While the events described in the last chapter had been watched with
interest and attention in all parts of the world, they were the subject
of anxious consultation in the Council of the Governor-General. It was
only natural that the Viceroy, himself, should view with abhorrence the
prospect of military operations on a large scale, which must inevitably
lead to closer and more involved relations with the tribes of the
Afghan border. He belonged to that party in the State which has clung
passionately, vainly, and often unwisely to a policy of peace and
retrenchment. He was supported in his reluctance to embark on warlike
enterprises by the whole force of the economic situation. No moment
could have been less fitting: no man more disinclined. That Lord Elgin's
Viceroyalty and the Famine year should have been marked by the greatest
Frontier War in the history of the British Empire in India, vividly
displays how little an individual, however earnest his motives, however
great his authority, can really control the course of public affairs.
The Council were called upon to decide on matters, which at once raised
the widest and most intricate questions of frontier policy; which might
involve great expense; which might well influence the development and
progress of the great populations committed to their charge. It would
be desirable to consider such matters from the most lofty and commanding
standpoints; to reduce detail to its just proportions; to examine the
past, and to peer into the future. And yet, those who sought to look
thus on the whole situation, were immediately confronted with the
picture of the rock of Chakdara, fringed and dotted with the white smoke
of musketry, encircled by thousands of fierce assailants, its garrison
fighting for their lives, but confident they would not be deserted. It
was impossible to see further than this. All Governments, all Rulers,
meet the same difficulties. Wide considerations of principle, of policy,
of consequences or of economics are brushed aside by an impetuous
emergency. They have to decide off-hand. The statesman has to deal with
events. The historian, who has merely to record them, may amuse his
leisure by constructing policies, to explain instances of successful
opportunism.
On the 30th of July the following order was officially published: "The
Governor-General in Council sanctions the despatch of a force, to
be styled the Malakand Field Force, for the purpose of holding
the Malakand, and the adjacent posts, and of operating against the
neighbouring tribes as may be required."
The force was composed as follows:--
1st Brigade.
Commanding--Colonel W.H. Meiklejohn, C.B., C.M.G., with the local
rank of Brigadier-General.
1st Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment.
24th Punjaub Infantry.
31st Punjaub Infantry.
45th (Rattray's) Sikhs.
Sections A and B of No.1 British Field Hospital.
No.38 Native Field Hospital.
Sections A and B of No.50 Native Field Hospital.
2nd Brigade.
Commanding--Brigadier-General P.D. Jeffreys, C.B.
1st Battalion East Kent Regiment (the Buffs).
35th Sikhs.
38th Dogras.
Guides Infantry.
Sections C and D of No.1 British Field Hospital.
No.37 Native Field Hospital.
Sections C and D of No.50 Native Field Hospital.
Divisional Troops.
4 Squadrons 11th Bengal Lancers.
1 " 10th " "
2 " Guides Cavalry.
22nd Punjaub Infantry.
2 Companies 21st Punjaub Infantry.
10th Field Battery.
6 Guns No.1 British Mountain Battery.
6 " No.7 " " "
6 " No.8 Bengal " "
No.5 Company Madras Sappers and Miners.
No.3 " Bombay " " "
Section B of No.13 British Field Hospital.
Sections A and B of No.35 Native Field Hospital.
Line of Communications.
No.34 Native Field Hospital.
Section B of No.1 Native Field Hospital.
[This complete division amounted to a total available field strength of
6800 bayonets, 700 lances or sabres, with 24 guns.]
The command of this powerful force was entrusted to Brigadier-General
Sir Bindon Blood, K.C.B., who was granted the local rank of
Major-General.
As this officer is the principal character in the tale I have to tell,
a digression is necessary to introduce him to the reader. Born of an old
Irish family, a clan that has been settled in the west of Ireland
for 300 years, and of which he is now the head, Sir Bindon Blood was
educated privately, and at the Indian Military College at Addiscombe,
and obtained a commission in the Royal Engineers in December, 1860. For
the first eleven years he was stationed in England, and it was not until
1871 that he proceeded to India, where he first saw active service in
the Jawaki Afridi Expedition (medal with clasp). In 1878 he returned
home, but the next year was ordered to the Zulu War. On the conclusion
of hostilities, for which he received a second medal and clasp, he again
sailed for India and served throughout the Afghan war of 1880, being for
some time with the troops at Cabul. In 1882 he accompanied the Army to
Egypt, and was with the Highland Brigade, which was the most severely
engaged at Tel-el-Kebir. He received the medal and clasp, Khedive's star
and the 3rd class of the Medjidie. After the campaign he went home for
two years, and in 1885 made another voyage to the East, over which the
Russian war-cloud was then hanging. Since then the general has served in
India, at first with the Sappers and Miners, with whose reorganisation
he was closely associated, and latterly in command of the Agra District.
In 1895 he was appointed Chief of the Staff to Sir Robert Low in the
Chitral Expedition, and was present at all the actions, including the
storming of the Malakand Pass. For his services he received a degree of
knighthood of the Military Order of the Bath and the Chitral medal and
clasp. He was now marked as a man for high command on the frontier at
the first opportunity. That opportunity the great rising of 1897 has
presented.
Thirty-seven years of soldering, of war in many lands, of sport of every
kind, have steeled alike muscle and nerve. Sir Bindon Blood, himself,
till warned by the march of time, a keen polo player, is one of those
few officers of high rank in the army, who recognise the advantages to
soldiers of that splendid game. He has pursued all kinds of wild animals
in varied jungles, has killed many pig with the spear and shot every
species of Indian game, including thirty tigers to his own rifle.
It would not be fitting for me, a subaltern of horse, to offer any
criticism, though eulogistic, on the commander under whom I have had the
honour to serve in the field. I shall content myself with saying, that
the general is one of that type of soldiers and administrators, which
the responsibilities and dangers of an Empire produce, a type, which has
not been, perhaps, possessed by any nation except the British, since the
days when the Senate and the Roman people sent their proconsuls to all
parts of the world.
Sir Bindon Blood was at Agra, when, on the evening of the 28th of July,
he received the telegram from the Adjutant-General in India, appointing
him to the command of the Malakand Field Force, and instructing him to
proceed at once to assume it. He started immediately, and on the
31st formally took command at Nowshera. At Mardan he halted to make
arrangements for the onward march of the troops. Here, at 3 A.M. on the
1st of August, he received a telegram from Army Headquarters informing
him, that Chakdara Fort was hard pressed, and directing him to hurry on
to Malakand, and attempt its relief at all costs. The great numbers of
the enemy, and the shortness of ammunition and supplies from which the
garrison were suffering, made the task difficult and the urgency great.
Indeed I have been told, that at Simla on the 1st of August it was
feared, that Chakdara was doomed, and that sufficient troops to fight
their way to its relief could not be concentrated in time. The greatest
anxiety prevailed. Sir Bindon Blood replied telegraphically that
"knowing the ground" as he did, he "felt serenely confident." He hurried
on at once, and, in spite of the disturbed state of the country, reached
the Malakand about noon on the 1st of August.
The desperate position of the garrison of Chaldara was fully appreciated
by their comrades at the Malakand. As the night of the 31st had been
comparatively quiet, Brigadier-General Meiklejohn determined to attempt
to force his way to their relief the next day. He accordingly formed a
column as follows:--
45th Sikhs.
24th Punjaub Infantry.
No.5 Company Sappers and Miners.
4 Guns of No.8 Mountain Battery.
At 11 A.M. he sent the cavalry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Adams of the
Guides, to make a dash for the Amandara Pass, and if it were unoccupied
to seize it. The three squadrons started by the short road to the north
camp. As soon as the enemy saw what was going on, they assembled in
great numbers to oppose the advance. The ground was most unsuitable
for cavalry. Great boulders strewed the surface. Frequent nullahs
intersected the plain, and cramped the action of the horsemen. The
squadrons soon became hotly engaged. The Guides made several charges.
The broken nature of the ground favoured the enemy. Many of them were,
however, speared or cut down. In one of these charges Lieutenant Keyes
was wounded. While he was attacking one tribesman, another came up from
behind, and struck him a heavy blow on the shoulder with a sword. Though
these Swatis keep their swords at razor edge, and though the blow was
sufficiently severe to render the officer's arm useless for some days,
it raised only a thin weal, as if from a cut of a whip. It was a strange
and almost an inexplicable escape.
The enemy in increasing numbers pressed upon the cavalry, who began to
get seriously involved. The tribesmen displayed the greatest boldness
and determination. At length Lieut.-Colonel Adams had to order a
retirement. It was none too soon. The tribesmen were already working
round the left flank and thus threatening the only line of retreat. The
squadrons fell back, covering each other by dismounted fire. The 24th
Punjaub Infantry protected their flank as they reached the camp. The
cavalry losses were as follows:--
BRITISH OFFICERS.
Wounded severely--Captain G.M. Baldwin, the Guides.
" slightly--Lieutenant C.V. Keyes, the Guides.
NATIVE RANKS.
Killed Wounded
11th Bengal Lancers.... 0 3
Horses........ 1 4
Guides Cavalry...... 1 10
Horses........ 3 18
Total casualties--16 men and 26 horses.
The vigorous resistance which the cavalry had encountered, and the great
numbers and confidence that the enemy had displayed, effectually put an
end to any idea of relieving Chakdara that day. The tribesmen were much
elated by their temporary success, and the garrison, worn and wearied
by the incessant strain, both mental and physical, were proportionately
cast down. Every one anticipated tremendous fighting on the next day.
Make the attempt, they must at all hazards. But there were not wanting
those who spoke of "forlorn hopes" and "last chances." Want of sleep and
rest had told on all ranks. For a week they had grappled with a savage
foe. They were the victors, but they were out of breath.
It was at this moment, that Sir Bindon Blood arrived and assumed the
command. He found General Meiklejohn busily engaged in organising a
force of all arms, which was to move to the relief of Chakdara on the
following day. As it was dangerous to denude the Malakand position of
troops, this force could not exceed 1000 rifles, the available cavalry
and four guns. Of these arrangements Sir Bindon Blood approved. He
relieved Brigadier-General Meiklejohn of the charge of the Malakand
position, and gave him the command of the relieving column. Colonel Reid
was then placed in command of Malakand, and instructed to strengthen the
pickets at Castle Rock, as far as possible, and to be ready with a force
taken from them, to clear the high ground on the right of the Graded
road. The relieving column was composed as follows:--
400 Rifles 24th Punjaub Infantry.
400 " 45th Sikhs.
200 " Guides Infantry.
2 Squadrons 11th Bengal Lancers (under Lieut.-Col. R.B. Adams.)
2 " Guides Cavalry " " "
4 Guns No.8 Mountain Battery.
50 Sappers of No.5 Company.
Hospital details.
Sir Bindon Blood ordered General Meiklejohn to assemble this force
before dark near the centre of the camp at a grove of trees called
"Gretna Green," to bivouac there for the night, and to be ready to
start with the first light of morning. During the afternoon the enemy,
encouraged by their success with the cavalry in the morning, advanced
boldly to the pickets and the firing was continuous. So heavy indeed did
it become between eleven and twelve o'clock at night, that the force
at "Gretna Green" got under arms. But towards morning the tribesmen
retired.
The reader may, perhaps, have in his mind the description of the
Malakand as a great cup with jagged clefts in the rim. Much of this rim
was still held by the enemy. It was necessary for any force trying to
get out of the cup, to fight their way along the narrow roads through
the clefts, which were commanded by the heights on either side. For
a considerable distance it was impossible to deploy. Therein lay the
difficulty of the operation, which the General had now to perform. The
relieving column was exposed to the danger of being stopped, just as
Colonel McRae had stopped the first attack of the tribesmen along
the Buddhist road. On the 1st of August the cavalry had avoided these
difficulties by going down the road to the North camp, and making a
considerable detour. But they thus became involved in bad ground and had
to retire. The "Graded" road, if any, was the road by which Chakdara was
to be relieved. Looking at the tangled, rugged nature of the country,
it seems extraordinary to an untrained eye, that among so many peaks and
points, one should be of more importance than another. Yet it is so.
On the high ground, in front of the position that Colonel McRae and
the 45th Sikhs had held so well, was a prominent spur. This was the key
which would unlock the gate and set free the troops, who were cramped up
within. Every one realised afterwards how obvious this was and wondered
they had not thought of it before. Sir Bindon Blood selected the point
as the object of his first attack, and it was against this that he
directed Colonel Goldney with a force of about 300 men to move, as soon
as he should give the signal to advance.
At half-past four in the morning of the 2nd of August he proceeded to
"Gretna Green" and found the relieving column fallen in, and ready to
march at daybreak. All expected a severe action. Oppressed with
fatigue and sleeplessness, there were many who doubted that it would
be successful. But though tired, they were determined, and braced
themselves for a desperate struggle. The General-in-chief was, as he
had said, confident and serene. He summoned the different commanding
officers, explained his plans, and shook hands all round. It was a
moment of stern and high resolve. Slowly the first faint light of dawn
grew in the eastern sky. The brightness of the stars began to pale.
Behind the mountains was the promise of the sun. Then the word was given
to advance. Immediately the relieving column set off, four deep, down
the "Graded" road. Colonel Goldney simultaneously advanced to the attack
of the spur, which now bears his name, with 250 men of the 35th Sikhs
and 50 of the 38th Dogras. He moved silently towards the stone shelters,
that the tribesmen had erected on the crest. He got to within a hundred
yards unperceived. The enemy, surprised, opened an irregular and
ineffective fire. The Sikhs shouted and dashed forward. The ridge was
captured without loss of any kind. The enemy fled in disorder, leaving
seven dead and one prisoner on the ground.
Then the full significance of the movement was apparent alike to friend
and foe. The point now gained, commanded the whole of the "Graded"
road, right down to its junction with the road to the North camp. The
relieving column, moving down the road, were enabled to deploy without
loss or delay. The door was open. The enemy, utterly surprised and
dumfoundered by this manoeuvre, were seen running to and fro in the
greatest confusion: in the graphic words of Sir Bindon Blood's despatch,
"like ants in a disturbed ant-hill." At length they seemed to realise
the situation, and, descending from the high ground, took up a position
near Bedford Hill in General Meiklejohn's front, and opened a heavy fire
at close range. But the troops were now deployed and able to bring their
numbers to bear. Without wasting time in firing, they advanced with the
bayonet. The leading company of the Guides stormed the hill in their
front with a loss of two killed and six wounded. The rest of the troops
charged with even less loss. The enemy, thoroughly panic-stricken, began
to fly, literally by thousands, along the heights to the right. They
left seventy dead behind them. The troops, maddened by the remembrance
of their fatigues and sufferings, and inspired by the impulse of
victory, pursued them with a merciless vigour.
Sir Bindon Blood had with his staff ascended the Castle Rock, to
superintend the operations generally. From this position the whole field
was visible. On every side, and from every rock, the white figures of
the enemy could be seen in full flight. The way was open. The passage
was forced. Chakdara was saved. A great and brilliant success had been
obtained. A thrill of exultation convulsed every one. In that moment
the general, who watched the triumphant issue of his plans, must have
experienced as fine an emotion as is given to man on earth. In that
moment, we may imagine that the weary years of routine, the long ascent
of the lower grades of the service, the frequent subordination to
incompetence, the fatigues and dangers of five campaigns, received their
compensation. Perhaps, such is the contrariness of circumstances, there
was no time for the enjoyment of these reflections. The victory had been
gained. It remained to profit by it. The enemy would be compelled to
retire across the plain. There at last was the chance of the cavalry.
The four squadrons were hurried to the scene.
The 11th Bengal Lancers, forming line across the plain, began a
merciless pursuit up the valley. The Guides pushed on to seize the
Amandara Pass and relieve Chakdara. All among the rice fields and the
rocks, the strong horsemen hunted the flying enemy. No quarter was asked
or given, and every tribesman caught, was speared or cut down at once.
Their bodies lay thickly strewn about the fields, spotting with black
and green patches, the bright green of the rice crop. It was a terrible
lesson, and one which the inhabitants of Swat and Bajaur will never
forget. Since then their terror of Lancers has been extraordinary. A
few sowars have frequently been sufficient to drive a hundred of these
valiant savages in disorder to the hills, or prevent them descending
into the plain for hours.
Meanwhile the infantry had been advancing swiftly. The 45th Sikhs
stormed the fortified village of Batkhela near the Amandara Pass, which
the enemy held desperately. Lieut.-Colonel McRae, who had been relieved
from the command of the regiment by the arrival of Colonel Sawyer, was
the first man to enter the village. Eighty of the enemy were bayoneted
in Batkheka alone. It was a terrible reckoning.
I am anxious to finish with this scene of carnage. The spectator, who
may gaze unmoved on the bloodshed of the battle, must avert his eyes
from the horrors of the pursuit, unless, indeed, joining in it himself,
he flings all scruples to the winds, and, carried away by the impetus
of the moment, indulges to the full those deep-seated instincts of
savagery, over which civilisation has but cast a veil of doubtful
thickness.
The casualties in the relief of Chakdara were as follows:--
11th Bengal Lancers--killed and died from wounds, 3; wounded,3.
Killed. Wounded.
Guides Infantry....... 2 7
35th Sikhs......... 2 3
45th Sikhs......... 0 7
24th Punjaub Infantry..... 0 5
No.8 Bengal Mountain Battery... 0 1
Total Casualties--33
The news of the relief of Chakdara was received with feelings of
profound thankfulness throughout India. And in England, in the House of
Commons, when the Secretary of State read out the telegram, there were
few among the members who did not join in the cheers. Nor need we pay
much attention to those few.