French regiment is back in India after 232 years

(THETIMESOFINDIA)Asthe124-memberFrenchmilitarycontingentmarcheddownRajpathamidloudcheers,theybecamethefirstforeignsoldierstotakepartintheRepublicDayparade.Buthere'safascinatingfact—themomentbroughttheFrenchArmy,IndianArmy,PakistanArmy,TipuSultanandtheSwedishmonarchyonthesamesideofhistoryforthefirsttime.

TheFrenchmarchingcontingentincluded76personnelfromthe35thInfantryRegimentoftheFrenchArmy(35eregimentd'infanterie).ThisregimenthadservedinIndiafrom1781to1784initspreviousavatarasthe35AquitaineRegiment.AspartoftheFranco-Mysorealliance,ittookpartintheSecondAnglo-MysoreWar(1780-84),foughtbetweentheforcesoftheEastIndiaCompanyandthekingdomofMysoreunderHyderAliandhissonTipuSultan.ThewarranparalleltotheAmericanRevolutionaryWarwheretheEnglishwerefightingtheirAmericancoloniesthatweresupportedbytheFrench.

Duringthewar,HyderAlidiedandTipuSultanwasforcedtoretreattohiscapitalinMarch1783whentheBombayArmyinvadedMysore.TheBritishdecidedtoseizetheopportunitytoretakeCuddalore,whichhadbeenseizedbyHyderfromthemearlier.TheEnglishadvancedonCuddalorewith1,600Europeantroopsand8,000Indiantroopsandwerejoinedby1,000cavalryoftheNawabofArcot.Facingthemwerenearly12,000FrenchandIndiantroops,including2,000cavalryleftbehindbyTipu,underthecommandofMarquisdeBussy.

OnJune25,1783,theFrenchtriedtodislodgetheBritish.At3pm,theAquitaineRegimentexchangedmusketvolleyswithBritishandIndiantroopsandthenconductedabayonetcharge.FacingthischargewereIndiantroopsofthe24thBengalNativeInfantryandMadrasArmy.ThechargewasrepulsedandtheFrenchwithdrewwith450menkilledorwoundedand150takenprisoners.AmongthosecapturedwasChevalierdeDamas,wholedthecharge,andayoungwoundedsoldier,JeanBaptistedeBernadottewholaterbecameamarshalinNapoleonicFranceandeventuallybecamethekingofSweden.Interestingly,theHouseofBernadottestillrulesSweden.

Meanwhile,thegallantactionoftheIndianswasacknowledgedandpraisedinEngland."Itwasheldasequallysingularandextraordinarythatthe24thbattalionoftheBengalSepoys,withanotherbelongingtoMadras,foughtsomeoftheoldestandbesttroopsofFrancewiththebayonet,andfoiledthematthatfavouriteEuropeanweapon,whichissupposedtobethemosttryingtestofthefirmnessandexcellenceofsoldiers.Itwillprobablythenaffordnosmallsatisfactiontomanywhoreadthisnarrative,tobeinformed,thatthegeneral,inhisaddressofthankstothearmy,gaveanassurancetothosebravesepoys,thathewouldrecommendtheirdistinguishedservicestothegovernmentsofBengalandMadras,thatthey,andtheirfamilies,shouldbeeversupportedandrewardedaccordingtotheirmerit,"reportedtheAnnualRegisterof1783editedbynoneotherthanEdmundBurke.

The24thBengalNativeInfantrylatermutiniedin1857andwasdisbanded,onlytobere-raisedin1861.Today,itcontinuesasthe6PunjabRegimentofPakistanArmy.

TheAquitaineRegimentwaswithdrawnin1784,whileMysoreitselffellin1799.Tipu'scavalry,whichaidedtheFrench,laterbecametheMysoreLancers.AfterIndependence,theMysore,GwaliorandJodhpurlancerswereamalgamatedinto61Cavalry.OnTuesday,theymarchedimmediatelybehindtheFrenchtroops,asifitwereatributetotheirformerallies.FurtherbackmarchedthebrassbandoftheMadrasRegimentalCentre,theformernemesisoftheFrench.