First Anglo-Afghan War

First Anglo-Afghan War. Fought between 1839 and 1842, this conflict was a major episode in the imperial rivalry known as the Great Game between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. The East India Company launched an invasion to depose the reigning Afghan ruler, Dost Mohammad Khan, and restore the former monarch, Shah Shujah Durrani, as a pro-British puppet. The war culminated in one of the most disastrous military retreats in British colonial history, shattering the perception of British invincibility in South Asia.

Background

The strategic impetus for the war stemmed from British fears of growing Russian influence in Central Asia, particularly following the Siege of Herat and the arrival of a Russian envoy, Jan Vitkevich, in Kabul. The Governor-General of India, Lord Auckland, and his advisor, Sir William Hay Macnaghten, advocated a forward policy to secure Afghanistan as a buffer state. They formed the Tripartite Treaty with the exiled Shah Shujah Durrani and Ranjit Singh, the ruler of the Sikh Empire, promising support for Shujah's restoration. This policy was opposed by figures like Sir Henry Rawlinson and Sir Alexander Burnes, who warned of the difficulties of occupying the mountainous country.

Invasion and initial success

In early 1839, the British Indian Army, designated the Army of the Indus, entered Afghanistan through the Bolān Pass. The force, commanded by Sir John Keane, included troops from the Bengal Army and the Bombay Army. The key fortified city of Ghazni was stormed in July 1839, a victory that opened the route to Kabul. Dost Mohammad Khan fled north, eventually surrendering to the British and being exiled to India. In August, Shah Shujah was installed as Emir in Kabul, with Macnaghten serving as the chief British envoy. The initial phase appeared a complete success, with major garrisons established in Kabul, Kandahar, and Jalalabad.

Occupation and resistance

The occupation quickly bred resentment. The presence of British troops, cuts to tribal subsidies, and the perceived moral corruption of the occupiers alienated the local population, particularly the powerful Pashtun tribes. Uprisings began in 1840, with notable resistance from the Ghilji tribe. Dost Mohammad's son, Akbar Khan, emerged as a formidable leader of the opposition. The political agent Sir Alexander Burnes was killed by a mob in Kabul in November 1841, signaling the collapse of British authority. Macnaghten attempted to negotiate with Akbar Khan but was assassinated during a meeting at the behest of the Afghan leader.

Retreat and destruction

In January 1842, the beleaguered British garrison in Kabul, under the infirm command of Sir William Elphinstone, negotiated a treaty with Akbar Khan to withdraw. On January 6, a column of approximately 16,500 soldiers and camp followers, including many wives and children, began a retreat through the snow-bound passes toward Jalalabad. They were immediately subjected to constant attacks from Ghilzai tribesmen. The retreat degenerated into a massacre in the Khyber Pass and at the Gandamak pass. Of the entire column, only one European, Dr. William Brydon, and a few Indian sepoys reached the safety of Jalalabad. The garrisons at Kandahar and Jalalabad, however, held out.

Aftermath

The disaster prompted a punitive expedition, the Army of Retribution, commanded by General George Pollock, which recaptured Kabul in September 1842 and destroyed the city's Great Bazaar. However, the British had no intention of remaining; they released Dost Mohammad Khan from exile and reinstated him as Emir, effectively abandoning their original war aims. The war proved a catastrophic failure for the East India Company, costing over £15 million and approximately 20,000 lives. It severely damaged British prestige and led to a policy of non-intervention, later termed "Masterly Inactivity," on the North-West Frontier for decades. The war was later memorialized in works like Lady Florentia Sale's journal and numerous Victorian paintings depicting the retreat.

Category:Wars involving Afghanistan Category:Wars involving the British Empire Category:19th-century conflicts