The
presidency armies were the armies of the three
presidencies of the
East India Company's
rule in
India, later the forces of the
British Crown in India. The presidency armies were named after the presidencies: the
Bengal Army, the
Madras Army and the
Bombay Army. Initially, only Europeans served as commissioned or non-commissioned officers. In time, Indian Army units were garrisoned from Peshawar in the north, to Sind in the west, and to Rangoon in the east. The army was engaged in the wars to extend British control in India (the
Mysore,
Maratha and
Sikh wars) and beyond (the
Burma,
Afghan,
First and
Second Opium Wars, and the
Expedition to Abyssinia).