View source for Battle of Peiwar Kotal

{{Short description|1878 battle of the Second Anglo-Afghan War}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Peiwar Kotal
| partof            = [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]]
| image             = Battle of Peiwar Kotal.JPG
| image_size        = 250px
| caption           = "The attack on the Peiwar Kotal" by [[Vereker Monteith Hamilton]]
| date              = 2 December 1878
| place             = [[Kurram Valley]], [[Afghanistan]]
| result            = British Victory
| combatant1        = {{flagicon|British Empire}} [[British Empire]]
*{{flagicon|British Raj}} [[British Raj|India]]
| combatant2        = {{flagicon|Emirate of Afghanistan|1709}} [[Emirate of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]]
| commander1        = [[Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts|Major General Frederick Roberts]]
| commander2        = Karim Khan
| strength1         = 73 officers, 3,058 men<br>13 guns{{sfn|Roberts|1879|p=528}}
| strength2         = 4,000–5,000<br>25 guns
| casualties1       = 21 killed, 72 wounded{{sfn|Roberts|1879|p=529}}
| casualties2       = 200 casualties (Estimate)
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Second Anglo-Afghan War}}
}}
The '''Battle of Peiwar Kotal''' was fought on 2 December 1878 between [[British Empire|British]] forces under Major General [[Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts|Frederick Roberts]] and [[Emirate of Afghanistan|Afghan]] forces under Karim Khan, during the opening stages of the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]]. The British were victorious, and seized the strategic [[Peiwar Kotal Pass]] leading into the interior of [[Afghanistan]].

==The battle==
After the outbreak of the Second Afghan War in November 1878, British-led forces invaded Afghanistan in three separate columns, the smallest of which was commanded by Major General Roberts. This column entered Afghanistan via the [[Kurram Valley]] on 21 November 1878, heading towards [[Kabul]]. The pass was however heavily defended at the [[Peiwar Pass|Peiwar Kotal]]. This included Afghan regular forces, reinforced by local tribesman, who had established themselves in a strongly fortified position on a mountain overlooking the pass,{{sfn|Farwell|1973|pp=203–204}} which Robert described as an 'apparently impregnable position'.{{sfn|Roberts|1897|p=355}}

Roberts halted and camped just outside Afghan artillery range for several days, sending out [[reconnaissance]] parties before deciding on his response. Finally, on 1 December, he ordered preparations for a frontal attack, including marking out artillery emplacements directly facing the main Afghan position. This was however a [[feint]], and that night Roberts led the main body of his force around the flank of the Afghan defences. His attack on the morning of 2 December took the Afghans by surprise. After Roberts' forces, led by the Highlanders and Gurkhas, took a number of strongly held positions, the Afghans realised that their line of retreat was threatened and retreated from the battlefield.{{sfn|Roberts|1897|pp=355–364}}

===Aftermath===
This victory, against a well positioned superior force, opened the route to Kabul and helped lead to the Afghan government suing for peace and accepting a [[Resident (title)|British Resident]] in Kabul, the first phase of the war ending on 26 May 1879. It also brought General Roberts, until then a little known staff officer, into public prominence, both in Britain and the wider Empire.{{sfn|Farwell|1973|p=205}} 

Captain [[John Cook (VC)|John Cook]] was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for his role in the battle, while his regiment, the 5th Gurkha Rifles, was awarded its first battle honour.

At least 16 cannon were captured from the Afghans. These were photographed by [[John Burke (photographer)|John Burke]], who accompanied British forces.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jenzen-Jones |first1=N.R. |last2=Shanley |first2=Jack |title=Hubris or haplessness? The modernisation and loss of Afghanistan’s artillery, 1869–79 |journal=Journal of the Ordnance Society |date=2021 |volume=28 |pages=90–96}}</ref>

==Order of battle==
The following regiments participated in the battle:{{sfn|Roberts|1879|pp=525–529}}

===British Regiments===
*2nd battalion, [[King's Liverpool Regiment|8th King's Regiment]]
*[[72nd Highlanders]] (half-battalion)

===Indian Regiments===
*[[12th Bengal Cavalry]]
*[[2nd Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force]]
*[[58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)|5th Punjab Infantry]]
*[[23rd Bengal Native Infantry (Punjab Pioneers)]]
*[[29th Bengal Native Infantry (Punjabis)]]
*[[5th Gurkha Rifles]]
*[[21st (Kohat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)]]
*[[22nd (Derajat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)]]
Thirty-eight members of the [[10th Hussars]] were also present.{{sfn|Joslin|Litherland|Simpkin|1988|p=155}}

Prior to the battle, the total strength of the force in camp was 889 Europeans, including officers, and 2,415 native Indians.{{sfn|Roberts|1897|p=357}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last=Farwell |first=Byron|title=Queen Victoria's Little Wars |year= 1973 |publisher=[[Allen Lane]] |location=London |isbn=0713904577 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Joslin |last2=Litherland |last3=Simpkin |title=British Battles and Medals |year= 1988 |publisher= [[Spink & Son]] |location=London |isbn=0-907605-25-7}}
*{{cite book |last=Richards |first=D.S. |title=The Savage Frontier, A History of the Anglo-Afghan Wars |year= 1990 |publisher= [[Pan MacMillan]] |location=London |isbn= 0-330-42052-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Roberts |first=Frederick|title=General Robert's dispatch for the Battle of Peiwar Kotal |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24674/page/526 |year= 1879 |publisher=[[London Gazette]], 4 February 1879 |location=London}}
*{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=Sir Frederick |title=Forty-one Years in India|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16528 |year=1897 |publisher=Macmillan & Co |location=London}}
*{{cite book |last=Robson |first=Brian |title=The Road to Kabul: The Second Afghan War 1878–1881 |year= 2007 |publisher= Spellmount |location=Stroud |isbn= 978-1-86227-416-7}}

{{Anglo-Afghan War}}
{{coord missing|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Afghanistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peiwar Kotal, Battle of 1878}}
[[Category:Battles in 1878]]
[[Category:1878 in India]]
[[Category:Battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War]]
[[Category:Battles involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Battles involving Afghanistan]]
[[Category:December 1878 events]]