The Afghan War of 1879-80

The Afghan War of 1879-80 - Being a Complete Narrative of the Capture of Cabul, the Siege of Sherpur, the Battle of Ahmed Khel, the Brilliant March to Candahar, and the Defeat of Ayub Khan, with the Operations on the Helmund, and the Settlement with Abdur Rahman Khan

The interest aroused by the massacre of our ill-fated Embassy to the Amir Yakub Khan, the subsequent capture of Cabul, and the hard-won successes of our armies during the occupation of the city, can scarcely yet have passed away; and I have, therefore, ventured to republish the series of letters which, as a special correspondent, I wrote in the field. They are a simple diary of the war; and though in this form they may lack conciseness, they have at least the merit of such accuracy as an eye-witness can alone hope to attain. It was my good-fortune to be the only special correspondent with the gallant little army which moved out of Ali Kheyl in September, 1879. The Government of India had notified that non-combatant correspondents would not be allowed to join the force, the history of whose achievements was to be left to regimental officers, who might in their spare hours supply information carefully vis, to such newspapers as chose to accept it. So carelessly was this strange order issued, that Sir Frederick Roberts never received official intimation of its existence, and he welcomed me at Ali Kheyl on the eve of his departure for Kushi as, I am sure, he would have welcomed any other correspondent who had chosen to cross the frontier, and push on without escort and with their own baggage animals. I make this explanation in justice to General Roberts, upon whom the responsibility of excluding correspondents has been falsely thrown. Regarding the letters now republished, Mr. Frederick Harrison in the Fortnightly Review has been good enough to describe them as viiiadmirably written, with very great precision and knowledge. While not sympathizing in the least with Mr. Harrisons criticism of Sir Frederick Robertss punishment of Cabul, in support of which criticism he mainly relied upon my letters, I am grateful for his estimate of my work. I can scarcely hope that all my critics will be equally generous. I have carefully gone into details where military movements of importance had to be described, and the sketch maps can be relied upon as showing exact distances and positions. Cabul, August, 1880. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 55519
Author: Hensman, Howard
Release Date: Sep 10, 2017
Format: eBook
Language: English