The Battle of Maiwand (Dari: نبرد میوند, Pashto: د ميوند جگړه) was fought on 27 July 1880 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Fought near the village of Maiwand in Kandahar Province, the battle resulted in an Afghan army of 25,000 regulars and irregulars under Mohammad Ayub Khan defeating a force of 2,476 British and Indian troops under Brigadier-general George Burrows. The Afghans suffered between 2,500 and 3,000 men killed and wounded while Burrows' force suffered possibly as high as 1,200 killed. Though the battle proved to be a major setback for the British, they would go on to decisively defeat Ayub Khan at the Battle of Kandahar on 1 September. The British guns captured during the action were also recovered at Kandahar.

thumb|Depiction of the battle in a near-contemporary Persian source, from the Collected Works of Riyazi|289x289px

E Battery came into action again some back. The Sappers and Miners retreated as the guns withdrew. Henn and 14 of his men afterwards joined some remnants of the 66th Foot and Bombay Grenadiers in a small enclosure at a garden in a place called Khig where a determined last stand was made. Though the Afghans shot them down one by one, they fired steadily until only eleven of their number (two officers and nine other ranks) were left, and the survivors then charged out into the masses of the enemy and perished. Henn is the only officer who has been positively identified in that band and he led the final charge. No Englishman lived to tell the story of the Last Eleven at Maiwand. It was reported to the British later that year by a former officer of Ayub Khan's army, who said that the Afghans had been truly impressed by the bravery of those men.

Aftermath

Word of the disaster reached Kandahar the following day and a relief force was dispatched. This met the retreating force at Kokeran.

The British were routed but managed a withdrawal due to their own efforts and the apathy of the Afghans. Of the 2,476 British and Indian troops engaged, 970 were killed and 166 wounded. The Grenadiers lost 64% of their strength and the 66th lost 62%, including twelve officers. Of those present (two companies being detached) the cavalry losses were much smaller. British and Indian regimental casualties were:

  • 1st Infantry Brigade (Brigadier-General George Burrows, commanding)
  • 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot: 286 dead, 32 wounded.
  • 1st Bombay Native Infantry (Grenadiers): 366 dead, 61 wounded.
  • 30th Bombay Native Infantry (Jacob’s Rifles): 241 dead, 32 wounded.
  • Bombay Sappers and Miners (No.2 Company): 16 dead, 6 wounded.
  • 1st Cavalry Brigade (Brigadier-General Thomas Nuttall, commanding)
  • E Battery / B Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery:

Sources

  • Malalai of Maiwand
  • Maiwand Monument
  • Maiwand Lion, Reading, Berkshire, UK
  • Project Gutenberg edition of "A Study in Scarlet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Remember the battle of Maiwand by Eric Margolis, 15 April 2007
  • Online Afghan Calendar with Historical dates (also Battle of Maiwand)