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Raising the Regiment
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The 10th Regiment was raised on 21 May 1824 as the 2nd Extra Regiment of Native Cavalry, along with the 1st Extra Regiment. In 1826 the 2nd Extra became the 10th Bengal Light Cavalry, and the 1st became the 9th Regiment of Bengal Light Cavalry. The 10th's first station was at Meerut.
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Siege of Bhurtpore, Dec 1825 - Jan 1826
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The regiment was commanded by Thomas David Steuart when they joined the besieging force at Bhurtpore. The regimental strength was 12 British officers, plus an Assistant Surgeon, 3 British senior NCOs, 2 Indian doctors, 7 Indian officers, 25 havildars, 21 naiks, 7 trumpeters and 363 troopers. There were 456 horses. The casualties by the end of the siege were, one man killed and 5 wounded. The 10th BLC earned their first battle honour, BHURTPORE on 31 May 1826. The regiment moved from their station at Meerut in 1829 and relocated to Mhow.
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Kabul 1842
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Months after the retreat from Kabul by the British in January 1842, and the massacre of men, women and children in the passes, an Army of Retribution was sent into Afghanistan under General George Pollock and another force under Brigadier-General William Nott. The 10th BLC had been stationed at Muttra since 1834 and in December 1840 moved to Ferozepore where, in 1842, they received the order to join General Pollock’s Army at Peshawar, along with the 1st BLC. This brought the total number of men in his force to 8,000. They marched through the Khyber Pass and relieved the besieged garrison of Jellalabad where Lieutenant George Buist was killed in action on 29 July. They marched on towards Kabul, and a battle was successfully fought at Huft Kotal, and many villages destroyed before arriving at Kabul in the middle of September 1842. They raided Kohistan and burned the capital, Charikar, and in Kabul itself, they destroyed the Bazaar. Kabul was evacuated once more by the British/Indian army in October 1842.
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Maharajpore, 29 Dec 1843
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In the Gwalior campaign of 1843 the 10th BLC were brigaded with the 16th Lancers and the 4th Irregular Cavalry. The Maharatta guns opened fire on Sir Hugh Gough’s British/Indian force but were initially silenced by the Horse Artillery under Captain Grant. The infantry, including the 39th and 40th British Regiments advanced and drove the enemy back. While the fighting was going on the cavalry was ordered to sweep around the rebel camp, cut off, destroy, or disperse any who had been driven back from their guns. The 16th, along with the 10th BLC and 4th Irregulars charged off but were halted by a ravine which was wide and deep. The enemy had prepared for this and while the cavalry were in some confusion they were fired on by 18 guns to their front and 6 more on the flank. The cavalry had to retire and let the infantry deal with the guns.
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Jullundur Doab 1848
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The 10th BLC moved station from Ferozepore to Kurturpore in February 1848. They did not serve as a regiment in the Second Sikh War of 1848-49, but individual officers such as Captain McDonell and Major Charles Blair were part of the column commanded by Brigadier-General High Wheeler sent into the recently annexed territory of Jullundur Doab to establish British control. The column set off in September and in mid October reduced the strong fortress of Rangar Nagal, followed up by the capture of Kallanwala and the heights of Dallah, stormed after severe difficulties.
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Indian Mutiny 1857-58
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Ferozepore, May 1857
News of the mutiny at Meerut reached Ferozepore on 12 May 1857. The troops stationed there were the 10th Bengal Light Cavalry together with the 45th and 57th Bengal Native Infantry. The British troops consisted of the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment and 150 men of the Artillery. The overall commander was Brigadier Peter Innes (formerly CO of the 14th NI) who had arrived only the day before. Ferozepore, 73 miles from Delhi, had been the frontier station of the Army until the successful conclusion of the Sikh Wars. It contained a huge arsenal which would have been a tempting prize for the mutineers.
Innes, an officer known to have an empathy for the Indian soldiers, ordered a parade on 13 May to test the water and see for himself whether there was any indication of mutiny. He considered the 10th BLC to be a loyal regiment but he used the word ‘haughty’ to characterise the bearing of the sepoys in the infantry, especially the 57th. However, the COs of the three regiments reported the state of their corps to be satisfactory.
Later that day, news of the activities of the mutineers at Delhi reached the station and it was decided that the task of guarding the entrenched magazine should be given to British soldiers. The magazine was already guarded by a company of the 57th NI, so a company of the 61st Foot was ordered to relieve them of that duty. However, the 57th were not immediately removed for some reason. The 10th BLC were positioned under the walls of the arsenal and the remaining companies of the 61st kept in a state of readiness. The two Native Infantry regiments were ordered to parade at 5pm with the intention of sending them away from the cantonment. After the Brigadier had made a speech they were marched off in different directions. However, as the 45th came to the entrenchments of the magazine they halted, and with the aid of the company of the 57th that was still inside, they were passed ladders and gained entrance to the magazine.
The company of British men of the 61st did what they could to prevent the 45th from taking control of the magazine. The company of the 57th had allowed themselves to be disarmed and were evicted from the entrenchments. The 45th were also driven out, but went on the rampage, burning a church, a chapel and 2 hospitals. The 61st’s mess-house was also wrecked and burned (including all their mess silver) as well as several bungalows. Brigadier Innes was in a state of inertia and did not immediately order the British troops to take action. The men of the 45th ran off towards Delhi after their pyrotechnics, but were pursued by British troops, now mobilised. The men of the 57th regiment were disarmed, and the 10th BLC remained loyal at this stage. The Brigadier took the precaution of destroying the magazines of the two Native Infantry regiments on the 14th May, but reported that 520 men of the 57th had not mutinied, as well as 260 of the 45th. They were disarmed but continued to show respect for their officers. The Brigadier’s report of the 16th May said this of the 10th BLC:
‘It is gratifying to state that the 10th light cavalry have remained staunch, and have done good service. The greatest credit is due to Major M’Donell and his officers for keeping his regiment together, for his corps must have the same ideas as the other portions of the native army….I cannot conclude this part of the report without stating the gallant and enduring conduct of the 61st, artillery, and 10th cavalry, who have been under arms day and night, and the excessive heat is very trying to the Europeans, who cheerfully stand sentry on the scorched walls of this entrenchment. The 10th cavalry are constantly in the saddle.’
On 13 June sixteen sepoys were executed at Ferozepore. Two were hung and 12 were blown from the guns. At this time, the 10th BLC were still loyal as related by C J Griffiths and H J Yonge in their book, A Narrative of the Siege of Delhi with an Account of the Mutiny at Ferozepore in 1857. (Murray 1910). After the executions a Cantonment Guard was mounted consisting of a company of the 61st and half a Troop of the 10th Light Cavalry, and 4 guns. Half the cavalry was also held in readiness.
Partial Mutiny of the 10th Cavalry
The strength of the 10th BLC as of 1 May 1857 was 419 men. One hundred men of the regiment were disarmed at Ferozepore on 10 July 1857, and 200 mutinied on 19 August 1857. No information on the remaining 119 men is available.
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