Madras Native Infantry
The Madras Regiment was the first unit raised by the East India Company.
Chronology
- 1748 Madras Levies raised by Major Stringer Lawrence for the defence of Cuddalore
- 1758 two Madras Battalions under British officers formed by Robert Clive to reorganise the 3,000 men with Indian officers in the Madras Presidency Army of around 3,000 with Indian officers
- 1759 four more battalions formed
- 1767 total strength 19 battalions known as Coast Sepoys
- 1769 became Carnatic Battalions in the north and the Circar Battalions in the south of the Presidency
- 1784 all became Madras Battalions with the Carnatic having precedence
- 1824 total strength 50 regiments
- 1857 no Madras regiments mutinied
From British Army Website
External Links
Historical Books Online
The Company’s Native Army page 14 of Military reminiscences: extracted from a journal of nearly forty years' active service in the East Indies Volume 1 by Colonel James Welsh of the Madras Establishment 1830 Google Books
Other
Madras Regiment Wikipedia
Newspaper Article The Asian Age
Regimental Website madrasregiment.org
Regiments War Museum www.indianetzone.com