2nd Afghan War

2nd Afghan War
1878-80
Chronological list of Wars and Campaigns
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Location: Afghanistan
Combatants:
British and Indians	Afghanistan
Result: British took control of Afghan foreign relations Border areas ceded to Britain
Medals: The Afghanistan Medal 1878-1880 Clasps: Ali Musjid, Peiwar Kotal, Charasia, Ahmed Khel and Kandahar Kabul to Khandahar Star 1880
Links:
Category: 2nd Afghan War
General Browne's March from Peshawar to Gandamak General Roberts' March to Ali Kheyl General Stewart's March to Kandahar General Roberts' March to Kabul General Stewart's March to Kabul General Roberts' March from Kabul to Kandahar

	See our interactive map of 2nd Afghan War: First Phase locations and routes on Google Maps

	See our interactive map of 2nd Afghan War: Second Phase locations and routes on Google Maps

	See our interactive map of 2nd Afghan War: Third Phase locations and routes on Google Maps

The 2nd Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80 came about because the British were concerned over Tsarist Russian expansion and tried to get the Afghan Amir Sher Ali to agree to a diplomatic mission to Kabul. When this was refused but a Russian mission admitted, the British invaded from three directions. With the country occupied, Sher Ali's son Yakoub Khan signed the Treaty of Gandamak in May 1879. The British forces withdrew but an uprising in Kabul led to the murder of the British Resident Sir Pierre Cavagnari. This provoked a second invasion by the British under Major General Sir Frederick Roberts and the occupation of Kabul following the Battle of Charasia in October 1879. The Afghans were again defeated at the Siege of Sherpur Cantonment in December. A further revolt led to the defeat of the British at the Battle of Maiwand in July 1880 following which Kandahar was besieged. Roberts led a force from Kabul to defeat the Afghans under Ayub Khan at the Battle of Baba Wullee. The Treaty of Gandamak was confirmed and the British withdrew.

Chronology of events

• Nov 1878 General Roberts' March to Ali Kheyl

• 2 Dec Battle of Peiwar Kotal

• Nov 1878 General Browne's March from Peshawar to Gandamak

• 21 Nov Battle of Ali Masjid Fort 1878
• 21 Dec Battle of Jagdalak
• 2 Apr 79 Battle of Futtehabad

• Dec 1878 General Stewart's March to Kandahar
• 3 Sep 1879 The Murder of Cavagnari
• Oct 1879 General Roberts' March to Kabul

• 6 Oct Battle of Charasia
• 11 Dec Battle of Killa Kazee
• 13 Dec Battle of Takht-I-Shah
• 14 Dec Battle of Asmai Heights
• 15 Dec Siege of Sherpur Cantonment
• 23 Dec Battle of Kabul 1879

• Mar 1880 General Stewart's March to Kabul

• 19 Apr Battle of Ahmad Khel
• 23 Apr Battle of Urzoo

• 27 July 1880 Battle of Maiwand
• Aug 1880 General Roberts' March from Kabul to Kandahar

• 1 Sep Battle of Baba Wullee 1880

Biographies

Entries in the Dictionary of Indian Biography 1906 and Dictionary of National Biography 1912
Henry Abadie (1841-1915)
Ayub Khan (1849-?)
Thomas Baker (1837-1893)
Robert Onesiphorus Bright (1823-1896)
Samuel Browne (1824-1901)
Pierre Cavagnari (1841-1879)
Mortimer Durand (1850-1924)
Charles Gough (1832-1912)
Herbert Taylor Macpherson (1827-1886)
William Godfrey Dunham Massy (1838-1906)
Charles Palliser (1830-1895)
Frederick Roberts (1824-1914)
Robert Sandeman (1835-1892)
Sher Ali (1842-1872?)
Donald Stewart (1824-1900)

Also see

• Stations of British Troops in India‎-Afghanistan 1878-1882

External Links

• Chronology Google Books
• Second Anglo-Afghan War Wikipedia
• 2nd Afghan War 1878-80 The British Empire website
• The Second Anglo-Afghan War Garen Ewing's comprehensive site including:

• The Afghan War Database Project - a searchable database of 900+ soldiers who took part in the war. Many entries include biographical details, some have photographs.
• Map of Afghanistan - showing the principal locations in 1880
• Information about the book Maiwand: The Last Stand of the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment in Afghanistan, 1880 by Richard J. Stacpoole-Ryding. This book may be bought from the FIBIS Shop through Amazon.co.uk

• The Last Stand: The Journal of the Maiwand Files Project Victorianwars.com. Contains many articles about Maiwand
• 66th Berkshires in the Campaign history.farmersboys.com
• Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds has many photographs and documents relating to the time the Suffolk regiment were serving in India during the 2nd Afghan War. Details of what is held in the Suffolk Regiment Archive can be found in their Suffolk Regiment Archives leaflet and their Photographic Collections leaflet
  
• Photo of Amir Yakub Khan and Major Cavagnari Wikipedia
• British Victorian War Medals www.acepilots.com
• Afghanistan 1878-1880: Sources in the India Office Records British Library

Historical books online

• The Second Afghan War, 1878-80: Abridged Official Account produced in the Intelligence Branch Army Headquarters, India 1908 (archive.org)
• The Second Afghan War, 1878-79-80 its causes, its conduct and its consequences by Colonel H.B. Hanna. Archive.org Volume 1 1899, Volume 2 1904
• The Afghan War of 1879-80 by Howard Hensman Second Edition 1882 Archive.org
• The Afghan War: Gough's Action at Futtehabad by Charles Swinnerton 1880 Archive.org
• Private journal of Henry Francis Brooke, late Brigadier-General commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade, Kandahar Field Force, Southern Afghanistan, from April 22nd to August 16th, 1880 1881 Archive.org
• The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80 by Archibald Forbes 1892 (archive.org)
  
• "Excerpta from Notes on the Transport by Rail of Troops, Horses, Guns and War Material for the Army in Afghanistan during 1878-79" from Professional papers on Indian engineering Second Series Volume 8 1879 (archive.org)
  
• History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol II by Maj-Gen Whitworth Porter 1889 2nd Afghan War archive.org
  
• Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal 1880 Part 3 Archive.org
  • "Our Blunders in Afghanistan" by M Laing Meason page 79
  • "Should We Retain Kandahar and the Passes?" by Lieut-Colonel A M Arthur page 253
  • "Bombay Generals" page 310
  • "Maiwand" page 461
• "Operations 10 September 1879 until the entry to Kabul on 13 October 1879" pages 52- 128 Bulletins and Other State Intelligence Compiled and Arranged from the Official Documents Published in the London Gazette for the Year 1880: Part 1 January to June Originally from the London Gazette 16 January 1880 Archive.org
• "Operations at Kabul 8-24 December 1879", pages 556- 672 Bulletins and Other State Intelligence Compiled and Arranged from the Official Documents Published in the London Gazette for the Year 1880: Part 1 January to June Originally from the London Gazette 4 May 1880 Archive.org
• Kabul Under Attack Handwritten online letter from Gen Sir Montagu Gilbert Gerard, with detailed account of the capture of Kabul 1880 King’s College London Collections: The Serving Soldier
• The Afghan War a speech delivered in the House of Lords by the Right Hon. Viscount Cranbrook, (Secretary of State for India), on Monday, December 9th, 1878
• Causes of the Afghan War: Being a Selection of The Papers Laid Before Parliament with a Connecting Narrative and Comment 1879 Archive.org. Note that some of the pages appear to be missing. A complete copy of this book is available to read online on the Digital Library of India website Index commences computer page 336 . (Catalogued as Causes Of The Afghan War with barcode 99999990171736)
• Lord Lytton and the Afghan War by Captain W. J. Eastwick Third Edition 1879 Archive.org
• Our Afghan policy and the occupation of Candahar by D.B. 1880 Archive.org
• The life and career of Major Sir Louis Cavagnari, C. S. I., K. C. B., British envoy at Cabul with a brief outline of the Second Afghan War. Compiled by Kally Prosono Dey 1881 Archive.org
• The Eastern question from the Treaty of Paris 1836 to the Treaty of Berlin 1878 and to the Second Afghan War by the Duke of Argyll 1879 Archive.org Volume 1, Volume 2

London Gazette and the Gazette of India

The London Gazette may be searched online for official correspondence relating to operations in Afghanistan.

As an example, the London Gazette dated Friday 3 December 1880 contains correspondence relating to events from approximately 28 July 1880 including the siege of Kandahar and the sortie made by the garrison on 16 August 1880.

The Gazette of India also contains some official correspondence relating to operations in Afghanistan which is not mentioned in the London Gazette. See Newspapers and journals online-Gazette of India for some online editions. Also available at the British Library . As an example, the Gazette of India from the Digital Library of India website for the period September-December 1880 has an entry on computer page 150 from the Gazette of India dated 11 September 1880 concerning Major W Jacob of the 19th Bombay Native Infantry and the march to Chaman 29-30th July 1880.