Between Mars and Mammon: Colonial Armies and the Garrison State in Early Nineteenth-century India (International Library of Historical Studies)

312 Pages·1995·15.925 MB·English

by  Douglas M. Peers

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Colénie Armies and the Garrison Statytet e 3
in Early Nineteenth- one India |
DOUGLAS M.P EERS -
While popular impressions of the British Raj
are saturated with images and memories of
military campaigns, remarkably few studies
have considered the direct impact that the
army exerted on the day-to-day operations of
the British in India. Douglas Peers’ book
demonstrates how importantth e army was to
the establishment and form of British
domination. Soldiers and civilians were,
with rare exceptions, united by the truism
that British rule could only be retained by’
the sword.
The rationale for the Raj emphasized the
precariousness of British rule and showed
that its security could only be assured by
constant preparedness for war.
Consequently, military imperatives and the
army’s demands for resources were given
priority in peacetime as well as wartime.
Douglas Peers argues that this helps explain
the origin of the Burma War (1824-26) and the
capture of Bharatpur (1825-26), neither of
which would appear at first sight strategically
vital or economically desirable. Authorities in
London viewed this militarization of the
colonial administration and its treasury with
misgivings. They recognized not only the
financial costs involved, but also the political
consequences of an increasingly
autonomous army. Their efforts to restrain the
army were only partially successful. Even
William Bentinck, famous for ushering ina
period of reform in India, finally conceded
that the army’s interests were deeply
entrenched and that Britain was dependent
on it.
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BETWEEN MARS AND MAMMON
INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF HISTORICAL STUDIES
Volume
1 Between Mars and Mammon: Colonial Armies and the
Garrison State in India, 1819-1835 by Douglas M. Peers
2 Empires in Conflict: Armenia and the Great Powers, 1912-
1920 by Manoug Somakian
3. Military Revolution in Sixteenth-century Europe by
David Eltis
BETWEEN MARS AND MAMMON
Colonial Armies and the Garrison State in India 1819-1835
Douglas M. Peers
Tauris Academic Studies
I.B. Tauris Publishers
LONDON * NEW YORK
Published in 1995 by
Tauris Academic Studies
An imprint of I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd
45 Bloomsbury Square
London WCI1A 2HY
175 Fifth Avenue
New York
NY 10010
In the United States of America
and Canada distributed by
St Martin’s Press
175 Fifth Avenue
New York
NY 10010
Copyright © 1995 by Douglas M. Peers
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or
any part thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission in
writing from the publisher.
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 1 85043 954 0
Library of Congress catalog card number: 95- 060218
? AOLW U
Typesetting by Cliff Kadatz
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
WEC Ltd, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan
Contents
List of Maps and Appendices : vi
Acknowledgements Vii
Preface Vill
Notes on Spelling and Usage xi
1. The Armies of India and the Dynamics of Imperial Rule“ 1
2. The Structures and Ideologies of Company Rule “i 18
3. Ideologies of the Garrison State oe 44
4. The Military Resources of the Garrison State 73
5. The Army and the Finances of British India 106
6. The Garrison State in Action: The Burma War
and the Campaign Against Bharatpur 144
7. Economies, Imperial Authority and War 184
8. Anglo-Indian Militarism in an Age of Retrenchment and Reform 211
Conclusion: The Survival of the Garrison State 243
List of Maps
and Appendices
Map 1 Military Divisions and Garrisons in India: 1815-1835 247
Map 2 The Burma War: 1824-1826 248
Map 3_ The Siege of Bharatpur: 1825-1826 249
Map 4 North India’s Cantonments: 1815-1835 250
Appendices
A Courts Martial in Bengal Army 251
B_ Caste and Origins of Recruits in 60th and 35th Bengal Native Infantry 252
C Incidence of Corporal Punishment in India 254
D_ Sepoy Backgrounds in Madras Army 255
E Sepoy Backgrounds in Bombay Army 255
F Bengal Revenues: 1814-1831 255
G Indian Revenues and Expenditures: 1815-1829 256
H Indian Debt: 1815-1829 256
I Size and Charges of the Indian Army: 1813-1830 Zod
J Numbers of Sepoys and European Rank and File in India:
1813-1832 257
Bibliography 259
Index 281
vi