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The next day Lieut Haughton with Ensign Salisbury, 200 Gurkhas and a 6-pounder gun attempted to relieve Lughmani but was forced to retreat by 7 or 800 Afghans. Many Gurkhas were killed and Salisbury and QM-Sgt Hanrahan were severely wounded. Later that night Pottinger and his Gurkhas managed to escape from Lughmani and get back to Charikar Fort.
The fort was then under siege with only seven days supply of food and their water supply cut off. Codrington was in chief command and Pottinger, a former artillery officer, commanded the guns. Salisbury was dying and Hanrahan Incapacitated. This left Haughton, Rose and Byrne as the only Europeans to keep the Gurkhas fighting. On 5 November Codringtonwas Codrington was mortally wounded in the chest and Pottinger received a severe wound in the thigh. On 6 November Sgt-Maj Byrne was mortally wounded and Codrington died. The Gurkha numbers were badly reduced and all suffered from thirst and fatigue.
The enemy had a complete cordon round the fort and the siege continued until on 11 November all water was exhausted and sorties for fresh supplies were unsuccessful. By the 13th the original garrison of 740 had been reduced to less that 400. 100 had been killed (including 12 of the 56 Punjabi gunners), 50 taken prisoner while 200 were wounded and unable to fight. That afternoon the guns ceased firing and Haughton and Ensign Rose went to find out the reason. They were met by an artillery deserter who seemed to be offering terms of surrender. Haughton grabbed the man and was attacked by the Punjabi subadar who inflicted several severe sword cuts severing the muscles of the back of his neck and almost amputating his right hand.The remainder of the Punjabi artillerymen then fed the fort. With Ensign Rose Haughton, his artery spouting blood, managed to find refuge in the roof of the barracks.
