2nd Burma War

2nd Burma War
5 April 1852-20 January 1853
Chronological list of Wars and Campaigns
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Location: Burma
Combatants:
British and Indians	Burma
Result: British victory
Medals: Indian General Service Medal, Pegu Clasp
Links:
Category: 2nd Burma War 1852-53

	See our interactive map of 2nd Burma War 1852-53 locations and routes on Google Maps

The 2nd Burma War, also known as the 2nd Anglo-Burmese War, was the second of the three British campaigns that led to the complete annexation of Burma.

Summary

Commodore George Lambert was sent to Burma to negotiate over a number of minor issues relating to the Treaty of Yanabo which had ended the 1st Burma War. Instead of resolving the problem Lambert provoked a confrontation which led to a declaration of war and a British Expeditionary Force under Lt Gen Henry Godwin attacking Martaban and occupying Rangoon. The British occupied Prome in October and announced the annexation of the province of Pegu on 20 January 1853. No treaty was signed.

Events

• Alphabetical list of actions

Cause of the War - An Imperial View

"The future historian may write that the Second Burmese war was chiefly caused and prolonged by a few blustering Burmese officers, the representatives of a self-interested rabble, whose chief object was to fill the golden ear of royalty with false reports, that they might prop up a government fast falling to decay, and with greater vigour sow the seeds of ruin in these fertile and beautiful regions. He will then probably gladly tell how the British power came forward in time of need with that protecting hand which has been so often held forth in similar missions, and which we trust may be so employed until peace secures in her fair dominions the entire human family."
'Pegu' by Lt William Laurie

Expeditionary Force

Expedition Commander Maj-Gen Henry Godwin CB

• 18th Regiment of Foot (850 men)
• 51st Regiment of Foot (900 men)
• 80th Regiment of Foot (460 men)
• Artillery (5 companies, 517 men)
• Native Infantry (3 regiments, 2,800 men)
• Gun Lascars (70 men)
• Sappers and Miners (170 men)

Total 5,767 men

Reinforced Campaign Force

Commanded by Maj-Gen Henry Godwin CB''
Bengal Division
Brig-Gen Sir John Cheape KCB commanding

• 1st Brigade under Brig Reignolds, The Royal Irish

• 18th Foot (The Royal Irish)
• 40th Native Infantry
• 67th Native Infantry

• 2nd Brigade under Brig Dickenson, 40th BNI

• 80th Foot
• 10th Native Infantry
• 4th Sikh Local Infantry

• 3rd Brigade under Brig Huish, 37th BNI

• 1st Bengal (European) Fusiliers
• 37th Native Infantry
• The Regiment of Ludhiana
  

Madras Division
Brig-Gen S W Steel KCB commanding

• 1st Brigade under Brig W H Elliott, 51st Foot

• 51st King's Own Light Infantry
• 9th Native Infantry
• 35th Native Infantry

• 2nd Brigade under Brig McNeill

• 1st Madras Fusiliers
• 5th Native Infantry
• 79th Native Infantry

• 3rd Brigade

• 84th Foot
• 30th Native Infantry
• 46th Native Infantry

Medals

See Medals and Medal Rolls
India Office Records at the British Library L/MIL/5/52-54 Pegu 1852-53

• L/MIL/5/52: Correspondence and nominal rolls. 1854-1855.
• L/MIL/5/53 1855: Nominal Rolls for Bengal ships: Damodali, Fire Queen, India, Lord William Bentinck, Luckia, Mahanuddy, Nemesis, Nerbuddah, Phlegethon, Prosperine, Pluto, Soane, Sutledge, Tenasserim
• L/MIL/5/54: 1854 :Correspondence and Nominal Rolls for Bombay ships: Berenice, Medusa, Moozuffor, Sesostris, with index

External Links

	The FIBIS Google Books Library has books tagged: 2nd Burma War Burma

Anglo-Burmese Wars Wikipedia
Map of British Conquest of Burma Google Books
2nd Burma War 1852-53 Wikipedia
Operations at Rangoon in 1852 by Lt William Laurie Google Books
Events in Second Burmese War Aug 1852 - Jun 1853 by Lt William Laurie Google Books
Medals of the British Army - 2nd Burmese War Medals of the British Army
Central Burma Map Digital South Asia Library
Map of British Conquest of Burma Google Books

Historical Books on-line

• "Papers relating to Hostilities with Burmah". Presented 4 June 1852 from Parliamentary Papers: Accounts and Papers. East India. Ceylon. Volume XXXVI Google Books
• "Further papers relating to Hostilities with Burmah" from Sessional Papers printed by Order of the House of Lords Session 1852-1853 Vol XII: East Indies and East India Company. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Her Majesty’s Command March 15, 1853. Google Books
• Bulletins and other state intelligence. Compiled and arranged from the official documents published in the London Gazette
  • For the year 1852, Index, under India Board; For the year 1853, Index, under India Board Google Books
• Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India Vol V - 2nd Burma War archive.org
• “The Burmese War 1852-1853” from History of the Indian navy. (1613-1863) Volume 2 by Charles Rathbone Low 1877 Archive.org
• "The Second War with Burmah 1852-53", page 292, Medals of the British Navy and how they were won by W.H. Long 1895 Archive.org
• The golden Dagon, or, Up and down the Irrawaddi: being passages of adventure in the Burman Empire by John Williamson Palmer 1856 Google Books. The author was an American doctor, appointed, in Hong Kong, surgeon on the EIC war steamer Phlegethon (Bengal Marine), which took part in the War
• "An Officer's Diary of a Two Months' Boat Expedition in Burmah" Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal 1861 Part 1 Part 1, page 239 Part 2, page 402. The author was a Medical Officer. Google Books
• Six months at Martaban, during the Burmese war; and An essay on the political causes which led to the establishment of British power in India by "an officer in active service on the spot" 1854 Google Books