The Gurkha War: The Anglo-Nepalese Conflict in North East India 1814 - 1816

Contents: 1. Publisher’s Note. 2. Causes of the Nepal War. 3. The Formidable Foe. 4. Battles & Setbacks. 5. A Turn of the Tide. 6. Victory in Kumaon. 7. An Uneasy Peace. 8. A Fight for Independence. 9. To War Again. 10. No Help from the Chinese. Appendices.

No-one who has an interest in British military history is ignorant of the role of the Gurkhas. Their loyalty and courage is as legendary as the affection with which they are regarded by the British military and civilians alike. It was not always so. At the beginning of the 19th century, as the British empire inexorably expanded its influence to embrace the Indian Sub-Continent, the Nepalese empire itself covered huge areas of Northern India - stretching at times from the borders of the Sikh kingdom in the west to the foothills of the Himalayas where they meet the Bay of Bengal. When these two empires clashed, the British certainly experienced an unpleasant surprise. For they confronted warriors of astonishing bravery, gallantry and ferocity, with no mean grasp of tactics. So began a hard-fought, touch-and-go war between enemies who would one day be inseparable friends. This is the story of that war!