Chapter II: Preface

The interest aroused by the massacre of our ill-fated Embassy to the Amir Yakub Khan, the subsequent capture of Cabul, and the hard-won successes of our armies during the occupation of the city, can scarcely yet have passed away; and I have, therefore, ventured to republish the series of letters which, as a special correspondent, I wrote in the field. They are a simple diary of the war; and though in this form they may lack conciseness, they have at least the merit of such accuracy as an eye-witness can alone hope to attain. It was my good-fortune to be the only special correspondent with the gallant little army which moved out of Ali Kheyl in September, 1879. The Government of India had notified that “non-combatant correspondents” would not be allowed to join the force, the history of whose achievements was to be left to regimental officers, who might in their spare hours supply information carefully _visé_, to such newspapers as chose to accept it. So carelessly was this strange order issued, that Sir Frederick Roberts never received official intimation of its existence, and he welcomed me at Ali Kheyl on the eve of his departure for Kushi as, I am sure, he would have welcomed any other correspondent who had chosen to cross the frontier, and push on without escort and with their own baggage animals. I make this explanation in justice to General Roberts, upon whom the responsibility of excluding correspondents has been falsely thrown. Regarding the letters now republished, Mr. Frederick Harrison in the _Fortnightly Review_ has been good enough to describe them as “admirably written, with very great precision and knowledge.” While not sympathizing in the least with Mr. Harrison’s criticism of Sir Frederick Roberts’s punishment of Cabul, in support of which criticism he mainly relied upon my letters, I am grateful for his estimate of my work. I can scarcely hope that all my critics will be equally generous.

I have carefully gone into details where military movements of importance had to be described, and the sketch maps can be relied upon as showing exact distances and positions.

HOWARD HENSMAN,
Special Correspondent of the _Pioneer_, Allahabad.

Cabul, _August, 1880_.

* * * * * * *

The above was written when all was peaceful in Afghanistan, but the disaster at Maiwand once more threw the Cabul army into excitement, and General Roberts had to march to the relief of Candahar. This now historical march and the victory at Candahar on September 1st, are described in detail in Part II. of this volume.

H. H.

Allahabad, _November 1st, 1880_.

CONTENTS.

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PART I.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

MASSACRE OF CAVAGNARI—THE KURRAM FIELD FORCE MOVES UPON 1
CABUL

CHAPTER II.
YAKUB KHAN IN THE BRITISH CAMP 6

CHAPTER III.
THE ADVANCE TO CHARASIA AND THE BATTLE OF THAT NAME, ETC. 20

CHAPTER IV.
CAPTURE OF SHERPUR CANTONMENTS—THE AFFAIR OF THE ASMAI 38
HEIGHTS

CHAPTER V.
CABUL OCCUPIED BY GENERAL ROBERTS 51

CHAPTER VI.
THE STORES IN BALA HISSAR ARSENAL—DISASTROUS EXPLOSIONS, 64
ETC.

CHAPTER VII.
EXECUTION OF PROMINENT AFGHANS: THE CASE OF THE KOTWAL OF 82
CABUL, ETC.

CHAPTER VIII.
FIGHTING IN THE SHUTARGARDAN PASS, ETC. 93

CHAPTER IX.
ABDICATION OF YAKUB KHAN; HIS ARREST, ETC. 99

CHAPTER X.
THE BRITISH ARMY MOVES INTO SHERPUR; OPENING COMMUNICATION 114
WITH THE KHYBER FORCE, ETC.

CHAPTER XI.
THE BALA HISSAR DISMANTLED—RAIDING FOR THE MURDERERS OF 127
CAVAGNARI—EXECUTION OF NUMEROUS SEPOYS

CHAPTER XII.
APPROACH OF WINTER—OPERATIONS AGAINST THE SAFIS, ETC. 142

CHAPTER XIII.
DIFFICULTIES AS TO SUPPLIES—BAHADUR KHAN’S CONTUMACY; HIS 153
VILLAGES DESTROYED, ETC.

CHAPTER XIV.
YAKUB KHAN DEPORTED TO INDIA—AFFAIRS IN AFGHAN 170
TURKISTAN—TRIBAL UNEASINESS ABOUT CABUL, ETC.

CHAPTER XV.

THE DECEMBER TROUBLES—FORMIDABLE STRENGTH OF MAHOMED 184
JAN—REPULSE OF GENERAL DUNHAM MASSY—THE AFGHAN ARMY BEFORE
CABUL

CHAPTER XVI.
THE FIGHTING AROUND CABUL—GENERAL ROBERTS WITHDRAWS WITHIN 198
SHERPUR, ETC.

CHAPTER XVII.
THE SIEGE OF SHERPUR—MUSA JAN PROCLAIMED AMIR BY THE AFGHAN 218
LEADER, ETC.

CHAPTER XVIII.
THE SIEGE OF SHERPUR (_continued_)—MAHOMED JAN DELIVERS HIS 239
ATTACK—ITS FAILURE—REINFORCEMENTS FROM THE KHYBER LINE,
ETC.

CHAPTER XIX.
DISPERSION OF AFGHAN ARMY—GENERAL ROBERTS RE-OCCUPIES 259
CABUL—UNIVERSALITY OF THE LATE JEHAD—A LOOTED CITY

CHAPTER XX.
PUNISHMENT OF MIR BUTCHA AND HIS KOHISTANIS—ASMATULLAH 273
KHAN’S OPERATIONS ABOUT JUGDULLUCK—DEPORTATION OF DAOUD
SHAH

CHAPTER XXI.
GENERAL ROBERTS PROCLAIMS AN AMNESTY—AFGHAN CHIEFS AT 283
CABUL—MESSAGE FROM MAHOMED JAN—NEWS OF ABDUR RAHMAN KHAN,
ETC.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE BRITISH HOSPITAL IN CABUL—“HOW WE LIVE IN SHERPUR”—“HOW 297
THEY LIVE IN CABUL”

CHAPTER XXIII.
SHERE ALI’S EFFORTS TO RAISE AN ARMY—GUN-MAKING, ETC. IN 320
CABUL—THE GHAZI AND HIS MODE OF WARFARE

CHAPTER XXIV.
THE EARLY LIFE OF ABDUR RAHMAN KHAN—PROMINENT AFGHAN 339
CHARACTERS, ETC.

CHAPTER XXV.
MR. LEPEL GRIFFIN ARRIVES AT SHERPUR TO INVESTIGATE THE 355
POLITICAL SITUATION—THE MALCONTENT CHIEFS IN
DURBAR—EXPLANATION OF BRITISH POLICY

CHAPTER XXVI.

GENERAL ROSS GOES OUT TO MEET GENERAL STEWART—A SECOND 373
SUCCESSFUL BATTLE AT CHARASIA

CHAPTER XXVII.
GENERAL STEWART AT CABUL—HIS MARCH FROM CANDAHAR—THE BATTLE 388
OF AHMED KHEL—CAPTURE OF GHAZNI, ACTION AT URZOO, ETC.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
“THE DIVINE FIGURE FROM THE NORTH”—A PERIOD OF CALM—THE 403
KIZILBASHES, ETC.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE AMIRSHIP OFFERED TO ABDUR RAHMAN—CAVALRY ACTION AT 415
PADKHAO SHANA

CHAPTER XXX.
FORMAL RECOGNITION OF ABDUR RAHMAN BY THE BRITISH—HIS 431
INTERVIEWS WITH MR. GRIFFIN—A SETTLEMENT ARRIVED AT

CHAPTER XXXI.
NEWS OF MAIWAND—GENERAL ROBERTS MARCHES TO RELIEVE 450
CANDAHAR—CABUL EVACUATED BY GENERAL STEWART—THE SETTLEMENT
WITH ABDUR RAHMAN

PART II.

CHAPTER I.
THE MARCH TO CANDAHAR—ARRIVAL AT SHASHGAO 464

CHAPTER II.
THE MARCH (_continued_)—RELIEF OF KHELAT-I-GHILZAI—ARRIVAL 477
AT ROBAT—END OF THE MARCH, ETC.

CHAPTER III.
GENERAL ROBERTS IN CANDAHAR—RECONNAISSANCE ON THE HERAT 503
ROAD—BATTLE OF CANDAHAR AND DEFEAT OF AYUB KHAN, ETC.

CHAPTER IV.
THE SIEGE OF CANDAHAR—SORTIE BY THE GARRISON, ETC. 530

CHAPTER V.
THE OPERATIONS ON THE HELMUND—THE DISASTER AT MAIWAND 545

CONCLUSION 558