During the eighteen century, the Indian soldiers were the largest part of the British Army. They were commonly called the Indian army. Before the decommissioning of the Army in 1947, the Indian soldiers were used in almost every defensive activity in the British Empire, whether, it was the princely states or the British Government in India. the Indian soldiers were even used in many inner and outer defense operations. The Indian army was a critical part of the British empire, especially during world war first and second. In this article, we will be discussing the importance of Indian soldiers in the British Army and what kind of changes occurred after the composition of the company’s army.
Origin of British Indian Army
In the year 1776, The East India Company established a Military Department in Kolkata. The main purpose of the Department was to keep track of the orders issued by various departments of the East India Company. Later, under the charter act in 1833, the East India company was reformed into four different departments. the presidencies of Bengal, Bombay, and Madras were served as separate units until 1895 and later merged into one single unit as the Indian army. It was divided into four commands for administrative purposes: Punjab, Bengal, Madras, and Bombay.
During the eighteen century, the East India Company decided to establish its army, which was later known as the Sepoy army. The army was formed mostly with the peasants and other lower-class Indians, who were trained as professional soldiers by the British government. The army was divided into two different sections, the cavalry regiment, and the infantry regiment. The infantry regiment was considered more important than the cavalry regiment.
A large number of soldiers in the army were Hindus and Muslims. the British Indian Army had played an important part in sustaining the British Empire’s dominance in India as well as in other countries. The Indian soldiers under the British Empire had fought many wars including the Anglo-Burmese Wars, the Anglo-Afghan Wars First, second and third, the Anglo-Sikh Wars First and Second, Also, the Opium Wars, and the Boxer Rebellion in China, and Abyssinia. These were some examples, where the Indian soldiers had taken part in the British Indian Army. There are many other examples available in history.
Although the postings of the Indian official were less prestigious than the British officials, their salaries were significantly greater, which was enough to fulfill their living expenses. The high-rank Indian officers were treated equally to other officers. But their authority was only limited to the Indian troops. Also, the British officers in the Indian army were required to learn the Hindi language for communication purposes. Many changes occurred during the rule of the East India Company and the reformation of the Indian Army. Now, let’s talk about some of the significant changes that occurred after the reformation of the British Indian Army.
Important Changes after Composition of Company’s Army
- The first and most significant shift was the recruitment of peasants into the Indian army. When the British army was short of personnel during the war, they began to recruit soldiers from the poorer sections of society. They began training them as professional troops.
- Now the company began to recruit soldiers for their army, which was known as the sepoy army. In the army, a large number of soldiers were from the lower section of society.
- The company had started to recruit proficient officers in the place of “Sawars” and “Paid” soldiers. which affected the structure of the army greatly.
- The introduction of long-range rifle fire, machine guns, and repeating rifles in the 1820s had an impact on army composition. Even minor units can now attack more effectively than previously. Because of technological advancements, the Company’s army’s cavalry requirements had reduced.
- Now, the soldiers were trained and are armed with muskets and matchlocks. The main reason behind this was that the British Empire was fighting against Egypt, Afghanistan, and Burma.
- During the nineteenth century, the uniform culture comes into play. Now the armed forces were required to wear uniforms.
- The regular lives of soldiers were much more disciplined than before. now the soldiers were disciplined, drills, and training in the European style.
- With the occurring changes in the military needs, the army requirements were also affected greatly. Now the infantry regiments were more important in the company’s army.
- Since the company had begun to recruit soldiers from different castes and religions, and classes, now the caste and community kind of feelings were decreasing in the army.
Sample Questions
Question 1: How was the East India Company’s Army formed?
Answer:
The formation of the company’s army began during the eighteen century when the east Indian company decided to recruit for their army. They decided to recruit peasants and other lower classes of the society as soldiers and began to train them as professional soldiers. The army was composed of two sections, the cavalry, and the infantry regiments. Where the infantry regiments hold more importance in the army.
Question 2: How did the organization’s military change during the war?
Answer:
There were many changes were made during the war, for example, (1) the company began to recruit proficient soldiers on the place “pedal” and “awards”. (2) The army was required to wear the uniform. (3) their lives were more regulated and disciplined than before. (4) the importance of infantry regiments increased in the army. (5) the sepoy army was created as the company’s army. (6) the soldiers of the company were out lifted with muskets and matchlocks.
Question 3: What kind of social changes occurred after the composition of the company’s army?
Answer:
During the composition of the company’s army, a large number of soldiers were recruited from the lower classes of the society, and most of them were peasants. Since the soldiers were from different sections of the society, the feelings of discrimination on the basis of color, caste, and religion were often ignored in the army. Which was a significant change for society.