Sikh Military History 1808

[Andrew A Teasdale Matthews]

I am Andrew A. Matthews and my relative was Captain Arnold Nesbitt Matthews ( 1767-1820) Bengal Army HEIC. He was arrested in 1808 attempting to infiltrate the Sikh Army lines to gain knowledge of its military capabilities . Despite Captain Matthews only having the use of one leg he attempted to pass himself off as a simple tourist en route to Kashmir along with other such travellers . Inevitably he was discovered, accommodated within the grounds of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Palace and afforded the privilege of exploring the Golden Temple in Amritsa. Moreover he reportedly accompanied Sada Kaur on a journey of some kind. Now this business doesn’t accord with the actions of a so called ‘ spy ‘ and I am eager to understand what was going on