Contrary to popular belief, the capture of India was not accomplished by the British Army, but by the private armies of the East India Company, which grew in size to become larger than that of any European sovereign state. This is the history of its army, examining the many conflicts they fought, their equipment and training, with its regiments of horse, foot and guns, which rivalled those of most European powers. The development of their uniforms, which combined traditional Indian and British dress, is illustrated in detail in this colourful account of the private band of adventurers that successfully captured the jewel of the British Empire.

This is the first volume of a two volume work entitled The British Army on Bloomsday. It contains a history of the British Army through 1904 with an emphasis on Ireland and Irish history. Includes extensive, detailed material on commissioned and enlisted life during the Late-Victorian Era (especially for Irish soldiers), the Irish Militia, the armies of the British East India Company, and a description of the British Army of 1904. The book's subject matter is viewed through the lens of James Joyce's Ulysses with multiple references to material in the novel. The book gives the serious Ulysses reader full background information on the military events and characters that appear throughout Joyce's groundbreaking and most popular novel. While this volume focuses on the British Army, the second volume, The British Army in Ulysses, narrows in on the novel. The chapters on Molly Bloom and her father, Major Tweedy, present new findings that will likely provoke controversy among Joyceans.