1st Afghan War
| 1st Afghan War | |
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| 1839-42 | |
| Chronological list of Wars and Campaigns | |
| [[Image:|250px| ]] | |
| Location: Afghanistan | |
| Combatants: | |
| East India Company | Afghan tribes |
| Result: Disastrous defeat of first invasion Qualified success of second invasion | |
| Medals: Ghuznee 1839 Jellalabad 1841-42 Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie 1842 Candahar Cabul and Ghuznee 1842-43 | |
| Links: | |
| Category: 1st Afghan War | |
| Invasion of the HEIC Army General Sale's March from Kabul to Jalalabad Kabul Uprising Retreat from Kabul to Gandamak The Army of Retribution March to Kabul The Withdrawal from Afghanistan | |
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See our interactive map of Invasion of the HEIC Army locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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See our interactive map of The March from Kabul to Jalalabad locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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See our interactive map of Kabul Uprising and The Retreat from Kabul to Gandamak locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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See our interactive map of The Captivity of the Hostages locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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See our interactive map of The March from Peshawar to Kabul locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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See our interactive map of The Army of Retribution March to Kabul locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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See our interactive map of Withdrawal from Afghanistan locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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The 1st Afghan War 1839-42
For sequence of events see 1st Afghan War Timeline
Summary
In the face of continued expansion of the Russian Empire, Britain sought to secure the northwestern borders of British India by establishing Afghanistan as an ally and buffer. Under the pretext of restoring the former ruler Shah Shuja to the throne the British assembled an invading army. 21,000 troops under Sir John Keane entered Afghanistan via Quetta occupying Kandahar and Kabul. This led to the disastrous retreat to Gandamak and a second invasion by the Army of Retribution under Maj-Gen George Pollock. General William Nott advanced from Kandahar meeting Pollock and recapturing Kabul. After releasing British prisoners and destroying Kabul bazaar the British returned to India.
Actions
See Category:1st Afghan War for an alphabetical list.
Troop Strength
| 1st | Army of the Indus (Bengal) under Maj-Gen Sir Willoughby Cotton | 9,500 |
| 2nd | Reserve Division at Ferozepore under Maj-Gen Duncan | 4,250 |
| 3rd | Shah Shooja ul Mulk’s Contingent | 6,000 |
| 4th | Bombay Force under HE Lt-Gen Sir John Keane | 5,600 |
| 5th | Bombay Reserve (Sind Force) | 3,000 |
| _______ | ||
| To act in Sind & Afghanistan | 28,350 | |
| 6th | The Shahzada’s Force | 4,800 |
| 7th | Sikh Contingent | 6,000 |
| To move from Peshawar to Kabul | 10,800 | |
| _______ | ||
| Total | 39,150 | |
| 8th | Sikh Army of Observation at Peshawar | 10,800 |
| _______ | ||
| Grand total | 54,150 |
Casualties
Names of fallen officers from the British Army and native forces can be found on Stephen Lewis' Officers Died site.
(Note: this link refers wrongly to Maj-Gen Sir Howard Elphinstone. It should be Maj-Gen William Elphinstone.)
Biographies
Entries in the Dictionary of Indian Biography 1906:
Augustus Abbott (1804-1867)
James Airey (1812-1898)
Mahommed Akbar Khan (1813?-1849)
Thomas Anquetil (1781-1842)
Captain George Broadfoot (1807-1845)
William Brydon (1811-1873)
Alexander Burnes (1805-1841)
Willoughby Cotton (1783-1860)
William Dennie (1785?-1842)
Richard England (1793-1883)
William Elphinstone (1782-1842)
Vincent Eyre (1811-1881)
John Haughton (1817-1887)
John Keane (1781-1844)
George Lawrence (1804-1884)
George Macgregor (1810-1883)
Colin Mackenzie (1806-1881)
William Macnaghten (1793-1841)
John McCaskill (?-1845)
Thomas Monteath (Douglas) (1787-1868)
William Nott (1782-1845)
George Pollock (1786-1872)
Eldred Pottinger (1811-1843)
Abraham Roberts (1784-1873)
John Shelton (?-1845)
Shah Shuja (1780?-1842)
Robert Sale (1782-1845)
Claude Wade (1794-1861)
Thomas Willshire (1789-1862)
George Wymer (1788-1868)
Recommended Reading
"First Afghan War" by H Durrand 1879 ISBN 818650530X
External Links
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The FIBIS Google Books Library has books tagged: 1st Afghan War Afghanistan | |
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- 1st Anglo-Afghan War Wikipedia
- The First Afghan War - Disaster for the British www.jmhare.com
- British Victorian War Medals www.acepilots.com
Historical books online
- History of the War in Afghanistan Vol I (1800-1841) by John William Kaye (1851)
- History of the War in Afghanistan Vol II (1841-1842) by John William Kaye (1851)
- History of the War in Afghanistan Vol III (1841-1842) by John William Kaye Revised Edition (1858)
- A narrative of the march and operations of the army of the Indus, in the expedition to Affghanistan in the years 1838-1839 by William Hough (1841) including:
- Narrative of the Campaign of the Indus in Sind and Kaubool in 1838-9 by Richard Hartley Kennedy M.D. Chief of the Medical Staff of the Bombay Division of the Army of the Indus. 1840 Volume 1, Volume 2
- The Campaign in Affghanistan, Journal of an Officer of the Army of the Indus by Captain Ogle HM 4th Lt Drags published 1840 and 1841 in the Asiatic Journal (Google Books)
- A Journal of the Disasters in Affghanistan 1841-2 by Lady Sale 1844
- Ten years in India, in the 16th Queen's Lancers by WJD Gould (1880). Chapter 2, covering the Afghan Campaign (Archive.org)
- Campaign of the Indus in a series of letters by an officer in the Bombay Division (Gutenberg.org)
- Historical geography of the British Dependencies Vol VII India, Part I - First Afghan War (archive.org)
- The first Afghan war and its causes Sir Henry Durand 1879 (archive.org)
- Memoirs and Corresponence of Major-General Sir William Nott GCB Vol I by J H Stocqueler 1854 (archive.org)
- Memoirs and Corresponence of Major-General Sir William Nott GCB Vol II by J H Stocqueler 1854 (archive.org)
- Memorials of Affghanistan by J H Stocqueler 1863 (Google Books)
- Narrative of the war in Affghanistan in 1838-39, Volume 1 by Sir Henry Havelock 1840 (Google Books)
- Narrative of the war in Affghanistan in 1838-39, Volume 2 by Sir Henry Havelock 1840 (Google Books)
- The Afghan Wars, 1839-42 and 1878-80 by Archibald Forbes 1892 (DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln)
- Scenes of a Soldier's Life by J H Wilton 1848 (Google Books)
- Zeila, the fair maid of Cabul. A tale of the Affghan insurrection and the massacre of the British troops in the Khoord-Cabul passes by Charles Finch Mackenzie 1850 (archive.org)