![Bengal Sapper and Miners Bastion, in Sherpur cantonment, Kabul, Second Afghan War, c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Bengal_Sapper_and_Miners_Bastion%2C_in_Sherpur_cantonment%2C_Kabul%2C_Second_Afghan_War%2C_c._1879.jpg)
The Kabul Field Force was a
field force
A field force in British and Indian Army military parlance is a combined arms land force operating under actual or assumed combat circumstances, usually for the length of a specific military campaign. It is used by other nations, but can have a di ...
created in September 1879 during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...
, under the command of
General Frederick Roberts. It combined
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
regiments, and initially numbered around 7,500 men, but later reached about 14,000.
The second phase of the
Second Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the ...
was set in motion by the murder of the British envoy and his staff at
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
on 3 September 1879. The only British troops then in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
were the
Kurram Valley Field Force
__NOTOC__
The Kurram Valley Field ForceOften referred to at the time as the ''Kuram Field Force''. e.g.: was a British military formation during the first phase of the Second Afghan War, 1878–79.
It was one of three military columns created b ...
, commanded by Roberts. This was speedily reinforced by new units and ordered to advance on Kabul, with the objective of taking punitive action against the killers of the British envoy.
With twenty field guns and 7,500 men,
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
,
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
,
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
, and
Sapper
A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...
s & Miners. Roberts' force moved up the Kurram Valley and towards Kabul, winning various skirmishes and receiving envoys from Emir
Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...
denying responsibility for the murders. By early October the force was at
Charasiab, twelve miles from Kabul, where 8,000 Afghans were dug in. Here Roberts' force defeated the
Afghan Army
The Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be t ...
at the
Battle of Charasiab on 6 October 1879. The subsequent capture of Kabul on 13 October was described by
Howard Hensman
Howard is an English language, English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (disambiguation), Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defe ...
, correspondent of the ''
Daily News'' of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
On 11 November, a fall of snow caused the death of some of the force's elephants. By mid-November, the Force was divided into two Divisions, the first at and around Kabul, the 2nd on the Khyber line. The 1st Division contained 100 British Army officers and 2,783 other ranks, plus 71 Indian Army officers and 5,060 other ranks; while the 2nd Division contained 90 British Army officers and 2,385 other ranks, plus 118 Indian Army officers and 8,590 other ranks.
In December 1879, 10,000 Afghans rose against the occupiers, but Roberts was well prepared and was victorious at the
Battle of Sherpur. In an action at Killa Kazi on 11 December 1879,
James Adams, a
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
to the Force, rescued some men of the
9th Lancers
The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but w ...
from a ditch while under enemy fire, for which he was later awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
.
On 1 May 1880 Lieutenant General
Sir Donald Stewart arrived in Kabul from
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
with a further 7,200 troops, taking over command of the Kabul Field Force from Roberts the following day. This combined force was now designated the Northern Afghanistan Field Force. With the pro-British Emir
Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan GCSI (Pashto/Dari: ) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901. He is known for uniting the country after years of internal fighting and negotiation of the Durand Line Ag ...
installed, British Forces were preparing to leave Kabul.
However, after the July 1880 British defeat at the
Battle of Maiwand
The Battle of Maiwand (Dari: نبرد میوند, Pashto: د ميوند جگړه), fought on 27 July 1880, was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Ayub Khan, the Afghan forces defeated a much sma ...
in southern Afghanistan, Stewart ordered Roberts with 10,000 men to march on
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
– creating a separate Kabul-Kandahar Field Force. The Northern Afghanistan Field Force, still commanded by Stewart, finally returned to India in August 1880 via the Khyber Pass. With no British-led troops remaining in northern Afghanistan, the Northern Afghanistan Field Force was then disbanded.
[
]
See also
*Kurram Valley Field Force
__NOTOC__
The Kurram Valley Field ForceOften referred to at the time as the ''Kuram Field Force''. e.g.: was a British military formation during the first phase of the Second Afghan War, 1878–79.
It was one of three military columns created b ...
* Battle of Charasiab
*Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
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 Pierre Cavagnari, the British Resident in Kabul, and his escort were massacred by mutinous Af ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
*{{cite book , last=Wilkinson-Latham , first=Robert , title=North-West Frontier, 1837–1947, url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/North_West_Frontier_1837_1947/6AQ_vgAACAAJ?hl=en, year=1977 , publisher=Macmillan & Co , location=London, isbn=0850452759
Ad hoc units and formations of the British Army
British Army deployments
Second Anglo-Afghan War