BLACK MOUNTAIN TRIBES.[4]
Before describing the Black Mountain itself and the various tribes which
inhabit its slopes, it may be as well to say something about the country
which encompasses it on three sides and about the men who occupy it.
Allai is a valley bounded by Kohistan on the north and east, by the
Bhogarmang Valley, Nandihar and Deshi on the south, and by the Indus on
the west. The valley of Allai is divided from Kohistan on the north by a
range of mountains rising to over 15,000 feet, and from Nandihar and
Deshi by another range running from the British boundary to the Indus
above Thakot. The average breadth of the Allai Valley is about twelve
miles, and the total area about 200 square miles. Wheat, barley, Indian
corn and rice are grown, and the mountain slopes at the eastern end are
covered with forest.
The men of Allai are ever engaged in internal quarrels; blood-feuds are
rife, and often embroil the whole tribe. They are but little dependent
on British territory; number some 9000 fighting men, indifferently
armed; they have at times, although not of late years, given us some
trouble, but have usually been coerced by means of a blockade, although
a really effective one is not easy to enforce.
[Sidenote: Surrounding Country]
Nandihar is a valley lying to the south of Allai, and adjoining the
British valleys of Bhogarmang and Konsh on the east. It is divided by a
spur of the hills into two long narrow glens; the area of the valley is
about ninety square miles, and its elevation is from four to five
thousand feet. There are about a thousand fighting men; the people are
perpetually at feud; the country is very easily accessible from British
territory.
Tikari is a valley lying to the south of Nandihar, and between it and
Agror in British territory. It is about eight miles long, four broad,
and lies at an elevation of about 4500 feet. There are only some 400
fighting men. Supplies in Tikari are plentiful, with the exception of
fuel, and water is abundant. The men of Tikari have not been troublesome
neighbours.
Deshi is the name given to the country to the north of Agror, and lying
to the west of Nandihar. It comprises a portion of the eastern slopes of
the Black Mountain—a succession of bold, wooded spurs with intervening
watercourses, on the banks of which are the villages. The fighting men
number just over 700, indifferently armed. They are a united tribe,
equally among themselves and when external danger threatens, but are
easily accessible and exposed to attack, although not immediately on our
border. They gave us some trouble in 1868, but have been quiet since.
All the above-mentioned tribes are Swatis; none of them, except the men
of Deshi, have a very high reputation for courage; they are all Sunni
Muhammadans and very bigoted.
Tanawal, an independent State, is, roughly speaking, a square block of
territory in the north-west corner of the Hazara district, south of the
Black Mountain and Agror. It consists of 200 square miles of hilly
country, held as a _jaghir_ by the Nawab of Amb, a fort and village on
the right bank of the Indus. Little is known of the origin of the
Tanawalis.
We now come to the Yusafzai tribes inhabiting the slopes of the Black
Mountain lying to the east of the Indus, and occupying the southern
corner of the angle formed by that river and the British boundary. The
total length of this mountain is about twenty-five to thirty miles, and
its average height about 8000 feet above sea-level. It ascends from the
Indus basin at its southern end near the village of Kiara, and so up to
its watershed by Baradar; thence it runs north-east by north to the
point on the crest known as Chitabat. From here the range runs due
north, finally descending to the Indus by two large spurs, at the foot
of the easternmost of which lies Thakot. The Indus, after passing
Thakot, runs westward along the northern foot of the mountain till it
washes the western of the two spurs above mentioned, when it takes a
sharp bend to the south, and runs below and parallel to the western foot
of the range.
[Sidenote: The Mountain Itself]
The Black Mountain may be described as a long, narrow ridge with higher
peaks at intervals, and occasional deep passes; the general outline of
the crest is more rounded than sharp. From the sides numerous large
spurs project, which are often precipitous and rocky, with deep, narrow
glens or gorges lying between them, in which are some of the smaller
villages of the tribes, the larger ones being, as a rule, situated on
the banks of the Indus. The whole of the upper portion of the mountain
is thickly wooded, with pine, oak, sycamore, horse-chestnut and wild
cherry. The crest of the mountain is crossed by several passes. The
mountain is bounded on the south by Tanawal; on the east by Agror,
Pariari, and the Swati tribes of Tikari, Nandihar and Deshi; on the
northern extremity lies the Indus and Thakot; and on the west, between
the crest and the River Indus, the slopes are occupied by Yusafzai
Pathans. These slopes fall steeply from the crest for some 2000 feet;
then follows a zone of gentle, well-cultivated slopes; and then from
4000–5000 feet altitude the hill drops precipitously to the Indus. The
actual Indus Valley here varies in width from a few hundred yards to
nearly two miles, being narrowest at Kotkai and at its broadest at
Palosi. It is crossed at about eleven different points by ferries, the
boats holding from twenty to thirty passengers, but the inhabitants pass
over the river almost everywhere on inflated skins.
There are many routes by which the mountain can be ascended, and most of
these have been used by our troops in different expeditions: from
British territory all of them start from either Tanawal or Agror.
The western face of the Black Mountain is inhabited by three clans:
1. The Hassanzais.
2. The Akazais.
3. The Chagarzais.
On the eastern face are the Saiyids of Pariari, besides the men of Deshi
who have already been described.
The Hassanzais are a division of the Isazai clan of Yusafzai Pathans,
and live on either side of the Indus; those cis-Indus occupy the most
southern portion of the western slopes of the Black Mountain, while
those trans-Indus live immediately opposite to them. The former are
bounded on the north and east by the Akazais, on the west by the Indus,
and on the south the Hassanzai border adjoins the territory of the Nawab
of Amb. The Hassanzais are divided into ten sub-divisions with a total
fighting strength of something under 2000 men, who are not, however,
specially noted for their bravery. In the event of attack the Hassanzais
could probably depend for assistance upon two other divisions of Isazai
Yusafzais, the Akazais and the Mada Khels, of whom the last named live
on the right bank of the Indus. Of the ten sub-divisions of the
Hassanzais that known as the Khan Khel is the most troublesome, so far
as we are concerned, but the whole clan is constantly engaged in
internal feud.
During the days of the Sikh rule, the famous Sikh general, Hari Singh,
with two regiments, made an expedition into the Hassanzai country via
Darband and Baradar and burnt some of the villages.
[Sidenote: Akazais]
The Akazais, like the Hassanzais, are the descendants of Isa, and are
also a division of the Isazai clan of Yusafzais, inhabiting a portion of
the crest and western slopes of the Black Mountain to the north of the
Hassanzais, having on the east a part of Agror and the Pariari Saiyids,
to the north the Chagarzais, and on the west the Indus. They have no
territory trans-Indus, with the exception of part of one village which
they share with the Hassanzais. Their chief villages are Kand, Bimbal
and Biliani, the two first being nearest to the crest of the Black
Mountain, and situated on flat, open ground, with difficult approaches.
The Akazais are divided into four sub-divisions, and can probably put
some 1100 men in the field. Neither this clan nor the Hassanzais are
dependent on British territory, but so far as the Akazais are concerned
we possess the power to attack them, while we know all about the rich
and accessible rice and wheat crops which they cultivate round the
villages which they own, or in which they hold shares, in the Tikari
Valley. During the Sikh rule, and up to 1868, the Akazais held the
village of Shatut in the Agror Valley. It is only within the last
twenty-five years or so that this clan has begun to give trouble.
The Chagarzais are a division of the Malizai clan of the Yusafzai
Pathans, claiming to be descended from Chagar, the son of Mali, who was
one of the sons of Yusaf. They occupy the country on either side of the
river, those cis-Indus being located on the western slopes of the Black
Mountain, to the north of the Akazais. They are divided into three
sub-divisions, and could probably call together from both sides of the
river some 4600 armed men—the larger body from across the Indus.
The southern boundary of the cis-Indus Chagarzais is contiguous with
that of the Akazais, and follows the spur of the Black Mountain running
from the Machai peak to the Indus bank—the southern face of the spur
belonging to the Akazais and the northern to the Chagarzais. On the west
and north the Indus forms the boundary, while on the east the Chagarzais
are bounded by the country of the Deshiwals and of the Pariari Saiyids.
The Chagarzais are considered braver than the Hassanzais and Akazais,
who would, however, probably unite with them if attacked, as would also
contingents from Swat and Buner.
Little is definitely known about the communications in the interior of
the country. The crest of the mountain and the Machai peak may be gained
by advancing up the Kungali spur to Chitabat; but owing to the steep and
rugged nature of the country, and the thick forest clothing the whole of
the upper portion of the hill, an active enemy, well acquainted with the
ground, would have every facility for annoying the troops and opposing
the advance. About three miles north of Machai is the high peak of
Ganthar, and the pass leading from Pariari to Pakban—one of the
principal villages—lies on the crest between these two points. Here the
ground is broken and precipitous, flanked by thick pine forests, and in
all probability forms a strong position from which the advance of a
force moving from Machai upon Ganthar could be disputed. From this
point, which lies in a deep hollow on the crest, the ascent to Ganthar,
though steep in places and everywhere flanked by forest, is not of any
great difficulty. Beyond Ganthar the advance along the crest would be
easier.
[Sidenote: Chagarzais and Saiyids]
The Chagarzais also are not in any way dependent upon British territory.
It is only since 1863 that they have given us any trouble, and on the
few occasions when they have opposed us, their operations have not been
long protracted nor of a very serious character.
Colonies of Saiyids, religious adventurers—theoretically those who are
the direct descendants of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet—occupy
several of the glens on the mountain itself, and have caused much of the
bloodshed and trouble which have stained and disturbed these parts. In
two of these glens on the eastern slope of the Black Mountain are the
Pariari Saiyids. On the western face, among the Hassanzais, are the
Saiyids of Tilli; one or two more such colonies are scattered through
the Chagarzai country; while a rather formidable religious body, the
Akhund Khels, holds the glens and spurs on the extreme north-west corner
down to the Indus. Numerically all are more or less insignificant, but
they exercise considerable influence.
Neither the extent nor the population of this Black Mountain country
warrant its being ranked as of any exceptional importance. As Oliver
reminds us, “the tribes are not numerous, nor particularly warlike, and
most of them are miserably poor, but they, and the nests of fanatical
hornets they shelter, have for long proved capable of inflicting an
altogether disproportionate amount of annoyance.”
OPERATIONS.
The first time the Hassanzai clan came into notice was on the occasion
of the murder by them of two officers of the Indian Customs Department.
Shortly after the annexation of the Punjab a preventive line was
established along the left bank of the Indus, so far as British
jurisdiction extended, to prevent trans-Indus salt being smuggled into
the Punjab. In 1851 this line was extended five miles beyond Torbela to
a point on the Indus where the cis-Indus territory of the Nawab of Amb
commenced. In November of that year two of our customs officials,
visiting this portion of the border, were murdered by a band of armed
Hassanzais, when actually within the bounds of the Nawab of Amb. The
Nawab was at once called to account, and delivered up such Hassanzais as
happened to be within his territory, for which act the Hassanzais made
war upon him, laid waste his border villages, and seized two of his
forts: upon this, British interference became necessary, and orders were
issued for the assembly of a punitive force.
[Sidenote: Expedition of 1852–53]
_Expedition against the Black Mountain Hassanzais, 1852–53._—In December
1852 the troops, as enumerated below, were concentrated at Shergarh on
the north-western border of the Hazara district under the command of
Lieut.-Col. Mackeson,[5] C.B., Commissioner of Peshawar.
Four guns, 5th Troop, 1st Brigade, H.A.
Six guns, Mountain Train Battery.
16th Irregular Cavalry.[6]
7th Company Sappers and Miners.
3rd Native Infantry.[7]
Kelat-i-Ghilzie Regiment.[8]
Four Companies Corps of Guides.
1st Sikh Infantry.[9]
176 men Rawal Pindi Police.
Two Regiments Kashmir Dogras.
Levies (1760 men).
The force was divided into three columns with a reserve, occupying
respectively Chatta, Shingli, Shoshni and Shergarh. The fort at Shingli,
which was one of the two that had been captured by the Hassanzais from
the Nawab of Amb, was recovered without loss, and while our troops were
engaged in making it defensible, the Hassanzais and Akazais occupied the
crest of the Black Mountain, and advanced their picquets close up to
Chatta. The authorities had forbidden the employment of the regular
troops with the force on the top of the mountain at so late a season of
the year, so that they were thereby restricted to the duties of a
reserve at Shergarh—where, confined in a narrow valley and incumbered
with all kinds of _impedimenta_, they were of little or no assistance to
a force engaged in mountain warfare. Col. Mackeson consequently decided
to move the reserve of regular troops round to the banks of the Indus,
behind the Black Mountain, and thus to turn the position on the heights;
and to let each column of attack trust to a small reserve of its own,
and to the fort at Shergarh in the rear, if all were beaten back.
The regular troops accordingly marched on the 24th and 25th December
from Shergarh to Darband, behind the screen formed by the irregular
portion of the force at Chatta, Shingli and Shoshni. On the 27th, as the
result of a reconnaissance, Col. Mackeson decided to alter his plans,
and to place the main part of the regular troops at Baradar, with four
companies in Chamberi, to make demonstrations on the heights in front of
the last-named place—for to move them to the rear of the enemy’s
position would have involved them in difficult ground.
On the 29th, these dispositions having been completed, orders were
issued for the advance of the remaining three columns, Panj Gali being
named as their ultimate objective; in the event of a repulse they were
to fall back either upon Chamberi or Baradar.
The right column, under Lieut.-Col. R. Napier, arrived, after a
considerable amount of opposition, near the summit of the mountain at a
point where a broad spur, forming the top of the range occupied by the
Akazais, branched off at an elevation of some 9000 feet. By this ridge
the enemy retired, and no further defence of the hill was made. Shortly
before sunset the Guides, under Lieut. Hodson, arrived at the shoulder
of the mountain above Panj Gali, which was still occupied by the
tribesmen, but on the appearance of our troops they rapidly retreated,
and the right column bivouacked here for the night.
The centre column, under Major J. Abbott, had ascended about halfway to
Panj Gali when the troops suddenly came upon the main body of the
Hassanzais, consisting of about 600 matchlock men, strongly posted upon
a steep eminence in the centre of the main ravine. This position having
been turned, the enemy fell back upon another equally strong at the head
of the pass, but even after being joined by the left column under
Captain Davidson, Lieut.-Col. Mackeson did not feel himself strong
enough to attack, so awaited the appearance of Col. Napier’s force in
rear of the position, when the Hassanzais retreated, as already stated.
[Sidenote: Mackeson’s Operations]
The left column was accompanied by Col. Mackeson, and marching by Agror
and Pabal, was fired at from a hill overlooking Tilli, but the enemy
were immediately dislodged and the column effected its junction with the
centre one, as described, close to Panj Gali.
On the 30th the Hassanzai villages about here were destroyed, and the
force moving on the next day to the Tilli plateau burnt all the villages
between that place and Abu, while those along the Indus between Kotkai
and Baradar were destroyed by the Nawab of Amb’s men.
On the 2nd January the whole force retired to Baradar, being followed up
by the enemy and their allies, and the expedition was at an end. The
Hassanzais had made no submission, but it was considered that they had
been sufficiently punished for the murder of the two British officers by
the destruction of their villages and grain, and for some time after
this lesson the Hassanzais remained fairly quiet, and the raids made by
them in 1863 were directed chiefly against the Nawab of Amb’s territory,
and no doubt partook of the nature of reprisals for the assistance the
Nawab had afforded us ten years earlier.
Our casualties in the 1853 expedition were about fifteen killed and
wounded.
In November, 1867, it was determined to establish a body of police in
the Agror Valley, and this was temporarily located in the village of
Oghi until a fortified police post could be built. At daylight on the
morning of the 30th July, 1868, this body of twenty-two policemen was
attacked by some 500 men belonging to almost all the tribes, including
the Pariari Saiyids, mentioned in this chapter. The enemy were driven
off, but troops being called for from Abbottabad, a force composed of
the Peshawar Mountain Battery and 350 of the 5th Gurkhas, under
Lieut.-Col. Rothney, reached Oghi before midnight on the 31st, having
marched forty-two miles in twenty-five hours, and here this force was
joined on the 2nd August by the levies of the Nawab of Amb. It appearing
that the attack had been instigated by the Khan of Agror, that chief was
promptly arrested and sent in to Abbottabad.
During the next few days there were signs of serious unrest in the Agror
Valley; the tribesmen refused to meet the Deputy-Commissioner, many
villages were burnt by them, and on the 7th a general advance of the
enemy took place, when all the neighbouring tribesmen joined them, while
our own levies deserted in numbers to their homes. On the 12th, Col.
Rothney, who had been reinforced, moved out from Oghi, and drove the
enemy out of the Agror Valley. By this engagement, by the arrival of
troops at Abbottabad, of further reinforcements at Oghi, and the
presence of some Kashmir regiments in the Pakli Valley, the safety of
the Hazara district was now secured, and Brig.-Gen. Wilde—who was now in
command—only waited for more troops to carry out any punitive operations
which might be ordered.
Up to this date twenty-one British villages had been burnt by the
tribesmen, who had also caused us sixty-four casualties.
[Sidenote: Expedition of 1868]
_Expedition against the Black Mountain Tribes, 1868._—An expedition was
now sanctioned, but in view of the generally disturbed state of this
portion of the frontier, it was decided to draw the required troops from
cantonments further down country, leaving the garrisons of Peshawar and
of other border posts as far as possible intact. Considering that some
regiments had come from as far south as Cawnpore, the concentration by
the 24th September of the following force at Agror, Darband and
Abbottabad, may be considered a very satisfactory piece of work:
At Agror:
D. F. Royal Horse Artillery.
E. 19th Royal Artillery.
2. 24th Royal Artillery.
Peshawar Mountain Battery.
Hazara Mountain Battery.
1st Battalion 6th Foot.
1st Battalion 19th Foot.
Guides Cavalry.
16th Bengal Cavalry.[10]
Det. Telegraph Sappers.
1st Gurkhas.
2nd Gurkhas.
3rd Sikhs.[11]
2nd Punjab Infantry.[12]
4th Gurkhas.
20th Punjab Native Infantry.[13]
24th Punjab Native Infantry.[14]
5th Gurkhas.
At Abbottabad:
2nd and 7th Companies Sappers and Miners.
At Darband, in support of the Nawab of Amb:
38th Foot.
9th Bengal Cavalry.[15]
31st Punjab Native Infantry.[16]
[Sidenote: Composition of Force]
This force was divided into two brigades, under Colonels Bright and
Vaughan, the whole under command of Brigadier-General Wilde, C.B.,
C.S.I., and numbered some 9500 of all ranks. In addition, a contingent
of 1200 troops was furnished by the Maharaja of Kashmir, but these,
though present on the border, did not take any active part in the
operations.
The overawing effect of the assembly of so large a force was immediately
apparent in the petitions to be permitted to treat which now began to
come in from the Swatis, the Hassanzais and the men of Tikari and
Nandihar, and these were granted in the case of those clans which had
not been specially hostile, or which it was considered particularly
desirable to detach from the general coalition. The force which had been
concentrated in Hazara had still, however, a sufficiently formidable
task before it, having to deal with the Chagarzai and Akazai clans, with
the Swatis of Deshi and Thakot, with the Pariari Saiyids, and not
improbably with the Hindustani fanatics (of whom more will be said
hereafter), and large bodies of trans-Indus Pathans.
On the 3rd October the force moved out from the camp at Oghi;
Brigadier-General Vaughan, with the Second Brigade, advancing by
Bagrian, occupied with but insignificant opposition the Kiarkot
Mountain, and closed up his brigade to Kilagai. Brigadier-General Bright
at the same time advanced on Kungali and thence on Mana-ka-Dana, which
he occupied after some little fighting, and which was found to form an
excellent temporary base for operations against the Chitabat and Machai
peaks. The Second Brigade was now ordered to support the further advance
of the First, leaving the levies to move up the Barchar spur. On the
next day—the 4th—the Chitabat position was carried with small loss—the
road having, however, been found to be almost impracticable—and was put
in a state of defence. The Second Brigade closed up this evening to
Mana-ka-Dana. On the following day the First Brigade advanced against
the enemy holding the Machai peak. This was naturally a very strong
defensible position, the ascent being steep and rugged in the extreme,
only to be climbed on a narrow front, as the ground on the left was
precipitous, and on the right thickly wooded. The accurate and effective
covering fire of the mountain batteries enabled the troops to capture
the position with only eight casualties, the enemy not holding out to
the last, but flying down the spurs into the Indus Valley.
Major-General Wilde was now in possession of the most commanding plateau
of the range, he had ample supplies, his communications were secure, and
he was able to inflict considerable damage on the mountain villages of
the neighbouring Pathan tribes. Jirgahs of the clans now began to come
in and make formal submission, and by the 12th the Machai peak was
evacuated, the force finally reaching Oghi, via Tikari and Nandihar, on
the 22nd October, with the objects of the expedition satisfactorily
attained.
Our casualties totalled five killed and twenty-nine wounded.
[Sidenote: Raids and Outrages]
Raids did not, however, entirely and immediately cease, and in the
autumn of 1869 a force of some 700 men had to be moved out from
Abbottabad to assist in the establishment of a blockade against the
Hassanzais, Akazais and others who had raided into Agror. In April of
the following year a party of Akazais attacked Barchar, and burnt
Sambalbat and Bholu, despite the presence in the Agror valley of a small
British garrison.
During the years 1871–75 offences continued to be committed on the Agror
border by the tribesmen, and another expedition seemed inevitable, when,
in September 1875, a settlement was arrived at, all the Black Mountain
tribes agreeing in submitting to the British Government, and for some
few years this part of the frontier was free from any serious trouble.
Up to 1884 there was no real cause for complaint; it had been found
necessary in this year to blockade the Chagarzais, Akazais and Pariari
Saiyids, and the same punishment was extended later to the Hassanzais;
but it was not until June 1888 that a serious outrage occurring on the
Agror frontier necessitated the despatch of another expedition to the
Black Mountain. On the 18th of this month an attack was made upon a
small party of British troops within British territory by Akazais,
Hassanzais and Pariari Saiyids, and two British officers and four men
were killed. Immediately upon this, large bodies of these tribesmen
assembled with the intention of attacking Agror, but dispersed again
without taking any further offensive action; the Indian Government now
once more took into consideration the question of punitive measures
against the Black Mountain tribes, and on the 29th August an expedition
was decided upon.
[Sidenote: Expedition of 1888]
_Expedition against the Black Mountain Tribes, 1888._—The force was
formed on the 7th September, 1888, and consisted of three mountain
batteries, one company sappers and miners, four battalions of British,
nine of Native infantry, with two battalions of Kashmir infantry and the
Khyber Rifles, and was placed under command of Brigadier-General
(temporary Major-General) J. McQueen, C.B., A.D.C. The total strength
was 9416 of all ranks, and the force was organised in two brigades under
Brigadier-Generals Channer and Galbraith, each brigade being sub-divided
into two columns. There was further a reserve composed of a regiment of
cavalry and two battalions of infantry. Headquarters and the first,
second and third columns were directed to concentrate at Oghi in the
Agror valley by the 1st October, and the fourth column at Darband on the
Indus on the same date; and the object of the expedition was stated to
be the coercion into submission of the Akazais and the Khan Khel
division of the Hassanzais, with the punishment of any clans or
divisions which might assist these tribesmen in their opposition to our
troops.
The following were the orders issued for the advance of the four
columns:
No. 1 Column to move on the 4th to Mana-ka-Dana, and the following day
to Chitabat, leaving a sufficient force at Mana-ka-Dana to protect
its line of communications.
No. 2 Column to advance up the Barchar spur on the 4th, occupying
Barchar; thence moving on the 5th to the crest of the ridge, one
regiment being at once detached to the left to meet No. 3 Column.
No. 3 Column to advance up the Sambalbat spur to the village of the
same name, which was to be occupied on the 4th. The advance to be
continued to the crest on the 5th. The 24th Punjab Infantry and
two guns Derajat Mountain Battery to move up the Chatta Spur,
meeting the remainder of No. 3 Column on the morning of the 5th at
the junction of the Sambalbat and Chatta spurs. The Khyber Rifles
to advance up the Chajri spur between Nos. 2 and 3 Columns on the
5th.
No. 4 Column to advance on the 4th to the neighbourhood of Kotkai on
the Indus.
The first three columns carried out their orders on the 4th and 5th, the
2nd and 3rd Columns practically unmolested, the 1st with but slight
opposition, which chiefly took the form of firing into the bivouacs
after nightfall; but the opposition experienced by the 4th, and more
isolated, Column was of a considerably more serious character.
This column, under Colonel Crookshank, and accompanied by the Brigadier,
crossed the frontier on the morning of the 4th and advanced to Bela on
the Indus by a road which had been made practicable the previous day.
The river bank was reached at 8 a.m., and a halt was made to allow the
column to close up. On the advance being resumed, the village of Shingri
was carried with but trifling opposition, but about a mile beyond large
numbers of the enemy were found in occupation of a strong position about
the villages of Towara and Kotkai, with both flanks held by skirmishers
and even defended by guns. The flanks were turned by the 34th Pioneers
and 4th Punjab Infantry,[17] but the advance was necessarily very slow,
and the line was suddenly charged by a body of _ghazis_ who had been
concealed in a nullah on the left flank of the Royal Irish Regiment;
they were, however, nearly all shot down before they arrived at close
quarters. The enemy now began to break, and by 3.30 p.m. were in full
retreat towards Kanar, when Kotkai was occupied.
On the 6th the other three columns were engaged in collecting forage,
improving their water supply, and in safeguarding their communications,
and during the 7th they remained respectively at Chitabat, Nimal and
Kain Gali.
[Sidenote: Work of the Columns]
From the 5th to the 10th October the 4th Column was engaged in
reconnaissances to Kanar, Tilli, Kunari, Garhi and Ghazi Kot, and on the
13th the settlements and forts at Maidan, on the further bank of the
Indus, of the Hindustani fanatics—many of whom had opposed us at
Kotkai—were destroyed. These operations were nearly always opposed, but
with the destruction of Maidan the active services of this column came
to an end. Later on in the month a Hassanzai village on the right bank
of the Indus was burnt, as were also Garhi, Bakrai and Kotkai, after
which this clan sent in their jirgah, made submission and paid up their
fine.
During this period the Agror Columns remained on the crest of the Black
Mountain above the lands of the Hassanzais and Akazais, exploring the
surrounding country and destroying villages of offending clans. These
measures were successful; by the 19th the Akazai jirgah had come in and
had unconditionally accepted our terms. The Hassanzais too, although
they did not actually make submission until the 30th, had ceased to be
actively hostile, and General McQueen was therefore now able to devote
his attention to the coercing of the Pariari Saiyids and the Tikariwals.
On the evening of the 20th October the Divisional Headquarters and No. 1
Column were at Mana-ka-Dana, No. 2 Column was in occupation of Chitabat,
No. 3 was distributed between Karun, Akhund Baba, Nimal and Tilli, and
No. 4 was at Ledh, Kanar, Kotkai, Shingri and Darband.
On a small force moving forward from Dilbori towards Chirmang, the
Tikariwals at once came in and hurriedly paid up their fines, leaving
now only the Pariari Saiyids to be dealt with; and on the 24th troops
were sent into their country, Garhi was destroyed, Thakot was then
entered, via Chanjal and Karg, without opposition, and preparations were
now made for visiting Allai, the Khan of which had begged that his
country should not be visited, but who had made no signs of submission.
Allai was entered, via the Ghorapher Pass, by a force of six guns and
some 2400 rifles under Brigadier-General Channer, divided into two
columns. The ascent was found to be very difficult and precipitous, and
the crest held in some force, but the enemy made no serious stand, and
our casualties in the capture of the position were only one killed and
one wounded. The crest of the Chaila Mountain was held during that night
and the 2nd, and on the 3rd November the force marched to Pokal, the
Khan’s headquarters, destroyed it and returned to camp, having
experienced some opposition in the advance and being persistently
followed up in the retirement. Late this evening the Allai jirgah came
in, followed on the next day by that of the Pariari Saiyids, and by the
13th the whole of the force had been withdrawn to British territory. The
British casualties during the operations amounted to twenty-five killed
and fifty-seven wounded.
The objects for which the expedition had been undertaken had been
attained; the offending clans had met with severe punishment, and had
made their submission; hostages had been given for future good
behaviour; and some roads had been made, while a large extent of
hitherto unknown country had been surveyed and mapped. For a year
affairs on this border remained quiet, but the Government of India
considered it necessary to take measures to secure its control over the
clans and to make roads into their territories. To the construction of
roads, however, the Hassanzais, Akazais and Pariari Saiyids made
objections, and on Major-General Sir John McQueen moving a small force
along the Border to prove our rights under the treaty which had been
made, a considerable amount of opposition was shown by the clans
immediately concerned, and the General withdrew his troops in accordance
with his instructions, and to make way for a larger expedition now
projected.
[Sidenote: Expedition of 1891]
_Expedition against the Hassanzais and Akazais, 1891._—The objects of
these operations were to assert our right to move along the crest of the
Black Mountain; to inflict punishment upon the clans which had recently
shown hostility to the force under Sir John McQueen; and to occupy the
country until complete submission had been made. In consequence of the
experience gained in 1888 it was decided that Oghi, Tilli and Pabal Gali
should be occupied, but that the advance should be made only by the
Indus line, whence the Hassanzai and Akazai villages and lands could
most easily be reached, and where the conditions of warfare would be
more favourable to the British troops.
The force detailed was placed under command of Major-General W. K.
Elles, C.B., and was directed to advance from Darband in two columns,
one via Baradar and Pailam to Tilli, the other by the river via Kotkai
and Kanar. The concentration was to be effected by the 1st March, 1891,
as detailed below.
Left or River Column, at Darband:
Three guns No. 1 M.B.R.A.
Three guns Derajat Mountain Battery.
2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders.
Headquarters Wing 32nd Pioneers.
37th Dogras.
Guides Infantry.
4th Sikhs.[18]
Right or Tilli Column, at Darband:
No. 9 M.B.R.A.
1st Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
11th Bengal Infantry.[19]
Wing 32nd Pioneers.
2nd Battalion 5th Gurkhas.
Khyber Rifles.
Divisional Troops at Darband:
One squadron 11th Bengal Lancers and No. 4 Company Bengal Sappers
and Miners.
At Oghi:
One squadron 11th Bengal Lancers.
Three guns Derajat Mountain Battery.
28th Bengal Infantry.[20]
In Reserve at Rawal Pindi:
One squadron 11th Bengal Lancers.
1st Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
19th Bengal Infantry.[21]
27th Bengal Infantry.[22]
[Sidenote: Advance of the Force]
The weather was bad for some days after the concentration was effected,
but good roads had been made to the frontier and to Bela, and both
Phaldan and Bela had been occupied by our troops. General Elles proposed
first to establish posts in Kanar and Tilli, and then with the Left or
River Column to occupy the lower Hassanzai country on both banks and the
Diliarai peninsula of the Akazais, while the Right Column, moving by Ril
and Kungar, occupied the Khan Khel territory, and thus by degrees
complete the occupation of the lands of both clans.
The advance commenced on the morning of the 12th, and Pailam and Kotkai
were occupied by either column without any more opposition than was
occasioned by some desultory firing at the River Column from across the
Indus. On the next day the Right Column moved on to and halted at Tilli,
while the River Column visited the Palosi plain and also Nadrai on the
right bank, experiencing some opposition, but reconnoitring the road
between Kotkai and Kanar. By the 15th it was reported that while the
Hassanzais and Akazais were anxious to submit, other clans were
gathering against us—mostly in the trans-Indus Chagarzai country.
About 3 a.m. on the 19th a weak company of the 4th Sikhs, providing an
outpost at the small village of Ghazi Kot, on the left bank of the
Indus, was heavily attacked by a large body of Hindustani fanatics.
Reinforcements, however, furnished by the 4th Sikhs and 32nd Pioneers,
were quickly on the scene, and the enemy were driven off with
considerable loss. The following night there was a good deal of firing
at Kanar; on the 21st the River Column had reached Palosi via Pirzada
Bela; and the Right Column occupied Ril the same day, destroyed Seri on
the next, and then returned to Tilli.
On the 23rd the establishment of a bridge at Bakrai was covered by a
party of the 4th Sikhs, who were opposed by a large gathering of the
enemy on the Diliarai Hill, overlooking Bakrai and about one mile to the
north-west of that place. The enemy were driven off the hill, but on the
Sikhs and Guides withdrawing to a position lower down, they were
followed up so determinedly that Lieut.-Colonel Gaselee of the 4th Sikhs
again advanced, and cleared and reoccupied the hill for the night. The
fighting had been hand-to-hand, and the enemy—chiefly Chagarzais and
Hindustanis—suffered rather heavily.
On the 24th Brigadier-General Hammond took a small force from Tilli to
Palosi, and thence next day advanced up the Shal Nala against Darbanai—a
village on a knoll jutting out from the main spur into the Indus Valley.
The enemy were driven off this commanding position, and on the 27th
General Hammond moved into lower Surmal and burnt some of the Chagarzai
villages.
[Sidenote: Gathering of the Clans]
The gatherings of the tribesmen had now increased. There were a number
of Bunerwals at Baio and in this neighbourhood, and in the Chagarzai
country to the north there appeared to be a coalition of all the clans
from Thakot to the Peshawar border—from Buner, Chamla, and from the
Amazai and Gadun country. In consequence of these concentrations of
clans, a regiment of cavalry and a battalion of infantry were ordered up
from Nowshera to Mardan, and, with the troops already in garrison at the
last-named place, were held in readiness for service against the
Bunerwals; and the reserve brigade from Rawal Pindi was concentrated at
Darband. At the same time representations were made to the Buner jirgah
that we had no intention of invading either their country or that of the
Chagarzais, but that they would be attacked if their forces did not
disperse. These warnings had the desired effect, and the Bunerwals
returned to their homes, while the lower Hassanzais had already made
their submission. Towards the end of April the whole of the country of
the Akazais, who still remained recalcitrant, was visited, and shortly
after Darband was evacuated and the base transferred to Oghi; but it was
not until a month later that the Akazai jirgah at last came in and
tendered the unconditional submission of the tribe. The three Isazai
divisions, with the Saiyids and Chagarzais of Pariari, consented to the
perpetual banishment from their territories of a notorious disturber of
the peace, one Hashim Ali, and promised generally to be of good
behaviour and to exclude the Hindustani fanatics from their country.
Early in June the bulk of the troops composing the force returned to
India, but some remained until the end of November in occupation of Seri
and Oghi and of the crest of the Black Mountain.
In these operations—which cost us nine killed and thirty-nine wounded—we
had a larger coalition against us than in any other expedition, with the
exception of the Ambela outbreak of 1863 and the Pathan revolt of 1897.
In March 1892 the Hassanzais and Mada Khels broke the engagement into
which they had entered with the British Government, by permitting Hashim
Ali to return to their country and settle at Baio; and accordingly in
October a force of 6250 men and two guns, organised in two brigades,
advanced from Darband under Major-General Sir William Lockhart. The
Indus was crossed at Marer, and on the 6th October the two brigades
advanced on Baio—the First Brigade from Wale and the Second Brigade from
Manjakot. Baio was found deserted, and was destroyed, as was also Doba,
a Mada Khel village. Demolitions were also carried out in Manja Kot,
Karor, Garhi and Nawekili, and the force was back on the 11th October at
Darband, where it was broken up. None of the tribesmen offered any
resistance, and there were no casualties, but the troops suffered a good
deal from fever and also from cholera.
[Sidenote: End of the Operations]
Since this expedition the Black Mountain clans and their neighbours have
given no serious trouble.