'Sepoy or Native Soldier', Bengal Native Infantry, 1815 (c)

Engraving by unknown artist, 1815 (c).

A sepoy of the Bengal Army in undress uniform, 1815 (c).

The armies of the three East India Company 'Presidencies' were composed largely of sepoy battalions, that is, units of Indian troops commanded by European officers. Many of the sepoys were recruited from peoples that had their own long traditions of soldiering on the sub-continent. They combined their own military skills with western weapons and the military training provided by the Company.