The Second Battle of Charasiab was fought on 25 April 1880 between the British Empire and Afghan tribesmen, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
| Second battle of Charasiab | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Second Anglo-Afghan War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 British Empire | Afghans | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Herbert Macpherson VC Colonel Jenkins | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | c. 4,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 killed, 34 wounded[1] | c. 100[2]–200 killed[1] | ||||||
Charasiab is a small town 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Kabul. In April 1880 a 1,200 strong force under Colonel Jenkins, including a half-battalion of the 92nd Highlanders, was sent from Kabul to Charasiab, to protect a supply column sent there to meet Lieutenant-General Stewart's division travelling from Kandahar to Kabul.[3][1]
On the evening of the 24 April, Jenkins saw that his Charasiab position was about to be attacked by a large force of Logar tribesmen. In response, an additional force under Brigadier-General Macpherson was sent from Kabul, consisting of six guns, a troop of the 3rd Punjab Cavalry and 962 Infantry, while Brigadier-General Hugh Gough, with four guns and a cavalry brigade, took up a position half-way between Kabul and Charasiab.[1]
On the morning of the 25 April, Colonel Jenkins' force was surrounded by attacking tribesmen – around 4,000 by British estimates – kept at bay by steady fire. At 1:00 p.m. Macpherson’s force arrived and immediately attacked the Afghans who were routed, and then pursued by the cavalry and horse artillery for four miles. The battle was over by 4:00 p.m.[1][2]
Order of battle
editUnits present included:
- 9th Lancers (1 squadron)[4]
- 92nd Highlanders (half-battalion)
- 3rd Punjab Cavalry (one troop)[1]
- 2nd Gurkhas (1 company)
See also
edit- Battle of Charasiab, 6 October 1879
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Roberts, Sir Frederick (1897). Forty-one Years in India. London: Macmillan & Co. pp. 463–464.
- ^ a b Hanwell, W. (1949), A Short History of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, 1715–1949, Gale & Polden
- ^ Shadbolt, Sydney H. (1882). The Afghan Campaigns of 1878-1880. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington. p. 238. (Accessed 10 October 2020)
- ^ Shadbolt, Sydney H. (1882). The Afghan Campaigns of 1878-1880. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington. p. 153. (Accessed 10 October 2020)