Recapture of Ghuznee.—Ghuznee, with its garrison of exhausted and half-frozen men, had capitulated in March under the orders of Major-General Elphinstone, who had been taken prisoner at Cabul, and died shortly afterwards. Elphinstone's orders to surrender Jellalabad and Candahar had been ignored by Sir Robert Sale and Sir William Knott. They not only had the determination of Englishmen, but knew the treacherous character of their enemies. Colonel Palmer, unfortunately, forced by the weakness of his men and relying upon the promise of a safe escort for his sepoys to Hindoostan, agreed to surrender. The troops were unarmed, and with their womenfolk had hardly left the citadel when they were attacked and the majority massacred. Colonel Palmer was tortured, and with nine other officers thrown into a dungeon. When Sir William Knott appeared before Ghuznee, on September 5th, 1842, he found the city swarming with rebel troops, and great bodies of cavalry and infantry in the mountainous environs. He drove these off, erected breaching batteries, and prepared to attack the city, but on the morning of the 6th it was discovered that the fortress had been evacuated; and so with very few casualties Ghuznee was again taken, over 300 unfortunate sepoys released, and the sacred gates of Somnath, which Mahommedan invaders had taken from India centuries before, were taken down as mementoes of a campaign which did nothing to improve our prestige.
The 40th and 41st were the only British regiments to receive the medal with Ghuznee inscribed thereon. Members of these regiments who had been in the other actions were entitled to the medals bearing Candahar and Cabul also.
The Ghuznee, Candahar, and Cabul Medals.—For this war a silver medal was issued by the Indian Government to those who had taken part in it. Four types of medals were issued. One with the words CANDAHAR, GHUZNEE, CABUL, 1842, the names being above one another and the date below, all within a laurel wreath, the whole surmounted by the royal crown; another for GHUZNEE-CABUL, 1842, with the names in entwined wreaths and the date beneath them; and those for CANDAHAR, 1842, and CABUL, 1842, as indicated in the illustration facing page [100] of one with the original bright steel suspender attached to a hinged clip. The medals are 1⅖ in. in diameter, the obverse bearing the diademed head of the young Queen Victoria with the legend "Victoria Vindex" above; some have the words "Victoria Regina," but these are scarce, while a few of the medals for Cabul are spelt thus, CABVL, but it is doubtful whether they were actually issued to soldiers. It is noteworthy that on certain of the medals in this series the name of the executant, W. Wyon, R.A., is on the truncation of the Queen's head instead of beneath it. In this issue the recipients' names were engraved either in Italian script or in square Roman letters; a few were impressed, and some were issued unnamed. The "rainbow" or military ribbon for India is used for suspension.
One thousand four hundred Europeans received the medal with Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul.
Meeanee.—In 1843 the "tail of the Afghan storm" arose. It followed the attempt on the part of several Ameers, with an army of 8,000 Belooches, to obtain possession of the British Presidency at Hyderabad; they were driven off, but owing to the weakness of the place it was decided to abandon it for the safety of the camp commanded by Sir Charles Napier, to whom the conduct of the campaign in Scinde had been entrusted, and who gained for himself the native sobriquet "Shaitan-ke-bhaee," or "The devil's brother," by his determined action in dealing with the Ameers. He first destroyed the fort at Emaun Ghur on January 14th and 15th, a feat which drew forth the eulogiums of Wellington, and ruined the chance of the Ameers in the campaign. On February 17th the battle of Meeanee was fought, 2,800 men, with 12 guns, under Major-General Sir Charles Napier attacking, and in three hours defeating the Scindian army of 30,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry, with 15 guns, but not before nearly all the European officers were killed or wounded. The Belooches, who fought with remarkable valour, lost 5,000 men, their camp and all its appurtenances falling into the hands of the British. Next day six of the Ameers surrendered. The only Queen's Regiment represented at Meeanee was the 22nd Foot, and only 65 medals were issued to the regiment, with two companies of Bombay Artillery; Grenadiers of the 1st Native Infantry; 12th and 25th Native Infantry; a detachment of Poona Irregular Horse, to which corps only 14 medals were issued; Scinde Irregular Horse; 9th Bengal Light Cavalry, and half company of Madras Sappers and Miners. The 22nd lost 1 officer and 23 men killed; its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Pennefeather, 6 officers, and 52 men wounded.
Hyderabad.—The Ameers, who still held out against the British army, made a stand with 20,000 men at the village of Duppa, near Hyderabad, under Meer Shere Mahomed, where on March 24th they were attacked by Sir Charles Napier with 5,000 troops, and defeated with great loss. The arch enemy of the British, Hoche Mahomed Seede, was killed, and Meer Shere Mahomed fled to the desert; the battle was decided by the 22nd Regiment and the troop of Bombay Horse Artillery. In this battle the 22nd, which numbered 560 rank and file, lost 23 men killed, 5 officers and 134 men wounded.
| AFGHAN MEDAL FOR CANDAHAR, GHUZNEE, AND CABUL, 1842. | BRONZE STAR FOR MAHARAJPOOR. |