The Sarun Field Force was formed in late 1857 in western Bihar, but their operations would subsequently be concentrated on the Gorakhpur District. Initially the force comprised of 30 men of the Royal Marines, 130 of the Pearl Naval Brigade, 350 Nepal troops and 50 men of the Bengal Police Battalion. For artillery, they had four 12-pounder howitzers, two of which were mountain-train guns. Early in 1858, the Bengal Yeomanry Cavalry joined their ranks. As troops were pushed up from Madras, the Sarun Field Force would be reinforced by both cavalry and infantry, along with detachments of HM’s 13th Regiment. They would however, remain an independent unit for nearly one year, keeping the rebels from extending their influence into the Himalayan Terai, and at the same time, preventing them from regrouping in numbers to launch significant campaigns on the borders of Oudh. The Sarun Field Force November 1858 they would be taken into the winter campaign of Sir Hope Grant in November 1858, after nearly one year of fighting on the fringes of the mutiny. For all their bravery and hardship, their rewards would ultimately be small.
Mutiny Reflections 