Lord Roberts of Kandahar, V.C; The Life-Story of a Great Solider (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 edition. Excerpt: ...directly menacing Kabul and Ghazni, but without advancing beyond the Shutargardan." The measures contemplated by the Indian Government were--(1) The immediate issue of a manifesto which should define the cause of offence, declare a friendly disposition towards the Afghan people, and reluctance to interfere in their internal affairs, and should fix the whole responsibility of what might happen upon the Amir. (2) An advance into the Kuram Valley as soon as the force at Kohat was ready to move. (3) The expulsion of the Afghans holding the Khyber Pass. (4) An advance from Quetta into Pishin, or, if necessary, to Kandahar. When General Eoberts arrived at Kohat on October 9th and took over the command of the Kuram Field Force he had his first experience of independent leadership. During the quarter of a century in which he had been winning his way to that proud position he had had the distinction of being " mentioned in despatches" no fewer than twenty-three times. On the morrow of his arrival at Kohat the General ordered part of his force to begin the forward movement to a point near the frontier. Thence on November 21st the troops began crossing the frontier, General Eoberts him self accompanying the advanced guard. The enemy vacated one or two mud-forts, which were successively occupied by the British forces, and retired towards the village of Peiwar and the Peiwar Kotal--a mountain ridge in which they could find strong natural positions. The occupation of these mud-forts was the gaining of the first objective point in the campaign, says its historian, for "though they were practically useless for purposes of defence, they afforded all that was necessary in the way of accommodation and storage room at the outset. Afterwards they...