I have found an EIC army list on-line (WRG?) and to quote (in part):
Irregular Native Horse. irregular soldier cavalry with jezail.
These troops also make up a significant part of the cavalry contingent and according to the list are a mandatory formation for that army. On-line searches, and a few books, have given no information on such troops. (In truth I am finding any troops labelled 'native' in the 1750-1780 era descriptions are vague).
Do these cavalry caracole? If they fire from horseback can they be assumed to lethally outrange muskets of the period? Are they really mounted infantry and dismount to shoot? Are they suitably armed - sword & shield - to charge into contact with other units? The grading of these troops as 'soldier' suggests that they are both competent and skilled?
(One of the books I have not got is 'Wargaming Wellington in India - Grant' is this truly a definitive work and would it answer the above questions and more?)
Can anyone help?
I've nothing form source, but can perform a functional breakdown.
The jezzail is a long musket often used for sniping.
These fellows are mounted.
I believe we're looking at the equivalent to pike and shotte dragoons.
The role fits in fairly well with the EIC regulars doing teh soldiering stuff, while these fellows "cossack" around the flanks and assist with scouting.
Where I can't assist is on the quality of their horses and swords, in other words whether they were capable light cavalry.
There are lots of similar types of cavalry about at this time, used by Turkoman tribes (against Imperial Russians), Afghans and Qajar Persians. They appear to be a sort of massed skirmish type cavalry - riding up into range, giving a very irregular and ragged, individual fire to attempt to goad an enemy into advancing and then they galloped away.
The thing about jazails appears to be that they had a longer range than standard muskets, but took longer to load, so they were more for sniping and harassing the enemies larger more 'solid' formations.
The Afghans appear to have done this with the jazail armed lighter cavalry in-front of a massed formation of camel-gunners. At a particular battle outside Delhi the jizail armed light horse harassed the enemy heavier cavalry, then withdrew around the flanks of the kneeling camel gunners, having drawn the Moghul cavalry into charging them and into the camel-guns range, which devastated them with repeated camel-gun salvos.
The Russians dealt with similar central Asian Turkoman tribes armed with jazails armed light cavalry with horse artillery batteries (that out-ranged them) protected by heavier cavalry. Later Manchu cavalry also fought central Asian horsemen armed with a mix of camel-mounted cannon and long muskets (similar to Jezails).
So I'd suggest this was probably a very 'standard' type of option/formation.
So they are probably not that effective, other than to goad unwise enemy into ill considered charges.
My interpretation of these is similar, ie, they roll up to an enemy formation in skirmish order, fire a ragged volley then retire to reload, then repeat ad-infinitum until the baggage train is revealed then they go and loot that. Basically cossacks that shoot from a wimpy distance.
Great at occupying spaces left vacant by the enemy, and making them work to take those spaces, but of little combat value.
According to brief commentary in Mollo's book The Indian Army, (which covers the Napoleonic era and after really rather than 1750s) the irregular cavalry supplied their own horses and equipment under the Sillidar system, in return for higher pay, the government only supplying arms and ammunition. So they wouldn't be keen to get their horses killed by charging close order troops or artillery head on.
Mark
Mmm, I've read about that. I posted the story elsewhere, but for those who don't know it, a trooper lent his horse for the weekend to a cousin so he could cut a dash on his wedding day on a white charger. The horse was duly returned by Monday for regular duties; no rules broken. Unfortunately, the beast had been decorated with indelible spots of pink, blue, and yellow paint, and they couldn't wash them off before the parade.
The colonel wasn't the proudest officer in the army that day.
Thanks to all for your replies. The few facts and some deductions I made are now creating a better picture with your thoughts & comments. I have now started research which hopefully will produce generic types of native cavalry to cover the many types listed in the army lists. Any links to reliable sources would be gratefully received.
This thread on LAF might be useful
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=137946.0