contemporary record of british army in india

The first Anglo-Burmese War began in March 1824 and was the first of three wars fought between the British and the Burmese Empires in the nineteenth century. As a result of these conflicts, the British claimed control of regions that now belong to India including Assam, Cachar, and Manipur among other areas. The present volumes offer first-hand glimpses into the everyday life of the foot-soldiers and army officers that were involved in this conflict.

The first volume here pertains to the day-to-day station orders and events of the soldiers in the Bengal Horse Artillery, including events that took place between the soldiers and the 'native' locals in their vicinity, and the second volume is a record book of the letters that were sent from that station to other officers and captains stationed across India (most of which were penned by Captain Lumsden himself), along with the respective replies that were received by the station (these copied in various hands). Much of this correspondence relates directly to the active conflicts and the movement of the British Army in the region, for example details of shipments between Rangoon and Calcutta, and up-to-date news from the frontiers at Cawnpore, Muttra, Calcutta and 'camp Allahabad' (among others). These manuscript volumes predominantly include events that took place between May 1824 and August 1829.

Captain Thomas Lumsden was an important figure in the British Army in India; he arrived in Rangoon in December 1824 as part of the reinforcements as Captain of the 1st Brigade of Horse Artillery and was wounded during action in December 1825. Lumsden is also known to have been part of the delegation which went to the "Golden Fort" at Amerapoora to negotiate and sign the peace treaty. Lumsden also authored a well-known voyage of his travels entitled A Journey from Merut in India to London, through Arabia, Persia..., during the years 1819 and 1820 (London, 1822). The journey described was taken with his cousin Matthew Lumsden who was a well-known orientalist and famous authority on the Persian and Arabic languages. A substantial percentage of the present volumes, including the entirety of the second volume, are in the hand of Thomas Lumsden himself: original manuscript annotations by an important literary and historical figure in early nineteenth-century India.

The second volume includes some later annotations in the form of numbering to the letters of Lumsden, but this only runs for the first 60 letters (of approximately 250). There is a suggestion that these had been numbered for the purposes of publication, but to the best of our knowledge no such publication of Lumsden's letters exists.

Two vols, autograph manuscript on paper, in English, predominantly copied in the hand of Lieut. Lumsden, vol. I 92 leaves, vol. II 138 leaves, 325 x 200 mm; single volume, between 29 and 35 lines per page on average, copied in varying hands, most entries signed and dated, some age-toning, a few leaves and gatherings becoming loose, some small marginal nicks and closed tears, hinges weak; housed in contemporary Indian sheep over pasteboards, spine ends end edges worn, some loss to leather on covers.