Hello
and welcome to the age of Victoria podcast.
My name's Chris Fernandez Ban.
Let's get on with the show.
Hi, everyone. I'm recording this episode whilst trying
to sort out selling my house. And dealing
with the divorce, which is why it wasn't
out in June. But having that bit of
extra time
means that this is now out on the
first of July, and
Fingers crossed, that means I can now move
us back into the old cycle of releasing
episodes on the first of every month. In
difficult times like this, the podcast is a
great escape for me and and I truly
appreciate the support of the patrons to help
me through. I'm therefore delighted to welcome new
patron,
Matt Anderson
as a lovable Chimney sweep. Over the years,
I've been overhaul my scripts,
into fully footnote transcripts,
that would meet academic research paper standards,
including citation requirements,
I plan to convert them into Pdf
and put them on the website. To help
realize my dream an improved accessibility,
Working backwards,
I have gone all the way back
episode 32.
It has been slow going, and I'm still
committed to it. However, Apple podcasts.
Now automatically
produce a transcript
for each episode. So all my episodes on
Apple podcasts
now have a full transcript.
You can just read them at your leisure.
They won't include the full citations or sources,
but from an accessibility point of view, and
they are brilliant.
If you have ever missed something I said,
or wondered about a place name, it's right
there for you. I will. Nevertheless continue my
work on the fully cited scripts so that
they're available on the website.
Today, We are continuing the episodes on the
invasion of Afghanistan.
If you haven't listened to episodes 54,
55
and 56 yet.
Please start with them before listening to this
or you will be completely lost.
Still here.
Excellent.
Have you ever looked at a map and
thought I'd like to visit there. You are
gripped with enthusiasm?
And rush off to plan a trip. Only
there's times and dates,
the best weather, the cost,
which bags to pack travel insurance,
guide books, comfortable shoes,
airport land,
taxis,
booking a kennel for the dog, telling the
Milk, your wife is away for 2 weeks.
Before you know it, you are shaking your
head, and saying it is like planning and
invasion. Nick except of course, eu are just
a little busy.
Scale it up to cover over 30000
men and twice that many ox and carts,
then try them get them through the mountains,
and you have a sense of the enormous
challenge
facing the British when they invaded a Afghanistan
for the first time. If few packing lists
didn't even begin to cover it. If you
listen to the last episodes, you will of
course know why the British had decided to
send an army into difficult hostile terrain,
to fight an enemy, they didn't truly understand.
But if you didn't, you just need to
remember
that the British
didn't have a good reason, so we're coming
up with some bad ones.
The first, Anglo afghan war is remembered, as
1 of the great military disasters in history,
it is also a master class
bad political decision making and poor planning It
is also
a bit difficult to categorize
in the usual easy frameworks.
The people in of view Victorian in history.
Typically, many people,
including a longer historians
will be using easy labels like colonialism,
Or imperial
or orient
or racism.
The first anglo Afghan war didn't have just
1 of those or all of them it
had a mix
depending on who you were and where you
sat at the time.
Afghanistan
was never intended to be a province.
Or place the British settled.
It was therefore
not next exercising colonialism,
conquering it, was clearly violent and imperialist
in as much as it related to Empire,
and there wasn't an
intention that the British would rule
via a client king. The main po political
goal was to install a friendly king. Create
a buffer zone, that protected the Indian borders,
unlike a client king, which didn't really care
what the new Afghan king actually did
as long as it was anti Russian,
nor with Afghanistan
of much interest to the orient
who are much more focused
on bringing what they perceived as
civilization to India or studying ancient Indian culture,
They assumed
inherent superiority of the white man was a
given. But again, there was no desire to
create a white ruling class
over the native peoples in a Afghanistan
in the way that was being done in
India. Nevertheless,
a former of orient.
Is in incapable.
It can be a tricky word and concept
to define, and its most basic.
It comes from the old word of orient,
meaning lands of the east as opposed to
oc,
meaning lands of the west.
Or the,
means the interest in and study of cultures
in the orient region, so far, so neutral
except, In history terms,
it can also mean the attitudes
towards the orient
regions and a way of other
the entire of China,
Japan,
India, the further stretches of the Middle East
and the Hindu C,
In this form,
orient
includes both racial and cultural claims of superiority
by the oc.
It can be called
the western gaze
on the Orient world.
Incidentally, the process works the other way too.
As we've seen throughout the podcast,
there are no impartial observers
with an objective truth. Everything is done, through
the subjective gaze
of the observer culture and life experiences
when we get to the opium war for
instance,
you will see the Chinese imperial worldview
was just as obsessed with its own perceived
racial superiority,
over non Chinese peoples.
Orient
often turns the orient
into the exotic
the savage,
the wild,
the dangerous,
the inferior,
much of the Romans
once viewed the germanic tribes,
as the barbaric
outsider, who will wall I brave yet also
at the same time,
un
and shaped by their environment,
there were elements
of this kind of orient
in the British view of Afghanistan
consider the comment
of Scottish Envoy,
mount stark El stone from his 18 o
8 visit to Afghanistan,
quote, to sum up the character the afghan
in a few words,
their vice are revenge,
envy,
average,
capacity
and ob.
On the other hand, they are fond of
liberty, faithful to their friends
climbed to their dependence
hospitable,
brave, hardy, frugal,
labor,
and prudent.
They are less disposed
than the nations in their neighborhood
to fa
in ent and d.
Just after
the first pan
war in 18 51,
so John K wrote 2 volume history of
the war,
and said, quote, the physical character of the
country had stamped itself on the mall
confirmation of its inhabitants.
Brave,
independent, but of a turbulent,
predictive character.
That very existence
seem to depend,
upon a succession of internal feud
end quote.
Then
compare those quotes to some quotes from Roman
rite tac
about the Germans,
which I've cherry pitt from his longer piece
ko
For B sake.
Quote, who would like
have been likely
to leave Asia minor, North Africa
to go to Germany
with its forbid landscapes an unpleasant climate
a country that is thank to ti and
dismal to behold for anyone who was not
born in bread there. The appearance of the
country, differs considerably in different parts, but in
general,
it is covered either by b forest or
by bowel swamps.
The peoples of Germany have never contaminated themselves
by inter marriage with foreigners,
but remain a pure blood,
distinct and unlike any other nation. 1 result
of this is that their physical characteristics
in so insofar as 1 can generalize
about such a large population. Are always the
same. Fierce looking blue eyes,
reddish hair, and big frames,
which however,
can exert their strength only by means of
a violent effort.
No nation indulge more freely and feast and
entertaining the New Germans
It is accounted as sin to turn away
a man from your door, many noble youths.
If the land of their birth is stag,
in a long period of peace and activity,
deliberately seek out other tribes,
which have some war in hand
for the germans have no taste for peace.
Renown is more easily 1 among the pounds
and a large body of retainer
cannot be kept together, except by means of
violence and war. They always making demands on
the generosity of their chief asking for a
coveted war horse or spear stained with the
blood of a defeated enemy, their meals,
for which plentiful if home fair is provided,
counting in lieu of pay. The weather oil
for this open handed us comes from war
and p.
A German is not so easily prevailed upon
to plow the land and weight patiently for
harvest
as to challenge a foe and earn wounds
for his reward, he thinks it tame and
spirit
to accumulate slowly by the sweat of his
brow what can be got quickly by the
loss of a blood. We're not engaged in
warfare.
They spend a certain amount of time in
hunting
but much more in idle on, thinking nothing
else that's sleeping and eating.
For the bold and most war like men,
have no regular employment.
The Cow house home and fields
being left to the women, old men and
weak of the family.
In thus do away their time,
they show a strange
inconsistency.
At 1 in the same time,
loving ind
and hating peace
quote.
Notice the similarities,
the land is presented as wild,
it is beyond the bounds of
civilization. It is less desirable
and produces hardy, war like people.
They are presented
as simpler,
individualistic,
hospital want guests
and brave, Yet, they are also un ent,
coming together not for the common good of
the civilized nation but to enjoy war, violence
and p.
To live in the boundaries of Empire is
to be civilized on this view to work
and collective good of the nation to produce
honest citizens
who grant the state the monopoly violence
and treasure equality before the law. That means
those
outside are fully other
It is a process that has happened across
a range of history, the Romans, the Chinese,
the persians,
the Egyptians, the Us, the French, the Spanish
all had empires, and those outside,
were to be presented as the barbarian,
the heath,
the savage,
the frontier, it is also
part of a mindset
that challenges
directly the post Christian
post enlightenment world
that underpins
most of western
civilization. The ideal motivation of the savage
is in sharp
contrast to the idea
that rationality,
a equality before the law and individual liberties
in a free society of the supreme virtue
the ideal realization or indeed existence of a
war like frontier society is not seen as
a aggression or a departure morality,
rather it makes this soc democratic claim that
violence itself is inherently virtuous,
but bravery,
proficiency at war, taking a physical route to
evolve conflict
is inherently more virtuous and more more than
talking or protecting the week,
Is not a simplistic
I can ignore what his moral because I
am stronger claim. It is closer to the
idea that mercy and pity.
Are inherently
immoral
and at strength on a violent conquest
armor
a clash of arms
bringing
resolution after a face to face battle with
a bow. Here's a long tradition in human
history,
across various cultures,
the at
claimed to the mel
that right and wrong is only in questioned
between equal
power on the strong, do what they can
and the weak suffer what they must.
Victorian
were frequently torn
between ad admire the virtue of what was
considered the savage frontier, like the bravery, the
tough,
the decisive aggression,
also understanding that these virtue were often linked
to law,
oppression or instability.
They were torn in between ad admire what
we considered manly virtue,
and dis despise
frontier cultures that they considered heath and primitive.
Many afghan chiefs would after all have found
debates throughout legality
or whether the violence was wrong, rather laughable
and would have quite willingly fallen into
the decisive battle might making right camp. If
they could rob a trader Caravan,
raid into India, or intimidate the British into
paying tribute to pac the frontier, they would
cheerful do so and expect the same in
return,
in places with no strong written legal code,
then the more captain Jak spa approach he
sway out here, There's only what a man
can do and what he can't do. As
victorian society became more structured,
legal
and conform,
the attraction of the frontier, the desert, the
mountains
came stronger for many
adventurers,
None of this matters
to the podcast host and listener, who can
rum over philosophy at leisure
and look at how it affected human behavior
in history,
we have no skin in the game. The
Victorian in India
did have skin in the game. Asking how
to judge a more conflict and honor based
society
that is right on the border of your
doorstep.
Is not just a philosophical
issue. It is a national security issue.
Victorian governor
might need to understand why a society with
operating a certain way to help in plan,
but then he had to take practical steps.
At the top of any list of practical
technicalities
was the burning question,
should we invade them
before they invade
us. Yeah. And, we're not going to be
able to invade India on the scale of
the mongols invading India or the hun
storming into the Roman Empire, any invasion they
made
would be limited to the border regions,
and include a lot of robbing of caravan
vans and frontier villages.
What we might call today
low intensity warfare.
Fears of a Russian invasion were in many
ways,
not as great as a lot of popular
writing,
on the so called great game would have
you believe. Even in the early nineteenth century,
intelligence officers
were prone to exaggeration and paranoia.
Some have historians
have argued the real fear the British had
of the Russians
was a European war, which had loom ever
present since the Napoleonic wars. On that view,
the British feared war in Europe,
diverting their attention, allowing Russian expansion into India
or an afghan border incur,
provoking a rebellion in India. It is always
hard asking
what caused the war because it is typically
complicated,
people
like to point at a single person
or single reason, for instance, Hitler or Putin.
They don't like Well, there were a whole
lot of trends in historical forces
that pushed pre war Germany
towards a receptive,
for becoming a fascist state
or than allowed a corrupt, k
warm
to seize control of the Russian state and
then try to rob Ukraine on a massive
scale that went catastrophic
wrong for him, which bio into an increasingly
lengthy war of aggression. In general,
the whole first anglo afghan war can be
viewed as a piece of misguided real po
with war being used as a continuation of
policy by other means,
almost napoleonic in a way. War is the
tool to bring out a political outcome. Seen
in that light, it becomes a highly political
but also highly personal war. 1, driven by
the Governor General of India and the chief
Be,
combined with those elements of orient
and imperial,
the idea to bring peace to the frontier
dispatch to pac
the savages beyond,
to protect
civilization from the Barbarian
invasion
combined,
with the view of stopping other imperial powers
from sweeping in yet run
by a semi independent governor general
using the vast resources of an Empire created
by a private trading company.
Of course, if you happen to be 1
of those others,
labeled on savage,
your view of all of this was very
very different.
Neither the German tribes,
nor the afghan,
thought of themselves as dangerous savages
who threatened the civilized land,
Both might well have a lot of conflict
or tribal and warriors,
but that didn't mean they didn't have a
civilization and culture of their own. As I
mentioned last episode,
Afghanistan
has a very old culture.
1 had a long standing
international roots.
And was well integrated
into the world of the Muslim Empires.
The British
were of a strange group of alien invaders,
that the afghan cans were completely
blindsided by and who were technologically superior. The
afghan
knew about India, the British, the Russians,
the Ky part, and Christianity.
They had fortresses,
musk,
swords,
and J z,
the infamous long bound musk.
As the international movie firearms
database says
quote, At
is a type of long bowel,
muzzle loading musk
made in Afghanistan.
It is often
incorrectly used
as a blanket term for the various muzzle
loading long guns from the Middle East,
North Africa,
Asia and India. Since Ge ale
were made to order by the individual Craftsman,
They were not standardized,
having either match lock or flint lock mechanisms
and often using
brown bass, Flint lock musk lock work and
sometimes
having rifle barrels,
but are typically
identified by their
unusual horn shaped stock. They were similar
to American
Frontier era hunting rifles
but were typically heavier and larger
with caliber
in the 0.5
to 0.75
range,
and we used in a similar role to
modern sniper rifles.
They're heavyweight
and long bowel,
led to a much greater effective range than
the standard infantry markets.
They were used to fearsome some effect by
Afghan snipers
during the anglo afghan wars
in the nineteenth century
end, quote, the British
were about to be invading a territory where
the enemy
was on very much,
more
advantageous home terrain using weapons that range them
were more accurate,
and were more suitable
for the mountain ranges and river valleys,
Weapons
that are allowed for greater mobility
and good act snipers
similar to the American rifle
in the Us war of independence. If I
had to pick a bad match up for
the British Victorian army
This would be high on the list. It
also helps put pay to the persistent myth
that the British only fought primitive armies,
and only 1 because of their technological
advantages.
The only idea that all the enemies British
fought armed with spears
and mow down by machine guns is just
wrong. It did happen on their occasions, but
in the main, the British Victorian army
maintained its victories by better training,
sustained aggression,
logistics
and more professional
organization,
combined with the ability to pour in
immense imperial resources.
During the Anglo Afghan outcome or, you will
sadly see
that many of these elements
were completely
lacking.
Arthur w,
the Duke of Wellington
had a very strong view about any british
invasion of Afghanistan.
He immediately grasped the key problem about holding
the place,
saying that any British invasion was foolish. He
predicted that the British would easily crush the
afghan army,
that was made up of semi feudal tribal
levi, but would then be unable to hold
the country. He said the like of roads
and the difficulties
of the mountains
would force the british out, and the Afghanistan
was only really a country of rocks
sand,
deserts,
mountains and snow. His words should have echoed
down the ages really to modern planners,
Still, the events we are about to cover
would probably have turned out very, very differently,
if cons master logistics like Wellington,
had been in charge.
Instead, we are about to cover 1 of
the most
app series
of military events in history
and not just British history.
The first anglo Afghan war stands out as
a
colossal military failure.
1 that was really self inflicted.
The strange thing is there is still immense
debate about whether the British government had even
authorized it. Or whether the responsibility
lay with the board of trade and the
Honorable East India company or the governor general
in India The governor general in question,
Lord Auckland
was a curious mix of competent
indecisive,
and badly misinformed.
He was a career
politician who had little interest in or understanding
of Indian culture
So William Mc norton, who was secretary to
the governor general,
as well as spy master and War hawk
in chief, thought invasion would be easy.
So the dismay of most informed officers,
diplomats and spies,
mc Norton was prepared to overthrow, a highly
admired king Dos mohammed in favor of
opportunistic
coward
and former king,
Shah, Sc,
and he expected the afghan outgoing people to
be happy about it. Mc Norton was Happy
town, Auckland,
the Dos Mohammed was unpopular king,
ignoring the boar. From intelligence agent, Alexander burns
to the country. That's agent tableau burns from
last episode. Mc norton from also failed brief
Auckland
that the Seek King land ut singh and
recently conquered Pe from Afghanistan
So Dos Mohammed did have good reasons for
currently demanding it back.
Auckland
was kept ignorant of this. Although it wouldn't
have taken too much for him to check
nor Was Norton, the only intelligence officer,
pushing his own angle to Auckland
as with any great
political or military disaster,
failures by the intelligence community, or them pursuing
their an agenda, are usually a huge part.
Dear the soldiers having to do the marching,
it was at least straightforward.
March,
then fight or die. Politics was for officers
and their lords ships far away.
They had taken the queen shelling.
And if the queen want them to fight
up a mountain in Afghanistan,
then that's what they did. Or alternatively,
they've taken john companies pay are now needed
to deliver. Or for many of the native
Indian troops
they'd had sworn oats on their salt and
their blades,
and so would fight for their honor. Our
old friend, Sub Sit ram, was amongst the
native troops on the March, and he had
a thoroughly miserable time of it.
For the officers, it was going to be
a huge amount of work It was what
they had supposedly signed up for, an ambitious
officer
wants and needs of war to serve their
country. And to make good use of their
talents
for the impoverished gentlemen who who'd gone to
India to live on the cheap because they
couldn't afford a commission in a fashionable regiment.
It was just a path of the course.
Enormous planning
was needed for an invasion,
deposed former king S Su.
Now the would be king of Afghanistan
was bringing 6000
irregular soldiers
to help the British put him on the
throne. When we talk about irregular in this
period
It means any fighting force raised outside normal
military structures.
It doesn't
necessarily mean bad.
But in general,
it mount
anyone who fan a bit of raven and
privilege in a big mob without much discipline.
Some irregular units were excellent, of course. And
supplies armies have often recruited scouts,
shock troops, and cavalry,
on the wild lands outside their empires.
In general though, it was un wise to
rely on irregular troops in India
and especially in Afghanistan.
Many, if that most, were transparent
only there for money
all opportunities to rape and pill,
and we're pretty open about their willingness to
switch sides to the highest bidder
Cha
Troops were all armed by the British and
British officers were put in charge.
I can't
imagine the difficulties.
Of leading this kind of troop into battle.
Constantly
unsure if your men were following you or
about to dessert
or shoot in the back and go over
to the side. The difficulties
are relying on translators to relay orders
were large enough just on their own. The
British
didn't get many of the excellent seek troops
or bandit sing so would rely on the
company armies
supported by a very limited number of Queen's
regiments.
As Kip might have said,
It was going to be down to pour
bloody Tommy Atkins
in red coat and musk
to do the marching and the dying.
Or blue coats or black or dark rifle
green
depending on the order of battle at the
time. The Victorian army was a riot of
color. And not all of it was read.
The invasion was initially planned for 10000
british petition Indian troops
supported by 30000
camels,
plus oxen, horses,
how says, mortar,
horse artillery, pioneers,
miners and sap,
foot artillery, siege artillery, and camel artillery, plus
black carts, and even barges for river travel,
can you imagine
trying to plan how to get that locked
to go down a road or cross a
bridge?
Just finding night the camels
was a nightmare,
and Bombay comm
division,
particularly struggled,
trying to produce 3000
odd camels at short notice, a captain Hugh
wrote in his account of the initial difficulties,
The deputy comm general had represented that it
was necessary to remain at She for about
20 days to enable the comm area to
obtain the greatest possible quantity of supplies for
all the troops. While halting at this place,
the troops would not consume their stock of
supplies, but procure their grain, etcetera, from the
city, where a large quantity had been collected,
and more was procure for the rear columns,
bombay troops, etcetera. On the arrival of an
expected con with wheat graham, etcetera, coming from
malta, etcetera. The Bengal comm
were to supply the bombay troops, not only
with grain, but with camels,
Before the resolution to move on immediately was
known. The deputy comm general had detached 4000
camels to bring up from the rear grain,
etcetera.
He was also led to expect 10 days
supplies would be ready at data, 10 marches
in advance, and 20 days supplies at Ke,
18 marches in advance.
While Can was 32 marches is distant from
She poor, so that including halt etcetera.
45 or 50 days supplies were required for
the troops up, to Ka.
And as we marched with carriage 4 and
with only a mouth supplies from Fe poor,
more carriage was required to than could be
procured at the time, both for the Bengal
and Bombay columns, as well as for the
sc force. With such huge challenges ahead. You
would think that the early Victorian army would
assemble its a team,
Or at least up and coming officers and
channels,
who would later become legends,
you would think wrong, gentle listener.
A previous invasion to help defend the city
hu against persons
was abandoned when the siege ended early.
Embarrassing need for the governor general, the successful
defense. Was in large part due to a
British,
turned adventure spy El Pot.
The royal navy
had done its part by applying pressure on
the persians,
and the up coming star lord Palmer
was twisting the arms and Russian diplomats,
Russian invasion invasion plant was suddenly gone.
The large British fourth being assembled was stood
down. And reduced to a much smaller
expedition force, the nominated commander over of the
invasion force
Su Harry Fe,
commander of armed forces in India, refused to
take further part in the venture, arguing,
that with the Russian backed person siege of
her over, there was no longer a
justification for any invasion of a Afghanistan,
and besides he was much too senior to
lead a much smaller force,
thereby leaving the command to other more junior
men. At this point, any illegitimate
justification for the invasion had really been blown
out of the water. The Russian backed person
invasion had been turned back, and thanks to
Lord Palmer.
The Russians would not likely. To be able
to produce an invasion force of their own
anytime soon. Any raids by afghan
could probably simply be paid off or turned
back. From this point on, it was an
entirely un enforced
political disaster
that triggered an even worse military 1. The
British were about to mount an unnecessary invasion
with little,
political payoff in the off and bum the
technicalities
extremely badly.
The 2 generals,
willing to take command of them reduced invasion
force were absolute c tier. Fine,
but not in the list of all time
greats.
The first,
Napoleonic war veteran are John Keen was at
least competent
if rather long in tooth. The second,
general sir willoughby be cotton was a general
who didn't believe in reconnaissance patrols,
Keane was in command of the main force
from Bombay
with cotton commanding the Bang
contingent.
Yet the whole expedition.
Effectively fell on the overall command of William
Mc norton, a natural desk jo, Mc norton
had never visited our Afghanistan
and was more focused on politics,
the military technicalities,
the Junior officers were not in the right
mindset either in the main,
They acted, like they were going on a
gentleman's campaign
against the seventeenth century French,
most traveled with the elaborate grooming kits.
Including soaps,
perfume,
and silver hair brushes. At least 2 camels
were used for nothing more, and home regiment
cigar supplies, a lancer of regiment,
even brought their fox sounds for hunting
not that you can blame officers for wanting
some comfort,
especially when you read a contemporary account from
a junior officer,
from 18 40 about the campaign,
quote. The European troops of our army had
no rum from the time we left Ka
till a supply came from India after the
campaign.
Owing to eating the fat humber mutton, which
is rich and drinking the water of the
country possessing an period quality, they suffered much
from bowel complaints. Whatever may be the opinion
of the abs societies,
all sound medical men declare the sudden deprivation
of spirits to be furious.
End quote.
That's right. The soldiers old friend
dysentery was going to be coming along for
the ride, plus l and fleas,
which were have quickly infested the uniforms and
bedding,
add in a heavy load,
musk kits, tight stocks around the neck, and
poor quality boots
and you can see why this was going
to be a rough campaign,
especially as the booze ran out. Jokes about
where's the rum on side
the men usually expected to be issued beer
and preferably rum. Not having rum or beer
was potentially dangerous.
Since it meant more reliance on local water
supplies, regiment surgeons
and senior officers,
did their best to obtain un contaminated water,
but it was still hard. Vinegar could be
used as a disinfectant,
and the habit of boiling water for tea
helped a lot,
still, lack of alcohol meant more sickness from
water
but fewer injuries from drinking heavily.
Disease has historically always been the biggest killer
on campaign,
and the victorian paid increasing
attention to keeping troops healthy
as the decades passed.
There were no airways waste, support this campaign
though. So it was a classic, old school,
march hard, fight hard, March again campaign to
when small ski in kiln on route, which
in turn, meant supply routes were long, thin
and vulnerable.
Suddenly, the officer's obsession with soap makes a
lot more sense.
1 of the most vital things are soldier
can do,
is care for his feet and being able
to wash them with soap and wear clean
socks
is as important as keeping his weapon clean,
the weapon lets him fight with the feet
get him to the battle. So John Keane
was a veteran
soldier of the Napoleonic wars, had commanded a
brigade at the battle of New Orleans
in the Usa, and then being made Governor
Jamaica,
he was physically brave a keen sports,
friend of the Duke of Wellington
and eventually promoted to commander in chief. Of
the army of Bombay.
He was known to be bad tempered,
and the common soldiers
mostly disliked him he knew that the enemy
would expect him to try to force the
tribe pass.
That would require permission to cross the seek
kingdom
around its sing And was happy to cheer
the British from the sidelines,
but no way in hell would he allow
a full size,
honorable East India company to march through. So
the invasion had to take a long swing
round through the desert route
instead,
longer marches,
but it needs be limp river barges could
be used for some sections, and it might
surprise the enemy a little,
In total, the troops would need to cover
more than 1200
kilometers on foot, carrying 60 pound packs,
ammunition,
and musk kits, plus great coats for winter
in the mountains,
stocks for their necks and
rough red coats or blue coats, with surge,
trousers,
clearly the dangers of exhaustion and heat stroke
in the desert were high. It is astonishing
to think the bulk of soldiers
would have been paid less, the many farmers,
shepherd,
or un laborers.
The common ranks or for the desperate
the hopeless,
those fleeing from worse or those ambitious few
who wanted to become a sergeant
or even the Gi height to company sergeant
major or perhaps climb to the legendary position
of regiment sergeant major.
Since Afghanistan
was really dominated by mountains,
valleys and rivers
were the key and would shape the military
approaches
Additional reserves were set on the borders, and
the total effort
involved at least 40000
men
across various roles.
That's roughly equal to 2 French call in
the Napoleonic wars, and the fighting strength was
far less. In the end,
There were only 1000 European fighting troops
back by 14000
Indian sea boy troops,
employed by the honorable East India company. The
invasion planning and command
might have been British, but the fighting force,
was Indian. The army was too un wield
to move as 1 after a sham attempt
to assemble the army in November 18 38
the beijing kicked off in December 18 38.
The keane moving off first.
General Cotton set out with a smaller force,
and was acquired to travel along the river
during January
18 39
through the unfriendly border of Cindy
and then link up with keen
agent top burns,
it made desperate efforts
to get to send here me,
to agree to grant safe passage cotton oath
that the territory
became even more unfriendly.
When cotton
decided to mount an illegal invasion of the
Cindy Capital,
which was in the opposite direction from Afghanistan,
Mc norton
wrote increasingly desperate orders to try to get
cotton back into line just in the nick
of time,
some of the more junior generals, and B
were either abrasive to their generals,
des,
or deeply worried about the lack of military
discipline
and disorder. Mc norton and cotton soon came
to lower each other. That that was nothing
compared to the utter hatred, but Norton had
for double burns.
This crucial split between the head of political
coin intelligence
and the leading field agent was a disaster
in its own right and only got worse
when burns received a knight
which sparked Mc norton to new heights of
jealousy.
Top burns
trying to warn Mc norton that no 1
wanted the S su bank on the throne.
He wasn't seen as the loan for once
and future king over the water
and that the Afghan
were not happy to see said disposed
ex king back with an army of In
downs during his fighting against. Faithful, Mc norton
either brushed it off or patron
double burns
rather than heed his warnings,
at least the expedition
contained some more junior officers who would serve
well, and a couple who would indeed become
legends.
Perhaps most notable
was General Cotton aid the camp, Henry h,
a man who would become an absolute legend
to the Victorian.
Famous for his exploits, and even a notable
presence in Harry Fl books. He still has
his statue
trafalgar Square, and not many generals get to
keep a p in a plumb spot like
that 1. It is interesting to think that
in an army there was very march an
old school waterloo style fighting force, the modern
Victorian officers,
were learning their trade,
and we transform it, hair flock, was already
a veteran of the Anglo Be Wars
and had experienced his religious awakening
that would be so characteristic
over the many Victorian religious preceding officers.
He was frequently ignored and passed over
despite his obvious talents
including his gift for languages
including persian
and Hindu
as it was called, but was is actually
a hindu dialect, from the Northern regions. He
was left a junior lieutenant for years.
Tell in a stroke of luck, a senior
officer who knew him with appointed commander chief
as
Colonel sale. He was considered exe.
He finally made Captain
at the old age of 43,
not exactly the military career dreams are made
of, being a butter bar as the Americans
call it for over 13 years,
and then a lieutenant for another 3 and
a half was slow even by the Honorable
East India company standards
but not unheard of.
Luckily, he was plucked from further obscurity by
General Cotton for the aid to camp post,
on the way to Afghanistan.
The crossing of the river
after getting the army moving was hard work
for the military engineers
and already put pressure on supplies. Once over,
reality dawned,
there was a huge salt marsh and desert
cross
Lots of unfriendly
or downright hostile locals
and very inadequate supplies. It was gh for
the troops,
and worst for the baggage animals.
At the other side of the Hell mark
the desert,
cotton swung force
towards the first big objective, the Bull pass
in March 18 39,
going had been
incredibly slow. This was the other great
strategic gateway
into and out of our afghanistan
it was
and remains a formidable piece of terrain.
A british officer
visiting again in 18 41,
described it vividly,
quote.
The road through this past leads with few
and rare exceptions.
Along what is the bed of a mountain
in torrent. When filled by the melting of
the snows or heavy rains and is composed
of loose shin gravel, that rec resides from
under your feet and is very difficult for
draft. Camels get on well. It is infested
by the cock who live by Robbery, and
the hills sometimes close in upon the road,
which is filled up by the bed of
the stream running through Rocky chasm,
upwards of a hundred feet high from the
top of which the robbers are sail the
travelers with stones.
And were they as bold as they are
cruel and p,
they might hold the place against all come.
Many spots were pointed out to me by
the guides I had with me as signaled
by acts of violence, several European officers having
lost their baggage during our occupation of the
country. Should there be rain in the higher
parts of the mountains, the stream at times
comes down in an almost perpendicular volume without
warning and sweeping all before it. As a
friend of mine experienced, when he saw a
party of men, horses and camels, and all
his property borne down by it when himself
and some few men with him escaped by
climbing up the nearly perpendicular side of the
hill. About 37 men were washed away upon
that occasion.
End quote. The phrase the army would have
used was to force the pass, but that
makes it sound easy. What it
actually meant
as men having a long running battle
on difficult to terrain. The past is over
5800
feet of sea level
So already troops for climbing a lot. It
is an absolutely desolate place. It was over
70 miles long, and so narrow in places
that it was single farm only.
Temperatures
soared in heated rock walls
to a hundred and 19 degrees fahrenheit,
or 48 degrees cent grade.
Animals
died like flies
and many troops died of heated Exhaustion.
Rather than being a single battle,
the battle of Bo pass
with actually a number of small actions as
Cotton and his men held running ski,
then Marches
broke bushes,
and then marched again. Sub c and Ram
simply described it as absolute hell.
Cotton and his army reached Quarter, where his
orders would to wait for Kings force to
arrive.
Unfortunately,
things fray further
as the 2 armies try to link up
with food supplies for baggage,
animals,
running out. The morris astute officers
realized that they had wasted
months getting here. So the heat was rising
and they would be doing the fiercest fighting
in the sear summer sun. In the meantime,
food supplies ran low. Rations were cut in
half, then in a quarter, a month later,
keen find arrived and immediately realized
that a good part of his army was
starving to death, he gave immediate orders to
march the next day, hoping If they could
push on deeper into Afghanistan,
they might find more food.
They still had a hundred and 47
miles to go, to each can
and cotton
had baffling
failed to send any scouts out during the
whole month
he that still, so no 1 had
the nearby passes or terrain, which meant pushing
on blind.
Next time, we will follow the army into
our afghanistan copper as it writes its first
battles
and tries to turn things around.
So it could put the unwanted shower su
on the phone.
Okay. Thanks for listening everyone. If you want
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