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CHAPTER XII
November - December 1878
The Afghan War (continued)
Note: This has not been corrected after scanning
Criticisms of the attack on Ali Musjid
Major Acton seems to have felt much dissatisfied with the mode in which the attack on Ali Musjid was conducted, and in his diary he records many criticisms which he, as an experienced officer, could not help passing upon the mistakes of those who were responsible for the failures and losses incurred. He describes Ali Musjid as
' a very steep, haycock-shaped hill with Fort on top in centre. In advance of it was the ridge and the rocks on our right. So that Ali Musjid stopped the gap between the two, but was more retired than they by some 400 or 500 yards, but being lower could hardly be held after ridge and rocks should fall.'
His opinion was that the attack should have been made with more men and from a different quarter, and in that case he thought there would have been less sacrifice of life, and a more easy victory would have been gained. A letter, written November 24th, gives an account of the fighting going on :
Horrors
Peshawur Field Force,
29th Nov., '78.
By last mail I wrote from Jumrood, and from Ihll a pencilled letter giving an account of our fight in mat and Ali Musjid being evacuated during the flight. Since then we have had horrors that beat Madame Tussaud's. In one house on the fort a shell burst, and three corpses remained, one with the upper half of the skull off. Then there were Hilt! wounded lying about, many of whom died. The doctor took care of.
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Enduring a night attack
Our camp up here (Ali Musjid) is down in a hole. One night the Khyberis came and fired a lot of ihi*ti down on us, put a bullet through a tent, but hurt no one. Next night we had pickets there, and they exchanged shots with the enemy. Last night Will tho fault night, and a great attack was made on 1 picket on a little hill over the river.
1 julumon and 15 men were in it, and immediately dinner we heard the firing commence. Our tiple miy the enemy was in hundreds. First they three shots, then shouted, and came on with a fyih mul volleys. Some men came up to the wall ill tup with their knives. You never heard such firing In your life. Travis says he fired 70 rounds, Cni|iutttl Davis 67. They called out for more ammunition, which was sent, and gradually the enemy drew off.
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We had five slightly wounded, chiefly with splinters from stones; Sergeant Burge a scalp wound from a bullet. We should be very thankful that no more have been killed. Firing goes on every night. The elephant battery are two miles off with a battery of Field Artillery n B.C., and on them they fire nightly, so it gives plenty of excitement. Then camels are looted when out grazing, and nearly all day we hear shots. We have lately, been reinforced by 81st Regiment, and detachment called in, so that our men are not so overworked.
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The Bugle will not be published now till we get back to quarters. We may go back to Peshawur for the winter. They say we are not to advance beyond Dana, opposite Lalpoora, where Khyber and Cabul river routes meet, though only four marches from Jellalabad. We now have command, as far as the Khyberis let us, of this pass too.'
Sleeping under his horse's blanket
There was some suffering from cold and hunger during these days of fighting, and Major Acton was glad one night to borrow one of his horse's blankets, as he had no coat. Ali Musjid was evacuated on the night of the 21st of November, and the enemy left behind them their sick men.
The Bugle referred to in the foregoing letter was the regimental paper, which he was afterwards asked to edit. He contributed to it an account of the war, in which the part taken by his regiment is fully detailed.
Through all the confusion and excitement of the war, Major Ball-Acton had still found time to write his home letters, and on his birthday (December I7th), with a description of the fighting on that day, he records in his diary the opening of his birthday letters and presents from home. On December 23rd he writes :
Since writing above we have been out DM A rnitl on lower Khyberis (Zakka Kheyls), who M come in and make their submission, and ||fe iild to be robbing and murdering.
i|i * * * * 1
The people of the Khyber
You know, of course, that these Khyberis have never been entirely subject to anyone. The Afghans had to pay them for right of way, till lately Ali, having little cash, ceased to pay. We made arrangements to pay Rs. 120,000 for free passage through their country this time. Well, it was allotted to the various Maliks (heads of i), But then several Maliks (chiefs) said they pi nothing, and to express their dissatisfaction, to rob, murder, and fight their best. Some inhabiting a district called Bazar would not in, and were said to be raiding us, so it was thought desirable to give them a lesson. The Officer here wanted to go one night with man and no baggage, and surround them by However, before a multitude of generals, * roulil be moved, 14 days had elapsed, and all the the natives were talking of it, and the force swelled to near 2,000 men, with a quantity of baggage. Then everyone was volunteering and begging to go. Colonel Doran (Brigadier-General) was to command, but General Mande came to look on. A Captain Appleby (9th Lancers) came and asked if he might attach himself to us, and came with us all the time. 204 51st under me (Nugent, Graeme, Smyth, Lloyd, Kreyer, Johnson, Jones, and Drury), 30 5th Fusiliers, Goorkhas, Mairwaras, mule battery, sappers, Keighly (commissariat officer), and many volunteers.
Raiding by night
We paraded at 4.30 p.m. on Thursday, 19 December, rendezvoused near our camp, and marched about 6.30 p.m. (I am told the rear of the baggage did not get off till 3 a.m. 20th.) Well, we crawled along all night, just moving enough to keep warm with our coats on. We were nearly last, with baggage behind us and sappers with mules before us. By midnight we found the front had gone away from us, and there was a gap of a mile or more. As the sappers were by this in front, I took Graeme's company before them, and so became the advance of our party. We did not know the road, and had no guides, but, thanks to there being no other road, we kept right. When I say "road" do you picture to yourself a turnpike one? No, it was a single-file path. The best idea I can give you is that of the dry bed of a steep mountain-torrent with plenty of rocks. You may imagine what this was in the dark! The mules did about 1 mile an hour, and we sat down most of the time. We never knew that we should not be fired on at any moment.
Not long after we started, immense fires were lighted on the hills, and some signal-shots fired. About 3 a.m. the waning moon rose, and made it a little better. By 5 a.m. we were told to halt till daylight, and tried to sleep ; but it was too cold.
We halted then till about 8 a.m., marched on through the dry bed of a river, having to wade now and then, till 1 p.m., when we bivouacked. I rode most of the latter part, but all the rest were, as you may suppose, very tired. We had a good dinner of cold round of beef and tea. I had a lot of brushwood covered with hay for my bed, but only one blanket and great-coat. Houses pulled down gave us plenty of firewood. I could not sleep with the cold, and so passed most of the night over the fire. Most of the men also sat over the fire, or walked about. Next morning I suggested to Colonel Doran sending for blankets, and so he told us we could go into some caves. We then moved our things to these, and at 9 a.m. forward for our raid.'
The expedition was successful, much to the satisfaction of the political officer mentioned in the letter, and the people of Bazar were reduced to order.
New Testaments are popular
A letter, written at the end of 1878, may fitly close this chapter:
New Year's Eve, 1878.
Here we are, nearly in another year ! May we do better! Jukes wrote me word that a lot of Testaments and Scripture portions were to be had from the Religious Tract Society, the former at half-price, the latter free. So I wrote for a few, and got them, though they charged for all but very little. So last Sunday I gave a few to Wilson to distribute, and everyone cried out, "Give me one!" The Corporal (Robertson) came and took more, and he came back and said the men were so anxious to get the Testaments, and in a few minutes he gave away 45. Very few of the men brought Bibles and Prayer-Books with them, and also they like these, they are so portable for their kits; but I dare say many were glad to get them for their own sakes. I was very pleased to find the men so glad to take them, and purpose getting more, till all who want them are provided. We had parade service on Christmas Day, and I read the service. The band cannot take the responses, as they have no Prayer-Books. Went with Boileau (6th N.I.) to look for a place where we could hold a Bible-class. It is difficult, without going too far from camp, to find any place, and the tents are all too full.
To-day the dak coming from Jumrood is said to have been threatened, and a "catch-'em-alive O" was killed. These are Afridis, who are in our pay as police for keeping open the road.
'I am reading Hodson's "Twelve Years of a Soldier's Life in India." Very interesting. He was a man and a soldier.'
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