Private Journal of Henry Francis Brooke: Late Brigadier-General Commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade, Kandahar Field Force, Southern Afghanistan, from April 22nd to August 16th, 1880Brooke, Henry Francis
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Private Journal of Henry Francis Brooke: Late Brigadier-General Commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade, Kandahar Field Force, Southern Afghanistan, from April 22nd to August 16th, 1880
Brooke, Henry Francis
Afghan Wars; Brooke, Henry Francis, 1836-1880
just going to give the order for the guns to come into action, when,
to my delight, at about a mile off, at the spot where I knew was the
ford of the Argandab, where the road from Girishk crossed the river,
I saw a mass of men which I at once recognized as what remained of
General Burrows' Force. I decided, therefore, before hammering Kokeran
to communicate with them, and sent some Cavalry to make a circuit to
the right and join General Burrows, informing him that I was clearing
his way, and that he might, I felt sure, advance in 20 minutes, by
which time I would have his way open. The Cavalry had hardly started
before I recognized that the enemy, seeing that the position I had
taken up had rendered Kokeran untenable, had suddenly evacuated that
place, and taken up an extremely strong position on my right flank,
from which, without delay, they opened a heavy fire on us. A few shells
and a rapid demonstration, for it never reached a hand-to-hand fight,
soon, however, did their business, and, to my great satisfaction, I
found myself able to ask General Burrows to come on along a perfectly
safe road. It was a sad cavalcade, many wounded, all well nigh tired
to death. The gun carriages, alas, reduced by 2, which had been lost,
covered with sick, wounded, dead and dying, while the wretched horses,
dying themselves of thirst and fatigue, were hardly able to drag them
along. Many poor fellows, wounded almost to death, trying with a
terrible anxiety to cling to the back of a horse or a camel, knowing
too well the fate that would await them if they failed to keep their
seats. To these latter my appearance was a double blessing, as I had
brought with me 25 litters (palanquins), into which the worst cases
were placed, and they were able to finish their journey in comparative
comfort. One poor fellow (Major Iredell) had a compound fracture of the
ankle, and his foot was merely hanging on by the skin, and yet he had
ridden for 18 hours, and was wonderfully well, and is, I hope, now in
a fair way to recovery. Almost last of all, followed only by a Cavalry
escort, came poor Burrows himself, who, poor fellow, completely broke
down when he saw me, and could not say a word. I made him get off his
horse and take a little whiskey and water I had with me, and a bit of
biscuit, and soon he was more composed and better. He, like them all,
was relieved beyond measure to see me, and my diminutive following, as
they knew their troubles were at an end. I agreed that they should all,
to the last straggler, pass me, and that when they were half a mile
ahead I should follow slowly, and bring up the rear of all, covering
them from all annoyance. Soon (all too soon, for they were but a very
little company) they had filed passed, and I then recalled my Cavalry,
which had been watching the ford of the Argandab a mile to
[Sidenote: Small cavalry charge--one man killed.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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