Afghan royal soldiers of the Durrani Empire

James Rattray (1818 – 24 October 1854) was a British soldier and artist. At the time of making his notable sketches, he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Grenadiers, Bengal Army, serving in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Early life

James Rattray was born in

Daventry Daventry ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, Daventry had a populati ...

, Northamptonshire, England. His parents were Charles Rattray M.D. (1779–1835), a physician of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, and Mariane Freeman (1788–1866).

Education

He had a good command of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and could speak directly with the local people.

Career

Rattray began his career as a soldier. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on 5 Dec 1838, the date he sailed out of

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

on the ''Severn'', a

West Indiaman West Indiaman was a general name for any merchantman sailing ship making runs from the Old World to the West Indies and the east coast of the Americas. These ships were generally strong ocean-going ships capable of handling storms in the Atlantic ...

bound for India. This ship was abandoned at sea (mid Atlantic) later that same year on 29 December 1838, with 16 ft. of water in her hold on a voyage from

Miramichi The name "Miramichi" was first applied to a region in the northeast of New Brunswick, Canada, and has since been applied to other places in Canada and the United States. Although other interpretations have been suggested, it is believed that "Mirami ...

in Canada for

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. He followed and served alongside Charles Rattray (1810–1841), his older brother by 8 years, who was a Captain in the same period in Afghanistan. He spent some time in the

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( English: /ˈhɪndustæn/ or /ˈhɪndustɑn/, ; ) was a historical region, polity, and a name for India, historically used simultaneously for northern Indian subcontinent and the entire subcontinent, used in the modern day ...

. Rattray was part of a combined force known as the Army of the Indus. He was a Lieutenant in the

2nd Grenadiers The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

. He took part in the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War () was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

, from 1839 to 1842. Tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in 1839-40

He was in

Ghazni Ghazni (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...

in 1839–40. The picture, right, depicts the final resting place of

Mahmud of Ghazni Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (), was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usuall ...

. The artist in Rattray was in love with this particular spot (Tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni) and viewed it as one of the most charming places in Afghanistan. His brother, Lieutenant Charles Rattray, 20th N.I. (Native Infantry) acting as Major

Eldred Pottinger Eldred Pottinger (12 August 181115 November 1843) was a Bombay Army officer and diplomat. In 1837 he happened to be in Herat in Afghanistan to gather intelligence on the area when the Persian army, supported by Russians, laid siege to the city. ...

's assistant, was assassinated on 3 November 1841 on duty at Lughmani, near

Charikar Charikar (), also known as Imam Azam (, ) or Imam Abu Hanifa (), is the capital of Parwan Province in northern Afghanistan. It also serves as the district center of Charikar District, which has a population of around 171,200 residents. They inclu ...

, in the Kabul valley. James was in

Khandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

in December 1841. He helped man the rearguard during the army's

1842 retreat from Kabul The 1842 retreat from Kabul was the retreat of the British and East India Company forces from Kabul during the First Anglo-Afghan War. An uprising in Kabul forced the then-commander, Major-General William Elphinstone, to fall back to the Britis ...

from

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

. They entered the

Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass (Urdu: درۂ خیبر; ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by tr ...

from

Jamrud Jamrūd (Pashto/) or Jam () is a town in the Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, on the western fringe of Peshawar city, Jamrud is the doorway to the Khyber Pass which is just to the west of the to ...

. Their mission to take the fortress of

Ali Masjid Ali Masjid (Pashto and ) is the narrowest point of the Khyber Pass. It is located in Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is around east of the city of Landi Kotal (West of Peshawar) and has an elevation of . The width of the Kh ...

, popularly known as the Key of the Pass, which dominated the road and was garrisoned by Dost Mohammed's troops. Rattray had scarcely completed sketching, "when suddenly a report was heard, and, to my utter astonishment, walls and bastions composing the fortress blew up simultaneously in the air, like a whirlwind of sand; and so completely was it swept off from the summit of the mountain, that when the dense cloud cleared away not a vestige of the building remained." Rattray undertook several tours of the region, after leaving the Army. Another brother Captain Thomas Rattray (1820–1880) raised the 1st Bengal Military Police Battalion in April 1856, at

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, later re-named the

45th Rattray's Sikhs The 45th Rattray's Sikhs was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to the 1st Bengal Military Police Battalion raised in April 1856, at Lahore, by Captain Thomas Rattray originally consisting of a troop o ...

Death

He died on 24 October 1854, at age 36, at Dorundah, Nagpore, India. On his death he was a Captain in the Indian Army. He died a bachelor, leaving no heirs. The executor of his estate was his brother Major David Rattray (1814–1874) of the Devonshire Militia, residing in

Tiverton, Devon Tiverton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, and the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid Devon district. The population in 2019 was 20,587. History Early history The town's name is conjectured to derive from "Twy-for ...

Collections

His works are in the following collections: *

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bod ...

Book

He is the author of ''Scenery, Inhabitants & Costumes, of Afghaunistaun from drawings made on the spot by James Rattray''. Artist: James Rattray 1818–1854, Lithographer: Robert Carrick, Published by Day & Son in 1847. A second edition was published the next year in London: by Hering & Remington, 137 Regent street, 1848. The artist dedicated this collection to the Kandahar Force that he belonged under the command of Major-General Sir William Nott,G.C.B., and the British and Indian Army officers who participated in the war. His sketches and drawings were made into

Lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

mainly by the lithographer and engraver Robert C. Carrick. Other lithographers were Edmund Walker Plate nos. 2, 19, 20, 22, 24, and 25; landscape artist and lithographer William L. Walton Plate nos. 13 and 18, and Plate no. 21 by

Frederick William Hulme Frederick William Hulme (22 October 1816 – 14 November 1884) was an English landscape painter and illustrator. Hulme was born in Swinton, South Yorkshire, Swinton in Yorkshire, the son of Jesse Hulme and Elizabeth Trewolla. His mother was ...

, all employed by the publisher. W. L. Walton was a landscape artist, working in London, who exhibited between 1834 and 1855. He also made the lithographic plates for General Sale's

Defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Help:IPA/Persian, ͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪ is the list of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part ...

(c. 1845).). Among the subscribers for the publication were Prince Albert, and several Rattray family members, including Capt. Charles Rattray, Pol. Agt.,

Turkestan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

; Capt. Rattray R.N.; Capt. D. Rattray,

Prince Albert's Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...

; Lieut. T. Rattray, BNI. Each colour plate is accompanied by a lengthy explanatory texts (commentaries), delving into detailed vivid depictions of the people, their clothing, habits, occupations. Topics relating to historical and

ethnohistorical Ethnohistory is the study of cultures and indigenous peoples customs by examining historical records as well as other sources of information on their lives and history. It is also the study of the history of various ethnic groups that may or may ...

interest are described, such as the forms of worship at tombs and mosques, and the imperial rituals of the Dorranis. Verbatim excerpts of some of these texts can be found on the British Library website.

In popular culture

Several works by Rattray are used in the second edition of the board game Pax Pamir, designed by Cole Wehrle, in which players assume the role of local leaders in

after the fall of the

Durrani Empire The Durrani Empire, colloquially known as the Afghan Empire, or the Saddozai Kingdom, was an Afghanistan, Afghan empire founded by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns under Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, which spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian ...

Gallery

File:Mir Alam a Coistaunee Warrior, a sketch by lieut. James Rattray c. 1840, see Plate 12.jpg, Mir Alam a Coistaunee Warrior, as sketched by Rattray c.1840 File:Mir Alam of Kohistan region in Afghanistan (full page in book) cropped.jpg, The Lithograph of the same portrait by Robert Carrick c.1847 File:Kandahar City in Dec 1841 (Interior of the city), a sketch by lieut. James Rattray, see Plate 23.jpg, Interior of the City of

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

, as drawn by Rattray in Dec. 1841 File:Kandahar City in December 1841.jpg, The subsequent Lithograph made by Robert Carrick c.1847 File:Kandahar City during 1839-42.jpg, City of

, its principal bazaar and citadel, taken from the Nakkara Khauna from Lieutenant James Rattray, ''Afghanistan'' File:Afghan lady in Kabul.jpg, Ladies cabul by James Rattray, 1848 File:Hyder Khan of Ghazni in 1839-42.jpg, Hyder Khan of Ghazni in 1839-42 by James Rattray File:The Khyber Pass with the fortress of Alimusjid - lithograph by James Rattray - 1848 (2).jpg, The Khyber Pass with the fortress of Alimusjid, lithograph by James Rattray, 1848

References

External links

A high definition view of the original sketch of "Interior of the City of Kandahar"

A digital viewing of the colour plates in the 2nd edition
at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

's digital collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Rattray, James 19th-century British war artists 1818 births 1854 deaths British East India Company Army officers British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War