The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-12-20 00:00:00

BATTLES NEAR CABITL.

Under date Bombay. Sunday, the Standard of Monday
publishes the following:—

Heavy fighting has taken place around Cabal.
On the 13th, General Baker's force having arrived
on the previous evening, a series of attacks were made
upon the enemy.
Baker's brigade first advanced against a strong force
of the enemy lodged in the village of Beniska, and
having driven them out, wheeled round, and took part
in the attack which Macpherson's brigade were making
upon the enemy in a position on the high peak, from
which Macpherton had in vain endeavoured to dislodge
them upon the previous day.

The fighting was fierce and obstinate, the enemy
holding the position until our men had actually forced
their way in, and the result was a fight at close
quarters.
The enemy were eventually driven out with great
loss, but our own.list of casualties is very heavy, espe-
daily in officers.
Our loss in killed and wounded in the three days'
fighting is reported at sixteen officers and one hundred
and three men.

The Afghans, although driven from their position,
still held together, and further fighting is expected.
The Ghnznee force has been swollen by the aocession
of large numbers of the native tribes, and the aggregate
force opposed to us is very large.
In addition to the list of officers already telegraphed
as killed and wounded in the cavalry charge, the
following are known to be among the casualties :
Killed, Capt. Butson, 9th Lancers; and Lieutenant
Forbes, 92nd Highlanders. Wounded, Major Cook,
sth Goorkhas ; Lieutenants Chisholme and Trower,
9th Lancers; Lieutenant Fasken, 3rd Sikhs; and
Lieutenant Fergusson, 72nd Highlanders.

The t _ roops are said to have fought splendidly, and
the cavalry made some brilliant charges on the enemy
in the plain.

The Times Correspondent, writing from,Cabul, on
Dec. 15th, gives the following summary of the im•
portant events of the previous few days :

General Roberts has known for some time that he had to
face the likelihood of several gatherings of malcontents.
One of these which had its origin in the neighbourhood
of Meant and was supported by the preaching of some
noted fanatical mollahs, took substance near Madan.
Another was in Kohistan, a third in Zaimukhr, and
the last in Logar. Az these gatherings menaced the
peace of the country, General Roberts determined to
take action. General Baker, therefore, marched on
the 9th with four mountain guns, five troops of
the sth Punjab Cavalry, 450 men ot the 92nd High-
landers, and 450 men of the sth Panjab Infantry, taking
such circuitous routes, by Char-Asiab and across the Cabul
river, as would place him behind the Ghazni gathering at
Maiden and cut off the retreat upon Ghazni. General Mac-
pherson, with a squadron of the 9th Lancers, a squadron
of the 14th Bengal Lancers, four guns, a mountain battery,
the 67th Regiment of Foot, 900 men of the 3rd Sikhs, and
the sth Goorkhas, marched in the direction of Urghtuideh
on the Ghazni road, with orders, by an appearance of
timidity and hesitation, to draw on the Ghazni in-
surgents, who were known to have a desire to make
a junction with the Kohistan people. He was then
to interpose between the two bodies and prevent their
junction, and either defeat the Ghazni insurgents or drive
them back on General Baker. On the 10th inst. General
Macpherson had an action with the Kohistan insurgents,
whose movements for a junction were quicker than those of
the Ghazni men. He easily drove them back northward,
with only Colonel Fitz Hugh wounded. He was then joined
by General Roberts, who upon his arrival ordered that
General Macpherson should move the next day along the
road towards Urghundeh, and that Brigadier-General Many,
with a small force of Horse Artillery and Cavalry, should
co-operate with him by the valley road. The Ghazni in-
surgents, if not beaten by General Macpherson and Bri
gadier-General Many, would then be thrown back'
Brigadier-General Many, who advanced too confidently
through a difficult country, intersected with watercuts and
studded with walled villages, suddenly found himself con-
fronted by the Ghazni insurgents in great force. Loth to
retire, as prudence dictated, he opened fire with his guns,
but without checking the advance of the enemy. The
cavalry charged in order that time might be given for the
guns to be extricated, but the enemy were too numerous
and the charge was repulsed. A second desperate charge was
attempted, with a similar result. In attempting to
withdraw the guns they got into difficulties, were up-
set in the watercats, and passed for some time into the
hands of the enemy. The gunners and cavalry retreated,
covered by the 14th Lancers. General Roberts, who had
ridden out from the camp, railed a portion in the direction
of Dehtimozang, and Captain Deane, a volunteer on the
Staff, rallied some others. Colonel Macgregor, Chief of the
Staff, met the latter party, and under his direction and
guidance the guns, which, fortunately, the enemy could not
carry away, were recovered. No words of praise are too
great for this action. The enemy, triuffiphant from
Brigadier-General Idassy's mishap, had In the mean-
time marched towards Cabal by Detimozmag, and would
have entered the city but that General Roberts,
with great forethought, had guarded the Dehtimo-
zang defile with two companies of the 72nd Regiment who
were reinforced by the cavalry he had rallied. General
Macpherson, hearing Brigadier General Massy's gnus, had
forthwith altered his route accordingly and pressed the
enemy's rear, without, however, being able to bring them to
close action. The insurgents, finding themselves between
General Macpherson and General Roberts, betook them-
selves to the hills about the city. General Macpherson
encamped for the night at Dehtimozang. In the meanwhile
excellent arrangements were made for the defence. Shirpur
Is much denuded of troops. General Roberts returned from
Detimozmag in the evening, riding through the city, which
was perfectly tranquil.
- -

On the 12th inst. General Macpherson was instructed to
dislodge the enemy from the position which they had taken
on Ole hills above the city, and from which they had made
during the night several determined attacks upon the hills
commanding the Bala Hissar, which post, however, was gal-
lantly held by a picket of the 72nd Regiment. The posses-
sion of this hill would give the insurgents ready access to
the city. General Maepherson's attack was directed
from this picket hill against a very steep conical hill
called Taktishah, which was held in great force by
the enemy. The attacking force, which was commanded
by Colonel Noel Money, consisted of 200 men of the
67th Regiment, 160 men of the 3rd Sikhs, a wing of the 6th
Goorkhas, and two mountain guns. The ground to be
covered by the attacking party was very extensive, and the
progress of the troops was slow, owing to the nature of the
ground and the determined resistance of the enemy. Night
approached before the final assault could be made, and
the importance of success was so great that General
Roberts ordered the attack to be suspended for the
night, the troops holding the ground they had gained
and he also made arrangements for renewing tile attack
yesterday, This he was enabled to do by the arrival of
the Guides and the return of General Baker late
at night. Accordingly yesterday morning General Baker
marched with 600 men of the 92nd Guide Infantry, 200 men
of the 3rd Sikhs, the sth Punjab Cavalry, four mountain
guns, and Craster's Battery, witn orders to ascend the ridge,
of which Taktishah is the culminatinr.point from Benih-
shahr, and aid Colonel Money by a strong flank attack.
General Baker found the enemy in great force at and about
I the point of ascent, also on the ridge itself. A column of
attack was immediately formed, two companies of the 92nd
Zlghlanders, under Major White, leading the way, and ed-
it-716 ced with the greatest determination, only halting ooca-
sionaUy for breath. The enemy receded before this
steady advance, and would not wait the final assault.
As the Highlanders approached the summit they
streamed away, and Colonel Money occupied - it un-
opposed a few minutes before the Highlanders could
reach it. Meanwhile large numbers of the tribesmen
and &pays who had spent the night in the neighbouring
vUlages attacked General Baker's troops left at the foot of
the heights and spread themselves over the country as far as
Slahsang. These were not finally dispersed until eeneral
Baker was rejoined by the troops from the hills, and until
the cavalry were despatched in several directions from
Shirpur. In this service all the cavalry had an opportunity
of distinguishing themselves. The Guide Cavalry, under
Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, made two very effective charges. The
city remained quiet, but the outskirts and General Baker's
rear had to be cleared, the latter by some companies of the
sth Punjab Infantry, for on the smallest success the
population would have joined the insurgents. The combina-
tion against us, which, is doubtless, strong, and received
some encouragement from the unfortunate event of Thurs-
day, has met with a severe check from our =penes
yesterday, and will probably soon collapse, and the
bodies still in arms against us will be promptly attacked
and our future position improved by certain measures
of severity and precaution which recent events
have suggested. The troops are in excellent spirits
&ad ready for any work. The loss during last week in the
various affairs has been as under :—Forty-two killed, of
whom six were officers, and seventy-six wounded, of whom
nine were officers. Among the officers killed are Hardy,
R.H.A. ; Butson. Hearsey, and Ricardo, of the 9th Lancers.
The wounded officers were Cleland, Mackenzie, Chisholm,
and Trower, of the 9th Lancers; Lieutenants Fasken and
Cook, of the 3rd Sikhs; Colonel Fitzhugh and Major Cook,
V.C., of the sth Goorkhas ; and Lieutenant Ferguson, of the
72nd Highlanders.