The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-22
THE DEFENSE OF JELLALABAD.
ENGLISH DEFENDED so yALOR-
OUkLY IN IS4I
New York WOrld.l

tNeW iork WOrldl
Jellalabad is memorable in English military
annals In consequence of Sales gallant de
Tense In the winter Of 1841 o. The GhiIziee
having gathered with a view to cutting off the
British communications with India, Gen
Elphinstone sent Sir" Robert Sale. with two
regiments, from Cabul, to force the Khoord
Pass. Sale set out on the twelfth Of October
and fought his way through TO Jelalabad.
which he reached on the twelfth of November
Almost Immediately afterwards body of
Afghan borsemen brought letter from the
weak and contiding Elphinstone, in which the
convention entered into with Akbar Khan was
announced, and Sale was ordered peremptori-
to march, with arms, ammunition and
stores, to Peshawur, the Afghans promising
that the troops would not be molested on the
way Serious as was the responsibility of
refusing to obey orders. Sale called a
council OF war, where Though there
was doubt and hesitatiOn) IL was de-
c1ded, mainly through the persistence of
Havelock and Broadfoot, to remain at Jella-
labad and defend the place against all comers
u then consisted Of an irregular quadri-
lateral, surrounded by lofty ramparts with a
perimetre OF about 2l00 yards. The works
were OF earth, without parapets ditches COW
ered-way or outwork of any sort; there were
was SO faulty that they were worse than use
less. The town contained but 300 houses, and
had the reputation OF being one Of the filthiest
places In the East. II was surrounded on all
sides with walled gardens, inclosed fields,
ruined forts and mosques, atfOrding admira-
BILE cover to an enemy; on three sides, at dis
lance OF about 500 yards. lay the ruins of the
walls OF the ancient city; opposite the south
west ran range OF heights completely over
looking the town; and parallel to the north
side, within $50 yards, there was mud bank
nearly twenty feet in height. This extended
several miles to the east and afforded a secure
and unseen approach for any number Of mon.
Three days after the council had decided
that cit would not be prudent to act upon
such document, and that the garrison would
therefore remain where 1t was till further
ORDERS, a sentinel saw mounted man In the
distance, a rider who appeared to be a
European, faint and wounded, coming on a
half starved pony from the pass. 1t was DR..
Brydon, the only man of ElphnstOne's force
that reached Jellalabad; he was faint, bleed
ing and covered with wounds, and grasped in
his hand a small fragment of a sword his
only weapon. Four miles from town the
cavalrymen sent out to bring him in found the
mutilated remains Of three of his companions
after killing whom the Afghans had gone
back to the hills, leaving Brydon, who had
Jagged behind, to pass unnoticed; but not
another living soul came through the pass,
though for some nights lanterns were sus-
pended on poles above the walls and the
bugles sounded TO encourage any stragglers.
Sale set himself to prepare for siege, and
while the walls were manned with on-com-
batantS trained to handle pixies made out of
old hooks and other scraps of iron the gar |
rlson turned out 70 forage In two days
40 cattle and 700 sheep were brought in. tho |
former being slain and salted down and the |
latter sent out to Craze near the walls. Trees |
and bushes that might afford cover to an enc |
my were cut down, even the doors and win
COWS 81 unOccuplnd houses We're torn away and |
N n hnH anil -
1872, Akbar khan's army arrived before the |
wall, which We're strong already and daily
becoming stronger. On tho nineteenth, lust
as the men marched out and set to work
there came trembling Of the ground and 4
noise like the sound of thousand heavily
laden wagons rolling and jolting over an i'll
paved street" The men. panic-stricken
rushed out of the trenches, and in an instant
walls and houses, splitting asunder, came
down. The whole Of tho parapets
were reduced to shapelcss heaps of ruins
breaches were made In the walls more aces
s1ble than any which the trooUs had found on
their arrival, and scarcely a house in the
town but was knocked down or Injured In a
few seconds the earthquake undid the work OF
three months, though, providentialy, the
casualties We're wonderfully rare and the
stores sustained no damage
Immediately the interchangeable garrison set |
70 work repairing the walls and sending out
soiaging and grass-cuttng parties. Akbar
Khan neglected his best opportunity through
fear OF his antagonists. who were
at bay behind their mud-heaps, and confined
himself to an investment and CALLING fire on
The foragers and working parties Tho
Brown Bess was the infantryman's imperfect
weapon, but the country had been so carefully
measured and marked that the garrison's ar.
iliery practice was phenomenal; at a dis
ance 81 more than q mile Capt Backhouse
knocked over single Afghan horseman with
cannon ball Daring sorties were
made, in one of which 500 sheep were
brought back from the besieger's fiocks,
Dut at last food and ammunition
10Th began to fail and On the morning az the
seventh OF April, Sale, weary Of waiting FOR
O'Clock s advance from Peshawur sailed out
With the whole garrison, and falling on Akbar
Ahan Immensely greater army, routed it.
aking camp, baggage, artillery standards. |
lorses, arms, ammunition in fact, the be-
'iegers left everything. From half rations
me garrison found itself suddenly in posses
SION OF plenty, indeed. a fair was opened and
provisions sold TO the country people, On !
.ne sixteenth PollOck's army marched m
rom the khyber ana was received Nv the
81 atI t bands with the old Jacobite melody,
II ,iiy put we've been lang comm"
When Pollock retired from Cabul after MN,
Sung the Afghans he destroyed the works I
y S@aiabad. though 1t il understood thnt
lost n ohammed rebuilt them I'll the tracngs
If Sale. '' ms