1879
Attack on the Takht-i-Shah--City people join the tribesmen
--Increasing numbers of the enemy--Loss of the conical hill
--Captain Vousden's gallantry--The retirement to Sherpur
On the morning of the 12th I was cheered by hearing that the Guides
had arrived during the night under the command of Colonel P.
Jenkins--a most welcome reinforcement, for I knew how thoroughly to be
depended upon was every man in that distinguished corps.
The first thing now to be done was to endeavour to drive the Afghans
from the crest of the Takht-i-Shah; and I directed Macpherson, as soon
as his men had breakfasted, to attack the position from Deh-i-Mazang.
Just then my mind was considerably relieved by a heliogram from Baker
informing me that he was on his way back to Kabul. The message was
despatched from near Kila Kazi, within four miles of which place Baker
had encamped on the afternoon of the previous day.
Macpherson deputed the task of trying to dislodge the enemy to
Lieutenant-Colonel Money, of the 3rd Sikhs, with a detachment
consisting of 2 Mountain guns and 560 British and Native Infantry.
It was a most formidable position to attack. The slopes leading up
to it were covered with huge masses of jagged rock, intersected by
perpendicular cliffs, and its natural great strength was increased by
breastworks, and stockades thrown up at different points.
After a gallant and persistent attempt had been made, I ordered the
assault to be deferred; for I perceived that the enemy were being
reinforced from their rear, and to ensure success without great loss,
it would be necessary to attack them in rear as well as in the
front. The arrival of Baker's brigade made it possible to do this. I
therefore ordered Macpherson to hold the ground of which he had gained
possession until Baker could co-operate with him next morning from the
Beni Hissar side.
During the night Mahomed Jan, who had been joined by several thousands
from Logar and Wardak, occupied the villages situated between Beni
Hissar and the Bala Hissar and along the _sang-i-nawishta_ road.
Baker, who started at 8 a.m. on the 13th,[1] had, therefore, in the
first place, to gain the high ground above these villages, and, while
holding the point over-looking Beni Hissar, to wheel to his right and
move towards the Takht-i-Shah.
When he had proceeded some little distance, his advance guard reported
that large bodies of the enemy were moving up the slope of the ridge
from the villages near Beni Hissar. To check this movement, and
prevent the already very difficult Afghan position being still further
strengthened, Major White, who was in command of the leading portion
of the attacking party, turned and made for the nearest point on the
ridge. It was now a race between the Highlanders and the Afghans as to
who should gain the crest of the ridge first. The Artillery came into
action at a range of 1,200 yards, and under cover of their fire the
92nd, supported by the Guides, rushed up the steep slopes. They were
met by a furious onslaught, and a desperate conflict took place.
The leading officer, Lieutenant Forbes, a lad of great promise, was
killed, and Colour-Sergeant Drummond fell by his side. For a moment
even the brave Highlanders were staggered by the numbers and fury of
their antagonists, but only for a moment. Lieutenant Dick Cunyngham[2]
sprang forward to cheer them on, and confidence was restored. With
a wild shout the Highlanders threw themselves on the Afghans, and
quickly succeeded in driving them down the further side of the ridge.
By this successful movement the enemy's line was cut in two, and while
the Cavalry and a party of the 3rd Sikhs prevented their rallying in
the direction of Beni Hissar, the 92nd and Guides, protected by the
Mountain guns, which had been got on to the ridge, and the Field
Artillery from below, advanced towards the Takht-i-Shah. The Afghans
disputed every inch of the way, but by 11.30 a.m. White's men had
reached the foot of the craggy eminence which formed the enemy's main
position. They were here joined by some of the 72nd Highlanders, 3rd
Sikhs, and 5th Gurkhas, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Money,
who had fought their way from the upper Bala Hissar.
A brilliant charge by the combined troops now took place, the two
Highlands corps vying with each other for the honour of reaching the
summit first. It fell to the 72nd, Colour-Sergeant Yule[3] of that
regiment being the foremost man on the top. The enemy made a most
determined stand, and it was only after a severe struggle and heavy
loss that they were driven off the heights.
From my position at Sherpur I had the satisfaction of witnessing this
success. This satisfaction, however, was short-lived, for almost
immediately I received a report from the city that the inhabitants had
joined the tribesmen, and that the cantonment was being threatened;
indeed, I could see large bodies of armed men emerging from the city
and moving towards Siah Sang, whence the road between the Bala Hissar
and Sherpur would be commanded.
Having only too evidently lost control over the city, the value of
Deh-i-Mazang was gone, so I ordered Macpherson to abandon it and move
to the Shahr-i-Darwaza heights, taking with him six companies of the
67th Foot for the protection of the Bala Hissar, to which it was
desirable to hold on as long as possible. The remainder of his troops
I ordered to be sent to Sherpur. To Baker I signalled to leave a
party on the Takht-i-Shah under Lieutenant-Colonel Money, and to move
himself towards the cantonment with the rest of his troops, driving
the enemy off the Siah Sang on the way.
But from his point of vantage on the heights Baker could see, what
I could not, that the Afghans had occupied two strongly fortified
villages between Siah Sang and the Bala Hissar, from which it was
necessary to dislodge them in the first instance, and for this service
he detached the 5th Punjab Infantry and a battery of Artillery. It
was carried out in a masterly manner by Major Pratt, who soon gained
possession of one village. The other, however, was resolutely held,
and the Artillery failing to effect a breach, the gates were set on
fire; but even then a satisfactory opening was not made, and the place
was eventually captured by means of scaling-ladders hastily made of
poles tied together with the Native soldiers' turbans.
Baker was now able to turn his attention to Siah Sang, so I despatched
the Cavalry under Massy, to act with him when a signal success was
achieved. The enemy fought stubbornly, but were at last driven off.
The 5th Punjab Cavalry, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Williams and Major
Hammond, greatly distinguished themselves, and a grand charge was made
by the Guides and 9th Lancers, in which Captain Butson, of the latter
regiment, was killed, also the troop Sergeant-Major and 3 men; and
Captain Chisholme,[4] Lieutenant Trower, and 8 men were wounded.
This ended the operations on the 13th. Our losses during the day were:
killed, 2 British officers and 12 men; wounded, 2 British officers and
43 men, British and Native.
I was in great hopes that our successes and the heavy losses the enemy
had sustained would result in the breaking up of the combination
against us; but in case these hopes should not be realized, I
decided to do away with some of the smaller posts on the line of
communication, and order up more troops. Accordingly, I telegraphed to
General Bright to send on Charles Gough's brigade, and I directed the
detachment at Butkhak to return to Kabul, and that at Seh Baba to fall
back on Lataband. Having great confidence in its Commander, Colonel
Hudson, I determined to hold on to Lataband for a time, though by
so doing the numbers I might otherwise have had at Sherpur were
considerably diminished. Lataband was the most important link in the
chain of communication between Kabul and Jalalabad; it was in direct
heliographic connexion with Kabul; it had sufficient ammunition
and supplies to last over the date on which Gough should arrive at
Sherpur, and its being held would be a check on the Ghilzais, and
prevent his encountering any serious opposition. At the same time, I
could not disguise from myself that there was a certain amount of risk
attached to leaving so small a garrison in this somewhat isolated
position.
The night of the 13th passed quietly, but when day dawned on the 14th
crowds of armed men, with numerous standards, could be seen occupying
a hill on the Kohistan road; and as day advanced they proceeded in
vast numbers to the Asmai heights, where they were joined by swarms
from the city and the Chardeh valley. It then became apparent that the
combination was much more formidable than I had imagined, and that the
numbers of the enemy now in opposition to us were far greater than I
had dreamt was possible. Foiled in their attempt to close in upon us
from the south and west, the tribesmen had concentrated to the north,
and it was evident they were preparing to deliver an attack in great
strength from that quarter. I quickly decided to drive the enemy off
the Asmai heights, to cut their communication with Kohistan, and to
operate towards the north, much as I had operated the previous day to
the south of Sherpur.
At 9 a.m. I despatched Brigadier General Baker to the eastern slope of
the Asmai range with the following troops: 4 guns, Field Artillery; 4
guns, Mountain Artillery; 14th Bengal Lancers; 72nd Highlanders (192
rifles); 92nd Highlanders (100 rifles); Guides Infantry (460 rifles);
and 5th Punjab Infantry (470 rifles).
Covered by the fire of his Artillery, Baker seized the conical hill
which formed the northern boundary of the Aliabad Kotal, thus placing
himself on the enemy's line of communication, and preventing them
from being reinforced. He then proceeded to attack the Asmai heights,
leaving 2 Mountain guns, 64 men of the 72nd, and 60 Guides, under the
command of Lieutenant-Colonel W.H. Clarke, to hold the hill.
To aid Baker in his difficult task, I brought four guns into action
near the north-west corner of the cantonment, and I signalled to
Macpherson to give him every possible assistance. Macpherson at once
sent the 67th across the Kabul river to threaten the enemy's left
rear; while the marksmen of the regiment and the Mountain guns opened
fire from the northern slope of the Bala Hissar heights.
The enemy fought with the greatest obstinacy, but eventually our
troops reached the top of the hill, where, on the highest point, a
number of _ghazis_ had taken their stand, determined to sell their
lives dearly.
All this I eagerly watched from my place of observation. There was a
fierce struggle, and then, to my intense relief, I saw our men on the
topmost pinnacle, and I knew the position was gained.
It was now a little past noon, and I was becoming anxious about the
party left on the conical hill, as Macpherson had heliographed that
very large bodies of Afghans were moving northwards from Indiki, with
the intention, apparently, of effecting a junction with the tribesmen
who were occupying the hills in the Kohistan direction. I therefore
signalled to Baker to leave the 67th in charge of the Asmai heights,
and himself return to the lower ridge, giving him my reasons.
Baker at once despatched a detachment of the 5th Punjab Infantry,
under Captain Hall, to reinforce Clarke, who I could see might soon be
hard pressed, and I sent 200 rifles of the 3rd Sikhs (the only troops
available at the moment) to his assistance.
I watched what was taking place on the conical hill through my
telescope, and was startled to perceive that the enemy were, unnoticed
by him, creeping close up to Clarke's position. I could just see a
long Afghan knife appear above the ridge, steadily mounting higher and
higher, the bearer of which was being concealed by the contour of the
hill, and I knew it was only one of the many weapons which were being
carried by our enemies to the attack. The reinforcements were still
some distance off, and my heart sank within me, for I felt convinced
that after our recent victories the Afghans would never venture to
cross the open and attack British soldiers unless an overwhelming
superiority of numbers made success appear to them a certainty. Next I
heard the boom of guns and the rattle of musketry, and a minute or two
later (which, in my anxiety, seemed an eternity to me), I only too
plainly saw our men retreating down the hill, closely followed by the
enemy. The retirement was being conducted steadily and slowly, but
from that moment I realized, what is hard for a British soldier,
how much harder for a British commander, to realize, that we were
over-matched, and that we could not hold our ground.
Clarke,[5] as well as every man with him, fought splendidly; the
Afghans by force of numbers alone made themselves masters of the
position and captured two guns.[6]
While all that I have described was going on, the enemy began to
collect again on Siah Sang, and to make their way round the eastern
flank of the cantonment towards Kohistan.
I had sent orders in the morning to Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, who
was quartered with his regiment (the 5th Punjab Cavalry) in the King's
Garden, between Sherpur and the city, to be on the look-out, and not
to allow any of the enemy to pass in that direction. About 1 p.m. some
400 Afghans were observed moving along the left bank of the river:
these were met by Captain Vousden of the same regiment, who with one
troop was employed in reconnoitring; he most gallantly charged
in amongst them with only twelve of his men, the remainder being
effectually stopped by a heavy fire opened upon them from behind a
low wall. Vousden succeeded in dispersing these heavy odds, and in
inflicting severe loss upon them--a very brilliant service, for which
he received the Victoria Cross.
My object throughout these operations had been, as I hope I have
made clear, to break up the combination by dealing with the enemy in
detail, and preventing them getting possession of the city and the
Bala Hissar.
Up till noon on the 14th I had no idea of the extraordinary numbers
they were able to bring together, and I had no reason to believe that
it would be possible for them to cope with disciplined troops; but
the manner in which the conical hill had been retaken gave me a
more correct idea of their strength and determination, and shook my
confidence in the ability of my comparatively small force to resist
the ever-increasing hordes, on ground which gave every advantage to
numerical superiority. It was a bitter thought that it might be my
duty to retire for a time within the defences of Sherpur, a measure
which would involve the abandonment of the city and the Bala Hissar,
and which I knew, moreover, would give heart to the tribesmen.
I had to decide at once on the course I ought to pursue, for, if I
continued to act on the defensive, food and ammunition must be sent
before dark to Macpherson's brigade, occupying the hills above the
city, and arrangements must be made for Baker's retention of the Asmai
heights. I heliographed to Macpherson to inquire the direction in
which the enemy were moving, and whether their numbers were still
increasing. He replied that large masses were steadily advancing
from north, south, and west, and that their numbers were momentarily
becoming greater, to which the young officer in charge of the
signalling station added, 'The crowds of Afghans in the Chardeh valley
remind me of Epsom on the Derby day.'
This decided me; I determined to withdraw from all isolated positions,
and concentrate my force at Sherpur, thereby securing the safety of
the cantonment and avoiding what had now become a useless sacrifice of
life. I only too thoroughly recognized the evils of the measure, but I
considered that no other course would be justifiable, and that I must
act for the present entirely on the defensive, and wait until the
growing confidence of the enemy should afford me a favourable
opportunity for attacking them, or until reinforcements could arrive.
The inevitable order reached the two Generals at 2 p.m., and the
retirement was begun at once. The Afghans speedily discovered the
retrograde movement, and no sooner had each post in its turn been
evacuated than it was occupied by the enemy, who pressed our troops
the whole way back to the cantonment. There was hand-to-hand fighting,
and many splendid acts of courage were performed, Major Hammond, of
the Guides, earning the Victoria Cross; but throughout there was no
hurry or confusion, all was conducted with admirable coolness and
skill, and shortly after dark the troops and baggage were safe inside
Sherpur. That night the Afghans occupied the city and the Bala Hissar.
It is comparatively easy for a small body of well-trained soldiers,
such as those of which the army in India is composed, to act on the
offensive against Asiatics, however powerful they may be in point of
numbers. There is something in the determined advance of a compact,
disciplined body of troops which they can seldom resist. But a
retirement is a different matter. They become full of confidence and
valour the moment they see any signs of their opponents being unable
to resist them, and if there is the smallest symptom of unsteadiness,
wavering, or confusion, a disaster is certain to occur. It may be
imagined, therefore, with what intense anxiety I watched for hours
the withdrawal. The ground was all in favour of the Afghans, who,
unimpeded by impedimenta of any kind, swarmed down upon the mere
handful of men retreating before them, shouting cries of victory and
brandishing their long knives; but our brave men, inspired by the
undaunted bearing of their officers, were absolutely steady. They took
up position after position with perfect coolness; every movement was
carried out with as much precision as if they were manoeuvring on
an ordinary field-day; and the killed and wounded were brought away
without the slightest hurry or confusion. In fact, the whole of the
hazardous operation was most successfully and admirably carried out;
and as each regiment and detachment filed through the Head-Quarters
gateway I was able to offer my warm congratulations and heartfelt
thanks to my gallant comrades.
Our losses during the day were: 19 killed, including Captain Spens and
Lieutenant Gaisford, 72nd Highlanders, and 88 wounded, amongst whom
were Captain Gordon, 92nd Highlanders, Lieutenant Egerton, 72nd
Highlanders, and Captain Battye, of the Guides.[7]
[Footnote 1: His force consisted of 4 guns, Field Artillery; 4
Mountain guns; 1 squadron 9th Lancers; 5th Punjab Cavalry; 6 companies
92nd Highlanders; 7 companies Guides; and 300 3rd Sikhs; and
subsequently it was strengthened by 150 of the 5th Punjab Infantry.]
[Footnote 2: Dick Cunyngham received the Victoria Cross for
conspicuous gallantry and coolness on this occasion.]
[Footnote 3: This gallant non-commissioned officer was killed the
following day.]
[Footnote 4: Notwithstanding that his wound was most severe, Captain
Chisholme remained in the saddle, and brought the regiment out of
action.]
[Footnote 5: Clarke never recovered the loss of this post. He and I
had been cadets together at Sandhurst, and I often visited him while
he was in hospital at Sherpur. He was apparently suffering from no
disease, but gradually faded away, and died not long after he reached
India.]
[Footnote 6: General Baker, in his despatch, stated that 'No blame for
the loss of these guns is in any way to be attached to the officers
and men of No. 2 Mountain Battery.... Every credit is due to Captain
Swinley, the late Lieutenant Montanaro, and Lieutenant Liddell,
and the several Native officers, non-commissioned officers and men
composing the gun detachments, for the gallant manner in which they
stood to their guns to the last, and it was only on the sudden rush of
this overwhelming force of the enemy that they had to retire with the
loss of two guns.'
Of the men composing the gun detachments, one was killed and six
wounded, and Surgeon-Major Joshua Duke was specially mentioned for his
attention to the wounded under heavy fire.]
[Footnote 7: The same officer who so gallantly met his death during
the recent Chitral campaign, while commanding the regiment of which he
was so justly proud, and in which two brave brothers had been killed
before him--Quinton at Delhi, and Wigram during the first phase of the
Afghan war.]
* * * * *