A Collection of Medals for the Second Afghan War 1878-80


He later recalled ‘…indeed, it was almost a certainty of being hit if any one got up from the ground and moved from place to place. Seeing this, the enemy became even bolder, and we were compelled to repel two very determined attacks which were made on the baggage later on.’


In the face of an overwhelming opposition and the whole force in disarray, Salmon’s company was forced to join the fighting retreat to Kandahar. The next morning, ten miles from the city, the column arrived at the Arghandab River, where five of the smooth-bore guns, ‘which had never been properly horsed or manned’, had to be abandoned. Salmon’s small group was crossing the river where one of the smooth-bores was abandoned and determined to save it. He succeeded in bringing the gun into Kandahar - the only smooth-bore to return.


Many accounts were written and official reports required to be furnished by officers present at the military disaster of Maiwand, for there followed the usual inquest and enquiry following this defeat. Lieutenant Salmon was amongst a number of officers who wrote his personal account of the action: ‘At Khushk-i-Nakhud, on the night of the 26th July 1880, at about 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., the brigade received orders to march at 6:00 a. m. the following morning on the village of Maiwand, situated some ten miles distant in a northerly direction. Accordingly, on the morning of the 27th, the “rouse” sounded at 4:00 a.m., and the brigade marched off the camping ground at about 6:00 a.m. The formation of the brigade was in line of columns at deploying interval, with the 66th on the right, Jacob’s Rifles in the centre, and the 1st Bombay Grenadiers on the left, with an advance guard consisting of two guns of E-B, Royal Horse Artillery, and some cavalry; also a rear guard of a few smooth-bore guns, captured from Shere Ali Khan’s rebellious army, and some cavalry under Colonel Malcolmson, 3rd Sind Horse. The whole of the baggage was massed on the right of the brigade, and marched in that position. The march commenced, as I have said, at about 6:00 a.m., in the direction of Maiwand; and after it had continued for about three hours or thereabouts, some objects were sighted in the distance on our left flank. At first we were completely in doubt as to what they were, but after careful observation it became apparent that these were very large bodies of the enemy moving in a direction at right angles to our own line of march, and I may say in a direction from west to east, heading for the same village of Maiwand to which we were bound. To the best of my belief, a party consisting of two guns of E-B, Royal Horse Artillery, and a troop of the 3rd Sind Horse were sent to reconnoitre the enemy and send information to the Brigadier-General in command as to their strength and general disposition, and that after a lapse of a short time a note was received from the officer commanding the cavalry party that the enemy were in great force and strong both in cavalry and artillery, a fact which was very substantially corroborated by subsequent events. The officer commanding was pleased to give an order for the line of battalions to change their front “half-left”, and advance in very much their former position over a small nallah which separated us from the enemy, and to move on for a considerable distance over a bare and stony plateau, on the extremity of which the enemy's hordes could now be seen drawn up in line to receive our attack. I may mention here that the engagement was opened by Lieutenant MacLaine of E-B, Royal Horse Artillery, with two guns, which he had taken a considerable distance in advance of the fighting line, and opened fire on the advancing enemy with admirable effect; but as to whether the movement was undertaken on that officer's own responsibility, or according to orders he received, I am not in a position to state. The time when the first shot was fired was, to the best of my belief, 9:45 a.m. (and not 11:00 a.m. as I have seen frequently stated in various accounts which I have read in the different papers), as I, to the best of my recollection, looked at my watch when the first gun was fired; and from that have fixed the hour. Lieutenant MacLaine was allowed to continue his firing for nearly half an hour before the enemy deigned to give any reply; but my idea is, that they were not by any means prepared for such an attack, and it took them some time to get their numerous pieces of artillery into the position they desired. However, the fighting line was advanced some 700 yards along this plateau and was disposed, to the best of my belief, as follows - viz., the 66th on the right and Jacob's Rifles in the centre; at first only one wing was in the line, but subsequently the other wing was also brought up, and two companies detached from the regiment to prolong the line to the left of the Grenadiers, who were on the extreme left of the line. The greater part of the artillery was doing the first part of the action, on the right, and also some of the cavalry, the remainder being disposed of on the left rear of the line, and some with the baggage-guard. What occurred at the fighting line subsequent to the position they ultimately took up I am unable to state, as I was on baggage-guard that day, and it was my fate to remain behind at a distance of some six or seven hundred yards with the baggage, which was massed about the nallah crossed by the line in their advance. Some of the baggage remained on the far side; some was in the nallah itself, and a portion of it had come across the nallah and advanced a hundred yards or so on to the plateau already mentioned. An order had been communicated to us to take the baggage and dispose of it in a portion of the villages which were situated on our right front, when we took up the position I have already described. I may add that it was utterly impossible to carry out; this order, as the whole of those villages were fully occupied by a large number of the enemy, consisting of irregulars, ghazis and some horsemen. About half an hour after the fighting line had formed up, the baggage was threatened by a considerable number of the enemy, who were collected, as I have said, in the villages and enclosures on our right front, and by a large body of men who had collected further up in the nallah, about half a mile from our position and to the immediate right of the fighting line. These men showed an inclination to come down the nallah and take possession of the baggage. The baggage guard consisted of about one company, say about 40 men, of each regiment. These men originally were dispersed along the whole line of baggage animals, but on seeing the baggage threatened in the manner I have mentioned, the officer who was in charge of the whole of the baggage party, viz., Major Ready, 66th Regiment, ordered the men of each regiment to fall in a thin and extended line of skirmishers, which fully covered the whole of the baggage in front, and also protected it to a certain extent on both flanks. This disposition being complete, the various officers on baggage-guard took charge each of his own men, and directed and controlled their movements and firing. The party of the 66th was on the right, under two European officers whose names I cannot now remember. The party of Jacob’s Rifles, under my command, were in the centre and the 1st Grenadiers’ party, under Lieutenant Whitby, were on the left. In this order we lay down under such cover as we could obtain, and were subjected to a most galling fire from the enclosures and gardens on our right, to which we could only occasionally reply, as the enemy were well under cover, and only presented a fair mark occasionally on entering or leaving the enclosures in question. After this state of affairs had lasted for about an hour, Major Ready very wisely resolved to take possession of the nearest enclosures, so as to prevent the advantage of position being altogether on the side of the enemy. Agreeably with the above, we received an order from that officer to advance steadily up the nallah and attack and take the enclosures in question. This movement was accordingly carried out; the 66th party advanced determinedly on the right and entered some of the enclosures, driving out the enemy. The Jacob's Rifles party went up to the same enclosures on the left and fired upon the retreating enemy, killing a few and considerably hastening the movements of the remainder; thus, in a very few minutes, several of the enclosures, from which we had sustained a very heavy and galling fire, had fallen into our hands; and in my humble opinion it was clearly our correct role to keep possession of these enclosures (where our men could obtain safe cover and consequently act both on the offensive and defensive, when necessary, with all the greater confidence), and to have brought the baggage animals up behind and placed them under cover of the walls; but we had hardly been in possession a quarter of an hour, when we received an order from an officer who had joined the baggage-guard while we were engaged in taking the villages, to retire immediately, which was without doubt a most fatal step, as the enemy grew all the bolder as we retired, and the men were again subjected to a very heavy fire when retiring, and had to take up a position where there was little or no cover. It is needless to observe that the enemy not only speedily reoccupied the gardens and enclosures, but, emboldened by our retirement, came in greater numbers, and the fire we were obliged to sustain was proportionately greater; indeed, it was almost a certainty being hit if any one got up from the ground, and moved from place to place. Seeing this the enemy became even bolder, and we were obliged to repel two very determined attacks, which were made on the baggage a little later on. The officer who gave this order was Colonel Malcolmson of the 3rd Sind Horse.


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