Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎112r] (229/312)

The Herat array formed the nucleus upon which
Share Ali commenced the task of creating a regular
army for Afghanistan. Every Afghan subject became
liable to the Crown for military service; but his ser
vices were, during peace time, only required locally.
Thus the Herat army returned to the west, where it
settled down as a garrison of that important place ;
but after the troubles between Shere Ali and
Yakoob Khan, in 1871 and 1872, it was further
modified, and the Afghan element became more
pi'onounced in its composition. Its strength on
active service is probably 10,000 men, 2000 of
which garrison Ferrah, The Usbeg armies north
of the Hindoo Koosh in Balkh, Kundus,
and Khulm have been welded into one
effective whole, the strength of which may
be computed at 10,000 men. This force is
under the immediate command of the Afghan
governor of Balkh, and garrisons the places men
tioned, as well as the fords of the Oxus. The
rulers of Maimene, Thiborgan, Badakshan, and
! Wakhan retain their old nondescript armies. But
I these forces are outside the Afghan army proper,
and Shere Ali has only indirectly been interested
; in their formation. The Cabul army has been his
special design, and upon its value he must now
mainly rely. The Afghan army is an exact copy
of the English and Anglo-Indian. There are
57 regiments of the line, distinguished from each
other by its number alone. Of these 50 are
armed with rifles. In addition they carry a
bayonet, although this is not uniformly the case,
for some regiments carry a sword instead of the
bayonet. Their gun is the Enfield, mostly ob
tained from this country. The seven remaining
regiments were not properly equipped three
years ago ; but they may be now. The regular
strength of a regiment is 650 bayonets, and
in estimating the total strength of the Afghan
army each regiment may be fairly taken at
that figure. Shere Ali has therefore 37,000
regular infantry, and these have for eight
years been drilled and trained by native
instructors who have in many cases served in our
own army. The cavalry is composed of 16 regular
regiments and 8000 irregular horsemen. Each
regiment is composed of four troops of 100 men to
each troop, and there are nominally 6400 regular
cavalry in Cabul. The'effective strength is probably
a fourth less. The irregular cavalry is probably
composed of levies from the Usbegs of Kundus, and
from the people of Zemindewar. The artil
lery is estimated to number 100 guns in
use, and another 100 in reserve. This does not
include those mounted in the various fortresses.
His field artillery may be stated at 30 pieces, or
five batteries. He has therefore a regular army of
42,000 men and 30 guns. This army is divided
between JellaJabad, Cabul, Ghazni, and Candahar,
and it is now in all probability mainly concentrated
at the first and last of these places. In addition to
these regular troops, who will fight so long as they
are paid, Shere Ali has the old militia force ; but its
value has decreased with the creation of a regular
army. There are also the Jezailchees—3500 strong—
an irregular body of riflemen armed with the old
jezail, who are subject to some discipline and
fairly under control. From the Herat and Usbeg
armies he might also draw a contingent of
disciplined troops of at least 10,000 men. He
has constructed gun, rifle, and percussion cap
factories, and even warehouses for the storing of
clothes. The Afghan soldier no longer wears the
cast-off garments of the Anglo-Indian, bxit appears
on parade in the national costume of the Afghan
State. Shere Ali's cavalry is probably more
formidable than his foot, which has yet to make
an acquaintance with rockets and shells, but it
would be rash to despise the Afghan soldier. Those
who saw our Pathan soldiers in the Umbeyla and
other frontier wars best know what an Afghan can
do in the way of daring, and those who have read
of the cavalry fight at Purwandurrah will remember
the quality of Afghan horse soldiers. Shere Ali has
a regular army ; of that we may be certain. It will
bear the brunt of a war with us, and on its capacity
will depend exclusively the fortune of the earlier
cortion of the war. The composition of that array
has been shown in the preceding lines ; but its
real efficiency can only be gauged in actual warfare.
It may be a more efficient weapon, in military par
lance, than the old force of Dost Mahomed, but it
may, in its creation, have so alienated Afghan sym
pathy from Shere Ali, that he is. relatively weaker
than his father was in ,1839, or than his brother,
' Akbar, in 1841.
THE AFGHAN WAR.
THE FORCES GATHERING.
THE OPERATIONS AT FORT ALI
MUSJID.
(Br E astern T elegraph.)
(from ocr own correspondent.)
ALLAHABAD, Tuesday.
Reinforcements from Peshawur were at once sent
forward to Jumrood on the receipt of the news of
the appearance of a strong Afghan force in a
threatening attitude neap that post. General Ross
has now seven infantry regiments and three batteries
collected there. This force he considered to be suffi
cient to clear the lower pass and to assault the fort of
Ah Musjid, and he was preparing for an advance
when he received orders to wait until further rein
forcements should reach him, as it was thought
unadvisable to run even the slightest risk of a check
at Ali Musjid, the position being an extremely
strong one.
It is the general opinion of military men that the
delay is a wise one, as, although the Afghan forces
will no doubt receive large accessions of strength
from the Momunds and other sources, the difference
of numbers will not sensibly affect the result of
the fighting, as they cannot stand before the attack
of our troops, except at the position of Ali Musjid,
and here they will be dislodged by artillery, rockets,
and flanking fire from surrounding heights. The fact
that theKhyberees are'friendly touswill greatlyassist
us in our operations against the fort.
There is no news of the advance of the column
from Dera Ghazi Khan, but orders were sent two
days since for it to move forward at once. It is a
question, however, whether sufficient transport has
yet been collected to enable this order to be carried
into effect.
There is a considerable movement of troops towards
the frontiers from Lahore, Umballa, and, indeed,
most of the stations on the way down.
There is no news as yet of our Envoy, Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India.
Golam Hassain, and fears are entertained for his
safety.