भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

the chances of the French empire in India were almost nil, they began to
help the Indian princes and especially the Marathas, particularly in respect
of the training of the army and the use of the new guns. The English were
very reluctant to help any native ruler create a disciplined army or to sell
them newer weapons like the guns and cannons. But the French were only
too willing to do that in exchange for large sums of money or substantial
grants of land, and especially so, if that purchasing authority was engaged
in a struggle with the English. The Marathas, in particular, realized the
inevitable greatness of the European type of training of troops and the
production of the efficient new weapons of war like the various types of
small and big firearms. Hence, they employed veteran French military
officers and their satellites in their armies. Ibrahim Khan Gardi, the famous
artillery commander in the Maratha army at the battles of Udgeer and
Panipat, had received his training in that field in the French artillery
divisions. Later on, Mahadaji Shinde (Scindia) employed French officers
like De Boyne and M.Perron as the chief commanders of their artillery and
other divisions and formed a well-equipped, well-trained, mechanized army
of his own. With this well-trained strong army, Mahadaji could overawe the
whole of the antagonistic north and vanquish the enemies in various
military engagements. But after a while, the European nations working in
India had come to a certain unwritten understanding, at least as regards
India, that in the event of any Indian ruler fighting against any of the
European nationals, no European army leader should take sides with the
Indian and help him with his army. As such, later on when Shinde (Scindia)
was engaged in a deadly struggle with the English, De Boyne, who had
been receiving thousands of rupees by way of salary, and the army trained
by him flatly refused to fight. The Marathas, too, were conscious of such a
treacherous behaviour on the part of these salaried foreigners some time or
the other. Hence, the Marathas, on their part, had begun to open factories to
manufacture similar guns and to prepare Indian officers to train and drill the
army on European lines. But in those stormy days of incessant warfare, it
would have been unwise to depend solely on nothing but such trained army
divisions. Even second rate states like the Jats and the Sikhs maintained
such battalions. On the whole, the existence of the French military might in
India, helped here and there check the onward march of the British
imperialistic power, and the Marathas, Tipu, the Sikhs and other Indian
rulers did not fail to utilize it to that extent.