German soldiers in eighteenth century India

Martin Christof-Füchsle’s essay (in the MIDA Archival Reflexicon) on German archival sources for the study of the Anglo-Mysore wars concentrates on the holdings of two major archives that are indeed the most pertinent for this survey: the holdings of the Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv in Hanover, containing files relating to the two Hanoverian regiments in EIC service between 1782 and 1792, and the archive of the Danish-Halle mission in Tranquebar, located in the Archiv der Franckeschen Stiftungen zu  Halle. He further points out the existence of pertinent material in other German archives, such as the Thüringisches Staatsarchiv in Gotha and the Brandenburgisches Hauptstaatsarchiv in Potsdam. Beginning his survey of these archival holdings with holdings containing documents relating to military and administrative issues, he then goes on to discuss in greater detail files containing ego-documents that can supply a more personal, potentially a peculiar German perspective of the military events. In the present essay, I want to supply a follow-up to Christof-Füchsle’s essay, highlighting what I consider to be a very promising potential for finding additional sources in German archives, including personal letters and diaries. Subsequently, I discuss the value of these documents, arguing for taking their intended or presumed readership into account.