B OOKS.
SITANA.—A FORGOTTEN CAMPAIGN.* IT is not often that an Indian 'campaign finds a chronicler like Colonel Adye, one of the many officers in the Royal Artillery who unite to great experience and much scientific knowledge the special literary faculty—power of expression. He has condensed into a book scarcely longer than a pamphlet the story of a campaign, and without a sentence of "fine" writing, or indeed any" writing" in the artificial sense, leaves on the mind of every reader a just impression that the campaign was an important one. His materials are almost all new, the official minutes having been placed at his disposal, but there is nothing of the official dryness about his style, which is that of the true military historian, always lucid and exact, but rising occasionally to high picturesqueness of description. The chapter on the " Afghan " frontier tribes is a model of condensa- tion, and Colonel Adye can perform that most difficult of feats, making Indian topographical details intelligible and lively. Into his single party point, the necessity of placing the local levies under the Commander-in-Chief, we shall not enter, merely remarking that he has not answered the political objection to that step. Experience has shown that Indian Governors, and a Lieutenant- Governor is a Governor with a deceptive title, neither can nor will
• Sitana: a Mountain Campa' on the Borders of Afghanistan in 1868. By Colonel John dye, CS., Royal Artillery. Loudon : Bentley.
do without a small armed force at their direct disposal, and that when it is withdrawn they supply its place by turning policemen into soldiers, a policy already carried out in Bengal to a most dan- gerous extent. It is in his story that the main interest of Colonel Adye's little volume consists.
In 1863 it became necessary to punish a clan, or rather colony, on the north-west frontier known as the Fanatics of Sitana. This colony, founded during the reign of Runjeet Sing by Syud Ahmed Shah, of Bareilly, is really a branch of the great Wahabee sect, and is the centre of the Wahabees throughout Bengal, where they number many thousands, and are increasing every day. Every now and then a band of them, unable to endure the pressure of a civilized and infidel Government, make their way to the frontier, whence they fondly hope one day to descend, like all other Moham- medan conquerors, to establish their re'gime throughout India. On the frontier their stronghold is the mountain Mahabun—" mighty forest "—a short range nearly 8,000 feet high, studded with pla- teaux, and sloping abruptly down into secluded valleys, which, again, are bordered by the plains of our province of Peshawar :— " The scenery from the crest of the Mahabun is very varied, and con- tains in many respects elements of grandeur. To the south the vast plains of the Punjab stretch away in endless expanse. The Indus, after leaving the foot of the mountain, widens considerably in its southerly course, and at certain seasons attains almost the dimensions of an inland sea. Just before reaching the Kuttuck hills it is joined by the Cabool river, which flows out of the Peshawur valley, and then, passing under the walls of Attock, it rushes through a narrow gorge and is lost to sight. Whilst the chief charactkisties of the southern view are those of a vast cultivated plain, watered by large rivers, and dotted here and there with peaceful villages, the aspect to the north is of an entirely different character. At the very foot of the northern slopes lies the sheltered narrow valley of the Chumla, a rugged spur of the Gooroo, rising on its other side, and forming its boundary with Bonair. Beyond this latter valley again, to the north and west, rise still higher peaks and crests on the confines of Swat ; and yet again, far away in the dis- tance, great chains of mountains stand up one beyond the other in rugged grandeur, until at length the horizon is closed in by the snowy peaks of the Hindoo Koosh. It is in these distant mountains and in the inter- vening valleys that the tribes dwell, many of whom, as the rumours of the battles on the Mahabun reached them, at once swarmed down to take part in the attempt to relieve their country of our hated presence."
The Fanatics have a strong hold over the opinions of the neigh- bouring tribes, and poor, warlike, and superstitious, are addicted to incessant inroads upon our peaceful villagers. In 1859 it became necessary to punish them, but in 1863 they were still hostile, harried villages, fired at British soldiers, and loudly pvpiaimed their intention to drive the British into the sea. It was aecided, therefore, to reduce them finally to submission, by entering their country in two columns, one of which, traversing the Umbeylah Pass, should cut off their retreat to the north, while the other ascended the mountain face and destroyed their stronghold, Mulka, a fortified village nearly 8,000 feet above the sea. This plan, entrusted to General Sir Neville Chamberlain, a man of tried energy and skill, and supported by 5,000 troops of all arms, would pro- bably have succeeded, but that we had to accomplish it to pass through the territory of the Chumla and Bonair tribes without asking their permission. The Fanatics had foreseen this, and addressed to these tribes a really remarkable despatch, which sub- sequently fell into our hands. We must premise before giving it that the Fanatics, as emigres, are supposed on the frontier to understand their old masters, and that the conviction that the British have not yet finished their steady northward march of a century is universal in Afghanistan :- "The evil-doing Infidels will plunder and devastate the whole of the hilly tract, especially the provinces of Chamla, Bonair, Swat, &c., and annex these countries to their dominions, and then our religion and worldly possessions would entirely be subverted. Consequently, keeping in consideration a regard for Islam, the dictates of faith and worldly affairs, you ought by no means to neglect the opportunity. The Infidels are extremely deceitful and treacherous, and will, by whatever means they can, come into these hills, and declare to the people of the country that they have no concerns with them ; that their quarrel is with the Hindoostanees ; that they will not molest the people, even as much as to touch a hair of their heads, but will return immediately after having extirpated the Hindoostanees, and that they will not interfere with their country. They will also tempt the people with wealth. It is therefore proper for you not to give in to their deceit, or else, when they should get an opportunity, they will entirely ruin, torment, and put you to many indignities, appropriate to themselves your entire wealth and pos- sessions, and injure your faith. You will then obtain nothing but regret. We impress this matter on your attention."
The Bonairs believed these representations, and Sir Neville found himself on the 20th of October, 1863, in the Umbeylah Pass, and with all the Highland clans in aims against him. The Bonairs had risen, and summoned the Akhoond of Swat,—Mussul-- man Pope of the frontier,—and he was marching to their aid with thousands of his clansmen, and thousands more of the moun- taineers who own his religious authority. General Chamberlain was compelled to entrench himself on the first day of his march, and there for a month he maintained himself, fighting incessantly and incessantly writing for aid to the Governments below. Gradually as the clans arrived the hill sides swarmed with mountaineers, who attacked incessantly, charging right up to the British breast- works, and who on one occasion carried the key of our position, "the Crag," which was only retaken by the Highlanders and Goorkhas, under the command of Colonel Hope and General Chamberlain himself, both of whom were wounded. In these attacks we lost 18 officers and 213 men killed, and 32 officers and 731 men wounded, a large proportion being Europeans. The situation, therefore, had become very grave. One-fifth of the force had perished, the rest were becoming dispirited with labour, bad fare, and incessant fighting on the defensive, General Chamberlain was still where he had been on the first day, and from right to left the mountain clans were rising fast, Momunds, and Wuzeeree,s, and Dherees, and the rest. The Governor- General, Lord Elgin, was dying at Simla—cut off from tele- graphic communication—and the Lieutenant-Governor, dismayed at the prospect of a frontier war, and anxious to take all political responsibility on himself, telegraphed to Sir Neville Cham- berlain permission to retire. Had he consented, the frontier tribes would next year have been in the plains, possibly with the green flag unfurled and a summons to all Mohammedans to perish for the faith ; but fortunately General Chamberlain, besides being a skilful officer, was a thorough Anglo-Indian, a man to whom the notion of retiring before " natives " was in- tolerable. The Supreme Council in Calcutta, which, like other com- mittees, never fights, when asked for instructions, ordered a with-
drawal, but fortunately, Lord Elgin dying, Sir W. Denison arrived at the nick of time as temporary Viceroy, and being at Calcutta instead of Simla, was within telegraphic reach of the whole Empire. He had to contend against two serious disadvantages—he was only "acting" Viceroy, and he was entirely without Indian reputation, his government of Madras having been pronounced throughout
India a conspicuous failure. He was, we believe, in reality a cool, strong-headed man, whose " weakness " was entirely superficial, and he at once restored energy to the Administration. Backed strongly by Sir Hugh Rose, the Commander-in-Chief, he recalled the orders to retire, pushed on reinforcements to Umbeylah under General Garvock, and before the year closed had the satisfaction of hearing of the submission of the frontier. The action which pro- duced the submission of the mountaineers, the capture of a conical mountain peak, is described by Colonel Adye in a fine piece of word-painting :—
" About two miles beyond the Crag Picket stood the small village of Laloo, and a few hundred yards in front of it, one of the great spurs running up from the Chumla valley terminated in a lofty peak domi- nating the whole ridge. On this natural stronghold the men of the tribes had established themselves in great force, flying their standards over the mountain top, and prepared to abide the last issues of war. They had increased the ordinary difficulties of the ascent by occasional breastworks, so that it was a most formidable position to take by
assault." "The several regiments of the two brigades, as they came up, were formed under shelter of the broken ground, Colonel Turner's brigade being on the right; and when all was ready, General Garvock directed 'the advance' to be sounded from the centre of the line. At that signal 5,090 men rose up from their cover, and, with lend cheers and volleys of musketry, rushed to the assault, the regiments of Pathans, Sikhs, and Goorkhas all vieing with the English soldiers as to who should first reach the enemy. From behind every rock and shrub at the foot of the conical peak small parties of mountaineers jumped up, and fled as the advancing columns approached them. It took but a few seconds to cross the open ground, and then the steep ascent began; our men having to climb from rock to rock, and their regular formation necessarily becoming much broken. Foremost among the many could be distinguished the scarlet uniforms of the 101st Fusiliers, which, led by Colonel Sainsbury and Major Lambert, steadily breasted the mountain, and captured the defences in succession at the point of the bayonet, the enemy's standards dropping as their outworks fell ; whilst here and there the prostrate figures of soldiers, scattered about the rocks, proved that the hillmen were striking hard to the last. Nothing, however, could withstand the impetuosity of the assault ; and although many of the enemy stood their ground bravely, and fell at their posts, their gallantry was of no avail ; and ere many minutes had elapsed, the peak from foot to summit was in the possession of British soldiers."
A second action followed, with similar results, the Akhoond dis- appeared, the Dherees fled, the Bonairs offered alliance, and helped to destroy Mulka, the stronghold of the Fanatics. The war was over and the troops returned, having left in the mountains the impression, the only one they wanted to leave, that the hated Infidels were still supreme. That they left also the germs of deadly hostility Colonel Adye admits, and we are happy to welcome so distinguished a soldier into the small list of those who believe that our true policy in these mountains is one of conciliation.
The Ilindoostanee onigris are probably beyond our reach, but we believe that the hillmen could be induced to furnish us soldiers as brave and as faithful as the Scotch Highlanders, who once fought us as habitually and with as much ferocious valour. The tribes want plunder to exist, and should have it, in the shape of grants of money for faithful military service.
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