Thomas Holdsworth

The Campaign of the Indus - Experiences of a British Officer of the 2nd (Queens Royal) Regiment in the campaign to place Shah Shuja on the throne of Afghanistan 1838 - 1840 Thomas Holdsworth

The Campaign of the Indus. Fierce Tribesmen - and the storming of Ghuznee & Kelat. The First Afghan War is well documented, with Elphinstone's catastrophic retreat from Kabul and the destruction of an army at Gandamack as Dost Mohammed gained the throne of Afghanistan from Shah Shuja as key events. Much less well known is the totally brilliant and successful campaign that preceded it, fought by 'the Army of the Indus', which placed Shah Shuja on that throne. Two divisions from Bengal and Bombay, including British troops, experienced campaigning of the most arduous kind, fought tribesmen, overcame the Amirs of Scinde and stormed the fortresses of Ghuznee and Kelat. This story is graphically recounted by a young officer of H. M. 2nd Regiment who experienced every aspect of this fascinating episode of the early Victorian domination of the Sub-Continent.