Action on the North West Frontier, Part 2

It was soon clear that the camp at Wano was a hostile environment, and the camp was fired on nightly. 

" On the evening of the 28th the Commissioner informed me that , a gathering of some 800 Mahsud Waziris under the leadership of a fanatical Mulla named Powindah, were reported to have collected at Kaniguram and were about to move into the Khaisara Valley, where they might possibly be increased to 1,000 or 2,000 men". 

On October 30th Turner sent out a reconnaissance expedition 10 miles towards Khaisara, but they found nothing, although they were shot at on the return. It was quite a strong force in it's own right;

1st (Prince Albert Victor's Own) Punjab Cavalry, 12 sabres; No. 3 (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, 2 guns,  1st Battalion, 1st Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment, 250 rifles , 3rd regiment of Sikh Infantry, 250 rifles. 

On November 2nd news arrived that Powindah had arrived at Khaisara with about 1,000 men. Turner doubled the piquets outside the camp, and strengthened the "weak points" with earthworks. It could be asked why "weak points" had not been strengthened before. He did however send a reconnaissance force 6 1/2 miles towards Khaisara, but they only found a small party of waziris, who fired on them but were driven off. 

The night of 2nd November

"The night passed quietly until 5.30 on the morning of the 3rd when, the whole camp was suddenly aroused by hearing three shots followed by wild yells and the beating of drums, and at the same instant a desperate rush of some 500 determined fanatics supported by a heavy fire from the right front was made straight into, the left flank and left, rear of camp. So rapid was the rush that before the Gurkhas, although already accoutred, could get out of their tents, the leading men, had penetrated into their camp, and some 30 of them had passed beyond into the rear of the field hospitals, commissariat, and cavalry. The Gurkhas, though thus taken by surprise, and  getting out of their tents only to find their camp in possession of the enemy, quickly formed rallying bodies and engaged in a desperate hand-to- hand conflict with the enemy, but so dark was the night that friend was undistinguishable from foe at even two or three paces distance."

"It appears that undercover of this darkness, the enemy had approached camp from the west along the two large ravines. Emerging from these, the main body rushed past Nos. 9 and 10 picquets. In the latter, which was held by seven men, three were killed, and the others  after firing three shots made their escape. It was these shots that gave the first alarm of the  enemy's approach. A large body of Waziris who had continued their course down the ravine  past No. 9 picquet were checked on reaching the left support of the Gurkhas and split up into two bodies, one of which joined the main attack on the left flank of the Gurkhas, and the other continuing down the ravine broke up against the rear guards, many penetrating into camp behind the field hospitals and the commissariat, where they succeeded in inflicting much damage on the unarmed followers and transport animals. Some of these men, joined by others who had penetrated down the main street, succeeded in reaching the cavalry lines and even as far as the brigade staff tents. Those in the cavalry lines set to work hacking at the heel ropes of the troop horses with the apparent object of causing a stampede. A number of horses were thus set free and galloped out of camp. By some of these also it was that Lieutenant Macaulay, R.E., who was apparently making his way towards the sound of the firing, was set on and killed by swordcuts but however, before he had shot one man dead and another through the body with his revolver. Surgeon- Major Haig was also attacked by a swordsman when coming out of his tent, and received a cut through the upper part of the arm, completely severing the bone. In the field hospitals three of the enemy were shot dead by some of the sick, whilst two of the latter were wounded,, one by a gunshot and the other by a swordcut.

"In the meantime, the Gurkhas had stopped the main rush from passing down the centre street. The reserve, of the regiment, under Major Robinson formed a rallying square in the centre of their camp and fought back-to-back and hand-to-hand. Here, among others, the Jemadar Adjutant of the regiment was killed, and Captain Lang and Lieutenant Angelo were wounded, the former severely, and the latter dangerously. Desperate fighting also took, place in the breast-work at the north-west corner of the camp, where Lieutenant Herbert was dangerously. wounded, and some nine men either killed or wounded".

"When it became apparent that the enemy's main attack was directed against the left flank of the camp, I ordered Colonel Meiklejohn, C.M.G., Commanding the 20th Bengal Infantry, to take two companies of his regiment, which were in reserve, to reinforce the Gurkhas. This he did, clearing the way as he went with the bayonet. I also ordered a company of the 3rd Sikhs to join and assist the Gurkhas. By the time these reinforcements reached our left, flank, the Gurkhas had succeeded in completely clearing their camp of the enemy who left behind them some forty bodies. After, the main attack had been repulsed, two other separate but far less determined attempts were made by the enemy to get home from the same direction, but were steadily met, Orders were given for the guns to fire star shell to light up the ground where the enemy were collected, and this enabled the infantry to get in several effective volleys. There still remained a few stray men in the centre of the camp, who, while the fighting was going on, had employed themselves in looting whatever they could lay their hands on. These, finding their friends had failed to hold their ground, turned their thoughts to flight. Several were shot down while attempting to flee, and indeed it is doubtful if any of those who had delayed making their escape till the end of the fight succeeded in getting out of camp at all".

"I would here mention that, although the main attack was directed against our left flank, men were observed in large numbers on the hills on our right, apparently awaiting events. A considerable body was also seen to our front, and it was subsequently reported that it was part of the enemy's plan to assault from this direction simultaneously with the attack on our left, but for some reason not explained this did not come off. There is no doubt, however, that had the first attack not been so speedily met and dealt with, the Waziris were ready to take advantage of any confusion, and would have tried to rush the camp from all sides. I had therefore up to the last to be prepared for a second and perhaps more formidable attack from some other quarter".

"At 6 A.M., when day was beginning to dawn, the enemy's fire slackened, and it was apparent that their retreat had commenced. I at once sent orders for the cavalry to start in pursuit and inflict as much damage as possible. There was some slight delay in this order being carried out, as during the fight, whilst the sowars were engaged in defending their front and rear, the syces who should have been saddling the horses had run away and hidden themselves, which could hardly be wondered at, considering that the enemy, as already stated, had succeeded in getting among the horses. In spite of these difficulties, the squadron numbering sixty-one sabres under Major O'Mealy, within ten minutes of receiving the order, was trotting to the right flank of the camp with the object of gaining the road to the Inzar Kotal which was apparently the direction of the enemy's retreat. The cavalry was followed almost immediately by (No.3 (Peshawar) Mountain battery, 4 guns; No.2 Company. Bengal Sappers and Miners, 140 rifles; 3rd Regiment of Sikh Infantry, 349 rifles ; 20th (the Duke of Cambridge's Own) Regiment of Bengal Infantry, 200 rifles) under the command of Colonel Meiklejohn, 20th Bengal Infantry, whom I had ordered to push on as rapidly as possible in the direction of the Inzar Kotal and pursue as long as there was any chance of inflicting loss"

"The cavalry, after trotting about three miles, came in sight of the retreating enemy, the main body of whom they estimate to number some 1,000 or 1,500 men. Here the ground was very broken and covered with large stones, and it was impossible to go faster than a trot. On gaining slightly better ground, the squadron cut into the line of the enemy's retreat, and charged where the crowd was thickest, inflicting great loss. After pursuing some distance, the squadron was re-formed under a fire from both sides and again charged where the enemy was thickest. By this time the Waziris were so scattered and the ground so bad, that " pursue " was ordered, and the enemy was cut down or speared singly, the lance proving its excellence as a weapon of pursuit." 

"The cavalry horses were beginning to tire, so, rallying for a last effort, the squadron charged up a steep slope among olive trees at the last of the enemy within reach. The ground being now quite impracticable for mounted action, sections were dismounted and the retreat harassed by volleys as long as within range. The squadron then retired until it met the main body of the pursuing column which had been joined about two miles from camp by the 100 rifles of the 1st Gurkhas, who had held the deserted Danveshkhel fort already mentioned."

"On being met by the cavalry Colonel Meiklejohn pushed on with the whole force to the Inzar Kotal and continued the pursuit for some time miles down the. other side. The enemy were seen in full retreat, streaming away towards Shakai on the left and Khaisara on the right, but too far off for the guns to be brought into action. Smaller bodies, however, came under the fire of the infantry and suffered loss. As further pursuit would now have been useless the order was given to retire to the Inzar Kotal, and from there the whole pursuing force returned to camp, which was reached at 4 P.M".

In total British losses were 45 killed, and 75 wounded, including camp followers. Waziri losses were estimated at 350 killed, including 50 during the cavalry pursuit. A rough estimate of total enemy forces came to 3,000, although as mentioned above, only about half that rushed the camp. Of these, Turner divides them into two groups. Firstly, the followers of Mullah Powindah the "fanatical element" whose "bravery and disregard of death" "can only be spoken of in terms of the highest admiration". And secondly, the Nana Khel, including the Abdul Rahman Khel, who were principally bent on plunder (Rs. 2,600 in cash was later found to have been taken from the Commissariat Agent's treasure chest). 

"I would especially desire to bring to the notice of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief the conduct of all corps on this occasion. The brunt of the fighting fell on the 1st Gurkhas. This regiment, although taken at a disadvantage, behaved with the utmost gallantry and steadiness and succeeded after severe hand-to-hand fighting in clearing their camp of the enemy. The whole of the troops displayed excellent discipline, and a noticeable feature of the fight was the perfect order and absence of all confusion in the camp under very trying circumstances ; there was little wild firing, and in the parts of the camp, not directly attacked, there was no firing at imaginary enemies. The manner in which the pursuit was carried out was also most commendable".

Action on the Northwest Frontier - Wano, 1894. Part 1

Background

The Waziristan Delineation Escort arose from the treaty of 1893 defining the frontier between British India and Afghanistan, the "Durand Line". The region on the British side had in fact been "British" in name only, and several punitive raids had been mounted to punish Pushtan tribes for attacking Indian settlements further south. By the 1890s, the British felt strong enough to establish proper control of the area, and in 1901 the region was formed into a new province, the North West Frontier. 

Of course, it was not quite as easy as that, and in 1894 a military force was send to the Waziristan area. Unlike the previous expeditions, this mission had both political and military aspects, and therefore political and military leaders. It will probably come as no surprise that this was to cause problems. The following, from The London Gazette of June 14 1895, is the report of the military commander, Brigadier-General A. H. Turner. 

To Wano

The troops assembled at Dera Ismail, and was ready by the 1st of October. It was quite a strong, well balanced expedition, though with hindsight perhaps not strong enough.

Squadron; 1st (Prince Albert Victor's Own) Punjab Cavalry  129 men

No. 3 (Peshawar) Mountain Battery (6 guns)                         265 men

No. 2 Company Bengal Sappers and Miners                          191 men

1st Battalion, 1st Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment                             748 men

3rd Regiment of Sikh Infantry                                                744 men

20th Regiment of Bengal Infantry                                          740 men

(the infantry armed with Martini-Henry rifles, the cavalry with Martini-Henry carbines and lances)

Turner did not leave however until the 11th, due to "political considerations" as he rather pointedly puts it. By the 18th they had reached Kajuri Kach where they were joined by members of the Delineation Commission. On the 22nd the whole force, minus the 20th Bengals left to safeguard supplies, set out for Wano (modern day Wanna), which they reached, after extensive reconnaissance, on the 24th. They were joined by the 20th Bengals, and further supplies, on the 27th. 

The Camp at Wano

"Wano is a large open plain, for the most part stony, about 13 miles long by 11 miles broad.

The only running stream is the Toi which skirts the southern and south-eastern edge of the plain, and along the banks of which-there is a narrow strip of cultivation surrounding the villages and forts of the Ahmadzai Darweshkhel Waziris."

A camp was established on the plain, as seen below. 

 "The country in our vicinity, as indeed all over the Wano plain, is intersected by ravines in every direction. A ravine runs along the whole front and another along the rear, from which latter the drinking water is obtained. These ravines are both tributaries of the Toi which here runs from south to north, and is not more than 300 yards distant from the east end of the civil camp. Beyond the Toi rise some high hills, out of range except for arms of precision. About 400 yards in rear of the camp, is a small rocky ridge with two peaks rising some 75 feet out of the plain ; this is known as the " Picquet Hill." 

"The whole camp was surrounded by a chain of observation picquets, and the position of these and also of their supports on the night of the 2nd-3rd November is shown in the sketch. It had been found that patrolling at night was useless owing to the noise made by our men moving over the stony ground, which indicated their position, and rendered them liable to be surprised and cut off by small parties. The picquets, were posted with the object merely of observing and reporting, and were not intended to hold their own in the event of a serious attack, in which case they were ordered, after giving the alarm, to fall back on their supports, the latter then retiring on the main body. To have had all picquets strong enough to offer resistance to an attack in force would have made night duty fall very heavy.

"The positions for the picquets were chosen chiefly with the object of watching the ravines in the vicinity of the camp. Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 picquets were furnished by the 3rd Sikhs. The 1st Gurkhas furnished the picquets on the left flank, viz., 8, 9, 10, the "Bogey," and 11. The " Bogey " picquet was so called because it was only occasionally held, but on the night of the 2nd-3rd it was occupied. No. 12 was furnished by the 20th Bengal Infantry and had a support in rear, on which it was ordered to fall".

 "To the north-east of. camp and about 500 yards distant, there is a deserted Danveshkhel fort, and this on the night of the 2nd-3rd was occupied by 100 rifles of the 1st Gurkhas, with orders to remain concealed, and if an attempt on camp were made in that direction, they were to attack the enemy in rear. If the attack were made on the left of camp, they were to try and cut off any body of the enemy retreating by the Toi valley.

The above brief description of our dispositions will help to explain the events that followed. It may also here be mentioned that the moon was in its first quarter and went down about ten o'clock pm the evening of the 2nd". 

 Actually there were two camps. "The civil camp was pitched separately about 100 yards to the right rear of the 3rd Sikhs. This was a source of great anxiety to me, but I consented to this arrangement on the urgent representation of the British Commissioner, who considered that it was  necessary on political grounds, as allowing free access to him by jirgas".

The siting of the camp was crucial to what was to follow, and came in for some criticism later. Turner in his report seems well aware of this, and is distinctly defensive.

" It may here be mentioned that the position of the camp had been chosen chiefly on political considerations, as the British-Commissioner had urged most strongly that the force should remain at the eastern end of the valley, so as to cover the main passes into the Mahsud country, namely, the Tiarza and the Inzar, already mentioned.  The political officers up to the end of October were fully persuaded that we need anticipate no strong combination among the Mahsuds to molest us, but that we should be prepared for raids or annoyance from small bands. The camp was therefore pitched somewhat more extended for sanitary reasons than it would have been in a purely military expedition". 

The political officers were to be proved wrong .......

British Army commitments, 1842

In 1842 the United Service Magazine of London published a list of the Distribution and Stations of the British Army (available free as a Google ebook). This gives an intriguing snapshot of British military priorities and resources at the time.

British Isles

One thing that's immediately obvious is the worldwide commitment of the army, with only 52 of the 148 regiments listed based in the British Isles. Given the relatively small size of the army compared to her European rivals, this presumably reflects the absence of a clear threat to the homeland, and confidence in the Royal Navy, the “Senior Service” which received more resources, and prestige.
The home forces included all the Guards units, and the bulk of the cavalry.

A Royal Horse Guard in parade dress outside Windsor castle (New York Library digital archive)

Mainland Britain

1st & 2nd Life Guards (Hyde Park & Windsor)
Royal Horse Guards (Regent's Park)
2nd , 3rd and 6th Dragoon Guards (Nottingham, Birmingham & Glasgow)
1st , 2nd, 4th and 6th Dragoons (Manchester, Exeter, Brighton and Piershill)
8th and 11th Hussars (Hounslow & York)
13th Light Dragoons (Ipswich)
17th Lancers (Leeds)

Grenadier Guards (1st ,2nd & 3rd Battalions) (Windsor, Wellington Barracks, London & Winchester)
Coldstream Guards (1st & 2nd Battalions) (St John's Wood & St George's Barracks, London)
Scots Fusilier Guards (1st & 2nd Battalions) (Portman St., and The Tower, London)

6th , 11th, 15th, 16th, 24th, 32nd, 34th, 53rd, 58th, 60th, 61st, 65th, 66th, 67th, 72nd, & 73rd  Regiments of Foot (Gosport, Weedon, Chester, Portsmouth, Devonport, Leeds, Northampton, Edinburgh, Chatham, Manchester, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, Plymouth, Bolton, Newport respectively)

Ireland

4th , 5th & 7th Dragoon Guards (Dublin, Dublin & Cahir)
10th Hussars (Ballincollig)
12th Lancers (Dundalk)

8th , 36th, 37th, 45th (& Reserve Battalion), 54th, 56th, 64th, 69th, & 76th Regiments of Foot

Given Britain's clear dominance of the seas, the Army was deployed either where an invader could come by land, or to protect naval ports. In the first category the two dominant commitments were India and Canada. 

India

The last stand of the 44th (East Essex) on the retreat from Kabul

Twenty nine regiments are based in India, backed up by the massive army of the East India Company. Or rather the three armies of the Presidencies of Bombay, Bengal and Madras. These units comprised mainly local troops with British officers, and were, technically, separate from the British Army as such. Since 1839 the British/ British Indian armies had been locked in the disastrous Afghan War, with in 1842 the massacre on the retreat from Kabul. In total, 4,500 British and Indian soldiers, and 12,000 allied civilians had been killed. In 1845, the British forces would be in action again, this time against the Sikh empire, although this time they emerged (just) victorious.

Bengal

3rd  Dragoons
9th & 16th Lancers

3rd , 9th, 10th, 13th, 21st, 29th, 31st, 44th, 50th, 62nd Regiments of Foot

Bombay

14th Light Dragoons

2nd , 22nd, 28th, 40th, 78th, 86th Regiments of Foot

Madras

15th Hussars

4th , 25th, 39th, 41st, 57th, 63rd, 84th, & 94th  Regiments of Foot

Ceylon

90th & 95th  Regiments of Foot
Ceylon Rifle Regiment

The Americas

After India, the biggest commitment was Canada. War with the United States was regarded as a distinct possibility in 1842, and referred to several times in articles in the magazine. The previous war had ended only 27 years before and there had been several incidents since. In 1837, insurgents had smuggled arms into Canada from the US, only for Canadian militia to cross the border and burn their ship. As recently as 1839 there had been a dispute over the Maine/ New Brunswick border. Whether the force would have been sufficient is debatable, as in the war against Mexico only 6 years later the United States was able to field 32,000 soldiers and 50,000 militia, although of course Britain could have reinforced from the homeland. Having said that, British contingency plans never depended purely on a static defence of Canada and the Royal Navy would have been deployed from it's bases in the Caribbean, especially Bermuda. Hence the deployments throughout the area.

The Canadian deployment had a much lower proportion of cavalry compared to that in India, presumably related to the terrain.

Canada

1st Dragoon Guards
7th Hussars

1st (2nd Battalion), 14th, 23rd, 23rd (Reserve Battalion), 43rd, 68th, 70th, 71st, 71st (Reserve Battalion), 74th, 81st, 83rd, 85th, 89th and 93rd Regiments of Foot

New Brunswick

30th & 52nd Regiments of Foot

Newfoundland

Royal Newfoundland Companies

Nova Scotia

82nd  Regiment of Foot
Rifle Brigade (Reserve Battalion) 
Rifle Brigade (2nd Battalion) 

Bermuda

20th  Regiment of Foot

St Vincent

33rd  Regiment of Foot

Barbados

46th  & 92nd Regiments of Foot

British Guiana

47th  Regiment of Foot (Berbice)
1st West Indian Regiment

Trinidad

59th  Regiment of Foot

Jamaica

60th  Regiment of Foot (2nd Battalion)
2nd West Indian Regiment

The Mediterranean
 

British interests in the Mediterranean centred on her island bases, with the obvious exception of Gibraltar. As well as being a crucial naval base, this had a land border with a Spain that had already coveted Gibraltar for over a hundred years. For much of the 1830s Spain had been racked with civil war (the Carlist Wars) and as recently as 1842 there had been a coup attempt in Madrid. In the circumstances it is hardly surprising that Gibraltar was strongly garrisoned.

The forces in Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante and the Ionian Islands perhaps require some explaining. These had been Venetian possessions before conquered by France during the Napoleonic Wars, Several rapid changes of ownership followed before they became a British protectorate at the Congress of Vienna. British rule was certainly hugely better than French or Venetian, but after Greek independence in 1830 a movement developed to join the mainland, which they eventually did in 1864. A this time Corfu, especially, was a very useful British naval base in the eastern Mediterranean, especially for British intervention in the short Egyptian/ Ottoman war in 1839-41.

Gibraltar

1st (1st Battalion), 5th, 7th, 48th & 79th Regiments of Foot

Malta

19th and 88th Regiments of Foot
Rifle Brigade (1st Battalion)
Royal Malta Regiment

Corfu

38th, 77th and 97th  Regiments of Foot ( 97th Reserve Battalion)

Cephalonia

42nd  Regiment of Foot

Ionian islands

42nd  Regiment of Foot (Reserve Battalion)

Zante

97th  Regiment of Foot

Africa

Mauritius

12th , 35th and 87th Regiments of Foot

Sierra Leone

3rd West Indian Regiment

South Africa (Cape of Good Hope)

27th , 75th, 91st (& Reserve Battalion) Regiments of Foot
Cape Mounted Riflemen (Cape of Good Hope)

St Helena

St Helena Regiment

The Far East

The 18th (Royal Irish) at the Battle of Amoy in China, 1841

The large garrison in China was a result of the Opium war, which had started in 1839, and only ended in 1842. Since the 1750s a massive amount of tea and other goods had been imported to Britain from China, but access to Chinese markets in return was extremely restricted, creating a huge trade imbalance (sound familiar?). The unfortunate British response was to export opium, for which there was a huge Chinese market. Initially this was actually welcomed by the Chinese government (as long as they got their cut via taxes), but the massive increase in opium production and importation led to increased tensions and eventually war, which the British won easily, gaining Hong Kong as a colony. All this, of course, required British troops.

Otherwise, the largest British deployment was in New South Wales. This does not necessarily mean Australia, and in fact probably doesn't. In 1840, New Zealand had controversially become a British territory, initially assigned to New South Wales and in 1841 becoming a separate colony, but possibly that change is not reflected in this list. Certainly annexation had been far from popular with some of the Maori chieftains, though others had argued that too many European settlers had been let in previously, and New Zealand was inevitably going to be  British or French. Anyway, small scale revolts and skirmishes started almost immediately, and resulted in two major British-Maori wars in the 1860s.

Aden

17th  Regiment of Foot

China

18th , 26th, 49th, 55th and 98th Regiments of Foot

New South Wales

51st , 80th, 96th & 99th Regiments of Foot

Cavalry & Camels - Scinde, 1845

When Robert Henderson lamented the standard of training at the Cavalry Depot in Maidstone (covered in a previous post), he was mainly concerned about the preparation of soldiers for active service. For Britain in the 1840s, active service meant India, and increasingly, the North West frontier. There had been the debacle in Afghanistan, where 4,500 troops and up to 12,000 civilians had been massacred, and at the end of 1845, just after the events narrated here, there was to be the extremely hard fought Sikh Wars.

 Hydrabad 1844

Of course, many of the "British" troops were Indian, essential because of the huge size of the task involved. These had British officers and were often very good. The Scinde Irregular Horse mentioned here had been raised in Hydrabad in 1839, whilst the 6th and 9th Irregular Cavalry were on the army list of the East India Company, based in Sukkur and Loodiana respectively. The nature of the terrain made irregular forces very useful, as was a rather unusual unit. The Camel Corps had been raised in Karachi in 1843, and proved very practical. Charles Napier describes how they could march up to 80 miles in a day, and appear unexpectedly on enemies in the desert or hills. The only problem was that, conversely, they could not operate in heavy rain. They tended to slip and dislocate their hips, so that on one operation 90 were lost in one day when the unit moved in bad weather, against standing orders.

As well as the major wars against Afghans, Sikhs etc, there were inumerable smaller operations. And example of the sort of thing is given here.

 Scinde landscape

Major-General Sir C. Napier, G.C.B., to the Governor-General of India.
Head-Quarters, Camp, Shahpoor, Jan. 17, 1845.

In the course of the latter part of last summer I reported to you how this frontier had been vexed by the unprovoked attacks made upon Scinde by the Domkee, Jakraine, and Boogtie tribes. These plunderers had of late become more harassing to the frontier posts. They are, as you are aware, subjects to the Khan of Kelat, but are in open rebellion against him. A few weeks ago His Highness attempted to reduce them to obedience. His Highness's wishes are completely with us, and his personal conduct has been honourable. However, he was unable to effect his purpose; he had advanced as far as Poolajee, but retired discomfited, followed up by the rebel Beejar Khan to Bhag, which has been plundered. Where the Khan has retired to I do not at present know; I suppose to Dadur.

On the 13th inst. I left Sukkur with the head-quarters; on the same day Capt. Jacob marched with the Scinde Horse and Camel Corps from Larkhana. Wallee Mahomed, the Chandian chief, with several other chiefs of Belooch tribes, marched, on the 15th, from their various villages; and on the 16th Wallee Mahomed, according to the orders which he had received from me, took possession of Poolajee, which was abandoned by the enemy. On the same day Capt. Jacob attacked and took Shahpoor; and at the same day and hour Capt. Salter attacked Ooch, a post ten miles to the east of Shahpoor. Both of these places are in the midst of the desert, and the enemy was surprised at both. At both resistance was made, and at Ooch about 3,500 head of cattle were taken, the produce of their late plundering expeditions. Among the rest are the tattoos of the grass-cutters belonging to the 6th Irregular Cavalry, and taken when those unfortunate men were cut to pieces last summer.

Having made forced marches of 120 miles in three days to surprise the enemy (the last march made by head-quarters and by Capt. Mowat, with one 6-pounder and one howitzer, being fifty-six miles within twenty-four hours, through a desert of sand), I shall halt here for a day or two to rest the troops, and allow our supplies to overtake us.

In forwarding the reports of Captains Salter and Jacob, I beg to draw your attention to the decisive courage, activity, and success with which these two officers have executed the orders they received, and to the good humour with which the troops have made these harassing marches in the desert. Wallee Mahomed, the Chandia chief, has also shown the greatest zeal and activity, arriving at the point he was ordered, and with the greatest accuracy as to time; it was at that point, too, at which most resistance was contemplated.

The 2nd Europeans are on their march from Sukkur to this place, under Major General Hunter, together with some of the 64th and 4th Regts. of Native Infantry, whose ardent wish to take the field I thought it fair to these regiments to comply with under existing circumstances.

The Bundlecund Legion crossed the Indus on the 16th, under Major-General Simpson, and is following the route of Major-General Hunter.

Tomorrow every outlet from the hills will be blocked up by the cavalry; and I hope to inflict another lesson upon the plundering tribes.

P.S. Since writing the above some men have been captured who were in the fight at Ooch; from these we have learned that about forty-five were wounded, and forty killed; among the former is Deria Khan, the Chief the Jakrainees. He received a grape-shot in his breast, and was dying. There were 700 men; they thought they had to deal with Wallee Mahomed Chandia, and were not aware we were there till the artillery opened. They had drawn up in battle array to fight when Capt. Salter charged.

Captain G. Salter to Major Green, C.B., Assistant Adjutant-General, Scinde.
Head-Quarters, Camp, Ooch, Jan. 16, 1845.

Sir,—I have the honour to report, for the information of Major-General Sir C. Napier, G.C.B., that I had, last night, the good fortune to execute, successfully, his orders for surprising the encampment of the Belooch marauders, at Ooch, with the detachment, (300 6th Irregular Cavalry; 90 9th Irregular Cavalry; guns of the mountain train), under my command.

After a march of forty miles from Changhur, we reached Ooch at eleven pm.; the cavalry charged down upon the encampment, and did some execution, but from the hilly nature of the country they could not repeat the charge with effect after the first surprise, as the enemy immediately took to the surrounding low, but very steep, hills, and commenced firing with their matchlocks. In the darkness of the night no just estimate could be formed of the number of the enemy, but they are reported to have been about 500 men, chiefly Jakrainees and Boordees.

Of these there were killed Sowla, Jakrainee, the brother of Toochally, a principal chief of the marauders, and his two sons; and Deldar Khan, the son of Khyra Khan, a Boordee chief; some other noted marauders were killed or wounded, in all about sixty men. Three thousand five hundred head of camels, cattle, sheep, and goats, the accumulated plunder of the robbers, were taken, and a quantity of grain; and the deserted encampment was burnt the next morning.

Baggage camels in Scind 1839

I beg to report that Lieut. Holmes commanding the 6th Irregular Cavalry, set his men a most gallant example,- his own horse was wounded, and his orderly's killed; and Lieut. Pulman, commanding the two guns, served them with quickness, precision, and effect.

Mahomed Buksh, Naib Ressaldar, commanding the troop 9th Irregular Cavalry, an excellent officer, killed the Boordee chief in my presence, who had just cut down and killed my orderly's horse.

I have the honour to inclose a return of the killed and wounded of the detachment, and regret that, in Azim Beg. Ressaldar, 6th Irregular Cavalry, the corps has lost a brave and valuable officer, and the Government an old and faithful servant, who had lately the honour to be favourably noticed in General Orders. I have, &c., 

G. Salter, Capt. 4th N.I., Commanding the Detachment.
Grand total of killed and wounded—8 men, 13 horses.
Remarks.—Azim Beg, Ressaldar, 6th Irregular Cavalry, wounded, and has since died.

 Scinde Irregular Horse 1849

Capt. J. Jacob to Major Green, C.B. Assist. Adjutant-General.
Shahpoor, Jan. 18, 1845. 

Sir, I have the honour to report that, on the morning of 13th inst. I marched from Larkhana with the Camel Corps, European Volunteers, two 3-pounder guns on camels, and the Scinde Irregular Horse. We reached Khyra-ke-Gurree, distant forty miles, the same evening; found the supply of water at that place insufficient, even for the whole of the men of my detachment; the horses and camels got none. On the morning of the 14th we marched to Rojan, twenty-four miles, and arrived there at noon; the supply of water at that place was altogether insufficient for the detachment, and men and horses were much distressed in consequence. According to orders, I sent the Camel Corps and Volunteers to Khanghur, and at noon, on the 15th, I marched with the Scinde Horse and two 3-pounder guns towards Shahpoor, leaving nine of our horses behind, in a dying state, from thirst.

I reached Lunda (distant thirty-five miles from Rojan, and about two from Shahpoor) at half-past eleven at night, and there received information that Wuzzeer Khan (son of Beejar Khan Doomkee) was at Shahpoor with a large party of Jakrainees, Doomkees, and Boordees. I pushed on at a trot, and completely surrounded the village of Shahpoor before the alarm was given, or before any one could escape; and, knowing the place well, I at once galloped into a sort of inclosure on one side of the village where the Jakrainee horsemen usually resided; there was, however, no one there but a number of juts and herdsmen; the enemy had that night occupied the houses inside the village, and now opened a heavy fire of matchlocks on us from a high tower and from the houses.

I immediately picketed a troop, and took the men into the village on foot, when all opposition ceased, and the robbers were only anxious to hide their arms. I seized six prisoners (well armed, and whose matchlocks had nearly all been used that night), Jakrainees, Doomkees, and Boordees, among whom are several Sirdars; but Wuzzeer Khan, hearing the report of guns fired at Ooch, about half an hour before we reached Shahpoor, had instantly mounted his horse and escaped. I believe not a man left the village after our arrival, although a tremendous dust storm, which arose just as we reached the place, rendered it very difficult to watch the place properly.

The fire from the village killed a duffedar, two sowars, and three horses, and wounded three sowars and five horses. All my men behaved well in this affair; and I request that you will particularly bring to notice the excellent conduct of my second in command, Lieut. G. Malcolm, from whom I received the most able support and assistance; of Resseldar Maj. SezFeraz Khan, and Resseldar Meer Furzund Ali; the last-named officer commanded the troop which I led into the village on foot.

The Police Resseldar Alif Khan accompanied me from Larkanah, and his were most valuable to me on this occasion, as well as during the whole march.

I must not omit to mention Assistant-Surgeon Pelly, who accompanied while I was surrounding the village, and attended the wounded men the they fell.

J. Jacob, Capt. Artillery, Commanding Scinde Irregular Horse. 
Total of killed and wounded—1 havildar and 5 men, 8 horses.

The Lion in Persia Pt.3 - Highlanders at Ahwaz

The Anglo-Persian war has tended to be forgotten by history, sandwiched as it is chronologically and geographically between the much larger Crimean War and Indian Mutiny. But it has it´s own characteristics, and unlike these two conflicts it has some echos in the present day.

In March 1857 a British expeditionary force has taken the Persian city of Bushire, and is conducting operations inland, in an attempt to force the Persians to vacate the Afghan city of Herat, which they have annexed. The British have won a significant victory against Persian forces at Khoosh-Ab, and them send a task force up the Shatt Al Arabb waterway and stormed the city of Mohumra (modern Khorranshahr) and the British commander Lt. General Outram is now considering following up against the main Persian army, which has retired from Mohumra up the Karoon river to Ahwaz, as he later reported in the London Gazette.

"IN my Despatch, dated the 27th ultimo, I announced to your Excellency my intention of immediately, dispatching up the Karoon River to Ahwaz, an armed flotilla, being the only means I had of effecting a distant reconnaissance, owing to the total want of baggage-cattle ; but, as the steamers had to be coaled, and seven days' provisions for the troops put on board, whilst all were busily engaged disembarking tents and stores from the transports, some little delay occurred ; and it was not until the afternoon of the 29th that the party could be dispatched.

The flotilla I placed under the immediate command of Captain Rennie, Indian Navy, aided by Captain Kemball, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, who zealously undertook the political conduct of the expedition : Captain Hunt, 78th Highlanders, commanded the military detachment: and Captain Wray, Deputy Quartermaster- General, and Captain AT. Green, my Military Secretary, accompanied the expedition, for the purpose of reporting upon the country in vicinity of Ahwaz.

My instructions to Captain Rennie were " to steam up to Ahwaz, and act with discretion according to circumstances. Should the Persian army have arrived, and apparently be prepared to make a determined stand, the party was to return, after effecting the reconnaissance ; but, in the event of the enemy having proceeded beyond Ahwaz, or if they continued their flight on seeing our steamers (as I fully expected they would, under the impression that the flotilla was the advance guard of the British army), it was my desire that the party should land, and destroy the magazines and stores which the Persians had collected."

The British flotilla passing Ismaini on the Karoon river (from "Outram and Havelock's Persian campaign" by Capt. G. Hunt 1858).

The flotilla, including the steamers Comet, Planet and Assyria  each towing a gunboat with two 24pdr howitzers, proceeded up the Karoon and on May31st moored at the small arab village of Kost Oomarra. At 3am the next day they broke camp, and came within site of Ahwaz at daybreak. Captain J. Wray gives a description of the city...

"Ahwaz is situated on the left bank of the Karoor River, at about 100 miles from its mouth. The town is in ruins, and not more than one-third o the houses appear to be occupied. There is no fort, or defences of any kind, beyond an old ruinous stone wall round part of it. The inhabitants number about 1,200, chiefly Arabs of the Chab tribes. Close to the town are two old broken-down bunds across the river, through which the water rushes with great rapidity ; one of these is just opposite to the town, the other considerably below it. These bunds are impassable for boats drawing more than a few feet water, and the strength of the current renders the passage of any boats a matter of great difficulty, indeed, we did not ascertain satisfactorily that boats could pass at all. The river here is from 100 to 140 yards wide, and there are several low stands in the middle covered with low tamarisk jungle. The banks of the river are generally high, and the water so deep that our small steamers could lie close alongside.considerably below it.

The country on the town side of the river is a bare plain, with very slight patches of cultivation here and there, and on the south-east side of the town is a range of sandstone hills, perfectly bare. The country on the opposite side of the river is much the same, a barren plain without a tree, and the most desolate looking place imaginable.

There had been a good deal of rain when we were there, and the surface of the ground was very heavy. At present the climate is very pleasant—the mornings delightful, and the days, though warm, quite bearable".

 Ahwaz (from "Outram and Havelock's Persian campaign" by Capt. G. Hunt 1858)

As the small fleet approached they saw Ahwaz on the left bank ahead of them, and the Persian army on the right bank, estimated at "6,000 infantry, 5 guns, and a cloud of Bukhtiaree horsemen" (Capt. Rennie). The cavalry, "appeared well mounted, and were dressed in long blue frocks, with trousers of lighter colour, white belts, and the high black lambskin cap perculiar to the Persians. A sabre and long matchlock slung across their backs appeared to be their only arms as (unusually for Asiatics) no lances were visible amongst them" (George Henry Hunt).

Captain Wray takes up the tale..

"Heard from the Arabs that Ahwaz was not occupied, and that the troops that had been there had gone up the river the day before, frightened by the appearance of our steamers, and that nothing now remained but 30 horsemen ; that they had no means of crossing, excepting by two boats and two canoes. It was therefore determined to land all our party (300 men), advance up the left bank upon Ahwaz, and endeavour to destroy the enemy's depot of grain and ammunition, and, in the event of our finding that we had been deceived, or that they were in force in the town, that we should turn our move into an armed reconnaissance, and return to our ships.

At 11 A.M., the troops commenced landing, and advanced at once in three columns, covered by skirmishers, the whole party being.extended in such a way that they looked like a large body of men.
Captain Hunt, of the 78th, commanded, and arranged it all. The left column consisted of the light company, 78th, divided into skirmishers and supports, both in one rank, the remainder of the company in columns of threes, also in single ranks. The 64th grenadiers, and the other company, 78th, formed centre and right columns in the same way.

British Infantry in the uniform of the 64th later that year in Inda

The two gun-boats were sent off in advance up the river, and took up positions within shell-range of the enemy's ridge, and opened fire. The enemy apparently had some guns in position on the ridge, but the moment the gunners made their appearance the gun-boats opened, and drove them away; they consequently did not return a single shot, though they attempted a little musketry, which did no harm.  In the meantime the troops pushed on ; the Persians still collected, .though in reduced numbers, on the opposite bank of the river, at about 1000 yards from us.

At twelve o'clock, the troops approached the town, when the Arab Sheik came out, tendered submission, and informed our party that the enemy were retreating, and with our glasses we saw a large army of 7000 men, with a perfect swarm of Bukhtiaree horsemen, and 5 or 6 guns, retiring from a very strong position, before a body of 300 infantry, 3 small steamers, and 3 gun-boats. The enemy retired in tolerable order, covered by their horse, the Shahzada himself travelling in a green palankeen carriage, the wheel marks of which we had seen in the several encamping grounds on the river."

The action was a complete success, destroying all the Persian stores of ammunition and food ("1 gun, a brass 14-pounder field piece, 154 stand of arms, 56 mules, 230 sheep, besides an enormous quantity of grain, wheat, and. barley", much of which was actually looted by the Arabs). More importantly, a huge moral victory had been won, as General Outram reports...

"it is impossible to calculate upon the advantages which must ensue from the successful result of this expedition, in the effect it will have upon the Arab tribes, who, in crowds, witnessed the extraordinary scene of a large army of 7,000 infantry, with five or six guns, and a host of cavalry, precipitately retreating before a detachment of 300 British infantry, three small river steamers, and three gun-boats."

This was to be the last action of the war, as a peace deal had been signed. The British left Persia, and returned to India.

Aftermath

The Persians abandoned Herat, the main cause of the war, as well as agreeing to apologise to the former ambassador to Persia, Charles Murray over the Meerza Khan affair.They also agreed to cooperate in reducing the slave trade in the Persian Gulf.  In return the British vacated all Persian territory, including the island of Kharag, which they had rather fancied keeping.

Thus the British succeeded in all their war aims. It has to be said though that it could have gone the other way. If the Persians had held on for longer, exchanging land for time, the Anglo-Persian war would have overlapped with the Indian mutiny. With many of their best troops and commanders in Persia, Britain would have struggled even more than she did, and certainly could not have kept an expeditionary force in Persia. Fortunately or unfortunately,  nobody knew what was coming.

The Lion in Persia Pt 2 - Mohumbra

1857 saw the British/Indian army established in the Persian port of Bushire and an expedition north had already defeated a Persian army at Khoosh-Ab. Since the aim was not conquest, but to force the Persians to leave the Afghan city of Herat, the expedition returned, and another punitive raid was launched from Bushire, this time up the Shatt Al Arab waterway to Mohumra, a city of the Ottoman border.

General Outram

At his disposal Lt General Outram had the following...

Her Majesty's 14th Light Dragoons 89
Scinde Horse                                 303
Total                                              392 sabres

Her Majesty's 64th Foot                704
Her Majesty's 78th Highlanders ...  830

23rd Regiment Native Infantry        749
26th Regiment Native Infantry        716
Light Battalion                                920

Bombay Sappers and Miners         109
Madras Sappers and Miners          124

No.2 Light Field battery                 176
3rd Troop Horse Artillery               166
                                                      12 guns

From the British Indian Navy he had the ....

Feroze                   10 gun paddle frigate. The flag ship, under Captain Rennie
Semiramis                8 gun paddle frigate
Comet                     5 gun paddle gun boat
Victoria                   4 gun paddle steamer
(Lady) Falkland      2 gun paddle steamer/ cutter
Assyria                   2 gun river steamer
Planet                      2 gun river steamer
(Busks Navys of the World) 1859

The troops were assembled and  towed in transport ships by the steamers. Tragically, the expedition had been delayed starting by the suicide of two high ranking officers, but the expedition started up the Shatt al Arab on March 19, and 6 days later they were in sight of Mohumra.

Mohuma, from a later engraving

Mohumra was going to be a tough nut to crack, already strongly fortified because of it´s position, and with extra work done recently. In his report Lt. General Outram decribes the fortifications...

"For some months past the Persians had been strengthening their position at Mohumra. Batteries had been erected of great strength, of solid earth, 20 feet thick, 18 feet high, with casemated embrasures, on the northern and southern points of the banks of the Karoon and Shat-ool Arab, where the two rivers join. These, with other earthworks armed with heavy ordnance, commanded the entire passnge of the latter river, and were so skillfullilly and judiciously placed, and so scientifically formed, as to sweep the whole stream, to the extent of the range of the guns, up and down the river, and across the opposite shore; indeed, everything that science could suggest,, and labour accomplish in the time, appeared to have been done by the enemy to effectually prevent any vessel passing up the river above their position: the banks, for many miles, were covered by dense date groves, affording the most perfect cover for riflemen ; and the opposite shore, being neutral territory (Turkish), was not available for the erection of counter batteries." (London Gazette).

To defend the city, the Persians under Prince Khauler Mirza, .....

"The Persian army, ascertained from credible report to amount to 13,000 men of all arms, with 30 guns
Cavalry, Irregulars ...                                 1,500
9 Regiments, Regulars, 700 each               6,300
Arabs and Bukbtiarees and Beloocuees     4,600
Gunners                                                      600
Total                                                        13,000"
Lt. General Outam, London Gazette

British soldiers on campaign in Persia (from Outram and Havelock's Persian Campaign by Capt. G. Hunt 1858)

Outram at first considered a frontal assault by infantry, but the Persain batteries were so well sited that this was courting disaster. So he decided on a more prudent bombardment of the Southern battery, with his naval forces, 4 steamers and 2 war sloops, supported by a mortar battery on an island opposite the Northern battery.

"On the 24th instant, the steamers, with transport ships in tow, moved up the river to within three miles of the Southern Battery, opposite the Arab village of Hurteh; but, as some of the large ships shoaled on the way, and did not reach the rendezvous until after dark, I was obliged to defer the attack for another day.
During the night, a reconnoissance was made in a boat to ascertain the nature of the soil of an island west of, and immediately opposite, the Northern Battery, where I wished to erect a mortar battery; but, as it was found to be deep mud, I determined to place the mortars upon a raft: this was constructed the following day, under the superintendence of Captain Rennie, I.N., and being armed with two 8-inch and two 5-inch mortars, with a party of artillery under Captain Worgan, was towed by the steamer Comet, and moored in position close to the island during the night, unobserved by the enemy, who, from our preparations at the rendezvous, and their confidence as to the impossibility of any vessel being able to pass above their batteries, apparently expected we should land on the southern island (Abadan).
The horses and guns of the artillery, a portion of the cavalry, and the infantry, were transshipped into boats and small steamers during' the day, in readiness for landing the following morning."

One steamer, the SS Hugh Lindsay of the Bengal Marine, had been fitted with carronades which were to be manned by the Madras Engineers and men of the 64th.

"At break of day, on the 26th, the mortars opened their fire upon both the Northern and Southern Batteries. The range of the 5 inch proved top short, but the 8 inch shells were very efficient, bursting immediately over and inside the enemy's works ; whilst, from the position of the raft, but few of the Persian guns could be brought to bear upon the mortars.
At seven o'clock, the several vessels of war moved up into the positions allotted them by Commodore Young, and, by nine o'clock, the fire of the heavy batteries was so reduced that the small steamers, with boats in tow, and one large steamer, the Pottinger, towing the transport Golden Era, were able to pass up and land the troops above the Northern Battery without a single casualty amongst the troops, although they had to run the gauntlet of both gun and musket fire; two or three native followers only were killed, in consequence of their unnecessarily exposing themselves.
By half-past one o'clock the troops were landed and formed, and advanced without delay through the date groves and across the plain, upon the entrenched camp of the enemy, who, without waiting for our approach, fled precipitately, after exploding their largest magazine, leaving, as I have before stated, their tents and baggage, public and private stores, with several magazines of ammunition and seventeen guns, behind. The want of cavalry prevented my pursuing them asI could have wished; but I despatched a party of Scinde Irregular Horse, under Captain Malcolm Green, to follow them up for some distance. This officer reported that he came upon their rear guard, retiring in good order, but that the road in many places was strewed with property and equipmonts. The loss of the Persians has been estimated at 200 killed, among whom was an officer of rank and estimation, Brigadier Agha Jan Khan, who fell in the Northern Battery."

The northern battery after the bombardment

The Persian garrison under Khanlar Mirza withdrew "in a very disorganized state" 100 miles north to the city of Ahvaz, leaving the British to enter Mohumra on March 29th, and promptly set about destroying the Persian batteries.General Outram organised a task force to proceed up to Ahwaz.

The Lion in Persia Part 1 - Reshire, and the charge of the 3rd Bombays

Herat, and the scandalous wife of Meerza Hashem Khan

The Anglo-Persian War of 1856/7 was actually more of a punitive expedition, and came out of the Great Game - the struggle for Asia between the British and Russian Empires. Persia had coveted the Afghan city of Herat for decades, but had been warned off by Britain, who was keen to keep Afghanistan intact as a buffer protecting India from the Russians. Now, egged on from St Petersburg, Persia had taken the city of 25th Oct 1856.

There was a further casas belli, over the affair of Meerza Hashem Khan. He had been in the Shah´s court for many years, starting as a page in the harem, and he was married the sister of one of the Shah´s wives. Therefore this lady, whose name or picture sadly I cannot find, was a member of the Royal Family. Now, rumours started spreading that she and the British ambassador, Charles Murray, has more than "diplomatic" relations - rumours which Murray did nothing to squash when he hired a house near his residence for the wife. As the clamour increased Murray claimed that in fact he was going hire Meerza Hashem Khan as a secretary, and send him to the city of Fars. Strangely enough this didn´t help, the outraged brother of the lady took her and delivered her to the Perisan authorities, and Meerza bolted to the British mission, where he was given sanctuary. Murray demanded the wife's return, the Persians demanded Meerza, and harsh words were spoken until diplomatic relations were broken off.

Persia had possibly calculated that the British had been so weakened by the Crimean War, just finished, and so fearful of moving troops from India where tensions were rising, that they would not respond to the seizure of a city not even in British territory. They were wrong, Britain declared war.

Persian troops (Illustrated London News)

The Invasion

Relieving Herat directly would have involved marching through Afghanistan, traditionally a bad idea, so an expedition was prepared to land on Persia's southern coast.

The First division, under Major General Foster consisted of 2,300 British regulars and 3,400 Indian sepoys of the Bombay Presidency, setting sail from Bombay in November 1856. They picked off the Gulf island of Kharag on then way, before landing near Bushire, Persia's main southern port. Foster's force at this point included...

64th (2nd Staffordhire) Regiment
4th Bombay Infantry
20th Bombay Infantry
26th Bombay Infantry
2nd European light infantry
2nd Baluch Battalion
3rd Bombay Light Cavalry
Bombay Sappers & Miners
4th troop Horse Artillary
3rd and 5th Light Field batteries

Bushire was protected by an old Dutch fort at Reshire,  Commander Felix Jones, the Politial Offier, reported as follows....

"This was on the morning of the 9th, and, by noon, the enemy were observed to be in some force in the village of Reshire. Here, amid the ruins of old houses, garden-walls, and steep ravines, they occupied a formidable position. But, notwithstanding their firmness, wall after wall was surmounted, and finally they were driven from bordering on the cliffs at the margin of the sea. This was carried at the point of the bayonet, the enemy then only flying in despair down the cliffs, wheremany met their death in their endeavours to escape through the ravines of the south. The nature of the ground, however, rendered pursuit difficult to the Horse, though many were cut up in a chase of some distance. Details of this spirited affair will be given by the proper officers. I shall, therefore, merely observe, that the enemy received at first a lesson he will not readily forget, for the tribe families of Dashti and Tungestoon comprising its ranks are regarded as the most brave, as well as the most skilled, in the defence of posts like Reshire, where regular troops cannot work with full effect. Brigadier Stopford, C.B., met his death here, and other loss was experienced. The wounded were received into the ships the same evening, and provisions were thrown into the camp from seaward during the night."



 The Battle of Reshire, from the Illustrated London News

By all accounts it was a hard fight, officer casualties being recorded as Brigadier Stopford, and Lieutenant-Colonel Malet, of the 3rd Light Cavalry, and Lieutenants Utterson and Warren, of the 20th Bombay Regiment. One consequence of the assault was the awarding of the very first Victoria Cross to a member of a British Indian Army, 38 year old Captain John Wood of the Grenadier company of the 20th Bombay Native Infantry.

His citation in the London Gazette reads as follows;

"On the 9th of December, 1856, Captain Wood led the Grenadier Company, which formed the head of the assaulting column sent against Bushire. He was the first man on the parapet of the fort, where he was instantly attacked by a large number of the garrison, who suddenly sprang on him from a trench cut in the parapet itself. : These men fired a volley at Captain Wood and the head of the storming party, when only a yard or two distant from that Officer; but, although Captain Wood was struck by no less than seven musket balls, he at once threw himself upon the enemy, passed his sword through the body of their leader, and, being
closely followed by the men of his company, speedily overcame all opposition, and established himself in the place. Captain Wood's decision, energy, and determined valour, undoubtedly contributed in a high degree to the success of the attack. His wounds compelled him to leave the force for a time; but, with the true spirit of a good soldier, he rejoined his regiment, and returned to his duty at Bushire before the wounds were properly healed."

Subedar Major Mohammed Sharief and Subedar Peer Bhatt of the same regiment were also recommended for awards for bravery.

The British/ Indian force entered Bushire on 10th December after a 5 hour naval bombarment by the steam gun sloops "Victoria,"  " Falkland, " Semiramis," and " Feroze," had silenced the guns of the city. The surrender was taken from Mehdy Khan. Sirhang, (commander) of  the Nihawed regiment, and the garrison of Bushire, who had taken charge on the death of the previous garrison commander, Sirteep, of the Azerbijan Regiment.

It was clear by now though that troops would be needed and a 2nd dvision left from Bombay, headed by General Sir James Outram, who would take charge of the whole expedition. The troops he bought included the...

Poona Irregular Horse
1st Scinde Irregular Horse
Madras Sappers & Miners

Outram marched on the city of Shiraz, taking the city of Bazjun, which was abandoned without a fight, and on February 5th they stopped near the village of Khoosh-Ab to stock up on water. All this time the Persians had been retiring in front of them, and although Outram tried to catch up on 6th and 7th Feb it was clear that he might as well retire back to Khoosh-Ab, and then Bashire. However, seeing the British depart the Persian commander in chief, Shooja-ool-Moolk, suddenly grew bolder.A night attack was lauched on the rear guard by calvalry, and an attempt to catch the British as they retired. At daybreak 7,000 men the Persian army occupied a position overlooking the British route, so Outram gathered his forces, about 4,500 men and he attacked.

The battle of Khoosh-Ab

In his official report Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram estimates the Persian forces as .....

Guards, 900
2 Karragoozloo Regiments. 1,500
Shiraz Regiment, 200
4 Regiments of Sabriz, 800
Arab Regiment, 900
Kashkai Regiment, 800 - 1.100
Sufenghees, 1,000.
Cavalry of Shiraz, 300
Eilkhanee Horse, 500- 800.
Guns (said to be), 18

His description of the battle is as follows;

"Our artillery and cavalry at once moved rapidly to the attack, supported by two lines of infantry, a third protecting the baggage. The firing of the artillery was most excellent, and did great execution ; the cavalry brigade twice charged with great gallantry and success; a standard (of the Kashkai Regular Infantry Regiment) was captured by the Poona horse; and the 3rd Light Cavalry charged a square, and killed nearly the whole regiment; indeed, upon the cavalry and artillery fell the whole brunt of the action, as the enemy moved away too rapidly for the infantry to overtake them. By ten o'clock the defeat of the Persians was complete ; two guns were captured; the gun ammunition, laden upon mules, fell into our hands; and at least 700 men lay dead upon the field. The number of wounded could not be ascertained, but it must have been very large.
The remainder fled in a disorganised state, generally throwing away their arras, which strewed the field in vast numbers, and nothing but the paucity of our cavalry prevented their total destruction and the capture of the remaining guns".


The charge at the Battle of Khoosh-Ab

The most famous incident was the battle was the charge of the 3rd Bombay Light Horse against a regiment arranged in square to repel cavalry - by the recieved wisdom of the time, such a charge was impossible. Somehow the 3rd managed it, breaking the square and destroying it, so that only 20 of the 500 escaped. Two lieutenants, Arthur Thomas Moore, who first broke into the square, and John Grant Malcolmson, were awarded Victoria Crosses for their part in the action, as described in the London Gazette..

"On the occasion of an attack on the enemy on the 8th of February, 1837, led by Lieutenant- Colonel Forbes, C.B., Lieutenant Moore, the Adjutant of the Regiment, was, perhaps, the first of all by a horse's length. His horse leaped into the square, and instantly fell dead, crushing down his rider, and breaking his sword as he fell amid the broken ranks of the enemy. Lieutenant Moore speedily extricated himself, and attempted with his broken sword to force his way through the press, but he would assuredly have lost his life, had not the gallant young Lieutenant Malcolmson, observing his peril, fought his way to his dismounted comrade through a crowd of enemies to his rescue, and, giving him his stirrup, safely carried him through everything out of the throng.
The thoughtfulness for others, cool determination, devoted courage, and ready activity shown in extreme danger by this young Officer, Lieutenant Malcolmson, appear to. have been most admirable, and to be worthy of the highest honour."

The British continued back to Bushire.

HMS Serapis

HMS Serapis in 1867

The Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny, not to mention tensions in North America, made it abundantly clear that Britain needed the capacity to rapidly dispatch troops around the world. A small army and worldwide commitments meant that the troops that were available might have to be deployed almost anywhere. The merchant fleet would do at a pinch, but, really, dedicated modern troop transports were needed. This led to the Euphrates class troopships, five huge iron hulled ships with screw engines, a full barque sail plan and a speed of about 14 knots. They were especially designed to fit the Suez canal, and could transport a full battalion of troops to India in just 70 days. The first to be built was HMS Serapis, the latest of several Royal Navy ships with that name, the last of whom had fought at the Battle of Flamborough head in 1779, holding off two American frigates, sinking one and allowing a convoy of 40 merchant ships to escape.

This Serapis was virtually unarmed, just 3x 4dr guns, her potency lay in her cargo. She was soon in use, rushing the 67th (South Lincolnshire) regiment across from Dublin to Canada in August 1867 in response to Fenian attacks from the United States. Not just the soldiers either, their wives and children, at least one child being born en route, Charlotte Serapis Soady Jackson (http://www.freewebs.com/iamanoxymoron/nottinghamlinks.html).

In 1868 the Serapis took part in the Abyssinian campaign, transporting 150 Hales rockets and a mountain battery and 6,000 rounds from Bombay to Zula on the Red Sea.

HMS Serapis. At some point in her early career she was painted white, and pretty spectacular she looked.

In 1869 she headed back to Canada, this time with immigrants not soldiers. The new iron warships needed far less men to make and maintain, leading to high unemployment in dockyard areas like Portsmouth. One government response was to encourage immigration, with free passage for artisans and labourers who had worked at the docks for at least a year, and their families. Between 1869 and 1870 over 2,000 dockyard workers and their families left for Canada, travelling on troopships like the Serapis. Her contribution in April 1869 took 707 passengers (326 males, 166 females and 215 children under 12) from Portsmouth to Quebec, on an 18 day sea journey to, hopefully, a better life.

HMS Serapis leaving Portsmouth with the Prince of Wales

However, most of the life of the Serapis was plying the route between Britain, Alexandria and India, in an endless rotation of troops. She was good at it, working until 1894, far beyond most ships built at the same time. As an example, in January 1874 she transported the 13th Hussars from Portsmouth to Bombay, 430 men including amongst others, 6 sergeant-majors, 16 sergeants, 29 corporals, 7 farriers, and 358 rank and file. And their families - but no horses, the 13th taking over those from the 21st Hussars in Lucknow.

The Prince of Wales's state room on HMS Serapis

The Serapis´s moment of glory came in 1875 when she was chosen to transport the Prince of Wales to India to mark Queen Victoria becoming Empress. This entailed copious modifications, and fabulously furbished state rooms were installed. There was a Royal Marine band and even huge blocks of ice kept in the hold. She called at Bombay, Ceylon, the Portuguese colony of Goa, and Aden before returning home to Portsmouth.