The 47th Bengal Native Infantry battalion was stationed in Mirzapur near the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Their commanding officer court martialed and executed some soldiers suspected of planning to rebel. Rather than join the rebellion, the entire battalion volunteered to fight in the Second Opium War in China. They were sent to China in September 1857 to participate in the conflict, avoiding taking sides in the rebellion back in India. The battalion later participated in other conflicts and was reorganized several times as part of the British Indian Army.

2. THE BATTALION THAT VOLUNTEERED TO FIGHT AGAINST CHINA RATHER THAN JOIN
1857 ON ANY SIDE
 October 1977
 DOI:
 10.13140/RG.2.2.15541.93927
 Project:
 Military History
 Agha H Amin
THE BATTALION THAT VOLUNTEERED TO FIGHT AGAINST CHINA RATHER THAN JOIN
1857 ON ANY SIDE
RAISED CRAUM KI PALTAN AT CAWNPORE AS FIRST BATTALION 24TH BENGAL
NATIVE INFANTRY IN OCTOBER 1804 DURING SECOND ANGLO MARATHA WAR IN
NEWLY ACQUIRED GANGES JAMNA DOAB ANNEXED FROM OUDH STATE AND KNOWN
AS CRAUM KI PALTAN.
RENUMBERED 47TH BENGAL NATIVE INFANTRY IN 1824.
FOUGHT AGAINST THE SIKHS IN FIRST SIKH WAR AT MOODKE, FEROZSHAH ALIWAL
AND SOBRAON-ITS COMMANDING OFFICER COLONEL POTTS WAS A VERY STRONG
PERSONALITY AND ENSURED THAT THE BATTALION REMAINED LOYAL WHILE
STATIONED ON EASTERN EDGES OF AREA AFFECTED BY 1857 AT MIRZAPORE.
The 47 Native Infantry at Mirzapur was a strange regiment. Their Commanding Officer
courtmartialled and hanged some troops under the suspicion established from their letters which
he had censured that they were about to rebel.

3. The regiment however stayed calm. Following this incident the Commanding Officer sent the
greater part of the Regiment on Furlough leave. Once they came back the whole regiment
volunteered for service in China! (There was a British expedition in China fighting one of the
Opium Wars at this time).
This happened on 9th September 1857.
Thus, the 47 Native Infantry was sent to China where it participated in the Second Opium War
of 1858-60.
The regiment was renumbered as the 7th Bengal Native Infantry in the post-1858
reorganization.In 1883 7th Duke of Connaughts own Bengal Native Infantry
In 1892-93 it became an all Rajput Regiment and was redesignated as 3/7 Rajput in 1922
MADE 100 % HINDUSTANI HINDU RAJPUT IN 1893 EXPERIMENT TO CREATE ONE
CLASS ONE RELIGION BATTALIONS TO INSTILL GREATER ESPIRIT DE CORPS ALL OF A
SUDDEN BECAME 7TH DUKE OF CONNAUGHTS RAJPUT REGIMENT OF BENGAL
INFANTRY WHILE ITS PRE 1893 RAJPUT CLAIM WAS 3 OUT OF 8 COMPANIES
FOUGHT AGAINST CHINA IN 1857-59 , EGYPT IN 1881-82 AND AGAIN BASHED CHINESE
IN 1900 FOUGHT IN PERSIA AND MESOPOTAMIA IN WW ONE-
CAPTURED AT KUTALMARA AND SUFFERED ONE OF HIGHEST FATAL CASUALTIES IN
WW ONE OF 490 MEN MORE THAN ALL MEN KILLED BY EITHER PAKISTAN OR INDIAN
ARMY AT SO CALLED BIGGEST TANK BATTLES OF CHAWINDA - SERVED AT ADEN IN
1920 AND RENUMBERED 3RD BATTALION 7TH RAJPUT REGIMENT IN 1922-
About the Author
Agha H. Amin , Retired Tank corps major who served in five tank regiments and commanded an
independent tank squadron and served in various staff , instructional and research assignments.
Presently heads think tank Centre for Study of Intelligence Operations. Editor in Chief of monthly
Intelligence Review and monthly Military and Security Review. In his Pakistan Army tenure he wrote

4. three original tactical papers on Reconnaissance Troops Tactical handling, Reconnaissance support
group , and RFS Concept. His writings were published in Pakistan Armys prime journals , Pakistan Army
Journal and Citadel Journal of Command and Staff College Quetta.
His recommendations regarding bifurcation of officer corps into command and staff cadre advanced in
1998 were later accepted. In addition his recommendation of grouping various corps into army
commands advanced in an article published in Citadel Journal in 1998 were accepted in 2005 or so.
Wrote Pakistan Armys first tactical paper on Tactical handling of Reconnaissance Troop in 1986 which is
now being incorporated in Pakistan Armys most important general staff publication " The Armored
Regiment in Battle". Wrote The Essential Clausewitz in 1993, Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-59 in 1998 ,
Pakistan Army till 1965 in 1999 ,Development of Taliban Factions in Afghanistan and Pakistan (2010)
,Taliban War in Afghanistan (2009). Served as Assistant Editor of Defence Journal ,Executive Editor of
globe and Founder Editor of Journal of Afghanistan Studies .
An associate of the think tanks ORBAT and Alexandrian Defense group. Expert in social impact and
environmental assessment carried out various LARP surveys for Asian Bank and World Bank projects. He
has lectured at various think tanks and organisations worldwide and shares his knowledge without any
honorarium and at zero financial benefits. Carried out various oil and gas and power transmission line
surveys in West Asia. One time Assistant Editor Defence Journal , Executive Editor Globe, Editor Journal
of Afghanistan Studies Feedback is welcome at e mail address L19aircraft@gmail.com
Presently heading Centre for Study of Intelligence Operations which he founded in early 2010 and
editing Intelligence Review, Indian Military Review and Journal of Book Reviews.