भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

the chances of the French empire in India were almost nil, they began to help the Indian princes and especially the Marathas, particularly in respect of the training of the army and the use of the new guns. The English were very reluctant to help any native ruler create a disciplined army or to sell them newer weapons like the guns and cannons. But the French were only too willing to do that in exchange for large sums of money or substantial grants of land, and especially so, if that purchasing authority was engaged in a struggle with the English. The Marathas, in particular, realized the inevitable greatness of the European type of training of troops and the production of the efficient new weapons of war like the various types of small and big firearms. Hence, they employed veteran French military officers and their satellites in their armies. Ibrahim Khan Gardi, the famous artillery commander in the Maratha army at the battles of Udgeer and Panipat, had received his training in that field in the French artillery divisions. Later on, Mahadaji Shinde (Scindia) employed French officers like De Boyne and M.Perron as the chief commanders of their artillery and other divisions and formed a well-equipped, well-trained, mechanized army of his own. With this well-trained strong army, Mahadaji could overawe the whole of the antagonistic north and vanquish the enemies in various military engagements. But after a while, the European nations working in India had come to a certain unwritten understanding, at least as regards India, that in the event of any Indian ruler fighting against any of the European nationals, no European army leader should take sides with the Indian and help him with his army. As such, later on when Shinde (Scindia) was engaged in a deadly struggle with the English, De Boyne, who had been receiving thousands of rupees by way of salary, and the army trained by him flatly refused to fight. The Marathas, too, were conscious of such a treacherous behaviour on the part of these salaried foreigners some time or the other. Hence, the Marathas, on their part, had begun to open factories to manufacture similar guns and to prepare Indian officers to train and drill the army on European lines. But in those stormy days of incessant warfare, it would have been unwise to depend solely on nothing but such trained army divisions. Even second rate states like the Jats and the Sikhs maintained such battalions. On the whole, the existence of the French military might in India, helped here and there check the onward march of the British imperialistic power, and the Marathas, Tipu, the Sikhs and other Indian rulers did not fail to utilize it to that extent.