On the 1st December, 1848, the regiment was ordered to be augmented to the establishment as per margin,[15] and received instructions to prepare for service in the East Indies, and on the 9th January, 1849, two companies, with head-quarters, proceeded to Cork, and embarked on the 11th, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Trydell, in the freight ship Bombay, for Bombay, and sailed for its destination on the 17th of the same month.

The remainder of the regiment followed in the succeeding months of February and March, as follows, viz.—

In the China, under Major Townsend.

In the Mermaid, under Brevet Major Ainslie.

In the Marion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Law.

In the Ursula, under Captain Lloyd.

In the Zion’s Hope, under Major Swinburne.

On the 8th May, 1849, the head-quarters arrived in Bombay, and on the 10th, disembarked and proceeded to Poona, and arrived at that station on the 18th of the same month. The whole of the regiment, however, was not assembled at Poona till the 14th July, 1849, where it remained till November, 1850.

During the stay of the regiment at Poona, it lost by disease two officers (Captain the Hon. W. Gage and Surgeon Ledingham), 5 sergeants, 1 drummer, and 69 rank and file.

In November, 1850, the regiment marched in four divisions on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 11th of the month for Panwell and Bombay, and embarked in steamers for Kurrachee, where the head-quarters arrived and disembarked on the 14th of the same month, but the last division did not join the regiment till the 1st December following.

In January, 1851, Lieutenant-Colonel Trydell was appointed to the command of the Poona brigade, and Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Law assumed command of the regiment.

From November, 1850, to 31st December, 1852, the regiment was stationed at Kurrachee, and lost through disease during that period 5 officers—viz., Major Townsend, Lieutenant and Adjutant W. Hall,[16] Ensign Graham, Quartermaster Colburn (at Poona when on leave), and Assistant-Surgeon Boyce—and 6 sergeants, 3 drummers, and 135 rank and file, chiefly cases of cholera, fever, and dysentery.

On two occasions—viz., in May and June, 1851, and again in September and October, 1852—the regiment was visited with cholera, fever, and dysentery, and suffered greatly, and on the last occasion it was considered necessary to remove the regiment from the barracks and encamp the men on Ghizree Heights, near the sea.[17]

It, however, soon recovered from these fell diseases, and numbered upwards of 950 efficient soldiers, men strong and stalwart in form, perfect in discipline, and influenced in no ordinary degree by an ardent esprit de corps, the prestige of the honourable name and high reputation won by the 83rd wherever it served.

On the 8th February, the right wing of the regiment (448 strength), under the command of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Swinburne, proceeded in river steamers by the Indus River to Hyderabad, there to be stationed.

On the 15th March, 1853, the establishment of the regiment was altered by Horse Guards’ letter, dated 24th March, 1853, to 12 captains, 20 lieutenants, 4 ensigns, and 1 adjutant.

Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Swinburne, after a long and distinguished service of forty-four years in the 83rd Regiment, retired from the service on the full pay of his rank of major. He served throughout the whole of the Peninsular campaign (the greater part of the time as adjutant), and received a medal and ten clasps for Talavera, Busaco, Fuentes d’Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse. He was engaged with the regiment in the Kandyan rebellion and in Canada, and, embarking with the regiment for India, left it on the 22nd May, 1853, with the esteem and veneration of every individual in it.

He was succeeded in the majority by Captain Henry Lloyd.

The head-quarters, consisting of 5 subalterns, 4 staff, 19 sergeants, 6 drummers, and 353 rank and file, embarked at Kurrachee on board the Hon. E.I.C. steam frigate Semiramis, for Gogo, en route for Deesa; landed at Gogo on the 22nd December, where they were halted and encamped awaiting further orders.

On the departure of head-quarters from Scinde, Major-General Sir Henry Somerset, K.C.B., issued a very complimentary order to the regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Law was then commanding, and Lieutenant E. H. M. Mainwaring was adjutant.

On the 9th January, 1854, Major Henry Lloyd joined from England, and assumed command of the head-quarters division at Gogo, Guzerat.

On the 22nd January, 1854, the head-quarters division, under Major Lloyd, marched from Gogo, and arrived at Deesa on the 13th February.

On the 23rd April, Major Henry Lloyd made over command of the head-quarters division to Captain E. W. Bray, the senior officer, and left Deesa for Kurrachee, there to assume command of the right wing.

On the 6th May, Major Henry Lloyd died at Cambay of Asiatic cholera, while proceeding by that route to Kurrachee, to assume command of the companies there stationed.

On the 14th October, the half-yearly inspection of the head-quarters division of the regiment took place at Camp Deesa, under Brigadier-General Forster Stalker, C.B., commanding northern division of the army. Captain E. W. Bray at that time commanded, and Lieutenant E. H. M. Mainwaring was adjutant.

On the 4th January, Colonel W. H. Law joined from Kurrachee, and assumed command of the head-quarters division of the regiment stationed at Deesa.

On the 29th March, the half-yearly inspection of the head-quarters division of the regiment took place at Camp Deesa, under Major-General F. Stalker, C.B., commanding northern division of the army.

On the 2nd April, the right wing, consisting of seven companies, under the command of Captain C. W. Austen, arrived at Bombay, from Kurrachee, and was quartered in the barracks of Colaba.

During its service in Scinde the regiment lost through disease, 5 officers, 6 sergeants, 4 drummers, 142 rank and file.

On the 9th March, a draft, consisting of 1 sergeant, 2 corporals, and 35 privates, under the command of Ensign G. Mylne, joined the head-quarters of the regiment at Deesa from England.

On the 29th October, the half-yearly inspection of the head-quarters division of the regiment took place under Major-General F. Stalker, C.B., commanding northern division of the army.

On the morning of the 22nd December, the right wing of the regiment, consisting of seven companies (strength—1 field officer, 2 captains, 4 subalterns, 20 sergeants, 8 drummers, 477 rank and file), under the command of Major Kelsall, embarked at Bombay on board of the Ajdaha for Domus, where it disembarked on the following day, and on the 25th commenced its march upon Deesa, viâ Surat, Baroda, and Ahmedabad, and finally reached its destination on the 25th January, 1856, after having been separated from head-quarters for a period of three years.

On the 21st January, an order was received to hold a wing of the regiment in readiness to proceed on field service.

On the 30th of the same month, 42 recruits, under the command of Lieutenant Cooper, joined the regiment from England.

On the 27th March, the half-yearly inspection of the regiment took place, under Brigadier N. Wilson, K.H., commanding Deesa Field Brigade.

On 16th May, Colonel W. H. Law retired on full pay from the service, with the rank of major-general; he served in the Peninsular War, and was present at the battles of Nivelle and Nive, for which he received the war medal and two clasps. Colonel Trydell being brigadier at Poona, the command of the regiment devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel Kelsall, the second lieutenant-colonel.

On the 1st August, Lieutenant and Adjutant E. H. M. Mainwaring died at Poona.

On the 27th October the half-yearly inspection of the regiment took place, under Brigadier N. Wilson, K.H., commanding Deesa Field Brigade.

On the 23rd March a detachment, in strength 3 sergeants, 4 drummers, 9 rank and file, 6 women, and 15 children, proceeded, under the command of Lieutenant Dickenson (and in medical charge of Assistant-Surgeon Miles), to Mount Aboo.

During the month of May, 1857, the regiment was held in readiness for field service, in consequence of the mutinies of the Bengal native army; and on the 26th of that month the left wing, composed of Nos. 5, 6, 7, and the Light Company (strength—1 field officer, 2 captains, 6 subalterns, 2 staff, 18 sergeants, 6 drummers, 250 rank and file), under the command of Major Steele, proceeded on active service and marched on Nusseerabad, where it arrived on the 12th June, having performed a march of 237 miles in seventeen days during the hottest time of the year without a single casualty.

On the 13th June No. 7 Company was detached from the left wing to garrison the fort and arsenal of Ajmere.

The left wing was reinforced by Nos. 1, 2, 3 Companies (strength—1 captain, 2 subalterns, 7 sergeants, 3 drummers, 200 rank and file), which left the head-quarters at Deesa on the 17th June, and arrived at Nusseerabad on the 10th July.

On the 9th July two companies, under the command of Captain Read, were detached from Nusseerabad to Neemuch, 143 miles distant, where they arrived on the 18th of the same month.

On the 14th July the Grenadier Company, under the command of Captain Jones, left head-quarters for Ahmedabad, the native troops in garrison there having displayed symptoms of disaffection.

On the 10th August the left wing at Nusseerabad disarmed a detachment of the 12th Regiment N. I., which had exhibited evident symptoms of a mutinous spirit; and on the night of the 12th of the same month, the detachment at Neemuch, under Captain S. Read, was called out to suppress a mutiny of a squadron of the 2nd Bombay Light Cavalry; the night was exceedingly dark, but the detachment succeeded in making several prisoners, and sustained a loss of one man killed (Private Chambers) and two wounded.

On the 21st August the detachment of the 50 invalids at Mount Aboo was attacked by about 150 mutineers of the Joudpoor Legion, who were repulsed with some loss in killed and wounded, without the detachment having sustained any loss. On receipt of this intelligence at Nusseerabad, a wing of the Joudpoor Legion, there stationed, was disarmed by the 83rd Regiment.

On the 30th August a detachment of 3 officers and 119 rank and file, under the command of Brevet Major Heatly, proceeded from Nusseerabad for the purpose of preserving the peace of the city of Ajmere during a Mohammedan festival. This detachment was joined on the 1st September by a detail of 1 sergeant and 30 rank and file from the company stationed in the fort of Ajmere. The detachment then proceeded on active service to Beawar, where it was reinforced by 1 captain, 2 sergeants, 1 drummer, and 50 rank and file from Nusseerabad; the detachment then, with four guns of the Bombay Horse Artillery and some native troops, proceeded by the mountain pass of Burr, on a reconnaissance to Awah, which they found to be a strongly entrenched village, garrisoned by about 3000 armed men, well provided with artillery. On the 18th September an unsuccessful attack was made on the village, in which three men, 83rd Regiment, were wounded, two of our four guns were disabled, and one artilleryman was killed and two wounded, and some casualties occurred amongst our native troops; the whole force then returned to Ajmere, where it arrived on the 28th September.

On the night of the 18th September the detachment stationed at Neemuch, under the command of Captain Read, together with two guns supported by a detail of native troops, marched from Neemuch to take the walled village of Nimbhera, sixteen miles distant, which was occupied by mutineers and rebels with three guns; during the following day the force took up a position near the village, and opened fire with the view of effecting a breach; the fire was kept up till dark, when further operations were suspended till next day. During the night of the 19th the enemy, leaving their guns, ammunition, etc., hastily evacuated the village, which was taken possession of by the force on the morning of the 20th.

During the action of the 19th Assistant-Surgeon Miles was wounded in the leg, and Lance-Corporal Thomas Young was killed.

On this occasion each man of the detachment received 8 rupees (16s.) prize-money. On the night of the 20th September the force returned to Neemuch, leaving 1 sergeant, 1 drummer, and 30 rank and file, under Ensign Chamley, to occupy the village, which detachment rejoined the following day.[18]

A considerable body of the Mundisore insurgents having occupied the fort and village of Jeerun, about ten miles from Neemuch, on the morning of the 23rd October a detachment of 50 of the 83rd, commanded by Captain Read, together with a company of the 12th Bombay N. I., some native cavalry, and two guns, moved against them from Neemuch. A very determined resistance was offered by the enemy, and Captain Read was killed by one of their first musket shots, while leading on his small detachment. Captain Tucker commanding the cavalry was killed, and the officer commanding the native infantry detachment was severely wounded about the same time. The enemy advancing in great force, the infantry retired to a fresh position, and the enemy having suffered severely from their fire, withdrew into the fort of Jeerun, which was occupied and blown up on the following morning, the enemy having evacuated it in the night. In addition to the death of Captain Read, two privates were wounded in this affair.

On the 9th November the small fortified position at Neemuch, which was garrisoned by a detachment of the 83rd Regiment, under Ensign Chamley, and some native troops, the whole under command of Major Simpson, 2nd Light Cavalry, was attacked by a very large insurgent force, which invested the fortification for fifteen days; their several attempts at assault by escalade were repulsed with heavy loss, and on the 23rd of the month they broke up and retired on the advance of a force from Mhow to the relief of the garrison, which had sustained a loss of about 20 in wounded during the siege.

The head-quarters of the regiment, which had remained at Deesa up to this time, received orders to advance into Rajpootana, and marched for Mount Aboo on the 26th October, under command of Colonel Trydell; thence it proceeded to Nusseerabad, where it arrived on the 28th November.

The detachment at Neemuch was now relieved by two companies commanded by Major Austen.