Armies of the 19th Century: Asia - INDIA'S NORTH-EAST FRONTIER

FP005

Armies of the 19th Century: Asia

INDIA'S NORTH-EAST FRONTIER

by Ian Heath

This is the first ever in-depth study of one of the most remote and neglected theatres of 19th-century colonial conflict, where for decades British and Indian troops fought a forgotten war against merciless warbands of head-hunters and slave-raiders. Despite being an unsettled and troublesome part of the subcontinent, the north-east corner of British India was nevertheless more than once dubbed ‘the forgotten frontier’ by contemporaries, since it was the ‘romantic’ North-West Frontier which invariably grabbed the lions’ share of government and media attention. Yet the North-East Frontier witnessed a far greater amount of military activity as its many distinct and mutually hostile peoples sought to preserve their traditional lands and cultures against each other and the foreign powers – Britain, Burma, and China – which sought to subdue them. This volume covers all of the region’s principal indigenous peoples – Abors, Akas, Chin-Lushais, Daflas, Garos, Khamtis, Khasis, Mikirs, Miris, Mishmis, Nagas, and Singphos – as well as its few established native states (Assam, Cachar, Manipur, and Tripura). The dress, arms, organisation, and tactics of each are examined in often considerable detail. The greater part of the information contained in this book – assembled from a considerable range of official and other contemporary sources – will be entirely new to readers, and is here made available to a wider audience for the very first time. Illustrations include 125 drawings of warriors, 53 other illustrations, and nine maps.

168 pages