The royal call to arms was conducted in the same way that it had over the centuries. It would muster vast numbers of local levies around a core of royal Household troops. Levy troops would arrive with whatever arms that they had in their home. Some laborers arrived with only hammers and nails with which they would construct the stockade that was built each evening by the campaigning army.

In Wargamer terms Burmese troops can be organized and rated in the following manner.. The percentages are based on the fielding of units not by individual casting.

Laborers and other poorly armed troops. These are the troops who are equipped for non-combat duties. Some will have hammers or personal knives. Others will be rowers for boats. No more than 10% should be of the Laborer class.

Tribal levies were organized into tribal units with a majority of a particular unit having the same type of weapon. Most Shan units were spear armed. Most Mon units would be armed with swords and shields. Most horse units would be Burman. Other Burman units can be a mix of sword or spear. These units would not be given a high morale grade. They would likely flee rather than rally if the initial charge of their unit failed. At least 60% of the army should be of this type.

The core of the army is the Household troops. While a ‘regiment’ would be of mixed equipment, all of the men in a specific unit would be equipped with a particular weapon. Artwork of the 1820s Burmese army shows men in a variety of shades of pantaloons (pants) but with men carrying similar weapons dressed in same colored coats or vests. This may represent units if you consider the British practice of the period of having ‘regimental coats’ but as campaigning progressed trousers often became varied in color based on what the men could obtain. The total percentage of Household troops should be 30% (which is generous). This will allow for decent sized units of the various weapons. The following unit percentage of a regiment is based on the number of troops in a painting of a large parade formation of Burmese troops. The unit contains 80 men in 7 rows. The soldiers in each row carried the same weapons. The men are marching in step, so I would regard these was part of the core of regular Household Troops. The lead row is flags but may also represent officers (10%). One rank has muskets (10%). One row has jingals that is followed by sword armed fuse match-holders (each is 15%). Two rows are of spearmen with shields (35%). The last row is of swordsmen (10% but 25% counting fuse match-holders). The spearmen percentage is raised because another plate of the same painting shows a unit of only spearmen escorting an Elephant (5%).

The following ‘uniform’ data of a regiment is based on the same painting of a large parade formation of Burmese troops as mentioned earlier. . The soldiers in each row carried the same weapons and wore coats two alternating primary colors. In most cases the two colors are green and a shade of red. A few rows alternate between red and blue. All shields shown are red. Some have center gold designs but most are plain. Most troops regardless of weapons or coat color wear a Sung style brimmed hat that is red in color. The pantaloons (pants) of the troops very in color but most are basic white with checkerboards of red stripes. The jingal troops and their fuse match-holders are wearing a turban rather than a hat. Musicians on and following the elephant are also wearing the partial turban. The turbans are not a full Indian style wrap but more like a few pieces of cloth wrapped around the head. The unit flags are all triangular in shape and light blue in color. One banner carried by the men following the General/king carrying elephant is yellow and squarer in shape with a three-prong fly. A second man following the general carries a triangular banner that is red trimmed in gold in color.

In another painting of a Generals’ Conference with the king, some interesting features can be obtained. The Generals wear guild Sung style helmets and equipment. Their vests are of a different color than the long sleeved coats. Some of the combinations (vests are listed first) are red with black, bright blue with red, pink with red and green with red. Pantaloons are of the familiar white with a wide checkered pattern. Since the some of the color combinations are similar to those in the large unit painting, I would not hesitate to conclude that the colors worn by the troops would match those worn by the unit’s General/commander.

In regards to tactics, research indicates that operations were conducted in the following manner. Offensive operations were limited to the Dry season and would have to be halted and even a retreat conducted to withdraw the army closer to supply centers. With the limitations of campaigning in mind, immense effort would be spent on fortifying cities and other key locations. The hope was to prevent a breach of the city walls from occurring until the Monson Season arrived and forced the attackers to retreat.

Field battles were rare and would often involve an attempt to break a siege. It would often consist of a sortie from a city or an attack by a relief column. Such battles would take place in a clearing near a town. One flank would frequently be secured along a river and the other by thick jungle or another water feature (river or swamp). An army would be drawn up for battle into two wings, a Center Vanguard and a Center Reserve.

Each wing would be composed of a mix of troops. Often levy lightly armed skirmishers would attempt to secure a jungle flank. A body of Cavalry would be used to advance along the flank to race along the jungle edge to meet any enemy that might threaten the flank. If the flank was a river, then it was regarded as secure for the battle despite the occasional sniping that might occur from across the river. A river flank might be contested if both sides were able to deploy war boats on the river. If the warboats from one side was able to gain control of the river, then they could pound the enemy’s wing force with musket and cannon fire. The main body of the wing would include spearmen, jingals, swordsmen and whatever levy troops which may be assigned to that command. Rarely were precious musketmen or elephants assigned to a wing command.

The formation that comprised the Center vanguard was considered the most expendable. It was made up of almost entirely Levy swordsmen and spearmen. A few jingals would be scattered in the force to snipe at the enemy elephants. Maybe a fanatical unit of heavily armored regular cavalry, swordsmen or spearmen would be intermixed with the intent of penetrating or disrupting the defensive formations. After the initial charge of the Vanguard, any survivors were expected to flee. Little planning went into any effort to rally this first wave of attackers.

The regular core of the army was in the Reserve Center. This is where the best troops of a General were deployed. This is where the musketmen, cannon and Elephants would be found. In the centuries before the 1800s many of the musketmen and most of the artillerymen were mercenaries, mostly Europeans and a few Chinese. But by the time of the 1824 war virtually all of the musketmen and a most of the artillerymen were trusted members of the General’s ethnic group and even from his home village. A screen of spearmen would often protect these vital troops. This is where the most Senior General or King would be located. Often the cannon would not wait until the Vanguard had broken off before firing at the enemy to continue the process of disrupting the enemy formations.

The Burmese were keen on performing actions with a precedent. If a policy regardless of how repulsive that it appears, was followed in earlier history, then it was considered justifiable. This would include numerous forms of deception, the violating of agreements and massacres.

At this point I need to comment on the weapons utilized by the Burmese Army. The Elephant was still a mystic symbol used to strike fear in the undisciplined ranks of the levy troops. Their effect against the disciplined Indian and European troops would be much less. The Burmese still considered the jingal an effective weapon whose purpose with its larger ammunition than the musket was to kill enemy elephants and to be more effective against enemy fortifications. Due to the difficulty of terrain most field guns were of the lighter less than 12 pounder variety. Heavier cannon could be found on war boats and mercenary European ships. These large guns would be used mainly to bombard enemy fortifications. The Burmese war boats were larger and more effective than the term war canoe implies. Early war boats could hold up to seventy warriors but by the 1800s, the war boats often held two to four guns with gunners and thirty warriors.

Anglo-Burmese War of 1824

Introduction
Burmese Empire During the 1700s
Burmese Army of the 1700s and 1800s
British-Indian Army of the Early 1800s