The officers were not accommodated in the barracks and had to look to their own resources to find accommodation in the better housing that had grown up close to the fort, on raised ground overlooking the teeming ramshackle sprawl of Calcutta. While the junior officers shared chummeries, Arthur rented a one-storey building with a wide veranda running around it: what the locals referred to as a bungalow. It was far finer than anything he could have hired in Dublin for the same price, and it overlooked a neat garden planted with mango trees and enclosed in a white-washed wall. Often, when the day’s duties were complete, Arthur sat on his veranda and wrote letters to Kitty describing his new life in India, and his longing to return to her as soon as he could. Even though it might be in several years’ time, he assured her of his undying love and urged her to write to him as often as possible.
As his men trained, Arthur studied the campaigns of Cornwallis, in particular the failed attempt to reduce Seringapatam and end the threat from Tipoo Sahib. Cornwallis had been defeated by the monsoon season, and the failure to secure a steady supply of food for his army. He had been forced to spike his guns, abandon the siege and retreat, occasioning a serious decline of faith in the iqbal of the English. The difficulties of campaigning in India were immense: the terrible heat of the dry seasons and the torrential rains of the monsoons that turned tracks into glutinous mud and could transform dry river beds into raging torrents in a matter of hours. Then there was the lack of any roads worth the name, just a series of tracks that linked the fortified villages that dotted the landscape. Any modern army desiring to cross the subcontinent was further handicapped by the sheer distance it would be obliged to maintain its lines of communication. It was difficult to find horses strong enough to pull the guns and wagons of a baggage train. The mounts favoured by the Mahratta and other warrior nations were small and nimble and of little use as beasts of burden.
These were matters he took up with Harry Ball when the two officers were attending one of the numerous dinner parties that were held in the houses of Calcutta’s tiny European population. When the meal was over, officers and Company officials retired to the veranda outside the house to drink in the light draught of the punkahs swaying overhead. Arthur sat himself down on the chair next to Ball with a brief exchange of pleasantries.
‘So how are you finding life in Calcutta, sir?’
‘It’s pleasant enough provided one doesn’t get too hot.’ Arthur smiled. ‘Not that there’s any chance of avoiding the heat.’
‘You think this is bad?’ Ball looked amused. ‘Just wait until you encounter the climate further inland. Sometimes it gets so hot that a man will lie under his camp bed covered with a wet sheet just to stop his brains from boiling and sending him insane. It’s not good country for proper soldiers like yourself, sir.’
‘Nevertheless, we are required to fight here. Especially if we are to protect our interests from the French. So we are obliged to find some means of waging war effectively in India. From what I’ve read so far, we’ve not had much success.’
‘It is a problem,’ Ball agreed. ‘That is why our interests in India are confined to the lands immediately surrounding the three presidencies. That is the limit of our operations. Most attempts to campaign further afield have failed to achieve anything worthwhile, or ended in disaster.’
‘Perhaps we are wrong to think of conducting war as we would in Europe,’ Arthur suggested. ‘As you say, the distances are too great. The only way an army could stay in the field for long enough to cover the necessary ground is to be resupplied on the march.’
Ball nodded.‘It would make sense, sir, but the supplies of grain that we would need could not be met by the villages in the mofussil - sorry, the hinterland.’
Arthur smiled politely. ‘I understand the word, Major. But I wasn’t thinking of gleaning what little the natives had grown for themselves. I was thinking that our columns could be supplied by the brinjarris.’
Ball raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, then considered it carefully for a moment. The brinjarris were almost a separate nation in India, raising huge herds of bullocks which they contracted out, or used to carry excess grain and rice across the subcontinent in search of a decent profit. Ball nodded. ‘It might work, provided they could be assured that they would make money. Certainly it would relieve our commanding officers and their staffs of the burden of arranging supplies.’
‘That’s what I thought. Do you have any contacts with their headmen?’
‘I know some of the local boys. I could arrange a meeting with them, if you wish, sir.’
‘I’d be most grateful. One other thing.These bullocks that the brinjarris use, would they be suitable for drawing guns?’
‘Cannon?’ Ball pursed his lips for an instant. ‘I don’t see why not. We could arrange a trial and see.’
‘Then let’s do it.’Arthur nodded amiably.‘If the bullocks prove a success, then we may be a step nearer taking the fight closer to our enemies.’>
‘Very well, sir. I assume you’ll want an intermediary when you meet the headmen, someone to translate for you.’
‘I’d be grateful. My Hindoostani is coming along, but I would rather not rely on it at present.’
Ball raised his eyebrows. ‘You’re learning Hindoostani?’
‘Yes. Why not? You seem surprised, Ball.’
‘I am. It’s a rare officer of the King’s regiments who bothers to learn more than a handful of words. It’s different for the officers in the Company battalions. We have to live with the sepoys. Makes sense for us.’
‘I would have thought it makes sense for any Englishman serving here, whether he is employed by the Crown or the Company.’
‘I agree. But you would have a hard time convincing most of the officers of that, sadly.’ Ball considered the young colonel for a moment before he continued. ‘Frankly, I wish there were more here like you, sir. It’s what England needs in India if the place is ever to become more than an asset on the Company’s balance sheet. If there were more men like you, then there’d be a fine future for India.’
‘The future of India?’ Arthur mused. ‘I’ve been thinking of little else since I arrived here. Believe me, before I return home, I will have made my mark on these lands and their peoples.’
Chapter 25
Spring gave way to summer and the heat increased to stifling proportions, but Arthur continued to drill his men as often as possible until the 33rd moved with precision in response to his commands. They soon sweated off the extra weight they had gained on the voyage from England and became as fit and hardy as they had ever been. Arthur had persuaded the quartermaster at Fort William to provide his men with the lighter and looser uniforms issued to Company soldiers, but the men still grumbled under the weight of their backpacks, heavy boots and muskets.
He ordered that a firing range be set up in the fort, and once every fortnight he had the men perform a live fire drill, the sound of their muskets echoing round the fort and drawing curious glances from those not used to it.The cost of gunpowder was such that few armies anywhere in the world allowed their soldiers to discharge their weapons off the battlefield. But Arthur had no intention of putting the request for powder through official army channels. Instead, he drew on the stocks of the East India Company who had plentiful supplies of powder and ball in their Calcutta arsenal.
Naturally the quartermaster protested, and Arthur cordially invited him to write a letter of complaint to the board of directors in London, in the happy knowledge that time and distance would mean that any dispute over his actions would take years to resolve. At the same time, Arthur was writing long letters to his brother Richard, urging him to put his name forward when His Majesty’s government and the Company decided to find a replacement for Sir John Shore. He filled the pages of his letters with detailed reports on any aspect of India that might be of use to his brother: descriptions of the geography, the natural resources that England might harvest, the loyalties or otherwise of its peoples and carefully j
udged assessments of any Europeans who might help or hinder the expansion of British influence in the subcontinent. Most important of all Arthur outlined the threats to British influence in India which would need to be overcome before any grand vision for the future could become a reality. In addition to the resurgence of French involvement in the area, there were a number of powerful native warlords who must be reduced to client status.
In the south, there was Tipoo Sahib, ruler of Mysore, whose lands stretched to the borders of the Madras presidency and dominated the Carnatic. Tipoo had long harboured a hatred of the English, as his father had before him. His capital at Seringapatam was a strongly fortified city built on an island in the Cauvery river. It would have to be taken by storm, and that meant the creation of a practical siege train and supply system to allow the English army to operate nearly three hundred miles from Madras.
Then, in the heart of India, there was the Nizam of Hyderabad. Though the Nizam was far less hostile to English interests, he was a weak man, easily manipulated, and his army was large and well trained, principally by French mercenaries.The Nizam, like Tipoo, was being deliberately cultivated by the French who no doubt hoped to provoke both rulers into an open confrontation with England and the East India Company.
North of Hyderabad was the vast sprawl of the Mahratta confederacy, composed of kingdoms ruled by warlords at the head of huge armies of mounted warriors. Here too the French were busy building their relationships with gifts, promises and military advisers.
All three powers would have to be brought to heel, Arthur wrote to his bother, by diplomacy if possible, by force if not. But the key to success lay in fighting them one at a time. If they ever united in common interest against English forces then they must surely succeed in driving the English out of India. It was a sobering prospect, yet much had to be risked in pursuit of the vast wealth and influence that England might gain from exerting itself in India and the far east.
‘Manila?’ Arthur’s eyebrows rose. ‘That’s in the Philippines, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’ Sir John nodded. ‘There will be a force leaving from Calcutta and another one from Madras.They’re to rendezvous at Penang before proceeding to Manila. Now that we’re at war with Spain our government wants us to extend the conflict into their colonies, and hit their trade. Manila’s their largest trading colony in the area. If we can take Manila then only the French will present us with much danger on this side of the world.’
Arthur took a sharp breath. ‘Not just the French, sir. You’ve read the reports.Tipoo is building up his forces. I can’t believe he won’t be tempted to wage war on us before too long. And if we send men to take Manila, then we’re offering him a grand opportunity to attack us when we’ll be at our weakest. In the present circumstances the last thing we should be doing is spreading ourselves too thinly.’
Sir John nodded. ‘I agree with you, Wesley. But those are my instructions from London.’
‘But they don’t know the situation here, sir. They don’t understand the risk.’
‘And you do? You’re what, twenty-seven, and a colonel. Do you really think you know better than far older and wiser heads?’
‘I am here on the ground, sir. They are ten thousand miles away. I believe my view of conditions is somewhat better than theirs.’
‘Perhaps.’ Sir John shrugged. ‘Nevertheless, we have our instructions. I’d like you to take charge of planning the operation.’
‘Me?’
‘You have a good head for detail and a flair for organisation. I’ve seen how you run the 33rd, and I’ve read your report on making greater use of the brinjarris and their bullocks. A fine piece of work, that.’ Sir John eased himself back in his chair and continued. ‘You’ll take the 33rd and two battalions of the Company’s sepoys. That’s over two thousand men. Should be more than enough to overcome the dago garrison in Manila.The Company will provide the transports and all supplies.’
Arthur made a wry smile. ‘Then I take it I will be seizing Manila in the name of the East India Company?’
‘That’s right. Now would you like the job, or not?’
‘Let us be clear, sir.You’d like me to organise the operation.’
‘Yes.’
‘Then who is to command it? Me?’
‘I haven’t decided yet.’ Sir John’s gaze flickered away from Arthur and out through the window on to the gardens below. ‘I certainly think you would be as fit a man for this command as any senior officer in India. But I will need to consult with the senior officer in the presidency, General St Leger. If we agree, then the command is yours. In the meantime, I’d be grateful if you took charge of organising the operation.’
‘Very well, sir.’ Arthur felt a surge of pride at being given such a responsibility, mingled with anxiety that he would be superseded before he was given the chance to wield the force once it was put together. He cleared his throat as he rose from his chair. ‘Thank you, sir. I promise I won’t let you down.’
Sir John nodded, without shifting his gaze from the gardens. ‘Do your duty, Colonel. That’s all anyone can ask of you.’
‘I will, sir.’
Throughout the hot months of June and July, Arthur made preparations for the capture of Manila. The Indiamen assigned to the assault force were anchored opposite the fort and their boats made available for training the 33rd in landing procedures. The redcoats sweated in the searing sunlight as they were rowed from the ships to the river bank where they disembarked as quickly as possible and formed up in their companies on the shore, ready for action. Then they were drilled for an orderly withdrawal to the boats in the event that their attack on Manila might fail. After that, the boats were rowed back to the Indiamen and the soldiers clambered up the sides of the ships, only for the entire performance to be gone through again.
As the men went about their drills, Arthur and his small staff drew up lists of all the supplies and equipment that would be required for the voyage to Manila, the assault, and then a subsequent two months’ rations in case the Spanish launched a counter-attack.Training and hygiene schedules had to be worked out for each vessel, since Arthur was adamant that his soldiers were not going to suffer the same debilitating conditions that had dulled their edge of the voyage from England.
When the first packet of letters from Kitty arrived, Arthur read through them again and again, briefly taking in her notes on the social life in Dublin before concentrating on the sections where she spoke of her feelings for him. Every nuance of every word was carefully weighed before he allowed himself to believe she still loved him as strongly as ever. He held the letters in his hand tenderly, as if they were an extension of her body, and then carefully put them away in his writing box before turning his mind back to his duties.
Then, at the start of August, when the preparations were complete, Arthur was summoned to Sir John’s office early one morning. As he strode from his house up the track that led to the fort he glanced out across the river to where the flotilla lay serenely at anchor. Even at this distance the red coats of his men were visible on the ships they had finished boarding the day before. The expedition would be able to sail this very day, if Sir John gave the order.
For the first time in his life in uniform Arthur felt pleasure at the prospect of an independent command. With the capture of Manila, he would surely be granted ever greater responsibilities, and the beginnings of a reputation that would free him from the shadow of his oldest brother. Even Tom Pakenham would be forced to sit up and take notice of the name Arthur Wesley. And Kitty would surely be thrilled at his success. The brief flight of fancy ended abruptly as he reminded himself that the expedition had not even weighed anchor yet. He was fantasising like a young fool, he reflected bitterly. He must learn to control his feelings and thoughts more thoroughly.
Arthur entered headquarters and made his way up the stairs to Sir John’s office. The Governor General was not alone. Seated in one of the chairs on the far side of his desk was the slight, dapper figure of
General St Leger.
Sir John smiled warmly as he waved Arthur towards a spare seat. ‘Wesley, I have some news for you! An overland dispatch arrived yesterday.Your brother, the Earl of Mornington, has been offered the post of Governor General.’
‘Has he accepted, sir?’ Arthur asked eagerly.
‘The dispatch didn’t say. But he’d be a damn fool not to, eh?’ Sir John grinned for a moment, and then the expression faded quickly as his gaze transferred to the other officer present. ‘There is one further piece of news. General, would you be so good as to explain.’
General St Leger nodded and turned to Arthur with a kindly smile that immediately made Arthur’s heart sink as he guessed what was coming.
‘The thing of it is,Wesley, that I’m going to assume command of the expedition.’
‘Oh . . .’
‘Now I realise that you’ve put a lot of work into this. The 33rd’s a damned fine regiment, and so’s their colonel. Everyone in Calcutta says as much. No one doubts that you’ve a fine career ahead of you, and you would have made a fine job of leading this operation.’
Arthur did not want to hear any more platitudes. His first big opportunity to make a name for himself was being taken away and he had to know the cause. ‘Why are you taking command, sir?’
‘Ah, well, I don’t suppose you are unaware of the fact that the destination of your - my flotilla has become common knowledge in Calcutta. Moreover, a Danish merchant ship arrived a week ago and left yesterday, for Manila.’
Arthur felt cold rage course through his veins as he turned to the Governor General. ‘Then why wasn’t the order given to impound the ship until after the expedition sailed, sir?’
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