Jump to content

Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 34°31′58″N 69°09′57″E / 34.53278°N 69.16583°E / 34.53278; 69.16583
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Afghan27 (talk | contribs)
101 edits
No edit summary
mNo edit summary
Line 27: Line 27:
At the end of November, an army under the command of [[Mohammed Jan Khan Wardak]], who had denounced [[Yaqub Khan]] as a British puppet and instead declared [[Musa Jan]] the new amir, gathered in the area north of Kabul. On 11 December a small detachment (c.170 men) of the [[9th Queen's Royal Lancers]] and the [[14th Bengal Lancers]] encountered a 10,000+ Afghan army advancing on Kabul.<ref name=Hanwell1949>A Short History of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers 1715-1949</ref> As it was of the utmost importance that Mohammed Jan's advance was delayed the woefully outnumbered Lancers charged the Afghans.<ref name=Hanwell1949/> Heavy casualties were suffered and the Afghans continued their advance.<ref name=Hanwell1949/> On December 15, the Afghan army began to [[siege|besiege]] the British forces entrenched in the Sherpur [[Cantonment]].
At the end of November, an army under the command of [[Mohammed Jan Khan Wardak]], who had denounced [[Yaqub Khan]] as a British puppet and instead declared [[Musa Jan]] the new amir, gathered in the area north of Kabul. On 11 December a small detachment (c.170 men) of the [[9th Queen's Royal Lancers]] and the [[14th Bengal Lancers]] encountered a 10,000+ Afghan army advancing on Kabul.<ref name=Hanwell1949>A Short History of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers 1715-1949</ref> As it was of the utmost importance that Mohammed Jan's advance was delayed the woefully outnumbered Lancers charged the Afghans.<ref name=Hanwell1949/> Heavy casualties were suffered and the Afghans continued their advance.<ref name=Hanwell1949/> On December 15, the Afghan army began to [[siege|besiege]] the British forces entrenched in the Sherpur [[Cantonment]].


As news of a [[relief column]] under the command of [[Charles John Stanley Gough|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.
As news of a [[relief column]] under the command of [[Charles John Stanley Gough|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 mercy was given to Afghans found in the area with weapons.


The [[Sherpur Cantonment]] is maintained up to the present as a British [[military cemetery]].
The [[Sherpur Cantonment]] is maintained up to the present as a British [[military cemetery]].

Revision as of 12:37, 29 August 2012

34°31′58″N 69°09′57″E / 34.53278°N 69.16583°E / 34.53278; 69.16583

The Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
Part of Second Anglo-Afghan War

Assault on the Sherpur cantonment.
Date15 - 23 December 1879
Location
Kabul, Afghanistan
Result British Victory
Belligerents
United KingdomBritish Empire Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
United KingdomSir Frederick Roberts Mohammed Jan
Strength
7,000 Anglo-Indian troops 50,000 tribal warriors[1]
Casualties and losses
33 dead and wounded 3,000 dead[1]

The Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment was a battle fought in December 1879, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

On 3 September 1879 Sir Pierre Cavagnari, the British 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.

At the end of November, an army under the command of Mohammed Jan Khan Wardak, who had denounced Yaqub Khan as a British puppet and instead declared Musa Jan the new amir, gathered in the area north of Kabul. On 11 December a small detachment (c.170 men) of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 14th Bengal Lancers encountered a 10,000+ Afghan army advancing on Kabul.[2] As it was of the utmost importance that Mohammed Jan's advance was delayed the woefully outnumbered Lancers charged the Afghans.[2] Heavy casualties were suffered and the Afghans continued their advance.[2] On December 15, the Afghan army began to besiege the British forces entrenched in the Sherpur Cantonment.

As news of a 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 mercy was given to Afghans found in the area with weapons.

The Sherpur Cantonment is maintained up to the present as a British military cemetery.

Order of battle

British Regiments

British Indian Army Regiments

References

  1. ^ a b British Battles: The Second Anglo-Afghan War. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  2. ^ a b c A Short History of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers 1715-1949
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Siege_of_the_Sherpur_Cantonment&oldid=509762973"