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Details Of The British Overthrow In Affghanistan

Details Of The British Overthrow In Affghanistan image
Parent Issue
Day
2
Month
May
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The foHowing most inleresthig) letter is frcm the Bombay correspondent. Bomba Y, Maren 1, Many a Ion? year hr.s passed by since in telligencc was despatched froni India, at once so mornentous and so distressing, as that which the present mail is destined to convey. One of the most extensivo and mercilcss butcheries that have ever blackcned the annals of savag'e nationi has been perpetrated by the rebels of Afghanistan a slaughter which, wh ether we consider the baseness of the trenchfirv thar led to it, or the horrors that marked its progre3s, stands forth almost unparalleled. Trusting in the precious pronvises of the crafty Akbar Mahomed. the envoy'a avowed assossin, Major Pottinger and General Elphinstone concluded a convention with him. by which the safe passage of our force from Cabcol to Jeüelabad was guaranteed, and led forward to the troops te the passes. It soon became evident that Uie Affghans were resolved on opposing their progress; but rclying on the faith of the traitor Akbar, iV. r;Pnernl mi shed on: until at iength tlie wlioleirmy was involved in one common ruin. The sword of the destróyer, and the bitter cold of these wild regions, combined in aciomplishing the work of horror. Of 12,000 human beings who quittcd Cabool wilh General Elphinstona, not more ianfifty arcnoic inexistente: the rest feil bceath the favfc of the Affghans, or penslied in he snows of livfft Kothal and Tazeer. It is with mingled indignation and sorrow that prepare to detail the circumstanccs of thia terrile slaughtcr indignation at the reprehenible credulity of those vho hazarded ihe lives of tiousandson a traitor's word - and sorrow at the melancholy results of their wer-.kness. The negotiations broken off by the assassinaion of Sir William McNaghtcn were resumcd b Major Pottinger shortly after the death of the en voy. An aitack on the cantonmenta, as I statec n 'm y last, was commenced ere he had concludcd any arrangement; but this appears to have been discontinuad, as terms of treaty were scttlcd before the end of December. The troops are represented to have been on the 23th of that month in camp, unable to move for wnnt of carriage, and to have in their possession nearly a month's eupply ot provisions, which had been collected durng the progressof a negotiation. On the 4th of Ja"nuary a treaty was signed. It stipulated that on delivering up six hostages, granting orders br the evacuation of our different stronghrlds,and xbandoning the treasure and eertain munitions of war, our force should be permitted to march to Jallelabad unmolested.taking with them their arms and. asit would appear, their gunB and aniumtion. The sick and wounded were to be let to the care of the -existing goverment." The orders for evacuation alluded to, appear to have been written on the 20th December,as tho instructions received by It. Sale for the abandonment of Jellelabad.and with Which he refused to comply,bore that date - The officers surrendered as hostages are said to be Captains VValsh, of the 53 Madras Native Infantry; Drummond of the third cavalry; and-VVebb, of the 38th Madras Native Infantry.and the Lieutenanta Airie. of her Majesty's 3d, aid-de-camp to General Elphinstone; Connolly, and Warburton, of the Artillery. Shah Soojah refused to accompany the retiring force, and was left in the There were about 5.000 nghting men, and upwards of 7,000 camp followers. The nativeregiments destroyed, were four in number: the 3d. 25rh and 5 hh Bengal infantry, one of the Shah's. Besides these were cavalry to the number of 1,100. Her Majesty's 44tb was the only Europcan Regiment.ïala Hissar with about 3.000 followers, defcnding t' imself agninst the attacks of tlie enemyi The l roops ma'ched on the 5th Junuary, and the c annients, os soon as they had quiited thetn, were ut in flames. The Affghans rushed eagcrly forard to sie.e the baggage, and thé rear guard o) ■ jrce was fired upon. When Akbar Kha ?had l hus got our troops into UU power, he issued l amations, saying: ''We having by our valor and '. running induced the Kafiirs to quit their tents, - ' ïow cali upon all good Mussulmen to rise and annihihte the intruders as they retire!" The force ïncamped after having tnarched four or five miies. I lalf oi' the way to Boodkhok. As soon as ihey left Cabool, General Elphinstone placed himseh entirely under the guidance of Akbar Khan, and allowcd the order ot' marching, the length of the stages, and the places of encampment, to be dictated by hiin. The wily AfTghan could thus regúlalo tbc proceedings of our force by those ot his own pcople, of whose ïr.ovements, it cannot be doubted, he had coiuinued intclligence. The next day, the Gth .hc troops reached Bookkhak, and again pitched their camp in the snovv. During their progress. a good deal of plunder eeems to have taken place; but the regular attack was made. On the7th they marched frotn Khoord Cabool,and during that stage the eneniy came down upon them in force. and'obstinately disputed the wny.- They ascended the heights, howcver, with spint, and after a severe engagement, which rosulted in a havy loss of life. suceeeded in forcing the dangerous and difficuU defilo It appcars that on this occasion, and also subsequently.when attacks were made, General Elphinstone charged Akbar Khan with a breach of failh. btU the trauor to the last protested, and indeed, suceeeded in pursuadinc his victim, that he had no control whatcver over thü assailauts, and could not prevent their attacks. TUe next march, towarda Tazeen, was by far the most dreadful and disaeterous. On the flufit Kothul. a bleak and precipitous mountain, nearly the whole of the native force was destroyed. Uenumbed and powerlcss, the miserable Sepoye met thèiï death without resistance, or, ii they escaped a violent end, sank into that frigid torpor from which men wake no more. The ladies had hitherto borne the privations of these terrible marches with heroic fortitude; but here the intense cold, and the imminent danger to which thcy were exposedjindueed them to cornply with the reques of General Elphinstone, tbat they should place thcmselves under the protection of Mahomed Akbar, and return to Cabool. The Affghan chief, i appears, demanded them as hostages; but thougl their safe conduct to Cabool was made a condition of their surrender, they were never taken thiiher There is every reason to believe that they acompanied Akbar Khan as far as Jugdulluck. The ac counts received of the different occurrences are necessarily imperfect and confused; but it requires o stiong imagination o picture the horrors tha vere here enacied. Lady Salo, it seems, was wounded. and her son-in-law, Leiut. Stewart - vhose wife, toó, was present - met a soldier death. Mis. Andcrson discovered that one oí he children, a little girl, was missing; and the mos drea;li'ul apprehensions existed thal she had been killed, or had perishedfrom cold, and left on th road. Commensurate with the extent of our mis fortunes must have been the exultation of the Afl ghans. Their triumph would have been less glo rious if less bloody- unworthy of their cause ha the voice of mercy been listcned to! When the ladies were separated from our force their husbands accompanied thetn. Some of th Massuln'an Sepoys went over to the enemy, wh promised tfiat iheir lives would be spared, but th majority of thé native troops remained true to th laat. The greater part of the guns were spike and abandoned on the Huflt Kothul, and whe the lorce reached Tazeen the remainder were eim iiarly disposed of.Having reached Tazeen, the remnant of the army, instead of proceeding on the direct rout to Jullelabads by way of Pisslernk anJ Gemdamuck, urnedoff towardsJugdulluck, which lies abo ut 25 mile from Tazeen. in the direct ion of Lugh„-;-.. The -.vo-L ..folau'atoioo.itiiiued; ana bfi , he time they reaehed their destination, not more han 300 men- and ihese nearly all Europeans- could be inustercd, out of 5,000 eoldiers and upwardsof7,000 camp followers, who a íew days previously had quitted Cabool! To the lr.tter deenceless wretches, one would think meicy rnight ïave been extended, without diminishing the lnnmphof the Affghans, or weakening the force oi hisrevenge; but itissaid, with what truth we know no, that, with characteristic barbanty, their clothes vere stripped frora their bodics, in order hat they mieht perish the more surely m the snows! Eitherat Tazeen or Jugdulmck- for on this point statements differ- General Elphinston himselffell into the haudfl of Akbar Khan, a pnsoner, as wel! as Colonels Shelton and Johnson, who were with him at the time. Someaccouni state hat these oflicers were seized and confined, others that they voluntarily surrendered themselves. It appears that Akbar received intelligence that Jelelabad wasstill rctained by Gencral,Sale, contrary to terms of the treaty, and that he at once declared the force should proceed no further. Whether they were seized, in pursuance of hiö der tümiina.;on, or delivcic] themselves up as seourity for the ultímate evacuation of the fortress, s yet donbtful. On the departurc of General Elphinstone, the command devolved upon Brigadier Arquetil, conimander of the Shah's forces, who succeeded in preserving something like order, notwiihstanuing the poriod of the halt (nearly a whole day) exposed to a gaüing firefrom the heights around thera. Tüwards the close of the day. Coloncl Aiqueül received a warning note from the General: "March to night- thero is treacheryl" And soon after dark they again set forward. This wns on theJ2thof January. The column advanced up the pnss, and, though :he road was barncaded, succeeded in passing through, the enemy ñot .having yet assenibled. An attack, hovever, which was soon ' aftarwards made on the rear, threw them into confusión. The brigadier feil, and then all order was at an end. The force broke up- the officers were no longer obeyed - seli preservation alone was thought of- troopers were struck from their saddlesby those on foot, that the horses might be used for the pu pose of ilight, and those who mounted galloped off for their Uves! It was the last eiTort of despair.Her Majrsty's 44th regiment was herecutup, nnd it is s.iid the mea greatly hastened their fute by their disordedly conduct; rel'using to obey their ofriceis, and ven striking them with tue butt ends of their muskets when commands were given. Some men of the 35th Bengal naiivö infantry, who yet remained. also. it appears, desertec their commander. The surviving üilicers, seeing thut tliere was no hope of restoring order, ant that the only chance of safety lay in flight, aj length quitied the seene of tumult. Six ot them. namcd Hopkins, Harper; Colyer, Bird, Steer and Brydon, rode offin company. They kept togother until they reached Futtiabad, when the three former parted from their companions. Bird was soon afterwards struck down, and Lieutenan Steer, when uut a few miles from Jellelabad, was obliged to halt. his horse being completeiy exhaus ted. He crawled into a cave on tlie road sido where, it is feared. he pcrished, As for Dr. Brydon, he pushed resolutely on. and at'ter many hai breadth escapes from the Affb'hans whoni he en counted on tbe way, receiving scvere wounds the welcoine fortress met his view. The yery women and childien it would seem reviled him, and pelted him With Btones as he rode along. He appcars to have feared to enter Jellelabad, at first irom an npprehension that it might bein the possession of theenemy, and for a time hid himsel in a ravine. Near this spot he was seen from the vvalls of the town, and some officers went out to meet him, and bring him in. J!e was in a miserable state of fatigue and exhausiion, and his heac frightfully gashed with wounds. and it was som time before he could give a clear account of th horrible occurrences he had wimessed. For three nights a fior the arrival of Dr. Bry on. beacons werek?pt burningand bugles sound dng. at Jellelabad, in order to attract the notice c iany' fugitivos that might bé in the neighborhood but up to the latest accounts only three raor mn, bclon ging to the Cabool f orce, had rcachelie fort. viz: a Kilrnutgar of the fifth cavalry. a tissildat of Anderson's hora-, and llindoo grassínter. The latier stated tliat he s;en groat lumbersof oflicerslying deadon the road. General Elphinstone, Brigadier Shelton, and kolonel Johnson, were taken by Akbar Khan, o a íurt at Lughnan, belonging to Jubber Klian. ' ogethor with some other ofiicers that had fallen ' mo the banda of the rebel chief. Hero they ound the ladies and their hushands safe and nvcII, nd rejoiced to hcar that the former had been treaeii wii'i respect and ntiention. 'rom thcLondon Morning Herald - (Opposition.) Thc attemptod subjection of Aflghanistan being mnioral in its origin, nothing that has oceurrer: ;an deprive any fatmo attentpt of similar immoiluy. The Aflghans are not rebels orinsurpents: ícy owe no fealty or aHögiance to thc British rown, and the endeavor of England to depñvm íem of indcpRndence is ns monstrous ns that of Tapoleori to destroy the independence of Spain. - Tbe risinnt Cabul - bloody, cruel, sanguinary. nd brutal though it be - is a movement to achieve ndependonce. lt is not inaurrrection; it is a war. 'he deadly revenge which animntes each Affghnn low is not without parallel in European struggles br nationality, and the dispistin? insult perperated on the remains of Sir W. M'Naghtcn could eadily hi exemplified during the recent c;vil war n Spain. If wo will conquer semi-bar bárous ribes, and fight with a people ignorant of the ciylization of western wnrf-ue, we cannot complatn hat their struggle for freedom is ns wild as their assiot)3 and as remorseless as their wrongs.

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News