PREVIEW: ORDERS DECORATIONS, MEDALS & MILITARIA: 19 JUNE

The unique medal group of one of the most distinguished and influential figures of early 19th century British rule in India is among the highlights of this sale, with an estimate of £18,000-22,000.

The man in question was Major-General Sir Archibald Galloway, K.C.B., Bengal Infantry, who survived severe injury as a young officer to write the standard work on siege warfare in India, and later become Chairman of the Honourable East India Company, probably the last holder of this appointment.

The Army of India Medal awarded to Galloway includes the clasp for the Defence of Delhi – he was one of only five European recipients.

Archibald Galloway (1780-1850) was born at Blairgowrie and became a Cadet on the Bengal Establishment in 1799. Appointed Ensign in the 14th Native Infantry on 29 October 1800, he arrived in India aboard the Lady Jane Dundas on 8 December of that year and was promoted Lieutenant on 18 May 1802. Within a year he saw his first action as a volunteer with the 2/4th N.I. during the ‘Mud War’ in the Jumna Doab where he participated in the actions at Sansi, Bijaigarh and Kachaura.

In September 1804, during the Second Mahratta War, Galloway was present with his parent regiment, the 2/14 Bengal N.I., at Delhi when it was unsuccessfully besieged by Holkar, the 15th Maharani of Indore, who led the effort to unite India’s princes against the British.

Holkar’s forces outnumbered the defenders by more than ten to one, and although no British regiments were present, he feared that the Grand Army under Lord Lake would appear before he had broken through the city’s defences. This led to Holkar taking decisive action on 14 September, the seventh day of the investment.

“They opened a tremendous fire from their artillery, upon the whole extent of the walls, upon the gates and breach, and about sun-rise their infantry were seen advancing in large bodies, in various directions, with scaling ladders. They were repulsed in every quarter, and after some ineffectual attempts of their leaders to get them back to the assault, they retreated, leaving their scaling ladders behind. The remainder of this day they were remarkably quiet, and it was suspected that another attempt would be made in the afternoon. As soon as it was dark, however, they commenced silently sending off their heavy guns, and in the course of the night got off with the whole of their baggage, and by keeping their pickets as usual close under the walls till a little before day-break, completely prevented the garrison from having any suspicion of their movement. As soon as it was ascertained, a party was sent out to harass their rear, but they had too much start, and nothing could be done against them.”

When Lake arrived three days later, Galloway joined the Reserve in the pursuit of Holkar. At the end of October, he marched with Lake to the relief of a detachment under Colonel Burn and his Major of Brigade, John Rose, who had been cut off by 20,000 Mahratta horse at Shamli, and at length took part in the deliverance of the detachment from its ‘extreme distress’.

From 11 December until Christmas morning 1804, when the fortress fell and the Union flag was planted on the walls, Galloway was engaged in the Siege of Deig. In early January 1805, he arrived with the Grand Army before Bhurtpoor, which the fierce and obstinate Lake, flushed with his string of recent successes, believed would fall in short order despite his deficiency of artillery and lack of sufficiently long scaling ladders.

Galloway commanded the Corps of Pioneers (which performed the duty of Sappers) at the siege of Bhurtpore; “and led that Corps at the head of two of the most sanguinary assaults of that fortress”. The first assault, made on 9 January, set the tone of the seven-week siege and was beaten back.

After further ineffectual cannonading, a second assault was planned for the 21 January. Disaster struck; as Galloway led the Corps of Pioneers in attempting to cross the ditch, he “was desperately wounded in the windpipe”. After two more unsuccessful assaults, Lake conceded defeat on 23 February and marched off the next day.

Events in Europe meant that Britain could ill afford to be at war with anyone but the French, and a peace was arranged soon after with the Rajah of Bhurtpoor and later with Holkar.

Galloway’s career blossomed. In 1807 he became Adjutant and Quartermaster of the 14th N.I. In 1811 he became an examiner in Arabic and Persian at the Company’s short-lived College at Fort William. He was promoted Captain on 19 December 1812, and from 1813 to 1821 held the post of agent for the manufacture of gunpowder at Allahabad. He was afterwards the agent for gunpowder at Ichapur until 1829.

Having been made Major in 1824, he was transferred to the 29th N.I. (late 2/14 N.I.) and was posted as Lieutenant-Colonel to the 2nd N.I. in 1826. In 1830, during the enlightened Governor-Generalship of Lord William Bentinck, Galloway was appointed a Member of the Military Board. He retired in 1835 and was gazetted Colonel of the 58th N.I. on 22 September 1836.

In 1838 he was appointed a Director of the Honourable East India Company and created a Companion of the Bath, on the occasion of the Queen’s Coronation.

Galloway, who was made Major-General in 1841, was the author of a variety of books on Indian subjects. His Work on the Law and Constitution of India was considered “a judicious, manly, learned treatise, meriting unqualified praise”. Most notably he produced Notes on the Siege of Delhi in 1804 and On Sieges of India. The latter became the standard work issued to the Army on the orders of the Marquis of Hastings and was used widely in the Company’s military colleges.

In 1848 Galloway was made a K.C.B. and the following year became Chairman of the Honourable East India Company, probably the last holder of this appointment.

Sir Archibald, who was thanked for his many and varied services to the Indian Government by “commanders-in-chief in India on nine different occasions, and by the supreme government of India, or the court of directors, and superior authorities in England on upwards of thirty occasions”, died in Upper Harley Street on 6 April 1850 at the age of 70. As the Army of India Medal was not authorised until 1851, an exception must have been made in his case for the issue of a medal.