Warriors For The Working Day
Military Art
By
Paul Hitchin
145 Walsall Road
Pelsall
Walsall
WS3 4BP
UK
Telephone
07967630942
95th Foot – Derbyshire Regiment – Indian
Mutiny 1857/58.
The 95th Foothad adopted that regimental
number after the Napoleonic Wars when the 95th Rifles lost
their regimental number and became known as the Rifle Regiment. In 1857
the East India Company’s Bengal army rose in revolt against the authority
of their British masters. A hard campaign followed to put down the Mutiny
with harsh conduct and atrocities undertaken by both sides. This soldier
represents one of the men of the regular British army units engaged in
hunting down mutineers in Central India. The image is taken from
contemporary recordings of the regiment. The uniform, although adapted for
campaign is still largely unsuited for the heat of India. He wears a waist
length woollen shell jacket instead of his tunic and a peaked forage cap
with linen cover and neck veil to offer some protection from the sun, yet
he still wears his ‘winter pattern’ uniform trousers, albeit patched and
ragged with hard wear. He is lightly equipped with knapsack, belt kit with
ammunition pouch and bayonet, a highly necessary water bottle and a
blanket roll. He carries the Enfield rifled musket, still muzzle loading,
but rifled and infinitely superior in range and accuracy to its smoothbore
predecessors.
