Bengal Horse Artillery

Chronology

• 1800 raised as the Experimental Brigade of Bengal Horse Artillery
• 1809 2nd and 3rd Troops of Bengal Horse Artillery formed
• 1817 first three Native Troops formed
• 1826 reorganisation of Bengal Horse Artillery into Brigades
• 1861 absorbed into the Royal Artillery

Service

Includes:

• 1803-05 2nd Maratha War
• 1814-16 Gurkha War
• 1817 Siege of Hattress during the Pindari Campaign
• 1823-261st Burma War
• 1842 Retreat from Kabul to Gandamak during the 1st Afghan War

History

1st Brigade

This book (on Archive.org) briefly mentions the formation in 1800 of the “experimental brigade”.

Ian Patterson’s page on the history of Artillery Regiments explains that the first troop of the Bengal Horse Artillery was raised in 1800 to accompany the expedition against Napoleon in Egypt that year. Patterson describes the Troop's part in the retreat from Kabul:

It was during this retreat that all the guns were lost, mainly due to lack of feed for the horses, which rendered them unable to drag the guns of the Battery through the deep snow and rugged mountain passes. One by one the guns were spiked and abandoned. The Captain, two officers and 102 NCO's and men were killed in the retreat, with in one case an entire gun crew perishing rather than desert their charge!

At amalagamation 1st Troop, 1st Brigade became F Battery (Sphinx) Royal Horse Artillery. This link is about a book called Sketch of the History of 'F' Battery Royal Horse Artillery (first published 1905).

This 1858 edition of The Lancet (Google Books) mentions the health of the 2nd Troop, 1st Bengal Horse Artillery in 1851-1853.

2nd Brigade

The 2nd Troop Bengal Horse Artillery was formed on the 4th of August 1809 in Acra (Agra?). Ian Patterson's site (see above) states the majority of the other ranks were European and that the Battery were all mounted to ensure greater manoeuvrability, both unusual during this period. At amalagamation 1st Troop, 2nd Brigade became K (Hondeghem) Battery Royal Horse Artillery.

The Bengal Rocket Troop was raised on 13 September 1816 as a camel mounted unit under the command of Captain (later General) William Samsen Whish. The troop carried a total of 912 six pound rockets, either in buckets on camels, or horse drawn trolleys. It switched back to horses in 1817. It was re-titled 2nd Troop, 2nd Brigade Bengal Horse Artillery in 1826 (see Wikipedia for more details).

3rd Brigade

Another battery was formed as 3rd Troop (later renamed 1st Troop, 3rd Brigade) around 1809. It is now part of L (Néry) Battery RHA (see the L Battery Old Comrades Association for more details).

General information

• Situation 1822 Google Books

• This edition of the United Service Magazine (Google Books) details the destination of each troop at amalagamtion in 1861. Note that the new brigades underwent many name changes over the following decades.

Books

• The Bengal Horse Artillery, 1800-1861 : the 'Red Men' - A Nineteenth Century Corps d'Elite by Basil Perronet Hughes 1971. Available at the British Library and Snippet View Google Books which perhaps some readers can access.

• The Second Maratha Campaign, 1804-1805 : Diary of James Young, Officer, Bengal Horse Artillery, and twice sheriff of Calcutta Published 1990 New Delhi. Available at the British Library and Snippet View Google Books which perhaps some readers can access. A more recent edition has been published by Leonaur Press under the title Galloping Guns, described in this link. More details No Preview Google Books. Available through Amazon from the FIBIS Shop
• From Recruit to Staff Sergeant, by Nathaniel Washington Bancroft published 1885, which is reviewed in this Limited View Google Books link. A 1979 reprint of this book is available at the British Library. It includes his experiences in the Sikh Wars of 1845-1846 and 1848-1849 with the Bengal Horse Artillery. This book is published by Leonaur Press under the title Bancroft of the Bengal Horse Artillery, described in this link. More details No Preview Google Books. Available through Amazon from the FIBIS Shop

• Draw swords! : In the Horse Artillery by George Manville Fenn 1898. Archive.org. A novel about a young officer in the Bengal Horse Artillery, with 8 illustrations.