Ambela Campaign

Ambela Campaign
Part of North West Frontier Campaigns
Date:	18 October-23 December 1863
Location:	Ambela Pass, Buner, NWF
Presidency:	Bengal
Co-ordinates:	34.398975°N 72.490498°E
Result:	Submission of tribes
Combatants
British	Yusufzai tribesmen
Commanders
Brig Gen N Chamberlain
Strength
Casualties
238 killed 670 wounded	3,000 killed & wounded

Ambela Pass 1909

Spelling variants

Ambela; Ambeyla; Umbeyla; Umbeylah; Ambella; Umballah

Summary

Following their defeat at the Battle of Sittana in 1858 the Hindustani Fanatics built up a new settlement at Malka and began raiding settlements in British territory. The Governor of the Punjab sent an expedition under Brigadier Neville Bowles Chamberlain. The fanatics persuaded the Bunerwal tribesmen that their land would be taken over. The Akhund of Swat also lent support. Due to this, British met strong opposition at the Ambela Pass and were held up for four weeks. After Chamberlain was wounded, he was replaced by Major General John Garvock who broke out of the pass and eventually obtained the submission of the Bunerwals. The British burned Malka but suffered nearly 1,000 casualties.

Biographies

Entries in the Dictionary of Indian Biography 1906:
John Miller Adye (1819-1900)
Charles Henry Brownlow (1831-1916)
Neville Bowles Chamberlain (1820-1902)
John Garvock (18??-1878)
Thomas Elliott Hughes (1830-1886)
Charles Patton Keyes (1823-1896)
Reynell George Taylor (1822-1886)
Alfred Thomas Wilde (1819-1878)

Ambela Field Force

First Brigade
Col W.W.Turner CB, 97th Foot

• C-19th Royal Artillery (3 guns)
• Peshawar Mountain Train Battery
• 71st Regiment of Foot
  
• 1st Punjab Infantry
• 3rd Punjab Infantry
• 5th Punjab Infantry
• 20th Punjab Native Infantry
• 32nd Punjab Native Infantry
• 5th Gurkha Regiment
  

Second Brigade
Lt Col A.T.Wilde CB, Corps of Guides

• No 3 Punjab Light Field battery (3 Guns)
• Hazara Mountain Train Battery
• 101st Royal Bengal Fusiliers
• 6th Punjab Infantry
• 14th Native Infantry
• Guides Infantry
• 4th Gurkha Regiment
  

Divisional Troops

• 11th Bengal Cavalry (100 men)
• Guides Cavalry (100 men)
• Sappers & Miners
  

Reinforcements arrived December

• 7th Regiment of Foot
• 93rd Regiment of Foot
• 3rd Sikhs
• 23rd Native Infantry Pioneers
  

External Links

North West Frontier Military History Wikipedia
NWF Expeditions www.antiquesatoz.com
Ambela Campaign British Empire
Ambela Campaign Google Books
Ambela Imperial Gazetteer
Lieut Pitcher VC Wikipedia
Lieut Fosbery VC Wikipedia

Historical Books on-line

• Sitana: a mountain campaign on the borders of Afghanistan in 1863 by Colonel John Adye 1867 Google Books
• "The Umbeyla Campaign" by Captain Fosbery V.C., page 548 Journal of the Royal United Service Institution Volume 11 1868 Archive.org
• Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India Vol I - Ambela Campaign Archive.org
  
• "The Umbeyla Campaign", page 45 The administration of India from 1859-1868: the first ten years of Administration under the Crown, Volume 2 by Iltudus Thomas Prichard 1869 Google Books
• Forty-one Years in India from Subaltern to Commander-in-Chief by Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar 1900 Umbeyla Expedition Archive.org
  
• Reynell Taylor - a biography by E Gambier Parry 1888 The Umbeylah War Archive.org
  
• The 71st Regiment in the Campaign, page 133 Historical Record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry, from its formation in 1777, under the title of the 73rd, or McLeod's Highlanders, up to the year 1876 by Henry J T Hildyard (1876) Archive.org.
• "The Umballah Campaign of 1863", page 315 A Soldier's Experience: Or, A Voice from the Ranks Showing the Cost of War in Blood and Treasure. A Personal Narrative of the Crimean Campaign, the Indian Mutiny, the Afghan Campaigns of 1863 by one of the Royal Fusiliers (Timothy Gowing) 1892 Archive.org.