[7] Bruce's brother Robert brought to notice the indigenous Assamese tea plant in 1823 and told Charles of its existence.
[citation needed] In 1824, Bruce served in the First Anglo-Burmese War, during which he was posted to Sadiya and made commander of a division of gunboats.
[8] When the war ended, he continued work patrolling the rivers in Assam in gunboats, under Captain Andrew Charlton, a political officer.
[11] In 1838, Bruce wrote An Account of the Manufacture of the Black Tea, As Now Practised at Suddeya in Upper Assam, By The Chinamen Sent Thither For That Purpose.
[11] In 1871, Bruce received the gold medal from the Royal Society of Arts for cultivation of the indigenous tea plants in Assam.