Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c51.s9: § 10. Begam Samru’s Corps

v4.c51.s9.1

The largest body of such foreigner-trained sepoys after the campoo of Mahādji Sindhia was the Sardhānā army, originally raised by Walter Reinhard and administered after his death (in May 1778) by his long-lived widow, the Begam Samru. As early as 1776, the Comte de Modave had noticed Reinhard’s aversion to fighting lest he should lose any soldier. And his corps did not earn a better reputation for courage under his successors. This is the character given to them by a European observer: “Samru’s party was never famed for their military achievements. They never gained a gun, and never lost one until they were defeated by the British at Assaye. Samru was distinguished for his excellent retreats. He was accustomed to draw up his men in line, fire a few shots, form a square, and retreat, so that if his corps gained no laurels, they preserved their reputation. His troops were the most mutinous in India, and are said to have frequently attacked their own officers and beaten them with clubs.” (Modave, tr. by me in *Bengal Past and Present*, Apr. 1936. Atkinson’s *N.W.P. Gazetteer*, vol. II. p. 96.)