The Anglo-Afghan Wars 1839-1919

100 Pages·2009·33.57 MB·English

by  Gregory Fremont-Barnes

GREGORY FREMONT-BARNES
holds a doctorate in Modern
History from Oxford University
and serves as a Senior Lecturer in
War Studies at the Royal Military
Academy Sandhurst, dividing his
work between teaching cadets on
site and commissioned officers
of the British Army posted to
garrisons throughout the UK
and abroad. His writing focuses
principally on the military and
naval history of the 18th and
19th centuries.
PROFESSOR ROBERT O'NEILL,
AO D.Phil. (Oxon), Hon D. Litt.
(ANU), FASSA, is the Series Editor
of the Essential Histories.
His wealth of knowledge and
expertise shapes the series
content and provides up-to-the-
minute research and theory. Born
in 1936 an Australian citizen,
he served in the Australian Army,
and has held a number of emi
nent positions in history circles,
including Chichele Professor of
the History of War at All Souls
College, Oxford, and Chairman
of the Board of the Imperial War
Museum and the Council of the
International Institute for
Strategic Studies, London.
He is the author of many books
including works on the German
Army and the Nazi Party, and the
Korean and Vietnam wars. Now
based in Australia on his
retirement from Oxford he is the
Director of the Lowy Institute for
International Policy and Planning
Director of the US Studies Centre
at the University of Sydney.
Essential Histories
The Anglo-Afghan Wars
1839-1919

Essential Histories
The Anglo-Afghan Wars
1839-1919
Gregory Fremont-Barnes
Readers should note that consistent transliteration from Glossary
Pashtun, Dari and other Afghan languages into English is
problematic, particularly with respect to place names and
family names, many of which bore different renderings in the Abattis Defence work consisting of a tree with
19th century than they do today, thus: Kandahar/Qandahar; sharpened branches, felled so that its branches
Kabul/Cabool/Cabul/Cabaul/Qabul;Jellalabad/Jalalabad; point outwards
Jugdulluk/Jagdalak; Khoord Cabul Pass/Khurd-Kabul Pass;
Doolie Covered stretcher litter or palanquin for the
Ali Musjid/Ali Masjid; Gilzai/Gilzye, etc.The author has therefore
adopted the most commonly accepted form or that which evacuation of the wounded
most closely reflects local pronunciation. Feringee A disparaging term for a European
On an historical note, readers should be aware that until 1858 Ghazi Fighter for the Faith who has killed an infidel
Indian affairs were managed jointly between Crown officials
and those of the East India Company (EIC). In London, the Havildar Indian infantry sergeant
apparatus of the former consisted of the Secretary of State Infidel Unbeliever
for War and the Colonies, who issued instructions to the
Governor-General in Calcutta and the Board of Control, whose Jezail Long-barrelled matchlock musket carried
president, as a cabinet minister was accountable to Parliament. by tribesmen
In Calcutta was the EIC, originally a chartered company with
Jihad Holy war
purely commercial concerns, but which by the 18th century
exercised wide political and military control over much of the Jirga Assembly of tribal elders or representatives
subcontinent on behalf of the Crown.The EIC maintained
Kotal Mountain pass
its own armies, which served in conjunction with those
of the Crown, all commanded by a cabinet-appointed Lakh 100,000 rupees, the equivalent of £ 10,000 today
commander-in-chief answerable to the War Office in London.
Mullah Religious teacher, leader or holy man
In I 858, the EIC was disbanded, the Crown assuming all
authority over India via the Secretary of State for India, who Nullah Small valley or ravine
sat in the cabinet, a civilian viceroy, and a commander-in-chief
of the newly established, British-led Indian Army. Poshteen Sheepskin jacket with a fleece lining
Sangar Stone breastwork
Sepoy Indian infantryman
Sirdar Commander
Sowar Indian cavalry trooper
Wazir Chief minister or advisor
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09 10 II 12 13 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 32 1
Contents
Introduction 7
Chronology 10
PART l:THE FIRST ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR, 1839-42
Origins and background of the war 14
Warring sides I 8
The fighting 20
How the war ended 33
Portrait of a civilian: Florentia, Lady Sale (1787-1 853) 37
The world around war: the playground of the Great Game 43
PART ll:THE SECOND ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR, 1878-81
Origins and background of the war 50
Warring sides 54
The fighting 56
How the war ended 72
Portrait of a soldier: Arthur Male, Army chaplain, I 3th Hussars 74
PART IILTHETHIRD ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR, 1919
Origins and background of the war 80
Warring sides 82
The fighting 83
How the war ended 85
Conclusion and consequences 86
Bibliography and further reading 92
Index 94

Introduction
On 13 January 1842, a British officer, Afghanistan would become a byword for
perched on the rooftop of the fortress at savage and cunning enemies, inhospitable
Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, spotted climate, bitter winters, scorching summers
a lone horseman, hunched over and and rugged and beautiful terrain, including
exhausted, ponderously approaching. deep ravines and precipitous mountains,
The rider was Dr William Brydon, an all ideal for mounting defence and ambush.
army surgeon and the sole survivor of an Afghanistan appeared a seemingly
Anglo-Indian army of 16,000 soldiers and unconquerable place where heroism,
camp followers that had left Kabul only a cowardice and sacrifice abounded, and
week before - now utterly annihilated by where death awaited those foolish enough
exhaustion, frostbite and almost continuous to venture across the frontier without the
attack by Afghan tribesmen. The total most careful attention paid to strategy and
destruction of the Army of the Indus proper supply, organization and transport.
exemplified the nature of fighting in The country's infamous reputation for
this forbidding and hostile environment, causing suffering on campaign inspired
populated by fiercely independent, Rudyard Kipling to produce one of the
ferocious war-minded peoples, indeed most popular poems of the age:
perhaps the most formidable guerrilla
fighters in the world. To the British,
The British camp at Pezwan, September I 880.
Indian and Gurkha soldier of this period, (Author's collection)
8 Essential Histories • The Anglo-Afghan Wars I 839-1919
When you're wounded and left on to the problem at the heart of the first two
Afghanistan's plains, conflicts, at least, could never lie in military
An' the women come out to cut up intervention alone.
what remains, Britain's fear of Russian expansion into
Jest roll to your rifle an' blow out Afghanistan formed the backdrop of its first
your brains, two conflicts; in the first instance, fought
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier. between 1839 and 1842, the Governor-
General of India insisted upon an invasion
Yet if Afghanistan was to prove the graveyard even after the ostensible reason for hostility
of many a soldier, it was only one amongst had passed. The consequences were
many of the conflicts waged by Britain devastating, for after their initially successful
during Victoria's reign (1837-1901). Every campaign, in which Anglo-Indian forces
year of her reign saw her forces deployed imposed on the Afghans an unacceptable
on campaign somewhere across the globe, ruler, they proceeded down the road of
particularly in Africa and Asia, in an folly by attempting to control the country
uninterrupted series of colonial wars and through mere occupation. The result is well
minor operations to protect British nationals known: unable to hold even Kabul, the army
and British interests, shift a frontier in the withdrew towards India, only to meet its
Empire's favour, suppress a mutiny or revolt, inevitable demise along the snow-bound
or repel an attack. As the world's leading roads and passes en route to Jalalabad.
imperial power, Britain waged these Subsequent operations went some way
campaigns without hesitation, and towards resurrecting British prestige, but
with the full confidence of ultimate the lesson was clear: despite a century of
victory against foes who were inevitably military success in India, British arms were
numerically superior, yet technologically and not invincible, and Afghanistan could not
organizationally inferior. Such was the price long be held under foreign sway.
of maintaining and expanding the Empire, Nevertheless, Anglo-Russian rivalry in
of upholding the nation's pride in its own Central Asia led to a second British invasion
perceived cultural, economic and political of Afghanistan (1878-81), leading to yet
superiority in the world - and usually at another partial and temporary - though
relatively little cost. militarily more successful - occupation,
Amongst all these conflicts, however, the for effective control, especially of the vast
three Anglo-Afghan Wars (1839-42, 1878-81 countryside, again proved impossible.
and 1919) stand out. In military terms they As in the first war, the British would
shared much in common with other British suffer a crushing defeat, at Maiwand,
campaigns - initial, sometimes even with their reputation only restored after
catastrophic failure, but ultimate victory achieving a decisive victory over the
in the field. Yet in political terms the wars Afghans at Kandahar. But the war would
ended uneasily at best and disastrously at finish on the basis of compromise, with
worst, with an extension of British influence Britain controlling the foreign policy of
but never extensive annexation or evidence Afghanistan, a point that largely contributed
that the original aims could not have been to a third, but much shorter and less costly
achieved through diplomacy alone. The wars conflict in 1919, when Afghanistan sought
were marked by varying degrees of political to throw off the last vestiges of British
and military incompetence and brilliance, control over its internal affairs.
disaster and triumph in rapid succession. The origins of Britain's wars in
There were also plentiful examples of Afghanistan may be traced to its obsession
supreme folly by politicians, who failed with the vulnerability of the Indian
to identify at the outset clear political subcontinent - its greatest imperial
objectives or recognize that the solution possession - to possible invasion by