British Military Campaigns 1858-1879

Timeline of Military Conflicts and Notable dates

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British Military Campaigns 1858-1879

Postby apowell » Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:23 am

Second Anglo–Afghan War 1878–1880
This was fought between Great Britain and Afghanistan being the second time British India had invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in the Treaty of Gandamak after attaining all the British objectives. Most of the British and Indian soldiers withdrew from Afghanistan permitting the Afghans to maintain internal sovereignty but they had to cede control of their nation's foreign relations to the British. The British were also concerned about Russian influence within the Region and a possible threat to India.

Battle of Ali Masjid
21 November 1878
British Army commanded Sir Samuel J. Browne defeats Afghan forces.

Battle of Peiwar Kotal
28/29 November 1878
British Army commanded Sir Frederick Roberts defeats Afghan forces. Captain John Cook was awarded the Victoria Cross for his role in the battle.

Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
15 - 23 December 1879
British Army commanded Sir Frederick Roberts defeats besieging Afghan forces. The Sherpur Cantonment is maintained up to the present as a British military cemetery.

Battle of Ahmed Khel
19 April 1880
British Army commanded Sir Donald Martin Stewart defeats Afghan forces.

Battle of Maiwand
27 July 1880
Afghan Forces inflict heavy defeat British Army commanded Brigadier-General George Burrows. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded for acts of valour performed during the battle and during the retreat to Kandahar. Both medals went to members of E/B Battery, RHA. One was awarded to Sergeant Patrick Mullane, for attempting to save the life of a wounded colleague during the withdrawal of their battery from the field; the other went to Gunner James Collis, who during the retreat to Kandahar drew the attention of enemy fire upon himself instead of upon wounded colleagues.

Battle of Kandahar
1 September 1880
British Army commanded Sir Frederick Roberts heavy defeats Afghan forces. This battle ended Afghan resistence and the war.

Anglo-Zulu War 1879
Bartle Frere High Commissioner for Southern Africa attempted to impose unrealistic demands on the Zulu king Cetshwayo in an attempt to instigate war. Cetshwayo did not comply and Bartle Frere sent Lord Chelmsford to invade Zululand.The war is notable for several particularly bloody battles, including a stunning opening victory by the Zulu at Isandlwana. The war eventually resulted in a British victory and the end of the Zulu nation's independence.

Battle of Isandlwana
22 January 1879
British Commander Lord Chelmsford made his base camp at Isandlwana leaving Colonel Pulleine commander with the 1st Battalion of the 24th Foot and units of the Natal Native Infantry, Natal irregular horse and Royal Artillery. A massive Zulu Army attacked the camp killing the 52 British officers, 806 non-commissioned ranks and 471 Africans. Around 60 Europeans survived the battle.

Regimental anecdotes and traditions:
•Private Samuel Wassall was awarded the Victoria Cross for his conduct at the battle. Attached to the Mounted Infantry, Wassall escaped on his horse from the battle and crossed the Tugela. He then saw a comrade from the Mounted Infantry struggling in the water. Wassall recrossed the river, tethered his horse, swam over to the soldier and dragged him ashore on the Zulu side. The two men plunged back into the Tugela and swam to safety on Wassall’s horse as the Zulus came up. Private Wassall was born in Birmingham, his Victoria Cross is displayed at the Museum of the Staffordshire Regiment in Whittington. Staffordshire.
• The Queen’s colour of the 1st Battalion, 24th Foot, was recovered from the Tugela. The colour was presented to Queen Victoria who placed a wreath of silver immortelles on the tip of the staff. Lieutenants Melville and Coghill who died saving theses colours were awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses.

Defence of Rorkes Drift
22nd and 23rd of January, 1879
A small Garrison of British troops (104 fit soldiers) commanded Lieutenant Chard defended the station against Zulus (4,500). The honour list of Victoria Crosses awarded :
Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead.
privates Alfred Hook, Frederick Hitch, Robert Jones, William Jones, Corporal Allen, James Langley Dalton and John Williams.
Surgeon Reynolds got the Cross for tending the wounded under fire and the Swiss volunteer Christian Schiess - the first to a soldier serving with South Africa. forces.

Battle of Ulundi
4th July 1879
British Army commanded Lord Chelmsford destroys Zulu Impi commanded Cetshwayo, the Zulu King. British troops formed squares near the Zulus capital of Ulundi. The Zulus attacked theses hollow square on all sides but the fire from the packed British regiments, the artillery and the Gatling guns was overwhelming. It was the largest concentration of British military might in South Africa to that date. Prisoners stated after the battle that they were overwhelmed by the noise of the firing, let alone the impact of the bullets, and stunned by the size of the British force. It took only half an hour before the Zulus began to falter. At this point the 17th Lancers passed out of the back of the square and charged. The impact of the charge broke up what was left of the Zulu formations and the Zulu army dissolved in flight, pursued by the Lancers and the mounted irregular units of Chelmsford’s columns.

The Zulu War was one of the last campaigns fought by the old numbered infantry regiments of the British Army. In 1882 the Cardwell Reforms brought in the system of two battalion regiments, by combining the single battalion regiments in pairs and assigning formal regional titles. The regiments up to the 25th Foot already had two battalions and simply took the new titles. The 24th Foot, which had both its battalions in the Zulu War, fighting at Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, from being the South Warwickshire Regiment became the South Wales Borderers; the shift in focus from the English West Midlands to Wales being a nod to the Welsh origins of the soldiers of B Company of the 2nd Battalion who had held Rorke’s Drift.
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