The siege of the Sherpur Cantonment was a battle fought in December 1879, during the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dy ...

. British forces were besieged by Afghan troops, then repulsed an assault.

Background

On 3 September 1879 Sir Pierre Cavagnari, the British

Resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...

in Kabul, and his escort were massacred by mutinous Afghan troops, initiating the second phase of the

. A force was assembled and named the

Kabul Field Force The Kabul Field Force was a field force created in September 1879 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, under the command of General Frederick Roberts. It combined British Army and British Indian Army regiments, and initially numbered around 7,500 ...

, under the command of Major-General Frederick Roberts. After defeating Afghan forces at Chariasab on 6 October, Roberts marched into Kabul on 13 October. With Kabul itself vulnerable to attack, Roberts based his force in the unfinished

Sherpur Cantonment Sherpur Cantonment, or the British Cemetery, is located in Kabul, Afghanistan. The area was a British military camp or cantonment and the site of the 1879 Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Now officially called the ...

, a mile north of the city. A military commission was then set up to try those responsible for Cavagnari's death. While a strong response to the murders was considered necessary, the resultant public executions helped unite Afghan opposition against the British presence. At the end of November, an army of tribesmen under the command of Mohammed Jan Khan Wardak, who had denounced Amir

Mohammad Yaqub Khan Mohammad Yaqub Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 1849November 15, 1923) was Emir of Afghanistan from February 21 to October 12, 1879. He was a Pashtun and the son of the previous ruler, Sher Ali Khan. Mohammad Yaqub Khan was appointed as the governor of He ...

as a British puppet and instead declared Musa Jan the new amir, gathered in the area north of Kabul. On 11 December a small detachment (c.170 men) of the

9th Queen's Royal Lancers The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, ...

and the

14th Bengal Lancers The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, also sometimes known as the Murray's Jat Horse, was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. In 1921 it was renamed as 20th Lancers, and after Partition of India in 1947 it eventually became 20 Lancers (India ...

encountered a 10,000+ Afghan army advancing on Kabul.A Short History of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers 1715–1949 In an attempt to delay the advance, the outnumbered Lancers charged the Afghans. Heavy casualties were suffered and the Afghans continued their advance. Anglican chaplain James Adams was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

for rescuing wounded men. Naik

Kishanbir Nagarkoti Kishanbir Nagarkoti, IOM (gold bar, 1st class, 2nd class, 3rd class) (born 1847/48 - died?) was a Nepalese soldier in the British Indian Army who was awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) four times. He served in the 1st Battalion of the 5th Gurk ...

of the

5th Gurkha Rifles 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions serve ...

was awarded his third

Indian Order of Merit The Indian Order of Merit (IOM) was a military and civilian decoration of British India. It was established in 1837, (General Order of the Governor-General of India, No. 94 of 1 May 1837) although following the Partition of India The pa ...

at this battle.

The siege

On 15 December, the Afghan army began to

besiege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

the British forces entrenched in the

cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...

. As news of a

relief column A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

under the command of Brigadier General Charles Gough reached Mohammed Jan, he ordered his troops to storm the cantonment on 23 December. By midday, the assault had been repulsed, and the Afghan army dispersed.

No quarter No quarter, during War, military conflict or piracy, implies that combatants would not be taken Prisoner of war, prisoner, but executed. Since the Hague Convention of 1899, it is considered a war crime; it is also prohibited in customary interna ...

was given to Afghans found in the area with weapons. The

is maintained as a British

military cemetery A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to ...

Order of battle

British regiments

9th Lancers The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, ...

67th Foot The 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Hampshire Regiment, Hampshir ...

72nd Highlanders The 72nd Highlanders was a British Army Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line. Raised in 1778, it was originally numbered 78th, before being redesignated the 72nd in 1786. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 78th (Highlanders) ...

* 92nd Highlanders

British Indian Army regiments

12th Cavalry The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Lancers Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of ...

14th Murray’s Lancers The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, also sometimes known as the Murray's Jat Horse, was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. In 1921 it was renamed as 20th Lancers, and after Partition of India in 1947 it eventually became 20 Lancers (India) ...

* Queen’s Own Corps of Guides *

5th Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force The 12th Cavalry Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of Pakistan Army. It was formed in the British Indian army in 1922 by the amalgamation of 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) and 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) ...

* 1st PWO Sappers and Miners * 23rd Bengal Native Infantry (Pioneers) * 28th Bengal Native Infantry (Punjabis) * 3rd Sikh Infantry *

5th Punjabis (Vaughan’s Rifles) The 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 5th B ...

2nd Gurkha Rifles The 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army before being transferred to the British Army on India's independence in 1947. The 4th Battalion joined the Indian Army as the 5th Bat ...

4th Gurkha Rifles The 4th Gorkha Rifles or the Fourth Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 4 GR, is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Indian Gorkha or Nepalese nationality, especially Magars and Gurungs hill tribes of Nepal. The Fourth ...

22nd (Derajat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) The 2nd Derajat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery battery in the British Indian Army. The battery was raised in 1851, from disbanded Sikh artillerymen following the Second Sikh War. In 1857, one detachment saw service against mut ...

24th (Hazara) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) The 24th Hazara Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery battery of the British Indian Army. Formation The battery was raised in 1851, at Haripur in order to help defend the Hazara District of the North West Frontier. Name changes T ...

Gallery

File:Afghan charge at Sherpur Cantonment.jpg, The Afghan forces charge (illustration by

Sidney Paget Sidney Edward Paget (; 4 October 1860 – 28 January 1908) was a British artist of the Victorian era, best known for his illustrations that accompanied Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories in ''The Strand Magazine''. Life Sidney ...

) File:Bengal Sapper and Miners Bastion, in Sherpur cantonment, Kabul, Second Afghan War, c. 1879.jpg, Bengal Sapper and Miners Bastion, in Sherpur Cantonment circa 1879 File:British Cemetery (1 of 1)-8.jpg, View inside the Sherpur Cantonment in 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherpur Cantonment 1879 Battles in 1879 1879 in Afghanistan Sieges involving Afghanistan Sieges involving the United Kingdom Battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War Sieges of Kabul 19th century in Kabul 19th-century sieges December 1879 Crimes against prisoners of war British war crimes in Afghanistan Attacks on military installations in Afghanistan Attacks on buildings and structures in Kabul Attacks on barracks