From the Black Mountain to Waziristan: Being an account of the border countries and the more turbulent of the tribes controlled by the north-west frontier province, and of our military relations with them in the pastWylly, H. C. (Harold Carmichael)
History
From the Black Mountain to Waziristan: Being an account of the border countries and the more turbulent of the tribes controlled by the north-west frontier province, and of our military relations with them in the past
The Michni Mohmands, after annexation, were allowed to hold a fief from
the British Government in the Doaba, of which they collected the
revenue. A portion of the lands they cultivated themselves, farming out
the remainder to other tribes of the plains as tenants. Many of their
clansmen dwelt in the plains of Michni, and some in the neighbouring
hills, and they traded largely in the Peshawar Valley. The Halimzai
Mohmands also held Panjpao in British Doaba as a fief, chiefly
cultivated by tenants. A few of their men lived in the plains, but the
majority in the hills, and these also traded in the valley. The Pandiali
Mohmands at a former period had held a similar jaghir in the Doaba, but
not since British rule. They had few relations either with the
Government or the people of the Peshawar Valley, and inhabited a very
strong locality in the hills. These fiefs had originally been granted to
the Mohmands by former governments, as blackmail to buy off
depredations.
The first inroad of the Mohmands occurred in December, 1850, in an
unprovoked attack on the village of Shabkadar, organised by Fateh Khan,
a son of Saadat Khan, who at that time was still the chief of Lalpura,
and who was naturally not well disposed towards us, and was doing his
best to incite the tribe to hostilities. In the following year a number
of outrages were committed: two attacks were made upon Matta in March
and April by the chief of Pandiali; other minor depredations succeeded
in July, headed by a leading man from Panjpao; and in October the Michni
Mohmands made so serious an attack upon British villages, that later in
the month the Supreme Government directed that the Mohmand fiefs in the
Doaba should be confiscated, our border posts strengthened, and that
punitive operations should be undertaken against the offenders.
[Sidenote: Operations in 1851–52]
_Operations against the Mohmands in 1851–52._—Accordingly on the 25th
October of this year, a force numbering 1593 of all ranks marched out
from Peshawar towards the Mohmand frontier. It was under the command of
Brigadier Sir Colin Campbell, K.C.B., and was composed as under:
Det. 3rd Company 1st Battalion Artillery.[87]
No. 17 Light Field Battery.[87]
Two companies 61st Foot.
Two companies 98th Foot.
2nd Irregular Cavalry.
2nd Company Sappers and Miners.
66th Gurkha Regiment.
Wing 71st Native Infantry.[88]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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