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Ian Patterson’s page on the history of [http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/orgartillery.htm#RHABTY Artillery Regiments] explains that the 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 The Troop's part in the retreat from Kabulis described::''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!''<ref>Ian Paterson's [http://www.desertrats.org.uk/orgartillery.htm#RHA1 Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division] desertrats.org.uk. Scroll down to the section on F Battery (Sphinx) Royal Horse Artillery.</ref>
→Historical books online
==History==
====1st Brigade====[http://www.archive.org/stream/fieldartilleryw00maygoog#page/n244/mode/1up This book''Field Artillery With The Other Arms Its Employment, Illustrated From Military History, And Its RE-Armament With Quick-Firing Guns Discussed''] (by Sir Edward Sinclair May can be viewed on Archive.org) . It briefly mentions the formation in 1800 of the “experimental brigade”.
At amalagamation 1st Troop, 1st Brigade became F Battery (Sphinx) [[Royal Horse Artillery]]. This [http://www.naval-military-press.com/sketch-of-the-history-of-f-battery-royal-horse-artillery.html link] is about a book called ''Sketch of the History of 'F' Battery Royal Horse Artillery'' (first published 1905), available through Amazon.co.uk from the [http://astore.amazon.co.uk/faminbriindso-21/detail/1845740467 FIBIS Shop]
This 1858 edition of [http://books.google.com/books?id=kfwBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA210 ''The Lancet''] (Google Books) mentions the health of the 2nd Troop, 1st Bengal Horse Artillery in 1851-1853. The renowned [[Henry Tombs]] took command of the 2nd Troop in 1854.
====2nd Brigade====The 2nd Troop Bengal Horse Artillery was formed on the 4th of August 1809 in Acra ([[Agra]]?). Ian PattersonPaterson's site (see aboveReferences, below) 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/132_Battery_(The_Bengal_Rocket_Troop)_Royal_Artillery 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 [http://www.lneryoca.org.uk/page_322792.html L Battery Old Comrades Association] for more details).
==Records==
*See [[Bengal Army]]
==General information==
*Situation 1822 [http://books.google.com/books?id=XN4KAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA171 ''The British Indian military repository, Volume 2''] by Samuel Parlby (Google Books]). Situation 1822
==Robert's description==
In his memoir ''Forty One Years in India'', [[Frederick Roberts|Lord Roberts ]] described his first encounter with the Bengal Horse Artillery in 1852. The text contains a description of the regiment's uniform.
<blockquote>From Cawnpore I went to Meerut, and there came across, for the first time, the far-famed Bengal Horse Artillery, and made the acquaintance of a set of officers who more than realized my expectations regarding the wearers of the much-coveted jacket, association with whom created in me a fixed resolve to leave no stone unturned in the endeavour
to become a horse gunner. Like the Cavalry and Infantry of the East India Company's service, the Artillery suffered somewhat from the employment of many of its best officers
on the staff and in civil appointments ; the officers selected were not seconded or replaced in their regiments. This was the case in a less degree, no doubt, in the Horse
Artillery than in the other branches, for its esprit was great, and officers were proud to belong to this corps d'elite. It certainly was a splendid service; the men were
the pick of those recruited by the East India Company, they were of magnificent physique, and their uniform was singularly handsome. The jacket was much the same as that now worn by the Royal Horse Artillery, but instead of the busby they had a brass helmet covered in front with leopard skin, surmounted by a long red plume,which drooped over the back like that of a French Cuirassier. This, with white buckskin breeches and long boots, completed a uniform which was one of the most picturesque and effective I have ever seen on a parade-ground.<supref>Roberts, Field Marshal Frederick Lord, [[http://www.archive.org/stream/fortyoneyearsin00unkngoog#References|2]page/n44/mode/1up Forty One Years in India: From subaltern to commander-in-chief Volume 1]1897, p12</supref> </blockquote>
==Amalgamation==
A list of the destination of each troop at amalgamation with the [[Royal Horse Artillery]] in 1861.<supref>[[#References|1]http://books.google.com.au/books?id=J-ERAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA607 ''United Service Magazine'']1861 Part III, p607</supref> Note that the new brigades underwent many name changes over the following subsequent decades.
{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
!Bengal Horse Artillery
!
!Royal Horse Artillery
|-
|1st troop, 1st brigade||<small>became</small>||2nd Brigade, A Battery
|-
|2nd troop, 1st brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||2nd Brigade, B Battery
|-
|3rd troop, 1st brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||2nd Brigade, C Battery
|-
|4th troop, 1st brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||2nd Brigade, D Battery
|-
|5th troop, 1st brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||2nd Brigade, E Battery
|-
|1st troop, 2nd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||5th Brigade, A Battery
|-
|2nd troop, 2nd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||5th Brigade, B Battery
|-
|3rd troop, 2nd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||5th Brigade, C Battery
|-
|4th troop, 2nd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||5th Brigade, D Battery
|-
|1st troop, 3rd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||2nd Brigade, F Battery
|-
|2nd troop, 3rd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||2nd Brigade, G Battery
|-
|3rd troop, 3rd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||5th Brigade, E Battery
|-
|4th troop, 3rd brigade||<small><center>"</center></small>||5th Brigade, F Battery
|}
==ReferencesIndividuals==#*N.W. Bancroft [httpNathaniel Washington] "joined the Bengal Horse Artillery as a boy recruit at the age of 9 in 1833 and served through some of the most turbulent years of British rule in India. In 1885 he published his memoirs, ''From Recruit to Staff Sergeant'', telling of the campaigns of his career. He gives particular emphasis on the Sikh wars that culminated in the three Sutlej battles, which he describes in gory detail. His account of the actions of the artillery in the Sikh battles match with accuracy to the official accounts, giving a reliable illustration of the tactics of that time. Bancroft gives a tactile description of the sights and sounds of the battlefield, as they were seen and heard from the men on the ground".<ref>[https://bookswww.googlesikhbookshelf.com.au/books?id=Jproducts/from-recruit-to-staff-ERAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA607 sergeant ''United Service MagazineFrom Recruit to Staff Sergeant''] 1861 Part III, p607#Roberts, Field Marshal Frederick Lordsikhbookshelf.com</ref> A 1979 reprint of this book is available at the [[British Library]], UIN: BLL01010107383 . A recent reprint is available with a changed title.<ref>[http://www.archiveleonaur.orgcom/streamindex.php?route=product/fortyoneyearsin00unkngoog#pageproduct&search=Bancroft&product_id=280 ''Bancroft of the Bengal Horse Artillery''] Leonaur Books</n44/mode/1up Forty One Years in India: From subaltern to commander-in-chief Volume 1] 1897, p12ref> Also see below for a ''Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research'' article.
==External links==
*''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 [http://books.google.com/books?id=F9ADAAAAMAAJ 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 [http://books.google.com/books?id=iI9HAAAAMAAJ 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 [httphttps://www.leonaur.cometmuseum.uk/booksorg/booknumber.php?bookid=209 link]. More details [http://books.google.com/books?id=GDUoPQAACAAJ No Preview Google Books]. Available through Amazon from the [http://astore.amazon.co.ukart/faminbriindso-21collection/detailsearch/1846774616 FIBIS Shop]*''From Recruit to Staff Sergeant'', by Nathaniel Washington Bancroft published 1885, which is reviewed in this Limited View Google Books [http287673 Two photographs://books.google.com/books?id=av00vIKTkgIC&pg=PA111 link]. A 1979 reprint of this book is available at the [[British Library]]. It includes his experiences in the Sikh Wars of [[1st Sikh War|1845-1846]] and [[2nd Sikh War|1848-1849]] with the Bengal Horse Artillery. This book is published by Leonaur Press under the title ''Bancroft , 1860] The Metropolitan Museum of the Bengal Horse Artillery''Art, described in this [http://www.leonaur.coNew York.uk/books/booknumber.php?bookid=280 link]. More details [http://books.google.com/books?id=_DpnPgAACAAJ No Preview Google Books]. Available through Amazon from the [http://astore.amazon.co.uk/faminbriindso-21/detail/1846775655 FIBIS Shop]
*[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=E00sB_ObR14C&pg=PA13 ''British Napoleonic Artillery 1793-1815 (1): Field Artillery''] by Chris Henry, page 9 mentions the establishment of the Bengal Horse Artillery.
*Images from Brown University Library Digital Repository.**[https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:230774/ Segt. Saml. Shaw B.H.A.] 1840 pen and ink sketch.**[https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:230845/ Bengal Horse Artillery, H.E.I.C.S., 1845] Original gouache drawing signed and dated 1889 by J. C(harlton). **[https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:230846/ Bengal Horse Artillery officer and troops, c. 1845] watercolour.**[https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:251030/ 1846. Bengal Horse Artillery. Trooper] 1903, artist Charles Lyall (CL). **[https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:251031/ 1846. Bengal Horse Artillery officer] 1903, artist Charles Lyall (CL).**[https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:243295/ Bengal Horse Artillery] 1850 One of a collection of 4 watercolours signed by L.E.G. *[https://www.jstor.org/stable/44227088"Nathaniel Washington Bancroft"] by Kenneth E. Curtis. ''Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research'' Volume 61, no 247, Autumn 1983 page 142-159. Read online for free on the website Jstor.org, subject to registration with Jstor.org, and restrictions apply. For more details about Jstor, and the restrictions, see the page [[Miscellaneous tips]]. Alternatively you may be able to log in with a Library card.====Historical books online====*[http://www.archive.org/stream/memoirofservices00buckuoft#page/n7/mode/2up ''Memoir of the Services of the Bengal Artillery: from the Formation of the Corps to the Present Time, with Some Account of its Internal Organization''] by Captain E. Buckle (1852) Archive.org mentions the festablishment establishment of the Bengal Horse Artillery and service in Egypt in 1801 from [http://www.archive.org/stream/memoirofservices00buckuoft#page/230/mode/2up page 230] *''First impressions and studies from nature in Hindostan; embracing an outline of the voyage to Calcutta, and five years residence in Bengal and the Doáb, from MDCCCXXXI to MDCCCXXXVI'' by Thomas Bacon, Lieut. Of the Bengal Horse Artillery 1837 Archive.org [https://archive.org/details/firstimpressions01baco Volume I], [https://archive.org/details/firstimpressions02baco Volume II]. Also available on Hathi Trust Digital Library [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001266234 A] and [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006591415 B], where the illustration pages can be rotated.*[http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_000000034950# ''On the topography of Meerutt, and the principal diseases which prevailed in the 1st Brigade of Horse Artillery at that place''] by John Murray, M.D., Assistant Surgeon, 1st Brigade Horse Artillery 1839 published Calcutta. British Library Digital Collection.:[https://archive.org/details/b22274789/page/n1/mode/2up Archive.org version]:*[https://archive.org/details/b22274789/page/n1/mode/1up Plan of the Artillery Hospital and Artillery Barracks] Archive.org
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=NGoLAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover ''Eight months' campaign against the Bengal Sepoy Army during the mutiny of 1857''] by Colonel George Bourchier, Bengal Horse Artillery 1858 Google Books
*[https://archive.org/details/historyofsiegeof00offirich ''History of the Siege of Delhi''] by An Officer who served there. [William Wotherspoon Ireland, MD] 1861 Archive.org. He was Assistant Surgeon, attached to the Bengal Horse Artillery. He was wounded and retired a few years later.*[https://archive.org/details/history-artillery-mutiny-1857/page/n13/mode/2up ''The History of the Royal and Indian Artillery in the Mutiny of 1857''] by Julian R J Jocelyn 1915. Archive.org.*[https://archive.org/details/fbatteryroyalhorseartillery/page/n9/mode/2up ''A Sketch of the History of ‘F’ Battery Royal Horse Artillery''] by Major-General F. W. Stubbs and Major A. S. Tyndale-Biscoe, R.H.A. 1905 Archive.org. Previously 1st Troop in the 1st Brigade of the Bengal Horse Artillery.*Fiction**[https://archive.org/details/GM_Fenn_Gil_the_Gunner ''Gil the Gunner; or The Youngest Officer in the East''] by George Manville Fenn 1892 Archive.org. A boys’ adventure story set in the period of the [[Indian Mutiny]]**[http://www.archive.org/stream/drawswordsinhors00fenn#page/n7/mode/2up ''Draw swords! : In the Horse Artillery''] by George Manville Fenn 1898. Archive.org. An adventure story for younger readers about a young officer in the Bengal Horse Artillery, with 8 illustrations. == References ==<references /> {{#widget:Google PlusOne|size=small|count=true}}
[[Category:Bengal Artillery]]
