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mutinous soldiers went to ask
Cavagnari to pay their salaries. When confronted with these demands, the envoy refused to pay, claiming that the matter was of no concern to the British government. A scuffle ensued, and several shots were fired by the British troops. The Afghan soldiers immediately returned to their cantonment to fetch their weapons, while Cavagnari prepared the compound as best he could, and sent a plea for help to the Amir.
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back. As the main building was on fire and collapsing, Hamilton and the 20 surviving sepoys took refuge in the brick bathhouse of the residency. Hamilton led another charge on the Afghan guns, and this time three sepoys managed to hitch their belts onto one of the gun carriages. After a moment's hesitation, the Herati soldiers charged the small party of Guides. Hamilton faced the oncoming Afghan wave, and emptied his
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at the building. Hamilton led his remaining men in a charge that captured one gun, but they were driven back by Afghan fire that killed the surgeon, Kelly, and six sepoys. Hamilton urged his men to charge the guns once more but
Jenkyns, Cavagnari's assistant, was killed, and the defenders were driven
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to try and pacify the mutineers, but their party was pelted with stones, unhorsed and forced to retreat. By midday, the main building of the
Residency was on fire, and only 30 Guides and three British officers were fit enough to keep fighting. A last messenger was dispatched to the Amir, who answered
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Within the hour, 2,000 Afghan soldiers returned and invaded the
Residency, which proved impossible to defend. It was surrounded on three sides by taller houses, enabling the Herati troops to gain advantageous firing positions from which they opened a heavy fire that gradually wiped out the defenders.
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of the Guides, but he answered "Never fear. Keep up your heart, dogs that bark don't bite!" The
Rissaldar insisted: "But these dogs do bite. Sahib, the residency is in great danger!", to which Cavagnari answered: "They can only kill the three or four of us here, and our deaths will be avenged". On
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From the original force of four
British officers and 75 Indian soldiers, only 7 soldiers survived: 4 who were away from the Residency at the time of the attack, and 3 who were sent as messengers to the Amir and detained. A British military commission formed to investigate the events expressed the
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In the morning of
September 3, the Herati regiments gathered once more inside the Bala Hissar, demanding their pay, but due to tax revenues not having been collected, only one month's pay was offered to them. At this point someone suggested that the British had gold in their Residency, and the
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in back-pay. They mocked their colleagues of the Kabul regiments who had been beaten by the
British, and demanded to be led against the residency, but the Amir's officers managed to pacify them with the payment of some of the arrears. Cavagnari was warned of the danger by a retired
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that tried and executed some 100 Afghans for participating in the attack on the residency, and for resisting the subsequent
British advance on Kabul. This policy proved controversial, both in Britain and India, and embarrassed Lytton and the
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to
British India, had failed spectacularly. Lytton himself observed that his policy had been "shattered to fragments", and instead advocated that Afghanistan should be split into three different states, centered on the cities of
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The death of Cavagnari and the destruction of the Residency marked a turning point in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Lytton's aggressive policy towards Afghanistan, known as the "Forward policy", destined to counter a potential
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selected for this task was Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari, the son of an Italian aristocrat who had served for several years in the British colonial administration, in particular as District Commissioner of
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Despite his experience of the region and his qualities as a diplomat, Cavagnari's appointment was viewed with some misgivings by British observers who knew his arrogant manners. General
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opinion that "the annals of no army and no regiment can show a brighter record of bravery than has been achieved by this small band of Guides." The entire escort were awarded the
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population, Yakub Khan surrendered to Roberts and later abdicated, declaring that he would rather be a grass-cutter in the English camp than the king of Afghanistan. After a
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satisfied most British demands, including the annexation of several frontier districts, and the dispatch of a British envoy to Kabul to supervise Afghan foreign relations.
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ball, but he was still able to lead a bayonet charge and drive the Afghans out of the compound, after which he withdrew inside the buildings and died of his wounds.
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As all the British officers were now dead, the Afghans offered the Moslem soldiers the chance to surrender, but their offer was refused by the Guides, now led by
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In addition, as the principal negotiator of the humiliating treaty of Gandamak, Cavagnari was hated by the Afghan populace. Despite this, he was chosen by the
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The defense was taken over by Lieutenant Hamilton, who despatched a second messenger to Yakub Khan. This time the Amir sent his young son and a
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fortress, 250 yards (230 m) from the Amir's quarters. Throughout the summer, the situation remained calm, and Cavagnari's messages to
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The envoy arrived in Kabul on July 24, 1879, with his assistant, a surgeon, and an escort of 75 soldiers of the elite
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into them before being overwhelmed and killed. His stand allowed his 5 surviving men to retreat inside the compound.
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remained confident. In August, the situation began to deteriorate with the arrival of six
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Eventually, the Afghans brought two cannons to the Residency, and started firing
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Cavagnari was the first casualty of the attack, being hit in the head by a
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his last message to Lord Lytton: "All is well in the Kabul Embassy."
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Statue of Lt Walter Hamilton, VC during the attack on the residency
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and his escort were massacred after an 8-hour siege by mutinous
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753:, Roberts occupied Kabul on October 12. He set up a special
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782:. The novel was adapted into a 1984 mini-series, with Sir
706:(native soldiers at that time were not eligible for the
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The Savage Frontier, A History of the Anglo-Afghan Wars
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The siege is portrayed, with some fictionalization, in
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Siege of the British Residency in Kabul (Afghanistan)
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
882:The Road to Kabul: The Second Afghan War 1878–1881
517:, who immediately sued for peace. The resulting
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501:army invaded Afghanistan and captured Kabul.
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16:1879 battle of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
58:"Siege of the British Residency in Kabul"
1161:Siege of the British Residency in Kabul
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475:siege of the British Residency in Kabul
126:Siege of the British Residency in Kabul
1308:Battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
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593:In Kabul, the delegation occupied a
513:to flee. He was replaced by his son
47:adding citations to reliable sources
1303:Sieges involving the United Kingdom
634:The Guides Infantry in Afghanistan.
555:, who trusted and appreciated him.
1249:Afghanistan Medal (United Kingdom)
762:government, which fell during the
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1239:The Great Game: Afghanistan
560:Queen's Own Corps of Guides
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1181:Second Battle of Charasiab
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192:34.5327806°N 69.1658306°E
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689:The Guides' Memorial in
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1039:Amir Dost Mohammad Khan
899:Richards, D.S. (1990).
880:Robson, Brian. (2007).
479:Second Anglo-Afghan War
402:Second Anglo-Afghan War
358:Show map of Afghanistan
133:Second Anglo-Afghan War
1209:Third Anglo-Afghan War
1156:Battle of Peiwar Kotal
976:William Hay Macnaghten
884:. Stroud: Spellmount.
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244:Commanders and leaders
197:34.5327806; 69.1658306
1328:September 1879 events
1313:19th century in Kabul
764:1880 general election
704:Indian Order of Merit
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327:Location within Kabul
288:Casualties and losses
1176:Battle of Ahmed Khel
1151:Battle of Ali Masjid
1123:Battle of Jellalabad
714:"Residency, Kabul".
324:class=notpageimage|
43:improve this article
1323:1879 in Afghanistan
1166:Battle of Charasiab
1064:Mohammed Nadir Shah
996:William Elphinstone
813:Robson, pp. 118–119
751:battle at Charasiab
741:, commanded by Sir
538:Neville Chamberlain
515:Mohammad Yaqub Khan
188: /
1244:Malalai of Maiwand
1191:Battle of Kandahar
1128:Retreat from Kabul
1087:Afghanistan portal
1049:Amir Sher Ali Khan
770:In popular culture
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562:led by Lieutenant
519:Treaty of Gandamak
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1186:Battle of Maiwand
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1006:Frederick Roberts
986:Willoughby Cotton
891:978-1-86227-416-7
780:The Far Pavilions
743:Frederick Roberts
739:Kabul Field Force
569:. The escort (25
526:political officer
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420:Peiwar Kotal
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220:Belligerents
183:69°9′56.99″E
131:Part of the
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41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1031:Afghanistan
734:and Kabul.
660:point-blank
625:telegraphed
607:Afghan army
599:Bala Hissar
597:inside the
553:Lord Lytton
195: /
171:Afghanistan
1292:Categories
1277:Multimedia
1234:Great Game
1143:Second War
1001:Sam Browne
981:John Keane
903:. London:
802:References
798:as Kelly.
747:xenophobic
445:Ahmed Khel
415:Ali Masjid
296:600 killed
283:2,000+ men
69:newspapers
1201:Third War
1105:First War
776:M.M. Kaye
681:Aftermath
425:Kam Dakka
293:72 killed
1267:Category
760:Disraeli
732:Kandahar
695:Pakistan
665:revolver
595:compound
531:Peshawar
483:resident
460:Kandahar
275:Strength
162:Location
1222:Related
960:Leaders
874:Sources
720:Russian
672:Jemadar
615:arrears
581:of the
577:and 50
573:of the
505:Prelude
455:Maiwand
440:Sherpur
264:†
83:scholar
1097:Events
911:
888:
723:threat
691:Mardan
652:Mullah
645:musket
579:Sepoys
571:Sowars
491:Afghan
485:, Sir
280:75 men
260:
208:Result
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
728:Herat
611:Herat
603:Simla
589:Siege
495:Kabul
430:Kabul
167:Kabul
90:JSTOR
76:books
909:ISBN
886:ISBN
524:The
473:The
256:Sir
154:Date
62:news
45:by
1294::
907:.
730:,
693:,
567:VC
533:.
169:,
945:e
938:t
931:v
917:.
894:.
392:e
385:t
378:v
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
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