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Hello

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and welcome to the age of Victoria podcast.

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My name's Chris Fernandez Ban.

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Let's get on with the show.

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Hi, everyone. I'm recording this episode whilst trying

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to sort out selling my house. And dealing

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with the divorce, which is why it wasn't

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out in June. But having that bit of

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extra time

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means that this is now out on the

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first of July, and

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Fingers crossed, that means I can now move

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us back into the old cycle of releasing

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episodes on the first of every month. In

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difficult times like this, the podcast is a

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great escape for me and and I truly

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appreciate the support of the patrons to help

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me through. I'm therefore delighted to welcome new

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patron,

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Matt Anderson

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as a lovable Chimney sweep. Over the years,

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I've been overhaul my scripts,

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into fully footnote transcripts,

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that would meet academic research paper standards,

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including citation requirements,

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I plan to convert them into Pdf

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and put them on the website. To help

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realize my dream an improved accessibility,

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Working backwards,

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I have gone all the way back

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episode 32.

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It has been slow going, and I'm still

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committed to it. However, Apple podcasts.

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Now automatically

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produce a transcript

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for each episode. So all my episodes on

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Apple podcasts

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now have a full transcript.

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You can just read them at your leisure.

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They won't include the full citations or sources,

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but from an accessibility point of view, and

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they are brilliant.

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If you have ever missed something I said,

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or wondered about a place name, it's right

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there for you. I will. Nevertheless continue my

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work on the fully cited scripts so that

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they're available on the website.

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Today, We are continuing the episodes on the

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invasion of Afghanistan.

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If you haven't listened to episodes 54,

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55

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and 56 yet.

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Please start with them before listening to this

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or you will be completely lost.

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Still here.

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Excellent.

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Have you ever looked at a map and

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thought I'd like to visit there. You are

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gripped with enthusiasm?

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And rush off to plan a trip. Only

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there's times and dates,

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the best weather, the cost,

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which bags to pack travel insurance,

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guide books, comfortable shoes,

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airport land,

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taxis,

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booking a kennel for the dog, telling the

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Milk, your wife is away for 2 weeks.

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Before you know it, you are shaking your

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head, and saying it is like planning and

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invasion. Nick except of course, eu are just

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a little busy.

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Scale it up to cover over 30000

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men and twice that many ox and carts,

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then try them get them through the mountains,

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and you have a sense of the enormous

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challenge

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facing the British when they invaded a Afghanistan

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for the first time. If few packing lists

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didn't even begin to cover it. If you

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listen to the last episodes, you will of

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course know why the British had decided to

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send an army into difficult hostile terrain,

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to fight an enemy, they didn't truly understand.

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But if you didn't, you just need to

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remember

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that the British

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didn't have a good reason, so we're coming

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up with some bad ones.

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The first, Anglo afghan war is remembered, as

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1 of the great military disasters in history,

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it is also a master class

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bad political decision making and poor planning It

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is also

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a bit difficult to categorize

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in the usual easy frameworks.

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The people in of view Victorian in history.

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Typically, many people,

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including a longer historians

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will be using easy labels like colonialism,

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Or imperial

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or orient

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or racism.

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The first anglo Afghan war didn't have just

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1 of those or all of them it

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had a mix

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depending on who you were and where you

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sat at the time.

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Afghanistan

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was never intended to be a province.

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Or place the British settled.

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It was therefore

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not next exercising colonialism,

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conquering it, was clearly violent and imperialist

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in as much as it related to Empire,

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and there wasn't an

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intention that the British would rule

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via a client king. The main po political

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goal was to install a friendly king. Create

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a buffer zone, that protected the Indian borders,

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unlike a client king, which didn't really care

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what the new Afghan king actually did

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as long as it was anti Russian,

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nor with Afghanistan

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of much interest to the orient

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who are much more focused

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on bringing what they perceived as

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civilization to India or studying ancient Indian culture,

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They assumed

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inherent superiority of the white man was a

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given. But again, there was no desire to

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create a white ruling class

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over the native peoples in a Afghanistan

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in the way that was being done in

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India. Nevertheless,

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a former of orient.

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Is in incapable.

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It can be a tricky word and concept

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to define, and its most basic.

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It comes from the old word of orient,

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meaning lands of the east as opposed to

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oc,

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meaning lands of the west.

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Or the,

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means the interest in and study of cultures

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in the orient region, so far, so neutral

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except, In history terms,

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it can also mean the attitudes

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towards the orient

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regions and a way of other

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the entire of China,

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Japan,

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India, the further stretches of the Middle East

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and the Hindu C,

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In this form,

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orient

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includes both racial and cultural claims of superiority

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by the oc.

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It can be called

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the western gaze

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on the Orient world.

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Incidentally, the process works the other way too.

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As we've seen throughout the podcast,

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there are no impartial observers

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with an objective truth. Everything is done, through

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the subjective gaze

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of the observer culture and life experiences

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when we get to the opium war for

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instance,

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you will see the Chinese imperial worldview

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was just as obsessed with its own perceived

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racial superiority,

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over non Chinese peoples.

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Orient

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often turns the orient

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into the exotic

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the savage,

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the wild,

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the dangerous,

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the inferior,

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much of the Romans

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once viewed the germanic tribes,

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as the barbaric

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outsider, who will wall I brave yet also

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at the same time,

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un

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and shaped by their environment,

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there were elements

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of this kind of orient

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in the British view of Afghanistan

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consider the comment

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of Scottish Envoy,

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mount stark El stone from his 18 o

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8 visit to Afghanistan,

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quote, to sum up the character the afghan

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in a few words,

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their vice are revenge,

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envy,

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average,

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capacity

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and ob.

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On the other hand, they are fond of

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liberty, faithful to their friends

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climbed to their dependence

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hospitable,

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brave, hardy, frugal,

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labor,

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and prudent.

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They are less disposed

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than the nations in their neighborhood

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to fa

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in ent and d.

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Just after

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the first pan

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war in 18 51,

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so John K wrote 2 volume history of

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the war,

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and said, quote, the physical character of the

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country had stamped itself on the mall

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confirmation of its inhabitants.

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Brave,

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independent, but of a turbulent,

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predictive character.

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That very existence

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seem to depend,

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upon a succession of internal feud

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end quote.

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Then

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compare those quotes to some quotes from Roman

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rite tac

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about the Germans,

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which I've cherry pitt from his longer piece

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ko

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For B sake.

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Quote, who would like

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have been likely

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to leave Asia minor, North Africa

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to go to Germany

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with its forbid landscapes an unpleasant climate

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a country that is thank to ti and

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dismal to behold for anyone who was not

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born in bread there. The appearance of the

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country, differs considerably in different parts, but in

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general,

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it is covered either by b forest or

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by bowel swamps.

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The peoples of Germany have never contaminated themselves

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by inter marriage with foreigners,

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but remain a pure blood,

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distinct and unlike any other nation. 1 result

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of this is that their physical characteristics

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in so insofar as 1 can generalize

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about such a large population. Are always the

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same. Fierce looking blue eyes,

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reddish hair, and big frames,

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which however,

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can exert their strength only by means of

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a violent effort.

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No nation indulge more freely and feast and

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entertaining the New Germans

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It is accounted as sin to turn away

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a man from your door, many noble youths.

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If the land of their birth is stag,

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in a long period of peace and activity,

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deliberately seek out other tribes,

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which have some war in hand

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for the germans have no taste for peace.

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Renown is more easily 1 among the pounds

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and a large body of retainer

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cannot be kept together, except by means of

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violence and war. They always making demands on

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the generosity of their chief asking for a

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coveted war horse or spear stained with the

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blood of a defeated enemy, their meals,

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for which plentiful if home fair is provided,

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counting in lieu of pay. The weather oil

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for this open handed us comes from war

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and p.

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A German is not so easily prevailed upon

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to plow the land and weight patiently for

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harvest

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as to challenge a foe and earn wounds

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for his reward, he thinks it tame and

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spirit

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to accumulate slowly by the sweat of his

286
00:11:17,745 --> 00:11:20,714
brow what can be got quickly by the

287
00:11:20,714 --> 00:11:23,427
loss of a blood. We're not engaged in

288
00:11:23,427 --> 00:11:23,906
warfare.

289
00:11:24,305 --> 00:11:26,221
They spend a certain amount of time in

290
00:11:26,221 --> 00:11:26,721
hunting

291
00:11:27,034 --> 00:11:30,400
but much more in idle on, thinking nothing

292
00:11:30,537 --> 00:11:32,448
else that's sleeping and eating.

293
00:11:32,926 --> 00:11:34,916
For the bold and most war like men,

294
00:11:35,490 --> 00:11:37,169
have no regular employment.

295
00:11:37,570 --> 00:11:39,750
The Cow house home and fields

296
00:11:40,209 --> 00:11:43,089
being left to the women, old men and

297
00:11:43,089 --> 00:11:44,370
weak of the family.

298
00:11:45,103 --> 00:11:47,016
In thus do away their time,

299
00:11:47,653 --> 00:11:48,870
they show a strange

300
00:11:49,246 --> 00:11:49,746
inconsistency.

301
00:11:50,442 --> 00:11:51,876
At 1 in the same time,

302
00:11:52,608 --> 00:11:53,427
loving ind

303
00:11:53,964 --> 00:11:55,261
and hating peace

304
00:11:55,957 --> 00:11:56,196
quote.

305
00:11:56,834 --> 00:11:58,370
Notice the similarities,

306
00:11:58,987 --> 00:12:00,900
the land is presented as wild,

307
00:12:01,393 --> 00:12:03,165
it is beyond the bounds of

308
00:12:03,540 --> 00:12:05,629
civilization. It is less desirable

309
00:12:06,083 --> 00:12:08,786
and produces hardy, war like people.

310
00:12:09,279 --> 00:12:10,340
They are presented

311
00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:11,519
as simpler,

312
00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:12,820
individualistic,

313
00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:14,740
hospital want guests

314
00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,188
and brave, Yet, they are also un ent,

315
00:12:18,803 --> 00:12:20,951
coming together not for the common good of

316
00:12:20,951 --> 00:12:24,715
the civilized nation but to enjoy war, violence

317
00:12:25,170 --> 00:12:25,966
and p.

318
00:12:26,458 --> 00:12:29,241
To live in the boundaries of Empire is

319
00:12:29,241 --> 00:12:31,968
to be civilized on this view to work

320
00:12:32,104 --> 00:12:34,887
and collective good of the nation to produce

321
00:12:34,887 --> 00:12:35,785
honest citizens

322
00:12:36,414 --> 00:12:39,307
who grant the state the monopoly violence

323
00:12:39,764 --> 00:12:43,114
and treasure equality before the law. That means

324
00:12:43,114 --> 00:12:43,614
those

325
00:12:44,071 --> 00:12:46,086
outside are fully other

326
00:12:46,796 --> 00:12:48,706
It is a process that has happened across

327
00:12:48,706 --> 00:12:52,128
a range of history, the Romans, the Chinese,

328
00:12:52,605 --> 00:12:53,344
the persians,

329
00:12:53,894 --> 00:12:57,590
the Egyptians, the Us, the French, the Spanish

330
00:12:57,969 --> 00:13:00,925
all had empires, and those outside,

331
00:13:01,418 --> 00:13:03,665
were to be presented as the barbarian,

332
00:13:04,357 --> 00:13:05,071
the heath,

333
00:13:05,548 --> 00:13:06,183
the savage,

334
00:13:06,660 --> 00:13:08,907
the frontier, it is also

335
00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:10,337
part of a mindset

336
00:13:11,123 --> 00:13:11,862
that challenges

337
00:13:12,239 --> 00:13:13,934
directly the post Christian

338
00:13:14,310 --> 00:13:16,085
post enlightenment world

339
00:13:16,621 --> 00:13:17,838
that underpins

340
00:13:18,548 --> 00:13:20,005
most of western

341
00:13:20,702 --> 00:13:23,753
civilization. The ideal motivation of the savage

342
00:13:24,211 --> 00:13:25,269
is in sharp

343
00:13:25,646 --> 00:13:27,581
contrast to the idea

344
00:13:27,893 --> 00:13:28,791
that rationality,

345
00:13:29,405 --> 00:13:32,689
a equality before the law and individual liberties

346
00:13:33,223 --> 00:13:36,428
in a free society of the supreme virtue

347
00:13:36,739 --> 00:13:40,491
the ideal realization or indeed existence of a

348
00:13:40,491 --> 00:13:43,605
war like frontier society is not seen as

349
00:13:43,605 --> 00:13:45,920
a aggression or a departure morality,

350
00:13:46,493 --> 00:13:49,842
rather it makes this soc democratic claim that

351
00:13:49,842 --> 00:13:52,256
violence itself is inherently virtuous,

352
00:13:52,713 --> 00:13:53,430
but bravery,

353
00:13:54,068 --> 00:13:57,120
proficiency at war, taking a physical route to

354
00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:58,019
evolve conflict

355
00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,480
is inherently more virtuous and more more than

356
00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,000
talking or protecting the week,

357
00:14:04,573 --> 00:14:05,949
Is not a simplistic

358
00:14:06,326 --> 00:14:08,716
I can ignore what his moral because I

359
00:14:08,716 --> 00:14:11,584
am stronger claim. It is closer to the

360
00:14:11,584 --> 00:14:13,576
idea that mercy and pity.

361
00:14:14,149 --> 00:14:15,049
Are inherently

362
00:14:15,589 --> 00:14:16,089
immoral

363
00:14:16,470 --> 00:14:19,529
and at strength on a violent conquest

364
00:14:20,230 --> 00:14:20,730
armor

365
00:14:21,429 --> 00:14:22,730
a clash of arms

366
00:14:23,283 --> 00:14:23,783
bringing

367
00:14:24,239 --> 00:14:26,868
resolution after a face to face battle with

368
00:14:26,868 --> 00:14:29,577
a bow. Here's a long tradition in human

369
00:14:29,577 --> 00:14:30,055
history,

370
00:14:30,548 --> 00:14:31,899
across various cultures,

371
00:14:32,376 --> 00:14:32,956
the at

372
00:14:33,331 --> 00:14:34,546
claimed to the mel

373
00:14:35,159 --> 00:14:38,522
that right and wrong is only in questioned

374
00:14:38,658 --> 00:14:39,714
between equal

375
00:14:40,104 --> 00:14:43,002
power on the strong, do what they can

376
00:14:43,221 --> 00:14:45,299
and the weak suffer what they must.

377
00:14:46,417 --> 00:14:46,917
Victorian

378
00:14:47,297 --> 00:14:48,915
were frequently torn

379
00:14:49,389 --> 00:14:52,581
between ad admire the virtue of what was

380
00:14:52,581 --> 00:14:56,012
considered the savage frontier, like the bravery, the

381
00:14:56,012 --> 00:14:56,490
tough,

382
00:14:56,985 --> 00:14:58,424
the decisive aggression,

383
00:14:58,985 --> 00:15:02,985
also understanding that these virtue were often linked

384
00:15:02,985 --> 00:15:03,725
to law,

385
00:15:04,758 --> 00:15:06,673
oppression or instability.

386
00:15:07,073 --> 00:15:10,265
They were torn in between ad admire what

387
00:15:10,265 --> 00:15:12,100
we considered manly virtue,

388
00:15:12,675 --> 00:15:13,815
and dis despise

389
00:15:14,195 --> 00:15:17,795
frontier cultures that they considered heath and primitive.

390
00:15:18,355 --> 00:15:21,986
Many afghan chiefs would after all have found

391
00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:23,574
debates throughout legality

392
00:15:23,947 --> 00:15:26,829
or whether the violence was wrong, rather laughable

393
00:15:27,282 --> 00:15:30,244
and would have quite willingly fallen into

394
00:15:30,554 --> 00:15:34,389
the decisive battle might making right camp. If

395
00:15:34,389 --> 00:15:36,547
they could rob a trader Caravan,

396
00:15:37,106 --> 00:15:40,076
raid into India, or intimidate the British into

397
00:15:40,076 --> 00:15:43,108
paying tribute to pac the frontier, they would

398
00:15:43,108 --> 00:15:46,381
cheerful do so and expect the same in

399
00:15:46,381 --> 00:15:46,620
return,

400
00:15:47,194 --> 00:15:50,067
in places with no strong written legal code,

401
00:15:50,626 --> 00:15:53,760
then the more captain Jak spa approach he

402
00:15:53,818 --> 00:15:56,710
sway out here, There's only what a man

403
00:15:56,710 --> 00:15:59,670
can do and what he can't do. As

404
00:15:59,670 --> 00:16:01,830
victorian society became more structured,

405
00:16:02,389 --> 00:16:02,889
legal

406
00:16:03,269 --> 00:16:04,149
and conform,

407
00:16:04,644 --> 00:16:08,160
the attraction of the frontier, the desert, the

408
00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:08,660
mountains

409
00:16:09,358 --> 00:16:11,456
came stronger for many

410
00:16:11,915 --> 00:16:12,235
adventurers,

411
00:16:12,808 --> 00:16:14,025
None of this matters

412
00:16:14,401 --> 00:16:17,189
to the podcast host and listener, who can

413
00:16:17,189 --> 00:16:19,442
rum over philosophy at leisure

414
00:16:19,753 --> 00:16:22,373
and look at how it affected human behavior

415
00:16:22,373 --> 00:16:23,008
in history,

416
00:16:23,484 --> 00:16:25,628
we have no skin in the game. The

417
00:16:25,945 --> 00:16:27,318
Victorian in India

418
00:16:27,629 --> 00:16:30,261
did have skin in the game. Asking how

419
00:16:30,261 --> 00:16:32,973
to judge a more conflict and honor based

420
00:16:32,973 --> 00:16:33,473
society

421
00:16:33,930 --> 00:16:36,642
that is right on the border of your

422
00:16:36,642 --> 00:16:37,142
doorstep.

423
00:16:37,929 --> 00:16:40,253
Is not just a philosophical

424
00:16:40,625 --> 00:16:43,322
issue. It is a national security issue.

425
00:16:44,115 --> 00:16:45,090
Victorian governor

426
00:16:45,637 --> 00:16:48,660
might need to understand why a society with

427
00:16:48,660 --> 00:16:50,569
operating a certain way to help in plan,

428
00:16:51,046 --> 00:16:53,512
but then he had to take practical steps.

429
00:16:54,084 --> 00:16:56,633
At the top of any list of practical

430
00:16:56,633 --> 00:16:57,133
technicalities

431
00:16:57,749 --> 00:16:59,183
was the burning question,

432
00:16:59,741 --> 00:17:01,516
should we invade them

433
00:17:02,051 --> 00:17:03,587
before they invade

434
00:17:03,899 --> 00:17:06,776
us. Yeah. And, we're not going to be

435
00:17:06,776 --> 00:17:09,413
able to invade India on the scale of

436
00:17:09,413 --> 00:17:12,390
the mongols invading India or the hun

437
00:17:13,184 --> 00:17:16,299
storming into the Roman Empire, any invasion they

438
00:17:16,299 --> 00:17:16,799
made

439
00:17:17,178 --> 00:17:19,175
would be limited to the border regions,

440
00:17:19,748 --> 00:17:22,135
and include a lot of robbing of caravan

441
00:17:22,135 --> 00:17:24,283
vans and frontier villages.

442
00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,693
What we might call today

443
00:17:27,162 --> 00:17:28,592
low intensity warfare.

444
00:17:29,069 --> 00:17:31,690
Fears of a Russian invasion were in many

445
00:17:31,690 --> 00:17:32,087
ways,

446
00:17:32,643 --> 00:17:34,494
not as great as a lot of popular

447
00:17:34,550 --> 00:17:35,027
writing,

448
00:17:35,518 --> 00:17:37,499
on the so called great game would have

449
00:17:37,499 --> 00:17:40,748
you believe. Even in the early nineteenth century,

450
00:17:41,462 --> 00:17:42,437
intelligence officers

451
00:17:42,984 --> 00:17:46,276
were prone to exaggeration and paranoia.

452
00:17:47,371 --> 00:17:48,429
Some have historians

453
00:17:49,046 --> 00:17:51,758
have argued the real fear the British had

454
00:17:51,758 --> 00:17:52,576
of the Russians

455
00:17:53,049 --> 00:17:56,166
was a European war, which had loom ever

456
00:17:56,166 --> 00:17:59,522
present since the Napoleonic wars. On that view,

457
00:17:59,922 --> 00:18:01,760
the British feared war in Europe,

458
00:18:02,332 --> 00:18:06,648
diverting their attention, allowing Russian expansion into India

459
00:18:06,863 --> 00:18:09,566
or an afghan border incur,

460
00:18:10,218 --> 00:18:13,798
provoking a rebellion in India. It is always

461
00:18:13,798 --> 00:18:14,696
hard asking

462
00:18:15,151 --> 00:18:17,879
what caused the war because it is typically

463
00:18:18,254 --> 00:18:18,754
complicated,

464
00:18:19,384 --> 00:18:19,884
people

465
00:18:20,263 --> 00:18:22,122
like to point at a single person

466
00:18:22,500 --> 00:18:25,696
or single reason, for instance, Hitler or Putin.

467
00:18:26,256 --> 00:18:28,746
They don't like Well, there were a whole

468
00:18:28,746 --> 00:18:30,842
lot of trends in historical forces

469
00:18:31,299 --> 00:18:33,076
that pushed pre war Germany

470
00:18:33,614 --> 00:18:34,991
towards a receptive,

471
00:18:35,544 --> 00:18:37,325
for becoming a fascist state

472
00:18:37,625 --> 00:18:40,284
or than allowed a corrupt, k

473
00:18:40,825 --> 00:18:41,325
warm

474
00:18:41,865 --> 00:18:44,519
to seize control of the Russian state and

475
00:18:44,519 --> 00:18:47,015
then try to rob Ukraine on a massive

476
00:18:47,153 --> 00:18:48,931
scale that went catastrophic

477
00:18:49,389 --> 00:18:52,603
wrong for him, which bio into an increasingly

478
00:18:52,662 --> 00:18:55,473
lengthy war of aggression. In general,

479
00:18:55,872 --> 00:18:59,628
the whole first anglo afghan war can be

480
00:18:59,628 --> 00:19:02,925
viewed as a piece of misguided real po

481
00:19:03,479 --> 00:19:06,595
with war being used as a continuation of

482
00:19:06,595 --> 00:19:08,193
policy by other means,

483
00:19:08,912 --> 00:19:11,796
almost napoleonic in a way. War is the

484
00:19:11,796 --> 00:19:14,890
tool to bring out a political outcome. Seen

485
00:19:14,890 --> 00:19:17,850
in that light, it becomes a highly political

486
00:19:18,159 --> 00:19:21,571
but also highly personal war. 1, driven by

487
00:19:21,571 --> 00:19:24,587
the Governor General of India and the chief

488
00:19:24,667 --> 00:19:25,167
Be,

489
00:19:26,030 --> 00:19:28,195
combined with those elements of orient

490
00:19:28,964 --> 00:19:29,860
and imperial,

491
00:19:30,391 --> 00:19:33,269
the idea to bring peace to the frontier

492
00:19:33,820 --> 00:19:35,279
dispatch to pac

493
00:19:35,980 --> 00:19:37,340
the savages beyond,

494
00:19:37,820 --> 00:19:38,640
to protect

495
00:19:39,420 --> 00:19:40,559
civilization from the Barbarian

496
00:19:41,019 --> 00:19:41,519
invasion

497
00:19:41,900 --> 00:19:42,299
combined,

498
00:19:42,794 --> 00:19:45,835
with the view of stopping other imperial powers

499
00:19:45,835 --> 00:19:48,095
from sweeping in yet run

500
00:19:48,474 --> 00:19:50,894
by a semi independent governor general

501
00:19:51,209 --> 00:19:54,506
using the vast resources of an Empire created

502
00:19:54,566 --> 00:19:56,403
by a private trading company.

503
00:19:56,883 --> 00:19:58,801
Of course, if you happen to be 1

504
00:19:58,801 --> 00:19:59,920
of those others,

505
00:20:00,334 --> 00:20:01,292
labeled on savage,

506
00:20:01,771 --> 00:20:03,766
your view of all of this was very

507
00:20:03,766 --> 00:20:04,644
very different.

508
00:20:05,362 --> 00:20:06,799
Neither the German tribes,

509
00:20:07,517 --> 00:20:08,416
nor the afghan,

510
00:20:08,969 --> 00:20:11,462
thought of themselves as dangerous savages

511
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:13,594
who threatened the civilized land,

512
00:20:14,152 --> 00:20:16,327
Both might well have a lot of conflict

513
00:20:16,465 --> 00:20:17,581
or tribal and warriors,

514
00:20:18,154 --> 00:20:20,974
but that didn't mean they didn't have a

515
00:20:21,355 --> 00:20:24,795
civilization and culture of their own. As I

516
00:20:24,795 --> 00:20:25,914
mentioned last episode,

517
00:20:26,645 --> 00:20:27,145
Afghanistan

518
00:20:27,677 --> 00:20:29,898
has a very old culture.

519
00:20:30,374 --> 00:20:32,699
1 had a long standing

520
00:20:33,468 --> 00:20:34,182
international roots.

521
00:20:34,835 --> 00:20:36,535
And was well integrated

522
00:20:37,154 --> 00:20:39,075
into the world of the Muslim Empires.

523
00:20:39,555 --> 00:20:40,295
The British

524
00:20:40,914 --> 00:20:44,035
were of a strange group of alien invaders,

525
00:20:44,449 --> 00:20:46,301
that the afghan cans were completely

526
00:20:46,676 --> 00:20:50,574
blindsided by and who were technologically superior. The

527
00:20:50,574 --> 00:20:51,074
afghan

528
00:20:51,703 --> 00:20:54,494
knew about India, the British, the Russians,

529
00:20:54,973 --> 00:20:57,365
the Ky part, and Christianity.

530
00:20:57,764 --> 00:20:58,743
They had fortresses,

531
00:20:59,279 --> 00:20:59,758
musk,

532
00:21:00,157 --> 00:21:00,555
swords,

533
00:21:01,128 --> 00:21:02,004
and J z,

534
00:21:02,561 --> 00:21:05,030
the infamous long bound musk.

535
00:21:05,507 --> 00:21:07,998
As the international movie firearms

536
00:21:08,533 --> 00:21:09,272
database says

537
00:21:09,663 --> 00:21:10,801
quote, At

538
00:21:11,416 --> 00:21:13,090
is a type of long bowel,

539
00:21:13,648 --> 00:21:15,104
muzzle loading musk

540
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:16,778
made in Afghanistan.

541
00:21:17,329 --> 00:21:18,229
It is often

542
00:21:18,688 --> 00:21:19,667
incorrectly used

543
00:21:20,046 --> 00:21:22,923
as a blanket term for the various muzzle

544
00:21:22,923 --> 00:21:25,480
loading long guns from the Middle East,

545
00:21:26,134 --> 00:21:26,933
North Africa,

546
00:21:27,652 --> 00:21:30,390
Asia and India. Since Ge ale

547
00:21:30,849 --> 00:21:33,986
were made to order by the individual Craftsman,

548
00:21:34,538 --> 00:21:35,754
They were not standardized,

549
00:21:36,526 --> 00:21:39,412
having either match lock or flint lock mechanisms

550
00:21:40,025 --> 00:21:41,241
and often using

551
00:21:41,695 --> 00:21:45,530
brown bass, Flint lock musk lock work and

552
00:21:45,530 --> 00:21:46,030
sometimes

553
00:21:46,645 --> 00:21:48,077
having rifle barrels,

554
00:21:48,635 --> 00:21:49,612
but are typically

555
00:21:50,147 --> 00:21:51,539
identified by their

556
00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:55,220
unusual horn shaped stock. They were similar

557
00:21:55,759 --> 00:21:56,480
to American

558
00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:58,740
Frontier era hunting rifles

559
00:21:59,294 --> 00:22:01,712
but were typically heavier and larger

560
00:22:02,091 --> 00:22:02,830
with caliber

561
00:22:03,289 --> 00:22:04,908
in the 0.5

562
00:22:05,047 --> 00:22:06,405
to 0.75

563
00:22:06,405 --> 00:22:06,805
range,

564
00:22:07,457 --> 00:22:10,238
and we used in a similar role to

565
00:22:10,238 --> 00:22:11,590
modern sniper rifles.

566
00:22:12,066 --> 00:22:12,964
They're heavyweight

567
00:22:13,338 --> 00:22:14,371
and long bowel,

568
00:22:15,023 --> 00:22:18,054
led to a much greater effective range than

569
00:22:18,054 --> 00:22:19,729
the standard infantry markets.

570
00:22:20,288 --> 00:22:23,079
They were used to fearsome some effect by

571
00:22:23,159 --> 00:22:24,297
Afghan snipers

572
00:22:24,849 --> 00:22:26,788
during the anglo afghan wars

573
00:22:27,167 --> 00:22:28,626
in the nineteenth century

574
00:22:29,085 --> 00:22:30,784
end, quote, the British

575
00:22:31,163 --> 00:22:33,560
were about to be invading a territory where

576
00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:34,220
the enemy

577
00:22:34,534 --> 00:22:35,893
was on very much,

578
00:22:36,532 --> 00:22:37,032
more

579
00:22:37,411 --> 00:22:41,267
advantageous home terrain using weapons that range them

580
00:22:41,406 --> 00:22:42,365
were more accurate,

581
00:22:42,778 --> 00:22:44,154
and were more suitable

582
00:22:44,529 --> 00:22:46,360
for the mountain ranges and river valleys,

583
00:22:46,917 --> 00:22:47,417
Weapons

584
00:22:47,872 --> 00:22:49,725
that are allowed for greater mobility

585
00:22:50,100 --> 00:22:51,953
and good act snipers

586
00:22:52,424 --> 00:22:54,120
similar to the American rifle

587
00:22:54,577 --> 00:22:57,288
in the Us war of independence. If I

588
00:22:57,288 --> 00:22:59,920
had to pick a bad match up for

589
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:01,616
the British Victorian army

590
00:23:01,928 --> 00:23:05,029
This would be high on the list. It

591
00:23:05,029 --> 00:23:08,391
also helps put pay to the persistent myth

592
00:23:08,527 --> 00:23:10,992
that the British only fought primitive armies,

593
00:23:11,484 --> 00:23:13,982
and only 1 because of their technological

594
00:23:14,361 --> 00:23:14,861
advantages.

595
00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:18,037
The only idea that all the enemies British

596
00:23:18,037 --> 00:23:20,135
fought armed with spears

597
00:23:20,528 --> 00:23:23,473
and mow down by machine guns is just

598
00:23:23,473 --> 00:23:26,895
wrong. It did happen on their occasions, but

599
00:23:26,895 --> 00:23:29,783
in the main, the British Victorian army

600
00:23:30,493 --> 00:23:32,808
maintained its victories by better training,

601
00:23:33,766 --> 00:23:34,644
sustained aggression,

602
00:23:35,443 --> 00:23:35,943
logistics

603
00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,178
and more professional

604
00:23:38,795 --> 00:23:38,955
organization,

605
00:23:39,688 --> 00:23:42,182
combined with the ability to pour in

606
00:23:42,559 --> 00:23:44,474
immense imperial resources.

607
00:23:45,192 --> 00:23:47,983
During the Anglo Afghan outcome or, you will

608
00:23:47,983 --> 00:23:48,962
sadly see

609
00:23:49,354 --> 00:23:50,966
that many of these elements

610
00:23:51,340 --> 00:23:52,238
were completely

611
00:23:52,850 --> 00:23:53,247
lacking.

612
00:23:53,804 --> 00:23:54,701
Arthur w,

613
00:23:55,234 --> 00:23:56,290
the Duke of Wellington

614
00:23:56,839 --> 00:24:00,126
had a very strong view about any british

615
00:24:00,343 --> 00:24:01,400
invasion of Afghanistan.

616
00:24:01,936 --> 00:24:04,962
He immediately grasped the key problem about holding

617
00:24:04,962 --> 00:24:05,361
the place,

618
00:24:06,094 --> 00:24:09,450
saying that any British invasion was foolish. He

619
00:24:09,450 --> 00:24:12,646
predicted that the British would easily crush the

620
00:24:12,646 --> 00:24:13,525
afghan army,

621
00:24:13,939 --> 00:24:16,324
that was made up of semi feudal tribal

622
00:24:16,324 --> 00:24:19,186
levi, but would then be unable to hold

623
00:24:19,186 --> 00:24:21,674
the country. He said the like of roads

624
00:24:22,064 --> 00:24:22,962
and the difficulties

625
00:24:23,417 --> 00:24:24,315
of the mountains

626
00:24:24,691 --> 00:24:27,260
would force the british out, and the Afghanistan

627
00:24:27,715 --> 00:24:29,887
was only really a country of rocks

628
00:24:30,198 --> 00:24:30,516
sand,

629
00:24:31,073 --> 00:24:31,391
deserts,

630
00:24:31,947 --> 00:24:35,287
mountains and snow. His words should have echoed

631
00:24:35,287 --> 00:24:37,912
down the ages really to modern planners,

632
00:24:38,803 --> 00:24:41,137
Still, the events we are about to cover

633
00:24:41,276 --> 00:24:44,785
would probably have turned out very, very differently,

634
00:24:45,184 --> 00:24:48,055
if cons master logistics like Wellington,

635
00:24:48,469 --> 00:24:49,423
had been in charge.

636
00:24:50,378 --> 00:24:53,084
Instead, we are about to cover 1 of

637
00:24:53,084 --> 00:24:53,903
the most

638
00:24:54,278 --> 00:24:55,176
app series

639
00:24:55,631 --> 00:24:57,643
of military events in history

640
00:24:58,114 --> 00:24:59,867
and not just British history.

641
00:25:00,266 --> 00:25:03,614
The first anglo Afghan war stands out as

642
00:25:03,614 --> 00:25:04,114
a

643
00:25:04,571 --> 00:25:06,085
colossal military failure.

644
00:25:06,579 --> 00:25:09,051
1 that was really self inflicted.

645
00:25:09,690 --> 00:25:12,401
The strange thing is there is still immense

646
00:25:12,401 --> 00:25:15,294
debate about whether the British government had even

647
00:25:15,592 --> 00:25:17,857
authorized it. Or whether the responsibility

648
00:25:18,548 --> 00:25:20,691
lay with the board of trade and the

649
00:25:20,771 --> 00:25:24,446
Honorable East India company or the governor general

650
00:25:24,582 --> 00:25:27,382
in India The governor general in question,

651
00:25:27,860 --> 00:25:28,678
Lord Auckland

652
00:25:29,134 --> 00:25:31,068
was a curious mix of competent

653
00:25:31,922 --> 00:25:32,321
indecisive,

654
00:25:32,894 --> 00:25:34,113
and badly misinformed.

655
00:25:34,812 --> 00:25:35,792
He was a career

656
00:25:36,250 --> 00:25:40,107
politician who had little interest in or understanding

657
00:25:40,166 --> 00:25:41,625
of Indian culture

658
00:25:42,099 --> 00:25:44,816
So William Mc norton, who was secretary to

659
00:25:44,816 --> 00:25:45,775
the governor general,

660
00:25:46,334 --> 00:25:49,311
as well as spy master and War hawk

661
00:25:49,450 --> 00:25:52,410
in chief, thought invasion would be easy.

662
00:25:52,887 --> 00:25:55,668
So the dismay of most informed officers,

663
00:25:56,383 --> 00:25:57,337
diplomats and spies,

664
00:25:57,909 --> 00:26:01,520
mc Norton was prepared to overthrow, a highly

665
00:26:01,659 --> 00:26:05,144
admired king Dos mohammed in favor of

666
00:26:05,582 --> 00:26:06,082
opportunistic

667
00:26:06,458 --> 00:26:06,958
coward

668
00:26:07,333 --> 00:26:08,527
and former king,

669
00:26:09,243 --> 00:26:10,198
Shah, Sc,

670
00:26:10,675 --> 00:26:13,381
and he expected the afghan outgoing people to

671
00:26:13,381 --> 00:26:16,577
be happy about it. Mc Norton was Happy

672
00:26:16,577 --> 00:26:17,372
town, Auckland,

673
00:26:17,848 --> 00:26:20,232
the Dos Mohammed was unpopular king,

674
00:26:21,027 --> 00:26:24,877
ignoring the boar. From intelligence agent, Alexander burns

675
00:26:25,091 --> 00:26:28,822
to the country. That's agent tableau burns from

676
00:26:28,822 --> 00:26:32,413
last episode. Mc norton from also failed brief

677
00:26:32,573 --> 00:26:33,073
Auckland

678
00:26:33,449 --> 00:26:36,794
that the Seek King land ut singh and

679
00:26:36,794 --> 00:26:39,524
recently conquered Pe from Afghanistan

680
00:26:40,233 --> 00:26:43,019
So Dos Mohammed did have good reasons for

681
00:26:43,019 --> 00:26:44,451
currently demanding it back.

682
00:26:45,247 --> 00:26:45,747
Auckland

683
00:26:46,202 --> 00:26:48,688
was kept ignorant of this. Although it wouldn't

684
00:26:48,688 --> 00:26:51,026
have taken too much for him to check

685
00:26:51,404 --> 00:26:54,600
nor Was Norton, the only intelligence officer,

686
00:26:55,093 --> 00:26:57,495
pushing his own angle to Auckland

687
00:26:58,025 --> 00:26:59,793
as with any great

688
00:27:00,164 --> 00:27:01,907
political or military disaster,

689
00:27:02,398 --> 00:27:05,821
failures by the intelligence community, or them pursuing

690
00:27:05,821 --> 00:27:08,686
their an agenda, are usually a huge part.

691
00:27:09,243 --> 00:27:11,631
Dear the soldiers having to do the marching,

692
00:27:12,204 --> 00:27:13,962
it was at least straightforward.

693
00:27:14,522 --> 00:27:14,762
March,

694
00:27:15,401 --> 00:27:18,938
then fight or die. Politics was for officers

695
00:27:19,317 --> 00:27:21,075
and their lords ships far away.

696
00:27:21,648 --> 00:27:23,639
They had taken the queen shelling.

697
00:27:24,196 --> 00:27:26,346
And if the queen want them to fight

698
00:27:26,346 --> 00:27:27,802
up a mountain in Afghanistan,

699
00:27:28,416 --> 00:27:31,402
then that's what they did. Or alternatively,

700
00:27:31,860 --> 00:27:35,292
they've taken john companies pay are now needed

701
00:27:35,292 --> 00:27:37,767
to deliver. Or for many of the native

702
00:27:38,006 --> 00:27:38,746
Indian troops

703
00:27:39,059 --> 00:27:41,377
they'd had sworn oats on their salt and

704
00:27:41,377 --> 00:27:42,016
their blades,

705
00:27:42,575 --> 00:27:44,973
and so would fight for their honor. Our

706
00:27:44,973 --> 00:27:48,579
old friend, Sub Sit ram, was amongst the

707
00:27:48,579 --> 00:27:50,805
native troops on the March, and he had

708
00:27:50,805 --> 00:27:52,633
a thoroughly miserable time of it.

709
00:27:53,428 --> 00:27:55,335
For the officers, it was going to be

710
00:27:55,335 --> 00:27:57,896
a huge amount of work It was what

711
00:27:57,896 --> 00:28:01,005
they had supposedly signed up for, an ambitious

712
00:28:01,005 --> 00:28:01,505
officer

713
00:28:02,042 --> 00:28:04,991
wants and needs of war to serve their

714
00:28:04,991 --> 00:28:07,155
country. And to make good use of their

715
00:28:07,155 --> 00:28:07,655
talents

716
00:28:08,110 --> 00:28:10,735
for the impoverished gentlemen who who'd gone to

717
00:28:10,973 --> 00:28:13,138
India to live on the cheap because they

718
00:28:13,138 --> 00:28:15,452
couldn't afford a commission in a fashionable regiment.

719
00:28:15,851 --> 00:28:17,766
It was just a path of the course.

720
00:28:18,803 --> 00:28:19,862
Enormous planning

721
00:28:20,413 --> 00:28:21,842
was needed for an invasion,

722
00:28:22,556 --> 00:28:24,779
deposed former king S Su.

723
00:28:25,335 --> 00:28:27,582
Now the would be king of Afghanistan

724
00:28:28,209 --> 00:28:29,747
was bringing 6000

725
00:28:30,284 --> 00:28:31,343
irregular soldiers

726
00:28:31,721 --> 00:28:33,237
to help the British put him on the

727
00:28:33,237 --> 00:28:36,111
throne. When we talk about irregular in this

728
00:28:36,111 --> 00:28:36,611
period

729
00:28:36,924 --> 00:28:40,696
It means any fighting force raised outside normal

730
00:28:40,835 --> 00:28:41,553
military structures.

731
00:28:42,112 --> 00:28:42,931
It doesn't

732
00:28:43,708 --> 00:28:44,985
necessarily mean bad.

733
00:28:45,478 --> 00:28:46,829
But in general,

734
00:28:47,385 --> 00:28:48,123
it mount

735
00:28:48,895 --> 00:28:50,881
anyone who fan a bit of raven and

736
00:28:50,881 --> 00:28:53,662
privilege in a big mob without much discipline.

737
00:28:54,314 --> 00:28:57,844
Some irregular units were excellent, of course. And

738
00:28:58,222 --> 00:29:00,854
supplies armies have often recruited scouts,

739
00:29:01,492 --> 00:29:03,507
shock troops, and cavalry,

740
00:29:03,979 --> 00:29:06,374
on the wild lands outside their empires.

741
00:29:06,932 --> 00:29:10,285
In general though, it was un wise to

742
00:29:10,285 --> 00:29:12,654
rely on irregular troops in India

743
00:29:13,011 --> 00:29:14,781
and especially in Afghanistan.

744
00:29:15,946 --> 00:29:18,747
Many, if that most, were transparent

745
00:29:19,119 --> 00:29:20,730
only there for money

746
00:29:21,038 --> 00:29:23,263
all opportunities to rape and pill,

747
00:29:23,820 --> 00:29:26,443
and we're pretty open about their willingness to

748
00:29:26,443 --> 00:29:28,453
switch sides to the highest bidder

749
00:29:28,764 --> 00:29:29,003
Cha

750
00:29:29,721 --> 00:29:33,071
Troops were all armed by the British and

751
00:29:33,230 --> 00:29:34,985
British officers were put in charge.

752
00:29:35,543 --> 00:29:36,362
I can't

753
00:29:36,740 --> 00:29:38,117
imagine the difficulties.

754
00:29:38,588 --> 00:29:40,889
Of leading this kind of troop into battle.

755
00:29:41,365 --> 00:29:41,865
Constantly

756
00:29:42,317 --> 00:29:45,331
unsure if your men were following you or

757
00:29:45,331 --> 00:29:46,465
about to dessert

758
00:29:46,854 --> 00:29:48,772
or shoot in the back and go over

759
00:29:48,772 --> 00:29:50,790
to the side. The difficulties

760
00:29:51,169 --> 00:29:54,145
are relying on translators to relay orders

761
00:29:54,619 --> 00:29:57,096
were large enough just on their own. The

762
00:29:57,176 --> 00:29:57,676
British

763
00:29:58,134 --> 00:30:00,451
didn't get many of the excellent seek troops

764
00:30:00,451 --> 00:30:03,570
or bandit sing so would rely on the

765
00:30:03,570 --> 00:30:04,547
company armies

766
00:30:05,238 --> 00:30:08,256
supported by a very limited number of Queen's

767
00:30:08,256 --> 00:30:08,732
regiments.

768
00:30:09,288 --> 00:30:10,797
As Kip might have said,

769
00:30:11,368 --> 00:30:13,594
It was going to be down to pour

770
00:30:13,594 --> 00:30:14,809
bloody Tommy Atkins

771
00:30:15,423 --> 00:30:16,877
in red coat and musk

772
00:30:17,251 --> 00:30:18,842
to do the marching and the dying.

773
00:30:19,414 --> 00:30:22,680
Or blue coats or black or dark rifle

774
00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:23,180
green

775
00:30:23,637 --> 00:30:25,469
depending on the order of battle at the

776
00:30:25,469 --> 00:30:28,656
time. The Victorian army was a riot of

777
00:30:28,656 --> 00:30:30,987
color. And not all of it was read.

778
00:30:31,466 --> 00:30:35,082
The invasion was initially planned for 10000

779
00:30:35,142 --> 00:30:36,680
british petition Indian troops

780
00:30:37,154 --> 00:30:38,851
supported by 30000

781
00:30:38,910 --> 00:30:39,309
camels,

782
00:30:39,868 --> 00:30:41,465
plus oxen, horses,

783
00:30:42,023 --> 00:30:43,381
how says, mortar,

784
00:30:43,939 --> 00:30:45,797
horse artillery, pioneers,

785
00:30:46,589 --> 00:30:47,549
miners and sap,

786
00:30:48,109 --> 00:30:52,509
foot artillery, siege artillery, and camel artillery, plus

787
00:30:52,509 --> 00:30:55,710
black carts, and even barges for river travel,

788
00:30:56,203 --> 00:30:57,736
can you imagine

789
00:30:58,349 --> 00:31:01,131
trying to plan how to get that locked

790
00:31:01,131 --> 00:31:03,197
to go down a road or cross a

791
00:31:03,197 --> 00:31:03,356
bridge?

792
00:31:04,009 --> 00:31:06,109
Just finding night the camels

793
00:31:06,490 --> 00:31:07,450
was a nightmare,

794
00:31:07,930 --> 00:31:09,309
and Bombay comm

795
00:31:10,009 --> 00:31:10,170
division,

796
00:31:10,890 --> 00:31:11,930
particularly struggled,

797
00:31:12,504 --> 00:31:14,283
trying to produce 3000

798
00:31:14,342 --> 00:31:17,879
odd camels at short notice, a captain Hugh

799
00:31:18,258 --> 00:31:20,915
wrote in his account of the initial difficulties,

800
00:31:21,547 --> 00:31:24,330
The deputy comm general had represented that it

801
00:31:24,330 --> 00:31:26,953
was necessary to remain at She for about

802
00:31:26,953 --> 00:31:29,735
20 days to enable the comm area to

803
00:31:29,735 --> 00:31:32,539
obtain the greatest possible quantity of supplies for

804
00:31:32,539 --> 00:31:34,852
all the troops. While halting at this place,

805
00:31:35,250 --> 00:31:37,483
the troops would not consume their stock of

806
00:31:37,483 --> 00:31:40,036
supplies, but procure their grain, etcetera, from the

807
00:31:40,036 --> 00:31:42,436
city, where a large quantity had been collected,

808
00:31:42,754 --> 00:31:44,900
and more was procure for the rear columns,

809
00:31:45,297 --> 00:31:47,999
bombay troops, etcetera. On the arrival of an

810
00:31:47,999 --> 00:31:51,111
expected con with wheat graham, etcetera, coming from

811
00:31:51,111 --> 00:31:53,596
malta, etcetera. The Bengal comm

812
00:31:54,049 --> 00:31:56,510
were to supply the bombay troops, not only

813
00:31:56,510 --> 00:31:58,177
with grain, but with camels,

814
00:31:58,910 --> 00:32:01,070
Before the resolution to move on immediately was

815
00:32:01,070 --> 00:32:04,670
known. The deputy comm general had detached 4000

816
00:32:04,670 --> 00:32:06,269
camels to bring up from the rear grain,

817
00:32:06,590 --> 00:32:06,910
etcetera.

818
00:32:07,483 --> 00:32:09,977
He was also led to expect 10 days

819
00:32:10,036 --> 00:32:12,428
supplies would be ready at data, 10 marches

820
00:32:12,428 --> 00:32:14,980
in advance, and 20 days supplies at Ke,

821
00:32:15,459 --> 00:32:16,655
18 marches in advance.

822
00:32:17,227 --> 00:32:19,689
While Can was 32 marches is distant from

823
00:32:19,768 --> 00:32:22,309
She poor, so that including halt etcetera.

824
00:32:22,944 --> 00:32:25,565
45 or 50 days supplies were required for

825
00:32:25,565 --> 00:32:26,855
the troops up, to Ka.

826
00:32:27,255 --> 00:32:29,335
And as we marched with carriage 4 and

827
00:32:29,335 --> 00:32:31,575
with only a mouth supplies from Fe poor,

828
00:32:32,134 --> 00:32:34,226
more carriage was required to than could be

829
00:32:34,226 --> 00:32:36,216
procured at the time, both for the Bengal

830
00:32:36,216 --> 00:32:38,286
and Bombay columns, as well as for the

831
00:32:38,286 --> 00:32:42,123
sc force. With such huge challenges ahead. You

832
00:32:42,123 --> 00:32:45,221
would think that the early Victorian army would

833
00:32:45,221 --> 00:32:46,968
assemble its a team,

834
00:32:47,524 --> 00:32:49,590
Or at least up and coming officers and

835
00:32:49,590 --> 00:32:49,987
channels,

836
00:32:50,559 --> 00:32:52,231
who would later become legends,

837
00:32:52,789 --> 00:32:55,259
you would think wrong, gentle listener.

838
00:32:55,737 --> 00:32:59,503
A previous invasion to help defend the city

839
00:33:00,133 --> 00:33:01,909
hu against persons

840
00:33:02,287 --> 00:33:05,078
was abandoned when the siege ended early.

841
00:33:05,716 --> 00:33:08,688
Embarrassing need for the governor general, the successful

842
00:33:08,746 --> 00:33:10,987
defense. Was in large part due to a

843
00:33:11,067 --> 00:33:11,226
British,

844
00:33:12,417 --> 00:33:15,538
turned adventure spy El Pot.

845
00:33:16,229 --> 00:33:17,285
The royal navy

846
00:33:17,674 --> 00:33:20,229
had done its part by applying pressure on

847
00:33:20,229 --> 00:33:20,788
the persians,

848
00:33:21,346 --> 00:33:23,682
and the up coming star lord Palmer

849
00:33:24,220 --> 00:33:26,615
was twisting the arms and Russian diplomats,

850
00:33:27,188 --> 00:33:29,654
Russian invasion invasion plant was suddenly gone.

851
00:33:30,211 --> 00:33:33,393
The large British fourth being assembled was stood

852
00:33:33,393 --> 00:33:36,530
down. And reduced to a much smaller

853
00:33:36,983 --> 00:33:40,240
expedition force, the nominated commander over of the

854
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:40,979
invasion force

855
00:33:41,288 --> 00:33:42,243
Su Harry Fe,

856
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,143
commander of armed forces in India, refused to

857
00:33:46,143 --> 00:33:48,611
take further part in the venture, arguing,

858
00:33:48,944 --> 00:33:51,505
that with the Russian backed person siege of

859
00:33:51,505 --> 00:33:54,325
her over, there was no longer a

860
00:33:54,625 --> 00:33:56,724
justification for any invasion of a Afghanistan,

861
00:33:57,264 --> 00:34:00,234
and besides he was much too senior to

862
00:34:00,234 --> 00:34:01,670
lead a much smaller force,

863
00:34:02,547 --> 00:34:04,861
thereby leaving the command to other more junior

864
00:34:04,861 --> 00:34:07,855
men. At this point, any illegitimate

865
00:34:08,554 --> 00:34:11,355
justification for the invasion had really been blown

866
00:34:11,355 --> 00:34:14,269
out of the water. The Russian backed person

867
00:34:14,409 --> 00:34:17,130
invasion had been turned back, and thanks to

868
00:34:17,210 --> 00:34:18,010
Lord Palmer.

869
00:34:18,570 --> 00:34:20,901
The Russians would not likely. To be able

870
00:34:20,901 --> 00:34:23,390
to produce an invasion force of their own

871
00:34:23,924 --> 00:34:26,810
anytime soon. Any raids by afghan

872
00:34:27,439 --> 00:34:29,994
could probably simply be paid off or turned

873
00:34:29,994 --> 00:34:33,107
back. From this point on, it was an

874
00:34:33,107 --> 00:34:34,725
entirely un enforced

875
00:34:35,342 --> 00:34:36,481
political disaster

876
00:34:36,874 --> 00:34:39,431
that triggered an even worse military 1. The

877
00:34:39,591 --> 00:34:43,447
British were about to mount an unnecessary invasion

878
00:34:43,586 --> 00:34:44,225
with little,

879
00:34:44,796 --> 00:34:48,365
political payoff in the off and bum the

880
00:34:48,365 --> 00:34:48,865
technicalities

881
00:34:49,713 --> 00:34:50,664
extremely badly.

882
00:34:51,140 --> 00:34:52,092
The 2 generals,

883
00:34:52,584 --> 00:34:55,850
willing to take command of them reduced invasion

884
00:34:55,850 --> 00:34:59,276
force were absolute c tier. Fine,

885
00:34:59,928 --> 00:35:01,835
but not in the list of all time

886
00:35:01,835 --> 00:35:02,233
greats.

887
00:35:02,709 --> 00:35:03,265
The first,

888
00:35:04,139 --> 00:35:07,238
Napoleonic war veteran are John Keen was at

889
00:35:07,238 --> 00:35:08,135
least competent

890
00:35:08,763 --> 00:35:11,465
if rather long in tooth. The second,

891
00:35:11,942 --> 00:35:14,588
general sir willoughby be cotton was a general

892
00:35:14,804 --> 00:35:17,427
who didn't believe in reconnaissance patrols,

893
00:35:18,077 --> 00:35:20,299
Keane was in command of the main force

894
00:35:20,299 --> 00:35:21,037
from Bombay

895
00:35:21,490 --> 00:35:23,498
with cotton commanding the Bang

896
00:35:23,871 --> 00:35:24,268
contingent.

897
00:35:24,744 --> 00:35:26,252
Yet the whole expedition.

898
00:35:27,062 --> 00:35:30,402
Effectively fell on the overall command of William

899
00:35:30,481 --> 00:35:34,378
Mc norton, a natural desk jo, Mc norton

900
00:35:34,378 --> 00:35:36,150
had never visited our Afghanistan

901
00:35:36,779 --> 00:35:39,009
and was more focused on politics,

902
00:35:39,487 --> 00:35:41,000
the military technicalities,

903
00:35:41,478 --> 00:35:43,708
the Junior officers were not in the right

904
00:35:43,708 --> 00:35:45,381
mindset either in the main,

905
00:35:45,953 --> 00:35:47,942
They acted, like they were going on a

906
00:35:47,942 --> 00:35:48,999
gentleman's campaign

907
00:35:49,454 --> 00:35:51,364
against the seventeenth century French,

908
00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,466
most traveled with the elaborate grooming kits.

909
00:35:55,276 --> 00:35:55,990
Including soaps,

910
00:35:56,546 --> 00:35:57,046
perfume,

911
00:35:57,419 --> 00:36:00,459
and silver hair brushes. At least 2 camels

912
00:36:00,673 --> 00:36:03,727
were used for nothing more, and home regiment

913
00:36:04,099 --> 00:36:06,556
cigar supplies, a lancer of regiment,

914
00:36:07,110 --> 00:36:09,592
even brought their fox sounds for hunting

915
00:36:10,216 --> 00:36:12,357
not that you can blame officers for wanting

916
00:36:12,357 --> 00:36:12,991
some comfort,

917
00:36:13,942 --> 00:36:16,321
especially when you read a contemporary account from

918
00:36:16,321 --> 00:36:17,193
a junior officer,

919
00:36:17,684 --> 00:36:20,071
from 18 40 about the campaign,

920
00:36:20,708 --> 00:36:23,095
quote. The European troops of our army had

921
00:36:23,095 --> 00:36:24,947
no rum from the time we left Ka

922
00:36:25,323 --> 00:36:27,567
till a supply came from India after the

923
00:36:27,567 --> 00:36:27,966
campaign.

924
00:36:28,445 --> 00:36:30,359
Owing to eating the fat humber mutton, which

925
00:36:30,359 --> 00:36:32,353
is rich and drinking the water of the

926
00:36:32,353 --> 00:36:35,304
country possessing an period quality, they suffered much

927
00:36:35,304 --> 00:36:38,033
from bowel complaints. Whatever may be the opinion

928
00:36:38,033 --> 00:36:39,471
of the abs societies,

929
00:36:40,030 --> 00:36:42,667
all sound medical men declare the sudden deprivation

930
00:36:42,667 --> 00:36:44,105
of spirits to be furious.

931
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:45,480
End quote.

932
00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:48,460
That's right. The soldiers old friend

933
00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:50,760
dysentery was going to be coming along for

934
00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:53,400
the ride, plus l and fleas,

935
00:36:53,894 --> 00:36:56,446
which were have quickly infested the uniforms and

936
00:36:56,446 --> 00:36:56,765
bedding,

937
00:36:57,324 --> 00:36:58,520
add in a heavy load,

938
00:36:59,078 --> 00:37:02,349
musk kits, tight stocks around the neck, and

939
00:37:02,349 --> 00:37:03,646
poor quality boots

940
00:37:03,959 --> 00:37:06,037
and you can see why this was going

941
00:37:06,037 --> 00:37:07,256
to be a rough campaign,

942
00:37:08,275 --> 00:37:11,572
especially as the booze ran out. Jokes about

943
00:37:11,711 --> 00:37:13,490
where's the rum on side

944
00:37:13,885 --> 00:37:16,864
the men usually expected to be issued beer

945
00:37:17,164 --> 00:37:20,545
and preferably rum. Not having rum or beer

946
00:37:20,605 --> 00:37:22,125
was potentially dangerous.

947
00:37:22,619 --> 00:37:25,512
Since it meant more reliance on local water

948
00:37:25,571 --> 00:37:27,507
supplies, regiment surgeons

949
00:37:27,885 --> 00:37:29,002
and senior officers,

950
00:37:29,401 --> 00:37:32,272
did their best to obtain un contaminated water,

951
00:37:32,668 --> 00:37:35,521
but it was still hard. Vinegar could be

952
00:37:35,521 --> 00:37:36,869
used as a disinfectant,

953
00:37:37,518 --> 00:37:39,824
and the habit of boiling water for tea

954
00:37:39,824 --> 00:37:40,539
helped a lot,

955
00:37:41,255 --> 00:37:44,593
still, lack of alcohol meant more sickness from

956
00:37:44,593 --> 00:37:45,093
water

957
00:37:45,403 --> 00:37:48,336
but fewer injuries from drinking heavily.

958
00:37:48,970 --> 00:37:51,745
Disease has historically always been the biggest killer

959
00:37:51,745 --> 00:37:52,538
on campaign,

960
00:37:53,029 --> 00:37:55,047
and the victorian paid increasing

961
00:37:55,427 --> 00:37:57,605
attention to keeping troops healthy

962
00:37:57,984 --> 00:37:59,342
as the decades passed.

963
00:37:59,981 --> 00:38:02,890
There were no airways waste, support this campaign

964
00:38:02,947 --> 00:38:05,571
though. So it was a classic, old school,

965
00:38:06,207 --> 00:38:10,000
march hard, fight hard, March again campaign to

966
00:38:10,278 --> 00:38:13,546
when small ski in kiln on route, which

967
00:38:13,546 --> 00:38:16,974
in turn, meant supply routes were long, thin

968
00:38:16,974 --> 00:38:17,713
and vulnerable.

969
00:38:18,343 --> 00:38:21,292
Suddenly, the officer's obsession with soap makes a

970
00:38:21,292 --> 00:38:22,009
lot more sense.

971
00:38:22,646 --> 00:38:24,718
1 of the most vital things are soldier

972
00:38:24,718 --> 00:38:25,196
can do,

973
00:38:25,848 --> 00:38:28,317
is care for his feet and being able

974
00:38:28,317 --> 00:38:30,547
to wash them with soap and wear clean

975
00:38:30,547 --> 00:38:31,047
socks

976
00:38:31,423 --> 00:38:34,051
is as important as keeping his weapon clean,

977
00:38:34,543 --> 00:38:37,186
the weapon lets him fight with the feet

978
00:38:37,322 --> 00:38:39,806
get him to the battle. So John Keane

979
00:38:40,180 --> 00:38:41,077
was a veteran

980
00:38:41,529 --> 00:38:44,721
soldier of the Napoleonic wars, had commanded a

981
00:38:44,721 --> 00:38:46,413
brigade at the battle of New Orleans

982
00:38:46,787 --> 00:38:49,807
in the Usa, and then being made Governor

983
00:38:50,125 --> 00:38:50,442
Jamaica,

984
00:38:51,094 --> 00:38:53,641
he was physically brave a keen sports,

985
00:38:54,199 --> 00:38:55,654
friend of the Duke of Wellington

986
00:38:56,030 --> 00:38:59,387
and eventually promoted to commander in chief. Of

987
00:38:59,387 --> 00:39:00,498
the army of Bombay.

988
00:39:00,894 --> 00:39:02,560
He was known to be bad tempered,

989
00:39:03,115 --> 00:39:04,250
and the common soldiers

990
00:39:04,782 --> 00:39:07,744
mostly disliked him he knew that the enemy

991
00:39:07,744 --> 00:39:09,505
would expect him to try to force the

992
00:39:09,505 --> 00:39:10,224
tribe pass.

993
00:39:10,785 --> 00:39:13,844
That would require permission to cross the seek

994
00:39:13,985 --> 00:39:14,485
kingdom

995
00:39:14,785 --> 00:39:17,672
around its sing And was happy to cheer

996
00:39:17,672 --> 00:39:18,969
the British from the sidelines,

997
00:39:19,505 --> 00:39:21,815
but no way in hell would he allow

998
00:39:21,815 --> 00:39:22,611
a full size,

999
00:39:23,264 --> 00:39:26,957
honorable East India company to march through. So

1000
00:39:27,016 --> 00:39:29,331
the invasion had to take a long swing

1001
00:39:29,331 --> 00:39:31,347
round through the desert route

1002
00:39:31,725 --> 00:39:31,885
instead,

1003
00:39:32,536 --> 00:39:33,409
longer marches,

1004
00:39:33,885 --> 00:39:36,345
but it needs be limp river barges could

1005
00:39:36,345 --> 00:39:39,201
be used for some sections, and it might

1006
00:39:39,201 --> 00:39:40,312
surprise the enemy a little,

1007
00:39:40,963 --> 00:39:43,617
In total, the troops would need to cover

1008
00:39:43,834 --> 00:39:45,828
more than 1200

1009
00:39:45,828 --> 00:39:48,778
kilometers on foot, carrying 60 pound packs,

1010
00:39:49,576 --> 00:39:49,735
ammunition,

1011
00:39:50,388 --> 00:39:53,093
and musk kits, plus great coats for winter

1012
00:39:53,093 --> 00:39:53,809
in the mountains,

1013
00:39:54,525 --> 00:39:56,536
stocks for their necks and

1014
00:39:56,911 --> 00:39:59,635
rough red coats or blue coats, with surge,

1015
00:39:59,875 --> 00:40:00,275
trousers,

1016
00:40:00,914 --> 00:40:03,635
clearly the dangers of exhaustion and heat stroke

1017
00:40:03,635 --> 00:40:06,535
in the desert were high. It is astonishing

1018
00:40:06,755 --> 00:40:08,295
to think the bulk of soldiers

1019
00:40:08,609 --> 00:40:10,766
would have been paid less, the many farmers,

1020
00:40:11,246 --> 00:40:11,646
shepherd,

1021
00:40:12,125 --> 00:40:13,483
or un laborers.

1022
00:40:13,963 --> 00:40:16,140
The common ranks or for the desperate

1023
00:40:16,534 --> 00:40:17,172
the hopeless,

1024
00:40:17,651 --> 00:40:21,183
those fleeing from worse or those ambitious few

1025
00:40:21,401 --> 00:40:23,018
who wanted to become a sergeant

1026
00:40:23,396 --> 00:40:26,350
or even the Gi height to company sergeant

1027
00:40:26,350 --> 00:40:30,422
major or perhaps climb to the legendary position

1028
00:40:30,557 --> 00:40:32,462
of regiment sergeant major.

1029
00:40:33,034 --> 00:40:34,012
Since Afghanistan

1030
00:40:34,629 --> 00:40:36,543
was really dominated by mountains,

1031
00:40:37,181 --> 00:40:38,399
valleys and rivers

1032
00:40:38,777 --> 00:40:42,206
were the key and would shape the military

1033
00:40:42,206 --> 00:40:42,706
approaches

1034
00:40:43,257 --> 00:40:45,799
Additional reserves were set on the borders, and

1035
00:40:45,799 --> 00:40:46,855
the total effort

1036
00:40:47,388 --> 00:40:49,215
involved at least 40000

1037
00:40:49,215 --> 00:40:49,715
men

1038
00:40:50,090 --> 00:40:51,202
across various roles.

1039
00:40:51,933 --> 00:40:55,282
That's roughly equal to 2 French call in

1040
00:40:55,282 --> 00:40:58,791
the Napoleonic wars, and the fighting strength was

1041
00:40:58,791 --> 00:41:00,545
far less. In the end,

1042
00:41:01,118 --> 00:41:04,240
There were only 1000 European fighting troops

1043
00:41:04,614 --> 00:41:06,442
back by 14000

1044
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:07,872
Indian sea boy troops,

1045
00:41:08,765 --> 00:41:12,144
employed by the honorable East India company. The

1046
00:41:12,204 --> 00:41:13,664
invasion planning and command

1047
00:41:13,965 --> 00:41:16,285
might have been British, but the fighting force,

1048
00:41:16,779 --> 00:41:19,806
was Indian. The army was too un wield

1049
00:41:19,806 --> 00:41:22,673
to move as 1 after a sham attempt

1050
00:41:22,673 --> 00:41:25,994
to assemble the army in November 18 38

1051
00:41:26,194 --> 00:41:29,627
the beijing kicked off in December 18 38.

1052
00:41:30,186 --> 00:41:31,862
The keane moving off first.

1053
00:41:32,501 --> 00:41:34,975
General Cotton set out with a smaller force,

1054
00:41:35,469 --> 00:41:37,727
and was acquired to travel along the river

1055
00:41:37,946 --> 00:41:38,766
during January

1056
00:41:39,145 --> 00:41:40,284
18 39

1057
00:41:40,423 --> 00:41:42,920
through the unfriendly border of Cindy

1058
00:41:43,313 --> 00:41:45,007
and then link up with keen

1059
00:41:45,382 --> 00:41:46,496
agent top burns,

1060
00:41:46,974 --> 00:41:48,588
it made desperate efforts

1061
00:41:48,963 --> 00:41:50,316
to get to send here me,

1062
00:41:50,888 --> 00:41:54,175
to agree to grant safe passage cotton oath

1063
00:41:54,311 --> 00:41:55,210
that the territory

1064
00:41:55,665 --> 00:41:57,416
became even more unfriendly.

1065
00:41:57,815 --> 00:41:58,713
When cotton

1066
00:41:59,342 --> 00:42:02,127
decided to mount an illegal invasion of the

1067
00:42:02,206 --> 00:42:03,082
Cindy Capital,

1068
00:42:03,559 --> 00:42:05,969
which was in the opposite direction from Afghanistan,

1069
00:42:06,598 --> 00:42:07,337
Mc norton

1070
00:42:07,713 --> 00:42:10,976
wrote increasingly desperate orders to try to get

1071
00:42:10,976 --> 00:42:13,444
cotton back into line just in the nick

1072
00:42:13,444 --> 00:42:13,921
of time,

1073
00:42:14,574 --> 00:42:17,151
some of the more junior generals, and B

1074
00:42:17,610 --> 00:42:19,766
were either abrasive to their generals,

1075
00:42:20,326 --> 00:42:20,826
des,

1076
00:42:21,539 --> 00:42:24,323
or deeply worried about the lack of military

1077
00:42:24,323 --> 00:42:24,823
discipline

1078
00:42:25,198 --> 00:42:29,177
and disorder. Mc norton and cotton soon came

1079
00:42:29,177 --> 00:42:31,762
to lower each other. That that was nothing

1080
00:42:31,900 --> 00:42:34,851
compared to the utter hatred, but Norton had

1081
00:42:34,851 --> 00:42:35,968
for double burns.

1082
00:42:36,447 --> 00:42:39,398
This crucial split between the head of political

1083
00:42:39,398 --> 00:42:40,137
coin intelligence

1084
00:42:40,847 --> 00:42:43,873
and the leading field agent was a disaster

1085
00:42:43,873 --> 00:42:46,523
in its own right and only got worse

1086
00:42:46,660 --> 00:42:48,672
when burns received a knight

1087
00:42:49,064 --> 00:42:52,017
which sparked Mc norton to new heights of

1088
00:42:52,017 --> 00:42:52,496
jealousy.

1089
00:42:52,895 --> 00:42:53,954
Top burns

1090
00:42:54,411 --> 00:42:57,260
trying to warn Mc norton that no 1

1091
00:42:57,458 --> 00:42:59,837
wanted the S su bank on the throne.

1092
00:43:00,630 --> 00:43:03,088
He wasn't seen as the loan for once

1093
00:43:03,088 --> 00:43:05,095
and future king over the water

1094
00:43:05,484 --> 00:43:06,702
and that the Afghan

1095
00:43:07,159 --> 00:43:09,732
were not happy to see said disposed

1096
00:43:10,109 --> 00:43:13,140
ex king back with an army of In

1097
00:43:13,140 --> 00:43:16,686
downs during his fighting against. Faithful, Mc norton

1098
00:43:16,903 --> 00:43:19,318
either brushed it off or patron

1099
00:43:19,775 --> 00:43:20,753
double burns

1100
00:43:21,131 --> 00:43:22,646
rather than heed his warnings,

1101
00:43:23,204 --> 00:43:24,901
at least the expedition

1102
00:43:25,373 --> 00:43:28,083
contained some more junior officers who would serve

1103
00:43:28,083 --> 00:43:31,033
well, and a couple who would indeed become

1104
00:43:31,033 --> 00:43:31,432
legends.

1105
00:43:31,990 --> 00:43:33,287
Perhaps most notable

1106
00:43:33,679 --> 00:43:36,880
was General Cotton aid the camp, Henry h,

1107
00:43:37,199 --> 00:43:39,760
a man who would become an absolute legend

1108
00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:40,559
to the Victorian.

1109
00:43:41,119 --> 00:43:44,114
Famous for his exploits, and even a notable

1110
00:43:44,174 --> 00:43:47,614
presence in Harry Fl books. He still has

1111
00:43:47,614 --> 00:43:48,434
his statue

1112
00:43:49,135 --> 00:43:52,258
trafalgar Square, and not many generals get to

1113
00:43:52,258 --> 00:43:54,725
keep a p in a plumb spot like

1114
00:43:54,725 --> 00:43:57,351
that 1. It is interesting to think that

1115
00:43:57,351 --> 00:43:59,835
in an army there was very march an

1116
00:43:59,835 --> 00:44:03,195
old school waterloo style fighting force, the modern

1117
00:44:03,434 --> 00:44:04,335
Victorian officers,

1118
00:44:04,795 --> 00:44:05,914
were learning their trade,

1119
00:44:06,474 --> 00:44:09,448
and we transform it, hair flock, was already

1120
00:44:09,448 --> 00:44:11,544
a veteran of the Anglo Be Wars

1121
00:44:11,922 --> 00:44:14,817
and had experienced his religious awakening

1122
00:44:15,194 --> 00:44:16,572
that would be so characteristic

1123
00:44:17,284 --> 00:44:20,495
over the many Victorian religious preceding officers.

1124
00:44:21,032 --> 00:44:23,844
He was frequently ignored and passed over

1125
00:44:24,380 --> 00:44:25,917
despite his obvious talents

1126
00:44:26,788 --> 00:44:28,244
including his gift for languages

1127
00:44:28,861 --> 00:44:29,840
including persian

1128
00:44:30,296 --> 00:44:31,355
and Hindu

1129
00:44:31,971 --> 00:44:34,284
as it was called, but was is actually

1130
00:44:34,284 --> 00:44:37,646
a hindu dialect, from the Northern regions. He

1131
00:44:37,646 --> 00:44:40,115
was left a junior lieutenant for years.

1132
00:44:40,911 --> 00:44:43,300
Tell in a stroke of luck, a senior

1133
00:44:43,300 --> 00:44:46,767
officer who knew him with appointed commander chief

1134
00:44:46,907 --> 00:44:47,407
as

1135
00:44:47,865 --> 00:44:50,422
Colonel sale. He was considered exe.

1136
00:44:50,822 --> 00:44:52,360
He finally made Captain

1137
00:44:52,833 --> 00:44:54,579
at the old age of 43,

1138
00:44:55,135 --> 00:44:58,073
not exactly the military career dreams are made

1139
00:44:58,073 --> 00:45:01,113
of, being a butter bar as the Americans

1140
00:45:01,169 --> 00:45:03,258
call it for over 13 years,

1141
00:45:03,817 --> 00:45:06,135
and then a lieutenant for another 3 and

1142
00:45:06,135 --> 00:45:08,932
a half was slow even by the Honorable

1143
00:45:09,012 --> 00:45:10,790
East India company standards

1144
00:45:11,183 --> 00:45:12,373
but not unheard of.

1145
00:45:13,484 --> 00:45:16,737
Luckily, he was plucked from further obscurity by

1146
00:45:16,896 --> 00:45:19,196
General Cotton for the aid to camp post,

1147
00:45:19,609 --> 00:45:20,907
on the way to Afghanistan.

1148
00:45:21,364 --> 00:45:22,822
The crossing of the river

1149
00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:25,913
after getting the army moving was hard work

1150
00:45:25,913 --> 00:45:27,531
for the military engineers

1151
00:45:27,843 --> 00:45:31,265
and already put pressure on supplies. Once over,

1152
00:45:31,901 --> 00:45:32,617
reality dawned,

1153
00:45:33,174 --> 00:45:36,300
there was a huge salt marsh and desert

1154
00:45:36,357 --> 00:45:36,857
cross

1155
00:45:37,170 --> 00:45:38,549
Lots of unfriendly

1156
00:45:38,849 --> 00:45:40,949
or downright hostile locals

1157
00:45:41,409 --> 00:45:45,250
and very inadequate supplies. It was gh for

1158
00:45:45,250 --> 00:45:45,650
the troops,

1159
00:45:46,224 --> 00:45:48,222
and worst for the baggage animals.

1160
00:45:48,781 --> 00:45:51,119
At the other side of the Hell mark

1161
00:45:51,258 --> 00:45:51,737
the desert,

1162
00:45:52,297 --> 00:45:53,755
cotton swung force

1163
00:45:54,149 --> 00:45:57,517
towards the first big objective, the Bull pass

1164
00:45:57,894 --> 00:45:59,726
in March 18 39,

1165
00:46:00,125 --> 00:46:01,534
going had been

1166
00:46:02,214 --> 00:46:05,514
incredibly slow. This was the other great

1167
00:46:05,894 --> 00:46:06,795
strategic gateway

1168
00:46:07,414 --> 00:46:09,275
into and out of our afghanistan

1169
00:46:09,829 --> 00:46:10,650
it was

1170
00:46:11,109 --> 00:46:13,829
and remains a formidable piece of terrain.

1171
00:46:14,309 --> 00:46:15,289
A british officer

1172
00:46:15,589 --> 00:46:17,429
visiting again in 18 41,

1173
00:46:18,164 --> 00:46:19,704
described it vividly,

1174
00:46:20,885 --> 00:46:21,204
quote.

1175
00:46:22,885 --> 00:46:24,965
The road through this past leads with few

1176
00:46:24,965 --> 00:46:25,845
and rare exceptions.

1177
00:46:26,339 --> 00:46:27,697
Along what is the bed of a mountain

1178
00:46:27,697 --> 00:46:30,015
in torrent. When filled by the melting of

1179
00:46:30,015 --> 00:46:32,572
the snows or heavy rains and is composed

1180
00:46:32,572 --> 00:46:35,297
of loose shin gravel, that rec resides from

1181
00:46:35,297 --> 00:46:37,362
under your feet and is very difficult for

1182
00:46:37,362 --> 00:46:40,141
draft. Camels get on well. It is infested

1183
00:46:40,141 --> 00:46:42,539
by the cock who live by Robbery, and

1184
00:46:42,539 --> 00:46:44,780
the hills sometimes close in upon the road,

1185
00:46:45,099 --> 00:46:46,460
which is filled up by the bed of

1186
00:46:46,460 --> 00:46:48,619
the stream running through Rocky chasm,

1187
00:46:49,099 --> 00:46:50,619
upwards of a hundred feet high from the

1188
00:46:50,619 --> 00:46:52,474
top of which the robbers are sail the

1189
00:46:52,474 --> 00:46:53,434
travelers with stones.

1190
00:46:53,914 --> 00:46:56,074
And were they as bold as they are

1191
00:46:56,074 --> 00:46:56,954
cruel and p,

1192
00:46:57,275 --> 00:46:59,355
they might hold the place against all come.

1193
00:46:59,928 --> 00:47:01,596
Many spots were pointed out to me by

1194
00:47:01,596 --> 00:47:03,899
the guides I had with me as signaled

1195
00:47:03,899 --> 00:47:06,679
by acts of violence, several European officers having

1196
00:47:06,679 --> 00:47:08,982
lost their baggage during our occupation of the

1197
00:47:08,982 --> 00:47:11,231
country. Should there be rain in the higher

1198
00:47:11,231 --> 00:47:13,625
parts of the mountains, the stream at times

1199
00:47:13,625 --> 00:47:16,579
comes down in an almost perpendicular volume without

1200
00:47:16,579 --> 00:47:18,907
warning and sweeping all before it. As a

1201
00:47:18,907 --> 00:47:20,976
friend of mine experienced, when he saw a

1202
00:47:20,976 --> 00:47:23,840
party of men, horses and camels, and all

1203
00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:26,484
his property borne down by it when himself

1204
00:47:26,484 --> 00:47:28,402
and some few men with him escaped by

1205
00:47:28,402 --> 00:47:30,639
climbing up the nearly perpendicular side of the

1206
00:47:30,639 --> 00:47:33,436
hill. About 37 men were washed away upon

1207
00:47:33,436 --> 00:47:33,915
that occasion.

1208
00:47:34,649 --> 00:47:37,123
End quote. The phrase the army would have

1209
00:47:37,123 --> 00:47:39,997
used was to force the pass, but that

1210
00:47:39,997 --> 00:47:42,173
makes it sound easy. What it

1211
00:47:42,552 --> 00:47:43,451
actually meant

1212
00:47:43,764 --> 00:47:46,976
as men having a long running battle

1213
00:47:47,433 --> 00:47:50,304
on difficult to terrain. The past is over

1214
00:47:50,304 --> 00:47:51,761
5800

1215
00:47:51,900 --> 00:47:53,356
feet of sea level

1216
00:47:53,748 --> 00:47:56,446
So already troops for climbing a lot. It

1217
00:47:56,446 --> 00:47:59,699
is an absolutely desolate place. It was over

1218
00:47:59,699 --> 00:48:02,755
70 miles long, and so narrow in places

1219
00:48:03,130 --> 00:48:04,879
that it was single farm only.

1220
00:48:05,356 --> 00:48:05,856
Temperatures

1221
00:48:06,628 --> 00:48:08,479
soared in heated rock walls

1222
00:48:08,869 --> 00:48:11,034
to a hundred and 19 degrees fahrenheit,

1223
00:48:11,565 --> 00:48:13,786
or 48 degrees cent grade.

1224
00:48:14,659 --> 00:48:15,159
Animals

1225
00:48:15,611 --> 00:48:16,825
died like flies

1226
00:48:17,133 --> 00:48:19,434
and many troops died of heated Exhaustion.

1227
00:48:19,990 --> 00:48:22,292
Rather than being a single battle,

1228
00:48:22,768 --> 00:48:24,380
the battle of Bo pass

1229
00:48:24,767 --> 00:48:27,545
with actually a number of small actions as

1230
00:48:27,704 --> 00:48:30,426
Cotton and his men held running ski,

1231
00:48:30,958 --> 00:48:31,775
then Marches

1232
00:48:32,244 --> 00:48:33,200
broke bushes,

1233
00:48:33,678 --> 00:48:36,968
and then marched again. Sub c and Ram

1234
00:48:37,584 --> 00:48:39,815
simply described it as absolute hell.

1235
00:48:40,389 --> 00:48:43,737
Cotton and his army reached Quarter, where his

1236
00:48:43,737 --> 00:48:46,367
orders would to wait for Kings force to

1237
00:48:46,367 --> 00:48:46,606
arrive.

1238
00:48:47,483 --> 00:48:47,983
Unfortunately,

1239
00:48:48,614 --> 00:48:50,068
things fray further

1240
00:48:50,443 --> 00:48:52,592
as the 2 armies try to link up

1241
00:48:52,592 --> 00:48:54,262
with food supplies for baggage,

1242
00:48:54,739 --> 00:48:55,239
animals,

1243
00:48:55,949 --> 00:48:58,447
running out. The morris astute officers

1244
00:48:58,905 --> 00:49:00,444
realized that they had wasted

1245
00:49:00,983 --> 00:49:03,960
months getting here. So the heat was rising

1246
00:49:04,354 --> 00:49:06,532
and they would be doing the fiercest fighting

1247
00:49:06,832 --> 00:49:09,549
in the sear summer sun. In the meantime,

1248
00:49:10,028 --> 00:49:13,145
food supplies ran low. Rations were cut in

1249
00:49:13,145 --> 00:49:16,276
half, then in a quarter, a month later,

1250
00:49:16,835 --> 00:49:20,451
keen find arrived and immediately realized

1251
00:49:20,923 --> 00:49:22,833
that a good part of his army was

1252
00:49:22,833 --> 00:49:26,096
starving to death, he gave immediate orders to

1253
00:49:26,096 --> 00:49:29,215
march the next day, hoping If they could

1254
00:49:29,215 --> 00:49:31,306
push on deeper into Afghanistan,

1255
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:33,273
they might find more food.

1256
00:49:33,829 --> 00:49:36,375
They still had a hundred and 47

1257
00:49:36,375 --> 00:49:38,559
miles to go, to each can

1258
00:49:39,011 --> 00:49:39,828
and cotton

1259
00:49:40,201 --> 00:49:41,018
had baffling

1260
00:49:41,628 --> 00:49:44,403
failed to send any scouts out during the

1261
00:49:44,403 --> 00:49:45,221
whole month

1262
00:49:45,608 --> 00:49:48,255
he that still, so no 1 had

1263
00:49:48,708 --> 00:49:52,286
the nearby passes or terrain, which meant pushing

1264
00:49:52,286 --> 00:49:53,001
on blind.

1265
00:49:53,732 --> 00:49:56,516
Next time, we will follow the army into

1266
00:49:56,516 --> 00:49:59,300
our afghanistan copper as it writes its first

1267
00:49:59,300 --> 00:49:59,800
battles

1268
00:50:00,175 --> 00:50:01,766
and tries to turn things around.

1269
00:50:02,338 --> 00:50:05,139
So it could put the unwanted shower su

1270
00:50:05,353 --> 00:50:06,067
on the phone.

1271
00:50:06,781 --> 00:50:09,478
Okay. Thanks for listening everyone. If you want

1272
00:50:09,478 --> 00:50:10,034
to get in touch.

1273
00:50:10,842 --> 00:50:13,090
I'd love to hear from you. You can

1274
00:50:13,146 --> 00:50:15,791
email me at eighth victoria podcast

1275
00:50:16,324 --> 00:50:19,389
at gmail dot com follow me on Twitter

1276
00:50:19,530 --> 00:50:24,409
at age of Victoria, visit website at WWW

1277
00:50:24,409 --> 00:50:26,909
dot age of victoria podcast

1278
00:50:27,384 --> 00:50:29,778
dot com. The show also has a Facebook

1279
00:50:29,778 --> 00:50:32,493
page in a group, just search for age

1280
00:50:32,812 --> 00:50:35,527
Victoria. Don't get to leave a review on

1281
00:50:35,606 --> 00:50:36,405
App podcasts.

1282
00:50:37,217 --> 00:50:39,925
Takes less time than making a coffee. If

1283
00:50:39,925 --> 00:50:41,599
you want to support the show on Patreon,

1284
00:50:42,077 --> 00:50:44,163
there's a link in the show notes, or

1285
00:50:44,163 --> 00:50:46,710
you can go to patreon and search for

1286
00:50:46,710 --> 00:50:48,143
age of victoria podcast,

1287
00:50:48,621 --> 00:50:51,328
or my name. Take care, and bye for

1288
00:50:51,328 --> 00:50:51,487
now.