The 73rd Regiment in India

India was a central part of the British Empire in the 18^th Century. Though the East India Company directed trade and largely controlled the region, the British Government’s influence steadily increased. For this reason the army’s role became very important.

The Indian sub-continent is central to the history of the 73^rd Regiment. It first served there as part of the 2^nd Battalion of the 42^nd Regiment when in 1784 it defended the fortress of Mangalore from Tippoo Sahib, the ruler of Mysore in South-East India. The British surrendered honourably when provisions ran out. The 73^rd Regiment received “Mangalore” as a battle honour and were famed for their performance there.

Commanders deemed the “Highland” dress of the 42^nd Regiment, from which the 73^rd came, unsuitable for the conditions in India. Linen trousers therefore replaced the kilt in 1799 and the 73^rd Regiment continued to wear trousers throughout its history.

The Battle of Seringapatam

In 1798 Tippoo Sahib was discovered to be in league with the French. The following year the British Governor General, Richard Wellesley, sent two armies to Mysore. Tippoo Sahib retreated to his Fortress of Seringapatam. The British army besieged the palace and after 14 days, on the 4^th May, they attacked and captured it, killing Tippoo Sahib. This ended the Fourth Mysore War and restored the kingdom to British control. The 73^rd Regiment fought in the right hand column of the British force. They lost 21 men and 99 suffered injuries. They also garrisoned the fortress after its capture.

The 73^rd Regiment received the battle honour “Seringapatam”. The Earl of Mornington wrote that the attack had “raised the reputation of the British Army in India to a degree of splendour and glory unrivalled in the military history of this quarter of the globe.”

Images: Top: An axe thought to have been brought back from India by the 73^rd Regiment.
Below: Portion of an 1803 print of The Storming of Seringapatam. The original oil painting dates to 1800 and is the work of Robert Kerr Porter (1777-1842). It depicts the Union flag being planted on the fortress, an indication that the British would win the battle.