page_title: Monghyr Mutiny
section_title: Clive's arrival and the other brigades
hierarchical_section_title: Monghyr Mutiny / Clive's arrival and the other brigades
caption_attribution_description: English: Sepoys of the 3rd Battalion at Bombay, Coloured engraving, published by Matthew Darly, 2 October 1773. The sepoys are dressed in jackets very similar to that worn by British troops, together with a turban and cholnas. The 3rd Battalion of Bombay Sepoys was raised in 1769, and ceased to exist in 1788 when its men were drafted to the 10th and 11th Battalions, which were in turn disbanded in 1785 and 1784 respectively. A new 3rd Battalion of Bombay Sepoys was raised in 1788, the ancestor of the Mahratta Light Infantry of the post-independence Indian Army. National Army Museum Collection, London: NAM Accession Number 1966-04-7-1
context_page_description: The Monghyr Mutiny occurred among European officers of the East India Company in 1766. The mutiny arose after the East India Company's governor of Bengal, Robert Clive, implemented an order to reduce the batta field allowance paid to its army officers. The batta had been doubled while the troops were in the service of the Nawab of Bengal Mir Jafar. Clive's order came into effect on 1 January 1766 and brought the allowances into line with those paid by the company in the rest of India. At this time the company army in Bengal was divided into three brigades under the command of Sir Robert Fletcher, Richard Smith and Robert Barker.
  There was some dissent against the withdrawal of the batta and later evidence showed that plotting against Clive may have begun as early as December 1765. A scheme of mass-resignations was agreed upon and consented to by some 200 officers. The planning was carried out in secret and Clive did not learn of the impending mutiny until he received a note from Barker, via Fletcher, on 25 April stating that he had uncovered it. After this discovery the officers brought forwards their mutiny from 1 June to 1 May.
context_section_description: Clive and Carnac arrived at Monghyr on the morning of 15 May and immediately gave orders for a general inspection of the brigade to take place the following day.  The garrison turned out in good order but few of their officers were present, having been sent away by Fletcher.  Clive spoke, by interpreter, to the Indian soldiers.  He commended them for their good behaviour, decorated several of their officers and non-commissioned officers (possible the Monghyr Mutiny Medal) and awarded the entire body two months double pay.  Clive sent a detachment to the mutineer officers, encamped a few miles away, with orders that they were to go to Calcutta, which they obeyed.  A small number of fresh officers sent out from Calcutta reached the post and, with around a dozen more expected in the coming days, Clive felt able to leave Monghyr on 17 May to check on Smith's Brigade on the frontier.
  Colonel Smith had weathered the mutiny reasonably well.  He had arrested all of his officers, bar four that he considered reliable and made a speech requesting that they obey his orders.  Almost all of the officers relented and ended their mutiny, apart from six who Smith sent as prisoners to Patna.  These six men were dismissed the service and sent on to Calcutta; Clive requested that the French and Dutch outposts at nearby Chandannagar and Chinsura not accept these men into their service.  Smith was later authorised by Clive to pardon those officers who he chose to retain and to dismiss the remainder.  All of the ensigns, many of the lieutenants and some of the captains were accepted back into the company's service.  Those who rejoined were compelled to sign a contract requiring one years notice of resignation.  Barker's brigade was brought up to Allahabad to reinforce the frontier against the threatened Maratha invasion but it was not necessary, the frontier remained quiet.
  The mutiny in Barker's command was much smaller, his officers proved more loyal and his European enlisted men, being recent recruits, had little connection with the mutinying officers and chose not to side with them.  Barker was suspicious of the artillery detachment and chose to take command of that unit himself.  Because all officers in this brigade continued to serve Clive chose to restore all of the officers of that unit whose resignations he had received. Vacancies in the Bengal Army were filled with replacement officers drawn from the Madras Army.  Strachey described the resulting officer corps as the best ever seen in India to that time.
caption: Sepoy of the third battalion of Bengal Native Infantry (raised 1769)
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