Sir John Adye

Sitana: A Mountain Campaign on the Borders of Afghanistan in 1863-The British Raj and Tribesmen on the Northwestern Frontier O Sir John Adye

A small war on the burning border

The North west frontier of India was always a troubled one for the British Empire. It offered perfect terrain for defence and the opposite for offensive operations and control thereafter. As is common with all mountainous regions it bred men equal to the challenges of their homeland and this typically meant fierce tribesmen disinclined to accept domination from anybody. Of course, the Raj knew well the magnitude of the problem it perennially faced. It had suffered the disaster of the First Afghan War, there had also been many outbreaks by fractious tribesmen before this confrontation as there would be many more to come. The Sitana campaign, which is also known as the Afghan Frontier War, was a short war that took place in 1865 in a district that had never suffered incursions from the British before. This narrative was written by an eyewitness, an officer of artillery, and covers the entire conflict including the actions at Laloo, Umbeylah and Mulka. Adye's book is an interesting North West Frontier account of the early post Indian Mutiny period, it provides valuable insights into why the region remains troubled even in the 21st century, as well as a view of the difficulties of undertaking a military campaign within it.
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