THE MASSACRE OF THE BRITISH BY THE AFGHANS IN 1842.

Kumara Times, Issue 974, 13 November 1879, Page 4

THE MASSACRE OF THE BRITISH BY THE AFGHANS IN 1842.

One of the most terrible episodea in the annals of the British army occurred in the retreat from Cabul in 1842, when, out of a force of 1450 regulars and 12,000 camp followers, with the exception of 130 prisoners subsequently recovered, only one man (Dr Brydon) escaped, wounded, fainting, and half-dead, to tell the fearful tale. When Shah Shuja was placed upon the throne on August 7,1839, Sir John Keane, supposing the war at an end, returned to India and was made a peer, leaving in Cabul besides the Shah's force, which was commanded by British officers, 8000 troops under Sir Willoughby Cotton, with Sir W. Macnaughten and Sir A Burns as envoys. Meanwhile the Indian treasury commenced to feel the cost of keeping an army of 25,000 men in Afghanistan, and the court of directors recommended Lord Auckland to withdraw it, and leave Shah Shuja to manage his own affairs. In place of doing this Lord Auckland commenced to reduce expenses by stopping the compensation hither granted to native chiefs in place of the plunder to which they had been accustomed. The first to receive notice of this were the Ghilzais, who thereupon plundered the first caravan they met, and with the assistance of other tribes, cut off all communication with Cabul, and speedily stirred up the whole country against the British. A considerable portion of the British troops at Cabul were at first quartered in the Bala Hissar, a fortress which stands upon a hill, and commands the whole town. It had ramparts 25ft high, a ditch glacis and bastioned forts, mounting a large number of guns of heavy calibre, and is capable of accomodating 5000 men, and of standing a lengthened siege. Had the troops remained in this fortress, the terrible fate which subsequently befell them might possibly have been avoided altogether, or in all probability its horrors might have been materially mitigated ; but in 1840, at the request of Shah Shuja, who wanted it for his seraglio, the fortress was evacuated and the troops turned into exposed cantonments in the open plain, protected only by a low parapet and a few outlying forts. On Nov. 2, 1841, when Sir Willoughby Cotton had been succeeded in command by General Elphinstone, who is represented as shattered in constitution, both mentally and bodily, the revolt previously referred to broke out, and extended to Cabul, where Sir Alexander Burnes and his brother were murdered. The rising was headed by Akbar Khan, the son of Dost Mahomed, who himself had previously surrendered and been sent to Hindostan ; and the whole country was in a blaae with a view to the extermination of the hated Feringhee. Sir Robert Sale was at this time on the road to Jellalabad, with 300 sick and wounded, and refused to obey a message from General Elphinstone recalling him to Cabul on account of the intense rigour of the winter, and because he was short of provisions and anmnition. On Dec. 23, Sit William Macnaughten, who went to a conference with Akbar Khan, was shot by Akbar's own hand with a pistol presented by Sir William to him on the previous day, and his mutilated corpse was carried in triumph through Cabul, the officers accompanying Sir William being made prisoners. Qn the 26th a treaty was ratified with Akbar Khan, by which the English agreed: to give up all their guns, with the exception of six, and all treasure in their possession, to leave four officers as hostages, and 40,000 rupees in bills drawn upon India, but negotiated by Indian bankers on the spot. In return Akbar Khan agreed to conduct the army in safety to General Sale at Jellalabad, which is 90 miles distant from Cabul, but at the same time he had resolved upon its entire destruciion, and had taken an oath upon the Koran to that effect. He knew that he had them in his power; that the rigorous winter had set in; that the snow was deep in the passes, that they had before them a march of 200 miles to reach Peshawnr. On Jan. 6, 1842, the ill-fated army left its cantonments, amidst the jeers and insults of the Afghans. On the eighth, Major Pottinter and Captains Lawrence and M'Kenzie were given over as hostages for the surrender of Jellalabad C by General Sale, and the complete evacuation of Afghan territory by the British, and on that day the army entered the Koord Cabnl Pass, a narrow defile with precipitous rocks several hundred feet high on cither side ; but before entering the pass they had been tired on by their treacherous fie. The weather was frosty with a foot deep of snow upon the ground : men women, arid children dropped, and, with the wounded, were left to die upon the road by the cold, and the verjgeful knives of the Afghans. Tnera was general confusion, each tried to save himself, all discipline was lost; the Ghilzais attacked the rear guard, and murdered all that they could lay hands on, and carried off young girls into captivity. A leaden hail rained down upon them from every height, and, to make matters, if possible, worse, some of the artillerymen, deperate with cold and privation, seized upon the stores of brandy, and met their death in a state of furious intoxication ; and had It not been that Major Thain, with a company of the 37th infantry, beat back the euemy for a time, it i s probable that at this spot all would have been massacred Laoy Sale, to whom we are indebted for the Wst description of this horrible tragedy, on this day received a bullet through her arm, and during the clay 500 regulars and 2500 camp followers fell Durmg the night numbers perished from

cold, and half of those still living are said owing to wounds and frostbites, to have been almost incapable of proceeding. Hundreds of poor wretches were left to die from the knives of their pursuers, and all that could, seized upon any animal upon which they could lay their hands, the weaker, of course, going to the wall. On the ninth only three camel loads of ammunition were left, and most of the soldiers, who were armed with the useless and antiquated musket, had not a single cartridge in their pouches. It was on this day that the married officers with their wives and children, including Lady Sale, were handed over to Akbar Khan, and these subsequently escaped. The fighting men, accompanied by such camp followers as were capable or proceeding, still passed on, a confused and terrorstricken crowd, regardless of all orders or discipline. The Sepoys were especially singled out by the Afghans, and every native infantryman perished. On arriving at the Tinghee Tareekee, or the Dark Pass, the Afghans, growing bolder with success, rushed down in force and massacred indiscriminately, so that by night, only a total of 4,000 survived of the 14,500 which had left Cabul three days previously. Meanwhile, the treacherous Akbar arrived on the scene and pleaded his inability to restrain the Ghilzais with his small force, but offered to protect the officers remaining if they would give up their weapons and surrender. This offer they declined, and determined, if possible, by a forced march during the night to get through the Jugdnlluk Pass, 24 miles distant, before the enemy would anticipate their approach. This pass is two mileß long and very narrow, with precipitous rocks commanding it on either side. They hoped that if they could once get through it they might be able to reach Jellalabad. For a while they were less barrassed, but before long Akbar Khan with his horsemen came up with them ; they had been 30 hours without food, and the enemy, with devilish cunning, planted themselves at every running stream, knowing that the pangs of thirst would thus be added to their other miseries. At JugduUuck only 450 men of the infantry, dismounted artillerymen, and 25 of the cavalry, and some camp followers survived. I On the 12th a furious attack was made on all sides, with a view of completing the work of destruction; but the survivors, suffering as they were from cold, hunger, and thirst, still fought heroically for their lives, and beat of the assailants. During the struggle Captain Souter of the 44th, and Lieutenant Cumberland tore the colors from the staffs and wound them round their bodies under their pelisses. This act subsequently led to preservation of the life of Captain Souter, as he was on this account suppossed by the Afghans to be some great chief for whom a handsome ransom would be paid. General Elphinstone and Brigadier Shelton here fell into the hands of the enemy. The march was then resumed, the wounded and sick, notwithstanding their piteous appeals, being unavoidably left to have their sufferings ended by the Afghan steel. At a gorge two miles from Jugd-il-luk, where the snow was very deep and precipices on either side, they found two barriers thrown accross the road and the enemy awaiting their approach in great force. The confusion here was worse than ever. The few remaining cavalry, in their desperation, galloped over the infantry in hopes of gaining Jellalabad, and the infantry, furious at being ridden over, fired at them. Brigadier Anquetil and 20 other officers fell here, and the carnage was immense. On the 13 th as day dawned it was seen that the enemy's numbers were much increased, the force being now reduced to about 70 regulars and 300 camp followers. They were obliged to leave the road and take refuge upon a hill near Gundamuk, and hostilities were suspended for an hour, while Captain Kaye endeavored to make terms for the remnant to be allowed to proceed to Jallalabad. However, the Afghans suddenly recommenced hostilities by attempting to snatch the arms from the men's hands; they were, however, repulsed several times until the last of the ammunition was expended, and the fighting men reduced to thirty, when the enemy rushed on, knif6 iu hand, and slaughtered every man wi h the exception of Captain Souter and seven or eight men of the 44th, who, were taken prisoners, and Dr Brydon, who wounded and bleeding, somehow escaped notice, and ultimately made his way to Jellalabad the sole survivor, with the exception of about 120 prisoners, of the 14,500 men who had left Cabul under promise of safe conduct ten days previously. To avenge these disasters and recover the prisoners, a force under General Pollock was despatched ; but it was not until April 36, 1842, that he could relieve Jellalabad. On Sept. 15 he occupied Cabul, where he was joined by General Nott, who had re-taken and dismantled Ghuzni. The prisoners were recovered, the Bala Hissar and the Central bazaar of Cabul were destroyed, and Afghanistan finally evacuated during the year 1842. Shah Shuja had been assassinated immediately after the departure of the ill-fated garrison; Dost Mahommed was re-leased and again oc?s?q a?, 6 t t rone until his deat »> 1863 ; 4kbar Khan was made Vizier, but died m 1848. ♦ '