Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
The siege of the Sherpur Cantonment | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of Second Anglo-Afghan War | |||||||
Assault on the Sherpur cantonment. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Afghanistan | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Frederick Roberts | Mohammed Jan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
7,000 Anglo-Indian troops | 50,000 tribal warriors[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
33 dead and wounded | 3,000 killed[1] |
The siege of the Sherpur Cantonment was a battle fought in December 1879, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
Background
On 3 September 1879 Sir
Resident in Kabul, and his escort were massacred by mutinous Afghan troops, initiating the second phase of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. A force was assembled and named the Kabul Field Force, under the command of Major-General Frederick Roberts. After defeating Afghan forces at Chariasab on 6 October, Roberts marched into Kabul on 13 October. With Kabul itself vulnerable to attack, Roberts based his force in the unfinished Sherpur cantonment, a mile north of the city. A military commission was then set up to try those responsible for Cavagnari's death. While a strong response to the murders was considered necessary, the resultant public executions helped unite Afghan opposition against the British presence.[2]
At the end of November, an army of tribesmen under the command of
14th Bengal Lancers encountered a 10,000+ Afghan army advancing on Kabul.[3] In an attempt to delay the advance, the outnumbered Lancers charged the Afghans.[3] Heavy casualties were suffered and the Afghans continued their advance.[3] Anglican chaplain James Adams was awarded the Victoria Cross for rescuing the wounded.[4]
The siege
On 15 December, the Afghan army began to
relief column under the command of Brigadier General Charles Gough reached Mohammed Jan, he ordered his troops to storm the cantonment on 23 December. By midday, the assault had been repulsed, and the Afghan army dispersed. No quarter was given to Afghans found in the area with weapons.[5]
The
military cemetery.[6]
Order of battle
British regiments
- 9th Lancers
- 67th Foot
- 72nd Highlanders
- 92nd Highlanders
British Indian Army regiments
- 12th Cavalry
- 14th Murray’s Lancers
- Queen’s Own Corps of Guides
- 5th Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force
- 1st PWO Sappers and Miners
- 23rd Bengal Native Infantry (Pioneers)
- 28th Bengal Native Infantry (Punjabis)
- 3rd Sikh Infantry
- 5th Punjabis (Vaughan’s Rifles)
- 2nd Gurkha Rifles
- 4th Gurkha Rifles
- 5th Gurkha Rifles
- 22nd (Derajat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
- 24th (Hazara) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
Gallery
-
The Afghan forces charge (illustration by Sidney Paget)
-
Bengal Sapper and Miners Bastion, in Sherpur Cantonment circa 1879
-
View inside the Sherpur Cantonment today
References
- ^ a b British Battles: The Second Anglo-Afghan War. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35768. Retrieved 25 February 2009. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c A Short History of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers 1715–1949
- ^ "No. 25008". The London Gazette. 26 August 1881. p. 4393.
- Gutenberg ProjectE-book.
- ^ Afghanistan's 'graveyard of foreigners'