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See also:TIRAH See also:CAMPAIGN , an See also:Indian frontier See also:war in 1897-98. The Afridis had for sixteen years received a See also:subsidy from the Indian See also:government for the safeguarding of the Khyber Pass, in addition to which the government had maintained for this
purpose a See also:local See also:regiment entirely composed of Afridis, who were stationed in the pass. Suddenly, however, the tribesmen See also:rose, captured all the posts in the Khyber held by their own See also:country-men, and attacked the forts on the Samana See also:Ridge near See also:Peshawar. It was estimated that the Afridis and Orakzais could, if See also:united, bring from 40,000 to 5o,000 men into the See also: The two divisions available for this See also:duty numbered about 20,000 men. A force about 3200 strong commanded by Brigadier-General (afterwards See also:Major-General Sir See also:Richard) See also:Westmacott was first employed to attack See also:Saran Sar, which was easily carried, but during the retirement the troops were hard pressed by the enemy and the casualties numbered sixty-four. On the 11th of See also:November Saran Sar was again attacked by the See also:brigade of Brigadier-General (afterwards Sir See also:Alfred) Gaselee. Experience enabled better dispositions to be made, and the casualties were only three. The traversing of the valley continued, and on the 13th of November Brigadier-General Kempster's brigade visited the Waran valley via the Tseri Kandao Pass. Little difficulty was experienced during the advance, and several villages were destroyed; but on the 16th, during the return See also: This was carried out by Brigadier-General Gaselee, who joined hands with the See also:Kurram movable See also:column ordered up for the purpose. The Mamuzais and Massozais submitted immediately, but the Chamkannis offered resistance on the 1st and 2nd of See also:December, the British casualties numbering about See also:thirty. The Kurram column then returned to its See also:camp, and Sir W. Lockhart prepared to evacuate Tirah, despatching his two divisions by See also:separate routes—the 1st under Major-General W. See also:Penn See also:Symons (d. 1899) to return via the Mastura valley, destroying the forts on the way, and to join at Bara, within easy march of Peshawar; the 2nd See also:division under Major-General Yeatman Biggs (d. 1898), and, accompanied by Sir W. See also:Lock-See also:hart, to move along the Bara valley. The base was thus to be transferred from Kohat to Peshawar. The return march began on the 9th of December. The See also:cold was intense, 21 degrees of See also:frost being registered before leaving Tirah. The See also:movement of the 1st division though arduous was practically unopposed, but the 40 See also:miles to be covered by the 2nd division were contested almost throughout. The actual march down the Bara valley (34 miles) commenced on the loth, and involved four days of the hardest fighting and marching of the campaign. The roadcrossed and recrossed the icy stream, while See also:snow, See also:sleet and See also:rain See also:fell constantly. On the loth the casualties numbered about twenty. On the lrth some fifty or sixty casualties were recorded among the troops, but many followers were killed or died of exposure, and quantities of stores were lost. On the 12th the column halted for See also:rest. On the 13th the march was resumed in improved See also:weather, though the cold was still severe. The rearguard was heavily engaged, and the casualties numbered about sixty. On the 14th, after further fighting, a junction with the Peshawar column was effected. The 1st division, aided by the Peshawar column, now took See also:possession of the Khyber forts without opposition. Negotiations for See also:peace were then begun with the Afridis, who under the See also:threat of another expedition into Tirah in the See also:spring at length agreed to pay the fines and to surrender the rifles demanded. The expeditionary force was broken up on the 4th of See also:April 1898. A memorable feature of this campaign was the presence in the fighting line of the Imperial Service native troops under their own See also:officers, while several of the best known of the Indian princes served on Sir W. Lockhart's See also:staff. (C. J. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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