Bullocks Grain and Good Madeira

On the last day of the year 1802 the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II signed the treaty of Bassein which sparked the 2nd Anglo-Maratha War. What began as a seemingly straightforward operation to restore the Peshwa and complete Lord Wellesley’s expansionist policy turned into a full-scale conflict for political hegemony which spread across central and northern India and was to establish the East India Company as the foremost power in South Asia.

In military terms it saw a little-known general named Arthur Wellesley come to prominence and it also established the supremacy of the EIC’s Native Army over the regular armies of the ‘country powers.’ It was during these testing campaigns that Europeans began to view what was already being called the ‘Indian Army’ with respect. Despite a series of crushing defeats, the Marathas stunned their enemies with their bravery and professionalism, exacting a heavy toll on the British despite great handicaps in command and control.

Although successful, the conclusion of the war was much less glorious than the biographies of the future Duke of Wellington care to admit. Few conflicts from this time convey in such detail the challenges faced by field commanders conducting operations in India and fewer books continue the story of the 2nd Maratha War to its ultimate conclusion in the Punjab where the last Maratha prince surrendered, this after the British ‘siege lords’ under Gerard Lake had been humbled before the mighty mud walls of the impregnable Jat fortress of Bharatpur.

Watch the Virtual Book Chat with author Joshua Provan click here.

"In recent years there have been many books published on the relentless rise and expansion of the British in India in the latter years of the 18th century. It has been all too easy to overlook the paramount power in the greater part of India throughout this period - the Marathas. Joshua Provan's book is largely taken from original sources and discusses in detail the campaigns htat effectively saw the end of Maratha dominance. This book should appeal to BACSA members and the wide public. It is refreshing to read a well researched book on a fascinating period that does not impose modern day sensibilities on the past, but narrate in epic and accurate details the campaigns and battles that dominated the end of the 18th century  and first years of the next century. An exciting read." Chowkidar Vol 16 No 3 Spring 2022