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Captivity of the Hostages

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'''1841'''<br>
On 21 December Captains Conolly and Airey were given as hostages for compliance with the treaty agreed with Mohammed [[Mohammad Akbar|Mohammad Akbar Khan ]] for the withdrawal of British forces from Afghanistan.
On 29 December it was agreed that Captains Drummond, Walsh, Warburton and Webb would be hostages as the Afghan demand for four married hostages and their families was not acceptable to the British.<br>
'''1842'''<br>
On 8 January 1842 Mohammed Akbar Khan agreed to protect [[William Elphinstone|Elphinstone's ]] army on a promise of 15,000 rupees. He also demanded [[Eldred Pottinger|Major Pottinger]], Captain Lawrence and Captain Mackenzie as hostages to guarantee that [[Robert Sale|General Robert Sale ]] would evacuate Jalalabad. This was agreed.
On 9 January 1842 Mohammed Akbar Khan persuaded General Elphinstone to hand over the women, children and wounded officers hostages in return for supplies and a safe escort for his army. Though none of Akbar Khan's promises had been kept previously, it was seen as the only way to protect the women and children from further suffering on the march. Four officers, ten women and twenty-two children were escorted to Khoord-Kabul fort where they joined the three officers taken the day before. See separate article [[Hostages taken at Khoord-Kabul]].
On 12 January after the massacre on the retreat from Jugdulluk Captain Bygrave took to the mountains and was eventually captured. He joined the others at Badiabad on 23 February
On 13 January Major Griffiths and Mr Blewitt were detained when they tried to negotiate a truce. Captain Lieutenant Thomas Souter and several privates were captured after the last stand of the 44th Regiment.
On 14 January Sergeant-Major Lisson, 37th Native Infantry and five other Europeans were captured between Gundamak and Jalalabad. They joined the other hostages at Badiabad Fort on 12 February.
At the approach of the Army of Retribution through the Khyber Pass the hostages were moved east on 11 April. They reached Tezeen on 19 April where General Elphinstone died four days later. They were then moved to a fort about 12 miles away where they stayed for a month. Moved again on 23 May they passed through the Khoord-Kabul pass and came to the fort of Ali Mohammed Khan at Sewrekkee six miles from Kabul where they remained for two months while various Afghan factions vied for control and there were negotiations with the advancing British. On 23 August the nine hostages from Kabul joined them.
[[George Pollock|General Pollock ]] started to advance from Jalalabad on 20 August and this caused the hostages (except those too sick to travel) to be moved on 25 August further east to Bamian which was reached on 3 September. They were able to bribe/persuade their captors to assist their escape and on 16 September they made their way west and south to the Kalu Pass where they were met by Sir Richmond Shakespear and 600 cavalry. They were finally safe when Sale's brigade reached Kowt e Ashrow and escorted them to Kabul. They had been hostages nearly nine months.
== Dates and Hostages Taken ==
*Captain Drummond
*Captain Walsh
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Warburton Captain Robert Warburton]
*Captain Webb
*Lieutenant John Haughton
*Remainder of the sick<br>
'''8 January'''
*Major Eldred Pottinger- wounded at Charikar 23 Nov*Captain George Lawrence- wounded at Cabul 23 Nov
*Captain Colin Mackenzie<br>
'''9 January'''
*Capt. Troup, Brigade-major Major Shah's Force- wounded at Khoord Cabul Pass 8 Jan*Lieut. G. Mein, 13th Light Infantry- wounded at Khoord Cabul Pass
*Lieut. Waller, Mrs Waller and child
*Lieut. Vincent Eyre, Mrs Eyre and child
*Capt. Anderson<br>
'''11 January'''
*General [[William Elphinstone]] - died of dysentery at Tezin 23 April 1842
*Brigadier Robert Shelton
*Captain Hugh Johnson<br>
*Major Griffiths, 44th Foot
*Mr Blewitt
*Capt. Lieut Thomas Souter, 44th Foot- wounded at Gandamak 13 Jan
*Sgt. Fair, mess sergeant 44th Foot
*Seven privates, 44th Foot<br>
*Capt Burnett (54th)
*Lieut Crawford
*[[John Nicholson|Lieut John NIcholson]]
*Lieut Harris
*Lieut Poett
*Capt Mackenzie, 48th Madras NI
*Capt Poett, 27th Bengal NI
*Capt Thomas Souter, HM 44th Regt
*Capt Waller, Bengal Horse Artillery
*Capt Walsh, 52nd Madras NI
*Lieut Melville, 54th Bengal NI
*Lieut Nicholson, 27th Bengal NI
*Lieut Thomas Souter, HM 44th Regt
*Lieut Warburton, Bengal Artillery
*Lieut Webb, 38th Bengal NI
== External Links ==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Anglo-Afghan_War 1st Afghan War] Wikipedia<br>[http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/sli/1afghan.htm Somerset Record Office - 1st Afghan War] Wikipedia<br>[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IBEWAAAAMAAJ&pg=PAi&dq=Brigadier+Shelton&as_brr=1&ei=AFrOR-P0DJXOywT8goiwBQ#PPR1,M1 History of the War in Afghanistan] Google Books<br>*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Elphinstone%27s_Army#Afghan_uprising Afghan Uprising] Wikipedia<br>*[http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-gandamak.htm The Battle of Kabul and the Retreat to Gandamak] BritishBattles.com<br>[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uXYIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA244&dq=A+journal+of+the+disasters+in+Affghanistan+Shortly+after+Pottinger,+Mackenzie,+and+Lawrence+arrived&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false Lady Sale's Account] Google Books<br>*[http://prints.national-army-museum.ac.uk/search.php?keywords=Portraits+of+the+Kabul+Prisoners&page=1&numperpage=9 Eyre's portraits of the hostages] national-army-museum.ac.uk<br>National Army Museum*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Warburton Robert Warburton on son's web page] Wikipedia<br>*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_St_Patrick_Lawrence George Lawrence] Wikipedia
==== Historical Books on-line ====
*[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IBEWAAAAMAAJ&pg=PAi&dq=Brigadier+Shelton&as_brr=1&ei=AFrOR-P0DJXOywT8goiwBQ#PPR1,M1 History of the War in Afghanistan] Google Books<br>*[http://www.archive.org/stream/kabulinsurrecti00eyregoog#page/n312/mode/2up ''The Kabul Insurrection of 1841-42 - Captivity of the Hostages''] by Maj-Gen Sir Vincent Eyre 1879 (archive.org)<br>*[http://www.archive.org/stream/ajournaldisaste01dickgoog#page/n6/mode/2up ''A Journal of the Disasters in Affghanistan 1841-2''] by Lady Florentia Sale 1843 (archive.org)<br>*[http://books.google.com/books?id=XiEPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA279&dq=Memorials+of+Affghanistan:+A+few+days+after+this+remarkable+state+paper&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Memorials of Affghanistan'' - Release of the Hostages] by J H Stocqueler 1863 (Google Books)
[[Category:1st Afghan War| Captivity of the Hostages]]

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