Second Battle of Charasiab

Second battle of Charasiab
Part of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Date 25 April 1880 Location Charasiab, Afghanistan 34°23′55″N69°10′3″E / 34.39861°N 69.16750°E / 34.39861; 69.16750 Result British Victory
Belligerents
British Empire	Afghans
Commanders and leaders
Herbert Macpherson VC Colonel Jenkins	Unknown
Strength
Unknown	c. 4,000
Casualties and losses
4 killed, 34 wounded [1]	c. 100 [2] –200 killed [1]

The Second Battle of Charasiab was fought on 25 April 1880 between the British Empire and Afghan tribesmen, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

Charasiab is a small town 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Kabul. In April 1880 a 1,200 strong force under Colonel Jenkins, including a half-battalion of the 92nd Highlanders, was sent from Kabul to Charasiab, to protect a supply column sent there to meet Lieutenant-General Stewart's division travelling from Kandahar to Kabul. ^{[3] [1]}

On the evening of the 24 April, Jenkins saw that his Charasiab position was about to be attacked by a large force of Logar tribesmen. In response, an additional force under Brigadier-General Macpherson was sent from Kabul, consisting of six guns, a troop of the 3rd Punjab Cavalry and 962 Infantry, while Brigadier-General Hugh Gough, with four guns and a cavalry brigade, took up a position half-way between Kabul and Charasiab. ^[1]

On the morning of the 25 April, Colonel Jenkins' force was surrounded by attacking tribesmen – around 4,000 by British estimates – kept at bay by steady fire. At 1:00 p.m. Macpherson’s force arrived and immediately attacked the Afghans who were routed, and then pursued by the cavalry and horse artillery for four miles. The battle was over by 4:00 p.m. ^{[1] [2]}

Order of battle

Units present included:

• 9th Lancers (1 squadron) ^[4]
• 92nd Highlanders (half-battalion)
• 3rd Punjab Cavalry (one troop) ^[1]
• 2nd Gurkhas (1 company)

See also

• Battle of Charasiab, 6 October 1879

References

1. Roberts, Sir Frederick (1897). Forty-one Years in India. London: Macmillan & Co. pp. 463–464.
2. Hanwell, W. (1949), A Short History of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, 1715–1949, Gale & Polden
3. Shadbolt, Sydney H. (1882). The Afghan Campaigns of 1878-1880. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington. p. 238. (Accessed 10 October 2020)
4. Shadbolt, Sydney H. (1882). The Afghan Campaigns of 1878-1880. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington. p. 153. (Accessed 10 October 2020)