The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80. Archibald Forbes
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Archibald Forbes
The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80
Published by Good Press, 2019
EAN 4057664588036
Table of Contents
PART I: THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR
CHAPTER II: THE MARCH TO CABUL
CHAPTER III: THE FIRST YEAR OF OCCUPATION
CHAPTER IV: THE SECOND YEAR OF OCCUPATION
CHAPTER V: THE BEGINNING OF THE END
CHAPTER VIII: THE SIEGE AND DEFENCE OF JELLALABAD
CHAPTER IX: RETRIBUTION AND RESCUE
PART II: THE SECOND AFGHAN WAR
CHAPTER II: THE OPENING OF THE SECOND CAMPAIGN
CHAPTER III: THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM
CHAPTER IV: THE DECEMBER STORM
CHAPTER V: ON THE DEFENSIVE IN SHERPUR
CHAPTER VII: THE AMEER ABDURRAHMAN
CHAPTER VIII: MAIWAND AND THE GREAT MARCH
CHAPTER IX: THE BATTLE OF CANDAHAR
PART I.—THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR
CHAP.
I.—PRELIMINARY
II.—THE MARCH TO CABUL
III.—THE FIRST YEAR OF OCCUPATION
IV.—THE SECOND YEAR OF OCCUPATION
V.—THE BEGINNING OF THE END
VI.—THE ROAD TO RUIN
VII.—THE CATASTROPHE
VIII.—THE SIEGE AND DEFENCE OF JELLALABAD
IX.—RETRIBUTION AND RESCUE
PART II.—THE SECOND AFGHAN WAR
I.—THE FIRST CAMPAIGN
II.—THE OPENING OF THE SECOND CAMPAIGN
III.—THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM
IV.—THE DECEMBER STORM
V.—ON THE DEFENSIVE IN SHERPUR
VI.—AHMED KHEL
VII.—THE AMEER ABDURRAHMAN
VIII.—MAIWAND AND THE GREAT MARCH
IX.—THE BATTLE OF CANDAHAR * * * * *
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND PLANS
PORTRAIT OF SIR FREDERICK ROBERTS Frontispiece
PLAN OF CABUL, THE CANTONMENT
PORTRAIT OF SIR GEORGE POLLOCK
PORTRAIT OF SIR LOUIS CAVAGNARI AND SIRDARS
PLAN OF CABUL SHOWING THE ACTIONS, DEC. 11–14
PLAN OF ACTION, AHMED KHEL
PORTRAIT OF THE AMEER ABDURRAHMAN
PLAN OF THE ACTION OF MAIWAND
PLAN OF THE ACTION OF CANDAHAR
The Portraits of Sir G. Pollock and Sir F. Roberts are engraved by permission of Messrs Henry Graves & Co.
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THE AFGHAN WARS
PART I: THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR
CHAPTER I: PRELIMINARY
Since it was the British complications with Persia which mainly furnished what pretext there was for the invasion of Afghanistan by an Anglo-Indian army in 1839, some brief recital is necessary of the relations between Great Britain and Persia prior to that aggression.
By a treaty, concluded between England and Persia in 1814, the former state bound itself, in case of the invasion of Persia by any European nation, to aid the Shah either with troops from India or by the payment of an annual subsidy in support of his war expenses. It was a dangerous engagement, even with the caveat rendering the undertaking inoperative if such invasion should be provoked by Persia. During the fierce struggle of 1825–7, between Abbas Meerza and the Russian General Paskevitch, England refrained from supporting Persia either with men or with money, and when prostrate Persia was in financial extremities because of the war indemnity which the treaty of Turkmanchai imposed upon her, England took advantage of her needs by purchasing the cancellation of the inconvenient obligation at the cheap cost of about £300,000. It was the natural result of this transaction that English influence with the Persian Court should sensibly decline, and it was not less natural that in conscious weakness Persia should fall under the domination of Russian influence.
Futteh Ali, the old Shah of Persia, died in 1834, and was succeeded by his grandson Prince Mahomed Meerza, a young man who inherited much of the ambition of his gallant father Abbas Meerza. His especial aspiration, industriously stimulated by his Russian advisers, urged him to the enterprise of conquering the independent principality of Herat, on the western border of Afghanistan. Herat was the only remnant of Afghan territory that still remained to a member