In time, Indian Army units were garrisoned from Peshawar in the north, to Sind in the west, and to Rangoon in the east.

These were all placed in 1748 under one Commander-in-Chief, Major-General Stringer Lawrence who is regarded as the "Father of the Indian Army".

By 1824, the size of the combined armies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay was about 200,000 and had at least 170 sepoy and 16 European regiments.

Recruitment in all cases was done locally, with battalions each drawn from single castes, and from specific communities, villages, and families.

Irregular cavalry were raised by the "silladar system" employed by rulers of Indian states.

In addition, native artillery and pioneers (referred to later as Sappers and Miners) were also raised.

Another change resulting from the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was that henceforward artillery was confined to the British Army.