(some say 15,000), and the plain, on the N.W. of the hills, was swept by
not less than 3000 or 4000 Affghan cavalry, whose rapid advance obliged
Lieut. Walker to retreat up the hill, by which the enemy were enabled to
throw fresh reinforcements and ammunition into the village of Behmaru; a
circumstance which rendered it difficult for him to hold his ground.
The fight continued till about 10 o'clock, by which time our killed and
wounded became very numerous. In spite of the execution done by our
shrapnell, the fire of the enemy told considerably more than ours did,
from the superiority of their juzails and jingals over our muskets.
They also fought from behind sungahs and hillocks, whilst our men were
perfectly exposed; our troops also labouring under the disadvantage of
being drawn up in square, from an apprehension of an attack from the
Affghan cavalry.
The vent of the gun became too hot for the artillerymen to serve it.
At this time, that is at about half-past 9 or 10, a party of Ghazeeas
ascended the brow of the hill, by the gorge, where they planted three
standards close to each other, a red, a yellow, and a green one. It is
possible that the Brigadier might not have seen their advance; but when
they had nearly attained the summit, they had an evident advantage over
us, as their shots generally told in firing up at our men, whose persons
were wholly exposed, whilst only a few of their heads were visible to
our troops, and the old fault of firing too high most probably sent all
our shots harmlessly over their heads, for to hit them it was requisite
to fire on the ground. When they fairly appeared aboveground, it was
very evident that our men were not inclined to meet them. Every
field-glass was now pointed to the hill with intense anxiety by us in
cantonments, and we saw the officers urging their men to advance on the
enemy. Most conspicuous were Mackintosh, Laing, Troup, Mackenzie, and
Layton; who, to encourage the men, pelted the Ghazeeas with stones as
they climbed the hill; and, to do the fanatics justice, they returned
the assault with the same weapons. Nothing would do,--our men would not
advance, though this party did not appear to be 150 in number. At length
one of the Ghazeeas rushed forward, waving his sword over his head: a
Sipahee of the 37th darted forth and met him with his bayonet; but
instead of a straight charge he gave him a kind of side stroke with it,
and they both fell, and both rose again. Both were killed eventually;
the Ghazeea was shot by another man. It was very like the scenes
depicted in the battles of the Crusaders. The enemy rushed on: drove our
men before them very like a flock of sheep with a wolf at their heels.
They captured our gun. The artillerymen fought like heroes; two were
killed at the gun; Sergeant Mulhall received three wounds; poor Laing
was shot whilst waving his sword over the gun and cheering the men. It
was an anxious sight, and made our hearts beat: it lasted but for a few
minutes.
(Brig. Shelton says, that when our men ran, he ordered the halt to be
sounded, at which the troops mechanically arrested their flight, and
fell into their places!)
They ran till they gained the second square which had not broken; and
the men finding a stand, turned about, gave a shout, and then the
Ghazeeas were, in their turn, panic-struck, abandoned the gun, but made
off with the limber and horses.
On this we retook the gun without resistance. One of the artillerymen
had a wonderful escape; he had clung on to, and under the wheels, and
never quitted it. Once more in our possession, the gun was instantly
re-opened on the enemy; but our men had an antipathy to the brow of the
hill, and would not advance as quickly as they might have done, until
some successful shots from the gun, and three splendid ones which were
made by Serjeant Wade from the Kohistan Gate; one of which struck
Abdoollah Khan's horse, and caused him to fall off, on which the people
surrounded their chief, and were occupied in carrying him off; they fled
to the other hill, and I believe never stopped until they got into the
city. All appearing to be over, I hastened home to get breakfast ready
for Sturt, every one supposing that the enemy were routed, and that
Brig. Shelton was coming back with the troops.
At this time I was standing on the ramparts, and heard the Envoy, in my
presence, ask the General to pursue the flying troops into the city,
which he refused, saying it was a wild scheme, and not feasible.
Had Shelton returned to cantonments, or thrown his force into Behmaru,
all had gone well, and we had remained masters of the field.
The enemy had, as I before mentioned, a large body of cavalry on the
other side of the hill, on whom our men kept firing.
At about half past twelve, just as we had finished our breakfast, the
enemy gradually came up the hill; and their fire was so severe that our
men in square could scarcely fill up the gaps as their comrades fell,
and our whole force, both horse and foot, were driven down the hill, and
our gun captured--a regular case of _sauve qui peut_.
All would have been sacrificed but for four circumstances; first, a
well-directed fire kept up from the Mission Compound by part of the
Shah's 6th. A charge made by Lieut. Hardyman, with a fresh troop of the
5th Cavalry, being joined in it by Walker, who had collected about
twenty of his Irregulars. It was in going too far across the plain, in
driving the Affghan horse back towards the hills, that poor Walker
received his mortal wound in the abdomen. Major Swayne was wounded in
the neck while in the square. A party of about fifty of Mackenzie's
Juzailchees, under Capt. Trevor, lined some low walls on the plain in
front of and to the left of the old Musjeed, whence they kept up a
steady discharge. Two of these men, seeing a wounded Sipahee wave his
arm for help, gallantly dashed into the midst of the enemy, and brought
him off.
Perhaps the greatest safeguard of our troops was the conduct of Osman
Khan, who suddenly stopped the pursuit and led his men back.
Perceiving our defeat on the hill, the troops at the captured fort and
those at the Musjeed deserted their posts, and were with difficulty
persuaded to go back to them. The troops all scuttled back as hard as
they could. The General went outside the gate (and took great credit to
himself for doing so) to rally them, as he called it; but there was
little chance of doing that while they were under our walls. I was
amused at hearing him say to Sir William, "Why, Lord, sir, when I said
to them 'Eyes right,' they all looked the other way."
Our friends in the Bala Hissar did not tamely look on. Conolly got the
King to order eight of his suwars to go and give information to Sir
William of their having observed a body of 5000 men passing round to the
back of Behmaru; and afterwards his Majesty ordered the whole of the
Ressallahs and 100 Juzailchees to go on to the Siah Sung hill, and try
and create a diversion in our favour by drawing away some of the troops
who were engaged with ours on the Behmaru hill. It certainly had some
effect; for immediately on their forming on the summit, a large body of
men under Mahommed Shah Khan, a principal Ghilzye chief, sallied out
from Mahmood Khan's fort, and advanced to the attack, which now,
however, they were not imprudent enough to await, but immediately took
to flight. By desire of the Wuzeer, Lieut. Melville was then sent out
with a party of Juzailchees, and five sections of N. I., to keep a body
of them in check who had boldly advanced within gunshot of the Bala
Hissar: but after a little skirmishing the enemy retired to the Siah
Sung hill.
The Affghans appear to have but one plan of attack. They go up the
further hill to the extreme left near the city, and spread along the
ridge, and the horsemen conduct the infantry to the gorge. The horsemen
then some of them come up with the infantry to the brow of the right
hill, the larger body of horse going behind it; this they did the second
time in one day.
Shelton, in taking up his position as before described, had both his
flanks exposed, as also his rear. The men were formed in two large
squares when attacked by infantry, and in these squares were men of
different regiments all mixed up together: they had never been practised
to it: no man knew his place.
Whilst in this square a reward of ten rupees was offered by the
Brigadier to the first man who volunteered to go with him to take the
enemy's flag in the gorge; Captain Mackenzie shouted 100 for the flag.
After some hesitation, a havildar of the 37th came forward; but as no
other followed him, he was told to return to his place. The enemy then
came on, and the whole square rose simultaneously and ran. The 44th had,
I believe, fifty-eight wounded; the loss of the 5th I did not ascertain;
the 37th had eighty killed, and ten wounded. Of officers, Col. Oliver,
Capt. Mackintosh, and Lieut. Long were killed; Walker mortally wounded;
Swinton, Evans, Major Swayne, Hawtrey, Bott, and Mackenzie wounded.
The three companies of the 37th that were out under Major Kershaw
suffered severely: they were amongst the last to leave the hill. The
grenadier company returned with only a Naick and two men!
The misfortunes of the day are mainly attributable to Shelton's bad
generalship in taking up so unfavourable a position, after his first
fault in neglecting to surprise the village, and occupy it, which was
the ostensible object of the force going out.
Had he remained above Behmaru, he might have retreated into and occupied
that place, in which the enemy had but few men at first, and who might
have been easily dislodged. Shelton tries to lay all the blame on the
Sipahees. He says they are timid, and that makes the Europeans timid
also; but he has been told some home truths. On asking Capt. Troup if he
did not think that the 44th had behaved nobly, that officer plainly told
him he considered that all had behaved shamefully.
The troops certainly were wearied out; and, having been out since two in
the morning, it appears wonderful to me that at half-past twelve they
were not too weary to run; however, they had one great inducement to do
so. Osman Khan was heard by our Sipahees to order his men not to fire on
those who ran, but to spare them. A chief, probably the same, rode round
Kershaw three times, when he was compelled to run with his men; he waved
his sword over his head, but never attempted to kill him; and Capt.
Trevor says his life was several times in the power of the enemy, but he
also was spared.
Another great fault committed was in taking only one gun; a second would
have supported the first: with only one, as soon as it was fired the
enemy could rush upon it; as they did.
The enemy assembled on the Siah Sung hill, and attacked eighty horsemen
sent in with letters by the King; they proved to be from Jellalabad. Our
people at first fired on the sikhs, but fortunately did no harm. The
enemy's cavalry then came down the Siah Sung hill, and escorted their
infantry into the forts beyond the river, which we had dismantled a few
days since. Our troops were in by two o'clock; before five, not an enemy
was to be seen, and our people were out searching for the dead. The
magazine being dropt within range of our guns was safe, and has been
brought in. Abdoollah Khan is supposed to have been killed. No
particular news from Jellalabad, where all was going on well. There was
no letter for me; but Lawrence came to tell me that Sale was well, and
busy getting in provisions.
_24th._--A letter has come in, supposed to be a forged seal, from Zeman
Shah Khan: it has been cautiously and courteously replied to.
A person has come in from Osman Khan (who is a nephew of the Ameer Dost
Mahommed) and Shumshir deen Khan, offering us terms: they propose that
we should leave the country, giving hostages that we will send the Dost
back to them. They say they do not wish to harm us, if we will only go
away; but that go we must, and give them back the Dost; that Mahommed
Akbar Khan (his son) will be here to-morrow with 6000 men; and that if
we do not come to terms, they will carry the cantonment; and that they
are ready to sacrifice 6000 men to do so.
What Sir William and the General's council of war (Shelton, Anquetil,
and Chambers) mean to do we know not; but our situation is far from
pleasant.
Gen. Elphinstone has written to the Envoy to-day; requesting him to
negotiate with the enemy, in consequence of the impossibility of our
going to the Bala Hissar, and Shelton concurs in opinion that we cannot
fight our way in: also stating we have upwards of 700 sick, and the
scarcity of provisions.
Last night an attempt was made to dismantle the bridge leading towards
Siah Sung, which succeeded partly: it is now made a flying bridge.
Sturt proposed to destroy the Rikabashees' fort, and throw a party that
was in it into the small fort near the bridge; but it was disapproved by
the Envoy, who said he would place a moollah he had confidence in, in
it, as the General said he could not afford twenty men to garrison it.
A boy of the Syce order, who had been a prisoner twenty days, has made
his escape from the city. He tells us, that Amenoollah Khan of Logur is
the chief who was killed by a grape-shot in the head yesterday.
Mahommed Akbar Khan has directed, that when the cantonments are taken,
the officers, their wives and families, are to be made prisoners, as
hostages for his father. If once in his power, we might be safe; but
these Ghazeeas are fanatics, and would cut us into mince-meat.
Poor Oliver's head and one hand were cut off when his body was found:
the latter was probably done to obtain a diamond ring which he always
wore. The heads of all the Europeans were taken away, and will no doubt
be exhibited as trophies!
_25th._--The Big-wigs are angry at any thing having transpired regarding
the letters that have come in from the chiefs; and say it is all a
mistake. Be that as it may, a guard of honour was turned out, on the
arrival of two men who refused to parley with Lawrence and Trevor, and
said they must see the Envoy and the General. At first they were said to
be Zeman Shah Khan and Osman Khan; then Jubhar Khan; and at last it
proved to be Sultan Khan and his private meerza. They held their
conference with the Envoy in the officer's guard-room of the rear
gateway.
The new king, Zeman Shah Khan, has written to the Envoy to say that he
has accepted the throne, not from his own wish, but to prevent greater
ills arising.
There was a very long and unsatisfactory conference with the ambassador.
He and his secretary rode sorry yaboos, and were only attended by their
saces. If their array was thus humble, their demands were sufficiently
exorbitant; and the terms they offered such as could not be accepted,
even by persons in our condition. They require that Shah Shoojah be
given up to them, with his family; demand all our guns and ammunition;
and that Gen. Sale's force should move to Peshawer before we march from
this place.
Mahommed Akbar Khan has arrived: we heard the firing in honour of his
arrival in the city. He is reported to have brought in an accession of
6000 men to the force, which was before estimated at 10,000 horse and
15,000 foot. The new arrivals are probably Uzbeks, and not far removed
from rabble; but even a mob may from numbers succeed against us.
The subadar of the native artillery has gone off, as also three of
Skinner's horse: these men are all said to have families in the city.
In the evening there was a great crowd of Affghans; some hundreds of
them, all armed to the teeth, round the cantonments. They came in the
most friendly manner, saying all was settled, _jung-i-kalūs_. The men
of the 44th went out of cantonments amongst them unarmed, were shaking
hands with them, and receiving cabbages from them, unchecked by Lieut.
Cadett, the officer on duty on that face, who seemed to think this
friendly meeting a very fine affair: however, the circumstance got
reported, and the adjutant got the men in.
This appears very like a ruse on the part of the enemy, to throw us off
our guard, and surprise us. It was suggested to the adjutant to examine
the cabbages; as it was possible that outer leaves might cover bladders
of spirits; and that, having intoxicated the men, they would when they
were drugged make an attack on us: however, nothing suspicious was
discovered.
We saw a fire on the hill this evening, supposed to be a party watching
our movements, towards the Bala Hissar.
There can be no doubt that the enemy have spies in cantonments; and
there are so many Affghan servants, that it is perhaps difficult to
prevent their passing in and out.
Two men of suspicious appearance were prowling about the Envoy's tent,
and Lawrence desired a chuprassy not to molest them, but quietly to
dodge them, and to report progress. This he did, and stated that the men
walked all over the cantonment, looked at every thing, and then walked
out at the gate! So much for surveillance.
It is now said that Abdoollah Khan was wounded by a grape shot on the
23d, and that there is no truth in the report of Amenoollah Khan, of
Logur, having been stabbed in a dispute in the council regarding terms
to the Feringhees.
Poor Walker was buried to-day. He died of his wound last night. He is
greatly regretted from his amiability; and, as a right gallant soldier,
his loss is doubly felt in the present crisis.
The Shah Razee (Moyen oo deen's father) commanded the troops in Behmaru.
He says, had we taken possession of the village in the outset, the day
would have been ours on the 23d. We have also heard that so great was
the alarm in Cabul, when the Affghans fled on Abdoollah Khan's being
wounded, that the women were sent away out of the city in great numbers;
and many in such haste, that they did not even wait to mount them on
yaboos, but sent them away on foot, expecting to see our troops in the
city immediately.
Great care is taken of the firewood in store in cantonments, and much
discontent prevails because fires are not allowed. The Hindostanees feel
the severity of the weather, to which they are exposed night and day;
and the want of fuel adds much misery to their privations in being put
on short allowance of food. There is at this time a complete winter
stock of firing laid in; added to which, on emergency, the trees of the
orchard might be cut down.
Capt. Sturt was urgent, both with Gen. Elphinstone and Brig. Shelton,
that the men might have fires at night to enable them to warm themselves
and dry their frosted clothes when coming off duty: but no order was
given in consequence of his suggestions.
_26th._--Negotiations with the enemy broken off.
Accounts received from Sale up to the 21st; from Macgregor to the 23d.
The Khyberries up. Capt. Fenis and his family had fled, and got safe to
Peshawer. Lieut. Mackeson was still in Alimusjid in rather a critical
position. To-day the Affghans lined the hills; some thousands of them,
with many horsemen. They afterwards came down to the plain, and we
expected an attack upon the cantonments. On their nearer approach, they
were found to be mostly unarmed; some had sticks, some sticks with a
knife tied on the end of them: they were merely the shopkeepers, come
out to look at us. The Affghan knife is a very formidable weapon, about
two feet long, and thicker, stronger, and broader than a sword, and as
sharp as possible.
Some of these men went up to the breach of the captured fort, and asked,
as the _jung_ was over, if they might not return, and live there. And on
being told, "No," they said, "Very well; we will go away to-day, and
come again to-morrow, and see if we may come then."
One well-dressed man inquired if the volunteer regiment (37th) was
there; and being replied to in the affirmative, said, "I want my horse
back that I lost the other day; have I any chance of getting it?"
All this coming close to our works, and spying, ought to have been
stopped.
Sturt called out to them in Persian, and warned them off, or he would
open the guns upon them. Some respectable people begged, for God's sake,
he would not do so; for they were not warriors, but had come out to see
sights and amuse themselves.
Sturt saw a man meanly dressed on foot stealing up close to the walls,
and called out "_Pēsh Burrō;_" on which he raised his hand,
telescope fashion, to his eye, and showed the end of a note. He was
passed on to the gate, and admitted into cantonments; and was said to be
the bearer of a letter from Mahommed Akbar Khan. However, this is
denied, or even that any letter came.
Whenever the political horizon clears a little, mystery becomes the
order of the day. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh;" and when overwhelmed with perplexity, the directors of events
here are not so close. However, events do transpire, and we know that
treaties are on foot with the Ghilzye chiefs; though that too is denied
to-day.
Meer Musjudee is dead. Some say he has been poisoned; others that he
died in consequence of the wounds he received last year in the Kohistan.
A number of this chief's followers have gone off with the body to the
Kohistan, there to attend his funeral obsequies.
A report has come to us through the enemy, that three regiments, from
Kandahar, have got beyond Ghuznee, somewhere about Shecoabad; that there
has been an engagement; and that though the Affghans could not conquer
them, they still have been able to prevent their progress.
Sleet in the morning; and in the afternoon snow, which soon froze.
_27th._--We had a quiet night; and it continued tranquil till the middle
of this day; when the horsemen again took post on the hills, and
escorted infantry to the right, and down into the village of Behmaru,
into which we threw some shells.
The negotiations are now come quite to a close. The enemy's demands were
modest, considering that they were the first to treat, it is said. They
require, in addition to giving up the King and his family into their
hands, all our guns and ammunition, muskets, bayonets, pistols, and
swords. The married men, women, and children, to be given as hostages;
and then--we are to trust to their generosity! To this the Envoy sent a
chivalrous reply,--That death was preferable to dishonour,--that we put
our trust in the God of battles, and in His name bade them come on.
The King is in an awful state of alarm; for he has been told that we
have been making terms for our free exit out of the country, paying for
the same five lakhs of rupees; and leaving him to his fate, poor man! He
is certainly to be pitied (if not at the bottom of it all), fallen from
his high estate, and believing us to have abandoned him.
Jan Fishan Khan is the only chief who stands by him; and he has had his
forts and property destroyed: his wives and children, he hopes, may have
been saved by some of his neighbours; but, as yet, he only knows the
fate of one young boy, who was burnt alive. He had one wife with him in
Cabul when the insurrection broke out, and urged her to fly to Pughman
for safety; the old chief told me, her reply was worth a lakh of rupees,
"I will not leave you; if you fall, we die together; and if you are
victorious, we will rejoice together!"
Some say that Mahommed Akbar Khan is now King, and Zeman Shah Khan his
Wuzeer: others state that the latter refuses to give up his lately
acquired power.
Ishmatoolah (the Akhoonzada or old moollah from Kandahar, who was to
have gone with Sir William to Bombay), has taken himself off, leaving a
message for the Envoy to say that he was gone to the city. A messenger
was sent to his son, Khojeh Meer, in Behmaru; who stated that two
respectable persons came to fetch the moollah, reporting that they did
so by order of Mahomed Akbar Khan, who required his immediate
attendance, as Lawrence and Trevor were both with him, and the Envoy
coming. Whether the father and son are in league or not, remains to be
proved; but this man's secession (who was much in Sir William's
confidence) has caused us all to be on the alert, expecting an attack,
or mischief of some kind.
There was an absurd report to-day, that the enemy had sent us back the
gun they captured on the 23d, with the horses; and the gullibility of
John Bull was proved by many persons leaving an auction of some of the
deceased officers' property, to go to the Kohistan gate, and find it was
all nonsense.
_28th._--Shelled the village of Behmaru, whence the enemy annoyed us by
firing on our yaboos sent out to endeavour to procure grain.