Feeling that their prospects were much blighted by being thus debarred from those honourable and lucrative commands to which every officer hopes (though few live) to succeed, the officers of the ordnance corps in Bengal (and also in Madras and Bombay) memorialized the Court of Directors, praying for a revision of the orders in question, and their reply was published in August, 1817. The Court did not enter into the question; they refused the point at issue, but directed that general officers of artillery and engineers in command of their regiments should be placed on a similar footing as to allowances with other general officers serving on the army staff. But although at this time the representations of the ordnance officers had no effect, there is little doubt that they were subsequently reconsidered and their justice admitted, for in the general remodelling of the military system in 1824, “an additional general officer on the Honourable Company’s establishment was authorized for the staff of each presidency, and the generals of artillery and engineers were rendered eligible to the staff, the command of those corps devolving on the senior colonels or field-officers.”
The comparative efficiency of guns collected into batteries kept in order and directed by officers of the artillery, and of the same scattered as battalions and galloper-guns, had been proved so strongly in favour of the former, that the Government now resolved on following up the practice of European powers. The gallopers from six native regiments were directed to be embodied into two troops of native horse artillery at Meerut and Cawnpoor, and placed under the command of Captains G. Gowan and Biggs in July, and those of the two remaining regiments were some months later withdrawn and formed into a third troop at Nagpoor under Lieutenant George Blake, and subsequently Captain Rodber. The horses and troopers accompanied the guns; and as the best horses had generally been given to the galloper-guns, these troops were exceedingly well provided with draught cattle. For officers the foot-artillery was again indented on, but this time not without an augmentation, for, “adverting to the number of officers withdrawn from the foot to the horse artillery, and to the total inadequacy of the number of officers which would remain with the battalions of foot artillery, and for the numerous and important duties required of them, the Governor-General was pleased to determine that the officers actually attached to the horse artillery should be struck off the strength of the foot artillery, and the vacancies supplied by promotion;” and accordingly one major and six captains were now (25th October) added to the corps.
Before adverting to the campaigns which the Marquis of Hastings’s grand combinations against the Pindarees caused, we will notice the additions made to the regiment previous to its reorganization in October, 1818, and detail its strength when that change had taken place, and then succinctly refer to those well-planned operations which with very little bloodshed rooted out the Pindarees, and humbled the Mahratta power.
In continuation of the system of collecting guns in batteries, an experimental horse field-battery was formed in November, and placed under Captain Battine with the 6th company 3rd battalion. The battery consisted of eight guns and eight waggons (two 12–pounders, two 5½-inch howitzers, and four 6–pounders), and ninety-six horses were allowed to drag it; these horses were led by “Syce drivers,” a class of syces placed on the same footing as lascars with respect to pay, clothing, and pension.
The rocket-troop was modified as to the numbers of its men and cattle, but camels were still continued with it, nor was it till 1822 that they were superseded by horses, and two additional companies of independent golundaz were raised for the Islands and Bengal. Colonel Sherwood was appointed acting commandant during Major-General Hardwicke’s absence on sick leave.
The regiment now was composed of the horse artillery, consisting of seven troops, including the rocket-troop; three European battalions of seven companies each, twelve regular and six irregular companies of golundaz, forty-five lascar and twenty-six driver companies. The new organization directed it to consist of seven troops of horse artillery, three European battalions, of eight companies each, one native battalion of fifteen companies, with a company of lascars attached to each company, European or native (39), and seventeen bullock and two horse field-batteries, each of eight pieces, with a driver company to each.
The officers were allotted to the different portions of the regiment in the following proportion:—
| Horse Artillery. | 3 European Battalions. | Native Battalion. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel | 3 | ... | 4 |
| 2 | Lieutenant-Colonels | 6 | ... | 8 |
| 2 | Majors | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Captains | 24 | 13 | 44 |
| 28 | 1st Lieutenants | 48 | 4 | 80 |
| 2nd Lieutenants | 48 | 4 | 2 |
The rank of 2nd captain was abolished, and that of 2nd lieutenant substituted for lieutenant-fireworker; serangs of gun-lascars were made jemadars; serang-major, soobahdar; 1st and 2nd tindals, havildars and naiks; gunners were styled bombardiers, and matrosses, gunners.
| European Troop or Company. | Serjeants. | 7 | 6 |
| Corporals. | 6 | 5 | |
| Bombardiers. | 10 | 10 | |
| Trumpeters. | 2 | 2 | |
| Farriers. | 2 | - | |
| Rough-riders. | 2 | - | |
| Gunners. | 80 | 80 | |
| Jemadars, Havildars. | 1 | 12 | |
| Naiks. | 2 | 2 | |
| Lascars. | 24 | 70 | |
| Native Troop or Company. | Soobahdars. | 1 | 1 |
| Jemadars. | 1 | 2 | |
| Havildars. | 6 | 8 | |
| Naiks. | 6 | 8 | |
| Trumpeters. | - | 2 | |
| Rough-riders. | - | - | |
| Farriers. | - | - | |
| Troopers. | 90 | 100 | |
| Staff-Serjeants. | - | - | |
| Jemadars, Havildars. | 1 | 12 | |
| Naiks. | 2 | 2 | |
| Lascars. | 24 | 70 | |
| Sirdars. | 4 | - | |
| Drivers. | 85 | - |