The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-06-03
A YANKEE TRICK.

1 As rDlultf ulACt lMO ~SNNAAh9NAtS
have fought Sepoys, Beers, Hottentots,
Maoris, Indians, Malays and civilized
white men, but for real, downright feroc-
ity and dogged perseverance give the
medal to the Afghans. Such thing as
cowardice is unknown among them.
They are ready for fight at q moments
notice. and they can stand the cold steel
and grape and canister longer than any
white troops 1 was ever opposed TO. They
are fanatics 10 the last drop Of blood,
and when an enemy fully believes that
death on the battlefield means eternal
praise for his name and eternal rest 70.
his soul. he becomes doubly danger
| Gus.
In the march to Cabul, which won lau-
rels for the British arms only that they
might be covered with the disgrace of
bad diplomacy, we found the Afghan on
his own soil, and on battlefelds of his
own selection, and though we could
drive him in every instance, each victo-
ry cost us some Of the best blood in the
English army.
One Of our outposts, as the column was
encamped in the Coota valley to recruit
its strength and bring up supplies, was
nine miles TO the north, where it covered
a strategic point. A detachment of one
hundred men was Kept there for fifteen
days, being relieved every five days, and
went out with the last detachment. We
we're all infantry, and We had one ham
dred rounds of ammunition for our muc-
kets.
The post was not in the valley, but up
among the hills, where it covered three
different passes, and it was terribly
lonesome spot. It was among the ruins
of an old temple, and the first companies
holding it had used the great blocks of
stone TO build fort. This structure was
about one hundred feet square, erowning
a steep hill, and the walls were about y
feet higl. Two sides of it were the walls
of the old temple, strengthened little,
. and while it was rude affair as a fort it
was a stout and safe retreat in case Of
few men being hard pressed
The blunders made in that historic
campaign are too numerous to be record
ed. The most impartial historians are
/. agreed that incompetency was the lead
ing feature. We had been at the post
two aays, when the captain in command
took fifty of the men for what he called
q reconnaissance up one Of the passes to
the north of US, and at the same time
sent twenty-five men on another fools
errand to the east We had been put
there siaply and solely to prevent the
enemy from coming down the pass righl
at our door and entering the valley
What was beyond US did not matter
7 There was muttering among the men a
7 they. were marched out, each carrying
!. TWENTY-FIVE rounds of ammunition
and they called farewell to th'
TWENTY-FIVE Of us left behind. Half ar
hour after they had passed oft of sigh
Z we heard sharp firing to the north an'
= east, and not one single man ever return
ed to US. They were ambushed in tn
defiles and slaughtered, just as migh
/, have been expected.
II On this very same day the main arm,
)" decided to advance. 4 courier was dis
patched in advance to notify an out
most. but he never reached Us, either
turning back through fear or having beel
picked of by some concealed riaeman
o About o'clock in the afternoon the na
tiyes appeared in large numbers, botl
above and below US, and then We knew
what had happened indeed, they taun
ted us with the annihilation of our CON
rades. and gave US the news that IN
main column had moved on and desert
ed Us. An old sergeant, who had passes
twenty-five years in the service, was i
command Of US, and as soon as he full
T. realized the disaster which had com
about. he called the men together, an
said:
ave have no choice in this matte.
thousand men could not push their va
down into the valley now to try an
oyertake the column. We must renal
and do what we can
but what can We do" asked corp
=. raj ?"
aDie :" replied the sergeant Ihat
what we were sent out here for, anyho7
"a We are twenty-five TO hundreds an
thousands We must kill as many ,
Ie- the devils as we can, and then lie dow
ourselves"
There wasn't glimmer Of hope. "
knew the Afghan. In that long an
m bloody campaign neither side bothere
= with prisoners. If we captured one, te
fifty or a hundred it was puff bani
and they were left lying dead as v
marched on. If one of our men fell in
:. their hands his head was Topped of, or
spear sent through him before he eou
wink twice. They'd have the life Of es
r. nv man, even if they yielded up twen
., lives for one. Some would follow on
ght ter the column, bat hordes would be 4
'"' behind to harrass the outposts left alo
the line of Communication
1t stood US in hand to make good I
a of the few hours left US The Afgha
- were elated and excited, and showed
disposition to attack that evening,
> we kew the morrow would open SID
which might last until there was
longer a man to defend the fort As
had Eve days rations for one hundl
men, the twenty-five of us had close
}. to morths provisions As for wal
nty, there wa spring bubbling up viii
'nan- the fort, and all the preparations