Campaign of the Indus Part 8

(Signed) R. MACDONALD, Lieut.-Colonel, Military Secretary, and Deputy Adjutant-Gen. of her Majesty's Forces, Bombay.

ENTRANCE INTO CABOOL.

(_From the Delhi Gazette Extraordinary, of Thursday, Aug. 29_.)

NOTIFICATION.--SECRET DEPARTMENT.

Simla, August 26th, 1839.

The Governor-General of India publishes for general information, the subjoined copy and extracts of despatches from his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Indus, and from the Envoy and Minister at the Court of his Majesty Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk, announcing the triumphant entry of the Shah into Cabool, on the 7th instant.

In issuing this notification, the Governor-General cannot omit the opportunity of offering to the officers and men composing the army of the Indus, and to the distinguished leader by whom they have been commanded, the cordial congratulations of the government upon the happy result of a campaign, which, on the sole occasion when resistance was opposed to them, has been gloriously marked by victory, and in all the many difficulties of which the character of a British army for gallantry, good conduct, and discipline has been n.o.bly maintained.

A salute of twenty-one guns will be fired on the receipt of this intelligence at all the princ.i.p.al stations of the army in the three Presidencies.

By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India,

T.H. MADDOCK, Officiating Secretary to the Government of India, with the Governor-General.

(Copy.)

TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD AUCKLAND, G.C.B., ETC.

MY LORD,--We have the honour to acquaint your Lordship that the army marched from Ghuzni, _en route_ to Cabool, in two columns, on the 30th and 31st ult., his Majesty Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk, with his own troops, forming part of the second column.

On the arrival of the Commander-in-Chief with the first column, at Hyde Khail, on the 1st inst., information reached him, and the same reached the Envoy and Minister at Huft a.s.saya, that Dost Mahomed, with his army and artillery, were advancing from Cabool, and would probably take up a position at Urghundee or Midan, (the former twenty-four, the latter thirty-six miles from Cabool.) Upon this it was arranged that his Majesty, with the second column, under Major General Willshire, should join the first column here, and advance together to attack Dost Mahomed, whose son, Mahomed Akhbar, had been recalled from Jellahabad, with the troops guarding the Khyber Pa.s.s, and had formed a junction with his father; their joint forces, according to our information, amounting to about 13,000 men.

Every arrangement was made for the King and the army marching in a body from here to-morrow; but in the course of the night, messengers arrived, and since (this morning) a great many chiefs and their followers, announcing the dissolution of Dost Mahomed's army, by the refusal of a great part to advance against us with him, and that he had in consequence fled, with a party of 300 hors.e.m.e.n, in the direction of Bamian, leaving his guns behind him, in position, as they were placed at Urghundee.

His Majesty Shah Shooja has sent forward a confidential officer, with whom has been a.s.sociated Major Cureton, of her Majesty's 16th Lancers, taking with him a party of 200 men and an officer of artillery, to proceed direct to take possession of those guns, and afterwards such other guns and public stores as may be found in Cabool and the Balla Hissar, in the name of, and for his Majesty Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk, and the King's order will be carried by his own officer with this party, for preserving the tranquillity of the city of Cabool.

A strong party has been detached in pursuit of Dost Mahomed, under some of our most active officers. We continue our march upon Cabool to-morrow, and will reach it on the third day.

We have, &c.,

(Signed) JOHN KEANE, Lieut.-General, Commander-in-Chief.

(Signed) W.H. MACNAGHTEN, Envoy and Minister.

_Extract from a Letter from his Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir John Keane, K.C.B. and G.C.H., dated Head-Quarters, Camp, Cabool, August 8th, 1839_:--

"It gives me infinite pleasure to be able to address my despatch to your Lordship from this capital, the vicinity of which his Majesty Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk and the army under my command reached the day before yesterday. The King entered his capital yesterday afternoon, accompanied by the British Envoy and Minister and the gentlemen of the mission, and by myself, the general and staff officers of this army, and escorted by a squadron of her Majesty's 4th Light Dragoons, and one of her Majesty's 16th Lancers, with Captain Martin's troop of Horse Artillery. His Majesty had expressed a wish that British troops should be present on the occasion, and a very small party only of his own Hindostanee and Afghan troops. After the animating scene of traversing the streets, and reaching the palace in the Bala Hissar, a royal salute was fired, and an additional salvo in the Afghan style, from small guns, resembling wall-pieces, named gingalls, and carried on camels. We heartily congratulated his Majesty on being in possession of the throne and kingdom of his ancestors, and upon the overthrow of his enemies; and after taking leave of his Majesty, we returned to our camp.

"I trust we have thus accomplished all the objects which your Lordship had in contemplation when you planned and formed the army of the Indus, and the expedition into Afghanistan.

"The conduct of the army both European and native, which your Lordship did me the honour to place under my orders, has been admirable throughout, and, notwithstanding the severe marching and privations they have gone through, their appearance and discipline have suffered nothing, and the opportunity afforded them at Ghuzni of meeting and conquering their enemy has added greatly to their good spirits.

"The joint despatch addressed by Mr Macnaghten and myself to your Lordship, on the 3rd instant, from Shikarbad, will have informed you that at the moment we had made every preparation to attack (on the following day) Dost Mahomed Khan, in his position at Urghundee, where, after his son, Mahomed Akhbar, had joined him from Jellahabad, he had an army amounting to 13,000 men, well armed and appointed, and thirty pieces of artillery, we suddenly learned that he abandoned them all, and fled, with a party of hors.e.m.e.n, on the road to Bamian, leaving his guns in position, as he had placed them to receive our attack.

"It appears that a great part of his army, which was hourly becoming disorganized, refused to stand by him in the position to receive our attack, and that it soon became in a state of dissolution. The great bulk immediately came over to Shah Shooja, tendering their allegiance, and I believe his Majesty will take most of them into his pay.

"It seems that the news of the quick and determined manner in which we took their stronghold, Ghuzni, had such an effect upon the population of Cabool, and perhaps also upon the enemy's army, that Dost Mahomed from that moment began to lose hope of retaining his rule, for even a short time longer, and sent off his family and valuable property towards Bamian; but marched out of Cabool, with his army and artillery, keeping a bold front towards us until the evening of the 2nd, when all his hopes were at an end by a division in his own camp, and one part of his army abandoning him. So precipitate was his flight, that be left in position his guns, with their ammunition and wagons, and the greater part of the cattle by which they were drawn. Major Cureton, of her Majesty's 16th Lancers, with his party of 200 men, pushed forward, of the 3rd, and took possession of those guns, &c. There were twenty-three bra.s.s guns in position, and loaded; two more at a little distance, which they attempted to take away; and since then, three more abandoned, still further off on the Bamian road; thus leaving in our possession twenty-eight pieces of cannon, with all the materiel belonging to them, which are now handed over to Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk."

_Extract from a Letter from W.H. Macnaghten, Esq., Envoy and Minister to the Court of Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk, dated Cabool, 9th of August, 1839_:--

"By a letter signed jointly by his Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir John Keane and myself, dated the 3rd inst., the Right Hon. the Governor-General was apprised of the flight of Dost Mahomed Khan.

"The ex-chief was not accompanied by any person of consequence, and his followers are said to have been reduced to below the number of 100 on the day of his departure. In the progress of Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk towards Cabool, his Majesty was joined by every person of rank and influence in the country, and he made his triumphal entry into the city on the evening of the 7th instant. His Majesty has taken up his residence in the Bala Hissar, where he has required the British mission to remain for the present."

(_From the Bombay Government Gazette Extraordinary of August 29th._)

Simla, August 26th, 1839.

A letter from Shikarbad, of August 3rd, states--

"The chiefs with their military followers are flocking in by thousands.

No better commentary on the feeling regarding Dost Mahomed Khan could be given than the fact of his having been able to induce only 300 out of 12,000 men to accompany him; Capt. Outram and seven other officers accompany the pursuing party."

The dates from the army at Cabool are to August the 9th. The letters from thence give the following intelligence:--

"The Shah's reception at this place was equally gratifying as at Candahar, though the enthusiasm was not so boisterous.

"We arrived here yesterday, and, I am happy to say, with a sufficient stock of supplies in our G.o.down to render us quite independent of any foreign purchases for the next ten days, which will keep down prices, and save us from the extravagant rates which we were obliged to purchase at when we reached Candahar. I have not been to the city yet, but am told it is far superior to Candahar. Our people are now very well off; for the increased rations, and abundance and cheapness of grain as we came along, have left them nothing to want or wish for."

Extract of a further letter from Shikarbad, August 3rd:--

"The Afghans have not yet recovered from their astonishment at the rapidity with which Ghuzni fell into our hands, nor up to this moment will they believe how it was effected.

"This morning we received intelligence of Dost Mahomed's flight towards Bamian; for several days past many of his former adherents had been joining the King. Since this morning, thousands of Afghans have been coming in to tender their allegiance to his Majesty, who is in the greatest spirits at this pacific termination to the campaign, and says that G.o.d has now granted all his wishes, --Cabool is at hand!

"We are all delighted at it. Few armies have made so long a march in the same time that the army of the Indus has done. The country is every day improving. The road to Candahar from where we are now encamped lies in a continued valley seldom stretching in width above two miles; cultivation on each side of the road, and numberless villages nestling under the hills. Since we left Ghuzni, the fruits have a.s.sumed a very fine appearance; the grapes, plums, and apples have become very large, like their brethren of Europe. The climate now is very fine. The rapid Loghurd river is flowing close to our encampments, and the European soldiers and officers are amusing themselves with fishing in it. We are beginning to get vegetables again. I pa.s.sed this morning through fields of beans, but only in flower. Our attention must be turned to the cultivation of potatoes; they grow in quant.i.ties in Persia, and this seems to be just the country for them. To revert from small things to great: a party has just been detached towards Bamian with a view of cutting off Dost Mahomed. It would be a great thing to catch him. The party consists chiefly of Afghans, headed by Hajee Khan Kaukur, and about eight or ten British officers have been sent with it, to prevent the Afghans from committing excesses."