The Evolution of Army During British Times

East India Company (EIC) became aware of the need for a permanent army in 1747 when the EIC had to wait for arrival of British fleet during its Carnatic wars with the French.
Emergence of British Army can be traced to establishment of Bengal Army under the command of Calcutta Presidency.

Under Robert Clive

After Battle of Plassey, Robert Clive started recruiting Indian soldiers (sipahis) clothed like British army and operating under command of a British officer.
Soldiers were initially recruited from among agricultural classes. However, the Company officials preferred martial races i.e., better-built people from wheat-producing areas compared to short-statured people from rice-growing areas.
Job of being a soldier became a permanent occupation. Thus, fluidity offered to militia which soldiers flexibility to work as farmers in agricultural season and take to soldiery in times of war was done away.
Sipahis in the British army were on payrolls with fixed ranks. They were prohibited to take seasonal employment.

He was distrustful of soldiers who had served the Nawabs and wanted to preserve Indian caste roles in military and civilian institutions. Thus, looked for high-caste warriors and peasants outside Bengal.
Recruitment was increasingly done among Rajputs and Brahman zamindaris in Benaras and peasants in Bihar and UP.
Prospect of regular pay and pension made service in the British Army attractive.
Company’s government got political legitimacy from a high-caste basis of its army.
British Army gave conscious respect to religious festivals and caste regulations in the cantonments.
Indian Army emerged as one of the largest European-styled standing armies comprising both cavalry and infantry in the world and a major pillar of British rule in India.
Bengal provided troops and money to both Bombay and Madras.
Army was the principal tool of British policy it was used to conquer new territories, defend Bengal, deal with peasant rebellions, collect information about Indian society and economy, and make alliances.
After battles with Marathas and Mysore rulers, EIC emphasized strengthening its cavalry.

Due to the evolution of warfare in the 1820s, the cavalry requirements of the company’s army declined.
During wars in foreign countries, British soldiers were armed with muskets (heavy guns used by infantry) and matchlocks (guns in which powder was ignited by a match). Thus, infantry became more important in company’s army.
Uniform military culture: Soldiers were subjected to European-style training, drill and discipline that regulated their life more than before.

Dalhousie enacted the General Services Enlistment Act of 1856 obliging sepoys to accept any posting, including in Burma forcing them to cross Kalapani.
Sepoys were against the direction to serve overseas because it went directly against their caste prejudice of not crossing Kalapani (black water).

Royal Peel Commission (1859) was set up to suggest reforms in organisation of colonial armed forces.
Increased proportion of European in British Indian Army: Proportion of Europeans in British Indian Army was increased. Till the outbreak of World War I, this ratio never fell below 2:1 for European and Indian soldiers.
Artillery was to be solely in the hands of British Officers and Arms Acts were passed to deny possession of weapons for ‘unlawful’ elements.
Recruitments of Indians to army were now majorly from among social groups that had remained loyal during the 1857 Revolt to the British (Martial races of Sikhs, Gurkhas, Punjabi Muslims and Pathans, Nepali Gorkhas constituted 1/6th of the army in 1914.) Also, communities were never mixed in regiments.
Punjab region gained importance after the 1857 revolt as a key to holding the empire. Martial races of Punjab found disproportionately high representation in the revamped British army.
Army played a critical role in defence of global colonial empire. It was deployed to suppress the Mahdi uprisings in Sudan in 1880s, Boxer Rebellion in China (1900), Boer War of South Africa (1899-1902), conquered Burma in 1880s, and impose dominance over Tibet (Younghusband Mission during Curzon).