Battle of Gandamak

Battle of Gandamak

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Gandamak


caption= The last stand of the survivors of Her Majesty's 44th Foot at Gandamak
partof=the first Anglo-Afghan War, 1839-42
date=January 6-13, 1842
place=Road from Kabul to Jalalabad, near Gandamak, Afghanistan
result=Afghan Victory
combatant1=Afghan tribesmen
combatant2=flagicon|United Kingdom British Empire
commander1=Akbar Khan
commander2="William Elphinstone"
strength1=18,000
strength2=65
casualties1=unknown
casualties2=62 killed, 3 captured

Gandamak is a village in Afghanistan, 35 miles (56 km) from Jalalabad on the road to Kabul. During the retreat from Kabul of Major-General William Elphinstone's army in 1842, a hill near Gandamak was the scene of the massacre of the last survivors of the British force: twenty officers and forty-five soldiers of the British 44th Regiment of Foot.

Prelude

The British force had been relentlessly pursued by Akbar Khan's Afghan forces during the slow retreat from Kabul that had gradually become a running battle through two feet of snow. The men had no shelter and little food for weeks. The ground was frozen and icy. Only a dozen of the men had working muskets, the officers their pistols and a few unbroken swords. When the Afghans surrounded them on the morning of the 13th the Afghans announced that a surrender could be arranged. "Not bloody likely!" was the bellowed answer of one British sergeant. It is believed that only two survived the massacre. Most notable was Captain Thomas Souter, who by wrapping the regimental colours around himself was taken prisoner, being mistaken by the Afghan as a high military official. The other was Surgeon William Brydon who made it as far as the British garrison at Jalalabad after riding his exhausted horse to the limit for days.

A vivid, if romanticised, depiction entitled "Last Stand of the 44th Regiment at Gundamuk" was painted by the artist William Barnes Wollen in 1898 which now hangs in the Chelmsford and Essex museum in Oaklands Park, London Road, Chelmsford.

The Battle

The final stand took place at Gandamak on the morning of 13th January 1842 in the snow.cite web| url=http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm| title= The Battle of Kabul and the retreat to Gandamak| accessdate=2007-05-12] 20 officers and 45 European soldiers, mostly of the 44th Foot, found themselves surrounded on a hillock.cite web| url=http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm| title= The Battle of Kabul and the retreat to Gandamak| accessdate=2007-05-12] The Afghans attempted to persuade the soldiers that they intended them no harm. Then the sniping began followed a series of rushes.cite web| url=http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm| title= The Battle of Kabul and the retreat to Gandamak| accessdate=2007-05-12] Captain Souter wrapped the colors of the regiment around his body and was dragged into captivity with two or three soldiers.cite web| url=http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm| title= The Battle of Kabul and the retreat to Gandamak| accessdate=2007-05-12] The remainder were shot or cut down. Only 6 mounted officers escaped. Of these 5 were murdered along the road.cite web| url=http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm| title= The Battle of Kabul and the retreat to Gandamak| accessdate=2007-05-12]

On the afternoon of 13th January 1842 the British troops in Jellalabad, watching for their comrades of the Kabul garrison, saw a single figure ride up to the town walls.cite web| url=http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm| title= The Battle of Kabul and the retreat to Gandamak| accessdate=2007-05-12] It was Dr Brydon, the sole survivor of the column.cite web| url=http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm| title= The Battle of Kabul and the retreat to Gandamak| accessdate=2007-05-12]

Notes

ee also

*First Anglo-Afghan War


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Battle of Kandahar — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Kandahar partof=the Second Anglo Afghan War caption=The army of the Indus entering Kandahar date=1 September, 1880 place=Kandahar, Afghanistan result=Decisive British Victory combatant1=flagicon|United …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Kabul (1842) — for other uses of the term see Battle of Kabul The Battle of Kabul was fought from August to October, 1842, between British and Afghan forces. The British re invaded Afghanistan to avenge the earlier defeat at Gandamak. The British won the battle …   Wikipedia

  • Bataille de Gandamak — Le dernier carré du 44e régiment d infanterie d Essex à Gandamak (William Barnes Wollen) Informations générales Date 6 13 janvier 1842 L …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Afghanistan — Islamic Republic of Afghanistan جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان Jomhūrī ye Eslāmī ye Afġānistān (Persian) د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت Da Afġānistān Islāmī Jomhoriyat …   Wikipedia

  • 1842 in the United Kingdom — Events from the year 1842 in the United Kingdom.Incumbents*Monarch Victoria of the United Kingdom *Prime Minister Robert Peel, ConservativeEvents* 6 January–13 January: First Anglo Afghan War ** Massacre of Elphinstone s army by Afghan forces. ** …   Wikipedia

  • List of Afghanistan-related topics — This is a list of Afghanistan related articles. See also the .Afghanistan* Afghanistan * SalajeetBuildings and structures in Afghanistan* Buddhas of Bamyan * Chakhil i Ghoundi Stupa * Darul Aman Palace * Kajakai Dam * Tajbeg PalaceArchaeological… …   Wikipedia

  • First Anglo-Afghan War — Infobox Military Conflict caption= conflict=First Anglo Afghan War date=1839 ndash;1842 place=Afghanistan result=Afghan Victory combatant1= combatant2=flagicon|United Kingdom British Empire commander1=Dost Mohammad, Akbar Khan commander2=John… …   Wikipedia

  • Massacre of Elphinstone's Army — Part of the first Anglo Afghan War, 1839–1842 The last stand of the survivors of Her Majesty s 44th Foot at Gandamak …   Wikipedia

  • European influence in Afghanistan — History of Afghanistan Timeline …   Wikipedia

  • Afghanistan — 34° 31′ 00″ N 69° 08′ 00″ E / 34.5167, 69.1333 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”