[1] Charles, 6th Earl of Drogheda, Governor of Meath, and Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Irish Horse.

[2] Annual Register, 1779.

[3] The 23rd Light Dragoons.

[4] The commissions of Sir Hector Munro, General Stuart, and Sir John Burgoyne were afterwards antedated to 9th May 1777, to ensure the succession of one of them to the command of the troops in India next to Sir Eyre Coote.

[5] 101st and 102nd.

[6] Madras Govt. Dispatch to Court of Directors 31st Oct. 1782.

[7] This was the reason given by the Madras Council. According to another account, the rice was not landed, because the Governor, Lord Macartney, had laid an embargo on it, and would neither give an adequate price for it, nor suffer it to be landed for sale to the people.

[8] Annual Register.

[9] Portuguese half castes and native Christians.

[10] “We conceive that there is a slight transition from refusal to employ the King’s troops upon a requisition by the Civil Government, to the employing them without a requisition, and we submit to you to what uses such an authority might be applied, and where the consequences might end.”—Letter to Court of Directors, December 1782.

[11] 13th August 1783.

[12] The power of ordering Courts Martial for the trial of officers and soldiers, both in the service of the King and those acting under the Company, was vested in the Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s forces for the time being.

[13] Twelve of the ringleaders were selected for execution. Eleven of them were blown away from guns: the twelfth was pardoned after the gun had missed fire three times. This was the recognised mode of execution in India for military mutiny, and the Company’s European troops were equally liable to this punishment.

[14] 135 horses died or were cast between 1st June 1783 and 10th May 1785.

[15] Soon after his arrival in England he received a challenge from General Stuart, by whom he was wounded in a duel, fought near Kensington, 8th June 1786. A letter from Sir John Burgoyne, written whilst under arrest, shows his intention of calling Lord Macartney to account in a similar way.

[16] This would seem to show that Lang, like Stuart, also held a half-pay commission from the King.

[17] Calcutta Gazette. 18th August 1785.

[18] Narrative of the Military operations on the Coromandel Coast. Innes Munro. 1789.

[19] Lieut. Colonel Floyd, private letter, 18th April 1786.

[20] Military equitation, or a Method of Breaking Horses, and Teaching Soldiers to ride, by Henry, Earl of Pembroke.

[21] See page 15.

[22] In the same order the 73rd Highland Regiment was re-numbered the 71st, and the 78th was re-numbered the 72nd.

[23] Brother of Lord Howe, who was killed at Ticonderago, and of the famous Admiral. He succeeded as 5th Viscount Howe in 1799, and died in July 1814.

[24] Lieut. Colonel Floyd, private letter, 14th January 1790.

[25] Younger brother of the famous Sir Ralph Abercromby.

[26] Afterwards Lieut. General Sir James Affleck, Colonel of the 16th Light Dragoons: died 1833.

[27] The fortified town as distinguished from the fort.

[28] Dirom.

[29] Wilks.

[30] Dirom.

[31] Dirom.

[32] Dirom.

[33] One of these is now the property of the Junior United Service Club.

[34] Among the Europeans in the Nizam’s service was one Captain Finglass, who had formerly been a Quarter Master in the 19th Light Dragoons. He commanded a corps, and, in company with another corps commander, an American named Boyd, made known his determination to uphold the Company’s authority against French intrigues. Some time after the disarmament of the Nizam’s troops he was reinstated in his position in the Nizam’s service.

[35] In November 1802 the number of gun lascars was reduced to 1 First Tindal and 10 men for each European Regiment.

[36] Thorn.

[37] Afterwards Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington.

[38] Not the officer of the same name who was formerly Commander-in-Chief in Madras.

[39] Lord Combermere’s correspondence.

[40] Wilks’s Mysore.

[41] “Time and the number of guns formed the principle of our signals; for example, three guns at half-past seven denoted a position two marches from Seringapatam: two guns at eight might have denoted any other communication. And in this manner may detachments or armies on some occasions communicate intelligence, which, by messenger, might be impracticable. To ascertain that the signal of the Bombay army was understood, it was agreed to fire the same number of guns, in our camp ten minutes afterwards.” —Beatson’s Mysore War. General Floyd’s signal to establish communication with General Stuart on the 8th was two guns fired precisely at four o’clock; and, a little afterwards, four guns at intervals of a minute each. In about half an hour afterwards the same signal was repeated.—Memoirs of a Field Officer.

[42] Wellesley correspondence.

[43] The rest of the army did not reach Poona till the 23rd.

[44] According to the order of march observed, the advanced guard was composed of one half company from each Infantry Regiment, forming the picquets coming on duty, under the Field Officer of the day. In the same way, the rearguard was formed of the picquets coming off duty.

[45] Grant Duff’s History of the Mahrattas.

[46] Life of Mountstuart Elphinstone.

[47] History of the Madras Army. The number of guns captured at Assaye is generally stated as 98. This apparently does not include some guns abandoned by the enemy between the field of battle and the Ajunta Pass, which fell into the hands of Stevenson’s corps.

[48] M.S. note in India Office Library.

[49] M.S. note in India Office Library.

[50] Grant Duff’s Mahrattas.

[51] Court of Directors’ Letter, 3rd July 1805.

[52] Milne’s Standards and Colours of the British Army.

[53] Twelve years of military adventure.

[54] Thorn’s Memoir of the War in India.

[55] The force would appear a very large one to deal with a band of freebooters, but according to one who was present they numbered upwards of 50,000 men. Though this was probably an exaggeration, it suffices to show that they were very numerous.

[56] “Nothing would appear to be more trivial to the public interests than the length of the hair on the upper lip of a sepoy, yet to the individual himself, the shape and fashion of the whisker is a badge of his caste, and an article of his religion.”—Report of Special Commission on mutiny at Vellore.

[57] Quebec Mercury, 18th May 1813.

[58] He had been created a Knight of the Bath for his victory at Detroit.

[59] The present town of Toronto was known as York in 1813.

[60] Lundy’s Lane Hist. Society.

[61] Afterwards Sir Gordon Drummond, K.C.B.

[62] Lundy’s Lane Historical Society.

[63] Lundy’s Lane Historical Society.

[64] L.L.H.S.

[65] The force actually engaged on the British side consisted only of a single Division of 1500 men and a Naval rocket battery. Ross attacked without waiting for his Rear Division and the rest of the Naval Brigade.

[66] See page 167.

[67] Horse Guards order, dated 28th October 1817.

[68] It is not quite certain whether the guidons were new ones given to the Regiment in 1808, or the old ones with the badges embroidered on them in that year.

[69] Standards and Colours of the Army, by S. M. Milne. I am mainly indebted to Mr Milne for the drawings from which the accompanying Plate was prepared.

[70] The force was mainly composed of the men who had fought against us under Arabi. They could hardly have been expected to fight well.

[71] G.O. by Sir G. Graham.

[72] Sir Charles Wilson, in From Korti to Khartoum.

[73] Number of regiment changed to the Eighteenth in this year.

[74] Number of the regiment changed in this year to the Nineteenth.