Central India Campaign

	See our interactive map of the Central India Campaign locations and routes on Google Maps

Summary

Sir Colin Campbell's plan for the pacification of Central India was for separate columns to be formed from the two Presidencies of Bombay and Madras. The Bombay force, under the command of Gen Sir Hugh Rose, should march from Mhow to Gwalior and Jhansi, and the Madras force, which was to be led by Sir Patrick Grant, should march towards Nagpore. These two columns were to act in concert to defeat rebel forces under the command of Tatya Tope. The major operations of the Central India Field Force under Rose and the Saugor and Nerbudda Field Force under Whitlock lasted for the whole of 1858 and resulted in the destruction of Tantia Tope's army as a significant threat. Other units taking part were the Rajputana Field Force under General Henry Roberts and the Malwa Field Force under Maj-Gen John Michel.

Related articles

For details of events during this period see the following articles

22 October 1857	Battle of Dhar
21 November 1857	Battle of Mundesore
25 November 1857	Relief of Neemuch
24-30 January 1858	Siege of Rathguhr
3 February 1858	Relief of Saugor
3 March 1858	Battle of Mudanpore Pass
14 March 1858	Battle of Chundehree
23 March-3 April 1858	Battle of Jhansi
30 March 1858	Battle of Kotah
1 April 1858	Battle of Betwa River
19 April 1858	Battle of Bhowragarh
5 May 1858	Battle of Loharree Mud Fort
7 May 1858	Battle of Koonch
22 May 1858	Battle of Kalpi
22 May 1858	Battle of Humeerpore
6 June 1858	Occupation of Kirwee
16 June 1858	Battle of Morar
16-20 June 1858	Battle of Gwalior
17 June 1858	Battle of Kota-ki-Serai
21 June 1858	Battle of Jowra Alipore
8 August 1858	Battle of Sunganeer
14 August 1858	Battle of Kattara
6 September 1858	Forcing Punghatee Pass
15 September 1858	Battle of Beorora
9 October 1858	Battle of Mungrowlee
19 October 1858	Battle of Sindwah
25 October 1858	Battle of Koorai
2 January 1859	Battle of Khoree Kurarayah
16 May 1859	Battle of Richwa

Central India Field Force

Maj-Gen Sir Hugh Rose KCB commanding
1st Brigade (Brigadier Stuart)

• One Squadron of HM 14th Light Dragoons.
• One Troop of 3rd Light Cavalry of Bombay Army.
• HM 86th Foot (Two companies, other companies joined at Chanderi on 16 March 1858).
• 25th Bombay Native Infantry
• Two Batteries of European Artillery
• Bombay Sappers & Miners Detachment
  

2nd Brigade

• Headquarters HM 14th Light Dragoons
• Headquarters 3rd Light Cavalry
• 3rd Bombay European Regiment
• 24th Bombay Infantry
• No 1 Troop, Horse Artillery
• One Field Battery
• Madras Sappers and Miners
• Siege Train (Joined 15 January 1858)
  

Contingent Hyderabad State

• 1st Hyderabad Cavalry
• 4th Hyderabad Cavalry
• Artillery

• 1st Company Hyderabad Artillery
• 2nd Company Hyderabad Artillery
• 4th Company Hyderabad Artillery
• Two Howitzers.

• Wing of 3rd Hyderabad Infantry
• Wing of 5th Hyderabad Infantry

Saugor and Nerbudda Field Force

British Army Regiments:

• 12th Lancers (left wing)
• 43rd Regiment of Foot
• 6 Coy/14th Brigade Royal Artillery (later G Battery/14th Brigade)

Native Regiments: TBC

• 6th Madras Light Cavalry
• 7th Madras Light Cavalry
• 3rd Madras (European) Infantry
• 1st Regiment of Madras Native Infantry
• 19th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry
• 50th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry
• 2 companies of Sappers
• Hyderabad Green Horse (2nd Cavalry Hyderabad Contingent?)

Malwa Field Force

Brig C S Stuart, 1st Bombay Europeans, commanding

• 14th Light Dragoons (left wing) under Major Gall
• 3rd Cavalry, Hyderabad Contingent
• 25th Bombay Infantry
• Four coys, HM 86th Regiment

External Links

• Central India Campaign Wikipedia
  
• 1857: A Brief Political and Military Analysis by Maj (Retd) Agha Humayun Amin Chapter Seven: "The Central India Campaign" defencejournal.com (Pakistan) February 2000 Issue, now archived.
  

Historical books online

• Selections from the letters, despatches and other state papers preserved in the Military Department of the Government of India, 1857-58 edited by George W. Forrest, Director of Records of the Government of India. Volume IV [Central India] 1912 Archive.org

A History of the Indian Mutiny; reviewed and illustrated from original documents by G W Forrest. Volume III, [Central India]. 1912 Archive.org

• A Sortie from Fort St. George; being a Narrative of the Services of the Madras Troops under Major-General Whitlock ... during the War in Central India ... 1858-59. By one who served in the campaigns. Re-printed from the Madras Daily Times 1860 Google Books. Also available as a British Library Digital file.
• Recollections of the Campaign in Malwa and Central India by Asst Surgeon John Henry Sylvester 1860 (Google Books)
  
• Central India during the Rebellion of 1857 and 1858 by Thomas Lowe, Medical Officer to the Corps of Madras Sappers and Miners 1860 (Google Books)
  
• The Revolt in Central India 1857-1859 compiled by Army Headquarters, India 1908 (archive.org)
  
• "The Storming of Jhansi: A Passage in the History of the Royal County Downs" [Royal Downshires, or 86th Regiment of Foot] by J. D. B. page 344 The United Service Magazine 1878, Part 1 HathiTrust Digital Library.
• General Sir Richard Meade and the Feudatory States of Central and Southern India; a record of forty-three year's service as Soldier, Political Officer and Administrator by Thomas Henry Thornton 1898 Archive.org. Born 1821, Sir Richard served in the Bengal Army from 1838 for nearly twenty years. At the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny he was Brigade-Major of the Gwalior Contingent which mutinied. He later raised Meade’s Horse. Subsequently in 1859 he was appointed Political Agent at Gwalior, finally retiring in March 1881.
• "The Mutiny" page 310 Memorials of Service in India‬: ‪from the correspondence of the late Major Samuel Charters Macpherson,‬ Political Agent at Gwalior during the Mutiny 1865 Google Books
• The Mutinies in Rajpootana, being personal narrative of the Mutiny at Nusseerabad, with subsequent residence at Jodhpore, and journey across the desert into Sind, together with an account of the outbreak at Neemuch, and mutiny of the Jodhpore Legion at Erinpoora, and attack on Mount Aboo by Iltudus Thomas Prichard. late of the Bengal Army 1860 Google Books. He had served with the 15th Bengal Native Infantry.
• "An Old Soldier on the Indian Mutiny". From the diary of Private William Taylor, K Company, 71st HLI, who served in the Central Indian Campaign in the Bullock Battery, and also the Camel Corps.

Page 889 July 1903; page 921 October 1903; page 30 January 1904; page 130 October 1904. Highland Light Infantry Chronicle. Google Books.

Maps

• Central India map Imperial Gazetteer of India Vol 26 Atlas 1909