The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-11-30 00:00:00

THE AFGHAN WAR.

The Doily Telegraph of Monday gives the following
interesting description of the capture of All Mnsjid
and advanced defences. The despatch is sent by
their Special Correspondent, under date Ali Musjid,
Nov. 24 (3 a.m.):—
"The victory of the British arms, which I have already
telegraphed, over this Afghan stronghold and its large
garrison, proves brilliant and complete beyond expectation,
We have not only taken the key of the Eastern Khyber, but
have captured a considerable number of its defenders, in-
eluding the General of the Ameer's forces and his Master of
the Horse. The fighting, moreover, on the part of the
Afghans has been fierce enough to make us pay for our
success, though by no means seriously.
"The roughest part of the business fell to the lot of the
Third Brigade, under Colonel Appleyard, C.B , which was
directed to advance on Thursday to the proper right of the
enemy's position. This column was made up of seven com-
panies from the 27th Punjab Native Infantry, under the
gallant and lamented Major Birch; 100 men of the 14th
Sikhs. led by Captain Maclean; and three companies of the
Slat Qneen's Regiment, commanded by Colonel Chichester.
Time had been given for the First and Second Brigades to
get into their places, the latter starting overnight and the
ormer four hours before the march of Appleyard's force.
"On arriving in sight of the enemy's advanced defences,
amid the highland scenery already described, the Sikhs
were sent forward in skirmishing order against the centre
of the Afghan position. After pushing through a hill vil-
lage or two and clearing the mountain-scrub of outlying
Afghans, the Sikhs came upon strong entrenchments and
vangahs, or breastworks of boulders, crossing the hill side,
all held in great strength by musketmen and a battery of
three guns. It may be doubted if the native military en-
gineers of Cabul could have laid out the lines quite so well.
Sharp work very speedily e,ommenced along this face, the
Sikhs having their only British officer struck with an En-
field bullet, and seven native non-commissioned officers,
with about twenty of the rank and file killed or wounded.
"The 27th Punjabs coming quickly up to the front in sup-
port found themselves hotly peppered from the Afghan
trenches and stone walls, and it being now late they were
tempted, somewhat imprudently, to make a rush over the
broken ground at the concealed Afghans. Had there been
an hour more of daylight this rush would, perhaps, have
succeeded, but the waning light was all in favour of the
enemy, who poured his rifle and gun fire into the assailing
lines with such effect that many of the Punjabees fell killed
or wounded, and two British officers were shot dead at their
head. These were Major Birch and Lieutenant Fitzgerald,
the first who have given their lives in this campaign for the
Empress of India, whose lag they were so gloriously main-
taining They fell near one another, and within a stone's-
throw of the muzzles of the Afghan guns.
"Darkness now rapidly falling, the retreat was perforce
sounded, and the Twenty-seventh with the Sikhs retired
from the momentarily impregnable hill-side. At the sound
of the recalling bugles and the unwilling retirement of our
men the defenders, naturally encouraged, redoubled the
quickness of their fire, and some additional loss was in-
curred. There was, however, no attempt to follow up the
retiring force, and it bivouacked close at hand.
"The 81st Foot, which had been held in reserve, although
Within range, sustained no casualties.
"The Fourth Brigade, acting with the Third, and includ-
ing in its ranks the 51st Light Infantry—with a mule battery
of mountain grins, and the heavy 40 pounders dragged by
elephants—was engaged meanwhile on the British right, sad
moved forward under a heavy musketry fire; but the ad-
vance had been scientifically made, and the necessary
position for the final attack was taken up with the trifling
lose of one man killed and six wounded. The guns, how-
ever, coming up the river-bed, along open ground where
the Afghans had been hard at work practising for range, got
raked a little from the enemy's batteries planted in their out-
lying camp. We lost, however, only one gunner here, but
several horses and men were wounded while rattling past the
open spaces.
"Night having closed in, all the positions were occupied as
had been originally intended, and though everybody wished
that the Punjabees had made good their rush at the entrench-
ments, no doubt was entertained anywhere of a short, sharp,
and decisive settlement of the business in the morning. The
artillery coming into play had already sileuced All Musjid
and shattered its central fort: the Second Brigade bad taken
the Rhote.s Koh, and we hoped, but did not yet know,
that the First Brigade had got round behind the Afghans at
Kala Kushta. Daybreak was eagerly awaited as the signal
for a severe but successful struggle, and the fresh mountain
air made the men sup better than they slept.
"Just, however, when the 'false dawn was showing—the
faint :grey twilight which comes before the white and gold of
an Indian morning—a Cashmeree merchant had cautiously
approached the advanced pickets at the end of the hollow.
Brought into the lines he said he had been a prisoner in All
Musjid during the past four days, but had risked a bullet to
come over and tell the Sahibs that there was nobody now
Inside the fortress. The Ameer's general in command had
heard late in the evening of the approach of Tyter's brigade
In his rear. This column had been sent round beforehand
from damrood with a long start, in order to descend between
the hills from the northward and occupy Kale Kushta,
thereby cutting off the retreat •of the garrison. The Cash-
meree declared that, so soon as the Afghans got news of the
alarming fact, nothing could be wilder than the panic which
arose in the stronghold. The commandant either ordered
or permitted an immediate flight, and the man said we should
find they had all gone, without taking away a gun or a sack
of corn.
"Nothing had transpired of all this among the brave and
eager solders bivouacked round the Ameer s fortalice. As
soon as ever it was light enough to see the buttons on a
man's coat the troops had snatched an early mouthful, and
were moving up from the hollows to cover the heights around
All Musjid. You may believe that the scene was curious and
stirring, with the great quiet mountains towering on either
hand, just now catching the first rose-blush of day, and Her
Majesty's faithful troops silently passing under their—deep
shadows to take lasting possession of the gateway of India.
"Meantime, however, a young officer— who, I believe, was
Chisholm° of the 9th Lancers—had ridden out towards the
Afghan lines to find out the truth or falsehood of the Cash-
merge trader's story.
"It was just as the man had said. Ali Musjid was now as
empty as a drum. Its fires were burning, its guns were
loaded and laid, the tents in the outer camp were flapping
in the morning breeze, but the garrison had bolted to a man,
leaving behind them dead and wounded in considerable
numbers. As soon as this news was brought to him, General
Browne mounted with his staff and preceeded the troops
into the enemy's lines, which were seen to be designed with
European skillfulness and very formidably. Cannons, stores,
provisions, the whole equipment of the stronghold, had been
abandoned, and the British flag was run up above this Castle
of the Khyber amid hearty cheers.
"You will want to know, however, what had become of
our terror-stricken enemies. Gholam Ryder Khan, the
Afghan commander, led his forces away as silently as pos-
sible up the pass, hoping to slip by Tytler's brigade. But the
darkness which at first favoured this manceuvre betrayed the
Afghans, and they ran right into the arms of our men at
Kale Kushta. Here had quietly arrived ever-night the first
battalion of the 17th Foot—whose colours already bear the
word 'Afghanistan '—the Ist Sikh infantry drawn from the
frontier force, and the Guides. This column was well on the
alert, and, closing round the fugitives, made a great haul of
prisoners, including, as I have already mentioned, the
General Gholam Hyder Khan, and, it is also currently re-
ported, the Mir Akhur himself, the Ameer's Master of ;the
Horse, a most influential and bitter foe of the English,
"The prisoners are coming in, and most of them seem
glad to be quit of their service. Major Cavagnari has con-
versed with many, who all agree in cursing the Ameer's
tyranny and protesting that the greater part of the Afghan
people are sick of him and his cruelties.
"The political effect of this swift and complete success will
be great. It is enhanced by the unmistakable signs afforded
of the good will towards us of the Khyberee clans, and of
the hill-people further in. We find the tribes of the Pass
thoroughly appreciating British fidelity towards them in in-
cluding in the ultimatum a demand for their security and
fair treatment. The influence of the Cabul Court inside the
hills is annihilated, and this portion of the frontier may now
be regarded as rendered safe.

The Daily Telegraph of Tuesday publishes the following,
from their Special Correspondent, under date Dakka, Mon-
day (7 am.)
"My telegram and letter sent you yesterday were inter-
cepted on the way to Peshawur by a gang of the Shinnari
tribe, who robbed the horseman of the post-bag. The road
from here to Lundi-Kbana, nine miles towards Jumrood, is
unsafe for solitary passengers. A man has been ordered to
be shot in the Camp to-morrow for assisting in an attack on
some camp-followers. The explanation to he given for this
lawless condition of the highway just traversed by the
British force is that the Indian Government has never
hitherto attempted to exercise its influence beyond Lundi-
Khana. It necessitates, however, the detachment of troops
to guard the road, and perhaps, hereater, an expedition to
punish the Shinnarts.
"My lost telegram was as follows Leaving the Afghan
Camp at Ali-Musjid in the charge of a British regiment, and
the prisoners under a guard, General Browne pushed on
about noon—the headmen of the hill tribes coming out en
route to congratulate him and pay their respects. Re ar-
rived at Lunnt-Khaua—thirteen miles off—where the ad-
vance force bivouacked. Major Cavagnari rode on to Dakka,
which he reached at seven in the evening—the Khan of
Lalpoor meeting him to offer submission. At dawn on
Sunday morning the British troops resumed their march,
arriving at Dakka at noon, and finding the fort deserted and
plundered by the nsighbouring tribes. All the Ameer's
men had gone. The British advance has now reached
the frontier of Afghanistan proper, destroying by
Its successes the Arceer s authority for ever in the indepen-
dent territory, thirty miles in width, which is traversed from
Jumrood to Dakka. The flying Afghan army in its efforts to
escape, has been plundered of everything, the country having
risen against it, refusing it shelter and food. sews reaches
WI, which is confirmed, that Jelalabad has been evacuated,
and that the garrison is in headlong flight towards Cabul.'
"Mahomed Shah Khan, chief of Lalpoor, and head of the
Mohmunds—hitherto the Ameer's aliies—cousin of Yakub
Khan, and who is now sitting near me here, has placed him-
self in Major Cavagnari's hands. The nomad tribes, who
yesterday were preparing for flight, have all remained, and
are bringing in ample supplies of all kinds. The villagers,
too, show their confidence in us, by going abeut their daily
work with the utmost unconcern while our army passes
them by. One opinion alone prevails amongst natives
and Europeans alike, and that is that we have
enjoyed the usual good fortune of the English in
India. It is also admitted that had not General
Browne's strategy planned that disastrous surprise for the
garrison of Ali Musjid and frightened the Afghans into a
retreat, we should still have been before that stronghold,
and a continuance of such well-contested fighting, as .we
there met with, would, perhaps, have been as fatal to us as
a defeat. The sudden news, however, of the flank advance
terrified the aiir Akhur, and his fears have struck the
deathblow to the Ameer's authority over the frontier tribes
for ever.
"The distant clans are hurrying in here to offer their
submission."

The Correspondent of The Standard at Lahore sends some
further particulars about the capture of All Muzjid, though
it is not yet known whether the general who commanded the
Afghan forces there is amongst the captured. Most of the
prisoners have been released. They state that the war is
unpopular in Afghanistan, that the Ameer is hooted, and
disaffection is general among the troops. The Afghan works
are of immense extent, and bad they been properly manned
the position would have been almost impregnable.

(From the Morning Post).
ST. PETERSBURG, November 24.
The Russian newspapers express astonishment at the
prompt and successful action of the British troops in Afghan-
istan. But they warn the English not to boast too soon. The
Ameer, they say, is resolved to dispute the victory with
them, and will still offer them a stubborn resistance on
favourable ground. Be is reserving his main efforts for the
defence of Cabul, which is strongly fortified, and which the
English will find it difficult to take. It is said that the
Russian Government is as much surprised as Russian
journalists at the speedy success of the British troops, and
that it is quite unprepared for active interference.

The following has been sent to the papers from the India
Offlce for publication :
" From Viceroy, November 26.
"Cavagnari telegraphs Daka occupied 23rd, without oppo-
sition. Mahomed Shah Khan Mohamed, Chief of La!pure,
came in and paid respects. Supplies coming in from all
parts. Head men of villages in Khurd Khyber have come
in, and offered services. Villages in Jellalabad district
refuse to pay revenue to Mir Akhor since flight. He and
General Ghularn liaidar escaped by Choora Pass. Khyberees
plundered fugitives only one regiment escaped intact. This
telearam was delayed en route. No news from Knrain
column. Biddulph's force has occupied reshin without
resistance. Inhabitants everywhere friendly. Jam of Lus
Beyla has offered- his army, of which a part has been
accepted."