In 1827, he entered the
Addiscombe Military Seminary and the service of the
East India Company. He joined the
Bengal Artillery in 1828, and in 1829 arrived in
Calcutta. In 1837 he was appointed to the horse artillery and promoted Lieutenant. Two years later, he was appointed Commissary of Ordnance to the
Cabul field force. In January 1842, During the
First Anglo-Afghan War, Eyre and his family were captured by
Akbar Khan. During nearly nine months in captivity, Eyre kept a diary describing his experiences, illustrated by the sketches of other officers and ladies. The manuscript was smuggled out to a friend in
British India and was then published in England as
Military Operations at Cabul (1842). The Eyre family were rescued by
Sir George Pollock in September 1842. In 1844 Eyre was appointed to command the artillery of the new
Gwalior contingent. He was responsible for the relief of the
Siege of Arrah. He took part in the
Relief of Lucknow, during the
Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was promoted
lieutenant colonel that year and
brevet colonel the following year. In 1857 he founded
Esapóre (or the "Abode of Christians"), a colony for destitute families of Portuguese descent. In 1861,
Lord Canning selected Eyre to serve on a commission set up to consider amalgamating the
Presidency armies of the
East India Company with the
British Army. In 1863 he was ordered home on sick leave and retired as a
major-general. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the
Order of the Star of India in 1867. ==Later activities==