Gentlemen:
I have been investigating one Capt James Stewart who died at Karla, India on 04 Jan 1779, for the last two years.
He belonged to an Advance Unit which was commanded by a Col. Charles Egerton against the Maharattas during the First Maharatta War. He was a very well liked soldier who earned the respect of not only the Indian sepoys who were with him but also his enemies who thought the world of him and, indeed, thought that they could never win while he was around!! While reconnoitering for his advance party he was shot in the back of left shoulder 04 Jan 1779 at about 1400 hrs. He died about 2 hours later and was buried at Vadegaon which site I visited earlier this year. I found his grave there which I found covered by a white grave cloth with a red embroidered border, four crosses and four candles one at each corner. Outside the Indian Army had put up a small marble plaque which stated that he had been buried there and was the first commanding officer of the Guards and the Grenadiers. He was apparently called "Ishtur Phakre" which in the local lingo means "Stewart the Brave". The tradition of honouring him seems to be carrying on to this day which would be 230 years after his death.
I have made extensive enquiries with the Archives at the British Library, National Archives of India, Historical Division of the Indian Army and Black Watch Regiment and Alphabetical listing of the officers of the Bombay,Bengal and Madras Army from 1760 – 1837 by Dodwell and Miles [1838]. I have not been able to get any idea of the Captain's antecedents. I have however, been trying to check the newspapers of the time and came across one reference in the London Gazette dated Aug 7, 1759 stemming from the Whitehall,London, where it states that the "King was pleased to add four companies to the Regiment of Light Infantry or Royal Volunteers commanded by Colonel Craufurd and to appoint the following gentlemen to command the same, viz
St. John Jeffreys, Temple West, Charles Egerton, William Forrester "esqs "Captains".
This is followed by the statement:
"The King is also pleased to appoint the following Gentlemen to be officers in the said Regiment": of the 18 names mentioned one is that of "James Stewart" and is marked as "Gentlemen to be First Lieutenants."
The commonality of the names "James Stewart" posed a difficulty and sorting out who is who, became a really big problem and had to take many other factors into account as I have done in this instance. My presumption that this is indeed the Captain concerned is by the fact of association of names of Col. Charles Egerton [ then Capt Charles Egerton] in the same army group as Lt. James Stewart [who about 20 years later had already become a Captain.]. A passing reference is made to his being ADC to the then Governor of Bombay William Hornby and having been instrumental in the raising of the [?8/5th Bombay Sepoy Regiment]what now is the Rajputana Rifles of the Indian Army and the Grenadier Guards also of the Indian Army which has been stated to have been the first Grenadier battalion in the British Armed Forces even before the British Grenadier Guards. He also did the reconnoitering for the British Forces before the campaign.
He also was associated with Patrick Craufurd Bruce who was either a banker or a slop seller who in 1776 noted that he had not received any payment from the Capt Stewart's battalion. Bruce was later associated with Vere, Bruce and Co somewhat later in the 1800s.
The reasons I write this letter are:
1: The lack of any information on the captain appears to be peculiar. Apparently he belonged to the King's Army, the Royal Volunteers[King's Light Infantry] which seems to have been disbanded in 1763.at the end of the 7years War in Europe.and reformed some 6years later as the 85th Bucks Volunteers I am unable to trace the passage of the Royal Volunteers apparently also known as the King's Light Infantry which may perhaps provide a clue to the passage of Capt through the British Armed Services before he came to India.
2: I have come across three papers marked 01 Feb , 1779, 25 Feb. 1779 and 03 May 1779 marked Top Secret from the Governor of Bombay to the Select Committee at Calcutta announcing the movement of the Guards towards Poona, the death of Capt. James Stewart and the describing the manner of death of the Capt. While I understand that these communications were usually marked Top Secret for the time, why was there this secrecy about the Captain? Did he belong to the British Intelligence of that time or was the death recorded as Secret because he was a British Officer. ?
3: I have not been able to contact either the Guards or the Grenadiers or even the Rajputana Rifles.
I would be grateful if I may have some input on these known facts which I have gleaned from the available historical records
Thank you.
John A.Thomas
I have been investigating one Capt James Stewart who died at Karla, India on 04 Jan 1779, for the last two years.
He belonged to an Advance Unit which was commanded by a Col. Charles Egerton against the Maharattas during the First Maharatta War. He was a very well liked soldier who earned the respect of not only the Indian sepoys who were with him but also his enemies who thought the world of him and, indeed, thought that they could never win while he was around!! While reconnoitering for his advance party he was shot in the back of left shoulder 04 Jan 1779 at about 1400 hrs. He died about 2 hours later and was buried at Vadegaon which site I visited earlier this year. I found his grave there which I found covered by a white grave cloth with a red embroidered border, four crosses and four candles one at each corner. Outside the Indian Army had put up a small marble plaque which stated that he had been buried there and was the first commanding officer of the Guards and the Grenadiers. He was apparently called "Ishtur Phakre" which in the local lingo means "Stewart the Brave". The tradition of honouring him seems to be carrying on to this day which would be 230 years after his death.
I have made extensive enquiries with the Archives at the British Library, National Archives of India, Historical Division of the Indian Army and Black Watch Regiment and Alphabetical listing of the officers of the Bombay,Bengal and Madras Army from 1760 – 1837 by Dodwell and Miles [1838]. I have not been able to get any idea of the Captain's antecedents. I have however, been trying to check the newspapers of the time and came across one reference in the London Gazette dated Aug 7, 1759 stemming from the Whitehall,London, where it states that the "King was pleased to add four companies to the Regiment of Light Infantry or Royal Volunteers commanded by Colonel Craufurd and to appoint the following gentlemen to command the same, viz
St. John Jeffreys, Temple West, Charles Egerton, William Forrester "esqs "Captains".
This is followed by the statement:
"The King is also pleased to appoint the following Gentlemen to be officers in the said Regiment": of the 18 names mentioned one is that of "James Stewart" and is marked as "Gentlemen to be First Lieutenants."
The commonality of the names "James Stewart" posed a difficulty and sorting out who is who, became a really big problem and had to take many other factors into account as I have done in this instance. My presumption that this is indeed the Captain concerned is by the fact of association of names of Col. Charles Egerton [ then Capt Charles Egerton] in the same army group as Lt. James Stewart [who about 20 years later had already become a Captain.]. A passing reference is made to his being ADC to the then Governor of Bombay William Hornby and having been instrumental in the raising of the [?8/5th Bombay Sepoy Regiment]what now is the Rajputana Rifles of the Indian Army and the Grenadier Guards also of the Indian Army which has been stated to have been the first Grenadier battalion in the British Armed Forces even before the British Grenadier Guards. He also did the reconnoitering for the British Forces before the campaign.
He also was associated with Patrick Craufurd Bruce who was either a banker or a slop seller who in 1776 noted that he had not received any payment from the Capt Stewart's battalion. Bruce was later associated with Vere, Bruce and Co somewhat later in the 1800s.
The reasons I write this letter are:
1: The lack of any information on the captain appears to be peculiar. Apparently he belonged to the King's Army, the Royal Volunteers[King's Light Infantry] which seems to have been disbanded in 1763.at the end of the 7years War in Europe.and reformed some 6years later as the 85th Bucks Volunteers I am unable to trace the passage of the Royal Volunteers apparently also known as the King's Light Infantry which may perhaps provide a clue to the passage of Capt through the British Armed Services before he came to India.
2: I have come across three papers marked 01 Feb , 1779, 25 Feb. 1779 and 03 May 1779 marked Top Secret from the Governor of Bombay to the Select Committee at Calcutta announcing the movement of the Guards towards Poona, the death of Capt. James Stewart and the describing the manner of death of the Capt. While I understand that these communications were usually marked Top Secret for the time, why was there this secrecy about the Captain? Did he belong to the British Intelligence of that time or was the death recorded as Secret because he was a British Officer. ?
3: I have not been able to contact either the Guards or the Grenadiers or even the Rajputana Rifles.
I would be grateful if I may have some input on these known facts which I have gleaned from the available historical records
Thank you.
John A.Thomas
