Early in 1810 the Seventeenth was employed on a rather curious service. At the end of 1809 there was a sudden rising of religious fanatics in Mandavi under the leadership of a man named Mean Abdul Rahman, who killed the vizier of Mandavi, and put the rajah to flight. 1809. The leader then sent a message to the English Resident, ordering him to accept Mohammedanism or fight. He added that he was come down to earth in the bodies of four great men, Adam, Jesus, Ahmad and Mean Abdul Rahman, and concluded with a request for three hundred rupees. Absurd as the matter sounds, it soon assumed a serious aspect. 1810. The news of the rising reached Surat on the 10th January, and the people at once flocked out from the city to join the new prophet. The Mohammedans in general began to assume a threatening attitude, and attacked the Hindoos with the cry of “Deen.” In fact there were the elements of a troublesome disturbance, which in the judgment of the Resident required to be suppressed at once. Accordingly four troops of the Seventeenth, under Major Supple, and some infantry were called out and marched off to the village of Boodham, where the prophet and the most devoted of his followers were assembled. The Seventeenth outmarched the infantry, and came up with the fanatics at daybreak on the morning of the 19th January on the plain outside the village. The fanatics were summoned to surrender and give up their leader; but they replied with shouts of defiance. A feint attack was then made to intimidate them; but they simply threw up clouds of dust in the horses’ faces and dared the Seventeenth to the combat. Then the regiment attacked in earnest, and there ensued what the Resident called a “furious engagement.” The fanatics were armed with spears and small hatchets attached to bamboo shafts, twelve or fourteen feet long, with which they could inflict severe wounds; and they fought like demons. If the Seventeenth had had lances in these days they might have made short work of them; but, as things were, the fighting lasted for some time. It was not until 200 of the fanatics lay dead on the field that the bulk of them dispersed and fled to the village, where, still undefeated, they renewed the fight against the infantry and artillery. Finally the Seventeenth set fire to the village and put an end to the affair; and the leader of the fanatics, having been wounded in the first action, was captured by the infantry. 1810. Of the Seventeenth, one corporal and two privates were killed; all the officers, several privates and many of the horses were wounded. Lieutenant Adams’ helmet was cut to pieces on his head.
In this same year a detachment of the Seventeenth, under Lieutenant Johnson, accompanied Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm on his mission to Persia. On its return in December this detachment brought with it a letter from Sir John to the Colonel, in which the former went out of his way to express his high opinion not only of Mr. Johnson, but of the non-commissioned officers, Sergeant Willock and Corporals Carrigan and Batson, who were with him. It is remarkable to note that non-commissioned officers of the Seventeenth, employed with small detachments, have never failed from the first to command the admiration of all strange officers whom it has been their duty to serve. A curious memorial of this escort was found in the ruins of Persepolis by an officer of the regiment (Lieutenant Anstruther Thomson, now Captain Anstruther) while travelling in 1888. Scratched on one of the lions at the head of the main stairway are the death’s head and cross-bones with the motto, and beneath it the name “Sergt. Robt. Willock”; and on the wall of Xerxes’ house is cut the name of “Pte. M. Cloyne, 17 L. DS. 1810.”
Before we quit this year we must add two small extracts (copied from the Calcutta Gazette) from the Dress Regulations, which gives us a faint glimpse of the transition through which the British Army was passing:—
10th October.—Clubs and queues are abolished in all ranks from this date, and the hair is in future to be cut close to the neck. No powder is to be worn on duty.
This is the first beginning of the short hair, which now particularly distinguishes a soldier. Old as the queues were, the whole Army was delighted to be rid of them, though there were antique officers that regretted them to the end. 1810. At the beginning of the great war with France the War Office, which was decidedly negligent in the matter of feeding the troops in Flanders, never failed to send them shiploads of leathern queues.
8th November.—Scale epaulettes are to be worn exclusively by officers of cavalry.
No shoulders have seen more vicissitudes of adornment than those of the British officer.
1811.
In December of the following year the regiment left Surat for new cantonments at Ruttapore, near Kaira, in the northern division of Guzerat. 1812. On the 1st of January following Lieutenant-Colonel Evan Lloyd was promoted to be Major-General, and retired from the command. He was the last of the officers then doing duty with the regiment who had served with it in the American War. His successor was the Hon. Lincoln Stanhope, who came from the 16th Lancers, and was blamed by his brother officers in that corps, not without justice, for preferring “an arduous campaign in Bond Street” to duty with his regiment in the Peninsula. None the less he did good service enough with the Seventeenth.
The year 1812 brought with it a further change in the clothing. The cord lacing and the innumerable buttons that had adorned the front of the jacket were abolished, and another jacket with broad, white facings, almost as wide as a plastron, was substituted in its stead. Simultaneously the old helmet disappeared and the felt shako took its place. The old white breeches and knee-boots were likewise swept away to make room for French gray overalls, with a double white stripe, and Wellington boots. These last may perhaps have been introduced rather earlier than the other changes; the Wellington boot, according to one authority, having been prescribed for Light Dragoons in 1808. The old crimson sash of the officer made way for a girdle similar to that worn at present. White welts to the seams and a small pair of epaulettes, white for men and silver for officers, completed the transformation. When the Seventeenth received this new dress it is impossible to say; and the change is therefore recorded under the year when it was ordered, though probably not carried into effect until a year or two later. 1812. The fact that the regiment was quartered in India, of course, made in those days no difference as to the clothing issued to it, except that white covers were worn over the shakos.