Magdala, known

to

be

strongly defended.
to carry their

Most

of

them were forced

way, while
all

own

kits all the

suffered from lack of sufficient water and food.

But they did not return home

until they

had

accomplished the object for which they had

been taken

to Abyssinia."

Indian troops went to the Malay Straits

Settlement
in

1875-76, to assist in putting

down

the insurrection at Perak, in which the

Resident, Mr. Birch, had been killed."

They were employed

in

many

operations

22. Ibid., pp. 316 318; also Historical Records of the lajlh Baluch Light Infantry, pp. 15 ig. Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army, 23.

p.

2,^:^

also parliamentary papers, ?{c,

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

193

against the frontiersmen during the following

years,

of which

the expedition

against the

Jowaki Afridis

in 1877, the

punishment of the and the camin in

Naga
the

Hill tribes in 1877-78,

paign against the Ranizais,

Skakot, and

Utman

(or

Usman) Khels

Swat, in the

last-named year,

may be

mentioned."*

The second Afghan War, declared on November 21st, 1877, by Lord Lytton,
then Viceroy and Governor-General, in order
to drive

Russian influence out of the capital of

the Amir,

and compel him

to "

consent to re-

ceive a permanent British mission within his

territory,"

and apologize

for

" past in

trans-

gressions,"

saw

Indian

soldiers,

three

columns, headed by the late Lord (then Lt.-

Gen. Sir F.

S.) Roberts, Sir

Donald Stewart,
terri-

and

Sir

Samuel Browne, march upon the

Highness

tories of his

as he was then styled

directions.

from
1880,
24.

three

different

In the

course of this campaign, in the latter part of

Lord Roberts
Ibid., pp. 325, 326.

carried out his brilliant

194

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
to

coup

relieve

the

British
his

garrison

at

Kandahar, by marching
(over 7,000 of

10,000 soldiers

whom

were Indians) a distance

of 310 miles in twenty days, over the roughest

kind of country imaginable. ^^

While the Afghan war was

in progress,

detachment of Indian troops was, on April

17th, 1878,

despatched to the Mediterranean,

under instructions from the Secretary of State

for India, to

be in readiness in case the adin the

vance of Russians on Constantinople

Russo-Turkish war should assume a dangerous aspect.

field

The

force consisted of two

Artillery,

batteries of

Royal

two

regi-

ments of Indian Cavalry,

six regiments

of

Indian Infantry, and four companies of Sappers and Miners, mostly Sikhs, Gurkhas, and

Moslems.
at

The

expeditionary troops arrived

Malta

in

May, 1878, and were inspected by

of

His Royal Highness the Duke

Commanding-in-Chief.
25.

Cambridge,
soldiers

The Indian
II.,

Ibid., pp. 336

374

also Forty-otic Years in India,

by Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, Vol.

pp. 86375.

(X

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

remained
at

195

Malta
to

for

two months, and then

were moved

Cyprus, from which island they

were

finally sent

back

to

India towards the

end of August."

The

outrages committed by the

Mahsud
to

Waziris, on the North-West Frontier, in 1881,

determined the Government of India

another
expedition,
largely

send
of

composed

Indians, against these troublesome tribesmen,

to punish

them

for their obstreperousness.'^

The defence
Egypt required
in 1882,

of

Imperial

interests

in

the assistance of Indian troops

set out

and they

once again

for the

Nile Land.

They bore

the brunt of the fight-

ing in this campaign, and completely crushed

the insurrection

among

the African

troops.

On

the completion of the campaign, which

lasted about three months, the force returned

home."
26.

Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army,

;

also Hansard, etc. pp. 326, 327 Ibid., pp. 375, 376; also Regimental History of the 27. 32nd Sikh Pioneers, Vol. I., pp. 97 99.

28.

Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army,

pp. 378380.

196

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
Early
in

1885

it

was necessary

to

send

another Indian expedition to Egypt to assist

the British troops at Suakin.^'

In the same year, Indian troops crossed

over to

Burma

to take part in the third

It

and

last

Burmese war.

was not over

until

1887,
the

when Upper Burma was annexed, and

Shan States came under
British.^""

the protection of the

Tibetan aggression on the trade routes

in

Sikkim, and the virtual agreement of the ruler

of that buffer State to

become the feudatory

Lord Dufferin,

of the

Lama

of Tibet, led

then Viceroy and Governor-General of India,

to

send, in

1888, an

expeditionary

force,

largely Indian in composition, to enforce his

ultimatum to the Chinese, Tibetan and Sikkim

authorities.''*

The

force did

its

work so well
no trouble
is

that since then there has been

in

Sikkim, and the Maharaja of that State

29.

now

30.

Ibid., pp. 381 384. Ibid., pp. 384392. Ibid., pp. 393, 394; also I., pp.

31.

22nd Sikh Pioneers, Vol,

Regimenlal History of the

135-

Past services to Britain.

as
loyal

107

as

loyal

can

be

to

the

British

Government.

number

of

frontier

operations

next

engaged the Indian

troops.
in

Of

these, the

Manipur campaign

1891, and the Black

Mountain expedition
relief of Chitral in

of the
;

same year

the

1895

and the expedition

against the

Mohmund
Some
of

Waziris, and the Tirah

campaign, of 1897 ^"^ 1898, were the most

important.
these

were very big

operations, the last employing 40,000 troops. ^^

Special mention needs to be

fact

that

during the Tirah

theretofore

made of Campaign
to take

the
the

Rajas,

who

had been allowed only

an

to contribute forces,

were permitted

active part in the fighting.

late

His Highness the

(Sir Rajindra

Maharaja of Patiala
his

Singh
late

Bahadur, G.C.S.I.);

Highness the
(Sir

Maharaja

of

Cooch

Behar

Nripendra
C.B.),

Narayan Bhup Bahadur, G.C.I.E.,

32.

and

Ibid., Vol.

I.,

pp. 139

175;

also Sketch of the Ser-

vices of the
of

Bengal Native Army, pp. 415 427; also History the Imperial Service Troops of Native States, by Briga13^.

dier General Stuart Beatson, C.B., pp.

152.

198

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

his
.

Highness

the

Maharaja

of of

Idar (Sir

Partab

Singhji,

now Regent

Jodhpur),

were

at the front.

Sir Partab Singhji

was wounded

in

the

hand while

asleep.

So shy was he

that for

several days he told no one about his trouble,

quietly keeping his

hand wrapped up
until

in

handkerchief.

Not

he was threatened

with blood poisoning would he allow a sur-

geon

to

bandage
call

it

properly.^^
to the

The
the

came

Indian soldiers to

help quell the mutiny that broke out

among
of the

Soudanese troops

in the

employ

Uganda
1896-7.'*

Protectorate, British East Africa, in

The

outbreak

of the

Boxer Rebellion

necessitated the despatch of a large

number

of

troops from India to put

all,

down

the rising.

In

about 15,000 soldiers from Hindostan took

part In this campaign in China.

Of

these,

Ibid., pp., 147 152; also The Indian Frontier War, 33. by Lionel James, pp. qi el seq. Historical Records of the is-jth Baluch Light In34. fantry, pp. 105 139; also Blue Book, Africa No. i, j8gg.

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

fully 14,371

199

were Indians.

It

may be noted
the Indians

that this

number does not include

who, as an integral part of the

Hong Kong

garrison, took part in the fighting."

It

may

also be noted that three of the

Rajas, namely, his Highness the Maharaja of

Gwalior (Sir

Madho Rao
and

Sindhia), his
(Sir

High-

ness the Maharaja of Bikaner

Ganga
the

Singh

Bahadur),

his

Highness

Maharaja

of Idar (Sir Partab Singhji), served

actively during these operations. raja of Gwalior fitted

up a

The Mahahospital ship. The

Sir

Ruler of Bikanir took his camel corps.

Partab Singhji led the Jodhpur Imperial Service

Troops.

The

Maharaja

of

Bikaner

showed

his spirit of camaraderie in this

cam-

paign by directing his Camel Corps to pitch

the tents for the
arrived in
charity to
35.

American contingent, which

tired that
it

China so
do
their

was an

act of

work

for them.^*

Parliamentary While Paper, ordered by the House

to be printed,

of

Commons
36.

March

27th,

1905.

7 he

Royal Tour in India, igo^, by Stanley Reed,

p.

116.

200

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Trouble

in

Somaliland

in

1903 led to sol-

diers being requisitioned

from India. ^^

1904 the Somali uprising

but not
all

By had been put down

;

the Indian fighters were sent back

home.

Since then there have frequently been

great or small operations which have

made

it

necessary to take fresh Indian troops there

from Hindostan.
in

Reference has been made

Chapter

III. to the present strength of the

Indian force in Somaliland.

Indian soldiers formed the bulk of the

military escort of 3,000 troops which accom-

panied Captain (now

Sir)

Francis
sent

Edward
by

Younghusband,

who

was

Lord

Curzon, Viceroy and Governor-General, in

1904, on a mission to negotiate a treaty with
the Tibetan authorities.

The plucky

Indians

braved the rigours of the

" roof of the world,"

frigid climate of the

hills

climbed jagged

and

precipitous mountains, and

the Tibetans, who, badly

valiantly

fought

armed though they

were, had entrenched themselves in positions

37.

I'arlianinilary While I'nfrr.

Marrh

27th,

upS-

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

of

201
official

natural

vantage.

According

to

reports, the average altitude at

ties

which
feet,

hostili-

were carried on was 14,000

battles took place at
feet.

though
of

some

an

elevation

18,000

The

weather, even in midsum-

mer, was "very inclement," and

during the

winter " 50 degrees of frost were not unusual,"

and gales and storms were frequent.

the thirty-seven killed and
action, 411

Besides
in

165

wounded

died through exposure, and 671

were invalided for the same cause, but the

majority of the Indians stood the severity of
the climate exceptionally well.

They

finally

forced

upon the Dlai Lama the terms of

the

treaty so dear to the heart of

Lord Curzon.'*
in

This rapid survey of the campaigns

which Indians have been engaged

for Britain

out of the Peninsula proper does not pretend

to

be exhaustive.

On

the contrary,

am
For

aware that many expeditions that well might

have been named have been omitted.

instance, military escorts which
3S.

accompanied

Moral

o.fij

Material Progress,

2<fii-t2, p. 332.

202

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

the commissions appointed for exploring

delimitating boundaries
in

and
in

Afghanistan
in

1884, Pamir in 1895, and

Aden

1903

and

a number of expeditions for the

relief of gar-

risons stationed in out-of-the-way places

on

the

North-West Frontier, and

for

punishing

frontier raiders

and keeping peace and order

in the

on the borders, have found no place

chronicle.

Nor have

alluded to the military

Persian Gulf, to

and naval operations

in the

suppress the smuggling of arms into the North-

West

Frontier.

The

small compass of space

at

and the shortness of time

it

my

disposal

make
all

impossible for

me

to

enumerate even

of

the important expeditions in which Indians

have taken

part.
this

However,
engaged
or

much may be

said:

for

many, many decades Britain has not been

in

any

fight in

which Indians
British

in large

small numbers, or

soldiers

tem-

porarily in the pay of

Hindostan have not

fought
bravely

fought

and

always

on

Britain's side.

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

203

The one

occasion in recent years on which

Indian troops did not fight side by side with

British soldiers

was the Boer war of 1900British troops

190 1.

However,

numbering
It

8,215 were taken from the Indian garrison.

must be
to the

clearly stated that

though belonging
while
in

British

Army, these men,

India, were paid for

by Hindostan, and when

the call

came

to
in

them they were employed

sparing them to fight in

by India, and

South Africa the Dependency rendered important help to the Empire.

German

gossip has

it

that the

man who

in

19 14 plunged most of the civilized world into

war blocked Britain when

it

was considering

the advisability of employing Indian soldiers

during the Boer campaign.

is

declared, objected to

The Kaiser, it brown men fighting

must
But
this

white soldiers.

How

far this is true, I

leave for others to decide.

I

much

can assert with confidence, that Indians were

to

anxious
other

meet the
they

Boers

as

on
the

many
other

occasions

had

met

204

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
of
Britain.

enemies

The

Viceroy

and

Governor-General of India
Curzon,
actually

at that time, to

Lord
use

proposed

the

British

Cabinet, headed by Mr. Balfour, to

make

of Indian cavalrymen on the veldt of South

Africa
stan.^

so

similar to the plains of

this

Hindo-

But
it is

offer

was not accepted,

to

because,

said,

Wilhelm chose
policy.
if

adopt a
often

dog-in-the-manger
occurred to

It

has

me

to inquire

the Kaiser

was

anxious to establish a precedent which would

debar Britain from employing Indians

to fight

Germans should
two
in the future

a conflict arise between the

since

one day

it

was

cer-

tain to occur.

Some

of the

Rajas were so loyal to the

at the

British that

though naturally incensed

Imperial authorities for giving

way

to racial

prejudices in the matter, they ignored the hurt

that

had been

inflicted

upon

their personal

feelings
30

and dignity and rendered the only

p.

India under Curzon and After, by I.ovat Frast-r,

4'3

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

205

help possible in the circumstances, that of sup-

plying a hospital ship, remounts, stores,

etc.

Indian

medical
of

men,

among

them

Dr.
the

Ranade

Bombay,

went over from

Peninsula, and Indians in South Africa, under

the leadership of Mr.
at

M. K. Gandhi,
into

Barrister

Law, organised themselves

It

an

Bearer Corps.

was touching
life

that

Army men of

high caste and station in

aside their pride of race

should brush

and standing, and

of coolies.

work
as

in the

humble capacity

But

more than one Indian who was thus em-

ployed has said to me, they cheerfully carried

the the

wounded
hospitals

British soldiers

from the

field to

as

their

contribution

towards

Britain's success.

The

Indian's attitude throughout the cam-

paigns in which he has been engaged has ever

been the same

to do, without hesitance or

question, whatever duty has been apportioned,

be

it

great or small, dangerous or otherwise.

He

has never stopped to theorize about the

fight,

cause for which he was required to

but

2o6

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

has unquestioningly obeyed the call to arms.

Whether made
or occupying a

to bear the brunt of the battle,

humble

position in the fight-

ing line, he has done his best.

the privilege of fighting,
to

When

denied
off

and merely told

do garrison duty, he has shown no chagrin.

Such

is

the morale of India's fighters!

Who can compute the amount of blood that

Indians have willingly
for Britain.'^

aye,

eagerly

shed

But some idea of how Indians

from wounds go
to

who

are covered with scars

on fighting from campaign

campaign can

be gained from the case of Subadar-Ma-pv

Maula Dad Khan, CLE., who was

"

called

Brave as a Lion."

He

originally enlisted in

1847, and retired in 1890 on a rather liberal

pension granted by the Government of India.

He
was
His

died about six months after retiring.

five feet

He

nine and one-half inches high,

and had a
figure

thirty-six inch chest

measurement.
his face

was wiry and upright, and

was wrinkled and worn.

were described as:

His actual wounds

"left biceps, side, back,

PAST SERVICES TO BRITAIN.

right leg,
thrice

207

face and right knee."

seriously
;

He
;

was

wounded
for

was three times

rewarded

conspicuous heroism

and saw

about 600 of his comrades mortally or otherwise

shot.'*"

40.

Historical Records of the 20th Infantry, pp.

iii,

112.

CHAPTER VI.
British Authorities on Indian Gallantry.

THROUGHOUT

the long series of de-

cades during which Indians have been

fighting for Britain, both in India

and

else-

where, British Generals and high

civil officials

have, from time to time, placed on record their

appreciation of the soldierly qualities of the
martial races of Hindostan.
If all these

com-

plimentary statements were gathered together,

they would
fill

many volumes.

Even

a fairly

representative collection of

them would make

few

a large book.
all that

In the space here available,

is

can be attempted

to quote a

extracts, taken hap-hazard, to give

an idea of
India's

what the British

officers

commanding

fighters think of them.

As

far

back as the early part of 1784,

208

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
find

209

the following

comment

of

Licutenant-

General Lang, then commanding the Army,

respecting the service of the Indian Cavalry:
"

The conduct

of the Cavalry during the

to

war has been such as

deserve every

commendation.
their

Owing

to the smallness of

numbers and the necessity

of

making

use of them upon every occasion, they have

undergone greater fatigues than other corps

in the field.

They have

ever cheerfully

performed the services they have been employed upon, and appear entitled to every
consideration from Government."^

By 1796 Indian
the "

troops had begun to cross

black water

" to

engage

in

batde with

Britain's foes.

In a letter dated July 19th,

of that year,

Adjutant-General Colonel Barry

in m^ost

Close wrote

favourable terms of the

troops employed at
"

Amboyna.
has desired

He
me

declared
to signify

The General

Historical Records of the 2nd I. Colonel John B. Edwards, p. 8.

Madras Lancers, by

2IO

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
satisfaction

the

he

has

experienced

in

perusing the desirable accounts you have

given of the corps under your
since
its

command
pro-

departure from the coast, and the

cheerfulness with which the

men have

ceeded on every service that has occurred

for

them

in the distant quarter in

which they

are employed."^

In 1797 the Governor of Madras in Council

noticed

" the

unexampled

alacrity

and

spirit

with which the Coast Native troops have

for foreign service during the war,"

embarked
and stated

that he

was

" naturally led to

con-

sider every

means

of preserving that spirit,

zeal.'"

and

of

rewarding that

In 1799 General Harris, in a despatch,

said of the Indian soldiers:
"

The

Gallant behaviour of the Native

(in

Troops who were alone employed

the

campaign against Doondiah Waugh, the

2. 3.

Minutes by the Marqui: of Twteddale

Ibid., pp.
3, 4.

p.

3.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

211

freebooter of Mysore), was highly honorable

to them."*

Captain Mundy,

in his

Pen and Pencil

regarding
the

Sketches

(pp. 59, 60),

said,

reviewing of Indian infantry at Agra by the

Commander-in-Chief, General Lord Combermere, in 1828:

" It

was impossible
of
in

to

avoid remarking

the

superiority

the

sepoy

over

the

European corps
larity of

steadiness

and regu-

movement."
Mountstuart
Elphinstone,
to

The
Governor

Hon.
of

Bombay,

18 19

1827,

the

famous statesman, diplomat, and scholar, who

passed the best part of his
it

life in

India

when

was

in a

disturbed state, said of the Indian

soldiers:
"
is

Their freedom from gross debauchery

the point in which the

If

Hindus appear

to

most advantage. ...

4.

we compare them
Madras Lancers,
p.

Historical Records of the 2nd

2S.

212

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

with our own, the absence of drunkenness,

and

of

immodesty

in their other vices, will

leave the superiority in purity of manners

on the
esteem."

side

least

flattering

to

our self-

On
Duke
at

September

loth

of

the

next year
first

(1800), Colonel Wellesley, afterwards the

of Wellington, reporting

on the action

Conahgul, during the second campaign

against

Doondiah Waugh,

said
this

" I

cannot avoid taking

opportunity

of expressing

my

sense of the conduct of

this

the troops.

Upon

occasion their de-

termined valour and discipline were conspicuous and their conduct and that of their

Commanding

Officers

.... have deserved

my
Sir
1

most particular approbation."*

John Malcolm, Governor

in a letter to

of

Bombay,

827- 1 830,

Lord William Ben-

tinck,

dated November 27th, 1830, wrote:

"

We

have, through the efforts of our

5.

Ibid., pp. 31, 32.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
Native army, triumphed
lions.

213

in

wars and rebel-

Plots

and

conspiracies

may be
fidelity of

formed, but they

will

never succeed while

spirit

we maintain
this

the

good

and

branch of our force.

secret,

This our enemies,

avowed and
their efforts

well

know

and

all

have been and

its

will hereafter

be
""

directed to

corruption.

This object has

. .

never been but very partially effected.

To
only

this

may

parenthetically

add

that

even during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857

serious
disaffection

the

among

Indian

fighters in British

employ

a large number of
of

Indian soldiers remained faithful, and fought

to save the British

from being driven out of

the Peninsula; while

some

them actually

went
there.

to

China

to preserve

British interests

In 1832 a number of military witnesses

were examined before the Select Committee

Re-port i from (Parliamentary) Committees; i8 vols., V. Military Session, East India Company's Affairs 6th December, 183116111 August, 1S32, Vol. XIII., p. 346.
6. 9.
.

214

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

of the

House

of

Commons, which was

Honourable
of

at that

time inquiring into the affairs of India, as

managed by
Company.
Nicolls, later

the

East
Sir

India

One

them was

Jasper

Commander-in-Chief of India.

When
was

he was asked whether the habits of the

Indian soldier were orderly, and whether he

easily
"

managed, he replied
;

Very much so
is

his habits

are very

simple, and he

very easily managed."

Comparing
soldiers,

the

Sepoys with European

he declared:

" I think the

command

of an

European
than the

regiment would be more

difficult
;

command of a brigade of sepoys it would be much easier to control 5,000 sepoys than
it

would 1,000 Europeans."^

inquiry,

At the same

Major-General Sir

Thomas

Reynell, speaking of the character of

the sepoys, said:

7.

Ibid., p.

I,

2.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

ii^
;

"...
patient
their
;

they are subordinate

they are
to

and they are certainly obedient

I

orders.

consider
spirit,

them
and
I

to

be

animated by a good
a

have had
it

good opportunity of witnessing

Bhurtpore.

in the
I

late service before

There

have seen them

in the

trenches working at
I

very laborious employments, and,

contrary to
...
I

believe,
feelings.

their

own

religious

consider them, generally speaking, an

efficient

army, the Bengal army."*

in reply to

Continuing his evidence, and

the question
"

Now,
;

as

compared with the European

as to order

soldier

mean
"

and being

easily

managed ?

Major-General Reynell said

he
is

" I think

much more

orderly than

European

soldiers in general, from the

mere

circumstance of his not being so given to

drink."'

Major-General Sir H. Worsley,

8.

in a letter

/bid., p.

18.

9.

Il'iJ.,

p.

18.

2i6

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
1832, wrote to

dated March 30th,

Mr. T.

Hyde

Villiers: " It will

be no disparagement of any

other troops to say, that hitherto the Native

army

of India has never

been surpassed

for

fidelity to the

Government, and attachment

;

to their officers

nor

'

yielded to those of

any other nation

effective valour.'
.

in point of discipline
. .

and

They

are

the most

orderly, respectful and obedient soldiers in

the world

'"'

In his evidence before the Select Committee

in

on the Affairs of the East India Company,

1832, Major-General Sir

John

Malcolm
gave his

(who has

been

already

quoted)

opinion of the
following words
"

Indian Artilleryman in the

The
is

golandauze, or native artillery-

men,

arc, in

my opinion, most efficient. The

Hindoos
in India,

artillery

a favourite service with the high-

est tribes of the

10.

and they

Ibid.,

\i.

435.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

217

are remarkable for attaining excellence both

in

discipline

and
horse

in

gunnery.

Some

of
to

the

native

artillery

belonging

Madras have
body

lately

been under
to

my

orders,

and they appeared

of

me

a most efficient
further
to
re-

men.

have

mark upon

the native artillery, that they are

of the greatest use in saving the

artillery

European
from

from going upon those lesser deat a distance

tachments to posts

their

headquarters, which have been found very

materially
to

deteriorate

their

discipline,

and

deem

the native corps of artillery in

this particular, as well as in others,

a very

essential one.

am

not of opinion with

risk of a political

many, that we incur any

nature by imparting such knowledge to the

natives, because the natives

have proved,

in

the corps that they have formed, that they

have perfect means of becoming instructed,

and instructing others

military
force.

in

this

branch of
artillery

The

native

of

Scindia and Holkar were not inferior, in

my

2i8

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

opinion, to any
that

body

of that class of

men

we have

formed."^^

In the same Committee, Colonel Penning-

who had served in the Bengal artillery, when examined on March 12th, 1832, said,
ton,

regarding Indian artillerymen

"

A
;

part of the

enemy captured
to

at their

guns were delivered over

Lake

we

at that

time

me by Lord had not 40 men

without
to
;

European, and we were so low that we were

1 1

days in the

trenches

relief,
I

and he transferred those men

me, and

had occasion
practiced to
firing,

to drill
all

them a

little

but when

the business of loading and

they were as prompt and as ready as

any men.

They

did not at

first

know
I

manoeuvring, but with a Httle patience

soon taught them manoeuvring.

footmen, but no
their

They were

men

ever stood better to

guns than they did

confide in a native artilleryman

II.

You may as much as

Ibid., p. 40.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
you may
in
in

219

an European

there are no
trust."^^

men

whom

you may put more

Colonel David Leighton, C.B.,

for

some

thirty-six years served in

who had the BomIndian

bay Presidency,
artillerymen

declared

that

the

"...
detached
climate
lives of

save the Europeans from being

in small

bodies

they stand the

much

better,

and save a number of

Europeans."^^
of

The Marquis

Tweeddale, Commander-

in-Chief, etc., describes

how

the 4th

Regiment

of the troops sent to China on the occasion of the

first

China War, suffered severely from

sickness, but " never uttered one

plaint,

word

of

com-

nor ever asked to be relieved."

He

goes on to relate
"

With

the full

knowledge of

all

that has

been suffered by
12.

their fellow-soldiers,

and

Hid.,

p.

55.

13.

Hid.,

p.

134.

220
after

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
having witnessed the successive de-

barkations of the numerous invahds of the

4th Regiment in particular, with

whom

they

have been

in constant

and immediate com-

munication when on duty at the Presidency

Hospital, the 42nd Regiment has embarked

without a moment's hesitation on the same

duty

and not only without a single man

asking for his removal or discharge, of

which

all

had the

free option, but with the

addition of a
after

number

of recruits

enlisted

the order had been issued,

and

of

several

men from
into the

other

corps,

who

ex-

changed

regiment for the purpose

of joining relations, including four from the

6th Regiment, Native Infantry,

who had

already been in China."**

To
extract

support his statement, he quoted an

from a

letter

from

Major-General
23rd,

D'Aguilar,

dated

September

1844,

which read
14.

Minutes by the Afarquis

of

TweeJJale,

p.

9.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
"

221

No

care

or consideration

shall

be

wanting towards the sepoys who, amidst

sickness as sudden in
paralleled,
its

later effects as

un-

have evinced throughout the

most exemplary patience and good conduct."^*

No wonder that the

soldiers.

Marquis of Tweeddale

should have spoken thus highly of the Indian

"Altogether
has,
I

their character is

such as

believe, never

belonged

to

any other

body of mercenary

troops.

" It differs essentiallv

from that of the

German

auxiliaries or

free

companies of

former times in Europe, who, serving for

pay, would never hesitate to take whichever
side could give the highest terms.
.

Very
of

noble proofs were

given by our

men

fidelity to their colours, in

circumstances of
in the

extreme temptation, when,

wars with

Hyder Ali and Tippoo

15.

Sooltan, constant

Ibid., p. g,

222

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

attempts were

made

to

induce them to take

service against us.

"

They perhaps most resemble

the Swiss

corps,

formerly in the French and other

;

Continental services
ployers, not

faithful to their

embut

from any national

feeling,

from having been

in their pay,

for successive generations

and having thus become perwith

sonally identified
military character.
"

them

in

all

their

...

if

only the terms of his contract

fulfilled

be faithfully

by

his employers, the

faithful

sepoy
to the

is

found invariably true and

serves."**

Government he

Coming down
Mutiny,
I

to the days of the

Sepoy
Indian

find

numerous

complimentary

references to
fighters

the

behaviour of the
to

who helped

conquer the mutineers.

Brigadier

Hope

Grant,

Commanding Cavalry

Division, in a despatch, dated Delhi, Sept.

17th, 1857, declared that:
ifi.

Ibid., p.

13.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
"

223

Nothing could be

steadier,

nothing

more

soldier-Hke, than their bearing."*^

Major-General Sir H. Barnard, K.C.B.,

Commanding, issued a Field Force Order,

dated Delhi, June 9th,
1857,
in

which he
of

spoke
in

of the "

Queen's

Own

Corps

Guides
said:

"

terms of the warmest praise.

"

He

The Major-General
to
this

has the gratihca-

to

announce

the troops the arrival in

camp

day of the Guide Corps, consisttroops

of

ing of three

cavalry

and

six

companies of riflemen.

This distinguished

body

of

men, whose services on the Peshain

war Frontier and

various parts
to

of
in

the
this in

Punjab are well known

force,

many

have

marched

from

Mardan,

Yusufzai, to Delhi, a distance of 580 miles,

in

22 days

a march of which
is

Sir

H. Bar-

nard believes there

no

parallel

on record,

and which

reflects the

very highest credit on

Twelve Years of a Soldier's Life in India, by 17. Major W. S, R. Hodson, B.A., edited by his brother, the Rev. George H. Hodson, ^T.A., p. 294

224

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

Captain Daly, the Commandant,

officers

and the

and men of the Corps. The Guides,

notwithstanding their long and rapid march,

are in perfect order

and ready

for

im-

mediate service, and the Major-General

recommends

these brave and loyal soldiers

to the favourable notice of their

comrades

of the various regiments in camp."*'

Later in the year, on

November

i8th,
in

Captain G. Wardlaw, 6th Carabiniers,

despatch written from camp Narnoul, wrote

...
I

can only say that no European

spirit

corps could have charged with greater

or

more

effect than did the

."*'
.

Guides on

this

occasion.

month

later,

December
to
at

i8th,

the

Guides commenced
frontier,

march back

to

the

and arrived

Mardan on February
for a

nth, 1858.
Peshawar,
18.

They stopped
and on

week

at

February 2nd

Major-

Own

Historical Records oj the Services of the Queen^s Corps of Guides, p. ii.

Ibid.,
p.
16.

19.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

225

General Cotton, Commanding the Peshawar

Division,

ordered

that

the

troops

of

the

Peshawar Cantonment should

under his personal command

be

paraded

to receive
its

and

welcome the Corps

of

Guides on

return

from the siege of Delhi.

fired in their

royal salute

was

honour as they approached the

parade ground, the troops saluted and the

Major-General delivered the following address to the Guides and his

own

forces

...

have

invited

you

here

as

brother-soldiers of the Frontier this day, to

welcome you on your return from the siege

of Delhi,

and

to

acknowledge,

in the

most

public manner, the high sense

of the value

we

entertain

and importance of the service

rendered by you to the State during the progress of the

In
the

present
of

insurrectionary

war.

name

Colonel Edwardes, our

Commissioner, on
behalf of
I

my own

account, and in

my

brother officers and soldiers,

warmly greet you on your return amongst

us.

226

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

"We
feel

respect,
of

we honour

you, and

we

proud

being re-associated with

men
.""

whose deeds of daring have earned our

noble profession never-dying fame.
.
.

A
dress.

feu de joie with an accompanying

salute of twenty-one guns followed the ad-

As

if

this

were not enough, the Honourable

Court of Directors, Military Department, sent

a letter to the Government of India, No. 50,

dated August 30th, 1858, which read

"

in part:

We

cannot too strongly express our

entire

concurrence in the sentiments ex-

pressed by Major-General Cotton in his

division order
of the
"

on the occasion of the return

Guides to the Frontier.

Corps,

That

by

the

extraordinary

alacrity

with

which

they

proceeded

to

Delhi, marching 580 miles in twenty-one

days, and having during those twenty-one

days turned
30.

off the

road twelve miles one

Ibid., p,

17.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

227

night to attack mutineers, by their remarkable services before Delhi, where, for nearly

four months, both officers and

men were
;

constantly in action, sometimes twice a day

by

their singular fidelity

as

shown by the

fact that of

800 men not one man deserted

to

the

enemy, whilst 350 of them were

their heroic galfor

killed

and wounded, and by

having established

lantry,

themselves

the strongest claim to our approbation and

favour.

We

desire that these our sentito

ments be conveyed
gallant

them through

their

commander Major Daly.""

too,

Most glowing,

were the compliments

bestowed upon the 2nd Punjab Infantry by

Brigadier-General Walpole,
Division.
siege of
"

Commanding

the

He

wrote, in 1858, following the

Lucknow:
Brigadier-General
in

The

has

much
and

pleasure
Officers,
31.

thanking

the

Brigadiers,
Officers,

Non-Commissioned

Ibid., p, 17.

228

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
under his command,

soldiers of the Division

for their gallant behaviour in the field

for

and
the

good

conduct

generally
left

during

recent operations on the

bank

of the

Goomtee.

To

their soldier-like

conduct and

willing exertions during a time of consider-

able fatigue,

may be

attributed this success

with a loss small in comparison with the

results

obtained

and with regiments

in

such an excellent state of discipline as those

forming
every

this Division, success

must follow

duty

they

are

called

upon

to

perform.""
Lieutenant-Colonel Green,
of the
to

Commandant

2nd Punjab Infantry, before proceeding

15th, 1858, issued a
is

Bombay on September

regiment order, of which the following

extract
"

an

Lieutenant-Colonel Green has had the

to lead the

good fortune
following

regiment

in

the

engagements

during the cam-

paign
32.

History of the siid Punjab)

I nfantry,

pp.

2'},

24.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
"

229

The

siege,

assault

and capture of

Delhi, including the battle of Najafgarh,

*

Bulandshahr, Agra,

relief of the

Lucknow

Garrison, Cawnpore, Khudaganj, siege and

capture of Lucknow, besides several minor

skirmishes
' ;

and he deems

it

only

fair to

both officers and

fault

men

to say that the only

he has had to find with them has been

an occasional too great eagerness to close

with the enemy.
"

On

no occasion has any portion of the

regiment met with the slightest check, however superior in numbers the
be,

enemy might
ranks,

and

it is

with the greatest pride, Lieu-

tenant-Colonel

Green

assures

all

that he ever heard the highest admiration of

the regiment expressed on

all

sides while
in the field.

it

was employed with the army

"^^

When
so

the Indian soldiers

in

who had fought

bravely

the

Abyssinian Campaign,

1867-8, embarked for their return to India, Sir

23.

Ibid., p. 27.

230

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
(after-

Robert Napier, Commander-in-Chief

wards Lord Napier of Magdala), personally

thanked them
rendered in
stani,

for the

good

services they
in

had

this crisis.

Speaking

Hindu-

he said:
"

Native Officers and

I

men
I

of the Belooto tell

chees,

have called you together

you how greatly pleased

have been with

the conduct of the regiment during the past

campaign.

When

you came

to Abyssinia

you had already established your reputation

as a distinguished corps, and

now you have

I

added

still

greater lustre to your name.

have watched you throughout your service

with the Abyssinian force, and have been

much
"

gratified with the to

ready obedience you

your
officers.

have always yielded

Whenever

have had
I

to call

on you

for

immediate duty,

have noticed with the

utmost satisfaction the celerity with which

you make ready

for

the

work,
it

and
out,

the

energy with which you carry

and

whenever

have called on your regiment

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
for

231

such duty

have

felt satisfied that

my
you

wishes would be faithfully executed.

"

Your work

in

the

passes

did

credit,

and the steadiness with which you

difficult

marched through a most

"

country

proved your powers of endurance.

When we
I

arrived at Magdala,
left

was
on

very sorry that your

us.

wing was not with

missed them very much.

When

the night before the storming of the fortress

my

attendant told
into

me

that the left

I

wing

had marched
all is

camp,

said,

'

Now

well,

my

Beloochees are
the

here.'

'*"*

The

versatility of

Indian soldier

is

proved by the report of Major Lang, R.E.,

Principal of the

on the work of
Queen's
in to

Thomason College at the men of all ranks

Rurki,
of the

Own

Corps of Guides, twenty-five

sent, in June, 1873,

number, who had been

be taught to
etc.

act

as

draughtsmen,
of

sur-

veyors,
24.

He

wrote

them,

reporting

Historical Records of the lijth Baluch Light In.

19.

fantry, pp. i8,

232

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
the

to

Government

of

the

North-West

Provinces
"

Their good conduct and cheerful

in-

dustry speak highly for their

own

character

and

discipline,

and also

for that of their

Native

Officer

Mahmud

Khan,

and

altogether there has not been probably in

the College a class more willing to learn,

pleasant to teach,

and easy

to

manage,

despite the difficulties which these men,

essentially of the

sword and spear, have

experienced in learning the use of drawing

pencils,

pen,

brush,

and

in

the delicate

handling of surveying instruments.""*

On

the

occasion

of

his

reviewing

the

Indian troops at Malta in

1878, his Royal

Highness the Duke of Cambridge, Commanding-in-Chief, said

"

His Royal Highness cannot speak

highly
of
their

too
25.

soldierly

qualities.

Own

Corps

Historical Records of the Services of the Queen's of Guides, p. 30.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

233

Their uniform good conduct and smartness

ranks.
drill

reflects

the

greatest

credit

on

all

Their steadiness under arms and

state of their
"^^

and the excellent

camps

leave nothing to be desired.

Colonel C. M. Macgregor, C.B., C.S.I.,

CLE.,
his

President of the commission of en-

quiry at Kabul, writing in 1879, went out of

way

to

bestow praise upon the Guides.

He

wrote
"

The conduct

of

the

escort

of

the

Queen's

Own

Guides does not form part of

the enquiry contrusted to the commission,

but they have in the course of these enquiries

had the extreme gallantry

of the

bearing of these

men

so forcibly brought

to their notice that they cannot refrain

from

placing on record their humble tribute of

admiration.

They

do

not

give

their

opinion hastily, but they believe that the

Sketch oj the Serznces of the Bengal Native Army, 26. by F. G. Cardew, pp. 326, 327.

234

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

annals of no

Army and no Regiment

can

show

a brighter record of devoted bravery

than has been achieved by this small band

of Guides.

By
to

their

deeds they have cononly

ferred undying honour, not

on

the

Regiment

which they belong, but on the

whole British Army.""

The

British Resident in

Kashmir wrote

in

1880 regarding the good work of the 2nd

Punjab Infantry
"

at Gilgit, as follows

Major Biddulph has requested me

to

let

you know how extremely well the men

of his guard from your regiment have be-

haved during the recent troubles

"

at Gilgit.

On
*

one occasion he writes

of the

"

My men
in

2nd Punjab Infantry

all

behaved

manner beyond

praise,

and

cannot find words to express what

deserves to be said of them, not a word of

impatience
27.

escaped them,

though

they

IIislorit.al

Own

Cor-ps of

Records of tht Services of the Queen's Guides, p. 41.

i-on-'J'lianii's.

CiKNKKAL (JURNAM SiNGH,

Pri.mk Ministkr, Paiiala State.

SiKIl

OiqqcKR, I.Ml'EKMAI. SERVICE Troops.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
knew
fatal,

235

that every

moment's delay might be

as they picked

up one sepoy

after

another and encouraged him to persevere,

sometimes halting
'"'

for ten

minutes

at a

time
to

to allow the wearied

Cashmere Sepoys

rest'

The
dated

Secretary of State for India, in a de-

spatch to the Governor-General in Council,

London, January

6th,

1881,

repub-

lished in the Gazette of India of

1

February

2th

of the

same

year,
to

commenting upon
Kandahar, wrote
to

the

march from Kabul

"

The march from Kabul

Kandahar

reflects the highest credit

on Lieutenant-

General Sir Frederick Roberts and on the

Officers,
soldiers,

Non-Commissioned
British
(It

Officers

and

and Native,

composing
in

the force.
that

may be noted
the

passing

7,000

of

10,000

troops

were

Indian).
"

The

rapidity

with

which the
p.

long

a8.

History gf the 2nd Punjab Infantry,

42.

236

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
ac-

march was, under trying circumstances,

complished
efficiency,

evidences
discipHne

the

perseverance,
spirit

and

of

the

troops.

"Arrived
lost.

at

Kandahar,

no time was

successful reconnaissance in force

of an action resulting in

was the precurser

the defeat and dispersion of the

Afghan

army and
number.
"
skill

the capture of their guns, 32 in

The

professional ability, foresight and

displayed by Lieutenant-General Sir

Frederick Roberts was well seconded by

the courage and perseverance of the officers

and men under

his

command
full

and thus
experience

Afghanistan has again had

of the power,
loyalty,

devotion and gal-

lantry of the
India."^'

army

of the

Queen Empress

of

Commenting upon
Lieutenant-General
29.

the

same campaign,
F.

Sir
of

Haines,
Sikh

in

Historical

Records
p- 31.

the

2nd

Infantry,

Punjab Frontier Force,

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

237

General Order of the Commander-in-Chief,

dated April 7th,
1881,
in

which he reHnwrote

quished the
" Sir

Command
Donald
to

in India,

Stewart's

march

from

Kandahar
at

Kabul, and
Khel,

his brilliant battle

Ahmed

and

Sir

Frederick

Roberts' march from Kabul to Kandahar,

and

his equally brilliant battle there,

were

trials

successfully overcome, of which any

General and any troops

proud."^"

might well be

The

late

Lord Roberts, commenting upon

Kandahar, thus
India (Vol.
II.,

the troops he conducted to writes in Forty -one

Years

in

pages 373-5):
" I shall never forget the feeling of sad-

ness with which

said good-bye to the

men

who had done

upon them
all,

so

much

for

me.

looked

Native as well as

British, as

my
30.

valued friends.
Ibid., p.
i.a^.

And

well

mJght, for

238

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

never
served.

had

Commander been
first to last

better

From

a grand spirit of
ranks.

cmnaraderie pervaded

all

At

the

Peiwar Kotal,
fighting

at Charasia,
all

and during the

were eager to

round Kabul,

close with the

enemy, no matter how great

the odds against them.

Throughout the
seemed
to be ani-

march from Kabul mated with but one

what
it

all

desire, to effect, cost

risk, fatigue, or

might

in

personal

discomfort, the speedy release of their be-

leaguered

fellow-soldiers

in

Kandahar

and the unflagging energy and perseverance of

my

splendid troops seemed to reach

their full height

when they
put
forth

realized they
their

were

about

to

strength

against a hitherto successful enemy.

Their
circum-

exemplary

conduct, too,

under

stances often of the most trying nature, can-

not be praised in terms too strong or too

full.

Notwithstanding

the

provocation
of

caused

by

the

cruel

murder
hands

any

Stragglers

who

fell

into the

of the

INDIAN GALLANTRY.

239

Afghans, not one act infringing the rules of

civilized

warfare

was committed by

my

troops.

The

persons and property of the

natives were respected, and full compensation for

short,

suppHes was everywhere given.

the
inhabitants
of

In

the

districts

through which we passed could not have

been treated with greater consideration nor

with a lighter hand had they proved themselves friendly allies
;

and the conduct

of

the troops will ever be to

me

as pleasing a

memory
Most
K.C.B.,

as

are

the

results

which they

achieved."
enthusiastic
Sir

was

the

praise

of

Major-General

George
the

White,
of

V.C.,
the

regarding

services

Beloochees during the third

Burma War. He
at

sent a letter which was read on the presentation of the

medals

to the
I

regiment

Karachi

on

May
"
I

ist,

1889.
it:

quote the following

extract from

gladly testify that

it is

greatly owing

to the ability

and

zeal of their officers, both

240

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.
native,

European and

and

to the

dash and
district of

endurance of the men, that that

Burma (Upper Burma), which was the most disturbed, is now the most quiet and every officer and man has settled earned the medal by showing dash when
. . .

ordered to face the enemy, and by cheerful

endurance of hardship and fatigue on

occasions,

all

when

called on for an effort."^*

Sir E. Elles, in his despatch regarding the

results of

the

Mohmand

Expedition, dated
in the Historical

October

13th, 1897,

quoted

Records of the 20th {Duke of Cambridge's

Own)

Infantry,

Brownloivs PunjabiSy on

page 93, said:

"... command
little

but the splendid force under

my

would,

believe,

have made but

I

of

any possible opposition.

too

cannot

speak

highly

of

the

20th

Punjab
ist

Infantry and the second battalion of

31.

Ilialorical Records of the

I2'jth

Baluch Light In-

fantry, p. 72,

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
Gurkhas, on
fell.
I

241

whom
. .

the brunt of the

for
."

work

would wish

no better regiments

for hill fighting.

Ernest

J.

L.

Berkeley,

Esquire,

C.B.,

Consul-General and Commissioner,

dated from

in a letter

Eldomo Ravine, March

the

29th,

1899, quoted on page 132 of the Historical

Records

of

iijih

Baluch

Light

Infantry, referred in glowing terms to the

work of the Indian

the mutiny in the

soldiers in helping to quell

Uganda

Protectorate in

1897-98.
"

He

wrote:
I

So

far as

am aware,
is

the 27th

Bombay

(Light) Infantry

the

first

regiment that

has ever proceeded so

of Africa
;

far into the interior

both officers and

men have

suf-

fered

many

hardships in distant parts of the

;

Protectorate

but, despite every obstacle,

the regiment has performed the task for

which

it

was

sent, with a gallantry

I

and sucbrief

cess to
tribute."

which

gladly

pay

this

242

INDIA'S FIGHTERS.

No
Sir

praise could

be

higher

than

that

bestowed upon India's fighters by General

Arthur

Power

Palmer,
of India

K.C.B.,

the

Commander-in-Chief

when

the East

African medals and Order of Merit were presented to them at

Karachi,
the

Brigade
17th,

Parade
1900,

at

on

November

upon

their return

from British East Africa.

He

said:

The manner Army has shown

"

in

which

the

Indian

itself

always ready to
in

obey the

call of duty,

whether
seas,

campaigns

in India or

beyond the

must impress

foreign nations with the fighting resources

of the British

Empire.""
India, so im-

During

his recent tour in

pressed was Frederick William, the

German

Crown

Prince,
p.

with

the

Gurkhas, that he

wrote on

120 of his book,

From My

Hunting Day-Book:
"

They

are small but extraordinarily wiry

32.

Ibid., pp. 141, 142.

INDIAN GALLANTRY.
and tough
little

243

people,

who

fear neither hell

nor the devil."

In the campaign raging in Europe in 19 14
the Indians
that

engaged

in the

combat showed
not

the
in

German Crown Prince was

forming
this

wrong

estimate.
in the

The
that of

Gurkhas, Sikhs, and others

employ of

the British Indian Government,

and

the Rajas (belonging to the Imperial Service

Troops,

etc.),

fought so bravely as to

elicit

the following message from the British

ComJohn
J.

mander-in-Chief,

Field- Marshal

Sir

French,

to

their

Commander,

Sir

Willcocks
"

Please congratulate

Indian troops

on

their gallant conduct,

and express

my

gratitude to them.""

33.
col.

also other

The Times (London), November 5th, London newspapers of that

1914,

p.

date.

INDEX.
Abercromby, Sir Ralph, Aboriginal Tribes, 67-8.
i8i.

Army Bodyguards, Number

80.

of,

Aborigines, ill-treated by Aryans, 20-1. Abors, Campaign against the,

Border Military Police,

Abyssinia, Expedition

to,

Abyssinian Campaign, Adjutant, Indian, 117.

192. 158.

81. of the, 83-4. Cost of the, 124-5. Cavalry, Strength of the, 80. Drill, 88. Efficiency of the, 94-5.

Commands

European,
Infantry
193,

82.

Afghan War, First, 187. Afghan War, Second,

235-9-

in, 80.

Afridis, Bravery of, 150-1. Afridis, Jowaki, Expedition

193-

to,

Levies, 8i. Military Police, 81. Militia, 81. Indians in the, 79-84.
Officers, 80.

Aga Khan,
138-

his

Highness

the,

Rajas', 132.

Ahirs, Characteristics of, 59. Ahirs, Handbook on the, n. 34. Ahirs, Moslem, 71. Akbar, given Rajput wife, 44. Alexander the Great, India in-

Sappers and Miners in, 80. Strength of, 82. Nepal, 126. Ranks of Indian Officers, 89,
90-2.

Reforms
93-4-

of

Lord

Kitchener,

vaded by,
Ala-ud-din,
by, 42-3-

31.

Rajputs

defeated
of,

Alladad
156-7-

Khan,

Bravery

Reservists, Indian, 81. Superior Officers, Britons, 89. I'niforms, 87-8.

Weapons,

87.

Allowances, Local, 11 8-9. Amar Das, Guru, 50.

Ambela Campaign,

191.

Arogee, 158. Arrah, Siege of, 166. Arsala Khan, Bravery

Artillery

of, 155-6.

Amboyna Expedition,
Amboyna, Troops
of, at.

1794, 176.

Conduct

209-10.
50.

Angad, Guru,
Anglo-Indians

Frontier Garrison, Strength of, 120. Artillery, Indians in the, 85. Artillery, Indian, Opinions
on, 216-19.

Company,

(Eurasians),

Number

of, 49.

Artillerymen,
nate, 85.

British

predomiof,

Arakan, Annexation of, 184. Arjan, Guru, 50. Armies, Indian, Strength
138-9.

Artillerymen, Indian, Praise

of,

Army, Indian, Auxiliary Forces,

80-1.

216-18. Artillery, Strength of the, 80. Aryans, Advent of, in India, 1416.

244

INDEX.
Aryans, Character of, Fresh wave of, 21-2.
Indo-,
20.

245

18-19.
i.j-

Beni-I srael, 46. Berkeley, E. J. L.,

Soldiers, 241. Bhils, 68.

On

Indian

Movements

of the,

Movements
Origin
22.

of, 23-4. of,

Bhopal,

Begum

of,

of, 14-16.

Physical

Characteristics

Heir Apparent Bhutan, War in,

199.

135. 138. 191.

of,
of,

Bikaner, Maharaja

57,

136,

Perso- and Indo-, Quarrel between, 16. Religion of the, 18. Religion loses Purity, 24. Social Constitution of, 25.

Birch, Mr., Murder of, 192. Bizoti Urakzais, Campaign against, 191.

Black

Mountain

Expedition,

Aryavarta, 20. Assam, Annexation of, 187. Auckland, Lord, 187. Ava, War in, 184-6. Aziz Khan, Bravery of, 156-7. Babar, Invasion of, 43. Bahadur, Pay attached to Title
of,

191, 197.

Boer War, 203-5. Boundary Commissions, 202. Boxer Rebellion, 198.

Brahmanism Supreme
38.

in India,

112.

Brahmans become
Bravery
37of,

Soldiers, 30.

Bahadur Shah,
Bravery
158-9

213. Balfour, Mr., 204.

164.

Buddhism
145-7,

Undermined

by,

Baluchis, 46, 74, 76.

of,

149-50,
of, 75-76.

Duties

of, 26.

Handbook on
Military,
54.

the, n. 34.

Chief Tribes
127th
I55-6-7-

Queen

Mary's

Own,

Brahman
157-

Soldiers,

Bravery
of,

of,

Sir Robert Praise of, by Napier, 229-31. Praise of, by Major-General Sir George White, 239 40. Baluchistan, 146-7. Baluch Light Infantry, 27th
146-7.

Food Prejudices
Bravery
156-7-

54-5.

of

Alladad

Khan,

Arsala Khan, 155-6. Aziz Khan, 156.

Brahmans,

164.

Gambar Singh,
of

165.

Banda,
177.

Service

Sepoys

in,

Baroda,

Area and

Population

Gurkhas, 143-4, 165. Ilamid Khan, 146-7. Ilukam Singh, 166.

of, 64.

Kashmir
153-4-

Mountain
157.

Battery,

Baroda, Maharaja of, 64, 134. Barnard, Maj.-Gen. Sir H., On Indian Soldiers, 22:5-4. Batta of Cavalry N.C.O.s, 115.

Khaim Khan,

Of Infantry, 118 Of non-Silladar Officers,

Bencoolan,
1779=

112.

Labh Singh, 140-1. Maula Dad Khan, 160 206-7. Mukarrab Khan, 164-5. Musalmans, 159-60, 154-5,
164-5.

Expedition

to,

in

175-6-

Sepoys, 167-70.

24S
Bravery of Sikhs,
151-2, 153-

INDEX.
140, 141, 142,

Cavalry Squadron, Constitution

of, 108.

Tura Baz Khan,

Wasawa
150-1,

Singh,

144-6. 141-2.

Strength of the, 80. Ceylon, Expedition

1794-5. 175144-6,

to,

in
181 8,

Browne, Sir Samuel, 193. Brownlow's Punjabis,

154-5,
190, 240.

Troops ordered
184.

to,

in

Body-Guards, Number of, 80. Border Military Police, 81. Boxer Rebellion, 144-6. Buddha, Gautama, Ideals of,
36.

China
70,

Campaign,
188-9.

First,

167-

Second, 190.
Chitral, Relief of, 152-4, 197. Christians, Military, 76.

Buddhism,
35-7-

Rise

and Fall
of,

of,

Class

Company System,

97-8.

Buddhists,

Number

in
of,

India, 37.

Burma, Upper, Annexation

196.

Clive, Lord, 170-1. Close, Barry, Adj. -Gen. Col., On Indian Soldiers, 209-10. Commissions of Indian Officers, 105-6.

Burma War,

First, 184-6.

Company,
Maharaja

Cavalry,
137. 137.

Constitu-

Cost of the, 184. Burma War, Second, 189 go. Burmese War, Third, 155-7,
196.

tion of, 108.

Cooch, Behar, 136,

of,

Baluchis in the, 239-40. Cadet Corps, Imperial, 89-90. Cambridge, H.R.H. The Duke
of,

194, 232.

Camel Corps, Bikaner, 199. Caste, to Keep out Moslems,

44-5-

jMaharaja of, The Late, 197. Cotton, Maj.-Gen., On Queen's Own Corps of Guides, 225-6. Court of Directors, Military Department, On Queen's Own Corps of Guides, 226. Creagh, Gen. Sir O'Moore,

Work
moved
25-6.

of, 94.

Becomes rigid, 27-8. Beginning of, 25. Brahman, 26. Derivation of Term, n.

Curzon, Lord, 96, 200-1, 204. Cyprus, Expeditionary Force

to,

195.

Kshatriya, 26. Traders, Merchants, etc., 26-7. Castes, Four, 26-7. Sub-division of, 289. Cavalry Company, Constitution
of,

Daffadar, Pay of, 113. D'Aguilar, Maj.-Gen., On dian Soldiers, 220-1. Dalhousie, Lord, 189.
Daplilas,

In-

Campaign

against, 191.

108.

Non-Commissioned
Allowances
of,

Officers,

115.

"Non-Silladar, 107. Recruits, 108.

Dargai, Capture of, 147-8. Dawaris, Punishment of, 191. Deccan, Origin of Name, 23. Derbys, 147-8. Dewas, Area and Population of,
Senior and Junior Rajas 64 5Division, Constitution of
84-5.
of,

Regiment,
1

Officers

of,
of,

108,
108.

10 12.

Regiment, Strength
Silladar, 106, 108.

a,

INDEX.
Dogras,
57-8.

247

German
the, n. 34.

Crown

Prince,

On
to

Handbook on
Dorsets, 147-8.

Gurkhas, 242. Germans, Racially

Related

Dravidians, Theories of Origin

of,
ig.

Drill Daffadar, 113.

Indians, 15. Getae, Scythian Clan of, 32. Gharwalis, Characteristics of,
62.

Drum
Duff,

Drummer and
117.

Major, Pay of, 118. Bugler, Pay

of,

General Sir Beauchamp, MSDufferin, Lord, 196. Dutch, Advent of, in India, 48. Dutch Settlements, Capture of,
94.

Gordons, 147-8. Govind Singh, Guru, 50, 51-2, Grant, Hope, Brigadier, On Indian Soldiers, 223.
Gratuities for Wounds, 123. Green, Lieut. -Col., on 2nd Punjab Infantry, 228-9. Greeks, Invasion of, 31-2. Crrierson, Dr., Theory of, 22. Gujars, Characteristics of, 59.

176-8.

Egypt, Expedition
180-2.

to,

in

1801,

Expedition to, 195-6. Ellenborough, Lord, 187. Elles, General Sir E., On Indian Soldiers, 240-1. Elphinstone, Hon. Mountstuart, On Indian Army, 211. Enlistment, Age of, 96.
Ephlathalites, 32.

Handbook on

the, n. 34.
of, 34.

Moslem, 71. Origin of. Theory Gurkhas, 241. Bravery of, 143-4,
Characteristics
of,

147-8, 59-62.

165.

Europeans,
Eurasians,

Advent

of

the,
of,

in

Distinguishing Marks of, 78. Handbook on the, n. 34. Praise of, by German Crown
Prince, 242. Sent to Malta, 194. Guru Amar Das, 50.

India, 48.

Number

in

India, 49.

European

Army

in

India,

Angad,
Arjan,

50.
50.

Strength of the, 82. Faridkot, Area of, 52. Farrier Daffadar, Pay Farrier Major, Pay of,
Farrier,

Govind Singh,
of,

50, <,i-2.
50.

113.

113.

Pay

of,

114.
in,

Har Govind, Kar Krishen, Har Rai, 50.

Nanak,
50.
50.

50.

Farrier Pupil, Pay of, 114. Foreign Service, Regiments

119.

Ram

Das,

Teg Bahadur,
Advent
of
the.

French,

In

Gwalior, Area

India, 48.

Maharaja

50, 51-2. of, 64. of, 64, 134, 199.

of, 64.

French, General Sir John, Indian Soldiers, 243. French Islands, Expedition
183.4.

On
to,

Population

Il.iddon, Professor, 35. Haines, Sir F., On the

to

March
of,

Gaekwar

of

Baroda,

64.
of, 165.

Kandahar, 237. Hamid Khan, Bravery

146-7.
!

Gait, Mr. E. A., I.C.S., 35.

Ganibar Singh, Bravery Gandhi, M. K., 205.

'

Har Govind, Guru, 50. Har Krishen, Guru, 50.

248

INDEX.
Indian Soldier, Versatility
of,

Har

Rai, Guru, 50. Harris, General, Troops, 210-11.

of,

On
of,

Indian
117.

231-2.

Havildar Major, Pay

Havildar, Pay
117.

Cries of the, 104-5. Zeal of the, 210. Indore, Area of, 64.

War

Havildar

Pay
117.

Quartermaster,

Maharaja

of, 64.

Pay

of,

Hejaz, 41. Hindu, Derivation

16-17.

of

Word,

Population of, 64. Infantry Recruits, 119-20. Regiment, Organization

116.

of,

Fighting Clans, 54-68. Hindus, Military, of the Car-

Movements
Mutiny,
Society
38-9-

natic, 66-7. of the, 48.

of,

Regiments, Strength of, 115-6. Strength of the, 80. Ishar Singh, Bravery of, 153. Islam, Forcible Conversion to,
43-

Number of, 45. Hindu Sepoys, Help

174.

in

Rise

Spread
6th

of, 39-40. of, 40-41.

in

the

Century,

Jahangir,
44.

given

Rajput

w^ife,

Hindustan, Definition of Word,

n. 20.

]alal-ud-din,

Hindustani Musalmans, 71-2. Hoernle, Dr., Theory of, 22. Holkar, of Indore, 64. Hukam Singh, Bravery of, 166. Huns, Chinese Origin of, 32.

Dynasty Khilji founded by, 42. Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja

135Scythian clan of, 32. Jats, Characteristics of, 58-9.
latii,
of,

Movements of, 33. Hyderabad, Nizam

the, to 129.

Jats, Jats,

Gujars and Ahirs, Handn. 34.

of, 34-5.

book of the,
of,

gift

of

Empire,

133.
of,

Hyderabad, Nizam

the Late

Moslem, 71. Origin of, Theories

Imperial Cadet Corps, 89-90. Imperial Service Troops, 125,

128-32, 199, 132.

Sikh, 69. Jind, Area of, 52.

Indian

Army,

Handbooks

for

Jemadars, 105-6. Distinguishing Mark of, iii. In Cavalry Regiment, Pay of,
III.

the, 34.

Indian Order of Merit, 112. Indian Soldier and Foreign

Service, 210.

In Infantry Regiment,
116.

Pay

of,

Pay

of.

111.

Cheerfulness of, 210. Cheerfully bears fatigue, 209.

Jiantiah Hills,
191.

Operations

in,

Easy

to control,

214.
of,

Orderly Habits of, 215. Physical Characteristics

2-5-

[odhpur, Maharaja of, 137. Jowaki Afridis, Expedition

193-

to,

Kaaba,
of,

39-40.

Qualities Religions

8-10.
of, 214.

Kaiser and Boer War, 203-4.

Kalians, 66. Kalsia, Area of, 53.

of, 6 8.

Simple Habits

INDEX.
Kandahar,
Relief
of,

249
of.

193-4,

2356. Kapurthala, Area

of,

Madras, Governor dian Soldiers,

On

In-

210.
of, 66-7.

of, 52.

Hindu Fighters
Magdala,

Kashmir and Jammu, Maharaja

Khaki,
135. 87.

Mahmud
of,

158, 192. of Ghazni,

Incursions
to,

41.

Kashmir
153-4Kasim, 41.

Mountain

Battery,

Mahsud Waziris, Expedition

195-

Malay

Straits
to,

Settlements,
192.

Ex-

Kendat, Storming of, 157. Khaim Khan, Bravery of, 157. Khalsa Organization of the, 51. Rules of the, 51.

pedition

Malcolm, Maj. -Gen. Sir J. B., On Indian Soldiers, 175,

212, 216-18.

Khasiah

and

Jiantiah
in,

Hills,

Operations

191.

Khilji Dynasty, 42. Khudu Khels, Campaign against, 191.

Maler Kotla, Nawab of, 138. Malta, Expedition to, 194-5. Manila, Expedition to, in 1762,
175-

In 1797, 178.

Khuhri, 61, 165. Kishengarh, Maharaja of, 137. Kitchener, Lord, Army Reforms
of, 93-4.

Manipur Campaign,
Mappilas,
47.

197.

Characteristics

of, 72.

Or
of, 64.

Moplahs,

Handbook

on
of

Kolhapur, Area and Population

of, 64.

the, n. 34.

Marathas,
the,

Characteristics

Maharaja
Kolis, 68.

Kot Daffadar Major,

Kshatriyas, Duties
^lilitary Caste, 55.

113.

of, 26.

62-3, 65-6. Handbook on the, n. 34. Maratha States, 64-5. Maravans, 66.

Maula Dad Khan, Bravery

1

of,

Labh Singh, Bravery of, 140-1. Lance Daffadar, Pay of, 113. Land Forces List, " Native
Indian, 90.

60.
of,

Scars of, 206-7. Mazbis, Characteristics

70.

Mazbi Sikhs,

161-3.

Lang, Lieut. -Gen.,

Soldiers, 209.

On

Indian

Lang, Maj., R.E., On Queen's Own Corps of Guides, 231-2 Leighton, Col. David, On Indian Artillerymen, 219.
Levies, 96.

Mecca, 39-40. Medii, Scythian Clan of, 32. Menials, Caste of, 27. Merchants and Traders, Caste
of,

26-7.

Military Police, 81. Border, 81.

Militia, 81.

Arms

of, 81.

Linked System, 98-9. Lucknow, Siege of, 163-5. Lushai Expedition, 191.
Lytton, Lord, 193. Macgregor, Col. C.

Minhla, Brahmans
of, 157.

at

Storming

Moghul Empire, Established by

Babar,
43.

Queen's

Own

M., Corps

On
of

Mohmand Campaign, 150-51. Mohmund Waziris, Expedition

against, 197.

Guides, 233-4.

250
in 1794,
198. 176.

INDEX.
to,

Molucca Islands, Expedition

Native States, Armies

32-

of,

125-

Mombasa, Expedition
Moplahs,
47.
71.

to, 149-50,

Nayars, 66. Nepal Army,

126.
of.

Prime Minister

Gift

of,

Moslem Ahirs,
Jats, 71.

Invasion, First, 41.

to Empire, 134. Nicolls, Sir Jasper,

On

Indian

Population, 45-7. Rajputs, 71. Moslems, India invaded

40-7.

Soldiers, 214. Nixon, Gen. Sir J. E., 84. Nodiz, Fort, Capture of, 146-7.
by,

"Son-Silladar Cavalry, 107.

Number
Refusal

of, 45.

Northern Command, 84. Officers in Indian Army,

to

of

Hindus

mix

British, 80.

with, 43-4. Sent to Malta, 194. Muhammad, Birth of, 39.

Death

of, 40.

Muhammadanism. Rise

of,

39.

non-Stlladar, Allowances of, 112. Omar, the Caliph, 41. Orderly Daffadar, 113. Order of British India, First
Officers,

Muhammad
Mukarrab
164-5.

of

Ghor,
42.

Rajputs
of,

Class,
112.

Title

Conveyed

by,

crushed by,

Khan,

Bravery

Order

of British India,

Class,

Title

Second Conveyed by,

Mundy,

Captain, Corps, 211.

164-5.

On
of,

Indian
154-5,
the,

112.

Pallis, 66.

Musalmans, Bravery
Dekhani,
n. 34.

Handbook on

Palmer, General Sir A. P., On Indian Soldiers, 242. Paraiyans, 67. Partab Singhji, Maharaja Sir,
136, 198.

Hindustani, 71-72. Punjabi, 72.

Sepoys, Plelp
of,

Pathans, 46, 73,

in

Mutiny,

Handbook on
Tribes
of,

78. the, n. 34.

74.
of, of,

Musalman

Soldiers, distinguish-

Patiala, Area of, 52.

ing marks of, 78. Mutiny, Sepoy, 161 -6. Faithful Troops in, 213, 222-9. Mysore, Maharaja, gift of the, to Empire, 133. Nabha, Area of, 52.

Maharaja Maharaja
Pennington,

136, n.

137. 197.

The

Late,

Col.,

On

Indian

Artillerymen, 218-19. Pensions, 121-4. Perak, Insurrection at, 192.

Persia,
180.

Naga Naga
of,

Hills Expedition, 191. Hill Tribes, Punishment

193.
117.

Expedition

to,

in

1800,

Naik, Drill, Pay of, Naik, Pay of, 117. Nanak, Guru, 50. Napier, Sir Robert,
chis, 229-31.

Expedition to, in 1808, 182-3. Persian Gulf, Operations in,

202.

Peschel, quoted, 15.

on

Balu-

Portuguese, Advent India, 48.

of.

In

INDEX.
Priests, Regimental, 102-3.

251
89, 91,

Risaldar Major,
118.

no.
22, 35,

Private, Infantry,

Pay

of,

Pay
Risley,
46.

of,

ii.

Punjabi Musalmans, 72. Punjab Infantry, Second 227-9,

234-5-

Sir H.

H.,
of
to

15,

Roberts,
193-

Lord,

Kandahar, Kandahar,
the,

Queen's

Corps of Guides, 223-7, 231-2, 233-4.

Slave
42.

Own

On March
237-986.

Qutab-ud-din,

Dynasty

founded by,

Royal Engineers, Work of

Rupee, Value Currency,
Sachin,
Salutri,
of,

Amalgamation of, in Races, India, 13-14, 20-1, 33-5, 47. Railway Company, Military, Strength of, 121. Rajas, Armies of the, 125-32. Military Spirit of the, lo-ii. Rajputs, 29.
Beards
of,

of,

in
138.

English

n.

no.

Nawab
Pay
80.

of,

Sacred Thread,

27. of, 113.

Sappers and
Strength of

Miners,

Number
of,

78.

Characteristics of, 56-8.

Company

120.

Handbook on

the, n. 34.

Work
at,

of,

86.

Moslem, 71. Origin of. Theories of, 34-5, Ram Das, Guru, 50. Ramdasias, Characteristics of,
70.

Saraghari,

Massacre of

Sikhs
112.

151-2.

Sardar Bahadur, Title of, Savantvadi, Area of, 65.

Population of, 65. Sar Desai of, 65. Scythians, Chinese
31-2.

Ranade, Dr.,
Ranizais,
193-

205.

Campaign

against,

Name

of,

Ranks, Honorary, given to In

dians, 90.

Ratlam, Raja
Recruits, 96-7.

of,

137.

Clans of, Invasion

Sepoy,

32.
of, 31-2.

Age

of,

Cavalry,

96. 108.

Movement of, Pay of,

32.
118.

Sepoys,
21
98-9.
98.

Height

of, 96.

Bravery of, 167-70. Freedom from Debauchery

1.

of,

Infantry, 119-20.

Pay

of,

114-15.

Regiments, Linked,

Not Homogeneous,

Priests of the, 102-3. Reservists, Indian, 81.

Offer Rice to Clive, 170-1. Superiority of over European Soldier, 211. Valour and Discipline of, 212. Sabuktagin, India Invaded by,
41-

Pension

of, 121.

Ressaidar, 89, iii.

Service,

Term

of, 96.

Pay of. III. Rewa, Maharaja

Shan
of,

States, 196.

135.

Sikh Empire, Rise and Fall of

the, 52-3.

Reynell, Maj.-Gen. Sir Thomas, On Indian Soldiers, 215. Risaldar, 89, iii.

Fighting Clans, 68-70.

Sikhism, Principles Rise of, 50.
of,

50.

Pay

of,

III.

252
Sikh Jats, 69. Kshatriyas,
69.

INDEX.
Tenasserim, Annexation of, 185. Theodore, King, of Abyssinia,
158, 192.

Pioneers, 32nd, 140-42. Soldier, Distinguishing

of, 77-8. States, 52-3.

Marks

Tibet, Campaign 140, 200-1. Tilak, Bal Gangadhar, Theory

of,

of

Aryan Origin,
147-8,

15.

Sikhs, Bayonet Charges of, 71.

Bravery
166.

of,

147-8,

151-2,

153,

Tirah Campaign, Tiwanas, 72.

Trooper, Indian,

197. 114.

Pay

of,

Handbook on
Mazbi,
161-3.

the, n. 34.
53. 51.

Not a Distinct Race, Rules of Conduct ot,

Trumpeter, Pay of, 114. Trumpet Major, Pay of, 113. Tughlak Dynasty, 43. Tura Baz Khan, Bravery
144-6.

of,

Sent to Malta, 194. Services of, to Britain

in

Mutiny,
36th, 151-2.

174.

Tweeddale, Marquis of, the. On Indian Soldiers, 186, 21920, 221-2.

Sikkim, Expedition to, 196-7. Silladar Cavalry, 106-8. Sindhia of Gwalior, 64. Slave Dynasty, 42. Soldier, Indian, Family of the,
99-100. Food of the, 100-2. Life of Indian, 99-104. Religious Festivals of
103-4.

Uganda, Campaign in, 149-50. Uganda, Expedition to, 198.

Utman

Khels,

Campaign
of, 26.

against, 193.

Vaishas, Duties
Vellalas, 66.

the,
to,

Somaliland,
199-200.

Expedition

Volunteers, Number of, in India, 49. Walpole, Brig. -Gen,, on 2nd Punjab Infantry, 227-8. War Cries of Indian Soldiers,
104-5.

Southern Command, 84. Sowar, Pay of the, 114. Squadron, Cavalry, Constitution of a, 108. Stewart, Sir Donald, 193.

Wardlow, Capt.

Own
141-2.

G., On Queen's Corps of Guides, 2:^4.

of,

Ward Orderly, Pay of, 114. Wasawa Singh, Bravery

Waziri Campaign,
Wellesley, Col.,
diers, 212.
191.

Suakin, Expedition Subadar, 89.

to,

196.

On

Indian Sol-

Pay of, 116. Subadar Major, 89, Pay of the, 116.

Sudras, Duties

91.

White, Major-Gen. Sir George,

of, 27.

Venerated by Bra'imans, Sumatra, Expedition to,

1779.
1

28.

On Baluchis, 239-40. Willcocks, Gen. Sir J., 84. Worsley, Maj.-Gen. Sir H., 215.
Woordie Major, Pay of, iii. Xanihii, Scythian Clan of, 32. Yag-o-fveet, 27. Sir Francis Younghusband,

in

75-676.

Syrians in India,
Syce. 115.

Tamils,

66. 50, 51, 52.

Edward,
Yuchi, 32, 33

200-01.

Teg Bahadur, Guru,

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