Commander-in-Chief, India
No Commander-in-Chief Took office Left office Time in office Notes
1 Craig , James General Sir James Craig ( 1748-1812 ) February 1801 March 1801 28 days Officiating
2 Lake , Gerald General Gerard Lake ( 1744-1808 ) March 1801 July 1805 4 years , 122 days Improved the Indian Army by making all arms , infantry , cavalry and artillery , more mobile and more manageable
3 Cornwallis , Charles General The Earl Cornwallis ( 1738-1805 ) July 1805 October 1805 92 days Reappointment . With Sir Arthur Wellesley , he supervised the Second Anglo-Maratha War against the Sindhia and the Holkar
( 2 ) Lake , Gerald General The Lord Lake ( 1744-1808 ) October 1805 1806 0-1 years Reappointment following the death of Cornwallis ' successor John Graves Simcoe . Upon Cornwallis ' death , Lake pursued the Holkar to the Punjab . The Holkar capitulated at Amritsar in December 1805
4 Simcoe , John General John Simcoe ( 1752-1806 ) 1806 26 October 1806 † 0 years Appointed to post in England in late 1805 , but died before departing for India and replaced by Lake
( 2 ) Lake , Gerald General The Lord Lake ( 1744-1808 ) 1806 October 1807 0-1 years Reappointment following death of John Simcoe , who died after accepting the appointment in England
5 Hewett , George General Sir George Hewett ( 1750-1840 ) October 1807 December 1807 61 days Transformed Meerut into a British stronghold that would be used as a launching point for future military campaigns into northern India
6 Champagné , Forbes Lieutenant general Forbes Champagné ( 1754-1816 ) December 1807 January 1811 3 years , 31 days Officiating
7 Nugent , George Field Marshal Sir George Nugent ( 1757-1849 ) January 1811 October 1813 2 years , 273 days -
8 Hastings , Francis General The Earl of Moira ( 1754-1826 ) October 1813 January 1823 9 years , 92 days 1st Marquess of Hastings from 1816 ; Oversaw British forces in the Gurkha War ; conquered the Marathas ; repaired the Mogul canals in Delhi ; instituted educational reforms
9 Paget , Edward General Sir Edward Paget ( 1775-1849 ) January 1823 October 1825 2 years , 273 days -
10 Cotton , Stapleton Field Marshal The Lord Combermere ( 1773-1865 ) October 1825 January 1830 4 years , 92 days 1st Viscount Combermere from 1827
11 Ramsay , George General The Earl of Dalhousie ( 1770-1838 ) January 1830 January 1832 2 years , 0 days Began the British suppression of the Thuggee murder-cults
12 Barnes , Edward Lieutenant general Sir Edward Barnes ( 1776-1838 ) January 1832 October 1833 1 year , 273 days Constructed the military road between Colombo and Kandy , made the first census of the population , and introduced coffee cultivation
13 Bentinck , William General Lord William Bentinck ( 1774-1839 ) October 1833 March 1835 1 year , 151 days Suppressed the Hindu custom of sati . Reappointed in April 1834
14 Watson , James General Sir James Watson ( 1772-1862 ) March 1835 September 1835 184 days Established the famous police organisation known as the Thuggee and Dacoity Department within the Government of India
15 Fane , Henry General Sir Henry Fane ( 1778-1840 ) September 1835 December 1839 4 years , 91 days -
16 Nicholls , Jasper General Sir Jasper Nicolls ( 1778-1849 ) December 1839 August 1843 3 years , 243 days Officiating
17 Gough , Hugh Field Marshal Hugh Gough ( 1779-1869 ) August 1843 May 1849 5 years , 273 days 1st Baron Gough from 1846 ; Defeated the Mahrattas at Maharajpur . Conducted operations against the Sikhs and won the battles of Mudki , Ferozeshah and Sobraon . Soon after , the Sikhs surrendered at Lahore
18 Napier , Charles General Sir Charles James Napier ( 1782-1853 ) May 1849 December 1851 2 years , 214 days Conquered Sindh and made it part of Bombay Presidency
List of Commanders-in-Chief -- Commanders-in-Chief of India , 1801–1857
During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often Commander-in-Chief in or of India) was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at GHQ India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India. Following the Partition of India in 1947 and the creation of the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, the post was abolished. It was briefly replaced by the position of Supreme Commander of India and Pakistan before the role was abolished in November 1948. Subsequently, the role of Commander-in-Chief was merged into the offices of the Commanders-in-Chief of the independent Indian Army and Pakistan Army, respectively, before becoming part of the office of the President of India from 1950, of the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army from 1947. Prior to independence, the official residence was the Flagstaff House, which later became the residence of the first Prime Minister of India; as Teen Murti Bhavan (Teen Murti House), it is now a museum. This is a list of people who were the military Commander-in-Chief, India until 1947. The rank and title are the final ones for the officer's career and not necessarily applicable to his tenure as Commander-in-Chief, India.