To Herat and Cabul: A Story of the First Afghan War

by G. A. Henty

It would be desirable undoubtedly, before finally quitting Afghanistan, that you should have an opportunity of striking a blow at the enemy, and since circumstances seem to compel you to remain there till October, the governor-general earnestly hopes that you will be able to draw the enemy into a position in which you may strike such a blow effectually.

This was good news. Every effort was being made to collect carriage cattle in Hindostan for the purpose of the withdrawal, and Pollock determined to turn these to account. If there was carriage enough to enable him to fall back upon Peshawur, there would be carriage enough for him to advance on Cabul. In the meantime negotiations were going on for the release of the captives. The married families had, on the day of their arrival at Akbar's camp, been placed in a small fort with Pottinger, Lawrence, and Mackenzie. Two days later they were taken down to Jugduluk, where they found General Elphinstone, Brigadier Shelton, and Captain Johnson, and thence travelled down to a fort, the property of the father of Akbar's wife. The party consisted of nine ladies, twenty officers and fourteen children; seventeen European soldiers, two women and a child were confined in another part of the fort.

Here they remained three months. Two more officers were brought in, and a month after their arrival two other survivors, Major Griffiths and Captain Souter, were added to the party. On the day after Akbar's defeat they were hastily taken away and carried to Tezeen, and thence to a place called Zanda, far up in the hills. General Elphinstone had been bed-ridden for some weeks, and was left behind at Tezeen, where he died. Akbar Khan sent in his remains to Jellalabad. Civil war was raging in Cabul. Shah Soojah's second son had succeeded him, but he was altogether without power. Some of the chiefs supported him, others opposed; but finally the Bala Hissar was stormed by Akbar, who was now the most powerful chief in Afghanistan. Pollock was still harassed by letters from Lord Ellenborough insisting upon his retiring; but public opinion throughout India was so opposed to a course that would bring the deepest disgrace upon the British power, that at last, in August, he wrote to Nott saying that he must withdraw his force from Afghanistan, but that if he chose he might take the route through Ghuznee and Cabul. He similarly issued his orders for Pollock to retire, but added that "you will be at liberty to first march to Cabul to meet Nott."

Both had been preparing for the movement. Pollock had sent several expeditions against hostile tribesmen, and had recovered one of the captured guns. On the 20th of August he left Jellalabad with eight thousand troops, and on the 23rd reached Gundamuck. The next day the village was cleared of a strong body of the enemy. While concentrating his troops there and waiting intelligence from Nott, the British force remained at Gundamuck till the 7th of September. On the 1st, Futteh Jung, who had succeeded his father, rode into camp. Akbar Khan had stripped him of all power and all his wealth, and imprisoned him in the Bala Hissar, from which he had now escaped, and with much difficulty made his way to Pollock's camp to seek the protection of the British government. On the 7th the first division of the army, under the command of Sale, moved forward; the second division, under General M'Caskill, marched on the following day. Sale found the hills commanding the roads through the Jugduluk Pass occupied by large bodies of the enemy, who opened a heavy fire. The guns replied, and the infantry then in three columns dashed up the hills and drove the Ghilzyes from them.

One strong body had taken refuge at an apparently inaccessible point, but the British storming party scaled the height, and the enemy fled without waiting for the assault at close quarters. Thus on the hills where the Afghans had massacred Elphinstone's troops they were now taught that, if well led, the British soldier could defeat them in a position they had deemed impregnable. At Tezeen the second division joined the first. The force halted for a day, and the Afghans, believing that this betokened indecision, mustered their forces for a final engagement. Akbar had, as he had threatened to do if they advanced, sent off the captives to the Bamian Pass, with the intention of selling them as slaves to the Turkomans.

On the 13th the two armies were face to face. The valley of Tezeen was commanded on all sides by lofty hills, and these now swarmed with men. The enemy's horse entered the valley, but the British squadrons charged them, drove them in headlong flight, and cut down many. The infantry climbed the hills on both sides under a terrible fire from the Afghan guns. To these they made no reply, well knowing that their muskets were no match for the long firearms of the enemy. As soon, however, as they reached the summit, they fixed bayonets and charged with a mighty cheer. Only a few of the enemy stood their ground, and fell, the rest fled. All day firing was kept up, until at last the enemy occupying the highest ridges were, in spite of a sturdy resistance, driven off, fairly beaten on their own ground and in their own style of warfare.

Our troops fought with extraordinary bravery. They were animated by a desire to wipe out the disgrace that had fallen on our arms, and were maddened by the sight of the numerous skeletons of their comrades in the Jugduluk. Akbar Khan saw that all was up, and fled, while the tribesmen scattered to their homes, and the army marched forward without opposition to Cabul.

In the meantime, Nott had been busy. On the 29th of May he inflicted a decisive defeat upon the Dooranees outside the walls of Candahar. On the 7th of August the army evacuated that city, and on the 27th arrived at Mookoor. Up to this point no opposition whatever had been offered. The inhabitants had been friendly, and supplies were obtained without difficulty. But the Afghan governor of Ghuznee had raised all the country, and had taken up a very strong position near the source of the Turnuck.

On the 28th the forces met. The position of the enemy was unknown, as a thick mist covered the country. The cavalry rode forward to reconnoitre, cut up a party of Afghan infantry in the plain, and pursuing them hotly came upon hills crowded by the enemy, who opened a heavy fire. They fell back in an orderly manner, when a body of the enemy's horse appeared on the hill above them. A squadron of native cavalry charged them, but were cut up by the fire of a body of Afghan foot who had hitherto been hidden. The enemy's horse poured down, and the troopers, already suffering from the infantry fire, turned and fled. The panic spread, and the whole of the cavalry were soon in flight. Two British officers had been killed and three wounded, and fifty-six men disabled. Nott, on hearing the loss, marched out with his infantry, but on reaching the scene of the fight found that the enemy had retired.

On the afternoon of the next day Nott, marching forward, came upon a fort held by the enemy. Our artillery opened upon it with little effect. The Afghan army, some ten thousand strong, had been watching us, and now opened an artillery fire from the heights, and its foot men moved forward to the attack; but as they neared us our infantry charged with a cheer and they broke and fled. Two of their guns, and their tents, magazines, and stores were captured. On the 5th of September Nott encamped before Ghuznee, and began to prepare for the assault. The enemy, however, were in no humour for fighting; the greater portion of the tribesmen had scattered to their homes after their defeat. The garrison lost heart altogether and evacuated the city, and the governor set off with a few followers for Cabul. The next morning the British entered the town without firing a shot. On the following day, however, the governor returned with a large number of the tribesmen who had just arrived, and on the 14th Nott attacked them. A hard battle was fought, but it was indecisive. On the following morning the enemy disappeared; they had received the news of the defeat of Akbar at Tezeen. The column, however, was again harassed when the troops advanced, but they cleared the way in good style. The tribesmen here had been actively engaged in the Cabul insurrection, and twenty-six of their forts were burned as punishment. On the 17th the army encamped four miles from the city, and learned that Pollock had occupied Cabul two days previously.