CHARASIA. October 6th., 1879.

On the death of Shere Ali, his son Yacoub Khan, who had rebelled against, and had been imprisoned by his father, succeeded him as Ameer of Afghanistan. Negociations for peace were opened with him, and he visited the British camp at Gundamuck, where he was received with honour by General Sir S. Browne and 265his staff. After some preliminaries a treaty was signed and ratified on May 30th., 1879; by which the Ameer agreed—to place the Foreign relations of Afghanistan under British control, to have a British resident at Cabul, and to allow the occupation of the Khyber Pass, and the Kuram and Pisheen Valleys, by the British; who were to pay him an annual subsidy of six lakhs of rupees, while he adhered to his engagements. A lasting peace seemed now to be assured, and in accordance with the terms of the treaty; Sir Louis Cavagnari, with Mr. Jenkins as his Secretary, Dr. Kelly as Medical Officer, and an escort of twenty-five Cavalry and fifty Infantry of the Guides, under Lieut. Hamilton, were despatched to Cabul, arriving there on July 24th. For a time all went well. Daily supplies of fruit, milk, and vegetables, were sent from the Ameer to the Envoy, who rode out continually with his staff and a small escort, to the various places of interest in the neighbourhood of the city. But on August 5th. some regiments from Herat arrived at Cabul, who used insulting language to the Resident, and quarrels and outbreaks arose between them and the men of his escort. These regiments had never been defeated by the British, and they taunted the Cabulese with being cowards. On the night of September 2nd., the Herat regiments aided by the populace, attacked the Residency, and after an heroic resistance lasting for hours, the Envoy, the three English Officers, and almost all the escort were slaughtered; a few natives only escaping. Twenty-four hours after, the news of the massacre reached the Kuram Valley, and from thence was telegraphed to Lord Lytton at Simla. No time was lost in endeavouring to avenge the outrage. General Sir F. Roberts, who was then at Simla, started the next day for Ali Kheyl, with orders to advance as rapidly as possible on Cabul; General Sir Donald Stewart who had but just evacuated Candahar, was ordered to return and reoccupy that place, and a reserve of 5000 men was assembled between Rawul Pindee, and Peshawur. On September 13th., General Baker took command of the troops at the Shutargardan Pass, the 23rd. Pioneers, the 5th. Ghoorkas, and the 72nd., and occupied a position at Kushi. Want of transport animals was the greatest obstacle to a rapid advance. When the previous campaign was ended, as usual with mistaken economy, everything 266was sold and scattered, and now everything had to be replaced at any expense. All the available animals near the frontier were secured, and with the utmost exertions Sir F. Roberts managed to collect sufficient cattle to make an advance, with three or four months supplies for about 6000 troops, and 3,500 camp followers. On September 27th. he started from Ali Kheyl, and the advance commenced. On the route to the Shutargardan, some attacks were made on the baggage convoys by the Mangals, who were repulsed, and on the 29th. the General arrived at Kushi, where he met with the Ameer, Yakoub Khan, who had ridden into the camp the preceding day and surrendered himself, with his eldest son and ministers. The Ameer stated that his power was gone, and that he had been dethroned by his rebellious troops. An Officer present wrote—“What his true reasons for this step may have been, we never knew; certainly not the one he gave, for no Afghan ever told the truth intentionally.” Ultimately the complicity of the Ameer with the Massacre of the British Mission was proved, and he was sent to India, where he was detained as a state prisoner.

Meanwhile Sir F. Roberts pushed on towards Cabul, and on October 6th. encountered the Afghan Army, who had taken up an almost impregnable position at Charasia, about eleven miles from that city. The valley here is narrowed to a mere defile, on both sides of which the enemy had placed guns in position, and had lined the steep and barren heights with troops. Only one brigade of Infantry, that of Brigadier Baker, with the addition of the 92nd. Regiment was to the front, the remainder of the force with the cavalry, under Brigadier-General Macpherson, being on march in the rear, in charge of the commissariat and reserve ammunition, and did not come up till the battle was over. The General convinced that any delay before the enemy would lead to a general rising of the tribes, determined to attack at once; and as their front position was of great strength, made his real attack by a flanking movement on their right, while he occupied their left by a feint. He divided his force into two columns; one, under General Baker, was to storm the heights of the Chardeh Valley which formed the Afghan right; and the other under Major White, of the 92nd., was directed to attack the Sang-i-Nawishtu defile; and as 267General Macpherson’s brigade was advancing, a small reserve only was left in defence of the camp.

Baker’s column advanced over the bare hills, flanked by steep rocky crags, easily defensible against any force, more than 1,500 feet in height; and carried the first position, though the Afghans, armed with Sniders and Enfields, kept up a continuous fire, and it was nearly two hours before they retreated to a second ridge, about six hundred yards in the rear. This position too was carried by the troops in successive rushes, supported by the fire of the mountain guns; and by 3.45 the enemy’s defences were captured, or taken in reverse.

In the meantime Major White had turned his feigned, into a real attack on the Sang-i-Nawishtu defile, though there the enemy was strongly posted, and outnumbered his men ten to one. Finding that his artillery was powerless, he led his men in person from one steep ledge to another, till at length being opposed face to face by an overwhelming number of Afghans, he took a rifle, and shooting their leader dead, his followers fled, leaving four mountain guns behind them. He pursued them through the Pass, and effected a junction with General Baker in the rear of the enemy’s position. By four o’clock, the Afghans were in complete rout, flying towards Cabul, with the loss of two standards, and all their guns (twenty pieces), three hundred killed and a vast number wounded. The British loss was twenty killed, and less than seventy wounded.

General Macpherson having arrived in the camp, Sir F. Roberts marched the next morning towards Cabul, and on October 8th. established himself in the cantonments of Sherpur, where seventy-three guns were taken,^[92] and occupied the Bala Hissar, or citadel of Cabul.

The troops engaged in this affair, were the 9th. Lancers, 12th. Bengal Cavalry, 14th. Bengal Lancers, 5th. Punjaub Cavalry, the 67th., 72nd., and 92nd. Foot, Bengal Sappers and Miners, 23rd. and 28th. Bengal Infantry, 5th. Ghoorkas, 5th. Punjaub Infantry, one Battery R. H. A., and two Mountain Batteries.

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