Battle of Gandamak
Battle of Gandamak | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the First Anglo-Afghan War, 1839–1842 | |||||||
![]() An 1898 depiction of the last stand of survivors of Her Majesty's 44th Foot at Gandamak | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
![]() |
| ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Wazir Akbar Khan | William Elphinstone (POW) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | 65 regular troops (20 officers and 45 European soldiers) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | ~65 soldiers killed, missing, or captured |
The Battle of Gandamark on 13 January 1842 was a defeat of British forces by Afghan tribesmen in the 1842 retreat from Kabul of General Elphinstone's army, during which the last survivors of the force—twenty officers and forty-five British soldiers of the 44th East Essex Regiment—were killed.[1]
The biggest single surviving group of men, consisting of 20 officers and 45 European soldiers, mostly infantry from the 44th Regiment of Foot, tried to press on but found themselves surrounded on a snowy hillock near the village of Gandamak. With only 20 working muskets and two shots per weapon, the troops refused to surrender. A British sergeant is said to have cried "not bloody likely!" when the Afghans tried to persuade the soldiers they would spare their lives.[2]
Sniping then began, followed by a series of rushes; soon the hillock was overrun by tribesmen. An officer named Captain Souter was mistaken by the Afghans as a high-ranking officer because they thought he was wearing a general's yellow waistcoat. In fact the officer had wrapped the regimental colours of the 44th Foot around his body. He was dragged into captivity along with a sergeant named Fair and seven privates. The remaining troops were killed.[2]
References[]
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 450: see the second line:- "....was the scene of the massacre....". .
- ^ a b Terence R. Blackburn. David, The extermination of a British army: the retreat from Cabul, 2008 APH Publishing Corporation. p.121
- Afghanistan stubs
- 1842 in military history
- 1842 in Afghanistan
- January 1842 events
- First Anglo-Afghan War