The 4th Battalion was an oddity as being a survivor of the Bengal Army, most of whose units were disbanded following the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58. It was raised in 1776 as the 30th Battalion of Bengal Sepoys. In 1861, it was designated as the 1st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. After the conquest of Sindh and the Punjab in the 1840s, British focus shifted towards the northwest and the Madras Army was largely reduced to garrison duties. This greatly affected its morale and efficiency. By the turn of the century, the reputation of Madrassi units had suffered considerably and they were either disbanded or reconstituted with northerners. Among the latter were the five battalions, which would go on to form the 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1902, the South Indians were mustered out and replaced with Punjabi Muslims, Jat Sikhs and Rajputs in the 1st, 2nd and 10th Battalions.
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